After a restless night, Grace gave up on sleep, ate a bowl of cereal, and fell asleep on the couch in her bathrobe. She awoke to knocking on her door.
"Sweetheart, it's morning! Wake up, sunshine!"
Grace grumbled as she fell off the couch and Tony entered her apartment, his smile wide, "Go to hell, Tony."
"Been there. Or at least, been close- you know, while taking a nuke into a place with a lot of very hungry looking aliens courtesy of your basement-dwelling friend. Who, by the way, is the reason I'm here."
"Thor's taking him back?"
"Not yet. Thor wants to know what Loki's up to, so he's planned his own little chat for this morning. But Loki did ask for you. He said you offered your company anytime he needed it?"
"Yep. Figured he could use a neutral party to talk to. Oh, and there'd better be a promise of coffee behind that pretty face of yours or else I'm going to hurt you."
Tony held up a paper mug and pointed to the kitchen table, "Yours is out there."
Grace staggered to the table, "Awww, you even brought me pastries. I love you again. Now talk- what did you all decide last night at your superhero thing?"
"We're keeping him here until Asgard figures out what to do with him. Apparently the story he told yesterday is true. He faked his own death and tried to play king and failed when he said too much in front of the wrong people. And yes, Thor's mom died and he sprung Loki from jail to avenge her death. Your bullshit-o-meter is still well calibrated."
"It took you five hours to figure that out?"
"You saw how we do meetings. It takes us five hours just to decide on what pizza to order."
"Saving the world one greasy cheese drenched Italian-American pie at a time."
"Enjoy your breakfast, Gracie- I've got to go eavesdrop on a brotherly conversation in the basement. I'll let you know when you can come down."
Once alone, Grace wandered to her bedroom with a scone in one hand and her coffee in the other. She began the morning's digging through the closet to find anything clean to wear. She managed to find a tank top and a denim jacket along with a pair of blue corduroy trousers.
She stood in front of the mirror once dressed, "Steve's going to love this- red on top, white in the middle, and blue on the bottom." She grinned as an idea came to her and she dug through her jewellry box to find a single silver star on a chain that she hung around her neck. She spiked her hair, found her Harley boots, and left the apartment with her coffee in hand and her bag of pastries perched on the top of her purse. She glanced at her phone- she had a client meeting in an hour. She headed to the parking garage and told JARVIS to let Loki know she'd be down to visit as soon as she got back, and she'd bring lunch.
Her meeting went poorly. Her client was an hour late, her pastries were, by that time, gone, and she desperately needed a second, and possibly third, coffee, to recover from the terrible ideas that she had been told would be the most amazing design choices for a band poster- white unicorns, their horns dripping in blood, a cheesy font declaring open season for hunting the unenlightened, the unicorns prancing over a cartoon globe. All of it, of course, was to be edged in glitter. Grace took a deep breath as she dropped into the driver's seat and sighed, tossing the empty coffee cup in the bag from the pastries. She drove towards Stark Tower and stopped in the park to visit one of the regular food carts. When she arrived back at Stark Tower, Tony was waiting for her in the lobby off the parking garage.
"So...where've you been?"
"At a meeting...thank god not a five hour one, I'd have killed him."
"Client that bad?"
"He wants fucking death unicorns and a cartoon globe, some shit about open season to hunt the unenlightened, and I think he wants the text in that font every kindergarten teacher thinks is cute and the rest of us abjectly hate. Oh, and glitter."
"I hope when you say 'fucking death unicorns' that you mean that in the most awesome sense of the words, not in the horribly mundane."
"No, the death unicorns aren't going to be having sex on a poster that is plastered all over the city."
Tony sighed, disappointed, "Bummer. We need that kind of excitement."
"Speaking of excitement, anything interesting in the interrogation this morning?"
"Nope. Loki's steadfastly refusing to call Thor his brother and it seems this is a thing with them. Thor tried to figure out if he had some kind of plans here and it honestly seems like Loki was just trying to run away for a little while."
"Well I hope he's hungry, I brought tacos."
"Gracie, I warned you about getting friendly with him."
"Tony, it's a taco, not a condom. Tacos imply nothing but spicy goodness."
"You could say the same thing about condoms."
"Jesus, Tony, I just met the guy yesterday."
"And here you are bringing him lunch."
Grace punched him in the arm, "Dude, please, it's lunch. Besides, you know I'd rather sleep with girls."
"And I'm saying that firstly, 'rather' does not equal 'only' and secondly, he's a trickster and Thor says shapeshifter. So he could become a girl...maybe. Thirdly, did I ever mention that he threw me out a window? A very high window?"
"If we weren't on the ground floor, that wouldn't sound like such a bad idea right now. Now let me go get the man his tacos before they get cold. You know how it is with tacos from the taco guy in the park- they're best still warm."
"And you didn't bring me any?" Tony pushed out his lips in an exaggerated pout, his eyes wide.
Grace laughed and shook her head, smacking his arm, "Actually, I did, so knock that shit off. Now be nice to me and I might give them to you."
Tony's eyes brightened, "Aww, you're a good little sister!" She shoved one of the bags at him and rolled her eyes, still laughing, as she walked to the elevator.
As the doors closed on her, she said playfully, "Love you, too, jackass."
When she arrived in the basement, she found Loki sitting at the table reading. She asked JARVIS to let her in and, to her surprise, he did. She heard the lock thud shut behind her as she sat down across from him.
"I brought you tacos."
"Excuse me?"
"Tacos. Mexican food."
"I'm not familiar with that particular dish."
She pushed a bag across the table towards him, "Layers of veggies wrapped in flatbread, these ones made by a guy in the park who sells them every day of the week for really cheap. Now eat, they're awesome."
As Loki delicately extracted his from the bag, Grace dumped her tacos on the table and proceeded to use the bag as a plate, tugging down the wrapper on her first one and taking her first bite. Loki watched her carefully and approached his in the same way, albeit much more gracefully.
She laughed and swore as one of her tacos spilled all over the bag, the sauce dripping through her fingers. Loki smiled as she handed him a small stack of paper napkins from in her purse and put a second small stack next to her own meal.
"These things get messy- don't bother being delicate. There's no pretty way to eat a taco."
With that permission given, Loki enjoyed his meal a little more and stopped trying quite so hard to be proper. This taco lunch was not one he would have ever experienced in Asgard, and certainly not one he would have been permitted to be sloppy at. From very young he had been scolded for every drip, every clattered fork, every moment of excessive noise or impropriety displayed at the dining table. Over time, he had maintained his sense of decorum purely out of a subconscious, residual fear of disappointing Odin.
After eating, Grace shoved her wrappers into the middle of her salsa-soaked paper bag and crumpled it up, "Time to wash hands- please tell me they gave you a bathroom."
"Yes, through the door." He crumpled his bag in the same way she had and followed her to the sink, "Perhaps this is a strange question, but how does one...I mean, could you possibly tell me...," he sighed, frustrated, "How does one take a bath here? I do not know where I might find the stopper for the drain."
"Oh, honey, they didn't tell you?" Loki shook his head, blushing and ashamed that he had to ask. He was about to say something defensive in response when she continued, "Bastards. Well, here, let me show you." Her remark disarmed his anger. "You know the basics? Turn one nozzle on for hot, one for cold, pray you get the mix right so you don't burn your skin? OK, well here's how you switch it to the shower head, and if you flip this thingy, the drain plugs. Any questions? You figured out how the toilet works, right?"
"Yes, that technology is blessedly similar to what we use back ho- in Asgard."
"So how did you bathe in Detroit? You don't smell like a homeless bum who hasn't washed in weeks."
"I think that's a rather personal question, Miss Grace."
"You don't want to share that, no problem. I'm just curious and not afraid to ask."
"If you must know, I used what little magic I could muster."
"Ah. I'm going to pry a little more, OK? Just tell me if I cross a line or you don't want to answer. But Tony said you were some kind of sorcerer, so what's with the lack of magic? And why didn't you just vanish from my car and run off somewhere S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find you, go invisible or something? I mean, he acts like you're the master of magic and yet you're asking how to use a shower instead of just magic-ing the drain closed."
Loki closed the toilet lid and sat down, his head in his hands, "I would decidedly rather not talk about why my magic is unavailable to me."
"OK. Do you need me to do your laundry? I know Tony would send somebody to do it if you ask, but I've got the time and enough of my own to do that it won't be a bother. I mean, do you even have clean clothes to change into after your bath?"
Loki shook his head, "No, no I don't."
"Well what's in the bag in my car?"
"If you must know, my soiled garments- a few pair of trousers, a few shirts. Nothing very fine, but it will do for here."
"I'll bring down something you can change into after your bath and wash your other things. Just stay out of trouble, OK? I don't need to take any more crap from Tony about how nice I'm being to you."
"Mr Stark does not approve?" He was smiling, the thought amusing him.
"Of course not, you threw him out of the penthouse window. And he reminds me of it...constantly. So be good so I don't have to follow your lead and pitch him out one myself."
She walked out of the bathroom with him following close behind to find Tony standing at the glass, his arms crossed, his expression stern, "And what, might I ask, is going on here, Gracie?"
"For shit's sake, Tony, nobody bothered to tell him how the bathtub drain worked or how to switch it to a shower. You would think S.H.I.E.L.D. would be more sensitive to cultural differences and would have actually figured that out, but nope."
Loki sat down at the table and picked up his book, trying to keep himself from saying anything.
Tony's eyes were on him as Grace left the cell, "You know I can pull up security footage to verify anything, right?"
"And you know that, of the three of us, I'm the most straightforward. You'd better give him privacy in the bathroom, Tony, Pepper's looking for ethics violations and I'm pretty sure watching a man pee is one."
"I'm watching you, Gracie. Keep your head level."
"Do the same yourself, Tony. If you get paranoid or freak out on me if I bring him coffee, I'm going to be more difficult to handle than when I was sixteen and rebellious."
"You've never stopped being rebellious, sweetheart."
Grace kissed him on the cheek as they went to the elevator, "Neither have you, darling. We keep each other on our toes."
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"
"Laundry. I think I'm down to my star-spangled last outfit. And Loki's got a few things in my car he needs washed- man's got no clean clothes. I've got to find something to send him for after he bathes once I've figured out what size he wears."
"You just met him and you're already doing his laundry."
"I was doing yours the day after the adoption was finalised, remember?"
"True...and you shrank my pants."
"It's your fault for putting wool pants in the regular laundry heap. Can't blame me for having never owned something that nice before."
"I can blame you for still doing your own laundry, though. We've got machines that do that for us."
"And I prefer to load the washer myself. I don't need your cameras watching me put my skivvies and lingerie in the washer."
"I'm not that twisted, Gracie."
"You'd watch so you could interrogate me about my dates, honey. I know you. If you saw something really sexy going in the load, I wouldn't hear the end of it until you knew every juicy detail, you voyeuristic little bastard," she was grinning as she punctuated her last three words with light punches on his arm. The elevator door opened at the parking garage,"Now are you going to want to hover while I go through his only earthly possessions?"
"You know me too well."
Grace retrieved the bag and they returned to the elevator, "In fact, you're going to help me get my laundry started."
"Damn it, I had so many other big plans for today."
"Too bad, you're helping your kid sister with the laundry...unless you want a naked demi-god wandering around in your security feed."
When they arrived in her apartment, she tossed the leather satchel on her couch and went to put her heaps of dirty clothes in baskets. Tony prodded the satchel.
"Are you sure we shouldn't have security around when we open this thing?"
"Send them to the laundry room, I'm opening it when I can toss stuff straight in the washer. What do you think he's got in there, Tony, magic pants that make him irresistible to the ladies?"
They arrived in the laundry room and she began sorting the multiple baskets of her laundry into a few different machines while Tony called for backup in order to open Loki's satchel. She sighed, slightly exasperated by the precautions he was taking. If Loki had an escape plan, she couldn't fathom that it was contained in the slightly battered leather satchel that had sat in her car overnight. She thought he would have been more concerned about retrieving it if it had anything particularly important in it, or at least he would have asked to see it before letting her do his laundry.
When she finally had both machines ready and was waiting for Tony, she realised that there were four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounding the bag with guns drawn, "Oh for fuck's sake, Tony, you couldn't fit an alien in there if you tried. Just open the damn thing. The machines are ready, I just need to know darks, lights, and if it's something that can't be washed."
Tony gestured for the agents to come a little closer as he flipped over the cover flap and loosened the drawstring on the bag, easing it open. He peered inside as though he was afraid of something slithering out of it. Nothing happened. Grace rolled her eyes, reached over, and dumped the bag on the laundry counter. Inside, there were two pairs of black trousers that appeared to be cotton or something equivalent, two green shirts that seemed to be linen, and one black shirt that looked silk. The bag also contained a silk scarf and a few pairs of finely knit socks that felt like they might be wool. She shook the bag for good measure and a small wooden box fell out. Tony seized it and opened it towards the agents. Again, nothing happened. He peered over the lid. It was empty.
"Now can I wash his stuff?"
"Yeah. Good work, men, threat's been neutralised. Go back to your other duties."
"Just give me the laundry, Tony."
He handed her the clothing, stuffing it together in a messy bundle, "Hey, the box could have been magic."
"Instead it's just probably where he stores his cufflinks- if you haven't noticed, he is wearing them with his suit."
"Cufflinks? Who even wears those these days?"
"Classy dressing demi-gods, apparently. Go fetch me the laundry soap." Grace set aside the silk shirt and scarf, making sure the rest of his laundry went in with the cold water dark load after eyeing it for size. She made a mental note to not put his socks through the dryer and went to the sink to fill two small washbins to soak the silks in.
"The clear stuff, right?"
"Yep, same stuff I've been using for nearly twenty years." He handed her the soap, "And next we get to procure clothing for him. I'll wash what he's got on in my next load...all the stuff that's still on the floor up there that we couldn't carry down."
"Did you go until you ran out of clothes again?"
"Have you ever known me to do my laundry any other way?"
Tony laughed at her admission, "Fine, fine...you win! What do you want to send him to wear?"
"Well it's not like he's dressing super fancy, based on his laundry. We'll look for some black cotton trousers and a shirt- maybe like the ones in that Indian store down the way. Nothing flashy. Simple is good."
At that, she extended her hand for the little box, "Now give over the box so I can put it back in his bag. I don't want to lose it." Grace checked the timers on the washing machines and her phone before heading for the door, Tony shaking his head behind her, "Going shopping, be back soon. Hopefully he won't be stuck sitting around naked in the meantime. Have JARVIS tell him I'll be back soon, if you can't handle it yourself."