Wanda brings a small bag to Loki's flat. Magda is cooking breakfast, Loki taking notes about his book. She sets the bag on the table beside him.

"What is this?"

"A telephone. If you are to call Alexi, you will need one of your own."

Curious, he sets down his pencil and opens the bag, drawing out a thin box, "The box is larger than I expected."

"They put a lot of packaging around such things so they will not be damaged traveling from factory to store. Open it."

He opens the box and gently lifts a sleek brushed steel phone up to the light, "How does it work?"

"First, you turn it on. It has a bit of a charge, but we will plug it in later. Here, push this button." She shows him and the screen springs to life, "Now wait a little. It will be ready soon." She walks him through the setup steps and then brings out her own phone. "Now you will call me. Push the little green button."

"What is the picture on it?"

"A handset for what phones used to look like."

"That does not make much sense."

"No, it does not. But it is how we signify that this is the call button. Something old and familiar, I suppose."

"Indeed. What do I do now?"

"Dial me. Here," she jots down her number on a scrap of paper, "Touch the numbers on the screen in the same order. Then the green button."

Loki follows her instructions and her phone chimes. He breaks into a wide grin. She saves his number and then calls him back. He startles as it rings. She shows him how to answer. He is so incredibly excited that he runs to get the little card with Alexi's number and dials him. He fiddles with the pencil while he waits for Alexi to answer.

"Hello?"

"Alexi? It is I, Loki. Wanda has shown me how to use a telephone!"

"Wait, am I your first call?"

"Other than the one she taught me with, yes."

"Awww, I feel special." Loki blushes a little, "So, I want to go out for dinner with you."

"Magda informs me this is called 'going on a date'."

"You don't date where you're from?"

"Not this way, no. We call it courtship, and as I was the son of a king, it was a much longer, more formal process."

"Well that's no fun. What kind of food do you like?"

"The edible kind."

"Smartass."

"I have no idea what that means, but I assume yes, your assessment is correct. I am a smartass."

Wanda can't help but laugh as she helps Magda in the kitchen.

"So you'll try anything? Have you ever had Thai food?"

"No."

"Do you like spicey things?"

"Yes."

"Good! How about I pick you up for Thai food tomorrow night?"

"That sounds lovely. What time is customary?"

"You're cute. Any time is customary. It's a date. We can do it whenever we want. But let's do dinner at six."

"That sounds wonderful. Shall I give you directions to my home?"

"I know where Magda lives- you're next door, right?"

"Yes. The blue door to her left."

"Gotcha! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"I look forward to our date."

"Same here. Bye now."

"Goodbye, Alexi." Alexi hangs up and Loki sets the phone down. It takes him a moment to realise that he has just made his first phone call to set up his first date and he is incredibly excited by this revelation. He practically skips to the kitchen.

"I have made a date!"

Wanda hugs him, "Yes, you did. And I think you did a lovely job on the telephone."

"I have had another victory in living in this place. I can place a telephone call. Now, what does one expect on a first date?"

Magda takes a steaming dish from the oven, "Conversation. Time spent getting to know one another. And perhaps holding hands, if you so wish. But dating does not assure a happy match in the end- it is a way to see if the other person might be a good partner. That means some dates will not lead to a second."

"This is quite different from Asgard, but at the same time, that part is not. There were a few young ladies of the court that I only sat with once at a feast and decided that I would not again have as my honoured guest. We had little in common."

Wanda sets the table, "Did he say where you would be going?"

"Out for Thai food. I do not know entirely what that means. I assume that is a type of cuisine?"

"A nationality, yes. Do you know how you are to dress?"

"He did not say it would be particularly fancy. Should I call back and ask?"

"I will teach you to text. Then you can ask for that detail."

Loki bounds to the table and scoops up the phone, "Do tell. I wish to learn everything about this little device." She shows him how to open the messenger and how to type and send his question. He presses send and then stares at the phone, "How long does it take to deliver the message? And when will I hear back?"

"It takes only a few moments to deliver it, unless something goes strange in the technology. Occassionally texts do not go through for a bit longer, and on rare occassions, for a day or so. But they usually are instant. And you will hear back whenever Alexi has the time to respond. Your question was not urgent, and if he is in the middle of supper, or if he does not have his phone beside him, it may take a bit. But an answer will come."

"I hope he answers soon."

Magda laughs, "You are darling, my Loki. You met him just yesterday and yet you are so eager to hear from him. Perhaps this is the beginning of something lovely?"

"Perhaps. I hope so." The phone chimes, "Now how do I read this response?" Wanda shows him what to push and he is grinning as he reads it, "He says casual. Nice, neat, but nothing fancy. And I can be either Lady or Lord, whichever suits me best, the restaurant is safe." He types a thank you and then puts the phone down on the table. "I have never dined in this way before. It will be illuminating."

"Then we will practice for lunch. Bring me a piece of paper, I will make a menu, and we will roll play so you have an idea what to expect," Magda replies.

Loki plays along. The paper menu. Magda as his waitress. Wanda as his date. They even practice paying for the meal with a debit card and with cash. And then they all sit down to eat, Wanda poking fun at Magda's waitressing skills. They are all laughing by the time she brings out a pie, balancing it on her fingertips, mocking a very bad French accent as she describes it in flowery terms. She starts giggling so hard she has to set it down so as not to drop it.

The following day, Wanda and Magda arrive an hour before his date to find every garment he owns that he deems casual, yet nice, strewn across his bed. He switches sets, matching trousers and shirts, scarves and jackets, tossing them all aside and starting again when nothing seems quite right. He is nervous, excited, and set on making a good impression. Wanda makes him sit down.

"You do not need to run about like a chicken without its head. Breathe. And tell us what you are comfortable wearing."

"Something soft."

"That does not narrow our choices very well, my darling," Magda says, surveying the garments.

"That is about as narrow as I can be at the moment. I have to get this right."

"What you wear is not as important as if it is comfortable or not. You do not need to be itchy or uncomfortable on your date. Wanda can tell you how terrible that is."

"I wore leather trousers to an outdoor movie in July for our first date. It was truly awful."

Magda holds up a sage tunic and black trousers, "These are quite nice together. What is wrong with this sort of outfit?"

"The tunic seems to casual. Perhaps if I added a vest..."

He tries to stand but Wanda gently nudges him down, "Nope. You stay still for a moment. No fussing."

Magda, however, has obliged his request and layered a knit vest over it, "This is lovely. Was it in the trunk?"

"Yes. My mother made it."

"I think you ought to wear it. With the tunic and trousers. A comforting item for this lovely chilly evening and a first date."

Wanda steps aside and he takes the garments from Magda, "How is it so simple for you to dress me when I cannot figure this out myself?"

"I do not have the first date jitters. Now dress. We will go make tea. It will calm you while you wait."

They leave the room and he slips into the new outfit. He finds one of his favourite pairs of soft socks and ties his hair back with a ribbon. He then takes it down and brushes it and braids it. Once again, he takes it down. He shakes his head, letting it fly loose. And then he ties it back with the ribbon again. He sighs and goes down to the dining room. Magda has set out a tea service and is pouring steaming water over loose tea in little strainers balanced over the edge of the mugs.

"How do I look?"

"Absolutely wonderful," Magda replies.

"Beautiful, as always."

"You are both too kind."

"I only speak truth," Wanda says as she hands him his tea.

He blushes a little and sips, "So you have said."

"Why do you doubt me?"

"Because I am not exactly the Aesir ideal for beautiful."

"Then the Aesir are foolish. You shine. How can that not be beautiful?"

Magda settles on his other side, "Sip, relax, and be gentle with yourself. Alexi is not expecting a god, he is expecting a person. You. Just be yourself."

"Myself...I have been some terrible things."

"No, you have done some terrible things. There is a big difference."

"And what if he cannot get past those? I have not told him anything other than that I am Thor's brother. How do I reveal these things? I do not wish to spoil our supper, but I also do not want to hide these things. I would rather face rejection now, before..."

Wanda takes his hand, "Before you find yourself in love?"

"Perhaps."

"You will find the time that is right. Be honest, but also be gentle with yourself. You have faced many horrible things."

"How did you tell Magda of your time with HYDRA?"

"In the most blunt way possible."

"After our first date, we went for a walk. It was midnight, quite dark, and we wandered in Central Park. She told me everything. And then she told me about her powers. Her whisps. And why I might not want to share her bed. And that was then I told her that I was transgender. Neither of us seemed to mind much, so she took me home."

"A rather sudden start to a relationship...or is such a thing more common here?"

"For some people, sex on the first date is perfectly normal. For others, not. For us...we weren't really planning it. But it had been a wonderful day and I did not want to leave her. I was homeless, I could not invite her to my flat for coffee. So she invited me to hers. One thing led to another, and here we are today."

"I hope Alexi does not expect it..."

Wanda hears the hesitation in his voice, one more thing to be nervous about, "Calm, Loki. A date is not a contract for sex. Nor should it ever be expected to be. If you are not comfortable, and you think things are headed in that direction, simply say no. Anyone who respects you will back off."

"And anyone who does not back off does not deserve another date, whether you were on your first or fiftieth." Magda pauses, "I really feel like I am your older sister right now. As awkward as I am sure this talk is, I like this." She smiles, "I am growing more protective. We are family."

"Thank you. Both of you. I have never had sisters."

There is a knock on the door and Wanda goes to answer it. Loki follows, fetching a messenger bag he carefully packed earlier in the day. Alexi enthusiastically greets him and they leave.

Wanda and Magda sit down to finish their tea.

"I am struggling with something, Magda."

"Oh?"

"I love Loki dearly. We are family. But to call him brother, even if I feel so close to him...it is a step I am having trouble taking."

"My love..." She takes both her hands, "You will never lose Pietro as your brother. No matter who else comes into your life. You were a twin, that is a special sort of bond. A different kind of brother."

"I know. But it is something I am having trouble wrapping my mind around. I want to, I really do. But..."

"But you have only ever called one other such a thing and it still cuts deeply that he is gone."

"Yes."

"What do you think Pietro would say about this?"

"That is the same question you asked when I had trouble dating you."

"Because it had always been you and Pietro taking care of one another, yes. And what did you say then?"

"That he would want me to find happiness now, to embrace his memory and move forward."

"Yes. Always forward."

"But this is different."

"Is it? We are simply continuing to build family where we find it. You have one brother. Now you have a second. Is that so difficult?"

"Yes. And no."

"Take your time, my dearest Wanda. You will find your answers. But I think Pietro would love to have a younger brother to teach, to tease, and to love."

Wanda clears the table and washes the dishes, "Yes. He would. But he is dead."

"Death is simply stepping off the stage. An exit. But it does not mean no one else can enter."

She puts away the dishes and fetches her keys, "I know. But we ought to exit in case Alexi and Loki decide to enter together. No self respecting sisters would impede the ending of a good date in such a way."

Magda laughs, "Of course! Especially not sisters who ended their own first date in such a way!"