A little over three months ago, Max couldn't have imagined standing in front of the Avengers Tower without being mobbed by the paparazzi. They'd wait in hordes, hoping to snap a photo of any of the Avengers group, but mostly for Tony Stark. Invasive. Intrusive. Rude. She had very few good things to say about the men who held cameras in her face and fired off questions like an auctioneer. And now? Max stood on the curb where taxis were permitted to loiter and drivers dropped their bosses off at work for the day—and not a single camera was in sight.

Sure, they might still be out there, but at least she could wait for Elisa to arrive without being swarmed. The sidewalk was its usual level of crowded, with people of all sorts rushing this way and that. She stood on the curb in a pair of grey, slim-fit sweatpants and a baggy sweater, occasionally pushing herself up onto her toes when she thought she spotted Elisa's car, while also regretting that she hadn't layered up. Even though the sun was out, the day had started off cool, and it seemed the temperature had started its descent into cold the longer she waited out there.

Teeth chattering, she blew into her hands and checked her phone. Elisa was a very particular woman about a lot of things, and punctuality was one of them. So, when she hadn't showed up ten minutes after her decided upon arrival time, Max figured she had reason to worry. But then again, every traffic app she had was shrieking about several collisions around the city, and considering Elisa and Nolan had seldom ventured from Brooklyn to Manhattan, it made sense that she'd be a little late. Lost. Turned around. There were a number of annoying twists and turns, and drivers were assholes.

She swiped her phone again to take a look at the time, then started to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet. Johnny had already gotten her hopes up by sending her a text a few minutes ago demanding she send pictures of Thor holding Nolie, as he thought the size difference would be hilarious. As she started to text him back, a blue Honda Civic pulled up in front of her, and she tucked her phone away quickly.

It was hard not to feel everything when she spotted her niece in the backseat. At two years old, she had a mass of wavy brown hair, a wide-set nose like her dad, and the classic Wright-family brown eyes. She was a little on the pudgier side for a kid her age—according to all of her relatives, anyway—but Max didn't care. That little mass of Terrible Two in the car seat was her favourite kid on the planet, hands down.

Her mom, on the other hand, was slowly falling on her list of favourite people. Elisa climbed out of the front seat and hurried around the car, wrapped up in completely black attire, her bushy auburn hair drawn up in a messy bun. She was wearing her usual sunglasses, her clothes the same she might have worn on a research assignment somewhere out in rural Vermont where they'd first met—and yet the severe line her lips made was still foreign to Max.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she opened the backdoor, bending over to get Nolie out. "Traffic's more of a nightmare than ever these days."

"Lots of construction," Max agreed, her attention set on her niece. Once those little brown eyes found their way to her, there was no stopping the excited babble streaming from Nolie's mouth.

"Max! Max! Max!" she chirped, squirming in her mother's arms as Elisa hoisted her out of the car. No one thought to correct her for using Max's first name, and she suspected it was something that would follow her out of toddlerhood.

"Nolie!" Max took her from Elisa, happy to have the little girl cuddled to her, and wrapped her arms as tight as she dared around that chubby little body. "Missed you!"

Nolie continued to excitedly say her name over and over again. When she'd last seen her, her speech skills were always improving, but Elisa seemed disappointed that she wasn't some secret genius who could form perfect and complex sentences at age two.

"I have all her snacks and toys packed in here," Elisa said, removing a brown duffel bag with a thick shoulder strap from the trunk. "Please don't give her anything else to eat. I'm trying to wean her off the garbage we used to feed her."

"Only food from the bag… Got it." Max slipped the strap onto her shoulder, her other arm starting to ache from holding Nolie's full weight up. "Anything else?"

"Keep your phone with you at all times." Despite standing right in front of her, Elisa had yet to take off her sunglasses or even make a move to hug her. This woman was supposed to be her sister. "Don't let her interact with too many of the other… people in there."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean?

"I think you know what I mean," Elisa said with a sniff. She nodded up to the tower, her eyes lingering there for a moment. "I don't want Noelle around them."

Her frown deepened. Max couldn't think of better people to leave a kid around. Despite all their personal baggage, everyone living in the tower was there because they were classified as heroes—why wouldn't she trust them with Nolie? Clearing her throat, she leaned her head to the side when her niece grabbed a fistful of her hair and started to tug.

"Elisa, those people up there—"

"You know what, Max? Save it," the woman snapped, fidgeting with her fraying black jacket. "I don't want to hear it. I've seen enough of your face on gossip magazines, and seen more than enough on TV to get a pretty good idea about what kind of people live in that tower."

Her words cut through Max more than she would have expected, each one slicing deeper and deeper until she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"If I had an alternative in the city, Noelle would be staying with them," Elisa continued with a slight shake of her head, her cheeks flushed. "But as it stands—"

"What is your problem?" She tried to keep the conversation from escalating into a fight, especially with Nolie in her arms, but Elisa was pushing all the right buttons to get her going. "I haven't done anything—"

"The love of my life died this year," Elisa said flatly. "He died. Gone forever."

Max was starting to shake now, and she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "I understand how death works, thanks. My best friend died this year too."

"Yeah, well, you have a funny way of mourning." Elisa wiped her finger under each side of her sunglasses, and then squared her shoulders. "Partying and attending swanky events… A different guy every week—"

"The tabloids are full of shit!" She pressed her lips together when the expletive slipped out, and both women fell silent. "Look, just text me when you're on your way back, and I'll make sure she's ready to go."

"Fine."

The woman stalked back to the driver's seat and climbed in without bidding her daughter goodbye, and Max lingered on the curb to make sure Nolie saw her mom leaving.

"Say bye-bye," she said, her voice thick with emotion, her heart hammering in her chest. Adrenaline coursed through her, ready for a fight, but she hoped that would disperse quickly. Instead of grinding her teeth and balling her fists, she took Nolie's little arm and waved it at the car, not knowing whether Elisa saw or not.

Once Elisa had officially left, Max turned and carried Nolie into the lobby, but it took them a good ten minutes to reach the elevator. Nolie was much like her dad: she was a social butterfly, and she whined and wriggled around in Max's grasp until they said hello to every security guard and Stark personnel in sight. She was a hit, of course, making the most stoic of figures smile, and by the time the elevator doors closed, Max was already exhausted.

She'd forgotten just how tiring it was looking after a toddler, and the day hadn't even started yet.

The first stop needed to be the kitchen. After peeking into the bag Elisa had packed, Nolie blabbering gibberish in her ear, she noticed that all the chopped vegetables were in individual containers and probably needed to be in the fridge. There was also a carton of sugarless juice, which Max was immediately skeptical of, that could also do with a stint somewhere cold.

Before they reached the appropriate floor, the elevator bobbed to a stop, and Tony Stark stepped in. Clad in a grey suit, one that probably cost more than her rent, he pulled off his sunglasses as he settled beside her and pressed the button for his personal floor. Nolie was instantly fascinated, and she leaned forward with her grabby little hands outstretched, her smile bright enough to light up the whole tower.

Tony's eyes swept over her, and then to Max.

"My niece," she said, readjusting her grip on everything. "Nolie, this is Mr. Stark."

The girl tried her best to pronounce his name, and Max noticed his lips quirk upward.

"Hello." Tony turned and faced them, his sunglasses clutched in one hand while the other reached out for Nolie's. "How are you?"

She giggled and grabbed his fingers with both hands, which to Max's surprise, Stark let her do. He didn't strike her as the kid-friendly type, but his whole demeanour softened in Nolie's presence. It almost made her forget just how awful he'd treated Pat lately—almost.

"What do you say?" she prompted. Nolie's conversation skills were mediocre most of the time, but she looked like she wanted to talk. Unfortunately, when she finally reacted, it wasn't a string of nonsensical words that came out. Just as the elevator slowed to a halt on the kitchen's floor, Nolie sneezed and coated Stark's fingers in snot. They both stared, horrified, as Nolie sniffled the remainder back in, her smile unchanged.

"Well—"

"I'm so sorry," Max said quickly, pulling Nolie away so she wouldn't do any further damage. The boogers didn't quite seem to have reached his suit, thankfully. "Here, I'm sure there's a tissue somewhere."

"It's fine," he said as she went for the bag, the elevator doors peeling back. "I have one."

Max opened and closed her mouth a few times, cheeks flushed as she watched him clean his hands with white linen. Her foot caught the elevator just as it started to close, and Nolie had gone back to talking to herself and tugging on Max's hair.

"It's really fine," he said when she fumbled over another apology. He wasn't exactly smiling, but there was an easiness to his voice. "Kids… What are you gonna do, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she managed. She told Nolie to say bye to Mr. Stark as she stepped out of the elevator, and much to her continued surprise, he waved back at her when her thick arms flapped around in farewell. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, she readjusted her grip on the squirming toddler, and then exhaled deeply.

"Max!" Nolie squeaked, pulling on her hair again. She gently brushed the toddler's hands away.

"I can't believe you sneezed on him," she muttered, and then grinned when Nolie repeated the word "sneeze" and "Tony Stark" over and over again until they reached the kitchen area. Much to her surprise, she found herself faced with Bruce Banner. Clad in a pair of sweats and a black t-shirt, his hair slightly ruffled, he appeared to be making a sandwich—for breakfast, if the bags under his eyes meant anything.

She rarely ever saw the man around the tower. Never, in fact, would have been a more accurate word to describe their past direct interactions. He looked up as soon as she entered, and then quickly busied himself with his food, spreading mustard over what appeared to be whole wheat bread. Nolie instantly fell quiet once she saw him, and watched Banner with rapt fascination as Max crossed the space to the fridge.

"Hi," she managed, shooting him a small smile when he glanced up. He nodded and opened his mouth like he was about to respond, but then pressed his lips together and resumed sandwich-building.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Max set Nolie on the beautiful granite countertop and began unloading her snacks, stacking the Tupperware containers neatly in one corner of the fridge. When she pulled back, she spotted Nolie admiring Banner curiously, her hands fisted in her little black dress.

"Do you know who that is, Nolie?" She pointed to Banner, who slowed his pace at adding the condiments to his bread. The little girl stared for a moment, eyes narrowing, and then shook her head just enough to make her wavy hair bounce. "It's the Hulk!"

Max laughed as her niece's mouth fell open and eyes widened, and Nolie threw her hands up with an excited squeal.

"Hulk!"

"Hulk is her favourite Avenger," Max said as she leaned on the counter, half addressing him and half watching Nolie's thrilled expression. "Tell him why he's your favourite."

Banner set his lettuce down and waited, seemingly interested in Max for the first time since they'd met. Nolie took a few deep breaths and then let them out, her face slightly pink, her smile glowing.

"Because…" She looked to Max quickly, and then back to Banner. "Because he's green!"

It was hard not to smile at the sheer glee in her niece's voice, and even Banner seemed to have caught her infectious grin.

"Is green her favourite colour?"

Max nodded. "She likes the toys that say Hulk Smash too."

"Hulk smash!" Nolie growled, doing her best vocal impression while throwing her fists out in front of her. "Hulk smash!"

Then, much to her surprise, Banner laughed. He dusted his hands off and took a few steps toward them, his hands on his hips.

"Would she like… I don't know, a Hulk autograph?"

"Maybe a picture?" She didn't want to push it, but this was the most direct eye contact he'd ever made with her, and for some reason, Max found she was craving more. "If you don't mind…"

"Uh…" He swiped his hand over his messy hair, and then shrugged. "Sure."

"You're not green," Nolie whispered as Banner approached her, her legs swinging over the edge of the counter. "Be green."

"He's only green sometimes." Max figured she ought to end that thought-train before it derailed into something catastrophic. "Green Hulk can't come inside and make sandwiches."

Nolie paused for a moment, processing the information, and then nodded her head in a very matter-of-fact manner.

"Because he's green."

Max tried to hide her amused grin. "Yes, that's why."

Pulling out her phone, she managed to make Nolie smile and pose for her picture, knowing that she'd appreciate it when she was old enough to realize who exactly Bruce Banner was. To his credit, Banner played along, smiling and putting his hand on her narrow shoulders. Apparently two year old girls turn all grown men everywhere into mushy softies.

After both parties reviewed the photos, Nolie babbling on about Banner's funny hair, Max thought it was time to end the interaction on a high. She thanked him for playing along, which he told her was no problem, and she then whisked Nolie out before she propelled more bodily fluids onto another superhero. As they took the elevator—alone—up to Loki and Thor's floor, her mind raced with all the activities she'd had in mind for the day. Her niece was pretty flexible for a toddler and was usually down for anything.

Once she returned to Loki's room, Max frowned upon finding it empty. They'd spent all of last night together, along with this morning, and he'd sat around listening to her ramble on about how her niece was the best niece in the whole world. She'd just assumed that he'd spend the day with Nolie too. He didn't need to play dolls or paint pictures, but as Max unloaded everything in the vacant room, she thought his presence would have been… nice.

After laying down a thick blanket and letting Nolie arrange her toys how she saw fit, Max figured she could give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he'd just stepped out somewhere—maybe he went to see Thor. He hadn't indicated that there was something on his to-do list that day—there were very few S.H.I.E.L.D.-mandated jobs now that the leadership was up for grabs.

They were knee-deep in an Avengers colouring book when she heard slow, deliberate footsteps in the hall. Ears perked, she kept herself distracted with Iron Man's red suit until the very last moment, glancing up with a smile.

A smile that weakened slightly when she saw Thor in the doorway, not Loki.

"Hi," she managed, straightening up and setting her crayon down. "What's up?"

"I thought I would meet the littlest Wright," he said in his usual booming voice, which caught Nolie's attention immediately. She waved him in and flipped through the colouring book to find a picture of him in his battle gear—Nolie had coloured his hair purple.

"That's Thor," she said, tapping the image before pointing at his massive frame. "This is my niece, Nolie."

"Did you colour that?" he asked as he settled on the floor across from them, cross-legged and genuinely interested in the picture. Nolie nodded, biting down on her lower lip. Max hadn't even realized what a big fan of the superhero team the little girl was—this was a day in paradise for her, one that she probably wouldn't even remember.

"Thor," her niece grumbled, mimicking the pose in the picture. Her stance was sloppy, but it made Thor laugh. He crouched down and pointed to his purple hair.

"I really like my hair," he told her, and Max practically saw the little girl swell with pride. "I shall have to colour it to match."

Delighted, Nolie grabbed a few of her other colouring books and plopped down next to him. She then went into intimate detail about who all the characters were and why she'd given them strange colours. Well, she tried her best to do so, anyway.

"Have you seen Loki anywhere?" Thor's gaze darted up to Max briefly when she posed the question, then went back down to the colouring books. She waited, fiddling with the well-used crayon in her hands. "He… He was here when I last saw him."

Thor seemed to take a moment, perhaps collecting his thoughts as Nolie continued to show him pictures.

"My brother is in a… strange place this morning," he finally told her. "The idea of playing with a child and you… It's put something heavy in his mind."

She stared at him for a moment, her mouth hanging open, and then cleared her throat. "Really? Why wouldn't he just say something?"

"You were so thrilled to have your brother's daughter here, and he felt it cruel to dampen your spirits," he admitted, smiling and nodding when Nolie pushed a picture right in his face. "Yes, that's very good. Her face looks better green."

Max couldn't help but feel flustered. Thor and Nolie's voices were nothing but white noise as she processed the new information, her face set in a slowly deepening frown. She and Loki hadn't discussed kids since the night of Sue's wedding, and even then they hadn't gone into much detail. Still, she thought they'd left the subject on a positive note with her saying she could, in fact, picture having kids with him. And yet, here they were, with Loki hiding away somewhere while Thor took his place by her side with Nolie.

He'd never even hinted in the slightest that having Nolie around would bother him. And why should it? Max spent a lot of time playing with Franklin and Valeria over the last few months. Hell, every Thursday she picked Valeria up from school just to give Sue a bit of a break. Never once had Loki said anything. All this time they'd spent together, all these hours talking about their lives, and he'd never indicated that kids were still up for discussion—or that they needed to be.

"I can see I've upset you." She blinked rapidly as Thor's voice cut through her musings, and she found him staring straight at her. Shaking her head, Max resumed colouring.

"No, you haven't," she said. "I guess we just need to talk about this."

We. Her and Loki. Apparently the subject wasn't dead yet.

"I think my brother simply welcomed the idea of a family with you," he told her after a brief pause, "and seeing you with what he could have had—"

"Doesn't mean he gets to hide all day and not say a word about it." She handed her page over to Nolie. "Can you finish making Iron Man's suit pretty?"

The little girl nodded and grabbed a bright orange crayon, apparently going for a fall theme with this version. With her niece temporarily distracted, she straightened up and sighed.

"Do you want kids?"

Thor's eyebrow arched at the question, but without missing a beat, he nodded.

"I'm very excited to have children someday," he admitted, his smile surprisingly soft. "Many, I hope."

"Me too."

"I have always thought of filling the palace with little ones." Thor patted Nolie's head when she started singing under her breath. "I'd like to teach my sons and daughters to fight, but also to love Earth. There has long been a stigma against the realm in Asgard… I should like to start a new generation of royals to break it."

So many people, in the media or otherwise, labeled Thor as a meathead. She'd read it countless times, despite the good works he'd done on this planet over the last several years. It baffled her how anyone could have an opinion like that—especially if they'd listened to him talk for more than thirty seconds.

"That's a nice sentiment," she told him, and he shrugged. Unfortunately, colouring books didn't keep Nolie entertained for long, and Max spent the next two hours going through every single playtime activity that Elisa had packed in her oversized carrier bag. Never once did Thor indicate he wanted to leave, and he played with action figures and excessively large building blocks just like she did.

At one point, Thor hid Nolie's stuffed whale behind his back, pretending not to know where it had gone. The look of sheer shock that painted his face when Nolie stood in front of him and screamed was enough to send Max into a giggle fit, and he sheepishly handed the plush toy back to avoid another meltdown.

"She usually gets what she wants," Max noted. "Not really from Elisa, but Nolan's a big sucker for her attitude."

Was. Max pressed her lips together tightly. Nolan was a sucker for it.

"Daddy." Nolie muttered the word under her breath while plucking at the whale's eyes, standing between Max and Thor.

"It must be difficult." She brushed her hands under her eyes as Thor spoke. "Seeing him in her…"

She sniffled. She'd tried all day not to think about the fact that this was her brother's kid—she wanted to interact with Nolie for her, not because of Nolan. However, saying his name and seeing his wide-set nose on her face, his coarse hair on her head, triggered something in her. Her lower lip quivered, and Thor distracted the little girl long enough for Max to pop into the bathroom and collect herself. When she returned, her eyes a little puffy, Thor informed her that Nolie requested a snack.

"Okay," she sighed, hoisting the little girl up, "down we go again."

Thor tucked Nolie's whale plushy between them, and then followed her down to the kitchen. She wasn't sure why he felt the need to stick around—he'd met Nolie, after all—but she was sort of glad for his presence. Of course she wanted to spend the day with her niece, but having a second babysitter handy when her emotions were a mess was helpful.

And she didn't even mind that it was Thor. She'd had a chance to get to know him better these last few months, but they hadn't spent much one-on-one time together. This was oddly enjoyable—more so than she would have ever expected, anyway. He and Loki might have been brothers, but there was an ease about Thor that Loki hadn't quite mastered. The man moved without a care, spoke freely, and was a bigger goofball than she had ever anticipated.

And Nolie was smitten. When Max put her down to get a snack ready, she demanded Thor's full attention with whatever she had in her cute arsenal: singing, jokes, dancing. After this day was over with, Max felt like she owed Thor bigtime for being so great with her.

With the snacks eaten—celery was not an appropriate snack for a two year old—and drinks downed, they wandered back to Loki's room, and thankfully Nolie's energy had dipped a little after eating. She was almost tempted to let her nap, but if Elisa was driving down south today, she probably wouldn't appreciate getting her daughter back wide awake and ready to rumble. Instead, Max pulled out her various books and set them out, instructing her niece to select one.

It was then that Thor stood and wandered to the doorway. Her gaze followed him after a moment, and it stopped on Loki's face. The two men exchanged a brief look before Thor left, taking with him all the lightness and positivity he exuded. In its place was Loki and the strange tension he brought with him.

"Are you just going to loiter by the door?"

She posed the question after she and Nolie had organized all of the little girl's books into three categories: want to read, already read, boring. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched him push off the doorframe and saunter into the room. His walk was casual, but she could see his hands balled into fists, his expression neutral.

In that moment, she wanted to call him out for being ridiculous, for making her feel like she'd committed some horrible crime. If he'd talked to her about this last night, it could have all been avoided. Max could have told him to go spend the day with Thor in the city—he wasn't required to babysit with her, but the fact that he was hiding for a reason that could have been assessed earlier made her grit her teeth.

Loki bypassed the pair and opted to perch on the edge of his bed, his hands stretching out over his knees. When she looked at him, he averted his gaze to Nolie's bag. Sighing, Max grabbed one of Nolie's interactive books and handed it to her.

"Do you want to do this one?"

She nodded and pushed herself to her feet, then toddled over to Loki. Without a word, the little girl set the book on the side of the bed, then clambered onto his knee. He sat stock-still, watching her until she got herself situated. Max also found herself unable to look away—Nolie was a friendly kid, but she hadn't expected her to be that friendly.

It seemed like he didn't want to touch her. Loki kept his hands on either side of him as Nolie made herself comfortable, and he looked even more bewildered when she grabbed the book and opened it.

"She'll want you to read to her," Max told him, her voice cracking a little. Loki's eyebrows shot up as he studied the open pages. Hesitantly, he brought his hands up and adjusted Nolie so that her back was against his abdomen, and then brought his attention back to the pages.

"Once upon a time," he started, his voice so velvety smooth that the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, "there was a little cow named Mindy."

He shot her a look over the top of the book, oblivious to Nolie's delight for the beginning of the story. She pushed herself to her feet and sauntered toward them, taking a seat on his left, her hand resting on his leg.

"You have to push the little cow button," she said, pointing to the soft plastic face of a cartoon cow. Thinking better of it, she leaned forward. "Nolie, can you press the button?"

The little girl's ecstatic giggle, undoubtedly caused by the mooing sound coming from the back of the book, managed to make Loki's lips curve upward, and before she had the chance to tell Nolie what a good job she'd done, he swooped down and kissed her.

She sighed, easing against him as her eyes drifted closed. It was so hard to stay annoyed at him sometimes. They broke apart when Nolie pushed her hands between their faces.

"Ew," she whined, and then pushed the cow button several more times, as if to get their attention.

"Okay, okay, we're done," Max muttered, grinning as she looped her arm around Loki's. "He'll keep reading."

Loki pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before returning his attention to the page, his voice smooth as silk and just as comforting.

"One day, Mindy the Cow met two sheep by the front gate…"

Nolie giggled again when she pressed the sheep faces, and Max couldn't help the tug at her heartstrings as she watched him interact with the little girl. What exactly were they missing out on? In that moment, it was hard not to think about what could have been, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him, hoping that he knew that she understood how he felt—that he wasn't alone.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hello everyone! So, if you follow my tumblr, you know why this update was so late. Last week (?), I pinched a nerve in my carpal tunnel region, which sent shooting pains up my hands. I went into a panic that I officially had carpal tunnel syndrome, not just tendonitis, and nearly had a full-tilt meltdown. Things have improved considerably, but I was still cautious about writing.

I also officially have three ghostwriting jobs on my plate, while also working on my own series. I've made the executive decision to push fanfiction to the bottom of the hierarchy, which means I'll be posting updates every other week rather than every single week. I know I've done this before, but I actually need to stick by it this time.

I don't have much time to write this—literally on my way out any minute now. This scene was one of those ones I'd planned over and over again in my head, and now that its written, I don't know how I feel. Oh, I was also super sick all week—a lot of it was written with severe congestion and body aches, so maybe that's why I feel awkward about it.

Anywho. I'm off! Hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks to all the precious bbies who continue to add this to lists, review, or just read in general. You're all AMAZING! See you in October (best month of the yeaaaar!).