Loki was irritable when Thor and the others returned to Asgard. A simple spell alerted him of their return, and he went to the great hall, knowing that that was where his brother would end up. He was surprised to find that there were several dead, wrapped in ceremonial coverings, with those who returned, but he hid his surprise behind an annoyed façade.

"What's going on? Where did you go?" he asked. "Are you aware that the Stark boy barged into here and-"

"I am not in the mood, brother," Thor interrupted, looking equally annoyed at the idea of dealing with anything Loki had to say. "We have dead to prepare."

"Where were you?"

"Earth. Thanos attacked the Avengers compound, and –"

"Destroyed them all?" he finished, feeling smug. True, some of the Asgardians had died, but if Thanos had destroyed the earth, then he didn't need to worry about keeping the hatred for the place out of his thoughts – although he was careful to keep that in check, for now. "If they would have submitted to my rule, I would have spared them the devi-"

"Thanos is no more," Thor told him. "His army was defeated."

"What?"

The god of thunder smirked, well aware of the response that his next words would bring, and anticipating it.

"By Peter."

Loki wasn't amused.

"A boy? Do you really think I would believe that a mere stripling could defeat the mightiest army in the universe?"

"What you believe is of no concern to me," Thor told him, shortly. "But we were there. A simple motion of his hand, and a bright light – like the forge on Nidavellir – wiped out Thanos and everyone who followed the mad titan."

"And healed me," one of the others added, pointing at a bloody gash in her armor, but no injury under it.

"And me," Thor agreed. Several of them wore battered armor and clothing that told of a vicious battle, but Loki could see none were limping or bleeding. "The boy wielded the stones of power, and they did as he commanded."

"Tell him about the rest of it," another said. "About the light."

Loki tried to appear uninterested, but it wasn't convincing.

"What about the light?"

"It circled their planet and then shot out into space," Thor told his brother. "Whether it was simply excess energy being expelled or if the light is seeking others who would wrong the earth is still undetermined."

"We'll have to wait for it to make it to a populated planet," the woman said. "One that has people who are aligned with Thanos – or have issue with the terrains." She smirked, too, because it was no secret that Loki had been in alliance with Thanos – and that he definitely felt animosity to the people on the planet in question. "One wonders what will happen if that light eventually reaches Asgard."

Loki felt a shiver of concern that he couldn't suppress.

"No one has that kind of reach."

"The infinity stones are incredibly powerful, brother. No worries, though, even moving at the speed of light, it would be countless years before the light reaches us. You're probably safe."

"Unless it gains speed as it travels," another said, speculatively, thoroughly enjoying the threat to someone who was of Asgard, but was such a pain in all of their rears. "Or is designed to simply seek out troublesome entities."

There was a soft scattering of murmurs of agreement, but Thor raised his hand to stop the conversation.

"We have dead to honor," he reminded them. "Let's get to it."

They dispersed, leaving Loki standing in the hall alone, once more, staring at their retreating backs.

OOOOOOO

Nick looked up from the tablet that he was studying when a movement caught his peripheral vision. He saw Tony walking in looking a little less tired than he had but no less concerned. The billionaire walked over to stand near the chair, looking at Peter, and then the display on the side of the chamber. Fury set the tablet aside, and carefully stood up, cradling Nutmeg to avoid dislodging him and making him dig his sharp little claws into his skin.

"How is he doing, Tony?" Nick asked, knowing that Tony could translate what he was reading.

Stark sighed, and Fury could hear the exhaustion and worry before he even spoke.

"He's stable." Tony slid his hand along the panel, again, changing the display, and then looked at Peter, pressing his hand against the side of the chamber, now. "The nanotech is active, but it's too early to tell how much it'll repair before we have to pull him out of the chamber for his own health."

"How many days can he stay in the coma?"

"In the coma? Indefinitely. The fluid, however, is as dangerous as it is helpful, since there's always the possibility that it'll weaken his lungs. We won't be able to keep him in it more than a few days."

"It'll give him a chance, though."

"Yeah…" Tony sighed, again, and the two men were silent for a long moment. When he spoke, again, Stark's voice was soft. "I failed him, Nick."

"Who? Peter?"

"Yes." Tony's hand went back to the surface of the chamber, his palm flat, as if trying to touch the boy. "I'm supposed to be taking care of him, and I'm doing a lousy job if things."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Tony," Nick told him. "And that's saying something, all things considered, because I've known you long enough to hear you say some truly idiotic things."

Stark scowled, but didn't look away from Peter's still form.

"I promised May I'd take care of him."

"That's a promise that you've kept."

"Yeah? I'm doing a bang up job of it. He's constantly in danger, from kidnappers, or mobsters, or –"

"Tony," Fury interrupted before the billionaire could even get started. He put his hand on the younger man's shoulder, forcing him to look at him, instead. "That boy loves you. Have you even been watching his face when you walk into the room? His eyes light up with happiness. And don't even get me started on when he calls you dad, because it's the damndest thing to watch. His expression is filled with this wonder, like he can't believe how lucky he is."

"But-"

"No buts. He's had a rough time of things; true, but that started long before you even knew him. Nothing that has happened to him is on you – not even the kidnappers. I hear you and Pepper telling him that the people who make the bad decisions are responsible for their own fate, not the ones that they try to hurt. You make him believe it, so you should believe it, as well."

"Yes, but-"

"Again with the buts?" The SHIELD director shrugged. "You put him first. There for him when he needs a hug – even if he doesn't know, yet, that he needs it. You let him be a kid, although he's so serious, most of the time, that I'm pretty sure you're the only one who could really bring him out of his shell the way you do." He didn't mention that it was because Tony was good at being immature, at times. "Always make sure he has everything that he wants and needs – and you're there for him when the truly freaky shit starts happening. You give him the tools that he needs to do what he wants to do, but you make sure every step of the way that he has a safety net, just in case. If that isn't fulfilling a promise to his aunt, then I don't know what is."

Tony was silent for a moment.

"I just want him to be happy."

"He is happy. And he'll be the first one to tell you that."

"Yeah?"

"You doubt me?" Fury asked, his voice at its most menacing, even though he didn't do that on purpose. "We could get one of the others in here to give you a second opinion…"

"Second opinion on what?" Pepper asked, walking up to them without either man noticing.

She was dressed in slacks and a blouse, with her hair tied back. Clearly intending to spend time at home.

"Tony here seems to think that this room should be painted a different color. It's too stark in here; white walls, ceiling and floor. Before our next alien invasion, I'm thinking we paint it lilac."

She frowned and looked at her husband, fairly certain that that wasn't what the conversation had been about. He smiled, though, and nodded, taking Nutmeg from Fury, and sticking his face into the kitten's furry belly to blow a raspberry against the soft little hairs, there.

"I was arguing that it might look better in a mint, of some kind. What do you think, dear?"

Pepper shook her head, and took the kitten from him, smiling at how calmly Nutmeg handled being passed back and forth like that. Of course, he'd been loved from the time that he'd arrived at the compound, and enjoyed a lot of attention from the Avengers, so he was used to it, by then. Really, though, she could sense a change in Tony's demeanor. He didn't seem quite as forlorn as he had, even an hour before. She was glad, and more than willing to play along to keep his spirits up.

"I think you're both nuts."