Loki made a schedule for himself. Sunday to Friday he woke around 5:30. With a cup of tea in his hand he would stand somewhere in Stark Tower and watch the sun rise. He would then try his best to get to Tea and Potions by 6am. Once inside the shop he would bake any and everything he thought of. After he pulled the first tray of cookies, croissants, or lemon bars from the oven he would open for the day. Loki flipped the "closed" sign to "open" and made certain that the door was unlocked. Then he would go back to baking and brewing. The only time he stood at the cash register was when he heard the door open with a long squeak that he refused to try and fix.

There were the regular customers. There was the younger woman who seemed to pack all her life into the backpack she always had with her. Loki made sure to have soy milk just for her. There was the older man who had a different floral shirt every time he walked through the door. Later in the day a couple would sit in the corner and share a bit of cake. The girls would pile their dollars together just barely managing to have the correct total. Loki would find the biggest slice of what they ordered for them to share. Most days he provided drinks of some sort which they always tried to refuse.

Bit by bit Loki created a safe space, not just for him but for his customers. His door stayed open till he left which was whenever his last customer decided they were ready to go. Some days that meant he was able to close in the afternoon. Other times he stayed open late into the evening. There was almost always a thin layer of flour on his hands. Long sleeves could sometimes be pushed up. He weakened up on his use of magic to cover his scars. Every so often someone would start crying at one of the tables. If they wanted, Loki would stay with them and offer a shoulder to cry on. A few customers offered him the same. Music always played in the background which helped cover up any uncomfortable silence or possible panic attacks. A comfortable hum of voices flowed along with the music.

Loki made friends. His customers became more then just consumers. They became people who he could talk to and with. He compared a few of his scars with the floral man who's name turned out to be Leeman. He chatted with Ava and Dolly about music and art in general. Through them he learned the best places to look at art for free. Rose taught him about historical figures and seemed terribly well versed for someone so young. Even when someone new walked in they were greeted with a smile and a recommendation of what snack they may enjoy.

The Avengers seemed to know when business was slower. They showed up in sunglasses and jeans as if that alone could hide their identity. Yet somehow it did. It seemed that the general public wasn't expecting Tony or Natasha to walk in his nook in the wall at 2:47pm on a Thursday. Tony would say he came for the coffee. Loki would mix up something new and unusual and make Tony pay far more than it was worth. Steve's excuse always was, "I was in the neighborhood." No matter who it was Loki tried to ignore the fact that they probably were there simply to spy on him. He pretended that they were in fact only there for the blueberry pie or the hibiscus punch.

Once the last customer left Loki would magic the music a bit louder. He made sure to play music which had lyrics to accompany the instruments as if that made up for the lack of humming voices. He hand washed each and every mug, plate, and mixing bowl. With a push of his seidr the tables and chairs found their way back to their original positions. He took his time to place the utensils one by one in the cabenents behind the cash register. He took inventory of the ingredients he had and how much was left over. Any leftover food was wrapped up and either gifted to someone in Stark Tower or found its way to people who needed a bit of food.

Loki eventually returned to the tower each night. He either cooked or heated up some leftovers taken from the fridge. He ate while curled up in a chair or in his bed. No matter what, he ate as he balanced a fork in one hand and a book in the other. He read until he finished his meal and then on most nights he would try and get a few hours of sleep.

Nightmares still woke him. Some mornings Loki woke up drenched in sweat. Some nights he didn't fall asleep at all. Instead he just kept reading till it was time to get out of bed and start the day. Once he didn't get out of bed. He stayed, tucked in the sheets, and conjured what he needed. After that he always made sure to fight if necessary to get out of bed and into his shop. Loki tried not to linger on darker thoughts. Instead he tried to focus on Tea and Potions. He focused his energy on to the people who walked into his shop. Loki focused on moving on with his life, healing, and being better then most of the Avengers expected him to be.