It was official; Loki loved the tower. Between all the many, many fascinating little electronic doodads to play with and all of the warriors with their many stories to tell, he was in paradise. Some days he would find himself shooting arrows with Clint, others he might request a story from Steve. But one day in particular, he found himself wandering the halls when he came across a room he hadn't seen before.
When he opened the door, Loki was greeted by the sight of Bruce, sitting cross-legged on a mat. His back was straight, and his palms were laid on his thighs, outstretched and facing upward. Loki crept curiously forward, worried that if he distracted Bruce he could be interrupting some complicated spell. Unbeknownst to him, Bruce had already noticed, and couldn't help cracking a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
"You don't have to be afraid, you know." Bruce said.
Loki jumped. "I am sorry, Lord Bruce! I did not mean to interrupt you! I'll just…" He turned to leave.
"Wait, wait!" Bruce said, still smiling despite himself. "You can stay if you want."
Loki turned back around, cautiously. "Are you sure?"
"Of course."
Satisfied, Loki walked back over and sat down right beside the doctor. "What spell are you working?" He asked.
Bruce chuckled. "I'm not working any kind of spell. I'm meditating."
Loki cocked his head. "What is meditating?"
"It's a special kind of exercise that helps clear your mind, and calm you down."
"Why do you do it?"
Bruce took a deep breath. "Well, it's like this." He said. "I look like a perfectly normal mortal right now, right?" Loki nodded, and Bruce continued. "There was an accident a long time ago, and now if I get too angry I can turn into a monster. So I try to keep as calm as I can."
Loki's eyes widened. "A monster? You? But you don't seem evil at all!"
Bruce smiled wisely. "But here's the thing. Not all monsters are evil." Loki cocked his head curiously. "A monster is something that's big and scary, that people are afraid of. But that doesn't mean it wants to scare people. It just means it's unlucky."
"My father always taught us that monsters are bad things, to be fought and killed. Like the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. They're the worst monsters of them all."
"And how do you think they got that way?"
"What do you mean?" Loki asked.
"A wise man once said, 'be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle'. You don't know why the Frost Giants are so mean, do you? Maybe their life is just so hard, they feel like they have to take it out on everyone else."
Loki thought on this. "Like when I am in a bad humor, and I don't want to be nice to anyone?"
"Exactly."
Loki gave himself another moment to ponder this idea, then asked; "May I meditate with you?"
"Of course. Sit with your legs crossed, like me, and let's get started."