Loki locked the door and finally relaxed, he was exhausted and although he'd never accept it, he felt scared, maybe that was the reason he had agreed to help the team that once humiliated him. When he had chosen to stay with Thor and the rest of their people he decided to leave his scheming behind, at least for the time being, but it felt almost logical that the course of life had to ruin things.

He took out the stone, he let out a chuckle, whose idea had it been to make him the guardian of the stone? He could disappear in that instant, run from Thanos and leave everything behind, Thor would probably feel disappointed, but Loki felt that making sure his idiot brother hadn't been killed covered his brotherly quote for at least a decade.

He was the god of mischief for crying out loud, he closed his palm with the stone and left to the furthest place in the Galaxy he could think of, a vale in the middle of nowhere with an underdeveloped species far down on the evolution chain.
Becoming a hermit would have never been his first option, but he knew what Thanos was capable of, perhaps Wanda was right and destroying the stone was the best option.

He took a deep breath and sat under a tree, running away would only buy him more time, but surviving was clearly not the life he aspired to have. It seemed like helping the Avengers was the easiest path and also the closest to death.
With a simple move he reappeared in his hotel room.

"Short vacation?" Wanda asked him making him jump a bit, she lay on his bed, her arms behind her head and eyes glued to the ceiling "if you were going to leave, you could've taken the smaller bedroom"

"I came back, didn't I?"

She sat up emotionless "Did you?"

"Yes" he sighed "I've decided to help"

"How can I know you didn't pay Thanos a visit and told him our plan?" She asked, he had noticed Wanda had tried to be nice to him before, all of that was gone and he couldn't blame her.

Loki was tired, tired of running for his life, tired of running from his destiny and tired of being the threat, he took a deep breath and reappeared the stone.

"Take it" he told her "I don't want it"

He walked to her and extended his hand, Wanda arched her eyebrows but took the stone.

An immediate relief expanded inside of him, he walked to the other side of the bed and threw himself on it.

"You know I can tell if you're lying, right?" She told him

He turned to her and frowned "I'm not lying"

"I know" she answered and inspected the stone "I was about to go to sleep when I noticed you decided to leave"

"I would've noticed if you had gotten inside my mind" he said in disbelief while Wanda put the stone inside her Jean's pocket "is that really where you are hiding the universe's space element?"

"Well I don't have portal pockets"

He laughed "It's an enchantment, just like the one's you summon, rather basic to be honest, your teacher must have been rather lazy"

"I don't use enchantments, I'm not a witch" she answered rather confused

"Your powers, as you humans like to call them, are hex magic" he explained, he sat up rather curious "I would've thought you already knew that, how else are you capable of using your abilities then?"

"I don't... I don't know. When I received power from the mind stone I felt capable of doing things, the people I worked for ordered me to react to certain objects and I...I just did" she tried explaining

"You taught yourself" he scanned her "unorthodox method but quiet admirable"

"Who was your teacher?" It was her turn to ask.

Loki hid his sadness with a small smile "My mother"

Wanda felt his mind building a wall, she gave him privacy, it seemed a sensitive topic, it was for her as well.
"She must have been good"

"The best" he added and quickly cleared his throat "You said you got the abilities from the mind stone, I know you can enter minds, what else can you do?"

She seemed amused "People are not usually so eager to know about how I could control their minds"

"Their loss then, I had the most fun creating illusions when I had the mind stone in my possession" he was certainly glad he was stuck me with the most interesting avenger, the most powerful too, even if she hadn't been told "Show me"

Wanda couldn't help but to laugh "Are you being serious?"

"Never been more serious" he fixed his hair "c'mon, give me the best you've got"

She looked over to the door, Peter was probably still working on his homework and would surely let them know if something had changed, in the end she did prefer chatting with Loki than letting her anxiety drive her crazy.
"Alright then"

"I now have a favorite Avenger" he joked and smiled

"You're so annoying" she rolled her eyes and let out a low laugh.

Loki sat next to her and waited patiently, he looked like a small excited kid, thinking of this man as a god was almost impossible.
She focused and fidget her fingers next to his temple, her red energy danced around his head.

Loki relaxed and closed his eyes, Wanda had taken him into Asgard, he was in the Palace, the golden hallways seemed infinite in front of him. He walked to one of the columns and touched it, hard as real marble, he was quite impressed.

"What else have you got for me?" He asked out loud smirking

"Well what do you want to see?" Her voice echoed through the illusion

"I'm opening my mind to you, go on, be creative" he exclaimed back

Loki blinked and he was taking a stroll in the garden, his arm intertwined with his mother's, she had asked him to spend time with her, he assumed she would scold him for having stabbed Thor, again; however Frigga seemed to enjoy the sight of the gardens rather than to scold him.

"I know you're disappointed" he found himself saying.

Frigga held her finger up to let him know she didn't want to hear his shallow apology, instead she kept walking until they reached the center of the garden where a single emerald green flower grew, she left her son's side and cut it.

"That was your favorite" he exclaimed almost alarmed "It hadn't stopped growing, Mother"

She half smiled and smelled it "Please remind me of why I had named it as my favorite"

He sighed "Because it was mine when I was a child"

Frigga smiled again and walked to him, she put her hand on his cheek "It's more complicated to take care of, grows according to its own will, and alone"

He sighed knowing she also meant those characteristics belonged to him.

She put the flower behind his ear and spoke again "But once it matures it will be the grandest sight"

"I'm afraid you cut it down before it could happen, Mother" he added

"Did I?" She asked smirking

Loki reached for his ear but didn't find the flower, he looked over to the plant Frigga had cut and found it completely intact.
"I'm sorry" he apologized meaning it this time.

She reached for his cheek and kissed him.
"I know"

Loki grabbed Wanda's hand, she stopped the illusion.

"I'm sorry" she quickly apologized as he let go of her hand "I didn't know what to create so I reached for a memory"

He faked a smirk "A few notes, my mother's crown and gown were badly done"

"You're impossible" she let out and left the room.

Loki took a deep breath, he reached for the back of his ear with shaky hands, when his Mother had created that illusion he had been left with the sensation of the flower for the whole day, Wanda had left him the sensation as well, and not only that but his mother's scent.