Author's Note: Chapter 11 revised now!
After the events of the other day, Bruce is sitting with Loki in the kitchen. The doctor is reading the newspaper while Loki sits in front of the bowl of fruit.
"Are you Asgardians able to digest food by just staring at it?" Bruce asks casually, not looking up from the newspaper.
"What?" Loki frowns, dazed.
"Well, maybe you know some magic trick, but as for us... we have to actually swallow the food we wanna eat. And you are just staring at your breakfast. I'm just wondering if you have some other magical way to get nutrients into your system," Bruce smirks at her warmly.
"No, we have to eat the normal way," Loki grins sheepishly.
Bruce, a bit like a father would, thus says, "Then... eat up."
"Do I see it right that you have taken it upon yourself to take care of me? After I wanted to see whether I grow wings once I fall?" Loki asks silently. She is not blind. She knows when she is being watched. When you are for almost all your life, you simply know.
"In fact," Bruce nods. He is rather honest to her. It might be just what she needs. A bit of truth to hold on to.
There is no point in denying that, Loki knows anyway. She understands that she set off the alarm for her actions on the roof. That just seems to be her style.
"I can assure you, though, that I won't do it again. It was... out of the heat of the moment," Loki argues.
"That's good to know," Bruce shrugs casually.
"I meant to imply that...," Loki exhales, but Bruce interrupts her with a wink, "I got the implication, Loki."
"Then I don't see why you make it your personal obligation to watch out for that," Loki argues.
"I don't play your watchdog to see if you do it again and keep you from it, I mean... I kinda do, but foremost, I wanna make sure you're getting better again. And a good breakfast is a good start," Bruce tells her. Where is the point in watching someone when you can also make sure that they no longer have a reason to stand on a rooftop, right?
"That is very kind of you, Doctor, but it is not your obligation. Just because you caught me in the act doesn't make it your responsibility," Loki replies, but Bruce says directly, "No, but that we are friends."
Loki almost drops the fork this time, dumbstruck.
"What? So surprised that I dare to think of you that way?" Bruce smirks sarcastically.
"... in a certain way," she stammers.
"And what way is that?" Bruce frowns, realizing that she is actually... sincere in her surprise.
"... that you actually see that in me," she admits. "It's been... long... since I last had someone who considered me such. I was more of the social outcast, actually."
"How's that? I mean... you used to be Asgardian royal and all," Bruce frowns. He gets it that Loki is a very special kind of character one really has to learn to get along with, but at some point he thought that people paid her at least the due respect as one of the royals.
"One more reason not to like me for my pun, scorn... oh, and that I messed with all of them, whenever the occasion allowed," she huffs. It is what you expect of a misfit after all. So why bother to give another impression? Sometimes it's really easier to meet expectations - for as long as they are about your faults and mistakes.
"And why not befriend people other than the royals then?" Bruce questions curiously, because that is what he would have done in that situation.
"Very strong codex. One does not befriend those of the lower ranks... even if I did try. Yet, they just never liked me, not even as a child," Loki shrugs.
"Yeah, kids can be horrible, especially to the nerds," Bruce nods, speaking from experience.
"I got back at them. Made fire under their little butts, quite literally so," she snickers viciously.
"Really? That's awful!" Bruce can't help but chuckle.
"It didn't burn them. It was just, well... a little warm," Loki grins. Bruce smirks back at her, but then Loki admits more honestly, "So... I am surprised that you seemingly have such a high opinion of me to call me your friend, because I take it that you don't call someone your friend quite easily."
"Definitely not. I'm very picky," Bruce confirms with a smile.
"You call Master Stark also your friend. How did that happen?" Loki shoots back sarcastically.
"That... I ask myself. I guess he's just so nuts that he kinda grows on you," Bruce grimaces.
"Yeah, like a dog chasing his tail, thinking that he'll actually catch it," Loki rolls her eyes.
"Yeah," Bruce chuckles.
"Either way... I thank you for... finding me worthy of your friendship," Loki says softly, allowing emotion to show.
"You're more than just welcome," he winks at her. "And what about you?"
"Me?" she frowns.
"Do you consider me your friend also?" he asks.
"Well, I didn't think I could dare to, but... I'd like that, a lot," Loki admits.
"Great, then this is settled," Bruce smirks at her.
"... okay," Loki tilts her head.
She never thought that making friends... could be that easy.
"So, as your friend... eat up, please," Bruce smirks. She smiles sweetly at him before taking the first mouthful of the fruit. Bruce can't help but smile with her – and notice just how beautiful her smile is, and how... warm, actually. She normally has the reputation of the Ice Queen, of the girl who is farouche, aloof, tough as steel but cold as ice. Yet, her smile brings out the real side of hers, the one that is caring and highly emotional, sweet, nice, polite. Just... a normal girl who wants nothing more but a place in the world.
"There you go," Bruce chuckles.
"I actually start to take a liking to Midgardian fruit," Loki smirks.
"Don't they have that in Asgard?" Bruce frowns. From the descriptions Thor offered so far they have everything plentifully, in masses, and the rest is made of gold and diamonds.
Loki waggles her fork around mindfully as she says, "Oh, we do, plentifully, but not so much those that are labeled as 'tropical' – because of the rather humid weather in Asgard. I like those."
"Exquisite taste, it is, then," Bruce snickers. She takes another mouthful and says between the mouthful of fruit, "It's really good."
"That's a strawberry," he grins. "Those aren't tropical, by the way."
"And they aren't fruit either," Loki argues, after she swallowed.
"Huh?" Bruce frowns at her.
"Strawberries are collective nut fruit," she explains, slowing down a bit when she says the term she read, nodding her head lightly. She points at the strawberry on her fork, "This here?"
Loki glances upwards as she recalls the information from her studies, "This part of the fruit is the receptacle. And those 'seeds' are the achenes. Strawberries aren't fruit. They are nuts. I like them for that. They are a bit like me, thinking about it. I seem to be Aesir, though I am not. Everyone mistakes me for an Aesir, though I'm actually... a Jotun. When I'm supposed to be fruit, I'm a nut."
She plops the strawberry into her mouth with a smirk. He chuckles to himself. Yeah, she really is just that. She is not what all people think she is... and is still sweet.
"Yeah, you're really like a strawberry, thinking about it," Bruce grins at her. She wiggles an eyebrow at him, taking another mouthful. Bruce shakes his head with a playful smile before he returns to his newspaper. They continue in silence as suddenly the door opens and Thor, along with Clint and Steve enter. The two humans are busy making conversation. Thor's eyes almost seem to pop out of their sockets as they fall on Loki. She quickly bows her head, one hand on her forehead so that her raven hair covers her face, dropping the fork into the bowl of fruit. Bruce immediately straightens up.
"Morning, you two," Steve greets them.
"Morning," Bruce says, hiding his grimace behind the newspaper.
"You're early today, huh?" Steve smirks.
"Well, we both enjoy the silence before Tony comes in to munch his cereal as though he had a loudspeaker in his mouth," Bruce jokes.
"Yeah, that ain't pretty," Steve agrees. "I give you that."
Bruce glances over at Loki, who is still visibly distressed. Thor turns to the fridge to take out some items. Loki dares to glance up to doctor, now with almost pleading eyes that scream "Help me". Bruce takes the cue and folds up his newspaper, "Loki? We wanted to work on the transistor-module, right?"
"Yes, yes," she stammers.
"Then let's go. Take your breakfast with you. This is gonna be a long day in the lab," Bruce tells her. Loki takes up the bowl and they go for the door.
"Have a good day, guys!" he waves at the others.
"You, too," Steve nods. With that the two leave the kitchen. As they are walking down, Loki grasps Bruce's arm, "Thank you so much."
"It's nothing," Bruce smiles, patting her hand with a welcoming smile.
"I'm normally not like that, I assure you," Loki tells him. He must think that she is really just a ridiculous hen.
"Yeah, we saw you as the world conqueror before, I know you're more than that," Bruce winks at her.
"I just didn't expect, well... of course I expected to see him. He lives here also," Loki shakes her head. It's just so stupid...
"Expecting and experiencing something are two very different animals," Bruce smiles at her warmly.
"Truly," Loki sighs.
"Well, I'm here. I can always get you to the lab somehow," Bruce winks at her.
"Bruce?" Loki asks in a hushed voice. He glances at her.
"Thank you," she says in a soft voice.
"That's what friends are for," he smiles at her.
"Good to know," Loki nods.
She has a friend.
Just like that.
A friend who protects her and makes her eat.
Is friendship really that easy? That close within her reach?
And so they continue with their way to the lab, their sweet escape.