Warning: N/A

Chapter 6- Socializing in the Library

Loki woke with his head draped on Anthony's chest, and Anthony's arm wrapped around his waist. It was almost unbearably warm, Anthony's breath hot in his hair.

Last night had been wonderful, overwhelmingly so. Loki'd had sex plenty of times, with men, women, and people in-between, but it had never felt like that. It had never been real like that. The fact that Anthony really did love him was unbelievable. Anthony's love, his compliments, his touches were a high, beating across Loki's body in a way he'd never needed before. Anthony will never know how astonishing his love is, how overwhelming the idea of him choosing Loki really was.

Anthony grumbled something incomprehensible in Loki's hair, wiggling under Loki. Loki leaned away from him, and Anthony's hand slipped easily from his waist. It was time to get up anyway. He slipped from the bed, getting dressed as quietly as he could. The Midgardian clothes from last night were crumpled up on the floor, and it felt so good to put on Asgardian leather.

He lingered in the common room for half a minute before deciding to just start his day. Maybe he'd find what they needed in the library, and they could just leave. Or he'd catch his mother again. It had been nicer to talk to her than he wanted to admit. The last time he'd seen her was his trial and before that, they'd been standing across the room from each other, Thor freshly arrived from Midgard after his banishment and his mother just beginning to realize what Loki had done.

He hadn't realized how worried he was that she would hate him.

Loki opened the door leading out of his rooms and hesitated when he saw Thor hovering outside, his hand half-raised to knock. Thor blinked, his eyes flicking over Loki.

"I was coming to see you," he said. As if this wasn't obvious.

"Anthony's still asleep," Loki answered, stepping past Thor and pulling the door closed behind him. Thor moved aside for him, shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

"And how is Tony?"

"I'm not talking about Antony with you," Loki answered, and Thor face fell the tiniest bit, but he didn't back down.

"I saw you talking to Mother."

"Why are you really here, Brother?" Loki asked, and Thor let out a breath. He seemed nervous, his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes.

"I want to apologize."

"Haven't you already done that?" Loki asked, and Thor winced, probably thinking of the last time Loki had yelled at him, when Thor had apologized, and Loki walked away with a refusal echoing between them. It wasn't something Loki was sorry for.

"I thought about what you said, about dragging you into battles and then not being there for you." Thor took a deep breath, shifting his shoulders restlessly, and Loki wondered where he was going with this. "And you are right. I didn't see you. Before I was banished to Asgard, I took much for granted, and you were one of those things."

"I already know all this," Loki said, so much less accusatory than he meant it to be.

"After the servant of the mad titan took control of my mind, I felt guilty."

"I do not—"

"While I knew I was not in control of my mind and my actions, I could not help feeling responsible," Thor interrupted. "I expected to be chastised at the very least by Father for my negligence. I allowed him into my mind and almost destroyed the Avengers as a result. For the first time, I feared Father's wrath." Thor sounded as if he'd genuinely been worried, his eyebrows furrowed, but Loki could have told him how everything would have turned out. It had taken Thor running off to try and start a war with Jotunheim for Odin to punish him.

"And yet," Thor said. "He took me at my word and believed my innocence. I fear that it was the first time I understood the favoritism you spoke of."

Loki turned his face away, a sarcastic quip on the edge of his tongue. It would be so easy to turn this back around on Thor, it might even be satisfying. It was just that Thor saying those things, acknowledging what Loki had wanted him to acknowledge for so long without Loki having to spell it out for him felt good.

"I do not know that I can forgive you for everything you've done, but I truly am sorry for the hurt I have caused you." Thor stepped forward, and his hand was cupping the side of Loki's neck, his fingers hot and callused, familiar and comforting on Loki's skin. "I wish us to be brothers again, Loki."

Loki felt like he was trembling, the only part of him warm was the part that Thor was touching. It would be so easy to say no, to hurt Thor as he'd been hurt. He wanted to. He also wanted to grip Thor's forearm, tuck his face into Thor's neck and pretend all his problems could go away. He wanted to pretend they were a hundred again, young and naively believing nothing could come between.

He would never forgive Thor either, but he'd almost watched Thor die, and he was so tired of hating Thor, of hating Thor and pretending that he didn't love him.

"Hel forbid the Mighty Thor not get his wish," Loki answered, and Thor laughed, shaking Loki by the hand on his neck like the heathen he was.


Steve hit the bag as it swung toward him, the creak of the chain ringing in his ears louder than it should have been. He couldn't get his last mission out of his head. The way that guy had caught his shield, the dark blank look in his eyes when he'd thrown in back. Something about it was just bothering Steve.

"Hey," Natasha said. Her footsteps were light on the floor, the chain continuing to creek as the bag swung back and forth. "Haven't seen much of you since you got back."

"Yeah," he answered. "Just trying to get over seeing Tony and Loki making out in the kitchen this morning."

"Right." She laughed. "I'm just glad they finally managed to tell each how they felt. It was insufferable when they were just pining and pining."

"Uh, yeah, sure," he answered, taking her word for it. He really hadn't spent enough time around either of them to know it. "Is everything alright with you and Clint?"

"I don't know." She leaned against the wall, one ankle crossed over the other, her face turned away. "He's been different since the invasion, and he won't talk to me about it."

Steve nodded, fiddling with the tape on his hands awkwardly. Before he'd left on his mission, he'd been jealous of their relationship, but looking back, he thought he had really just been jealous of what they had. He missed Peggy. He missed Bucky. He missed the casual touches and the way loving him had been so constant, so there, knowing he could always could on Bucky to have his back.

"How'd the mission go?" she asked. "I heard you got your butt kicked."

"Not exactly," he said, and she raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting. He smoothed down a piece of tape that was unpeeling from his hand, feeling antsy. "Someone attacked my target while on mission. Someone strong, fast. He had a metal arm." Natasha's head snapped up, her eyes wide.

"You met the Winter Soldier."

"Who?" he answered, and her eyes flicked away, her face strangely pale.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. Those that do, call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the past fifty years."

"You sound like you know him," Steve said, and Natasha's lips tightened.

"I had a run in with him five years ago." She didn't say anything else, and he didn't ask. Instead, he turned back to his punching back, hitting it hard enough to send the bag swinging away from him. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something, but at least now he had a name to go with the man.


Anthony found Loki in the library, surrounded by books about magical theory and the infinity stones. His hair was rumpled and sticking up strangely on one side, but he was dressed in Asgardian leather, a black and green ensemble Loki recognized from the back of his closet. It was tighter around the shoulders on Anthony than Loki, the leather stretching around his muscles.

"I would kill for some coffee," Anthony said, plopping into the seat next to him. Loki flicked his fingers, reaching out with his seiðr. It took more magic to reach across planets, but it was worth it for the look on Anthony's face when the coffee Loki had summoned landed on his desk.

"God," Anthony said, wrapping his hands around the cup and inhaling it deeply. "You're the fucking best, babe."

"I try," Loki answered, smirking down at his book. Anthony's words sent a tingle of warmth down his spine in a way he wasn't used to.

Anthony took his time drinking his coffee, keeping his eyes closed and inhaling the bitter brew like it was some kind of life saving concoction. Only after the cup was completely empty did he look over at what Loki was reading, his eyes tracing over the words with a furrowed brow.

"I can't read any of this," he said.

"It's Sindariel-Cwenya," Loki answered. He pushed another book toward Anthony. "This one is in English."

Anthony's flicked through the book before he started reading. They sat in silence for a long time, the only sound the turning of pages and the brushing of feet as people passed through the library. Frigga came in around midday, bringing a tray of food with her and smiling as she said she knew they'd forget to eat. They took a break to eat, laughing and sharing stories. Thor stumbled his way in latter, flipping through a couple books and generally being no help at all before Loki threw him out.

It wasn't until hours after lunch that they finally made progress. They'd been passing notes back and forth, showing each other passages of their books and sharing theories, but it was Anthony who whooped loudly, slamming his hand down on the table. He scooted his book toward Loki, pointing out the passage talking about the mind stone and the different frequencies it took up.

"This could work," Loki said, reading over the words. He didn't understand all of it. The magic theory was simple enough, but there were too many technical terms for things he hadn't studied, but Anthony obviously understood, leaning into Loki as he traced his finger over the word.

"I think I know what to do," he said. "I'll have to talk to Bruce, and your magic would be helpful, but I think I got it." He looked up, his eyes bright. Loki was sort of relieved. At least he could leave Asgard, but he would miss sitting in the library with Anthony.


Loki pulled his hand out of Frigga's grip, the warmth of her hand still tingling in his palm. She smiled gently as she backed away from the bifrost, moving to stand behind Heimdall. Anthony's hand brushed against Loki's, the book they'd found in the library tucked under his arm and his eyes soft. Heimdall thrust his sword into the bifrost and Loki, Thor, and Anthony were swept away.

They landed hard on the roof of Stark tower. Loki reached out, wrapping his hand around Anthony's elbow when he pitched forward. For as many times as they'd traveled to and from Asgard, he was still remarkably bad at landing.

"Thanks," Anthony said, his voice an annoyed grumble, but he leaned into Loki.

"I would like to see Jane," Thor said, swinging his hammer around haphazardly. "Would you speak to the others about their progress?"

"Sure thing," Anthony answered. He wrapped his hand around Loki's, his fingers warm as they squeezed. Thor started to swing his hammer harder, the clouds gathering overhead, and Loki rolled his eyes. There were less dramatic ways to travel. The door to the roof was thrown open with a bang, and Natasha came rushing out, her hair flying behind her and her eyes intense.

"Natasha?" Anthony asked, and Thor stopped swinging his hammer. She just shook her head, her eyebrows in something close to pity, and then Barton was coming out behind her, followed by Fury, and Anthony was straightening beside him.

"Loki, you're under arrest," Fury said.

"What?" Anthony answered, his voice high and angry.

"On what charges?" Thor said, stepping forward with his hammer half raised.

"I know you weren't really brainwashed during the invasion," Barton answered. "I have proof."

"Are you serious?" Anthony asked. His hand tightened around Loki's as he stepped half in front of him, his shoulders tight and his other hand clenched angrily.

"Very," Barton answered, and Loki closed his eyes. He felt so tired. So tired of fighting and fighting while one roadblock after another came up. It had been so much easier to play the bad guy, to not care what anyone thought.

"You understand why he have to investigate," Fury said. He stepped forward, his hands raised like he was trying to show he wasn't a threat. "For now, we're just going to ask you stay within Stark Tower."