Five years after Asta went to Midgard, Thor came into the medical lab.

"Asta, my friend! How fare you today?" he bellowed as he entered.

"I'm well, Thor," she replied from her desk. "And you?"

"Couldn't be better! I've a lunch date with Jane soon, the sun is shining, and I have someone for you that needs attending to."

Asta stood quickly. "Thor! You should have led with that! Who needs my help?"

"Me," a small voice answered from behind Thor.

Asta's eyes widened at the sound. It couldn't be…

"Loki?" she whispered.

"Indeed," he replied, stepping out from behind his brother. There was a large gash on his arm and a bruise on his face.

"What happened?" Asta frantically asked as she hurried to him, led him to a bed, and looked at the wound.

Thor beamed. "My brother fought valiantly in his first combat as an Avenger! You should see the others we battled! They look much worse for the wear!"

Asta's face snapped to Thor's. "Avenger?"

Loki smiled. "Yes, my dear. It appears that I have a new occupation."

She looked back to him. "When did this happen?"

"The battle or the joining the team? Because I suppose they all happened quite in tandem with each other," Loki told her.

Asta rolled her eyes. "I'll need the full story later." She began to examine his injuries.

"No offense, but why aren't you just healing me?" Loki asked.

"Impatient as ever, I see," Asta said with a slight laugh. "If you must know, I've become a doctor here on Earth. I've learned different ways to heal. And now I know how to more effectively treat someone with my powers, rather than just blanket healing them."

"Fascinating," Loki murmured.

Thor smiled as he watched the pair. This plan was going to work out perfectly. "Well, I shall take my leave now and let you get to work, Asta. Thank you for taking care of my brother."

It was then that Asta saw the scrape on Thor's face and the bruise on his arm. "Thor, do you need a healing as well?"

"No, I shall be fine. Worry about Loki for now."

"Of course. I guess I'll see you at dinner?"

"Wouldn't miss it! Farewell!"

As Thor left, Loki looked at Asta. "Dinner date with Thor?" he asked. There was a hint of hurt and confusion in his voice.

"Dinner? Yes. Date? Gods, no. We all have dinner here together. Much like a family meal time. Not surprisingly, this is Thor's favorite time of the day. Besides, he's madly in love with Jane."

"Ah, well, that's good to know," he replied, nodding his head as nonchalantly as possible.

She finished her examination and held her hands over the bruise on his face, healing it easily. "Jealous, Loki?"

He placed his hand on hers, much like he did at the palace. "Perhaps."

Asta couldn't stop the blush that rushed to her cheeks. "Yes, well. How does that feel now?"

He gave her his mischievous grin. Even through the pain, seeing her made everything else seem to pale in comparison. "Much better."

She went to examine his arm next. "Can you remove your shirt for me? And before you ask, no, it's not just to see you half-naked."

Loki winked as he carefully removed the ruined garment. But Asta didn't miss the wince as he pulled it from his injured arm.

"Ok, let me see here." She gasped when she saw the blood. "Loki! This is a deep gash! The amount of stitches you would need if I didn't have powers would be ridiculous! What caused it?" She hurried her hands over the wound and tried to keep the panic off her face.

"Not entirely sure, my dear. Large and pointy is best I can give you."

Asta rolled her eyes. "'Large and pointy' is hardly a description. You're lucky you're Asgardian or you likely would have bled out before you got here."

The warmth of her healing powers felt calming to Loki. He wished she would have been around to heal other injuries he'd sustained over the last years without her.

The tsking of her tongue broke him from his thoughts. "Something wrong, my dear?" he asked.

"Well, no more than I think we need to take a break. This wound is healing and healing well, but I'm afraid if I rush it, it won't be perfect." She smirked at him. "And a Prince of Asgard gets nothing but the best."

He laughed a bit. "Naturally."

She pulled up a chair to sit in front of him. "In the meantime, as we wait, why don't you catch me up on what you've been doing?"

"I'd rather hear about what you've accomplished."

Asta knew he was changing the subject, but she decided to oblige him for the moment. She was serious when she said the wound would take time, so there would be ample time for both stories.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I came here and was introduced to the team. When they found out about my abilities, Stephen – Doctor Strange, that is – suggested to me that maybe I should attend medical school. I, of course, had no education here, but you'd be surprised how a billionaire genius like Tony Stark can forge documents and a past life to get me into a university. So, I took the classes, and became an actual Midgardian doctor. This place almost always keeps me hopping, what with all the Avengers out there making a mess of their bodies."

She nudged his knee to accentuate her accusation.

Loki sighed dramatically. "Yes, yes, we're all quite reckless."

"I worry that you'll be the worst of them all."

Now he gasped. "I take offense to that! Especially with Thor on the team!"

Asta laughed. "Yes, you do make a good point there. Ok, so there's my past. Let's go, your highness. What of yours?"

"Did you actually finish? I know of your education and current occupation, but what else? Any friends? Pets? Lovers?"

If Asta would have been drinking, she would have made a perfect spit take with that question. "Loki! You can't just ask that!"

"And why not? Are we not old friends?"

She huffed a bit. "Fine, fine. My friends are all here. There's not exactly much time for getting out of the tower. They're really the family I needed when I got here. Natasha and Wanda are my best friends. I have 2 fish named Buttercup and Westley. If it helps you to know, I also love the cinema, have a certain weakness for chocolate, and have become very adept at a game called Mario Kart. And no, no lovers. Like I said, not a lot of time to get out."

"I see."

"Ok, now that you've sated your jealousy a bit, tell me about you."

Loki sighed. "Fine… well, it all started once you were sent here. I'm afraid I took your advice a bit wrong and I showed them a side of me they didn't like. My mother begged me to calm down, but I would hear nothing of it." His voice began to grow bitter. "Asgard was going to know my pain of losing the only person who understood me."

"Oh, Loki. The queen surely understands you."

He grumbled. "Yes, Frigga is possibly the only other one. And it was only for her that I didn't make things worse. But still, I began lashing out at those close to me, especially my 'father'," he said, using exaggerated finger quotes on father.

"Your 'father'?" she asked, also using the finger quotes.

He looked away. "I suppose it is time to tell you. Once you were gone, Odin divulged a secret. One he's been hiding for… almost my entire life."

Asta turned his face to look her in the eye. "You know I'm here for you. But if you don't want to talk about it—"

"No," Loki interrupted. "No. I want you to know. After one of my… more colorful outbursts, I was called into the throne room. Odin went on and on about royalty and decorum and other nonsense that I wasn't particularly listening to. And once I had frustrated him to a boiling point, he yelled out the dirty little secret. I am… as it turns out… adopted."

Asta gasped. "Adopted?"

His face dropped again. "I'm a monster," he whispered.

"I'm sorry? Being adopted doesn't make you—"

He took a deep breath and tossed his head back. "I am a monster!" He lowered his gaze again. "A Frost Giant as it turns out. Odin took me from Jotunheim when I was just a baby – Laufey's runt, actually, as he liked to point out – and brought me to Asgard to raise as his own."

"He kidnapped you?" she asked, horrified.

Loki could only nod, still avoiding looking at Asta. "He said it was to help unite the realms, but I was just a war prize. Probably a tool to claim Jotunheim. Another relic stolen from Laufey, no different than the Casket of Ancient Winters."

"That must have been hard," Asta said softly. "But I'm still here for you."

His face snapped toward her. "How? How can you be when I am this?" Suddenly, his hands begin to turn blue.

"Loki?" She looked to his face and saw him completely blue and covered in markings. His red eyes held such sadness.

"This, Asta. This is what I truly am."

She reached up and wiped away the single tear on his cheek before he could stop her.

"Asta, no!" he cried as she made contact with his skin.

She jumped back with wide eyes. "Did I hurt you?"

"Me? How are you not burnt from touching me?"

"Um… I don't know." She tentatively reached out and placed her hand on his. "Is this ok?"

"I can't believe it, but yes. My Frost Giant skin should have caused some sort of reaction to you. I'm… confused, but relieved, in spite of this being my actual form..." he trailed off. He would need to speak to someone about this… perhaps his mother.

Asta ran her thumb along his hand, ignoring the raised lines. "And?"

Loki's face scrunched with disgust. "'And?' Is that all? Are you not horrified? Filled with terror?"

"Should I be?"

"Yes! I am what parents tell their children in bedtime stories about monsters around Asgard. I'm not an Odinson. I'm not even Asgardian."

Asta studied him for a moment. "Loki Laufeyson," she said softly. "It has a nice ring to it."

"I…" Loki couldn't continue. No one had ever shown such understanding to his life, not that many knew. And how did she know he wanted to go by that name now? He turned his appearance back to "normal" and sighed.

Noting his discomfort, Asta decided to change the subject again. "All right, so you and Odin had your little tantrums, then what?"

"Well, if he was trying to curb my behavior, he certainly took the wrong path. Finally, I decided to leave. I'd try to find myself elsewhere."

"Did you go to Jotunheim?"

Loki shook his head. "That was the one of the few places I couldn't bring myself to go."

"But, technically, you are the rightful heir."

"I am. But how could I sit on the throne of a people I know nothing of? Everything I knew of them was likely lies I was taught through my life. No, instead I travelled through space for another 2 or 3 years. I would spend my time just staring into the stars and thinking."

"That sounds very healing."

He cracked a tiny smile. "I suppose you would know all about that."

Asta rolled her eyes again. "Hmmm, so Loki makes jokes now?"

"Yes, Thor tells me I'm quite good at them."

"Ah, Thor. The missing link to the present. So, how did you two end up fighting side by side?"

"He actually found me in my travels and asked me to help him on a mission Odin was sending him on. I said surely the Warriors Three or Lady Sif would be better suited, but he said it was a different kind of mission. Instead, it was a diplomatic endeavor."

"Diplomatic? Oh, that isn't exactly in Thor's wheelhouse."

"Indeed, it is not. So, I accompanied him and it actually went quite well. And once we left, Thor mentioned how desperate Mother was to see me. So, I returned to Asgard with him. Admittedly, it was good to be home and in my mother's embrace. And before you ask, Frigga is still my mother. Even though I am still hurt at her hiding Odin's secret, she was everything to me as I grew up and she will always be my mother."

Asta lifted her hands in defense. "I wasn't going to say a word!"

Loki took her hands into his again as an anchor as he finished his story. "After that, she pleaded with me to work with my brother. To use my powers for something other than anger and spite. If anyone else would have asked, I would have denied them instantly. But the look in her eyes made me want to acquiesce. So, for a while, we traveled the realms and helped people. It was oddly enjoyable. And when Thor asked me to help the Avengers here on Midgard, I agreed. It would be good to assist… and it gave me the chance to see you again."

Another blush graced her cheeks. "Well, I am certainly glad to see you as well. Let's take another go at that arm, shall we?"

She stood and held her hands over the wound again. "You know, I think I understand why you weren't more gravely injured by this. Your internal body temperature is much lower because of your heritage. It likely slowed things from developing worse."

"Are you saying being Jotun saved my life?"

"Well, it certainly helped save your arm. I'm glad you shared that with me, Loki. I appreciate your trust."

"You are one of 3 people in all the realms I do trust, Asta."

She smiled. "Should I keep it a secret that Thor joins me and Frigga on that list?"

He doesn't even question how she knows. She understands him that well. "Yes, I think it would be best it if you did. No sense making his big head even bigger."

Asta laughed and Loki thought it sounded like a song.

He beamed at her. "So, I understand there is family dinner night. But would you accompany me for dessert after?"

"That depends. Is dessert a euphemism?"

He laughed. "No, my dear, it's actually dessert. I saw an ice cream parlor not far from here that looks like it serves decent confections."

"It opened not too long ago. I've wanted to try it. But since when do you like sweets?"

"While it's not something I like to indulge in often, I have learned that there are certain treats that are quite pleasant."

"It's like I'm meeting a whole new Loki."

"I assure you, I'm the same Loki you knew, just with improvements."

"I'm interested in seeing those improvements. I will gladly accompany you for some ice cream. But only if there are sprinkles involved."

He scrunched his nose to that. "Really? You enjoy those ghastly things?"

"I do! And you know what? I bet you will too. And eventually we'll get to sundaes and whipped cream!"

Loki knew better than to make a comment about whipped cream, so he wisely kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he told her, "Well, I'm in your capable hands."

"I told you, chocolate is a weakness of mine. I'll have you eating hot fudge sundaes yet!"

"I look forward to it." And he meant it.

"I do as well. But in the meantime, go rest. You healed nicely, but you still suffered a huge blood loss. And the Avenger dinner will take all the energy you have!"

"Well, who am I to ignore doctor's orders? I shall see you at dinner then," he said as he hopped from the table. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

Asta blushed yet again and couldn't find the words she wanted to use. He smirked at her and left, knowing he rendered her speechless.