"Oh, my."

Loki turned in a slow circle and scanned the room from top to bottom, taking in the twisted metal and crumbling walls with a long sigh. Briefly, he had the thought that it was a good thing the sky was blue and clear, because the roof was still missing.

Everything had happened so quickly after the jet hit the building, Loki hadn't had the time to think about property damages in the chaos that followed. Back in the Tower, with the gentle thrum of magic deep in his core, he was able to think; he was able to see a portion of the building that wasn't his cell, and he was hit with the realization of just how much damage had been done.

"I believe 'oh, my' is what they call an understatement, Jakodi Laufeyson."

Loki was drawn out of his thoughts by the name of the visiting prince, and he quickly directed his attention toward their guest, trying to recall exactly how they wound up in their current position.

"This is Jakodi. He is your second younger brother, and he handles most of the foreign policies on Jotunheim. I am sending him along partly because Captain America and I were discussing a possible alliance between our realms, and partly because Jakodi has expressed an interest in getting to know you."

Loki had to wonder if Jakodi had approached Leiknyrr first, or if Leiknyrr had posed the question after Loki himself expressed interest in getting to know them. Then again, it didn't matter all that much. Jakodi, for whatever reason, had decided he wanted to get to know his long-lost brother, and Loki was hardly of the mind or position to say no.

Unfortunately, Loki had no idea how to actually breech a conversation with Jakodi. So, he opted for a group discussion instead.

"What happened to the agents?" Loki asked, approaching the overturned couch and nudging it with his foot.

Tony jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Most of them are in timeout downstairs."

"Timeout?" Loki arched a brow, continuing when another question piqued his interest just a little bit more. "Most of?"

"They're locked up." Bruce, the only other human in the room, cast Tony a disparaging look. "Three died in the explosion, including the bomber, and another is having… a mental breakdown of sorts. We're keeping him separated from the others and have him on suicide watch right now."

Jakodi frowned, indigo lines forming on his brow. "Suicide watch? Is that like sanctuary?"

Bruce rubbed the back of his head, somewhat confused. "Well, I don't know what sanctuary is, but when you put someone on suicide watch you… watch them so they can't commit suicide."

"Stellar explanation, Spectacles." Tony rolled his eyes.

Jakodi didn't seem to mind, though, nodding his head as he contemplated the description. "If you declare sanctuary over someone, ten people from the community and a military officer are assigned, and they all share a duty to ensure that person is never alone. Theoretically, it encourages people to continue their daily lives without putting them at risk."

"Interesting." Bruce pursed his lips. "I wonder how that would work in a city environment, though."

"Probably not well." Jakodi glanced out over the city, fully displaying the symbols shaved into his hair and sending the remaining ponytail over his shoulder. "It is very easy to lose someone in a civilization that is so… busy and impersonal. Your metal machines also provide a perpetual death trap; it would difficult to keep someone from darting into a busy street, even with sanctuary protocols."

Thor smiled, finally mustering up the courage to interject himself into the conversation. "I understand your sentiment, but the city is not so bad. We can show you around, if you like." He paused then, glancing between the two brothers who were actually related by blood. "Or, if you prefer, Loki could be the one to show you around. I didn't mean to, uh, impose."

Loki inwardly rolled his eyes. He's such a child.

"It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I am sure Loki and I will have time to talk." Jakodi looked out through the broken wall a moment longer and then turned to face his hosts. "I will go wherever you tell me to, with whomever you decide should accompany me."

Tony raised his hand. "Uh, you're blue. That's gonna be a problem."

Jakodi gave Tony a look that was so disdainful, so supercilious, so haughty, so incredibly Loki it nearly made Loki himself recoil.

"Magic. Obviously."

Tony returned the expression with a glare. "Well, then, get on it, Fairy Godmother."

Bruce lowered his head into his hands and sighed, while Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and uttered a similar sound.

"Dr. Banner, do you recall the time you said if Anthony and I had a baby, it would be the most nightmarish child on the planet?" Loki asked, keeping his eyes screwed shut.

"Yup."

"I found the child."

"Yup."

Tony gave them an incredulous look. "You speculated what kind of kids Loki and I would have?"

Thor frowned, looking between Loki and Bruce with a dumbfounded expression. "I do not understand. Why would you and the Man of Iron have a child? How would you have a child?" He stopped then, his confusion turning to horror. "Loki! I thought the story about the eight-legged horse was a joke!"

Loki dropped his hand and met the panicked eyes with an even, lethal stare. "It was, and a cruel one at that. But regardless, the idea of Anthony and I bearing children was simply a metaphor used to explain how our personalities, when put together in equal parts, would make quite an unpleasant fellow."

"Well, if you ask me," Jakodi started, crossing his arms over his chest with a sneer. "There is nothing quite as unpleasant as dealing with Asgardians and Midgardians at the same time, but you haven't heard one complaint out of me, have you?"

There was a general pause as the group struggled to determine whether or not Jakodi was serious, but then Loki's eye caught a familiar, mischievous glint, and he quickly shot back a retort. "Then I suppose it's a good thing nobody asked you."

Jakodi laughed, gesturing toward the nearby exit. That is to say, he gestured to the nearby gaping hole in the wall. "If I could be given an appropriate frame of reference, I can disguise myself, and we can get this tour underway. I would very much like to see more of… Manhattan Land."

Tony snorted. "Manhattan Land."

Bruce shook his head and rolled his eyes, pulling his phone from his pocket. He did a quick image search—or at least, Loki assumed he was—and after a few moments, he handed the phone to Jakodi.

Jakodi took the device and inspected it. "Hmm… I think I can do that." Handing the device back to its owner, Jakodi looked down at himself and rubbed his fingers together, a soft glow forming between the tips. "I suppose I should also try to look a little like you, shouldn't I?"

Loki blinked, caught off-guard by the question. He never really thought about the fact that, unlike his adoptive family, his biological siblings would actually look somewhat like him. "I… suppose so, yes."

Jakodi nodded and, after concentrating a trice more, expanded the pale blue light until it engulfed his body. It lasted only a second, the glare clearing away until there was nothing but a fair-skinned, black-haired, green-eyed young man standing there.

Looking down at himself, Jakodi tugged on his black t-shirt and frowned. "It's touching me," he stated, as if that was supposed to mean something.

"Well, it is clothing," Loki supplied.

Jakodi cast him a brief glare. "I know that." He let go of the shirt and looked down at his sweatpants, glaring at the sandals on his feet. "I don't like it."

Tony gestured to the outfit. "Make the shirt white and the pants gray. Dark colors absorb heat, and its summertime here, so that's not a good idea."

Jakodi looked down at himself and summoned the light again, changing the fabric accordingly. "How is that?"

Tony gave him a thumbs up and turned toward the demolished archway. "Come on. We'll show you around, and then maybe you can use a little bit of that mumbo jumbo to fix the tower up."

Bruce started walking after Tony, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder. "You don't have to do that. We can manage just fine."

Jakodi simply nodded, going to follow the duo before stopping and turning to face his fellow aliens. "Thor and Loki, I have a question." He opened his mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again, seemingly unsure of what he was asking. "What exactly is a Fairy Godmother?"

Thor shook his head. "I do not know, but I imagine it had something to do with the one known as Point Break."

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "I know only of the mammal called Rudolph. His other chosen titles are mysteries to me."

Jakodi gave a slow, uncertain nod and then turned to follow the mortals out onto the streets, Loki and Thor trailing behind him.

I wonder, is this what human families do? Visit each other and tour each other's places of living? Loki glanced at Thor, who was now entrenched in a deep contemplation of his various nicknames. Thor wouldn't have to stay down here on Midgard. He could rule Asgard right and proper, and we could simply visit each other from time to time.

It was a brief thought, but Loki tucked it away for further consideration. Thor had given up more than Loki ever expected in order to keep him safe, and Loki had had just about enough of the bumbling oaf constantly looking out for him. Eventually, whether Thor liked it or not, he would have to take the throne in order to keep the peace in the Nine Realms. It wouldn't do Thor any good to alienate his people in the days and years leading up to that moment.

I should push him to include himself in the negotiations between Jotunheim and Midgard, and the next time I visit Asgard, I will most certainly have to get some books from my room. Someone has to teach that idiot all the laws and regulations he never paid attention to in school, and there's no telling how soon the next Odinsleep will come, so he'll have to be ready as soon as possible.

Frowning, Loki stopped his train of thought.

Well, I suppose I should talk to him about it before I begin planning.

Not that Thor really had any say, but Loki would still ask. It would be terribly impolite to do otherwise.

"Help."

"I do not understand."

"We have been staring for ten minutes."

Loki rubbed his face, letting out a groan and looking at the image again. "I feel as though it's supposed to be saying something. There is something here we're not seeing."

Jakodi crossed his arms over his chest. "I am fairly certain this is just a mural of a human crawling out of a severed rat."

"Why is he holding an apple?" Thor rubbed the back of his head. "If you step back and look at the whole thing, it looks sort of like a teapot. Does that mean anything?"

Loki frowned, cocking his head to the side. "How do you… Oh, I see it."

"I think it would help if I knew what a teapot was." Jakodi frowned. "Why does it have an eyeball on its cheek?"

"Probably for the same reason it has an abnormally thick, elongated neck," Loki replied.

Thor blinked slowly. "And… what exactly is that reason?"

"Oh, I have no idea. I'm simply assuming there is one." Loki shook his head and turned around, facing their tour guides with his hands on his hips. "I don't suppose you can explain this to us?"

Tony shook his head. "No one can explain modern art except for hippies and hipsters."

Thor turned away from the mural as well, confusion creasing his brow. "Does this have something to do with their hip-ness? That is to say, are they superior in the hips?"

"Well," Jakodi rubbed his chin, glancing upward with a thoughtful expression. "If one has exceptional hips, perhaps one feels as though pants are like the carcass of a rat."

"That would explain the apple." Loki chimed in, hopping onto Jakodi's train of thought. "Because if one has large hips, one might diet, and apples are certainly healthy."

"No, no, guys." Bruce shook his head, trying not to laugh and failing. "It's just—hippie and hipster are just terms for people who—"

"—smoke pot all day?" Tony finished.

Bruce buried his face in his hands, losing himself to the laughter that, up to that point, he had managed to keep at bay.

Tony, of course, had to keep going. "Tell me, Bruce, do you have exceptional hips? I think I have some pretty exceptional hips, if I do say so myself. And you know, hips don't lie."

Loki crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently. "Anthony, I don't appreciate your mockery."

Bruce straightened up and wiped his eyes, letting out a sigh. "We're sorry. It's just—it's a culture gap. Modern art can't be explained or understood except by very special people. That's all."

"Special people with special hips."

Bruce gave Tony a shove. "Now, stop it."

The trio of foreigners exchanged looks, but ultimately, it was Loki who suggested a change of scenery. "Perhaps there's something a little more… logical or commonplace we could be occupying ourselves with?"

Tony snickered. "Yeah, we can do that. It's about lunch time, and I think you two are way overdue for a cheeseburger."

Thor smiled widely, nodding his head. "Indeed, they should partake in the cheesiest of burgers. They are most delicious."

Loki arched a brow. "I have been here for a year, and no one has given me these most delicious things of which you speak?"

"It's been a busy year," Tony protested, starting in the direction of what Loki assumed was the cheeseburgers. "When things are slower, Steve does a lot of grilling, but between you, and H.Y.D.R.A. coming back, and S.H.I.E.L.D. disintegrating, and Jotunheim, there just hasn't been time."

Jakodi bowed his head and slouched his shoulders in a slight bow, his voice sincere. "I apologize for my home's disruption of your schedule."

Bruce waved it off, falling in step just behind Tony. "No, no, it's not a bad thing, it's just time consuming. Sometimes, you have to pick one good thing over another good thing because you just don't have time for both." He put his hand on Jakodi's shoulder and offered an encouraging smile. "You wouldn't be here to negotiate an alliance if we didn't like your planet, right?"

Jakodi looked at the hand, clearly confused by the gesture, but then he reached over and gave it a pat. "I see. I will send those sentiments on to my mother; I am sure she would like to know you consider our involvement with your planet to be a good thing."

Bruce removed his hand, still smiling, and shoved it into his pocket. "Do you get along with your mother? Or is it more of a professional relationship?"

Jakodi opened his mouth, and then he closed it, apparently giving the question a lot of thought. Loki slowed his steps, glancing over his shoulder and listening intently to what the negotiator might say about their mother.

Finally, Jakodi let out a sigh. "Thor Odinson, do you swear on your life not to use this information against me?"

Thor blinked. "Of course. I am not entirely sure how I would use the information you are about to give me even if I wanted to."

"You are Asgardian. I have to be sure." Jakodi replied without hesitation, and after another second of thought, he gave his answer. "We get along very well. My mother and I are close."

Loki glanced at Thor, trying to gauge his expression and determine how bothered he was by being singled out. Loki couldn't get a reading, though, and instead he turned his attention back to the conversation.

"What about with your siblings?" Bruce chuckled, gesturing toward Loki and Thor. "They didn't along very well. Is that common in royal families?"

Jakodi nodded. "Very much so, but not in ours. Mother was very clear on that point. If she ever caught us competing with each other for the crown, we would be immediately disqualified from ever obtaining it at all. Needless to say, we kept in line."

Tony threw a hand out to nudge Loki on the shoulder. "See, that's how you do it. You two, take notes."

Loki gave Tony a withering glare. "Well, it won't do us much good now, Anthony." Then, before Tony could answer, Loki begged another question of his more estranged brother. "How old are you, Jakodi?"

"I am 902."

Tony did some quick math. "So, you're about eighteen."

"I suppose so." Jakodi shrugged his shoulders. "I never tried calculating my Midgardian age."

Thor turned around, walking backward beside Tony. "Loki has told me he has thirteen siblings. You are the second oldest, correct?"

Jakodi nodded his head. "My older brother, Rán, isn't as… open-minded as myself. He didn't like the idea of…" he trailed, meeting Loki's eyes with an element of shame in his own, "…well, of you. He's still quite upset about the attack on Jotunheim."

Loki gave a single nod. "Understandably. I'm surprised you're here, to be honest."

Jakodi laughed in an almost nervous manner, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I am the soft-hearted one. Brother says I need to be harder if I want to rule our home."

Thor smiled at that, still walking backward, apparently trusting Tony to keep him from running into something. "Nay. If I have learned anything in my one thousand years, it is that I do not know how to perform interrealm negotiations. You are more like my b—like Loki. More thinking, less smashing. You would make a fine king, I am sure."

Jakodi seemed caught-off guard by the compliment, and with a wary sort of glance, he nodded his head and offered his thanks. "I appreciate your vote of confidence, Thor."

Thor gave him another smile and turned around to walk forward once more, calling over his shoulder. "Tell us more about your siblings."

"Well…" Jakodi pursed his lips for a moment. "There's Rán and I, and then after us comes Saari. She'll be 885 when the winter comes. After that, mother had a stillborn, our brother, Valdi. He would be 871 this year. Then, we had three sisters, each born a decade apart. Sandri, Rúni, and Ásmari, who would be 842, 832, and 822, respectively."

"Would be?" Tony asked, looking over his shoulder as he walked.

Jakodi nodded. "Rúni died in the war against Nidavellir."

"Oh." Tony pressed his lips together and nodded. "Sorry."

Jakodi shook his head. "There is nothing to be done about it now." But he remained silent for a moment before continuing. "Then we got another brother, Kaj, who is exactly one century younger than myself. Then came two sisters…"

Bruce smiled to himself as he brewed the second cup of tea, glancing across the room to the couch every now and then just to get another look at the expression on Loki's face. It wasn't all that obvious—or at least, it wouldn't have been if Bruce didn't know him so well—but there was a glow in his eyes that reminded Bruce of a child on his birthday.

"I think we've had a pretty successful day. What do you think?"

Loki offered him a small smile, nodding his head. "I think it went very well. I enjoyed having some free time on the streets. I've never really had the chance to explore before."

Bruce smiled back, carrying a cup in each hand over to the coffee table and having a seat opposite his patient. "We learned some interesting things about your biological family, too, and I thought Thor handled himself very well."

Loki nodded and sipped his tea. "Anthony, on the other hand…"

"Hey." Bruce lifted a finger. "He might not have been good, but he wasn't terrible, either. Be thankful for small miracles."

"I still can't believe he said that out loud in public." Loki started sniggering to himself the moment he finished his sentence.

"I can." Bruce joined in, kicking off his shoes and pulling his legs up onto the chair. "What I did not expect was Jakodi's reaction." He laughed again, recalling the incident with another round of stifled chuckles.

Tony and Bruce had taken the three princes on the subway as a part of the tour, and everything had been fine until the train stopped for the first time. Jakodi hadn't been paying attention and consequently stumbled into Tony, who, of course, couldn't keep himself from making a comment.

"Don't worry about it," Tony had said, interrupting Jakodi's apology. "Most people can't help but throw themselves at me. I can't believe it took you so long."

Jakodi had stared at him in utter confusion but hadn't said a word. He simply adjusted his shirt and grabbed onto one of the handles on the ceiling, returning to the conversation that had been interrupted by the stop. Tony had enjoyed a good laugh, commenting to Bruce how easy it was to mess with new aliens and how they should invite them over more often.

That lasted until the next stop. As soon as the train had come to a halt, Jakodi looked around and, spotting Tony, threw himself against the inventor. They hit the ground, and Jakodi had quite loudly declared, "Man of Iron, if you wanted me to throw myself at you, you needed only to ask."

Bruce sighed, wiping his eyes. "I have told him I don't know how many times that one of these days, his sass is going to backfire on him."

"Perhaps he will think twice before mouthing off next time."

There was a beat, and then they both shook their heads.

"Nope."

"Never."

Bruce let out one, final chuckle and lifted his cup to his lips. "So, speaking of Jakodi, how are you feeling about him being here?"

Loki opened his mouth immediately, and Bruce knew there was a lie dancing on his tongue, his instincts telling him not to be honest about what he thought and felt. But then he swallowed it, wet his lips, and tried again.

"I am… pleasantly surprised. I still don't know how I feel about Leiknyrr, and I honestly thought she wouldn't pass my request on to my siblings. I…" He trailed off, glancing toward the far wall.

"Loki." Bruce spoke earnestly, his heart going into his voice as he pleaded. "Tell me. You always wait until everything hits the fan, and then it's too much to handle, and it's a mess."

"I know that!" Loki glared at him, clenching and unclenching his fist on the armrest. "I know that."

Bruce stopped, letting out a brief sigh and trying to approach the issue from a different angle. "Loki, you trust me to do my job, right?"

Loki nodded once.

"This is my job. I hesitate to tell you that, because I don't want you thinking I don't care. I do care. But if it helps you feel more secure, this is technically my job. Even if we were just in a patient and psychiatrist relationship, and none of the Avengers business was involved, HIPAA wouldn't let me use any of this information against you."

Loki was silent for a moment, and then he let out a sigh. "Again with the hips."

Bruce smiled weakly. "Yeah. Humans are big on hips."

"I've heard they don't lie." Loki spoke with a marginal amount of mirth, a ghost of a smile flitting across his lips before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Bruce waited, not wanting to push him so far that he closed up.

"I... never really fit in with anyone. On Asgard, I mean. I took after Frigga in some ways, probably because she taught me much of what I know, but there was no family resemblance, and between Thor and Odin and myself…" He trailed off and shook his head. "As Thor and I got older, he made friends, but I never fit in with his group, and I wasn't good at making friends on my own. I told myself—and everyone else, for that matter—that it didn't bother me, but that… wasn't entirely true. I always thought there was something… wrong with me…"

Bruce nodded silently, listening without a single interruption and harboring no judgement in his eyes.

"What I was going to say… was that I didn't expect Leiknyrr to pass on my request, and I thought that even if she did, my siblings wouldn't want to meet me. Because of my attack on Jotunheim, yes, but also because I assumed I would be too… different, I suppose." Loki pursed his lips. "Instead, I found Jakodi to be so like me it is almost frightening."

Bruce smiled at that, nodding in agreement. Jakodi and Loki certainly shared some core personality traits, and while they expressed it in different ways, it was undeniable proof they were family.

"That was it." Loki waved it off dismissively, not quite capable of making eye contact. "It was just a thought."

Bruce offered another smile. "Thoughts are good." He took a drink and set his cup down on the table, pausing to collect his thoughts. "First of all, there's nothing wrong with you. Everyone needs a place to belong, and most people have a hard time finding it. That's why uncontested divorce is so devastating. It's why adoption is so hard and takes so much work. It's why so many kids put themselves through horrible things just to get into a clique at school. I could list hundreds of songs, books, and movies that have been written based entirely on the concept of finding a place to belong. You aren't the only one who struggles with that." Bruce chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't want to turn this around and make it about me, but—"

"Tell me." Loki set his teacup down and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands and his elbows on his thighs, giving Bruce his full attention. "You've given me your ear for more than a year now. I think it's time I gave you mine."

Bruce blinked, looking hesitant. "You sure?"

Loki nodded instantly and seamlessly, his composure unwavering.

"Alright, well…" Bruce took a deep breath and let it out, much like Loki had before sharing his own story. "Well, just look at me. I'm scrawny, I'm smart, and I wear glasses. Grade school was a nightmare, and home wasn't much better." He chose his words carefully, not wanting to put the attention on himself, but still wanting to get his point across. "It was… a typical abusive household. My father beat my mother and myself… he called me a monster all the time, which is actually kind of ironic, considering… well, you know." He forced a laugh, running a hand through his hair. "One night, my dad got too mad, and he… killed my mom. After that, I was tossed around from relative to relative until the military pulled me out of high school to recruit me."

Loki nodded his head, listening with the same attentive silence Bruce always used with him.

"I didn't belong at home, I didn't belong at school, I didn't belong in any of the temporary houses I lived in, and I certainly didn't belong in the military." Bruce paused, wetting his lips and trying to summarize his thoughts. "It has taken me a very long time, but I found where I belong, and that is right here. I'm an Avenger, and the Avengers are my friends, and this is my home. I belong here." It sent a chill up his spine to say it aloud. "So, my point is, there's nothing wrong with you for not belonging, and you shouldn't give up on finding a place where you do belong."

Loki sat back, staying quiet and still for quite a while. He stared down at his lap, lips pursed and brow creased, index finger tapping his thigh. Bruce took the time to remove his glasses and wipe them clean on his shirt, content to wait for Loki to find his voice.

"How many people have you told?"

Bruce looked up, equal parts startled and confused. "What?"

"Your story. How many people have you told?" Loki pressed, still staring down at his lap.

"Uh, just Tony." Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that I'm hiding it from the others, they've just never really pressed me on it. I don't really like to talk about my past, but if there's a chance it could help me understand someone or help someone understand themselves, then I'll bring it out in a heartbeat."

Loki looked up then, a soft smile on his face. "Just Anthony and myself?"

Bruce gave him a perplexed stare, completely lost. "Yes...?"

"So, that means you trust me?"

Bruce blinked in surprise, and then his own features melted into an understanding smile. "You and I are the same in that we don't really trust anyone, but yes, you are one of the very few people I have placed some of my trust in."

Loki smiled to himself, clearly content with that response. "Good."

Standing up, Loki grabbed their cups and walked over to the Keurig to brew them another round of tea. There was still a faint smile on his lips when he turned around, waiting for the machine to heat up.

"Dr. Banner, if you ever need or want to talk about your past again, you should know I would be more than willing to listen." Loki gestured toward the recliner. "I'll even let you keep the chair."

Bruce chuckled, head wagging. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Loki hummed in response, moving one cup of tea to the side and placing the empty mug on the machine.

"So." Bruce paused, unsure as to which topic would be the best to go to next. "You and Thor seem to be doing a bit better. Yes? No? Maybe so?"

Loki hummed again, this time mixing it with a heavy sigh. "That's practically an entire session in and of itself."

"So?" Bruce grinned. "For the past month, you've stayed anywhere between five minutes and an hour and a half late every day."

Loki stared at him for a moment, then his face scrunched up, his gaze pointed upwards as he tried to recall the past several sessions. "Oh." He looked back down. "I suppose I have."

"I mean, if you've got somewhere to be…"

"Ha, ha. You're hilarious." Loki grabbed the teacups and returned to his couch, sitting down and placing the drinks on the table. "Thor, Thor, Thor… where do I begin with Thor?"

"Just start pulling thoughts out. It'll become coherent eventually."

Loki rolled his eyes. "You always say that."

"And it always works."

Bruce sipped his tea, warmth stirring in his chest as Loki began to follow his advice. He could still picture the moment Loki walked in on that first day. Angry, defensive, tense, afraid, hiding. To sit and watch as Loki reclined on the couch, relaxed and even smiling from time to time; to watch the way his little ticks and habits changed, how he rarely picked at his hands or fiddled when they talked; to watch how easily he let himself be coaxed into sharing his thoughts when before it had been such a struggle… it was just incredible.

Bruce couldn't help but smile.

Sure, Loki had a long way to go. He was still distrustful, and if his escape attempt was any indication, he wasn't comfortable enough to want to stay with the Avengers long-term. He still had to pay off his debt to society, and getting along with one out of thirteen estranged siblings was hardly a family-wide reconciliation.

But as far as Loki was from the finish line, he was even farther from the starting point.

And Bruce couldn't have been prouder.

"Exactly how long have you been planning this?"

Loki glanced over his shoulder, still pulling the large, black bags from one of the closets in the building where he had spent many of his community service hours sorting clothing for the homeless. "Well, I intended for my escape to be a bit more discreet. So, six months?"

Steve shook his head. "How did you manage that under constant watch?"

Loki shrugged his shoulders, pulling out the first article of clothing. "No surveillance is truly constant, save for Jarvis. All I had to do was wait until no one was looking and put it in a bag. It's what all the other clothing was put in, so no one noticed."

Steve looked at the shirt he had pulled out, tilting his head to the side. "Damaged clothing?"

"Severely damaged clothing." Loki turned it around to reveal a slew of holes spread across the back of it. "But not for long."

Loki quickly flicked his wrists, and when the fabric stopped moving, Steve could see a faint, green glow travelling across the ripped edges and pulling them gently back together. Seconds later, the shirt was like new, and Loki quickly folded it and set it aside, grabbing a pair of jeans stained with blood.

"That's incredible, Loki."

"Levi, please. Just because the building is empty, it doesn't mean we can act as if we're alone." But Loki smirked slightly, feeling a little bit of pride welling up inside of him.

"Right, sorry." Steve quickly corrected himself. "That was incredible, Levi."

"Please, this is child's play." It was, and Loki knew he could do so much better, but it still felt good to see Steve so impressed with him. "Talk to me again when you've seen what I can really do."

Steve only grinned some more, planting his fists on his hips and shaking his head. "We didn't have anything like this back in my day. I know I say that a lot, but I mean, we really had nothing like this back in my day."

Loki chuckled softly, moving through the bag at a faster pace once the magic began to feel familiar on his fingertips. "No, I don't suppose you did."

Steve walked over to the growing pile of repaired clothing and began to sort it, taking each piece to the labelled bin it belonged in. "So, your magic was the reason you were so sick last year?"

Loki nodded his head, not looking up from the task at hand. He realized a moment later that Steve probably hadn't looked either and offered a verbal response. "Yes."

"Then why aren't you sick now?" Steve returned to grab another bundle. "Not that I want you to be sick, I just don't understand."

"I knew what you meant." Loki shook his head, hiding his smile in the trash bag as he grabbed a jacket out of the bottom. "I got sick when I unlocked the first seal because my human body disagreed with my magic. It only lasted a few days, and then it faded, but it would flare up a bit every time I unlocked a seal. However, it flared up a little less each time." He grabbed a pair of jeans next. "Basically, my body was building up a tolerance to my magic. Every time I released magic into my system, it got a little easier for my body to adjust."

Steve nodded slowly, leaning against a nearby table and waiting for Loki to fix more clothes. "But if your body had completely adjusted, why did your escape hurt you so much? And why isn't it affecting you now?"

Loki tossed a shirt in Steve's general direction, chuckling softly when Steve jumped up to catch it. "When I was unlocking my seals, I almost never used my magic, and I certainly didn't use large quantities of it. I did that to make sure no one caught on, but it backfired." He sent over another shirt and then a pair of boxers. "My body was used to storing magic but not expelling it. I used too much, too fast, and my body couldn't handle it."

"What's the difference?" Steve asked curiously, putting away whatever Loki sent his way, often with an eerily well-aimed toss. "Between using it and having it, I mean."

"Well, it's…" Loki paused, squinting at the ceiling and trying to think of a good analogy. "Think of an athlete. He spends all of his time in his basement working out, walking and lifting weights. His legs get strong, so decides to sign up for a hundred-yard-dash. He collapses, because he has trained his legs to endure, not to be used intensely for a short period of time." He shrugged his shoulders and returned to the clothes. "It's not a perfect analogy, but I think you get my point. Having my magic inside of me built up a tolerance to a certain level of energy constantly being there. When I stopped the jet and teleported, I put my body through two sudden, powerful bursts that it wasn't ready for."

Steve hummed, nodding his head in understanding. "That makes sense. So, your body was used to constant magic, and now you're moving on to short bursts, which will eventually build up a tolerance for jet-stopping magic."

"Exactly." Loki moved on to the third bag, pleased with the speedy progress they were making. "Once we're done here, I would like to help clear up the debris piles we've been sorting through. It will go much faster with magic, which means they'll be able to start rebuilding sooner."

Steve nodded his head with a broad smile. "That's a great idea."

Loki started to wade through the latest mess of fabric and miscellaneous stains he chose not to think about. "By the by, how did the negotiations go?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to tell. I can't exactly make a pact for the entire planet, but it's not really fair to offer six people when they're offering their army. For now, the agreement is that Jotunheim can call on the Avengers for aid, and the Avengers can call on Jotunheim for aid, but they decide how many forces they send. If that's twenty people or twenty-thousand, we have no say."

Loki scowled. "That's no good. There isn't enough rapport between Midgard and Jotunheim. They would have no reason to offer any more than the bare minimum."

"I know." Steve sighed. "Jakodi is going back home tomorrow, and he said he would talk to Queen Leiknyrr and see if there's anything that could help balance the scales. Tony also said he would look into inventions the Jotuns might find helpful or maybe medical advancements."

Loki nodded. "I'll let you know if I have any bright ideas."

Steve offered a brief smile. "Thanks."

"Now get back to work." Loki threw another shirt at Steve's head, sticking out his tongue.

"Whoops!" Steve grabbed the clothing that had begun to collect at his feet. "Sorry. I got distracted."

Loki laughed and shook his head. "I was simply jesting."

"It suits you," Steve replied.

"What?" Loki arched a brow. "Jesting?"

"No. Laughing."

Loki stopped, considering the words as he found himself arriving at the bottom of the bag. I never really thought about how much I lost over the years. Laughter… I didn't laugh for so long that people actually make comments when I do. It wasn't even a laugh. Not really, it was more of a chuckle.

Loki heaved a sigh and moved on to the fourth and final bag. He was probably smiling more, too, and he hadn't even realized it. Not that he minded. He was only concerned about what other people might think if they noticed it.

They'll think I've gone soft, or that I've got some sort of trick up my sleeve.

"No."

Loki jumped and turned around, slapping the dirty hand he found out of his face. "No, what?"

"I don't know, but you looked upset." Steve wagged a scolding finger. "It's good to laugh. Here on Midgard, we say laughter is medicine for the soul."

"That is pitifully maudlin."

"I'm afraid I don't know what that means." Steve rubbed the back of his neck, seeming almost abashed. "I, uh, sorry. I was never very good at English."

Loki blinked, and then he tilted his head back, looking down his nose at the other. "Well, that is unacceptable. I suppose I'll have to expand your vocabulary for you. Maudlin: tearfully and weakly sentimental."

Steve chuckled quietly, still somewhat nervous. "Got it."

Pulling out the very last shirt, Loki gave Steve a smirk. "Captain, I have been developing my vocabulary for over one thousand years, you can hardly expect to understand everything I say."

Steve smiled a bit. "Yeah, well… most of the time I understand what you're saying."

"Of course you do, you read poetry for fun. I imagine your vocabulary is more expansive than you realize." Loki fixed the final shirt and tossed it to Steve, gathering up the empty bags and stuffing them into a trash can. "Still, I can teach you quite a bit more. Some of my favorites include acumen, enervate, ignominious, erudite, insidious, prevaricate, loquacious, obsequious, taciturn, truculent, and tintinnabulation."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am."

Steve groaned, placing both hands over his face.

"Of course, we can't forget to talk about French words that have found their way into your lovely little language. For example, ennui, tête-á-tête, and carte blanche. Oh! I almost forgot bivouac, imbroglio, picayune, and impecunious. What about magnanimous? You're very magnanimous, Captain."

Steve gave him a smile, clearly more amused than annoyed, and Loki let himself return the expression. Steve was one of the few people who tolerated his games, and it was too good of a chance to pass up.

"Oh! How about denouement?"

"How about extradition?"

"Well, that was unnecessary."

Steve only smiled.

Loki took a deep breath, running both hands through his hair and willing his heart to stay in his chest. He fiddled with his shirt, scratching at his knees and drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. His mind was split in two, each half offering its own opinion on the situation and subsequently escalating the amount of cortisone in his system.

Have they let you down yet? They have been kind and fair, and they have given you a second and third chance. They aren't just going to abandon you.

Drumming on his jawline, he tried to force air into his lungs, teeth clenching despite his every attempt to relax.

You were a prisoner from the beginning. That's all you've ever been—they wouldn't risk their planet, their people, their own welfare for you. I thought you learned your lesson when you wound up Jotunheim. You can't trust them, and you can't get comfortable. They aren't in this for you, they're in it for themselves.

Loki couldn't recall the last time he had been so nervous. When he first arrived on Midgard, when he was sent to Jotunheim, when he escaped with his magic, and when he was taken back to Asgard, he had been given an idea of what to expect. He had been nervous all those times, unsettled and jittery, but not like this.

I'm going to make myself sick.

His leg bounced as he sat, looking around the empty meeting room, counting to ten forward and backward in every language he knew.

"So, then she says to me—Hey, Reindeer Games, you're here early."

"Really, that's what she said?"

Loki turned around in his chair to see Tony and Steve standing in the doorway to the meeting room, both men appearing as relaxed as ever. That was a good sign.

"I didn't want to wind up being late, so I aimed for the other extreme," he replied, scratching idly at his pantleg.

Tony took his seat on the other side of the table, a satisfied sort of smile lingering on his lips. "Well, as soon as everyone gets here, we can get started."

Steve sat down on Loki's left with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. It's a normal meeting—no attacks on the entire planet or undercover organizations breaking their cover."

Loki was encouraged by Steve's words, but he still couldn't quite manage a smile. "That's good." He scratched at his knee, watching his fingers intently, once again arguing with himself. "That's very good."

Just ask. No, just wait. Ask and get it over with. Don't show them your hand. Just ask.

"Did I do something?" Loki blurted out the words before he had another chance to counter with himself, looking at his captors in turn. "I just—I would like to know what's going on. If someone could enlighten me…"

Steve shook his head emphatically. "No, no, you didn't do anything."

"Well, you did, but that was like three years ago, so…" Tony brandished one of his infamously snarky grins.

It was their combined efforts and the sense of familiarity they provided that ultimately calmed Loki down.

"I see." Loki leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "That's very good."

"You didn't do it without the rest of us, did you?" Bruce spoke from behind, causing Loki to jump, and then Bruce eased himself into the seat on Loki's right. "They didn't tell you anything, right?"

Loki shook his head, confused and still somewhat unsettled. "I—"

"Of course they didn't." Clint took the seat between Bruce and Tony, placing him at two o' clock on the round table.

"Indeed. If they had, I would have most certainly demolished their heads." Thor sat down next to Steve, giving Loki a smile.

Tony rolled his eyes. "We've got to work on your social skills, Goldilocks."

"No, I think they're fine," was Thor's reply.

"Alright, we're all here." Natasha sat between Tony and Thor, filling the last chair and folding her arms on the table. "Tony?"

"Right." Tony cleared his throat and placed both hands on the table. "So, as you know, S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely dismantled, and thus, there is no Director Fury here to give us orders. We have officially been a solo act since January, and while that does have its perks, it also means we have a significantly smaller amount of resources."

Loki nodded slowly, brow creasing as the situation became more and more perplexing.

"You, Loki, are an excellent fighter, very intelligent, knowledgeable about the Nine Realms, a master magician, a link between Midgard, Asgard, and Jotunheim, and basically all this other stuff that makes you super valuable. Okay?"

Loki looked around at the other members of the team, hoping he would find an answer in their faces but coming up empty handed. "What are you saying, Anthony?"

"I'm saying—" Tony tossed a small, flat rectangle across the table, "—you would make a great asset."

Loki picked up the card—because that's what it was, a card, like a credit card—and looked it over. It had a large, blue A taking up the left-hand side while a line of blue arrows crossed over to the right edge. Above that, there was a picture of himself—when Tony said 'smile for me,' Loki had no idea this was what he was up to—and beneath that, in bold black lettering, was his name.

Loki tilted his head and squinted, slowly looking up from the card to meet Tony's eyes. "…I do not understand."

"You've been a big help, Reindeer Games. You came through for us more than once, and you had the chance to back out each time. Now, don't get too excited, we're not asking you to become an Avenger. If you look, we have gold cards and yours is silver." Tony took his out and slid it across the table so Loki could compare them. "What we're offering is for you to become an official ally. You offer us your skills and your allegiance, and we offer you some of our trust."

Loki stared down at the cards, looked up at Tony, and then looked back down at the cards again.

"Now, that card does have a chip in it, so we would still be able to track your movements, but our cards have that, too. Jarvis uses it to tell everyone else where our distress signal is coming from and how to get there. But we would remove the locks from your door so you could go anywhere on this floor anytime you want. We would decrease the layers of security from 325 to 250. There's some other stuff, too, but you get the gist."

Loki stared at his card, fingering the surface and trying to comprehend what they were saying. "But I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did." It was Steve who spoke, turning sideways in his chair and giving Loki a smile. "You didn't have to be told what to do with your magic, you just did it. You had already figured out ways you could use your abilities to help people. You've been staying at your sessions longer than necessary for almost two months now, and that goes back before you attempted escape. Which, by the way, you attempted after you saved us all from certain death."

Tony jumped back in at that. "It's not like we're setting you free, and you've still got a schedule to follow. Okay? You're still a war criminal, you're still a prisoner, and you still aren't going anywhere for a very long time. We're just removing some restrictions and giving you some liberties. We think you've earned them."

Loki looked around the table, arching a brow in disbelief. "And you all agreed to this?" He turned his head to look at Clint. "You agreed to this?"

Clint crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I didn't agree, I just didn't disagree. I'm tolerating this decision and maintaining the status of a neutral party."

Loki looked over to Natasha, giving her a similar inquiry. "What about you?"

Natasha met his gaze and held it for a while, the faintest of smirks tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Brianna's still wearing that bracelet you gave her."

Loki stared back, the smug, all-knowing look in her eyes telling him she had figured out the magical properties of the rope. How much she knew was still a mystery, and he was uncertain as to whether or not she told the others.

"I see," was all Loki offered in reply.

"Loki." Bruce spoke softly, drawing Loki's attention to himself and giving him a warm smile. "This is an offer you have a right to decline or accept. If you want to think about it, or maybe go over some more of the details with one of us, that would be fine."

Loki focused on the card once more, looking at the symbol beside his name and picture. It was only three years ago that Earth's Mightiest Heroes had also been Loki's Greatest Enemies. They had foiled his plans, defeated and humiliated him, and shipped him back to Asgard in chains. Then, when he returned, he was made to be a helpless mortal who had to do everything they said, whether he liked it or not.

But they had never abused that power. Even Clint, who had used Loki's inability to fight back as an excuse to poke fun at him from time to time, had never exacted his revenge for all Loki had done to him. Steve chose to forgive Loki time and time again, and Bruce chose to look at Loki without any judgement in his eyes. Tony gave him a room, food, clothing, and a variety of frivolous items no prisoner really needed. Natasha kept her distance, being the professional she was, but when she did get close, she pushed him to talk to Bruce and seek the help he needed.

Thor. Thor, his brother, onto whom Loki had placed the blame for all of his rage and pain and hate. Thor had been betrayed, rejected, insulted, ignored, and hated, but he risked everything to give Loki a second chance. Thor brought Loki to this group of people that confused and astounded him in so many ways, all the while holding out hope that somewhere inside the twisted monster there was a little brother he could still save.

"Hypothetically speaking, if I were to accept, would there be a party to celebrate?"

Tony didn't give anyone else a chance to respond. "Oh, yeah. I'll take any excuse to party."

Loki sighed dramatically, tossing the gold card back to its owner. "Then I suppose I don't have a choice. I'll have to accept your offer."

Tony grinned like a maniac. "Welcome to the not-evil side, Reindeer Games."

Loki smiled, pleasantly surprised to find he didn't hate the sound of that.

In fact, he kind of liked it.