"Thor!" Loki shouted through the halls of the castle. He knew he was on borrowed time before he was kicked out of the palace by the guards but it was imperative he find the blond half wit if his plan was to be successful. Thor sauntered out of the great hall with an alehorn in his hand. "Brother!" he bellowed and wrapped an arm around Loki's shoulders.

Loki wrinkled his nose, "By Odin's beard you are letting yourself go ever since Jane left you."

Thor gave him a sorrowful look and started to pull away before Loki hurriedly said, "I'm sorry! That was unkind. I have a favor to ask of you. I'm unsure how to ask so sarcasm and meanness are my first response. I am sorry Thor."

Thor sat down abruptly and hard on the chair outside the door, looking at his brother with his mouth open, and ale spilling out of his cup as his hands went slack. "Loki," he finally whispered, "Is this some kind of trick? What kind of spell has Odin put on you?"

Loki sat next to his brother. He shook his head replying quietly, "No tricks or spells Thor. I'm tired. Tired of the role Odin has assigned to me, tired of being second fiddle to the golden boy that is you. I want to be good, I want to find balance. I want to change."

Thor looked at his brother with an air of skepticism, unsure he should believe his brother when hundreds of years have told him otherwise. "If you doubt me, talk to Hel. I've been trying to fix my relationship with her and she has actually been offering me advice on the favor I want to ask of you."

Thor again raised his eyebrow, saying "I believe you brother. You would not invoke your daughter's name lightly. So, how will I help you?"

Loki looked around before asking, "Can we go to your quarters? I don't want or need one of your cronies eavesdropping or spoiling our plans." Thor put down the alehorn on the bench and began walking towards his room. When they entered the room Thor sat in a large armchair by the fireplace and Loki sat across from him. They sat in silence for a moment, Loki trying to gather his thoughts, unsure how to proceed. Thor, unable to bear the silence any longer, finally broke it by saying "Speak brother, this silence is unnerving."

Loki let out a sigh then began speaking. "Odin and I have always had a rocky relationship," Thor let out a snort at this to which Loki gave a small grin, "and I had been more than willing to play my role as the God of Mischief and Lies. However, for the past several hundred years I have been growing dissatisfied with the role and being forced to be someone I feel I am not. So, after my unsuccessful takeover of New York and my imprisonment I became determined to break free. I began to go to the Bifrost and began to watch your little group of do gooders. Initially I watched so I could tease you mercilessly about your good deeds but my focus slowly became Banner. Not only was he the only mortal who had been able to beat me while I had been on earth but I found myself becoming envious of the balance the man had found with his alter ego."

Thor raised an eyebrow and spoke, "So you want to learn from Banner? Is that what you're asking?"

Loki looked at his brother and nodded. "I figured if you were on my side and asked he might be more willing to hear me out. I know he doesn't trust me and I don't blame him but you're his friend and he would listen to you."

"How do you suggest Banner goes about this? What is your plan?"

Here Loki sighed, he wasn't completely sure how this plan was going to work either but he had the beginnings of one in his mind. "Well, I've been thinking that I would move to New York, get an apartment close to Bruce and just observe? Learn? Have him teach me his mystical ways?"

"Loki, can you be serious please?"

"I am! I will move to New York and I'm not sure how I will learn from him but I want to!"

Thor observed him for a few minutes, as if trying to determine how serious his brother was before he nodded his head. "Alright, I'll help you. We have an Avengers meeting tomorrow at Stark Tower. I'll bring you with me but I can't promise how they will respond to you."

"Thank you Thor, that's all I ask." Thor shook his head as he watched his brother exit his room, still unable to wrap his mind around Loki wanting to change. A few days later found the brothers in the Avengers Tower with Loki pacing outside one of the conference rooms while Thor spoke with his team of do gooders inside. Finally, the do gooders left the room, each giving him a skeptical look as they did. Thor came to the door and beckoned him. As he walked by Thor whispered, "Good luck brother" and closed the door as he left. Loki faced Bruce who sat at the head of the table, leg crossed, eyebrow raised.

"Your brother spoke to me, so what do you want?"

Loki, for the first time in his life, was acutely nervous knowing that his future depended on the man sitting in front of him. Bruce raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him, unaccustomed to the God of Mischief being silent, "Well are you going to speak or can I leave?"

Loki sighed and began to speak. He started at the beginning of his life with Odin taking the child he had orphaned by killingLaufey, the Frost Giant King, and his childhood resenting his treatment by both his father and citizens of Asgard. His father for treating him less than his own son Thor, the citizens of Asgard for seeing him only as the son of a slain adversary and less than worthy to live among them. He spoke of his role as the God of Mischief and how he had gladly played the role for two millennia but was now bone tired of being forced into this role, and he wanted to change. He spoke about how he had watched Thor and his do-gooder group of friends in order to make fun of Thor but by the end he watched Banner and grew jealous of the balance the man had seemed to find. He paused before continuing, "What I am asking Mr. Banner, is for your help. For your guidance. You've made peace with the green man and I want to find peace with my own demons. I'm asking for your help."

Bruce's mouth dropped open in amazement. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and gave Loki a doubtful gaze. "Why, in God's name should I fucking trust you?

Loki shrugged, responding, "You have no reason to trust me. However, I have a proposition for you ... .and no it's not sexual, although that is in the cards if you play it right." At this Loki winked at Bruce who huffed out a small laugh before raising his eyebrow, as if to say, "I'm listening."

"It was suggested by someone very close to me, and before you speak no it was not my oaf of a brother - he's not that smart, that to prove my sincerity that Igive up my powers for a time to learn what it means to be mortal."

Bruce's eyebrows had risen so much they disappeared into his hairline and he was stunned into silence for so long it began to scare the God of Mischief. "I'll save myself the embarrassment and say that your answer is no. Thanks for listening and I'll see myself out before the playboy egomaniac has me thrown out." Loki turned on his heels and with as much dignity as he could muster, which was quite a bit considering the situation, he began to walk out the door and towards the elevator. He had just pressed the button when he heard Banner quietly say, "You'll give up your powers huh?"

Loki turned to him, smirked and said, "I'll take that as a yes?"

"God help me," Bruce responded, "The scientist won out over common sense, I want to test the hypothesis to see if you can actually change. So how will this actually work? We have our research topic and hypothesis but what will our steps be? How will we see if the God of Mischief and Lies can actually change?"

Loki arched an eyebrow before responding, "Well, clearly the first step will have to be me giving up my powers for a determined period of time. So, Mr. Scientist, how long should that time be?"

Bruce contemplated for a moment before speaking, "How about we take this conversation somewhere a bit more private and comfortable? There is a space I use quite often to keep the hulk at bay - it's a beautiful floor that is an aquarium. Let's go there."

For the next several hours they planned what life would be like for the two of them for the next year. "Anyone can do anything for three months," Bruce had said after Loki had suggested that timeframe, "Just ask any New Year's goal - the real trick will be to see if you can last 12 months." It was determined that Loki would move into Bruce's apartment for two reasons, according to Bruce. First, Loki could be kept under constant surveillance by Bruce and as a scientist he would want to keep constant data on him. Secondly, Bruce would be able to keep Loki safe from the Avengers and other higher ups who were still pissed at the God of Mischief and Lies for the chaos he had caused. Bruce also told him that there would be a routine set in place for him to be able to gain balance and peace in his life without having to resort to chaos and murder. At the end of the tête-à-tête Bruce stood, saying, "At the end of one standard earth week you will be at my apartment bags in hand, powers gone to begin our experiment of reforming the God of Mischief - is this understood?"

Loki nodded solemnly, making his hand into a three-fingered salute, "On my honor as a Boy Scout I will be there." Bruce rolled his eyes and started to walk away, leaving Loki to stare after him, a warmth in his belly that he couldn't place and slightly turned on at Bruce's domineering nature.