Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.

AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all enjoy.

Two weeks had passed, the amount of time human's needed to heal astounded Loki. Thor would often visit him and he would reminisce and tell anecdotes of the past. Thor didn't understand how terrible it made Loki feel when he spoke of these things; it made feel sad, as though he were an old crippled man thinking of all the things he could have done better, all the mistakes he couldn't fix, all the things and people he would never see again and all the things he missed so much. The times when Odin would pick him up and hold him high in the air and he'd feel brave and powerful like his brother, back when their, Odin's and his, relationship was not tarnished yet. He recalled, like a sweet dream, that moment when he heard Thor singing a love song they had heard at a tavern by a bard and Thor stubbornly denied singing anything at all. He remembered when Frigga gave Thor and him a hug before they went to bed and awoke to the welcoming shining lights in the window of whom came like old friends promising never to leave. The comfort he once had in his former golden home of warmth and safety, his former haven, was now a haze of light and warmth from the past that he would never see or feel again… he knew the past was not perfect in the least, he knew he was being nostalgic and sentimental, he knew it was a waste of time to think about, but he just couldn't help it. He missed feeling warm and safe so much. He felt the cold void of emptiness every day, the past was gone, but it almost felt as though he could reach out to it and it would take him back into its sweet arms and never let him go, but every time he tried he was met with the cold reality. Everything was so cold; the kind of cold that can never be thawed. It's the kind of cold that leaves you shaking, clutching at rags for blankets, every stifled breath causing searing pain in your throat and chest and you're desperately whispering prayers to Valhalla: Please let it end. Please let me rest! No one is listening. And the only warmth you ever feel is the hot tears on your face dripping pathetically to the floor into the puddle you made with your sobbing, soaking your rags. It's the kind of cold that leaves you frozen in all your pain, defeat, sadness, shame, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness… It doesn't let you feel anything else, sometimes you don't feel anything at all. It's as cold and blank as snow. And you have tried to defeat it too many times, you're knees are stiff from trying to move them from the cold and your heart is too tired to fight anymore, you just want it to all be over. You're so tired.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Mr. Banner would often come in to see how his health had progressed. He did not like it when the doctor touched his arm and shoulder and prodded at it, it made him anxious and he hoped that it would stop soon. He didn't like the doctor pressing his shoulder or using any of those strange machines and contraptions on him and he didn't like the healing pill Banner gave him, it made him tired. The doctor had told Loki he was healing fast, the former god of mischief found that hard to believe. His head was always banging in pain, he always felt so tired and nauseated and his arm ached like someone pressed ice on it for a multitudinous amount of hours.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" Loki jumped and reality snapped back into his senses. Stark was sitting in the chair Thor usually sat in. The Man of Iron often came in, sometimes to ask about the impending mission, other times to sit and say nonsensical things. Loki felt he was trying to figure him out, to figure out what Loki's plan was, he couldn't blame him; he was the god of lies, Stark was only being sensible by being suspicious and cautious with him, only a fool or idiot would not be suspicious or cautious with him.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Thor." Natasha approached the god of thunder on the roof of Avengers tower. He was almost always on the roof, probably trying to manage his worries about his brother. He was standing there, steady and calm in the soft wind and he turned to her at the sound of his name.

"Yes, Natasha?" he said.

Natasha decided to just jump right into it, "I think Loki's healthy enough to help us with the mission now." She said.

Thor paused in thought, "Have you discussed this with Banner?" he asked.

"Yes." She said. She was relieved to see Thor was open to finally starting this up, they should not wait too long on something so important, "And he's said Loki's healed enough to give us the information we need."

Thor sighed, "Alright." He said, calmly, though she could see a glint of worry in his eyes and in his expression. "But tomorrow." He said.

Natasha paused a moment in her thoughts, "Okay." She said. She had had hopes to start this on that very day, but tomorrow wasn't too bad. It was just that she had become more and more nervous over the past few days, as were the rest of them.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony visited Loki often, simply to talk. He wanted to figure Loki out. There was something about Loki that Tony couldn't quite understand. He was different from the Loki of the past, very different. He was quieter and he didn't boast or anything like that like he did before. He constantly had this blank look as though he were thinking about something or maybe nothing at all and sometimes his eyes would glint when this happened, a glint of fear or sadness or sometimes both, his eyes showed so much of that. Tony wondered what happened to Loki. He seemed traumatized. When Loki had a panic attack, Tony had tried to become more gentle and infrequent with his questions as best he could. He was beginning to feel sorry for his former enemy, though he tried to push that away, as it made him paranoid that Loki was planning something bad and manipulating them. The god of tricks and mischief and lies could very well do that, too. What if this was all a big act? What if the info Loki would provide soon was going to get them all killed or something like that? But it just didn't seem true; the more Tony talked to him, the more he just couldn't see it, Loki was so different from the egotistical madman the genius had first met him as. But what if Loki was just being a really good actor? Thor had told of all Loki's trickery before, of how he had tricked Thor into thinking their Dad was dead! And Tony had experience this sort of trickery firsthand in his own past. He had trusted someone before without question and that almost got him killed. But Loki was young —for an Asgardian—, it was possible that he was indeed trying to atone for his mistakes. Tony didn't think things were set in stone, he believed people could change and for the better too, in fact he knew they could, after all he did himself. And Loki had seemed a lot like a reckless teenager when they first met; reckless teenagers often change their ways and become successful doctors and accountants when they grow up. Maybe Loki was an overgrown teenager who lost his way. While Tony was trying hard to be cautious, he just couldn't help but believe Loki was better than his past self. Thoughts constantly jumbled in his mind telling him it was so or not so and he really just couldn't tell. He supposed they would find out eventually, hopefully Loki was better than when they first met him. Because if he wasn't then they were in danger, as well as the entire world. Maybe that's why Tony just plain and simple couldn't help believing Loki was better; if he isn't then they're all doomed!

"Hey…" Tony said. Loki had went into a weird trance thing again. Tony could sit there all day without the guy noticing him.

Loki jumped and looked up, confused.

"How you doin'?" Stark asked.

"I'm fine." Loki said, simply.

There was a pause and it looked as though Loki were about to go into his trance thing again.

"Hey, Loki?" Tony prompted, trying to make conversation.

"What?" Loki asked, looking up.

"Tell me who the best Avenger is." Tony said.

Loki thought a moment before saying: "The Hulk."

"What? I can't believe this. I thought you had my back." Tony said, feigning confusion and a look of betrayal.

"Banner has great strength and intelligence. He could defeat Thor, a god, in battle, and he could easily outsmart you. The choice was rather obvious." Loki said, matter-of-factly.

Stark rolled his eyes, "Pfft. Banner wouldn't be able to outsmart me if his life depended on it."

"I disagree."

"Yeah, well, ya know, that's just like your opinion, man." Tony said.

"Yeah, well, you asked for my opinion." Loki said, with a bit of sass and Tony grinned.

"I was testing you to see if you could get the right answer. You failed. You lose. Good day, sir." Tony said, folding his arms together as if he had just won an epic game of wits. Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance.

They had conversed for around an hour, Loki doing nothing other than answering questions and remarks, never really starting anything himself. He finally asked Tony to leave and leave he did.

Tony would often visit him, just to have casual conversation and say random and stupid crap. He liked talking to Loki. Loki didn't seem to enjoy it as much, or at least he pretended to convey annoyance at Stark's presence. But, if he really wanted Stark to leave then why did he wait an hour to tell him that? Conspiracies. And over the past few weeks, he had begun to grow calmer whenever Tony came in, as though his presence helped him escape with whatever thoughts that came to him when he was alone. Tony knew what it was like to have dark thoughts creep in and consume your life, like a leach sucking at your skin or like Cell, from Dragon Ball Z, absorbing you. The one thing that could stop Tony from drinking his life away because of it was Pepper. Having a friend is important. Pepper helped him so much. He wanted to be able to help Loki, because he genuinely believed the guy was suffering in his thoughts, drowning in them. Drowning in freezing cold water. He empathized a lot with Loki, maybe that's why he couldn't help but believe Loki had changed; he empathized with him.

Thanks for reading. I hope this was good and didn't make anyone want to throw their pancakes at me like Frisbees to appease and cure their minds of it. And, unless I'm telekinetically flung into the sun and immediately killed, there will be a next time,

P.H.