The next morning, Loki was feeling around Thor's room, his older brother by his side to make sure he didn't get hurt again. His arm was still in the cast, so he seemed to find the exploration a bit cumbersome, but he was determined to get a feel of his surroundings. Thor patiently stood by his side, warning him of objects that might be of detriment to him as he edged around the walls. Slowly, the two of them crept around the room, until they came to the doorway, and Loki found the light switch on the wall. Inquisitively, he ran his fingertips over it, brow furrowed in concentration. Thor remembered him having the same look when trying to understand a difficult problem in his academics, or when running experiments.

It controls the lights, He explained, after Loki's face slipped from eager curiosity, to resigned disappointment. That was what happened when he couldn't figure out what something was for, now days. "How?" He asked immediately, his voice laced with wonder, as he felt the switch, again, this time, accidently flicking the lever down, plunging the room into darkness.

Thor laughed, and turned it back on, only to see Loki's face was frozen, eyes wide. "Thor…" He breathed, placing his hand on the switch, again. "In what direction is the source of light?"

Thor gently turned Loki's face towards the light bulbs, and the Trickster instantly turned the lights off, again.

Then on.

Then off.

Thor was slightly amused by this exercise, until he realized, in the moments of brightness, Loki's eyes were focused.

Brother? He asked, a wild hope leaping in his chest as a wide grin spread over Loki's face.

"I can see the light." He whispered in disbelief. "I can… I can see it."

Thor gently removed Loki's hand from the light switch, and flicked the lights off, so that Loki could not tell when the lights were on. Is it on or off? He asked.

"Off." Loki responded promptly.

Thor flicked it on.

"Now, it's on." Loki laughed, as Thor crushed him in an enormous hug. "I'm healing…" He laughed again, disbelieving, yet so joyful. "I'll see, again!"

Thor held his brother close, unable to think of words. He had known Loki's eyes had been getting better, from what Bruce had told him, but he had no idea his sight would be returning so quickly. Loki laughed jubilantly, almost hysterically, and Thor realized… That was the first time Loki had laughed since his sentence.

Thor held his brother as he shook with laughter, while tears streamed down his cheeks. Loki still was too blind to realize how Thor wept.

A few hours after Loki discovered the fact that his eyes truly were healing, he sat perched on the table, while Thor spoke with one of his teammates nearby. Shadow lay in his lap, all four paws in the air and vibrating like an explosive device as Loki absentmindedly stroked the soft hair on her belly.

It was quite hard for the Trickster to not find the major sources in the room, and stare at them, simply because he knew where they were. He was stupid. He knew that was bad for his eyes, and he wished for his recovery to be as speedy as possible.

Shadow nipped gently at his finger, and Loki flinched, jarring his still mending bones painfully. Thor laid a hand on his knee in reassuring comfort, and the Trickster smiled softly. It was nice to know Thor still cared for him, when, at this point, all he was doing was being a liability for his brother. Thor couldn't go anywhere, do anything, until Loki was healed. Repulsive, but true. The cast on his arm, and the bandages around his head were proof of that. Loki didn't like mooching off of anybody. He was a very independent person, and, while he couldn't deny he adored Thor, and was extremely comforted with the Thunderer's presence, he had to also think of what was best for Thor. The truth was, Thor was an Avenger, yet, Loki was holding him back from important missions. Loki knew there were at least three separate occasions when the team had been called in to face some sort of threat, and Thor had stayed behind to watch over Loki.

It was depressing, to say the least.

Suddenly, a hand gently brushed against Loki's shoulder, and the Trickster released a blood-curdling scream, and leapt into Thor's arms, his arm throbbing painfully from the repeated jarring motion. "Ow…" He moaned into Thor's ribcage. Thor comfortingly ran a hand over Loki's hair, and gently uncurled Loki's long fingers from their death-grip on his shirt. "Someone touched me." He whispered shakily, only just then realizing how much his reaction must have scared his kitten. "Where's Shadow?" He wondered.

Barton wishes to speak to you. Thor informed. Shadow is under the couch, glaring at you.

"Sorry…" He apologized to both Barton and Shadow. "I didn't know who it was."

Thor transferred Loki's hand to Barton's, and the archer traced out his signature smiley face.

"Is that all you have to say?" Loki snapped irritably, suddenly fed up with his entire situation.

Nope.

"What? You know how to write?" Loki gasped dramatically, rolling his mostly-blind eyes in exasperation.

Can I sign your cast?

"What?" Loki honestly had no idea what Barton meant by that.

I want to sign your cast. He repeated. It's a thing we do, here on Midheim

"Midgard." Loki corrected.

Midgard, then. It's a thing we do to show the person that we care about them, and hope they get better soon.

Loki's mouth dropped open in shock, his frustration gone in a matter of seconds. "But… but… you don't. Do you?"

You're kinda growing on me.

"I won't even be able to see it."

You will, pretty soon. The archer pointed out. Thor told us how you can see light, now. It shouldn't take too long.

Loki hesitated, confusion welling up inside him. "But… why?"

I told you, to sho-

Loki cut him off. "No, why do you care?"

There was a slight hesitation on his part. Because I know where you're at. Because I've been there. Because I believe you really are a good guy, and you're trying your best. And I've been there, too.

Loki was silent for a long while, trying to process the archer's total forgiveness. Barton had brought him a kitten, the previous day, and now, he wished to fulfill the Midgardian custom for when a person you care about is wounded. For Loki. Barton cared about Loki. For some reason, a small flower of warmth began to grow in Loki's stomach, replacing the cold knot of fear that had been ever-present since he'd lost his sight and hearing. It wasn't just Thor who cared. Perhaps, it wasn't just Barton.

The archer gently maneuvered Loki's bad arm so that he could have better access to it, and held it still for a few seconds.

There you go.

"Thank you, Barton." Loki smiled, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. Had it really been him, who was so opposed to sentiment? Now see where that had gone. He was crying over a simple Midgardian gesture. Still, he couldn't deny it was very touching.

You can call me Clint, you know. The archer offered.

Loki smiled again, happier than he'd been in a very long time. "Clint, then…"

Barton – no, Clint – stood up, and Thor took Loki's hand, once more. May I, also?

Loki nodded. That was to be expected. Anything kind, and big-hearted there was to do, Thor wanted to do it. And Loki really didn't mind, as he felt his brother's arm move, while the Thunderer wrote on the plaster.

This is Steve. The captain wrote on his hand. Can I write something, too?

Wide eyed, Loki nodded, again, unable to wipe the smile off his face as, one by one, each of the Avengers asked to write a message on the cast. Even Shadow returned, apparently having forgiven him for disturbing her, and curled up, tiny head on his knee.

It was an interesting feeling, that raged inside Loki's heart, right at that moment. While he was still easy to frighten, still vulnerable, he was no longer afraid. He was surrounded by people who truly cared about him, regardless of the things he'd done, how much he'd hurt them. They saw, in him, a potential to do good that he barely saw in himself. They'd forgiven him, and they were giving him the second chance he'd never deserved.

Redemption. That's what it was. That's all it was.

Loki could never earn this. It was entirely their choice to give him such a wonderful opportunity. And they'd done it. Perhaps the Asgardian heroes, with all their grand, meaningless quests they went on, and the maidens they attracted like flies, and the duels they won, and everything… perhaps they weren't the real heroes after all. Perhaps these Midgardians were more noble than the so-called heroes Loki had grown in the shadow of. Perhaps, forgiving your enemy was more heroic than slaying him.

TheOnlyHuman.