Notes:

Hi everyone and welcome back!

I am so sorry for the constant delays. My laptop is dying and has been in and out of the shop for the last couple of weeks so it made it quite hard to get some work done...

Well anyway! Here's chapter 23. Hope it is worth the wait! ^^

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Loki woke up to another well-rested night, a smile on his face as he watched the captain's chest heave with every peaceful breath that he took. It was still early, birds singing their first songs of the day. He quietly moved towards the blond, getting as close as possible without touching him. He wanted to press himself against his chest, lie into his arms and close his eyes to the sound of Steve's beating heart.

In the end, he decided to settle with pressing his forehead against Steve's. It was a small connection, gentle and so easily broken. Yet Loki smiled as it was all his heart could wish for.

He closed his eye, intending to go back to sleep, but he couldn't keep his mind from wondering back to the previous night.

"Ten a.m., my lab. Bruce and I got a little something for you, so don't be late."

Tony's voice rang in his head, the playboy's excitement clear in every word. Loki tried to contain his curiosity, but, as always, it got the better of him. He looked at Steve one more time, pressing his lips against the tip of the captain's nose, withholding himself from giving him an actual kiss.

'Jarvis?' he muttered, making sure not to wake the blond.

'Yes, sir?' The AI's volume was brought down, making it almost sound like he was whispering.

'Could you please turn off Steven's alarm? I think he deserves a little extra rest after everything he's been through, would you not agree?'

'Certainly sir. Mister Stark has asked me to inform him when you wake up. He would like to remind you of your ten a.m. appointment.'

'You can tell Anthony I will be on my way, thank you.' With that the trickster got out of bed, stretching his lean arms and legs. He looked at his fingers, sighing as they were still to thin for his liking. Though he was happy to notice that they were not as boney as they used to be.

He took a shower and got dressed, wearing the captain's clothes which hang loose around his body. He didn't particularly like these Midgardian outfits, but they were better than wearing his bloodstained Asgardian garments. He wondered if he could ever go out and buy something of his own liking, though that would mean leaving the safety of this tower and his new companions.

Following Jarvis' directions Loki made his way through the building, his curiosity causing him to peek into all the rooms he came across. He made sure to memorize the sleeping quarters, kitchen and communal lounge. He passed an indoor bridge overseeing the gym, smiling and waving a little awkwardly as he looked down upon Clint and Natasha who were sparring. The archer casted him a confident and victorious grin, only to be taken down by the Widow the moment he lost his focus. It turned Loki's forced smile into a genuine chuckle.

Jarvis guided Loki all the way down towards the playboy's workshop, the smell of oil, grease and, for some reason, smoke becoming stronger with every step the god took. He gulped as he stood in front of the glass wall, Tony and Bruce working on the other side.

'Does it usually smell this… disturbing?' Loki asked as he saw one of Tony's projects go up in smoke.

'No, sir,' Jarvis opened the door for him, 'it usually smells a lot worse.'

'Well, that is just so reassuring,' he smiled at the two mortals, reluctant to walk inside as he was greeted by a robotic arm.

'Don't worry about DUM-E, he's just happy to see a new face,' Tony dropped his tools and removed his safety goggles. 'He's just saying hi.'

'Uh,' Loki found himself lost for words as he took the robotic hand, confusion laced in his voice as he introduced himself; 'Loki, charmed.' He didn't know if it was possible, but the machine seemed to be genuinely happy.

Bruce managed to suppress a chuckle and walked up to the god. 'It's good to see you up again and, well, talking.'

A vivid blush colored the god's cheeks as he remembered his last encounter with the Doctor. 'I-I do apologize for my most discourteous behavior.'

'That's okay.' The scientist casted him a warm smile. 'I'm not mad.'

'Thank god you're not,' Tony muttered as he walked by, poking Bruce with a small electrified rod, causing the scientist to yelp. The playboy held his breath in anticipation, examining his eyes for any change of color. 'Seriously? Nothing? You've really got a lid on it, huh? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?'

Bruce scrunched up his face, managing a smile. 'Is everything a joke to you?'

'Funny things are,' the playboy shrugged. 'Blueberry?' He offered as he held up a small bag, making the other men wonder where it came from.

Bruce stared at him for a moment, blinking his eyes before turning his attention back to Loki. 'Just, follow me, please. I assume Tony has already told you what we're going to do?'

'The only thing he has told me-' Loki hesitantly took a blueberry from a smiling Tony who kept offering. 'is that you have a surprise for me.' The two followed Bruce into a separate room. The doors opened automatically, inviting him into a blinding whiteness and a sterile scent that was very familiar to the Asgardian sanitorium.

The trickster held his breath for a moment as he glared into the open space. A surgical bed was installed in the middle of the room, a steel table standing next to it and a couple of chairs in the corner. He cautiously moved forward, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he scanned the surgical equipment. 'What is all this?' He finally asked as his palms turned sweaty, forcingly reminding himself that these two mortals were the Captain's friends. If Steve put his trust in them, then so should he.

'I understand that this is all a bit overwhelming,' Bruce gestured towards a chair in the corner and sat down with him. 'I asked Tony to inform you yesterday but-'

'I just wanted to keep it a surprise,' the playboy leaned against his science partner. 'But don't worry, you'll see soon enough what all this is for.' He stared between the god and the doctor, baffled as Loki's gaze remained puzzled and wary and Bruce just covered his eyes with a sigh. 'What? No one got that? Really?'

'Loki, the reason we brought you here is because we wanted to give you something.' Banner grabbed a small white box from the table and handed it to the trickster.

The raven opened it, staring at a glass orb which he then held in the palm of his hand. It reminded him of the crystal ball his mother used to have in her divination study. 'I do not know what magical tales Steven has told you about me,' he held the ball up, watching the fluorescent light shine through. 'But I can't see into the future. I'm not a witch.'

'Loki, this is not a crystal ball,' Bruce quickly took it from the trickster's hand, holding the precious item close. 'This- this is your new eye.'

The raven stared in silent bewilderment at the two smiling mortals. 'I- I beg your pardon…?'

'Surprise,' Tony tried to lighten the mood by throwing his hands in the air and making a small celebrational wave, expecting the god to be happy.

Loki stood up and took a step back, not daring to believe their words. Not daring to hope to have his sight back. 'So this… How will this glass orb-?'

'It's StarkTech, though I had a lot of help from my partner here.' Tony explained as he walked towards the surgical bed, inspecting all Bruce's surgical instruments. 'Once we install this baby into your eye socket it will read and adjust to your DNA, minimizing chances of rejection. Plus it will change into the color of your organic eye.'

'We could have made it green from the start but when you came here your eye was, uhm- well, red.' Bruce enlightened. 'It was only after a couple of weeks that it turned into the shade it is now.'

'I wanted to add lasers, but Bruce didn't let me,' Tony shrugged, though he could not refrain from pouting. 'So, ready to do this?' he placed his hand on the surgical bed, gesturing for Loki to take a seat.

The god merely stared, not moving as he tried to fully understand what these two mortals were offering.

'You don't have to, of course,' Banner reminded him, his voice as soft and gentle as his deep brown eyes. He continued with caution, 'Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do think that the missing eye is the source of a lot of trauma. Maybe it's better to talk about it first before going straight into surgery.'

'No.' Loki's voice was filled with fierce determination. He would not talk. He would not tell anyone of all the humiliation, pain and torture he had suffered by his brother's hands. Not to Steve. Not to his friends. No one. 'I thank you for your consideration, but I decline.'

Bruce and Tony shared a look, one that was shimmering with skepticism. 'So,' the playboy continued, 'You sure you're up for this?'

'I do,' It almost came out desperately. Loki gulped, his body tense as he could no longer stop himself from hoping. He shivered at the idea of not having to wear the eyepatch, of not having to feel the constant void in his face. Maybe with this new prostatic his nightmares would go away, the constant fear and phantom pain that would keep him up at night finally gone.

Maybe with this he could finally forget all about his brother and start a new life.

'I- I want to have my sight back.' He pushed on, his shoulders dropping as he stared at the doctor, his voice a soft plea; 'Please.'

Bruce looked at Tony before taking a deep breath. He wondered whether the god was truly mentally ready for this, fearing that he would only bury his trauma even deeper.

Then again, the god was old enough to make his own decisions, at least so he hoped. The scientist gave an almost reluctant nod. 'Okay. We'll help you.' He gently guided the raven towards the bed, asking him to lay down.

The trickster's heart was beating loudly in his chest as bright lights shone upon him, hands moving just over his face. He gulped, images of that dreadful night flashing before his eye.

The god of Thunder sneering at him and grabbing his hair. The Allfather pulling him to his knees, his hand raised like a claw. His brother bringing down his hand and burrowing his fingers deep into his right eye socket, nails hooked into the soft tissue of his eye as he ripped it out.

It was all so clear.

Tears threatened to spill from the raven's eye. All the pain, all the humiliation and trauma his brother had bestowed upon him still haunted his memories. Surely it would all disappear once his prosthetic was installed.

'You okay?' Tony asked as he placed the tech on a sterile surface, noticing the god's heavy breathing. 'If you don't-'

'I am fine,' the god snarled, immediately regretting his tone of voice. 'Could you just start? Please?'

Bruce nodded and grabbed a syringe, 'Unfortunately we'll need you to be awake during the procedure. This is a local anesthetic, so you won't feel a thing, okay?' The trickster gulped, but nodded nonetheless. 'Okay. Now, this might sting a little.' The scientist removed the raven's eyepatch and cleaned the wound. Steady hands moved the large syringe closer and closer towards the god's face, a drop of anesthetic hanging from the sharp needle.

Loki wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and run but forced himself to endure.

The prospect of living without Thor's haunting voice being the only reason that held him in place.

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The operation took over four hours, every minute ticking by agonizingly slow. Loki felt numb and lightheaded by the time the fluorescent lights were switched off.

'You still with us, Lokes?' Tony asked as he removed his bloodstained gloves. 'Come on, talk to us.'

The trickster merely blinked his eyes. He vaguely registered the prosthetic imbedded within his skull yet noticed no difference from before the surgery.

'The operation was a success,' Bruce informed him, a kind yet tired smile on his face. 'We just have to signal Jarvis to activate it and you'll be able to see again with both eyes. But before we do that, I want you to take some rest and-'

'No,' the god's voice was rough, mouth dry and jaw aching from the constant strain. 'Tell the Artificial Intelligence to switch it on.'

'Look, I am just as eager to test this as you are,' Tony struggled to keep his hands to himself as Loki was trying to sit up. 'but you need to wait. You can't just-'

'I have waited long enough,' the raven stood up, unsteady on his feet as he stumbled towards the glass door and stared at his reflection. The prosthetic fitted perfectly, streaks of wiped blood contouring the socket. The eye was a milky white, nothing but an orb without color. 'Jarvis?'

The AI remained silent until Tony let out a sigh and gave his approval.

The trickster cried out as the eye activated, his hands pressed against his temples as a splitting pain surged through his head. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to open his eyes and look at his reflection. The orb rapidly changed, different colors moving in waves as it analyzed the god's DNA. Seconds passed for it to turn emerald, the pupil rapidly zooming in and out like a camera, humming softly as it tried to focus.

Loki panted as the pain subsided, blinking in disbelief at his new eye which was now indistinguishable from the real organ.

'Lokes, you okay?' Tony asked as the raven seemed frozen. 'Jarvis?'

'Nerve connection - stable.' The AI informed him. 'All preliminary contacts – established. Performance – stable. All systems green. Activation of Mark 0.8. – successful.'

'Maybe you should sit down,' Bruce offered, holding the god's shaking shoulders. 'Are you okay? How do you feel?'

'… I am fine,' Loki whispered as he turned around, staring at the room in awe as it finally gained depth. 'It- it worked.'

'Of course it does, I made it.' Tony humbly replied, though looking at the god with a glimpse of tense curiosity.

Loki stayed with the two Avengers for another hour, testing his new prosthetic and answering all their questions with what they wanted to hear. No, he did not have a headache. No, he did not feel dizzy. Yes, he could see perfectly through both eyes.

He lied, knowing that he shouldn't but wanting to get out as soon as possible. He wanted to go back the sleeping quarters, to a bed where a certain blond mortal was still sleeping. He wanted to look at him, touch him, show him.

With his new eye he could finally be whole again, no longer a broken shadow of who he once used to be.

'I thank you, Anthony, Bruce,' Loki smiled as Tony stared at his StarkTablet. 'I am forever in your debt. Now, if you'll excuse me,' he didn't wait for Bruce to answer as he turned around and left the workshop, barely keeping himself from running.

'Did we really do the right thing?' Bruce asked, watching Loki jump up the stairs.

'I think we did, a bit, or maybe not,' Tony sighed, popping another blueberry in his mouth as he read the outcomes of all the tests. 'Tech indicates zero glitches, so we don't have to worry about that. And as far as the guy's mental state goes,' he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. 'all we can do is wait and see.'

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Loki entered the captain's bedroom, heart beating loudly in his chest in anticipation. 'Steven?' he called gently as he sat on his knees next to the bed, admiring every inch of the man's face.

The mortal looked divine, skin bathing in soft morning sunrays, creating a golden hue over his short and tousled hair. Loki leaned forward, moving slowly and pressed his lips against Steve's temple, whispering gently; 'Wake up, Steven.' He held his breath for a moment before pressing a chaste kiss onto the man's perfect skin.

'Wake up.'

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Notes:

I've decided to upload the next chapter within 7 days, hoping to make up for the time you had to wait... Of course, if my laptop survives...

Hope you will have a marvelous day!

Lot's of love

MissBoaBoa