New Start: Chapter 10

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I love hearing you guys say you feel bad for Loki. (means i'm doing my job right ;) ) Also that awkward moment when you happen to be reading a rather long review and your mom comes in and won't let you change the screen until she's done reading it... not cool.

I'm sorry about the cliffies! (not really *evil laugh*)

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the Avengers:( No sueing please! Only reading.

Thor speaks raven, Bruce doesn't do hugs, and Tony really needs to get his floors fixed.

Perfect Timing

Clint couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Thor's face. It was somewhere between 'I am sooo dead.' and 'The glorious news must be spread!' Then a thought settled deep in the pit of his gut.

"Wait, Thor. Isn't Loki still technically an escaped prisoner? What will happen if you tell dear ol' Mom and Dad, A.K.A King and Queen of Asgard, that your Midgardian buddies have been helping him hide out? I don't want you to start an intergalactic incident." That got Thor to actually stop in his refastening of his cape. His brow furrowed.

"Your words are wise, Friend Barton. Many back home still know Loki only as an escaped prisoner. They don't know he's here. Though I am sure Heimdall has kept Mother and Father informed about our whereabouts at least. I wish to tell them the joyous news, but you are right. It would truly make matters worse for my brother and you. I will refrain from leaving to tell them, until I can bring Loki home to tell them himself of his innocence." Cap looked up at Thor.

"Wait. Are you saying that Loki didn't get to say anything in his defense during his sentencing? Didn't you take the gag off of him?" Thor's blue eyes flashed with guilt and anger.

"Unfortunately not. The council feared my brother would spin magic with his words and refused to release his mouth, though the All-Father assured them that the chains were already keeping Loki's magic contained. They have always held a disdain for my brother. He never ran out of ways to show them how much of fools they were. His tongue got him many enemies on the council, and I am certain they used the situation as revenge." Everyone in the room, even Tony, looked pissed. Before Tony could call the council a few unsavory names two surprisingly dignified squawks came from the nearby balcony/patio. Sitting on the railing, looking through the window sat two large ravens.

"Hungin! Munin!" Thor rushed out to the birds and, is he talking to them? The others gave each other questioning looks, but Tony just shrugged and followed Thor through the glass doors.

"Might as well see what Point Break is on about now. The explanation will only get jumbled up in 'thee's' and 'thou's' later. Who knew? He speaks raven." Clint smirked.

"Maybe it's an alien thing." When they all congregated at the railing Thor was already halfway through an animated retelling of the past day or two. Once he got to the part about Loki's nightmare physically hurting him, he was interrupted.

"They were able to attack him through his mind, in such a way? They must have a powerful sorcerer allied with them. So far we have not heard anything beyond the Chitauri's demanding their prisoner that we stole from them." Steve's eyes bugged out of his head. He couldn't help but raise a finger towards the bird.

"That... that bird just talked." Tony patted him on the arm.

"It's okay, Stevie. This isn't a reference that you missed during your stint as a Capsicle. For the first time ever, you are not the only one who doesn't understand what's going on." Steve shot him a glare but refused to respond. That was when Thor actually noticed his friends around him.

"Ah! Friends, I am being very rude. These two ravens are Hungin and Munin, my Father's messengers, in a fashion. When the Allfather cannot physically visit a realm and would like to deal with a situation himself and not through Heimdall, he sends two of his most trusted advisors." The two silky birds preened in Thor's praise before settling once again into their, Serious? For a bird I guess, expression.

"Okaaaay. I'm just gonna right this off as an alien thing and not bother trying to make sense of it. So, does Big Daddy know now?" Thor shook his head in a 'poor mortals, don't understand' sort of way.

"No. I am recounting all that has happened to Hungin and Munin, and they will in turn inform the Allfather." With that, Thor turned back to the birds and finished up his retelling. As he sent the ravens on their way, Steve caught Tony checking his glass, as though making sure it wasn't actually scotch in it. Steve had to admit he was mentally doing the same thing with the air. Clint said it all for them.

"Is it just me or does this seem to be just one of those never ending 'crazy crap just happens' days?"

The group walked back into the living room to find Bruce sitting at the counter nursing a cup of coffee. They didn't miss the content smile on his face.

"Hey, Brucey! Did Hulk take the day off or something. You've got a Captain America smile going there." Stark chuckled at Steve's confused face, and Bruce looked up at them like he just realized they were there.

"Oh! Hey! No, as much as I wish that were true... Loki's doing better. Hulk really likes him now." His grin grew when he saw Clint's eyes bug out of his head, almost as much as Tony's. Natasha just laughed.

"Wait, Hulk? Like, 'puny god now new floor installation'? That Hulk?" Bruce nodded and turned back to his coffee. He almost spewed it out as he was crushed from behind by a pair of tan, muscular arms.

"Thank you, Friend Banner! I am glad your warrior counterpart has taken a liking to my brother. It will be good to see him smile again. Thank you!" Steve and Tony and Clint all rushed up to gently extract Bruce from Thor's grip.

"Alright, Thor buddy. You should know by now; Bruce isn't the hugging type, especially when they are sneak attacks." Thor's blue eyes shown in recognition of what he had just done, and Natasha fought back another giggle as the god of thunder went backwards a few feet, eyes wide as a running rabbit.

"You are correct, my friends. Pardon my behavior, Bruce. I forget myself sometimes." There was a twinkle in Bruce's eye.

"That's okay, Thor. Just be careful. You never know what Hulk will do when he comes out. Might I just say, he's not a big hugger." Tony snickered, but Steve shot him a look.

"What! He said the Hulk isn't a big hugger... Does no one else enjoy stupid puns? No? Not even you, Steve. I figured even you would... Fine I'll go sit on my couch drinking my soda and will laugh at all the engineering jokes online and won't tell you what makes them so darn funny!" Natasha rolled her eyes, but Clint only snorted.

"Good. If we don't answer you when you talk at us, will you shut up too?" Stark glared at the archer before pouting in Bruce's general direction, who (I might add) was trying to hide his giggles in his coffee mug at the whole exchange in front of him. Thor took his good humor as a cue to step forward a little.

"Doctor Banner, how is Loki? It... it appears you are in a good mood from being with my brother. Did you speak with him?" Bruce turned to Thor, and glanced at Steve on the couch trying to convince Tony to chill out and 'be the better man'. Banner inwardly rolled his eyes. Like that's ever going to happen.

"Yes, we did talk. He... he really is quite intelligent and very polite. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed hanging out with him." A sad look passed over the doctor's face as he remembered his conversation. "It upset me the way he looked at me with such surprise when I told him I wasn't mad at him but the Chitauri for hurting him. It was like he thought he didn't deserve any kindness." Tony had come back at this point and raised his hand.

"Um, don't want to burst the happy 'we're friends now' bubble, but anyone else think it's odd how we have the guy, or, I guess, kid, who tried to take over our world in our infirmary, and we actually like him and want to help him? Steve, oh, Wise One, care to shed some light on this conundrum? You know, with age comes wisdom, and all." Natasha rolled her eyes, again, and came up behind Stark and pinched him.

"Be respectful of your elders, Stark. Go ahead, Cap." Steve tried to hold down a smile.

"Well, I think we all see the complete difference between the Loki that attacked and the Loki in the hospital bed. There is such a difference, it's like two completely separate people. We see this to the point where, the kid in the bed is a friendly, maybe even an ally, instead of an archenemy. I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, Loki is just someone who's been hurt and deprived of any compassion for a while, and we sense that and are willing to give it to him." The team had all adopted thoughtful expressions, while Stark just stared at Steve.

"So, you're saying this Loki's not that Loki, and he's become... what? The Avenger's kid brother?" Clint scoffed but a smile still found its way out. Natasha calmly just looked up.

"I've always wanted siblings, and no offense, but you guys don't count." They all heard a not-so-quite sniffle and turned to see Thor, with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you all, so much. I thought I lost my brother forever, then he returns as a... monster in his place. Now, because of you, he has come back to me." Bruce smiled back at Thor, and Steve clapped him on the shoulder. The coffee pot signaling it being down broke the moment, and the thought of drink reminded Bruce of what he was going to ask Thor.

"Thor, how long can your, kind, I guess, sustain themselves without food?" Stark, ever quick on the draw, shot in front of Thor.

"Whoa now, Bruce. We both had to sign an agreement before joining the team. No experimenting on guests, team members, or ex-villains." What Bruce said next quickly dried up Tony's humor.

"I got Loki to drink some broth and water, and maybe a cracker. He looked like he hadn't eaten in a while, so I asked him when the last time he had anything to eat was." The team was not eager for the answer when they saw Bruce's hands tighten around his mug. "He said the Chitauri fed him before he was sent here, so he would have enough strength to carry out their orders." The room was silent, save Thor's heavy breathing form across the room. The Norse god crossed his arms and tried to control his breathing.

"Yes. We can survive for a great period of time without sustenance, but it is very uncomfortable, and we lose so much strength that we are not of much use after any great length." Bruce nodded solemnly as if he had expected such an answer. "Tell me, Banner, did- did Loki tell you anything else of his time between Asgard and here?" Here comes the worst part. Bruce had closed his eyes, and the content look on his face had long ago melted away. The tension mounted in the room till you could cut it with a knife.

"Yeah. He... I asked him why he seemed to be healing slower than to be expected of you guys, and... he, he told me that the Chitauri-" He spit the word out like it was poison, and tried to get his breathing under control. "They coated their... instruments, with some sort of toxin that blocked his advanced healing abilities, both magic and natural. On top of that, they sent him into a real life nightmare whenever he sleeps, somehow, and they constantly open up fresh wounds for him to deal with. Essentially, he can only heal a little faster than the normal human being right now." Thor looked like he was torn between holding his brother and crying and razing a city in his rage. Bruce would have to say he wasn't surprised when he saw similar looks on everyone else around him.

"He still hasn't told me about his dreams, like what happens exactly other than what he told you, though I think we can assume a little, and I'm sure there's a lot more he's not saying, but for now he needs rest and peace. I'm going to stay with him while he rests now. If one of you wants to join me you can, but only one. I don't want to make him feel cornered. He needs to feel safe around us, and smothering him all the time won't help." Bruce stood, grabbing his coffee and a book and looked around expectantly. Everyone knew Thor would be the one to go with Doctor Banner, but then, without warning, a blinding beam of light engulfed him and left nothing but a scorch mark on the polished floor in his place. Stark rolled his eyes.

"They have perfect timing don't they?" Clint surprised his teammates by stepping up next to Bruce.

"I'll join you, if that's okay?" Bruce refused to let his eyebrows rise and simply nodded before the two headed back towards Loki, leaving the others to simply wait for their resident storm maker's return and Stark to glare at the second mark on his floor.

Wow this chap was longer than I thought it would be... Well, lcuky for you guys then:) Please review! They make me smile and help with writers block:)

BTW's I am always open to suggestions when it comes to where the story is headed, so if you want something specific, or maybe want me to write you your own little story I'm all up for it:) But I don't do crossovers or anything that would be rated M or slash. Only F/M relationships and nothing above T.