This is another short one, but we're in the denouement. Tomorrow will be the last update for this story.

I do not own the Avengers or anyone therein.

Trigger warnings: abuse, torture

Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, favourites, and alerts. I appreciate it, and I'm glad that you've enjoyed this story so much. One update after this.

Chapter 8

Tony, Bruce, and Clint are the ones who explain to Director Fury and Thor and Odin (and boy are the rest glad they don't have to be there for that) what had happened after Loki fell from Bifrost. A big old insanity defense, and it seems to work. No one comes crashing into the tower to take Loki away or collar him again. They do take Baldr.

Tony is grumbling about having to repair his common room yet again, and movie nights are banned unless Thor is present and accounted for. Thor has the decency to look abashed about the whole affair.

Bruce decides that he deserves a vacation after going through the three hour grill that was the meeting and goes back to India. Natasha goes with him, but it isn't for a vacation. Clint goes somewhere else, unreported, for assignment.

No one even thinks to suggest that Loki should go somewhere else. Not even Fury.

XXXXXX

Steve is making breakfast. The whole tower is quiet, though he's pretty sure that Tony stayed up all night and is locked up in his lab. He doesn't let himself worry about it. He's making broccoli fritters this morning, because he feels like mixing things up a little, and also because Pepper had dropped off a giant box of doughnuts last night and he thinks fritters go much better with doughnuts than waffles do.

"What are you making?"

Loki's voice is still hoarse, and his lips are burned and blistered slightly. He moves stiffly, as if there are aches and pains he hasn't felt in a long time kicking up again, and slumps over the breakfast bar when he sits down. He's still watching Steve over his arms though, vision slightly clearer than it had been in a while. There are dark circles under his eyes, and he looks exhausted.

Thor had told them that his brother's mind would recover quickly now that his magic was back.

"Fritters," Steve says. "Broccoli and parmesan fritters. Need something savoury to go with the doughnuts." He points to the box just in front of Loki with the spatula, and while he waits on one side of the current batch to finish, he starts to make some hot chocolate for Loki.

The god stirs a little, pushes the box open with one finger to peer in. He takes one of the glazed circles and sets it on a napkin, and licks his fingers. He doesn't start eating it though; just goes back to resting his head in his arms and watching Steve cook.

"You know, you can stay here, at the tower, if you want." Steve flips over the fritters, not looking at Loki.

Loki makes a noncommittal hum.

He drops some mini marshmallows into the chocolate and slides it over to Loki. Loki waits until his hand is gone entirely before he takes the cup, pushing himself onto his elbows so he can drink. He hasn't asked, but Steve makes him a plate of food too, nearly as much as he's going to eat.

Loki doesn't talk again, but he does stay, and they eat.

XXXXXX

Clint gets back a week later, and Steve's the one who tells him Loki's gone. Apparently left a note on the stove top for when Steve got up. No one had seen him, and Thor reported he had not gone to Asgard, or, for that matter, realm-hopped.

Clint just shrugs because he really doesn't want to keep caring about Loki, and tells himself he's glad the trickster is gone.

Steve tells him that Loki had been better-coherent is the word he uses-and Clint shrugs again, drinking another shot of Tony's 'hidden' scotch.

"Good for him," he says, and Steve just gives him this weird look before he goes to go do whatever it is he does in the evenings when there's no movie or games or anything happening.

He doesn't tell Steve that Loki is probably confused and avoiding all of them because he's remembering what he did, doubting every action he'd made since leaving Asgard. Loki is scary as fuck, but he's not a monster-my brother likes tricks, not slaughter-and his pride and shame are probably making him want to hide. Not to mention confusion.

He'd been confused, too.

He gets on with his life, though he does like to read out on the balcony where Loki used to dance, and sometimes he finds himself trying to figure out where to go without Loki to keep an eye on. He'd gotten used to him. He goes on assignments, helps with the occasional super villain that tries to destroy the city of the week, and as the days turn into weeks and then months (two months, two weeks, two days, not that he's keeping track), he's still looking up sometimes on the balcony wondering where Loki is and worrying that he jumped.