When Bruce left, Thor asked Loki if he would like the television turned on while he waited for his dinner. Loki nodded, glad for some form of distraction from his disappointment. He knew that he should be joyous at the news of his pending recovery, especially since it had made Thor so happy. Seeing his brother so worried had hurt as much as his lung infection, and Loki had wanted desperately to reassure Thor, but he had felt so ill these past few days that he just had not been able to find the strength to do so. Thor's smile was back now, but Loki had to force one in return. He was being incredibly selfish, he knew, but wasn't he a bit entitled to it? He had been looking forward very much to the Midgardian celebration. After all of the difficult events in his life over the past two years, he was very much ready for a celebration with his new friends. And they had all been so kind as to tell him and Thor of the customs associated with their Christmas. But now he would not be participating in the festivities after all, and he could not help but feel as though he was letting the rest of his team down. He knew that Stark in particular had been eagerly anticipating seeing the reactions of the two Asgardians to the holiday. Well, at least he would still have one Asgardian, Loki thought miserably. No doubt Thor would still provide plenty of laughs for the fun-loving Stark. He felt his heart clench. It was the thought of not being able to spend this new holiday, which seemed to place so much emphasis on family, with his dear brother that hurt Loki the most. He knew that Thor would want to stay with him, would insist upon it, but Loki would insist harder. He was well enough now that he did not need someone at his side every moment, and Thor could very well go and have a good time with their friends without being weighed down by his invalid little brother.

Thor had flipped through the channels until he had found something suitable, and then had put the remote control down and was now studying Loki.

"What troubles you, brother? Are you feeling poorly again?" He worriedly placed the back of his hand on Loki's forehead, but Loki reached up with a small, affectionate smile and removed it.

"No, I am feeling much better," he said softly, placing his brother's large hand on the bed and patting it. Then, rather impulsively, he leaned over to nestle his head on Thor's shoulder.

"Well, you are quiet affectionate this evening," boomed Thor with a chuckle, ruffling Loki's hair lightly. Then, his voice grew serious with understanding. "You are upset about missing the holiday?"

Loki did not answer, choosing instead to press himself even closer to his brother, hoping Thor would drop the subject. But his trickster's ability to put on a convincing facade had obviously been compromised by his illness, for apparently Thor could read him like an open book.

"That is it, then. And I do not blame you-it did promise to be a joyous affair. But there is always next year, brother, now that you are a part of our team."

There is was, as Loki had predicted. "What do you mean 'it did promise to be a joyous affair'? You are still celebrating with our friends." Thor looked as though he were going to protest, but Loki summoned his strength to interrupt his attempt. "I am not letting you not celebrate, Thor. I refuse to ruin things even more..."

Damn. He shouldn't speak so much yet. By the Norns, it still hurt terribly to cough. Thor rubbed soft circles into his back until the fit passed. They sat in silence for a while then, with Loki still pressed into his brother's side. He was rapidly becoming aware of his exhaustion, despite having slept for the entire day. He would really have been content to not continue with this conversation, to just fall asleep into Thor and pretend this silly Midgardian holiday did not exist. But when he heard his brother's voice, gentle but firm, he knew that this was not to be.

"Loki."

He sighed softly.

"Loki, look at me."

He turned and did so, his tired green eyes meeting his brother's expansive blue ones. Thor reached out to tuck a stray lock of black hair, mussed from fever and sleep, behind Loki's ear, and then lowered his hand so that it rested on his brother's arm.

"Allow me to make clear some things. First of all, you absolutely have not ruined anyone's Christmas." Loki opened his mouth to protest, but this time Thor gained the upper conversational hand. "No one blames you for being ill. Sometimes these things just happen, and everyone knows there isn't a thing you can do about them. We are all just glad that you are finally recovering-which leads me to my second point. Somewhere beneath Stark's loud songs and all of the shiny gold...what does he call it?...Tinsel!...and people buying gifts for each other and then keeping them a secret, I think I managed to glean what this celebration actually means from Captain Rogers's story. It's about love, and being with the ones you love. And there's no gift, absolutely nothing I could ever ask for that would mean more to me than having you well again. You mean more to me than all of the Nine Realms combined, Loki. You know that, don't you?" Thor finally ended his monologue with the question and searched Loki's gaze imploringly.

Loki had meant with all of himself to force Thor not to worry about him on Christmas and make merry with the rest of the team. But at Thor's heartfelt speech, he felt his resolve crumble into a million pieces, and he fell weakly into his brother's embrace and murmured into his shoulder, his voice muffled by Thor's shirt.

"Of course I do, you wonderful idiot."

He felt more than heard his brother chuckle softly, and they stayed that way for a couple of minutes, with Loki feeling more content and comfortable than he had in days. But then a thought crossed his mind, and he pulled away from Thor, furrowing his brow.

"By the way, when did you get so insightful? And eloquent? If I did not know better, I would think you were becoming...me."

Thor laughed again, loud and jovially this time, returning to himself as Loki knew him.

"I think it is all the time we have been spending together these past few months. If you are not careful, you might find yourself developing a propensity for loud speech and hammering things."

"In that case, I am cutting off all relations with you as soon as I am well. I shall move to Siberia and never speak to you again." He would have continued, but Thor was already in stitches. Loki just smiled, feeling more contented after their conversation.

They turned their attention to the television after that. Thor had chosen the channel called "Animal Planet", which was giving a program entitled "Too Cute", which he told Loki he thought he would like. The show had very little plot and simply catalogued the lives of several litters of kittens from birth through the first few months of their lives. Cats were a new concept to both of them-while Asgard had similar creatures, they were larger and more wild-very few people bothered to put the time into taming them. But apparently many Midgardians kept these small, furry creatures as household pets.

Loki had first become interested in cats a couple of months prior, when Tony had decided it was time that his out-of-place companions see what New York City really had to offer and had taken Loki, Thor, Bruce, and Steve on a shopping trip. They had been walking along the storefronts, admiring the merchandise through the windows when they had come to a pet shop. Several fluffy, golden puppies were visible through the window, bumbling around in their enclosure and wagging their tails excitedly. The Incredible Hulk would not have been able to hold Steve and Thor back when they saw them. By the time Loki, Tony, and Bruce had joined their companions in the shop, Steve and Thor had been on the floor, covered in Golden Retriever puppies. Apparently Captain America was an enthusiastic dog lover, and Loki had not seen his brother so utterly child-like in centuries.

Tony and Bruce had stood and laughed at them for a couple of minutes, but had finally caved and each picked up a puppy to cuddle. Loki, not wanting to feel left out, had chosen what seemed to be the least rambunctious puppy and held it for a few minutes, but, as cute as it was, he quickly grew tired of the constant squirming and licking. He had handed the puppy to his brother, who already had three of its brothers and sisters on his lap, and left his friends to see creatures inhabited the rest of the store. There were several other breeds of puppies, mice, rats, rabbits, lizards, and many different varieties of fish. Loki had stood admiring the beautiful colors of some aquatic creatures whose sign labelled them as "bettas" when he had heard a soft noise from behind him.

"Me-ow."

He had turned to see a tall-sided enclosure that contained eight small balls of fluff. One was looking curiously at him, and then, as he watched, spoke to him again.

"Rrrrrow!"

"Hello," Loki had said. After studying the creature for a moment longer, he had stood on his toes (even with his impressive stature, it was difficult to reach over the wall of the enclosure) and scooped up the little black-and-white ball. As soon as he removed it from the cage, the fluffy thing began to make a rumbling noise in its throat. At first, Loki was startled, thinking that perhaps the little thing was in some form of distress, but then the creature had closed its eyes in contentment and leaned its head into Loki's chest. He cradled it with one hand and stroked its tiny head with his index finger, enjoying the feel of the soft, ever-present rumble next to his heart. This creature was much more likable than the puppy, he thought. Puppies were rambunctious and enthusiastic and reminded him very much of his brother. That was to say, he loved his brother very much, and he liked puppies, but this little creature was more like...well, him. Quiet and calm, and...

"Ouch!" His response arose more from being in startled than in much pain. While Loki had been lost in thought, the ball of fur in his arms had nipped his finger playfully.

And mischievous, thought Loki with a chuckle. Very much like me, indeed.

After a while, Tony had decided that it was time to move on. The puppies had been (reluctantly) returned to their enclosure, and Loki's friends had found him in the back of the store.

"Hey Bag O' Cats, whatcha got there?" Tony had asked, peering over Loki's shoulder to see what he was holding. Loki had turned around to show him.

"I like it," he had stated matter-of-factly. Then, furrowing his brow a little, he had asked, "What is it?"

Tony laughed and reached out to scratch the little thing behind its ear. "I guess Bruce created an even better metaphor than we originally thought. It's actually a cat-or a baby one, anyway. That's a kitten, Loki."

"You are very adorable, little kitten," Loki crooned. Then he had asked Tony, "Do they get much bigger?"

"Uh, sort of." Tony had demonstrated the approximate average size with his hands. "Look, it's past lunchtime and the Thunderous Wonder over here is going to eat me if we don't find a sub shop soon. If you want to learn more, I'm sure I own at least one book on cats. And there's always the internet."

Loki had nodded and sadly set the kitten back down, bidding it and its siblings a farewell. From that day on, the scholarly god of mischief had learned everything he could about the little creatures. Normally, he found most aspects of Migardian life inferior to Asgardian life-the food, the weather, the silly metal boxes that the humans employed to get from place to place. But this time, although he hated to admit it, even just to himself, he was almost envious of this realm for having these lovely little furry animals when his home did not. Occasionally he wondered if Tony Stark would ever consider acquiring a cat for the tower. Probably not, he thought. The mental image of the genius staring down a stubborn feline made Loki laugh.

He smiled at the television now as three little tabby kittens pounced on a toy made of colorful feathers, and he heard Thor chuckle.

"They are rather cute, are they not, brother? I can see why you like them so much."

Loki grinned at him. "Yes, something about them just warms the heart."

"They remind me a little of you, you know." Thor's tone was tender. Loki raised an eyebrow, counteracting the warmth in his brother's voice with a little light-hearted tease in his own.

"What, because I warm your heart?"

"Amongst other things." Thor laughed in that low rumble that never failed to make Loki smile right along with him. He would have come back with another remark if Tony Stark had not entered at that moment, carrying a tray of chamomile tea, a cup of applesauce, and, of course, a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"I come bearing gifts of sustenance!" Tony loved to mock Thor's and Loki's way of speaking. Normally this usually just caused Loki to roll his eyes, but it was entertaining for both him and Stark when Thor completely missed the fact that he was being poked fun at. Which was most of the time.

"Thank you, Stark," said Loki as his friend set the tray down on the bedside table. Although the tower was equipped with an Artificial Intelligence combined with a mechanical system that could easily have brought Loki his dinner without Stark even having to leave his workshop, Tony always chose to bring Loki's meals in person. He said it was because walking around the tower was good exercise, but Loki knew it was really because Stark wanted to check on him.

"Hey, Bruce told me the good news. I'm really glad you're getting better-we all are. Tower's just not the same without you combining Diet Coke and Mentos and magically making it come out of all the shower heads."

Loki smiled at the mention of one of his personal favorite pranks. The strange Midgardian sweets and drink had come in rather handy when it came to fulfilling his innate need for trickery.

"How are you feeling?" Stark asked. He regarded Loki with one of his rare, genuine smiles that held not a trace of mockery or sarcasm. Loki returned it with one of his equally rare smiles of the same sort.

"Much better than I was, thank you. I'm just very tired, and I've still got this confounded cough." The accursed thing came back just then, as if on cue. Loki wondered if he would ever stop coughing. But then he felt Thor squeeze his arm, seeming to confer some of the thunderer's strength to Loki through his touch, and soon the fit passed. Tony was looking sympathetically at him, but Loki would have none of it. Under the force of the acerbic glare of the god of mischief, Tony Stark turned his attention to the television. As he watched the screen, first one eyebrow went up, and then the other. And then he started laughing. And kept laughing. Thor and Loki looked on, both a bit concerned for their friend. Finally, Stark managed to gasp out,

"Oh my God! You two...are watching...Too Cute! This is...TOO CUTE!"

"I do not understand." Thor looked thoroughly confused by this point.

Tony managed to quell his laughter long enough to explain. "Let me explain to you what I'm seeing here. What I'm seeing are two Norse gods watching a TV show about kittens. Kittens!" When neither of them seemed enlightened as to why this was so funny, Tony finally gave up. "You know, why do I even bother with you guys? You have no idea. Aw, whatever. So Loki, you still a cat fan?"

"If you mean to ask if I still harbor a strong liking for and deep appreciation of domestic felines, the answer is yes."

"Yeah, they are pretty cute," Tony consented. He observed Thor and Loki for a few moments as they watched the program, and then spoke again, this time to Thor.

"Hey Bottomless Pit, if you're not as into chicken noodle soup as your baby bro, we have stir fry going on downstairs. Christmas Eve Eve tradition." He winked at Loki, who tried his very best to cover up the saddened look that took over his features at the mention of the holiday that he would be missing. He hoped he had not failed too miserably. If he had noticed the change, Stark did not comment.

"Thank you, Stark, but I was planning to keep Loki company this evening..." Thor began, but Loki decided that now was the time to put this nonsense to a stop before it could go any further.

"Thor, please go with Stark and eat dinner with our friends. I can manage here perfectly well by myself." When Thor did not look entirely convinced, he added an earnest "Really."

His brother still did not seem to believe him. "But won't you be lonely up here all by yourself? I don't mind staying at all, I love spending time with you..."

"I am afraid I shan't be good company at all, Thor. I'm very tired. I intend to eat my dinner and then go right to sleep."

Thor studied him critically for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Loki smiled patiently. "Entirely sure. And I promise to order JARVIS to inform you if I need anything."

There was another pause, and then Thor finally gave in. "All right. I hope you rest comfortably. I will see you soon."

"Enjoy your stir fry. Whatever that is," Loki responded as Thor and Stark left the room. He was glad that he had managed to convince his rather smothering and overprotective elder brother to finally go and take some time for himself-after all, Thor had loyally spent every moment at his side while he was ill. Although it made Loki's stomach feel sick to even think about it, he did not believe that he would have survived without Thor's protective and loving arms around him. It had given him something to cling to. But as much as he knew Thor deserved some time off, he was admittedly sad to see him go, even if they were still in the same building and it was only just for a couple of hours. He had come so far from the broken thing he had been as little as a year ago, so full of hatred and in complete denial of his love for Thor and his brother's love for him.

But at least he had achieved something. The Avengers were still going to have a nice Christmas, even if it meant completely forgetting he existed.