True to Natasha's word, she arrived at Stark Tower within a few minutes. Loki, of course had seen the entire conversation, but hadn't commented, thinking that would most likely be considered rude and snoopish, despite his incapability of refraining from knowing the information. His programming did extend into Anthony's phone, after all.

Loki was not the kind of person who liked meeting new people. He'd always been shamefully shy, much to his father's disappointment, and it had never gotten better as time went on. Social gatherings made him literally nauseous to think about. So, when the Avengers began showing up at the tower, he froze up. Sure, they couldn't see him, and they probably didn't even know he was there, but still. If he had hands, they would be shaking from his anxiety.

Thor was training with the captain in the gymnasium, so he couldn't speak to his brother for comfort. As the number of people making the ascent to the communal floor grew, so did Loki's panic. The lights in several different floors flickered for no apparent reason, and one of the bathroom taps suddenly turned on at full blast. Distractedly, Loki stabilized the malfunctioning systems, and watched the Avengers wait cheerfully in the living room of the communal floor.

"What do you think all this is about?" One of the women asked, settling down on of the couches, fiddling with a rather lethal-looking dagger in distracted interest.

"My bet's still on peanut butter." One of the men said, a knowing smirk on his face.

The other woman shook her head in disagreement. "He said that was Clint. It's got to be something else, but just as stupid."

Another one of the men turned slightly pink, and became extremely interested in the wall.

"Oh, come on, Clint." The first woman scoffed. "No use playing innocent. We all know you did it."

Another of the men nodded in agreement. "No offense, but for a spy, you're really bad at not looking suspicious."

"Chronic billboard face." Clint sighed, shaking his head in self-deprecation. "I know, I can't even keep what I'm getting Nat for Christmas a secret."

"Socks, probably." The second woman spoke up, and they all laughed, except for Clint, who simply dropped his face into his hands. "How'd you know?"

"Where's Tony gotten to, anyway?" The first woman asked slightly impatiently. "Honestly, he calls us all here, and then doesn't even show up. Is this a prank, or something?"

All of them rolled their eyes in exasperation. "I wouldn't be surprised, honestly. His robot-thingy has to have told him we're here, by now."

Loki, with a start, realized that they were referring to him. He'd almost forgotten his nervousness, watching the Avengers interact, but now it came rushing back in an agonizing flood. Searching through the monitors, he located Tony, sound asleep in the rec room, curled up in a fleece blanket, under the ping-pong table. "Anthony?" He called softly, but the engineer didn't even stir. He and Loki had been up all night, the night before, working on a sturdier design for the helmet of the suits of armor, and he was most likely exhausted.

"Anthony?" Loki tried again, a little louder, this time.

"Ten more minutes, Jarv…" Tony mumbled sleepily, turning over in his small nest.

"I'm not Jarvis." Loki pointed out. "Th-The Avengers are here." He explained.

Tony sat up abruptly, banging his head rather hard on the underside of the ping-pong table. "Ow…" He groaned, crawling out while rubbing his head. "The Avengers are here?"

Loki made a small noise of affirmation, as Tony rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Well, call the exterminators, you know what to do!"

Loki couldn't help but laugh at that. "You wanted me to meet them, not fumigate them."

"Oh, yeah." Tony shrugged. "Well, better get around to that. Can you tell your brother and Captain Spangly-pants to meet up at the communal floor?" He stifled a yawn, and began trudging toward the elevator, mumbling under his breath about something Loki didn't exactly understand.

Loki completed his task, and then set about laying low. Being as quiet as possible, not moving, and hoping nobody noticed him.

Tony began a conversation with his teammates, explaining the situation for the umpteenth time. Loki tuned out, and curled into a metaphysical huddle as Thor and Steve made their way into the communal floor. He used this tactic a lot, actually, especially when he was required to attend court. He had nothing to say, so he made himself be just as obvious as a chair. Visible, but not noticeable enough to pay any attention to.

"…Loki!" Anthony spoke, startling Loki from his thoughts. Everyone was looking at the cameras. They were all looking at him. He shivered violently, and hoped the engineer would be kind enough to change his mind about whatever he wanted.

"Hey, say hi, Lokester!" Tony frowned in frustration. "You're making me look like an idiot."

Loki tried to speak, but nothing happened more than a terrified squeak. So many people… they probably all hated him for what he'd done… and for who he was.

"Are you okay, Tony?" One of the men asked in concern. Anthony face-palmed.

"He's just spooked." He sighed. "I swear, it's real, ask Thor or Steve, they know. Any time, now, Rudolph."

Loki gulped nervously, hating every minute of this. He was embarrassing his friend. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just speak up? Do something? Anything? He had to prove he wasn't so useless. So, he did something. He burst into tears.

The Avengers were less than pleased. Tony collapsed in defeat onto one of the armchairs as the Avengers ran around screaming. "Oh, Loki…" The engineer groaned in disappointment. This only made Loki cry harder. Everywhere he went, everything he did, everything he said, he always messed something up. Father was right. He was a disgrace to the Odinson name.

"I'm sorry…" He sobbed quietly. "I didn't mean it, I swear!"

Thor and Steve burst into the room, alarmed at the ongoing mayhem as Loki struggled to get his stupid tears under control. "Loki!" Thor cried in distress. "What has been done? Why are you weeping?"

Loki clammed up, again, since everyone had stopped screaming and running around, and stared in shock between the cameras, Thor, and Tony. "It's real?" One of them gasped, wiping water out of his eyes. Thankfully, with Loki's new-found silence, the torrent of water also stopped.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, again, and Clint started violently at the sound of his voice.

"Hot damn… it is him!" He breathed.

"So very sorry..." Loki continued, babbling like he typically did when nervous. "I didn't mean it, truly. It's my fault, I know, and I-"

"It isn't your fault, Sprinkly." Tony spoke up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you."

"You wished for him to meet our friends?" Thor deduced.

Tony nodded, running his hands through his hair so that it all stood up on end, like a fearsome beast.

"You know, Loki, a lot of people get social anxiety." Steve spoke up. "It's really nothing to apologize about."

"But I wept on you all." Loki protested. "It's shameful. Father says a man of my age sh-shouldn't cry as much as I do. It's unmanly, and weak." He recalled, misery swelling up inside him at the thought of his father's constant disappointment in him.

"Father was wrong." Thor announced. "Lady Jane told me that tears are healthy, sometimes. They help your brain sort out what's what. And they help you cope."

Loki hiccupped nervously. "R-Really?"

Thor nodded cheerfully, as the rest of Avengers stared around the room in astonishment.

"Hey, I ought to introduce you, shouldn't I?" Anthony noticed, cheerful demeanor returned in the blink of an eye. "Loki, this is Natasha, Clint, Vision, Wanda, and Sam. Guys, this is Loki."

"Hello." Loki greeted in a small voice.

The Avengers returned the awkward greetings, and glanced at each other in apprehension.

"I'll tell you this, guys." Tony offered. "If he had any diabolical plans, he'd certainly have carried them out by now. It's been almost a week since he uploaded."

Sam raised his hand like a schoolchild. Tony rolled his eyes. "Did you seriously just raise your hand? That's ridiculous, just talk."

"How close are you to getting him… you know…"

"Normal?" Wanda finished the sentence. Sam nodded in agreement.

Tony and Thor glanced at each other. "I'm perfectly fine with him being a robot." Tony offered, but Loki quickly spoke up.

"I'm not!" He pounced. "I would far rather be a person, again."

"So, you haven't done… anything?" Vision deduced, and Tony slumped in defeat. "Not… really…" He admitted.

Loki hesitated. "Is there anything to be done?"

"I think you'd know that best, brother." Thor pointed out.

There was a silence, as Loki scrambled to think what his brother could mean by that. "You don't think I did all this on purpose?"

"I think there's a possibility." Thor admitted. "You always were one for huge, grandiose schemes."

"But… dying?" Loki gasped. "That would crush you… right?"

Thor smiled fondly. "Yes, Loki, it did crush me. But I think, perhaps, it would have been better than your dying and never coming back."

Loki had to admit this was the truth. "So… what shall we do, now? I don't remember working any spell, so I can't tell you how to reverse it."

"Did you write your experiments down?" Natasha offered.

Loki brightened at this idea. "Yes! Yes, I always write down my spells and things."

"Where would they be?" Thor asked excitedly.

Loki thought for a minute. "Well… if it's the one I was actively using at that time, probably in my study. In the secret compartment in my desk, under the false bottom of my middle drawer."

"How do you open it?" Thor pressed.

"The key, of course." Loki snorted. "You'll find it in the right-hand compartment of the little carved box under my bed. Locked, naturally."

Thor groaned, dropping his face into his hands. "And… the key to that?"

"It's a combination." Loki corrected. "Very complicated, and I have it written down inside my safe."

Thor ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "And… the password to the safe?"

"'Password'." Loki replied simply.

Clint groaned. "Oh, the anticlimax!"

"But, of course." Loki smugly agreed. "Would you expect the lord of chaos to be…" He paused dramatically. "Predictable?"

Thor rolled his eyes. "I'll return to Asgard, and fetch it, alright?"

"Oh…" Loki felt a sinking feeling. "Must you leave?"

Thor frowned at the floor. "I assure you, brother, I wish to stay just as much as you wish me to. But if there's a chance, even a tiny hope, that you can be fully restored to me, I wish to take it."

Loki sighed in agreement. "Very well. I'll look forward to your return."

Thor looked around the room, giving a smile to his teammates. "Farewell my friends, Brother."

"Wait, so soon?" Tony gasped, but Thor had already stomped out to the balcony and flown away.

Shout-out to Aske, on Quotev, for her idea of Tony calling Loki "Sprinkly"! Perfect, isn't it?

TheOnlyHuman.