"Ouch!"

"I… Sorry, I didn't notice the door stop," Peter chuckled, his hands on her shoulders as he led Max blindfolded through the tower. "My bad."

"First of all, fuck you," she said, hands outstretched and socked feet cautiously moving forward. "Second of all, where are we? Did we go by Ben's floor yet?"

"If I give you hints, there's no point in the blindfold," he insisted, "and then where's the drama in that? It's gone, Max. Is that what you want?"

"I literally don't hate anyone more than I hate you right now."

"Cool."

If he could have seen it, she was rolling her eyes repeatedly. However, she did so with a grin on her face—how could she not? One day after her disastrous blurting of love for Loki, Peter was set free from the confines of the lab, and they were finally able to hang out just as they had done before. Reed and Sue were making great progress, and according to Peter, they were in the process of refining the recipe for maximum use of their limited ingredients. It would still take a few days, and after another trial on a few more aliens, they'd work on turning the serum into a weapon, preferably one in gas form.

It was… something, at least. Max decided that Hollywood action-thriller movies had totally distorted her appreciation of the scientific method, and she had to adjust her expectations if she didn't want to end up continuously disappointed.

Speaking of disappointment: although Loki obliged in their game for most of the day yesterday, he spent roughly zero time alone with her afterward. He turned thrown water balloons into feathers and temporarily kidnapped Valeria, which prompted a rescue mission. He managed to thoroughly soak her, and he pelted Johnny with a balloon that the man swore had been turned to ice. He surrendered to Valeria in the end, using a white sock as a sign of defeat as per the little girl's shy request. He sat through two Disney films at Max's side, gaze constantly unfocused, but when she said she was finally going to bed, he promised to join her later—and never did. Even when she woke up sometime around three this morning, he still wasn't there, and all of their interactions today had been with other people present.

Completely unimpressed. Yes, she hadn't meant to tell him anytime soon—the words sort of just happened. However, she didn't like feeling like a total idiot in the aftermath, and despite the fact she had tried to remain nonchalant about it, she needed someone to rant to. So, after lunch, Peter had the unfortunate luck of getting an earful of it in the stairwell. He had almost no useful advice whatsoever for her situation, but he said all the right things, nodded at the right time, and in the end, she had felt a bit better about it.

And then he put a blindfold on her and said he had a surprise for her, which, to be fair, would make anyone unsettled. And he had managed to walk her into the corner of a stairwell railing twice now, and for some stupid reason, she continued to go along with whatever he had in store for her.

"Okay, stop here." Something slammed noisily behind her, making her jump.

He pushed down on her shoulders, jolting her to a stop, and Max let out a dramatic sigh. She could barely hear his footsteps as he darted around her, and she held out her arms warily, trying to feel around for a clue as to her location. They hadn't gone down any elevator shafts, so she assumed they weren't in the basement level, but they had gone downstairs more than she had ever gone before.

Or not. Who could really tell when your sight was taken away? She licked her lips, feeling supremely vulnerable without him standing behind her, until she finally heard him speak again.

"Okay, take the blindfold off."

Grunting a little, Max untied the knot with some difficulty and dragged the cloth away from her eyes. She noticed the room she was in first, her gaze traveling slowly around the enormous space. It reminded her of the lab, and the more she looked, the more she realized it had roughly the same design concept. There was a massive open circular area, one that stretched between two floors at the very least. Peter stood in the center of it, but she noticed the various balconies around him, and she finally realized that it reminded her of an amphitheatre of sorts.

Her wide-eyed stare dropped down to him when she was finished taking in her fill of the unfinished room, with its sparse piece of random furniture and cement walls. He held out two cuffs to her, and she frowned as she stepped down two wide, low-set stairs toward him.

"What are those?"

"Happy Birthday Christmas Alien Invasion… uhm… Day," he managed, and she noticed his cheeks had a bit of colour to them. He cleared his throat, his arms dropping a little. "I made them for you."

She smiled, staring at them as though they were the ugliest pieces of jewelry she had ever seen, and then crossed the distance between them.

"What are they though?"

"They're like mine," he insisted, tugging up his sleeve just enough for her to see the wristguards he always wore. "I thought that… if you ever need a quick escape, you could just… web on, you know?"

"Oh my god," she mumbled, finally accepting the cuffs and holding them now as though they were precious gems. "That… That's amazing. I can't believe…"

She threw her arms around him, which seemed to catch him off guard, and hugged him tightly. After a moment of surprised silence, he patted her back, chuckling in her ear.

"I had some free time while Reed and Sue were tinkering…"

"Thank you," she whispered, breaking away and running a finger under her eye. "Really, this is… It's amazing."

"Come on, don't be a girl about it," he muttered as he scratched at the back of his neck, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. "Try them on!"

"Okay, okay…" She tucked one under her arm and snapped the other into place, using the Velcro-adjusted strap to tighten it. The more complex part was on the underside of her wrist, just like Peter's, and she saw a little wheel with grey coil around it.

"I can give you a cartridge for when you run out," he told her as she set the other one in place. "I don't really have a lot to spare at the moment, but—"

"I think you should keep your spare cartridges," she said, nodding a few times as she held her arms out to inspect her gifts. "I mean, you know how to use it."

"You'll probably waste a bunch practicing though."

"Show me how it's done," she demanded, holding her arm up at a wall and closing one eye. "Is it like a gun? Point and shoot sort of thing?"

"With enough practice, your brain just… predicts where the web will go." He stepped behind her and pushed her arm up, all the way to the ceiling of the giant room. "It's like steering a car, really."

"Minus the Tarzan vibe," she mused, smirking back at him. Peter rolled his eyes.

"If you make that stupid holler while you're swinging, I swear to God—"

"I'll contain myself, I promise." No, no promises. One day, when she had the freedom to swing wherever she wanted without the risk of being shot down by a tank, she would make any noise she damn well pleased.

"So, this one shoots the webbing," he continued, showing her the few small buttons on the underside of her arm. "You won't be able to disconnect from it unless you hit this one…"

"Right."

"Try it."

So it really was just a matter of pointing and shooting? She pursed her lips, aiming for a spot where the cement discoloured, and then pressed the button with her middle finger. It was a bit of a stretch to reach it, but she was sure she would get used to it. However, she frowned when nothing happened, and then quickly realized she was pressing the release button instead—Peter was kind enough not to comment. Taking a deep breath, she tried again.

This time, her arm practically flew in the opposite direction as grey cable shot out of her wrist. The movement was so powerful that she almost stumbled off her feet, knocking back into Peter instead.

"It takes a bit to get used to," he told her, steadying her by her shoulders. Her arm tingled when the cable found its mark on the ceiling—a few feet away from her intended target.

"Are you sure it's okay that I'm using it?" she asked. Her arm was already tired from holding it in place, and she clicked the release button, which let her limb fall away as the cable hung limply from the ceiling. "I mean, being just a… normal, non-radioactive person?"

"Yeah, I don't think you'll have a problem." He stepped around her, holding up her tired arm and giving it a shake. "We'll have to build some muscle mass on you though… I mean, this is—"

"Fuck you," she said with a grin, wrenching her arm away. "Don't insult them… They're sensitive."

"They'll get ripped out of their socket if they can't hold their own body weight," he reasoned. Hands on his hips, he surveyed the room, and then pointed out another spot. "Let's try again. We'll find some weights and exercises for you to do…"

"Hurray," she said dully, despite understanding the necessity behind it. It wasn't like she was in terrible shape, but the last month had taken more of a physical toll on her than she realized. Her legs had grown strong from climbing the stairs every day, but the frequent days in bed with little food had thrown her whole system for a loop. Even if she hated it, Max knew it'd be a necessity for her overall health to start building up what little muscle mass she used to have.

They spent some time together after, during which Peter showed her how to shoot shorter webs, ones that would cover an attacker's face if necessary. He showed her how to hang on to a cable as it retracted up into the cuff, making a soft whirring sound as it pulled her up some ten feet in the air before she accidentally hit the release button.

If Peter hadn't been around to catch her, that mishap would have ended in a broken tailbone for sure.

"You can just hit the normal button to lower yourself back down," he told her, chuckling a little as he set her on her feet. She realized that she was shaking a little, but there was a grin plastered to her face—the adrenaline had kicked in. She nodded a few times, straightening out her t-shirt.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"You'll get used to it."

The door slammed heavily somewhere behind them, which made her flinch again, but as she saw Loki march into the soft lighting of the monstrous room, she knew he hadn't been trying to be dramatic: the door fell shut heavily behind Peter earlier too. She looked between him and her wrists, and then held them up for inspection when he drew closer. Peter, she noticed, had taken several long steps away from her.

"Look," she said, grinning at Loki. "Peter made me a gift!"

"Oh?" He clasped his hands together behind his back, stopping in front of her, his head cocked to the side. "And why would he do that?"

"Because he's a nice person," she snapped. She wasn't about the play into his ridiculous jealousy spats, particularly when her feelings were so plainly set out for him. She huffed a little, and then added, "If I need a quick getaway, I have a ride now."

"I see." He snatched her wrist and held it up for further inspection, eyes running along the buttons and gears and straps. "So you intend to use this to swing from building to building like the Spider?"

He cast a sidelong look at Peter, who seemed busy cleaning his glasses. She cleared her throat.

"Yes."

"You intend to swing into a building… To land gracefully on the concrete like your little friend does?"

"Stop it," she said softly, her smile dropping. His eyebrows shot up, feigning a look of innocence, and he held out his arms.

"Stop what?" She opened her mouth to respond, but he quickly spoke over her. "I think it's very sweet that your little friend has made you something—"

"Loki." She noticed Peter shifting uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye, and she had an almost uncontrollable need to turn and apologize to him for the sudden change in mood.

"However, you are not as strong as he is," Loki continued, gesturing between the pair with his finger. "You're human, and all of the qualities that I admire in your kind do not make up for the physical weakness of their bones and bodies."

"I…" Max stared at him for a moment, mouth hanging open, and then inhaled deeply, ready for a rebuttal. However, before she could get a word out, he took her by the shoulder and marched her backward quickly, then shoved her into one of the concrete pillars behind her. "Ouch!"

Her shoulder and arm took the brunt of the hit, though it could have just as easily have been her head. Her upper extremities had already taken a bit of a beating today, and she shot him a scowl as she pushed herself off the wall.

"You will slam into a building with far greater force should you choose to… swing between them," he reasoned, stepping out of her way when she stalked by him. "I only speak for your best interests."

"They're meant to be a last resort," Peter said, speaking up at last. His voice sounded clear, no hint of a tremor, and her gaze darted over to him. "If she's in a situation where she needs a desperate out, there's no harm in scaling a building or lowering down into a sewer."

"Do you not have better things to do with your time?" Loki's voice was tight, almost strained. "I believe you have an entire planet to save with the work you do—"

"Oh my god, stop," Max demanded, whirling around to glare at him. "Just stop."

His lips pressed together, his eyes cold, and she heard Peter sigh behind her.

"I'm going to just… let you deal with that," he offered. Max watched him leave, and she returned his weak smile with one of her own.

"I really like them," she said, holding up her wrists. "Thank you."

He nodded, giving her a farewell salute, and then darted away. When she heard the heavy door fall shut, she turned on her heel to face the petulant idiot behind her, her hands going to her hips.

"What is your issue?"

He rolled his eyes and marched toward the door. However, before he could get very far, she aimed her left wrist at his, and the cable struck its mark, ensnaring him on the spot. He stopped and tugged at the webbing, but it only ended up making her stumble toward him.

"Max."

"Now you're stuck with me." She smirked as she started to retract the cable, and while it didn't manage to move him in the slightest, she ended up shuffling half of the distance between them. "Not like you weren't already or anything."

"I hardly see myself as… stuck with you," he muttered, bringing his wrist up to examine. He tried to pull the tendrils of the cable from his arm, and when he had no luck, he shot her an irritated look. She shrugged.

"I don't really know how to get it unstuck," she told him. "We can ask Peter later."

"Fine—"

"But for now," Max pressed, keeping her voice even, "we can talk about why you were a huge prick to Peter—"

"That must be fairly obvious by now."

She stared at him for a moment, her temper stirring, and then took a deep breath. She couldn't get into this again… She couldn't argue about jealousy with him. It was such a disastrous plague in any relationship, and she had hoped he would just stop at some point.

"Jealousy is so insanely unattractive to me," she told him, and his gaze flicked up to her sharply. "I mean, like, it's so toxic between two people, especially when it has literally no basis for anything. I don't know if you heard me yesterday, but—"

"I did."

She swallowed thickly, her palms suddenly sweaty and her stomach turning over on itself. He had heard her. He knew what she said, and yet he hadn't bothered to comment on it. Colour touched her cheeks.

"Did you mean it?" he asked, and she looked over his shoulder, unable to meet his gaze properly but still wanting to look up at him. She nibbled on her lower lip for a moment, trying to choose her words tactfully, but in the end, she said what she felt.

"Yeah, I did." His arms fell to his sides, tugging hers down with it, and she watched what she could only interpret as an internal meltdown happen behind his eyes. He kept licking his lips and blinking rapidly and fiddling with his fingers, until she finally groaned and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Don't make a big deal out of it."

He let out a soft breath, his shoulders somewhat slumped, and now it was finally her turn to cut him off, to catch his words before he wasted them.

"I love a lot of people," she added, arching an eyebrow at him. "You're just one of many… and the only one I let feel me up occasionally."

At no point did she think to ask him if he loved her. Not when he grasped her hand in his, his fingers practically crushing hers, and not when he swooped down to kiss her, passionate and needy. Not after she broke the cable between them, and not when he pressed her to the wall and hoisted her up, legs wrapped around his waist.

"Can you stop being mean to Peter now?" she breathed as he pressed cool kisses to her neck, grinding himself against her. A twinge of pleasure shot through her abdomen, and she fisted her hand in his hair. "It's really annoying."

"I suppose I can… try," he grunted, biting down on her shoulder through her t-shirt, hard enough to make her squeal. Max stiffened when his hand slipped between her thighs, rubbing her with his palm, and she pressed her forehead to his.

"Wait, wait, I'm kind of sore…"

"I'll be gentle," he murmured. He kissed her once, twice, and then lingered by her lips, brushing against them as he spoke. "Give me a chance to show you that I… I can be gentle."

She nodded, pulling him to her for another kiss, and then giggled when he threw her over his shoulder. They eventually found themselves entwined on one of the various balconies on the second floor of the expansive room. Her clothes lay in a pile behind her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her body pressed to his. Peter's gifts were also somewhere else, forgotten for now, as Loki showed her far more than his ability to be gentle.

"You just have to press the play button…"

"Why isn't she speaking?" Thor's eyes squinted at the screen. Normally, Agent Romanoff would be waiting for him there, arms folded and expression steely. This time, however, her image was completely still, and there was a triangular object over her face. He cocked his head to the side as Jane sighed in his ear. She then leaned forward and hit the longest key on the board in front of him, and Romanoff's voice filled the room.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to make our conference call," she started. There was a buzz of activity behind her, and Thor spotted the green-haired woman hovering in the background, chewing her nails with furrowed eyebrows. "Banner's gone and stolen a submarine."

The woman rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder, and the green-haired woman stopped fiddling with her fingers. Thor frowned, detecting an immense wave of frustration in the woman's tone.

"Stark sent him a message about an antidote in New York that can kill the aliens without hurting the people around them, and Banner's run off to join him." She shook her head. "We don't even know if Stark's there, but I can't… We won't let Banner go on his own. I'm taking another sub out there, and it'll take us a few days to get across the Pacific, but I fully anticipate the Hulk breaking a few boroughs once he gets there."

Jane reached over his shoulder and tapped the same button again, pausing the message. Thor glanced at her, neither annoyed nor intimidated by her presence. He could practically feel her brain working, and he gently touched her hand, which rested on his shoulder now.

"Your people have been working on an antidote too," she noted, to which Thor nodded. "No one's been successful, not even Eric."

"I am certainly not surprised that the man of iron would be capable of such a feat," he mused. "If what she says is true, it is reckless of Banner to try to breach the American borders on his own."

Jane stayed silent for a moment, and then tapped the key again. Behind them, Thor heard the chatter of his agents on the other side of the door, all of them undoubtedly fighting to be the first to hear the news from other parts of the S.H.I.E.L.D. empire. Unlike Romanoff, Thor preferred to have these meetings in private, with Jane as his only trusted confidant.

"If you can partition off some of your workload, we could probably use you over there," Romanoff finished stiffly. "It'll be like an anniversary to the first time." Thor's small grin matched the one straining to get out on her face. "Rumour has it from my sources inside that Loki's there. They've got his face broadcasted on TV stations."

Thor perked at this, and in that moment, the rest of the world fell away. Loki? How long had he been on Earth? Had he entered the realm before or after the invasion? Why had he not contacted Thor in some way or another?

"So, we don't know if it's propaganda or the real deal," Romanoff muttered, "but we could use you all the same. My goal is to get to the Captain in five days… I hear he's fighting in Brooklyn. I wish I could have delivered this personally, but Banner already has a huge head start on me."

Off to the side of the screen, someone appeared to be trying to hand her something, but her glare scared him off—Thor's grin grew.

"Hopefully I'll see you soon," she said, grabbing a remote controller and pointing it at the screen. "We could use you… and the hammer."

Her thin eyebrow cocked up slightly before the video stopped, and Thor rose to his feet. Jane, wrapped in her housecoat with her hair in a bun, studied him.

"Are you going to go?"

He nodded. "If there is a chance Loki is there, I have no choice."

"Then I'm coming too," she said decidedly, arms folded over her chest as she stepped around him. He took her by the shoulders, gently, and turned her around. It made his heart heavy to think of leaving her behind, but he couldn't imagine bringing her out of the security of Oslo and into the dangers that awaited him across the ocean.

"It's too dangerous."

"Yeah, it is," she mused, shrugging his hands. "Someone needs to make sure you don't die."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she was already out the door, shooting him a look over his shoulder as agents stepped out of her path. Smirking, he jogged after her, his mind racing with ways to transport her—and Darcy, undoubtedly—into enemy territory with as minimal damage as possible.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

A bit on the short side, yes, but that's fine with me. My wrists are starting to act up a little, and I wanted to get this out before I start working on my book. I finished my first chapter for that last week (hurray!) and will get to work on the second in a few days. Again, thanks to everyone who volunteered to beta for me, and I'll be in touch (probably sometime in April) about people's availabilities and things.

I personally can't picture Loki saying the L word yet, to anyone, even if he does genuinely feel it. In this story, not necessarily in the previous, sex has been a really big emotional communicator for him, and I had hoped that might come across as to his true intentions here and now.

And Thor being protective big bro makes my heart sing. I also, again, wanted to demonstrate the vast difference with the Thor-Jane dynamic to the Max-Loki relationship. Anyway. I was so happy that people were pleased to see the rest of the Avengers kicking into action. I recall some said they had too much plot involvement in the last story, and I was trying to limit them, but somehow they wormed their way in there.

Anyway! I'm off! I'm looking at houses tonight for a new rental with my man-candy, and it's been such a stressful ordeal trying to get things sorted. Best that I get this update out before that nonsense starts to take over.

MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE WHO PROVIDES SUCH WONDERFUL FEEDBACK FOR ME! Honestly! Some of your reviews are like little books of their own, and I get so excited to read them. SEE YOU SOON, DARLINGS!