Loki quickly came up with a plan on how he could escape Darcy and her desires of needing to know what is going on. He can't let her in that easily and this plan might be complicated. But it will work or else it is definitely going to be a long night for both of them, Loki will just need an illusion and then he will be able to sneak out of the room easily. Though he will need to figure out how to deal with Darcy standing there all night and dealing with an illusion. Deep down he knew that he can't make her live her life stranded in the room until the Avengers eventually find her staring at an illusion of Loki in the Mysto costume. But he will figure it out in the morning and is about to make an illusion before-

"You better not be thinking about creating one of those famous illusions of yours mister." said Darcy out of nowhere catching Loki by surprise.

"What makes you think that I am going to create an illusion?" asked Loki in shock and trying his best on concealing it. But he's failing miserably and there is no way that he is ever going to live something like this down.

"Come on Loki, I have been your room mate for a while now. I think I can figure out whether or not you are going to make illusions or not." said Darcy. "Now come on, just tell me what's bothering you? I mean we will be like this all night and I don't think we would both be happy to stay up late just because you refuse to talk to me. So what's bothering you?"

Loki couldn't help but stare in shock, he can not believe that someone would be this persistent in trying to get someone to talk about how his feelings. He does not know how to get out of this one and if Darcy wants to spend all night trying to get a response from him. Then let her stand there all night, she is going to need to learn that he does not loose that easily. Along with not showing any sentimental weakness that could be the last thing Loki want any form of sympathy and Darcy seeing him as weak, maybe if he just let her stay in the room until she eventually gives up and moves on with her life. It may be a tiresome plan but it is a good plan and now all he has to do is wait and hope that Darcy just gives up already.

Darcy knows what Loki must be doing now and she knows that it is not going to work, it is obvious that he would try to do the simplest trick imaginable to try not to let her in. To wait until she gets tired enough to leave the room and give up, but there is no way she is going to let that happen and two can play at this little game. Maybe she can try to have a friendly conversation with Loki and try to get him to open up on his own. Peer preasure is not going to help anyone and she doesn't think that Loki would be the type to submit to it. Maybe she should just try to be friendly and nothing can go wrong with a friendly conversation right?

"So Loki, I bet that you can't wait until this whole Infinity stone quest is over right?" said Darcy. "What are you going to do to celebrate? What are you planning to do once all of this is over?"

"I have never thought on how I would celebrate the occasion, I believe I would eat some more of your Midguardian ice cream and try to spend my last couple of days in Midguard the best I can possibly can." said Loki.

"Wait are you planning to leave Earth?" said Darcy with a mix of surprise and disapointment in her voice. She knows that deep down, she doesn't want Loki to leave and it is bothering her more than she thought it would. "Why?"

"I figured that it might make our lives easier if we went our separate ways when all of this is finally over." said Loki. "Thanos is already coming after me and once he finds out that I have most of the Infinity stones, he is not going to leave us alone until he gets what he wants. Not too mention, he could use you to hurt me and I don't want that to happen and it might be best if we go our separate ways."

"But it shouldn't have to be that way, I mean what if Thanos finds you and... he does something that will result in never seeing you again?" said Darcy. "Are you that willing to take a risk like that and not even know that you might come back."

"It shouldn't matter or be any concern, it is not like I have anything to leave behind on this planet except this Mysto masquerade." said Loki. "It is not like Thanos is going to go after my mask and expose my identity. That would definitly add that to his own collection of accomplishments, Thanos would do anything in his power to make sure that anyone suffer if they try to help me in anyway."

"But you still have me, I mean I would miss you if you decide to go on a permenant weekend trip to who knows where hiding from an evil alien forever." said Darcy. "We have been through everything together and I don't want to see you get hurt either."

That created an even bigger silence between the two and now they both quickly turned away feeling slightly uncomfortable. Both of them didn't know what to say to one another and the silence between them is starting to grow more awkward than either of them expected. They didn't know what to describe the feeling that they are feeling deep down and they are trying to pull through it. Loki just trying to find the words to talk and not even sure what to do to try to make the conversation less awkward, though these recent conversations have lead to this unexplained silence between the two. What ever it is going on between them needs to stop? Could this strange phase be something that everyone goes through in life? What could be causing these strange emotions that he is now feeling? Whatever they must be, he needs to put a stop to them right now before they get any further.

"If that were to happen then it might be better if you try to break any attachments away from me so whatever may be coming our way and if Thanos does try anything..." said Loki. "Then you will not be hurt by it and you can easily move on with your life and eventually forget about all of the memories you have of me, it would be for the best. I am a monster after all."

"You're not a monster, sure you made... big mistakes in the past. But that doesn't mean that you are a monster." said Darcy trying to comfort him with Loki trying to dismiss her words. "You are now trying to fix these mistakes by trying to start a new life and trying to find all of the Infinity stones before Thanos. Not too mention, you had every opportunity to leave when things got tough and you didn't. Plus remember how hard you were on the Maxioffs? How about all the effort you put in trying to get the stone back after Ultron stole it? If you were really a monster you wouldn't have said those things or even care about trying to get the stone back. I don't know where you are getting these ideas but-"

"I don't need to get these ideas from anywhere or anyone. Isn't it obvious? I did the same amount of damage and if not more as Ultron did." said Loki loosing his patience. "If it weren't for me than Thanos wouldn't know how Earth would put up a fight if he decides to try to attack this planet. Things wouldn't have gotten this far and maybe Thor wouldn't be grieving me and be going through an never ending depression towards a lie. If I didn't attack Earth then maybe I wouldn't have been sent to the dungeons and would have sent that monster to take down Asgard's defenses and he wouldn't have-"

"He wouldn't have what?" asked Darcy. She is starting to feel like that there might be more to the story and she is this close on finding out what could be bothering her friend and she can't give up now.

"It doesn't matter now, the past is in the past and I should try to move forward in life rather than let it overcome my judgement." said Loki. "The last thing we both want is to deal with whatever emotional nonsense that you may be hoping for me to say or do."

"I don't think it's nonsense and we don't have to talk about it now, why not we talk about... Vision." said Darcy. "What are you planning to do with the stone? Have you explained to him how powerful the stone is?"

"I did and he seems to be committed to use the stone wisely, during the battle Vision managed to prove himself and saved hundreds. He also managed to locate and help defeat Ultron." said Loki. "I also came to an important decision that could impact this whole quest, but I think it could be beneficial in the long run."

"What is it?" asked Darcy. "Please don't tell me, your just going to try to pull the stone out of his forehead until you eventually pull it out and run away from here."

"I am definitely not going to do anything of the sort, if I wanted to injure my hand then I would have thought up of a clever way of doing so with the stones we already obtained." said Loki. "I am going to leave the stone with Vision, in order to avoid any suspicions and plus it will be safer with someone who is willing to use it for the greater good and put up a fight. At least Thanos will have to put up with a challenge before he can take the stone, Vision might be able to hold him off and win and that will buy us enough time to come up with a plan to stop Thanos for good."

"Now that is surprisingly considerate of you... You're really going to give Vision a chance to live and maybe you're right that the stone might be better off with him." said Darcy "At least it would be one less stone to protect and Thanos wouldn't come straight at us best case scenario. But it wouldn't be fair if the Avengers get a suprise visitor that is going to be chasing after Vision for a magic rock on his forehead."

"It may be humorous but at least it will be safer with them then it ever would be with the other Infinity stones." said Loki. "I believe that the Avengers would be able to put up a fight to try to save one of their friends. I am just hoping that the worst possible scenario does not happen, then otherwise I might never forgive myself."

"This is not just about Vision isn't it? I can't believe it, I mean it is so obvious you are feeling guilty." said Darcy. "You are feeling guilty for your past actions and how things went out of control a couple of years ago. Now you are thinking that all of your past actions is going to define who you are right?"

Loki is surprised that Darcy is able to figure out the very thing that could be bothering him, he doesn't know what to do or say because Darcy is now becoming a lot harder as every second that they spend more time together whether it's through hunting down Infinity stones or just sitting down talking about life. Just because she now knows what is bothering him, that does not mean Loki is going to sit down and talk about his problems. At least it was Darcy not one of the Avengers, the last thing that he needs is to become the laughing stock of the entire tower. Though no thanks to that video, he is already a laughing stock for simply being smashed around by the Hulk. If this ever comes out to their knowledge, then he might leave a little earlier than planned before they even obtain the last Infinity stone. He doesn't know what to think or feel with Darcy already knowing about his own innsecurities, he would give anything to disappear now. Well he could still try to dismiss whatever accurate assumptions that may be going on in Darcy's mind.

"Whatever I may be feeling towards myself should be none of your concern because I already know how you may have felt towards me when we first met." said Loki. "You must have seen me as an insane monster that should have never come back to Midguard and that you have a secret scheme to tell them that I am here or a way to tell my brother that I have been alive all of this time."

"What makes you think that I will tell anyone about you?" asked Darcy. "First of all, iif I wanted to tell them about you, wouldn't I have told Thor the very moment after I first saw you?"

Loki stopped in silence and realized that Darcy does have a point, ever since he asked her to keep his secret she never exposed him to anyone. But still that shouldn't stop him from wondering what she really thought of him or how his actions must have effected others beyond himself and Thor. He doesn't know if he ever going to forget the emotions that he is now feeling and he doesn't know if it's from talking to Darcy or reflecting on his past actions. At least he should feel grateful that Darcy hasn't told anyone and she is remaining loyal on his side. He never had that many who have stayed loyal on his side even before after he found out that he was adopted, even if he may never speak to his mother again or Thor never finding out that he's alive. At least he has Darcy on his side for a little while before they find the last remaining stone and they finally face Thanos. But first there is something that he needs to clear up before they can continue on this quest, he needs to know before the question drives him crazy.

"What did you first think of me when we first met?" asked Loki. "Did you see me as a monster that needed to be watched? Why did you want to help me in the first place?"

"I guess I was a little surprise to see you walking around Earth, I may have also wanted to call people and try to stop you from any evil plans." confessed Darcy. "But I never saw you as a monster and even after I got to know you, I always thought that you were someone that is lost who didn't know who he is and what he wants to do beyond trying to take over the world."

"Just because you saw me as someone who may have an identity crisis, that does not mean I am not a monster. You didn't know me and yet you try to be kind." pointed out Loki. "I could have hurt you more than anyone can whether it's through my actions or any problems that I could bring with me. I destroy everything I touch, I don't blame the Midgaurdians for being angry. Everyone must hate me for being that monster..."

Now it's Darcy's turn to be surprised, she did not expect Loki to be that insecure that he now even considers himself as a monster. Maybe Ultron gave Loki a reality check and it worked a little too well. She needs to make him see that he could make a change and things are not going to change unless Loki fully realize his own potential and power. He is the only one that knows more about Thanos than anyone on the planet, he could stop Thanos if only Loki stops to see the kind of person that he is and that he could do anything that he sets his mind to. Maybe she could use this moment to show him that and just use the times when he wasn't Mysto in order to do that.

"You're not a monster, you proved so many times that you are a good person and you had many opportunities to betray others but you didn't." said Darcy. "Like when you and Thor were fighting those elves back in the Dark World, you had every opportunity to escape or betray Thor and Janne back there. But you didn't and actually stayed to help them at least defeat the one that killed your mom and get the Aether out."

"Actually it's Aea- Wait did you just pronounced Aether right?" said Loki in shock before he regained his composure. "You do realize that you are wrong about one small detail, I did escape after the battle and it's an escape that I still have to deal with the consequences every day."

"Oh right, the whole faking your death and going to Earth thing." said Darcy agreeing but then trying to turn the conversation into more positive. "But at least you didn't do it in the middle of the battle or when Thor is being beaten before your heroic 'sacrifice.'"

"That may have been the case, you may have forgotten one little fact that impacted the whole scenario a little differently than expected." said Loki. "I was initially planning to take over the throne before I decided to escape Earth. I didn't have Asgard's best interest at heart when I almost went through with that plan and it was prior from meeting you."

"Ok, but that was before you changed for the better. You still managed to do some good things after you left Asgard and you didn't do it whenever I blackmail you to become Mysto." said Darcy. "Like remember the time that you practically broke my hand and you healed me, I mean if you were really a monster then why did you even care about heeling my hand?"

Loki was caught off guard from that question and realized that Darcy made a good point and he has never thought about it like that. He still remembers how he felt on that day and wishes that Darcy doesn't constantly bring it up. Between this and the cell phone breaking incident, he'd pick the cell phone, but then again it is a reminder of what happens when one is not careful for their actions. Since these mistakes could lead to more trouble and that probably is when all of these conflicting feelings towards Darcy started, it happened about a week after they retrieved the scepter and first met the Maxioff twins. He still remembers it like if it was like yesterday...

Flashback

"Ok, I know that it has been a while since we have found out about anything about any of the other Infinity stones or Thanos." said Darcy. "But now it's the perfect time to-"

"Please don't tell me that there is another crime to stop, if there is can it wait until after I finished this book?" said Loki annoyed as he is reading Lord of the Rings.

"Well today's you're lucky day, there hasn't been any crime that happened all day." said Darcy happily. "But this is something important and you need to learn them if you want to become the best superhero that you can be."

"If you have any reliable information of the last missing Infinity stone or somehow come up with a clever plan on how to get the gauntlet and the other stone." said Loki. "Let's talk about it when I am not in one of the most interesting parts of the story, I am about to learn more about the ring and why it must be destroyed."

"You do realize that out of the two of us, you're the one that is more likely to find out more than I would right?" pointed out Darcy.

"Just because I am from Asgard that does not mean I would know about every single thing that happened beyond this planet and the Midguardian news outlets are unreliable when it comes to interdementional news." said Loki annoyed. "Now are you going to tell me what have you so excited that you are ready to throw a feast or can I just go back to reading my book?"

"I would if you let me tell you without getting interrupted." said Darcy earning an eye roll from Loki. "I was thinking that maybe it would be a good time to teach you how to be more human and any super hero with basic social skills that anyone who could have lived on Earth for longer than a month. The last thing we need is for you to call people Midgaurdians and Thor asking himself why would someone on Earth is calling everyone anyone Midguardian."

"You may have a point, but that does not mean I may need your impromptu courses." said Loki. "I think I can figure out how to communicate and act like an Midgaurdian on my own."

"Oh yeah? Pop quiz, what is a movie?" asked Darcy completely catching Loki on guard.

"Isn't it one of those flying stairs that take you up and down in that building where there are hundreds of stores that you once took me." responded Loki unsure if he is getting the answer right.

"Those are escalators." said Darcy. "See what I mean? If we are going to pull Mysto off, you are going to need to learn a couple of Earth related things before you embarrass yourself."

"That would be the last thing I would want." said Loki feeling a little humiliated from earlier. "But I don't believe I am going to try to talk like a Midgaurdian, you all do talk in horrible grammar."

"Not everyone is going to check their grammer every single time they have a conversation." pointed out Darcy. "But hey I'm not trying to make you in acting like everyone else, I just want to give you pointers before you start saying that your favorite movie is escalators. If you really don't want to learn about how to act like an human to not blow your cover, then I can't make you."

"Alright, one little lesson and that will be all." said Loki. "I am only accepting this in order to get back to my book because the sooner we are done, the sooner I can find out what happens next."

"Awesome, I think the first lesson for you to learn is one of the most important super hero and at times modern day civilian social skill that many have an impact in your daily life." said Darcy. "It's call a hand shake and hear me out, I know that you might have your own special greetings back in Asgard, but that doesn't mean that things will be the same over here and plus it's clear that you might have super strength and the last thing we need is for your hand shake to be..."

"Are you suggesting that I might not be able to pull off as something frivolous as a Midgaurdian greeting?" demanded Loki. He is a little insulted that Darcy believes that he might not be capable of an Earth greeting.

"No! It's not like I don't think that you can't do an Earth greeting, but I think it might be helpful if I just teach you how to act more like a human and you blend in better." said Darcy. "Just when you are Mysto and while we are in public, so that way we can avoid anyone asking questions or assuming that you are from outer space or something."

"If it will make you feel any better, I am planning not to use my magic as much as I would usually do. It would be harder to explain on how I got magical powers and will only use them for emergencies such as escaping or to distract whatever foe I may have to face." said Loki. "So that will be one less thing to worry about."

For some reason, Darcy feels sadden by this and she didn't think that Loki would ever consider not using his powers to help him fight his battles as Mysto. She thinks that Loki's magic is cool and part of her is even excited to see how Loki would use his magic to help him in battle. Part of her even wants to encourage Loki into using his magic to fight, but she understands his reasonings and maybe it is for the best. Though she doesn't see how creating illusions could lead to Loki being discovered unless Loki has a signature spell that Thor could recognize.

"Now on to the lesson that you are so determined to give me." said Loki with a little impatience's in his voice. "Before you explain to me, I believe I have gotten some ideas from watching the television set. The whole point of these greeting is to be amiable towards others and it can also be sign of business or companionship."

"Wow, someone did his homework before we even have this conversation." said Darcy. "But it is something that many people do around here and we shouldn't be surprised if someone wants to give you one after you try to save them. So... let's get started."

Darcy immediately held her hand up and waited for Loki to grab on it so they could begin their handshake and she even started to explain how a handshake works. But Loki is not listening and just wants to get this over with and believes that he could do it without any explanation. He's sure that he could do it without any help or practice. So Loki grabbed Darcy's hand and grabbed a firm grip on it and it would be the kind of grip that anyone would make if they are holding on tight to a cliff but a hundred times worse because of Loki's super strength/Asgardain and Frost giant physiology. Darcy is trying her best to maintain her own composure and is trying to remain strong, but she is getting a little concern over the grip becasue so far it doesn't seem to be a good sign.

"Maybe you should lighten the grip a little bit..." said Darcy with a grunt. Loki only lightly loosing up, but it was not enough for a human. "Now just move it at the same time as I do... but do it gently!"

They tried to do their first attempt of a handshake and Darcy is doing everything she could to try to remain tough or at least make sure that she can ignore any pain that could be happening because of the hand shake. Loki couldn't help but notice that Darcy is trying hard to keep a straight face, he is wondering what could be causing all of this bother to Darcy. It is her idea after all and Loki continues to shake Darcy's hand unsure what could be bothering his friend. Before either of the two knew it, they heard a crack and then Darcy quickly pulled her hand trying to do her best to soften the pain that was going on. Loki just stood there in shock, not being able to believe what he is now witnessing and this is more than enough for him to realize that Darcy must be hurt in some way. He is hoping that he wasn't too rough on her during that first practice.

"Darcy, are you well?" asked Loki concerned about his friend and her wellbeing.

"Yeah, I'm fine... you probably held my hand a little too tightly and... Ouch I never felt this much pain before in my life, sure I have been through hard times but it was never just my hand dealing with all of the pain that I probably experienced in my life time..." said Darcy trying to have a conversation with Loki while making it not seem like it is not as bad as it is.

"I do not believe that you are 'fine.'" said Loki concern about her. "May I have a quick look at your hand? I did study some heeling during my time in Asgard, it comes in handy whenever I went on some quest with Thor prior to the coronation. I may not be the best heeler but it is better than you having an injured hand that could create complications in the future."

Darcy relunctently let Loki stare at her hand and he took a good look at it, for once he is grateful that humans and Asgardians have similar bone structure because he is able to see the damage more clearly. Thanks to that failed attempt of trying to shake Darcy's hand and realize that he must have deeply fractured Darcy's hand... Now he done it, Darcy is definitely going to kick him out for this failure and probabley never want anything to do with him again. He wouldn't blame her because he broke Darcy's hand! Why didn't he listen to her when she was trying to explain how to make a good handshake? How could he have not realize what he is doing and try to stop himself from doing it?

Thanos would have done it regularly to Nebula whenever she does not fulfill whatever Thanos asks or fails him, was he doing the same thing as Thanos? No of course not, it was just an accident and Loki never meant to hurt Darcy and he never would have. Especially after all she did for him and how she have always remained loyal to him, there has to be a way to make this right. But who knows, maybe Loki is just over reacting and Darcy's hand is perfectly fine and it is just being sore. Though for a sore it must have caused more pain than any of them expected. Then Loki realize that those hopes are not going to be fullfilled as he finally sees what could be the problem and he now wishes for a way to go back in time and undo his mistake.

"It looks like I might have accidentally fractured your hand..." said Loki with guilt on his face. "I may have the solution to this problem."

"Let me guess, you're going to suggest that I go see a doctor or try to see if it feels better in the morning after I put some ice on it?" said Darcy. She is about to move her hand before she groan in pain.

"No, I have something with me that could help and I promise it will work on Midgaurdians or rather humans." said Loki. "It managed to save my life once and is one of the most powerful and helpful potions in the history of Asgard."

He begins to head over the couch and find the box that he has been putting all of his stuff that he had when he left Asgard and the things he managed to gain from his time on Midgard. He quickly check the box trying to find the two bottles of heeling potion that he smuggled out of Asgard, at least when Kurse stabbed him and the entire Infinity stone chase, he never has to use the potion. Loki is very surprised that he never had to use the potion during the entire time that they have been risking both of their lives. Once he manages to find the potion, he quickly went to the kitchen to try to see if he could find a cup to pour the a little bit of the potion in. If his estimate is right then he wouldn't need to pour out the whole bottle, Loki poured a quart into the cup and resealed the bottle of healing potion. Once Loki is done, he quickly heads back to Darcy and carefully took it back to Darcy to hand it to her.

"What's that?" asked Darcy staring at the cup. She is surprised that Loki even kept these bottles in the first place, but then again he is from another world and briefly hung out with an alien that wants to destroy the whole universe before the Dark elf invasion, turned over a new leaf and ultimately moved in with her. She shouldn't be question these things.

"It's a heeling potion, one of the best of all of Asgard. Only the greatest warriors and royal family drink this potion, I managed to obtain four bottles before my first fight with Thor." explained Loki. "I used the first battle after the incident in this city because of some cracked ribs and some minor headaches from the scepter. It also does not help that Thanos's 'training' is really hard to say the least..."

"So what was the second time that you used the heeling potion?" asked Darcy. As she stares at the cup, not sure if it would be a good idea of drinking the potion or if it could really work on humans. But at the same time, she is interested in hearing more of Loki's experiences outside of his most recent adventures and to learn more about Asgard.

"It was when... I faked my death in the Dark World and when Kurse stabbed me..." said Loki. "That part was not an act and I drank the heeling potion before my heroic sacrifice and before all of this started. If it weren't for this potion, I would probabley be dead now and Thor would have someone to truly grieve for..."

"Yeah but then we would have never met and Thanos would have gotten all of these Infinity stones in one way or another." pointed out Darcy. "Are you sure that this will really work on humans?"

"Yes I am sure, what makes you think that I would give you a potion that could potentially hurt you?" said Loki. "We have been living together for more than a month, it's not like I ever tricked you before, aside from the Chitari incident name one time where I have misled you."

"Good point, but you better not make me regret this." said Darcy trying to make her joking around sound tough.

"Just trust me, I promise that you will be healed as early as tomorrow." said Loki. "If you are heeled by then, you may be angry all you want and have the honor of throwing me out of your home."

"Let's not go that far because I know it is an accident and you didn't mean to do it." said Darcy as she recieves the cup and quickly drinks the cup. But it was not quietly because she is absolutely disgusted by the taste, she didn't know how Loki could handle this for who knows how many times. "How can you drink this and stay sane? This taste awful!"

"You do realize that you are acting like a child and the taste is not that bad, well after the first ten times." said Loki. "Let's just be grateful that I had some potion then otherwise it would have been a long couple of months and I could not think of any excuses that you might be able to give to Thor and Jane except you bought new furniture and while you are trying to assemble it, you were not being careful until something heavy fell on your hand."

"Or I could always say that I took a bet with one of those motorcycle guys and it was armwrestling contest, the guy is so tough that he winds up breaking my hand throughout the entire match." said Darcy. "Do you think they might believe that story?"

Loki stared at her speechless, he really doubt that Thor or Jane would think that Darcy would be that reckless to take a challenge like that. He is not saying it out of concern for his secret, but for Darcy's own well being. It was his fault that they are even having this conversation right now, but the last thing that he wanted is to have Darcy try to ruin her own reputation because of him. But then again, the worst she probably would get is Thor questioning why didn't she ask him to help and then Darcy responding that the instructions are complicated for him to understand. Other than whatever explanation Darcy could think of if the potion doesn't work and if she has to explain how her hand got broken in the first place. He decides that it might be best if he is more careful from now on because his carelessness gave Darcy an injury that could have sent her to some Midgaurdian care facility. Not only that any future handshake wouldn't have worked out as well if he keeps breaking everyone's hand when they are trying to be civil towards him is concerning. He is now feeling an unexplained amount of concern towards Darcy that he could not explain and it is at the same level of concern if Thor got hurt but more than a sibling getting hurt...

"So how long is it going to take for my hand to heal?" asked Darcy.

"Well the potion will take effects the moment after someone takes it and will function in twenty four hours." explained Loki. "I estimate that judging from the injury, it will take you only a couple of hours for it to be fully healed."

"Wait, I thought that you said that it takes longer for the injury to heal if it is really serious." pointed out Darcy. "Would you consider this really serious? How bad does it have to be for it to be really serious?"

"If you take my stabbed wound for example, that took me most of the day to heal and if they stayed for one more minute then they would have figured out what I was trying to do." said Loki. "But since you haven't been fighting off Dark elves or stabbed by them recently, you will probably be fine in about two to three hours from now."

"Well I guess while we wait, maybe we can talk and hang out for a bit without worrying about Thanos or the Infinity stones." suggest Darcy. "We never really have that much of a chance to hang out or talk, I know that we went to the mall only twice but we are always too busy having fun that we don't really talk about ourselves or our lives to even have a conversation."

"I believe that you may have a point and we should spend more time together whenever we are not on another planet." said Loki. "So tell me, how's life in Midgard prior to my arrival? Has it been exciting before alien invasions or Asgardians coming here to turn your lives upside down?"

"Well the only superhero related activity that we had before Thor came to Earth is whatever origin story Iron man and Hulk went through." said Darcy. "But other than that we never had to worry about any intergalactic problems that could result in either world domination or extinction. But I did hear about some super girl that is from space that help these shape shifters aliens happening once. It's mostly a legend/rumor and I guess that story is what got me into super heroes."

"At least Midgard didn't need that much saving before my brother came to the planet, how are things going with you?" said Loki. "With your normal life and I haven't heard you say anything about Ian. I thought that you said that the two of you are now courting?"

"Well we are dating, but we haven't been on an actual date yet. I mean I have been really busy on helping to save the world and we never really have time to actually set up a date." said Darcy. "Maybe one of these days during our downtime, we can go on our first date."

"I am sure that you will have fun with Ian..." said Loki unsure if he is truly happy of that statement. "What do Midgardians do in these dates or for any forms of recreation?"

"Well for dates, it really depends and it could be anything, a movie or just hanging out for no reason. There is really no structure in dates, but I don't know I have never been on a date before. I mostly go on whatever Jane told me and what I see in movies but I doubt that it is that exaggerated." explained Darcy "As for fun, it really depends on whatever we're in the mood for. I mean we could be watching movies or reading books or riding bikes or whatever we like to do for fun, it really depends on the person. Ok what do you do for fun back on Asgard? Aside from fighting any glorious battles and trying to save whatever world crisis that may be happening in your world or the rest of the nine realms."

"In Asgard, if no one is training than they are having feasts or now hear the Warrior three telling exaggerated tall tales of their adventures." said Loki. "I on the other hand spend most of my days reading and occasionally spending time with Thor whether it's a friendly conversation or going on one of his many dangerous and reckless quests."

"Well at least you had some company while growing up, so it couldn't have been that bad." said Darcy. "Back here, you have to fit someone's expectations while growing up and you have to be brave enough to try to break through and live your life. I mean have you seen what an Earth high school is like? It's nothing what they portray in movies, it's can either be a dream come true or your worst nightmare, that is if you like the current trends."

"If you believe that is bad, you do not want to live in Asgard. They expect one to be a fearless warrior and whatever social expectations that may have been put in place." explained Loki. "At least in Midgard, you are all obsessed with a temporary thing and in a couple of years realize how silly you have all been. Back in Asgard, it's either conform or find a talent that is seen worthy. I was able to find it with magic, but it is still look down upon."

"Well it shouldn't, I honestly would like to see some of those Asgardians try to make illusions and actually try to use their brains aside from hitting their opponent." said Darcy. "When it comes to battle, shouldn't you have a plan or at least some magic to make the problem disappear?"

"Magic is not something that you can just cast a random spell and hope for the best." explained Loki. "It takes time and practise to even manage to even cast a spell, if one doesn't then it could lead to disastrous results."

"Ok meddling with magic is a bad idea, well at least with illusions you could use them to try to take a break from those expectations and others that could make you feel different." said Darcy. "So I'm guessing that you and Thor are the only Asgardians that have some kind of extra magic power that helps you in combat or in your case everyday life?"

"Well it is really rare for any other Asgardian to have any powers that requires magic hammers or having the ability to do magic. I may have additional powers because of my Frost Giant heritage and I don't think I want to figure out what they are." said Loki. "I was told when I was younger that frost giants were monsters, I can't use these powers if it will bring more harm than good. I even froze Heimdall once and that was on purpose."

"Yeah but those are fairy tales, they don't and shouldn't define who you are. I may have never heard any stories of Asgardian knights going out and slaying the evil Frost Giants, but I do know one thing that those characters are not you." said Darcy. "Even after everything you have done in the past and the moment that we met, you have proved to me that you are not some over the top monster that needs to be defeated. You can be a good person if you really want to and your the one who chooses on how to use your powers, no one else. You don't have to be a monster if you don't want to and plus I only need one look at you and I know that you are not evil. Maybe someday I will be able to see you use your other powers, I'm sure they are also cool. But enough of that, so who else on Asgard has any additional powers?"

"How's your hand?" asked Loki trying hard to avoid that question because of the memories. "I'm sure you must be feeling some of the effects of the heeling potion right about now and time must have gone by while we were talking."

"It seems to be doing better than before and you might be right about it being fully healed by the morning." said Darcy. "I think I might call it an early night and try to see if I could get some rest. Maybe that will help it heal faster and my hand will at least be in less pain than before, at least I don't have to make any excuses to Jane tomorrow when I agreed to meet with her."

"At least it will be healed by the morning, no will know what happened." said Loki. "I on the other hand will be staying up for most of the night and watch some of your Midgaurdian television to learn important social cues. The last thing I want is to land some one in a care facility next time for accidentally breaking their leg, then that would definitely put Mysto in a negative light."

"Maybe we should try with something smaller next time, so that way we can avoid something like this from happening again." said Darcy. "I'm not saying that this might have been too advance for you. But-"

"I would like to try again and this time do it right." said Loki determinedly.

That made Darcy really nervous and she doesn't know if that is a good idea and if she should buy some protective gloves that might possibly be Asgardian proof. What is he breaks her arm as well? What if the next time Loki have to use the rest of his healing potion to cure her? Who knows maybe things will work out with the mere fact that she drank some heeling potion that could probabley help avoid any form of injury. What if it doesn't and that will hurt her other hand instead? What if she show Loki how to do it instead of letting him experiment on his own? That way Loki will know how to do it and she won't have to be terrified of the idea of Loki touching her hand or someone else's.

"Alright... but I am going to be in charge and show you how to do it ok? The last thing I need is for you to break my other hand." said Darcy extremely nervous. "We are just going to start slow so you can get it, but just don't make me regret this..."

"I assure you Darcy, I try to not make the same mistake twice and will be more careful now." said Loki trying hard to reassure his friend.

"That's what I am afraid of..." said Darcy as she reach out of her hand and waited for Loki to grab a hold of it.

Loki carefully took a grasp of Darcy's hand and made sure that he is careful this time around, to Loki it felt like if he is holding a glass cup that is about to break at any moment. Darcy nervously and carefully gripped Loki's hand the way she would do for a normal handshake and she starts to move it up and down in the same rythem as hers. Both Loki and Darcy could not help but feel nervous as they continue to do so, there is suddenly an unknown tension between the two of them and they don't know what to do with the strange moment that they are experiencing. But they continued to do their handshake as they are starting to develop strange emotions that they have never felt before and they are stronger than they could ever imagine. The handshake continued until Darcy finally felt that Loki mastered the noncrushing normal human handshake, she lets go and the two of them stared at each other as they processed what is just went on between them. For once in Loki's life, he does not know what could be the feelings/tension that they just exspirenced and think of a plan on how to deal with it. There is a moment of silence between the two and both of them don't know what to say or do as they continue to stare at one another until...

"Well that is unexpected, you managed to learn how to do a handshake and my other hand is still in one piece..." said Darcy finally braking the silence and talking awkwardly. "Well I guess... I should head to my room... For the night and I will see you in the morning... Good night!"

With that Darcy left Loki alone in the room and is ready to try to shake off the emotions that is now racing in her mind, she never felt this way towards anyone and she doesn't remember any one ever being that concern about her or be willing to share one of their biggest secrets in order to help her. But Loki and her are friends nothing more and besides he just thinks of her as a friend, not that she's thinking that he'd be great as more than a friend of course. Ok maybe Loki could eventually be like the older brother that she never had someday and that is it. But still why is she even thinking that way? There is no way that he would ever feel that way towards her, he's Loki and he would never feel that way towards anyone unless they are someone who fits his standards. She would never be good enough and she's in love with Ian and she's happy about it right?

"Pleasant dreams..." said Loki who could not believe what just happened and just watched Darcy go until she is back in her room.

Once Darcy is gone, he heads to the couch and grab the remote to turn on the tv to begin his research of Midgaurdian life and their standards on the simplest encounters. Loki is flipping through the channels to see what he could find that could help him on his research for how to interact with others whenever he's dressed up as Mysto. But for some reason, he is starting to feel strange towards Darcy and is almost disapointed that she decides to go to bed early. He just wish that he knew what is the emotions that he is now feeling, it is almost like if he has grown fond of Darcy but it is even more stronger than anyone he might have felt if he has grown fond of someone. It has to be his own guilt trying to manipulate him into feeling some strange and unusual feelings towards his roommate, they are just friends who have traveled across the universe and is now trying to figure out how to get a hold of the other stone and gauntlet. When this is over, all they will have is just the memories of the adventure and an even stronger friendship.

He has no idea why he would have these strange emotions or even be thinking about Darcy in any other way except friends. But still it's feelings that are stronger than he ever thought that he would ever feel towards a human, Loki is sure that it will pass and the last thing he needs is to make any attachments that will eventually effect his own menality in a negative light. It is probably just a strange phase that he's now going through or he is coming down with something. Loki only knows that he hopes that this is a temporally thing and that these strange new feeling will end and go away in time.

Flashback ends

The feelings may have not passed in time like Loki hoped, but at least Darcy made a good point about how there might be some good in him if he cares about helping her when he didn't have to. Loki probably saved Darcy from the shame and humiliation that she would have felt if she continues to go see Jane and Thor with a cast on her hand with an excuse that would raise some questions. At least he did some good in his time on Earth that is volunterily not being made to do something that Darcy blackmails him to do. There might be some good in him, well if Thanos and his actions didn't stop him from being able to truly being more than whatever the world expects and tell him to be.

"That is one example on how I managed to do some good in my life, but that does not excuse the fact I still didn't do any more than that." said Loki. "If I didn't try to whip out Jontuhiem and let things go as far as Thor breaking the Bifrost that I chose to let go then maybe none of this would have happened."

"Look I know that you are not going to win 'best son of the year' anytime soon, but you are trying to make things right and that alone would make anyone proud and if someday your dad doesn't see that then he really should reevaluate his priorities." said Darcy. "If things didn't go that far then we might have never met."

"But it would have at least delayed Thanos for a couple more years, he is now speeding up his Infinity quest because of me." said Loki. "It is becoming more personal for him by the minuete and it is all because I failed him, I made the mistake of working for him and I shouldn't-"

"Loki you can't continue to think this way, not only because it's unhealthy but it is also not true because you are anything but a monster." interrupted Darcy. "Ok let's pretend for one minute that you successfully took over Earth and gave Thanos two out of the six Infinity Stones. You'd be even more guilty than you are now because if you eventually start to see the errors of your ways wouldn't you be feeling even worse when you realize that you made Thanos's job easier? Since you would have given him possibly three Infinity Stones, a magic glove and gave him a halfway ticket to completing his stone collection, you would definitely win employee of the month in Thanos's eyes."

"That is surprisingly a valid point, then we should be grateful that I failed to deliver the stones and took over the planet." said Loki. "Otherwise, it would have been a long year for everyone..."

"Aside from almost making Thanos's life easier, you also managed to grow a lot ever since what happend with the Dark Elves and you are growing right now by just letting us talk about this." said Darcy. "Everything will be alright in the end, one thing I notice about Thanos is that he seems to be the type that always sends others to do his dirty work and never does anything else himself. We already have one advantage and so far we're winning."

"How can you be so-" begins Loki.

"We already have gotten three Infinity stones and I am sure Vision is going to do everything in his power to make sure that nothing will happen to the mind stone." said Darcy. "Thanos may have got one stone and the gauntlet, but we already have three, Vision, now we're friends with the Avengers and we have you. You are the only one that knows more about Thanos than anyone in this planet. Not only that you also one of the smartest and bravest people or Asgagardian that I have ever met, I mean I am not the one currently in hiding on a planet where everyone hates me or have an older brother that is ready to loose his temper if he ever finds out what's going on."

"You have no idea how hard it is to try to move on from everything and now that I am Mysto, when they start talking of me. Everyone only sees me as Mysto and it almost like that this illusion is rewarding me more than punish me." said Loki. "I do not even know what am I going to do once we eventually face Thanos and he is going to try use some tricks of his own to weaken me and..." Loki hesitate because the idea of facing Thanos, someone who has more power than Odin is terrifying and Thanos will make sure that he pays for the last time and to possibly even kill him for it. He is not ready for the uncertain future that is ahead of them.

"Maybe you can still be you through Mysto, the costume gives you a chance to start a new life and it's up to you if you want to use it. Let's be honest working with Thanos, being thrown in jail, nearly dying, practically banishing yourself to a new planet and might never revealing yourself to Thor is punishment enough." said Darcy. "Don't worry about Thanos because you are not alone this time and I am going to make sure that we win. I know I may not have some crazy super powers but I going to try to put up a fight at least, so that way Thanos won't hurt you. I know I might fail at trying to win a fight with Thanos, but I have to try and if no one does then he'll win."

Loki realize that Darcy is right about every single thing that she is saying and that things would have be worse if he did succeed. Maybe he could fix some of these problems and maybe somewhere in space Thanos knows that they might be winning. If things do get worse then he will try to fight off Thanos, he have to fight him off somehow. He made it this far already and know that h would not be happy to run around different planets for the rest of his life to avoid being captured by Thanos and never having a moments peace protecting the Infinity stones. The worst part is that he will never see Darcy ever again and that is already bothering him more than it should. He already missed his chance on reconciling with his brother and rebuilding their bond, but he is not going to let Thanos hurt Darcy because of him. Loki is going to make sure that he finishes what he started and stop Thanos, no matter what happens to him. Thanos has ruined more than enough lives and he is not going to follow the same path that Thanos went on. He will pay for what he did to Gamora, Nebula, himself and the universe...

"It looks like I still have a mad titan to stop and I am not going to let him win." said Loki. "We still have one more Infinity stone to locate and once we get back to your house back in that city. If you need time to make the necessary repairs then I will be happy to provide whatever I can to help out in any way I can. But I am going to focus on trying to find the next stone even if I need to go to Heimdall and reveal myself to find the stone if necessary that is."

"Whoah that's deep..." said Darcy. "But is revealing your identity really nessicary?"

"I know that it's not nessicary and I really do not hope that it goes that far, but I am willing to do it if it means we will find the next Infinity Stone." said Loki. "How much time will you need to do the necessary repairs for your home."

"Well it's technically our home because you have been living there for over a month now and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." said Darcy nervously. "While you were gone, I was also searching for apartments because of the bill for the apartment damages and the fact that Jane wants to move closer to the big apple to be closer to Thor... I found a bigger and more affordable apartment in the city that didn't get any damage from... the incident. Heck for some reason, they don't even believe what happened and that alone is surprising. So at least you can take a walk down the street without dealing with an angry mob, but I was wondering if you would be alright to move?"

They both stared at each other, Darcy is really nervous on how her roommate is going to react to this news and is ready for a storm to come over her and this conversation somehow turns to a shouting match. Loki is thinking deeply how a move like this could affect them and if it is a good idea to even consider it, though the idea that there are some that are now skeptical of what occurred in this city the last time he was there is comforting. But he is still concern of the risk of him walking around without his Mysto mask and someone sees him without it, then it will definitely be a long day for everyone and he just hopes that no one alerts the Avengers of that sighting. At the same time, it would be beneficial for both of them if they are nearby because they could have easier access to any information from the Avengers if Thanos tries to make an attack. There are some benefits in the idea of moving to this apartment and if he's really careful then maybe he will be able to live there without anyone ever finding out that he's in the city. They will need all of the information that they could possibly get if they want to fight Thanos and not too mention he can't just ask Darcy to quit her job with Jane so they could have an apartment that Darcy is going to pay even more. There might be only one alternative when it comes to making the right decision.

"Well it looks like our stay in this city is going to be longer than we thought." said Loki. "We might as well, we're going to need to find out if Thanos does try to attack and the Avengers are the best source of a news outlet."

"I'm going to take that as a yes and it looks like I am going to be making a phone call tomorrow morning." said Darcy. "Are you sure you are ok with this? I don't want this to bother you or anything."

"It will be fine, as long as I wear my costume while I fight off anyone or talk to anyone we may know and not wear my Asgardian armor in public then it will be fine." said Loki. "Plus let's have this conversation between us, the last thing I need is anyone finding out that I shared my feelings with anyone and that alone could ruin my reputation faster than any thing Thanos tries to do."

"It's not like I can talk to anyone about how cool you actually are and I doubt anyone would believe me." said Darcy. "Now with all of this settle, I can actually try to get some sleep and I can't believe that we are actually spending the night in Avengers tower. Not bad for the first night as New Yorkers right?"

"I would have preferred it, if I didn't spend the entire day fighting off Ultron and that I do not have to wear a mask every single time I leave this room." said Loki. "But I have dealt with worse and at least I don't have to worry about dealing with six angry Avengers this time."

"Well there would be seven of us because I'd be really angry if I find out you decided to go back to your old ways." said Darcy. "But I know that you would never go back to being the evil villain that wants to take over the world, you are better than that."

"Just because I am not going to team up with Thanos any time soon that does not mean I might not have some tricks in my sleeves." said Loki. "I'm a trickster and I am always full of surprises."

"That is one fact I can agree with because I did not expect on doing or seeing half of the things that we did until I met you." said Darcy. "This has been a surprising fun ride that I don't think I want to forget about and I just can't believe that we made it this far."

"I would never have believe that I would be going around and doing everything in my power to stop Thanos." said Loki. "If I have never met you, I would probabley be wandering around in this planet or some where else never dreaming that I would face Thanos again. Though this time, Thanos is not going to win and he will be really surprised when he sees that I have five Infinity stones with me ready to put up a fight."

Soon the next thing that both Loki and Darcy knew is that they are talking about how the final battle with Thanos is going to look like and try to come up with plans for multiple scenarios that could happen in the battle. Other than anything Thanos related, they are also having a good time just talking to one another and really enjoying each other's company without any conflicting feelings getting in the way. They spent most of the night talking and it looks like that the two of them are not going to stop anytime soon. It even got to the point that Darcy decided to let Loki have a couple days of from being Mysto, she even said that he earned it for everything he did to help stop Ultron that alone makes him happy. The two of them continues to talk until it was around three in the morning, Darcy decides to head back into her room to avoid any one from seeing them leave the room together and making their own speculations what could have happened. After Darcy left, Loki suddenly starts to feel happier for some strange reason and now whatever emotion he must have towards Darcy has grown stronger. Other than that at least he enjoyed spending some time with Darcy before she decides to end the conversation, he finds the time they spent together one of the happiest moments in a long time.

Loki does not remember the last time that he actually had a friendly conversation with someone else other than Thor except Amora before she got banished. He always wondered what could have happened to her and any lingering feelings from that old crush is now gone. Darcy seemed to have gone through to him in a way that he never saw coming and other than that he seemed to have started to change through this entire journey. Now it looks like there might be a brighter future in store and not even Thanos could be able to ruin it for him.

Meanwhile on the other side of Space

Nebula still couldn't believe that Thanos manages to have gained another Infinity stone that could possibly be either the missing stone or one that Loki must have already obtainned in some way. She waits for an answer that could answer all of her questions, but Thanos is just bragging how he managed to succeed in what others may have found impossible and how he is going to win without answering to any of Nebula's questions. Nebula is now wondering if Gamora ever had to put up with this attitude because listening to Thanos being too full of himself and managing to stay sane is the only thing that she will ever admire of her sister. The stone is in the gauntlet with the power stone taking it's place as well, the Gauntlet became even more powerful with two Infinity stones in there position. Nebula knows that she can't step out of line or else she will have to face the wrath of an overpowered Thanos.

"Now allow me to address the confusion that your sorry little mind may have daughter." said Thanos ignoring the little scoff that Nebula just made. "I had the stone all along and just used the little scuffle on Asgard as a decoy, I made Loki believe that his weak father's scepter is the missing stone and gave him the confidence that I can use to destroy him once and for all."

"So you set a decoy for Loki to build up his confidence?" asked Nebula. "What are you planning to do when you eventually build up his self esteem and then break it? How will that benefit you?"

"Don't you see? Loki's weakness is whatever weak attempt to gain power and that all depends on his confidence." explained Thanos. "All I need is to break his confidence and that will make him finally see that he's still the weakling that I found and partner with. The stone is the first step to do so but that alone is not enough and I need you to go to Asgard to... Wait I have a better idea..."

"What is it?" asked Nebula nervously. She doesn't even want to know what Thanos wants her to do and what might be the potential consequences if she fails him or tries to escape.

"I need you go to Terra and deliver a message to him, I will go to Asgard to find out more information about Loki, but first I need to pick up something." said Thanos. "Let's just hope, that they won't put up a fight because I don't want too hurt her anymore than she already deserves."

Nebula stares at Thanos and gave a quick nod before she heads to a ship that could have enough fuel for a round trip to Terra and back. She doesn't need to be told twice that what Thanos is planning to do is crazy and he needs to be stopped, but she can't stop him no matter how much she wants to. If Nebula fails then it could bring more torture for her and Thanos made it clear that if she fails him again then it will lead to more pain than she could ever imagine. She does not want to deal with that anymore and is now bidding her time to plan for the perfect revenge against Thanos. What better way of doing so by making sure that Thanos suffers the same way that he made her suffer? All she has to do is wait for the right moment and make sure that she does everything in her power to make sure that Thanos pays for what he did to her. One good thing that is coming out of Thanos's new personal vendetta against Loki, not only she is getting some time away from Thanos but she might also get revenge on someone that she has been waiting for a long time.

Talk about being both intense and heartwarming at the same time, it looks like Loki and Darcy are going to need to enjoy every moment that they still have while they still can. Thanos is going to make sure that Loki's spirits are broken forever and going to do every single thing he can to do that and to grab the remaining Infinity stones of course. The final battle is getting closer and closer by the minute, who knows how things are going to go down from here.

Look I know I said the last chapter is the end of the age of Ultron arc, but this is more of an epilouge and a way to start off the rest of story/to show that Loki is starting to redeem himself volunterily rather than being forced to being a hero. That is absolutely nesicarry for the good guys to at least stand a chance in the final battle. This version of Thanos is more intense than the one that we see in the movie and he's not going to try to snap his way his problems even if Loki is winning a battle. He wants to get the power of the Infinity stones and does not care what sacrifices he would have to make until he gets all six stones and Gaunntlet. So far he only has two and Loki has three and Vision, it's going to take more than a simple party trick to make Loki loose his confidence and all Thanos has to do find out what. But that's definitely going to be easier said than done, Loki is definitely going to be putting up more of a fight than he would in the beginning of the story.

Soon there is going to be some trouble for both Loki and Darcy that is not going to be Thanos related...

The next update might be a little delayed at least a week after the two week period latest, but it really depends on how things turn out and once I figure out how next chapter is going to look like. The drama is going to be intense and there is going to be one little surprise in the end that will play a huge role for chapter 33. After that then Thanos's little trip to Earth might happen sooner than any one might expect, this is basically the moment where you could consider it the ending (like a season finale where they wrap up some of the plot but leaves room for more.) But the final battle is coming and the true ending will happen, but it's going to be an intense amount of drama that is going to happen before and during the battle for us to get there.

But the last thing that I want to say is that I am dedicating the Redemption fanfic to a good friend that has been there for me for the last couple of years. I am dedicating this story to Brigitta Pekelharing, a friend that helped me out of the darkness that I often take for granted. But I want to thank her for everything and helping me during the darkest time of my life, her friendship has made me grow into a better person and writer. I am always going to be grateful for the friendship that we shared and the impact that it made on me. In a way if it weren't for our friendship then there might not even be a Redemption because she got me into Marvel movies and helped me at the beginning of writting the fanfic. Thanks Brigitta for everything :)

So what is Thanos planning to do in Asgard? Will Loki and Darcy find the last Infinity stone before he does? What is going on between Loki and Darcy that is creating these strange and awkward moments? What will Loki's life be like now if he's staying in the last place on Earth that anyone would expect him to move to? See ya in the next update. :)