AN: the-consulting-dragon. tumblr image/ 38838683248 (Remove the spaces and add the dot com. It won't let me upload it the way it is.) It's a picture I drew of the Doctor. It's currently the only picture I've drawn on my tablet, but as soon as I get over my wicked back problems, I plan to finish the picture of Loki I started forever ago.

While the Doctor waited for Loki to finish his bath, he busied himself with checking various points of the TARDIS. He wasn't expecting to see what he did when Loki got out. "Oh, so that's what you needed the knife for..." He smiled. "I like it."

Before, Loki's long greasy hair was falling far past his shoulders and was simply unruly. Now, it stuck up in odd directions due to being so short. "I bet it looks horrid. I couldn't find a comb. Surely you have one?"

"Yeah, it's in the room right across the bathroom. There's also some new clothes in there if you need them," he said, noticing that Loki was wearing nothing but a very large towel. Loki simply nodded and left the room again.

It took Loki a much shorter time to pick out his clothes than the Doctor had expected. He still managed to have the black and green theme he had when he was trying to take over Earth, but it lacked all of the flair and royalty his armour gave him. He had on a dark green, turtle neck shirt with a black hoodie vest on over it. His pants were skin tight, black leather, accompanied with simple black shoes. On his sleeves were small silver vambraces. His hair was still stuck up, but it was a bit more controlled. "I hope this isn't too unnatural for humans."

"Jotunheim is obviously lacking in the fashion department," the Doctor said before he could stop himself.

Loki just started laughing. "But you see, Doctor, we normally do not wear clothes on Jotunheim. Only loincloths." He patted the vambraces. "I might remove these. Might. But I like the rest of my outfit. Besides, you're not really one to talk. You have way too much blue, and that hideous scarf clashes with all of it."

"Wait, I have way too much blue?" the Doctor retorted gleefully.

"Indeed you do. I only wear my Jotun skin when in dire need of it."

"So in all other cases, such as now," the Doctor said while gesturing to Loki's whole body, "you were second-hand garbage?"

"Oh, alright. You win. Enough of this banter, I want to go to Midgard."

The Doctor made a tsking noise. "I was hoping you'd put up a bit more of a fight than that, little man." He let out another one of his wheezy cackles after he saw Loki's face scrunch up in disapproval.

"I'm taller than you!"

"But you're short for a Jotun. By the way, how old are you?"

"1161."

"Heh, you'd be my..." The Doctor trailed off for a bit as though he was thinking, then soon continued, "... third companion to be almost as old as me! I mean, only by a few hundred years, give or take, but you are." He smiled and started the TARDIS up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

The streets of New York in 2013 were just as busy as ever. Cars were honking in the midst of the traffic, and people were hustling through the crowded side walks to reach their destinations before dark. In this street, Loki and the Doctor were invisible.

The Doctor pulled a small card out of his peacoat and pointed his screwdriver at it. Loki peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "What exactly is that thing? I keep seeing you pull it out and point it at stuff... What does it actually do?"

"A little bit of everything," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Well, not everything. It can't be used as a weapon. Well, depends on your definition of weapon. It can't directly harm anything. Oh, look! Ice cream!"

Before Loki could say anything, he was dragged into a small building with a little bar and three rotating pink bar chairs. There were small booths pressed up against the wall. The entire place had a colour scheme of white and pink, making it look very frilly. The Doctor looked at him with a huge grin. "This place has some of the best ice cream in the universe and believe me, I oughtta know." He winked at Loki and walked up to a counter.

A petite blonde woman stood behind the counter. "What would you two like to order? The special today is a cup of coffee frozen yogurt-"

"NO! THE FRO-YO IS A LIE!" The Doctor shouted loudly, causing everyone in the ice cream parlour to stare at them. Loki blushed, the red in his cheeks stark against the rest of his pale face and virtually impossible to hide. "Me and my companion both want double-scoop mint chocolate chip in a large waffle cone." The woman, still shocked from the Doctor's outburst, simply nodded and pushed some buttons on her register. He turned to face Loki. "Go find us a seat. I'll be there in a mo."

There was an open booth at the back of the small parlour; Loki decided they would sit there. When he sat down, he turned his gaze out the window. Everything was so messed up now. What felt like only minutes ago, he was locked up in a tiny little box as punishment for his crimes. Now, he was traveling with the Doctor, a man who could travel through time and space. He didn't really know why he had wanted to come to Midgard, maybe just to see how well it had handled his attack. He also didn't know where he wanted the Doctor to take him next.

When the Doctor arrived, he was carrying two large cones dripping with the cold confection. "Here you go. Eat up." The Doctor began to lick his ice cream.

Loki held the treat in his hands and stared at it. He saw the Doctor licking it, but he thought that was a silly way to eat something. He took a large bite right out of the ice cream. When he did so, the Doctor's eyes grew wide.

"No, no, no! Don't do that! You'll get a brain freeze!" And the area around your mouth is turning blue!, the Doctor wanted to shout.

The Jotun chuckled and continued taking large bites of his ice cream. "This is delicious. I don't think we have anything on Asgard like this." Loki didn't seem to notice he slipped up since he was so captivated by his ice cream, so the Doctor didn't say anything about it. Later, however, he was going to carefully press on the subject.

"So... Are you feeling anything?"

"Besides amazing? No."

"No head ache, no pain in your mouth?"

"Nothing at all. I'm a frost giant, remember?" He lapped at the ice cream until the cone put it out of reach. "What's with this confounded cone?"

"You put that part on your head."

"What?!"

"Just kidding. You eat that, too."

Loki first took a small, cautious bite. As soon as he decided he loved it, he finished the entire cone in five bites. The Doctor stared at him while slowly licking his ice cream. "Are there any napkins I could use?" Loki held up his hands, which were covered in melting green ice cream.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Just lick your fingers."

"How barbaric. I'm going to retrieve some napkins." Loki stood up and went to the counter with the young woman. "Are there any napkins?"

"Right there, darling," she said, pointing at a napkin dispenser. Loki cringed at being called "darling", but went to look at what she was pointing at. It was a small brown box with what looked like a soft white piece of paper hanging out. He took one out and used it to wipe his hands. He continued to do this while walking back to the table, where the Doctor wasn't even entirely done with his first scoop.

With a chuckle, Loki sat down. "Can I have another?"

The Doctor held out the same small card he used to purchase the ice cream. "Knock yourself out." When he saw Loki's right eyebrow arch, he smiled. "That means yes."

The Jotun walked back over to the counter with the card in hand. When he reached the woman, he politely asked for another mint ice cream. The woman leaned over the counter to whisper to him, "What does he have against frozen yogurt? Is he, like, special or something?"

Loki laughed. "I have no idea." He thought for a moment, then stopped the woman before she punched his order into the cash register. "Forget the ice cream. I want the largest bowl of frozen yogurt you can give me."

The woman smiled. "You want that coffee-flavored, hun?"

He cringed again, but nodded. When he received his bowl, he paid for his food and left (how such a little card was able to get him all this frozen yogurt, he thought he would never know.) The look on the Doctor's face when he returned to the table was priceless. "Fro-yo," the Doctor hissed.

"I do what I want," Loki crooned. He handed the card back to the Doctor before digging in to his frozen yogurt. He moaned in delight as he continued shoving spoonfuls into his mouth faster than he could eat it. Although he really did enjoy it, he felt it was more over to get on the Doctor's nerves. "This is so good."

"Oi! How dare you give praise to that frozen dairy death trap!" The Doctor said, imitating Loki's accent and scrunching up his face. Loki tried to contain the laughter, but ended up spewing out some of his yogurt back into the bowl.

"Oh, how disgusting. I can't eat this now." Loki said, feigning sorrow. As soon as he looked up at the Doctor, however, he began laughing hysterically. The two men were causing a scene with their obnoxiously loud laughter. When they were done, Loki shook his head and wiped his mouth with the napkin. "I don't think I've laughed that hard at something in years, especially not something that stupid."

The Doctor waved a hand at him. "Come on now! You can't be serious?"

"I'm dead serious," Loki replied.

"I'll just have to remedy that, won't I?" the Doctor said, and smiled. "You'll be alive serious. Anyway, I'm almost done with my ice cream. We'll leave soon."

Loki stood up and snatched the Doctor's credit card away. "In the meantime, I want another ice cream." The Doctor's eyes widened, but he remained silent.

When Loki returned with a massive chocolate ice cream cone, the Doctor asked, "How can you eat so much? You're going to have a very bad stomach ache later."

"I was locked up for over a year, suffering serious malnutrition. I need sustenance. I don't think this atrocious eating habit will stop for a while." Loki was about to take a large bite of his ice cream when he paused and turned to the Doctor. "Which reminds me. When I asked if you were a medical doctor... I was wondering; If I haven't walked for over a year, why haven't my legs atrophied? Or my arms, for that matter?"

"That... Is a very good question. Unfortunately, I don't know. Maybe Jotun limbs are less susceptible to deterioration. I couldn't give you an exact answer, though." As the Doctor finished off his ice cream, he saw Loki had already demolished his own. "Alright, let's go."

They both left the building and were back in the crowded streets of New York. It was completely dark outside now, but it was still busy as ever. The lights from the many cars, street lights, and buildings around them made it easy to see everything. "You know, they call this the city that never sleeps."

"I can see why," Loki murmured. "I prefer a nocturnal life style myself. I still get sleep, though. Actually, I used to-"

"Oh! It's almost time!" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly. He grabbed Loki's hand as they rushed back to the TARDIS. He shoved the Jotun in and shut the door behind himself. "I've got some place special to take you, but it's a bit far. I know you'll like it."

They were taken to a large grassy field, where the dark sky was visible. There were crickets chirping everywhere, and the moist summer air was heavy around them. Fireflies flickered on and off, making it look like the tall grasses were winking at the duo. Cries of large birds echoed from the Spanish-moss covered trees. It was a beautiful sight. "It's the same night, just a different place. Today is July 4, 2013, in Houma, Louisiana. The swamps are a wonderful place to hike if you're fond of mosquitoes, mud, and alligators." The Doctor cringed. "Basically, don't hike in a swamp. I tried once for-"

A loud boom cut him off. They both looked up to see a large red burst in the sky. "Ah! The fireworks have started!" the Doctor cried jovially. Loki gazed up in awe as another one rocketed up into the air. It left behind a sparkling golden trail, and soon burst into a massive purple and silver flower.

"It's so lovely..." Loki murmured as he watched more fireworks whiz and bang.

"M-hm. They use it to celebrate their independence." Loki merely nodded, not really paying attention. The Doctor would have to speak up to get his point across. "This is the day they were freed from oppression by higher powers."

The Doctor was started to get his expected results. Loki's lips curled, but quickly loosened soon afterwards. "Why?" was all he asked.

"Freedom. They fought long and hard for it."

"That just goes to prove that humans will do anything for that illusion," Loki said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, but it also shows just how powerful humans can be." The Doctor chuckled. "I've been all over their history, and in my 1000 years of living, they still manage to surprise me. It's not what they do for freedom, but what they accomplish once they recieve it. For such a young race, they've grown considerably. Now, they thrive in exuberance. Life is crawling out of every nook and cranny on this planet thanks to freedom. It's amazing to watch them grow." The Doctor smiled up at the fireworks blasting above them. "They go far to show what they're made of."

Loki remained completely silent. The Doctor knew his speech wasn't going to magically change anything, but he hoped it had at least made Loki consider the fact that humans weren't completely worthless."Well, they have wonderful light shows," Loki mentioned silently. Drat.

Finally, the last firework popped in the sky, leaving an eerie silence and dim lighting in its wake. When the crickets got back to chirping, the Doctor and Loki climbed back into the TARDIS. "So... Where are we off to, now?" Loki asked. Though he tried to deny it, he felt ever so slightly excited to know where they were going next.

"Um... Back to New York?" The Doctor asked in a way that seemed to imply Loki should've known that.

How insipid, Loki thought, but held is silence as the Doctor messed with the many little knobs and levers and whatnot on the TARDIS dashboard. He walked up next to the Doctor to observe exactly what he was doing. It was all very complicated, sure, but he would have to learn it some day if he was to kill the Doctor and take the TARDIS.

When they landed on the streets of New York, the Doctor handed him the card. "Here. Use this to get yourself whatever you want. It has unlimited American currency, so don't worry about over-spending."

"Where are you going?" Loki asked suddenly. "You're not leaving me here, are you?"

Ooh, concern for me. This is new, the Doctor thought as he nodded. "Yes, but only for a little while. I have more of those errands to run, but since you hated staying inside the TARDIS so much, I figured you'd be more comfortable here."

"No, no, no. I'll stay in the TARDIS, I promise, I just didn't like being locked up in that room."

"I think it'd be best if you stayed here. I'll come pick you up as soon as I'm done. Heck, I'll probably appear a few feet away from here in a few seconds, what with this being a time machine and all." He winked at Loki. "Back in a mo."

Before Loki could protest, the Doctor climbed right back into the TARDIS and slammed the door shut. Loki knocked on the door. "Doctor? Please let me in!" When the TARDIS began making its signature whooshing noise, Loki went from simply knocking to banging the door. "Doctor?! Please!" The TARDIS completely disappeared. Loki waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. Lying bastard, Loki thought as he pulled his hoodie over his head. Now I'm alone and virtually powerless in the territory of my enemy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The TARDIS landed in a large, icy hall, much like the one he and Loki had been in on Jotunheim, and rightfully so. "Hey, this isn't where I wanted to land! I was going to land in Laufey's castle," the Doctor complained to the TARDIS as he stepped out. As soon as he went silent, though, he thought he could hear the crunch of footsteps against the snow if he listened close enough. However, another noise soon arose, much louder and closer than the footsteps. The sound certainly didn't belong in a temple. It was the cries of an infant.

AN: For the time being, just imagine Loki dressed as weird Heather Mason/Tom Hiddleston mashup with his hair from JiM.