It takes only a few days for Loki to integrate into the regular workings of Avengers Tower. He learns to get up every morning, dress, leave his room, and make his way to Breakfast. Yes, the capital B is necessary, he believes, for it is then when life with the Avengers is at its most honest.
Breakfast begins with a sleepy Tony coming down from the penthouse (or up from his workshop), and making a vague mumble of "Coffee…". Loki, always an early riser, gets to watch as the engineer yawns and then sets his head on the table, where it will remain until the coffee is ready, and refuse to participate in conversation until his first cup is empty. After this, he will stretch up, and Loki gets to observe as his T-shirt rides up and Tony proceeds to scratch his stomach. All of this should be somewhat disgusting, but Loki finds it endearing, in a way. (What? No.)
Next up is Dr. Banner, who will drag himself to the kitchen in pajamas that are as tattered as they can get without wholly disintegrating. He will pour water from the still warm kettle, drop a teabag in his cup, and raise it in Loki's direction in thanks. Once Loki had noticed he and Banner both had a habit of making tea in the mornings, he'd made a couple of attempts to ease the doctor's life. While brewing his tea for him was out of the equation (Banner had left it on the counter and later poured down the sink in what Loki believes is remaining distrust), leaving the kettle on the stove seems to make him happy. And a happy Banner means no Hulk.
Once Loki starts to make his way to the breakfast bar, Banner will push up his glasses and crawl half into the refrigerator, the first person to get some headway on the issue of food. The amount that makes its way onto the counters is not as big as it could be, though, since Thor is in Asgard.
Out of the elevator comes Captain America, then, fully clothed and recently showered from his morning workout. While growing up in Asgard, Loki thought he was a morning person. That opinion has, since then, been obliterated by the military habits of the man in front of him. Rogers will give him a wary glance, as if surprised Loki's still there, but will turn around and help with the cooking quickly enough.
Once the food is done, usually a mixture of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and pancakes, Barton will climb down from wherever it is that he usually resides, and come into the kitchen via the window. He will usually be in full gear, and will stuff himself with food at an alarming speed before the Widow joins them. Loki believes this is so he has a chance to chatter animately at Tony and Banner, neither of which is sufficiently awake for his liveliness at this point. Barton doesn't seem to mind.
The woman will take a plate of food with her to her rooms, and said plate will appear in the sink ten minutes later, when she and Barton march out of the Tower in full synchronization.
Loki will then look pointedly at Tony, who will just steal bites of food off everyone's plate, and then Tony will start packing whatever remains back in the fridge, still eating off the Tupperware. Banner will go dress and Loki will usually do the dishes. This menial task is one the good Captain is usually saddled with, a perk of caring for a team of grown children, but since Loki has so far been allowed at their table and sharing their meals, he has started 'helping out', as Rogers once put it kindly.
He is somewhat relieved to be allowed to do this, since it means the Avengers are starting to trust him. He doesn't feel like himself as of late, his latest plan to 'take over Asgard' having failed. It feels as if the fight has left him, and he feels truly helpless without his magic. The feeling of it, locked away and looking for freedom, often has him stressed, but he lacks any malicious intent now. Odin's latest punishment made sure of it. Usually, the several cups of herbal tea he drinks a day manage to keep his nervous energy at bay, which, he supposes, is yet another thing he has in common with Banner, but today Thor is supposed to return with Odin's verdict for Loki's latest transgressions.
And Loki can't help but feel slighted in advance for whatever tactless way Thor will deliver news of his fate. Because the month he's been stranded on Midgard, magicless and without news of Odin or Thor has been peaceful (other than the fact that he sometimes wishes he could crawl out of his overenergized skin, that is). There has been no plotting and no worrying about what could happen to Sleipnir (and yes, that loss is still a sore spot and he misses his son dearly, but in the end Sleipnir's safer when Loki is far away and not angering Odin).
(The best he can hope for, Loki supposes, is to be told to stay put, under the watchful eyes of the Avengers, without his power, but away from where he could further harm the only person that matters to him.)
(Then again, if he ever manages to regain his magic, he will have to see about coming to visit because he spent his earlier years completely ignored by his so-called father, and his most recent ones defying said father.)
(And his son, his very young son, will not grow up without knowing he is loved. He won't. So Loki had better find a way to get back to him, soon, before Sleipnir ever feels lonely and-)
"Loki?"
The mug he was holding in his hands falls to the floor, and the sound from the impact snaps Loki back to reality. He's breathing heavily, his back tense, and his hands now clenched at his sides. Stark, who was watching television on the sofa behind him, is now standing next to him.
Loki swallows, breathes, and asks, "Yes?"
"You back with us, buddy?"
Loki can't look at him just yet, so he just makes a conscious effort to relax and nods.
"It's just, you were staring at that mug like it offended you, and I think you managed to freeze the sink solid. And your nose is bleeding."
It's true. The dishes that were soaking are now encased in ice, and the metal of the sink has a light layer of frost over it. When he goes to touch his nose, his hand comes away red.
"It's nothing," he replies, but thanks Tony when he hands him a napkin.
"Yeah. Right," Tony says sarcastically, "because you haven't been stressing out over Thor and because you have your magical energy stuff under perfect control. Come with me," he decides with a playful smirk on his face. He walks to the elevator and calls it down. Loki stays next to the frozen sink. "There's nothing you can do with those," he points at the dishes, "more frozen than the Capsicle," Tony calls back, and Loki huffs out a laugh and follows.
Somehow, they both end up on the gym floor, wearing protection gear, Tony with a pair of workout pants and the T-shirt he crawled to the kitchen in, and Loki in a simple tunic and leather pants. They step onto the hard mats Natasha insisted on installing for martial arts training.
"Remind me, Stark," Loki says, "what is this supposed to accomplish?"
"You've been moodier than a 90's vampire protagonist lately. Hence me calling you Prince of Darkness. So, if this magic mumbo-jumbo issue sticks to the laws of physics, energy transforms." Tony shakes his hands and starts bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Loki lifts a brow.
"Look, it was either this, or sex." Tony snaps, "And Natasha's taken, ergo, this seemed like the safe choice. So, come at me, bro." He raises a guard and waits for Loki to move.
"You really have no sense of self-preservation," Loki says, but starts to circle around Tony nonetheless.
"First time you came into the tower, I offered you a drink and you tossed me out the window. Was there ever any doubt?" Tony shrugs apologetically.
"Point taken," Loki says, and strikes.
Every further attempt at conversation stops then, as they each focus on the to-and-fro of punching and blocking. Without Loki's asgardian strength, they are evenly matched. Loki is much faster and seems to dance away from the punches, but Tony has a much better defense and packs a harder punch. Tony manages to corner the taller man and delivers a series of jabs toward Loki's ribcage, but Loki manages to land a punch to Tony's cheekbone and escape the assault. The fight continues until both are breathing heavily and Loki's on the ground. Tony chuckles, and Loki uses one of his legs to bring Tony down with him.
"Hey!" exclaims Tony, glaring at him. Loki holds the glare for all of five seconds, but then Tony starts laughing, and the sorcerer can't help but join in with quiet chuckles.
"Feel better?" Tony asks once he's managed to calm down. The only reply he gets is a long, inarticulate grunt, which sends him into another fit of laughter.
Once they manage to pick themselves off the floor, they each head for a shower and a change of clothes. Loki returns to the living room, holding a Stark tablet and settling down to read. Tony is already there, holding a stylus and revising contracts. He makes small annotations on the margins and forwards them to Pepper to redraft. Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner sit in front of the television and watch a documentary about the space center, Rogers throwing Tony side glances every time the name Howard Stark is spoken.
It is to this scene of near-domestic bliss that Thor arrives, heralded by Jarvis, who announces,
"Sirs, there is an Einstein-Rosen bridge forming in the room."
"You know the drill, Jarv," Tony replies, and everyone stands up and moves to the edges of the room.
"Initiating stabilizing sequence," the A.I. says, and then announces, "Portal is stable."
Thor stands in the room and booms,
"Brothers-in-arms, it is good to see you. But friend Tony, what happened to your face? Was there battle while I was gone?"
"Nah," Tony replies with a smile, "Loki punched me."
"Loki?" Thor's eyes seek the trickster's, and his tone is chastising.
Loki sighs and turns to Stark, "You started it."
"Yeah, okay, I had that coming," Tony chuckles. "Serve me right for lowering my guard," he muses.
"A friendly spar, then?" Thor smiles. "And my brother managed to defeat you, man of iron?"
"Technically, it was a tie," Tony says, at the same time as Loki mutters, "I'm not your brother."
The room falls silent. After a while of glares between the asgardians, Bruce asks,
"Are you staying to eat, Thor?"
"Yes," he replies, then turns to Loki and sits down on the sofa, "I have managed to pacify the dwarves and have spoken to father-"
"Your father, you mean," Loki interrupts snidely.
"To the Allfather," Thor resumes, visibly annoyed, "and he says you are to remain here, and that you may prove yourself worthy of your magic once more."
"Great. And then, will I be able to return to Asgard? I tire of this realm."
Thor falls silent and, realizing what that means, Bruce and Steve start to leave the room. Tony just sits there, head turning like a spectator at a tennis match.
"Thor?" Loki prompts.
Thor sighs and rests his elbows on his knees, "Odin is reluctant to allow you to return," he says finally. "I am certain I may yet convince him, but he is less approachable ever since mother… Well." Thor trails off.
Loki is frozen on his spot, putting on a mask of indifference, but there is only one thought in his head.
(Sleipnir. I must be allowed to return, for him.)
"Of course," Thor continues, oblivious, "you must be allowed back to collect Idunn's apple, and to perform your court duties, and speak to the magic instructors back home, but the Allfather seems set on having you reside on Midgard from now on. I shall talk to him when I return. For now, though, I might visit Lady Jane."
"Woah, Point Break, don't you think you should go back now and fix this?" Tony interjects, setting down his work.
"I promise, Tony, that I will return as soon as I can. But the bridge has not been repaired yet, and so my father has been forced to cooperate with Heimdall and find new ways to travel within realms. I can't travel back quite yet."
"Heimdall is your all-seeing dude, right?"
Thor nods. "Which reminds me, Loki, he wanted you to have this. I did not know you were friends."
Loki frowns, stretching out his hand, and says, "We aren't."
It's true, he and Heimdall have never been in particularly good terms, but the All-Seer seems to allow Loki some transgressions because he knows his motives. He knows about Svadilfari, and about Loki's sneak visits to the stables. It's the reason he has never told Odin about Loki encasing him in ice with the Casket of Ancient Winters, and the reason he usually turns a blind eye whenever Loki uses his hidden pathways between realms. And Heimdall is not allowed to leave his post at the Rainbow Bridge. Ever.
So, while they are not friendly towards one another, Loki knows Heimdall respects him, as he respects Heimdall. This is why, when Loki opens his hand and finds, within it, a delicately woven bracelet, he frowns, then determinedly ties it to his wrist, and tightly says,
"Excuse me," before heading for the Gym again. He doesn't ask Tony to follow him, because the mortal is tired from their earlier workout, but he has the sudden desire to unleash his anger. He clenches and unclenches his fists the whole elevator ride down, and starts hitting a punching bag as soon as he can, blinking back something that feels suspiciously like tears.
Because the material of the bracelet is, Loki is sure, hair from a horse's mane. And Odin needs dark magic in order to power the transportation until the bridge is repaired. Dark magic like Loki's own. And Thor's been traveling back and forth between the realms using the magic of Loki's son.