Chapter 3: Moving Forward… with More Rewrites.
Clint and Natasha made their way through the New York Shield Headquarters ignoring the looks and whispers coming from the lower level agents. The glare on Natasha's face was more than enough to ward off anyone interested in trying to speak with them.
The pair got into the elevator, hitting the code to get to Fury's office on the top floors and waiting in silence as the elevator moved through the building. Fury had an office in each building belonging to Shield, although some were used more than others. There was a chance that Fury wouldn't be at this location, but after what happened earlier that day, there was a pretty good chance he would still be in the area.
Besides, the Heli-carrier was still under repair from Loki's "rescue."
Sure enough, when the elevator dinged and opened to Fury's office, he could be heard speaking with the counsel on their private line. The pair waited back by the elevator's close enough to listen in, but far enough away that the counsel wouldn't realize they were there.
"-they are dangerous." Came the voice of one of the council members.
"They surely are. And the whole world knows it. Every world knows it." Came Fury's steady reply.
"Was that the point of all this? A statement?" Came from another counsel member.
"A promise," he confirmed. "The world needs Heroes. Now everyone knows there are some willing to take up the fight for them."
"You are starting to overstep your authority-"
Fury cut them off, "I'm not the one that authorized a nuclear deterrent against a threat that was under control. Perhaps you should remember that the next time you think I'm overstepping. Maybe the President would like to have a look at our last conversation. Let him make the decision since we can't seem to agree."
With that he cut off the videoconference and moved back into the main portion of this office not even glancing at the spy pair near the elevators. "Can either of you tell me why Loki and Thor are not off this planet and why the Shield Agents I sent to cover their departure are either dead or close to it?"
He sat down in his office chair, leaning back and waiting for their response. Barton was the first to say anything as he walked over to the desk. "Perhaps you can enlighten us to what this TAHITI thing is."
The slight widening of his good eye, that Fury wasn't quite able to hide, was the only indication that Clint knew Fury was involved with this.
"Tahiti is a magical place. Or so I've been told. Why? Looking for a vacation spot? Somewhere to get your head back on straight?" It was a low blow, but Clint was expecting it and didn't react.
"Where's Phil." Came Natasha's voice as she moved over next to her partner.
"He's dead. You know that already." Came the quick reply.
"Then where's his body. I'd like to see it. Pay my respects, all that jazz." Clint wasn't playing around here. He knew this was important and he knew Fury knew what was going on.
"How about an exchange of information." Said Natasha, "you tell us about Phil and this TAHITI thing. Show us the body; let us see for ourselves the truth. Then we tell you what we know about Loki's little rescue from Asgardian justice. I'm sure that by the time we have everything in order regarding Phil, we will have more information on Loki and his new whereabouts."
Fury looked between the pair for a moment, knowing this was the only deal they would be willing to make. He had wanted to keep Phil's recovery a secret, but these two had somehow gotten wind of the project. He wondered how that could've happened but put it aside for now.
He took out his communicator, "Hill. I need to take a little trip. Make sure my private jet is ready in the next ten minutes and have a helicopter meet me on the roof in three."
Maria's affirmative response went unnoticed by the trio as Fury beckoned them into the elevator.
"TAHITI," he began when they got to the roof, not actually agreeing outright to their terms, "Is a project meant to bring back someone from death."
That was all he said as they all loaded into the helicopter and made their way to Shield's private airfield. Fury went to the pilot's and gave them the coordinates for London. He then radioed ahead and would have another helicopter take him to a private Shield medical facility that was keeping Phil's body in cryo while they worked to fix the damage done by the scepter.
When the trio made it to Phil's private room, the only ones allowed in where the doctor, one nurse, and Fury himself, who nodded his assent to the two assassins being in the room with him. Clint went right over to the tube housing Phil's body. As soon as his hand touched the glass, he realized that Phil wouldn't need this TAHITI project. That when the doctors managed to fix the damage, Phil would recover on his own time. It might take a few months, but Phil would pull through.
He told as much to Fury, who gave him such a strong look of disbelief that Clint even started to doubt his own words.
However, the nudge was growing stronger and the feeling of being right won out over his doubt.
"Don't put him through the TAHITI project." Natasha, sensing her partner's conviction over this casually drew her gun, but kept it at her side.
"Why the fuck not Barton? Who are you to say what he needs and doesn't need? Coulson died on the carrier, no thanks to Loki and that fucking scepter. This is a way to bring him back." Fury noticed the gun and moved into a position where his back was to a wall.
"How about," began Clint, fighting the urge to flinch against Fury's hidden accusation, "you just go ahead and fix the wound. JUST the wound. Then see what happens. No harm in that- right? What's the worst that happens- he stays dead another day or so?"
Fury considered this, "The TAHITI project is experimental. There's no telling if it would work if we delay longer than it takes for the doctors to repair the scepter's damage."
"Then get more doctors in here, working around the clock. FIX the damage as fast as humanly possible. But DON'T use that program on him." Clint was getting a little angry but didn't let that cloud his thoughts. The mystery man's concern over this, and the unusual cryptic messages meant that something else was going here that Fury didn't want to admit to. If the other's managed to find the convicts, Clint would definitely find some time to interaga- have a nice conversation with the man to see what he knew.
Especially if this manages to save Phil's life.
Fury seemed to see this conviction for himself or must've realized that fighting the pair on this was a lost cause. "I will allow one more doctor to be in on this and one more nurse each working twelve-hour shifts. When they finish closing up the wounds you will have a total of ten hours before we go ahead with TAHITI. If you try to fight, I will have your Asses in prison so fast you won't even know what's happening. Are we clear?"
"I'm not leaving." The statement didn't surprise Fury in the slightest.
"Like I expected otherwise." Came the dry reply. "Now. Tell me what the fuck happened in Central Park, and why I lied to the Counsel about Loki and Thor being well on their way to Asgard."
Natasha put her gun away and leaned against the wall, "Thor had Loki in restraints and a special muzzle that would keep him from using his magic. When we arrived at the park the area was completely clear, and none of us were aware that the man in black was waiting for our arrival.
"He somehow managed to freeze, Barton, Barnes and myself with some kind of device, then tackled Thor and froze him as well, before any of us registered his presence." Natasha paused a moment in her story, expecting questions from Fury but none came.
Clint took over for her but kept one hand on the cryo tube at all times, "The guy was wearing alien clothes, and had a bunch of scars. His hair was chopped off as short as he could get it and the beard, he had looked like he took a knife to it. After subduing Thor, he glanced around and found Loki. He attempted to remove the muzzle, but because he wasn't Thor, he was shocked. He moved over to where Thor was laying and picked up the hammer," there was disbelief coloring Clint's tone at this, "then walked back over and released all of Loki's restraints. He turned to the Tesseract, like he was going to destroy it, but Loki stopped him." Clint stopped talking and looked back down at Phil, clearly not happy with relaying the rest of this story.
"He walked over to Clint, placed the paper in his hand with the word TAHITI, used ASL to sign Phil's name, then mouthed "-ury" at him with a wince of pain. He also handed a paper to Barnes, before Loki called him back over and the pair disappeared. Loki saying something about the man 'making it through.'"
Fury narrowed his eyes, "Did this man have a name?"
Clint and Natasha shared a look, "Steven. James thinks it was his friend- the original Captain America."
Stunned silence was all Fury could manage for a few minutes before, "The same Captain Fucking America who mysteriously disappeared off the Valkyrie in 1944?!"
The assassin pair nodded.
"What the ever-fucking hell is going the fuck on?!" Fury's reaction seemed to be on point with everyone else's. Only with more cursing.
Clint and Natasha shared a look while the director of Shield took a moment to rant and pace the room.
"So where is he now. I'm assuming the rest of you assholes are off looking for them?" Fury seemed to be calming down some and thinking straight again.
Natasha pulled out the StarkPhone, "Jarvis what's the situation back at the tower?"
"Sir and Mr. Banner are running search grids for Loki and his companion. So far they have not had any success. Mr. Barnes and Mr. Odinson are both laying in beds in guest quarters of the Tower, but my sensor's show neither of them are actually sleeping." Came Jarvis' quick reply.
Natasha closed the phone, putting it back into her suite. "How about we get another doctor vetted so we can get Phil fixed up as soon as possible."
Fury knew a deflect when he saw it, but let it go. If the pair knew more, or if Loki and this guy were in Avenger's custody then they would've told him.
Within the following twenty-four hours, a second doctor and nurse were briefed on the situation. Paperwork was signed, liability's covered, death threats (from Clint) made, and progress on healing Phil beginning.
Natasha and Fury stayed with Barton during this time, but when a beep came through on the StarkPhone from Stark, letting the assassins know that Loki and 'Steve' were on route back to the Tower the pair took their leave.
Natasha was hesitant to leave Clint with these doctors, but he nodded her along. He could handle this and if he couldn't Natasha left him the StarkPhone just in case.
Fury and Natasha were back on their way to New York within the hour. Neither one saying much of anything the entire flight and that was just fine with the other.
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To say the ride back in the quinjet was tense for the quad of superheroes and their… guests… was an understatement. The tension was thick enough that a knife could cut through it. James was tempted to take out a knife and actually test the theory, but that would've meant A) acknowledging the tension and B) possibly losing his grip on Steve's hand.
Neither option was viable for the ex-Soviet.
Instead he decided to categorize as much of Steve's injuries as possible, without actually looking at him directly, or drawing attention to what he was doing. However, he had years of practice with this task when he was younger and the memories flowed through his brain, as he looked his friend over.
The major concern was the fact that Steve seemed to be shrinking. When Steve had rescued the 107th at Azzano, the super-soldier was over six foot tall. Now he was barely 5'8. Steve also seemed extremely pale, but that could've been from the lighting on the jet, and he had a hollowness that James didn't notice before but could see now that he was up close.
He was also tapping his fingers, on the hand not attached to James' wrist, against his leg like a mad man, something he had never done before the war.
James chalked it up to some kind of nervous tick brought around from being a prisoner for so long.
The scar on Steve's neck, or at least what James could see over the top of the strange turtleneck, looked angry- like it never properly healed. /It might explain Steve's lack of speaking/ thought James suddenly. /Lord knows that Punk was always mouthing off at people… /
James drew in an involuntary breath with the realization of what the scar might mean. His fingers twitching on their own accord moved to cover Steve's hand, trapping it in a tight grasp around his wrist. His other hand moved to cover the back of Steve's hand as well.
Steve's other hand stopped moving for a moment, and his eyebrows drew together, in worry, panic, or question, James couldn't tell. He glanced at James and attempted to move his hand away from its trapped position, but James couldn't- or wouldn't (even he wasn't sure which) let go of it. His grasp tightening with each tug Steve made. In turn Steve's tugs were getting slightly more frantic with each failed attempt and his breathing started to get faster.
Loki made a noise, which the others when they were looking at the footage of this later would take to be soothing, and gently moved his hand in a small arch in front of Steve's eyes.
The trio ignored Thor's "Loki-", as the top and sides of the quinjet became translucent. The sun was starting it's descent into the ocean's horizon below, but Steve's eyes became transfixed on it. His breathing evened out and he stopped trying to pull his hand away from James' now extremely tight grasp. His other hand began tapping again almost unconsciously.
James gave a startled "Fuck!" at the move, looking like he wanted to touch the ceiling to make sure it was actually still there, but also not wanting to let go of his grip.
Thor solved the dilemma for him by standing and putting his hand up. It barely got over his head before there was a clang. He then tapped his knuckles against it for a moment and they all heard the clink of metal on skin, reaffirming that the roof was indeed still there, just hiding. He did the same for his side of the jet as well, with the same result.
James let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and relaxed his grip a little on Steve's hand. But his friend didn't seem to notice, eyes still staring at the path of the sun around them.
Loki leaned towards Steve, his hair falling to cover his face a moment. When he pulled back Steve gave a small twitch of his lips, but otherwise didn't react. Obviously the God had said something, but neither looked like they were going to share with the others.
Tony's, "You kids all still alive back there? No one is trying to hurt anyone else? Everyone playing nice and all that?" over the loudspeaker got everyone's attention and an eye roll from James, Thor and Loki.
"Yes Mom!" James patronized back at Stark. Bruce's chuckle was heard as he turned off the comm and silence again settled over the back of the jet. This time though, the silence wasn't as tense.
As New York came into view in the cockpit, Tony put Jarvis in charge of the jet and the Science Bro's made their way to the back to talk to the others about sleeping arrangements.
The heroes had already told their "guests" that they would stay at the Tower, but it was just a matter of where. The Penthouse was still a mess from the fight between Hulk and Loki, but the guest floors were still available. As Tony came into view, Loki waved off the illusion he had created for Steve, something he had done during their time in space on multiple occasions right before one of their captors came to their cell. The look Steve gave him said he knew exactly why Loki did what he did, and he understood. Tony also seemed to see the gesture, which reaffirmed in his own mind what he was about to say.
"Alright. Here's how I see this. We have two options, since I'm not sure how comfortable we all are with having Gandalf here back at the Tower again, especially since he will be staying for a few days. One, we can put both of these guys in the room we had Loki in before. Two, Loki wears his magic stopping muzzle and they get actual rooms for the night on the same floor James and Thor are using." The look Steve sent Tony was just a hint on the dark side of murderous, but Tony wasn't going to back down.
Loki looked back and forth between Tony and Steve for a moment, before they did the creepy telepathy thing again. Loki drew his eyes together and his lips were a very thin line for a moment, then he said, "We will take the room I was in before, thank you."
He didn't take his eyes off Steve as he said it, which had the others looking between them in confusion.
"Does anyone else find this weird telepathy thing a little creepy?" Said Tony.
Bruce and James nodded in affirmation, but Thor looked slightly thoughtful.
Jarvis' voice came over the speaker, letting them know that they were nearing the Tower and it would be time to land soon, so they should all strap in. Tony and Bruce returned to the cockpit, but other than that no one moved to follow the direction.
Steve and Loki were no longer looking at each other, but Steve was looking around the jet in a way that seemed familiar to James, but he couldn't figure out why.
When the jet touched down and powered off, James squeezed Steve's hand briefly before letting go and standing. Thor also stood, while Bruce and Tony came out of the cockpit. Slowly, with a sigh, Steve and Loki stood as well, gesturing for one of the others to lead the way.
Tony made his way through the jet and went down the ramp, leading the others towards the room where they would leave their guests. James followed behind him, while Steve and Loki were next, followed lastly by Thor and Bruce. As Tony led them through the Tower, he pointed out certain places- like the penthouse where Hulk beat up on Loki, and the common floors. He mentioned the tight security that Jarvis ran and how once they were in their room trying to escape would be a pretty bad idea.
The elevator was a bit crowded, but Tony's running commentary gave everyone something else to focus on, other than the confined space. Steve however tensed up the moment the doors closed, and not even a look from Loki or James could get him to relax.
As the elevator opened to the floor holding their room Steve became even more tense. His lips pulled into a paper-thin line and his eyes grew slightly distant. The others noticed, but nobody said anything about it (rather Tony was elbowed in the side before he could make a comment, and the others just watched him warily).
The floor in question was mostly for storage. Most of the items were for Science! so the rooms were kept at individual temperatures, with specific lighting requirements. Jarvis monitored all of it. The floor had several rooms, but the one in question was towards the middle, which is why it was chosen for Loki in his original stay there. The Avengers didn't outright call it a cell, but they all knew that's what it was.
Steve's eyes narrowed the closer he got to the room. When the door opened, he paused right outside of it, not moving in anyway. They all saw the hesitation, but Loki was the only one who said anything. "We can still do the other option."
Steve looked away from the door, his eyes hardening as he looked at Loki. He shook his head no, then pulled his shoulders back, took a deep breath and walked straight into the room, eyes scanning everything he could see. Loki was a step behind him, both of them moving away from the door slightly, but also looking around for something only they could see.
James was holding his breath as Steve stepped into the room. The move was so Steve that the ex-Soviet could hardly believe it.
"This room is under surveillance 24/7 by Jarvis. There are also specially built weapons in place, so I would strongly suggest not trying to get out of your room for any reason. We will work out better arrangements for the future, but for now you two can get comfortable here." Loki knew all of this already, so it was mostly for Steve's benefit. However, the super soldier didn't seem to be listening to Tony at all, still studying the room intently.
The four Avengers shared a look before stepping away from the door. "Oh, one last thing. If Harry Potter here makes any move that resembles doing magic the weapons are set to go off. So, I wouldn't really try anything."
Tony's words got a response out of Steve whose eyes widened as he looked between Tony and Loki. As the door closed the others noticed something that they would later figure out was fear entered into Steve's entire body- from his eyes to stance.
James looked like he wanted to go in the room right as the door locked, but a hand from both Thor and Bruce stopped him. "We need to be careful here and figure out our next move before we go into that room."
Bruce's voice made sense, but James couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something important about this whole scenario. As much as he didn't want to admit it- Steve and Loki had the upper hand here and the others were still just reacting to everything happening with the pair. They needed a plan, some back up plans, and a chance to regroup before doing anything else.
And waiting would also give them a chance to observe the pair to see what they would do.
The logical part of James' brain knew all this. He understood why they couldn't just barge in there and get the answers they wanted. But another part- the part that has been mourning the loss of his best friend for years wanted to just go in there and keep him in sight no matter what.
"Alright, let's head up to the common floor to figure out our next move here." Tony gestured towards the elevator again. James didn't move from his spot.
"Come on Barnes! Get a move on." Said Tony.
James shook his head, "I'm not leaving." He moved to the wall next to the door and slid down it.
Thor, Tony and Bruce shared a look, trying to figure out if they should argue with their captain over this, or just let it go. Bruce shook his head and nodded at the elevator. Tony looked between Bruce and Barnes. He sighed, took out his StarkPhone and handed it to Barnes. "Jarvis pull up the surveillance for the room and keep the audio open for the commons floor so Barnes can be kept apprised of all we're discussing."
The room's feed immediately filled the small screen and Barnes gave a quiet "Thanks" to Tony before gluing his eyes on the screen. Steve was trailing his fingers along the walls, moving slowly around the room while Loki sat in a corner, much like he did the first time he was in the room.
James noticed that Steve's hand was still tapping against his leg, sometimes faster than others, his body tense but not overly so. He barely heard the others leave as they got into the elevator, quietly conversing together. "Jarvis, can you change the feed so I can see Steve's face?"
Jarvis immediately changed the view to another camera that had a clear view of Steve's front, changing the cameras as he moved through the small room. James just sat; taking in the features of his friend he thought was lost to him forever.
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"So," said Tony as the elevator door closed, "What are we going to do about this whole situation?"
"Steve at least, needs medical attention," said Bruce, "I'm not sure about Loki though, it's hard to tell with his ability to do illusions and hide."
"Loki has always been able to hide his pains on Asgard, no matter how deep they ran," said Thor thoughtfully. He had been watching Loki closely, even though his brother wanted nothing to do with him anymore. The answers he had given at the ruins were not adding up with what his Father had said about Loki's actions leading to the invasion. "He is probably hiding his pain now or using his magic to heal any injuries he does have."
The three Avengers made their way onto the common floor. "Jarvis, bring up the surveillance on the big screen. One of the cameras where we can see both guests."
"So definitely medical then," said Tony as the screen sprang to life. "They will need a better room than that, but I'm not sure I actually trust Loki enough to let him out of there. And I don't think this Old-Cap is going to go anywhere without his God friend, nor do I think he will let Loki wear something to stop his magic from working."
"We could ask Loki to swear an Oath, one that will not allow him to harm any residents of the Tower whilst he is staying here." Thor spoke up, "That way we would be able to trust him with staying in a better room, without fear of magical retaliation."
"That-" said Tony taking a moment to think it over "isn't a bad idea actually. Hey, Bruce, maybe we can hook him up to some monitors beforehand, to see if we can analyze this "magic" of his!"
Tony trailed off on a tangent about what would be needed for such an experiment.
"Tony, I'm not sure that's such a good idea right now. Perhaps we can talk to Loki later about letting us observe his magic." Bruce said with a sigh. The scientist in him wanted to join Tony in his brainstorming, but he also knew that now wasn't the time for that. Things were still too raw for everyone and experimenting on Loki wasn't going to make that any better.
"No experimenting Tony," Came James' voice over the speaker linked to his comm unit. The no nonsense tone he used stopped Tony mid-sentence.
"Spoil sport." He muttered.
"I heard that Stark!" Came the brisk reply.
Bruce and Thor shared a small smile at Tony's indignant look.
"Perhaps Loki and Steven would like something to eat." Said Thor, getting everyone back on track.
"Good idea point break! J, what do we have food wise around here?" Said Tony, taking charge again.
"Sir, I took the liberty of having the frig in the kitchen restocked this morning when it became apparent that you would be coming back with your guests." Came Jarvis' quick response.
Bruce went into the kitchen to start getting two trays made up. Mostly just sandwiches since that was the easiest thing to get together on such short notice. He hesitated with what to make for Steve, before deciding on some soup broth and bread. Thor came in, wanting to help, so Bruce set him to heating up the broth while he cut up some bread. He filled two glasses with water and when the soup was heated put it into a large mug on the tray. When everything was in order the pair picked up the trays and made their way to the elevator. Tony came up behind them carrying a tablet and muttering to himself.
When they got to the floor with Steve and Loki, they found James sitting in the same position they had left him, staring at the phone in his hands. Without a word, Tony walked over and traded out the StarkPhone, for the StarkTablet. James looked like he was going to argue for a second but stopped when he held the tablet instead. He gave a slight thank you nod to Tony.
Tony then turned his attention to the door, putting his phone in his pocket as he did, "Open her up J."
The door opened to reveal Loki and Steve sitting with their backs to the walls in a corner, Loki was sitting facing the door, his legs out straight. Steve was sitting on the sidewall, his legs tucked up to his chest, feet almost touching Loki's knee. Loki almost looked like he was in a position of protection, even though his posture was slightly more relaxed than Steve's was. Steve's left hand was tapping away on his knee, his posture tense, eyes hard, and mouth set in a thin line. His hand paused a moment when the Avengers entered but began again after a quick sweep of the whole room.
Thor brought his tray over to Loki, while Bruce walked his over to Steve, "We thought you two might be hungry after everything."
Loki glanced at Steve, who was looking at a far wall, before shaking his head slightly. Loki glanced at the Avengers for a moment, before bringing the tray closer to his body. Much later, Loki would admit that Steve had let him know the food wasn't drugged, and safe to eat. Steve didn't move from his spot, just left the tray where it was next to him. He glanced down at it a moment, before glancing at Loki, then the Avengers.
"You gotta eat Stevie," said James when it looked like Steve wouldn't touch the food. Loki was slowly working his way through the first of three sandwiches on his tray. The food would help his body heal, but he was savoring the taste just the same. Steve let out a breath then grabbed the water and took a small sip. He raised an eyebrow at James as he put the glass down, and James muttered, "Punk," at him in response.
Loki finished the first sandwich, then took a sip of his water, "I assume you have more questions?"
The Avengers looked at each other before Bruce spoke, "We didn't want you to think food would be contingent with you answering questions or us getting something from you," was his diplomatic response.
Steve brought his head down to his knees, but the Avengers didn't know it was because he was hiding a smile at their response. Loki wasn't as diplomatic, "Worse has been done, in the name of getting food. Go on and ask your questions."
Steve nodded into his knees, bringing his head up again to take another sip of water, his small smile gone, unnoticed by their hosts.
Bruce spoke up before Tony or Thor could voice their questions, "We would like to get you to medical and get an idea of your injuries." He looked at Steve, "I know you're supposed to be taller than this, but it seems like that's not the case. Perhaps we can help the serum heal some of the more difficult wounds you might have?"
Loki's, "No!" Came out so strongly that the Avengers all startled slightly, "No," he said again with less force, "We will not be going to medical."
His tone suggested this wasn't something they were willing to compromise on at all. Steve also got a hard look in his eyes and shook his head no as well.
James put a hand on Bruce's arm when he looked like he wanted to argue with Loki on this and nodded at Steve. His friend's hands were shaking, closed into strong fists on his knees. His eyes were hard and defiant, but there was a sliver of fear hidden in their depths.
"Perhaps we could do a small check up in your rooms when we have them ready." Came his reply.
"An actual room for the magical criminal? Surely there must be a catch." Said Loki not missing a beat.
"We would like you to swear an Oath on your magic that you will not harm any of the members of the Tower with your magic while you are here." Said Thor gravely.
Loki's eyes narrowed, "That would depend on your meaning of 'members of the Tower.'"
Jarvis interrupted anything Thor was going to say, "Sir, it seems Ms. Romanoff, and Director Fury are in the lobby and making their way to the elevator. Which floor should I take them too?"
"Common floor, J. Bruce and I will meet them there in a few minutes." Came the quick reply. Tony knew James and Thor wouldn't leave until their guests were at least finished eating.
"Well kids, it's been fun. Brucie Bear and I will go deal with Pirate King. You guys can meet us up there when you finish here." Tony pulled Bruce out with him, closing the door behind them.
Thor's response to Loki's question was the last thing the pair heard as they left the room, "Any humans who live in the Tower for whatever reason. We don't want you to use your magic to bring harm to them." The 'like you do on Asgard' was left hanging between them, but both Gods heard it nonetheless.
"But I could use my magic for other things." Came Loki's quick, yet careful reply.
Thor and James shared a look, the latter not really comfortable with the thought of Loki using any magic in the Tower, but realizing it was probably a lost cause. Magic to Loki was like breathing to everyone else. "No pranks, and no harm," he amended.
Loki and Steve shared another look before the God said, "I believe I can live with that."
End Chapter 3