Notes: Sorry this took so long, this chapter was a pain. I'm not exactly happy with it but oh well. I tried.

Loki felt faint, his heart thumped loudly in his ears along with the swishing of the blood in his veins. On top of things he'd been so damn anxious he hadn't even been able to stomach any food on the way there or the day before. Which meant he hadn't had anything to eat in four days. Which also, he thought dryly thorough his nerves, would more than likely explain why he felt like he was going to vomit outside the tall, golden gates that stood guard in front of him. They looked just as they always had and intimidated the hell out of him. He pictured the day he walked through them on what he thought would be the last time he'd do so and remembered standing outside them as a child after his classes.

Past the gate stood a large stone and wood mansion three stories tall and a well-kept lawn with bushes and flowers that his mother personally saw to. He knew that the backyard would be similar with various winding porches and a stone patio and trees surrounding the outskirts of the property. The inside would probably be much the same it had been as well, what with his father's way with keeping tradition, all the way down to their surnames. Tradition didn't normally bother Loki but that tradition came with pitfalls. Thor would inherit the estate and company when their father died and their mother would get plenty of money as well. Loki wasn't sure what he'd get in the dividing, if anything at all. He was adopted after all.

Trembling, he pushed the intercom button on one of the pillars that stood on either side of the gate and peered into the small camera screen. After a moment there was the sound of static and Thor's blond head appeared in the screen, the smile on his face much more subdued then Loki was used to, "Thor."

"Loki." Thor returned carefully, looking at his brother's pale face, "You should have called us before you showed up. Mother is nearly running around the house trying to get prepared for your visit."

Loki smiled tightly, "I know, I should have. I'll apologize to her when I see her, or did you plan on keeping me outside?"

"No, no, come in. I'm just…surprised that you actually came here. I didn't believe Amora at first when she told me." Thor pressed a button and the golden gate opened down the middle and swung inwards. "We're all glad that you did."

"Right." Loki sighed and got back into his rental car before driving up the extensive driveway, parking in one of the guest areas. As got out of the car and saw the house again up close, his stomach lurched, and Loki quickly dove for the small wooded area. After he'd stopped retching up nothing but water, he wiped his mouth and hesitantly came up to the wood doors. Lifting a hand he hit the doorbell and waited until one of the doors opened and he was greeted by his mother's smiling, tearful face. Before he'd even gotten the chance to enter, her arms flung around his neck and she pulled him close into a hug. His body tensed for a moment and then relaxed into her embrace.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you again, my darling." Frigga told him as she stroked his hair and eventually pulled away to examine her son's face. Immediately she was struck by how thin and sickly he looked and motherly worry took over her gladness. She gently brushed his cheek as she frowned, "Goodness, you've grown so thin. You haven't been taking care of yourself. Come inside, I'll make you something to eat."

Loki nodded and followed her inside, eyes scanning the tall ceilings and wood paneled walls with their paintings and windows. They moved past various pieces of elegant furniture and antiques on their way to the kitchen and even a maid who smiled and nodded at Loki and as they entered the room the smells of past meals filled the air, making his stomach twist with hunger. The cook stepped aside to let Frigga do what she wanted and Loki watched as his mother gathered ingredients that he recognized as things she used for her famous vegetable soup. He used to eat it all the time as a child when he'd be home from school due to his reoccurring bouts of sickliness. It brought back memories of her sitting by his bed and making sure he ate all he could of the meal then tucking him into the blankets.

"I'm so sorry to cause you to worry, mother." Loki murmured quietly, standing beside her as steam rose from the pot. "It was never my intention to hurt you."

"I know, darling, I know." Frigga smiled at her son, fighting tears once more, and she reached up to brush away one that Loki hadn't even realized he'd shed. "I'll never blame you for what happened to Baldur. Never. You're my child, maybe not by blood but you are in bond and I'd never intentionally hurt you and I know that you'd do the same. Thor told me your feelings on the matter."

"I'm sure he did." Loki sighed, wondering where the man had run off to. Maybe he'd decided that avoiding Loki would be the best thing to do. Not that Loki actually wanted to speak with him. In his mind this was all in his favor. If his mother was the only person he had to talk to he'd be perfectly fine with that. He knew that it would be too good to be true though because nothing ever went his way and he'd promised to at least try and reconcile with his family, not just Frigga. "What else did he tell you?"

"That you're living with a man in Manhattan, Tony Stark in fact. And before you fret, I don't mind that you are. If you care about him, are happy, and he's good to you then that's all that matters." Frigga said sincerely. She knew about Loki's sexuality and had for some time. It'd never bothered her and all that she worried about was if he found happiness with whomever he loved. If it turned out to be a billionaire in Manhattan with a reputation then so be it, so long as he treated Loki well. From the sounds of it he did.

"We…broke up." Loki told her, taking the bowl of soup Frigga handed him, the warmth seeping through it and warming his hands and the scent of it reaching his nose, making his stomach growl. He stared down at it, chewing the inside of his cheek in thought. He'd expected a much more dramatic to the news of his living situation. "He ruined my trust for him and so I left."

"And how did he do this? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, no, he didn't physically harm me." Loki shook his head and sat the bowl down on the counter, stirring the contents with his spoon, "He dug into my past when I distinctly told him I didn't want him to know and that it wasn't his concern. He should have known better."

"Oh Loki, you should know that relationships require truthfulness just as much as trust. He has a right to know about you, even if you tell him only in small amounts at a time." Frigga stroked his hair like she did when he'd been a child, a motion that she'd found comforted him and slowly, he relaxed. "No, he shouldn't have done that if you'd told him not to but it's not something you should automatically leave him for either. You should have spoken with him first."

"Yes, but-" Anything else Loki might have been wanting to say was cut off as Thor appeared in the doorway, swiftly moving the few feet to Loki and pulling him into a hug. "Thor…please, LET GO."

Thor coughed and released him, taking a step back, "I'm so sorry, Loki, for when I came to find you. I hadn't intended on striking you. Truly, it was out of line. That was not how I wanted our reunion to go. I hope you understand that."

Loki's first instinct was to tell him, no, that it wasn't going to be magically all better and that a single apology wasn't going to help. Still, he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he took in Thor's regretting expression and his mother's look of hope that her children would start making progress in repairing their relationship. So he cast Thor a reluctant glance and nodded, "This doesn't make everything better but I will consider it a start. It will take a lot more than an apology."

"Yes, I understand." Thor clapped a large hand on Loki's shoulder and he gave Loki a smile, "Any start is better than nothing. Even if it takes years to fix things between us."

"It may very well take years." Loki replied coolly, glancing down at the hand. That was two down as he made his attempts to get at least back on speaking terms with his family. He'd never been angry with his mother; she'd been a casualty in his ploy and so making up with her was far easier. With Thor it would be different, it probably would take years to fix their problems and for Thor to earn back his trust after 31 years of feeling like an outcast.

"Of course. I wouldn't have thought any different about it." Thor dropped his hand from Loki's shoulder and looked to their mother, "Is there enough soup for me?"

Frigga chuckled, pleased with the progress, and patted Thor's arm, "Hadn't you just eaten? But yes, there is enough. Help yourself."

Thor did just that, giving himself a generous helping of the soup and slurping away at it. Loki rolled his eyes and with considerably more grace, sipped at his helping. Peaceable silence fell over them as the two brothers and their mother ate in the grand kitchen. It felt like how it should to them all, a family enjoying a quiet meal together. They all knew that two members of their family were missing and Loki chose to be the first one to bring up one of them, "I've noticed that Father isn't here to greet me. Could he not be bothered to come see his son?"

"Father should be home soon. He had to check some things at the company." Thor explained, putting his now empty bowl into the sink. At one look from Frigga however he washed it out and put it and the spoon in their proper places. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

The sick feeling returned that had nothing to do with lack of food. Frigga was the first to notice and quickly guided him to a stool, remaining at his side. Speaking with his mother had been the easiest of the three people he had to make amends with and Odin would be the hardest. Loki was still not sure on how he felt regarding Thor. Their relationship had always been difficult and he'd always looked up to him as a little brother would. He drew a shaky hand through his hair, breathing deeply to steady his nerves that were on the rise once more.

He thought over what led him here, the intervention by the only three people he could remotely consider friends –a term that he found was somewhat unfitting-, and the phone call from Stark… A year ago he couldn't imagine he'd be in this situation. He'd always assumed that he'd end up alone and away from his family, that they could care less about him. Instead he'd been greeted warmly by at least two of them and he was making a step in some direction that could be considered healthy. It was all overwhelming.

The sound of footsteps startled him out of his thoughts and he turned his attention to the entrance to see standing there the tall and intimidating form of the man he'd called father all his life, single blue eye staring at him unblinkingly, "F-father…"

"Loki." Odin replied curtly and the room's occupants held their collective breaths.

Loki had grown ashen and slight tremors had appeared in his hands. Oh. Why was everything spinning? That was the last thing he recalled before the whole room went dark.

He didn't know how long it was before he finally awoke, finding himself in his old room on the second floor overlooking the back gardens. His head ponded with the beginnings of a migraine. With a groan Loki dropped his head back onto his pillow. He'd actually fainted. He hadn't done that since he was a teenager. Loki laughed with disbelief. He'd hit rock bottom hadn't he? One look at his father and he'd fainted like a woman on her wedding day. He was never going to live this one down.

It quickly came to his attention that he wasn't the only one in the room and if it wasn't for his stomach, Loki would have sat back up. Sitting near the balcony was Odin, the fading sunlight of the evening at his front. Loki couldn't form words and he wasn't sure what he'd even say if he could. He'd dreaded this moment and it was the big reason he'd put this off for so long. What would his father think if he'd known that Loki had been a prostitute? Was he already aware of it? Neither his mother nor Thor had mentioned anything of it so it was likely no one in the house knew what his previous occupation had been. However that wasn't his only concern.

When he'd left it hadn't been under good terms. Baldur had been dead for only a few months and Loki had just found out that he had been adopted. His relationship had turned resentful towards Thor and he was certain that Odin hated him despite his best efforts to be as good as a son as Thor and Baldur had ever been. When it had grown to be too much, he'd left. Even now he still feared that he was hated even while he pretended he didn't give a shit about them. Funny how only now he was admitting certain things to himself.

"Father?" Loki asked and he flinched when the single eye turned to look at him. He quickly looked down at the ceiling.

"Are you feeling well?" Odin's voice was just as it had always been, filled with wisdom. "Your mother worried you might have injured your head in that fall."

"I'm well enough, I suppose." Loki murmured and he wasn't sure if Odin even heard the words. "Father…"

"I know what you wish to talk about, Loki. Thor mentioned your fears." Odin stood from the seat and walked to Loki's bed, taking a seat on the edge in a way that looked far more fatherly than he'd ever been. "I'd never hated you. Not after what happened to Baldur or any time before that. I admit I must have been a bad parent to have made you feel inferior to your brothers."

Loki didn't reply and instead slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning against his headboard. Like most of the things happening, he hadn't anticipated an out and out apology from his father. Would he accept it? Yes. Would it automatically remove years of feeling like he did? No. It was just like with Thor. A single apology wouldn't heal all wounds suffered. And he stared at Odin, expressing this only with his face.

"You were a difficult child. Agreeable but difficult and I cared for you as your mother does." Odin met Loki's gaze and a small level of understanding passed between them. "I know that you'll carry the doubts with you always but these words need to be spoken. If you choose to believe them or not is something only you can decide."

"Yes, I know." Loki sighed, "And you're right, I will always doubt the words but…I needed to hear them. I've spent the last two years running from my past and here I sit confronting them. But one thing you did not answer is why you never told me I wasn't your son, why I felt so outcast."

"I did not tell you because it wasn't important. We raised you as our child and so you were our child. There is nothing more to it. I wish I could have expressed these things earlier in your life to avoid your hardships but I did not. The business took so much time away from my sons. I regret that I let it do so. Thor was easy to please and Baldur happy to just be with your mother, I never realized that you'd take more than those simple things. You're frighteningly intelligent, Loki, even as a child, and I underestimated that. Could you forgive me?"

Loki sat in silence then slowly nodded, "Maybe at some point. I…I did wrong too, father. I was jealous and cruel and I chased people away. I recently had my eyes opened by someone who I could easily see myself falling in love with. I ran from them and I was confronted by three people who know me nearly better than I know myself. I'm trying to make good with my past. It's not easy for me."

"And that's good. We're here for you if you choose to talk to someone."

"I know."

It was a start and Loki hoped that those who had pushed for this were glad.

Loki only stayed there for another day and he left bright and early, saying his goodbyes and promising that he'd try and come back when he could. He didn't know when that would be exactly but he'd try. He hugged his mother and Thor gave him a rough pat on the back. When it came to saying good-bye to his father, the two simply shared a look. It was all that was needed now. Just a look to convey what they'd discussed the previous day. Loki truly hoped that it could be done. All he'd ever wanted was the same level of acknowledgement that Thor had received and right now it seemed like he was going to get it. He just held onto that hope that he wouldn't revert by the time he the next visit came around.

The drive back to Manhattan was a long one and it was night by the time he arrived at Tony's tower. Loki stared up at it, taking a deep breath. This would be just as hard as it had been to go back home. Luckily he was saved the trouble as the doors opened and Natasha flagged him inside, "He's upstairs."

Loki nodded and took the private elevator up to the penthouse floor. He hesitated before exiting, "Stark?"

It took all of three seconds and the sounds of shuffling for Tony to appear in the room, grin spread across his face, "You actually showed up."

Loki scoffed, fighting a small smile, "Of course I did. I said I would talk to you and so here I am."

"I'm sorry, Loki, for snooping. I knew you didn't want me to and I did it anyhow. I breeched your trust. I'm not surprised you left me for that."

Loki shook his head and came up to Tony, pressing a deep kiss to his lips that was returned. When he pulled away, he met Tony's brown eyes, "You did but I've learned a lot the last couple of days and one of the lessons learned is that I need to forgive and I need to know when I need to tell someone something important. I promise you, Stark, that I will tell you everything. Just give me time, please. It'll be soon."

"That's good enough for me. So does that mean we're good?"

Loki chuckled and ran his fingers down Tony's chest, "For now. However, I'd like some sort of compensation."

Tony smirked, snaking an arm around Loki's thin waist, "I can think of some stuff that can be used for it."

"Yes, I'm sure you can."