Loki wakes up and turns over. His door is closed. He does not remember closing his bedroom door. He tosses the blankets off and dresses in the softest shirt and trousers in the trunk, relishing the feeling of the fine knits against his skin. He ties his hair back and heads to the kitchen. There is a note on the table.
"I was here to tell you the news last night, but you were sleeping. Magda has everything in order and you have a home of your own. I have told no one yet. You may move in when you are ready."
He reads the note again, "I have a home?" He is both terrified of moving out of the tower where, even though he is rather hated, he at least knows people, and thrilled at the prospect that he might find his own place in this world. He decides against breakfast and, barefoot, leaves his quarters to find Wanda.
When he knocks on her door, she answers with her tea in hand and invites him in. The colours and textures of her drapes, pillows, and blankets delight him. He has never seen a room both so comforting and so exotic. He settles into a pile of pillows on the floor and she brings him tea, relaxing into a bean bag chair.
"Good morning, my friend."
"Good morning, Wanda. I saw your note."
"Yes? Are you excited?"
"Yes...and frightened."
"Do you care to say why?"
"What if I cannot adapt to this world? At least here I know who I can ask for help."
"You will have Magda next door. And I am only a phone call away. I am confident you will learn how to live here."
"I don't know how to procure food, to wash my own laundry...this place is still foreign."
"I understand. But you are not alone. Do not ever think that you are."
"Will you teach me these things?"
"Magda and I both will. And Thor has learned some of these things as well."
"Thor will not have time to help me. He is running between two worlds. My life as a mortal will fade from his sight as he learns to rule Asgard."
Wanda sets her tea aside and pulls her bean bag closer so she can take his hands, "Is this what you fear? Your brother forgetting you?"
"Yes."
"I can make you no promises. But I will do my best to remind him when he is here to visit. It is what little I can do."
"Thank you."
"Now...what do you want to do today?"
Loki's thumbs trace gentle circles on the backs of her hands, "I suppose start a new life in a new home."
"I will call Magda and when you are ready, we will pack your belongings into the car. Have you had breakfast?"
"No."
"Would you like it?"
"I do not know."
She nods, then stands, tugging on his hands, and he follows, "Come. Fruit, yoghurt, and music videos on YouTube."
"YouTube?"
"Yes. On the internet. I have been listening to Lindsay Stirling play the violin in these recordings on the internet all morning. Let me introduce you to a bit of Midgard's lesser known music."
He lets her lead him to the kitchen, "I place my auditory education in your capable hands."
After breakfast, they load the car. He owns little enough that a few paper bags, her carry-on bag, and the trunk are all they need to pack. In one load, they are ready. The chest balances awkwardly in the trunk of the car and they drive slowly to the row house. Magda is once again waiting on the front porch, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand, her red hair a waterfall glimmering in the morning light. She meets them at the car and greets everyone with her hug and kisses. Thor hefts the chest on his shoulder. Magda leads them to Loki's flat and unlocks the door with a flourish.
"Welcome home, darling!" She hugs him again, "I am glad Wanda has brought you here. I have a feeling our lives will be the better for it."
He allows the embrace to linger, "Thank you. I hope I will be a good neighbour." Wanda slips by them with the paper grocery bags and sets them on the kitchen counter before returning to the car for the other bag.
"You will be. I have not yet been wrong about who will fit in well here, all of us imperfectly perfect for this community."
"Thank you."
"You are ever welcome. Now, I took the liberty to put together a few things for you here. Of course, this is your home," she hands him the key, "and you may change things as you wish. But there is a bed in one of the bedrooms, with a new mattress and clean sheets. A fluffy towel in the bathroom, and a set of dining room chairs, and a percolator. A couch in the living room, and small coffee table."
"That is more than a few things."
She smiles, "Well, we will still have much to do to settle you in, but I did not want to overwhelm you. It is enough to get by until you wish to shop for other things."
"Again, thank you."
They head up the stairs and Thor deposits the trunk in the bedroom, Wanda sets the bag on top of it, "What do you wish to do next?"
"I do not know. What do I need to do next?"
"Relax in your own home." Wanda smiles, "Shall I make coffee?"
"I do not have coffee, do I?"
"I slipped a few things in my bag before we left. I will show you how to use the percolator."
Loki hovers over her shoulder in the kitchen, watching closely, and after, he opens the door to the balcony and sits, leaning against the railing, sipping his coffee, with his brother and two friends. Magda and Wanda are not shy about snuggling together with the brothers in the slight morning chill and they giggle as they jostle legs and try not to spill their coffee. He enjoys the closeness. The warmth of bodies. He finds himself regularly chilly in this realm and he realises that his origins in Jotunheim must have kept him from cold. But it is more than just warmth that he finds himself relishing. It is companionship with no conditions and the kind of gentle touch he has not received since his fall from the Bifrost, touch that expects no further intimacy or advances. He knows this is not how Thor is with the Avengers and wonders what is different in these friendships.
It is not long before Thor and Wanda are called back to the tower on urgent Avengers business and Loki is left with only Magda. They sit in the dining room at the old ash table with coffee and a quick lunch she brings over from her own home.
"So, Loki. We have a few options. I can leave you to yourself to get settled. Or we can shop. Or I can give you the same sort of tour I give as part of my work- the 'welcome to a first world country, here is how everything functions' tour."
"A first world country?"
"A technologically advanced nation. Many of the people I work with come from places with no running water, pit toilets, and the most basic of houses. They have never seen washing machines for laundry, toasters, or even our stoves. So I must teach them."
"What sort of work is it you do?"
"I work for a refugee organization. I was hired after so many Sokovians came here and needed help becoming Americans. Wanda told Mr Stark that he was going to create a large assistance fund or she would take matters into her own hands. He created the thing that destroyed our home. He did as she demanded, and so I started working with only my own people. But now I help many others as well."
"How did you know you could do such work? Had you done it before?"
"Not in that way, no. I had been helping transgender people live beautifully for a few years in Sokovia and then here. It was not so difficult to believe I could do the same for my refugee fellows."
"How many years has it been since Ultron?"
"Five. And they were very long ones, indeed. But our lives are, for most of us, settling into this nation. There are still struggles, but we are learning."
"Ah. Do you think I will learn? And how can I learn an occupation when I do not even know what is available? This world is so different than mine..."
"We will venture out and find out what you would like to try. Let go of your worries. You are not alone and neither Wanda nor I will let you drown here."
He smiles, "I seem to be thanking you quite a lot today...but thank you. Again."
"And as always, you are welcome."
"I think I would like that tour now."
Magda offers her hand and he takes it as she stands, "Come, then. Let me teach you to use a toaster."