Waking to shouting and aggression caused you to nearly fall off the sofa, and you would have, were it not for a strong pair of hands ensuring otherwise. "It's alright." Loki tried to calm you as you frantically tried to figure out what was happening. "Will you all just shut up." He snarled.

"What the hell is happening here?" Tony demanded, tempted to power up one of his boosters, but the risk of hitting you was too high; so he declined the idea.

Truthfully, you were wondering the same thing. The last you remembered was fighting sleep on the sofa, the next; you wake to the sound of raised voices and shouting. "What's happened?" You asked fearfully.

"You asleep on the sofa, and him with you." Tony growled.

"I fell asleep, like that has never happened anyone ever before." You rubbed your eyes tiredly, trying to wake properly.

"On him?"

You froze for a moment, realising that indeed, your head had made its way to Loki's lap, you felt his hands still on you, and so you turned to where you guessed his face to be. "I am so sorry."

"You meant no harm." Loki dismissed kindly, before his voice turned cold. "But of course, even with the precious surveillance system, none believe it to be as simple as you getting tired and falling asleep." You could sense him looking around.

"With your history, nothing can be left to chance." Rogers commented, Barton agreed.

"It's a bit rich of you to be talking about peoples histories, you'd swear you were the shining light of morality." You growled.

"What issue have you got with me?" Rogers asked exasperated at your constant aggression towards him.

"I have no time for you."

"Oh, that we have gathered." Tony grinned as he folded his arms, awaiting the tirade.

"You think you are fighting 'the good fight' but in truth, you are a foolhardy, pig headed idiot that is just obsessed with being a hero." You snapped. The room silenced, everyone looking between you and the Captain. "You are effectively willing to put other people in danger solely so you can feel the big man. I bet you were always looking for a fight too when you were nothing more than a string of piss before you got juiced up." Tony snorted in laughter. "There is a reason people like you were not wanted in the war effort, was because people like you get people killed." You pulled yourself to your feet. "Loki has done some terrible things, hell, everyone here has, but unlike you, they actually seemed to have grown as individuals." Taking Beauty's harness, you commanded her to move forward and stormed from the room.

"Friday?" Tony looked to the ceiling.

"Yes Sir?" The AI replied.

"Please tell me that that was recorded."

"From six different angles sir." She informed him.

"I want all of them on my phone and I wanted it forty minutes ago." He clapped Rogers shoulder as the Captain stood in indignant shock at what you just said. "One thing you cannot accuse her of, and that's holding back on how she really feels about you. You did ask."

X X X `X X

Cautiously, you stepped into the shower, allowing the warm water to pour down on you, your head tilted back in a way that the water poured directly onto your face, embarrassment flushing through you over and over as you recalled dozing off on the sofa, and waking on Loki. Your mind began to replay the moments repeatedly, determined to make you as humiliated as possible over and over. Trying not to think about it only made you think about it more. It was only after you had put some conditioner in your hair and you were allowing it to seep into your hair you recalled his voice just as you drifted off. What had he said? You could not recall, and it began to irritate you. His tone had been soft, you remembered that, when he was being nice, he actually had a soothing aspect to his voice, one that exuded calm, but also power. It had made you feel utterly protected. But the words, you could not recall. Focussing on that only caused you to become distracted and you slipped slightly as you tried to get out of the shower, cursing yourself, you paid closer attention to what you were doing for a moment so to prevent a repeat. You ended up sitting on your bed, with Beauty sitting next to you, her fur getting wet as it rubbed off your leg. Frustrated, you fell back onto it, what had he said. Beauty gave a canine groan as she watched you, wondering what invisible force had caused you to act in such a manner. "I give up."

X

"Loki?" The mischief god barely gave the other one any recognition. "Loki what transpired here in our absence?"

"What are you blathering on about?" Loki growled, throwing his eyes up.

"Well we arrive back to you contently sitting on a sofa with a Midgardian resting on your lap."

"She fell asleep, what do you suggest I do, throw her to the floor?"

"The Loki of late would have."

"You have just stated the Loki of late is not one that did such, and questioned it, so try again."

"Do not play semantics with me Loki, why did you allow her to rest on you?"

"It is none of your concern, as the computer system would have told you, I did not harm her, as I have sworn not to, so effectively, nothing is untoward."

"That is highly debatable." Thor crossed his arms and stared at his once brother. "The others are not pleased with regards all of this, I cannot attempt to fight this battle alongside you if you do not tell me the reason."

"You do not wish to fight alongside me; you only care to find out if there is anything of note for your own curiosity, which there is not."

"I fear you are being deceitful."

"And why, pray tell, does the Mighty Thor think such?" Loki asked dramatically.

"Because you were too pleased with her proximately Loki, and when she woke, startled, you protected her, your concern blatant."

"She requires protecting. Were we not trained as youths to protect those who require such care?"

"You do not care for Midgardians."

"What has that to do with anything?"

"She is one."

"I would never have gathered." Loki stared at him boredly, his tone sarcastic.

"So why?"

"If I am not causing any chaos, mischief or general uproar, what does it matter?"

"Because I fear you are at risk of redemption Loki."

"Dear Norn's what are you on about?" He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"How is it she is getting you to be more caring than I have ever seen you?"

"Will you just go and swallow a joint of some form of meat like the brute you are and leave me in peace. I was forced to remain sitting upright in that uncomfortable chair for the most of the afternoon, I wish to rest." Loki growled, walking away from Thor.

He had thought of the reason for his complacency with your falling asleep on him for the vast majority of the time you were there, annoyed at himself for his lack of reaction to it, but in truth, he knew why it did not bother him, he actually liked it.

The scent of your body wash annoyed him, for reasons he could not explain, so he decided to bathe in order to relax, allowing himself time to think for himself once more. But even as he rested in his bath, he began to ponder Thor's question, though he knew himself the answer to it. The reason for his caring about you was your caring about him. As ironic as it was, the one that could not see him physically was the only one to truly see him.