When Wanda's little red car slows in front of one of the brick row houses in the middle of the block, Loki notices a few things. Firstly, from his vantage point in the back seat, the block looks remarkably long. Secondly, there is a lovely little park across the street, row houses on all four sides, that makes the area feel like a palace courtyard. Thirdly, there is a very tall woman with long, wavy red hair leaning on the rail of her front stoop, a coffee cup in her hands. She smiles warmly and waves for them to join her.
Wanda leaves the car and approaches her. Thor steps out and stretches. He pushes the seat forward so Loki can disembark. He is cautious as he rises, the open air feeling a little dangerous. He watches Wanda for his cues and follows her, Thor behind. He wishes he had something in his hands.
Magda opens her arms wide when Wanda nears the steps and meets her in a hug, "Darling! It's so good to see you on this beautiful morning! Come, come, introduce me to your friends." She kisses her on both cheeks, her bracelets jingling.
"This is Loki. He is looking for a place of his own. And following is his brother, Thor. Loki, Thor, this is Magda."
"Oh, it is so good to finally meet you both! Wanda has told me much about you." She embraces them each in turn, kissing both cheeks each time. Loki is prepared for this- on the drive, Wanda told them about Sokovian greetings. She gestures for them to follow her up the stairs, "There is time for coffee or tea before we see next door. Do step in a moment. It will be lovely." Her accent is thicker than Wanda's, and Loki finds each word a melody in itself, her voice rich and low, a little husky, and all together welcoming. Her layered skirts swish as she walks, her billowing blouse snug only at the waist where she wears a cinch. Loki cannot help but wonder about her story, her warmth, and how it is that she can so easily invite them into her home.
Wanda drops into a soft leather couch and gestures to the other seating in the living room, "Make yourselves comfortable."
"There you go again, my love, making this your home! You know I wish you really would one of these days."
"Some day, Magda. I promise."
"Yes, yes, of course. But do, my new friends, make yourselves comfortable. Coffee? Tea?"
Thor asks for coffee, Loki for tea, and Wanda for a glass of wine. Magda laughs and drifts to the kitchen.
"Have you known her long?" Thor asks.
"Long enough. Not every Sokovian knows one another in our homeland. We met in New York."
"You seem quite comfortable here."
"I am."
"Her home is as eclectic as your chambers in the tower."
"Yes, yes it is." She plucks a book from one of the end tables, "So that is where I left this. Hmmm. I wondered."
Magda returns with their drinks on a tray and sets them on the coffee table, "You did not wonder all too earnestly, as you did not call me in the week it has been here to get it back."
"It had best get comfortable- some day it will be at home here on the shelves."
Loki sips his tea and watches Magda as she sits beside Wanda on the couch, Wanda curling against her, pushing Magda's long waves back off her shoulder. They melt into one another.
"So, Loki," Magda asks, "tell me what it is you wish in a home. Do you wish to stay somewhere permanently? Are you looking to move again in a few years? Do you wish to rent or own?"
"I would like a place to call my own. For quite a long time, possibly the rest of my life. And I would like to own it."
"Lovely, lovely. Are you a quiet person or do you enjoy hosting parties and the like?"
"Quiet. To the point of hermitage."
"Also very good. These walls are not so thin, but a rambunctious party can be an annoyance. We will go next door when you finish your drinks. It is a nice house. The lower level steps out to the back garden, our first floors have our living rooms and kitchens. Up on the second floor there are two bedrooms and bathroom, and at the very top, a study or den. There is some furniture in it that the last people left."
"I have no furnishings of my own, so if they are adequate, I will likely use them."
"Nothing is in terrible condition. Some things need a bit of cleaning, but nothing is so disgusting that I would not use it as it is until you get around to it." Loki sets his cup down and regrets it, wishing he had something to do with his hands. He is a little impatient, but it seems too odd to pick the cup up immediately. He settles for smoothing the fringe on his scarf. Magda notices and sets down her own glass, rising and gesturing to the door, "Let us go look. I think you will like it."
As he follows her out, Wanda slides beside him and weaves her fingers with his, "You are nervous."
"Yes."
"Do not be. You are safe here."
"Perhaps. But what if there is something wrong and this is not the place for me? Thor has had no luck finding anywhere else I could go."
She smiles and squeezes his hand, "I have a good feeling about this. Do not fret."
"What other option do I have?"
"Trust."
They step into the bright sun and walk the short distance to the next set of steps. Magda opens the front door and they file into the row house. It is bare, and there are faded spots on the wall where pictures once hung in the entry way. The dining room and living room bleed together, separated only by a thin arch in dark wood. Someone has painted the baseboards, but Magda assures them that they can be restored to the same hue. A heavy ash dining table dominates the space, a plastic folding chair in one corner. The kitchen behind it is spacious and open, the entire back wall lined with windows, a full glass sliding door leading to a small deck with cast iron railings.
"You will love taking tea out there in the mornings. I will wave to you on my own deck. Mrs McGillan will be hanging her laundry. Down the way, a nice young man named Richard does some sort of tai chi in the garden early every day. We wave to each other as we see one another. The garden needs to be tended. There are some beautiful plants in there if you can find them." She leads them back into the house, up to the bedrooms and the large bathroom. She shows them the attic and then they go down to the ground floor, a large open space with a concrete floor and laundry tubs next to a modern washer and dryer. The room spills onto a broad brick deck. The garden stands in stark relief to the dim concrete walls. Loki wanders outside and stands one step from under the balcony. There would be things to do with the house. The entire thing would need to be repainted, the thinks, as it is all a horribly dull grey. And the carpeting all has to go. But it seems more and more manageable as he hears Magda talk of the work she has done on her own home. He wanders into the green, envisioning slightly unkempt beds wild with climbing roses and yarrow, paths between them leading to a reading nook hidden under an arbor, a small patch of soft grass for stretching out under the stars or cloud gazing. And then it hits him that he is thinking of this place as his home.
Thor walks over and stops just behind his shoulder, "What are you thinking, Brother?"
"I want to live here. To learn how to care for this place. And to replace the horrible beige carpet with polished floors, to restore the woodwork, paint the walls. Find a lighting fixture less awful than the one in the dining room."
"Wanda has found you a home. She reads you well."
"Yes, she does."
"Has she peered into your mind? She is incredibly powerful."
"No. Not that I am aware of."
"You would know. It is a feeling unlike any other."
"All I have felt is the start of a deep friendship."
"And for that I am glad. I took a risk, bringing you here. Jane is at a remote arctic research station, so she was not an option."
Loki leans into Thor and Thor wraps his arms around him, "Thank you for coming for me. For not leaving me alone."
"I now have two very good reasons to protect this realm."
"Yes, you do, you sentimental oaf." He gently shoves Thor, Thor laughs.
Magda and Wanda join them, "Are the brothers having a moment?" Magda asks.
Thor grabs Loki around the waist from behind and lifts him in a huge bear hug, "Oh yes, a very touching one."
"Put me down, you lumbering bilgesnipe!" They are both laughing asThor lightly drops him. Loki lands, cat like, in a crouch before straightening and flattening his suit, "You have no care for fine fabrics." He is only slightly irked, playing at haughtiness.
Magda giggles, "Well you boys certainly are fun. I hope that, if you move in, you have him over often."
"I do want this home. I will need help, though, as I have never owned a house and have no idea how to care for one."
"Wanda told me you had servants that did everything for you in Asgard."
"Ah. She told you of Asgard."
"Yes."
"I thought it would be easiest if we did not have to be silent about where you were from and why you were looking for a home of your own here, rather than living in the other realm with Thor." Wanda notices his demeanor change ever so slightly, "Are you offended?"
"No. But I do wonder if it changes at all how you," he addresses Magda, "have chosen to speak or interact with me."
"Not at all. I live an open life. And I would very much like a new neighbour."
"Has Wanda told you of my other peculiarity? One, she has told, is not so accepted in this realm?"
Magda gently places her hands on his shoulders; she is not quite as tall as he is, but close, "Yes, she has. And it's the same as mine. I've had my surgeries to live fully as a woman. I wasn't happy living between. But if you are, that is wonderful." Loki feels a weight lift from his shoulders and he does not know what to say. Magda takes him in her embrace, "That is partly why I was so eager to meet you. We are so fragile in the beginning. And yes, she told me of your shapeshifting and what has been taken from you. She thought it best I not be surprised."
Loki relaxes in her arms, "And you think no less of me?"
"Correct. Not even for attempting to take over Earth. We all make mistakes. We all rise to our worst natures at times. And when that is coupled with power and pain, how can I place blame? But we will only move forward. Sokovians are very good at this."
"You and Wanda are the most forgiving creatures in all the Nine realms."
Magda kisses his cheek, "Now that may be true. Though my darling girl does have the capacity to hold a grudge when it is deserved. So perhaps it is I who am the most forgiving creature in this world or any other." She pats his arm and then steps back, "So. To paperwork so that we might get you a house."
Loki turns to Thor, "Did Odin send you with any means for me to live here, or am I to rely on other means to secure my place?"
Wanda jumps in, "I have the Stark account. While I do not like you be indebted to him any more than I do myself, it is how we will get you started."
"Thank goodness you associate with a billionaire."
"It is quite helpful in times like this."
"You have bought a friend a house before on Stark's generosity?"
"It is how Magda came into this place."
"When she met me, I was homeless. I had immigrated here with the others after the destruction of our beloved city, but I had nothing when I arrived."
"I also forced Tony to open his eyes to the needs of our people and he set up a fund to house Sokovian refugees and give them a way to start their new lives. Clothes, food, little comforts. It was his fault we were left drifting, so I told him in no uncertain terms that he was to set it right."
When they return to the dining room of what will be Loki's home, Magda retrieves papers from one of the kitchen cupboards, "We will fill this out today."
"Do you own the house?" Thor asks.
"No. Our community does. We collectively own the homes that were rented. But now it will not be rented and it will be Loki's. It is quite exciting. The neighbours will be happy to meet you. We make this as easy as possible." A few signatures later and they are ready to return to Magda's home. She serves them sandwiches while they rest in her fluffy couches.
Loki still cannot entirely comprehend that within such a short time he has been kicked out of Asgard, stripped of his former life, tried to kill himself, made at least one friend, and is buying a house. It is all overwhelming and he is quiet as they eat. Thor knows he is lost in thought and will not interrupt. Wanda rests her hand on his knee, a gentle and steadying presence amidst his chaotic thoughts while she talks to Magda about the Avengers' latest mission, Thor filling in a few of the bits that he was involved in. And then the talk turns to what it is like in Asgard and Thor tells of their feasts and the glorious festivals in the cities. Loki tries to tune it out, but the conversation makes his heart ache.
"Brother, I will have to bring you back home for the feast in Mother's honour. Father has promised to hold it every year."
"Thor, please. Do not taunt me so. You know Odin will not likely permit such a thing. Those he casts out are not welcome to return."
"But-"
"No. Thor. Just no. It has not been long enough to talk of returning, even as your guest. And especially not for that."
Wanda feels the tension even where her hand rests, "Are there words you need to speak?"
"No. Frigga's death is not something I wish to discuss."
"Then we will not. We will seek lighter conversation."
Magda jumps in, "Such as when you wish to move in to your new home. I told our community council last night that I was today interviewing a kind, quiet young man looking for his first home. I noted that there was a brother who would likely be a frequent guest, but few others unknown to us and no other family. They told me to decide when I met you if you would do well here and I think you will."
"I own very little- a trunk and a few other items of clothing. The contents of my refrigerator and one cupboard. But nothing else. I can move in as soon as I am permitted."
"That's all you were allowed to bring with you? What did your father expect you to do once you arrived here?"
He takes Wanda's hand, "Odin did not send me with the trunk or clothing. He cast me out, naked, and I shivered a night in the desert before Thor found me and clothed me. What I have is thanks to him, Wanda, and to Mr Stark, who prefers I not wander about his tower, an unwelcome guest already, in only my skin. Wanda saw to it that I was fed and procured my suit."
Magda sighs, "Your family sounds more complicated than mine."
"Oh?" He is eager to turn the conversation back to his hostess.
"My mother, eldest brother, and three sisters are still in Sokovia. My father died during the Ultron incident. My four other sisters and youngest brother immigrated to this country. My grandparents think we are traitors to Sokovia, but insist that we still visit. And while most of them have adapted to calling me Magda, there are a few who still insist on an older name and gender."
"Are names strictly gendered where you are from?"
"Yes, though there are some names which are female forms of male ones. Those with such names have an easier time. I had a very different name. I chose Magda. I like it, it suits me."
"It is a very pretty name."
"Do you use a second name?"
"No. Always Loki."
"Is it a name that goes both ways?"
He grins a little, "In Asgard there was only one Loki. The names of the royal family cannot be used by others. I suppose here I am not so unique."
Magda rises to refill tea and coffee cups, "It is not your name that makes you unique, my dear. You are still the only you in this world or any other."
By the time they leave the row house and return to the tower, Loki feels once again like an unwanted guest, the perception helped along by Tony's glare as they cross through the tower lobby. But he has a little hope this time. There is a home waiting for him and he already has befriended one of his neighbours.
