a/n: Welcome to Chapter 2, my loves! I am over the moon at the positive response this fic has received already – wow, you guys are the best. So, I am working diligently and quickly to keep posting. This chapter was a struggle and I went round and round with it. I considered breaking it up, and even wrote a completely alternate version of it – eventually, I got this. Sorry it's a tad long since I decided not to split it up, but hopefully y'all enjoy it! After this chapter, we should be diving into some real PLOT stuff! Oh, and prepare yourselves because we're bringing Loki back (read as: this chapter is basically my shameless self-indulgence of Loki-love). Enjoy!

Chapter 2: If You Give a Demigod Netflix. . .

Peter and Cassie stared at the man across the room. Morgan forced her way past the human shields so she could get a glimpse, too.

"You look surprised to see me," Loki said, pretending to sound hurt.

"Uh, well, yeah," Peter muttered in response. Loki narrowed his eyes and approached, stopping a few feet away from the trio.

"We thought you were dead," Cassie blurted out. Her voice sounded hollow with surprise.

"Well. I'm not."

After a moment, Peter dubiously said: "Nahhhhhh. You were dead. Like, dead-dead. Thor said so – hewatchedyou die!"

Loki scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "And you just believe everything Thor says? You can't listen to him. He's wrong all the time." He flicked his eyes toward Cassie, who furrowed her brows in suspicion. "Also, Iwasdead – past-tense," Loki conceded.

Before anyone else could say anything, Loki glanced down at his web-covered right hand with a look that combined disgust and annoyance. He let out a drawn-out, overly dramatic sigh and then, as if out of thin air, produced a small dagger from within his other sleeve. In one fluid motion, he sliced through the web and shook all remnants of it from his hand, flexing his fingers as he did. "There," he said, making the dagger disappear as quickly as it had come. "Much better."

Peter's jaw dropped to the floor. "H-h-how—You just—But that was—And I—" the attempt at speaking came out in stilted phrases.

"Is this what a Midgardian stroke looks like?" Loki asked with an eyebrow raised.

Pete exhaled somewhat defeatedly and paused to take a deep breath. Then, he finally managed to ask, "How'd you do that?"

Loki blinked, watching him with confusion. "Do what?"

"Cut the web!" Pete exclaimed, gesturing exaggeratedly at Loki's hand. "That's legitimate spider silk. It's one of the strongest substances on Earth. And you just cut it with a little dagger?!"

At that, Loki actually looked offended. "That 'little dagger' is a highly proficient and respectable tool of swordplay. And your webbing," he said as he looked down with disdain at the discarded web on the floor, "may be strong for this Earth, but I am not from Earth." Then, with a devious smile, he added, "Plus, the daggermayhave been enchanted. So. You know: Magic."

Loki made a show of inspecting his cuticles, feigning boredom. As he did, the room fell silent and Peter took a moment to size up the figure who, until that moment, had remained only a legend to him. He knew that the founding members of the Avengers had faced off against Loki when he tried invading New York years ago. Although, they later discovered that was only at the coerced behest of Thanos – which was unnerving in its own right since it meant that the Titan had been a threat to Earth far longer than anyone had realized.

Of course, Peter also knew that Loki was Thor's adopted brother and they had a whole sordid history there. But when Thor spoke of him, in the rare times when he could push past his grief enough to actually talk about him, he seemed to only recall good times from more youthful years. Based on what Thor and Valkyrie, and even Bruce, said, it sounded like Loki had done a complete 180, actually turning into a brother, an ally, and a friend. Peter couldn't help but wonder if maybe the Trickster really had just been. . . misunderstood.

Loki cleared his throat, drawing Pete from his thoughts. When Peter regained his focus, the god had his arms folded across his chest and was smirking. "Enjoying the view?" he asked.

"Um, oh, it's just, you're not how I thought you'd be," Peter tried to explain. Loki's smirk faded slightly, replaced by cautious curiosity.

"And how did you think me?"

Pete tapped his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he said, "You're taller than I expected."

After a moment, Loki laughed. Perhaps he was prepared for something harsher, having girded himself for a verbal attack. The smile on his face almost looked like one of relief, and he unfolded his arms, shaking them out to release the tension he'd been holding. Loki tugged on the end of a sleeve, pulling it down and straightening it out.

Morgan's eyes wandered to the sleeve and she had to bite her tongue. She wanted desperately to ask him a million questions, starting with the dagger he had conjured moments ago – where did it come from? Where did it go? Are there more? Is it a trick or some kind of technology? Wait, magic is real? (Like,actualmagic, not Uncle Scott's magic?) How does magic work? – but something told her that now might not be the best time for her to satisfy her curiosity. Watching him straighten out his regal, otherworldly-looking clothes, though, Morgan couldn't contain herself. She took half a step forward and reached out her hand, taking hold of the man's long emerald-green coat. She rubbed the fabric between her fingers. It was softer than she thought it would be, yet still had a firm, almost leathery feel to it. "Wow," she mused aloud.

Loki looked down at the girl with an eyebrow quirked up. With rapid reflexes, Peter grabbed Morgan by the shoulders and yanked her backward, drawing her snug against him protectively.

"Hey!" she shouted, craning her neck to look up at Peter accusatorily. He simply let out a nervous chuckle, trying to look casual.

Seemingly unfazed by the interaction, Loki's eyes flitted up and down the trio, scanning them. Finally, he asked:

"When did the Avengers start recruiting children?"

Cassie scoffed. "I amnota child," she muttered, almost under her breath.

Peter tentatively raised his hand. "Um, technically, I'm the only one who's actually an Avenger here." Then, with one of his awkward chuckles, he added, "Also, I'm really five years older than I am. Because I was Snapped. So, that's, like, five years of my life I'll never get back." After a pause, Pete furrowed his brows and turned to Cassie. "Or, wait, is it five years of my life Ialreadygot back?" He shook his head dismissively. "That always confuses me."

Loki's wide-eyed gaze danced from Pete to Cassie and back, then down to Morgan. Finally, he let out yet another heavy sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, the God of Mischief softly said, "I believe now is the part of the film where I ask you to take me to your leader, and hope that you willingly comply."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Then you've been watching too many alien movies."

"Yes, well – if you give a demigod Netflix, he will binge." Loki deadpanned.

Morgan giggled at the image of the Æsir lounging on a couch flipping through Netflix. Peter nudged her with his elbow and shushed her.

"Touché," Cassie continued. "Although, technically, I don't think you're an alien anymore, since Asgard is here now."

The words were barely out of the girl's mouth before Loki asked, "What?"

Peter nodded with sympathetic fervor. "Asgard – er, well,NewAsgard – is here, on Earth. It's in Norway." Then, with an apologetic look he added, "The other Asgard kind of got destroyed. Thor said there's, uh, nothing left."

"Yes, that I knew," Loki said quietly. The over-confident swagger had disintegrated and his face looked somber. "I was there for that. Fighting Hela." A beat. Then: "Well, I may have been responsible, somewhat, for Asgard's destruction. After all, it was I who resurrected Surtur and released Ragnarök." He emphatically pointed a finger at the three younger people. "But that was because it was the only choice! Otherwise, my sister would have killed me, and Thor, and everyone else. So, really, I'm the hero in all this."

Then, Loki shook a few stray strands of dark hair from his face and the mischievous look returned, all hints of vulnerability securely dammed away in his mind. He clapped his hands together. "You say Thor has decided to repopulate our people here, on Midgard?"

"Yeah," Cassie answered. "It was kind of the only option, since the Snap and everything was still so fresh. Then, even after the Battle for Earth, I guess everybody decided it'd be best to just stay here."

A questioning look crossed Loki's face. "Sorry, what is this 'snap' you keep mentioning?" Suddenly, he scrunched up his nose. "Is that one of those Midgardian diseases?"

"No, that's the clap," Peter replied without thinking. Then he slammed his hand over his mouth and looked at Morgan with his eyes wide. He leaned toward her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Don't tell your mom I said that. In fact, forget all about it. You didn't hear anything."

Morgan only rolled her eyes. Cassie did the same, sighing heavily from Peter's other side. To Loki, she said, "You're telling us you don't know about the Snap?"

Loki shrugged and looked at them expectantly.

"The Blip?" Peter tried. "The disappearance? Decimation?"

With a growl of frustration, Loki said, "No, I've no idea what you're talking about." Then, in a calmer tone, he requested: "Please, kindly explain and free me from this senseless babble."

Morgan stepped forward, leaning on one of the office chairs in the conference room. "The Snap's when everybody disappeared. Because of Thanos."

Loki's entire body tensed at the sound of the Mad Titan's name. He stared straight ahead, with a fiery glint in his cool blue-green eyes. Then, just as quickly, he regained his composure. He rolled his shoulders, until he heard a satisfying pop. And then he abruptly changed the subject.

Looking to Peter, he asked, "You said you're an Avenger?" When Peter nodded, Loki leaned forward, grasping the back of an office chair, almost matching Morgan's stance. He stared at the young man pointedly. "So. . . Who are you?"

"My name's Peter Parker." He smiled widely. Loki just kept staring in Peter's eyes, though – in a way that made the mortal wonder if telepathy was one of Loki's many talents and he was busy reading Peter's mind. That wouldn't surprise him one bit, actually. But the idea made Peter feel a bit too exposed, so he tried to force his thoughts to quiet down, just in case.

"I mean," Loki finally said, still not breaking his stare, "what do youdo?"

"Oh! Uh, well, I'm Spiderman. Hence, the webs." Pete dipped his head down toward the discarded webbing on the floor near Loki's boots. Loki rounded his mouth in a silent 'oh.' Then, Peter's relaxed look suddenly turned into one of panic and he started rambling: "Um, the whole 'I'm Spiderman' thing? That's kind of a secret. Like, it's a secret identity. I mean, people don't really know about it. Well, they did at one point because it kind of got out, and it wasn't supposed to, and that was a whole issue that we had to deal with but we figured it out and it's all good now. I justreallydon't want a repeat of that. So if you could maybe not say anything about me being Spiderman, that would be, um, great. Like, really great." Peter held his hands together in a prayer fashion. "Please, Mr. Loki?"

Loki stared at Peter blankly. After a brief pause, he nodded glibly and waved a hand in a half-hearted acknowledgment of the boy's request.

Then he turned his attention to Cassie. "And you would be?"

"Cassie Lang," she answered matter-of-factly, donning her standard pose with her hands on her hips. "My dad's Scott Lang. Y'know, Ant-Man?"

"Ant-Man?" Loki asked dubiously.

"Yup," Cassie answered, popping the 'p' sound loudly.

"Tell me," Loki began, still looking at the trio with incredulity. "When did arachnids and insects become the thème de jour?"

"That's not all – her step-mom's The Wasp!" Morgan piped up, pointing excitedly at Cassie.

Loki stepped forward, crouching directly in front of Morgan. His leather armor creaked slightly as he planted one knee on the floor and rested his elbow on the other. "And who did you say you were, again?"

"I didn't tell you yet," Morgan retorted with a smug smile.

The Trickster couldn't help but smile back at the girl's cheekiness. "Well, why don't you tell me now?"

"I'm Morgan," she answered sweetly.

"And your surname?"

When Morgan didn't answer right away, Peter nudged her gently with his elbow. He tilted down at an angle to whisper in her ear. "That means he wants to know your last name, Kid."

Morgan snapped her head up to Peter, giving him a stern glare. "Iknowthat, Pete!" She growled. "I was pausing for dramatic effect." Then, with a soft exhalation, she turned back to face Loki. She swiped at a strand of brown hair, tucking it behind her ear, before proudly proclaiming: "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Morgan H. Stark."

Looking a bit taken aback, Loki stood to his full height and let out a huff. He wrinkled his forehead, thinking. "Stark? As in, Anthony Stark?"

"Tony, yeah," Morgan clarified. "He was my dad."

"Was?" Loki asked dejectedly.

Cassie and Peter exchanged glances, searching for words. But Morgan didn't miss a beat. She merely nodded and, without breaking eye contact with the god, told him, "Yeah. He died saving everybody from Thanos. The war ended, but my dad. . . well, he didn't make it."

A disbelieving laugh escaped the Trickster, surprising everyone. Loki shook his head fervently. "Are we talking about the same Tony Stark?"

"I. . . think so?" Morgan replied, confused.

"Tony Stark, of Stark Industries? The Man of Iron?ThatTony Stark?" Loki asked fervidly.

"Iron-Man, yes. Tony Stark – the one and only," was Morgan's answer.

Loki's skeptical expression softened.

His voice came out in an almost-whisper, like a haunting refrain: "He's dead?"

Morgan bit her bottom lip and nodded. In a somber voice, the God of Mischief continued speaking, almost to himself. " Even though he was a mortal human, Tony Stark seemed to believe himself to be invincible. And he said it with such conviction that I suppose everyone else believed it, too."

Suddenly, Morgan lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Loki's waist. She looked especially tiny compared to the long-legged Æsir in his heavy Asgardian leathers.

"Uh. What—what's happening?" Loki asked, holding his arms up in the air and staring down at the top of Morgan's head.

Peter cleared his throat and Morgan released Loki. She stepped back, looking up at him with her amber eyes wide and innocent. "Thank you," she told the dark-haired man.

"For what?" Loki asked.

"For what you just said, about my dad," the girl answered. "That was. . . Beautiful."

Loki stared down at the girl, unblinking. Of the Midgardians he had encountered, how odd that this child was proving to be the most peculiar. And quickly becoming the most fascinating. Then again, she was the Tin-Man's daughter so intrepidness and curiosity likely came as naturally to her as breathing.

Cassie took a half-step forward. "We can take you to our leader now, if you still want that."

"Yes," Loki replied, his voice distant and his gaze still fixed on Morgan. The girl gave him a sad little smile and Loki shook his head, focusing on Cassie with a sharp inhale. In a lighter tone that was obviously forced, the Asgardian pushed onward. "Let's do that. Where is the good Captain?"

Peter's eyes brightened a little. "Oh, you know Marvel?"

Loki frowned. "No," he drawled. "I mean the soldier."

Cassie puckered her lips, looking annoyed. "Carolisa soldier. She's a captain, and a pilot."

Loki put his hands up, placatingly. "I'm quite certain humans cannot change form or gender at will, so we are certainly not talking about the same person. Unless the Captain has made some very major lifestyle changes, but he hardly seems the type."

"Wait, you said soldier. As in, Winter Soldier? Do you mean Bucky?" Morgan asked excitedly.

"No, he doesn't, Morgan," Peter told her. Then he looked at Loki. "You don't mean Sergeant Barnes, do you?"

There was no need for a response – the condescension on Loki's face said it all. He groaned and imploringly said, "America. Captain America."

"Ohhhhhhhhh," Morgan said. "You mean Sam!"

Loki's hand flew up and he stood perfectly still and silent, face-palming for a good 30 seconds before finally letting out a muffled, defeated-sounding, "No." Then, lowering his hand, he tried again. "I am talking about the darling of the Avengers, Captain Steve Rogers."

The three younglings fell silent again. They all looked to the floor. Cassie chewed on the inside of her cheek and Peter fumbled with his hands.

Cassie sucked in a breath and cautiously began to speak. "See, Steve isn't really an Avenger anymore. . ."

"He perished?" Loki asked, shocked.

"No!" Peter was quick to clarify. "He just, uh, retired."

Morgan couldn't hold back a small laugh. "And he gotreallyold."

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. "I've lived for over a thousand years. Do you think me 'really' old?"

The girl's jaw dropped. She shook her head in the negative. The god grinned, mischievously of course. Then, he looked back at the older two and his eyes sobered. "Who remains, then, of the founding members of your Avengers?"

Peter ran through a checklist in his mind. Finally, he said, "Well, there's Director Fury, Thor. . . uh, Dr. Banner, and Mr. Barton."

Loki's eyes darkened. "Agent Romanoff?"

Morgan and Cassie both frowned. Loki caught on immediately. "Oh, my," was all he said. Dejectedly, he dropped into the chair directly behind him.

Peter attempted to offer a silver lining. "But hey, Thor's okay! I mean, like we said, he's in New Asgard. He's actually on his way here! I mean, he's not here yet but he should arrive tomorrow."

Loki didn't answer. Cassie turned to Peter, registering the change in the air and realizing that a more official approach might be appropriate. "How about you and Morgan wait here with him, and I will go get. . . someone?" She shook her head, slightly flustered.

Peter looked away from Loki, who was splayed out in the chair with his head tilted back, staring intently at the ceiling. Quietly, Peter replied: "Yeah, go find Sam. Or Pepper. Orrrrrr," he paused to think before sighing and saying, "anyone, really. Everyone. I don't know."

Cassie gave a curt, purposeful nod. Then, without another word, she turned and raced out the door, disappearing into the hallway.

"Guess we're gonna wait here for a bit." Peter sat down in the chair next to Loki, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. He gestured for Morgan to sit by him.

With a devious glint in her eyes, she grabbed the chair Pete had indicated, but then wheeled it around so it was directly in front of Loki, and plopped down.

Peter sighed in defeat and laid his head on the table, mumbling, "Just one normal, boring summer. Is that really so much to ask?"

!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*

A few minutes passed, with the only noise coming from Morgan swiveling her chair. She watched Loki the whole time. There was a heaviness in his eyes now, which hinted at the thousand years he had apparently lived. Morgan decided a distraction might be in order. "Sooooooooooo," she droned, trying to sound casual.

Loki tilted his head down, finally losing interest in the ceiling and focusing on the little girl. "Yes?"

"Your knives—"

"Daggers," Loki corrected.

Morgan nodded, making a mental note about the correct wording. "Right. Your daggers – where did they go?"

Loki wrinkled his forehead and gave the child a confused look. Then, seeming to understand her question, he leaned forward. Morgan did the same, as if the two were about to share a secret.

"Are you familiar with pocket dimensions?" Loki asked, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"No. . ." Morgan answered, intrigued and shaking her head fervently.

A full smile broke out on the Trickster's face and there was a slight twinkle in his eye. He held up his hands, like a magician would. Then he made a movement that was almost imperceptible. In the next instant, he was clutching a shiny, embellished silver dagger in each hand. Morgan's golden-brown eyes were wide with wonderment. The Asgardian twirled the weapons skillfully and then, in another rapid motion, concealed them once again. Morgan's big eyes got even bigger.

"How! Where!" The girl exclaimed, more like demands than questions. Now, even Peter was sitting upright with full attention on Loki.

"I keep them in my pocket dimension," Loki began explaining. "So, whenever I need them—" his voice trailed off as he flicked his wrist, with a showman's flourish, once again producing one of the daggers.

"Whoa." Morgan sighed, leaning back in her chair in utter amazement. She shook her head. "I gotta figure out this pocket thing." Then she looked at Peter. "Do you know how handy that would be?!"

Pete couldn't really argue, so he just nodded and smiled, reaching over to tousle the girl's hair. She giggled and leaned forward again. "What else can you do?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, obviously accepting the question as a challenge. Then, he disappeared. Morgan jumped to her feet, spinning to look around the room. She let out a gleeful squeal when a hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up to see Loki standing beside her.

Peter let out a yelp as he saw another Loki at the other end of the room. Morgan wheeled around, to see what Peter was looking at and gasped audibly. Both of them fell completely silent as two other Lokis appeared throughout the room, that self-righteous smirk plastered on their faces. Finally, they all disappeared, except for the one at Morgan's side.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Morgan cried, jumping up and down. Loki regarded her carefully before giving her a wide smile. The girl fell back into her chair, pulling her legs up underneath her but still vibrating with energy. "You have to tell meeverything."

Loki laughed. "That could take a while," he admitted.

"Okay, maybe not, like, everything-everything. Start with magic."

"Seiðr," Loki corrected, as he had about his daggers.

"Cider?" Morgan asked.

Chuckling softly, Loki shook his head. "No, seiðr." He enunciated this time. "It's an ancient form of what you call magic."

"Wait, so is it not magic?" Peter piped up.

"It's still magic." Loki explained, tucking his hair behind his ear. He tried to think of a way to explain so that the humans could understand. "Think of it like a branch of science. In fact, humanscouldaccess such abilities. Theoretically, anyway."

Morgan raised her hand, but didn't wait for permission to speak. "Like Dr. Strange?"

Peter could swear he saw Loki's cheeks flush at the mention of the Sorcerer Supreme. But the god merely nodded. "In a sense. But he practices Mystic Arts, which is different from seiðr."

"So, how would humans harness these. . . abilities?" Peter asked, the scientist in him fully awakened.

Loki shrugged. "You're close already, with your physics and quantum mechanics. In some ways, you've already unlocked qualities and concepts of magic – apparently, stumbling into discoveries that even your brightest minds didn't fully grasp."

Peter shot out of his chair. "Wait. Like what?"

"Well," Loki paused, thinking. He glanced down at Morgan, a solemn yet almost proud look flickering across his face. "Like Anthony Stark's arc reactor."

"What!" Morgan all but shrieked as she also jumped to her feet.

"The device that powered your father's heart, and his Iron-Man technology, was highly advanced."

Morgan cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow, with a look that clearly said, 'Well, duh.'

Loki rolled his eyes teasingly, and continued. "I'm not sure he ever noticed, but his technology mimicked that of the Tessaract, which paired with the Space Stone. Stark, as well as others such as Dr. Selvig or Jane Foster, all demonstrated the potential to tap into power similar to the Infinity Stones and, ultimately, magic."

The Trickster's voice had a new lilt to it, becoming more easygoing and animated. Peter was deeply interested in what was being said, but also couldn't deny the pang in his heart as he remembered how Mr. Stark's voice sounded similar sometimes, when he talked about science. Or engineering. Or music. Or anything that truly excited him, really. The sense of grief was eased by the overjoyed look on Morgan's face, as she took in everything Loki was saying. Pete knew the girl-genius well enough to know that she understood everything and was likely already extrapolating and running schematics in her mind, prepping for future research.

"See," Loki continued, "Magic is primarily about two things: Source, and skill. So, humans may not have been able to actually access seiðr itself. But, essentially, they could have been developing their own source and drawing from that. Such power would have increased exponentially, eventually becoming self-sustaining."

Silence fell in the room. Finally, Morgan let out a shaky breath. "So, you're saying. . . my dad wasaccidentallyusing his own type of magic?"

Loki opened his mouth to answer but stopped suddenly, letting his next words die on his tongue. He froze, focusing his eyes on the doorway. At the exact same time, he and Peter both said, "Someone's coming."

Morgan raised her eyebrows. "Do you have Spidey senses, too, Loki?"

Loki glanced down, considering himself with a frown. There was a flash of green, followed by glittering gold light that flickered up and down his body. His leather armor faded away, replaced by a less formal - and far more Midgardian-styled - pair of black dress pants and a classy solid dark green long-sleeved shirt.

"Holy shit!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Morgan!" Pepper scolded as she walked in the room.

Morgan jumped slightly, turning to the woman. "Oh, hi, Mom. . ."

At the girl's greeting, Loki looked at the strawberry-blonde with intense interest. Pepper smiled hesitantly before she was joined in the doorway by several other Avengers. Sam pushed his way into the room, with Cassie slipping in beside him and her father close behind her.

Looking Loki up and down, the leader started speaking: "So, you're actually alive. That's—" He was cut off when someone shoved past him.

"Loki?" Bruce asked, panting from having run down the hall.

"Hi, Bruce." Loki's voice was low, soft almost, and he offered a surprisingly gentle, sincere smile.

Bruce burst out laughing and threw himself forward, engulfing the taller man in a hug. Loki froze, looking stunned and extremely uncomfortable, before finally raising one arm and patting Bruce on the back.

The rest of those assembled maneuvered their way into the conference room. Clint pulled up the rear and stood in the doorway. He let out a loud groan. "Are theyhugging? Bruce, don't hug him! He'll mind-meld you!"

With that, Bruce pulled away, a huge grin still on his face. He looked up at Loki, his deep brown eyes full of fondness and renewed hope. "It'sreallygood to see you."

"And you, as well." Loki admitted, surprising even himself to find that the words were true. The Trickster frowned as he looked at Bruce's arm, and then glanced around the room – the gesture said more about the faces that were missing, and the time that had passed, than words ever could. Finally, he focused back on his friend. "You have lost so much. . ."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. "We have," he agreed. "But we've gained some, too. And now you're back!" He grasped Loki's arms, just below his shoulders, holding him and staring at him with wonder. He laughed softly before turning back to the group. "I know you guys may not believe this, but Loki's actually cool." He was speaking to everyone, but focused his gaze on Clint.

"He tried to take over the planet!" Clint shouted, waving his arms exaggeratedly.

Loki looked around the room at the many faces. Some were vaguely familiar, mainly from news reports or snippets he had gleaned from Thor. For the most part, though, he couldn't really say heknewthem. He sighed deeply. "I do not deny my sins of the past. And for the crimes I have committed against Midgard, I truly apologize." He looked over Bruce's head, to the archer. "In particular, I am sorry for what I did to you, Agent Barton. It is no excuse, but believe me when I say that my actions were not entirely my own."

Clint grumbled a half-hearted "yeah, yeah" as he stalked into the room, settling into one of the office chairs with his arms folded across his chest.

Sam sighed. "Maybe we should have a formal discussion, see if we can figure things out."

Morgan let out an annoyed huff. "I know what that means: No kids allowed." She tugged on the straps of her backpack, repositioning it. The objects clattered and she paused for the briefest of moments, listening for breakage, before stomping toward the door.

Cassie put an arm out, effectively clothes-lining the girl and bringing her to a halt. She looked to Scott. "And let me guess: Avengers only, right?"

"Sorry, Cass." Scott gave her an apologetic look. But his daughter only nodded, patting her father's cheek playfully. Then, she grabbed Morgan by the shoulders and steered her out the door.

"Bye, Loki!" Morgan squeaked over her shoulder before the two disappeared into the hall.

Sam looked at Peter pointedly.

Immediately, Pete narrowed his eyes. "Oh, no. You're not freezing me out. I'm an Avenger! I should be here."

Sam let out a small groan. "Pete, please don't. I can't handle this right now."

"I'm a member of this team, right?"

"Of course you are," Sam replied. His exasperated tone signified that he'd had already had this discussion one too many times.

"Then I have a right to be here! You can't keep me on the outside of important stuff all the time, but then tell me I'm a teammate like everybody else."

Peter was staring at Sam expectantly. Nobody said anything, but Sam reached out to place a placating hand on Pete's shoulder. The young man shrugged the hand away, dropped his eyes to the ground, and wordlessly walked out. Bucky watched him leave, shaking his head softly, then shut the door behind him.

*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*

Inside the room, Loki stood next to Bruce, who was still grinning. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning, shoulder to bicep, against the god. Sam and Pepper settled near the door, looking equally authoritative. The others – Wanda, Bucky, Rocket, Scott, Hope, and Groot – either stood or leaned against the long conference table in the center of the room. Clint remained slouched in a chair, glaring up at Loki. Finally, he was the one who broke the silence. "Why aren't you dead?" His voice was low and full of venom.

"To be fair, Iwasdead. But I wasn't overly fond of it."

"What are you doing here?" Wanda asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I was hoping to find my dear brother. But the Tiny Tin One," he gestured toward the door, indicating Morgan, "and her friends tell me I'm a day early."

"So, you don't have any plots? No plans for murdering or maiming or. . . world domination?" Pepper asked cautiously.

Loki grinned. "Not yet."

Bruce laughed loudly, slightly forced. "He's joking! He, uh, well, he jokes." Patting Loki on the back, the man continued chuckling to himself. "You guys, man, you just don't know: Loki is really funny. We have had some doozies together." He suddenly turned to Loki, looking excited. "Hey, we should tell them about our plan in Sakaar. You know, with the Devil's Anus?"

Rocket coughed. "What!?"

Loki chuckled nervously. "Perhaps another time, Dr. Banner."

Wanda stepped forward to interrupt, hopefully to steer away from the awkwardness. However, the glint in her eyes told Loki that she had every intention of asking about the Devil's Anus story later. "You're reformed then, yes?" She queried.

"Indeed I am, Little Witch," Loki replied.

Then Sam spoke up, looking to Bruce: "And you'll vouch for him?"

Bruce nodded emphatically. "I was there, in Sakaar, and on Asgard, and. . ." his voice trailed off and he swallowed hard. "And on boardThe Statesman– yes, I vouch for Loki. And so will Thor and Valkyrie."

Scott grabbed the back of a chair and leaned forward to rest his weight on it, only to discover it had a broken wheel and the whole chair rolled out from under him. He stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground only because Groot caught him. Scott straightened up and laughed uncomfortably. "Thanks," he told the tree. Then to Loki, but without making eye contact after the embarrassing scene he had just made, he said, "Sorry. Uh, so, what exactly—heh. I mean, what's your plan here then?"

"The plan," Loki began, "is for me to reunite with my brother and our people. If they will have me."

"Uh-huh." Scott nodded absentmindedly.

Loki smiled at the man as recognition flashed through his mind, recalling the earlier interaction between him and Cassie. "I assure you, I mean no harm to anyone, Ant-Man."

And just like that, Scott's face lit up. "Wait. You know who I am? "

Loki offered a mischievous grin. "I've. . . heard of you."

"Really? Wow, that's—that's awesome!" Scott sounded absolutely giddy. Sam cleared his throat and Scott made a concerted effort to pull himself together. "Ah, yeah, sorry. I'll, uh, just be over here." He sat on the table next to Hope, but couldn't wipe the goofy grin off his face.

"Look," Sam announced, "we'd like to let bygones be bygones and believe you. Really. But you've gotta understand where we're coming from here." Sam tried to be diplomatic. "Can you give usanything– like, where you've been?"

The Trickster looked pensive. Finally, he sighed and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully: "I've been a prisoner of war for seven years. That's all you need to know, and the only details I will provide at this time."

Clint sneered. "Uh, seriously? You want us to give you a shot here? We need the full story."

"This story," Loki said through gritted teeth, "is not the kind that bears repeating. Nor can most people bear to hear it, Hawkeye." He ground out the archer's title with venom in his voice.

Clint stood up. "That's it – I'm getting' my crossbow." He took a step toward the door, but Bucky placed a silver hand on his chest and gave him a stern look.

The Winter Soldier kept his hand on Clint, holding him at bay, but turned his head to meet eyes with the Asgardian. "POW, huh?" Loki hesitated, but then nodded once his Allspeak allowed him to register what the letters stood for. Bucky gave him a solemn nod, then flicked his gaze to Sam. In a hushed voice, he said: "He's solid. Take it from someone who knows torture." Then, louder and addressing everyone, he said, "I vote for Loki to stay at the compound, at least until Thor arrives tomorrow."

"Come on!" Clint exclaimed, hitting Bucky's wrist to get his hand off him. Barton immediately regretted the move, since he had chosen to smack Buck's vibranium arm. He winced and shook out his now-throbbing hand. After a moment, he recovered and looked to the group. "You guys aren't seriously falling for Loki's BS? He did a full Jedi mind-trick on me. He led an alien army into New York. I repeat: He tried to take over our damn planet!"

"Yeah," Bucky agreed. He kept his eyes downcast as he added: "And I killed Howard and Maria Stark." With a flick of his hair, he locked eyes with Clint. "So, why the hell amIhere?"

Clint opened and closed his mouth, fish-like, but ultimately couldn't come up with a response. Desperate to escape Bucky's haunted eyes, he all but fell back into his chair, effectively giving up.

"So, like I said," Bucky repeated, loudly.

"I move for Loki to stay here, as a guest."

Wanda raised a hand. "I second."

Sam looked to Pepper and, receiving no disagreement, shrugged. "All those in favor?" Sam asked.

Everyone but Clint enthusiastically voiced their agreement. Pepper flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Okay, I guess the motion passes. Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Loki. Thor and everybody else will be here tomorrow, so we'll reconvene at that time to discuss long-term plans." She offered a gentle smile before turning to Bruce. "Will you show our guest where he can stay?"

"Sure," Bruce answered.

With that, Pepper turned and walked out with Sam. Clint jumped up and rushed after them, starting to argue his case.

"You can call me Bucky – everyone else does," Bucky said as he reached out his metal arm. Loki glanced at it with intrigue, before finally shaking his hand. "Welcome to the shit-show!" He laughed before heading out of the conference room.

Bruce continued the introductions: "Apparently, you already know about Scott Lang, Ant-Man. And that's Hope Van Dyne, aka The Wasp."

Scott and Hope waved in tandem, which Loki reciprocated with a polite nod.

Wanda pushed herself off the table she had leaned against and approached, smiling up at the god. "It would seem you know me already, as well?"

"The Scarlet Witch – your reputation precedes you." Loki offered a princely bow.

"You can just call me Wanda," the Sokovian told him with a blush.

"All right, all right," Rocket interjected as he stood on the table. He walked across it, stopping when he was next to Loki. He jammed a thumb – or what was equivalent to a thumb for a raccoon – towards himself and puffed his chest out. "The name's Rocket. And Thor happens to be one of my best friends."

Loki gave the racoon a once-over. "Well, I must say, you're a great improvement from Thor's prior taste in friends."

Rocket gave a toothy smile, his canines glistening under the fluorescent lights of the meeting room. "So, you and Thor are brothers?" After Loki nodded, Rocket glanced up and down before shaking his head. "You don't look like him."

"I'm adopted," Loki replied dryly.

Suddenly, Rocket leapt to the ground, landing directly in front of Loki. He leaned forward, sniffing the air fiercely. Loki's eyes widened and he took a step back, putting distance between himself and the rodent. Rocket reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass that was vaguely reminiscent of a monocle. He held it up to his eye as he scanned up and down Loki's body.

Placing the glass relic back in his pocket, Rocket clambered up to stand on a chair. His eyes twinkled as he regarded Loki, almost hungrily. "You got magic?"

"Loads." Loki smirked.

The raccoon sat down, letting his feet swing over the edge of the chair. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Where do you draw from?"

Loki made atsksound and wagged a finger in the air. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Rocket slapped his knee and threw his head back with a laugh. He pointed at the Trickster. "I'm gonna find out." Then, he looked to Bruce, nodding. "You're right, this one's okay."

Hope rolled her eyes. "You're only saying that because you wanna steal magic from him for your weird batteries."

"Nah, that's not it at all!" Rocket replied, sounding insulted. But it wasn't at all convincing.

Loki stepped around Wanda, stopping in front of Groot. The two were almost the same height, with Groot just a few inches taller – ever since his growth spurt the year before. With a sharp inhale that almost sounded nervous, Loki addressed him: "I know of your ancestors, on Planet X. They were very wise beings. It is. . . an honor, to be in the presence of one such as yourself." His voice sounded reverent.

Groot smiled in reply. "I am Groot." ('It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness.')

"Oh, I assure you, the pleasure is entirely mine." Loki sounded every bit the Prince he had been raised as in Asgard.

Rocket held his hands up in a time-out gesture as he forced himself between the two. He looked up at Loki. "You speak Groot?"

"Flora Colossus? Yes, of course," Loki answered.

A curious look flashed in Groot's eyes. "I am Groot?" ('You. . . are not truly of Asgard. Utgard, am I right?') He questioned, tilting his head to the side.

Loki looked surprised, but impressed. "You're perceptive."

Hovering his hand just over the top of Loki's head, Groot smiled as he added: "I am Groot." ('Small, for a Frost Giant.')

"Well," Loki said with a soft chuckle. "I am a runt."

Groot nodded in understanding. Rocket looked back and forth between the two before finally settling his gaze on Groot. "Hang on. What do you mean, he's a Frost Giant?"

"I am Groot," ('Adopted. Jötunn,') was Groot's noncommittal reply, shrugging.

Rocket wheeled around and stared up at Loki. His lip curled up into a devious grin. "Ooh, I'm gonna have so much fun peelin' back the layers on you."

Loki raised an eyebrow but then relaxed when Bruce grabbed his shoulders again, rescuing him from the raccoon. "Sorry to interrupt, but what do ya say we go find a room for you?" Bruce headed out into the hallway, flanked by the rest of the group.

"Well, we'd love to stay, but we have our own room to get in order," Hope announced. She waved goodbye and started away.

Scott hesitated, lingering at Loki's side. He heard Hope clear her throat and looked over to see her waiting for him, with her hands on her hips. "Sothat'swhere Cassie learned it," Scott murmured. He started walking backwards down the hall, pointing at Loki with enthusiasm. "We should talk. Maybe we can hang out. I can see it now—" he stopped, holding his hands up in the air, marquee-style, "—Ant-Man and Loki!" Then with a laugh, he grabbed Hope's hand and they rounded the corner, out of sight.

"You joining the welcome wagon, Wanda?" Bruce asked.

"No, thank you, though. I'll catch up with all of you later." She reached out and grabbed Loki's hand, squeezing it. "I really am glad you're safe, and that you're here."

Loki squeezed back, glancing down at their hands with wide eyes. "You're quite powerful," he whispered, more to himself than to Wanda. Then he released her hand and nodded. "Until later, Scarlet Witch."

Wanda chuckled and left them. Before Bruce could get the tour started, Rocket took charge. "And, we're moving. . ." The furry creature started pushing against Loki's legs, trying to make him move. He shoved for a bit, making absolutely no progress. Finally, he gave one final push before slipping down to his knees at Loki's feet.

Loki sighed and tilted his head down to look at the beast on the floor. "Are you quite done?"

Rocket looked up, panting. "What the hell do you eat?" He pulled himself back to his feet and stared incredulously at the god. "You look like a twig—no offense, Groot—but tryin' to move you is like tryin' ta push theBenatarout of the hangar."

Bruce rolled his eyes and tugged Loki's sleeve, leading him down the hall. Groot leaned down and let Rocket climb up his limb, to sit on his shoulder as they walked.

Groot glanced over and noticed the greedy grin on Rocket's face. "I am Groot?" ('What are you plotting?') The sentient tree asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Rocket snarled defensively. "I'm interested, that's all. I mean, it's not every day you meet a Frost Giant, who looks like an Asgardian, who apparently came back from the dead, and has magic radiating off him by the butt-load!"

"I am Groot." ('You shouldn't borrow trouble') Groot admonished his friend quietly, shaking his head.

"Eh, who asked you anyway?" Rocket waved his paw dismissively. "Just, keep walkin'." And so they followed Bruce and Loki along to the housing section of the compound, seeking the perfect place for Loki's private quarters.