LokixReader: Into the MCU

by Abiwan_Kenobi22

Summary:

Def an Avengers fic as much as a Loki. For reasons explained further down, she has a name. I still left it as 2nd person and left a lot about her vague so we can imagine ourselves, but yeah it's mixed oc and reader.
Wren is your average nerd who, by means unknown to everyone, manages to open a portal to 2015 MCU. She sets off with the Avengers to stop the future events, such as Civil War, Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame. Loki, her favorite character, is dragged into the mix, and she has to learn how to handle Loki in the flesh. Wren must adapt to the reality of being in the MCU, while also making sure that her love for the character Loki doesn't get her stabbed in the back by the live version. Basically, she gets sucked from 2021 real world to 2015 MCU and tries to use her knowledge to stop events...and meet a certain god.
Notes: Please forgive grammatical errors. Also, chapters later on get longer, but the first few are short because I was just having fun at first. I have the name Wren inserted for Y/N simply because my friend, when reading it, gave her that name so we didn't have to keep saying Y/N. It ended up sticking. Feel free to insert whatever name you want.

Notes:

This chapter is a lot of background exposition shoved into the opening paragraphs, just so we can understand she's a nerd and can then carry on and get to the part we care about in the following chapters, which is the Avenger and Loki.

Chapter 1: The Portal

It was your average Sunday evening. You were sitting on your back porch watching the swirl of colors on the horizon as the last of the sun was dipping out of sight. It was a beautiful night, the kind of cool weather that hinted at the end of summer and fast approach of fall. You loved spending your evenings out on your patio, staring up at the sky in awe.

When all was said and done, life was actually quite amazing. You went to work like everyone else, you'd hang with friends and family on your time off, you'd relish the weekend a bit too much, proceed to begrudge the fact that you had to go to work again the next day, and then repeat it all over. The monotony of life is said to bother many, and you would be lying if you said that the life you had now was not something that would have bored you in the past. Action and adventure movies and stories were a huge part of your life and always had been. Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and many others were the foundation of your childhood...which, to be honest, might explain why you turned out the way you did. Like the thousands of people in this world who wish for an adventure, you were no different. However, it had dawned on you that fangirling, which is a hobby you delve into far too often, ultimately leads to a desire to see your favorite characters get their happy endings. Everyone secretly enjoys a good tearjerker once in a while, but that does not diminish the sadness felt at having to witness your characters go through such pain. You frequently found yourself making up happy endings and different ways the story could have played out. "If only so and so would have done this" or "I wish I could just tell so and so about such and such thing to prevent this and that from happening." And so, you were not going to scoff at your life, knowing many of your favorite characters would kill to have it.

On this particular evening you were gazing at the sky while your mind was in another place. You were daydreaming about Marvel, which you were currently binging once again.

If only they really could have what I have, you thought, though there was one character in particular that was on your mind. Loki.

Loki was by far the most tragic story of all, followed closely by Wanda.

Could he PLEASE just get a win already? Or what if everyone won? What if everyone had lived and Thanos was defeated?

You snapped out of your fantasy to find that the sun had already disappeared and the sea of colors had dwindled to the dark blue of the night sky, with a faint light blue on the very end of the horizon.

"I need to get a life," you grumbled to yourself, as you reluctantly decided to head in for the night. After an overexaggerated stretch, you grabbed your phone and drink from the table and walked up the three wooden steps to your door. Using your elbow to push the handle down, you leaned your body against the door waiting for it to give. It took a heave or two before it opened suddenly, nearly sending you face-first onto the floor of your kitchen. Luckily you caught yourself, but your coffee wasn't as fortunate, splashing all over your shirt and the floor. "Damn it!" you yelled, slamming your cup down on the counter, a rather idiotic move, as more coffee splashed onto the table.

You sighed heavily, "Great. Just frickin fantastic." I have got to get that damn door fixed.

Grabbing a rag from the drawer, you quickly worked on soaking up the coffee splattered on the floor and counter. Having accomplished that task with minimal cursing, you walked to the sink to dump the rest of your coffee. As you watched the coffee grounds gather in the drain, a Marvel quote popped in your head. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a Bed and Breakfast for a biker gang?"

Tony's quote made you silently chuckle to yourself. You loved the idea of the Avengers living together and the little things that they would 100% do that would annoy each other. One big, happy, bickering family of superheroes. You evidently had been reading too many Marvel fanfictions. But you'd be lying if you said that seeing them in a normal living situation in between missions wasn't something you wanted to see more than any action. If only Thanos hadn't happened, then maybe they'd continue to live together and go on missions. For that matter, what if Civil War never happened, so they never broke up? Or Ragnarok never happened, so Asgard was still there as well as The Warriors Three?

You let out another sigh as you realized you were wasting time daydreaming again. It would be great if travel to the MCU was possible. If there were parallel universes, like a multiverse, where they were real. Well, where most of the stuff was real. No one likes the TVA. But who's to say that a version of the MCU exists without the TVA? You had read about investigations into shifting realities, and you fully believed in the unexplored power of the human mind, yet it was sad to think that you would never know what was out there.

For shits and giggles you closed your eyes and concentrated on what you wanted. An MCU that I can help fix. One before the worst of events. You knew nothing would come of these thoughts, but it was always fun to do it anyways, like waving your hand in front of an automatic door to make yourself feel like you have the Force. You felt a strange pain in the back of your head just before you opened your eyes, causing the sensation to disappear.

I need some sleep, you thought as you made a move to grab the dish soap, probably best I spilled most of my coffee then.

Before you could reach the soap, a pale blue light caught your eye through the window. The lights in the kitchen and above the sink were making it hard to view anything outside, so you walked over to the switch to shut them off. Believing that whatever you had seen was nothing, you casually made your way back to the window to take a look.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

A circle of glowing blue light was floating in your backyard. You never knew someone could actually "freeze" from shock or horror like they do in movies, but you were quickly proven otherwise. You didn't know what to do or how to move...or breathe for that matter. You realized you were holding your breath and quickly let it out, trying to slow your fast and chaotic breathing that ensued. Just breeeathe! you told yourself. You stood there for who knows how long, staring in continued disbelief at what you were witnessing. Eventually you calmed down, which was both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, you could finally breathe. On the other, you now had the composure to think, which was simply another rollercoaster of panic.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. What is it? What's happening? Where did it come from? What do I do? What the HELL is going on? I am NOT dying today! Oh God, I'm gonna die!

These, and many other erratic thoughts, fired across your mind in the span of a second. After a few more moments, the memory of what you had been doing right before the light appeared hit you.

NO?! No, that's crazy...but what else could it...NO. Nope. You're nuts.

Despite the battle raging in your head, and the adrenaline coursing through your veins, you felt the tug of something else in your stomach. Excitement? Hope? You weren't sure, but for the first time in the last minute you were able to move. You started by lowering your hand from your mouth, where you had apparently placed it without knowing. You tentatively stepped away from the window and towards the door.

Oh God oh God oh God oh God you repeated in your head multiple times, as you inched your way slowly to the door. You stopped when you reached it, not trusting your decision to go outside. Your fight or flight had kicked in, and, seeing as there was no one for you to punch, you had to desperately resist the urge to run out the front door and not look back.

You took a deep breath.

Don't be a coward.

You reached for the handle, pausing for a second before pulling the door...only for it to not budge. "Piece of shit!" you mumbled, tugging the door harder to yank it open, momentarily forgetting about your fear of the magic floating ring of light. You were not outside more than a second before that fear returned tenfold. The circle was bigger up close than it appeared from the window. The light seemed to have a rhythm or pulse about it, and a slight humming could be heard emanating from within.

"Shit shit shit shit shit," you whispered, taking baby steps closer. The circle was about six feet in diameter, nearly touching the ground but hovering slightly above.

"What the fuck do I do?"

You had nearly reached the circle, and the ground and air around you seemed to vibrate with the energy of the light.

Do NOT touch it! you thought.

But then also DO IT.

The conflicting orders screaming in your brain were too much, and you took a minute to actually stop and think properly.

It only appeared after I thought about what I wanted. That can't be a coincidence, can it? But then, coincidences happen all the time, and you could very well be walking into a Ring of Death that aliens or the government decided to beam into your yard. I am NOT getting fried today. But what are the odds! It just so happens to appear after I wish that it was possible?! But no way...no way is that possible! What the hell am I thinking, a circle is floating in front of you, and that alone was not supposed to be possible. 'Not a normal circle, more like a freaky circle.' SHUT UP KORG. Gosh I can't even be serious when I have to be! Ok ok ok....what do I do? It has to be here because of me. What about that pain on my head?

As if to answer your thought, the pain came back, stronger than before. You gasped and grabbed the back of your head, "Shoot, ok I get it!"

The pain stopped abruptly and you were left with yet another question.

Ok, I believe it now. I did this. But do I go?

At first you couldn't believe you had just questioned that at all. It was the MCU you were potentially about to visit...of course you should go! But what if it wasn't a portal to the MCU? What if you did something by accident, and opened the gate to the UpsideDown?

I am not facing a demogorgon.

You wanted to scream out of frustration. You pressed your palms to your head and let out a pathetic moan of anger and confusion. You heard something move in the grass next to you and nearly launched out of your skin. You had been mostly frozen the whole time, lost in your thoughts and the ever-increasing hum of energy. You quickly whipped to your left, ready to hit something, when you realized it was just a frog. You sighed in relief.

"Careful, dude, don't go that wa---"

A thought popped into your head and you almost hated yourself for thinking it. But you had to try. You quickly scooped the frog into your cupped hand, using your other one to ensure that it did not escape. You turned to face the circle once again.

I can't believe I'm this terrible.

"Sorry, Kermit," you said, before chucking the frog through the light. The circle didn't seem to react at all, and the frog merely vanished. No explosion, no visible disintegration. Lord willing he was alive, and in another world.

You quickly ran back inside and grabbed a piece of paper and pen.

Dear whoever finds this...Mom, Amy, Anyone.

Please know that I am not dead, and I am certainly not kidnapped...I'm not stupid enough to let myself get taken without putting up a good fight, so you'd probably find a messy house and some blood. But apparently I am stupid enough to go somewhere on the spur of the moment, so if you are worrying please do not. Will be home soon.

Love, Wren.

You scribbled the note as fast as possible, leaving it on the counter before returning outdoors.

"Shit...here goes nothing," you muttered, as you prepared yourself to launch into the circle. It took a few tries to get your legs onboard with the idea of moving towards the light, but eventually you were jumping into the circle, screaming the whole way. The humming grew louder until your own screams were drowned in it. You felt as if you were free-falling into the abyss, as darkness had completely surrounded you. The experience only lasted a second or two, but it felt annoyingly longer. The darkness broke to reveal grass under you. Not under your feet, of course, but instead directly in front of you. You face planted into the ground, letting out a disgruntled groan before slowly propping yourself up onto your knees.

I'm alive!

"Oh thank God," you sighed, breathing deeply for the first time in a while.

A frog hopped right in front of you at that moment and you smiled slightly. It seemed to stop and look straight at you, as if trying to make a point.

"Oh shut up, you're alive," you scoffed, dazed and not wanting to deal with something as small as a frog.

You're talking to a frog, you thought as you quickly shooed it away, still not the craziest thing I've done.

The thought that you had just jumped through a portal snapped you out of your stupor, and you quickly jumped to your feet. You were standing on a nicely kept bit of grass, with a lake right in front of you. Had you not been filled with shock, fear, adrenaline, confusion, and excitement, you would have rather enjoyed the beauty. The lake looked oddly familiar, and you had the most bizarre sense of deja vu. But you knew you had never been here before. In that case, where had you seen this lake? You looked farther down the lake to a dock on the left side.

Even the dock looks familiar.

You continued to turn your gaze, eventually doing a 180 to see what was behind you. You froze, once again in shock, but couldn't help a smile from creeping onto your face. Across the lawn behind you was the Avengers compound.

Chapter 2: The Avengers

Notes:

I took creative liberty with the compound and its grounds in both this chapter and future chapters, so it may not match with pictures or exact diagrams of the compound and whatnot.
Also a quick note about the Reader: I obviously inserted some of my own likes or dislikes into her just because it's easier to write about what you know. However, I tried to make her as relatable as possible by having her not be some overpowered badass, but also not a crybaby. Throughout the chapters she'll get angry, say stupid things, freak out a bit when warranted, but she's also chill, kind, and can hold her own in some situations. If this were me, I'd be unable to function if I met the Avengers, so please know she's a far cry from myself and I tried to just make her a normal person, although still a nerd. Her thoughts and speech can be pretty jumbled at times, again because I tried to realistically show how her thoughts might be firing a million miles per seconds given her situation.
Also I promise the chapters get pretty long eventually, if you stick around that long.

Oh God oh God oh God oh God! Here we go again, I'm starting to freak out.

You kept switching between pure thrilling joy and complete terror.

This cannot be happening!

You knew you needed to have a level head. You were in the actual MCU, which meant you had to be careful no matter how much this felt like a dream. You stood for a minute collecting your thoughts.

Ok...this is awesome. Overwhelming? Definitely. Still awesome? Absolutely!

"What do I even do first?" you asked yourself out loud, needing to get out of your own head for a bit. Talking to yourself was always something you did when you were nervous anyway.

"Just walk up, knock on the door and say 'Hey, I'm from an alternate reality where you're all superheroes in movies played by actors, can I have your autographs?' How the hell do I explain anything?"

For the first time in forever you thought of the practicality of all of your daydreams...realizing they were the most poorly thought out scenarios ever.

In my defense, they were theoretical ideas that I thought would be cool. It wasn't like I intended for any of them to happen! I was fantasizing, not formulating a master plan.

Regardless of how much you should or shouldn't have thought this through, you still needed to do something...but what? How were you going to just approach the Avengers?

You didn't have to contemplate the matter much longer. An all too familiar whoosh met your ears, followed by another famous sound of metal touching down behind you.

No. Way.

You turned around rapidly, almost eagerly, only to come face to face with a glowing hand threatening to blast you off the face of the earth. What had you expected, a welcoming party? Nonetheless, it still caught you off-guard, causing you to stumble back a few steps.

"Geeze Tony! Do you have to make a dramatic entrance all the time?"

Calling him Tony had just slipped out, and talking to him so easily was a result of your nerves. You had no filter, and your sass was evidently always intact. You realized how weird it must look to him for you to have said this, and you face-palmed yourself mentally.

"First, I can't help it if I'm a badass, kinda an occupational requirement anyway. Second, who are you?"

You tried to speak as you stared at him. Iron Man! Right in front of you. His helmet had retracted and you couldn't hold the smile in any longer. It was him! He had that classic "don't mess with me" look on his face. You know, the one where he stares dead at you with his mouth set firmly and eyes intense. His look quickly changed to one of shock and confusion, his eyebrows loosening up a bit, his stance less in a ready position, and the frown on his face almost too funny to not laugh at. RDJ's facial expressions as Tony were, afterall, hilarious. But this wasn't RDJ, you quickly told yourself. This was the real Stark. It dawned on you that his new look was in response to you. Your face of delight was something he didn't expect.

"Last I checked, being surrounded by an elite squad of asskickers is not something to smile about, so I suggest you wipe the grin off and answer the question, Mona Lisa."

You would have smiled yet again at witnessing a nickname from the king of all nicknames, except for the small fact that he had said surrounded. The smile dropped from your face as you finally paid attention to what was happening around you. You had been so preoccupied with Tony that you hadn't noticed the ring of heroes drop in to circle you. Wanda was on your left, eyes and fingertips glowing, ready for any sudden movements on your part.

She's kinda terrifying when like that, but oh my gooooooosh!

She seemed to ease up her stance a bit, her eyes not glowing anymore as she looked at you mildly confused.

Oh yeeeeah, she can read minds can't she? Oops.

To Wanda's right was Rhodey, followed by Sam. To your right was Vision, followed by Natasha and Clint. Lastly, you turned around to see Steve Rogers standing behind you.

That shield is so much bigger than it looks on screen.

"Tony, ease up. She doesn't appear to be armed," Steve said.

"Ease up? Cap, do you even understand what 'massive quantum energy' means? It means dangerous, like mega dangero---"

Steve cut him off before he could continue onto one of his unnecessarily descriptive and blatantly obvious explanations, "I get that, Tony, but she doesn't seem to be threatening anyone right now. If anything she looks in shock."

Well, he's right about that.

You had been looking back and forth, enjoying their conversation as if you were watching it from the comfort of your own home. No wonder it was obvious to Cap that you seemed off. This. Was. Real.

Get it through your head, and grow up! You need to wake up.

Tony was about to argue another point when Steve rushed to cut him off again, "At least hear her out first."

You looked at Tony and realized he was staring you right in the eyes. You didn't shy away from his stare, which wasn't hard seeing as you had been staring wide-eyed at everything since you got here. Apparently seeing no malice in your eyes, his expression softened and he grudgingly nodded his head.

"Ok, talk," he said, lowering his arm.

You looked around the circle. All eyes were on you.

"It's ok, don't be afraid," Cap said. Little did he understand that hearing words of any kind from Captain frickin America was going to do anything but calm you down.

You swallowed and took a deep breath.

Just talk.

"My name is Wren," you started slowly.

These are the Avengers. You have always dreamt of talking to them, just calm down.

The joy that this thought brought you helped to calm your nerves. Instead of being scared, you were only jittery from excitement.

"Where are you from?" This time it was Nat who asked the question.

"New Jersey," you answered more confidently, "though...not exactly."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Tony asked.

"Well...I kind of came through a portal. Big blue creepy circle."

The group exchanged glances.

"That would explain the flare of quantum energy," Tony said, "but what do you mean 'not exactly' from Jersey?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story..."

"And how did you generate a portal?"

"Also a long story, but---"

"And why did the portal lead you here?"

Dang, I didn't realize how annoying Tony can be when you're on this end of his pestering.

You thought you saw Wanda smirk slightly. You opened your mouth to respond to Tony's last question before he cut you off yet again.

"Let me guess, it's a long story?"

You gave him a guilty smile, "Yeah, sorta." After a pause you continued, "I-I know I just dropped in here out of thin air, and, given your jobs, I understand that it seems really sus. But long story short, I came here looking for you guys. I have no powers, or weapons, and I don't intend to do anything stupid. I'm not that dumb."

The team looked far from convinced, but thankfully slightly reassured.

"Ok, you know what, fine let's go then," Tony said as he powered down his defenses entirely. Steve seemed to relax too, but some of the others remained cautiously on guard. Naturally, Natasha and Clint were among those eyeing you with greater suspicion than the others.

Tony turned and gestured for you to follow him back to the compound. Your heart skipped a beat when you realized you were about to see the inside of the Avengers compound. The others must have seen the joy on your face, as you noticed their confusion growing with every second. You hastily adopted a neutral expression, trying to hold in your excitement. Within a few minutes you were approaching the front doors of the compound. You hesitated at the entrance, earning quizzical looks from the others, before taking a deep breath.

Let's do this.

Chapter 3: Some Explaining to Do

The inside of the compound was as spectacular as one would imagine. You walked through the massive expanse of the lobby and into a hallway. Everything was as sleek, shiny, and pristine as the high-tech facility appeared to be on screen. There were many different sitting areas, labs and other such rooms. You made your way throughout the compound, absorbing every detail. The compound was a series of a few buildings, connected by overpasses and hallways. At some point through the walk you passed a large glass window covering the expanse of a wall. Inside was the training room.

Finally you entered a conference room you had seen before. It was, in fact, the very same room where the Sokovia accords were discussed, or at least it looked like the very same room.  But who knew how many similar rooms they had? The thought of that scene made you angry, and for the first time since you had arrived you remembered why you had wanted to come to the MCU.

Stop them from losing.

You took a quick inventory of who was here and where that would place them in the timeline. Your guess was soon after Age of Ultron, or at least you hoped it was soon. You didn't want to race against the clock to beat Civil War when you already had your hands full.

The Avengers all took their seats, placing themselves in a way that put them between you and the door, leaving the only available seat at the corner of the table by Tony. He motioned for you to sit, and you did so right away. All eyes were silently on you, and you suddenly felt like you were in school again, panicking before speaking in front of the class.

Steve cleared his throat, "So, Wren, please start from the beginning. What happened?"

You were feeling more comfortable by the minute, but the thought of what you'd have to explain in a moment worried you.

How nuts am I going to sound?

You nodded slowly and cleared your throat too, knowing it'd be a miracle if your voice worked at all.

"Ok. As I said, it's a long story, and it is also crazy and bizarre and will seem completely impractical, but I need you to bear with me here."

You realized you had sputtered out your words at a rapid rate.

"Hey, Jitters, calm down," Tony said, "And make sure to breathe a bit will you?"

You smiled and nodded again.

"Ok, sorry. I just talk quickly when I'm nervous. And it's particularly difficult when you know you're about to say something that will seem like complete and utter lunacy to a table of your favorite characters."

Dang it, characters? Really? Hopefully they'll attribute your strange choice of words to the fact that you're just nervous.

Thankfully, there were only a few brows furrowed momentarily.

"I'm sitting next to an android and across from a girl with magic, so I doubt anything shocks us anymore," Clint said with a small laugh.

You smiled again and continued, "Well, I certainly hope that is true, because, oddly enough, my story is weirder than those combined."

The whole table noticeably leaned in in anticipation, waiting for you to begin.

"So, to start I guess I should say that I'm not from this world."

"Honestly, I was hoping for more of a wow factor. A few years ago that might seem strange, but if you haven't noticed we have a God from outer space on our team, so not really a shocker."

You couldn't help but give Tony a slight glare and raised your eyebrows as if to ask "are you done talking so I can continue"?

"Yeesh, ok, Smiley has a serious side. Continue."

"Thank you, I will," you said with a bit too much sass, but thankfully those around the table smiled at this. "What I mean is, I'm not from this universe at all...I'm from a different reality. A different version of Earth."

That got everyone's attention. You expected someone to question you, but they all sat waiting for you to continue.

"In my world, there is no super high tech like what you have here. I mean, we have the smart phones and internet and you know all that modern junk, but the whole flying suits, awesome gear, holoprojections, etc. All that fancy Star Wars-esque tech is still a fantasy to us. Well, who knows if the government has stuff like that. I'm sure they do and haven't told the public, but what I'm saying is that if someone were to fly in an Iron Man suit shooting turbo lasers at alien spaceships in our world, it would be a first. No magic, no superheroes. Just governments and military, kinda how your world was I guess even a few years ago...besides, you know, super soldiers during World War 2," you glanced at Steve as you said this, but his intent stare made you look back down quickly.

"So your world is a copy of ours in every other way? You had World War 2 and stuff?" Nat asked.

"More or less, though it is debatable as to who is copying who, or whether we simply exist at the same time. To be honest I am trying to wrap my head around what is happening even now."

"You called me Tony right off the bat, and then you said that you had come here for us. And it's impossible to miss you gawking at everything in starry-eyed wonder," you felt your face go red a bit at that, "so it stands to reason that you know us. How? If we don't exist in your world, how do you know about us?"

"That's where things get even weirder."

"Oh boy," Tony muttered.

"So...in my world. You guys are simply characters in a series of movies. You are played by actors. You're a pop-cultural phenomenon, much like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Your universe is called the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because Marvel is the set of comics that your movies are based on. The comics are where you guys come from, written by a man named Stan Lee. In our world, he even makes cameos in every Marvel movie, a cute tribute to credit him for his creative genius that brought us you guys. Anyway, that's besides the point. What isn't though is that, I know your stories. I, and millions around the world in my universe, fan over your characters. We love the actors that portray you. We write fanfics about you guys. You have movies here too, so you know how fandoms work. Well, that's what you guys are in our world. The stories that you live through here are fiction where I am from, played out by very talented actors. That is why I was so shocked and clearly giddy at the sight of you guys and the compound. I basically got sucked into one of my favorite series of movies."

As far as chaos goes, you guess what erupted after you finished speaking was mild. There was a moment of silence before everyone started speaking at once. Tony was laughing, turning to Steve and saying something along the lines of "I told you so." Clint was asking questions like "Is my actor as good-looking in your world?" which earned him a nudge from Nat for "encouraging her" as she proceeded to claim how fake your story was. Sam and Rhodey were pulling the whole "so you're telling me etc etc" repeating the things you had very clearly stated. Vision was rambling about the logic and high probability of your testament being false, while Wanda seemed to be the only one voicing an opinion in your favor, as you heard her say something about your mind not seeming to hold any signs of lying. Steve was arguing with Tony about one thing or another; you weren't exactly paying attention anymore.

"Shut up!" you shouted. "If y'all have questions, please ask them like human beings and stop shouting them! And I can literally hear you calling me nuts," you gave Nat a glare at this point, "so I'd appreciate you addressing what I said to my face!"

The room was quiet for a second, and you couldn't help but giggle in your head.

Ha, I just yelled at the Avengers. Not the smartest thing probably, but oddly super fun.

Steve was the first one to speak.

"No one here thinks you're nuts," he started diplomatically. Natasha gave an "eh, not really" look, but broke it off when she realized you had noticed. "We just are having a hard time grasping what you're saying."

"Well, I quite vividly remember saying that my story would be strange, to which you all declared couldn't be much weirder than what you've seen."

"Technically, Barton said that. Not that it matters per se, but let it be on record that I voted Mona crazy from the beginning." Tony said.

You couldn't help but smile at his comment as you replied, "I'm not crazy!"

"Well it's going to take more than a weird story to convince us that we're all from Hollywood," Rhodes said, receiving many nods from around the table.

Wanda then pitched in, "I was telling Vision that I can't feel any lies in her. She seems to stand by what she's said, and some of her thoughts I have caught have even supported her claim that she's a fan of ours."

You nodded and pointed to Wanda, "See?"

"Yeah and Cap honestly believed that we were referring to literal apples when talking about I-phones, but that doesn't exactly make it true does it?" Tony countered.

Despite rolling his eyes, Steve agreed, "Tony has a point."

Vision chimed in, "It is quite possible for an individual to believe in an idea so strongly that their brain's create the fantasy for them, inserting memories and facts into a life that otherwise is void of such things."

"Yeah, thanks Vision, it feels much better to be called nuts in a fancy british way," you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose as you leaned your elbows on the table. That earned a small smile from some of the gang. "Listen, I can prove what I'm saying."

"Oh this ought to be good," Tony said in a sarcastically hopeful tone, leaning his chin into his hands and staring at you in fake anticipation.

Once again you couldn't help but giggle, "Asshole. But, yes, I can prove it. I know everything about you guys up until now. It's 2015 correct? And you've recently defeated Ultron?"

There were a few looks passed to each other as everyone straightened up a little.

"How do you know about Ultron? His name was never released to the public," Nat said.

"How the hell do you think? Have you been listening at all to what I've said? But am I right? Is it 2015?"

"What other year would it be?" Sam asked.

"In my world it's 2021. I knew it was 2015 here because of who is in the room right now. Bruce was on a quinjet flying to who knows where when he cut off the communication. He hasn't been spotted since, and no one knows where he is...oh wait, except ME."

"You know where Bruce is?" Nat asked quickly, leaning forward across the table.

"Yes, among other things, and I'll get there in a second. First, I'ma show off for a second cuz you've thoroughly called me nuts too many times. Where to start? How about with Cap." You turned to look at him as he stared back with mild concern, not knowing what to expect. "Everyone knows about your super soldier serum and your fight against HYDRA, that's common knowledge. What isn't is this: You were kissed by another woman and caught by Peggy. She was mad and later shot live rounds at you when you were first testing your shield made for you by his father," you pointed at Tony. "Your best friend Bucky used to say to you 'I'm with you til the end of the line.' You also are known to say 'I can do this all day' like you did to the bullies in the alley. You had a very dramatic scene in a HYDRA base on the same day where RedSkull pulled his fake flesh off of his face. The bridge was broken and you had to jump across to Bucky. I also know that Bucky is still alive, acting as the Winter Soldier. You fought him when SHIELD was compromised by HYDRA. Your words to Fury when he approached you in the streets of New York after you woke up were 'I had a date' which of course referred to your dance with Peggy which you never got to have."

Steve was looking at you in shock, but before anyone could say anything you continued.

"Sam here joined your merry little crew because you needed help to take down SHIELD/HYDRA. You guys met while running, with Cap constantly saying 'on your left,' while lapping Sam for the gagillionth time."

"It wasn't a gagillion times," Sam protested, but you cut him off.

"Nat here and Clint have been best buds for a while. Nat was trained in the Red Room, which I know y'all might say could have been leaked when she released SHIELD intel to the world. But what the public doesn't know is that that's what she hallucinated about when Wanda here messed with your minds. Steve, you dreamt of Peggy and having that first dance. Tony thought you were oddly unaffected by everything, saying he didn't trust a guy with no darkside. Oh, and that conversation took place while you were chopping wood at Clint's house, where his wife Laura and three kids live. You guys took shelter there after Wanda kicked your asses. Everyone mocks Cap cuz he said 'language' during your attack on HYDRA's base that held Loki's scepter. He said 'I know, it just slipped out' but fortunately you guys never let him live it down. Vision here is made from the Mind Stone from Loki's staff. He can pick up Thor's hammer, which you all tried to do at your party but couldn't. Clint thought it was a trick, but in truth you're all not worthy. Still, Cap and Tony here argue that if you put the hammer in an elevator and it goes up, then it's lifting the hammer while still not being worthy. Speaking of Thor, if he were here I could tell him a lot. About his life up in Asgard, his girlfriend Jane, his battle with Loki where Loki fell off the rainbow bridge, his vision from Wanda that consisted of Heimdell's eyes being all wacko and a whole lot of bad stuff happening on Asgard. This not enough for you? How about some more quotes? Tony, you're the king of nicknames. You've called Thor Pointbreak, Cap Capsycle, Loki Reindeer Games, etc. etc. Ultron called Vision unbearably naive, to which he responded 'well, I was born yesterday.' Wanda, you ripped Ultron's "heart" out while saying 'It felt like this.' Tony says 'I'm bringing the party to you,' leading a giant alien machine down the street, and Nat responds 'I don't see how that's a party.' 'That's my secret, Cap, I'm always angry.' 'Put on the suit and we'll go a few rounds.' 'I said BOOM you lookin for this?' 'We waited two days for Tony Stark to kill us.' 'If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now?'

At this point you were spouting off whatever quote came to your head, looking at the owner of each quote as you did so and poorly imitating them to the best of your ability.

"Ok, that's enough." Cap said, causing you to stop short and take in a deep breath. You had ranted so rapidly that you hadn't even breathed through most of it.

You looked around at the shocked faces, some clearly frightened at how you had known what you'd known, others looking mildly upset or angry. You realized you had touched upon some moments or quotes that might not sit well with their owners. Honestly, you didn't care.

Whatever it takes, you thought to yourself, smiling slightly at the irony of using yet another quote, even if it was from Endgame and thus quite a ways down the line.

They continued to stare at you for about another minute, no one knowing what to say.

Tony finally broke the silence, "Well...shit." 

Chapter 4: It Starts

Notes:

Yo, this chapter is so short. I don't know how I didn't notice it back when I wrote it, but geeze. I could probably join it with the next one, but I'm too lazy for that.

"We have it on record that I believed Giggles here from the beginning right?" Tony said, pointing a finger at you and raising his eyebrows to the rest of the gang, "Cuz I knew from the start that this girl was telling the truth, the rest of you just can't ever be open to new things though," he turned to address you, "I try to tell them to ease up a bit, but you know how it is with stick-in-the muds, they never---"

"Tony," Nat sighed disappointingly, "not now."

"What, so she proves she's some mind-reading stalker and we're just supposed to believe the whole 'other reality superhero movie' story?" Sam questioned.

"Why would I lie? I've shown I am not shy about withholding what I know, so what's the point in lying about how I know it?"

"Dropping down randomly in our front yard and throwing creepy facts in our face doesn't exactly breed trust," Nat said.

"How could I possibly even know about what each of you saw in Wanda's mind tricks? Hmm? It's because I saw it. I've watched the movies. The whole audience saw your individual hallucinations."

"She also knows specific moments from seventy years ago," Cap said, "I don't see how even an expert stalker could find that out."

"Thank you! I know so much more too. I told you, it's 2021 in my world. I don't just know what has happened up until Ultron. I know what is going to happen. Like with Bruce. For two years the audience had no idea what had happened either, until the third Thor movie."

"Thor got three movies? How many did I get?" Tony asked.

"Three," you said. He seemed to be relieved that at least he had gotten the same amount. "But 2 and 3 sucked." He gave you an incredulous look as the others laughed. "To be honest, I haven't even watched them cuz they're not important to literally anything else that happens."

"Now hang on, what exactly in my life wasn't worth your time?" he responded rather intently.

"Um, the thing with the electric whip guy, and the story with the mandarin and fire burning dudes."

"And how are my struggles any less thrilling?"

"Because we all know you win, the villains aren't that entertaining, and the most important thing to come out of your last two movies is the introduction of Natasha."

"Introduction?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's your first appearance. Though I hadn't even seen the second Iron Man before watching the Avengers, which is where you all come together to fight Loki. Great movie, first one I really watched. I had seen Captain America with my friend, but didn't know it was part of a Universe. There were only like three or four movies out at that time, and I didn't understand that they all connected, but that's not important right now."

There was another awkward pause before Cap spoke up again, "So you say you're from 2021. Then why are you here in 2015? And better yet, how did you actually get here?"

"Well..."

How do I gently explain that people in this room die? Oh well, I'll try by best. Maybe just saying it will be better, like pulling a band-aid off real fast.

"There are events that happen in future movies that I always thought up different, happier endings to."

They didn't seem to understand what you were getting at.

Well, here comes the Band-aid.

"Some of you die."

Looks of concern were passed around the room, and you looked sheepishly down at your hands, which you were tapping nervously against the table.

"Who?" Tony asked.

You felt a lump form in your throat. Something about admitting who died when looking right at them was weird, almost sadder than watching it happen. Like telling your friend "Hey, you die tomorrow." But you knew you had to.

"Nat...Vision...and you Tony."

The air seemed to be sucked out of the room while they took in what you said. You didn't speak, not knowing what to say even if you wanted to.

Suddenly, Tony laughed, "Of course. Was it epic? A real tearjerker?"

You knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but looking at him in the flesh made his death even more unbearable. The thought of it was no longer that of a fictitious character, but rather a living being right in front of you. You looked at him, but all you could see was the shot of his lifeless eyes and burnt face as Pepper leans in to kiss him goodbye.

You felt tears pricking at your eyes.

"Yeah," you said softly, forcing a smile, "not a dry eye left in the theater."

He tried to return your smile, but you saw the solemn look in his eyes.

"You died saving the universe," you explained, still speaking softly, as if that made the news any easier to bear. You turned to Nat and Vision, "And you guys too. I cried both times."

At this point you felt a tear roll down your cheek and quickly wiped it away.

Why the heck am I crying? you thought. There was just something so strange about what was happening. You couldn't let them die.

"But that's why I'm here," you said, clearing your throat and straightening up, trying to change the tone that had set on the room. "I, like many other fans, have thought about different, happier endings. I wanted to come here at a certain time to prevent what I know happens. I was joking around in my kitchen, wishing hard for the ability to come here and help, when a portal appeared in my backyard. It took a lot of debate to decide to jump through a glowing blue circle, but if there was even the chance that the Marvel Universe was real and that I could help, well then I had to do it."

The Avengers took in what you had said for a moment.

You looked around the room, with almost pleading eyes, frantically hoping that they would trust you.

"Well," Cap said, "Where do we start?"

You smiled so wide you thought your head was going to split. This question was one you could answer, one you had actually thought about.

Your initial joyful grin turned to a slightly mischievous one as you responded with one word: "Loki."

Chapter 5: Settling In

You spent the next few hours explaining A LOT to them, but there was so much to cover that you didn't go into great depth on nearly anything.

After the quick overview of events, you had spent your time trying to explain Ragnarok in more detail. Loki had been mentioned several times, and you never failed to smile about him like you did with everyone else. However, you being a fan of his did not go unnoticed.

"Hold up," Clint said as you were explaining Loki and Thor's brotherly moment on the ship at the end of Ragnarok, "I get it that Loki is doing the right thing here and all...but are we ignoring his past here or something? Or the fact that at the beginning of your story he was impersonating Odin? And was responsible for Hela's release?"

"Well, he wasn't directly responsible," you argued, "and besides, are you forgetting the adorable conversations between him and Thor that I relayed? They were brothers once, and Loki secretly cares for Thor, always has."

When this didn't seem to convince them, as you were met with rather loud disagreements, you decided it was time to go all in on Loki.

"Ok, listen up," you said, "I'm about to tell you something...and I will follow it up with an explanation, so please hold back your shouts, AND snippy remarks," you focused on Tony on that last part. After receiving nods of agreement from everyone, and a look of exaggerated innocence from Tony, you began.

"Ok. So Loki...is kinda my favorite Marvel character."

Despite their promises to withhold their disgust, the room broke into a series of questions and sounds of disbelief. Tony also couldn't help himself, "Oh, so you just root for the Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of Oz and cheer when the hunter kills Bambi's mom too, is that it?"

Oh dear this is going to be harder than I thought.

"Uh excuse me?! What part of no shouts or snippy comments didn't you understand?"

"That was before you let us know you idolize a murderer," Clint said, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

"First off, you can't say that a villain in a movie has never been your favorite character?"

"Yes, but if I was dropped into the Star Wars universe, I wouldn't think Vader was so cool anymore," Tony lashed back.

"No, but you'd still sympathize with Anakin wouldn't you? Or still know that Vader is good deep down, despite his sins?"

"God, you're such a nerd," Tony snickered.

"Well, lucky for you, if I wasn't a nerd then I wouldn't be here right now and you'd be dead in a few years!"

"Ouch, too soon," he said, dropping back in his chair and folding his arms.

You turned back to the room, "As I was saying, Loki is my favorite character for many reasons. Hilarious? Yes." This earned some scoffs from around the table. "Badass? Yes. Adorable? Yes." Oh shoot, did I just say that out loud? Tony made a gagging noise, evidently proving that you had indeed just said that out loud. You pretended not to notice. "But, I also love him because of his pain. His loss. His struggle to love himself, which leads him to believe no one else loves him. The trauma of finding out that you are a Frost Giant, the monsters of legends told to you as a child. Learning that you were only taken in to be used as a means to an end. Believing your dad must never have loved you and always favored Thor. Then trying to prove your worthiness by getting Thor out of the picture and trying to destroy your birth home, as if attempting to alienate yourself from the monster you learned you were by defeating them. And in the end, realizing that you still had done nothing right."

You continued for a while, explaining the emotional and mental struggles Loki had gone through, even daring to grab from the Loki TV series as proof. You addressed his epiphany where he admits he doesn't enjoy hurting people, but feels he has to. It's part of the illusion. The cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear. A desperate play for control. You explained how he died in Infinity War, finally doing the right thing only to get his neck snapped. He had finally accepted that he could be more than just mischief. All it took was motivating words from his brother. No matter how far he fell, Thor never stopped loving him. It just took Loki a while to accept that.

"So," you started your conclusion, "I know he did bad things to Thor, which, had I not come here, he would have practically mended in Ragnarok. But, he helped Thor out before he "died." And his attack on New York was in the height of his emotional distress, not to mention it was Thanos who told him to do it. I highly doubt he asked nicely, if ya know what I mean. And I told you how his father was once he got back, even if Loki deserved the anger. He literally told him his birthright was to die, as he was a runt cast out in the cold. Like, I feel Odin's disgust and how upset he is and don't hold it against him for finally lashing out, but still he messed up there.

He is good. I've seen it in the future, and I've wished for nothing but the chance for him to have been able to live after admitting he can be good. I know that if given the chance, he can be a hero. You honestly would all get along with him, he's so funny. If I can fix everything, and get it so that he and all of you live, then who knows how great things could be? I know I'm jumping ahead a bit by saying I envision him as a member of the team, but I've had nothing but free time and no life on my hands back at home, so I've thought of years down the line when y'all have slowly grown to trust him."

"Even if you're right, it doesn't change the fact that the character arc you witness in Loki isn't finished here yet. He's still very much a threat. Not even two years ago he faked his own death," Nat said.

"Yes, after saving Thor," you challenged right back.

"Be that as it may," Vision said, "He is still in the transition from the angry and distressed Loki in this Dark World to the Loki that Thor reaches in Ragnarok. Therefore, he must be considered hostile until proven otherwise."

"I agree," you said, receiving surprised looks. Apparently, you arguing with the Avengers was becoming common enough that it was now shocking when you agreed.

"I'm sorry, did you all just hear what I heard?" Tony teased, putting his hand to his heart as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yes, Tony, I agree. I can't forget that part of what I enjoy about Loki is that he is a mischievous little scam. And incredibly lethal. Not only that, but the emotional issues I have discussed also make it hard for him to trust anyone. He's been burned too many times to just easily listen to someone. His first instinct is to make himself appear tougher than he is, which usually ends in a trick or show of strength. In short, just letting my guard down around him and expecting him to believe my story is risky. Believing that you all won't kill him on sight is also gonna be hard for him to do."

"Smart on his part," Clint said.

"Listen, I know it won't be easy. And, I also know that you guys may never trust him enough to let him in, no matter how many years pass. But I need you guys to promise that you won't try to kill him."

Steve spoke before anyone had the chance to, "You have our word."

"Now, hang on a second," Clint and Tony both started, but Cap cut them short, "If we're going to trust Wren, we need to do so fully. If she's here to save lives, we can't pick and choose who. Her intel is the best chance we have against this Thanos. If learning to get along with Loki is the price we have to pay, then we pay it. Otherwise, some of us may not be around long enough to regret not listening to her."

That seemed to shut down any dissenting opinions.

"It seems our first mission is Ragnarok based on the brief time-table Wren has given us, is that right?" Cap asked.

You nodded. "The events of Ragnarok are the most immediate. We have until next year before Bucky is framed and you all get into an overly dramatic break-up. However, the longer we wait to get Loki on our side and Odin back in power, the more likely it is that Hela will come. Odin gets weaker the longer we wait. I don't know where in Norway he is, so we need some Asgardian assistance. Step one is to get Thor here and take care of Loki."

As you finished you couldn't help but let out a yawn. It was dark now, and you had been talking for what felt like forever. You were thirsty, hungry, and exhausted. Apparently, traveling between realities and explaining ten years' worth of movies to a team of superheroes will do that to you.

Tony must have seen your body language, because he stood up and signaled for you to do the same.

"Nope, Step 1 is get you some food and a shower," he said.

You weren't sure whether or not to be offended by the last part of his comment, but you quickly realized he was right. Your hair was a mess and your arms and legs were smudged with dirt and grass stains from your not-so-graceful fall from the portal. Additionally, you realized you reeked of old coffee, glancing down to see that you still had stains all over your shirt from when you spilled your cup earlier. Gosh, that felt like ages ago.

"You usually treat prisoners so nicely?" you joked.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. You guys know what she's talking about?" he asked the others as they stood up and began to file out of the room.

"Ah, so being marched at gunpoint to an interrogation doesn't ring any bells?"

"If this was an interrogation, then you were easy to break. Couldn't get you to shut up could we?"

You feigned an insulted look as you punched his shoulder on your way by.

"Watch it new girl, I remember everything, and I hold grudges, don't forget that."

The rest of the team continued down the hallway, while Tony led you to an elevator. You realized the compound had five floors in the main part. The elevator stopped on the third floor.

"Most of the team's bedrooms are on this floor, with the exception of me, who naturally gets the pent-house up top when I stay here."

"Yeah naturally."

"Being the billionaire genius behind everything you ooo and awe at has its perks."

The third floor had a large common room area with some chairs and a couch. The room had two walls that were entirely windows, positioned on opposite sides of the room. The other two sides of the rectangular room had the entrance to a hallway. So, from where you stood after walking out of the elevator you could either go left or right. Tony took you across the room to the hallway on the right, leading you down to the end. He opened the last door on the right, sticking his hand out towards the room and stepping aside.

"Well, here you are."

You couldn't believe you were getting a room in the Avengers compound.

"What, did you honestly expect a dungeon or something?" he said, indicating he had witnessed the look of disbelief on your face.

"No, it's not that," you laughed, "I just can't believe that Tony Stark walked me to my room in the Avengers compound."

"Well, not to give you a heart attack or anything, but you'll also be eating dinner with us and seeing us rather frequently."

You nodded at him, smiling like a fool again.

"And stop looking at me like that, I feel like a circus attraction when you do nothing but stare."

"If there is one thing we both know, it's that you never say no to attention."

"God, this whole 'you knowing everything about us' gig is going to get annoying real soon isn't it?"

"I generally tend to be annoying with or without unnaturally freakish information."

"No wonder your universe flushed you down a portal."

"Thank you for the room, Tony," you laughed.

"I'll have some clothes left outside your door. There should be a robe in the closet already. Turn left when you get out of the elevator and keep walking, you can't miss the kitchen. Be down in twenty minutes, I'm ordering chinese. If you're late we'll eat yours too."

You nodded and walked into your room, closing the door behind you. The room resembled that of the one you had seen Wanda in before. There was a large bed, a tv, a desk, nightstands, a large window, a potted plant in the corner, and a decently sized bathroom. The walls were gray with blue trim, the carpet was white, but a big rug was spread out with a gray and blue pattern to match the walls. The bedding was the same shade of Navy blue.

After your quick tour, you paused in the middle of the room. Now left with your first quiet moment since your insane decision to travel worlds, you stared into space as the reality of your situation crashed down on you again. Your chest pounded and you felt both like you were falling and rooted to the ground.

"Nah nah nah, don't freak out," you mumbled to yourself, putting your hand on your forehead. You'd started feeling lightheaded.

This isn't happening, it can't be happening, it's not possible, it's not supposed to be possible. But it is. You're here. Oh God you're here.

"Ah shit," you grunted, rushing to the bathroom to catch your vomit in the toilet.

"Pull yourself together, it's ok, you're ok," you whispered after cleaning up in the sink and splashing some water on your face.  You spent the next minute staring at yourself in the mirror whispering "you're ok" over and over again. "You can do this," you sighed, breathing deeply before forcing yourself to move.

You found the closet near the bathroom and pulled out the robe. After taking a much needed shower, you found the clothes outside of your door and got to work making yourself more presentable. Tony had given you some baggy black sweats and a green hoodie. They were clearly men's clothing, but were only slightly too big. You didn't mind, as the oversized attire made you feel cozy. You brushed your hair out and left it to air dry. Looking in the mirror yet again, you leaned forward and took another deep breath.

"Ok, time to go have dinner with the Avengers."

Chapter 6: Dinner

Notes:

Reference to a scene from WandaVision is included. No massive plot spoilers or anything, but if you haven't seen it and wish to not read the scene about it, skip the last bit of the chapter starting from when she pauses outside of Wanda's door.

You stepped out of the elevator and took a left, per Tony's instructions. You took your own sweet time meandering down the hallway. It was like being in a dream. Your mind was completely shot from having to deal with so much in one day, but the thrill of excitement had returned to your body. The hallway seemed to open up to a large room up ahead, and you heard the voices of the Avengers bickering over one thing or another. You stepped into the room to find that it consisted of two parts. A very large lounge area and a kitchen with a dining room portion. The others seemed to realize you'd entered the room and quickly stopped talking.

"Wow, real subtle guys," you said, walking over and taking a seat furthest from anyone. You were feeling out of place.

There were a few laughs before Nat said, "Subtlety isn't really their specialty."

"Coming from the most aggressive woman, that's laughable," Rhodey responded.

You smiled before addressing the elephant in the room, "So, what were you guys talking about when I came in? And don't lie, I'm too tired to deal with that."

"We were just discussing a few things about your world," Sam responded with a smile.

"Okaaay, like what?"

"Like who's more popular," Clint said, "Me or Nat?"

Nat rolled her eyes, "Oh please, this isn't even up for debate."

You laughed as they all turned to you, expecting you to end the argument.

"No one is more popular than the other..." before you could continue, the room broke into a series of 'oh come on's and 'no way's.

"Everyone loves a Legolas, but I've learned better than to bet against Nat, so I'm team Romanoff," Tony said.

"Thank you very much," she said, raising her glass to him.

"Seriously though, who is it?" Rhodey asked again.

You sighed heavily, "Nat."

The room broke into "I told you so's" and laughter, with Sam even handing over ten bucks to Rhodey and Tony.

"Oh come on Wren!" Clint yelled at you.

"Hey, I didn't say I liked any one of you over the other, but in terms of world popularity, Black Widow is probably the safest bet."

The food arrived just then, and you all went up to the counter to grab some. Despite being hungry earlier, the thought of eating now sounded ridiculous. Your stomach hadn't quite settled from the sudden attack in your bedroom, so you played it safe and only scooped a very small portion of rice onto your plate. After returning to the table, Sam turned to you again.

"So, who is the most popular overall?"

"I assume you've already made bets?"

"Just a few friendly wagers is all, keeps things interesting," Tony replied.

"Come on guys, don't keep making her do this," Cap objected, though he was smiling too.

"Oh don't try that Steve, you know you're curious," Nat said.

"He's just scared he won't be the one," Sam said.

"Ok, fine. Wren, enlighten us," Steve said, fully accepting the challenge.

"Well, in terms of purely the Avengers, there is no one particular favorite overall. Everyone has their own favorite. But the 'Big Three' are Thor, Cap, and Iron Man," you answered, earning scoffs and an "of course" from the others.

"Just chill, you're all someone's favorite."

"Who is yours?" Tony asked, "Hero I mean, not mass-murderer."

You definitely felt your face burn red at this.

"No way am I revealing that in front of you guys!"

They all protested rather profusely.

"You have to tell us! We promise we'll only mildly resent you if we don't like the answer," Nat said.

"So reassuring Nat, thanks." After the cries for an answer didn't subside, you leaned back in your chair and sighed again."Fiiine, but don't get mad at me if you don't like what you hear."

"Can't make any promises," Tony said, "and before you make your announcement just remember who pays for everything, makes everyone look cooler, and gave you a room."

You rolled your eyes before answering.

"Ok, so there are many more characters that come in later. And I love them, and you guys, all relatively equally. However, yes, I have had a favorite since the first Avengers. Before I say who it is though, I will also say that they are now practically tied with another person for favorite, so I kinda have two. My favorite Avenger was always..." you paused for dramatic effect, "Cap."

The next few minutes were quite hilarious, with everyone grilling you for liking the "fossil", as Tony put it, over a "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist." Steve had blushed slightly at the attention, but he was used to fans anyway so he just laughed along and nodded his head towards you, "I'm honored," he said.

"Yes, well you should be. It takes a lot to make it to the top of my list."

"Who is the other?" Clint asked.

"Desperate to make it up there are we?" Tony asked him. "It's ok, we know your ego took a hit when Nat beat you out in a popularity contest, we won't hold it against you if you need a little validation."

"I didn't try to bribe my way into her favorite spot just a minute ago," he retorted.

"Wanda," you said without hesitation. There were a few more groans from those who had held out hope that they were the second, but you were preoccupied by the fact that Wanda was not here, something you hadn't picked up on til now. And Vision, who you had noticed in the room when you first entered, was no longer around. "Speaking of, where is she? And Vision?"

The room grew quiet.

"I thought you knew everything?" Tony challenged, breaking the silence. "Vision doesn't eat, so he could be wandering anywhere."

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. And Wanda?"

It was Steve who spoke for the team this time, "You know what happened in Sokovia. She's still adjusting."

Oh you thought that's a nice way of putting it. The poor girl.

You quickly changed the subject. Tired of answering everyone else's questions, you threw your own at them for a change.

"So Nat, tell me...After 70 years of no practice...how bad was Cap at kissing?"

The room exploded at that point. Apparently the rest of the gang hadn't known about Nat and Steve's kiss.

You smiled at your handiwork and silently stood, sneaking away to bring your dish to the sink.

You leaned against the counter watching the still tumultuous discussion being held at the table. You smiled at the scene and thought to yourself This! This is what I am here for. This is what I'm protecting. Nat looked over her shoulder and gave you a threatening look as if to say "I'm gonna get you for this." You just smirked back at her and returned to the table. As you sat down you finally tuned in to what was being said.

"It was nothing! And it wasn't that bad," Steve was saying.

"Not according to Natasha," you chimed in.

You couldn't help but laugh at Steve's glare. The others continued to laugh.

"Wren, we're gonna need to have a nice long talk later," Tony said, walking over to pat you on the back, "I have a feeling there's so much you have to say."

"You might not be so happy when you hear what I have to say about you."

"You're bluffing," Tony said.

You raised an eyebrow at him, "You wanna test that theory?"

Tony gave a little scoff and stormed over to the bar. "You," he said, pointing directly at you, "are a handful. I might just throw you back in a portal."

"Wouldn't be the dumbest thing you've done," you retorted.

The table laughed some more, to which Tony responded with "Alright, that's it. Bedtime missy."

You were honestly tired so you stood up with a snarky "Yes father."

"You're seriously just going to listen to him?" Nat asked.

"I'm tired anyway, and Tony might drink himself to death if I stay. So goodnight everyone."

"Don't forget to hug your favorite person goodnight!" Sam practically shouted.

"I know better than to interfere with Natasha's men."

Steve gave you a look as the table broke into laughter again.

"Sorry" you mouthed, heading past him and down the hall to the elevator.

Once in the elevator you allowed yourself to slump against the wall. You had had a great night, but every time you stopped to think about what was happening your mind threatened to explode. The doors opened and you pushed yourself off the wall, trudging along towards your bedroom. As you passed the door just before your own, you thought you heard voices. Being the nosy butt that you were, you paused to listen. You thought you heard Wanda's voice.

This must be her room. Sweet, I'm next-door neighbors with one of my favorite characters.

The voice changed to what you knew was Vision. You moved slightly closer to the door, sticking your ear out to try and hear what they were saying. One line reached your ears.

"But what is grief, if not love persevering?"

Your hand shot to your mouth and you froze for a second. Vision's laughter at the sitcom on the screen broke you from your trance. You quietly rushed to your door, feeling horrible for eavesdropping on such an intimate moment. However, you couldn't wipe the smile off of your face. You quickly brushed your teeth and climbed in bed, turning off the lamp next to you. You stared at the ceiling trying to comprehend the rollercoaster of a day you had had. You know you should have been puzzling over honest questions like how and why the portal had opened, how events were going to go from here, and whether or not you'd be able to succeed. But all that was in your head was the conversation between Wanda and Vision, the last part of which you had had the amazing privilege of hearing. No matter what the answers to the other more pressing questions were, you were too happy to worry. You drifted off to sleep with the thought of Wanda and Vision, the image of them smiling at each other on her bed frozen in your mind.

Chapter 7

 

You woke up and stared at the ceiling for a minute, trying to remember the dream you had had that made you feel happy. You shot upright, remembering everything that happened and looking around to find that it was real. You allowed yourself to fall backwards again, stretching your arms over your head and smiling.

I still can't believe this is real, you thought as you rolled over to check the clock on the nightstand. It was 11, which honestly wasn't late compared to how much your lazy butt slept in on days off, but you doubted superheroes were asleep that late in the day. You got out of bed and walked to your door, peeking out for any signs of life. You looked down to find bags of neatly folded and freshly purchased clothes outside your door. Carrying them into your room, you dropped them on the bed and started shuffling through them.

You chose some jeans, a purple athletic t-shirt, and some boots. You noticed it had been slightly chilly out yesterday, with this universe seemingly farther along into fall, so you brought a black quarter zip to throw over you if you needed it. Surprisingly, all of the clothes were your size.

When you reached the kitchen, Steve was the only one in sight, sitting at the counter drinking what looked like a protein shake.

"Already finished a run?" you asked, guessing based on his outfit that you were right.

"Does my movie give you my daily schedule as well?" He asked with a smile.

"No, just seems like the thing you'd do."

"Well, I guess being your favorite character makes me predictable to you."

"Oh, shut up," you said, walking past him to the fridge, "I'm quickly regretting ever saying that."

"Just be glad that your favorite character wasn't Tony," he laughed.

"Oh yeah, I'd definitely be hearing it more from him. His head doesn't need to get any bigger."

You didn't trust yourself not to burn down the kitchen while attempting to make anything, so you grabbed a bagel, popped it in the toaster, and sat down at the opposite end of the counter from Steve. It was hard to find things to say to Captain America, and you had to stop yourself from staring.

"So, where is everyone?" you asked after a minute or two of awkward silence

"Nat is probably still training with Sam, last I saw of Clint he was on the phone with his wife, Rhodey is in the main lab with Tony, and Wanda is down by the lake."

"And Vision?"

"The man disappears through walls, so I've given up trying to keep track of him."

You nodded, thinking you had a pretty good idea of where Vision would be. You sat in silence for a bit, eating the bagel that was now out of the toaster.

"Look," you started, "about some of the things I said yesterday---"

He cut you off before you could finish, "Wren, it's fine. You had to prove your point, otherwise you wouldn't be able to help us."

"Yeah, but I coulda been a little more sensitive with, you know...Peggy and all of that."

He seemed to stare into space sadly, as if watching a memory play in his head. Finally he looked down and forced a grin before looking back up at you, "You were stressed and panicked. Others would have been worse had they been in your situation. I can't imagine this is all easy for you to take in."

"Oh no, it's super easy. You know, once you get past the glowing portal that shouldn't be possible, the fancy tech that shouldn't be possible, your favorite movie character sitting in a kitchen with you that shouldn't be possible." You trailed off, smiling as you took another bite of your bagel. Steve laughed and walked over to put a hand on your shoulder. You almost jumped at the touch, which made him pull back and put his hand on the counter instead.

"Seriously," he said, "I know it can't be easy. You are excited, yes, but anyone paying attention can see your nerves and fear. You left your entire life back in your world. If you need to talk, I'm here."

You waited about ten seconds before taking him up on his offer.

"It's just...I hope my family doesn't think I'm dead. I hope they don't worry. I mean, I left a quick note, but I couldn't exactly explain where I was going. If the worst that happens is I lose my job, well I can live with that. But it has dawned on me that...well, the MCU isn't the safest of places."

"We won't let anything happen to you," Steve tried to reassure you.

"Trust me, there are things even you guys can't prevent."

Steve didn't respond for a bit. You finished your bagel and placed your dish in the open dishwasher.

"You know you don't have to go through with this, right? This isn't your fight."

"Captain America, God's righteous man!" you chuckled to yourself, earning a look from Steve who had heard your words apparently.

"Sorry, Ultron quote."

"I know, I remember."

"Yeah, of course... Anyways, yes I do have to go through with it. How could I go home and watch another MCU movie and think 'Yeah, there really is a universe out there with them in it, and I let them just follow the chain of events. oh yippee, here comes Gamora's death, my favorite part!"

"Who's Gamora?"

"Why is Gamora," you blurted out before you could stop yourself. Steve looked thoroughly confused.

"Sorry! Another quote. Anyway, the point is, I can't go home until I see this through. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You fight for the little guy cuz you have the power to do so. I don't have power, but I have the knowledge to protect the big guys. If you think I'm going to run, then you're nuts."

At that, Tony walked in the room with Rhodey.

"Why is gramps nuts?" he asked, hopping up onto the counter instead of the stools, "not that I'm disagreeing."

"Nevermind," you said, "we were just talking about the work we have to do."

You didn't think Tony believed you, but he didn't care much to question.

"Well, funny you should mention that, cuz we're having a group meeting over there," he pointed to the lounge, "in five minutes. Friday, notify the rest of the team."

"I already have, boss," the iconic voice spoke from seemingly nowhere.

"Fridaaay!" you excitedly yelped, which earned a smile from Tony as he walked over to the fridge to grab some juice, "Can I activate barn-door protocol??? Or is that not a thing yet?"

"Barn what?"

"I'll take that as a no. We'll have to talk about it later, it comes in handy."

You walked over and sat in one of the comfy chairs.

"I remember being upset when I first thought Jarvis was gone, but Friday's iconic now."

"You hear that Friday, you have a fan. Sounds like I've been beat out of a top favorite again, this time by a voice," Tony said, following the rest of you to your seats.

The rest of the team filed in in the next few minutes. Nat and Sam were still sweaty from their sparring. You didn't fail to notice that Vision and Wanda had come in from the same direction, one mere seconds after the other. You all turned to Tony in expectation, waiting for him to begin.

"Ok, it's plain and simple. We need a plan and we need one fast. Time-table is shrinking every second we waste, and Marty McFly here can't keep traveling across time to give us second chances."

"I thought we had a plan? Get Loki first?" you said, worried that he had changed his mind about the God of Mischief.

"No, that's not a plan, that's a poorly thought out idea."

"And since when are your plans anything but that?" Nat asked.

"Since I learned that I die, which may be something you're comfortable hearing about your future self, but it isn't for me. I still have ambitions, like that new Thai restaurant on 48th?"

"Ok, so what do you have in mind?" Steve questioned, "We need Thor's help if we're to take Loki with the least amount of trouble."

"And how exactly do you intend on reaching him," Tony threw back, "Smoke signs? Flare? Bat signal? We don't have an intergalactic cell phone lying around anywhere that I don't know about do we?"

"No," you said, "but we may still have a way...the bifrost."

"You mean Thor's rainbow beam that scorches my lawn?"

"Exactly."

"And how do we have the power to summon it or Thor?" Cap asked.

"We don't...but I know someone who does." 

Chapter 8: The Unexpected

"So we just wait around for this Heimdall guy to beam Thor to us?" Rhodey asked.

"That's not even remotely what I said?"

"No, instead you gave us the same problem we had five seconds ago. How exactly do you plan on reaching this new guy hmm? Even my plans are more thought out than this, I at least have 15% of a plan usually," Tony scoffed, leaning back on the couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table.

He noticed the looks and corrected himself, "Ok, maybe 10%."

"I think there may be a way to contact Heimdall. He's the Gatekeeper for the Nine Realms. He can hear and see everything. If we call out to him directly, he should be able to hear us. Maybe we can let him know that he needs to find Thor so we can stop---" You froze mid-sentence, an unwelcoming thought hitting you.

"What?" Steve asked.

You put your face in your hand and let out a moan, "I don't know if Loki has forced Heimdall into exile yet."

Groans spread around the room.

"Nooo? You mean, your Lord and Savior thoroughly screws us again? Who woulda seen that coming," Tony snapped.

"Hey I don't know if he's done it yet, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was the first thing he did. With Heimdall's vision it would have been too risky to keep him around. Loki can hold a strong illusion, but if Heimdall suspected anything enough to look closely, Loki woulda been screwed."

"So there's no one monitoring this gateway at all? No way for Thor to come?" Wanda asked.

"Well, no, Loki puts a man named Skurge in charge of the Gate. He's a bit of a coward who has a redemptive arc and death in Ragnarok," you half-heartedly explained, struggling to think of another solution.

"Can Skurge find Thor?" Nat asked.

"He doesn't have the powers that Heimdall has...although, when Thor calls out to Heimdall in Ragnarok, Skurge is able to hear it, as a device in the dome starts playing Thor's calls. He then is able to open the bifrost to where Thor is. Now, maybe he was able to know where Thor was because of his voice, almost like a tracker. Or, possibly, the bifrost works in ways I don't understand, so perhaps he could use it to find Thor again. If we call out to Heimdall, then maybe our voices can be heard too. Maybe, and we won't know until we wait around for Thor, but maybe we can get a message to Skurge to find Thor. With any luck, Heimdall could still be in charge, who knows?"

"It's worth a shot," Cap said. You stood up to go outside, but Tony stepped in front of you.

"Whoa whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"Outside to test our theory," you said with a confused tone, thinking that it had been pretty self-explanatory.

"And what if something goes wrong and Skurge lets Loki know we're looking for Thor? Or he beams you up to kill you on sight because you're a human who seems to know a little too much on how magic rainbow bridge communication works?"

"You're being paranoid, have we got any better ideas for reaching Thor?"

You looked around the room expectantly, but no one could offer any alternatives.

"That's what I thought," you said, turning once more to leave, but Tony held you back again.

"Even if we do get Thor, we still don't have a plan for getting to Loki."

"We'll make it when Thor gets here. Worst case scenario he plows full steam ahead and we just follow for the clean-up," you said smiling.

"No, this is Loki we're dealing with. Thor may be able to handle his own, but if all we do is come at him with a plucky attitude---"

"Don't call us plucky, we don't know what it means," you said in your best Peter Quill voice. Before you could explain Steve chimed in, "Another quote?"

You turned to him and smiled guiltily, "yeah, sorry, I couldn't help myself. He literally said the EXACT line he does in Infinity War."

"This isn't a movie, Wren," Tony said roughly, turning your attention back to him, "This is real. We're not fiction, we are real people who can really get hurt. And so are you." His voice was quiet and serious.

"I-I know that, I- it's just..." you said, suddenly finding yourself losing your words.

"No, you don't seem to know," he continued, not giving you time to search for something to say, "you think the future will just be easy to change? You saw my death. And many others, and you're now here, in this world, trying to alter that. You mess with the universe and it tends to mess back. You may think you can just do a few things and everything will be fine, but that may not be how it works. Loki, your favorite guy, is currently still a villain. Not one you can see on tv and sympathize with because of his backstory, no. In the real world, you don't have time to sympathize with them because they are too busy trying to kill you, do you get that?"

The room was deathly silent after that. You didn't know what to say or do, but you looked anywhere but at Tony's face in front of you. He let go of your arms and walked over to pour himself a drink, slamming the top of the ice down aggressively and storming back over to his couch.

Finally you spoke quietly, "You're right." You turned around to face the team.

"I have had a hard time accepting this as real. It feels like a dream come true, and I do think that I can just help you guys win and everything will be sunshine and rainbows. But I know that's not how it works. It will be hard, harder than I can currently comprehend because it will continue to feel like a dream until it doesn't. I know Loki is dangerous. I can admire how badass he is, but it won't seem so cool when I'm on the other end of the fire. But I have seen what happens three years from now...and believe me when I say that it is far worse than whatever we are going to face in order to stop this. Half of all life extinguished like that" you snapped. "So please, excuse me for being overly optimistic when I am thrown into a position where I can stop it."

"And what if you die?" Tony shot back.

You heard traces of anger still in his voice, but his face was nothing but poorly hidden concern. You realized that his whole outburst before wasn't because he was worried that you might get one of them killed, but rather that you yourself might get hurt.

"You don't even know me, Tony. If I die and you live, you'll forget and move on, getting to live your life. But if I don't try, and I go home, I have to watch you die every time that movie is on somewhere. I have to replay it in my head over and over knowing that you are a real person and that I let you die. That I let you guys die," you pointed to Nat and Vis. "And...that I let Loki die."

"You're wrong," Tony said, standing up and walking over to you, "You may know us more than we know you, but I'd never forget."

"Soldiers never do," Steve added, standing up as well, "You risked your life coming here, Wren, so like it or not, you're a part of the team. That means you're going to have to deal with us worrying about you."

You smiled, "I guess there are worse things to deal with." You turned to Tony again. "Listen, I know I may seem reckless. But you know that we have to try this, no matter the risks. I accept that something may happen to me, and I also know that if something does... then I will have a sick group of weirdos to avenge me."

A smile finally made its way back to his face. "Damn straight," he said before turning back to the team, "What the hell, the new girl is right. Let's go."

Everyone stood up and made their way outside, with you and Tony bringing up the rear.

"You are reckless, by the way."

"Must be from watching you on screen for ten years."

He laughed and held open the door for you, "I haven't the slightest idea what you mean."

Once the group was out in the yard, you stepped forward.

"Ok, this may seem majorly weird. I'm going to be talking to the sky for a bit."

With that, you walked about ten paces away and looked up at the sky.

"Heimdall?" you yelled, "Heimdall if you can hear me, we need your help. Or Skurge, if you're there and can hear me. We need you to--"

Before you could finish, the world around you broke into a million colors and the ground below you fell away. Your heart raced as you realized what had happened.

I'm in the bifrost! You thought. You looked out to see galaxies beyond the rainbow colors, all of them flashing before your eyes in a tremendous onslaught of beauty and wonder. You felt like you were simply floating, weightless and free, yet at the same time felt that you were being pulled up and away. You thought you heard your name being called, but the shock of what was happening made it impossible to think anything but one thought.

Oh God, Tony was right. 

Chapter 9: Stranded

Unlike Thor, you weren't used to the change from weightless to suddenly on your feet, so you rather amusingly fell and rolled a few times across the floor of the bifrost dome.

You stood up groaning, "I have got to learn how to land out of portals."

"Who are you and what business have you with the Gatekeeper of the Nine Realms?" a familiar voice said. You looked up to find Skurge pointing a sword at you, the tip mere inches from your face.

"I didn't ask to be beamed up here!" you protested.

Skurge looked stupidly back at the bifrost sword and then you, "But, I heard you calling for Heimdall?"

"Yeah, to ask a favor! Do you honestly just let anyone into Asgard who comes ringing the doorbell?"

He looked confused, not understanding what a doorbell was, but clearly understood you were insulting his competence.

"Well, you're the first to ever call."

Seeing the look on your face made him stand up straighter in defense, "Ok, so I'm new to the job. But who are you to know of Heimdall anyway?"

"I know Thor and his friends."

"The Prince sent you?"

"No, not exactly. We're trying to find him. I was hoping maybe you could help?"

Skurge puffed out his chest a little before responding, "And why should I help a Midgardian such as yourself?"

"You don't know how to find him do you?" you asked, seeing right through his question.

His shoulders slumped a little as he gave you an annoyed look. "Fine, alright, I have no idea how. There aren't exactly classes on how to guard the Nine Realms," he replied indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, in that case, I'll need to find Heimdall. Could you please beam my colleagues up here or do you not know how to do that either?"

"Heimdall is a traitor," Skurge said, ignoring your question, "Odin charged him with---"

"I know I know," you cut him off, "but that isn't the real Odin."

Skurge was looking at you suspiciously now, slowly raising his sword again.

"I think I'd know my own king when I see him."

"No, it's Loki, posing as Odin. He's stranded Odin on earth, or Midgard, which is why we need Thor's help. Thus, we need Heimdall."

Skurge clearly thought you were off your rocker, as his sword was pointed fully at you again and he had a warning look on his face.

"Loki is dead, so you're either mad or a liar. Either way you're dangerous."

Quickly realizing that your position was growing more dire by the second, you decided it was best to get out of there and regroup with the others.

"Fine, you're right, I must be mistaken," you began, faking your best apologetic smile, "so if you could just return me to earth, I'll go home."

You turned to walk towards where you had come through the bifrost, but Skurge cut you off.

"I think not. You're going before Odin first. He can sort this out. If he believes you are not a threat, then I will send you home."

"Seriously? You beam me up here, not even knowing who I am, and now you're suddenly so worried about safety and protocols?"

"There's a time to learn everything is there not?" Skurge smirked, raising an eyebrow at you, "Now, walk."

Before you could protest, someone hit Skurge hard on the head from behind, knocking the poor excuse for a guard out cold on the floor. Hawkeye stood behind him, holding a large gun that he had used to immobilize Skurge.

"Clint!" you nearly shouted, "How the hell did you get here?"

"Jumped in at the last second. The others tried but I was the closest to you when the rainbow thing opened."

"You've been in this room the whole time?"

He just nodded.

"And you waited til now to help deal with the man holding a sword to my face?"

"Hey, I thought your power was talking everyone into submission? Besides, there was no reason to knock him out if he was going to help us. Once it was clear he wasn't then I rushed in to save the day. I believe a 'Thank you Clint you're my hero' would be in order?"

"Thanks," you said, smiling and walking over to Skurge's cloak on the other side of the room.

"I don't see Nat jumping into any alien beams and saving you from baldy over here...maybe makes one reconsider who's more popular?"

"I'll take that into consideration," you laughed, picking up Skurge's cloak and walking back to Clint.

"What's this for?" he asked as you handed it to him.

"You can't very well be seen walking around Asgard in that. Loki knowing what you look like already puts a target on your back, best not to draw anymore unwanted attention."

"And what about you? Athletic T's and boots the rage these days in Asgard or something?"

"No, but fortunately for us Skurge likes having ladies here to keep him company." You walked over to a red feminine cloak by the wall. You let your hair out of its low pony-tail, brushing it out with your fingers a few times.

"By the way, where'd you get the gun?" you asked, nodding at the weapon still in Clint's hand.

"Over there." He gestured to a pile of random objects across the room. Apparently the gun in Clint's hand had a twin, which was sitting over in the pile.

"Ha, no way."

"What?" Clint asked.

"The two guns, they're from the third Thor movie. Skurge calls them Des and Troy. Cuz together...they destroy."

"That's so bad," Clint said, shaking his head in disappointment.

You just laughed, "I know it's great."

"So what's the plan, if you actually have one this time."

"I have 10% of a plan," you smirked.

"Well, I was gonna die someday, might as well be on a magic planet."

You wrapped the cloak around yourself, fastening the clip and pulling it so that it covered your clothes completely. The material was silky on the outside, but soft and velvety on the inside.

Hm, I'm kinda diggin this cloak, you thought, as you turned to see Clint approaching you in Skurge's cloak. Something about how excessively grand Skurge's cloak was, with the fur on the shoulders and all, was laughable on Clint. You tried to hold it in, but you chuckled nonetheless.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up."

"Nah, you rock that cloak."

"You're damn right I do," he said, positioning Des under his cloak in a way that it wasn't obvious he was concealing a strange Midgardian weapon.

"Should I even try bringing Troy with us?" you said waving your hands out to show the much more limited space under the thinner cloak you sported.

"Nah, not enough room. Just stick close to me, kid, and don't get yourself killed."

"Don't plan on it. You ready?"

"Where exactly are we going? We can't take Loki by ourselves, and I am not getting mind controlled again."

"Well, we can't get back to the others or reach Thor without Heimdall. We have to find him. He's in exile somewhere on the planet, but I think he can hear and see us. Especially now that we're on his turf. I'd call out for him to come to us, but we can't wait around here for him, not with Skurge ready to wake up any second. There's nothing for us to tie him down with, and I don't know how you'd fare against an Asgardian when he knows you're here. Besides, him not seeing you is in our best interest, I'd like to keep it that way. Therefore, we should find some place in the city to lie low, blend in with the rest of the population, and call for Heimdall to find us. We're short on time as it is, so I suggest we get a move on."

"As far as plans go, not bad. But there's a lot that can go wrong. We won't be in the city long before Skurge gets the warning out."

"I know. Hopefully Heimdall won't be long. We should try to talk to him now, so he can get moving too."

You looked around as if addressing some unseen spirit in the room.

"Hey Heimdall? Heimdall, if you can hear us, or see us, we're here to help. I'm sure you know Hawkeye here, one of Thor's friends on earth? We know Odin is Loki, and we need your help to find Thor. We're short on time and we can't stay here. So if you're out there, we'll be heading into the city...um, bye." you finished, treating it like it was a phone call.

"Well, let's hope he heard you, otherwise our little trip will be extended indefinitely."

You both stepped out onto the bridge as he said this, stopping in your tracks and staring at the miraculous view in front of you. Asgard, in all its glory, even more beautiful in person than one could possibly imagine. The soft breeze blew across your face, bearing the smell of the water below and all the sweet aromas of nature. The sunset color of the sky shimmered off of the rainbow bridge. And ahead of you was the golden city, burning a fierce orange-gold in the sun's waning light. Truly breathtaking.

"Wow," Clint gasped.

"Wow," you nodded, not knowing what else to say.

Clint put a hand on your shoulder and you turned to look him in the eyes. He gave you a comforting smile.

"Ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be."

And with that you started down the bridge towards the city.

Chapter 10: Asgard

 

The bridge was about a mile long, which you jogged in roughly ten minutes. You were sucking wind noticeably more than Clint was, but you tried to hide the fact. You slowed your pace as you approached the entrance to the city, cautiously walking under golden arches and through the open area where Hela slaughters the whole Asgardian army.

"Seriously?" Clint asked, pointing ahead of you.

You looked up to see the giant golden statue of Loki.

"Yeah, it looks even cooler in person," you laughed.

Clint gave you a look before continuing forward. You were about to say something in your defense, when you realized the area around you was empty.

"Um, where is everyone?" you asked.

"You just noticed?" Clint responded, raising an eyebrow at you.

"I'm too busy staring at the literal city of gold."

"You mean the statue of gold?"

You hit his arm, "Come off it, I just said it looked cool. Despite what you guys may think, I don't have a crush on Loki."

"I never said you did," he said, giving you a devilish grin.

Dang, I walked right into it.

"Before you continue with this, I think you're all good looking, ok? It's a rule that if you're in the MCU you apparently have to be attractive. That's Hollywood for you."

There was a span of silence as you continued through what you guessed was their marketplace, but Clint was still smirking.

"So," he began, "what's the name of this attractive actor who plays me?"

"Jeremy Renner," you answered, "He's also a singer. Does one killer rendition of House of the Rising Sun."

"Oh, well, that's where he and I will have to differ," Clint said.

"If you're this universe's physical version of Jeremy Renner...then it stands to reason that you have the same voice." you said, turning to look at him. He definitely seemed to be hiding something. "You DO sing, don't you?"

"No, I--I don't sing, just the same as others you know, in the shower, awkwardly at birthdays---"

"But you're good, aren't you?"

You stared at him until he caved.

"Fine, I'm not bad."

"Oh, you are totally singing when we get back."

"Don't hold your breath, kid."

"No, this isn't up for debate, you are 100%---"

Clint held a hand up to silence you, and you looked forward to see what had stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, there's everyone," he said.

Ahead of you were the citizens of Asgard, all gathered silently, their attention drawn to something that you couldn't see.

"Honestly, this gives us a good place to hide for a bit. We'll be out of place if we're the only 'Asgardians' not attending whatever this is," you whispered.

Clint nodded and put a hand on your shoulder, leading you to the crowd.

"Stay close," he said, and you nodded back.

As you moved casually through the crowd, you could hear what sounded like a choir singing a rather sad and soft tune. Finally, you got to a point where you could see what was happening, and you had to fight to hold in your laughter.

In the clearing up ahead was a stage, like the one in Ragnarok. Only this time, the setting was different. A makeshift rainbow bridge had been made, and "hanging" off of it was Loki, or rather, his actor. "Thor" was half-hanging as well, holding onto the Loki actor with one hand and the Odin actor, who was standing on the bridge, with the other.

"I could have done it, Father. For you, for all of us!" the Loki said in an excessively dramatic way.

"I know, my son," the Odin replied, "had Thor not stopped you, you could have made this realm safe."

"I am truly sorry, brother," the Thor said in response to the Odin's remarks, "twas an err in judgement on my part."

"It was," the Loki said, "you've never been the smart one." Both of them laughed softly through fake tears.

"No, I haven't," the Thor responded.

"Now let me go," the Loki said, "or you too will be sucked into the vortex created by the bifrost collapse."

Hawkeye turned to you with a look of massive confusion, causing you to clamp a hand over your mouth and bite your lip to keep from laughing.

"No, Loki!" the Thor shouted.

"Goodbye," the Loki whispered, before letting go and falling dramatically onto the stage floor, which was painted to represent the stars.

"Nooooooooooooooo!" the Thor yelled as the choir's sad soundtrack increased.

The Odin pulled the Thor up, before facing the crowd for an ending monologue.

"Loki, my dear son," he began, sounding like he was holding in tears, "All your life I viewed you as a son, but never as the king that you were born to be. No, instead I pushed you too far. But you proved to me that you were ready, fighting back those dreaded Frost Giants, saving my life and the kingdom's. You were, and always will be, a king to me." He ended by placing his hand on his heart and bowing his head.

The crowd broke into cheers, giving you the chance to let out the laughter that had been building up.

"What the hell did I just watch?" Clint asked, looking mildly concerned.

"I'll explain later," you said, wiping tears from your eyes, "That was too good."

You quickly collected yourself, as you saw a man stand up from a couch and cheer. It was Odin, or rather, Loki.

The actors were taking a bow, waving to the audience.

Loki turned to address the crowd, "So ends Loki of Asgard: Born to Be King," he proclaimed in Odin's voice, "Have a wonderful evening, and don't forget to pay your respects to Loki whenever you pass." He gestured to the statue down a ways behind you, which was tall enough to be seen from there.

You scoffed a little at that, "He is so full of himself," you said.

"Yeah, you think?" Clint said back. "We should go though," he continued, "the crowd is going to thin and I doubt Loki will be happy to see my face."

"Yeah ok," you responded, only half paying attention though. You were staring at Odin, or Loki. It was so weird to see Odin in person, even if it was Loki. In fact, knowing it was really Loki under that disguise made it even stranger. Loki was real, and he was but fifty feet from you.

"Hey," Clint said, snapping you back to reality, "did you hear me?"

"Yeah, sorry, let's get going."

Before you could move, a shout rang through the crowd, as Skurge, out of breath, broke from the sea of people. He stopped a few paces from Odin, bowing quickly, or simply hunching trying to catch his breath, you couldn't tell. The rest of the crowd froze to watch, so naturally you did too, not wanting to stick out. Clint positioned you so that there were people between you and Skurge. You kept your head down, peeking through the gaps in people to see what was going on.

"All...Father!" Skurge managed to say through gulps.

"Odin" had a rather annoyed look on his face that he was trying to hide, and you could just imagine Loki's face as he lost patience with Skurge.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked.

"Some girl is here. Came through the bifrost."

"The bifrost that you control?" Loki said, the look in Odin's eyes holding a tint of malice.

"Yes, well, she was calling out for Heimdall...a-and she knew of Prince Thor, Your Majesty."

Loki tensed ever so slightly, "Oh?" he managed to say in an attempt at a mildly interested tone. Deep down you knew he was panicking.

"And what does this woman look like? Who is she?"

Skurge said he didn't know, but proceeded to describe you. Loki appeared to breathe a little easier after your description was given.

Who was he expecting to hear a description of? You turned to look at Clint, and, as if guessing what you were thinking, he worded something to you. "Natasha," he mouthed. You nodded your head.

Ok, so he doesn't think any of the Avengers are here...that's good right? Maybe he won't be as devoted to finding you, giving you more time to find Heimdall.

Skurge's next words shattered any hopes you had.

"She said she needed to find Thor, and she was going to go look for Heimdall herself. There was something off about her. She knew all about Heimdall, including him being charged with treason."

"Did she say why she desired to find my son?" Loki asked.

Skurge looked around, before stepping closer to Odin and whispering something so the audience could not hear. You, however, knew he was telling Loki about what you had said regarding him posing as Odin.

"Odin's" face paled, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but Loki kept the illusion mostly neutral. He nodded his head gravely.

"The ravings of a madwoman indeed," he said, "therefore she must be found before she can arouse trouble. How, exactly, did she escape?"

Skurge looked down at his feet, and you felt kind of bad for him.

"One second she was in front of me, the next I'm passed out. The pain in my head indicates an attack, but she was in front of me."

"And did anyone else come up the bifrost with her?" Loki questioned, still trying to maintain a calm expression, but you could see the worry in his eyes.

"Not that I saw, sir. Although, I was so preoccupied with stopping her that one could have come after her."

"So she either has an accomplice, or she's more powerful than we know. Either way, this trespasser must be found." He turned to the guard standing nearby. "Alert all the guards across the city, have them on the lookout for a girl matching the description. Inform them that if found, she is to be brought to me...alive."

You guess you should have been relieved to know they were not to kill on sight, but something about Loki wanting you alive was more concerning. He would want answers, and you weren't sure how nicely he'd ask.

Odin turned to the crowd once again, "Return to your houses! There is a potential threat in Asgard. A girl, who is to be turned in to the authorities if discovered. In order to aid in the search, please remain indoors."

The crowd turned in a rush, sounds of worry passing in waves over the audience.

"Damn, there goes our cover," you said.

The two of you turned and allowed yourself to be swept along with the current.

"What do we do?" you asked.

"I'm thinking," Clint said. After a pause he continued, "The city is huge, even with the streets empty there have got to be places to hunker down, trust me, I'm kinda an expert at staying hidden."

You thought about his plan for a bit before speaking, "Clint, no."

He looked at you concerned, "What do you mean 'no'?"

"You may be an awesome super spy great at hiding, but I'm not. They have my description out to all of the guards, and if we both get caught we're screwed, there'll be no one to help Heimdall."

"No," Clint said before you could even explain the rest of your thoughts. "We're not splitting up."

"Clint, think about it. It's the most logical solution. They haven't seen you, that gives us the advantage. If I get caught, at least you'll be on the outside to get Heimdall and then Thor, then you can come back and help me. I may not even get caught, it's just a precaution. The planet is more than the city. If I can make it outside of the city, I'll hold out in the woods somewhere. But we have to have a plan B. You'll have a better chance of making it out of the city by yourself anyway, which will make it a little easier for Heimdall to find you."

"And if you do get caught? And you have to wait around for me to get Thor? Who knows how long that could take! I am not leaving you in Loki's hands."

"He won't kill me, not until he gets what he wants. And even after that I don't think he would."

"Really? Why? Because he's your favorite?"

"No, because that isn't like him. He kills for a reason, and I don't think he'd just off me like that."

"Even if you're right, what could he do to you to get his answers?"

"I won't let it get to that. Loki loves to talk. He loves to gloat. I'll use that against him. Additionally, you know I have enough information to keep him occupied for quite a while. He won't hurt me if I willingly give him enough to keep him intrigued. You know I'm right. I am not in immediate danger as long as I hold some cards still. But you getting caught with me would be throwing the whole deck out the window!"

Clint looked like he was in pain, and you knew you had convinced him.

"Damn it," he muttered, "Promise me you'll be careful? Don't stupidly let yourself get caught just to get to Loki."

"I'm not that dumb, Clint. My mission isn't to redeem him like Vader, not now anyway."

"And do not underestimate him. You may think you know him, but you only know what you've seen on tv. A person is more than what is shown, or even what is said about them. I have had his mind in mine, and believe me that man has some demons to overcome before he is what you want him to be."

You just nodded firmly, suddenly worried about everything.

Oh God he's right, what if I get caught? And what if Loki is horrible? you thought before quickly pushing your fears aside. I know him, that gives me an advantage.

Clint put one hand on your shoulder and the other on the back of your head, making you look him in the eyes, "If you find Heimdall, don't wait for me. Get him and get Thor."

"Same to you," you replied, "No matter what you hear, no matter if I get caught, continue with the plan."

He nodded and squeezed your shoulder, "Goodluck."

And with that he was off, disappearing in the crowd down the street.

You turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Good luck.

Chapter 11: Meeting Mischief

Let's just say that luck was apparently in short supply on Asgard. You tried multiple times to make it to the edge of the city, but the guards had set up a perimeter while the city was being swept. Clint could possibly make it through, seeing as they were not on the lookout for him and he was the master of stealth, but you hadn't the slightest idea of how to sneak by guards without looking suspicious. There were people still on the streets getting ready to hide out in their homes, so even dodging down alleys and behind buildings was hard to do without drawing attention to yourself. You had to act normal while staying hidden...not an easy task.

You found yourself being pushed back towards the main part of the city. The one bright side of this whole misadventure was the sightseeing. Asgard was simply beautiful. Everything was ornately carved out of pure white stone or marble, and the houses and buildings on the lower levels still bore gold trim. As you were forced in the direction of the palace by an uncomfortably close group of guards, you noticed that the buildings got grander the closer you were to the palace. Torches shimmered off of the gold and white that was everywhere, causing a dazzling spectacle wherever you looked. There were large courtyards and gardens, parks and outdoor venues, and pure magic all around.

Unfortunately, the tranquility and wonder of the scenery was tainted by the fear and adrenaline coursing through your veins. You were practically in the palace now, or at least on the grounds of the palace. However, you decided it wasn't such a bad idea to be so close to your hunter's home. It would be the last place he'd expect you to be, seeing as you were supposed to be looking for Heimdall. In fact, it had been easier to make it onto the palace grounds than one would normally expect. You decided the bulk of the guards must be out in the city and surrounding area looking for you.

Great, so I just chill on palace grounds and hope no noblemen find me.

You covertly made your way through grand courtyards and under balconies, past fountains and around large golden homes. You were looking for anywhere to rest for some of the night, but there didn't seem to be much cover anywhere. Finally, you came to a garden. It was smaller than the others you had seen, as you had passed what you assumed to be the royal gardens earlier, and it was enormous. This garden seemed to be tucked away on the edge of the palace grounds. The path to get here had been winding as it was, with you taking many turns off of the main road to get here. The nearest house was quite a ways back, the only surrounding structures being that of the palace walls, which circled most of the garden. On the one hand, it was dangerous to be in such a boxed-in area. There was no way out, should things go wrong. However, no one in a million years would suspect the fugitive to be right outside of the palace walls. You also hoped that this garden wouldn't be heavily populated either, as the royal gardens were much more in the center of the palace life.

You decided to take your chances and venture further in. As you walked down the dirt paths, which you noticed was different than the other gardens and their stone paths, you realized that this one was actually much lovelier than the others you had snuck through that night. The others were well kept and beautiful in their structure and organized design, but the wild and free nature of this garden entranced you more than the others. There were too many flowers and colors to keep track of, all allowed to grow in random patterns. Some trees had vines growing around the trunks that glowed a slight shade of purple. There seemed to be only the bare minimum human, or Asgardian, intervention in this garden, which you decided is what makes it such a cut above the rest. It was nature left to itself.

You continued going deeper and deeper in. You got to a point where you decided venturing into the vegetation to your left would be best, as you judged that a wall to the palace, and nothing more, would mark the border of the garden. The path you were on would simply lead back around eventually, so getting off here seemed like the right call. You didn't want to trample any of the plants, thus leaving a noticeable trace of your whereabouts, so you found the thinnest part of the foliage to enter. This happened to be under a rather large and magnificent tree. You used your hand to lift the low hanging branches before stepping under and into the shrubbery.

As you let the branches drop behind you, everything grew ten times darker. The reflection of any torches against the golden structures was not visible from within the trees. You sat for a minute or two, letting your eyes adjust to the dark. When you could at least see the ground under you, you started moving again. You were careful not to trample any plants or sticks, but, surprisingly, there weren't very many to avoid. The ground was evidently more grown than the plain dirt road, but at the same time it seemed almost...used? Worn?

No way, you thought to yourself. There's no way this is a path. You had to fight through a tree to get here. And there are plants growing back here. If it was a path, the ground would be cleared out.

You calmed yourself enough to keep going, still heading in the direction you hoped was a plain and solid wall. What you saw up ahead was not what you expected.

Light?

You slowed your pace and tentatively crept forward, careful not to make any noise. Sure enough, the darkness definitely got lighter up ahead. Slowly, the reason why came into view. There was, indeed, a wall, as you had predicted. But splitting the wall was a balcony that looked out over the most gorgeous view you had ever seen. It was Asgard, but not the city. Instead, the view looked out over the plains, mountains, and waterfalls of the lush planet. The sun had set below the horizon, but the sky was still that light shade of blue in the distance. Your thoughts wandered back to two nights ago when you had been sitting in your backyard staring at the sky and that same shade of blue. You felt oddly at peace looking at the one thing that had been even remotely familiar to you in the last two days.

You were brought back to reality by a rustling sound coming from where you'd entered the thicket.

Damn, so someone knows about this secret balcony.

You quickly tiptoed into the surrounding bushes, crouching down and praying whoever it was wasn't coming in to look for you. It was thoroughly dark where you were hiding, so you were confident that your uninvited guest wouldn't see you if they didn't look particularly hard. You peered through the leaves of the bush in front of you as the figure approached the balcony. You could only make out the general shape of the person in front of you, even with the fading light of the horizon. However, you panicked as you could have sworn you knew that figure.

As if on queue, a shimmering green light made its way across the man, and suddenly the shape had changed. In its place was the iconic build of Loki. You'd know that silhouette anywhere.

You instinctively placed your hand over your mouth, as if it would conceal you more from Loki's senses. He walked briskly over to the balcony and sat on the stone bench that was there. Your thoughts were screaming in your head.

What the hell are the chances! Now I know I'm in a movie world cuz this kind of situation only ever happens in movies! No way I choose the one flippin hiding place that is Loki's secret balcony.

You honestly didn't know what to do besides remain perfectly still and hope he left soon.

Wait, this is Loki. There's no way he's spied upon without him knowing. How have his finely tuned senses not picked up on the fact that I'm here.

Loki spoke, or whispered really, and your heart jumped thinking he was calling you out.

"I miss you."

Now that wasn't something you expected to hear. You furrowed your brow and leaned forward slightly to hear what else he would say.

"I'm...sorry. I wish you were here, Mother."

Awwww, he's talking to his mom, you thought, How am I honestly supposed to not feel bad for this man.

You were also smiling like a dork because you had just heard Loki's voice, in person, for the first time. A few minutes passed in silence. You couldn't see much of Loki, only his dark form sitting hunched over at the balcony. Finally, he stood up and you thought you heard him sniff.

Had he been crying?

You watched as he turned and walked past you, heading back to the path. You were just about to let out a sigh of relief when he froze, tensing up into that iconic ready stance.

Oh shit, you thought, as he slowly turned around. It was too dark to tell where he was looking, but you suspected it was right at you.

"Well," he said in surprise, "I must credit you, it takes a bold man to spy on me. Or should I say, bold woman" and with that the darkness lit up around you, torches you hadn't known were there suddenly lighting by themselves. Loki was standing in the clearing, wearing his usual green tunic with the black leather. His blue eyes, which you quickly realized were frighteningly intimidating when he was threatening, were burning straight through you.

"There's no need to hide, my dear. Come on out."

When you didn't respond right away he spoke again.

"I never ask twice."

You stood up slowly, meeting his gaze.

"Much better," he said with that Loki grin, "Now come here."

Even with it being Loki, and you staring in disbelief like you had upon your arrival at the Avengers compound, the stubborn side of you was getting annoyed with the commands. You only obeyed because there wasn't much else you could do at this point.

You walked out and stopped five paces or so from him, not wanting to get any closer. This was weird. Loki had that gloating look on his face, and you couldn't help but smile and roll your eyes.

His face quickly turned from grinning to that silly look of confusion.

"I'm sorry," he said, tilting his head at you, "did I miss the joke?"

You had to fight to hold in more laughter. Confused Loki was too adorable.

"No, no I'm sorry, continue. You were in the middle of trying to be intimidating," you said, folding your hands in front of you and looking at him expectantly.

"Trying?" he asked, narrowing his eyes and staring at you with the now intense Loki look. Your first instinct was to smile at the expression, yet after looking at him for more than a second you realized it was a successfully intimidating look. Being on this end of it wasn't so cool anymore.

He must have noticed the change in your attitude, as he grinned while still staring at you with those intense eyes. He walked slowly towards you, and you fought the instinct to back up. Where were you going to go? So you stood your ground, feeling more nervous as he got closer. He stopped inches from you, and you couldn't bring yourself to look up at him.

Ok, give him props for intimidation. He's just too cool not to fear.

As if reading your mind, Loki reached out and grabbed you by the chin, forcing you to lock eyes with him. Again, normally this would be the coolest thing, but right now he had a determination in his eyes that was frightening.

"I'd say I've rather succeeded, wouldn't you agree?" he said, smirking.

You jerked your head out of his hand. It may be Loki, but no one was going to grab you like that.

He surprisingly allowed this, chuckling slightly. His hand dropped down to the clasp on your cloak, and he quickly opened it, letting the cloak fall to the ground.

He took half a step back to look at your clothes.

"Well, Midgardian," he said, opening his arms, "I believe you already know who I am?"

"Loki," you said, a bit of vibrato in your voice. You thought it was going to take as long to get used to seeing Loki in the flesh as it had with the Avengers, but you found yourself settling much faster. Of course, besides the nerves of being a current enemy of Loki's.

Just chill, you told yourself, It is more important now than ever that you stay calm. Besides, just keep viewing him as the Loki you know and love. Make yourself laugh. Don't view him as the very real threat that he is.

"And who are you to know so much?" Loki questioned, circling you now. "You're not one of the Avengers I fought."

"You mean lost to?" you corrected.

He laughed, "Charming. Your insufferable arrogance and imagined bravery tells me all I need to know. You are an Avenger."

"Wait, the Avengers are the arrogant ones? I mean, most of them are I guess, but coming from you? Seriously? The primadonna of all villains? Do you know how many times you strut about or hair-flip excessively?"

He had looped around to pause in front of you again, looking at you with concealed confusion.

"I do not strut. I carry myself with the strength and composure of a god, you--"

"Yeah yeah, I know. You're a god, we are all of us beneath you, yadayada. Last time you pulled that one you ended up thrown around like a ragdoll by the Hulk."

His glare intensified and his jaw set.

"You won't find that to be the case this time, I can assure you," he said, taking a step closer.

Ok, maybe antagonizing him wasn't the best idea...so naturally you continued to do just that.

"Personal space is a wonderful thing," you said, holding up your hand to mark the imaginary border of your space.

He ignored you and grabbed you roughly by the shoulder.

"Ok, ouch," you began, but he cut you off.

"You think you're clever don't you?" he spoke softly to your face. "Let us see where that gets you, shall we?"

With that he palmed your forehead, and darkness took you. 

Chapter 12

You were having one of those random dreams. The kind of ones where your friends are all in it and it changes scenery about a hundred times and nothing really makes sense. Only, this one had the Avengers in it, which was fun. You and your friend were at the compound, planning something with the Avengers, when Loki appeared out of nowhere.

"Time to wake up," He said with a grin.

You opened your eyes and blinked a few times before staring up at the ceiling, forgetting where you were for a second. The pain behind your eyes reminded you of what had happened. Quickly sitting up, you looked around the room. You were sitting on a cot...or bed? Well, it definitely was a cot, but as far as cots went this was more comfortable than you imagined. It wasn't a plush queen-sized mattress, but it could be worse.

The cot was the only furniture in the room. The floor consisted of tan-colored stone, and the walls were gold. There was a thick door on the wall across from you, and a smaller door to the wall on your left. You gingerly stood up, not wanting the pain in your head to make you dizzy by rising too fast. Upon further examination, the thicker door seemed to be locked, presumably the exit out of here. The other door led to a rather small cubicle space containing just a toilet. The room was dimly lit by one torch in the corner between the entrance and the bathroom. Shadows engulfed most of the other side of the room, the light glint of gold indicating nothing but another wall.

Not a five-star establishment, you thought, but nicer than most movie dungeons.

That is where you assumed you were, the dungeons.

Hang on a second...these aren't what Asgardian jail cells looked like.

"Oh so I get the creepy-ass dungeon room, but Loki gets a nicely furnished jail cell and books? Typical." you muttered to yourself. "And he knocked me out," you squealed, "that son of a bitch."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Loki's voice called out smoothly with a hint of irritation.

You jumped about three feet, turning to see Loki step out of the shadows from across the room, his face set to that emotionless stare, as if still trying to figure you out without wanting to look confused.

"My Lord what is it with people in this universe having to scare the shit out of everyone with their surprise entrances?" you asked.

He smiled and tilted his head to one side.

"Oh dear, are you frightened of me?" he asked.

Knowing he wanted you to be, you decided to deny him that satisfaction.

"Ha, no. I just don't appreciate the heart attack," answered, "Next time don't hide in the shadows, creep."

"And where's the fun in that?" he asked, still smirking and eyes slightly narrowed.

You thought for a moment.

"Ok, fair. You did get me to jump like six feet, so good job on the jumpscare."

He looked genuinely confused now.

"You're quite odd," he said, scrunching his face a bit as he took a step towards you.

"And you're a narcissistic psycho," you argued back, " so congratulations, we're both weird."

He froze with an adorably indecisive look on his face, his mouth opening and closing as if unable to decide how to respond to you.

You giggled, unable to hold it in.

"You see, like that!" he said, walking to you with an exasperated look on his face, "Why are you laughing?"

Any trace of intimidating Loki was gone, and left was the genuine face of the Loki commonly seen throughout Ragnarok. Any nerves you still had dissipated at this sight. It had honestly been hard work to keep a light-hearted mood around Loki, as he was very good at looking menacing. Finally, you had dug away at him until the act was up.

"Because you're funny?" you questioned as if it were obvious, "Why else would I be laughing?"

"Well, I do fancy myself quite humorous," he said, nodding to himself as if considering what you had said, before quickly looking back at you with forced sternness, "But there is nothing funny about this situation!" he demanded.

In an instant, the nicer Loki was gone, and the stone-faced, smiling bastard was back.

"So, I will ask you as I did before. Who are you?"

"And we were having such a lovely chat until you had to go pretend to be evil again," you said, but quickly stopped as Loki made one of his knives materialize and had it to your throat in the blink of an eye. He slammed you against the wall, pressing the dagger firmly against your neck.

"There are oh so many enjoyable ways to get what I need," he growled, "Usually I would not hesitate to do things the fun way, but you're in luck, Midgardian. I happen to be in a bit of a rush, so I give you one last chance to answer me." As he finished he pressed harder with his dagger, you winced in pain as you felt a drop of blood drip down your neck.

"Whoa asshole, I never said I wouldn't tell you!"

You know you should have been scared at how Loki was quickly shaping up to be more dangerous than you anticipated, but you weren't. You were angry.

"You wanna know why I'm here? To save your goddamn life!"

He loosened up a bit at that, though not removing the dagger entirely.

"What in the Nine Realms are you talking about?" he hissed.

"If you'd get the fuck off of me, I'd gladly tell you."

He hesitated a second before obliging, pulling back and letting you stagger from the wall. Your hand went to your neck and you felt a small cut where his blade had penetrated. It wasn't bad, but even the small trace of blood was enough to irritate the hell out of you.

"Dude! You drew blood? Come on Loki, not necessary."

"I will be the judge of that, mortal," he spat out the last word as if it was disgusting in his mouth.

He pointed the knife at you, "Now, explain."

He's just putting up a strong front, you told yourself, you shouldn't think less of him. You weren't making any promises though.

Your anger dissipated slightly and you took a deep breath.

"First, you can drop the tough guy act. And before you argue," you said, cutting him off, "I know you're not this big of a douchebag. You could easily be torturing me right now, which I know you would readily do if you had to, but your threats before were hollow. You don't enjoy hurting people, you just think you have to."

"What do you know of me, wretch? Who are you to talk this way to a god?"

"First, my name is Wren. Nice to meet you officially, Loki," you said with a little wave, which of course was not reciprocated. "I have a lot to tell you, but I'm going to start by summing it up first, ok?"

"Proceed," he said, nodding at you.

"Ok. So, in short, I am from another reality. A different universe. In my universe, earth doesn't have the superheroes or alien invasions that it does here. In fact, I don't believe Asgard or alien life exists in my world, or if it has, we just haven't discovered it yet. Anyway, down on earth, in both this world and mine, there are things called movies. I assume you are not familiar, seeing as it is a Midgardian thing right?"

He nodded.

"Well, movies are like plays. They are stories told by actors, only they are recorded using the technology on earth. So it's like a play that you can rewatch on devices in your home. You following?"

"Yes, but I fail to see how this pointless banter bears any importance on what I asked."

"Just shutup for a sec and I'll get there."

He looked like he was about to snap back, but he didn't.

"Anyway, in my world there are a series of movies that are all connected, like sequels to each other. These movies tell the story of a fictional earth and universe that has all of the stuff in this universe....mainly because, the movies I'm talking about are literally about this universe."

"I'm not following," he said, looking like he was honestly trying his hardest to understand.

"What I'm saying is that in my world, the Avengers, you, Thanos, Asgard, everything...you're all stories in a movie. You're all played by actors that look just like you do now. To me, this universe, called the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a fantasy. Or at least it was until I got sucked into it. I met the Avengers, which was so weird but so cool. And now I'm on Asgard, which shouldn't be possible. And also, I'm now seeing you, Loki, for the first time in person and not on screen."

"You're trying to tell me that I and everyone in this universe are fictional characters in your world played by some theatrical artists?" he asked with a look that clearly showed he didn't believe you.

"Yes, the Avengers didn't believe me either. I convinced them by telling them stuff that I could only have known by having watched their lives on screen for ten years. I know about you too. It's also six years in the future in my world, so I know what is going to happen. I know about Thanos. He is eventually defeated, but not after successfully wiping out half of all life. The Avengers manage to bring everyone back, but there are casualties that cannot be brought back with Infinity Stones...your death being one of them."

The range of emotions on his face were too many to describe, yet you could tell he was forcing a look of disbelief to cover all of the rest.

You continued before he could say anything.

"I know about you being a Frost Giant, about how you felt your father never loved you, how you tried to prove your worthiness by eliminating your home world, how you were picked up by Thanos after you fell off of the bridge, how your attack on New York was not who you are, how you don't like hurting people but rather feel you have to. An illusion you throw forward in an effort to not seem weak. You said yourself you only ever wanted to be Thor's equal, that's how I know this 'it's my right to be king' stuff is crap. It's just a coping mechanism to try to grasp some sort of power, thus giving you a sense of control when you feel you've had none. I know how you told the Dark Elf to take the stairs on the left, which ultimately led him to Frigga, but it isn't your fault. I know your whole conversation with your mother in your cell. The time where she told you 'Always so perceptive, of everyone but yourself.' I know about all six Infinity Stones and where they are in the galaxy. I know you secretly love Thor, and trying to kill him was again you cascading down an emotional waterfall. I also know that in the future, Thor tells you 'Brother I thought the world of you. I thought we were going to fight side by side for forever. But at the end of the day you're you and I'm me.' He also tells you that you will always be the God of Mischief, but that you could be so much more. That life is about growth and change, something you don't seem to want to do. But his encouraging words of belief in the possibility that you could are enough to change you finally. You go back to help save the people of Asgard from Hela, Odin's first born who is released from hell after Odin dies on earth in front of you and Thor. Oh, and before he dies he says that he broke free from your spell. He chose to remain in exile. He says he loves you. In the end, Ragnarok is forced to happen in order to defeat Hela. You and Thor have a brotherly moment on the ship you and your people escape on, but Thanos comes. He kills half your people, takes the tesseract from you, which you naturally took from Asgard's vault before it was destroyed, and then Thanos kills you. He snaps your neck. And you wanna know why? Because you tried to do the right thing and save your brother. You tried to kill the Mad Titan. You are a hero in the end, and you make the ultimate sacrifice."

You finished, not knowing what else to say.

"I--I don't believe you. It's utter nonsense, all of it. Hela? Ragnarok? You're lying about all of it."

"And how did I know some of those things? Hmm? Loki, I could quote you so many times. I've watched your life from Thor's coronation that you ruined to the moment Thanos snaps your neck. I cried when watching you die."

"Cried? Why?"

"Oh, you don't get how movies work. In our world, they are a big form of entertainment. The movies telling the story of your life and the avengers were released one by one over the span of ten years. We become fans of the movies and the characters. You are kinda a fan-favorite too. So, yes, it was sad to watch you die, but damn were we proud to see how far you had come. You and Thor became close during the events of Ragnarok. You finally accept that Thor has cared for you no matter what. And he helps you realize that you can be whatever you want to be, even a good guy."

You saw the emotion in his eyes. You knew you had just spilled his mental and emotional secrets to him. But you had also said he dies, which isn't easy for anyone to hear. He also was probably still thinking you're lying. Afterall, he doesn't trust easily.

If only I could show him!

That last thought gave you an idea.

"Hey, I know you have trust issues. Everyone has always looked at you with suspicion and distrust. Not that you don't deserve some of it, I mean some of your pranks throughout the years? Hilarious? Yes. Wrong? Probably."

Despite the struggle going on in his head, you thought you caught the hint of a smirk at what you'd said.

"But," you continued, "I want to make it easier for you. Look into my memories. I know you can do it, I've seen it. You can make someone relive a memory, and I'm sure you view it as well. What if I show you all I've seen?"

He must have liked the idea, because the most mischievous of smiles broke out on his face.

"You know you don't give me permission. I can go in your mind whenever I want."

"Yeah, but I'm letting you in willingly so that you don't do something stupid like that"

He just smirked at you.

"Are you sure you're prepared?" he said in a soft and warning way.

"Well after you say something creepy like that, I don't know," you shot back.

You took another breath and stepped towards him.

"Ok Loki, how does this work?"

He placed the tips of his fingers on either side of your head. You almost pulled away at his touch, which made him smile.

"Now," he whispered right in your face, "close your eyes."

You did so, feeling more worried all of the sudden that your eyes weren't watching the God of Mischief. But you had to trust him.

"Concentrate on what you want to show me, starting from the very beginning. When I enter your mind, you'll know."

Well, he was right about that. All of the sudden your memories were played in a quick series. It wasn't just like thinking about it though, instead it was as if you were reliving it all, like you were there again. You saw all of the scenes with him, every moment you had ever watched of his life. You saw his death in Infinity War as if you were right there in the theater again, crying your eyes out like a baby. You also showed him the events of two nights ago when you jumped through the portal. The day with the Avengers played too, including your explanation of everything and convincing them you were telling the truth. Your thorough description of Ragnarok was included as well. You tried to stop there, but Loki had other ideas. You almost felt him smile in your mind as he dug into the things you wanted to keep hidden...like you telling the Avengers he was your favorite character, and all of the wishy-washy stuff you had told them on his behalf.

You pulled back with all of your might, breaking the connection before he could dig deeper.

Suddenly, you were back in the dungeon, stumbling away from Loki and panting heavily.

He stared at you, looking as if he was swallowing some harsh news. Eventually, he just turned and walked out. You called his name as he stormed out of the room, but he ignored you. As he slammed the door, the torch in your room went out. You made your way over to your cot and laid down.

Apparently having a god in your head was tiring. You closed your eyes and felt sleep start to take you.

What now? you thought as you drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

Chapter 13: Darling

 

"Get up!"

You jumped at Loki's voice, sitting upright in an instant.

"Good morning to you too," you grumbled sarcastically.

He was clearly in a bad mood, as he stormed over and dragged you up by your arm.

"Enough with the man-handling!" you said, kicking him in the leg harder than you'd intended, not that it hurt the god in the slightest.

He didn't take kindly to it, however, as he squeezed your arm harder.

"I will do as I please, mortal," he hissed, raising his chin as if to seem larger and more important.

Before you knew what you were doing, your fist was making contact with his nose. The simple fact that he hadn't protected himself shows just how unexpected the punch was. His grip loosened slightly, and you yanked your arm from his hand.

"I am honestly so sorry about that," you said, mouth wide in shock as you watched him gently touch his nose, smirk, and glare back at you with that glint in his eyes.

"I did warn you though, and I never hit anyone unless they don't listen to my warnings, so technically, I shouldn't feel bad."

You were sure he'd simply grab you again, but he didn't.

"Well," he grinned, "I assume all is fair, seeing as I initiated the aggression."

"Is this the point where you say something like that to get me to let my guard down, then you drop kick me or something?"

"If I wanted to pounce, there is nothing you could do to stop me, guard down or otherwise," he replied.

"Fair enough. Anyway, why the hell are you so cranky?"

He straightened a little and gave you his emotionless stare.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I kinda showed you why last night, didn't I? Or yesterday? How much time has passed since the garden? There aren't exactly any windows around here. Speaking of, why don't I get one of those fancy Asgardian cells?"

"By the grace of Valhalla will you stop talking?" he sighed, rolling his eyes. "You are exhausting."

"Coming from the man who fakes his death so many times that fans still didn't think you were dead after Thanos? Keeping track of you is what's exhausting."

He just stared at you with annoyance, clenching a fist as if wanting to punch you into tomorrow, but then deciding against it and opening his hand again slowly.

You chuckled at his antics, causing him to glare again.

"Will you stop laughing at everything," he pleaded, "You Midgardians are unbearable as well as useless."

"Are you forgetting that this useless Midgardian came here to save your royal ass?"

His eyes shot daggers at you as he responded, "How could I forget, with you so humbly stating it every second?"

"Yes, and you'd know all about being humble wouldn't you. You're so in love with yourself, the only person you've kissed is yourself," you mumbled.

Oh crap, the TVA. Was that a thing? If it was, they would have grabbed you already. Daang, my wish for them not to be a thing must have worked...wait, so was there a universe out there with them in it?

Loki broke your train of thought.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, looking appalled.

You held in your smile. "Oh, nevermind, just more fan stuff."

"I'll have you know I have kissed people before, and not myself."

"I'm sure you have." Your comment dripped with sarcasm.

"So, are we going to continue this banter or did you drag me out of bed for a reason?"

"I want answers." He replied coldly.

"And I have already given them to you."

"No, I saw you enter the portal and I heard what you told those buffoons on Midgard, but none of it makes sense. You left the safety of your world to help alter the course of a universe that was mere fiction to you, people you were not aware were real. No one risks so much, especially for people they don't know."

"Ohhhh, so that's your problem. You honestly can't accept the fact that someone wants to help just cuz it's the right thing to do. You know, not everyone is like you, Loki. We don't take years to pump up the courage to finally do something with our lives."

He was in front of you in a second. If looks could kill, you would be dust by now.

"Do not speak that way to me, you mewling quim!"

You had jumped initially at the violent and unexpected act, but the words 'mewling quim' made you start to smile. Loki saw this and his glare intensified. You covered your mouth with your hand.

"I'm sorry," you apologized, "It's just that, did you have to say the iconic mewling quim?"

Loki now looked like it was taking all of his will power to not smite you. He took a step back, took a deep breath, and glared at the ceiling for a moment. Once he had calmed down he turned back to you.

"Do not twist my words. I am not questioning your 'heroic act of bravery'," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes again, "regardless of how pathetically moronic I believe your decision to be. But you have seen everything I have done. There is no reason you should want to help, no matter the degree to which you and your miserable race fawn over me in your world."

"You saw when you betrayed Thor again on Sakaar" you started, and he looked up at you, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Well, in that moment, I was like 'Come ooon Loki, even after Thor's adorable elevator talk?' You see, I love your mischief and all, but I thought Thor had finally reached you. But you know what happened next? He did reach you. You could have taken that big ship and gone anywhere, run as far away as you wanted. But you didn't."

Loki was looking at you with that same look he had with Thor in the elevator.

"So, yes, you have done terrible things. But in the end, you did the right thing. Not to mention a bunch of emotional instability played a role in your murderous rampage." He gave a glare at your choice of words, but quickly turned away and walked a few paces across the room.

"So, what? You're here to redeem me? Save my wicked soul, is that it? Because I can tell you, greater beings than you have tried," he said smugly, facing you with a confident and arrogant grin.

"And a greater being than me succeeded. Your brother."

A hint of irritation flashed across his face at the mention of Thor, but in the end he could not hide his pained expression.

"Had I not interfered, you would have done the right thing for him and your people. Unfortunately, you'd also be dead, so here we are" you finished in your usual care-free tone.

He smiled, the first sincere and non-malicious smile you had seen.

"Here we are," he repeated. "What's to stop me from taking the information you have given me and thinking of some other way to stop this that allows me to remain king?"

"Well, kudos to you if you can think of an alternative besides admitting to Thor that you're alive, but I don't see one. And besides, you secretly want to be a hero. What I showed you doesn't look too bad does it?" you grinned, raising your eyebrows playfully.

"Well, I do die," he answered.

"Besides that idiot."

He looked genuinely insulted by the name calling, but pretended to ignore it.

"You know it's the only way," you insisted, "and you know being good doesn't sound too terrible."

"Let's not get carried away," he said, "If I go along with this, it'll be purely to save myself, not out of any goodness or sentiment."

You tried to say "of course" as convincingly as you could, but the God of lies can't be lied too, also the smile plastered all over your face was a bit of a giveaway too.

He let out an exaggerated sigh, "You're infuriating."

"I know," you said in fake shame, nodding your head, "but lucky for me I'm around a dude who's more so than I am, so that makes me feel better."

He ignored you, walking over to the door. He opened it and walked out, pausing for a few seconds outside the door.

"Well?" he asked in irritation, "Are you coming?"

"Um--Oh! You want me to follow," you said, taking longer than Loki would like for you to understand.

"Yes, mortal, that would be why I am waiting for you."

You quickly walked out and he slammed the door behind you, then he proceeded to walk briskly down the hall with you jogging to catch up.

After a few minutes of silence you decided you'd talk, after all you didn't care if Loki thought you annoying. You'd come to save this bastard's life, yet you were starting to see why this universe hated him. He could be excruciatingly stubborn...and rude. But honestly, that's what had always made him funny. You still loved him, but now that he was real you were going to tolerate his annoying personality like you did with any other annoying person back home...by giving it right back.

"So, where are we going?"

"Don't talk," he said.

"I enjoy silence as much as anyone else, but not now. Besides, we both know you love to talk."

"Not to the likes of you," he said, giving you a sideways look of disgust.

"Oh right, the likes of me...a time-traveling, universe crossing, future-knowing, life-saving individual."

"You are an irritating, jabbering, feeble-minded, insignificant cosmic mistake," Loki said, "thrown out of one universe that didn't need you into one that doesn't want you."

"But not one that doesn't need me?" you said, ignoring his insult which was more amusing to you than hurtful.

"The fact that you happen to contain information critical to our success by no means increases your value," he snapped back.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

You thought you saw the slightest of grins twitch on his lip, but it was gone in a second.

"You're staring."

You turned your head quickly forward but there was no point in lying about it, so you played it off as nonchalant as possible.

"Duh, did you miss the part where I said you're a fictional character in one of my favorite movie series? Excuse me for finding it hard to process what is going on, and thus gawking at everything."

You were avoiding staring now, but that didn't stop you from noticing the smile on his face.

"Lying to me is futile, dear."

"What?" you asked.

"You've clearly adjusted rapidly to being here, and you are not gawking at everything...just me."

With that he stopped and turned to you, that wicked smile still on his face.

"What do you--I mean I'm not," you paused knowing you'd continue to stutter if you didn't think first. "You are part of everything," you said, attempting to look him right back in the eyes, but his intense gaze was unsettling, "So I wasn't lying, you just had to be technical."

"Hmm," he hummed, looking unconvinced as he continued walking. "We are walking in a castle made of gold. You were locked in a dungeon made of gold. I have lit torches with my mind. All of that, and yet you haven't been flustered by anything...except me."

"The God of Mischief is a little more difficult to take in than a palace, or even magic. The man behind the magic should be the concern, shouldn't he? Especially when you know who he is and what he's capable of, yet he knows nothing about you. I'd be an idiot to focus on why the torches lit rather than the potential threat that lit them."

"Indeed you would be," he nodded, "but, seeing as you've proven you are nothing but stupidity, I'm still not convinced."

"Rude," you said, before contemplating what he was saying. "Wait, what are you implying?"

His smile grew wider as he answered, "Only that which you have already shown me. That you are stunned in the presence of your favorite character."

Your face grew red. "Ok, don't flatter yourself," you said hastily, "I told Cap that he was my favorite Avenger. Wanda, who you don't know, is also in my top three. So don't give me that look."

He chose not to listen. "Yes, but did you inform any of your hero companions that they were, what was the word you used, adorable?"

Oh shit, he saw that too.

"I only said that about you because you weren't in the room!" you defended, "And now that the Avengers aren't here, I can tell you that Captain America is gorgeous. All of the Avengers are. In fact, I even told Barton that very thing so that he wouldn't tease me about crushing on anyone. In my world you're all just actors, celebrities. I'm allowed to think celebrities are cute, it doesn't mean anything."

He stopped and leaned against the wall, fully engaged in the argument now.

"So, you admit to the archer that you find him and each of the incompetent beings appealing, yet you try amusingly in vain to hide this particular memory from me?"

"Your head is already large enough, I didn't want to give you more to gloat about."

"Oh, my dear, it does not take being the God of Lies to tell that you're lying. You truly are quite awful at it."

"What am I lying about?" you practically shouted.

He pushed off the wall lightly, bringing himself inches from you again.

Damn this man and his lack of boundaries.

"That you hid that memory for any reason other than because you're completely entranced by me."

"Or, I'm telling the truth and you're too full of yourself to accept that I find you just as decently attractive as everyone else."

Ok, now I know I'm lying, you thought.

He saw right through you. "Whatever you say, mortal," he whispered teasingly, backing away with a smirk you wish you could smack right off his perfect face.

"Stop calling me 'mortal.'"

"Alright, pet," he said smoothly.

"Your nose is about to get hit harder than last time."

He chuckled, "How about, darling then?"

"Ew that's worse! I have a name you know."

"Oh I'm aware, but seeing you uncomfortable is the only joy I get from having to tolerate you, darling," he said, putting heavy emphasis on the last word, and saying it in the creepiest of soft tones.

He was right, you felt super uncomfortable when he said that. Curse Loki and his ability to make everything awkward.

"I can still punch you, you know?"

"Ooo, that would be quite the enjoyable effort to watch, but you wouldn't like the outcome I'm afraid."

You didn't respond to that. He was right, he'd pin you before you even wound up to swing.

"So, darling," you glared at him, "shall we?"

You had reached a set of stairs, and he was holding out his hand indicating you go first.

You didn't know why, but having Loki behind you wasn't something you felt good about. You couldn't let him know that though, so you simply rolled your eyes and started up the stairs.

Chapter 14: The Throne Room

The stone staircase was narrower than you'd expect from a palace, though you seemed to be in the deep underbelly of the castle, so it probably wasn't an important or frequently used passage. It spiraled as it went...and boy did it seem to go for a while.

"Damn do these stairs ever end?" you asked, breathing a little heavier than you should be.

"A mortal's lack of stamina never ceases to astound me," he replied, "your physical state is truly pathetic."

"Well, I won't argue with you there, about me, I mean, not the human race. I grew up playing a sport like a lot of people and I keep myself somewhat exercised and all, but my occupation doesn't include walking up a hundred flights with a god."

"And what is it that you do precisely?" he asked in a snarky tone, clearly ready to throw jabs at you for whatever job you had.

"Librarian," you answered, "I used to love the library when I was little. Joined summer book clubs and everything."

You waited for the imminent jibe from the king of sass, but it never came.

You were about to comment on his silence when you noticed the end of the stairs ahead of you. You reached for the door, but then turned to Loki, not sure if you were supposed to go out.

He sighed irritably, "Is opening doors something you're taught in your world, or would you prefer I teach you?"

"I was just making sure I was supposed to Mr. Sass," you said tiredly, turning the handle and pushing the door forwards.

You walked into another hall that led to an all too familiar sight. Before you were the Asgardian cells.

"So I was in the dungeon below the dungeon? Do I really seem that dangerous?" you asked, turning to look at Loki, but Loki was not there. In his place was Odin.

"Ohhhh, you needed me somewhere where you could talk as Loki and not Odin. Got it."

"So there is a brain in that dull head of yours," Odin said in sass that was uncharacteristic of him. There was something amusing about Odin talking that way, and you couldn't help but grin.

"That is so weird," you said.

"Yes, well stop staring at me like that or the whole royal guard will know something is afoot. You would not like the repercussions should you spill my secret," Odin added menacingly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. My lips are sealed."

"If only that were true," he said.

You smacked his arm jokingly, before remembering who it was you'd just hit.

He looked at you with astonishment mixed with outrage.

"I'm sorry," you said, giving a look of exaggerated fear while squeezing your lips together to hold back the laugh.

"It is my sort of luck that the universe would send a sickness like you to my aid," he grumbled, heading up the main stairs from the dungeons. He kept his voice low, as you were just about to pass two guards on duty. Both men put their right arms across their chests and bowed as Loki passed by. You waited until you were far enough away before speaking again.

"Your last attempt at insulting me gives me an idea," you started. He rolled his eyes and muttered something in another language before you continued. "Seeing as you are intent on not using my name, you can call me: your Guardian Angel." You finished with a dramatic wave of your hands.

"I would rather throw myself at Thanos a thousand times over," he drawled, "and besides, I thought we had already agreed on a name, didn't we, darling?"

"Jury's still out on that one," you replied, "and if that's how you'd really prefer things to go, I'll just go back to my world and not tell you how to stop Thanos."

Loki smirked. "I think we both know you'd never leave," he said, raising an eyebrow at you and giving a knowing look. Even in Odin's form you knew that look meant 'You'd never leave your favorite person.'

"You're right," you said, "I haven't even spent a full day with Steve yet! No way I'd go home without spending time with my hero. Oh, and then there's Wanda. I mean, her magic is just the coolest. I have to have her put on a show for me before I head back."

'Odin' laughed a little. "It is adorable that you think you can make me jealous," he said.

"Hey, I'm just stating some facts," you shot back with an innocent look, "And fyi, when you feel the need to declare 'I'm not jealous' it usually means you are."

"Fyi?" he asked, avoiding the point you had made.

"Oh, it means 'for your information.' I thought being a god means you know everything?"

"Everything of importance, darling, not pointless acronyms the humans create to progress their ever-growing laziness."

You had advanced through several corridors at this time, taking in the beauty amidst your conversation. However, you were momentarily speechless as you entered the throne room. It's grandeur and sheer volume was breathtaking. Loki approached the guards standing near the main entrance, from which you had not entered.

"Alert the rest of the guards that they are not to hunt for or restrain the Gatekeeper Heimdall, should they spot him. And see to it that no one, save Heimdall, is allowed entrance to this hall. Be sure to knock before permission to enter is granted. Under no circumstances are these demands to be ignored."

"Yes, sir," the guards replied, hurrying out of the room and sealing the door shut behind them.

Immediately Loki let his disguise disappear, strutting over to the throne as himself once again.

He lounged in the throne, oozing confidence and importance. You, on the other hand, took a seat on the stairs leading to the throne, reclining back against the steps behind you and placing your hands under the back of your head. You gazed up at the paintings on the ceiling, thinking of what really lies beneath them. The paintings containing Hela, and Asgard's true history, hiding beneath the beauty present on the ceiling now. Your thoughts were interrupted by Loki.

"Are you lying on the steps of my throne?"

"My, aren't we observant today," you answered casually.

"Never before has someone done as you do now."

"Yeah, well, never before has someone crossed time and space to help save a bunch of heroes and a spoiled brat from a purple giant."

"I'm beginning to think death would be a blessing," he growled.

"Yeah me too," you chuckled.

You couldn't be sure, but you thought you heard the smallest exhale escape Loki's lips, a possible laugh.

"So, what do we do now?" you asked, tilting your head backwards to peer at his upside-down form.

He looked down at you like you were some animal that had just crawled in.

"We do nothing. I, on the other hand, have already taken care of everything."

"Care to share?"

"No," he stated bluntly, looking straight ahead.

You pushed yourself into an upright position and turned towards him.

"I wasn't exactly asking," you said, throwing his own blunt tone back at him.

His eyes flashed to you before looking forwards again.

"I do not take orders from you, darling."

"And I don't take no for an answer, especially from the man whose only chance of survival is through me."

He closed his eyes and let his head fall backwards in frustration. When he looked at you again you knew you'd won.

"That won't work against me for very much longer," he snapped.

"Ah, but alas it still works right now," you gloated, mocking his British voice as you did so.

His smirk came back to his face. "Always the one to capitalize on an advantage I see."

"Eh what can I say? I'm just too clever."

"Hardly," he answered briskly with a condescending look. "I have taken care of everything by reaching out to Heimdall. He should be here within the next hour or two."

"I didn't hear you call out to him?" you asked puzzled.

You swear his sighs of disappointment were getting louder each time.

"That would be because I didn't use my voice, darling. I, and Heimdall as well, are powerful enough that I can call out to him with my mind if I so wish."

"Oh ok," you said, "that's kinda cool."

"Kind of? You act as if I'd just shown you a new shirt, not the ability to speak with my mind across several miles. I'd argue I deserve at least a little more reaction."

"How's this?" you asked, opening your mouth wide and slapping your hands on your cheeks like the kid from Home Alone.

He narrowed his eyes and gave you a mocking look. "Hilarious," he said dryly, "Truly your wit is unequaled."

"You know what I am curious about?" you asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Oh please, do tell," he answered in fake curiosity.

"Can you read minds? It seems to be a thing people like having you do in stories they write, but I don't believe we ever see it on screen. Therefore, I personally don't think you can."

"Wouldn't you like to know," he chuckled, gazing at you with a look intended to frighten you about the possibility of him reading your mind.

You weren't about to indulge him.

"Well, if you can, then you must just really suck at life. Cuz you've lost how many times? And if you were able to read your enemies' minds, you'd think you'd have an advantage. For your sake, I'd admit you can't and call it a day."

"When this is over, nothing will give me greater pleasure than gutting you myself," he threatened menacingly.

You just laid back down and let out a sigh, "Yeah yeah whatever." You knew you should probably be worried by Loki's threats, but you weren't. It was Loki after all, he stabbed Thor as a kid for fun.

Your sixth sense started kicking in and you glanced backwards to find Loki staring intently at you.

"What?" you asked.

He just smiled.

"Um, ok." You laid back again and tried to focus on the ceiling, but you could feel his eyes on you. You couldn't help but look.

"Will you stop that?" you snapped, as he hadn't changed positions in the slightest, besides his smile which was larger and more maniacal than ever.

"Why?" he cooed, "Does it make you uncomfortable, darling?"

"I'm not answering that."

"I believe you already have," he teased, his stare only seeming to intensify.

You groaned, getting up and walking around the throne room, inspecting the sight you never thought you'd see in real life. When you had walked around the entire room, at a purposely slow rate, Loki's gaze was still fixated on you, the jerk doing his best to mess with you.

"Oh goodness gracious, how long are we supposed to be here?" you complained, sitting down again and facing away from him

"Up to two hours at least."

"I could have sworn you said one hour earlier."

"I said one to two, and, now that I think about it, I believe it just might be two at the very least," he responded triumphantly. "Who knows, it could take him alllll day to get here, depending on his location. Might as well make yourself comfortable, darling."

Good glory, you thought, it's going to be a long day.

Chapter 15: Waiting

Twenty minutes passed and Loki was successfully maintaining his stare. You decided to mess back by spouting random nonsense.

"When you clean your shower, are you your shower's shower? Why do your lips not touch when you say the word touch, but do when you say the word separate? If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? If I get a clone and kill it, is it considered murder or suicide? If life is unfair to everyone, does that make it fair? If I punch myself and it hurts, am I too weak or too strong?"

"It won't work," he said.

"What won't?" you asked, feigning ignorance.

"Annoying me enough that I'll look away."

"Is that what you think I was doing? You give me too much credit, that would be manipulatively obnoxious of me, and we both know I'm anything but."

He gave you a genuinely amused smile.

"You just can't handle the mind-blowing nature of my paradoxical thoughts," you said, standing up and stretching.

"Oh please," he scoffed, "Only humans could conjure such idiotic questions to waste their miserable live pondering over."

"Ok then answer them."

"The answers you seek are purely subjective as well as pointless."

"Well, if something is subjective, then it can be debated. And debate breeds critical thinking and logic, thus stimulating the mind and enhancing one's ability to form coherent and intellectual arguments as well as discussions. There are worse ways to spend one's time, are there not?" you finished in a fancy voice, once again mocking his speech.

He looked at you with actual surprise.

"Did you just say something intelligent?" he asked.

"It is one of my many talents, yes."

He gave another eye roll and looked away from you.

"Ha!" you shrieked.

He whipped back to you startled.

"You looked away! I win! The power of pointless paradoxical questions never fails."

"So you do admit they are useless?" he said victoriously, trying to grab whatever triumph he can out of the situation.

"Oh, 100%" you laughed, flipping your hair once to get it all behind you before tying it up with your hair tie. "You must feel even dumber for losing to pointless questions as opposed to actual philosophical ones, so I'd wipe that look of victory off your face."

It was now his turn to walk around the room irritated.

"Heimdaaall," he cried, "Any century now would be appreciated!"

You took this opportunity to test out the throne. You decided it was actually rather uncomfortable, but still awesome. Loki turned around and the look of horror on his face was the funniest thing you'd seen since you arrived in this universe. You laughed so hard you were hunched over crying by the time he reached you.

"WHAT do you think you are doing?"

"What does it look like?" you answered through laughs.

"That throne was built for kings!" he growled.

You sat up and wiped away the tears.

"Then why do you get to sit in it?"

That was a mistake.

You were rolling down the throne steps in a second, landing hard on your back at the bottom. Loki stood over you and placed a foot on your chest, stepping down hard.

"What?" you wheezed, "You're not a king. It's not an insult, just fact."

His anger was replaced with pain, as he removed his foot and stormed over to apparently just stare at the wall.

You sat up, rubbing your back and elbows that were bruised during Loki's tantrum. After a few minutes, Loki hadn't moved.

"Alright," you sighed to yourself in your best Rocket voice, "Time to be the guardian angel."

You walked over towards Loki, stopping about ten paces or so from him.

"Listen," you said, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything."

"I am a god! I do not get affected by such things," he lashed out, still looking at the wall.

"Loki, you're forgetting who you're talking to. I've seen enough of your life to know that's a lie."

He didn't say anything so you carried on. "I was honestly just being a smart ass, ok? But it isn't an insult that you're not rightfully a king. Thor learned quickly that being a king isn't all it's cracked up to be, that's why he didn't want it. Forcing your way into King of Asgard doesn't help to heal any pain of insignificance that Odin may have instilled in you. You don't need a throne to be important or powerful, Loki. And does it truly increase your sense of self-worth when you have to pose as Odin to get what you want? Just...accept yourself already Loki, will you? Odin may not have been the best father, but he loves you. Frigga loved you. And Thor, he's always loved you. Is the throne more important than that?"

Damn, I can give a decently dramatic pep-talk, you thought.

Loki turned around and walked past you, not caring that he slammed into your shoulder on the way. He walked straight past the throne and out of the room via the door you had entered earlier. When you went to test the door, it was locked from the outside.

Well, this is definitely a step up from the dungeon at least.

Once again, though, you had managed to make Loki storm out of a room. You weren't sure if that was a good thing or not. You briefly contemplated sitting in the throne again, but decided against it. Loki didn't need to be angered anymore than he was, and you didn't need anymore bruises.

Half an hour passed, and Loki was still not back yet. You walked around bored, humming the Avengers theme. Given the past few days it was the only thing in your head. When you were done with that, you moved on to some good old classics from Guardians of the Galaxy. After finishing whisper-singing Hooked on a Feeling, you just started quoting random scenes. Anything to pass the time. You quoted some of your favorites from Infinity War and Ragnarok, all while laying flat on your back in the middle of the room. Eventually you backtracked through the list of movies, arriving at the first Avengers.

"I won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you. Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!"

"I don't believe I said it that monotone," a voice spoke from behind you.

Your heart nearly launched out of you at the unexpected words, but you tried to act calm by slowly sitting up and facing the man behind you.

"Yes, well, British accents tinted with madness aren't my strong suit," you said with a hesitant smile.

He smiled back, but you could see sadness in his eyes.

"Apparently not."

Out of all of the quotes he could have overheard, it had to be that one, you thought angrily, sorry that he had to relive a time when he was much more of an asshole. Although, would he feel sorry about it? You would like to think this future Loki would feel ashamed of his past, but perhaps you gave him too much credit.

As if hearing your thoughts he said, "Not my proudest moment, I can assure you." He looked down at his feet, his hands folded behind him.

"Yeah, well, we all have moments we aren't proud of."

He chuckled bitterly at that but said nothing.

"Hey I'm hungry," you said, wanting to change the subject fast.

"There's always something with you, isn't there," he smirked, his good old face of sarcasm back in action.

"Well, it appears to be late in the day, and I spent all day yesterday on the run, all night in a cell, so that means the last thing I had was a bagel with Cap yesterday morning."

"Oh, did the chivalrous soldier make you the food himself while you looked on in wonder?" he teased.

"Nope, the son of bitch sat there and let me make it myself. Can you believe that?"

"The nerve of those heroes," Loki laughed. "Well, then, what would you like?"

"I doubt you have pizza up here, so whatever it is you Asgardians eat I guess," you sighed.

"Just because we don't pollute our bodies with whatever passes as nutrients on your planet," he muttered, the rest of his statement impossible to hear due to him walking down the giant hall.

He got to the end and opened the door, his Odin disguise back on. He spoke a few words with the guards, and in ten minutes you and Loki were sitting on the steps eating full plates of food. You noticed Loki had chosen not to sit in the throne, but you bit back any snippy remark your brain naturally formed.

"Thank you," you said, popping a grape into your mouth.

"It is not customary to let prisoners starve to death, so no thanks are required."

"Just take the thank you and shut up," you laughed.

"I swear to Valhalla, the second your usefulness is over." He left the comment open-ended, the threat obvious enough. You noticed his tone on this particular threat was much more light-hearted.

"Don't worry, I'll be long gone once my job is done. Besides, once I help you with your daddy issues, your part is done. Thor will obviously want to help save the rest of the universe, so he's the one who's got to worry about spending indefinite amounts of time with me."

You thought you saw a flicker of sadness cross Loki's face. It was probably because you'd brought up his father problems.

"Darling?" he asked.

You groaned at the name, "Yes?"

"What if I--"

Before he could finish, the doors burst open. Standing in the massive opening was Heimdall, with Clint standing next to him, pointing Des straight at Loki.

Chapter 16: A Bit of Tension

"Move away from her Loki," Clint said roughly, walking towards you but never taking the gun off of Loki.

"Clint, it's fine. I've explained everything to Loki. He's good for now."

You looked at Loki, and he was glaring back.

"What?"

"You failed to mention him being here," he responded, gesturing to Clint.

"Was I supposed to or something? You didn't exactly ask me if I came here alone or not. It's not my fault you suck at interrogating."

He made a move towards you, but Clint's gun pointed in his face stopped him.

"I spared you my interrogation," he growled, "because I believed what you said, I trusted the information. But I see that was a mistake."

"Oh my gosh, Loki, seriously? I leave out one detail and you're going to act like a baby about it? Does it even matter that Clint's here? It's not like I kept it a secret while he went around sabotaging stuff."

"No, but it would have been helpful to know when there's someone here who desperately wants me dead." He turned his glare to Hawkeye now.

"I'd only be returning a few favors," Clint said with a smirk.

"Oh, I'd love to see you try," Loki smiled, and you could tell he was getting his hands ready for his daggers.

"Clint isn't going to kill anyone, Loki," you said slowly and deliberately. "Isn't that right, Clint?"

Barton looked at you and back at Loki before addressing him. "Lucky for you, she begged on your behalf. You're safe from the Avengers, for now. Make one wrong move and that changes real fast. I would happily put an arrow straight through your skull. Screw up and I will, understand?"

Loki smiled like he was secretly about to spit venom any second, "Perfectly," he said.

Oh this is off to a great start, you thought, finally shifting your focus to the other occupant in the room. Loki did the same.

"Heimdall!" Loki said with open arms, "No hard feelings, right old friend?"

Heimdall just stood there staring at him with a hard expression. You noticed his hair wasn't quite as long as it was in Ragnarok, but long enough to be tied behind him.

"Ok, look," Loki said, gazing at the floor in search of his words, "I know I've done some subjectively questionable things."

You cleared your throat loudly. He glared at you, but rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Ok, fine, blatantly bad things, is that better?" He looked at you and you nodded your head.

"Apologies are not my strong suit, Heimdall, you know this. However, I have been shown what my actions will unleash...the people they will hurt...and the stupidity of their intentions in the first place," he glanced up at you briefly during that last part. "So, I want to make it right," he continued, "Please, accept my apology and help me find my brother. Then, we shall go find Odin and return him to the throne."

His entire stance had changed. For once, he was not trying to hold himself up, but rather seemed more deflated and vulnerable. His eyes were fixated on the floor, flicking up to Heimdall on occasion. After a moment of silence had passed, Heimdall finally spoke.

"In all my years of knowing you, that was your first apology." Heimdall's expression was serious, but softer.

Loki smiled, "Yes, well, I hope to not make a habit out of it."

Heimdall grinned slightly in return. "I will help find Thor, though it may take time. Last I tried he was far across the realms, and I have since lost him. Odin will be easier to find, as I believe she can help with a general location."

"I explained your situation," Clint whispered, picking up on your surprise at how Heimdall knew you could find Odin.

"Oh, right," you said, "I can, he's somewhere in Norway." Your eyes hadn't really left Heimdall for the last minute. Every new character you met in the flesh was just reinstituting the shock at what you were experiencing.

Heimdall must have understood, as he smiled warmly and approached you.

"It must be strange, seeing all of this as real, including me."

"Yeah it's um, it's weird. But totally awesome! I mean, I try to contain the majority of my excitement, but this is just so unreal! You're Heimdall, in the flesh! It's so nice to meet you, you're an absolute legend." You were embarrassed by how fangirlish you had just been. You really had contained yourself as best you could, but hey he asked, so you answered honestly. Thankfully he didn't seem to mind.

"Well, thank you My Lady," he said bowing his head, "It is an honor to meet you as well. To come so far to help a universe of strangers is a testament to your kindness and strength."

You practically snorted as you chuckled, "I don't know about that. You give me far too much credit. I mean, I feel like I do know all of you, even though you don't know me. Yes, I wanted to help, but the child in me wanted the thrill as well. I don't think that counts as any sort of virtue."

"Do not sell yourself as anything less than you are, My Lady. You risk the sting of many perils to lend aid to our plights, and for that you are more than the dreams of a child."

"Well, thank you," you said with a smile, not knowing what else to say.

He smiled again before facing Loki. "I will begin my work at the bifrost immediately."

"Very good," Loki said, hesitating before adding a "thank you" at the end.

Heimdall bid his farewells and exited the hall.

"Well, it's been great catching up with psycho here, but we should head back to the compound," Clint said to you. Loki gave Barton a look of contempt as you nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we should." In reality, you would have loved to remain on Asgard, at least for one night not on the run or in a cell, but you knew Clint was right. This wasn't a vacation, and you had work to do with the rest of the team. Besides, they'd be worried about Clint...and probably you too.

Loki seemed to have guessed what you thought, or he had his own reasons for wanting you guys to stay the night, because he spoke up before you had the chance to say bye.

"On the contrary, you two are more than welcome to spend the night here?"

"Ha, no thanks. We'll be going," Clint said quickly, turning to leave.

"It is almost nightfall already, what harm will resting here before journeying home do to either of you?"

"When it's your house we're resting in? A lot," Clint shot back, "And the very fact that you want us to stay tells me we shouldn't."

"Can't a king be hospitable to his guests without ulterior motives?"

"Not when that king is the God of Mischief. We're not getting murdered in our sleep."

"If I wanted you dead, you would already be so," Loki snarled.

You stepped in between the two men, who were practically nose to nose now.

"Ok, break it up," you said, pushing them apart, "Clint, I know you don't trust Loki, but there is nothing he can gain from keeping us here one night. I don't think he's planning anything horrible."

"He's the God of Lies!" Clint practically yelled in your face, "He's a cunning, manipulative bastard who could have perfectly good reasons for wanting to keep us from going home that we can't see yet. I, for one, am not being a pawn in his game, not again." His voice was shaking with anger and hate.

"We have Heimdall back and on our side. He can see everything. If Loki tried to pull anything, Heimdall could have the rest of the Avengers up here in the blink of an eye," you said calmly, "We can spend one night here and head home in the morning."

"You're doing exactly what Tony warned you about! You said you understood this wasn't fantasy, that you knew the danger, but clearly you don't! You want to stay and sightsee because this place is from one of your movies, while ignoring the reality of the situation! God of Mischief equals danger, Wren, but you ignore that because you think nothing can happen to you!"

"Seriously?" you asked. "Clint, I got knocked out by him, I was imprisoned overnight, and before Loki believed my story I was being threatened. I learned very quickly that this is real, not a movie. But I am alive and well, and what would Loki gain by killing us? You may think I'm only feeling this way because I love all of you, even Loki, in my movies, but that's not it. It's because I know more about Loki than you do and I know more about you guys than Loki does. I am perfectly in the middle, no bias, no predetermined opinions. I have the knowledge that you guys do of the horrors Loki has inflicted on countless people, but I also know and have seen the other parts of Loki that you guys were not privy to. So I am telling you, from a logical, unbiased position, that there is no reason to fear him at this moment. That may change, and Loki may find something he needs and prove me wrong about everything I think he is. But I am going to trust him until I can't, because I have to. What he did to you and earth is only a small portion of what I have seen of him, so I have just as much reason to fear him as I do to feel perfectly protected around him, got it?"

Clint was quiet, looking like he was still angry but contemplating what you were saying. Loki's face was unreadable.

"Fine, if you want to stay, then stay. But I'm going home. The others will want to know we're ok."

You knew he wasn't going to say it, but he must have trusted your judgement enough to leave you here. He would never leave if he felt you were at risk of serious harm. He clearly did not think you were perfectly safe around Loki, but something about what you had said must have comforted him just enough.

"Ok," you said quietly, "Tell them hi and I'll see them all tomorrow."

Clint just nodded, before walking away. As he reached for the door you called out again. "Clint?"

He turned over his shoulder.

"Thanks for jumping in after me."

His eyes softened and he nodded, pushing the door open and heading out.

You stared at the door, lost in thought for who knows how long before Loki spoke.

"Well, darling, someone was certainly eager to stay."

"It's a city of gold on an alien planet, Loki, who wouldn't want to stay?" you asked irritably, knowing he would milk this for all it was worth.

"Yes, but the way you defended me," he teased, stepping around in front of you, "Makes one wonder if the archer was right, and you let your love for your favorite character blind you."

"Yeah that must be it," you said in a mocking tone, "because simply admitting that someone defended you just because it was the right thing to do and thanking them would mean letting go of your ego."

"Well, then, thank you," he said, his expression not changing but his voice much kinder than usual.

"You're welcome. I'd say I'm sorry about Barton, but he does have his reasons."

"Plenty, I can assure you," Loki said.

"It'll take time, but perhaps if I can help this universe stop Thanos now, then there's a future for you and Thor where the Avengers eventually don't hate you as much."

"Please, I have never sought after nor needed the approval of your self-righteous band of clowns."

"Everyone needs friends at some point in their life, Loki. If not friends, then at least allies. And there are worse allies to have than the Avengers. They're good people."

"I know, which is what makes them so repulsive," he said in a disgusted tone.

You laughed and he smirked, obviously proud of himself.

"Ok, but why did you invite us to stay? You hate Barton and I was about to finally leave. I may have vouched for you, but don't think I don't know you do everything for a reason."

Loki smiled, "You're quite right. Seeing as how this was all fantasy to you a mere two day ago, I figured you'd like to spend one decent night in Asgard. Afterall, it appears I owe you for coming here to save my life, and I hate being indebted to anyone."

"Aw, so it isn't because you wanted to hear more paradoxical questions?" you asked in joking disappointment.

He gave you an 'I'd rather die' look and you laughed again. You were happy that Loki was as funny in person as you'd hoped he would be.

"You must really hate being indebted if you were asking Clint to stay, I thought you two were going to brawl it out right here. Then Barton would probably get killed, I'd have to explain it to the Avengers, they'd want to, ya know, avenge, and then I'd have a whole new problem on my hands to fix."

"Sounds dreadfully tiring," he smirked.

"Oh you have no idea. Cleaning up your current problems is draining enough."

"Well, should he have remained in Asgard, I can assure you that it inevitably would have ended in a fight."

"And yet your stupid head thought it was a good idea to try to convince him to stay?"

"I did no such thing," he said with an insulted look, as if the thought of what you suggested was outrageous.

"Dude, you literally asked us both to stay and then almost fought him over why he could trust you."

"I may have asked the two of you to remain, yes, but, contrary to what the bowman thinks, he was the pawn once again."

You thought for a second before your mouth shot open.

"You little sneak, you mean to tell me you knew he'd leave?"

"Oh, I was counting on it. It was you who I owed, not Barton."

You slow clapped. "Wow, I gotta give it to you, that was good. You even made me vouch for you, you jerk."

Loki was chuckling now, "I simply knew you would."

"You're lucky I'm such a nice person then, otherwise you'd look real stupid wouldn't you?"

He smiled at you mischievously, "Luck means nothing, darling, when you can read a person as I can."

"Before you say it, I get it 'blah blah blah, favorite character.' I've already told you that's not why I stayed. Betting that I'd find a way to argue in favor of staying in a place I have always wanted to see is not 'reading people', Loki, it's common sense."

"Whatever you say, darling." With that he walked to the giant double-door entrance to the room. You followed, not planning on letting him lock you in again. When the pair of you reached the entrance, he opened one of the doors and held out his arm for you to take.

"Well, darling, I have a debt to repay and an hour or so of daylight to do it. Shall we?"

You couldn't hold back how excited you were to see Asgard, and you knew Loki saw it all over your face. Oh well, you didn't have to try to be tough all the time.

You wrapped your arm around his and he led you out of the room, beginning your tour of Asgard.

Chapter 17

Loki, as Odin, walked you around the main parts of the palace grounds, some of which you had seen on last night's escapade. In the warm daylight of the evening sun, the city was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. There were lots of stares from people wondering who you were, and apparently 'Odin' was content to keep them in the dark. Everything was as seen in the Thor movies, grand in scale and elegant in nature. You wanted to stop and watch everything, from folk dances performed by the townspeople, to golden fountains of intricate design. Loki, however, insisted that you did not have much daylight left and should continue if you were to cover any decent amount of the city. Nonetheless, he was smiling at your overjoyed reaction to anything you saw.

Despite what he may say about his home and its people, he really loves this place. He has so much pride for it, you thought, as he was explaining the history of a particular set of statues.

As the sun was finally reaching the horizon, Loki walked you back to the palace and towards a familiar spot.

"Last time I entered there I woke up in a dungeon," you said as Loki held the tree back for you to enter.

He just rolled his eyes, "Yes, well, you weren't exactly cooperating were you?"

"I wasn't exactly not cooperating either," you mumbled as you stepped into the brush once again.

As before, the light seemed to disappear when Loki let the branches fall behind him. In a flash of green, Odin was gone and Loki stood beside you, not that you could see him in the blackness. He took the lead, walking down the hidden path to the balcony. It was much earlier in the evening this time around, with the sun still visible on the horizon. Immediately you understood why he had wanted to bring you here again. The sunset was the most spectacular one you had ever had the privilege of witnessing, the planet all the more gorgeous when basking in the orange light. The sky was a brilliant swirl of colors, far surpassing any in earth's sky. You walked straight past Loki, leaning on the balcony and taking in the wonder with wide eyes. Loki sat on the bench behind you, not saying a word. There was nothing you could say that wasn't already apparent, so you remained silent and enjoyed the moment.

When the tip of the sun began to dip below the horizon, you finally turned to Loki. He was staring sadly at the view, but quickly dawned his normal look when he noticed you were watching.

"Did your mom show you this place?" you asked.

He looked at you in surprise.

"Oh, I-um...well, I overheard you last night, only some of it," you stuttered, as his expression grew cold.

"It is none of your concern, mortal," he said in a deathly low tone. "And if I were you," he continued, standing up to glare down at you, "I would be very careful before discussing things you have no business knowing."

This would usually be the time where a nice person would see that he is hurting and would continue to talk gently to him until he calmed down...but you were a hothead.

"Back off," you snapped, pushing him away from you, "It's not my fault I overheard you last night. In case you hadn't noticed, I was trying to hide from you. I didn't choose your secret balcony on purpose."

He grabbed your arm, stepping even closer than he was before.

"This is not the first time you have brought up my mother, or other aspects of my life that are mine and mine alone. I do not need you to remind me of things I never forget!" he yelled in your face.

"I only brought up other things to get you to not kill me in a dungeon!" you yelled back, "Or when you were acting like a child and needed someone to knock some sense into you! But this? I asked a question, Loki, that's all. If you don't want to talk about it, that's all you need to say. Being louder does not mean you're right."

Loki looked like he was about to throttle you, and his grip on your arm had now threatened to cut off your circulation.

"Ow," you winced, "Loki, let go of my arm!" you shouted. He only grinned and squeezed harder. You went to throw another punch, but he grabbed your hand, sidestepping and using your momentum to slam you into the opposite wall, pinning you against it.

"Get the hell off me!" you spat, "You're just angry because--"

"Because what?" he growled, "Go ahead, say it! Analyze my emotional state, pretend to know what I'm feeling! I dare you to try understanding me again, you pathetic creature!"

He glared at you and you glared right back. "Get. Off. Me." you said calmly.

He begrudgingly listened, stepping back and watching as you checked your arm. It was purple where he had grabbed, and was tender to the touch.

Damn god's have tight grips.

You looked up at him furious.

"You asshole! Who the hell do you think you are? You may be a 'god,'" you said mockingly, "but you act like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum every time you don't get your own way. You wanna be a god? Wanna be worthy? Thor's equal? Then try acting like it!"

You were sure you were going to get it now, but his wrath never unleashed. He continued to glare at you, but he kept his anger in check this time.

"Let's go," he said roughly, turning on a dime and heading back towards the garden.

You followed at a distance, not wanting to talk to or be near Loki. If he said so much as one snarky word at this point, you felt you were going to try to punch him again, which would ultimately lead to your imminent death.

He led you through the palace, which would have been amazing were you not fuming with anger. You hadn't toured the palace yet, and you assumed it was something Loki was going to do when you got back.

Not anymore, you thought bitterly, still aching to hit something.

You reached a large door at the end of a hall you thought you recognized. It looked like it was the same room they gave Jane, and it was as spectacular as it appeared on screen. Loki held the door open for you, and you walked in, not saying a word and neither of you looking at the other. You didn't wait to find out if he would speak at all, as you slammed the door in his face and walked over to flop on the bed.

The pit of anger in your stomach was still gnawing at you, so you laid back in the bed for ten minutes to calm down. Once you didn't feel the urge to smash something, you stood up to explore the room. You made your way out to the balcony, smiling at the view of a quiet Asgard lit with an abundance of torches.

Well, Loki's an ass, you thought, and a loser and a big baby.

Honestly, you had known all of that.

But man is it more annoying to deal with than I thought it would be! This dude is the hardest to reach! He was only upset because of his mother, and he's acting tough and angry because I'm making him face some tough facts. If only we can skip to the Ragnarok moment where he realizes he can stop being such a dweeb. I'm going to get myself killed arguing like that again.

Deep down you knew he wouldn't hurt you. Well, not in any fatal way at least.

He pretended to enjoy hurting me, but he would have gloated the whole way back or done worse if that were the case, right? His silence is a good sign I hope.

You were too tired to think about it right now, so you headed back inside and over to the wash basin. It had already been filled with water, so you started wiping down your arms and face. You were too tired to fill a bath, so you settled for rinsing out your hair as best you could with the water in front of you. Having done that, you wrapped it with a towel and walked over to the mirror and table in front of it. You grabbed a hair brush from its place on the table and brushed out your tangled mess. Finally, you laid in bed, pulling the silk sheets and warm blanket over you. After blowing out the candle on your nightstand, you stared at the ceiling lost in thought.

What did I really expect from Loki? I mean, part of what makes him such a great villain is his emotions, which leads him to be a badass. Just because I like that he's good in the end, doesn't mean he'd exactly be a gentleman or anything. Afterall, I like Steve for that. Loki got his fandom by being bad and looking good doing it.

You noticed yourself drifting and embraced it, proper sleep never seeming so inviting.

***

You woke to a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" you groaned sleepily.

The door opened and a woman stepped in. "My name is Ceyla ma'am. I was sent by the Allfather to wake you. You are to join him in the dining hall for breakfast in ten minutes time."

"Oh am I," you muttered sarcastically as you stumbled out of bed.

"Yes miss," Ceyla replied, not understanding or choosing to ignore the sarcasm. "I am also to help aid you in any morning preparations you need."

"I'm fine, thank you," you smiled, "Just give me a minute or two and I'll be right out."

"As you wish My Lady, I shall wait for you in the hall." With that she curtsied slightly and closed the door behind her. You walked over to the wash basin sluggishly, splashing water on your face to wake yourself up. You brushed your hair back and tied it into a high ponytail.

"That's about all the prep I'm doing today," you mumbled to yourself as you pulled your boots on.

Ceyla was true to her word, waiting patiently outside. You thought you noticed a confused, if not concerned, look on her face as she swiftly took in your appearance. The look was gone as quickly as it had flashed across her face, and she assumed her neutral pleasant facade once more.

So I'm not wearing a dress, stick it you snob, you thought.

Ceyla led you down corridors towards the dining hall. You made small talk with her, and she was actually quite enjoyable to be around.

Ok, so I take back the snob, you thought with a grin.

That grin was dashed right off your face as Ceyla paused in front of a set of doors.

Oh great, here we go.

Ceyla pushed the doors in, stepping aside for you to enter. The room was as large and pretty as the rest of the palace, clearly made for great gatherings and parties. At the way back of the room was a very long table positioned in a horizontal manner. As opposed to sitting at the head of the table on one end or the other, the king's seat was positioned directly in the middle of the table on the far side. It made sense, that way the king would be in the center of everything while also able to see the whole room. The seat in question was currently occupied by Loki, staring straight ahead at you as you entered the room.

"Thank you, Ceyla," Odin's voice called across the room, "That will be all. See to it that we are not interrupted."

"Yes, Allfather," Ceyla said, curtsying low and hastily doing as her "king" commanded.

As soon as the door shut behind you, Loki changed back to himself, not moving an inch. His face was hard but he forced a smirk.

"Don't just stand there, darling. Have a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him.

You walked across the room and took your seat, not saying a word and also not breaking Loki's stare. His face was as impassive as you hoped yours was.

"Please, help yourself," Loki said, gesturing to the food.

You held his gaze for a few more seconds before slowly serving yourself some food. Loki followed suit and you were soon both eating in silence. When you were done with your plate you decided silent treatment, unfortunately, had to be over.

"Well, I have to head back. So, um...bye." You stood up and walked to the door you had entered earlier. Before you could reach for the handle, Loki spoke directly behind you.

"So eager to leave, darling?" His voice was still harsh, which made you wonder why he decided to still tease and bother you anyway.

"Make noise when you walk, will you? Nearly launched me out of my skin," you said, not turning around.

"Apologies," he said tersely.

"I have to get back to the Avengers compound. Unlike you, we have some things to do besides wallowing in self-pity and loathing."

"Don't let me stop you then," he said venomously, and you heard him storm off. You pulled the doors open and started down the corridor. It wasn't until you had come to a turn a few minutes later that you realized you had no idea where you were.

"Well...great," you sighed.

You wandered around the palace for twenty minutes. At this point you had accepted you had no idea where you were going, and even if you made it outside it was a ways to the rainbow bridge, so you embraced the opportunity to just enjoy the tour you were giving yourself. You could have asked the guards or other people you passed, but the fact that you hadn't was a testament to how much you didn't want to leave Asgard yet. You finally made your way to the main courtyard and large fountain outside the front of the palace.

"Well it certainly took you long enough," an unfamiliar voice called from your right. You looked to see a citizen you had never met before. He walked up to you, and the way he sauntered over and smirked at you was all the hint you needed.

"I thought you were off sulking somewhere?" you asked.

"I knew your sense of direction was that of a blind man, and I couldn't have you walking around causing trouble amongst my citizens now could I?"

"I knew the general direction of where I was going. I just took my own sweet time. I didn't exactly get to see the palace at all since I've been here." You walked past him and down the marble steps.

"And where do you suppose you're going now?"

"Where do you think?"

"Given your propensity for poor decisions, I'd say you plan on walking all the way to the bifrost."

"I can't exactly fly, genius."

"No, but we have horses, or did that slip your vast knowledge of Asgard?" he questioned in a bitter tone.

"I have no idea how to ride a horse," you argued, though you'd be lying if you said it didn't sound awesome

"Yes, well, follow me and you shall."

He grabbed your arm, which you immediately pulled from him, but you followed him down a small side street away from prying eyes. He used the privacy to change back into Odin, before leading you to the main street where two horses were waiting with some guards. One of the guards helped you up onto your horse as Loki got onto his with ease.

"Ready?" he asked.

"No, I still have no idea how to ride a horse," you sassed.

"The horse knows what it's doing, all you have to do is not fall off. Simply let the more intelligent being do the hard part."

You wanted to laugh at the comment, but, as you were still angry, you gave him an unimpressed look instead.

Loki led his horse forward and yours dutifully followed. Riding a horse through Asgard and across a rainbow bridge was the craziest thing you'd ever done, and you had forgotten your sour mood by the time you reached the bifrost. Loki slid gracefully off his horse, offering you a hand to do the same. You hopped off the horse on the side opposite of Loki, ignoring his offered hand. You walked into the dome, wanting to leave while still in a good mood.

"Good morning, My Lady," Heimdall greeted.

"Morning Heimdall," you waved, "I'll be heading home now, if you would be so kind."

"Of course, your friends eagerly await your arrival."

You heard Loki's grunt of disgust and assumed it was accompanied by a rather large eye roll.

Heimdall placed the sword in the bifrost. "Whenever you are ready."

You nodded and began walking over to take your place near the bifrost opening. Half-way there you stopped and let out a sigh, promptly turning on your heel and walking back to Loki.

"Couldn't leave without saying goodbye?"

"Can you illusion this for me?" you asked, holding out your bruised arm. "Can you do that? Will the illusion hold if you're not there to hold it?"

Loki was looking thoroughly perplexed. "Why do you wish to hide it?" he asked.

"How do you propose I explain a purple ring around my arm to the Avengers? They'd be up here in an instant to kick your butt."

Loki still seemed confused but nodded like he understood.

"I do have a certain amount of healing powers, courtesy of my mother," he explained, "I can have most of the bruise gone in a few seconds, and cast an illusion to hide the rest. The illusion will only hold for a few hours when far enough from my magic, so you'd best think of an excuse for acquiring a bruise." He said everything matter-of-factly, but you thought you saw a bit of remorse on his face. Perhaps it was just your imagination though, as he had yet to apologize for last night.

"I'm a decent liar when I need to be," you said, allowing him to take your arm, "shouldn't be that hard."

He gently wrapped his hands around the swollen part of your forearm, his touch feeling frigid on the delicate skin. A green glow emanated from his hands, and you felt a tingling sensation travel up your arm from the source. He held the position for ten seconds or so. You were focused on the arm, but you saw him glance up once or twice during the process. He let his grip slide off, revealing skin that bore only minimal discoloration. You sighed in relief, as the new bruise would be much easier to explain away. With a wave of his right hand, a shimmering green light passed over the bruise, making it disappear entirely.

"Um, thanks," you mumbled, turning around and making your way back to position.

"My pleasure," you heard him say to your back.

Once in front of the far wall, you nodded to Heimdall.

"Hit it. And no laughing when I face-plant this landing."

He smiled, thrusting the sword into place and giving it a turn. You took a deep breath as stars and colors consumed you.

Chapter 18

Peter Parker's "I could have stuck the landing better" was all that played through your head as you pulled yourself up from the grass. You looked up to see the compound in front of you.

"There's got to be a better way of getting to this blasted compound that doesn't require falling from the sky," you groaned, brushing off your clothes and heading towards the entrance.

The team met you half-way, rushing out the door but slowing down once seeing you alive and well.

"Well, she's not dead at least," Barton grumbled, looking you up and down as you approached.

"Very observant, Clint," you smiled, stopping a bit in front of the crew.

"You're goddamn lucky she's alright," Tony barked at Clint, and it wasn't until now that you noticed Tony's angry face.

"Don't take it out on Barton, I made the choice to stay and see Asgard for a night. Quite lovely actually, y'all should consider vacationing there sometime."

The others, though holding stern expressions, seemed relieved that you were fine, even daring to smirk at your comment. Tony was having none of it.

"No no, you don't get to speak," Tony snapped, "Because you made a promise that you knew what you were doing, yet the second Reindeer Games batted his blue eyes, you spend the night with him."

"Oh for crying out loud Tony," you yelled, "It was a city of gold on an alien planet, so, yes, I took the chance to explore for one night."

"Oh, so you just explored all by yourself? No kissing up to your favorite god, no holding hands with the Asgardian Norman Bates?"

"Tony, relax," Steve interjected.

"No, I don't think I will, Cap, because I want to know just what she decided was a good idea to do for a night in a place where she had no backup and no escape plan."

Steve went to say something, but you waved him off.

"It's ok, Cap, there's no reason I can't explain."

Tony folded his arms, waiting for you to continue.

"Loki said he wanted us to stay," you said pointing to Clint as you spoke, "because he owed me a debt for coming here to save his life. He said he doesn't like being indebted. Now, you may not trust him, but, as I told Clint, I know more about him than you guys do. Therefore, I trusted that he was going to make good on what he said. I'm the only one who can save his royal ass, so at the very least Loki would want me alive for selfish reasons. I used that to my advantage and got to experience the most beautiful place in the universe. Had I thought there was a chance Loki was planning something malevolent, I never would have stayed. But all logic and reason pointed to him needing me alive, so I was in no immediate danger."

"Her logic is sound," Vision said after you had finished. Tony turned as if wanting to argue with him but deciding against it. After a few seconds of contemplation, Tony sighed.

"I still think you're an idiot," he said, "but you didn't die, so you're not grounded."

You laughed at his ridiculous statement, and he cracked a smile for the first time since you'd arrived, assuming his normal care-free look.

"I'm having Friday give you the once-over though," Tony said, leading the group back inside.

"That's not necessary Tony," you tried to say in your best complaining voice, desperately hoping the panic inside you wasn't shining through. If Friday detected a bruise where there visibly was none, you'd have a much harder time thinking of a believable lie.

"Non-negotiable," Tony shot back.

"You can literally see I'm fine, I don't need a check-up."

"Yeah, Tony, lighten-up," Nat said, stepping in stride with you, "You've harassed her enough for today."

"I'm sorry, who flared up like the Hulk last night?" Tony argued.

"Clint wasn't allowed on the same floor as her," Sam laughed.

"I was mildly concerned," Nat defended. The look on Clint's face begged to differ.

"You shouldn't have been," you said, "Heimdall could have grabbed you at any second if things went wrong."

Nat turned to look at Clint, "You failed to mention she did have an escape plan."

"I was too busy trying to stay alive to mention it," Clint whined.

"Doesn't matter," you said, "I'm fine, and Heimdall is looking for Thor as we speak. He and Loki will make amends with Odin and then he'll join us here."

"Speaking of, I'll need to debrief you during lunch," Tony chimed in.

"First, I wasn't exactly on a mission. Second, I kinda just told you everything of importance."

"He means he wants to hear about your night," Nat said, raising an eyebrow at Tony.

He gave her a look in return as all of you entered the living area. Nat, Vision, and Wanda went to sit on the sofas, while Clint, Steve, Sam, and Rhodey went to the table. Sofas seemed like the less-awkward place to be, so you followed Nat and took a seat in the same comfy chair as two days ago. Tony was at the fridge, pulling out a bunch of items and placing them on the counter.

"So, anything happen while I was gone, besides you trying to kill Barton?" you asked Nat.

"Nothing as fun, no," she joked, pulling her legs into a curled position on the couch.

"Well, there was that business with Director Fury," Vision offered.

Nat rolled her eyes, "I know Vis, I was getting to that."

You looked at her to continue.

"Fury dropped by yesterday," she said, "The remnants of Shield that he has running picked up on the quantum energy from your arrival. Seeing as it originated from the compound, Fury didn't come over right away. However, he came by himself to discuss it. He likes to check up on us."

"And, what did you tell him?" you asked.

"Since you were up at Asgard, we figured it was best to keep him in the dark for now. Tony made up some excuse about his lab experiments. Fury would have had too many questions, none of which we wanted to answer, and he would have wanted to see you, which was out of the question at the time."

"Fury also doesn't trust easily," Wanda said. Based on her look you took it she knew from experience.

"Yeah, he can be like that sometimes. Always comes through though," you added, not wanting to bash Fury.

"He can certainly be a handful, but I've learned how to handle him," Nat said with a grin.

"Ok, sandwich bar is ready. Grab it while you can," Tony announced to the room. "And don't let me catch you leaving the mayo-covered knife on the counter," he added, looking at one of the guys at the table.

"One time Tony," Rhodey complained, standing up with the rest of the guys.

Tony flicked him hard on the ear as he passed, scurrying quickly around the counter before Rhodey could retaliate.

"Take it outside," Sam said, as Rhodey slowly walked around the counter, with Tony matching his pace in order to keep the surface between the two of them.

"Not near the food, guys," Steve added, "You're going to make someone spill."

Tony held up his hands in a gesture of innocence, while Rhodey reluctantly got in line for a sandwich. Ten minutes, and lots of arguing over the last of the turkey, passed and you were once again seated at the table with the Avengers, chomping away at your sandwich and chips.

"So," Sam looked at you with a smirk, "How was your night away with your favorite god?"

"Just peachy, thanks," you said, popping another chip in your mouth, "Asgard is stunning."

"You sure that was the only thing you were stunned by?" Sam teased, "I mean, I know Steve was here and all, so it's ok if you found someone else while away."

"Not this again Sam," Steve begged, holding back a smile.

"Loki was fine," you told Sam, "He didn't kill me, so that's a plus."

"Come on, details," Nat pleaded, "I want to know exactly how much I have to beat Loki up for. A few tales of Asgard might be nice too. We've only heard a little from Clint."

"It's amazing right?" you asked Clint, "Can't believe we got to see it."

He looked reluctant to agree, given his hatred of Loki, but he couldn't help but nod.

"The view wasn't too bad I suppose."

Wanda groaned, "You can see why we're eager for another opinion."

"So, start from the beginning and leave nothing out," Nat said.

"Yes, nothing," Tony stated, giving you his dad look.

"From when Clint left or when I got beamed up?"

"You never actually told me how you ended up in the palace with Loki, so from the beginning," Clint said.

So, you filled them in on everything, describing Asgard and its beauty to the best of your ability. You explained how you got pushed back into the palace grounds and found the garden.

"So, I went off trail, through the branches of a huge tree and into thick plants. I was hoping to reach the wall of the castle and hunker down there for a while. But when I got there, there was a balcony jutting out from the wall. Mind you, I climbed through thicket to get there, so this balcony being here made no sense." You described the view and how lovely it was, before having to get to when Loki showed up.

"I heard someone coming through the branches behind me, so I hid. And, as my typical luck would have it, the balcony happened to be Loki's secret little hideout."

"If only there was a way for you to have known that," Tony said sarcastically, "Like a movie or something that tells you all about Loki."

"I didn't know about the balcony," you said, "The majority of personal things like that aren't in the movies."

"Knowing who has kissed who and who likes who isn't considered personal?" Rhodey asked.

"Ok, fair, but we're getting off topic. Anyway, Loki came through not knowing I was there, but it didn't take him long to realize he was being watched. He took me to a cell where I explained everything. He didn't believe me either, so I let him look into my mind to see what I've seen."

"I'm sorry, you did what?" Tony shrieked, and the others were looking concerned as well.

"Um, Loki can make someone relive memories, and he can witness them too. He does it to Valkyrie in Ragnarok, so I offered that he do it to me to clear up the situation quicker."

"You willingly let that man in your head?" Clint snapped.

"He could have done it by force anyways, would that really have been better? Besides, it's not a dangerous process. I showed him what I wanted to show him, and he then believed me, so I say I made the right choice."

"We're talking about this later," Tony warned, "but continue. What did he do next?"

"Well, he left for a while, I guess to process what I'd shown him. When he came back he led me to the throne room where we were to wait for Heimdall. Two hours or so later, Clint and Heimdall showed up."

"Wait, I'm hearing big time gaps you're not accounting for," Clint said.

"What? Do you seriously wanna hear every conversation Loki and I had? It'd be a few hours of your life you'd wish you had back, trust me."

"What did you guys talk about?" Sam asked, still giving you a sly smile.

"Nothing important really. He isn't one for small talk, and he and I didn't get along. So really we sat in silence most of the time, with him only asking a few things regarding what I know about the future." That last part was a lie, but you didn't feel like telling them about the whole "favorite character" arguments, or being slammed against a wall in the prison, or thrown down the steps, or any other personal pep-talks you gave. Especially with Sam in the room, they would never accept that Loki just liked to tease or that you were just spouting facts. They'd make it awkward somehow or be angered by Loki's unpleasant moments.

"For not talking a lot, it seems odd you would describe your conversations with him as hours we wish we had back." Vision stated. He wasn't trying to mess with you, but honestly looked like he was attempting to understand the discrepancies in your story. Everyone looked at him in surprise, before smiling and giving you faces that showed they were waiting for an explanation.

"It's hyperbole, Vision. I didn't exactly run a timer every time we spoke. But Loki occasionally likes to ramble about being superior, as you all know, so I wouldn't be surprised if it adds up to useless hours."

Thankfully, your diss of Loki seemed to satisfy them, and a few gave knowing nods.

"He's the only man I've ever met that's more full of themselves than Tony," Nat agreed, ignoring Stark's protests.

"So what happened after Clint left?" Steve asked.

"Well, he said a tour of Asgard was his way of repaying me, so he took me around for an hour or two to see some of the sights. Afterwards, he gave me a room and I went to bed. In the morning I ate breakfast and then he took me to the bifrost. Heimdall did the rest, and now I'm here. You'll be glad to know that, while the night was enjoyable, Loki and I weren't exactly getting along, so no more mocking about us ok? He was as funny to be around as I hoped he'd be, I'll admit that. But he was also as rude and surly as I knew him to be. He's still my favorite character to watch on screen, but in person is a different experience entirely."

"I wonder who could have warned you it'd be like that?" Tony started his taunts again.

"I never said it would be any different, but I'm not going to be scared of him for pointless reasons. His ego grows every time someone shows fear in his presence. Inferiority complexes will do that to you."

"Inferiority complexes cause men to make embarrassing decisions they'll randomly think about in bed twenty years later, not lead an attack on a heavily populated city," Tony stated bluntly.

"Most men don't come from the same world as Loki, Tony. Had Thor had the same experiences as Loki, he could have turned out very differently. In fact, the only reason Thor was banished to Earth in the first place was because he so badly wanted to lead a war on a race so he could wipe them out. Luckily, Odin's parenting decision actually paid off for once, and Thor was led to a change of heart, later stopping Loki from making the same decision he would have made a few days earlier. But can we not get into this again? I don't need to keep explaining Loki's trauma to you, that's his own problem anyway."

"She's right, let's drop this for now," Cap said, and you gave him a grateful look.

"You're lucky no one likes to argue with their elders," Tony said, standing up to clear his place. Everyone followed suit, and the table was cleaned in five minutes. You were heading back to the table when the sound of water splashed behind you. Everyone whipped around to see Tony with his hair and shirt soaked, a large empty bowl on the floor, and the back of Rhodey disappearing in a mad rush down the hall. Laughter erupted as Tony sprinted after Rhodes.

"Friday!" you heard him yell from down the hall, "Deploy!"

"Deploying suit, boss," Friday confirmed.

"Ohhhh dear," you laughed.

"I wonder where they'll find the body?" Sam joked in between laughs.

Steve shook his head, "On that note, I'm heading down to the training room for a few hours. Friday?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Please inform us if one of them kills the other?"

"I'll be sure to, sir."

Steve nodded and headed for the hall.

"I should join him," Nat said, "In fact we all should. No one got any work done today waiting around for you."

"I'm sorry," you apologized.

"Don't be," Clint said, "I was enjoying a morning off. And if I got dragged into practicing with Natasha before we knew you were safe, I don't think I would have survived."

"Who says you will now?" she asked.

"Oh this will be fun," Wanda said, heading out of the room.

"Mind if I watch?" you asked. "I don't exactly have anything else to do."

"As long as you cheer for me," Clint said, patting you on the back as he followed Wanda.

***

Twenty minutes later you were in the training room, sitting on a bench as the others prepared themselves for the physicality about to commence. They had all gone to their rooms to change into workout clothes before meeting here. Now they had separated and began working in different pairs. Nat worked with Wanda for an hour on hand-to-hand combat, helping her learn the basics. Knowing how to fight physically made her all the more lethal when paired with her magic. Sam and Clint fought on a different mat twenty feet to your right. Steve was practicing combos on a large punching bag. Vision stood near you, watching everyone's work, but you noticed his gaze would linger on Wanda and Natasha for longer periods than the others.

Awwwwwwwwww, you thought, Watching them fall in love is precious.

After an hour, Vision went to train with Cap. Wanda switched partners with Clint, moving over to face off against Sam. Clint and Nat's fight was hilarious, with Nat holding nothing back, thus forcing Clint to have to try much harder than he had against Sam. The second round of fights lasted half the time, and thirty minutes later everyone changed positions again. Cap took out his shield, heading over to a series of poles apparently designed especially for him. He practiced bouncing the shield off in several different manners, changing the ways he caught the shield, the positions he threw the shield from, etc. Nat was working on some agility and acrobatics, as well as practicing her taser fire on some dummies. Sam had obtained his wings, incorporating them into a bunch of fancy maneuvers. Clint had taken his bow to a range on the other end of the room, firing his arrows from a series of different positions and out of complicated moves, never failing to hit his target dead center. Vision had taken to flying around with Sam, practicing many of the same moves until they were in perfect sync.

There was so much to watch, and you made your way around to see them all. However, you found yourself stationed by Wanda in the end. She had practiced her magic, slowly increasing the weight of items she was lifting and throwing balls of red energy at targets placed around her. Now, she was working on levitating, lifting herself off the ground to a certain height and holding herself there until she grew tired. Once she caught her breath she would rise again, each time higher than the last. It was amazing to watch. Another forty-five minutes to an hour passed like this, before the Avengers gathered together to work on group moves. Steve would call out different scenarios and the team would practice multiple ways of working together to eliminate the "threat." It was remarkable to see them work so smoothly together.

An hour later they finally called it quits, dispersing to their rooms for showers and a change of clothes. You went to your room as well, realizing that you hadn't changed from your purple T and jeans in two days.

You were zoning out in the shower, as one always does, when you noticed your arm growing darker. Loki's magic had finally faded.

Thank goodness it happened while in here, you thought gratefully, I'd forgotten about it.

You dried yourself off, throwing your hair up in a towel and pulling on your robe. A long-sleeve shirt was probably best, seeing as you wanted to hide the bruise as much as possible, so you wore a soft blue sweater and gray sweatpants. You brushed your hair thoroughly and put on a pair of fuzzy socks before heading out the door. The hallway was so smooth you almost slipped on your first step. Smiling like a two-year-old, you took a few paces to the window at the end of the hall, turned around, and prepared to run.

I'm going to wipe out.

That thought didn't stop you from charging down the hallway and sliding a good twenty feet before losing your balance and grabbing at the wall to catch yourself. Turns out it was a door you reached, not the wall, so you very loudly slammed your hands against someone's bedroom as you propped yourself back into a standing position. Sam pulled open the door quickly, looking like he was ready to jump whoever it was pounding on his door. His face turned to confusion when he saw you standing there trying to hold in a laugh.

"Sorry, I um...may or may not have been sliding down the hall," you said, lifting your foot to show your fuzzy sock, "And I may or may not have almost wiped out." You couldn't help but giggle at the thought of how dumb you were, and Sam smiled too.

"You're a complete child, you know that?"

"So I've been told on many occasions," you bragged.

"But you're doing it all wrong."

It was your turn to look confused.

"I know a floor that's much smoother, and much longer. And if you want to build any kind of speed, you'll need something more than a running start."

"What did you have in mind?" you grinned.

"You'll see, come with me."

You followed Sam down the hall and into the elevator. A few minutes later you were walking into the vast expanse of the room where all the time-travel magic happens.

"Ok, we'll start the runway down here," Sam pointed, bringing you to one end of the room. "Now wait here," he said with a smile.

He was back in a minute with his wings.

"No way, really?" you squealed.

"The wings don't get this kind of a reaction from the rest of the showoffs around here, so absolutely."

He stood in front of you, opening his wings and standing ready.

"I'm going to lift off slowly, grab my foot once I do. Hold on tight, and if you get hurt, I'm not taking the blame from Tony."

"I'll deal with Tony, now let's do this!"

Sam lifted off the ground slowly, and you grabbed his foot with two hands. Leaning your weight backwards and planting your feet, you prepared yourself for take-off. Sam started slowly, your socks sliding along easily. You cheered in enjoyment, laughing at how stupidly fun this was. Out of nowhere Sam kicked it into overdrive, launching forward and dragging you screaming along behind him.

Your upper body was beginning to pass your feet, and soon you'd literally be dragged behind him. Therefore, you made a decision. You pushed your feet out even more, lowering yourself until you were practically sitting on the floor. With all of the soft things you were wearing, you prayed you were right about this. You counted to three in your head and then let go, letting your butt land on the ground. You slid at a much higher speed than you had in the hallway upstairs, screaming the whole way. Unfortunately, a big piece of machinery was directly in your path, and you were traveling too fast to slow down in time.

Oh well, this is gonna hurt.

You curled sideways, bracing for an impact that never came. It felt like a force had pulled you to a stop, and you looked around confused. A red glow circled you, disappearing once you were motionless. Looking up you saw Wanda standing fifty feet away, her hands lowering from their ready position. She walked over to you, getting there right as Sam landed on your left. You were too busy laughing to acknowledge them at first, but eventually you managed a "thank you" to Wanda. She was laughing too as she said "you're welcome", though eventually she turned and slapped Sam on the arm.

"What was that for?"

"For letting her almost catapult into something," Wanda responded with exasperation.

"I was going to steer her around everything, but she let go."

"It was too much fun," you said, still giggling, "and besides, it was either let go or almost flip over and get dragged around by the Falcon. The former was far more enjoyable. Thanks again though, Wanda."

"Anytime," she said, "Cleaning up after people around here is quickly becoming a habit."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Sam challenged.

"I mean that I just had to send Vision up onto the roof to fetch Rhodey. Tony had him stranded up there for the last few hours, in nothing but his underwear."

She started laughing at the news and the two of you joined.

"I can't believe I didn't get to see that," you whined, standing up and straightening out your sweatpants.

"Oh don't worry, Nat was sure to get it all on her phone. You can see it at dinner, Stark has ordered pizza tonight and it'll be here soon. I volunteered to come find you, because Clint and Nat arguing over who'd win at karaoke is only entertaining for oh so long."

"Clint 100%," you said.

"I don't know, Nat seems like the kind of person who can do it all," Sam argued.

"Oh my gosh I forgot to tell you guys! In my universe, Clint's counterpart, the actor Jeremy Renner? He's a singer! When I asked Clint if that meant he can sing, I found out he can."

"And this man has yet to sing for us???" Sam gasped, "That's gonna change real fast."

He marched off without another word, you and Wanda turning in pursuit. The three of you reached the kitchen moments later. Nat and Clint were arguing about something else now, and Tony was trying to give Rhodey a hug, who in turn was scrambling around the table to avoid him. Cap was getting dishes out of the cabinets, so you made your way over to help.

"Thanks," he said with a kind smile as you helped stack some cups on the counter.

"Helping Captain America with some kitchen work is the least I can do," you said.

"You're also helping to save a universe you know?" Steve said.

"Well there is that small thing too I guess."

"So where were you and Sam?"

"Oh, you know, sliding at high speeds into machinery," you said blandly, turning to grab some napkins from the counter. Steve must have been used to absurd things by now, because he just snorted and said "Sounds like fun."

"Very, though I heard I missed all the real fun."

Cap laughed, "All you missed was a reminder never to mess with Tony."

"Says the man who gets into a civil war with him."

"Was going to get in a civil war, but not anymore thanks to you. We'll find Bucky."

"If he's in Bucharest yet. I know he visited your museum displays sometime after he pulled you from the water, but hopefully he's moved on from here."

"Trust me, Sam and I have looked into every lead within a thousand miles. If he was around here, we would have found him. If he's not in Romania yet, then we'll be waiting when he arrives."

You smiled, "And then you can get your best friend back without beating Tony up."

He smiled back, but looked a little sad. "I'd like that."

"Pizza's here!" Tony announced, carrying in multiple boxes stacked in his hands, ending your conversation.

Dinner talk consisted mostly of the entire table trying to get a promise out of Clint that he would eventually sing. He had glared at you many times throughout dinner, clearly wishing you hadn't told Sam and Wanda his secret. Tony's phone rang mid-argument, and he stood up to take it in the other room.

"Probably Pepper," Nat explained, "Tony hasn't filled her in completely on what's happened."

"Wait, didn't he leave after Ultron to go chill for a while? Why was he here when I arrived?"

"He visits from time to time, checking in on all of us and spending a weekend here or there," she answered.

"Convenient timing, though it's easier than having to flag him down so I'm not complaining."

"Yeah, well, can't say the same about Pepper," Clint said, earning a nudge from Nat.

"What? I'm not saying she's wrong for complaining, but do you honestly think Pepper is ok with Tony not coming back without an explanation?"

"She'll get over it," you said, clearing your place and making your way to gather the empty pizza boxes. You stacked all the empty boxes on one counter, loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. By the time you sat down again, Tony was back and partaking in whatever discussion was passing around the table. After ten more minutes of small talk, Tony asked for everyone's attention.

"Ok, now that Ragnakoko is being handled, for the time being at least, we need to focus on the next hurtle. I have Bucharest primed and ready, eyes everywhere searching for Barnes. If he's there, we'll spot him. So, what's our next mission from the future?" He asked, looking at you.

"Well, we need to eliminate Infinity Stones so Thanos can't get them. Technically, even one stone is enough to stop him from wiping out half of life, but in three years he'll unleash all of his power in an Infinity Stone scavenger hunt. Lots of people will die, a planet called Xandar and a place called Knowhere decimated. Asgard will be a target too, though with Odin alive and in power we've already put a thorn in his plans."

"How do we destroy something as powerful as these stones? I doubt they crack easily," Cap said.

"In the movies, Wanda's power, which has a similar signature to that of the Mind Stone's own power, is enough to destroy that particular stone. So we can get that one if we can find a way to separate Vision from the stone. To do that we'd need help from Wakanda, which I'll explain more about later. Unfortunately, I don't want to rush and assume that Vision has evolved enough to be separated from the stone yet. It's the riskiest stone to tackle right now. I don't want to put Vision's life at stake if we can get the other stones in the meantime."

"Even if we find the others, you said my power only destroyed the Mind Stone because it was similar in nature. What if it isn't strong enough to destroy the others?" Wanda asked.

You smirked, "Trust me, you're far more powerful than you realize. I don't think those stones stand a chance."

She looked doubtful but just nodded.

"So where is the other stone on earth?" Rhodey asked.

"That would be the time stone. It has safely been in the hands of the sorcerer supreme, protecting earth against dark dimensions and whatnot. I wouldn't want to get rid of that unless I absolutely had to."

"Great, so the only four stones we can blow to hell are in space," Tony pointed out.

"That's why we need Thor," you said. "He's off looking around for stones as we speak. We can make his job a lot easier and he can help us get the stones."

"So until then we just sit here? Nothing else we can do?" Nat asked.

"Bifrost is our safest source of travel across space, and having Thor in a situation where y'all are out of your element is probably not a bad idea. So, yes, we wait for Heimdall to find him."

As if in response to your statement, a loud noise came from outside the building.

"Looks like we won't have to wait long," Steve said, standing up and heading swiftly for the hall.

You all rushed outside to where you had beamed down earlier that day. A figure could be seen standing there in the dark.

"Yo Point Break, get a move on it. I won't stand here freezing forever," Tony yelled out.

Thor didn't respond, which you thought was odd. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, as you noticed their stances changing and bodies tensing slightly. The figure walked closer and closer, finally stepping into the reach of the compound's spotlights.

"Loki?!" you asked in shock.

He stopped about fifteen feet from the group and folded his hands behind his back, standing strongly with his head held high.

"Hello, darling," he said with a smile, "Did you miss me?"

Chapter 19: A Rocky Relationship

Summary:

Loki and Reader continue to rub each other the wrong way. Why did I decide to put a little chapter summary randomly on chapter 19? I don't know, I rarely have a reason for the things I do

The Avengers stood ready to launch.

"Friday?" Tony called out.

"On it, boss," her voice replied from a band on his wrist. Seconds later his suit was flying to his hand, latching on and expanding around him.

"As much as I would enjoy a rematch," Loki said as he took another tentative step forward, "I'm afraid I didn't come here to fight."

"Take it personally if we don't believe you," Tony said.

"Yes, I imagine trust is in short supply," he smirked, "But the fact remains that I bear no ill intentions."

"We're just supposed to believe that you want to be friends with us after our last get together?" Nat asked.

"Nothing could be farther from the truth, Romanoff," Loki glared at her, "As I told your newest mindless follower, your friendship is the last possible desire of mine."

"Mindless follower? Says the man who attacked New York because a purple maniac told him to."

Loki looked at you with such fury that you noticed Cap instinctively put an arm in front of you.

"Would you like to continue our conversation from the balcony?" Loki threatened.

"Oh please try it," you said, moving Steves's arm as you took a step forward, "I'm on earth now, buddy, so by all means throw a tantrum again. I can say whatever I want here, and knowing your inability to handle the truth, you won't like what you hear."

"Wren, take a step back," Steve warned. You noticed you had instinctively taken a few more steps in your anger, and now the gap between you and Loki was too close for the team's liking.

"You should listen to the soldier," Loki grinned, taking a slow step towards you.

"One more step and I blast you back to Asgard," Tony threatened.

Loki paused three feet from you, staring hard into your eyes as you glared right back. You held the gaze until he smiled.

"You did miss me didn't you, darling?" The way he said the last word was intended to make you super uncomfortable.

"Yup, totally," you scoffed, rolling your eyes and walking back to stand next to Wanda.

"Why are you here then?" Clint asked, "Don't you have work to do up on Asgard?"

"Unfortunately, my work on Asgard is complete. I have relinquished the throne and brought Odin back."

"Wait, you got Odin without Thor?" you asked. "I thought you were going to wait for him before finding your father?"

"And why did you assume such a thing? Because the two of us did it together in your moving pictures? In case you haven't noticed, darling, we've already strayed quite a ways from the future you saw."

"I guess that's fair. I just didn't expect you to---ok don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I didn't think you'd so readily fix your mistakes...or face Odin alone."

"It's not the first time you've been wrong about me, darling," Loki said smugly, "I can assure you it won't be the last."

"Cut the chit chat you two," Tony barked, "So why are you here now, Reindeer Games? Shouldn't you and dear old dad be hugging it out up there?"

"Odin and I have made amends temporarily," Loki explained, "but he thought it best I spend some time off of Asgard and continue to help fix things with those I had...wronged." He finished his last sentence like it pained him to have to say it.

"So he kicked you out," Tony said.

"No he did not," Loki spat back, "He...asked me to obey his wishes." Loki looked down at the ground, glancing sideways at you once.

"And you obeyed?" you asked incredulously.

He looked at you with disappointment. "Yes. I did." Those words were some of the sincerest words you had heard out of his mouth.

"What if you're lying?" you asked, and Loki looked at you in surprise, along with everyone else.

"And here I thought you were all about trust," Loki said, pointing a finger at you.

"I'm not an idiot though. How do we know you actually brought Odin back?"

"If you do not trust me, then trust my word as a survivor. Odin back in the throne is the only assurance against Ragnarok, which subsequently buys us more time against Thanos, who, in case you've forgotten, kills me!"

You turned to the rest of the group, "Ok guys, he's got a point. Trust me, he's not a fan of y'all, so he wouldn't willingly spend time with you."

"I tend to agree, but the fact that he doesn't like us brings up the concern of him staying here," Cap pointed out.

"I'm not sleeping across from that man," Tony argued.

"Tony, you have your own penthouse anyway. Besides, it wouldn't be smart from a survivalist perspective for him to do something to one of us. He'd have the rest of the team pounding him in a second. And if he's right about Odin sending him here, then there's no safer place to keep him besides here."

"As much as I hate the man, I agree with her," Nat said. "Loki may be a moron, but he's not entirely braindead, so it wouldn't make sense for him to pick a fight now."

"I'm standing right here," Loki complained.

"Shut up, we're busy," you said, waving your hand in his direction but still focusing on Tony.

"Are we seriously considering letting him stay here?" Sam asked.

"The dude has controlled minds before," Rhodey said, backing Sam's concerns.

"With the Mind Stone...well I guess he didn't have the stone when he put a spell on Odin," you said, trailing off when you realized you didn't have an argument.

"It's not like you've never let someone in who once messed with all of your minds," Wanda said, stepping in with a determined look on her face. "Logic points to Loki being safe for the time being. You gave me a chance despite my powers and what I'd done. I think we can tolerate a second magic wielder."

"This is different," Clint argued back, "You've changed. You made a mistake, which you have since fought to make right."

"And Loki has started to make things right as well by bringing Odin back and helping us find Thor," you said.

"She's right," Cap chimed in, "I don't trust him either, but he's at least made the right first steps. And the safest place for him on earth is under our watch."

"It would be foolish for him to attempt any wrongdoings while amongst our company," Vision stated, "So I agree with Captain."

Tony sighed heavily, but nodded. "Fine, but listen up, Loki," he said facing the god, "You are not to leave the compound without someone with you. Friday will keep tabs on your room and the compound at all times, alerting the whole team at once if you try anything. You step out of line, you deal with all of us."

"Sounds reasonable," Loki nodded, glancing around the group. "So are we to stand around in the cold all night, or do you intend to go inside sometime before morning?"

The group turned to head inside, as you leaned in to whisper to Wanda, "Dude's a Frost Giant, no way he's cold."

"What's a Frost Giant?" she whispered back, "I've been meaning to ask about this whole adopted thing."

"Well, giants that live on a big old frozen planet. They're blue, have red eyes, and they're not the nicest beings. Odin found Loki when he was a baby on a battlefield."

"Why does Loki not like him then?"

"Odin never told him. When he found out, Loki thought he was just being used as a bargaining tool for peace, thinking his dad never loved him like Thor because he was a Frost---"

You stopped mid sentence, turning your attention to your arm. It had started tingling, but was slowly turning to a throbbing.

"What is it?" Wanda asked quietly, keeping her concern unnoticed by the others.

"Oh um, I bruised myself during the ride with Sam today. I had one of those moments where you feel the bruise but can't remember where you got it. Sorry, I get distracted easily."

Truthfully, you had no idea what was going on with your arm, but you couldn't hide the bruise forever, so now was as good a time as any to lie about it.

You all entered the kitchen once more, sitting around the table. Tony gave Loki the seat at the end, with you on his left and Tony on his right. Nobody knew exactly what to say or do, so there was an awkward silence for a solid minute.

"Umm...you hungry?" you asked, "We have some pizza left from dinner if you are."

Everyone looked at you like you had two heads.

"What, y'all planning on not feeding him while he's here?"

"I am quite content," Loki snapped, and you realized he was glaring at you.

"Yeesh, ok Grouch Potato," you mumbled, and there were a few laughs around the table.

"Grouch potato?" Sam asked, "Seriously the best you can do?"

"Just cuz I don't curse to the extreme Tony might, don't hate on my choice of words," you defended in fake offense. "Grouch Potato is a very real thing, thank you very much."

"I'm gonna need something stronger than water," Nat groaned, clearing her glass from earlier and heading over to the bar.

"I just need sleep," Cap said standing up.

"Speaking of, where are we keeping Mr. Mischief over there?" Rhodey asked.

"He'll be on the floor with the newbies," Tony said.

"Aw hell," Sam muttered.

"Wait, our floor?" you asked in astonishment.

"Yes, your floor," Tony answered back in a mock imitation of your voice. "You and Wanda advocated for him, so you'll watch him."

"I don't remember advocating for him," Sam complained.

"Yeah, but you're new, rookie. Seniority's a wonderful thing," he gloated. "Besides, there is a large distance between rooms anyway, you'll be next to him but it won't even feel like it. I didn't design this compound to feel like a crowded college dorm."

"Vis is on our floor too, and he doesn't sleep," Wanda added, "So he'll always be there if we need him."

"Whatever, I guess it makes sense," you conceded, standing up to leave the room.

"Why so glum, darling?" Loki asked with his arrogant smirk, "Last night you were simply begging to stay with me."

Sam laughed, catching Loki by surprise. You guess he had never thought one of the Avengers would laugh at something he said.

"Man's got a point there," Sam joked.

"City. Of. Gold. That's all I'm saying," you called out as you walked to the hall.

You exited the elevator upstairs and paused in the lounge, deciding to walk down the hallway to your left instead of right. You discovered there were only two more large bedrooms on that side, the rest of the floor taken up by various closets, computer areas, a large laundry room, etc. The floor was as massive as the rest of the compound, seeming to go on forever. On your way down your hallway, you took note of how many bedrooms there were. Vis and Wanda's rooms were next to each other on the right, though the doors were spaced quite a ways apart as Tony had said. The rooms were all fairly large after all. The gap between yours and Wanda's room was even larger, as there was a window that added to the distance. Sam's room was across from Wanda's, and there was an equal gap between his and the last room in the hall across from yours.

No way they'd put Loki in the room across from mine, you thought, But then again would putting him in one of the other two rooms way down there be wise?

In the end, you prepared yourself for the reality that Loki might very well be living across from you.

Hey who back home can say they have Wanda living next to them and Loki across from them? you asked yourself, looking at the epic brightside to this new reality you were in.

Low and behold, not fifteen minutes later you heard Tony talking outside your door. You paused Netflix to eavesdrop a little.

"Got it?" you heard Tony asking roughly.

"For the hundredth time, yes, I get it, Stark," Loki's voice replied.

"Good, then I'll see you tomorrow, Reindeer Games," Tony called out, his voice sounding further away.

A few seconds later there was silence...which was weird because you had heard the door open across from you, but not close. Was Loki just standing in the hall? The door promptly shut at that moment, and you let out a breath you didn't know you'd been holding. Being nosy was such a difficult task.

You finished the episode you were on, deciding to get ready for bed before starting the next one. You pulled out some pajama pants and a sweater, heading into your bathroom to change and brush your teeth. It wasn't until you were about to pull the sweater over your head that you noticed something in the mirror. The bruise on your arm had returned to its original state. Big, ugly, purple blotch practically circling your forearm.

Guess Loki's healing magic doesn't last that long, you thought, must have been what I felt with Wanda earlier. But Loki never mentioned this would happen, and why would he lie? You continued to think about the tingling you felt earlier, the same sensation when Loki was healing your arm but with the opposite effect.

"No," you whispered to yourself, a thought popping into your head, "Did he really?"

Given what you were discussing with Wanda, you were sure he had. You pulled the shirt on in a hurry, stumbling out of the bathroom and marching to your door. You opened and closed it quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the hall by slamming your door stupidly. The lights had been turned off. The moonlight from outside and a faint glow from the lounge down the hall were the only sources to see by. You walked across the hall and knocked quietly on Loki's door.

"Lokiii," you whisper-shouted, "Open this door or I swear I'll barge in there and drag you out by your hair."

The door opened suddenly, revealing Loki with a cold look on his face.

"What?" he asked harshly.

"Shhh, keep it down. Other people are trying to sleep."

"Fine," he said, lowering his tone, "What do you want?"

You rolled up your sleeve and shoved your bruised arm in his face.

"Don't even try lying about it," you warned.

"I have no intention of doing so," Loki smirked, "I do hope you like it, though. It took effort to perform magic while concealing it from everyone."

"What the hell, Loki?" you whispered, trying to hold in your anger.

"I warned you about discussing my business," he growled, "It is only fair the punishment should be the same as last time."

At that moment you heard a door opening down the hall, so you pushed Loki into his room, following and closing the door quickly behind you.

"Punishment?" you said, turning from the door to face him again, "Loki you don't get to just do that!"

"I believe I do," he said, walking towards you until you backed up against the door.

"That's because you're a self-centered psychopath," you said.

"Thank you, darling," he whispered down to you.

The next second he was stumbling back a step from the punch you threw right into his left cheek.

"I had you heal that bruise for your own sake, asshole! Not mine! But you have to go and act like an idiot!"

He hunched over, feeling his face, before hair-flipping (naturally) back up to glare at you.

"I do not care what the mortals think of me! I did as you wished because you requested it. That favor is removed the moment you spill my life to every eager ear who asks"

"Look, I know Frost Giant is still a touchy subject, but get over it! Wanda asked, and I answered. The whole team already knew, I was just clarifying some details."

"They know because you decided to tell them," he spat.

"I had to."

"No, you wanted to. Because you wield your knowledge like a schoolgirl seeking attention at every turn. You asked me last night who I thought I was to dare touch you. Well who do you think you are to expose someone's life in that manner?"

"I'm not going to apologize for saying what I needed to say to get them not to kill you on sight."

"Well then," he smiled bitterly, tossing his hands in the air, "I will not apologize for what I have done either. Be grateful I was merciful in my punishment." He smiled triumphantly, and you couldn't stop the next words from falling out of your mouth.

"Like how Frigga was grateful you sent the elf right to her?"

There was half a second where Loki paused, taking in what you'd said and his face growing dark. You wasted none of that half second. The door was open in a flash and you were sprinting down the hall, trying to run as silently as possible. Granted, if Loki was going to kill you, waking one of the others was not a bad idea. But you knew Loki wouldn't go quite as far as death...you hoped. And booking it from Loki into someone's room wasn't a good first night for him. You had started the fight afterall, so you'd deal with the consequences. You reached the lounge and started heading across the carpeted area towards the elevator. The thought of every stupid movie character who believed an elevator would actually close quick enough popped into your head, so you stopped and turned in the direction of the stairs. Loki came quickly from the hall, cutting off your path. You put the couch between you and him, knowing it wouldn't deter him in the slightest.

He said nothing, but stormed around the sofa, you scurrying to the other side and towards the stairs. You felt your hair grabbed from behind, and Loki's arm was around your neck in an instant, keeping you firmly in a choke hold.

"Ok, I know it was a low blow," you sputtered.

He spun you against the wall and backhanded you hard across the face. Grabbing your jaw, he turned your head to face him.

"Think about what you're doing," you said, blinking tears out of your right eye, which had taken the brunt of the hit.

"You have had this coming to you for quite some time," he hissed.

"Friday?" you called out.

"I am just about to summon Mr. Stark, Miss," she replied.

"Hold that action, Friday."

You looked Loki dead in the eyes.

"It's your choice. Let me go, or Friday calls all of the Avengers here. Wouldn't want to disappoint your dad again would you?"

He let go, backing up but with a psychotic grin on his face.

"This will end eventually," he laughed, "Your usefulness to them and to me. When that happens, there is no crevice you can hide in where I won't find you."

"I don't know, my world is pretty far away," you said, walking cautiously around Loki.

"And how do you plan on hiding there, when you're trapped in this universe?" he questioned.

You stopped and spun around. "What do you mean? I'm not trapped."

"Have you ever considered how the portal opened?"

"Yes...but I don't know."

"Ah, so how do you intend to open another? Wish for it again? And if that doesn't work?"

You didn't know how to respond, because everything he said was true.

"For all of your claims of me being unable to accept truth, you're in the biggest denial of all. Admit it. You're stuck with me."

"I'll find a way," you said, "And besides, the Avengers won't let you hurt me."

"Your face and arm disagree," he smiled.

"Only because I allowed it."

He just grinned in return. "I suggest you return to your room. At least that's a place you can find."

With that, he walked briskly past you and down the hall.

"Friday?" you asked solemnly.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Don't tell the others about what happened. If the truth is to come out, I'll be the one to tell Tony myself."

"Whatever you say, Miss."

"Thank you."

You rushed to your room, after waiting for the sound of Loki's door closing, turning out the lights and jumping into bed.

He can't be right, you told yourself over and over. There was only one way to find out.

You closed your eyes and concentrated as hard as you could.

Come on, open! I want to know that I can go home. Show me that I can go home.

No portal ever opened, no pain in the back of your head.

Am I stuck here? you thought hopelessly.

You told yourself not to worry about it now, but that didn't stop you from crying yourself to sleep.

Chapter 20

Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HV5W3wXsIY
The scene above is from The Walking Dead S5,E8. It's the scene the Avengers are watching in this chapter and reacting to, in case you want to know. There is blood/some violence, so don't watch if you're sensitive to that. Also, spoilers for this episode are included. If you happen to be watching TWD and haven't gotten to this episode, the beginning of spoiler areas are marked by *** and the end of them are marked by ****. If you do not care about spoilers or about watching the scene, well then carry on😉

You hadn't slept well at all, and the area behind your eyes throbbed from crying. It was only 7 AM, but you weren't falling back asleep anytime soon, so you decided to get up and head down to the kitchen. You went to the bathroom to look at your face. Judging by how it felt, you expected a rather significant black eye. To your surprise, there wasn't a single mark to be seen. You pushed down on the spot and winced in response to the pain that followed. Your face was evidently injured, yet showed no outward signs of being so.

Loki must have magicked it, you thought.

As much as you wanted to call him a coward for hiding the evidence of his actions, you knew it was for the best. When had he done it though? You didn't see him do it last night.

Did the creep come in my room while I was sleeping?

You were too tired and fed up with yelling at Loki for things he did, so you just dropped the issue entirely, brushing your fingers through your hair as you made your way to the door. You tiptoed down the hall, after throwing a wary glance at Loki's door, and hopped in the elevator.

No one was in the kitchen or living room. If anyone was up, you assumed they were working out or busy doing superhero stuff. Thankful for the peaceful atmosphere, you quickly poured yourself some cheerios and curled up on the couch to watch Netflix. A pleasant hour rolled by, with your thoughts blissfully lost in your show.

Nat, Clint, and Rhodey's voices entered the kitchen, arguing about the results of some match they had just had in the training room.

"Morning," Nat called over.

"Morning," you mumbled back, still glued to the screen.

Clint hopped effortlessly over the back of the couch to sit next to you, propping his feet up on the table.

"What's this?" he asked.

"The Walking Dead," you answered.

"Oh that zombie show?"

"Yup."

One by one the team filtered into the kitchen, each grabbing some food before asking what was on. By the time Vision entered the room and questioned what it was that engaged us, he was met by a loud "shhhhh" from everyone, who were all thoroughly into the show.

Tony walked in the room and everyone shushed preemptively, causing him to walk over and see what the fuss was about. Fifteen minutes passed, and the end of the episode was approaching.

***

"You dumb bitch!" Sam said in reaction to the horribly stupid decision made by one of the characters.

"Get her Daryl," Clint said.

"Oh god, now her sister's waiting for her but she's dead," Nat whispered.

"No, we didn't pick up on that, thanks Nat," Rhodey shot at her.

"Girl was this close to getting out of there," Tony complained, "She's an idiot."

"I always agreed with her wanting to kill her and all, but just wait til you have a real weapon," you said.

"See?! Now look how upset your sister is, woman!" Sam yelled at the screen.

"She at least died trying to do the right thing," Cap chimed in, met by groans from everyone.

"We get that Cap, but she didn't think through her genius plan very much did she?" you asked.

The credits rolled and the theme song started playing.

****

"Next!" Clint called out, but Tony snatched the remote before you could grab it.

"Before you continue your zombie marathon, can we get some actual work done?" he asked.

"Since when is work a concern of yours?" Nat asked, sticking out her hand for the remote.

"Again, since I've been told a purple alien intends to kill billions."

"Again, I don't think it's wise to go anywhere without Thor," you said, "So there's not much we can do yet. Besides, we have three years, and I binged this show in like two days."

"Ten minutes in the land of the living," Tony said, walking away with the remote, "Then you can waste two days."

Everyone groaned and got up from their seats, following Tony down the hall to the meeting room. It wasn't until you had gotten up with Clint that you realized Loki had been here the whole time, standing in the back of the group. The amusement of watching The Walking Dead with the Avengers had made you forget about last night, but seeing him brought back all the anger and sadness...but also guilt. You had been unnecessarily rude. Loki had been a jerk with his bruise antics, but that didn't warrant a full-out war. You were just as much a hothead as he was. The thought of how he hit you popped in your head, and you were quickly back to anger. When taking seats, you were sure to sit farthest from where Tony had placed him.

"Ok, Wren, let's start with a recap," Tony began from the front of the room. "The stones in space are?"

"Space, Reality, Power, and Soul," you answered.

He wrote these up on the holographic screen, which automatically turned his scribbles into printed words.

"And the cube is which one?" he asked.

"The Tesseract is the space stone. It should still be on Asgard, unless the God of Mischief has decided to screw the universe again."

The table turned to Loki expectantly.

"What? Would my promise that it remains in the vaults do anything to ease your minds?" Loki asked angrily.

"No, he's right," you said, "So I guess we'll have to wait and see if it's still there."

"Ok," Tony said, writing 'Asgard' with a question mark next to the space stone.

"And what about the power stone?"

You were about to speak, but hesitated, looking at Loki while you did. He raised an eyebrow at your stare.

"What?" Nat asked.

"I don't think I should reveal these locations in front of him," you said, nodding your head towards Loki.

"Wren, he and Thor are supposed to help us find them," Cap said.

"No, Thor is," you replied, "He isn't even supposed to be here. For all we know he could have some asinine plan to collect the stones himself. Thinking he can change fate by playing everyone and seizing power for himself is the exact stupid thing he'd do. Granted, it'd backfire on him like all his brilliant plans do, but he'd hurt a lot of people along the way as usual."

You had fired the words with so much anger that you were receiving worried looks from everyone.

"What happened to the girl who's done nothing but defend the dude since she arrived?" Rhodey asked.

"I've said before that I'm not an idiot. In Ragnarok, Loki betrayed Thor once again, and stupidly I might add. A petty little scheme of his to kiss up to some other powerful person. Just because he gained some self-respect after that, doesn't mean that's him now. He's a liar and a schemer and he'll convince himself that whatever pathetic plan he has that he thinks is "so clever and mischievous" is what he should do. He can never see that doing the right thing will end happier for him and for everyone, cuz that's not the way he thinks right now. He screws himself over by thinking he has to screw everyone else!"

The room was deathly silent. You dared a glance at Loki, only to find he was staring straight at you. His jaw was set tightly, but he didn't look angry. He instead looked like he was contemplating how to look, if that makes any sense at all.

"What's going on kid?" Tony asked.

"Nothing's going on!" you snapped, "I just need to get this right, and I can't trust him no matter how much I want to. I won't let my emotions make me do another stupid thing."

'Another?" Cap asked, "Wren you haven't---"

You cut him off mid-sentence. 

***

"I did! Because I'm Beth," you shouted, referring to the Walking Dead character from earlier. "A dumb bitch who jumps into something with good intentions, while not thinking through any of it! And you know what? Beth didn't even accomplish her mission, Daryl had to do it for her after she got her brains blown out! If I'm stuck here, I'm damn well going to finish what I started because it is the only thing I have left!"

****

As you spouted your last words, you heard your voice choke a bit. You knew tears would follow if you stayed here any longer with all of them staring at you like that, so you rushed out of the room. You froze in the kitchen, thinking of where you wanted to go. Your eyes were tearful, but you knew it wouldn't get worse than that. This was your frustrated cry, the kind where you look real ugly doing it but the satisfaction of sobbing never comes. You decided to do what you do at home when you're sad: listen to sad music.

"Friday? Is there a device I can carry with me outside that you could play music through?"

"One of Mr Stark's wristbands should be over by the bar for emergencies," she replied, "You can talk to and hear me through it."

"Do you think Stark would mind?" you asked.

"Not at all, Miss. On the contrary, I believe the Boss would prefer you have something for emergency contact."

"Ok, thanks."

You hurried over to the bar, looking around the counter until you found Tony's bracelet. You slid it on and hastily made your way outside. Walking towards the lake, you decided to turn left and head around to the dock. There were benches there, one of them probably being the one that Bruce chucks across the lake later. Rather than sitting on the bench, you sat on the floor of the dock with you back up against one of the poles for the overhead covering.

"Friday?" you tested into the band on your wrist.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Please play some sad songs."

"Coming right up," Friday replied.

Funny how you were caught off guard by her response, almost as if you'd been anticipating the typical reply an Alexa would have given back at home. Thinking of home made things worse, so you focused on the music as you watched the water lap against the side of the dock.

The music played for who knows how long. You didn't care, still staring out at the water and letting your mind and sadness go numb. A particular song came to you, so you asked Friday to play Home, by Phillip Phillips. Afterall, home was heavy on your mind, and you were cheesy when upset.

The song played, and you felt tears finally start rolling down your cheeks. When it was over, you stood up and wiped your face, feeling a little better.

"Would you like me to continue with the sad songs?" Friday asked.

"No, Friday," you chuckled, "I'm fine, thanks."

You took one last look at the water, wanting to stay there all day but knowing you should get back to the others. For the first time since you'd been out here you thought of how you'd yelled at them, and a pit formed in your stomach.

"Shit," you whispered, turning quickly to go apologize, only to be stopped in your tracks by the entire team and Loki standing on the dock.

"Good glory, does anyone in this universe make noise when they walk?!" you exhaled after your sharp breath intake.

"We did," Nat grinned.

"You were so zoned out you didn't hear us," Rhodey added.

"I wasn't zoned out," you defended, "I was focused, there's a big difference."

"Nice song choice," Tony said randomly, "Do you just have a list of sad songs and perfect scenarios running through your head, or was Friday just being clever?"

"No, I asked her to play it," you said with a smile, "And no I don't have a song for every scenario. It's just one I like."

There was a pause for a few seconds before Tony spoke again.

"Look, kid, I know this is all a lot. A 3D movie taken too far. You went to the theaters and didn't expect to get locked in."

"Did you spend the last few hours thinking of those analogies?" you asked.

"No," he said in offense, "Ok maybe, but they're good ones!"

"What he's trying to say," Cap stepped in, "Is that you've taken on more than you bargained for. I've told you before that this doesn't have to be your fight. We understand if you're having second thoughts, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Cap," you interrupted, "I wasn't trying to say that I regret my decision. A little more thought and planning would have been wise, but I don't regret risking my life for yours. Not for a second."

"Technically, you're risking your life for us," Tony said, pointing to Nat and Vision, "Capsicle over there never gets a scratch on him."

"Ohhh...did I forget to mention Cap kinda dies too?"

"Kinda?" Sam asked in surprise, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it's...complicated. I can't tell you."

"The hell you can't!" Sam yelled irritably.

Cap grabbed his arm and whispered something to him, getting him to calm down.

"Why can't you tell us? It's not exactly like you've been reserved with your information before," Clint asked. You saw Loki give a 'Tell me about it' kind of look in response to Clint's statement.

"I just...it's really hard to explain. And if we prevent all of the Thanos stuff from happening, then the events that lead to Cap's "death" won't even be a thing."

For the first time you thought about how Cap's story would end. 

Should I take away his happy ending with Peggy? Is that a choice I should even get to make? Maybe I can tell them about time travel when this is over and let him make the choice?

"Why are you putting death in quotations? Why don't I get quotation marks around my death?" Tony asked.

"You'll just have to trust me!" you said frustrated.

"Look guys, we came down here to comfort her, not interrogate. Do any of you guys even know how to comfort someone?" Nat asked.

"Um...Hope you feel better," Tony said, or more like asked, raising his eyebrows and holding his hands out.

"Don't be sad," Rhodey added, followed by Sam's "Uh, hang in there and all that."

Their stupidity made you smile, which Tony took as a win.

"See?" he turned to Nat, "Who sucks at comforting now?"

"You do," you said, still laughing as you walked through them to exit the dock.

"So, are you going to tell us what's bothering you?" Steve asked as you all walked back up the yard.

You smiled knowing your response, "No, I don't think I will."

"Why did she sound so happy saying that?" you heard Rhodey whisper behind you.

"I'm sorry I walked out like that though," you said, "We should really get the Infinity Stones listed and planned out. I'll tell you, even with Loki there. If he wants to plan something stupid that ends up getting himself killed then that's on him. But I believe what he said earlier, so Heimdall won't just let him go get the stones without us."

"Well, there's no rush," Tony said, "What you need today is this."

You turned and he handed the tv remote to you.

"Sam, we are back in business," you cheered, taking the remote from Stark.

"Can we start from Season 1 though?" Sam asked, "I'd like to actually know what's going on."

"Absolutely. We should have you caught up by the end of the week. It took me a little longer, but then again I had ten seasons to watch."

"Ten?" Wanda asked.

"Awww yeeah," you laughed, "and an 11th being released in my world as we speak."

"You humans really are entertained for that long by something so ridiculous?" Loki scoffed.

"As ridiculous as a world where there are superheroes, gods, frost giants, and magic rainbow space travel?" you asked. "If we find that entertaining, why can't we feel the same for the depiction of a post-apocalyptic world run by the living dead, where what it means to be human is analyzed and tested, broken and reformed, and where questions regarding the relationship between humanity and society are a large focal point? If society crumbles, and the world changes, do the rules also change? Is a person's humanity and moral code only bound to the society in which he is a part of, or is it a fundamental part of being human? Do we lose our identity by adapting to the world around us? Should we compromise who we are in order to survive, or is there any point in living if we kill who we were to do so?"

Loki did not respond, and some noises of shock and amusement were passed around.

"Damn, she shut him up," Nat said.

"You've made me feel ten times more intellectual for wanting to watch that show," Sam laughed, "So thank you very much."

"Yeah, I just wanted it for the zombies," Clint admitted, "At least I now have a more intelligent excuse."

"Those questions were indeed intriguing," Vision added, "I would very much like to accompany you, if you do not mind?"

"The more the merrier, Vision," you said happily.

By this time you had all reached the kitchen, so you walked to the pantry looking for some popcorn.

"Tony, please tell me you have popcorn," you called out across the room.

"Should be top shelf," he replied.

Sure enough, the box was hiding behind some stuff on the top shelf.

"Who wants popcorn?" you asked.

Everyone raised their hands, except Loki, so you pulled out multiple bags and got to work with the microwave.

"Tony, you have enough bowls for everyone, or should I keep it in the bags?" you asked after everything had been successfully popped.

"There should be a stack in the second cabinet from the left under the far counter," he called from his seat on the couch, not bothering to get up and help.

Wanda rolled her eyes and walked to get the bowls.

"Thank you, Wanda," you said loudly for Tony's ears, but he was too busy chatting with the others.

"I'm not letting you make food for everyone by yourself," she smiled, "Just because they are too lazy to make it themselves."

You made a move to bring the bags over to the bowls, but they were lifted off the counter and through the air over to Wanda before you could touch one.

"I've got this," she said, "You can bring some napkins over to the living room. Trust me, the boys around here can get messy."

"Yes, ma'am," you said, carrying a stack over as requested.

Wanda had all of the bowls ready when you came back.

"I think you made an extra," she said, counting the bowls again with her finger, "Vis doesn't eat."

"I know, but Loki hasn't had any food since he's been here, not that I've seen at least. He's getting a bowl."

"I'll leave that delivery to you," she said with a look, before calling everyone to come get their bowl.

You grabbed yours and Loki's, walking over with the rest of the group. Using the chaos of arguing over who gets what seat, and who knows what else, to your advantage, you casually made your way over to Loki's chair.

"Here," you said, handing the popcorn to him. He eyed it with suspicion before looking up at you.

"I don't believe I asked for any of your Midgardian snacks."

"Yes, well, like it or not you're on Midgard, and I haven't seen you eat since you arrived."

"Your concern is quite touching," he replied drily.

"Just take the food, Loki. It won't kill you to eat buttery, delicious popcorn. You'd be an idiot to refuse it out of stubbornness, and I thought you pride yourself on intelligence?"

"Or refusing could be the intelligent move, when the food is bestowed from your hand."

"You think I'd poison you?"

"You wouldn't be the first person in this room to try to kill me."

"First, the others had good reason at the time. Second, I have no good reason."

"Your life isn't reason enough?" he questioned with a smirk.

You bristled at the memory of his threat from last night, knowing full well that's what he was implying. You told yourself it was just him blowing off steam by acting threatening, but the truth was you had no idea. Either way, you could never kill him, not like this anyway. And even if it came down to you or him, you knew it'd be the hardest thing in the world to let Loki die.

"No, it isn't," you answered.

He stared at you intently, as if trying to detect any lie in your words or expression. Finally he nodded and resumed his normal look.

"Very well, I'll try some," he said, taking the bowl from your hand.

"You're welcome," you scoffed, turning back to the room which was settling down thanks to multiple "shut ups!" from Tony. He had sprawled himself out on one of the sofas, claiming it all as his own apparently. The other one was crammed with Cap, Clint, Sam, and Rhodey. Vision was sitting in a chair next to Wanda, and Nat was in the chair two spots over from Loki on the right. That left a chair on Loki's left or right to sit in, unless you wanted to curl on the floor. As enticing as the floor was when faced with having to sit next to Loki, you knew you'd be here for a while so you took the chair between him and Nat. You were up again quickly, however, when you noticed Tony, who had taken custody of the remote once again, had placed it on the table and was now in a heated debate with Rhodey over who talks the most during movies. You snuck over, grabbing the remote and running back to your seat. Loki just raised an eyebrow at you.

"What? He who controls the remote has the power," you said, lifting it up like it was a trophy. Loki rolled his eyes, but, as if to prove your point, Tony shouted, "Who took my remote???"

You pulled a blanket from the back of your chair and draped it over your lap, concealing the remote under it. You slid the tip of it out, hitting play on the first episode. Tony tried to press the issue, but was met with loud dissent, as the show had started and silence was demanded.

"And what power does that give you?" Loki whispered to you, looking at you like you were an idiot.

"Well," you whispered back with a smile, "It made Tony shut up."

He chuckled, an actual genuine chuckle, nodding his head in agreement. "I might borrow that from time to time," he said.

"Nope, it has power over you too, so I'm not giving it up."

"What could it possibly have over me--"

"Shut up Loki, the show's on!" you said loudly, proving your point as he received glares from the entire team and additional "yeah shut up"s.

You held in a laugh as he gave you a glare, but he was smiling as he did so.

"Well played," he mouthed with a nod of approval.

"Why thank you," you whispered, to which he shushed you loudly, making you laugh and receive more shushes from the whole room.

Loki was looking so proud of himself, so you pointed to your eyes and then the screen. He took the hint and focused again on the TV.

It was around noon when you started the show, but it wasn't until 8 that you turned it off for the night, heading to the table for dinner.

"Tell Friday your orders people," Tony called out, pulling up a hologram menu of some restaurant he'd be ordering from tonight.

"I'll have my usual Friday," Nat called out.

"Same here," Rhodey said.

"Literal superheroes and you guys can't even shake it up a bit," Clint said, "Live a little."

"If it's perfect, why change?" Rhodey asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge at the bar.

"Well, I'm going to explore the culinary world a bit and order the Chicken Cacciatore," Clint said in a fancy voice.

"You'll take two bites and throw it out," Sam said after giving Friday his usual as well.

"I'll take that as a challenge," Clint said.

"Clint's been trying new dishes ever since Nat accused him of having the taste of a five-year-old," Wanda explained.

"And I'm right, because he never finishes any of the dishes he orders," Nat said from the table.

"Wrong, what about that shrimp dish two weeks ago when I visited?"

"Forcing it down and then throwing it up later doesn't count," Steve said.

"Nobody said I had to keep it down, just that I had to finish," Clint argued.

"Wait, you said you visited which reminded me...aren't you supposed to be at home Clint? After Ultron you went back."

"Well, same as Tony, I visit from time to time."

"He means I force him here for Saturday game nights," Tony said.

"Why were you here when I got here then? What day of the week is it anyway?"

"It's Friday, and I was here because Laura has taken the kids to her mother's for the week."

"Ah, the in-laws. I see."

"I'll be putting in the order in two minutes, so get moving if you haven't ordered yet," Tony said.

You noticed Loki standing off in the corner of the room, so you walked over.

"You want some help with the menu?" you asked.

"No."

"You don't know what any of these dishes are, do you?"

He looked at you like he wanted to say something smart but couldn't think of anything.

"No I don't, but it is of little consequence. I have no need of it."

"Of food? I know you're a god and all and could probably last quite a while without it, but that's a lie. Come on, based on your empty bowl you liked the popcorn."

"It was adequate I suppose," he said rigidly, though he gave you a side grin afterwards.

"That's what I thought, so come on."

You led him over to the menu.

"Do you have a preference when it comes to meats or anything? I don't know what you like. Chicken ok?"

"I thought the point of this was for you to help me, I have no preference for foods I do not know."

"You right, you right," you mumbled, looking back at the menu.

"Well, this is clearly an Italian restaurant, so you can never go wrong with chicken parm."

You looked at him stupidly, as if expecting him to have an opinion on something he didn't understand. Thus he gave you a stupid look back, shrugging his shoulders.

"Chicken parm it is," you decided. "Friday, Loki and I will have chicken parm."

"Soup or salad with the order Miss?" she asked.

"Soup or salad?" you repeated, turning to Loki.

"Salad."

"Yeah me too, I'm too lazy to look at the different kinds of soup. I'ma get you a caesar salad, ok?"

An annoyed look is all you got in reply.

"Right, sorry. Friday?"

"Yes Miss?"

"We'll both have caesar salads with those please, thanks!"

"Of course, Miss."

"You'd best be right about this," Loki said, taking a seat near the end of the table.

"Oh come on, have I ever intentionally done or said something mean just to spite you?" you asked in mocked innocence, taking the seat next to him.

"Oh, never," he said, playing along.

"I am sorry about that by the way," you said, and he looked up at you confused.

"Sorry for what?"

"What I said last night. And for punching you, even if you deserved it. The words were unnecessary though, and now that I'm not as angry I can apologize."

"You punch with the force of a toddler, and your words mean nothing."

"My words upset you last night, trust me," you said, giving him a sour look, "I have the pain to prove it."

The jerk smiled at that, but you couldn't help but smile too. It was the Loki smile after all, like in Ragnarok when he smiles fondly about the memory of stabbing Thor. Seeing that same look on his face now almost makes you forget it's the memory of punching you that's making him smile.

Half an hour or so later and you were all eating happily together. Nat suggested they play a game to see what you know from the movies, and you agreed.

"Ok, we each get to ask a question on our turn, going around the table clockwise. I'll start," she said. "During the attack on New York," she started, and you saw Loki tense up a bit, "Clint said that we both remember a certain mission very differently---"

"Budapest," you answered before she could finish, and the Avengers laughed.

"Ok, my turn," Clint said. "What's your favorite moment of mine?"

"Oh come on Barton!" Tony groaned.

"We're not supposed to be asking opinion-based questions again," Steve said.

"Nah, it's ok, this is fun," you reassured him, "Well, you have a lot of funny times, but I think your talk with Wanda during Sokovia is my favorite. You were equally funny and so sweet it was adorable."

"Awww, he's so cute," Sam teased.

"Thanks, Wren," Clint said sarcastically.

"I'm serious! It was a badass pep talk, but was also very sweet."

"You did a good job," Wanda said to Clint.

"Ah, what can I say, I have a way with words," Clint smiled, to which you heard Loki grunt softly.

"Cap you're up," you said, pushing your empty plate away and folding your hands on the table, "Hit me."

"I don't know," Cap said, staring into the distance as he thought, "I guess opinion questions are more entertaining, so who here has done the stupidest thing?"

"Wow, I didn't expect such a question from you."

"We're rubbing off on him, thank God," Tony said, clapping his hands once and looking like he was thanking the heavens.

"Well, that's a tough one, seeing as Bucky took all the stupid with him," you smirked at Cap, warranting a head shake.

"Of course you know that too," he said smiling.

"But honestly," you continued, "I'll have to think about that for a second. Are we counting the future, or only up until now?"

"How about both? One from each," Steve answered.

"Ok, ok. So, I'd have to say, Tony, when you poked Banner on the helicarrier, that was dumb. Granted, he said he wouldn't be there if he couldn't handle sharp objects, but Cap was right that it was a boneheaded move. What would you have done had he actually turned?"

The table was now piling on to your observation, giving Tony a hard time for being the "stupid one."

"I knew he wouldn't turn!" Tony was arguing.

"No, you had an educated guess, and that helicarrier was not the place to test it," you fought back.

"He didn't turn, so I was right. Besides, who was it here who actually unleashed the Hulk that day?" Tony asked in an accusatory tone, looking at Loki.

"He's got a point there," Sam said.

Loki's face was hard, not taking kindly to the accusations. You weren't sure if he was aware they were just having fun. On the other hand, you didn't know yourself if they were just having fun, because you were certain hard feelings were still strong amongst the group.

"Technically that wasn't an act of stupidity," you said, and Loki snapped his head towards you. "That was his plan, so in actuality it was brilliant. You, on the other hand, didn't want to unleash him but played with fire nonetheless. Loki was smart while you were the idiot."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that in my house," Tony said.

"Who's next? Stupidest from the future I mean," Cap asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

"The answer is someone you don't know, so I won't choose him. I'd say Tony for some other reasons, but it's a touchy subject so I won't go there yet either. Besides that, there's only one big choice someone makes that I wish they didn't." You looked at Loki with an apologetic look.

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Of course, what is it? Another backstabbing you think I shouldn't have done?"

"Actually, the one thing I wish you hadn't done is one of the bravest things you ever did."

He saw the expression on your face, and understanding filled his eyes.

"Thanos," he said softly.

You nodded. "It's not that I think you shouldn't have fought for your brother, but the selfish part of me wishes you hadn't tried to take on Thanos alone. I don't know, maybe pretend to be on his side a little longer and betray him later. Backstab the enemy for once, you know what I mean? But, you couldn't have known that Thor would go on to survive, so killing Thanos then and there probably seemed like your only option. So I guess it wasn't stupid of you necessarily. I just wish there was another way."

"Sometimes there isn't, and sometimes you don't have time to think of other options" Steve said, but his attention wasn't on you. Loki noticed he was looking at him and tried to force a condescending look at the soldier who dared speak to him so comfortably. Steve just continued, ignoring the look. "Take it from someone who has had time to think of how I could have played things differently 70 years ago. When you have to make a decision on the spot, sometimes the one where you don't come out ok is the only one you can think of. It's terrifying, but you know it'll be worth it if it works. Because the people you love will be ok."

"We've all had to make decisions that might end in our deaths," Nat chimed in, also looking at Loki. "How was it that I die again?" she asked you.

"You basically jump off a cliff to save Clint and a lot of other people."

"Exactly," she said, facing Loki again, "If you end up making a similar decision for Thor, then good for you."

When did this become the Avengers giving hero pep-talks to Loki? you thought, but you weren't complaining. It was cute. Loki must have finally gotten creeped out by so much sentimentality being thrown at him, because he chuckled uncomfortably.

"You all know I haven't done any of that yet."

"Yeah, neither have I," Nat said, "Well, not one where I positively knew I was going to die. But being an Avenger means that kind of scenario is a daily occurrence."

"If you get to that point, that means you care," Steve said.

"Yeah, which means it's not stupid," Wanda said pointedly to you.

"Ok! Poor choice of words. I don't think he's stupid for doing it. Again, I just wish there had been another way."

The table tried to move on with the game, but Loki stood up.

"I would like to go to my room, if that is alright with you, Stark," he asked bitterly.

"Yeah sure, but same as before someone has to bring you to and from," Tony answered, "Wren would you? We should probably all head up anyway, trust me tomorrow night is game night so we'll be up late."

You had a feeling Tony was trying to get rid of you to discuss something with the others. Whatever it was, you didn't care. They had a right to privacy in their own compound.

"Ok, sure," you answered happily, standing up and grabbing your plate, motioning for Loki to do the same.

"What?" he asked.

"Clear your place," you said, walking over to the sink.

You thought you heard him grumble something with the words "servants" in it as he followed you. You rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, taking his for him and doing the same.

"See? Not that hard."

"Easy for you to say, your whole life is nothing but these kinds of slave tasks," he retorted as you made your way towards the elevators.

"You mean good old fashioned hard work? Your little prince hands too soft for something like that?"

"I believe you know they are far from soft," he said, casually referring to him attempting to beat the crap out of you last night.

"Eh," you said, pushing the button in the elevator, "I've felt worse. Honestly, I thought a god would hit harder."

Why the hell am I poking the bear? you thought, but, thankfully, Loki just smiled wickedly.

"Are you asking for a rematch, darling?" he questioned.

"As much fun as it was, I'll pass, thanks. Besides, I'd have Friday call the Avengers before I'd let myself take another hit, no matter how weak it is."

Gosh dang it, there I am antagonizing again. Can I ever not try to mock someone?

"Unless you simply cannot bring yourself to turn me in again, darling." He had turned completely to face you, while you remained facing forward. The elevator was spacious, yet he was choosing to practically breath down your neck. He always has to be dramatic, either to intimidate or simply because he enjoys making people uncomfortable.

Why does this elevator ride feel like forever, it's three floors?! you thought, but your mouth said something else.

"I gave you a choice, Loki, because I know you're a hothead and I am partially to blame for last night anyway. Two nights in a row though? You've seen how low I can go verbally when I'm angry, it won't take much for me to have your ass thrown back on Asgard if you pull something like that again."

To your relief, he took a step back and faced forward, but his haughty look was still plastered all over his face. "Duly noted."

The elevator finally opened, and you walked briskly across the lounge and down the hall. When you reached the end, you turned your handle and started heading in.

"Goodnight Loki," you said, but he called out before you could close the door.

"Darling?"

"What?" you sighed, turning around.

He fiddled with his hands for a second, before standing up straight and with a care-free aura about him.

"I will not apologize for what I said or did last night," he began.

"I never asked you to," you started irritably, but he clamped his hand over your mouth.

"Do shut up while I'm talking," he said casually. "As I was saying, I do not intend to ask for your forgiveness, as I do not want it. However, I would like to heal the bruise if you would allow me?"

"Why?" you asked.

"Easier to permanently fix it than to conceal it for weeks," he responded.

"And how exactly did you conceal it? Did you come in my room last night?"

He smiled, "Perhaps."

"Ok, well, I'm locking my door from now on."

"I'm afraid that will do little to deter me, darling."

"Fine, sleeping with one eye open then. You come into my room at night and we'll have some issues."

"You can sleep with one eye open?" he asked intrigued.

"No, it's an expression, dope."

"Oh yeah, right," he nodded, trying to play it off as cool. "So, am I allowed to heal it or not?"

"Sure, come on in. You do not want someone to catch you doing magic to my face."

He grinned but you jumped out ahead of it. "Not one sly comment or weird joke."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said, following you into your room and closing the door.

"This will only take a couple of seconds, right?" you asked.

"I'm afraid not. Back on Asgard I was doing my best given the time, your desire to go, and the insignificant size of the bruise."

"I don't think insignificant is the word I'd use."

He snapped and a green shimmer passed over your eye.

"How about now?" he smirked.

You hurried into the bathroom, gasping extraordinarily loudly when you saw your face. Your eye was black alright, but the rest of the face spreading out from it was an ugly bluish-purple, and you had a large welt on your cheekbone. In short, practically half of your face wasn't the color it should have been.

"Loki?!" you gasped again, "Dude are you serious?" You stormed back out to him, but he was smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, darling. Just thinking about how much damage a strong hit would have done."

You couldn't help but laugh, "Ok, asshole, you have a mean swing. You happy?"

"As close as I'll ever be," he said cheerfully.

That's pretty sad, you thought, but you didn't express the sentiment.

"Not as strong as Thor, obviously, but that's ok, you'll get there one day."

"Oh ha ha, hilarious," he joked, though there was a tinge of bitterness in his voice and expression. "Now can we please get on with this?"

"Sure thing," you said, sitting on the edge of your bed. He sat next to you and reached across you to cup the right side of your face with his left hand. The position made it impossible to view anything but his face directly in front of you. You felt the tingling sensation begin.

"How long will this take?"

"Five minutes or so," he said, "Now shush, I'm concentrating." He was focusing intently on where his hand was placed, and you were trying to find something to look at to pass the time. Eventually you zoned out, thinking about the man in front of you being real. Like, really real. And everyone else too! You hadn't ever tried to let it just sink in, but now you did. All of the talk tonight about people dying only reminded you of how you could truly stop it all. You were thrilled by the thought of Loki not getting his neck snapped by Thanos, of Nat not throwing herself off a cliff, of Wanda not crying over a lifeless Vision, etc etc.

"What are you smiling about?" Loki asked, pulling you back down to earth. You realized his eyes were locked with yours, not the wound.

"Nothing," you said.

"Do all humans tell such moronic lies and people believe them?"

"Nobody believes them, but they pick up on the hint that if the person wanted to answer, then they would have done so honestly."

"Yes, well, lucky for you I don't give a damn about what you want. So what were you smiling about? I know you want to tell."

"Just about stopping all of the deaths we were talking about at dinner. I mean, if me being here actually changes stuff. Changing those situations Cap was talking about. Giving a path for doing the right thing that doesn't end in death."

"Hmm," Loki hummed in acknowledgement, turning his attention back to his work.

"You never got to ask your question at dinner," you said.

"Yes, because I left before the mindless prattle could make its way around to me."

"Oh come on, I have nothing better to do right now."

You thought he had ignored you, as he continued to stare at his healing, so his voice caught you by surprise.

"Fine. What is your favorite moment of mine?" he smirked.

"Oh dear, the list goes on forever," you said.

"Naturally," he gloated, "Let me hear some of them."

"The time when Thor was breaking you out of Asgard, when you were impersonating Cap? That killed me when I first saw it."

Loki smiled at the memory, "Yes, I have been told I'm good at impressions."

"Then there was the time when you said 'I'm listening?' after Thor got tackled away by Tony. Also the 'If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now' line is iconic. Anytime you kick butt with your daggers is great to watch too. Oh, and when you caught Hawkeye's arrow and gave him the 'how cute' look, that was badass. I don't even care that it blew up afterwards, the catch itself was great. And you may hate me for this, but the scene where you found out you're adopted is one of my favorites."

Your skin burned slightly, and you winced. Loki was looking hard at you, probably the distraction that birthed the slip on his part.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what?"

"Why was that one of your favorites?"

"Oh, well I guess it seems harsh to say 'because you're super sad,' but back in my world I appreciate it for the actor Tom Hiddleston and his performance. So much emotion, it's heart-wrenching but it's fantastic. I guess if all of that emotion is now real and you had it, well then I look like a jerk for liking that scene. But it's so quotable. And your 'Teeeell meee' scream is, well I can't say 'so good' cuz you're not an actor. But when it used to be just an actor's performance to me, it was really good. All in all though, I feel bad for you in that scene. One of the only times you let yourself show a lot of emotion. And it's crucial for understanding why you cascade out of control later. No offense."

He was still looking at you, but not harshly. "None taken," he answered softly, removing his hand from your face.

"Better?" you asked.

"Well, there's nothing I can do for the rest of it, but the bruise is gone if that's what you mean."

"Shut up," you laughed, whacking his arm as you left to view his work in the bathroom.

"Ew, you're right," you called out, "At least the purple hid some of it, maybe I should get punched again and keep the bruise."

"After all of the magic that went into healing it, I will let no one but myself punch you."

You stepped out of the bathroom and gave him a look, "Gee, how kind of you."

"I know," he said, standing up to leave.

"Thank you for this," you said, pointing to your face.

"Yes, well, keep your mouth shut and we won't have to be here again," he said, heading towards the door.

"We're doomed."

"My thoughts exactly," he replied, stepping out of the door.

"Night Loki," you said absent-mindedly as you searched for your tv remote.

"Goodnight," he mumbled back.

Chapter 21: Some Loki-Reader Bonding Time...Ya Know So They Can Stop Trying to Kill Each Other...At Least for One Dang Second

The next day started out normally, with you less cranky and emotional because you'd actually slept the night before. You had arrived late down to breakfast, walking in at 10. By that hour, the team had already eaten and were out in the living room watching the Walking Dead without you.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to fight you for watching without me, Sam," you whined groggily, making your way over to the kitchen.

"Not only have you seen it already, but you know what happens 6 years from now too," he defended.

Grabbing a pan from one of the cabinets and some eggs from the fridge, you got to work prepping your breakfast. You noticed Loki was in the sitting area with them, trying to look like he wasn't as glued to the show as he was.

"Anybody feed Loki?" you asked, scrambling the eggs in a bowl.

"I am not a pet," Loki protested.

"No, you're a guest," you said back, pouring the eggs on the pan and placing the bowl in the sink.

"I offered him some cereal," Rhodey answered, almost reluctantly. "He said he wasn't hungry."

"I wasn't," Loki confirmed.

You stepped away from your eggs, looking at Loki with an expression that said "Get over here and eat breakfast, you baby, before I come over there and force-feed you." Surprisingly, he rolled his eyes and stood up, coming over promptly.

Man must actually be hungry to cave so easily, you thought, giving him a 'That's what I thought' nod.

He stood next to you, watching as you dumped the finished eggs onto a plate, grabbing the toast from the toaster and buttering them thoroughly. Once done, you poured him some orange juice, handing him the plate and cup.

"Go sit, I'll bring a fork."

You grabbed him a fork from the drawer and placed it where he was sitting. He didn't say thank you, but you were used to that.

Five minutes later you had made yourself another plate. Loki was finished by the time you sat down, but he remained in his seat.

"I believe I showed you what to do with those," you said, nodding to his dishes.

He glared at you, but cleared his place as you'd shown him. He then made his way back to the table instead of the living room.

Your attention was on the tv, which you could see from where you were sitting. Loki cleared his throat quietly, trying to get your attention.

"What?"

"I have some more information I need from you," he declared firmly, though in a hushed tone.

"Is that your way of asking if you can ask me stuff?"

"Call it what you will," he replied.

"Why are we whispering?" you asked.

"I do not wish the others to know, as it does not concern them."

"Okiedokie," you said, finishing your breakfast and going to clear your place.

"Hey, Loki wants some air, so I'ma babysit him for a few outside, is that ok?" you asked the group.

"Yeah, whatever," Tony answered distractedly, eyes on the screen, "Just make sure you take Friday with you."

"I will," you promised, grabbing the same wristband from yesterday and sliding it on. "K, let's go," you said, walking past Loki.

"Keep it PG you two," Tony called out as you left the room.

You made a gagging noise to show you disgust, flipping him off for good measure.

"PG?" Loki asked once you were down the hall.

"Don't ask, it's just Tony being Tony."

Loki must have assumed the general meaning, because he looked amused.

Once outside, you chose to walk in a new direction than the lake, wanting to explore the vast grounds.

"Ok, what do you want?" you asked Loki, who was walking on your left.

"I need to see the conversations between me and Thor," he demanded.

"The brotherly ones? From Ragnarok?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"Again?"

"Yes again, otherwise I wouldn't be saying I need to see them would I?"

"You know I was asking why you want to see them again, not if."

"None of your business," he said coldly.

"They're my memories," you argued.

"Of my life!" he snapped. "You have information that is personal and critical, so I can demand what I want from you on the matter."

You wanted to refuse just to spite him, but he was partly right.

"Ok, fair," you gave in. He looked mildly shocked that you conceded so easily.

"Let's wait til we're a little further from the compound. Don't want anyone catching you."

The two of you walked in silence for some time, enjoying the beautiful weather. It was the perfect chilly day, and you realized you had no idea what month it was here.

"Friday?" you asked.

"Yes Miss?"

"What is today's date?"

"October 15, 2015."

"Sweet, thanks!" you said happily.

"Why so happy over a date, darling?"

"It's only 16 days til Halloween," you replied.

"And that means what exactly?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, it's a holiday that celebrates everything spooky. You know, witches, ghosts, vampires, all that good stuff. It's a time to watch scary movies, dress up in costumes, and eat lots of candy. When you're a kid you go trick-or-treating on Halloween, which is where they wear their costumes and walk around to people's houses, where they receive a bit of candy. By the end of the night they have a full bag of goodies."

He was looking like you had lost your mind, so you explained some more.

"Ok, it sounds weird when you actually say it out loud like that, but trust me, nothing is better than a Halloween day in a quaint neighborhood where the sidewalks are filled with all of these kids happily running around in costumes. People decorate their houses too, some in an innocent way with autumn decorations or a few cute ghosts, others go all out with creepy decorations, like spiderwebs and fog machines. It's great."

"Sounds pointless."

"Yes, but it's for fun, Loki. Don't you guys have any holidays or traditions or things you just do for fun up on Asgard?"

"We have traditions, yes, and many are quite splendid. But the difference is there is a logical thing we are celebrating."

"Oh, there's a history to Halloween. Kinda linked to religious stuff on the one hand I think, but it has evolved to be more fun than serious. Also, it is considered to be the time of year where spirits can roam the earth and all that scary fun stuff."

"You enjoy being scared?" he asked.

"Well yeah, to a degree. I love all of the spooky Halloween stuff, and I like scary movies. A lot of people do. I guess it's a way to experience something thrilling while also feeling safe? I mean, none of us would love it if we were really the ones about to get chopped to pieces by a masked killer, but watching it happen on screen allows us to feel scared without being in danger, and it's kinda fun. Also it's funny if you watch them with people who are scared easily, because their screams are hilarious."

"You might just be as twisted as I," he laughed.

"I never turned myself into a snake to stab my brother...or turn him into a frog. Though I'm sure both were wonderful jokes."

"They were indeed hilarious," he smirked.

You broke out in laughter, much to Loki's confusion.

"Just, let me show you," you said through giggles, "You'll understand." You faced him and motioned for him to do his mind thing.

He looked hesitant, but curious.

"Um...ok," he said, placing his hands on your head. The scene of Loki, as Odin, watching the play during Ragnarok was in front of you.

"I'm sorry about that time I turned you into a frog," stage Loki said.

"It was a wonderful joke,"  Thor replied.

"It was indeed hilarious," 'Odin' said.

Loki broke contact and was grinning slightly down at you, while you were laughing harder.

"Wait, wait, keep going," you said, and Loki nodded.

"Father," Thor said.

"Oh shit," 'Odin' whispered, quickly collecting himself.

You broke contact this time, laughing so hard you were crying.

"Best. Line. Ever," you wheezed, and Loki was now chuckling too.

"That is certainly something I'd do," he said.

"You cannot believe how hard I had to try not laughing when I saw you putting on the play in Asgard the other day."

"Ah, you were there to witness that masterpiece?" he asked, smiling.

"Strayed a bit from the source material, but all around I give it a 9/10."

Loki scoffed, "I think it was a very accurate representation, thank you."

"You're right, the movie must have gotten it wrong."

"Midgardians are idiots," he agreed.

"You don't understand how weird it is that you're real," you said suddenly, "That I just showed Ragnarok scenes to Loki. No one at home will ever believe this, if I miraculously make it back that is."

"You will," Loki said, though he looked caught off-guard by his own words and started floundering for an explanation. "I mean, well, because you found a way here when you needed to, so it should work the other way around."

"You'd think," you said bitterly, "But I tried it the other night. It didn't work."

"Perhaps it is simply not time for you to go," he said, "Or you did not truly want to leave."

"I didn't want to leave," you assured him, "Just wanted to know that going back was possible."

"Well, then there is always the hope that in your most desperate moment of desire, it will appear."

You smiled, "I guess you're right, though none of us are exactly experts on portals from other realities. Speaking of, are any of us going to question how the hell I opened a portal? I mean, especially in my world. That kind of thing doesn't happen."

"It would require an extreme amount of energy," Loki started, "The Tesseract's immense power can open portals between realms and different places around the universe. You, however, opened one between entirely separate realities."

"Could it have been opened from this side? Nothing in our world has that kind of power."

"It's possible, though how it opened to you specifically would be harder to explain."

"Yeah, it's not like someone over here knew where I was or what I was wishing at that time."

Loki seemed to be lost in thought, so you let him muse for a minute.

"Oh," you said, breaking the silence, "You said you wanted to see the conversations."

He moved himself into position and you focused on what he wanted to see.

"Do you honestly think so little of me?" Loki asked his brother.

"Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were going to fight side by side for forever. But at the end of the day, you're you and I'm me. I don't know, maybe there's still good in you. But let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago"

"Yeah," Loki said glumly, "It's probably for the best that we never see each other again."

"That's what you always wanted," Thor said, patting his brother on the back.

The get help scene followed next, and then Loki betraying Thor.

"Oh dear, brother, you're becoming predictable. I trust you, you betray me, round and round in circles we go. See, Loki, life is about, it's about growth, it's about change, but you seem to just want to stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you will always be the God of Mischief. But you could be more."

The scene changed again to Loki helping in the fight on the rainbow bridge, and then once more to the ship afterwards.

"Maybe you're not so bad afterall, brother," Thor said.

"Maybe not."

"Thank you. If you were here, I might even give you a hug," Thor said, tossing the top to Loki, which he caught.

"I'm here."

You pulled away, Loki's hands frozen for a moment in the air before lowering to his side. He was looking one-third sad, one-third happy, and one-third stone cold, all three emotions playing across his face in a fight for dominion over him.

"They never did show the hug," you said disappointedly, offering a small smile.

After a bit he softly smirked, "A shame," he said.

"Yes, yes it was," you agreed, "Literally the only thing I ever wanted."

"Ugh, so sentimental," he groaned, rolling his eyes and walking away across the lawn. You walked quickly to catch up.

"You going to tell me why you wanted to see it again?"

"Need we go over the 'stay out of my business' issue again, darling?"

"I bet because it's super sweet and adorable and seeing that a relationship between you and Thor is possible makes you happy," you blurted out, ignoring him completely.

He scoffed, but didn't try to argue the point.

"Loki, I thought the world of you," you teased in an exaggerated Thor voice.

"Yes, one replay was quite enough."

"What are you talking about? I've watched that movie at least twenty times, embarrassingly probably more if we're being honest."

Friday's voice prevented the conversation from going any further.

"Boss says you and Reindeer Games must return at once. It is urgent, Miss."

"Ok, we'll be right there," you told her.

"Oh dear, what did you do now?" you joked to Loki.

"I can assure you, I have pulled no tricks on the witless gang."

"That's gonna have to change, you know." He questioned you with a look. "If I get to meet Loki, God of Mischief, I better dang well get to see some pranks."

"For once I am happy to oblige you," he grinned, "Though, perhaps it wouldn't be wise at this tender stage in my Avenger relationship."

"You're probably right, though if I was in on it they can't put all the blame on you."

"I'm afraid your history with them is far less tarnished than mine."

"Eh, we'll find a way," you promised, "Maybe around Halloween!"

"Who knows where we'll be in two weeks' time," Loki said, "Hopefully I'm out of this dreadful place."

"But if you're still here, you promise to pull a prank?"

Loki considered it for a moment, "How could the God of Mischief refuse such a request?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, thank you thank you thank you!" 

The two of you were approaching the compound, and you could see commotion in the large hangar next to the facility.

"What is going on?" you mumbled, turning in that direction.

"Looks like your heroes are off on another valiant crusade," Loki observed drily.

"Hey, Tony?" you called to the Iron Man standing next to the quinjet...an actual quinjet.

"Wow," you gasped, staring at it in wonder.

"Hey kid," Tony said, walking over to you, "Fury called, we have a mission. Shouldn't be more than two days max."

"Ooooo, what kind of mission, or is it top secret?"

"Unfortunately, it is," Cap said, joining Tony

"Well you know...I have a vast expanse of random knowledge about this place. What if I could give you some insight before you take off?" you asked, more in a silly voice than serious, but Tony seemed to be considering it.

He looked at Cap, who shook his head.

"Shield may or may not have detected possible activity from a group which you should be familiar with," Tony said, choosing his words carefully to remain as vague as possible.

"Ah," you said, and Cap looked disappointed.

"Hey, I didn't disclose any real info," Tony complained.

"Is this random group who you have not mentioned perhaps being led by a particularly grumpy and bitter individual who used to pretend to work for a friendly group?" you asked.

Steve and Tony looked lost.

You sighed, leaning in closer and whispering "I mean Rumlow."

Cap's face grew serious. "He's dead."

"Oh boy," you said, eyes wide, "Did I forget to mention that too?"

Tony put his hand to his forehead, sighing and walking a few steps away.

"Yes, you forgot!" Cap said sternly, "How could you not remember to tell us about a threat like him?"

"Oh, he becomes an even bigger one, causes a whole bunch of problems. But... I probably shouldn't have said that out loud, now that I think about it." You trailed off, as Cap's face grew harder.

"What sort of problems?" Tony barked, walking back into the picture.

"He's Hydra, Tony, what kind of problems do you think?"

"We need to get this to Fury," Cap said, turning to Tony, and he nodded back.

"I'll fill him in along the way," Stark said, "Friday, let's get this bird in the air pronto." With that he turned and ran to the quinjet where everyone was waiting.

"Technically," you said to Cap as he was about to follow Tony, "This is me filling you in now...and you have til next year before he is the spark that starts the whole Sokovia Accords I told you about. So we have plenty of time to stop him."

Steve's face softened and he nodded, "You've had a lot to explain. I'm sorry I snapped."

"I seem to make people snap a lot, it's kinda my specialty," you smiled, giving Loki a brief glance.

Steve must have noticed the look, as he put a hand on your shoulder and spoke in serious concern. "You sure you're ok staying behind with him?" he asked. "I wanted to leave someone behind with you, but Tony said Friday could have everything under control."

"Let's just say that I never in a million years thought that Steve Rogers would be asking me if I'm ok babysitting Loki. So yeah, I'm frickin fantastic."

He gave you a look that showed he wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"I know I know, this is real, not fiction. So yes, in terms of the very real scenario of the God of Mischief being in the same house as me for two days, I will be fine. Friday is here, and I bother Loki enough that he'll leave me alone."

"He acts suspicious at all, you have Friday contact us immediately."

"When doesn't he act suspicious? The dude radiates 'I'm going to kill you and laugh after' vibes," you chuckled.

Steve gave Loki a wary look. "That's what has me worried."

"Killing your servant would serve me very little."

"Ha, 'Serve' you very little," you snorted. The looks you received were far from amused. "Get it, Serve like servant?....ok, I'm gonna shut up now."

Steve finally cracked a smile, patting you on the arm before making his way over to the quinjet. "And stay out of trouble!" he yelled from the ramp.

"Can't make any promises!" you called back.

The roof of the hangar retracted and the quinjet was up and away. Within a second everything was quiet.

"Well...Letsa go," you told Loki in your Super Mario voice. He shook his head at your stupidity, but followed you out of the hangar and up to the facility.

"What to do while the Avengers are away..." you mused out loud as you entered the living room "I can't exactly make a mess on my first week here."

"Not unless you were to straighten a few things up before your heroes returned?" Loki offered with a gleam in his eyes. The idea of making a mess of the Avenger's home must have sounded quite appealing to him.

"Ok, contain your excitement, Mischief Man. We're not trashing the place our first time unsupervised. Tony could have told Friday to spy on us anyway, so we're not taking that chance."

Loki sighed in disappointment, "Very well."

"Aren't you the brooding type anyway who will just go read a book? Not that I have anything against books, I like reading. But you seem like the kind of guy who would want to be left alone."

"I certainly like my peaceful moments alone, but I somehow doubt that is possible when in the same building as you."

"You can go hide in your room, I don't have to be watching you 24/7."

"As great of a respite from your chatter as that would be, I don't have much to occupy my time. And I will not be confined to my quarters simply to ease your job of watching me."

"You're more than welcome to stay in here then, I don't care. It looks like I have some cleaning to do," you happily observed, looking at the disheveled living room, scattered dishes, and cluttered counters.

"You seem eager?"

"House to myself and something to do that gives me an excuse for listening to music? Hell yeah I'm eager."

"You are not subjecting me to Midgardian music."

"Why? You seemed glued to The Walking Dead this morning, a truly repulsive Midgardian form of entertainment," you mocked in his voice.

"Unfortunately, Stark's rules are that I remain with the group."

"Oh yeah, and that must have been truly terrible being forced to watch something so entertaining."

"Precisely," he agreed, knowing full well you were teasing.

"Well, I'll find something more boring and less thrilling for you to do. How bout a puzzle?"

"I doubt humans could create anything of great complexity," he stated.

"Is that a 'Yes please, thank you very much, you're too kind'?

He rolled his eyes and took a seat at the table.

"Friday, does Tony have any puzzles in that sort of rec room I passed?"

"He has many games and activities for Saturday nights in the closet on the far wall. There should be a puzzle or two, Ma'am."

You found the closet in the living room, and fortunately there was a thousand-piece puzzle. It was of some big beautiful garden, like those found in palace grounds. The overwhelming amount of green from bushes and vines most likely provided a challenge for the contender.

"Here you go," you said, plopping it down loudly on the table in front of him. When he didn't seem to know what to do with it, you took the top off and dumped the contents. "These pieces all fit together," you explained, "to form this picture on the cover of the box. There are a thousand pieces. Your job is to finish it."

"It's as good as done, darling," he said smugly, beginning to fiddle with the pieces.

"I expect it to be done before dinner."

His eyes narrowed and he smirked, "Challenge accepted."

You went back to the living room, deciding to start your work there. You took Loki as definitely a sad music kind of guy, but you had already done the depressing playlist. So for the first hour or so, you played happy or peaceful songs. Oldies were always a go-to, and Michael Buble was beautiful. Loki would occasionally say something, more to the song than you. Things like "really?" or "we get it, you're happy", or his favorite line, which was simply an "oh please" followed by a groan. All in all though, he didn't seem drastically disturbed by the music.

You were down to your last chore, wiping the counters and table, when you decided it was time for a slight upgrade from the happy-go-lucky songs. For you, that meant some Imagine Dragons, Journey, Fall Out Boy, etc...what could you say? You were cliche and basic in your taste in music. But some songs just always hit right.

"Friday, play Demons by Imagine Dragons. And crank it up all the way."

You hadn't done much more than talk along with the songs, maybe sing softly once in a while, but these songs were different. It was time to get screaming. Loki gave you an irritated scowl at the increased volume, but you simply smiled back.

You began singing along "When the days are cold, and the cards all fold. When the saints we see are all made of gold..."

It was hard not to laugh, because Loki kept looking up at you with mixed expressions. Half annoyance, half confusion...and sometimes partial amusement. You were, afterall, bouncing around like an idiot, screaming along and getting very minimal cleaning done. You'd always acknowledge his look by simply singing louder or gesturing to him as if the song was directed at him. It's just a thing you did no matter who was in the room while you were singing.

"Yup, killed it," you said as the song ended.

"It definitely sounded like something was dying, there's no doubt of that."

"Butchering the song is half the fun," you defended.

"You certainly enjoyed yourself then."

"I did, thank you. And you can't say that song isn't the best."

"I also can't ignore the obvious. A man fighting his inner demons? Could you be any less subtle?"

"Oh dang, I guess it does apply to you. Nice self-analysis Loki," you applauded sarcastically with a little clap. "Trust me though, this next one is nothing but fun."

"I can't wait," he mocked, focusing on his puzzle once again.

"Friday, could you please play Separate Ways by Journey?"

"Of course, Miss."

The music started blaring and you paused your cleaning to bounce along.

"Get ready for the head banging," you said, pointing at Loki, who was giving you that look again. "Aaaaand...now!" You proceeded to head bang as you made your way over to grab a spoon. Using it as a mic, you belted the song. Loki looked mildly horrified at what in the Nine Realms was hitting his ears.

"Never, in the long years of my life, have I heard something so utterly bizarre."

"I know, it's great right?!"

"Revolting."

"It may not be a beautiful orchestra, but I already played happy music. I like orchestral stuff too, so I'll play that later tonight, ok?"

He just grunted.

"Thanks, Wren, you're the best babysitter a god could ask for," you said playfully in his voice.

"You are not my babysitter, stop using that word!"

"Well, since the others have left, I have given you a game to keep the baby boy distracted while I clean the house...what would you call it?"

"The child usually isn't capable of killing their sitter, now are they?" he snarled.

"There was this one kid, Drakeson, he was a monster. Little psychopath I tell you. Honestly, wouldn't have been surprised had he killed me."

Loki sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I mean, who names their kid Drakeson anyway, like what is that?" you continued.

"You make threatening an impossible task."

"Or you're just really bad at it, one of the two."

"It's something I pride myself on, thank you," he scoffed in offense.

"And I can pride myself on singing well, but that doesn't make it true."

"Don't you have something else to clean?" he snapped, looking angrily down at the piece in his hand.

"Nope, I finished everything here."

"Then find something to do!" he barked.

"Now now, Junior, that's no way to talk to your babysitter. Don't make me put you in the corner to cool off."

Loki put his head on the table and let out a very long groan, but you thought you saw the hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Oh I know why you're so cranky. Do you want a snack?"

"For the last time, I am not a child that needs--"

"I'm serious!" you said, cutting him off, "It's 1 o'clock now, we can get some snacks for lunch. I'm kinda in the mood for some munchies."

"Munchies? And I'm the child in this scenario?"

"Who ever said that?" you denied, standing up and heading over to the pantry.

"They have Cheez-Its!" you yelled to Loki

He ignored your comment, working dutifully on his puzzle until you arrived bearing a bowl of Cheez-Its, some cheese strings, and two lemonades. Loki picked up a Cheez-It and examined it for a bit, before taking a tentative bite. Apparently deeming it sufficient, he popped the rest in his mouth and reached for another.

"Ancient God who has faced Dark Elves, Giants, the Avengers, and countless other adversaries is terrified to try new food," you observed.

"Like you said to the others in regards to me, I am not an idiot. I haven't survived for this long without being cautious."

"It's a snack, not a deadly toxin."

"Midgardian food is often both."

"That's fair, a Pop Tart takes away five years of your life," you stated bluntly.

Loki looked at you in horror, and you chuckled. "It's hyperbole, I'm just saying they're not the healthiest. I thought you were the king of jokes?"

"I can never be too sure with you mortals."

"We are pretty self-destructive, I'll give you that."

Loki struggled amusingly with the cheese string wrapper, but refused help. After it was finally open, he went to take a bite right from the top.

"Don't!" you shouted, and he jumped a bit.

"What?"

"That's not how you eat it! It's a cheese string, so you eat it as such. Like this," you said, peeling off a string and eating it from one end to the other like a kid. He gave you a confused look.

"Is there a point to that?"

"Umm...cuz it's how you do it. Any man who eats it like an adult is a psychopath."

He looked you dead in the eye, and took a big bite, his face emotionless as he chomped away.

"Nooooo, I just died a little inside," you squealed, "you maniac."

He smiled and took another mouthful.

"Ok ok, I get it, you can stop shoving it in my face. I will eat it the right way!" you declared, peeling strings off one by one and taking your own sweet time eating it.

It wasn't until that moment that you realized Loki was half-way done with the puzzle.

"Dude, you have practically half of it done already?"

"I believe I have a deadline in a few hours. Did you doubt I'd make it?" he grinned.

"Over the past ten years, I think we've all learned never to doubt you."

"Perhaps mortals in your realm are smarter than in this world."

"You sure? I'm part of those mortals," you pointed out.

"Ah, yes, my mistake."

The next few minutes passed in silence, with Loki fixated on his work.

"Well, I'm going to go watch The Walking Dead while you finish up. See you in a few hours."

"Wait," he spat out quickly as you stood up, "Must you watch that show? It will be distracting, and it's not quite fair to interfere with a man's work after a challenge has been declared."

"Why should it distract you?" you asked "Afterall, it is a boring show you were only forced to watch, right?"

"Of course it is, yet at this...critical time in--in the puzzle process, any superfluous noise is highly unwelcome," he finished, attempting to make it sound like he hadn't just pulled the lamest excuse out of his butt.

"I'll take that into consideration." And with that you made your way over to the living room.

As much as you would have enjoyed blasting TWD just to bother Loki, you knew he wanted to watch it. You decided to browse some horror movies, choosing Insidious in the end. Whether Loki was turning to watch too or was distracted at all is something of which you were not aware. Once the movie was rolling, there was nothing that could pull your attention away. Two hours later you had finished and moved onto the second one, but not before taking a look at Loki's progress.

"Ah, you're slowing down there, old man."

"I would move faster if I had silence. And old man?!"

"You are like over a thousand years old, correct?"

"Yes, but that means nothing in Asgardian years, so I'll have you know I'm at the peak of youth."

"In that case, it's all downhill from here. You've crossed the threshold, and there's nowhere to go but down. Next thing you know wrinkles will creep in, your back will ache, you'll eat dinner at 4 o'clock, maybe partake in some prune juice consumption---"

"You Midgardians may be there in the blink of an eye, but I assure you I will not."

"That's what all old people in denial say. If you have a midlife crisis, can I come bungee jumping with you?"

"What are you rambling on about? Can I please have some silence to concentrate?" he asked in a flustered manner. He clearly did not like the thought of himself getting old.

"Ok, it's 3:30 now, you have til 6 to finish," you declared, returning to your couch.

"Simple," he replied.

Little did Loki know that you had swiped a piece quite a while ago. Nothing was more frustrating than getting to the end of a puzzle and missing one piece right in the middle...so naturally you had to mess with him. You smiled to yourself as you thought of his reaction.

I probably shouldn't be messing with him, but hey, he's going to kill me when this is over anyway.

Insidious 2 ended, and you walked up behind Loki to view his work. He was nearly there all right, but you had a feeling he'd come up just short. You rushed over to the fridge to hide the smirk growing on your face. You had to maintain your composure, though you knew it'd be nearly impossible. Sitting at the table with a glass of water, you attempted to act casual as you watched Loki grind it out before the deadline. It was rather fascinating to watch, like he'd remember what shape every piece was and where to find it in the pile. Obviously, he wasn't always right, but it was still impressive.

At 5:50 you started giving time updates every minute.

"Five minutes now."

"Yes, I get that!" he growled, and you held in your smile.

He only had four pieces left, so he looked up at you triumphantly.

"It seems that I will win," he bragged, beginning to place the last pieces.

"Fine, you're great at puzzles. There I said it, you happy now?" you grumbled, moseying over to the sink. In truth, you were about to burst, so you had to get away from the table before he made his discovery.

A sound of confusion came from behind you, followed by a frustrated "Where is it?"

"What?" you called over your shoulder as you washed your cup.

"There is a piece missing," Loki responded hotly.

"Oh that sucks, I hate when that happens. Whoever put it away last is a loser."

"No, there were a thousand pieces here to begin," he explained irritably.

"What did you count or something?" you laughed.

"Yes!" he shouted.

Ohhhhh, shoot, you thought, time to buy myself some time and get out of here.

"Damn, that's dedication," you noted, drying your hands on your pants and leaning against the counter. "It must have fallen, or is stuck to the box or something, happens to me all the time."

"I'm checking everywhere!" he yelled, standing up to check his seat, before dropping to his hands and knees to search the floor.

Oh crap, here comes the laughter.

"Well," you started quickly, "I guess this means I've won. Because I could be wrong, but I think that clock reads 6:01. I'm more than willing to extend your time if you need a second chance, I am a merciful ruler after all."

He looked at you angrily as he hair flipped up from the floor. "I would have finished, so the ability to do the task you assigned was proven."

"I don't think I challenged you to prove the doability of the task, I asked you to give me a completed puzzle. Not my fault you lost the piece!"

"I didn't lose it!" he argued, patting his clothes down in search of the missing piece.

"Whatever, if you find it let me know," you called out as you made your way out of the room, "I'll be in my room for a bit."

You didn't offer an explanation of why you were going to your room, because you didn't have one. And Loki, despite being currently occupied, might very well be able to spot your lie. You simply needed to get out of there before Loki paused long enough to think rationally or you laughed and blew it all. Thankfully, he didn't question your lame excuse for leaving, but you knew he'd put two and two together eventually. Therefore, once you were far enough away from the kitchen, you booked it for the elevator. You arrived at the lifts when you heard Loki laugh down the hall...although there was amusement in the sound, there was also a great deal of 'Oh she's dead' in it.

"Shit!" you whispered, making a decision in a split second that you hoped you wouldn't regret. The door to the elevator had opened, so you leaned in and pressed the third floor before turning and running around the corner in the direction of the training room. Hopefully, if Loki made to follow you, he would catch the elevator on its way up, thus thinking you had indeed ran to your room.

Maybe he won't even bother, it's just a puzzle after all. He might not even care.

Those thoughts were dashed when you heard his footsteps pounding their way down the hall. You tried to move silently, taking a few turns just in case he did venture past the elevators. Eventually, you made your way to the training center, which was sealed at the moment.

"Friday?" you whispered, "Could you possibly open this door? And keep your response quiet please."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," she whispered back, "There are weapons and other means of injuring oneself in there. I have been instructed to keep it sealed."

"Honestly, good idea, but shit." You thought for a second before speaking again. "Friday, where is Loki at the moment?"

"He's approaching your bedroom now."

"Ok, then I don't have long to book it to the lake. Let me know if he gets close."

You ran to the nearest exit, sprinting the long way across the lawn down to the lake. You chose a spot down by the water's edge that was protected from the compound windows by a slight slope and some trees. Laying flat on your back, you took heavy breaths. Not only had you run all the way here, but it was decently cold out, which caused that kind of sharp pain in your chest you got whenever breathing heavily in the cold.

"Friday, where is he now?"

"He's near the back of the compound, searching the halls. I have been guiding him on where he may or may not enter. He has asked for your location."

"Please tell me you didn't give it!"

"Of course not, Miss. Mr. Stark may have programmed me for service, but I am no snitch."

"I love you, Friday," you laughed.

"I'm finding your presence to be quite pleasant as well, Ma'am."

"Aw, thank you!"

You pulled your hands up into the sleeves of your sweater, curling up a bit to protect from the chill. "Does Loki look particularly angry?"

"I would not say angry, but certainly rather determined. His smile is hard to distinguish between menacing and playful."

"Tell me about it," you agreed.

"He has passed the training room ma'am, and seems to be pausing for abnormally long."

"Is he doing anything?"

"No Miss, just staring."

"At what?"

"The door at the end of the hall that you exited."

You felt a chill run down your spine.

"I feel like I'm in a horror movie, that is so creepy. Why is he staring? How could he possibly know I left through that door?"

"Friday?" Loki's voice played through your wristband. Friday must have been feeding the audio to you.

Clever girl.

"Yes sir?" she replied to him.

"Is this door used frequently by the residents here?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, sir," she answered. Bless her, she was trying to cover for you still.

"And why not? Is that particularly harmful information for me to know?" he pressed, and you could hear the victorious tone in his voice. He knew.

"Revealing the routines of the Avengers and the traffic flow of the building could give you an advantage should you ever try something. Therefore, I must insist that it is classified information."

He hummed in response, clearly not convinced.

"By Stark's orders, am I allowed outside?"

"Not without supervision, sir."

"Technically, am I not also supposed to be with someone when out of my room?"

Friday hesitated. "Yes."

"So is she not in violation of her duties as well?"

"Wait in the kitchen, sir, and I will summon her."

"I eagerly await her arrival," he said, and you could hear the haughtiness oozing out of him.

"Friday, noooo."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but Loki is right. Either you go in or I'd have to tell him you're out here. I figure the kitchen is a more comfortable place to settle the matter."

"You're right," you sighed, "The babysitter can't leave the kid unattended."

You stood up and reluctantly made your way back to the compound. You entered through the same side door and navigated the halls back to the kitchen. Pausing outside, you poked your head in cautiously. Loki wasn't there.

"Oh shit," you whispered. "Friday, where is he?"

"He was just at the table."

"Nope, I'm out," you said, turning to rush out of the room, but screaming when you practically ran right into Loki.

"Sorry, darling, but you're not running out again," he smiled.

"Hey, Loki," you greeted nervously as you backed into the kitchen. "So...did you finish the puzzle?" You couldn't even ask it jokingly without breaking out laughing. You didn't care that you weren't trying to move away from him anymore.

Surprisingly, Loki was chuckling too.

"It isn't often I get pranked, mainly because no one is stupid enough to try. I'm impressed. You do know this was a declaration of war?"

"I wasn't aware of that at the time, no, but I guess I shoulda seen it coming," you answered, still giggling.

"Yes, you should have. Now, if you please?" He stuck his hand out, and you more than happily placed the missing piece in it. He walked swiftly over to the table and finished the puzzle.

"Ta-dah!" he said, standing back to admire his work.

"Beautiful," you stated drily, walking over to the fridge. "Sandwiches ok for dinner?" you asked, "I don't feel like investing energy into making something more elaborate."

"I'll be forced to eat whatever it is you make, so drop the pretense of caring about what I want."

"You right, you're getting a sandwich regardless."

Ten minutes later you and Loki were having dinner, on the end of the table opposite that of the puzzle, or "masterpiece", as he called it.

"How did you know I'd left through that door?" you asked.

"Come again?"

"The door down the hall from the training room, how did you know I had gone out that way?"

"I have my ways," he gloated, "I take it your little partner in crime was filling you in?"

"Yeah Friday was doing a good job, weren't you Friday?" you called out.

"I do try, Miss."

"It was terrifying, I felt like I was in a horror movie."

Loki's look asked his question without him needing to.

"Scary movies, like the ones I watched today. Though, those were paranormal ones, and running from you felt like hiding from Michael Myers."

"I take it that's worse," he deciphered from your tone.

"Big time. Michael Myers is my favorite horror movie villain. Oh my gosh I know what we're watching tonight!"

Loki rolled his eyes.

"No, you'll love it. Literally, the best Halloween movie of all time."

"Oh, well in that case," he replied sarcastically.

"Seriously, hurry up and finish your food."

"I'm done," he pointed out.

"I was talking to myself," you said, popping the last of your sandwich in your mouth and grabbing both of your dishes quickly.

You had Friday queue up Halloween, while you made popcorn for the two of you. After turning out the lights and giving Loki his bowl, you reclined on the other couch and pressed play.

"What an original title," Loki scoffed.

"Shhhhhh, talk during this movie at your own peril."

"If only I had a compelling reason not to bother you," he continued talking, ignoring your hollow threat.

"Ok, pay me back for my prank some other time. You'll wanna hear what's being said to understand what's going on."

Thankfully, that must have convinced him, because he remained silent for the rest of the movie.

"Now, wasn't that the best hour and a half of your life?" you said, turning to look at him as the credits rolled.

"Far from," he answered, "But it did have its moments."

You stood up to carry your bowl back to the kitchen, and Loki followed.

"So, is there another one?" he asked.

"Why, you that interested?" you teased.

"The ending was surprising, that is all. I assume that means they finish the story."

"Oh, they finish it. Again and again and again."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll explain the messy timeline of the sequels later."

It was almost 9:30, and you had to make sure you were up whenever Loki was up tomorrow, so you decided to call it a night...you didn't have time to start another movie, and honestly you were kinda tired for whatever reason. Probably because you'd been staring at a screen most of the day. Additionally, if you were going to be staying with heroes, you had to learn to get up early. 

"Come on, I have to walk you to your room."

The two of you discussed the movie on your way up, pausing outside your rooms to finish your conversation.

"Well, I guess we'll have to watch the second one won't we?" you concluded.

"I suppose we will," he smirked.

"Night Loki," you yawned, opening your door.

"Goodnight."

Chapter 22: Horror Movie

"Miss, wake up!" you heard Friday say, pulling you from a dream. You sat up and turned on your lamp.

"What is it?"

No response.

"Friday?"

Still nothing.

"Friday!" you shouted, feeling more nervous by the second.

Your clock read 11:57 PM, a weird time for Friday to be talking to you. Yet you were nearly certain you had heard her voice. Why was she silent then? It didn't make sense for her not to respond, let alone after waking you up. As if things couldn't get weirder, your lamp shut off.

"What the hell," you grumbled, staggering through the dark to reach the light switch by the door. Flicking it up and down did nothing, yet you still did it multiple times like an idiot.

No way the power goes out at the Avenger's compound, they'd have a generator or something fancier. And why wasn't Friday responding? Why would she wake me up just to ignore me?

You realized the power shutting off right after Friday went silent wasn't a coincidence, and your heart started pounding a bit harder. After a minute of sitting in the dark, contemplating what the hell was going on, relief washed over you as a thought entered your head.

Of course it's Loki! Little shit is going all horror movie on me as payback.

Seeing as Friday was such a chill A.I., you knew she was in on it. Loki had her wake you up and then stay quiet. Who else could control the lights like that? They were both in on a very elaborate hoax, one you'd enjoy not falling for.

"Nope," you said out loud for Friday to hear, "Nice try, but I'm not being a dumb horror movie girl who will go investigate, even if it is just a prank. You can't get me out of this room."

You laid back down in bed and tried to go to sleep, but suspense was keeping you awake. You expected Loki to jump out any second...what if you hadn't foiled whatever his plan was? Afterall, Friday hadn't spoken or turned the lights back on yet, so she must be holding out for something. Suddenly you held your breath, certain that you had heard a thud in the distance...was it from downstairs? But it would have to have been a rather large noise for you to even hear part of it from here.

"It isn't going to work," you told Friday, "You might as well tell Loki now."

However, it was working. You were curious what Loki had done to try to draw you out. Had he broken something? Friday wouldn't have let him do that. Unless he promised to fix whatever it was perhaps? You also wanted to give in and play along because you loved horror movies for a reason. Being scared was fun, and if Loki was behind the scare, then this was probably going to be the best thrill of your life. Should you really sleep through it just to stick it to him?

"Ugh, alright!" you groaned, throwing your covers off and hurrying to the door.

It was a particularly dark night, with only the faintest moonlight pouring in through the windows. The usual glow from the lounge was gone, and it was deathly quiet.

"Ok, I'm already scared," you spoke quietly to yourself. You smiled, though, and kept going.

The elevators were out with the rest of the power, so it appeared Loki wanted you to take the stairs. Naturally, that meant you were checking over your shoulder every second on the way down. Talking out loud was your way of calming yourself when trying not to be scared, so you chatted the whole way.

"Can we get this scare over with Loki? I wanna go back to bed," you said as you walked down the hall to the kitchen. That was a lie, you were enjoying the late night escapade through a pitch black compound.

"And Friday, I can't believe you helped Loki do this. Here I was thinking we were friends."

The kitchen was empty, and you didn't know where to go next. Sitting in the eerie silence for a few seconds allowed you to hear something you hadn't before. There was definitely noise coming from somewhere in the building...was that a voice?

"Ok, time to play the role of dumb horror movie girl," you stated happily, searching the drawers of the kitchen until you found a flashlight. You then proceeded to move down the hall in search of the sound.

It took a few turns, but you finally heard something from up ahead. It sounded like someone was ransacking a room.

Oh Lord, you thought, Loki had better not get me in trouble.

"Loki!" you called out, "You'd better not be doing anything you can't fix."

The sounds stopped immediately, and you froze.

"Ok, that's pretty good," you said, admiring the scare tactic. "Let the man watch one horror movie and he's now a master of terror."

Despite it being all fun and games, your adrenaline had been amped up since you left your room. You never said you didn't get scared, only that you enjoyed it. You approached the source of the ruckus with caution, tentatively turning the corner to face the entrance to whatever room you had stumbled across. The sight made your mouth drop.

"Shit," you exclaimed, taking in the scene before you. The large room was a mess. By the looks of things, it was a lab of some sorts, the layout and machinery very similar to Tony's from Age of Ultron back at Avenger's tower. Tables had been flipped, drawers emptied, and equipment smashed and thrown about the room. The worst part was the door. It had been blasted into the lab, the glass from it broken all around. It wasn't until now that you knew you should have checked Loki's room first. This was no prank.

A thousand realizations crashed down on you at once, as the real horror movie began. Movement in the back of the room caught your eye, but you didn't stick around long enough to investigate. The time for acting like the stereotypical scary movie girl was over, and you sprinted down the hall as fast as you could. Before you could make it to the stairs, you were cut off by the shine of flashlights up ahead and more voices. You turned your light out and pushed through the door to your right, going straight through it until you exited into another hallway on the other side. The facility was gigantic and it was hard to see, so you had no idea where you were or where you were going.

I need a place to hide, you thought at first, No, I need to get out of this building.

You'd think an exit wouldn't be that hard to find, but you were in the belly of the beast apparently, and there was nothing to be seen but more hallways and more rooms. The sound of footsteps approaching behind you caused a panic to rise in your chest. You were at an intersection and frantically chose to go left, praying an exit appeared. The luck of the final girl trope must have been with you, because a minute later you were rushing out a side door and across some pavement, the parking lot probably. Had it not been for the figures standing around with lights, and guns, you never would have noticed the black cars parked up ahead. Stopping on a dime, you changed your direction and ran in the opposite way down the lawn.

"There!" You heard a man yell behind you.

"Oh shit!" You groaned, attempting to run harder. There was nowhere to hide out here, so you just had to keep running. The moon had been behind the clouds, but it came out just in time for you to catch the reflection of its light on the surface of the lake, which was right in front of you. The distance was almost too close to stop in time, but you managed to slow down at the water's edge. Swimming for it was a possibility, but not a likely one. The lights of your pursuers were trained on you; they'd know where you'd gone and you'd be caught and freezing from the water. Also, getting shot and drowning wasn't how you wanted to go out. Running down the shore was the only option, though it was only a matter of time before they caught up. As if to prove your point, three cars sped into view, one cutting off your only escape route and blinding you with their headlights.

"Don't move!" a gruff voice said...one you recognized. You obeyed, remaining in place as the men following you on foot surrounded you. Slowly, you turned around to face the man you knew would be standing there.

Rumlow's getup wasn't quite what it was in Civil War yet, as if his gear hits a major upgrade later. His arms didn't seem as advanced. Granted, they were still metal and lethal looking, with one having a very sharp blade protruding from the end. Yet they didn't seem as well equipped or bulky as they would be a few months from now. He wore a black mask similar to his Civil War one, but his armor was simpler. He wore the same black gear as everyone else, as opposed to his crossbones chest plate and whatnot.

"You?!" He asked in surprise.

"Um...me?" You half confirmed, half questioned.

He walked up to you, and you could see his eyes burning into you from the opening in his mask. They looked like they were trying to figure you out.

"Creyton!" He barked, not taking his eyes off of you.

A man broke from the ranks and rushed to Rumlow's side.

"Yes sir?" he asked.

"Do you recognize this person?" he asked, gesturing to you.

Creyton looked at you for a few seconds.

"She---she almost looks like, but no this one's older," he stuttered.

"Looks like who? Finish your thought," Rumlow demanded.

"Number 4, sir."

"Exactly," Rumlow growled in agreement.

"Who are you?" he asked roughly.

"My name's Amy," you lied, "Who are you?" Letting him know you knew about him and his future was a terrible idea, so you played dumb.

"We ask the questions and you answer!" he spat at you.

This wasn't Loki, so fighting back wasn't an option. Until you were certain there was no way out, you had to buy time.

You nodded in response.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story actually. My uncle is part of Mr Stark's staff here from time to time and a good friend of his. He's my soul provider right now and he didn't like the idea of me living by myself while he's out of state for two weeks. He's protective that way," you groaned in an attempt at annoyance, "doesn't accept the fact that I'm not a teenager anymore. Anyway, he asked Mr. Stark if I could hang here for the time being while he was away. Earlier today the Avengers were called away for work, so I'm here by myself."

"You see, I would almost believe that," Rumlow chuckled coldly, "except that you called out to someone inside. You weren't expecting to find us there, but rather someone you knew. If you're lying about that, what else are you lying about?"

"I thought you were one of the help that works here periodically throughout the week," you argued, "he's a trickster who would be more than willing to mess with me. He knows I like horror movies, so I thought he was playing a prank."

Oh my gosh, Loki! You thought, he's still inside.

What were the chances of him hearing what was going on? Hydra hadn't known that stealth was a priority, as their intel must have told them of the Avengers leaving. However, you had only barely heard the sound of the door blasting open downstairs, and that was because Friday had made sure you were awake. Even if Loki was awake by now, would he help you? Did he have enough info from you to be content letting you die? You had saved his life technically by slowing Ragnarok down. He could run to some crevice in the universe and hide from Thanos if he wanted. Yet, he had made it clear your info was still important when he threatened to kill you after your usefulness was at an end, so clearly that meant you were still useful to him, right?

Please tell me you're awake, Loki, you thought hopefully. He was your last chance after all.

"I don't believe you," Rumlow bellowed in your face. "I've sent men to find your friend, so we'll have the truth soon. If you've lied...well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest," he threatened. He must have seen the smile flash briefly across your face, because his stare turned into a glare.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing, sorry, I just handle stressful situations weirdly. Sometimes I smile. It's a coping mechanism I guess."

"You've seemed to cope fine til now," he pointed out, "so stop lying to me!"

What were you supposed to say? 'Gee, Rumlow, I'm smiling because you've gone out of your way to wake the sleeping beast?' The moron sent his men to their deaths, and he didn't even know it.

"I won't ask for the truth again," he warned.

You couldn't even think of a good lie to tell him, so you remained silent. His metal fist flew faster than you could react, and pain shot through your nose and head. You stumbled back, tripped, and landed hard on the ground. Loki may have bruised, but Rumlow's hit had definitely totaled your nose. You had heard the crunch, and the warm flow of blood could be felt pouring down your face. You tasted iron as it entered your mouth. Closing it was not an option, as breathing through your nose was no longer possible. Your hands shot to cover your nose and try to cup some of the blood. The pain was probably ranked with some of the worst you had ever felt, but it was tolerable. You doubted a broken nose was the worst these guys could do. Thus, you allowed the tears to flow, but didn't make a show of vocally crying out. You wouldn't give this asshole that satisfaction. Despite the pain in your head, you removed your hands from your face, using them to help yourself up off the ground.

Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it, you told yourself, but your mouth didn't listen.

"I can do this all day," you groaned with a smirk.

Rumlow nodded to someone behind you, and a pair of hands pulled your arms around your back, holding you still for the beating about to come.

"I know every word that's come out of your mouth is a lie, girl," Rumlow said, "You came here five days ago, didn't you?"

You tried to contain your shock, but clearly didn't do a good job because he chuckled.

Shit, I've blown it.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm just quick at putting pieces together," he bragged, "And you'll catch up soon enough."

He nodded to the guy again, and the cold feeling of handcuffs was clamped around your wrists.

"We'll get what we need from you, but you can make it less painful by cooperating. Starting with who is really inside back there."

"I told you once, asshole, and I'll tell you again. I'm here alone."

He hit your stomach this time, hard enough to knock the wind out of you, but not enough to cause permanent damage.

"Load this bitch up and get ready to roll out. We have what we came for."

They started dragging you away, but not before a voice called out from the darkness.

"How unfortunate that I haven't what I came for," Loki said in menacing amusement.

All soldiers turned their lights to the surrounding area, searching for the owner of those words.

"Come out or she dies!" Rumlow yelled, walking behind you to wrap his arm around your neck, the blade at the end laying across your throat.

"Ooh, foolish humans. You never do think of the consequences to your endless prattle do you? You and I both know you came for her. Give her to me, and your death will only be minimally unbearable."

Rumlow started moving towards the nearest car again, with you dragged along with him.

"I was hoping you'd do that," Loki laughed, and a scream erupted from the guard on the opposite side of the circle. He dropped to the ground. Standing in his place was Loki, brandishing his daggers, his smaller set of golden armor shining off of his clothes.

Oh God, he looks epic, you thought with a smile.

Before the rest of the guards could react, Loki multiplied himself into two dozen or more copies. The real Loki was lost in the crowd, mixed in somewhere with the fakes as his clone army charged the remaining soldiers. Gunshots were fired wildly and rapidly, proving to be much louder in person than you'd expected. The bullets went straight through the doppelgangers, while the real Loki must have been cutting them down one by one. Screams filled the air.

"Damn it!" Rumlow cursed, dragging you in a different direction now.

"What are you doing sir?" a scared soldier asked.

"There's only one way we're making it out of here alive," Rumlow barked.

Sounds of splashing reached your ears and the frigid water of the lake rushed up your legs as Rumlow pulled you out until you were nearly chest-deep.

"See you later," he promised, retracting his blade in order to scoop you up with his arms. The next second you were plunging head first out into the deeper part of the lake. Thankfully, you had managed to take a breath before hitting the water, but that would quickly run out if you couldn't reach the surface soon. You squirmed until your feet reached the soft mud at the bottom. Pushing off hard, you thought you felt the tip of your head break the surface, but there was no way to tread up there without your arms. It didn't help that the cold was making it hard to do anything.

The air in your lungs started running out, and you've never felt a panic as great in your life. Drowning had to be one of the worst ways to go, and you wanted to scream and cry as you felt your heart pound harder and harder, seeming to echo in your head as your chest instinctively tried to take in air. Water rushed down your pipes, and you didn't even have enough breath to cough it out. It was a strange sensation, gagging for air, only to pull in nothing but water. Your head started ringing and you felt an eerie calmness take over as you started to blackout. No images of your life flashed before your eyes, but instead one thought was in your head.

Loki, Loki will be here.

Images of him flashed across your brain instead, every scene you had watched and every moment with him since your arrival.

Air filled your lungs as you coughed and sputtered water out of your pipes. Breathing felt weird, and your chest burned from the strain it had just endured. You were sitting in the grass, hands clenching the ground like it was going to disappear if you let go. Finally, after catching your breath, you looked around to see the corpses of a dozen soldiers, maybe more. They were scattered about, and you had to admit you've never felt more satisfied in your life.

"Take that shitheads," you said in a raspy voice.

"I see your mouth is no worse for wear," Loki's amused voice spoke from your right.

You jerked your head in his direction, a mistake given the pain you'd forgotten was there, to find him crouching next to you. His expression was normal, with only a smidge of concern in his eyes. He offered you a smile, which you returned gratefully.

"Thanks," you told him, "Though you took your own sweet time didn't you?"

"Oh, forgive me," he sassed, "I was a little preoccupied fighting my way through to save your mortal skin."

"I know I know," you smiled, "That just wasn't the most fun experience of my life."

"I imagine not."

"Did Rumlow get away?" you asked, noticing that one of the cars was missing.

"The man who threw you in? Yes, unfortunately. I figured I'd used enough 'sweet time' and that you'd probably be throwing a silent tantrum down there."

"That's a shame. Could have solved a lot of problems if that son of a bitch died tonight."

"That was the man you warned Stark and the soldier about," Loki noted.

"Yup, though I definitely did not know he'd be here tonight."

"Ironic," Loki said.

"What is?"

He looked at you as if it was obvious.

"That your knowledge was not only of no use to you, but is also the very reason they came."

"About that," you started in confusion, holding a hand up as if silencing him so you could think, "What the hell was Rumlow going on about? He was acting like he knew me, yet he didn't know I knew him."

"Evidently, someone else knows of your unique situation."

"But if he knew, then why was he so surprised to find me here, and you? Loki, they thought the building was empty. And I'm beginning to think the mission that pulled the others away was a setup."

"This Rumlow said you were what he was after."

"Yes, but only after he had met me and spoken for a bit, as if he figured something out along the way. But they didn't expect to find me here, I'm sure of that."

Loki contemplated what you said and nodded once. "We'll figure this out later. Right now, we need to get you inside."

"Please, it's freezing out here," you whined, standing up.

Loki grabbed your arm as you stood, making sure you were steady before letting go.

"Thanks."

A shimmering light by your chest caught your eye, and you glanced down to find a green blanket draped over your shoulders. You pulled it around you and smiled up at Loki.

"Thanks again."

"Your frail body cannot handle low temperatures for long," he stated matter-of-factly, "I'm not going through all of that trouble just to have you die from cold."

"Don't worry, I won't spill your dirty secret to anyone."

"What secret?"

"That Loki Odinson can be kind."

Loki grunted, but his face looked...dare you say happy?

The numbness in your body and pounding in your head slowed your pace from what it usually would be, but eventually you and Loki reached the living room.

"Lay down," Loki ordered, and you eagerly obeyed. He left towards the kitchen and returned with a chair, placing it next to your head and sitting down.

"I'm going to put your nose back in order," he explained, "Though it will take time. Just relax, and try not to talk."

"Ew, what was that last part?"

"Just do as you're told," he grinned.

"Yes, Mr. Odinson," you replied like a bored student.

"Very good," Loki nodded, placing his right hand gently over your nose. His left hand followed suit, and soon he was closing his eyes in concentration. The tingling sensation began, but was quickly interrupted by a shot of pain...and then another...and another. You winced every time.

"It's the bones being pulled back into place," Loki explained softly, not opening his eyes.

You didn't respond, per his request not to speak, but you did hum in acknowledgement. You laid like that for a while, occasional jolts of pain stabbing through your nose. And that was on top of the still throbbing ache that resided throughout your head.

Eventually, Loki paused, opening his eyes and removing his hands.

"Done?" you asked.

"Afraid not," he answered. "I've managed to get the bones in place, but fusing them back together will take more time. Healing it to 100% strength will take hours."

"It will heal on its own. If you can get the ball rolling though, I'd be much obliged."

"I have time to fix it," Loki argued.

"I'm not having you sit here for hours. You need sleep too."

"In case it slipped your mind, I'm a god. I don't require as much sleep as you."

"You will after you spend hours draining your magic for something as insignificant as a broken nose."

"Then I will sleep tomorrow. Now shut up, I'm going to start again."

Before you could argue, he returned his hands to their healing position and got to work once more. The fusing of bones wasn't an entirely comfortable process. Not as painful as resetting them, but a dull burning could be felt in your nose as the bones merged themselves back together. Despite the unpleasant experience, you must have been tired enough to fall asleep. The next thing you knew you were pulled awake by a wet feeling on your face. Your eyes fluttered open, and Loki, with a wet cloth in his hands, paused as he leaned over you.

"I-um...You had blood dried all over you," he said, collecting himself.

"You shouldn't have to do that," you said, feeling embarrassed that Loki had to wipe your face for you. You made a motion to grab the cloth, but he pulled it out of your reach.

"You can't even see what you're doing. I didn't mean to wake you, but seeing as the damage is done, I'll continue my work," he commanded, "If you'll allow me," he added after a second's hesitation.

"If you'll let me get up, I can go wash it off in the bathroom."

"No, you are not leaving this couch," he ordered, "I've healed nearly everything, but you should rest for longer. Your head took some damage in the hit too, so that had to be taken care of."

"I thought heads in the MCU were indestructible? How come that doesn't extend to me?"

"I cannot speak for all in this universe, but human heads are anything but indestructible."

"Ha, tell that to the Avengers. Clint get's his head slammed into a pole, knocking him free of your mind control, yet is good to go fight a war the next day?"

Loki looked like he was trying to think of an excuse, but sighed.

"Ok, fine I can't explain that one," he admitted.

"It's the MCU plot armor magic, which apparently is rude enough to withhold its gifts from me."

"How inconsiderate," he joked.

"Oh well, I have Loki magic to save the day I guess. Seriously, thanks again for everything."

He looked uncomfortable being praised like that, but he smiled nonetheless.

"How did you end up out there in the first place?"

You started laughing a little at your stupidity, which led to some coughing. Loki fetched you some water for your rather dry throat, and you gulped it down.

"Thank you," you said, as he took the cup back.

"What was so funny?"

"Friday woke me up, I assume when she detected Hydra, but she and the power went off immediately after. I thought," you paused to chuckle a bit, "I thought it was you pulling a horror prank on me as payback for the puzzle...and that you got Friday to join you."

You were laughing pretty hard now, and eventually Loki started chuckling too.

"Were you really so dull?"

"Would you really put it past you to do something like that?" you challenged right back.

"No, but why didn't you check to see if I was in my room first?"

"I haven't thought up a good excuse for that yet. Ask me again in an hour."

Loki chuckled some more, setting the glass down and picking the rag up once again.

"May I?" he asked.

"Like saying no will do anything."

"So you do learn?" Loki said, cleaning the blood off of you.

Another minute or two later and he sat back in his chair, the task completed.

"I'm sure you're tired of hearing this by now, but thank you."

"I don't know, it's growing on me," he smirked, standing to return the rag and glass to the kitchen.

"Uh-oh, ladies and gentlemen, could Loki just have shown a sentimental side to him that no one knew was there? Oh yeah, except for me."

"Don't brag so much," Loki warned, "I am far from whatever you claim I am."

"He said in denial, as the conflict raged within him," you narrated.

"I can break that nose again," he called out from the kitchen.

"And undo those hours of magic?"

"If I must."

"One time's good enough for me, thanks."

Loki walked back into the room and sat down. "Is there--um--anything else you need?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"You should eat something. My mother always taught me that the body needs its natural strength, paired with magic, to heal properly."

"Yes, but you have no idea how to work a kitchen."

"I can figure it out," he claimed in offense.

The sound of a plane swooshed over the compound, and your eyes lit up.

"Looks like you won't have to," you smirked.

The Avengers were back, and oh boy did you have a story for them.

Chapter 23: The Prank Wars

Notes:

If you don't know the Gummy Bear Song, then I feel sorry for you...WHERE WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD? Joking, obviously! But seriously...go listen to it. It makes an appearance in this chapter...and also it's just the best

"If they seem cranky when they find out what happened, just know they're not really mad at you," you cautioned, knowing that you laying here injured after a day alone with Loki was not going to look good.

"I can handle them," Loki assured arrogantly.

"I never said you couldn't, but you should still know that they're not really angry with you. You already think enough people hate you. But you did a heroic thing last night, and I'll make sure they know that."

"I saved you because I had to."

"Oh I know that was the main motivation. You're Loki after all. But I'd say fifteen percent motivation was out of the goodness of your heart."

He gave you a look. "Ok, fine, ten percent."

Loki just grinned, "Your optimism is misplaced."

"That's what Thanos says to you before you send the Hulk on him!" you exclaimed.

"And so you see, darling, he and I are not so different."

You could be wrong, but he looked partially upset.

"Nah, you are," you reassured him, "Are you forgetting who, out of the two of you, stands up for the right thing in the end?"

"It isn't the first time I have tried to overthrow someone in power over me. The fact that I try it again is hardly uncharacteristic of me."

"No, this was different, trust me. The classic Loki thing to do would be to join Thanos until it was convenient for you to betray him. Also remember that mere moments before that, Thanos was about to kill Thor and you stopped him."

"Regardless, I lose in the end...again," he said bitterly, "That, my dear, is one thing I know we can both agree on...that I am destined to lose."

"What makes you you isn't that you lose, but that you never stop trying. You may have died in the end, but that was your biggest victory, Loki. You wanna know why? Because you succeeded in proving everyone wrong, even yourself. You've convinced yourself you're good for nothing but mischief, but that's all part of the illusion. You freed yourself when you chose to do the right thing. And when I look at your life before that, I don't see a loser, but a survivor. No one could ever take you down, even when you were defeated. You always came back. Perhaps, and I'm just spitballing here, but just maybe the times you lost were because you were fighting for the wrong cause...the wrong side. I mean, you fought the right fight in the end, but the odds were stacked against everyone, not just you. I think that, given the chance, you can succeed at doing the right thing. Imagine what you could do if you didn't have to go it alone? If you let yourself be a part of something? You could accomplish anything. Because no one has your kind of determination, Loki, not even the Avengers."

He was staring intently at you, his expression difficult to read. His mouth opened, but the words were cut short by the commotion of multiple superheroes charging into the room. Loki looked up from his seat, and you craned your neck to see the Avengers standing by the doorway, their clothes and faces filthy and cuts on some of them.

"You guys ok?" you asked.

"Are we ok?" Tony barked, "What the hell happened here? Friday's been cut off from the compound, the power was off, and she said she detected multiple douchebags approaching last night."

"I believe I said lifeforms," she corrected.

"We would have come sooner," Steve explained, "But we got into a bit of a scrap right as Friday lost contact with you guys."

"Scrap is an understatement," Clint groaned, limping over to a chair and sitting down gently. The team had all moved to the living room as they talked, now standing or sitting around you.

"Oh shit, I knew it," you sighed, "Was it a trap?"

"I'm sorry, how do you know that? Another crucial piece of information your time-traveling fairy godmother mind forgot to mention?" Tony asked rather roughly.

Loki glared at Stark.

"What's his problem?" Rhodey asked, gesturing to Loki's stern look.

"Oh I don't know," Loki hissed, "Perhaps the fact that this buffoon throws accusations at someone who nearly died because of information she has brought with the intent of saving his life."

"What?!" quite a few people said at once.

As if noticing for the first time that you had yet to stand up from the couch, the Avengers all rushed to your side.

"What happened last night?" Nat asked.

"I'm sorry, kid," Tony said, "I wasn't even paying attention."

"We were all worried," Cap assured you, "But seeing you alright made us ignore the obvious."

"It's fine, seriously!" you said loudly, cutting off the rest of apologies from the others.

"Rumlow came last night looking for something. I assume whatever mission you were called for was a setup. But Loki was here and nothing happened. He scared them off."

"That asshole was here?" Sam said.

"Yup, still the same piece of shit as always too, in case you were wondering."

"I don't know how they managed to shut off the power and override Friday, but no one touches my stuff," Tony threatened.

"In that case, I wouldn't look in your lab," you said, giving him a sheepish grin.

Tony froze for a moment before scoffing. "I'll take those sons of bitches out myself."

"As long as I get to watch," you said in agreement.

"Do you know what they were looking for?" Steve asked.

"And Antlers here said you almost died?" Tony said worriedly, giving you his wide-eyed 'I'm going to murder whoever it was' look.

"If they wanted me dead, they could have killed me," you said in an attempt to lighten the situation, "And no, I don't know what they were after."

"I'm sorry, but what the hell are you doing?" Loki questioned angrily. It wasn't until now that you noticed his look of utter disbelief.

"What?"

"We know very well why they were here," he stated, addressing Steve.

"No, we have a theory," you started, but Loki's look shut you up.

"Someone better start explaining real fast before I summon Veronica," Tony warned.

"She was their target," Loki explained coolly, "They didn't seem to know what they were looking for at first, but it is clear that Rumlow figured it was her in the end. He attempted to abduct her."

"Why her?" Rhodey asked.

"We haven't pieced that together yet," you answered. "He didn't know that I knew who he was, so my knowledge of the future is a mystery to them. But he knew I came here five days ago, or at least came to that conclusion by the end of our...talk."

"You mean after he beat you up," Loki corrected, "Why are you downplaying everything?"

"Yeah, I'm with Wormtongue on this one," Tony chimed.

"Because does it really matter? I mean, it's Hydra, they do this kind of stuff to everyone."

"Yes, but if they go after something or someone, it's for a reason," Wanda explained, "So we need you to be honest about everything. If they hurt you, they did it for a reason too."

"He knew I was lying about who I was, that's all. He didn't exactly like that."

"You look pretty fine for someone who got their ass kicked last night," Sam observed.

"I only had a broken nose."

"A completely crushed nose," Loki corrected once again.

"Yes, thank you for the clarification, Loki, it's not at all annoying."

"Then why does it look fine?" Nat asked.

"Cuz Loki healed it."

The room was quiet for a second, and Loki looked like he was loving their shock.

"Who did you promise to backstab for him?" Tony asked.

"Shut up, he did it free of charge...I think," you raised an eyebrow at Loki, but the smile on your face showed him you were just kidding.

"And he saved my life. You'll find some bodies down by the lake, just a heads up."

"Why down there? And where were you when she was getting beaten up, huh?" Clint asked Loki accusingly.

"She was chased down there before I knew what was going on," he replied angrily, "And last I checked, saving lives and fighting this Hydra was your job, but where were all of you? Off chasing the breadcrumbs lined up for you. A trap you blindly stumbled into, whilst leaving behind your most valuable weapon, unguarded in an empty facility. Even the doors to your equipment and her only means of defense were locked."

"Loki, chill," you said, "It's not their fault, just as much as it isn't yours." You gave Clint a harsh look. "I was the idiot that thought Loki was fooling around with Friday, ok? I left my room willingly and got myself into my own mess. So everyone chill out before I call Rumlow and ask if I can go with him after all."

Tony was the first to speak, though it looked like it pained him to do it. "Thanks for saving her," he grumbled, not looking at Loki.

Loki looked taken aback, but quickly collected himself. "She's critical to our success," he stated, clearing his throat.

"Why haven't you gotten up?" Clint asked.

"I assume there is some healing the body must do on its own," Vision ventured a guess, "And based on their description of the state of her nose, the force of such a blow surely caused some damage to the head as well."

"Precisely," Loki said, looking to Vision in approval. "She nearly drowned as well," he continued, "Such a busy night requires rest."

"Literally, everyone in this room has suffered worse, and they get to walk it off. No way I'm being treated like a baby. It was just a broken nose, which you fixed. It's not like I'm going to go climb Mount Everest or take on Hela. But I'm getting up."

A few protests were shouted at you, but you ignored them, pushing Loki out of the way as you stood up. Apparently, you did so too quickly, and you felt dizzy for a moment. You couldn't let the others know that of course, so you played it cool and walked to the kitchen.

"I wouldn't say no to someone making breakfast though," you said, turning around to face the rest of the team as they followed you. You noticed Nat and Sam give Loki small nods of acknowledgement as they passed him, which Loki returned.

Awwwwwwwwwwwww you wanted to scream out loud, but you settled for a big smile.

"I've got this," Wanda said, walking over to the fridge.

"Better not make some bizarre Sokovian food," Rhodey protested.

"Waffles from the freezer," Wanda replied, "Though you're more than welcome to make it yourself."

"I'm gonna go make sure Tony doesn't screw things up worse than they already are, so I'll have to anyway," Rhodey replied, leaving the room in the same direction Tony had a second before. He had gone to find out what Hydra had done to Friday. You hadn't noticed that the power was already back on somehow, but apparently Friday was still shut out from the building. The rest of you made your way to the table.

You sat down next to Sam, slower than you should have because you had to admit your head felt a little heavy. Thankfully, Sam wasn't observant enough to notice, but Loki was. He sat across from you and gave you a look. You raised your eyebrows at him and his stare intensified.

"I'm fine," you mouthed. He rolled his eyes, but removed his stare.

"So, what exactly happened last night?" Sam asked as everyone but Wanda and Clint, who was helping her at the counter, settled down.

"I told you, I thought Loki was playing a horror movie prank on me. I showed him Halloween last night."

"Why would you do that!" Sam shouted comically.

"As if he wasn't enough of a psychopath," Nat added.

"I could do a far better job than Myers," Loki stated, "Far more creative too, in case you were curious."

That earned him some judgemental looks, but you just smiled.

"I know right?! That's why I decided to roam around last night even though I thought you were trying to scare me. You'd make the best horror villain, I was probably going to be scared to death!"

Vision looked confused, Steve concerned, Nat rubbed her head in a 'Oh dear Lord' fashion, and Sam laughed and shook his head.

"You're insane, you know that?" Sam said.

"What? I'm not saying I'd love to see Loki go on a murder spree, though that would probably be badass to watch. But if you were to go to a haunted house, would you want it run by a five-year-old or a pro like Loki?"

"I'd have a better chance of coming out alive with the five-year-old," Sam said.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"He can cast illusions right?" Nat asked.

"Yes, I can," Loki answered briskly, not liking people going to you for info on him when he was right there.

She gave him a brief 'I didn't ask you' look but continued her thought. "Well, in that case he'd probably throw one hell of a haunted house."

"Yes, thank you, Nat!"

"Not saying I'd enter one run by him now," she clarified, "But in another life I'd sign up for it."

"That's fair," you smiled, noticing Loki's expressionless face. He didn't seem to know how to react to such a casual conversation about him.

"So what happened? When did you notice you'd royally fucked up?" Sam pressed.

"Well, I woke up to Friday telling me to get up," you started, "It was close to midnight," you paused here, song lyrics popping in your head, "and something evil was lurking in the dark." You couldn't help but being an idiot, it just came naturally. "Under the moooonlight, I see a sight that almost stopped my heart," you continued, smirking like a moron.

"You try to scream!" Sam joined in.

"But terror takes the sound before you make it!" Clint added from behind you.

The three of you finished the first verse and chorus.

Loki's eyes danced back and forth between the three of you, looking like he was watching a trio of individuals who had just lost their minds. Nat was laughing at the three of you, slightly nodding her head along to the imaginary music. Poor Steve and Vision just looked confused.

"Michael Jackson!" Sam exclaimed to Steve, once you had finished the first chorus. "I thought I told you to listen to him?"

"The list is very long, and that's one of the newer additions," he defended.

"It's a top priority as of now," you commanded, "And the second Tony gets Friday up and running, we're playing Thriller for you."

"I'm afraid I'll get flogged if I say this," Wanda said, delivering you a plate of waffles and some milk, "But I haven't heard that song either."

"No one would flog you for that," Vision said, looking concerned.

"Oh I know, I was just joking Vis, it's ok," she explained kindly to him, laughing a bit.

"Oh," he smiled, "right."

Loki looked at Wanda, then Vision, then Wanda again, and then you with raised eyebrows.

You tried to hide your smile from the rest of the group, but quickly put your finger to your lips, letting him know not to say a word.

He looked mildly disgusted by the revelation he had just uncovered.

"You have an excuse, Wanda. I doubt you've had much time to enjoy American classics," you said.

"Actually, my family loved American sitcoms," she said fondly, but you heard the pain in her voice, "But I'm afraid music wasn't as big of a focus."

"Being in ice for seventy years doesn't give me a pass?" Steve challenged.

"Nope," you and Sam said in unison.

"You know what, fine," he said, "I'll listen to his music when we go more than a few months without fighting someone trying to take over the world."

"Oh come on," you moaned.

"He'll look for any excuse not to be reminded of how old he is," Sam accused, "Including sticking to the same 40's music."

You started whistling It's Been a Long, Long Time, to which Sam swayed back and forth, smiling mockingly at Cap.

"Alright alright, at least music had some class back then," he argued.

"Hey 80's rock had class, just ask Loki, he seemed to really like it."

"What did you make him listen to?" Nat asked, reading the expression on Loki's face.

"Just some Journey," you defended.

"Among other things," Loki added.

"And who the hell finished a thousand piece puzzle in a day?" Clint asked, coming down to the table with plates of waffles.

"That would be Loki, and it was in a few hours."

Clint looked like he thought it was kinda impressive but wasn't going to show that to the god. It was bad enough for him that Wanda made him deliver Loki's food. You were just happy they remembered to feed him too.

"Like this," you told Loki, grabbing the syrup and coating your waffles. He followed suit, though in a more moderate amount than your unhealthy body liked.

"Does it usually take you mortals longer?" Loki asked, gesturing to the puzzle at the end of the table.

"Oh, forever. Days, weeks, however long someone needs."

"And here I thought I was trying to accomplish a simple Midgardian task in the usual allotted time," he stated, narrowing his eyes at you a bit.

"I don't think I ever told you that was the case."

"No, but you readily kept that information quite confidential when challenging me, didn't you?"

"Never crossed my mind," you lied, "I just assumed you knew it's supposed to take a while, guess I forgot you're an idiot when it comes to anything down here. More of your brother's turf, isn't it?"

Loki returned your insincere smile, "I suppose it is."

"What bet did you make?" Sam asked.

"We didn't bet anything, just a challenge that he had to finish before 6...which he technically didn't."

Loki quickly moved to argue, but you cut him off. "I'm just joking, I know you finished!"

"As long as that's clear," he agreed.

"A challenge by its nature should have stakes," Sam argued.

"Otherwise it's no fun," Nat agreed.

"It only makes it fair, that way both parties have something to lose. If Loki were to lose, his pride would be injured, as you well knew. Yet by him succeeding, you have lost nothing besides the challenge. Thus, you remain unaffected by the results, while Loki does not," Vision added.

"Woah, how is it fair that Loki losing the challenge is theoretical punishment enough, but the same doesn't go for me?"

"Because your desire to prove you're better is not nearly as great as Loki's. You know he yearns for any small victory he can grasp, in order to make himself feel stronger," Vision explained in a helpful tone.

Loki's 'Did he seriously just say that while right next to me' face made you laugh.

"He's not trying to be rude," you said over the chuckles of the others at the table, "Vision is very matter-of-fact." That didn't seem to calm Loki's look of anger.

"Oh, I'm sorry if my words caused offense," Vision apologized, "I was simply applying what Ms Wren has said regarding your sense of inferiority adapted from your familial--"

"OK!" you cut him off, "Thanks for explaining Vis!" you said, partially sarcastically, but mostly like you would to a child who didn't understand they were being unbearably unhelpful.

Loki was intensely glaring at you now, and Sam and Nat were loving it, laughing quite hard at the awkward silence. Steve and Wanda were smiling too, with Wanda telling Vis she'd explain the laughter to him later. Clint, however, clearly did not like the way Loki was glaring at you.

"So, how was your mission?" you asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Subtle," Sam said.

"It could have gone better," Steve explained, attempting to help you out, which earned him one of your grateful looks. "As you guessed, it was a setup. They knew we were coming. Tony informed us about Friday's warning from here, but moments after she detected the bomb set to level the building. They had civilian hostages that we had to clear. The remaining Hydra operatives put up a fight to stall us as well."

"Did you get all of the hostages out?"

Steve looked somber, "No, we didn't."

The whole table was quiet.

"When you want to change the subject, you really change the subject," Sam whispered, receiving an elbow to the ribs.

"Well, you can't save everyone," you stated encouragingly, "Comes with the job I guess, but you did your best."

"Ah, yes, so easy to be the optimistic one when you're the reason they died," Loki said, "Especially when you didn't have to lift a finger or feel the consequences."

"Shut your goddamn mouth!" Sam snapped.

"Loki, you're not involved in this," Steve said.

"And you have no idea what you're talking about," Nat added.

"Don't I?" Loki asked, "Who had to save her skin when she nearly got herself killed? Who is the reason you were all called out in the first place?"

"Quite a different view than you had in the living room," Wanda observed.

"It's because he's angry," you said, "He tends to run his mouth when he's upset."

Loki stood in an instant, slamming his fist on the table. The others were up in a flash too, ready to restrain him at the slightest sign of trouble. The suddenness of the motion had caused you to jump a little, but you remained in your seat, thinking Loki's look could surely kill you from across the table. You were angry that he was blaming everything on you, so at that particular time you felt no remorse for what you'd said.

It was a few seconds before Loki spoke. "I'm going to my room," he said, which is not what you'd expected to hear.

"Ok, I'll walk you up," Steve said, walking Loki towards the hallway.

"Yes, please. Cranky Junior needs his naptime," you mumbled, not thinking Loki would hear, but his pause half-way to the hall indicated otherwise.

"Oh, shit, I mean uh see you later! Rest well," you called out sarcastically.

He never turned to face you, but eventually continued after Cap.

"You're messing with someone you can't beat," Clint warned, "Not the smartest thing to do."

"I'm not looking to beat him."

"In which case you're even dumber. Picking a fight you don't intend on fighting," Clint returned.

"I think it's good for him," Nat defended, "God knows the man needs to be knocked off of the pedestal he's put himself on."

"Besides, she has us," Wanda said, "It's not like he can do anything to her."

"Unless we get called away again," Sam pointed out.

"You seriously think we'd leave her alone again?" Nat asked.

"Well, she can't come on missions can she? And if she comes, then Loki would have to cuz he can't be left alone," Sam argued.

"We'll figure something out," Clint said, "With Hydra after her, we're not letting her out of our sight."

"Hopefully, Thor will be here soon, then we can get a move on stopping Thanos. Earthly matters will be the least of our concerns then," you said.

"Unless we get a hit on Barnes first," Nat clarified.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, the Winter Soldier would be super helpful up there," you said, pointing above you, "And besides, I can't wait to see Bucky!" you squealed like a child.

"Oh, so fangirl has another love?" Sam asked, "Didn't seem as thrilled to meet me."

"I was!" you defended, hitting his arm, "I just met all of you at once, so I was probably in a fangirl overload. Honestly, I can vividly remember that moment six days ago, while at the same time it's all a blur. But I swear, I felt the same for all of you," you reassured him like a mother might to her child.

"Whatever, I get it, I'm not some chiseled super soldier stud."

You rolled your eyes, finishing the last of your milk and standing up to clear your place.

"Sam!" Wanda exclaimed, "Help her."

"You sure there aren't any jacked, handsome white males around that she would prefer? Clint, you at least fit half the description."

Clint threw a syrup-covered napkin at Sam's face as he dodged and stood up to help you.

"I'm good, Sam," you laughed, "I'd worry about Hawkeye over there."

You left the bickering and insulting that ensued between Sam and Clint, walking to the sink to dispose of your plate. They were still at it when you sat back down.

"Ok, enough boys," Nat stepped in, and Sam and Clint amusingly shut right up for her.

"We should all get some rest," she continued, "And I mean proper rest. That means no TV, no saying we'll relax when we really head down here to play Mario Kart or Wii Sports," that one got a groan out of both Clint and Sam, "and NO target practice when you get bored." Her look was intensely focused on Clint.

"Don't worry," he moaned, "I'm not decorating another wall. 'Angry Father' Tony is not my favorite version of him to deal with."

"Good," Nat answered, pushing her chair out from the table. "And you need to get that leg looked at, Barton."

"When will you learn you can't boss me around, Romanoff?"

"The day it doesn't work," she smirked.

"Hmph, one of these days," he smiled, standing up and walking out of the room with Nat.

"You heard her," Wanda said, shooing everyone from the table.

Steve had never come back down, so you assumed he had already gone to his room, or was off bothering Tony somewhere. The four of you, Wanda, Vision, Sam, and yourself, took the elevator up to the third floor together. As far as floor partners went, you had a pretty damn good group. Honestly, Loki made it even better. Him in the flesh might be more than you bargained for, but it was still Loki.

Your point was proven when you said bye to the others and went to enter your room. You must have stood stupidly for a moment or two, as your head processed what it saw. Your room was upside down. Literally, you were standing on the ceiling, your bed hanging from the floor above you. Magically, everything wasn't falling off the bed, dressers, or floor. As if the objects on the floor (or ceiling) had a gravity of their own.

That son of a bitch you thought, laughing internally, Not bad, Trickster.

Just then, Friday's voice nearly gave you a heart-attack.

"Boss wants me to inform you that I am back online."

"Gosh you scared the snot out of me!"

"I'm sorry, Miss."

"Don't apologize, it's good to have you back!"

"It's good to be back."

"Soooo...now that my partner in crime has returned...do you think you could help me get back at Loki for the state of my room?"

"The boss doesn't have cameras in the rooms, but I'll take it the God of Mischief did quite a number?"

"He did indeed," you chuckled.

"Then let's return the favor, Ma'am."

"Friday, you're the literal best."

You walked to the area under your bed, reaching up and pulling a blanket off. Once off of the bed, gravity kicked back in and it fell on you. Doing the same with the pillows, though prepared for the sudden gravity, you made yourself a makeshift bed on the ceiling. A few books were kept on a shelf in the corner, so you grabbed one from it's upside down position and made yourself comfortable in your "bed." You actually wanted to nap, but if Loki came bursting into the room after what you were about to do, you'd want to look like you were enjoying yourself.

"Friday," you said once you were settled, "Please play The Gummy Bear Song on repeat in Loki's room. Loud enough to bother him extensively, but not enough that the others in the hall besides myself can hear."

"On it!" she replied happily.

The music was loud enough for you to hear, and you bobbed your head along as you read your book. After the third time through, you asked Friday for an update.

"He shouted for me several times during the first run," she said, "But I haven't responded. Since then, he has been quiet."

"If only the rooms had cameras," you wished.

"I'm sure it would be quite a sight," she agreed.

"Well, if he's as clever as he thinks he is, he'll piece together what's going on. Then I can fill you in on his reaction."

The song played a fourth time, before you heard Loki's door open and close roughly. Right as it closed, the music stopped. There was a pause before Loki's door opened again. As soon as it did, the music blared once more.

I love you so much Friday, you thought, hiding your smile behind your book as your door was thrown open.

"Make it stop," he demanded, though there was the essence of begging in his voice.

"Make what stop?" you asked, "Oh, and I didn't know you liked the Gummy Bear song!"

"I said, stop it!" he shouted.

"It's not my room, just ask Friday to stop it," you said like he was bothering you, retreating behind your book once more.

His chuckle would have been spine-chilling were you not so amused.

"The room was child's play," he said, "A small taste of the magic I have at my disposal. Silence that infernal tune, or I swear your whole world will be turned upside down next."

"In case you haven't noticed," you answered from behind your book, "I'm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...which is fiction I grew up with. So I'd say it already has been turned upside down, wouldn't you?"

He went to take a step towards you.

"Your physical threats won't work either, though they'd encourage me to ask Friday to turn up the volume."

"I'm not leaving until you shut it off!"

"Friday, play the Gummy Bear Song for me."

The tune started up and Loki looked like he was going to smash his head against a wall.

"Oh I'm a Gummy bear, yes I'm a gummy bear!" you sang along, bobbing your head happily.

"Ok, what do I have to do?!" he shouted over the music.

"Friday, pause it please." The music stopped immediately. "You could always bring any technical difficulties up with the man in charge, I mean, this is Tony's place. I'm sure he could fix whatever defect is afflicting your room."

Despite you laughing at yourself, Loki was not amused.

"Ok, fine. How about 1) you fix my room, though it looks pretty cool like this, 2) You stop being angry because of what Vision said, and 3) you declare right here and now that I have won the Prank Wars. Then, I will consider shutting the music off."

Loki sighed deeply, but smirked. "Perhaps you're more ruthless than I took you for?"

"Perhaps I've enjoyed watching villains too much on screen."

His smirk turned into a smile. "Perhaps."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds that you couldn't stand.

"So, do you agree?"

"Oh, heavens no, though I'm willing to come to an arrangement."

"This ought to be good. What is it? 'Do as I say and I let you live'?"

"Already tried that, it doesn't seem to work on you," he complained, leaning against the wall. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of a real negotiation."

"Let me hear your terms then."

"I will fix your room, I can make no promises regarding my anger, and the Prank Wars are by no means over."

"Hmmmmm..." you mused in an exaggerated manner, "Close, but not quite. You have to at least try to not be angry. If you can't, fair, but I want the effort, Loki Odinson."

"Deal," he grinned, walking out the door.

"Hey!" you shouted, getting up and running after him.

"What?" he asked in the hall.

"My room?"

"Oh, right," he sighed, closing your door and waving his hand in front of him. When he opened it, the room was back to normal. He stepped aside, holding out his hand for you to enter.

"Thank you," you nodded, walking past him into your normal bedroom.

"And the music?" he questioned.

"Oh, Friday?" you called out.

"Taken care of, Miss."

Loki shook his head, "The two of you together..."

"I know, we're great."

"I might borrow whatever it was that Hydra used on her," he said, quite seriously actually, as he turned to go to his room.

"Eh, get some sleep CrankyPants."

He gave you a sour look before shutting his door.

You took a shower before cuddling in your bed for a nap. The sheets felt even softer after a shower, so you were out like a light within a minute of hitting your pillow.

Some dream occupied your mind, dancing back and forth between settings and characters. The Avengers and Loki made occasional appearances, but mostly you dreamt of home. Wren! someone shouted in your dream, and you shot awake. Your eyes snapped open, but you didn't move, looking around groggily in the dim light.

"Wren!" Loki barked, and you jumped out of your skin. He was standing behind you by the side of your bed.

"Loki!" you yelled, "What did I say about coming in my room while I'm sleeping!"

"Apologies," he snarked insincerely, "But this is important."

It was then that you realized he had used your real name for the first time.

Damn, it must really be important.

"What is it then, and Lord help you if this is a prank."

"Heimdall has found Thor," he said quickly.

"Oh my gosh, really?!" you asked excitedly.

"Yes, Heimdall has spoken to me. Thor's coming here in moments."

He didn't seem entirely happy about that.

"You ok?" you asked.

"Of course," he snapped, "I've dealt with that oaf my whole life, I can tolerate him again."

"Ok, Mr. Tough Guy. Thor won't be mad at you...well, if he is, not for long. He was devastated when you died."

"So your memories have shown."

"Then take a chill pill and breathe a bit, you're so dang tense. I'm sure he'll have some Thor scolding to do, but he'll be glad to see you."

"Can we get a move on?" he asked abruptly.

"Yeah, give me a sec to grab a coat."

The two of you were in the elevator moments later.

"Friday, are the others asleep?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Ok, unless you think Tony will be mad, just let them sleep for now. If Thor's here, another mission will be soon, so they should sleep."

"I agree. Thor is not a threat, so there is no immediate need to wake the Boss."

The sun was setting when you and Loki made it out onto the grass. Loki went to walk towards the area that was apparently the designated bifrost zone, but you stayed where you were.

"What are you doing?" he asked, once noticing you weren't following him.

"I think you should be the one to greet him," you said, "I'd love to be there to hear everything, but someone has mentioned once or twice that I stick my nose into things that don't concern me," you smiled.

"Who on earth would suggest such a thing?"

"Get going," you ordered, and he turned promptly.

He eventually paused, looking straight ahead as the bifrost shot down in front of him. When the colors dissipated, Thor was standing on the lawn. You couldn't hear what was being said, but they stood like that for a few minutes. Embarrassingly enough, you were focusing more on the fact that Thor was here than you were on what was going on. Your heart was pounding and you felt the nerves and excitement you had gotten whenever meeting another character or seeing a new place like Asgard. Due to your tendency to zone out, you don't know how long it was before the brothers finally moved, or rather Thor did. He walked up to Loki, and the most unexpected but amazing thing happened.

Thor was hugging Loki, pulling him in tightly, one arm around him and the other holding Mjolnir. Loki looked uncomfortable and  hesitant at first. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Thor, returning the hug.

Chapter 24: Suit Up

Your hand was over your mouth in an instant, feeling so happy you could honestly have teared up. You saw Thor's head perk up a little higher from Loki's shoulder, and you realized he had seen you. Dropping your hand down to your side, you tried to play it cool as the brothers walked towards you together. Thor leaned in to say something to Loki, and he nodded as he replied.

"An honor to meet you, Lady Wren," Thor said when they reached you, bowing his head slightly, "I'm told you've heard of me." Thor's big smile never left his face, and you couldn't help but laugh at his bragging tone and adorable nature.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" you shrieked, not caring to inflate his ego. Thor deserved it. "I can't believe I get to meet you...or that you're real."

"Yes, Heimdall has told me of your situation. So, am I really on one of those television boxes in your world?" he asked eagerly.

"Oh yeah, I've seen a lot of your story since the day of your coronation...well, almost coronation...before Loki did what Loki does best," you answered with a smile.

"Ah yes, my brother never fails to make a scene," Thor laughed, putting his hand up on his face between himself and Loki, "Bit of an attention hog that one, but that's little brothers for you, eh?"

Loki rolled his eyes and folded his arms, not loving how much attention Thor was getting or how he was talking about him.

"I've also been informed that you can see the future, or some mystical magicness stuff?"

"In my universe your stories are just farther along, because it's six years ahead," you explained, "So, I've seen what happens in later movies, yes."

"Does he really die, like for real, and I mean dead dead?" Thor asked, "Because dying is one of his favorite pastimes." He patted Loki on the back, rather firmly, and you noticed there were a bit of hurt feelings on Thor's part.

"Yeah, no, it's for real. And it's not a pretty sight."

"It's not his fault, I always was the one with the looks," Thor chuckled, saying everything in the very animated way Thor always does.

"Yeah, what's with the kind of weasley greasy look?" you teased Loki.

Thor laughed, patting your shoulder. "I like this one," he said to his brother.

"I'm thrilled for you," Loki said in a bored tone.

"He's just jealous that there's another Asgardian here to steal some of the spotlight," you whispered loudly, as the three of you walked back to the compound.

"Oh I know," Thor whispered back equally as loud, "One time when we were kids, one of our lady friends from the palace was spending her time with me, obviously, so Loki proceeded to turn her hair into snakes. Then he locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out until I threatened to get Father."

"Oooooo, sounds like someone had a childhood crush!" you laughed, raising your eyebrows up and down at Loki.

"I was ten," he said in defense.

"And no less wiser in the art of wooing a lady," Thor pointed out.

"Thor, I think you and I are going to get along," you smirked.

"I agree, Lady Wren. Anyone who messes with Loki like that is a friend of mine already."

"In that case, cut the 'Lady' from my name. Otherwise I'll feel worse when I act quite unlady-like, and annoying Loki is far too enjoyable to stop."

"That's what I always told Mother!" he exclaimed.

"I thought Loki was the problem child?"

"Well...I may have instigated a few minor times."

"Minor?" Loki questioned.

"Well I don't think any of what I said warranted getting stabbed," Thor argued.

"Depends on your point of view," you chimed in.

"Who's side are you on?" Thor whispered in betrayal.

"Oh, didn't she tell you?" Loki asked smoothly.

"I've known her for five seconds, Loki," Thor answered irritably.

"I'm her favorite character in these movies of hers," he declared triumphantly.

Thor looked at you in horror. "Him?" he asked incredulously, "I thought he was a greasy weasel?!"

"Well, he kinda is...but he's not lying. It's a long story, I'll explain some time when Loki isn't here to smite me for talking about his emotional state. And besides, I got the greasy and weasley insults from you actually."

"I don't recall saying those things, but it does sound like me," he said proudly.

"Future you," you explained.

"I knew it sounded familiar!" Loki cried.

"Familiar?" Thor asked.

"Oh, yeah, I let Loki into my mind to see the future stuff I've seen."

Thor paused in the middle of the hallway, looking serious.

"You did what?" he asked, looking from Loki to you, "And you didn't force her to?" he challenged his brother.

"No, Thor," Loki sighed, "As she says, she let me in." Thor didn't seem convinced. "Have I ever lied about using someone like that against their will?"

"He would probably brag about it," you agreed, "And he's telling the truth, it was my idea."

"Why would you allow him such access?" Thor demanded.

"Because I needed him to believe my story by showing him that it was true."

"And you trusted him enough?"

"Well, yeah," you said, kind of uncertain of your answer. "Loki is powerful enough to do what he wanted, but if I help him out there's no need for him to get violent. Besides, he may pretend to enjoy hurting people, but I know I did him a favor by trusting him," you smirked in a cocky manner.

"She likes to pretend she knows me," Loki complained, "As if a mortal could understand anything about our lives."

Thor looked at Loki and his over-anxious denial, slowly smiling at his brother.

"What?!" Loki snapped.

"Brother, I think for once someone has you more figured out than I do. You only get that face on when trying to deny whatever truth I'm saying to you."

"This is absurd," he retorted angrily, storming into the kitchen.

"Loki also saved my life...and fixed my broken nose," you whispered to Thor.

"Brother, did you really?" Thor asked excitedly.

"Really what Thor?" Loki asked in a tired voice.

"Save someone's life without faking your death?" he asked like it was the most groundbreaking event.

"Did you forget the part where I die in the future? I needed her."

"Oh, you hear that? He needed you," Thor laughed, "I didn't know you two were so close," he said with a sly look on his face.

"Brother!" Loki shouted.

"That's not what he meant and you know it!" you protested.

"What do you mean? I wasn't implying anything," he grinned childishly, "You two did that yourselves."

"Oh dear, Friday, please wake the others?" you announced quickly, changing the subject.

Thor was still smiling like a dope as he went over to the bar to grab a beer.

"Loki, you want one?" he asked, to which Loki shook his head. You did the same when Thor nodded questioningly to you.

"Yup, you're both boring too," he mumbled to himself, popping open the bottle and chugging half of it in one sip.

"So, brother, how are you finding Midgard? Have you tried their Poptarts?" he asked.

"I wish to hold onto the years of my life, thank you," Loki replied, "And it's as repulsive as ever."

"Of course," Thor said sarcastically, giving you a wink.

"Believe what you want, Thor," Loki grumbled, detecting his brother's insincerity.

"I intend to," Thor assured him, flopping on the couch and propping his feet up. "Where is the remote stick that controls the box?" Thor called out.

You walked out and picked the remote up from the cushion right next to Thor, handing it to him with a look.

"Ah, I looked there, must have been between the seats," he said, nodding as if trying to believe what he had just said.

"Mmhmm sure," you scoffed, returning to the kitchen for a drink.

"Which button turns it on again?" Thor asked before you could get to the fridge.

You smiled and turned around, walking back to help him once more. You had finally selected a show, Wipeout, just as Nat, Clint, and Steve entered the kitchen.

"Heeyyy!" Thor shouted happily, standing up to go greet his friends. Loki looked on in displeasure as you looked on with joy.

"How have you been faring while the strongest Avenger was away?" Thor laughed, hugging Nat.

"Our subtlety has definitely improved," she responded, returning the hug.

"Captain, Barton, you're looking well," Thor said, shaking each hand and patting them on the back.

"Really?" Clint asked, indicating the light brace around his knee and the slight limp he had.

"I thought it was just a fashion statement," Thor lied, covering the fact that he was oblivious, "I would get one."

"It's good to see you, Thor," Steve laughed.

The third floor residents, along with Rhodey, entered just then, and the greetings continued.

"Sam, Lady Maximoff," Thor said, addressing them each in turn.

"Thor, I told you before you left, please call me Wanda."

"I'm sorry, of course," he apologized, greeting Rhodey and Vision next. "And where is Stark?" he asked, looking around in case he'd missed him entering the room.

"He'll be down shortly," Friday called out.

"Ah, thank you kind voice," Thor smiled to the ceiling. "Bit of a late morning for you, isn't it?" Thor asked the group. By this point the sun was nearly set.

"Didn't get back from a mission til this morning," Steve explained.

"I'm sorry I missed all the fun," Thor said, before noting Loki skulking in the corner, "And what did you do with him while you were away? I trust he behaved, otherwise he wouldn't still be here."

"Left New Girl with him for a day," Rhodey said.

"Ah, then he was in very capable hands," Thor smiled at you.

As much as you wanted to use the opportunity to mock Loki somehow, you saw the tired look on his face, like he was used to being talked about like this.

"I think it was the other way around," you chuckled, "I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't here."

"Hydra attacked while we were gone," Nat clarified.

"Those slimy bastards are still around?" he asked angrily.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," you said in your german accent, receiving looks from the rest of the room.

"Although her accents suck, she's right," Sam said, "They never seem to stay dead."

"Loki, I found the perfect group for you!" you called over to him.

"Don't think the thought hasn't already crossed my mind," he replied.

"Well, the fools didn't know what they were getting themselves into," Thor said happily, "You made quick work of them I assume?" he asked his brother.

"The gates of hell are filled with the screams of his victims," you said, accidentally using your Thor voice.

"Ok, that's creepy," Thor pointed a finger at you.

"She does it a lot," Steve smiled, "Seems to remember everything we say."

"Not everything," you argued.

"Oh yeah, what happened after Thor said that line?" Nat asked.

You smiled like an idiot. "Bruce was all upset, you shot Thor a dirty look, and he stuttered 'But not the screams of the dead of course. No, no, wounded screams...mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and...gout.'"

Thor was laughing now, "You're a funny little one, aren't you?"

"I like to think I'm tall for a girl, but yes, I am quite funny."

"Your impressions aren't horrible," Clint added, "But they're pretty terrible."

"I'm sorry I can't perfectly imitate a british god's deep voice."

"British?" Thor asked, confused.

"The accent we have, Thor," Loki explained like Thor was an idiot, "Similar to a form they have somewhere on Midgard."

"Since when were you so knowledgeable on matters of this planet?" Thor asked in surprise.

"Out of the two of us, which actually studied?"

"And they mentioned British accents in your Asgardian texts?" you asked.

"No, but I was proving that I, by the very nature of our personalities, am more likely to know something than Thor."

"Be that as it may, it has nothing to do with how you knew about British accents," you argued back.

"He did not specifically ask how I knew that, but rather questioned my ability to know anything regarding Midgard. Therefore, the defense of my tendency to know more was valid."

"Only if you're stupid and assume that Thor was talking so broadly. However, if you were smart, which I thought you pride yourself on, Mr. I-Study-More-Than-Thor, you'd know that he was asking a general question with the clear intent of wondering how you knew what you had said seconds beforehand."

"I cannot help my brother's inability to ask straightforward questions, and so I shall answer his folly as it should be answered."

"Spoken like a true moron who needs to justify being a moron."

"Ok, who wants food?" Tony's voice boomed as he walked into the room, cutting off the debate.

You noticed the others had been watching with amused looks, Thor now smiling at his brother.

"I agree with her," he told Loki.

Loki just glared, but when Thor looked away he smirked ever so slightly at you.

"You know I won," you whispered to him as the others were occupied by Tony and Thor's hellos.

"I believe we were cut short, darling. I assure you, I never lose a battle of words."

"Remember who you're talking to, buddy."

"Ok, so maybe the rare occasion in my life," he conceded.

"And look who just won again?!" you said teasingly, "I need to start a tally-board."

"I'm ordering a whole bunch of burgers and fries tonight," Tony announced, "And any other junk food you want. Mozzarella sticks? Wings?"

"More beer," Thor declared, "I saw your fridge is rather scarce."

"Right, beer boy is back," Tony noted, "So, what, three times the usual amount?"

"That should last a few days, yes," Thor agreed.

"Friday, put that order in, please, he'll have the fridge cleared out by tonight," Tony said with a snicker.

"And why shouldn't I? This is a joyous occasion is it not?" Thor cheered.

"You visiting is hardly cause for celebration," Clint said.

"You were always my least favorite, Barton," Thor whined back, "But I was talking about Wren, actually."

"What, that she didn't die her first week here? I guess that is an accomplishment," Tony said, giving you a little clap.

"That we have a chance to succeed now that she is here," Thor said seriously, "Not to mention that my father has been returned, my brother is alive, and we're all together."

"You'll think of any excuse to get drunk, won't you?" Nat asked, changing the emotional tone of the conversation.

"I stand by what I said, but the beer is good motivation," Thor agreed with a smile.

You'd noticed Loki had been looking at Thor with fondness, but that now changed to a head shake and eye roll.

"Now that you're here, we need to plan our next steps," Cap said, "We should get a start on finding these stones as soon as possible."

"We'll talk shop after dinner," Tony said, dropping down on the couch to watch Wipeout. He was clearly still sleepy.

"Stark is right," Thor boomed, "Food and the television first." He grabbed a second beer before sitting on the couch with Tony.

Thor's laughter at the face-plants and painful failures on the screen was infectious. You found yourself in a constant state of giggling or smiling as Thor enjoyed himself.

Loki grabbed a chair next to yours in the living room and leaned in a bit to whisper.

"Don't encourage him."

"He's a happy guy, it's hard not to be happy with him."

"Happy is one word. Embarrassing is another."

"Don't pretend to not be happy he's here," you said, "I've seen the looks you give him. I believe fondness is how I would describe some of them."

"You're imagining things."

"Riight, must have been."

"I mean, even if I was," he continued like you had argued back, "you know, happy, what does it matter?"

"Never said it does, it's just cute. And it's ok to be happy, Loki. It's what you've wanted, yes?"

"In your mind perhaps," he mumbled absent-mindedly. He was zoned out, staring ahead at nothing.

You turned your focus to the show, watching in silence until the food came. Dinner was a great time, made all the more fun with Thor. He had apparently enjoyed your impressions of him, because he asked for more, which led to a whole game of you impersonating the Avengers and the things they've said. You were getting into it, acting out some of the scenes as you went.

"I did not sound that scared!" Tony protested, after you'd quoted the 'I'm sorry' scene when he was fighting Hulk.

"Yes you did!" you laughed, "Which is why it was such a funny line."

"Ok, what would you say if you'd knocked a tooth out of the Jolly Green Giant?" Tony asked the table, who was enjoying hearing of Tony's fear. "Have any of you even done that before, hmmm?? Didn't think so. Besides, it was more of a polite gesture between coworkers. You know, clear the tension, keep the drama at work and not take it home with you."

"Mmhmm, sure Tony," Rhodey said, "Next time I get into an argument with someone on the field I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Another!" Thor yelled to you.

"Gosh, what haven't I done yet? There's so much I can't do because it hasn't happened."

"You haven't done Loki yet!" Thor exclaimed, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder next to him.

"And she won't," Loki stated.

The table started giving him trouble for that.

"Oh come on, brother, stop being such a poor sport!"

"I don't need his permission anyway," you noted, and Loki scowled at you.

"Come on then," Sam urged.

"Ok," you said, clearing your throat, cracking your knuckles, and stretching your neck.

"Should I be offended it didn't take this much prep to imitate me?" Tony asked, but he was shushed by everyone.

"I am Loki," you said, doing your best Loki expressions too, "of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose!"

The table erupted.

"How's that glorious purpose working out for you?" Clint asked, to which Loki glared and leaned his forehead on his hand. Not that you minded Loki getting laughed at, but Clint's statements and the laughter that continued made you feel bad for him. He looked so disappointed.

"Do you mind if I do the scene in the vaults?" you whispered to Loki, who was next to you, "I know you don't like showing what you see as weakness, but your 'strong' moment is just as bad isn't it? It will shut them up, trust me."

"Do as you will," he snapped, "What I want is irrelevant to you anyway."

The fact that he was allowing it showed you he secretly wanted to share it. Maybe he didn't know it himself, but deep down he wanted to. The Avengers needed to understand Loki better anyway.

"Am I cursed?" you said loud enough to shut the others up as they eagerly waited for another laugh.

"And then Odin says 'No', just so y'all know who the second person is," you continued.

"What am I?"

"You're my son....(Loki turns around and his face is fading back to normal, having been blue from touching the Frost Giant magic box thing)."

"What more than that? The casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

"No. In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small, for a Giant's offspring. Abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

"Laufey's son?...(there's a pause where he processes what's going on)... Why? You were knee-deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?"

"You were an innocent child."

"No, you took me for a purpose, what was it?...(Odin doesn't answer)...Tell meeee! (At this point he's starting to tear up)"

Loki moved uncomfortably next to you.

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace...through you. But those plans no longer matter."

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me."

"Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning, why didn't you?"

"You're my son. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Why, because I-I-I-I'm the monster that parents tell their children about at night? You know it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all those years! Because no matter how much you claimed to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

"Then, Odin...well, for our purposes we'll say he had a heart-attack...end scene."

The table was uncomfortably quiet. Thor looked shocked and sad for his brother, evidently not having been privy to that conversation before.

"I-I'm sorry, brother. I should have been there," he said softly.

Loki shrugged Thor's hand off his shoulder roughly, staring hard at the table and his clenched fists resting in front of him.

"Anyone else want to mock Loki about his purpose?" you asked the table, which remained quiet.

"We should, um, get to work," Steve said, standing up from the table.

"Yeah, theater's over," Tony agreed, following Steve's lead.

Quietly and awkwardly the table was cleared and all of you were gathered in a larger meeting room a few minutes later...the same one where the brainstorming before the Time Heist happens.

"Ok," Tony said, writing the same info from before back on the screens. "The cube is up with Papa Point Break," he said.

"Yes, I checked on it before coming here. It remains in the vault," Thor confirmed.

"That leaves the Power, Soul, and Reality stones, correct?" he asked you.

"Yup, the ones in space at least."

"The Reality, the Aether, is with a man called the Collector," Thor said.

"In a place called Knowhere," you added.

"I have yet to track the Power Stone," Thor admitted defeatedly.

"It's currently safe on Xandar," you chimed, "No, with an X, not Z," you corrected Tony as he wrote on the board. "And Knowhere is 'K. N. O. W."

"Goddamn space language," Tony grumbled, fixing the mistakes.

"That leaves the soul," Steve said, "Where is that?"

"No one has ever seen the soul stone," Thor said.

"Yeah, but she knows where it is," Nat explained.

"If I tell you, we're all targets. Right now, there is one known person in the universe who knows where it is. Thanos will go after her. Maybe if we've foiled his plans with the other stones, then he won't bother going after it. But I don't want to take that chance, so finding her later will be a priority."

"How about you tell us where it is, and we blast the thing to hell as planned?" Tony asked.

"That sounds good to me," Rhodey agreed.

"No, we need to leave the soul stone alone."

"I thought you wanted me to destroy as many as possible?" Wanda asked.

"I do, but in order to get the soul stone, a person must lose someone they love. A soul for a soul. Everlasting exchange."

"Whenever asked why I was so unloveable, I always said it was so no one could murder me for a magic rock," Tony said, writing 'Murder Rock' on the screen with a big X over it.

"Earlier in the week, you mentioned that we traverse back in time to obtain the stones before Thanos, using them to defeat him," Vision said, "Did we not manage to get the soul stone then?"

"Yeah, you uh, you did," you said sadly.

"Oh," Vision nodded, "I see."

"I swear, if my dramatic death was getting stabbed in the back by one of you," Tony warned.

"It's like you said, Tony, no one loves you," Nat smirked, "And I doubt Vis can die that easily, so that leaves me."

Clint laughed like she was joking, but saw the look on your face.

"Wait, she's right?" he asked, "You said she died saving me?"

"You, and lots of others...half the universe was the 'others' part. And you were the one who lost someone you loved."

"I wouldn't kill Natasha!" He exclaimed.

"And you didn't, she kills herself."

"Remember she said I jump off a cliff?" Nat reminded him.

"Exactly. The way the soul stone exchange is set up is that you're basically at a cliff on the top of a mountain. One soul must be thrown off in order for the other to get the stone. You and Nat have a battle, each trying to throw yourselves off before the other can stop you. You almost win, Clint, but at the last second Nat jumps off with you, shooting her little rope thing up onto the cliff as you fall and locking it onto your belt. You grab her, there's a heart-wrenching 'Let me go' scene, and then she pulls herself from your grip."

"How's that for dramatic?" Nat asked Tony, trying to lighten the depressing mood that had fallen on the group.

"I would have had some memorable final words," he replied.

"Nat's last words are 'Let me go. It's ok', which still gives me goosebumps when I watch it, and I still cry every time," you defended.

"Yeah, try to beat it, Tony," Nat said.

"I bet his was some stupid cliche shit," Rhodey said.

"Ok, let's make a bet right now. If the room votes my last words are cooler, I pick the game night teams and the games for the next ten times."

You didn't see how that was such a punishment, but the rest of the Avengers groaned. Apparently you underestimated the competitiveness of game night. No one wanted Tony to have the power over the teams or games.

"And if I win, you can't say a word for an entire day," Nat replied.

That option was much more appealing to the team.

"I hate to burst both of your bubbles," you said, "But it's kind of impossible to compare the two. Tony's last moment was meant to be a badass final line kind of scene, whereas Nat's was a super dramatic and emotional scene, hence the quiet, simple, and sad words. Not to mention Loki has both of you beat already."

Protests erupted, and you caught Loki smiling in the back of the room.

"My brother's final words during his last death were dramatic enough," Thor agreed, "I imagine he saved something special for the final one."

"Oh yeah, the savageness of Tony's mixed with the emotional impact of Nat's."

You explained the scene in great detail, acting out Loki's last words.

"And then you hear the crack as Thanos snaps his neck, and the blood drips from the eyes. Thanos carries him over and drops him in front of Thor, where we get another view of his discolored face and lifeless eyes. Thor cries over his body as the ship blows up around him."

"Nope, I don't like this story," Thor complained, "Stick to funny ones from now on."

"Ok, so Reindeer Games has a flair for the dramatic," Tony said, "But I'm deducting five points from his score for having died before."

"Do you also deduct points if the line has already been used by the speaker before? Because your last words are 'I am Iron Man'...well technically you mumble a hello to Pep, but your last words are known to be 'I am Iron Man'."

"Of course they are," Rhodey said.

"Hey, that's actually quite clever of me, cuz you see it's like it's come full-circle," Tony argued, "My first time announcing who I was, and then again in the end."

"He's right," you agreed, "It was show-stopping, and really meaningful."

You also provided them with the setting and explained how he said it and snapped.

"Now don't you think snapping your finger is more dramatic than snapping your neck?" Tony challenged.

"Stark!" Thor grumbled threateningly.

"It's not like he's dead from it now," he defended, turning back to the board.

"Can we get back on topic?" Steve asked.

"Gameplan seems pretty simple," Tony said, "Get these two stones from space," he circled the reality and power, "avoid the death stone like the plague," he added another big X just for good measure, "and bring them to Asgard where we blow them and the tesseract to happy little pieces. We go home, we get shawarma. See that little call-back I did there?" he smiled at you.

"How was the shawarma?" you asked genuinely, "Because I honestly still have no idea what it is."

"This room has the attention span of a squirrel," Sam scoffed.

"Hey the gameplan's made already, our work is done," you said.

"No, we need a way to get all of you to those worlds," Thor chimed in, "The bifrost's range is limited to the Nine-Realms."

"Really?" you asked, "Because Hela was going to use it to conquer more realms."

"Yes, because she sounds like a delightfully miserable person."

"What Thor means is that we are not supposed to use the bifrost's power to travel beyond the Nine Realms. It requires a great amount of energy for one, and breaks promises to other worlds that we would not interfere," Loki explained

"You wouldn't be interfering, just dropping in. I'm sure they'd understand."

"Unless word spreads from Knowhere or Xandar that the bifrost was spotted. Enemies of Asgard need only but a spark to turn more against us, and they would happily capitalize off of such a breach of conduct," he answered.

"Then we find something more subtle," Wanda agreed, "The last thing we need is another fight."

"You all have spaceships and stuff, right?" you asked Thor, "How do you get around outside of the Nine Realms?"

"We do, though they'll take longer than the bifrost, unfortunately."

"There is a faster method," Loki spoke from the back of the room.

Everyone turned to face him.

"The Tesseract can have us there and back in mere seconds."

"We are NOT letting you get your hands on the cube again," Clint declared, receiving support from the rest of the room.

"I will not be the one wielding it," he explained, "I know that would be a rather large amount of trust put on someone who has spent less than a week not trying to kill each of you."

"Who will?" you asked.

"The only other one strong enough," Loki replied, eyes fixed on his brother.

Even Thor looked shocked by this.

"Brother, dark magical objects are more your area of expertise don't you think?"

"Undoubtedly, but seeing as I am currently unavailable, you're the only one with the strength to harness its power."

"Well when you put it that way," Thor grinned, "I guess the mightiest among us should be the one to save the day."

"With my strategy," Loki added, defending his part of the praise.

"The brain and the brawn," you said in admiration, "You two do make a great team, you know that?"

They both scoffed, looked at each other, shook their heads, and opened their mouths to speak, but only scoffs came out.

"We manage not to kill each other when we need something, that is all," Loki finally spoke.

"Right up until he betrays me or fakes his death," Thor added.

"And then I'm back to caring for my own affairs," Loki concluded, as if the cycle he and Thor were in was a comfortable routine.

"Precisely," Thor smiled, turning to you to see if their answer was satisfactory.

"Loki, I think I'll need to update Thor on some of those conversations I showed you, so you two can stop pretending to be happy with the bullshit that just came out of your mouths."

"What is she talking about, brother?"

"Yeah, what is she talking about? Tony asked, looking at you expectantly.

"Merely some of our future...I'll discuss it with you later," Loki answered, putting heavy emphasis on the last word and staring at you.

"Whatever, Cain and Able can work their own problems out," Tony said.

"Right now I want everyone to prepare for tomorrow," Cap agreed, "Get what you need, get some sleep, and be in the kitchen by 8. We leave then for Asgard."

"I hope my brother gave you a warm welcome, though I'm sure he didn't," Thor said to you as everyone filed out of the room.

"I'm right here, Thor," Loki complained.

"I know, but I was talking to Wren. Truth isn't your strong suit, Loki."

"He was great," you lied, seeing Loki's eyes flicker to yours for a second, both of you trying to play it cool in front of Thor. "Gave me a tour of Asgard and everything. Best night of my life." That last part wasn't a lie. Despite the bruised arm and boiling rage, the rest of that evening had been magnificent.

"Loki, I thought you were becoming predictable," Thor said in surprise, "But I've never been so glad to be proven wrong."

"She may be intolerable, but Asgard deserves the respect and admiration of any who enter."

"Quite right, brother," Thor nodded in agreement, the three of you pausing for the next elevator, as the first was full.

The ride up to the second floor was quiet, with Thor getting out to head to his residence.

"Good night, brother. Wren," Thor said, giving you a nod.

Loki hummed back in response as you pressed the button for the third floor. As the doors closed, Thor glanced back at his brother once, looking truly happy.

"Ok, tell me you didn't see that look on his face?" you asked, but Loki ignored you, looking forward.

"Oh come one, I know you did. He looked so content, you could just tell he's thrilled to have you back."

Still no response.

"And he said downstairs that you being alive was cause for celebration."

"What would you like me to say?" Loki shouted suddenly. "That he cares for me? That he loves me, despite everything I've said and done, is that it? I know, alright!"

Loki stared at you for a few seconds, before turning back to the opening doors.

The two of you reached your rooms, and Loki quickly pushed his open.

"Loki?" you said, making him pause half-way through the door. "He knows too. That you care." With that you entered your room.

***

You woke up to Friday's voice again and momentarily feared another Hydra attack.

"What is it?" you asked groggily. The clock read 6:30, half an hour before your alarm was set to go off.

"The boss would like to see you in his lab."

"The trashed one or a different one?"

"A different one, Miss. I can lead you there when you're ready."

"Ok, give me a few minutes."

After dressing and prepping for the day, Friday led you to another lab on the first floor. Tony was working on some tech on a table, looking up with goggles on as you entered.

"Morning, kid. Take a seat," he said, pointing to an open chair near him.

"Right down to business, I see," you noted, "What did I do now?"

"I'm sure something if I wanted to think hard," he said, "But that's not why you're here. I know you have no experience fighting, but I can't let you go unarmed into space."

"I don't know how to use any weapons, unless you just want me to bash some heads in with a baseball bat. That I could figure out."

"You're not far off, though I was thinking of something a little less morbid," he said with amusement.

He reached down and lifted a small black rod, less than a foot long. When he pressed a button and flicked it, the device extended into rods similar to those used by Nat.

"Press and hold the button again, and the taser activates," he demonstrated, letting the blue shocks of energy appear.

"Oh my gosh," you said in awe.

"Now, this is only for emergencies. If we have time in the future we'll try to teach you more, but should anyone come at you, I figured whacking them with a stick was easy enough."

"Even I can't screw that up," you agreed, taking the rod that he had closed back to its original size.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, walking behind the table to grab something else from a bench. "You'll need something more comfortable than jeans and more practical than sweats," he said, "And a little more stylish," he grinned.

The clothes he handed you consisted of the same kind of material as Nat or some of the other outfits looked like they were made out of. You noticed that the embellishments and accessories worn might be pure leather, but the material was actually a light, airy texture, while thick enough, due to built in padding, to provide the necessary support. It was like nothing you'd ever worn. The outfit included black pants, a teal-blue tank top, and some black boots. The boots looked a bit too stylish to be practical, you thought, but then again Nat and Wanda both wore similar pairs, so they must get the job done. A black jacket, with hints of the same teal blue woven down the arms, and a belt accompanied the wardrobe.

"They'd better not be some uncomfortable tight clothes," you warned, "Because I will just wear sweats."

"Designed for comfort," he assured you, "And no way a member of my team is going to Asgard looking like some bum we dragged away from her tv and blanket moments before."

"It has to be comfy, that's all I'm saying."

"Go take them for a spin and see for yourself," Tony said, turning you to the door. "Shirt goes into the pants, and belt over that. The stick has a place to hang on the belt, and there's a pouch for anything small you might need, you know, a piece of gum or two. Got it?"

"I'm sure I can figure it out," you smiled, "And thank you."

He smiled back, "Just protecting the team's look. Oh, and there's an ear-piece already in the pouch."

You nodded and thanked him again, leaving the lab.

You passed Wanda on your way back to your room. She was geared up in her red jacket and all, something you hadn't taken time to appreciate yesterday. Naturally you had to tell her how cool she looked.

"It's nothing special," she laughed humbly, tugging on her coat.

"You make it look epic though," you assured her, "And now that you guys aren't actors and actresses with a hair and makeup crew to make you look perfect...can I ask how the hell you get your hair to look perfect? Seriously, all female heroes have this flawless little wave to their hair, or perfect curl, or perfect whatever they want."

"It gets pretty messy during battle," she said, "So I don't know about perfect."

"Yeah, but if I styled my hair, it would be a mess by the end of the day, not to mention the end of a battle. And not messy like a good messy you or Nat get."

"Here, how about I do your hair for you today, and we'll test that theory?" she said, taking your arm and walking back with you to your room.

You put your suit on in the bathroom, and you have to admit you were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't too tight, yet was definitely a long way from baggy sweats and a t-shirt. The thickness of the material allowed the suit to be form-fitting, while not showing every imperfection. In a way, it gave you it's own shape by enhancing whatever figure you already had. You could move easily, and even the belt felt weightless and non-cumbersome on your waist.

"Damn," you whispered, admiring the outfit.

"You ready?" Wanda called from your room, "Come on, let me see!"

You opened the door and stepped out.

"See?!" Wanda smiled, "You look more epic than I do."

"Not by a long shot, but thanks. I actually kinda like it."

"Stark is good at what he does," Wanda admitted, looking you up and down, "Aren't the boots surprisingly comfortable?" she asked.

"Honestly what shocked me the most. It feels like I'm wearing sneakers!"

"And it always will, trust me," she grinned, grabbing a chair from the desk and dragging it into your bathroom. "Now come on, we don't have much time to get this done, and we have to have you movie-ready," she teased, with a dramatic wave of her hand.

"Yes, ma'am," you said, scurrying after her.

By the end of twenty minutes, you were convinced her real magical ability was with a curling iron, not energy manipulation. She had soft curls throughout your hair, all sprayed to hold their shape, yet she had it done in a quarter of the time it would have taken you to figure out how to turn the iron on. She had pinned some of the curls up softly but firmly, probably knowing that hair in your face was your biggest concern.

After one last spray, she took a step back to admire her work.

"You look beautiful," she said to your reflection.

"No, your work is beautiful!" you exclaimed, "How did you become so good with hair?"

"Well, my mother used to let me play around with one when I was little. Doing each other's hair was something we enjoyed doing together," she answered with a sad smile. "Plus, Natasha taught me a thing or two when I moved in here. A bit of practice, and here we are."

"Well you're going to have to teach me, because I have never taken the time to even remotely care about how my hair looks."

"You don't need your hair styled to be pretty, so that's not a bad quality to have. But you do have gorgeous hair," she said, running her hand through one of your locks.

"Thanks, Wanda," you smiled, "And thanks for doing this for me."

"A girl needs to look the part for her first mission," Wanda laughed, handing you your jacket as the two of you exited the bathroom.

You walked down to breakfast together, chatting the whole way. As you entered the kitchen, Clint stopped in front of you on his way to the table, looking at your attire with a nod of approval.

"Looks like Tony's at it again," he remarked, sitting down to eat his cereal.

Sam and Nat looked up from their food.

"Is that one of mine?" she asked, pointing to the rod on your belt.

"Whacking people is the only thing I know how to do, so yup. I think a baseball bat would have been more efficient, but I guess this is travel size."

"Do you not know how to pull a trigger or something?" Sam asked, "Why not just have a gun. Point, pull, dead."

"Ask Tony," you shrugged, pulling eggs from the fridge, "I would've loved to learn how to blow someone's head off."

"Ok, I'm seeing why he didn't give you one," Sam remarked with a worried look.

By 8 o'clock, everyone was in the kitchen and ready to go.

"I see you're dressing the part," Thor commented, gesturing to your clothes.

"Apparently superheroes really do care about how dramatic they look in real life too," you snickered, "So Tony objected to me wanting to wear my usual clothes."

"Looking good is half the battle," Thor laughed, "And it suits you well. I like the thing you did with your hair," he said, swirling a finger in the air to represent the curls.

"Thank Wanda for that, I wouldn't know how to do my hair if my life depended on it."

Loki hummed in agreement.

"I'm allowed to say it, you're not! Just because you two have perfect hair without even trying."

"Um, what?" Thor asked, "I'm the one with the perfect hair."

"Some creepy old man cuts it off in the future."

Thor looked like he was going to be sick, "No one would dare touch my hair!"

"Oh he dares. I've seen the result, brother," Loki replied happily.

"Well that won't happen anymore, not with you here," he patted you on the back.

"Yes, your hair was at the top of my list when I decided to come here," you joked.

"As it should be," Thor declared.

"If we succeed, your hair will be fine," you reassured him, noticing he was actually quite flustered.

Thor's attention was taken by Steve asking him a question, leaving you standing by the counter with Loki.

"Do you even know how to use that," Loki nodded to your weapon.

"You hold one end, and whack someone's face with the other," you said, making a swinging motion with your wrist.

"And if your opponent is armed with a similar weapon, or a sword or knife or gun?"

"Then I push you forward as bait while I make a run for it."

Loki smirked, nodding his head like it wasn't that bad of a strategy.

"You'll need to learn how to properly use it. There may come a time when one of us is not there to save you. If you die, we've lost our best chance."

"And you've lost your favorite babysitter," you nodded in agreement, "I see your point. Good help is hard to come by these days."

"I wonder if you'll still be this sarcastic when faced with death?"

"I was pretty sarcastic with Rumlow, so probably yes."

Steve cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the room.

"Listen up. Now I know we may have an advantage with Wren's information. We're years ahead of the game. But that doesn't mean we're in the clear. Every action we make from here on out will lead to circumstances unpredictable even to her. We're about to tackle fate...and I plan on winning. The world up there is unfamiliar to most of us. Stick close, stay focused, and be ready for anything. We're fighting for friends, for family," he looked at Nat, Vis, and Tony when he said that, "and for allies," he looked at Loki there. "Make it count."

With that he moved towards the hallway, everyone following behind him.

"Yup, he's just as good at that in person," you whispered to Wanda.

"I swear he practices them in a mirror," she whispered back.

Out on the lawn, you all stood waiting for the bifrost. You noticed that, had this been a movie, you were all standing perfectly set up for a dramatic shot...except you were smiling like a dope at the thought, ruining the whole effect anyway.

"Heimdall," Thor called, "We're ready."

Colors flooded around you, as the ground fell away.

Chapter 25: The Collector

The Avengers, being much quicker at adapting to their surroundings, managed to stick the landing quite well. Those who tumbled turned it into a roll and pose, or used their skills to steady themselves, like Sam and his wings or Wanda and her powers. You were proud of yourself for not falling this time, but you definitely stumbled like an idiot looking for balance, and probably would have fallen had Wanda not grabbed your arm. You smiled gratefully at her, straightening up and looking around.

"Welcome, Avengers," Heimdall greeted, "It is an honor to meet you all. I have watched your work over the years with great admiration."

He received nods and mumbled thanks from the team, no one really knowing what to say or who should talk. Steve looked stunned by where he was, but shook his head and collected himself.

"Thank you," he said, stepping forward, "It's an honor to meet you as well. We appreciate the help you've always given Thor in times we couldn't be here for him."

"As do I," Heimdall said, "To know our Prince has such friends with him when away on Midgard is a great assurance."

"Eh, we do our best to keep him drunk and happy," Tony said.

"I do not get drunk from earthly beverages, Stark," Thor argued like it would be an embarrassment if he had.

"You get a little too energetic," Nat pointed out.

"I'm just an energetic sort of person. Afterall, who else here has lightning coursing through their veins, hmm?"

You snickered at the thought of the Cheez Whiz line from Endgame, earning a few turned heads from those nearest to you.

"I can assure you, you'd know when the Prince is drunk," Heimdall smiled.

"If we succeed today, I'll gladly show you," Thor said, walking towards the bifrost's entrance. "I assume Father is still resting?"

"He is much stronger, but, yes, he rests a great deal between the work he's doing to return the Nine Realms to safety."

Apparently, you were the only one who picked up on the fact that the Nine Realms weren't the same due to Loki's short rule. You glanced his way and saw a solemn expression he thought no one would notice, seeing as he had slipped his way to the back of the crowd.

"Then we shall not disturb him," Thor said, "If he should ask, tell him Loki and I are off with the Avengers. I'll fill him in when we return."

Thor stepped out onto the rainbow bridge, opening his arms wide and facing the group.

"Welcome, my friends, to Asgard!"

"Well shit," Tony muttered, taking in the sight with wide eyes.

"Long way from Budapest, isn't it?" Clint nudged Natasha.

"I'll say," she smiled back.

"It's beautiful," Wanda exhaled in wonder.

"It is indeed significantly more magnificent than I initially calculated," Vision agreed.

"I'll have to show you around when we return," Thor suggested joyfully, "And treat you to a true Asgardian celebration."

"Are you sure Odin will allow that? He already is unaware of the presence of the mortals," Loki stated.

"He will understand once we have success to show for it," Thor said light-heartedly, brushing Loki's concerns aside, "Besides, he seems more...well, relaxed, since coming home. Surely you noticed, brother?"

"I did," Loki answered quietly.

"He spoke kindly of you, and on your behalf," Thor pointed out.

Loki looked up in surprise, seeming to contemplate whether his brother was lying.

"I'm sure that will change as he regains his strength," Loki grumbled, walking briskly past Thor.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Thor beamed, turning to follow Loki.

The God of Thunder evidently liked being the one ahead, as he swiftly overtook Loki and seized the role of leader. Loki let him, but didn't appear to want to be near his brother, letting himself slowly fall towards the back of the group. You were talking with Sam and Cap when you noticed Loki behind you. Waiting for the right moment, you dropped out of the conversation and fell in step with Loki.

"Whatchu doing moping back here?" you asked.

"Trying to be left alone," he sighed irritably.

"Yeah I get that. The worst is when people can't take the hint that you want to be left alone, and they insist on talking to you about whatever is getting you down."

That managed to get a smile out of him.

"That is the worst," he agreed, "Though the stubborn often never realize that."

"Funny how we secretly enjoy when those stubborn people insist on hearing our problems though. You know, when we say we don't want to talk about it, but the fact that we're openly showing something is bothering us means we really do want to talk about it. So we pretend to be mad at those people, but that's because we're unsure about whether or not we should talk about it. And when the stubborn finally give up, it isn't until after they leave that we realize we should have said something, cuz their absence leaves you with your thoughts once again and the need to share them."

Loki chuckled bitterly, "On the rare occasion, darling, you manage to sound partially intelligent."

"Or on the rare occasion, Loki, you choose to see the intelligence that's always there."

"Let's not go that far," he smirked at you, "Stick to one small compliment for now."

"So, are you going to take advantage of the wise being next to you and tell me what's up?"

Loki contemplated for a moment, looking very conflicted.

"How do I know Odin's love is real?" he asked suddenly, "You seem so sure that he has always loved me, and I have seen him say it before his death. But, what if those were the ramblings of a dying man? Just as his more affectionate personality upon returning home could merely be the result of an ailing mind that needs strength to recover?"

"First off, I don't believe that's true. He had broken free from your spell long before that moment he died. I don't think simply being away from Asgard, no matter how weak it made him, would make him change his opinion on you. Leaving the only option that he always loved you. You may have thought he was lying in the vault, but he called you his son, despite admitting seconds before that you were not by birth. Also, if you're right and he was just losing his mind, then if anything we saw pure raw emotions, unhindered by thoughts or pretenses. Odin grew rough with you because of your actions, but mostly I think he was angry at himself for his own failure towards you. If his mind was muddled, as you say, then all of those attempts to appear strong and angry slipped away, leaving nothing but what he deeply felt. Either way, the truth we come back to is that he loves you, Loki, as his son."

Loki was smiling softly and sadly.

"Well, then we come to another problem don't we," he said. "If he loves me as you say, then I have only failed at being a son. I failed my mother too. I failed at what I was supposed to be, chasing fantasies that were never real."

"Your mom once said that everyone fails at who they're supposed to be. But that the measure of a man, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are. She said failure makes you just like everyone else. We all fail at a lot of things, Loki. You and Thor put too much pressure on yourselves, thinking failure is unredeemable. But listen to your mom, please."

Loki looked at you, and his eyes glistened like he was about to tear up.

"When did she say that?" he asked.

"That's not important. Her words, however, are."

You walked in silence for a few minutes, as the entrance to the city grew closer.

"Thank you," he whispered, walking through the group to get alongside Thor.

"You're welcome," you muttered to yourself, smiling at the sight of Loki and Thor talking to one another.

The walk through the city was as splendid as always. It wasn't often the Avengers came across something that shocked them, but Asgard did quite a number. They looked more like excited tourists than a team of seasoned warriors. Thor, and Loki for that matter, was enjoying his friends' admiration of his home.

Entering the vaults was a treat for you, one of the iconic places you had not had the pleasure of witnessing on your last trip here. You passed all of the amazing weapons they had there, including the casket from Jotunheim.

"No way, it's the magic Frost Giant box thing!" you said happily.

"Not what I imagined," Tony replied.

"What did you imagine?" Rhodey asked.

"Something bigger, flashier," he answered, "More magicky."

"How about a bowl of magic fire?" Clint asked as you approached the next display.

"The Eternal Flame!" You gasped, walking quickly up to it.

"Careful," Thor warned.

"I'm not gonna stick my hand into it, I'm not as dumb as Jane."

"I'm sorry, what?" Thor asked.

"She sees a rock with a creepy floating red substance in it, after getting sucked into a different dimension mind you, and decides to stick her hand in it? What did she think was gonna happen? What would touching it with an unguarded hand even do? Did she wanna know how it felt? It's a glowing alien substance, woman, at least poke it with a stick, not your hand!"

"Well, she's a scientist, it's what they do," Thor defended.

"Mmm, not really," Tony said.

"Well she's just braver than most," Thor fought back.

"Fine line between brave and stupid," you said, "and I think she crossed it when she didn't run like hell away from a glowing red darkness."

Thor must have seen you were teasing more than actually bashing her, because he didn't get angry.

"Yes, well, you're just jealous of her," he said like a child, grasping at straws now.

You snorted in response.

"She's a super smart scientist and girlfriend of the Mighty Thor," he snarked back, "There's plenty to be jealous of."

You thought of how that stupid bitch breaks up with him, and you were oh so close to throwing it in his face, but that was too mean.

"You're not my type," you said instead, "So I'll stick to just thinking she shouldn't have stuck her hand inside a freaky rock."

"Not her type?" You heard him mumble to himself like he was trying to understand how that was possible.

"It's ok, Thor, you'll recover," Nat said, patting him on the back and nudging him to walk down the hall.

You stared for a bit longer at the Eternal Flame, letting the others pass you.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Loki asked from behind you.

"Terrifying," you answered.

"How so?"

"Well, it raises an army of the dead and Surtur, both of which help destroy Asgard. I'd take a hose to it in a second."

"You would try something like that," he laughed, "you know it wouldn't work?"

"I know, but it'd feel good anyway."

The two of you caught up to the others who were standing around the Tesseract.

"You sure about this, brother?" Thor asked Loki as he joined the group.

"Completely," he answered, "Just think of where you want to go. Assert your will over it's own. It will feel like a power is resisting your desire, but if you remain focused it can't overcome you. Just, make sure you include that you want all of us to come along, otherwise the portal will open only around you."

"Sounds simple," Thor nodded, facing the Tesseract. He reached out, grasping it in one hand and holding it out in front of him. He turned towards the group, which had now gathered more tightly together.

"Ready?" He asked the team.

"Do it," Cap confirmed.

You took a shaky breath, nerves and adrenaline kicking in. Nat noticed, smiling and giving you a nod. Wanda grabbed your arm comfortingly, obviously seeing your nerves, and possibly feeling some herself.

Thor closed his eyes, and a portal opened behind him, growing until it consumed all of you. The next instant you were in a street, you and Wanda holding onto each other for balance. The street wasn't paved, but rather was made of dirt. You took in your surroundings, noticing the strange buildings and creatures of all kinds milling about. A few of those who were nearest to you when the portal opened were staring in shock, while others didn't seem phased by it. You were standing in the same main area seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy, where Drax challenges Ronan.

"We in the right place?" Tony asked

"Yup, I know where we are...ha, 'know where' we are," you chuckled, apologizing for the terrible joke right away.

"Couldn't you have dropped us in the Collector's shop?" Loki complained, "The less attention we draw to ourselves, especially with an infinity stone, the better."

"It's my first time using a magic cube," Thor defended, "and there isn't exactly a manual for them, only your instruction. Blame yourself for being a poor teacher!"

"I instructed you to think of where you wanted to go!"

"And I thought of Knowhere, and here we are," Thor said triumphantly, "If you wanted something different, you should have done it yourself...oh wait? You can't."

"Well put it away before some of these miscreants notice," Loki ordered.

"Relax, brother, who would challenge us for it?" he scoffed, putting the cube in a satchel he had brought with him.

The comedic irony of the MCU never fails to impress, as a circle of armed guards stepped out of the crowd at that moment, shouting for all weapons to be dropped. You were surrounded.

Loki opened his mouth to speak, but Thor cut him off. "Don't say it," he warned, and Loki just shrugged, looking pleased.

"Who are you?" Thor demanded, "Knowhere has no law here."

"The Collector is the law," one guard growled back, "He wishes to speak with you."

"Well then, he can gladly walk out here and deal with us," Thor said.

"The Collector does not come for anyone, they come to him. And you must do so unarmed. Turn over all weapons and possessions now."

"If he knows we are here then he knows who we are," Thor spoke again, sounding more and more like he was losing patience, "He does not want to make an enemy of Asgard. We have no wish to hurt any of you."

The guard turned his head, as if listening to something, before addressing Thor again.

"The Collector will see you now. You can maintain possession of your weapons."

"Not bad," Loki told his brother, as the lot of you were led to the Collector's shop.

You noticed the Avengers let down their guard only slightly, having drawn their weapons or readied themselves for a fight.

Maybe I should get into that habit? you thought, as you hadn't changed your stance in the slightest or made any move towards the weapon on your belt. You were used to watching them handle situations that went awry, so your instinct was just to watch and nothing more.

The collector's shop was bigger than you remembered it being on screen, but then again movies only showed oh so much. You walked through what seemed like a warehouse, filled with hundreds of clear boxes or, more precisely, cages. He was called the Collector for a reason after all, and he had many species stashed away in his humble abode.

"He's a pet person I see," Clint said, looking at the many strange animals with curiosity.

"He likes more than pets," Steve replied, nodding to the noticeably sentient, humanoid being in a cage on the right.

"Don't let your morality ruin our objective," Loki said, noting the disapproving tone to Cap's voice.

"Then maybe our objective should change," Cap argued back, causing Loki to stop and face him.

"Yes, let's try to free hundreds of creatures under the nose of their master," he said sarcastically.

"They're not just creatures, they're living beings. And they shouldn't have a master," Cap retorted, "Not that you would understand that."

"Loki is right," Thor stepped in before Loki could lash out another remark, "As despicable as this man's occupation is, we have neither the time nor resources to free so many."

"Asgard has never had the time or resources?" Sam challenged.

"Asgard has no jurisdiction out here," Thor answered.

"Still, being unable to stop him doesn't excuse willingly doing business with him," Cap stated.

"The filth of the Collector is exactly what made him the perfect person to hide the Aether. No one would expect to find an infinity stone in such a disgusting place, nor would they think him capable of housing one anyway," Thor explained.

"Yeah, the Collector is a bit of an idiot," you added, "So you could argue hiding it with him is a genius move. Technically it backfires later, but you didn't know Thanos was a thing when you brought the stone here."

"Exactly," Thor agreed.

Cap didn't look pleased, but he didn't argue either. You followed the guard in front of you until he paused in a familiar place.

"Well hello," the creepy voice of Taneleer Tivan spoke from the shadows. He stepped into the light immediately after, and you have to say he was actually rather intimidating in person.

"What brings the Asgardian royalty and their..." he looked at the rest of you as if thinking of a word to describe what he saw, "...friends to my humble world?" He bowed his head dramatically, if not a bit sarcastically, to the brothers.

"You know why we are here," Thor said firmly.

"Ah, yes. So you have come to reclaim that which was entrusted to me?"

"You have done your part to guard it, now it is no longer your concern."

"As much as I would love to be of service to gods, I'm afraid my business with Aether is not finished."

"What business could you have with it?" Thor demanded, "You are not strong enough to wield it, attempting to do so would be suicide."

The Collector tut-tutted at Thor, looking disappointed.

"I am no fool," he said, "I know the consequences of trying to yield an infinity stone. But that doesn't mean there is nothing to learn from one...and knowledge is its own power."

"Give up the Aether or we will take it by force," Thor loudly threatened.

Tivan looked unimpressed, walking over to a table and picking up an electronic pad of some sort.

"I have an alternative deal," he said, pushing a button on the pad. The prisoners in the cages nearby reacted immediately, writhing in pain. Each being was wearing what looked like a shock collar, which you'd noticed all had the same red light on the side...or at least, what you thought was a red light. You realized a bit late that the red had an all too familiar glow about it. The Aether attached to them was disappearing, apparently the source of the pain.

"Did you inject them with the Aether?!" you asked in shock.

"In a manner of speaking," Tivan answered, "I said there was much to learn from it. I cannot harness the power of the Reality Stone for myself, but experiments showed drastic results in subjects exposed to its energy. Took months of tests, very dangerous work," he bragged, "In the right dose and proper brain-wave manipulation, courtesy of my brilliant scientists, I can implant my own reality, or own will, into their minds."

"Thor, Jane had it in her before, yet she wasn't mind-controlled. Is he lying?" you asked.

"He is," Thor growled.

"Let's not rush to conclusions, brother," Loki stepped in, "No one was trying to force their will on Jane at the time, but we know the Aether has a kind of instinct or mind of its own. We have to be open to the possibility that, with enough time and study, a person could use the Aether's will to overcome another's, implanting their own."

"So another magic rock that can control minds," Tony groaned, "Why not just call them all Mind Stone for God's sake."

"This is different than simply controlling a mind," Loki sighed, "He is physically implanting his own reality, his own false illusions, into their heads, thus having their will and actions be equal to his own. The Mind Stone forcefully takes control of the mind, forcing you to do something even when your will is still present."

"Yeah, no one asked for a geology lesson, Antlers," Tony snapped.

"The Prince is right," the Collector said, cutting off the argument, "The end result is that my will becomes theirs, which is a problem for you."

He pressed another button, and all the cages opened, the residents stepping out swiftly to form a wall around you. You looked back the way you had entered, trying to see just how many cages had been opened. The vast majority of the warehouse-like room was not visible from here, but prisoners lined the passageway as far as the eye could see. There was a very real possibility that hundreds of adversaries had just been unleashed.

"Oh boy," you whispered, doing a 360, adrenaline racing through you in a way it had never before.

What are the odds of me surviving a fight? you thought, I wasn't supposed to actually have to use this stupid stick!

"Hand over the cube and I let you leave Knowhere alive," Tivan said blandly, "That is your only choice."

"We've fought worse odds," Nat said confidently.

"And believe me, they've won," Loki warned, getting smirks from everyone.

"Then I apologize for this great inconvenience," he sighed, pressing a few more instructions into his handy dandy pad.

"Kid, get in the middle of us," Tony ordered. You didn't need to comply, seeing as everyone naturally made a circle around you, pushing you to the center.

"I hope you're still confident in your whacking capabilities," Loki said to you in a low tone.

"I'm confident in my Plan B," you said, managing to make yourself smile a bit. It felt good to alleviate some of the dread with a joke, and you now realized the MCU stereotype of banter and comedy during a fight wasn't so unrealistic. Loki smirked back, before facing the hoard with a fierce and determined look.

"Here we go again," Clint moaned, as the flood of foes charged.

Fights were much different off screen. There was no dramatic music, allowing you to hear every groan, every cry of pain from the enemy. Those sounds, paired with the blasts of Tony and Rhodey's suits, Sam's guns, Thor's hammer and lightning, Cap's shield flying around, Vision's beams, Loki and Wanda's magic blasts, and the body's thrown to the ground by Nat and Clint, made for an immensely loud environment. The team fought as one, working seamlessly together to hold off the waves of hostiles. Sam, Rhodey, and Tony utilized the air space as well as the ground, defending the group from the Collector's species that could fly. Their absence on the floor left openings for beings to get through to you. Thankfully, these weren't trained fighters, but they were still angry and set on murdering you with their bare hands. You took Thanos' advice and made sure to aim for the head with most of your swings, which was working out for you surprisingly well. As far as first battles go, you were lucky this wasn't a trained army. However, the Collector had some fearsome, battle-trained warriors in his wide variety of assets...like that damn Dark Elf seen in the background of one scene. Naturally, you turned to find him, or possibly another Dark Elf, approaching you. You quickly glanced to see how busy Loki was at the moment. He had just defeated another wave, dramatically stabbing down onto one of the enemies he flipped to the floor.

Perfect, you thought, backing your way over to him as you tazed some bat-like thing that landed next to you. He faced you as you reached him.

"Dark Elf is all yours," you said breathlessly, putting a hand on his back and nudging him towards the dangerously close elf. You didn't wait to see Loki's response, whipping around to take on his previous area.

The Avengers were holding their own, but the waves seemed to never end, and Tivan was nowhere to be seen. Minutes passed like this, before someone decided to say what you were all thinking.

"These guys aren't slowing down," Sam spoke, his voice coming clearly in the ear-piece Tony had given you.

"On the bright side, we're seeing the universe's most extensive zoo," Tony chimed.

"I prefer Central Park's," Nat said through the effort of taking out a green, scaly snake thing.

"Has anyone else fought a Gremlin? I swear I just shot a Gremlin out of the sky," Rhodey said, swooping low over your head to help clear a concentrated bunch in front of you. His bullets splattered different colored blood and guts on your clothes and face.

"Thanks, covered in guts now," you muttered to yourself.

"Next time I'll let you take them out yourself, New Girl."

"Damn these stupid earpieces!" you exclaimed, "Does it ever get annoying hearing everything?"

"Tony can be a bit much," Clint said, and as if to prove your point, Stark's voice came over the com at that moment.

"Guys, I found a Teletubby, and I'm keeping it. His name is Geo---Rhodey! You just blasted George!"

"I'll get you a dog," he said in response.

"We really connected there for a minute," Tony continued, ignoring Rhodes.

"We need a plan," Cap spoke up, "We're tight on space as it is, and this area's filling up quickly."

He was right about that. The Collector had made sure that you were in a pinned down area when the fight started, and the endless waves made it difficult to stretch the battlefield. Now dead bodies were piling high, making it hard to maneuver.

"Tivan will be long gone, even if we hold out," you added, grunting in pain as some type of cat got its claws on your leg.

"Kid you ok?" Tony asked.

"Fine," you mumbled, whacking the cat hard on the back with your stick, igniting the taser and stabbing it down on the creature til it went limp. You had to dodge to avoid an oncoming fist from some cyclops looking man. Your reflexes were not as finely tuned as the others, so he got a piece of your head. Thankfully you'd dodged enough to avoid serious damage, but it hurt nonetheless. Instinctively you dropped your shoulder and threw your weight into the man's chest, only causing him to take a slight step back. That was all you needed to bring your taser up into his stomach. It took a hot second and a few more beatings to get him down, but he fell. There was no time to celebrate though, as there was only another enemy after him, and another and another.

"We need Tivan's pad, shut this army down Phantom Menace style," you said.

"Anyone have a visual?" Cap asked.

"He exited through the hall behind the desk," Vision said.

"If he gets off-world with that stone, our mission just grew a whole lot harder," Nat said.

"I'm sorry, did you reference Star Wars in the middle of a fight?" Tony asked randomly.

"Did you want to adopt a Teletubby in the middle of a fight?" you defended.

"It's no coincidence the most resistance is between us and that exit," Cap noted, "We can blast our way through, but we can't all leave. If these things get outside, who knows what they will do to civilians."

"So we keep the fight here," Tony agreed, "Thor, you're up. And take Ms Pop Culture with you."

"What?" you asked in surprise, once realizing he was referring to you, "I'll only slow Thor down."

"Until we have that control pad, these guys won't stop. You've managed to stay alive, but losing Thor is gonna make all of our work harder. We won't be able to help as much, so you're going outside where it's safest."

"Makes sense," you grumbled in agreement, getting up after some tentacled freak sent you flying a few feet

"When the path is clear, run for it," Tony ordered.

"Whenever you're ready, Thor," Cap said, getting in a stance with his shield facing the exit.

Thor launched over to Cap, slamming Mjolnir against the vibranium and sending a wave of vibration and lightning into the sea of opponents.

The gap it created would be overrun soon, so you wasted no time in sprinting to the hallway, smacking away arms that reached up from ground.

Thor landed next to you, blasting the surrounding area to give you a clear shot.

The silence that ensued as you ran further from the fight was eerie, strange compared to the chaos that had seemed to last forever.

Thor ran with you, but you paused, grabbing his arm.

"Thor, you can fly, what the hell are you doing on foot right now?"

"I'm not leaving you alone."

"I just survived how many men and beasts attacking me? What could possibly go on out here that is worse than in there?"

Thor looked reluctant to agree, though clearly knew you were right.

"Tony said it was safest out here. I'll follow, just on foot. We need that stone Thor."

"The Collector is after this as well," Thor said, removing his satchel and handing it to you, "Do not follow me. Stay here, where it is safe. When I have the Aether and the control for his hoard, I will return."

"I'm not sure how Reality-induced mind control works, but if you can shut them off, do it right away," you said.

Thor nodded, swinging his hammer and taking off like a jet.

You looked around the room. It was dark, with a bunch of tables and weird machinery. Going back to help the others wasn't an option, both because there wasn't much you could do and because of the Tesseract now in your possession. You desperately wanted to take it out and look at it, but you remember what happened to Red Skull. The cube was unpredictable, and you weren't about to mess with it. Sitting down sounded delightful, but you had a feeling that, once down, you weren't getting up any time soon. You couldn't have been fighting for more than ten to fifteen minutes, but it had felt much longer...to the point where you actually weren't sure how long it had been. Regardless, you were drained. Adrenaline was wonderful for blocking out most of the pain and providing its own energy, no matter how tired you were. You looked at the cuts on your leg from that damn cat, not terribly deep, but most likely more painful than you felt at the moment. Your head ached a bit from the cyclops, and various other bruised areas were tender to the touch. Yet the nerves and adrenaline kept the pain minimal. Sitting and relaxing would change that, so you remained standing and on guard, pacing back and forth and jumping at any noise. Your mind was firing at a million miles per second, coming to terms with what you'd just experienced and where you currently were.

Just chill, you told yourself, you're in a superhero world, so try acting like this is normal.

***Following Thor now***

"Tivan!" Thor bellowed in the face of the man he had pulled from the wrecked ship, "Where is the Aether?!"

The Collector chuckled, before coughing on the smoke from his crashed escape.

"You can search what remains of my ship, but I'm pretty sure it isn't there."

Thor picked the man up by his collar and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"Enough games! Your plans are over, Tivan. Hand over the Aether and your device that controls the prisoners!"

"A pity," he sighed, "I was hoping you'd bring the cube with you. Who did you give it to? Surely not your mischievous brother? Oh well, guess my children will have to go on a little hunt. Bye bye," he grinned with a little wave. A shock of electricity went through his neck, yet the limp corpse that fell to the floor was not Taneleer Tivan.

***Back to normal POV***

You had kept the ear-piece on, listening to the Avengers as they continued their battle. You were smiling at some remark of Tony's, when Thor's voice boomed over the others.

"Tivan used a decoy to cover his escape, a changeling he had control over."

"You lost him?" Tony shouted.

"I expect he is off-world by now, but he's after the Tesseract," Thor explained, "He said he was going to send his minions after it."

"Then get it out of here!" Cap yelled, grunting as he fought.

"I don't have it."

"Who does?" Tony asked in a frighteningly calm manner.

"I do," you cringed, biting your lip in preparation for the protests that were sure to come.

"What is she doing with it!" Clint shouted.

"I didn't want to bring it to the Collector, which was the right call because it was a setup. I assume he had some poorly thought out plan to get it from me, which changed when I didn't have it."

"Thor, get to Wren," Cap said, "If the Collector has ordered them to find that satchel, then it won't be long before they realize none of us in here have it."

"I may have a slight problem doing that," Thor said apologetically, "Tivan has sent some of his men on the civilians. I'm a bit preoccupied."

"Stay where you are, kiddo, I'm on my way," Tony said, "Wanda, little help clearing that doorway?"

"On it," Wanda replied.

A minute later Tony was flying into the room, touching down in front of you and retracting his helmet.

"Cube now," he ordered, sticking out his hand.

"Gladly," you obliged, handing him the bag.

"Cap, it looks like they're catching on," Sam warned.

"Tony, you're going to have some company," Steve said, "We'll hold them off from here, but some are peeling off in other directions. I don't know where else Tivan has these guys stored."

"Rhodey, Sam, fly a perimeter if you can, let me know where to expect the party," Tony replied.

"Already on it," Rhodey confirmed.

"Let's get moving," Stark said to you, "Dark creepy rooms aren't my ideal aesthetic."

The two of you made your way from the room, running down halls to places unknown.

"Friday, give me a scan of the building, find me the most defensible position."

"There appears to be a room on the upper floor that has only one entrance and windows for a quick escape," she told him, "Displaying the schematics now."

"Tony, you'll have company approaching from the south side of the building," Rhodey's voice warned.

"Got it. Friday, keep an eye on it, let me know when anything gets too close for comfort."

"Sure thing, Boss."

"This way," he said, veering off through a door and up some stairs. From the upper level you ran along a balcony that overlooked the vast expanse of the Collector's house.

"Whoa," you said, pausing with Tony to look down at the sea of creatures. They were all mindlessly flowing in the same direction, presumably towards the Avengers and the fight. Thankfully, it looked like the last of them, no more support bringing up the rear. Hopefully the team could hold out a little longer, as this army, unlike the Chitauri, had a limit.

"Redundant to say that's too close for comfort?" Friday asked.

"I'd say," Tony replied, grabbing your arm and pulling you along.

"You know, under different circumstances this would be totally cool," you smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Under what circumstances exactly would being chased by that be cool?"

"Well those would be the circumstances that would have to differ now wouldn't they? Seeing a zombie-like hoard would be fine if they weren't after us."

"When we get out of here, not one more Walking Dead episode for you," Tony said rather seriously, "Or movies in general, I'm having Friday lock you out of the TV."

"If I get out of this alive, I'd say I've earned a pardon."

"You can bring your complaint up at the next faculty meeting, though I wouldn't hold your breath. You know how complaints in the workplace are, 'he eats my lunch, she never replaces the staples, he chews too loudly.' Lots of paperwork, and no one really cares."

"Yeah and I've heard the boss is a real douche when it comes to listening to others."

"Well you know how office gossip is...though bribery and flattery do help I hear. He loves chocolate frosted donuts, with sprinkles."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

You'd reached a set of double doors, and Tony barged through them, scanning the area before letting his guard down. It was a decent sized room, with a high ceiling, that appeared to be a storage place for random junk. Two large windows decorated the wall opposite from the entrance, your escape plan should things get out of hand.

"Help me move some of this in front of the door," Tony said, grabbing equipment and lifting it over to block the entrance. After a few minutes, there was a pretty thick barricade. You wandered around the room, looking at large cylindrical containers holding some yellow liquid.

"Well this is certainly not how I saw this day going," you chuckled to yourself.

"You get used to it around here," Tony said, "Fortune favors the brave, but not before it kicks your ass down the stairs."

"It can't favor you if it doesn't first make you brave I guess."

"Yeah, the son of bitch gets a real kick out of it."

"I mean seriously though, what are the frickin odds? Does everything in this universe have to play out like a movie? It couldn't just be a simple time grabbing the stones three years in advance, nooo, of course not."

Tony had his 'I'm thinking about something I don't like' face on, as he stared at the ground.

"What? I know that face."

"Oh really, you know stuff like that? Never mentioned it, only about a gazillion times."

"So what's up?"

"I said when you mess with the universe it tends to mess back. Maybe there's no changing fate."

"Did Tony Stark just say those words?" you joked, though you were genuinely surprised.

"Seeing that the fate you've feared since 2012 is real gives new perspective. I tried to stop it with Ultron, and you see how that went. We try to stop it in the future, and purple E.T. wipes the floor with us. The only thing that lets us win is my death. And Nat's and Vision's and Cap's, or, sorry, "Cap's", cuz he gets quotations," he said, giving you a look. "But the point is maybe that's how it's meant to go down...our legacy. In order to win, some of us have to lose. I mean, that's life isn't it? Part of the journey is the end."

"Don't say that," you blurted quickly. "Those words, just...choose a different phrase please."

"See?" he said, catching on to what the words meant, "We're playing out your movies now, just a little earlier. A little sneak preview, early release."

"Just because we have a setback, doesn't mean we won't win. And saying some lines from the future doesn't mean anything besides the fact that I've brought up discussions or scenarios that wouldn't typically have prompted you to say those things until later. That doesn't mean the events following that are gonna be the same."

"It also doesn't guarantee that they won't be."

"Nothing's guaranteed, Tony. But we have a chance at a different ending, and that's enough."

Tony nodded, lost in thought.

"That's enough," he repeated.

"Tony, they're thinning out down here," Cap's voice came over the com, "But we don't know how many dozens made it out in search of the cube."

"We've sealed ourselves in a room, one entrance for them to enter, good choke point," Tony replied.

"That's also only one way out, Tony."

There was a pause before he spoke again.

"Loki asked Wren if she's ever seen a horror movie," Steve added, amusement in his voice.

"Tell him we have windows for that, what kind of dumb movie slut does he take me for?" you laughed.

Funnily enough, Nat relayed the message.

"She asked what kind of movie slut you take her for....no, there are windows...are you forgetting he can fly?" she said, clearly answering responses from Loki that the two of you couldn't hear.

"Boss, incoming, from the left of the hall," Friday warned.

"How many we looking at?"

"I'm scanning fifty plus, possibly more on the stairs. Their density makes it hard to pinpoint."

"They'll have to do better than that," he huffed, pulling you to the back of the room. "Stay quiet," he whispered.

"Tony, what's going on?" Cap asked.

"Guests have arrived," he answered in a hushed tone. Remaining quiet was unnecessary, as the doors started pounding in. "And they're eager to start the party," Tony yelped, standing ready to blast the first person that made it through the barricade. The pounding continued for twenty seconds or so, before stopping suddenly.

"Friday, why'd they stop?"

"I don't know, Boss, but there's something big approaching."

A loud grunt or growl-like sound rumbling from the hallway accompanied her observation.

You tilted your head and scoffed, "They have a cave troll."

"Not another pop-culture reference out of you," Tony said, pointing a finger at you.

"You're the nerd that understands them, otherwise you'd never know," you mumbled.

You could hear the footsteps now, loud thuds growing closer to the door, shaking the floor. It grew deathly quiet, and you held your breath waiting for the inevitable. The door was launched inwards, taking some of the barricade with it. A few more swings and the rest of your defenses had been knocked aside. You ducked behind Tony as debris flew in all directions.

Standing back up, but in a defensive stance, you whipped out your rod. The giant that had pounded his way in stepped into the room, followed by other creatures pouring through the gaps around him.

"I'm gonna need a bigger stick," you whispered in fear, looking up at the Kronan that towered above you.

"Don't think I didn't pick up on that Jaws reference in there," Tony said, launching into the air and blasting the rock giant with all he had.

"Kid, this guy's barely crumbling, you'd think rock would be easy to blast!"

"The armor doesn't help I'm sure," you grunted, swinging your weapon left and right as every being besides the Kronan was coming for you now. Although they were still attacking as they came, it was half-hearted and unfocused, as if not as motivated as before. This made it easier to strike them down, especially when using the equipment in the room to narrow their attack, forcing them to come at you practically one at a time. Funny how instinct kicks in in life threatening situations, because you had to admit, though not as polished or smooth as the Avengers, you had whipped that stick in ways and with forces you didn't know you had.

"They don't seem as vicious," you yelled to Tony.

"Tell that to Everest over here," he replied, and you glanced up to see him struggling a great deal. The Kronan looked rather worked up, swinging at Tony with a wild fury. He was doing his best to keep the behemoth on the other side of the room, but soon enough the Kronan would catch him if he stayed crammed in that space.

"Your lasers really doing nothing? Thor's hammer made ruins out of one of those in a instant."

"I'm sorry my advanced human technology isn't on par with a magic hammer," he sassed, "I've only managed to knock some boulders off this guy, but it took a lot to do it. I'm not sure how long I can keep this boat afloat with a pissed Jaws."

"Is that a movie reference I hear you joining in on?"

"You started it first, so it doesn't count."

"But you added onto it---"

"We'll talk logistics of who takes the blame later, now is there anything in your movie trivia mind about how to defeat these guys?"

"I told you, Mjolnir destroys one in seconds, but Thor's a bit preoccupied right now."

"Great, the one time I need the Shakespearean Wonder, he's not available."

One three-eyed alien had snuck around the pile of scraps on your right, making it behind you and grabbing you in a chokehold. You kicked back hard into its knee, then flipped your stick around and stabbed the taser into his abdomen. He squealed and fell backwards, taking you with him. As you pushed his arms off of you, and bludgeoned him one more time for good measure, you noticed big metal canisters next to you, the kind that looked like they could contain some sort of gas.

"Tony!" you exclaimed, an idea coming to you. "You remember how they gutted Jaws? Also your whole Jonah maneuver in the Battle of New York?"

"On it," Tony answered, understanding what to do.

You had your work cut out for you fending off the number of foes that had reached you during your squabble with the tri-eyeballed freak, so you weren't aware of how Tony did it. But seconds later he landed in front of you, pulling you into his chest and crouching over you as an explosion shook the room. Rocks catapulted through the air, knocking creatures off their feet. When the rubble settled, Tony released his hold on you.

"Nice call, kid," he said in a sigh of relief.

"Does this mean I get my TV back?"

He moved to respond, but was cut off by another wave entering the room. This group seemed more determined, less lethargic than the ones you'd been fighting, and more like the initial attack downstairs.

"They certainly seem eager," Tony noted, firing at the animals in the lead.

Despite receiving some attackers, it was clear they were charging Tony with greater intensity.

"Why do they like you so much?"

"Well, you know, I tend to have that effect on people."

It was no coincidence, you realized, that they were after Tony, as one made a swipe for the bag hanging at his side.

"The cube!" you said in understanding.

"Yea, I pieced that together too."

"Hover above us, Tony, distract them and snipe them down. I'll be able to take out more if they aren't fully focused on me."

The plan worked, and the two of you were still handling yourselves pretty well when the others arrived. Any stragglers were swiftly eliminated, and the battle was finally over.

"You guys ok?" Cap asked.

"Yeah," you said, breathing heavily with your hands on your hips, "F-fine."

You rubbed your face and put your hands on your head, taking your first calm and deep breaths since the battle started. "Whoooo, ok," you spoke to yourself more than anyone, letting out a long shaky breath of air.

"You sure you ok?" Clint asked again, and you noticed they were all looking at you.

"Yeah, yeah no, I'm---I'm good," you said tiredly, still shaking from the adrenaline. "It's just, you know..." you gestured your hands in the air, looking for words, "...it."

"A natural wordsmith," Loki teased.

"You know what I mean," you laughed, though the laugh was weak and tired too. "Creatures...aliens...guns, and-and-and magic and fighting and Kronans and outer space and the Avengers and Asgardians and..." you took another big breath "...ok, sorry," you said, shaking your head and attempting to compose yourself. Wanda stepped forward with an understanding look on her face.

"Hey, I hid in a building my first fight. You don't have to apologize for being skittish after yours."

You nodded, smiling gratefully.

"You did good, kid," Tony said, patting you on the shoulder as he walked by.

"Did well," you corrected before you could stop yourself from being so lame.

"Nooow she's worried about grammar," Tony eye rolled.

"She is correct," Vision chided.

"Also, can I petition for a longer stick? You know, almost double-bladed action, like Darth Maul style?"

"Yup, she's back," Sam groaned.

"Give me a little while to chill out over this, and you'll get a whole lot of fangirling over how cool this was, I promise."

Thor walked into the room just then, drawing everyone's attention.

"Now he decides to show up," Tony complained.

"Forgive my absence, but I continued the search for Tivan....he's nowhere to be found."

The news was upsetting enough that you didn't even capitalize on another chance at making a terrible 'Knowhere' pun.

"Well then we'll just have to find him," Cap said, with that notoriously giddy optimism and determination.

"Where does a guy like that go to hide?" Nat asked, and it took you a hot second to realize they were all looking expectantly towards you.

"How should I know? Do I look like a walking Marvel guide, ok don't answer that....yup, ok, I see your point. Unfortunately, I have no idea. The Collector has always played such a small role, I never even knew he was capable of something like this. His end credit scene about collecting all the stones never led to anything, he literally is a scummy guy who just dies later."

"I'm going to give you a second to choose your words carefully," Tony said, "And when I ask 'What end credit scene?' you better pray to God I hear that it was a slip of the tongue...you ready? What end credit scene?"

"Umm...it was a slip of the tongue?" you tried hopefully, biting your lip.

The group just groaned.

"You knew he was after the stones!" Rhodey yelled.

"That would have been helpful to know before we casually strolled up and demanded it from him!" Thor added.

"Would you have done any differently anyway Thor? Honestly?"

"She's not wrong there, brother," Loki noted.

"Shut up Loki!" he snapped back.

"I'm by no means defending her stupidity," Loki said in a defensive tone, turning to address you. "You let us bring the Tesseract to him?"

"OK, everyone just, just shut up for one damn second, alright?!" you shouted. "It was an end credit scene, an insignificant one at that. For those of you who are not familiar, an end credit scene is a short clip at the very end of all of the credits in a movie. It usually is a little teaser for another film to come. However, this particular scene with the Collector led to literally nothing, because we never get to see what he does with the Reality Stone before Thanos murders him for it, and he never makes an attempt to get his hands on any of the others, besides the Power Stone, which he doesn't get. It's forgettable and doesn't come back into play at all, serving no purpose other than showing the audience where the Aether is being kept, ok? So, yes, when we talked about coming here to get it from him, I never dreamed that he had some brainwashed army, because we never see it, so I never thought he would deny two Asgardian warriors and their squad of superheroes. As for him collecting other stones? We never see him do this, literally ever, so red flags never came up when the Tesseract was brought into the picture. Just because I know some things people say, doesn't mean I can predict everything that is going to happen!"

"Which is why you have to tell us everything you know before we go into a mission," Cap explained calmly. "We don't expect you to predict the outcome of events, but we'd stand a better chance of preparing against the unexpected if you tried to give as many details as you can, no matter how insignificant they may seem."

"Well I see that now!" you exclaimed sarcastically, "But this is all new to me, ok? My brain has been hardwired for ten years to remember certain things as important and others as not so much. Just because it's all real now, which is a lot to grasp as it is, doesn't mean my brain is going to start thinking 'Hey, remember that random scene that never meant anything? Better watch out for that!' I get it, this was another major wake-up call. I will try to remember every scene and detail about a place or person before we go on another space adventure, but there are 20 plus movies to filter through here, and I can't guarantee that I won't forget some minute detail that turns into some climactic battle."

Arguing had made your head hurt, which wasn't a surprise given the lack of adrenaline to keep your pain and fatigue away. You subconsciously rubbed the back of your head, clearly not nonchalantly enough.

"Hey, hey, kid, take a break," Tony said, easing you down to sit on a big piece of metal.

"What?" you asked, confused as to why he seemed worried over a little head rub.

"You don't look so good," Nat answered.

"Well there's nothing different there," you smiled.

"You said you weren't going to go climb an Everest," Loki scolded, "yet instead you fought a battle."

"And fought an Everest," Tony added.

"Oh I'm sorry, Loki, next time I'll ask them politely to let me sit out!"

"As entertaining as you are riled up, it was merely an observation," Loki explained, "Your head was not up to full strength." He saw the look on your face and tilted his head inquisitively at you. "You hit your head, didn't you?"

"I...may have bumped it. Not hard though."

"Hard enough," he tutted.

"Well, let's get her home then," Wanda said.

"It's just a headache guys! You all look just as worse for wear."

That was true, given the blood, sweat, and grime that coated them as it did you.

"And Clint's limping again, because I take it his leg wasn't, how did you say it Loki, up to full strength?"

"She's got a point," Sam said.

"Clint's mind hasn't had to process being thrown into a movie fight scene," Tony argued.

"Nor is this his first conflict of such a nature," Vision backed the argument.

"Shock will fade, and I'm just a bit tired from the crash off of my adrenaline rush."

"So until you're used to that like the rest of us, take it easy," Steve ordered gently, "It's not an insult to how much you can take."

"I don't know how much the cameras show, but I was a mess after Sokovia," Wanda offered helpfully.

"And the first mission I ever flew wasn't the easiest," Sam said.

"Accepting that it's hard the first time isn't embarrassing," Nat told you.

"Thanks guys, I know it'll take some getting used to. But I swear, I'm fine."

"We should head back to Asgard regardless," Thor stated, sticking his hand out to Tony for the Tesseract.

"I'm ready to get out of this place," Rhodey voted.

Tony had Friday hack into the Collector's system before you all prepped to leave, looking for any information or clue as to where he may have gone to hide or who his contacts were. Unfortunately, Tivan had wiped everything clean, and alien-tech wasn't Tony's specialty, so no help was found.

"Circle up," Cap directed when everyone was ready.

"Please don't just think 'Asgard'. I don't wish to be dropped into the sea, thank you," Loki mocked.

Thor glared sideways at his brother, but didn't say a word. Closing his eyes in concentration, the blue portal expanded around him and to the rest of the team.

The Asgardian vault was a welcomed and familiar sight, something you never thought you'd be thinking. Yet there was something bittersweet about standing where you wanted to be, but doing so empty handed. It was back to the old drawing board.

Chapter 26: The Dance

Normal conversations broke out amongst the Avengers, the group evidently used to the shift from chaotic to calm. You, however, still felt a little jittery. You let yourself get lost in thought, content, for once, to just listen and not speak.

"I will visit Father and inform him that you are to stay the night as guests of Asgard," Thor was saying.

"Are you sure that's wise, brother?" Loki asked.

"Loki, I have never been surer--more surer--positive!" Thor stuttered, settling on the word with a smile.

"We get to wear Asgardian attire, right?" Tony asked, "Cuz I've been meaning to throw a toga party."

"You will be well equipped with your choice of Asgardian clothes, yes," Thor confirmed.

You noticed most of the guys didn't look too happy about that, which made you smile until you realized what that meant for you.

"Any point in asking if I can just have some sweatpants and a t-shirt?"

"If you can find some on Asgard, be my guest," Thor grinned.

"Is it really so much to ask of you all to dress somewhat decent for once in your lives?" Loki mumbled, wearing a permanent look of disdain on his face.

"You'll find the appeal in Midgardian garb, I can assure you, brother," Thor replied.

"When Jotunheim melts I will," Loki insisted.

"Well you certainly did a number on it with the bifrost, so you're half-way there," you quipped absent-mindedly, not really paying attention or looking for a reaction.

"Are you sure all of them need to stay?" Loki growled, glaring at you.

Thor, on the other hand, was laughing at you.

"Yes, Loki, especially Wren," he said annoyingly, nudging his brother, "Besides, it's good for someone to challenge you, healthy even."

"He'll be the healthiest goddamn man alive then," Sam said.

"Who here needs medical attention?" Thor asked, turning to the group in the middle of the hallway. "Barton? Your leg perhaps?"

"It's just sore," Clint declined, "A nap is what I need, thanks though buddy."

"Anyone else?" he asked again, scanning the group like a worried mother.

"Nothing that can't wash off," Nat smirked.

The Avengers had received some hits and scratches, but nothing major. As far as adversaries went, they had faced much worse before, thus the opponent rarely got the opportunity to lay a finger on them.

"You should get looked at," Steve said to you.

"I'm only scratched," you protested.

"It looks more than a scratch from here," he argued, "And even so, this was your first fight. You should take the help and make sure you didn't take any serious damage."

"I'm not going to say no to you Cap, but I still don't think I need to bother a doctor."

"You would," Loki rolled his eyes, "Despite hitting your head within a day of a concussion."

"It is settled," Thor declared, patting you on the shoulder, "Our healers will provide the best care, I can assure you. And Loki," he continued, turning to face his brother, "Since you seem invested in her well-being so much, you can take her there while I get the others situated."

Loki looked unhappily at his brother as you smirked.

"Guess you shoulda kept your mouth shut, huh?"

"I'm spending too much time around you, it would seem," he said with an insincere grin.

"Ah, you're a bad influence," Wanda chided jokingly.

"Thought we raised you better than that?" Clint added.

"Ok, enough talking, I'm dying to get this suit off," Rhodey complained.

"We'll see you later, kid," Tony nodded, "And um, stay outa trouble."

He was frequently glancing warily at Loki, not liking you leaving with him.

"My brother will not harm her," you heard Thor assure him as you walked away. He had said it in an attempted whisper, which he was terrible at.

Loki's head shake and sigh showed he was thinking the same thing, making you laugh.

"My brother wouldn't be able to talk softly if his life depended on it," Loki said in response to your laughter.

"I know, but that's what makes him adorable. He's like an energetic, happy little puppy."

"Is there a hero you don't drool over?" he asked.

"I didn't mean adorable like that, though he is gorgeous don't get me wrong."

Loki's eye-roll was almost audible.

"So you and every empty-headed girl seem to say."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"Hardly! Just because I do not walk around flexing and showing off for anyone who will watch, doesn't mean I'd trade my looks for his."

"I'm not sure how girls on Asgard are, but if they all fawned more over Thor it's definitely just because he is the more outgoing of the two of you. I'd imagine someone would be afraid to think you attractive."

"I've had my fair share of followers," he stated a bit defensively.

"I'm sure you have, but based on the contempt in your voice when you heard me call Thor attractive, I'd imagine more girls went for Thor. That's just because he appeared more obtainable."

"Why do you seem intent on insulting me half of the time, yet determined to boost my self-esteem the other half?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"Well I'm allowed to tease you about stuff, but if there's something you clearly think about yourself that's wrong, I won't feed into that."

"So you think I'm attractive?" he teased with that arrogant voice and sly look.

"As I've said before, you all are. In our world you're played by actors, remember? They wouldn't get an ugly actor, that's just not how it works. Not for these films anyway." Despite speaking the truth, you felt your face growing red at the knowledge of how you thought Tom Hiddleston was one hundred times as attractive as any of the other actors. Nothing escaped Loki, and he laughed triumphantly.

"Oh, darling, you're a terrible liar."

"What?!" you defended quickly, "Every one of the Avengers is good looking."

"Although we have to agree to disagree on that, the lie was not within your statement, but rather its implication that you view us all on the same level."

"I don't pick favorites," you lied.

"You do with characters."

"But not based on looks. When it comes to that, I think you're all fine."

He gave you a look, and it was impossible to hold against that Loki face. You couldn't help but smile.

"You're giving yourself away my dear."

"You're Loki, it's hard not to smile at your iconic looks."

"We can keep this little game going as long as you want, but I will get the answer out of you."

"You seriously so desperate to hear someone say that you're more attractive than others?"

"Is that a confession?"

"I believe it was a question."

"Implications, darling, just as before. Implications are where the truth of statements and questions really lies."

"Well you're getting the wrong implications then," you stated, though you were sure your face was redder than before.

"I already have my answer, I just want to hear you say it," he stated bluntly.

"Fine, alright, I think Tom Hiddleston, your actor, is more attractive than the rest."

"And they all look just like us here, correct?" he continued, poking around for the exact words he wanted to hear.

"More or less," you said unconvincingly.

"So you think me, Loki the character, is more attractive than anyone else?" he pressed.

"You could look at it that way," you agreed reluctantly.

"You can say it, it's fine, I'll only use it against you for eternity that's all," he smiled.

"It's as close as you're gonna get to what your narcissistic head wants to hear, ok?"

He just continued looking smugly at you, right up until you reached the hospital. Loki spoke with the nurse (or healer, or whatever they call it up on Asgard), filling her in on the recent history of your head. You were sitting on a table, trying to pay attention to what he was telling her, but ultimately finding yourself staring around the room.

"They will send for someone to fetch you when they're done with you," Loki addressed you, breaking you from your daydream. You nodded and thanked him as he turned and left the room.

It didn't take long for them to patch you up. It appeared the healers could perform some magic of their own, which helped to heal the deeper cuts on your leg. The rest of the bloody gashes were cleaned, coated in medicine, and wrapped. It stung like hell when they washed out the cuts, as if they were pouring alcohol straight into them. They kindly gave you the opportunity to wash the grime and blood off of your face and hands, but a look into one of their mirrors showed the need for a thorough bath later. They scanned your head in a similar manner to how they scanned Jane and the Aether. The blow from Polyphemus, as you had nicknamed the cyclops, had indeed caused damage to your freshly healed head, and they informed you that you were mildly concussed. Had you not been feeling so many things after the battle, you most likely would have noticed symptoms. A few liquid remedies, and ten to twenty minutes of magic, took care of the head, but you were warned to not join in any aggressive action for a few days while the body's natural healing reinforced the work they had done. The head healer sent someone to let it be known that you were ready for pick-up. To your surprise, and joy, Ceyla was the one to return for you.

"Hey Ceyla!" you said cheerfully.

"Hello again, Miss," she curtsied.

"Please, you don't have to do that," you assured her, "And you can call me Wren, I'm not Thor or Loki or anything."

She seemed momentarily caught off guard by your free use of the Princes' names, but quickly recovered as she's quite good at doing.

"Alright, Wren," she said with a smile, seeming to relax a bit. It had to be hard being so respectful all day, despite how terribly disrespectful of a person that made you sound.

The two of you chatted all the way to the same room you had occupied on your last visit.

"There's to be a party tonight in your group's honor," she informed you, "And to celebrate the return of Prince Loki, who survived the Dark Elves."

"Ah, yes, he uh he did that," you smiled.

"What?" she asked, becoming comfortable with talking to you openly.

"Nothing," you lied, "I'm just happy you have your Prince back."

"As are we. I knew his fall from grace must have been a mistake. I mean, with the play the Allfather recently had performed, it's clear he was only trying his best to protect us from those monsters. And rumors have spread of why he was imprisoned upon return, and why Prince Thor was sent to Midgard to fetch him, but I don't believe any of them. There are those that do, but, after his most recent sacrifice, I'm sure they will come to view him in a better light."

"I hope they do," you said sincerely, "He deserves that."

"You speak as if you know the Prince?"

"I've had a few interactions with him, but that is all. I can just tell he's a decent man, and the way you speak of him confirms that. I mean, he's a Prince of Asgard after all," you said, milking this for all it was worth, "So I'm sure such a god deserves the praise and love of his people."

"You are very wise, Miss," she smiled in agreement, "I will leave you to rest now. The party is in six hour's time, but the Prince Thor has requested the presence of you and your friends two hours earlier. I will be here in three to help you prepare."

"Thanks, Ceyla," you smiled, and she began to curtsy, before stopping halfway down.

"Sorry," she laughed. She did a little wave instead, which you returned.

Once the door was closed, you immediately made your way to the bed. You knew you should have washed first, but you were out mere moments after hitting your pillow.

Alarm clocks were a wonderful invention you should have introduced to Asgard, because you slept right up until Ceyla came in.

"I am so sorry!" you apologized, "I meant to be up and washed and at least somewhat ready to get dressed!"

"It's alright, really," she insisted, "That is what I am here for, is it not?"

"You have an hour to make this," you said gesturing to yourself, "ready for an Asgardian party. Even with your expertise, this is a challenge."

"One I am more than prepared for," she smiled.

"Time to work your magic, then," you said, heading over to the bathroom area.

45 minutes later you were cleaned and in a robe, watching as Ceyla finished her work on your make-up. She didn't put a lot, just enough to cover any scars from battle or to highlight a few things here or there. You weren't big on wearing make-up, but you had to admit she had done a good job, and you looked mildly less terrible than usual. Your hair was stunning, and you weren't afraid to admit it. It was all thanks to Ceyla of course. She had done some fancy braids back into an elaborate bun, while still leaving half of your hair down in curls.

"You're a wizard, Ceyla, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Your looks make my job easier, I need hardly work."

"Awww, well thanks, Ceyla."

"Just wait until we get you into a dress!" she said excitedly, scampering over to the wardrobe. "Which one do you want?" she asked, "These were brought especially for you in your size while you were being treated."

You took in the different colors and styles, not knowing which to pick. In your mind, Asgardian dresses all had that Roman or Greek look about them, but there were actually many styles. One sleeve, two sleeves, strapless, some with capes, some with shawls, some fuller at the bottom, some more form-fitting, etc etc.

Tony had known your favorite color was blue when adding the teal color to your uniform, so naturally a blue dress caught your eye. It was a deep shade at the top that gradually grew lighter as it reached the bottom. Your eyes could have been playing tricks on you, but it seemed to have this faint sparkle about it if caught in the right light. The dress was light and flowy, and had a kind of shawl-like cape thing that flowed behind it and was clasped to the front of the right shoulder by a silver crescent moon. The moon made you realize that the design reminded you of the night sky, another reason why you liked it so much.

Ceyla helped you step into it and laced it up behind you, letting the wispy shawl drape behind you when she was done. A pair of silver-strapped sandals completed the look.

"You look stunning, Wren," she smiled warmly.

"All thanks to you," you grinned back, though you had to agree you had never looked nice like this before. In truth, you had never had occasion to dress up nice for practically anything, let alone something as crazy as an Asgardian celebration.

"Take some of the credit," she said, holding open the door for you, "Now let's get you to the others. They should all be gathering with Prince Thor soon."

"Why does Thor want to meet so early?" You asked as she led you down the hall.

"He didn't say, though I can venture a guess."

"And?"

"There are many formalities involved in Asgardian parties, many dances that are traditionally always performed."

"You think Thor wants to teach us how to dance???" You asked in horror. "I can't dance, not on earth and certainly not on Asgard!"

"Our dances are traditional and fairly simple," she said in a reassuring tone. "The Princes know the steps like they know how to walk, every Asgardian does. You couldn't ask for better teachers, and I assure you you will have mastered the steps by the end of the hour."

"If you say so. Though, Thor knows our group. He's got to know what he's getting himself into."

Evidently he didn't know, as you walked into a large room filled with protests.

"We've fought alien armies together, how hard can learning a few dances be?" Thor was saying, or more like shouting over the others.

The men in the room were dressed in some of that "fine Asgardian leather", each wearing either black or brown trousers, boots, and the kind of tunic/shirt that Asgardian men often wear. Cap had chosen a simple long-sleeved blue one of the normal length of a typical shirt. Clint had on a dark purple one that, when paired with his black pants, reminded you of his comic book colors. His was sleeveless and slightly longer than Cap's. Sam had clearly gone for the color of least noticeability, wearing a long-sleeved black tunic that buttoned on the side and had a v-neck. Unlike the others, he had on storm-gray trousers tucked into his black boots. Rhodey was wearing a shorter shirt, like Steve, but who's sleeves had more flow to them rather than hugging the arms. His color was silver. Vision apparently was exempt from having to play dress-up, much to your disappointment. Tony was the best sight of all. His shirt was a two-parter, a tunic over a shirt that could be seen at the chest. The tunic was a deep red, longer like Thor and Loki's, with a black shirt under. He'd chosen an elaborate black cape to go with it, the kind with fur around the shoulders where it clasped. If Tony Stark had to dress Asgardian, this is about how you'd have imagined it. Thor was wearing his fancier blue tunic, thicker and more regal than those sported by the others. Loki was also wearing just a green tunic, not his usual leather coat and elaborate gold and black accessories, much like when he's in prison in Dark World. However, this tunic, like Thor's, was thicker, containing gold embroidery down the seams and around the cuffs. The two of them together looked magnificent. Thor had let down his hair from it's half-up position, and it looked like a movie's hair and make-up crew had just perfected it for the cameras to start rolling. Loki had noticeably combed and settled his hair into the perfect position. It had more volume than his slicked back look of the Avengers or even Dark World, yet was still brushed back in his classic way. His ends weren't all spikey like Avengers, but rather soft like Dark World, falling gracefully on his shoulders.

Damn they look good, you thought as you took in the sight of the brothers.

"I wish I could, I seriously do, but uh with my leg," Clint was saying, trying to find an excuse not to have to dance.

"You told me it was fine!" Thor argued.

"Yeah Clint, I've seen you do harder things with worse," Nat backed Thor, the mischievous smile on her face showing she was loving the discomfort of the men.

"I'm ready to learn some posh British dances," Tony said, flinging his cape around dramatically, the only one of the guys looking forward to this. "And as our team leader I say we're doing it."

"Steve is technically," Sam said, looking to Cap for help.

"I think we can all agree that at this point it's my compound my rules, my tech my rules, my suits my rules---"

"My home my rules," Thor cut him off, "End of discussion," he finished with a pointed finger and mom look. Thor could really be a parent when he wanted to be.

There was a collective groan from the guys, excluding Tony, but no one argued any further.

"Thank you," Thor continued, "Now, I will be teaching the guy's steps, as I am clearly the most capable at that, and Loki will teach the girl's because he's weird and knows them."

Loki rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"Dancing with Thor isn't what I had in mind when I joined the team," Rhodey sighed.

"Ew I'm not going to physically dance with you, that would be gross!" Thor exclaimed, making you chuckle. "No, I have assistants to stand in as your partners. I'm just here to guide you."

"Damn, I thought I was going to get to see Thor dancing with each of the Avenger's men" you whined in disappointment.

"At least we don't have to dance with Antlers," Tony shot back.

"Yeah, do we get stand-in partners?" Nat asked.

"Yup, probably should have thought of that...but you know, Loki's a guy, you're a girl, it'll be fine!" Thor said awkwardly and rather unconvincingly.

"Ok, at least I get to see Natasha and Loki dancing, that's worth the price of admission," you said happily, honestly thinking this was the best thing you could have hoped to see.

Nat's look was enough to scare even Thor, as his smile quickly vanished and he noticeably gulped.

"Well, I-I-I don't see why we can't get more men in here to help," Thor stuttered, trying to choose his words carefully, "After all, I brought enough help for all of the men, it will go faster if we have an equal amount for the ladies, right?"

Natasha's victorious grin caused Thor to sigh in relief.

"Good, right, well I'm afraid my friend Volstagg isn't light on his feet, but my friends Fandral and Hogun would be happy to help," he said, sending one of the female assistants off to find them.

"Can Volstagg come regardless?" You asked before the messenger left. "What's the point in meeting two out of the Warriors Three? Please can I meet them all?"

"Ah yes, I'm forgetting you know them," Thor laughed, "Very well, send for Volstagg as well," he told the servant cheerfully.

"We're taking the two of them," Nat said as you, her and Wanda separated from the guys.

"No, can I please get one of them!" you begged. Not that dancing with Loki isn't something fangirls would chomp at the bit to do, but it wasn't something you'd actually do when faced with the choice.

"I'll take Loki if you're not comfortable with it," Wanda offered reluctantly.

"Enforcing your seniority has got to become second nature," Nat chided her. "Besides, it's her favorite character," she added with a smirk.

"On screen, ok, big difference! Do you know how awkward and stressful being taught by him is going to be?"

"And you'd force that upon Wanda? Bit harsh."

"She's a badass, she can handle him! If I were Loki, I'd be afraid to mess with either of you."

"We'll have to work on getting you to that point then, won't we?" Nat replied, "But no better place to start than the awkward. Wanda is not taking him."

Wanda gave you an apologetic look, clearly not dreaming of going against Nat's orders. The three of you turned to watch the boys while waiting for the men to arrive. The comedy that unfolded made you laugh so hard you were afraid you'd cry and ruin your makeup. Thor, bless his soul, was trying to be a patient and instructive teacher. His face would say "what the hell are you doing?" while he instead would say things like "No, no, you're doing fine... yeah, no no, stop, no it's it's fine you're doing great, just maybe like I showed you...hey, buddy, do you remember the step? Mhmm, well perhaps we could try it then?" His passive aggressive statements, and the clear frustration in his voice that he was trying to cover up with kindness, was simply priceless. The guys actually weren't that bad. You had thought Cap would be the one to not get the hang of it, and, although he was hesitant and indecisive at first, he actually caught on quickly. They were all starting to get the gist of the first dance when the Warriors Three entered. Loki walked over from his hiding place in the corner, begrudgingly accepting that it was his turn to work. The Warriors Three gave Loki cold looks, to which Loki just smirked.

"It's nice to see you too, friends," he said.

"Friends don't send destroyers after each other," Hogun noted bitterly.

"Did I do that?" Loki asked with a rather convincing look of confusion, "Hmm, how details seem to slip the mind after some time."

"Yes, I'm sure it is difficult to keep track of the people you stab in the back, isn't it?" Fandral said harshly.

"Better not to try," Loki replied.

As entertaining as it was, your mouth spoke before you had time to think.

"Loki, will you drop the act already? Just shut up and get to work, or stop talking out of your ass to make yourself seem tougher, ok? It won't kill you to let them know you're sorry."

You'd think Loki would have gotten used to you speaking out of turn, but apparently, based on his expression, you still managed to surprise him.

"Ha! I think our guest has managed what none of us have ever been able to achieve: shutting you up!" Volstagg laughed at Loki. He turned to you next, extending his hand.

"Volstagg, at your service My Lady."

"Please, just call me Wren," you smiled, hesitating briefly as he kissed your hand.

Whoa, play it cool, you told yourself.

"It's an honor to meet you," you continued, "All of you actually. It's been a dream of mine."

"So you've heard of us then?" Volstagg questioned proudly.

"Of course! Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun!" you said to each in turn, "I only wish Lady Sif were here too."

"She's attending to business outside of Asgard at the moment, unfortunately," Fandral explained, "But I hope you have the pleasure of meeting her one day." You made a mental note to pry further into her whereabouts later.

Wanda and Natasha were introduced to the three men, each taking their hand as Volstagg had with yours.

"I'm sorry my love of Norse mythology isn't as great as hers," Nat apologized, "But it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"The pleasure is all ours," Fandral said, "And might I say that you three look positively stunning."

Wanda and Nat did look stunning. Nat, naturally, had chosen the most sleek and modern-looking dress. A gorgeous purple gown with a more form fitting style, a v-neck and gold belt. Wanda's was a burgundy color with one sleeve on the left shoulder. The dress's pattern flowed from the one sleeve, down across the chest diagonally, to a gold brooch-like clasp on her right hip. The skirt of the dress went straight down, looser than Nat's but tighter than yours. However, a sort of overskirt, made from the same material as your shawl, was attached to the dress, clasped at the right hip by the gold brooch. The overskirt didn't fully cover the bottom of the dress, the material cut in a way that the front right of the dress was exposed, almost like those dresses with a slit in them. The overskirt was a lighter red, but so thin that the dark red underneath came through. In shorter terms, it was a glorified shawl tied around her waist and left to flow down the back and sides like a skirt. You saw Loki's look of impatience grow as the three of you thanked him for the compliment.

"If you are quite finished flirting, we have limited time to teach them the basics," Loki snapped.

"I'm sure you don't expect me to assist one of them," Volstagg told Loki, "Or have you forgotten I am not the best at this?"

"How could I?" Loki grinned, "No, we are quite capable without your interference. I will be taking one of them."

"I'm sorry for whoever gets stuck with him," Hogun smiled at the three of you.

Wanda and Nat both pointed fingers at you, and you nodded painfully.

"Yup, that would be me apparently, though I think it was an unfair vote."

"Complain later," Loki grumbled, "Right now we need to begin."

Loki, though condescending and impatient, was surprisingly a good teacher. He ironically hid his frustrations better than Thor, who was still comically barking passive-aggressive orders or motivational tips. Loki taught the three of you the steps without partners first. Nat, with her ballet and acrobatic past, was a natural, moving brilliantly on the first try of every step. You and Wanda weren't terrible, as the moves weren't horribly complicated. Asgardian dances were mainly group dances, done in a line or circle, so the three of you had to rotate with imaginary partners at the proper times every minute or so. Once the steps were down, Loki informed the three of you that the dance would continue in a loop until you were back with your original partner at the end of the song. Loki and the boys stepped in to practice the rotations a few times. Having accomplished that, they taught two more similar dances, less complex and more bouncy in nature. Lastly, it was time for the one on one dance performed by Asgardian couples. There were many one on one dances, but there was only time to learn the most popular.

Fandral and Hogun took Nat and Wanda to their respective areas to learn the dance, and you awkwardly turned to Loki with poorly hidden discomfort. He didn't look anymore pleased with the inevitable than you did.

"Well get over here, we don't have all day," he barked.

"Well we could postpone the party indefinitely?" you said hopefully.

"There are many I would rather not mingle with as well, but even I cannot turn down Asgardian festivities, nor would my command hold any weight anymore. So you are out of luck, my dear."

"Ugh, then let's get this over with. Can't promise I won't step on your foot or something."

"Just follow my instructions without arguing and you'll be fine."

He moved you into position facing him, and then proceeded to explain the tempo of the music typically played for this kind of dance. The steps followed a four-beat system, which made it easy enough to follow and get back on track should you misstep. He showed you the basic steps of the first part, which resembled a waltz. He explained when the dance turned into a spin or pause for one partner to circle the other, or such moves like that. He also explained how to tell when it was time for such a change to occur. Moves always came back into that basic waltz-like series.

"Ok, let's try it," he said, holding out his hand. You took it, not afraid to show your cringe. It was better to make yourself seem like you were being silly and open about not wanting to dance with him, rather than trying to remain neutral and failing spectacularly. Besides, hopefully fooling around about it would hide how nervous you were inside.

"Am I really so repulsive to you?" he smirked in response to your look.

"I can't say dancing with you was on my bucket list, that's all."

"Bucket list?"

"List of things someone wants to do in life before they die, ya know weird things or life-long dreams."

He hummed an understanding. "Was meeting me on the list?"

"Meeting you and everyone with us was called a fantasy, not a goal or realistic dream."

"Whoever said the dreams had to be realistic?"

"Usually you don't put something on the list that isn't physically possible."

"Humans," he chuckled, "Always presuming they've discovered all that is possible when they've yet to scratch the surface of what the universe has to offer."

"Yes, well, I'm not making that mistake again."

"I should hope not. And now that you aren't noticeably refraining from tearing your hand free from mine, may we continue?"

"We can't have long before the party, so we kinda have to," you agreed.

He raised your grasped hands into position and motioned for you to place your other where it belonged. You placed it on his shoulder, this time trying to act normal, in order to speed up the practice time you got. However, you couldn't help squirming like someone had tased you when his hand went on your waist. You apologized and got back into position, noticing his smirk at your discomfort.

"Straighter," he instructed, adjusting your shoulders and raising your chin up ever-so-slightly. "And closer," he continued, pulling you to him.

"I guess there is no personal space in a dance," you admitted to the protests in your head.

"Usually that's the point," Loki noted, before telling you to start. He counted through the steps as you went, calling out the directions as reminders and making sure you knew when to switch positions or transition to different moves. You were focused heavily enough on trying to drill the steps into your head that you didn't have time to feel uncomfortable dancing with Loki. The two of you just continued to practice, drilling it again and again until Loki paused and allowed himself a slight nod of approval.

"You'll make it through without completely embarrassing yourself at least," Loki stated, the closest he was going to get to a compliment.

"No guarantees I still won't trip just walking into the place. Haven't had a lot of practice moving in fancy dresses."

"Well you picked the most elaborate, didn't you?" he scoffed.

"When in Rome," you shrugged with a smile, twirling your skirt.

"See?" Nat said from behind you, "You survived your dance with him."

You turned to find Nat and Wanda walking over to join you, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg over with the men.

"Wasn't too bad was it?" Wanda grinned.

"He's not the worst teacher I've had," you admitted.

"I hate to break up this little chat, but we really should be leaving," Loki whined irritably.

"We do what Thor tells us to do," Nat stated bluntly.

"And my brother is no better at keeping time than he is at teaching dance."

"He did his best," you defended, "plus provided some quality entertainment."

"We should let him know if it's time though," Wanda said, and Nat nodded, heading across the room.

It seemed a crime to interrupt Thor, as he looked so happy chatting amongst his friends from earth and Asgard. Honestly, they all looked like they were having a great time. You noticed Loki hesitate, apparently noticing the same thing. The smile he caught on your face made him resume his hardened expression, however, and he burst the little bubble of happiness.

"Brother, you are going to be late to your own party if you do not leave soon."

Loki received harsh looks from every man there besides Thor, who gasped at the lateness of the hour, thanked his brother for bringing it to his attention, and rushed everyone out of the room.

You were chatting with Clint, Rhodey, and Sam along the way, discussing the dances and whether you'd have to actually perform any of them.

"I'm not making a fool of myself by dancing something I don't know with a girl I don't know," Sam said.

"Just pair with one of the girls," Rhodey suggested, gesturing to you and the other two walking ahead of you.

"Well there aren't enough of them for all of us," Clint said, "So I call dibs on asking one. Wren, you game if worst comes to worst?"

"Yes, but we could just hide in the back of the room and don't ask anyone to dance and pray someone doesn't ask us," you answered.

"Sounds like a plan," Sam nodded.

"I somehow think Thor won't let that side," Clint noted.

"Or Tony," Rhodey scoffed.

"Well, if we have to dance a group dance or two to please them then we will. But once the party picks up, and the spotlight is off of us, we slip to a small corner and hide there."

"Yeah, and stick together. Make it look like we're busy talking or drinking or something," Clint added.

"Honestly I'm more stressed over this than I was about traveling through space to find a magic stone," you mumbled.

To your amusement, they all grunted an agreement.

Thor led the group to a large open doorway, pausing outside of it. Through the entrance you could see a room full of guests. You were craning your neck to see what you could from your position, but the hallway simply was not a good vantage point, and so the flow of guests was the best you were going to get for now.

"Alright," Thor addressed the team, "I will let them know we are here. When Loki and I are announced, we will proceed into the room and over to our Father's seat. Once there, after greeting him, I will announce you as our welcomed guests. That's the signal for you to walk in and follow our same path to Odin. Simple as that, all you have to do is not trip."

"Ah shit I'm screwed," you moaned, the laughter in response having a calming effect on your nerves.

Thor gave you a smile before turning to speak with someone just inside the door. Moments later the wave of voices from inside dropped to a sea of whispers, before complete silence seized the crowd.

Odin's voice rang out, strong and delicate at the same time.

"Tonight, we celebrate a great many things. From the Frost Giants, to the Dark Elves... from the loss and destruction to some of our beloved home, to the loss of a person more dear to our hearts than we can ever place in words." His voice seemed full of pain during that last part. "Through all of that, we have remained strong. We have persevered. However, in my grief I was not the king you deserved. My sons were."

Loki, whose head had been bowed solemnly during the speech, looked up in surprise at his inclusion in Odin's praises.

"Thor took charge as a king must, ridding us of Malekith's shadow for good. Loki displayed the selflessness and sacrifice of a ruler, a brother, and a born leader. Though presumed dead on the battlefield, he has returned to us. And his actions since that fateful day have shown me the error of my ways. Remember this always: No man is free of fault, and no action is beyond forgiveness. Look inwards, my people, before you are quick to pass judgement."

He paused here to let his message sink in.

"And so, enter, my sons, without whom I would know not love nor purpose."

Thor went to walk, and Loki scurried to catch up, as if snapping out of his thoughts or shock after his father's words. The crowd opened up for the brothers, cheering and bowing as the Princes passed. They walked the path provided for them, turning left once in the middle of the room and walking out of your sight. What happened at Odin's seat was unknown to you, but you waited for Thor's signal patiently and nervously. However, it was Odin's voice, not Thor's, that rang out once more.

"As many of you know, we are honored by the presence of guests tonight. These brave and selfless individuals are heroes among their people on Midgard. Asgard values a warrior's dedication, sacrifice, and hard work for their home and family, and this talented team embodies that way of life. I ask that you join me in welcoming this group of admirable heroes and, most importantly, good friends of Prince Thor: Welcome, Avengers!"

The Avengers took that as their queue, entering the brightly lit room. Cap and Tony were, rightfully so, at the head of the group. You had made sure to be in the back of the crew, walking alongside Vision and Rhodey. As you stepped into the party, all nerves were put on hold by the sensory overload. The crowd was cheering, smiles and happy faces meeting your eyes as you scanned your surroundings. Beautiful dresses of many colors adorned the ladies, and the men were all as regally dressed as the Avengers' men, maybe even more so. The room was the size of a huge ballroom. The lack of ceiling made for a beautiful view of the stars.

Would this be counted as a courtyard or a ballroom?

After spotting the stairs that led to balconies, you decided this was a glorified courtyard, though larger and grander than any you had seen before. Hundreds of torches lined the walls, providing a bright and warm atmosphere. The natural light of the flames were, however, softer than artificial light, managing to accomplish the intended purpose without drowning out the stars above. The floor was the same beautiful stone as the rest of the palace. Massive columns bordered the room. Ivy lined some of the walls and railings, and tables full of food filled a wide area behind the people on your right. Odin's throne-like seat was situated to your left on an elevated position at the far end of the room, looking out over the festivities. The group turned left at the same place Thor and Loki had, heading directly to THE Odin. You were thrilled, yet terrified. Not that there was anything to be scared of, but you never knew how much simple things freak you out when you know they shouldn't be possible. All too soon you were standing before Odin, attempting to hide behind everyone else while also noticeably standing on tiptoes to gawk at the sight of another fictional character you never thought you'd see. Loki and Thor were standing on either side of their father, facing you and the crowd. Thor was beaming like a proud mother showing off her kids. Loki was more composed, yet didn't look as surly as usual. If anything he looked content, a slight grin on his calm face. He caught your eye and rolled his, smirking at your completely overwhelmed expression. You scrunched your face at him, mouthing "oh shut up."

Apparently Odin had been speaking while you were zoned out in your observations, as you picked up on Cap's grateful response to what must have been an official welcome or thanks from the Allfather.

"I hope you all will make the most of your time here and enjoy all that Asgard has to offer," Odin said, "Now let the celebrations begin!" he finished with open hands to the crowd. Music from the band started, beautiful soft tones. The crowd returned to its mingling, conversations and laughter resuming once again. The Avengers stood awkwardly for a moment before Thor finished speaking with his father and came to lead you to the tables.

"Help yourself, my friends," Thor said joyfully, "I have, uh, some catching up to do with the Warriors Three. Please, drink, eat, dance, be merry!"

With that he walked briskly over to Asgard's version of a bar to partake in the "catching up" with his friends.

"I want some catching up too," Tony said, following Thor.

The rest of you filled small plates with fruits, little cakes, meats, cheese, etc. You became more comfortable with the environment as you ate, chatting with Wanda, Vision, and Rhodey as you did. Nat, apparently a social butterfly, was talking with some Asgardian folks, eventually heading to the bar with them. Asgardians were very friendly, so, after deeming a plate of food sufficient time to allow you to adjust, many came up to introduce themselves and make smalltalk. As fun as it was to meet Asgardians, it was tiring engaging such a copious amount of people. Therefore, you were ironically pleased when a specific song grabbed everyone's attention. Evidently this song was one of their traditional ones, and you were dragged in by the pleas of those with whom you'd been conversing. You asked the name of the dance in order to prepare the steps in your head. Making sure to grab Wanda by the arm and pull her with you, you followed the crowd into position. From your place in line with the other girls, you glanced up and down the row of men for any Avengers. Clint, who you saw dragged over by Nat, looked like he was trying his best to put on a smile out of respect for his Asgardian hosts. There were three separate dance groups, so three separate lines of men. One of them was behind you with their backs facing yours. Despite not having to dance with them, you still glanced to see if you could spot anyone else forced to dance. Rhodey, Thor, and Cap were in that group. Vision had followed you and Wanda, and was now lined up across from her. Further down the line you noticed Tony was there where he wasn't a moment before, looking eager to get going. You couldn't see Sam, but it was possible he was in the third group across the room. The music that signaled for everyone to get into position paused, and you prepared yourself for the start. The song began, and you counted the beats in your head, thankfully making the first step on time and in the correct direction. It took a rotation or two to get the rhythm drilled into your head again, but after that it was quite fun. You danced with random partners, each very pleasant and enjoyable to talk to. Vision was rigid, but had the steps filed in his data banks, so he never missed a beat. There was a time or two where you thought you noticed him levitate to glide through a movement, but with your own twirling and movements it was hard to tell for sure. A few dancers later and you reached Clint.

"Not bad once you get the hang of it," you said, and the smile on his face told you he was actually enjoying himself.

"Eh, it's not so bad," he agreed, "Just wait til I tell Laura about this one."

"About all of the gorgeous Asgardian girls you danced with?"

"Hell yes," he joked with a laugh.

And with that it was time to switch.

"Have fun," he said before swinging you over to the next man.

You danced with Fandral and Hogun, the small talk with them considerably less awkward than the silence of dancing with Loki.

Tony was one of the last partners, and dancing with him was one of the best times of your life. He was so extravagant with his moves and hilarious in his comments that you were laughing the whole time. He loved to narrate the steps like "one, two three, one, two, three, and SWIRL. Killed it!" You cursed him for making you laugh so hard that you were breathless when the next partner tried to talk to you.

The song ended, and everyone clapped. The dance had gone faster than you'd thought it would, and you'd enjoyed yourself more than you'd anticipated. After a drink and some more mingling, the crowd once again lined up for a second dance. You knew the name of this one, so gladly participated. Fortunately you got to dance with Tony again, who was even funnier after a few more drinks. Steve and Rhodey were in your group, so you had each as a partner at one time or another. Vision was in the dance again as well, and you caught him gliding this time, which you promptly called him out for. When he looked concerned that he had seriously "cheated" you quickly assured him you were just joking.

The rest of the night consisted of talking, both with Avengers and new people, hunting for Sam (who had made it out of the dancing by stashing himself away in a far corner), eating, drinking, and hearing stories told from a very drunk Thor and Warriors Three. Many more dances were performed throughout the night, only one or two of which you knew the steps. Naturally, you were sure to partake in what you could, with you and Nat dragging Sam with you.

You, Clint, and Nat were chatting together when a new dance was announced to begin soon.

"Ah shit, it's the one-on-one dance," Clint mumbled, "People will ask their significant others, not us, right?"

"It's not a couples dance per se," Nat said, "Just a two person. So, yes, anyone can ask you," she smirked at him with a mischievous smile that could rival Loki's.

"No," he said quickly, "Nat, I've danced enough for one night."

"You owe me, for pulling that crap with Wren and Asgard."

Her fearsome look must have reminded him of her fury that night he had returned without you, because he let out a sigh and nodded.

"Fine, but then you can't use that against me again, it's over and done."

"Deal," she smiled, happy to get her way as she always does.

"And Wren?" she turned to you, wiping the smile off of your face.

"Yeah, if I have to dance, you have to dance," Clint declared.

"See ya!" you squealed, weaving quickly away from them and to a quiet, unnoticeable part of the room. You were by no means in an empty location, as quite a few people lingered around you drinking, chatting, and laughing, but all who were interested in dancing were off in the center of the room getting ready, so you were safe back here. You took a deep breath, enjoying the respite from activity.

"Sitting out on the last dance?" a voice asked from behind you, launching you out of your skin.

"Lord, will you stop doing that!" you shouted breathlessly at Loki.

"And miss a chance to scare you?" he asked with a smile.

"I've had enough scares for a week, thank you."

"Dancing's not that terrifying," he said, knowing full well that's not what you meant.

"Funny. Though you were right, an Asgardian celebration isn't something I wanted to miss."

"Then why are you hiding back here?"

"Um, are you paying attention to what dance is coming up?"

"Yes, and I will not let you get out of this one," he said, holding out his hand for you to take.

"Right," you laughed, honestly thinking he was joking, "As if you're not back here hiding from people too."

He only rolled his eyes and held his hand out further.

"I do not hide. I simply pick and choose what I want to do."

You looked at him skeptically, and, after deeming he was genuine, laughed again.

"No."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You only wanna drag me out there because I don't want to do it and will most likely screw up. The Prank Wars are still on, and I'm onto you," you explained, still smiling at his attempt.

His confusion turned to amusement.

"Do you honestly trust me so little?"

"Do you honestly need to ask that?"

"What can I do to assure you this is no prank?"

"Regardless of prank or not, you know I don't want to da--"

"No, I know you do," he cut you off, grabbing your arm and pulling you out into the sea of dancers. You stuttered a few protests, but were caught too off guard by his action that you didn't react soon enough. The music started and Loki pulled you to him. You had just enough time to quickly place your hand on his shoulder before you were scurrying into the first steps.

"A little more warning would have been nice," you grumbled, catching up with the steps and finally getting into a rhythm.

"I gave you plenty of time, Darling, you simply wasted it with your bickering."

"When someone says no, Loki, they usually mean no."

"On the contrary, people often say no when they truly mean yes."

"And what makes you assume I wanted to dance with you? And you can't use favorite character as an excuse again."

He spun you out and back in, smirking at you once face to face again.

"Seeing as you've taken away the truest answer, I'll go with the second best: You love to dance."

"Love is a strong word."

"Participating in every possible dance and dragging friends along with you seems like love to me."

"And how would you know I did all of that?" you asked, raising your eyebrows.

"I'm observant."

"You mean creepy?"

"Don't flatter yourself," he scoffed, "I wouldn't waste my stalking capabilities on the likes of you."

"Mhmm, so what has Barton done tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you're really just observant and not stalking, what have the rest of the gang been doing tonight, starting with Barton? Or how about Tony?"

When Loki didn't answer, and actually looked mildly uncomfortable, your smile faltered.

Wait, was he really stalking?  you thought, as you had initially been pulling his leg just to be difficult.

"I was simply curious as to whether you paid attention to my teachings," he finally said.

"And how did I do?"

"Tolerable."

"Is this why you wanted to ask me to dance? To judge how I'm doing now?" you asked in an accusatory tone.

"I gave my word that there were no ulterior motives."

"That doesn't explain why you asked me."

"Is it too much for you to believe that I just wanted to dance?"

"Yes."

He laughed as he spun you around.

"Especially when you could have asked literally any of these beautiful Asgardians," you continued.

"Ah, but I don't get yelled at and accused of misbehavior when dancing with other partners."

"How boring," you agreed.

"Precisely."

"Seriously though," you said through a chuckle.

"I'm not sure how others feel about me at the moment," he said after a second's hesitation.

"You know no one would, or could, refuse a dance with you, right? You're the Prince of Asgard."

"Not even I would force someone to dance with me when they'd rather be anywhere else."

You opened your mouth to speak, but he cut you off.

"You don't count."

"Thanks," you laughed.

"Besides, I can at least tolerate you, and you tolerate me. Probably the best circumstances I'll get at the moment."

"Well...you have tried to kill me already. Are you sure tolerate is the right word?"

"I wasn't going to kill you that night...merely make you wish you were dead," he said casually.

"Oh well in that case, we can skip straight to friends."

"Let's start with acquaintances and see where we go from there," he laughed.

You gave him a questioning look.

"What?"

"Did Loki Odinson just agree to have an acquaintance and hint at the possibility of a future friendship?"

"And what if I did?" he asked lightheartedly, though he was staring rather intently into your eyes. 

"I'd say good job, you're making babysteps."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What would you say to a future friendship?"

You stared at him for a second, stunned by his unexpectedly sincere attitude he'd adopted so suddenly.

"I never turn down friendships, so long as the other is worthy of my time and trust."

He raised his eyebrows, the unspoken question plain to see in his sad eyes.

"Yes, Loki, you qualify," you chuckled, and you thought you her him sigh in relief. "For now," you added.

"Yes, well, I'm still in this for myself. If this friendship becomes an inconvenience, don't be surprised when I let you down."

"Eh, you promised to kill me after we stop Thanos, so I already anticipate that getting murdered by you might put a damper on our relationship."

The two of you laughed for a bit, content to continue the dance in silence afterwards. It had evolved into a simple slow-dance, so there were no other movements or spins to distract your attention. You either looked at Loki inches from you, and smiled at how satisfied he seemed, or you very obviously looked around for something else to stare at. To make matters worse, you could have sworn you felt Loki gently pull you closer ever so slightly. You tried to get an answer out of his expression or behavior, but he carried on as if nothing had happened, or was just very good at acting. 

Well, he's either buttering me up for a backstabbing and I'm falling for it, or he's genuinely starting his development, you thought. Either way, I'll let myself enjoy this fun time with him.

He turned his attention, from whatever he had had been staring at, back to you, smirking down at you. The music stopped just then, the dance having come to an end. Slowly, Loki let his hand fall from your side, though he didn't release your hand right away.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked.

"You did tolerably, I suppose," you teased.

There were a few more seconds of awkward silence before you spoke.

"I should, um, go find Wanda or-or some of the others," you rambled.

"Yes, of course," he said clearing his throat and dropping your hand.

"Um, thanks," you said, backing away as he did the same.

"My pleasure. Um...have a good night," he said, still awkwardly backing away like you but not turning yet.

"Yeah, yeah you too," you said with a little wave, finally turning away, but glancing over your shoulder once to see that he had done the same.

And with that you walked through the crowd in a bit of a daze, your thoughts filled with whatever the hell had just happened.

Chapter 27: The Library

You found yourself over by the drinks, and planned on getting one, had Thor's sly smile not stopped you in your tracks.

"What?" you asked him.

"Nothiiiing," he drawled with a snort at the end.

"Clearly it's something."

He stumbled a few steps towards you, throwing his arm around you and staring into your eyes seriously...or rather, he tried to stare, if he could focus on anything. He held your gaze as best he could, looking like he was trying to remember what he was going to say. It must have come to him, because he broke into a big grin once more.

"What?" you prompted him again, not that you were going to get anything from him in this state. It was just amusing at this point to see him struggle.

"MY BRUVTHER" he yelled in your face, but quieted his tone once seeing your reaction. "Lllloki," he whispered, drawing out the L for emphasis and giving you a wink.

"Yes, he is your brother," you nodded, ignoring his implication.

"Nah nah nah nah nah, I know, I know. Heard it with my own eyes," he stated, pointing a finger at you.

"Heard what?" you laughed.

"You and him, and him and you, you know, dancing," he explained, waving his hand around.

"Uh-huh," you said gently, leading him towards his friends at the bar, "Yup, that's good," you said like you were talking to a baby as he walked.

"I know you know? You and him, and the dance, and...and my brother's look," he continued rambling, you just nodding and giving an "mhmm" to everything.

"And the way he smiled when—"

"Hey Thor!" you said eagerly, cutting him off.

"What?!" he asked just as energetically, nearly falling as he jerked his head to you.

"How bout another drink?"

"I knew I liked you," he said, before getting in a laughing fit that lasted right up until you had dropped him in the capable hands of a drunk Warriors Three and Tony.

Having successfully delivered Thor, you turned around and almost ran right into Sam. The look on his face said it all.

"I already heard it from a drunk Thor," you sighed.

"I wasn't going to say anything," he lied with a smile. "Besides, you'll hear enough of it from Tony when he finds out."

"Which he won't!" you said, giving him a threatening look. "He's drunk enough for the both of us, so he won't remember anything Thor might tell him. And NO ONE is going to tell him when he's sober, right?"

"You'll owe me," Sam said, looking over his shoulder as if someone might overhear, "but I won't say anything."

"To anyone right? Something tells me Clint wouldn't be too happy."

"I won't tell anyone. And I can't say I'm exactly happy either," he answered, folding his arms. "Wanna tell me what that was all about?"

You went to explain, but honestly you didn't know yourself what it had all been about.

"I don't know," you shrugged, chuckling like it was nothing, "Loki just said he wanted to dance, but he's not sure how people feel about him here yet."

"Like that man cares," he scoffed, "Sounds like another lie."

"And what did his lie accomplish?"

"Did you see your face after the dance?"

When your confused expression was all the answer he got, Sam rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, were you too mesmerized to even know you had a smile plastered on your face from the moment you walked away til the moment Thor stopped you?"

You hadn't, in fact, known that.

"Uh did I?" you asked like he was lying, "I don't think—"

"Oh come on, you nearly crashed through ten people on your walk over here, you were so out of it."

"I was lost in thought, ok? Thinking things like how I was going to explain to any of you who saw," you lied.

"And your smile?"

"So the dance was fun! Not because of Loki, but I enjoyed myself. Is that a crime?"

"It should be," he nodded, looking like he didn't believe your story anyway.

"Ah shit," you muttered, "Cap and Nat are coming up behind you. Play it cool!"

"Hey!" Steve greeted, "How're you doing?"

"Great!" you smiled, "How about you? Enjoying the dances?"

"More than he'll admit," Nat answered for him.

"Not as much as Tony," Steve clarified.

"Did you guys see how crazy he was?" you asked, laughing at the memory of dancing with him.

"Nat painted a pretty vivid picture of a pretty drunk Tony," Sam said.

"Dancing with him was an experience to say the least," you confirmed.

Wanda, Clint, Rhodey, and Vision strolled up at that moment, and small talk continued for fifteen minutes or so.

"Is it me or is the crowd thinning?" you asked.

"Thankfully, I don't think Asgardian parties last as long as Tony's," Steve noted. A crash from across the room, caused by Tony slamming his cup and shouting "Another!", turned all of your heads in the direction of the bar. "Well...for some I guess it will go a little longer," Cap added.

Seeing as the party was coming to an end, with the musicians retired for the evening and the tables already being cleared, most of the group decided it was time to call it quits. Rhodey said he'd stay a little longer to watch Tony and try to get him to his room without falling down a flight of stairs. Nat followed him, staying for what she claimed was her "last drink." Clint mumbled something about babysitting, jogging to catch up with Natasha.

"Anyone remember how to get back to our rooms?" you asked, knowing full well you had gotten turned around on the trip from the dance lesson to the party.

"I cannot forget information, so I'd be happy to lend assistance back to the general area of all of our rooms," Vision offered.

"Yeah, I think I can find my way back once in the area," you agreed, thanking Vision with the others.

The five of you took your time walking to your rooms, enjoying each other's company and the wonder of the palace you were in. You were genuinely upset when you reached an intersection you recognized, and Vision, Sam, and Cap turned to go one way.

"My room's down this way," you said, "So goodnight guys."

"Mine's this way too," Wanda said, bidding the others goodnight as she turned to follow you.

"So," she said as the two of you walked side by side, "How was your first day as an Avenger?"

"Well I didn't die, so that's a plus."

"It is," she smiled, though there was that hint of sadness that seemed to make frequent appearances with Wanda.

Oh my gosh, her brother literally died his first day as an Avenger! Why am I so stupid?

"How was your night?" you asked quickly, wanting to change the subject.

Her face lit up as she talked about what a great time she had had.

"And Vision was kind enough to offer to dance the last one with me, so that was fun," she said.

"That was nice of him," you agreed, turning to hide your smirk.

"Did you see Nat dragged Clint out?" she asked with a laugh.

"I was with him when she did it!"

"And what about you? Did you find some handsome Asgardian to dance with?"

Something about the way she asked the question made you think she was insincere...as if she knew exactly who you had danced with.

"Nope, I hid in the back of the room so no one could ask me."

"That's a shame," she said, again with that strange undertone to her voice, "I have a feeling you would have enjoyed yourself."

"Well, one-on-one dances aren't really my thing."

You had reached Wanda's room, so she gave you a hug goodnight and retreated through the door. A few more minutes and you had reached your own room. You were reluctant to take off the dress and wash your face, as this had been a night you didn't want to end, but you slowly did both. You put on a silky nightgown that was hanging in the wardrobe and let down the rest of your hair. Ceyla's elaborate hairstyle was complex enough that it took you some time to get it all down and all of the pins out of it. Finally, you were ready to relax. You walked out on the balcony, enjoying the vast starry sky above you and the beautiful city below you. The air was sweet and cool, and you took a few deep breaths as you thought about what a truly amazing day you had had. At the moment, you didn't even care that The Collector had escaped. You felt so at peace, and there was no doubt in your head that everything would turn out just fine.

We'll get him. We have the Tesseract and Mind Stone already, Xandar should be an easy trip, and the Time Stone is safe for the moment. Everything will be fine.

You'd be lying if you said the conversation and dance with Loki wasn't heavily in your thoughts. You didn't know what he was playing at, which mildly concerned you, but mainly you couldn't help but smile at the memories.

If I'd included fantasies onto the bucket list, this would be one of them.

Loki's comments about dreams not having to be realistic in order to have them on the list played across your mind.

Ok, fine. Make friends with Loki? Check! you thought, mentally crossing it off the list. You realized you were smiling to yourself just as Sam had said, but you couldn't help it. Sleep came easily for you that night, as you drifted off swiftly into a happy dream-filled rest.

***

"Wren?" a voice called once or twice.

You groggily opened your eyes, thinking it couldn't have been morning already. Ceyla was standing a few feet from your bed, smiling at the discontented groan you'd released when you realized it was time to get out of bed.

"Hey," you croaked, before clearing your throat and trying again. "Sorry, hey Ceyla. What time is it?"

"Nearly midday ma'am."

"Oh geeze," you groaned, rubbing your face sleepily as you stood up, "Of course I'm rude enough to sleep that late."

"Late mornings are a common occurrence after a celebration like last night's, I can assure you. Besides, most of your friends are just as late, if they are able to get up at all. A few have gathered together for breakfast if you would like to join?"

"Yeah, sounds good," you yawned, stretching your back as you did.

"Shall I prepare a dress for you, or will you be returning to your battle clothes?"

"My what? Oh, oh yeah, forgot I had those. I should probably dress in my clothes, just in case Tony is sober enough to go home today."

"You're leaving already?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, I don't want to. But I don't know what Cap or the others have planned, so I should be ready just in case."

"I see," she answered, walking over to a table on the far wall. She grabbed what appeared to be your clothes and brought them over.

"I've had them washed, though there are a few tears in the trousers that will require mending."

"Thanks Ceyla, Tony will take care of the repairs."

You changed into your suit, leaving the jacket off for today, as Asgard was pleasantly warm. As fond of last night's dress as you had been, you didn't need to focus on carrying yourself gracefully in these clothes, which was a relief. Your hair was still wavy, but you tied it back and out of the way rather than keep it down.

"Ready?" Ceyla asked, holding the door open.

You smiled an "mhmm" as you left your room. Ceyla led you to a much smaller dining area than where you'd eaten breakfast with Loki, though the room was by no means tiny. Seated together at one end of a long table were Cap, Wanda, Rhodey, Sam, and Vision, all of whom greeted you as you entered.

"Where are the others?"

"Tony and Thor won't be moving for a while," Rhodey answered first.

"Nat's not as bad, but she'll be out a little longer for sure," Wanda added.

"And Clint's just a late sleeper whenever he gets the chance," Steve finished.

You nodded and sat down next to Sam, serving yourself some food. Conversation changed from topic to topic throughout the meal, no one apparently in a rush to go anywhere.

"So, are we going back to earth or staying here?" you finally asked, noting that Steve was wearing his suit pants and undershirt, same as Sam, Rhodey was wearing his normal clothes he had on under his War Machine getup, and Wanda was dressed in her usual.

"I don't know," Cap said, "Checking in on the status at home isn't a bad idea, but our next trip is Xandar, so we'll need to come back up anyway."

"Given the state of some of the team, I'd say staying for a bit longer isn't such a bad idea," Wanda observed.

"Yes, yes I agree with Wanda," you said excitedly, "You guys haven't even toured the city, and you have to do that while you're here."

"I would like to see more of it," Vision agreed, "The structures and sights are unique to anything recorded on earth." 

"Well, Thor's not exactly in any state for giving tours is he?" Sam pointed out.

"And I'd hate to ask any of these kind helpers to sacrifice their day playing guide for us," Steve said.

Everyone hummed in agreement, no one knowing a solution to your dilemma. 

"How about Loki?" you asked.

The table didn't respond right away, but they all looked uncomfortable with the idea.

"He'd lead us right off a cliff," Rhodey scoffed.

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad," you protested.

"I don't know, Wren," Steve said, "He's not exactly our friend."

Well, not yours at least you corrected in your head.

"What makes you think he would agree to do it?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know if he will, but it's worth asking isn't it?"

Reluctantly, the others sighed.

"Alright, I'll come along if he agrees to it," Steve said, smiling at your look of relief.

"If Cap's in, I'm in," Sam said, Wanda and Vision following suit.

You all turned to Rhodey expectantly.

"On your right you'll see this lovely building, and, on your left, a beautiful dagger I've placed in your ribcage," he grumbled in a mock scenario, getting laughs from the rest of you.

"So is that a yes?" you asked him.

"If you're all dumb enough to go along with it, I guess I will."

"Great! I'll go with Ceyla to ask Loki," you said, standing up.

"We should come with you," Steve said, moving to stand.

"No offense, but with the history between him and you guys, I think I'd stand a better chance of getting a yes out of him without you there."

"We could go to the palace gardens while we wait for Wren to return?" Vision suggested, "I remember where they are located."

"That sounds lovely, Vis," Wanda smiled, looking to Steve for his thoughts.

"Ok, but be careful," Cap said to you.

"I'll be fine, Ceyla will be with me," you assured him, "See ya later!" 

And with that you were on your way across the room to where Ceyla had said she'd remain in case you needed her assistance.

"Was the food satisfactory?" she asked as you approached.

"It was delicious, thanks," you answered, "But I'm afraid I have a small favor to ask of you."

"Anything at all," she replied sweetly.

"I need to find Loki and ask him something. Do you know where he'd be?"

She looked thrown off by your question, clearly not expecting it to involve the Prince.

"Well, I...I guess I could lead you to his quarters?" she said. "If you think he would not mind your presence?" Evidently Ceyla was not in the habit of calling on a Prince without orders to do so.

"Oh, he'll most likely mind," you said, "But we're gonna do it anyway if you're alright with it? He won't even know you're involved if that's what worries you?"

She smiled at that, gaining some of her confidence and composure back as she led you into the hall. The trip to his room was pleasant and uneventful, but the results weren't what you'd hoped. Loki did not respond to the knock at his door, so he was either ignoring the world or he wasn't home at the moment.

"What now miss?" Ceyla asked.

"There's no official business or meeting he could be attending, is there?"

"Not that I have been made aware, no."

"Ok, then I have another place we can check. Though he could be literally anywhere I suppose."

You had Ceyla lead you to the garden you'd unsuccessfully sought refuge in a few nights back. Not wanting to give Loki's secret spot away, you asked Ceyla to remain outside the garden while you checked. The trip through the brush was much easier in the daylight, but your efforts were once again fruitless.

"Where are you?" you whispered to yourself.

If I'm Loki, where would I spend my free time in Asgard on a day where I have nothing to do, but I want to hide from the world?

A thought popped into your head, and you rushed out to find Ceyla.

"Any luck?" she asked as you exited the garden.

"No, but I have another idea. If this doesn't work, I promise we'll give up. Does the palace have a library? If multiple, then one where the likes of Loki would spend his time?"

"We have a very grand royal library! Even if the Prince is not there, it is something I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing."

Ceyla's prediction was an understatement. The library wasn't simply a place you wanted to see, it was a place you'd want to live in. The spectacle before you was wondrous enough to turn even the hardest anti-reader into a devout bookworm. The highest, most ornate ceiling, grand book cases carved beautifully out of dark brown wood, and vast, stain-glassed windows were but a few of the marvelous sights to behold. The rows were too many to count, and each seemed the length of football field. Staircases led to overpasses or balconies containing more books lined nearly to the ceiling. The true size of the room was impossible to tell from where you were standing. It could have branched off and expanded in different directions farther on, or could simply go on forever in the the same direction you were now looking. 

"Um, Ceyla," you said, staring in awe at the millions of books before you.

"Yes?"

"I might be a while."

Ceyla smiled and said she'd spend time at the front of the library while you looked for Loki. 

"Sounds like a plan," you responded absent-mindedly, walking forward with your head craned upwards, taking in the volume of the massive room. You suddenly felt smaller than you ever had before.

The search for Loki, which had honestly become a second thought for a while, was a difficult task, as you discovered the library did indeed branch off into more sections, alcoves, sitting areas, etc. There were not many people, only one or two in the first few sitting sections you passed. After thirty minutes or so, you paused in an open area, trying to decide whether it was worth continuing onward. You wanted to see the whole library, but who knows how long that could take. At this point you doubted you'd find Loki in a place like this, even if he was here. You sighed, and were surprised to hear how much it reverberated back to you. You looked around, and, seeing as the last person you'd passed was ten minutes back, you whistled. Like a child who enjoys echoes you did it again, smiling like a dope. 

"So," you said out loud, "Do I continue exploring this frickin amazing wonderland I've discovered, regardless of the chances of finding Loki in it, or do I take the time to look at some of these ancient books?" 

Your voice echoed back and you nodded to yourself as if it'd given you an answer.

"Yup, ancient books it is," you said, walking over to the nearest shelf. "They have literal scrolls?! To hell with Loki," you said happily, pulling a scroll gently off the shelf.

"I've been tossed aside many times in my life," a voice echoed, causing you to drop the scroll, whip around, and look for the man you knew had spoken. "But never for a piece of parchment," Loki finished.

You looked up to your right, finding Loki leaning on a balcony, grinning down at you.

"You certainly have a way of giving people heart-attacks," you chuckled, "Something I didn't know Loki was good at."

"Well, perhaps if you stopped presuming to know me, you'd learn more?"

"But where's the fun in that?"

Loki just smirked, glancing to the floor behind you.

"You might want to pick up that scroll, Darling. It's thousands of years old."

"Oh my gosh," you mumbled, quickly scooping it up and returning it to the shelf. "I was being careful with it until you came along."

"Yes, you seemed devoted enough to it that you'd sentence a friend to hell."

"When that supposed friend has been hiding all day, making me look all over for him, I'd say he deserves it."

"That eager to see me?" he smiled.

"I needed to ask you something that's all."

"And here I was thinking you missed me."

"Can you give the others a tour of Asgard?" you asked abruptly, ignoring his comment.

His face turned into a scowl.

"I'm going to presume you're joking, Darling."

"Oh come on, you gave me one!"

"That's different, it's you," he fired back, "I mean, I owed you," he clarified.

"And you owe them."

"I owe them nothing!" he hissed, his anger seeming greater when echoing throughout the chamber.

You just stared at him with an "are you serious?" look on your face. Loki glared back before angrily storming off out of sight.

"Hey!" you called out, walking determinedly over to find the stairs. You were up on the balcony a few seconds later, stomping into a beautiful room you assumed was the one Loki had retreated to. You found him lounging in a big chair by a very large fireplace, his nose in a book.

Let's try a nicer approach than usual, you thought, walking over and taking the second large chair across from him.

"So...it's um...it's a nice fireplace," you said.

He glanced up briefly with a confused look, as if wondering why you weren't arguing with him and why you were talking about random things. He seemed to catch on, rolling his eyes and looking back at his book.

"So, I'm getting the 'good guard' treatment today, am I?"

"That obvious huh?" you asked, assuming 'good guard' was Asgard's version of 'good cop'.

"You have yet to punch or insult me," he noted.

"To be fair, I only punch you when you start it."

"And here comes the transition to how 'You technically started it this time too, so I should punch you. Blah blah blah, emotional pep-talk'" he mocked in a whiny imitation of your voice. There was something very amusing about hearing Loki talk in a way other than how he usually does, and you couldn't help laughing.

"I do not sound like that!"

"You most certainly do," he argued, though he was no longer scowling.

"Ooo, I'm Loki, I'm going to go around pretending I don't like your emotional pep-talks and follow every other line with a smirk and sassy comment, thinking I look cool when doing it," you mocked right back in your Loki impersonation.

"Don't I, Darling?"

"Well, fine, you may look cool, but that's not the point."

The two of you were smiling now. 

Operation Good Cop is a success.

"Don't take the credit, I'm just a forgiving god," he said, reading your thoughts, or more likely your expression.

"Well, had I come in throwing punches, I doubt you would have been. So we'll split the praise 50/50."

"Fair enough, Darling."

"Will you ever call me by my name?"

"When you stop liking Darling," he smirked.

"There you go again with your arrogant comments and damn smirk."

"Effective as usual?"

"It won't always be. Don't think I'll let you charm your way out of everything."

"Getting what I want from you has never been that simple," he agreed.

"You wouldn't like if I made it easy, would you?"

"A little submission now and then, a little willful subjugation, would be refreshing."

"Is not this simpler?" you asked in his voice, and he looked confused.

"Is this not your natural state?" you continued.

"No," Loki said hastily, understanding what you were doing and trying to cut you off, but you ignored him.

"It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. In the end, you will always kneel."

"Are you done?" Loki asked tiredly, though he looked mildly amused.

"Not to men like you," you continued as the old German man, ignoring Loki once again. He just sighed but didn't try to stop you. "There are no men like me." "There are always men like you." "Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example."

"You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing," Loki chimed in, though he had shifted to Cap's form, so it was literally Steve's voice saying the line, even though Loki said it blandly as an insult to Cap. Regardless, you were laughing now.

"The soldier. A man out of time," you replied.

"I'm not the one who's out of time," Loki said, his voice just like the 'On my way down to coordinate search and rescue' line in Endgame.

"I love Cap and all, but that's just priceless," you wheezed.

"Whatever do you mean," Loki continued in Cap's robotic voice, "I am Captain America, young lady, and I will not tolerate that disrespect."

"Ok, ok, change back," you said, practically unable to breathe from laughing so hard.

"Is he honestly your favorite?" Loki asked, back in his normal form once again.

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"How do you go from someone like me, to someone like him? I mean, I'm better than all of them, but if you had picked someone with at least any similar characteristics I'd get it. But the Soldier?"

"Alright, I admit there's a big gap between the two personalities that made it to the top of my list. But Cap is literally the best, so don't come at him."

"Your err in taste should be a crime."

"Says the one who almost blasted that cute old German man."

"That may have been a hasty decision on my part, I'll admit," Loki said, looking partially upset.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you're not the same person anymore, so I would never hold the past against you like that."

"You told me I owed the Avengers. Would that not count as holding the past against me?"

"I was just pointing out that your reasoning for why you gave me the tour is technically the same deal with the Avengers. I never continued to use it to force you to do anything. That's between you and them."

"Was this your plan? Conveniently bring up quotes from my sins against them, turn it into a pep-talk about how you trust I'm not like that anymore, thus making me want to prove it by being nice?"

"Why? Are you wanting to prove it by being nice?"

"I don't have to prove myself to anyone," he said, rather too defensively.

"Then how about I simply ask that you do a favor for me, as a friend, and give my other acquaintances a tour of the most beautiful place in the universe? Thor's hungover, and I can't explain the history or sights like you can."

"Now you're aiming for flattery? You're all kinds of manipulative today, aren't you Darling?"

"I was aiming for the simple truth," you laughed, "Now will you help me out?"

He paused, looking like he was considering it.

"This is how the whole friend thing works," you added, giving him your pleading eyes.

"Ugh, alright," he groaned, "But remember this if I ever ask for a favor."

"I would never say no," you said. He gave you a mischievous look, making you backtrack a bit. "Ok, would never say no to a reasonable request."

"I would never ask an unreasonable request from you," he replied in feigned innocence.

"Oh I know that," you played along.

"Good, because I was very insulted by your clarification, Darling."

"I am terribly sorry, Your Highness, it will not happen again."

"I like that, you should call me Highness more often. Afterall, I am a Prince, so the fact that you call me by my name at all is technically highly improper."

"Don't get used to it, Loki. Besides, your name is a fun one to say."

He thought about it for a second and then nodded to himself with a look of pride.

"It really is, isn't it?"

"Oh dear, I've given you something else to gloat about," you grumbled, standing from your seat and heading to the door. "Now, Loki," you said, putting emphasis on the use of his name, "Let's get going. I've been gone from the others for over an hour now."

Loki sighed as he stood, using his magic to make his book disappear.

"If we must."

"Your magic is pretty awesome, but you don't use it enough," you said as the two of you walked back through the library.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes, it is. I mean, you barely used it during the fight the other day, and in the past you've only used it to be like 'I'm over here...Ha, nope I'm really over here.' You mainly use your daggers. Not that you aren't awesome with those, but like, I know you can send people flying with magic blasts, literally stop a building from falling, make frickin fireworks come out of your hands if you want, and even do more than you think you can. Like, I don't think you understand how powerful you can be. You can create an illusion of the entire city of Asgard."

"An illusion that large is impossible."

"Not for you it isn't. And you literally put a spell strong enough to temporarily hold Odin. You could teach yourself the art of enchanting the mind of others more easily too if you wanted."

Honestly, probably shouldn't have told him he can learn enchantment...that isn't a good thing for him to know how to do now that I think about it.

"What are you talking about?" Loki said, giving you a perplexed expression. "Where have you ever seen this, and how do you know about the fireworks and other powers? I don't recall seeing any of that in your memories."

The truth was, you hadn't wanted to show Loki moments from his TV series at the time, because you didn't want the TVA to be a thing. Showing him that would have raised questions you couldn't answer because there appeared to be no TVA here. Well, now you had raised questions with your big mouth, and you had to find a way to lie your way out of this.

"It's just kind of an extended lore thing from the movies back at home," you said, hoping he'd believe you due to his limited knowledge of how films and fandoms work, "You doing those things was described in books and comics and whatnot, rather than the films."

He grabbed your arm, much gentler than previous times, turning you towards him.

"I'm the God of Lies, Darling," he smiled, "try again."

"Ok, fine, I'm lying. But I can't tell you how I know what I know, you just have to trust me. It's a really long story, and there are a few things that just wouldn't make sense."

Like you falling in love with yourself.

He held your gaze intently, clearly not settling for that answer.

"Please, trust me," you pleaded.

"I don't trust people, Darling, you should know this."

"If you're trying to be acquaintances/friends, you're gonna need to start trying to trust. I promise, I'll explain some other time when it's easier to do so."

When is it ever going to be easier to explain something like that??? Understanding the Loki TV series is hard enough, let alone explaining it to Loki himself.

He stared at you for a few more seconds, before nodding once and letting his hand drop from your arm.

"Ok," he said softly, "I'll try. But you can't say things like that and not expect me to ask questions, Darling."

"I know, I know," you sighed, starting to walk towards the entrance again, "I just wanted you to know how powerful you are."

"I know how powerful I am."

"No, not truly. Or, if you do, you haven't embraced it fully."

"How about you stick to marveling at everything and sending us on missions that almost get us killed, and I'll worry about my own magic?"

"Hey asshole, that wasn't entirely my fault....ok, so it was, but it wasn't intentional, and I had an excuse."

Loki was smiling but said nothing. The entrance was in sight, and seconds later you were meeting up with Ceyla. She looked nervous in the company of her Prince, which Loki noticeably enjoyed. He hardened the way he looked and spoke, standing up as straight as possible and walking with a haughtier aura than usual. After a particular time where Loki barked out a question to her, to which she fumbled over her words for an answer, you shocked Ceyla by slapping Loki's arm.

"Ceyla, don't mind him and his rudeness," you said, giving Loki a glare. "Can you not try to scare her?"

He looked taken aback and slightly angry, but he turned to Ceyla and smiled, looking like it was hurting him to do it. "My apologies," he said.

"Uh---" was all that came out of Ceyla's stunned mouth.

"In fact, as a token of my remorse, why don't you go take a break for a while?" he asked. 

When she was still too paralyzed to speak, Loki sighed irritably. "It means get lost!"

She stumbled at that, quickly bidding you farewell and rushing around a corner and out of sight.

"LOKI?!" you gasped in disbelief, though you were laughing at the same time.

"What? I needed her gone, but the girl is thicker than Thor."

"She's not stupid, she was nervous."

"Well, she can learn to act normal or I'll continue to snap at her."

"Ok, so first you enjoy the fact that she's terrified of you, and now you're saying you want her to act normal? Which is it? Do you want people to be afraid of you or friendly with you?"

"Well, fear can get annoying eventually, I suppose. Though it's good for people to know their place."

"What was it Thor said to you on earth? If you think yourself above others than you miss the truth of ruling? You will never be respected or loved by people if you think yourself above them, Loki."

"Careful what you say," he warned angrily.

You didn't say anything back, and the walk to the palace gardens was completed in silence.

You found the others sitting by the large fountain in the middle of the beautiful grounds. By this time, Nat and Clint had joined the group. They looked up from their conversation as you arrived, their eyes going from Loki's sour face to yours. You, who were standing behind Loki, gave them a thumbs up and mouthed "we're all good." Loki, following their eyes, turned sharply to you, making you drop your thumbs and give him and innocent grin.

"Is it me or did it just get colder out here?" Sam asked, not the one to just let an awkward situation slide.

"Yes, well, we're not friends, so why I'm doing this is beyond me. But if we could get a move on, that would be splendid. I have anywhere else to be."

"Nobody's your friend," Sam pointed out.

"SAM?" you snapped.

"What? I'm just saying."

"You're right," Loki replied coolly, "I don't have any friends." He said the last part pointedly, and you rolled your eyes. "Now can we go?"

Steve, always the polite one, thanked Loki for taking the time, to which Loki merely walked past him and motioned for everyone to follow. Surprisingly, the tour went well. Talking about Asgardian history and showing off his home calmed Loki down, and the joy the others had at the sights made him happy, though he'd never admit it. Though tension was in the air in the beginning, by the end of the tour everyone seemed in good spirits. The Asgardian people were abundantly hospitable, including your group in street games and giving free samples from vendors. 

After watching an Asgardian sunset together, everyone returned to the palace for dinner. Loki, in a move that shocked even you, stayed to dine with the group, though he sat quietly as usual. Plans were made to meet earlier for breakfast the next morning and to check with Thor on the next steps of Operation Stop the Future. And with that everyone dispersed to their rooms. You and Wanda walked back together again, saying goodnight at her door as you had the previous night. You were not in your room long before there was a knock at your door. You opened it to find Loki standing there.

"Hello, Darling."

"Well, look who's talking to me now?" you said in an exaggerated stern tone.

"Before you run your mouth, that's why I am here. I--I hope you didn't take my words earlier seriously...about the friends and all? I was angry and I was putting on airs for your companions...and for you, I suppose, because I was cross at the time."

"When will you learn..." you started angrily.

"I know---," 

"That I never take anything you say seriously?" you finished.

He stopped trying to talk, jerking his head up to look at you in surprise and then smiling.

"So we're ok?"

"I didn't know you cared so much," you teased.

"I don't, it's just exhausting dealing with you when you're angry, so I wanted to clear the air."

"Mhmm, sure," you smiled.

There was an awkward pause where the two of you were just smiling, but no one was saying anything.

"I should um get to bed," you finally said, pointing over your shoulder to your room.

"Yes, right," he said quickly, backing away from the door. "Sleep well, Darling."

"Night, Loki," you smiled as you closed the door.

Well that was sweet of him, you thought, as you went about your nightly routine. 

***

You were up early the next day, dressed and ready for your scheduled breakfast with the Avengers. For once, you didn't need assistance getting somewhere, as you had frequented these halls enough to know the basic places you'd spent time. As you walked in the dining room, you knew something was off right away. Nearly everyone was gathered already, with the exception of Rhodey and Wanda, and they were all talking in a buzz of excitement. Additionally, everyone was dressed like they were ready to leave right away.

"What's up?" you asked, as you walked up to the group.

"We've found Bucky," Steve said with a huge smile on his face.

"What?! How? Can Friday even contact us all the way from home?"

"It wasn't Friday," Cap started to explain.

"Yeah, apparently Gramps here didn't trust my sources to find his boyfriend fast enough, because he enlisted the help of Magic Eyes behind my back," Tony said.

"Tony, you were asleep for an entire day. Something done during that time can't exactly be counted as behind your back," Nat chimed.

"I was awake, I just couldn't move, there is a difference."

"Heimdall is the surest way to find someone," Thor stepped in, "It was wise of the Captain to ask for his aid."

"So we're just going to drop our hunt for the stones of mass destruction?" Tony asked.

"Equal amounts of destruction are caused amongst the Avengers if Bucky isn't helped," you answered. "We stand a better chance against Thanos united instead of split apart. Besides, we could use all the help we can get."

"Stark is not wrong that we need to maintain the Power Stone as soon as possible, before another unforeseen event occurs as it did on Knowhere" Vision noted.

"It's simple," Loki said, "Thor and I will go to Xandar to retrieve the stone, while the rest of you deal with your Midgardian affairs."

"We're not sending you alone with Thor," Clint said.

"I can handle my brother," Thor assured him.

"Oh really? How much damage has been done by him even when you've been there to 'Handle him'?" Tony challenged.

"Tony's right," Nat said, "You should bring some backup." 

"We don't need the whole team to bring Bucky in," Cap said, "So we'll send some people with Thor."

"Are you sure about that, Steve?" Sam cautioned, "Remember what he was capable of?"

"Yes, but he's not brainwashed anymore. Not entirely at least. If anything, a smaller group will have less chance of scaring him off. Don't forget, we're going to bring him back willingly if possible. Detainment is a last resort."

"I agree with Cap, I don't think you need the whole team," you said.

"Yeah, and you said the Knowhere trip was nothing to worry about," Tony scoffed.

"I never said those words exactly," you defended.

"I assure you, I do not need assistance," Thor interjected once again.

"We don't send people alone if we don't have to," Cap said, "Even if you can handle him, having extra people to help look after the stone isn't a bad idea."

"Whatever," Thor conceded, "You're the Captain."

It was decided that Wanda, Vision, Rhodey, and Tony would go with Thor and Loki to Xandar while the rest of you went back to find Bucky. Both teams were to meet back on Asgard when finished. Wanda and Rhodey were filled in on the plan when they arrived for breakfast, and an hour later the whole team was assembled in the bifrost saying their goodbyes.

"Remember, keep the stone in it's orb," you said, "Do not touch the stone or you'll be obliterated."

"Don't touch the deadly weapon, we get it," Rhodey said.

"Is there an Infinity Stone we can touch without dying?" Tony grumbled.

"No, not really. Tesseract and Time Stone are pretty mild, but I still wouldn't want to risk it. But definitely not the Power Stone."

"We'll be fine," Thor said, patting you on the back, "Make sure you take care of yourself. I know I'm not the only one who would be upset if something happened to you," Thor whispered to you while the others were busy saying their farewells.

"Why'd you say it with that tone?" you asked, knowing he was trying to get at something, especially with that stupid grin on his face.

"Oh nothing, just you know," he nodded his head across the room to where Loki was standing.

"Loki?" you laughed, "He'd kill me himself if he had the chance." You hoped that wasn't true anymore, but you didn't know how much Thor remembered from the party, so you weren't going to give him any further opportunity to mock you about Loki.

"I'm not so sure," Thor said, "It's been a while since I've seen him as happy as he was dancing with you." He winked at you and walked off before you could come up with something to fire back with. He stood across the room smiling to himself, a smile that only grew bigger as Loki picked the worst possible time to walk over to you.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing," you said, smirking at how Thor must be loving this right now, "Just Thor giving an attempt at a pep-talk."

"Ah, my brother is not one for eloquent speech I'm afraid. Must have been quite amusing."

"Oh it definitely was, he certainly has no idea what he's saying."

The two of you stood there waiting for the others to part ways. When the two groups finally began to split for good, Loki turned to you.

"Goodluck, Darling. If you get yourself killed we're going to have some issues."

"Same goes for you," you said as he walked away. You glanced over at Thor to find him staring at you with a smile on his face. He raised his eyebrows up and down twice, but you just gave him a look of confusion.

So he said goodbye like the rest of you, so what? Does he just guess that we're friends, or is he implying more? He certainly seems to be implying more, which is absurd.

"Everyone ready?" Cap asked, receiving confirmations. "Alright, group up."

Your group moved to position.

"Ready when you are, Heimdall. And thank you," Steve said, nodding to the gatekeeper.

"My pleasure, Captain America," Heimdall returned, lifting the sword from its place at his side and preparing to open the bifrost.

You took one last glance at the others, smiling at Wanda's little wave. Loki, who was standing behind the others, locked eyes with yours and gave you a little smirk. You shook your head at his signature look, facing back to view the stars and vast void of space that was outside the bifrost. You heard the sword being thrusted downward, and the stars rushed into a stream of colors.

We're coming, Buck!

Chapter 28: James Buchanan Barnes

"Hey! I didn't fall!" you cheered as the colors disappeared to reveal the compound in front of you.

"Yeah, because you're clinging to me for dear life," Sam snorted, lifting your hand from his shoulder.

"Using you for a bit of balance isn't clinging for dear life."

"Especially compared to how she catapulted through the bifrost the first time up to Asgard, I'd say it's an improvement," Clint interjected.

"I wouldn't say I catapulted necessarily, but thanks for the half-compliment, Clint."

"Half-compliments are the best you'll get from him," Nat said over her shoulder, as she was leading the way to the compound.

"I'm just honest," he defended.

"If the ride to Bucharest is going to be more of this," Sam said, gesturing to the three of you, "I'll fly solo."

"Go right ahead," Clint said, "We wouldn't be missing much."

"Ok guys," Steve stepped in, despite them only jokingly arguing, "At least wait until we're on our way before you kill each other? I'd like to get going with as few setbacks as possible."

"Just breathe, Cap," you said, noticing his eager tone and worried expression, "This should be a piece of cake."

Everyone paused to turn and look at you, the unspoken jibe about the Knowhere fiasco plain to see on their faces.

"Yeesh," you chuckled, "Ok, point taken. I said 'should' though, ok? No promises."

"Yeah, you'll make sure to cover your ass with that every time now won't you?" Sam said, continuing to walk with the others.

"Seeing as you guys expect me to predict the outcome of everything, yes I will."

"As long as you do your part and tell us what you know, we won't expect anything from you," Nat noted.

"Yeah, any secret collecting hobbies this man has that could potentially kill us?" Clint asked.

"Not that I know of, unless you count plums as a threat."

 "Plums?" Clint snickered.

"When we first see Bucky again after Winter Soldier, he's trying to buy some plums. Don't ask me why, but it's become a thing with the fans. Everyone jokes about wanting to see Bucky get his plums, or how all he wanted were his plums, etc etc. Fans are weird, but it's just a thing now. You'll never separate Buck from his plums. Not sure if this is why he was really buying the plums, but people have pointed out that plums are supposed to help improve brain function and aid in countering memory loss. Which makes it kind of sweet and sad that he was buying them if that's the case, but we still love to joke about it."

By this point you were all in the room where they talk about Thanos using the stones again in the beginning of Endgame.

"Why are fans so weird?" Clint asked.

"I don't know, I kind of think it's funny that the Winter Soldier is doing his daily dose of shopping," Sam smiled.

Steve seemed zoned out, so you tapped his arm.

"It's nothing," he said in response to your look, "Just...Bucky did like plums, you know, back before everything. He's still in there."

He seemed so relieved to say that out loud.

"Of course he is!" you said reassuringly, "I told you, he's fine by the time you all fight Thanos. You guys are reunited and everything."

"I know, it's just nice to hear things like that. Every bit of the real Bucky that I saw in him while we were fighting was like getting  my best friend back a little bit at a time."

"I can't imagine losing my best friend, so I can only guess at how it must feel. But you're about to get him back," you said with a smile, "all of him."

He smiled back at you and nodded, before turning to the table and powering on the displays.

"Nat?" he said, looking through the lights to where she stood on the opposite side of the table.

"On it," she replied, not needing to look up or ask what he wanted. She swiped some charts out of the air, pressing a few buttons and standing to view her work. 

A hologram of the globe was hovering before the group, a red flashing light popping up on one side.

"This is where Heimdall has said Barnes is located," Nat said, zooming the image in.

"Is that an apartment complex?" Sam asked.

"Yes, and he's on the eighth floor," she confirmed, "room 804."

"In Bucharest, as you said," Cap stated, looking at you, "And there are currently no governments after him, so we have an easier job of dropping in. Friday, can you run a scan of the building?"

"On it, sir," she replied, and the building on screen was highlighted, the blueprints and schematics laid out.

"The closest exits for him to run to are here and here," Cap said, indicating the exit at the bottom of the stairwell outside his room and a fire escape on the other side of the building.

"Not to mention literally any of these windows," you said, pointing to one side of the building. "That's how he escapes in Civil War, by landing on this neighboring roof."

"So we have that rooftop locked down, just in case. Sam, you'll take it. Clint, you'll be the eyes in the sky."

"Naturally," he nodded in agreement.

"You'll be on this building over here. If he manages to get by, you'll have visual on where he goes," Steve continued. "Nat, you'll be positioned here on the street. If he makes for the fire escape or gets by me down the stairs, you'll be able to make it to either exit."

"Lord willing he won't try to run at all," you said, "With no law enforcement after him there's no necessity for him to do it."

"Let's hope for the best," Cap said, "But prepare for the worst. If he grows hostile, we need to take him before he can hurt someone. Which is why you'll be on the roof with Clint," Steve addressed you, "You'll be able to see what's going on but out of harm's way."

"I'd totally want to go in and meet Bucky with you, but I get it. Ain't no way I'm surviving a Bucky attack if he snaps. Also, he's your friend. You should be the first to tell him he's ok."

Cap looked at you gratefully.

"Looks like you get to babysit me," you said to Clint.

"Seems to be what I get stuck with," he sighed.

"Oh come on, I'm not that annoying to watch."

Clint smiled, "Just don't touch my arrows or bow."

"Damn, I was totally planning on asking if I could hold it."

"I know," he said, "Which is why I'm putting very strict rules down now."

"Fine, I won't touch anything, I promise," you conceded.

"You can help him look out though," Cap assured you.

"Like he needs the help," you smirked.

"She beat me to it," Clint added.

"If he's this annoying while you're up there, I'll bring you to the fun rooftop," Sam said.

"Ok boys, let's bring our attention back to something important," Natasha said, zooming the image out and viewing the surrounding area. "These streets are heavily populated during the day. If a chase breaks out, it could pose a threat to civilians."

"Which is why we'll move in at night," Steve said, "We're not looking to cause a scene. Stealth is our priority."

"If we leave now, we can be there roughly 10 pm," Nat said

"It's a twelve hour flight?" you asked in astonishment.

"No, it's roughly five hours, but Romania is 7 hours ahead of us," she explained.

"Oh yeah, that makes more sense."

"There'll be less traffic around that time, giving us a good chance to get into position. Once set, we'll wait until it's quiet to move in," Cap instructed.

"We can't tip him off we're there...which I'm sure I don't need to tell the team of  professionals, so I don't know why I said that."

"You're right," Nat laughed, "If he gets wind that something's up, our job could get a lot harder. We have to confirm he's in the building before making our move."

"We will," Steve nodded.

He looked around at the four of you, taking a deep breath and smiling.

"I appreciate the help. None of you have to do this, especially when he's tried to kill two of you."

"It's not his fault," Sam said.

"And everyone deserves another chance regardless," Nat added.

"Besides, we're with you always, Cap," Clint said.

After smiling gratefully at each comment, Cap, and the others, turned to you. Apparently it was your turn to say something cheesy. You had been nodding your head at each comment, and you continued to nod it slightly as you smiled.

"Let's go get one James Buchanan Barnes."

"His middle name is Buchanan?" Sam laughed.

Steve gave Sam a look. "Yes, Sam, it's Buchanan. There's a reason he just chose Bucky."

"Yeah, I can see that," Sam replied, still laughing, "What's your middle name? Buckwalter?"

"It's Grant," you answered.

"Was everyone named after presidents back then?" Clint questioned.

"So we were patriotic," Steve defended, "nothing wrong with that."

"No," Sam said swallowing his laughter and trying to look serious, "you're right. There's nothing wrong at all with naming your child Buchanan." He couldn't help but laugh at the name yet again.

"Yeah alright alright," Steve said, "Everyone get what you need and be at the quinjet in half an hour. Friday, can you get her prepped for us?" 

"Right away, Captain."

"Thank you," he said, walking out of the room.

You left to go to your room, but not before asking Nat what were some things you should make sure you bring for this kind of mission.

"For a quinjet flight like this, the only thing we need to make sure we have is snacks. The team can get a little cranky when they're hungry. Tony usually has them stashed all over the plane, but we drained them on our last Hydra run. I'll refill them though, so don't worry about that. Besides that, and your gear obviously, the only thing I worry about for myself are care products. You know, extra deodorant, hair ties, anything we might need if we've forgotten prior to boarding or for after a fight and you wanna freshen up a bit. The guys are content to remain sweaty and painfully smelly on the way home, just a warning. Since Wanda has joined the team, we've kept a collective bag of products for ourselves on the quinjet. So everything is taken care of for you for right now, but just remember to check that supplies are refilled after missions."

"Got it, thanks Nat," you said, grateful that they had things taken care of for you.

You had just enough time to shower and get ready before your rendezvous in the hangar. Walking in, you felt a thrill of excitement as you saw the famous transportation you were about to board. It was bigger than you imagined, looking as if it could hold the whole team and then some. 

I can't believe this is happening, you thought as you stepped up the ramp. 

"Pretty cool huh?" Clint said, smirking at your joyful expression.

"Yeah, um...this is all just so cool," was all you were able to say, but what else could you say? 'Wow' was all you had been able to say upon seeing Asgard, so at least you got a full sentence out this time.

The quinjet was just as spacious on the inside as it looked from the outside. There were seats along the wall, bordering the large open area commonly seen when they're in the quinjet in the movies. What you hadn't known from the movies was that more rooms were branched off from this main area. They weren't nearly as large, but there was a room or two containing a cot, probably for emergencies, as medical supplies were stashed here as well. There was also a bathroom and a few more closets. After exploring the ship, you met up with the others in the front. 

"We ready, Cap?" Nat asked, taking her seat in the pilot's position.

"Take us up," he confirmed.

The bird lifted rather smoothly off the ground, and you found yourself pleasantly surprised that you hadn't stumbled or needed to hold on for balance. Nat stood, tapping a few controls for the autopilot, before walking back to the rest of you.

"So," you said, after ten minutes of being airborne, "What do you guys do to pass the time on these flights?"

"Argue," Nat said.

"I think they're educational debates," Sam countered.

"Sleep," Clint said as he reclined on the floor.

"Eat snacks," Nat chimed again, gesturing to the pile she had placed in the corner.

"Watch movies," Steve said from his seat.

"And play games, mainly because Tony forces it on the team. Thor gets a kick out of them though," Sam said, "He's competitive."

"What kind of games?"

"I prefer Twister," Nat said.

"Only because you can twist your body in unnatural ways," Sam noted, "It isn't fair."

"It's just as fair as Clint playing darts," she retorted.

"Which is why I hate playing either of those games with you guys!"

Clint smiled from his napping position on the floor, though he didn't open his eyes.

"I like Monopoly because it is the least likely to end in an argument," Steve sighed.

"Probably because we all fall asleep half-way through," Nat said.

"That's what makes it the perfect game, Nat," Clint said, still not opening his eyes.

"Can we all agree Clue is the best?" Sam asked, "If not for the fun of it, then at least for the fact that Thor still has no idea how to play?"

"It is fun taking advantage of him," Clint agreed.

"Hey, he did better last time," Steve laughed.

"True, he finally understood the concept of not just guessing random people and weapons, especially if he has them in his own hand," Nat nodded.

"But he kept exiting and reentering the same room," Sam laughed.

"If we're lucky he'll keep falling for my 'let's form an alliance to catch the killer' bit. Guy willingly shows me his cards every time," Clint snickered.

You laughed at the thought of poor Thor thinking he's doing so well and trusting so easily.

"That's terrible, Clint!" you scolded.

"You'd do the same," he replied blandly.

"I'm not saying I could never stoop as low as cheating in Clue, as I probably would, but how could you do that to Thor?! He's too innocent for that."

"When those games come out, all morality is thrown away," Sam said.

"Unfortunately he's not wrong," Cap said like he was disappointed, though he looked amused.

"Besides, Thor is the most ruthless when it comes to every other game," Nat said, "He tries to 'subtly' trip people in Twister."

"Not to mention Jenga, where he conveniently bumps into the table," Sam added.

"Oh I wish he was here," you said, "but we'll have to settle for who's here I guess."

"Nope," Clint said, "For once we can enjoy a peaceful flight without Thor or Tony."

"Don't be such an old man," you chided, "I want to see Nat kick butt at Twister."

"Do we have to play Twister?" Sam whined.

"At least once, then you can choose the next game," you said, happy that Sam wasn't protesting the notion of playing games.

"Deal," he said.

"Nat, you in?" you asked.

"Like you even had to ask," she smirked.

"Cap?"

"Sure," he laughed, standing up.

"Clint?"

There were a few seconds of silence where everyone stared at Barton expectantly. For the first time since he laid down, Clint opened his eyes...or at least one of them. He glanced around, seeing the stares, and sighed, closing his eye again. 

"Fiiiine," he grumbled, propping himself up, "But I get to---"

"I call being spinner!" you shouted quickly, before Clint could finish.

"No!" he yelled, sitting up in a flash, "I was in the middle of saying it, I get it!"

"She said it first," Nat said, walking over to one of the closets to grab the game.

"I've been here longer!" he argued.

"But I'm not a superhero or trained ninja fighter," you pleaded, "So it technically wouldn't be fair if I went up against you guys in a physical challenge. Besides, I never thought watching the Avengers play Twister was a thing I could or would ever do."

You gave him an exaggerated sad lip and puppy eyes. "Pleeease."

"Alright, alright," Clint groaned, standing up, "You're lucky I'm nice."

"It's the dad in you," you smiled, thanking him for giving in.

Nat returned with the game and you helped spread out the mat. The first round was a memory you will never forget. Seeing the Avengers wrapped around each other on a Twister mat was funny enough, but the banter was hilarious.

"Get that thing out of my face," Sam said, his face practically in Steve's butt.

"Well, I would if I could," he said, looking between his legs at Sam.

"Please spin quickly," Sam yelled, "I'd like to change the scenery."

"Hey, that's America's Ass, show some respect," you said, flicking the arrow for another spin.

"Left hand green."

"I was there first," Clint said as Sam whacked his hand off of a green spot.

"Are you nearly kissing someone's ass? I need this position," he replied.

"Too bad, I'm not reaching under Nat for that one."

"And I'm not reaching further up Cap's backside for that one."

"Clint was there first," you called out, causing Sam to groan and reach under Cap for the other opening. 

Steve, although not as flexible as Natasha or even Clint, was strong, so he never once looked like he was straining. Nat, who was so flexible it was frightening, never needed to fight for a spot, as she'd easily maneuver her body to reach whatever circle was open. After one of the longest and most impressive rounds of Twister you had seen, Sam and Clint finally dropped. With two champions like Nat and Steve left, it wasn't enough to simply spin the wheel anymore. Instead you suggested that you, Clint, and Sam agree on what instructions to call out, based on what would be most difficult or awkward to perform. It turned into a biased attack on Nat, with Clint and Sam desperately wanting anyone but her to win again. Every time you thought they had her, she would simply flip her body into a more comfortable position. Cap never stood a chance.

After Nat was victorious once again, Sam pulled out a deck of cards to play BS. You weren't the best at lying, especially with the intense stare of four Avengers, who could all look intimidating when they wanted you to slip up, but you didn't do terribly. Your inability to not giggle at their attempts to get you to crack actually worked to your benefit, because you laughed every turn, therefore they couldn't tell when you were lying or not. Clint won round one, and Sam round two. After that, you all grabbed a snack and watched an episode of the Walking Dead before settling down to rest for the last leg of the journey.

You had apparently fallen asleep, as the feeling of the quinjet touching down woke you up.

"Ok, everyone on the coms?" Steve asked, once all five of you had exited the quinjet. 

You nodded, touching your ear instinctively to make sure the earpiece was secure.

"Ok, we're about two miles outside the city," Cap said, pointing to Bucharest, which was visible from the field you'd landed in. "When we get to its outskirts, we're going to lie low for a bit until the city quiets down some more. We don't want to make a scene, and we definitely don't want people spreading the word that the Avengers here. Once we reach Bucky's building, we'll split and man our positions."

Everyone nodded, and Steve took the lead in the trek across the field. There was something about the darkness and the thought of the stealth needed for the mission that made you subconsciously stay quiet. 

"You ok?" Nat asked, nudging you from your thoughts.

"Yeah why? Is it because I'm uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal right now?"

"That's a fun way of putting it, but yes."

"Yeah, well, I can't take credit for it. You say it about Tony in the future. And yes, I'm fine. It's just the whole atmosphere I guess that's making me think silence is the way to go."

"Nat, don't tell her anything to the contrary," Clint whispered.

"I can hear you! And besides, I'm just saving all of my talking for when you and I are on the roof."

"You can bother him now," Nat smiled, "just in case there's not enough time for it on the roof."

"Well in that case," you said, moving around Nat to walk right next to Clint, "You need a new suit, Hawkeye."

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing, you look badass in black. But black in kind of the Black Widow thing...it's in her name. And in the comic books you're more of a purple and black kind of guy. So we should finally spice it up a bit, which Marvel has been waiting far too long to do, and get you an awesome black and purple suit."

"My whole thing is about not sticking out. Not a lot of Shield spies that go around wearing colorful targets on their backs."

"Except you're more than a Shield spy now. You're an Avenger, and as such you need your own unique style. You don't need to blend in anymore. I mean, you go around with a walking American flag and Tweety Bird over there, so subtlety is already out the window."

"Tweety Bird?" Sam asked in offense.

"Would you like Big Bird instead?"

"Don't laugh at that," Sam scolded the others, "You'll encourage her, and we get enough nicknames from Tony."

"Someone's got to fill in for him while he's off chasing space rocks," you said.

"No, there's a reason we chose Tony for that mission," Sam replied.

"Maybe because I suggested it to Cap, because this mission is a delicate one where we all have to make Bucky feel like he's safe and Tony is a little too aggressive for that?" 

"Fine, that may have been the main reason," Sam admitted, "But the other part of it was the silence his absence would bring."

"Well I'm on Clint's roof, not yours, so you won't have to deal with me."

"After the Tweety Bird comment, you're more than welcomed on my roof," Clint said, still smiling at the name, "Hell, I'll let you hold my bow if you promise to refer to him as Tweety Bird every time."

Conversation continued in this manner right up until you were in the streets at the edge of the city. Steve had you guys hunker down under a bridge, waiting in the dark for another hour or so until the city would quiet down a little more. City's never sleep entirely, so there were still people and cars on the streets when you finally set out to find Bucky's apartment complex. In order to attract as little attention as possible, Nat had plotted a course that kept mostly to smaller streets and alleys. At one point, in order to avoid a rather busy area, Sam took Steve up to the roofs, as Captain America was much more recognizable than the rest of you. Finally, you reached the building.

"Ok, this is where we split," Cap said, "Call in when you're in position."

With that he ran off towards the building, Nat heading around it to the right.

"Wanna help us out before you go?" Clint asked Sam.

Sam didn't respond, but walked behind Clint and opened his wings.

"Be back in a sec," he said, lifting Clint off the ground and disappearing over a building.

True to his word, he landed next to you a few seconds later.

"Hold on," he said, grabbing you under your arms and lifting off.

If you weren't on a stealthy mission, you would have screamed as you shot into the air. It was a short ride, and you were soon standing next to Clint on a roof.

"Whoa," you said, taking a deep breath, "That was fun!"

"Don't get used to it," Sam smirked, "I'm nobody's transportation."

He launched into the air, flying over to the building that was adjacent to Buck's. You could see the edge of Sam's building, but his position on the roof was blocked by the apartment complex. The building you were on was across the street from the target, and you could see Nat down the street on the right side of building. Steve was nowhere to be seen, probably waiting inside the building.

"I'm in position," Sam's voice came in over the coms.

"Same here," Nat chimed.

"We're both in position," Clint spoke for the two of you.

"Sam, give a scan of the building," Steve's voice instructed, "Find room 804 for us, should be on Clint's side."

"I've got it, eight floor up, fourth in from the right," Sam answered.

"Clint, do you have visual?" Steve asked.

"I have eyes on the room," he said, and you followed Sam's instructions as well, finding the window that belonged to Buck. The window was dark.

"No signs of life," Clint reported, "Everything's dark."

"Sam, do you see anyone in there?"

"Unless he's learned to hide from thermal radar, there's no one in the room. He must be out."

"What could he be doing out past midnight? It's not exactly like he has friends," Nat said.

"Maybe he feels more comfortable going out at night rather than day?" you suggested.

"Or maybe he's onto us," Clint said.

"How? We've been so careful," you said in disbelief.

"Bucky is just as trained as we are," Cap said, "Which means he's as careful about his surroundings as we are."

"Never rule out the possibility that your target is just as aware of you as you are of them," Clint said.

You nodded, telling yourself to remember that.

"Either way, we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Steve concluded. "Keep your coms open. Report if you see anything."

"Copy that," the others acknowledged.

Clint turned his com's speaker off, but left the line open to receive anything from the others. He motioned for you to do the same. You weren't as good with the com controls as Clint was, so you whispered, "What did you do?"

"Tap once."

You did as he said, touching the earpiece once.

"Good?" you tested.

"Yup, now we can hear if anyone calls in, but they can't hear us unless we tap again," he explained.

"Good to know."

"If you're going to be coming on missions with us, you'll need to pick up on quite a bit as we go. There hasn't been a lot of time to teach you, so you'll have to learn on the fly."

"You all have been super patient with me, so thanks for that," you said, to which he smiled kindly.

"And you've been pretty easy to teach. You've taken care of yourself in some tough situations so far. And even though I think you're insane for trusting Loki...it took guts to advocate for him. Hell, it takes guts to trust him at all, seeing as you know what he can do. You may be an idiot, but you're a brave one."

"There's that half-compliment," you laughed.

"Like Nat said, it's the best I can do," he chuckled.

He stopped mid-laugh, perking up slightly to get a better view down the street.

"What?" you whispered, turning to follow his gaze, but seeing nothing.

Clint reached for his earpiece. "I have visual on someone coming down the street from the north side."

Where? you thought, staring intently towards the indicated direction.

"There are still a few people out and about around here," Nat replied, "What's special?"

"He's doing a good job of remaining hidden," Clint answered.

You wanted to ask Clint where the hell this guy was, but you didn't want to distract him. Thankfully, Clint must have noticed your confusion.

"Right there," he said, tilting your head in the right direction, "He's just outside the corner of that building with the billboard."

You had to focus hard on the location, but eventually you made out the figure of a man standing eerily still in the shadows.

"Damn, how'd you see that?"

"They don't call me Hawkeye for nothing."

"What's he doing now?" Steve's voice asked.

"He's not moving, just watching," Clint replied in a hushed tone.

"Why would he be so cautious unless he knew we were here?" Sam asked.

"When you're the Winter Soldier, there could be many people after you. I wouldn't be surprised if he's this cautious every time he returns to his room," you said.

"She's right," Nat said, "There's still the chance that he doesn't know we're here."

"Then let's keep it that way. If that is Buck, he'll have to make a move eventually," Steve said, "Clint, keep us posted."

A few minutes passed, and the figure had yet to move.

"If we can see him from here, should we be worried he can see us?" you asked.

"You saw how hard it was for you to spot him. We're barely poking our heads into view, and we're far enough away in the dark that we should be good. But nothing's impossible I guess."

"As far as reassurance went, that was pretty lame," you muttered.

At that moment the figure moved, keeping to the shadows as it approached.

"Cap, he's on the move," Clint whispered, "He'll be passing your alley in a moment, Nat."

"I see him," she answered, as the man scurried by her turnoff.

Finally, he stopped outside his building, watching the door as if waiting for something. He turned suddenly, lookin up directly at your location. He was in the open enough that there was no mistaking who it was. The build, the hair, the movements...this was Bucky. Your joy at confirming it was Bucky was countered immediately by the fact that he was staring right at you.

"Shit," Clint grumbled, right as Bucky ran down the way he had come faster than you'd ever seen someone run.

"Cap, he's running!" Clint said, standing up quickly.

"I'm in pursuit," Nat said, and you looked down to see her run to a motorcycle parked on the street. It took seconds for her to hotwire it, and she was off after Bucky. Steve came barging out of the door, running equally as fast as Buck had.

"Come on," Clint said, shooting his cable into the roof and attaching it to his belt. He reached his arm out to you, and you quickly did as he said. He wrapped his arm around you as you clung on for dear life. His mechanism lowered you safely but quickly, and in the span of a second you had dropped several floors to the ground. 

"Sam, I could use another assist," Clint called, as he flew overhead.

"Coming," Sam responded.

"Go inside and wait for us to come back," Clint ordered you, "And please don't wander off."

"I won't," you promised.

Sam came down, grabbing Clint quickly and lifting off.

"Thanks, Tweety Bird," you heard Clint say as they rushed after the others.

"God, I hope they find him," you mumbled to yourself as you made your way across the road.

You were nearly to the entrance when you saw something on the pavement.

"Well, isn't that convenient," you said, leaning down to pick up a room key with the number 804 etched into it.

Must have fallen out when he made a run for it. Well, when life hands you lemons.

You put the key in your belt pocket, quickly walking through the door and to the stairs.

This is pretty cool you thought as you walked the steps that Steve and Buck fight the guards on in Civil War. Reaching the eighth floor, you pushed open a door into the hallway. 

"801, 02, 03," you muttered as you quietly tiptoed down the hall, stopping outside 804. You unlocked the door, and tentatively nudged it inward.

What am I afraid of? Buck's not here.

Still, you walked in slowly, closing the door softly behind you. The only light to see by was the faint moonlight from the window, which lit up the room just enough for you to make out a small lamp on a table. You turned it on, the bulb casting a dim light about the room. It wasn't much, but it allowed you to see the small flat. The room looked like it did in Civil War, and you smiled as you walked around. On the counter in the kitchen area, you found Bucky's little book. Upon opening it, you discovered that he had the picture of Steve still in it...or technically, he had already placed it in there, and it's still there in Civil War. You flipped a few pages, seeing that he had been writing down memories. People, places, events, little facts about his past and about Steve.

"Oh Buck," you said, suddenly feeling emotional over the hell this poor man had to go through.

You closed the book, not wanting to pry any further into his personal belongings. Had your senses been as keen as Cap's, you may have known someone was in the room before you turned around and jumped out of your skin.

Standing in the room was Bucky, looking intimidating in the shadowy light.

"Who are you?" he asked, only a hint of gruffness in his voice. Mainly he just sounded tired, like he was going to have to fight and didn't want to.

"Hey Bucky," you said slowly, your thoughts scrambling with what to say, "It's ok, I'm here with Steve...Steve Rogers? Your friend?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," he denied.

"Yes you do," you said, holding up the book, "You remember."

"I read about him in a museum."

"No. You know more about him than a museum could tell you. You pulled him from the water...why?"

The look on his face was that of a man who wanted to confess, but didn't trust his own answers.

"I don't know."

"Yes you do. It's ok, Bucky. Now, I-I know everything must have seemed really confusing and scary when you broke free of Hydra's control. But everything you've written in this book is true. It's who you are, and I think you know that."

"I don't know who I am," he said sadly, shaking his head.

"Steve can help you. You're already remembering so much, you just need people who can help you. Friends who want to help."

"Is that what you call this?" he asked, smirking sarcastically, his first change of expression from his sad and grim looks, "Spying on me, breaking into my apartment? You're helping? All you've done is thrown me right back into the thick of it."

"We were just taking precautions."

"Because I can't be trusted," he confirmed more than asked.

"No, because we didn't know if you'd trust us."

"I don't."

"You have to."

"Why?"

"Because Steve needs you just as much as you need him. We can help you be free, for real, so that everything Hydra shoved in your head is gone for good."

He looked down at the ground and sighed.

"I don't think that's possible."

"It is."

"How do you know?"

"Well...it's kind of a long story, one we don't have time for right now. But I've helped Steve find you because I know you're you and can be permanently."

"How'd you find me?"

"Another long story, but let's just say we have eyes everywhere. Not in like a threatening way," you fumbled, waving your hands animatedly as you spoke, "More like just a factual statement."

"Why didn't you go with the others?"

"Damn, you ask a lot of questions. So do I though, so I get it. Let's just say I'm not really a super hero or fighter or anything. Wait, why did you come back anyway?"

He looked unsure about whether he should answer, but finally he nodded to the book in your hand.

"You wanted your memories," you said in understanding, to which he just nodded again.

"Listen, the others will be back soon. There's no need to run though," you said, as he straightened up more, as if remembering he had come here to grab something and then book it again. "Just wait here with me, and you can come back home with us. It's a pretty sweet place, you know lots of space, nice grounds, comfy beds."

Much like how Loki had looked confused by your silly and blunt nature, despite being in serious situations, Bucky now looked the same.

"What, did you think we'd lock you up?"

"No, that's not what I---"

"Good, cuz we're not here to imprison you, Bucky. I mean, Tony might have some strict rules at first, but that's cuz he's the overprotective dad of the group while also the reckless child. But I'm serious, you should feel the beds! And the facility is so high tech you'll love it. Just be careful wearing fuzzy socks with the slippery ass floors."

Bucky had eased his stance, looking like he was struggling between believing your good-natured appearance and thinking you were lying. He stared intently into your eyes, the classic Bucky stare impossible to not smile fondly at.

Man is so iconic.

After a few seconds of him sizing you up, he smiled slightly.

"Are their showers nice?"

"What?" you said, not expecting that.

"Their showers, are they nice? The one in this dump is a glorified sink."

"Yeah," you laughed, "Yeah, they're pretty sweet too."

You were so relieved to see a smile, no matter how small, on Buck's face. 

"Oh yeah," you said quickly, walking to Bucky. You noticed he tensed slightly, expecting an attack or some form of betrayal. Instead, you just stuck out your hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Buck," you smiled, "My name's Wren."

He looked at your hand like it might bite, but took it anyway.

"Nice to meet you, Wren," he said.

"Wren, do you copy? We're coming up the street now, are you still inside?" Clint's voice spoke in your ear.

You held up a finger to Buck as you tapped your earpiece with you other hand, "Yeah, I'm here. I'll be in the lobby."

"Well, they're here," you told Buck.

He looked nervous, but nodded, turning with you as you walked towards the door. As you reached the bottom of the stairs, Clint's voice chimed once again.

"Wren where are you? We're in the lobby."

"Coming," you answered, moving to push open the door. However, you stopped when you noticed Bucky wasn't next to you. Turning around, you saw him stopped on the last few steps, staring hard at the door. In the time since you'd first seen him in the apartment, he had rarely changed expressions from that intense look of his. It was so full of guilt, anger, sadness, pain, and worry. Now, that face had intensified tenfold.

"Hey," you said kindly, moving to the bottom of the steps, "You can do this. Everything is going to be fine."

He continued to stare ahead, seemingly ignoring what you said.

"Here," you said, holding out your hand to help him, "I'll be with you, ok? And nothing will go wrong, I promise."

He looked down at your hand and back up at you, swallowing hard. Thankfully, he slowly reached for your hand, grabbing it with his gloved metal one. Gently you led him to the door.

"You ready?" you asked, not wanting to rush him.

"Let's go," he said in a determine tone, pushing the door open, the two of you walking through it hand-in-hand.

The Avengers were gathered in the lobby as you walked in, each not moving as they stared at the man beside you.

"Bucky?" Steve said in surprise.

Bucky nodded once, a soft smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah. Hey, Steve." 

Chapter 29: I Love Sam and Bucky...Yup, That's About All I Got for a Title...I'm Too Tired Right Now to Think of One

"You came back?" Steve asked, confusion distributed equally amongst his face and the others.

"Well, I stopped in for something, but she had other plans," Buck replied, nodding to you. Steve looked like he wanted to say so many things, but this wasn't the time for sentimental speeches or warm embraces. Everyone else in the room made it awkward, especially with their guarded looks and defensive stances.

"I told you not to wander," Clint scolded, and you could tell his hand was itching to grab an arrow. Clearly, he didn't trust the Winter Soldier.

"You told me to stay in the building, and I did."

"I don't think he meant in Cyborg Gramps' room," Sam said, earning a look from Bucky.

"If I hadn't been there, he would have run again," you argued.

"Boys, shutup will you?" Nat said, stepping forward, "She did your job for you."

"Thank you, Wren," Steve said gratefully.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Sam addressed Buck.

"You don't," Bucky answered, "Because I don't trust myself."

"Oh that's reassuring," Sam scoffed.

"We'll start with something small," Steve said, "Tell me something Buck would know."

Bucky thought for a second before speaking, "Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear---"

"Newspapers in his shoes," you finished excitedly, not intending to blurt it out but doing so anyway.

Bucky looked at you like you were an alien, turning to Steve for an explanation.

"How'd she do that?"

"You'll get used to it," Steve smiled, "I'll explain it all later. We should grab whatever stuff you need from your apartment."

"There isn't anything worth taking," Buck said, "I don't have many clothes. This is all I need." He held up his backpack, which he must have grabbed when you were distracted in the apartment.

"Tony will take care of the clothes issue," you said.

"Let's get going then," Steve said, everyone turning to follow him out the door, except Sam.

"So just like that we're supposed to trust him?" he asked, as everyone filed by him.

Bucky gave him an "I win" smile as he passed.

"Yes, Sam," you said, giving him a pat on the arm as you walked by.

"When he goes Arnold Schwarzenegger on your asses, don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered, bringing up the rear.

The trip to the quinjet was uneventful and awkwardly quiet. You would have broken the silence, as is your talent, and spoken with Buck, had it not been for the fact that there weren't many small-talk subjects that wouldn't be uncomfortable at the moment.

How've you been? How's life?  Can I see the metal arm? all seem like bad talking points. You were definitely going to talk about the arm later on after Bucky had adjusted and it wasn't as sore of a topic, but now, in this tender stage of his recovery, was not the time to fangirl over his Hydra arm. Steve seemed deep in thought, Clint and Natasha were walking ahead of the group, and Sam looked cranky. Therefore, you had to accept the quiet trip, despite there being so much you wanted to discuss.

You stared at Buck practically the whole walk, which you were sure didn't go unnoticed by him. At one point he looked up and smiled, before dropping the grin and staring at Sam, who was watching. You tried not to laugh at the petty feud that was already starting between them.

They'll grow into that 'I hate you but we're best friends' relationship, no doubt about it.

At long last, you were walking up the ramp of the quinjet. Nat went to lift her off, while Steve gave Bucky the rundown of the place. Sam and Clint stood next to you, watching Bucky with distrust.

"And we have snacks over there if you're hungry," Steve finished.

By this time Nat had walked back to the group, joining the awkward stare session that was happening between Bucky and the others. 

"Oh, this is Natasha," Steve introduced, "And Sam," he pointed, "Do you remember them?"

Bucky looked guilty, but nodded, "Yeah, I remember."

"So nice to make an impression while running for your life," Sam said sarcastically, earning a hard elbow to the ribs from you. Bucky couldn't even give Sam a look, as more guilt covered his face.

"It's nice to meet you, Bucky," Nat said, reading the situation. He returned her comforting smile, nodding to the greeting.

"We haven't met," Barton said, stepping forward, "I'm Clint."

"And you've already met Wren," Steve said, "There are quite a few more, but they're off on another mission."

"Let me guess, those on the other mission wouldn't be too fond of me, hence why they're there and not here?"

"Stark is the only one who would probably have been an aggressive loudmouth," you explained, "Though Sam seems to be filling in for him remarkably well."

Bucky chuckled a little, but stopped as if thinking of something.

"Stark?" he said, "As in--"

"Howard's son," Steve finished.

The pain on Buck's face could not be hidden, though he quickly replaced it with a neutral expression.

"There's a lot to fill you in on," Steve said, "But our first priority is just to get you home and make sure you're ok."

"Thanks, Steve. Thanks for coming after me." He looked at the group during the last part, and the others nodded in reply.

"Well, I'm going to sleep, seeing as I was robbed of that joy on the way here," Clint said, heading to the other rooms, "And I'm taking one of the beds."

"You want the other bed, Buck?" you offered.

"No way," Sam said moving towards the door.

"I might just take you up on that offer, Wren," Bucky said, looking Sam dead in the eyes.

"Like hell you will."

"Maybe you should arm wrestle for it?" you teased.

"Yeah," Bucky said, doing the same transition from smiling at you to staring at Sam, "Maybe we should."

"Man's here for five seconds and you betray me like this?" Sam whispered loudly to you.

"He's the guest, Sam. Besides, did you just come off of seventy years of brain control?"

Sam folded his arms, looking to you and then Buck, who just stared.

"Fine, he can have it," he mumbled, walking off to other side of the room.

Bucky gave you a smirk as he left to claim the other bed.

You settled down with a bag of chips, planning to just relax for the trip home. Everyone had the same idea, finding a place to sit or sleep. Five hours later you were sitting in the front of the quinjet, enjoying the view and watching as the autopilot took you down towards the compound.

"A bit of a step up from Brooklyn," Bucky said to Steve as he looked around the hangar.

"Wait until you see the compound," you said, gesturing for him to follow you.

You happily showed him to the kitchen and living room, offering him something to drink when he sat at the counter.

"Um, just water, thanks."

Nat, Clint, and Sam left to their rooms to change, while Steve stayed in the kitchen with you and Buck.

"So, there's a lot of the compound to show you," Steve said, "I'll take you around later, but we should start by finding you a room."

"I didn't get a tour," you said, feigning offense.

"Since you've been here you spent half your time in space," Steve defended, "I'll take you too if you'd like?"

"I'm not gonna intrude on the best friend tour, I'm all good."

"I wouldn't mind," Bucky said.

"Neither would I. You're the reason Buck's here anyway," Steve said.

"How is that again?" Bucky asked.

"I'll explain later," Steve said.

"I've heard a lot of that in a short amount of time. I'm half expecting something as crazy as you're from another world or something," Bucky laughed, but stopped when he saw the expressions on both of your faces. "Wait, seriously?" he asked in astonishment, looking at you with wide eyes.

"Well am I from earth? Yes. Am I from another earth? Also yes."

"Last I checked the planets went Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, etc. etc...you know? No double earth."

"We'll---"

"Explain later?" Bucky cut you off, "Yeah, I know."

"It's just a little too much to explain right now, but we promise everything will make sense soon," Steve assured him.

"Well, not really. I mean, my story of how I'm here still really doesn't make sense."

Steve just gave you a look.

"Right, sorry, not helping."

"Let's find you a room," Steve said, changing the subject. "Now, the second floor is full, so Tony would typically place you on the third."

"That's my floor, it's got a pretty good group."

"However, that one hall is full, so he'd have to bring you down to the other two rooms."

"Oh yeah, cuz Loki took the last one."

"I don't think you should be down there by yourself, not while you're adjusting to this place, so I'll move my stuff up to the room across from you."

"Don't go through that trouble, Steve," Bucky pleaded, "I don't want to make you do that."

"Would you feel more comfortable with someone nearby though?" you asked.

Bucky's face said yes, but he wouldn't admit it.

"I mean, I could get by."

"Ok, you need someone," you stated.

"Steve shouldn't move his whole room upstairs," Bucky insisted.

"I don't mind, Buck."

"I know you don't, but I do."

"How about I just move down the hall? I mean, I know we're not friends, so you might not feel as comfortable as with Steve, but I barely have any belongings anyway because I just got here---"

"I can't ask that of you," Steve interjected.

"Neither can I," Bucky added.

"But you're not opposed entirely to the idea of me going, you just feel bad?"

Steve looked reluctant to answer.

"Yes, having you down there with him would be nice," Steve finally said.

"But I don't want to be a burden to anyone," Bucky said.

"It's not a burden to walk down a hallway, Bucky. And besides, if Cap isn't opposed then I'm coming down there," you said determinedly.

Bucky gave a "Fine I give up" face, putting his hands up in a surrendering fashion.

Steve led the way to the third floor, turning down the left hallway once there. He paused outside the two rooms, one across from the other, opening the door on the right. He showed Bucky where everything he'd need could be found in the room, saying he'd bring him some clothes in the meantime until Tony could have some purchased.

"You good here for a bit while I help Wren get her stuff?" he asked.

"I have it on good authority that the showers here are pretty nice, so I think I'll give mine a go."

"Ok," Steve laughed, following the direction of Bucky's smirk and giving you a little head shake. "When you're done, you can head back to the kitchen if you'd like, we'll probably be having some dinner soon."

"These time zone changes are killing me," you said, "What time is it?"

"It is exactly 12:21am," Bucky answered, reading from the clock on his nightstand.

"Well, we haven't had anything but snacks for over twelve hours, so we'd better have real food for dinner," you said.

"We'll figure something out," Cap said, walking out of the room with you, "See you in a bit Buck."

You waved to Buck and couldn't help but say what was at the tip of your tongue.

"Don't ," Steve chuckled, "I know you're going to."

"Don't do anything stupid til we get back!" you said quickly, closing the door on a confused Bucky and hurrying down the hall after Cap, who sighed heavily. You weren't far down the hall before a voice rang out behind you.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you!" Bucky called down the hall, his head poking out of his room.

"Yes, thank you!" you shouted back, and you heard a laugh from him as he closed the door.

"I'm not so sure you two together is a good thing," Steve said.

"I think we're gonna be the best thing to ever happen to this place," you countered.

"Probably will," he agreed with a grin.

You reached your room and made your way to the bathroom, grabbing your toothbrush, deodorant, and hair supplies. You also brought a change of clothes in with you, switching into some sweats and t-shirt before you came back out.

"Anything I can help with?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," you said, "I'm not going to bother moving my clothes down there, because I'm literally down the hall. I can just change here. But thanks for the offer!"

"No, thank you for doing this," he returned, holding the door open for you as you left the room. "For helping us find Bucky and for offering to stay across from him. You've done more than anyone could ask of you, and you keep doing it."

"Hey, I haven't saved the world multiple times. It's you guys who have done more than this world could ever have asked of you. I'm just happy I get to help in small ways."

"They're bigger than you think, trust me," Cap said, "And I'm grateful for your help."

"Anything for you guys."

Steve left you at your room, saying he'd go get some clothes for Bucky and then find something for dinner. You told him you'd wait for Bucky to make sure he found his way back down. Once alone, you laid in your new bed to chill for a while.

I wonder how the others are doing? I hope they found that stone without any issues. With any luck, they should be back in Asgard already.

You found your eyes growing heavy as you zoned out, quickly standing up to make sure you didn't fall asleep. You popped in the shower for a few minutes to wake yourself up a bit, before peaking out into the hall to see that Steve had left some clothes for Buck outside his door.

"Damn!" you heard Bucky yell across the hall. You were at his door in a second.

"Bucky?" you called, knocking on the door. When he didn't answer you tried again. "Bucky, are you ok?"

There were a few more grunts and muttered curses before he answered.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, um, ok," you said, stepping back towards your door.

"Do you know where Steve put the clothes he said he'd bring?" Buck asked.

"Yeah, they're out here."

Before you could turn to leave, the door opened suddenly. Standing in front of you was Bucky shirtless, wearing a towel.

"Um," you said, knowing your face must have looked hilariously shocked.

Bucky stooped down to grab the clothes, not looking at you until he had risen, his face turning confused.

"What?"

"No-nothing," you said, looking at him in the eyes.

He must have caught on, because he raised his eyebrows.

"You never seen a man shirtless or something?"

"Well, no I have, just like not---I mean, not the Bucky Bar---well, not in person anyways---ugh, I'll explain later," you sighed, rubbing your forehead.

"If you're uncomfortable, I'll make sure I don't walk out like that again," he said sincerely, looking worried that he'd offended you.

"No, it's fine, it's not a problem," you said quickly, not wanting him to feel bad, "You don't have to wear a shirt. Not that I'm saying I don't want you to wear a shirt! It's just, if you didn't, I would be fine with it cuz it's ok."

At this point you were fumbling so badly that Bucky started laughing, and you joined in.

"For someone who wasn't uncomfortable, that was quite the jumbled mess that came out of your mouth," he said after the two of you had laughed for a bit.

"Yes, well, I didn't expect you to step out, ok? It just caught me off-guard. But see? I'm good now aren't I?" 

The laugh had, in fact, calmed you down. Yet you weren't entirely sure you looked natural...it was still Bucky Barnes...shirtless...in front of you. Not to mention his hair looked super good when sloppily towel-dried. 

"You're still making it too noticeable that you're trying not to look," he whispered, leaning against the doorway.

"Well, it's not like I want to stare or anything (that's a lie), but when you have it in the back of your head 'Oh my gosh, what if I look rude for even looking,' then you seem awkward because you try too hard not to look. You're jacked, ok? I'll give you that. And I'll admit I've never seen a super soldier shirtless, so it's a new sight."

"Well, I won't think you rude," he smirked.

"Good, cuz it might take me a bit to get used to a house full of guys who are ripped and are probably used to walking around shirtless."

"Oh, you're just going to love that, aren't you?" he said with a wink.

"Ya know what," you said, kicking his shin, "Just----go get dressed!"

"Yes ma'am," he laughed, turning slowly away and closing the door. "Will you be in your room when I come out?" he asked through the closed door.

"Why? Does the Witless Soldier need help finding his way down the hall?" 

"Ow," he said in the most adorable fashion, "No need to name-call."

"Is that a yes?"

"No, I was just thinking there's no point in heading down separately if we're going the same place," he explained unconvincingly.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'll be in my room, big guy," you said, smiling as you closed the door behind you.

The knock at your door came a little later than you'd expected, and you opened to find a clothed Bucky. He was wearing a form-fitting gray t-shirt, some jeans, and his usual boots. His hair looked perfect as usual.

"Do you have an extensive hair routine or something?" you scoffed, closing your room and walking along side him.

"It's just naturally this perfect, I can't help it," he shrugged.

"Does natural beauty take ten hours to set in or something? Cuz you took an awful long time to get dressed. And your hair definitely looks a little more styled then it did before."

"You sure you had enough time to stare at my chest and my hair?" 

"I don't know what in the Nine Realms you're talking about," you chuckled.

"Nine Realms?"

Oh no, I've been spending too much time around Loki.

"I'll explain later."

"If I hear that phrase one more time tonight, I swear I'm going to break something," he groaned.

"I'll explain when we come back up tonight, deal? It's a long story."

"I won't let you sleep until you explain, so, yes. Deal."

You entered the elevator, pressing for the main floor. Standing next to Buck, and actually thinking about the fact that you were standing next to Buck, made you smile like an idiot, but you couldn't help it.

"Why are you smiling?" 

"You're not gonna like my answer," you replied apologetically, to which Bucky just rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Of course, why do I bother asking anymore," he muttered to himself. 

You found yourself staring at his metal arm with the same stupid look on your face. Doing so subtly was nearly impossible, as you were positioned on the opposite side of him, yet that didn't stop you from trying.

"You're bad at this," he said, still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah, I know," you sighed, though you didn't stop looking at the arm.

Bucky furrowed his brow and looked down at you.

"It's just metal," he said.

"Yeah, but it's the Bucky Barnes Hydra arm," you said excitedly, "And please don't ask what I mean by that, you'll understand tonight."

Bucky looked thoroughly worn out by all of the things he wasn't understanding, and you realized maybe you should be more sensitive to that fact.

"Hey," you started as you walked out of the elevator, "I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. And I'm sorry if I'm making you feel like a circus attraction by staring."

He didn't say anything.

"Even when you understand everything, it won't excuse my behavior. I never thought about how you feel about the arm because I've always thought it was the coolest thing."

He remained silent for the rest of the walk, but finally spoke just before reaching the kitchen.

"You really think it's that cool?" he smirked.

Your relief at him speaking to you did not go unnoticed.

"Calm down," he laughed, "You don't think I'd actually be angry at you for something that small. What do you take me for?"

"Let's just say I've had to deal with a sensitive baby the last week," you smiled, "And, yes, your arm is badass! It's kind of cooler than Cap's shield, not gonna lie. Just don't tell Steve."

"Tell me what?" Steve asked, as he heard the last part from the stove where he was stirring something in a pot.

"Uh, our super secret best friend hand shake we made," you said, walking over to the counter.

"We didn't want you to be jealous," Bucky said, following you.

"I guess 70+-year-old friendships can get tossed aside that easily," Cap said in mock sadness.

"Nah, you're with each other til the end of the line," you said casually, pulling some soda from the fridge.

"Ok, I know she promised to explain everything to me tonight, but how does she know that kind of thing? Did you give her an extensive history of us or something?"

"No," Steve laughed, "It's a little more confusing than that."

"How can things get more confusing?" he grumbled.

"Says the hundred year old man to the hundred year old man," you noted, "Your lives already don't make sense."

Bucky gave a "eh, fair point" look, nodding his head at your statement.

"What are you making Cap?" you asked, standing on tiptoes to try to see into the pot from your position.

"Mac and Cheese is about the only thing I know how to make," he said.

"And he makes it pretty decently," Nat said, walking in from the hall.

"Just don't touch anything else he tries to make," Sam said, who had walked in behind her.

Bucky had smiled at Sam's insult but hid it from him, resuming his normal expression as he looked up at Sam. Sam accepted the staredown, looking Buck right in the eyes as he walked by. There was an awkward silence that fell on the room after this, with Buck seeming less talkative in the presence of the others. Though, to be fair, Bucky wasn't known to be the most talkative, especially around Sam. Well, before they're friends. 

Why is he pretty talkative with me then? you thought. I guess I'm not a distrusting superhero who wants to beat him up...also he's never tried to kill me before.

"So, are we going to let everything remain awkward or what?" you blurted out, and everyone looked at you. "Sam, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is Sam. Bucky, Sam is sorry for calling you a Cyborg Grandpa."

"No I'm not."

"And Sam, Bucky is sorry for ripping the steering wheel straight out of your hands and almost killing you, despite how hilarious your reaction to the steering wheel was."

 They continued to stare at each other, and even Nat was smiling at how hilarious they were. Steve looked a little more serious.

"Now smile and say hi," you said like their counselor.

Sam gave an insincere grin, "Hi."

"Sam," Bucky acknowledged, returning the fake smile.

"Good! Now we can eat without it being awkward, because you know I'll make you guys hug next if you don't behave."

"I'll get the plates, will you grab the utensils, Wren?" Nat asked, changing the subject.

"Gotchu," you said happily, heading over to the drawer. "Hey, where's Barton?" you asked over your shoulder.

"Probably passed out after his shower," she answered.

"Should we wake him for food or let him sleep?"

"You can let him go, he'll come grab some leftovers later if he's that hungry."

You brought the forks down to the table, placing them with the plates Nat had stashed there. Steve followed with the food seconds later, and everyone grabbed something to drink before sitting down. Steve had taken an end seat, with Bucky on his right. Sam nudged you out of the way, claiming the chair on Cap's left. The death looks they gave across the table for the entirety of dinner were more enjoyable than Cap's mac and cheese, which was saying a lot. 

"So," Bucky said, finally bringing some noise other than the sounds of people chewing, "When will the others be back?"

You looked around, wondering who was going to explain Asgard to him. Sam and Nat did the same, eventually landing their gaze on Steve.

"We're actually supposed to meet up with them," Steve said.

Bucky looked around the table, catching on to the strange tone in Cap's voice.

"Where?" he asked.

"Asgard," Steve answered, cutting right to the chase.

"Asgard?!" Bucky asked in shock, looking to you to make sure he'd heard correctly. You just nodded. "As in, other world Asgard?"

"Yeah," Steve said, taking a deep breath, "The world's gotten a lot bigger."

"Yeah," Bucky scoffed, "That's an understatement. I mean, I know of Thor. I've read about the attack on New York, so I know of his brother and aliens and" he waved his hand up towards the ceiling, "all of that up there. But to go there?"

"It's just a rendezvous. We're supposed to regroup and plan our next move. But if you're not up for the trip, we'll leave someone here with you," Steve assured him.

"Next move for what?" Bucky asked, "And a real answer this time, even if it's the short version."

"Well, the short version is we're currently on a scavenger hunt around outer space, looking for some colorful rocks before a big purple alien finds them first and destroys half of all life in the universe with them," you said, trying to remain casual, but you were unable to hide a little smile at the end.

"Riiight," Buck said, looking at a loss for words, "I'm afraid to hear the long version."

"She knows everything that's going to happen in the future because in her universe we're all movie characters," Sam blurted, wanting to make it more confusing, "And you die, but then are resurrected."

"Now, that, Sam, is something you explain in a long version of the story," you grumbled at him.

"You're from another universe?" Bucky asked.

"More or less," you said.

"Damn," he said, sitting back in his chair, "And here I thought my life was about to get more normal."

"You don't have to be a part of this," you said, "I didn't want to find you just to force you to---"

"No, it's fine," he cut you off, giving you a quick smile, "Dying and coming back to life doesn't sound too pleasant, so I'll help however I'm needed. And I'm going with you to Asgard."

"Oh thank God, I was hoping you would," you exhaled, "It is so nice up there, you'd honestly be missing out."

"You were right about the showers, so I'll take your word for it," he grinned.

"Ok, enough flirting you two," Sam groaned.

"Ew," you said, slapping Sam's arm, "No offense, Buck."

"No it's fine, I'm with you on this," he said, looking at Sam in disgust.

"Oh I'm sorry, it's just hard to keep track of how many people she drools over," Sam said.

"Sounds like someone's just jealous," Bucky smirked.

 "I do not drool," you added.

"Jealous? That's a good one," Sam laughed mockingly, pointing at Buck.

"I don't know what else you'd call it--" Bucky started, but Sam began talking over him.

"Maybe it's just the fact that---"

They continued shouting over each other for a few more seconds before Cap stepped in.

"That's enough," he said rather calmer than you would have.

"He started it," Bucky said childishly.

"I started it?! Oh sure I---"

"Yes, you started it! You---"

And they were at it again, arguing over each other while you, Nat, and Steve slowly began to smile. Nat nodded to the sink, standing with her plate. You and Steve followed suit, carrying the pot up with you. The food was put away and table cleared, yet Sam and Buck were still arguing. 

"Ok, I'll take Buck and you grab Sam," you said to Steve.

"Sounds good. It's already late, so we'll push our departure back to 11. The others can wait. Let Bucky know for me will you?"

"Yup, got it," you nodded, heading over to Buck while Steve made his way around the table to Sam.

"Alright, let's go," you said, tapping Buck's shoulder. He stood and started walking out of the room with you, but never turned his face from Sam, both still yelling at each other about who knows what at this point.

"You wear a bird costume, ok? Yes, a bird costume!" Bucky was yelling as you tugged him down the hall.

"---emo robot---L'Oreal commercial---" were the only part of Sam's shouts you could hear over Bucky.

Thankfully, you managed to get him far enough down the hall that he stopped yelling back at Sam. Nat was ahead of you at the elevator, holding it open for you.

"Thanks," you said, walking in with Buck, who was too surly from his argument to say anything.

There was silence as the three of you stared straight ahead.

"Well that was fun," Nat finally said.

You smiled but said nothing back.

The door opened for the second floor, Nat saying goodnight and leaving.

"Goodnight, Natasha," Bucky said back as the door closed.

The trip up to the next floor was over in a second, and you were soon walking down the hall towards your rooms.

"Well, you and Sam are two peas in a pod," you said.

"Can you believe he said I'm the one who's broody? He's the one who hasn't cracked a smile for the last eight hours."

You chuckled but didn't respond to his comment. "Cap's Mac n Cheese was pretty good though?" you said instead, avoiding the topic of Sam.

"Yeah, I didn't know he could cook," Bucky agreed.

"Must have been something he's learned since coming out of the ice," you noted.

"Yeah, about the ice," Bucky said as he opened his door, "I wasn't gonna ask Steve, but why did he have to crash the plane again?"

"There were bombs on board," you said, unable to hold the smile at the thought of the deleted Endgame scene between Rhodey and Cap.

"Mhmm," Bucky nodded, thinking about it for a sec, "An--and why exactly did he have to go down with the plane? Not that you would know all of this."

"No, trust me, I know it all. He...well, I guess it was the only thing he could think to do at the time. He didn't try jumping out, probably because he just assumed there was no way out. I mean, when faced with the fact that you have to steer the plane into the ocean, you assume you're going down with the ship. There's no guarantee he would have made it out alright either way. I don't know though, who knows what was going on in his mind?"

"And how do you know so much of what he did and didn't do that day?" Bucky asked, looking confused again. "You promised you'd explain."

"I did, didn't I," you sighed, realizing you had a long night of explaining ahead of you, "We should probably sit down, it's a long story."

Bucky stepped aside to let you in his room, and you spent the next hour sitting on the edge of his bed with him explaining the MCU. 

"There's a lot more detail I could go into about people and events, but that's the rundown," you said in conclusion.

Bucky, who had spoken a few times throughout, now sat there staring at the wall in contemplation, taking in everything he'd heard.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Yeah, wow," you agreed.

"I have so many questions, to the point where I can't even think of what I want to ask."

"I feel that. I mean, I'm in the position where I can ask some of my favorite fictional characters anything I want, yet I don't think I've thought of anything to ask."

"So...I'm fine in the end?" he asked after another bit of silence.

"Yeah, the Wakandans help train you to be free of any possibility of mind control. You free your mind completely."

Bucky smiled sadly, but in relief.

"And this Thanos is defeated?"

"Yes, but at the cost of casualties...and also half the world losing their loved ones for five years."

"What the hell is that guy's deal?"

"Well, he thinks he's been given this terrible burden of saving the universe. He believes that the only solution to depleting resources is to commit mass genocide. It's kind of sad though when you think about it, because Thanos says he's the only one with the strength to do what needs to be done. In his mind, he knows he has to do this act that so many will rebel against, but he thinks he has to do it for them. As if not doing it would be him neglecting his duty to the universe and it's people, no matter how much they fight him on it. Like when you do something for your kid that they may, at the moment, dislike, but you're doing it for their betterment. If he were to neglect his calling, as he sees it, then to him he was too weak to make the hard call that would save life. All of this because he watched his planet fall to ruins due to overpopulation."

"You know that's still messed up, don't you?" Bucky asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

"Oh, 100%. I'm just saying he's a compelling villain. But his plan is still crazy, and also he kind of tortures his adoptive daughter with no good explanation, so he kind of is just a terrible person."

"Ok, good, as long as we're in agreement."

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but it's late and you should get some sleep," you said, standing up, "I'll be happy to answer questions you have on a daily basis though."

"Thanks," he smiled, standing up with you, "I'm sure more will come to me."

"By the way," you said, a thought coming to you, "Why did you shout earlier? When I called in to ask if you were ok?"

"Oh...I, um, slipped coming out of the shower."

You couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, it's all hilarious," he said, ushering you out of the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Cap said we're leaving at 11."

"Ok," Buck nodded, "I'll be down in time. Goodnight, Wren."

"Night, Bucky," you said, stepping towards your room.

"Oh, and Wren?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming here for us."

"It's the best thing to happen to me, so thank the universe I guess" you smiled, "Now get some sleep," you said, turning back to your room once again.

"Yes ma'am," you heard him mumble as he closed his door.

***

You were dressed and walking into the kitchen by 10:30, happy at the thought of heading back to Asgard.

I miss Loki, you thought, smiling at the fact that you were able to look forward to seeing Loki. What a bizarre life.

"What are you so happy about this morning?" Nat asked as you entered the kitchen.

"That we're going back to Asgard," you said, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet.

"I don't think I've ever seen a person as in love with a place as you are with Asgard," Clint smirked.

"It's the best place I've ever been," you admitted.

"For the sights or a particular god?" Sam called from the table, smiling slyly at you.

"Hell, the particular god is a sight," you laughed.

"I think I just vomited a little," Nat groaned, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Is that a confession???" Sam asked.

"That Loki's attractive? I think I already told you that, but that doesn't mean I like him. You're attractive, yet I wouldn't date you even if Thanos offered to surrender if I did."

Bucky snorted from his seat at the table, earning a glare from Sam.

"Maybe if you'd pay attention to what she said, you wouldn't be laughing," Sam admonished.

"What, that she'd never be attracted to you?" Bucky asked with a laugh.

"No, that she's making googoo eyes at Loki, as in Thor's brother."

Bucky's smile dropped.

"Wait, you mean the same one who attacked New York?"

"Ugh, yes," you groaned, "I didn't have time to fill you in on what Loki's up to in the movies, but he redeems himself in the future."

"Future being the operative word here," Sam said.

"So he's still in the baby stages of trust, but he hasn't stabbed us in the back yet has he?"

"And you're friends with him or something?" Bucky asked.

"No, Loki doesn't have friends," you lied, "But he understands that he needs to work with us if he wants to live, cuz Thanos snaps his neck after he tries to save Thor."

"Aw that's sad," Bucky said adorably. Sometimes he could really say something so innocently, and it's precious.

"Yeah, but this guy can control minds and has nasty view of people he deems lesser than himself," Clint spoke from where he was leaning against the counter

"And he betrays everyone time and time again right up until his redemption," Sam argued, "So he's not exactly the most trustworthy to be around. He's also pretty unpleasant."

"No he isn't!" you defended. Nat, Sam, and Clint just looked at you. "Ok, so maybe he is to you guys."

"Oh, so you get special treatment?" Bucky smirked, raising his eyebrows up and down.

"No, I'm just the only one that's nice to him."

"Riiiight," Sam said, giving you the same look Buck was.

"I'm sure she's just nice to him," Buck said sarcastically to Sam.

"Oh totally," he said back, "They're just two mutually nice people to each other."

Both were looking at you and smiling stupidly.

"You two can go to hell," you said, smiling back insincerely.

"Oh, believe me, I've been in it most of my life," Bucky snickered, taking a bite of the toast he had in front of him.

"Tell me about it," Sam laughed, "Ever since I got mixed up with this crew, barely a day's gone by where I'm not about to die."

"Who could ever want you dead?" Bucky joked.

"Well, a batshit crazy 100-year-old man for starters."

"Yeah, Steve can snap sometimes."

Both were now laughing over their own stupid jokes.

"Look who are buddies now," Nat said, sitting down with her bagel.

They both cleared their throats and resumed neutral expressions, realizing that they had, in fact, been getting along. Thus, their breakfast was finished without another word to each other.

"Where's Steve?" you asked after you'd finished your cereal.

"Checking any reports on Avengers business that may have come in while we were gone, and probably keeping Fury off our tails for a bit longer," Nat answered, "He'll be back soon."

Sure enough, Steve was back shortly thereafter.

"Everyone ready?" Steve asked, looking around the group. After receiving affirmatives, he led the way out to the grass. On the way down, you noticed Bucky was in his Winter Soldier getup, a detail that had slipped your notice inside.

Damn, he looks so cool. 

Actually, he was looking a little nervous, glancing around as you all stopped and looked up.

"Heimdall?" Steve called, "We're ready."

The clouds swirled as the bridge shot down to you. You glanced at Bucky, seeing his wide-eyed expression as he was lifted off the ground into a sea of colors. You stuck the landing nearly perfectly, a fact that you prided yourself on in your head.

"Welcome back," Heimdall greeted, "And welcome, Barnes."

"Um, thank you," Bucky said with some uncertainty, breathing a little heavier than usual due to the bifrost experience.

"I'm glad to see your trip was successful. The others are back as well."

"Is everyone ok?" you asked.

"They are all well, and I feel you'll like the souvenir they brought with them from Xandar," he smiled.

"Oh thank God," you sighed, relieved to have actually collected a stone this time. 

"They're waiting in dining hall for your arrival."

"Thank you for all of your help," Steve smiled.

"My pleasure," Heimdall returned.

The walk to the palace was fun, with you pointing out what you remembered from Loki's tours to Bucky. He agreed with you that this was the best place he had ever seen. The citizens were just as amiable as they had been on your tour, stopping to greet you or offer things from their vendors. The looks of awe cast in the direction of Buck's arm couldn't have gone unnoticed by him, but he looked happy with their company nonetheless. 

Walking into the dining hall was a good time, as the others greeted your group warmly, hugs and hellos passing throughout the team. 

"This is Bucky," Steve said, "Buck, this is Wanda, Vision, Rhodey, and Tony."

"Stark's kid, right?" Bucky asked as he greeted him, and you noticed Buck's expression was becoming more guilt-ridden. It was subtle enough that the others wouldn't notice, but you, who had the knowledge of what happened to Tony's parents, knew to look for it.

"Yes, and if I hear one word about how well you knew my father or how good of a man he was, I will kick you out of my compound."

"Does Steve brag about it?" Buck chuckled.

"Oh, he just mentions it a million times, almost as much as my dad did."

"The only thing I'll say is this: Where's the floating car Howard promised us?" Buck said, causing Tony to smile. They continued chatting away as you turned to talk to the others about their mission. Apparently, for once, everything went smoothly.

"The head lady at Xandar was more than willing to give the stone over to Thor, especially when hearing of the threat. Thor took the stone to the vaults when we got back," Rhodey explained.

"So stuff actually went as planned for once," Nat said in disbelief.

"It appears both missions were highly successful, yes," Vision agreed.

"I don't know about that," Sam scoffed, "We picked up the most annoying man of the 40's."

"He seems nice," Wanda said, "And he and Tony seem to be getting along."

All heads turned to where Tony and Buck were still talking.

"Yeah, ironic," you muttered.

The doors opened behind you, and you turned to find Loki walking in. He seemed a bit rushed, you thought, but slowed down upon seeing you and the others, assuming his usual carefree strut. He made to walk towards you, but paused a few feet away. 

Cap and a few others nodded at Loki before returning to their conversations. You wanted to go over and say hi, but you weren't sure if Loki wanted that or not. You hadn't exactly been in a friendship with Loki before, so you weren't sure how much socializing he actually wanted to do.

Since when do I care?  You've bothered him since you got here, why does it matter now?

Part of you still worried about what Loki wanted, but you talked yourself into going over anyway. You dropped out of the group and walked the few feet to where Loki was waiting.

"Made it back in one piece I see," he said.

"Yeah, the mission was a breeze. You good too?"

"Quite," he said in a 'Of course I am' fashion.

"Cool."

There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke again.

"I take it that's the other soldier?" he nodded in Buck's direction, who had walked over to the others with Tony.

"Yup, that's Bucky," you smiled.

Loki looked at you face, then back to Bucky, then back to you once more.

"What?" you asked, not sure what to make of the look on his face.

"Nothing," he said unconvincingly.

"Do all Asgardians tell such moronic lies and people believe them?" you asked in his voice, throwing his words from a few days ago back at him.

"Nobody believes them, but they pick up on the hint that if the person wanted to answer, then they would have done so honestly," he returned in a whiny imitation of your voice.

"I missed having you around," you laughed, saying it without really thinking.

"Couldn't last a whole day without me?" he smirked.

"I lasted quite fine thank you, but the humor just isn't the same."

"Well, I'm glad I exist for you to laugh at."

"I knew there had to be some use for you."

It was his turn to laugh softly.

"I found myself missing having someone stupid to laugh at as well," he said.

Bucky glanced up from the group just then, looking over and frowning at the sight of the Trickster standing next to you. He nudged Sam, who looked up too. Both shook their heads like disappointed older brothers. You hoped Loki didn't notice, but it didn't matter, as Bucky was now walking over.

"I don't believe we've met," Bucky said, folding his arms and staring at Loki.

"No, we have not. You're the brainwashed boyfriend of the American Blunder, correct?" Loki said harshly.

"Loki?!"

"You're the failure of a God who murdered hundreds," Bucky responded.

"Bucky?!"

"I see you've heard of me," Loki smiled, "Did she tell you all about me?" he joked, giving you a grin.

"No, on earth it's just common knowledge who the lesser is between you and Thor," Bucky smiled back.

Loki's face turned to anger.

"Careful what you say," he warned.

"Oh wait, I think she did mention you," Bucky said, giving an exaggerated look of contemplation, "What was it she called you again? Oh yeah, I think it was sensitive baby."

"BUCKY!" you hissed, "I never called him that!"

Well, I never directly said I was referring to him.

"Come on, you can't tell me this guy isn't who you were talking about?"

"Ok, we're done," you said, taking Buck's arm and walking him away, "What the hell was that?" you whispered.

"He started it. I just came over to introduce myself."

"Granted he was harsh, but anyone could see the look on your face when you came over. Loki isn't going to be polite to someone when they're sizing him up like that. Did Sam send you over?"

"No...well, he may have mentioned it, but I was thinking it first. You should be careful around that guy, Wren. I don't like the look of him."

"Bucky, you of all people should know someone isn't made of just their worst sins, nor should they be judged by how they look. I mean, you're dressed in your frickin Russian assassin gear! And I think you look like a badass, not sketchy."

"I know, Wren. I want to believe you about him, but just be careful until we know for sure, ok?"

"I will," you promised.

"Good," he nodded, leaving to head back to Steve, "And Sam was right," he added, turning back to you, "He's an unpleasant man. Steve's boyfriend? I mean, come on," he muttered as he walked away.

You returned to a surly looking Loki.

"Oh dear, not you too now."

"Sensitive baby?" 

"Ok, I've called you worse to your face. I was just referring to the times where, you know, we disagreed on some things...and you acted as you saw accordingly."

"Overreacted being your hidden jibe here, correct?" he said, looking like he was trying to remain stern.

"Well, that's a matter of opinion...is it my opinion? Maybe," you said, giving him an innocent look and shrug.

"Hey, kid," Tony said, interrupting your conversation as he walked to your side. "How was your first covert mission?"

"A success because of me actually," you bragged, "How was Xandar?"

"Oh, you know, just your average planet," he said like he'd seen more than two, "No problems though, which is new."

"I know, I can't believe we actually got both jobs done with no climactic movie drama!"

"I would not celebrate just yet," Loki cautioned, "When good luck is often in short supply, you shouldn't be surprised when it runs out."

"Yeah, thanks for the optimism, Eeyore," Tony shot back, looking at Loki with annoyance.

"On a brighter note, I saw you and Bucky were getting along," you said, drawing Tony's attention away from Loki.

"The guy's not so bad," he admitted, "Little stiff, but we can fix that. Hopefully he'll be easier to change than Rogers."

"I want you to remember that you said he's not  so bad. Mark it in your head and don't forget."

"Why?"

"In case he gets on your nerves as people often do, duh," you said like it was obvious, concealing the truth of his parents for a better time and place.

"You don't need to worry so much, it's not like I'll actually kick him out. Chill a little," he patted you on the shoulder, "Same goes for you, Slytherin," he said to Loki as he walked away.

"I swear he makes up these words," Loki scoffed once he was far enough away.

"What, Slytherin?"

"And Eeyore...what's an eeyore?"

"Eeyore's a popular character from a kid's show...or technically Winnie the Pooh had movies...did he have a show?" you asked yourself, suddenly unable to recall the different media surrounding the character. "Anyway, he's basically a depressed donkey, a debbie downer. And Slytherin is something you'll have to find out when I make you watch the Harry Potter movies."

"And what's with Stark and Barnes?" Loki asked, immediately jumping to the next thing on his mind.

"What do you mean what's up with them?"

"What do you know about them that they don't?"

When you looked at him in shock, he just rolled his eyes.

"Please, do you honestly think you can lie in front of me and I wouldn't notice? So tell me, why should Stark dislike the Soldier?"

"Shhhhh," you hushed at him hastily, "If someone hears you, so help me I will throw you off the bifrost into the abyss for a second time!"

Loki just smiled back, "It's that bad then?"

"No...well, I guess on paper it's pretty bad, but Bucky was brainwashed so it's not like he personally did anything wrong."

Loki just looked at you in a "Get to the point" kind of way. You stepped closer to him, so as to be able to whisper as quietly as possible while still having him hear.

"Bucky murdered his parents...but made it look like an accident. So Tony has no idea."

It took a lot to surprise Loki, but your news successfully accomplished that.

"I see," he said, trying to look casual as he processed what you said.

"To make matters worse, Bucky and Steve knew Howard, Tony's dad, back in their time. So Bucky had to murder someone he knew without having any control over it. Additionally, at some point Steve puts the pieces together, but keeps the truth from Tony. Hence a big fallout they have in the future. I've told them about the breakup, but I've kept some key details out for now."

Loki was silent for a few seconds. "Well...sounds like a cheery conversation you'll have to have with the three of them," he said in a jolly voice, giving you a 'You got this' smile.

"Yeah, I'm aware," you laughed, the humor Loki was making out of situation calming your stress, which had spiked at the thought of the messy scenario you were in.

"In light of the drama you've roped yourself into, I will grant you one free pass for the sensitive baby insult."

"Oh, is that so? And what would you have done had I not received such a merciful blessing?" you teased.

"The ideas vary from moment to moment," he said, switching from smiling to a serious face, which made you laugh all the more.

"Did you just say that because of the scene in Ragnarok?"

"Perhaps," he answered, dropping the grave expression.

"How do you remember that? I showed that to you once."

"I found it quite amusing."

"Can't argue with that. Also, I can quote like the entire movie, so I'm not one to judge."

"What was that dramatic quote you said a bit ago?" you asked after another silent pause, "When good luck is in short supply, you shouldn't be shocked when it runs out?"

"Surprised," he corrected.

"Damn, how do you come up with this stuff? I'ma get that on a t-shirt. Always such a drama king," you joked.

"What you call drama, I call style and intelligence."

"You definitely have the style. Hey, there's Thor!" you said suddenly, noticing for the first time that he was in the room. "Give me a sec, I'm gonna go say hi."

"Heeey! There's the hero of the mission, so I've heard!" Thor greeted.

"Damn straight," you laughed, "Though you led your group to a successfully smooth mission too," you praised.

"It was rather boring, if I'm being honest. Loki was crankier than usual without you there," he smiled, "But I see he's in higher spirits now," Thor nodded in his direction. You turned to catch him looking over at the two of you, quickly dropping the small smile from his face and pretending as if he hadn't been watching.

"He's just happy to have someone to insult," you chuckled, "I don't think he's comfortable enough talking with any of the others, besides you."

"Yes, he does seem to enjoy having you to talk to," he said, all traces of teasing gone from his voice, "I'm grateful he has you."

"Thor, I've known him for a little over a week," you said.

"Yes, but he's taken a liking to you rather quickly. You see, my brother needed a friend badly enough that he's not even bothering to hide how he enjoys your company. He was terribly lonely, you know with trying to kill me all the time and whatnot. Puts a slight hurtle in our friendship," he laughed

"Yeah, I guess it does," you chuckled.

"Can we all gather around for a second?" Cap's voice rang out. "Thank you," he said, once everyone had joined together. "Great job to everyone for completing their mission. We're one stone closer to victory and have stopped the Avengers from splitting."

Hopefully, you thought, as you and Loki exchanged looks.

"But we still have more ground to cover before we can rest," he continued, "Wren, I don't mean to put you on the spot, but what's our next target?"

The Avengers all turned to you.

"Oh boy, um, let me think," you replied, unable to think of the next step off of the top of your head. 

Reality Stone? Currently missing. Power Stone? Secured. Time Stone? Safe for now. Mind Stone? Needs to be taken out of Vis. Space Stone? We have that. Soul? Hell no. Civil War? Temporarily fixed. Ragnarok? Stopped.

The thought of Ragnarok brought to mind an important aspect of the movie you had yet to address.

"Ok, I've got it," you said, looking up at the group, "We've got to get Bruce."

Chapter 30: Sakaar

Notes:

First, sorry this is a little later than I wanted to post. I consumed my writing time by going to my brother's basketball games the last two nights. Second, thank you to everyone who has read thus far! I started this for fun, and didn't think I'd keep going to 30 chapters. I have so many ideas for where I want this to go and how I want this to end, but I don't want to rush it. So, sorry if the story gets too long for you. I hope you continue to enjoy it if you stick around! And thanks again to those who've been keeping up and for all of you who've left such kind comments and feedback! (Oh, also, I haven't proof read this as much as I usually do, so sorry for any more frequent mistakes)

"Ok," you said to the table of heroes in front of you, "We'll start with what I know of Sakaar."

After deeming Bruce the next step in your series of missions, the group had adjourned to the table in preparation for the lectures and plans that were to commence. Now, you stood at the head of the table, ready to explain all you knew of Sakaar.

"It's basically the worst place. It's a planet surrounded by cosmic gateways, so trash and people and everything basically gets flushed down the universe's toilet into this place. The man in charge, called the Grandmaster, runs the Contest of Champions, where people and creatures unwillingly fight like gladiators for his amusement and that of his subjects. The prisoners who fight in the arena are either there as punishment or they were captured upon their unfortunate arrival. That's where Bruce is. He's still the Hulk, and he's currently the Grandmaster's beloved champion. And I'm not gonna lie, he's loving it."

Nat's face was hard to read.

"So, he doesn't want to leave?" she asked.

"Well, Thor tries to convince him, but Hulk says that Earth hates him. You see, the Hulk side of Banner is evolving as well. Bruce usually has a hand on the wheel, but this time Hulk is in charge. There's part of him that misses everyone though, because when Thor goes to leave, Bruce follows while yelling 'Friend stay!'"

"How touching," Loki said dryly. 

"You're just cranky cuz you're scared of the Hulk," you shot at him.

"I most certainly am not afraid of that green oaf," Loki defended as the others smiled.

"Your face when it's revealed he's the Grandmaster's champion would beg to differ. Remember what I showed you? You literally tried to run away."

"I don't recall that."

"So I'm just imagining something from my favorite Marvel movie that I can quote?"

"You looked more than a little beat up when we found you in Avengers Tower," Clint said, enjoying the God's embarrassment.

"It's ok to be afraid Loki, we can't all defeat the Hulk single handedly," Thor laughed.

"At least I'm not the one who get's caught by junkers. Guess where I am during your fight? Sitting comfortably up in the Grandmaster's box."

"Cuz you're a cowering snake?" Nat asked.

"Because I know the art of biding my time and tricking those less intelligent, Romanoff."

"Sounds like the same thing," Bucky chimed.

"Wait wait, how did I get caught? I would never get caught," Thor assured everyone, as if they were as worried as he was by the news.

"Valkyrie gets you."

"A Valkyrie!" Thor exclaimed, "I used to want to be a Valkyrie when I was younger, until---"

"You found out they're all women."

"Exactly! I quite enjoy having someone around to finish my thoughts, it's much easier when someone speaks for you."

"How did this Valkyrie survive?" Loki asked.

"Well, exactly how is unclear. In the flashback we see that the Valkyrie were sent to fight Hela back as she attempted to escape her banishment. Hela absolutely destroys them unfortunately, and another Valkyrie pushes her out of the way from one of Hela's swords, taking the blow herself. I assume she ran after that, being the only one who survived the attack. She's um...well, she's scarred from that trauma. She doesn't believe in the throne anymore, and she's sick of the family squabbles and secrets. She's currently a very heavy drinker who works as a Scrapper for the Grandmaster. She's actually the one who brought Hulk to him. She and Banner are friends. We're in a pickle, because she only agrees to leave Sakaar because Loki makes her remember the pain Hela caused her. She wants to help take her out, or die trying. However, we've kept Hela locked up for the time being, so I don't know how she'll get over her past."

"I don't mean to appear apathetic," Loki started.

"Not that you care if you did," you said.

"Quite right. Anyway, is getting your beloved beast and doctor back not the primary goal of this mission? We do not need Valkyrie."

"First, I just said she's an alcoholic who's trying to drown her sorrows in booze and numbing work, and you think we should just leave her? That's cold, even for you."

"What else did you expect?" Loki smirked.

"Brother, we're not leaving an Asgardian in such an awful place," Thor said.

"Besides, we help people," Wanda added, "The Avengers is slowly becoming the home for people who need second chances."

"Honestly, if I charged rent, I'd be twice as rich with all of the stragglers we're picking up," Tony said, looking as if he was actually contemplating the idea.

"Having to listen to your rules is our payment," Rhodey said.

"It is actually quite a common thing for roommates to help pay for the living expenses, so I have come to understand," Vis said, trying once again to be so adorably helpful.

"Tony's just joking," Wanda explained, "He's rich enough to pay for many more compounds."

"Doesn't mean I'm obligated to," Tony challenged, "I really could make a decent penny," he mused to himself more than the table.

"Can we get back to planning our next space adventure?" Sam asked irritably.

"Right," you said, trying to remember where you'd left off, "So, um, yes, Valkyrie is coming with us. I don't know how we'll convince her, but we have to try. Also, if we overthrow Sakaar, she won't really have a job anymore."

"Overthrow Sakaar?" Tony asked, leaning forward, "No one said anything about overthrowing. Grabbing Jolly Green? Yes. Snatching Drunken War Lady while we're there? Ok. But overthrowing was never part of the plan."

"What plan Tony? This is us, making the plans now. This is me, telling you the plan is to overthrow Sakaar."

"She's got a point," Nat agreed.

"Fine, let me diplomatically rephrase my concern in this way: Why the hell are we attempting to overthrow a glorified garbage can?"

"Because there are innocent people locked away who will be killed for someone else's entertainment if we don't help."

"Oh no, so sad," Loki said mockingly.

"Behave, will you?" you shot at him, though you couldn't hold back a small smile. He was blatantly being cruel about the lives of others, yet he does it in such a classic Loki way that it's hard to be mad at him.

"Two guys in particular, Korg and Miek, become good friends of Thor's. We need to free them. Also, Korg is the funniest, most adorable character you will ever meet."

"That's two more paychecks," Tony muttered under his breath.

"Wren, do you know what overthrowing Sakaar will take?" Steve cautioned, "I'm with you that it's the right thing to do, but make sure you're prepared for what you're about to plan."

"You guys are the ones who are gonna be doing the heavy lifting. So it's actually the other way around. Are you guys willing to help me free the others? I can't just tell you what to do."

"You've helped to save some of us already," Wanda said, glancing at Vision, "So I will be with you always."

"You're going to help me get free from Hydra," Bucky said, "So I'm paying it forward. We're going to free Sakaar."

"If anyone wants to sit out, speak now," Steve said, looking around the table. No one gave any dissent...well, almost no one.

"I have a feeling I'm forced to go regardless," Loki said.

"You're damn right," you confirmed.

"Well then," he sighed, "When do we start?" 

The rest of the day consisted of filling them in on whatever else you could think of, from the zappers used to control the "prisoners with jobs" to the Grandmaster's melt stick. You didn't want another Knowhere scenario, so you gave every detail that came to mind. Once that was done, the battle strategies began. This was more their turf than yours, so you sat back and listened intently, clarifying details when they asked. By nightfall, Operation Jolly Green was set. The plan was kept as simple as possible. You, Loki, Nat, and Wanda were to infiltrate the city. Once in, you were to search for Valkyrie. The team hadn't been fond of the idea of sending you into the city, but you and Loki were the only two who knew what she looked like. Additionally, part two of the plan, which was to occur in the scrapyards outside the city, was more dangerous for you than the city was. The rest of the Avengers were to cause a diversion, drawing out whatever warriors the Grandmaster had. Hopefully, the battle would open an easier path through the building for Nat and Wanda to make their way to the top and find Bruce. You and Loki would, Lord willing, find Valkyrie and have her help you shut down the neck zapper things, as you honestly had no idea how to do that. If finding her proved too difficult a task, you would hack into one of their computer systems, a feat Loki said he could accomplish, and find the prisoners yourselves, figuring out how to free them as you went along. That part of the plan had a lot that could go wrong, so you prayed you found Valkyrie before trying to free them. In the end, there was no better solution to shutting down the devices. Either Valkyrie made it easy, or you and Loki did it the hard way. Much like the end credit scene with the Grandmaster, he was to be handed over to the people after his capture. 

"What if Loki backstabs us and Wren is the price we pay for trusting him?" Bucky voiced in concern, looking at Loki with contempt.

"Why would I do that? What benefit is there in joining the side under attack from this lot?" he asked, gesturing to all of the heroes in the room.

"You led an attack on a city protected by this lot," Bucky argued.

"Technically he had an army with him at the time, it's a bit different," you said.

"Seriously Wren?" Sam said in disbelief, "We're trying to point out how you could get hurt, don't try to downplay his tendency to betray people."

"I'm not, but that tendency only goes for so long, and the scenarios are different, as I said. It wouldn't make sense for him to just gut me in the streets."

"I would never kill you that way," Loki scoffed, "Far too public and messy."

"I'm glad I've earned a better death."

"I'm feeling gracious tonight," he smiled.

"How is it that even when he's joking with you, I still get the sense that he's serious?" Clint asked.

"Because you can never know with Loki," you laughed.

"Why are you so calm about this???" Sam exclaimed.

"If he's going to kill me, then he's going to kill me. And if he wanted me dead, I would already be dead. So no point in worrying about 'what ifs' when there's no reason for him to kill me at Sakaar."

"She would already be dead," Loki agreed, "And believe me there have been quite a few times where nothing would have given me greater joy."

"Are you guys hearing this?" Tony asked, "And you're just fine with sending her, Cap?"

"Tony, I'm sure their are times when everyone in this room has thought that killing you would be the greatest pleasure," you pointed out.

"Oh, there's just the teensy little difference of none of them would actually do it!" Tony said loudly, "Except for Natasha, so you can get the look off of your face that I am sure is already their, Nat," he added without looking at her. She dropped the look she did indeed have on, turning it into a smirk.

"I do not believe my brother will hurt her. If you do not trust him, then trust his selfish interests. If he stands to benefit from our success, then there is no greater ally to have. He can protect her far better than most of us here."

Loki nodded at the truth in the half-compliment.

"He's protected her up until now," Steve said, "We'll have to trust him again, at least for one more mission." 

Cap's words, as usual, put an end to any arguing, except for Tony who loved to challenge him on everything. Tony grumbled about it for a while more, finally dropping the topic when dinner arrived. It was a late meal, as the group had been too preoccupied to remember food. When it was done, the room cleared out slowly, each heading to their respective bedrooms. You, however, were unaware of this, as you were talking with Ceyla across the room. You'd insisted on helping her carry some of the food away, as you were chatting with her anyways. She had asked about the mission that had taken you away, and you were now filling her in on the previous day's events. 

"I feel sorry for the soldier," she said on your way back to the dining hall, "He's had a hard life."

"That's an understatement," you agreed, "But we have him back, and he can work on having a better life with his friends."

"I'm glad the Princes are invested in your plights," she smiled to herself, "It's comforting to know we are helping more than just Asgard."

"I can't thank them enough for the help they've given," you said, thinking about how Loki had saved you from Hydra.

"I'm sure your aid and friendship are quite enough. I've never seen Prince Loki as comfortable around someone, nor someone as comfortable around him. I certainly could never."

"Oh, about the last time he snapped at you. He was angry about having to give the Avengers a tour, it was nothing to do with you. He was also trying to be funny by being all big and tough."

"No, I was in the wrong," she started to say, but you cut her off.

"Ceyla, come on," you said, giving her a look.

"Alright, so he may have been a little less than amiable," she sighed, giving in and smiling.

"He was a jerk, you can say it. Prince or not you can stand up for yourself," you laughed.

"You may be capable of that, but I fear I will never have such courage."

"Well, I got you to admit that your Prince did something wrong, which is a start."

You and Ceyla entered the dining area once again, only to find it empty. 

"I guess that means it's bedtime," you said, "And I should let you go, I've been chatting your ear off!"

"Oh no, I enjoy our talks," she said sweetly, "Have a good night's rest, Wren." And with that she grabbed the last few dishes from the table and was off through the same door you'd just entered with her.

You made your way across the room to the main entrance, when a voice called out from your left.

"I see you've made best friends with the help."

"What goes through your head when you decide to hide in the shadows?" you asked Loki, who was standing next to the pillar he'd been hiding behind.

"Something along the lines of 'She's going to launch out of her skin'," he answered, "And you never disappoint, Darling."

"Shouldn't you be off to bed like the others?"

"And miss a chance to scare you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms.

"Job well done," you chuckled, "Now get to bed." You turned to leave, but Loki was next to you in an instant, falling into stride with you.

"I don't think our rooms are across the hall from each other here," you said, as he continued walking with you in the direction of your bedroom.

"I thought you didn't mind my company?"

"And I thought you did mind mine."

"Oh, I do," he said teasingly, "You're truly insufferable most times."

"Uh-huh, then why're you walking with me?"

"To make sure you get there ok."

"That's the lamest excuse  you coulda come up with."

"Is it too much to believe I could care about such things?" he gasped in exaggerated offense.

"Besides the answer being a huge yes, it's mainly the fact that there's nothing in these halls that is gonna kill me from here to my bedroom. In fact, you are probably the only thing that could kill me from here to my bedroom."

"This would be the time and place," he nodded, "Quiet, no eyes around."

"Exactly! I could disappear, and the last person I would have been seen with was Ceyla. Granted, everyone would blame you, but they'd have no proof. They'd never find the body too, cuz you could just toss me off the bifrost or something. You could literally have an alibi too if you used your little illusion clones to conveniently be seen somewhere else at the time of my 'disappearance'."

"Have you put thought into this before?" he asked, furrowing his brow, "Because that's an oddly well thought out way for me to dispose of you."

"No...but maybe I shouldn't have thought out loud," you said, waiting a quiet second before taking a large step sideways away from Loki as you walked.

"Oh come on!" he huffed at you.

"I'm just joking," you laughed, stepping back next to him.

"You're so hilarious," he mocked, though he was smiling.

"Oh I know, you don't have to tell me."

"Humble too I see?"

"Oh so humble. I'm like, the most humble-est, it's one of my best qualities."

Loki was laughing now with you.

"You're a child, you know that?"

"Must be why I enjoy your company," you answered.

"Most would agree that makes you insane, my dear."

"Well, lucky for you, I don't care what most think of me or my friends."

You had reached your door now, so you stopped and faced Loki.

"Well, thank you for valiantly defending me from the dreaded empty halls."

"Just think of how many walls you could have run into without my guidance?" he smirked.

"Good night, Loki," you said, smiling at his silliness and turning to your door.

"Darling?"

"Yeah?"

His face looked a little more serious than it had moments before, with him talking to the floor rather than your face.

"I hope," he started, glancing up briefly at you, "That you understand that I---that you don't need to worry about me on Sakaar." When he finished he finally looked up with a cautiously hopeful face, as if expecting you to argue something to the contrary.

"Didn't you hear me back there? I know I don't have to worry about you."

"Yes, but we were both being very casual with how me betraying you is a very real possibility, just not a practical notion on this particular mission. But you don't have to worry about me...at all."

"You just said it yourself it would be stupid to backstab me on this mission, so I know I won't have to worry about you at all."

"No you're not listening!" he said angrily, taking a breath and calming himself immediately after. "I'm sorry. It's just, what I'm trying to say is---what I meant was that you don't have to worry about me on Sakaar, or any other mission. Or---or any other time thereafter. I'm not going to kill you."

You were silent for a few moments, thinking about what he had said. Yes, you had known he was better since that night he'd threatened you. And, yes, he had said he'd wanted to be friends. But part of you had always still felt that it was Loki, and he could never be true friends with you, or that he didn't really want that, or that he would never honestly forgive you for what you'd said about his mother. These thoughts hadn't stopped you from treating him as a friend, but there was always that doubt in the back of your mind. You may not have entirely known it was there until now, but it was there. He was Loki, and you'd always expected something Loki-ish to happen in the future. But now he was saying that he would never kill you, and the look on his face was so sincere and hopeful. For the first time you realized that he did seem to care for you. 

Not in the way Thor or Sam would imply, you thought, But as friends, I guess he does.

You realized your face must have looked shocked, as you stood staring at him while lost in thought.

"Does this mean you forgive me for what I said that night?" you asked hopefully.

It was his turn to look surprised. He looked at you for a second, opening his mouth to speak but nothing coming out. Finally he looked down and shook his head. When he raised his gaze again, he was smiling.

"What?" you asked in confusion, unable to not smile as well. The Loki genuine smile was contagious.

"I was hoping for your forgiveness for the way I acted that night, yet it appears you've decided to prove how morally superior you are by instead asking for mine."

"I'm not outshining your apology!" you laughed.

"Yes you are," he chuckled, "I had the whole apology planned out, yet now I can't compete."

"My apology was one sentence, hardly anything that can't be topped."

"Yes, but it's the fact that you asked for forgiveness in spite of me rescinding my death threat."

"But you rescinded it, so it's not like I'm asking for forgiveness while you're still threatening me."

"Actually, you did apologize the day after."

"Oh yeah, I did didn't I?"

"Yes, and then when I take away the threat that should never have been there, you're still unable to do anything but apologize, which makes my apology that I was going to give seem like I'm only saying it because you apologized first."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an idiot?" you smiled.

"Not nearly as frequently as you, Darling."

"So do you forgive me then?"

"There you go again!" he sighed.

"Oh shut up and answer."

"Yes, of course I do."

He said it so casually, as if you should have known already.

"Can I hear the apology you had planned out?"

"I shouldn't, after you tried to steal my moment," he pouted.

"Pleeeease!"

"If you insist," he smirked, clearing his throat. "I've always had a temper, Darling, you know this," he began, "Not only that, but I lash out at others because---it's easier than dealing with pain...or taking responsibility. In the time I've known you, you've trusted that I can become the person you've seen in your world. Even when all evidence was pointing to the contrary, you held onto the fact that deep down I meant none of what I said or did. The truth is, I've meant a lot of what I've said and done. But only because I thought, in those moments, that that was what I wanted. I'm still not whatever you see in me. I still can't stand your friends. I still have selfish intent behind most of what I do. But I am trying, because the tough things you've said to me since our first encounter have all been...true. You don't 'Pretend to understand me' as I've claimed....Y--you do understand me. Everything about what I've needed, about who loves me, about why I push them away...you knew it all. And I've never had someone like that who I can call a friend. I'm not used to the whole friend thing, but I'm smart enough to know that backhands and death threats usually aren't part of the deal. So please, if you will accept my apology, I'd like to say I'm...I'm sorry. For everything."

What could you do but smile? That had to be the single sweetest thing you'd ever heard out of Loki, or anyone for that matter. Part of you wanted to tear up at how kind he'd been, but you certainly were not going to get that mushy. He looked up, smiling at the expression on your face.

"I did alright then?"

"Yeah," you laughed happily, "I'd say you knocked it out of the park."

"And that's good, right?"

"Yes, it is. I forgive you, Loki. And I will continue to believe you have the capacity to be the greatest person, right up til the day I die."

"Which won't be any day soon," he promised.

"I certainly hope so."

There was another pause where you stood smiling at each other.

"Um, I'll let you get to bed," he said, though he didn't move.

"Right, um," you said, "Bye."

Before he could move though, you threw your arms around him without thinking.

"Thank you," you whispered, not entirely sure why you were being quiet.

Surprisingly, he returned the hug, embracing you warmly.

"I'm sorry it took me this long to say it," he said softly.

"You did it though," you replied as you pulled back from him, "That's what's important."

He smiled kindly, another silence occurring between the two of you.

"Now," you said, clearing your throat and adopting your normal snarky tone, "That's enough sappiness for one night."

"Quite right," he returned in his usual tone, though both of you smiled at your attempts to be serious.

"Good night, Loki," you said, walking through your door.

"Sleep well, Darling."

***

Ceyla woke you up at the time you had planned with her the previous evening. You had arrived on Asgard the day before in normal attire, packing your fighting outfit in a small bag, so you made your way over to where it sat on a chair. You got chills as you pulled the clothes on again, knowing it was time for another adventure. Knowing it was time to meet Korg, and Miek, and Valkyrie, and Bruce. You wrapped your belt around last, hooking the weapon snugly at your hip. You'd given up the cool hair down look, as Wanda wasn't here to make it look awesome. However, Ceyla volunteered her services, quickly working braids neatly through your hair. 

"You managed to get all of my hair out of the way, yet still make it look good," you admired in awe, "I wish I could do hair as easily as you can."

"I could teach you sometime. You know, when you're done with all of your missions."

When I'm done I go home, you thought, but you kept that from her. In all honesty, you wanted to go home eventually. You had your parents and, though not many, you had some friends. They were probably worried, and you had to explain everything to them when you got back. But at the moment, thinking of the day you left was saddening. 

As long as I leave a world where they're all alive and happy, then I'll be happy too.

"That'd be awesome!" you said instead, hoping that you would have time to learn from her.

You walked with Ceyla back to the dining hall, which was quickly becoming a very familiar sight. You greeted the others that were there, chatting away with them as you waited for the whole gang to arrive. Clint and Tony were the last to show, by which time the servants had already brought in the food. Loki sat next to you during breakfast, talking quietly with you when you weren't in conversation with someone else. He clearly did not like being overheard, or didn't want to make it obvious that he was actually talking with someone. Bucky had taken the seat on your right, and was oddly talkative that morning. Whether he did this to take your attention from Loki and annoy the god or not was a mystery, but he was just as enjoyable to engage with, so you didn't mind. At one point, when you and Loki were laughing over something he'd said about Tony, you noticed Sam, who sat across from you, give Bucky a pointed look and nod to you and Loki. A mere five seconds later, Buck was tapping your arm to ask you something.

Subtle, guys, you thought, real subtle.

Loki wasn't an idiot either, as he shot daggers at Sam with his glare. Sam just smiled back.

The meal continued in this manner, with Sam and Bucky effectively turning Loki's mood more and more sour.

"You know you're falling right into their trap, right?" you whispered to Loki.

"Whose trap?" he asked, trying terribly to lie to you.

"Don't try that, you know they're trying to get under your skin by blatantly keeping me from talking to you."

"Hey, Wren, can you pass the cheese?" Sam asked, proving your point. You handed him the platter, only to have Bucky ask you for the bread to your left.

You gave both of them a look, receiving innocent smiles in return.

"See?" you laughed at Loki's disgruntled face.

"So they don't trust me," he grumbled, "They could at least just say it rather than play these games."

"You're the king of games, you just won't appreciate the humor of the situation because it's currently affecting you."

He looked grouchily at you. "There you go again with the 'Pretending to know me'." He couldn't keep his face serious, and you both smiled again. Unfortunately, his smile was dashed off his face by Sam "accidentally" spilling his drink, the water pouring across the table in your direction. You stood up quickly to avoid getting wet, but some had fallen on your lap before you could move. You glared at Sam, who shrugged his shoulders.

"It just slipped," he smiled.

You saw Bucky give him a inconspicuous thumbs up, earning a slap to the back of the head.

"What was that for? He's the one who did it."

Nat and Clint, who were next to Sam, had watched in amusement up until this point.

"Ok, that's too far guys," Nat sighed, shaking her head like a tired babysitter.

"I don't know, I think she needed some water splashed on her," Clint mumbled.

You grabbed your cup and tossed the water onto Barton. Loki, Sam, Buck, and Nat burst out laughing, as the rest of the table down to your right finally tuned into what was going on.

"Should have kept your mouth shut!" Sam said through his laughter.

Clint sat there, water dripping from his face, with that classic Hawkeye "I'm so done with this shit" look. He very calmly reached for his cup. You ducked behind Loki, expecting the water to be hurled in your direction.

"Don't drag me into this!" Loki yelped, standing up and scrambling out of the way.

To your surprise, the water from Clint's cup was now soaking Sam, who stood up shrieking like a child. Clint smiled smugly at him, as Sam wrestled Wanda's cup from her.

"Sam, no no no," Wanda protested, "Just let it go...and he's got it," she sighed, giving up after he successfully pulled it from her grip. Clint was already around the table out of firing range from Wilson, so he threw it at the next best target.

"What the hell?!" Bucky exclaimed angrily, glaring intensely at Sam.

"I hate you," he explained like it was obvious. 

"Ohhh ok," Bucky chuckled menacingly, "So it's going to be like that is it?" As he spoke, he grabbed the water pitcher. 

"Cups only!" Sam yelled, grabbing an empty platter and holding it in front of him as a shield.

Bucky ignored him, throwing the jug's contents across the table. The splash reached Nat and Wanda, who were in the proximity.

"Alright," Wanda said, wiping her hands as she stood up. Using her powers, she lifted fruits from the table and sent them speeding towards the two of them.

"What the?!" was all that came out of Buck as he made to parry the objects with his metal arm.

"Shit!" Sam shouted, ducking behind his platter again.

Both actions were pointless, as Wanda froze the fruits mid-air, instead tilting Loki and Nat's cups, which she'd levitated over Buck and Sam's heads in the meantime.

The table cracked up some more, as a confused Bucky stood there helplessly lost and all the more wet.

"Ok, I think everyone---" Steve started with a chuckle, but was stopped mid-sentence by the liquid from Thor's glass.

"You too Thor?" he sighed, wiping his face.

"This game is quite fun!" Thor bellowed happily, picking up the pitcher in front of him and refilling his glass, "See? I'm a fair sport though. Only one glass at a time." And with that he casually dumped it on Rhodey's head next to him.

"I believe there's a word for this kind of scenario," Tony told the doused Rhodey, "Oh yeah, karma!"

He barely finished his sentence before Rhodey emptied his drink into Stark's face. And just like that, the whole table was now standing, wet, and ready to fight. Whatever liquid, be it wine or water, that was on the table was quickly dumped onto an opponent's head. Thus, the Avengers transitioned to grabbing food from the table and plastering each other with it.

"Perhaps, if we all just sat and spoke with one another about what's troubling us, we could---" Vision was saying, being the only one still sitting as food flew around him. "Or we could just throw more food," he said in one of his first and few sarcastic remarks, after having been nailed in the head with some vegetables.

You and Loki had been standing a few steps from the table from when you'd scrambled out of Clint's range. So, as the chaos ensued, both of you stood there watching. Loki attempted to look condescendingly at the childish behavior, while you hadn't stopped laughing. 

"I'm going to get Thor," you said to Loki, running over, grabbing the jam that had yet to be smothered in someone's face, and sprinting away before you could get hit.

"Care to assist me in the spreading of jam through a god's hair?" you asked Loki once you returned with your weapon.

He smiled mischievously at the thought of rubbing jam in Thor's prized luscious locks, nodding and walking in the direction of his brother. As soon as his back was facing you, you dumped the bowl on his head, using your hands to really rub it in and around.

He froze and hung his head for a second, shaking it slightly. You heard a maniacal little laugh escape him. When he slowly turned to face you, red jelly oozing from his hair and some dripping from his forehead, you couldn't help but laugh harder than you already were. You held your stomach as you practically died laughing, tears blurring your vision.

"I--I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist," you panted, wiping the tears from your eyes, "And I did ask you to assist with the spreading of jam on a god's hair...you're a god. So I didn't lie."

He'd been smiling in an eerily calm fashion, like the kind of "I will kill you in a second once I decide how" smile. Finally, he pressed his lips tightly together and looked up as if contemplating something. Coming to a decision, he nodded and looked back at you.

"Yeah, you're dead," he smirked, running after you, who had charged around the table the second he'd uttered those words. You were screaming like an idiot and laughing at the same time, grabbing food and chucking it behind you as you weaved your way through the others. 

"Sorry!" you squealed, as you threw a apple in his face.

Naturally, he caught you before you could make it a full time around the table. He held you firmly, but gently, in his left arm, with you fumbling words out through giggles.

"I think red hair suits you! Don't you think so?"

"I'm quite interested to see how it looks on you, Darling," he smiled, scooping jelly from his hair.

"Ew, not after it's been in your greasy-ass hair!" you shrieked, but he ignored you, wiping it in your hair and face as you tried whacking his hand away.

By the time he was done, you had the thin, red, sticky residue of jam all in your nicely done hair, your face, and neck.

"Hmm, I don't think red suits you," he said, after admiring his work for a few seconds, his arm never loosening its grip, "I'm thinking maybe a honey color?"

"No no no," you pleaded, still laughing, "You got me, we're even! I'm sticky enough without honey."

He joined in the laughter, the two of you wheezing over the hilarious state of each of your appearances. 

"The way you looked when you turned around with the jam dripping from your hair!"

"And the way you threw the food behind you as you ran! I mean, it did absolutely nothing, yet you threw it like it was going to save you."

"I'd say that apple definitely bought me another half second of freedom."

"The apple to my face!"

"I can't exactly aim with the Jelly-Haired Giant after me!"

"Jelly-Haired Giant? Are you begging for the honey?"

"No! I'm sorry, your mighty eminence worshipfullness sir," you said, turning it sarcastic as usual.

"You really are asking for it."

Sounds of shouting around the room died down, laughter filling the void. You don't know what had caused the ceasefire, or if it had just happened, but they were all now laughing with and at each other.

"I guess that means we're done," you said.

"I suppose we are."

"Um, that means you can release me now, I believe."

"What? Oh, right!" he said like he'd forgotten he was holding you, quickly opening his arm.

"Thanks," you said, turning to talk with the rest of the team. Each person was comically covered in food with their hair and shirts soaked.

"No hard feelings?" Buck asked as you walked up to him.

"That was the most fun I've had," you smiled, "So you're lucky."

"See the mess you cause?" Sam said as he walked up to the two of you.

"Who? Me or him?"

"Both."

"Both?" Bucky said incredulously.

"You're the one that got the rest of the table involved when you dumped the pitcher on me."

"You're the one who knocked your cup onto me," you said, "It all started with you."

"Only because I had to, so it's technically your fault."

"That's typical, blame everyone else," Buck said to him.

"Typical? You've known me for a day."

"And that's enough to become familiar with your bullshit."

"As fun as another food fight would be," you said quickly, cutting off Sam's response, "I think we've depleted the Asgardian chef's resources."

Bucky and Sam stared at each other...and they didn't stop.

"Are you guys having a staring contest?"

"Yup," Bucky answered.

"Oh dear," you laughed, "I'll, um, leave you to it then." 

Steve insisted that everyone help clean up the mess that was the dining hall, so the next hour or more was spent in that manner. Loki's magic made things easier, as he was drying up puddles and gathering dishes pretty easily. Wanda helped in a similar way. Thor went around picking up one piece of food at a time and walking it back to the table, always moving enough to make it look like he was busy, while not really doing anything. In the end, the room was put back together and towels were brought for people to dry themselves with.

"Well, it looks like we're pushing our departure back," Rhodey said, pulling some lettuce out from down his shirt.

"Yeah no shit," Tony grumbled, trying desperately to get as much honey out of his hair as he could.

Guess he got the honey instead.

"We'll meet back up in three hours," Cap said, "In the courtyard. That'll give everyone more than enough time to clean themselves and their suits. And please, try to keep them clean until we leave this time."

"I'll be spending that three hours getting jelly out of my hair," you told Loki, as the two of you walked into the hall.

"Serves you right," he scoffed.

"I assume there's some magic way you'll be able to clean your hair?"

"Drying water and cleaning sugar-filled jam are two different things, so I will have to clean it as you do. Though I can probably magic most of the job. This is why you don't mess with the God of Mischief, Darling," he said in response to your jealous look.

"Any chance you could have pity on a friend and lend some of that magicness?"

"I'll probably mix the magic with the normal cleaning methods while I bathe."

"So there's no pre-magic wash before one gets in the bath? Damn, there goes that idea."

"I'm afraid so. Unleeess," he said jokingly.

"Don't even make that joke, I will slap you."

"I was just trying to suggest an alternative beneficial solution," he laughed.

"I said stop with the joke! You're terrible."

"I know, but you'd be bored if I wasn't."

He walked you to your door again, saying he'd see you later.

"Good luck with your sticky situation, Darling," he said as he walked away.

"That was so bad," you muttered to yourself, closing the door and heading over to get your bath ready. Thankfully, Ceyla showed up to take your clothes, as you weren't looking forward to getting the jam stains out of the shirt. She said she'd bring them back once dried, leaving you plenty of time to bathe. After lots of scrubbing and brushing, you finally washed the last of the jam from your hair. You chilled in your street clothes for a while, waiting for your suit to be cleaned. When Ceyla did return, she offered to do your hair again for you, which was another blessing. She really is the best.

Between the extensive wash, waiting for the clothes, and the second hair appointment of the day, there wasn't much time left to kill until your rendezvous in the courtyard. You spent that time with Ceyla, hanging out in your room with her and laughing over the story of the food fight. You were disappointed when you had to say bye to her and head for the courtyard, but you promised to let her teach you how to do hair, as she had continued to express a desire to pass on her talent. 

You arrived to the courtyard early, it appeared, as no one else was there. You sat on a bench, admiring the gardens around you. Suddenly, someone sat next to you, catching you by surprise.

"Oh, it's you," you exhaled, smiling at Nat.

"You need to work on being aware of your surroundings," she smirked.

"When I live with a bunch of super stealth ninjas and a skulking God of Mischief, I guess I should."

"About the God of Mischief," she said, looking down at her hands before speaking again, "You two are close, aren't you?"

"How close can you be to someone you've known less than two weeks," you chuckled, hoping she wouldn't pry further. But this was Nat, and you were underestimating her. She just gave you an unimpressed look.

"Clint felt like my brother by the end of our first week. I saw in him someone I wanted to be friends with for forever. I couldn't explain the connection...the joy someone can bring you when they're the first to give you a chance. As much as I hate the man, I see the same look in Loki's eyes when he's around you."

"Well, I---I hope he's happy I'm giving him a chance. It's what he needs."

"You can admit if you're friends, Wren, it's ok. None of us here have a right to judge who someone befriends. We're a family of ex-assassins, a careless billionaire who's weapons killed innocent people, and a girl with magic who helped Ultron almost annihilate the world. Each of us got a second chance, so we can't say Loki doesn't deserve one. Just make sure a second chance is what he wants. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks, Nat. I know you, Sam, Bucky and the rest are all just looking out for me. And I have to admit, I half expected Loki to have done something stupid by now. But...I don't know anymore. I think he might actually be ok with changing, but I guess I won't know for sure. I'm gonna trust him though, because he deserves that second chance like you said."

"I'm starting to agree with you on the change aspect. He seems too happy to throw it away."

"Did you just say Loki looks happy?" you smiled, "I thought he was miserable all of the time?"

"Both things can be true at the same time," she chuckled, "But I'm serious, he seems to genuinely enjoy being around you. Do I trust him to not be an idiot and throw whatever the two of you have away for some power-hungry scheme? Hell no, not yet at least. But I have my suspicions that he'll stick around with us." She gave you sly little side look after that last part.

"What's that look for?"

"Oh, nothing."

"No, what do you mean by he'll stick around with us?"

"You know, just cuz you guys are friends," she said unconvincingly, repeating her look from before.

"Oh no, not you too. I get it enough from Thor!" you moaned, putting your head in your hand.

"So he sees it too? That's odd, Thor's the dumb one," she said like she was impressed, "So it's obvious enough even he can see it."

"What's obvious?!" you said, flustered now, "That he seems to be making a friend? Is that so weird? I told you guys, I don't like him like that just because I liked him as a fictional character!"

"First off, that doesn't mean you can't learn to like him. Second, that doesn't mean he can't like you."

"Loki?! Do you hear yourself, Nat?"

"I'm just saying, the way he held you in there..."

"In where?"

"The dining hall? The food fight?" she said like she was shocked you could have forgotten, "Everyone may have been too busy throwing carrots down each other's throats to notice, but I did. He was practically hugging you while he smothered jelly in your face."

"That was a vicious attack," you said, smiling at the memory, "It was more or less a chokehold."

"I've seen handshakes more aggressive than his hold on you," she snarked back.

"He couldn't exactly be aggressive in a room with you guys there....did you expect him to throw me to the ground and kick the shit out of me or something?"

"Maybe you're right," she considered, "And maybe Thor and I are right. I'm just saying, it's a possibility."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but it really isn't. Take it from someone who has seen Loki's friendships and relationships, or lack thereof."

"We'll see," she said, trying terribly to hide her smirk.

"Besides, I'd smack him if he liked me. He could do so much better."

"Wren!" she exclaimed, backhanding your arm, "You just said you're not good enough for the most manipulative, murderous, backstabbing man. Give yourself a little more credit, you're too good for him."

Thankfully, Cap and Buck were walking over, giving you an excuse to change the topic. Nat, Buck and Steve were talking about one thing or another, but you were zoned out.

I can't believe they're that far off, you laughed mentally, Loki...the Loki, liking anyone, let alone me?! They really don't know how funny that sounds, do they? 

Despite laughing it off, their words were sewing the seeds of doubt. 

He's just been friendly, right? He hasn't shown any signs of liking me. The dance? Literally just him asking if we could be friends, also he was bored. The food fight? Just us flinging jam at each other like every other person in there. Nothing he's done is outside the realm of two friends being comfortable with each other's company. Even the hug was a friendly one. I hugged him as I would any friend who'd spoken so kindly to me, and he returned it in the same way. Gosh, I can't imagine how much I'd hear it from them if they knew about the hug! 

"Right?" Buck said, nudging you.

"What?" you asked, bringing your focus back to them.

"Were you listening to anything?" he asked.

"No, sorry, completely zoned out there."

You saw Nat smirk, and would have elbowed her if there was an inconspicuous way of doing so. The others slowly gathered, Loki and Thor coming in together. They had been chatting, seemingly pleasantly, with each other, as you were pretty sure you saw smiles on both of their faces. Now in public, Loki slowed his step to fall behind Thor and remain outside of interactions with the Avengers, as he often does.

This would be the time when you go over and say hi.

You couldn't bring yourself to do it. The thoughts Nat and Thor had placed in your head were making the idea of chatting with him too awkward at the moment. Not that you believed their predictions, but you knew you wouldn't be able to not think about it as you spoke with him, and you didn't want to appear off. Loki wasn't an idiot, he'd know something was on your mind. You also knew that you wouldn't be able to help but overanalyze every aspect of your interactions with him.

Thanks a lot, Nat, you thought bitterly.

You realized you'd been staring at Loki as you battled the impulse to try to talk to him like normal. He was observing the Avengers in his silent, skulking manner, eventually turning his head towards you. Immediately you looked to someone else, pretending you hadn't seen him. Rhodey and Vis were the closest options. You chose to greet Vision, as he'd find your sudden and eager hello less suspicious than Rhodey, thus not questioning it. Fortunately, he acted as you'd hoped, and you were soon roped into their conversation. Once the whole team was gathered, you made your way to the bifrost. The Avengers had chosen to travel in this manner for the trip, as Sakaar was it's own small slice of the universe that wouldn't yield any jurisdictional repercussions. You kept tabs on where Loki was at all times during the walk, making sure to keep people between the two of you.

I'm not avoiding him to be mean, you told yourself, simply to spare him any awkward conversation. Also, he won't even notice I'm purposely not talking to him. He doesn't care that much.   

You were so damn preoccupied with these stupid problems Nat had dropped in your head that the next thing you knew you were being sucked into the sea of rainbows. 

"Whoa!" you said in nerdy excitement at the piles of trash around you.

"It's garbage," Sam said, the entire team looking at you.

"It's amazing!" you squealed, "And look, the Devil's Anus!"

The red, glowing behemoth consumed a large portion of the sky, and was rather terrifying in person. Fiery red wormholes weren't a common occurrence in your world, after all.

"I still can't get over that name," Rhodey shook his head.

"Not my area of expertise, but that looks like a---" Tony started, 

"Collapsing neutron star inside an Einstein-Rosen bridge," you finished, more to yourself than Tony.

"Stop finishing my sentences, I like sounding smart, ok?"

A noise behind you made the group turn, ceasing all conversations.

A shuttle was lifting out of the garbage, flying over and landing  on the other end of the clearing. The doors opened and  a group of rough looking men walked out, most wearing masks and strange clothes. The man at the head of the group had his face revealed, and you recognized it immediately.

"Are you fighters? Or are you food?" he asked.

"We're just passing through," you laughed, stopping after the looks you received from Tony and Cap, "Right, sorry, proceed."

"We're here for our own reasons," Cap spoke clearly and forcefully, "You can either let us through, or we'll go through you."

"They are fighters," the man laughed, lifting his gun.

You heard a dozen or so whistling sounds, tiny blasts launching out of Tony's suit and whirring through the air, each hitting a man in the leg. He'd pulled the same maneuver as he had in Ultron against Strucker's men in the lab.

"Old man warned you," Tony said. These guys, being tougher than Strucker's men had been, started struggling to their feet, guns ready.

"Oh, these poor guys think they have a chance," you said, shaking your head, "Almost makes you feel bad." 

A few seconds later and the team had every man knocked out.

"These guys have given me an idea," Steve said, standing over the last scrapper he'd punched, "Your job will be a lot easier if you blended in a little more."

You, Wanda, and Nat each grabbed some clothing from the scrappers. Yours was a long, dirty red robe-like coat, torn and scorched in places. Loki simply changed his outfit to match that of the scrappers.

"Ok, keep your coms open," Cap said to the four of you, "And keep your heads down. If anything happens at all, call in. We'll be waiting for your signal."

"Good luck," Vision said, though he was looking more at Wanda than then rest of you.

So they mock me and Loki, but can't see the obvious?

"Stay safe, will you," Buck said, patting your shoulder.

"We expect you guys back in one piece," Clint added, nodding his goodbye to Nat.

"We'll all be fine," Wanda assured them.

The four of you walked up and over the nearest pile, looking at the city in the distance.

"I take it that's the building we're looking for?" Nat asked, referring to the largest and most obvious skyscraper with faces of champions on the outside.

"Yeah, and it looks like Hulk is already a fan favorite. That top spot where all of the construction is set up? That's where his face is built eventually. Looks like they're prepping to start."

"Let's go get him then," she replied, heading off down the hill with determination.

You'd forgotten about your Loki situation, but now, with him walking along side you, the whole problem came back.

You were fine til you remembered. It's a silly thing, just let it go.

Thankfully, it was easier this time to push Nat's words out of the way, and you didn't squirm to keep your distance from him anymore. He didn't seem in a talking mood, however, which was common when others were so close, so you thought nothing of it.

You came across a few others in the scrapyard, but, with the scrapper attire and the attitude of "we belong here", nobody stopped you. 

"Remember, watch out for those little zapper things," you were reminding Wanda as you walked down the streets of Sakaar for the first time. Your adrenaline was pumping, the feeling of "everyone around you somehow magically knows you're up to something" coursing through your veins.

"You watch out too," Wanda returned, "I have my powers to protect me, you don't."

"I'll jump behind Loki if they try flinging one of them at me. Human shields are wonderful things."

"I'm serious," she chuckled, "Be careful."

The building was in sight down the street, so the four of you paused in a busy area. 

"I guess this is where we split," Nat said, facing you and Loki, "When we get to the building, we'll call in the diversion."

"Good luck you guys," you smiled, as they made to step away.

"Stay out of trouble," Nat responded, glancing to Loki and giving him a nod before leaving.

"Well, we should start trying to find her I guess," you said, turning to Loki. He just nodded, but didn't respond.

"You ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked irritably.

"Cuz you're acting weird."

"I'm acting weird?" he said in disbelief.

"You're not yourself, that's all," you said, not sure why he was getting heated over this.

"Why? Because I haven't spoken in a while?"

"Well, yeah I guess. That, and the look on your face a moment ago. It's like you're angry about something."

"How perceptive," he said bitterly, "And I thought avoiding conversation was a fine thing to do? Why the sudden aversion?"

"Shit," you sighed, "So that's what this is about."

"So you admit it?! You've avoided me all afternoon. I don't need your company to live, but it gets more than a little irritating when you make it so obvious you're trying to stay away from me."

"Look, I just had something on my mind, and I knew I would be distracted by it if I tried talking to you. I didn't want to try talking to you and come off as rude by being completely out of it. I was just thinking some things over, but it's all good now. It had nothing to do with you."

"What was on your mind?" he asked, less anger in his voice than before.

"Well, if I could tell you then I wouldn't have worried about talking to you would I? It's a personal thing, and stupid to boot, so you don't need to worry about it."

"If it's so stupid, why can't I know? Clearly it's not that important."

"Because I said it's personal. I'm not talking to anyone about it."

Loki looked far from satisfied, but his anger had dissipated.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you," you said sincerely.

"You were weaving like a madwoman to keep me from saying hi to you on the walk through Asgard."

"I know," you laughed, "I know, I'm sorry."

He stared at you for a bit, finally nodding.

"I accept your apology. But behave like that again, and I will drag you over and look into your mind to see what's going on."

"You know that's a major violation of privacy, right?"

"I don't really give a damn."

"Ok," you said, shaking your head, "Deal, I guess."

"Good," he said, clearing his throat and assuming a better mood, "Now, I think the less suspicious and far easier method to finding our missing lady is to simply ask around."

"Ok, who do you wanna ask?"

Loki looked around, pausing his gaze in the direction behind you.

"Over there."

You turned to see two guards walking down the street.

"You wanna risk dealing with guards?"

"They have no reason to suspect us, Darling. And if anyone is to know where the Scrappers reside, it would be the Grandmaster's guards."

"Lead the way then," you said, stepping aside for him.

He walked up to the guards, politely getting their attention.

"I'm terribly sorry for bothering you, but we're looking for Scrapper 142. Would any of you be able to point us in the proper direction?"

"Scrapper 142 is quite the popular one with the Grandmaster," the guard on the right answered in a gravelly voice, "She's gifted a residence somewhere in the upper street apartment complex," he said, pointing down the street to his right. "All the way to the next intersection, make a left. First building on your right."

"Thank you very much, I'm greatly appreciative," Loki smiled with a polite bow of the head. 

He turned to you, the kind smile shifting to a boastful smirk.

"See?" he said, once the guards had moved on.

"I'm impressed," you admitted, giving him a little applause.

"We'll have accomplished our mission and be back in time to join the fun," he said.

"So this mission's boring to you?" you said in feigned sadness, "And here I was thinking we could have a grand old time wreaking havoc and collapsing a tyrannical government."

"Oh we'll have our own fun," he smiled, "Just wait and see."

With that, he strutted off in the direction of Valkyrie's home. If it weren't for the fact that Sakaar was a barbaric, disgusting place, you would have found it a fun location to stay for a while. The streets were colorful and the people lively. 

Valkyrie's apartment complex was easy enough to find, and you were just about to step in the door when you heard a familiar voice.

"This is a revolution, people, yet I--I'm not seeing many weapons. Did you read the pamphlet?"

"No!" you said in utter disbelief, "It can't be."

"Where are you going?" Loki hissed, as you pushed your way through the crowd. 

You broke through the wave of people, coming into a clearing that had been formed by all of the citizens avoiding the Kronan.

"We won't back down!" Korg cheered, "Say it with me everybody: Won't back down! Won't back down! Won't back---I feel like I'm the only one saying it. If you could speak a little louder, perhaps. Then maybe we'd get the crowd going a bit."

"You're doing great, honey!" A voice called from the sidelines. You looked to see two Kronans standing over there, one clearly Korg's mother.

"Thanks mom, I appreciate it," Korg waved.

The boyfriend gave Korg a thumbs up.

"No, no, I already told you, I don't like you. He's not with us," Korg assured the crowd, "Mom, I told you not to bring him."

"Well since your father never showed up for any of your events, I thought it would be nice."

"His presence is killing the mood, it's just, it's just dead, the mood's dead."

"We can leave if you'd like?"

"Could you? That would be great, actually, thank you very much."

"This is just sad," Loki said, watching the disastrously embarrassing "revolution."

"I know," you replied with the biggest smile on your face, which was quickly wiped off. "Damn, we gotta get him."

"What're you talking about?"

"Korg! Remember I said he's in prison because of the revolution he tries to have? This is it!"

"We're going to free all prisoners anyway," Loki said, "So we'll get him then."

"Or we could get him now before the guards show up."

"Darling," he said, grabbing your arm so you couldn't move towards Korg, "I'm not letting you go out there. If you get caught, our job's become harder. Besides, I'm not letting them zap you."

"Wait...what if getting caught is exactly what I need to do?"

"Why would that be the case?"

"Because, if you can't find Valkyrie, or she's unable to be convinced to help, then we're going to need someone who knows where the prisoners are...maybe I could even look for the console that controls the switches."

"No, we're not risking that."

"What is there to risk? You said it yourself, we're freeing the prisoners anyway. I won't be in there for long. The biggest hole in our plan was the 'What to do if finding Valkyrie doesn't work?' part of it. Going in blind and hoping we find the prison in reasonable time is poor planning."

"Having you get caught and hoping I can get you out is even worse."

"This city is going down, whether we free those prisoners right away or not. The Avengers could take this whole place eventually if they wanted to, but it'll go much easier if we have help on the inside. If Valkyrie doesn't work, we need this plan B."

"I should be the one to get caught then."

"No you shouldn't! Out of the two of us, who is more capable? You're more of a threat to them out here than I am."

"I won't let you do this."

"You're not providing any logical reasons why. Come on, I thought bold moves were up your alley?"

"I'm not saying trickery of this sort isn't something I'd plan, it's just...."

He sighed and looked down, finally nodding to his feet.

"Just, please, be careful," he forfeited.

"I will. Hold your earpiece for three seconds, it will shift our speaking line over to C2," you said, having learned from conversations with Clint that there were different com channels, "We'll still be able to hear if anyone calls in, but our voices will only go to each other until we switch back."

"Right," he said, pressing his finger to his ear.

"Testing?" you spoke.

"Read you loud and clear, Darling," you heard him say in front of you, and in your ear.

"Ok, here we go."

You took a breath and walked out into the middle of the clearing.

"Come out and face us, you tyrants," Korg was calling, as if still believing the crowd was on his side, "We're---Oh, hello, my name is Korg," he said, looking down at you, "I'm kind of like the leader of this revolution. Have you come to join?"

"Hey Korg, my name's Wren," you smiled, "And yes, yes I have."

Chapter 31: The Revolution

Notes:

Sorry for the late posting again! Also, when you get to the Grandmaster's dialogue, cuz he comes in in this chapter, just read it how Jeff Goldblum would say it. If I were to write it how Goldblum talks, there would be many many more uh's and um's and other pauses and sounds Goldblum makes in his classic way of delivering dialogue. Dude's a legend, and I couldn't begin to write his lines the way I pictured him saying them. So Goldblum-ify them in your minds. Once again, I haven't read over the chapter as a whole cuz I'm late so I wanted to get it posted, but I re-read every section I write after I'm done with it, so I think it's good. Ok, that's all for now😁 On with the chapter!

"It's very nice to meet you, Wren," Korg said, "I gotta say though, I'm beginning to think I should have printed more pamphlets. The only people who seemed to turn up are you, my mom, and her boyfriend who I hate."

"I think everything will work out," you said hopefully.

You looked up as you heard the shouts of guards coming through the crowd.

"I like the optimism," Korg smiled, but he dropped it when he saw the colorful guards break from the crowd and surround the two of you. "Yeah, no, my optimism is gone, sorry," he apologized.

"Just play along," you whispered, seeing Korg get his gun ready.

"What? Oh, do you have like a secret plan?" Korg replied excitedly.

"Something like that," you answered, raising your hands in surrender.

"That's very clever of you. I should have had a Plan B, now that I think about it," he said, following your lead and dropping his gun, raising his hands in the air.

A guard rather roughly jabbed his weapon into your side, forcing you to walk in the direction of the Grandmaster's building. You turned once to look over your shoulder at Loki, giving a reassuring nod in response to his displeased expression. He nodded back and disappeared through the crowd off in search of Valkyrie. Korg was speaking to you for most of the walk through the streets and hallways, but, unfortunately, you had no time to pay attention to his amusing comments. Your focus was on the path they were taking to get to the prison. You were drilling every turn into your head, hoping you remembered it long enough to relay it to Loki. In time you arrived outside the dungeons. The guards paused here, patting you down in search of weapons. They took your rod, but thankfully didn't notice the tiny device tucked away in your ear. Once clear, a guard reached his hand up to Korg's neck, the Kronan pulling back slightly at the touch.

"A little unnecessary don't you think?" he asked the guard, who turned and did the same to you.

When his hand touched your neck, you felt the sharp prick of something stabbing your skin. You exclaimed slightly, recoiling from the touch. Lifting your hand to your neck, you felt a circular metal piece firmly placed there.

I do not want to get zapped by this thing.

No sooner had the thought crossed your mind, then the guard nodded to a man behind a window some feet away. The man looked down at an object you couldn't see. All you knew was that his hands were fiddling with something. Pain shot through your body and you were on the ground in an instant. You tried to move your arms or legs, but they weren't responding. It was as if they had gone numb, except you could feel the burning sensation coursing through them.

"They work," you heard someone laugh.

The pain stopped, but full control over your body didn't come back right away. You gingerly sat up, breathing deeply. Hands grabbed you from behind, dragging you across the floor and tossing you through a door. You landed hard on your elbow, being unable to properly cushion your fall, given your still tingling body.

"Oww, that's gonna bruise," you sighed, standing slowly.

Korg, who had been pushed in with you, steadied you with his hand on your arm.

"You ok lady?" he asked, "Those zappers pack a nasty punch."

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," you said, stretching your arms and relishing the ability to feel them again. "You good, Korg?"

"Oh, I'm great, yeah," he said happily, "Well I guess besides, you know, failing to start a revolution and being locked up, that might put a damper on the moment actually. But you've got a plan, right?"

"Yeah, I do," you said, turning to view the others in the cell. At this particular time, you were in luck, as there appeared to be more people than just Korg and Miek and a dead Doug.

You walked to your left to see how many you had, with Korg following you. After walking a few feet past the last occupant, you were suddenly back to the start, though noticeably not having travelled far enough to complete a full circle.

"Woah, this whole place is like a freaky circle," Korg said, walking "around" again and coming back to your side. "That really messes with your head, man."

"I wonder if there's another door to another part of this cell where it's a freaky circle for them too. Ya know, like maybe there are more prisoners than just the dozen or so in here?" you mused, hoping it was true. The more the better. Plus, a dozen didn't seem enough to provide sustained entertainment on fight nights, especially with participants being killed off.

"A series of freaky circles," Korg said in contemplation, "Doesn't make sense, which makes it make perfect sense for this place, in which there appears to be no sense."

"Exactly," you smiled.

"Hey, look! That little bug's got knives for hands," Korg said, walking over to none other than Miek. You let him go talk with Miek, while you tapped your com.

"Loki?"

"It's about time," Loki grumbled back, though there was relief mixed with his anger.

"Any luck with Valkyrie?"

"Well, I've found her, yes, but we seem to have run into the small problem of her being a drunken ass."

There were shouts in the background.

"If you wish me to lie to spare your feelings, I'm afraid you're out of luck," Loki told the other voice, presumably Valkyrie.

"Was that her?"

"Yes, it was. The Avengers have started their attack, so she knows better than to 'kill their errand boy' as she puts it. But she says she's not getting involved."

"Well, tell her if she wants to keep hiding and drinking and pretending to be something she isn't, then that's on her. There are people she can help. If not on Asgard, then on Earth and countless other planets. She can do more than enslave people for a lunatic. But we're starting a revolution, and she can either fall with Grandmaster when the people come for him and everyone who ever enslaved them, or she can come with us."

Loki gave your message verbatim, and there were a few seconds of silence afterwards.

"Valiant effort, Darling, but her eloquent response was 'Forget it'," Loki said.

"You know what, fine," you said irritably, "We'll get back to her later. I know the way to the cells, and I know where the control panel is."

"Nicely done," Loki praised, "And all went smoothly? You weren't hurt?"

"Nothing permanent. But if you could get a move on, that would be great."

"Where am I going?"

You gave him the directions you'd filed away in your head, explaining the man behind the window and the controls he must have had back there.

"I'm on my way. Don't do anything stupid until I get there."

His com went silent, leaving you to find something to do in the meantime.

"Alright, everyone, listen up," you said loudly, getting everyone's attention, "We're busting out of here. My friends are leading an attack on the Grandmaster's forces as we speak. We have guys on the inside right now too, me being one of them. I'm leading one of my friends here now. He will deal with the guards and disengage the zapper things. Those of you who wish to go your own way when we're out are free to do so. But if you're inclined to help, we could use as many men as possible leading the charge from inside the city. We need to capture the Grandmaster. If we do that, we can have his men across the city surrender."

"The revolution is still on!" Korg said, stepping forward, "I'm in, man."

Miek squeaked something in his language, stepping next to Korg.

"My new friend here, Miek, says he's in too," he translated for you. The rest of the prisoners, after having the situation explained to them by fellow cellmates if they couldn't speak your language, gave signs that they were in as well.

"Alright then, we're going to perform the most successful revolution you've ever seen," you told them, "We just have to wait for my friend, and be ready to take the building when we get out there."

You were standing near the door, waiting for Loki's arrival, when Cap's voice chimed through your earpiece.

"Group 2, status report," he said, referring to you, Nat, Loki, and Wanda.

"Shit," you muttered, waiting for Nat to go first.

"We're nearly to the top," Nat said.

"If you could maybe pick it a bit," Tony said, "We could really use a Hulk out here."

"Our mission is to bring Bruce out of here, Tony, not the Hulk," Nat replied.

"Unless of course you could keep him green for just a little longer," Tony suggested hopefully.

"Tony!" Nat snapped.

"Fine, we'll take Banner," he conceded.

"Wren, Loki? How about you guys?" Steve asked, grunting and breathing heavily from the fight.

You held your earpiece for a few seconds, shifting back to C1.

"We're fine. We've found Valkyrie, but she's not exactly cooperating. We have the position of the cell though, so we're almost there."

"Be careful, Wren," Cap warned, "The last thing we need is you getting caught."

"You're right, that's the last thing we need."

"Was that sarcasm?" Tony questioned.

"I didn't like the way you said that either," Clint added.

"She's up to something," Rhodey sighed.

"Guys, chill, I'm just a sassy person," you lied, realizing your inability to not snicker at the irony in Cap's warning may have caused you some trouble.

"Save it," Tony barked, "I know sarcasm when I hear it, and I know a guilty voice when I hear it."

"We're approaching the cell, so I gotta go byyye!" you said quickly, cutting off your com.

"Wren no---Wren?" Tony's voice called, but he got no answer. "Wren, I know you can hear me, and I swear you will have all mission privileges revoked if you don't answer."

"Tony, she's gone, and she'll cut links to this com channel if we don't switch off of it."

"She wouldn't," Tony said.

"I do it all the time when I don't want to hear you talk," Sam said.

"Maybe that's why you're always flying in my way," Tony sassed.

"Maybe---" Sam started, but Rhodey cut him off.

"Can we just shut up til this is over?"

"And switch channels," Steve ordered.

The coms went silent, the bickering moving over to another channel.

"That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble," Loki's voice spoke, making you jump.

"Yeah, well, the irony was too perfect, ok? I couldn't help it. Are you almost here yet?"

"Patience, I'm nearly there."

A few minutes later there was a noticeable ruckus outside the door. A small sting pricked your skin, the metal piece falling from your neck immediately after.

"Stand back, Darling," Loki cautioned.

You motioned for the others to keep away from the door, watching as it blasted inwards. Loki walked through the smoke, carrying a gun from one of the guards. He looked around the motley crew of prisoners, eyes falling on you with a smile.

"Still in one piece I see?"

"Did you expect anything less?"

"Saving you twice in the span of a week has lowered my expectations, I'm afraid," he smirked.

"Twice?"

"Pushing me at a Dark Elf constitutes saving I believe."

"I could have taken it if I wanted to."

"With this?" Loki asked, holding up your rod and waving it, "Found it with our little friend behind the window."

"Thanks," you said, taking it from him and clipping it back where it belonged. At this point, your disguise served no purpose, so you tossed off the ragged coat.

"Hey man, my name is Korg," Korg introduced himself to Loki, "This is my new friend, Miek. He's some kind of insect and he has knives for hands."

"Yes, I can see that," Loki replied, furrowing his brow at the purple insectoid.

"We should get going," you said, pulling Loki from his examination of Miek.

"Right," he said, tossing the gun to Korg, "Let us show you how to start a proper revolution."

"Why thank you," Korg said genuinely.

Loki led the way out the door, the group grabbing the weapons of fallen guards as they poured out behind you.

"Let's make sure we have them all," you said, running down the hallway.

Just around the bend was another door matching the entrance to your cell.

"Korg!" you called, the Kronan running over right away. "Blast it will you?"

"It would be an honor," he answered, lifting the gun and unleashing a shot that sent the door cascading back.

With the help of the others from your cell, all of the doors down the hall were broken open, the occupants freed and informed briefly about the revolution. Soon, you had ten times the number of fighters you had initially.

"It would appear your gamble paid off, Darling," Loki said, looking at the vast number of allies fanning out to secure the building.

"I knew counting on Valkyrie was riskier than getting caught."

"I like her fire," Loki admitted, "But what a boring person to taunt with."

"Did she not appreciate your sense of humor?"

"Not as you do, though no one seems to match your ability to find the humor in things."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Merely an observation."

At this point, sirens were blaring, the halls chaotic as the guards were overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of you and your small army. The majority of the Grandmaster's men had been sent to the front lines, leaving very few to defend the city. You, Loki, Korg, and Miek were clearing a hallway, getting considerably close to where a security consul had indicated the Grandmaster's throne room to be.

"This might be easier than we thought," you said, whipping your rod into a guard's head, causing him to stumble towards Loki, who swiftly took him out with his knives.

"We have a problem," Nat's voice called in, "We've searched the entire upper floor...Bruce isn't here."

"Where the hell is he then?" Sam asked.

An iconic, yet bloodcurdling roar echoed down the hall.

"I---I think we know," you said worriedly into the coms.

"What? Wren, what's going on?" Steve asked frantically.

The sounds of screams and loud crashes echoed to you from the distance, getting closer by the second.

"He's um---he's here. He's coming."

"Brother, get her out of there!" Thor bellowed.

"Oh boy, Miek says that's the sound of the Grandmaster's champion coming this way," Korg informed, "And that doesn't sound too friendly, man."

"No, really?!" Loki snapped, grabbing your arm and pulling you down the hall to your right.

"Yeah, it sounds angry actually. And I think whoever's screaming isn't having a good time," Korg explained as he and Miek jogged after you, not understanding the sarcasm.

You could hear the thundering footsteps running down the hall you'd previously occupied, so Loki picked up the pace. The Hulk's growls and grunts emitted every few seconds were growing louder.

"Hey! I think it's this way!" a voice called out to you.

All four of you stopped and turned to see who had spoken. Standing near the end of the hall behind you were a group of freed prisoners, some still coming from the open door they'd entered through. The man in front of all of them was waving to you, pointing in the direction you'd just evacuated.

"Run! The Grandmaster's champion is---" you started yelling back, but it was too late.

A massive green hand sent the unfortunate man hurtling through the air and crashing into the wall. The others opened fire on the Hulk, but he was tearing them apart one by one. Now, in the movies, the Hulk never really goes all out on humans or other beings. Whenever the audience sees him go on a rampage, whether it be on the helicarrier in Avengers or Wanda's induced outburst in Ultron, they always show him smashing buildings, throwing cars, etc. Granted people undoubtedly died in the process, but it is almost never purely Hulk vs people. The only time there was a 1v1 encounter is when he was chasing Nat in Avengers, and that was the most frightening scene. He gets a hit in, but Thor stops him before he can finish the job. What would he have been capable of had he gone off on Nat? You were now seeing the answer. One poor soul had his arm ripped clean off, another Hulk stepped on, crushing his chest in a single move. You froze watching the spectacle, which was unraveling too quickly for you to think. A hand clenched your arm, dragging you to the side and through a door. You looked around the dimly lit closet, seeing that Korg and Miek were with you...but Loki was gone.

"What---where's Loki?" you asked in panicked voice.

"He just threw you in here with us before closing the door. Didn't you see?" Korg asked.

"No I-I was too busy watching the---the Hulk--and the screams and---" you stuttered back. You took a deep breath, knowing you had to calm down.

"Chill lady, it's ok. We appear to be safe in here, for the time being," Korg said kindly, Miek squeaking in agreement. "Though I'm not sure how secure a closet is against that monster."

"Hey!" you heard Loki yell from outside the closet, "Look who decided to show his ugly green face again! I'd stay and chat, but I'm afraid you wouldn't understand anything intelligent being said to you anyways. So...bye!"

Hulk unleashed an infuriated roar, the walls and floor shaking as he pounded past your door.

"Lokiiii!" you shouted, pounding on the door in frustration. "Nat, are you there?" you asked, turning your com on quickly.

"Yeah, we're here, though we have some company," she grunted in response.

"We have a Hulk situation here, we need you now!"

"Wren, are you ok?" Cap cut in.

"For the moment, but Loki's led Bruce away, and he's gonna get pulverized if we don't control Banner soon!"

"Remain calm," Thor said, "My Brother can handle himself."

"For how long? The Hulk can nearly beat you, Thor, and Loki doesn't have a convenient hammer to whack him with or fly away if things get bad! He's gonna need help!"

"Where are you?" Nat asked.

"Four floors below you," you said, "If you're still up there."

"We are, and we're making our way to you."

"I don't know where Banner will be when you get here."

"Well, let's hope Loki keeps him occupied enough for us to get there before he runs off."

Or I could keep him occupied enough.

You didn't tell the Avengers your plan, merely agreeing with Nat and turning off your com instead.

"Who are you talking to?" Korg asked, him and Miek staring at you in confusion.

"My friends," you said distractedly, looking for a way to open the damn door.

"There's no one here, mate," Korg said, looking around the closet.

"No, I'm talking to them here---" you started, pointing to your ear, but Korg spoke before you could finish.

"Oh, so they're in your head, like imaginary friends? That's cool, I had an imaginary friend once, his name was Jerry---"

"No, I'm talking to them through this earpiece," you explained hastily, turning for them to see your ear, "They're outside leading the attack."

"Oh that makes more sense, got it."

"Can you blast this door for me?"

"Sure thing, but why would you---wait, you're not going to face that thing are you?"

"I am. He's actually a man, and I think I can distract that part of him enough to keep him busy until help arrives. At the very least it'll give Loki a break."

"I think its very sweet of you to see a man under all of that. All I saw was green mountain with the disposition of my aunt. A nasty woman that one."

"No he's literally---nevermind, just blast the door will you?"

Korg blew it open, with you and Miek ducking behind him for cover.

"Thanks!" you said, running out of the door and down the hall to your right, "Stay there and wait for us to come back!" you yelled over your shoulder.

Come on, Loki, how far could you have gotten? you thought impatiently, hurrying in pursuit of him.

A smashed doorway to your left made you veer in that direction, hopping over the fallen debris. The smaller passage must have been too small for Hulk to move through comfortably, as the ceiling and surrounding walls had been torn apart by something too large to fit. It came out into one of the main hallways again, and you were uncertain whether they had gone left or right from here.

"Come on guys, give me a sign," you muttered. Hulk's roar from your right did just that. "Thanks," you smirked, running once more.

You sprinted around a bend, slamming on the brakes upon seeing the target ahead of you. Loki was moving masterfully, avoiding most of the punches thrown his way and using his speed and illusions to stay ahead of the Hulk. He looked like he'd taken a hit or two, but was thankfully in one piece.

"Nat, I have eyes on him. He's in hallway....C-33," you called into the coms, craning your neck to read the designation etched into one of the doorways.

"You have eyes on him???" Bucky's voice yelled, joined by countless other protests.

"One at a time!" you whisper shouted, "Yes, I have eyes on him. Loki's doing a fine job for now, just get down here. Everyone else, go back to your com, cuz I need to focus!"

They must have understood that your situation was dire enough to warrant silence, so they surprisingly listened. The only further remarks were from Wanda, who said they were making their way down.

The fight was still going, with you not wanting to get in Loki's way by stepping in if not needed. Loki was multiplying himself now, confusing Hulk and taking the opportunity to get hits in. The clones and real Loki were moving around too quickly for you to follow which one was him. Hulk, however, had had enough, as he lifted both hands and slammed hard on the floor. The impact shook the hall enough to throw Loki off balance, the illusions faltering and his position exposed. Hulk was on him in a flash, throwing him against the wall and punching him over and over.

"Bruce!!!" you screamed, running into the middle of the hall.

Hulk stopped his punch mid-swing, looking angrily in your direction.

"Bruce, it's ok. I need you to stop for one second and listen to me," you said firmly.

"Get out of here," Loki groaned to you, but Hulk threw him down the hall without turning his head from you. He started charging angrily, but you just held your hands up in front of you.

"Hey, it's ok, it's ok!" you said quickly, stopping him a few yards from you. "It's ok Hulk."

Don't say Banner, you told yourself.

"Hulk, it's ok," you repeated, "I know you were told to come out here and stop us...but I'm here with your friends. The Avengers? You remember them?"

His glare never left his face, but his eyes looked like he was thinking.

"Avengers not Hulk's friend. Avengers Banner's friend," he said in his bellowing voice.

"No no no, they're here for you, Hulk. They came here for you. Hulk is part of the team, just like Banner," you said kindly.

He growled at the name, stomping his foot threateningly.

"Right, I get it, you don't want to hear about Banner," you recovered quickly, "But Hulk is part of the team. And the team misses you."

His glare temporarily left his face, the hint of sadness flashing briefly across his expression.

"Miss Banner, not Hulk" he grumbled, "Avengers go home."

"Nat misses you," you said hesitantly, not knowing what would trigger him. His anger disappeared and his eyebrows raised at the mention of her name. "That's right, she misses you. She's here now too, fighting to get to you."

"Wren, we're on your floor. Hold out a bit longer," Nat's voice chimed.

"She just spoke to me," you said slowly, turning to show your earpiece, "She's in the building, ok? She wants to see you."

Hulk started shaking his head, as if trying to clear his vision.

"She's almost here. If you wait with me---"

"NO BANNER!" Hulk yelled, suddenly snapping back into his enraged state.

He ran at you, still looking disoriented as he came. You moved to get out of his path, but his flailing arm caught your side, sending you through the air. You landed hard on ground, sliding into the wall. Hulk carried on past you, more concerned on getting out of here before Banner got a hold of him. You propped yourself up, using the wall to help stand. Taking a second to catch your breath, you watched as Bruce disappeared down the hall.

"Damn," you hissed, stepping forward in pursuit of him. Before you could take another, a hand grabbed your arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Loki asked angrily. His face had some bloody cuts, but being a god protected him from the permanent damage a Hulk could instill.

"He can't leave before Nat gets here," you explained impatiently, tugging to leave. Loki, however, wouldn't let your arm go.

"If he's making a run for it, you won't catch him anyway. Besides, you could get yourself killed doing something stupid like that again."

"He didn't want to kill me. Trust me, if he had, I wouldn't be standing here."

"And if he had wanted to? What were you thinking coming here?! I locked you up for a very specific reason, to keep you out of my way!"

"And we see where me being out of your way got you. You'd still be getting your head slammed in if I hadn't distracted him."

"I can handle myself. I don't need your 'protection'," he said sarcastically.

"Didn't look like that from where I was standing," you fired back.

"Well from where I'm standing, it looks like you've scared away the beast before the Widow could come do her work. Great job."

"I---" you started, but you couldn't think of anything clever to combat his argument. "You know what, fine. Next time, I'll watch as you get the shit beat out of you, ok?"

You pulled your arm aggressively from his grip. Loki's expression softened a little, and he shook his head.

"Darling...I am a god. Can the Hulk kill me? I'm sure he could in time. But it would have taken more than the punches he was throwing to accomplish that. You, on the other hand, are mortal. You can't be throwing yourself in harm's way needlessly."

"If you think that there will ever be a circumstance where someone's getting attacked like that and I won't do something about it, then you're about as delusional as any person can be. It doesn't matter that you taking his punches would have kept him here for Nat. It wasn't like she was a few seconds away, ok? How long did you expect to take his beating? Getting Bruce isn't worth the price of you getting yourself hurt. No one on this team is gonna be left on their own to get pulverized for the sake of the mission."

Loki looked at you for a few silent seconds. All traces of anger were gone, and he had a look you couldn't quite place...except you could kind of place it. You had seen every moment of his MCU screen time after all, so this look matched that of fondness, one rarely displayed by him.

You're imagining it. It's Nat's words messing with your head.

He also looked surprised and uncertain, so you focused on that.

The other part of it is probably because he had a friend that cares about whether he gets hurt, you told yourself.

"Um," he began, clearing his throat and snapping out of his thoughts, "Your concern is touching," he said with more sincerity than sass. "I uh, I appreciate that you care. But please know that taking the fire for yourself over me doesn't accomplish anything besides getting you in danger."

"Well, it spared you a minute or two of punches."

"Had he turned his wrath to you, you would have been in a far more dire situation than myself."

"Ok...ok that's a good point. But I had a plan, one that mostly worked," you defended.

"You seem to be making it out alive from a lot of risky calls today," he smirked.

"It's not like they're uncalculated risks. I do think through some of the stuff I do, so don't sound so surprised."

"Promise me you won't do something moronic like that again?"

"If you promise me that you won't throw me in a closet to face something by yourself again."

"No guarantees, Darling," he smiled.

"Then same here," you smiled back.

"Well now I'm definitely locking you up every time we face something," he said, making you giggle.

"We should stop arguing and get back out there," you nodded down the hall.

"Best to let your friends know our status."

"Oh, right! Nat should have been here by now too," you said worriedly, switching your earpiece on. "Nat? Wanda? Are you guys good? We've lost sight of Bruce, he ran back towards the center of the building."

"We're ok," Wanda's voice answered quietly and calmly, "And we've got him."

"You have Bruce?" Cap asked hopefully.

"Not Bruce yet, but she's talking to him...and it looks like it's working."

"Where are you guys?" you asked.

"Near the end of your hall outside the main stairwell."

"We'll start to head over."

"Careful not to burst in if he's not back to normal yet," she cautioned, "Wait...wait it's--it's working."

A few seconds later her voice spoke again in relief, "We're good, he's back."

"Oh thank God, we're on our way."

"Try to avoid another Code Green if you can," Steve said, "We don't know how the new dynamic between the Hulk and Bruce works yet. If Hulk comes out again, who knows if we can get Bruce back."

"Not that we'd mind a little extra muscle out here," Tony said.

"If we're being honest, when it comes to fighting, the Hulk is a little more useful," Thor agreed.

"You know that's sick, right?" Rhodey asked, "The dude might not come back."

"We're joking," Tony sighed unconvincingly.

"Right, um yes, joking. It was a joke," Thor added.

"How's the battle going?" you asked as you and Loki walked briskly down the hall.

"Oh, you know, kicking ass as usual," Tony said, "And I gotta say, I think the One-Armed Wonder is a nice prospect for the team. Little more energy than his Star-Spangled counterpart."

"If we're voting on his acceptance, mine's a no," Sam said, "Don't think that changes my mind!" he called out, commenting on something you weren't there to see.

"If there's no position open, maybe we could consider who's a greater asset?" Buck suggested, sounding like he was enjoying the banter.

"Man in bird costume or super soldier, cast your votes now," Tony said.

"The metal arm's pretty cool," Clint said.

"Just remember who flies your ass from rooftop to rooftop," Sam warned Barton.

"Guys..." Steve chided.

"What? Who're you gonna choose Cap? New friend or old friend? Your life's boring, it could use a little drama," Tony answered.

"I missed these talks," Thor laughed, Loki rolling his eyes at that.

"Are they not both useful?" Vision asked

"Guys, if you could give us a little bit of quiet here, that would be great," Nat grumbled, causing the others to stop talking on the main coms.

You were approaching the end of the hall, with Nat and Wanda in sight.

"Hey," you greeted, walking up to Wanda, who was standing closest to you. Nat was a few paces past her, kneeling down with her back turned to you.

"Are you ok?" Wanda asked Loki, who looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"Your face...I was just wondering if---"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," he said, brushing off his initial shock.

Wanda just nodded, turning to you and making sure you were fine too. After answering her queries and returning ones of similar nature, you took a step to see around Nat. Bruce was sitting there, taking deep breaths. His hair had already been trimmed from it's shaggier Ultron look. He seemed confused and overwhelmed like when Thor gets him back in Ragnarok, but Nat apparently had a more calming effect, as you didn't get the impression that he was ready to panic. He looked up at you, Nat following his gaze.

"Hi...who're you?" he asked in response to your little wave.

"This is Wren," Nat explained, "There's a lot to fill you in on, but she's with us."

"There's more to fill me in on? Alien planets and being the Hulk for a few months isn't enough?" he sighed, rubbing his face in his hands.

"It's ok, we're going home," Nat said soothingly, "And besides, it's an alien planet with a...what did you call it, Wren? Collapsing star outside?"

"Collapsing neutron star inside an Einstein-Rosen bridge."

"Right," she said, turning back to Bruce, "It's a candyland for you, ya geek."

Bruce laughed, shaking his head. "Under different circumstances I'd think that."

"Well, let's get you somewhere safe while we take down this Grandmaster, and you'll have all the time in the world to nerd out over this place," she smiled.

He smiled back, the two of them having a little moment as they looked at each other. She stuck out her hand, helping him up. One hand held onto hers, while the other held up the Hulk-sized pants.

"Wanda," Bruce nodded, smiling at her, "It's good to see you still on our side." There was a tint of bitter sarcasm to his voice.

"Look," she said, bowing her head, "I never got the chance to apologize before you---well, came here I guess. So much was happening that day that I never got to say I'm sorry. And I am."

"Thanks," he nodded, "I'm sure your, uh, abilities were a help that day. So I should thank you and your brother for that."

Oh shit! you thought, eyes going wide and turning to Wanda.

"Um---" she started, choking up and stopping to reign in her emotions, "My, uh...my brother---Pietro didn't make it out of Sokovia," she finished, breathing shakily. A tear escaped down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away, swallowing down the rest of her grief and attempting a little smile to show she was ok.

"Oh, I---I'm so sorry, I didn't...I'm sorry," Bruce said helplessly.

"It's ok," she sniffed, "Really, it's fine."

Bruce looked down sadly, a silence falling on the group. When he looked back up, his eyes found there way to the man standing behind you. Bruce's expression was hilariously shocked and fearful, and you tried poorly to contain your smile.

"Um uh, Nat he's uh, why is he---" he stuttered pointing at Loki and looking back and forth between him and Nat.

Loki sat there with a pleased smile, enjoying Bruce's discomfort.

"It's fine, he's with us for now," Nat said, "I'll explain later."

Bruce did a few more head turns from her to Loki, finally looking at you and your smile.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Sorry, your reaction's just funny," you apologized.

"I'm not sure you understand who he is," Bruce said, giving Loki wary looks between every word.

"Oh no I do, more than you think."

"Huh," Bruce huffed in disbelief, giving Loki a long look for the first time, "Um...hey Loki," he tested cautiously, "Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everyone...where are you at these days? Helping us out now?"

Loki's smile grew wider.

"Don't," you shook your head.

"I have to," Loki answered.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No, you could just let it go."

"You know I can't."

"You're gonna do it no matter what."

"I'm going to do it no matter what."

He looked back at Bruce, giving him that mischievous look.

"In response to your question, Bruce, it varies from moment to moment."

Bruce's reaction was nearly the same as in Ragnarok, and you burst out laughing.

"You heard that, right?" Bruce asked the others, looking to you in confusion. Loki's chuckling only made him more perplexed.

"Yeah, we did," Nat grinned, giving you a look.

"I'm so lost right now," he moaned.

"You'll understand later," Wanda promised.

"We should get moving to somewhere safe," Nat said, looking around.

"We have to pick up Korg and Miek on the way."

"Who?" Bruce asked.

"More friends," Wanda explained.

"Ok, lead the way," Nat nodded.

You and Loki led them to the hall where you'd first encountered the Hulk. The damaged doors and walls you walked by on the way made Bruce cringe.

"Was that me?"

"The walls or my face?" Loki asked, "Because the answer is yes to both."

"Can't say I'm sorry about the latter," Bruce mumbled.

"And are you sorry for sending her into a wall?" Loki shot back, gesturing to you.

Bruce's face filled with worry. "Did I?! God, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," you smiled, elbowing Loki, "He's just being a jerk. If Tony, Nat, and others can survive a hit from the Hulk, then a slight graze while you were distractedly running down the hall isn't going to kill me."

"Seemed more than a graze," Loki said.

"You're just salty that he kicked your ass again."

"Hey, you're not dead!" Korg called out happily ahead of you, cutting the conversation short.

"Neither are you," you smiled, relieved that they'd remained by the closet.

"Nothing dangerous over here. Hall's been quiet since you left."

"Well I'm glad you're ok."

"Thank you very much, I'm glad you're ok as well. Are these the friends in your ear?"

"Some of them. Korg, Miek, this is Wanda, Nat, and Bruce."

"Nice to meet all of you, ear-people. Not sure if anyone's told you this, man, but your pants are frickin huge," Korg said to Bruce.

Banner was staring at Korg and Miek in fascination.

"Yeah, no, I-I know," he answered.

"Have you tried a belt?" Korg asked.

"No, they're not my clothes...I was, uh, borrowing them."

"He's the Grandmaster's champion," you said bluntly, earning looks from the others. "What? He's gonna find out eventually."

"Nah, the Champion was green and ugly. This man's not green."

"So I'm still ugly?" Bruce asked.

"No no, man, uh, you're fine, quite dashing actually. How was that?" he asked Miek in a terribly loud whisper.

"When I said the Champion was a man, I meant he's literally a man...this man. He turns into that green guy when he's angry."

"You should consider taking some anger management classes, man. Or see a doctor for your condition. Wait, when you get sad, do you turn into like a crying blue man?"

"Good glory," Loki sighed, "Can we please just get moving?"

"Where to?" you asked, "We can't bring Bruce outside where the fight is, and we can't take him with us to get the Grandmaster."

"I'll stay here with him," Nat said.

"No, Nat, they need you with them," Bruce protested.

"I'm staying with you," she repeated firmly, "They will get the Grandmaster."

"We'll be fine, you need her more right now," Wanda told Bruce.

"Ok, fine," he conceded, "But be careful."

"We will," she promised, turning to leave with you, Loki, Korg, and Miek.

The trip to the throne room was one that grew increasingly harder the closer you got. The Grandmaster was evidently looking out for his own skin, having more and more guards stationed the nearer you got to his position. The five of you got into a rhythm, with Wanda pulling the guns from the guards hands, or blocking the bullets for you. From there, the five of you took them out one by one. You weren't as strong or skilled a fighter as the guards, but you timed your swings, waiting for the right moments, and Stark's taser tech was effective enough to prove useful against them. There were never many men left for you to whack anyway, given Wanda and Loki's presence. Korg and Miek were lethal in their own right as well, so fights never lasted terribly long. After many skirmishes, the large door to the Grandmaster's great hall was in front of you.

"We're in the city," Cap's voice broke over the com, "Do you guys copy? We're driving the last of their guards back. The prisoners you released seem to have filled the streets as well, and I think the people are on board."

"Secure the city then," Wanda said, "We're about to reach the Grandmaster."

"Call in when you have him. We'll join you when we can."

"Can you get the door open?" you asked Loki, who was examining the locking mechanism.

"I somehow don't think smashing this control panel will do much good. The Grandmaster wouldn't make it that easy, and this tech seems more advanced. Without the code, it looks like breaking in is the only way"

"Eh, Wanda can break the door open," you said nonchalantly.

"That's a pretty large door," she said doubtfully, looking up at the large metal entrance that spanned from the floor to the ceiling that was quite a ways over your heads.

"Nah, you got this."

"It's probably decently thick as well," Loki noted.

"She can do it."

"We could type in various codes systematically until we get lucky," Korg offered, "It could take a while, but you're bound to get the right one eventually."

The three of you looked at him.

"That's, uh, a good point, Korg. But it might take a little longer than we have."

"Unless we're lucky and it's 1111," he said, typing it in, "Nope, ok, not that. How 'bout 1112?" He typed that in as well, getting the same result, "Let's try 1113."

He continued typing the patterns, the rest of you content to let him occupy himself in this manner.

"You can do this, Wanda. Blast the sucker."

She nodded, backing up and looking at the door determinedly. Her head tilted, eyes glowing and red balls of energy forming in her palms.

"You might want to stand back," she said in an intense way, you and Loki scrambling behind her.

She brought her hand in front of her, forming a larger merged ball between the two of them. It grew larger and more fierce as she prepared to unleash it upon the barrier blocking your path. Just as she was winding up to throw the energy, a voice spoke from behind the three of you.

"I could just unlock the door."

The three of you whipped around, Loki and Wanda ready to attack. Loki's daggers had appeared instantaneously, and Wanda never let the red die from her eyes. To your immense relief, Valkyrie was standing there smugly.

"Are you done?" she asked impatiently, raising her eyebrows, "Or are you going to stand there threatening me while the Grandmaster gets away?"

Wanda lowered her hands, looking to you for confirmation that this was who she thought it was. You nodded, and she let the glow of her hands disappear. Loki dropped his hands to his sides, but didn't put away the daggers.

"Why are you helping?" he asked with a tone of distrust.

"I don't usually help anyone, but if Sakaar is going to shit, I might as well be on the winning side," she explained, folding her arms. Her eyes turned to you, looking you up and down.

"You're the one he was talking to earlier?" she asked in disbelief.

"Uh yeah...what were you expecting?"

"Well, for someone powerful enough to see things in the past and future, I guess I was expecting more. Like her maybe," she nodded to Wanda.

"See the past and future?"

"I may have explained it that way in my haste," Loki said.

"So she can't see the future?" Valkyrie questioned, hands on her hips in annoyance.

"No, I do know the future, just not like in a magic or superhero way. Like, it's--it's not an ability I have or anything."

Her brow furrowed and she looked at you condescendingly as you fumbled for a way to put your words.

"What she means is that it's a terribly long story. But she does know about your history with Hela, and she knows a future where you help me and my brother out, eventually rejoining with the people of Asgard," Loki said.

"You're all mad," Valkyrie laughed, "Which makes me insane for helping you out, but your warriors have practically taken the city and I'm out of options."

"We thought she was crazy too," Wanda stepped forward, "But she knows things that only a person in the situation she says she's in could know. You'll see."

"Yeah, I doubt that, but if we could get going that would be great. The sooner I help you out, the sooner you can leave me alone."

She walked over to the keypad, ready to move Korg out of the way, but the door started opening before she got there.

"Wha---how did you do that?" she asked the Kronan.

"You've got to be kidding me," you smiled, walking up to Korg.

"1127," he smiled back, "Sorry it took so long."

"Were you just trying random numbers?" Valkyrie chuckled.

"Yeah man, I knew it had to work eventually."

"But logically that---"

"Was a great idea," you finished, giving her a look.

"Why thank you," he said, walking through the door.

"Useless to argue, just let him be," you whispered to her as you walked past.

"Right, this way," she said, taking the lead and heading across the sort of lobby you'd entered.

She took you down a hall that had a brightly lit expanse up ahead. The light was from the large windows lining the room where the Grandmaster sends Loki and Valkyrie off to get Thor and Bruce. At the end of the long stretch of floor was the Grandmaster, arguing with Topaz. He had twenty or so guards around him, all more preoccupied with their flustered master than watching .

"No, wha--why would I surrender? They uh, they won't even get this far, mhmm you know why?" the Grandmaster was saying.

"Because they're too busy conquering the city," Topaz responded blandly.

"No, ugh, sometimes I think you just, you just say these things to uh to get me riled up. They won't get here because of my beloved champion."

"Terribly sorry to disappoint," Loki spoke up, turning all heads to him, "But your beast has been tamed, and is currently unavailable."

"And uh who are you my friend?" Grandmaster asked, looking like he didn't believe Loki's claims.

"I am Loki, of Asgard, God of Mischief. And you, my friend, are out of time."

"Wow, God of Mischief? What, what exactly does that mean? You got silly string hiding in your pockets? Is that like God of Being Put in Timeout?"

You laughed at the words and the way he said them. He said it all in such a classic Jeff Goldblum fashion.

Loki, Wanda, and Valkyrie looked at you.

"I mean, he's not wrong," you shrugged.

"Coming from the person who said I'm more powerful than even I know," Loki replied.

"Well, yeah, but if the talent you advertise is something like mischief, people are gonna think you're just a little brat who's good at playing pranks."

"I am good at pranking."

"That's not the point."

"Oh, so my powers aren't strong enough to make mischief menacing?"

"Seriously trying to use New York in your defense?"

"Can I allude to anything without it becoming a moral debate?"

"Gosh, get these two some um, some couples counseling," the Grandmaster chuckled, "I think I'd rather be on the front lines then listening to uh Mr. and Mrs. Mischief over here, am I right?" he asked the others.

"No, we're not---"

"Ignore the two idiots," Valkyrie cut you off, stepping ahead of the group. "Your Champion is nowhere to be found, and the city is taken. Step down now, and things won't have to get messy."

"Scrapper 142, where, where is this coming from?" he laughed like it was a joke, "If you want a raise, you uh you could have just asked."

"This is your last warning," she stated firmly. Loki whipped his daggers out, Wanda's fingertips started glowing, Korg pointed his gun forward, Miek dropped into a fighting stance, and you extended your rod, letting the tasers zap threateningly.

"Yeah, um the funny thing is, you've forgotten about one small uh tiny detail. If I could just direct your attention to the uh---" and with that he ran towards the back exit of the room with Topaz following, the guards stepping in to cover their escape.

Wanda wasn't messing around, however, as she sent half of them flying back with a single blast. Valkyrie, Loki, and Korg were engaged with the others, while you and Miek made sure those who tried to stand back up where knocked right back down. A few minutes later, the squabble was over.

"Dang, each battle feels more smooth and epic," you said, looking around at the guards on the floor, "Like, the first one was too scary to focus on being cool, but actually paying attention to how you guys obliterate these people makes me feel like I'm in the coolest action shot."

Wanda smiled at your words, while Valkyrie ran over to a control board and started punching in commands. Displays were brought up in front of her, leading to a frustrated curse.

"What is it?" Wanda asked.

"His private ship has lifted off."

"The Commodore?" you asked.

"Yes," she said, eyes squinting is confusion.

"Well, at least it's a pleasure vessel with no weapons. We've just got to stop it before he makes it through one of the wormholes."

"I don't know how you expect us to do that from in here."

"We've got someone," you smirked, turning on your com.

"Thor? Thor we need you."

"Yes, what's the problem?" he replied rather loudly. Thor didn't seem to understand that you didn't need to shout everything through the coms.

"The Grandmaster has escaped in his ship, stop him before he gets offworld. It's a slim little thing, red and yellow, shaped like a disc sort of."

"I shall find it," he promised.

"The streets are in a bit of a buzz, but the fighting's seemed to die down," Cap's voice explained, "Tony, Vision, Sam and Rhodey are checking over everything, trying to calm the chaos down. The rest of us are in the building. What's your position guys?"

"Bruce and I are four floors from the top, a few halls down from the others," Nat answered.

"It's clear over here if you want to come," Wanda chimed.

"We'll be there soon then," Nat confirmed.

"We'll make our way up, making sure the building is secure," Cap said.

"Copy that," Wanda replied.

The six of you stood around, waiting for the others to show up.

"You alright?" Loki asked softly, looking at Valkyrie and Wanda to make sure they weren't listening.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"

"Just a few scratches," he said toughly.

"From what I've seen, Hulk attacks are slightly more painful than that."

"Well...I guess I did take one for the team I suppose."

"Team?"

"Your team," he scoffed, giving you haughty look, "Though they should thank me for stalling the beast."

"They should," you smiled, "But I'll start first by saying thank you for almost getting yourself killed, even though you threw me in a closet and enraged the Hulk, possibly making talking to him harder and more dangerous."

"You're welcome, Darling," he smirked.

"I have found the Grandmaster," Thor's voice came through the earpiece, "And his rather unpleasant bodyguard. Where am I to bring them?"

"The dungeons are all busted," you said.

"Bring him back to us," Steve said, "We'll decide what to do with him then."

Nat and Bruce walked in moments later, followed shortly by Cap, Bucky, and Clint. Greetings, conversations, and introductions consumed the time until Thor walked in, the Grandmaster and Topaz with him.

"This has been fun, but uh I really don't see what all of the fuss is about," The Grandmaster said to the group.

"Forcing slaves to fight for your pleasure?" Nat said bitterly.

"Ooo, I don't, I don't use that word. They weren't slaves, they were just---"

"Prisoners with jobs?" you asked.

"Yes, yes exactly, your girlfriend gets it," he said, looking at Loki.

"No no no, she's not my girlfriend," he laughed awkwardly.

"I'm not his girlfriend," you said at the same time.

"Really?" Korg asked, "I thought you two were a thing?"

"What?! No, we're not," you chuckled uncomfortably, noticing the smirk on Nat's face.

"Preposterous," Loki was adding.

"Oh my bad guys," Korg apologized, "Just with the way you two interact, what with the running after each other and protecting each other and the fact that he calls you Darling."

"No, he's just weird like that, cuz he knows it makes me uncomfortable."

"Exactly," Loki joined, "It's just a joke."

There was an awkward pause where you and Loki made eye contact before looking around uncomfortably. No one else seemed to have anything to say. Bucky was smiling at your situation, Clint looked stern, and Steve seemed to not know what to think.

"Ooo, there's a little uh tension, you could say, in the air," Grandmaster said, enjoying what was happening.

"So what are you going to do with him?" Valkyrie asked.

"I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem to me that the people are terribly loyal to him....let's let them have him" Clint noted.

"I can assure you, they are uh, they're very loyal. I'm loved by all, actually, I'm sure if you uh asked some of them---"

"Shut up," Thor growled.

"I agree with Clint. The people are the ones who have suffered under him. Let them establish control and deal with him," Steve said, "And we can help relocate those who wish to leave Sakaar."

"Depending on the number of people who want to leave this disgusting planet, that could take quite a few bifrost trips. You sure Odin's willing to lend aid to anything that doesn't benefit the crown?" Valkyrie scoffed bitterly.

"Odin is not making this decision, I am," Thor addressed her, "And I say we're helping whoever needs it."

She stared at him for a bit, finally nodding.

"And by the way, it's an honor to meet a Valkyrie!" he said excitedly, while also trying to make it look like he was playing it cool, "We've, um, been informed of your history, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you got caught up in my family's troubles. Too many people have been hurt over the secrets and struggles surrounding the crown."

"I'm glad we can agree on that," she said, looking solemn.

"If you wish to remain here, I understand. But Asgard would be lucky to have you back if you ever wished to return."

"I'm not so sure I want to go back," she answered honestly.

"You're always welcomed on Earth, with us, if you want. We have more than enough room at our compound," Steve suggested kindly.

"There's quite a bit you deserve to be told too," you said, "Whether you'll believe it all is a different story. But we could always use your help to save half the universe."

"Or just live with us until you decide what to do," Wanda added.

"Thanks," she said like too many people were throwing things at her, "I'll um...I'll think about it."

And with that she walked over to a shelf of drinks and grabbed a large jug, chugging all of it in a few gulps. She let the empty container crash on the floor, not even looking over at the rest of you as she made her way to the exit. As she walked past Bruce, she paused and looked at him. You'd noticed her giving him quizzical expressions due to his appearance, but she hadn't said anything. Now, after staring at him and his pants a little longer, there was the trace of understanding creeping into her eyes.

"Wait...where'd you get those clothes?"

"Oh these, well, I just uh found them lying somewhere---"

"Do I know you?" she cut him off, "I feel like I know you."

"I feel like I know you too," he smiled uncertainly.

She looked at the pants again, her eyes growing wide as she turned to the rest of the group.

"No! Is he? Are you?" she pointed at him in shock.

"Am I...?"

"Yes," you said, knowing what she was thinking.

"You were a man this whole time?"

"That's how I know you!" Bruce said, finally getting it.

"You'd better, we got along," she smiled, "I just didn't know that under all of that green there was...this," she said, waving to his significantly smaller form.

"Ok, hurtful," Bruce said.

"No offense, I'm sure you're tougher than you look."

"Brains can be powerful," he defended.

"I'm sure they are," she laughed, "I just knew I recognized you," she said again.

"Not who you were expecting though I'm sure," he chuckled.

"No, but I still like you so far" she said optimistically, "Guess I'll see you around, big guy," she waved over her shoulder, as she was already walking away. "Day keeps getting weirder," you heard her laugh to herself.

Nat gave Bruce a little smirk.

"What? It's not like I know her, the Hulk knows her."

"No, I like her," Nat smiled, "I hope she comes back with us."

"Wait, uh so let me get this one straight...you? You're my uh, my beautiful champion? This is what you did to my, to my beloved Hulk?" the Grandmaster whined, looking at Bruce in disgust, "What a, what a sad looking little man."

"You know what, I might just stay as the Hulk," Bruce said in offense, tossing his hand in the air.

"Ignore him," Nat chuckled.

"Yes, we like you much better than the Hulk," Thor assured him.

"Well, I mean..." Clint said, raising his eyebrows.

"Thanks Clint, it's great seeing you too," Bruce smiled insincerely.

"If it counts for anything, I, for one, prefer this form," Loki said.

"Um, thanks?" Bruce asked more than said.

"Because in this weak and pathetic form, you're much easier to control," Loki finished.

"Aaand, he's back," Bruce sighed.

"We've only just met, but you seem like a good guy," Bucky offered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, you too."

"We should take care of the Grandmaster and get the citizens together," Steve said, stopping the conversation.

"Right, I guess we'll find somewhere to lock him up for the time being," Thor said.

"And then we get this place sorted out and go home," Nat concluded.

"Another successful mission under our belts," Cap smiled to you, "One step closer to the end."

"One step closer," you nodded, relieved that this had worked out with minimal setbacks.

Cap led the way out of the hall with Thor, who dragged the Grandmaster along. Topaz followed without a fuss, her face as emotionless as usual. You looked to Banner on your right, smiling at the returned member. Turning to your left, you saw the city of Sakaar out the window. A freed city.

One step closer.

Chapter 32: Aftermath

"I know it's a lot to take in," Nat said to Bruce, who was running his fingers through his hair in a flustered manner. He chuckled at her words.

"Yeah, that's um...so you say half the universe gets wiped out? Just like that?" he asked you.

You, Nat, Bruce, and Valkyrie were sitting in the Grandmaster's very spacious and very comfortable suite. The others were off dealing with the aftermath of toppling a government. It was considered best to keep Bruce on the sidelines for the time being, Nat staying by his side. You weren't much of a help when it came to leading others or providing security to a worried and jittery population, so you'd agreed to sit out as well and explain the situation to Bruce. Valkyrie had been invited, and, surprisingly, she'd shown up. Evidently, she was curious enough about what was going on. Now, you sat in a plush chair across from the couch Nat and Bruce occupied and a few feet to the right of where Valkyrie lounged arrogantly in her seat. The expression on her face was hard to read. Part of you thought it looked concerned and overwhelmed by the possibility of the truth in your testament, but this was Valkyrie...she hid everything under a layer of "Do I look like I give a damn?" Therefore, you really couldn't decide whether or not she believed you.

"Yeah, it's uh...it's a hard blow for you guys," you answered.

Bruce sighed, leaning back and rubbing his forehead. His feet were tapping anxiously.

"And we're...we're sure she's..." he said quietly to Nat, glancing up at you, "We're positive her story's right? I mean, movie characters Nat? You know how insane that sounds, right? No offense, you seem like a really nice person," he clarified, giving you an apologetic wince, "It's just, it's a far-fetched idea."

"Tell me about it," you huffed in agreement.

"What about Barnes? And Loki replacing Odin? And the Aether on Knowhere or Power Stone on Xandar? And you being here?" Nat questioned him, "How did she know about those things?"

"She could be something more dangerous than what she says if she knew things like that," Valkyrie said, giving you a sideways glance.

"Oh come on, do I look like a threat to anything, let alone you guys?" you tossed your hands in the air.

"I'm not saying she's anything dangerous," Bruce told Valkyrie, "But...to jump to the conclusion that her story is the only way she'd know that stuff?"

"Bruce, she's only used whatever knowledge she has in order to help us. Why would she lie about how she knows it if she's only using it to help? How did she drop from a portal into our front yard? She also has quoted lines from our past word for word, literally giving scene descriptions and mannerisms with them. The way she describes the scenes is like that of a movie, so I don't see any point in fighting her on this one aspect of what she's told us."

"Not that it'll change your mind, but I do know scenes and dialogue and theme songs even. I can describe anything to you that you'd like."

"Ok," Bruce hummed, thinking for a bit, "How did I end up here?"

"Well, you went to free Nat from Ultron, telling her that you and her were to sit this one out. You said you had a compelling reason not to turn green, to which she said she adores you and y'all kiss---"

"Okaaay," Bruce cut you off, laughing nervously.

"Oh, sorry...was that too personal?" you asked sheepishly, looking from Nat to Bruce. Nat was just smirking at your lack of boundaries, turning to Bruce with a smile. The two ended up laughing, and you breathed a little easier.

"Yes, but I suppose I did ask for it," he shrugged with a smile.

"Wait," Valkyrie said, holding up a hand and leaning forward in her chair, "You two are a thing?" she asked, finger pointing back and forth between the two of them.

"Well, not officially---I mean, like, not in the sense that---" Bruce fumbled.

"It's like she said," Nat stepped in, "I adore him."

Bruce turned to Nat in surprise at her forwardness. He looked at a loss for words, finally settling on a soft smile and little chuckle.

"And I adore her," he told Valkyrie, though his eyes never left Nat.

The silent, sweet moment that followed was broken by Valkyrie.

"You scored way out of your league," she laughed to Bruce.

Bruce gave her a look like an older sibling gives the younger one when they aren't behaving. You and Nat just laughed.

"And don't you forget it," Nat teased.

"Well, it's all well in good that she knows you two liked each other, but I'm still not convinced," Valkyrie said, leaning back in her chair once again.

"What do you want me to do to prove it to you? In the future, or the future that would have happened had I not come here, you tell Thor that, and I quote: 'I am not getting dragged into another one of Odin's family squabbles' and then Thor goes 'What's that supposed to mean?' and then you answer 'Your sister. Her power comes from Asgard, same as yours. When it grew beyond Odin's control, she massacred everyone in the palace and tried to seize the throne. When she tried to escape her banishment, Odin sent the Valkyrie to fight her back. I only survived because...look, I already faced her once back when I believed in the throne, and it cost me everything. That's what's wrong with Asgard. The throne, the secrets, the whole golden sham.' Then Thor goes 'I agree' and you pull a knife on him saying 'Don't get familiar.' He repeats 'I agree' while lowering your knife, only for you to raise another one. He continues, saying 'That's why I turned down the throne. But this isn't about the crown. This is about the people. They're dying, and they're your people too.' And then you tell him 'Forget it. I have.' 'Ok.' 'Ok.' 'Great, good.' 'Great.' 'Thank you.' 'For what?' 'For this.' And then he holds up the zapper control thing he snuck from you. 'Didn't see that did you? There... that's better. You know, go ahead. Stay here and get drunk and enslave people for that lunatic. Keep drinking. Keep hiding. But me...I choose to run toward my problems and not away from them.' He claps for the ball Hulk is playing with, and he tosses it to Thor. He throws the ball at the window while saying 'Because that's what...' but the ball bounces back and hits him in the head, knocking him down. He gets back up and finishes his sentence. 'Because that what heroes do.' And then he jumps out the window....but I'm getting carried away now, aren't I?" you asked, realizing you'd gotten too into it, going full method with your voices too.

"Maybe just a bit," Bruce nodded, looking amused.

"So you made up a conversation between me and Thor," Valkyrie fought, though it sounded like she was grasping at straws.

"I made up an entire conversation? And your account of fighting Hela? Was that true?"

She looked like she'd rather remain stubbornly silent, but took a breath and nodded.

"Not that it proves anything."

"I can describe what happened that day...," you said tentatively, "Loki, in the alternate future, makes you relive the memory...and the audience sees what happened that day. That's why you eventually decide to help Thor and Bruce. Loki reminds you how much Hela took from you, and you tell Thor that you can't just forget...That if you're going to die, then it might as well be driving your sword through the heart of that murderous hag."

"I don't believe you," she whispered hoarsely, looking pained and angered by the mention of that day.

"You were flying in. All of you, on your pegasus things. Hela's swords flew through the air, slaughtering everything in her way. You were charging her, ready to fight...but another Valkyrie, a blonde one, pushed you out of the way, taking one of Hela's blows herself---"

"Stop!" Valkyrie shouted, standing and glaring down at you. 

You met her stare firmly, but you didn't glare. You hoped you looked as sympathetic for her as you felt. Whether you did or not, and whether that stopped her from killing you or not, was unclear. However, she didn't attack, which was a good thing. She held your gaze for a bit longer, the sadness beginning to shine through the cracks in her anger. She must have noticed herself breaking, as she turned and stormed out of the room, not saying another word.

"You certainly know how to drop information softly on someone," Nat snickered.

"Is there an easy way to say what needed to be said? She was never going to believe me, and probably still doesn't. But just as she had to face her past in Ragnarok, she has to come to terms with it now. I can't pull a Loki and physically make her face her trauma, but I did the next best thing."

"She'll be alright," Bruce said.

"Well, I guess the only question left is...do you believe me, Bruce? Or Mr. Banner, if Bruce is weird. I get into the habit of calling people by their names cuz that's what I've called you for ten years, but if it's weird I can---"

"No no, it's fine," he assured you, "And...I don't think you're lying. It'll take time to wrap my mind around the notion. But I have to admit, between the dialogue and actions you seem to remember like the back of your hand, it seems like you really are a classic case of movie nerd."

You laughed, nodding your head in submission. "Can't argue with you there, I'm your stereotypical Star Wars/superhero/movie weirdo."

"So I have a movie too, right?" he asked curiously, if not eagerly.

"Oh, um, yeah but...we pretend it doesn't exist."

His face dropped. "What why?!"

"It's not the best, and let's just leave it at that. In fact, they changed actors...wonder how that makes sense now that I think about it...like, they changed actors with Rhodey too. But if you guys are real in this universe, ya must have looked the same the whole time. So is there a universe out there where you look like your previous actors? Huh...interesting," you mused out loud, staring at the wall as you spoke.

"There are so many questions about what's happened, and that's your biggest concern?" Nat scoffed.

"I'm just curious," you defended.

"Ok, so, I have a bad movie...do the others have their own films?"

"Cap, Thor, and Tony have three, though Nat appears in a lot of them, you're in the third Thor, and practically everyone's in the third Cap, besides you and Thor who are off world still. Nat has a standalone, Wanda has a TV series, Sam and Buck get a TV series, Loki has a series, Clint is getting his own series, and there are four Avengers movies, Ultron being the second one. T'Challa, who you haven't met yet, has his own movie. Captain Marvel, who you haven't met yet, has her own movie. Scott, who you haven't met, has two movies so far. Spiderman, who, sorry, you also haven't met, has two films, but a third is on the way. The Guardians, the people I mentioned earlier who have the daughter of Thanos with them, have two movies. Oh, and Dr. Strange has his own movie."

 "Wow...and you people watch these all??"

"Avengers: Endgame is currently the highest grossing movie in the world. The year between Infinity War, which ended with Thanos snapping and half of you dying, and Endgame was the most painful but hypest year of my life. The whole world was waiting on the edge of their seats, waiting to see you guys find a way to bring everyone back. My friends, my siblings and I all saw it on opening day with a packed theater. It was the greatest experience, everyone cheering when those who were snapped came back for the final battle. Dang, I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it," you chuckled.

"Why can't we bring Nat back? Or Vis or Tony?" Bruce asked.

"Well, you get the stones via time-travel, so you have to bring them back to where they came from...so you can't exactly use the Mind Stone for Vis. Nat sacrifices herself for the Soul Stone. You try to bring her back when you snap, but it doesn't work...it's an everlasting exchange. Tony...well, in theory, was there a way someone could have taken the stones and healed him? Brought him back to life? I don't know. I don't know if someone would risk using them, after they're what fries his brain. He sacrifices himself too, and sometimes there's no option that leads to a win for everyone."

"We're not letting any of that happen," he shook his head, looking at the floor.

"No. No we're not," Nat said, putting a hand on his back.

"We already have the Power Stone and the Space Stone. The Time Stone is with the current Sorcerer Supreme on Earth. The Mind Stone is in Vis, and the Soul Stone is hidden. If we find Gamora and keep her safe, then Thanos can't get that stone. I don't know if Nebula is already captured by him...so he may already have access to the fact that Gamora knows where the stone really is. Our best bet is to keep her safe. And the Reality Stone? Hopefully we can find Tivan. At least he's not where Thanos expects him to be when he goes after the Aether."

"Right...so the next big thing is Gamora," Nat said.

"The next space thing, yes. Heimdall and Thor will have to deal with finding her and Tivan. Besides that? Just earthly things I guess. There's this guy, Zemo, who might still cause some trouble. And a few other things we'll need to address later."

Like the Red Room and Yelena.

"And Hydra," Nat sighed.

"Right, forgot about them," you whined, remembering the pain in the ass Rumlow.

"What about Hydra?" Bruce asked.

"They tried to abduct her from the compound on like her fifth night here. Somehow, they knew about her and her situation."

"Well, they didn't know what they were looking for, but Rumlow pieced together it was me."

"Maybe they have something to do with the portal opening?" Bruce suggested.

"I---I guess that's a possibility," you said, thinking about it.

"I mean how else would they know to come to the compound?" he pressed.

"Ummm...that's a good question," you admitted, furrowing your brow at how obvious it seemed now and how stupid you were.

"Especially because they knew they were looking for something but didn't know what," Nat said in understanding, "The only common denominator, if not you, is the portal."

"Not to come across as arrogant or anything, but how have none of you pieced this together yet?" Bruce asked in astonishment.

"Well, we had some things going on at the time....like space adventures and brainwashed super soldiers," Nat argued.

"And clearly our biggest brain wasn't present at the time," you said, gesturing to him.

"Thanks, but seriously, how did even Tony not think of this? He of all people should know that the energy produced by that portal would be enough for other sensors to pick it up, if they're looking for it. And why would Hydra be looking for it?"

"If they opened it," you finished.

"Exactly," he said energetically, looking like he was enjoying solving science mysteries again.

"It's good to have you back," Nat smiled, enjoying how engaged Bruce was.

"It's good to be back. See? Banner's useful too!"

"Hey, no one in this room said otherwise. We'll be sure to make it very clear who came up with this hypothesis when we tell the others," you said.

"Speaking of, when are they gonna call it a night?" Bruce asked, "Or morning, I guess. The sun will be up soon." 

"I don't even know how many hours it's been since we left Asgard," you confessed, "Especially with time being different here, I don't know if the time of days correspond with each other."

 "It's been quite a few hours from the end of the battle, and that itself took two to three at least," Nat offered.

"Loki told me he'd let me know when he and Thor were done checking on and settling the outskirts. I don't know when Cap and the others will be done establishing order and defenses though."

"It's Steve," Nat snickered, "You know he'll be giving a report on their progress soon."

"They should be wrapping up soon, I'd think."

"Can I ask about this Loki situation?" Bruce asked randomly.

"What Loki situation?" you sighed tiredly, knowing what was coming.

"The things that rock guy said."

"Korg."

"Right, Korg. The things he said...I get it you two aren't a thing, but how do you know Loki? Like, how are you friends?"

"I know him same as how I know all of you."

"Ok, so I guess what I'm trying to say is....how are you friends with him?"

"We're just..."

Should I lie about being friends anymore? I've got to believe that Loki is at least interested in being friends for real at this point. But what if he isn't and you look like an idiot for thinking it??? Damn. I guess he deserves a little trust.

"Fine, we're friends, ok? Or at least trying to be. But no matter what Nat tells you, we're just friends!"

"You think they're more? Isn't friends bad enough??" he asked Nat.

"Hey!" you said in offense.

"It is bad, ok? You know what he's done, so don't give me that look."

"Ok, shortened story of what I told them: He has a redemptive arc and dies trying to save Thor in the future ok? Also, he has a little justification for being a villain. Killing people? Never ok. But deserving of a second chance? Of course, same as Nat and you and Thor and Tony and Wanda and practically everyone. End of debate."

"Fine," he sighed, "I guess the Hulk as done his fair share of horrors."

"We all have," Nat added.

"I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him. As Banner, I mean, not the Hulk. Cuz you know, the Hulk could throw him pretty far actually."

"We get it," you chuckled, "And maybe you'll get used to him. He's only been here ten days and Nat's warming up to him."

"What? I never said---" she started, raising her hands in defense.

"Oh come on, don't give me that. You don't throw daggers with your looks anymore. Come ooon, you know I'm right," you smirked.

She looked back and forth between you and Bruce, the latter looking like he was praying it wasn't true.

"He's easier to tolerate after a bit," she admitted, "He has a sense of humor that's hard to swallow given his history. It's like if Wanda made jokes about the Hulk destroying people. That would be in poor taste given her history. For that, I still don't entirely trust him or like him...but he can still be funny. And he's proven he'll at least protect you."

"Yeah, for himself," Bruce said, "The man's still reeking crazy! She's as valuable to him as she is to Hydra, and I don't think we should treat one threat as friendly just because he's playing nice."

"The unfortunate truth about the situation, and really about Loki in general, is that we won't know his intentions until he makes them known. We won't see his betrayal until it happens," you said.

"All the more reason to not have him around!" Bruce exclaimed.

"No, all the more reason to hope he's on the right side and to help him do the right thing. If he's never given the chance, then he will never change."

"He's been given chances, Wren. And with that chance he exiled his father and took the throne," Bruce stressed his point.

"But he didn't want to change then. In the future he does, and we're just trying to make that future happen now. He needs a path to redemption that doesn't end in him getting his neck snapped by Thanos!"

Bruce just frowned, letting out a sigh.

"Look, I think it's really nice that you want to save everyone, and I hope we can...but we have to be careful that your desire to do that doesn't lead to a different equally bad outcome with him."

"What could be equally bad to Thanos snapping out half of life???"

"Loki with all of the stones???" Bruce suggested like it was the obvious and worst possibility.

"Trust me, I've been down that line of thought."

"She has. She didn't want to talk about the stones in front of him in case he wanted to get them for himself," Nat confirmed.

"So what's changed since then?" he asked.

You opened your mouth to speak, but couldn't put into words what had changed. Not in front of them anyways. Maybe Loki had fooled you successfully in the span of ten days, or maybe he was genuine. Either way, you felt like so much had happened in such a short amount of time, and it seemed like you knew Loki better now than you ever could have through a movie. Your initial fear regarding his motives, which was justified given your knowledge of his character in the films, was replaced by this sense of trust. He's a very good liar...but you'd seen him butter people up before, and you'd seen his lying face. The way he'd promised he wasn't going to kill you was sincere, the most sincere you'd ever seen him. But not killing you wasn't the same thing as not backstabbing you or the team.

"I don't know," you finally answered, "Maybe the fact that he's saved me multiple times now? But I know Loki's tactics better than most here, with the exception of Thor. And there's something different about what he's doing. He doesn't have to be here, but he is. He has all of the info from me that could be useful to him, yet he still helps me. He still helps us. I just...I've gotten the sense since the Knowhere trip that he's...that he's actually ok with the change that's happening. From the moment he's given up the throne, he's gotten his brother back, who I know he really does love, his father back, who had kind words for him because he realized how much Loki was hurt by the way he handled the whole adoptive son thing, and, whether he'll admit he enjoys it or not, he's gotten to work with a team and not alone. The one thing I know for certain about Loki from the films/shows is that he's scared of being alone. That's why, I think, there's this noticeable change in him that I can't place...I think he's not alone anymore, and he secretly likes that. So I hope he won't throw that away."

"For someone who's scared of being alone, he certainly pushes away those that care about him. How many times has he tried to kill Thor?" Nat said.

"I know I know, he's also pushed away the only friends he had. The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, Thor, etc. But I think they were always more of Thor's friends. Loki was a loner, someone who studied and practiced magic and preferred the art of intelligence and guile to the very forward very aggressive manners of Thor. He acted out all the time because he craved attention, something he subconsciously felt he lacked. I don't know if Odin was a bad father, as the only flashback we see of the two of them as kids is a happy one, with him being kind to both. But Odin's fear of messing up with his Frost Giant son must have shone through somehow, with Loki noticing something was off. Especially if he bonded more with Frigga and Thor more with Odin. In that case, there may not have been much common ground for Odin to continually show Loki praises as Thor received? Whatever the case may be, Loki has always pushed people away with his attempts to seek attention. And think about it...the more Loki acted out, even with the whole New York thing, the more attention he got from others. From his brother, from his father. Not the attention one would normally seek, but every time Loki acted like no one loved him, it only caused Thor to proclaim it more and more. The hurt and twisted part of Loki didn't want to believe it, because it's easier to be angry, but he most likely craved the moments where Thor would do this. It isn't until Thor gives up on repeating it that Loki finally does the right thing. Thor basically tells him that he's always thought he could be so much more, but that if he's content to never change then that's on him. Thor's no longer wishing and begging him to be good, instead he's done with it. Done with Loki, done with trying. He leaves him on the floor to get continually zapped with the neck taser things of this place. When the people who have always loved us finally give up on us, it makes us realize we always had them. Like how you don't appreciate what you had til it's gone? Loki always had Thor's love, and probably that of their friends. But he felt lesser, so acted out. He let anger and grief and loneliness fuel his actions, which Thanos turned onto the city of New York. But when Thor abandons him, finally giving up, Loki sees that he was never really alone, because now he finally was left alone. The only thing standing in his way was himself. So he goes back to Asgard and helps, doing the selfless thing. And when Thanos comes for the Tesseract, we see Loki try to resort back to his bitterness. It's easier to let sentiment burn, as he puts it. But that's true when you're caught up in your own lies you've convinced yourself are the truth. He can't fall easily into that act anymore, however, because he's changed. He tries to tell Thanos that he can go ahead and kill Thor. But he can't pretend. He yells for Thanos to stop seconds after, instead handing over the Tesseract in exchange for Thor's life. And then, when he thinks there's no way Thor makes it out of here alive, he tries to kill Thanos. Where was I going with this?" you asked, realizing you'd gone on a long-winded defense of Loki once again.

"Explaining why Loki pushes people away," Nat answered, amusement in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry for the monologue. Can you tell I'm passionate about some things?"

"Yeah, no, I'm glad you told us," Bruce said, "I just didn't know you had your dissertation planned for us today."

"Wonder what the corresponding PhD would be for that?" you smiled.

"Loki Studies?" Nat offered.

"Damn, I wish that was a major in college."

"I'm starting to get the sense that he's your favorite character? In the movies I mean," Bruce said.

"What tipped you off?" you asked in feigned shock.

"Lucky guess," he laughed.

There was a knock at the door just then, Bruce standing to go get it. 

"Yeah, no, come in," you heard Bruce say awkwardly.

Turning around, you saw Loki at the door, smugly smiling at Bruce as he led him into the room.

"Hey," you greeted a little more rigidly than usual. You weren't sure how the dynamic in the room was going to play out. Additionally, you'd just finished a long conversation about him, making it naturally awkward when he walks in seconds after.

"Hello, Darling," he returned with a quick smile. "Romanoff," he said politely, though less friendly.

She nodded back but said nothing. 

"I'm the first to return then?" he asked, looking around the room. Something seemed off about him. He kept looking to you, but also seemed like there was an elephant in the room he was avoiding. Granted, Nat and Bruce were here, which made him act differently, but there was something else. His usual "I'm going to appear intimidating and cool to hide the fact that I'm not as comfortable around you guys" was mixed with an awkward stance and faltering facade. 

"Yeah, you're the first. I thought you were gonna call in when on your way back?"

He looked at you more like he was looking through you, not seeming to be aware of what you were saying.

"Yes, right, um sorry," he said, pulling himself from the zone out, "I intended to, however, Thor was quite the chattering fool. Couldn't get a thought in, let alone a word to him or anyone else."

"Aw that's cute. Some brother bonding time," you teased.

"I shouldn't be surprised you find it that way," he rolled his eyes, the old Loki starting to find his footing amongst this jittery and uncomfortable new guy.

"Are the streets properly secured?" you asked in your kind of British General voice.

"Yes, of course," he replied in the same fake seriousness.

"That's good," you chuckled, "Good work."

"Well now I can die happy, for I have the praise of a Midgardian," he said sarcastically, "I can knock that off the...bucket list was it?"

"You've got to make some more exciting bucket list goals."

"If we have a moment of free time from these cosmic hunts, I'll make it a top priority. I can already think of a few," he grinned.

"Ruling earth can't be one of them."

"Damn, how did you know?" he sighed disappointedly.

"Ha, we're um...we're joking right?" Bruce laughed uncertainly, "Right?" he asked again, when you and Loki only looked at each other rather than answer.

"Haven't decided yet," Loki smiled at him.

"Stop messing with him," you said, laughing at Bruce's face.

"Oh he can take a joke," Loki whined, "Besides, why would I want Midgard?"

"That's sooo three years ago," you said, Nat finally breaking into a smile.

"Precisely," Loki agreed.

"Nat!" Bruce whispered in horror at her smile.

"What? Is it in poor taste to joke about New York? Yes, ok, it is. But I can't say they aren't just a little bit amusing."

Should Loki be joking about it? If he's changed, would he want to still joke about it? Should I really be encouraging it then? Probably not. But maybe, if he ever stops joking about it, then that'll mean he's changed completely. We'll see where he goes.

As if to answer your thoughts, Loki's smile dropped and he cleared his throat, trying to sober up the mood a bit.

"Perhaps it is poor taste," he said, sounding like it pained him to admit it in front of two Avengers.

"Oh uh...thanks?" Bruce said, caught off guard by Loki's words.

"We're calling it a night," Steve's voice called in, "Heading back up to you guys."

"Copy that," Nat answered. "I guess this suite is about to get a lot fuller," she said to the three of you.

"I'm sure there are other rooms available," Loki said.

"Yeah, do you wanna take the time to find some for everyone? And deal with the residents of any rooms you barge into that aren't empty?" she sassed back.

Loki folded his arms but didn't reply.

"Exactly," she said, standing up. "So I'm claiming the shower before there's a hoard of superheroes fighting for it."

She left the room, retreating through a doorway that led to another part of the large home. The night was a chaotic one to say the least, but a good chaotic. Thirteen people, loudly debating who sleeps where, which turned into a "who deserves the bed" by arguing over "who fought the best and earned it today" which turned into a "last one to the bed is a boring old Rogers", as Tony put it. Sam and Bucky nearly throttled each other trying to wrestle their way to the room. Tony booked it out of the main lounge area first, followed closely by Thor and Clint. Everyone else stood around with mixed amusement and heavy disappointment as the shouts from the fight in the bedroom echoed back out to meet your ears. All of this occurred after the fight for the shower, which, needless to say, was equally as tumultuous. You knew your place in this hierarchy, content to watch, laugh, and wait your turn. Thor had emptied the contents of the Grandmaster's refrigerator onto the counter in the kitchen, everyone grabbing and testing different foods, most usually using Thor as the guinea pig to try stuff first. After nearly two hours, everyone was finally settled somewhere. Thor had won the bed, though he'd consented to let Tony sleep at the bottom of the enormous mattress, Wanda and Nat had the large couch, Bruce, Rhodey, and Clint each had one of the large plush chairs, propping their feet up on the table or just curling into it, and everyone else had grabbed a pillow and found a place on the floor to drop. 

You'd discovered that, despite having bloody faces and cuts after battles, Avengers had way more aches and bruises than one could see. You'd only fought a handful of guys and taken one hit from the Hulk, yet you were sore. Your elbow was bruised from being tossed into the dungeon, and you were slowly discovering more and more spots on your body that hurt from the Hulk casually flinging you across a hall. A rather large bruise was on the arm that had taken the brunt of his force. The taser had left a mark on your neck, and you had a feeling it's effects had something to do with how sore you felt throughout your muscles. Everyone was in a similar condition or worse, pain and aches going deeper than what's seen on the surface. They toughed it out as they're used to doing, but sleep was a welcomed thing for them, and most were out the second they hit their pillow. Blankets had been sparse, and you'd refrained from taking one from the others, who deserved them far more than you. Steve had offered you one, but you'd declined. It wasn't like it was cold in the suite, but blankets naturally make it more comfortable.

The suite was large enough that everyone who needed the floor could find their own area without crowding. Cap and Buck were somewhere in the other room, and Sam was in the main area by the wall opposite to you, saying he was sleeping "as far as humanly possible from that man", meaning Bucky of course. Vision was hovering in the kitchen, as he doesn't sleep. He does kind of "shut down" a bit, going into almost like a "meditative state", as he explained it to you, though he remains aware enough to be alert to anything amiss. You had just sat down in your own slice of the front room, the lights having been turned off already and the sounds of snoring and heavy breathing coming from around the suite. Loki walked over and gestured to the floor next to you.

"May I?" he whispered

"Sure," you said, tapping the ground with your hand.

He sat next to you, following your gaze around the dark room.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Just taking in my first sleepover with the Avengers I guess," you said, chuckling at the experience.

"It was certainly...eventful," he said, deciding on a word you figured was nice than others he had in mind.

"I love them," you laughed in a whisper, "It was the best night."

It was dark, but your eyes had adjusted enough to see Loki next to you. He was smiling ever so slightly.

"You thought it was enjoyable, didn't you?"

"Having full-grown babies claw each other for a bed and shower?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know damn well, had there not been eleven of them, you would have fought for the bed. Heck, I woulda. You and I would have been clawing for it just like them."

"Your entitled to your opinion, however wrong it may be," he scoffed.

"So were it me and you, you'd just let me have the bed?"

"Were there just two of us, we could have both had the bed."

"You know what I mean, stop being technical."

"I suppose I'd take it, as I am a god," he smirked.

"That's what I thought," you said triumphantly, looking back out to the room.

"What was wrong earlier?" you asked, breaking the silence.

"You'll have to be a little more specific, Darling."

"When you came back from the field? I could be wrong, which I'm usually not," he gave you a look at that, "But it looked like you weren't your usual self."

"Why, because I wasn't threatening someone or trying to stab your friends?" he said with a hint of bitterness.

"Yup, something's up, you're getting defensive."

He practically growled in frustration, sighing and turning to face you.

"I hate you, you know that don't you?" he said.

"Because I'm right?"

"Indeed," he nodded, pausing for a bit, "I may have overheard your conversation with the Widow and Banner, some of it at least."

"Which part?" you asked, thankful that the dark hid the red creeping into your cheeks.

"Dissertation," he answered.

You couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course you'd hear that. Bit embarrassing I guess, cuz it was fangirlish. But I'm not ashamed of what I said. You may have even needed to hear it. Are you mad?"

"Why should I be angry?" he asked.

"Seriously? Remember the bruised arm fiasco?"

"That was a little different...ok, so maybe not," he backtracked after your look, "But...what you said here was more theoretical. You saw the things I've experienced, said and done...and then, tried to piece your own things together."

"And? Was I right?" you asked, not sure if you should.

"More than you think," he answered, softer than you were already whispering.

"Well, um...I'm sorry you had to hear us talking about you."

"No," he said, looking you in the eyes, "I'm glad I did."

You smiled comfortingly, hoping he wasn't lying.

"We should probably get some sleep," you said, "The blackout curtains may hide it, but the sun's probably nearly up."

"Right," he said, holding his hand out, a silky green pillow appearing in it.

"Show off," you muttered, placing your pillow on the ground behind you and laying down. To your surprise, Loki only moved a foot or two over before following suit.

You folded your arms on your chest, not used to the bare feeling of no blanket. Your eyes closed, but shot back open when something soft hit your hand. You looked down to see a green blanket forming, draping over your body. Loki's eyes were closed, his head facing the ceiling, but he smiled as you thanked him.

"Good night, Loki."

"Good night, Darling."

"Whoever's whispering, shut up," Bucky groaned across the room.

You smiled, cuddling the blanket under your chin and falling asleep rather quickly.

***

The sound of hushed talking and rummaging about the suite woke you up. Thankfully, the trope of waking up cuddled with the person next to you was not a reality in this case. However, you'd forgotten how Loki had only slept a foot or two from you, so waking up with him directly in front of you was startling for a moment. You'd both rolled on your sides in the night, now facing each other. Subconsciously, you drew your self away another foot, sitting up and stretching your back. The suite was dimly lit, lights from the bedroom and kitchen filtering into the main room. Clint appeared to be asleep still, sprawled out in his chair. The others were nowhere to be seen, probably in the kitchen or elsewhere. Your body felt heavy and your eyes groggy, part of you wanting to just flop back down and sleep like Clint. A little groan escaped you as you tried to rub the sleep from your eyes.

"Why not lie back down if you are so tired?" Loki said.

You turned to find his eyes still closed, looking as if he'd never awakened.

"Because it's probably time I should get up," you answered quietly, not wanting to wake Clint.

"Past time," he said, eyes still closed, "The others have been up for an hour or more, and your Captain and his bickering duo have left already, as has my brother."

"You shoulda gotten up too then, or gotten me up at least. I hate that I sleep in so much in this world like I do at home, though I guess that ain't gonna change just cuz I'm around superheroes."

He finally opened his eyes, rolling on his back.

"I had nothing to get up for, so I saw no point in doing so. And I wouldn't dream of facing the repercussions of awakening you before you've contented yourself with the desired amount of sleep."

You chuckled through a yawn.

"Yeah, smart call. But theoretically, if you use the logic that you had nothing to get up for, then you'd never get out of bed."

"Are you suggesting I have nothing worth doing in life?" he said in offense.

"Oh shut up, I'm saying if you viewed it that way an hour ago, what's different now? Don't start getting all offended on me now, it's too early and I'm too tired."

"Actually, it's technically too late, as I'm sure we've slept most of the day."

"Doooo not be that one kid who always has to be technical," you exclaimed, "Like when you say 'Tomorrow we can blah blah blah' and there's always that one person who's like 'Technically, it's past midnight, so you mean today.' We get it! You know how to tell time!" you grumbled comically.

"Darling?"

"What?"

"You need more sleep."

You threw your pillow in his face as you stood up.

"Oh, uh thanks for the blanket," you said, handing it to him.

He simply smirked, the blanket disappearing in your hands.

"You're sooo cool," you snickered, heading for the kitchen.

"I thought you liked when I used my magic? Even told me to use it more," he said tauntingly, following you.

"I do and I did," you whispered back, moving softly past Clint to the entrance of the kitchen.

Wanda, Bruce, Tony, Vis, Nat, and Rhodey were sitting around the table, each either having food or drink in front of them.

"Morning," Wanda smiled.

"I wouldn't speak to her until she's fully awake," Loki cautioned.

"See Tony? There's a reason we let people sleep," Nat said.

"Were there no other spots open you two?" he asked you and Loki, ignoring Natasha.

"Remember Loki's warning? Start making sense or I start getting cranky," you said, pouring yourself some juice.

"You just had to sleep right next to each other, huh? What, not enough room to spread out in this excessively large suite?"

"We were talking last night, and I see no reason in moving if we were content to sleep where we were," Loki replied coolly, returning Tony's look with a calm smirk.

"Besides, you cuddled with Thor last night, so what's really the bigger problem here?" you added, not caring enough to even get embarrassed. He'd slept next to you, not with you.

Rhodey laughed, and Tony shot him a look of betrayal.

"I mean, she's not wrong. You did share a bed with him," he said.

"At the bottom!" he clarified, "How am I the only one not liking this?" he asked, pointing to the two of you again.

"Mr. Barnes and Wilson were also not thrilled with the circumstances of her position," Vision said.

"Of course they weren't," you sighed, "But then again they're idiots that started a food fight over the fact that Loki and I were talking, so are we really using them as models of how we should act?" you tilted your head at Tony.

"Regardless, I'm not comfortable sleeping in the same building as him, let alone next to him," Rhodey said, a distasteful expression on his face.

"He means you're two marbles short of insane," Tony said.

"Guys, if we're letting him here, what's the point in arguing over something as small as what part of the floor he slept on?" Bruce questioned diplomatically.

"Why does it matter where he sleeps?!" Tony exclaimed, Rhodey chiming in on the argument that broke out.

Wanda gave you a sympathetic look, following you as you rolled your eyes and left the room.

"Well that gets old fast," you groaned to her.

"They're all a little tired and cranky," she said, "Not unlike someone else," she smirked.

"Yeah, Loki can be a real bitch when he's tired," you sighed, shaking your head. 

"I beg your pardon?" Loki said, stepping from the kitchen, apparently having decided to leave as well.

You and Wanda laughed rather than answer, stopping when Clint growled "Laugh it up somewhere else."

After stopping Loki from snapping back at Barton, the three of you took your conversation to the bedroom.

"Seeing as I'm getting nothing from the others, what's the plan for today?" you asked Wanda.

"Steve, Bucky, and Sam have gone to check on things and try and find a final tally of just how many people want off Sakaar. Thor said he's "Flying a perimeter", but we all know he's off doing something he didn't want to tell. The plan is to leave when they get back, us to earth and Thor to Asgard. He and Heimdall will head the relocation plan. Once done with that, unless there are more immediate threats you can point us towards, the plan is blast what stones we can."

"Yup, sounds good. The only other thing I can think of is Heimdall needs to be on the lookout for the Guardians. Maybe we can put a word in at Xandar, have them let us know if they catch wind of their whereabouts."

"I'm not entirely sure destroying the stones in our possession is a good idea," Loki said.

"Why's that?" Wanda asked, a bit of suspicion in her voice.

"Well, the only stones you have to destroy are the Power and Space. Now, the head of Xandar told us about Ronin's attempts at destroying the planet, merely by touching the ground with it. Do we really think it wise to blow up something containing that much power? Can we contain the destruction to follow? Do we know the extent of said destruction?"

"Damn, I didn't think of that. That's actually a good point," you agreed.

"We can't risk lives of any planet by destroying the Power Stone," Wanda nodded.

"What about the Tesseract? Why can't that be blown to smithereens?" you asked.

"It may be our only means of transportation to either these Guardians or the Collector, depending on who we find first."

"But if we destroy it, Thanos' plans are foiled regardless of the Reality Stone," Wanda pointed out.

"Yes, but Thanos won't know what we've done. He'll still go after his daughter. Still kill her for the Soul Stone," you explained, Loki's point becoming clearer to you, "Not only can we not just leave her to die, but Thanos with five out of six stones is still bad, so destroying one at the risk of giving him two more may not be the best planning. I don't know though, it's something we'll have to discuss with the others."

"Ok, we'll bring it up when we're back home," Wanda said.

The three of you, desperate to be anywhere but the still obstreperous kitchen, decided on taking a walk for a while. Loki got along with Wanda better than he had with the others so far, falling into his usual banter despite her presence. It was an enjoyable time, with you insisting that the arena be a stop in your self-given tour. You walked through the huge doors, stepping into outer space's Colosseum.

"Damn," you gasped, walking the long distance to the middle of the arena and doing a 360.

"Uh, this is the place people were forced to fight to the death, right?" Wanda asked, possibly mildly concerned at the smile on your face.

"Yeah," you said absent-mindedly, still smiling up at the stands.

You heard Wanda giggle, looking over to find Loki whispering something to her.

"Hey! What're you laughing at?"

"Nothing," she said, holding the smile back, "I wasn't laughing, were you laughing?" she asked Loki.

"No, I don't know what she's talking about," he said, both of them grinning stupidly.

"You know, talking about people behind their backs is rude," you jokingly chastised.

"Who ever said we were talking about---" Loki was saying, but you cut him off.

"That's where you sit! Up there in the Grandmaster's box!" you squealed in nerdy excitement.

"Yeah, while Thor and Bruce are forced to fight each other, correct? I'm still missing the part where this is fun place to see," Wanda said, furrowing her brow.

"Well you haven't watched the movie. I should have had a copy of Ragnarok with me when I jumped through that portal!"

"That would have made for one entertaining movie night, I'm sure," Loki laughed.

"I'll be more prepared the next time Hydra opens a portal to my yard."

"Hydra?" Wanda asked, her and Loki looking equally baffled.

"Oh yeah, it's a theory Bruce has that they were responsible for the portal opening, hence why they were at the compound. There are a lot of holes to be filled, like why they opened it to the compound. But they were there for something that had happened five days prior, not knowing I was there. So what else could they have come for if not the portal? They were searching Tony's labs too, probably for information on whatever had come through into his yard. Bruce says they would have had to been scanning for the particular energy though, so the only way they could have known to look for it is if they knew a portal was opening."

"I guess that makes sense," Wanda spoke, "But I'm left with more questions than answers."

"Me too," you admitted, not understanding a lot of what was going on. 

Why did Hydra open it? How did they open it? How did it end up going to the compound? How did it open to you right as you were wishing for something like that? What had the pain in your head been? And, a thought that worried you more than anything else, what if there was no portal back, seeing as you hadn't been the one to open it? Your fear must have shown through in your expression, leading to an encouraging smile from Wanda.

"We'll figure it out," she promised.

"And we'll eliminate any man who dares come for you again," Loki said, his words laced with a hint of anger.

"They'd have to be braindead to try that," you said.

"Believe me, Darling, when you want something desperately enough, you do whatever it takes to get it, no matter how irrational."

"Well then they'll get their asses kicked worse than before," Wanda said confidently.

"Yo kid, where did you and Antlers romantically stroll to?" Tony's voice spoke.

You and Wanda rolled your eyes, your hand reaching to your ear to respond.

"We're in the arena. And I'll have you know Wanda's here."

"Ah, third wheeling's the worst. You're a champ, Wanda."

"Is there a point to your intrusion, Stark?" Loki cut in.

"Since when does he have an earpiece?! Who's giving out my tech without asking?"

"He needed one, Tony," Cap explained.

"Rogers, how many times do we have to go over the 'Don't touch my stuff' rule? It's a pretty simple rule, the instructions are in the name actually."

"And what about the 'Coms are only for emergency' rule?" Rhodey asked.

"This is why I turn you off, Tony," Sam complained.

"How did this turn on me?" Tony whined.

"Because you can't stay on topic," you said, "What did you call in for?"

"I wanted to know where you'd gone, is that such a crime?"

"Just head back anyways," Steve said, "We'll be done soon, then we can leave."

Reluctantly, you left the arena, returning to the suite with Loki and Wanda. True to his word, Steve and the others weren't much longer. The group was soon together, finalizing future plans. There were many many individuals who wanted off, the others content to remain and pick up the pieces. Thor had offered Asgardian assistance for any help the remaining population might need in finding their footing. The relocation was up to Heimdall and Thor to control, the base of the plan being to take people off in different cohorts, using either the Tesseract or bifrost to return them to their homes. The issue of destroying stones was brought up, and, given the dangers of the Power Stone and current need for the Tesseract, it was agreed that, for now, it was best to leave them safely in Asgard's vault. The sun was nearly set when you finally gathered outside to leave. Shockingly, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek were waiting for you.

"Hey guys, long time no see," Korg smiled, Miek waving a blade in the air. "We're about to jump in the magic rainbow tube and get out of here."

"With us?!" you asked in surprise.

"Yeah man, unless there's a second colorful tunnel?"

"Did I forget to mention my friends Korg and Miek are coming?" Thor asked.

"Your friends?" you asked happily.

"Yes, well, we got to talking quite a bit during yesterday's work, and well, I couldn't leave these two guys here could I?" he laughed, "They're far too much fun!"

"Yeah, Thor's going to show us PopTarts, whatever those are!" Korg said excitedly.

"They'll change your world, my friend. You haven't lived until you try them," Thor smiled.

"And what about Asgardian Assassin over here?" Tony asked.

"She shall be aiding in the relocation. We've had a chat, and she's been kind enough to offer her services. She'll help us with our mission as well."

"I can't forget my past, and I can't run from it," she said, glancing at you, "So, if I'm going to be angry and miserable, I might as well take it out on this Thanos guy. I'm a warrior, not a scrapper."

"I'm glad you've reconsidered," Steve said.

"Yes, well, I'm not ready to return to Asgard full-time. Odin is the last person I want to see. So I'll take you up on your offer and stay at your compound most days."

"You're offering up my compound to people too now?" Tony turned to Steve, "Am I gonna need to print the rules out and glue them to your forehead?"

"So you don't want her there?" Steve asked, calling his bluff.

"No, but I'll do the inviting. Hi!" he turned to Valkyrie, "As the owner, designer, and funds provider of the Avengers compound, I'd like to officially offer you a stay at our humble residence. It's great, you'll love it. We've got a training complex, with lots of things for you to unleash your anger on, state of the art tech, a swimming pool---"

"There's a swimming pool?!" you gasped.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" Sam asked.

"It isn't like there's a movie titled Avengers: Day at the Pool. How was I supposed to know that?"

"I don't know, maybe it was mentioned," Sam defended.

"It's got those color changing lights too," Tony said, never missing a chance to brag about his work.

"Oh that's the best! Night swims are gonna be amazing."

"I'm not so sure what I've gotten myself into," Valkyrie said, looking from Tony to you and back again.

"Probably the most bizarre assortment of characters in the Nine Realms," Thor laughed.

"Some of them do look really weird, don't they?" Korg said.

Everyone looked at him in a "Should we be offended?" manner, not knowing who he was talking about.

"This is why he's coming along!" Thor laughed some more, patting Korg on the back.

 "Speaking of, can we get off this trash pile already?" Tony asked.

"Yes, alright, hold your horses, Stark," Thor answered, "Everyone move in. Good? Alright then, Heimdall?"

The bifrost never got old, and a big smile was on your face as the colors sucked you back to Asgard.

"Wooah, man....we've frickin moved," Korg gasped to Miek, obviously not anticipating how fast the bifrost worked.

"I see you've had another successful journey," Heimdall smiled.

"Fortune seems to be in our favor," Thor replied, "But we have much work yet to do."

"Then we should begin," Heimdall nodded, "I hope to see you again soon, Avengers. But it is time you return to daily life for a while, which I'm sure is not an unwelcomed notion."

"Miek, Miek look! I think we're in a giant gold ball in space," Korg's voice echoed, everyone turning to see him staring out at the stars.

"We'll take the brainless rock and bug boy with us I guess, keep them off your hands for a while," Tony said, his words not heard by the distracted duo.

"I shall bring them to see Asgard when we're done," Thor said, "But I thank you for looking after them for the time being."

"I'll make sure they have some PopTarts," you smiled.

"Strawberry and Smores are the best," he claimed.

"Debatable, but I'll make sure they have their fill of flavors."

"I'll remain here for a few days to make sure everything on Sakaar runs smoothly, then I'll join you down there," Valkyrie addressed the group.

"Good luck," Bucky smiled, receiving a nudge from Sam.

"Do you try and flirt with everyone," he mumbled.

"That wasn't flirting---" Bucky whispered back, their argument proceeding in a hushed fashion.

"I guess we'll see you soon, buddy," Steve said to Thor, giving a firm handshake goodbye.

"Take care while we get this sorted out. Shouldn't be more than a few days. If there is an emergency, let Heimdall know."

Everyone said there goodbyes, and, amidst this distraction, you saw Loki stepping away from the group.

"You're not coming?" you asked, catching him before he could get too far.

Of course he isn't, you idiot! He's helped with your missions.

"The immediate use of my help has decreased, with my aid being of more service to Thor."

"Right, of course. Good for you for wanting to help."

"On the contrary, relocation isn't something I'm terribly excited about. But I shall speak with my father and ask his opinion on where I should be to help."

"Oh," you said, the shock plain to see on your face.

"I know, asking my father's opinion doesn't seem like something I'd do. But I have two places to possibly be. Here or down there. I wish I could say which is better, but these are strange times. Whether Asgard is even an option is now up to the whims of my father and Thor, seeing as I'm no longer in control," he said, slight bitterness in his tone.

"Hey, your father didn't exile you to earth. You said he asked you to come, and you obeyed. He's not going to kick you out of Asgard. But I do think he's wise, therefore so are you for seeking his counsel. You get a lot of things from your mother, Loki, but your passion and fight is that of Odin's. You're more alike than you know. He'll help you make the right call, just as he helped Thor find his path."

"Regardless, he'll have an opinion on where I should be, there's no doubt of that."

"And where do you want to be, Loki?"

He looked at you for a few seconds, indecisiveness filling his eyes.

"I don't know."

"Well, that's part of your journey, isn't it? Maybe both Asgard and Midgard are where you belong, much like Thor. Maybe not, maybe this is where you belong. I mean, who ever really has the answer to these things? The best we can do in life is go along for the ride, and don't waste a minute of it. You'll find the answers you need."

"Spouting your dose of spontaneous wisdom I see?" he smirked.

"It has a mind of it's own, what can I say?" you smiled back.

"Well...whatever my father chooses, I'm sure I'll see you again in the near future. Our work isn't over after all."

"I hope you get to spend more time on earth, even though that would be horribly dreadful for you I'm sure."

"There are some bright spots," he chuckled, "I've heard a celebration called Halloween is a mischievously fun occasion."

"Wren, let's go!" Sam called behind you.

"You'd better not miss it!" you said quickly to Loki, knowing the others would jump on you if you didn't come .

"I've promised you some pranks, have I not? And I have a reputation to uphold."

"Good luck Loki," you laughed, "I guess I'll definitely be seeing you soon then."

"It's a date," he smiled, as you left to rejoin to the group.

"We turn our backs for three seconds," Tony complained, giving Loki a glare over your shoulder.

You returned the look, sure Loki was doing the same.

"You know you don't have to hate him with all of your energy every second of every day, right?"

"Yes I do," he said, pulling you into the group, as if people between you and Loki would somehow protect you from his influence.

You shook your head and smiled, finding Tony's protective streak to be just as adorable as it was irritating. 

"Oh boy, here we go again," Korg said as the bifrost fired up, "I don't think I'll be able to keep my lunch down. I wouldn't stand in front of me, Miek. Oh too late sorry," you heard him say as the colors filled around you.

Notes:

To reach the end of the story that I have in mind, there will need to be time jumps. Most stories do this anyways, there was just a lot happening her first two weeks in the MCU, so I didn't want to rush. I needed foundations set and all that good stuff. I still want to show how relationships grow and the things people do with each other and the slow build up to the end in the future, so I'm still going to take my time. There's no time jump a few months to the end of the story or anything like that. But the next chapter will take place after our first time jump. I think the pattern from now on will be a time jump, followed by a chapter or a few chapters, depending on what is warranted, before the next jump. Just to let y'all know before going into it.

Chapter 33: Halloween

Notes:

Sorry for being late...again. I had a lot less time to write this week, which was unfortunate, seeing as this turned out to be my longest chapter. Had I not wanted to go on for so long, I could have posted something yesterday, but I really wanted to do certain scenes correctly and not rush through them. That being said, I worked late into the night on some of these parts, and didn't proof read a lot of it, so I apologize in advance for any decrease in quality that may have happened while my groggy brain tried to form coherent sentences. I hope it's all good, I'm just too tired to be a good judge of that right now even if I did re-read it.

Also, there's a brief scene where I need the reader to give her last name. As I've used a filler name up until this point, it seems pointless to do Y/L/N or however last names are abbreviated. Therefore, I picked a random name that came to me literally on the spot. So again, put whatever name you want. Her last name won't make lots of appearances anyway.

Hope you enjoy!

You'd lost track of the days in Sakaar, especially with time moving differently, but it was apparently the 24th of October upon your arrival back on earth. The week leading to Halloween was the first "normal" time since you'd dropped at the compound. The Avengers eased back into their routine flawlessly, as if two weeks of space adventures and stone hunting was their average. They took maybe a day or two off to recover and relax, before training again each morning. There weren't any Avengers missions during that time, though Tony flew off now and again to do who knows what. He was still heavily involved with the military and safeguarding the "world peace" he'd sought to bring back when he first became Iron Man, so he had places to be and a company to run. He said he had to see Pepper too, to "keep my ass out of trouble." Fury made sure eyes were out for Hydra activity, according to Steve, and Tony had increased perimeter defense scans after the last encounter with Rumlow. Avengers compound was always considered safe until that night. Tony blamed himself for going easy on defenses, never assuming someone would attack or be able to shut Friday out. How they did that was still a mystery.

Missions from the future were at a standstill as well. Heimdall and Thor were busy with Sakaar, so the Guardians and Tivan had to wait. You'd told the team about Peter, and Tony had promised to keep an eye out for YouTube Spidey-Boys. He'd known about Peter in Civil War, after all, so knowing when Peter had his powers wasn't going to be an issue. Bruce was getting to work on figuring a way to remove the stone from Vision. There were tests he'd run, brainstorming he'd have to do with Tony. Making sure Vis was ready for the removal was key. He hadn't been alive for nearly as long as he had when they tried to take it out of him in Infinity War, so patience was crucial. If he didn't evolve enough to become more than the stone yet, then removing it could be catastrophic. You were three years ahead of the game though, so you had time to do it right without rushing. Wakandan technology and the insight of Shuri would surely be a help, but T'Challa wasn't king at the moment. Would T'Chaka help? Would he believe your story? Your reasons for knowing they could help? It was a risk you'd have to take if you wanted the best input and facilities. It was decided that Wakanda would be a stop in the future after Bruce and Tony had some time to work on the problem themselves. Therefore, there wasn't much you had to do at the moment.

You spent the week enjoying your time with the Avengers, Korg and Miek. Steve and Tony took you, Bucky and Bruce on a tour of the facility, or facilities, as there were other adjoining buildings besides the living center. You found that the other more business-centered buildings had faculty running them. There were main lobbies, front desk workers, maintenance, etc. All reported to Stark, and all had extensive background checks. Tony sends everyone home overnight, something about not trusting people while he's sleeping. Bruce was like a little kid in candyland when he saw Tony's new lab. Bucky kept his feelings close to his chest, seeming to enjoy the tour but not ogling over everything. In stark contrast was you, who was lighting up at every bit of everything shown to you. This did nothing to help Tony's ego, but he deserved praise for the masterpiece he'd designed. The pool was in the main building, not far from the rooms actually, which was good to know. You'd never remember your way to all of the places shown to you, but you took particular care to recall the path back from the pool.

When the team trained, you either watched, went on a hike about the grounds, or chilled with Korg and Miek. You didn't want the Avengers to feel like they were constantly tied to your hip, so you made sure to give them space and not flaunt your knowledge in their faces all the time. You were probably overthinking things, however, as they'd often use you to end debates or to get dirt on someone. Evidently, they didn't care about you bothering them with your movie facts. Still, you'd leave them to train or argue while you went for a walk, listened to music in your room, or stared out a window at the MCU, internally screaming at the impossible reality of your situation. Korg and Miek were super fun to hang out with. You'd introduced them to video games and poptarts, music and movies. They were enthusiastic about every new thing you showed them. Korg's personality, though tiring at times for some of the team, was too enjoyable to not smile when around him. In the span of a few days, he and Miek were quickly becoming favorites.

You and Sam watched an episode or two of The Walking Dead each night, after bringing Bucky up to date on the events of the episodes he'd missed. The others usually stayed to watch as well, except Clint, who'd left to be with his family for a while and explain the situation to Laura. Bruce, despite missing the same amount of the show, didn't care enough to ask what had happened. He watched along, however, sitting next to Nat on the couch each night. The gore didn't bother many, though Cap's face was always amusing, like he was contemplating all of his life decisions in those bloody moments. Vision could be heard muttering things like "that's unfortunate", which he meant in all sincerity. Wanda would grimace a little, but never looked away. Tony would loudly say things like "Yup, eat 'em up zombie. Dumbass deserves it." "Thank you for your opinion, Tony, now shhh," Rhodey would often reply, or something along those lines. Sam always called the characters names for their stupidity, looking frustrated enough to throttle them through the screen. Amusingly, he also jumped the most at any jump scares, a fact Bucky was loving. Bucky watched calmly, smiling softly when someone was getting eaten just to mess with Sam, who called him "one sick bastard." Nat watched as one would expect, unfazed by it all. Korg would say things like "Oh that's bloody disgusting, man. Why are they eating each other again?" while Miek covered his eyes with his sword-hands.

Five days passed in this manner, and soon it was nearly Halloween. On this particular night, the 29th of October, Tony mandated a team game night. The game in question was Pictionary, and you were on a team with Tony, Rhodey, Nat, and Vision. Cap, Sam, Bucky, Wanda and Bruce were on the opposing side.

"Mt. Rushmore, you and Edward Scissorhands are team mascots. You can't really hold a pencil, and you would probably break the pencil."

"That's ok, man, I understand. I'm just happy to watch," Korg smiled.

You looked at each team, snickering as you did.

"What, don't like the side you're put on?" Tony asked. "We can trade you before the deadline if you're going to be a liability, I demand full commitment from my squad."

"You split the team into their Civil War sides," you pointed out, gesturing to Cap's group, "Besides Bruce obviously."

There was a pause as everyone looked back and forth, noting who was on what team and realizing you were right.

"Will you look at that...well, at least I know my team's loyal to me."

"Every one of them changes sides, or regrets the decision later."

"You know what, we're requesting a transfer now," Tony called to Cap, "We want Banner."

"Oh come on," you laughed in protest.

"Nope, get over there, no arguing. I make the rules. You're just not what we're looking for in a player right now" he said nudging your back in their direction.

"At least I'm with the winning side of the war now," you said as Bruce shrugged and walked past you to Tony's side.

"What's that? Right, I can't hear you over the thundering footsteps of your ass-whooping coming down the hall."

"That doesn't make sen---"

"Can't heear yooou," he cried, opening the box and spreading it's contents on the table.

"You'd better be good at this game," Sam said as you took a seat.

"Better than Bruce I'm sure," you assured him.

"Hey!" Bruce protested from his chair.

"No offense," you smiled.

"Ok, the rules are simple, so listen up," Tony announced, "You roll the dice, ya move your piece, you pick a card, draw the thing listed under whatever color you landed on, your team guesses what you're drawing before the timer runs out. You get it right, you stay where you are and roll again. You get it wrong, you move back to where you were and the other team goes. First team around the board wins. Everyone understand? Good, cuz we're going," he said before anyone answered.

"Wait, you forgot about the special die and all-plays," you said.

"Right, if you land on these squares, it means one player from each team draws the same thing at the same time. If the team that rolled gets it first, they keep going as normal, if the other team gets it first, they steal the turn. This special die is rolled with the normal die. The different sides are different rules you have to follow while drawing. For example, this means draw normally, this means you can't pick up your pencil, this means you draw with eyes closed," he explained, holding up each side of the cube. "If you break the rule on the cube, you automatically lose that turn. Now does everyone understand? I don't really care, we're going," he said, rolling the two dice.

"Yeah, I know he said the rules are simple, but I didn't understand a word of that," Korg whispered to your team, who'd he'd apparently decided was his team. Miek was sitting with the others, Nat looking at his "hands" and talking to him about something. How she could talk with something that doesn't speak English was beyond you, but she was nodding as he squeaked something in reply, before turning to watch Tony's first drawing.

The game was...rowdy, to put it politely. Some highlights were:

"You have 10 PhDs and you can't draw a wedding?!" Tony shouted in exasperation.

"I have 7," Bruce argued.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT."

"My eyes were closed Tony!"

"All you had to draw was this!"

"Don't, now you're wasting paper."

"If it teaches you how to draw, the trees will understand their sacrifice!"

"If he had a few more letters other than p, h, and d, he could have just spelled wedding," Korg said, shaking his head.

And the way the game ended was the best:

"I've seen a lot of terrible things in my life," Bucky said, "But that? That is the most horrific thing I've seen."

"How would you like me to draw 'Early bird catches the worm' without picking up my pencil, hmm?" Sam snapped back, "Sure, they get 'umbrella' and 'duck pond', but I get the phrases! You wanna try a phrase???"

"It doesn't look too bad, if you tilt your head, squint your eyes a bit, and suspend all rationale," Korg said helpfully, following his own instructions as he went.

"Ok, duck pond was harder than you think," Rhodey chimed.

"Just because Tony is an idiot and kept repeating 'duck water'!" Sam and Bucky shouted back in unison.

"He drew a duck, and then water," Tony defended.

"You see man, the water was actually a pond," Korg said, usually always having some amusing comment in the background.

"After one guess of 'duck water', logic would eliminate that from the possible answers, as he shook his head in response. Therefore, it was clear 'water' was something more specific," Vision said.

"Whose side are you on? I want a transfer!"

"You can't transfer again, Tony," Steve said.

"You already threatened to kick Nat off...twice. At this rate you won't have a team," Rhodey sighed.

"Sounds like a familiar scenario," you mumbled, fake coughing at the end to cover it.

"If I could transfer you again, but like out of the room, I would," Tony said.

"You're just mad you transferred away the best player."

"uuhhhh, let's not go that far," Sam said.

"Yo, support ok?" you growled.

"I support!" Korg waved his hand in the air.

"Thank you, Korg!" you smiled.

"Steve's surprisingly the best, I think," Nat said.

"Surprisingly?" Steve asked in offense.

"Not to brag, but I have yet to draw a picture someone hasn't gotten," Wanda said.

"That s true, statistically she's on par with Captain Rogers," Vision said.

"In short, that ass-whooping has found a different target," you smiled cockily to Tony.

"Oooo, she's trash-talking now," Korg whispered in suspenseful narration.

"Taunting! That's taunting! Unsportsmanlike conduct, red card, penalty," he started blathering out, moving his piece up five spots, "Five yards from the spot of the foul."

"Oh, we're playing that way," Bucky said, moving your team's piece up, "Well then, five spaces for us for the time you threw a paper airplane at Steve while he was drawing."

"Yeah, interference!" Sam backed Buck.

"Not to mention the time you called Sam's drawing a load of Hulk shit," Wanda said, using her powers to move the piece another space.

"I mean...it was," you admitted.

"It was," Buck nodded at the same time.

"Well, Wren and Bucky were shaking the table while Vis was drawing," Nat said, leaning forward and moving their piece again.

"He takes over a minute to draw a straight line, ok? We weren't really messing him up!" you argued.

In all honesty, you'd felt terrible, but it was too funny watching him pause and wait for the shaking to stop before drawing again. The whole table had known what you were doing, but innocent Vis was too naive to know someone was purposefully moving the table.

"Wait, that was deliberate?" he asked, looking over at you confused.

"Yeah, I thought there was something seriously wrong with your table," Korg admitted, in the dark as equally as Vision.

"A distraction, like Tony throwing the airplane at Cap," Wanda explained.

"Oh...right. And are such methods considered legal in this game?" Vis asked.

"No, no they are not," Tony said like he was disgusted by the notion of cheating, moving the piece up another spot.

"Nat already moved it for that!" Steve said, getting into the debate, "If we're doing this, let's at least be consistent."

"Hurting Vision's feelings is an extra space," Tony stated, "And talking back to the ref is another," he added, moving the piece another spot over.

The arguing that continued from here on out was heated but, somewhere deep at the core, good-natured. No team ever drew again, as it was a series of "penalties" until your team reached the end. Tony loudly claimed that you couldn't win off of a penalty space, but everyone had already grabbed the pieces and cards, throwing them back in the box before he could stop.

"That's a forfeit! Doesn't go on the record!" he called after the group, who'd started leaving the room.

"Ask the magic voice, it knows everything," Korg offered, "Hey, magic voice lady? Who won the game?"

"I'm afraid by the rules of the game, no one won," Friday answered, "But if the new penalty calls are indeed considered part of the game, then Team Captain won."

"Better luck next time, Miek," Korg patted him on the back, "We'll mascot different teams next time if you'd like?" he said as the two of them walked off together. Their rooms were on the fourth floor with Bruce, which evidently had nothing but extra rooms. Tony had planned in advance, though never dreaming that he'd have six more rooms filled in the span of two weeks.

"That was fun," Bucky said in the elevator with the other third floor occupants.

"Any night when Tony loses is a good night, and I haven't even been here that long," Sam agreed.

"It's honestly scary how much his mannerism resemble Howard's," Buck said, shaking his head, "How did Steve get used to that so quickly?"

"Simple, he and Tony hated each other. Easy to look past his father's resemblance when you hate the guy's guts," you said.

"He hated Tony??" Bucky asked.

"Well, they certainly didn't get along. Steve was more uptight then, and Tony was more of a narcissistic idiot. They got over it though."

"I never knew that," Wanda said, "Though it isn't unbelievable that Tony rubbed someone the wrong way."

"As I am partially made up of Jarvis, I can confirm there was no love loss between the two upon their first encounter," Vis added.

"I think he's hilarious," Bucky chuckled.

"Yeah, you two would get along," Sam snickered.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Let's not start anything else tonight," Wanda cautioned, smiling as she stepped out of the elevator.

You and Bucky headed down your hall, the others disappearing in the opposite direction.

"Still can't believe Steve didn't like him," Bucky laughed.

"Yeah, they're good friends now, or at least better friends than they'll admit. That's why Civil War hits hard."

The last paces to your rooms were done in silence.

"Bucky?" you said uncomfortably, stopping outside your door.

"What's up?"

"There's uh...there's something I haven't told you...or anyone," you said nervously, fiddling your hands around in search of how to say what needed to be said. "Civil War...it doesn't just take place because of a legal dispute, or even because of you being framed. In the end, Tony realizes he was wrong about you, and he goes to help you and Steve...but the team remains split because...because there's somethi---"

"Because of his parents," Bucky finished, you looking up in shock at his solemn expression.

"You knew?"

"Had my suspicions that you were holding some details out, but I wasn't going to press."

"I---I didn't know how to bring it up."

"I know, it's ok. Truth was going to come out one way or another."

"I know you didn't want to kill them. I know it wasn't you. Steve knows that. And Tony will, if he's told a little easier this time. It was kind of dropped on him, and, no offense to you, but you didn't try much to defend yourself."

"Because I deserve whatever he wants to do to me. I may fight back to save my life, but I can't defend my actions to him."

He looked in a great deal of pain, lips trembling slightly as he spoke.

"Look, you were brainwashed, ok?"

"Yeah, but I did those things. Free will or not, I did them. Physically, me, I did them."

"But 'we' are not physical. What makes us who we are is deeper than that. Your body was merely the vessel used to do those things. But you? You were locked in there somewhere, trying to get out. That's not you, it's someone else. And not to expose the others like this, but a lot of them come from shady pasts, Buck, where they've all done some bad things. Murder, assassinations, destruction, you name it. They all came back from it. You have just as strong of an excuse as any of them."

"If only it was that easy to convince yourself of that," he replied bitterly.

"If you're guilt-ridden, then do something about it," you said a little forcefully, causing him to look up in surprise. "I'm serious. I understand that what you went through is hard to come back from. Nightmares, fear, guilt, loss, it's going to always be there somewhere. But you won't be able to move on and become James Buchanan Barnes if you let the Winter Soldier control how you view yourself and life, ok? So if you want him gone for good, and you claim you can't just do that easily, then do something about it. You've already started by joining this team, by letting yourself just be Bucky and by fighting the right fight willingly for the first time in seventy years. But if you feel guilty, make it right. We need to tell Tony. And none of this 'I deserve his hatred' bullshit. You give a sincere apology, even though it wasn't your fault, and you explain to him. If people in movies would talk for ten damn minutes, the majority of conflict could be resolved. So you shouldn't beat yourself up. But if you're adamant about doing so, then get off your ass and do something about it."

Regret for talking so bluntly immediately set in, but you held his stare the best you could, not backing down until you saw how he'd react. A mixture of emotions sat in his expression, making it hard to judge what he was going to say.

"Ok," he choked out in a whisper, nodding his head, "Ok. You're right."

"We'll tell Tony sometime next week, ok?" you asked gently.

"I'll tell him. If this is my guilt holding me back from seeking forgiveness, then I have to be the one to do it. Like you said, I have to make it right."

"Ok...I---I'm sorry if I was harsh."

"No, you weren't trying to be cruel, you were being honest."

"Not to rub salt in the wound, but I can't imagine what living with your burden is like. I don't want to sit back here and tell you what to do like it's easy, cuz it's not."

"What is right is rarely easy."

"I'm sorry...For what you've gone through. I never thought I'd have the chance to say that to a fictional character," you chuckled, trying to bring some light back into the conversation, "But now, with the opportunity, I'd say it a thousand times over. I know you don't know me as I feel I know you, but if you ever need to vent, to just talk about any of what happened, please know I'll always be here to listen. If not me, at least talk to Steve. It's the most common mistake made by all humans, thinking we have to carry our burdens by ourselves."

"Thank you," he smiled sadly, his eyes glancing past you down the hall.

Turning, you saw Steve walking in your direction, smiling when both of you turned to face him.

"Glad you guys are still awake," he said, "I wanted to ask you guys if you're interested in coming out to breakfast tomorrow in the city. We've been busy for so long, it's been a few weeks since I've seen the outside world."

"Who needs the world," you joked.

"Something tells me you've been living in your movies too much, and should get out once in a while," Cap smirked.

"Ha, I get it," you snorted stupidly, "Cuz I'm physically living in my movie world."

"Explaining it ruins the joke," Bucky sighed in disappointment.

"I don't know about Muscle Man over here, but I'm down," you said, ignoring Buck's comment.

"How about you Buck?" Steve asked.

"Muscle Man's down, whatever that means," he answered.

"Great, we don't need to rush in the morning. Nine ok to meet up downstairs?"

You both agreed, Steve saying goodnight and turning to leave. You nudged Bucky, giving him an encouraging smile and nodding to Steve.

"Wait Steve," Bucky said before he could get more than a few steps away. Buck swallowed hard and gave you a nod, turning to Steve, who'd stopped at his request.

"What is it?" Cap asked, reading that something unspoken was being communicated between the two of you.

"I uh, I just need to talk to you about something."

"I'll leave you two to whatever it is," you said, smiling a goodnight and entering your room.

You heard Steve and Bucky enter his room seconds after your door closed. You took a deep breath, content at the thought of Steve and Bucky having a much needed best friend talk. After changing your clothes and brushing your teeth, you flopped into bed. You'd transferred some pj's from your old room so you didn't have to walk down there at night. Turns out you were lazier than you'd given yourself credit for.

One more day til Halloween, you thought, I wonder if I can convince people to dress up?

You stared at your ceiling in the dark, thinking what each person would dress as if they did. For that matter, you were wondering what you'd dress as if Tony let you buy something. Not that there was much time for any planning, but a quick run to the store wasn't a great inconvenience. In all reality, however, you were thinking about Loki more than anyone else. You hadn't heard from him or Thor since Asgard, and you assumed his father and brother had condoned his staying, at least to help with Sakaar. You were eager to know what his father had said about his permanent living situations. You didn't know what Loki wanted, so you didn't know which outcome you'd hoped for. Well, that was a lie. Deep down you hoped he had to spend more time at the compound. You'd only known him, as a real person, for just short of two weeks, yet you missed him.

Just because he's Loki, who wouldn't miss him?

Part of you knew it was also because you missed having him around as a friend. Though it's not like you didn't have anyone else to hang out with while he was gone. All of them were funny, enjoyable, childish at times, sarcastic, and kind, but you were learning that there were certain groups or individuals to specifically go to for specific reasons. Wanda and Nat were there if you just needed girls to hang with. Something about speaking with them separately, when you all weren't in the arguments with the other guys, was refreshing. Like hanging with your girlfriends from high school. Bucky and Sam were the bickering, sarcastic ones you found yourself hanging with the most because they made you laugh, with Tony also fitting into that category...ok, and maybe Clint, though he had been gone all this week so it was hard to tell. Cap, Vis, Bruce and Rhodey were the level-headed ones you could count on to be calm around, if you didn't want to mess with someone. Korg and Miek were the children you could go play with and never hear a word of complaint from them. Now, all of the Avengers were a mix of each of these groups, but you realized the pattern of who you spoke with at certain times and what you talked about during those moments. It's the beauty of having such a vast household, there are so many similar yet different personalities to gel with.

Despite all of this, Loki was like that one friend that, if they are not there, you feel the lack of their presence. Not to say he was your best friend, but you had interactions with him that were different. Not necessarily better than interactions with the Avengers, just different...you couldn't put it into words. Either way, you knew you missed having him around. He'd promised to come back for Halloween, so you knew that was a big reason to anticipate the holiday.

He was probably just joking around about coming, being sarcastic.

You hoped that wasn't true, but it was a possibility. You were prepared to enjoy the holiday regardless.

Halloween with the Avengers??? Fun either way. You'll run into Loki some other time, it doesn't have to be Halloween.

Still, you hoped, in your heart of hearts, that he showed up.

***

You were down in the kitchen on time, excited for your New York City trip. You'd been into the city a few times in your life, but never just for a casual breakfast with the Avengers. Sam, Rhodey, and Wanda were also coming, all ready in street clothes.

"Where you guys going?" Korg called from the couch, where he and Miek were enjoying a box of poptarts and xbox.

"Oh, we're going to the city for a bit," you said, hoping he didn't ask to come. You didn't want to say no.

"That's cool, have fun. Oh no, damn it!" Korg exclaimed, his distraction costing him in his game, "Dieeeeee!" he shouted, rapid firing at whoever had gotten the jump on him.

"Korg getting heated during video games is my new favorite thing," you laughed with Wanda.

"Sorry I had to kill you, man, but thank you for dying," Korg added politely, his foe defeated.

"Let's slip out before he asks to come," Rhodey said, making for the exit.

The six of you piled into a spacious car. Steve drove, Sam claimed shotgun, Bucky was in the seat behind him, Rhodey behind Cap, and you and Wanda willingly accepted the back row. Sam was the DJ, Bucky and Rhodey arguing with his choices the whole way. You and Wanda spoke quietly in the back, the conversation changing from topic to topic throughout the drive.

"I hope we get to have another party on Asgard sometime," she said, after the two of you had discussed memories from that night of fun.

"If the future is fixed, you will all still be a team and Asgard still a place. So I'm sure you'll get to again."

"At least through you I've gotten to see more of Thor," she smiled, "Always heard so many things about him, but never even spoke with him much before he left."

"That's so weird. By the time Infinity War came around, it just felt like you and everyone else had been here so long and that you were all friends. I think the fandom forgets just how little certain members of the team or franchise have actually interacted."

"Well, I look forward to meeting anyone I haven't yet."

"Not sure if any of them match Thor's child-like adorableness, but they're all great."

"He does bring this fun, almost childish energy to the team, doesn't he?" she laughed.

"I'm missing him the more we talk about it!"

"And Loki?" she asked, no obvious traces of teasing in her voice.

"Oh yeah, him too," you admitted, "I hope they both visit after they're done with their work."

You looked absent-mindedly out your window, thinking about the Halloween "promise" he'd made, if he was indeed being honest.

"I'm not going to press you like I know others must be. I can see their looks, and I'm sure they've come to you about it. Boundaries aren't really their thing. But do you mind me asking how things are going? Friend-wise I mean."

"Oh, they're fine. I mean, who can really tell with Loki though, right?" you chuckled, "I trust you enough to tell you that he's promised me that he's not going to kill me, so that's a plus."

"How sweet of him," she said sarcastically.

"You know that's a lot coming from him. Before this, he always made it clear, or at least tried to always show, that he couldn't be trusted. That he would help until it wasn't beneficial for him anymore. He was open about it, which is why I told you guys he wasn't messing around. We knew we could only trust him during these missions because he stood to gain from them. But...the other day he apologized. Loki, actually apologizing! Like, I'm not sure if you understand how rare that is. He said he should never have threatened me and that I could trust him to protect me."

"Wait, threaten you?" she asked worriedly.

"Shit, me and my big mouth," you sighed, "Yeah, he may have promised, back when he first came to the compound, that he'd um...ya know, unalive me once he didn't need me anymore."

You winced at the anger in her face.

"And you didn't think to tell anyone? How could you sit there and advocate for him after that?!"

"I only advocated for the fact that he was momentarily trustworthy because he stands to gain from our success, I never said anything past that."

"Ok, KILLING YOU, is a big factor in the 'past that' part that we should have known when deciding to keep him around," she said in a heated whisper, trying to keep the others out of the loop. Thankfully, they were still talking over the music to each other, ignoring the conversation in the back.

"I was going to cross that bridge when we got there---" you started in defense.

"When we got there?? And do we know when 'there' is? With Loki, it could have been any moment that he decided he'd gotten enough from us, and then you would have been dead!"

"I had my suspicions that he wasn't serious about the threat, or at least that he'd rescinded it a few days later."

"Suspicions are not enough to bet your life on, Wren!"

"He was angry when he threatened me, ok? And he had justification to be. Did he overreact? Of course, but Loki always does. Once he simmered down and we started getting along more, I saw a change in him. I didn't want to jump to the conclusion that he was really my friend and wouldn't hurt me, but then he said the sweetest apology I'd ever heard the other night."

"Why was he angry?" she asked after a second of taking in what you'd said.

"I threw his dead mother in his face like a bitch. I was angry at something he'd said. We were having an argument, and I lashed out. I knew what to say to hurt him," you confessed guiltily, feeling like an asshole at the memory of what you'd said.

Wanda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Your survival instincts are a zero, you know that right?"

"It wasn't the smartest thing to say to Loki after knowing him a day, I'll admit that."

You started laughing softly, but soon were in an uncontrollable giggle fit.

"I can just picture telling this story to my family," you wheezed, "'You met Loki?! Wow, what did you say? How did it go?' Well, I spent the first night in jail because of my mouth, and then I accused him of killing his mom and he threatened to kill me."

Wanda joined in the laughter, and soon it was enough to get the attention of Rhodey and Bucky.

"What's so funny?" Rhodey asked.

"Nothing," Wanda waved a hand at them breathlessly.

"It's probably some girl thing," Bucky groaned, facing forward again.

Rhodey stared at you for a bit longer before following suit, making you only laugh some more. You were in one of those fits, ok? You were going to laugh until your body felt like stopping.

"Oh dear," Wanda breathed, the two of you finally able to stop chuckling. "Please don't do something like that again, ok? We don't need you angering a god just to get at him."

"How I'm not dead yet in this world is beyond me."

"I'm still going to hold this threat against Loki," Wanda warned.

"Please don't! He apologized."

"And he could be lying."

How could you explain his expressions to her? His sincerity? Even the fact that he'd allowed you to hug him was such an anti-Loki thing to do. You had to be there to understand that he was telling the truth. This was exactly what you told Wanda.

"The whole reason I asked how things were in the first place is because I've noticed a difference...a change in how you guys interact. I didn't know about the fight his first night here, but there was noticeable tension between the two of you the next morning. I guess that explains it. Since then you two have seemed to get along more and more. And after the party? You two seem even closer."

"He was in a good mood that night and mentioned that he was considering being friends," you said, telling half the truth.

"And are you guys friends?"

"Maybe," you said, searching for something in the car to stare at, as you couldn't look Wanda in the eyes. "For my part, I'm trying to be. And for his part he looks like he's doing the same. We'll wait and see I guess?" you finished, turning to her with a hopeful look in your eyes.

She nodded, smiling kindly.

"The others fear your love of his character in the movies," she said, "They don't want to see you hurt if you're too ready to trust him. But I think it's that love of him back in your world that makes you the safest. You know him better than anyone, besides his family. If anyone is to know when he's being sincere and when he's lying, it's you. You've admitted he was telling the truth about wanting to kill you at the time, so you're not afraid to admit when he's being his evil half. Therefore, I trust you to make the right calls. If you say he wasn't deceitful in his apology the other day, then I believe it. It's ok to believe it yourself."

"I just...there's this doubt in my mind that keeps telling me I'm crazy to think I'm someone who can be friends with him. You know what I mean? Like, who am I to even dream that I could help him change earlier than he was supposed? Like I'm overestimating my importance. Of course every fan's fantasy would be to be friends with their favorite character and help them, but what if it's just fantasy? Like, why would a person like Loki want to be friends with someone like me anyway?"

"Wren, are you serious? He's the one who should be wondering how he deserves the grace and friendship of anyone."

"I mean, I guess that's true. But if you know your favorite character to be this independent, mischievous, pompous man who loves displaying authority and being dramatic and stylish....it's just, he's too cool, you know? Too cool to be so---so content being friends with someone as normal as me. Like, even any of you guys would make more sense, as you're all superhuman awesome badass people. You get what I mean?"

"Maybe you've looked at us as movie characters for so long that you forget that we're all people," she suggested, "Even Loki. Yes, he's all of those things you've said he is, and that's why you could never see him doing things as normal as making friends. But tell me something: Was Loki your favorite character for his style or arrogance or any of the other things you said?"

"I mean...those things definitely make him entertaining, and I think he's hilarious. But I guess not."

"And what was it that did make him your favorite?" she pressed.

"The person he was under all of that," you smiled, "He was just a guy. A guy with the capacity for either great evil or great good, like all of the Avengers...or anyone really. Unlike you, Nat, Tony, and many others, Loki never made it to the part where he gets to redeem himself. I mean, I consider him redeemed, but when he realizes he's been wrong, he immediately gets killed for doing the right thing. He can be kind and caring. He can love and be loved. He was just always so afraid of being alone."

You realized you were staring at the window past Wanda, zoned out completely as you spoke. You snapped out of it, looking at Wanda. She was smiling triumphantly.

"Now does that sound any different than a normal man? And why can't a normal guy be friends with a normal girl? Maybe it's the fact that you are kind and caring that makes him want to be friends. Maybe he's not alone anymore because of you. You're fixing his relationship with his father and brother, and you're giving him time a guy like him shouldn't expect to deserve."

"Look at you, Wanda, coming in clutch with the peptalk," you smiled.

"It's my once a month good one, so don't waste it," she smiled back, "And I don't mean normal like average or anything when I say 'normal.' I just mean 'normal' as in a person like everyone else."

"I know, Wanda, you're fine."

"Ok good, just wanted to clarify. Because you're pretty amazing."

"Aw thanks, so are you!"

"I think you're both nuts," Rhodey said, you and Wanda looking up to find him peering over his seat at the two of you.

"How long have you been listening?" Wanda scolded.

"Too long," he shook his head, turning back around, "Maybe don't talk about secret things in the car."

"Secrets? What secrets?" Sam turned around eagerly. He looked at Bucky for an answer, but he just shrugged.

"How are you sitting back there and not hearing what's going on?" Sam asked him in irritation.

"Maybe because I'm busy getting you to sit your seat up."

"This car is big enough, you have plenty of room."

"Not when you insist on reclining!"

"This isn't reclining! I'm not past the angle required for it to be considered reclining."

"Oh, so there's an official angle now?"

They continued arguing, the subject of your secrets dropping from their minds.

You and Wanda remained silent on the topic of Loki for the rest of the trip, thankful that Bucky and Sam stopped arguing once Steve parked the car.

"Thank god," Rhodey groaned, stepping out and stretching his back.

You smiled at the sight of five Avengers standing in a parking garage, ready to go grab some breakfast.

This is insane, you laughed to yourself.

Steve locked up, heading for the elevator. Once on street level, he led the way to a cute cafe. It wasn't as busy as some of the other establishments you'd passed along the way. Cap must have known of this little gem tucked away on a less-frequented street, probably having eaten here before. When you asked him about it, he said Sharon had recommended it to him once, back when he thought she was just his neighbor.

Oh yeah, Sharon's a thing, you thought as the six of you claimed a table.

Breakfast was great, the food and atmosphere fantastic. The waitress had recognized Steve, who signed something for her, making the woman's day. The fact that he was Captain America made her take in the other members of the group. She recognized Rhodey first, Sam and Wanda soon thereafter. Rhodes had already been in the news through his Iron Man relations, so it made sense that he was more recognizable. You and Bucky sat there kind of awkwardly smiling through it all, exchanging knowing looks with each other.

"Well aren't you guys just so popular," you smiled.

"I try to avoid being noticed if I can," Cap said, "But a few people always catch on."

"I'm sorry to say that the baseball hat isn't an invisibility cloak," you mocked, "Might wanna think of a better disguise besides the stereotypical MCU issued hat and shades."

"I'm not going through a full makeover just to walk out my door," he scoffed good naturedly, "I'll take some fans over that."

"I think what he means to say is, he loves the attention," Sam smirked.

"Easily," Rhodey agreed, sipping his water.

Conversation continued pleasantly, which was surprising, given that Bucky and Sam were in the same room. The last of the food was nearly gone, or set aside to be cleared, when the screeching of a chair against the floor caught your attention. The man dragging the chair pulled it to the end of your table and sat down. Everyone was quiet as Nick Fury looked around at the group.

"Fury," Cap greeted.

"Captain," he returned, "Enjoying our breakfast?"

"Well we were," Sam said.

"Oh that's good," Fury said condescendingly, "I'm sure you all needed a relaxing day out after all of the travel you've been doing."

"We were going to tell you," Steve said.

"Don't bother, I already know," he said sternly, "So do you care to tell me where in the galaxy you've been blasting off to? You may not work for me, but I better damn well be told about any threats."

You were dying to ask some things. First, Fury having to know about what the Avengers are doing, or wanting to know, made more sense when he and Shield were a big powerhouse. They weren't any more. Furthermore, how did he know? Did he still have enough eyes around to keep tabs on the compound? He has enough tech to have detected the portal, so maybe there was more of Shield still running than you'd known. You weren't going to speak though. For once, someone in the MCU had made you want to remain silent. Seeing Fury was fun, and his sass was making you smile internally. But damn was he also intimidating! Additionally, you knew they'd kept you a secret, and you didn't want attention drawn to yourself by stupidly asking about things you shouldn't have any knowledge of. You slunk back in your chair, thankful that you were near the end opposite Fury. You glanced past Wanda, who was next to you, from time to time, unable to not look at the Nick Fury.

"It's a longer story than we have time for here," Steve confessed, looking around as if someone was listening in.

"Well, then I will be paying a visit again later today, and I suggest you tell the truth this time around."

His eye went from Steve to Bucky.

"You almost killed me," he said bluntly, Bucky looking down at his plate uncomfortably.

"Fury," Steve started, but Fury raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry, Cap, I know of your friend's position. People have tried to kill me for worse reasons than being brainwashed."

He was still staring at Bucky, sizing him up. Buck looked up, unafraid to return the stare. As if satisfied by what he saw, Fury nodded and smiled slightly.

"Welcome to the team, Sergeant Barnes," he said, "Though this bunch might make you want to return to Romania by the end of the year."

"Uh, thank you...sir," Bucky said, caught off guard by Fury's nicer approach.

"I'm not always a stone cold bastard, Mr. Barnes," Fury said in response to Buck's surprise, "Though I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head if you start going Russian assassin on me again."

"Please do," Bucky said, smirking a bit, though he had that face on that he gets when his past is brought up.

You attempted to subtly lean further behind Wanda as Fury's gaze moved from Bucky.

"Hiding behind Ms. Maximoff isn't going to stop me from asking who the hell you are," he said amusingly.

You leaned back in slowly, looking over at him and smiling sheepishly.

"Heeey," you said slowly, giving a little wave.

"Hi," he replied, sitting back in his chair, folding his arms and raising his eyebrows expectantly.

You knew what he wanted, but you held off on saying who you were, looking to Cap to see if he'd want you to lie or not. He gave you a nod, which you took as the go ahead to tell the truth.

"Now that Cap has approved it, do you wanna start telling me who you are and what you're doing with the Avengers?" Fury asked, bringing your eyes back to him.

"Yeah um," you said clearing your throat, "I'm Wren, nice to meet you by the way. Uh, there's not much to tell. I'm from New Jersey, if that's helpful?"

He continued staring, his expression not changing.

"Ok, it's uh---it's a little...little hard to explain," you chuckled nervously, "Actually quite a pain in the ass to explain over and over again," you said, thinking about how many times you had to tell your story already. "I should record myself telling the story and just show that to people from now on," you snickered.

"I don't care if you sing it to me," he said, resting his arms on the table and staring hard at you, "I want to know what it is you can do, and why all of this started with your arrival."

"Can do? As in powers or something? Oh no, I don't have any powers. Hell, I can barely whack guys with a rod."

"You're being kept around for a reason...Wren." He said your name like he wasn't sure it was even your real name.

"Fury, she's right. It's a long story, and we'll tell you all of it when we're somewhere private."

Fury looked at you a bit longer, you giving him an innocent 'Please don't kill me' smile.

Finally, he let out a sigh.

"Alright. But I better get an answer to everything. Like why a certain God of Mischief is living with the people he tried to kill," he said, standing up and walking to the door. He paused before leaving, turning to the group, "I'll be there tonight. I wouldn't say no to Mexican for dinner?" he said like a suggestion, walking through the door and disappearing down the street.

The second he was out of sight you let out a deep breath.

"That was frickin amazing, but damn is he a bit intimidating in person! It's like he's the parent that always knows what's going on and you feel like you're about to get punished any second."

"I knew he was going to catch on eventually. He still has eyes around, and he likes to keep a watch on us," Steve said.

"I guess since Ultron, that might not be such a bad idea," you admitted.

"I said we should have just told him, but Tony insisted on lying about it," Rhodey shook his head.

"We didn't have time to fill him in," Wanda said.

"I think pain in the ass over here could have waited another day in Romania," Sam groaned, nodding in Buck's direction.

"You know it hurts me to agree with anything he says," Buck started, glaring at Sam, "But he's not wrong. I don't think we should keep him out of the mix."

"Well, what's done is done," Steve sighed, "He knows now, and that's all that's important at the moment."

"Do you think he's going to freak out over Loki spending time on earth?" you asked, fearing a fallout with Fury.

"He's not exactly going to roll out the red carpet for him," Rhodey snickered.

"It's like he says, we don't work for him," Steve said with authority, "And anyone under our protection will remain that way until we say otherwise."

"At least Loki's not going to be here tonight," Sam said in relief, "I have a feeling things will go a lot smoother without his smartass around to mess it up."

"And...if he does drop in today?" you asked slowly, a thought coming to you.

"I don't see why he would," Rhodey answered, "I don't know if he's helping Thor out or not up there, but evidently they've decided he doesn't need to be down here."

"Or maybe he's just staying to help Thor and he could pop down any moment...or what if he and Thor both finish up and come down?"

"Let's hope the odds are in our favor then," Steve said.

Bucky, who was sitting across from you, was staring at you with narrowed eyes.

You pretended not to notice, hoping the look wasn't what you thought it was.

"Why're you so worried he'll be making an appearance?" Buck interrogated, tilting his head.

Yup, it's what I thought it was, you grumbled mentally.

"Dude, she was just being theoretical," Sam scolded, before looking at you. "Damn, wait he's right. You have your lying face on."

"I don't have a lying face!"

"Yes you do, and it's on right now. You suck at hiding things," Sam insisted.

"Can never be a normal day out, can it?" you heard Rhodey groan to himself, before turning to you for your answer like the rest of the table.

"Loki said he was coming for Halloween, ok? I just don't know if he was serious or when he would come down. So it probably won't be tonight, I'm just hoping it's not."

"Why would he care about something like Halloween?" Steve asked.

"Seriously? The holiday of mischief and all things dark and messed up, and you think he wouldn't be interested?" Sam said in exasperation.

"This is why we don't talk to him about these things!" Rhodey complained.

"He was probably just joking around...but I may have made him promise two weeks in advance that he'd have some Halloween fun if he was still around by the time it came."

"But he's not around, so we're fine. He can stay where he is," Bucky said, Rhodey and Sam nodding in agreement.

"I think he still wants to come," Wanda said, glancing to you, "Because Wren clearly wanted him here for it."

"And why would he care what you want?" Sam asked, "You guys best friends now or something?"

"Yes," Rhodey answered, "Or at least friends. They were talking about it in the car."

"Rhodey, how old are you, you tattletale?" you snapped.

"It's obvious anyway," Steve said, "You guys seem to get along."

"No, what was obvious is that they were spending too much time together," Sam said, "And Bucky and I were trying to stop that so this very thing didn't happen."

"You think a food fight was going to stop us from becoming friends?"

"Getting him angry by interrupting him was just too fun," Bucky laughed.

"The point is, Wren, that he isn't capable of making friends. Whatever he's said, there's a 99% chance he's lying about it, you know that right? God of Lies? You think you can believe anything he says?" Sam pressed.

"If anyone can tell when he's lying, it's her," Wanda defended, "She doesn't need your permission to befriend someone."

"He's saying it to get your guard down. That way when he makes his move to backstab us, which is inevitably going to happen, the one person who may have been able to see it coming is too busy thinking she's his friend," Rhodey argued.

"I guess we'll see if he comes for Halloween. Why spend unnecessary time with us if he didn't honestly have a friend he was coming for?" Wanda contended on your behalf.

"All part of his elaborate plan to make sure she thinks they're friends," Rhodey fired back.

"Yeah, words aren't enough, and he knows that," Sam added, "He's going to have to do friendly things to make the lie seem legit."

You couldn't get angry at them for their concerns, as they were exactly what ate away at you from deep inside somewhere. These were part of your own fears that you'd voiced to Wanda. You wanted to believe he could be friends with you, but it had all the makings of a perfect and classic Loki setup.

Remember his face. Remember his expressions, his words. They were so different from Loki's usual manipulation. Had he tried to flatter me and immediately go for being friends, I would have suspected and seen through his predictable tactics. But this? He had hesitated in asking about being friends. He seemed unsure. He'd looked nervous and remorseful when apologizing. Those were not the actions of Loki trying to flatter someone enough to be easily controlled. I've seem him kiss up to people before, and this was not that. Unless he's better than I give him credit for? Unless he knew I'd know if he tried his other tactics, so he's doing the opposite of what I'd expect?

The slippery slope of 'what if's' that your thoughts were going down was doing nothing but stressing you out. Having zoned out, you snapped back to reality, finding the others were still debating Loki's ability to be trusted.

"Can we go?" you asked a little forcefully, shutting the others up mid-argument.

"Uh, yeah, um let me just go pay. I'll meet you guys outside," Steve said, exchanging glances with Rhodey and Wanda across from him. Your change in mood had not gone unnoticed.

Rhodey and Sam were whispering about something, probably you, off to the side, while you, Wanda, and Bucky stood together waiting for Steve to emerge from the restaurant.

"Hey, we should do some shopping," Wanda said out loud for everyone to hear.

"Shopping?" Rhodey asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, it's Halloween tomorrow, and we have nothing at the compound. No candy, no decorations...no costumes," she smiled childishly.

"Aren't we a little old for dressing up?" Bucky asked sincerely.

"There are adult Halloween parties all the time. Costume parties to be exact," you said happily, Wanda's suggestion cheering you up.

"I expected this kind of thing from Tony, not you," Rhodey said to Wanda.

"Can it be a costume contest??" Sam asked eagerly, "Cuz I will wipe the floor with your sorry asses."

"I don't have any money for anything," Bucky said, looking unsure whether he liked this idea or not."

"Neither do I, but Tony's got more money than he could ever use. Can we call him and ask???" you said hopefully.

"Here," Sam said, pulling out his phone and calling Tony on speaker. Cap walked out, throwing a curious look at the group huddled around the phone. You waved him in, shushing him as Tony picked up.

"Morning BirdBoy, who's dying, lost, or needs money?"

"We do!" you said, cutting right to the chase, "Can we have a costume party tomorrow night? And can we all buy costumes???"

"It's a contest and I get to pick the winner," he said without hesitation.

"It should be a vote," Rhodey argued.

"If you don't like the rules, Rhodes, you can sit out," Tony said decidedly.

"But if you're judge, then you can't win," you said, smirking to the others, as your comment made him pause for a few seconds.

"Unless I pick myself, as I'm most likely to have the best costume anyway."

"I think the people will choose their own if you do that," you said, knowing he'd cave.

"Fine, we'll put it to a vote. But don't be hurt when I steal the show and trophy. You've been warned."

You smiled triumphantly, thanking Tony for allowing the party.

"Eh, don't mention it. I was planning on throwing a little something together tomorrow anyway. Given the current collection of bizarre individuals residing at and/or visiting the compound, and the ever-present possibility of another space mission, I think it's best to keep the guest list to just us. I'll have a crew come in and decorate, and don't worry about the food. Friday can order any costume or props you need, and it will be delivered by the morning, so don't go wasting my cash in some cheap store. Just order when you get back."

"Fury joined us for breakfast today," Cap said, wanting to get it in before Tony would hang up.

"I'm sure MegaNerd loved that. Did he at least get the check for ya?" Tony asked.

"He's coming by the compound later for the whole story," Steve said, ignoring Tony's banter.

"Why so serious, Cap? He was going to find out eventually, lighten up. Besides, he's just trying to get a free meal out of us, nothing to worry about."

"He's requested Mexican," Wanda said with a smile.

"I know the best taco joint. Eyepatch will be so pleased he'll let us off easy. And if he doesn't, we blame the whole thing on Barton. Gotta go, Bruce and I are running some diagnostics on a new suit model. Make sure to give Gramps lots of trouble everyone."

The call cut off, Sam returning the phone to his pocket.

"Well, I guess that means we don't need to go shopping after all," Wanda sighed in disappointment.

"Weeellll...there is the Disney store in Times Square we could kill some time at?" you suggested.

"Disney? As in Snow White?" Bucky asked in confusion.

"Yeah, it went on to become a big company. There are so many Disney movies we'll have to get you caught up on."

"Or not," Rhodey scoffed, "Unless you feel like watching a bunch of princess movies."

"There are more than princess movies, thank you very much," you said in offense.

"Yeah, and what's wrong with Cinderella?" Sam questioned him, "Hell, she's super relatable, cuz she be broke. She represents."

"Lemme borrow twenty dollars!" you laughed along, not that any of the others understood why.

"We've got time, so I'm ok with it," Steve said, "That is, if the rest of you are in?"

"I've never been!" Wanda said excitedly.

"It's either there, or we go home where Tony's breaking things with his test runs, so I'm in," Rhodey shrugged.

"Me too," Bucky nodded.

"I'm getting a Stitch souvenir," Sam smiled.

"You like Lilo and Stitch?" you laughed.

"Come on, who doesn't?" Sam said seriously.

"I agree, I just didn't know you were a fan."

"It's not like a passion or anything, but if I see a stuffed Stitch, I know he'll have a power over me."

Bucky gave him a judgmental look.

"What? Don't hate til you've watched it."

The six of you had a great day in Times Square. Everyone, even Rhodey the doubter, liked the Disney store. There was something magical about it that unlocked the child in anyone's heart. Wanda hadn't seen a lot of the Disney movies out there, so you acted as the guide, pointing things out and explaining what movies they were from. There was a very large, very plush, and very pricey Stitch, which Sam gladly spent every penny for. He made you carry it though, so he wasn't seen in public with it.

"Maybe this is why you're as broke as Cinderella," you said, examining the exorbitant price on the tag.

"Cinderella wishes she had a possession as beautiful as that," Sam said, looking at Stitch fondly.

I never would have expected this from Sam, you thought. Learning new things about these guys is going to be fun!

By the time you walked into the kitchen of the compound, it was roughly a quarter past three in the afternoon.

"I'm going to get a quick workout in," Steve said, heading for the hall.

"I'll come too," Bucky said, walking after him. "You joining, Sam, or are you busy cuddling your new toy?"

"Laugh it up now, you'll be singing a different tune when I show you the movie," Sam said, scurrying after them with his cumbersome prize in his hands.

"You know, I should really get back into working out, but no way in hell am I ready to work out with super soldiers," you said, getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

"You and I can go for a run if you want?" Wanda offered, "Not that that's supposed to sound enjoyable at all."

"Working out never sounds enjoyable, but I really should. And what more attempt at enjoyment during a workout can I have than to run with Wanda Maximoff?"

You and Wanda ran two miles around the grounds. There was a slight chill in the crisp October air, but nothing cold enough to cause discomfort. The only discomfort came from the exercise. The two of you weren't pushing for any time though, so it wasn't as bad as running can be. After showering, you and the team spent the rest of the evening planning your costumes in secrecy, each person instructed to inform Friday of the purchase they wanted to make. You were brainstorming in your bedroom, unsure of what to wear for the party, when inspiration struck. You smiled mischievously at the idea in your head, hoping that things would go as planned. Just in case, you had a Plan B ready for Friday to order if the idea didn't pan out. Observing the time on the clock, you rushed out of your room, knowing Fury should be arriving shortly.

Tony had tacos ready for the dinner with Fury, yet the group dove in before he was there, treating Fury like family more than a guest. When he finally showed up, he stared wide-eyed at Korg and Miek, who were sitting at the table enjoying their food.

"Do I even want to know?" he sighed, realizing he was in for a long night.

"That's what you're here for isn't it? Or did you stop by purely cuz you missed me?" Tony said, pouring him a drink.

"Keep going," Fury said, gesturing to the half-filled glass of liquor Tony had stopped pouring, "I have a feeling I'll need it."

Explaining the situation to Fury wasn't much different than it had been any other time you'd had to do it...with the exception of the whole team's support. Everyone chimed in, explaining what you'd been right about, the things you'd known, the next steps in your plans, Loki and Thor's whereabouts, and all of the future events you were trying to stop. Nothing was left out, and, surprisingly, Fury was more understanding than you expected. You guessed at this point there wasn't much he wasn't willing to believe. He had argued about the threat of Loki being allowed on earth, but the others shockingly helped explain why it was ok. Not to say that they didn't all agree with Fury, as many, mainly Sam, Bucky, and Tony, expressed their lack of trust in the god. However, as all prior debates had shown, having him under the watch of everyone was better than him being set loose in the galaxy. Thankfully, Fury seemed to trust you more by the end of the evening, looking at you with only a small degree of distrust.

"Well, Ms...? I didn't catch your last name," Fury said, standing up.

"What is your last name?" Nat asked, noticing for the first time that nobody had ever asked.

"Yeah, why'd you never say?" Tony questioned, throwing an empty bottle in the trash as he did.

"It would appear we never considered to inquire after the nature of her surname," Vision noted.

"Yeah, you didn't," you defended, "It's Arlington, if you must know."

"Well, Ms. Arlington," Fury said, sticking out his hand, "You're apparently a very important person. Don't go doing anything stupid that will jeopardize yourself and our chances to succeed." He gave you a look as you shook his hand, a deeper implication behind his expression and words.

Does he mean Loki? Or Hydra? Clearly he somehow doesn't trust me to not be reckless.

"I won't be calling Thanos up or go knocking on Hydra's door, if that's what you're afraid of."

Fury smirked. "Some threats we can't see until they bite us in the butt."

He nodded his farewell to the others, departing for the night.

"That went well, all things considered. Told you the tacos would work," Tony smirked confidently.

"It's definitely a relief having him up to date," Steve said.

"That pirate man was very nice, don't you think?" Korg was asking Miek, who squeaked something back. "Yeah, I guess he was a little freaky."

"How're everyone's costumes coming along?" Wanda asked.

"I've bought the best that money can buy," Tony bragged.

"We're allowed to do duos, right?" Sam asked, "Cuz Rhodey and I were talking about an idea."

"You were willing to team up and didn't come to me?" Tony snapped at Rhodes in offense.

"I'm not going to be the comic relief sidekick to whatever hero you want to make yourself," Rhodey argued.

"Fine, go ahead, be partners with Sam! I don't need you to win," he declared, chugging the last of his drink, "You just know I'd outshine you in whatever duo we did, it's ok I understand. Go, spread your wings a little, I'll be waiting here when you come crawling back!" he said over his shoulder, walking from the room.

"I haven't even started thinking about mine," Bucky confessed.

"I too have not decided upon an outfit...I am unfamiliar with the nature of costumes, and therefore cannot make a calculated decision on what would be the best attire for the occasion," Vision said, sounding disappointed in himself.

"It's ok Vis, I'll help you out," Wanda smiled, "Let's go think of some ideas."

She and Vision left the room, Nat and Bruce following.

"I think I have something that'll work with mine, if you want to pair up?" Cap offered Bucky, who accepted, and the two of them went off to discuss it.

"What's your duo?" you asked Rhodey and Sam.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Rhodey scoffed, "But we're not letting you steal our idea."

"I'm doing a solo costume."

"Either way, it's a secret," Sam insisted.

"Wait, Korg, Miek, do you guys have costumes?" you asked the pair, suddenly fearful that they'd be left out.

"The man with the flashlight in his chest said he'd take care of ours, though I hope whatever he chooses doesn't make me look fat," Korg said, "I'm particularly self-conscious of this area," he said, waving to his waist, "Don't need it looking like there are a few more stones there, if you know what I mean," he chuckled.

"You look great, and I'm sure you still will in whatever Tony chooses," you assured him, patting him on the arm as you made your way from the room with him and Miek.

"Why thank you," he smiled, "May I ask what it is you'll be wearing?"

"Ah, see that is a secret. Don't want to spoil the surprise, do we?"

"No no, of course not, man. I love surprises!"

The three of you talked, or rather two of you while the third made incoherent bug noises, all the way to your floor, where you bid them goodnight. Entering your room, you checked the clock to see how long you'd have to wait before initiating the first phase of your plan. It was ten, and you wanted to wait until at least midnight, probably longer, before starting. Filling Friday in on the plan, you got her approval to at least attempt what you wanted to do.

"I guess I can call out now, even though I'm not going until later," you said.

"I think that's a good idea, ma'am."

"Ok, well here goes nothing." You sat up in bed, swinging your legs around to hang off of the edge while your eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Heimdall? Heimdall, I guess you should be able to hear me, right? Sorry if this isn't a good time. I hope I'm not bothering you. I um...I was wondering if you could get Loki for me? If he's busy and can't come, don't bother...it's a stupid reason for me needing him anyway. But if he's willing, could you possibly send him down here? Not now, I'll be outside around 12:30, which is about two hours from now. I'm trying to keep this a secret, so I'll be a little further from the compound than usual. Anyway, if no bifrost appears, then I'll just come back and carry on with a different plan, no big deal. Um...that's all, sorry to bother you!"

You felt insane talking to the ceiling, your voice sounding strange when speaking to the open air.

"I guess we'll find out," you said, grabbing your remote.

"I'm sure he'll come," Friday reassured you, "After all, he promised a while back."

"I forgot you were there for that," you laughed, "But it doesn't mean he'll come, or that he'd be free a night earlier than planned. But oh well, fingers crossed."

You turned on a horror movie to pass the time, quietly getting your shoes and coat once it was done. Opening and closing your door slowly, you held your breath as you tiptoed past Buck's door. Thankfully, in a facility as high tech as this, there was nothing old enough to creak or groan as you slunk through the hall and down the elevator. The main lights of the compound had been turned off for the night, but dimmer nighttime lights were on in many places, guiding you through the darkness. You were sure to take Friday with you via one of Tony's wristbands. Pausing at the door, you braced yourself for the chilly autumn air. It was a still night, too cold for crickets to break the silence with their pleasant chirps. The quiet amped your nerves, as any sounds would be more easily heard, giving you away.

"Friday, how we looking? Anyone awake?"

"The Boss is heading to bed now. There's nothing to indicate he's aware of your departure."

"And Vision?"

"Still in his room."

"Ok, good," you sighed, breathing a little easier.

You walked a good mile or more, wanting to put distance between you and the compound. Moving briskly through some woods, you entered a clearing you deemed far enough. Pausing on the edge of the opening, you sat and waited patiently, staring at the starry sky.

"K Heimdall, I'll give you ten minutes," you whispered to yourself, realizing afterwards that he could probably hear that too if he wished. "I meant to say that to myself, not rushing you or anything," you clarified, "Though I'm now whispering to no one, which is bizarre, so I'm gonna stop talking."

A gentle breeze blew through the trees, the beautiful aroma of the changing seasons carried with it. You hugged yourself a little tighter, drawing your knees to your chest to protect against the cool air. Glancing at the trees around you, you sighed as the sound of wind increased.

Just my luck.

Seconds later that thought was proven true, as the sound of harder winds was not swaying through the trees, but rather coming from above. The stars had been blurred out by swirling clouds. A beam of color shot down in front of you, blinding in contrast to the darkness you'd grown accustomed to. The colors faded, the skies cleared, the winds dissipated, and all was as it was before...except for the man standing in the clearing.

Loki was facing the opposite direction, looking left and right before turning around.

"Yeah, I'm over here dummy," you said, standing up.

"I'm here for less than ten seconds and the name calling has already begun," Loki smirked, walking half the distance to meet you.

"Thanks for coming," you smiled, though you'd been smiling since his form had appeared from the bifrost.

"Couldn't wait another night to see me?" he grinned.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I need an early favor. Coming on Halloween doesn't leave much planning for Halloween, now does it?"

"I'm quite adept at thinking up mischief on the spot," he boasted.

"Oh I know," you humored him, "But what I have in mind will require a bit more time to work out."

"And what exactly is it that you have in mind, Darling? I do hope it's something truly awful," he said with a wink.

"With your help it could be. We're throwing a costume party tomorrow night, just the team, but it's a contest. Now, the real prize wouldn't necessarily be winning the contest for me...but rather making this a frightful night the others won't forget."

Loki's expression could turn wickedly happy, as it did now.

"So my powers of...disguise, so to speak, will prove most helpful I'm sure," he replied, catching on to what you were thinking.

"Exactly. We just need to pick the look, plan the entrance, and keep you being here a secret until showtime."

"I like the way you think, Darling," he chuckled deeply.

"I have my moments," you shrugged, your smile still plastered on your face.

He leaned in a bit, whispering, "I think someone missed me."

"I could say the same," you answered, playfully slapping his arm, "Now let's get going, I'm starting to get cold."

Loki filled you in on the progress of Sakaar. Apparently the work was almost done. Thor and Valkyrie were getting along nicely, Loki noted like it bored him, though she kept to herself a great deal. She had refused to set eyes on Odin, occupying her time in her room or with Thor when she wasn't working to aid Sakaar.

"You'll be pleased to know I've helped out," he rolled his eyes, "Not that I hear any thanks for it."

"Do you thank Thor for his help? No, because to you he's the one leading the charge, and therefore it is you who is helping him. But maybe to Thor, you're in it together. Besides, you don't need praise for every breath you take," you snickered.

"You know, I didn't miss your tendency to speak out of turn," Loki scoffed, giving you a sideways look.

"Who's gonna tell you when you're being an idiot if not me?" you laughed.

"Oh, I don't know, Thor, the Avengers, my father," he started counting out on his fingers.

"Oh shut up," you said, slapping his hands down. He laughed, taking a deep breath of fresh October air. He looked...peaceful, dare you think that.

"Speaking of...what did your father say? About where you should stay?"

A thoughtful frown replaced his smile, his eyes finding the ground.

"He uh..." he paused for a few seconds, contemplation seeming to plague his expression.

What is he contemplating though?

You remained patiently silent, watching as Loki raised his gaze to meet your eyes. Whatever his father had told him, you'd be there to give your honest opinion and support. The indecision cleared from his eyes, and he resumed his normal attitude.

"He thinks I should continue spending time on earth...that it has been good for me and will continue to be so."

"And what do you think?"

"About whether it's been good for me? Please, you know there's nothing this planet could do for me," he answered in an overacted attempt at indifference.

"Ha, liar," you snorted, unable to not call him out on it.

"Believe what you want, Darling."

"When haven't I?"

"True, how silly of me."

Internally, you were rejoicing at the notion of Loki returning to earth eventually. You didn't want to seem excited though. One, because that's embarrassing, and two, because you weren't sure what Loki's true feelings really were. What if he was actually sad about not returning home? In that case, maybe showing that he was welcomed wasn't such a bad idea.

"For what it's worth, I'm kinda glad you have to spend some time down here. The compound's missing a certain element when you're not around," you said casually, like it was an afterthought.

"Well I'm glad you're happy," he said sarcastically, "Did you seriously have to walk this far away from the facilities though?" he asked, the compound finally coming into view through the trees.

"I couldn't risk the others hearing the bifrost. Oh, Friday? Are we still clear?"

"Everything's good," she confirmed.

"Sweet, let's keep it that way," you told Loki, "We have some planning to do, but we have to make it back up to my room without waking the others, so suppress your persistent desire to say something sassy until we've reached our destination."

"You're warning me of that?" he said in astonishment.

"Yes."

"The hypocrisy of that---"

"Shhhh," you silenced him, opening the door. It closed noiselessly behind you, Friday engaging the locks. You led the way to the elevators, making for the left hall once reaching the third floor. Loki, who had taken a few paces towards the other hall, paused in confusion.

"Oh, I changed rooms," you whispered, waving for him to follow you. He looked puzzled as he listened, walking with you to your new quarters. You closed the door softly, waiting until it was in place before easing the handle back up, the latch clicking quietly. You turned around, nearly colliding with Loki, who was standing with his hands on his hips and looking disgruntled.

"Why'd you change rooms?" he asked immediately.

"Oh, cuz Bucky was new and Steve wanted to have someone near in case he needed something or forgot where to go or anything like that."

"So he's across the hall?" Loki asked, the news apparently making his mood worse.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Sad I'm not across the hall from you?"

"No," he said quickly.

"Good, then we don't have a problem."

"I don't like Barnes."

"And he doesn't like you. I think the two long dark-haired, blue-eyed attractive guys are feeling threatened by each other," you laughed, walking over to drop your coat on your bed, kicking off your shoes as you went.

"Understandable on his part, but I assure you that is not the case for myself."

"Then why do you hate him so much?"

"He's insufferable!"

"So am I."

"And something about his stare...I don't trust him."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you."

"Can his mind be trusted?"

"Yes, Loki, he's fine."

"He could prove dangerous to you, especially residing so close."

"You trying to protect me now?"

"I told you I would," he said, looking partially hurt by your question.

"Yeah, on missions. This is Bucky we're talking about, who you know is one of the heroes I've watched for years and trust. What are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing," he said defensively, his gaze lingering on you for a bit longer before panning the room.

"So, are you good to start?" you asked, bringing his attention back around.

"I suppose you'll need sleep, so we should try to get this done in a timely manner."

Friday was able to search and display whatever you needed on the tv screen, so you and Loki spent a good twenty minutes searching for inspiration for the costume he was going to make for you...or make you into, to put it technically. He could make you look like anyone...or anything. After settling on the foundation of the stereotypical creepy girl in a white dress and matted hair, the two of you chose the best aspects of demons and zombies to incorporate in the look. Loki tested the decided finished product, looking like a fashion designer examining one of his works. He circled you, waved his hands a few more times to add some extra details, took a few steps back, had you turn at different angles, and finally declared the costume complete.

"How does it look?!!" you asked eagerly

"See for yourself," he said, sticking his hand out invitingly to the bathroom.

You walked in, gasping at your reflection and then giggling at how you'd scared yourself. Had you not known it was you in the mirror, you would have run for the hills. Staring back at you was a pale girl in a white dress with long, filthy dark hair. Her eyes were empty black voids, her skin a sickly grayish-white and decaying. Tear stains of blood trickled down her face. A gouge was taken out of her neck, as if bitten off, and the blood from the open wound had saturated parts of her dress. You opened your mouth, revealing sharp, yellow, carnivorous teeth. There were traces of dried blood and pieces of flesh stuck in the teeth. Her hands were slender and blood-stained, her nails disgusting and long, curving slightly at the ends. You glanced down at your feet, as foul and beaten as the rest of her. Loki had paid excruciating attention to detail, every aspect of her being turned into something putrid and perverse. You couldn't stop staring at the face, something straight out of a nightmare.

"Well?" Loki said from where he was leaning against the bathroom entrance, arms folded smugly with a proud look on his face.

"You've out done yourself, Mr. Odinson."

"I'm glad you think so, you do look completely grotesque. And just when I thought you couldn't look any uglier."

You laughed sarcastically, flipping him off.

"How does this work though...I mean, I still feel like I'm my regular self...in my regular clothes." You reached up to where the wound on your neck would be, but felt only your natural skin.

"It's not a physical transformation for you. I've only cast an illusion. The human eye detects what I want it to, but you remain the way you are."

"Sick," you nodded, "Well, at least we know it works. Can you un-magic me please?"

"I don't know if I want to see your other face."

"Just do it asshole!" you chuckled.

Loki waved his hand, a green light passing over you. Turning to the mirror, you saw yourself staring back this time.

"I'll scope out the party venue tomorrow, because I have no idea where Tony will host this whole shebang," you said, grabbing your pajamas from their drawer, "You'll have to stay out of sight all day I'm afraid. They'll suspect a hoax more easily if they know you're here."

"I can't reside in my room, as you walking in there to plan would be a bit of a red flag. Even your fools would put the pieces together."

"I guess you can stay here, just keep quiet when people are out and about. Hearing your voice from my room won't only give you away, it will be weird."

"Why in the Nine Realms would it be weird?" he trolled, giving you a teasing smile.

"I'm serious! They're already all over me for even talking to you. I'm not dealing with their imagined scenarios if you're caught in here."

"Imagined, yes that would be awful," he nodded, unable to contain his smile as he looked up at you.

You gave him such a disappointed look. "I will kill you."

"What? It was simply a joke, Darling. I didn't think you were one to take things in such a serious manner."

"Yeah, that's one thing you can't joke about," you said as you walked into the bathroom to change.

Coming back out after dressing for bed and doing your nightly routine, you saw Loki examining the tv remote. He quickly dropped it on the bed when you entered, turning like he wasn't trying to figure out human technology. You chose to ignore the opportunity for insult, as something else was catching your attention. Loki was in pajamas, or at least, more comfortable clothes. He wore just a plain green tunic, of looser and softer fabric, with simpler black pants. He noticed your stare, which you didn't attempt to hide.

He raised his eyebrows at you. "What?"

"You're...in pajamas?"

"Aaaand?" he said, shaking his head in confusion.

"I uh...I guess I never thought about the fact that you have pj's."

"Do you think I sleep in leather coats, belts and boots every night?" he said like you were stupid.

"No I---I guess not, its just...new, that's all."

"Yes, well, you can stop staring...or continue, if that's what pleases you," he smirked.

"Your ego's in rare form tonight," you snickered.

"Perhaps a week of having no one to entertain my remarkably humorous nature has resulted in the onslaught of charmingly witty jokes."

"And there you go again," you laughed, crawling into one side of the bed.

You were sliding your feet under the blankets as Loki spoke. He was sitting on the other side of the bed, but stood up as he talked.

"I will sleep on the floor, I presume? As to not make you uncomfortable."

"It will only be uncomfortable if you make it that way, and the others aren't here to mock. So there's no difference between two feet away on the floor in Sakaar or two feet away on a mattress here," you said distractedly, scooching down into a more comfortable position, "Just stay on your side."

Did I just agree to share a bed with Loki? you thought nervously, after pausing long enough to think it through. Well, what you said was true. It shouldn't be weird. It was anyway. You tried not to think about it as Loki shrugged and pulled back the blankets on his side.

"Very well," he said, climbing into bed.

You found yourself moving as close to the edge as was humanly possible without falling off.

"Night," you said, turning off the lamp on your side.

"Goodnight," Loki returned, shutting his light off as well.

***

You blinked a few times as you woke up, momentarily forgetting you had company. Remembering that fact, you tuned in to your surroundings. Thankfully, you were still on your side of the bed, and he on his. But your hand and foot had crossed the line, the former resting against his arm and the latter touching the side of his leg. You jerked them back immediately, glancing at the clock as you did. It was nearly eleven. You'd slept in again, though your late night was at least an excuse for being tired.

"You know I'm not diseased, right Darling?" Loki smiled, his eyes opened and looking over at you.

"What?" you said groggily.

"I'm not diseased. You don't have to be so afraid to brush against me."

"I don't like crossing over onto someone else's side of the bed."

"I didn't mind."

"Save your teasing, Loki," you groaned, tossing your blankets off roughly, covering his face with them as you did.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean," he said from under the sheets, before reaching his hand out to move them.

"I have to get downstairs before someone comes to wake me up," you said in a panic, rushing to the bathroom to get ready for the day. You prepped as best you could, having to return to your old room for clothes you'd forgotten to bring the day before. Finally, you were ready to go. Loki was dressed when you exited the bathroom for the last time. You told him to hang tight, and that you'd be back later.

The day consisted of you scoping out the venue. The party was to take place in a room designed especially for gatherings, which resided in the business building part of the compound rather than the living center. There was a bar, plenty of room for many guests on the dance floor, tables, an upper-platform area you could reach via some stairs, and a beautiful view of the grounds from the window that covered an entire side of the room. Tony had the place decorated insanely well for a Halloween party, and you could see some guys installing fog machines and different colored lights. You took in the layout of the room, the possibilities of how to unleash your prank playing through your head. With the information secured in your brain, you returned to Loki around midday, bearing food and drinks. The two of you spent a lengthy amount of time planning your course of action, running things by Friday and even including her in the hoax. You made one last appearance downstairs to avoid being suspicious, before everyone dispersed to their rooms to get ready.

"Ma'am, the last team member is heading over to the party now. You're safe to make your move," Friday informed.

"Alrighty then," you smiled, facing Loki.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm for you to take.

The two of you entered the desired building cautiously, though Friday was to inform you of anyone straying from the party.

"They've asked where you are. I've told them you're nearly done dressing."

"Oh don't worry, I'm almost there," you chuckled.

Once in position outside the room, Loki disappeared around the corner to the other entrance. He assured you he'd be able to remain hidden. It helped that the other side of the room was housing the fog machines. All you had to do was wait for the signal. The lights above you flickered, before going out completely.

"Friday?" you heard Tony call out nervously.

Here we go.

You pushed open the door, standing in the darkened doorway. Ahead of you was the group, standing closely together in readied stances as they waited to see what was going on. The only light to see by were the dim orange and red lights, which spread an eerie aura about the foggy room.

"Tony, is this you?" Steve asked.

"Kind of cool, but lights going out? Really?" Nat scoffed, "Kinda cliche don't you think?"

"Cliche or not, this is freaky as hell. Why isn't Friday answering?" Sam quivered.

"Cuz Tony told her not to," Rhodey said.

"No I didn't!" Tony insisted, "She's just not responding ok, I don't know what to tell you!"

As planned, Friday made the single light above you flicker forebodingly, calling attention to your silhouette.

"Hey hey guys!" Bucky said, hitting Steve's arm and pointing to you.

"Hey man!" Korg waved to you, before Tony grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Oh my god," Wanda gasped, her hands glowing, ready for an attack.

"Hey, let's remain calm. Wren, is that you?" Bruce asked. He was actually in on the joke. You'd pulled him aside earlier, explaining what was going to happen. The last thing you needed was a Code Green caused by a prank.

You didn't answer, but staggered forward slowly, one step at a time. As you came into the dim misty light, a noticeable gasp echoed from the team.

"Heelll no, that is NOT Wren!" Sam squealed, backing behind Bucky, who stared in wide-eyed horror at what he was seeing.

"That thing is frickin gross," Korg gasped.

"That's far enough," Vision said, and you stopped in your tracks, amusing him...as he was amusing you. Anyone who was powerful enough to blast you down right away, you'd informed of your plan. You didn't want someone getting hurt for the sake of a joke. Vis was playing his part to perfection, as you'd informed him to go with whatever happened. "State your intentions."

The team held their breaths, waiting for your response. You tilted your head slightly, staring at them with your lifeless black eyes. A chair behind them moved loudly, sliding a few feet, the work of one particular God of Mischief. Everyone jumped, whipping around to see the piece of furniture several feet closer than it had previously been. When they looked back, you'd taken a few steps more in their direction.

"No no no, stay right there," Tony said, "If you're walking the earth because someone wronged you in a past life, I can assure you this is the man you're looking for," Tony said, grabbing Rhodey's shoulder.

"Tony, now? Seriously?" Rhodey complained.

"The other day he said he doesn't believe in spirits or demons, and I said one day he'd get haunted because of that," Tony continued.

"Tony!" several people cried at once, shutting him up.

"Who are you?" Steve asked.

All of the lights at that moment began flickering violently, the cries of concern from the group raising. Suddenly, the lights shut off once again.

You slumped to the ground, pretending to have passed out.

"Well...that was easy," Korg said.

"What in the world is it?" Nat asked, taking a step towards you. Before she or anyone else could proceed further, a noise from across the room caught their attention. It was a deep, throaty, inhuman growl.

"Shit," Nat said, turning to face whatever this new threat was.

Out of the fog stepped a demonic beast on all fours, it's claws and fangs large enough to tear a person's flesh clean off. Sam, Rhodey, and Tony started cursing more vehemently than before, looking like they were ready to flee at any moment. The beast charged, Wanda raising her hands to blast the creature. Before she could, Vision stepped in, the monster colliding with him and disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

"What the fu--- what's going on?" Rhodey breathed heavily.

"I don't know," Steve said, as the overhead lights came back on and the room returned to normal.

"Where'd she go?" Bucky asked, pointing to the spot on the floor you'd previously occupied. You'd used Loki's distraction as cover to move behind the Avengers. You were now standing close to Tony and Sam, who were in the back of the group, waiting for everyone to turn around.

"Maybe she disappeared like that thing?" Nat suggested, taking a tentative step over towards the now vacant place on the floor.

Sam was the first to turn, looking nervously around the room he no longer felt safe in. When his face rotated to meet yours, the reaction was too priceless. He screamed the loudest, highest pitched scream you could ever have imagined. Everyone jumped at the noise, Tony launching several feet backwards at the discovery of the source of Sam's fear.

"Shiiiit!" Rhodey screamed, running to the other side of the room.

Bucky stepped forward, ready to fight, while Wanda, who'd initially leapt three feet in the air, recovered and formed glowing balls of energy in her fists. They all paused when they heard the laughter...your laughter. You were hunched over, breathlessly cracking up at their collective reactions.

"Wait...Wren??!" Nat asked in disbelief, the others staring on in complete shock.

"Yeah, it's me," you sputtered out.

"Woah, you went full method," Korg admired.

Steve rubbed his forehead, letting out a stressed sigh, though he couldn't hold back the smile that was creeping at the corners of his mouth.

"That is NOT ok!" Tony shouted, "Do you want me to go into cardiac arrest...again?!"

"Technically you didn't really have a heart attack previously, it was---" Bruce started, but Tony shushed him.

"What the hell even is this?" Tony continued, gesturing to your getup, "My money can buy a lot, but you're not you!"

"Sam nearly shit himself," Bucky said, laughing now.

"This is not, not cool," Sam said, still jittery, "You're so going to pay for that, you psychotic motherf---"

"Heey, no need to get nasty!" you cut him off.

"Nasty??? NASTY? YOU'RE DRIPPING BLOOD FROM A CHUNK OF FLESH RIPPED OUT OF YOUR NECK!" Sam squealed.

"That...was pretty badass, I'll admit," Rhodey nodded reluctantly.

"You're still not answering my question!" Tony said, waving a hand in front of your empty sockets, "How do you even see?"

"I may have had some help," you smiled.

"Don't do that, your grin is terrifying!" Sam protested.

"You didn't!" Nat said, understanding what had happened.

"She did, I'm afraid," Loki spoke, stepping into the middle of the room.

"YOU?! HIM?" Tony shrieked, pointing back and forth between the two of you, "Who said you could invite a plus one?"

Loki waved his hand, your disguise dropping. Nat was laughing now, and even Wanda, who had looked petrified for a bit, was chuckling.

"I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this!" you pleaded.

Tony huffed and puffed some more, but eventually even he broke into giggles, unable to not laugh at the situation. Surprisingly, everyone didn't bristle as much in Loki's presence, accepting the fact that he was now a member of the party. The rest of the night's events continued, with lots of stories of how your prank came together. Nat had punched Bruce roughly in the shoulder when she found out he was part of it, and Tony said that both his children, Friday and Vision, had stabbed him in the back. Food, music, and games consumed the rest of the evening. The costume contest was one of the last events. You were apparently disqualified, which you were fine with. Tony had come as a king, naturally, buying the best and most expensive wardrobe. He looked like something from a movie, his attire seeming completely authentic. Steve and Bucky were a cop and robber. Sam had chosen to go as Batman, with a legit Dark Knight cosplay suit. Rhodey joined him as the Joker, makeup, wig, suit, and all. Wanda had dressed as a princess, which was the most innocent thing you'd seen, Vision pairing as the knight. Bruce and Nat had come as each other, Nat painted green and wearing purple pants torn at the knees. She had a baggy and torn gray button shirt as well. She'd tucked her hair up into a wig, wearing a fake pair of glasses, evidently going as both Bruce and the Hulk. Bruce was wearing a red wig, and a tight black suit...which was the most hilarious sight you'd seen. Honestly, they both looked so adorably good that you cast your vote for them. Korg and Miek had been dressed as literal mascots. Korg was covered in Captain America gear, with a blue foam finger saying "Team Cap." Miek had a red foam finger, which said "Team Tony." He was also covered from head to toe in Iron Man getup. The fact that Tony had gone out of his way to get custom made team gear was priceless. To Tony's chagrin, Nat and Bruce won the contest, taking the trophy Tony had specifically designed for the evening's award. The night ended with the team crowded in the living room watching horror movies. You reclined on the floor, as all the seats were taken, Loki following suit. The last thing you remember before falling asleep was seeing Samara from the Ring walking towards the screen and thinking to yourself, We did it better.

Chapter 34: Update

Sorry I didn't post in the last week! I was sick pretty much all of last week and didn't touch my laptop. I've got a decent chunk of the next chapter written and I'm hoping to post it this week. But some very unexpected family stuff came up this week. I'm hoping it doesn't hinder my time to write, but there's a possibility, if things get worse, that I'll be unable to update. It really all depends on how the next week or two go and whether stuff gets sorted out alright. I wanted to let anyone who is reading this know that, just in case I like don't post and people comment and I don't respond. Just know that it's because of family things. Again, this is a worst case scenario, hopefully I'll be able to continue posting on a regular basis! Sorry again for not posting recently, I'll try to get the next chapter finished! 

 

Chapter 35: (Chapter 34) No Such Thing As a Quiet Month

Notes:

Notes: Two weeks later and I finally have it posted! Sorry again, the last two weeks have been really crazy. Also sorry for the last quarter of this if it seems rushed. I wanted to get something posted for you, but had to write the last parts on my phone cuz, as is my luck this week, my laptop mysteriously stopped working. So forgive wonky formatting or any errors that usually aren't there. Autocorrect on my phone was annoying, and I just can't write as well as on my laptop. Therefore it also took me longer to finish the last parts, so I ended up having to just wrap it up and save some stuff for next chapter. Oh, I also had to copy and paste this from where I draft it on Wattpad, and anything in italics didn't copy over cuz of my phone. I went through and fixed it all I think, but if anything looks off that's probably why. Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the wait! 

You woke up far too close to Loki, practically curled against his side. You hadn't anticipated falling asleep on the floor, so the subconscious desire to remain on your side of the imaginary boundaries had apparently not kicked in. You softly drew yourself back, not wanting to wake him up. He looked more peaceful than any other time you'd seen him asleep. Surprisingly, he appeared to remain unconscious. You stood up quietly, noticing that Loki had given you his blanket again. You hesitated a moment before placing it over him gently, careful not to hit his face and disturb him.

If he can do it for me, I can do it for him, you smiled to yourself.

Taking account of the room and its inhabitants, you were relieved to see everyone still passed out. They'd had a few too many drinks last night. You'd had one or two, but you were careful not to get drunk. The last thing you needed was doing or saying things in front of the Avengers that you wouldn't remember the next day. You tiptoed away, retreating upstairs to shower and change. Everything was still quiet when you came back downstairs, so you decided to go for a walk, not wanting to wake anyone by rummaging in the kitchen. You weren't far down the path from the compound when a voice called out to you.

"Ms. Wren?" Vision said, stopping you in your tracks.

You turned to see him gliding towards you. He smiled pleasantly, saying good morning.

"I didn't know you were awake. I hope I didn't wake you up?"

"If you will recall, I do not sleep," he explained, "I may have looked it, and I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but I was aware of your movements."

"No, of course, I forgot you don't technically sleep. You don't have to apologize."

"Right, yes, my apologies---I mean, just alright," he corrected when you raised your eyebrows at his second request for forgiveness.

"You're hilarious, you know that?" you chuckled.

He seemed to contemplate this notion for a minute.

"Well, I have been attempting to further understand the nature of some of the comments made frequently by the team, as I am often informed they are just joking. I'm glad my research seems to have paid off," he grinned.

"Is there anything you needed, or were you just coming along for the walk?" you asked, as the two of you started down the path again.

"I was hoping I would get to join you, yes. But I'd be deceiving you if I withheld the fact that I had hoped to discuss something."

"Yeah, what is it?" you asked curiously, unsure what was pressing enough that Vision wanted to have a discussion about it.

"I was wondering what your thoughts are on the actions of Shane Walsh?"

"Shane?! From the Walking Dead?" you asked in surprise.

"Is that alright?" he said worriedly.

"No, yeah it's fine. I just was making sure I had the right Shane."

Well that was unexpected.

"You see, I've been thinking quite a lot about what his view of humanity is compared to that of Mr. Grimes, and I've come to some points I'd like to discuss with you, as you've had a considerably longer amount of time to process the show and its moral dilemmas."

"Vision...welcome to a fandom," you grinned.

The two of you walked for quite some time, getting into deep and thoroughly nerdy talks about humanity, morality, society, and other such topics, all in regards to how they're represented in the show. Although Vision would play devil's advocate in order to bring up debatable issues, you found that the two of you agreed on who was right and wrong in the show.

"In survival case, it isn't enough to just survive if you give up who you are to do it. Yes, trusting people may get them into trouble, as they could get backstabbed, but if they harden themselves and never give anyone a chance, then what is the point of living anyway? If we don't take the chance to help others, does it matter that we persevered? What do we have to pat ourselves on the back for?" you were saying towards the end of your stroll.

"One could argue that the reverse is true. That what is the point of sentiment and trust if it leads to your death, thus making you unable to further help your friends or family?"

"If your family and friends know who you are, hopefully they understand why you did what you did. I'd rather die having tried to help someone then to have been a coward and saved myself."

"And if such opinions endanger your loved ones?"

"That's a tough question. Do we have the right to endanger others just because we ourselves are willing to go out on a limb? I tend to think all humans should cherish their capacity to care, and even be willing to sacrifice themselves for someone else."

"I agree that, in the end, holding true to morality and tenderness is the more humane thing to do, and that as humans you are more than basic primitive instincts."

"Exactly! It is tough though, because some would argue that our survival instinct is what has kept us alive, helped us evolve, and so is the most natural and human thing to embrace. Which is why the show brings up the hard choice of becoming a killer to survive, in a kill-or-be-killed world, or holding to the sense of civility and respect instilled in us through centuries of laws and society, at the risk of getting consumed by those who are embracing the harshness of the new world."

"There is a third option though, which I think the characters fail to realize. Humans can toughen themselves without losing who they are. Hardening one's self does not have to include the slaughtering of any outsiders or the locking of one's heart. Conversely, being kind does not bind someone to weakness or foolishness. One can be both cautious and defensive, while also still human."

"Yeees, Vis you're preaching to the choir. Trust me, this becomes an even bigger issue later on in the show."

"It's a fairly simple calculation. For example, consider your defense of Loki in the face of his verbal persecution. The others were not being inhumane to distrust or condemn him, however they were firm in their stance. Alternatively, you were equally rigid in your belief that he could be trusted eventually and redeemed. Either opinion, without the other, could have led to a less than favorable outcome. However, combine the two, the caution of the others and your determination to see him helped, and you have the middle ground, which, in my humble opinion, is the best. We've made it clear to Loki that, should he step out of line, he will face the judgement of every man and woman in the compound. Yet your kindness to him has noticeably changed his attitude, and he's benefited more from our aid than he may care to admit. When he benefits, thus encouraging him to continue doing the right thing and decreasing the likeliness of him turning on us, then we, too, benefit."

"Can you print that out and hang it around the compound? Cuz I swear the others can't see it that way half the time."

"They must remain vigilant, so you can continue to focus your energies on helping him. Not that you should let down your guard entirely. In a perfect world, the middle ground would be reached individually by everyone. However, for the time being, the others are providing the extra defensive and intimidating aspect that you lack when handling Loki. The resulting mix is a functional one, and I can only predict it will get better as you learn to defend yourself, Loki commits to his redemption, and the others begin to trust him more. At that point, a perfect balance will have been met, as it should."

"I'm not so sure I can defend myself against anyone, let alone Loki," you snickered.

"Once you are trained, you'll stand a better chance. Especially taught by Ms. Romanoff."

"Taught by Nat?"

"Oh, forgive me for speaking out of turn. I assumed you'd been informed," he looked at you embarrassed.

"Informed about what? Is Nat supposed to train me??"

"Well, in the end I am sure you will have learned from most, if not all, of the team. It will be a collective effort, as it is when we train together. However, she will be your primary instructor, especially for the beginning weeks."

"Awesome!" you squealed excitedly, though you were equally nervous, "When are we supposed to start?"

"They discussed starting in the new month, so I would not be surprised if someone were to approach you today regarding the manner."

"You're gonna need to carry me out on a stretcher after a session with Natasha."

Vision laughed, before stopping abruptly. "That was a joke?" he half asked, half stated, looking to you for confirmation.

"Yes," you laughed.

He smiled, looking relieved and allowing himself to chuckle some more.

"I will not lie to comfort you. Ms. Romanoff is a demanding coach when she teaches Ms. Maximoff. But she is also patient and the best instructor you could hope to find."

"Yeah from what I've seen she's not harsh, but she holds high standards. She'd keep Wanda in the same move for an hour if she had to until she got it right."

"Indeed, though Ms. Maximoff is a rather fast learner, so rarely will they remain for extreme lengths on a particular lesson," Vision said, quick to compliment Wanda's capability.

"That sounds like Wanda," you agreed, "With my luck I'll be stuck in there til Christmas trying to learn how to throw a punch."

"It is amusing how you insult yourself," Vision laughed lightly, saying it like it was a peculiar thing for you to do, "The others often say those things about each other, which I have learned to find humorous, but it is silly how you say it casually about yourself. Oh, and I have yet to congratulate you on the hoax you pulled during last night's festivities. You had the room truly petrified, and your disguise was absolutely horrific. I mean that as a compliment, seeing as your goal was to instill fear."

"The Best Actor Award goes to you, buddy! Had you not played your part so damn well, they never would have believed it. Thanks for helping us out."

"I thank you for your compliments, I did try to appear convincing. I must admit, I found the deception of the whole affair rather enjoyable, in a mildly satisfying way...is that odd?"

"Not at all, Vis. Messing with people, and even lying about it, can be fun, as long as it doesn't go to an extreme."

"Like how Loki takes pride in severe double-crossings?"

"Precisely. He gets a little carried away."

"Well...if you are ever in need of a 'Best Actor' to aid in any future attempts at scaring people for enjoyment, I shall be greatly happy to step in."

"The Prank Wars with Loki are still on, whether he's forgotten or not, so I'm sure I could use some allies."

You were back at the compound now, so you returned to the kitchen, where Cap, Buck, and Wanda were making breakfast. Tony, Clint, and Sam were nowhere to be seen, having already returned to their rooms to deal with their hangover. Rhodey wasn't far behind, stumbling down the hall moments after you and Vision entered. Korg and Miek were still passed out with Nat in the living room, and Loki was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Loki?" you asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Who cares," Bucky answered, sitting down with a plate of eggs.

"He's in his room," Wanda gave the helpful response, "The only thing he grumbled before leaving the room."

"He's gotta stop being so anti-social...well, ok, I'm anti-social a lot in the real world, but that's besides the point."

"Nope, he can continue what he's doing, no complaints here," Bucky said, sipping his juice.

Steve nudged Bucky in the back, giving him a look as he placed some eggs in front of you.

"Aw thanks Cap!" you said gratefully, as Bucky gave Steve a confused stare.

"What Steve? You like spending time with him?"

"If he's going to be spending time here, it's best for everyone if we ease the tension in the air. The more normal time we include him in, the more comfortable both parties will feel," Steve explained.

"We don't want to feel comfortable around him, do we?" Bucky asked genuinely.

"I was discussing this topic with Ms. Arlington this morning," Vision stepped in, "It would appear that Loki has benefitted from his time with us, having arrived in a better place than going alone has ever yielded. Whether he is planning deceit is unclear, but one cannot deny how Loki has warmed up to the notion of working with, rather than against, the Avengers, his brother, and his own father. Logic points to him not wanting to throw that away. The future steps are going to involve Loki committing to his redemption more fervently and those in this compound trusting him more. Rushing into it is not wise, but gradually including him in our lives will only benefit us, as Loki can only stand to gain from our aid and protection. Additionally, his personality could be influenced and further changed by being around us, rather than isolating him. His isolation in the past, both emotionally and physically, whether imagined or real, is what led him down the path he chose. We would be foolish to let those old wounds fester when our interactions with him have, by all accounts, seemed to begin healing them."

"Damn, it's official, Vis is my attorney for any arguments. If you disagree with me, you can take it up with him," you said through your chewing.

"So we can agree we should try to call him back down? Offer him some breakfast?" Steve said, looking to Bucky.

"You're the boss, Captain America," he sassed with a smirk.

"What if he's, you know...like the others this morning," Wanda suggested.

"He's not, he's Asgardian and wouldn't get drunk from the amount he had last night. Besides, he seemed completely sober when we settled down for the movies. Nah, he's just being antisocial."

"Friday, please ask Loki if he'd like to join us for breakfast. We're making eggs," Steve said.

"Sure thing, sir," Friday replied, going silent for a bit before speaking again. "He says he's not hungry."

"Bull," you chuckled, putting your fork down, "Friday, please tell him I can smell that load of crap from down here."

"He says 'Are you sure it isn't Barnes you're smelling?'" Friday relayed.

"How did I get dragged into this??" Bucky exclaimed, looking at the ceiling as if Friday were the problem.

"Don't shoot the messenger, sir," Friday said.

"Ok, but seriously," you said through giggles, "Tell him to stop being a baby and come down."

"He says you do not order him around."

"Ok, tell him I'm asking kindly that he comes down."

"He says humility is a closer attempt, but not close enough. Keep going."

"Yeah, alright," you grumbled, pushing your chair back from the table, "I'll be right back."

A few moments later you were knocking on Loki's door. It swung open of its own accord, no one seemingly behind it to have done the action themselves. Stepping in the room, you saw Loki had begun redecorating it with Asgardian design. His theme of green, black, and gold playing throughout the place. Reclining on the now regal-looking bed was Loki, book in hand and smug grin on his face.

"Good morning, Darling, did you bring breakfast with you?"

"Ha," you said drily, walking to the side of his bed, "Let's go."

"I don't have anywhere to be," he said, licking his finger to flip the page in a slow and deliberate manner.

"Well, you can't stay in here all day."

"Can't I?" he answered in a bored tone.

"You didn't any other time you were here, what's the difference now?"

"Before I was here temporarily until the missions of utmost importance were complete. Now, seeing as I'm stuck on this dull rock with no impending work to do, I shall elect to reside in here. Besides, I'm sure your friends are not pleased by my return."

"Lame excuse, and a lie," you sighed, folding your arms

"Excuse me?" he said, looking up from his book with narrowed eyes.

"You're lying. Seriously, Loki, you think I'm going to believe that how the Avengers feel about you gives you pause for even a second? Additionally, you could have stayed in your room between missions, rather than hang with the group, but you didn't, so doing it now doesn't make any sense. Oh, and I remember you telling me that you weren't just going to sit in your room to make my job of watching you that one time easier, so why would you want to sit in here now? You're messing with me or there's a deeper problem, but spare me the sad lies. For the god of lies, you're becoming increasingly bad at them."

Loki groaned a sigh, rolling his feet gracefully off the bed and standing, flicking the end of his tunic behind him dramatically as he did.

"So I'm right?"

"No, but you won't shut up until I yield."

"That means I was right," you said arrogantly, strolling out the door, Loki close behind.

"Thanks again by the way, for last night" you said as he fell into step beside you, strutting his classic Loki walk.

"If it involves messing with the Avengers, I'm more than willing to lend assistance. Though I suppose you do owe me," he said in a way that hinted at infinite mischievous possibilities.

"I guess I do."

"Oh, and I recall a time when I was coaxed into providing a tour, which I can also request a favor in return, so that's two debts."

"I stopped the Hulk from beating the living daylights outa you, so that one is scratched off the list," you argued as you pressed the down arrow for the elevator.

"I didn't ask for or need your assistance."

"Right," you laughed, "Nevertheless, it's a favor, and as such I cross my first debt off the list."

"Fine, then I am declaring right now that your remaining debt can only be paid by completing a favor I've requested. If you want to run around with foolish ideas of heroism in your head, that is hardly my fault, Darling."

"Yo that's not fair! What if my 'foolish ideas' save your skin in the future? You'd benefit from it even if you didn't ask for it, so that should count."

"I wasn't asking for your approval," he grinned, "I was telling you how it is going to be, whether you deem it fair or not. Besides, fair is all about point of view, and mine is all that matters when it comes to you owing me."

"A little tyrannical don't ya think?" you scoffed, glancing at him as you walked out of the lift.

His smirk screamed authority and the enjoyment of flaunting it.

"Precisely."

"You're lucky I'm nice," you gave in.

"Ah yes, it is your kindness by which you yield to my demands."

You couldn't help but laugh at Loki's tone, the one he uses when asserting power or dominance. The funny thing is, he wasn't trying to play around, at least you didn't think he was, but watching him on screen for ten years made you like a giddy fangirl when he assumed his classic Loki authoritarian stance.

"I'm done questioning why you laugh," he sighed, "I presume it is because I'm being my predictable self."

"I shouldn't condone your 'I'm in charge' attitude, but it's just so you that it's enjoyable at this point. It won't get you everything, so don't go getting any ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled, the two of you walking into the kitchen.

Steve, Wanda, and Vis each greeted Loki in some way, Bucky only looking up once to glare, which Loki promptly returned. Cap served Loki a plate of food, which he surprisingly mumbled a thank you as he took. A few minutes later, in the midst of a conversation, you noticed Nat stumble to her feet.

"Morning Nat," Steve called over.

She winced like he'd screamed it, grumbling something incoherent back.

"Vis told me I'm supposed to train?" you said, Nat's presence reminding you of that fact.

Despite addressing Steve, Nat, thinking you'd asked her, responded aggressively, trying to quiet you before you spoke again.

"Tomorrow!" she barked, staggering down the hall.

"Yeesh, got it," you nodded, smiling as the others snickered.

"I guess that answers it," Steve grinned, "We'll all be helping out as you progress, but Nat is the best at self-defense, so you'll spend the length of basics with her."

"It's about time you learned to be useful," Loki whispered, earning a kick in the leg.

"All this means is I'll be able to punch you harder."

"I look forward to your attempt. I can use it to teach you how to protect yourself when someone flips you to the ground."

"Dude seriously, can you? I'd feel more comfortable failing to attack you if I knew I could, ya know, protect myself against the results."

Bucky was staring at you like you were nuts.

"Lighten up, Buck. You'd drop kick me too if I tried to beat you."

"No I wouldn't."

"So you'd let me hit you? Fine, I guess I beat you in a fight."

"You wouldn't beat me, but I'd gently destroy you," he said, shooting a look at Loki.

"And Loki said he'll teach me to take the loss with the least amount of pain."

"Well, least amount isn't fun, is it?" Loki mused, tilting his head in mock contemplation, "Maybe, decreased? Slightly less? But where's the lesson learned if there's no pain?"

Bucky opened his mouth to snap something back, but thought better of it, swallowing down his remark. He must have realized Loki says things to get a rise out of people.

"So it does learn?" Loki said in surprise, having to try again after his first attempt at getting Bucky riled up had failed.

"That you seek attention like a spoiled kid? Yeah, I've picked up on that. What, did daddy not love you enough as a child?"

"Bucky, back off," Steve cautioned, the look on Loki's face growing dark.

"Ignore him," Wanda said to Loki, but he kept his gaze fixed firmly on Barnes.

"You should listen to the Captain," Loki warned, "After all, doing what others command is like second nature for you, right? A mind pathetically weak, easy to break, easy to bend. The perfect tool to be wielded by the wills of others. You crawl around for decades, slaughtering like the mindless beast that you are, tearing families apart." 

Loki was locked in now, paying no attention to the words of you or Cap, who had told him to stop multiple times. He said everything deliberately slow, his words laced with venom and emphasized in such a way to cause the most pain. Bucky's jaw was set tightly, the poor man nearly trembling from trying to hold himself back. 

"Says the Frost Giant," he shot back, "I've been asking around....what's your species known for again? How much violence? Why do you think dear old mom and dad cast you out?"

Loki made to lash back, either physically or verbally, standing swiftly.  Before he could do either, you grabbed his arm and yanked him hard. He whipped around, hand ready to strike. His eyes looked crazed, but he managed to restrain himself at the last second. He stared at you for a bit, breathing heavily. Sanity crept back into his face, eyes flickering with remorse. You'd winced at his motion, having anticipated the hand to fly. Now you stared back unsure what to think. His look had frightened you, as it was deadly enough to frighten anyone, but mainly you felt shock at what he'd been about to do. And lastly, you could feel the mixed emotions of relief, at him having restrained himself, and dread, as he'd nearly attacked you in front of the others. If their trust was thin in him already, this certainly wasn't going to help. They were prepared to pounce, Cap having jumped behind Loki in an instant. He stood there waiting to see what would happen. Bucky and Wanda had risen to their feet, Vis slowly hovering around the table to be of quicker aid, should things turn south again. No one said a word as emotions continued to play across Loki's face. Finally, with a still angered and grave expression, he pulled his arm free of your grasp, storming past you for the hall.

"Yeah, and I'm the monster," Bucky scoffed.

"BUCKY SHUT UP!" you shouted furiously. He looked down, not returning your glare.

Loki had paused, and you prayed he didn't say anything back.

Just keep walking, pleeease.

"Why don't you ask Stark? I'm sure, given your...history, with the family, he'd have an honest answer for exactly what you are, Barnes."

And with that, Loki marched out of the room. Your eyes went wide at his remark, Bucky's expression more shocked than yours.

"Wha---you told him?!" Bucky accused angrily, walking around the table to confront you.

"Told what? What's going on?" Wanda asked worriedly, not understanding Loki's comment.

"I-I didn't tell, he, he just figured it out on his ow--by himself, I didn't tell," you stuttered.

"Oh save it, Wren!" he said, his voice low and serious, "No one just guesses something like that."

"He noticed I was awkward when you and Tony were meeting for the first time, so he asked. He knew something was up! But I didn't just go around telling peopl---"

"But you did tell him? You answered when he asked?" he continued, looking more and more upset.

"He can tell when I'm lying."

"Then you don't tell and he deals with not knowing!" Bucky said, his voice raising again.

"I'm sorry, ok? I didn't think there was any harm in---"

"No harm in that man knowing something like that?!"

"If you'd tell Tony already, it wouldn't be an issue!" you yelled, starting to get angry at everything, "And maybe, JUST MAYBE, it felt good to have someone know. Keeping a secret that could potentially tear the team apart and having to worry about how to fix the problem can be a little much, ok?! Loki kept your damn secret until you had to go poking him with a stick!" you shouted, pushing him in the chest. The two of you were face to face now.

"You're going to act like I started that? The man starts the insults but can't take them!"

"He was trying to mess with you, but he said nothing hurtful until you hit him with the daddy comment. No no no, don't play innocent with me!" you said quickly in response to his expression of ignorance, "You knew DAMN WELL that comment was going to hit home, and he knew it too. You want to play dirty, he'll play dirty!"

"Don't skip over the problem here, you told him something that---"

"Is that all you can go back to??? Stop, no no, shut it, shut it!" you said, talking over him every time he tried to say something. "Whether me telling him was something I shoulda done or not is irrelevant to the problem right now! You don't like Loki, I get that, but did you possibly think that maybe provoking him like that wasn't the smart thing to do??? Not to mention the shittiest thing! It didn't feel too good when he came at your personal problems in your history, did it?"

"So you're defending him again--"

"Oh no no no, he's gonna hear it from me later, but you're just as much to blame, and you started it. Both people can be wrong here! You got him so worked up he almost nailed me!"

"Just shows he's not safe to be arou---"

"No, he held himself back! His violent nature, which is his fallback and weakness when dealing with his family life, came out because of the things you said! It doesn't excuse him from almost doing it, but that whole 'trying to teach him to be better' is going to be hard with you working against it at every turn! Do you want him to crack and go ballistic on people??? Would that make you happy? Didn't think so! He's only as dangerous as you push him to be, and you, being equally as hotheaded and braindead as Loki, nearly went that far!"

There was a pause where no one said anything, and you took the opportunity to calm your breathing. Bucky's stare was hard to read, but you maintained eye-contact nonetheless, waiting for him to say something. Cap took a step next to the two of you, placing a hand on Buck's shoulder.

"Bucky...she's right. You can't anger him needlessly like that," he said diplomatically, sure not to appear angry himself.

"So that justifies him almost hitting her?" Bucky shot back, turning his gaze on his friend.

"No, it doesn't. And she's also right that he has blame in this situation too, but you have to be more careful. I'll have to address all of this with him too, but, for now, step down. She didn't go around spreading your secret, he pried it from her, and she didn't mean any harm when telling him."

"Anyone with an ounce of sanity would never stand willingly within six feet of that man, let alone tell him anything. You saw his face, his eyes. There's nothing new there, Steve. That madness is constantly ready to burst, you can see it oozing out of him. Why do you think Sam and I do what we do?"

"Because you have the maturity level of five-year-olds?" you offered.

"Because the more we expose what's underneath, the more you'll see what he is. What he really is, not what he's tricked you into believing. He nearly blew his cover, that's why he restrained himself. You think it was out of any care for you? He was outnumbered! Like it or not, that's what he is, Wren, and he'll reveal his true colors one day when we're not here to frighten him off!"

With that, Bucky walked out of the room, not looking back or saying another word.

"Good morning, guys! How are you all today? Sorry Miek and I seem to have slept quite a while, what did we miss?" Korg said, standing up from the couch with a yawn.

You couldn't even laugh at his timing, or the fact that he somehow slept through the screaming, missing the whole thing. Anger was still pumping through you, making you feel as if you'd cry from frustration or break something. Neither were good options...at least not here...so you elected to retreat to your room, where both choices might appear more appealing.

"I'll see you guys later," you said, leaving for the elevator before anyone could try one of their peptalks.

Stepping into the third-floor lounge, you briefly considered going right and screaming at Loki. As fun as yelling at someone seemed, you were burnt out from Bucky, not wanting to deal with...well, anything at the moment. You weren't sure where Buck had gone, but, on the chance that he was in his room, you slammed your door dramatically. Being fired up in a contained space wasn't as fun as it had initially sounded in your mind. You paced back and forth, too irritated and restless to sit. The morning's events were replaying in your head, along with a million thoughts and arguments you should have used. In the end, there was nothing to do besides flop on your bed and turn on something to distract you. It didn't help, and you found yourself zoning out, still arguing with a Bucky and Loki that weren't in the room and beating yourself up for not having stopped the fight before it escalated. The pain behind your eyes is what convinced you to turn everything off and lay down.

When in doubt, sleep your troubles away. 

The unpleasant thoughts carried over into sleep, commandeering your dreams and causing a fitful rest. A gruff voice pulled you awake, and you rolled over to see who it was. Loki stood there, looking as upset as he had downstairs.

"Ugggh," you groaned, rolling back over.

"Oh grow up and pay attention," he said like it was meant to be playfully serious. You weren't having any of it.

"Me grow up?" you croaked in your groggy voice, though still facing the other side of the room, "Me?"

"Yes, alright? I need to speak with you before I leave."

"Oh dear heavens," you sighed, "You're seriously gonna do that? Run away like the dramatic ass you are? Sounds about right." You pulled a pillow over your head, hoping he'd go before an argument could break out. Of course you didn't want him to go, but you weren't going to beg him to stay.

He's a big boy, he can make his own decisions. Let him do whatever the hell he wants.

Naturally, things could never be as simple as you hoped, and the pillow was pulled off your head.

"If what you're about to say isn't an apology for what happened downstairs, then I don't wanna hear it."

"I---I'm sorry for almost striking you. It was an instinctive move...I'd never do it."

"I know," you said, starting to feel more sympathetic, "And the things you said to Buck?"

"You want me to apologize for that?" he exclaimed.

"Well, the two of you apologizing to each other would be the grown up thing to do, which means it'll never happen."

"I warned you things would never go well between myself and those pathetic beings you worship," he started angrily.

Insulting the others? Check, you thought, wondering how many angry Loki stereotypes you would have to sit through.

"I never wanted to be here, but I tried for my father's sake," he continued.

Reaffirming for the hundredth time that he doesn't want to be here, almost like he's trying to convince himself of that, but no one really knows? Check. Lemme guess, somehow it's gonna come back around to being my fault?

"But I will not reside in a building, barely tolerating the inhabitants, to have someone like Barnes speak so callously. He should be dead, had I been able to do what I wanted, and he won't be so lucky should another such incident break out."

Damn, I forgot about the show of strength/vague threat he can never follow up on. Oh well, check.

"Had you not taken the liberty to spill my life to anyone you wished, he never would have known those things as it is!"

There it is! I was getting worried for a sec.

"Additionally, you sit here forcing me to partake with your fools, hoping, like the child you are, that we'll all hold hands and laugh as the sun sets on whatever fantasy you've painted for yourself! I let myself get dragged by your miserable optimism, amusing the poor creature whose existence was so void of meaning that she threw herself, literally, into her fictions, led by false hopes of being the savior of a universe that, being grander and more complex than her sad world, has only proven how insignificant she is!"

Hurtful? Check. 

You should have said something back, but you were shocked by his sudden attack, despite your attempts to convince yourself otherwise. He stopped, evidently done with his outburst. You didn't move or say anything, choosing to close your eyes and let him leave of his own accord. There was nothing you could say to him that wasn't already apparent. He'd know exactly what your thoughts on his feelings, and where he could shove them, would be. Let him come to his own conclusions about what you thought about him. If he was how Bucky said he was, and how you knew him often to be, then he would never admit he was wrong. But, if he was like the man who apologized on Asgard, admitting that he'd actually done something wrong, then his own remorse and guilt would be a far greater punishment than any screaming you could give. In fact, he probably expected you to argue...maybe even wanted it. It wasn't worth it. So you continued facing the opposite wall, waiting for the sound of the door.

"Are you just going to ignore me?" he asked like it was something only a coward would do. "That's it? You have nothing to say?" he continued, though his voice contained a hint of desperation.

Good, you smiled to yourself.

"Very well," he said, clearing his throat, "Goodbye then, Dar---" he paused, not finishing the sentence, "I'm sure we'll unfortunately cross paths again." His voice sounded far less angry, more like forced sternness, and you wondered if he was already feeling sorry. The door closed, leaving you in silence.

I should have said something, you started regretting, If not to defend myself, then to at least address the problem in any kind of instructive way. Remember what Vision said this morning. He shouldn't be isolated. He's hurting himself and potentially everyone else by leaving. But it's not my problem. Is it though? I've committed to helping people, not just saving them. Can I let Loki make a stupid decision because I'm too damn proud to ask him to stay? Was he serious about everything he said? He couldn't have been, at least with some of it. If he didn't at least somewhat like it down here, he never would have listened to his father or anyone who told him to do so. And the hurtful things he said? Well, he's not wrong about them. Was he just upset and didn't mean them? He's done that a few times since we've met, and I've called him on his bluff or let the things roll over. He's admitted he didn't mean the threat, so he was probably just blowing off some steam. But I tend to justify a lot of what he does. But that's because I know him better than others and I know it's important to give him a chance so he can change before, ya know, he get's his neck crushed. Whether he's playing me or not...I agreed to being friends. But friends don't say the things he said. Well, that's not true. You've said things to family and friends you regretted, and vice versa. Did I stop being friends with anyone who ever said something wrong? Well, usually they apologize. There's no guarantee Loki will. But does that mean I'd let a friend make a stupid decision out of spite? I should at least attempt to say something, to tell him off and to try to come to some sort of better resolution. 

With a large sigh you pushed yourself out of bed, rushing to the door.

If he's already gone I'll have Heimdall bring me up.

You opened the door, running hard into Loki.

"Whoa," he said in surprise, holding your shoulders to steady you, "Forgive me."

"No no, I I wasn't looking, I'm sorry I just wasn't expecting you to be right in front of the door," you spat out rapidly.

"Did I hurt you at all?" he asked.

"Nah, no you're fine, I'm good," you said, laughing it off.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, still holding you in front of him.

"Yeah really, it's all good."

"Alright," he said, finally lowering his hands from your shoulders, "Where were you heading in such a hurry?" he asked curiously.

"Oh I was just..." you said lightly, before remembering the answer, "...going to find you, who do you think you are???" you finished, with a raised voice.

He smiled at that.

"Oh, this isn't funny!"

"I know it isn't," he said sincerely, though his grin remained.

"Then what's with the smile?"

"I'm just glad to see no friend of mine is willing to let someone speak to her like that."

"Well isn't that just hilarious," you said sarcastically, "Because who was the one who said those things??? Oh yeah, I know!"

"I know, I know, Darling, I regretted those things the moment I said them."

"Bit of a quick change of heart."

"Not too hard to change when you don't mean what you were saying in the first place."

"Certainly sounded like you meant it!"

"I was angry, you know me."

"That's not an excuse!"

"Which is why I couldn't make it past the elevator!" he insisted, "I wasn't going to leave having hurt you."

"Hurt? Who said I was hurt? I don't care what you think of me or say."

"In most cases, that's true about you, Darling. An admirable trait. But if you're speechless after something, when you're usually so quick to snap back, I can only imagine the words affected you more than you let on."

"So now you're the expert on people?"

"People? Gods no, I could never dedicate myself to understanding such a lost cause. But you? I think I'm learning."

"Why? After all, I'm an insignificant useless---"

"Will you let me apologize?" he pleaded, "I know I haven't the right to ask, but I want you to know that I didn't mean those things."

"Regardless, you brought up Bucky's traumatized years as a brainwashed assassin! Called him a monster, as if people who have done things like that can never come back from them. Loki, you of all people should see the stupidity and hypocrisy of something like that!"

"And we're to ignore how he did the same? Even started--"

"I already ripped him apart downstairs, ok!? But, as I told him, you're to blame too! Don't ever say something like that to him again! Hell, Cap and Wanda were stepping in too, we all knew he was wrong. You don't need to escalate it like that, it's what he wants, just as him lashing out was exactly what you wanted! You two try messing with each other, which is ok to a degree, but none of you can ever just leave it at harmless jokes! You had to keep prying at him til he cracked."

"I will not apologize for returning what was given...but I'm sorry I let it get out of hand. I should not have pushed him, knowing the consequences that may result...and the harm it could place you in."

"And Tony's parents!?" you said, a little more hushed, not wanting any prying ears to hear. "Do you know how first, that's sick to use against someone, and second, you caused so much trouble? What if Tony was there? Would you have said it anyway? I'm worried now that stuff I tell you might be used against me or others if you can't control yourself in certain moments!"

"I wouldn't have said it, had Stark been present."

"Can you be sure of that?!"

He looked solemnly at you, shaking his head.

"No. I suppose I can't."

"Exactly. Hell, Buck was furious. Granted, I don't feel bad telling you and he had no right to yell at me, given the catastrophe he almost caused downstairs. But he's not wrong in his points if I can't tell him for certain that you're able to be trusted with that kind of stuff."

"I can't be trusted," he said bitterly, "You know this."

"I want to change that, but you gotta help me out a bit. I only have your word to go by, and I'm notorious for giving you the benefit of the doubt. If you have no interest in whether I trust you or not, please let me know cuz it will save me a lot of trouble. I'm me, ok? Trusting is my flaw."

He smiled softly.

"That's why I don't trust anyone."

"And look where that's gotten you. If you never trust anyone, you'll be alone. I'd rather go through betrayal or heartbreak than to have never been close enough with anyone to feel those kind of pains."

He looked at you for a bit more, before fixating his eyes on his fidgeting hands.

"Then believe me when I say...that I feel remorse for almost hitting you and for the things I said. And I would not feel such a pain if I hadn't bothered getting to know you. But I don't regret doing so, despite friendship making me have to feel guilt and repercussions for my words and actions."

You let his words sink in, eventually sighing.

"Call me insane for doing this...but I forgive you. I always will, if you apologize. Despite what you may have told yourself, you're a person like everyone else. People make mistakes, and mistakes are opportunities to learn."

"A person like everyone else? Did you have to hit so low?" he joked, putting on a hurt face.

"It's what your mother would have said," you smiled.

He smirked sadly at that, and you momentarily felt bad for bringing her up.

"It is," he said, making you mentally sigh in relief.

"Listen...I know you don't feel anything for Bucky or his situation. But if the others are gonna put in the effort to give you a chance---"

"Are they?" he scoffed, "That's news to me."

"You sound a little too bitter for someone who doesn't care whether they trust him or not," you said, raising an eyebrow, "And, yes, they are trying. We were literally talking about it this morning, which is why Steve wanted you to have breakfast with us. So if they're willing to give you a chance, please try to understand Bucky's past and be a little more sensitive about it? You knew where to hit where it hurt, so you must know how traumatic a past like that is. For the very same reason you wouldn't want him teasing you about your family issues, please don't go off about his history like that...please?" you repeated when his face promised anything but what you were asking.

Loki sighed, shaking his head. "If Barnes keeps my life out of his mouth...I will refrain from discussing his past."

"Thank you," you smiled gratefully.

"And I'm sorry for...for, well, spilling your secret like that. It wasn't mine to tell."

"If I wasn't still just a bit mad, I may even admire, in a sadistic way, how you dropped it like that and just walked out. Like, ultimate mic drop right there."

"I aim to please, Darling," he grinned.

"Doesn't mean it was right," you said more seriously.

"Yes, I know that, thank you," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh just know that you might hear some kind of talk from Steve..."

"Can't you just tell him you spoke to me already and spare me his voice?"

"I mean, I could try...in theory...but I don't think I will."

"Aren't friends supposed to help each other out?" he scolded.

"I am, cuz I think you need to engage more with the others, and also serve some kind of punishment. If hearing Cap's voice is the equivalent to a punishment for you, then you'll take your lumps like a big boy."

"How about you don't try to be a mother, and instead the friend that wants to get me out of trouble? What happened to the girl who wanted to prank the whole team? Where did she go?"

"She disappears when you get her angry, which you did downstairs, so sorry I can't help. Unless...you want to cash in that favor I owe you?"

"Oh no, Darling," he chuckled darkly, "When I make my request, it will be for more than a respite from the Soldier's speech. Good try though."

"Yeah, it was worth a shot."

"What do you do nowadays, now that you aren't jumping from mission to mission?"

"Oh, I usually chill with Korg and Miek if the others are busy. I'll probably go find them. They're most likely playing something, so I might join them. Wanna come? Or are you still leaving?"

"That depends...do you want me to stay?" he said haughtily with a Loki smirk.

"Your dad does, so I do."

"Is that truly the only reason?" he continued, raising his eyebrows playfully.

"Maybe, just maybe...I missed having you around. But it's a big maybe!"

"No, I'm sorry, that simply won't do," he said with fake seriousness, folding his arms, "I will only stay if I hear you say it."

"Say what? That I want you to?"

He nodded.

"Tell Thor I said hi!" you waved, walking down the hall.

"You're unbearably stubborn," he groaned, following you.

"You're only a prince on Asgard, buddy," you said apologetically, "I really wish I had to give you whatever you wanted."

"Is sarcasm ever not your entire personality?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I'm not just sarcasm, I'm style."

"You're forgetting how humble you are!"

"There you go again!"

"I'll try something different when you do, deal?"

"Why would I? I'm perfect the way I am."

How funny that I'd have eagerly agreed with someone, had they said that about Loki in my world.

"I forgot, my bad," was what you said instead, as the elevator doors closed. "I take it this means you're coming along anyway?" you asked, gesturing to the fact that he was still with you.

"I shall do it as a favor, seeing as you're clearly withholding how desperately you want me to stay."

"I think one of us is certainly desperate," you laughed.

"Please, I would---"

"Rather be anywhere else but on this dull rock, blah blah blah, I hate earth, blah blah blah," you mocked in a whiny interpretation of his voice.

"Oh the things I'd do if I didn't want you alive."

"Now why would you want me alive? Me and my miserable optimism and insignificant---" you started joking.

"Are you ever going to let that go, or should I anticipate hearing it for the rest of life?"

"Rest of life is a little long, but it hasn't even been a hour. It's fair game for at least a month."

"I'll give you a week."

"The person who screwed up doesn't get to decide!"

The doors opened and you started heading for the kitchen.

"I think Korg and Miek will be in the living room," you thought out loud.

"What does it say about the others down here when, once I'm gone, your next best thing was the man who embodies the phrase 'Dumb as rocks', literally."

"Ha, that's clever," you giggled.

"He is though."

"He's the best, and don't you say otherwise! I'll call Heimdall myself and have him beam your blasphemous ass out of here."

Korg and Miek were, indeed, in the living room, back on the video games. Your task today was introducing them to Just Dance, which was just a classic you needed to see them play. Korg...well, he was getting better by the end of an hour. He kept wanting to play again, thoroughly enjoying himself. Miek was actually magnificently good at it, moving seamlessly to the instructions, as if he'd done the dances before. Naturally, you and Korg hyped him up, making the sidelines just as fun as the game. Loki sat off out of the little cheerleading section, looking on in amusement...except for when he noticed you were watching. Vision and Wanda joined in, with the former executing the moves in a very stiff manner. Group dances were your and Wanda's favorite, though Miek was left to do solos, his knife hands providing some potential danger for partners. Loki continually refused a turn.

By the end of the day, Steve had had his little talk with Loki, which was amusing. Loki's face was mockingly severe, pretending as if he cared, which was making you laugh in the background. In the end, however, no one shouted or started throwing punches, so you'd say it was a success. Bucky wasn't seen until dinner, he and Loki sitting as far apart as was humanly possible, both not saying a word to each other or acknowledging the other's presence. Silence was better than the alternative, so you weren't complaining.

***

The next day was your first step into a larger world...besides, you know, having lived in another world for almost a month now. It was the first day of training. You tried your hardest to take the beginning seriously, but your nature was too goofy, especially with equipment around you to mess with. Nat walked in to you trash talking a punching bag.

"Will I learn to do that legs around the neck flippy thing you do to people?" you asked, half demonstrating it on an imaginary person.

She'd smile at your stupid things like that, but eventually the work actually had to begin, at which point you refocused your energy on paying attention and trying hard. She took you slowly through the basics for two hours. You were far too early to actually do any physical fighting, with the first few weeks centered around the proper stances, techniques, and strength building....all of which were no less tiring. You were sore at the end of the first day, though you tried to hide it. From there on, you had a schedule. Steve took you for conditioning, which was the worst, and some strength workouts with himself and usually Sam and Bucky. Nat then worked on core strength, flexibility, movement, and of course fighting forms. Loki was sure to mock how sore he knew you were, coming to your room after you'd drop on your bed, every day without fail. He'd always suggest something to do, knowing you were tired and trying to get you to admit it. 

"Nah, yeah, of course I'm down for a hike, why the hell wouldn't I be," you growled on one particular day, faceplanted in your pillow.

"It's been a little over one week, and you still won't just say no," he laughed.

"And give you that satisfaction? Uh-uh." 

You made to stand up, your legs screaming in protest.

"On second thought," you said, sitting back down with a groan. Loki smiled victoriously.

"No, no, I'm not sitting out because I'm sore. I'mmmm...sitting out, becaaause..." you said slowly, trying to think of an excuse.

Loki was waiting expectantly, ready to jump on your excuse.

"Because today isss...November 10th," was all you could think of.

"Wow," he said, slow clapping, "You're right, how could I forget? Admit it, Darling, it's ok," he chuckled, "Mortals like you need their rest after all."

"No no wait!" you said quickly, a fact dawning on you, "Today is special! It's the one month anniversary of me being here!"

"Nice try," he scoffed.

"No really it is! Remember when I asked Friday what day it was when we were walking that one time? She said the 15th, and I remember thinking at the time that that meant I'd dropped in on the 10th. Today is my month anniversary, so I'm celebrating by doing anything but hiking!"

"Is that day really a cause for celebration? Shouldn't we all be in mourning?"

"Ouch, ok, way to hit me hard on my anniversary."

"What better way to spend your anniversary than a pleasant walk through nature?" he continued taunting.

"Uh, sitting on the rainbow bridge, watching an Asgardian sunset, while I drink lemonade and eat, I don't know, strawberries or something fancy like that," you said off of the top of your head.

Loki laughed, "I suppose that's a valid answer."

"Exactly, but seeing as I'm here and not up there, I'll do the next best thing and shower, throw some comfy clothes on, and flop down to watch a movie."

"Very well," he sighed, "I guess you get off today, Darling. Just this once."

"Yeeeeees," you said in relief, heading for the bathroom. "I'll see you downstairs."

Once downstairs, you and Sam agreed on Lilo and Stitch, in order to educate Bucky. Loki stayed for the movie, but disappeared around dinner. When you asked Friday where he was, fearing he was being randomly antisocial, she said he was busy but would be around later...which was a vague answer. You didn't press the issue though, trusting Friday enough.

Dinner was over and still Loki had not shown himself. No one seemed to mind, as long as he was behaving himself as Friday said he was. You stopped by his room to see what was up, but found it empty.

"Friday, uh, where is he?"

"He's not in his room."

"Yeah, I can see that," you chuckled, "Where is he?"

"He'll be around shortly."

"Fridaaay," you said warily, "What is he up to, and why are you helping?"

"He'll be here soon, just wait in your room, Miss, trust me."

"Alright," you conceded, "I trust you Friday."

"Thank you, Miss, I hoped you would."

You went back to your room, throwing on pajama pants and a long-sleeve. It wasn't terribly late, but you were pretty tired from workouts. Now you understood how superheroes had such great sleep schedules, because they were too exhausted to stay up late. You weren't in your room long before there was a knock at your door.

"Come in," you called from where you reclined on your mattress.

The door opened to reveal Loki, who walked briskly to the side of your bed, holding out his hand.

"What?"

"Come on," he said, "There's something I have to show you."

"Where have you been?"

"If you'd stand up already, I'd show you."

You scrambled out of bed, following him to the elevator. He led you outside, apologizing for the cold, but promising it would only be for a moment. You walked a few minutes from the compound before pausing.

"Ready?" he asked.

"For??? All you've done is lead me to the perfect place to kill me," you said, looking around the dark.

He just smirked, which was the last thing you saw before the bifrost dropped around you. You stumbled a bit on the exit into the dome, as you'd been unprepared. 

"Good evening, my lady," Heimdall bowed his head.

"Uh, hey Heimdall...what's uh---what exactly am I doing here? Not that I don't want to be here or anything, but like--I-I'm kinda confused."

You looked back and forth between him and Loki, the latter of the two smirking and shaking his head at your fumbling.

"I'll let the Prince show you, as it is because of him that you're here."

"Uh, ok, Loki? What's up?" you turned to him.

"If you'd hold on for half a second, you'd soon know."

He walked past Heimdall, leading you down to somewhere around the middle of the rainbow bridge.

"Remember how I said I didn't want to take a hike today?" you complained.

"Yes, I recall you suggesting something else," he answered, stopping and gesturing ahead of you. You'd been oblivious to the path in front of you, but now you paid attention. On the bridge was a thick, plush blanket spread out, a pitcher of lemonade and basket of strawberries sitting nicely in the middle. Your mouth hung open stupidly as you took in what you saw.

"You...you, wow, uh...what's---"

"Happy one month anniversary...after all, it's a day for celebration, is it not?" he smiled.

You looked at him, still shocked, finally smiling and laughing a little.

"Uh, jeez...thank you!" you said, "This is where you were?"

"Running it by Heimdall and Friday, and seeing to it that we had what you'd asked for," he nodded.

"Loki you really didn't have to!"

"And not celebrate my friend's one month anniversary?" he gasped in fake horror, "Never! I mean, I've had the date saved for forever," he said sarcastically.

"Is sarcasm your whole personality?"

"And style," he smirked, snapping his fingers to materialize two ornate cups next to the pitcher.

You laughed some more, not knowing what else to say.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding a hand towards the blanket.

The two of you sat, feet dangling over the edge, the food between you. Munching on some of the best strawberries you'd tasted and sipping your lemonade, you watched as a stunning Asgardian sunset occurred over the horizon. Looking to your left, you saw the vast sparkling stars of space that continued after the waterfall. As the sun set, those stars spread above you as well, the most beautiful night sky. You and Loki chatted as you usually did, conversation flowing like it does when you're talking with one of your closest friends.  When the sun was completely gone, the two of you reclined on the blanket, staring up at the stars.

Waaaiiit, this could be super awkward, you thought in a panic, Like, I didn't realize how...date-ish this is. No no no, don't think of it like that, it'll ruin the good time!

Thankfully, Loki spoke, distracting your thoughts.

"So, was this as fun as hiking?"

"I don't know, I was really looking forward to that extra workout today," you whined in disappointment.

"Don't fret, we'll go on one every day after you finish with Romanoff."

"Yaaay," you whimpered with a little fake sob.

Loki chuckled, looking back up at the sky.

"Thank you for this, Loki, it was really fun," you said, turning to look at him.

"You're welcome, Darling."

"Loki?!" a voice spoke from your right, making your heart jump to your mouth.

The two of you whipped your heads around to see Thor standing there, looking with confusion at what he was witnessing. Loki quickly stood up, you following suit.

"Wren," Thor greeted awkwardly, looking back and forth between the two of you. "Brother, what's um...what're you doing?"

"Well, you see, it's her one month anniversary of arriving in this world---"

"Oh, happy anniversary!" Thor smiled.

"---and she wanted to spend it watching another sunset up here," Loki finished, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I needed a break too," you backed him up, "I've started training with the Avengers, and let's just say hero workouts don't agree with my body."

"I see," he said with a sly smile, looking down at the blanket, "and the strawberries and drink were just...?"

"Oh, I mentioned how I wanted them."

"How kind of you, brother," Thor said, his smile growing wider, with him doing a terrible job of trying to hide it.

"Whatever idea you've developed in your tiny mind, throw it out," Loki said with a groan.

"Idea? What idea? Who ever said anything about an idea?" he said, eyes moving to you, eyebrows raising once, almost too quick to catch.

"Thor, we both know what you mean," you sighed, "It was just a nice gift, ok?"

"Of course, of course...of course," he said, implications and insincerity dripping from his last words.

"What are you doing here?" Loki snapped.

"I was going to talk to Heimdall about some Sakaarian business...but now I have something else to discuss with him," he smiled, making to move past you. "I'll leave you two to it," he said with a wink and dopey grin, scurrying down the bridge, looking once or twice over his shoulder.

"As if he needed any more reason to mock us," you sighed, trying to laugh it off despite the red you could feel in your cheeks. You looked around, trying not to let Loki see.

"Yes, well, he's an idiot," Loki summed up bluntly, tossing his hands in the air, "Not much we can do about it, I'm afraid." He smiled his usual confident smile, and you envied how he never let any teasing faze him. "Besides, he's only this way because I'm his brother. If he makes a fuss of things with the others, I'll personally cut his tongue out."

"Gosh Loki!" you laughed, "Let's refrain from any tongue-cutting please."

"That's entirely up to him," Loki replied innocently.

"The others are already in on it, so don't go for Thor if you hear it from them."

"They are?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Oh yeah, I guess they wouldn't talk to you about it. I've just heard it from Thor and Nat, and kinda Sam I guess."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing important, same old stupid stuff you just heard from Thor," you answered awkwardly, wishing you hadn't opened your mouth in the first place.

"Typical," he scoffed, "Can people talk to one another without getting harassed? I know in Thor's case it's most certainly the fact that I'm interacting at all with anyone. He has to make it more than it is. But the rest of them? What have we done that could possibly convince their feeble minds into believing such nonsense?"

"I know right?!" you exclaimed, feeling more comfortable that Loki was ok addressing the situation. Usually you can't rant about people mocking you for liking someone to the person people are mocking you for liking. But Loki felt the same and wasn't shy about mentioning it, which made it easier. "I mean, no offense to you, but like, we've known each other for a month! We're barely into the friend stage!"

"Precisely. And, take this offensively if you wish, but you're a mortal and I'm me!"

"Yeah, no, you know me, I take no offense to the obvious, dude, I've said myself you're like...well, Loki! Me liking you or anyone in this universe is insane, you're all on a higher level!"

"I don't know about the others being higher...I mean, yes they're skillful in ways you're not, but you're far better than them in many aspects," he continued casually, maybe not even noticing he'd just complimented you.

"Well thanks, but you get my point. You were all stories to me literally a month ago today, so I love you all in that way. But to like someone who you've kinda grown up with yet also just met? It's a weird enough scenario by itself!"

"As long as we're in agreement, their words mean nothing," he assured you.

"Yup, I'm glad you're with me on this. Not that I thought you felt the way Thor implies or anything! I just didn't know if you'd, like, avoid the topic or anything or if I could laugh about it with you."

"No no, of course, I was also uncertain whether you'd picked up on Thor's looks and comments."

"Yeah, no, I did."

"Hard to miss really, he's far from subtle."

"Tell me about it! And Nat flat out just said it."

"Of course she did. Romanoff isn't one to beat around the bush."

"Yeah, she'll speak her mind."

"Well she's wrong about this."

"Absolutely."

"I mean, they're delusional."

"100%."

"We're friends."

"And just that."

"You annoy me."

"And you annoy me."

"And we manage to get along."

"And prank people."

"And each other."

"And nothing else."

"Exactly."

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Great."

The two of you had awkwardly chuckled your way through the whole conversation. Now, there was a weird pause where the two of you stood, neither knowing what to say or do.

"I should probably get you home before someone notices you're missing. Friday can only cover for us for so long unfortunately."

"Yeah, of course, right," you said, turning to grab the stuff on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh, cleaning?" you answered uncertainly.

Loki rolled his eyes, waving his hand. Everything but the remaining strawberries disappeared.

"We're not letting the few berries left go to waste, now are we? Asgardian fruit is a great deal better than anything on Midgard."

"Where does stuff go when you do that?! Like, seriously, is it now in storage somewhere in a magic locker? Could you bring it back right now if you wanted to? If it goes somewhere specific, is there a limit to how much stuff you could keep there on hand? Like, are your knives, armor and blanket hanging around somewhere waiting to be summoned? Or can you materialize whatever the hell you want? But in that case, wouldn't you kinda be like Hela's powers? And if so, why don't you just whip weapons out at people?"

"Do you breathe when you speak, or do you have an endless supply of air when questions pop in your head?"

"Hey, I asked about your powers first, don't shift it to my secret talent!"

Loki laughed softly, shaking his head, "If I told you how my magic works, would it really be as fun?"

"Damn....Fine, I guess I don't really wanna know...but I kinda dooo!"

"No, Darling, I'm afraid you'll just have to wonder for the rest of your life."

"If Thanos snaps me out of existence, at least I won't have to carry that burning curiosity for long," you said, picking up the berries and heading for the bifrost.

"At least your neck will be intact, I'm not so fortunate."

"Ouch man, too soon!" you replied, pushing him as you walked, "Marvel still hasn't paid for my therapy yet."

"Is this not therapeutic enough?" he gestured to the world and scenario around you.

"If it ends with you all alive and happy, then yes, yes it is."

"I cannot begin to predict the future," he said after a brief pause, "But you've already prevented quite a lot. There is hope for things to go our way, Darling. Don't start fretting on me now, you're the overly optimistic one."

"And since when did you become the hopeful one?"

"Perhaps I've been spending too much time around sickeningly moral heroes and their relentless belief in the good's ultimate victory."

"I knew you'd pick up some good traits."

"I recall you liking me the way I was."

"Most of my favorite characters are villains."

"Have a thing for bad boys do we?" he smirked, giving you a wink when you looked at him.

"I thought we didn't like it when Thor says this kind of stuff," you accused.

"I'm allowed to, Darling, being full of myself is who I am. I've never hesitated in making you feel awkward by teasing you for your devotion to me, or how you find me attractive, or how---"

"Ok ok, hotshot, I get it."

The conversation ended as the two of you walked into the bifrost dome, seeing Thor and Heimdall closely talking with one another. They stopped immediately upon your entry, looking up and playing it off as if they hadn't been talking about you and Loki.

"Going home already? You're more than welcome to stay the night here in Asgard, don't you agree, brother?" Thor asked, winking at Heimdall, who allowed himself a small smile.

"No, Thor, we need to be heading back before the others discover she's missing," Loki replied irritably.

"Oooo, so this was a sneaking out kind of thing?!" he asked excitedly, as if that made it more "romantic" in his eyes.

"I didn't exactly inform Stark, if that is what you mean," Loki answered, walking briskly past his brother.

"No, what I meant was---" Thor started responding just to be a brat.

"We know Thor," you cut him off, speaking more kindly than Loki, but getting the point across that you wished him to shut up. 

"Heimdall, could you please get us away from here before my brother's brain has sat long enough to think of some other stupid thing to say?"

"As you wish," Heimdall said, giving Thor an "I'm on your side" look that only you, and not Loki, could see from your position.

"Let's go," Loki motioned to you.

"Wait, Thor, when will you be done? Sakaar's gotta be close to done, right?"

"We're nearly there. A few more loose ends to wrap up, and we should be good to go. I do not think I will be joining Valkyrie when she resides with you on Earth."

"What? Why?" you asked disappointedly, glancing to Loki. He looked like this was news to him as well.

"My father grows stronger every day, yet there is too much in the balance right now for me to leave. We currently have two of the six infinity stones stored in our vaults, that already makes Asgard both the greatest weapon and greatest target. Now, I am not saying there is cause for panic, but with the events of the future looming over us, we mustn't take any chances. Up here, I can be of quicker service should I be needed. I can help father, and more readily keep track of Heimdall's efforts to locate your Guardians and the Aether."

"Oh...ok. That makes sense," you agreed reluctantly, "I'm sure it's hard to find someone among the gagillion in the universe...so your work won't be easy, will it Heimdall?"

"I'm afraid not, my lady. I was able to reach out to Thor, and he was able to hear me. It shall not be as simple this time around, like finding a five-petaled Mertiav flower in an Asgardian field."

"Which is a saying for it being rare," Thor clarified.

"I figured, like a needle in a haystack on earth."

"You have needles inside haystacks?" Thor asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"No, not actually no, it's just a saying."

"I guess it would be hard to find a needle amongst hay," Thor nodded as he thought about it, "Very funny choice though, you humans are so random," he smiled.

"Yes, it's all very weird and fascinating, now can we leave?" Loki called from in front of the opening.

"Right, yeah I'm coming. You'll come to visit though, won't you?" you asked Thor as you backed your way over to Loki.

"You can count on it," Thor waved.

"Thank you for everything, Heimdall," you said gratefully, giving him the thumbs up when in position.

You and Loki snuck quietly back into the compound, Friday acting as your scout. You split ways coming out of the elevator, Loki bidding you goodnight and you thanking him for the surprise.

***

It was now November 17, a day you thought would be like any other. However, a visit from Bucky shortly after getting back from your workout with Nat was quick to prove otherwise. 

"What's up Buck?" you greeted, letting him in the room, "Sorry for sounding out of breath, Nat really killed me today."

"Steve's conditioning I'm sure didn't help," he grinned, and you knew what he was referring to. He'd chosen to amp up the miles today, as a 'once a month challenge' and you'd looked ready to throw up by the end of it. Bucky had come along for the ride, sure to tease you with taunting looks as you went. He went as far as running ahead and coming back...more than once. After the third time, Cap, who tried not to laugh, got him to stop. You had vaguely threatened something you didn't even remember now, but even you couldn't help but giggle every time he came back. Laughing made you cramp more, only adding to the pain.

"Nah, that was a breeze," you said, waving off his comment.

"Mmhmm," he hummed, walking over to your window.

He stood there, staring out for a bit, and it wasn't until now that you thought something might be wrong.

"Anything the matter Buck?" you asked, taking a few steps to him.

"We're telling Tony today," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

He continued facing the window, not saying more.

"Well that's, that's good, you know, uh it's a good thing...right?" you said pathetically, knowing damn well what this meant.

"You know what could happen...what's about to take place," he answered sadly.

"He could take it better than we think?"

"How would you take the news from someone if they told you they murdered your parents?" he asked bitterly, turning around.

"If the person was brainwashed and had no choice when they did it, I'd forgive them."

"Right away?"

"I...I guess I don't know. Probably not? I'm human after all...I guess no one recovers that quickly."

"I've only known Tony a short time, but he's so much like his dad. He's passionate, he feels things deeply, whether he admits it all the time or not. If he doesn't hate me, he'll definitely be unable to stand me."

"Not forever though! Expect the worst of it today, but give him time to cool down. Things might always be a little strange, but they'll get better. Take Wanda and Tony, for example. Tony's weapons killed Wanda's parents when she was a kid, left her and her twin brother orphaned. And then, though Wanda pushed Tony in this direction by showing him a vision, Tony created Ultron...who murdered her brother. She has every reason to hate him, but they've managed."

"I don't know if I'll be so lucky."

"Hey, no matter what he says or thinks, you have Steve. The rest of the team, when the news spreads, will understand. Some of them more than you think. And you have my support, for what it's worth."

"Thanks, Wren," he smiled, "You've always had my back since you brought me home. Look I---I know that I never...never fully apologized for the fight down in the kitchen---"

"Bucky, we're past that," you assured him.

"I know, I know we are. But when we briefly discussed it in the weeks since, I don't think I ever really apologized for yelling at you. We just kind of agreed to let it go. It was wrong of me to yell at you for telling Loki, when I know you've handled my secret to the best of your ability. You wouldn't have told Loki if you didn't think it was safe, no matter if I still disagree."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you he knew."

"It's ok," he said, waving down your apology with his metal hand, "The fight between me and Loki wasn't your fault, neither are the things any of us said. Again, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really. Let's focus on getting through today. How are you going to tell him?"

"I wanted to do it alone, as it's my responsibility, but Steve has insisted on being in there with me. He's suggested having Rhodey with Tony too, that way we have a friend there to help Tony...diffuse the situation a bit if things get out of hand."

"Which they won't!" you said optimistically, though you prayed it turned out to be the truth.

"I know you'd like to be there as well, but I don't want you in the middle of this anymore than life has already forced you to be."

"I can handle it, if you need me to explain anything to Tony---"

"I know you can, but I'm asking you stay outside," he said, his stare kind but firm, "Please. Do this for me?"

"Yeah, of course, whatever you want Bucky!" you answered.

"Thank you," he smiled, placing a hand on your shoulder. He looked nervous and worried, his eyes sadder than he was letting on.

"Does someone need a motivational hug?" you asked childishly, holding your arms out.

"Me? I'm as cool, calm, and collected as can be," he scoffed jokingly.

"So is that a yes?"

"Fiiine," he grumbled with an eye-roll, wrapping his arms around you.

"There we go," you chuckled, your arms returning the motion.

There was a sad moment where everything went quiet, Buck not pulling away. Though much larger than you, you could feel Bucky leaning comfortingly into the embrace. He really did need a hug.

"Everything's going to be ok," you told him.

"Let's hope," he sighed, releasing his hold and stepping an arm's length back.

"Ready?" you asked.

He nodded, forcing down his prior nerves and walking towards the door with determination.

"The meeting is in twenty minutes,  in the place where Cap says they questioned you when you came. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, I can find it."

"Ok, I assume you'll be waiting nearby, just remember what you promised."

"I won't come in, cross my heart."

"I'll see you soon," he said, walking out the door.

You walked to the bathroom to hop in the shower real quick, when there was a knock on the door.

"Loki," you sighed under your breath, knowing it was him. This was his routine time to bother you after your workout.

"Why was Barnes here?" he asked as soon as you opened the door.

"Am I allowed to talk to other people in the compound?" you sassed, walking over to grab a change of clothes. With Loki here, you doubted you'd have time to shower before the meeting, but at least you could get rid of your sweaty clothing.

"You know what I meant," Loki scolded, "What was so pressing he needed to come to your room?"

You huffed out a stressed sigh, hanging your head as you rubbed the back of your neck.

"Look, uh..."

Should I tell him?

"...I guess there's nothing you can screw up with this information. Bucky and Steve are telling Tony today."

"I see," Loki said, his expression thoughtful, "And are you to be in attendance?"

"I'm gonna be outside, but Bucky doesn't want me dragged into the conflict anymore than I am. He's trying to spare me any of the unpleasant talks that might go on inside."

"For once, I think he and I are in agreement. You take on too much that isn't your concern. All part of that hero mentality these people have instilled in you," he said like it was repulsive.

"If I was attacked right now by, I don't know, zombie mutants, would you help me?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Would you?"

"No, I'd let you die," he said sarcastically, "What the hell do you think?"

"Exactly. Sounds like a hero mentality to me. Saving someone, troubling yourself with something that isn't your concern when you could get away."

"You're my friend, you are my concern," he argued like you were an idiot, "So that example falls flat."

You were always caught off guard when he said things like that casually, though you tried to hide it.

"Well, everyone, no matter my friend or not, is my concern if they need help. So it's not something to snark at. Snicker all you want," you said to the noise he made.

"You can care without getting yourself hurt in the process, Darling. There's a way to go about protecting those you care for. Barnes is right, being in there when all hell breaks loose won't accomplish anything."

"Yes I know, that's why I'm staying outside. I still wanna be there when Buck comes out...and maybe eavesdrop on what I can."

"You know I could help with that?"

"No!" you said , "Uh-uh, nope, you will not be anywhere near that room!"

Loki smiled at your protests.

"You know I could be there without being seen?"

"And if they catch you, we've caused more problems! Especially with the stupid little feud between you and Bucky, promise me you won't be there!"

"Hmmm," he mused with a mischievous smile, as if he was pondering the request of one of his subjects.

"Promise!" you pleaded again.

"Alright, Darling, calm yourself," he laughed.

"If I catch you there, I swear I'll---"

You paused at Loki's look, which pointed out the obvious fact that there was nothing threatening you could say.

"---Oh shove it," you finished, walking into the bathroom.

You had enough time to change and scribble down some notes for Cap.

"What are those?" Loki asked, peering over your shoulder.

"Things the dramatic movie characters of this world need to remember and bluntly say if worst comes to worst. People forget how to throw simple facts sometimes, no matter how much the truth hurts."

The list consisted of the following:

1) Wanda's parents were killed by Tony, but he never meant it or wanted it.

2) Wanda forgave him, and both are now living together in the same building quite happily. If she can forgive him, then he should forgive Bucky.

3) Bucky was BRAINWASHED. Bucky must stress this point as well, not just Steve, as it'll seem like Steve is just defending his friend. Bucky remaining silent isn't going to help convince Tony that he's innocent.

4) Buck knew Howard and would never have hurt him if he was in control of his actions.

5) Remain calm and use your words people!!! Civil War was a disaster of the three of you throwing punches and trying to fight your way out instead of talking Tony off the ledge.

"Who are you giving this to? Because you're using both their names like someone else will have the paper."

"I don't know. Probably Cap, but if it gets passed to Buck, I want both to know who I'm talking about."

"Trying to be in there while not being in there?" he said amused, "Sounds right."

"Gotta do whatchu gotta do, am I right?"

"I'm content to let them kill each other, so..." he shrugged.

"Thanks for the support," you slapped him on the arm, as you hurried past him to your door.

 You left Loki at the bottom of the elevator, making your way to the designated room. No one was outside, so you crept to the window, peeking in to see who was present. Everyone but Tony had arrived. Tapping on the glass, you motioned for Steve to come out.

"Here," you said, handing him the paper, "In case you all forget how to make a proper argument."

Steve smirked as he looked down the list.

"Wishing you could fix this all, aren't you?" he looked up.

"I'd rest easier knowing I tried."

Cap seemed severe, obviously weighed down by the thought of what he had to tell Tony.

"Thanks," he attempted a smile, placing the paper in his pocket.

"Go get 'em," you smiled back, "It'll be fine."

Steve returned to the room, with Tony strolling down the hall moments later. You were in one of a few chairs set up in a little sitting area at the intersection nearby. He paused in front of you.

"Hey kid, joining this secret meeting?" he asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the room.

"Nope, wasn't invited, but have fun. I'm just waiting for Bucky whenever he's done," you played it off.

"It's my compound, I can bring whoever I want. Come on," he said, gesturing for you to follow.

"No, Tony, I think you should go by yourself. If they've called a secret meeting it's probably important."

"It's probably Cap being a nervous nelly about something, per his usual," Tony scoffed, "Rhodey's there, so how serious can it be?"

You just raised your eyebrows at that comment.

"Ok, I see your point, Rhodey being there isn't the greatest omen. But hey, that's why we have to lighten it up a bit. I could use some support."

"I'm sure you've never needed help bringing life to a room, Tony."

"That's true," he smiled, liking the praise, "Suit yourself. Guess you don't get to hear the super secret fun stuff," he said as he walked away, pushing open the door and disappearing through it.

Yeah...super fun stuff.

The talk didn't last long, maybe ten minutes or so. Voices raised once or twice, though you couldn't make out what they were saying...however, it was definitely Tony's voice. In the end, the door was opened aggressively, Tony storming out in your direction, Rhodey's voice calling out to him from inside. Tony looked frighteningly mad, his face as distraught and irate as it had been in Civil War. You felt like you shrunk under his gaze as he stopped abruptly in front of you. He was so focused in his thoughts and emotions, he looked surprised by your presence, as if forgetting you were there. He quickly collected himself, his face growing dark again as eyes burned into yours. Whatever thought had entered his head, it clearly wasn't a pleasant one.

"Did you know?" he asked in a shaky low tone, jaw set firmly.

For all of your bluster about "talking and explaining" problems away, you found yourself unable to speak. Instead, you simply nodded.

Tony looked like you'd driven a dagger in his side. He took a step back, processing the truth for another moment.

"You..." he started angrily, pausing as he glared all of his anger and hatred into you.

"So much for being honest with us," he finished, his voice raising gradually, "What, you think I-I didn't deserve to know?! It must have been hilarious, what a joke! Bring him here, fawn over him, move your room for him, watch as I talk to him every day, while you sit here thinking how damn ironic it is that I'm breaking bread with the man who KILLED MY MOM!"

He was shouting now, throwing his hands frantically as he did, and getting closer and closer, eventually towering over you as you sat.

"Tony, I didn't keep it from you for that---"

"But you did keep it, Wren, that's the problem! You and Cap both, a load of bull shit is what you are! Liars! You really had me trusting you too!"

"I thought Bucky should be the one to---"

"What you thought," he said, his voice back down to its threateningly low tone, "was of sparing yourself the trouble of having to tell me. You knew Cap had figured it out too, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?" He snapped when you didn't answer right away.

"I didn't know when he pieced it together, but I had my suspicions," you said weakly.

"And how did him not telling me go in your movies, hmm? Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, judging the answer from your expression, "So you thought it was the right thing to, not only let him keep his secret, but to keep it yourself? Must have been an easy decision, being Team Cap and all! Of course you'd protect your precious character, probably agreeing with his decision anyway back in your world, right?"

"No, Tony he should have told you---"

"Ohhh but you don't have to?" He laughed, "He should have told me, but you're allowed to control how things go? Play with us like we're stories, just characters you can manipulate to feed whatever narrative you see fit, helping the ones you love so much and leaving me to get what you think I deserve!"

"You deserve the truth, Tony, that's why I had Bu---" you started, your voice rising in a pleading manner.

"That's why YOU should have told me. Why Steve should have. To hell with what you thought Barnes needed to do, you should have told me."

You didn't have words to give him, so you stared back sadly, trying to think of a way to make him understand.

"I'm glad this drama is all unfolding how you wanted," he said bitterly, "I hope Barnes feels good getting it off his chest, seeing as you cared so damn much about him overcoming his hurtles that you didn't care that someone who I called my friend has been holding this from me. That you, Wren, have been holding this from me."

He started walking away, but stopped and looked back one last time.

"You know what's the worst thing about all of this? Is that when you said your not-so-subtle remark about me liking Barnes on Asgard, I started wondering what it is that happens in the future that might make the two of us not like each other. You'd never mentioned any personal problems between the two of us in your fake account of Civil War, but your comment got me thinking that there was something you weren't telling us. And you know what? I shoved those feelings aside because I thought there was no way you'd keep something important from us. No way you'd sit there and so casually reference something if it was serious! I trusted you. Which makes you all the more disappointing."

He continued walking off quickly, retreating around the corner and out of sight. You sat staring after him, lost in thought and guilt, unable to get his words out of your head. Realizing his shouts must have been audible to the others, you glanced down to the room. As predicted, Steve, Bucky, and Rhodey were standing outside the door, having watched the entire thing. Steve made to walk towards you, but you held up a hand.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sur---"

"I'm fine!" You said forcefully. "I'm sorry.... I'm---I'm fine." 

Steve nodded once, looking as upset as you felt. Bucky and Rhodey were equally grave in their appearance.

"Ok," Cap said gently, "We'll be back in the kitchen if you need anything or want some company."

You nodded, putting your face in your hands and leaning back in your chair. You'd assumed they'd all left, but a few seconds later someone sat in the seat next to you.

"Cap, I said I'm---" dropping your hands, you saw it was Rhodey who was sitting next to you.

"I know what you said. But we all know differently, don't we?"

"I think Cap understood I need to be alone," you said sadly.

"Has being alone ever actually gotten people somewhere? Now, Tony, in his current state, is the kind of situation where you do give them space. But you're just going to beat yourself up some more or cry yourself silly if we let you."

"I think that's gonna happen either way," you chuckled, holding back the tears that were beginning to well up in your eyes.

"Not if I can help it," he said decidedly, "Go get ready, we're going out."

"Where?" 

"Do you like frozen yogurt?"

"Uh, yeah, yes I do," you said, caught by surprise.

"Good, so do I," he smiled, standing up. "Meet me by the parking lot entrance in ten, got it?"

Rhodey took you to a frozen yogurt shop in the city, letting you get whatever you wanted. You weren't terribly hungry, given the circumstances, so you served yourself only a small portion.

"Now, let's talk," he said sitting down across from you.

"There's not much to say," you shrugged.

"What about what Tony said? I mean, he was harsh, but do you think he's wrong?"

"I didn't know the best way to handle the situation, ok? He freaks out in the movie, so I was scared to ever bring it up. I thought that if they could all sit and talk it out, it would be the best scenario."

"For Tony, or for you?"

"I couldn't tell him without Bucky."

"Look, I get that you wanted Buck to face his own issues. But did you ever stop to think about why Tony reacts the way he does? You implied it gets messy, and I saw your notes to Cap about how all three of them fight each other. What pushed Tony's buttons in the film?"

"Cap not telling him. I don't entirely blame Cap for that, as it's a hard position to be in...but Steve realizes in the end that he should have told him...that he didn't realize he was sparing himself."

"Then why'd you think you should keep it from him this time around?" he asked bluntly, though not harshly.

"Because instead of fighting, I wanted all three to work it out."

"There's your problem," he pointed his spoon at you, "You're still viewing all of this through the eyes of a movie. You're so used to the fact that the three of them fight, that you were too focused on the three of them resolving the problem together. Instead, you should have focused on preventing the issue ahead of time. Had you told Tony, though Bucky wasn't with us yet, he would have appreciated it. And maybe he'd have accepted the truth by the time we found Barnes."

"Shit," you groaned, putting your forehead in your palms and sighing deeply, "You're right. Oh my gosh, I've screwed it all up. I wasn't trying to look out for Bucky instead of Tony, I just...I messed up."

Rhodey smiled encouragingly. "Hey, it's not the end of the world. Tony will be Tony for a while, but he'll come around. He knows you'd never intentionally hurt him, neither would Steve."

"Should I go apologize?"

"Remember when I said Tony's the type you leave alone? Yeah, no, you're better off letting him cool off for a while," Rhodey said, scooping another mouthful. "You better eat that, I didn't pay money for you to let it melt."

You smiled a bit at his attempt to lighten the mood, doing as he said. The two of you talked some more about the subject, though conversation drifted to other things. Your life, his life, gossip about the others, usual stuff like that that felt...normal. As much as you enjoyed living in the MCU, chatting about your normal life with Rhodey and hearing his life before War Machine felt refreshing. In the end, he'd successfully brightened your mood. You thanked him quite a few times between the shop and the compound, and he suggested doing it again sometime next week. 

The mood in the compound that night was strange. Tony didn't make an appearance, but everyone had heard what had happened. No one wanted to talk about it, yet it was so present in everyone's minds that there wasn't much else to talk about. You and Loki had a long conversation about it, with him, surprisingly, understanding where Stark was coming from. He said it was like his father withholding the truth of his ancestry. However, he wasn't happy with how Tony had yelled at you, bristling as you told him and commenting on how much he didn't like it.

"He had every right. We've all done worse when angry. Getting yelled at is what I deserved."

Loki didn't agree, as was evident by the look on his face, but he didn't argue. He left you that night with a few motivational words...which was so unlike Loki. You guess he was doing his best to cheer you, as your attitude was noticeably tired and upset, lacking your optimism.

***

A week passed, and still Tony hadn't spoken to either you, Bucky, or Cap. He wasn't rude or harsh, simply avoiding being around the three of you as much as possible. Due to that point, it wasn't easy to find a time to apologize. Advice from Rhodey suggested you give him more time anyway, but you were aching for things to go back to ok with him. You missed Tony, and you couldn't stand seeing the rift between him and Cap. To make matters worse, it was Thanksgiving, and the usual joy Tony would surely have brought to the celebration wasn't there. You did your best to plan it with the others and not focus on Tony. A dinner had been planned, with you and Wanda heading the cooking. It was probably going to be a disaster, but the two of you wanted to try. Any prep was going to have to wait, for the Avengers were the opening float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thor had been called down to attend, Valkyrie coming with him to spend the day at the compound. 

"They're on!" You called excitedly to the kitchen.

"Why should I care?" Loki said, walking into the living room.

Bucky came behind him, actually eager to see. Valkyrie was already with you, sitting on the couch. Korg and Miek rushed in with their snacks.

"Miek, would you look at that thing they're riding?!" Korg gasped in admiration.

"It definitely has Tony's flare," you smiled, watching the grand float and flashy performers he'd orchestrated. He was front and center, engaging with the crowd and being the life of the stage, as usual. Thor was also enjoying himself, hammer flipping, flexing, and pointing to people in the crowd.

"He's certainly having fun," Valkyrie smiled with a shake of her head.

Tony had worked out some excuse to have Bruce's tantrum, caused by Wanda in Ultron,  cleared up. Thankfully, it looked like the crowd was happy to have him back.

The oven beeped, signaling that the cinnamon rolls were ready. You stood up to get them, but Loki beckoned you to stay. 

"I've got it," he said, walking back to the oven.

"You sure?" You called after him.

"I can manage, Darling. Keep watching your heroes."

Everything was going well, the pleasant smell of baked goods filling the air, when disaster struck.

"There are multiple hostiles approaching from---" Friday had said in a panic, before cutting out.

"Friday?!!" You called out, shooting up from the couch. When she didn't answer, you glanced worriedly at the others. Loki gave you a knowing look, and you nodded.

"Hydra," you said, Bucky's face growing hard.

"Who's Hydra?" Valkyrie asked.

"A bunch of assholes," you answered.

"Who are after her," Loki added.

"If they find out I'm here, assuming they don't know already, that's one more target," Bucky said.

"Without the book, they can't do anything," you assured him, "No way that moron Rumlow was ever given access to the Winter Soldier project's words or information."

"Where'd the voice lady go?" Korg asked.

"They must have shut her out again. But Tony expanded the routine scans and defenses, so we probably have more time than their last visit to get ready. This also means whatever device they have to shut off Friday, it works from long range as well."

"Can she call Stark?" Valkyrie asked.

"Hopefully she already ha---"

Screams from the tv stopped you mid sentence. The parade was under attack. Multiple explosions had erupted in several buildings, causing chaos, dangerous fires and debris, and an overall panic. The Avengers were seen running on the scene before the power went out. 

"We have to get you out of here. I surprised them last time, but they'll be coming in force," Loki said, holding out his hand towards the exit. 

"Where are we gonna go? Running didn't work last time!"

Loki closed his eyes, furrowing his brow in concentration.

"Loki?" You asked after he'd held the position for several seconds.

"Damn," he growled in frustration, opening his eyes, "The one time I need Heimdall at the bifrost, he isn't there. He won't make it in time if they're close."

"Let's take em out, man," Korg said, "I've still got my weapons in my room, would you like me to grab them?"

"Yes, and hurry!" Valkyrie ordered, "They may be expecting you," she addressed Loki, "But they weren't expecting all of us."

She sped off to grab her sword, Buck looking around. 

"Do any of you happen to know where they keep guns in this place?" he asked.

"Oddly enough, no," you said bitterly, "Which is just fantastic."

"Here," Loki said, materializing one of his daggers and handing it to Bucky. 

He looked surprised Loki was handing him one of his own weapons.

"We have to protect her," Loki said, sticking the knife towards him more forcefully, "So take the damn dagger."

Buck nodded and took it from him, looking to you afterwards, "Wren, now would be the time to go grab your stick thing."

"Crap, right! I'll be right back!" You said, rushing from the room. 

Moments later you were all gathered in one of the more furnished rooms, the furniture and layout of the room providing the most cover from gunfire. Korg had brought an extra gun with him, which he handed to you.

"Isn't super difficult once you shoot once or twice," he promised, "Just point and blast."

Loud sounds down the hall caught your attention, crashing noises and angry voices. Shouts and footsteps thundered down the hall.

"You'd think this compound would have better defense systems," Loki scoffed.

"The Avengers usually are the defense system. That, and Friday, which they've found a way to override somehow," you explained.

"Well, let's show them what the B team can do," Bucky said, brandishing his knife and waiting behind the wall just inside the doorway for the first unfortunate soul to run in.

"Gladly," Loki smirked at him, having taken up the same position on the opposite side of the doorway.

"Stay near me, and don't step out of cover unless you have to," Valkyrie instructed.

"Got it," you replied, breathing deeply to calm the nerves rising in your stomach. 

Thankfully, adrenaline took over and your mind sharpened, focusing only on the coming battle. The first Hydra soldier, dressed all in black, ran through the doorway, and it all began.

 

Chapter 36: (Chapter 35) Always Meet Your Villains

The room was quickly turned upside down, gunshots and shouts filling the air. Splintered wood and dust spread around the environment, as bullets missed their targets and tore into the furniture and walls. Loki and Bucky had contained the main entrance, but smashed windows and another hall yielded other openings for them to stream through. Loki wasn't kidding, they'd come in force this time. How Loki managed to eliminate his foes without getting shot was something you had no time to ponder. Being close range, and catching them as they ran in, probably helped. Bucky had his arm to block any attempts, as he was able to stick his hand right in front of a gun's opening without fear. You, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek were taking care of the men that were pouring in with little signs of slowing down. Korg had flipped a table, the two of you using it as cover as you blasted away. Valkyrie was as quick as Loki, taking the fight up close and catching them before they could pull the trigger. Her sword was able to deflect their bullets as well, which you saw on multiple occasions. Miek was waiting near the other hallway, slashing at guys as they came.

There were a few times you thought they might overrun your position, yet the six of you managed to maintained the advantage.

They've gotta know by now that there's no way they're beating two Asgardians and the Winter Soldier. How many men are they going to lose in this poorly thought out plan? 

Nevertheless, the fight carried on, with you unaware of how much time had passed. Suddenly, something was thrown into the room from the hall, rolling towards the position now held by Miek, who'd retreated further back from his initial place. It took you too long to realize what it was.

"Miek!" you shouted, but not soon enough. 

Miek raised his blades in front of him, trying to dive away as the grenade released some kind of shock wave and blinding light. You ducked behind the table, feeling the force against it even from across the room. It had been loud too, your ears ringing as you peered over the table. Miek was laying motionless a distance from where he'd been, the explosion launching him backwards. His robotic legs and arms looked damaged. Korg shouted a battle cry for his friend, blasting with extra intensity towards the hallway. Miek was laying in a vulnerable position. If he was still alive, you had to get him before a soldier or grenade did.

"Cover me!" you yelled, leaping over the table and charging across the room. Sliding to the ground by Miek, you pulled his injured body behind the closest cover you could find, which happened to be one of the large lounge chairs.

"Miek, Miek can you hear me? Come on! Please move!"

"Leave him and get behind some real cover!" Loki called from where he and Buck continued their fight.

Like hell I'll leave him!

You looked around frantically, trying to weigh your options. You noticed the men entering near Valkyrie and Korg were heading your way...yet they never fired in your direction. It dawned on you that you had never really been in danger of getting shot this entire fight. Looking at the table you'd been hiding behind, there wasn't a single bullet hole anywhere near the end you'd occupied.

They can't risk killing me.

"Korg, I'm coming back!" you called over, grabbing Miek and dragging him across the room.

Korg focused his fire more heavily on the men closest to you. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" Loki said angrily, running to your side as you moved slower than was safe, weighed down by the load you carried.

"They're not aiming for me!" you grunted, not pausing in your struggle to get Miek to safety. Loki must have looked around to observe the truth.

"That means they'll keep coming for you, if they want you alive so desperately. Get back there and stay safe!"

He turned, running back to help Bucky, who was losing ground with Loki gone. You reached the table, pulling Miek behind it with you.

"How is he, man?" Korg asked.

"I don't know," you said worriedly, examining him to the best of your ability.

"I could use some help!" Valkyrie shouted, diving behind a desk. With you and Korg being distracted, the crowd coming through the hall was threatening her position.

The two of you stood up, giving her some cover and trying to cut back the growing numbers. You charged around the table to get a better angle, knowing they couldn't kill you. They hesitated, not wanting to charge into your gun, especially with Valkyrie and Korg ready to step in even if they made it close enough to grab you. All of the sudden, a voice spoke over the speakers usually occupied by Friday. The language wasn't English...it sounded Russian. Additionally, the voice sounded familiar, but you were too busy to think clearly. The mysterious man was saying one word at a time, and it took you dangerously long to recognize them. Even in Russian, they were too iconic to mistake.

"Barnes???" Loki yelled in confusion and frustration.

"Loki, the words!" you screamed in a panic, turning to see Bucky thrashing his head around, as if attempting to clear his vision or shake something off.

Loki must have understood what was happening.

"Barnes! Fight it! Listen to me, not the words!"

Bucky screamed a frustrated and fearful cry, unable to even cover his ears due to the men he was still holding off with his last ounce of awareness. The words finished and Bucky froze, head hanging. The Hydra assailants stopped charging Bucky, focusing on Loki instead. You had to worry about the guys filing through the openings behind you, yet you kept glancing over at Bucky, petrified by what was happening. The voice spoke again, in Russian still. You saw Bucky say something in response, though it was too low and monotone for you to hear from where you were. However, you knew what the translation to his words were..."Ready to comply."

"Get out!" Loki yelled to you, his voice sounding more concerned than you'd ever witnessed. He was trying to push through to you, his eagerness making him reckless. A bullet caught his side, and he was forced back, striking wildly at the enemies around him.

Russian commands came through the speakers, causing Bucky to look up slowly, turning his head to you. His eyes were void of any understanding, no hint of recognition in his face as he walked threateningly towards you.

"Valkyrie!" Loki called, hoping she'd be able to get to you.

She was pinned down, unable to risk a run out into the open to help you. Korg charged before you could warn him against it. Despite being larger, Bucky fought him off easily, slamming the unfortunate Kronan against the opposite wall with a great deal of force. There was nowhere for you to run that didn't lead you straight into Hydra. 

"Bucky! I know you're in there, listen please!" you said uselessly, backing as far as you could without stumbling straight to the others.

Surprisingly, you dodged his first attempt to grab you, Nat's training kicking in instinctively. It didn't matter, however, as a brief tussle ended with him victorious. He grabbed your neck with his normal arm, dragging you to the window. You could see Loki struggling to break free from the crowd that flooded him, taking out guys faster than you'd ever seen on screen. His eyes glanced your way, the sight of Bucky's hold on you enraging him. A green wave shot out as he yelled angrily, sending all attackers flying backwards. More men streamed to him in an attempt to cut him off as he marched across the room, a menacing look on his face. Their efforts were futile. Loki was going full beast mode. He was simultaneously throwing green bursts of magic, materializing daggers left and right, throwing debris and furniture with his mind, duplicating himself to confound the enemy, and dodging bullets or shunning them off with magic. It was like Wanda going crazy...if Wanda could materialize weapons and make copies of herself. In short, he was an absolute savage. If this scene were in a movie, it would be the equivalent to Thor unleashing his true power in Ragnarok. Play the Immigrant Song over it, and you got the same vibes.

You would have loved to continue watching, albeit from a more comfortable position, yet Buck pulled you out the window and into the adjoining room, where more guys were heading towards the fight. Though Bucky couldn't see, Loki leapt through the window seconds later, throwing men aside as he charged. Loki ran at Buck's back, dagger gleaming in his grip.

"Loki no!" you tried gasping out, the hand clenching your neck making it difficult to speak.

He either didn't hear or chose not to listen, driving his knife towards the killing blow. Swiftly, Bucky turned at the last second, grabbing Loki's arm with his metal hand. You were twisted around by the motion, unable to see what was happening. Somehow, Bucky was fending him off with one arm. It dawned on you that Loki couldn't release his full power, as you were at risk of getting hurt. You weren't sure if Bucky knew this fact, but it certainly seemed like it, as he kept positioning himself in a way that put you in the greatest danger, should Loki want to attack him on that side. Now and again a handful of men would break from the general flow into the previous room, running to help the Winter Soldier. Bucky would take the opportunity to continue his march to wherever he was supposed to take you, not caring about Loki, only his mission. It wouldn't take Loki long to fend off the few ambitious ones who dared attack him, and he'd quickly be back to try and get you once again. Finally, Buck wrapped his arm around you in a chokehold, bringing you to his front where you were facing Loki.

Loki paused as Buck's squeeze tightened and you winced, taking in raspy breaths. There was nothing he needed to say to Loki, the threat apparent.

"You can't kill her," Loki said, calling his bluff. 

You weren't sure if that was true, as you were lifted off the ground, your air almost completely cut off by the intensified grip.

"Alright stop!" Loki yelled, the hold loosening just enough for you to breathe easier, your feet finding the ground once more.

A pained shout from Valkyrie was heard from the other room, and you realized she was vastly outnumbered without Loki's help. Not to mention Korg and Miek were sitting ducks, both unconscious last you saw.

"Loki," you said with some effort, "They need your help."

His face didn't break, and you knew he couldn't care less whether they did or not.

"I know you don't give a damn," you wheezed with a breathless chuckle, "But please."

"I won't let them get you," he said, tentatively stepping forward as Bucky began moving backwards.

"Please. They'll die," you begged, the thought of losing any of them scaring you more than your own fate. "Please," you repeated, your eyes pleading with him as he stared back sadly.

"I'll come for you," he promised, looking like it killed him to say it, "We'll find you."

"I know," you said, trying to appear confident, "You're the Avengers."

He hesitated for a second more, before running back to Valkyrie's aid. Once he was gone, Bucky resumed his normal pace. He made it outside, taking you quickly across the grounds. A black military style helicopter landed ahead of you, the side doors opening as you approached. You'd expected Rumlow, but, upon seeing who was sitting there, you beat yourself up for your stupidity.

How could I not piece together whose voice that was?  

"Hello, Ms. Arlington," Zemo greeted with that slight smile of his, "It is a pleasure to meet you. Truly it is."

You noted the red book in his hands as Bucky shoved you forward.

"Shiiiiit, wha---what the hell?!" you said in shock and confusion.

Why is Zemo here? Why does he have the book now? Why is he with Hydra?

"I can see you have a lot of questions, and I have several of my own. Please," he said, gesturing to the seat across from him. "We're running on a bit of a schedule, I'm afraid, so you'll forgive me asking you to speed up," he said when you didn't move, sounding genuinely apologetic.

You knew you'd be forced to board the aircraft no matter what, but that didn't mean you couldn't stall.

"Why are you working with Hydra?" you asked the first thing that came to your head.

"I don't work with people of their kind," Zemo defended, shaking his head, "Hydra deserves it's place on the ash heap. That doesn't mean they can't be useful before they crumble. I've only led them into a slaughter they cannot hope to escape."

"How do you have the book already?"

Zemo smirked, and you realized you'd slipped up, more than you already had.

"Don't worry," he said in response to your expression, "I'm aware of your situation. Hydra was helpful in giving me the information I needed, sooner than I would have had it if left to my own devices. Does that answer your question? Now if you would please get on, you've stalled long enough."

"Well, you like to talk, you can't really blame me."

"No, I suppose not," he smiled. Everything he said was charmingly calm, yet laced with that darkness that is ever-present in Zemo. You hated that you loved watching him, even when he was real and currently abducting you.

"What are you going to do with Bucky?" you asked, looking over your shoulder at him. He furrowed his brow a bit at the mention of his name, as if remembering.

"I have no use for super soldiers. They're a slight against the natural order of things," he answered.

"Promise you won't kill him?" you asked desperately.

You'd seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but this Zemo was younger. Yes, his stance on matters never changes, but he has yet to have what he considers his revenge. He may not want, or doesn't feel it necessary, to kill Sam or Bucky later, but this current Zemo is willing to kill T'Chaka and a bunch of others to fulfill his plan. He's the kind of man that may not enjoy what he does, but he sees it as necessary. What if killing Bucky is part of whatever plan he's hatched this time?

"Barnes causes more strife for the Avengers alive than he does dead. Now, I will ask a final time that you board, before I have to use your friend. That would be unpleasant, and I'd hoped to avoid such complications."

"Bit late for that," you scoffed angrily, thinking of poor Miek.

"If you are holding out the hope that your friends will arrive in time, I can assure you they are otherwise engaged. The structural integrity of the buildings will not hold for much longer. I predict they are scrambling to evacuate the survivors as we speak. Not that the Avengers will lose any sleep over civilian casualties."

You looked around, as if anticipating Tony to come flying in and prove him wrong. But you knew he was right. Facing Bucky, you smiled. He stared back, nothing but a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes.

"See ya, Buck. I know you won't remember this, but I forgive you."

His eyes widened from their narrowed resting place, and you saw, for a brief moment, the face of James Buchanan Barnes. Disappearing as quickly as it had arrived, the Winter Soldier resumed control, looking past you to Zemo.

"We'll get you free soon, I promise," you said, turning and stepping into the chopper. Zemo had offered a hand, which you'd refused.

"Please strap yourself in, I'd hate for you to get injured," he said, again sounding sincere.

You gave him a look, not moving for the seatbelt.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, motioning for the pilot to lift off. Reaching for the door, Zemo spoke some last words to Bucky.

"Kill anyone in that compound."

Bucky marched away dutifully, with you yelling and lunging for the door. Zemo slammed it before you could get out. Not that there was anything you could do to stop Bucky once a command had been given. The bird lifted off the ground at that exact moment, the jolt making you stumble backwards. Losing your balance, you fell awkwardly next to your seat, your wrist getting tweaked as you tried to break your fall.

"I told you," Zemo said disappointedly, tugging the strap across his lap for emphasis, "Seatbelts."

"My friends are in there!" you screamed, jumping to your feet and using the wall to keep you balanced. You were too angry to cry, but scared enough that you wanted to.

"There is no guarantee any will die. The god you house, Thor's brother? He far surpasses Barnes, wouldn't you agree?"

"Then he could kill Bucky!"

"Would a friend kill another friend?"

"They're not friends!"

"Then allies?" he suggested, clearly trying to get at some point.

"I mean---Yes, but no no not really, I---I don't know. Loki's angry, he could---oh god please don't let him do it," you hoped out loud.

"You see? You sleep next to murderers. You can't even trust one to not kill the other. If anyone dies in there, it will not have been because of me. When held to the flame, an individual's true colors are shown. Do we hold the fire accountable for revealing what lies beneath?"

You punched him then, as hard and as passionately as you could.

"YES I HOLD THE FIRE ACCOUNTABLE!" you shouted down at him, "YOU TWISTED, SICK BASTARD! YOU PRETEND YOU'RE BETTER THAN ENHANCED BEINGS WHO DO THEIR BEST TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM THE LIKES OF YOU, WHILE YOU'RE OUT HERE BOMBING BUILDINGS AND KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE!" 

Zemo felt the left side of his face where your punch had landed, looking grimly at you as you finished your outburst.

"For the ultimate goal...the justice that needs to be done...the costs are insignificant."

"Then how are you any different than what you accuse the Avengers of?!" you said, throwing your hand around as you did.

"The bombs were strategically placed in floors unoccupied at the time of the parade. Had I wanted to kill, I could have done it more effectively. I do not take the casualties of those caught in the middle lightly. Yet the few that perish? Their lives go to a noble cause. They die so that cities do not get buried like Sokovia, so that...people do not get buried like Sokovia."

You knew why he'd hesitated, the thought of his family fresher now than in Civil War. 

Damn it's only been a few months for him, the poor man. 

It was hard to remain sympathetic when he'd just sent Bucky to possibly kill Korg or Miek (Valkyrie and Loki you trusted to survive), or maybe even to his own death at the hands of Loki.

"You do know that the part of the city, if lifted high enough, was going to cause a large enough impact to annihilate the entire world population, right? So like, they saved the world? Yes, they couldn't save Sokovia. There was no way to bring the rock back down safely. But they specifically blew it up in order to cause less of an impact and maintain damage and lives. They couldn't save everyone that day, but it was Sokovia or the world. Your family would have died either way. Isn't it enough that they saved billions and did their best to get Sokovians out alive?"

"Tell me," he said, his face looking more severe after the mention of his family, "Who was it who built the Ultron? Yes, I know of Stark's experiment."

"Ok, Sokovia is a bad example. Stark screwed up by getting so paranoid about saving the world that he tried to build an AI to defend it. But if you tear them apart for that mistake, then who will be here to protect the world from real threats not of the Avengers making? Another New York? Or even Hydra! They were going to eliminate millions if Cap, Nat, and Sam hadn't stopped it. Enhanced beings can save your ass time and time again, but the second they screw up or fail to save everyone, people turn on them, not realizing we'd all already be dead without them."

"Who was it who led the attack on New York?"

"That has nothing to do with this!"

"Doesn't it? One minute he's the villain, the next you're making cinnamon rolls with him."

"How do you kn---"

"The point, Ms. Arlington, isn't that enhanced beings have saved the world...it is that they are the reason the world needs saving. Barnes was Hydra's tool in it's infestation, carrying out assassinations for the growth and expansion of the organization. Rogers, Romanoff, and Wilson were forced to save the day because Shield was compromised, the credit for such a feat going largely to the Winter Soldier. Enhanced individuals saving the world from other enhanced individuals."

"Oh come on, Bucky was brainwashed! The fact that there are people terrible enough to do that proves why we need the Avengers. Hydra would have succeeded in it's sabotage with or without the Winter Soldier."

"Maybe," Zemo nodded, tilting his head in a gesture of giving you credit for your argument. "But there is a simple solution to the debate you have started. Whether they are to blame or not...without groups, people, or organizations like the Avengers, conflict of the scale seen in the last few years would not be possible. It is an endless cycle."

"But there's nothing we can do if, like New York, someone just decides to attack us from space! Or if a group like Hydra rises to power! The cycle may be endless, which is unfortunate for the Avengers more than you, me, or anyone else, but they're willing to remain in that repetitive circle to save the likes of us! They don't get a rest, but without them the cycle would have ended in 2012 with the enslavement of humanity!"

"Can you guarantee the world's defenses would have caved so easily?"

"I know New York would have been nuked by the government, is that alternative really any better?"  

"I do not begin to defend the actions of political leaders. But their sins against humanity do not wash away the blood on the hands of the Avengers. Hydra, gods who come to earth, unfortunate soldiers mutated and controlled...all are part of the unnatural, the threats to humanity. The Avengers are no different."

"Are you insane!? You just said the others are threats, so who do you suppose we get to fight them?"

"Who is to stop the Avengers from taking that mantle? This Loki, the defiler of your beloved city of New York, he's considered a threat one day, your ally the next. Can the reverse not also occur? Where there are people of such power, there is a threat, no matter the ideals they claim to hold. Barnes was not responsible for his own actions, yet you saw how easily he was turned. Whether it is out of his control is inconsequential. He is a threat. The very idea of the serum that courses through his veins is a threat. Stark's technology yields heroes like the new Vision, who 'flies around fighting for Sokovia'," he mocked. "All the while he fights his opposite. A Stark creation that threatened all of humanity. A few years from now, who else will you be defending for the pain they inflict on others? How many will hide behind the label of hero, while conflict brews around them like a storm ready to swallow towns, cities, people?"

The thought of Wanda and Westview popped into your head, but you cast it out quickly.

Do not let him manipulate you!  

"It's a risk we have to take. Could they turn, for some reason, if they wanted to? Sure, I guess, so can anyone. But we have to trust them. Because if we destroy them out of fear for what they could do, we've now for sure lost any chance at heroes. And when the villains come, and they will come, we now have zero chance at stopping them because we got rid of the people who tried their hardest. By not taking the risk, we seal our fate. I get your point that the line between heroes and villains is blurred, but that doesn't mean we get rid of them all just to be safe. We need heroes. Because there are pure villains out there who, though they may think they're right, will kill and murder to get what they want...ring any bells?"

"Hero or villain...good and evil...these words mean different things, depending on who is speaking them. They are a matter of perspective...of an individual's point of view. Would you so readily call Stark a hero were it your family crushed by his mistake? His tampering with powers he should not possess?" 

Zemo's posture was more rigid, his face growing harder as traces of the anger and pain he felt were breaking through his usually composed facade.

"No..." you said sincerely, sympathizing with his pain as greatly as you do Loki's, "No, I probably wouldn't. That's why I feel for you, Zemo. I---I really do, ok? Why do you think I'm able to forget Loki's sins? He's a villain in the same way you are...he let his pain get the better of him. You can't call him a villain and not yourself one, it doesn't work like that. But Loki has started trying to make up for what he did. Stark has tried his best to turn from his past, to the point where he cared so much that he created Ultron. Bucky just wants to live a normal life. All of these people have screwed up, some having no control over it. But, yes, they are my allies now and I trust them because they've put in the work, and we need them. If you were to stop this madness and try to be better, I'd even forgive the bombings you did! The lives lost are on your conscious, but I'd give you the second chance. You're no different than the people you're condemning right now, Zemo. You talk about the existence of enhanced beings as the threat to this world, but your existence...your story...the way you've let your loss drive you to this radical point where you think it's ok to sacrifice innocent people for your cause...you're what's the threat to this world. You're trying your hardest to end the Avengers, but only succeeding in proving why we need them. We need the Avengers to either stop or reform people whose past has damaged them beyond the point of logic. Loki, Wanda, Nat, Tony, Bucky...hell, even Thor! All of them were either dangerous, reckless, manipulated...threats is what they were. The Avengers, the home for lost people like them...it gave them all a second chance. Your solution to eliminate anyone who holds the power with potential to be a threat isn't a solution at all. Because even villains can be redeemed, but not without heroes. And, once again, when someone like you, who has been hurt and pushed to this point...when they come along, who can we trust to stop or save them? What's to stop someone like you from going even further and slaughtering hundreds in their quest for revenge? Yes, you're thankfully somewhat restrained in the amount of people you're willing to kill, but you want a gold star for that??? You're a villain and a murderer, Zemo."

"The Avengers---"

"Have killed people, yes, either on accident...or individually in their own traumatic pasts. But they've changed and tried saving lives rather than taking them. You, on the other hand, are justifying straight up murder to prevent death? Do you hear how insane that sounds? And it's not even like you're doing it because it's the only way to save the world or anything. You're bitter and hurt by the fact that there are people with power out there whose mistakes got your family killed. But take them away as vengeance and you've doomed countless other families to the same fate! You're proving why we need them. Because that endless cycle you spoke of? The one you think will end when people like the Avengers are gone? It's men like you, broken and hateful, that keep it going...that will start it up again and win, leading to a far worse outcome than the loss of a city."

Zemo didn't say anything. He'd looked past you while you'd been speaking, glancing up once or twice. Now, his eyes were fixed on yours as he swallowed what you said. Moving his hand to his side, he released his seatbelt, standing to face you. Instinctively, you took a small step back, unsure of what he was doing.

"Please, sit down...you wouldn't want to fall again."

"I've been threatened by the god of all threats, buddy, I'm not gonna be afraid of yours."

"Threats are for children," Zemo smirked, "I was merely pointing out a fact. Sit."

You dropped in your seat roughly, glaring at him the whole way. There was no point in standing anyway.

"Now," he said, leaning to your side, "Might I recommend you use the seatbelt this time?" He grabbed the strap, pulling it over you.

"I can do it," you snapped, slapping his hand away and buckling it yourself. Taking your eyes off of him was a mistake, as the pain of something sharp piercing your neck made you gasp. Your hand shot to the punctured skin as you looked up at the syringe in his hands.

"How the...hell do movie people...get syringes...outta...nowhere?" you mumbled, your eyes already becoming heavy and your words hard to formulate. The images started fading in and out, and the last thing you saw was Zemo crouching down in front of you with a pleasant smile on his face...or pleased smile...you couldn't pinpoint which. 

"Goodnight, Ms. Arlington."

***

A knock at your door made you groan, your consciousness pulling from whatever dream you'd been having. You didn't open your eyes, rolling over and burying your face in the pillow. You heard the sound of the door opening and footsteps approaching.

What does Loki want now? you thought groggily, knowing he was the only one who'd walk in without asking for permission first...except Tony, but he was still mad at you for Bucky...BUCKY!

Shooting up, you took in your surroundings frantically, the memory of what had happened coming back to you. The bedroom you were in was actually quite nice, even if the windows were barred and boarded. Sitting up too quickly was a mistake, especially after being drugged, the motion making your head pound and vision swirl. You pressed your palm to your forehead until the the fogginess cleared up.

"Easy, Miss," a voice spoke from your right.

He looks familiar, you thought as you took in the old gentleman before you. He was dressed like a butler, carrying a small tray with water and some pills.

"The Baron is waiting in the dining hall," he said, pouring a powder into the water and stirring it around. 

Wait...ohh, that's where I know him! He's Zemo's butler. Explains the getup.

"Uh...what---"

"Here," he cut you off, handing you the water and meds.

You looked from the pills to the butler.

"You think I'm taking more drugs from Zemo?"

"It's just aspirin for the headache," he assured you, in his heavily accented voice.

"Right," you said in disbelief, taking the glass and pills. You knew if he wanted to drug you, he could have while you were asleep. 

If it's aspirin, I'll take it.

You swallowed down the tablets, finishing the water and placing the cup back on the tray.

"Follow me, please," he said, turning promptly and heading for the door.

"Uh wh-where are we going exactly?" you asked, scurrying out of the bed after him, ignoring the pain behind your eyes.

"I told you, the master is waiting in the dining hall."

"Right, yeah," you replied, looking around the gorgeous home, or mansion, you were walking through. It was grand, textured, and had an antique sense about it, unlike the more sleek and modern style of the compound. It was night, wherever you were, as darkness was all that could be seen from the windows in view. 

The butler, as you were calling him because you couldn't remember his name at all, led you down a large staircase to main hall of the building. A chandelier hung above the wide foyer. Your eyes scanned the place, resting on the ornate double doors that marked the front entrance.

"I wouldn't if I were you," the butler said, waiting in front of an doorway across the foyer on your left.

"Why?" you challenged. What was to stop you from running out the door and leaving the old man in the dust?

"You must not know my master well, if you think him foolish enough to allow you walk out the front door."

"So he's got some defenses out there? What if you're bluffing?" you pressed, your voice echoing in the vast chamber.

"Are you accusing my faithful friend of lying?" Zemo's voice called from the room the butler was attempting to bring you to.

You sighed and walked over, entering a beautiful dining room with a magnificent stone fireplace.

"The bad guys lie all the time," you answered, stopping a few feet from the table. Zemo was sitting at the head of it on the side facing you.

"You know me, Ms Arlington, so you know I am no generic criminal. Oeznik is as true to his word as I am."

"Oeznik! That's his name!" you said, snapping your fingers, "Sorry I forgot your name, no offense or anything," you waved apologetically to the him.

He looked confused by what you were saying, and Zemo spared him the displeasure of having to be in front of you for much longer.

"You can go tend to the dinner, Oeznik, we're fine for now," Zemo dismissed him kindly.

Oeznik bowed and left through a different door.

"Ok, I have questions," you spat out once he was gone.

"Are you going to sit first, or shall you remain standing while you shout at me again?"

He motioned towards the chair closest to you on the opposite end from him.

"Don't provoke me and I won't shout," you shot back, taking the seat, "I just want some answers."

"As do I," he said, folding his hands on the table and leaning back in his chair.

"I go first, seeing as I'm the one kidnapped here."

"I should hope you feel more a guest than a prisoner."

"Yeah," you laughed, "Probably not gonna happen."

"Nevertheless, I do not wish to hurt you. Things will go smoothly and you will be returned unharmed...if you help me with what I need."

"Yeah about that, first question: What do you want with me? Hydra I get, but you?"

"You possess knowledge unlike any in this world. I need it to end the Avengers."

"Ok, I'm gonna stop you right there," you held up your hand, "I'm not going to help you end the Avengers. Were you listening to anything I said earlier? How long has it been anyway?"

"You have been out for roughly 24 hours. I had prepared a rather heavy sleeping serum, I'm afraid. You can never be too careful with individuals of unknown abilities."

"Unknown abilities?"

"You are from a different universe. Simply because you did not eliminate Hydra when they stumbled upon you the first time, does not mean I could assume you had no other enhanced traits."

"Ok, next question, how do you know I'm from another universe?"

"Have you done much to hide that fact?" he smiled.

"No, but you already knew, you just admitted it."

"When the Black Widow released Shield intel to the world, Hydra secrets were spilled. Most of the information was encrypted, hard to decipher. But I have both experience and patience. I have spent the last few months dedicated to finding the information I seek. Along the way, I recently discovered the whereabouts of Hydra facilities within a close enough proximity to D.C. If the Winter Soldier had been contained anywhere during his trip to your Capitol, there was a chance I had just uncovered the location. Washington was the last recorded sighting of the Winter Soldier. If there was a key to how they controlled him, a hint of the location of the book I have heard whispers about, then there's a possibility I would find that clue in his last known whereabouts. My investigation yielded little, except for one piece of knowledge...some of the facilities were still operational, yet to be eliminated by the Avengers. The other sights had produced no beneficial information...but Hydra's Rumlow is sloppy. It was not difficult to learn of the girl who held their interest. A woman who dropped out of the sky at the Avengers compound...from the future."

"How did Rumlow know that?! It's been driving me nuts!"

Zemo shook his head in disappointment. "You cannot tell me he didn't give it away himself. He is as skilled at hiding the truth as you are."

"Hey!"

"No offense," Zemo shrugged.

You thought back to the encounter with Hydra, replaying the conversation in your head.

"He said I looked like #4...whatever that means."

"Not whatever. Whoever."

"Wait wait wait, hold up! You're saying I look like someone he knows? If they're labeled with a number...is this poor person being held by them?"

"You're getting warmer," Zemo nodded, "They are holding multiple individuals, experimenting on them, using what research remains from their dealings with the gem that now resides in Stark's creation."

"So they're running experiments on people with their data from the mind stone...and I look like one of their prisoners?"

"You could say the resemblance is...uncanny," he smirked, his eyes suggesting something more.

"Ok, maybe the drugs are making me slow tonight, but I'm clearly missing something."

"Subject number 4 is a teenage girl, taken from her home in New Jersey," Zemo said, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head towards you.

"Oh my god!" you gasped, realization dawning on you, "There's a version of me here!"

Zemo simply smiled as you arrived at the truth.

"Oh my...damn thi--this explains a lot, but like also doesn't, I-I....shit," you end on a whisper, running your hands through your hair.

"I know it is a lot to process."

"Why did you tell me all of this?"

"I told you, I do not care for Hydra. They were simply a means to an end. If Rumlow was not caught as planned, the anonymous tip I had leaked to the Avengers will surely have led them to the facility by now."

"If they get Rumlow to talk, couldn't that lead them to you?"

"He was too desperate to get his hands on the Winter Soldier, he hardly questioned the information I gave him. I am a convincing liar as well, not the most virtuous quality I know."

"So you use them to find the book faster, with the promise of using the Winter Soldier to help them get me, then you double-cross them, use the Winter Soldier yourself, take me yourself, lead the Avengers to them, and all the while have given them either false information or not enough to ever be traced to you in the first place?" 

Zemo smirked and held up his hands in a "yeah, that about sums it up" kind of way.

"Damn, you do not disappoint," you laughed, "You really are as genius as I thought you were."

 Oeznik returned with food, and you never thought you'd ever have a fancy plate of dinner placed in front of you by a butler.

"Thank you," you said, before remembering you were kidnapped by these people. It was hard to keep that in mind when your experience had been, as far as kidnappings go, rather pleasant. Not to mention you were talking to the Zemo, who was thoroughly enjoyable to be around even when you disagreed with him. And his voice was iconic, you almost wanted him to just talk the whole time.

Why do villains have to be so dang fun?

"I have answered all of your questions, now you must answer mine," Zemo said as he thanked Oeznik and began cutting into his food.

"Depends on what you want to know."

Zemo stopped mid-cut, staring across at you with a grave expression.

"I displayed no disparity when answering your questions."

"Yeah, but if I asked something like 'Where am I, what do your defenses look like around here, and where's the nearest police station' would you answer so readily?"

Zemo's face lightened and he smiled slightly.

"That is fair."

"Exactly," you smiled, looking back down at your plate, "But I'll answer what I can. You're not a bad dude, Zemo. You're just a little messed up in your head, no offense!" you said quickly, glancing to see an offended look on his face. "Sorry...you know what I meant. Anyway, I'll answer what I can."

"I appreciate that."

You continued eating, patiently waiting for his first question.

"If you are from a universe in the future, how did you not know of your younger self?"

"Ah, well ya see, I'm not just from the future. I'm from a different universe entirely. Separate reality, I guess. Your copies in my world are...different than they are here. I never even paused to think there was a version of myself here."

Zemo hummed in response, pondering what you said.

"Since you have arrived, you've helped the Avengers locate Barnes. The gods from space have returned. Dr. Banner has mysteriously reappeared, and the Avengers were active for many days."

"How do you know some of that?"

"It is my turn, remember?"

"Fine," you groaned, "Go on."

"One can assume that your knowledge to aid them on whatever missions you've guided them through comes from the future events in your reality. You know who I am. You know of the book, and were shocked merely that I have it in my possession earlier than you anticipated. So tell me...do I succeed in your world?"

"Welll, define succeed?"

He only continued to stare, knowing you knew what he meant.

"You break them up, yes," you said, to which he smiled in immense relief, "But your whole belief of 'an empire toppled from within is dead for good' or however you said it doesn't actually pan out. The Avengers come back together after a while, to bring back half of all life in the universe after an alien kills 50% of all living beings. Still think we don't need them?"

"I am sure the Avengers lead to whatever disaster occurred in the first place."

"No, they really d---"

"I don't recall saying anything to you about an empire toppled from within?" he interjected.

"You say it in the future in my reality."

"So we have met?"

"No not exactly."

"Who are you in your world that you know so much of the Avengers and their adversaries?"

"Ok, I'll be completely honest with you, this is going to sound really really weird. Your counterparts in my world are actors. The Avengers, you, your stories? They're movies, all part of what we call the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A series of films and tv shows based on comic book characters."

Zemo smiled like you were pulling his leg at first, before noting the seriousness in your tone and expression. His eyes narrowed as he continued to judge whether you were lying or not.

"Fascinating," he whispered, evidently deeming you truthful, "So you have a third-person knowledge of everything. You are, in a sense, omniscient. To everything that has and will happen."

"Well, only what's shown in the films."

"Which, if the movie is a good one, should include everything of importance."

"I guess, yeah, I know like main events and stuff. I'm also a nerd, so I can quote quite a bit...not that I needed to brag about that like it's something to be proud of."

"There is no shame in finding enjoyment in films and fantasy. Stories are humanity's oldest form of entertainment. They provide an escape if desired, a laugh when needed, and an emotional display we can all, at one time or another, relate to and release our own emotions through."

"Why do you have to be likeable?" you whined in frustration, "Can't villains ever just be the by-the-book 'I'm an evil asshole'? It would make hating you so much easier."

"Would those villains be compelling in your films?"

"No, MCU villains have gotten consistently more sympathetic and likeable, which is what makes it so difficult being thrown in here! I love the villains too much."

"You see? You should know life is never as black and white as one would like it to be. The Avengers are not as virtuous as you claim they are, and I am not the 'evil asshole' you would love to brand me."

"I know the Avengers aren't saints, and you're not an evil guy, but that doesn't change the fact that what you're doing at the moment is wrong."

"I didn't know eating steak was a crime?" he said innocently, holding up the piece on his fork for you to see before promptly consuming it.

"Oh I hate you," you chuckled, "You know what I meant."

"I take it I am one of these villains you hate to love?" he asked genuinely.

"You're definitely the one I always admired as being the most clever and unique villain to go up against the Avengers...and you're funny...aaand your voice is awesome...and your coat," you confessed, finishing the last part quickly and sipping right away. Earlier on the helicopter, he'd been wearing the coat from TFATWS that was such a great look. You had to refrain from sucking water down your pipes out of laughter, as Zemo's face was adorably hilarious.

"It is a really good coat," he agreed, the two of you laughing over it for a bit.

"Can I say, now that you know my position and whatnot, that I'm kinda freaking out over meeting you?? Like, again, you know I DO NOT agree with you, but you're Zemo! In front of me! Had you not, you know, kidnapped me and all, I woulda been so excited to see you."

"I am sorry our meeting was under such unfavorable circumstances. You seem a very good woman, and I respect what you're trying to accomplish with the knowledge you possess."

"Any chance you could make my job easier and not try to break the Avengers apart?"

He gave you a look over his glass as he drank.

"It was worth a shot," you shrugged.

Oeznik reentered, clearing the dishes and placing a smaller plate in front of you instead. When he was gone, you looked across at Zemo.

"We've theorized that Hydra had something to do with the portal that brought me here...do you know if my other self is the key? What did Hydra do?"

"Unfortunately, Rumlow used what little intelligence he can muster to withhold all of the details from me. I do know that they are responsible for the portal. How it opened to the compound and what precisely they did to spark it's origin remains a mystery."

You nodded, zoning off as you thought about the absurdity of it all.

If Hydra opened the portal and not me...what if I need them to get me back?

"I am sorry. I would tell you if I knew," Zemo assured you, mistaking your solemn expression for disappointment.

"Yeah no, I know, thanks," you said, brushing off the negative thoughts as best you could.

Oeznik returned with another tray, scooping two cinnamon rolls onto your plate, and then doing the same for Zemo.

"I know it was your holiday yesterday, one I prevented you from celebrating. I think you'll find these to be a higher quality than yours purchased from the supermarket."

The pastries brought to mind Loki and all of the events of the previous morning. Mixed anger and worry filled you as you glared up at Zemo.

"Does that mean you do not want them? I am sorry for the necessary violence that occurred yesterday. Truly."

"Necessary," you scoffed, chuckling bitterly, "I'm sure it just kills you to have to take life to get what you want. You poor thing."

Zemo held your stare, looking neither mad nor terribly upset by your attitude.

"You know, I think I'll wait to have the store-bought ones with the people who don't justify being a murderer," you said, pushing the plate away from you and standing.

"I did not excuse you," Zemo said as you stormed out, ignoring him.

The front door caught your eye, the briefest of temptations running through your mind, but you thought better of it.

He definitely has something or someone out there.

Besides, you had no idea where you were or what to expect.

Walking back up the stairs, you retraced your steps to your bedroom/cell. 

What the hell do I do now? I just walked out on Zemo, who clearly wasn't keen on me leaving yet. He still needs me for whatever information he wants. Will he torture me for it? He seems so pleasant when he's not talking about the Avengers or his family. But his charming and funny side showed itself more in TFATWS, not Civil War. In Civil War he was constantly bitter. The kindness he's shown me might fade real fast if he 'does what he has to do' to get his justice. I don't hate Zemo, and I don't want him to do anything more to make me hate him. Miek, Korg, Bucky, they could all be alive. He hasn't crossed the line 100% yet. But he gives me cinnamon rolls??? As if that makes up for him bombing the parade, injuring my friends, and taking me against my will? Ok, so getting kidnapped by Zemo is pretty cool...SHUT UP THIS IS SERIOUS!

You weren't wrong though. If you had to get kidnapped by anyone other than Loki, this was kinda sweet. But he'd hurt people, and you couldn't glance over that like you did when he was just a movie character you could admire for his brilliance...despite how easy it was to do just that.

The best thing, for my safety and to prevent Zemo from doing something I know would be hard to forgive, I need to get out of here! I need to contact the Avengers. But I don't even know where I am. Oh my god, Heimdall!

You tiptoed to your door, opening it a crack and peering through. Zemo and Oeznik were nowhere to be seen.

"Ok," you breathed, closing the door and walking over to your bed. "Heimdall?" you said out loud, though quietly. "Heimdall, hey, I hope you can hear me. Uh, I don't know how your powers work entirely, like if repeating your name will help? But you've heard me in the past. Just in case I'll say Heimdall again, just for good measure. Uh, hey I'm uh, kidnapped...I know, I'm a stupid damsel in distress. But I ain't gonna sulk like one. I can either be kidnapped for a while like a dramatic story, or I can call out to the all-seeing man. If you can hear me, and see me, I'd appreciate you sending the guys over here as quickly as you can. It's pretty nice here and all, but I don't think abductor and abductee are going to get along for forever." You were glancing to the door every second, expecting Zemo to barge in. "So yeah, Heimdall, if you hear me, uh, I'd appreciate the assist. I hope all's well with you and the others! Ok, I'm gonna shut up now before he hears me."

You finished in the nick of time, as the door opened seconds after you stopped speaking. Zemo walked in with aura of purpose about him, face set sternly.

"I have been nothing but amiable, Ms. Arlington," he said, folding his hand in front of him, "I do not wish to harm you. But there are answers I still seek...a promise I still have to keep. The mission report, December 16, 1991...have you already informed Stark?"

"I don't know what that is," you lied, holding in your excitement over the fact that he just said the line.

"Don't waste your breath. You've said I succeed, so I know you've seen my methods. If not with that information, as you claim, then how?"

"Look, Zemo, I got caught up in the hype of meeting you and your whole charming display. I don't think you're a bad guy on the inside, I really don't. But I can't let my sympathy and love for you as a character blind me to the fact that I am still kidnapped, and you're still a criminal. I won't answer your questions anymore."

Zemo looked like he was trying to swallow down his rising frustration, shaking his head in disappointment and sighing.

"It does not have to go this way."

"That's entirely up to you. Are you gonna use your deranged goals as justification to torture it out of me? When does it cross the line into villainy, Zemo? When does it stop?"

Zemo paused for a moment, his head facing the floor, hiding his expression from you. Finally, he raised up, a hardened look replacing any signs of the friendly man.

"With the end of the Avengers."

The two of you held each other's gaze for a few silent seconds, and you saw your own sadness reflected in his eyes.

He really doesn't want to do this. I'm not a ex-Hydra colonel he can ruthlessly drown without blinking an eye. 

All you did was nod as he held out his hand for you to come with him. Walking forwards, you considered fighting.

He'd win, but I could get at least one good blow in.

You ultimately decided against it. If the Avengers were on their way, provoking him wasn't the smartest option. You'd hopefully be out of this soon. If you played it cool, you could make it out of there with minimal injury. Zemo placed his hand on your back as he led you from the room, but you shrugged him off. He then took the lead, walking through his labyrinth of a home until stopping outside a door. Zemo opened it, yet there was nothing to see. The first few steps leading downward was all you could make out, before the blackness from below swallowed up the rest.

"Dark creepy torture basement? And you still claim to not be the bad guy?"

Zemo gave you a sideways look, before reaching in and flipping a switch on the wall. The stairwell was lit up by nice light fixtures, and it turned out to be as beautiful and well-kept as the rest of the mansion.

"It's still a torture basement," you said to his arrogant smirk, taking your first step down. 

Zemo's smirk grew when you paused in the gorgeously finished basement.

"Ok, fine, so you're rolling in the dough and have a fantastic interior designer. Doesn't change the situation...or the fact that there is a literal torture table set up over there! Dude, are those wires? You going for Star Wars style electrocution interrogation?"

"You do a good job of hiding your nerves behind humor," he said, walking over to the table and rolling up his sleeves, "I could beat the information from you, but that is a little primitive, wouldn't you agree?"

"I think torture at all is primitive."

"When diplomacy has failed, and there are no alternatives left, one must settle for a more base form of persuasion, no matter how unpleasant."

"How many times do you have to tell yourself that before you can sleep at night?"

"Once. I think of my wife and son, and all doubts disappear."

He motioned for you to get into position on the table, and you took a deep breath.

They're coming. Keep him busy. It's only for a bit, you can do this.

"Please know this is nothing personal," he said as you laid down.

"How many times have I heard that in a movie?" you snickered.

"How many times is it said sincerely?" he countered, pulling your sleeves up to attach the wires to your skin, via those suction cup kind of things people have hooked up to them in hospitals and whatnot.

"You just said the thought of your family makes it easy for you to justify this...kinda implying the justice you seek, which is personal, comes at the cost of my pain...isn't that, in a way, personal? That I get your punishment and pain in the name of your family?"

"Hmm...I suppose," he said absent-mindedly, focusing on rigging the same mechanisms to your forehead.

"I'm sorry about your family, Zemo," you said as you stared up at the ceiling.

"Thank you. Though I find that hard to believe, when you will not help me avenge them."

"There's nothing to avenge. You're only causing more damage. Your family doesn't care about the promise, only you do. Let it go."

Zemo was finishing the straps on your wrists and ankles, pulling the last one particularly tight as you spoke. He walked over to the small power source he had, sitting on the stool next to you with the controls in his hands. Looking you up and down to make sure all was in order, his eyes stopped on yours.

"I understand what you think you're doing...who you think you are helping. And I am terribly sorry you were pulled into this world. But stopping me? Breaking the flow of our universe's events? You're tampering with nature the same way the Avengers are...with the same disregard for others."

"Or, I'm stopping events that will go against nature. Preventing millions from being wiped out."

Your words fell on deaf ears, Zemo's face remaining hard and emotionless.

"I lost everyone to the Avengers. I won't allow you to stop the justice I am destined to enact. I do not fault your attempt at heroic actions...but our choices have consequences. You've chosen to be one of them, and so you will be dragged down with them. I wish you had cooperated or stayed out of the affairs of this universe. You are a likeable woman, Ms. Arlington. Believe me when I say this will hurt me as much as it does you. I'm sorry."

With that he pressed a button and pain shot through your body. You thought you'd be able to tough it out, to not scream, but the electricity coursing into your arms and head was more than you'd anticipated. It was like the brief sharp pain you feel when shocking yourself on an outlet, except prolonged and of greater intensity. The slave disks on Sakaar were child's play in comparison. You shouted right off the bat, never having heard such a scared and pained cry coming from yourself. Biting your lip, you tried to pull back the scream, grunting and squealing through your sealed mouth instead. Zemo only kept the power on for ten seconds or so, the shocks subsiding as a vibrating feeling and residual ache took their place.

"Did you tell Stark?"

You didn't even look over at Zemo, glaring hard at the ceiling. The voltage came again, with you doing a better job of holding in your cries.

"How do I succeed?"

"Ch-chang-ging the que-question isn't g-gonna he--elp," you tried to say firmly, but the buzzing in your body was making it difficult.

He zapped again, the third one feeling worse as your weakened pained tolerance was fighting a losing battle.

"Who do I target?"

You thought about the damage Zemo could still do if he knew of the Sokovia Accords and Wanda's accident. Those were things he simply capitalized on in Civil War. You didn't put it past him to find a way to cause another such scene, leading to government interference and the drafting of the accords. Seeing as you thought these things rather than said them, Zemo pressed his controls once again. This pattern continued for a dozen times or more, each attack feeling stronger, despite your body feeling more numb after every one. It became increasingly difficult to hold in your screams, and you eventually let them flow. You barely even noticed whether you were shouting at all, as the pain slowly grew to consume all of your attention. 

"Please," he said kindly after another pause, his strict tone gone.

You glanced over at him, the movement sending your head through another burst of pain. You winced, looking back at the ceiling. The light above you was blurry, and it took you a couple seconds to realizes it was due to the tears in your eyes. You blinked, feeling them trickle down your cheeks.

"I want this to end too," he said in sincerity. You knew he was telling the truth, which made it all the more horrible that he was doing this. How broken do you have to be to justify what he was doing to you? You were angry, yes, but with the exhaustion that was creeping into your mind also came the inability to focus on your rage. That was simply too demanding. Instead, as you were already crying and in pain, you felt miserable for Zemo. Miserable for yourself. Miserable for the whole situation.

"Help me...and you can go home."

You'd be lying if you said the thought of yielding didn't cross your mind. But poor Wanda, treated like a criminal for trying to save Cap from the bomb, flashed in your head. The image of her in a strait-jacket sitting in the Raft. 

Hell no.

You didn't bother wasting your energy to tell him off, your silence doing the job nicely. Zemo performed one last electrocution, longer, or so it felt, than the others. 

"I do not wish to kill you," he said, and you heard him stand up from his stool.

"That...would b-be a...a bum-m-mer," you whispered, voice trembling.

"Rest now," he said, as your eyes closed.

***

"Kid??? Kid! Come on kid----" was all you heard, the person's voice coming in and out.

You felt something cold touch your arm, your eyes opening with the notion that Zemo was back for round 2. Instead, you saw Tony leaning over you, detaching the cords from your head.

Hey it's Tony, you thought groggily, He's talking to me. Does that mean I can apologize now?

"He--hey," you said.

Why do I sound so weird? you thought when hearing your hoarse whisper.

"Kid! Can you hear me?" Tony asked, propping his hand behind your head and looking at you with a worried expression.

"Yeah," you answered, trying to nod your head, but the pain stopping you immediately. "I'm...I'm I'm s-sorry, Tony."

Tony stared back in confusion, "What are you talking about, kid? It's ok, we're getting you out of here," he said, assuming you were still out of it. Which of course, you kind of were.

"I'm sorry...for...Bucky," you said slowly, concentrating more on saying the words without stuttering. The more you stared at Tony, the more your brain cleared up. 

Oh, no shit my voice is sore! you said to yourself, answering your previous foggy thought.

Tony smiled, looking remorseful himself, which, in your tired state, you didn't question. 

"It's ok, kid," he whispered back.

"You...forgive me then?"

"Would I have traveled across the world into a creepy torture basement for you if I didn't?" he joked.

"It totally is a creepy torture basement...I knew it," you smiled.

"Yeah, don't let the lavish decor fool you, this place has psycho written all over it."

You chuckled a bit, causing your body to ache some more. You weren't numb, but the mild tingling sensation made your limbs feel weightless.

"Ow," you said childishly, "Everything hurts."

"Yeah, I know, it's ok, we're gonna get you home, ok Smiles?"

"Ok," you grinned back.

"Atta girl, let's see if you can sit up."

He helped you rise slowly, feet dangling off the side. Your head had nearly split, but you held onto Tony until the throbbing slowed down and you trusted yourself not to pass out. 

"See, I got this," you smirked, "Piece of cake."

"Oh, shit, the others," Tony grumbled, turning on his coms, "Guys, I got her. Basement, east side of the building...figure it out, Wilson, I'm not your compass!"

Rhodey was the first one to reach your position, running over from the stairs.

"How are you?" he asked, placing a hand on your shoulder and examining you himself.

"I could use some frozen yogurt."

Rhodey smiled, shaking his head, "So could I. As soon as we're back, I promise."

One by one the others flooded in, all asking the same question. Everyone either gave you a gentle hug or pat on the shoulder. Thor rushed in, barreling towards you.

"Who did this to you? By Odin's beard he shall feel my wrath!"

"It's fine, Thor, I'll explain. But first, it's good to see you," you smiled, wrapping your arms around him as he bent down for the embrace. "Looking good out there in the parade...before the, ya know, explosions and everything."

"Oh thank you," Thor grinned, "I did think I was doing quite well."  

"A bit too much preening if you ask me," a familiar voice spoke from behind Thor. 

He stepped aside, revealing Loki, smiling when he saw you. Pain or not, you stood up, hugging him, or really falling into him, unable to take the first step as quickly as you'd tried.

"Oh thank god you're alive!" you sighed in relief.

Loki wrapped his arms around you, both returning the hug and keeping you upright.

"Easy, Darling, don't hurt yourself."

"Oh, so you leap up for Reindeer Games?" Tony commented in offense.

"Who else did you think she'd jump for?" Sam asked.

"He was shot and outnumbered!" you explained, pulling back from Loki to glare at Sam, though not letting go of his shoulder. Loki also kept a hand on your side, ready to steady you should you stumble.

"I have survived a bullet before. And did you honestly believe Hydra stood a chance?" he raised an eyebrow at you.

"I kept telling myself you two were fine," you said, addressing Valkyrie as well, "But I couldn't be certain. How're Korg and Miek???" you asked, suddenly terrified you'd hear some unfortunate news.

"They're both alive," Cap said.

"Little bugboy will need some new prosthetics, but he'll be alright," Tony assured you.

 "And Bucky??? Please tell me he's ok??? It wasn't his fault guys, Zemo had the book! Loki, please tell me you didn't kill him!" 

You'd spoken so quickly, on such a sore throat, that you ended in a coughing fit.

"Sh sh sh, easy," Loki said, speaking softer than he ever had. You realized this was the first time the two of you had been so casually friendly without fearing the judgement of the others, Loki going so far as to allow you to hug him. "I didn't kill him."

You let yourself relax, taking a huge breath of relief.

"Where is he?"

"He's back at the compound. We knew it wasn't safe for him to come if your kidnapper had the book," Steve said, "He's taken it hard, what he did to you."

You saw that even Tony looked sympathetic, which was a surprise.

"He shouldn't, it's not his fault. What he does when those words are spoken...it's got to be terrifying, having no control."

"Seeing you will help," Nat said.

"Uh, where's Zemo?" you asked, looking around the room.

"The man you mentioned from Civil War, right?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, he uh, he came in earlier than expected I guess. Being kidnapped by him was pretty great, actually, until...well, you know," you gestured to the table.

There were many headshakes and disappointed looks.

"Let me guess," Sam said, "Another character you like?"

"Zemo is pretty awesome, yeah," you smiled at his expression, "Not that I'm condoning his behavior, so don't roll your eyes Tony! He really didn't want to hurt me. It's hard to explain, but he really wanted to just get what he needed and let me go without any violence. We had a nice dinner, I got to hear his iconic voice, everything was running smoothly...until I told him I was done answering questions."

"So he's a psychopath who tortures you once he has to, even if he doesn't want to? Sounds like a real gentleman, we should have just invited him over for Thanksgiving and spared him the struggle of planning an attack!" Tony sassed.

"No, yeah, he 100% is kinda psychotic. Extremely intelligent, don't get me wrong, and super pleasant to talk to. And, under all of his hatred, he's a real cool guy. But he's a little messed up up here," you pointed to your head, "after the death of his family in Sokovia."

"Yes, very sad. Now if we could get down to hunting him, there's a special dull knife I have that'll make gutting him as painful as possible," Loki said casually, looking around the group for support. Instead, he was met with sounds of disgust.

"I'm actually on Team Loki," Tony shrugged.

"Of course you are," Nat sighed.

"Our first priority is getting her to the quinjet," Cap stated, "She needs medical attention."

"What, no I'm fine. I just need to walk it off," you shook your head.

"If you could walk, that might be true" Wanda said.

"And if your voice didn't sound like that slug lady from Monsters Inc," Tony added.

"And if you didn't look ready to pass out in my brother's arms," Thor finished.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Sam said.

"Thor, slap him for me, I can't," you said, to which he promptly turned and slapped Sam across the face.

"The point is, we're having Bruce take a look at you," Steve said, ignoring the slap fight that was breaking out between Thor and Sam.

"Is he on the quinjet?"

"Holding out for a code green," Rhodey nodded.

"You guys get her there, I'm gonna stick around and search the place. See if I can find out how Zebra got out of here so quickly and whether he left any trace of where he's going," Tony said.

Vision, Wanda, and Rhodey elected to stay and help, the others aiding you in your slow steps across the room. Thor insisted on carrying you up the stairs, refusing to let you walk after that.

"Thor, really, my legs were feeling better, you don't---"

"Nonsense! You shall not walk until Banner has had his say."

So, you awkwardly sat in Thor's arms as he carried you out of the building and off to the quinjet. You caught Loki's eyes, which he rolled at his brother's actions. You smiled, nodding your head slightly, but stopping before Thor could see. Bruce was happy to see you, examining you right away. He gave you some pills, an injection, and prescribed lots of rest.

"You don't have to tell me twice," you said, closing your eyes in one of the medical beds on the aircraft, "Thank you, Bruce."

"No problem, Wren. Get some sleep."

***

Clint shook you awake gently, notifying you that the bird had landed. He helped you up, but you found your legs were much stronger after more sleep and whatever Bruce had given you. Walking out into the main room, the Avengers were all gathered around, ready to depart. Why they hadn't left yet was a mystery.

"Did you guys find anything?" you asked after greeting Tony.

"He escaped through some tunnel system under his house. Who actually has a tunnel system? Anyway, he didn't exactly leave breadcrumbs to his next location, and there were no Blue's Clues to be found in the house...only this."

He handed you an envelope.

"It appears your hospitable torturer thought he had enough time to write a letter. I wanted to read it," Tony grunted.

"But we wouldn't let him," Wanda finished.

"I still don't see why," Tony complained.

"Because it's not for you, Tony," Rhodey spoke like he was explaining something to a child for the hundredth time.

"Who cares who the man addressed it to? It's not like I'm reading her diary, or personal mail! This man just kidnapped her!"

"Whatever he has to say to her, she should be the one to see it first," Steve said.

"Oh, you mean things that pertain to someone should be given to them? Told to them? Others shouldn't know it while the person doesn't?" Tony exclaimed in sarcastic shock.

You didn't say anything, sure his wrath at the Bucky scenario would turn from Cap to you if you did.

"Tony," Cap said pleadingly, and you looked up from the envelope quick enough to see Steve nod in your direction.

"Right, tear that sucker open before I do," Tony said quickly, changing the subject, for your sake, as Cap had wanted.

You opened the envelope with your name written neatly on the front, removing the paper from within.

Ms. Arlington,

There is little doubt in my mind that the Avengers arrival is your handiwork. Congratulations. You know me well enough to take the compliment with all of my deeply intended sincerity. I hold no grudges for what you feel you must do, as I am sure, despite your desire to be angry, you are equally as understanding of my position. You and I are more alike than you care to admit. I know, another movie saying you have heard from the villain thousands of times. Unlike your films, I mean this, not as a ploy to get you on my side, but as a respectful appreciation for you and your stance. You are intelligent enough to see the truth behind my words, but hold to your beliefs as any individual should. I am sorry we are at a disagreement. Your company will be missed, regardless of the brevity of your stay. Hurting you gave me no pleasure, and I hope the Avengers, for all of their flaws, see to your immediate care. I look forward to our next meeting. Hopefully it is under more favorable circumstances. Oh, and I was sure to bring my coat with me. Fear not.

Best of wishes,

Helmut Zemo.

Notes:

Ok, so I spent more time on this chapter than any other. If you couldn't tell, I love Zemo. Sorry for those who don't and are wondering why we spent a whole chapter with him. I just think he's such an interesting and brilliant character who I've never seen get a lot of attention in Avengers fics, so I wanted to include him. Anyway, because I hold him in such high regard, I literally was scrutinizing every little bit of dialogue I wrote for him. I'd re-read it a hundred times (in his voice naturally), I did research to get my facts straight about him and his butler, re-watched scenes with him, even listened to an interview with Daniel Bruhl. Granted, that interview was just because I was curious to know what the actor really sounded like, but his talk about Zemo gave me more to go on. Balancing Civil War anger with TFATWS charming humor was what I ultimately tried to do. He's going to do what he needs to do, but he holds no personal grudge against Wren, so his kinder sillier side would shine through from time to time with her. The dynamic I was going for, and left off on with the letter hinting at future encounters, is a unique one where she's more at odds with him than, say, maybe Loki or something, yet she gets where he's coming from. I mean, Zemo literally tortured her, but they both have a respect for each other and their motives, so it is hard for one to hate the other. Idk, I didn't want it to be a by-the-book "He's just an evil guy, and he tortures for fun" but also didn't want him to be an angel who is redeemed in the blink of an eye. He's a bad guy who regrets what he has to do more than she thinks, or so that's what I'm going with. I hope you guys enjoyed Zemo as much as I enjoyed writing him, even if he was the hardest man to write!!! Every line had to make sense, every line had to be logical, calculating, etc, yet he's still irrational because of his loss and grief. Anyway, hope y'all are having a good day/night!

Chapter 37: (Chapter 36): Title I Haven't Come up With Yet

Notes:

Sorry, this should have been up yesterday! I posted it on Wattpad last night and forgot that I didn't post it here.

You smiled at the letter, forgetting, briefly, that you were in front of the team.

"No no no, don't smile! This isn't a smiling affair, ok? He just strapped you down to a table and fried your insides!" Tony marched the distance to you, snatching the note from your hands.

"That's a gross way of putting it," you mumbled as he scanned the contents of the page.

"Listen to this guy!" he exclaimed to the others, "He holds no grudges??? Oh, great, I was really worried there for a second that you'd hurt his feelings! And get this, 'I am sure, despite your desire to be angry, you are equally as understanding of my position'?! Look though! He took no pleasure in hurting you, that's good!" Tony continued sarcastically.

You remained silent, waiting for him to finish before asking for the letter back. He obliged, but not before noticing your stance. The rest of them had picked up on it as well, all eyes now on you.

"What?" you asked, feeling uncomfortable under their gaze.

"You really aren't angry," Nat said.

"Your demeanor and facial displays as Mr. Stark criticized the letter would indicate you do not find fault with the words as he does," Vision elaborated.

"No, no I'm mad at being electrocuted, guys, who wouldn't be?!"

"Yes, I can tell you're simply overcome with the need for vengeance," Valkyrie mocked.

"Vengeance is stupid," you responded bluntly, "It's what keeps the cycle going. Zemo did what he did because of his burning desire for revenge, can't you see it's the problem here? Like it or not, Zemo isn't wrong about me...I do understand. Do I agree? No, but I don't have to. He doesn't agree with me, but he's not lying when he says he respects my decision and didn't want to hurt me."

"This whole defending villains thing has got to stop," Tony warned, "You'll admire them right into your grave if you can't discern the difference between a lost cause and someone worth saving!"

You glanced to Loki, whose jaw tightened. His eyes were focused on Stark, but they flickered sadly to you, both of you making eye-contact for the smallest of moments.

"Zemo's problem, Tony, is that he's deemed all of you a lost cause! It's not your fault, but the truth is that you murdered his family! Do I hold it against any of you? No, because you do your best to save people, and sometimes you can't save them all. Sometimes mistakes are made, and you have to do your best to move past it. You don't wallow in self-loathing, you don't shift the blame, you pick yourself up and try to do better! Zemo can't see that about you guys, because he is so blinded by his crushing grief. He made a promise to his dead family, and being unable to keep it is breaking him! Maybe he is a lost cause!" you tossed your hands in the air, "Maybe I should say 'To hell with their motives, I'm gonna hate them!' But you know what? That's the easy way out. Hating someone is a lot easier than understanding them, because now you're in a tough spot. How do you jostle being tortured, yet feeling sympathetic for your torturer? You think it's an easy place to be in?? I don't know what to feel about any of it! But do not come at me for trying to understand villains, Tony! Villain and hero depends greatly on who is telling the story. To him, you're the villains. So I will never excuse his actions, but I can damn well explain them, even sympathize with his motives. Holding out hope that people like him can be healed can yield far better results than deeming him a hopeless case. Was Wanda a lost cause? Or Nat? Or even you Tony? Sometimes, taking the time to understand a villain can be the best thing we ever choose to do." You looked over at Loki during the last part. His eyebrows were raised innocently, taking in everything you were saying, but a soft smile broke on his face as you finished.

"Zemo has proven he's not afraid to hurt you, even if he doesn't want to," Steve said, "You don't have to hate him, but please be careful with how much you let your guard down with him?"

"I never said anything about letting my guard down, Cap. It's not like I'll go try to find him again because I like talking to him."

"If he doesn't want to be saved, don't risk yourself trying to do it, kid," Tony spoke kinder than before.

"I also never said anything about trying to save him," you assured him with a chuckle, "I understand Thanos' position too, and sympathize with the burden he thinks he carries. And maybe he's not a lost cause, but I'd save my breath trying to change him because even his own daughter's life wasn't enough to snap him out of it, pun intended. Just because I don't view Zemo as a lost cause who I should hate and want to kill, doesn't mean I'm going to go preaching to him. Believe me, I've made my case quite clear to him. He understands my arguments, he just won't let himself see past his pain. There's not much more I can do about it. But I won't sit here and deny that I don't get where he's coming from and I don't really hate him, even for what he did. Unlike Loki, who I knew was a good guy playing at being bad...yes you were, don't give me that look...Zemo is a good guy turned bad through his emotions. And we're never shown a moment where he wants to change or does change, because he thinks he's completely justified. He may very well be a lost cause in that sense, but I'll hold onto the Zemo underneath...even if he never gives up on his mission."

"Let's hope that mission never involves you again, you're no longer allowed anywhere without me," Tony ordered.

"May I see?" Steve asked, nodding to the letter.

You handed it to him, and he read it quietly, sighing in the end.

"It seems he's anticipating seeing you again. If he's as driven as you've said, he'll keep coming."

"I have no idea how...I mean, he has the book. But tearing you and Tony apart was a key step in his plan, not to mention he capitalizes off of the Sokovia Accords, which will never happen as long as I can help it. He needs you guys to fall apart from the inside. Any secrets here that are so important one of you would fight someone else if it was spilled?" you scoffed, looking around the group.

"You'd know more about that than any of us," Sam noted.

"Fair, but there could be another secret or something the directors would have gone with if not the Bucky thing. I only know of that secret because that's what Zemo was supposed to target."

"Did you tell him about the Accords?" Bruce asked.

"Hell no, I'm not that dumb."

"Good, because if he knew that a major part of his success is due the conflict those accords start within the team, we'd be at risk of some sort of manipulation," he explained.

"You think he could stage an accident, provoke a public scene? With me, I presume," Wanda said discouragingly, looking down at her feet.

"Anyone here would work if he wanted to do that, but, yes, he'd go for you if he knew that's what works in the future," you said, unable to lie to her.

"Well, he doesn't know, does he?" Thor said optimistically, "So I say we don't let these thoughts trouble us, and we stick together. We're the Avengers!" he said, shaking his fists motivationally in front of him, "Who could split us apart?" he smiled, throwing his arm over Nat's shoulder on his right and Loki on his left, the latter promptly shrugging it off. Nat, though not pulling away, gave Thor a look.

"Zemo," she said.

"Who could split us apart twice?" he corrected, "Or...well, early, not twice, because he hasn't done it yet. But, in theory, he--he is the one to pull us apart with his original plan, so, were he to do it this time, though for the first time in--in this world, it would be like the second time, because it would require a second plan, which you could say is, in fact, the second time because it is the second plan ever to succeed," he rambled, using his hands to keep track of what he was saying, "So what plan or person could successfully split us apart twice?" he concluded, nodding confidently.

"Well said," you smiled, unable to say it seriously.

"Oh try explaining it better!" he challenged, folding his arms.

"We should get you inside," Rhodey addressed you, "You still look like shit."

"Well I was just tortured, what's your excuse?"

"Ok, I was trying to be thoughtful! Now I remember why I usually don't bother."

"Aw Rhodeeey," you laughed, as he started walking away, "I'm sorryyy!"

"You're just trying to save your frozen yogurt," he accused, though he'd stopped his departure

"What? Frozen yogurt? I-I don't even like frozen yogurt!"

"Mhmm, yeah sure," he nodded as you spoke.

"What is this frozen yogurt?" Thor asked.

"None of you have given Thor frozen yogurt?!" you gasped in exaggerated horror, "Thor, it's a dessert, you're gonna love it."

"Why was I not privy to this dessert?" Thor asked offendedly, looking around the group for an answer.

"It's not like you stick around long," Clint said.

"Yes, but you could have beamed some up if you cared!" Thor shot back.

"God, I'll buy you the whole shop if you'll shut up!" Tony groaned.

"Will I get to eat for free?" Thor said like he was considering the offer.

"Eat for fr---? I'm not actually going to buy the store!"

"Then no deal."

Tony opened his mouth to speak but paused, resisting the remark he looked like he eagerly wanted to make.

"You know what, let's--let's just get inside before I lose more braincells from this conversation," he sighed.

Wanda hesitated next to you as the others started filing out, making sure you were good enough to walk in without help. You told her you were fine, but she remained close just in case. Loki lingered as well, meeting your eyes with the unspoken question, same as Wanda's, on his face. You nodded, flexing jokingly with your silly "I'm tough" face on. He rolled his eyes, smiling at your stupidity. Like Wanda, he also remained in the back of the group with you. The team reached the compound, making to head their separate ways, when you remembered something.

"Guys guys, wait hold up!"

"What, are you ok kid? What do you need?" Tony asked quickly, walking to you.

"No yeah, I'm fine, I just remembered something. Hydra has MCU version of me! That's why they recognized me!"

Shockingly, no one looked surprised by that information.

"Yeah, we uh, we know, kid," Tony said.

"We found her in the facility we searched when trying to track you," Steve explained, "Turns out she's been missing for a few months. Her family, well your family, were happy to know she's safe." 

"Oh my god, where is she? Or where am I?"

"In a hospital at the moment," Nat said, "She'll take some time to recover, but she's going to be ok."

"How did you guys forget to tell me?!"

"We thought it best that, given the physical and potentially mental strain you'd endured, it'd be best to wait until you were fully recovered before disclosing information we thought would shock you," Vision explained.

"Well, it was shocking, but yeah no Zemo already told me. He was the one who led you guys to Hydra. He doesn't like them any more than we do and he wanted those people rescued."

"Aw how sweet of him," Tony said sarcastically.

"I was wondering who dropped the tip," Steve said, "I guess that answers it."

"What was she like?" you asked, "Like, I get it younger and all but like, did she say anything?"

"Let's just say, there was no denying she's you," Loki said,  "When I entered the room, she, though in a hazy state of mind, said 'It's the attractive asshole who attacked New York.'"

"Ha! That's definitely me," you laughed.

"Yeah she was out of it, so her questions were flying more than yours usually are," Sam chuckled, "She asked if I ever use my wings to just fly out my window when I want to."

"Hell, I would!"

"That's what she said," he smiled.

"She also asked how my hair looks so good even when fighting," Nat said.

"And how I fit through doors with arms this big," Thor added.

"Oh my gosh I wanna meet myself!"

"Ha, yeah, nope," Tony said, "That girl has been through too much to have to deal with you fangirling over yourself. We're trying not to freak her out any more than she already is."

"Oh come on, it's me! You know I would be as thrilled to see myself as I currently am."

"Can you call you I and her her?" Clint asked, "Confusing the hell out of me right now."

"So you want me to call me I and me her?" you said to purposefully mess with him, "So I am I, but I am also her, so who is me if both of me are I and her?"

"I don't get paid enough for this," Clint groaned.

Thor was looking thoughtfully at the ceiling as he quietly repeated what you'd said, using his hands to try to keep track in the same way as he'd done earlier. Evidently unable to make sense of your nonsensical words, his hands dropped to his sides as he stared into space in confusion.

 "One of you is too much already, we're leaving her alone," Tony declared.

"What if she has any info on the portal?" you asked, "Zemo said they opened it."

"They did," Steve said, "We got them before they could erase their records or security footage."

"Turns out, our man Rumlow was having fun with the leftovers of Strucker's experiments, trying to crack the power of the mind, enhance it, much like..." he glanced over at Wanda, "...well---"

"Me," she said, unashamedly, and you were proud of her for not being as afraid of owning up to her powers as she sometimes is.

"They expected to do this without the actual Mind Stone though?" you asked.

"May not be as crazy as it sounds," Tony said, pulling out a device and casting hologram video footage into the middle of the room. 

The film was from the point of view of a security camera. The scene below was your stereotypical experiment/torture set up. The patient was strapped down on a table, a few people in lab coats standing over them. Trays, with syringes and other devices you didn't want to know the use of, were on the tables next to the prisoner. The head doctor stepped aside, and you recognized the face of your younger self lying there, looking like they'd been through hell. There was an apparatus strapped to her head. Slight movement was the only indication that she was awake. She was hooked up to machines that monitored her vitals and whatever brain activity they were testing. 

"We are trying an enhanced dose of Serum 3B," the man said for the record, taking a vial from another worker across the table and filling a syringe with it. "Patient 4 had increased activity when exposed to it yesterday. Testing to see whether increased voltage or dosage yields any further progress." He injected the liquid in her arm, and she didn't even flinch. He walked over to a monitor, before nodding to someone off screen, "Proceed in 3, 2, 1."

Your younger self started writhing, screaming as the pain shot through her head. You winced at the sight, remembering your similar experience earlier. Clint put a comforting hand on your shoulder as you continued to stare at the video.

"Sir, look," one of the guys near the machines called. Some reading was interesting enough to consume all of their attention, except for one guy who had to remain near her vitals.

"Sir, should we pause?" he yelled over to the group, "The patient may not be able to take much more."

The head doctor ignored the suggestion, not even looking up from his screen. Suddenly, the lights started flickering, with something starting to materialize in the air above yourself. A small circle formed, growing as she screamed louder than before. The doctors scrambled, not knowing what to do with the portal they'd just created. The machines in the room started sparking, and the camera glitched out briefly. This continued for a minute or so, before the anomaly disappeared.

"Turn it off!" the doctor yelled. The power source cut out, and your younger self fell limp on the table. He ran over to your side, examining you. "She is alive," he confirmed.

"There was a voice in there!" one of the men said, pointing to the now empty space in the air.

"Bring up those readings on it's energy signature!" the scientist ordered, "I want scans out now, see if there were any others like it. If there was someone on the other side, I want to know where that is and who they are!"

Tony swiped the footage away. "You know the rest. They trace it here, Rumlow comes for you, and so forth."

"Right....where is Rumlow?"

"He's got a top of the line cell in a very fine establishment," Tony assured you, "Weather's a little rough, but you can't beat the solitude. Waves are said to be calming, and the dude could do with a little less anger if you ask me."

"He's in the Raft?" you asked hopefully.

"You bet your villain-loving-ass he is. Son of bitch deserves nothing less."

"That's the best news I've heard all day," you smiled.

"That's one mystery solved," Cap said regarding the footage, "The portal was opened to you by your version here."

"How did it come at the exact time I was wishing the MCU was real?"

"Maybe that's the key," Bruce said, "Your version here, her mind reaches out. And somewhere out there, through time and space, is you, concentrating on this universe and how you want to come here. The connection is made, your minds momentarily linked."

"How did the site change from Hydra to here?" Rhodey asked.

"It's possible that, as her version here got weaker, Wren's will overtook the destination. Wren, were you thinking the portal was to the MCU as you were going through it, or even while you were just contemplating jumping?" Bruce asked.

"I wouldn't have jumped if I thought it was anything else."

"Exactly, so your desire to come here and meet us, help us...that's what did it."

"I did feel this pain in the back of my head throughout it all...when the portal appeared, when I was thinking about going through it."

"That would be your connection to your other self," Bruce nodded.

So if I only came here because of some other universe's experiments...how am I getting home?

Your thoughts must have shown on your face.

"Hey, are you ok?" Bruce asked.

"What?" you asked, snapping out of it.

"You look like someone just killed your puppy in front of you," Tony said.

"An exaggeration, but yeah you don't look good," Sam agreed.

"It's just crazy, and I feel so bad for her...as in other me. I think I just need some sleep, I don't feel 100%."

"See, this is why we weren't going to tell you until you were better, but you had to go and bring it up," Tony chided.

"Yeah well, I thought you should know. I've learned my lesson about holding information." You knew you were only getting emotional and bitter because you were tired and worried about the news you'd just learned, so you walked away quickly before Tony could respond or anyone could ask what was wrong. "Thanks for getting me guys," you waved as you walked away, "I'll see you later."

Moving quickly down the hall revealed how sore you felt. You hated to admit that you were breathing a little heavier than usual just from walking. Arriving outside your door, you stopped just before grabbing the handle. 

Is Bucky in his room?

You desperately wanted to talk to him, to let him know he shouldn't be upset. Tentatively, you stepped over to his door, rapping your knuckles on the glossy wood.

"Bucky?" you called out, "Buck? Hey it's me, I---"

The door was ripped open, Bucky standing there with wide eyes.

"Oh thank god," he said, hugging you before you had time to react.

"I thought the same thing when they told me you were ok," you smiled, returning the hug.

He quickly pulled away, looking apologetic as he tried to subtly move a step back.

"Bucky? What's the matter?"

"I...I didn't know if you'd want me t---I mean, I don't think I should be, after what they said I did to you---"

"Buck," you interrupted, "I'm not gonna be afraid of being near you, and I'm certainly not gonna be afraid of hugging you."

"You should be," he said solemnly, "They told me I...are those from me?" he asked is disgust, pointing to your neck.

"What?" you asked, feeling where he was pointing. Your throat felt a little sore, but you couldn't tell if it was from screaming or something else.

"You have bruises."

"Do you mind?" you asked, stepping into his room and pointing to the bathroom, wanting to see for yourself.

"No of course, go ahead," he shook his head.

The bruises he saw were very little, slight marks here or there, where a finger squeezed too tightly, that were only a light shade discolored.

"No one else pointed that out," you said, walking back out, "Probably because it's not that bad," you assured him, "Really, Bucky, it's fine. I didn't even feel any pain all day, it's ok."

"I'm sorry," he said again, looking sickened with himself.

"How many times am I gonna have to say it's ok before you stop beating yourself up?" you said lightheartedly, "We've been through this, it's not your fault, it's out of your control."

"I need to get out of here. As long as whoever it was has the book, I can't be trusted."

"It was Zemo...the guy from Civil War. He's trying to find a different way to break the Avengers now that I've stopped Cap and Tony from going at it."

"What did he want you for?"

"Information on how he succeeds. He's figured I've told Tony about his parents, so he wants the rest of the details. Any info to help him."

"What did he do?" Bucky asked seriously, stepping closer as his eyes narrowed and scanned your appearance, "Wren, you look and sound like hell...and your head..." he pointed, and you knew what he was looking at. 

"Zemo had me hooked up to something, it's just the marks from that," you said, not wanting to make him feel more guilty.

"Hooked up to what?" he demanded, "They look like burns."

You sighed, nodding your head. "It's from the electricity," you said quietly.

Bucky didn't speak, but his face said it all. He was hating himself.

"Please, don't do that, I know that look. It was Zemo, not you."

"Where is he now?" he said in low tone.

You shook your head. "We don't know. He made it out before the team got there."

"We'll find him," Bucky said, looking fiercely determined, "But until then, I have to leave. He knows where to find me."

"I promised you that we'd get you free. I was stupid enough to think we had time, but my inability to protect against the worst possible outcome has put us in danger too many times. We're getting you to Wakanda, as soon as possible. I don't care how long it takes to get T'Chaka on board, we need their help."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"It's my fault for not getting you there in the first place."

"You couldn't have predicted what was going to happen."

"And you couldn't prevent what you did, so I'll stop blaming myself when you do. Deal?"

Bucky managed a little smile. "Deal."

"Alrighty then. Now, are you going to let me hug you?" you opened your arms, smiling stupidly.

Bucky smirked, walking over to fulfill your request.

"Good, cuz I need a hug," you said as he pulled you in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing something more behind your words.

"Nothing...it's just been a long day."

"You sure?" he asked as you pulled back.

"Yup, promise," you grinned, "I'm fine."

"Ok."

"I should probably sleep some more, Banner drugged me up," you said, walking for the door, "We'll get to work on Wakanda first thing tomorrow!"

You closed his door, allowing your face to drop once out of sight. You were suddenly exhausted, and you couldn't stop panicking about your portal home. Not that living in the MCU permanently wasn't an enjoyable concept, but to have just left without ever saying goodbye to your parents? Or friends? You thought of how desperately you wanted to tell them about everything that had happened, and that thought made you miss those closest to you, adding to your woes. You blinked back the urge to tear up.

I've cried enough already. There's no need to freak out.

"Darling?"

You jumped, drawn out of your thoughts by Loki's presence. He must have been walking towards you as you came out of Buck's room, but you'd been too preoccupied. You hadn't even noticed that you were now just standing in the hall staring at your door.

"Yeah hey, what's up?" you said too hastily, trying to play off your worries.

Loki just raised his eyebrows.

"I'm fine," you said, smiling as you stepped to your door.

"I never said otherwise."

"No, but your looks did."

Loki followed you into your room, closing the door behind him.

"Besides, why else would you be here?"

"Perhaps I wanted to see a friend."

"Clearly your friend is fine."

"Are you?" he asked, unconvinced.

You distracted yourself with selecting some new clothes from your drawers, which you'd eventually stocked so you didn't have to walk down the hall for them every time.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Zemo will have to do more than a few shocks to get at me," you returned, keeping your back to him as you fiddled with the same shirt.

"Because of the portal," Loki stated, not bothering to word it as a question. He knew.

You stopped fidgeting, letting the clothes fall back in the drawer.

"Sounds like you already know, so I don't know why you're asking," you said sadly, still not turning to face him. You knew your eyes must look on the verge of tears.

"If you'll recall, I never asked until you denied it. Of course I knew. You can lie to the others, but not to me."

"Gosh, I hate that about you," you snickered, finally turning around. "Yes...I'm sad," you tossed your hands out in gesture of defeat, "Are you happy? I said it!"

The tears started coming then, prickling at your eyes as you bit your lip, trying to hold them back. One made it out, and you quickly wiped it away, sniffing as you walked to your bed.

"Would you like to...talk about it?" Loki asked, sounding like someone who wasn't used to this sort of thing.

You smiled at his attempt, sitting on the edge of the bed facing him.

"I don't think it'll do much," you said, another tear escaping, which you promptly wiped away, "If Hydra's experiments opened the portal, and I only came here because of the other me, then I'm not getting home. It's not so bad, really, I mean, living here and all. I mean, there's awesome tech, and you guys and and magic and Asgard and flying suits and..." you rambled pathetically, finally trailing off as the tears were becoming too much to hold in, and you had to look down to hide your face as you wiped them away. 

You felt Loki sit next to you, a hand hesitantly resting itself on your shoulder.

"But...?" he pressed kindly.

"But...never getting to say goodbye to people? Not only does it hurt for me...I've hurt them. My parents will never hear from me again. And they'll always wonder...how could I do that to them? I don't even remember the last thing I said to my mom, but what if it was something bad or stupid? How could I have left her like that? Yes, I know how, but I didn't even hesitate in leaving, barely thinking of my parents. I am a horrible daughter."

Loki let you sit quietly for a minute, only the sounds of your sniffs and hushed sobs breaking the silence.

"Do you know what my last words to my mother were?" Loki asked, and you turned to see a grave look on his face. 

You thought for a few seconds, eyes growing a little wider as you realized what the answer was. Loki saw your understanding, nodding softly with a sad smile.

"Yes...she asked if she was not my mother...and I told her she wasn't. If there was ever an example of hurting your parents...of betraying them...of having the last thing you said be the worst, the last moment shared with them being so utterly wasted...it's me," he finished weakly, tapping himself in the chest as his eyes became watery. "Your parents would be proud of you. They'd be proud. You left out of the purest reasons, ones I can sit and mock every day but we both know are more respectable and honorable than I have ever been. I am truly sorry for you if you never see them again. But rest assured that they will never stop loving you, and they would be so proud of what you've done. I would rip apart every reality if I thought there was a chance I could make my mother proud, if there was a chance I could rest with the reassurance you possess...don't lose sight of that, Darling. Cherish it."

He looked ready to cry himself, and you did the instinctive thing by hugging him. His chin rested on your head as you wrapped around his chest from your sitting position, leaning against him.

"Thank you, Loki," you whispered, "Your mother is proud of you, and always has been."

You couldn't see Loki's face, but he wrapped his arms more securely around you, the two of you sitting in a silent, sad hug. He let you cry for a bit, and when you finally split apart, you were certain Loki had wiped a tear of his own away.

"Uh...sorry," you said, not knowing what else to do.

"No no, you're....it's ok. Here, let me take care of those marks," he said, promptly placing his hand on your forehead, healing the sore spots. He then did the same to your arms, which you thanked him for.

He cleared his throat, which you noticed he often did when the two of you got into overly emotional or awkward situations, standing from the bed.

"I...I want you to know that I'm glad you're back. And I'm sorry I couldn't get you from Barnes."

"Shut up, you saved the others and didn't kill Bucky and then helped get me."

Loki looked down at his hands briefly.

"I was...I was close to killing Barnes. I had him down, the knife ready in my hands. I could have done it...and oh did I want to."

"What stopped you?"

"You did. I knew you'd have been upset...well, devastated, had I gone through with it. I couldn't bring myself to do that."

You smiled at his explanation. "Thank you, Loki, really. I was kinda sorta freaking out that you were gonna kill him...I may have even punched Zemo over it."

"Of course you did," he chuckled.

"He got me back I guess," you laughed.

Loki's face dropped to a "That's too soon" expression.

"Yes, and he shall die for it."

"Lokiii, remember what I said about him. We're not gonna seek revenge just cuz he's lost his marbles. We'll catch him, and he'll...spend his days in jail like he's supposed to."

"Sweet Valhalla, naturally you're disappointed by that," he scoffed.

"What, I---"

"Oh please, you sounded like him spending eternity in jail was as sad as me gutting him, which is no less than he deserves."

"I--I don't know how to feel about it. If Zemo stays the way he is, I'm perfectly content having him locked away. I wish it didn't have to go that way, but it's looking like it will. I don't know, the whole thing is weird. I should hate him, I should want him to be punished for what he did...but maybe liking his character makes me biased? I don't know, you'd think my bias wouldn't extend to letting someone off the hook after electrocuting me. But spending time with him, hearing him speak and seeing him interact with me it's just...it's like my sympathy for him has increased, which it shouldn't have. Seeing someone who is driven mad to the point where they hurt someone when they don't want to? It's like nothing I've experienced before. Add onto that the fact that I already do have a bias for him, and how he is oddly fun and charming to talk to, and it's just such a weird scenario. You were easy compared to this. If you killed me you killed me, but I knew that in the end you'd reach where you needed to be. I just hoped I could save you from Thanos. But Zemo? His story isn't like yours, or nearly as well explored. I don't know what to think or what to do about liking someone who is currently plotting against us."

 "I could kill him, that would surely simplify things rather quickly don't you think?"

You gave Loki a look, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Fiiine, I'll let him live. Look, I understand better than anyone why you refuse to hate him. But I need to know that, when the time comes, you won't hesitate to put him where he belongs."

"Yeah, no, y'all can clap him in irons and ship him off to the Raft if you want, I'll get it. It may be what he deserves in the end. It all depends on what his next moves are. Does he go more extreme to try to overcome the advantage you guys have over him? Have I made him more desperate? Or have I prevented his only way of succeeding and he'll eventually give up?"

"Darling...he, if honest as you believe him to be, didn't wish to hurt you, yet look where we found you. If your pain wasn't enough to stop him, I don't think we can bet on him giving up."

"I know," you nodded disappointedly, "He's a compelling villain though. And the most compelling villains are usually so because they're capable of good, if they could get past what's turning them the wrong way."

Loki did a small chuckle, and you looked at him curiously.

"As much as I appreciate your capacity to examine villains...you need to get a life, Darling."

"Oh go to hell," you laughed, throwing your pillow at him, which he caught and examined, deciding he liked it.

"So now you're stealing my stuff?" you called out as he walked for the door.

"I didn't steal anything," he smiled, "This was given to me. Rather fine quality, don't you think?"

"Yeah it really is, so I'd like to sleep on it."

"You have another."

"Yeah, but that was my favorite," you pouted, giving him the baby lip.

"I'll talk to Stark about finding you a replacement," he said, insincerely apologetic, closing the door behind him.

You giggled some more over his antics, grabbing your clothes and making for the bathroom. Before you entered, something green caught your eye. A pillow had already replaced the stolen one. Had Loki done it while still in the room? You walked over to it, picking up the plush pillow that was the same vibrant shade of green as all of his belongings usually were.

"Of course it's green," you whispered, tossing it back down on the bed with a smile.

Your shower felt refreshingly relaxing, though the sore skin on your arms and head prickled a bit under the warm water. Lying in bed, cuddled against your new pillow, you tried to fall asleep. You thought it would be an easy task, but your brain had other plans. Similar to how you feel like you're rising and falling with the waves after spending a day at the beach or how you get the dropping feeling after a day at an amusement park, your thoughts kept drifting to the basement and Zemo, your body jolting as you imagined him pressing the button. You weren't doing it on purpose, in fact you were trying to think of anything else but that. Yet every time you grew tired enough for your thoughts to roam by themselves, you were right back on the table. You must have fallen asleep eventually, as you woke up from a dream that you just now realized had been rather long while feeling short. It was obscure and scattered, dancing from place to place and plot to plot, but you remembered Zemo had been in it with all of the others. No matter what the rest of it had been, you'd been jerked awake by the same ending as all of your wandering thoughts.

I get it, brain, I was electrocuted today. Can we dream about Asgard or something? How about dinner with Zemo? Why you gotta pick the bad stuff to shake me awake with?

You were wide awake now, staring at the wall as you pulled your pillow into your arms and groaned in frustration. The clock read 1:33a.m. The sun had been nearing the horizon when you'd landed home earlier that day, so it had to have been close to evening when you laid down. 

No way I've slept that long. Felt like I barely slept at all.

Regardless, you were awake now, and going back to sleep only to get mentally zapped didn't sound appealing. You stood up, throwing a smaller blanket around your shoulders and heading for the kitchen. You thought briefly of how you wanted to go wake Loki. Bothering him would cheer you up...plus he might be decent at comforting when he wanted to be, not that you were about to tell him that. Not wanting to be a baby, you continued to the downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, you were surprised to find Bruce sitting at the counter, a cup of coffee in his hands. He smiled a greeting as you walked in.

"Oh...hey," you returned hesitantly, feeling awkward, "What're you doing up?"

"Same as you I suspect," he said, taking a sip.

"Can't sleep?"

He just gave a knowing look.

"That's kinda gonna keep you awake," you pointed to mug, walking over to stand on the opposite side of the counter.

"That's the plan."

"Sleeping's that bad huh?"

"Well, when you have a green alter-ego ready to take control, there aren't many sweet dreams."

"Hey the Hulk's evolved. I know you hated using him, but you and Nat had that little lullaby thing that really worked."

"Mmm, this was different," he shook his head, "On Sakaar it was like...the Hulk had the keys to the car---"

"And you were locked in the trunk," you finished.

"Of course you understand," he nodded with a smile, "I'm forgetting you know everything. You know why I'm afraid then."

"That doesn't mean I think you should be. In the future...you and Hulk work it out. I think if you don't fear him so much, he won't fear you. Both of you are fighting for control, fearing one will take over and the other will never be in control again. I don't even think the Hulk is a separate entity. His evolution, his brain, his ability to think...it's all from you. It's your brain. Just as yours is his. When you're the Hulk, you're still yourself, and when the Hulk is Banner, he's still the Hulk because the Hulk is you and you are the Hulk...ok, it sounds more confusing when I say it out loud, but the point is, you should work on embracing the Hulk. Maybe you could learn to remain conscious while being the Hulk? The body changes but you maintain control of your mind? It wouldn't be killing the Hulk or his personality, because his personality comes from you. The only the reason the Hulk is dumber is because not all of you is present. The parts of you that function when you're the Hulk fear being Banner for the same reason you fear being Hulk. But imagine if all of your mind was present in both forms. Your Hulk side wouldn't fear being Banner and your Banner side wouldn't fear being Hulk, because finally all parts of you are mentally present in each form."

Bruce listened patiently, smiling at some of your notions like they were nice fantasies.

"Listen, I've never been able to maintain awareness when being the Hulk," he started.

"Wrong. You may not always remember after the fact, but you do maintain memories and some awareness. How is it that the Hulk knows his friends from enemies? How does a touch of a hand a few words trigger a transformation? Because it's you. You're remembering. You're aware of who you know and who's the enemy."

"It's a working process though, a concept we were working on that clearly failed when Hulk went rogue."

"Did the Hulk go rogue? Was he acting as a separate person doing what he wanted? Tell me, have you ever considered running away? Hiding from the world as much as possible to avoid hurting anyone? How about what you were doing off in Calcutta? The Hulk looked around sadly when he woke from Wanda's magic-induced rampage. He stayed on that quinjet, ignoring Nat, because he thought it was best for him to leave. Where do you think he got those thoughts? Don't you see? You made the decision to stay on that quinjet. The 'Hulk' is just a term for when you're green as far as I'm concerned. But he's you. Your desire to not hurt anyone is why he left. And, yeah, when the parts of you present in the Hulk found a place where you could unleash your aggressive feelings and get praised for it? You stayed, because again, not all of you is up there," you pointed to his head, "when you turn, so you couldn't rationalize going back to earth. But if all of what the Hulk is is just parts of you...then why is it so far-fetched to think you can one day master being in control?"

There was a pause for ten seconds or so where he looked at you, contemplating what you said. You raised your eyebrows expectantly, waiting for his response.

"You said the Hulk and I work things out...is this how you meant it? I remain in control?"

"The brain and the brawn come together," you confirmed with a grin.

"So I-I do it, I actually can do it, not just theoretically?" 

"You  can and you will...just not maybe permanently green this time if you don't mind."

"What?"

"Nothing, you'll figure it out when the time comes."

Bruce ran his fingers through his hair, looking like a thousand thoughts and possibilities were running through his head.

"This--this changes everything," he spoke quietly to himself, looking happy and at ease. "Thank you, Wren."

"Hey, I'm not the one who figured out it was possible, you were. I just already saw it happen."

You walked to grab a cup from the cabinet.

"So why can't you sleep?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know," you tried lying casually as you filled your cup with water, "Guess my body has had enough of it. Who else had coffee with you?" you asked, seeing the empty cup in the sink that looked freshly used.

"Tony was here not long ago. You must have just missed him on your way down."

"He's the last person that should be drinking coffee this late."

"He's not the only one coming down at 2am to avoid sleeping," he said pointedly, and you turned to find him staring at you.

"I told you, I wasn't tired."

He blinked a few times like that was the dumbest excuse you could have tried to get by a genius like him.

"Wren, in all of the times I've come down here in the last month, I've run into Tony a couple of times. When he can't sleep, he usually plays in his lab to avoid people, but I've caught him on his rare trip down here. There's no need for him to come, but I think he secretly hopes to run into someone. I've also run into Wanda...and Nat...and Bucky...hell, I've run into everyone here at least once, all down here for the same reason. Now knowing that I am very familiar with the look of someone who can't sleep because something won't let them, do you want to talk about the real reason you're down here?"

"I keep jumping awake scared, after dreaming of Zemo...ya know, hitting the button. It's nothing, just instinctive I guess. I must have been afraid when anticipating every shock, though I don't even remember being scared at the time."

"You may not remember, but your body does. We're trained to subconsciously recognize and fear dangers, especially something that has already proven harmful. When you dream about it, your body's just acting accordingly, your instinctive fear and subsequent fight or flight kicking in."

"Yeah, well, the subconscious is a real pain in the ass. I'll get over it. Everyone in this compound has suffered or seen a lot more to keep them awake at night. Mine will pass."

"Fortunately, I think you're right. Not that our troubles are worse than yours!" he clarified hastily, "It's just that, even those with the longest list of past traumas have found it easier over time. A trip now and again to the kitchen is a blessing compared to the endless nights some could have."

"I never knew you guys had a rough time sleeping. I mean, I know Tony did after New York, but I thought that got better."

"It did, but that doesn't mean a stray nightmare now and again can't hit him. Besides, Ultron, Sokovia...it's all happened since then. He almost lost Pepper too, which I'm sure you know."

"Yeah," you said solemnly, "I'm so glad he didn't."

"But you can imagine the extra ammunition for his mind to use against him. Tony's always been the one to let guilt hit him hard, even if he pretends he's not."

"So the fact that he created Ultron probably doesn't help the situation either," you nodded in understanding, leaning back against the sink with your arms folded, pulling your blanket around tighter.

"I did help build Ultron, so he's not entirely to blame, but yes."

"We both know you didn't want to," you said, thinking back to the film before slowly starting to laugh.

"What?"

"Your face when you said 'Only when I've created a murder-bot'," you continued laughing, "Some of your expressions throughout the movies are just priceless."

Bruce began chuckling as well.

"I'm glad my face is good for something I guess."

"Don't sound so surprised...I mean...Natasha likes your face I'm sure," you said, smiling and moving your eyebrows up and down.

"I...I-I don't know about...that's uh no she's---" he laughed awkwardly.

"How're things going in your, ya know, friendship?" you cut him off with an exaggerated wink.

"You know I-I think it's time for bed," he looked at his wrist which bared no watch, "Yeah, gosh, look at the time, it's late I really should---I'd loved to stay and finish this conversation but you know" he pointed behind him as he started backing to the hall with mock disappointment, "gotta get eight hours or I get cranky, and you don't want to see me when I'm cranky. That was---that was a bad joke..." he trailed off.

"Yeah sure sure, go on, I'll just ask Nat for the details. You're no fun!"

"Sorry to disappoint," he laughed.

"Night, Bruce."

"Good night, Wren. You ok for tonight?"

"Yeah," you smiled, "You?"

"Never better," he said with equal joy, disappearing down the hall.

You remained in the kitchen for a few, sipping your water and just letting yourself get lost in your thoughts, enjoying the calmness and your current lack of worry or fear. When you returned to bed, the pattern began to repeat itself...except this time you didn't let it bother you. It was a tough night, but you made it through, finally getting a few decent hours before morning.

***

It was mid-December now, and you were enjoying the fun of the holiday season. Tony, though he threw a Thanksgiving dinner three days later than it should have been, seemed to want to make up for his lack of participation leading up to the last holiday. He had decorated the compound like a winter wonderland, purchased the largest tree for the living room, and had rented out the Rockefeller Center ice rink for Christmas Eve night. There still seemed this awkward tension in the air when Steve and Tony were with each other, but it was slowly dissipating, and the two were at least on speaking terms. Tony had seemed to forgive your part in the secret entirely, and, although happy to have him back, you were guilty that Steve remained in the doghouse when you were let out. At least their friendship appeared on the mend.

You'd been allowed to start your training again, with Nat eager to have your moves progress. This meant letting Valkyrie kick your butt while she watched from the sidelines to instruct. Trial by fire was working, however, as Nat's defenses and attacks were slowly becoming muscle memory. Korg and Miek were healthy, with the latter having upgraded prosthetics from Tony. He could attach blades for a fight, but his daily arms were like normal robotic limbs. It was taking him some time to adjust, with Korg cheering him on the whole way. You'd taken it upon yourself to educate both of them on the fun of Christmas...along with Loki. Christmas movies every night was a mandatory event, Christmas music was playing nearly all day, and the three of you tried your hand at baking. The others had joined, with it turning into a cookie decorating competition. You'd made Loki restart when you caught him using magic, so his hand-decorated one was...well, he got a gold star for trying. His hands were adorably covered in frosting, as he struggled with both piping bags and spreading knives. After all, he'd never had to bake or prepare a bit of food in his life. Thor, though equally inept, was having a great time, claiming his gingerbread man the "most adorable little cookie man in the nine realms." Any remark claiming otherwise earned the speaker a handful of flour to the face. Wanda's was perfect, Rhodey's was nearly as good, yours was tolerable, Sam and Bucky destroyed each others, Tony's was so extra that the gingerbread man was lost under an extravagant amount of frosting and candy, Steve's was basic, Bruce made the Hulk (which Loki mocked was 'very original'), Korg and Miek worked together to create that "happy, fat, red man from the tv", Vision produced the cleanest cookie with the straightest lines (though practically as basic as Cap's), and Valkyrie, Nat, and Clint ate theirs, stealing bits of candy and frosting from the other competitors when they could. 

The Holiday Baking Failure, guest-starring the Avengers, took place a week ago. Since then, the talks Tony and Fury had begun having with King T'Chaka finally started getting somewhere. He'd agreed to meet in person, requesting that you attend as well. Therefore, you were now standing in the quinjet, waiting to be flown to a neutral location somewhere outside of Wakanda. You, Bucky, Steve, Tony, and Fury were the only ones in attendance. Bucky looked nervous throughout the flight. If King T'Chaka refused to aid in his recovery, the other option was to figure out a way to heal him yourselves. Seeing as Buck didn't want to risk hurting anyone in the compound, this fallback wasn't a bright one for him. He caught you looking at him and you tried instilling as much hope and optimism as you could with a smile.

The quinjet landed in a field surrounded by beautiful scenery. One glance at the view and you knew you were close to Wakanda. A modest wooden pavilion was the only infrastructure to be seen, and you were thrilled to see T'Challa sitting under it with his father. They both stood and walked half the distance to meet you.

Oh my gooosh it's T'Challa!

"Your Majesty," Steve greeted, bowing his head.

"Please, we don't do that here," T'Chaka smiled, "Welcome, Captain Rogers. Mr. Stark, Mr. Fury," he greeted each, as they were the three in front, you and Buck hiding behind them until it was your turn to speak.

"Allow me to introduce my son, T'Challa."

"It is an honor to meet all of you," he said, stepping forward.

You leaned around Tony to get a better look, because T'Challa was...well, he was fricking T'Challa! He noticed your efforts, smiling warmly.

"Sergeant Barnes I presume?" T'Chaka addressed Bucky, Steve stepping aside to let him through.

"Yes sir."

"I am sorry for what this world has put you through. Come, let us sit and see if we can find a way to help." The King held out his hand to the table in the pavilion, leading the way to the chairs. T'Challa moved to one side, letting your group walk ahead of him, falling in step with you in the back.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Arlington," he grinned, lowering his voice to keep the conversation between the two of you.

"I can't believe I'm meeting you! I mean, uh, it's a-a pleasure too. Sorry, I'm not used being all prim and proper, plus I tend to be a bit much when I'm excited."

"It's alright," he chuckled, "I am not fond of formalities. When you're a prince, there are few who speak what they truly think around you."

"Unfortunately, you'll never have to worry about that with me...I tend to speak my mind."

  "My father says those who speak their mind are often trustworthy, for it is in silence that the deceitful are thinking their next lie."

"Great, then we'll be home before lunch, because once I get going it's hard to stop me."

T'Challa laughed some more.

"My father is a rigid man in many respects, but he is always willing to hear the cases of others. Your story is a strange one, but he will listen."

"What about you? Do you believe what you've heard about me?"

"I am not sure. The evidence your friends have cited pushes me to believe you, and they are the Avengers as well, which plays in your favor. But the story is a difficult one to consume. I will say, meeting you has started shifting my view in your direction already."

You smiled at his comment, unable to respond due to your arrival at the table. T'Chaka sat at the head, T'Challa on his right and Fury on his left. T'Challa had offered the chair next to him, pulling it out for you. Tony sat next to you, Steve across from you and Bucky across from Tony.

"It is nice to meet you, Ms. Arlington," T'Chaka said kindly, though he seemed a little, not insincere, but skeptical. As if he was sizing you up already. "Thank you for agreeing to meet us here."

"It's an honor to be here, your Majesty, so thank you."

"Am I to understand correctly that you claim to be from the future?" he asked, cutting right to the chase. 

"Well, yes, yes the future, but also another reality...where you're all stories in movies."

"Ms. Arlington has proven to know every aspect of previous events and moments in our lives, as well as everything up to six years in the future," Fury said, "Her tips have never been wrong, and her assistance has fixed situations that, if left unknown to us, would have turned drastic. We've recovered footage from a Hydra base, showing experiments tested on a version of Ms. Arlington from this universe, who is six years younger."

He place a pad on the table, which projected the desired information. Your younger self was displayed, her date of birth and all proof you could need shown for everyone to see. Next came the footage from the lab.

"As you can see, the portal that dropped at the compound seconds after was opened by her other self," Fury concluded.

T'Chaka nodded in contemplation.

"There is something else you request, am I right?" he asked after some thought, turning to Stark.

"A buddy of ours is powered by a freaky magic rock that we need removed. We've been told some teenage genius in your country can help. What was her name?" he asked you.

"Shuri, T'Challa's sister," you said.

"Right, your daughter," Tony snapped his finger like he should have remembered that, "She's able to do it in the future, though her work is cut short. Death of the patient can cause some setbacks. We've run our own diagnostics, trying to make sure he's evolved enough for the procedure and we've come up with some ideas and safeguards in case he's not," Tony explained, casting his own data above the table and swiping through the information, all of which was too advanced for anyone to understand anyway. He just liked showing off. "We could use a...professional opinion though," he said like it hurt to call some kid a professional over himself, "And we want to do this the safest way possible. If the Time-Traveling Nerd says your daughter is our best bet, then that's how we wanna do it."

"We'd appreciate the help," Steve added.

"What is so important about getting this rock removed?" T'Challa asked in curiosity.

"So, uh, it's called an infinity stone. It's one of six, and there's an alien out there who, in maybe a little over two years, is going to collect them and kill half of all life with the snap of his fingers," you said, "There's really no easy way of putting that, it's just how it is."

"Ms. Arlington, would you please start from the beginning with your story so there is no confusion?" T'Chaka asked, clearly not understanding.

Well, he asked for it.

You spent the next half hour or so explaining how you got here and the list of future events.

"I am not so sure that we should invite death to our country by housing one of these stones, if what you say is true," T'Chaka said.

"Half of your country will be wiped out anyway if you don't help," you pleaded.

"They are all brought back?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yes, after five years!" you said a little too aggressively.

"Look," Steve stepped in to cover your mistake, "The world is thrown into chaos for five years. Loved ones separated, families torn apart. We need your help to stop it."

"Can you not use her information to plan against such an outcome?" the king asked.

"That's what we're trying to do here," Tony said, growing annoyed.

"In a way that does not endanger my people?" he clarified.

"Look, Thanos isn't coming for a while. We can have the stone out, Bucky freed, and everyone removed from Wakanda within the next few months, or sooner, depending on how smoothly things go. Please, Wakanda is a huge roll in the Avengers' success. I told you, T'Challa opens the nation up to the world later, so what's a bit of help now?"

"I am not sure I believe you. My death, my son's decisions, they could all be cons. You know of Wakanda's wealth, so you'll understand my caution regarding your intentions in my country and the threats you could pose."

T'Challa stepped in, speaking in Wakandan to his father. The two of them spoke back and forth, and, though you couldn't understand them, it looked like T'Challa was advocating for you.

"Listen, I left out key Wakandan details when I told my story because I didn't want to freak you out or expose anyone," you said during a pause in their discussion, "But I know things that I could only know from movies. I knew about your wealth and vibranium, yes, and you two and Shuri. But I also know about Okoye, the Dora Milaje, Nakia, the different tribes and how they can challenge T'Challa for king and the whole waterfall setup during that. I know some really important information that will harm you if you don't know it too."

"What information?" T'Chaka asked, looking too concerned for someone who didn't believe you.

He believes me, whether he'll admit it or not. 

"It's personal to you. I'd rather say it in private."

T'Chaka stood up promptly, motioning for you to follow him out of the pavilion. You glanced across the table as you stood up, Steve and Fury nodding at the same time.

"What must I know?" the king asked once away from the others.

You told him about Killmonger, about all of the trouble he causes, about the hurt he was put through by being abandoned and shunned from Wakanda, about how T'Challa feels regarding his father's actions and the end result of the whole conflict.

For once, T'Chaka seemed shocked, speechless even.

"You need to tell T'Challa," you said softly after giving him some time to process.

Surprisingly, he just nodded, no arguments.

"Thank you for coming to me privately about this matter," he said, "I am grateful for your discretion."

That was all he said before heading back to the meeting. Once in the pavilion, he summoned his son.

"T'Challa and I will discuss what to do about your situation. Please, remain patient. We shall return shortly."

They walked off, disappearing down a slope and out of sight.

"Well, you've either won the battle for us with whatever you told him, or you screwed us," Fury said to you, leaning back in his chair.

"Hopefully the former," you said absent-mindedly, looking off in the direction father and son had gone.

"You better damn well pray it is," he sassed.

"What did you say to him?" Tony asked, "Must have been something juicy enough to get a brick wall like him to finally move."

"It's a secret."

"Oh great, I love secrets, I love knowing them."

"I think T'Challa is on our side," you said, ignoring Tony, "Besides, he's not the kind of person to refuse aid to someone. He's a good guy, I think we'll be fine."

Conversation continued amongst the five of you, but it didn't have to last long. The royals returned quickly, taking their seats once again. The whole table waited in silence for the reveal.

"My son and I have decided to trust your word," he said to you, "And we appreciate how forward you have been. We will grant your requests. Sergeant Barnes, you will be seen to by the best help we can provide, and my daughter will work with you," he looked at Stark, "to safely remove the stone. Once that is done, it must be removed immediately from Wakanda. We will not risk the danger brought from its lingering within our borders."

A collective sigh escaped everyone's mouth, and many thanks and testaments of appreciation were exchanged. The joyous occasion led to a relatively upsetting one, as you were soon lined up in front of the quinjet, saying goodbye to Bucky for the time being. Fury shook hands with both the king and prince, nodding a farewell to Buck before walking up the ramp. Tony thanked T'Chaka, saying he'd be in touch about a time to meet up with Shuri. 

"Hey, when you get your kingly super cat powers," Tony said when he moved onto T'Challa, "Would you ever consider joining a highly dysfunctional group of heroes hosted by the man who can buy you everything and throw a hell of a party? The commute would be a bit much during rush hour, but you could be the start of an 'around the world' squad, spend most of your time here."

"I'm flattered by your offer," T'Challa laughed, "But I think, when the time comes, I'll be busy trying to find my footing as a king."

"Well, if you ever find it, give me a call."

"And if there is ever anything you need, please just ask."

Tony glanced at Bucky like he considered saying something, but ultimately started boarding the quinjet.

"Tony," Buck called out, stopping him half way up the ramp. He turned, though his eyes looked anywhere but Bucky. "Thanks for getting me here."

Tony's eyes flickered up and he nodded once or twice. "Yeah, well...Winter Soldier's a bitch and I want him gone."

"So do I," Bucky replied.

Tony nodded again, turning and finishing the climb into the jet.

"Thank you again, Ms. Arlington," T'Chaka said when it was your turn to say goodbye.

"Thank you for believing me. And thank you for the help. I hope everything goes well."

"I have a feeling it will," he smiled.

You moved on to T'Challa, thanking him as well.

"You are the one trying to save a world you do not live in," he grinned, "I require no thanks for being fortunate enough to help. I hope we see each other again, Ms. Arlington."

"I'm sure we will," you smiled back, saying goodbye as you stepped up to Buck next.

"Well, we finally got you here. Sorry it took so long."

"Hey now, I stopped beating myself up in front of you as promised, so you can't go apologizing for that still, remember?"

"Right," you laughed, "My bad."

Bucky was smiling back, but there was a pause where you both knew you had to say bye. You hugged him, telling yourself not to tear up.

"See ya soon, Buck. I'll have your Christmas present shipped over here in time for the big day."

"I might have to give yours a little late," he said as you pulled away.

"Yeah," you chuckled, "That's ok."

"Thanks for everything, Wren. I'll see you around. Don't forget to mess with Sam while I'm away."

"I'll bother him twice as hard as I usually do," you assured him, waving one last time as you retreated up the ramp. Glancing back from the top, you saw Steve and Bucky hugging their goodbyes. T'Challa caught your eye, smiling and holding a hand up in farewell. You returned the gesture, before taking your place inside. Steve followed shortly thereafter, and the quinjet took off for its destination, one passenger lighter.

***

"Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam," you kept repeating as you knocked on his door.

"I'm comiiing," he said, as he rushed out of the bedroom, pulling his jacket on.

"Well hurry, you know Tony will leave for ice-skating without us, and then I'm shoving coal down your throat."

"We'll be back in plenty of time, I just need to grab something quick and cheap and get this over with."

"You try talking to Tony like I asked?"

"Yup, and he stands by his rule of 'No Friday one-day shipping purchases on Christmas Eve.' It doesn't prevent last minute thoughtless gifts," he scoffs, "He's just being an asshole cuz he can."

"I mean, you did wait til the last second to shop, knowing the rule was in place."

"I got 99% of it done," he defended.

"Yeah, and that 1% is your secret santa, literally the only gift you were actually required to buy!"

"The only gift I don't want to buy!"

"Well, you have to, and now you're stuck having to run into the city to shop on the craziest shopping day of the year."

"That's why I'm bringing you, you love the man. Walk in, pick the first thing you see that will look like I semi-tried, and then we go home."

"Shhhh sh, he's coming, act natural," you whispered as you and Sam were exiting the elevators.

"Hey Loki," you said, "Whatchu eating?"

"Maximoff made some more of her cookies," he held up his remaining half to show.

"See, I told you you'd like our desserts!"

"They're better than most of what you force down my throat," he sighed, "So I'll take what I can get."

"Uh-huh, suuuure. Oh, did you, uh, do the thing we discussed?"

Sam looked back and forth between the two of you.

"No, I haven't," he said proudly, popping the last of the cookie in his mouth and smiling, walking briskly past you 

"Sam, go on, I'll meet you out front."

"I thought you were in a rush?" he mocked.

"I'll just be a sec," you promised, turning after Loki, "Ah ah ah, nope," you squealed, catching the elevator door before it closed.

"Going up?" he teased, playing innocent.

"Why haven't you done it?"

"I told you, it's stupid, and it won't matter. Besides, I couldn't tell you where to begin getting a gift for that man."

"It's Christmas, Loki, people will be grateful for whatever you get them...usually."

"Barton will, seriously?!!" he whispered loudly, "Sure, I'll attach a note as well that says, 'Remember that time I made you my puppet? Yeah, that was fun. Anyways, Merry Christmas!' This whole holiday is so....its--its pointless. And why does it force cheer down your throat like it's main goal is to activate as many gag reflexes in people as is humanly, and Asgardianly, possible?!"

"Oh come on, you've enjoyed this month. Ok, so maybe you roll your eyes at a lot of the over-the-top Christmas cheer, but most of it you've enjoyed. You're living as part of the team, so you have to participate like one of them."

"I'm sure the others would have been perfectly content to let me sit this one out. Let me guess, you pleaded with them to include me?"

"Actually, no, a few of them thought it would be good to include you, they just didn't think you'd want to."

"And you told them I would?!"

 "I said I'd check with you."

"You told me I had to!"

"No, I checked with you! Remember? I brought up the concept of secret santa, and you said 'Wow, sounds fascinating,' so I put you on the list."

"Are you so thick-headed you can't tell sarcas---"

He stopped upon seeing that you couldn't hold a straight face. Of course you'd known it was sarcasm and not interest.

"You gotta be careful what you say. Maybe that'll teach you to not say things just to be dismissive."

He got his "this bitch is about to die" smile on, and you realized you were standing far too close to the elevator.

"No no no!" you yelled as Loki pulled you into the elevator and the doors closed behind you.

"Careful what you say?" he said thoughtfully as you tried to subtly reach for the 'open door' button. Though not looking, he smacked your hand out of the air.

"Lokiii," you laughed, "I have to go, Sam's waiting for me to---" he grabbed your hand this time as you reached, not letting go and smiling maliciously.

"What was it you said once, Darling? Wilson was squealing over a spider, and you told him it wasn't a tarantula so he shouldn't be a baby."

"Did I say that? Nah, I think you've got the wrong person, sounds like something Nat would say. So let's just push the button and---"

There was a flash of green and a large, hairy arachnid appeared on Loki's arm. You could see the things eyes, it was that grotesquely big. You knew some people kept these things as pets, but you could never.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Is that thing real or an illusion? Can you make spiders? It's not real, right, it ain't real?!"

His smile grew as the spider started walking down to where your hand was held by his.

"NOPE, get that thing away!" you said, pulling your hand free. Loki moved in front of the controls, so you backed to the other wall. "My fight or flight will kick in, and I will hold no remorse for the things I do when that happens!"

"Aw, I think he's a cute little spider," Loki said in a voice that, had he been saying it to a dog and not a tarantula he was trying to throw at you, would have been adorable. He picked the spider up from its back, taking a step towards you.

You went to push past him, but he grabbed your arm and made to pin your hands to your side. Nat's teachings kicked in and you ducked and spun, using his motion against him and tripping him into the side of the elevator.

"Oooo," you cringed, "Sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Well, yes, but not that hard, it just kinda happened. I did warn that---what am I worrying about you're a god. Oh shit!" you hissed, seeing the spider in his right hand, as he gathered himself from the wall, and remembering why you were running.

Loki's left arm was wrapped around your waist, pulling you back before you could even move towards the button. You struggled, but you didn't want to actually fight your way out, even if any hurt you did to him was insignificant. You leaned all of your weight forward in an attempt to stretch as far as possible from the spider in his hand. He used your momentum against you, dropping you swiftly, but gently, to the floor. He was on his knees immediately, leaning over you with the spider dangling above your face.

"Ok ok ok, I get it!" you said, squeezing your eyes shut, "No manipulating what you say...or at least if I do, no more admitting it," you added.

"Oh Darling," he chuckled, "You can't help yourself, can you?"

You felt the hairy legs touch your cheek, but your arms were pinned under his knees on either side of you, so you couldn't swat it away.

"OK! I'm sorry I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" you shrieked, "Get it off get it off get it off!"

The feeling disappeared, and you opened your eyes to find a triumphant Loki smirk above you instead.

"And that," he said softly, "Is why you do not mess with the God of Mischief."

"When I get you back, I swear---"

"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats," he said, leaning in a little closer.

 He stared at you with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and your smile faltered when you realized your position. The doors opened, and both of your heads turned to find Korg and Miek standing there. Korg stopped mid-sentence when he saw the two of you.

"Oh! Sorry guys!" he said hastily, reaching in to press the 'close door' button over and over again, "We did not know this lift was, uh, occupied. There really should be a sign on the outside for when people want their privacy, not that it's your fault, it's all mine," he continued rambling. Miek was looking to the side, holding his prosthetic hand up to hide his eyes behind.

"No no no, Korg, it isn't like that!" you said quickly, pushing Loki off of you. You both jumped up, Loki straightening out his hair as you fumbled to explain, "He was trying to get back at me for something I did, so he---"

"I'd write down whatever it was you did, because if that was the payback for it, that's a win bro."

"No!" you said, stopping the door from closing, "Gross, no, Korg, he was trying to put a spider in my face!"

"Ohhh, is 'spider' slang for some kind of kiss? Because I'm sorry Miek and I had to exterminate it," he said, chuckling at his own joke, "Get it, because we interrupted you guys before he could plant a big old spider on---"

"Yes! We get it, but no I mean like a real spider, he was trying to put a real spider in my face."

"Odd way to show affection, but hey you do you mate," he said to Loki.

 "No that's not...uggggh," you groaned, "You know what, just, forget it. Everything's fine Korg," you smiled, "Just promise not to tell anyone?"

"Oh yeah yeah, of course Wren, your secret romance is safe with us," he said as he and Miek pressed for the other elevator, "Not that it's really a secret is it?" you heard him whisper loudly to Miek as they entered it, "Those two have never really been subtle."

You didn't know exactly what to say or do, but you knew the first priority was getting out of the elevator. As you did, Loki followed, and you realized that he was smiling, evidently finding the whole encounter amusing.

"If that were Thor, would you be smiling?!" you shot at him.

"No, but as it wasn't, I'll continue enjoying it."

"I thought we were on the same page about how weird people are when they think that kind of stuff about us?"

"Doesn't mean I can't find it amusing, Darling. Perhaps I'm not as bothered by it anymore."

"Lord, we must have looked just---that was the worst position we could have been in!" you said, palming your forehead, the giggles starting to come.

"Or the best, depending on whose point of view we're discussing," Loki said, and you dropped your hands, looking at him in shock. "I'm kidding of course! Don't be so ridiculous."

"Right," you chuckled, awkwardly shoving aside the panic that had started rising in you when you thought he was serious and you'd have to find something to say to it. "Now that you've gotten me back, you're still Clint's secret santa so---damn, Sam! I gotta go! If I help you with Clint's gift, will you at least participate?"

"I'll be able to say it was entirely you, so, yes, I agree to those terms."

"Great, I'll see you later then! Stay out of trouble?" you pointed, backing down the hall.

"Gods no."

"Good answer!" you called back, starting to jog down the hall.

"Ten minutes is not a second," Sam said as you reached the door to the parking lot, "Did you guys get lost in each other's eyes?"

"No, he needed the same help you do. You're both whiners who can't just do a task without complaining or procrastinating."

"Who does he have?"

"Can't tell, but let's worry about your own gift."

The rush of Christmas Eve shoppers and tourists made the city a crowded madhouse, but, to you, that only added to the fun. You and Sam made your way to a book store, and you helped him pick out some classics, along with the first Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter book. You had him purchase a big bag of M&Ms, as you knew those were secretly one of Loki's favorite sweet treats on Midgard. The two of you hurried home, Sam leaving to find a box to to wrap his items in. 

You noticed the business center of the compound was bustling, and you almost forgot that Tony still ran a company on the premises. Pepper, who was usually supposed to be around the main facility quite a lot, had been kept away from the compound after Hydra's attack. She'd been away on a business trip when you'd arrived back in October, so she'd continued her work away from home base until Tony gave the all-clear. With Rumlow caught, Bucky safely stashed in Wakanda, and the device capable of turning off Friday having been discovered, Tony finally gave her the clearance to come back. You'd yet to meet her, though she was coming ice-skating with you that evening. You had a little over an hour until everyone was supposed to meet for departure, giving you enough time to make sure Loki planned something for Clint.

Loki opened when you knocked, stepping aside to let you in.

"Have you put any thought into a gift?"

"Me?" he asked in disgust, "Heavens, no, that's what I have you for."

"You could have saved time by thinking about it in advance, but fine I got this."

Loki sat on the edge of the bed as you paced back and forth.

"It's not like we're giving the gifts tonight, there's plenty of time," he scoffed, "He doesn't want me in his home, I know that, so I don't see why I'm made to go, let alone come bearing gifts."

Clint had spent most of the last two months with his family, visiting now and again and, obviously, flying over for events like the Thanksgiving Parade and subsequent Hydra rescue mission. Although he liked to keep his family away from the compound and off the grid, Laura had invited the crew to spend Christmas morning and gift exchange at their place.

"He clearly thinks you're safe enough with everyone around, and he knows we can't leave you behind, so you're coming. And bearing gifts is the best way for someone like you to enter his house."

"How about I just enchant an arrow to always return to his bow after finding it's target?" he sighed, like it was something simple he wouldn't mind doing, "That way the fool doesn't run out in battle. I mean, honestly, how many does he take out with one quiver of arrows?"

"More than you think, plus he's a skilled fighter without the bow. But is that something you can do?"

"What? Have an object return to a desired location? Yes, of course, I have had many special things enchanted in such a way, so I can summon them if ever lost. As long as I have access to the quiver, I can have the arrows return to their slot after a certain time of being removed."

"That's literally genius! If Clint says no to that, then I no longer hold you accountable for getting him a gift, cuz you did your job."

"Let's hope he says no."

"I hope Thor shows up soon. I wouldn't want to leave without him," you said, changing the subject to his brother, who was currently on Asgard.

"Knowing my brother, we'll be lucky if he arrives in time for your New Year's."

Despite Loki's remark, Thor managed to arrive just as the team was piling into the limos. Thankfully, Tony had worked on introducing Korg and Miek to the public, so they were allowed to join. Seeing as Rockefeller Center had literally been cleared for the Avengers, Tony condoned Loki's attendance. He was more noticeable when in his god gear anyway, his face not as recognizable as Thor's. However, that meant he had to wear Midgardian clothes for the first time since you'd met him. You weren't gonna lie, he looked good in his coat, scarf, and black pants. His shirt was a little formal, naturally, which you pointed out didn't blend in with the look of the other's as much, so he changed it to a green sweater underneath instead. Pepper was in the limo you entered, and she was beyond nice. The two of you chatted the whole way about anything and everything. You asked her about putting up with Tony, leading to hilarious anecdotes, and she asked you about your home and how things were going for you since you'd arrived. Speaking with her made the time flow, and you were stepping out of the vehicle before you knew it.

Ice-skating was a great night. Tony kept trying to get Pepper to do crazy spins and stunts with him. When that didn't work, he enlisted Rhodey. Thor stuck with Korg and Miek, the three of them helping each other remain standing as they made their way slowly around the rink. Bruce and Nat skated along with Valkyrie. Sam kept speeding by Steve, saying "On your left" every time. You and Loki stuck with Vision and Wanda, chatting away as you glided around the ice. Loki looked like he wasn't wearing skates at all, showing no signs of having to concentrate as he flawlessly moved along.

Races broke out, as most things among the Avengers lead to competition, culminating in a collective grand finale. Nat, being the unbeatably graceful and talented individual that she was, won, though Sam and Valkyrie were hot on her tail. In the end, everyone split back into their little groups, Rhodey leaving to talk with Sam and Cap in order to give Tony and Pepper their romantic stroll. Valkyrie had also gone over to chill with Thor, probably knowing Nat and Bruce would enjoy time to themselves. Despite being with Wanda and Vision earlier, you dragged Loki away, wanting the two of them to have their time with each other.   

"You do know that she's human...and he's a robot?" he said concerned.

"Shh, doesn't matter," you whacked his arm, watching as Vision and Wanda laughed with each other ahead of you.

"So much sentiment," he groaned looking at the couples and friendships around him, "Can the holidays be over?"

You just laughed, and he couldn't hold his serious expression.

"It's beautiful," you said, looking up at the tree that shone brightly above you, "I never want this time of year to end."

"Hmmm...beautiful," Loki said quietly, sounding like he was in agreement. You glanced at him, and he was smiling pleasantly at the tree, before looking over to you. He seemed content, happy even. The eye contact was passing the fine line between friendly and awkward, so you broke your gaze.

"First one to the end gets Wanda's last cookies?" you suggested.

"They're already gone, Darling."

"If ooonly someone hid some," you sighed.

"Enjoy this rare occasion where I say I'm proud to call you my friend," he smiled, "But you already lost terribly to me earlier, so I'm afraid I'll be taking the---"

His words were cut off as you shoved him to the ice, making sure to kick his skates out from under him.

"HA!" you laughed skating quickly down the rink as he scrambled to his feet in pursuit.

The cookies may have been yours, but you started a game that involved trying to avoid Loki as he knocked you to the ground and casually skated by to push you as you tried getting up. You eventually made it to the side, grabbing onto the walls for dear life as he tried pulling you from them. The two of you were both equally stubborn, neither surrendering to defeat, and both enjoying the stupid game too much. It got to the point where Tony had to order you off the ice, the others having gathered off-rink already. Hot chocolate, dinner, and a Christmas movie finished off the night.

***

Christmas morning went surprisingly well between Loki and Clint. The latter agreed to Loki's offer, though he wanted to test it on a few arrows for a while first. You had a blast with the kids and Laura, helping her with their newborn Nathaniel. Tony showered the Barton kids with toys, as well as buying expensive gifts for the rest of the team. He even got Loki a heated blanket, claiming they "work wonders to relax, and you could do with a little less tension, Reindeer Games." Sam gave Loki his box with a "here you go, Merry Christmas", before walking away. Loki opened it and, upon seeing the contents, smirked over at you. You'd had Thor for your secret santa, getting him the new Nintendo 3DS from 2015 and teaching him how to use it. He became glued to it for nearly all of the morning. You'd also gotten him a stuffed toy of himself, because it was too great not to buy. He kept it propped up next to him on the couch and carried it with him when he moved. Tony had had you, so, in addition to the phone he'd gotten you, he also bought the coolest nerd decor for your room, as well as one of those lightsabers that reacted to movement and touch for a realistic effect.

"No way!" you squealed as he handed it to you, "This is the sweetest thing I've ever seen!"

You swung it around, the color and sound more realistic than you'd anticipated.

"I may have tinkered with it a bit," he smiled.

"What, you built this?!"

"Enhanced it, but mostly yeah. I wasn't about to give you a flimsy piece with quiet sounds, I want to see you whacking people with that. Just not me, or I dismantle it."

In the end, the gifts you received from others were either books, food, clothes, or anything fluffy and cuddly. The time to leave arrived too soon, and you reluctantly said farewell to the Bartons.

Once back home, around midday, you carried your stash up to your room to sort and use. Loki followed shortly after, with a small box in his hands.

"Seeing as we can never catch a break from the relentless teasing of the others, I assumed you'd prefer I give this to you in private."

"I was thinking the same thing! I have your gift in the closet."

"Why don't you open yours first...mine can wait."

"Loki, I...I thought you didn't like this whole gift-giving thing?" you asked, realizing that he had gone out of his way to prepare a gift for you.

"The standard of getting people gifts even if you are not fond of them is something I could do without, yes. But I figured it wasn't too much of an inconvenience to do so for a friend."

"Aw you're gonna make me cry," you teased, taking the box.

"Just shut up and open it," he rolled his eyes.

You pulled the ribbon off of the tiny box, opening the lid to reveal a white crystal on a golden chain. The stone wasn't filed down into a smooth shape, but looked rather like it'd been plucked straight from nature, which added to the beauty. The light in the room reflected off of the different angles on the gem, the crystal shimmering varying colors depending on how you looked at it.

"Oh my gosh, it's gorgeous," you said in awe, lifting the necklace gingerly.

"There's a cave on Asgard, one that houses millions of crystals like these. And there's an opening in one of the walls, high above the ground, that lets in the sunlight. For most of the day, the cave shimmers in the dazzling shades of a thousand colors. But at a certain time in the evening...as the sun sets and falls in line with the opening...and the warm orange glow washes over the cave...the crystals turn the beautiful red-orange of the sunset. Every crystal, from top to bottom, seems to burn with that deep, breathtaking shade which fills the horizon every evening, stunning us with it's hypnotizing beauty. That feeling one gets when staring at a sunset? That unmeasurable thrill that makes us ardently desire to be up in the clouds, surrounded by the light? These crystals do just that. Standing in the cave at the perfect time is like standing in a sunset."

He spoke so passionately and kindly, that you were stunned more by him than the necklace, taking in every word with wide-eyed wonder.

"I know how much you enjoy Asgard, particularly it's sunsets. The crystal you now hold will reflect that same light in any evening sky. So when you are wearing it, and the sun starts to fill the air with those colors you love so much...no matter where you are, you can look down, and see that orange fire capture in that tiny crystal. You will always be reminded of Asgard, and you will always have part of it with you."

"That's...I--Loki, I don't even know what to say! For the first time, I think you've actually made me speechless."

"I should have given it to you two months ago."

"Yeah, probably," you laughed, "Seriously, though, I---I don't know how to thank you! This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And you knew how much it'd mean too, I just can't---I don't know how to thank you enough!"

"I'm glad you like it, Darling," he smiled, seeming genuinely excited that you loved it so much.

"Oh my gosh, your gift! I'm sitting here drooling over mine so much I'm forgetting yours!" you said, rushing over to the closet.

You brought back a wrapped package, handing it to him.

"Be gentle with it," you warned, and he eyed you curiously as he began ripping off the paper.

"If a spider jumps out of here, know that I'm not scared of---" he stopped speaking as he opened the box within, staring with wide eyes at the present.

"Ok, so I know Sam already got you books, and I know you're also going to say I'm just recycling and didn't get you a real gift, but hear me out. I wanted you to have something of your mother's, and I was sure there was something she would have wanted you to have. So remember last week when I noticeably lied about where I'd been for a few hours? Well, Thor and I went up to your dad and asked to search through your mother's things for anything of meaning between the two of you. We found that in a drawer Odin claims to be the spot for her most prized possessions. She had two handkerchiefs, one with each of your names on it, you and Thor. Wrapped in yours was that book. Your father told Thor it was a book you used to study from and practice with your mom?"

Loki stared at it for a few more seconds, eyes glistening. He smiled as he lifted the book from the folds of the silk handkerchief.

"This was her beginner's book on magic. She used to read through it with me...teach me...help me practice the knowledge within it's pages. I cast my first illusion with the help of this book. I remember her face that day...her smile. I remember the joy I felt, seeing how happy I'd made her...that I could do that. In that moment, she told me if I put my mind to it, I could accomplish anything...be great."

He placed the book back down, lifting the corner of the white silk to trace his green embroidered name.

"There's more," you said, and he looked up expectantly. "Open it. We found something in there that made me certain she'd want you to have this."

He lifted the book, placing the box gently on your dresser. When he opened it, a sealed letter was contained on the very first page...a letter with his name on it. He removed it, putting the book with it's box and delicately opening the envelope. The letter looked to be a full page, from the ink you could see through the back of the paper, so it took him a minute to read it through. You watched his face as he did, mixed sadness, love, and joy playing across his features. By the end, a single tear escaped down his cheek. He glanced over the letter for a few more seconds, rubbing his fingers tenderly across his mother's handwriting. With a final smile and sniff, he folded the letter, returning it to the book.

"Are you ok?" you asked as he turned back around.

Though his eyes may have been red and watery, he appeared happy and peaceful.

"Yes," he said with a reassuring grin, "Thank you."

He caught you off guard by bringing you in for a hug. 

"Don't thank me, I couldn't have done it without Thor and your father. They were eager to help."

"It was your idea...thank you," he repeated, pulling back and smiling down at you.

"Merry Christmas, Loki."

"Merry Christmas, Darling."

*** 

New Year's Eve meant a Tony Stark party, which you weren't sure you were ready for....yet you really really wanted to witness. The party was about to start in an hour, which meant Nat, Wanda, and Valkyrie were busy making you look presentable. You'd never dressed for anything like Tony's parties, just as you'd never dressed for an Asgardian dance. Nat had taken you out shopping, selecting a glittering navy blue dress, far more short, modern, and sleek than any flowy Asgardian gowns. You accepted their opinions on everything, letting them choose your jewelry, do your hair and make-up, select your shoes, etc. The only detail you were firm on was that you wanted to wear your Asgardian necklace. 

Loki hadn't wanted to participate, but you'd asked him to come, saying you'd be less nervous or awkward if you had someone to talk to. What if everyone else's attention got taken? No one knew who you were, and Loki could disguise himself, so the two of you could talk if worst came to worst. Thankfully, he'd agreed, and you got Tony on board by promising Loki wouldn't come out of his disguise. Knowing Loki would be there made you breathe a little easier as you and the other girls walked into the loud and crowded room. You weren't going to lie, the Stark energy resonating throughout the room was enjoyable, and you found yourself being able to stay away from the crazy people, avoid important looking people, and have pleasant discussions with the normal people. Loki made himself known to you, having taken the disguise of another attractive man...shocker. He sat off to the side mostly, with you flocking to him if you ever needed a break from socializing. 

11 pm hit, and the DJ announced that the next hour leading up to the new year would be dedicated to 2015's greatest hits. Uptown Funk was apparently at the top of the charts, which was weird to hear. Never had you felt more like a time-traveler than you did during this hour. Did that stop you from loving it? Hell no. You were out on the dance floor, singing and bouncing along. Something you'd forgotten about the year 2015 was that it was the year of the whip. It may have seemed old in your mind, but here it was new. Therefore, when Watch Me came on, you were out there teaching Thor how to whip and nae nae. The whole crowd got into it, with everyone whipping like it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Some time closer to the end of the hour, your head started hurting from the noise and activity. You weren't going to leave because of a headache, but that didn't mean you couldn't step outside for a quick break. Walking into the hall, you took the stairs to the next floor down, sitting in the room under the party. The music was loud enough to be heard through the floor, but muffled enough to not pound your head until it exploded.

I'm probably dehydrated, you thought, scolding yourself for failing to prepare when you knew you'd be partying all night. In fact, you'd barely eaten anything since the party started. This one was on you. A noise from behind startled you, but it was only Loki walking towards you with a glass of water. He'd removed his guise, and you fought the urge to stare at how good he looked in a suit. 

"Hey," you smiled as he sat down next to you on the couch. The room was pretty dim, a stray lamp here or there being the only light, but you could see his smile in return.

"I thought you could use some water, after your rather intense burst of energy upstairs."

"2015's just be hitting different tonight," you laughed, "I've never felt so out of time like I did when they said Uptown Funk was the number one song. "

"It did have a decently rhythmic beat though."

"Yeah, it'll get stuck in your head real quick."

"Speaking of, how is yours?"

"Oh, fine, just dehydrated, as you guess," you said, taking the glass he offered you, "Thanks."

He sat quietly while you drank, waiting until you'd placed it on the coffee table in front of you before speaking.

"Darling, I...I have a question."

"Yeah what's up?"

"Something in my mother's letter got me thinking about my powers...my potential. And that, subsequently, reminded me of the time in the library where you spoke of powers I either hadn't shown you or have never performed. You told me to trust you, and I do. But you also said you'd explain one day."

You let out a sigh, nodding to yourself.

I guess it's time. 

"And I'll keep that promise. In my world, there is a tv show about you. There's only one season, six episodes. It tells the story of a version of you that escapes the Battle of New York with the Tesseract after the Avengers botch their time-traveling attempt to get the Space Stone."

"I thought you said they succeed?"

"They do, by going back even further to get the cube. But, letting you escape started an alternate timeline, one where you never got taken back to Asgard. In comes the TVA to stop you. Now, the TVA, or Time Variance Authority, is an organization that exists outside of time. Their job is to preserve the sacred timeline. Any time someone in the universe does something drastic enough to change the course of events, that person is deemed a variant and is taken into custody by the TVA, and the alternate branched reality caused by their actions is pruned, erased from existence essentially. The TVA clearly doesn't exist in whatever universe I have popped into here, otherwise I would have been snatched up a while ago. But, in other universes where they are a thing, I guess, there are different realities within that universe with multiple versions of you, or everyone really. Any version that didn't comply with what the TVA had scripted for your life, which was supposed to end with your death by Thanos, was pruned. One, however, survived, hiding across time for her whole life, plotting against the TVA."

"Wait...her?" he asked in horror.

"Yup, there was a female version of you...and, well...I think it's easier if I show you everything. Come on, do the mind thing. I'm going to show you what I hid from you before."

He nodded, scooching closer to place his hands on your head. The entire Loki series played through your head, every scene with him vividly replayed for this Loki to witness. When it was done, he let his hands drop, eyes dancing around the room as he went over everything he'd just seen.

"I...I'm sorry I didn't show you before. It's just, I didn't want to show you the woman you fall in love with just to be like 'oops, sorry, she doesn't exist here.' It was younger and alternate you, anyway, not you exactly, but still I didn't want you to be upset that there was no Sylvie---"

"Darling," he cut you off, and you saw that he had that classic smirk on his face, "Whichever me fell in love with Sylvie...that's not this me. Am I him, and could I, if thrown in the same situation, fall in love with her? Possibly, maybe even probably. But I do not need Sylvie. Besides, just because there is no Sylvie here, doesn't mean there isn't someone else."

He held your gaze a second longer than was normal when saying that, and, as is typical with your brain, you immediately had to fight yourself to not overanalyze his statement. Thankfully, the sounds of people counting down above you, distracted your thoughts.

"Oh, it's almost time," you said, looking at the ceiling.

When the voices reached the end, loud cheers and a collective "Happy New Year!" erupted. The sound of fireworks could be heard, and the flash of colors reached your dark room, though you couldn't see the show itself. Loki held out his hand, and from it came his own mini-fireworks. You smiled down at the unexpected surprise, watching the beautiful display. 

"Happy New Year, Darling," Loki whispered, and you looked up over the fireworks, staring into his eyes that reflected the colors sparkling from his hands. He was still closer from when he'd moved to read your mind. There seemed something different in his look, or maybe you were just imagining it. The feeling in your stomach was certainly new. Butterflies fluttered, and you immediately understood the crazy feeling you were letting your silly mind create.

Don't be stupid...he's Loki, you can't like him like that. Just get out of this situation before you start believing it.

Instead, you remained where you were.

"Happy New Year, Loki."

The eye contact and your whirlwind of emotions continued, before you finally made yourself focus on the fireworks. He did the same, but you felt as if he was glancing up every few seconds. You resisted the urge to do the same. You knew you should have rejoined the party, but instead you sat there next to Loki, watching his wondrous magic.

Chapter 38: (Chapter 37) What A Bunch of A-Holes

Notes:

Sorry it is late, and it is also shorter than I had anticipated. This last week was super crazy, so I had to save some things for the next chapter in order to get somethings published already. If I ever am late for any reason in the future, I'll comment it below the last chapter as a heads up, just so y'all know where to look for it. I also didn't proof-read much, once again. Sorry.

January came, marking the end of the holiday season. Life fell back into it's routine. You and Rhodey continued your frozen yogurt trips, trying to make it once a week as you had before the holidays pushed everything to a halt. You'd made sure to bring Thor at least once back in December, which meant he always wanted to join whenever he was around at the right time. Now, he was back on Asgard, so you and Rhodes went alone, both needing the relaxing trip. You'd gossip about the others, rant to each other about your problems, and basically enjoy the quiet.

Pepper resumed work in the Stark Headquarters on base, so you saw her much more frequently. Tony, however, no longer resided full-time at the compound, going home with Pepper instead and attending to whatever it is Tony does. He had a life outside of the Avengers, even if it was his family, so his appearances around the compound dwindled. You grew to love the moments where his voice would echo down the hall, as he'd grandly announce his presence whenever he dropped in.

Valkyrie had grown to enjoy the team and facility. She and Nat had bonded, but you could see the noticeable friendship between her and Thor whenever he visited. She was a sarcastic, humorous, no-nonsense kind of girl, which meant she got along with everyone essentially. She and Loki were on decent terms, neither having done something to offend the other, unlike in Ragnarok. It was just Loki, so friendships never really bloomed frequently with him. However, you'd go as far as saying they respected each other, which was a lot coming from both of them. You weren't best friends with her, but you at least liked each other...or at least you thought she liked you. It was Valkyrie, so of course you liked her. Despite your rocky first meeting, where you'd brought up her trauma with Hela, she'd seemed to move past it. After all, it wasn't like when Loki forced her to watch her memories just to be a jerk. You'd done it for a reason. You guys got along when training, and you had similar senses of humor, so you'd often end up laughing with her. Interestingly, she loved the Harry Potter movies, which she credited you for introducing her to them. You couldn't remember when Harry Potter World in Universal Studios had opened, but a bit of research showed it was supposed to open that year. You and Valkyrie planned to ask Tony for a trip there when the time came. One day after training, she opened up to you, Wanda, and Nat about how she missed Asgard. Despite the bad memories, being there for the short time she had stayed had rekindled her love for it. It was her home, after all. The three of you encouraged her to consider moving back, or at least spending periods of time there. She'd taken the advice, deciding to return home when the month was over. How long she'd stay depended on how things went.

You were going to be sad to see her leave, even if she would be back down. Your girl gang would be down a member. Though you trained with every member of the team and practiced fighting with each, there was always a time where just the girls worked together. Through that, a kind of bond had formed. Wanda always made you do fun stuff, like baking or taking a walk to get away from the guys. Valkyrie, though being a hardcore badass, had a fashion sense too, so she and Nat took the four of you out on shopping trips. On one of these trips, you'd stopped for some fast-food, which gave Valkyrie a new unhealthy addiction other than drinking. The talks you had with the three of them were the kind you couldn't have with guys, which was sometimes a good thing and sometimes bad. For example, you didn't have to worry about Rhodey telling you how attractive Loki was in an attempt to get you to admit you liked him. Teasing now and then from the others? Sure. But the girls? They loved bringing it up whenever the topic of relationships was mentioned, or even when it wasn't.

The worst part of their jabs was that you were no longer confident in your denial. New Year's Eve had changed things for you. For the first two weeks after that night, you'd been unable to stop thinking about it. You'd fought down the feeling in your stomach that showed itself whenever Loki walked in the room. You'd tried to remain normal, praying he didn't notice anything amiss. You'd told yourself there was no way you could like him like that. He was a Marvel character, so you loved him as you loved all of them. Your stronger love for him in your world had meant nothing once he was real. That had always been your stance and you were never lying when saying it to yourself. But now? You felt as if you were saying it to yourself too much, too defensively. What had his look been that night? It was different, you were sure of it. Or was it simply your imagination because, for the first time, you were looking at him differently?

No, it was definitely just his look and the weird moment that made me feel that way, I don't like Loki like that. Had someone at home ever said 'Would you have a crush on Loki if he were real?' of course I'd say yes, but it's different when he's really real. I wouldn't really. Heck, I haven't, which is proof. So what if I've gotten to know him? It doesn't change the fact that I have practically "known" him since I was much younger. I practically grew up with him, yet have also just gotten to know him? Weird. Too weird. I'm imagining things because I happened to be in a movie type of scene that night. But what about his look? And the thing he said about the possibility of there being someone else in this universe for him other than Sylvie? Ok, I have to admit, he said that a little too strangely. Unless I'm totally imagining that too because I'm seeing what I want to see. God, no, because that would imply that I want to see that he likes me because I like him, which I don't. So maybe I just heard it incorrectly or he said it strangely by accident? The statement itself is just a logical statement. Of course there could be someone else for him here, that's just a fact and that's all he meant. I'm overthinking it, like I always do. It was a sweet moment, and I love him as a friend and Marvel character, nothing more. Butterflies could just be a side-effect of how awesome it is to be friends with Loki and how beautiful the moment was. And now, I'm getting them when I see him out of nerves because of how awkward I've made it in my head by worrying about this.

You told yourself this constantly, and, after two weeks, the issue slowly started to fade, allowing you to breathe a little easier. Was it ever truly gone? No, because the subconscious is a brat who will randomly be like "Remember when you thought you liked him and he liked you? Yeah, think about that while the two of you are sitting next to each other watching this movie!" You got better at pushing those annoying thoughts aside. Loki appeared the same since that night, evidently not struggling like you were, which reassured you that there was nothing on his part. However, whenever Nat or the others brought it up, there was that sliver of doubt ever-present when you denied their accusations.

None of this stopped you from being yourself with Loki. Before Thor left after New Year's, the two of you had sparked the return of the Prank Wars by having Friday shut the elevator down while Loki was inside. One big rule with Tony was that you could have your fun, mess with people, kill each other even, but no breaking his things. Therefore, Loki couldn't force his way out. An hour into his imprisonment, you and Thor sat comfortably on the couch, feet propped up on the table while Loki's projection of himself stood in front of the tv, asking that you start the elevator already. He looked unamused as the two of you casually threw pieces of popcorn through him, making a game out of who could put one right between his eyes.

"Oh, Wren, you know what song I'm dying to hear? That theme from the cartoon you like," Thor said, "In fact, Friday should play it...in the elevators too perhaps?" he smiled mischievously, eyes looking to the ceiling for confirmation.

"I do enjoy that one," Friday's voice responded.

"Oh, Phineas and Ferb? 100%," you smiled, as Loki began protesting.

The song started playing, Thor laughing triumphantly as it did. Both of you sang along, Thor having watched enough to know most of the lyrics. Poor Loki, who had tried the others already, could do nothing but pout and cover his ears as the music played. You and Thor had instructed the others not to get involved, hence why they were of no help to Loki. His projection disappeared has he flipped you off, showing he'd spent too much time surrounded by you, Sam, and Tony. Eventually, after half an hour of playing the song on repeat, you suggested to Thor that you let him go.

"Couldn't we keep him in there a little longer??? Uggh, fine, I guess you're right," he agreed reluctantly, "Ok, you can release my brother now, thank you Friday," he called out.

Both of you stood there for a second.

"Should we start runnin---"

"Yes, yes we should," Thor answered quickly, the two of you booking it out of the room.

From there on, there was a prank every day. There was this unspoken understanding that the two of you exchanged turns, one day for him, the next for you, and so forth. One day, you would mysteriously trip mid-stride...multiple multiple times. It magically happened whenever Loki was in the room. Sure, everyone would laugh, but your knees weren't finding it terribly funny. By the end of the day, you'd grown accustom to looking around, triple checking for Loki, before standing up and very slowly shuffling to where you needed to be. He still managed to get you one time, having hid in anticipation of you getting up. How long he'd been waiting was unknown, but the man was certainly dedicated. When it was your turn to prank, Loki always tried keeping you in sight as much as possible...which meant you enlisted help. While you played innocent, you'd have Sam pour a shitload of salt into his coffee, hide all of his belongings in weird places around the compound, etc. You even got Wanda's help one time, with her making any chair, sofa, or stool pull out at the last second before he sat. Watching him land hard was satisfying revenge for the whole tripping fiasco. By the time dinner came around, and he was forced to take a seat in your presence, he eyed Wanda warily. Slowly reaching for the seat, he held it firmly, eyes never leaving Wanda's. She just smiled innocently as he took his seat. Deeming himself safe, he took his eyes off of her. She looked at you for the signal. As soon as Loki was scooping food on his plate, you nodded to her. Loki's chair was ripped out from under him at lightning speed, dropping him to the floor and spilling the dinner on top of him. You couldn't help it, you burst out laughing with the rest of the table.

"How long is this war going to last?" Steve smiled.

"Until the fields are soaked with the blood of my enemy! I mean, uh, til he surrenders."

"Surrender to this? Mere child's play, Darling," he shrugged, retrieving his chair...or trying to, for it kept getting pulled just out of reach. Loki stopped trying, slumping his shoulders as he looked to Wanda. "Very funny, Maximoff, now do you mind?"

She flicked her fingers one last time for good measure, making it move another foot out of reach, before smiling smugly and dropping her hand.

"Don't call Wanda's powers child's play, you'll regret it," you chuckled, giving Wanda light applause.

"What does it say about your ability to prank when you need to enlist the help of others just to compete?"

"Your magic doesn't make you smarter at pranking, it just gives you more options. I'm evening the playing field."

"Asking for one person's assistance would be one thing, but asking everyone is just desperate. I know you two flew my things to the roof," he said to Sam and Rhodey.

"Hmm, what things? Roof? Nah, doesn't ring any bells," Rhodey shook his head.

"Is there anyone you didn't call upon?"

Korg walked in at that moment with Miek, their timing impeccable. He didn't say anything, as instructed, but he was still holding the can of spray paint in his hands, and Miek's prosthetics were covered. The room was quiet as everyone took in the sight.

"Hello everyone," Korg smiled, "How're---" he paused when catching your eye, as you gave him a wide-eyed look, trying to subtly point to the can. He stared at you in confusion but, surprisingly, didn't say anything. You acted out holding an imaginary can of spray paint, pointing from it to the real one in his hands and motioning frantically for him to get rid of it. You dropped your hands as Loki turned to look at you.

"What does---" he muttered, looking at the can in his own hands and finally realizing what he'd done, "Oh! Oh, uh, hey guys, um what--what's that over there?" he pointed behind the table. Though no one turned, Korg chucked the empty can down the hall as if everyone had looked. "Yeah, it's gone now, sorry, must have been a frickin ghost or something," he said, still clinging to his failed distraction. Clearly thinking it a success, he smiled to you, holding a thumbs up. You smiled back, knowing he wouldn't be able to spot the sarcasm in it. All eyes were back on you as you sipped like nothing had happened.

"Uh, Cap, can you pass the bread please?" you asked, ignoring Loki's stare you could feel burning into you from your right.

"Next time, hire someone with a higher IQ than a breadstick," Sam whispered from your left, as he took the bread from Steve and passed it along.

"Would you have risked stepping into his room twice in one week? You were nervous enough about going in there for the furniture," you hissed back.

"I would have done it," Valkyrie said casually as she downed another beer.

"Ah dang, I was gonna ask but I wasn't sure if you would!"

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, looking offended.

"Yes, it seems no one needs a great deal of motivation to join forces against me," Loki said, sounding half proud and half disgruntled.

"Don't take it personally, Your Majesty," Valkyrie responded, some sass added with his title, "I'd expect a payment in return if I helped. But I'm always up for some fun."

"What happened to Stark's rule?" Loki complained, "No destroying his things? Doesn't this sort of vandalism fall under that category?" he motioned to Korg and Miek as he spoke. They'd both taken a seat, Miek attempting to hide his colored hands behind his back as he did.

"Since when do you care for rules?" Nat challenged.

"Since I'm not the one breaking them."

"Well, Tony isn't here. You can call him if you'd like, I'm sure he'd love to hear from you," you said.

"When he does find out---" Loki began.

"Which he won't, because it'll be cleaned up by the time he gets here. Friday's promised not to tell as long as it gets cleaned."

"Enjoy the work then, Darling," Loki snickered, smiling confidently.

"Nah, I ain't touching it, it's your room."

"And your prank. It's your mess to clean up."

"Not if I tell Tony it's yours."

"Why would I tarnish my own room? Even Stark isn't dull enough to believe that."

"Yeah, but who, if he had to choose, do you think he'd pick to clean it? You or me?"

"Damn that's cold," Rhodey whispered.

"Very impressive, Darling. Truly cutthroat, I admire it," Loki said, chillingly calm, and you figured the threat was coming next. "But I'm afraid you've just elevated the level of warfare."

"I think that's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" you asked, looking around for support.

"Enlisting help, pushing the cleanup on me, and two pranks in one day? The repercussions are warranted."

"It wasn't two pranks!"

"It kinda was," Sam said.

"It was like a joint prank, a multi-leveled prank."

"The two events were, unfortunately, structurally separate, no one affair having the same elements as the other. No connection, I'm afraid. Therefore, you're subject to amplified attacks, as you were the first to cross that threshold. In short...you're screwed, as you all often put it," Vision stated.

"Ok, so it was like a prank and a half. Two pranks is a stretch. Bruce, help me out here! You're persuasive and Loki's scared of the Hulk."

"I'm staying out of this one, sorry Wren," he chuckled.

"Ok, but is two pranks really as extreme as he's making it out to be? I mean, it's me versus the God of Mischief! Two pranks and some assistance is only making it fair."

"Entirely subjective," Loki said.

"And you already have Wanda's magical abilities," Nat added.

"Yeah, spray paint was extra," Sam nodded, and you gave him a betrayed look. "Not that I don't think it's great, it's just it's extra."

"Gosh, where's Zemo when you need him? He'd be on my side, he understands going up against supers."

A few laughed, but most shook their heads.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry we took you away from him, let's contact him and see if he'd take you back!" Loki sassed, clearly not able to make light of the Zemo situation as you were.

"Oh chill, I know you can take a joke."

"When it's funny, yes."

"Yeah, and yours are always sooo hilarious," you said sarcastically.

"They are. I don't joke about liking someone who tortured me less than two months ago."

"No, you're just incredibly sadistic in every other way."

"Thank you, Darling."

"Should we leave you two alone?" Valkyrie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously, your twisted chemistry is making me sick," Rhodey said.

New Year's Eve popped into your head, as it usually does at the worst times, and you felt your cheeks growing warm from their teasing.

"Is this joke ever going away?" you asked.

"If you two ever stop flirting like a couple of teenagers or bickering like a married couple, then maybe," Sam said.

"They do bicker like that, don't they?" Wanda smiled.

"Wanda, sometimes I think I can always trust you, and then you pull a Loki and stab me in the back."

"No one's betraying any trust here...it's just we think you two are very good friends," Steve said oddly with a small smirk.

"Oh not you too, Steve! Wouldn't you hate the idea of me and Loki anyway? No offense," you quickly added to Loki next to you, who nodded.

"Since coming out of the ice, stranger things have happened. I don't have to agree with anything. If your decision makes you happy, I'd go with it. Life's too short for anything else."

"Woah woah, stop talking like I'm asking permission! Loki and I do not like each other!" you said, turning to him for some support.

"They know that, Darling, they simply choose to ignore it."

"A bit defensive huh?" Sam continued jabbing, and you whacked the back of his head.

"Maybe because it gets exhausting trying to be friends when every friendly gesture is turned into something?"

"They'll choose to mock no matter how persistently we claim we're just friends, so I'd give up worrying about it."

"Guys, they're totally just friends," Korg stepped in, "No secret romances at all, and nothing they've done shows anything contrary to that very true fact." He gave you another thumbs up.

Loki's head went into his hand, and you just sighed.

"What does he---" Sam started.

"Sarcasm, clearly. Thinks the same as all of you," you said hastily, playing it off like annoyance. Nat's smirk showed she thought otherwise. In fact, all three girls at the table had the same look on their face, catching onto the truth that Korg was referring to some event. The boys, thankfully, were oblivious, accepting your statement without a second thought. You stood up from the table, wanting leave before they could press for an answer.

"Leaving at noon, right?" you confirmed with Nat before you left the room.

"Yup," she nodded.

"Don't be late!" Valkyrie warned, "We need plenty of time for the bar."

"I get the feeling you don't need the bar, but sure," you smiled, walking out of the kitchen.

Tomorrow was the first day of February, and Valkyrie's last day on earth before heading home for a while. She'd definitely visit, but, if things went well, Asgard would more than likely become her permanent residence once again. The girl group was going out for one last day of fun before she left, which meant fast-food and drinks. You hoped a mission didn't ruin it. Since October, you'd discovered that missions weren't every day, but they happened a few times a month. There were no "Avengers level threats" exactly, but they were called in for assignments that would benefit from the quick and easy work the Avengers could provide, rather than risking the lives of soldiers or officers. Mercenaries, hostages, gangs, terrorist threats, and similar issues were the gist of their work. As cool as that was, and as eagerly you awaited their stories, missions came randomly, naturally taking precedence over any other plans.

Thankfully, no call came in the next day, and the four of you were on your way shortly after noon. Asgardians could eat quite a bit, so Tony's card was billed an exorbitant amount from McDonald's. When lunch was over, a bar was your next stop. The four of you claimed a table, ordering some drinks. Valkyrie went through liquor faster than any of you, having several empty glasses by the time you finished your first one. Everything was going well, the four of you laughing and chatting as always, when the inevitable happened.

"So, what was the pile of rocks trying to hide?" Valkyrie smiled across to you.

"Oh yeah, what about that?" Wanda chimed.

"Is there something you want to tell us, Wren, or should we go knocking on Loki's door for the answer?" Nat added.

"No I'll tell, it's uh it's a funny story actually."

You filled them in on the series of events leading to Korg's discovery. The table was wheezing by the end of it, with you laughing right along with them.

"The way he pushed 'close door' so frantically!" you said through giggle fits, wiping tears from your eyes.

"Oh my gods, out of all of the people to come across the two of you!" Valkyrie shook her head.

"Probably the best, given the scenario. Can you imagine if it had been Tony?!" Wanda asked, the thought making her laugh some more.

"He'd need a new arc reactor after the heart-attack it would give him," Nat agreed.

"No, thank God it wasn't Thor! I don't know who I'd want to deal with less, him or Tony."

"So he's still with us on this?" Wanda said.

"When he's around I still see a not-so-subtle look or comment, yes. Especially when addressing Loki directly. He likes making him as uncomfortable as you guys do with me."

"When you guys set yourself up for it, can you really blame us? On top of each other in an elevator isn't the position you want to be in if you're looking for us to back off," Nat said, leaning back and sipping her beer. The other two nodded, Valkyrie holding her drink up in agreement.

"Speaking of which...any reason you were so comfortable being tackled by him?" Wanda asked, giving you a little sideways glance and smirk.

"Wanda! No no there is no reason, other than we're friends and we were fighting, which is hardly uncommon for us. The second we realized the awkward place we'd ended up, we stopped."

"mmmm, did you though?" Valkyrie raised an eyebrow.

"mmmm, yes we did though!" you mocked in her voice.

"That's not exactly what you said though," Nat said, jumping onto whatever Valkyrie was getting at, "You said you got up when Korg opened the door."

"Yeah, when we realized just how weird things looked, which is what I said."

"So you were concerned with how things looked, not the awkwardness of the position," Valkyrie said, "Stopping when you realized it was weird implies the two of you mutually deciding it had gone too far and you were uncomfortable in the position you were in. Instead, you stopped when someone arrived because you were afraid of how they might take it...even if how they take it is the truth."

"No no no, not the truth! Of course I wouldn't think it weird at first, because, unlike you guys, my head doesn't go to stuff like that right away. But the door opening of course made me realize how someone might take it!"

"Yes, but you were still comfortable with it," Nat noted.

"Wouldn't you be fine with Clint pinning you in a fight, because you're best buds? There's nothing romantic there is there? Then how is this any different?"

"Fair point I guess," Wanda admitted, though her tone revealed she was still not convinced.

"I still don't buy it, the two of you are going to be a thing and that's just how it is," Valkyrie declared, "Hell, you never take off his necklace...the one he went out of his way to get for a holiday he didn't want to celebrate. Anyone else here get a gift from Loki?" she looked to the others, who shook their heads.

"I don't exactly have many other personal necklaces from home to wear around here do I?"

"Ooooo, she said personal," Valkyrie whispered excitedly, leaning closer in.

"Oh shut up, it's a crystal from one of my favorite fictional places, of course it's personal! You said yourself that the Burning Caves are beautiful! Why wouldn't I wear one of it's crystals all of the time?"

"Ok, but he still got it for you," Wanda reminded.

"Because we're friends! I should record myself saying that and put it on repeat when around you girls, I'd save my breath. Nat has an arrow necklace for Clint, but that's not teased?"

"Clint's married," Wanda said bluntly.

"If he wasn't, we'd still be just friends, but I'd understand why others would think differently," Nat admitted.

"He's not your type though," Valkyrie said, "So it just doesn't work the same way."

"Oh, and Loki is my type?? I'm not sure if I should be concerned."

"Come on, his mischievous, sadistic sense of humor, and 'wrong me and I'll knife you' attitude is perfect for you," Nat said.

"So concerned, definitely concerned," you concluded.

"Just kiss already and get it over with," Valkyrie whined, "Unless you already have?"

"When are you supposed to be leaving again?" you joked, looking at your phone for the time.

"You know you'll miss me."

You couldn't argue with that. The Loki talk died down, and the rest of your time out was as pleasant as before. Upon returning home, Valkyrie went to her room to grab her things. She said goodbye to those who were present around the common areas, but you, Wanda, and Nat walked out with her, hugging farewell before the bifrost took her out of sight.

***

It was roughly mid-February now. You'd just finished training with the others, having the minor success of holding your own against Sam. You weren't on a level where you could beat any of them, but Nat had advanced your lessons to include attacks, and you'd become fairly decent. You still thought it so strange when you completed a move. You almost couldn't believe you were capable of it, yet here you were doing it. When any of the others did it, they looked epic...so did you look epic? You'd never thought about it, because you never felt epic doing it. Somehow you'd pictured feeling epic as being able to do badass moves with ease, as they made it look flawless. Yet you now realized that the others were putting as much effort into their moves as you had to, even if it was easier for them after so much practice. They may look like they don't break a sweat when flipping around, throwing guys left and right, but that was a misleading movie assumption. So maybe you did look epic as you fought? It was a fun notion at least, and it made you feel cooler as you battled Sam.

You were heading up to shower, when a familiar voice boomed down the hall from the kitchen. Rushing in, you smiled to Thor, who was greeting Cap. He smiled back, opening his arms as you approached.

"Sorry, I'm massively sweaty right now," you apologized, holding up your glistening arms as proof.

"Ah, well, then I hug you in spirit! How's your training coming along?"

"I kinda did well against Sam, so that's improvement."

"She's learning fast," Steve complimented.

"We should have a go sometime soon, I could teach you a special move I've used against Loki for years, it always works."

"I'll get my ass kicked if we go for real, but yeah it sounds great! How long are you staying?"

"Oh, right, almost forgot why I came down here," Thor chuckled, "Xandar has found your Guardians!"

"Oh my gosh seriously?! Are they there now? Can we go see them?"

"They're on their way and should be arriving within the hour. I thought it best that you come along with me to meet them when they land. I'm afraid you'll have to explain everything again."

"I could do it in my sleep at this point."

"Cool, we'll leave for Asgard shortly then. You're going to shower right? Not that you smell or anything, I just know you like to---"

"Yes, I'm going to shower, and I know I smell."

"In the meantime, where is my brother? There's something I wish to discuss."

"If I had to guess, either in his room or reading in the third lounge next to conference room D. He goes there when he's bored of his room but we're all busy."

"Thank you, I'll check the lounge first. See you back down soon?"

"I won't be long," you promised, walking quickly away.

Needless to say, you were extremely excited to see the Guardians. What would it be like to actually meet Rocket or Groot in person? Or Drax and Mantis? Heck, you were going to talk to Quill, meet Gamora! It was insane. Additionally, you'd missed out on the last Xandar trip, and you were eager to check another planet off the list of places you wanted to visit. You took a rushed shower, dressing as swiftly as possible and heading back downstairs. Sam, Rhodey, Vision, Korg, Miek, and Loki were in the room now with Thor and Cap.

"Hey man, Thor just told us you're going to space again," Korg said as you walked in.

"That's the plan," you said happily.

"Are you going to start another revolution? Because I'd be interested in something like that if you needed help."

"Thanks, but we're just going to find some people. I need to tell them something."

"That certainly sounds more relaxing. But if you change your mind, Miek and I are here."

"Are we going to need seven more rooms?" Sam asked, "Because this compound does have a max capacity believe it or not."

"There are six of them," you clarified, "And, no, I don't anticipate them wanting to stay here. We just need to figure out what to do to keep Gamora safe."

"The best way might be to keep her here, for the time being, until Thanos is defeated," Vision said.

"I don't know, earth is a big target for him. Is hiding her in the middle of conflict such a good idea?" you questioned.

"At least here we could stand a chance of protecting her. They're on their own up there," Steve said.

"Asgard is always an option if needed," Thor promised.

"I guess we'll have to see what they want to do," you concluded.

"Yes, we should probably get going if we wish to be there when they arrive," Thor said, making his way for the exit.

To your surprise, Loki moved with you as you followed Thor.

"You coming?" you asked as the two of you walked after his brother.

"It's better than being bored down here. Besides, if things go awry, two warriors is better than one."

"They're not a threat," you laughed, "They're the biggest bunch of dopes you'll ever meet."

"Perfect, another batch of idiots to add to the collection," he sighed.

"They're the most loveable bunch though, trust me."

"I'm so reassured."

The trip up to Asgard went as usual, and Heimdall was there to greet you. He had the Tesseract waiting for you, which Thor picked up delicately, as if it would explode if he moved too roughly. He closed his eyes and the blue portal swallowed the three of you. When it disappeared, you were standing by a fountain on the beautiful world of Xandar. Passersby stared or gasped in shock as you materialized in front of them. Thor smiled, waving lightly. You did the same, mainly because you were so happy and intrigued by the different species that it was impossible to keep the smile off of your face. And with so many staring, what could you do but acknowledge with a wave? Loki neither smiled nor lifted a finger in greeting.

"We're this way," Thor said, leading you down the streets and courtyards of Xandar.

Thor stopped and spoke to some guards, who accompanied you to the desired building. A short elevator ride later, you were walking in to meet the head lady, whose name was Irani Rael. She was pleasant, thanking you for securing the Power Stone in order to protect Xandar. Thor spoke with her about how the effort to stop Thanos was going on other fronts.

"What about the Mind Stone? How's that going with Stark and Banner?" Thor turned to you.

"Oh, Bruce and Tony have met with Shuri to run some ideas past each other. Shuri was given their data on Vis and she's working on a safer and more effective model for removal than the attack in Infinity War forces her to do in the future. She's test-running it hundreds of times, with Bruce and Tony giving their input on the results, but it's looking like they'll be ready for the surgery sometime next month."

Conversation continued, with Rael promising the aid of the Nova Corp, should a battle with Thanos ultimately break out. A report on the coms notified of the Guardians approaching the atmosphere. You, Loki, Thor, and Rael made your way down to the landing pad, with guards bringing up the rear, and you felt fancy having such an escort. Moments later, the iconic shape of the Benatar came zooming into sight. Closing in at speeds higher than it should have, the ship pulled up roughly, dropping down in the space ahead of you. The ramp lowered, and soon six figures stepped down. Quill paused once on the ground, folding his arms dramatically, while the others walked past him.

"I thought we agreed to pose?" you heard him grumble as he stepped quickly to catch up.

"Nah, we just said that so you'd look like a moron," Rocket said.

The six of them reached you, stopping a few feet from your group.

"Welcome back, Guardians," Rael greeted, "Thank you for answering our call."

"Yeah, well, we need the money," Rocket said.

"They never said they have a job," Gamora reminded him.

"Why are we doing this then?"

"Because they said it was important," she sighed.

"It is," Thor stepped forawrd.

"Who are you?" Quill asked.

"I am Thor, Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder. It is I that asked Xandar to reach out. We've been trying to find you, Guardians."

"We don't know you, pal, but if you've got money we're interested," Rocket said.

"We're not here to ask for help but to offer it," he replied.

"What kind of help?" Quill asked curiously.

"This is my friend, Wren," he said, putting his hand on your back as you stepped alongside him, "She comes from a world in the future where she knows all of our stories, and yours. We're trying to stop Thanos, your father," he nodded to Gamora.

"The future? What like time travel?" Quill snickered, "Did she bring Doc with her too?"

Gamora said nothing, but her face grew grave at the mention of her adoptive father.

"I'm not Marty McFly, though you're not the first to call me that."

"You've seen Back to the Future?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm from earth, of course I have."

"It's great, right?!"

"100%, though I'm more of a Star Wars and Marvel fan myself."

"Oooo, I miss Star Wars!" he said like he'd forgotten it existed.

"They've made three more since, a prequel trilogy."

"Seriously? How were they?"

"Can we get back on target here?" Gamora cut in, "Thor, what do you mean stop Thanos?"

"Well, in the future, he succeeds in wiping out half of all life. He gets all the stones. You guys bring everyone back and defeat him, but there are casualties...you being one of them," you said slowly.

Now Quill's face was serious.

"Wha---that's crazy, Gamora isn't going to die. I mean, yes, one day she will, but not soon," he said.

"What do I look like in the future?" Drax asked.

"Uh, the same. I'm only six years ahead."

"I am Groot."

"No, I'm not asking her that, because she's not from the future," Rocket spoke to Groot. Groot wasn't as old as in Infinity War, but wasn't a baby either. He was kinda like a toddler.

"How do I die?' Gamora asked.

"Gamora, they're insane, you're not going to---"

She held up a hand to cut him off, looking to you with an unspoken fear in her eyes.

"How do I die?" she repeated.

"Thanos sacrifices you for the Soul Stone. In order to get it, a person must lose someone they love...a soul for soul."

"How tall am I in the future?" Drax asked, clearly not interested in the conversation being held.

"You're...you're the same height," you said, unsure whether he was joking at first, but then remembering this was Drax.

"Damn it," he muttered in disappointment.

"How are you here?" Mantis spoke timidly from the back of the group.

"That's a long story," you said, not sure when to take the time to explain it all out.

"But the important thing is that she is here," Thor said, "And we can protect your friend and collect the stones before Thanos does."

"Gamora doesn't need your protection, dude," Quill said defensively.

"He is not a dude," Drax said, and Quill looked at him in confusion. "You, you are a dude. He is a man. A handsome, muscular man."

"Oh, why thank you," Thor grinned.

"It's like a pirate had---"

"A baby with an angel!" you finished for him.

"Exactly," Drax nodded.

"I am Groot."

"No, she didn't know that because she's from the future," Rocket rolled his eyes, "It was a lucky guess."

"I am Groot."

"I don't know, lots of people use the pirate angel baby comparison."

"I am Groot."

"I don't have to name five times I've heard it said, because I know it's a thing!"

"The rodent is arguing with a tree, what a wonderful waste of our time," Loki said in annoyance.

"Who's the grease bag?" Rocket asked, sizing Loki up.

"I'm Loki, Prince of Asgard, and God of Mischief," he said aggressively.

Rocket looked back and forth between Thor and Loki. "You're his brother? You? Related to the pirate-angel?"

"He is still handsome," Drax said.

"I am Groot."

"They still looking nothing like each other," Rocket responded.

"He's adopted," you explained.

"Ha! So more like pretend prince, right oil basket?" Rocket laughed one of his iconic exaggerated laughs.

"Oil basket?" you whispered to yourself, pretty sure it wasn't a thing.

Loki had a dagger in the floor an inch from Rockets toes in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa! Alright, that's it!" Rocket charged up his blaster, "That all you got? Bring it orphan!"

Quill held Rocket back, while you did the same with Loki.

"Stop!" Gamora said forcefully, "We need a plan to stop Thanos!"

Drax was staring at Loki in wonder. "How did you do that?"

Loki glared but held up his hand, another dagger appearing.

"He did it again!" Mantis gasped, pointing to the knife.

"Gamora, come on," Quill scoffed, ignoring the magic show, "You believe this shit?"

"Ouch, you calling me shit?" you said in a fake hurt tone.

"No offense, you seem cool. But, so did my dad and he was a lying two-faced manipulative bastard, so..." Quill said casually, shrugging.

"Because he was a living planet that wanted to use you to conquer the universe, and he put the tumor in your mom's head?"

Quill's eyes grew wide. The others seemed to be shocked into momentary silence as well.

"She knows about Ego," Mantis said.

"She is from the future!" Drax claimed excitedly.

"Or she's a whack-job who was working for the lunatic," Rocket protested.

"I am Groot."

"You've just met her!"

"I am Groot."

"You're a baby, let the grownups handle this."

"I am Groot."

"No, you're not! You're still a sapling!"

"How---how the hell do you know that?" Quill asked.

"I told you, I'm from the future."

"That doesn't mean you should know that, you weren't there! What, are you some kind of mind-reading wizard freak-show too?"

"Ok...there's no easy way of spilling this, so I usually just say it...I'm from a different world where you're all movie characters. Thor and Loki too, this whole planet, you guys, everything in this universe. I knew about your dad because your journey with him is in the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie."

There was a moment of silence before Rocket and Quill burst into laughter. Mantis started hesitantly giggling, not knowing what was funny but figuring she should join. Gamora's face was unreadable. Groot just stared in adorable curiosity. Drax nodded like it made sense, the only one to believe it apparently, or at least noticeably so.

"You're either crazy or hilarious, and I'm gonna go with the second," Quill said, "But seriously, what's the real answer?"

"Movie characters!" Rocket continued laughing, "Who plays me??? Is he as good looking? Because there's only one me, sister, and he's right here!"

When your face didn't change, Quill's smile dropped.

"Wait, you're not kidding?" he asked, glancing from Thor to Loki to you, all three of you looking very serious. He leaned to look at Rael behind you, who only nodded.

"I am Groot."

"The tree is correct, it's no more crazy than her being from the future, something she was proving before your father was brought into this," Loki said.

"Wait, you speak Groot?" Rocket asked.

"Yes, Rodent," Loki smiled arrogantly, happy to shock his little nemesis, "I can."

"It was an elective, we both can speak it," Thor explained.

"Hey, I never said I believed she was from the future, that sounds as insane as the movie idea. Would it be cool if I were a movie character? Yes," Quill nodded to himself like he enjoyed the notion, "Would Starlord be the coolest outlaw to ever hit the screens? I mean, who can say really, but yes, probably, yes he would. Buuut---"

"Peter," Gamora cut him off, placing a hand on his arm. When Quill realized she looked solemn, he stopped talking. "The plan they're talking about...Thanos' mission? It's all true. And the Soul Stone? The one they say I die for? I know where it is."

"Okaaaay," Quill said slowly, "But he doesn't know you know, does he?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know the answer.

"I don't know," she shook her head.

Quill turned to you now.

"Does he?"

"He finds out from Nebula. When she left you to go kill Thanos, she gets captured. I don't know if she already is, but it's a possibility. He accesses her memories, finds out you hid the location from him."

"I personally think you're two screws away from delusional," Rocket said, "BUT, if you're right, then let the asshole come! What are the odds of finding us in the vast void of space anyway? I say we blast ourselves out of here and don't look back."

"He'll find her if he wants to. If he can't do it easily, he'll draw you out. Set a trap for you like he does in the future. There's no telling if a mission or job you take could be a setup from him. It's only a matter of time before he starts hunting for the stones himself. Timeline is fuzzy because one of the movies was released in 2017, and the movie directly after that when he kills Gamora is released in 2018. The movies literally are back to back, one picking up from where the other left off, so I don't know which year, 2017 or 2018, Thanos will actually set out for the stones. I'd like to say 2018, but we could be looking at as early as a year."

"Sheesh, she's really sticking to this whole movie thing," Rocket said, nudging Drax.

"I don't know what a movie is, but I agree with the future lady."

"You don't know what a movie is?" Rocket asked in disbelief.

"I am Groot ."

"That's a good one, we'll start with that," Rocket agreed.

"If we have our own movies, do we have a theme song?" Quill asked, his attention drawn from the serious matter once again.

"Oh, yeah of course."

"Epic?"

"Very. Though you're known more for the awesome music on your mixtape. The music on there is still real music in my world."

"Oh yeah? Name a song," Quill said in a challenging tone, narrowing his eyes.

"Ooga-chaka oooga-ooga, ooga-chaka ooga-ooga," you started the beat from Hooked on a Feeling, and Quill's face lit up.

"I can't stop this feeling!" he sang.

"Deep inside of me!" you joined, the two of you singing the whole first verse and chorus.

"What?" Quill asked, upon seeing Gamora's look, "It's Hooked on a Feeling!"

"What do you want us to do?" she asked the three of you, ignoring Quill.

"What, we're listening to them?!" Rocket exclaimed.

"I am Groot."

"I know you believe them, but that only means we definitely shouldn't!"

"I'm sold," Quill said cheerily.

"What! Why? Don't say it was that stupid song, because I will smash your mixtapes with my own---"

"Oh try it! You touch my mixtapes and I'll...I'll---I'll kick you out!"

"Kick me out!" Rocket laughed.

"Oh please, the fake laugh again, serio---"

"It's real! Because if you think you could last a day without---"

"We'd last a day! In fact we'd last a whole lot of days, like a year's worth, and then we'd repeat it because that's how much we loved how quiet it was around here!"

"You want quiet?! Where're those mixtapes, I'll make it quiet!" Rocket yelled back

"Are they always like this?" Thor asked the others.

"Unfortunately, usually worse," Gamora sighed, pulling Quill back to shut him up.

"It is entertaining," Drax said.

"Not the word I'd choose," Loki grumbled.

"Oh brother, where's your sense of humor?" Thor chuckled.

"What should we do? What's the plan?" Gamora asked, bringing the topic back around.

"We've already started to collect stones. We have all accept for the Reality and Soul. The first is with the Collector somewhere, the other is...well, you know."

"How does the Collector have a stone?" Quill asked.

"We...we, uh, hid it with him," Thor said.

"Why would you give that man a stone, only an idiot would do that!"

"Or a genius," Thor corrected, "Though...it did backfire, I suppose. But the concept was a fairly decent one!"

"What do you plan to do with the stones?" Gamora asked.

"Destroy them, as safely as possible. We're still using the Space Stone to get around, the Power Stone is too dangerous to risk destroying on any inhabited planet, the Time Stone is being used by the Sorcerer Supreme, a wizard on earth who uses it to fight dark dimension stuff, and the Mind Stone is currently powering one of our friends. We're working to remove it, but the surgery won't be for another month or so."

"Assuming your father does not know we have set out to stop him, he'll still come for you. We can offer protection. Weapons, shelter, warriors, all in our home on Asgard," Thor offered kindly.

"Asgard? Like, legendary city of gold and magic?" Rocket asked eagerly, "You guys are said to possess some of the most power weapons ever to be seen in the universe, I would very much like to go there please."

"The rabbit is correct, and clearly the smartest among you," Thor grinned, "You seem like a wise leader."

Loki rolled his eyes.

"So, is it off to Asgard?" Thor asked Rocket.

"Hang on, let me ask the leader, oh yeah! It's me, yes, we're going."

"Except, he isn't the leader, I am," Peter stepped forward, "And I don't know if we should follow a dude we don't know."

"We should follow the muscular man," Drax said, "He is muscular."

"I'm muscular," Quill defended.

"Who're you kidding, Quill? You're---"

"One sandwich away from fat!" you finished, once again unable to help yourself.

"Ok, you're really starting to freak me out with that!" Rocket scolded.

"Right," Quill scoffed, looking to you like you were joking.

"Oh, I don't think you're fat!" you clarified, "I think you look great, you are great! It's just a classic Rocket line."

"It's true though, you have put on weight," Drax chimed, motioning to his chin and stomach, with you subconsciously copying the movements. Loki gave you a 'Don't encourage them' look.

"Gamora, do you think I'm---?"

"Peter, not now," she said.

"That's a yes," Rocket snickered.

"I am Groot."

"You're one to talk, stumpy. Put on a little bark yourself there!" Quill shot back.

Groot, still being young, started quivering his bottom lip, a little whimper escaping him.

"Awwwww! You're making him cry!" you said.

"That's messed up, Quill," Drax said, shaking his head.

"Don't talk to my Groot like that!" Rocket snapped.

"I didn't say anything, he started it! I mean, he has gained a bit since his baby stage---"

Groot's cries increased.

"You've hurt his feelings," Mantis said, her hand placed on Groot's head and antennas glowing.

"Yeah, no shit!" Rocket yelled, "Look what you've done, Quill, great! You yelled at a child!"

"You yell at him all the time!" Peter argued.

"I don't insult him!"

"Call me when they shut up," Loki said, walking back towards the building.

Rael and the guards followed suit, unable to tolerate the stupidity of the group. You, on the other hand, were loving every second of it. You stayed through their bickering, watching as Mantis calmed Groot down and Gamora broke up the fight once again. Eventually, it was decided that the Guardians would travel to Asgard, remaining there for the time being until a better plan could be made or Thanos was defeated. Before they left, you managed to get them all to sit down and listen as you, Thor, and Loki filled them in on your story, the Avengers, and the future events. Drax was asleep by the end of it, but the others paid attention. When they stood to leave, Quill imitated Thor's voice as he announced their departure, leading to dialogue similar to Infinity War. Thankfully, you and Gamora were there to put an end to it, helping the group finally prepare to leave.

"See ya later, 'Your Majesty'," Rocket said sarcastically to Loki as he walked past him to the ramp of the ship, being sure to put quotations around the name just incase Loki missed the sarcasm.

"He's just being Rocket," you said to Loki's angered face, "Don't let him get under your skin."

"With parasites like these, I'm afraid that's impossible."

Groot paused in front of you and Loki. You crouched down to his height, smiling and waving good bye. He held out his hand and you placed yours in it.

"I am Groot."

"What'd he say?" you asked Loki.

"He says it was nice to meet you."

"Aw, you too little buddy. You're kinda famous in my world, so I'm so glad I got to meet you."

He smiled, removing his hand and turning to look at Loki. He waved innocently up to him. Loki looked more confused by the little creature than anything, giving him a quick and tiny wave back.

"You can leave now," Loki said, when Groot didn't move right away.

Groot stared for another few seconds, before following Rocket into the ship.

"Oh my goodness, he's the cutest thing I've ever seen!" you squealed, ecstatic that you'd met and spoken with Groot, and all of the Guardians for that matter.

"He's the most tolerable of the group. What does that say about the rest of them? Though the woman isn't insufferable, I suppose."

"And just think, they're going to be staying at your home! You can see them every time you visit," you jabbed obnoxiously, "And when you return home permanently, they might still be there, who knows?"

"Please, no need to remind me. I've been shuddering about it for the last hour."

The ramp disappeared back into the ship, the vessel lifting off the ground shortly thereafter, blasting off to Asgard.

"They're a rather chaotic bunch, aren't they?" Thor said as he walked over.

"In the best way," you smiled.

"Oh, I agree entirely," he said quickly, "Quite the lively crew, I think they'll enjoy Asgard, bring some energy you know?"

"Yup, though Loki might think differently," you said, nudging his arm.

"Loki doesn't like much, so I find it best to just not care."

"Thank you, brother," Loki smiled insincerely, "I'm glad you always have my best interests at heart."

"Loki, even when I do, which is usually always, do you accept it at the time or claim I'm some awful brother?"

Though Thor was joking around still, the truth in his statement couldn't be ignored, and perhaps he'd intended it to be that way. Thor wasn't an idiot, despite his jolly and childish nature, and you had a feeling he meant for his words to hit deeper than his tone implied. Regardless, it shut Loki up, who instead assumed a hard expression.

"Well then, we should get you two back shouldn't we? It's a shame, this place is quite lovely," Thor said as he pulled the Tesseract out of the bag on his hip.

You took one last look at the view of Xandar from the landing pad, committing it to memory as much as possible before the blue glow surrounded you.

***

"So, how was Xandar?" Rhodey asked from across your regular table in Jenny's (the frozen yogurt shop).

"You've been there before."

"Yeah, but I'm asking how you liked it."

"It was pretty awesome," you smiled, popping one of your gummy-bear toppings in your mouth.

"Can't say I'm upset that I didn't go. The Guardians sound like more work than Tony."

"Oh you should see Tony and Peter together! In the future, obviously. Tony doesn't mix well with their stupidity, which makes it all the more entertaining."

"Great, I can't wait for them to meet," Rhodey said sarcastically, "Which I'm sure will happen soon."

"Thor was talking about having them visit eventually, get to know everyone and whatnot, so probably."

"I'd say we could get lucky and Tony won't be around, but Steve will tell him, you know that. He'll make a special stop to see who we're letting in the compound."

"Can you blame him with all of the insanity supposed to unleash in the next year or two? And Fury breathing down his neck? It's a miracle Loki's presence has gone as smoothly as it has."

Rhodey nodded at the point, using a napkin to wipe where he'd dripped from his spoon.

"I gotta say, I'm surprised he hasn't tried to kill us yet."

"Maybe he's not going to?" you suggested.

"Maybe," Rhodey said, smirking, "But it's gonna take more than a few months of good behavior and some jewelry to convince me."

You fingered the gem on your chest as he gestured to it.

"You still think he's setting me up for a backstabbing," you stated more than questioned.

"Would that be a surprise?"

"No...no I guess not...but also, yes. I struggled for so long wondering whether I can trust him...and I'm pretty sure I decided I can. I must have, because I haven't thought about the possibility of him betraying us for a while now."

"He could just be really good at his job then?"

"That's the question of the day isn't it," you chuckled, "Let's just say that, if he does, and one of you gets hurt...I'll never forgive myself for letting him fool me. But if this whole friendship is a lie, and I'm the one who gets hurt? I still won't regret the last few months. I did the right thing. He deserves a chance, and I trust him."

"Let's hope you're right," Rhodey sighed, lifting another spoonful from his dish.

Before he could bring it to his mouth, some customer bumped into another, tripping and spilling their loaded bowl all over Rhodey, the chocolate syrup, toppings and dessert smeared on his shirt and dripping onto his pants.

"I am so sorry!" the woman apologized, "I can't believe I just did that, it was an accident, oh my god I'm so so sorry!"

Rhodey looked up from where he'd stared at his clothes in irritation, hands raised to keep from getting messy.

"It's fine," he said, forcing a kind smile, "It was an accident, really, it's ok ma'am," he reassured the still extremely apologetic lady.

A worker came over, removing the customer's dish and cleaning it's spilled contents from the table. With a few more apologies, and subsequent assurances from Rhodes, the woman moved on. Soon, there was nothing but the mess on Rhodey to take care of, which he'd started by getting the majority of it scooped into a bowl that was then taken away by the worker. Taking in the stains on his clothes, you couldn't keep the smile off of your face.

"Yeah, hilarious," Rhodey said when he saw your face.

"I'm sorry, it--it's not," you apologized, though your increased laughter indicated otherwise.

"Why do I even bring you here?"

"Because you're the best, Rhodes!" you smiled, "Do you want to leave to go change? I can pack this up to go if you---"

"Nah, it's fine," Rhodey waved you off, "I'll go see what I can do in the bathroom. As long as I don't let the chocolate set in, we should be good."

He stood up from the table, heading off around the corner for the bathrooms. Mere seconds after he disappeared, someone sat in his seat. You jerked up from your food, mouth dropping when you saw who it was.

"Mmmmm," Zemo hummed as he swallowed a mouthful of his own serving, enjoying the sweet treat. He looked at the frozen yogurt in admiration, not having glanced your way once. "You know, everyone goes for the chocolate syrup, but it is the caramel that really elevates the dish." He finally looked up at you, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Uh..." you managed to say, so caught off guard that you couldn't think straight.

"I know, it is a controversial opinion," he nodded, like that was your issue. Had you not been stunned, you would have found his humor hilarious.

"No I, uh....I-I like both...um how--why---" realization of how dangerous, though enjoyable, Zemo was clicked in your head, and your eyes started darting around the room, wondering if there was anything stopping you from running.

"You are in no danger, Ms. Arlington. In fact, you're free to leave if you wish," he said, sticking his hand out to the door.

"Right, and I'm supposed to believe that?" you raised your eyebrows.

"Have I ever said anything I did not mean? I am always honest with you," he claimed, continuing to eat his dessert.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Ms. Arlington," he smiled, "There is no need to pretend you are less intelligent than you are. You know I have my ways. I've always known you come here. I know the times. I know the routines."

"Then why now?"

"Well, if you come here so frequently, there must be something to this place? A truly wide variety of toppings, I must admit," he said, holding up a spoonful as demonstration before placing it in his mouth.

"I thought we weren't going to pretend to be dumb?"

"There was nothing I wished to discuss with you before, and I had no desire to...invite you over again."

"Why the change of heart?"

"I have told you on countless occasions, hurting you gave me no pleasure. Detaining you simply to have you as a guest with no possible solution other than torture is pointless. I should like to refrain from repeating our last meeting."

"I don't know...dinner was pretty fire," you said, immediately screaming at yourself for joking instead of taking this seriously.

"You hurt Oeznik's feelings by not eating the cinnamon rolls," Zemo said in a pained tone.

"If only you hadn't been so obvious with your attempts to make it up to me for ruining Thanksgiving and almost killing my friends."

"A bit too on the nose?"

"Just a bit."

"I shall try to be more subtle next time."

"I thought there wasn't gonna be a next time? Do you want to kidnap me or not, I'm so confused as to why you're here anyway."

"Whether we arrive where we were before depends heavily on my current plans."

"Which are...?"

"I wish I could tell you," Zemo smirked.

"Eh, you like to talk, and I never know with you, so it was worth a try."

"All I can say is that, should everything go according to plan, you have no need to fear me. I shall not harm you."

"But you will harm the Avengers. And when our friends are hurting, we hurt too, right?"

"I suppose," he smiled, "But that is hardly something I can control. You have chosen your side, Ms. Arlington. And, though I am sorry for the repercussions it brought upon you last time, your choice will inevitably come with consequences. I can only assure that you will come to no physical harm...if all goes as it should."

"So if it doesn't, you're still willing to hurt me even if you don't want to? How far are you gonna let yourself fall before you realize this isn't worth it?"

"What you see as falling, I see as rising to the occasion," he said, his face more stern than before, "I am avenging my family...is that not what you support when your friends do it?"

"Totally different situations!"

"Only if you convince yourself of that."

"This isn't going to go the way you want," you said slowly, putting emphasis on each word, "No matter what you try, the Avengers will bounce back."

"Then why are you afraid?" he asked, tilting his head, "You've told them how I was supposed to win? All of the details you withhold from me? Is that correct?"

"Yes, of course, and that's why you can't win anymore. This is going to end badly for you, Zemo, and believe it or not, I don't want to see you in more trouble than the bombings have already put you in."

"So confident," Zemo shook his head, leaning in close, "Then why the fear in your eyes?"

I'm not afraid! Ok, maybe I am...but is it out of fear of him or fear of the possibility of him winning? We can't afford to let him win! A breakup is the last thing we need before Thanos. Damn, I really am afraid of his plans...and if I am, then that means I think, deep down, that he can still do it.

Zemo saw the truth in your eyes as you struggled internally, and he smiled smugly.

"Your friend, Rhodes, will be out shortly, so I am afraid this is where we must part," he said, standing up.

"I assume the little accident with the woman was all you?"

He smirked, a proud gleam in his eyes, but made no comment on the accusation.

"A pleasure, as always, Ms. Arlington. You can be sure we will meet again."

And with that, Zemo walked out of the shop, the door swinging shut behind him as he strutted away.

Chapter 39: (Chapter 38): I Love You, My Sons

Notes:

Sorry it's late...again. The title kinda makes sense, but like kinda doesn't, I just love that heartbreakingly precious line, and my brother was like "I love you my sons" when I mentioned Odin and asked for a title cuz I was lazy. Also,thank you so much to all of you! Every view, vote, and comment means so much cuz I love that people can find enjoyment through something I do. Love you all! Oh! And someone commented something on Wattpad that brought up a good point last chapter. Even though Vol. 2 came out in 2017, it takes place shortly after Vol.1, so Mantis is with them at this point and the whole Ego thing has happened. Just incase anyone didn't know and was wondering why I screwed that up, she's actually supposed to be with them.

"What part of 'you don't go anywhere without me' didn't seem to stick in that nerdy mind of yours??" Tony asked, angry more at what had happened than he was at you.

"Come on, have we followed that rule since you said it? It wasn't a real rule, that's ridiculous," you defended, sitting in the kitchen with the rest of the team.

"Well, if you haven't been following it, I wouldn't know would I because I wouldn't be there, hence the 'you breaking the rule' part of taking me with you," he said, leaning his hands on the table to look sternly at you. He spoke to you almost like he did Peter. Though you were older than Parker, you were still the youngest in the room. Heck, you still felt like a teenager most of the time, so Tony's protection over you didn't feel irritating, it was sweet.

"Tony, you know she's been out with people since," Rhodey said, "Don't try that. I was with her today, ok? I shouldn't have left her alone."

"You went to the bathroom, Rhodey, you didn't get up and drive away. Who here thought I wouldn't be safe in a frozen yogurt shop in broad daylight. In fact, I wasn't really in danger."

"Excuse me?!" Tony looked at you like you'd just slapped him, "Weren't in danger? How does any of what happened today not scream danger? Is it me or her? It's her right, she's nuts?" Tony looked to the others.

"He knows your whereabouts, knows your schedule, and can walk up to you as he pleases. Darling, you clearly underestimate how serious this is, or you're choosing to ignore his actions and threats once again," Loki said, looking as grim as Tony.

"Yes, thank you asshat," Tony said genuinely, "Wren, you know it's bad when I'm agreeing with him."

"Zemo doesn't have the backing of Hydra anymore," Nat said from where she sat, arms folded, across the table, "He would have had a hell of a time trying to kidnap her under the nose of everyone in that store and on that street."

"Exactly!" you pointed to her, looking to Tony as if she'd won the argument for you.

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't have found a way," Wanda said worriedly.

"He's proven to be creative with his methods, thoughtful in his steps, and still manages to have intel on us that we were unaware he had. He's in control, whether we know it or not, and he's confident. We shouldn't rule out his ability to take her, if he wishes, even when surrounded by the public," Vision said. 

You noticed, when he spoke, that he was sounding increasingly...normal? He was still wonderfully articulate, as always, but there was something about his tone and speech pattern that reminded you of his Infinity War self, where he's less awkward and more natural.

Does that work with the time frame though? I don't think it does. We're in the Civil War year, where he should still be very much robotic in his manners...Infinity War is two years later. Who knows though, maybe he adapts and evolves sooner than two years, it just happens off-screen during that time-gap? Still, this would be early.

You told yourself it didn't matter, that him evolving faster, if that were the case, was only a good thing. Somehow, it still felt like an attempt to convince yourself, pushing away that sixth sense that warned of something bad on the horizon. 

You're being an idiot, what could be bad about it? Just because things don't go as the movies did, you're going to panic? We don't want things to go as the movies did, so get a grip.

The way he and Wanda openly looked at each other fondly when the other spoke was another red flag that shouldn't have been a red flag. 

So you stopped Civil War, providing a calmer environment for the two of them to continue to live together in the compound and fall in love...what's wrong with that? Had Civil War not happened, maybe their love life would have advanced at the rate it is now? Except I don't even know which month Civil War takes place in, so this could be early and have nothing to do with stopping that event. So what though? A few months earlier is nothing, if this is even early at all. Vision made it sound as if they were seeing each other secretly for two years up until Infinity War...that implies it is soon after Civil War that Vis goes to find her...and why would he find her if he wasn't already in love with her? It's probably not early at all, and if it does advance more throughout this year, then that's fine.

"Right?" Steve said, and you blinked a few times as you pulled yourself away from the distant wall you'd zoned out staring at.

"What?" you asked, looking around at the eyes on you. Most in the room sighed.

"Is there ever a time where you pay attention?" Sam asked.

"I was paying attention...just not on that last part."

"You are ripe to be kidnapped, you know that?" Tony shook his head as he poured himself a drink, "Zemo could walk right up and pluck you from your seat and you wouldn't realize until you were strapped down on his table."

"And then you'd probably thank him for it," Sam snickered.

"Ha, yeah probably," you laughed stupidly, thinking about how, if at home, you'd totally joke about thanking Zemo for kidnapping you.

"Oh my God," Rhodey sighed, looking like he was so done with this shit.

You caught Loki's expression and attempted to hide your smile, though doing so only made it worse, as it was clearly a half-hearted attempt at being serious.

"I was saying," Steve said firmly, trying to draw the conversation back on track, "That Zemo made it clear he'd see you again, right?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah he did. He was basically flaunting the fact that we'd see each other soon and there was nothing I could do about it. Gotta love and hate that man's style, effectively intimidating and charming."

"One more compliment comes out of your mouth about that man, and you're locked in your bedroom until further notice," Tony warned.

"Can't we just call the man who controls the rainbow if we need?" Korg chimed, evidently paying attention, which was a shock, "Can't that guy see everything, like some freaky x-ray vision? That is, if x-rays could travel many miles and lightyears of space?"

"Korg's right, I can call out to Heimdall if I need. He's heard me every time before. Can Zemo ever really kidnap me for longer than a day if I can call out for help the second I'm alone? He has no idea how I did it last time."

"A day is too long," Loki said quickly.

"A lot could happen in that time," Wanda agreed.

"We're not letting Baron Von Bastard have you for another minute," Tony said.

"Maybe we should think of relocating Ms. Arlington for the time being?" Vision suggested, and the room was silent while everyone thought about that idea.

"Wha---what do you mean by 'time being'? How long exactly is that supposed to be?" you asked, afraid it meant indefinitely.

"Until the threat is neutralized," Steve said, confirming your fears.

"That could take weeks, months! Hell, we don't even know where Zemo is! He's not going to let himself just get caught!"

"Whatever he's planning, it sounds like he's put it into motion already," Nat said, "If we could disrupt his plans enough by having you gone for a while, even a few weeks, then we might make him desperate, force his hand into trying something else. Something he's less prepared for."

"We can't just ship her off somewhere and hope she's safe," Sam noted, "What do you all have in mind?"

"We'd need somewhere fortified or off the grid, preferably both," Bruce said

"I'm not sure T'Shakalaka will let anyone else in his home, especially if they have a target on their backs," Tony explained, "But I could ask Shuri if---"

"Asgard," Loki cut him off. Before Tony could snap at him for interrupting, Loki continued, "She should stay on Asgard. Any place on Midgard, however unlikely, is still within his reach. It's the most logical choice."

"She'd be with Pointbreak and those Guardians," Tony nodded.

"And we can easily contact her, stay in touch," Steve agreed.

"Whoa whoa wait, I can't just leave! What if...I don't know..." you struggled to think of a reason, "...something happens down here that I'd recognize?! That I could warn you about?"

"We'll keep in touch every week," Steve assured you.

"And Heimdall could have you back down immediately if needed," Bruce joined.

"There's not much going on right now, Wren, we'll be fine," Wanda smiled.

"Look, kid, you've done enough already," Tony said kindly, pulling a chair up next to you, "We're in a bit of a slow period because you've put us ahead of the game. But Vision's surgery is looking on track for next month. We'll have that stone out, and then we have four of the six, and we can get started on blasting the little suckers into a million colorful dust particles. Barnes has been in good hands for two months, and Shuri tells me they've started a process they think should work for him. There's not much more you can do down here, and that's ok. The biggest concern right now isn't something from your movies. It isn't something threatening our lives or our future...it's threatening you. It's about you. Like it or not, you've picked up an enemy, and a cunning shithead at that. Every hero needs a villain. I don't care if you like him or respect him or if he feels the same for you, we're his target, which makes you his current number one enemy. It's time for us to protect you, alright kid? This is our job. You've got to let us do it."

How could you argue with Tony? Ok, so you did that all of the time, but how could you argue with sincere, loving Tony? You didn't say anything, but you nodded reluctantly.

"We good? You're not gonna nod and then throw a hissy fit later? I won't have to drag you outside?" he asked good naturedly.

"No," you smiled, "I'll listen."

"That's a first," Rhodey said in surprise.

"Name three times I actually haven't listened?"

"When Clint told you to stay in the lobby of the building but you went to Bucky's room instead," Nat said.

"He didn't technically specify the lobb---"

"When I warned you calling Thor through the bifrost was risky, yet you argued for it and ended up get sucked up by the alien beam," Tony added.

"In my defense, we all agreed to the plan in the end, so I wasn't exactly not listening to advice, I was just---"

"Or the time you were supposed to stay where I left you, yet you charged into a fight with the Hulk and got thrown into a wall," Loki said.

"You never said to stay!"

"I thought the locked closet would have been a clear enough command!"

"He threw you into a wall??" Tony jumped on.

"No, you barely touched me...I just slid across the floor into a wall, there's a big difference---"

"There was also that time last month---" Sam started trying to increase the list.

"Ok we hit three times, I get it," you conceded, "So I don't always follow instructions...but neither do any of you, so talk to me when you're all perfect models of behavior."

"We should get you to Asgard today, if possible," Steve said, "Loki, will your father have any issue with her staying?"

"Thor's invited an entire band of buffoons, I'm fairly certain one more won't cause him distress."

"Could she leave today?" Steve asked.

"I'd argue against any other course of action. I was considering spending some time on Asgard as it was, so I can escort her there. If Thor is preoccupied, you can rest assured I'll make sure she's looked after."

"Awww, I'm sure he'll look after her real well," Sam whispered to Bruce on his right.

You and Loki gave him looks, but didn't indulge his attempt to rile you up. Steve gave Sam a side-eye for his comment as well, shaking his head but unable to not smirk at the taunt.

"Oh thank god, Reindeer Games, you've put my heart at ease," Tony said in dramatic sarcasm, "Ya know, maybe having her up there with him without our supervision isn't the best idea? A little too much privacy."

"Why would they need privacy, man? It's not like they're a thing, am I right?" Korg attempted a sincere laugh, "They would never need privacy so people don't walk in on them doing anything, because there's like nothing they would do that they wouldn't want people to walk in on." He smiled like he'd just helped you tremendously. You glanced at Wanda and Nat, who were both holding back their smiles.

"Why do I get the sense Kilimanjaro actually means something when he usually means nothing at all?" Tony questioned, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Oh my gosh, he's been spending too much time around you guys, clearly," you said in your best attempt at irritation, standing up from the table as you did, "I should go pack, right? We're leaving as quickly as possible before Zemo and his nonexistent army comes crashing through that door?" 

"I thought you were onboard?" Bruce asked in response to the sarcasm.

"I said I'd listen, that's not the same thing," you answered, giving him a quick grin to show you weren't angry and then walking off down the hall.

Once in your room, you began packing your favorite clothes into a small duffle bag, knowing you couldn't bring your whole room's worth of possessions. Over the months, you'd slowly started to make it your own. You had your decor from Tony, which he was more than willing to buy for you even when it wasn't Christmas, and your shopping trips with the girls had gifted you with more clothes and shoes than you could ever wear. Perhaps it was too early to feel this way, but you'd started having the connection to your room and the compound that you had with your home. You loved Asgard, and visiting there for an extended period of time was an extremely agreeable notion. In fact, that slice of heaven was the kind of place you'd dream of living, even over the compound. But that didn't make leaving a familiar place or friends any easier. But you'd be back down, and you could visit too. This was only temporary, the Zemo problem would come to a close one way or another. You'd had to get used to leaving your entire world and family when you first came here, which was undoubtedly harder than temporarily spending some time in your favorite place in the entire cosmos would be. Still, you felt like you were running away. At least when you left home, you were running towards something. You were trying to help, to save. Now, leaving the people you came here for made you feel wrong inside, as if your purpose was being left behind without you. 

I'm being super dramatic about this! Just enjoy this vacation to Asgard, that's all it is. 

Someone knocked on the door and you  called for them to come in. Loki entered as you were throwing the last few things into your bag, pushing the contents down and pulling the zipper shut with some effort.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Just about," you said, scanning the room for anything else you missed and remembering your bathroom supplies. 

"Are you truly so upset about coming to Asgard?" you heard from the bathroom.

"You know I love Asgard," you answered, walking out with your supplies in hand, "Hell, if I had to pick any place, real or fake, to live, Asgard would probably be at the top of the list."

"So it's not the place, but rather the company," he sighed dramatically, knowing he was trying to cheer you up by messing with you, "I understand, having to leave all of your heroes...to live in the home of a villain."

"Oh sure," you played along, "Though Thor's there, so that's a plus I guess."

"And your little circus," he added, still maintaining his serious facade.

"I guess there are people to go to if I want to get away from you."

"Precisely, you'll never have to see me if you play your cards right."

You finally chuckled as you shoved the last of your supplies into the outside pockets, zipping them closed.

"What's really the matter?" he asked, all traces of teasing replaced with sincerity.

"I don't know, I feel like I shouldn't leave."

"You heard Stark. For once, something intelligent came out of his mouth. There's nothing for you to do at the moment. The best thing you can do for you and for everyone is to leave."

"And what about my training with Nat? I should be learning how to kick Zemo's ass, not running away."

"I've run away from my fair share of fights. I've prided myself on recognizing a lost cause and when to make myself scarce."

"Sometimes when you should have stayed and fought. Thor was right about facing Hela when you wanted to hide, and you ended up fighting in then end."

"If you'd let me finish, I was going to say that, yes, sometimes I shouldn't have fled. But if anyone is going to be the expert on when someone should or shouldn't have run, it's me. Believe me, this isn't cowardice. You leaving now is strategy, one the others constructed. You'd be wise to heed their counsel."

You let out a sigh as you sat on the edge of your bed.

"I still wanna learn how to kick Zemo's butt," you pouted jokingly, "I love the man and all, but I owe him a good ass-whooping."

"I can help with that," Loki laughed.

"No no no, I don't trust you not to kill him."

"As enjoyable as that would be, and I'm certainly going to inflict pain on that man one day, I wasn't speaking of help in that way. I'll continue the Widow's training while we're on Asgard."

"Oh greeeeat, so I get an upgrade from the woman who kicks the shit out of me to the god who can kick the shit out of me even more. Yaaaay."

"You'll advance faster."

"I'll have to if I want to not get bruised and bloody every day."

"Exactly."

"No magic or knives or anything allowed. I haven't trained with weapons yet."

"You're still purely hand-to-hand?" he asked.

"Yup, and I just got to the point where I can hold a fight for a while, and that's not against a super soldier or god or iron suit."

"Fine, then we'll stick only to physical combat for a while, before we advance to armed attacks and defense."

"I'm suddenly overcome with the urge to leave as soon as possible," you said with heavy sarcasm.

"Oh please, we both know you enjoy combat," he said, turning with you as you threw the strap of your bag over your shoulder and headed for the door, "And we both know how much you'll enjoy Asgard, so stop your moping."

"Yes, sensei," you said, giving him a karate bow.

"Your sass could stay behind though. It's just a thought, but---"

"You're stuck with every part of me, so get used to it."

The two of you made it down the hall and stepped into the elevator, with you subconsciously standing further away. It was something you'd done since Christmas Eve.

"I could...introduce you to my father," Loki said slowly, "Not that I hold any desire for anyone to meet him," he added quickly, "But, I know how much you probably 'love him' like you do with everyone in this universe."

"Why wouldn't you want people to meet your dad? Still denying you love him?" you jabbed, kicking his leg as you did.

"Love is an equally strong word as hate, neither of which I'm prepared to say. One extreme often leads to disappointment, the other to loneliness."

"Ok, ya poet, a simple yes or no woulda sufficed."

He rolled his eyes as you giggled.

"At least you don't pretend to hate him anymore. Baby steps back to love, right? It's understandable, being cautious. You loved him so much once, that it hurt all the more when you found out he'd lied. It's ok to take your time..."

"Thank you for your permission," he sassed.

"...But if you could breeze through the baby steps process and get right down to the father-son hug, that would be great."

"There it is! I knew some hopeful cheesy longing was going to overtake your uncharacteristically sensitive respect of my feelings."

"Ok, it's been a few months since Odin's been back, I've waited long enough."

"We're on decent terms, is that not enough?"

"Nope."

"If you're holding out for a declaration of his love for me or I for him, then I fear you're waiting in vain."

"You both love each other, so it's not too far-fetched."

"Even if he does, he'd never say so. Open communication---"

"Was never your family's forte, I know."

You both stepped into the kitchen at that moment, everyone still mingling from before, waiting for your departure.

"Where's the ketchup?" Tony asked from the fridge.

"Ask Wren, she uses it on everything," Nat said.

"Ask Sam, he never puts anything away where it belongs."

"I at least put it back in the fridge," Sam defended, "Steve leaves things out all of the time, his mind must still be in the 40's before there was refrigeration."

"We had refrigerators in the 40's. They had actually just started becoming more popular in the years leading up to---"

"No one asked for a history lesson, Fossil, I just want my ketchup," Tony groaned.

"Did you check behind the juice on the top left?" you suggested.

"Yes I---" there was a pause where you heard him move something, "Ah, bingo!" he said triumphantly, closing the door and tossing the ketchup on the counter.

"Yup, Sam's fault."

"How do you know I put it there?"

"Because you always bring it back with the juice when you're done, and you put both on the same shelf, which isn't where the condiments go."

"Do you watch me while I eat or something?"

"I always have to move it or find it after you use it, so it becomes pretty easy to tell who's doing it."

"God help the people who misplace something on Asgard," he retorted.

"Speaking of which, are you all ready to go?" Tony asked, dipping a fry into his ketchup.

"Yeah I---oh wait wait wait, I almost forgot" you pulled your phone out of your pocket, handing it to Wanda. "Watch this for me will you? I doubt I'll get signal up on Asgard."

"Why does she get it?" Tony asked, offended.

"Because Nat and Wanda are the only ones I'd trust with my phone...besides Rhodey. Cap, no offense, I'm still not entirely sure you know how a phone works and won't take it swimming with you or something. Bruce...well, I'd like my phone to stay intact."

"Fair," he nodded.

"I don't think I even need to explain why I don't want Sam or Tony with my phone."

"Why cuz I could hack it? What are you trying to hide, young lady? God, I'm sounding like my father," Tony gagged in disgust.

"Ya do, and you should know I have no one besides you guys to text, so it ain't like I'm harboring a secret boyfriend you have to worry about, 'father.'"

"Yeah, Tony, Loki doesn't have a phone," Sam smiled, proud of himself.

"Maaaybe I won't miss some of you as much as I thought."

"It's not even a question of maybe for me, it's a huge fat yes. You and Bucky both gone? Hell, I'm getting the first moments of peace I've had in months."

"Cap, be sure to bother him extra hard for me will you?" you asked, picking your bag back up.

"Rogers usually doesn't have to try hard to get under people's skin," Tony remarked.

"I'll do my best," Steve smiled. He and Tony were nearly back to normal. At least Tony didn't make as many bitter jokes regarding Cap's secret. You couldn't be certain, but you had a feeling Steve had had a talk with him.

"We should be on our way. I've spoken with Heimdall, and he's ready for us," Loki said, making his way towards the exit.

Everyone came out to see you off. Wanda and Nat hugged you goodbye, both promising to pick up the slack if Steve wasn't vigilant in his 'bothering Sam' duties.

"If this goes on too long...will I be able to visit?" you asked Tony.

"As long as we keep them brief, in for a day or two and then out. If Zemo has eyes on this place, we wouldn't want you hanging too long. I've let Fury know what's up, and we've got eyes and ears out for this guy. Don't worry, kid, we'll have him before you know it. It's rare that someone out-Furys Fury, and it's eating at Eyepatch. If you want Fury to be quick at something, challenge him, and Zemo's done it. He's gonna regret being so damn sneaky when the king of sneaks comes for him."

"Right," you nodded, hoping he was, in fact, right.

"Have fun up there, but not too much fun. Don't do anything I would do," he added as you took your place next to Loki.

"We'll keep in touch," Steve nodded with a farewell grin.

"See ya, guys!" Korg waved, "Watch out for 'spiders' while you're gone," he chuckled at himself.

"Bifrost, now," you muttered through your smile.

"Yup, Heimdall?" Loki called quickly.

The lights fell down around you, as the most enjoyable experience in the galaxy began once again.

"Man that never gets old!" you giggled happily, walking across the dome with Loki. "Hey Heimdall! How's it goin?"

"Well, my lady. And how are you?"

"Eh ya know, can't complain."

"Yes she can, a great deal," Loki said dryly. 

"You're one to talk."

"I don't complain nearly as severely as you."

"You're complaining right now about how I complain, that's how much you love to complain about stuff."

"I'm complaining about your complaining? I stated a fact, and you had to complain about the fact that I said you were complaining, proving that you complain more than I, because you can't help but complain."

"Did you just say complain four times in a sentence?"

"Why? Are you complaining if I did?"

"I'm stating a fact," you mocked.

"I hate to interrupt," Heimdall said, a smirk on his face, "But Thor is waiting for the two of you in Prince's Hall."

"I have no idea where that is, but you had me at 'Thor', so let's go," you said, rushing Loki.

"You've been there many times by now, how have you not remembered it's location?" he asked, quickly catching up to your swift strides out of the dome.

"Ohhh, is that the hall we usually met and ate in when we were up here?"

"Yes. It's reserved especially for me, my brother, and our friends."

"Waaait, I knew it looked familiar. Is that the place you're all in when you very cleverly manipulate Thor into going to Jotunheim?"

"The very same. Damn, he was so unbearably gullible," he smiled at the memory.

"Trusting, Loki. He's not an idiot to think his brother had his back."

Loki dropped his smile, taking a few seconds to respond.

"Why is it that you can admire my guile, but I can't laugh at my brother's stupidity?"

"I can think you're clever without thinking you're right or Thor's stupid. Just because you out-smarted him, doesn't mean that's a good thing."

"I never claimed it was. But can I not find amusement in my brother's actions?"

"Sure, but that just might not be the memory to do that with. Come on man, you know what I mean," you said in response to the eyeroll.

"I often don't understand half the gibberish that spews from your mouth."

You shoved him, bringing him a little too close to the edge.

"Oops, a little too close there, my bad," you smiled sheepishly.

"If I went down, I was dragging you with me."

"Is there a way back up this? Or would we have to swim the whole way?"

"I'd be able to make it up, though I can't say the same for you."

"Nah, no way you climb those things," you gestured to the pillars you'd pass, "What's there for you to grab?"

"There are plenty of handholds, not that I'd need them."

"Where?! Does any of that smooth golden surface scream handholds to you?"

"If you would take half a second to notice that it slopes out more at the bottom---" Loki had taken a step towards the edge to point to the lower half of the next pillar. That was all you needed. You threw all your weight into him, sure to jump back before he could grab you. A splash met your ears as you leaned over to see Loki's head break through the surface.

"HA! Unbearably gullible!" you laughed, throwing his words back at him.

He glared up at you, before smiling with determined revenge in his eyes, beginning powerful strokes over to the closest column.

"Oh shit, yeah run!" you whispered to yourself, sprinting towards the city.

You realized you should have waited til you were closer to the end before pushing him off, as he'd no doubt catch you. Thankfully, the foundations of the bridge were spaced a decent length apart, so Loki had a bit to swim before clambering back onto the bridge. You didn't want to look back, but the sixth sense started poking after a few minutes, and you were unable to resist the temptation. As it turns out, your sense was right, and you saw the distant figure pulling himself onto the rainbow surface.

Cap's training's really about to pay off , you thought, picking up the pace, the bag you carried making it difficult. 

You ran through the open golden gate, entering the bustling city courtyard. People looked up as you charged in, and you paused, smiling and getting similar greetings in return. 

Right, keep running!

"Excuse me, sorry. Pardon me, my bad," you said apologetically, making your way through the crowd. You prayed everyone you passed didn't stop and stare after you, as that'd give away your direction pretty easily. It evidently didn't matter, as a hand on your shoulder stopped your progress.

"You're such a child, you know that?" Loki asked, holding firm enough that you couldn't slip from his grip even if you tried.

"Oh...hey...Loki," you said through your panting, "I was just...getting cardio in...ya know?"

"Mhmm," Loki nodded sarcastically, "And I thought I'd just go for a swim."

"Really? Off the bridge? That's a bit dangerous isn't it? Bit of a far swim, tough climb back up right?"

"Why don't you try it and let me know what you think?" he smiled.

"I--I'll take your word for it, you're a very trustworthy individual after all."

"No really, I insist," he whispered, turning to drag you back.

"Ok ok ok, wait, it was my day to prank, right?"

He paused and hung his head, knowing it was true.

"Yup, that's right. It's my turn, so no repercussions until tomorrow when it's your turn. Respect the terms of our Prank War agreement."

"Very well," he released your arm, "I suppose you're safe...for today."

"I think we should consider implementing a week gap in between pranks, don't you agree? I mean, a prank every day is a lot, right? We don't want to overdo it."

"Nice try," he chuckled, the two of you resuming your journey towards the palace.

"How was the water?"

"You truly do not know how to make things easier for yourself, do you?"

"Whaat? I'm just curious! It looked really refreshing, and you use a little too much conditioning or whatever it is in your hair sometimes, so it could do with a---"

"Now you're saying I need to wash more???"

"No, I'm sure you---"

"Wow."

"---I'm sure you wash all the time, I just think you can overdo it with the gel on occasion."

"I thought you like my hair?"

"I do! And believe me, even your more oily look is like really good and can always flip amazingly, but if I'm being honest your softer, looser hair look is probably your best look. People can disagree, but damn your Dark World hair? Like when you're in prison and whatnot? Absolute gold."

"I'm so glad to hear you only like my hair on certain days."

"I like it every day, you're just fishing for compliments now! I was just messing around anyway, your hair is fine, even if I like the softer days. Like, look at it! You clearly just dried yourself after getting out of the water, and you hair looks so frickin good right now!"

He smiled at your open admiration of his hair.

"I didn't know you loved it so much," he teased.

"Why wouldn't I?" you said, trying to keep down your awkward thoughts that were once again making themselves known.

"I have no answer, for I agree. Why shouldn't you? It is remarkable."

Your walk through the city took longer than it should have, with you wanting to observe and enjoy everything as if it was the first time you'd been there. Asgard had a power over you, what could you do? Loki waited patiently every time you wanted to stop and watch something or engage with kids who came up to you, never making one of his snippy remarks about hurrying. Instead, from the time or two you glanced his way during these stops, he seemed to enjoy your actions.

He must like that I love his planet so much, you explained away his smile.

Eventually, you walked into Prince's Hall, where Thor, Rocket, and Groot were sitting at a table full of food.

"Ah, brother, Wren!" Thor smiled, standing and walking over with open arms.

"Touch me and I stab you," Loki said casually.

"Okay," Thor said, never breaking stride as he changed his direction towards you just before reaching Loki.

"It's good to see ya Thor," you said in his embrace.

"It's merely been a few days," Loki groaned.

"Which wasn't long enough, believe me!" Rocket called over from his seat.

"Couldn't agree more," Loki glared back.

"I am Groot."

Despite Rocket's presence, Loki managed a gentler expression, nodding to Groot.

"We talked about this," Rocket whispered loudly to Groot, "Stop being nice to people we don't like."

"I am Groot."

"Where am I going wrong?" Rocket muttered, shaking his head.

"I am Groot."

"Tree says hello," Thor told you.

"Hey Groot," you waved, walking over to the table, "What's up Rocket?" you greeted the raccoon.

"Absolutely nothing, and I love it! No jobs, no one shooting at us, free food, an entire armory---"

"That is off limits," Thor clarified.

"That is temporarily off limits," Rocket corrected.

"No, it's pretty off limits...forever."

"Right, 'forever'," he said in clear insincerity, winking to you.

"We can see you winking," Loki said, unable to keep from calling Rocket out.

"Your buddies promised a fight," Rocket said to Thor.

"Yes, and you shall have weapons provided for you then, Rabbit," Thor said cheerily, evidently enjoying his furry companion's company.

"Who's fighting who?" you asked.

"Oh not a real fight, just a friendly competition between Volstagg and our new friend here," he held his hand out to Rocket.

"He won't think it's a friendly competition for long," Rocket laughed maniacally.

"I am Groot."

"I'm not going to kill him," Rocket assured unconvincingly.

"Are you hungry?" Thor asked you, "Help yourself to everything, as usual. I'm so glad you get to spend some time here on Asgard, though the circumstances could be a little better. So he came back, did he? Uh Zeto, or Zeno..."

"Zemo."

"Right, him. Causing problems again?"

"Well sorta..." you began, but the look on Loki's face changed your sentence, "...yes, yes he is." 

Loki nodded like "That's what I thought."

"Well you're welcomed to stay in Asgard for as long as you need. I've spoken with father, and he seemed rather happy that you'd be spending time with us. Hopefully you stay for a while! Not that I want someone after you on earth for a while, no I hope they catch him."

"Who're we talking about?" Rocket asked, "Nevermind, I don't really care."

 "I am Groot?"

"Someone who is after her for the knowledge she possesses," Thor answered.

"I am Groot."

"Yes, he is a very bad man," Thor agreed, "But we'll keep her safe."

"Why don't you just blast the son of bitch with your almighty lightning powers?" Rocket asked, "Or Slimeball over here take him out with one of his fancy-shmancy daggers?"

"It's not that simple, Rodent," Loki answered.

"Why? Does he keep moving just enough that your shitty aim can't hit him?"

Loki's dagger knocked Rocket's cup from his hand, spilling the wine everywhere.

"Ohhh yeeeah, I was hoping you'd do that!" Rocket laughed, launching across the table into the god.

Loki grabbed Rocket by the chest, pulling him off of him, only for Rocket to bite the hand hard.

Loki exclaimed something in another language, presumably swearing, throwing his adversary to the floor. Rocket didn't miss a beat, going straight for the legs. He was stronger than you thought he was, using a well-timed tug on Loki's tunic and a clever maneuver around the legs to trip Loki to the floor. They were in a scramble now, Rocket scurrying over him like a natural critter.

"Don't hurt Rocket," you said, as you grabbed some grapes from the table and enjoyed the show.

"Me don't hurt him?" Loki grunted, taking advantage of a momentary pin on Rocket to look at you in disbelief. He shouldn't have take his eyes off of him, as Rocket used his bottom feet to claw his arm, throwing a punch when the god jerked his head back around to him.

"See, I thought at first that Loki would easily crush Rocket, but now I don't know."

"The Rabbit is formidable," Thor nodded, taking a grape from your bunch.

"I am Groot," he said in what you assumed was agreement.

Loki's magic finally came out, blasting Rocket backwards with a spurt of green light from his hand.

"It's about time," you said from where you and Thor casually ate your grapes and watched.

"I could have killed him already if you'd let me!" Loki whined, hair-flipping his disheveled locks and standing up.

Rocket charged once more, Loki pulling out a dagger and standing ready.

"Alrighty, enough," you said like a tired adult, walking in between them.

"Is that the only way you can beat me? With your magic tricks?" Rocket taunted.

"Oh I could skin you several ways without magic, vermin."

"Bring it WeaselFace!"

"Ah-ah-ah, nope," you put a hand on Loki's chest as he moved forward, sticking your foot out to stop Rockets advances. You kept having to move it as he tried getting around.

"Groot, could you?" you asked, twisting around to look at the little tree and nodding to his flustered father-figure.

He looked from his half-eaten plate of food to you, then back to the food, repeating the whole cycle again right after.

"Ok, Thor?" you called instead, seeing Groot smile in relief and continue munching.

"Yes, alright," Thor said like he was disappointed to watch the fun end.

He walked over and picked Rocket up.

"Hey don't man-handle me, MuscleHead!" 

Thor placed him down back on the other side of the table, and, surprisingly, Rocket stayed.

"Y'all done?" you raised your eyebrows, looking from Rocket to Loki. The latter was sucking the blood from the bite on his hand, using a bit of magic to stop the bleeding.

"If crybaby needs to take care of his boo-boo," Rocket mocked in a childish voice.

"He does," you answered before Loki could speak.

"Hey!"

"Just let me say what I gotta say to shut him up," you muttered back to him under your breath.

"Brother, you're in here for a few short minutes and you've already pulled a dagger on someone. I believe that's a new record."

 "No, I've pulled daggers on you many times in this room, all far faster than that. Had I been allowed to kill him," he said pointedly, looking hard at you, "That would have been the record in a category of its own."

"I'm just thrilled I'm not the one the dagger was thrown at this time!" Thor said with exaggerated excitement, "Must say it's quite strange not being the one you're trying to kill."

"The day is young," Loki said with a straight face and dead-eye stare.

"And on that terrifying note, Wren, how would you like to walk anywhere but here? I know Pietro, or whatever his name is, is around here somewhere with the others."

"Quill?" you half asked, half corrected.

"Yeah, well Quill can't stand that Thor's better than him in literally every way conceivably possible," Rocket explained, "Sparking the Battle of the Brainless Bozos, which Thor is still winning."

Thor looked like he wasn't sure that was a compliment, but decided to grin triumphantly to you as if it was.

"I know you know his name's Peter. Pietro was Wanda's brother," you said, though not hiding your smile at his antics

"Quail's as physically weak as a dead man, so what's the difference?" he laughed.

"Thor!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding, I'm so kidding. Quell isn't weak," he chuckled it off.

"That's---that's not the problem with your statement."

Thor's brow furrowed as he thought over his words.

"Ohhhh, the--the dead man thing, because he just---and it's it's not a---not funny. Right...my bad," he finished, smacking his lips together and nodding awkwardly.

"I thought it was funny," Loki shrugged.

"You would," you sighed, though your own dark sense of humor and love for Thor was making it hard not to grin.

"Shall we?" Thor asked, tilting his head to the door and holding out his arm for you to take.

Loki didn't look thrilled that you accepted the arm, probably upset at the idea of going to find the others...or maybe just spending time with Thor made him put on an angry face for show? He didn't have to come though.

"You coming? Or are you gonna start another fight?" you asked him.

"I think I'll go settle in. You can leave your bag, I'll have a servant take it to your room," Loki answered.

"Same room as before?"

"If you wish."

"Makes it easier, so yes please."

"Very well. No getting lost out there, my brother tends to lose his way."

"He's lying," Thor snickered, "It was one time. I assure you, I could walk this city in my sleep."

"Yet get lost when you're awake."

"Shut up," Thor said in such a sibling-to-sibling way.

"I'll see ya later," you smiled to Loki, who returned the act.

As you were walking away, you heard Rocket whisper to Groot.

"Come on, we're going for a walk."

"I am Groot."

"I don't care if you're not finished, we've got somewhere to be."

"I am Groot?"

"Somewhere," he repeated slowly, clearly implying a specific location.

"No armory!" Thor called out, gesturing his hand in the air but not turning around.

"Stop eavesdropping!" Rocket called back.

You and Thor both chuckled as you entered the hallway. He asked about the Zemo issue, the two of you speaking about the topic as you strolled through the palace and out into the beautiful balconies and steps surrounding the main courtyard.

"I think it was wise of them to send you here."

"Yeah I know. I just had this guilty feeling like I was running away, but I know I'm being dramatic."

"The time for fighting will come sooner than you think, it always does. As much as I enjoy a good head-bashing, I've learned to appreciate the moments where there are no battles."

"A wise king, never seeks out war...."

"But must always be ready for it," he laughed, "Exactly."

"I don't necessarily want to fight Zemo, but I don't want to let him scare me away. But you're right. I should just enjoy this. Heck, I'm actually staying on Asgard! My favorite place in the world!"

"And we're going to have the time of your life, just wait and see. Yes, I have a bit more duties in addition to my usual princely ones, since I'm helping my father and Heimdall, but my friends and I know how to make merry still! There's a festival soon too!"

"Seriously? When is it???"

"A week from tomorrow. Wren, there is little exaggeration when I say our festivals are a grand spectacle! A whole day's worth of events, starting with a parade in the morning and firework display at night. I've actually spoken with my brother about coordinating that event."

"The fireworks?"

"Yes, my mother used to perform the greatest shows ever witnessed in the history of Asgard. Loki may think I am unobservant, but I know my mother taught him a great deal, and I have total confidence in his ability to live up to her legacy, if not surpass it. Whether he won't aim the flying balls of flame at us is another story," Thor said light-heartedly.

"At least the show that kills us looks good while it does it. No ugly weapons of death allowed."

"Loki has a flare for style, so I'm sure he'd give us a particularly dramatic burst of color as we're blown into oblivion."

"He'd mix it in with the grand finale," you giggled.

"All jokes aside, it will be a sight to see."

"It's sweet that you have faith in him."

Thor smiled somewhat sadly.

"You know I always have. If not faith in his actions, then hope that he was still in there."

"You're a trooper, you know that? It's so much easier to be angry, especially with family members that hurt us. Yet here you are, someone whose brother literally tried to kill him, and you only ever held out hope that he'd come back. You rarely let your anger show."

"There's more than I show, underneath all of this handsomeness. There are times I've felt a boiling hatred for him...times I've wanted him to suffer for those who he made suffer...times I've wondered where I went wrong, what I did wrong, and then hated him all the more for making me hate myself. But I fought those feelings everyday. Because what is life without hope? It's meaningless. Anger is easier, but it doesn't make us feel better. Hope is the only thing that eases our minds, keeps us going. Why hate him, when I can remember how much I've loved him? And in doing so, have hope that that man I loved and who loved me must still be alive inside."

"I'll just say that damn there's a reason you're worthy of that hammer!" 

"Thank you," he smiled, "Though I admit there are times I wonder if I am, if I should be."

"Never, for one second, question your worthiness, Thor. You hear me? Never. Take it from someone who's seen the future and seen you go down that path before. You are worthy and always will be, through every failure and every stumble."

"Down that path before?"

"You lose a lot. If you haven't kept track through my stories of the movies, you basically lose your father, your hammer, the Warriors Three, your planet, your brother, Heimdall, a lot of your population, then half of the people that remain."

"Oh shit," he mumbled.

"Yeah," you laughed at the way he said it, "Needless to say, it puts you in a bit of a low place. You blame it all on yourself, as you heroes always do, and you think yourself an unworthy, unimportant failure who let his people, and the entire universe, down. But you realize, with a little help from your mother during your time-travel mission, that you don't have to set yourself up to impossibly high standards. You don't have to judge yourself on how you failed to be something you thought you were supposed to be. You just have to succeed at being you. That that's the measure of a hero. Getting up after your failures."

"I speak to mother?" he asked in surprise.

"Mhmm," you smiled, "She helps you realize that you'll always be worthy. And that you don't have to be a king or perfect being to be a hero."

Thor thoughtfully processed your words, a grin breaking at the corners of his mouth.

"Mother was never wrong."

"And she's not about this."

"I don't want to be king, as you well know. I've started thinking, with all that I allowed get past me, such as Loki banishing my father, that it happened because I ran from what I was supposed to be. That if I hadn't left, Loki could not have pulled it off."

"You thought you failed your people."

Thor nodded. "I've started to think that this meant I was always supposed to stay and be king, that this is the life I'm now bound to."

"And now?"

"Now...I think mother, or technically you, have changed that. I can help my people, I can be a hero, but I don't have to be king."

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" you said stupidly, clapping for him.

"Tell me," he said through chuckles, "Do I come back around to the decision of not being king in the future?"

"Yup, you decide to just be you."

"And who do I leave in charge of my people?"

"Valkyrie. She was kinda helping you run things for five years while you were going through your low spell, so she was the natural choice."

"I was that low for five years?"

"Well, wouldn't you be if you lost that much? No one blames you."

"I suppose I would. Thank you for being here, Wren. I sometimes lose sight of how much you've changed by coming here."

"No one deserved the world nearly as much as you, and no one lost more than you...ok, so maybe Wanda, but you get my point. You all deserved so much better."

You'd reached the city part as you talked, with Thor nodding greetings to citizens while you spoke. Now, you approached a large park-like area. In a wide patch of grass, about the size of a sport's field, was a group of kids playing some soccer-like game. Right in the middle of them, playing keep away with the ball, was Quill.

"Oh which way's he gonna go?" he narrated as he danced back and forth with the ball, "Looks like he's gonna go righ--- but he spins left! Gotcha pint-size!" he teased the kids, all of them laughing and chasing him.

Gamora, Mantis, and Drax stood on the side, looking fondly at the fun.

"Guardians! Look who's here!" Thor said as you walked up to them.

Gamora nodded a greeting, the pleasant smile from watching Quill still on her face. Mantis gave a cute wave.

"Hey guys, how's it going?"

"Quill is destroying these small people," Drax answered.

"They're not playing for real, Drax," Gamora responded.

"They haven't touched the ball in minutes. I'm sure he's winning."

"I didn't know he was so good with his feet," you noted, watching Quill weave the ball in and out of the sea of kids.

"Pfft, you call that good?" Thor snickered, "I was the champion of this game when I was younger, that's nothing."

"Oooo can you show us?" Mantis asked.

"I don't know," Thor pretended to be reluctant, with you and Gamora knowing dang well that this is what he wanted, "I suppose I could do it for you, as a host to his guests."

He walked out onto the field, halting the current game. He and Quill spoke, but, because the game had moved further away than it was when you'd arrived, you couldn't hear what was being said.

"How much you wanna bet Thor actually loses this one?" you asked.

"We'll never hear the end of it from Peter," Gamora shook her head.

"He can't lose, he's the champion," Mantis stated.

"That's right," Drax nodded, "The god man said it."

You bit back your explanation at the last second, remembering who it was you were dealing with. The group on the field started splitting into two teams, with Quill and Thor at the head of each. The game began, and it really wasn't much different from soccer at all. A few changes in rules, but same concept. It became a Thor versus Quill battle, with an abundance of hilarious trash-talking and physicality. The kids ran back and forth, simply happy to be there. Thor was in the lead, due to pure brute strength, until Quill called for a ref. Evidently tackling wasn't allowed, something Thor was doing quite frequently. You stepped in to fill the role, keeping Thor in check and giving Quill the opportunity to creep back in the game.

"I didn't even touch him!" Thor argued with a call.

"His bleeding lip begs to differ. Thor, you can't stick your arm out as he runs by."

"It was a normal, fluid motion! Unintentional! He's the one who ran right into it!"

"You think I wanted a mouthful of sweaty god? You taste awful, by the way."

"At least I taste better than you," Thor shot back with a pointed finger.

"You haven't tasted these muscles," Quill flexed, "because I don't go shoving them in people's faces!"

You kicked the ball in play, the argument stopping immediately as they chased after it.

Quill won, in the end, and you apologized to Gamora for the endless bragging she was going to hear from him.

"I'm not sure it's worse than how sour he'd be if he'd lost," she shrugged.

Thor tried to continue the day with you and Guardians, forcing a smile whenever Quill brought up the match...which was every few minutes. Finally, he claimed he had "some important matters to attend to, because I'm a prince" and left, asking if you wished to come too or would come back on your own time.

"The sunset's gonna be perfect from the balcony on King's Corner, and Mantis tells me they haven't seen the view from there yet, so I was thinking of going there with them first. I know my way back."

"Alright, see you later then. Loki and I are dining with father tonight, but you'll find food in the usual hall an hour or so from now."

"Thanks Thor, have a good night."

The others waved goodbye, Quill and Thor giving little insincere and rather threatening smiles to each other. You brought the gang to the balcony you had in mind, chilling with Drax and Mantis while Gamora and Quill stood off to the side by themselves, enjoying the view.

"It's beautiful," Mantis said in an observant tone.

"Asgridge is very beautiful," Drax agreed.

"Asgard," you corrected with a smirk.

"That's what I said."

"You've been here before?" Mantis asked.

"Oh, I've stayed for a night or two on two occasions, that's all. I've always loved this place in the films though."

"How did you get into this world?" Drax said like he was super confused.

"I explained that, but you were sleeping."

"I don't remember that."

"Yeah...because you were asleep."

"I remember everything, even when I'm asleep. My senses are so sharp that my mind forgets nothing."

You restrained your desire to laugh, not wanting to offend him, if that was possible.

"Why are you here?" Mantis said.

"Here like here here on Asgard? Well, one of the bad guys I came here to stop, in addition to Thanos, isn't too happy that I'm doing that. The Avengers thought it best that I get away for a bit, stay hidden for a while."

"You should not hide," Drax said, "If Thanos was after us, I would stay and fight. He would pay for my family."

"You're currently here because Thanos is after you guys."

He thought about it for a second. "Damn."

"It's ok, Drax, Thanos will get what he deserves. We have to be patient."

The three of you chatted some more, all while the sun dipped farther below the horizon. Your crystal burned with the orange light, and, when asked, you explained what the necklace was and who got it for you.

"So he's your lover," Drax concluded like he understood.

"WHAT?! Noooo no no no," you laughed, "We're just friends."

"Riiight," Quill scoffed, him and Gamora having joined the conversation a few minutes prior, "Guy goes out of his way to get a gift like that and doesn't have the hots for the girl? Yeah, no, that gift screams 'let's get a move on'."

"You've never gotten a friend something that has to do with a thing they love before???"

"I've never had friends before these knuckleheads," Quill answered unashamedly.

You realized none of them probably had.

"Well, it's a common thing, ok?" you said defensively.

Gamora was narrowing her eyes at you, as if trying to decide for herself. When you said your last line, she smirked, evidently coming to a conclusion.

"We should get back or we'll miss dinner," you changed the subject.

The five of you returned to the hall, where Groot and Rocket joined you shortly after. You had a very enjoyable, albeit chaotic, dinner with them. Quill had to bring up his victory over Thor at least six more times. When it was done, and all were leaving to their respective rooms, you said goodnight and headed for your own. You found your bag there, as promised, taking your bathroom supplies out and preparing yourself for bed. You stopped short of changing your clothes, not feeling quite ready to settle into bed. Your legs were restless, the Loki situation nagging at the back of your mind. You found yourself missing his presence more nowadays whenever he wasn't present, which meant nothing obviously. The Guardians' words had made the issue of liking him fresh in your mind, however, and you couldn't push away your struggle as easily as you'd grown accustomed to doing.

The necklace doesn't scream 'let's get a move on'! It's just a gift. And so what if you miss Loki? He's fun to be around!

This wasn't just an "I miss him" kind of feeling like it usually is when you're bored or want to see a friend. Every time you thought about him, since the Guardians made their opinion known, you got the strangest feeling in your gut. All of those butterflies you'd learned to control were back in an instant, and all because Quill and Drax were just as silly as the Avengers.

I don't like him like that, I don't like him like that, I don't like him like that, you repeated to yourself until you were sick of hearing it.

You decided to go to the hidden balcony, feeling like getting out of your room but also wanting to have a place to clear you head. Was it the fact that Loki might be there that was pushing you to that location? You told yourself it wasn't, that indulging the stupid urge brought upon by your own worries was the opposite of what you wanted to do. Well, it was definitely the opposite of what you should do, but that didn't mean it wasn't what you wanted. You now panicked even more that it was the real reason you were going there, yet you continued in the garden's direction nonetheless. Pulling back the branch, you stepped into the familiar darkness. As you'd prepared yourself for the possibility of Loki being there, it was no surprise when you found the torches lit and a figure sitting on the bench. What was a surprise was who that figure was, for it wasn't Loki. You froze, not wanting to disturb him. Your right foot moved backwards slowly, as you made ready to retreat through the underbrush. 

"Please, stay," Odin said, his back still towards you.

"Are you sure? Your Majesty," you remembered to add, not used to speaking to actual royalty. Thor and Loki didn't count.

"You don't have to cling to formalities, my dear. I am not your king, nor shall I feel offense at the lack of titles," he said kindly, "Come, sit with me," his hand patted the open space next to him.

You hesitated before walking slowly over and taking the seat. You weren't sure where to look exactly. You wanted to stare, as it was both Anthony Hopkins and a centuries-old king of a magic land in space, yet you didn't want to be rude or weird. Looking elsewhere felt awkward too, possibly coming across as uncomfortable and rude. Thankfully, Odin continued to stare out at the night sky, so you did the same.

"I've been wanting to meet you," he spoke after a few painful seconds of silence.

"Uh...r-really?"

"Yes," he smiled gently, "I have yet the chance to thank you. I'm afraid I wasn't quite strong enough for mingling during your last visit, or I would have made it a priority to speak with you."

"That's ok, how--how are you feeling?" you asked, saying whatever came to mind.

"Hmmm," he smirked, giving it some thought, "At peace."

You smiled at how content he looked. He seemed as calm as in Ragnarok, yet not as grim. Afterall, he was dying and about to leave his sons to fight his daughter at that time, which would put a damper on anyone's mood. He turned to face you for the first time, a soft twinkle in his eye from the torchlight.

"Tell me, child, what is it you sought by coming here?"

"Here like this universe?"

Odin nodded.

"Oh, well, I'm sure Thor's filled you in on the whole movie situation. I guess it was a no-brainer really, coming here if I had the chance to stop people from dying. I mean, who would I be if I passed up that opportunity and let things playout? I can't lie and say meeting all of you and seeing places that should have been fiction wasn't just a bit tempting too," you chuckled.

"And now?" he pressed further, "You've given this world more than enough aid to protect itself, leaving little else for you to do than jeopardize your own life."

He wasn't being harsh, simply honest.

"Yeah I---I guess there isn't a whole lot I can do."

"Why do you not return home? You have a family I presume? A mother or father?"

"Yeah, I have a family. But the way home is...complicated. Or damn near impossible," you finished softly.

"Have you tried seeking a path back?"

"I don't think there is one."

"One never knows what roads they will find until they take their first steps. Are you so certain you've tried everything?"

"Well I...n--no, I...I guess I haven't tried much of anything," you said like this was the first time it'd dawned on you, as you had really never thought about other alternatives.

"And why not?"

"I always thought I'd cross that bridge when I'd get there. That if there was a way back, I'd figure it out when the time came."

"I thought you said there was nothing left for you here?" he asked, a bit of humor in his tone.

"There isn't really, I suppose."

"Then has the time not come?"

"No, I--I can't just leave til I know it all works out! I know I may not be of very much use, but going home before I know if we come out on top??? It would kill me!"

"You care deeply about the people of this universe...your friends...my sons."

"I do. I know I haven't technically known them as long as my family, but in a way I have because of the movies. Living with them, getting to know them for real, has just given me this whole other family. Whole new friends. Leaving will be hard enough without adding constant worry to the mix. I have to stay until I know they're all alright."

"And so you should, my dear. Not that I would ask you to risk your life if you desired to return to your world. But your loyalty does you credit."

"Wait, you think I should stay? I thought you said there's nothing more for me to do, that I should leave?"

"Those words were never mine, only what you made of them. What I did was get you to see the reason you're staying, and in doing so show me."

"I see where Loki gets his tricksy side," you laughed, "You're just as clever."

Odin's smile grew more somber as he looked back at the view.

"There are many a things he's learned from me, all of them unfavorable, I'm afraid. No, his cleverness he got from his mother, as he did all that's good in him."

"That's so not true on like so many levels," you blurted before you could stop yourself from speaking so bluntly, "He's got the same fire in him that you have in you. Just because something like that might get him into trouble, doesn't mean it isn't a good thing. He's resilient, wise, when he wants to be, passionate, ambitious, and has one hell of a warrior's spirit. Your wife may have spent more time instilling knowledge and wisdom through her words and books, but Thor is no less wise from his time with you, is he? Both of your sons got the pieces of their parents that have made them some of the most remarkable guys in the cosmos."

"His anger is my own. When he escalated into madness through his grief and pain from the secret I kept, what did I do to bring him back? In my own guilt and sadness over what I'd let my son become, I lashed out in anger and bitterness. His attack on the people of your planet was my fault, yet I yelled nothing but fury upon his return home, further poisoning his heart."

"You can't blame it all on yourself, just as it's not all on Loki. Did you screw up a bit? Yes, but let me tell you something...so do all parents. Show me a single father who got everything right with their kids? And the whole 'Hey, we didn't tell you you're adopted' is a thing on earth too. Did Loki go more extreme than any human would when hearing that news? Yes, but we can't compare two cosmically different scenarios and species. Loki came from a world of great battles and warriors, so something as violent as destroying a race of mystical monsters to try to prove himself is not a far-fetched response from a god, when compared to the smaller scale of how a human would react. Does any of that excuse his actions? Are you to blame for all of it? Hell no, because Loki always had your love, he just didn't see it. And he still knew right from wrong, he just refused to see that line because he was overcome with his pain of feeling inferior. He tried to kill his own brother, but later tries to save him...like within a year or two. Why? Because he never hated Thor, or you. He never wanted Thor dead, even if he let his actions try to prove otherwise. If he'd actually succeeded in killing Thor, which I don't think he ever went hard enough to do, probably on purpose, then I'm pretty sure it would have devastated him. He'd never have been able to forgive himself. It's complicated, I know, but Loki's a complicated guy. But basically, he always felt weak or inferior, and hearing that he was adopted gave him an excuse to cling to, gave him something to lash out about. He was a child, desperate for attention, but unwilling to consider that you all did love him. Because if you all loved him, then there was nothing to explain away how small he felt. He just needed to realize he isn't small or insignificant."

"You're fond of him," was all Odin said after a moment's pause.

"He was my favorite character back home...and we're friends here, so yes. I'm very fond of him."

"I've tried to change for him. I was uncertain whether he'd changed himself. As you said, he was still responsible for his actions. Though I ultimately see myself as the catalyst, I couldn't blindly condone a murderous son if he was the same as when I'd left. I was hoping to handle it better the second time, but I return to find there is nothing to handle. He's more like his old self, happier even, if one can believe it. He tries to bury his feelings, to hide them around me, still afraid to let himself feel vulnerable. But I see it in his eyes. I see it in his stance. I hear it from Thor."

Oh crap, what else has Thor said to him??

"I'm glad he's happy. I told him all he needed was right in front of him. He has you and Thor back, and...hope. The future isn't bleak anymore. He's not chasing some absurd dream that he thinks will make him happy."

"From what Thor tells me, you've a great deal to play in his happiness."

"My goal was to fix things so he'd be in the position he is now, so I'm glad I did that," you answered, dancing around any other possible meaning in his words.

He gave you a smile that showed he knew what you were doing. There was something about that wise old face that made it clear you could never hide anything from him.

"Even when my son was more joyful in his youth, he never got along with their friends as Thor did. He was always wreaking all kinds of mischief, no one ever caring to wonder why or engage him in his playful antics. They saw a jealous boy, less trustworthy than Thor. That's not to say they were not his friends, but it was clear Loki lacked Thor's ability to draw a crowd. In comes this young lady from another world, out of her league amongst an infinitely larger reality than she'd ever imagined. A few months later, this woman has become a closer friend to my boy than any in his centuries of life. If accounts are to be believed, it was possibly a few short weeks before he trusted her already?" He raised his eyebrows, giving you that all-knowing smirk you knew you couldn't try lying to.

"We were slowly becoming friends after the first two weeks, that's true. Though I'm not sure either of us were positive we could believe it until time proved otherwise. Don't tell him this, but he's probably my closest friend here."

"My lips are sealed, my dear," Odin chuckled.

"Thanks, his ego doesn't need to go up any."

"You've both humbled him and given him self-confidence. A task such as that is hard enough without the tangled web our family complications have wrapped around Loki. You mean a great deal to him. You are, I think, a large part of what makes him so happy."

You felt your face threatening to redden from the comment, and you looked around to hide it from Odin.

"I don't think I'm as important as you make it sound," you laughed, "Loki's happy to have someone who gave him the time of day, but he wouldn't keep someone like me in very high regard."

"You think my son incapable of caring for someone?"

"No! No no that's not what I meant! I know he's truly my friend, and as such he cares for me, I know. Heck, we got each other Christmas presents, we hang out all the time, and he's kept me safe when facing danger. But it takes a lot for someone to mean a lot to him, at least in the way your statement made it sound. I'm not on the level of anyone he cherishes like you and Thor, so I couldn't be a larger part of his happiness than you two are."

"When I banished Thor to Earth, I could not foresee how he'd find his way back. But I trusted that he'd become the man worthy of his power. The world works in strange ways, my dear, and none of us can ever see where a road will lead or how many twists and turns surprise us along the way. My son met someone who changed his life for good. Jane Foster. His path then led him to the Avengers. A great many people now mean as much to him as any of his friends and family. You have done the same for Loki." He looked you in the eyes as he said that, putting as much conviction into the statement as possible.

Did he just compare me and Loki to Jane and Thor? you though uncomfortably.

"If that's true, I'm glad I could help him," you said, pushing away all other thoughts, "I'm no Jane Foster though. She may be a large part of Thor's happiness, on par with you or his other friends and family, but Loki isn't like that. I've had this dream of wanting to see him and the Avengers eventually get along, and I hope I've set the groundwork for that. He'll need that second family like Thor. But right now? We're just normal friends, and I haven't sparked any special change in him like Jane did with Thor. I've just put him in a position to find his own happiness, ya know, nudged him in the right direction."

"Maybe so," Odin smiled, "But for all of your knowledge pertaining to me and my sons, you forget one thing."

"What?" you asked, when the pause prompted the response.

"I am his father," he smirked,  "I've watched him since he was an infant. There are things I see in my son that you, and anyone else in your universe, could only see if you'd lived with him as long as I."

"Oh my gosh! Look at me talking for however long about your son like I know stuff you don't!" you gasped.

"It's quite alright, dear, you are able to see things I cannot. You've had time to reflect on the situation from an unbiased position, helping me to understand where both parties went wrong. But on this matter, I believe I can safely say I know this part of my son better. You've only ever witnessed Loki's journey from the start of his struggle. You did not know the loving lad he was, running around with Thor. It is, therefore, understandable that you would be hesitant to believe he could care for something as deeply as I claim he does, for you've rarely seen such emotions in him. You would not recognize them at first glance. Trust me, child," he took your hand from where it rested on the bench, holding it gently and smiling reassuringly to you, "You mean more to him than he will show. As I think he means more to you than you will show, hmm?"

"I don't know what Thor's said, but if you're implying anything more than we're very good friends---" you started laughing.

"I never imply anything. I tell the truth as it is. No more, no less. What you take from it is entirely up to you."

"Ok, then I'll take that as Loki and I will never admit how important our friendship is to us, is that good?"

"It does not have to be good, only true. That knowledge is inside yourself, I cannot decide for you."

"Sweet, then it's true cuz I know me," you said, knowing it was an extreme lie to claim you knew anything with certainty.

Odin smiled, once again giving you that sense that he saw something behind your words, an answer you yourself didn't know.

"I have one more question to ask of you before I retire: What was it about my son that so captured your favoritism?"

"We talking superficial reasons or deeper? Cuz on a surface level, any fangirl will tell you your son is the most attractive man ever to set foot on screen, he has a sense of humor that could kill, amazing style, and, though I know in real life this isn't a good thing, he's a really fun villain. 

There are about a hundred different characters that could match that description, though, so I don't think that's why he's my favorite. No, there's something about his struggle that's so...relatable? Tragic? I don't just ignore that he killed people because 'oh he was broken', because that's not an excuse. But I think we can all relate to some part of his story, whether it be you or his relationship with Thor or anything else. 

Family is a common message in many movies and stories, and just about every character in the MCU has their fair share of familial issues. You see, movies are an escape, yes, but they're also a place we go to watch ourselves. They can help us process our own problems, maybe ones we never want to talk about or never realized was bothering us so deeply. Seeing characters fight through and overcome this can give us hope that we can do the same. Sometimes it doesn't work out for the characters, and we mourn their loss as we mourn our own. Sometimes that's what we need. To watch something that, though no happy ending, is realistic and can let us vent our own emotions through tears. 

Loki's story is one of the most relatable things. Everyone, and I mean everyone has family issues. No household has it all together. We all either have a Loki in our life or are, ourselves, the Loki. Everyone has experienced some level of family troubles, such as fallouts with other siblings or parents, much like Loki. And if we're fortunate enough to not have experienced that, then we certainly will some day. No one makes it through life unscathed from the pain another family member can cause. 

The cold hard truth of life is that no one has the ability to hurt us like family does. Yet we can't stop loving them, which makes it all the more unbearable. There's one fact of life that people often choose to forget, because we're all, on occasion, the Loki who feels so burned by another that we find it easier to feel nothing but anger. That fact is simple: Family means more than anything. Some people are estranged forever from each other, holding onto past wrongs or pain. In the end, they either find their way back to each other, or regret waiting until it was too late to try. Thor said it best when he told me how he managed not to hate Loki. It's better to remember the good stuff and hope that there's a bright future, rather than throw it all away in anger. 

So, why is Loki my favorite character? Well, I feel for him, not because he's some poor boy with daddy issues who gets off scot-free for his crimes...but because he's deep down someone who loved his family, but pushed them away. His issues were legit, and the mistakes you may have made while raising him were legit, but none of that ever means more than the love you guys feel for each other. And in the end, he accepts that, despite any sins you've committed against him or he against you or Thor against him or him against Thor, none of it matters one damn bit when push comes to shove. Because Thor makes him see that love was always there. 

So we can all learn something from Loki, either because we ourselves are him and we need to recognize what's important in life, or we're the Thor who needs a little faith that people who've fallen in our lives will find their way back to us. In both cases, it comes down to realizing that family will always be first in our hearts if we don't let anger blind us. So yeah, I think Loki deserves the world, not because he had some big bad parent that hurt him, but because he did the hardest thing a person can do: He changes. He comes back. 

And it sucks that he's an example of waiting too late, yet also a symbol showing that, even right up until the end, a person has the chance to change. It's never too late, yet we can always be reminded to get a move on if we don't want precious time wasted. Many people may have legit parent issues, but they're no more justified in any subsequent actions than Loki is in his. We can all change if we want, and we can all hold out hope that loved ones we miss will come back. And most importantly, we can remember how important family is to us. No matter how much they hurt us."

Neither of you spoke for the seconds following your speech.

"I'm sorry, I just got waaay in depth and sappy there," you starting laughing at your own stupidity and embarrassment.

"No, no, my child," Odin shook his head, turning to you with a soft, satisfied grin resting on his face, "You answered my question."

He never said whether it was the answer he wanted to hear, nor did he explain why he'd asked his question in the first place, but you hoped, from his appearance, that he was happy with your answer.

"It is late, and you should get to sleep."

I could say the same for you, old man, was on the tip of your tongue, but you remembered this wasn't Loki who you could fool around with. After your lengthy conversation with Odin, however, you got the sense that he was more chill than you thought. You even guessed he'd laugh at your teasing if you'd indeed said what was on your mind, but you still kept it off your tongue. 

"Walk with me back inside?" he offered, standing up and holding out his arm.

You took it with a smile, heading for the path out of the balcony.

"Is Thor the only family member who doesn't know of this place, or does he know too?"

"He is aware of its existence. Frigga showed them both. I was one of the first to bring their mother here, something they may not know. It was her place to come and escape from the world, a pattern followed by Loki it would seem. It is fitting he would show you."

"Oh, well, I actually kinda found it by accident when I first came here, also by accident. I was trying to hide from Loki, actually. Funny when you think about it."

"Yet fortune brought you to the one place he frequents."

"Yeah, I'd say it's unfortunate, but all turned out well. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise?"

"The only disguises are those we choose to see. If your meeting that day led to where you two are now, that is a blessing."

You re-entered the palace, bidding Odin goodnight.

"Goodnight, dear. Thank you for giving me your time."

"Thank you for being so kind! I'd always wanted to meet you, I just never thought you'd want to meet me...especially with how much I can ramble."

"You speak your mind, as anyone should. You say neither too much, nor too little."

"Your son might disagree with part of that claim," you laughed, "But I can now tell him his father says otherwise."

"Indeed you can," he smiled, "Rest well."

With a nod and kind expression, he turned in the opposite direction. You watched him go for a few seconds, before noticing you were staring. It was just so weird to have spoken with him. He wasn't as old or weak looking as in Ragnarok, still maintaining that grit and fire he possessed in the first two Thor movies. That, paired with his gentle manner, gave such a loveable and awe-inspiring aura about him. You smiled about the things he'd said, happy that he and Loki were on the mend. Despite how increasingly awkward his words could have made things between you and Loki in your mind, you somehow felt more free. He'd not pushed any notion that the two of you were anything more than friends, even if you suspected he thought it was a possibility. He had such a wise "let things play out how they're gonna play out" position on the matter, instilling this sense of relief that, for better or worse, things would make themselves known in the end, and you didn't have to spend your time worrying. You and Loki could just be friends, and anything more on either of your parts would show itself eventually...even if you still claimed it would come to nothing. Entering your room once again, you were now able to change and flop down peacefully in your bed. The sound of crickets was carried in on the gentle breeze from the balcony, leading you into a pleasant sleep.

Chapter 40: (Chapter 39) When in Rome

Surprisingly, you woke by yourself the next morning, no Ceyla fetching you because you slept in until noon or anything. Based on the cool, misty air and low-horizon sun, you guessed it was much earlier than you typically woke. There was nothing exhausting or stressful to keep you in bed like on your past visits, so your excitement at living, actually LIVING, in Asgard was enough to get you up. Spending the morning on the recamier on the balcony, you watched as the mist dissipated, the dew settled, the air grew clear and crisp, and early dawn light shimmered off of the city. Any morning back at home paled in comparison to the beauty and peace you felt as you sat, wrapped in a light blanket, watching the city slowly wake below you.

When the sun had risen to a decent height, an hour or so later, you strolled back inside to prepare for the day. As tempting as it was to play dress-up again and step into another Asgardian gown, you thought how silly you'd look dressing like them after less than a day into your stay. Instead, you pulled on your leggings, boots, and a new top Nat and Valkyrie had made you buy. You'd brought your usual favorite comfy outfits with you, but you'd also packed quite a few nicer looking shirts and bottoms. It was Asgard, after all. You already felt underdressed in whatever you wore. When Ceyla came to wake you, there was no hiding the surprise on her face as she found you dressed, hair done, and ready to start your day.

"I know, I'm actually up!"

"I thought I must still be asleep, for I couldn't believe my own eyes," she giggled.

"I'm not sure teaching you to be sassy was a good move, but I'm proud nonetheless."

"I fear, to the amusement of some and shock of many, I've retained what you taught me, even when you're gone."

"Amusement, shock, and 'dear god, get her out of here' seem to be the three common responses to my behavior, so let's try to keep you to the first two," you chuckled.

"I missed you, Wren," she smiled, walking in and sitting comfortably amongst your company. In the brief stays here, you really had spent quite a bit of your free time with her. You weren't lying when you said you were proud of the change. She treated you like a friend, and she wasn't as quick to act the fearful servant.

"I missed you too! How've you been the last couple months? How's your ma, is she feeling better now?"

"Much, thank you for remembering. She's a great deal stronger."

"Aw I'm so glad to hear that. How about you? What've you been up to?"

"Oh, the usual. Though...I may have met someone," her eyes flickered up from where she'd looked bashfully down at her hands, a smile too joyful to contain spreading on her face.

"Spill it all, now!" you flopped on your bed like the teenage girl you always were.

She told you all about the young man she'd met while doing her runs in town. He was now courting her, and, by all accounts, they seemed to be getting along swimmingly. Simply by the way she talked about him, you knew she loved him quite a lot.

"Oh dear, I've been speaking of my own life with little regard for yours! I'm sorry, I got carried away---"

"It's fine, Ceyla! I wanted to hear all of it. I've been in an action movie for the last few months, I could do with a bit of romance story thrown in."

"How have you been? I heard you're up here because of some man?"

You gave her the rundown of the largest events since leaving Asgard back in October. 

"What do you think he's planning?" she asked when you got around to Zemo's most recent activity.

"I wish I knew. But we're past what I've seen, what I've prevented. Now we're into theorizing what the next movie could be. Logically, I don't know what he could do that doesn't involve forcing info from me."

"So you believe him when he says his current plan is not to harm you?"

"I do. Zemo hasn't lied yet. If anything, I think he takes pride in being honest and still being one step ahead. What kills me the most is, why did he come to see me anyway? Ok, showing off that he knows where I am at all times is a total flex I could see Zemo doing. But he's funny like that while also being clever. No, there was a reason he was there."

"Well, the important thing is that you're safe. You're here, and he's not. Your friends sound very capable of handling the situation. I'm sure they'll put an end to his plotting."

"Let's hope they take a few weeks to do it. I don't want to hide, but now that I'm here, I'm realizing even more that this isn't such a bad gig."

"Goodness, we've spoken longer than we should," she noted, standing swiftly.

"Why? Is there somewhere we're supposed to be? 

"The Prince told me to have you at breakfast in an hour's time."

"Which prince?"

"Prince Loki."

"Oh we're good, he can wait. Not that I wouldn't say the same for Thor, but def Loki."

"I'm afraid you misunderstand. Prince Loki was the one who sent for you, but it was at the Allfather's behest."

"Shit! We haven't been talking for an hour, have we??"

" I don't believe so, but we're most certainly approaching the instructed time."

"I didn't dress for a breakfast with Odin, but this is gonna have to do," you stood up, hurrying out the door with her.

"There's one more thing I was going to ask," she said as the two of you walked down the halls, "Where did you get that?"

She pointed to your necklace.

"Oh, it was a gift from Loki. You see, we have this holiday on earth, a big celebration where you get friends and family gifts and whatnot."

"And the Prince got that for you?" she sounded shocked.

"Yeah, we're...we're friends now."

"I assumed as much by the way you spoke to and about him in the past, but that is a grand gift indeed. A gem from the cave isn't your ordinary present. Do you know what it takes to remove a crystal from the cave?"

"Uh, a bit of a walk and some pliers?"

"There are many resources Asgardians are allowed to harvest and profit from the sales that follow, but the Burning Caves have been deemed an ancient treasure, a protected site. Casual sale of it's crystals can buy you a lengthy prison sentence as much as it can fortunes. There's a system, a strict process. At this point in it's life, it is rarely permitted for the cave to be removed of any crystal. Only with royal permission could an individual legally take one back with them."

"Well, Loki's royalty."

And not exactly the most law-abiding person.

"Only a direct order from the crown, Wren, would work. In order to limit the chances for greedy noblemen or members of the royal family to plunder the cave of its wealth, the rules clearly state that only the Allfather can condone the possession of a crystal. This way, any harmful mining can be traced directly to the king himself, and he's bound by honor and law to be held accountable by the people. These are extreme cases, but were written in the law out of high regard for the natural beauty of our world."

"So...Loki had to ask his dad for permission to get me this gift?"

"Precisely. Furthermore, the Allfather sanctioned the act, which is a rare case in itself. Given the status of the cave, even nobility never think of removing one, for it would have to be an important need to be allowed."

"So Odin was playing favorites with his son? That kinda goes against what he should do, right? Great, now I feel guilty wearing this."

"No, you shouldn't!" she assured you, "The Allfather has never, to my knowledge, granted crystals except for a gift from him and his sons to his wife, and that was many years ago. I am sure, despite my statement regarding the rarity of requesting crystals, that a few have tried, perhaps even his own sons. No, we trust our king's judgement, and that of our princes. If the Prince was willing to request, knowing the weight of such a favor, and His Majesty was willing to condone the gift, then there's a reason. It shows their high regard for you."

"Odin hadn't even met me yet," you said, unconvinced.

"Yes, but from what you've confided in me, you are more deserving of the crystal than anyone knows. You've aided the royal house as well as this planet and yours. I do not think it inconceivable to believe that the Allfather would give his son the honor of taking a crystal, if it were out of gratitude for your help."

"I'm sure it's not that. I'll talk to Loki. My best guess is he did it without permission or begged the hell out of his dad."

"He wouldn't perform such a noticeable act of deceit. Anyone who sees that crystal knows where it's from. And if it took pleading to get the gem, then it was a noble and wise effort, for I think such a gift is the best display of appreciation and affection."

"I'll find out the truth from him later," you replied, unable, as always, to accept that Loki would go above and beyond for you.

"I'm sure you'll find the answer quite...pleasing," she said oddly, and you glanced over to find a sly smirk.

"And just what do you mean by that?," you said in an accusatory tone.

"Oh, nothing," she answered in sarcasm akin to your own.

"We're talking about this later," you hissed as you approached the door to the grand hall, Ceyla stifling her laughter.

"Wait!" you stopped her before she opened the door, "Are there any, I don't know, rules I should know or something? Does he eat with like other members of court? Am I supposed to say or do something? What should I expect in there?"

"I do not believe the Allfather is present yet, as he usually enters last for formal breakfasts, though this isn't your typical organized affair. I've been told it is just you and the royal family, no other members of court, so I really couldn't say."

"I'm not sure if just the family is a gift or a curse. I either feel awkward in a crowd of others, or awkward among three others. I think I have a greater chance of hiding in the first."

"It is a great honor, but I'd be lying if I claimed to desire your position."

"We need to work on your peptalks," you snarked, taking a deep breath and facing the door.

"Someone taught me to say what I mean and mean what I say," she smiled.

"Damn straight," you grinned back, "Maybe we'll work on just a dash of lying for emergencies."

"Shall we?" she smirked, placing her hand on the door.

"Might as well. I don't think running's an option."

She pulled the right handle of the large double-door entrance, stepping aside for you to walk in. To your immense relief, Loki and Thor were standing by the large fireplace on one side of the room, no Odin in sight.

"It's about time," Loki snapped in irritation, standing with hands on his hips as you walked the three steps to the elevated area they occupied.

"Sorry, we were catching up."

Loki's glare turned to Ceyla, who did a much better job of not cowering under his penetrating stare.

"When I say bring her here in an hour's time, did you take that as the last possible second?" he asked her harshly.

"Brother," Thor began, but Loki waved him off, waiting for her answer.

The memory of a time you'd been teaching Ceyla some responses for if Loki ever was rude to her again popped back in your head, and the fearful gaze Ceyla turned upon you showed she was thinking the same thing...but was afraid to do it. You gave her a subtle thumbs up, nodding slightly with a smile. She took a breath to calm herself, standing taller as she mentally committed to what she was about to say.

"Your Highness..." she began kindly, "...Fuck off!"

And with that she smiled, curtsied, and turned briskly out of the room.

"Yes, Ceyla!" you called after her, cracking up the instant the words left her tongue.

Loki looked so adorably caught off guard, brow instantly furrowing at her response and seeming so hopelessly at a loss for words. The laughter of you and Thor brought him quickly from his trance, his lips sealing in a thin line and jaw tightening as he did a slow turn towards the two of you.

"You've spent your time on Asgard...teaching our servants to verbally disrespect us?"

"I think just you, brother, I've received no such treatment," Thor said happily.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't teach her that," you denied, still giggling over the event.

"We all saw the thumbs up."

"Thor, did you see any thumbs up?"

"Thumbs up? No, no I don't believe so. What even is a thumbs up?" he said, making the two of you hold in more smiles.

"There's no end to your wit, Thor," Loki mocked, as Thor further tried to do a thumbs up by turning his thumb any way but up.

"Nah, I think it's like this," you joined, turning both of his thumbs in opposite direction.

"Ah, yes, that looks right. Nope, can't say I saw Wren do this at all, Loki."

A guard entered, announcing that the king was on his way.

"All inane attempts at humor aside, you really were cutting it close," Loki whispered as you walked with him over to the table.

"Sorry, we had a lot to discuss."

"I'm glad you dressed for the occasion," he scoffed.

"What, is this not good enough for your father?" you snipped back.

"Better than your usual attire, but first impressions are often won by outward appearance."

"And Loki Odinson is so desperate for me to make a good impression with his dad?"

"No, I..." he sighed, "You're infuriating, you know that? Is it so bad for me to want my father to find no fault with my friend?"

"When that's incredibly out of character for you, yes. Besides, outward appearance can have little reflection on who a person is."

"Or, contrarily, it could capture exactly who a person is."

"I'm not dressed like a loser, Loki, and I think this reflects who I am perfectly fine."

"You're right," he agreed reluctantly, "Um...forgive me," he added.

It was clear he was nervous. About what, you weren't sure, but it was probably just being around his father. He was more easily flustered this morning, and you noticed his usual worried mannerisms.

"It's fine," you said kindly, "Besides, I already met your dad."

"What?!" he exclaimed quietly, but the sound of a door opening around the corner would delay any explanation.

"Tell you later."

You turned your attention to the direction of the sound, with Odin stepping around the pillar seconds later. Thor and Loki stood, the latter tapping your back as he made to do so, letting you know to rise.

"Father," Thor greeted.

"Good morning, my sons," he smiled to each. You noticed Loki, though his eyes still held a tinge of uncertainty and worry, returned the smile softly. "Lady Wren," he nodded, the same kind smile on his face, which you gave right back. "Thank you for joining us on such short notice."

"Thank you for the invite!" you said in your typical excited tone, which was probably made all the more so by your nerves. Loki gave one quiet chuckle, the motion in his shoulders and smile on his face betraying him. Though Odin was still watching, you gave Loki a playful glare.

"It is you who are doing us the favor," Odin assured you, taking his seat.

That was the cue for everyone to resume their positions, Thor returning to his seat on his father's left. Loki was directly across from Odin, and you across from Thor. The last time you'd been in this hall was the morning after your fight with Loki on the balcony. That felt like yesterday and yet years ago. One thing was certain though, you and Loki had come quite a ways. Now you were sitting beside him as his friend, not across as reluctant, angry allies. You glanced to Loki right as he did the same, the identical type of thoughtful smile on his face that you realized was on yours. Perhaps he was thinking of the stark contrast as well?

 "How goes the construction on Vanaheim?" Odin asked as servants began filling the plates and cups.

"Very well," Thor answered, "They're on pace to have it finished in a fortnight. The aid we've lent has yielded results a month earlier than initially anticipated."

"And the reported activity on Muspelheim?"

"No confirmed sightings, though we know Surtur lives," Thor said with a nod to you.

"Oh, is that the name of that fire place?" you asked, before realizing you were interrupting.

"Yes," Odin smiled, "Muspelheim, home of the Fire Demons."

"The universe wasn't real original when it made it's realms was it? Planet #1, you're fire people, Planet #2, you're ice people," you said, pointing to imaginary people.

Loki shook his head while Thor laughed.

"Where would Midgard fall in that list of generic peoples?" Thor asked.

"We're the epitome of bland dirt, and not in a cool rock-giant way. We literally call ourselves Earth! Might as well have named the planet Dirt."

"You know that's just one name?" Loki asked, amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, cuz Midgard is much better. Compared to Nidavellir, Jotunheim, and Svartlehei--- no, shvartalfei---ya know, however you pronounce the Dark Elf home. Anyway, we're still boring. Others in the galaxy call us Terra, which in Latin literally means 'land.'"

"We can't all be Asgard, I'm afraid," Loki gloated.

"I think I'd take MID-gard over ASS-gard," you shot back.

Loki looked at you like "Did you really just say that here?" while Thor continued laughing.

"Oh, no offense!" you said quickly to Odin, "Asgard's my favorite place in the world, I was just joking cuz...well, Loki asks for it sometimes."

"You were bashing your home first!" Loki defended.

"Yeah, but I'm allowed cuz it's my place. Besides, I was comparing it to kick-ass names like Nidavellir. Sorry, language," you cringed, realizing you were continually digging yourself deeper. It was hard not to be yourself around Thor and Loki, even with Odin in the room. Thankfully, he never once seemed offended, watching on pleasantly as his sons engaged in the banter as much as you did.

"I have heard far worse from my own sons, it's part of being a father," Odin said.

"Is the usually so eloquently spoken Loki actually a foul-mouth behind closed doors?" you gasped in exaggerated disgust, "Thor I could see."

Thor raised a glass to that, owning it proudly.

"On occasion," Loki confessed.

"Quite a few occasions," Thor clarified.

"I don't recall your opinion being asked."

"Ooo, someone's a little bit defensive," Thor raised his eyebrows.

"Someone's a little bit irritating!"

"Someone's a little bit whiny! Shocker."

"How about we talk about your behavior? Maybe a particular night in our youth where---"

"Father, he's bringing it up again!" Thor pointed accusingly at Loki, "Mother told him how many times---"

"Please, behave yourselves," Odin sighed, "Not only are you two a little old for this, but we have a guest."

You tried not to laugh at how their family meals were so...ordinary. Even down to the sibling bickering and parental scolding. Loki and Thor shut their mouths but glared across at each other, Thor giving him a taunting look.

"Yeah, you have a guest, Loki," you muttered to him, "Shameful."

He couldn't hold back his smirk as he kicked your leg.

"Tell me about yourself, my dear," Odin said, a request you often despised. Where did one start with such a task? You told him briefly about your family, where you lived, what you did, etc.

"And with the Avengers? How is living with them?"

"Oh it's great! We have game nights, I hear all the stories from their missions, I get to train, it's all pretty sweet. And they're more amazing than I imagined them being. More flawed, or irritating at times, but that makes them all the more real and relatable. Like a family."

"Family is quite an important thing," he said, a knowing look in his eyes. You were planning on telling Loki about your meeting with Odin, but the conversation you had would remain a secret. Thankfully, subtly referencing it seemed to be all Odin was doing, which you were grateful for. Not that you thought Odin a snitch.

"Even when they argue like babies," you said, looking from Loki to Thor, "Without them, who would we have to argue like babies with?"

"I'm sure Thor would find someone to bother."

"None quite as enjoyable as you, brother. You're particularly hilarious when worked up...although in a threatening and occasionally scary way."

Loki was able to smile at that, even chuckling a bit along with Thor.

"Aw so cute," you whispered.

"Aaand, you ruined it," Loki said, sipping his drink.

"Do you intend to continue your training?" Odin asked.

"Loki said he'd work with me. I think it'd be stupid to hide and not use the time to prepare for a worst case scenario. The more I can protect myself, the less I have to fear, right?"

"Yes, very wise," Odin nodded.

"I'll have to drag her kicking and screaming the whole way," Loki snickered.

"That's an exaggeration! I'm just cautious of how hard you may go on particular days and for particular reasons."

"If you're referring to your comeuppance for a little swim you so kindly treated me to, you can rest assured that my revenge will be more than an aggressive training session."

"Swim?" Thor asked.

"I pushed him off the rainbow bridge," you giggled proudly.

"A human got the jump on you? You're slipping, Loki," Thor grinned.

"Yes, well it would appear I underestimate the depths she would go for a prank. A pleasant walk to her favorite place in an attempt to save her life didn't seem like the time for treachery."

"Nah-uh, don't make me out to be a heartless friend, I learned all of it from you."

"It would appear you're less vigilant around her, brother. Perhaps you're comfortable in her presence?" he said, eyebrows going up and down and a quick wink shot your way.

"Not now, Thor," Loki pleaded.

"What?! I was just saying you're comfortable around your friend. There's nothing more than that...is there, brother?" Thor smiled.

Odin simply watched as you and Loki sighed synchronously, glancing to each other and then back to Thor, neither knowing who should argue with him or if it was worth it.

"So about that night when you were young?" you turned to Loki, "Sounds fascinating."

"It really is," he smiled, "Thor---"

"Ok, fine!" Thor cut him off, "Boring people. Just get together already," he muttered under his breath, following it up with a quick sip of his wine.

"Huh, what was that Thor?" you threatened.

"I said I'm glad we're all together today."

"Mmhmm," you nodded, you and Loki grinning triumphantly.

"Are plans for the festival running smoothly?" Odin asked, changing the subject with obvious intent, "I've spoken with Tilidirn about the layout of the streets and security during the parade. We wouldn't want another incident with any child nearly crushed by a horse. How about the festivities? Have you begun the list of vendors and events?"

"The sign-up for vendors is nearly full, but I've left the organization of events to Loki. He's better at negotiating those sorts of things. I can't stand the debates over who performs what and when."

"Very good. I'm sure you'll have the times and events running flawlessly," Odin complimented Loki.

"It shouldn't take long to sort out. It's simple logic, really. One must appeal to their intelligence," he replied, and you could see him biting back some follow-up about what little intelligence they have, or something along those lines. "Snacks are provided continuously, but the hour of the main food fair will consume anyone's ability to physically partake in competitions or games. Therefore, they should be spaced later in the day, with visual entertainment centered towards the end of the food fair. It's how mother used to block them, so I believe we should stick with her tradition."

"Wasn't there issue with the length of the performances encroaching on the games and vendors time?" Thor asked.

"Yes, because we never properly utilized the time between the parade and the food," Loki explained, "If we have the first performances ready to go, we could scratch them off the list before the tents even open."

"And the award ceremonies?" Odin asked, "The winners for costumes and similar trophies in the parade are usually done during that time. Do you intend to dispatch with those competition categories entirely?"

"Heavens, no. The people would riot if the costumes were ignored. No, I've decided we should announce them with the others before the fireworks. It always seemed foolish to dedicate such a length of time for short a ceremony when we have more awards in the evening."

Odin nodded as he thought about Loki's point.

"Make it so, my son. I trust your judgement."

"Thank you...father," Loki hesitated just a bit, noticeable enough to you and, you were sure, his father and brother.

Thor's face grew slightly worried, glancing from his brother to Odin. Odin, however, continued as if nothing had happened.

"It is a shame Brunnhilde will not lead the garrison in the parade, though I hardly blame her for such a choice," Odin said matter-of-factly.

"Oh my gosh, I always forget that's her actual name."

"Yes, they all just call her Valkyrie on earth," Thor chuckled to his father.

"Oh please, when have you ever called her Brunnhilde?"

"When have I ever called her Valkyrie?"

"You...ok, damn, fine. Wait, no, you've had to have called her something!"

"To her, yes, but I don't believe I've ever asked you where she is or called across the room for her, not since actually learning her name."

"Well, I'm sorry, I never saw you ask her name in Ragnarok, so I don't believe it. Loki, you've never called her Brunnhilde?"

"I never cared to ask her name," he said blandly, not looking up from cutting his food.

"Ok, not the best person to ask," you admitted to Thor, "But still, don't pretend as if Brunnhilde is something we should have all known to call her."

"Yes, but you could have done this thing, it's a new invention actually, it's called asking. You see, it's this thing where you---"

"Oh shut up! Royal pain in the ass. Sorry!" you apologized quickly to Odin once again.

"I quite agree, child," he said in amusement.

"Father!" Thor exclaimed in a betrayed tone.

You started laughing, with Loki and Odin following suit. Eventually, even Thor couldn't not join in. Loki's joyful expression as he chuckled along with his father and brother was something you never thought you'd see, but it was the most welcomed sight. It was happier than you'd seen him before. Additionally, all tension Loki usually had around Odin was gone. You hadn't even noticed when it had disappeared, as you just now thought back on how he'd been openly engaging in conversations and banter for most of breakfast.

"Have the two of you decided who will be with you during the parade?" Odin asked, once the laughter had subsided enough to get a word in.

"Sif usually fills the role when I don't feel like asking anyone, but she's still away. I'd ask Brunnhilde," Thor said the name with emphasis and look to you, "But she'd rather be anywhere but...well, she wouldn't accept. I suppose I'll ask one of our friends of the court. Lady Serena is usually kind enough to oblige."

"What of Jane Foster?" Odin asked.

"Ja---Jane, father?" Thor asked, caught by surprise.

"Yes. I should think you'd like the young lady accompanying you to be the one you love?"

"Y-yes, I mean I---I'd very much like her to be here. I didn't think I'd---I just thought she wouldn't be---"

"Many mistakes I have made in my life, son. Not treating Ms. Foster the way she deserved upon her first visit is one of them. Go. Ask if she will do us the honor of attending."

Thor's shock morphed into a smile, the idea filling him with visible delight.

"Thank you, father," he said, placing a hand lovingly on his shoulder. 

"Now go," Odin said, after smiling back, "I know you visit her, but you've been entirely too preoccupied as of late. You're eager to see her again, so go get her."

  Thor thanked him once more, before rising and practically running from the room. You smiled at his happiness, glancing to see Loki poorly hiding his own gladness at Thor's joy. He looked back down at his plate, the expression of slight awkwardness returning. Evidently, he didn't always know how to feel about Thor or his father, or at least still tried to fight his instinctive emotions.

"And you, my boy?" Odin asked, Loki looking across at him with noticeable surprise. You weren't sure if it was the question that yielded such a reaction, or the soft tone Odin took with him. Something as simple as Odin referring to him as his boy wasn't a shock to you, who knew they were once at least content as father and son. But you had to remember the events of the last four or five years. They had had a rather large falling out. Words and mistakes on both ends could not easily be forgotten, so it could very well have been Odin's casual approach that still caught his son off guard.

"Oh, well, you know," Loki cleared his throat, "I always find someone for these sorts of things. Like Thor said, there are many acquaintances in court I could bring along. They'd hardly refuse a chance to be in the public's eye I'm sure," he snickered.

"If that is what you wish," Odin nodded, "Though I had hoped you'd bring a friend to at least enjoy yourself. This is the first we have had the motivation to hold the festival in the last few years, and the first we shall all be in front of the entire populace as a family since Thor's failed coronation."

"Not all of us," Loki said in bitter grief.

You didn't know what to say to that, so you gave him a comforting smile when his eyes darted your way.

"Yes," Odin replied softly, his own face holding it's deal of pain, "Which is what makes this celebration more important than it has ever been. She'd have wanted us to have it. She'd have wanted you to enjoy yourself, which is why I was hoping you'd be accompanied by more than a silly girl seeking the attention of both a prince and the public."

You'd be lying if you said him asking you didn't pop into your head. You didn't know what they were talking about, not entirely at least, but you'd pieced together that the princes are usually accompanied by a female companion during the parade. It sounded like it could be a friend or girlfriend, so you, not knowing of anyone else Loki was close with, couldn't ignore the fact that that left yourself as a candidate. Quickly assuring your brain that it wouldn't happen calmed your nerves, as you certainly weren't ready to be seen, by the whole of Asgard, attending an organized celebration as, essentially, Loki's date. Even if it was just as friends, you would still be his plus one to a public function.

"If she were here, she certainly wouldn't be shocked by my escorting a random woman in the parade. I'm afraid some things do not change with the passage of time."

As sad as that statement was, you breathed a bit easier.

"Hmm," Odin hummed, a note of irritation to his expression, "Very well."

"I have events to organize and a pupil to train," Loki told his father, hand held out to you for that last part, "I shall see you later this evening." He stood up, beckoning for you to do the same.

"If you'd please, I wish to have a word with you," Odin stopped his son, "Thank you for coming, Ms. Arlington. I'll have someone escort you to your room."

"It's ok, I know the way, thank you though. And thanks again for having me! It was fun."

You smiled a goodbye, catching Loki's eye as you turned to leave. He didn't look terribly happy with his father's orders. Either he knew what the topic of discussion was, and didn't like it, or it was the notion of getting held back at all that upset him. He nodded once when your eyes asked the "You good bro?" that was on your tongue.

Instead of returning to your room, you made your way to Prince's Hall, finding the Guardians having their own breakfast.

"Look who sleeps in later than Drax," Quill said as you took a seat with them.

"I've been awake for a few hours, idiot."

"The sun's only been up for a few hours," Rocket said like that debunked your statement.

"Yeah, I practically watched it rise. I woke before it was up very far."

"People can do that?" Rocket sounded stunned.

"Sounds repulsive," Drax said as he ate.

"I am Groot."

"Don't get snippy with me, you're only up because there's food here," Rocket responded.

"Some people like to get up early and actually start their day," Gamora chimed.

"Which usually isn't me, but today it was," you admitted.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Peter asked with a mouthful.

"Nah, I already ate."

"There wasn't any food when we got here. What'd you do, have the servants bring a special meal in bed?" he scoffed.

"No, I ate with Thor and Loki."

"Aren't we fancy," he mocked.

"You have to bow and kiss their feet too?" Rocket joined.

"Or do people kiss your feet when you dine with a stuck-up prince?" Quill added.

"Someone's jealous they didn't get an invite," you answered, Gamora nodding when you looked to her.

"Jealous? Of having to eat with Thor?" Quill said.

"Jealous of not being on the same level as him," Gamora said, smirking at her boyfriend's continuous feud with Thor.

"Who beat him yesterday? Oh yeah, me! Maybe you've forgotten since then, so I'll tell the story again, just to get us all on the same page."

"No no, we're good!" Rocket protested, no insults thrown. He knew as well as you that insults would only prompt Peter to continue more vehemently.

"You should fight the god man next," Drax said, "Compete for ultimate dominance."

"Yeah that sounds like a great idea, Drax!" you said eagerly, giving Quill a look, "After all, a guy like you should easily beat a stuck-up prince, right?"

"Princes are often soft as well, with everyone doing their work for them," Gamora joined, "You should be capable of beating such a man."

"I---ha, yeah I-I could, I mean I want to, I really do, but we're guests, right? I don't think I should beat their prince. No yeah he's---he's fine where he---everyone knows who the best is, there's no need---we don't have to fight."

"How is this competition supposed to end if one of you doesn't die?" Rocket asked, earning a concerned stare from everyone.

"Uh...they get over it eventually? Competitions don't have to end with someone dying."

"Seriously?" he questioned.

"Yes!" Quill said worriedly.

"Oh...well I've been doing it wrong," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"For how long???" Quill exclaimed.

"I don't know, how long has it been since I was able to hold a weapon?"

"My god, dude, were you planning on killing me eventually?" he said, more joking than he was serious.

"I mean, not any time soon but---"

"Rocket!" Gamora scolded, as Peter loudly scooched his chair away from the raccoon.

"Do not worry, Quill, I would protect you," Drax assured him.

"No one's going to try killing anyone," Gamora told him.

"I wasn't gonna 'try' I was gonna 'do'," Rocket clarified.

"I am Groot."

"Yes, thank you, Groot," Quill said.

"We didn't pop out of the same lady, so we're not real brothers," Rocket argued.

"What, is Groot opposed to the fratricide you wanna commit?" you asked.

"Yes...fratricide...," Quill said slowly, "And for the others in the room who might not know what that means...?"

"You don't know what it means," you stated.

"What does it mean?" Mantis asked.

"I think she means he wants to eat Quill," Drax explained.

"No, it sounds like suicide," Rocket debated, "So clearly it means to kill a frat."

"Wait, so that means I'm the frat, wh--what's a frat?" Peter asked.

"A fat brat," Rocket said.

"That's where the f comes from!" Mantis said, happy to get it.

"A fbrat," Drax nodded.

"Maybe frat stands for a Fashionable Rugged Attractive Tough guy," Quill said, "Did you ever think of that?"

"Ah yes, it's an acronym now," you smiled.

"Acro what now?" Quill said like you were spitting nonsense at him.

"Frat is ac-ro-nym now," Mantis said.

"Arconymicide," Drax added.

"That makes less sense than the last word!" Rocket whined. 

You raised your eyebrows at Gamora, wondering whether you should end the debate, but she just shook her head.

"Wren," someone called from behind you. Ceyla was standing a few paces from the table, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Prince Loki has asked that you prepare for training. I'm to take you to him when you're ready."

"Damn I was hoping his dad-talk would last longer," you mumbled, "K, I'm coming," you said louder, standing from the table.

"Oooo, her Prince awaits!" Peter said in a deep, british voice, "He's outside your window throwing rocks and asking you to let down your hair, but you're not there!"

"Rocket, fratricide means to kill a brother, and I give you full permission," you said, before turning and walking out with Ceyla.

"She's not in charge!" you heard Peter arguing with whatever joyful response Rocket had.

You passed Valkyrie on the way down the hall, smiling as she stopped.

"I told you that top would look good."

"You and Nat are rarely wrong."

"Never wrong," she corrected.

"Where're you heading?"

"Oh, for some breakfast, and then maybe I'll find Thor or go fight someone. I think the furry loudmouth is sparring with Volstagg today, which might be fun to watch."

"You look like you just got up?"

"Yeah, well, I'm still not used to the amount of Asgardian ale it takes to reach the equivalent of what I had on Sakaar."

"Ah, gotchu."

"So the man down there's causing trouble again. Zemo was it?"

"Yup, he's still hanging around."

"And I'm sure you just hated having an excuse to live up here."

"It has it's perks."

"A tall dark-haired prince away from Avenger supervision being one of them?"

"It seems there are some things I can't get away from, even up here. You and Thor are too much."

"We're honest," she shrugged, going to walk past you.

"Wait, why did you never tell us your name? I mean, I had heard it before back home but forgot. Thor reminded me today, and I can't believe we all just called you Valkyrie."

"Names are a personal thing, something I have no need to give out to anyone."

"Even Nat? Or Wanda? Did you ever tell them?"

"It may have come up with Natasha."

"So...am I allowed to call you by your name?"

"I'm not going to punch you for doing so if that's what you're afraid of," she chuckled.

"No, I know. I just don't wanna call you by your name if you don't want me to."

If we're not close enough friends for that, is what you thought.

She stared for a second before deciding.

"Yeah alright," she nodded, "It's about time I started going by it again anyway."

"Ok then...Brunnhilde. I'll see you later I guess."

She stuck a hand in the air as a farewell while she walked away.

"She seems quite...intimidating," Ceyla said when she was a far enough distance not to overhear.

"She can be," you grinned, "But she's nice. It just takes some work to get to that tootsie center of the tootsie-pop."

"Tootsie?"

"Nevermind," you smiled, "We should get going. Wouldn't want another Loki scene would we?"

"I cannot believe I'm not fired from my position!"

"Oh come on, I'd personally complain to Thor and Odin if Loki ever tried to sack you for that. I told you I'd have your back."

"It was the boldest thing I've ever done."

"And Loki's reaction was well worth it, believe me."

The two of you made better time than earlier. You quickly changed, letting Ceyla lead you to wherever it was Loki had decided to train. Surprisingly, she led you outside and down to an area away from the city you'd never been before. It was your first time setting foot on part of the planet that wasn't in the city borders. The palace loomed over you as you walked over a hill.  Down the slope on the other side was a clearing in a grove of trees. Loki was waiting there, and you could tell immediately that he was in a sour mood.

"Uh, thanks, Ceyla, I've got it from here. He doesn't look too happy, ya might wanna get away now."

"Very well. Take care, Wren," she said, her smile wishing as much good luck as one could.

"Do you pride yourself on being late everywhere you go?" Loki asked as you reached the bottom.

"Don't start that again. Ceyla may have cursed you out, but I'll flat out smack you."

"And find yourself flat on your back."

"Not once I'm done learning how to do it without getting my head handed to me, which is why we're here. So are we gonna start or what?"

He grabbed your arm, stepping to your side and flipping you on your back before you had time to react.

"We've started," he smirked down at you, more aggressively than playful.

"That was low, even for you," you wheezed, pushing yourself up.

"Your enemies won't play fair."

"Oh so you're gonna be one of those movie teachers huh? A bit cliche don't you think?"

He grabbed your arm and made to step into another flip. You countered this time with a punch, which he blocked with his other hand, giving you the distraction you needed to bend and twist your arm free, as Nat had showed you.

"If it works," he nodded to your freedom, "Why not use it?"

"Damn, I hate that that kinda worked."

"You've been taught the basic self-defense, but I can teach you how to turn that defense into an attack. First, you need to learn to expect the unexpected."

He followed that up with punch to the gut and swing for the head. You dodged the attack aimed for your face, but the blow to your stomach found its target.

"Step as you duck," he sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

"Your attacker isn't going to give you time to prepare, nor tell you where they're aiming. This isn't Romanoff's training, Darling."

"So you've said," you grumbled, making sure you were watching him for any sudden movements.

The movement did indeed come, in the form of a right uppercut.  You slipped to your left, the fist missing by an inch.

"Now, try again, but this time use my momentum against me. Attack my vulnerable side."

He swung once more, and you did as he said. He twisted, however, grabbing your fist in his left hand and using your motion to flip you head over heels.

"That was just sloppy," he tutted.

"You told me to do it," you whimpered humorously, still finding it hilarious how much your ass was getting kicked right now.

"And you trusted me?"

"I'm learning that was a mistake."

You picked yourself up, readying for another attack.

"I'm going to do the same move, followed by a kick," he warned.

"Like...really followed by a kick?" you asked, eyes narrowing skeptically, "Or 'followed by a kick' like how I was supposed to 'attack your vulnerable side'?"

"Followed...by a kick," he said with emphasis, his pointed look implying otherwise.

"Oh ok, gotchu," you nodded, "Bring it."

His right arm flew at you, with you maneuvering as before. Your eyes then searched for another attack other than a kick, which was a mistake. His foot made contact with your chest hard, knocking you on your back once again.

"I told you to watch for the kick," he snickered.

"I hate you so much," you moaned, propping yourself into a sitting position.

"Are you seeing what I'm trying to do?"

"Be an asshole? Cuz I'd say you're succeeding."

"Trust no one. Believe nothing I say and rely solely on your own instincts and reaction. We will not always be there to call out the moves an opponent will perform. Someone might catch you off guard, an attack you never saw coming. Are you going to sulk on the ground when they do, or are you going to get off your ass and do something about it?"

"I liked Mr. Miyagi better," you said, standing for the third time, "It's from this movie Karate Kid---"

He threw a series of attacks, you backing away as you danced to avoid them. He eventually got you on your knees, arm pulled behind you and elbow pressed into your back.

"You're making this too---" he started. 

Speaking was his mistake, as he'd just revealed the location of his face. You whipped your head back forcefully, feeling the contact. His grip loosened and you spun on one knee, kicking him in the side. He buckled slightly, releasing your arm and throwing a punch down towards your face. You rolled out of the way, jumping to your feet. He came again with punches of a higher speed than before, and it took all of your concentration just to block them. His knee came up and you side-stepped it...right into an oncoming hand. He capitalized off of your pained reaction, grabbing you by the shoulders and and bringing his knee into your abdomen. Lastly, he finished by throwing you face first into the ground.

"Shit," you groaned in pain, slowly lifting yourself to your knees and catching your breath.

"Better," he remarked, rather coldly actually. Just because he was being both blunt and funny, didn't mean he could hide the harsher tone and behavior he'd had since you'd first walked down the slope.

"You gonna tell me what's got you like this?" you said without looking at him, still taking your time on your knees. If you stood up, there was a good chance you'd be back down shortly.

"Your lack of skill. It's like teaching an invalid to walk."

"Ok true...and ouch. But you can save the lying Loki," you said, standing up and holding your stomach as you did, "Having to train me isn't what's got you acting like a Grumpasaurus Rex."

He continued staring hard at you.

"See! Not even a smirk? Head shake? Disappointed sigh? Come on, it's like I'm talking to Avengers Loki here."

"Perhaps it is because we're the same person," he suggested like you were an idiot, "Or did you forget I actually did lead an attack on your city, rip a man's eye out, kill over a hundred people, brainwash Barton? The list goes on, not that you'd care to acknowledge any of it."

"You want me to constantly bring it up?"

"No."

"Then shut up!"

"This is me, Wren, for better or worse. You'll have to deal with it."

"Alright, what did your dad say that's got you hating yourself and therefore acting out so everyone either hates you too or showers you with love in order to prove you shouldn't hate yourself?"

I--I don't...I don't do that," he defended.

"Yeah ya do, like all the time."

Loki turned away, staring into the trees and thinking gosh knows what.

"You gonna tell me or do I have to nag you for the rest of the day?"

Finally, he let out his little breathy chuckle.

"Oh my god it's a miracle!" 

"Stop being so dramatic, Darling."

"Says the man who just beat me up because his dad got him upset."

"Know that I will continue throwing you to the ground, and hitting if you don't dodge. But that last attack was a little forceful, I'll admit."

"Ya kneed me like you were taking out Zemo himself."

"If that were true, you wouldn't be standing now."

"It still hurt like a bitch."

"I confessed it was a degree too much. I'm sorry if I truly hurt you," he apologized, his tone sincere.

"It's like you said. If you'd really really hurt me, I wouldn't be standing right now. Let's stay away from left hooks to my ear though, that stung."

"I'll hit gentler in the future, as I'm sure you still won't know how to avoid them."

"How considerate."

"Coming from the woman who slammed her head into me during a training session. You started the aggressive behavior!"

"It was like my fourth time on the ground, ok? I was a little irritated. Besides, you told me to react instinctively. You got too close, I capitalized."

"If my teachings are so helpful, stop complaining about my methods."

"So about what your dad said?" you asked, veering the conversation back to what he was avoiding.

"Between him and myself...though there's one subject I suppose I'd have to discuss with you anyway."

"Which is?"

"He'd like me to... ask you to accompany me...to the parade."

"Okaaaay, and what do you want to do?"

"What?"

"It's your choice, Loki. You should bring who you want, not who your dad tells you to. Who were you thinking? I don't know any of your lady friends besides Sif, so I can't really help. I don't know who Serena is, but if Thor's taking Jane, you could take her?"

"Darling, did you not pick up on the fact that I don't have terribly close friends around here? Especially of the female variety. I'm afraid they didn't appreciate my sense of humor."

"Well you're in a pickle then. You can't please your father if you don't have anyone you want to take."

"You think I don't want you to come?" Loki asked.

"I thought your dad does but you don't? I mean, I'm not exactly 'public parade' material," you laughed, "Hell, I'd take an Asgardian woman any day if I were you."

"On the contrary, there's no one else I could at least have a decent conversation with. If you're not opposed, I'd have you as my guest."

"You're insanely confusing, you know that?!"

"Why?"

"Because your dad wants you to bring me, and you're so angry with the idea that you kick my ass. And now you're like 'oh no, I'm not opposed to it at all. Can't you tell gods throw punches when they aren't opposed to an idea?'"

"I was never opposed to the idea!"

"My face and stomach beg to differ!"

"That wasn't because of that, ok? I got carried away because I was mentally preoccupied and frustrated, alright? But that was over other aspects of my conversation with Odin. I do not disagree with his request!"

"Then why didn't you ask me before Odin told you to? Not that I'm like 'oh my gosh, why didn't you ask me' but like it's hard to believe you're ok with this when it took your dad to get you to do it."

"I wasn't sure you'd be interested, though I knew I'd end up running it past you eventually. Certainly not in front of my father though. Who knows what Thor's put in his head! Asking you at all was going to be enough to stir up talk. You know what we deal with from your friends and my brother already. Attending the parade together will do nothing short of add a shit ton of kindle to their fire."

"That can get pretty irritating."

"Precisely."

"And the people will undoubtedly spread rumors among themselves."

"They do with every guest Thor and I have ever taken," he admitted.

"Sounds like a lot of hassle just for you to enjoy your time a little more."

"It does."

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, I accept."

Loki was speechless for a moment, looking like he was wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Remember when you said I was insanely confusing?" he finally spoke.

"It can be irritating, can't it?" you smiled.

"You're serious though? You'll come?"

"Why would I say no?"

"Oh I don't know," he said sarcastically, "Maybe all of the reasons you listed and then some?"

"We don't let what people say get to us, right?"

"Right," he grinned.

"They can be weird and say whatever they want. But we know we're friends who are going to have a good time. Have I ever let what someone might say or think stop me from doing something?"

"Of course, how silly of me to think otherwise."

"So what's the deal with this whole parade thing anyway?"

"Nothing too complicated. We open the parade, each couple in their own chariot. When we arrive at the end, we take our seats among the square that marks the end of the parade. Much like the center performers or floats would reach in your Thanksgiving festival."

"Oh, so we open, but then are there to see all of what follows?"

Loki nodded.

"Doesn't sound too bad."

"You're expected to attend the food-fair and other such coordinated events as well, though I promise you'll have time to yourself. Spend it with your Guardians, explore, whatever makes you content."

"I heard you're in charge of the fireworks?" you asked excitedly.

"You've been speaking with Thor, I see," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh stop, he's happy you're doing it! And proud too, you should have heard the confidence he had in you."

"Praise the Allfather! I didn't know what I was going to do if Thor didn't have confidence in me."

"Just admit it, that does make you happy."

"I'll be happy when I see how the show turns out."

"Do I detect a hint of Loki doubting his abilities?"

"Please, I know how splendid a performance I can render. It's up to the dull minds of Asgard to appreciate it."

You knew he had to have been nervous, trying to live up to his mom's reputation, so you didn't press the issue.

"Well, I think you're gonna blow their minds."

"If I aim a firework at them perhaps?"

"Don't think Thor and I haven't considered that possibility!"

"Rather tempting, isn't it? At least just at Thor."

"Stick to aiming them at the sky for now, psycho."

"You can be a bore sometimes, you know that? It's not like it'd kill him," he muttered as he walked across the clearing.

"Shall we continue?" he asked, turning to face you.

"Is training gonna consist of 'expect the unexpected' everyday, or am I gonna learn some things without getting my head handed to me?"

"There will be a great deal of spontaneous combat, Darling. It is the best way to prepare you for the harsh reality of battle. But I'll take it easier, I promise. And we'll work on actual controlled attacks and defense."

True to his word, Loki took a more organized approach. He had you explain what you'd learned from Nat and how far into combat you really were. He admitted you had quite a good foundation from Romanoff, but that you were still too used to running sets. Even when you'd held your own with Sam, he'd been using controlled attacks. It was an accomplishment to still stand your ground against that, but he hadn't gone full method on you. Loki worked, for what felt like an hour, on teaching you how to anticipate an enemy's next move. How to read their eyes, their stance. He'd test you by changing up his attacks, which you would fail to predict at your own peril. He'd halt after two or three swings and stop himself just before landing a blow that you failed to block, which was nicer than flipping you to the ground.

"Again! Better, but you're dropping your guard and you're late on the third one every time."

On and on you went, skipping the basics and warmups Nat would put you through. He'd launched you right into the fire, where you'd remain for the rest of your two hours together.

"Damn," you breathed heavily, dropping to the ground when he announced the end, "I think the left side of my leg is gonna bruise like crazy."

"It will until you learn to not let the same attack hit you in the same spot every time," Loki sat down next to you.

"Hey, I got better at it towards the end...maybe...kinda...sorta," you mumbled to yourself.

"You did improve," he agreed, running his fingers through his sweaty hair, "Though we should work on your stamina, so we can go longer."

"My stamina is fine, ok? I didn't die with Cap every morning for nothing."

"It can improve."

"Ya know, maybe if we had water like at all during the hours we've been here I wouldn't look ready to die."

"You didn't drink at all, did you?"

"Do you see a bottle of water laying around? Besides, I don't think we ever stopped long enough to have some even if we had any."

"I forgot how much you mortals need to hydrate."

"Don't pretend you're not thirsty. You're breathing heavy too."

"Shall we ascend and indulge our thirst then?" he held out his hand.

"Weird way of putting it. Ya know you can just say 'Go inside and get some water' right?"

"And lower myself to your speech standards?"

"Fine, let us ascend," you mocked, taking his hand. You made a rather comical groan as he pulled you up. "Don't laugh, I've still got enough in me to take you on again."

"You'd pass out before you threw a punch."

"Why'd you...have to choose...the bottom of a frickin hill?" you panted, "Cuz now...we have to walk up it."

"More exercise."

"Yeeeah, cuz that's what I want after two hours of hell."

"Did you ever consider a career in drama?"

"I shoulda, I'd be making bucks rather than trudging up a hill."

He led you to Prince's Hall, which was empty at the moment, and the two of you enjoyed the cool refreshing water, which always tasted better after a workout. He had work to do for the festival, so he bid you farewell when your break was over. You asked the whereabouts of the Guardians until you found them back down in the park. You finished off your day and evening with them, feeling far too sore when your body hit your mattress.

***

Your first week on Asgard passed faster than you'd anticipated. Days consisted of breakfast with the Guardians, training with Loki, a shopping/sightseeing stroll with Brunnhilde once or twice (taking Gamora with you), some nights drinking with Thor and his friends, Rocket and Volstagg dueling every day (with bets placed), staring contests with Drax, dance parties with Quill, teaching Mantis new things, and playing little games with Groot that he enjoyed. Ceyla had brought you to her house, introducing you to her family. You'd spent the lunch hours with them, fortunate enough to have been there when her boyfriend stopped by. All in all there was never a dull moment, yet always time to relax and enjoy the wonders of Asgard. Before you knew it, the morning of the festival had arrived.

"Is this like a matchy-matchy thing, like prom?" you asked as Ceyla pulled out a gold dress.

"I thought it'd look nice paired with the Prince's usual golden accents, yes," she confessed, laying the dress on the bed.

It was a one-sleeved gown, airy and light looking. There was detailing around the neck and at the end of the sleeve and base of the dress. 



                                                      (Like this kinda, but with a gold color scheme)

"I can't believe I'm doing this," you whispered to yourself, momentarily regretting your decision to accompany Loki.

"You'll be fine," she assured you, sitting you down to do your hair.

"There's like nothing I have to do right? No formalities I don't know about?"

"No, you'll be alright. Besides, the Prince will be with you ever step of the way. He'll help if needed."

You didn't say anything in response as she started braiding the different parts of your hair that were to be pinned in one of her elaborate styles.

"Did you ever ask him about the necklace?" she asked.

"No, actually, I completely forgot," you answered, fingering the crystal.

"I think, now that he and the Allfather wanted you to join him today, we can safely assume they both wanted you to have it."

"Odin's nice, so sure we'll go with it," you gave in.

"So...how's your training with the Prince going?" she asked, her voice purposefully strange.

"Don't start! You're lucky I forgot to yell at you for that comment last week!"

"I simply thought you'd be pleased to realize how much the Prince...cares for you."

"At this point, I don't think there's a single person we meet who won't think this about us. Seriously, everyone, whether it be the Guardians for thirty seconds or Thor for a day, jumps right to the teasing."

"Maybe it's just that obvious."

"Maybe people are just shocked Loki has a friend," you laughed.

"Hmm, maybe. Regardless, I'm sure you and the Prince will have a grand time today. Just enjoy yourself."

She did your hair and makeup, before helping you step into your dress. 

"There. You're fit to be a princess!"

You gave her a look.

"Figuratively. The look of a princess," she clarified hastily, unable to conceal her smile.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. You've really outdone yourself though, Ceyla. I look like something from a fairytale."

"For all intents and purposes, you're in one."

"True," you grinned, turning to look at the dress from all angles.

"Ready?" she asked, giving you a second to take a breath.

"As I'll ever be."

She led you to where all of the royal family and members of court were waiting.

"Ah! Wren!" Thor waved you over, "Please, allow me to officially introduce you to Jane Foster, though you know who she is."

"Oh my god!" you gasped, looking at Natalie Frickin Portman.

"Uh, hey!" she smiled, giggling nervously, "I--uh, I heard about your...well, where you're from and...that's--that's kinda remarkable."

"Yeah it's a lot," you chuckled, "Most people have a hard time believing."

"I mean, I did at first but...well, look around! No one thought this was possible five years ago."

"The universe is whack I guess."

"This opens so many questions, so many theories. I mean, this is revolutionary! Alternate realities? A multiverse, essentially! Scientists have studied the practicality for years, so many theories revolved around the possibility. What was it like? Going through the portal I mean?"

You and Jane spoke for the next few minutes, Thor happy to see the two of you getting along.

"I see you decided to dress for the occasion this time," Loki's voice spoke behind you.

"Yeah um," you said, looking down at your dress, "Ceyla knows how to do her job."

"She certainly does," he agreed, the closest thing to a compliment.

"Jane," he nodded a hello, mouth set firmly though not harshly.

She punched him hard, Loki smirking as he turned back.

"That's for faking your death and...everything after that!"

"I love you," you laughed to her, and she smiled proudly.

"Yes, I still do like her," Loki grinned, "Brother, it appears your poor judgement took a holiday."

"As did yours," Thor grinned obnoxiously.

Your face felt warmer as you realized what he meant.

"Wait," Jane said, looking from Thor to you, "You're---you're with him?" she asked, pointing to Loki.

"Uh yeah," you grinned sheepishly.

She sat, mouth hanging open, still dumbfounded by the notion.

"...him?" she repeated like it was a mistake.

"Yes, him! But just as friends, don't go getting weird ideas on me, please! You're currently the only one not on that bandwagon yet."

"I...um, ok. At least it's just friends."

"We'll talk later," Thor whispered loudly to her.

"Thor, come on," you groaned.

"What? I just want to catch up. Who implied anything else?" he winked to Jane, who held in her laugh.

Trumpets sounded, signaling for everyone to move into position.

"We'll see you later," Thor said, "Have fun."

"Try not to fall out," you waved back.

"I'll watch him," Jane grinned, taking Thor's arm and heading for their chariot.

"How did an oaf like my brother score an intelligent woman like that?" Loki mused.

"Someone jealous? We got a love triangle forming here?"

Loki scoffed, giving you his side-eyed look.

"We should go," he gestured to the chariot behind Thor's.

The vehicles weren't exactly chariots, not by typical greek or roman movie standards. They were essentially small open-roofed carriages, each pulled by a beautiful white horse. When you got to the steps of your ride, Loki moved aside and held out his hand to help you up. Not used to that kind of treatment, you furrowed your brow.

"We really playing the fancy part today, are we?"

"What have you said in the past? When in Rome?"

"When in Rome," you repeated, taking his hand and climbing into the little buggy.

He sat next to you, seconds before the trumpets blared again. The horses began moving, pulling the carriages from the tunnel. The bright daylight briefly blinded you, and you blinked a few times in an attempt to focus. Crowds were lining the sides of the street. You passed what must have been the opening of the parade on your left, turning right at the corner. Presumably, the rest of the parade would follow. Citizens filled doorways and balconies, steps and fields. Those looking down on the procession were casting flower petals in the air, a beautiful flow of white and purple.

"Wave now and again," Loki said, and you snapped back to reality.

He was raising his hand in greetings to the crowd, looking fondly and authoritatively to the masses.

"I think my arm will get tired," you said, doing as he said.

"Keep it light, and only here or there. We can speak, just make it look like we're not ignoring them."

"I have to make it look like I'm listening to Sam all of the time when he speaks, so this shouldn't be too hard."

The route through Asgard took you over bridges, where you looked out at cliffs and waterfalls, flocks of birds gliding softly in the wind. The music of the performers a distance behind you could be heard. You and Loki talked and laughed for most of the ride, waving at the cheering crowds just enough to make it look as if your attention was on them. After half an hour of riding, you reached the large square where the population had squeezed around. Seats, or thrones, had been set up at the top of a flight of steps. You counted five, one for Odin and the other four for his sons and their companions. The horses came to a stop, and Loki hopped lightly from the carriage, aiding you in your descent. From there, you walked arm-in-arm with him up to your seats. The parade followed, and you enjoyed the bright costumes, dancers, magicians, musicians, and stunt performers that passed through. The Warriors Three led the army, lines and lines of soldiers with freshly polished golden armor. Naturally, you and Loki couldn't help but crack jokes at some of them. In one instance, after a particularly hilarious comment from Loki, you had to cover your mouth and quickly wipe away your watery eyes that threatened to destroy Ceyla's talented make-up work.  

The last participants disappeared around the corner, leaving nothing but cheers for a solid minute. From the elevated position, you could see most of the distance you'd covered, and the heads of hundreds of citizens. Odin raised his hands for silence. The order took a bit to make it's way down the long ranks, but eventually there was relative silence. Odin thanked everyone for coming, his voice echoing down the streets as he gave some touching speech you sure would have engaged you...had Loki not been using his magic to make a tingling sensation on your cheek. You don't know how exactly he was doing it, but the way he was staring too intently at his father, while the feeling came and went like controlled by a switch, told you all you needed to know. You rested your elbow on the arm of your chair, chin propped on your hand so as to scratch the itch as subtly as possible. Your head was facing Odin, but your eyes burned into Loki. His hand moved ever so slightly on his lap, the tickle coming once again. Though you couldn't exclaim in victory, you smiled triumphantly. Loki must have understood you'd caught on, because a smirk crept onto his face.

Thankfully, the speech was soon done, the crowd dispersing to parts unknown. Loki rose, offering his hand. You dug your nails in briefly as you stood, only making him smile more.

"Are you alright, Darling? You seemed to rub your face a great deal during the speech. I certainly hope you're not having a reaction to anything?"

"Oh hardyharhar," you muttered, softly punching his side as you followed the stream of people. "Where are we going now?"

"Weren't you paying attention?"

"I was a bit preoccupied."

"You'll see."

As you turned a corner, you saw what he meant. The festival's main center was on a very wide very long expanse of stone. You'd walked this area before, usually contained by little vendors and markets for a great distance. Now, tents, stands, and stages had been set up as far as the eye could see, the crowd already enjoying the first rounds of performers.

"In about twenty minutes, the tents will open, and more dishes than you could possibly hope to try will be before you."

You were already captivated by some of the performers you saw, tugging Loki in their direction.

"Do you mind? I can walk myself around if you've got somewhere to---"

"You're my guest. We're expected to be together during this time," he sounded fine with that fact, grinning as he led you over to the artists that'd caught your attention.

You walked around with Loki to all of the various performances. When the tents opened, and the food fair began, he introduced you to his particular favorites. Then it was back to the stages for more entertainment. Somehow, the transition from one set of events to another happened seamlessly, the tents and stages either being filled or replaced with vendors and games. Around this time was what Loki had referred to as your free time. The two of you ran into the Guardians near one booth where Hogun and Brunnhilde were competing in a drinking competition. There was no topping the speed at which she could down her liquor, and she walked away victorious. Rocket was mesmerized by a weapons stand, partaking in the target practice that transpired there. Groot walked around with a little prize he'd won, clutching it like it was the most important treasure. Quill somehow got Gamora to dance with him on a makeshift dance-floor, where Asgardian instrumentalists played a lively tune. You took Drax and Rocket up on some of their challenges, winning a few games and losing others. Random parts of the crowd would pay you and Loki special attention, but mainly everyone knew to watch, partake, and enjoy the fun. 

Some main competitions occurred towards the end of the day, which called for you and Loki's personal attendance. Archery, knife throwing, even acrobatics were among the tournaments held, the winners of each written down and stored away for the awards later. The sun was nearly set when the awards were handed out. After that, people scattered to find a good view of the water and the fireworks that were to take place above its surface. 

"This is where I get in position," Loki said, "I hope you enjoy the show."

"Wait," you said before he could take a step, "Uh, I don't know where the others have gotten to...is it alright if I hang with you for it? Or do you perform better alone?"

"By all means, come along," he held out his arm, which had now become a familiar motion at this point in the day. He led you through the streets, which were quieting down as people spaced out to all areas of the city for the best view. He continued walking until you were out on the rainbow bridge, roughly in the middle.

"You might want to stand back, just to be safe," he warned, rubbing his hands together.

He lifted his palm to the sky, a single green spark of light shooting in the air and exploding into what was already the most spectacular firework you'd ever seen. This was going to be one hell of a show. The first one had just been a heads up to settle down, and a minute or two later Loki assumed his readied stance. He took a deep breath. His right hand launched towards the stars, beams of light shooting into the dark and releasing their volley of colors. Sometimes no projectiles could be seen, Loki simply making bursts appear in the air. The water reflected the skies above, making the sight all the more magical. It was hard for you to decide what to look at. The wondrous show, or the man in front of you? He was locked in, fully concentrated. But there was this glimmer to his eyes, a delight in his expression as he let his magic flow. His show was more than colors. There were stories told, battles recreated. Sometimes his sparks would turn themselves into a thousand butterflies. Animals, mythical and grand, pranced through the air, as colors exploded around them. His shapes and people were a celebration of Asgardian culture. How he continued for so long was a mystery, as the show went on for ten minutes at least. Never once were you bored. After a series you assumed was the finale, one last golden light soared into the sky. When it took shape, your mouth dropped in awe. Unlike the other fireworks that popped and sizzled in a loud mixture of fun and engaging sounds, this one gracefully burst into it's form, hardly making a noise. The glimmering gold particles morphed into the beautiful likeness of Frigga. She sat, hands folded on her lap, smiling down at the city. The image lasted longer than the others, before fading into a shimmering sea of colors and eventual darkness. 

Loki stared at the sky, as if longing to have spoken with the apparition. Small beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. He stood, slowing his breathing, a small smile appearing. The city broke into cheers, their voices carried over the water. Loki turned towards the sound, his back facing you. Usually you'd have been hesitant to display such friendly affection, but you couldn't help it. You walked up next to him, taking his hand in yours. He seemed shocked by the applause, perhaps surprised that he could render such a reaction. He looked at you and you smiled.

"She's proud of you. Listen to them Loki. We all are."

He smiled, a sea of emotions playing on his face. He squeezed your hand a little tighter, the two of you taking in the merry sounds of the Asgardians before walking hand-in-hand back to the city.

Chapter 41: (Chapter 40): A Tiny Event

Notes:

Yeah, it's late again...I'm convinced I'm not capable of posting on time. Anyway, sorry this one is shorter than others, but there's a lot I have to cover in order to get us to this story's end, and I'm finding myself wanting to cram it all in large chapters when lately time won't let me do that. So here's a slightly smaller one for now. Hopefully next week's is longer.

"When you said we were taking the day off, I didn't think you were gonna substitute it for a hike," you said, hopping down from the fallen tree trunk you'd stepped on.

"And I never said we were taking the day off. I said no training," Loki answered from ahead of you.

"Then what is this?"

"Are you really viewing this walk as a physically draining task?"

"No," you defended quickly, "I was just saying."

"Yes, you tend to do that."

You couldn't argue. After all, you had just said it for the sake of teasing. You really were loving the hike. It was the first time you'd walked through the woods and over the hills of Asgard. Nature was much the same as it was in any beautiful place on earth, besides the occasional plant or creature you came across that reminded you of where you were. You'd stop and ask questions about them, stare at them, admire them. If the walk had been for exercise reasons, you'd have been traveling at a faster rate or climbing a mountain, both without stops.

"Then where are we going?"

"I thought you'd liked to see the planet."

"Oh...uh yeah, I do. Guess I just always think there's a plan with you, a destination."

"A trick?" he questioned, pausing to look back.

"Not necessarily! You just have a reason for the things you do...usually...even if they're sometimes stupid."

"I have half a mind to leave you here, lost in the woods."

"I'd find my way back."

"Please, you barely know your way around the palace, and you've been living there for three weeks."

"Well it's easy for you, you've lived there for a lifetime! I can remember one direction though, and uh trees and and, I don't know, rocks or something. Point is, my mind is a fully-functioning GPS."

Loki huffed.

"You don't even know what a GPS is!"

"I can infer it's meaning through your words."

"Can you infer this meaning?" you asked from beside him, flipping him off.

He let go of the branch he'd pushed aside before you were through, letting it whack your face.

"That's it! You and me, right here," you said, catching up to him and doing a boxer's bounce around him, "I'll take you with my eyes closed," you joked, still jumping back and forth with your fists up, throwing fake jabs and hooks. Loki kept trying to walk past, but you hopped around in front of him, slowing his progress.

"Can we not?" he said, though letting the smile he'd been holding shine through.

"What's that whole knight honor thing? I demand satisfaction, sir!" you declared in a british man's voice, "I'd throw the left glove down or however they do it, but uh I-I don't have one. Wait, here!" you took the hair-tie off of your wrist and cast it dramatically on the dirt at his feet. "Pick it up, sir!"

"You've read or watched too many stories," he remarked, folding his arms.

"Yeah yeah, we know this. But you come from a place of literal knights, so you have to pick it up. I challenged you, now accept or be disgraced."

"That's not how it really wor---"

"Accept or be disgraced!"

He sighed and gave his little Loki laugh, shaking his head. Finally, he held his hands out in submission.

"Very well. Though I'm afraid this means you've subjected yourself to a defeat you would have had a respite from today."

"Maybe I've grown so accustomed to training that I need a good fight?"

He bent over to grab the hair-tie, and you used the opportunity to grab his shoulder, twist around and place your knee in his back, pushing him the rest of the way into a face-first collapse. You quickly jumped back before he could react.

"Well that was quick," you shrugged, "We can go now." You continued down the path, knowing he'd be right behind you.

"If we weren't on a time-sensitive endeavor, your ass would in the dirt," he said as he stepped into stride with you.

"I thought this was just a walk? What's so time-sensitive about that? Or was I right when I said Loki doesn't do anything without a reason?"

"I'm right here, you don't have to use third-person."

"I like to show off that I know your character. It's about the only thing I have over you, so I'll suck as much from it as I can."

"That can't be! You're so humble, I-I just can't believe you'd do something like that."

"If that's not the pot calling the kettle black."

"I'll have you know, I am extremely humble," he shook his finger at you.

"Yeah, I chose wisely in my friendship," you chuckled.

"Ok, saying something like that while we're currently spitting sarcasm at each other maybe makes one think you mean the opposite."

"I guess it depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you've brought me out here to kill me and you've got an alibi to go build, hence time-sensitive."

"Damn, I guess I should just do it now before you try to run."

"It's my day off remember? I'd rather get stabbed 37 times in the chest than run."

"Let's pray Thanos doesn't attack on your day off," Loki laughed.

"That'd be the kind of shit move he'd do. He'd be about to attack the day before, then hear that it's my day off the next day and hold on til then."

"How terribly rude."

"Yeah well, that's what happens when you're the best fighter on the opposing side. Thanos wouldn't stand a chance if I was ready to fight. He knows I'd whoop his ass," you said, waving your hands around karate-style.

"We thought you'd help us win by being a step ahead of Thanos, yet we all missed that it was your expert warrior capabilities that would win the day," he played along.

"I'd probably...cast my hair-tie down or something," you said, ending with stupid laughter, "Didn't see that coming did ya, you fat shit?" you said to an imaginary Thanos.

"If you don't do that when the time comes, I'll be heavily disappointed."

"I think I'd be dead before saying anything if I ever got that close to Thanos. In fact, if he and his army come at us, I'll probably be dead real quick."

"You wouldn't be allowed to fight."

"We might not get that luxury. Good guys rarely do."

"I'm supposed to be the pessimistic realist in this relationship, Darling."

Stop overthinking the word relationship! you screamed to yourself. You'd been fine handling and forgetting all of your past contemplations, but there was still that time or two where thinking of Loki or seeing him do or say something made you feel the butterflies scratching and clawing at your stomach. You'd shove them aside as usual and move on, never upset over or longing for something more than the friendship you had. When in control, you didn't want more with Loki. Your friendship with him was fun and silly and really really awesome. And again, the thought of actually dating any MCU character in real life, all jokes or initial positions back at home aside, was weird. But it was the times where you let your guard down...the times when you were zoned out or daydreaming that the feeling would find it's way back. Here you weren't out of it, so you were able to laugh at your jitters around the word relationship.

"What'd I say?" he asked, noticing the hesitation in any kind of retort.

"Nothing, I'm just trying to piece together why we're actually out here," you lied, "It'll be dark before we get home, so I don't know where we're going so late."

"You won't have to wait much longer," he answered, nodding ahead. 

The path broke from the trees, the clearing ahead surround by a wall of rocks on the opposite side. Turns out a pool of water occupied much of the open space. You heard the rhythmic sound of waves rising and breaking against a shore. You stood on tiptoes, trying to spot the ocean over the lowest part of the rocks, but even that point was too high to see anything but the sky above it. 

"Follow me," he said, walking towards the water. 

He stepped lightly across rocks protruding from the surface, you hopping from one to the other behind him. Upon reaching the wall, he began climbing over boulders, making his way up the slope. You obediently did the same. Once on top, you could see the sea ahead of you, the white foam splashing against the rocks. The sun was setting, and the breeze coming in over the water was cool and pleasant.

"We're not done," Loki said, heading over the top of the wall. The rock structure stuck out into the sea in a long strip, and it appeared he wanted to take you to its tip. Or so you thought.

Half-way across the stone expanse, he took a detour towards the left, jumping down into a level a few feet lower than the rest. The area sloped more from there, though heading in the direction of tip, even if you were too low to see that now. Curiosity regarding where this would lead was quickly answered, as his path led under an overpass into the mouth of a cave.

"Wait, is this the cave?"

He held out his hand. "Let's find out."

You took his hand excitedly, walking into the darkness. The tunnel was the darkest part, but it opened into a cavern that was lit by an opening high upon a wall. The daylight sparkled off of the millions of crystals that lined the ceiling, walls, stalactites and stalagmites. It was like standing in a calm, subtle version of the bifrost. Each crystal reflected a color, or colors, based on the angle of the light on its surface, the result being hundreds of sparkling shades. 

The Burning Caves continued much farther than you'd imagined, and you predicted it must have had to cover most, if not all, of the distance to the tip of the rock protrusion. You let go of Loki's hand, walking around the cave. Your shadow played across the wall. Lights danced off of you, like someone reflecting colors onto you with a mirror. Your necklace joined in the parade, intensified by the series of lights to work with.

"How is this place not mobbed with people?" you whispered in awe.

"Most have seen, but many still take walks. It is a rather long hike and not the easiest place to reach however. I also think many don't want to get caught up in a possible scandal. This place is treasured, sacred. No one wants to tarnish it's beauty."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. Someone told me that crystals can only be taken from the cave on Odin's orders."

"That's correct," he nodded as he walked over next to you, looking around at the gems as he did.

"Did you have to ask Odin for mine?"

"What if I did?" he smirked.

"I...nah, I guess um, I guess nothing, really. I was just curious. It sounded all a bit...I don't know, much?"

"You traveled up here and asked Odin for permission to search my mother's things."

"Technically, Thor asked. I didn't meet Odin then."

"Same thing."

"Well uh, thanks again, and thank your dad too."

Changing instantaneously, the light in the room burned a fierce orange. Loki was right, it was like standing in a sunset. Every crystal seemed to glow with it's own fire. The collective sight was almost too bright to see, but you never even blinked. Everywhere you turned, that sunset orange, mixed with shades of red, pink, and yellow, filled your view. The opening in the wall was a steady stream of those colors, the sun evidently having reached the perfect height on the horizon. The sun only remained so for a few minutes, the miraculous occurrence fading as quickly as it had arrived. The sparkle that took it's place was softer than before, the sun providing less light as it disappeared below the opening.

Loki was watching your reaction, and you wondered if he'd been doing so the entire time. With such a display around him, you hardly thought that was the case.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Like flying into a sunset," you admitted in an impressed tone, "You weren't kidding."

"Funny how often that turns out to be the case."

"Surprising is the better term."

"Also true."

"It really was amazing though...thanks for uh, for showing me."

He smiled back, one of those awkward eye-contact pauses happening.

"Uh we should, we should probably get back. It'll get pretty dark in here quickly," he said.

You left the cave, climbing back to the top of the rocks and down the other side.

"There's one more thing I had wanted to show you," he said as you stepped across the rocks of the little body of water.

"What?"

He turned and threw you into the water, the salty, cold liquid rushing over you. You spat it out of your mouth as you surfaced. 

"How nice the water is this time of year," he answered your question.

You pushed your wet hair out of your face, glaring up at him.

"Don't give me that look, I never did pay you back for the bridge."

"Yeah, we seem to be slipping on the Prank Wars lately."

"Here's your three-week-old comeuppance."

You splashed him, but he immediately dried himself.

"That's! Not! Fair!" you said, splashing with each word, and him subsequently drying himself every time.

"War isn't fair," he said happily, finishing his steps to the edge.

You swam over, pulling yourself onto the grass.

"Just haaaad to ruin a nice night," you accused.

"You ruined the nice walk on the bridge."

"It was daytime, so it was warmer. Also, you have a magic blow-dryer."

"Yes, but you pushed me from a significantly larger height."

"You lived didn't you?"

"And if I hadn't?"

"Then that's one puny god."

"Your concern is touching."

"There is no concern in war. Only the enemy and what we do to beat them."

"I'd be proud if I wasn't worried."

"I'm not serious...necessarily."

"Yeah, worried," he decided.

"I've been trained by you for too long apparently. I'll have to keep myself from randomly punching Nat cuz I suspect an attack from her in training."

"What's the latest from them? Any news?"

"Oh same old same old. Everyone's good. No trace of Zemo, as expected. He's an extremely patient man. Whatever he's planning, if it involves me, he'll wait to execute until the right moment."

"He can't reach you here, so patience is irrelevant. He'll be forced to deal directly with the Avengers if he wants to take them down."

"I mean sure, but I can't stay here forever."

"Why not?"

"Um...because.......I don't know, I guess it really doesn't matter where I live does it?" you realized.

"One way or another, this will come to a head. And not just Zemo. Thanos, the stones, everything. It will end one day, for better or for worse. So it's not forever, it's just until it's over."

"What then?" you asked quietly before you stopped yourself.

"What?"

"What do I do then?" you asked, deciding there was no point in not discussing the matter.

"Well we...we work on a way to get you home."

"How? Torturing young me until she opens another portal for me?"

"We'll find a way, if...if that's what you wish."

"I don't belong in this world, Loki," you admitted sadly, "I wish I did. I wish my family was here and not back home. But my parents they...they're already kinda old if I'm being honest. And I don't have like a ton of friends, but my one or two close ones are probably already worried. We can't just leave behind where we're from, where we were supposed to be."

"Perhaps the portal led you where you were supposed to be?" he countered.

"For the time being, yes, I think so. I was needed. By my younger self, by you guys, by this universe. But when that need is over, how can I say this is where I should stay? Even if I wanted to."

"You consider the Avengers family? So you now have family and friends in both worlds."

"That doesn't mean I can abandon one without ever having told them."

"And what if your friends and family would want you to stay where you were happy?"

Why is he making such a big deal out of this? 

"I'd never know, would I? Honestly, I think my friends would tell me to go for it, but it'd need to be a compelling reason that got me to stay without ever talking to my parents."

"What kind of reason?"

"I don't know, something. I guess I'd know when it came up. But right now, as much as it would hurt never seeing you or the others again, it'd hurt just as much never seeing my family again without saying goodbye. And without a reason other than 'I like it here' I don't think I could justify leaving them. Not without their blessing."

Loki was quiet, and you hated the somber mood that had fallen on the situation.

"But what are we even discussing this now for??" you said a little more cheerfully, "We've got a while before we know for certain that Thanos is not a threat, maybe even two years before he comes for the stones and realizes we've blown them to hell."

"Maybe that's long enough to find that compelling reason?"

 "Why?" you smiled, "Gonna miss your friend so badly you need me to stay?"

"I'd survive," he replied in his care-free attitude, "But...I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of you sticking around."

"Now there's a compelling reason," you chuckled, "Hey Ma, ya know that bad guy I loved watching in the Marvel movies? Yeah, well he's my friend now, so I'ma move dimensions."

He laughed lightly with you, but it sounded forced, disingenuous. Or you were hearing things.

"Yes that'd be a--a stupid reason," he joked.

You finished your journey home, finally convincing Loki to lend you some magical aid in drying your clothes.

"Oh! I'm meeting Quill and Gamora for drinks! Shit, I'm probably late," you said, "You wanna come?"

"No I, I think I'll call it a night," he said, and you still felt something was off with him.

"You sure? I could use a buddy to third-wheel this thing with me. Or would that be fourth wheeling then? Third and fourth wheeling?"

"As tempting an offer as that was," he grinned, "I think I'll decline all the same."

"K, suit yourself. I'll have all of the awkward third-wheeling fun."

You waved goodbye as you hurried off.

***

"Wren, I've been looking for you. Prince Thor would---"

"Shhh!" you hushed Ceyla quietly from where you stood behind a large column of a pavilion in the park.

She looked back in confusion.

"You're gonna give me away," you whispered.

"I am Groot."

You turned to find Groot standing there, pointing up at you victoriously.

"How do you sneak up so quietly? You part ninja?"

"I am Groot."

"That sounded like bragging."

He nodded, something you'd started getting him to do with you more if you needed to communicate.

"Well, ya won again little guy," you threw your hands up in defeat, "There's just no matching your hide-and-seek skills."

He smiled.

"I am Groot," he nodded to you.

"I'll count in a sec, I've gotta talk with Ceyla real quick."

You turned to face her again.

"Sorry, Gamora's off somewhere with Valkyrie, and the others are trying to learn how to ride horses today. Rocket asked me to babysit."

"It's quite alright, he's very cute."

"Yeah, I love watching him when Rocket asks. What did you need though?"

"Prince Thor has asked for you. He was preoccupied, otherwise he'd look for you himself. He has some news, I believe. From your friends."

"That's either really good or really bad," you sighed worriedly, "Thanks, I'll head back. Where is he?"

"He'll be in the end of a meeting in the security council room."

"I have no idea where that is if you could show me?"

"I was planning on it."

"Great, thanks! Hey, Groot, sorry we gotta---"

You spun around to address the toddler, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"The little sneak," you smiled.

"I presume he's hiding?" Ceyla asked.

"Yeah, but he hides in the same place every time. Over there, behind that tree."

Ceyla made to walk in that direction.

"Whoa wait! We can't just find him! We gotta make it look difficult."

You spent a few minutes walking around Groot's position, watching from the corner of your eye as he scooched around the tree and peered his head out at you. You called for him, spoke loudly about how good at hiding he was, questioned where in the world he could be, etc. 

"Got you!" you said, jumping around the tree.

He flinched in surprise, but got a big smile on his face.

"How are you so good at hiding?!"

  "I am Groot."

"Well, you gotta teach me someday. Right now we have to go back though. Thor's asked for us."

Groot sighed, but nodded reluctantly. You held out your hand and he took it, walking alongside you as you followed Ceyla home. On the way he asked for some snacks, tugging at your hand and pointing longingly towards the food.

"Sorry, bud, I haven't convinced Loki to open a tab so I can bill him everything." 

The lady at the stand was kind enough to offer Groot his desired treat anyway, free of charge, making the little kid's day. He munched contently the rest of the way to your destination. Ceyla left you waiting outside the door, assuring you Thor would be done shortly. You and Groot played tag in the hallway, pausing when people passed.

"Oh cheater!" you laughed, chasing Groot after he'd extended his arm to get you.

The doors opened and you stopped in your tracks. A bunch of noblemen and guards walked out, casting curious looks at you and Groot. The latter, who was very close to the door when it opened, didn't care to move out of the way. Instead, he stared up at each guy as he passed, waving to a couple lucky fellows. You took a few steps forward, gently guiding Groot back a bit and apologizing to the men.

"Ah, there you are," Thor said, walking out last.

"Sorry, I was preoccupied," you gestured to Groot.

"And how is the most adorable tree in the Nine Realms?" Thor said in his talking-to-a-baby voice, which was too wholesome.

"I am Groot."

"Really?! Well, I'd expect nothing less. Earthlings aren't exactly the best competition," he laughed, head jabbing towards you.

"Need I remind you who hit the target first the other night?"

"You didn't knock the shield over."

"That wasn't the goal was it? It was whoever hit it first."

"Ok but yooou..." he drew out the word, stalling for time to think, "You didn't, didn't have uh nearly as much to drink as I did."

"And you didn't spin as many times as you were supposed to, but I let it go."

"Pfff, what?" he scoffed, chuckling guiltily and shaking his head to Groot, "She--she's lying. You're just jealous I spun faster. Besides you should have been spinning at the same time, so you couldn't possibly know. Unless you weren't spinning?" he accused, eyebrows raising.

"Fandral literally called you out on it as we were going."

"I don't remember that."

"Remember the thing about you having more to drink?"

"Let me make one thing clear, this brain," he put his finger to the side of temple, "Remembers everything."

"Uh-huh, what did we do when we got to Loki's room?"

"We went to Loki's room?"

You just looked at him until he realized what you'd proven.

"I mean, uh yes! Of course...Loki's room. Where we did the, the thing, with with you and and my brother, and... and we all did the thing that we uh we did that night...at his room."

"Ya nailed it."

"And that," he spoke to Groot like a teacher to a student, "Is what we call sass. It's a common trait among the jealous, and we don't like it, do we?"

"Brainwash the child when it's your turn to babysit," you chuckled, "Didn't you have something to tell me anyway?"

"Right yes. Heimdall has given the latest update from our friends. Some commotion has taken place with that uh Man of Ants?"

"Scott!?"

"I could have sworn it had ant in the name. That little shrinking guy you spoke of once?"

"Yeah, I know, his name is Scott. Antman is the superhero name."

"Maybe I should consider a superhero name?"

"Thor is your superhero name."

"Why do all of the others get two names?" he asked like it was unfair.

"Because 'Steve' doesn't sound as cool on the headlines as 'Captain America' ok?" you said to please him, "Thor is a legendary name, you're literally a god. You don't need a second name."

"Hmm, that's a nice way of putting it," he smiled at your answer.

"Did they say anything else?"

"Just that he's done what you said he would from the movies. They're waiting for your go-ahead before scooping him up."

"Can I be there when they do?"

Thor looked hesitant to allow it.

"I'm not sure that's the wisest decision."

"Tony said I could visit if it took a while to find Zemo, and it's already been a few weeks. I could pop down for a day or two, talk to Scott, and be back up before Zemo even knows I'm there."

"From what I've heard, he seems to have pretty good idea of when you're there."

"Ok, but we'll be quick. We could go to Scott instead of bringing him to the compound. Ya know, move around so Zemo couldn't possibly predict or plan? Clearly he's got eyes around, but even those can't see everything. And some intel I'm sure takes longer for him to obtain, maybe even long after the fact. The Avengers will be with me, and it'll only be for a day or two."

Thor still didn't seem pleased by the idea, but he nodded.

"Alright. But the minute all your business is done, you come back. Two days maximum, and not a second later."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" you hugged him.

"Give my regards to the others," he chuckled, pulling back and placing a hand on your shoulder, "And be careful."

"When aren't I?"

He gave a look.

"Ok, I get it. I'll be super careful."

"I am Groot?"

Groot had walked up next to you, looking up sadly.

"He's asked if you're leaving."

"Only for a bit," you answered, crouching down to his height, "But I'll be back before you know it, ok? And then you can keep kicking my butt at games!"

He smiled at that, holding out his arms for a hug.

"You'll be good when I'm gone, right?"

"I am Groot."

"And you'll make sure Rocket and Loki don't kill each other?"

"I am Groot."

"And that Drax doesn't jump off the balcony again cuz he insists Asgardian food is giving him god powers?"

"I am Groot."

"And that Peter and Rocket stop telling him Asgardian food gives him god powers?"

"I am Groot."

"Good. I'm counting on you to keep em all in line with Gamora. You're the man of the house, and sadly I'm not joking when I say that."

"I am Groot."

"He says to hurry back. He'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," you smiled, hugging him one more time and standing up, "But it'll be quick, ok?"

Groot nodded.

"Watch him until the others are done?" you asked Thor.

"Of course! The angelic tree shall want for nothing. Isn't that right?" he asked Groot in his baby voice once again.

"I'll head right on over to the bridge. There's nothing I need to take back. Bother Loki for me while I'm gone," you waved, starting off down the hall.

"You don't have to ask twice!" Thor called back.

The walk to the bifrost was uneventful, yet seemed quicker than usual. It was probably because you were motivated by the thought of meeting Scott.

"Do you ever leave this place?" you asked Heimdall as you entered the dome.

"You see me often at nights in the palace."

"Yeah, but like during the day do you stand here looking out at the galaxy? I'd get so bored."

"I do leave," he chuckled, "But it's my job to put in the time to keep Asgard and the Nine Realms safe."

"Well, I'm heading back for a day or two, so anticipate a call if I get kidnapped again. Thanks for all of those times you've heard and helped me, by the way. I don't think I ever thanked you."

"Any time you need me, I shall hear you," he smiled.

"Let's hope that's not anytime soon," you replied, standing in position.

"Ready?"

"Punch it."

The compound was a welcomed sight, something you hadn't realized you missed as much as you did. Walking across the grounds to the door, you eagerly made your way to the kitchen.

"Hey!" you said, surprised to see Clint sitting at the table.

"Hey I know you," he grinned, "How nice of you to come back on my week visit just to see me."

"How've you been? How's the fam?" you asked, pulling a chair out across from him.

The two of you caught up, Clint showing pics of the kids and their fun times. You told him how things on Asgard had been going, your times with Thor and the Guardians, etc.

"I'm sure your idol was in on all of this too?" he asked when you'd failed to mention Loki in any of your stories.

"Yeah. Well, some of it. I'm training with him now, which is cool. He's a bit more of an aggressive teacher than Nat, but I can't say his methods don't work. It's actually kind of fun."

"More aggressive than Nat," Clint chuckled, shaking his head, "That's something I've never heard."

"No remark of disgust? Disgruntled comment? Eyeroll of disappointment?"

"Over what?"

"The topic of Loki in general, let alone training with him."

"Like it'd stop you if I did."

"Doesn't mean you don't do it anyway."

"Eh, well, you caught me on a good day."

"It's the coffee," you nodded to cup in front of him, "Which I haven't had in weeks!"

You stood and made for the pot, which was thankfully relatively fresh.

"So, no amazing Christmas gift has played any role in your new attitude?" you asked as you added your sugar and creamer.

"That massage chair Tony got for Laura? I've been sneaking a sit every night. Life-changing."

"I'll have to try it sometime," you smiled, sitting back down with your cup, "Seriously though, Loki's gift still working out?"

"The arrows haven't flown back at me yet."

"That's a plus."

"Yeah they can be...pretty useful," he admitted.

"If only he could magic trick arrows."

"And what, bring back the shattered pieces of my explosive arrows?"

"No but like...ok, so maybe not explosive arrows," you said as he started laughing. "The idea wasn't a bad one, it just has a few kinks!"

"I'd say," he continued chuckling, taking another sip from his mug.

"But the arrows still work? And you had Loki magic the rest, which must count for something, right? Come on, admit that you've warmed up to him just a little."

"More like...marginally not hating as much."

"That's a start! Come on, he can be funny."

Clint nodded once.

"And he's helped us out."

Clint nodded again.

"And he hasn't tried stabbing anyone yet."

Another nod.

"So clearly you should love him cuz he's awesome and you're all going to be best friends til the end of time."

"I think you skipped a few steps."

"I'm feeling hopeful today."

"Which is usually the time life hits you with a bus."

"Damn that's dark. What happened to catching you on a good day?"

"You know me, this is good."

"Yup, you and Loki are so similar."

"Pfffft."

"You can't pretend his dark comments or jokes don't make you smirk. At first, no, cuz your history is...complicated."

"Nice way of putting it."

"But I've seen you grin at some of his words when you visit. In fact, snide comments aside, everyone in this compound has been treating him more normally. You know I caught Steve and Loki talking one time? Of course the latter played it off like I hadn't. And Sam's joined in on his insults. He and Wanda get along. He and Rhodey worked together one time to get the remote from me cuz they wanted to watch something else. Tony finds himself saying 'I agree with Reindeer Games' more than I think he ever thought he would. There are a thousand other subtle things I can't even name. But are there big things I point out between you and, I don't know, Vis that show you get along? No, you guys just do. You treat each other like a family. It's that natural, subtle acceptance that I'm seeing slowly extended to Loki."

"No one washes away what they've done completely. But he can keep trying. And I might, and this is a big might...grow to like him a little."

"Hey, you're back!" Korg's voice came across the room as he walked in, wearing shorts and a towel draped over his shoulders.

"Yeah, where've you been?" you asked.

"Didn't know this place has a pretty sick hot tub. Miek and I have been chilling for the last hour. He's still in it. Has a real love for the water. I'm starting to think maybe he's some sorta frog-creature mixed with bug."

"You know what this place really needs? An arcade. Like, a legit, large, awesome arcade."

"What's an arcade?" Korg asked.

"A room with lots of games."

"Oh that sounds quite amazing, man. We should ask the rich guy."

"Is he gonna be in today? I will totally ask."

"He's over at HQ with Pepper, but he'll be by," Clint answered. "He knew you'd come running when we told you about Lang."

"When did Scott come? How did it happen?"

"He dropped by like you said he would. Was caught by Sam."

"That's so cool."

"It was like a day after you left I think."

"Wait, it happened that long ago?"

"Yeah, you told us to let his movie play out, so they stayed back for a while. If they told you, you'd do what you did," he nodded to your position.

"Fair."

"How's Thor?" Korg asked.

"He's good, told me to tell everyone he says hi."

"And how is your very good, totally nothing more, friend?"

You tried to hold back any sort of glare, because that might prompt him to say something more, whether accidental or purposefully.

"Loki's fine, Korg," you eye-rolled to Clint instead, whose smile was teasing enough to smack.

"My scorched lawn told me a nerd dropped in," Tony's voice echoed from around the corner. He came in from the opposite side of the room. "I should start putting a toll out there. If the state of New York can charge out the butt for crossing a damn bridge, I should be able to charge for inter-galactic space travel."

"My presence isn't payment enough?"

"It's the reason I want payment."

"It's good to see ya too."

"Living among royalty seems to be treating you well," he said as he poured himself some coffee, "You're looking good, what're they feeding you up there?"

"Food with god-instilling powers."

"I think it's her workouts with Loki," Clint said, and you shot him a look as he hid his smirk behind his cup.

"Of course you've been training with him," Tony groaned, leaning back against the counter.

"And Thor! Occasionally."

"He'd better be teaching you how to whip those daggers around. Pointbreak's got a mean swing, but Scar's got some precision with those butter-knives."

You gave Clint a smile at Tony's words, knowing he was proving what you'd been discussing earlier.

"Maybe too precise," Clint said to Tony, giving you a 'give me a sec to win this' look.

"Did you see the number of guys that man took out here? If she can learn half of that I'll sleep a lot easier."

"Not if she's the one he takes out."

"I thought you were warming up to him?" Tony asked.

"I know right?!" you exclaimed.

"I'm not saying I am or I'm not, I'm just pointing out the possibility of him still being dangerous."

"He always will be, and we'll be ready if he turns. But he could have killed her a hundred times and...well, he saved everyone here and helped protect her on Thanksgiving when he didn't have to. I may not want to hold hands and get friendship bracelets, but the man's got some umph this team could use rather than fight against."

"I'm starting to like him," Wanda said, walking in with Vis. They were standing close together, holding hands.

"Wait wait wait, when did THIS happen?" you motioned to their hands.

"Oh the lovebirds?" Tony asked, "They finally stopped pretending to just be friends about two weeks ago."

"I'm gone for three weeks and everything happens! It's about frickin time though!" you said happily.

"You knew?" Wanda asked.

"I'm me, Wanda, of course I knew!"

"You never said anything," Vision chuckled lightly.

"I didn't want to make things awkward and potentially ruin one of the best couples in the MCU."

"I'm gonna ignore that you called the Witch and the Robot one of the best, never having said that to me or Pepper."

"One of the best implies there are multiple, Tony."

"So they're a thing when he...ya know," Clint said, moving his finger across his throat.

"Yes, Clint, they are!" 

"What?" Clint asked, noticing the looks from everyone, "I was just curious."

"It's one of the saddest scenes. I told you Vis dies. I've also told you that Wanda's powers are capable of destroying the Mind Stone. I never told you they happen at the same time."

"I...I kill him?" Wanda asked.

"Only because he asks you to. Thanos comes. He has every other stone but the Mind and is tossing all of the Avengers aside like they're nothing. Vis asks you to do it...says you're out of time. That it isn't fair. It shouldn't be you, but it is. But that you could never hurt him because---"

"I just feel you," Vis answered.

"How do you know that?" you asked in shock.

"Well, it's---it's what I would say now if I was, well if I was in that position."

"Which you won't be," Wanda said determinedly, "We're two years ahead of the game. I won't let it happen."

"Surgery is at the beginning of April. That's less than two weeks," Tony assured her, "We'll have that yellow sucker out and the two of you can be world's strangest couple for the rest of your lives. Unless the latest I-Phone catches Vis's eye."

"Wait, I thought it was supposed to be this month?" you questioned.

"There were a few concerns with the model," Vision said, "Banner thought it best to isolate the singularities and test the theoretical neurological outcome when paired with the---"

"English, Vis. I'm hearing a lot of syllables that make very little sense," you said.

"I heard 'test' in there, I understood that one," Clint said.

"I don't know what anyone's talking about," Korg added.

"In simple terms, he thought it best we prepare for a few more worst-case scenarios," Vision stated again.

"Ah, got it," you nodded.

"Why don't they ever go with the simple explanation first?" Clint grumbled.

"Yo, Beach Boulder, you gonna be standing in your swim trunks all day in my kitchen? I don't wanna stare at a half-naked mountain all day. We do have a dress code around here."

"Since uh, when?" you asked, sighing when you realized no one would get the Chris Hemsworth reference.

"I'm not running a strip club here, as good of an idea as that sounds. Friday, put 'Strip club' on my notes, will you?"

"Putting 'strip club' onto 'never consider again' list, Boss."

"I don't remember telling you to make that list?"

"You didn't."

"The next time I make a program, someone please stop me from giving them so much free-will? One's sassing me, the other's dating."

And the other blew up a city you thought, but refrained from saying a joke on the touchy subject.

"You know I'll be your father-in-law when you two get hitched?" Tony said to Wanda.

Wanda laughed in a 'hell no' kind of way.

"I'm not sure that's how it works, Tony," she said.

"Biologically, no," Vision said, "Though from a certain point of view, he's correct. If not father-in-law, then creator-in-law?" he shrugged, like the idea wasn't that bad.

"Yup, me and Bruce. Proud parents. You treat our boy right, you hear?" he pointed to Wanda.

"Technically, Thor's lightning gave the juice, so he get's partial parental credit too," you said.

"Thor's a dad?! Tell him congratulations when you go back up there, will you Wren?" Korg said.

"You're literally the perfect son, in every physical and moral way," Tony sighed in content, "We've done good, Bruce," he said to the now confused scientist who'd entered the kitchen with Nat.

"What did we come in on?" Bruce asked with concern, having heard the last bits of the conversation.

"Weird shit," Clint answered.

"Figured," Bruce mumbled.

"I was just saying how proud we are to be Vision's fathers," Tony said.

"And Thor," you added again.

"Yeah, and Sparkles. So now, we're the in-laws when these two seal the deal."

"Tony, you know we just started dating, right?" Wanda asked.

"I don't think I'm uh father material...or or in-law, so you have fun, Tony," Bruce said.

"You and I made a beautiful baby together, Bruce. Let's own it and enjoy the moment."

Rhodey walked in, heard that last statement, and turned right around.

"I--I really don't think that came out the way you wanted it to," Bruce shook his head.

"You're right. You, me, and Thor made a beautiful baby together---"

"That's--that's even worse now, no," Banner chuckled, rubbing his forehead and cringing.

"I remember why I don't visit more," Clint said, looking like he'd rather forget what he'd heard.

"He's your work anyway Tony," Bruce was saying.

"Am I the genius behind him? Yes, but I can't take all the credit. It takes two to make---"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Nat cut him off.

"So you're his son?" Korg asked Vision, pointing to Stark. "Yeah yeah, now I can kinda see the resemblance---"

"Are you saying I look like a crimson toaster?" Tony asked, tilting his head.

"Honestly, man, I'm just trying to understand what the hell's being said. Wait, he's part toaster? So you and a toaster had---"

"What about Scott???" you asked, cutting him off, "When're we going to get him?"

"I don't want you here long, so we can head out today," Tony answered.

"Remind me why we're going to see him again?" Sam asked, walking in the room.

"You don't sound too happy by the idea," you noted.

"That's because peewee kicked his ass," Tony said.

"You tried to stop him?? After I said let his movie go?"

"You didn't say he was going to steal from us! Without those details I had no idea if I was supposed to let him go or not! Why are you laughing?!"

"Cuz I'm so glad I didn't tell!"

"It took hours to get my suit back up and running," Sam groaned.

"Yeah, but it was funny."

"I came in here mildly happy that you were back," Sam replied like that wasn't the case now.

"If Scott was supposed to carry out his movie, it's probably best she didn't tell you anything," Nat said.

"You're just loving I got beat by a bug too, aren't you?"

Nat smirked but didn't answer.

"Hey Cap!" you said as he entered the kitchen.

"Glad to see you back," he smiled, "Though I'm sure this all seems like a step down after living in a palace."

"Eh, this place has it's perks, people not withstanding," you gave Sam a look.

"No one asked you to visit," he returned the look.

"Picking up where we left off?" Steve asked the two of you.

"Like she never left," Wanda smiled.

"It was only a few weeks, and not long enough," Sam said.

"Yeah, but a lot can happen up there like down here. I'm glad she's ok," Steve replied.

"Please, her boyfriend wouldn't let her get hurt," Sam scoffed.

"Ew," Clint gagged, "I still don't like that."

"This is why I love when you visit, Clint."

"Don't pretend to be the only one out of the teasing," Nat scolded Barton, "I've heard a comment from you."

"So have I, but he's always just joking," you defended.

"Even if I thought they liked each other, I'd remain peacefully in denial until the very end," he said.

"How can you not think they like each other?" Sam asked.

"They'd better not," Tony warned, "I don't care how much joking we do or how trusting Loki turns out to be, no member of this team will date the silver-tongued psycho. I don't care how blue his eyes are or whatever it is you find so attractive about him."

"You've noticed his eyes? Tony you sure I'm the one we should worry about? How much time you spend looking at him?"

"With how much that man does nothing but stare, it's impossible to miss the crystal blue daggers shot my way."

"Ugh, that stare," Clint groaned in annoyance, "As if it makes you cooler to look at someone like that while you gut them."

"I mean...if you were going to get gutted," you said, followed by a whistle, "What a thing to see before ya go."

"See?!" Sam threw his hands out.

"I'm feeling that Thai coming up, can you please not?" Tony groaned

"I'm just being honest! Heck, getting killed by any of you would probably be the best way to go. I can't pretend Loki isn't hot, he knows it."

"You're not helping your case," Nat grinned.

"Why didn't Wanda or Vis get any ounce of teasing when they were very clearly in love?"

"You saying you're in love?" Sam smirked.

"Not even close to what I said."

"To be honest, I didn't see that one coming," Tony admitted.

"Seriously? They followed each other everywhere and Vis defended her every chance he got!"

Wanda's face grew red as she smiled and glanced to Vis, who looked as if he'd be blushing if he could get any redder.

"I knew, but they were more subtle," Nat said.

"That's cuz they were hiding it. Loki and I aren't hiding anything."

"That doesn't mean you don't like each other. Pulling reverse psychology by openly longing for one another doesn't change anything," Tony argued.

"I thought you were anti me and Loki?"

"Doesn't mean you're gonna do what I say. People around here rarely do."

"Ok, show of hands. Who knew Wanda and Vis liked each other?" you asked the room, raising your own arm in the air.

Nat, Cap and Bruce were the only ones to raise.

"I only knew because Nat told me," Bruce confessed, lowering his arm, "So I don't think that uh that really counts."

"You're kidding me people?!" you looked around at the others.

"Hey, I don't permanently live here," Clint said, chin resting on his folded arms on the table.

"And he's got the romantic awareness of a loaf of bread," Nat added.

"That too," Clint agreed.

"Cap, you knew and didn't tell me?" Sam asked.

"I know it's a foreign concept these days, but I respect boundaries and privacy," he answered.

"I'm just shocked Steve was the one who put it together over everyone else," Clint said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cap asked.

"Nothing," he replied with a little smile of innocence.

"It means with how much you get confused by the simplest things around here, we forget you can actually think," Tony elaborated for him.

"For a man from the 40s, I think I'm doing pretty well with the technology."

"Yeah he ain't bad. Honestly I get confused more than he does," you said.

"Steve's a softie under all that muscle," Nat said, "I caught him watching this 40s drama the other day---"

"Ok, so I watched a movie."

"Yeah I know, I wasn't saying anything against it," she stated unconvincingly, "I was just noting that the love story was very...cute."

"I know, cute is outdated, I get it," Steve responded.

"Nah, Vis and Wanda are cute, Tony and Pepper are cute---" you started listing.

"God, my relationship has reached 'cute' level. I've got some work to do," Tony sighed.

"What about the small green man and Natasha?" Korg asked.

"You know her name, but I'm still small green man?" Bruce questioned.

"They're cute too," you smiled.

"Are we cute?" Bruce asked Nat.

"You're a dork, so yes."

"Good, got it," Bruce nodded.

"Laura called that one first, by the way!" Clint raised his hand, as if the credit went to him, "Bruce and Nat. She called it."

"Actually, uh, Steve knew. Talked about it the night Ultron attacked our party," Bruce contradicted him.

"Who knew the World War 2 antique was such a Casanova?" Tony said in surprise.

"I'm observant," Steve countered.

"You'd think he'd be able to get a date, being Captain America and Mr. Romance," Sam said.

"Well, there was that agent. Sharon, right?" Nat asked playfully.

"Nooooo no no no!" you laughed, shaking your head aggressively. Everyone looked to you. "Oh, she's uh...she's she's not your type, really. Fine girl, just um not...not the one."

"Okaaaay," Sam said, "That was awkward."

"We can discuss Cap's love life later, we should get going if we're flying to San Francisco today. With our jet's speed, we can be there in two hours," Tony said.

"What exactly are we trying to accomplish there?" Bruce asked.

"We need to fill him in on the future. It affects him too, so he deserves to know. Besides, I know Hope's mother is still alive in the quantum realm. Also that there's some girl out there with ghost-like powers who will die if Hope's ma doesn't help her. Hope is his girlfriend by the way, Hank Pym's daughter. And if the future goes awry, who knows...we may need the quantum realm. So we need them to get going on exploring it more. Just as a precaution."

"Simple," Tony clapped his hands together, "We'll be there and back and you'll be up with your dearly beloved again before you know it."

"I hate you guys."

"Ok, you and you with me and the movie buff," he pointed to Sam and Cap. "Where's Rhodey?" he asked, looking around, "Friday, I though you called everyone?"

"I did," she answered.

"Yeah, he popped in but left when he heard the 'you and Bruce hooking up' conversation," you told him.

"His loss. We're gonna get something on the way and he was going to be invited."

"I'm sure he'll miss a two-hour flight with you," Wanda said.

"Sass isn't a way to treat your father-in-law," Tony snapped his finger and pointed at her.

"This isn't going away any time soon," she muttered.

"Nope, relationships are a package deal. You get the whole family. Friday, prep the jet. Leaving in ten," Tony announced, walking from the kitchen.

***

"Can we walk around a bit when we're done?" you asked, strolling down the street towards Scott's house.

"It's San Francisco," Sam said, "Not like there's much to see."

"Golden Gate Bridge?"

"You've been living in a castle of gold," Tony stated.

"So? My standards aren't any higher. Cap, have you seen the Golden Gate Bridge?"

"No, I haven't," he shook his head.

"See? We gotta see it."

"We need to get this done and you back up on Asgard," Tony replied.

"What, you think Zemo's followed us across the country?"

"I don't think we know what to expect from him," Cap said.

"If we're lucky he'll take you off our hands for another day," Sam huffed.

"I love you too," you smiled back annoyingly.

"K, focus, house is right up here," Tony said.

You looked up and saw the familiar sight of Scott's house. You couldn't remember when he got this place, if he had it in the first Ant-Man as well. Regardless, he seemed to own it already. He spent house-arrest in it after Civil War, so having it now made sense at least.

"Remind me why I'm the one carrying the food?" Sam asked, adjusting the Taco Bell bags in his hands.

Everyone ignored him as you walked up to the door. Tony wrapped his knuckles on the surface and waited for a response. Ten seconds went by with no evidence of anyone coming for the door. Tony knocked again, this time with a voice answering half-way through.

"I'm coming!" it called out from somewhere in the house. There were a few more indistinct grumbles on the other side before the handle turned and the door opened.

"Yeah what's---" Scott's mouth dropped mid-sentence. He was in a blue robe, white shirt and black pajama pants. His hair was disheveled. He'd evidently just been awakened by the knock on the door. He rubbed his eyes like it was a hallucination, blinking a few times when the people in front of him didn't disappear.

"Hello, Scott," Tony smiled, saying it like a man who knew exactly what Lang had done a few weeks ago. Leave it to Tony to mess with him.

"Uh...no, no comprendo. No, uh, no soy Scott, no comprendo?" he started rambling, stopping when seeing Sam step around Cap. "Shit," he said, dropping his arms to his sides. "Hey," he waved to Sam, "Good to see you again. Still a fan," he placed his hand on his chest, "Look uh, sorry about the uh, the thing a few weeks---"

"It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again," Sam replied.

Scott's eyes turned to Cap.

"Wow, Captain America," he said in awe.

"Mr. Lang," Steve greeted holding out a hand.

"Wow, you're--you're really big, I'm a huge fan. You're awesome too!" he said, taking Tony's hand in his free one and shaking it along with Cap's, "I don't know you," he said to you as if he was just as happy to see you.

You had a huge grin on your face from the moment he opened the door.

"I should stop shaking your hands," he said, though still doing it a few times before dropping them, "So uh, about what I was doing when I..." he waved his hand looking for the word, "...borrowed your stuff."

"Stole," Sam corrected.

"That's another word, yes that also works," he nodded, "But listen guys, sirs, Avengers, I was just---"

"Listen Tiny, we didn't come here to snag you for your little theft," Tony said, taking his sunglasses off and hooking them over his coat's chest pocket.

"You...y-you didn't?"

"No."

"Oh thank God!" he sighed in relief, leaning against the doorframe and chuckling nervously, "Cuz I was NOT looking forward to going back to jail. Not that I'm a criminal! Well, I mean, I am, I was, but not really, only a little. It was---nevermind, point is, thanks. Unless you've come to kill me," he laughed, "I'm joking, it was joke, you're Captain America."

"Can we come in?" Steve asked.

"Yeah yeah sure of course, uh, come on come on in," he rushed you guys in through the door and into his living room, "Avengers...in my house! This is so cool," he mumbled, closing the door and following. "It's an honor, by the way," he said as he scrambled to clear garbage and food off of the table by the couch, "If I'd known superheroes were coming, I'd have uh, I'd have made sure this place was a little nicer," he said distractedly, shoving the last of the garbage into a bag and jogging over to drop it in the kitchen. "Uh have a have a seat," he pointed to the solitary couch in the room, "I just got this place so there isn't much. Three of you could sit though, it's a pretty nice couch. Got it off of some drunk my buddy Luis met in a pub the other night. It's clean though! I washed it, my ex helped. My daughter said it still smells, but that's only if you really get in there and take a whiff. I'm talking too much."

 "It's a nice place despite the...modest furnishings," Tony said, walking around the room, "How's an ex-convict unable to hold a job at Baskin Robins score a joint like this?"

"Tony, did you investigate his history just to be dramatic?" you asked.

"You don't tell us everything, missy, so yes, I did."

"A friend helped me out. He uh he he owed me a favor, so he got me this place. My buddy and I are actually working on starting our own business. Security company."

"Ironic," Sam scoffed.

"Who knows how to build good security systems like someone who's gotten past every shitty one," Scott laughed, "Not that I have, I just know a thing or two about systems, and I have a degree---"

"Yeah I'm sure all of that is fascinating, but we came here to discuss something with you," Tony stopped him.

"Yeah, right, uh wha--what can I do for you guys, Avengers?"

"I'm pretty tired of hearing the long explanation, so I'm going to cut right to chase with you," Tony said, "This girl's from another reality where we're all movie characters and she knows what's happened and what's going to happen. We're here to fill you in."

Scott chuckled like Tony was joking, before turning it into the kind of "I don't know whether to laugh or not" awkward smile.

"Wait are you...are are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Steve confirmed.

"But that's--that's insane, you--you know that sounds crazy?"

"You calling us crazy?" Tony asked.

"No! No no no, I just--I was wondering whether you had like all the evidence or or proof, or whether you, you know, had consider other less mind-blowing and reality collapsing alternatives to whatever situation you've got going on here," he motioned to you.

"Scott, you shrink to the size of an insect, ride with an army of ants, some of which you name and talk to, and have gone into an entire other realm between molecules...but me being from another reality is where you draw the line?"

"How'd you know about the quantum realm?"

"Your trip there? How do you think?" you said, raising your eyebrows.

"Oh my God," he whispered, walking past the three of you and taking a seat on the couch, "Wait wait wait, so I'm in a movie? In your world? How? Why? Who plays me?"

"An actor named Paul Rudd, if you really wanna know. He looks just like you though, he's your counterpart in my world. There is no Antman or Avengers or aliens or anything in my world. It's all fiction."

"I'm an actor in another reality," he whispered back to himself.

"Yeah, and because of the movies, I know the future of this universe and a lot of bad stuff that's going to happen."

"I'm famous," he said in the same hushed tone.

"I'm gonna need you to pay attention to the last part of what she just said," Tony snapped.

"Right, yeah, something about bad stuff? What bad stuff? Like bad bad, or only kinda bad?"

"Half the universe dying for five years," you answered.

"So...bad bad?"

"Yes, bad bad," Tony answered irritably.

"Scott, we've already started preventing what's going to happen. We're ahead of the game by two years, but there are things you need to know, and all of it you deserve to," Steve said.

"It's a hell of a story, tic-tac, so you'd better get real comfy," Sam added.

The four of you proceeded to fill him in on everything you'd told the Avengers and all of the things you'd done to stop Thanos already. It was roughly an hour before you'd finished, taking longer than it would have had Scott not been so thoroughly entertained and inquisitive. He asked a hundred questions along the way, looking like an excited school boy to hear of the things he or the others do in the future and all of the events that had happened since you'd arrived. He munched on the tacos you'd brought, eyes wide as he took everything in eagerly.

"So...let me summarize real quick," he said, leg bouncing energetically while he sat, "I get stuck in the quantum realm for five years...but it's only five hours for me. So I help unlock time-travel when I come out? And we go back in time to get the space rocks before this Thanos? We win in the end, bring everyone back? But Black Widow, Iron Man, and the Vision die along the way?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," you nodded.

"And Loki, Thor's brother, he dies too which is supposed to be sad because he's a good guy by then?"

"More or less."

"Ok ok, and he's currently with you guys now? And you've stopped Thor's planet from blowing up?"

"Mmhmm," you nodded again.

"And we have most of the stones and can soon work on destroying them?"

"Are you going to repeat everything we told you?" Tony asked.

"I'm sorry Tony, Mr. Stark, it's---it's a lot to take in," he said, looking flustered.

"It's ok, Scott, we all felt that way," Steve said supportively.

Scott took a deep breath.

"You want me to help Hank and Hope find their mother, right? Well, her mother, his wife. She's not mom to both of them, that'd be gross."

"Unless you want to wait another two years to save her?" Tony sassed.

"Ok, right, got it, that'd be stupid."

"We need her saved and your work on the quantum realm started now, just in case we need it," you said.

"Wait, we'd only need it if...I thought we were two years ahead of this guy, wh-why would we fail?"

"There have been events we couldn't predict," Steve said, "In some cases, people are still trying to make things go their way."

"An asshole is currently giving us some problems," Sam explained.

"Thanos-level problems?"

"No, but who can tell how things will go. Just in case we need a do-over, if something goes wrong, we need the quantum realm as a back-up," you said.

"Ok, I'll talk to Hank about...holy shit, oh my God! Hope's mom's alive and I'm just sitting here like---" he didn't finish his sentence, standing up and walking quickly from the room. He returned with his phone, quickly selecting a contact. "Hey Hope, I...no, I know. Yeah, no, the suit's fine. No, the house isn't---I didn't do anything, Hope listen! It's really important, ok? I need to talk to you and Hank. Can I come over? Yes, now. I promise it's important, have I ever said that before and it wasn't serious? Ok, besides that, that was Luis' fault anyway.....thank you! I'm leaving in five! Bye, love you! What? No I didn't say I love you, that, that was the tv in the background, anyway bye!" he hung up quickly. "We're testing things out," he pointed to the phone with a smile, "I'm trying to take it slow, but she's full-steam ahead with it, can't stand being away from me---"

"Scott," you said, making him look at you, "You two work."

Realization hit him and he raised his eyebrows, "Like...we work as in in the future we're still---"

"Not for a while after Civil War cuz she's mad you get them in trouble using the suit...but after that, yes. And hey, look who just happened to stop Civil War for you guys?" you pointed your thumbs to yourself.

Scott smiled even bigger.

"Didn't you say you're leaving in five?" Sam asked.

"Right!" he jumped into motion, running from the room. Seconds later he came running around the corner, sliding to a stop on the hardwood, "How do I prove all of this to them without you guys? I can't explain everything you told me, I didn't understand half of it."

"I had Friday record our conversation," Tony said, tapping the band on his wrist, "And, I just uploaded it to your phone."

Scott looked down at his phone.

"Awesome, that's so cool you can get into my phone like that! Creepy and invasive and technically illegal, but awesome!"

"We shouldn't take up any more of your time," Steve said, "You've got somewhere to be."

"Thank you so much for--for coming and and sitting in my living room and eating tacos!"

"It's my turn to be the completely nervous fan and say I can't believe I got to meet you!!!" you said excitedly, finally releasing what you'd felt since arriving.

"Me? Aw, well uh I'm not Captain America or anything," he waved off the attention, though clearly loving it.

"You're a fictional character that shouldn't be real for me! Not to mention one of the funniest MCU characters!"

"Naaah," he said in an attempt at humility, "I'm not that funny. Though Cassie says I'm the funniest man alive."

"High praise right there from a 4 year-old," Sam smirked.

"She's 8," you clarified, "She is 8, right?"

"Yeah she is! That's so creepy, amazing," he shook his head in contented wonder.

"Pym, remember?" Tony said.

"Shoot! Uh, here let me show you guys out."

"It's ok, we can do it, Scott, thanks," Steve said kindly, "Go on, we've got it."

"Thanks! And uh really thanks for uh for coming here. You're really cool too now!" he pointed to you, "We should talk more some time. Ok, I'm going," he said, running to the stairs, "Does this mean I'm an Avenger?!" he called from the top.

"No!" Tony called back, walking for the front door.

"He means probably!" you added.

"Yes!"

"I'll put in the good word for you over and over!"

"Ah, you're the best! Thanks! Ok, going for real, bye Avengers and future lady!"

"Well...he's friendly," Tony said once outside.

"He's the best," you clarified.

"You say that about everyone," Sam said.

"I didn't say that about you."

Sam reached for the hit, but you danced out of the way around Tony.

"Now that that's taken care of, we can get you home and on the first bifrost out of here," Tony said.

"Can't I stay the night?"

"No! No, she can't," Sam said.

"You missed me, don't lie!"

"He did, told me himself," Steve smiled.

"Cap!" Sam hissed.

"Awwww, someone didn't want me to know how much they missed me!"

"With all of us there and you, under no circumstance, leaving the compound unsupervised, I guess it's fine," Tony gave his blessing.

"Yes!"

"We still have had no sign of Zemo," Steve said, "Which I don't like. You shouldn't stay here long after tonight."

"I won't, I'll leave tomorrow. But without an army of Hydra assailants and your absence, Zemo can't get me in the compound."

"Still, you're not staying past tomorrow," Tony said firmly.

"I know, I won't."

The four of you walked back to where you'd landed the quinjet, heading home after another successful box checked off the to-do-list.

***

You'd stayed up and watched a movie with Wanda and Nat, talking for a while afterwards about the last three weeks. You kept any possible Loki-teasing ammunition out of your stories, instead focusing mostly on the Guardians. 

"Groot sounds precious!" Wanda said.

"I know, he really is! I love when Rocket lets me babysit! Thor's in love with him too, thinks he's the cutest thing."

"Let's just hope Thor knows how to look after a kid," Nat smiled, "Leaving him with Thor when you left was bold."

"Thor's not an idiot, he can handle it."

"Mmm, not an idiot?" Nat asked.

"Nat!" Wanda laughed, nudging Nat's shoulder.

"I'm kidding, I love Thor."

"Yeah it's pretty fun with him and his friends."

"I'm not starting problems when I ask this, but how's Loki?" Wanda asked.

"He's fine," you answered, giving them wary looks.

"Hey, I'm not the one who asked," Nat held her hands up in defense.

"He's good. I see him at least once a day cuz he's helping me train while you can't."

"We'll have to see how good of a teacher he is tomorrow, won't we? Training in the morning as usual?"

"You're on," you smiled, happy to be back in your pattern with her, even if it was for a day. Three weeks seemed much longer when you looked back over it.

And so, you'd gotten up on time to train with her and the others. As you'd predicted, you took a shot at her when she wasn't expecting it. You were used to Loki, where he'd have been attacking at that moment if you didn't first.

"That was dirty!" she said, after getting out of the attack and going back and forth a few brief moves with you, "I like it."

"Sorry, Loki's a...well, he's got a different way of teaching."

"As long as he's shown you can handle more," she said, before coming at you harder than you'd gone with her in the past. She had you flipped and pinned in an instant, with you insisting on having another go at it.

"Not bad," she said when the two of you finished for the day.

"Should I pass on your compliment to Loki?" you smirked, taking a sip from your bottle.

"No, he can't know I think he did my job well," she said, "Though maybe I'll tell him one day myself."

You worked with a few others, getting a run in with Cap before heading to the shower. Instinct kicked in and you expected a visit from Loki when you were dressed and flopped on your bed, but he wasn't here to knock on the door. Instead, you pulled out your phone, something you liked having back in your possession more than you should have, and scrolled the internet for a while. 

"Oh my gosh," you whispered to yourself, sitting up quickly and staring wide-eyed at the screen in front of you.

You jumped out of bed, throwing open your door and sprinting for the elevator.

"Tony!" you called, charging into the kitchen and looking around for him, "Where's Tony?" you asked Sam.

"He's in his lab with Bruce, why?"

You were gone before he posed his question, running back down the hall and around the corner in the direction of their lab.

"Tony!" you burst through the door, Bruce nearly dropping the tool in his hand.

"God, Wren!" Bruce gasped, "Don't do that to me!"

"Sorry!"

"What is it?" Tony asked, taking off his goggles.

"You've gotta see this!" you held up your phone, walking across the room to show him.

"What's so important that you nearly unleashed the Hulk for---" he stopped when you showed him the video.

"What? What is it?" Bruce asked, walking around his desk.

You turned the phone his way, displaying the footage that was exploding online.

"Is that?" Bruce pointed, looking up to the two of you.

"Yup. Peter flippin Parker is here, and it's about time!"

Chapter 42: (Chapter 41): An Extended Stay

Notes:

K so there's a text thread in this, and I don't know how the formatting will come out on Archive. So if it's weird, I hope you guys can follow!

"I can pretend to be part of the intern program thing!" you argued with Tony as he walked to the parking lot.

"I'm not jeopardizing this kid's secret by resting the entire ruse on your acting skills."

"I don't have to say anything around Aunt May!"

"No, you don't, but you will."

"I can hold it in until we're behind closed doors, Tony."

"You've displayed zero talent for containing your giddy need to call out everything and stare at every new character you meet."

"Please, I can do it!"

"I got this," he said, as a black car pulled up for him, "I've heard the story enough times to relay it to him, and I'll bring him over to meet everyone. Ok? Relax, Kylo, it'll work out."

"Kylo? That's a new one. Guessing you saw the new Star Wars movie?"

"Yeah, once I saw there's a character named Kylo Ren, I knew it was you. Especially cuz he's a moody young adult with a fascination and love for a villain he idolizes."

"Ok, I'm not that far gone. And I resent the moody comment."

"I could call you different birds? You do know you're named after a bird right?"

"Just get going! You might wanna tell him everything in the car away from May, not his bedroom. I'm guessing we're about to shatter his mind, and if you think I have a bad poker face you should see his."

"I know. That's why I'm not driving, so I can give him my undivided attention," he said right as the driver's door opened and Happy stepped out.

"Happy?!" you exclaimed.

"Do I know you?" he asked a little rudely, looking from Tony to you.

"Gosh, I forgot how cranky you can be, especially in the early Spider-Man days," you mumbled, making Happy's brow furrow.

"Am I supposed to know what that means? Who is this?" he turned to Tony.

"Remember that inability to not say anything?" Tony asked you.

"Well why haven't you told Happy yet? And how is it that this is the first time I'm meeting him?" you countered.

"Happy, really? He's on your dream list?"

"List, what list?" Happy questioned, looking confused, which, as head of security, naturally meant suspicious as well.

"It's not a hit list. Ease up there, Paranoia," Tony answered, "He's gonna be in the car, so he'll hear it all," he said to you, "Remember, I got this." 

With that he winked and climbed through the open door Happy was holding. Happy gave you a distrustful stare as he walked slowly around the car. You gave him an insincere and mischievous smile, just to mess with him. He quickened his pace, clambering into the car with an eagerness to tell Tony how suspicious you just were. You could hear him already starting his worried rambling as the car pulled away. You watched as he disappeared down the pavement and out of sight. Returning inside, there was nothing you could do besides live your day like any other. You guessed this meant your return trip to Asgard was postponed, at least for a few more hours.

You spent the day catching up with different people. Going out for frozen yogurt wasn't an option anymore, so you and Rhodey took lunch in a quiet lounge in the compound away from the others. You helped Cap sift through security footage and reports with Friday, all information gathered from the eyes and ears Tony and Fury had everywhere. The goal was to try and find any key to Zemo's whereabouts, but the search turned out the same it had every other day. At least talking with Steve as you went made it fun. Later you convinced Clint to help you shoot some arrows, something you'd always wanted to try. You stuck a punching bag right in the center, which you considered an accomplishment...even if the bag was no where near the target you were aiming for. At the designated 'update Heimdall' time, Cap informed him of the unexpected appearance of Parker. In short, you might be hanging around on earth longer. He wanted Thor and Loki to know you were fine and that they'd call if something went wrong.

You don't know where Tony took Peter, whether they just drove around for a while to talk, but at long last Friday let you know they'd arrived. It was the dinner hour by then, everyone either at the table or on the couch with a plate of the lasagna you and Sam had struggled to make. Both of you had been craving Italian and were feeling ambitious when you looked up a recipe. After a small pan fire, some panicked shouts, and a spilled jar of sauce, the dinner had finally made it into the oven. You and Sam gave a fist-bump from where you sat next to each other on the couch, having tasted your masterpiece and feeling pretty proud with the outcome. Now, you were trying to contain your excitement over the fact that Peter Parker was heading this way.

"You need to chill," Sam said from where he still sat on the sofa. You, on the other hand, were pacing around the kitchen, "He's a kid, not a celebrity."

"Start calling this place Avengers Daycare Center," Clint said as he chewed away at his food.

"I'm not a kid," you defended.

"Close enough," Rhodey chimed, "And Korg counts."

"Hey man, can we change to this new show I found the other day? It's about this blue dog that leaves little clues around the place," Korg asked Sam, proving Rhodey's point, "You won't believe how the guy in the green-striped shirt puts them together. I mean it's frickin unbelievable."

"Ok, I'll give you that," you admitted to Rhodes.

"Everyone, listen up," Tony's voice rang out behind you, "We have a new future prospect here. You all know who he his. Ladies, gents, and...others," he looked to Korg and Miek, "Peter Parker."

He stepped aside so Peter could walk in, looking terrified as he tried to play off the jaw-drop he instinctively had. 

"H--h-hey, uh, everyone, Avengers," he stuttered, much like Scott. Funnily enough, he played it off smoother than Scott.

Steve stood up to greet him.

"Oh my God, uh, hi, Captain America sir," he said, unable to hold the smile that had frozen itself on his face.

"Steve," Cap corrected him, holding out his hand.

"Right, um...Steve," he said taking the hand nervously.

"You're from Queens, right?" Steve asked after the handshake.

"Yeah, uh, yes sir."

"I'm from Brooklyn, though everyone seems to know my history better than I do so you probably knew that," he smiled, and Peter chuckled, breathing a little easier from Cap's friendly approach, "And you don't have to call me sir."

"Right, sorry," Peter nodded.

"You still have to call me sir," Tony said, leading him past Steve. "I'm sure you know everyone here. Wanda and Vision," Tony nodded to the couple, who stood up to come say hi. Peter seemed to want to stare at Vision, trying poorly not to. "They're a thing," Tony whispered to Peter as they walked away, the kid turning in surprise to Stark

"Wait, seriously?" he whispered back.

"Don't ask me how it happened and try not to think about it too much. This is Rhodey, my---"

"Babysitter," Rhodey finished for him, taking Pete's hand.

"Also known as War Machine, thank god not the Iron Patriot anymore," Tony continued.

"Yeah," Peter laughed, "That name was so lame----I mean, there was nothing wrong with it, Mr. Rhodes, sir," he quickly corrected when seeing Rhodey's face.

"No it was lame, you can say it," Tony agreed.

"I'm Clint," Barton stepped forward, "Figured I'd get ahead of whatever introduction Tony would give."

"Hi Mr. Hawkeye, it's uh, it's an honor to- to get to meet you."

"Right back at you, Spider-Man."

Peter grinned at the use of his superhero name.

"He's the grouchy anti-social one we blame everything on," Tony said.

"That last part's definitely true," Clint agreed.

"Only because you're usually to blame," Nat stepped up.

"Oh my God, Black Widow," Peter said, hands fidgeting as they had been since he entered.

"Nice to meet you Parker," she smiled, "Saw that catch you made with the car. That's pretty impressive."

"Oh that," Peter laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the praise, "Nah, it was nothing."

"It was a hell of a catch, brag about it," Tony said, "Just not to me, cuz I'll shut you down with something more impressive."

"The real strength here is that he made it through a car ride with you," Sam said from the couch.

"And that lazy ass who can't be bothered to come introduce himself is Sam Wilson, aka BirdBoy."

"Hi Mr. Falcon...uh, I'm a big fan. Your suit is pretty awesome, the way it works and all---" Peter trailed, stopping himself from getting into a nerdy discussion.

"Hi, Spider-Kid," he waved.

"This is Bruce," Tony said, holding his hand out to the man who'd just walked in the room.

"Hey," Bruce smiled, walking over, "It's nice to meet you."

"Y-you too, Mr. Banner. I gotta say, your work is uh, it's amazing. I've done papers on you, actually. I also love how you...well when you---I-I think your green self is...uh, I--I'm a fan," he settled for what he thought might be less offensive than mentioning the Hulk.

"It's ok, I know the Hulk is fan-favorite and I'm just the nerdy scientist," he smiled, "We're working on a way for me to maintain consciousness while green though, so maybe the two will be one in the same some day."

"I've wondered if there's a way to reverse it actually, not that I'm an expert on gamma-radiation. But your solution is way cooler! Is it uh a--a matter of induced evolution or increased brain-wave function----"

He continued with his scientific talk that you didn't understand a word of, looking nervous for asking but unable to keep his love of science quiet. Bruce was shocked by his knowledge, discussing it more with him for a few minutes.

"Yay, another geek," Sam said in an unenthusiastic tone.

"Yeah except you can't bully this one," you said, "He's under 18 so we could pin you with child harassment or something."

Speaking had drawn Peter's attention to you, whose brow furrowed briefly before his eyes grew wide again, looking at you in the same jittery awe he had the others.

"Uh are you...?" he asked with that Peter Parker 'I can't believe this is happening' smile.

"Right! Peter Parker, meet Wren, aka whatever bird name you wanna call her, aka villain-loving psycho, aka pain in the ass, aka---"

"We get it, Tony! You'll have to make him a list," you laughed.

"Wow uh you're....from the future," he stated the obvious, tossing his hands and shrugging like it was the only thing he could think of and he'd given up trying to find something cooler.

"Yeah and you're....God, you're Peter Parker!"

"Mr. Stark he uh he told me everything. About how we're movie characters, which is insane!"

"You're telling me! Meeting you right now is like the equivalent of meeting, I don't know, give me a movie character," you told the room.

Cap opened his mouth.

"Not some 40s movie no one will understand," you cut him off before he could speak.

"Freddy Krueger," Clint said.

"A movie character you'd want to meet!" you said, "Why was that the first character to pop in your head?"

"Uh, Luke Skywalker?" Peter suggested.

"Yes! Good one, it's like if you got to meet Luke."

"This is so weird. So like, you're a fan...of me? I'm--I'm on posters and and I'm an actor?"

"A British one, actually, that every teenage girl fell for. When you die, well not really die...when you get dusted, there wasn't a dry eye in the theater."

"I'm British?!"

"Yeah Tom Holland puts on an American accent."

"Ha," he chuckled at the name, "That's such a British name. Tom Holland," he tried in a British accent.

"Gosh don't do that! I have a struggle not seeing people as actors as it is. I've almost called Thor's dad Anthony Hopkins once or twice. And Thor's girlfriend Jane? Her actress, Natalie Portman, plays Padme in Star Wars. Well, in my world at least. I've looked it up here and it's someone else that just looks a lot like her."

"That's so cool! Wait, you're a Star Wars fan?"

"Yeah, she's a real movie nerd. Horror, sci-fi, so forth. You name it, she'll give you an unwanted extended monologue on the subject," Tony answered for you

"No way, my friend Ned and I do that too!"

"Yeah, you guys are pretty awesome."

"You know Ned?! Wait right, future, got it. Of course you know Ned. Do I have a solo movie?? Or is it like a connected universe and we're all in the same movies together?"

"Yes and yes. People have solo and joint movies."

"So...uh do-do I become, you know..." he looked at you in a 'you know what I'm saying' way.

You raised your eyebrows and shook your head. "Become what?"

"An Avenger?" he said in a hushed tone.

"Getting ahead of ourselves, Spiderling," Tony said.

"Yeah, sorry Mr. Stark! I--I was just curious you know, cuz well, if I'm in a-a movie with you guys then that means I'm working with you---"

"That's cuz we get desperate and have to recruit pre-schoolers," Sam said.

"Maybe the real reason I bring him in is cuz we need some new members when I kick the problem children off the team?" Tony shot back.

"Sounds like we leave voluntarily," Sam countered.

"After you help Barnes---" Tony started.

"Can we not talk about Civil War?" you asked, "Unless you guys are gonna put the suits on and fight it out right here, cuz that would honestly be entertaining."

Peter didn't look too sure if you were joking, or whether fighting like that was a likely possibility. Your look let him know it was a joke.

"Not that it really wouldn't be entertaining," you whispered to him.

"Yeah," he smiled.

"You uh, you want any food?" you asked, gesturing to the lasagna on the table, not knowing what else to say, "Sam and I are no Bobby Flay, but we managed not to poison everyone."

"It's good!" Wanda assured you.

"It's all from the way I cooked the pasta," Sam declared, still on the couch facing the tv.

"What, dropping it into the water I had boiled for you cuz you were too lazy to turn on the stove?"

"It's all about the way you drop in the pasta," he defended, "And I layered it cuz you were too lazy for that, so don't start."

"I--I'm good, thanks," Peter declined.

"You made the right choice," Tony said, poking at the helping he'd served himself.

"No, really it's not bad," Nat told him.

"We're remembering who made this right?" he asked the room as he scooped a bit of pasta onto his fork, looking hesitant to eat it, "The fact that any of you were bold enough to try this."

"There wasn't a way to specifically get arsenic just on your serving without looking sus, so you're good for tonight," you told him.

Peter looked shocked that you spoke so casually to Tony, not to mentioned joked about killing him. He couldn't hide the smile that was creeping on his face though.

"Yeah, no thanks," Tony slid the food off his plate back into the dish with a dramatic swipe, "You see what I have to deal with, kid?" he said to Peter.

"Hey man," Korg spoke from your left. He and Miek had made their way over from where they'd somehow remained absent from the introductions or Peter's attention.

"Woah!" Peter exclaimed upon turning, jumping back a good foot and grabbing your arm instinctively.

"I know, I didn't think this shirt looked good either," Korg said, tugging at the end of his bright orange apparel, "But Miek thought it looked good."

"He's...it's the talking rock," Peter said in mixed disbelief and awe.

"Don't tell me you missed the time I introduced them to the public?" Tony asked, "Couldn't keep them a secret forever."

"Yeah no I-I-I did, I just, it's, he's different in person and and this close," Peter answered, looking Korg up and down and staring in complete curiosity at Miek.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Korg. This is my very good friend here, Miek. He used to have knives for hands all the time, but the rich Stark man gave him this cool upgrade. I personally thought the knives on all the time was a cool look, but there's no denying this is more helpful for holding things."

"Uh---uh hi, Korg, sir. I uh, I'm Peter. Peter Parker. Spider-Man."

"Very nice to meet you, Peter Peter Parker Spider-Man. Hey, you any good at video games? Wren's introduced me to quite a few entertaining ones, and Thor, Miek and I love to play when he visits. We could play some time if that's something you'd be interested in? Do you reckon you'd be interested in something like that?"

"Um, yeah, yeah totally."

"Sweet! You'll find us here most of the time, man," Korg pointed to the living room.

"Cool, thanks, I'll uh, I'll stop by," Peter replied.

He gave you a look as Korg and Miek walked away.

"Yeah, I know he's a bit slow," you whispered.

"No no, he's awesome," Peter whispered back quickly, "Just uh, not what I expected from a big, scary rock guy, ya know?"

"What're you two whispering about?" Tony asked, "You've already got the hots for a man hundreds of years older than you, don't start going for the minors."

"Tony!" you hissed.

"No uh, we we were just talking Mr. Stark, I--she's not," Peter chuckled awkwardly.

"It's gross is what he means!"

Peter nodded, letting you take this one.

"It is, so don't let it happen," Tony ordered.

"Loki would skin the kid if he thought he was competition, so don't get the teenager killed, will you?" Sam asked.

"Who'd skin---I-I'm not doing anything--he's he's joking right?"

"That Loki would skin someone? No," you said, "That Loki would skin you for that reason, yes. Sam's being his brain-dead self, you get used to it."

"Isn't Loki Thor's brother?" 

"Tony didn't tell you about him?" you asked.

"No, I didn't," Tony said, "Thought you'd want to explain your boyfriend yourself."

"He's not...ugh, ya know what, Peter, do you wanna see the compound?"

He glanced back and forth from you to Tony, wondering if he had permission to accept and also probably trying to piece together what was going on.

"Uh, yeah, of course, if that's uh alright, Mr. Stark?"

"It is," you said, walking towards the hall.

"I could say no just because of that," Tony threatened, and Peter paused.

"Tony," you sighed.

"Go on, kid," he nodded to Parker, "Don't lose my intern!" he called after you.

You hurried away from the kitchen, starting your tour of the living facility first. In reality, it was just a chance to walk and talk.

"I have so many questions," Peter started nearly as soon as small-talk began, "Like, how does my movie go? Who's the villain? How do I win? Is there a climactic showdown? How hurt do I get? Are there edits of me? Do I act in anything else in your world? What's your world like?"

"Gosh you sound like me," you smiled, "At least I know I'm not the only one super excited here! I have a hundred things I want to ask you too."

"Well...I did ask first," Peter shrugged with a smile and a 'please go first' look.

"I know, you beat me to it. For starters, a lot of your questions I don't know if I can answer. I think your movie has to play out, just like Scott's."

"Who's Scott?"

"Oh, Ant-Man. We just visited him yesterday. He's super fun too, you'll love him!"

"Ant-Man?" Peter asked like you were joking.

"Says Spider-Man. At this point you can turn any animal into a superhero name."

"Ok, but spiders are freaky. I mean, the eight legs, the eyes?"

"He's called Ant-Man cuz he can shrink...and also kinda talk with ants and ride them. He's also strong when little too. Oh, and he can reverse the tech or something and grow really big, like think giant."

"He can grow into a giant?!"

"Yeah, it really freaks you out when it happens. See, he's on the team other than yours in Civil War, so you have to fight him when he's giant. You come up with the idea to take him down though."

"I do?? How? Do I like do it myself, in front of everyone? Cuz that'd be sick."

You filled him in on the events, telling him practically everything he says and does in Civil War.

"I always thought I'd be able to play it cool in a fight. I tell Mr. Falcon he has the right to remain silent?" he cringed.

"Yup," you laughed, "But you kick butt, so that's all that matters I guess. Your fight banter gets better, trust me."

"So why can't you tell me about my movie? I mean, shouldn't I know what's coming?"

"Do you want to live out your time to shine or not?"

"Come on yes, but it'd be nice to not have to go through whatever bad stuff happens."

"Who said anything about bad stuff?" you asked jokingly.

"Movie 101, the hero always goes through bad stuff."

"I think you and I watch too many movies."

"It helped me in Civil War though! Or will help...or won't anymore, but would have."

"And it helps later on too. Never underestimate the power of nerdom."

"Can't I know anything personal...do I get a girlfriend?" he tried to subtly add in, playing it cool.

"I'm not saying anything."

"That means I do!" he gasped.

"What no it doesn't! It means I can't tell you."

"Yeah, but you would have just said no if I didn't."

"And crush your poor hopes and dreams?"

"Ow, ok fair. I'm a hero though, and the main character. You know what that means in movies?"

"Let me guess, that they always get a love interest?"

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah well, you'll find out."

"Hey, do the Avengers like go on top secret missions all the time? Do you go with them? Do they use code names?" he asked randomly.

"I thought I got to ask some questions here? Come on, my excited geek has been bursting to get out since you entered the kitchen!"

"Oh yeah, ok uh, go on," he said, not used to the attention.

"First, do you have your web-shooters on??"

He smiled and rolled back his sleeve, revealing the prize underneath.

"Oh my god, shoot one!"

"Now?"

"Right now!"

"Just shoot it?"

"Yeah!"

"I can't!"

"Why?"

"What if Mr. Stark gets mad? It doesn't dissolve until---"

"He'll be fine! I'll take the heat for it, ok?"

"You sure?"

"Yes, now shoot the damn web before I steal those things and do it myself."

He fired his hand forward, fingers in the iconic position. The web shot across the hall, sticking against the wall.

"Ooooh myyyy God!" you squealed in excitement. "Can you climb the wall?"

"You want me to climb the wall?"

"If you don't mind doing it."

"No, I-I don't," he laughed, "It's just, this is probably how Ned would be if he knew I had these powers."

With that he scurried up the wall and onto the ceiling, letting his neck hang backwards to look at you.

"This is the single greatest day of my life!"

"Better than jumping through a portal and meeting the Avengers?"

"Ok, one of many greatest days."

He let go, landing smoothly next to you. You threw your hand towards his face, and, despite not looking, he caught it before your smack could find it's target.

"What was that for??"

"I wanted to see the Spidey-Sense."

"Oh," he sighed in relief, "Spidey-Sense? That's a good name for it I guess, I didn't know what to call it."

"It's better than Peter Tingle, trust me.

"Yeah uh, I'll take the first."

"Can you backflip?"

He laughed but nodded. "Yeah sure, back up."

You took a step back, giving him room to flawlessly flip and land lightly on his feet.

"I hope you don't mind me having you do this stuff. I swear I'm as happy to meet you as Peter as I am Spider-Man, I just had to get it out of my system."

"No, it's ok! Honestly it's uh...it's been hard, you know? Not knowing what to do with these abilities, and then not having anyone to tell."

"Well, it looks like you've found a pretty good use for them. And you now have a whole team of people who know about you."

"Yeah, but I'm not an Avenger," he sighed, "Not yet anyway."

"Baby steps. And it doesn't mean you don't have us to talk to."

You and Peter walked through the whole building, chatting the entire time. He asked more questions about your world and the future, and you got to learn things you never knew about Peter from his MCU films. He told you about his childhood, Uncle Ben, how and when he got bit, etc. You were surprised how easy it was for you two to talk to each other, but it made sense. You were both in the same position. Fans of the Avengers, nerds who were living lives you never thought you'd live, both interested by the other. It felt refreshing to have someone to relate to on this kind of level.

"Yaay, we're almost back," you sighed, the kitchen just around the corner, "Let's hope the topic of conversation doesn't come back to entirely creepy and disgusting."

"Oh yeah, what was all of that?"

"Avengers being Avengers."

"Why did Mr. Stark call Loki your boyfriend? Are you guys a thing?!"

"Nooo no no no, we're not! It's a long story I'll have to tell some other time."

"If we see each other again," Peter said disparagingly, "I don't know if I'll be back here. Even if Mr. Stark didn't mind me coming by, I have school. I have Aunt May. God, I don't know how I'm supposed to keep this all from her."

"It all works out, don't worry. And we could, ya know, still talk on these things called phones?"

"Right! Yeah yeah, right give me sec," he stopped, pulling out his phone, "Here, put your number in."

You typed in your number, Peter testing it with a message once you were done.

"Got it," you said, looking at your own screen and saving the number under Peter's name.

"Cool," he grinned, sliding his phone back in his pocket.

"Cool."

"Is it alright if I text, like if I want to ask some more stuff...or-or talk about Spider-Man stuff?"

"Only if it's alright if I text to ask more questions and hear about Spider-Man stuff?" 

"Yeah, cool, great," he nodded, looking as excitedly awkward as you felt. 

You finished the walk to the kitchen, unfortunately having to say goodbye to Peter when Tony insisted on getting him home at a decent hour on a school night. He wasn't gone long when your phone buzzed.

why is Happy so cranky? who thought of that nickname???

lol seriously tho! probably Tony honestly

just asked if he's ever killed anyone. he didn't answer😶

yeah we don't talk about his mother

HE KILLED HIS MOM

ask him

I don't want to die too

he secretly likes to talk about it. therapeutic

 

WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME DO

 

YOU ACTUALLY DID IT

 

YOU TOLD ME TO

 

omg what did he say??

 

I asked "so how did your mom die?" you know to ease into the topic

 

he's on the side of the road calling his mom now

 

lmao

 

out of all the ways you could have worded it

 

smh

 

I thought it was better than accusing him of something!

 

what's he doing now?

 

Peter?

 

did Happy kill u?

 

cuz I will take no responsibility if he did

 

he caught me laughing at my phone

 

tried getting it to see who it was

 

he didn't see the contact did he?

 

he didn't get it

 

Spider-Man remember?

 

he didn't try to scare u into giving it up?

 

maybe

 

u didn't give a name at all?

 

Peter

 

Peteeeerrr

 

it may have come up

 

dude!

 

I'm sorry! Happy's intimidating and I didn't mean to 

 

how'd you know I said something

 

cuz you're you

 

then you know you shouldn't put me in that position

 

I panic

 

it's Happy so would I

 

I don't think he likes me

 

better than me at least

 

not hard to do at the moment

 

and who's fault is that Parker??

 

k fair but I said sorry

 

wait it's your fault anyway

 

now he doesn't like me either

 

Happy doesn't like anyone at first

 

u guys become close tho

 

really?

 

yup just keep nagging him

 

sounds like another set-up

 

I'm serious this time

 

he'll warm up to u

 

he gave me his number!

 

see? told ya

 

nvm

 

said Mr. Stark told him to

 

ya still have it

 

text him often

 

it's emergencies only

 

his personality is an emergency

 

fair lol

 

thanks for everything today

 

oh and for coming here

 

I don't wanna turn to dust

 

same

 

i'll chop Thanos' head off myself

 

hopefully the avengers take care of it

 

you're boring

 

come on i don't want you dead either

 

yeah it's not good for the health

 

😂 

 

ttyl?

 

shit i forgot 

 

i won't be here 

 

not often anyway

 

i mean we could still text right?

 

i don't think Asgard gets any service

 

you're staying on Asgard???

 

it's a long story 

 

basically  some  dude knows i'm from the  future

 

he wants info

 

i was kidnapped on Thanksgiving actually

 

seriously?? that's so cool

 

sorry i mean that's not cool!

 

lol it's fine

 

don't tell the others but it was cool

 

omg i felt so bad for a sec there

 

were u ok?

 

i mean if u think it was cool u were fine right?

 

define fine

 

i lived if that's what u mean

 

did u get tortured???

 

damn i shouldn't have asked that

 

sorry

 

nah i'm being a dramatic butt about it

 

it was fine

 

nothing i couldn't walk off

 

what did he do?

 

or is that too weird to ask

 

electrocution

 

like torture table wire setup

 

people rly do that?!

 

apparently

 

i'll take it over anything bloody tho

 

that sucks tho man

 

i'm so sorry

 

he's actually a pretty fun guy when he's not torturing

 

so it's all good

 

did u know him from the movies

 

yup and therein lies the problem

 

i have a love for villains

 

oh yeah Mr. Stark mentioned that

 

what did he want to know?

 

all part of the long story

 

i've run into him again since then

 

which is why i'm living on Asgard

 

i'll tell you some time not over text

 

when r u leaving?

 

i could call tomorrow?

 

unless that's like too weird!

 

i know we just met idk why i asked

 

trust me i wanna tell u about it!

 

don't apologize

 

remember the whole you're a movie character thing?

 

would u be annoyed if a character wanted to call u?

 

right i keep forgetting

 

that's so weird

 

but so awesome

 

r u free after school?

 

i have band practice til 4

 

k i'll convince Tony to let me stay til dinner

 

u sure it's safe?

 

i don't wanna get u in trouble

 

Zemo is pretty badass 

 

but he can't just snatch me from the compound

 

is that the bad dude's name?

 

yup

 

pretty cool actually

 

or not!

 

depending on if it's ok for me to say that

 

😂

 

u rly do panic

 

yes it's fine

 

k good

 

i just don't wanna screw up ya know?

 

i mocked the name Asgard in front of Odin

 

so yes i get it

 

did u rly!

 

i wish i could say no

 

what did he do?

 

nvm sorry i keep asking questions

 

he was chill

 

and i've still got a lot for u

 

so we'll be even don't worry

 

so tomorrow after band?

 

sounds good!

 

awesome talk to u then!

 

and thanks again!

 

you're welcome😁

 

now get to bed

 

if Tony found out i've kept u up this late we're both in trouble

 

omg you're right

 

if he asks tell him i was asleep two hours ago

 

i'll tell him his new intern told me to lie for him

 

lol

 

that was a joke right?

 

right?

 

Wren?

 

come on i know you're not asleep

 

u some psychic now?

 

Ha!

 

no

 

i couldn't fall asleep mid-conversation with a movie character

 

even if i wanted to

 

figured u couldn't too

 

i sometimes forget there's a genius under those jitters

 

wait am i a genius?

 

look at the web fluid u designed and ask that again

 

that rly wasn't hard tho

 

not that i'm bragging!

 

you're like those kids that get the highest grades

 

and then loudly proclaims that they didn't even study

 

and then cries cuz they got a 99

 

we have one of those and it's not me i swear

 

hmm ill have to ask Ned when i meet him

 

you're thinking up the lie to tell him if u wanna meet

 

god i wish i could tell him

 

i'll think of something

 

maybe another Stark intern

 

hey that'd work!

 

then i might be bound to a sleep schedule tho

 

*cough cough*

 

right omg 

 

goodnight!

 

night!

 

You smiled at having just texted Peter Parker goodnight, reaching over to plug your phone in on your nightstand. He'd left the compound around 9:30, the text conversation having taken place intermittently over the next three hours. You stared up at the dark ceiling, trying to wrap your mind around the fact that Peter Parker was in your contacts...right alongside Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and the rest of the Avengers. Some things never got less strange with time. Excitement from the day made it hard to fall asleep, but you eventually drifted.

 

***

 

A phone ringing woke you up, and it took you a couple groggy seconds of staring at your phone to realize it was yours. You weren't used to calls or texts in this universe, and you certainly weren't used to seeing Peter Parker's name on the caller ID.

 

"Hello?" you said drowsily, pushing yourself into a sitting position.

 

"Hey! I-I know we said after 4, and I really didn't wanna wake you if you're still asleep, which it sounds like you are, so I'm super sorry about that," he started, sounding more flustered than usual.

 

"No it's fine, what's up?"

 

"Ok well I was my way to school this morning, like right outside the building, walking in the same time I always do, when a guy bumps into me. I didn't think anything of it cuz you know people bump into people all the time. It was weird though because he had plenty of room, which I thought was weird at first, but like I don't know, maybe he's not paying attention? People never look where they're going, especially in a school, so I was used to it. You know what I mean. He apologized though which was nice. Sorry, there's a point to this story I swear! Anyway, I let it go until I got to my locker, cuz when I got there there was this--this note, or letter, in my outside pocket on my bag, and it wasn't there before. And it had your name on it! And I'm sorry for opening your mail, but it's creepy stalker mail so I thought it was alright."

 

"Peter, what did the guy look like?"

 

"Uh, dark hair, forties maybe? He had an accent, sounded Russian I think."

 

"Sokovian if we're being technical."

 

"So that guy was Zemo? I didn't know if he had henchman or anything. You know, cuz he's a villain."

 

"Who knows maybe he does. What did the letter say?"

 

"Right uh I have it right here," he said, pausing a second to bring it out, "Uh it says...

 

Ms. Arlington,

 

...nice last name by the way."

 

"Peter."

 

"Sorry yeah, uh...

 

Ms. Arlington,

 

I hope you are enjoying your vacation. So sorry to have inconvenienced you enough that you felt the need to leave. However, I can only imagine what it is like in the Land of the Gods, so perhaps I did you a favor? Nevertheless, constantly wondering when I will make my move is stressful I'm sure. Good news though, you will not have to wait much longer. Ok, so that could be bad news depending on how you look at it. I am an optimist though. I hope you're in good health.

 

Sincerely,

 

Helmut Zemo.

 

...he's pretty formal and really polite when he threatens. That that was threatening though, right? Like, I-I-I'm not overreacting am I?"

 

You were already to the elevators, having hurried out the door half-way through the letter.

 

"Yeah it was a threat. Though with him it's mixed threat and genuine politeness."

 

"So what do we do, are you telling Mr. Stark?"

 

"Yeah I'm on my way now."

 

"Ok ok, cool, good," he said, taking a deep breath, "How did he know I'd met you? Is he watching everything? How did he know where I go to school?"

 

"I wish I knew these answers, but I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."

 

"No i-it's  fine, really it's cool, I'm fine. Can I help at all?"

 

"Keep an eye out for him obviously and watch out for yourself. If he knows where you go to school, odds are he can find out where you live, if he doesn't know already."

 

"Oh my God, ok yeah I'll uh I-I'll watch out. I know not to let him get away next time, sorry. I can grab him."

 

"He knows you know that now, so if he ever set himself up for an easy grab it would probably be a setup."

 

"He doesn't know I have superpowers though, right? I mean, how could he find that out."

 

"That's a good point, I don't know how. But that doesn't mean he doesn't know. Hey I'm about to reach the kitchen, could you send me a pic of the letter?"

 

"Sure yeah, I-I'll send it right away! Uh, be careful? Let me know if Mr. Stark sends you away?"

 

"I'll text you what goes on."

 

"Ok cool. I gotta go, first period is staring soon and Ned's probably wondering where I am. I'll send the pic first though!"

 

"Thanks, Peter. See ya later."

 

"Bye!"

 

You were shocked to find Tony up with Cap, Wanda and Vision. You'd expected him to still be asleep. Pepper being in the kitchen probably had something to do with it.

 

"Hey Pepper," you smiled.

 

"Hey! How've you been?" she asked as Tony placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

 

"Oh uh, pretty good. How about you?"

 

"Great actually! Still managing to keep this man's company from collapsing."

 

"That's what I keep you around for," Tony said, back at the table again to set breakfast down for her.

 

"Is that all?" she asked playfully.

 

"There's the small thing of how great you are," he shrugged.

 

"Mmhmm, and don't forget it," she smiled, as he leaned down for the kiss.

 

"How could I?" he said, walking back to the counter for his own coffee.

 

"What're you doing up so early?" Wanda asked.

 

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm much better at getting up now!"

 

"Not this early," she said.

 

"You wanna say something, it's practically oozing from your eyeballs," Tony said, sitting next to Pep.

 

"Yeah I um...I got a call from Peter this morning."

 

"That close already huh?" Tony chuckled, "I'm warning you, if you make eyes at my intern just cuz he's some actor in your---"

 

"Tony, Loki is one thing but he's a literal sophomore in high school! Who cares if his actor is like 26 in my world or something like that."

 

"What'd he want?" Steve asked, maybe seeing there was something more important under all of it.

 

"Someone left him a letter this morning. Delivered it to him at school," you said as you opened the picture Peter had dutifully sent and placed the phone next to Tony's plate.

 

He picked it up, squinting at first before his eyes grew a little wider and his jaw set firmly.

 

"What is it?" Pepper, asked, leaning in to see.

 

"That son of a bitch," Tony mumbled, tilting it for her to see better and then sliding it over to Cap. The phone made it's way around the table and back in Tony's hands, who read it angrily again.

 

"How exactly did he get this letter? What did he say---" he started asking, going back to the message thread and reading the previous texts, "Texting past midnight already?"

 

"Zemo, remember?!" you snatched the phone from him, "Priorities, Tony."

 

"He knows you're here and you haven't been back a full 48 hours," Tony grumbled, "You're out of here. Back up on Asgard now," he stood. "Tell us exactly what happened with Pete this morning."

 

"Uh, he said someone bumped into him outside the building. Dark hair, accent, probably Zemo. He found the letter in his bag pocket when he got inside."

 

"No one messes with my new intern," he said, pulling up something on his phone and casting it into the air. "Friday," he said as he began swiping things aside, "Security footage from Midtown High."

 

"He can do that?" you whispered.

 

"Can? Yes. Should?" Pepper answered.

 

"What you want me to stop?" Tony asked, the footage from the system popping up.

 

"Hell no," she responded, eyes focused intently on the film.

 

"Ok, Friday, roll the footage starting half an hour ago. Ok, now speed it up. Good, keep going. Stop!" 

 

"There he is," Cap said, Peter walking into view outside the steps of the school.

 

"And here comes our guest-star," Tony pointed, a figure walking in from the opposite side of the screen.

 

The collision happened as Peter had described, the man pausing to apologize and pat Peter on the back. There was no denying it was Zemo, even with the poor camera quality.

 

"You plant the package and then where do you go?" Tony muttered, as Zemo walked to the street.

 

"Is that a cab?" you asked, trying to make out the car in the distance. 

 

"Friday, zoom in. And do what you can with this quality, it's making me want to gouge my eyes out."

 

"It is a cab, boss," she confirmed, the little car enlarging as she zoomed the image in and cleared it to the best of her technological ability.

 

Zemo hopped in the back and the taxi drove off.

 

"Friday?"

 

"On it," she answered, rewinding and freezing the picture on the cab, bringing up it's number.

 

"Find me that cab. Call in Fury's help if you need."

 

"Starting the search now," she replied.

 

"Wren, we need to get you back up there," Steve said.

 

"Damn, I wanna know if you find him."

 

"It won't take Friday long to find it," Tony said.

 

"That doesn't guarantee we'll find Zemo," Wanda said.

 

"But if we can find the driver, we can inquire about his past stops," Vision said.

 

"Find the cab, we find the driver, find the driver, we find where he dropped Zemo. This is big-time movie planning right here," you said happily.

 

"Which you won't be around to finish, now go grab what you need," Tony ordered.

 

You nodded reluctantly, heading back to the elevators. There were only a few things you'd decided to take back with you, so you threw them in a small draw-string bag and flopped on your bed. You knew you should have been rushing, but it was hard to feel the weight of the danger when sitting in your room in a compound with the entire team home. You kept zoning out while you got dressed and ready to go. It was more than twenty minutes before you re-entered the kitchen, the rest of the gang now present.

 

"Why're you guys all dressed for battle?" you asked, noting that Cap had changed into his uniform, "And how did you change so quickly?"

 

"Practice," he smiled.

 

"We've got him," Tony answered your first question, "We contacted the cab company instead, got the history for the car belonging to our number. They have gps in each car to track their stops."

 

"I almost forget you can access everything. You're what makes us paranoid that the government is watching us through everything."

 

"They are," he said, "I might as well do it too. He dropped our friend to a warehouse, naturally, on the edge of Midtown Manhattan. From what we can gather, he's still there."

 

"So you're moving in?"

 

"The sooner we have this asshole in custody, the sooner I can get back to sleep," Clint yawned, "This was supposed to be a relaxing visit."

 

"You came here to relax?" Bruce asked.

 

"Tells you all you need to know about parenting," Clint replied.

 

"Why couldn't you do this when we knew when and where he'd been? At the yogurt shop?"

 

"Tried, but he got into a far less traceable black car then. We lost him," Tony answered.

 

"Why wouldn't he do it again?"

 

"I don't know, maybe his driver wasn't feeling game today," Tony brushed it off.

 

"No, she's right," Steve said, "Why would he cover his tracks so well until now? Why give himself away easily?"

 

"You call the amount of surveillance we had to hack easy?" Tony asked.

 

"Maybe he just didn't know he'd get caught on the school cameras?" Rhodey suggested.

 

"Everyone slips up eventually," Tony agreed.

 

"I still don't like it," Steve shook his head.

 

I dooon't wike it, you thought, but refrained from saying a Chris Evans reference.

 

"What's he tryna accomplish by pulling us out there?" Sam asked his friend, "He's gotta know we'd send Wren back the second he gave Parker the letter."

 

"A trap? More bombs, bring the building down?" Wanda offered.

 

"He knows we'd be ready for that," Nat said.

 

"In the future he admits that he knows he can't kill you," you backed Nat's statement.

 

"See? So if it's a trap, and we're assuming this guy is Sherlock and planned for us to find him, then we'll expect it," Tony said confidently, "Besides, he's after Wren, not us right now. You heard the letter, he's coming for her soon."

 

"Then why let us know that?" Steve countered, "Why give her the chance to run again?"

 

"The guy's delusional," Tony said, "And maybe it's because he's already put whatever plan he has in motion and the longer we sit here debating, the more chance he has of succeeding?"

 

"There's something off about it, Tony, you have to know that?" Steve pleaded.

 

Tony sighed. "Even if there is," he said, making you think he agreed with Cap, "We can't just do nothing. As long as she's up there, she's safe."

 

"Alright," Steve nodded after a few seconds of contemplation, "Let's get her there. Are you ready?" he asked you.

 

"Yeah, I'm good," you sighed, "Let's go."

 

"Heimdall? If you're there, we need an immediate evac," Steve announced as he led the way from the room.

 

You made sure to text Peter that you were leaving as you walked out the door.

 

heading back to Asgard for now

 

team's going after Zemo

 

hopefully that means i'll be back soon

 

if not, see ya whenever

 

look out for yourself and bother Happy a lot

 

"Ok kid, here ya go," Tony nodded ahead of him to where you were supposed to walk and wait for the bifrost.

 

"I guess I'll see you guys later," you said, handing your phone to Wanda and walking out ahead of the group, "Get this guy already, will you?"

 

"Yeah ok, we'll do our best," Clint said.

 

"Now hold on, cuz if that means she comes back down permanently, maybe we should think it over first?" Sam said.

 

"I'll miss you too," you grinned, before your attention was drawn above you by the clouds rumbling overhead.

 

"We'll be in touch. Warehouse is only a hop skip and a jump away, so maybe you'll get some good news soon," Tony said just before the stream of colors fell down around you.

 

 "Hello Wren," Heimdall smiled.

 

"Hey Heimdall," you said less enthusiastically than usual.

 

"Anything troubling you?" he asked.

 

"No not really. Just sucks I have to run away so quickly again. The Avengers found Zemo, at least they think. But he's being a cryptic pain in the ass again, so I had to come back just to play it safe."

 

"You should be grateful they have a chance to find him," Heimdall said encouragingly, stepping down from the center as you walked over.

 

"I know, there's just something weird about the whole thing. Cap knows it, even Tony knows it. I just think there's more to it all and I have this feeling something bad's gonna happen. Maybe that's just movie paranoia? Not everything has to be some elaborate plot though, right?"

 

"Why don't you tell me about it, then maybe I can answer honestly?"

 

So you and Heimdall sat on the steps, staring out the bifrost window as you discussed what had happened and what rubbed you the wrong way.

 

"It's strange that he'd want you off Midgard," Heimdall agreed.

 

"So you definitely think he was counting on me leaving?"

 

"Perhaps not the first time, but it seems certain that was his intention with the letter."

 

"If he didn't want me to leave the first time, what was the purpose of his visit at the shop? Why give himself away when he could have just snatched me?"

 

"Did he discuss anything with you that day?"

 

"He said he didn't want to hurt me. That it would only come to that again if his current plan failed. But what that plan was is anyone's guess."

 

"If we think this through, his visit that day must have been part of his plan. If it didn't include kidnapping you then, then what was it? There's a connection somewhere, there always is. Let's start somewhere simple. What did he accomplish that day?"

 

"He got me to leave. But we don't know if that was his intention, even if it was this time."

 

"And why would he want you gone?"

 

"There's literally no reason. It's not like the Avengers are at a disadvantage with me gone. I've already told them everything useful and Zemo knows...oh my God! Zemo knows that!" you stood up abruptly, Heimdall following suit. "Wanting to scare me doesn't make sense because he knows they already know everything. But that wasn't his plan, gosh I'm such an idiot!"

 

"I'm afraid I'm not following."

 

"Zemo knows I told them everything, but he only knows that because I told him then and there at the shop! The bastard mentioned it so subtly I didn't even notice the setup! He comes in, has a seemingly out of place conversation, and walks out with the information he needs!"

 

"So now he knows you're not the only one with the information he seeks."

 

"Exactly! Me leaving wasn't his plan. Learning who he could go after other than me to get the information was. Oh shit, and now he's gotten me out of the way again, this time intentionally...because he's going after one of the others!"

 

"What would getting you out of the way accomplish?"

 

"Either he's simply keeping up the pretense of going for me so that the Avengers stash me away and think they've got everything covered when they go for him, or he's genuinely keeping me out of the crossfire. But it all makes sense why he was careless today, in his own subtle way. Cap knew it was too easy, but they think there's a small chance he's prepared some kind of poor attempt at a trap, bombs and such. They have no idea one of them is his actual target! Heimdall, I need to get back down there and call Tony! Friday can warn him."

 

"Perhaps we should leave them as they are? They can surely handle an attempted kidnapping if they can handle a sabotage attempt."

 

"I'm not saying they can't, but they'd stand a better chance if they knew he had something laid out to bring someone back alive. And what if he happens to succeed? There's no need for them to burst in and grab him if it's a guaranteed trap anyway! They were risking the possibility because they were trying to keep me safe! So I could come home! But he's after anyone and everyone now, not just me! If he's so dangerous to me, we can't put it past him to have something set up for the others. And if he was willing to hurt me, I can only imagine how hard he'll readily go on one of them. Please, Heimdall, we have to warn them! At least let them make their own decision with all of the facts at their disposal. But if one of them got taken and we didn't try to stop it??"

 

"You're right," he nodded, walking back up the steps and lifting the sword into position, "If he expects you're up here, the others are a far greater target."

 

"Thanks! Watch them will you? If you can find them. They're somewhere in Midtown Manhattan I think?"

 

"I'll do my best to track their progress. Now go!"

 

You scrambled into position, the bifrost pulling you back down to earth. You wasted no time, sprinting inside the minute your feet hit the ground.

 

"Friday!" you called when you found the compound on lockdown

 

"Ms, you're not supposed to be here!" she answered, the door clicking open and allowing you entry into the facility.

 

"I know, but can you patch me through to Tony? I'm not the one Zemo's after here."

 

"Kid?!" Tony's voice rang through the speakers, "What the hell are you doing back down here?"

 

"Tony, I found out why he didn't care if he scared me away again. He's not after me, he's after one of you. I let it slip that I had told you guys everything from Civil War, that's what he was at Jenny's for! He got it out of me and I never even noticed."

 

"Turns out you were right, Cap," he spoke to Steve, "Kid just said he's after us."

 

He relayed what you'd told him to the others.

 

"Well, we knew there was a chance this was a trap. Let him try to take one of us."

 

"Tony, he's not careless. If he's got a plan to get one of you, chances are it might work."

 

"Yeah, Steve just said the same. Hang on, Wren," he said to you, probably discussing the strategy with the others. "Ok, we've decided to lie low. Surveillance only, at least for the time being. If he's still in there, he'll have to come out eventually. We're going to do this on our terms, not his."

 

You breathed a sigh of relief.

 

"Whatever happens, just stick together please? No stupid movie 'let's split up' moments, ok?"

 

"We're not morons," Tony replied.

 

"Just making sure."

 

"In the meantime, you should head back up."

 

"Tony, he thinks I'm up there. He knows you wouldn't let me stay after the letter, it was a whole misdirection."

 

"Yeah, but in case he catches on that we're not falling for the bait, you should be with the Bumbling Brothers up there while we're away, got it?"

 

"Ok, just let me know how everything goes the second you guys get back?"

 

"We will, now move your ass out that door."

 

"Good luck," you said before the channel cut out.

 

"At least you're not at risk," Friday said optimistically.

 

"Yeah, I just hope they aren't either. Now go help Tony!"

 

"I'm a program, Ma'am, I'm essentially both places at once."

 

"I know, just pay more attention to him if that's possible."

 

"I'll look out for him."

 

"Thanks. See ya later, Friday."

 

"So long Wren."

 

You walked outside, the door locking behind you, feeling more relaxed about the whole situation than you had in a while. You headed across the yard, thinking, for once, that you were a step ahead of Zemo.

 

"Hello, Ms. Arlington."

 

You turned around in surprise, Zemo standing patiently on the lawn a few feet behind you. Your brain fired a million questions in a second, none of which found their way out your mouth. Instead you must have looked comically shocked. Finally, you just rubbed your face in frustration, letting out a deep sigh.

 

"No effing way, no way you're...how in the hell do you do this?"

 

"How do I know you're not up there where you thought I'd want you?" he pointed to the sky, "I know, I did make it seem that way. I'm sorry for the deception on multiple accounts."

 

"Wait wait wait, so you didn't expect me to head back up when you sent the letter?"

 

"No, I knew you would. I also knew you'd begin to consider why I did not care if you did so. The first time you'd left was unexpected, but not a difficult hurtle to overcome. I am patient, remember? Based on how long you'd been away, it appeared you never thought twice about the information I sought at our last meeting."

 

"So you did want to know who I told? That's what you were trying to get?"

 

He nodded.

 

"Wait, but why do you need to know that if you're still after me? Like, I had that part right, but then why are you here?"

 

"I told you that if my plan went accordingly, you would not need to be harmed as you were on our last encounter. That was true. If I was told what I needed to hear from you that day, then I now had something to trade you for. I no longer had to press it from you, thus no unpleasantries were needed."

 

"Ok, so you were still intending to kidnap me again?"

 

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

 

"Rude. And here I was thinking we were having nice frozen yogurt together."

 

"It was still delicious, so there's that."

 

"Yeah well I haven't been able to go there in three weeks, thanks."

 

"An unfortunate outcome," he said sincerely.

 

"Wait, so if you really needed me down here, why risk sending me back up? What if I hadn't thought to come back? What if you sent the Avengers on a wild-goose chase and came to find an empty compound?"

 

"I trusted your intelligence."

 

"You mean stupidity?" you scoffed.

 

"The line between the two is thinner than you think. No, I knew you were smart enough to piece it together eventually. Though you hadn't figured my intent in the three weeks away, I knew that my letter, and it's apparent disregard for frightening you off, would get you thinking. That left two options. You put the puzzle together before the Avengers leave, and they suspect the trap is for them, thus leaving you here. Or you return to Asgard and come rushing down when you figure it out yourself."

 

"You do know there are so many things that could have gone differently? Those are hardly the only two options! Like, what if the Avengers never even tracked you to that warehouse? Or what if I never pieced anything together and stayed up there?"

 

"This is a game, Ms. Arlington. Every move is a strategy, a calculated risk. I plan for the most likely scenarios, given my knowledge of my opponents. If things do not go according to plan, one adapts. And if they do? Well," he gestured to the situation around him.

 

"This might sound like a crazy suggestion, but maybe we could, I don't know, NOT do the kidnapping thing?"

 

Zemo smiled. "If only that were an option."

 

"Well I mean, it technically is---"

 

"I'm sorry for this, Ms. Arlington. You know I truly am. But you'll have to come with me---" he took a step towards you, reaching out to lead you wherever his getaway ride was. 

 

You never let him finish, grabbing the arm in one of the most basic defensive moves Nat had taught you and adding on one of Loki's counterattacks. The result left Zemo on the ground behind where you'd been standing mere seconds before.

 

"HA! Sorry, it's just, I've never actually gotten to do that to someone for real! Not sorry, actually, cuz you deserve it, but like sorry I had to throw you. Kinda fun though, not gonna lie!"

 

"That was good form," Zemo said, pushing himself off the ground, "You've been practicing."

 

"Yeah actually! It's all about the lower-body ya know? Most would think it's a lot of upper-body stuff, but it kinda starts from the base and---whoa!"

 

Zemo attacked, making you retreat a few steps, blocking his swings. You implemented your own offensive moves, the two of you ending in a twisted grip with neither having the upper hand.

 

"Well this is awkward," you grunted, the two of you locked together, neither letting go of the grip on the other.

 

"I thought that move before would get you, but you anticipate well," Zemo complimented.

 

"Aw well thanks, Loki's made that a priority."

 

"You can give my compliments to him when I return you safe and sound."

 

You both synchronously made the same spin out of the grip, Zemo catching you with a kick and taking your feet out from under you.

 

"Come on," he sighed, knee in your chest, "Please just concede already."

 

Nat had taught you a way out of this one, and you managed flipping him off you...not without a fist to the nose.

 

"Oooo sorry!" you cringed.

 

"It's not like you haven't punched me before," he groaned, getting to his feet once again, "And you really should learn to capitalize off of such an advantage."

 

"I know I was just thinking that! Nat and Loki would be shaking their heads."

 

He came at you again, the ensuing fight showing little sign of a winner. He'd get a few good hits, then you'd get some. He'd grab an arm, and you'd do the same. He'd manage a way out, and so would you. It was a surprisingly even match, though you weren't certain if Zemo was restraining himself or not. At one point, after getting him on one knee, you didn't hold back as you nailed him in the head.

 

"Oh my God, that was hard!" you gasped, hand jumping to your mouth.

 

Zemo was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily as he looked at the grass, not having raised his head since the blow. Despite what he'd recommended, you didn't capitalize on his situation. How could you?

 

I should get out of here. Good glory why do I always forget Heimdall is a thing until the last second?!

 

"Ok, I think we both, ya know...did a good job," you said through panted breaths, "Sorry about the...the punchy thing. Overkill. But we're done." You let out a deep breath. "Hey Heim---"

 

Zemo moved in a flash, instantly jabbing something into your leg.

 

"Damn it!" you winced, instinctively reaching towards the source of pain.

 

Zemo had already removed the needle, standing up with a grim expression and sliding the syringe back into the inside of his coat.

 

"You had that...this whole time?" you sputtered, dropping to one knee as your body grew heavy.

 

"This was fun," Zemo shrugged, "And I was hoping I would not have to use it."

 

Just as before, everything started fading in and out, your thoughts becoming increasingly foggy.

 

"H--Heim--" you started calling out, but Zemo's gloved hand covered your mouth. He was crouched beside you, his other arm holding onto your waist, supporting your fatigued body.

 

"Shhhhh," he hushed in a comforting manner, "You'll be alright, Ms. Arlington."

 

***

 

You woke up less drowsy than the first time you'd been taken, but your head still felt heavy behind your eyes as you blinked the blurriness away. You were on a basic twin-sized bed in an ordinary room, unlike the grand appearance of your last prison. It was dark, but the light pouring from the hallway through the open door provided enough to make out your surroundings. In typical villain fashion, Zemo was sitting in a shadowy corner, watching intently as you swung your legs off the bed. 

 

You made to comment on his cliche position, but no sound came out. You paused, eyes wide in concern as your hand moved to your throat. You tried again, but it was like the vocal cords weren't there. This was worse than just laryngitis. This felt different than a lost or soar voice, it was a weird sensation. You could swallow, your throat could still feel everything, but it was like certain muscles refused to respond to your brain's command. For a split second you couldn't remember exactly what it was you did to speak, like how thinking about breathing makes it harder to breath. It's something you were supposed to do instinctively. But having that complete lack of reaction to something you were now concentrating on doing was terrifying. 

 

You glanced worriedly to Zemo, who stood calmly. You tried speaking again, yielding the same result. All that came out was a raspy, breathy wheeze, if you could categorize such a miniscule sound as a wheeze. More like pure air. You started breathing heavily, continuing your failed attempts over and over. Your chest tightened, feeling like none of the air you were sucking in hastily was making it there. It took you a second to realize you were panicking, but you couldn't stop. Your hand flew around, gestures that would have paired with the questions and fear you so desperately wanted to express. Your mouth still moved to form the words, as you tried shouting your confusion at Zemo. Your eyes must have looked pathetically pleading, as that's exactly what you were trying to convey. You were begging for an answer, asking over and over what he'd done, but none of it came out. Instead you were hyperventilating.

 

Zemo walked across the room, and in your panic you pushed yourself back further across the bed. He stopped a foot or two from you, his face full of sympathy.

 

"Please, let me help you," he said, "Everything's ok."

 

OK??? THIS IS OK?? you tried screaming back, the pain in your chest growing. You were breathing rapidly now.

 

"I know you're scared. You're confused. But you're panicking, Ms. Arlington," he said, sitting down next to you. 

 

You'd run out of places to retreat, unless you wanted to make a lunging crawl to the other side of the bed, but honestly it was the least of your concerns. Breathing was your main priority now.

 

"I need you to calm down. Breathe. Ms. Arlington?" he tried again, but you were too angry and scared to listen. "Wren," he said softly, and your head jerked up at the use of your name, something Zemo had never said before, "Let me help you." He reached out and you didn't shy away. "There, it's ok," he said, grabbing your shoulders gently, "Look at me. That's right, focus on me. Listen to me. That's it, take a deep breath...."

 

You did as he said, taking a long shaky breath.

 

"....and let it out."

 

You repeated this a few times with him, until you were breathing normally.

 

"Better?" he asked, offering a smile. You nodded.

 

You started forming a question, but stopped, rolling your eyes in frustration. Instead, you made a writing motion.

 

"Already planned for it," Zemo smirked, standing to fetch the notebook and pen he'd placed on the dresser.

 

K shithead, what the hell did you do? you scribbled the second the objects were in your hands.

 

"I'm afraid I couldn't have you calling out to your friends again. I'll have to give you a daily injection to keep the effect, I'm sorry to say. But there is no pain. And I promise that is the worst you will receive if you remain cooperative. The fate of your freedom depends on your friends, and we can have as pleasant a time here as you wish."

 

How do you know about Heimdall?

 

"It's like I said. If things don't go according to plan, one adapts. You called the Avengers to you last time. How? I didn't know at first. It was an unforeseen circumstance, one I set out to ensure did not happen again. Some contemplation and research led me to the answer I sought. I should have considered how the...bifrost, is it? How it worked. That was a mistake on my part. But I have learned."

 

Congrats. You were sure your expression and body language gave all of the intended emotion your tone couldn't at the moment. In this case, heavy sarcasm and a 'piss off' smile.

 

"I know you're upset."

 

You didn't have to write anything to display your sarcastic shock.

 

"But how your stay goes this time around is, once again, up to you."

 

See ya keep saying that, but it all comes back to you. Torture isn't up to the one getting tortured.

 

"I assure you, I have no intention of torturing you. In fact, there are no tools on the premises that I could use against you. I have no 'creepy torture basement' in this place."

 

You looked at him skeptically.

 

"Have I ever lied?"

 

You said you wouldn't harm me! Where's my voice, huh?? By definition I think ya attacked part of my body! Not to mention you hit me a few times back there. And that needle was a bitch. That's twice you've stuck me with those things.

 

"If we're being fair, you started the aggression today. I did not wish to fight or knock you out."

 

You're unbelievable. Like, I've heard countless villain justifications in my life, but you really be reaching sometimes

 

Zemo chuckled. "Even so, it remains the truth. I do not lie to you, Wren."

 

We ain't friends dude, Ms. Arlington is just fine

 

"Apologies," he said a little stiffer, looking around the room while a silence filled the air. "Would you like to see the house? A great deal smaller than the last residence, but it fit the requirements I needed for this particular situation. I also have dinner waiting, if you are hungry?"

 

You smiled in a 'you can go kill yourself' kind of way, turning the pad around for him to read your very clear answer.

 

Zemo smirked, though he didn't seem as amused as usual.

 

"Very well. I wouldn't try leaving the house. Good night, Ms. Arlington," he said emotionlessly, if not a little gruffly, retreating through the door and sealing it behind him.

 

The instant he was gone, you jumped up from the bed. The room wasn't very big, but it did have a window on the far side and a bathroom opposite you. You checked the window first, finding the thick black-out curtains literally nailed into position around the frame. From the little crack you could peak through, you saw bars on the outside of the glass. They looked like the kind of bars you'd see on some buildings in the city. If Zemo was trying to be indiscreet, you figured he'd chosen a house in a city with such accommodations already in place. 

 

Well, I've narrowed my position down to a gagillion cities of the world, you thought bitterly, heading for the bathroom next. This room didn't have a window or any noticeable method of escape. It was tiny and had only the bare necessities. You tried in vain to speak, taking it slow and deliberately, as if that'd make any difference. Frustration made you want to cry, but you held it in. You weren't in danger, not at the moment anyways. And the Avengers were looking for you. Your optimistic movie side told you they'd find you, but your realistic half told you this wasn't a movie. You were actually kidnapped, in a world that wasn't fiction. People go missing all the time and are never seen again, and that's with average abductors. Yours was Zemo, a literal genius with experience and resources.

 

There are worse people to be kidnapped by, remember?

 

That didn't seem to cheer you. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to hate Zemo. You'd turned more bitter to him than usual, and he'd known it. He hadn't appeared too happy about it.

 

Who the hell cares? He thinks he gets to feel sad that I'm being mean? I'm the one kidnapped here!

 

You'd been super understanding the first time and, though refusing his requests, you'd never really shown him discourtesy. The patience and sympathy to do that was quickly running thin.

 

Ok, do I treat this like it's nothing and be my usual silly self? I mean, hell, if you're going to be kidnapped, might as well make the most of it, right? Making things harder on Zemo, and subsequently harder on me, isn't going to make the Avengers get here any faster...but it could be reeeallly satisfying.

 

You were stubborn, annoying, and had a bit of a vengeful streak. So, for better or worse, you chose the latter of your two choices. Call it rash, but you weren't happy about your voice, or any of this really, so Zemo was going to wish he'd never let you back into the same house as him.

 

With this new angry outlook, you marched over to your door, finding it unlocked.

 

"I thought you'd at least wait until you thought I was asleep before trying to sneak out," Zemo's voice called from the bottom of the stairs, which were a few feet ahead on your left. 

 

The house looked a little more on the rundown side, though it was cute enough. There was quaint wallpaper lining the hall. The floor was made of creaky wood, a long burgundy rug, which matched little flecks in the wallpaper pattern, rolled out the length of the passage. A single light above lit the hall brightly, which at least was different from your stereotypical scary capture house.

 

"Or have you changed your mind?" Zemo finished.

 

You walked to the stairs, giving a look to the man at the bottom and tapping your finger irritably on the smooth, faded wood railing.

 

"Right, you can't exactly answer can you?" he smiled, seeming to enjoy your situation.

 

You walked down the stairs, your death glare never leaving his eyes...that is, until you headed straight past him for the door. He let you go, for the door had been boarded on the inside. 

 

"I hope you're not intending to tear the nails out with your bare hands?" he said in amusement.

 

You didn't acknowledge him, completing your scan of the door. You turned slowly, taking in the house around you. There was a hall to the right of the stairs that led to the room, or rooms, in the back of the house. A small living room was through the doorway on your right, the dining room on your left. There was a closed door in the hall leading past the stairs, probably a bathroom or closet. The entire building was evidently a narrow, two-story house, supporting your notion that this was a residence in a crammed city block. That meant that people might live next door.

 

You walked into the dining room, observing the dinner set on the table. Zemo followed, pulling out the chair on the end closest, offering it to you. You looked from his hands on the chair and then back to him. He relinquished it with an exaggerated 'someone's cranky' look, holding his hands up in a backing-off fashion and heading to the other end of the small table. He took his seat but you remained standing, examining the chair. Zemo was more than likely confused by your actions, but you wouldn't know, for you never even gave him a glance. Finally, deciding the chair would do just fine, you dragged it away.

 

"What are you doing?" Zemo sighed like he was about to lose his patience. Little did he know you'd already lost yours.

 

You paused in front of the door, lifted the chair, took a step back, and threw it with all of your strength at the boarded entrance. It collided with a loud crash, the chair taking the brunt of the damage.

 

"You're such a child," Zemo said from his seat, "No one will hear that, if that's what you think you'd accomplish? The only building next to us is a dilapidated death-trap, and the one past that? Home to an addict who wouldn't know whether any noise heard is in his head or reality. This area is no stranger to violence, so I doubt anyone would cast a second glance at your sound."

 

You ignored him, not that you could respond, crouching down to fiddle with the debris. After some tugging, you pulled one of the damaged legs free from its host. Giving it a quick onceover, you smiled and jammed the smaller end into the gaps between the boards. Pushing upwards until it was wedged behind one of the boards, you then applied pressure, using the leg as lever of sorts to pry the board off. The creaks from the wood indicated you were indeed putting strain on the nails.

 

"Are you seriously going to make me have to stop you?" Zemo asked, and you heard the sound of him rising from his chair.

 

Please try, I'm aching to hit someone.

 

You kept at it, the board in question beginning to crack and splinter where the leg pushed from behind.

 

"Enough," Zemo said from directly behind you, his hand grabbing your shoulder.

 

You yanked the leg from the door, turning and swinging it towards Zemo's head. You had done it, honestly, without thinking. The end you'd swung towards him was the larger of the two. It was thick and even had a screw jutting out from where it'd been torn from the base of the chair. A blow from it could have caused serious damage. In fact, MCU heads-of-steel magic aside, such a weapon could kill someone. You immediately snapped out of whatever vengeful stupor you'd worked yourself into, regretting the swing the moment you committed to it. Thankfully, Zemo had ducked. He knocked the tool out of your hand, which wasn't hard given how limply you were now holding it, and had you up against the door in a second. 

 

"Enough!" he repeated, more forcefully than you'd ever heard him speak.

 

You opened your mouth to ramble some apology, horrified that you'd tried to, essentially, kill him, but the first wordless attempt reminded you of your situation. Not that Zemo would have let you speak anyway.

 

"No, don't try! I am tired of hearing whatever quick-witted remark you're so proud of yourself for making! Even without your voice it's like you haven't shut up since you walked down those steps."

 

You winced, nodding down to where Zemo was pinning your hand against the boards. He was both squeezing and pushing too hard. He let go, turning and walking a few steps away. You rubbed your hand, not knowing what to do. You'd just swung a club, with a very deadly piece of metal, at the man's head. Zemo was looking down, running his fingers through his hair stressfully. You'd never seen him so worked up.

 

"I am trying not to hurt you, do you understand that?!" he finally turned back around. His face was angry, but not maliciously so. "Do you want me to have to strap you down? To keep you tied like an animal? Caged? Because I don't want that! I'm trying as earnestly as I can to give you the best this situation can provide. You know that though, don't you?" he asked. He'd slowly walked back to you, standing a few inches in front of you now. "You're not a fool. You know you could have a decent time until this all reaches a conclusion. You've thought about it, haven't you? But you decided to make my life hard, despite what the consequences for yourself would be. That was not a real attempt at escape. That was an attempt to aggravate me to the best of your ability. You'd do that, knowing it could mean detainment? Knowing it could get you hurt? Do you have such disregard for your own well-being that you'd put spite above it?" he looked sincerely confused and frustrated. 

 

He raise his eyebrows, waiting for a response, before remembering you couldn't speak. He rolled his eyes and stormed into the living room, returning with a smaller pad and pencil.

 

Yes I wanted to irritate you as much as I could. And no, I didn't care about what that meant for me. 

 

"Why, Ms. Arlington? I thought you were smarter than that. That is not a jab, but a sincere statement. I knew you were smarter than that. When you rebelled the last time I had you, it was for a reason. One I respected, even if I disagreed. But this?"

 

Idk it felt good ok? To hell with smart, I wanted to get at you.

 

"By setting me up for a club to the head? I understand I'm the bad guy in your case, but I thought we at least respected each other enough to not stoop that low. I would never have come at you like that."

 

That wasn't part of my plan! I swear I don't know why I did that it just happened!

 

Zemo's face grew less heated, dropping to a more troubled look as he let out another sigh.

 

"First the panic attack. Then you abandon rationale. And then you lose yourself to rage. Ms. Arlington...you're breaking down at an unprecedented rate." He said it like a fact, one that saddened him.

 

Maybe being kidnapped AGAIN will do that to a person. Not to mention waking up to no voice.

 

You weren't letting yourself get angry again, but you weren't going to roll over and play dead either.

 

He read what you wrote and shook his head, walking to the stairs and taking a seat. He stared at the floor a few feet ahead of him, and you didn't know if he was going to speak to you at all.

 

"Do you think...do you think I enjoy this?" he asked quietly, lifting his eyes to you.

 

You shook your head softly.

 

"Do you think this is where I wanted to be? What I wanted to be doing with my life?"

 

Again you shook your head.

 

"No," he confirmed, shaking his head gently, "No. On a night like this, I'd want to be at home. I'd want to be having dinner with my family. We'd finish, and I'd help my son wash his plate. He was always so eager to do it, now that he was tall enough to reach the sink without a step," Zemo smiled sadly at the memory, staring into space past you as he spoke, "After that we'd...we'd all sit down to watch some TV before it was time for him to go to bed. He'd beg to watch Batman cartoons, or Star Wars, or whatever hero he was feeling that night. He was like you," he nodded in your direction, "A fan of heroes, as all children are. The innocence with which you view the Avengers...the love you have for them...he had it too. One of the last things I remember him saying was how excited he was. He could see the Iron Man from the car window. He talked about it the whole way."

 

He looked on the verge of tears, swallowing hard, his face full of pain.

 

"You see, Ms. Arlington? He was my life. They both were. And now?" his voice quivered, "Now...it's all gone. It's all gone." 

 

A tear escaped down his cheek, but he quickly wiped it away. He sniffed and cleared his throat, trying to force back his emotions. You took a hesitant step in his direction and then another. He made no protest as you sat down next to him, placing your hand gently on his arm.

 

"I do not expect you to ever be on my side, Ms. Arlington," Zemo said, eyes still trained on the floor, "I know why you snapped. I know how thin patience can be when you're trying desperately to understand someone, even when they are opposing you. I've felt it myself. I felt that anger when you were on the table and I pushed that button for the first time. I said I didn't want to, and that wasn't a lie. But when I did it...when I decided to...I felt that satisfying surge in me. That vengeful need to strike you for withholding what I wanted. I felt it only for a moment, but it was enough. I didn't enjoy what I did that day...but that feeling disgusted me even more. That's when I knew I had to find another way."

 

You lifted your pencil, contemplating whether you should write what you were thinking.

 

"Please, speak your mind."

 

You nodded, jotting down your thoughts.

 

Isn't that feeling exactly what's pushing you to strike at the Avengers? Why doesn't it disgust you in that case?

 

You placed the paper on his lap, for he still hadn't looked up, and he took it in his hand.

 

"That's different. I've explained my mission to you...my reasons."

 

But it stems from the pain of losing your family. The promise you made them.

 

"It does. That's why I feel it is more a life-goal than a fit of rage. They were my life...and they still are."

 

You made to write again, but Zemo's hand stopped you.

 

"Please," he said kindly, "I know what you will say. But we're destined to disagree on this. All I can say is, if you wish to view me as the evil kidnapper, I can hardly blame you. But this is not the life I wanted. Not the life I should have had. It's the life that was chosen for me. Please do not make it harder? I am not saying to idly sit by. If an opportunity presented itself, and I were in your shoes, I'd take it. But this?" he gestured to the mess on the floor, "You need to care for yourself, as I am trying to care for you. You don't have to be happy with me. You don't have to acknowledge or speak..."

 

You gave him a look.

 

"...sorry, or write to me. But I don't want to make anything harder on you than it already is...so don't make me have to."

 

I'm really sorry for almost taking your head off.

 

He smirked at the note you passed him.

 

"And I'm sorry for everything. Had you asked me a year ago what I'd be doing in 2016, I would never have thought the answer would be kidnapping women as kind and undeserving as you. This is...not where I wanted to be."

 

He looked somber once again, and you reached over to grab his hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

 

Yes in the end he's still kidnapping me, but damn I can't hate someone so broken, you thought, Why do I have such a soft spot for villains?

 

The two of you sat there for a minute, Zemo grieving silently. Finally, you removed your hand, writing on another slip of paper and passing it over.

 

Got some gorilla glue? Stuff works wonders

 

Zemo smiled, meeting your eyes for the first time in a while.

 

"I think you did quite a number on my furniture. Perhaps too much even for gorilla glue."

 

K so one of those big old black garbage bags and a broom? you wrote with a grin.

 

"That might work," he chuckled, pulling himself up with the railing and heading down the hall, "You're cleaning it all, by the way," he called back to you.

 

You stood up, scurrying after him to argue. 

 

In the end, Zemo did help with the cleanup. Afterwards, the two of you sat down to eat the now cold dinner. Small-talk was hard, but that didn't stop you from writing stuff down, crumbling the paper into a ball, and tossing it at Zemo's face. Overall, it was a fun time. You helped him clear the table, and you caught him smiling softly at your plate as you washed it.

 

Do the prisoners get TV time? you asked when the work was done.

 

"Only if you stop calling yourself a prisoner. Your capacity to guilt-trip is remarkable," he laughed, bringing you into the living room.

 

You glanced over once or twice while you watched, noting Zemo's pained expression when he'd zone out. The man was truly hurting. But he seemed to smile more whenever the two of you talked. In fact, on most occasions, during both kidnappings, the times you'd seen him smiling the most were when the two of you had just talked and joked. He was lonely.

 

You knew you'd never change his stance, and that this was never going the way you would hope, but maybe you could do what little you could for him in the time you had. If you could give him an ounce of enjoyment before he inevitably ruins his own life, then you were going to do it. And so, you returned to your room that night with a state of mind very much in contrast to the one you'd possessed when you'd left. Not only were you going to make the most of your time here, you were going to do it for Zemo as much as for yourself.

Chapter 43: (Chapter 42): [Insert Title I Once Again Will Think Of Maybe...Cuz I'm Tired]

Notes:

I hope everything that is meant to be bold actually posts that way. Sometimes it randomly doesn't post right and I have to go back in and fix it. Also the app on Wattpad where I wrote some of this says this chapter had 13622 words...but the wattpad website says 12990-ish...both copies look like they have everything tho. Let me know if whole chunks seem removed, idk why there's a discrepancy.

"Good morning," Zemo smiled from where he sat at the little kitchen table, laptop in front of him and cup of coffee in hand.

You smiled back your greeting, walking to the fridge. Opening the door, you were surprised to find a re-stocked supply. You tapped on the door to get Zemo's attention as you held up a new gallon of milk and inquired about it with your look.

"Oeznik stopped by," Zemo answered, "We can't last on one refrigerator's worth of food for forever."

You nodded, next motioning to ask if he'd eaten anything yet.

"No, but Oeznik brought some muffins from a particularly delightful bakery," he replied, standing to go grab the box from one of the cupboards, "I recommend the banana nut, but that is just my preference."

You grabbed two plates, meeting him at the table. He offered the banana nut and you nodded, heading back to get a cup. 

"No, thank you, my coffee will be fine," Zemo said when you checked to see if he wanted any orange juice.

"Oh, I also had this brought over for you," he said, pulling something from a bag at his feet, "So you don't have to deplete the world's paper resources in order to insult me."

He placed a dry-erase board on the table, one about the size of a normal piece of paper. You grinned as you took it, popping the cap off of the attached marker.

I hope you bought backup markers?

"When don't I plan ahead?" he chuckled, reaching down to pull out a large pack of markers...a very large pack.

I'm not sure if I should be insulted

"Well, in a short amount of time, you've become proficient in communicating without speaking or writing. But we both love the sound of our own voices, I'm afraid. Or, in your case, the look of your own handwriting. I suppose I should have known what I was getting myself into, taking a voice away from someone with your..." he looked around with a smirk, trying to think of a polite way to put it, "...energy."

You fussed in your own silent way at that, and he laughed some more.

So how often is Butler Boy supposed to come?

"Once a week, unless I call him for something in particular."

How has it been a week already?

"Time flies when you're glued to action movies."

Not my fault there were some great marathons on TV this week

He hummed and sipped his coffee, continuing to read whatever was on his computer screen.

Come on, you like them. What happened to that awesome thing you once said about liking movies?

"I stand by what I said, and I do enjoy them. Staring at that screen for too long will rot your brain though."

Yes, father

"If I were your father, I'd say to get your elbows off the table when you eat."

You pointed out his own elbows.

"My house," he shrugged.

That's such a dad thing to say

"I fit the part well once, believe it or not."

Damn way to rub salt in his wound. Nice going.

Well if we're cutting back on the TV time, you'd better start getting other things to do in here. I have no training room, no books, no phone, no plans, no nothing

"No nothing is a double negative, thus meaning you have something."

And I thought Loki could be picky about my grammar

"I'm sure the house could use some cleaning," he said randomly.

You groaned.

"Then you're not really bored."

I hate when parents do that!

"Well thank goodness I'm not your parent, for a second there I thought you hated what I said."

You were unable to not laugh at his sarcasm, or the casual way he was starting to speak with you. He'd always been blunt and humorous with you, but still in a more professional fancy Zemo way. In the week you'd been with him, his mannerisms had grown more relaxed. You were sure his haughty intelligence and subtle sarcasm was always present with his family, but no man is that emotionally rigid or speaks so deliberately in his own home. Everyone has a chill side, and the way Zemo delivered his lines was slowly showing his.

You and Zemo munched on your muffins, your eyes drifting around the room as you did. You'd already become familiar with the layout, but it didn't stop you from visually analyzing every inch of the kitchen. You'd searched for a way out, despite enjoying Zemo's company. Truth was, there was no way out. Windows were barred, the front door remained impenetrable, and the only other entrance was in the kitchen, a side door that must have led to another street on the side of the house. That meant the residence was probably on a street corner. The second door wasn't nailed, but it had an extensive series of locks. Zemo clearly wasn't taking any chances.

Sneaking out at night to pry boards off the door would wake Zemo instantly. Hell, the hallway alone was loud enough to wake the whole street. Your door wasn't locked at night, because Zemo knew, as you did, that there was no way to make it past his room or down the steps undetected. The keys for the kitchen door were kept hidden, though he'd used them to let Oeznik in that morning.

Will Oeznik come the same time every week?

"Why?"

Curious. Maybe I'll make sure I'm here to say hi

"I thought we'd agreed never to lie to one another?"

Did you just quote President Snow from Hunger Games?

"We'd made a similar gesture of honesty before, hadn't we? Well, at least on my end. Besides, it's still in my head from last night."

Comparing yourself to the tyrannical villain?

"Ok, all I did was quote him! I hope I'm not that big an asshole."

Snow really is the worst

"I thought you like villains?"

Villains with some likeable qualities. Not to say he isn't a good villain, but so's Thanos and you don't see me wanting to be his friend.

"But you do befriend villains? Like Loki, for instance?"

Yeah but that's cuz he's not a villain anymore

"And you so easily forgive his sins?" he asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

I'd forgive yours. Remember, you're on the list of MCU movie villains. Main antagonist of a film.

Zemo's face grew more serious as he finished his muffin in silence.

"I did not try to conquer the earth," Zemo said from the sink, where he was placing his dish.

No, you just bombed buildings and hope to tear apart a team of people trying to do better by saving others. Oh, and if you succeed, you'll be responsible for the death of millions when the Avengers aren't united to stop Thanos. But sure, good-boy points for not trying to conquer earth at least. Cuz that would be going too far.

You knew your sarcasm would come through the words, as you held it up for Zemo to read.

"I would not be responsible for something I did not create. What happens between me and the Avengers is a separate entity from anything else."

Stop trying to use technicalities to get yourself out of the blame. It's like if Tony didn't take responsibility for Ultron cuz he didn't intend to make a murder-bot! If your actions lead to bad consequences, you're responsible for whatever happens

"He does not merely need to take responsibility...he needs to be stopped. He needs to pay the price for his actions."

Then I'll be sure to come hunt you down to make you pay for yours when Thanos wipes out half my friends. That is, if you and I aren't snapped out of existence with them. Don't you see? It's that cycle you talked about. The one I said you're keeping going. Instead of letting them learn from their wrongs and try to do better, you're trying to enact your own justice, which is purely subjective btw. You don't get to decide. And when you do something villainous in the name of justice, you're no better than what you're condemning. And then who's there to enact justice on you? Who do you deem fit for that? You clearly think yourself a god who's in the right when it comes to serving out punishment, so is it then ok for someone else to do the same to you? How long do we go with the pattern before it ends? Before someone grows up.

You took a minute to write it all out, having to show it in bits before erasing in order to continue and stopping Zemo from talking whenever he tried interrupting your progress. Zemo read it, glancing sternly over the words.

"Please, I don't wish to get into this argument again," he sighed.

Because you might lose? Every time I out-logic you, you change the subject

"Because I don't wish to fight," he countered.

You started scribbling again, but paused and erased what you had. There wasn't any point.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, sitting back down.

You pouted for a bit, finishing your breakfast as your anger over how stupid, in your opinion, Zemo was being dissipated. 

"Valiant effort to learn when the kitchen door opens, by the way," Zemo said, not looking up from his screen.

It's not like I could walk out it with you and Oeznik there. I was just curious.

"No, but you could plan to have me out of the way when he arrived."

You mean me killing you?! Dude no

"Wouldn't be your first attempt," he mumbled, raising his mug for another sip.

Hey I said sorry!

"I know, which is why I will only hold it over you for another couple of months."

You planning on keeping me here for a couple of months? Speaking of, I assume the Avengers aren't caving to your idiotic demands?

"I didn't anticipate them yielding easily, so it is hardly unexpected. Though what does that say about their love for you when they withhold information for their own safety over yours?"

Cliche corrupting of the kidnapped hero? Oh dear, I can feel the anger and sadness at the sense of abandonment rising! I think I'll join the Dark Side now.

"I was simply making an observation," he smiled, "No need for the sass."

There's always need for sass

"I do predict they will submit eventually, as more time passes without hope of finding you. If things go too slowly, I could always send a threat of torture? Light a fire under them?"

You just stared at him in a joking "should I run?" kind of way.

"Come on, I won't really torture you," he rolled his eyes, "But they don't know that."

They're not gonna give in. They know I wouldn't want them to. And they know more than just me will get hurt if they let you win. They can't handle your shit if they're to be ready for Thanos, so sorry you ain't getting what you want.

"We'll see," he shrugged.

We should place bets

"And what do you want to bet?" he asked, amused by your antics.

For every week that passes without them giving in, you gotta get some new entertainment in here.

"Where is my prize if they cave?"

Uh, if they cave that will be your prize, duh

"Me winning the prediction can't, in itself, be the prize for winning."

Well then what do you want if the Avengers do it?

"I'll have to think about it," he mused, zoning out for a second before focusing his attention back on his laptop.

Whatchu doin? Hacking the Pentagon and stealing nuclear codes or something bad-guyish?

Zemo turned the screen to face you.

"Watching cute cat compilations."

You were momentarily stunned into silence by the reveal, finally laughing at the innocence of it.

"Are you mocking my taste in youtube videos?" he teased, laughing with you.

Never

"Good, because I'll have you know that this video was...trending? That's the word, right?"

Yes, old man, trending

"Old?" he asked offendedly, "When my son said it it was one thing, he thought anything past ten was ancient, but you? I'll have you know this 'old man' beat you in a fight."

You cheated!

"Tactical maneuvers is not cheating."

Any old man could stick a needle in someone ya coward. I was beating your old bones to the point where you had to resort to drugs again

"You were about to run away if I hadn't, who's the bigger coward?"

Tactical maneuver

"Then we're even. And if we're even, then my victory in the battle counts."

We're talking physicality here. I woulda won

"You think I was really down for the count?"

Don't start saying you let me nail you in the head

"No, that seems to be your thing," he said with a pointed look.

See so I coulda taken you

"I may not have expected your skills, and you were formidable, but I have experience, Ms. Arlington. I didn't wish to hurt you either, so, if I didn't have the syringe and were forced to go all out, then I'm afraid you would have lost."

All speculation. Ya don't know anything for sure

"Maybe we'll get the chance to see who's right?"

You sound hopeful. You aching to punch me that badly?

"Ms. Arlington," he said in a disappointed tone, tilting his head.

I know I know, you're not the evil asshole, yadayada, etc etc

"Precisely," he grinned, "Would an evil asshole have his butler bring games? Or how about microwaveable popcorn?"

Depends on the games

You and Zemo unpacked Oeznik's bag of goodies, finding he'd taken care to mix a lot of time-consuming items into the bundle. For example, he'd purchased a large box of dominos, which the two of you meticulously planned out. You debated over the best route, finally having the elaborate path around the living room, hallway, and kitchen ready to start setting up. Both of you were ambitious, finding household objects to include in the chain-reaction that was to occur. At one point, after spreading at least a hundred dominos, Zemo knocked one over as he reached to place the next in line. All of your beautiful work came tumbling down, the two of you watching in jaw-dropped horror. When the pieces had finished toppling, you turned your head to stare at Zemo, who slowly and guiltily faced you.

"Well...we know they work?"

Going back over your destroyed progress from the beginning, you eventually reached the location of Zemo's failure. You looked at him hard the whole time.

"You know, your stare isn't helping," he whispered in concentration, delicately moving the domino into position.

At some point in the kitchen, you knocked one over also, sprinting to move a piece and disrupt the line before it grew disastrous.

And that's how you stop a mess before it happens

"Where was that reaction time when I needed it?"

At long last your magnum opus was complete, with you and Zemo very carefully moving over and around the pieces to get back to the start.

"Ready?" Zemo asked, crouching down, his finger behind the first piece.

You nodded.

His finger tipped the first one over, the series collapsing after it. The fall happened swiftly, following the swirling patter around the living room and out to the hall. You and Zemo rushed behind it, keeping the view in sight. Just before the kitchen, one of the pieces didn't fall correctly, stopping the flow. You quickly knocked the next one over, starting the process again in time for the finale you'd planned in the kitchen.

"Not to brag, but we're great at this," Zemo chuckled after the show was over.

You displayed your agreement, glancing around at the mess you now had to clean up.

"Still bored?" he asked, "Because I'd be more than willing to let you clean it up if you wish?"

You nudged him, heading to the table to get the box and begin the tedious chore of tidying after a game. Throwing dominos in a box was easier work than standing them, so the job went faster than anticipated.

The next few hours were spent talking, as the two of you had done often throughout the week. He told more, obviously, as writing lengthy conversations was hard, but there wasn't much else to do. And you both got along, so it was an enjoyable pastime. He asked questions about your life, your likes and dislikes, your interests and friends, and you did the same. He'd avoided bringing his family up at first, but they were gradually making appearances. Talking about them was painful, but perhaps in a therapeutic way? It seemed easier for him with every attempt.

Oeznik's games helped keep you entertained without having to use the TV so much, so life continued happily. You weren't going to lie, sometimes it felt like you were living in an endless time-loop. Not that you repeated what you did every day, or that Zemo got boring, but you never saw the outside world, to the point where it felt like you weren't in it. Time passed on the clocks, but it felt like it'd frozen in every other meaningful way. You felt like you were in a fake little set-up, a claustrophobic box where you'd be forced to entertain yourself day in and day out. Even the food arriving when you didn't see it added to the weird feeling, like you were in a simulation and the food just dropped from the sky. These troubles were only a problem when you focused on them, so you tried not to. Talking to Zemo helped, and you spent practically all of your day with him anyway, so all was usually well. 

Arguments inevitably broke out, usually over the same topic of the Avengers. Every time he'd change the subject or stop the conversation, unable to justify his wrongful actions in the name of punishing wrongful actions. You weren't always the one to bring it up though, as Zemo had a knack for saying snippy remarks regarding your love for them. He was like you in that regard...sometimes you both just couldn't help yourselves. For example, one day you were watching the news, hoping to hear anything regarding the team, when the Thanksgiving bombings were brought up again. They mentioned the fifteen injured and one death that had occurred, and you'd made sure to turn the volume loud enough for Zemo to hear in the kitchen. If the way he strolled into the living room and stared at you was any indication, he heard every word. You pretended to just be innocently watching the TV, in order to bug him some more, and he eventually pulled the plug to shut it off. Let's just say he was more than a little disgruntled for the rest of that day.

For every argument you had, there were, however, twice as many good conversations. Zemo was funny, and the two of you would end up cackling at your own stupid jokes far more than you should have. You also filled him in on some of your space adventures. You couldn't give full details in writing, but something would spark a quick anecdote from a particular moment in your time with the Avengers. You'd told him about the time you pushed Loki off the rainbow bridge, the party on Asgard, a brief synopsis of the battle on Knowhere and Sakaar, Christmas time with the Avengers, your movie and game nights, etc. You also were sure to mention sweet times between them, or how they treat you. You did it subtly enough and within the context of whatever was being discussed, but your goal was to show the Avengers as good people as often as you could. Zemo most likely knew your intentions, but he never stopped you from happily conveying everything. He even laughed at some of them, or was intrigued by descriptions of Asgard and other worlds. 

Most importantly, you had plenty of time to actually explain the future to him. Not the future he was curious about, but the one he needed to know. Thanos, the infinity stones, the snap, etc. You'd only ever mentioned it briefly, Zemo assuming that whatever happens was a purely Avengers problem. You sought to provide him with a more rounded and informed opinion, even if that opinion did not change to the one you wanted.

"I see. So you've saved Loki, Mr. Stark, Ms. Romanoff, and The Vision. That is quite the accomplishment, even if I don't like them."

Saved for the time being. Thanos is still going to come, one way or another. We're just trying to be ready for him when he does. But they've all suffered so much, they deserve a chance to live their lives. Tony needs Morgan and Pepper, just as much as they need him. Nat and Yelena (her sister) have been brainwashed and torn apart since birth, and when they're finally reunited and have a chance at a happy life with friends and family, Nat sacrifices herself for the universe. It shouldn't have to be that way.

"Sometimes, Ms. Arlington, that is the way it was meant to be."

Would you so readily say that about your family's death?

You didn't think he'd answer, and that you'd started another argument.

"No. I suppose I wouldn't," he said, shocking the hell out of you. His face was serious, and he wasn't meeting your eyes, so there was probably still anger at your mentioning of his wife and son. But at least he'd been able to admit your point was valid.

The hour for your daily dose of whatever drug kept your vocal cords dead was at hand, so the conversation ended there as he went to fetch the needle. You rolled up your sleeve, seeing the dotted history of the other needles on the skin. You switched arms every day, but you'd been here long enough to have a number of marks on both. The needle pricks themselves were not very noticeable, but rather the bruise or two that might form around it, depending on how your pesky arm decided on reacting that day. He apologized, as he did every day, sliding the needle in and out as swiftly and gently as possible. He covered the small dot of blood with a bandaid, and you were good to go.

You kept track of the days you'd been away, marking them on a notebook in your room. Standing up from bed on this particular morning, you logged your 22nd tally on the paper. You then went about your morning routine. Getting dressed from the clothes Zemo had provided, brushing your teeth, and so forth. Every morning you stood your mattress up against the bed, using it as a punching bag and going through exercises to keep yourself somewhat fighting-ready. You'd finish with core work, and then shower, change again, and head downstairs for breakfast. Before you left, you searched around for a hair-clip you couldn't find.

Oh yeah, left it down on the living room end-table last night, you thought, heading down to look for it. When you couldn't find it in the living room, you poked your head into the kitchen to ask Zemo.

"How would I know where your clip is?" he said in uncharacteristic irritation, piecing together what you were looking for with your hand motions.

You were caught off-guard by his tone, but even more so by the beer in his hand. You made a drinking motion, pointing from the bottle to the clock on the wall.

"No, it is not too early, Ms. Arlington. There are plenty more in the fridge if you'd like? I had Oeznik bring the supply by this morning. Don't give me that look. If you want one get one, if you don't, leave."

You didn't know what his deal was, but you stared a bit longer before walking away. Turns out your clip was in the downstairs bathroom, so you took it back to your room. You were wondering if you should even ask what was wrong with him, but decided against it. If he wanted to be grouchy today, let him be grouchy. You'd address it if it crossed a line.

Zemo had a drink in his hands for most of the day, usually attempting to slowly consume a bottle when you were with him. You suspected he downed far more when you were away. Some people get giddy as they grow intoxicated, others sad or angry. Sometimes it heavily depends on why they're drinking. If that were the case with Zemo, he was drinking for some upsetting reason, as he was no fun to be around that day. He held himself back from saying anything of severe insult, so you chose to bite your tongue and say nothing. For the latter half of the day, he sulked in his bedroom, which was odd. He rarely remained up there when you were unsupervised downstairs. Not that you could find a quiet way to break boards off of a door anyway, so it made little difference. Still, he was acting stranger and stranger as the hours passed.

You ate dinner without him, knocking on his door to see if he was alright before going to bed. He said he wasn't hungry and mumbled a goodnight, but didn't open. With nothing left to do, you turned off the hall light and went back to your room.

You were pulled from sleep by a crashing noise, jolting you awake immediately. It was past 3 AM, a strange time for Zemo to be up if the noise were him. If it wasn't, he'd be coming out to see what it was as well, so you felt no fear as you quickly exited your room. Zemo was not running from his, so perhaps the noise downstairs was him? Regardless, you took careful movements down the steps. You could still hear the noise of someone moving down the hall, so you peered over the railing and back towards the kitchen as you got further down the stairs. Once far enough to see the whole hall, you spotted Zemo slumped against the wall near the kitchen. He had another beer in hand, and a case next to him. He was very clearly drunk, as he struggled to lift the bottle to his mouth.

You rushed around the corner, crouching next to him. You didn't have your writing utensils with you, and you doubted Zemo would be focused enough to read in his condition anyway. Instead you tried to take the drink from him, your face full of questions and worry as he jerked it away from you and glared.

"I'm....I--I'm fine, Ms. Arling...I'm fine," he repeated.

You shook your head.

"Yes I am!" he groaned, sluggishly lifting the bottle once again. This time you snatched it away firmly, holding it up out of reach as he pathetically tried to get it back.

"Give me...that back!" he said angrily, attempting to stand, but losing balance and dropping right back down. "Fine," he snickered, grabbing another from the case he had at his hip.

You reached for this also, but he was ahead of you, shielding the drink with his other hand as he chugged another few sips. Most of it spilled on himself as he forgot to tilt it upright when he was done.

"See what you've done...I loved those pants," he said, staring helplessly at the mess.

You tapped his shoulder to get his attention, and he looked back up, surprisingly able to focus on you. You held your hands in a "what the hell is all of this?" way.

"It's alcohol, Ms. Arlington," Zemo answered with a drunken chuckle.

You pressed further with your expression.

"I'm drinking...because I can. What? Are...are you going to stop me? Hmm?" he asked leaning forward slightly as his eyes became more sharply focused, "Go ahead, try to take it."

You didn't move for the beer.

"Yeah," he nodded, leaning back against the wall again, "I knew you wouldn't. Do you know why? Because you're a coward, Ms. Arlington."

He seemed to be speaking more soberly, though the raw emotion and the way he held himself still indicated otherwise. Anger must have cleared his mind enough to speak.

"You're...you're a coward. Too scared to fight for anything. Too scared to punish those who need to be punished. Too scared of the consequences, always worrying about what might happen as you...hide behind your heroes...if they can call themselves that." 

He took another sip.

"You see, my problem isn't the Avengers...it's you. You keep everything from me. You make me wait here, day after day, when I could have gotten what I needed from you. I should have hurt you for it. I should have ripped it from you, let you scream as I did what I had to do. Because I'm not a coward. I'm not a coward."

You glared in shock and anger at his words, trying to remind yourself that he was drunk. He repositioned himself, the motion causing something to fall half-way from his pocket. You couldn't help but stare at the set of keys. Thankfully, Zemo was too busy consuming more beer to realize what had happened.

"Why did I let myself think I was doing the right thing by not hurting you? I got wrapped up in your talk of heroes and villains, right and wrong, when all of that is bull shit. There are no heroes. No villains. Just people and the pain they cause others. Titles are meaningless. Underneath, we all do what we have to for ourselves...for our family. So why did I make the exception with you?" he said in resentment, looking at you like you were something repulsive. "I should have left the machine on when I left you in that basement. Let it burn you from the inside out. At least that way I'd have made one person pay for what happened."

He was glaring very hard at you now, and you were struggling to remain composed. The truth was, hearing that from Zemo hurt, and your eyes were starting to well with angry and pained tears. You nodded, smiling as you pulled the keys from his pocket and stepped briskly over him.

"Go!" he called after you, "Run away."

He didn't have to tell you twice. You stormed through the kitchen, stepping over a shattered pack of beer that must have been the noise to wake you up. Empty bottles littered the table, evidence that Zemo had been down here for quite a while. You fumbled with the keys, finding the ones that fit each lock. At long last you had them all undone, opening the door and feeling the first taste of fresh air since you'd arrived. You made to step out, but paused at the sound drifting in from the hall. The sounds were sobs.

What are you doing just go! You played nice, now leave. He is not your problem. He screwed up and let you go, just run!

Hating yourself for doing anything but what your mind was telling you, you walked back across the kitchen, shaking your head at your own stupidity. You stepped into the hall, looking down at the sad extreme of drunk Zemo. In all honesty, you weren't sure which side you liked better, angry or sad? Sad was just heart-breaking, and so unlike Zemo. He'd dropped the beer, his hands laying limply on the floor at his sides while he cried the most distraught cry you'd witnessed in real life. You couldn't believe this was Zemo, the man you thought you'd gotten to know better. The man you thought had reached his worst when you provoked him on your first night here. That outburst had been the most emotionally erratic he'd ever been. Put a whole liquor store in him, and that grew exponentially worse. 

You crouched once again, Zemo's surprise at your return being enough to stop the flow of tears. He slumped his head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as he spoke.

"You should leave, Ms. Arlington. This isn't a movie...I'm not a broken puzzle you can fix."

You stood to grab one of the spare notebooks from the kitchen, scribbling quickly when you were back.

I'm not trying to

"Then why are you still here?"

You think I stayed so willingly all this time to change you? If that happens, great, but that's not why I decided to not act like a bitch

"I know that. It's because it would make things easier and more enjoyable. We discussed it your first night, I remember. But the door is open, you can go. Nothing matters anyway. Nothing will get better."

What's going on? you asked, ignoring the fact that he thought you'd been cooperative only for yourself.

He continued staring sadly at the ceiling.

"It was my son's birthday today," he said quietly, tears starting to form again. He was aware enough to hold them in this time. "The first without him."

You placed your pad and pencil on the ground, moving from a crouch to a sitting position against the wall next to Zemo. You didn't press for him to open about anything else. You didn't write an apology or statement of sympathy. You simply sat there with him, letting him stare ahead at the wall and struggle to rein in the tears that threatened to escape. He was drunk, after all, so you marveled how he could hold anything in, let alone something so painful. He let out a shaky sigh, pressing his palms to his forehead.

Hesitantly, you reached a hand to his arm. He sniffed back his latest round of emotion, dropping his hands from his face. He didn't look at you, but his left hand reached over to rest on yours. Silently comforting him, you sat there, watching the blank wall ahead of you with Zemo, both content to stay in this manner for a series of minutes.

"You should go," Zemo mumbled, and you realized he looked ready to pass out, "You should---"

He was stopped by a gag, leaning to his left and vomiting the endless supply he'd guzzled that day. You realized he hadn't eaten anything, not in front of you at least, so the amount of alcohol he'd consumed on an empty stomach was going to be a problem. It had certainly played a factor in his inability to hold his liquor.

He could hardly pull himself upright after puking, and you had to help him lean back again. He now looked on the verge of sleep, his eyes closing as he tried to look at you.

"You should...go," he muttered again, his eyes closing.

He was out like a light. If before had been a great time to escape, now was even better. You stood up, looking at the man who'd always been so composed, so strong. The man who'd possibly revealed his darkest desires by claiming he should have let you die...but also the man who hadn't done that, who'd found another way in a situation he'd convinced himself he was bound to out of loyalty to his dead family.

You rubbed your fingers through your hair, grunting in frustration as you fought the tempting desire to do what, logically, you shouldn't. Looking back down at Zemo, you tried to imagine what you'd do if it were anyone else on that floor. Then again, no one else had kidnapped you. Well, Loki had threatened you, yet would you have left him in this condition then? 

I'm not here to fix him...I'm just doing what's right. Kidnapping me is wrong, so he should deserve nothing less in return. But how can I not feel pity for someone like him?

Coming to a decision, you marched over to the kitchen door before you changed your mind. You'd left it a crack open, a foolish action now that you thought about it. Opening it wide, you took in the street before you. It was your typical neighborhood in a city, albeit one on the sketchier side of town. You saw tightly crammed buildings and apartment complexes. One detail worthy of notice were the license plates on the cars. They were all New York issued.

I'm still in New York? 

You couldn't believe you were actually so close to the Avengers...which made what you did next even harder to perform. Taking a deep breath, you closed the door, locking it once again.

Returning to Zemo, you moved him to the couch in the living room. You had to get there via the kitchen entrance, as the hall was temporarily blocked by a puddle of stomach fluid and beer. There was no graceful way of getting him there, so you dragged him as gently as you could. You placed a pillow under his head and a blanket on him. Had you not felt so uncomfortable with the notion, you would have removed his beer-stained pants. But that was just something that, no matter how purely helpful your intentions were, just felt weird. You did remove his shoes and socks, and got a rag to wipe his face, which had beer residue and hints of vomit. When moving some of his hair back from his forehead, you discovered a streak of dried blood. A quick examination revealed the source to be from the palm of his right hand, which he must have cut somehow on the broken glass in the kitchen. Maybe, in his intoxicated state, he'd tried to grab the broken bottles? Either way, you went to the bathroom cabinet for some medical supplies, cleaning the cut before wrapping a bandage around it.

Next came the mess in the hallway and kitchen. You soaked up the puke and dried the beer to the best of your ability with all of the glass present. Once dried enough, you swept the glass and then dried the floor the rest of the way. Between the hall and the kitchen, you had enough floor in need of washing to warrant the mop. Filling a bucket with water and soap, you got to work polishing both surfaces. Lastly, you went around gathering all of the beer bottles, both empty and otherwise, tossing them all in a garbage bag and placing it at the back door with the other filled bag of tonight's mess. From the cracks in the curtains, you could tell it was growing light out by the time you were finished, and you realized it was almost 6. You didn't want to leave Zemo, in case he woke up with another fit of confusion and vomit, so you remained in the living room. Grabbing a bowl from the kitchen, should he wake up sick again, you settled in one of the arm chairs. You were worn enough that sleep did not elude you, and you didn't wake until almost noon. Zemo slept for another four hours after that.

"Ms. Arlington," you heard Zemo say groggily, snapping your attention from the book you were reading.

"Hey," you whispered hoarsely, "I, uh, I wouldn't try that."

Zemo was sitting up, cringing and rubbing his forehead.

You were kneeling in front of the couch now, Zemo having ignored your warning and pulled himself all the way upright.

"What...what happened?" he asked, blinking the fogginess from his eyes and looking around, lifting his bandaged hand in confusion, "Why am I down here?"

"Do you...do you remember anything?"

You weren't sure if you wanted him to remember or not. His eyes stared into space as he thought about it. Realization of some sort hit him. You could see it in his eyes as he looked up at you.

"I remember some," he said grimly, if not remorsefully. "Ms. Arlington---" he started, but he stopped, looking like he was going to be sick again. You quickly handed him the bowl, and he leaned away to let out some more. 

"That's what you get for not eating anything yesterday," you said as you took the bowl from him and went to dispose of the contents.

"I...I'm sorry," he said when you were back in the room, "You shouldn't have had to witness whatever occurred last night."

"How much do you remember?"

"Breaking the bottles...you finding me...bits of our conversation. Ms. Arlington, if my memory isn't tainted by the alcohol, I said some things to you last night that I...I shouldn't have said. And I didn't mean. I'm sorry."

He looked sincerely up at you as you simply nodded, growing a little awkwardly rigid at the mention of his words.

"I also remember...telling you to go?" he whispered to himself, sounding more like a question than a statement. He looked to you for confirmation, and you nodded again. "You...you had the keys, didn't you?"

"They fell out of your pocket."

"Wh--what are...why aren't you gone?"

"Well, I couldn't leave you on the floor soaking in your own vomit and spilled beer, could I?" you said in an attempted light-hearted tone, "Besides, this couch may be annoyingly firm, but it's better than the hallway. You should eat something," you changed the subject, scurrying to the kitchen. You'd made some oatmeal, scooping a bit in a bowl and placing it in the microwave.

"It'll take a minute," you said, placing a glass of water in his hands instead, "I uh, I made oatmeal a few hours ago, so it's just gotta warm up a bit."

He looked curiously at you as he grabbed the water, drinking a little bit.

"I don't believe my stomach would agree with anything at this time," he scoffed.

"On the contrary, you need food in your system. Drinking all of that on an empty stomach? Are you nuts?"

"It would seem."

There was a pause where both of you looked at each other, not knowing what to say about the night's events. A beep from the kitchen provided you with an escape, and you hopped off to grab Zemo's food.

"Now, eat this or I'll force it down your throat," you said, sitting next to him and handing the bowl over.

He did as commanded, eating small bites slowly, his motions still sluggish.

"Alcohol is a wondrous miracle in the moment, but the aftereffects are sadly less than desirable," he groaned, rubbing his forehead again.

"Oh, let me get you some advil or something," you stood up hastily, rushing out to find some tablets for him.

"Thank you," he said as he took them, swallowing the pills down with some more water.

You sat again, patiently waiting for him to finish.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Roughly twelve hours at this point."

"Evidently adopting your sleep schedule," he said, shaking his head, and you chuckled a bit at his joke.

"We should get you to your room. I couldn't...well, didn't want to change your pants for you, but you spilled a lot on them last night. And you should probably sleep this hangover off anyway."

"Ms. Arlington," he started again, and by his tone you knew he wanted to discuss what had happened.

"Let me take those," you cut him off, grabbing the dishes and rushing to the kitchen. "Can you get up without face-planting?"

He nodded, but you held his arm for him anyway, helping him stand. He insisted on walking himself, making it up the stairs and to his door.

"If you need anything, uh, just...just call out, ok?"

He nodded, his expression a mixture of unreadable emotions. You couldn't tell what he was thinking. He reached for the handle, but turned back first.

"Why does your voice sound so...." he stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening ever so slightly as the obvious finally dawned on him.

"Yeah," you nodded, "We uh...we missed the dose this morning."

You'd first noticed the difference earlier when you'd cleared your throat. The sound, the feeling, was different. Tentatively, you'd tested your voice, almost forgetting how. It'd started as barely more than a whisper, but, with some practice, it'd grown stronger. You don't know why you glanced to the floor guiltily, as if your voice coming back was something you should feel sorry about. In reality, you guess you were worried about how he'd take it.

You met his eyes, and he looked stunned, trying to think of something to say. At last, he nodded.

"It's good to hear your voice."

And with that, he entered his room.

***

You woke up the next morning faced with the same dilemma as before: What were you going to do? Staying the day before to help was one thing, but were you just supposed to not call out to Heimdall? Just let Zemo take your voice again? Had you made a braindead decision to help someone who was only going to cut off your path to freedom, a path that had been opened for several hours now? You didn't know what Zemo would do, and you didn't know what you should do. As much as you loathed yourself for feeling this way, you had come to the conclusion that you were hesitant to let the Avengers have Zemo. Yes, he had to be stopped. And yes, he'd wrongfully kidnapped you. But...there had to be another way? Surely there's always another way?

This isn't a fantasy, get your head out of the clouds! If you don't think Zemo will change from his stance, then there's never going to be a world where he and the Avengers can peacefully coexist without one triumphing over the other.

As you often do with any difficult situation, you pushed it to the side. Hoping for a miraculous answer to drop from the sky seemed to be a flaw of yours, but one you resorted back to time and time again.

Skipping your routine, you dressed and headed downstairs, wondering if Zemo would be up. He was sitting in the kitchen, per his usual, sipping some coffee. You stopped upon entering, an awkward little stare-off happening. He looked as troubled as you, nodding a greeting that you returned. You made some waffles, poured yourself some milk, offered Zemo some food, and essentially kept busy, so as to not think about the problem at hand.

Zemo waited a few seconds after you sat down before he began.

"Ms. Arlington."

"Hmm?" you answered casually, raising your eyebrows expectantly as you chewed.

"I'm afraid we cannot pretend nothing has happened."

You put down your fork, swallowing as you nodded.

"I know."

"Why did you stay?"

He was staring intently across at you.

"I...I don't know. You needed help."

"And now?"

You took a few seconds before answering.

"I don't want to see you rotting in jail, Zemo. I...I really don't. You're never going to like the Avengers. You're never going to change your position, I know that. But for the same reasons I can move past the things they've done, I can't help but look past yours. You...you were dealt a nasty hand in life, ok? And that kind of life can make people do stupid things. I don't want to see you locked up for stupidity."

Zemo nodded, thinking of his next words.

"I should think a thank you is in order. For last night. Given the things I said, I am surprised you had it in you to stay, let alone take care of me. You're truly too good for this kind of life, Ms. Arlington...this war-filled universe you jumped into."

"Maybe in a war-filled universe, we need a mixture of grit and kindness?"

"A notion most would deem sentimental idealism."

"And what do you deem it?"

"I'm still deciding," he said, staring at you like you were a riddle.

You smiled a little, turning your attention back to your breakfast.

You were washing your plate when Zemo spoke again.

"You know what you have to do."

You sighed, hanging your head. You started drying your dish, nodding as you did.

"Yeah...I do."

"You're wondering what I'm going to do, I'm sure."

"Can't say it hasn't crossed my mind."

You placed the dish in the cabinet, leaning back against the counter with folded arms as you faced Zemo.

"I am many abhorrent things, Ms. Arlington...but I am not so dishonorable. I will not stop you. I should have let you go long ago, something your actions yesterday have only confirmed."

"And...and what then? Farewell until our next shared house?"

"No," Zemo shook his head, and you couldn't hide the surprise on your face.

"What?"

"I still hate the Avengers. Their plights, their lives, the joyful things you've told me about them...it does little to ease my pain...my burden. But, I didn't recognize myself the other night, Ms. Arlington. This promise...it's consumed me. Turned me into something I never wanted to be. I confessed as much the night you tried taking my head off. The problem was, admitting it was not enough to stop me...not then. But now? I confessed to wanting to murder you, a statement born from the darkest depths of my anger. Killing to get back at the Avengers was something I'd accepted...until you. 

Am I to allow myself to become the kind of man who would put you through this life? Who would feel a hidden desire to hurt you? You who have shown the purest capacity to see past the flaws of both parties, despite the consequences? I called you a coward. And your reaction was to willingly stay a prisoner in order to help your captor. That is a level of bravery and selflessness I had forgotten was in this world. 

I will never be changed in the way you want. I will always carry this bitterness. But how can I face my wife and son someday knowing the things I'd done to avenge them? My son would have gotten along with you, Ms. Arlington. He would have liked you. Hurting you is like hurting him. And I can only picture their disappointment if they saw me now."

He swallowed hard, looking down at the floor. You walked across the room, taking your seat. When he looked up, you smiled sadly.

"You said you're not a puzzle to be fixed. And that's true in a certain sense. I can't fix a puzzle that doesn't have all of the pieces. You lost some when your family was taken. I knew I couldn't make you whole. I couldn't make you the kind of man you may have once been. But that doesn't mean you can't do it yourself. 

My job...the one I tasked myself with...was to treat you with the kindness you needed, even if one could argue you didn't deserve it. I may have been impossible to tolerate sometimes," you said with a smile, and he chuckled, "And belligerent and pugnacious and any other fancy word you can think of...but you deserved a small slice of normalcy...a sliver of kindness. And if that helped heal you at all, then halleluiah. But where you go, what you choose to be and do, was never something I was going to control.

I do know one thing though. Your family knew who you were. You were their life as much as they were yours. Maybe your promise was what they'd want, and maybe it wasn't, I can't answer that. But you can. Is that something they'd want from you? Is this pursuit who you are? Or who you think you have to be? I can't answer any of that. Maybe you will one day. But let me just say this: The man I've spent the last 24 days with, and yes I've counted, strikes me as anything but a killer. And if I were your family, watching you right now, I for one would be anything but disappointed. I'd be honored to have a father or husband who loved me so dearly, and I'd be proud at how he decided, in the end, not to lose sight of himself. Whether you decide to go after the Avengers again is a struggle you'll have to face...a question of what your family would want that only you can answer. 

We never find replacements that match the pieces we've lost. But we find something to fill those gaps. New purpose. New loved ones, new passions. It doesn't mean the people we lost are gone from our hearts and minds, it means we've learned to carry on without them...holding onto their love and memories that will always be with us. I hope you find some peace. Some closure. Without killing the Avengers would be nice," you laughed, "But it's all up to you. I may oppose you if you try to come for them, but I will always know that there's a man under that pain who SUCKS at keeping his hand still when it comes to dominos. Who burned the bacon all three times he tried to make it. And who, I've decided, had to have been one hell of a father. And who I hope doesn't throw his life away."

He smiled, nodding to himself as you finished. 

"I'm going to miss you, Ms. Arlington. And, out of no love for or changed opinion on them, but simply for my own character and well-being...I yield."

"Wait, you...you yield like no more tearing Avengers apart?"

"It's like you said, is this goal who I am? Who my family would want me to be? Or who I've convinced myself I am to satisfy my own lust for revenge? I told you how fond my boy was of the Avengers...how much he was like you, even at his young age. The answer, therefore, is simple. They'd hate to see what I was doing, no matter how ardently I tried to convince myself I was doing it for them. I have much to figure out, Ms. Arlington, as you also noted. Questions and decisions only I can make and solve. Had I not wasted so much time pursuing the Avengers, I may have begun my...my healing. God, I hate that word. Sounds like I'm sick. But my behavior two night's ago is too blatant for even me to ignore. I had no control. Had I faced my pain instead of seeking to throw it on those who deserved it, and yes the Avengers deserve it, his birthday may have been far easier to bear."

"Hey, you bore it better than others would have, I'm sure."

He gave you a skeptical look.

"Ok, so it was bad. But so what? You have more reason than anyone to be that way. Just how you have many reasons to hate the Avengers. Those reasons may not justify your actions, but they certainly weigh in on your decisions. Your mental state."

"You calling me clinically unwell, Ms. Arlington?" he said in mock offense.

"Whaaat? Of course not, no. If I've learned anything from my 24-day imprisonment where my voice was taken by a drug, it's that my captor is a completely sane and rational man."

He shockingly laughed, as you thought maybe you'd gone too far with your joke.

"I'm serious, though. You're a smart man, Zemo. I don't think you're insane at all. I think we have a tendency to justify our actions. Every villain is a hero in his own mind."

"Now you're just showing off. Do you rehearse these in your room before walking down the stairs?"

"I can't take credit for that last one," you laughed, "Loki's actor in my world, Tom Hiddleston, he said that last line."

"I guess no one would know a villain better than those who portray them?"

"Yeah, it's great hearing him talk about Loki. He understands the character really well."

"And do you...understand him?"

"Why'd you word it like that?"

"No reason. Just that among my sources used to gather intel, to keep track of you, I may recall a conversation between you and your little girl group at a bar?"

You furrowed your brow, thinking what he could have meant, when the memory hit you.

"No!" you gasped in horror, "I think if you jump on the me and Loki bandwagon, I'm gonna shoot myself! You were my last hope Zemo!"

He laughed at your reaction, drinking some more coffee.

"So it isn't true?" he smirked.

"No it isn't!"

"If you say so," he shrugged, his face showing he thought the exact opposite.

"Ok, you're an intelligent guy, tell me how weird it would be to meet a fictional character in real life and then have a crush on them?! The others don't get it, it's just bizarre."

"I mean, there are a few fictional characters I wouldn't mind dating in real life," he said amusingly, "But sure, suit yourself. If you don't want to date a god from a golden city---"

"Zemo! It's different when those fictional characters actually prove to be real. We don't like each other. I thought you were anti-sinful dudes anyway? Weren't you salty that I was able to forgive his past?"

"Well, then I verbally attacked you, got myself drunk and injured, and you stayed to take care of me even when you could have escaped. Puts a bit more of a humble perspective on my view before I cast stones. I still don't like any of them," he said in response to your grin, "Know that I am stopping for myself. For my family. And for you. Not the Avengers. And I still regret none of what I attempted to do to them, even if I realize I need to stop. I'm sorry for what I've done to you, however."

"Yeah, that smoke from the burnt bacon took hours to clear, what with no windows allowed open and all that."

"I truly did miss hearing you speak," he chuckled.

"Awwww, really? So I should chat your ear off is what you're saying? Cuz I've got a lot of stuff pent up from the last three weeks, I don't even know where to begin---"

"Where did I put that needle?" he asked, looking around the kitchen.

"I'm gonna miss you," you laughed, looking across at the stupid little grin you'd grown accustomed to seeing.

Zemo smiled back, though it slowly dropped to a more saddened look.

"You should, um...you-you should probably call your friends."

It was unlike Zemo to even remotely stutter over his words. That was your job, he was far too articulate for that.

"Well...they uh, they don't know the situation. Whether I call them now or tonight won't make a difference, right?"

The smile crept it's way back on his face.

"I suppose not, Ms. Arlington."

And so you spent your last day with Zemo, filling it with each of your favorite activities. One time, he surprised you by pulling out the game Battleship.

"I thought you said you hated that game?"

He had, in fact, tossed it aside since the moment he pulled it from Oeznik's bag, claiming he despised playing it.

"I...I may have lied. It's the game I was recently teaching my son."

He didn't need to explain anything more. You gave him a comforting smile, pulling the lid from the top of the box.

"I do have to warn you, I'm something of a professional," Zemo smirked, setting up his ships.

"Yeah, how is this fair?! I'm joining a strategical warfare game with you???"

"Perhaps I can teach you to play better?"

"I doubt it on our one game together," you snickered.

Glancing over the top of your board, you thought you saw Zemo's face drop for a half-second at your words.

Zemo was true to his claim. He was a natural at the game, a wizard actually. There appeared no strategy behind what he called, yet he'd always smile after a failed call, getting a hit on the next one. He moved from one ship to another until you were down to only your 2-slot ship.

"B-5," he stated calmly, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Ok, you're cheating somehow! Is there a reflection behind me or something, how're you doing this?!"

"Logical deduction."

"Yeah logical deduction my ass! You can see over, can't you?!"

"Or you're trying to justify getting beaten so terribly by an 'old man'?"

"A frickin terrifying old man, what you're doing here is impossible I hope you know that?"

Zemo shrugged off the praise.

"You're not doing so terribly yourself."

"I can't find three of your ships, and I'm pretty certain you're moving them on me. No way everything I've called the last ten times has been a miss! I think you're being classic sneaky Zemo."

"Oh is that what I'm known for now?"

"Among other things."

"Cheater!" he accused, and you pulled yourself back from where you'd leaned forward ever so slightly during your conversation.

"What?!"

"You just looked right at my pieces!"

"No I didn't!"

"You did it right in front of me! Are you stooping to such lows, Ms. Arlington?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, H-9!" you called quickly, putting the red hit marker in before he even answered.

"Wow, it's a hit. Shocker," he said dryly, placing his own red peg as you giggled triumphantly. "If only you had more time for that hit to mean anything. B-6."

"Are you sure you don't want to try B-4?"

"You're such a poor sport at this," he shook his head, already starting his clean-up.

During dinner prep, Zemo turned on some music. An idea popped in your head that you couldn't believe you'd never thought to ask before. Now, on your final day with him, you knew you had to ask. And so, you had him do the Zemo dance. He didn't understand why you found it so funny, asking if his dancing was really that bad. The answer was yes, of course, but it didn't stop the two of you from dancing around like fools for the rest of the time until dinner.

You finished the evening in the living room. You shared stories for a while, conversation flowing naturally between the two of you.  Now that you could actually talk, it was an even better experience. Lastly, you turned the TV on, the room growing quiet as the two of you peacefully watched the screen. Soon, that silence turned to one of unspoken understanding. You both knew it was time, but it appeared he was as reluctant to admit it as you were.

"Ms. Arlington."

You stared solemnly at the TV. Leaving him should not have been this hard.

"It's time."

You lifted the remote, shutting the TV off for good. Looking to Zemo, he gave you an encouraging smile, standing and leading the way to the kitchen.

"So how does this work?" you asked as you followed him, "Do I leave or do you?"

"The streets out there are not safe, especially at this hour. I will go, Ms. Arlington. You call your friends when I'm gone, unless you had the good sense to have done it already in order to catch me?"

"When have I ever been sensible?" you smiled.

"More than you're given credit for."

"I uh, I saw that we're still in New York," you said, dodging the compliment, "The other night, when I opened the door."

"Yes, we're not far from the warehouse I used in my red herring with the Avengers the day I took you. If you want to hide in the last place your pursuers would look, choose the house next-door to them."

"Funny how that logic didn't work with me my first time on Asgard."

"Plot armor I suppose. What are our lives if not our own stories? And what are stories without inconsistency and ironic turn of events? Keeps the reader on their toes. And so are we kept on our toes by fate's random choice."

"You practice that before coming down the stairs?"

"I am a villain, Ms. Arlington. Aren't good villains often poetic?"

"I'm not sure villain is a proper term for you anymore."

"I feel hero is equally ill-suited."

"It's like you said. There are no heroes and villains. Just people. Granted, you may have taken that saying in a bit of a darker direction the other night, but, at the core, that statement still stands. Not everyone is one or the other. Most of us are a mix of both."

Zemo smiled, pulling the keys from his pocket and undoing the locks. He then grabbed his coat from where it hung nearby, pulling it on and fixing the collar. When he was done, he held his hands out for you to take it in.

"It's still such a damn good coat," you grinned.

"It really is."

There was an silent pause, both not knowing what to do next.

"Thank you," Zemo spoke first, "For what you tried doing. For what you accomplished. I know it is poor taste for me to say this about someone I've kidnapped, but I'm sad to see you go."

"Is it weird if I give you a hug?"

"From a outside perspective, I think our entire 24 days of pleasant cohabitation would be considered weird."

"Yeah," you laughed with him, "Not your normal abduction relationship."

There was another pause, once again broken by Zemo. This time it wasn't a word, but a gesture. He held out his arms, nodding for you to bring it in. You didn't hesitate, wrapping your arms around him. Out of the many ways you saw this relationship ending a few months ago, this was not one of them.

You were extremely messed up for doing so, but you started crying gently.

"I'll miss you, old man," you said against his chest.

"I'll miss you too, Wren. Or will you snap at me for calling you that?" he sassed.

"No," you chuckled, pulling back to see the grin on his face, "I was getting tired of Ms. Arlington."

"Come now, shedding tears over freedom from your abductor?" he tried to joke, but his eyes were, believe it or not, glistening as well. He just held it in better.

You laughed sadly, wiping away the tears.

"Goodbye, Wren," he said, placing a hand on your shoulder, "I'm sorry. And thank you. Go live the life of a hero. And give the Avengers hell for me."

"I do that anyway."

"I'm sure you do."

"Bye, Zemo. Thanks for a great kidnapping...minus my voice and all that. Though we made a pretty good team when it came to talking without talking didn't we?"

"You think no voice would stop you from communicating your point? There's no mistaking what you want to say."

You smiled some more, Zemo turning to open the door.

"Do you think we'll see each other again before I go back?"

"For both our sakes, I certainly hope not," he smirked, "The circumstances of our meetings have always been less than favorable, no matter how enjoyable we turned the situation."

"Well, maybe there's a way that isn't unfavorable?"

"I hope so," he said sincerely, "But if not, know that I will deeply miss our time together. Know that the last 24 days were the best I've had in the last year."

He turned and walked out the door.

"Be careful out there!" you called out to him.

"In the world or New York?" he turned and asked from the street.

"Both I guess."

"This neighborhood in New York is claimed to be protected, or haunted, depending on which locals you talk to. With a name like Hell's Kitchen, I'm inclined to think the latter," he smiled jokingly.

"Well, let the Devil know I said hi if you see him," you waved.

He waved back, before walking off. You watched until he was out of sight, closing the door. You turned the simple lock on the handle, the elaborate additional mechanisms no longer needed. Entering the living room, you stared around the house that now felt empty.

***

Ok, so maybe the TV wasn't off for good. You couldn't help but do what you thought was comedic...hence your reclined position on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a movie on. The Avengers arrived within the hour, the noise of the kitchen door's latch being busted as they forced it open drawing your attention away from your film.

"You could have just knocked!" you called out, and in came the team.

You'd told Heimdall that it wasn't necessary to send everyone, but it appeared they all came nonetheless.

"Hey!" you smiled as Cap led the charge into the living room.

He stopped mid-stride, looking surprised before smiling and shaking his head. Most found your position amusing, but it may have been a poor decision with others.

"What the hell is this?" Tony asked.

"Terminator 2," you said, "With Arnold Schwarshaneggege."

"I'm sorry, what??" he repeated again.

"Yeah, I know, it's not how you pronounce his name, but you try saying it."

"Wren," Nat warned, though she was grinning.

You turned your attention from the movie, seeing Tony looked less than amused.

"I'm fine," you said, putting the popcorn down and standing to greet them, "But yeah, ok, maybe not the best to be so chill."

"We've been looking for you for weeks!" Loki said, and you couldn't tell if his anger was directed simply at that fact or at you.

"And we find you vacationing in the city!" Tony added.

"I had to do something to pass the time til you got here. I was just being stupid, it's nothing."

"Is this what you've been doing this whole time? Why you never called out to Heimdall?" Loki asked, his voice starting to raise, "We thought you must have been gagged or worse!"

"Easy," Cap stopped him, "Let her explain. Wren, what's going on?"

"I was drugged for the last three weeks. Not the 'knock you out' kind of drug, but something that stopped me from speaking. I'm sorry, I would have called if I could."

"Would you?" Loki shot back.

"Nice to see you too. Sheesh, what's your problem?"

"Maybe that we worry for weeks about what could be happening to you, and we find you relaxing here as if nothing has happened!"

"What, would you have liked to find me chained to a wall, bloodied and bruised??"

"No!"

"Then what's the big deal?? If anything, you should be relieved to find me ok enough to just chill and watch a movie. I'm sorry, ok, I know you all must have worried, so making a joke out of it wasn't the right call. But seriously, I'm ok, and that's a good thing."

"Where's Nemo?" Tony asked, scooping a handful of popcorn as he did.

"He's...he's gone."

"Gone?" Wanda asked.

"And why do you sound sad about that?" Sam added.

"He left. He let me go. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

You couldn't help but say it somberly, the team staring at you for a few silent seconds afterwards.

"Do we even want to know what happened over the last few weeks?" Rhodey asked.

"I do!" Tony raised his hand.

"What, did you get another villain to fall for you?" Sam asked, Loki shooting him a look.

"No he...he decided to stop."

"Just like that?" Tony asked skeptically.

"Just like that."

"There's something you're not telling us," he pressed.

"No, really?" Clint said sarcastically, "I thought he totally just woke up one day with a change of heart?"

"Barton, are you ever going to stay in retirement permanently?" Tony snarked.

"Hell if I know," Clint groaned back.

"What happened doesn't matter, ok?" you said firmly, "He's gone. And he's not going to try again."

"She's safe, and that's all that matters," Thor said, stepping forward to be the first to embrace you, "We've missed you, Wren."

"I missed you too, buddy."

"Did you now?" Loki asked, inspecting the pile of games in the corner.

"Yeah, looks like someone was having fun," Sam agreed, folding his arms.

"Are we really going to keep hating the fact that I wasn't miserable for three weeks?"

"A little more damsel-action would have been nice for our big entrance, but I guess you being ok is the next best thing," Tony smirked, stepping out of his suit to hug you.

"It appears Wren is in good health, which was the main cause for fear. We should consider ourselves lucky we didn't find a less favorable situation," Vis said.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Wanda smiled, pulling you in for a hug.

One by one you greeted or hugged each, though Loki remained outside of these things. You could tell he wasn't happy, and you weren't sure you could blame him. It must be frustrating to struggle to find someone, only to learn they were never really in harm's way. Still, there were worse things to be upset over, and you were slightly hurt at his lack of joy at seeing you well. 

"How long ago did Zemo leave?" Tony asked.

"Uh, under an hour, why?"

"Friday, have the lookout nearby for him, check---"

"No!" you cut him off, earning looks from everyone.

"Wren, I know your fascination with villains is all that takes priority with you, but this is what I'm talking about when I say you take it too far!" Tony chastised.

"Wren, if he's responsible for those bombings, it's our job to bring him in," Cap said.

"Is it?" you fired back.

"Excuse me?" Tony said for Steve.

"Wren, he's a criminal," Nat said.

"If we know where he is, it's our job to get him," Rhodey chimed.

"But we don't know where he is. We know where he was. Discovering where he is now would require a certain amount of investigation, and I don't remember you guys getting called in to investigate the bombings?"

"You can't be serious?" Clint asked.

"Unbelievable," Sam sighed.

"Guys---"

"No, Wren, this is a new level of ridiculous, even for you!" Tony cut you off.

"If we run into him some day, I'm not saying you should let him go! I'm saying don't go after him now. It's not our problem."

"Not our problem? He kidnapped you, again," Wanda said.

"And now he's let me go, and he's going to leave us alone. Forget about him. We have so much else to do anyway! How about Vis's surgery? We clearly never got around to that!"

"No, it was put on hold by the man who took you hostage!" Tony sassed.

"I don't know if you're thinking clearly---" Steve started.

"I'm thinking perfectly clearly! I'm thinking we have a stone to remove, another to find, and a Mad Titan to prepare for! Not to mention a few other things, such as Nat's family life. Don't forget we have to address that soon!"

A few looks were passed around, but no one said anything.

"You heard her," Loki spoke, "She's made it quite clear she doesn't wish us to pursue her beloved captor."

He turned swiftly, pushing his way through the others and out of the room.

"If we're not chasing this man, can we go? This place is getting claustrophobic," Clint said, noting the crowded capacity in the room.

Steve looked at you for a few seconds, your eyes pleading with him to drop the hunt.

"Ok," he nodded, "Let's head out."

He led the way out of the room, the others starting to follow.

"Wait, we're just letting him get away?" Rhodey asked.

"I don't like it either. But view it as he's already away and we're just taking a break," Tony said, patting him on the back as he passed.

"Wait, uh..." you said, stopping those still in the room, "Uh, there's this really comfy pair of pants Zemo got me...they're one of my favorites. Can I grab them real quick?"

"What's the hold up?" Tony called from the kitchen door.

"She wants to grab something from her room," Nat answered.

"From Zemo," Sam added, having to be a brat.

You heard Tony mutter a few incoherent words, finally speaking up.

"Tell her to move her ass."

You gave Sam a glare, who, upon seeing it, dropped the smile from his face.

"What?" he asked sincerely.

Wanda just slapped his arm as she and Vis walked by.

"I'll go with her," Thor called to the others as you left for the stairs, making his way after you.

"Soooo...this is where you stayed?" Thor asked, looking around the small room.

"Yeah, what of it?" you smirked, grabbing the pants from your drawer.

"No, uh, n-nothing," he said unconvincingly, "It's um, it's cute...and tiny."

You smiled at the way he looked curiously around the room, as if wondering how someone could live in such a basic house. You walked around the room, checking for anything else you wanted to bring. Your strides stopped in front of your nightstand, where the notebook with your tallies were cataloged. You shouldn't have been sad that you were leaving. You weren't sad. In reality, you hadn't realized how much you missed everyone. You were looking forward to getting out of this house, of returning to your other life. But those tallies marked some good times. Times you and Zemo had made the best of. And the 24th line represented the last day you were, most likely, ever going to see the man who'd slowly become a friend.

"What is it?" Thor asked, walking to look over your shoulder.

"Nothing," you said quickly, closing the notebook and sliding it in the folds of the pants in your hands. "I'm good to go."

 "Then let's get out of this dreadful place," Thor said happily, leading the way across the creaky hall and down the flight of stairs. The others were waiting outside. Evidently, the docks for the harbor were not far, and the quinjet had been landed in a opening there. Loki, you realized, remained ahead of the crowd, never once looking back. Your stares didn't go unnoticed.

"My brother will not remain angry forever, I can assure you. Pay him no mind," Thor said from where he walked beside you.

"I don't get what he's so mad about."

"I think it's more the culmination of several emotions," Thor replied, "He was very upset over your disappearance. And I think finding out that he could do nothing to help, for you were in no need of it in the end, only added to his frustrations. I don't think he likes that we've let Zemo go either."

"Yeah, but none of that should equal anger towards me. What did I do wrong? Ok, so I asked them not to go after Zemo. But everything else?"

"Well, Loki isn't one to cry tears of joy and display his relief, now is he? He's angry and upset over the whole situation, which I'm afraid is coming out on you at the moment. Believe me, he's more relieved to see you alive than he's letting on. He looks far more relaxed than he has since you were taken."

"That is far more relaxed?? How bad was it?"

"Bad."

"Oh boy."

The quinjet was soon in sight, and you were shortly embracing Bruce at the end of the ramp.

"I'm so glad we got you all in one piece," he said as you hugged.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't so bad."

You heard Loki huff a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he walked up the ramp.

"What's his problem? I though he'd be happy we got you?" Bruce asked quietly.

"I'll tell you when I find out myself."

"Hey man!" Korg waved from the top.

"Hey!" you said, jogging the rest of the way up to hug him and Miek.

"You're looking quite well for a kidnapping. Was the service there good?" Korg asked.

"Better than one would think."

"That was very nice of the low-life who took you."

"It was, wasn't it?" you smiled, making to walk with Korg into the quinjet.

"Oh, uh, Wren, there's...there's something you should know," Nat said, who was standing just past Korg.

"What?"

You noticed all of the team was standing around the main area expectantly, facing you...all except Loki, of course, who pretended to be ignoring everyone from his seat.

"Well, you mentioned my family and how we have to address that," she started.

"Yeah, and?"

"Well---"

"What are we all standing around for? Did we get her or not?" a familiar voice called from someone exiting one of the other rooms.

The blonde woman, in an iconic white suit, pushed through the Avengers, smiling when she saw you.

"Hiiiii," she said with a head tilt and wave, "Oh, sorry, was I supposed to stand and stare creepily too? Is this a posing thing?" she asked the group that was still quietly observing the interaction.

"Wren, meet my sister. Yelena."

Chapter 44: (Chapter 43): Orientation

Notes:

I'm too tired to proof read the last half thoroughly. Enjoy everyone! It's1AM, so I'ma go to bed now.
Oh! Morningsky has made this fanfic into a podfic, with the first ten chapters posted last I checked. Super cool of them, so thanks and shout out to them! If you're interested in those, the link is attached in related works below the chapter.

Your mouth dropped open, the kind of shocked wide smile where you can't believe something is happening right in front of you.

"Oh, now that is a reaction," Yelena applauded, "That's what I'm talking about. Did any of you get that look?"

"How is she---how are you--uh hi, hi I'm uh, I'm Wren," you ended excitedly.

"I know, you're what this whole rescue mission is for! I didn't squeeze into a quinjet with all of these people without hearing who you were, Wren Arlington. And, I know," she held her hands up as if denying praise, "I'm the super cool little sister, Yelena. You've heard of me."

"Oh, so...so they uh, they filled you in on everything?"

"We're all movie characters and there's a purple alien we need to kill," she shrugged like it was nothing, "I think I got it."

"Uh, wh-why are you here?"

"I mean, if you don't want me here---" she started saying in an offended tone.

"You know what I mean," you laughed at her antics, "God, I love you. Sorry! I know that's probably super weir---"

"Why would it be weird, I am a very loveable person?"

"Depends on the hour," Nat snickered.

"Natasha! That hurts me, that really hurts," Yelena nodded sadly.

"Two super soldiers, now two Widows," Tony groaned, "Anyone else got a best friend or sibling with the exact same skill-set we don't know about?"

"I thought you liked me, Tony?" Yelena turned to him.

"I do, which is why I was thinking we replace the old candidates with the new. Both you and Barnes are less rigid than your counterparts," he answered casting a look at Rogers.

"I'm sorry, but seriously how are you here?" you asked again.

"Well, you see I flew in this plane---"

"I've had tabs kept on the apartment at Budapest, ever since you told me about how Yelena comes in," Nat answered.

"Yeah that was smart."

"Of course, which is why you didn't think of it," Loki spoke from his seat.

"Ouch, that was rude," Yelena noted, "Though I don't know her well enough to know if that is true, so I respect the dis either way," she nodded in approval, "Why are you so cranky though? I was told you were upset because she was gone, and I was hoping that the God of Mischief would be fun once we got her back. Or are you always this way?"

"He's pretty much always this way," Clint answered.

"From the man who doesn't live in the compound anymore," Loki shot back.

Loki defending himself instead of simply accepting how he appears to others? you thought in surprise.

"Ok, he kinda has a reason now," Rhodey defended Loki's attitude, "She has a thing for villains, and we found her sitting happily in his house. She didn't want us to go after him either," he looked accusingly at you.

"Wait, he wasn't there?" Bruce asked.

"No, he let me go."

"Why?" he continued.

"Question of the hour, isn't it?" Tony said, arms folding in his parental stance.

"I'm telling you, another villain fell for her. They're weird like that," Sam insisted.

"Another?" Yelena asked like it was scandalous, raising her eyebrows to you, "Oooo, who is this villain? Is he cute?"

"He's right there," Nat smirked, nodding over Yelena's shoulder.

Yelena turned, finding Sam, Tony, and Rhodey pointing their fingers at Loki, with Thor standing behind Loki pointing down and mouthing "This one!" Loki slumped his shoulders in defeat, not bothering to argue.

"Oh my God, that is why you were so upset, oh that is adorable. And he is hot," she gave you a thumbs up.

"Uh, what?" Nat scoffed.

"Oh come on, are we all going to pretend he's not hot because he did some things?"

"He led an army from space to attack New York," Sam clarified.

"Ok, only one time though," Yelena countered.

"How many times is too many?" Tony argued.

"I don't know, how many times did your weapons kill innocents?" she threw right back at him. "Exactly, so she can like him if she wants to," she said when Tony had no response, "It's cute, I don't see what the big deal is."

"We're not a thing, though, they just do this all the time," you said.

"All in this room who think they like each other, raise your hand," Yelena said, eyes not leaving you. When she turned to observe the room, all hands were raised except Clint, Korg, and Miek. Miek had originally raised his, but Korg had quickly pulled it down, muttering something to him. She turned back to you with a triumphant smile. "See?"

"Ok, I'm gonna need to have a talk with some in this room," you said, glaring over at Bruce.

"What about you?" Yelena asked Loki, "Do you like her?"

"Absolutely not," he answered immediately.

Yelena started chuckling. "Oh he's so in love with you."

"Yelena! We're friends, and clearly not very good ones when he gets angry" you said pointedly to him, "at me for not being hurt."

"If you had an ounce of common sense you'd know that was not the case!" he fired back.

"Please, enlighten me then!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he saw all of the eyes on him. Instead he looked hard at the ground, shaking his head in anger.

"Why weren't you hurt?" Wanda asked, "I'm happy you weren't, but what happened since you left?"

"He let me live a normal life, ok? We played games, we made dinner, we watched movies, we told stories...we had a good time. I know you'd love me to say I was miserable, but hell, if you're going to get kidnapped, ya might as well make the most of it."

"I love that," Yelena pointed, "What a way to do a kidnapping."

"Why did he let you go?" Steve asked.

"Because he changed his mind, ok?"

"You mean you changed his mind?" Vision corrected.

"I mean...me being there helped, yes."

"And he just woke up one morning and decided he'd had enough?" Tony questioned.

"Obviously there was a build-up, but essentially...yes. After 24 days to talk things over and live with each other, opinions change, ok?"

"So are you two friends now?" Rhodey asked.

"No we're...well, sorta---"

The room collectively groaned.

"---but not really! We ended up getting along, is that really so bad?"

"On his part, no, on yours?" Tony said, face implying it wasn't good.

"I don't see how this is a bad thing! If us getting along stopped him from being a threat, isn't that what we we're supposed to do here?? Heck, look at Loki! You all don't hate him as much as you used to, and now he's gone quite a few months without trying to kill one of you!"

"That's a little different," Sam said.

"Are you defending Loki?" you asked in surprise, Loki's face showing he was caught off guard as well.

"No I...I'm just saying he, he never kidnapped you. We didn't grow to like him while he was in the act of evil!"

"Ohhh, but you have grown to like him?" you smiled.

Loki's brow was furrowed at Sam, who glanced back and forth between the two of you, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"No, I don't like him, I tolerate him more," he said unconvincingly, "You know what, don't change the subject!" he said when you and Loki both smirked.

"Silvertongue has grown on us marginally, but he's also never tried to hurt you," Tony stepped in.

You threw a quick look to Loki, resisting the urge to laugh at that statement. Despite his sour mood, he grinned slightly, knowing you were fighting down your amusement at Tony's ironic words.

"She single-handedly got herself out of the situation, all by having a good time for three weeks," Yelena said, "I think it's fair to say that is kinda badass."

"After she got herself captured again," Loki challenged.

"For your information, I kicked Zemo's butt, ok? I won the fight, he cheated and pulled a needle on me before I could call Heimdall."

"Why didn't you call Heimdall right away?" Vision asked.

"Yeah uh......I didn't think of it at first?" you offered, having no other explanation, "But if I had called Heimdall, I wouldn't have been able to punch someone, which is a very satisfying thing to do, so it was all fun in the end."

"See, she gets it," Yelena nodded, giving you a high-five, "You're sitting with me on the way home."

"Wait, so if you're here, does that mean I missed Black Widow? The movie, I mean."

"We took care of it," Nat said.

"I had a super dramatic moment where I was on top of the plane and I stabbed my rod into the engine," Yelena said, reenacting the motion, "Was that in your film? Please tell me it was, it was very cinematic."

"Yeah it was," you laughed, "How did it go? Like, did Alexei and Melina come in and everything???"

"They did," Nat smiled fondly, "They went off with the other Widows."

"Why did you come with Nat? Not that I'm not thrilled you did, but in the film you go with them."

"Well, I'm told the Avengers were supposed to have had some sibling fallout, which isn't the case now," she explained, "I figured I could at least suck some money and resources from Stark to help spread the cure to other Widows."

"I'm not a pile of free cash ya know," Tony said in offense.

"Isn't that your role here?" she returned, "I'm kidding! I kid, your suit is very fun, very cool."

"When did all of this happen? When did you come in? Who went with Nat?"

Some people took their seats now, as Tony went to lift the jet off the ground. You remained standing near Nat and Yelena.

"About a week ago, and I went by myself," Nat answered, "It was personal."

"She means she was too embarrassed to have her big superhero friends meet her little sister," Yelena said.

"We've been over this already," Nat sighed.

"Being 'personal' is a shitty reason, it could have been so much easier if we attacked the Red Room with the Avengers."

"How did you plan on finding the Red Room discretely with all of them?" Nat asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ok, but once we found it we could have called in back up. I was jettisoned off of a flying fortress!"

"They were looking for Wren, they couldn't come even if we asked. And you said it was fun falling."

"It woulda been a cool way to die," you interrupted.

"Ah, I see what you're doing there," she waved a finger at you, "Are there any other famous quotes by me? I'm a bit of a natural wordsmith."

"Oh uh, 'Such a poser.' 'Ok, so it has a lot of pockets?' 'We don't get our periods, dipshit.' And basically everything you've ever said! Though, I don't know if any of what I said actually happened, cuz who knows if the events played out the same as the movie?"

"No, that all still happened," Nat chuckled.

"Really?? Gosh, I wish I'd been there. Not that I woulda been anyway, but like you two are iconic. Like Clint and Nat, but ya know, sisters."

"You hear that Barton? You're being replaced," Yelena smiled at him.

"I have an extensive interview process for my replacement," he warned.

"Do I have to learn to throw a stick at people using a string?"

"First requirement is ya gotta keep Natasha on her toes," he grinned.

"Ha, she's got the job," Nat snickered, taking a seat.

"Don't worry, Barton, if you ever retire for real, I've got everything covered."

"Why does everyone keep mentioning my retirement? I can just not come back?"

"What would we do without your twelve arrows?" Tony asked from the front.

"I'll have you know I no longer have that problem!" he called back, "Not that I needed more arrows to save your ass time and time again."

"The day those magic arrows fly back at you, don't cry to me," Tony retorted.

"Magic arrows?" Yelena asked in awe, "How did you get magic arrows, Barton?"

"They were a gift," he nodded to Loki.

"Tell me again why we don't like this guy?" she asked about Loki.

"We don't hate him anymore," Clint answered, glancing to Loki with a kinder look than usual.

"Are you about to profess your love for me, Barton?" Loki asked, "Because I'm afraid you're not my type."

"Damn, I left Laura for nothing," Clint chuckled, and Loki allowed himself a smile.

DID CLINT JUST LAUGH AT SOMETHING LOKI SAID??

First Sam's defense, now Clint joking...was it possible Zemo's actions had put Loki's changed behavior into new perspective for the others? They'd warmed up to him over the months, most daring to engage with him on occasion and accept his presence. But never had Clint joked with him, nor had Sam ever gotten over his pride enough to admit he didn't hate the man. Even Tony had admitted it out loud. You had had your suspicions this was all going on under the surface, but for any of them to say anything? That was a first.

"When will I get to meet the family?" Yelena asked Clint.

"Not sure they need your influence," he replied.

"Oh come on, I'm great with kids! I can be the cool aunt that instills a healthy dose of rebellion."

"Nat's already got that job," he grinned.

"Well, if she gets to be an aunt so do I. We're practically family after all, Barton, might as well get used to it."

"Are we?" he said, looking like it was news to him.

"You're like her adopted brother, and I'm not really a sister by blood, so yes, we're extended siblings through Nat. What, don't you like me?"

"Of course I do."

"Clint Barton, that did not sound convincing."

"What was that, Thor?" Clint asked, walking over to where he stood talking with Banner.

"Do not think you can escape that easily, Barton," Yelena said, following after him.

With her gone, you were left standing near the entrance. The flight to the compound was only going to be a few minutes, but those were still minutes you had to find a way to pass. You thought briefly about going to sit with Loki, as you would have done any other day. You also had really really missed him, not that he thought that at the moment. You looked to where he sat and found he was watching you. Not creepily, but in a way that showed he was still upset with you. You gave him a quick smile, hoping the tinge of bitterness you felt didn't make it seem disingenuous, before heading over to Korg and Miek. No matter how annoyed the others might be over your stance with Zemo, you could always count on the two of them to treat you exactly the same.

The quinjet landed in the hangar, and you filed out with the rest of them. No one was necessarily treating you differently, with a few exceptions, but there was this awkward feeling in the air. You weren't sure if it was of your own creation and there really wasn't anything amiss. However, you couldn't shake the sense that you'd caused a lot of stress for the team the last few weeks, just to be casually ok with what had happened. Cap must have noticed your dilemma, as he fell in stride with you.

"How are you doing?" he asked kindly.

"Fine, how bout you?"

"Better now that we have you back."

"I missed you guys, even if some in here don't feel that way," you confessed right away. It didn't take long for you to open up with Cap, he just had one of those personalities you felt you could confide in.

"It's just been a long three weeks. Some of them are worn out from it, that's all."

"And disappointed I didn't come out beaten up and cursing Zemo," you said, that bitterness finally showing its ugly head.

"You know it's not that."

"I half do. I mean, I get it that Zemo put them through a lot the last month, so they don't like that I was able to get along with or forgive him so easily. But, shouldn't they be happy I wasn't hurt? Isn't this the best case scenario?"

"We are happy. I think their relief is just getting pushed aside a little by the frustration."

"That it turns out they essentially worried for nothing?"

Steve nodded.

"Something tells me acting like nothing was up when you entered probably didn't help?"

"No," Steve laughed, "Maybe not."

"I'm me, is it really unexpected? I'm a dumbass."

"They know you like to fool around, that's why they'll be happier when they've had time to rest well for the first time since you left. Members of this team aren't always the most level-headed even with sleep," he smirked, "Give it a bit."

"Ok what's for dinner? I'm starving," Yelena said, dropping in a kitchen chair and putting her feet on the table. Steve gave her feet a look, raising his eyebrows expectantly. She groaned, giving him a sassy look and pulling her feet dramatically off the table.

With a group as large as yours, it was hard to make something to feed everyone without sufficient planning. So everyone set about making their own food, whether it be microwavable meals, sandwiches, or breakfast food.

"It comes with a brownie?!" Yelena exclaimed, looking at the TV dinner she was about to warm up, "Yeeeah."

Loki, you noted, left the crowd without eating, most likely going to his room. Choosing to ignore that issue for now, you enjoyed eating with the others, catching up with Sam and Vision while you did. Yelena was quickly inserting herself as the life of the party, something everyone enjoyed. At one point you got talking to her about the Black Widow movie again, finally admitting how much you'd been internally screaming since she'd walked on scene in the quinjet.

"Do you want a hug?" she asked from across the table.

"Wait what?"

"A hug, do you want one? If I met someone like me from a movie, I'd want to hug them."

"I can't tell if this is a trap, cuz I wanna say yes," you confessed.

She scooched her chair back loudly, standing and scurrying around the table, "Well then get up! I want to hug my fan."

The table laughed as you got up to hug her.

"Cool, right?" she asked from the embrace.

"Yes!" you squealed.

"Baby Romanoff, Pee-Wee, and Parker," Tony said as he chewed his sandwich, "Everyone's crashing in all at once, aren't they?"

"Oh my god, Peter! How's he doing? Did he know what happened?" you asked, suddenly desiring to find your phone.

"Yeah, he knew," Tony said sadly, "Blamed it on himself, the poor kid."

"I see he's got that hero tendency already then?"

"We don't like to lose," Steve agreed.

"He shouldn't blame himself, he did nothing wrong."

"I've told him that several times over the weeks, but he doesn't listen," Tony explained.

"Would you?"

"No. The kid reminds me of myself too much some times. It's frightening."

"Teenage Tony? More than frightening," Wanda said.

"I have yet to meet this Spider Child," Thor said, "When will he stop by?"

"I can bring him by this weekend," Tony answered.

"That'd be awesome! We should get Scott over here some time too. And I've seen T'Challa like once, that's so sad. And I haven't even met Shuri!"

"I'm sorry that in reality people live all over the world and not conveniently on the same screen," Rhodey said.

"Funny you should mention Shuri actually, because we were thinking of bringing her here to run a few models, let her examine the stone herself before the surgery. Isn't that right, Brucey?" Stark asked.

"I think it would be helpful," he nodded, "Every time I think we're ready to proceed, another concern pops up. I'm sure we'd still be able to accomplish our task, especially when we figure out a way very quickly in Infinity War, but I want to do this right. Vision's early stages of life were a concern for a while, but he's evolving at a surprisingly beneficial rate. She should have a more recent look at him before we finalize our plans."

"It's a shame we have to blow it up, it looks good on you," Yelena gestured to Vis's head.

"So can we get Shuri here this weekend too?" you asked Tony.

"I'll see if she's game," he answered, "Maybe she won't let Parker web my walls?"

"I tried to tell him not to do that, but ya know how teenagers are, Tony."

"Mhmm," he gave you his dad look.

Dinner was finished, and everyone mingled and drank, the group seeming to ease up now that you were back and they could let go of some of the stress and irritation they'd possessed. Even Rhodey, who'd been opposed to your request to let Zemo go, had resorted back to his old self.

You stood to go to your room, as it was almost 11, bidding the others goodnight.

"Good night, Wren," Yelena waved, "I really enjoy having a fan, so I'm glad you didn't die before we grabbed you."

"Unless she really is dead, and this is just a ghost," Korg suggested, "Wren, are you a ghost?"

"No, Korg," you smiled.

"That's exactly what a ghost would say."

"Korg, we hugged, remember?"

"Oh yeah, right my bad man. Good night!"

"I love this rock man, he is so funny," Yelena chuckled.

"Thank you very much," you heard Korg respond as you walked away down the hall.

Once in the elevator, you checked your phone, which you'd gotten back. It was adorable but heartbreaking to see the texts Peter left for you. He'd started by apologizing for getting you kidnapped by not grabbing Zemo when he had the chance. He said he knew you wouldn't see these until you were safe, which he hoped you would be. As if proving his hope, there was a single text every day hoping you were good, or expressing more apologies, or asking that you please respond already. It was kind of sad to read.

Stepping out of the elevator, you made to text back when the hall leading to Loki's room got your attention.

Should I even bother talking to him? I get why he might be upset, but not really. I mean, I'm safe, and he should be happy about that.

Your stubborn side was showing itself again.

If I can do the kind thing for a man who kidnapped me, I can swallow my damn pride and go talk to Loki.

Letting out a groan, you slid your phone in your pocket and headed off towards his room. Taking a second to wipe traces of anger from your face, or attempting to do so, you finally knocked on the door. You didn't call out, but waited to see if he'd answer.

The door opened, and Loki stood there with the same hard expression. You stared right back, both not speaking.

"Can I come in?"

He didn't answer, but stepped aside.

"Look, um," you said as you walked by him, "We need to talk abo---"

You turned around as you spoke, but were cut off by the hug Loki gave you.

"Oh, uh...so we're hugging now?" you asked.

"Because I'm glad you're ok," he answered, letting go of the embrace, "And this," he flicked his hand and a small burst of green energy knocked you on your butt, "Is because of everything else."

"What exactly is everything else?" you asked, pushing off of the side of the bed as you stood back up.

"Oh, I don't know, let me think about it," he said sarcastically, giving you a look that showed he thought you were insane, "Getting yourself captured by not coming back up the moment things went wrong, leaving without telling me in the first place, and then acting as if nothing had happened, as if we were all crazy for thinking you could have been hurt!"

"I didn't think you were crazy!"

"You certainly behaved as if nothing was wrong!"

"Because nothing was wrong! I wasn't tied down to a table when you found me this time, is that so bad?!"

At this point both of you were speaking in raised voices.

"Nothing was wrong? You had to call us from the house you had been held in for nearly a month, but nothing was wrong? Why did we bother getting you then?? Everything about why you were there and the worry we all felt was wrong!"

"I'm sorry I joked around when you guys came, ok? I was relieved to have been going home, and everything with Zemo went well in the end, I just didn't feel the any sense of seriousness by the time you came. So I joked around, ok, it's me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry you had to worry for all of that time! You know I didn't want you to have to do that, heck I just read nearly thirty texts from Peter that were horrible! The kid blamed it all on himself, and that's my fault."

"It is! Because you never listen, do you? They sent you up there and you went back down!"

"Heimdall knew why I went back down, I thought I was helping. And we were right about Zemo, I just didn't anticipate him knowing I'd put the pieces together."

"Heimdall has had his own share of grief over what happened, as well as a mouthful from me. But we both know it was your agonizing persistence that got him to cave! No one can tell you no if you think you're doing the heroic thing!"

"Oh please, no one can tell you no literally any time!"

"I don't put myself in danger foolishly!"

"Only you would think trying to do a good thing is foolish!"

He looked taken aback by that.

"Why, because I'm the God of Mischief?"

"Because you're Loki!" you shouted, "You think any attempt to save someone but yourself is stupid!"

Oh shit, what did I just say?

You regretted your words the second you saw the look on his face. His eyes had widened in saddened surprise, before he smiled bitterly and nodded.

"Right," he said calmly, "I suppose I thought that when I saved you from Hydra? Or when I pushed you in that closet on Sakaar? Or when I got myself shot trying to save you from Barnes? All of that was for personal gain? You think I've kept you alive only because of the knowledge you possess, is that it?"

"No, Loki, that's not what I mea---"

"I know what you meant. And I know that at one time I'd have had no issue with it. But I at least thought I'd gained a small degree of trust by this point. But I guess I'm always the selfish one? The man who can't be trusted?"

"Loki, I---"

"Leave," he said, storming past you to stare at the wall on the other side of the room, which evidently was easier to look at than you right now.

You stepped to the door, tears pricking at your eyes...but you couldn't bring yourself to grab the handle.

Most problems in movies can be solved if the people would just talk for ten minutes, you reminded yourself.

"No," you said, still facing the door.

"Excuse me?" he snapped back.

You turned around, finding him looking at you with angered shock over your defiance.

"No, I'm not leaving," you repeated.

He walked slowly over to you, and you couldn't tell if it was for dramatic effect or intimidation factor.

"You've made your points quite clear, Darling," he said, stopping a foot from you, "Now leave."

"Not until you let me apologize."

"I've heard sorry twice from you thus far, both of which failed to hold any weight when you proceeded to defend yourself and speak your mind."

"Loki, you know I didn't mean that I couldn't trust you. And I know you saved me cuz you're a good guy, not for selfishness. I was way too angry there, I'm sorry! But what I meant was what we both know to be true, that you think some heroic endeavors are stupid! I shouldn't have said it like that, I'm sorry. I really really am. But I can't let you say that going back down to potentially save my friends was stupid. Because I know you don't think that when you save me... which is why I shouldn't have said that."

He appeared softer, but by no means satisfied.

"What was foolish was going down there alone. Even if you thought you knew Zemo's plan, how have you not learned to be cautious in this world?"

"Because I come from a world where things don't play out like movies!"

"But you've lived in one for some time now. I thought you'd have known better! If you'd told me where you were going when you left, I'd have been down there with you anyway!"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I would have come down with you. Do you think I'd have let you step foot on a planet where someone's after you without making sure I'm there to protect you?"

"Well then why didn't you come down when Thor told you?"

"I... you'd made it clear you thought you were fine. I wasn't going to make a fool of myself and chase after you."

"Loki," you sighed, unable not to smile at the cute way his sensitive mind worked, "You could have come you know? I didn't not tell you because I didn't want you there or anything. I just thought I'd be back up in a day and that the faster I left the faster I'd be back. I never thought you'd want to come or that I should make sure I said bye because, again, I didn't know I'd be down here as long as I ended up staying.

Had I known I would end up gone for so long, I would have said bye. I would have dragged you down with me, forcing you to live on this intolerable planet you hate so much," you grinned, "Because like it or not, you're the closest friend I have in this world. How the hell that happened, I don't know. By all accounts my mouth should have gotten me knifed on day 1. But you didn't kill me, Loki, and you've done nothing but save me since. So I don't think you look out only for yourself. And I never should have said otherwise. And I'm sorry for not letting you know I was coming down. I'm sorry for being too stupid to call Heimdall right away. I'm sorry I acted like everything was fine, like I was unappreciative of how much you guys worried. I'm sorry for everything, ok? I'm sorry."

Your voice cracked slightly at the end, and you felt the tears from frustration, and the realization of how much you'd actually screwed up, threaten to well in your eyes. You blinked to keep them back, fighting the burning sensation.

You didn't look at Loki. Though you knew he most likely saw how red your eyes were growing, there's something about seeing other people when they know you're about to cry that made you cry all the more. The sympathetic look in people's eyes that makes you want to protest and claim you're fine, but really you now just have to fight the tears harder than before. And if he didn't have a sympathetic look, but rather was angry and didn't accept your apology, you'd feel even worse.

"Darling?" he said gently, and you risked glancing at him. When you did, he gave you one of those kind and playful smiles of his. "Did you really kick his ass in the fight?"

You laughed, both in relief and at Loki's ability to cheer you up.

"Yes, I really did. You and Nat should be proud parents."

"Well, I think I deserve more of the credit. After all, I doubt you'd have performed as well without my weeks of tutoring."

"And I doubt I'd have performed as well without Nat's months of tutoring?"

"You can never give me a win, can you?" he shook his head.

"Have I ever made things so easy for you?"

"Just once would be nice."

"Where's the fun in that?"

He chuckled some more, but eventually a troubled expression appeared.

"What is it?"

"Your captor."

"Oh," you nodded, looking to your feet, "I know you wanted to go after him."

"Kill him would be the proper term."

"Loki, he's had a hard life. I know that doesn't justify his actions, just as your pain didn't justify yours, but if I can forgive you why can't I forgive him? He let me go, ok? He did the right thing. So I'm letting him go."

"Stark has always said your love of villains will get you killed by one of them. I know he always meant me, so I paid it no attention. But I'm inclined to think he's right. I told you once, I understand more than anyone why you want to extend kindness and understanding to him as you've done me, but Darling your tendency is bordering dangerous waters."

"Funny how my love of villains continually gets me out of trouble with them. I'd have been in far more danger if I chose to hate Zemo rather than get along with him."

"But letting him go? Convincing the others to let a threat like him loose in the world?"

"He's not a threat anymore."

"See, I can't tell if that is true or if it's your wishful thinking and faith in him that's getting the better of you? This is what I'm talking about."

"In all of the time I've interacted with Zemo, he never once lied to me. He's always honest, for better or worse. We parted ways peacefully. He said he's not going after the Avengers anymore. There's literally no reason for him to lie and let me go. Believe me he's...he's had to face some dark side of himself, and it looks like he's fighting it in the right way."

"What happened between the two of you?"

"Nothing, we just got along. And after a long talk, he decided he couldn't let himself deteriorate into someone who would hold me hostage for his own gain. That his family would hate it if they found out what he was trying to accomplish."

"What is it about you that makes us villains own up to our sins so quickly?" he smirked.

"Unbiased stance from watching your movies and shows. Who's going to get what you guys are going through more than someone who has seen every bit of your struggle? Though I have to admit, I didn't know the degree of pain Zemo held until this last month. Learn something new every day I guess."

"Perhaps. Though knowing what we've been through and deciding to stick with us through death threats and kidnappings are two separate things."

"You got lucky with your brand of nerd the universe threw your way I guess," you smirked, holding your hands out in an arrogant fashion.

"Yes. I did," he said sincerely.

"You and Zemo," you hastily said the first thing that came to mind, with Loki's words, or the way he said them, starting your stupid thoughts from fantasizing things again.

"So..." he said, looking a little nervous, "...were you and Zemo...friends?"

"Um I mean, that would have to be something time together would tell, which isn't gonna happen, so I don't know. But I'd say that in a sense, yeah we were. You'll hate me for saying this, but I was sad to see him go, and so was he."

"So, you two weren't...you didn't develop feelings more than friends?" he asked cautiously.

"Loki! The man's practically old enough to be my dad!"

"So? I'm---I mean, stranger things have happened, Darling. Wanda and Vision are an item, for heaven's sake, can you blame me for thinking it a possibility?!"

"No no no," you said, laughing now at the thought, "If anything I essentially filled the child role with him. He needed someone, and I helped, that's all!"

"I was just making certain," he defended, breathing much easier than before.

"Why? You opposed to him cuz he's a villain? And this whole 'assuming I like everyone' thing is supposed to be the rest of the team's job, not yours!"

"I'm sure you can understand my hatred for the man, so I'd hardly be content with the two of you proving to have other intentions."

"Well ease up there, Loki. I'd never crush on Zemo like that. Though he ain't bad looking now that I think about it. And with his fancy coat?? Yeah, damn, ok he's not terrible."

Loki looked anything but pleased.

"Chill! I swear to you, on the whole of Asgard, that I do not like Zemo that way. Besides, we've talked about how weird it'd be to date a fictional character. You should know how I feel about that."

"Right," he nodded, "Of course. As long as you're still holding fast to that."

"I am."

It's your imagination that his face dropped for half a second. It's your imagination. It's your imagination.

"Watch me fall for someone here in the end," you chuckled before you could stop yourself, "Wouldn't that be the ultimate irony."

WHY DID I SAY THAT?

"After how much you've stood firm on the matter, I'd say it would be," he laughed back.

Oh thank God, you sighed mentally, relieved he was taking it lightly and not awkwardly.

"I should probably go text Peter," you said, stepping to the door.

Loki walked over with you.

"Sorry again, for everything," you said, "I really missed you. And I would have called out if I could. I really would have."

"I know," he smiled, "I'm sorry I wasn't visibly joyed at your safety. I cannot tell you the...the relief that I felt when Heimdall told us you'd called. The fact that you hadn't called before was concerning, and I feared the worst every day."

"Loki confessing to being jarred from his calm and composed nature? Or are you no longer hiding behind that facade?" you joked, and he let out a little laugh.

"There are few things that manage to get at me, Darling," he said softly, stepping closer, "You seem to continuously be one of them."

You smiled, thinking how lucky you were to have Loki as a friend. Thinking of how much you loved him. He was smiling gently back, and you enjoyed how adorable he looked. Lost in these thoughts, it took you too long to realize you guys were standing inches from each other. Which normally might not have been too weird, except for the entire mood of the moment. The happy, silent looks. The way Loki's look changed, like he was contemplating doing something. And the way you stared back in adoration for the man. All of it had the makings of a kissing scene.

This thought jumped in your head, snapping you out of your trance and you took a half step back.

"I-I should uh, I should go. Ya know, gotta text Peter," you laughed nervously, reaching for the handle.

Loki looked distracted as he nodded, attempting a smirk. "Of course. Good night, Darling."

"Night," you smiled, before opening the door and quickly stepping through.

Once shut you leaned back against the door, taking a deep breath as you stared at the ceiling in shock over what could have happened.

Was he about to kiss me? Or am I imagining it?

You didn't know how to feel about it, and you had no idea if you'd just invented the whole possibility. It made things simpler to say you'd imagined it, so you were leaning towards that option.

"Did you guys kiss or not?" a voice whispered from your right, and you shot off of the door.

"Yelena?" you whispered back, finding the Widow leaning against the wall with folded arms and a calm smile.

"Well?" she asked again.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Eavesdropping. Though you guys made it hard on me when you stopped shouting at each other," she said like it was inconsiderate of you, "I had to really get in close to hear the rest. Thankfully, I have great ears. There was quite a long pause in there, Wren," she said with a sly smile, "Did he finally pump up the courage to kiss you?"

"No, he didn't!" you hissed back, whispering even more than before for fear of Loki hearing what was being said.

"Oh that's a shame, I'm sorry," she said, standing upright from the wall, "But hey, men can take forever to make a move, or so I've heard. You should take the bull by the horns and do it yourself."

"No! No, Yelena, no one will be kissing anyone here!"

"Not at the rate you two are going."

"That's because we're friends! Just friends!"

"Okaaay," she said in a patronizing manner, "Sure, you're just friends."

"What are you even doing up here?"

"Uh, I sleep here duh," she pointed to your old room.

"You sleep there?"

"Yeah, they told me it was open now that you'd moved down across from the other attractive dark-haired man you drool over."

"I take it Tony was the one to tell you that?"

"Sam actually. I hope it's ok I took your old room?"

"Yeah of course, it's not mine."

"I wasn't sure if you were protective of it, given it's very convenient location," she said, looking from your old door to Loki's.

"Good night, Yelena," you rolled your eyes, smiling at her silly antics as you walked past her.

"Good niiight," she whisper called, "I won't touch your man, I promise!"

You entered your room, trying to get your thoughts off of whatever the hell had happened with Loki. A million things fired through your head as you showered, and you moved around in a haze, wondering how you ended up dressed and in bed when you barely remembered doing any of it.

Peter! you thought, mad that you'd forgotten to message him sooner.

You grabbed your phone from the nightstand, quickly texting him.

hey Peter I'm good

 

back in one piece

 

sorry u blamed this on yourself it wasn't your fault

Your phone rang seconds after the last message was sent.

"Oh my god you're alive!" Peter's voice shouted in a hushed tone.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry, Wren, I did exactly what that guy wanted me to do! I-I didn't know I was gonna get you kidnapped again! Not again like I got you kidnapped twice, but like kidnapped a second time for you. Mr. Stark would update me every day, but there was never any news. How'd you get out? What happened?"

"Peter," you said firmly, "It wasn't your fault, ok? You had no idea it was Zemo, and all you did was read me a letter. I did the rest for him."

"Yeah but if I---"

"Peter. You did nothing wrong."

"I'm still so sorry this happened to you!"

"It all turned out fine, so you don't have to feel sorry! Zemo's not a problem anymore."

"Good, great so they uh, they got him?"

"Not exactly. He...he gave up."

"Gave up? Like, he's he's not going after you anymore?"

"Yeah, he's gonna get a life now. At least I hope."

"Wha--why did he...I'm so confused right now."

"These are confusing times," you laughed, "Nah, he just uh, he decided he was becoming a real ass."

"Oh well that was nice of him. Not to kidnap you! But to uh--I mean, I'm glad he let you go."

"Yeah, that's one less problem to worry about. How've you been?"

"Oh ya know, absolutely freaking out that I got you killed. But besides that, not so bad. I kinda made myself stay busy, Spiderman-ing I mean. Mr. Stark got me a new suit! This thing is insane!"

"You got the suit!"

"Yeah I can't wait to show you, this thing is way more comfortable then my old clothes! And no goggles, the eyes just kind focus for me it's amazing!"

"Tony was talking about having you over this weekend, and you have to bring that for me!"

"Mr. Stark's inviting me over???"

"Well yeah, Thor wanted to meet you and you haven't been over in a while---"

"Thor wanted to meet me?!"

"Of course! He's heard about you and asked when you'd be over next."

"Oh my God, Thor wants to meet me," he said in awe, "What has he heard? I mean, like what do you guys say about me?"

"Tony talks about how you webbed up his walls."

"I told you he'd find out!"

"And I told you I'd take the blame!"

"What do I even say to a god?"

"It's Thor, so literally anything. He's the easiest to talk to! Loki on the other hand can be intimidating if you don't know he's fluff under all of his cold stares. He'll do it to mess with you too probably."

"Wait, Loki will be there too??"

"Yeah he's usually down here. He wasn't last time because we were both staying on Asgard. I only came down for Ant-Man and then saw your YouTube video."

"I'm meeting two gods this weekend," he said like he was trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"I'll get Loki to do some magic if you'd like? It's fun to watch."

"He won't like turn me into something, will he? Though that'd be awesome in theory, but I-I really don't want to be a literal spider and get stepped on or something."

"I've never seen him turn someone into a spider before," you laughed, "Though he did make this tarantula appear and try to stick it in my face! It was disgusting."

"I know it's in my name, but you couldn't catch me within ten feet of a spider that big."

"It was so hairy!"

"And what's with the million eyes?"

"Can you imagine if you grew multiple eyes after getting bit? Like what if you got the physical aspects of a spider?"

"Dude, I literally freaked out about that when I first found out I had powers! I thought I was gonna grow six more legs!"

You and Peter talked for another half hour or so before calling it a night. He couldn't refrain from apologizing one more time before hanging up, and you once again told him he had nothing to be sorry for.

It was now past midnight, and you thought sleep would come easily. However, the scene in Loki's room kept you awake. You tossed and turned, but you couldn't help but replay the scenario over and over again. At last, you had finally drifted to sleep when your light was turned on and someone flopped on your bed.

"I saw some chicken nuggets in the freezer downstairs," Yelena said from where she sat on her knees at the bottom of your bed, "Want to go eat them?"

Her hair was let down, and she was in her pajamas.

"It's 1 AM," you said when you were awake enough to form words.

"And?" she raised her eyebrows, waiting for a valid argument.

"Yeah ok sure," you shrugged, smiling at her triumphant response.

"Yes! I knew you'd come."

She crawled off the bed, pulling you out of the blankets when you didn't move fast enough. Following her out the door, you were surprised to find Loki waiting there.

"Uh, hey," you smiled, the issue flooding your mind right away, "Long time no see."

"I thought eating nuggets was a threesome thing," Yelena said from past Loki, and you caught the briefest of sly looks cross her face.

"Wait, did she burst into your room too?"

"Yes, she did," he said, and he looked amused by it.

"Nearly lost my hand to a dagger," Yelena said dramatically.

"I said I was sorry."

"No, it was super cool don't be," she waved it off.

"You tolerated someone bursting into your room...and waking you up...and dragging you out for a snack run?" you said in disbelief.

"I respect the boldness," he shrugged, "And she has the right idea. How many nuggets do we actually get when we make them during the day? I have to fight Wilson for one."

"Oh my gosh think of how many we'll get!" you gasped, realizing he was right, "Why did we never think of this before?"

"That's what I'm here for," Yelena said, "Now let's go get ourselves some delicious pureed chicken parts that no one really wants to know are in their food."

"Is it bad that doesn't make me want them any less?" you said as the three of you headed for the elevators.

"Undoubtedly," Loki grinned, "Though if we don't think about it, the flavor makes up for the reality."

"Do you remember when you sniffed a CheezIt like it was poison?"

"I was cautious, and rightfully so."

"Look at you now. Eating random mashed chicken parts coated in a breading and probably injected with who knows what."

"People change," he shrugged, stepping next to you in the elevator, "Especially when chicken nuggets are involved. I'll eat healthy somewhere else, but they take precedence."

"Priorities, I love it," Yelena patted him on the back

"Hey, since when do you wear human pjs?" you asked, realizing he was wearing average fuzzy black pants and a comfortable looking green long sleeve. They weren't, in fact, very different than the pajamas you'd seen him in before, but those had clearly been Asgardian design. These were not.

"Are you to marvel at everything I do now?"

"I'm just wondering."

"They're comfortable, alright? And if I'm to be down here, is it a sin for me to dress in Midgardian attire on occasion?"

"Well you've shunned it in the past. Though Thor said you'd find the appeal in it, I guess he was right!"

"I still find Asgardian garb superior."

"Heck, so do I. We dress like bums a lot down here, but at least we're comfy bums."

"I like to think I have great fashion sense," Yelena protested.

"Not including you, Yelena, you and Nat were born to look fabulous in everything you wear."

"I love you more every minute, Wren Arlington."

"And I didn't think it was possible to like you more than I already did, but you're so damn fun."

"Would you like me to leave you two alone?" Loki asked as the three of you entered the kitchen.

"Please, I'm not the one who we have to worry about around her," Yelena said, walking over to the freezer.

"Is it going to be more of this all night?" Loki asked.

"Has she been giving it to you too?"

"As soon as I left my room."

"What'd she say?"

"Well...uh, same as usual," he said, "What about you?"

"Yeah, yeah same."

"Oh my God, I talked about you kissing to both of you. Stop awkwardly dancing around it, it's not a cool look even if it's adorable."

You and Loki glanced to each other, smiling off the weird situation.

"I guess everyone jumps on board with this whole you and me thing pretty quickly."

"Can you blame them, with the army of supporters that idea has gained?" he chuckled back.

"Or it's just super obvious?" Yelena suggested.

"Shut up," you and Loki said in unison.

"Geeze, ok," she held up her hands, "Can one of you lovebirds---sorry, friends--- help me find a baking sheet around here?"

You helped Yelena spread the nuggets and get them in the oven. She insisted on turning music on while you waited.

"Come on, it's not like anyone will hear it in this enormous compound?"

"Ok, but keep it down," you consented, and she quickly pulled her phone out.

You and Yelena tried getting Loki to dance around with you, but he kept moving out of the way, turning it into an attempt to corner him. You had rarely laughed as hard from pure fun as you did that night. When the chicken was done, the three of you just talked as you ate.

"So yeah, then I ran. I couldn't believe I'd killed her though," Yelena was finishing her somber tale of how she got out of the mind control, as Loki wasn't familiar with the details like you were. It was the first time you'd seen the serious side of her.

"I'm sorry," Loki said genuinely, looking as sympathetic as any normal person would.

"Yeah, well, we all have our scars. Nat has plenty, even without being controlled. I mean, she was, in a psychological sense. Both experiences leave you equally guilt-ridden, which I've got to say is a sucky thing to feel."

"At least you had an excuse," Loki spoke, "You're talking to the man who tried to wipe out one planet and enslave another."

"No story is so black and white," Yelena answered, doing your job for you, "If you truly did those things because you're pure evil, then you wouldn't be here now. There's always more to it."

"Doesn't change what happened, does it?" he smiled sadly.

"Does it ever for anyone? I think the combined body count of this compound, from the lives its residents lived before turning hero, would be more than we can predict. But hey, we move on, right? We try." She smiled the same bitter smile as Loki. "And we make pretty damn good chicken nuggets," she continued, popping another in her mouth.

Loki chuckled, both of them eventually looking at you and the pleasant grin you had on your face as you'd watched them.

"What?" you asked.

"You're being uncharacteristically silent, Darling."

"I'm enjoying having someone else do my motivational pep-talking for a change. It can get exhausting stopping heroes from hating themselves all day every day."

"Yeah, that's me. Pep-talker, chef, match-maker---"

You and Loki gave her a look.

"---I mean, uh friendly fun maker."

"Do you think we should get to bed?" you asked, seeing it was almost 2.

"Do you want to?" Yelena questioned like it would be a crime to say yes.

"Not really, but I mean, should we?"

"If it's 2 now, what difference will 3AM make?" she raised her eyebrows for approval.

"Sure, why not," you grinned.

"I'm hardly one to let you have all the fun," Loki smirked.

"See, I knew you'd be enjoyable once you had her back. You do not disappoint, God of Mischief."

So the three of you talked for another hour. Yelena had to grab the whipped cream from the fridge, essentially making you play Two Truths and a Lie, with consequences if your lie was caught. Loki's magic was banned from being used to clean himself, as Yelena said he needed to "take it like a big boy like the rest of us." It was later than 3 when you finally entered your room again.

***

"So you've got all of the food planned for tonight?" you asked Tony as you finished brushing the crumbs off the counter in your half attempt at cleaning.

"Yes," he groaned, "And the cleaning crew sweeps this place every Friday night per usual, so you don't have to worry about the compound."

"We seem to do quite a number on it in a short amount of time," you said, looking out at the already disheveled living room.

It was roughly 1 o'clock on your first Saturday back, the day Peter, Shuri, and Scott were coming. Between the begging you and Thor did, Tony had agreed to let the Guardians down as well. It was almost like a new member orientation day of sorts, when one really thought about it. Seeing as it was a particularly warm day in April, Stark had done what Stark does best and planned an all out barbecue. A large party tent had been set up down by the lake, and Tony himself insisted on grilling...which you weren't sure was a good thing, but you couldn't wait to see. The meal was an early evening meal, with everyone joining at the tent around 4. The guests had been asked to come around 2 though, so Shuri could perform her work early and all involved could get to know each other.

"Did you send Happy for Peter? And Scott's on his way from the airport?"

"Yes, yes, and whatever you're going to say next, the answer is yes."

"Good luck getting her to not micromanage," Loki said, walking to the fridge. He'd just returned from the training room, something he'd grown comfortable enough to use over the months. You had to say, it was sometimes still weird seeing him casually partaking in things around the compound or talking with others. You'd held hope it would happen, yet it'd crept up on you slowly enough that you were surprised every time you really stopped to take note of it.

"I don't micromanage!"

Tony and Loki both scoffed.

"I just wanna make sure everything's ok, ya know? We have a lot of people coming today."

"And whose fault is that?" Tony asked.

"Don't count out my brother, he's as much to blame," Loki said, leaning back against the counter and sipping from a water bottle.

"I think he would have cried if I told him no," Tony shook his head, saying it with complete sincerity.

"I can't decide who's worse when they don't get their way?"

"Depends, do you wanna comfort a pouting mound of muscle, or face the eyes of disappointment she'll shoot at you for the rest of the week?"

"Ugh," Loki made a disgusted face, "I think I'd choose the third option. Avoid them and make it someone else's problem."

"I think I'd just cut the wire," you muttered, quoting Tony from Avengers.

"I heard that, what did I say about quoting me?"

"Even if it's an epic quote?" you argued, "How about 'If we can't protect the Earth you can be damn well sure we'll Avenge it'?"

He and Loki looked to each other, both recognizing the line.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" you continued, stopping to look around for the proper tool for this scene.

"Don't," Tony warned as you opened a kitchen drawer.

"I need a Glow Stick of Destiny," you said, pulling out a ladle, "Eh, it'll do."

"Don't do it," Tony warned again, having his calm 'There will be consequences for this' face on.

You walked up to him anyway, tapping his chest with the ladle...and then doing it again.

"This usually works," you said Loki's line. "Well, performance issues. It's not uncommon. 1 out of 5---"

"And then ya know," you said, motioning like you'd grab Tony's neck, "You get yeeted. And then the cheesy 'you'll all fall before me yadayada' and yeet again out the window. End scene," you finished with a bow.

Tony raised his eyebrows at Loki who smirked back. You didn't like the mutual understanding that seemed to pass between them.

"Do you wanna be the one to grab her or---"

"Please, be my guest," Loki smiled, pushing himself off of the counter.

You moved a second before Tony launched, running down the hall with both of them in pursuit.

"Aggggggggh, WANDA!" you yelled, nervous laughing as you screamed your way through the compound.

They caught you before you got very far, Tony holding your left arm as he patted you on the back for the effort.

"Ok ok ok," you raised your other hand like you were about to say something in defense, "If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now."

"She insists on digging herself deeper all of the time," Loki shook his head.

"Now I see what Pepper means when she says it about me."

"See! So, if you do it all the time, I get let off with a warning, right? Cuz you understand."

"You think I get let off from Pep? I'm pushing my struggles onto you. Unhealthy practice, but it feels good. Mischief Man, what would you do here?" he gestured to you, "Your call."

"I think the lake looks quite refreshing this morning, wouldn't you agree?" Loki asked.

"Sometimes I like you," Tony said as he started tugging you back down the hall. "Are you going to walk all the way there with us like a good prisoner, or will we have to carry you like a baby?"

"I'm inclined to do the latter anyway," Loki said.

"Hey, rein in the eagerness there Romeo. I may be dragging someone to dump them in a freezing lake, but I'm still the authority figure here. So I gotta watch the PDA between you two."

"See what you start, Loki?" you groaned.

"I simply meant it would be all the more embarrassing for you to be dragged there."

"Sure, you didn't want the chance to hold her in your arms at all," Tony said sarcastically.

"Tony, since when did you buckle down on the me and Loki ship? You said it was not allowed."

"And I've also said no one in this compound listens to me, so it's no real shock that you didn't obey."

"Where are you guys going?" Nat asked as you passed her and Yelena, eyes darting curiously to Tony's hold of your arm.

"They're going to dump me in the lake," you said in acceptance of the fact.

"Try to stop us and you go in too," Tony smiled good naturedly.

"Why would we try to stop you?" Yelena asked genuinely, "I'd come watch if I didn't have to smack Barton for eating the last green ice-pop. I called dibs when he was clearly in the room, and I know it was him."

"Ah, well good luck with that!" you called out behind you, "I'm sure Nat knows where he hides."

"I do," you heard her answer.

Loki and Tony took you to the dock, stopping at the edge.

"Loki, we've already done the pushing in water prank, don't ya think we should go for something else?"

"This isn't a prank, it's punishment. And I can assure you this water is much colder, despite the pleasant weather."

"Oh yeah," Tony agreed, "We still had snow on the ground last month."

"Ok, but the others will be coming soon so I should really be---"

They pushed you in before you could finish, sending you crashing into the ice cold water.

"Ohhhh my God," you squealed when you came back up, "It's--it's r-really cold," you said through chattering teeth.

You moved to grab for the dock when Tony very casually pushed Loki in after you. He reminded you of Ariel from The Little Mermaid as he hair-flipped his head through the surface.

"That's for throwing me out a window," Tony said, turning and walking back down the dock.

"He's got a point," you laughed, earning a mouthful of water from Loki's splash.

After getting pulled back down from half-way out of the water, so Loki could get himself out first, you finally were free from the frigid lake.

"Ok, we were both victims, pleeeease, magic dry me!" you argued for the tenth time on your way back to the compound.

He finally granted your request just in time to return inside. It wasn't a moment too soon, as Shuri's jet arrived early, and she was shortly being introduced to everyone in the kitchen.

"My brother would shake each of your hands, but I'll save us all the time and awkward greeting no one wants by waving from here," she said with a smile, waving to the group, "It is very nice to meet all of you. Except maybe you," she addressed Loki, "Your attack cancelled the New York Giants game, do you know how much money I'd have made if that game had happened?"

"Notably the strangest accusation I've had thrown against me," Loki said in momentary confusion.

"You bet on sporting events?" you asked.

"Do not tell T'Challa."

"We're glad you could come," Steve said, "And we appreciate all of the help you've given us, both with Bucky and Vision."

"These projects are entertaining, so the thanks are all mine. Any one else in here need fixing, I'd be happy to help?" she said amusingly, looking around the room.

"Can you fix a dull personality?" Yelena asked.

"I'll get back to you when I succeed with T'Challa," she laughed.

"Damn, I tried, Barton, you're out of luck," Yelena said, and Clint let out an exaggerated sigh, not looking over.

"I really like your outfit by the way," Shuri told her.

"I was going to say I love yours!" Yelena returned, "We should open a fashion line, I'm telling you it would be a hit. Me, you, Natasha."

"My field is a little different than the fashion industry, but if we don't all die when the aliens come, I'm in."

"Yes! Nat, you'll be the face of our brand, that way we sell everything no matter what. I will be president, and Shuri you're the brains," Yelena mapped out the plan.

"Tony, how's it feel having a kid with a bigger brain?" Sam asked, looking like he was so ready to get mileage out of this.

"No," Shuri protested, though seemingly insincerely, "Mr. Stark is a genius. I mean, he and Dr. Banner built a new being, even if they did it wrong."

"We didn't do it wrong, we just didn't think of a few things," Tony argued.

"I know, I'm sure you did your best," she smiled, "And this compound is very nice..."

"Thank you."

"...Though it could use some modifications to the---"

"Alright, your lab is right this way," Tony said nodding down the hall.

"I'll see you all later," she grinned, heading off after Tony and Bruce, Vision following with Wanda.

Peter arrived next.

"Hey uh, hey everyone," Peter smiled, looking as nervous as he had on his first trip here, "Nice to see you all again."

"Hey man!" Korg waved from his spot on the couch with Miek.

"Well I'm meeting you for the first time," Yelena said from the table, "So hello, Peter Parker."

"Hi! You uh, you must be Yelena?" he asked hopefully.

"That's me."

Peter sighed in relief at having guessed it right.

"I see Wren's been talking about me. What does she say?"

"Oh, uh, well that you're um, you're really funny."

"This is true," she nodded.

"Did she mention pain in the ass in there at all?" Rhodey asked.

"Is this from that one time I politely took the last cup of coffee the other morning?"

"You put me in a chokehold."

"Yeah, which was politer than killing you! I'm not seeing the problem."

They got caught up in their own conversation again, so you turned back to Peter.

"How was the ride with Happy?" you asked.

"I think he's warming up to me, yeah he--he smiled. It was for a second, and probably when he forgot I was in the car, but I saw it."

"He smiled??? That's huge," you laughed.

"Yeah it is," he laughed back. You saw his eyes kept glancing behind you, and you turned to see the source of distress. Loki was looking over from his seat.

"Oh! Loki, get over here," you motioned for him to get up.

Peter's eyes got wider as Loki approached.

"Loki, this is Peter. Peter, Loki."

"Uh, hi, Mr. Loki, sir," he said, sticking out his hand. Surprisingly, Loki shook it. You'd told him not to try and intimidate Peter, so maybe he was actually listening?

"Hello, Parker."

"Wren's uh, she--she's told me a lot about you."

"Has she now?" he smirked at you, "Let me guess, trying to get you to see past the man who destroyed New York City?"

Peter clearly didn't know if he should admit that or not.

"Um, well no, she didn't---I mean, that is how I knew you before---not that I think that now! I mean, I've heard how funny you are too," he settled for that, finding it the safest ground to land on.

"And I've heard you're as big a nerd as her," he smiled.

Ok, so Loki really is taking it nice with him. Maybe it's cuz he's a kid?

"I was also shown your catch on the video. Impressive," he nodded his approval.

"Oh uh thanks! Wren told me you can do magic?! That's pretty amazing."

"It is," Loki gloated and you rolled your eyes. "Don't pretend you don't think so, Darling."

Peter did a poor job of hiding his reaction to him calling you darling. You'd briefly explained how the others felt about the two of you, but obviously you'd forgotten to tell him about Loki's little nick-name.

"I do," you said quickly, "Doesn't mean you don't have a big head."

"Mr. Lang has arrived," Friday announced.

"Is Tony still busy with Shuri?" Steve asked.

"Yes, Captain."

"Then I'll go bring him in," he said, heading off to fetch Scott.

"Wow this place is so big," you heard Scott's voice before you saw him. A few seconds later he and Steve walked in.

"Oh my God," Scott gasped upon seeing everyone, "Hey man," he smiled to Sam, who nodded back, "Black Widow, War Machine, Hawkeye, kid I don't know," he waved to each excitedly, the last one being Peter.

"Oh, this is Peter Parker," you said, "aka Spider-Man."

"Spider?" Scott asked as he shook Pete's hand, "How does that work, I mean where do spiders come in?"

"Oh, well, I uh, I-I got bit...by a spider," Peter answered, "And I can climb on walls, and I have super strength, and like I can jump places and sense when things are coming."

"You got that from a spider bite? And here I was whacking every spider I see with my shoe."

"It was radioactive, enhanced," Peter explained, seeming to talk easier with Scott.

"Ah, what doesn't kill you, even though it should, makes you ten times stronger I guess," he shrugged contently.

"So did you get bit by like a radioactive ant?"

"I wish," he laughed, "No I don't, that'd be weird," he immediately contradicted, "Nah my thing is a suit. It's not even my suit actually, I stole it. Not anymore! Like, I once stole it, but turns out it was a kind of test anyway, so is it really stealing? Legally maybe, but I have permission now. Well, sort of, not full permission, like not for anything I want. Technically Hank still owns it, but come on, we all know I'm Ant-Man now."

"How is shrinking a useful skill?" Loki asked, "Can't people just step on you more than they, if I were to guess, already do?"

"Wait, are you Loki?" Scott asked, eyes growing wider as Peter's had done.

"In the flesh," he smiled arrogantly.

"So they um...they mentioned you when at my place. Said you weren't, you know, trying to take over the world anymore. I guess I--I'm just wondering...you aren't are you?"

"Depends on how bored I get."

Scott stared at him with his mouth open, before only his eyes turned to you.

"He's joking right?" he whispered.

"We'll find out," you played along, walking over to the fridge, "You want anything to drink?" you called back.

Scott was looking frighteningly at Loki, who proceeded to mess with him using his devilish smile.

"No I--I'm good," he answered, taking a small step away from Loki.

Peter looked back and forth between the two, not knowing whether he should be as scared. He made eye contact with you and you winked. A small smile spread on his face, and he stood a little less rigid, now knowing Loki was truly fine to be around.

"We're here!" Thor's voice boomed from the hall, and he and the Guardians walked in.

"Ya know, this place ain't half bad," Rocket said, looking around.

"That's because I built it," Tony said, walking in behind them.

"Yes, Guardians, allow me to introduce the owner of this fine establishment, Tony Stark," Thor said, "That's Steve, Sam, Rhodey, Natasha, her sister Yelena, Clint, and over there on the couch are Korg, the big one, and Miek."

"Hey guys," Korg said, standing to walk over, "It's very nice to meet all of you. I don't think I introduced myself to you," Korg said to Scott who was too speechless to say anything, "Sorry, man, I was really into that last game. Nearly killed the little bugger, but he got me."

"The bug man killed you?" Drax asked, gesturing to Miek.

"Oh, no man, this is my very good friend Miek. I was talking about a nasty foe in the game over there. Wanna come see? I could show you how to play?"

"Do I get to kill bugs?" Drax asked.

"Little guys actually, small enough to fit in that square screen on the wall," Korg pointed back to the TV.

"I want to see little people," Mantis said.

"Well then right this way, kind antenna lady," Korg said, leading Drax and Mantis over to the living room.

Tony kind of looked around, making sure he wasn't the only one noting the stupidity of the two newcomers.

"They're always like that," Loki said in response to his expression.

"And you're always a jackass," Rocket shot back.

"Ha, I like him," Sam chuckled.

"I know, he is so cute," Yelena said.

"Watch it girly. I can just as easily chew your face off."

"And aggressive! I love it," Yelena clapped.

"This is Rocket," Thor introduced, "And his son, Tree."

"I am Groot."

"Oh my gosh, now he is adorable!" Yelena gasped.

"I know right?!" you said to her, before turning back to Groot. "How've you been buddy?"

He didn't answer, but ran to hug you instead.

"I am Groot," he said sadly.

"He said you were gone for so long," Thor translated.

"I know, I know," you said comfortingly, patting his back as you hugged him, "I'm sorry. I told you I was going to be back quick, it was my fault."

"When he heard what happened, he would barely eat for a week," Gamora said.

"Awww, Groot, I'm sorry."

"This is Gamora," Thor said, "And my very good friend, Quill."

"I don't know about very," Quill denied.

"Better than good friends," Thor corrected.

"Ehhh," Quill squinted, not liking that either.

"Friends, we're friends," Thor said firmly, patting him on the back.

"Early stages," he conceded.

"So, you're Thanos' daughter right?" Tony asked, and she bristled, not knowing where it was going. "And here I thought I had daddy issues," he continued, and her shoulders eased up, "I feel the whole parent struggles."

"Yeah, well, I had a shitty dad too," Quill started, "He actually killed my mom, and then wanted to be the universe, so I had to kill him. It was hard. I felt hard parent struggles."

"You're from earth, right?" Nat asked.

"Missouri is down here, right?"

"Yes?" Rhodey said, looking confused.

"Then, yes, I'm from earth. Tech's really improved since I've been gone," he said, looking around the room again.

"Well, everything here is top of the line, so not what you'll find in your average home," Tony said, "But a lot's changed since you left. New cars, new phones, new music."

"Any of it good?" Quill asked, "Not that it can beat the classics," he held up the mixtape in the set on his hip.

"When did you leave, like 1980's?" Tony asked.

"I think it was 88," he answered.

"Then yes, you've missed a lot!" Tony said like it was a stupid question, "Besides, how many classics could you actually listen to as a kid?"

"All the important ones are on these babies," he tapped his tapes.

"Yeah, what, all twelve?" Tony said sarcastically.

"I have 24 on just one actually," he said proudly, "And I have this new thing called a Zune, maybe you don't have it yet?"

"Oh dear God," Tony rolled his eyes, walking away across the room.

"Hey little guy," Yelena came up to Groot, "Do you want to come meet my super awesome big sister?" she asked, sticking out her hand.

He looked to you, and you nodded with a smile. He then took her hand and walked over to Nat. Rhodey walked up with Clint and Steve to introduce themselves to Gamora and Quill, while Sam started talking with Rocket.

"I don't believe we've met," Thor said, shaking Scott's jittery hand.

He'd just seen a tree, raccoon, bug boy, rock man, green lady, a girl with antennas, and whatever the heck Drax was. Now, he was shaking hands with the God of Thunder.

"I...I-I--I'm Scott, Ant-Man," he answered.

"Ah yes, of course! So nice to meet you, tiny man. I do have to say, I see why they call you Ant-Man."

"I'm...that's when I'm wearing my suit...when I shrink."

"Oh," Thor said, nodding awkwardly, "Yes, well I knew that!" he started laughing, and, whether he believed it or not, Scott laughed with him, "See, it was just a joke! Just a--a tease, I wasn't serious!"

"No, yeah, it's all good," Scott waved it off, "I knew you were just--just joking, all jokes."

"And you must be the Teenage Spider I've heard about!" Thor said, shaking Peter's hand.

"Yeah, uh hey, Mr. Thor, I'm a--a really big fan!"

"Ah well, who isn't?" Thor laughed, and you saw Loki roll his eyes, "Would you like a picture?"

"Wha---are you serious?!" Peter said in excitement.

"Of course! We can take a selfie, that's what it's called, right?"

"Yeah, uh yeah great! I'll uh, I'll take it," he said, pulling out his phone and standing in front of Thor. He smiled an extremely nervous and mind-blown smile while Thor crouched down to grin over his shoulder, holding Mjolnir over the other one."

"Uh thanks, thank you so much, Mr. Thor sir!"

"Please, just Thor," he smiled.

"Right, thanks...Thor."

"Any time," he patted him on the shoulder, "Now where's the beer?"

He turned to find it, but ran into Scott standing there with his phone in hand and "my turn!" look on his face.

Shuri and the others rejoined the group before long, and everyone mingled and got to know one another. Drax was intense when it came to playing video games, eventually drawing Rocket's attention over there. Shuri, Peter, and Yelena got along well together, and you found yourself talking with the three of them more than the other groups. Loki didn't stick to you or the corner as much as he usually did, venturing to talk with others. Finally, Tony led everyone out to the tent. Pepper came to the barbecue, playing off the shock of meeting more aliens and maintaining the calm hostess hospitality she so easily displayed.

Yard games had been set up, and you and Shuri teamed up against Yelena and Peter in a game of Kan Jam. It was intense, but Yelena and Peter came out on top. Groups swapped in and out of multiple games, with you paired with Rocket at one point. You two were a surprisingly great duo, probably because you both grew ruthless when a competition came. Tony had music playing the whole evening, making a point to ask Quill if he'd ever heard the song at any given moment. He'd try to play it off like he did, and Tony would further challenge him by telling him to sing along.

You and Scott paired against Loki and Nat in Cornhole.

"Oh I was a pro at this is college," Scott declared, having an excessively showy throwing technique...but it worked.

Loki and Nat looked like they'd been playing this their whole lives, however, so it was a useless cause. In fact, Kan Jam was the only game Loki wasn't phenomenal at. He simply wasn't good at throwing a frisbee. Naturally, that meant you trash talked him the entire night about it and were sure to be on a winning team against him at least once. He blamed the loss on Thor, who was his partner during the match.

At one point during dinner, while you were sitting with Shuri, Gamora, Loki, Peter, Clint, Steve and Bruce at one big circular table under the tent, the story of Zemo and how it had ended came up. You kept it as vague as you had before, simply repeating your story for those who hadn't heard it.

"I wouldn't have been able to let him go," Shuri shook her head, "But I'm told I love conflict, or so mother says."

"Yeah but the important thing is that we won't have to see or hear from him again," you said.

"And if you do see or hear from him again, you'd be certain to let us know," Loki said, not forming it as a question.

"If she's not hugging him first," Clint scoffed.

Loki still looked to you for confirmation.

"Yes, I'd let you know! When haven't I?"

"How would we know?" Steve smiled.

"Ha, fair, I'll give ya that one, Gramps."

"Sounding like Tony now?" Steve asked, "I think one of him is plenty."

"About Tony," you said, glancing over to make sure the man in question was out of ear shot, "Anyone wanna help me get him in the lake?"

Loki was on board immediately, Peter and Bruce declined nearly as fast, but Shuri and Clint joined the squad. Using Pepper, for she required very little convincing to punish Tony, you had her get him down by the water. In order to not get herself dragged in in any way possible, you and Shuri were to walk down after her and get her attention, taking her a few feet from Tony. Clint and Loki, who were already going to be hiding in the trees by the shore, would do the rest. It worked like a charm, and all five of you ran back to the tent before a wet Tony could seek any sort of revenge.

Maybe it was the fun of the night, or the good will it might gain back with Tony, but Loki was in good enough spirits to dry him. He made him sit wet and uncomfortable for a while first, but eventually he obliged.

When the party was over, the Guardians said farewell and headed back up to Asgard with Thor. Aunt May had been told that Peter's first official intern orientation was going to run late, so it was no big deal that he was driven home late again...well, no big deal for anyone that wasn't Happy. Shuri and Scott stayed the night.

When you collapsed in your bed, you were as happy as you'd ever been since arriving in the MCU. You'd essentially just had a party with everyone. You were sad Bucky and T'Challa hadn't been there. And Dr. Strange wasn't here yet. Though what if he was around? His movie happened in 2016, which you were now in. You'd been so busy with Zemo, you'd never had time to think about it or start putting in proper plans to recruit him. You'd need him in your fight against Thanos.

You decided to handle the Dr. Strange issue tomorrow, letting yourself fall asleep with the happy thoughts of the day you'd had.

***

The next morning, you were saying bye to Scott outside before he drove off. He'd told you that Hope and Hank were working on a model to open the quantum realm again and find Janet. You exchanged numbers with him too, so he could keep you updated.

When you returned inside, you passed Sam in the hall.

"Oh, a package came in for you earlier," he said, "I left it outside your door. What'd you buy with Tony's money this time?"

"Nothing, I think," you said honestly, though he took it as a joke.

"I'd forget too if I shopped as much as you girls do," he said, continuing wherever he was going.

You hurried upstairs, wondering who had sent you a package. The people in the compound were the only ones you knew, yet none of them had mentioned getting you anything.

When you got to your door, you carried the medium-sized box into your room, dropping it on the bed. Your name and the address of the compound were on the box, but there was no trace of who'd purchased the mysterious item.

Upon opening it, there was no mistaking who'd sent the luxurious coat. It was very reminiscent of his, just in a shorter, feminine style. It appeared expensive, though, to a Baron, it was probably nothing. You pulled the coat out to admire it, walking to the mirror to try it on. It wasn't until the fabric was on you that you felt the weight in the right pocket. Undoing the button and reaching in, you found a flip-phone. Call it PTSD from having to constantly worry about the man in the past, but you suddenly feared some sort of scheme.

Flipping it open, you did a preliminary check. There was one text message waiting for you.

Wren,

I know we agreed to part ways, and I'm sorry if this attempt has caused you more trouble. I do not know if you will even receive this, or if the device will be found and confiscated before it's arrival to you. But I had to try. I know you are with the Avengers, and that they care for you as you care for them. However, my trust in them only goes so far, as you well know. This world is a dangerous one, and the task you've set for yourself will not be without it's share of perils and strife. Knowing I have no right to feel this way, I nevertheless maintain a desire to see you unharmed. If you are ever in need, if something goes wrong and you find yourself, by some strange turn of events, without the aid of another...know that I will assist you. I couldn't sit quiet without at least having the comfort that you could contact me if things get that bleak. Feel free to toss this phone aside if you are appalled by the nerve I've displayed in assuming a protective role after our history together. I wish only for you to make it home one day unscathed. Oh, and I know this is an "old man" phone, but it was small, discreet, and served my purpose. I hope you are well.

- Zemo

You stared at the message for a bit, wondering what to do. Do you respond? Let him know you got the phone? Help him rest easier? Or do you do as you'd promised Loki, and let the others know? It was sweet that Zemo now felt the desire to make sure you were safe, as if you were his kid. Guilt more than likely fueled that desire, but it was genuine nonetheless.

Questioning yourself every second of the way, you started typing away with your thumbs.

Why u text like you're writing a letter?

 

might as well have sent some paper tied to a pigeon

 

A knock at your door made you jump, and you frantically scrambled to your bed, sliding the phone under the mattress.

 

"Come in!" you called, and Loki walked through the door.

 

"I was coming up to see where you were when I passed Wanda. She said Shuri is leaving soon and asked me to inform you."

 

"Right, yeah ok, I'll uh, I'll be right down."

 

"New coat?" he asked, looking from the box on the bed to your attire.

 

"That is what the new package would indicate," you smiled, trying your best to act as normal as possible.

 

"Hmmm," he said as he took it in, finally giving it a nod, "I like it. Did Romanoff pick it out for you?"

 

"No actually, I did it myself."

 

"Really? Maybe their good taste is at long last rubbing off on you?"

 

"We can only hope," you chuckled, taking the coat off and laying it next to the box, "So, um, Shuri, right? She's leaving?"

 

"Darling, are you quite yourself this morning?" he tilted his head.

 

"Yeah of course."

 

"You seem distracted."

 

"No, I'm just tired still. Scott had the nerve to leave before ten and make me have to get up to say goodbye."

 

"Darling...God. Of. Lies."

 

"I hate that about you, you know that right?" you laughed.

 

"You can see why I had so little friends," he smiled, "So what's really troubling you?"

 

"I just feel off," you said, which wasn't a lie, "And I also didn't know this was coming in today, so I was preoccupied with that surprise," which also wasn't a lie. "I wasn't sure if I liked what was in the box or not," you said, once again speaking the truth without speaking the truth. There was enough sincerity behind your words to satisfy him.

 

"Well, I think it looked fine," he assured you, "Far better than the other coats you wear."

 

"It is pretty nice, isn't it?"

 

"Indeed. Now, should we go say our farewells to the newest child member of the team?"

 

"Lead the way," you gestured to the door, which he promptly walked out of.

 

Closing the door behind you, you took one last look at the mattress, and the secret beneath it. Facing Loki and the pleasant smile he had on his face made you feel terrible for keeping it from him.

 

I'm sorry, Loki, you thought as you walked beside him down the hall.

 

Chapter 45: (Chapter 44): Strange Signs

Notes:

Once again, I'm too tired to really thoroughly check the last half. Hope it isn't rushed and sloppy, because everything seems good to my mind when it's tired.

The weeks of April passed relatively uneventfully. The Avengers went on a few more missions than they had had in a while, which left you with Korg, Miek, and Loki. After months of begging, Loki had finally agreed to try one round of whatever Call of Duty game constantly occupied Korg and Miek's time. "One game" turned into "I'm trying again" which turned into ten games which turned into a day of Loki sitting on the couch, headset covering his ears, controller in his hands, zombified by the TV.

You'd send Peter clips on Snap of his most entertaining moments. He was so engaged, he never noticed until late in the day.

"What did you call me?" Loki spoke to some player through the mic, "Do you have any idea what I could do to you? I could cut your limbs off one by one until you looked like the pathetic worm your playing style indicates you are! After that, I'd literally transform you into a worm and feed you to the birds! Let's see how talkative you are as they tear you piece by piece!"

Just like his brother, you thought as you filmed it all.

"You tell him man," Korg encouraged Loki.

"You don't believe---He doesn't believe me!" Loki chuckled to Korg like the poor child on the other end had just made a terrible mistake, "Friday! Find this man's location!" Loki ordered, standing up and ripping off the headset.

You couldn't hold in the laughter anymore, and Loki finally noticed the phone in your hand.

"Delete that!" he said, and you jumped up from the couch running on the other side of Korg and Miek, keeping their chairs between you and Loki. "Darling, you show that to anyone and I swear it will be a very long week for you."

You hastily sent it to Peter, having just enough time to select Yelena as well.

"See! Nothing there!" you said, showing him the screen.

"Why does it say delivered on those two?" he demanded, "No, now it says opened."

He looked from the phone up to you with the clear threat in his eyes.

"Already sent it, oops," you smiled.

"Get it back from them."

"Get it back??"

"Yes, bring the video back."

"That's not how Snap works! It's already sent!"

"Delete it then, so they can't watch it."

"That's also not a thing."

"Well, you'd better find a way."

"Once they watch it, it's gone anyway, so no one will have it," you said, not mentioning you'd saved it already, "That's the best I can do...oh wait...ok, so Peter screen recorded it...and so did Yelena. Oh, here watch this, she sent a response."

You turned the screen for both of you to see.

"Is it recording?" Thor asked, the background indicating he was in the quinjet. Thor had been down on this particular day, so he'd eagerly jumped at the opportunity to partake in another mission.

"Yes, that's what the yellow circle means, now talk before you run out of time," Yelena answered off screen.

"Hello Wren!" he said loudly.

"Not so loud, Thor, you don't have to shout!" Yelena scolded.

"Right, sorry, uh hello Wren," he smiled again, "Tell my brother that I too threaten people over the television, so I entirely understand. He's quite amusing when he plays though," he started laughing, "I'm glad he's finally played, even if this means I'll have to---"

The film cut out, but another had already been sent.

"Sorry! Apparently you have to keep your finger on the button, my bad! As I was saying....where was I again?" he looked above the phone to Yelena.

"You're glad he's played even if you now have to...?" Yelena answered.

"Right! Even if I now have to show him up in yet another event!"

"Before you go," Yelena shoved her way into view, "If you're watching this, Loki, you look so silly with the headset and the screaming, the way you looked so shocked that he called you something," she laughed at the memory, "The person on the other end is most likely some teenage punk, you know that right? And it's a fake world you were playing? Just thought I should remind you how stupid you are, though I appreciate the comedic gold you gave Wren to send me, it was great. I screen recorded it, in case Wren didn't tell you, and I will pull it out whenever I need embarrassing footage to throw in your face. Ok, that's all for now, byyyye," she said quickly as the video ended. 

With Yelena's message gone, you could now see Peter had sent one.

"Let's see what Parker has to say, why don't we?" he said, reaching for it.

"No let's not---"

He tapped it before you could move.

Peter's laughing pic and caption did little to brighten Loki's mood.

You quickly tapped to respond, taking a selfie of you and Loki before he could protest. It was the funniest shot of him opening his mouth to argue, eyes looking angrily at the screen, while you grinned with a thumbs up. You saved and sent it in the second it took Loki to grasp what was happening.

You closed your phone, still smiling at your success.

"Darling."

"Yeah," you looked up. His face said the rest. "Ohhh, I should probably, ya know, run right?"

"That would be wise."

"Five second head start?"

Loki sighed, looking like he wasn't going to agree.

"5, 4---"

"You're the best!" you yelled sprinting out of the room.

Naturally he got you, and you were soon tied to a tree outside, while Loki stood in front of you fiddling with your phone.

"What's the password, Darling?"

"Like you'd know how to type it in even if I told you."

"Ha! Got it."

"No you didn't!"

He turned it for you to see.

"How the hell did you do that???"

"Seriously, you chose the date of your arrival here? How many numbers of significance could you have set, and you chose one I knew?"

"It was the first one I thought of."

"Ok, now, I just select this little yellow thing with the ghost," he muttered to himself, looking like such an old man as he tentatively tapped the Snapchat icon with his index finger, "No, why is it showing me??" 

He fiddled with it more. 

"How am I a dog??" 

More swiping. This time he jumped back.

"What the hell did it do to me???" he said, opening and closing his mouth, turning his head from side to side, and moving his eyes around as the filtered version of himself did the same in it's own contorted way.

"I can't give you a crash course on Snap when tied to a tree, so if you let me go I could---"

"No, no I got it," he sighed in relief, having turned off the filters, "Maybe it's this one---yes! Ah, there you are now," he smiled, looking at you through the screen, "Ok, now, I hold the circle aaaand....yellow circle, ok good. Thor, if you see this, I'm sure you can tell Wren how absolutely irritating it is when I did this spell on you."

Without another word he flicked his other hand and all at once you were covered in something cold and wet...and by covered, you mean absolutely covered. You sputtered to keep it out of your mouth, but you couldn't wipe your eyes with your tied hands. You also couldn't keep the substance on your lips from entering your mouth, despite your best efforts. It tasted like dirt.

"Did you just soak me in mud?"

He didn't answer, but the bonds on your hands were dropped, and you were able to wipe your eyes.

"Yup, it's mud," you said, looking at your coated arms, legs, and clothes. Your hair was matted as well.

Loki was still filming in front of you.

"I think between the two videos, I still win," you said. No sooner had the words left your mouth when you felt something drape over your shoulder.

Turning your head, you were face to face with a snake. A large, ugly snake. You let out the highest pitch scream, your body kicking into "freaking out" mode. You sprinted away, attempting to shrug off the snake. You weren't putting your hand anywhere near it. Thankfully, the critter fell off after about ten feet of panicked wiggling and shrill shrieks.

"NO no no no, do NOT do that! I hate you I hate you I hate you!" you slapped his chest with every shout.

He had filmed the whole thing and was thoroughly laughing at this point.

"Now I just select---"

"Give me that phone!"

"Peter, Sam, Yelena---"

"My phone! Give it!" you grunted, trying to reach around his stiff arm to your face.

"Aaand, sent! Here you go, Darling, thanks for letting me borrow your device."

"You put a snake on my shoulder again and embarrassing videos will be the last of your worries, I will end you!"

"Ohhh," he chuckled, "Will you? Who just tied you to a tree again?"

"Yeah, how is that fair??? My prank, which wasn't even a prank, was like me sitting in the living room while you made yourself look like an ass. How come you get to tie people up?"

"Because I'm stronger. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to mess with someone bigger than you?"

"Yeah, then I watched Marvel for ten years and now think every spider will turn me into Spider-Man and fighting bullies twice my size will gain me super soldier serum, soooo," you shrugged.

"How's that turned out for you?"

"Well the doctors at the ER had never seen so many spider bites on one person before, so that was something."

Loki laughed, waving his hand to clear some of the mud.

"I'm afraid you'll still have to scrub hard to get that from your hair."

"Yeah I figured."

Your phone buzzed and you looked down to view Peter's response to the video.

"Pete's worried you saw him laughing earlier if you had access to the phone and cuz, ya know, you tied me to a tree for laughing."

"Flip that image around will you?"

You did as he said, filming the two of you.

"Yes, Parker, I saw you laughing. Know that I took it easy on her today, but I'm sure a man of your strength could handle more. You should come visit again soon, it's been far too long. Can't wait to see you again. Ok, bye bye now," he said in threatening sweetness, his eyes dropping to their malice-filled stare just before the camera cut out.

"Perfect timing on that look," you nodded, sending the message.

"I've had a great deal of practice."

"Well, I guess I'll be in the shower now, thanks. Let Korg have the TV though, will you? You stole it from him all day."

"He and that bug have lived on that game since they arrived here. Taking one day from them is hardly rude."

"You going to play again tonight?" you asked, lifting your phone like you were filming.

"If I did, I'm sure you've learned the cost of capturing my endeavors."

"You know I've been filming all day right?"

"Really?" he tilted his head.

"Uh, I-I mean, filming stuff all day, like myself. Not you of course. K bye!" you hurried off to your shower.

When you were clean and dressed, you slid your hand under your mattress, pulling out Zemo's phone. He'd responded to your message back in April, sparking a conversation that night, but that had been all for a while. Slowly, however, it became habit for one of you to send a little check-up text every week. Sometimes they grew into conversations, sometimes they didn't. Sometimes you spoke more than once a week, and sometimes you didn't. You tried to keep it to once, out of pure guilt for speaking with him at all, but it was often hard not to talk to him. And what could you do if he started it? As devoted as he was to avenging his family, that was as devoted as he seemed to be in now making sure you were ok. Therefore, he'd often check in multiple times in a given week.

Knowing you'd be foolish to trust him fully in the short time you'd known him, though it felt like longer, you were sure never to mention anything about the Avengers and their plans or any such details that he could potentially use. He never asked about them though, only you. It could be a very clever long game he was playing, but your optimism, or naivety, chose to hope he was truly just looking out for you.

It'd been a few days since his last message, so you sent one to see how he was doing. From what he'd spoken of before, he wasn't sure what he was doing with his life yet. He had money and no motivation. Going back to the life he had before was painful, he'd said, with his family out of the mix. It was like "trying to read a book you loved, but with all of the best chapters missing." You'd suggested writing a new book then, and he'd confessed he didn't know what the contents of such a novel would be. You'd never revisited the issue, though you were going to bring it up again if he never discussed the matter.

As was characteristic with Zemo, he responded promptly. This sparked a conversation in which the very topic you eagerly wanted to talk about was brought up by the Baron himself. He said he was focusing his efforts more heavily on charity works. Back in 2015, he'd already donated quite a hefty sum to aid Sokovian families affected by the attack, but the distraction of his own loss had prevented him from doing what he called "any work of real meaning."

You thought it too weird to say you were proud of him, wondering if that would mean anything anyway, but you told him you were really happy to hear that. At least being active in the community would give him something to do. Ultimately, however, you hoped he'd move on from Sokovia. Starting somewhere fresh was his best chance at moving on, especially with how difficult it already was for him. Hesitantly, you gently suggested as much.

Before you could wait for a response, Loki knocked at your door.

"Darling, do you think we should have hotdogs or that boxed pasta Yelena loves? And are you done yet, can I come in? Because you've been taking exceptionally long."

"Well I had to scrub mud from my scalp!" you called back, throwing the phone back in its hiding spot before rushing to grab your brush, "You can come in though, I'm just brushing my hair." You hair was, in fact, already brushed, but he didn't know when you'd done it.

Loki walked in and flopped gracefully on the bed, reclining against the headboard. He started tossing a pillow up and down as he waited for you to finish. You subconsciously glanced at the bed under him, as if he'd pull a Princess and the Pea and be able to feel the phone under all of that fluff. Forcing yourself to look elsewhere, you retreated to the bathroom to finish "brushing" your hair.

"So, which one?" Loki asked when you came back out.

"What?"

"Hotdogs or Yelena's cheese food?"

"Depends, do we have curly fries?"

"I think there's another bag, yes."

"Then hotdogs, duh. Yelena will drag us down tonight for whatever macaroni boxes are still there anyway."

"I think Wilson is starting to put together that food's disappearing before he can get his hands on it."

"So far only Bruce has caught us, and he's not a snitch. So Sam will have to get up to catch us himself if he wants to throw any accusations."

You and Loki made hotdogs and fries for the four of you, with the others having yet to return. They eventually came back late, rummaging around the kitchen for a quick meal as they always did on long days. Tired enough from their travels, the team scattered to their rooms immediately after.

You went up with Yelena and Loki.

"You know, having that Dr. Man who can teleport would be really useful on these kind of nights," Yelena said, "Oh we're done with our mission, if only we didn't have a four hour flight in the quinjet? And then boom! We all walk through magic hole and we're home."

A discussion had been held about Dr. Strange, with you going over his movie and character with the team. Seeing as you didn't know the timeframe of his film as precisely as you knew other events, there was no sure way of knowing when he was the Sorcerer Supreme. Patience was deemed the best course of action, something you weren't great with. Captain Marvel had also been brought up, but she was literally a click away for Fury if needed.

"Yeah, but he might not have his powers yet. Whether he's had his accident yet or not, it's a long journey to becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, so I think we're definitely early."

"Looks like you'll have to suffer rides with my brother a little longer," Loki grinned.

"Thor is fantastic, such a fun man. And if I keep getting the content from you two, I think the flights might just be worth it. Your scream," she laughed some more at you, something she'd already done with the others downstairs. Loki had actually received praise from Sam, and, though Tony tried to appear disgruntled that you'd been tied to a tree, he couldn't contain how amusing he found the punishment.

"I feel no embarrassment for screaming like that. I'd do it again if that thing ever came near me."

Loki and Yelena exchanged looks.

"No! No more snakes!" you said right away.

"Good night, Darling," Loki chuckled, walking off down the hall with Yelena.

"That wasn't a 'no snake' confirmation!"

"Good niiight," Yelena waved over her head.

You returned to your room, texting Peter as you went. His movie had taken place over the last weeks, and the two of you were now openly talking about it. You had played dumb throughout the events, even though his frustrations and rants to you were all the signs you needed to show his big time to shine was coming. He'd talked about how preoccupied he was with being Spider-Man, how he'd quit band, how Happy never responds, his suspicions of the weapons dealers and how Tony wouldn't listen to him, how he'd saved his friends in DC (which was all over the news), etc. He'd ask you if he was doing the right thing, if this was in his movie. You'd never given him an answer, which was, in a sense, an answer in itself. No matter how hard it got, he said he trusted that this was supposed to happen because you weren't stopping him.

After the boat accident, Tony had come to you, wondering if you'd known the kid was going to do it. He wasn't terribly pleased you hadn't told him, but this time around he accepted your claim that it was important for him and for Peter. It was amusing when Tony had set up the entire press meeting to announce Peter as the new Avenger. When he declined, Tony came back that day looking straight into your soul.

"So...how'd it go?" you had asked, before scrambling out of the room and away from the look that could kill.

Now, you were lying in bed, asking him more and more questions about what it was like fighting Vulture and other aspects you were curious to hear. It was late when you finished talking, past the time Yelena would come in to grab you. You figured she was too tired for a midnight run.

You grabbed the Zemo phone, turning off your lamp before sliding under the covers. You'd just opened his last message, holding the phone above your face as you reclined, when an orange flickering line whizzed above you. Dropping your hand quickly to see what it was, you found yourself staring at a ceiling...a ceiling that wasn't yours...a ceiling that was far higher than yours.

"Oh my god!" you gasped, trying to kick the blankets off and jump out of bed at the same time, resulting in a clumsy tumble to the floor. "I got Dr. Stranged," you whispered as you stood, looking around the main foyer of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"I want to sleep, so we can make this quick," a voice echoed from behind you, and you turned to see Dr. Strange floating down the stairs.

"Oh my god, hi Dr. Strange!" you said like a loser.

His brow furrowed instantly as he landed.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"I said hi."

"Not that, my name!" he said in that condescending 'you're an idiot' way he often said things.

"Hey, I'm not the one who named you something strange. Ha, get it?"

He looked confused and horrified by what he'd just brought into his home.

"Did I miss something? Have we met?"

"I don't know, have you met teenage version of me?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, looking like he was already tired of this shit.

"Yeah ok, sit down," he said, and you felt wind rush by you and your stomach swirl. The sensation lasted a second, and you'd changed scenery by the time it was done. You were now sitting in a chair in the same room Thor had been, and there was Stephen sitting across from you in a very similar manner. You looked around, smiling at everything, making his eyes narrow in confusion, or suspicion, all the more.

"This is so cool," you said through your grin. Your cheeks were going to hurt soon if you didn't stop beaming at everything, but you couldn't help it.

"Tea?" Strange asked, though he said it more hesitantly than he had with Thor. As if he was still trying to size you up while pretending he had all the answers. The cup appeared in your hand, and you stared at it like it was a diamond.

"No, I don't drink tea!" you said excitedly.

"Ok, what do you drink?"

"Not tea."

I can't believe I'm doing this! I should really stop making this man's night difficult, but this is insane!

Lemonade appeared in your hand instead.

"Oh sure, give Thor the huge ale, but I get the kiddy menu," you muttered, sipping it anyway.

"So..." he started, probably increasingly perplexed by what you'd said, "I keep---"

"A watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that might be a threat to this universe," you finished, having to refrain from quoting the rest of the conversation.

"I was going to say I keep a look for otherworldly presences that could pose potential threats to this world," he said, smiling arrogantly.

"Damn, I was close. But you do have that other thing too, right?"

He stared, and you stared right back.

"Ugh, yes, I do," he caved, repositioning himself.

"Ha! Wait, then why haven't you snagged Loki yet?"

"Oh I have."

"Pleeeease tell me he's endlessly falling right now???"

He just smirked back.

"Yes! Please keep him there for thirty minutes!"

"Listen, kid," he sighed in a tired fashion, "I wanted this to be a quick night with you, but it's shaping up to be more than I wanted to handle."

"Hey, I'm not the one who magicked my bed here, though thank you so much for that."

"Let's start with what I know."

"That implies there's stuff you don't know. How much does it kill you to admit that?" you chuckled.

He gave you a look, and you dropped the smile.

"Ok, yeah go on," you said, drinking more lemonade.

"You reek of other reality energy, something that shouldn't be possible. Having two versions of you in the same world only makes your beacon stronger, so it wasn't hard to find you. Now, I know you're living with the Avengers, so they must know, on some level, what they're dealing with, buuut..." he shrugged, raising his eyebrows, "Stark can't always contain his lab experiments."

"I'm not an experiment."

"You should be. Travel through the multiverse is nearly impossible, and not to be taken lightly."

"I'm starting to think the multiverse is like not just different universes. Cuz if that were true, my world wouldn't exist because the TVA would be a thing. Maybe it's like different timelines or realities but all squeezed in a universe? So like, there are different universes with their own set of multiverses? Essentially a multiverse of multiverses, you know what I mean? So like, the universe with the TVA would only have one timeline and no multiverse. Well, not right away at least."

"I don't know what a TVA is, but the multiverse is concept of which we know frighteningly little."

"So you think I'm a threat?"

"I think you don't know the impact that even the slightest of actions could cause."

"Actually, I do, that's kinda why I'm here."

"And why is that?" he narrowed his eyes.

"To stop half of your universe from getting wiped out. Look, in my universe, you're a movie character. This whole world is fictional! I'm helping the Avengers stop things ahead of time to save lives."

"Right," he nodded, looking like he was trying to grasp what you said, "Honestly, not the weirdest thing I've heard."

"Wow you come around easier than most."

"I've seen a lot," he grinned.

"Dying a hundred times while fighting Dormammu from a Dark Dimension opens your horizon a bit, doesn't it?"

"Is flaunting your knowledge something you do often?"

"I do it no more than you do."

"Touche."

"Oh my God, your cape! Hi cape!" you waved.

The corner of the cape lifted to wave back, but Strange slapped it down.

"Don't encourage her, please?"

"Hey, if you ever need someone who appreciates you more and doesn't slap you, I'd love to fly around, that's all I'm saying."

The cape lifted off of Strange's shoulders.

"Get down here," he pulled it back.

"You know where to find me, Capey," you whispered, giving it a thumbs up.

The cape did it's equivalent of thumbs up in return.

"Are you done?" Strange asked impatiently.

"Right, uh we were talking about you being a movie character. Yeah, so um, that's what I'm here for. We're doing a great job so far, but we need you for when Thanos comes, so I'm glad you kidnapped me."

"I didn't kidnap you, I borrowed you."

"It's ok, I've gotten kidnapped twice already, I'm used to it."

"I'd be concerned if I wasn't disappointed you managed to escape."

"I'm loving you too, buddy. You've got such a bubbly personality."

"Who's Thanos?"

"Oh, well, he's this big purple alien who's planning on committing universal genocide in an attempt to prevent overpopulation. He accomplishes this with the infinity stones."

Stephen glanced down at the Time Stone around his neck.

"You said he wipes out half of all life?"

"For five years, yeah. You get blipped too. But the Avengers bring everyone back and there's this big epic battle against Thanos and his army, and you guys win."

"Which begs the question of why you're here?"

"Did you miss the part where people die for five years?? Do you know what that does to the world? Not to mention Tony, Nat, Loki, and Vision die, and Asgard gets blown up for a different reason, which we've prevented, so you're welcome. We'll have more help against Thanos now."

"Yes, but we win in the end. Everything comes at a cost. Have you thought, for even a second, that what you're doing will only make things worse?"

"I don't see how that's true?"

"The events that led to Thanos' defeat happened in a specific way in a specific time. Altering those events could cause catastrophic repercussions on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

"Did you seriously just say hitherto undreamt of?" you smiled, "Sorry, movie quote."

"That's not a good sign."

"What isn't?"

"Conveniently saying something from your movies," he said like it wasn't coincidence.

"I mean, dude, it's just a line."

"Has this happened before?"

"Um...I mean, yeah I guess. A few times, why? What's the big deal? It only makes sense that people would say things they say in the future. Like, you're the same person so it's already in your vocabulary. It's the way you talk, it's not something to worry about...right?"

"I thought you have all the answers?" he challenged sarcastically.

"Not having them is eating at me as much as it is you."

"Then let's spend less time arguing and more time figuring this out."

"Fine, what's your point? How could I make things worse?"

"Let's pretend for a second that you get all of your little pieces in order," he said, waving his hand around like there was a chess board of players in front of him that he was gesturing to for reference, "Everyone's alive, scenarios are changed. But, without people where they're supposed to be, events spiral out of control. Maybe Thanos wins and we don't bring everyone back? Maybe more people than the four you listed have to die to bring about victory?"

"Maybe we destroy the stones before Thanos can get them and then we annihilate his army with the many many allies we have?"

"Maybe," he agreed, his hard look never leaving your gaze, "But there's a lot riding on a maybe...a lot I can't risk."

"Can't or won't? Come on, Strange, we both know you're by no means a rule follower."

"You've watched too much of Wong."

"I've watched too much of you. It doesn't take Wong to point out the obvious about you."

"That doesn't mean I can allow someone to tamper with the natural events of this world. I can't, because the universe depends on it. Hell, this reality depends on it! You could be attempting to change fixed points in time, which could subsequently tear the fabric of reality apart."

"I've already changed stuff! Why would I be allowed to do that if I wasn't supposed to? Maybe there's a reality out there where things were meant to go down just like the movies, and then maybe there's this one where they were meant to be changed!"

"How much have you changed?"

"Stopped Asgard from getting blown up, saved Odin, overthrew a planet nearly two years ahead of time, took the power stone from Xandar so it's not a target later and Thanos doesn't decimate it, stopped the Avengers from breaking up which saved T'Chaka, king of Wakanda, brought Thanos' daughter back for protection and chased the reality stone off of Knowhere, both of which essentially eliminate the situation where Thanos can murder his daughter for the soul stone, and started working to remove the mind stone from Vision so we can blow it up now. We're very close to finishing that last part. Those are the major things, though there are minor character things I suppose, like where Loki's come to in his journey, and this other guy Zemo, and where Bucky is ahead of time, and so forth."

Dr. Strange pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long groan.

"You're telling me you've essentially changed everything?"

You knew his tone was accusatory, but you just smiled.

"Yup, just about. Though I let your car crash still happen."

"Otherwise I wouldn't have become the Sorcerer Supreme," he nodded.

"No, cuz you were an even bigger ass before the crash," you laughed at yourself, earning a look from him, "I'm kidding! Well, not really, you were worse before, but I love you you're great," you finished with two thumbs up.

"Looks like getting you home before you could mess things up is out of the question."

"But this is a good thing, right? I mean, if I wasn't supposed to change stuff, bad things would have happened?"

"Reality hasn't torn apart yet, but that doesn't mean you haven't screwed us," he said roughly.

"You still think I could lead to a worse outcome?"

"Just because your changes haven't hurt reality, doesn't mean it will be the same with the universe."

"Ok, so what are our options here? Like, what's the worst case scenario?"

"Thanos wins and we don't bring them back would be the first of many worst cases."

"Technically, you can't have many worst cases, cuz the word worst implies---"

"Another option would be everything turns out how you want it."

"I like that one! Yeah, best case scenario, good, keep that optimism!"

"Unfortunately, that is one option among a sea of infinite bad ones. You've set out to create a perfect ending, so anything less than the one shown in your films is worse. The possibilities for how this could go wrong are endless. If we're lucky, the worst that will happen is the events play out the same as they were meant to."

"How is that lucky?"

"Because we know it works."

"Yeah, cuz Tony, Nat, and Vis sacrifice themselves!"

"And if that's the ending we have to settle for, be grateful it wasn't worse."

"There's no way things can play out exactly the same," you shook your head, "And that's not just my optimism, it's a fact. We've changed so much, it's got to be impossible for that to happen."

"You being here is supposed to be impossible. And now, thanks to you, anything is possible."

"So...there are essentially three options here. The universe can let us change it in a good way, it can, in a sense, correct itself, or it could turn out worse than the movies had it?"

"And there are millions of possibilities that could fit under that third option."

You rubbed your face in frustration, groaning as you did.

"Shit, that's just great. You know you're a real cheerful dude, Stephen. Here I was having a good month."

"Its Dr. Strange or sir."

"It's Stephen, cuz I'm mad, I've watched you for five years on screen, and I'm also not a teenager," you said in a grouchy tone.

He looked mildly impressed that you'd snapped at him.

"Fair, I'll allow it."

"I remember when I was excited to meet you, like thirty minutes ago."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Nah, you're awesome," you said casually, your mind still occupied with the news he'd told you.

You'd always feared the possibility that you would fail, but Strange had pointed out the hard truth: You had one outcome and one alone that would work. Everything was currently in your favor, yes, but fail? Then things could get worse than they would have been had you just left the world to itself.

"Look, kid," Strange said in a kinder voice, "I understand what you're trying to do. It takes guts. And you're right, it's not something I wouldn't try to do myself if I had the opportunity. But we have to be careful."

"Well then, we could definitely use Dr. Strange's help when it comes to destroying some pain in the ass colorful rocks and fighting the biggest shithead in the universe."

"What's our timeframe?" he smirked.

You spent the next ten to twenty minutes briefly summing up where you were in your fight against time.

"I can deal with the Power Stone," he said, standing up.

"Whatcha mean?" you asked, standing with him.

The air whipped around you and you were standing over by some bookcases.

"Woooah," you said, balancing yourself on one of the shelves, "I see Thor's problem with doing that."

"So Thor and I have a similar meeting?" he asked as he flipped through a book.

"Yeah you make a guest appearance in his third film. You snag Loki cuz Thor brings him to earth. Hence the whole watchlist line I knew."

"Hmm," he hummed acknowledgement, though his attention was taken by his search.

"Whatchu looking for?" you asked, trying to peer over the cover.

"A place to safely destroy the power stone," he said, tilting the book up just enough to block your view, "Ah, here we go," he said, finding the page he was looking for. He took a few seconds to skim it, before closing it abruptly. "Yup, that'll work."

"What will?"

"There are dimensions out there void of much, if any, life. I can get the power stone to one of them and safely destroy it without being in a dangerous proximity to other beings."

"Awesome! With that stone down, Thanos has already lost!"

"That is the plan," he replied to your obvious statement.

"I'll talk to the Avengers when I get back, and we can bring the stone to you."

"No, you won't."

"I won't?"

"No, the stone is staying where it is. We'll go to it. I'm not risking this planet by having the power stone brought here."

"Right, smart, makes sense," you nodded, "So uh when do we go?"

"I have to pick the right dimension and find the most effective way to destroy the stone, as well as plan to not die during the process. I'll come to you when I'm ready."

"Come to me as in snatch me from my bed again, or actually come?"

"Somehow I think Wong wouldn't like a bifrost-sized hole in the roof, so actually come," he said with a quick smile, "We'll go from Avengers compound."

"Funny you say that, cuz the bifrost does blast a hole in your ceiling in...I mean, uh, no correlation to future events at all, nope," you changed when he gave you a "see what I mean?" look.

"Let's hope you're right about all of this."

"Let's hope you still get blipped if I'm not, cuz I can only imagine how many 'I told you so' looks I'd receive if you live."

He gave you one of his scolding expressions before teleporting the two of you back down to your bed. He naturally dropped you in a position where you stumbled down the stairs like Thor.

"We could have just walked," you muttered with a grin, pushing yourself up.

"Alright, in bed," he held his hand out to your mattress.

"I suppose I'll be needing Loki back, right?"

"I was going to talk with Stark or Thor about it, but under the circumstances I'll take your word that he's not a threat."

"Yeah, he's helping us right now. Besides, we have a whole team of supers watching him."

He looked like that did little to reassure him, as he hummed in sarcastic understanding.

"Here you go," he said, lifting his hands and swirling a portal open above.

Loki's distant cries became louder as he fell through the opening, landing hard on the ground. He landed between you and Strange, facing your direction. Therefore, you got to see the hair-flip in all of its glory as he glared up at you and your smile.

"I'm not saying it," he declared.

"You're no fun," you sighed, grabbing his arm to help him up.

"I think you can handle him from here," Strange smirked, enjoying Loki's distress.

"Handle me?" you said for Loki.

"Darling," Loki held a hand up.

"You think you're some kind of sorcerer?" you continued, fake conjuring daggers with a "swoosh" sound effect.

"What is she doing?" Strange asked, glancing to Loki like he feared he should worry about your mental state.

"She does it quite a lot, there's no stopping her," Loki explained.

"You'd be doing it if you didn't already know you do it," you argued.

"But I do, and I also know this feeble conjurer is useful later on, so I unfortunately can't kill him."

"Oh he's a real charmer, no threatening vibes at all," Strange said, looking pointedly at you.

"Open a portal under me again and see how threatening I can be."

Without hesitation, Strange opened one directly under him. He disappeared into the ground, before falling from above and landing again.

Loki launched up, daggers coming out instinctively.

"Alright, bye bye," you said, getting in front of Loki and pushing him back towards the bed.

"I'm not going to kill him, just mildly maim," he complained.

"Do it on your own time, I'm not being an accomplice by association," you said, sitting on the bed.

Loki glared hard at Strange as he reluctantly took a seat next to you.

"See ya later I guess," you smiled to Strange.

"See ya kid."

With that he lifted his hands to send you back. You lifted your legs onto the bed, as if this was a vehicle you had to keep all arms and legs inside of before departure. The orange circle washed over you, and you were back in your bedroom.

"Did you know I was falling?" Loki asked.

"Yeah, he told me he'd taken you too."

Loki narrowed his eyes, smiling ever so maliciously.

"What?"

"You couldn't have gotten me out sooner?"

"Didn't cross my mind," you lied, unable to not smile.

"And to think I was contemplating saying the line for you," he shook his head.

"You were???"

"For the briefest of moments."

"Did my pleading smile ruin it?" you chuckled as you stood to fix a painting on the wall, which had been made askew during the bed's vanishing and reappearance.

"As always, it's both your greatest weapon and hinderance. Whose is this?" 

"What?" you turned, seeing Zemo's phone in his hands. You'd left it in the covers.

"That's mine!" you said in a panic, trying to snatch it from his hand.

He kept it out of your reach, smiling teasingly.

"Yours? And what could you need with a secret phone?" he asked in that same taunting manner, clearly thinking the device was no big deal.

He went to flip it open, but your shout stopped him.

"Loki don't!"

He halted his progress, his face growing more concerned by the second.

"Why?"

"Because...Loki, there's something I have to tell you. It's nothing terrible but I need you to listen!" you rushed the last part, for Loki had stood and walked a few paces away, turning his back to you.

You heard the phone flip open. Loki's form was frozen in one position, his head staring down at the screen. If you hadn't left your messages opened, which you were certain you had, he had clearly found his way to them.

"Loki, I didn't go out of my way to get the phone, I swear. Zemo sent it with the coat and I---"

"But you did go out of your way to hide it," he said, much quieter than you'd expected.

When he turned to face you, his expression was more than angry. You saw the hurt.

"I knew you guys wouldn't like it," you confessed, "But I wanted to talk to Zemo. I want to know how he's doing, to keep encouraging him, help him even, if I can."

He nodded, swallowing hard.

"I understand."

"What?"

"Which is why you could have told me."

He was speaking in a low tone, a calm sort of anger and sadness that was much different than his usual irate rants.

"You could have told me," he repeated, "Or did you not think I'd keep your secret?" he said bitterly.

"I...I--I don't know, I thought you wouldn't have wanted me to have it."

"I'd have understood if you'd come to me about it."

"Well I--I had just finished swearing to turn Zemo in if I ever heard from him again, and I knew I wasn't going to do that so I kept him a secret!"

"I made you promise to tell if you heard from or saw him again, I never said more past that."

"Ok, but the reason was implied! I know you'd love to kill Zemo, so how could I think you and the others wouldn't use the phone to get to him somehow? Or make me get rid of it regardless, which isn't something I wanted?"

"You're holding things I say in my anger as the truth now?" he asked, seeming shocked by what he was hearing, "Yes, I would feel no remorse for plunging my dagger into the man's heart, but I would never do so because of you!"

"No no, I know you wouldn't! I--I just, I don't know ok?! I thought you wouldn't like me talking to Zemo, so I didn't tell you! It's not that I didn't trust you to not tell the Avengers, it's that you were part of the Avengers in this scenario! You're part of those I didn't want to know. It doesn't mean I don't trust you, just as it doesn't mean I don't trust Cap or Nat or any of them!"

"No, it just means we can't trust you."

What he said, mixed with the way he said it, hurt you more than you thought it would. He wasn't full of his usual angry exaggerations. He was saying everything with sincerity and emotion.

"Loki...that's--that's not fair," you shook your head.

"Isn't it?" he said, tossing the phone roughly on  the bed.

"Everyone has secrets, Loki. No one in this compound has told everyone everything! There are things we like to keep to ourselves, things about the others that I don't know! Things about you that I probably don't know! It doesn't make me trust anyone in here any less! It doesn't make me trust you any less!"

"You're right," he nodded solemnly, "There are things I keep from you. But I...I just thought..." he tossed his hand around helplessly, looking for the words to say what was on his mind, "...I had hoped this would be something you'd have told me. I understand, but I...I just hoped. You didn't have to lie to me that day, or any day after."

"I'm sorry. I hate lying, it's a disgusting feeling. But I swear, I only went back on what I promised at the barbecue because I wanted to know how Zemo was doing, and he just wanted to make sure I was safe."

"I saw," he nodded, "Your defense of him seems valid."

He still seemed sad and tired, pained by the revelation even if he was able to understand your position.

"I'll uh..." he looked to the door, taking a step over to it, "...good night."

"Night," you said as he exited the room.

Left alone, you picked up the phone angrily, suddenly furious that you'd ever decided to keep it. You'd never gotten around to reading Zemo's last response, but you couldn't care less about it at this particular time. Shoving the piece of technology under your mattress, you climbed back in bed, switching off the lamp.

***

The next day you and Loki told the others of your visit to Dr. Strange.

"He sucked you and my furniture through his sparkling portal?" Tony repeated that part of your story, "Has the man ever heard of a house call? Or a phone? Email even!"

"It was so fun though! I'm sure not for Loki as much, but hey it was fun to watch him fall."

Loki smirked over, though he glared at Sam when he dared to snicker. So far Loki had been...normal? He was quieter around you than usual, though he appeared to be making an effort to smile, talk, insult, and joke as he typically did. It was only because you'd grown to know him well enough that you were able to tell he was troubled by something. There was that silent, lingering look in his eyes when he spoke, unnoticeable to anyone else, but you knew he was trying to fight down an issue. Thinking it was his anger over your secret that was causing him distress, you beat yourself up even more for having hurt him. After all, it's sometimes easier when someone's verbally and visibly angry with you. Most times you can just be angry right back. But Loki was trying his best to be kind and normal to you, evidently not wanting to hold onto his instinctive anger. The sweetness of such an effort only filled you with more guilt. You didn't deserve such a friend.

"Did he say how long he'd take before he's ready?" Steve asked.

"No, just that he'd come when he was."

"If I get teleported from my room, know that I will blast his ass right then and there," Tony promised.

"And if I don't get teleported from my room, know that I will kick his ass," Yelena said, "Seriously, why do you two get all of the fun?"

"I'll gladly switch places next time," Loki said.

"So with Vision's surgery tomorrow, we'll have the mind stone gone," Nat said, "Then Strange takes out the power stone."

"That's two down," Clint said.

"Yeah but two we also don't have," Rhodey noted.

"Even destroying one is enough, remember?" you told him, "Yes, the more we keep from Thanos the better, but tomorrow we ruin his chances of snapping."

"Then we scrap him like any other villain," Steve said confidently.

"Let's hope this surgery works," Sam said.

"It will," Wanda chimed, probably not wanting to think of another outcome.

"The process should take a half hour max," Bruce said, "Which is more than twice as quick as it'd have been had Shuri had to freestyle it."

"That explains why she can't get a move on it in the film," you scoffed.

"Time wasn't a luxury then," Bruce said, "She did the best with what she had."

"I know, but this time she'll do better," you smiled, "We'll get it out."

"If she looked over the final schematics I shared with her for confirmation," Tony grumbled, "It's been a week and not a word from the girl. It's what you get for working with teens I guess."

"She's got this, Tony, with or without confirming your schematics," Nat said.

"Honestly, isn't she the brains behind this process anyway?" Yelena sassed, "'Confirming' should be the little participation job she gives you to make you feel included."

"It's a joint effort," Tony defended, "Romanoff, control Baby Belova will you?"

"I'll rein in my honesty, I'm sorry," she "apologized" with fake sorrow.

"Sorry to interrupt man, but are Drax and that sweet lady with the magic emotion powers coming today?" Korg asked.

"Don't worry, I scheduled your little play date," Tony assured him, rolling his eyes as he turned his back on the Kronan.

"Drax and Mantis are coming down?" you asked.

"Yeah man, we talked about wanting to play together some more, but never seemed to get around to it. I asked Mr. Stark to ask them, hence why I asked if he had asked, as I'd asked him to ask," he explained.

"Ah, makes sense," you smiled.

"Do you want to join at all?" Korg asked Loki.

"What?" he returned, not expecting the question.

"Do you want to play? You seemed to enjoy it yesterday, what with how much you cheered and screamed at the---"

"I'm quite fine, thank you," Loki said firmly, trying to smile at the offer.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, "I think there's a kid logging on somewhere who's aching to get a death threat."

Loki sighed as Sam chuckled at his own joke.

"I can just as easily put a snake on your shoulder, remember that Wilson," Loki replied, though in more humorous manner than his usual threats.

"That snake would be down your throat in a second," Sam warned.

Before he'd even finished, the scaly creature materialized on him. If your scream was embarrassing, his was worse. Wanda, who was next to him, backed away from the animal quickly. Nat didn't move from her position on the other side of Sam, unfazed by the snake. Everyone was laughing by the time Sam had thrown the reptile off and sprinted across the room.

"Miek, did you see that? That huge worm just dropped out of nowhere," Korg gasped.

"Please tell me someone got that on film?" Clint hoped, looking around the group.

"Friday, clip that security footage for me and send that replay to everyone here," Tony ordered, patting Sam on the shoulder, "It's ok Tweety, snakes have been known to eat small birds, we don't hold it against you for being cautious. Get that snake off my floor though will you?" Tony shot over to Loki, who removed the snake with a wave of his hand, still smiling triumphantly.

"Ok, magic or no magic he's getting his ass kicked," Sam smiled with intent, walking towards Loki. The target stood and moved so the table was between the two of them. It didn't stop Sam from proceeding around the obstruction with determination.

"Can we all agree that any physical harm done to him is purely self-defense?" Loki asked, still scurrying ahead of Sam.

"Nope, you can't lay a finger on him," Tony stated.

"But he can to me???"

"Yup," Tony answered again, "Consequences can be a real bitch."

"How long do you think he'll be able to keep the table between them?" Clint whispered to Bruce and Rhodey.

"I don't know, Loki's faster," Bruce contemplated.

"Yeah, but I give it a minute tops before Sam gets his wings," Rhodey gave his opinion.

"You know what," Sam stopped his pursuit, "See what you hide behind when I fly over it," he grumbled to himself, storming out of the room.

Rhodey gave Bruce a victorious look, while Loki turned to the group for support.

"I can honestly do nothing, but he can get his wings and most likely that armed companion of his?"

"I'd think hiding would be prudent," Vision smiled.

Vision with the sass, you thought approvingly.

Loki groaned but walked out of the room, heeding the android's advice.

"Friday, got that clip ready?" Tony asked as he too left the kitchen.

Everyone returned to whatever they were doing before group discussion had broken out, most either leaving or cleaning their places from breakfast.

"Hey, Wren," Bruce caught you before you could leave to call Peter. The kid had asked to talk with you that morning, not wanting to text whatever it was.

"What?" you asked both him and Nat, for she was standing with him.

"We uh...we'd like to show you something later, if that's ok?"

"What is it?"

"Surprise," Nat smiled.

"Ok, where and when?"

"The lab. Not the joint one, the one I work in more," Bruce answered. He seemed excited or nervous or both.

"Be there around noon," Nat said, "You don't want to miss it."

"Right, ok, got it."

Bruce smiled, the two of them walking away.

You went to the third floor lounge to call Peter. His text that morning had assured you there wasn't anything wrong, but that he wanted to ask you something.

"Hey!" Peter's voice came through the speaker.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Yeah so I uh, I wanted to ask you something, two things actually, and if it's completely weird and you don't want to do it I get it and you can just say no, I won't be upset or anything."

"Ok," you laughed, "What is it?"

"So, because Ned and Aunt May know I'm Spider-Man now, I was wondering if it was ok if I...tell them?"

"About me?"

"Yeah, and if that's not cool I get it! It's just, I don't want to keep more from them if I don't have to, and there's nothing they could really do wrong by knowing right? I also know Ned would think it was so cool, and it's hard not talking about my secret friend from the future."

"You can tell them only if that means I get to meet them one day."

"Really?" Peter said, chuckling in relief, "I'm so glad you said that cuz that was my next question. Do you...want to uh, to come over tonight? Ned and I got the Millennium Falcon lego set and we were going to build it tonight, and I thought, if you said yes to me telling Ned and May, that I could tell them before and you could come over and do it with us? If you wanted of course!"

"Oh my gosh, seriously?!"

"Yeah! Aunt May would love to meet you, and we could order pizzas and everything! Would this work with your future stuff though? I don't want to like get in the way or---"

"No, really there's nothing going on right now! Scott got his girlfriend's mother out of the quantum realm, Dr. Strange has come in---"

"The wizard!"

"Oh my gosh, yes he grabbed me from my room last night with his magic portal!"

"That is so cool."

"It really was, I'll tell you about it tonight."

"Awesome yeah, I'll uh, I'll tell Aunt May now I guess. Don't know how she'll take it, but Mr. Stark helped talk her down when she found out I was Spidey, so there's not much more that can shock her right?"

"You'd think so."

Peter let out a nervous breath.

"Hey, you got this Pete."

"Yeah I got this," he repeated.

"Text me how it goes?"

"Yeah of course. I'll uh, I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck."

"Thanks!"

The call ended and you were left staring out the large window, happily thinking about how you were going to meet Ned and May.

I'll have to ask Tony first, you thought, heading off downstairs to find him.

"You dropped him off the roof, Wilson...the roof!" Tony's voice could be heard from the kitchen.

"It was far higher than the roof," Loki corrected.

"He didn't try to stop me!" Sam argued back.

You poked your head around the corner, finding Sam, Tony, Steve, and Rhodey standing there with Loki.

"I wasn't allowed to defend myself remember?" Loki countered.

"Yeah cuz Tony said you deserved it, which you did," Sam responded.

"Dude not attempted murder!" Rhodey exclaimed.

"Oh please, the man is fine," Sam groaned in annoyance, "He's a god remember? He only reminds everyone about that fact every five seconds! He landed on his feet, he's good. Right buddy?" Sam smiled insincerely to Loki.

"Still good enough to pay you back," Loki returned the smile.

"See?! He's fine."

"My amazing sense of hearing told me there's drama happening," Yelena whispered from next to you, launching you out of your skin.

"Will you stop doing that!"

"Sorry, I'm just too good at sneaking, I can't help it. Now what's going on?" she asked eagerly, peering around the corner with you.

"Sam dropped Loki from the air...like higher than the roof I think."

"You dropped him from the air?!" she said loudly, heading around the wall and into the kitchen.

"It wasn't that high," he began defending himself again.

"It kinda was," Steve nodded, looking amusingly concerned by his friend.

"I hope it was, that's hilarious," Yelena held up her hand for a high-five from Sam. "What?" she asked when she saw Loki's look.

"Love that you always have my back, Yelena," Loki chuckled, "You're as reliable as Wren."

"Did you just use my real name?" you asked, walking in.

"Only because you weren't here, Darling," he smiled.

"Ha ha you're funny," you mocked his look, "How long has it been and you've only ever called me by my name like twice? Joke's a little old isn't it?"

"Does it still make you uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Then why do you want me to change it?"

"Well it can get annoying when---"

"Ha, then I shall still use it!"

"Also, you'll always be his darling," Yelena teased, "His one true love, his---"

Loki made a chair slide hard into her side, cutting her off.

"Ow!"

"Stark, your chairs seem to have a mind of their own," Loki tutted, smiling over at you and your laughter.

"I think we should start a no magic rule," Sam suggested.

"The man who dropped someone from a thousand feet doesn't get to put a motion on the floor. You're lucky your wings privileges in the compound aren't revoked," Tony shot him down.

"I never knew you cared so much for me, Stark?" Loki smirked, giving him a wink.

"Workplace accidents are a pain in the ass to file. Too much paperwork," he answered, heading for the hall, "Smiley, you coming? I was told you were invited?"

"Invited where?"

"Bruce didn't tell you?"

You looked at the clock, realizing it was almost noon.

"Oh yeah he did!" you said, hurrying after him.

"Have they told you what you're about to see or are they keeping it a surprise?" Tony asked along the way.

"Surprise."

"Good, more fun that way. You're gonna like it."

"You know what it is?"

"Of course I do, I'm me."

"Exactly why I asked."

"Hey, I'm well aware of everything that goes on in my compound, missy, even when I'm not here."

"Mmhmm," you said, thinking of the secret phone you had. At this point you were heavily contemplating telling everyone. Not that you weren't allowed to have your secrets, but Loki was right. This particular one felt like you were hiding it because you didn't trust the others, or it required enough guile that it could rightfully warrant a lack of trust in you.

You and Tony walked into the large lab, one you'd never spent much time in. When you bothered Bruce and Tony, it was usually in their joint lab. This room had changed since you'd last visited it a few months back. Now there was sealed off area, a cage, so to speak, set up in the middle of the room. It was tall and wide, made of clear glass or some tougher material perhaps. Bruce was fiddling at some computer with Nat when you entered.

"We going to get this show started or what?" Tony asked, sitting in a chair.

"Just making sure the safety protocols are online in case...well, you know," Bruce answered. He worked for another minute before walking over to the door of the containment room.

"Oh thank God," Tony said, stopping the spinning he was doing in the chair out of boredom.

Bruce removed his lab coat, revealing the oversized pants he had belted around his waist and lack of shirt. Nat pressed a control from where she sat at the panel, opening the door for him. He stepped in, walking to the center of the area as the door sealed behind him. He turned around, eyes finding you.

"Wren, we've asked you to be here today to be the first member of the team, besides Tony, to witness our...our work. Know that I wouldn't have started this without you. Thank you," he smiled.

You smiled back, having your suspicions about what was going to occur.

He then turned to Nat, who gave him a nod.

"This is Dr. Bruce Banner," he announced for the record, "Entering test 84 with the help of Natasha Romanoff and witnessed by Wren Arlington and Tony Stark. If successful today, this will be the eleventh positive trial."

He took a deep breath, eyes closing in concentration. You saw the green start in the veins around his neck. From there, he grew in seconds, body expanding as the Hulk came out. The Hulk stumbled, facing the other direction as he hunched over, shoulders rising and falling with his heavy breaths. He remained in this position for ten seconds or so.

"Bruce," Nat called out, "Bruce, can you hear me?"

She was saying it calmly and with confidence, as if never doubting that he'd respond.

"Yeah," you heard Banner's voice, seeing the Hulk nod his head.

He stood up to his full height, turning to look at the room. There was the Hulk. His face, his body. But his eyes were more aware, more cognizant.

"We did it," he said to you, and you couldn't wipe the awe off of your face.

You approached the glass, and he did the same.

"Wow," was all you were able to say as you looked up at him, "Hey Hulk."

"You were right, about him being me, and me him. I wasn't fighting a separate entity. He wasn't the problem, he was the solution."

"So...you uh, you-you've done this ten times?" you asked, still fumbling over your words as you stared at his remarkable accomplishment.

"Eleven now," he grinned.

"How do you...ya know, change back?"

"Like this," he said, stepping back to the center.

"Test 84 transformation was successful. Beginning return."

He let out a long breath, eyes closing again. Slowly he started to shrink, all the while his face remained calm and he kept his breathing under control. Soon, Bruce was standing behind the glass once again. He was taking deep breaths, moving to the wall to keep his balance.

"You're ok," Nat said.

Bruce nodded, pushing himself upright and giving her the go ahead to unlock the door.

"I gotta say, we did well team," Tony clapped, walking over to Bruce as Nat wrapped the lab coat around him.

"We?" she challenged.

"I've helped," he claimed, "And who provided all of this equipment?"

"We did well, Tony," Bruce agreed, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking happier than you'd seen him before.

"So you'll be able to like turn into the Hulk whenever you want now, right? Like no more fearing rage fits or having to wait around for a code green as a last resort?"

"That's the ultimate goal, but we'll have to test a few more things first," he said, grinning at your optimism, "For example, this is a controlled environment. I'm calm here, safe. Will I be able to control my ability when under stress or adrenaline? That's something only time and practice will tell."

"If we were comfortable having you on the field with nothing but a lullaby to bring you back, I think we're ok," Tony said.

"I just want to be sure," Bruce insisted, "Besides, practice can't hurt can it?"

"I'm not really a practice kind of guy. I'd much rather jump right in the water, you learn to swim real quick that way."

"Or you drown," Nat countered.

"All the more motivation to swim," he smiled, patting her arm like they were in agreement, "Good work, Hanner," he said as he headed for the door, "Or does Bulk sound better? Bulk definitely sounds better."

"Uh congrats on doing this!" you told Bruce and Nat, not knowing how else to express your joy.

"It wouldn't have been possible without you," he smiled.

"Well, that's not true. You do it yourself in the future, remember?"

"Fine," he laughed, "It wouldn't have happened this early."

Your face dropped a bit at that, Dr. Strange's warning coming back to you.

"What?" Nat asked.

"Nothing, he just...got me thinking about Endgame there for a sec. It's a lot more painful remembering the film now that I know you guys. Like having a haunted memory of your deaths that's so realistic now."

"Well, don't worry," Bruce encouraged you, "That movie isn't going to happen."

"After tomorrow, it can't," Nat added.

"I know," you smiled, actually calmed by their words. There was a sense of relief at the thought of Thanos being stopped after the destruction of a single stone. "Oh, I needed to ask Tony something, damn. I'll see you guys later, and seriously congrats again! I knew you could do it!" you called as you jogged out of the room to catch Tony.

Tony was reluctant to let you go with Zemo still out there, despite how you'd advocated for him. In the end, he was persuaded to give his consent, mainly because Peter would be there too and Happy was driving you.

When you reentered the living room later, Drax and Mantis had come down. Yelena was playing against Drax, relishing in how frustrated she was making him. In the end, Drax smashed the controller, claiming he didn't know throwing it at the wall would crush it. Not only was the device in pieces on the floor, but the wall also had a dent. Yelena had stood in front of the damage as nonchalantly as possible when Steve and Tony entered shortly after. Meanwhile, you kicked the shattered remains under the table.

Unfortunately, Drax, Mantis, and Korg weren't the most subtle.

"Mantis," you'd whispered when Steve and Tony were conversing in the kitchen, "Go distract them."

She nodded gravely like she understood.

"Subtly," you added before she moved, and she once again gave you a firm look of understanding.

You motioned for Drax to stand between the coffee table and the kitchen so you could have some cover to grab the pieces under it.

"Act normal," you whispered as you passed Korg.

"Oh uh, Miek!" he said in anything but normal tones, "Do you want to play a game with me?" he asked in a very stiff manner, holding his hands out robotically to the TV, "Yep, this is us, playing games. Weeee," he continued blandly, holding up the controller without pressing any of the buttons. He winked to you like it was working.

When Steve and Tony looked up at the unusual phrases, both brows furrowed at Drax. Though standing where you told him to, he wasn't acting casual...or maybe he was? It was Drax, so what he was doing wasn't entirely out of character. He wasn't moving, staring hard at the two of them.

"Uh, you ok buddy?" Tony asked, waving his hand in the air to him to try and get some sort of movement, "Is he breathing? I don't think he's breathing."

"Drax, are you alright?" Steve asked, glancing to you and Yelena, who smiled innocently.

"I'm supposed to subtly distract you," Mantis said proudly, having reached the two of them.

Steve smirked and Tony turned his "oh really?" face on you and Yelena.

The two of you exchanged looks, a silent communication passing between you.

"It wasn't us!" Yelena yelled as both of you ran from the room.

You don't know what happened with Drax and the others, for you and Yelena ran too fast to hear.

You spent the rest of the day pranking Clint with her, practicing stealth operations that involved jumping Sam in the hallway and leaving him properly bound and gagged for someone to find, trying to get Vis to say some choice words he'd never uttered, and sneaking into Loki's room to search through his things...because why not? By the time Loki chased you out of his room, it was time for you to get ready to leave for Peter's.

You were finishing your hair when Loki knocked on the door and entered when you called.

"So you're going to Parker's residence?" he asked, standing by the door rather than sitting on the bed as he usually did.

"Yeah, he wants me to meet Ned and Aunt May. Ned's his best friend, if I haven't mentioned that."

"That was among the things you did choose to tell me."

He didn't say it like his usual jibes, but you were certain one was intended.

"Uh, did you get the book back from Yelena?"

"With a little bit of effort, yes," he smiled.

"Right, uh good. I told her not to take anything, but you know Yelena," you shrugged, "I was just down for searching the room."

"Yes, something I should have done with you it would seem."

"Did you come in here to throw passive-aggressive comments at me? Cuz if you want to say something you can just say it, Loki. I get your angry, so say what you need to say."

"No, old habits just die hard," he said, "Besides, who would I be if I let you off so easily? But no, Darling, I didn't come in here simply to satisfy my own petty desires, no matter how enjoyable it feels."

"Why then?"

Loki looked at his hands that he was rubbing together.

"I've wanted to tell you something since last night. Since a while, actually. While I'm upset by what you kept, even if I can see why, I'd be hypocritical to chastise you when I, too, have held things close to my chest. And, while I usually do not hesitate to act a hypocrite, your words threw my own actions in my face clearly enough that even I couldn't ignore it. You know that's saying a lot," he chuckled, "I usually don't give a damn about what I've done when in the face of someone else's wrongs. But you were right, when you said we all have our secrets. I will always have some. You will always have some. And that's ok. The biggest lie people force others to believe is that friends tell each other everything. I don't have to tell you a damn thing if I don't wish to, and neither do you to me. It shouldn't break our trust in each other. However, there are some secrets that can hurt, depending on the severity of their nature...depending on whether the other deserved to know the truth.

I'm angry you opened contact with the man we'd tried to save you from for nearly a month. That will never not make me upset. But you had your reasons, and I'm not going to let something so trivial ruin what we have. Especially when there's something you deserved to know a while ago...and I never had the courage to tell you."

"Loki, you said we can have our secrets. I don't need to know whatever it is, you can---"

"No. In theory, keeping you in the dark wouldn't change anything...but this is one of those secrets that I believe you should know. One I feel I owe you."

"Ok," you nodded.

He slowly walked to the bed and sat, looking as if he was contemplating where to begin. You took a seat next to him as he started.

"From the first day we met, I knew there were parts of you that I liked. That I admired or found entertaining. And you turned my world on it's head with the knowledge you showed me, the things you said. I had to fight wanting to be kind to you."

"You weren't bad though, besides the times when we fought...which were my fault a lot of the time."

"I was cordial, yes, but not out of motivation to be kind. Parts of that, I think, were tapping at my mind, but I ignored them. I told myself I was only being kind to you for a reason. To get what I needed."

"I mean, you were Loki. I always suspected as much early on, even if I hoped it wasn't true."

"I don't know what was the full truth. You see, what goes on in my head when I choose to betray someone is never as thoroughly planned or premeditated as it would appear. I like to make it look that way. I like to play the part of the plotting genius, one step ahead of everyone. And, while most people are idiots who are easily exploited, it's not always the case that I've planned a course of action from the start. I'm me. I often can't help myself from making a greedy play in the end."

"So, you're not sure if, when you were nice to me in the early days, it was out of selfishness or sincerity?"

"I certainly know what I told myself. But, had that been true, I don't think I'd have given in to wanting to be your friend in the end. So those desires I tried to ignore must have been true?" he asked hopefully.

"Telling yourself one thing when you know it could actually be the other? I get that. While you were struggling with which motivations were guiding your actions when seeking my friendship, I was struggling with whether I believed you were capable of being my friend at all, or whether you'd ever truly want to be. I told myself what you told yourself. That it was all probably a ploy to get what you wanted. Maybe we were both wrong? We definitely turned out wrong in the end, because here we are."

"I certainly hope there was sincerity in my early actions. Thinking back on it...remembering how I felt...I am almost certain I was true. But I pushed it down so much I can hardly remember the truth from the lie."

"Is that what you wanted to get off your chest? That you may have been playing me at first? Because we weren't exactly friends right away anyway even when we were kind enough to each other. You don't have to apologize for how you were then."

Loki shook his head.

"It's not that. Regardless of what my thoughts and feelings were then, I know what they became. I know what they are now. I know how much your friendship means to me. I'm no longer doubting anything, just as you no longer doubt my sincerity. To me, how I felt then is irrelevant now, as I hoped it would be for you too. But the real sin I must confess is not what my mind was struggling with at the time...but the actions my denial allowed me to do."

"What do you mean?"

Loki swallowed, taking a breath. Whatever it was, he wasn't looking forward to admitting it.

"I was in a scramble after you revealed my identity. I knew I had to work with you, at least for the time being, to get what I wanted. As I've said, I don't always have a master plan. Most times I just go along for a ride and wait for my moments. But I try to keep as many cards in my hands as possible, even if I have yet to decide if or when I will use them. It's how I leave myself options. I wasn't...I'm not the most trusting...or trustworthy.

When I came to earth, it was because my father requested it. But, as is always the case with me, I kept an avenue for my own interests open. I took the Tesseract with me."

"But Thor said it was on Asgard when he checked?"

"A fake. A trick. I had the real cube with me."

"But when Thor used it to go to Knowhere? You hadn't been back on Asgard yet, how did you get it back?"

"I did it right then and there in the vault while the group was distracted by the treasures. The copy was vanished and the true stone replaced in the blink of an eye."

You stared into space as you wrapped your mind around his words.

"Ok, but you put it back? Thor used it, it's still up there now?"

"Yes, it's on Asgard."

"Then you did the right thing, you're good Loki!" you said encouragingly.

"No," he shook his head again, looking down sadly, "I didn't. Do you remember the morning you didn't want to discuss the stones in front of me? When you spoke of my pattern? How I betray everyone because I think I'm so clever, and I never realize that I'd just be happier if I didn't?"

"Yeah when I had the stupid breakdown."

"You were right to worry. Your words spilled my exact intentions. I had begun to form a half-baked plan to, somehow, swipe the stones for myself in the end. I didn't know how, but I told myself I'd make it up as I went along. When you spoke exactly what was on my mind, it made me pause and reconsider. I could never submit to the truth of the matter, however, so I was left fighting the urge to back out of my pursuits. To add more conflict to my mind, convincing myself of my intentions grew increasingly difficult the more time we spent together. I was slowly becoming aware of how genuinely I wanted what you were offering: A chance.

But I did what I did best, and I made a terrible mistake. I went to Knowhere the night before our departure to Asgard. I used the Tesseract. I told the Collector of what was to come, and helped him structure a copy similar to the one I had for the cube. He was to give that to you, or us, when we arrived. Tivan was supposed to believe I was on his side, and then I'd return afterwards and take the Aether from him myself."

"He knew we were coming," you whispered in understanding.

Loki nodded.

"I didn't know he was after more stones. I hardly believed he knew what he truly possessed. He'd seen me with the Tesseract. He must have hoped we'd return with it. He set the trap, he planned his escape...all because I gave him the tip that we were coming."

You rubbed your forehead, sighing in frustration and shock at what you were being told.

"So when did you change your mind? Or did it happen casually enough that you never really knew when your instinct to really help us took over?"

"It was that night at the dance. I was already fighting guilt at having led you into a battle, though I argued constantly that I didn't care about you or the others. It was no use though. I found myself asking that whole thing about friends while we danced. Everything changed after you said yes. Next came my apology, and from there I knew I was in it for good. That, for better or worse, I'd for once just sit and see how things played out without me trying to pull all of the strings. I'd work on protecting you."

"For me it was the night you apologized. That was the beginning of my full trust in you. You were so sincere that all doubts or suspicions I subconsciously had were gone."

"Probably because mine were gone as well."

"Hey, getting to that point within our first two weeks of knowing each other isn't bad."

"Though time proved it worked."

"That's what I told your dad," you smiled.

"You spoke to my father about this?" he asked, surprised by that information.

"Oh...we uh, we talked a bit about how it went my first few weeks here. So us becoming friends was just brought up," you said, realizing your big mouth had given it away that you and Odin had talked about him.

"I see. Well where I came to in the end doesn't matter. I waited until it was too late to make my decision, and in doing so I lost the reality stone. I'm sorry."

"That was a while ago," you reassured him, "Do I think you were a moron? Absolutely. Am I kinda angry you did it? Also absolutely. But what was it you said? You weren't going to let something so trivial ruin what we have?"

"I'm afraid this action is a little more severe than a hidden phone."

"We're comparing secrets here, not necessarily the actions. Besides, you technically screwed up before we were friends. Soooo, it'd be stupid of me to hold your past against you when I've gotten over an attack on New York, right?" you gave him a nudge.

"You forgive me that easily?" he smirked, seemingly waiting for the catch.

"Who would I be if I let you off so easily?" you smirked right back, "Seriously though, thanks for telling me. Had you kept this to yourself, I'd have understood too. But I get what you mean about how there are some things we should tell. I should have told you about Zemo. After the worry you and everyone went through while I was gone, and the promise I made, you deserved to know. I'm really really sorry."

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Well, I think we've all reached a good place," you said jokingly, standing up, "Got some things off our chest ya know, had a nice little heart to heart there."

"Those seem to be growing increasingly common between us," he noted.

"Yeah...I'm not sure how I like it," you cringed.

"Far too sentimental."

"Yup, exactly," you nodded, though unable to keep from smiling.

"I suppose you think they have their benefits?" he accused.

"As do you."

"Pfft, all that emotion? Please."

"I have to go," you laughed, "Happy will be cranky if I'm not ready on time."

"From what I hear, the man rarely lives up to his name."

Loki walked down with you, saying goodbye at the elevators as you left for the parking lot.

"You're late," Happy said, opening the door for you.

"By like a minute."

"A minute could be the difference between a red light and a green one, which could be the difference in traffic, which could wind up an hour delay."

"Or it could just be a minute?" you smiled.

"Just get in the car."

"So," you started when you'd been driving for ten silent minutes, "You and Peter getting along more?"

"I'm sure you knew that with your all-seeing powers."

"Yeah, I knew you guys grew close...in more ways than friends."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he looked at you in the mirror.

"Nothing, just that you grow close with the family."

That seemed to satisfy him.

"How's Aunt May?"

"What?" he asked quickly, "Oh, she--she's good, yeah I mean, from what I've seen. She's really good."

"Good," you smiled to yourself, looking out the window at the city.

There were a few seconds of silence.

"In the future do I---"

"Can't spoil your future, Happy," you cut him off.

"You've spoiled a lot of others!"

"Because I had to. But your life isn't filled with drastic events, so I don't want to accidentally ruin any of the good stuff."

"So there's good stuff?"

"How sad do you think your future is that there's no good stuff?"

"Look at my life right now, I'm driving you around for a living."

"I thought you told Peter all that stuff about how much this job means to you?"

"Did he tell you that??"

"No, movies."

Peter had, in fact, told you also.

Happy talked a bit with you on and off, but it was a relatively quiet ride.

"Hii!" Aunt May greeted when you opened the door, taking your hand in hers.

"Hi! Oh my gosh, you're...you're Aunt May!"

"That's me," she laughed.

"Yeah that's her," Happy added, laughing behind you.

"Oh, hi Happy," May smiled.

"Hi," he said, smiling a little too eagerly.

Man's head over heels for her already.

"Thanks for bringing her."

"Oh of course, it was nothing," he shrugged, still chuckling nervously, "That's my job! It's what I love!"

You raised your eyebrows at that but said nothing.

Peter came hurrying to the door, sliding to a stop.

"Hey!" he smiled to you.

"Hey!"

"Uh, hey Happy," Peter waved.

"Hi Peter."

"Uh, Ned's uh, he's waiting in my room if you wanna come meet him?"

"I'm kinda freaking out over Aunt May, I don't how I'll be able to handle this but yes!"

"Oh stop," May laughed off the flattery, "I'm just an aunt, he's the little super hero," she tussled Peter's hair, with him fighting her hand away adorably, "Even if he didn't tell me."

"May, come on, you know I---"

"I know, I'm teasing. I'm only slightly betrayed still," she smiled.

"Can we work on getting that down?" Peter smiled back.

"I'll think about it," she joked, "Now go see Ned!" she waved you away.

"Oh, what time do you want me to get her?" Happy asked.

"I don't have a time. What do you think?" she asked him.

"Ten?"

"Does ten work?" May turned to Peter.

"I mean, if Happy has to get back sure. But the Lego set will take a while, and we'll probably be talking a lot, sooo," he looked hopefully to Happy.

"Happy told Aunt May how much he loves this job," you said, "So you wouldn't mind 11, would you Happy?" you asked genuinely, though he knew what you were doing.

His eyes narrowed briefly at you, before smiling it off for May.

"Of coourse," he forced a content tone, "11 sounds great. You kids have fun now," he waved, catching your eye and frowning just before May closed the door.

"Cool uh, let's go, I'll show you my room," he led you across the apartment.

He hesitated before opening the door.

"Just...be ready if he freaks out," he said quietly, "Or talks a lot. He can do that when he gets excited."

"So do the both of us."

"True," he chuckled, "Ok, ready?"

You nodded.

The door opened, and you and Peter walked in the room. Ned stood up from the bed, mouth dropping into a awed expression that slowly morphed into a wide grin.

"Hi," he waved a little wave, "You're from the future." He was practically whispering.

"Yeah, and you're from a movie!" you squealed.

"So cool," he continued in his mesmerized manner.

"It's uh, it's nice to meet you, Ned."

"You too Wren! I can call you that, right? I have so many questions! First, did the portal feel weird when you went through it? What color was it? Did you gain any super powers from it? Cuz everyone gets there powers from exposure to weird things. Do we have another movie? Am I in it? Do I get to keep being his guy in the chair?"

"Peter didn't fill you in on a lot I guess."

"What I could, but there's a ton," Peter defended.

You, Ned and Peter sat down to chat and build some Legos.

Ned was as fun as anyone could have imagined. He was hilariously dopey most of the time, and super easy to talk to. Aunt May ordered pizza, the four of you eating together. May played hostess like you weren't from another reality, asking normal parental small-talk questions about you and your life. The three of you had so much fun laughing and hanging out with each other that the Falcon never got finished before Happy arrived to take you home.

"Will we get to see you again?" Ned asked, "Because other than Peter being Spider-Man, this is the single coolest thing to happen to me."

"I hope we can! Meeting you is absolutely insane!"

"You can come over any time you want," May assured you, and Ned pumped a fist victoriously.

"We don't want to have to keep bothering you this late though," Happy said, "Speaking of, will you look at the time? Let's let them go, ok," he led you out of the room, "Bye! Yeah, have a good night," he said to the others as the door closed. "Alright, nice job getting to stay later, and get invited back," he growled.

"Hey, the more I come here, the more you have to drop me off."

"So?" he said, though you saw the look on his face.

"I just think Aunt May will really appreciate your help in getting me to and from."

Happy stopped, eyes now narrowed heavily.

"I see what you're doing," he said.

"And?"

He continued the stare for a few more seconds.

"Ugh, it's working," he sighed, continuing forward.

***

You woke up the next morning with excitement coursing through you. Today was the day you destroy the mind stone. You'd asked to accompany the group going to Wakanda, and Tony had granted your request. Dressing swiftly, you hurried to the elevators and down the hall to the kitchen.

Walking in, you knew something was wrong immediately.

"What?" you asked those that were present.

Tony looked to Steve, not knowing who should be the one to speak.

"We finally heard from Shuri," Cap said, "T'Chaka's dead."

Your mouth dropped.

"Shit, how???"

"He was murdered," Nat answered.

"By his lovely little nephew," Tony added.

"Wait, Killmonger killed him??"

"Apparently, that's what's kept Shuri busy lately," Tony explained, "Wakanda's been going through a lot, to put it lightly. The king was killed a little over a week ago."

"How? How did he do it? What happened after?"

From the bits they were told from Shuri and T'Challa, the Black Panther movie had essentially played out. T'Chaka had attempted to make things right with his nephew, but it turned south. A battle for the throne ensued, much as it did in the film. One discrepancy involved Killmonger's fate. He was still alive. T'Challa had had the chance to kill him, to avenger his father, but he chose to spare him.

"I take it the surgery's off for now?" you said when everything was told.

"Yeah, at least for a bit longer," Bruce replied, "They've suffered a lot."

You nodded, thinking of how ill-timed this turn of events was.

Maybe it's not a coincidence? 

"You alright kiddo?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," you lied.

"We know you knew him from the films," Steve said gently, "Are you sure you're good?"

"Really, I'm fine," you smiled, "It just sucks for them. And it sucks we can't get the stone out today."

"I know, but we'll give them some time to mourn, and then we'll be right back at it," Tony patted your shoulder, "Everything will work out."

You'd thought that since the day you'd arrived here. You'd fought to hold onto that despite what Dr. Strange had warned. You'd been bursting with that hope from the moment you woke up that morning. Now, you weren't so sure.

Chapter 46: (Chapter 45): Fate

Notes:

I'm leaving for Disney World on Friday, so I worked overtime to get this chapter done before. I'll be gone for ten days, so I wanted to give you a longer one than usual to make up for it. I think it turned out to be my longest chapter. I hope you enjoy, and I'll be back at it when I return!

It had been three days since the news of T'Chaka's death and still no date had been appointed for Vis's surgery. With every day that passed, your worry grew. There was no logical reason for you to be fearful, yet you were all the same.

There's absolutely nothing threatening us right now. We have the majority of the stones. Strange will destroy the power stone and in a short time we'll have the mind stone out. You're freaking out for nothing.

Strange's pessimistic approach to the situation had messed with your head. However, you couldn't tell if it was truly pessimism or realism. The panic inside you was threatening to burst at any second, and you felt the need to tell someone. But there was something about saying it out loud that made it feel possible, so you didn't know how or what to tell anyone. There really wasn't anything to tell besides your own apprehensions. What was the point of going to Tony or Steve just to be like "Hey, I'm worried we're all gonna fail." What a cheery and motivational thing to inspire your heroes with.

Loki was a natural outlet to vent your emotions, but it was the same problem with him. How do you go up to your friend and tell them you're afraid the universe will correct itself and that means he could inevitably die? What even was the point? If the future was going to crash on you, could you do anything to stop it? Every person in the building was full of grit and optimism anyway, so your words would do little to sway their current course. There was nowhere to sway either way. For better or worse, you had to continue to do what you were doing. There was nothing new to be done, so the unhelpful concerns of your paranoid mind was the last addition you needed to the scenario.

You had thought of going into detail about the time-travel mission, just in case worst came to worst. You'd summarized the events of Endgame and Infinity War, but that didn't mean the team knew the exact details or would know what to do when the time came. It was like summarizing a movie to someone. You can tell them all the things that happen, but you don't go frame by frame and explain exactly how everything happens. What if Thanos came and you didn't survive the battle? What if you weren't around to guide them through time-travel and warn them of how things would go? Of the things that could go wrong? Like Thanos getting his hands on Nebula? Not that Nebula would even be involved, but if your worries were warranted, then she could very well come in as she was meant to. 

You'd described Tony's death, but not things leading up to it. Not your frustrations on how someone else like Captain Marvel could have snapped, or any other alternative ways it could have ended. Could Dr. Strange have used the time stone and reversed the damage on Tony? Was that even possible? He reversed the decay of an apple, but did the stones extract a higher price that couldn't be reversed? There were so many things to contemplate and plan for if those situations ever arose again.

You'd mentioned things like Peter getting dusted and Tony getting stabbed, but you'd never explained shot by shot what happens. Such as, how and why Tony and Strange end up in space. Now that you thought about it, had you ever mentioned the fact that they fought him on Titan? You'd covered what happens to everyone, but you'd always told more about the outcomes rather than the scenery or technicalities. Infinity War and Endgame were such a touchy subject, you'd never sat down and said, "Hey, let's all talk about how you get stabbed Tony and then you drift in space for 20 something days, etc, etc." You'd only described great details when there was a competition for whose death was most dramatic or other such debates.

You were not going to let events play out like the movies. You swore to yourself.

"Friday?" you said absent-mindedly from where you laid limply on your bed, lost in these thoughts.

"Yes, Wren?"

"If Tony ever tries to take all of the infinity stones in an epic battle against Thanos and his space army, please like...I don't know, detach the glove on his hand or something? Tell him to fly away or something and get it to Captain Marvel?"

"I'm not sure I can act against the commands of the Boss when in the heat of battle Ma'am," she said, sounding amused.

"Yeah I know," you sighed, "Just some food for thought if you ever wanna take matters into your own hands."

"I'll be sure to consider it," she said in the same tone.

"Where is he right now? I want to talk to him," you said, making up your mind that you should give him some specifics about Infinity War and Endgame. So if things ever start playing out the same then he can spot it right away. What good that would do him was anyone's guess, but you had to get it out of your system.

"Where he always is when he's here."

"Thanks," you said, heading out of the room.

True to Friday's word, you found Tony in his lab.

"Shouldn't you be off doing Tony Stark stuff? You've been spending a lot of time in the compound lately," you said, dancing through holographic displays and schematics that filled the air. It was always the coolest sight, and one you hadn't quite gotten used to.

"You know you can walk through them?" he asked as you ducked under one and grabbed a seat in an open chair.

"Still so weird," you answered, reaching your hand out to swipe through a suit image on your right.

"You and Cap," he muttered, tinkering with something in his hand.

"What's that?"

"This," he said, finishing his last touch on the device and standing upright, "Is what I've been spending a lot of time here for."

"You have your own lab at your place, right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to do it here."

"You're keeping it from Pepper aren't you?"

He gave you a look.

"Fine, know-it-all, I'm keeping it from Pepper."

"So what is it that's so secretive?" you smiled.

"With the surgery and all, you know I don't need this," he tapped the arc reactor on his chest, "Pepper knows we have one last big fight in us, but that doesn't mean she's fond of my continued heroic efforts."

"She knows you definitely can't retire until Thanos, right?"

"Yeah, she does. But I still try to keep hero stuff on the sideline for her sake. Besides...you know me as well as she does. You know I never want to stop. Even if Thanos weren't coming, I'm not so sure I'd have been able to give it up just yet."

"So what's this got to do with what's in your hand?"

"Right," he said, stepping back a bit from the table while holding the trinket in the palm of his hand. Whatever it was, it was small enough that you couldn't make it out.

"Friday. Let it fly."

From the palm of his hand grew the red and gold armor, slowly forming it's way around him in a sleek fashion. Soon he stood in his full suit. The one from Infinity War.

"Wow," you said, standing to get a better look at the epic display.

"You like it?" he asked, helmet retracting completely, "Nanotech. Pretty cool right?"

"Yeah," you said, openly smiling at the suit, "How long have you had this?"

"I've tested a few prototypes, but it's done for the most part. I was just tweaking it a bit. With this tech, I can have suits ready to go and literally built into my arc reactor or clothes or anything. Small and light, and able to move and replace damaged parts. You see this in your films at all? I assume you did," he snickered, "Which is why you're not as dumbfounded as you should be."

"Oh, yeah it's--it's in the movies. I just didn't know you develop it this early," you said, hoping you didn't seem as worried as you felt.

"Maybe you've pushed us ahead of the game," he said lightheartedly, retracting the suit.

He put the device back on the table, before turning and skimming through some data.

"Hey Tony," you said hesitantly, fiddling with the corner of the table as you did.

"What's up?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he swiped down the projection.

"I was wondering if I could---"

His watch started beeping then, and he cursed as he shut off the alarm.

"Shit, I knew ignoring the first alarm was a problem," he grumbled, quickly closing his work.

"That's why I set another one," Friday answered.

"You're a life saver, Friday," he said, heading for the door.

"Where're you going?"

"Sorry kid, I've got to run! I've got something, uh, big," he said, pushing open the door.

"What is it?"

"You'll see!" he called back, already around the corner.

Great, you sighed mentally, leaving the lab feeling worse than when you'd entered.

The next candidate was Steve. You looked at the clock, knowing this was the time you'd usually find him reading or sketching. You and Loki often joined him on occasion. Since it was warm now, he'd moved his location onto the patio area in the courtyard.

"Hey," you said, stepping across the stone walkway to his table.

"Hi," he smiled up from his book, "No book today?"

"Nah, not today."

"I'd read you some of mine, but you'd probably fall asleep," he joked, knowing you and Sam mocked his old man choice of reading.

"I'm just surprised it's not War and Peace," you said, looking at the cover.

"That's my next one."

"Ah got it," you nodded, chuckling with him.

"What do you need?" Cap asked helpfully, closing his book.

"I never said I need anything."

"You have the look in your eyes. Been around you long enough to know."

"I...I want to go over some things about Endgame. And not just "this and that happens", I want to give you some details of how you guys succeed on the timetravel stuff."

"This about T'Chaka's death?"

"It's just a precaution. If he still died, there are clearly things I can't control. Why not make sure we're ready if we need time travel?"

Steve thought for a second before nodding.

"What should we know?"

"I made the mistake before of picking and choosing what I thought was important, so I'll just give every detail."

You told him about Tony and Nebula drifting in space, Captain Marvel going to get them, killing Thanos but it being too late, Tony solving the time travel problem, each mission and what goes wrong in them, and the final battle against Thanos. You left out the part where Cap lifts Mjolnir...best not to spoil the moment.

"So yeah, we're good. That's about it," you said, breathing easier now that you had it all out there.

"Wren...do you need to talk about anything else?" Steve asked, those wise eyes of his seeing right through you.

"Just hoping we don't ever need that info," you said.

"We won't," he assured you, and hearing it from Cap did a great deal to calm your nerves.

You and Steve hung together outside for a while more, conversing with him doing a lot to make you relax.

Tony was correct in saying you'd see what the "something big" was. You were kicking Loki and Steve's butts at MarioKart that evening, with most of the others either in the living room with you or in the kitchen, when Rhodey rushed in the room.

"Turn on the news!" he said eagerly, rushing for the remote and shutting off your game.

"What did you just do?" Loki asked in annoyance.

"Turn me into a worm later," Rhodey answered, changing the channel.

Everyone gathered around as the broadcast displayed the exciting announcement. Tony and Pepper were engaged.

"Aw yes, a wedding!" Yelena exclaimed, tapping Nat's arm excitedly, "I've never been to a wedding. Well, not one where I was invited."

"And who said you'll be invited to this one?" Sam asked.

"Tony already likes me better than you, worry about your own invitation, Wilson."

"I can't believe he finally did it," Wanda smiled.

"I can," Steve said, looking just as happy as Tony looked on the TV.

"He didn't even tell me he was proposing," Rhodey shook his head.

"We all know who the best man will be though," you nudged his arm.

"It's going to be one hell of a celebration," Vision said contently, showing off his increasingly normal speech.

"If you think my brother drinks a lot when here, just wait until he's at a wedding," Loki warned, "Stark had best find a steady supplier."

"Aw I can't wait to tell Thor!" you said, "And Clint."

Clint had flown back home the day Vis's surgery had been post-poned. He'd happened to be at the compound when the mission earlier that week had occurred, but he still spent most of his time with his family, visiting every now and again.

"He's watching right now," Nat said, looking at her phone.

"Barton answers your texts?" Yelena asked, peering over Nat's shoulders, "That's mean, he never answers mine."

"You also wrestle him for no obvious reasons," Nat explained.

"There are reasons," she argued, "Very good reasons...that I'd give if I wanted to. But I don't, so I won't."

"Did anyone hear a date mentioned?" Wanda asked.

"No, they said it hasn't been set," Steve answered.

"Now that they're getting married, do you think other couples will do the same here?" Korg asked, "Bruce, Ms. Natasha, how about you guys?"

"I--I uh, I don't think just because Tony's ready that everyone else would be," Bruce chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, we're not ready to get married," Nat laughed too, looking to Bruce.

"Yeah no, of course not," he shook his head.

"See? Let's just, just let Tony have his moment," Nat said, changing the subject.

"You're not ready to be my brother-in-law?" Yelena asked, throwing her arm over his shoulders, "I know I'm protective of Nat, and my standards are high, but you don't have to be afraid to ask my blessing for her hand in marriage."

"Thanks, Yelena," he nodded uncomfortably.

"Look at all of the brothers you've given me, Nat," Yelena joked, patting Bruce's arm.

"Please tell me you only mean Bruce and Clint?" Sam said.

"You're the annoying distant cousin no one wants around, but we all have to tolerate," Yelena assured him.

"I'll take it," he shrugged.

"Friends, I have some unfortunate news," Thor's voice called from behind, and you turned to find him storming into the room.

"We just had some great news, so it seems 'bout right for our luck," Rhodey groaned.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"The power stone has been taken."

Your gut dropped at his words. While the others were shocked or upset by the news, they weren't plagued with your trepidations that skyrocketed at the information.

"How?" Wanda asked.

"It was taken by some of our own. Guards of Asgard."

"You let them take it?" Loki said angrily.

"We weren't aware of their treachery until it was too late. They attacked Heimdall and used the bifrost to escape."

"Why'd they take it?" Sam asked.

"One guard stayed behind to man the bifrost. When approached he...wasn't in his right mind. Our healers have discovered small traces of the Aether filling his head. They're working to extract it as we speak, but for now he hasn't spoken."

"How the hell did they get the Aether in them?" Nat asked.

"Wait, the Aether is that red stone?" Yelena asked, and you nodded, "Ok, good, just trying to follow."

"It's more like a sludge than a stone, so I'm not sure we can call it that," Thor clarified.

"Thor, how did it happen?" Steve asked again.

"We don't know. But we can guess it was when they were off world, helping with the relocation of Sakaarians. Our men were on many different planets throughout that time, which spanned weeks."

"So we don't know when or where it coulda happened," Rhodey summarized.

"We do know the man behind it," Vision said.

"Seems the Collector's still got his mind set on getting the stones," Bruce nodded.

You glanced to Loki, seeing the guilt and anger you knew would be there.

"What are we gonna do?" you asked, "That man's bonkers enough with the reality stone, he could go crazy with the power stone. He can't control it."

"We found an earpiece with the man, a way of communicating with his enslaver," Thor explained, "Rocket is working on tracing the signal to it's designation."

"So we could have the power and reality stone located," Nat said hopefully.

"Exactly," Thor grinned optimistically, "The Collector may think he's clever, but not enough to hide from us. He's given himself away, and we're going to make him regret laying a finger on an Asgardian."

"Why didn't they take the Tesseract too?" Vision asked.

"It wasn't there for them to take. My Father and I agreed it wasn't the safest play to have two stones so close to one another. We'd recently removed the cube. Fortune favored us, it would seem."

"So another space mission?" you raised your eyebrows, "Should we tell Tony then?"

"No, I'm afraid all of you should remain here," Thor said.

"What?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Thor, you're going to need all of the help you can get," Steve said, "You've seen what he can do, who he can control."

"The Power Stone can disintegrate beings, it can destroy a planet with just a touch. You mortals wouldn't stand a chance if it's power is somehow turned against you."

"And you will stand a chance?" Wanda asked doubtfully.

"I have the best chance."

"Still, you really think going in alone is the smart play?" Nat questioned, looking worried for the God of Thunder.

"He won't be alone," Loki said, turning everyone's head, "I'll be with him."

Thor smiled at his brother, the two of them locking eyes.

Surprisingly, no one made a joke about how Loki going made it more dangerous.

"Two of you against a potential army?" Rhodey asked, "That man could have countless brainwashed goons."

"We've fought greater odds," Loki assured him.

"And none of them could ever defeat the sons of Odin," Thor added.

"I'm sure Brunnhilde would love a fight, maybe you could bring her too? Just for some more backup?" you suggested.

"Who's Brunnhilde?" Sam asked.

"Valkyrie," Wanda answered.

"I thought Valkyrie was her name?"

"It's actually just the group of warriors she belonged to," Vision explained.

"I'll ask her to join," Thor stated, "With any luck we'll have both the Aether and power stone in our possession by the end of the week."

You thought of the look on Strange's face if he came for the stone and it wasn't returned yet. You were going to hate the cocky expression as he only further warned you of the foreboding nature of current events.

"Miek and I would be happy to help you, Thor, if you needed it?" Korg offered.

"Thank you my friends," Thor smiled to his pals, "But I'm afraid you too would be at risk."

"How's Heimdall?" you asked, suddenly realizing he said he'd been attacked.

Thor's face grew angry.

"He's alive, but hurt. He'll be in the hospital until further notice."

"How long until Rocket has a position on the source?" Steve asked.

"He says he could have it done in no time, hour at most," Thor said, "That was already some time ago, as I didn't leave right away to inform you."

"We should be off soon then," Loki said gravely.

"Yes, we have some time to spare, but we should head up momentarily," Thor agreed.

"Let's get you something to eat," Wanda said, taking Thor's arm, "Or drink? How does a beer sound?"

She noticed what the rest should have, that Thor looked worried and tired. It must have been a long day on Asgard, and his friend had been injured.

"I never turn down a beer," he laughed, taking the seat offered to him by Maximoff.

While the others chose to mingle with Thor, Loki slipped out. He adjourned to another room, where you naturally followed.

"Hey," you said as he stared into space.

His eyes flickered to you and he gave you the briefest of smiles.

"Hi."

You stood there, not knowing what to say. Well, you knew what you wanted to say. You wanted to rant all of your fears to him. To let out the internal scream that had reached a peak in the last few minutes of terrible news. But he looked far too unhappy as it was.

"Listen, I know what you're gonna think and---"

"That its my fault? Quite right," he said dejectedly, taking a seat on the small couch nearby.

"Is me saying it isn't your fault gonna do anything?"

His look answered for him.

"You didn't plan for something like this to---"

"No, but when do I ever plan for the horrible outcomes that result from my actions? Besides when it's horrible outcomes I'm actually seeking? I make things worse, that's my function. Gods, I hate caring," he groaned, putting his face in his hands, "Everything is so much easier when you don't give a damn."

Despite how somber he sounded, you chuckled at his words, causing a small grin to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"It really was," he laughed, leaning back on the couch.

"I know," you said, taking the seat next to him.

"You know it's my fault," he said after a few seconds of silence, "Whether intentional or not, you know that, fundamentally, this would not have been possible without me."

"The Collector could have escaped with or without you tipping him off."

"Darling," he gave you a knowing look, "Theories and what ifs aside...from the cold hard truths we have...I caused this."

"Yeah," you said softly, nodding down at your hands.

"Wow you're not even going to defend me?" he joked, and you shoved his shoulder.

"But so what if it was your fault? Ultron was Tony's fault, and he destroyed an entire city. He was trying for the world! Heroes make mistakes, especially in their early days when they're not quite sure what they're doing."

"I knew what I was doing."

"Yes, but you were already struggling with wanting to do the right thing. As a last resort, and attempt to deny it, you did a really stupid and assholeish thing. But that was then, and now is now. So get over it."

"Never one for sensitivity are you?" he smirked.

"Easier to let it burn," you smiled back.

"Using my own lines against me? What have Stark and I said about that?"

"How is it that you remember every line from every memory I showed you? It's not fair. And you technically haven't said it yet in this world, so it doesn't count."

"When will you learn I have a phenomenal memory? And it counts if I say it does, so watch yourself," he teased.

"Or what?" you laughed back.

"There are many trees I could find to house you until I return, and plenty snakes to keep you company."

"Would me being tied to a tree give you motivation to stay away longer or finish quicker?"

"Which do you want to hear? Desperate for me to come back so quickly are we?"

"I...I just...look, Loki, I don't like any of this," you blurted out, "T'Chaka's death, Vision's surgery getting post-poned, and now the power stone's gone? Strange warned me that the future catching up to us could be a result of me trying to change things."

"You think the events of the future are correcting themselves? Happening regardless of intervention?"

"I don't know, but now I can't stop freaking out that it is! And it's like the second Strange mentioned it everything started happening to prove  his point."

"Or you simply are seeing every setback as a bad omen now that he's suggested as much?"

"But that's just it, this has been happening for a while now, I just never paid attention! First there's the quoting. There have been a lot of times when people have said things they say in the future."

"Coincidence because it's the way they speak."

"Maybe. But I went through everything that's happened that would line up with something in the future. Miek losing his limbs? Happens in Ragnarok. Bucky getting controlled by Zemo? Civil War. Wanda and Vision professing love this early? Literally, I don't think that was supposed to happen for another year but I don't know. Even the way Vis has evolved is early. Civil War happens in 2016, yet he's acting like Infinity War Vision. T'Chaka's death? Civil War. T'Challa even almost avenged his father but chose to spare the killer! Guess where else he's done that? Civil War! Not to mention that I thought I was doing a fine thing by moving stuff along, but I couldn't see the warning behind it. Bruce has learned to control the Hulk, to be one and the same. He's not supposed to do that til Endgame, but I gave him the idea to try earlier. Dr. Strange was released in 2016 but his journey is a long one. I have no idea when he was supposed to get to where he is now, but that could be early too! And earlier today Tony showed me his new suit, the one he's not supposed to have until Infinity War! And how many times has Vision's surgery been delayed? Yes, we wanted to take our time, get it right, but every time we've been close to ready, something pushes it back. Another concern, or me getting kidnapped! And now the convenient timing of T'Chaka's death? And Black Panther essentially happening despite me giving them information to prevent it?"

"Darling, a lot of what you said in there is good. Wanda and Vision, Banner's Hulk problem, T'Challa sparing someone's life, though I'd have taken it in a heartbeat, and even Stark's new suit. You also can't confirm some timeline suspicions, so possibly none of what you think is early is actually early."

"But what if it all is? And what about all the other coincidences that did happen?"

"Some things may be bound to happen, no matter the situation."

"Exactly!"

"Not on the scale you're implying. I meant like Barnes getting controlled, or the bug losing his limbs. These are things that could have happened in their lifetime no matter the scenario. There was always the chance of Miek getting injured in any fight he engaged in."

"But just what if? What if it's true?"

"Let's reverse your line of thinking and focus on what hasn't turned out the same. Asgard still stands. Thor never lost his hammer. Odin is alive. Rogers and Stark never had a falling out, not on a detrimental scale. Zemo never ended up in a prison, even if he should have. The Avengers are not split, Rumlow never caused the problems he was meant to cause. Hell, I'm living with heroes! Working with them! Do you not see all that's been accomplished?"

"What if the future is...selective?"

"Selective?" he repeated like it was the dumbest thing he'd heard.

"Yes, selective. What if it's correcting what little it can, even if I've stopped the major events. And with Thanos out there, Infinity War and Endgame are never stopped! Those movies are still fair game if the future wants to fit things to its narrative."

"You speak as if future is a person," he chuckled.

"I wish it was, so I could blow it's head off before it ruins everything."

"Listen to me," he placed a hand on your arm, looking you in the eyes, "You're afraid. And it's justified. We don't know what the future holds. We never did, from the day we chose to change things. From there, events branch into scenarios for which we can never predict the outcome. But to focus on the few things that went the same way? Rather than look at the good? There are reasons to worry about the setbacks, but only because of the unknown outcomes the future holds...not because great forces of the universe are conspiring against us."

"When did you become so optimistic? Shouldn't our roles be reversed here? You're the kind of person that would totally think the universe is out to get him."

"Once, yes. But maybe your sunshine and rainbows attitude has infected me," he smirked, "But if you're beginning to lose hope, then I certainly have to fill your shoes. Because you're the reason for all of this. Your belief in a different future and your determination to see it through. If you lose hope, what chance do the rest of us have in believing?"

"I'm just so scared," you confessed. It was rare of you to ever let down the notion that you had everything under control. You fought down emotions you didn't want seen. But now you couldn't. Not with Loki. "It's the thought of losing that's killing me. It's terrifying. Seeing you guys die on screen was hard enough, but how could I handle it if I saw it happen? If people I now knew died? You don't see a whole lot of death in your normal life, if you're lucky, so I don't even know how I'd cope with death on that scale. To lose so many. Loki, what if you still died? I know, that's sick to say, but you know that's my real problem here! I can't have you, Tony, Nat, and Vis still die. I've never been so internally scared by something. I've never had to worry about loved ones dying like this."

"In my life...Thor and I were no strangers to battles. We fought together. We won together. But when you're raised with a familiarity to fighting, you often take it for granted how close to death you constantly are. Any battle could have been our last. I could have watched Thor be carried home to a funeral, something I assure you would have devastated me before all of...well, you know. The point is, there would be a time or two when it would hit me how frequently we brushed death, only to come out unscathed and unfazed by the possibility of our demise. Losing was simply never a thought. So when it was, I'd be filled with this unspeakable fear. It was an unfamiliar feeling. How does one go from a life of confidence, where battles are a natural and expected thing, to suddenly realizing their own mortality? Talk about a struggle to cope," he laughed lightheartedly. "But I learned to push those fears aside, and so will you."

"How'd you do it?"

"Well, later in life it was best not to care about anyone," he said in such a Loki fashion. "I'm kidding," he said to your look, "I thought about how horrible Thor dying would be. Or even my own death scared me. And I realized that if these things were horrible enough should they ever happen, then why would I give them more weight then they already have? Why let them scare me now? Tragedy may strike someday, but it's already got a hold on you if you waste your life worrying about it."

"And when it does strike?"

Loki looked down, swallowing hard.

"There's no consolation. No relief. The pain fades in time, or more like hides. It's always there. But you move on. No amount of fretting could ever have prepared me for the feeling of loss...so I'm glad I lived my life worry free. Why make your whole life miserable when you know you'll have to deal with true grief some day?"

"I can't lose you guys. Not again. Not in real life."

"And you might not have to. But you'll undoubtedly face loss some day. Don't linger on the thought."

You nodded sadly. He took your hand in his, making you look up at him.

"Everything will be ok."

"You don't know that," you smirked, knowing Loki didn't normally lie to make people feel better.

"No. But I believe it."

You smiled gratefully to him.

"I should go," he stood up.

"Wait," you said, standing and hugging him, "Just figured I'd get it out in here instead of in front of the others."

"They are increasingly persistent on the matter of us aren't they?" he said as he returned the embrace.

"Yup," you pulled back, "But we love em still."

"You love them, Darling."

"Mmhmm," you hummed unconvincingly, "Just me."

He rolled his eyes, walking for the doorway.

You and Loki returned to the group, everyone following the brothers out the door to the lawn.

"Be careful please," you said to both of them, though you paused on Loki, who smiled back reassuringly.

"I promise you, we'll return with both stones," Thor said, "And tell Stark congratulations for me!" he added giddily.

Loki shook his head, though he was hiding a smile.

"Bring us up," Thor called to the skies, the bifrost dropping around them seconds later.

You tried spending the rest of the evening doing as Loki said and not worrying about the future, but it must be a skill that requires practice. Try as you might, nothing made you less queasy at the thought of someone around you dying, and nothing could stop those thoughts from flooding your mind.

You texted Zemo that night, wanting to get your mind off of the situation. You didn't have much time left to talk with him, as you were planning on telling the team the next time they were all together. The panic of the week had distracted you from doing so, but you knew you couldn't keep pushing it off. 

Is something bothering you tonight?

Zemo asked randomly.

No why?

 

We just spoke yesterday, yet you're reaching out again so soon.

You had talked to him the night before, also being the one to initiate that conversation as well. You had a lot on your mind, and talking with others was distracting.

Maybe I just wanted to talk again

Ah, so it's that bad?

Shut up

I'm technically not speaking at all.

You're the worst kind of
person u know that

So I've been told. Now what is the matter?

It's just been a long day

 

Long week actually

 

Avengers life finally exhausted you?

 

Something like that

Do not forget I am clever, Wren.

I know when someone
is being vague to avoid an answer.

wow you're so clever

I can hear the sarcasm.

no reeeaally ?

You're using your humor
to hide your feelings again.

We've talked about this.

And you're trying to be
my psychiatrist again

 

These aren't therapy sessions
with Dr. Zemo

 

Aren't they?

 

As much as they're therapy
sessions with Dr. Arlington

Precisely. So let me help you, as you often help me.

shit's just going down

 

I'm stressed about making
sure we stop Thanos

What kind of shit?

Just events coming to a head
that I hope we can get through

 

I understand you don't like going into detail with me, but I hope you get

 

through whatever it is.

 

I will

 

I'm just a drama queen

 

You? Never.

 

Thanks Zemo

For what?

Always making me laugh

 

I needed it

 

The day you stop laughing
will be a dark day.

 

Or a peaceful one for you guys

50% chance for each. Hopefully
we'll never have to find out which
It would be.

seriously tho

You and Zemo chatted a bit more before calling it a night. You'd been texting Peter at the same time, mainly discussing Tony's engagement. Before you went to bed he said that he had a field trip the next day that would get back a little later than school usually ends, but he and Ned were going to have a movie marathon at his place when they got back. They wanted to know if you were free to come.

You didn't exactly have a car in this world, and if Tony wasn't around you weren't sure if you'd have Happy. Maybe one of the others could drive you? Or, and this was a long shot, they'd let you drive one? You technically didn't have a license with you in this reality, but you did at home. You told Peter you'd get back to him in the morning, saying you hoped you could get there.

***

The next morning started out as normal a day as one could hope. You trained, you showered, and then you ate breakfast while Steve turned on the news. Everything was going smoothly. You were constantly thinking of Loki and Thor, telling yourself that they'd get the stones and be back soon. You weren't sure who was manning the bifrost with Heimdall out of commission, but with him away there were no eyes on the brothers, wherever they were. It had been less than 24 hours and you already wanted updates.

Being careful what you wished for was a lesson you learned real quick. The loud crash of the bifrost shook the room, and the blinding flash of colors landed right outside the window. The bifrost was never opened so near to the facility. Rushing outside with the others, it was clear why today had been the exception. 

There was Brunnhilde, bloodied and limping, trying to hobble her way inside.

"What the hell happened?" Sam asked, putting his shoulder under her arm on one side while Steve did the same on the other.

"It was a trap. Everything. The Aether, the power stone, it was a setup," she said through grunts of pain.

"Get her on the couch!" Bruce ordered as you rushed into the kitchen.

He ran off to grab medical supplies, quickly setting up station next to her while you all crowded around. There was a sizeable gash on her head that was pouring blood down the side of her face.

"What the hell is strong enough to get her so badly?" you muttered, exchanging worried looks with Rhodey next to you.

"It's not as deep as I thought," Bruce said, blotting the wound.

"I'm fine, really," she complained.

"No, you're not," he fought back, noticing the cuts on her arm, "You were limping as well, and, based on the direction your foot is facing, I'd say it's broken."

"Oh my God," Wanda gasped upon seeing the angle of her foot.

"It's not that bad. I walked, didn't I?"

"You woulda been crawling if we hadn't gotten out there," Sam argued.

"What happened up there?" Nat asked.

"We never stood a chance, not with him having the power stone."

"The Collector used the power stone?" Steve asked.

"No," she shook her head worriedly, "Thanos."

A name had never spiked your heart rate so suddenly. Until now, mentioning him was still like talking about a fictional character. He was this guy you knew would be real one day, but that day had always seemed so far away. Hearing someone say his name, in the context of having just escaped him, was chilling.

"W-wait wait wait," you said nervously, "That's not right."

"Tell that to him," she groaned back.

"Walk us through what happened," Steve said in a much calmer fashion than you, though his eyes held the same fear.

"It took the furball longer than anticipated to trace the signal to its source, but we found it. The target was outside of Asgardian jurisdiction, however, so Thor used the cube. Knowing the Collector was after the stone, he entrusted Loki with it. To hide it with his magic."

"I see where this goes wrong," Rhodey said, but Brunnhilde shook her head and you elbowed him.

"Loki didn't betray us. He was as much in the dark."

"Where was Thanos?" Nat asked.

"Waiting. In a building we thought was merely the Collector's newest warehouse of toys. Tivan was already dead by the time we arrived. Thanos had gotten him, long before any of this."

"He was pulling the strings on the Asgardian soldiers," Vision said.

The Valkyrie nodded, cringing as Bruce dabbed some liquid on the wound.

"Why did he wait til now to take the stone?" Sam asked, "It's been months since the relocation was finished, those soldiers have been under his thumb all this time."

"I don't know, but there were a dozen or more Asgardians warped into his service. I can assume he kept them around to learn why gods and a group of humans were interested in infinity stones."

"They could have spied on us the whole time," you said, "We talked openly to each other about plans, I even spoke to Gamora about her death! How much could he have heard?"

"Enough for him to think it was time to act," Steve answered.

"He had another stone, an orange one."

"Wait, that's the soul stone, right Wren?" Wanda asked.

"Gamora's still on Asgard, right?!" you asked, "Because he shouldn't have that, not without killing her."

"Well, he must have gotten someone else to make the sacrifice, because shouldn't have is irrelevant," she said irritably.

"He could have had someone else do his dirty work," Nat agreed.

"But how did he learn the location without getting it from Gamora?" you continued, not that puzzling over the fact was going to change anything. Deny what you may, the truth stayed the same.

"Did you guys ever talk about the place? By name?" Steve asked.

"Who, me and Gamora?"

Cap nodded.

"I...I-I don't remember, maybe? We talked a lot during my weeks there, and I know the subject came up now and then, but I don't know if I ever said it."

"Whether he found it out from someone else or from hearing Wren and Gamora, Thanos now has three stones guys," Bruce said, "That makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe."

"He might have four," Brunnhilde spoke up, "Loki had the Tesseract on him."

"Oh my God, Thor and Loki!" you exclaimed, noticing, for the first time, that their fates hadn't been mentioned.

"Where are they?" Rhodey asked.

Brunnhilde's face filled with regret and pain.

"I don't know," she answered weakly, "We were outmatched. Between the stones he had and the followers with him, I--we couldn't do anything. Thor told me to run, to get back to Asgard. To call the bifrost. We couldn't risk bringing Thanos into Asgard, or I would have tried taking them with me. Last I saw, they were holding them off so I could escape...again."

Her survivor's guilt from her fight against Hela must have been kicking in, for the two situations were very similar...Someone else taking the blow so she could live.

"Wait," you said shakily, your breathing quickening, "So it was those two against Thanos? Who was after the Tesseract they had?" The picture painted by this description was an all too familiar one.

"We don't know what happened," Wanda placed a hand on your arm. Everyone in the room knew of Loki's death. They knew the scene Valkyrie left was a near carbon copy of Infinity War.

You felt a pit forming in your stomach as your brain told you the only rational thing: Loki had died the way he was supposed to.

"Wren," Steve said, seeing the look on your face and shaking hands you were fighting to keep still, "Loki knew how he died. We can assume that put him a step ahead of Thanos. Just because some things have gone wrong, doesn't mean they're going the exact way you saw them on TV."

"But it does! I told Loki everything that's been happening is like the future is correcting itself! I never wanted to act paranoid, but there are too many things playing out the way they were supposed to but earlier than they should have! That's why I told you everything yesterday! I warned him, but I was too stupid to see the obvious next step. I mean, Thor and Loki going off together? To get the power stone that Thanos is supposed to have at the time he kills Loki??? How did I not see it?!!"

"Because you can't predict the future, Wren. We had no idea how things were going to go," Cap continued, staring firmly in your eyes.

"But I was supposed to! I've seen it all play out before! I should have known that Thor and Loki off together was going to lead to where it did!"

"You didn't know the purple freak had the stones," Yelena assured you, "Believe me, Wren, this is not your fault. And you may think Loki couldn't have made it out of there, but do we know the same God of Mischief? I for one will not settle for his death. Loki found a way out."

Denial was an escape from the worry. It was also impossibly hard to wrap one's head around the concept of losing someone. Had you really thought he was dead, you'd have been sobbing by now. Despite how rational your fear was, you nodded at Yelena, forcing yourself to believe he was alive.

He can't be dead. It's just not possible. He can't be dead.

"We need to move," Steve said, springing into action, "Rhodey, try to reach Tony. Nat, let Clint know what's going on. I'm going to contact T'Challa. We need to get that stone out now. Wanda, help Bruce take care of Brunnhilde, then get her back to Asgard."

"I'm not leaving now!" she stated rigidly.

"You'll heal faster with the help of your doctors," Cap countered, "We need you healthy."

She bit her lip, letting her head flop back in frustration, but she didn't argue.

"We need Captain Marvel now!" you said, "Fury needs to call her."

"Vis, could you reach him while I talk with T'Challa?" Steve asked.

"I'm on it," he glided off quickly.

"I'm getting the wings," Sam said, heading for the door.

"Wren, Yelena, use the transmission Rocket set up for us. Get a hold of the Guardians. We can use all of the help we can get."

You nodded, you and Yelena running off to another room to do as he said. The shaking and numbness you'd felt had been replaced with the buzz of adrenaline. Pushing all other thoughts from your mind, you focused on doing what you were told. You and Yelena worked as one, with the latter running to turn on the communications and you touching the displays immediately.

"Rocket? Rocket can you hear us? Come on, we really need you to answer!" you pleaded.

Instead of Rocket, Gamora's form materialized in front of you.

"Oh thank God, Gamora we need you guys down here! There's a lot to explain, but Thanos has three, if not four, stones! He's going to be coming for the last two."

"No," she shook her head, "He'll be waiting for them on Titan."

You didn't like the look in her eyes.

"I know that look," you said, "Please tell me you're not doing it!"

"You're going after him?" Yelena said in disbelief, "Have you ever watched a movie before or heard this girl talk about the future at all? Splitting up is bad rule number one!"

"Nebula called. She's been held, as you said she would be. She told me he has the soul stone...that he'd gone off to get the space stone...and that the power and reality were already his. Brunnhilde left word to put Asgard on full watch before she went down to you. Everything is in a frenzy...rumors that the princes are...dead."

She looked guiltily at her hands, before facing you again with determination in her eyes.

"It has to end. Nebula's asked us to meet her on Titan."

"Alone??? Are you guys insane?!"

"Would you be able to come if we asked?" she noted, knowing your predicament.

"No, but Thanos will come to us. We need you guys down here."

"My sister needs us. And it could be too late if we wait for him to attack earth with his forces."

"But I've seen this before, Gamora, it doesn't end well! Best case scenario he spares you guys, but you can't win!"

"I wasn't in the picture last time. And you told me yourself, they almost had the gauntlet off. Peter only ruined it because he found out I was gone. But I'm not. And Thanos, through whatever twisted notion of love he feels for me, can't bring himself to easily kill me."

"But he does when he has to! Don't make him do it!"

"We're already on our way. I'm sorry."

The channel cut out, leaving you and Yelena standing in the empty room.

"Without Dr. Strange, they won't stand a chance anyw---" you stopped mid-sentence, eyes growing wide.

"We've got to get the magic man," Yelena said in understanding, both of you sprinting back to the kitchen. Everyone but Sam was back from their assignments.

"Guys we've got to get Dr. Strange! They'll be coming for the time stone," you said.

"Do you have his number?" Rhodey said sarcastically, "Because I can't even get a hold of Tony!"

"We need to grab him before we go to Wakanda," Yelena explained.

"Friday, prep the jet, we're leaving as soon as possible," Steve said, making to head from the room, but pausing when there was no response. "Friday? Friday??"

"I thought she could always run the compound and be with Tony," you said.

"She's supposed to be able to," Nat nodded, everyone looking to the ceiling worriedly.

"Is this the Hydra problem again?" Wanda asked.

"Tony fixed that issue, and Friday never warned of incoming hostiles," Vision said.

"The only way she'd be limited to one is if the two systems grew far enough apart to separate the link," Bruce said, "She'd have to choose where she wanted to remain."

"How far could Stark have gone?" Yelena asked like it didn't make sense.

"Shit," you whispered, a thought coming to you.

"What?" Rhodey asked, the team looking at you.

You didn't speak, but looked out into the living room. What you saw confirmed your suspicions. The TV, which was still playing softly in the background, had the news on as it had before Valkyrie had crashed in earlier. However, through the bustle that had occurred since, no one had given the screen a second glance.

You pointed to it, heads turning to see what you saw.

"Missing? Where's he gone?" Korg asked.

"And what are those things?" Wanda said in horror.

"The children of Thanos. The black order. Whatever you want to call them. We're too late."

Rhodey's phone rang, and he looked sadly from it to the others.

"It's Pepper."

He tapped the screen, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Hey Pepper. I know, we're watching now," he said, walking from the room to finish the conversation.

"Wait...if he's gone...that means Strange is gone," you said, watching what little footage was captured from the morning's events and seeing Wong and Strange standing alongside Tony, "Which means things are playing out. Peter's probably on that ship too."

"We don't know that," Steve said.

"Really?" you said, pulling out your phone.

"What're you doing?" Nat asked, but you held up a finger as you called Peter on speaker.

It rang and rang but went to voicemail.

"He could just be away from his phone?" Wanda suggested.

Without hesitation you selected Ned's contact to call. Peter had given it to you the day before.

"Wren!" Ned's voice spoke in a hushed shout over the speaker.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Peter gave me your number but told me not to bother you with texts until he knew you were cool with it. Did you see the giant spaceship??? We were on a bus, and it just came down over the city, like this giant ring---"

"Ned, I don't want to interrupt, but where's Peter? Did he go after the ship?"

"Yeah he wanted me to cause a diversion, which wasn't hard cuz I thought we were all gonna die. It's all over the internet though, Mr. Stark is missing and now I can't get a hold of Peter at all! Is he ok?"

"He's fine for now. He's with Mr. Stark."

"Is this a future thing?" he asked hopefully, as if that meant it would all be ok.

"Yeah," you said, catching Steve's eye, "It is."

"Great, so you know where he is! That is so nice, I was thinking he got eaten by aliens or some---"

"Ned, everything...everything will be fine," you lied, "I've got to go now though, I'll talk to you later."

"Right ok bye!"

 "Believe me now?" you asked sadly.

If this was happening exactly the same, then what did that mean for Loki?

"We need to go," Steve said, not meeting your gaze.

"Shit!" Sam said, having just entered the room and noticing the TV you'd gathered around, "Tony's gone!"

"Yeah, thanks we know that," Yelena said roughly.

"Any luck with the Guardians?" Nat asked, and you and Yelena shook your heads.

"They're going after Thanos on Titan...just like they were supposed to do."

"What about Barton?" Yelena asked.

"We're going to grab him before Wakanda," Nat answered.

"And Fury?" you turned to Vision.

"He's already signaled Ms. Danvers, though how long it will take for her to arrive is another matter."

"T'Challa's preparing for a ground assault," Steve said, "Let's suit up."

You walked quickly to your room, mind in a haze the whole time. What were you supposed to focus on? The impending battle? The chance of Thanos winning? The possibility of Loki's death? Or optimism? Loki could be alive. Thanos could still be defeated. Gamora could help the others get the gauntlet from Thanos. The mind stone could be removed with enough time to get it away and destroyed without Thanos knowing. There were too many things to think about, which at least numbed your brain to any painful emotions.

Opening your closet, you pulled a familiar outfit off of the shelf and sprawled it on the bed. You'd never thought you were going to need your battle clothes again, yet there they were. Loki had always said he wasn't going to let you fight if a war against Thanos broke out, but now he was potentially gone. The thought threatened to send tears to your eyes, so you grabbed the clothes and quickly changed. If he was gone, you'd do what this team did best. What you'd been trained to do. You'd avenge him.

With your suit on and hair braided back, you stood in front of the mirror taking in the sight. Where once this had been the coolest thing to wear, you now felt dread at seeing yourself in it. Your face was hardened, eyes full of sorrow.

A week ago we thought we were ahead of the game. Now we're down four stones. Thanos was listening the whole time. Learning. Waiting. You gathered the stones for him, scared the Collector right to him. You didn't stop Loki and Thor from going.

You watched your eyes start to glisten, feeling the sting before the tears.

I won't cry.

You blinked back the urge, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand. Staring at yourself, you let out a sigh.

"Let's get this done," you whispered, nodding as if someone else had spoken.

The team rushed to the quinjet, everyone sitting quietly as the bird lifted off. Even Korg seemed to sense the dread, for he sat looking somber himself. No one spoke much on the flight to Clint. You watched as he hugged his family goodbye, giving Laura a few last words before heading up the ramp. After he hugged Nat and Yelena, or rather Yelena hugged him to be annoying, you made sure to get yours in. You didn't realize how much you needed a hug until you were in one. He held you comfortingly.

"You ok, kid?" he asked.

"Scared shitless actually," you said, able to smile a bit.

"Join the club," he grinned, patting your head as he walked past to take his seat.

Clint talked softly a bit with Steve and a few others in the front of the jet, getting himself up to date on everything. At one point you heard Loki's name mentioned and caught Clint glancing over at you.

"May I?" Vis asked, drawing your attention back from the group.

He was standing in front of you, pointing to the seat on your left.

"Of course," you smiled.

He sat down, not saying anything. After a few seconds of staring silently at the wall ahead of you, Vision spoke.

"I know you think you didn't read the signs correctly. That you noticed too late, or that you could have stopped Thor and Loki from going," he said gently, "But you are not the only one who chose to contain their reservations."

"So you noticed things were too conveniently happening?"

"In regards to my surgery, I appreciated the delays done for my safety, no matter how willingly I'd have given myself up for our cause a long time ago. I understood why you all wanted it done right, and I am truly touched. But with your kidnapping pushing the the surgery back to May, and then the timing of the unfortunate king's death...I could not help but think the impediments were too convenient."

"But you didn't have prior movie knowledge, Vis. I should have seen the growing list of foreshadowing events!"

"You may have ignored some foreshadowing of your own, but so did I. In the past 24 hours, the stone has been...speaking to me, in a sense. It was like it was warning me. Not wanting to cause distress where none was yet warranted, I kept these occurrences to myself and Wanda. I now see it was a mistake."

"No, Vision, that's my fault again. I never told you about how the stone does exactly that in the movie. I never talked about you and Wanda falling in love because I didn't want to ruin it, but because of that I never discussed the scene between you two where you talk about that exact thing happening. I thought I was in control of everything," you scoffed bitterly.

"We're never truly in control of fate."

"Tell me about it."

"So we should never expect to be, nor beat ourselves when we learn we're not."

"My whole point of being here was to control this though. Yes, we can't control all of our fate, but when the universe sends you somewhere with knowledge for a specific purpose, you'd think you'd be better at your job."

"Maybe you're fine at your job? Maybe this is how we win."

"I hope so. I coulda made it a lot easier though."

"If things are happening this way, they're doing so for a reason. You did what you could, no one blames you for whatever is about to occur."

"Do you think...I would've been allowed to come here...to change things if I was never meant to?"

"I don't know who would do the allowing. In life, things happen. It's the way they are. You came here by a mystery that's now solved. That happened. So it was never not going to happen. Does that mean you were meant to change things? I think we make our own luck. We do the best we can and see what life had in store."

"But you said we can't control fate. Now we make our own luck?"

"We can't control every outcome. If I walked into a room and hit my head on the door by accident, is there anything I can do now to change that event? Yes, I could have been more alert before. But in the scheme of time, I have already hit my head. So ten seconds prior, there was a future where I was going to hit my head. We can make our own luck by doing our best to change a possible future. And we've done a tremendous job thus far. But for some things to play out as they may have in another reality is just the way it was meant to be. One possible future. For me to hit my head when I could have paid attention is just an occurrence I have to accept and move past. I could have paid attention and moved, perhaps knocking into someone and causing a similar collision. I don't think you should punish yourself for not seeing things that found their way,  by using a different path, to the same conclusion as another future. For there are aspects of every destiny, every life, that you will never be able to control."

"So what if the deaths I thought I prevented are part of those inevitable outcomes of fate? How do I know what is me actually making my own luck and the universe playing out as it does in another reality?"

"We'll never know until the end, will we? But take comfort in knowing there are changes you've made on a grand scale that have yet to rectify themselves in a negative way. Ragnarok. Civil War. Zemo. Loki. These are people and events you have either helped or stopped. You chose to do that, not the universe."

"Loki was saying the same thing yesterday. When I told him my worries, he pointed out all of the good things that have been changed."

"So it stands to reason that it's not all bad."

"I really hope so."

"Hope is often all we have. Which makes it the most precious thing. Don't cast it away so easily. We've all made choices, all played a part. It's not all on your shoulders. We'll see this through. All of us. Together."

"Thanks Vis," you squeezed his hand gratefully.

He smiled, and the two of you fell back into that dreary silence.

After what seemed both the shortest and longest flight of your life, you were finally over Wakanda.

"Drop to 2600, heading 0-3-0," Cap instructed Sam at the helm as he stepped behind him.

"I hope you're right about this. Or we're gonna land a lot faster than you want," Sam answered, doing as Steve said.

You walked to the front with the others, looking over Sam's shoulder as he flew the quinjet directly at a line of trees. Knowing what would happen didn't make it any less intense. Just before hitting the trees, a force-field shimmered in front of you. Breaking through the border, the trees disappeared entirely to reveal the beautiful body of water beneath you and the capitol city ahead of you. With the green mountains surrounding it and the sun shimmering on the lake, Wakanda was more breathtaking than you could have imagined.

"I can't believe this," you whispered.

"What that Wakanda's hidden in some magic tree forcefield?" Rhodey asked, "I thought you'd know that."

"No, that I'm living through Infinity War."

He didn't respond, instead watching with you as the plane was put down on the landing platform. Nat and Steve took the lead in the walk down the ramp. Waiting on the ground was T'Challa, standing next to Okoye and the Dora Milaje.

"Do we bow?" Bruce whispered from next to you and Rhodey.

"Of course," you answered.

"Yeah, he's a king," Rhodey added.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something," Steve said as he reached T'Challa, shaking his hand.

Bruce cleared his throat, bowing to the king.

"What are you doing?" Rhodey asked.

"Uh, we don't do that here," T'Challa held his hands up.

Bruce gave you and Rhodey a look as the two of you smiled.

"So how big of an assault should we expect?" T'Challa asked, leading the way across the platform.

"Uh really really big," you answered, "Like, vast army of angry space dogs. Thanos will come for the stone too."

"How we looking?" Nat asked the king.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..."

"A semi-stable hundred-year-old man," Bucky grinned, walking to the group. He had his beard and longer hair, dressing as he did in Infinity War.

At this point you couldn't care less what they said or did that was exactly like the movie. This was happening either way.

Steve and Bucky embraced.

"How you been, Buck?" Cap asked.

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world."

"Shuri is waiting for you in the lab," T'Challa said, holding out his hand for Vision to follow the guards.

He and Wanda walked after them arm-in-arm.

"Hey man," Korg said casually as he and Miek passed Okoye, who was staring at them in confusion, "Lovely place you've got here."

"Hey Buck," you smiled as you reached him.

"Still alive then?" he smirked, giving you a hug.

"For now."

"We haven't met, though I've heard a lot about the famous Bucky," Yelena said, "I'm Natasha's sister, Yelena."

"Nice to meet you," he shook her hand.

"I'm going to be completely forward," she said, "Can I touch the arm?"

"Uh, yeah sure," Bucky chuckled, holding up his new Wakandan arm.

"That is so cool," she said, touching the metal gently before rapping it with her knuckles.

"I like the upgrade," you said as the three of you strolled after the others.

"It's a lot more comfortable than the Hydra one."

"I can imagine."

"About them...did they ever come back? Or Zemo?"

"It's a long story, but Zemo's not a problem anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's over."

He looked curious to know the details, but sighed in relief nonetheless.

Bucky, Sam, Korg, Rhodey, Clint, and Miek stayed outside while you went in with the rest. Vision was brought to Shuri, and you took a deep breath when entering the room. Out the window you could see the soon-to-be battlefield.

"Hop right up," Shuri patted the table, and Vis did as he was told.

"How long will this take?" her brother asked.

"There are more than two trillion neurons here, but with the systems we've worked on we've effectively limited the risk of circuit failures. It's still a delicate process, brother, but any pre-work is essentially done and ready," she answered, swinging a machine over Vision's head, "I'll move as quickly as possible, but I'll need as much time as you can give me."

The beads on Okoye's wrist starting beeping, and she rolled one into her hand, bringing up a display in her palm.

"Something's entered the atmosphere," she said.

"Shit that's them," you groaned, adrenaline starting to course through you. You wanted to run, to move around and do something. Staying perfectly still and hoping this wasn't real seemed enjoyable too, but not a viable option.

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here," Sam's voice called over the coms.

An explosion was heard from above.

"We got more incoming outside the dome," Rhodey's voice called.

You stood with the rest in front of the windows, watching the vessels crash down outside the perimeter. The dust and force from impact made the shield glow blue as it kept Wakanda safe. You looked left and right, seeing worried but determined faces.

"I know what you'll say, but we need to destroy the stone now," Vision said, sitting up.

"No, we'll be faster this time," you said.

"Vision, get your ass back on the table," Nat added.

"We will hold them off," T'Challa promised.

"Wanda, as soon as that stone's out of his head...you blow it to hell," Cap told her.

"I will."

"Wait, no," you said, stopping everyone, "We'll need her on the field. Trust me, they've got these big nasty machines that only she can handle. When she leaves Vis though, they send someone in from behind to get him. They haven't fought Wanda yet though, so I don't think they know to be wary of her. They could send him in much earlier. I don't know what you want to do, but we'll need her down there eventually."

"I will station a portion of the guard and Dora Milaje to fortify this floor and room," T'Challa said.

"I'll stay with Vis as long as I can," Wanda said, and Cap nodded.

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defense," T'Challa ordered.

"And get this man a shield," you muttered to yourself, rushing out of the room. You paused next to Vis before you left, taking his hand in yours.

"You'll be ok," you promised him, for your own comfort as much as his.

You looked to Wanda, nodding encouragingly before turning to run after the others.

Once outside, everyone piled into the landspeeders that had been prepared. You were standing next to Bruce and Bucky in yours, zooming across the Wakandan plains. You'd been given a Wakanda spear at Nat's behest. Loki had started training you with weapons, something that carried over into your lessons in the last month. In addition to your taser stick, you'd incorporated longer weapons. Therefore, the deadly tool didn't feel uncomfortable in your hands. It was light and easy to maneuver. The best part about it? It could also shoot blasts of blue energy. It was most likely this additional protection that Nat desired for you.

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line," Rhodey said from the air.

Right on time, you thought.

The speeders pulled up swiftly, everyone jumping out before they'd come to a complete stop. The Jabari Tribe was lined up, M'Baku giving their iconic warrior call.

"Thank you for standing with us," T'Challa said, shaking his hand as M'Baku responded in their language.

"Shall we?" Nat smirked, nodding down to the two figures outside the dome.

She, Cap, and T'Challa walked the distance to them, which was a much longer period than the movie made it out to be. It was unbearably quiet as you waited for them to reach their destination.

"What do you think they're saying?" Bucky mused.

"If I had to guess, T'Challa's told her 'You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood.' And then the creepy lady will go 'We have blood to spare.' That's just a guess though."

As if on cue, Proxima Midnight lifted her sword in the air. The upper halves of the pods began to expand, opening the doors for what was to come.

The trio hurried back to the group, resuming their positions.

"They surrender?" Buck asked.

"Not exactly," Steve answered.

T'Challa started the chant, all of the warriors responding and synchronously pounding their spears.

Oh God was the only thing you could think at the moment. The battle cry was effectively pumping you up and petrifying you. You were breathing heavily, something that kicked into high gear as the sea of aliens tore through the burning trees.

"What the hell?" Bucky said.

"Looks like we pissed her off," Nat replied.

"Good," Yelena said, staring straight ahead as she whipped out her own rod.

"They can't get through that thing can they?" Korg asked, seeing the creatures crash into the wall of energy.

"They're killing themselves," you heard Okoye note.

The enemy started breaking through, charging across the small stream and up the slight slope.

T'Challa chanted something else, everyone repeating him and throwing their capes in front of them, forming a shield. On his order, they opened fire.

Bucky lifted his gun, Clint his bow, and you your spear, all three unleashing volleys at the approaching targets. You no longer had time to be afraid. No time to focus on the panic that had rushed through you upon seeing the army. Now, there was only time for the battle. For watching as your shots found or missed their targets. For keeping the blasts coming with all your might.

"You see the teeth on those things?" Sam shouted as he flew over, gunning them down.

"Alright, back up Sam. You're gonna get your wings singed," Rhodey said, unleashing a series of bombs near the border.

"Cap we have to open the barrier," you said, seeing the dogs making their way around the dome, "It's what you do in the film. We have to keep them between us and Vision."

"She's right, they can't get through behind us," Bruce agreed.

"On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen," T'Challa ordered.

You weren't patched into dome control, but you new they were requesting confirmation.

"On my signal," he repeated.

"This will be the end of Wakanda," M'Baku said gravely.

"Then it will be the noblest ending in history," Okoye answered.

"I knew I should have stretched," Clint grumbled, retracting his bow.

On T'Challa's call, the guards broke their formation, allowing him to walk to the front.

"Dr. Banner," you said to Bruce, "Now might be a good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret, Wren," he smiled, knowing he was indulging your last effort to joke before possibly dying, "I'm always angry."

He transitioned into the Hulk, seeming to maintain perfect consciousness without a struggle.

"Wakanda forever!" T'Challa shouted, and you sprinted forward.

"Now!" you heard him order, the barrier splitting at the command.

Cap, T'Challa, and Hulk outran the rest, and you watched as they clashed with the swarm. Encountering your first creature was by far the most terrifying moment of your life. More frightening than the hoards of the Collector, this being swung it's claws at you, jaws snapping in an attempt to tear your flesh clean off.

You dodged the lunging attack, bringing the spear down in his back. One after another came, giving you no time to relish your victory. With every foe defeated you grew more confident, more locked in. As Loki had once said, there was no time for thinking. No time for planning your defense. You acted on instinct or you perished. You'd never been more grateful for having been knocked on your ass a million times by the God of Mischief, because what he'd taught you was keeping you alive.

"Ha!" you shouted, having slammed one in the head while blasting an oncoming predator at the same time.

"That was a really cool move," Yelena said from where she struggled next to you.

"I know, I don't even know where that came from! Woah!" you ducked and swiped up, having nearly been distracted enough to not see the leaping animal.

Right, no talking.

"How much longer Shuri?" T'Challa asked.

"I'm nearly half-way," she answered.

"You might want to pick up the pace."

That is picked up! you thought hopefully.

The battle proceeded in the same whirlwind of screams, explosions, and growling adversaries.

"Thanks!" you shouted to Bruce, who swatted a creature away while you were busy rolling from another. 

You stood, performing a spinning arc. The end of the staff made contact with its head, and you promptly twirled the spear in your hand, lunging the blade into it's neck. Seeing a guard on his back, monster on top of him, you rushed over, throwing your weight into his attacker. Once off of the Wakandan, you plunged your spear down hard, sending it straight through its chest and into the ground. Going so hard was a mistake, as you couldn't pull the spear up in time before another tackled you.

You held your arm at it's neck, pushing back with all of your strength. It's claws caught your side, and you winced at the pain. Using your free hand to grab the weapon on your hip, you activated the taser, driving it into the creatures abdomen. The motion was enough to get it off of you, but it took two more hits to get it down. With your spear gone, you were hard pressed to hold off the flood of hostiles, which seemed to increase. It was taking all of your skill just to keep the four around you at bay. The first two were parried with your rod, but the third got you on the ground. 

The others charged, and you didn't know how you were going to defend yourself in such a vulnerable position 

***

*Earlier that day, on a different side of the universe*

"The Tesseract. Or your brother's head," Thanos said, holding Thor by the hair. 

Both princes were bruised and bloodied, with Loki on his knees at the moment. Thor's hands were bound behind him with metal, curtesy of Ebony Maw. Mjolnir sat uselessly a few paces away, Thor too weak to break free for it.

"I assume you have a preference."

"I do," Loki said, still breathing heavily from the lost struggle against the Titan and his children.

He lifted his hand, the cube appearing.

"Loki, no," Thor grunted, but Thanos tossed him aside, Maw further encaging him and sealing his mouth.

Thanos pointed the power stone at Thor.

"No tricks."

Loki caught Thor's eyes, who gave him a pleading look.

"I assure you brother," Loki said firmly, struggling to his feet, "The sun will shine on us again."

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."

"Well for one thing, I'm not Asgardian," Loki returned, "And for another, I'm not much of an optimist." With that, he extended towards Thanos' neck with his dagger. The blade melted to water before it reached him, the reality stone gleaming in the gauntlet.

Thanos grabbed his arm, causing Loki to wince.

"I can see why," Thanos smirked, lifting Loki off of the ground by the throat.

He kicked and squirmed, but he couldn't break free.

"You...will never be...a god," Loki gasped with his last breath.

Thanos squeezed, the horrifying snap reaching Thor's ears. His cries for his brother were muffled behind his gag, but the tears streaming down his face revealed all of the pain his shouts could not.

"No resurrections this time," Thanos said, dropping the body in front of Thor.

Ebony Maw picked the cube from the ground where Loki had dropped it.

"My humble personage bows before your grandeur," he said, kneeling for his master, "No other being has ever had the might, nay, the nobility...to wield not one, but four Infinity Stones."

Thanos took the Tesseract from him.

"The universe lies within your grasp."

Closing his fist, the blue block shattered. Sliding the space stone to his fingers, he seized the gem, bringing it to the golden glove on his left hand. As the stone was pulled into place, Thanos grunted in pain, arms outstretched, the power coursing through him.

"There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."

"Father, we will not fail you," Proxima said.

They all bowed their heads as the power stone burned brightly, sending a wave of purple through the building. Cracks formed and grew, the structure beginning to topple down around them. Opening a portal, Thanos and his children were swept away.

Once gone, the magic holding Thor hostage was removed. Ignoring the explosion that was soon to occur, he instead crawled to Loki.

"Loki...no," he cried bitterly, wrapping his arm over the lifeless corpse of his brother.

No sooner had he done that then the form disappeared under him. Thor looked dumbfoundedly at the empty ground, before a smile broke on his face.

"You didn't think I'd go that easily, did you?" Loki's voice spoke, the god crouching next to Thor.

Thor began laughing in relief and joy as Loki helped him to his feet.

"I hate you," Thor said emotionally, the tears from what he thought he'd witnessed still fresh in his eyes.

"I know," Loki smiled.

Thor pulled his brother in aggressively for a hug, clinging to him tightly.

"Tell me that's the last time you'll do that," Thor said over his shoulder.

"No promises."

The brothers held the embrace a few seconds longer, before pulling apart. The shaking building and glowing purple energy ripping through it couldn't be ignored any longer.

"Get behind me," Loki ordered, taking a defensive stance. Holding his hands at his sides, palms facing the ceiling, he conjured a green shield around the duo.

With a loud explosion, the building blew apart, a wave of energy, flames, and debris submerging the brothers.

Everything grew quiet, as dust and smoke filled the air. Through the cloud, two forms could be seen emerging.

"We have to get back to earth," Loki said as he climbed over the rubble.

"No," Thor shook his head.

"What?" Loki whipped around to face him.

"We can't. Not yet."

"Thanos will inevitably go to earth when his children can't find or can't win the stone for themselves. We have to warn them."

Thor held his hand out, hammer crashing through the wreckage to get to his grasp.

"You saw me back there. I've never had lightning course through me like that before," Thor said.

"Yes, Wren's spoken of it. How your true power is more than your hammer. You can conjure lightning without it."

"It still wasn't enough," he groaned, "Not against the combined might of those stones."

"What do you suggest, Thor?" Loki shot back, "That we sit this one out because your hammer is insufficient?"

"Loki, I know you're worried for our friends---"

"Your friends," he corrected.

"Wren's down there."

Loki nodded, his expression betraying the worry he tried to keep hidden.

"Which is why we have to get back to them."

"We'll be of no help if we cannot find a way to defeat Thanos. If they cannot destroy the mind stone, we're their last hope. Wren's last hope, brother."

Loki stared at his feet, sighing in submission.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Nidavellir," Thor grinned, patting his brother on the back.

"The forge?"

"We need the kind of Thanos-killing weapon. You know the axe Wren spoke of."

"And if Eitri doesn't have such a weapon yet?"

"Then we're no worse than we were before...and we go for Thanos."

Loki nodded, looking to the skies as Thor called for the bifrost. There was no answer.

"Well, it looks like no one's manning the bridge."

"Yes, I noticed that, thank you Loki."

"Why would they leave? Morons."

"Brunnhilde probably put Asgard on high alert, not to mention she had to be taken to the hospital in the condition she was in last we saw. With our defenses scrambling and you and I going silent, there's probably no time or incentive to run the bifrost."

"So do we plan on walking to Nidavellir?"

"Your sarcasm has never accomplished anything, brother," Thor said, starting off through the now wrecked town. Upon arrival, it had seemed in good condition, but empty. Once the reality stone lifted the illusion, it was clear the population had been wiped out well before hand. Thankfully, Thanos had not used the power stone to set waste to the entire area. Or, if he had, it missed a few structures.

"There's got to be a ship we can use," Thor announced, beginning to search the closest building that was intact. 

Loki headed across the street to do the same on the other side.

Going through the entire town was tedious work, but their efforts were rewarded. After numerous destroyed shuttles, Loki entered a garage that had a damaged but functioning vehicle.

"Thor!" he called out, moving to open the transportation's hatch.

When the God of Thunder arrived, Loki had already prepped the system.

"Some mild damage to the hull and rear shield, but besides that she's ready to fly," Loki informed him of the status.

"Let's get going then," Thor took the copilot seat.

"A little help with the heaping pile in front of the exit would be nice," Loki said, nodding to the obstruction outside of the garage.

"Oh right," Thor hopped up, scrambling outside. Walking to the pile, he barely broke stride as lighting crackled from his body and his eyes started glowing. With a grunt, Thor shot a large bolt, scattering the debris.

"Ah there we go, much better," Thor said, taking his seat once again.

Loki gave him a look.

"What?"

"Touch dramatic don't you think?" Loki answered.

"Uh, you wanted it clear, it's clear is it not? Next time you move it."

Loki shook his head as he lifted the ship off the ground and out over the scorched landscape.

"So how does it feel having to replace your beloved hammer?" Loki smirked as the void of space loomed large in the window.

Thor gasped, lifting Mjolnir to his lap and placing his hands on each side, as if covering its ears, "I'm not replacing it! Don't listen to the bad man," Thor whispered to his hammer, "He's just jealous."

"What do you call what we're doing then?" Loki rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Calling in some backup. Preferably one that can stab an asshole through the chest."

"Mjolnir, you hear that?" Loki grinned, "He thinks you're lesser because you can't stab someone."

"He can still bash your head in."

Loki chuckled, setting the coordinates in the computer.

"It's a long way to Nidavellir. Hour before we reach the jump, and then we have to travel the rest through common space."

He didn't sound happy.

"Brother, you know we'd be unable to help them if we went now."

"I know," Loki said, eyes staring straight ahead.

Thor tapped Mjolnir against his palm, clearly contemplating speaking.

"You did what Wren said you did when you died. It played out shot for shot."

"I did."

"Why?"

"The only way we were getting out of there is if Thanos thought we were both dead. I knew something he didn't, however. That you survive the explosion in Infinity War. My last effort to kill Thanos to save you no longer had to be genuine. I had to make him think I was dead so he'd leave you to burn. Besides, the TVA isn't a thing, so I knew I was allowed to live."

"TVA?"

"I'll explain some other time, though I fear you won't understand."

"But that line...the sun will shine on us again. Wren's mentioned it before. Say it to be dramatic did we?"

"You know I'm anything but dramatic," Loki grinned, and Thor laughed. "But maybe I wanted a different ending this time," Loki continued sincerely, eyes zoning out, "To prove the truth of that line."

Loki's eyes flickered to Thor, who gave him a smile.

"We will," he placed an arm on Loki's shoulder, "We'll prove it when we drive our weapon through his heart."

"Assuming we get a weapon."

"Ugh, you weren't lying when you told him you weren't an optimist."

"That's what you and your heroes are for."

"Thank you, brother. For everything you've done since Wren's arrived. I don't think I've ever let you know, because I never wanted to be let down again, but I'm proud of you. And I'm glad to have my brother back after these past years. I've missed you."

Loki's eyebrows were raised, that same look of surprise when Odin spoke kindly of him. Thor smiled again, and Loki returned it.

"Thor...there's something I have to tell you," Loki glanced down, regret filling his voice, "I only recently told Wren, and I feel I owe it to you. Before we went to the Collector...I had already paid him a visit."

"Wh...what?" Thor asked, brow furrowing.

"I went there to help him form a copy, to trick you into thinking he'd given you the stone. But he had other plans."

"He knew we were coming because of you," Thor said, face growing serious.

"I'm sorry. I never told you because I was a coward. I am a coward. I didn't think you'd believe that I hadn't intended for it to go the way it did, or that I have since been honest in my efforts to help."

Thor turned away from his brother, staring angrily out the window.

"You say Wren knows?"

"Yes. I told her a few days ago."

"And everything you've done since has been sincere?" Thor demanded, looking hard at Loki.

Loki looked back with remorse but determination.

"Yes."

Thor let out a breath, shaking his head as he played with the strap on Mjolnir. Loki waited patiently, not knowing how his brother would react.

"In all our years, even before we drifted apart...You've never confessed to a lie if you weren't already caught in it," Thor smirked.

"You believe me?" Loki asked hopefully.

"I forgive you. As Wren did."

Loki swallowed, looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Thank you, brother."

"Eh, it's not the first time you've screwed things up and I'm sure it won't be the last," he said humorously.

"And you've just always handled things exceptionally," Loki said sarcastically.

"I like to think I make calculated accidents."

Loki chuckled with Thor some more, the two of them getting along now more than they had in years.

"I truly am sorry for this," Loki came back around to the topic, "The Aether and power stone in his possession is my fault."

"We don't know how else he'd have gone about securing what he needed," Thor tried to cheer him up, "Let's move on. Focus on repaying him for these bruises."

Thor stretched his side a bit, wincing as he held his ribcage.

"And maybe a broken rib or two," he added.

"Here, let me help," Loki said, placing his hands on his side.

"We're gods, Loki, we heal fast enough."

"I can help with the pain at least."

"You don't---ooo...ok, yeah that feels better," Thor yielded.

Loki helped both of them clean themselves up, healing the smallest of cuts and aiding with the pain of larger ones.

"I must say, brother, I've never seen you use so much magic so easily. And that shield back there? Even the illusion you conjured. Faking me is one thing, but you fooled Thanos. And since when can you unleash volatile green magic and throw daggers with such force?"

"Since when can your eyes fill with lightning while it zaps off of every part of your body?"

Thor chuckled.

"It'd appear we're both more powerful than we thought."

"I've been practicing," Loki explained, "Ever since my magic took a mind of it's own the day Hydra attacked."

"What, on Midgard's Thanksgiving?"

Loki nodded.

"You never told me that happened."

"I never told anyone. Wren's the only one who witnessed it. She'd told me I was more powerful than I realized, so I'm sure it wasn't a shock to her. We discussed it once, and she did nothing but talk about how epic I looked," he laughed.

"That does sound like her."

"And then mother's letter...the one the two of you found for me. I knew I had to learn more. To try to grow. For her."

"She believed in you."

"She did," Loki nodded.

There was a sad silence that fell over the siblings.

"Did I ever tell you your fireworks made me cry?" Thor said adorably, trying to break the somber mood.

"Did they now?" Loki chuckled, smiling at his brother's silliness.

"I mean, wow. What a show."

"I'm not surprised. Did Jane have to hold your hand?" Loki joked back.

"No, but I heard Wren had to hold yours."

"What?" Loki's face dropped in an 'Oh shit' fashion.

"Don't think the two of you entering the city hand-in-hand went unnoticed. Word makes it's way around, brother."

"We were playing our part as the prince and his guest. Nothing more. We're friends too, friends can hold hands."

"Mmmm can they though?"

"Yes they can!"

"Loki...you know you can tell me if there's anything more between the two of you."

"Even if such an absurdity were true," Loki argued, though his facade was cracking, "Why would I tell you?"

"Because we're brothers and we're supposed to tell each other this sort of thing!" Thor said cheerfully.

"We've never been conventional brothers, now have we?"

"Definitely not. Though we could start acting like brothers."

Loki stared at Thor, looking like he wanted to open up.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Okay," Thor said like he didn't believe it, "But if there ever is, you know who you can come to."

The journey was long, but the brothers took the time to rest and heal. Though Loki'd have claimed to prefer silence, Thor knew it was only causing him to dwell on the possible danger Wren and the others could be in on earth. Therefore, he chatted most of the way, something Loki appreciated even if he didn't admit it.

"Here we go," Loki said, spinning around to face forward, "Nidavellir should be just ahead."

Anticipating the bright light of the dying star, they were speechless upon seeing nothing but darkness.

"What...why is it dark?" Thor asked.

"The star's gone out," Loki said heavily, "And the rings are frozen."

"What happened here?" Thor muttered as Loki brought the ship inside the workshop.

Hopping out of the hatch, the gods were met with the eerie stillness of an empty forge.

"This forge hasn't gone dark in centuries," Thor noted as he walked along.

"Thor," Loki stopped his brother, pointing to his left.

There upon a table was the mold of the gauntlet.

"Go back to the ship," Thor said, turning to do just that.

He was met with the swing of a giant fist, sending him flying into a table. The dwarf made to kick Loki, who rolled away.

"Eitri stop!" Loki yelled, standing between him and Thor.

"Loki?" Eitri asked in disbelief, peering around to the other brother, "Thor?"

"Yes, it's us," Loki said, hands held up in a calming manner.

"What happened here?" Thor asked, climbing to his feet.

"You were supposed to protect us. Asgard was supposed to protect us!"

"W---we heard no word from you," Thor shook his head, "No call for aid, nothing. When did this happen?"

"I don't know," he said in distress, whimpering as he spoke, "In the last months maybe, no longer."

"It's been a busy few months," Loki said, "And I'm afraid...due to errors on my part, the Nine Realms weren't properly guarded."

"Eitri, the glove," Thor pointed to the gauntlet, "What did you do?"

The giant staggered across the room, slumping to the ground defeatedly.

"300 dwarves lived on this ring. I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe. I made what he wanted. A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. Then he...then he killed everyone anyway. All except me. 'Your life is yours,' he said, 'But your hands...your hands are mine alone.'" He held up the hardened stubs where his hands once were.

"Eitri, this isn't about your hands," Thor said, "Every weapon you've ever designed, every axe, hammer, sword, it's all inside your head."

"I know it feels like all hope is lost," Loki chimed, "Believe me. But there are people we care about that need our help."

"Together, we can kill Thanos," Thor promised.

Eitri held Thor's gaze a moment longer, before pushing himself back up.

"I might have what you need."

With that he started off through the desolate ring, leading them to a rectangular piece of stone that was lowered into position.

"I certainly hope it's not just another hammer," Loki said, taking note of the shape, "He's having relationship issues with his current one."

Thor glared to his brother, squeezing Mjolnir a little tighter.

"It's a mold. A king's weapon. Meant to be the greatest in Asgard. In theory, it could even summon the bifrost."

"That'd certainly be useful," Loki said.

"Does it have a name?" Thor asked.

"Stormbreaker."

"That's a bit much," Loki muttered.

"So how do we make it?" Thor questioned.

"You'll have to restart the forge. Awaken the heart of a dying star."

"Thor, time to prove Mjolnir's worth."

"Fire up the--- what?" Thor said, having started speaking at the same time.

"What were you going to say?"

"I was going to tell you to fire up the ship."

"Why?"

"Well, I was thinking if we build enough speed, you could pull me and I in turn could pull the rings."

"I have magic, you can fly...and your best solution is for me to drag you through space?"

"Well what's your plan?" he said defensively.

"Not terribly different, but smarter. The connective joints of the rings are frozen, and ice is something I'm familiar with. I can melt them, but I'll need your help to get them started. On my signal, you and Mjolnir give it all you've got."

Thor nodded, running back to the opening. He flew out into the cold space, landing lightly on one of the rings. Loki paused at the edge, looking around the vast circle of frozen metal he'd have to thaw. He took a breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on the task ahead.

"I'm just melting some ice," he whispered to himself, opening his eyes with a ready look.

His hands shot out to either side, the green blasts making contact on opposite sides of each other. From the origin of the collision, a green line of magic spread over the rings in both directions. The lines themselves left behind no lingering color as they skimmed swiftly around the circle, both sources meeting in two places. No green glow or visible progress could be seen, but the effort on Loki's face showed the spell was still going. He let out struggled grunts, breathing heavily as his hands seemed to strain against some imaginary force.

Slowly, the ice began to soften and crack, the frost disappearing.

"Now!" Loki shouted, still putting all of his strength into his work.

Thor launched from his perch, Mjolnir pulling him along at a blinding speed. Just before reaching the other side, Thor threw his feet out in front of him, slamming them into the side of the ring. The device lurched on impact, creaks and strained groans indicating how close it was to breaking free.

"More, Thor! We're almost there!"

Thor spun his hammer behind him, driving his feet in further and further.

With a last hard grunt, Loki extended his hands completely. The ice gave way, Thor's power now driving the rings into motion. Loki dropped his hands, smiling at the sight of the fire rekindled in the star.

"Well done, boys," Eitri said in admiration, the rings spinning into alignment.

The hatch on the star opened, and a bright orange beam shot over Loki's head. No sooner had Thor let out a cry of victory then the source was cut off, the fire ceasing to heat the forge.

"Damn it," Eitri grumbled.

"What do you mean damn it?" Loki asked, jogging the distance to the dwarf.

"The mechanism is crippled."

"What?" Thor said, landing next to his brother.

"With the iris closed, I can't heat the metal."

"How long will it take to heat?" Thor asked.

"A few minutes, maybe more. Why?"

"I'm gonna hold it open."

"Thor, no," Loki said.

"That's suicide."

"So is facing Thanos without that axe."

"Stop," Loki grabbed his wrist before he could move, "Thor, dying to get the device we need defeats the purpose of getting the device we need. I can't wield that weapon, it was meant for you, and you can't kill Thanos with it if you're dead!"

"I have my lightning, remember? It'll keep me alive."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It will," he repeated, dropping Mjolnir and jumping back outside.

He glided down to the iris, preparing himself to pull it open.

"Allfathers give me strength."

"You understand boy...you're about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you."

"Only if I die." 

"Yes. That's what...killing you means," Eitri said, as Loki cringed at his brother's line.

With one last deep breath, Thor grabbed a handle on each side. Pulling them inwards, the star's energy shot past him. Eitri watched as the forge fire lit in a series of chain reactions. Loki's attention was fixed on his brother, who was yelling in pain as he held his position.

"Hold it! Hold it, Thor!" Eitri shouted, running to the cauldron of melting metal.

"Hurry!" Loki yelled to the dwarf, who leaned against the wheel.

The hot liquid poured into the mold. The stream of starlight stopped, and Loki turned back to find Thor cascading through the air.

"Thor!" he called, noticing the impact seconds before it happened. 

Thor crashed into an overhang, body dropping to the floor like a ragdoll.

"Thor! Thor come on," Loki rushed to his side, lifting his brother's head, "Thor! No no no, Eitri he's dying!"

"He needs the axe!"

"Get over here you stupid hammer!" Loki shouted at Mjolnir, which sat ten feet away. "Thor just summon the hammer, come on, please."

"Where's the handle? Loki, help me find the handle!" Eitri called, rushing to find the missing piece.

Without hesitation, Loki ran to the axe. He conjured a golden handle, long and thick, fusing the scalding pieces together with his magic.

 The weapon started sparking with electricity, levitating off the ground. Stepping aside, Loki watched as both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir flew to Thor's hands. When the blinding flash of light was gone, Thor stood in its place.

"Wardrobe change?" Loki asked, pointing to Thor's clean attire and long sleeves.

"Yes, well we need to look good for our entrance don't we?" Thor smirked.

"I suppose we do."

With a shimmering wave of light, Loki's torn tunic and pants were replaced. He was wearing a new green and black tunic, the arms covered in a form-fitting manner. Gold armor gleamed from his chest.

"I think it's missing something," Thor said, leaning on Stormbreaker as he tried to think of the solution.

A green cape draped down his back.

"That's it!" Thor said, "Capes just make every outfit."

"Will you go after Thanos now?" Eitri asked.

"Yes. We're sorry for what happened here, Eitri," Thor apologized, "We were so focused on stopping Thanos, we missed the plight of those closest to us."

"Kill him," Eitri said, "And don't die."

"I have no plans to die today," Thor grinned.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you said that? Because I do," Loki said.

"Oh, you mean that time you tricked me into going to Jotunheim? I've since realized what you did there," Thor patted him on the back.

"Hey, I couldn't force you to do anything you weren't already set on doing."

"I know, I was an ass," Thor rolled his eyes, "Now can we go?"

"Good luck, boys," Eitri bowed his head in farewell.

"We'll be back for you," Thor nodded, "Now how does this work?" he muttered, scanning Stormbreaker.

He lifted it in the air, the bifrost taking them away.

***

You were attempting to beat the creatures off with one hand, protecting your head with the other as they dragged you around, trying to clamp onto your squirming body.

The ground under you began to shake, and you heard the rush of a familiar sound flying towards you. The aliens were knocked off, and you scrambled to your feet. Continuing its trajectory across the battlefield was Mjolnir. In the other direction was Stormbreaker, tossing adversaries off of Cap, T'Challa, and many others that were pinned down. From the colorful rays of the bifrost came daggers, eliminating enemies and saving others in similar dire situations.

Your mouth dropped in disbelief, but you dared not hope until you could see for sure. Mjolnir and Stormbreaker flew back to the bifrost, the light disappearing as Thor stepped forward to catch them. Standing at his side was Loki, daggers at the ready, cape billowing behind him. You couldn't stop the large smile from forming on your face as you laughed in relief and pure thrilling happiness. There they were. Loki and Thor, both alive, standing in the sun.

"You guys are so screwed now!" Bruce laughed.

With the hoards in close proximity having been destroyed by the brothers, Thor led the now re-grouped army in the charge.

"Bring me Thanos!" Thor called, leaping in the air and bringing his weapons down with a thunderous crack. You noticed his body was glowing with the lightning, like it does in Ragnarok. Loki, too, was unleashing his full magic, tossing waves aside like they were nothing and cutting down one animal after another.

You yanked your spear from the ground as you ran, pressing the fight forward with the rest of the warriors.

With Thor and Loki aiding in the battle, the number of assailants at any given time had decreased. At one point, you and Bucky ended up back to back, spinning in unison as you gunned down the surrounding attackers.

"Ok, good teamwork," you panted, having a few seconds to breathe.

Buck smirked, but charged right off again.

"Yeah sure, here we go," you groaned, running after him.

"They're thinning out," Clint said from next to you a few minutes later.

"Yeah, but how long until Shuri's done?" you grunted, shooting a dog behind him as he fired an arrow past your head.

A distant rumbling caught your attention, and you looked up to see the trees outside the dome moving.

"What the hell?" Clint said.

"Oh God, run! Everyone run!" you said, sprinting back up the battle grounds.

"Fall back! Fall back now!" T'Challa ordered, people scrambling to dodge the monstrous discs that rolled their way towards you.

"Wanda, now would be a good time!" you said, having survived the first row of machines that wheeled their way around the plains.

"Focus that fire on the left flank Sam," Rhodey instructed.

"I'm doing it!" he replied.

After throwing another dog to the ground, you saw Nat and Okoye directly in the path of another wave of machines.

"Nat!" you yelled, running to her for reasons unknown to you.

Wanda, please show up like the movies, please show up like the movie!

Just before the blades reached them, Wanda dropped down in front. Freezing the weapons, she then lifted them off the ground, sending them crashing down on another wave approaching.

"Oh thank god," you sighed, reaching Nat's side.

"Did she really need to be up there all this time?" Okoye asked.

Wanda smiled before turning to join the fight.

"I have the stone!" Shuri's voice broke over the coms a few minutes later.

Your heart soared at the news. For the first time all day, you were filled with true hope.

"Wanda, get back up there!" Steve yelled, "Destroy that goddamn stone!"

"I'm on my way," she said, and you saw her turn to lift off the ground. Before she could, Proxima Midnight nailed her in the head.

"Nat Nat Nat, we've got a situation!" you said, heading for Wanda as fast as you could.

"I see it," she said, coming in from the opposite side.

"They have a powerful enhanced," you heard Proxima tell someone on her coms as you hopped into the trench behind her, "You'd better take it while she's down."

"Brother, they're coming for the stone," Shuri said, "Multiple enemies by the sound of it."

Of course multiple, you thought, It can never be movie accurate when I need it to be.

"The stone will be ours, and you will die here. Alone."

"She's not alone," Nat said from where she landed next to you.

Proxima glared up at you, turning to find Okoye on her right as well.

"Let's kill this bitch," you whispered to yourself, readying your spear.

Proxima attacked first, unleashing strikes at both you and Natasha. Okoye charged from behind, but she spun to parry. One of the machines whirled overhead, causing you to duck. She took advantage of that, kicking you and Nat to the ground and throwing Okoye by the back of the neck.

"Guys, we got a Vision situation here!" Sam called.

"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve yelled.

I would if I could you thought, rolling out of the way of Proxima's spear.

Nat came at her again, disarming her. Proxima beat Nat back until she had her on the ground, drawing a blade for the killing blow. Nat stopped the arm far enough from her neck to prevent the stab, but her strength couldn't last forever.  Standing to charge again, you skidded to a halt when a red energy wrapped itself around Proxima, sending her into the blades that rolled over you once again.

Wanda dropped to the ground, lowering her arms.

"That was really gross," Nat said, face splattered with blue blood.

"Vision!" you said, climbing up the side of the trench.

"He's over there," Okoye said, holding a scan of the field in her palm. She pointed to a distance away from the field, off in the tree line.

"We've got to move!" you said, knowing what could very well come next.

Maneuvering the fields was much easier than before, for the enemy had thinned almost completely. M'Baku was chanting once again, and you saw Thor flying off to deal with the shuttles of those who were retreating.

"Are you ok?" Wanda asked, reaching Vision and kneeling down next to him.

The corpse of Corvus Glaive, Vision's attacker, was lying a few feet away. A stab wound puncture Vision's side, which Wanda started patching.

"We've got it," Vision said, opening his hand to reveal the mind stone. On his forehead was a clean divot where the stone had been neatly removed.

Loki was standing among the others, and you rushed to him. His eyes lit up as he saw you coming.

"You're alive!" you said, throwing your arms around him.

"So are you," he said, holding you tightly.

"I thought you'd died like the movie, when I heard that you and Thor were left against him, I---" you started crying the pent up tears, "Sorry," you laughed, wiping them away, "Sorry, I--I was just scared."

"So was I," he smiled kindly, "I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner. But you're safe," he said it again, sounding like it thrilled him to confirm it one more time.

The wind started blowing a little harder, and you looked up at the trees worriedly. The others noticed the sudden change.

"Oh my god, he's coming," you said in a panicked tone.

"Everyone on my position," Cap called, "We have incoming."

"What the hell?" Nat muttered, eyes scanning the trees.

A swirl of blue and gray formed a short distance away, and there he was. Thanos stepped through the portal, observing his surroundings. On his glove was the green gleam of the time stone. Seeing him in person was more terrifying than any motion captured version of Josh Brolin could ever be. It was a fictional character you'd never wanted to meet in real life. You noticed Thanos' head tilt slightly at the sight of Loki, and you wondered what had happened at their last encounter.

"That's him," you said, a fear greater than you'd ever felt before eating at your chest.

"Eyes up. Stay sharp," Cap said, repositioning his shield, "Wanda, get rid of it."

With that he charged, the others following suit to buy Wanda time.

"Stay here," Loki ordered, running off with them.

You stayed, not because Loki had wanted you to, but because Wanda couldn't destroy the stone. Not here. Not now.

"Wanda," you grabbed her arm, stopping her from raising her hand to the stone Vis had placed on a log.

"Let go, we have to destroy it," she said, trying to shake off your grip.

"He's got the time stone," you explained, turning to see him tossing Avengers aside one by one, "He's just going to reverse whatever you do here! Please, we have to get it away."

"I'll buy you time," Vision said, struggling to his feet.

"No, no Vis, you're not strong enough!" Wanda said, trying to make him sit down.

"No, I'm not. But Wren is right, you have to get the stone away from here."

"I'm not leaving you," she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Cap was now the last line of defense, holding Thanos back by the gauntlet. With his right hand, he punched Steve hard in head, knocking him out. There was nothing between him and the three of you.

"Wanda!" you warned, and she turned to face the Titan.

Sending beams at him with both of her hands, she kept him at bay. But he was slowly gaining ground.

"Take it!" she groaned under the weight of her task, "Run!"

"I'll only slow you down," Vision said, taking your hand and placing the stone in it, "Run."

When you stared nervously at the stone, he spoke with more force.

"Run!"

You tore through the trees on your left, not knowing where you were going or what to do with the stone. You were too scared to think, too shocked to formulate a rational plan.

"Thor!" you shouted, not knowing if he was on the coms or not. In the MCU, everyone seemed to be able to hear everything. A loud crash reached your ears, and you heard Wanda scream.

Wanting to go help, but knowing there was nothing you could do, you continued forward. Your path was cut off by the opening of another portal, Thanos looming over you. He was much taller than you'd expected. Closing his fist, the power stone sent a wave at you. You pinwheeled through the air, your chest slamming into a tree.

You wheezed, the wind having been knocked out of you.

"You're the traveler. Aren't you?" Thanos spoke from above your aching form, "My minions told me much about you. I owe you my gratitude. Were it not for you, my mission would have been a great deal harder. Thank you."

You tried pulling yourself free as he held you by the shoulder, prying the stone from your hand.

"I understand child," he said, lifting the stone to his gauntlet, "To try so desperately to control fate. But now, with the stones you've helped me collect...I can."

Knowing it would do little but satisfy your own anger, you swung your rod at his head. His fist sent you back, and you laid motionless on the ground, the impact making your vision blur. You heard a loud noise...heard voices, but none of it was clear. Blinking the fog from your head, you pushed yourself up. There, where he'd been standing seconds before, was Thanos kneeling. Thor stood in front of him, axe buried in his chest.

"No!" you yelled at the same time as Thor, but it was too late.

His fingers snapped in a flash of blinding light, which dissipated to reveal the scarred glove. Thor didn't need to ask what he'd done. He knew exactly what had happened. Thanos raised his fist, sucking backwards through a portal.

"No," you said breathlessly, unable to process the truth of what had happened.

The others stumbled into the clearing, Cap looking around for Thanos.

"Are you alright?" Loki ran to your side.

"He did it," was all you could whisper, eyes fixed on the spot where he'd snapped his fingers.

"Where'd he go?" Cap asked, "Thor, where'd he go?"

"Steve?" Bucky said, and you turned to see his arm dusting away.

You were frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do.

He fell to the ground, replaced by a cloud of ashes. Steve walked over, kneeling down where he'd disappeared. His eyes raised to meet yours.

"Wren?" he said, as if wanting to hear it wasn't true.

You nodded, tears streaming down your face. The wind continued to blow eerily, and the distant rumble like thunder that played through the air sent daggers in your heart.

"Oh shit," Yelena said, looking at her own hand.

"Yelena!" Nat tried grabbing her, but there was nothing to hold.

"Sam, where you at?" you heard Rhodey calling, and you knew what the answer was.

"No! No, Wanda!" Vision said, stumbling to the ground as she, who was supporting his weight, vanished.

Okoye staggered in, eyes filled with tears, and you knew T'Challa was gone too.

You were paralyzed. You couldn't focus, couldn't even feel your arms as the horror of what you were witnessing numbed you to the core.

"Darling?" Loki said, worry filling his eyes.

It was then that you realized your arms weren't numb from fear...they were fading away.

"I'm sorry," was all you managed to say. The last thing you saw was the fear on Loki's face.

Chapter 47: (Chapter 46): Picking Up the Pieces

Notes:

I'm back!!! Sorry this chapter is not as long as others, though 13,000ish ain't terrible for word count. I've had a crazy week since I got back last Monday, so I ended this one a little earlier and saved material for next chapter just so I could get something to you guys. The Obiwan Kenobi show, Stranger Things Season 4, Star Wars Celebration, and that new episode of Tom Hiddleston's show (and naturally the Depp vs Turd trial) had me preoccupied this last week, so I have no idea how I wrote at all. I watched like twelve straight hours of TV on Friday...unhealthy but worth it. Anyway, here ya go! Sorry for the wait! Oh also I finished the last part of this chapter on my phone, and autocorrect is a brat, so if you see like egregious errors please let me know!

Either by pure coincidence or the universe's flair for the dramatic, Wren was the last to go. Loki stared at the place she'd vanished, the same grim look of fear and shock as everyone else frozen on his face. Steve slumped to the ground, sitting next to Bucky's dusty remains. Clint staggered slowly to Nat, taking her hand. The rest of the group didn't move. Rhodey jogged in from the trees, looking around for confirmation for what he knew had happened. He caught Bruce's eye first, who gave one sad nod.

"Oh God," Cap muttered, eyes not lifting from the ground in front of him.

No one spoke for another minute, each individual processing the loss in their own way. The only sound that broke the air was the distant rumble of thunder, as if the world itself was lamenting what had happened.

Clint was the first to speak.

"Laura," he said softly like he knew the truth already, "I have to see."

Nat relinquished his hand, not facing him as she nodded. He moved as fast as he could, the weight of grief causing him to stumble off in a haze.

"Brother," Thor said hoarsely, swallowing back his own emotions. He took a step to Loki, whose hands had clenched into fists at his sides.

"We have to get them back," he said in determination, turning to face the group. Where minutes ago there was sadness, now there was fury. "You've all done it before. Out there, somewhere, in another universe, you've all gone through this before," he said firmly.

"Wren said after five years," Nat spoke somberly.

"Because we didn't know about time-travel," Cap answered, pushing himself from the ground.

"I know Scott's the key, and some of the places we go, but Wren talked about the big final battle," Bruce replied, "Some things go wrong. And I don't even know where we start."

"I do," Steve answered, "Wren told me everything. She was afraid this would happen."

Loki lowered his eyes, Cap's words inducing further pain.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Thor asked, "Let's find Lang and get our asses moving."

"It's not that simple," Steve told him.

"Why not?" Loki snapped.

"Because the entire universe just lost half its population. More needs to be handled than just bringing them back," Steve answered, his voice sounding more agitated and argumentative than it usually did.

"Bringing them back is what we need to handle!" Loki lashed back, taking a step closer to Steve.

"Loki, I know you're upset. But we all lost today. And we want them back as much as you. But there's a whole world that needs us too. Our duty is to them," he pointed to indicate the rest of humanity, "as much as it is to each other. If we're going to bring them back, we need to tell the world. They need to know what's happened."

Loki stared hard at Steve, who didn't shy away.

"Fine. Comfort your world," Loki said coldly, "Just try not to let five years slip past before you actually do something."

He stormed past Cap, ignoring Thor's attempts to stop him.

"What do we do?" Okoye asked, trying to stand tall.

"Your people need you here," Steve answered, "Go find who's left. Get Wakanda under control and be ready."

"For what?" she asked.

"The fight of our lives."

She nodded, hurrying back to the battlefield.

"We should get a broadcast out," Vision said, "There will be a mass panic."

"We get home and I can see what's left of our buddies in the news," Rhodey said.

"The sooner we get this settled, the sooner we go get the son of a bitch," Nat stated fiercely.

"Let's get a move on then," Thor said, offering Vision help in walking.

The journey back to the city was a quiet one, though the frenzy that greeted them there broke the silence.

"Guys, you'll have no idea what's happened," Korg started when he saw them, "People started turning to dust all around us, just fading away right there."

Rhodey patted his back as he took him and Miek off to explain what had happened.

"I know you wanna help," Nat said to Steve, who had paused at the bottom of the quinjet's ramp to survey the chaos.

"We don't have time," he finished her point for her, turning to board the jet.

Loki was sitting in the corner of the plane, hunched forward with his elbows on his legs and hands folded together. For half the flight he didn't acknowledge or speak to anyone, not that the team was in a particularly talkative mood. He'd have continued his bitter silence, had someone not deliberately taken the seat next to him.

"Leave me alone, Romanoff," Loki spoke, not turning to look at her.

"I've been stuck with you for how many months, I think it's only fair you deal with me for a few minutes."

"If you're going to ask if I'm ok, I'm going to stick a dagger in your eye."

"I don't ask questions I know the answer to. I thought you knew me better than that."

"I've never made it a particular interest to get to know you."

"Same, yet here we are."

Loki scoffed, chuckling bitterly.

"So you know me now, is that it?"

"I know Wren. And through her we've come to know you. Been forced to, actually."

Loki's anger dropped slightly at the mention of Wren, the sadness he tried hiding now taking control.

"What's your point?"

"That this isn't a pity party you're throwing for yourself over here. It isn't even grief. It's guilt."

"And why should I feel guilty?" he snapped instinctively.

"For the same reason the rest of us do."

"I'm not one of you, Widow."

"I know someone who would argue against that."

Loki didn't respond, but he glanced up to Nat for the first time.

"Guilt is part of the job," Nat said, holding the eye contact, "But we're all to blame. We'll get her back."

With that she stood and moved to sit with Barton. Loki watched her go, noticing Thor was doing the same. The brothers locked eyes. Though unable to offer a smile, Thor nodded and Loki returned the gesture.

Loki looked around the group one by one, noting the expressions and stances held by each. As Natasha had claimed, everyone looked more than upset. Reading people was something Loki prided himself on, even if he pretended to know more sometimes than he really did. In this case, he didn't need to make assumptions. Guilt was an easy enough symptom to spot. The secret of what he'd done, however, was eating at him. The others may feel responsible for failing, but Loki felt responsible for giving Thanos what he needed. He knew Nat had tried to provide some solace by telling him he wasn't alone in his self-loathing, but that did little to assuage his guilt.

Her actions surprised him though. He'd have been a fool to not notice how the dynamic between himself and the Avengers had changed over the months. Despite resisting the truth, as he always does, he wasn't blind to how comfortable his relations with the team had grown. Some people were friendlier than others, but all were more frequently normal with him, and he with them. Wren had said as much only about a hundred times. He smiled thinking about that, wishing now that he'd have accepted it and admitted it to her. She'd been thrilled when Barton had confessed his decreased hatred for him, and Loki knew she'd have loved for him to say it as well. Not that she needed his confirmation. She always knew. If her love of the films had given her an advantage in reading all of them, living among them for months only increased her talent. Her predictions that he'd become one of the team had been quickly shaping up to be true. He'd known it. He'd fought his own sentimental notions of such a future, especially when he was shocked to find how much he didn't hate the idea. Still, regardless of how things were with the team, he wasn't used to one of them trying to comfort him. He wasn't used to the sense of solidarity a team can bring you, the feeling of not being the only one in your position.

And yet I'm still apart from them, he thought, Even now, I'm once again to blame more than anyone else. I've separated myself.

That sense of loneliness crept back in, as Loki chastised himself for having ever believed that he could do what Wren had envisioned. He was destined to be a plague to heroes and their cause. He was the mischief-maker. His selfishness would always hurt himself and those around him.

Loki sat silently lost in thought until the plane landed in the hangar. Though angry at himself, it looked as if he was angry at everyone else as he walked briskly ahead of the group.

"What exactly is it you have to do before we start?" Loki asked impatiently from his chair in the kitchen.

"I'll see what I can set up," Rhodey said, "Then we go live. Tell everyone what happened."

"Yes, because knowing the reason why their families turned to dust will make it so much easier to bear their loss," he replied.

"Wouldn't you wanna know?" Rhodey shot back.

"We'll do more than that. We'll give them hope," Steve explained, "Everyone in this room is carrying on because we have something to fight for. A chance. If we didn't have that..." he left the sentence unfinished, shaking his head at the thought. Everyone understood. Without the possibility to fix things, no one would be functioning.

"I'll let you know what I get," Rhodey said, walking from the room.

No one seemed to know what to do to pass time. Moments without something to do turned into excruciatingly silent mourning sessions. Clint's eyes were red and puffy from the tears shed over his family, and he sat staring into space. Nat and Bruce sat next to each other, their hands overlapping on the table. Thor's head was leaning against Stormbreaker, which he was holding in a standing position in front of him as he sat. Korg and Miek whispered to each other now and again, both grieving the loss of their friends.

"I should check on Asgard," Thor said suddenly, standing abruptly.

"You're leaving now?" Loki stood with him.

"Brother, what's happening down here is surely happening back home. What if father is..."

Loki swallowed, fearing the thought as much as Thor.

"Our people need us too," Thor said, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder and holding his gaze.

"Go," Loki nodded, "I'll stay here."

"I'll bring word soon."

With that he marched swiftly from the room.

Rhodey came back soon thereafter, informing the group of the emergency broadcast that was being scrambled together. Cap offered to be the only one to appear on screen, but the others wouldn't let him face it alone. Loki nearly gagged at how he found himself admiring their loyalty, but there was no Wren to call him out on what was going on under the surface. He always complained when she did that, but now he felt the painful lack. He made no effort to bow out of attending the press meeting, for no one expected him to come along. After all, seeing the Avengers sitting with the murderous attacker of New York was the last thing the frenzied populace needed.

Bruce stayed behind with Vision to help patch him up in his lab, but the rest of the team went.

Loki sat with Korg and Miek in the living room, watching as Rogers addressed the world. He held nothing back, explaining, as clearly and briefly as possible, how Thanos had accomplished what he had.

"I know you're scared. We all are," Steve began his closing remarks, "But we have a plan. A chance at bringing everyone back. It won't be easy, and it may not be quick. Weeks could pass before we succeed. But we promise we won't rest until they're back. We'll do whatever it takes. All we ask is that everyone, from one end of the world to the other, does their part. Help each other. Look out for your neighbor, your friends, your family, whoever is left. This is a time for us to come together. Thanos has taken half of those we care about. It's up to us to help those who are left. Pick up the pieces, remain strong, undivided. And when they come back, they'll find a world ready and waiting for them, united by the bonds that exist between every man, woman, and child. When they come back...hold your heads with pride as you tell them how we came together. Tell them of how the world fought back. How we never gave up."

The reporters tried asking more questions, as they often do, but the Avengers filed out of the room.

"That was truly inspirational," Korg said, and Loki gave him a look. "Now we know we can get everyone back, Miek."

Loki smirked at the Kronan's faith. Yes, it was because he believed everything he heard, but Loki needed some of that blind optimism. Wren loved Korg and Miek, and, through her, Loki had spent great amounts of time with them. Their unbiased stance on him had made it easier to interact with them in the early days, and he'd grown a fondness for the duo.

With their spirits lifted, Korg and Miek ventured to make some food, asking Loki if he wanted to join them. He opened his mouth to decline, but paused for few seconds. Coming to a decision, he forced a soft smile.

"Yes, thank you," he answered, stepping with them to the counter.

It was a good thing he accepted, for Korg wasn't the best in the kitchen. Loki ended up taking charge, the task providing a much appreciated distraction.

When the team returned, it was straight to business. No one slept that night as plans were discussed and tasks completed. Fury's last known position was located, with Rhodey flying out to retrieve the beacon for Captain Marvel. The device was hooked up to run continuously. A transmission to the Guardians was attempted, but there was no answer.

"If things went like the movie, their ship isn't in good condition," Cap explained, "Wren told me that Tony and Nebula manage to buy themselves some flight time, but it's dead in the water after that. They float adrift for 22 days."

"Isn't Stark the mind behind time travel?" Loki asked.

"For navigating it," Cap nodded.

"Then we can't wait 22 days to find him! Did she say where he is?"

"Anywhere in the void of space between here and Titan."

Loki sighed, leaning his forehead on his fist.

"What of the stones in the present?" Vision asked, "Are we so certain we can't reach them before Thanos destroys them?"

"We only locate Thanos because of the energy surge caused by the destruction," Steve said, "Nebula lets us know he planned on retreating to The Garden when he finished his work."

"That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan," Rhodey muttered.

"Then we can get to this garden first," Loki insisted.

"Wren says Nebula doesn't just lead us there. Instead, it cuts to Rocket explaining the energy detected on a planet from one of our deep-space scans. She's able to confirm it's the place he'd be, but it never actually shows her knowing where the planet is before Rocket brings it up."

"Sounds like it was kinda pointless for Nebula to explain it at all," Clint grumbled, earning looks. "From a movie perspective," he clarified.

"We won't know if she can lead us there until we get her," Nat said, "How do we find Tony?"

"Danvers gets them," Cap answered, which received frustrated groans from the group.

"So we can't go for Thanos til we have Nebula, and we can't get Nebula til we have Captain Marvel," Rhodey summarized.

"Sounds like our luck," Clint added.

"Any chance we still have a pair of eyes up on Asgard?" Nat asked Loki.

He shook his head softly. "I've tried speaking with Heimdall, but...there's no answer."

"We still need Mr. Lang," Vision said, "If we're to prepare for a worst case scenario, his experience with the quantum realm will be necessary."

"I've tried calling him," Nat said, "He's silent too."

"You have his number?" Clint asked.

"For this reason."

"You think he got snapped too, or stuck in the quantum place?" Rhodey asked.

"It'd be one hell of a coincidence for him to be exactly where he was supposed to be in the movie," Nat said like it still wasn't a far-fetched possibility.

"Which means it's what happened," Loki said, "Wren was afraid things were playing out as they were supposed to, that the universe was correcting itself. She told me she was worried," he finished quietly, feeling more guilty by the minute. He'd given her hope. He'd tried to be uncharacteristically optimistic, not liking seeing her so down. And look where it had gotten her.

"I knew she was worried too," Cap said, sensing Loki was blaming himself, "There's a reason she wanted to talk about Endgame."

"And I had my own fears," Vis chimed, "The stone was warning me, but I ignored it."

"Seems we all got too comfortable being ahead," Bruce said, "We should've destroyed any stone we had when we got the chance."

"We knew things were unpredictable," Cap said in an attempt at comforting, "The best we can do now is work with what we've got...and don't hesitate to do what we have to."

"So what now?" Rhodey asked.

"We wait for Danvers. And we go find Scott tonight," Steve answered.

"Tonight?" Loki questioned.

"We've been up all night, Loki," Steve replied.

"You mortals and your pathetic lack of stamina," Loki said irritably.

"We won't be able to do anything if we continue like this," Nat told him, "And you're exhausted."

He didn't answer, but his jaw tightened in frustration. He looked away, conceding the argument.

Loki went to his room, but laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep wasn't a option.

***

Around 2pm, Loki gave up on resting. He'd dozed on and off, but images of Wren disappearing in front of him kept him awake. All of that death, executed with the snap of a finger. Now he truly understood Wren's fear. Some things you could never wrap your head around until you experience it for yourself. Wilson, for all of his annoying traits, was gone too...and Loki was continuously surprised by how much that bothered him. Wren was his primary concern, his main source of distress. But he was angered by the deaths of the others, something he never thought he'd say to himself. Yelena was probably the closest to a friend that Loki had who wasn't Wren, and she was gone. Wanda, who had been more willing than others to give him a chance, was gone. If those who blipped in the movie were the same as reality, then that meant Groot, Parker, and most of the Guardians were gone. Barnes, Heimdall, possibly his father...the list went on. The walls he always raised around himself when caring became too painful simply wouldn't hold. He couldn't lie to himself about how he felt. Not about this.

Eager to find Lang, Loki left his quarters, entering the kitchen to see who was present. 

"Hey," Rhodey said from where he sat alone at the table.

Everywhere one went, every room, every situation, there was that stifling air of dread. That defeated aura about everyone. Hope kept them going, yes, but it did little to brighten the atmosphere after such an unbearable loss. The way Rhodes held himself now was a testament to that. Loki had walked in on this man and every other Avenger hundreds of times over the months, and never had such a small interaction been so tired and beaten. 

"Hey," Loki replied, stopping in the middle of the room. 

He was considering returning to his room. Yes, he'd come in search of who was up and ready to move. But now it was just him and Rhodey, and he suddenly wondered why he'd come down in the first place. What annoyed him the most is how, deep down, he didn't want to leave. How he knew he'd come down because he was tired of being alone with his thoughts. Just sharing the room with someone who was as distraught as himself was a comfort.

Instead he stood there, looking around the room for something to fix his eyes on.

"Can't sleep?" Rhodey asked, and Loki just nodded. "Who could?" Rhodey shook his head.

"The others seem to be doing a fine job of it," Loki said disapprovingly.

"Dude you really think any of them are sleeping?"

Loki looked at Rhodey but didn't answer. Rhodes moved a chair out from the table with his foot, nodding to the seat. Loki hesitated for a moment before walking to take it. Both men sat at the table in silence, each zoning out in their own thoughts.

"I uh...God I really thought we had it," Rhodey scoffed, giving a sad chuckle as he played with his hands, "You know, when Infinity War started happening, I thought that was it at first. We thought you were dead. The battle at Wakanda was happening. I just thought there was no way we end up on top. Then Shuri said we had the stone, and I...I thought we had it," he repeated.

Loki continued not to speak, but his eyes were attentively on Rhodes.

"Now I--I don't see a way...there's no end here where we all win anymore. Wren told Steve about Endgame, but that just means we can do everything five years earlier."

Loki knew he was fearing the same outcome. Stark's death, Romanoff's sacrifice for the soul stone, etc. All of that meant he got what he wanted. He got Wren back five years earlier. That selfish notion was what he tried focusing on, telling himself that's all that mattered. Then why did he feel as disturbed by the thought as Rhodey was?

"Why am I talking to you about this though?" Rhodey chuckled, "As long as you get her back you won't lose any sleep."

Rhodey didn't mean it harshly, the look in his eyes said as much. Yet Loki felt attacked nonetheless. He hid it with a little smile, as if going along with what Rhodes had said.

"It's been obvious for a while, but I never said it...you mean it when you say she's your friend. When she was kidnapped, both times, you really wanted her back."

Loki nodded slowly.

"You don't talk much when you're upset."

"And you talk a lot."

"Yeah," Rhodey laughed, "I guess I do."

There were another few seconds of silence, both unable to maintain their smiles for long. It seemed such a struggle to put on a happy face.

"I'm usually much more talkative," Loki spoke, "When I'm upset," he clarified, smirking at how Rhodey was about to capitalize on the opportunity to insult, "I uh...I usually don't handle it well. Both verbally and physically."

"So we've heard. And seen."

"You referring to now or the past?"

"Well you didn't attack New York because you were happy."

Loki let out a breathy laugh.

"No, I suppose not. But when my...when my mother, Frigga, when she died I..."

Loki didn't know why he was talking to Rhodey about this.

"...I've never felt something like that. When Thor came to me later I was...well let's just say I wasn't as composed. I wanted to break something, more than I already had. I wanted to burn the city to the ground. I've never felt that...that pain. It sucks the air from your lungs...makes you feel like the world is caving in...trying to crush you. I hid it around Thor, for the most part. Joked, talked, insulted, did my usual. I guess I'm just wondering now...why I--why I don't feel the same this time around."

"Why you're not destroying stuff?"

"Among other things, yes."

"Cuz Tony would kill you?"

"Ah, you got it first try, Rhodes."

Both chuckled at themselves.

"Look," Rhodey sad more seriously, looking at this hands as he searched for the words, "Maybe it's because she's not really gone? I mean, all of us would be a lot worse right now if we didn't know there was a way to get them."

"Hope's never been one of my virtues," Loki replied like that debunked Rhodey's theory.

"I know. But you're not the same guy right?"

Loki furrowed his brow, looking to Rhodey in surprise.

"Don't look so surprised, man," Rhodey rolled his eyes, "You watch movies, you cook, if you can call it that, you play video games, you read books with Cap---"

"I read them with Wren."

"Who reads them with Cap. The point is, a few months ago I'd have said it was all pretend, something you were doing to make it look like you were playing nice. But come on, we're a little past that now."

Loki wanted to argue, to say something hinting that he still potentially was hiding an ulterior motive...but nothing came out.

"Maybe it's a good thing you haven't gone around throwing furniture or something. That's an old Loki thing."

"Old and new Loki," he chuckled, shaking his head, "You sound like Wren."

"She might be gone dude, but that doesn't mean what she said or believed is gone."

Except she believed I could be a hero, and I tried. I tried being optimistic. I tried fighting with them. And she died.

"I---I um, I think I should try to sleep some more before we go," Loki lied.

Rhodey nodded sadly, knowing he was fibbing.

"Good luck."

Loki stood and walked hastily from the room. Once back upstairs, he tried considering what Rhodey had said. Was he really not acting out because he held hope? Is this what it was like for these heroes? Why they could never be knocked down hard enough to remain on the ground? Against all odds, they always kept coming. Loki had mocked their foolish persistence many times over, but now here he was. Clinging to the hope that they could bring her back like the film. That they could bring them all back.

That doesn't explain why I'm just acting...normal? Why did I talk to Rhodes? Why am I so unable to lash out at them?

He'd tried. He'd been cold with Rogers, rigid with Romanoff, silent with everyone else...yet as time passed, anger faded...and he didn't like it. Anger was a powerful drug. It numbed the mind to any emotional pain. It gave one a focus, an outlet to vent their feelings in a less vulnerable fashion than actually showing sadness. He'd tried hiding his true self when Thor came to him after Frigga died. Lifting his illusion and speaking his grief to his brother had been the brief moment of emotional vulnerability he'd shown. After that, anger had taken over again. Anger had always been his fallback. His disguise. It kept him going.

Now, without it he felt...empty. The emptiness of despair. The pit of grief forming in his stomach. Hope kept him from exploding, but it didn't make it any easier. How did heroes do it? How did they continue on when this kind of feeling made you want to lie down and give up? That's why it was so much easier to give up. To let yourself rage. It's what he'd always done, but couldn't do now. He wasn't sure if he'd cascade out of control even if she were truly dead...because try as he might he couldn't find anyone to be angry with. Wren had done such a good job of getting him not to hate these people that he now couldn't force it when he wanted to.

But without her, what future do I have with the rest of them anyway? She was the link. The bridge between the two parties. If she doesn't come back...

He felt the mixed rage and grief burn inside him at the thought, and one of his chairs went catapulting into the wall. It didn't make him feel better.

She wouldn't want you throwing chairs.

He sighed in tired frustration, slumping to the ground, back against the side of his bed.

She'd also say it was super cool though.

A soft smile broke at the corners of his mouth, but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

She's dead because of you. You killed her. You gave Thanos the stone. She'd tried comforting you about it, and you'd almost believed it wasn't your fault. You went as far as assure her everything would be fine. But you believed your own lies. Of course it was your fault. Of course you couldn't help things go right, you only lead to them going wrong. Now she's gone. You failed her, and you failed what she thought you could be. You're not one of them. The others don't have to fight wanting to destroy everything in their path. They don't have to regret being the cause of trillions of deaths.

With his head reclined, he squeezed his eyes shut, as if doing so would stop the flow of thoughts. He didn't bother wiping the occasional tear that made it's way out of the corners of his eyes. Sitting in this position, he eventually fell asleep.

***

"Brother?" Thor's voice called out, and Loki's head snapped up.

For a second he looked around curiously, trying to recall why he was on the floor. He remembered the nightmare of reality, wishing he could go back to sleep and escape it. Instead, he groaned and pulled himself to his feet, heading to open the door.

"Yes?" Loki asked his solemn brother.

Thor did a poor job of not looking concerned by Loki's disheveled hair and tired eyes.

"Thor," Loki snapped.

"We're uh, we're getting ready to leave."

"It's about time," Loki said, marching past Thor.

He fixed his hair as Thor hurried to catch up.

"Brother---" Thor started.

"Not everything you think has to come out your mouth."

"No, but some of it should."

"I disagree."

"Loki, I know what you're doing."

"And what is that?" he said sarcastically as he pushed the elevator button aggressively.

"This," Thor waved to his entire person, "This isn't your usual hatred of everyone and everything. This certainly isn't the brother I journeyed with yesterday."

"Yet it's the one you should be familiar with."

"Which is exactly why I know what you're doing."

Loki didn't answer, but glared ahead at the door as the lift carried them down.

"We all make mistakes, brother---"

"Thor, please---"

"But being part of a team means we all take the blame. No loss is ever on any one mistake. Several have to be made, all by more than you."

"Can you stop?" Loki said, looking increasingly troubled.

"Why, Loki? Wh-what, do you want me to say it's all your fault? That you're to blame for everything? Would that make you feel better, brother?"

Again, he didn't answer, but his anger was giving way to uncertainty and sadness.

"You crave to be accepted yet fight as hard as you can when someone does."

"They don't know what I did."

"No, but I do. And I think no lesser of you, Loki. You think I should though, because you think it of yourself. Believe me, brother, if you think we all don't go through self-loathing and guilt, you are greatly mistaken."

"But you all keep going until you make things right," Loki replied, "I tried that, and, per my luck, things didn't get better. There's never any moving past the things I've done. They always come back. I was supposed to be better. I tried."

"Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be..."

"The measure of a person is how well they succeed at being who they are," Loki finished, looking in surprise at his brother.

"Measure of a hero," Thor added, "And I see Wren told you of mother's words as well."

"Yes, but for you those words mean something. You thought you had to be a flawless leader, and she reminded you you just had to work to be the hero you are."

"Ok, so Wren went into some more detail," Thor nodded like it made sense.

"Of course she did. She gets very passionate when it comes to character development discussions."

"She does," Thor laughed.

"But that scene was yours, brother, not mine."

The elevator had reached the bottom, but none of the brothers moved to get out.

"Lessons aren't meant for any one person, Loki. They're meant for whoever needs to hear them."

"You're supposed to be a hero Thor, always have been. And I'm always meant to be the villain. I was born to drive others to greatness by providing something to fight against. Someone to prove wrong. Someone to stop."

"Where is this coming from?"

"Something Wren showed me once...memories from my future, or a version of me at least."

"Version?"

"It's a long story. But the point is, even when given the freedom to change, as I've now had, I end up right back where I was."

"It's only an end when you decide to stop."

Loki contemplated that, turning his head to his brother.

"Brother, I see two options here. One, you blame yourself for everything and think you're not worthy of being on this team, thus lashing out at everyone to make them hate you as much as you hate yourself. You fall back into your old habits, you grow bitter. Or, you accept that mistakes and failures are part of the job, and that you're no different than everyone else here. You continue to grow, to fight, just as you've been doing these last months. Loki, I know how difficult it was for you to admit that you didn't mind this life. You're my brother. I know your internal conflict when I see it. Which is why I know you came to conclusion that it wasn't so bad down here. That we weren't so bad. And Wren, she--she helped, yes...but she didn't do it all for you. You did. Everything you've done, all the change you've accomplished, all the happiness you've brought yourself...she didn't just hand it to you. You let it in. You worked for it. So she may not be here now, but what you are and the potential she saw in you didn't dust away. So choose option B, brother. Prove to yourself that you can do this."

Loki's eyebrows were raised as he took it all in. He looked like he wanted to speak, but didn't know how to say what he felt.

Damn, he's right.

He'd never been so relieved to have admitted that about Thor. So this is what the other side of hope feels like. Not just a rope to cling to as it pulls you through your troubles painfully, but a relief. Just the thought of someone else having faith in him made him believe he could do it. His thoughts continued to fight the notion with disbelief, but deep down inside, part of him had been lit with a small spark.

"And for goodness sake stop with the pushing me away thing, it's getting old," Thor said, making Loki laugh.

"Thank you, brother," Loki said sincerely.

Thor gave him a beaming grin, patting him on the back as he finally made to leave the elevator.

"Oh and..." Thor stopped abruptly, turning around to face Loki, "I'm sorry. For not killing him, for...for letting him snap."

Loki fought the urge to pile on to Thor's guilt. The opportunity to blame someone other than himself was tempting.

"It's not your fault," he said, it sounding somewhat difficult and strange to get out of his throat. He was out of practice when it came to comforting his brother.

"No, I was...arrogant. I was foolish, I reveled too much in plunging the axe through his chest. I should have gone for the..."

He trailed off, eyes seeming to come to some revelation.

"What?"

Thor sighed, shaking his head.

"Something Wren has joked about before. I never understood what she meant. She loves to say I should have gone for the head, when the situation applies."

"You never asked what she meant?"

"I tried once, but she pretended it was nothing. Found it funnier that I didn't know I guess."

"That sounds like her sadistic sense of humor," Loki shook his head, "If only she'd told us that detail."

"I'm sure she never thought it would come to it. There's a lot to tell in ten years of events, brother. And by the time the events started playing out, she wasn't sure where we were or if either of us survived. Not a lot of opportunity to let me know what was going to happen. Besides, she wasn't the one wielding the axe. She shouldn't have to tell me how to use one."

"You at least made contact, Thor. None of us did damage. He only got to Wren because we couldn't hold him off."

"We?" Thor asked with a smirk.

Loki gave him a look.

"What? You're right! I'm just glad you're admitting it."

"From the man who just apologized for not going for the head. The lesson isn't just for one person, brother, it's for whoever needs to hear it," Loki threw his words back at him, "We all failed."

"And we all can't help but hold ourselves responsible."

"Yup," Loki smacked his lips together, nodding.

"That's the hero trope though, right? That's what Wren says about us."

"Maybe we should all just be villains, you know?" Loki joked, "Can you imagine what we could do?"

"Probably take over the world rather easily."

"Not feel responsible for anything."

"No guilt, yes, that'd be a good one."

"Too bad we'd all turn on each other," Loki said like that was the one flaw in their master plan.

"And I'm the strongest Avenger, so naturally I'd win."

Loki chuckled as he eye-rolled.

"I think I'd rename this planet Lightning...Land or something like that," Thor continued.

"That sounds like an attraction for children."

"Fine, then maybe I'd keep you around for the branding."

The brothers had taken their time getting to the lounge/planning room, entering to find all but Clint and Vision present. 

Nat grinned at the fact that they had been smiling, something that had been a rare occurrence among the team in the last 24 hours. 

Pepper had evidently joined the group, as she was sitting at a table and doing her best to breathe like everything was fine.

"Hey Pepper," Clint greeted as he walked in after the gods.

"Hey," she said, giving him a tight hug.

No words were spoken during the hug, but the comfort and condolences behind it were clear. Pepper sniffed back a tear as she pulled away.

"When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago," she answered, "I, uh...I've done what I can to keep Stark Industries from tearing itself apart but there's uh, there's there's not much to do right now," she said, sounding like she was still in shock, "So I-I didn't know where else to go. Where to wait."

The two of them sat next to each other to continue their conversation, while Thor and Loki took their seats to wait for Vision. When he arrived, Cap got the show on the road.

"We're tracking Scott's phone to this location," Steve said, the schematics of a building and the area around it showing in the middle of the table, "We figure this is where he and the Pym family were running their tests. If all went according to the movies, Scott is stuck in there and the others are gone. We need to get him out and get him and his research over here."

"Do we know how to work that tech?" Rhodey asked.

"If a rat can do it, I'm sure Bruce can figure it out," Steve answered.

"A rat?" Clint questioned.

"Yeah, that's how he gets out in Endgame. No one knew he was in there for five years, til a rat stepped on the controls."

"Convenient," Clint muttered.

 "Pepper's going to watch Fury's beacon and be here in case Danvers shows," Cap carried on, "We should be in and out as quickly as possible. I want to be ready for Tony when we find him."

He led the way out of the room and to the quinjet.

Another ride, Loki groaned internally, not liking the thought of prolonged inactivity. Once again, no one spoke much the whole ride there. Korg and Miek were in better spirits, but they held enough sense to know that wasn't the case with the rest of the team. Games, books, movies, nothing seemed appealing. Minds were too distracted, too worried to focus on much of anything. Conversation, oddly enough, was the only action that got one out of their own heads, yet there was nothing to talk about in the face of the current crisis.

At long last, the plane was set down on the roof in question. It was evening in San Francisco, though the sky was cloudy, thus hiding what light the sunset would have provided.

"That's the quantum tunnel?" Rhodey asked of the brown van linked to the other stations of equipment.

"Looks like it," Nat said as the team reached the back, seeing the mechanism within.

"Shit, ok," Rhodey mumbled.

"Let's get him outa there," Steve said, the team backing up from the van as Bruce went over the controls.

He was taking his time examining all of the devices, muttering to himself as he'd look up at one thing and back down at another.

"Do we need to call a rat?" Loki sassed impatiently.

"I get it alright, I'm taking a while," Bruce shot back, "But I wanna make sure I pull him out, not suck us in. Though if you're close enough I might just do it." He grumbled the last part to himself, Loki picking up pieces of it.

"What was that Banner?"

"N--nothing," Bruce shrugged, "Just, you know, science talk and...stuff."

"How much longer Bruce?" Steve asked.

"Just about there," he responded absent-mindedly, reading another screen, "Ok, yeah yeah, I think I got it. Everyone stand over here by me," he waved the team over, keeping them a distance from the van. He pressed a few buttons, the tunnel lighting up. Lastly, he placed his hand on the desired switch.

"This'd better work," Loki said.

"Thanks for the confidence, Loki," Bruce said, giving the god a look over his shoulder, "Ok, bringing him back in 3...2...1..."

He flipped the controls, the tunnel's brightness growing until a figure shot out of it. He landed hard on the ground, rolling across the roof. Loki let out a sigh of relief.

Bruce shut down the tunnel, while Steve and the others ran to Scott's side.

"Scott," Cap said, crouching next to him.

Scott was slapping at some sparks on his suit, groaning as he did.

"You ok?" Steve asked.

"Oh, hey Cap, Captain, sorry," he said, reaching to retract his helmet, "Oh my god," he panted as he dropped his head back against the ground, "Thanks for uh, for pulling me from there," he waved to the van without lifting his head, "That was the longest ten minutes of my life."

People exchanged looks, but no one was shocked by the statement.

"Was um, was was Hope, you know," Scott motioned for Steve to finish the thought.

Cap nodded somberly.

"Shit," Scott sighed, the hurt and fear playing across his face, "I mean, I-I-I figured it had happened, but shit. You know I joked about it too? Before going in? Shoulda knocked on wood, I knew I jinxed it. But Hope told me to shut up, which I mean I hear a lot and she was probably right, but turns out I was right, so if I hadn't shut up maybe I would have scared myself and not gone in there, not that being out here was really going to do anything, but that wasn't fun---"

"Scott," Nat cut him off.

"Right, sorry," he apologized, propping himself on one elbow, "Anyone bring food? For some reason I'm starving."

"Half the universe has just been wiped out," Rhodey said disapprovingly.

"Yeah I...I know," Scott said, looking genuinely flustered by the reality of the situation. At least this time he knew what was going on, so he was handling it better than he did in Endgame. "How long was I in there? Please tell me it hasn't been five years?"

"When did you crawl into that van?" Korg asked, trying to be helpful.

"Approaching 24 hours," Vision answered.

"Oh thank god, that's--that's so much better. I was really hoping you guys wouldn't forget me or anything," he chuckled nervously.

"If it weren't for your experience with your molecular world, we would have," Loki said.

"Oh hey there, uh, Loki," Scott gave a tired wave, "So glad you survived."

Thor chuckled as Loki glared back at Lang.

"You good to stand up?" Steve offered him a hand.

"Yeah, yeah no I'm good, great, ready to go," he said, taking the offered help.

"Let's get this loaded up," Cap motioned to the van.

Bruce helped Scott get everything ready to move, then the team helped load it up.

"Dude, I said stop!" Rhodey said as Scott pulled the van on board.

"I thought you were waving me on!"

"Does this," Rhodey repeated the motion, "Look like I'm waving you on?"

"Well from here---"

"Just back up," Rhodey ordered.

"Yes sir..." he grumbled to himself, doing as he was told.

Soon, everything was ready to go. Scott munched away on snacks as he began sharing in the gloom of the squad. He called his ex to check on her and Cassie, his daughter's voice helping to calm him down. Still, he fidgeted nervously most of the ride.

"So uh, where's Stark?" he asked as the jet landed, noticing for the first time that he wasn't there, "He didn't, ya know, did he? Cuz I thought he helps us navigate the quantum realm?"

"He's currently M.I.A, somewhere in space," Rhodey answered.

"Space?" Scott asked in awe.

"Are you just forgetting we're dealing with aliens?" Clint asked.

"No, it's just, you know, still weird to hear. Not the answer you expect when you ask where some is."

 "It's ok," Nat said, giving Clint a look, "We're just all a little stressed."

"How do we get him? Is he on his way, or is this like our first mission or something?"

"We need Captain Marvel to find him. Remember Wren mentioning her?" Cap asked.

"Yeah, yeah I think so. Space lady, right? Makes sense. So where's she?"

"We have a signal going out to her," Bruce explained.

"But when she'll arrive is another matter," Vision finished.

"And uh," Scott said, looking around the group, "Everyone else is..."

"Yeah," Bruce said quietly, the team growing sadder by the thought of those missing.

Scott nodded, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry."

"The sooner you get busy, the closer we are to getting them back," Loki said, taking the lead down the ramp.

Back inside, those who were hungry grabbed what they could find. Scott made himself a pb&j sandwich, polishing it off rather quickly. Nat went off to shower, Rhodey dropped on the couch, and Korg and Miek very cautiously turned on their games, as if fearing someone would think it an inappropriate time...which of course, it technically was. Thor brought a few beers over to the table. Though the supply was originally intended for him, he pretended he'd brought it for the others too, not stopping them as Clint, Steve, Bruce, and Loki all grabbed one. Scott was too busy chugging his milk with his sandwich.

"So when do we start?" Loki asked.

"Start?" Scott asked, glancing at the clock, "Like tonight?"

"Our sleep schedule's a little nonexistent at the moment," Steve smirked.

"No, yeah that's cool. But, um, don't we need Stark?"

"You and I can get the systems up and running," Bruce explained, "We need Tony's help with the details, but we can get the basics ready for when he comes."

"Sweet, yeah, uh we just need to bring the van in somewhere for me to---"

"Scott," Steve cut him off, "It can wait til tomorrow."

Loki's head jerked to the soldier.

"We can't have him making a mistake because we didn't take the time to do it right," Steve explained before Loki had a chance to speak.

"You saw how well taking our time to get it right went!" Loki said in an accusatory tone.

"We thought we had more time. Now everything's broken, but we have a five year head start on fixing it."

"And we had, what, a two year head start on Thanos?" Loki argued, "But delay after delay pushed us to where we are."

"Without Tony, we're not going anywhere anyway," Clint said, leaning his elbows on the table, "Whether they get it set up now or tomorrow isn't gonna make Captain Marvelous get here sooner."

Loki knew they were right, but he couldn't help but get angry. It was once again flowing naturally. He sat there with a tightened jaw, desperately biting back the rageful remarks pricking at the tip of his tongue.

"And what are we supposed to do? Sleep again?" Loki said as the others began to stand.

"We should," Cap said, looking around the tired-eyed table, "Not that we'll have better luck this time."

With that, he left the room with Scott, Bruce and Clint following behind. Rhodey stayed on the couch, though no one could tell if he was asleep or not.

"You're not going to let me walk alone, are you?" Loki groaned, noticing Thor waiting for him.

"Nope," he said, emphasizing the pop of the p.

Loki stood up, stepping alongside his brother. Neither spoke until the elevator.

"I never asked," Loki said, "But...father?"

Thor's expression answered.

"And...the others?"

"Brunnilde is alive. She's still recovering from our fight, but she's up and about. She's a tremendous help at the moment, while we're away. Hogun and Volstagg are...but Fandral's still here. We've lost contact with Sif though, so...I don't know."

Loki took the news in silence, with Thor getting off at 2. When the door opened on the third floor, Loki had the urge to turn left, as he'd done towards Wren's room hundreds of times. Yet he wouldn't allow himself even a glance at the hall. He stormed down to his room, dreading the quiet madness of waiting until morning before doing something again. He knew he should have showered, should have changed. All of the others had, but Loki realized he'd yet to remove the grime and blood splatters on his face. No one had said anything, probably because they knew better. Knew how distracted he was.

"Great," Loki muttered, walking to turn the shower's handle. Yes, magic could get rid of most things, but he enjoyed the relaxing warmth of washing without it. He found himself zoning out while in the water, staring at the wall ahead of him as it poured down over his head. Rubbing his face and pulling back his soaked hair, he leaned his head back, letting the drops fall on his face. At least in here he was technically doing something. At least the shower was a small degree enjoyable. Reluctantly he switched the water off, drying himself instantly as he stepped out onto the rug. 

Choosing Midgardian clothes, Loki then flopped down in his bed, his room submerged in darkness. 

I know you said when people come back from the snap, for them it's like they never left, Loki thought to Wren, So it stands to reason that, whatever afterlife we go to, time works differently there. And, though time passes here, we bring you back from the moment you left, before you reach that unknown. That also means that, if we fail, somewhere out there you've reached your Valhalla already. That you're there in some point in time. I wish I could sit here and be as overly optimistic as you would be, and say that that point in time never occurs, that of course we bring you back. But I can't help but be afraid, Darling. I'm sorry. I'm terrified. Terrified to lose you. Terrified that I already have. And if you are in the other world, and we never pull you back before...know that I love you. I have for a while now. Truly, ardently love you. I should have told you. And I will never stop loving you...even if you're gone. 

And I will live for you. I will try my hardest, every day, to be what you knew I could be. What you helped me see. Even gone, you will continue to change my life. You'll be happy to know that it was Rhodey who helped me realize that you will always be here. Yes, I actually took advice from someone else. Actually had a conversation, despite everything that had happened. And I will try to not pull away. Because I know you wouldn't want me to. It will never be the same if you don't come back, Darling. Never. I need you, even if you'd say I don't. Even if I go on without you here, it will be because of you that I do. Because I will always need you, as much as I've ever needed my family or anyone else. I will get you back. I will get you back.

Loki let out a shaky sigh, rolling on his side. He pulled the pillow he'd stolen from Wren closer as he tried to shut his mind off. When that didn't work, he focused on something happier. On the conversations he'd have with Wren when she got back. Of how much she'd probably nerd out over having dusted. Of how he was going to tell her what he hadn't had the courage to.

***

"Hello," Vis said as Loki entered the kitchen.

He nodded a response, heading to grab a beer. He wasn't going to drink his problems away, but one bottle certainly couldn't hurt the situation. 

"See Thor yet this morning?" Nat asked, and Loki shook his head.

"My brother isn't a particularly early riser."

"Yeah I just...wanted to make sure he's alright," she said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Have Banner and Lang started their work yet?"

"Got up early for it actually," she replied, "Not much left to do without Tony now."

"If Marvel could get a move on it," Clint grumbled.

"We called her two days ago," Loki said in agreement, "You'd think someone of her power could get here a little faster."

"Any chance Thor can use the bifrost somehow or something?" Clint asked.

"He may have access to the bifrost, but not Heimdall's powers. Without a location..." Loki tossed his hand in the air.

"So uh..." Clint continued, "...how's the rest of Asgard holding up?"

Loki gave him a quick look, as if to try and spot a hidden reason for asking, before answering.

"Um...well Brunnhilde is alive, so she's helping while we're away but...our father's gone."

Loki sipped some more as Clint nodded in sad understanding.

"I'm sorry," Clint said, barely loud enough to hear.

Loki thought for a moment.

"I'm...sorry too...about your family."

He didn't look to Barton as he said it, drinking right away to cover how awkward and unsure he felt. When he glanced at Clint, the archer gave him a quick smile as thanks. Rhodey crawled off the couch with a groan, walking in a sleepy stagger to the kitchen and flopping down in a chair. He gave the silent eye-contact greeting most were giving recently. There was nothing good about any morning or night, so such customary sayings felt wrong to use. With little to do besides wallow in collective pity, Loki stood from the table moments later to go see Dr. Banner's progress. When he entered the large facility where they were stationed, he was slightly dismayed to find Lang's brown van as the only noticeable source of time-travel machinery.

"Oh uh, hey," Bruce said, taking his glasses off and standing from his chair behind the control panel.

Loki came to a slow and dramatized pause, clicking his feet together as he stopped and looked from the van to Bruce.

"It may not look like much," Bruce started, reading the god's expression.

"But what, it made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs?" Loki held his hands out sarcastically, tilting his head to Bruce like he was a child.

"Did...d-did you just make a Star Wars reference?" Bruce furrowed his brow in surprise.

Loki rolled his eyes, pacing over to the van.

"I'm telling Wren," Bruce grinned, leaning back over his work.

"No you are not," Loki chuckled threateningly, still facing the quantum tunnel.

"I think she'd be happy to hear it."

"She needs to be here first. Are you certain a tunnel of this size can accommodate all of us?"

"No we'll probably have to build a bigger system that can jostle multiple directions inputted into the computer. I think I have my part up here done," he gestured to his station, "But we'll need to sync Tony's gps mechanism with the new frequencies of a larger-scaled stage. Though all of it should be compatible with what I've started here."

Loki had his chin lifted as he listened to the doctor, giving a nod when he was finished. Turning back to the vehicle, he distractedly played with the handle.

Bruce bit the inside of his lip as his eyes bore into the back of Loki, contemplating whether he should say anything. The god was clearly as lost as the rest of the team. The simple fact that he was now swinging a car door back and forth proved as much. But what could he say to him anyway? The others could give each other a comforting smile, a pat on the back, a reassuring word, all of which did nothing. But still, he could do that with the others. Loki though? He was an entirely different animal. Bruce wasn't sure he'd appreciate any words he could offer, most likely taking offense if he sensed Bruce's intent to comfort or aid him.

Looking to the side and shaking his head in irritation at himself, Bruce cleared his throat as subtly as possible.

"So, uh..."

Loki paused his fidgeting, head turning to Banner.

"...how'd you sleep?"

How did he sleep??? Bruce thought, wanting to pound his head against the machinery.

Loki's forehead scrunched a bit, mouth opened slightly as he gaped at Banner's question.

"How do you think?"

"Yeah uh, same, I get it," Bruce replied, making it look like he was working as he spoke. In reality he wasn't doing anything besides trying to appear distracted.

It was Loki's turn to look with uncertainty at the man across from him. 

He's trying to talk with you. The hero need to ease every burden, even when they themselves are weighed down by the same thing.

Loki's knee-jerk reaction was to ignore his attempts. To smirk and scoff at them, relishing in the man's feeble actions. But talking felt good. Once again, that sense of not being alone in this struggle gave him a small slice of comfort. Knowing that he'd mentally promised Wren he'd try, he sighed, shaking his head at what he was about to do.

"How long have you been up?"

Bruce's head shot up from his "work", though he quickly looked back down to hide his shock.

"A few hours," he answered, lifting a more composed face to Loki, "Guess I needed something to do. Didn't seem any point in waiting."

Loki's eyes softened in understanding.

"Seems you have the benefit of something to do," Loki smirked.

"Sitting around eats at you, I know," Bruce nodded, taking a seat and folding his arms.

"How...how were we...how were you all supposed to manage five years of this?" Loki wondered, eyes searching the ceiling, as if for an answer.

"Well we didn't think there was a way to fix it, so we weren't exactly waiting around for something."

"That's worse," Loki scoffed.

"It is," he agreed grimly. Bruce didn't know what he would do, what he would feel, if there wasn't a chance to bring them back. If they had to find a way to move on with life. He knew they'd accomplished it to a degree, but he doubted any of them had ever actually moved on. The fact that they come back five years later showed that.

Loki was thinking similar thoughts, suddenly motivated by the reminder that at least they didn't have to go through the pain of pretending to cope with a world without those who were lost.

Bruce tapped a pencil nervously against his knee, not knowing what else to say.

"I'll leave you to your work," Loki said suddenly, head lowered like he was regretting having stayed so long.

Don't say it don't say it, Bruce thought, But he needs something to do! So what? He's not gonna want to anyway. But you should try? 

 "Hey," he stopped Loki as he walked past. Loki's eyebrows were raised expectantly, that look on his face that seemed like he was waiting to pounce on whatever ridiculous thing he was going to say. Bruce hesitated. "Um, Scott went to try to sleep some more, and and without him, I have no one to read back the data over there," he jutted his chin towards a display screen, "So uh, if you're looking for something to do I could---I could use the help?"

To Bruce, Loki's face was unreadable, though his eyes seemed...kind? Relieved? Bruce was bad at reading people, but he was pretty sure he'd detected at least a bit of appreciation on Loki's part...he hoped.

Loki thought for a second, more occupied with the gut feeling that had hit him when Bruce asked. In the past he'd have thought Bruce was simply doing it because he needed the help and no one else was around. Yes, Loki was smart, but he had that unwavering tendency to deny every good action, to view things in terms of gain. To assume others were calculating, scheming, selfish individuals, no matter how idiotic and brave they tried to be. With those natural defense mechanisms lowered over the past months, he now accepted what was clear to see. That Bruce was trying to be nice, despite how uncomfortable it made him. Loki was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he almost forgot to answer.

"Sure," he answered before he could stop himself, "Can't let you muck it all up if you were left to yourself," he joked immediately after.

"Yeah," Bruce chuckled, both out of relief and genuine amusement.

There was a moment where both stayed where they were, neither familiar with this new territory they found themselves in.

"Uh, it's right over there," Bruce pointed again to the screen, moving from the awkward scenario.

"Right," Loki said briskly, walking around the controls to the designated station.

***

While Loki and Bruce passed the time away, Steve had been unable to resist the urge...he'd pulled up footage from around the world, statistics, news feeds, etc. He forced himself to watch a world in shambles...the world he knew he'd failed. Nat came in, leaning her hands on the edge of the table, watching the horrors with him. Neither spoke for a while, silently witnessing the result of their mistakes.

"This is a nightmare," Cap muttered.

"I've had better nightmares," Nat responded, eyes not leaving the displays.

"Hey," Rhodey's voice called from behind, Cap and Nat turning to face him, "That signal thing has stopped."

"What?" Nat asked worriedly.

"It just stopped."

Nat looked to Steve, but the soldier seemed relieved, not upset.

"She's here," he said, leading the way past Rhodes.

The three of them entered the room with the beacon, finding the tiny screen dark. No signal was being cast.

"What, so that means she's here?" Rhodey asked.

"This is what happens when she comes in her end credit scene. Wren told me."

"She can't be far then," Nat said.

"Closer than you think," Cap smirked, and Nat tilted her head in confusion.

A sound made Romanoff whip around, coming face first with Captain Marvel.

"Where's Fury?" she asked, her face as hard and emotionless as it usually is.

"It's about damn time," Rhodey said, "We called for you over forty-eight hours ago."

Her eyes narrowed, sizing up the three of them.

"I had a lot of ground to cover. It doesn't help when worlds start collapsing on the way. Now where's Fury? Is he...?"

"I'm sorry," Nat confirmed.

Carol swallowed back the lump in her throat.

"What happened?" she demanded more than asked.

"It's a long story," Steve answered, "But we need your help."

They adjourned to a more comfortable sitting room, calling everyone together.

"Look who it is," Clint said in mock excitement upon seeing Marvel.

"How kind of you to show up," Loki added, walking in with Bruce right after Barton.

She gave them both a glare for their comments, but refrained from saying anything.

"We're all a bit...tired," Steve explained off their behavior to Danvers.

"Who are you guys?" she asked firmly, cutting right to the chase.

"We're the Avengers," Nat answered.

"An initiative inspired by you, created by Fury," Steve added, "Earth's mightiest heroes."

"We're in a bit of a slump at the moment though," Clint chimed.

"Billions have disappeared across the universe," she said pointedly, staring at Clint.

"...ok, so a bit of a large slump," he corrected. Even when attempting humor, he did so in a serious fashion. That's how most joked lately. They chuckled or sassed, but all in a monotone way. An imitation of true amusement.

"There's a way to get them back," Steve said, "But we need to find our friend first. He's hurt and drifting in space, air and food running out in 20 days."

"First you're going to explain what's going on."

"It's hard enough without the months of backstory about a reality-traveling kid," Rhodey said, earning an inquisitive look from Carol.

"She's not really a kid," Loki corrected.

"Clarifying before the two of you hook up so it ain't weird?" Clint asked, and Loki glared across the room to him.

"Someone had better start making sense," Danvers warned, clenched fists beginning to glow at her sides.

"Her hands are on fire Miek," Korg whispered.

"That's awesome," Scott muttered, smiling like a child watching a show.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Thor said genuinely.

"Not only foolish, but time-consuming," Loki backed his brother.

"We'll explain everything, but it's gonna be weird to hear," Steve assured her.

So began the tale of Wren. How she got there, her situation, the events stopped, the events to come, the loss at Wakanda, and the plan to get everyone back. Carol's face was, once again, pretty emotionless. She'd shown skepticism early on, but now she stood with her stern expression. Very abruptly, she turned heel and marched from the room.

"Where's she going?" Scott asked as everyone jogged after her.

"Danvers," Cap called, but it didn't stop her.

"What're you doing?" Nat pleaded, and she finally paused.

"In 19 days, Thanos destroys the stones. If the movies are followed. I have to find your friends before that. Maybe Nebula can lead us to the Garden before it's too late."

"Unlikely," Loki said disparagingly.

"It's worth a shot," Steve said, "Go."

She nodded, running off once again. With her gone, everyone looked around at each other.

"So...what do we do now?" Scott asked.

"We wait," Steve answered, heading off down the hall.

***

A week passed without word from Captain Marvel. Time was an ally in some respects, an adversary in others. On the one hand, the team was finding it easier to try and live their daily lives without just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Much was still left unsaid and undone. Movies, games, or anything of the sort felt wrong for anyone who wasn't Korg or Miek. The Avengers surely had the cream of the crop when it came to possible missions. Chaos had erupted in many cities and countries, violence and disarray threatening innocent lives. But they couldn't risk leaving the compound. Not when Danvers could fly in any day.

With large sources of entertainment out of the question, and their jobs essentially put on hold, the group was left with little to do. Still, as stated, time helped. People trained. They walked. They cleaned. They grew more comfortable talking. 

The down side to time? It made Loki want to self-destruct. For every ounce of normalcy time brought him, it added a pound of worry, of stress and guilt. The burning need to make things right already was threatening to drive him insane. Additionally, the ease of moving on with daily activities only made one consider a future of such a life. He didn't like trying to live when nothing had been corrected. Now that he was forced to, even for a short time, he was terrified at the prospect of this being his future. Their future. He was certain the others were feeling the same.

Loki retreated to his room or the pool when he needed to be alone. Everyone had their own hiding place. But when his own thoughts grew too much for him, he was sure to find company. As if the team was a collective mind, everyone seemed to have the same need to be around others at the same exact time. It became a common thing to walk into a full kitchen, all pulled to the joint support group by some instinctive need. Nobody would admit the underlying reason for their arrival, but no one had to. Everyone knew.

Thor had gone back to Asgard to help Valkyrie. It was essential the brothers stay split, one on each planet, so the two places could keep in contact. Should Danvers arrive, whichever brother was on Asgard needed to be informed, and the link between Loki and Thor was the best way.

Thor, though the obvious choice to go help his people, had offered Loki the trip home, saying he'd stay on earth if his brother would rather be on Asgard. Loki had declined. Home would be a welcome sight, but it would be no different than any other happy thing. It'd be tainted with the nightmare around them, made sad by those who weren't here to enjoy it. Additionally, without Thor there weren't many up there with whom he could interact. Hating himself for admitting it, he wanted to stay with the Avengers.

Now he was sitting in Tony's elaborate pool room, which you could live in if you wanted to. The half without the pool was like a large lounge, with a bar and tables for summer evenings.

Nine days he thought to himself as he stared out at the calm water. She'd been dead for nine days. He had to remind himself that it wasn't as long for them, because they'd miss barely a second of time once brought back. If we bring them back.

He had to stop with this back and forth. From hope to despair. From optimism to what ifs. But that's how the mind worked. If one tells themselves not to think of something, they've just thought of it, and it was impossible for Loki or the team to keep negative outcomes from creeping into their heads.

"Evening swim?" Loki asked blandly to the man he'd known had walked in behind him.

"That's more Sam's thing," Cap said, walking to take a seat in one of the cushy beach-like chairs.

"Marvel's return would be a little more urgent, so I assume you're here for something else."

"Just wanted to give you this," Steve said, handing a book to Loki.

Loki looked at the book like it might bite, eyes moving from the novel to the man holding it. Steve lifted his arm forward a little more, and Loki grabbed the item tentatively.

"Pride and Prejudice?" he asked, nose scrunching up in uncertainty.

"Wren recommended it to me. She said she was gonna make you read it next."

"Never mentioned it," he said, flipping open the cover.

"It's a little more of a romance than what you two usually read, but it's good."

"I've never seen you reading this. Hiding your choice of material from Stark?"

"And Sam...and Nat and Rhodey and everyone," he chuckled.

"I thought you'd be used to teasing by now," Loki said tauntingly, eyes skimming the first page.

"No need to give them more ammo."

Loki closed the book, squeezing it a little tighter as he hung his head.

"Thanks," he said, straightening himself, "But I don't think I can manage the focus to read."

Steve gave him a knowing look.

"Well in case you can, it's yours. Give Wren your thoughts when she comes back."

Loki's eyes closed as he sighed.

"Thank you," he said again, not knowing what else to say.

"See you at dinner?" Cap asked as he stood to leave.

Loki nodded, eyes trained on his feet.

"Ok," Steve said, "See you then."

When he was gone, Loki slowly lifted the book. His knee bounced as he considered trying to read. Wren hadn't mentioned the book to him, yet Steve wasn't one to lie. Hell, he was Captain America. Truth and honor oozed from him, to the point of extreme irritation. He thought about how he could mess with her when she was back. To reference the book without her knowledge of him reading it. Of how he'd pretend he'd read it a while ago and recommended it to her. All stupid fun, silly banter. The fantasy made him smile and he opened back to the first page.

***

"Where are Korg and Miek?" Nat asked, glancing around the kitchen as she sat with her meal.

"With Scott somewhere," Clint answered.

Rhodes was with Pepper over in the business center, both handling with Stark Industries issues as best as they could.

"And Loki?" she asked again.

"Disappeared again," Clint said.

"Saw him a little while ago. Said he was coming, but I don't know," Steve said.

"Does he seem...ok to you guys?" Bruce asked the table.

"Are any of us?" Nat noted.

"No yeah, he's clearly as bad as the rest of us. But he's handling it a little...better I guess than I thought," Bruce explained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Clint questioned.

"Just want to make sure he's really as composed as he seems he's trying to be, or if crazy is brewing underneath again. We wouldn't exactly know if it was, right?" Bruce continued.

"He appears genuine," Vision stated, "And he's lost as much as any of us."

"That's what has me worried," Bruce said, "I've wanted to try and keep him busy, keep him around us, but we're all in the same boat. Not a lot of group activities."

"You think he'd resort back to his old self," Nat explained more than asked.

"I'm not saying he would," Bruce said hastily, "I just want to help that, ya know, not happen."

"He's not," Nat said, eyes lost in thought, "We'd know. He's not the only one fighting to keep going."

"Not everyone here as a dangerous half to fall back to," Clint said.

"Don't we?" Nat challenged, "You remember what I was? I used to have nothing. Then I got this job. This family. And I was--I was better because of it. And now, even though they're gone...I'm still trying to be better. So's he. Trust me. If anyone can tell what's going through his head... I can."

Everyone nodded, eating in relative silence, small talk passed around sparsely. Soon, a chime went off, a display popping up on the counter. Nat sighed, standing to go check.

"Guys," Nat said, turning the heads of the others, "You wanna see this."

Cap's brow furrowed at the footage in front of him.

"Is that?" Clint asked, looking between Vis and Cap.

"Yes," Vision confirmed.

"What is this?" Cap asked.

"It's the front door," she answered.

***

Loki was a few chapters through before he realized how much time had passed. He didn't think it was possible to distract himself, but Rogers had given him the proper tool. He'd given him the nudge to at least try, and it had worked. Whether it was his current grateful attitude towards the Captain or his hunger, he decided he should make an appearance at dinner. He was already later than the others would be, but he was sure they'd still be there. Sitting together at this time was a frequent occurrence.

He continued to read over the page he was on, mentally noting the number. Due to this, he was looking down at his book as he entered the kitchen. He'd heard voices, all of which had stopped when he entered. Freezing in his strides, he clapped the book shut, raising his head slowly to observe whatever awkward scenario he'd walked in on.

The team wasn't sitting. They were standing next to each other, grouped on one side of the room. All eyes were on him, some looking worried...looking like Loki might do something.

He opened his mouth to question what it was he'd done, but that's when he saw the man through the others. Loki's eyes widened in shock, before quickly swimming with anger. He didn't need to ask who he was.

"Hello," Zemo said, trying to appear confident but seeming stressed.

Loki glanced at Rogers, who held a hand up.

"Loki, let him explain---" he started, but the dagger had already materialized in the god's hands.

More notes: Hey again! So yeah, not a lot happened in this chapter, but it was the necessary bridge between events. I wanted to focus on both the team's collective struggle and Loki's personal struggle. I had to think how being part of a team and influenced by heroes for months would affect how he handles grief, so I tried giving time and scenarios dedicated to that. He's not alone anymore, even without Wren, so the struggle for him is going to be opening his eyes to that, which he tried to do. Not only that, it's like when he tried to tell Thanos to go ahead and kill Thor in Infinity War but he couldn't bring himself to do it...he can't just fall back into his old habits anymore. So trying to fall back to a loner who's gonna hate anyone and everyone for what happened just isn't as easy for him anymore. We've seen his character development through the eyes of Wren, so through his actions mostly. But now we had access to what he thinks and feels. So there had to be growth there that mirrored what we've seen through Wren. Which is why he has kind thoughts about others, even if he fights himself on it sometimes. When in his head we can see how he's come to like being a part of them, just as we've come to see through Wren. Anyway, that's why much didn't happen this chapter. Nothing 
big at least. Hope y'all enjoyed!

Chapter 48: (Chapter 47): We're In the Endgame Now

Notes:

I honestly forget if I posted on Wed or Thurs last week, so I could be late. Sorry if I am! Once again I did a lot of this on my phone, and it loves correcting things that don't need correction. The number of times I have to fix Thanos when my phone corrects it to Thanks or Tony to Tiny is nuts. Like, why does Tiny make more sense than Tony? I don't get phones sometimes. Anyway, if ya see a problem let me know!

"Loki, hear him out!" Nat said, Steve and Rhodes stepping between the god and his prey.

Loki seemed to ignore her, trying to push through the men without hurting them. If he had pent up anger from the last nine days, Zemo looked like the best guy to take it out on. That didn't mean he was going to be a fool and attack the Avengers to get to him.

He eventually stopped his struggle, ripping his arm from Steve's grip.

"What is he doing here?" Loki growled in a low tone, eyes never leaving from Zemo's.

"I'm here for Wren."

Loki's hand twitched at her name, aching to call his dagger to him once again.

"She's not here for you to abduct," Loki spat at him, taking a step closer. Rhodes put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from going further, but he shrugged it off. 

"I know," Zemo said softly, swallowing hard as he tried to maintain a strong presence, "I feared as much when she didn't respond."

"The Baron and Wren have been communicating, it would seem," Vision explained, "By means of a secret device."

"I know that," Loki said like it was meaningless.

The others glanced at one another, wondering if this was a surprise to everyone. Zemo certainly looked puzzled, the area between his eyes furrowing ever so slightly.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"You knew?" Rhodey said in disbelief, "Why the hell you tryna kill him like it's the first he's shown himself? You let Wren talk to him!"

"She does what she wants, and it was nobody's secret to tell but her own!" Loki said in irritation.

"And you were just alright with her talking to him?" Clint questioned, sounding like he knew that couldn't be true.

"Of course I wasn't! But as I said, it was her choice."

"If you trusted him enough to let her keep in touch with him, you can't kill him for nothing now," Steve warned.

"I don't trust him, I trusted her."

"And she trusted me," Zemo said.

"She pitied you!" Loki lashed back, "She took you as a burden! Someone whose hand needed to be held!"

"Are you speaking from experience?" Zemo taunted, his mouth set in a tight line, anger swirling in him as much as Loki.

Loki took another small step forward, his malevolent grin daring Zemo to continue. Clearly as emotional over the Wren situation as Loki was, Zemo didn't care for the threat. He didn't shy away as he spoke again.

"But no, I'm sure you were different," he said in a patronizing manner, "I'm sure she put her trust in you. Which is why she's dead."

Loki ran Zemo into the wall, holding his dagger against his neck.

"Loki!" Steve said, everyone cautiously forming around the two adversaries. 

If they made a lunge for Loki, they could very well cause Zemo's death. Not that there was any fondness between Zemo and the team, but their morals wouldn't let him die like this.

"She's dead," Loki said menacingly in Zemo's face, voice shaking with rage, "Because we spent a month trying to find her. A month that pushed back our efforts. A month where she was imprisoned by you!" With every emphasis, Loki pressed the dagger a little harder, drops of blood trickling down from the cut. 

Zemo's eyes had shown initial fear at the attack, but he was now looking defiantly back at Loki, jaw clenched to keep from wincing at the pain.

"We can get her back," Zemo muttered with a struggle, every movement of his throat making the dagger pull harder against his skin. It didn't help that Loki pressed more as he spoke.

"We does not include you," Loki hissed.

He was applying enough pressure to cut without reaching the needed arteries. A little further though and Zemo would be on the floor bleeding out.

"Loki, don't do this," Nat said calmly, "You're better than this."

Clint gave her a skeptical look, but refrained from making any snippy remarks at this tense time.

Loki and Zemo had been burning their eyes into each other's skulls up until this point, but Nat's words made Loki lower his gaze. His eyes danced back and forth as he thought about what she said...about how she reminded him of Wren...about what he'd promised Wren. Lifting his glare back to Zemo, he eased the pressure of the dagger but didn't remove it.

"I won't kill you," he said, pushing roughly off of Zemo. He stood breathing heavily, glaring at the man he'd spared. "Because I promised her I wouldn't."

Zemo's eyes held the pain he felt, knowing Loki was telling the truth. Wren had kept him alive today. Only after Loki stormed off did Zemo's hand reach for his neck. He touched the wound, which was a few inches long across his neck, and looked at the blood on his hand.

Nat stepped towards him, but he motioned her to stay.

"I don't need your help," he said, walking past them to the counter.

Holding one hand on the opening, he fumbled through the drawers for a cloth.

"You don't know where any of our medical supplies are," Bruce said in an insistent tone.

"I don't need them," he continued, finding a rag and placing it against his neck.

Bruce looked to Steve, who nodded. Banner started walking towards the injured man.

"I said, I don't need your help!" he snapped in agitation, "I don't need anything from you."

"If that were true, you wouldn't be here," Steve said.

Zemo glared at Rogers, while Bruce inched his way closer. With a sigh, Zemo lowered the rag and gave the doctor a look of surrender.

"Take a seat down there," Bruce ordered, pointing to the table as he made for one of the cabinets.

Zemo seemed almost embarrassed to have to ask for help, let alone listen to an order from any of them. He refrained from making eye contact with anyone as he passed them, walking to the table.

"Ok, let's see what we got," Bruce muttered, pulling a chair around to face Zemo, "Look up for me?"

Zemo did as he was asked, with a little hesitation.

"Got lucky there, Baron," he said, blotting the cut, "Any more and you might not be standing here."

"Loki knew what he was doing, I'll give him that," Clint said, evidently not bothered by the potential murder of their guest.

"Yeah about that," Bruce said as he tended to Zemo, "Anyone concerned about what we discussed not long ago?"

"What, with our friend here in the mix now?" Clint asked, and Bruce hummed a confirmation.

"The fact that he did not kill him is a testament to the faith Nat believed we could have in him," Vision said.

"What are we talking about?" Rhodey asked, having been called in after Zemo's arrival.

"We were worried for Loki, that's all," Cap said.

"Worried he might turn on his so-called allies?" Zemo asked in feigned shock, "Trouble controlling our monsters again, Avengers?"

He flinched as Bruce pressed a little harder on the wound. He glared at his helper, but Bruce just smiled innocently.

"Keep talking and we'll let Loki finish the job," Nat said.

Zemo chuckled softly.

"So nice to finally meet the infamous Black Widow. Though I feel like I know all of you already."

"You really don't wanna brag about your creepy stalking," Clint warned.

"Who said anything about bragging?"

"Well I see why Wren liked him, his sarcasm's definitely right up her alley," Rhodey snickered.

Zemo's eyes dropped at her name, but he hid his feelings behind a smirk.

"You won't need stitches on this," Bruce said, taping the bandage, "But I wouldn't go putting unnecessary strain on it for a while."

Zemo didn't give thanks, but nodded as Banner finished.

Korg, Miek, and Scott walked into the kitchen, pausing their conversation when they saw the new arrival at the table.

"Hey man, I'm Korg. These are my friends Scott and Miek, they're both tiny bug people."

Scott gave Korg a look, but ended up nodding like he wasn't wrong.

Zemo just raised his eyebrows, not expecting Korg's very blunt kindness.

"Um, I'm Helmut Zemo," he introduced himself.

"Wait, he--he's that guy right? The one who took Wren?" Scott asked.

Zemo rolled his eyes, but held his hands out. "The very same."

"Uh, guys, can we uh, ya know," Scott motioned for the others to circle up, "What the hell is he doing here???" he whispered loudly.

"He came to help," Steve explained.

"Help? Why does he wanna help? Didn't he hate you guys like a month ago?"

"He and Wren were friends," Nat said.

"Friends??? I mean she told me he let her go, but they're friend friends, like real friends?"

"Clearly you don't know the kid well enough," Clint said.

"She has a thing for befriending villains, or past villains," Vision added.

"So he's good?" Scott asked, standing on tiptoes to look at Zemo over Cap's shoulder, "Like, we won't have to worry about getting killed in our sleep?"

"He's not that kind of villain," Vis said.

"I don't know about that," Clint said.

"In the past, seeing us dead would have thrilled him, I'm sure," Vision started elaborating, "But based on what Wren has told us, that's no longer his motivation."

"Doesn't mean it can't resurface real quick," Rhodey argued.

"All evidence points to him being here for Wren," Vis continued, "Killing us would only squander any hopes of getting her back."

"And you think he really wants her back?" Scott asked.

"Wren said it was a fun few weeks with him, didn't she?" Korg asked, "He's the hospitable kidnapper, right?"

"He let her go and showed no signs of attempted pursuit in the future," Vision said.

"Which means Wren was right when she said we could trust his promise," Steve said.

"And they've kept in touch since," Bruce piled on.

"Plus, look at him," Steve said, and all heads turned awkwardly to Zemo, who was sitting there with an "I can hear everything" look on his face.

"What about him?" Rhodey asked, as they turned back to the circle.

"He's hurting," Steve explained.

"Is he?" Clint said, giving Zemo another look, "Seems like he's just smirking...or glaring...a lot."

"You telling me you've lived with Loki for months now without recognizing when someone's hiding behind a glare?" Nat hit his arm.

"Every time her name is mentioned, he looks guilty," Steve pressed.

"No I don't," Zemo defended.

"Hey, you're not in the circle!" Scott called out.

"Though there's plenty of room next to me if you'd like to---" Korg started, but Rhodey pulled his head back down in the huddle.

"So we in agreement?" Steve asked.

"To let him stay?" Bruce clarified, "Yeah. Who knows, we may need all the help we can get."

"We just gotta keep him and Loki from killing each other," Rhodey said.

"Nah, just Loki from killing him. Dude could gut him in a second," Clint said, with a hint of a smile on his face. "What?" he asked when he saw the looks cast his way, "I'm just saying."

"Someone should let Loki know what's up," Steve said.

"Not it!" Scott said right away.

"I've got it," Clint said, walking off to find him.

The group turned back to Zemo.

"You done?" he sassed.

"Try anything and we throw you in a cell and toss away the key, got it?" Nat said firmly.

"I believe you."

"God, it feels like we're dealing with the first days of Loki again," Rhodey groaned, heading to the fridge.

"Except I'm not a murderer."

"Aren't you?" Rhodey challenged, "You seen the reports from Thanksgiving?"

"You seen those from Sokovia?"

"I don't have to put up with this shit," Rhodey closed the fridge aggressively, "You're seriously comparing flat out murder to failed attempts at saving a city? How the hell did Wren ever get along with someone like that?"

"Because she knew, on some level, I am right."

"Right," Bruce scoffed, "Buddy you can pretend to know Wren better than us, but we all know it's because she understood your position, not agreed with it."

Of course Zemo knew that was true. She'd made him see that the way he was going about it wasn't going to fix things, only make them worse. His feelings towards the Avengers hadn't changed, however, and he couldn't let them think that he viewed himself in the wrong at all. His silence spoke volumes, unfortunately, and he realized he'd paused too long.

"Where're we gonna keep him?" Rhodey asked, giving Zemo a distrustful glance.

"If Loki weren't on the third floor, I'd say there," Steve sighed.

"Second is still full. Fourth floor with them?" Nat asked, nodding to Scott, Korg, and Miek.

"I'd like Vis to be on the same floor," Steve said.

"I can move upstairs if you'd like?" Vision offered.

"Uh, do--does he reeeally need to be on the fourth floor?" Scott asked.

"You scared?" Rhodey teased.

"What? No, what, no of course not, it's just he..." he paused, giving Zemo a look and licking his lips nervously, "Ok, he gives me the jitters a bit, ya know, like he looks like he'd smile as he blew up the building."

"I probably would," Zemo smiled.

"I don't mind having him on the same floor as Loki," Nat said, and Steve's head jerked to her in surprise.

"You know what could happen if Loki loses his temper?" Cap asked.

"Honestly, I trust no one more than Loki to watch him," she answered.

"Yeah, but Nat he might not be thinking clearly," Bruce noted.

"Look how well he's done so far? And he won't hesitate to do what needs to be done if Zemo pulls something."

"We're not murderers, Nat," Steve said.

"And I don't think Loki will kill him," Nat claimed, "We've seen that. But his suspicion of Zemo makes him the best guard, and he won't let him get away. He may hurt him," she looked to Zemo's bandaged neck, "But he'll keep him alive."

"You really trust him?" Steve asked, looking her in the eyes.

"Don't you?" she answered.

Steve thought for a second before nodding. "I do."

"I believe Loki has shown a willingness to remain with the team, despite his loss," Vis said, "In honesty, I'm shocked he hasn't pulled away. I trust him."

"I'm on his side with Zemo anyway, so so do I," Rhodes said.

"Yeah," Bruce said when Nat looked at him for his vote.

"Loki's chill, guys," Korg said, following the conversation enough to know who they were talking about, "Of course we can trust him."

Zemo smiled softly at the Kronan, though he dropped it before anyone could see. Wren had told him stories about Korg and Miek, and he knew she loved them. Seeing the humorous rock behave as described made her feel close somehow. With the thought of her came the guilt.

She warned me the Avengers didn't have time for my shit, he thought, And I ignored her. Pretended as if what I wanted was the biggest concern in the world. Now look what happened.

Hating the feeling of guilt, Zemo did the easiest thing. He let let himself be angry. Angry at the Avengers for not protecting her. Angry at them for failing.

"What exactly do you have in mind for bringing them back?" he asked, "Wren never mentioned how it was accomplished."

"If we can get to Thanos before he destroys the stones, we can snap our own fingers. Bring them back," Steve said.

"But in the films we don't find him in time. So five years later we get a new plan," Nat said.

"Which is?" Zemo raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Nat looked at Scott, who opened his mouth and waved his hands, looking for a way to put it that made sense.

"Yeah, no, there's no easy way of putting time-travel," he gave up.

"Time travel?" Zemo asked like they were joking.

"You're trying to save a girl who came from an alternate reality in an alternate time," Vision pointed out.

"By terrible means previously unknown to this world," Zemo said, leaning forward in his chair, "How do you plan to do this?"

"The way she told us," Cap answered.

"See there's this super tiny world, like between molecules," Scott explained, "Like it's own tiny dimension that's here, but not here. It's outside of the flow of time."

"The quantum realm," Zemo nodded, "Yes, I've heard of it."

"Oh, well good, then yeah that's where I was supposed to be stuck for five years when...you know, when Thanos happened."

"But it is outside of the normal flow of time?"

"Exactly, which is why it was supposed to only be five hours for me. When I come back, I kinda help invent time travel," Scott smiled, "Not that I do all the machine techy stuff, but I technically do come up with the idea, so---"

"We're all terribly proud of you," Zemo said dryly, "Now please continue."

"Right, yeah, so we go through the quantum realm into the past to get the stones and snap everyone back."

"What is it we're waiting for?" he asked genuinely, looking around the group.

"We need Tony's help. He's the one who learns to navigate the quantum realm," Cap explained, "He's floating in space somewhere. We've sent someone to find him, but it could be days more before they do."

"And Thanos?" 

"The only person who might know where he is is with Tony," Bruce said.

"That's convenient movie plot for you," Zemo grumbled.

"Ever since the morning of the day he snapped, things went like the movies," Rhodey shook his head sadly, "My money's on us having to use time travel."

"And if we do? And everything goes as the movies, and Stark has to sacrifice himself for the world? Or you, Romanoff, for the stone?"

"Wren told you," Steve noted.

"An attempt to make me like you more."

"I'm guessing it didn't work," Bruce picked up on his tone.

"It reinforced what I already knew. That you care, in your own way, for the world. That you have both great capacity to heal...or to destroy."

"That is the case for all of humanity," Vision said.

"I see who Wren had her philosophical debates with," Zemo smiled, the first genuine smile.

"What do you care if it comes down to those things anyway?" Rhodey asked.

"I don't. I just want to know that you're willing to go the lengths required to bring them back. Willing to pay the price."

There was a partial lie in his words. He wasn't an evil man. He felt, in an extremely deep part of himself, a respect for the Avengers and their fight. He had a new image, painted by Wren and her stories, that fought with his own picture of them taken by his pain and loss. Part of him would feel pity for Stark or Romanoff or anyone who had to die. But he couldn't hide how little that concern was. How what worried him more was how upset Wren would be. He'd agreed to stop pursuing the Avengers out of concern for his own well-being, his family's opinion, and for Wren.

"And what about you?" Nat shifted the focus, "Costs might be more than just our lives. Are you willing?"

"To die? Yes."

He said it without hesitation. If he had been able to exchange places with his son, he would have. He wouldn't waste the opportunity to do so with Wren.

"Ok then," Steve nodded.

"Welcome to the team," Rhodey said, knowing such a notion would wound Zemo's pride.

"You hungry at all?" Bruce asked, and Zemo shook his head.

"I'll bring you to your room then," Cap said motioning for Zemo to follow him out.

"Oh, and that type of bandage is allowed to get wet," Bruce told him as he walked after Steve, "If the cut pulls open despite the butterfly closures underneath, you might bleed some more. Just let me know if you need a change in bandage."

"Right...thank you," he said, leaving the room.

"We're gonna put you on the far end of the floor from Loki," Steve said as he pushed the third floor button, "Try to keep your distance if you're planning on aggravating him when you talk again."

"I said nothing that wasn't true, Captain Rogers."

"We failed," Steve said matter-of-factly, "But there's a lot of blame to go around. Sometimes all that means is that there's no one to blame."

"Is that what you told yourself as you flew away from Sokovia? Or as you watched D.C. get bombarded from the carriers you destroyed? Or how about when the Hulk lost control?"

"In this job, we try to save as many as possible. Sometimes that doesn't mean them all."

"Easy way to shake guilt."

"Best way to move on," Cap corrected, "And we'd be of no help to anyone if we sulked after every loss."

Zemo didn't respond, staring straight ahead until the doors opened. His eyes took in the lounge as he walked with Steve down the hall.

"This was Buck's room, before he left for Wakanda."

"Know that I did not want to have to use your friend that day. Barnes is a victim. No matter my stance on super soldiers, I pity him."

Cap still looked angry with Zemo, but he took a breath and nodded.

"He cleared out what little he had, so it's empty," he said, pushing the door in, "You're welcome to leave your room, but stay in the compound."

"You think I'd come all the way here just to run away?" 

"I think in the past we never knew what to expect from you."

"Thank you," Zemo smirked like it was a compliment.

Cap shook his head, turning to leave.

"Who stays across?" Zemo asked, and Cap paused mid-stride.

Steve gave the door a sad look before meeting Zemo's eyes.

"It's Wren's."

Zemo's jaw tightened as he tried to keep his face from dropping in front of Rogers. He knew his eyes showed the same grief he saw in Steve's.

"Good night," Steve muttered, leaving for good this time.

Zemo watched him turn the corner for the elevators. With a longing look, Zemo stood in his doorway, eyes fixed on Wren's room. He glanced once or twice down the hall to see if anyone was near, for he was contemplating going in her bedroom. He didn't know why. It was as if, now that she was gone, little things made it feel like she was still here. Watching Korg interact, for example, was like watching her stories of him come to life. Now, he wanted to go into her room. To see the physical proof of her, reminding himself that she was coming back. That this is where she'd been a little over a week ago.

Fighting the urge, he stepped back into his new quarters, slamming the door.

***

"Loooki," Clint called out like the god might jump him any second, "You out here, pal?"

He had checked his room first, but to no avail. Now he was walking around the main floor trying to find him.

"If I answer no, will you leave?" Loki said from his place on the grass in the courtyard, back facing Barton.

"I'd like to, really I would, but Nat would have my head."

"Tell her you couldn't find me."

"Lie to her? Come on, we both know how that would end."

He took a step towards Loki, but the wreckage caught his eye. The reason Loki was sitting on grass was because the chairs and tables had been destroyed, blown from their position and splintered into pieces.

"Feel better now?" Clint asked, nodding to the debris. Loki wasn't facing him, but Clint knew he'd know what he was talking about.

Loki ignored him, continuing to stare ahead.

"Ugh, look, uh, Zemo will be...staying here. For a bit."

Loki didn't move.

"We just thought you should know. And, I don't know, if you have any rules or suggestions for how to handle him, like if you don't want him near you or---"

"Like I have a say," Loki scoffed, "So stop pretending I do."

"I'm here aren't I? Letting you know and asking if you have any requirements, when I don't have to be?" Clint said like he deserved a little more credit, "Look, you come first over him, ok? We're looking out for the team. He's here for Wren, so there's nothing to worry about with him...for now. Believe me, I don't trust him either, and I wouldn't have blamed you for slitting his throat back there."

"But it's not the hero thing to do," Loki mocked.

"Nah it's not," Clint said.

"Which is why I probably should have done it," Loki said quietly, and Clint tensed up a little. He didn't like the way he'd said that.

"Uh, you good? You're not gonna go villain on me, right?" Clint smiled with uncertainty.

"Why?" Loki asked, facing Clint for the first time. His face looked hard, and eyes a little more frenzied than Clint had seen since his early days here. "Afraid that's what I'll do? Get more people killed?"

Clint didn't act worried or fearful by Loki's questions that sounded an awful lot like threats. Despite claiming otherwise, Clint knew Loki well enough to see how desperate an attempt at seeming strong and intimidating this was. In the past, he'd thought that was just Loki. A crazed lunatic. Now, after months of seeing the other side, it was so plainly a fallback. He understood how Wren had stuck to her guns on this one. She'd seen the future, seen the softer side of Loki. That's why she could always tell when he was genuine or putting on a show.

Clint sighed, walking to sit next to Loki. The god slumped his shoulders in irritation, knowing there was no way to rid himself of Barton.

"You seriously gonna let that guy get to you?"

"What?" Loki jerked his head to glare at Clint.

"Zemo. The guy's a dick. And he said what he said to get at you."

"I know, I don't care what he said."

"His neck would disagree."

"It didn't get to me," Loki argued, "He just wasn't going to get away with saying that when he's done nothing but hold us back. Kidnap her and then pretend to care for her? Pretend he could have done a better job of protecting her?"

"Yeah the guy's a real asshole. But that's why we don't let what assholes say bother us."

"Oh and you were fine with him saying that then?"

"Ohhhh no," Clint chuckled, "You just grabbed him before I could."

He turned to a confused Loki, who eventually let himself grin at the smile on Clint's face.

"But uh, smashed furniture and ominous threats are a little more than anger at words that 'Didn't get to you'," Clint said, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Oh you don't," Clint nodded sarcastically.

"Yes, I don't."

"Right good, ok, then let me spell it out for you."

"We both know you can't spell."

"Going for playground insults now?" Clint let out a breath of laughter.

"Or your mind can't comprehend the genius nature of my wit?"

"Ok, genius, shut up for one minute and let me talk."

Surprisingly Loki did.

"That not-so-subtle jibe at being a hero? That wasn't a jibe at us."

"Says the dumb one that's the last to pick up on everything in the compound."

"I have selective interest, that's all. With all the mindless shit thrown back and forth around here, you blame me for listening with half an ear to just about everything?"

"One can be both silent and observant."

"Fine so I shut my mind off like a lot, but that's not the point!"

"And what is? Please tell me who my jibe was meant for?" Loki sassed.

"I'm no Wren, but you make a remark about heroes, and then follow it up with a comment about how you shoulda done the opposite. So I'm a little new to this whole caring enough to read people thing, but it looks like you're beating yourself up for being a villain."

"How does any of what you said come to that conclusion?"

"Because Wren said you fall back on this whole act of trying to be evil and not caring. She's always said it, and before when you looked at me? With that freaky psycho look? That's the first time I really understood what she meant. Cuz before, that look was all I knew you as. Now I can see the difference. You haven't looked like that in a while, like you're, I don't know," Clint looked around as he thought of how to put it, "Embracing villainy or some shit. Ya know, cuz you think that's what you are cuz you screwed up or something like that. I don't know, you know Wren could explain it better. But all I know is, you're handling the loss and guilt really well, all things considered, until Zemo shows up. Now he throws one dis at you for getting Wren killed and you look ready to go off on the compound."

Loki rubbed his face with his hands, groaning in tired frustration.

"Is that a 'Yes, Clint, you're right, I'm being an idiot and you're doing a great job at caring'?"

"Hardly," Loki said, though he had a tiny smirk forming.

"Look, we haven't talked about any of this, but I take it you're as guilty as the rest of us. That you're hurting as much. I lost everyone too, ok? We can't let ourselves go because of it."

"Easy for a hero to say," Loki smiled bitterly, shaking his head again as he looked up at the stars.

Clint was silent for a few seconds.

"Did Wren ever tell you...about me, about what I...what I do, what I become?"

Loki's brow furrowed, and he took his eyes off the sky to look at Clint. Barton's face was grim, and Loki could see him swallowing back emotions.

"No. She didn't."

He didn't lift his eyes as he started his story.

"She uh...she let me know in private one time. A lot of the things she didn't tell us, whether they came back to bite us or not, she kept for a reason. Either she didn't think stuff would ever happen so she didn't feel like talking about a bunch of sad things, or it was sensitive to some people. This was one of those sensitive things. She almost slipped one time about something I do...something I am later in life. I may be oblivious to a lot, but I picked up on that. And she knew it. She came to me later to explain. When my family...when I lose them, in the movie world I mean...I lose them for five years." He nearly choked on those words, the thought itself proving painful. "And I--I don't...handle it well. I become a mercenary. A murderer. A weapon for hire."

"Who did you kill?"

"Gangs, cartels, anyone I caught word of in the slums."

"So...it's not so bad?"

Clint tilted his head, giving Loki a look.

"Right, ok, but my point is you didn't go around murdering kids or something."

"No, but I did kill them. Slaughtered them. They never stood a chance."

Loki knew that, especially for a hero, that was bad. That, though he was more lenient when it came to killing adversaries, it was different to go hunt them down without provocation. To cut them down without warning. He didn't feel sorry for them, but he couldn't believe Barton would do something like that.

"I justified what I was doing. That I was giving justice to those who deserved it, when the world had been dealt an unjust sentence. Defending what I'm doing, even if there's some merit to it, isn't the stuff of heroes, Loki."

It was the behavior of a villain. Loki was all too familiar with justifying wrongful actions to miss what Clint was trying to say.

"We all have it in us. Hero or villain, good or evil, Loki it's not set in stone. We're all the same underneath. So to say I'm a hero and that makes it easier to not fall into rage? It's not how it works. So don't think you have to act crazy just cuz you think you're a villain who couldn't be a hero. They're just titles, man. We're people. And we do the best we can."

Clint said the last part softly, and Loki realized he was more troubled by what he'd confessed than he at first noticed. Here was a hero...struggling with the knowledge that there was darkness in him...just like himself.

Loki didn't think it was possible to feel more connected with the team than he already was. He thought the bit of comfort and solidarity was it. He was wrong.

"We'll get your family back," Loki spoke before he realized what he was doing.

Oh well, guess we're going full sappiness now, he thought.

Clint raised his eyes.

"And we'll get Wren back. And you didn't kill her, Loki, no matter what that bastard says."

"Remind me why we're keeping him?"

Clint let out a puff of air, shaking his head.

"Cuz he wants to make it right too?" Clint offered like he wasn't sure.

"Don't tell me you feel sympathy for him?!"

"I just lost my family. I may not like what he's become, but I don't like what I was supposed to be either. I understand him at least."

You became something horrific too, Loki reminded himself, You did terrible things. And you came back from it. You got this family--team! he quickly corrected Team, you got this team. You got friends. And you're still struggling against your instincts to resort to the way things were, the way you were. Zemo's like you were. In the baby steps of redemption, clinging to the person who helped him through it.

The realization that Zemo was, in a sense, a younger version of his own anger made him jump right into denial. He wouldn't let himself believe it. Zemo was nothing like him. Zemo was still a villain, still untrustworthy.

And what are you? You haven't even told them that you're to blame for everything. But Thor said the blame's on everyone. The team's made it very clear that's the case. But do you really believe that?

"I don't trust him, Loki," Clint said, "I don't like him, and I wouldn't much care if he'd been killed today. But I thought all that about you once."

There he goes comparing me to Zemo! Loki thought angrily, knowing Clint was confirming what he'd just denied to himself.

"You saying you like me now?" Loki teased, both men looking up at the stars.

"I'm saying as far as assholes go, you're not the worst."

"Wow, I'm honored."

Both chuckled, eyes skimming the skies.

"Do you think...wherever they are, that they can see us? Hear us?" Clint asked.

"I hope not," Loki admitted, "Because that means that in some point in time, they make it to that other life. I intend to bring them back from the moment they left."

"So if they're there..."

"It means we fail, yes. So no, I don't think they can hear us. Because we're not going to fail."

"Look at us, sitting within a few feet, talking for a while without trying to kill each other."

"We've talked before, Barton, don't act so surprised."

"For this long? One on one? Without fighting?" Clint asked each slowly, giving Loki a look of disbelief.

"Fine, it's a new accomplishment, you happy?"

"I know Wren will be."

"She'll never let us live it down."

"Yeah, she won't...if she ever hears about it."

Both men gave knowing looks.

"So we don't tell her," Loki said quickly.

"Yup, not a word."

"Good."

"Great."

Both cleared their throats, returning their gaze to anywhere but the person next to them.

"Well, glad we had this little chat," Clint pushed himself off the ground, brushing his pants for any dirt, "Good thing you wanted to talk, cuz I was not looking forward to chasing you around the whole damn complex."

"You forced your company on me, I never said I wanted to talk."

"But you sat here and let me walk in. You have magic, I know you can stay hidden if you want. Night," he said, walking back inside.

Loki was left sitting with his mouth hanging open as his eyes narrowed in a pondering fashion.

Why didn't I hide?

He didn't have an answer for that. Instead, he looked up at the night sky, lost in thought.

"Mother," he whispered to himself, "I don't know where humans go. I don't know entirely where we go, if our Valhalla is really a hall for gods or part of the same heaven these Midgardians believe in. But if we can't save them...if something goes wrong...look after her. I'm sure she'd freak out when meeting you, finding that more amazing than heaven," he smiled to himself.

Though if she's in the same place, and you think mother can hear you, then she can hear you too.

Confessing things mentally to Wren was one thing, but speaking to her? It only made her death seem real, like he was surrendering to the potential failure to bring her back. He couldn't go as far as verbally talking to her like she was dead.

Loki shook his head at his own stupidity, at the fact that he continued to allow himself these kind of thoughts. She wasn't dead. He didn't need to think of her and mother together. He didn't need to worry about how she was or what it was like for her. Because she'd be back, like she'd never left. He'd talk to her soon. He'd talk to them all soon.

I'll be having midnight snack runs with Yelena and Wren in no time.

Standing from the grass, Loki made for the kitchen.

It was nearing 11pm when he walked back in, which was later than he'd expected. Evidently he'd sat in thought longer than he realized.

Natasha was the solitary soul in the room, sitting at the table with a mug in front of her. The nighttime lights in the compound had been activated, the rest having been shut off. This meant that only the light above the sink was on, casting its minimal glow about the room. 

"You ok?" Nat asked.

"I'm not the one sulking in shadows."

He walked to the refrigerator as he spoke, opening the freezer door.

"Clint talk to you?"

"Mmhmm," Loki said dismissively, grabbing a HotPocket to warm up.

"We've put him in Buck's room."

"Probably not the smartest thing," Loki replied distractedly, prepping his meal and starting the microwave.

"You're being uncharacteristically calm."

"Are you guys ever pleased?" he grumbled, "If I act out, you'd scold. If I don't, you gawk and poke."

"It's called praise, Loki."

He looked across the room to her, eyes having to squint slightly to see her in the dim light.

"I know," Nat shook her head, unfolding her arms to take a sip from her cup, "I thought I'd take any praise I had for you to my grave. But theeen," she sighed, "It turns out you don't care about holding things when the grave's around the corner, so here we are."

She said it all lightheartedly, but it had the underlying hint of dread.

"Around the corner?" Loki asked, making his way around the counter casually.

"Endgame," she said, eyes staring into the darkness of the adjoining room.

"What about it?" Loki asked, leaning back against the other side of the counter.

She furrowed her brow, looking at him like it should have been obvious.

"There's only one way we're getting the soul stone."

Loki tried to keep the surprise from showing, clenching his teeth to keep a straight face. But he couldn't help the softening in his eyes as his eyebrows lifted.

"Do I detect a hint of sadness?" she smirked.

"We're preventing Endgame, Romanoff," he ignored the question, "Not playing it out."

"We're not preventing anything," she shook her head, "And playing it out is exactly what we have to do."

"Wren told Rogers the information for a reason," Loki said in irritation, "Not for us to just go through the events."

"She told him so we'd know what to do...if worst came to worst. And guess what? It did."

Loki opened his mouth, seemingly annoyed enough that he couldn't decide what to say. He ignored the beep from the timer on his food, staring in disbelief at Nat.

"You're seriously giving up just like that?"

"It's not giving up, it's accepting what has to be done. You know we have one shot at getting this right, and we have to do whatever it takes."

"And have you told the others of how you've decided to throw yourself off a cliff?"

She placed both hands around her mug, as if taking comfort from it's warmth. Looking down at the liquid, she shook her head.

"But they all know. Deep down we all know how this is gonna go."

"Bullshit," Loki said, pulling Nat's gaze back to him.

"Do you have a better plan for getting the stone?" she asked, starting to get flustered.

Loki tried making some quick-witted remark, but nothing came to mind.

"No."

"And don't you want them back?"

"Of course!"

"Then why are you so angry? We do what we have to do."

"Not at the cost of---" he stopped mid-sentence.

"What?"

Loki avoided her stare, pushing off the counter to pace once back and forth.

"I...," he started, pausing his stride, "I know Wren would be disappointed if you died."

Her eyes narrowed, as if seeing right through him.

"You care," she said, a smile slowly forming.

"What? About you?"

"About all of us."

"Please, Romanoff," Loki chuckled, "That's a desperate hope on your part."

"And that was a desperate laugh on yours," she shot back, eyes not leaving their hard stare.

Loki swallowed, his facade faltering under her penetrating look.

"I may not try to kill you," Loki smirked, "But that hardly means I want you alive."

"Yup," she slapped the table, "You just gave yourself away."

Loki stormed over to get his dinner, needing to hide his face from Nat. She'd know how much she was getting to him.

"You're sounding a lot like Wren," Loki said with his back turned, "This whole persistence thing."

"There was a time what you said woulda convinced me. Guess she taught me the key with you is pressure. You don't make things easy on yourself."

Should I say it out loud? Loki thought, You know you don't want them dead. Gods, I don't know why. But so what? So they're not as intolerable as they used to be? So you wouldn't smile if they died? Doesn't mean you like any of them. But you do miss the others, you thought as much before.

He'd accepted that he liked being a part of this team. That he liked not having to be alone in this. But now, after Nat's acceptance of her death, he'd realized how much he didn't want them dead...how he might like them enough. Admitting he missed the others was one thing, because they weren't really dead. It was like admitting you kind of miss someone when they're away for a bit. But he hadn't gone as far as confessing why he missed them. That he enjoyed being around all of them. That he, at some time and reason unknown to him, had developed a protective instinct with them. That, like how they would protect each other, he felt he would too. This revelation shocked him. He never thought he would care. Yet the feeling wasn't as foreign as he thought. The reason behind the feeling was definitely a surprising discovery, but he knew he'd been hiding the truth for a while. That this feeling had been growing in him for a while.

He felt the urge to say it, to just get it all out of his system, but he was struggling with his pride.

What good is hiding it gaining you? Some small sense of superiority? Some separation? Like you're above them? Well, I am, but that's not the point!

"Fine I don't want you dead!" he blurted, setting the plate down roughly on the counter, "Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you satisfied?"

Nat's smile dropped, head tilting.

"What, are you surprised?? You seemed to know it all anyway!" he continued.

"No I--I just...it worked. Wren's tactic."

"Irritate the hell out of me until you get what you want?" Loki tossed his hands out to the side.

"Til we get the truth."

Loki turned his head to the side, taking a deep breath.

"You don't have to make it so hard," Nat said.

"Oh, and you just wear your emotions on your sleeve!" Loki said sarcastically.

"I keep them hidden, I don't hide from them."

"Really? How about the time you said you simply owed Barton a debt? That love was for children?"

"It is."

"So you don't love your best friend?" Loki said unconvinced.

"I never said I wasn't a kid. We all are at heart."

"So willing to confess that now, not so much then."

"Like I said, I keep them hidden when I need to."

"That wasn't hiding them from me," Loki grinned triumphantly, "That was you hiding from the truth."

Nat swallowed but didn't say anything.

"Makes it easier, doesn't it?" Loki pressed, relishing in having gained some sort of control on the situation, "Pretending not to care? Denying how you feel? You didn't want to admit how much you loved Barton, because that would make it hurt all the more if you heard that something unpleasant had happened to him."

"I didn't want to give you that satisfaction."

"Oh you wanted me to feel in control. Your whole ruse to get me to slip? You let me know how important Barton was to you, it's what you wanted. Yet you couldn't bring yourself to confess how close you actually were? Don't pretend I'm the only one who hides behind illusions."

He'd taken a few steps towards the table as he spoke. Now, he turned back to grab his plate, knowing he shouldn't have felt as good as he did from having slapped Nat in that argument.

"I learned," Nat said, and Loki stopped trying to close the cardboard pocket around the food. She waited for him to look up before continuing. "I learned to let it in. Clint was the only family I had. And you're right, I couldn't admit that to myself when it came down to it because...because telling myself it was a debt I owed him kept me focused. Kept me from getting emotional. But nearly losing him to your twisted games made me realize how much I needed him. And then I got this family, and I learned it's not a weakness to care about them. That we're stronger together. And yeah it sucks having to care, cuz it hurts," she said angrily, eyes looking like they might be glistening, "But it's better than hurting and pretending you don't. You're only making your head a worse place to be in. So maybe take advice from someone who understands, rather than run your mouth about things that only prove I'm the best person to know what you're dealing with," she finished heatedly, standing abruptly from her chair and walking from the room.

Loki watched her leave, letting himself slump back against the counter again. He shouldn't have felt bad about upsetting her, but he did. He always thought Wren was, besides his family, the only one who understood him. That she had pieced together every secret from her time viewing his life. Her word was what he allowed to affect him, when he wasn't stubbornly fighting it. But what Romanoff said wasn't wrong. She had similar experiences, similar struggles she overcame in life. She had said she understood him. He tried scoffing at the notion, but her willingness to even say something like that made him pause.

Suddenly losing what hunger he had, he tossed the HotPocket in the garbage, heading off to bed.

***

When Loki walked into breakfast the next day, only Cap and Zemo were eating. Loki paused momentarily as he and Zemo locked eyes.

"Morning," Cap said, looking back forth between the two of them.

Loki nodded to Steve, walking to pour himself some cereal.

"Where's Romanoff?" Loki asked. He'd argued with himself all night about whether he should address what had happened. At the very least he couldn't let her have the last word, though he scolded himself for having that as any sort of motivation.

"Training center I think," Steve answered, "Why?"

"None of your business."

Steve raised one eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry," Loki sighed, not looking to make rifts between yet another member, "I didn't sleep well. I just want to discuss something with her."

Steve nodded, giving him a quick smile. "It's fine, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious."

"Well now I'm curious too," Zemo said, looking with narrowed eyes at Loki.

Loki looked like he was going to smite Zemo where he sat.

"Stop talking," Steve told him.

Zemo shrugged, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I didn't think it would cause offense," he lied.

"Keep talking and I'll cut until I reach your vocal cords," Loki glared, his intimidating stare boring into Zemo.

"Wren would certainly find it humorous, the irony of my voice being taken."

"Don't!" Loki shouted, "Don't say her name! You met someone with the kindness to look past the things you did to her, and you sit here joking about it?"

Zemo tried keeping his narrow-eyed stare, but he couldn't keep the slight twitches hidden from Loki.

"You hate yourself for it too," Loki scoffed, shaking his head.

"I remember her with my words, that's all," Zemo said quietly, "And if her stories are to be believed, you have your own share of self-loathing. Perhaps focus on that."

Loki's eyes widened, jaw tightening.

"You're lying. She didn't tell you anything."

"Didn't she? A chance to talk about her favorite characters? Do we know the same woman? Her voice may have been gone, but she'd write her stories to me while we talked. Abridged versions, obviously. But she told me enough about you. The god, fallen from grace. Too scared to let anyone in, yet too scared to let them go, ultimately pushing everyone away. Hating yourself for what you are, but unable to change."

"Wren wouldn't. She wouldn't say that," Loki laughed at his attempts.

"God of Lies, right? Then tell me I'm lying when I say: She told me everything."

Loki smirked, his eyes looking with insincere disappointment. In reality he was thrilled Zemo had given him a reason. The cup in Zemo's grasp shattered, the explosion cutting his hand. Zemo instinctively turned his face from the source of flying glass, catching a piece on the unshielded cheek.

Steve's wide eyes went from the mess to Loki, as did Zemo's.

"Everything could mean anything. Lie to me again, and we'll see how many new cuts I can leave you with. And never let me hear her name on your tongue again, or I'll rip it out. Understand?"

Zemo wiped the blood on his cheek, not looking at his attacker.

"Perfectly."

Loki took a bite of his cereal in a humorously triumphant way, turning to walk out slowly. As he passed Steve, the Captain's expression wasn't upset. It was more "Did you really have to do that?" Loki smiled back as he chewed, enjoying what he did.

Once sitting in another room, Loki was able to let the uncertainty out of hiding.

She wouldn't say those things. Talk about you and the others? One can hardly stop her. But to say I can't change? The complete opposite of what she's preached to me since day 1! Unless she's realized something over the months? Did she confess her fears to him? If I can see that, try as I might, I seem incapable of doing things right, then why wouldn't she notice too? She wouldn't want to tell me if she did. But no! No no, you know her. Not only does she love to speak her mind, she's shown no signs of thinking those things. You know her. He's manipulating what she told him to get to you.

"And she said he was a fun guy," Loki muttered, scooping more cereal aggressively onto his spoon.

He finished his breakfast, making his way to the training center. Clint was over at his range, firing arrow after arrow into the surrounding targets. With Loki's gifted magic, the first arrows he shot would be back in his quiver by the time he finished the series, and he would simply go again. He didn't pause as he went through the cycle over and over. His face was set in focus, and he was breathing and sweating heavily. He'd been at this for twenty straight minutes. It helped get his mind off of...well, everything.

Nat was on the fighting mats, going through a series of moves. Both friends were here together, yet using the time to cope with their thoughts in their own way. By doing what skill they did best.

Clint was too occupied to see Loki walk in, but Nat stopped mid swing to look at him. He was standing awkwardly at the edge of the mat, trying to look like he wasn't standing awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Nat asked, walking to pick up her water and towel.

"We need...we need to talk."

"How many times did you have to slap yourself before you pumped up the courage to come say that?"

"It'll take far less for me to walk away."

"Nothing's stopping you." She took a sip of her water, other hand on her hip with her towel.

Loki bit his tongue, wanting to lash out.

"Look," he said, summoning all of his strength, "I didn't---didn't want to, didn't mean to...upset you last night."

"I'm not a kid, Loki, I'm past it. I don't need your apology."

"We're all kids at heart."

Nat rolled her eyes to the side but smirked. "I guess I did set that up."

"What I'm trying to say is---"

"I really have to workout," she said with a fake apologetic tone, "So unless you're here for that, I'll see ya around."

She made her way back to the center, tossing the towel to the side. When she turned around, Loki was on the mat.

"What're you doing?" she sighed.

"Here for a workout," he shrugged holding his hands out to the room around him, "This is the place for it, is it not?"

"You really wanna talk," she gave him credit, before charging.

Loki defended himself, but he wasn't looking to attack.

"I just...wanna talk...about what I said," he spoke when he could.

"What part?" she asked, having twisted his hand behind his back, "Where you said you like us, or where you threw your control of Barton back at me?"

Loki countered from his position, flipping Romanoff over his shoulder and onto her back.

"I didn't do that."

She placed her hands on the ground on either side of her head, like she was about to do a bridge. Lifting her legs, she propelled herself to her feet in that awesome way she always does.

"No, you just have to redirect everything from you to someone else. Even if that means bringing up a hard time inflicted all by you."

She came at him again, this time using one of his attacks to her advantage. She wrapped her legs around his neck, doing that iconic thing she does. Loki was thrown to the ground, her legs still around his neck.

"That's not what I was trying to do. Though I see how it wasn't the best example to---"

She swung her legs off, spinning on one hand until she was in her poser form.

"Can we just pause for one second while I talk?" Loki asked, pushing himself up.

"You said you were here to workout," Nat smirked, coming at him once more.

This time, Loki didn't hold back. After an aggressive back and forth, Loki had her on the ground, forearm pressed against her throat.

"Natasha! Listen, please."

Her eyes showed surprise at how earnest he sounded, and she didn't struggle to get out from under him.

"I know we're not friends, ok? I-I know, that--that I, that I have hurt and threatened and tried to kill you. And that, that time in the cell, when I said those things about Barton, that that's how you view me. And you're right to. I brought it up to prove a point I shouldn't have been making, I get that. I just...I don't know what I'm doing." He and Nat were both breathing heavily from their combat, making Loki's words sound all the more desperate. "I--I don't know. I don't know how to do any of this."

"What?"

"This whole thing, this team! I want to hate you all! Don't you get that? I shouldn't be here, I'm not a friend, I'm not one of you. But...I can't leave. I don't know what it is, and I--I don't know...how to--how to handle, what to do what to say. Wren she---she's always been the in between. And it's infuriating! Not hating you! Not wanting to leave this place, despite her being gone! I am only telling you this because you got me to crack last night. I let it out, ok? I don't hate you guys anymore. And if you were going to know that, you were going to hear the rest of what I have to say about it."

"If you weren't an ass last night you'd have seen I understood what was going on. Wren can't be the in between forever. I pressed you for the truth and I got it. And it scared you."

Loki looked her hard in the eyes but nodded softly.

"I know. That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"That you're scared?" Nat asked like she wanted him to say it out loud.

Loki looked up in frustration.

"That I run from situations I'm not comfortable in."

"Look, this is a new position for all of us. No one would have thought we'd get along one day."

"I was angry that you got it from me."

"That you like us now?"

He nodded.

"No, I never woulda guessed."

Loki let out a little laugh.

"I've tried fighting it."

"But we're just so loveable."

"I never said and never will say I love you."

"Can you at least get off?" she grunted.

"Right, sorry," he stood up, offering a hand to her, which she took. "And I'm sorry I challenged you last night."

"Are you though?"

"Ok, so it was fun and I will probably challenge you for the rest of your life, but I shouldn't have brought up the past as if it had any bearing on today."

Nat nodded as she stretched her back. It wasn't until her head turned that Loki noticed Clint standing a couple of paces away from the mat. He was smiling softly, indicating he'd been watching for a bit, and his eyes were slightly narrowed in confusion.

He blinked a few times before talking.

"Do I wanna know?"

"I think you reached your maximum caring capability last night," Loki answered.

"Clint cared?" Nat asked, "Wait, what happened last night?"

"Nothing," Loki said quickly, catching Clint's glare.

"Yeah, nothing," Barton confirmed.

"Aw, brother bonding time?" Nat raised an eyebrow, bending to grab her water again.

"Brother?" Loki said in disgust, right as Clint said, "Ew, what? No."

 "Loki, if I said some things in life should be dealt with openly and faced head on in order to get better, would you agree?" Nat asked, causing Loki and Clint to exchange confused looks.

"Uh, yes, sure I suppose."

"Good," she smiled, "Clint, Loki admitted he doesn't hate us. Likes us even. And he's struggling with trying to be a team player cuz of our history and he doesn't think it's possible or that we want it."

She said it all quickly, barely giving Loki time to think before she walked between the two of them for the exit.

"I--uh, wait, I never said I'm struggling because I don't think you guys want it!" he called after her.

"Didn't have to," she answered back.

"You've spent too much time with Wren!" Loki yelled in frustration.

With her gone, Loki and Clint were left standing with each other.

"Right, um...ok, good," Clint nodded, turning to follow Nat.

Loki groaned, slumping his shoulders. His secret was out, and, knowing Nat and Clint, everyone in the compound would know. They were the best to keep secrets, except for when they had an agenda. And, by the looks of it, Nat had one now.

Everyone will now know my stupid emotional problems.

Despite trying to be angry over it, he walked out of the center feeling like a weight was off his shoulders.

***

Day 21 post-snap was reached. Everyone was filled with dread, knowing this was the day Thanos was supposed to snap the stones out of existence. Thor had come back down the day before, knowing the timeline for action was approaching. He was as thrilled by Zemo's presence as Loki was, taking special care to glare at him any chance he got.

Zemo went about his life quietly, not wanting to talk to the Avengers. No one particularly wanted to talk to him either, so coexistence was tolerable. Naturally, Zemo couldn't keep entirely quiet. He made snide comments that aggravated those around him. Zemo considered every distance added between himself and the team as a win. He didn't want a friendship and purposefully did all he could to maintain animosity between them. Yet he couldn't ignore the conflicting thoughts raging through his head.

Zemo was an observant man. He took in what he saw, tried to read people, piece them together. His anger over his family drove rational analyzation of the Avengers out the window, which is why Wren's defense of them rarely affected him. Now, he was living amongst them. Watching them. Viewing their daily interactions and conversations. He hated that they were so normal. So friendly. Hated that they were hurting over, not just the death of their friends, but of the billions of lives. He caught them often watching feeds from around the world, all looking on in remorse and guilt. 

Good, he'd tell himself, They should feel guilt. For everything they've done.

But then there was the fact that he had his own part to play in what had happened. That he'd delayed them, as Loki had noted. Additionally, he knew they tried. Knew Wren had tried. Rationally, he couldn't bring himself to put this loss on their shoulders, not when faced against such monumental forces. Any logical person could see it wasn't fair to do that. Zemo prided himself on being logical. 

When he'd get to this line of thinking, he'd backtrack immediately, reminding himself of all they'd done. Of how they didn't care for civilians, for those caught in the crossfire of their battles. Did their love for the world and pain over watching it lose so much prove otherwise? Perhaps, but Zemo wouldn't let himself admit it.

Wren would say it does. She'd say you're being stupid for ignoring the obvious. That this is my pain talking for me again. But Wren doesn't know everything. I care for her. I miss her. But we were never in agreement on this particular subject.

So, he continued convincing himself they were people that needed to be stopped one day. Even if he respected their fight, even if he never went after them again...he'd always hate them. Always hope they got what they deserved.

He may have bothered the team during his days there, but there was one person he knew to avoid. Loki would eye him up every time they were in the same room together, and Zemo was smart enough to stay silent. He'd paid the price for his words on two occasions, he wasn't going to make it a third. Not that he cared about getting injured. In fact, part of him felt he deserved the cuts, thus his careless attitude when provoking him. This was a deeply subconscious feeling, one he didn't know was there.

Telling himself he had to be allowed to stay in order to help Wren, he resigned to shut up around Loki. He had to make this work.

"Are we going to stare at it all day?" Zemo asked from his seat.

Steve, Rhodey, Vision and Nat were sitting or standing near displays of their deep-space scans, which they'd adjusted to search for a similar energy surge experienced on earth 21 days prior.

"You got something better to do?" Rhodes asked.

"I just don't see how staring at the information is going to make Thanos snap any quicker."

"Again, is there anything else you think we should do? Watch a movie? Go out for lunch?" Rhodey asked, "Pretend everything's fine until it happens?"

"Actually, that sounds much more enjoyable, and better for mental and emotional health."

"He's not wrong," Vis muttered.

"Fine, anyone want anything?" Rhodey asked, heading for the door.

"I'm good," Nat said, arms folded and eyes staring nervously at the displays.

"No, thank you," Vision answered, not that he eats anything anyway.

Steve shook his head when Rhodey looked to him.

"Nemo?" Rhodey asked.

Zemo rolled his eyes, shaking his head. 

"God I hope Danvers gets here first," Nat whispered grimly after Rhodey had been gone for a few minutes.

"Unlikely," Zemo said.

"No one asked for your optimism," Nat shot back.

"Which is why I gave realism."

Nat and Steve both glared at him.

"We want the same thing," Zemo said, "I'm just willing to accept how things are going to be."

As if on queue, the system started pinging. Nat stood up quickly, tapping the data and using both hands to zoom in on the source. The diagram of a planet grew into view. A yellow shimmer enveloped the orb, starting from one point of origin.

"Shit," Steve sighed, and Nat's head hung as she leaned on edge of the table.

Zemo couldn't even say "I told you so." He stared sadly at the news, having hoped deep down he was wrong. That Captain Marvel would come, bringing the answers they needed. He folded his hands, leaning his elbows on his legs.

"We should tell the others," Vision said. Steve nodded,  motioning for Zemo to follow. Without Friday around, he liked having someone with him.

Back with the others, Thor, Scott and Loki were sitting in the living room with Korg and Miek. Lang was tossing popcorn pieces sadly in the air, trying to catch them in his mouth. He didn't bother to move for them, letting them bounce off him if he failed and reaching slowly to somberly toss another. Thor was also eating popcorn in a depressed mood, though he'd occasionally fling a piece at Loki, making himself smile a bit. Clint was sitting at the table, and Rhodey was putting a warm Toaster Strudel on his plate.

When the four walked in, all heads turned their way.

"You're kidding me," Rhodey said, reading their expressions, "I'm gone for two minutes!"

"Was it a more enjoyable two minutes than it would have been had you waited?" Zemo offered.

Rhodey gave him a "shut up" look. Not that he needed to, with Loki's intense glare getting the message across.

"Wait did he do it, he destroyed them?" Scott asked, sitting upright from his reclined postion.

Steve nodded.

A sad tone fell on the room, with Korg and Miek going so far as lowering their controllers despite being mid-game.

"So we have to go back in time now, yeah?" Korg asked.

"After we kill him," Thor stood.

"Whoa, buddy hold up," Clint said, standing as Thor started walking around the couch with determination in his eyes.

"We know where he is," Thor said, summoning Stormbreaker and Mjolnir from where they were resting by the wall, "It's time I went for head."

"Tony could be back any day, no more than two if things keep going how they were meant to," Steve said, "Let's wait til we have Carol's help before moving in."

"He's weak," Thor said, "You said so yourself, destroying the stones nearly kills him."

"I still think we should wait," Cap said, "He's not going anywhere, and there's nothing we want besides his head. On the off chance that they arrive early, we should be here when they do. Stay together."

Thor's struggle was etched into his face, but he finally nodded.

Everyone went back to what they were doing or gradually dispersed. The news had only heaped more coals onto the fire of their depression.

***

True to the timeline, two days later everyone felt the rumble of the ship vibrate throughout the compound.

Loki was reading in his room when he felt it, eyes searching for the source. The answer hit him, and he ran from the room, not bothering to magic his book away as he tossed it on the bed behind him.

He joined the others in their run outside, standing on the dark lawn as the ship was brought down for a landing. Nebula and Rocket appeared, helping a weakened Tony down the steps. Steve ran to his side to help, holding him up as he walked forward. Tony seemed slightly delirious, looking from Nebula to Steve like this was dream.

"I couldn't stop him," Tony said.

"Neither could I," Steve replied.

"Hang on," Tony panted, stopping to face Steve, "I lost the kid."

"Tony, we lost."

"Is, uh---" Tony started, but Pepper running up answered his question.

"Oh, good," Tony breathed in relief.

"Oh my God," Pepper cried, repeating it again as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"It's ok," he told her, kissing her on the cheek and moving towards the compound.

Nebula and Rocket sat on the steps of the ship.

While Rhodey and Steve walked with Tony to the others, Thor and Loki noted the remaining Guardians. Thor gave Loki a look, jutting his chin towards the duo. Loki sighed, but went along with his brother.

"Are you alright, Rabbit?" Thor asked kindly.

"What do you think?" Rocket said quietly, eyes not lifting to the god.

"Anyone hurt, or...??" he tried again, but both ignored him.

"I don't believe we've met," Thor said softly, "You must be Nebula? I'm Thor."

Nebula tilted her head to look up at him.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"You're Gamora's sister, of course we've heard about you! Also, uh Wren knows everything of course, so we know about you that way too."

Her eyes displayed no understanding at the mention of Wren.

"She doesn't know about future freak," Rocket sighed, pushing off the step with his hand.

"Watch your tongue, Rodent," Loki said quietly. It wasn't as venomous as a threat, more just a reminder. He knew the raccoon was hurting.

"So you survived?" Rocket asked tiredly, "Yeah, that makes sense," he muttered, "And Wren she didn't I'm guessing?"

Loki shook his head, eyes moving to his feet.

"Ugh," he groaned, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry."

"And all the others?" Thor asked, "Snapped or...worse?"

"All were turned to dust," Nebula answered.

"We gotta failsafe or what?" Rocket asked, "Wren said we get everyone back, right?"

Nebula's head perked up at that, and she looked back and forth between Rocket and Thor.

"She did. We needed you and Stark's return before we could start," Thor replied.

"Everyone ok over here?" Bruce asked, jogging over to check up on them.

"Yes, we're all good," Thor nodded, "Just...taking a moment."

Bruce smiled in understanding, nodding a hi to Rocket and giving a small wave to Nebula.

"I'm Bruce," he said, "You must be Nebula."

She nodded, finally standing from the steps.

Bruce had to refrain from gawking at her metal attributes, clearing his throat as he looked between Thor and Loki.

"Uh, I have to check on Tony, so we should---"

"Yes," Thor said, motioning for Nebula to join them, "Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Lady Nebula."

She gave him a look at the use of Lady, as if offended, but walked with him nonetheless.

"Let's go, Rodent," Loki said, again without any trace of actual disgust.

Rocket listened without one snippy remark, walking in sad silence next to the God of Mischief.

While the brothers had been with the Guardians, the others had gotten Tony in a chair, bringing him food and water.

He scanned around the room, gaze falling on Zemo, who was standing in the back.

His eyes widened in anger, and he looked to Steve for an answer, finger pointing to the man.

"What the hell is he doing here??? I leave for what, three weeks and you're renting my rooms out to enemies? Is Thanos in the pool?"

"Tony, he came to help," Cap said in a calming manner.

"And we don't need it," Tony said, giving Zemo a hard stare, "If I had the energy, your ass would be on a one-way trip to the Raft. And that's superhero code for a living hell, life internment in a solitary piece of junk in the middle of the sea."

"Sounds... peaceful?" Zemo said.

"Ok, get my suit," Tony said, trying to stand up.

"Tony," Rhodey groaned, putting his hands on his friend's chest to get him back in the chair.

"No, get me my suit or get yours, this son of a bitch is getting it. I can't be the only one wanting to punch his face in, I mean look at it? Just one go at it---"

"Tony he came for Wren," Nat said, getting Tony to freeze.

He didn't need to ask who was gone, the empty places in the room were indication enough. And among those missing faces was everyone's favorite know-it-all.

His jaw quivered as he took a deep breath, his bloodshot eyes only seeming to grow redder as he tried not to tear up.

"Did she...was she ok? Was she scared?" Tony choked out.

"More for what was happening than for herself," Loki said, having entered with his group.

Tony met his eyes, displaying both sympathy, for pain he knew the god was feeling, and his own sadness.

"And what now, you're just suddenly gonna work with us? Friendly Zebra?" Tony asked Zemo, looking like he was struggling to get each word out. He was in no condition to be this worked up.

"I only want to help get her back."

Tony put his head in his hand, rubbing his eyes.

"Freak out when she didn't respond?" Tony said from that position, not lifting his head.

Loki's mouth dropped open slightly, looking to see the others in equal surprise.

"She told you too?" Zemo asked

"Told me?" he looked up like he was nuts, "No, she was protecting your sorry ass, not that you ever did anything to deserve it. Wait what do you mean too? Did she tell someone?" Tony looked around the group.

Loki smiled sheepishly when everyone turned to him.

"Of course," Tony sighed, "I shoulda known she'd---" he started coughing then, holding his side in pain as he did.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he tried waving off Bruce, who hurried across the room, "It's just your average recovery from an infection induced by a blade through your abdomen. I'll be right as rain."

"Tony, look at me," Pepper said kindly but firmly, crouching next to the chair and taking his hand, "You need to go lie down. Bruce will take a look---"

"I don't need to lay down, Pep," Tony interrupted, "We need to---"

"---Can't help them if you're not alive---"

"---I am alive, look at me, I'm alive aren't I? Unless we're all dead. This would be hell wouldn't it, that's why you're here huh?" he called over to Zemo.

"Tony, we'll get to work but we need you better," Steve said.

"No the world needed us. As in past tense, that trumps what I need."

"For gods sake!" Loki shouted, getting everyone to shut up and look at him, "We're all guilty, Stark! But the longer you argue about how good you are instead of getting your annoyingly stubborn ass to bed, the longer it'll take you to heal and the longer it'll be before we get them back! So can we stop with the pointless show of strength when we all know you're simply killing yourself over what happened. It's not your fault, now go lie down!"

All heads slowly turned from Loki back to Stark. Tony looked like he wanted to be angry over Loki's outburst, but he didn't say anything back.

"Yeah ok," he muttered to himself, holding Pepper's hand as he tried pushing himself up with his free one. Rhodey stepped in to help, and together he and Pep got him out of the room.

Loki ignored the looks cast from the others, certain that he'd get some hate for yelling at Tony. Not that he cared, but he didn't want to deal with the extra drama.

"Thanks," Steve said, catching Loki off guard.

"Yes well, he was being stupid," Loki said.

Steve knew Loki could have shouted at Tony without any of the reassurances he'd given him. That they were all guilty, that it wasn't Stark's fault, wasn't necessary to say if Loki was simply angry.

He waited until Loki had passed him leaving the room before he allowed the small satisfied smile to form. If there was any hope for changing things still, Loki was a shining symbol of that. He was living proof that things could be changed for the better. He'd never anticipated things going so well with Loki when he'd voted with Wren to let him stay. But now, this trial Loki was thrown into, this world where he had to buckle down and be a hero...it was chipping away at any doubts that remained regarding Loki's intentions. Loki was one of them. He may not admit it out loud, he may not embrace it all the time...but Steve knew. Not to mention Nat and Clint had spread the news of Loki's confession to everyone.

Wren was right.

***

With Tony being looked after by Pepper, the team geared up to go kill Thanos. Korg and Miek were left behind, but the rest gathered in the newly repaired Guardians ship.

"Ok, who here hasn't been to space?" Rocket asked once out of the atmosphere.

"We counting other planets and like bifrost, or just ya know spaceships?" Rhodey asked.

"Spaceships," he answered.

Steve, Nat, Scott, Clint, Vision and Rhodes all raised their hands. Loki and Carol smiled in amusement at that.

"I haven't done any, spaceships or other planets," Scott said giddily, eyes taking in the stars outside.

"You better not throw up on my ship."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Vis chuckled.

"Approaching jump in 3, 2, 1," Nebula counted down, the stars flooding forward as they launched through space.

Once there, Captain Marvel went down for recon, bringing back the report Cap had said she should find. The plan was hatched to seize him, and it was executed to perfection.

Loki, Nat, Scott, Clint, Nebula, Rhodey and Rocket walked into the hut, where the Hulk and Vis each held an arm, Danvers had him by the neck, and Thor stood ready with his axe, just waiting for the clearance to swing.

"It's too late," Thanos said when they all gathered around, "The universe required correction. After that, the stones served no purpose beyond temptation. They're gone, reduced to atoms. I used the stones to destroy the stones."

"We know," Nat smirked, "We're not here for the stones."

She gave Thor a nod, and he lifted Stormbreaker.

"Wait!" Loki said, "Allow me first?"

"By all means, brother," Thor smiled, "As long as you leave the last blow for me."

Loki grinned. Carol stepped back, giving room for whatever the brothers wanted to do. Loki materialized a dagger, lifting it and driving the blade straight through Thanos' eye. Thanos screamed in pain as Loki took his time pushing it deeper. With Thanos barely clinging to life, slumped to the ground and blood flowing from the knife protruding from his face, Thor let him lie in pain for a few seconds longer. Finally, he lifted the axe once again, bringing it swiftly down through his neck.

No one said a word as they filed out of the room. Nebula was the last to leave, having knelt down to close Thanos' one good eye. Rocket waited for her, patting her side as she walked out with him.

Just as they got to their ship, Carol's wrist started beeping. She pulled up the alert, eyes growing wide and mouth setting grimly.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"More people on the growing list of those who need my help. What's happening on earth is happening on every other planet, and they don't have you guys."

She looked sad, burdened, like she desperately wanted to go help.

"Go," Steve said.

"Go?" Rhodey asked in exasperation, "Our strongest person should go?"

"Strongest?" Thor said.

"I can't leave when we're on the verge of bringing them back," Carol said, though she sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Thanos is gone," Steve said, "Wren told me what happens, so we can avoid it. There won't be a big battle with him, because he'll never make it from 2014 to here. If things go sideways, we'll get that pager up and running. But we can't abandon the rest of the universe. We fight for more than earth now. And I think you know where your help is needed."

Danvers looked conflicted, but her eyes softened in relief.

"I'll be back as soon as I finish, I promise."

"And we'll have everyone back by then," Nat smiled.

Carol smirked back, giving one last nod before she turned and flew off at lightning speed.

"Yeah buddy," Clint mused as she flew away, patting Thor on the back, "She's the strongest."

"I think that's a hasty conclusion, don't you?" Thor chased after him up the steps of the ship.

Loki took one last look at the hut from the window as the ship pulled off the ground. He'd done it. He'd avenged her. His knife had reached him this time, something that was never, in any scenario, supposed to happen in the films. He'd broken fate. He couldn't explain it, but that thought was liberating.

***

Tony was stronger after three days of rest and treatment, but it took the remainder of the week to get him to full strength.

He was now busy building a quantum tunnel fit for their Time Heist. All hands were on deck for it, everyone listening to the orders of Rocket, Tony, and Bruce as they instructed what they needed and where to carry things. It was a chaotic morning that bubbled down into an afternoon of just Tony, Zemo, and Rocket putting finishing touches on the machine.

Tony insisted Zemo stay and work, calling it community service for his crimes. He also didn't trust Zemo, feeling more comfortable having him under his watch than somewhere else.

"Zero, hand me that," Tony snapped his fingers at the desired tool, "A little faster, you've got life imprisonment to work off."

"How did you know about Wren's phone?" Zemo asked, handing Stark the object.

"It's my compound, nothing gets in or out without me knowing," Tony said as he worked, "Hate to say you're not as clever as you think."

"I took into consideration that you'd have systems in place to find the device. If you read my message for Wren, I told her I wasn't sure if it'd be found and confiscated."

"Well it was found. Friday scans any mail that arrives, so no one's face gets blown off as they open an Amazon. She let me know about the interesting little surprise package. Kid has no money anyway, and Friday and I both knew she had nothing coming in the mail."

"Why did you let her go with it?"

Tony stopped what he was doing, looking up at Zemo. He sighed and shook his head.

"Because I trusted the kid. I didn't at first, cuz naturally she's careless and ridiculous and doesn't view this world as a real danger to her ninety percent of the time. I went into her room for it, found it quickly actually. I mean she hid it under her bed. For a movie buff, that was the most cliche place to hide it, I was kinda disappointed."

Zemo actually smirked at that, the smallest sound of laughter in his throat.

"But I read your novel you left for her."

"And?" Zemo raised his eyebrows, not understanding where this was going.

"And I saw the glimmer of a guy who might not be as big of a douche as he acts. First you let Wren go, which I didn't wanna believe, and then that. Maybe it was all a hoax," he scoffed, "Maybe the phone was the next step, a way to try to get her to let her guard down, give you what you need. But you risked a lot by setting her free. By sending that phone. I don't know, maybe I wanted to see how it went. See if she could rope another one in."

"Another?"

"Yeah villain. First Loki, who, don't tell the snake this, but he's grown on me."

"I must be the only one who can't find the appeal."

"Yeah I heard about his greeting, can't say I'm upset. I may have hoped Wren was right, but I want to throw you off the nearest cliff too."

"Feeling is mutual," Zemo said, giving Tony a hateful look.

"No you don't get to throw hate around, we're on my turf buddy," Tony fought back, "Wren may have saved your ass on multiple accounts, but you messed with me and my friends. You mind controlled one of us, nearly got Korg and Miek killed. You fried Wren up like a piece of meat, left her chained to that table. Don't think there is any version of this where you get to play the victim."

Tony had walked over to Zemo as he spoke, now standing a foot from him and looking him hard in the eyes.

"No, of course. My family were the victims. Or did you forget why I set out for you?"

Tony's eyes flickered with remorse, but he kept the tough stare.

"I remember. I also remember saving as many as we could. What do you do but kill people for what you want?"

"To save more."

"Bullshit! You do it for yourself. I was trying to save the world when I built Ultron. Save it from this," he gestured around him, "From a fear I had ever since an army from space flew through a magic portal."

"And in doing so you nearly caused the annihilation of the human race."

"Yeah," Tony said sadly, "I did. And I learned my lesson. Don't think Sokovia doesn't haunt me every night when I close my eyes. Every morning when I open them. Every time I have a second alone with the shit in my head. But we don't roll over and play dead, we continue the fight. And look at us now, the world's last hope. What did you think you were gonna accomplish? Destroy the Earth's greatest defense? The only group who could fight back aliens without nuking a city? We may not be perfect but we're a long stretch from villain."

"Heroes cause most of the chaos they then have to stop."

"We cause some of it, but that's cuz shit happens and mistakes are made. And Sokovia, that was on me. No amount of ass kicking will ever ease my guilt, but I sure as hell know the world wouldn't be better off without me. Without us. What about the chaos that isn't our fault, hmm? The space threats, the purple Hitlers and their genocide? Did any of that factor into your equation when you tried convincing yourself that it was ok to go psycho for what you only ever wanted for yourself?"

Zemo's face was hard to read. But his anger had lowered to a more solemn expression, and his words were evading him.

"And don't tell me Wren didn't tell you about Thanos, cuz we both know she can't help herself. She'd have tried to turn your Vader back to good, to convince you of our fight, defend what we do. And you believed your own lies so much that you didn't listen to her. Convinced yourself we were only the problem, never a solution."

Tony took his gloves off, tossing them on his chair before walking away.

"I wanted you torn apart," Zemo said, stopping Tony, "For taking them from me. Why should they get to die, all for someone else's failed dream? Yet their murderers live?"

Zemo's raw emotions on the situation were out in the open, his eyes watering as he spoke with such pain and fury.

"And that," Tony pointed, "Is why you really did what you did. No philosophical bologna about heroes and their threats, no 'trying to save lives', no moral mission... revenge. Plain and simple."

"If you could kill without repercussions, why couldn't I be the avenger?"

"We didn't try to kill. And we've saved more lives than we've taken. And we're the Avengers, not the Revengers. It'll take you to a dark place, get more people hurt along the way. How many people did you hurt in those bombings? People who had no interest in your revenge? Suffering for 'someone else's failed dream'?" he repeated Zemo's phrase back to him.

"I let her go because...because I realized she was right about that. About how far I was willing to go for my cause. I don't need you to preach to me about it, and you're the last person who has the right to."

"As one of those previously under attack by you, I think I do. I'm sorry about your family, but there's no sane way you can justify what you've done. You've admitted it was all for you. Not them, not the world. And you may have given up on getting us, but you're a long way from getting over this obsessed hatred of us. Let it go. Before you end up despising yourself for the things it'll make you do."

"It's all I have," Zemo smirked, though it was a kind of hopeless and bitter smirk.

"Had. It's all you had. What you have now is a chance, a new life, and someone who was willing to give it to you. Don't let her down."

Tony left across the room, leaving a thoughtful and speechless Zemo. He was broken from his trance by a long and slow whistle.

"Yeesh, that was a bit dramatic," Rocket said, having been listening just around the corner of the mechanism, "What, did you forget I was on the other side while you and goatee had it out?" he asked upon seeing Zemo's expression.

Zemo just gave him a look, walking away.

"So we're all just walking away now, that's great. Sure I'll finish this myself, why not?" he muttered sarcastically, heading back around to complete his job.

***

The time came for the first test run. Scott was suited up, nervously prepping for the trip.

"Time travel suit? Not bad," Rhodey said, walking in the room where Nebula and Bruce were putting the finishing touches on Scott's gear.

Loki walked in behind him, excitement and hope swirling in his stomach. This test run had to work. Stark had said he figured out the navigation.

"Hey hey hey, be careful with that!" Scott snapped as Bruce tried putting the Pym particles in place.

"I'm being careful!" Bruce argued.

"No you're not!"

"Scott, calm down," Rhodey held his hands up comfortingly.

"Sorry. It's just, I may have had Hank start making more particles as a backup, but we still only have enough for all fifteen of us to make one round trip each! This is all we have, that's it! One trip! No do-overs. That, and two test runs."

Scott yelped as his visor closed and he shrunk down, popping right back up.

"One test run."

Everyone groaned, Loki and Rhodes rolling their eyes.

"Alright...I'm not ready for this," Scott breathed heavily, closing his eyes.

"I'm game," Clint said from behind Rhodey and Loki, "I'll do it."

"Oh thank God," Scott sighed.

"You sure about this Clint?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah what's the worst that could happen?" he shrugged walking to take Scott's place.

"We lose you in time," Loki said, earning looks from everyone and a hit from Rhodes.

"He asked," Loki defended.

"We're not gonna lose you in time," Bruce assured him as Clint stepped a few feet away with Nebula to get suited up.

"You sure about it right?" Rhodey whispered to Bruce.

"I don't know!" he said back in a hushed voice, "This is time travel! Either it all works or none of it does!"

"You guys good?" Clint eyed them across the room.

"Yup, great!" Bruce smiled, giving a thumbs up.

Not so shockingly, Loki's hope was now mixed with worry.

"Clint, now you're gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chronoshift, just don't worry about it," Bruce said as Clint stood in the suit and Nebula finished her work.

"Wait a sec, let me ask you something," Rhodey said, "If we can do this, you know, go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know and..." he made the wrap around and strangulation motion.

"First of all, that's horrible," Bruce accused.

"It's Thanos!" Rhodes argued.

"Time doesn't work like that anyway," Loki said.

"Exactly, changing the past doesn't change the future," Bruce supported.

"Look, we go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them... Thanos doesn't have the stones," Scott shrugged, "Problem solved."

"Bingo," Clint chimed.

"That's not how it works," Nebula said.

"Well that's what I heard," Clint replied.

"What by who? Who told you that?" Bruce asked

"Star Trek, Terminator, Timecop," Rhodey started listing, "Time After Time."

"Quantum Leap," Scott added.

"Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time."

"Hot Tub Time Machine."

"Hot Tub Time Machine, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, basically any movie that deals with time travel."

"Die Hard! No, that's not one," Scott said.

"This is known!" Rhodey continued.

"Known? From movies?" Loki said like he was an idiot.

"I don't know why everyone believes that, but that isn't true," Bruce said, "Think about it. If you travel to your past, that past now becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past. Which can't now be changed by your new future!"

"Exactly," Nebula said, and Loki nodded.

Clint's eyes were narrowed as he tried to follow.

"So Back to the Future's a bunch of bullshit?" Scott asked like his whole life was a lie.

"It might be hard for you to hear this Lang, but fiction means not real," Loki said condescendingly.

Scott gave him a look as Nebula stepped away from Clint.

"He's ready," she said.

"Ok, let's get this over with," Clint took a deep breath, walking from the room.

***

Everyone, Zemo and all, gathered around as Clint took his place on the platform.

"Alright, Clint," Bruce said, "We're going in 3, 2, 1."

Clint disappeared into the opened tunnel, seemingly sucked away into the floor.

"Bringing him back in 3, 2, 1," Bruce counted again, tapping the controls.

"Lila!" Clint was yelling, as he reappeared on all fours.

The group charged up the steps.

"Hey hey, look at me," Nat said, placing a hand on his back, "You ok?" she asked as he stood up, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Yeah," he breathed, "Yeah. It worked," he tapped a baseball mitt against her chest, "It worked."

He tossed the glove to Tony, who caught it enthusiastically.

"It worked," Zemo marveled from the bottom of the steps.

Loki felt his body relax, not having realized how tense he'd been.

It worked.

More notes: Once again, more character stuff. But we got to Endgame, so we're making our way towards the light at the end of the tunnel. In case you couldn't tell, I'm taking my time post-snap cuz I want their victory to feel earned. Kinda trying to capture the final relief we get in Endgame when they come back after all their work. So yeah, sorry for another chapter of no huge climactic events.

Chapter 49: (Chapter 48): Time Heist

Notes:

Couple of things. First, sorry I'm two (almost three) days late. I was sick this week, my uncle came to visit, I had to drive to the airport twice, I have basketball, etc, etc. Busy busy. This also almost reached the length of my longest chapter, so it added to how long it took to finish. Second, for future times when I post late or something, know that my goal is always a week from the last post. If the last post is Thurs, then expect it by next Thurs. If I get pushed to Friday or, in this case, Sat, then expect around friday or sat for the next post. Hopefully I can work overtime and get back to the Wed posting schedule this week, but that'd be a chapter completed in essentially three days cuz I'm busy tomorrow, so probably not realistic. If the week mark ever arrives and I haven't posted, know that I'm probably very close to posting, I just got pushed back a day or two. I'll let you all know if something drastic happens that pushes me back a week or something. Third, people have pointed out that if Odin is dead, shouldn't Hela be out? And the answer to that is, I knew I'd slip up somewhere eventually and forget about something. So uh, plot armor. We're gonna say she snapped too. Yay, easy answer we all suspend our disbelief a bit for! Also, if you haven't read As You Wish, it's a really popular Loki fanfic. I'm sure most if not all of you have read it, but it was brought to my attention by others and the author was kind enough to link my story in her chapter on Wattpad, so I'm extending the favor and promoting hers as well cuz it's really good!
Ok, I think that's all. Enjoy!

The brainstorming began.

"Okay, so the how works," Steve said, looking at the screens with each infinity stone pulled up, "Now we gotta figure out the when and the where."

"We only have enough Pym particles for one round trip each," Bruce chimed from where he paced around the table, "And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history."

"Our history. So, not a lot of convenient places to drop in," Tony added.

"Didn't Wren tell you everything?" Clint asked, "We know where we have to go, right?"

"Doesn't make it any easier," Steve answered, though he nodded, "And she also told me which ones go wrong."

"Let's start with what goes right," Nat offered.

"The Aether," Cap held his hand up to the displays of the reality stone, with Tony swiping it into larger view, "Thor, you and Rocket go after it in Endgame. Besides a chat with....your mom," he said hesitantly, "You guys get it without any problems."

"Awesome," Thor gave a thumbs up, "Of course we'd have the most successful mission," he waved across the room to Rocket.

"We should be able to keep you two together for that assignment," Steve said.

"It'd be nice to know one already works," Rhodey agreed.

"Thor can't go to Asgard," Loki said, staring into the distance as he sat with folded arms.

"Why?" Scott asked.

"Because he and I have to go to Vormir," Loki said.

The room was quiet.

"Who's Vormir?" Scott asked again, trying to understand why everyone looked so grim.

"It's a place," Nebula answered, "At the center of celestial existence. It's where Thanos retrieved the soul stone."

"Why do you two need to go for it?" Clint asked.

"Because one cannot get the stone unless they lose someone they love," Vision answered softly.

"You gonna push Thor off for it?" Rhodey said like there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

"Sorry, pal, we're thinking of something else," Tony turned back to the screen.

"I'm not going to push Thor off," he said, meeting Thor's eyes. His brother had understood from the moment Loki mentioned Vormir. "I'm going to throw myself off."

"No," Thor said, shaking his head, "Loki, this is madness. I know dying is your favorite thing to do---"

"There's only one way to get the soul stone," Loki cut him off, "One of us is going to die for it."

"Or we'll think of something else," Steve said.

"Nat seemed quite content to kill herself last we spoke of it, why can't I?"

Clint looked at Nat. "What's he talking about?"

Nat's eyes turned guiltily to the floor.

"He's right. There's only one way we get the stone in the film. It's the deal that has to be made, and I was always supposed to make it."

"Not this time," Clint said firmly.

"What, so I sit out of this one and let someone else throw themselves off? Argue until we decide on someone we're the least concerned about losing?" she fought.

"There's no arguing needed," Loki said again, "Because I'll spare us all the trouble of picking the smallest concern."

"Loki---," Thor started again, but Loki interrupted once more.

"Thor, by some miracle you're one of the few that cares for me," he said matter-of-factly, no hint of drama in his voice, "It makes the most sense that I be the one to go."

"So you leave me again to mourn your loss?" Thor grumbled in accusatory irritation.

"Brother, I'm sorry...really, I--I'm sorry. For having put you through that in the past, but now it's time. Time for me to make a sacrifice that isn't fake, time for you to grieve...one last time."

The room was again silent, watching the interaction between the brothers.

"Wren didn't come all the way here brother, save your life, just for you to die like this."

"Yet she came here, changed everything, just to have Nat kill herself? For things to go the same?" he challenged.

"She tried, but things went the same either way," Nat said, "It's ok...I'll be fine."

"Romanoff, enough with the death talk," Tony ordered, "No one is climbing a frickin mountain just to fall off of it. Not for a rock."

"It's not just a rock, Tony. It's half of all life," Nat corrected.

"Nat, it doesn't matter," Bruce pleaded, "We can't sacrifice you for it."

"Which is why I'm going," Loki sat up straighter, starting to get annoyed.

"Or you," Bruce clarified.

"Why?" Loki said, putting his hands flat on the table and pushing himself up from his seat, "Give me a reason why I'm not the logical choice? The scale of those affected by the sacrifice is exponentially tipped towards Nat or any of you!" he looked around the room, waiting for someone to argue.

"I'd miss you, bro," Korg said casually, "And I'd gladly toss myself off of whatever mountain we're talking about." Miek raised his hand too, showing he was in the same mindset.

Loki smiled gratefully at the pair, but shook his head.

"That's...that's very kind," Loki said, not used to being so openly appreciative or emotional. In fact, he'd apologized to Thor in front of everyone. He realized that, for the first time, he truly didn't care about hiding. That, unlike the last two weeks or few months, he hadn't had to fight some internal struggle before getting himself to say or do something. He'd just let it out, here among the team. And it felt so refreshing, even if it was still a degree uncomfortable and unfamiliar. "But I'm afraid you'd be missed," he continued.

"Did you hear Korg?" Vision asked, "So will you."

"Yes, by far fewer," Loki said, giving the android a look like he was stupid.

"We don't trade lives," Steve said.

"If you want to save billions, you'll have to," Loki said, "And I don't understand why we're arguing about his," he waved his hands in frustration, "I'm giving you a way out, take it!"

"Yeah, by volunteering as tribute," Tony scoffed, "Any one of us here could say "Pick me! I'll do it" but that wouldn't make us all thank them for "giving us a way out," it keeps the same problem going."

"No, it doesn't!" Loki said in exasperation, clearly not understanding the issue, "You have a chance to save your friends."

"And what about you?" Tony snapped.

"I die."

"Not that! What about the fact that we have to lose you instead?"

"What about it?"

"God, this man," Tony whined, rubbing his forehead, "It's not me, is it?" he asked the room.

"Stark, what's your point?!" Loki asked.

"If we lose a member, we all hurt," Steve took over for Tony's attempts, "There's not one person in this room that could make that sacrifice without affecting the rest, and that includes you."

Loki's eyebrows were raised gently, nodding once to concede the argument. Though on the inside, he was lost in his own shock of what Steve had said.

"It means enough with the 'You all don't care about me, so I'm gonna kill myself.' You fished for the compliments and you got 'em," Tony said.

"I wasn't fishing for your adoration, Stark," Loki said.

"No, but you didn't hate it."

"Regardless, someone has to die for the stone," Loki said with much less aggression, "The other stones may be many obtainable places throughout history, but the soul stone has only ever been in one. Never removed."

"That's not true," Nebula spoke up.

"What?" Rhodey said, daring to look hopeful.

"The soul stone has always been on Vormir...until my father had it taken."

"We'd need the whole team to make sure we could take him, especially with the soul and reality stones," Bruce said, "And we'll be split throughout time."

"It's not him you'll have to take," she said, "When I was held, Thanos enjoyed gloating. He'd talk while he tortured me. About how Gamora was teaming against him, how he saw and heard everything. How among the information returned to him was a name. Vormir. He'd heard of the sacrifice needed, from his spies in Asgard. So he sent Maw out to retrieve the stone. Dispatched him right in front of me. When Maw asked who was to make the sacrifice, Thanos told him to find someone. That everyone is afraid to lose somebody."

"Happy father-daughter talks," Rhodes muttered.

"You're saying, when the stone is taken...it isn't Thanos that's there?" Steve asked.

Nebula nodded.

"We could take it before they get off the planet," Nat said eagerly, looking around for agreement.

"We'd be leaving some people to die," Clint noted, "A couple, a family, whoever this Maw guy got to make the sacrifice."

"They've already died," Nebula said, "Saving them won't bring them back here."

"Should we help past selves out?" Scott asked, "I know it's off topic, sorry, but like if we can make alternate timelines for our younger selves, should we do that? Let us know what's gonna happen?"

"Messing with time is tricky," Bruce rubbed the back of his neck.

"Wren's doing it," Rhodey said.

"That's different," Bruce countered, "She's not from this world. She's not going back in her own timeline to cause an alternate one. For all we know, in this universe, she was meant to change things."

"And you saw how half-successful she was," Tony said, earning a glare from Zemo, who was silently watching. "Not saying it's her fault," Tony rolled his eyes at the Baron, "Just that time likes to mess back with you. Even if Wren was supposed to come here, she's not winning without the universe putting up a fight. If we start messing with history, the future we set up for our alternate selves could be worse than we'd think."

"Worse than this?" Nat raised her eyebrows.

"We have a chance here," Steve said, "And no one here died in a way that isn't reversible. Change things, no matter how we think we're helping, and it could lead to something worse for that timeline."

"So we try to screw up as little as possible," Clint nodded, "Meaning we let the sacrifice happen."

"Thanos would just drag more people to Vormir after we left," Thor added.

"So Maw, that's the Voldemort-looking guy?" Tony asked, but Nebula just shook her head a little in confusion, "Pasty skin, no nose, thinks he's all that?"

"Yes, that's him," she confirmed.

"Ok, Voldy," he said, writing the name on the soul stone display, "Anyone else you know that's going with him?"

"He'd have taken Obsidian with him. Maw doesn't like to get his hands dirty if he can make that brute do it."

"So Obsidian's the muscle that was with him?" Tony asked, swiping to bring up the footage from their attack, "These two, right?"

Nebula nodded again.

"So we take these two, we take the soul stone," Tony said.

"Wren also told me we have to return all the stones to the time we got them," Steve mentioned.

"Why?" Nat asked.

"Because if you think something as small as saving a life or tipping your younger selves off could cause drastic events, think of the cataclysmic scale of change that could be wrought by removing the most powerful sources in the universe," Zemo said.

"Thanks, Silent and Broody, we'll take that into consideration," Tony sassed.

"He's out of line, but he's not wrong," Bruce said, "We can't throw off another reality for ourselves."

"The Sorcerer Supreme before Strange makes Bruce promise to return the time stone for that reason," Cap confirmed.

"When does Bruce go for the time stone?" Vision asked.

"2012," Steve said, understanding hitting the others.

"There're three stones there," Nat said.

"Shut the front door," Bruce said in shock.

"My scepter," Loki nodded.

"The cube," Thor smiled, "Three right there."

"Tony, Scott, Bruce and I go there. I get the scepter from Rumlow."

"Oh yeah, strike team did come and get it didn't they?" Clint said, eyes narrowing as he thought back.

"Bruce goes for the Sanctum Sanctorum, Scott essentially gives 2012 Tony a heart attack so modern Tony can swoop in for the case with the Tesseract."

"It doesn't go according to plan though," Loki chimed.

"No," Steve shook his head, "The Hulk, early Hulk, bursts in and hits Tony, sending the Tesseract to the feet of Loki. He escapes with it."

"Talk about fucking up the timeline," Clint mumbled.

"Leave it to me," Loki smiled.

"Cool, so we watch out for the Hulk and keep 2012 Loki from making his great escape," Tony said, writing more notes.

"I may have another idea," Zemo said.

"This oughta be good," Tony turned to him, "Let me guess, you suggest we all throw ourselves off of Vormir?"

"An enjoyable notion, but no. No, my suggestion is regarding the...Tesseract, is it? The cube. Wren," he said, looking at Loki over the use of her name, "Told me that you were trying to stop Thanos from getting the stones by getting them yourselves. She mentioned you had the cube, and that it was still on Asgard, where it is when Loki takes it and Thanos kills him."

"What's your point?" Nat rushed him.

"Well, she didn't fill me in on all of your achievements or plans. Despite how much distress it gives you that she befriends villains, you'll be proud to know she was no fool. She kept things from me in case I ever had ulterior motives, in case I was lying to get information. But it stands to reason you went in search of other stones besides the cube, possibly even found them?"

"What what does that mean?" Scott asked, noticing the looks exchanged between Tony and Steve.

"It means we've already done some work," Tony said.

"Before Thanos came, we were securing stones, right?" Nat said, walking Scott through it, "So, we know where four out of six are for a few months."

"The power and space are on Asgard," Thor explained, "Already safe and ready for the taking."

"If we get the Tesseract from the past few months, there's no need to risk Loki escaping in 2012 by going for the cube," Steve concluded.

"And wherever we get the power stone, I'm sure it'll be easier and safer getting it from Asgard," Bruce added.

"Ok, so we can get the power and cube done in one go," Tony adjusted the plans on the screen.

"What about the wizard?" Clint asked, "Can we just go back to after Wren explains stuff to him and ask him for it?"

"We know the Sorcerer Supreme lets Bruce have it in 2012. Do we want to risk Dr. Strange not doing the same?" Vision voiced his concern.

"Loki, Tony, you guys have dealt with him before. Do you think he'd be easier to ask for help?" Steve addressed the two of them.

"Yeah, that's a negative," Tony said immediately, joined by Loki's protests.

"The man has a bigger head than Stark."

"Right?! Doc tried saying I had the big head, right after the ungrateful bastard accused us of nearly killing him when we just saved his life from Squidward. Yeah, no, if he disagrees with us taking the stone at all, then it'll take a migraine to get him to yield. Believe me, I had an entire flying donut ride to argue with him."

"So we stick with 2012," Steve nodded, "We still need the scepter anyway."

"What about the Aether?" Bruce asked like he had an idea.

"What about it?" Rhodes repeated.

"We knew where that was too, before we let it get away."

"Yeah, and it got away because it was guarded by a zombified army," Tony noted.

"Yeah, but that was after the Collector had had it for a year. What about before that? When he'd just been given the stone?"

"I couldn't give you the date of that transaction," Thor said apologetically, "Though I assume we could pick any day within the last year and go for it then."

"Whoa, I thought we were keeping Thor and Furry on the Asgard mission?" Tony said, "Why are we changing the one mission we know goes well?"

"Well, for one thing, the Aether isn't inside his girlfriend," Loki said.

"It's inside your girlfriend?" Tony looked to Thor.

"Yeah, didn't I mention that?" Thor asked innocently, "Besides, I thought Cap knew all that."

"Wren did say you have to suck it out of Jane."

"How awkward is it to return that stone?" Rhodey mused.

"Jane, I know I just zapped this from you a second ago, but hold still!" Tony joked, acting like he was talking to someone who was running away.

"Ok, so the job might be easier if it's already out of her," Cap agreed.

"Why didn't we do that in the film?" Clint asked, "I mean, send them back to when it's just sitting in the Collector's shop?"

"Cuz Thor having a motivational and, I'm guessing, highly emotional peptalk with his long deceased mother makes for better cinema than picking up a rock from a warehouse," Tony theorized.

"In the movies we didn't know about the Collector's army, it never comes in. When do we go there? How do we know when it's early enough?" Rhodey asked.

"And how do we guarantee the Aether is on Knowhere on the desired day?" Vision chimed in.

"Where else would it be?" Nat furrowed her brow.

"I don't know, but on a mission as sensitive as this, we can't afford to choose a day where the Collector is off world, or has taken the stone somewhere else," Vis explained, "I'm not saying he would or that he ever did. I'm saying it's an unknown. And for this, there can be no unknowns."

"How are we supposed to know when the Aether's there?" Clint asked, "We never even saw it when we were there. We don't know if it was even with him when he escaped or if it was already off the planet."

"I know when it was there," Loki sighed, closing his eyes in reluctant submission to whatever decision he'd come to in his head. Opening his eyes, he looked determinedly around the group. "It was there the night before we went to Knowhere."

"And how do you know that?" Tony said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Loki glanced to Thor, who nodded in agreement with his brother's confession. Now was the time.

"Because I went to him the night before."

The looks passed around the room and sighs of disgust were indication enough that they knew they weren't going to like the reason why.

"Why?" Tony said, his voice low and jaw set rigidly.

"Because I...I was trying to betray you guys. I told myself I could somehow," he shook his head at the stupidity of his past self, "Collect the stones for myself. I told the Collector you were coming. Helped him craft a fake based on the original. A duplicate to satisfy you until I could return for the true stone. I didn't know he had the army."

"No, but you weren't upset by the fact that any of us coulda gotten killed!" Tony accused.

"No," Loki said quietly, eyes turned away from the harsh glares he was receiving, "I told myself I wasn't."

"Told yourself? What, so you actually did care that you almost got us eaten by a swarm of space monsters?" Clint said in disbelief.

"I cared more than I thought. If not for you, then for Wren. She'd just called my intentions the day prior, when she voiced her concerns about me knowing where the stone were."

"Looks like the kid was right!" Tony laughed.

"I tried to make her right. To go through with whatever beginnings of a plan I had. I didn't know what else to do."

"Not being an asshole woulda been a good start," Rhodey said.

"I know. Which is why I committed to helping after that. Wren, she had said I was going to form some stupid plan that would lead to more disaster, just like I always do. I proved her right! So, I don't know, something changed the night of the party. I wanted to try, to see how things went. If she was right about what my failures at betrayal bring, then what if she was right about what trying to help rather than fighting you would bring? It was too late, I know that. The Aether's gone because of me, and she's dead because of me! They're all dead because of me. Despite what Wren always claims, it was too late for me. There are some things you can't make up for."

The room was quiet, the team looking to each other or Loki, each trying to decide whether to be angry at him for something so long ago. 

"Thor, you knew about this?" Steve asked, more out of curiosity than any kind of accusation.

He nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bruce asked.

"Because it made no difference what he did then. It's in the past. It's done. He also attacked New York and tried killing me on many many occasions, but you don't see us letting that get in the way. Steve, you said before that Loki is a member of this team. Everyone in this room has accepted it. What he did before that became a reality doesn't matter."

"And he's tried making it right," Vision said.

"Has he?" Tony challenged, "Or is that another show, while he's parading around behind the scenes?"

"Tony, that was always a possibility," Nat said. She wasn't happy with the news, but she wasn't an idiot either. "If anything, telling us what he did shows he can be trusted now. If he were still lying, he wouldn't give us reason to distrust him."

Tony rubbed his hands over his face, looking around the group for some silent agreement to let Loki off with this one.

"Did Wren know?" Tony asked.

Loki nodded.

"Of course she did," Tony muttered, pacing back and forth.

Zemo continued observing everything. He wasn't surprised, necessarily, by hearing the secrets between Loki and Wren...more like, enlightened. He smiled to himself.

"Ok, so you know when and where this dark stuff will be?" Tony said, jumping back to business like nothing had happened. 

Clearly, that was the signal that all was let go. Forgiven? Loki wasn't sure. But he didn't see hatred in those around him, and the looks of betrayal in their eyes had faded. Breathing a little easier, Loki allowed himself the hope that he hadn't screwed up another situation.

"Yes, I know when I go to him. I can confirm where he keeps it."

"And what about the army?" Clint said, "You gonna take it all by yourself?"

"If I do my job right, the army will never be summoned. I can take the Aether and have him out before he has a chance to touch the control."

"So we have the Aether from Knowhere, power and space stones from Asgard, mind and time from 2012, and soul stone from Vormir," Nat read off the list from her notepad.

"Now we need the teams," Steve said.

The next few hours were spent deciding the game plans for each mission and who would accompany each. Despite how helpful Bruce would be in the fight against two of Thanos' children, 2012 needed an Avenger that could travel quickly across New York without standing out. Which meant Tony or Bruce, who were both in the original six, were the only two candidates. Tony, though not needed for the Tesseract, was still needed to track the scepter's whereabouts and let Cap know when it was coming his way. Additionally, Steve hoped to avoid a Cap vs Cap encounter, so Scott's mission was new. He was to be flicked onto 2012 Cap this time, rather than the cube, and keep Steve updated on where his younger self went. Tony would be standing by for extraction of any member or the scepter itself. Bruce also manages to get he stone from the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers didn't want to test fate more than they already were by taking him away from that mission.

Thor and Rocket were still the two best to blend in on Asgard, seeing as both were living there at the same time. So they were tasked with securing the power and space stones.

Loki insisted on going alone for the Aether, but the team wouldn't let him. Clint was added as his partner. Barton was to be his eye in the sky, as was his specialty.

Essentially anyone that was left was sent to Vormir. That included Vision, Rhodey, Nat, Nebula, Korg and Miek.

"If Nebula is supposed to get taken in 2014 in the movie, how are we gonna stop the same link between her past self if she goes to Vormir?" Bruce asked after Cap explained how Thanos comes through.

"Leave it to me," Nebula said, "I can disrupt the connection. Block my network."

"You sure?" Cap asked.

"Yes."

"So that's everyone?" Rhodey asked, "We're good?"

"Study your assignments," Steve nodded, "We suit up in an hour."

"I think we're forgetting someone," Tony motioned his chin at Zemo.

"Can't he stay?" Scott asked.

"Do we really want him here alone with the tunnel while we're gone?" Bruce said hesitantly.

"You think I'd leave you stranded in time and throw any chance of success out the window?" Zemo tilted his head at Banner.

"He's not wrong," Nat said, "At least here he stands to gain from us coming back. If he goes on a mission, there's nothing stopping him from letting one or all of us die as long as he gets the stone."

"Except my imminent death upon returning without the rest of my group."

"I don't trust him in either position, but at least here he has to just sit and wait for us to get back. And like Nat said, he needs us to return if he's here," Rhodey gave his opinion.

"You could use me," Zemo said, "It'd be foolish to pass up help offered to you when facing the odds against you right now."

"Not if the help is a nice little push off Vormir's cliff," Tony said, "You'll stay here."

"I told you I was here to get Wren back," Zemo said, looking angrily at Stark, "I can't help do that by sitting out. I'm helping."

"The choice isn't yours," Thor told him.

"I could have stayed away. I could have waited and hoped that you'd bring them back. I didn't just come here to be reassured that you have a plan. I came to do something. To make it right."

"Because you helped lead to all of this?" Tony accused.

"I'm not the only one," Zemo said, eyes turning to Loki, "And I'm also not the only one trying to correct that mistake. Pl..." he paused, seeming to struggle with forcing out his next words, "Please. I'm asking you to let me help. I won't sit on the sidelines."

"No, guys, no no no," Scott said, seeing the look on their faces, "I don't uh, I don't think it's--it's a good idea at all. I mean, who would take him?? He can't come to New York, that's for sure."

"Nor can I cover for him if caught on Asgard," Thor said.

"We said we could use all the help on our trip, right guys?" Korg asked.

"Yeah but I don't wanna fight a creepy wizard and have to watch my back," Rhodey complained.

"I told you, there's no way I'd get free if I killed one of you. And I wouldn't do that anyway. I may not like you, but I'm not that low. When I say I'm here both for your help and to offer it, I mean that sincerely. Backstabbing isn't my way."

"We can't know that's the truth though, can we?" Rhodey shot back.

"If Wren were here, she'd tell you. Know that I wouldn't use her as a means to trick you. There'd be no more disgraceful way of honoring her than turning her trust of me into a ruse against you."

"It's either Vormir or Knowhere," Nat said, looking to Loki.

"We vote Vormir," Clint said right away.

"No," Loki turned to him.

"No?" Clint raised his eyebrows.

"No. We need a third man. The rooftop where I have you placed gives you visual of the exit I used that night, but the entrance I intend to use is out of your sight. I'll need a lookout until you can rendezvous back with us."

"And you trust him to be that lookout?" Clint continued, his eyebrows only seeming to get higher with every word Loki spoke.

"Heavens no. Not out of the goodness of his heart. But, whether it really is Wren or not, he has a reason for being here. For wanting us to succeed. I intend to keep him very close until that is done. He can do less damage waiting outside a building than he will defending one of them on Vormir. If he betrays us there, he risks losing the Aether. Essentially, he'll make himself useful while having the least possible amount of involvement."

"Sound good?" Steve asked Zemo, almost sarcastically.

Zemo was casting curious looks Loki's way, but nodded, pulling his eyes back to the Captain. "As good as I'll get."

"Alright," Steve looked around the group, "I'll see you all in an hour."

The next sixty minutes felt like the longest and shortest of the team's lives. Everyone was eager to go, eager to fix things. That made the clock tick unbearably slowly. Yet the thought of time travel and the nerves that came with anticipation made the inevitable fly towards them at lightning speeds.

Tony and Steve worked together to get the throwback Cap suit ready for 2012. Nebula had to cut off the link from her network, a process that was more painful than she'd made known. Rhodey walked in on her doing it. She had removed a panel on her head, prying part of her skull aside to reach whatever part with the small tool in her hand. Tears were on her face, though she looked ahead in brave determination. With every spark of the tool, she winced slightly, trying to hold it in.

She finished, setting the tool aside. Only then did she notice Rhodey. They made eye contact for a second before she lowered hers.

"I wasn't always like this," she said, pushing her head back together and placing the panel in its original position.

"Neither were any of us," Rhodey said, and she looked back up at him, "But we work with what we got, right?"

She hummed in agreement, giving the smallest of nods.

"You wanna grab something to eat before we go? Tony had some chinese ordered?" he pointed back the way he came with his thumb.

"Chinese?"

"Here," he smiled kindly, "I'll show you, you're gonna like it."

They went off to the kitchen together, meeting some of the others who were all eating in silence. Loki was there, merely picking at his food with his chopsticks. For him, the clock had never moved slower. It had already been a month...a month! He couldn't believe it had been so long, yet at the same time it felt like longer. Every day without them was excruciating, filled with grief and guilt that seemed to drag on forever. Yet that kind of haze they'd lived in since the snap made it seem like no time had passed at all. They'd been so focused on getting through the first week, then getting to Tony, then waiting for him to heal. The next thing he knew, it was 34 days since the snap.

That's quite long enough.

He hated the thought of having to tell Wren that she'd been dead a month. That that was the soonest they could get them. Though, he knew that was better than five years. Still, just saying it to himself was sickening.

She's been dead for a month.

Miek spilling rice all over the table broke him from his thoughts, much to his relief. He smiled as he shook his head at the mess, joining the cleaning effort with the others.

With ten minutes until departure, Loki stood in his room, readying himself for the mission. He didn't always wear the same pants or tunic or leather coat or accessories, but he had a pretty good idea of which combo he'd worn on the night of his betrayal. Switching to the outfit in question, he analyzed his hair next. He remembered he'd slicked it back a little more before his arrival at the compound. He thought it was the more intimidating look, as stupid as that was. Since then, he'd let it stay softer. Especially once Wren had noted how much she liked it that way.

Now, he made it slightly more pulled back, trying to get to the half-slick look he was pretty sure he'd had then. Lastly, he slapped on the wrist device Stark had given everyone, tapping to bring out the quantum-suit. He stared in the mirror at the wardrobe, eyes falling on the Avengers logo on the chest.

Who'd have thought? he shook his head.

In his quarters, Zemo was having a similar experience.

I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought, looking with discomfort at the letter, like it was branded into his skin, Wearing their logo? It's only for her, for the world. Get over it.

Still, he struggled the feeling that he was abandoning every moral or ideal he ever had regarding the owners of this compound. He had to fight the thought of betraying his family's memory.

They'd be proud you were doing something to help. Which they'd be able to tell you if they weren't murdered.

He shook his head, pulling his eyes from the mirror. He had to push those thoughts from his mind, because he knew very well how easily he'd flip sides. Working with them gave him no pleasure. As if needing motivation, he didn't hesitate in his movement to the room across the hall.

Looking around at the decorations, there was no doubt this was her room. He smiled sadly at it, walking slowly to her dresser. On it was a notebook under her box of jewelry, and he could have sworn he recognized it. Opening to the first page, he couldn't help but laugh.

K shithead, what the hell did you do?

He read through the rest of what she'd written her first night with him, feeling both regret for having put her through that and longing for those days with her.

We ain't friends dude, Ms. Arlington is just fine

He smirked at the last sentence, which was followed by her explicit response to his dinner offer.

Look how far we came in a month. A month that, as Loki said, pushed them back. What's the point of all of it? Of having grown to care for her, of trying to make good by letting her go, all for this to happen?

As if he wasn't feeling horrible already, he flipped the page. On it were a series of tally marks, counting the days of her stay.

Like a prisoner keeping track of time, he thought bitterly, hanging his head a bit as he closed his eyes.

If he'd needed motivation to tough it out and work with the Avengers, he'd found it.

"What're you doing in here?" Loki asked angrily from the doorway, making Zemo spin around quickly.

His initial surprise from the jump scare was replaced by a calm look, not wanting to seem rattled by Loki's presence.

"I could ask you the same."

"The Knowhere trip can just as easily be a two-man operation," Loki said in a "bitch, please" kind of way.

"I wanted to look around. Is that a problem?" he sassed, raising an eyebrow.

"It is. You have no right to be in here, let alone looking through her things." He marched over to pull the notebook from his hands.

"I thought we don't look through her things?" Zemo said as Loki furrowed his brow at the tally marks, flipping to the previous page.

"You don't."

Zemo rolled his eyes but made no argument, waiting with an impatient look for Loki to finish.

"What, is this her notebook from your house?" Loki looked up at Zemo, who nodded. "Gloating over your accomplishment? Reliving the days where you kept her as a captive mute?"

"Please, you can cut the bullshit."

"Excuse me?" Loki's eyes narrowed, taking a step closer to Zemo.

"We both know that, as much as Wren defended you to me, she also defended me to you. You know I want her safe, and wouldn't gloat over what happened."

"She can be wrong about people," Loki said, unable to hold Zemo's gaze as he did.

"She can," Zemo agreed, eyes showing the same self-doubt held in Loki's.

"Stay out of here," Loki said quickly, putting the notebook back on the dresser and marching out of the room.

Zemo stared after the god for a few seconds, not wanting to accept the thought that had popped in his head. Just as Loki was disgusted by the thought of Zemo being like him, Zemo was now seeing himself reflected in Loki.

***

It was time. Orange beams of the setting sun shown through the large windows as the Avengers walked to the quantum tunnel, all suited up in their matching gear. Bruce stopped to tap some orders into the computer while the others circled up.

"Ok, everyone's gps synced and ready?" Tony asked, holding his hand out in the middle.

Everyone joined, holding their hands out, Zemo with some reluctance. There was a silent moment where eyes met others in reassurance. 

"Are we going to yell 'Team on three'?" Loki joked, looking at Cap.

Cap smirked, lowering his hand with the rest.

"Alright," he began one of his classic speeches, "Six stones, four teams, one shot. Eight months ago, someone dropped in our yard. A friend."

Everyone smiled, a few nodding sadly.

"She helped keep us together. She stopped a planet from blowing up. She saved some of us, gave us new chances," he looked to Loki, "And she tried to save the world, to make sure we all win. One month ago...we lost anyway. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones. Get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes, no do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out of each other. This is the fight of our lives...and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes."

He and Tony held eye contact there, Tony smirking and Steve nodding.

"Good luck."

"He's pretty good at that," Rocket said to Scott next to him.

"Right?!" Scott scoffed, pointing his thumb at Rogers as everyone moved into position.

"Wren and I are convinced he rehearses in the mirror," Loki whispered to the two of them.

"Alright, you heard the man," Tony called down to Bruce, "Stroke those keys, Jolly Green."

"Trackers engaged," Bruce announced, walking up the ramp, taking his place, and slapping the control on his wrist to start the process.

"See ya in a minute," Nat smirked to Steve.

The device started moving into position above them, everyone looking up nervously or breathing heavily as they closed their helmets.

Loki caught Thor's eye, able to nod once before the floor pulled them in.

***

Scott, Bruce, Tony, and Steve materialized into a street of NYC, suits retracting immediately.

"Alright, we all have our assignments," Steve said, walking a few feet to analyze the situation, "One stone uptown, one stone down. Stay low, keep an eye on the clock."

A roar from behind made him turn defensively. In the road was the Hulk, smashing a car onto a Chitauri and jumping on it several times for good measure. When he ran away, all three turned to Bruce, who hid his face sheepishly.

"Maybe smash a few things along the way," Cap added.

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever," Bruce sighed, transforming into the Hulk as he walked out into the open, "Grrrr," he said stupidly, denting the top of a car with a lackluster fist and tossing a motorcycle aside, "raaarrr."

"Yeah, a little more energy. You're supposed to be the Hulk, not stand out as the wimpy greenbean," Tony called over.

"That," Bruce pointed over, "Is helping a lot, you know that?"

"Good luck," Steve stepped in.

Bruce nodded, running off in search of the time stone.

"Keep out of sight as much as possible. I'll meet you at Stark Tower," Cap said.

"Yup, you ready Tiny?" Tony asked, bringing out his Iron Man suit.

"Yeah, I'm good, let's go," Scott said, shrinking and then climbing up Tony's arm.

"See ya at the old HQ," Tony saluted, "God I kinda miss my baby," Stark said as he launched off the ground.

"Baby, what baby?" Scott asked as they flew.

"Avengers Tower."

"I mean, you can still visit, right?"

"If I wanted to buy it again, sure."

"You sold it??? Why would you do that, that that building is iconic! You know so many people are gonna be pissed when they find out, that is not general public knowledge."

"I'm sorry, I'll just get rid of the grand luxurious 15-acre superhero resort all of you deadbeats with no home or jobs love crashing in on!"

He and Scott made their way to a building outside of Stark Tower where they could watch and wait. Tony had to fight off a few Chitauri along the way, but his biggest concern was himself. He constantly had Friday keeping an eye out for other Iron Men. 

Down on the ground, Steve was allowed a little more freedom. He knew where he had kept most of the street fighting during the battle, so he was able to take a more covert path to the tower. Same as Tony, he had his own fair share of Chitauri along the way. He may have been good at appearing unfazed on the surface, but on the inside he was trying to grasp the impossibility and surreal aspect of the situation. He was four years in the past. Here again, fighting Chitauri in New York City. There was a second one of him out there. It was like a dream, being here again, or more like a nightmare. He kept his eye on the clock, as he'd instructed the others, hustling to get into position before the battle ended.

From their hiding spot, Tony and Scott watched as he flew a nuke through the portal.

"This is so cool," Scott said, a huge smile under his helmet.

"Yeah, not so cool doing it."

"Right, sorry, yeah that's not what I meant. But like, this is history I'm getting to watch! I can say I was at the Battle of New York!"

"No, you can't actually, and you won't."

"Yeah, true, but I can tell Cassie. She won't believe it."

"Well, if you want a show, get ready for the this."

The portal started closing, yet no Iron Man was in sight.

"Wait, where are you?" Scott said like he was worried, as if forgetting that he was standing on the living proof that everything turns out alright.

Tony didn't answer, but smirked.

"Seriously, that's getting small. Stark where are you? Tony?" Scott kept pushing.

At the last second, Tony slipped through the portal, free-falling to the city below.

"Oh thank God," Scott breathed.

"Yeah, for a second there I was really worried I didn't make it," Tony said sarcastically.

"Why aren't you slowing down?"

"You wanna fly through space and try breathing?"

"Is someone gonna catch you?"

"Remind me never to watch a movie with you."

"Ohhhh nice catch Hulk!" Scott cheered.

"Coulda been a little gentler, I was wondering why my side hurt so badly."

They continued watching as the Big Three met up with Clint, Nat and Hulk, all traveling to the top floor to get Loki.

"Better hustle, Cap. Things look like they're just 'bout wrapped up here," Tony called over coms.

"Got it. I'm approaching the elevator now."

Tony flew across, landing gently through the smashed window and hiding behind a wall.

"If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now."

"Damn look at all of us wanting to kick his ass," Tony mumbled, "Kinda miss that feeling, not gonna lie."

"Alright, get him on his feet," 2012 Tony said, "We can all stand around posing up a storm later. By the way, feel free to clean up."

"Ugh," Tony scoffed, "Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass."

"No one asked you to look, Tony."

"It's ridiculous."

"I think you look great, Cap," Scott said from Tony's shoulder, "As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass," he saluted 2012 Cap's ass.

"Who get's the uh magic wand?" 2012 Nat asked.

"Strike team's coming to secure it," Cap told her.

On queue, the elevator near Tony and Scott started to open. Tony scrambled around the wall just before Rumlow stepped through.

"We can take that off your hands," Sitwell said.

"By all means," Nat handed the staff over to him, "Careful with that thing."

"Yeah," Clint said, handing Nat a drink, "Unless you want your mind erased. And not in a fun way."

"We promise to be careful," Rumlow said, opening the case for Sitwell to secure the scepter.

"Who're these guys?" Scott asked.

"They are Shield. Well, technically Hydra, but we didn't know that yet."

"Seriously? You didn't? I mean, they look like bad guys."

"You're small, but you're talking loud."

"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue," Cap said, walking towards the elevator.

"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue," Loki mocked, "I mean honestly, how do you keep your food down?"

"Shut up," Thor slapped a muzzle on him.

"We need one of those," Tony said, "Alright, you're up little buddy, Cap's moving."

"Alright," Scott bent in a ready position, "Flick me."

Tony did as he said, sending him flying over to land at the floor of the elevator. He quickly hopped onto Steve's boot, scurrying up.

2012 Tony finished packing up the cube, getting in the next elevator with the rest of the strike team, Thor, and Loki.

"Move," Hulk growled, walking to get in the elevator.

"Woah woah woah!" Thor held his hand up with Tony.

"Hey hey, buddy!" 2012 Tony said, "What do you think? Maximum occupancy has been reached."

"Take the stairs," Thor said as the doors started closing and Loki waved tauntingly.

"Yeah," 2012 Tony agreed, "Stop, stooop," he started saying as Hulk got angrier, hitting the door once it was closed.

"'Take the stairs.' Hate the stairs!" Hulk grumbled, marching over to the stairwell door.

"Well, Hulky's going for the stairs," Tony confirmed over the coms, "Just stay clear of the lobby and we shouldn't mess anything up."

"Aren't you the one who messes it up?" Scott asked.

"Thanks, pissant, I was talking to myself too."

Tony jumped out the window, finding a place to track the scepter for Steve.

"Alright, Cap, I've got our scepter in the elevator...just passing the 80th floor."

"On it," Steve said, tapping the button for the lift, "Head to the top. If Scott doesn't need anything, we'll meet in the alley."

"Alright, I'll see you there."

The doors opened to reveal a series of surprised faces, all of them Hydra.

"Captain," Sitwell said, as Steve walked in and hit a floor number, "I thought you were coordinating search and rescue?"

"Change of plans," Steve said, taking a spot in the middle of the group.

"Hey, Cap," Rumlow greeted.

"Rumlow," Steve said, trying not to sound as cold as he felt towards him. Observing the men around him, he could see they were nervous. The guy in front of him instinctively moved his hand to his gun. "I just got a call from the secretary. I'm gonna be running point on the scepter."

"Sir?" Sitwell turned to him, "I don't understand."

"We got word there might be an attempt to steal it."

"Sorry, Cap," Rumlow stepped in, "We can't give you the scepter."

"I'm gonna have to call the director," Sitwell informed, pulling out his phone.

"That's ok. Trust me," he leaned in to whisper in Sitwell's ear, "Hail Hydra."

Rumlow and Sitwell looked shocked, but the ruse worked. The doors opened, and Cap walked away with the scepter, an amused smile creeping on his face.

"Scott, I'm on the 14th floor. Am I clear?"

"Uhhh, give me a sec to find out where we---shit, no, no we're not. Abort, scram, go down another level!"

His warning came just in time, for he stopped right before turning a corner. 

"Who's there?" 2012 Steve called out.

"Shit, he heard you," Scott said in a panic, "Get back to the elevator, take it down a level."

2012 Steve whipped around like someone had spoken right behind him.

"Shiiit, he heard me now too!" Scott whispered frantically.

"I told you you talk loud!" Tony chastised.

"I'm not gonna ask again," 2012 Steve called out to Cap's position.

"I'm heading back for the elevator, keep him there," Steve told Scott, turning and running back the way he'd been.

"Got it," Scott tried whispering, but it seemed like Steve heard that too.

"Guys, something's up," 2012 Steve spoke over his earpiece.

"Yeah, we have Secretary Pierce up our asses," 2012 Tony called in, "We shook him for now, but I'm guessing Fury hasn't heard the last of that guy."

"What's the matter?" Nat asked Steve, ignoring Tony's ramblings.

"I don't know, something's off. I'm hearing someone."

"Hearing someone? The city's full of screams right now, hell I'd be concerned if you weren't hearing people," 2012 Stark said.

"It's not just that," 2012 Steve started off in the direction where Cap had retreated, "I think someone's---"

"Hey! Cap, uh, over here!" Scott called from his shoulder, stopping Steve mid sentence. He turned ready to attack whoever was right behind him, but found no one.

"Who said that?"

"Me, duh, I'm right here."

Cap turned again.

"Lang, what're you doing?" Tony said worriedly.

"He was gonna call us in," Scott whispered back, before talking loudly again, "No, right here!"

2012 Steve reached for his earpiece, but Scott jumped there first, pulling it out and tossing it away. It was then that Steve saw Scott on his shoulder, hand flying to whack him away.

"What the---" Steve gawked at the little man running his way.

"I'm so sorry Cap!" Scott said, growing to normal size right under his chin, punching, and then shrinking back down. In tiny form, Scott took out Steve's legs.

Steve jumped to his feet, looking down at the ground in a readied stance. He went to stomp on Scott, but he rolled away, growing full size behind to throw a punch. Steve turned and caught it on his shield, landing a blow in Scott's stomach. Before he could land the second, Scott shrunk again, leaping up Cap to place a kick on his right cheek. Steve stumbled backwards...right towards the earpiece.

"Shit!" Scott yelled, growing to full size and charging Steve, who was running for the device. Scott grabbed his arm just as he tried lifting the coms. Steve flipped Scott over, moving his shield down towards his face. Scott shrunk, still maintaining his hold on Steve's arm, and ran between his legs, flipping Steve head over heels. Launching the earpiece out of Cap's hands, he grew to go get it. The shield to the back of the legs stopped him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Catching the shield as it bounced back to him, Steve stood over Scott.

"Oooowww," Scott rubbed the back of his leg, "You play frisbee at all? Frisbee golf? Ultimate Frisbee? Frisbee Football? You really should, cuz I don't know how you throw that thing like that. If I did it, it'd wobble like crazy cuz I suck at throwing a frisbee at all. You should see me in KanJam. Oh my God, you'd be great at KanJam! Why didn't I team up with you that day?"

"Who are you?" Steve asked aggressively.

At that moment, Tony landed. Not 2012 Tony, but Scott's Tony.

"Cap," Tony said, only opening the face of his suit, for fear of his new tech giving itself away, "Why're you beating on my cousin?"

"This is your cousin?" Steve panted, holding a hand out to Scott.

"Yeah and I was wondering where he got to, I was worried sick you know!" Tony yelled at Scott, who was thankful he still kept his Ant-Man helmet on because his face was totally confused. It took him a few seconds to realize this was his Tony and to join in the lie.

"Right, yeah, uh...cousin...sorry, I-I uh I didn't know you'd be uh---that you'd---"

"Stark, what's he doing here and what's with his suit? Better yet, why did he attack me?"

"You--you attacked him?" Tony exclaimed, turning his head down to Scott.

"I---" Scott shrugged.

"I bring you into Stark tower for one week, one week, and I gotta deal with your old bullshit?"

"What, no, what bullshit?"

"You know damn well what---you know, I'm actually sorry about this Cap, and you know that's saying a lot, cuz I woulda paid money to see you fighting a literal ant, but this one's on me---and you!" he jumped back on Scott, "You can't just stay where I tell you---"

"I--I'm sorry, I just uh, I wanted to---"

"No, I know what you wanted to do. Prove yourself against the living legend here," he pointed to Cap.

"Y--yeah...that's--that's what I wanted to--tried to do, yup."

"Where'd he get a suit like that?" Steve asked.

"Uh, I made it," Tony scoffed like it was obvious, "A prototype, one that's supposed to be off limits," he looked pointedly down at Scott.

"Seems like more than a prototype," Steve said like he was impressed, "Why wasn't he out there with us?"

"Now you're shaming my Cuz for not wanting to charge the death army?"

"Stark," Cap said, knowing Tony was pulling his leg, "He seems more than capable."

"Yeah, well, I didn't wanna lose him," Tony said.

Steve looked at him a second longer before nodding.

"What's your name?" he asked, holding his hand out to help Scott up.

"Uh, Scott," he answered as Cap pulled him to his feet.

"Nice to meet you, Scott. I'm Steve."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about, uh, about all of that. It's uh, it's it's just like dear old cousin Tony here said," Scott said awkwardly, patting Tony on the shoulder, "I wanted to see if I could take on the Captain America, you know? Uh p--prove myself and uh, all that kinda stuff."

"I'd say you're on the right track," Steve smiled, "And I don't blame you. I'd have fought someone too if it meant proving I could help in the war. Maybe next time Tony will let you out with us?" Steve said, giving Tony a look.

"Yeah, maybe I will, but for now, uh we gotta go," Tony said, putting a hand on Scott's back and leading him away.

"Where?"

"Oh, getting this guy somewhere he can't get himself killed, getting the suit back where it belongs, maybe grab a drink. We're still doing schawarma," Tony pointed to Cap as he and Scott continued to back away, "I'll meet you downstairs when I'm done, try not to search and rescue too long ok? We just won. Take a break, chill. Sorry, ice terminology's probably still a little sensitive, I know."

Cap shook his head, chuckling as he walked a few feet to his earpiece. Scott and Tony rushed around the corner.

"Time to go, time to go!" Tony said, closing his mask. Scott shrunk and hopped on as Tony blasted down the hall and out a window.

"I talked to Bruce," Steve said as Tony and Scott landed in the alley, "He's got the stone and's heading back."

"Yup yup yup, sounds great," Tony said, tapping his wrist frantically while Scott kept looking over his shoulder, "Now sync up."

"What's the matter?" Steve asked.

"At this point I think your younger self, though as slow as you still, isn't too dumb to piece it together, now let's go!"

"What did you do?!" Steve exclaimed.

"Nothing, we just...had a chat," Scott said.

"One that's gonna seem really weird to him when he puts in his earpiece and is met with another me!"

Steve gave him a look and sighed.

"I just had about as much of that look as I can tolerate from other you, so please," Tony said, his quantum suit forming around himself.

"Ok, everyone ready?" Steve asked, "Returning in 3, 2, 1."

***

Despite looking as he was supposed to, Thor scurried around with Rocket trying to keep a low profile. Heaven forbid someone notice they just saw Thor in two different places, or they ran into the Guardians or Rocket himself.

"So we're going to the vault that houses the most dangerous weapons and artifacts?" Rocket asked with poorly hidden excitement.

"Yes, and you can't touch anything."

Thor was on edge, flustered by the mind-blowing fact that he was in the past.

"I won't touch a thing," Rocket smiled behind him.

"We just have to walk in like we're supposed to be here, grab the stones, and get out," Thor whispered to himself for the tenth time, "Easy."

"I think you need to say it one more time."

"I just might."

"Listen, we'll be fine. If anyone stops us, you're the frickin prince!"

"What about you, Rabbit, you're what, not at all affected by any of this?" Thor said like he knew it wasn't true.

"What's one more timeline? Ours is shitty enough, this can't be much worse."

"And if you see yourself, that'll be fine too I suppose?"

"I'd get to see all of these good looks from an outside perspective, so yeah."

"And the rest of them? Quill? Drax? Groot?"

Rocket paused, looking into the distance like he hadn't thought of that.

"Hey, it's ok," Thor assured him, "You're right, it'll be fine. I'm just nervous, I was being stupid."

"No, I know it'll be fine," Rocket said gruffly, playing it off like nothing had bothered him.

A few minutes later, the sound of talking was coming down the hall. Thor and Rocket had, up until this point, only ever passed guards when it was necessary to act normal. They tried hiding and avoiding contact if they could. Now, the voice coming to them was too familiar. Quickly jumping behind a pillar, they watched as a past Rocket, Groot, and Drax walked around the corner.

"Ok, yeah that's weird," Rocket whispered.

"Now you're not gonna get lost right?" past Rocket said to Groot, who nodded dutifully, "Ok, Wren said she'd pick you up in the dining hall, that's down there on the left, you remember?"

"I am Groot."

"We'll see you later then. And stay out of trouble!"

"I am Groot."

"I'm allowed to!"

"I am Groot."

"Cuz I'm the adult!"

"Are you?" Drax asked as he and Rocket walked towards their hiding spot.

"What?"

"An adult? I thought you too were a child?"

"What? Are you delusional or just enjoy being an idiot?"

"You're extremely short."

"Ohhh so this is a height thing?! Just wait til we get to the fight, I'm taking you on first. You and your whole 6 feet of waste of space."

Thor and Rocket moved around the pillar as they passed and disappeared around the next corner.

"Alright, let's go," Thor said, starting off once more. Except this time, Rocket wasn't at his heels. "Rabbit?" Thor stopped, looking back.

Rocket was staring where Groot had been moments ago, looking longingly down the hall.

"Hey, Rabbit, what's wrong? You ok?" Thor asked, jogging back to him.

He followed Rocket's gaze, taking a moment to understand.

"I know you miss him," Thor started kindly.

"Before the others...he was the only family I ever had. And I never told him----he never knew how important he was. Even when he frickin died, I don't think I ever told him. I just grew him back. Now, I can't even do that."

"No, but you can bring him back. He's not gone. And then you can tell him everything. But right now, we have to move."

Rocket nodded, finally lowering his eyes from the hall.

"There ya go," Thor smiled, "We're not far."

He started off, making sure Rocket was following. A few minutes later, Thor was approaching the entrance to the vault.

"Ok, Rabbit, this is it," Thor said, turning to find no one behind him. "Rabbit?" Thor whispered loudly, "Rabbiiiit? Shit."

He sighed, turning to face the vaults again. He had a job to do, then he'd go find Rocket.

"Hello," Thor smiled to the guards, probably a little too eagerly, "Just coming for a check on the vaults."

"Of course, Your Majesty," one of the guards bowed.

"Can never be too careful, am I right?" Thor chuckled nervously.

"Of course," the guard repeated again.

Thor kept the grin until he was inside, letting out a huge breath.

"Killed it," he whispered, hurrying down the steps.

He came to the Tesseract first, lifting it gently from it's pedestal and putting it in the satchel at his hip. When he got to the power stone, he lifted the orb even more gingerly than the cube, dropping it quickly in the bag like it might bite.

"Phew, that wasn't so bad," Thor smiled, wiping the drop of sweat from his forehead.

When he exited the room, he smiled again at the guards.

"All seems well," he gave a thumbs up, backing away awkwardly, "You're doing a great job."

"Uh, thank you, Your Majesty," the other guard said.

"Have a nice day!" Thor said, turning and walking quickly around the corner.

Meanwhile, Rocket had hurried after Groot, running into the dining hall with no concern for who was in there.

"You can't take him back even if you changed your plans!" Wren said, "I had a whole day in town planned, and so be it I will drag you along with me if I have to cuz Groot and I are going!"

Rocket paused, caught off guard by facing two people that were dead. 

"Uh, no, yeah, I'm still going with brainless t--to fight."

"You ok?" Wren asked taking a step to him.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Cuz you're Rocket! Where's the quick-witted remark? Insult? Sassy comeback? As cliche of a movie line as this is, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"You're gonna be a ghost in ten seconds."

"There he is! Ok, so whadya want?"

"I am Groot?"

"I am going with him, I said that! I just wanna talk to you for a second, so get over here."

"I'll be over here pretending not to eavesdrop," Wren motioned over her shoulder, backing to the other side of the room.

"Nine seconds."

"Ok ok, I won't listen," she huffed, walking to stand on the far end.

"I am Groot?" he said, walking over to Rocket.

"I'll tell you, just come here."

When he reached Rocket, the racoon pulled him in for a hug.

Groot smiled as he wrapped his arms around him, not caring what the reason was.

"I uh..." Rocket said as he pulled back, wiping a tear quickly before Groot could see it, "I just wanted to tell you that...you're really important to me, kid."

"I am Groot."

"I know," Rocket smiled, "Cuz you're the best."

"I am Groot?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

"I am Groot."

"I'm not crying, Groot."

"I am Groot."

"One of your leaves just poked my eye while we were hugging, it's nothing."

"I am Groot."

"Drax can wait, the moron entertains himself by standing still for an hour. I just, I wanna stay here with you for a bit, ya know? Before you and Wren go out for the day. Let's just, let's sit over here."

Rocket led him to some stairs where they sat and talked for a while. Rocket was content to let Groot ramble on about his time at the park the day before, something he woulda rushed on any other occasion.

"Hey uh...I know I don't always treat you the best---"

"I am Groot."

"That's cuz you're the sweetest. You're too innocent. No really, I don't always show you how...I just, I know I screw up. And I won't always have the time to fix it that I think I have."

"I am Groot."

"Nothing happened. I just worry...if you're ever taken from me, did I do everything right? Could I have done more? And I promise, it may not look like I'm always trying, but I care more about you than anything else. Just remember that will you? When I'm harsh or when I shut you down. Remember I really do care, even if I suck at showing it."

"I am Groot."

"Look, buddy...I gotta go soon," Rocket looked to the doorway, knowing Thor would be coming shortly, "But I uh...I love you, Groot."

"I am Groot."

Rocket stared back at the tree's happy face, smiling sadly at the kid he missed so much.

"I don't even need a translation for that," Wren called across the room from where she sat with her chin in her hands, smiling stupidly at them.

"And you I hate!" Rocket called back.

"Aw, so if I'm taken you won't miss me?"

"No I wouldn't----" he stopped, thinking of how that wasn't true at the moment. He had kinda missed her. "---You know what, I don't know maybe! Who cares! I'll still kill you myself, so shut your piehole!"

"Yes," she pumped a fist, "I knew you cared. Thanks Rocket, love ya too," she teased, holding up a heart with her hands.

Thor charged in at that moment, turning his serious look at Rocket to a smile at Groot and Wren.

"Oh, h--hey, Wren! Uh, wh--what what are uh, what're you doing here?" Thor said, tapping Mjolnir and trying to play it cool.

"Uhhhh, I'm supposed to be babysitting Groot, what're you doing here? I thought you and Loki had that meeting with your dad?"

"Yes, yes the uh, the meeting!" Thor fumbled, pointing Mjolnir at her like she just reminded him, "That. Yes, well, I uh I had to address something else, but I'm on my way there right now, right now actually."

"Cool so uh...why you here then?" Wren smiled, knowing Thor was acting suspicious.

"Why am I here?" Thor repeated, pointing a finger to the ground in front of him, "Cuz I was looking for Rocket! And look at that, I found him!"

"Right, yeah, I was supposed to meet you wasn't I?" Rocket said, walking to his side.

"Yes, you were," Thor said a little aggressively through a smile, giving Rocket a wide-eyed look where Wren couldn't see.

"I thought Rocket was going with Drax?"

"I am Groot."

"I was, I am!" Rocket said, "But I was supposed to...see Thor first before his meeting with his old man."

"And then I got sidetracked with something else, and now I'm just getting to Rabbit," Thor rolled his eyes like he was mocking himself, "So I'm way behind as usual," he laughed, "Which uh means we should, we should go," Thor pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Yeah, we should," Rocket backed him.

"So I'm still babysitting?"

"Yes!" Rocket said irritably.

"Sweet! Ok, see ya guys. Have fun on whatever secret thing ya got that I'm not allowed to actually know about."

"Let's go," Rocket sighed, turning to leave.

"Wait," Thor said, walking across to Wren and hugging her.

"Whoa ok, hugs," Wren chuckled, giving Thor a little pat on the back as they embraced.

"It's good to see you," Thor said over her shoulder.

"Yeah uh, you too buddy...anything ya wanna tell me about?"

Thor pulled away, shaking his head as he smiled. "Just a long day."

"Loki been a pain in the ass?"

"Not as much recently as one would expect."

"Wow, that's a first."

"Yeah," Thor laughed, "I'll see you later."

"Bye," she waved, heading over to Groot.

Once in an isolated area, Thor let out a long breath.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"You'd do the same if it were your mother!" Rocket yelled, "I needed this!"

Thor's expression soften, and he leaned down to pat Rocket's shoulder. "I know."

"Please tell me you got the stones?" Rocket asked, rubbing at his watery eyes.

"I do," Thor tapped the items on his hip.

"Then let's go get em back."

"Ready?" Thor asked, both of their quantum suits materializing.

"Yeah."

***

"So nice to be back here," Clint said as he, Loki, and Zemo moved through the streets of Knowhere.

"Wren said this place was cool, despite what occurred on your visit," Zemo said, marveling at the creatures and world around him, "It is certainly unique."

"It's a sewer," Loki countered.

"So is New York City, yet many still cherish it as a tourist attraction. Or want to invade it."

Loki clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to turn on Zemo. Thankfully, Clint spoke for him.

"Shut up will you? No one will give it a second thought if we say something happened to you."

Loki smiled at Barton's words.

"An Avenger lying and leaving someone to die? No, that can't be. You're all heroes, right? You'd neeever take life for granted," Zemo replied.

"You sure you'll be alright with this guy?" Clint asked Loki.

"I grew up with Thor, I can handle irritating people."

"Can't say I'm sorry I'm not the one stuck with him."

"Believe me," Zemo groaned, "It's no pleasure being paired with either of you."

"It'd be easier for all parties concerned if you'd try not to open your mouth," Loki said.

"K, this is it," Clint stopped, the warehouse in sight up ahead.

"Pull up the plans," Loki instructed, and Clint did as he was told. Pulling a device out into his palm, he let the tech scan the surrounding climate, displaying the layout of the streets.

"Right, this is where you'll be," Loki pointed to a building near the front, "I come in and out the front entrance. When I go in tonight, I'll be entering over here."

"So we wait until you come and go, then you move in," Clint repeated the plan.

"As soon as you see me emerge, give the signal. The Collector walks me out. I have that time to get in, get the stone, and get out."

"How do we have the security codes to his vault?" Zemo asked.

"I told you, Stark provided them," Loki said, annoyed that he was talking.

"How did he get them?"

"Is this really your biggest concern right now?" Loki turned to him.

"I want to make sure the intel we have is reliable. It's better to know shit will hit the fan rather than be surprised by it."

"Friday swept his systems last time we were here," Clint said, "She still had all of the information stored, including his access codes."

"Was that so hard to answer?" Zemo smiled to Loki.

"Other me will be arriving soon," Loki ignored Zemo, "You should get moving."

"Right," Clint nodded, "Good luck."

Loki nodded back, turning away with Zemo while Clint ran off to get in position.

The streets were busy, providing good cover to travel inconspicuously. Loki led the two to the back of the building, keeping under cover of large construction machines and decrepit chunks of torn down buildings. 

"That'll be a good place to watch and wait," Loki said, motioning to a building of similar structure to a modern water tower.

He reached for the ladder rungs built into the side, climbing up with Zemo behind.

"Now we wait," Zemo said, sitting on the balcony with his feet dangling through the bars.

"Now we wait," Loki repeated to himself.

It wasn't long before Clint called in.

"I see you. Entering the building now."

"Copy that," Loki replied, "Let us know the second he leaves."

"Got it."

"Why did you let Wren keep the phone?" Zemo asked once the coms were off.

"What?" Loki looked down at him, for he still stood a few feet to the right of where the Baron sat.

"My phone. Why did you let her keep it?"

"I'm not her father," Loki rolled his eyes, "Nor her brother, nor anyone who has a right to take what's hers. If she wanted to go make a mistake, it was on her."

Loki looked out over the city while Zemo stared contemplatively at him.

"I think you've proven you're not one to let Wren endanger herself. You threatened to rip my tongue out for saying her name. You fight to get her back. It's safe to say you would never have allowed her to keep the phone had you thought it a mistake."

"The mistake was in her wanting to befriend you, not in putting herself in danger."

"So you think she was safe talking to me?"

Loki looked up at the sky in irritation, glancing sideways to Zemo once before speaking.

"I think you weren't actively trying to hurt her or the team."

"You care for the team?"

"Why do you want to know?" Loki turned to him, leaning sideways on the bar. His face was tightening as Zemo's questions flustered him. They were demanding answers he didn't want to admit, not to Zemo.

"Perhaps I'm trying to understand the man Wren cares so much about?" Zemo raised his eyebrows, smirking a little.

"She..." Loki gave a laugh of denial, "She cares for me as I care for her. We're friends."

"Oh I know," Zemo smiled, "She made that very clear."

"What? What did she say?" Loki asked before he could stop himself.

"Nothing one friend wouldn't say of another."

"Then why do you sound like there's more?"

"Implications. Implications are where the heart of any statement truly lies."

Loki internally gagged at how similar Zemo's words were to his own, back when he'd taunted Wren about liking Hiddleston, and thus himself, more than any other. It had been a joke then, something he was doing to make her uncomfortable. Now, Zemo was using his own logic, but implying something entirely more serious.

"And what implications were that?" Loki said sarcastically, tilting his head.

"Nothing," Zemo smirked, "Nothing at all."

Loki's hand gripped the rail tighter as he bit back his irritation.

"You imprison her for a month and suddenly know so much about reading her."

Zemo's smile dropped, and his eyes stared sadly below him.

"Don't talk about her like you know her at all," Loki continued, "You're a hopeless case. Driven mad by your mission to the point where you torture someone you don't want to hurt? Imprison them against their will, all while treating her like she's some kind of replacement for your child? And then assuming a protective role? As if you aren't the very thing she needs protection from?"

Zemo didn't raise his eyes, playing with his hands as he continued to frown. Loki scoffed and turned back out to the city.

"If I'm a hopeless case, then so are you," Zemo spoke quietly.

"We're nothing alike!" Loki spat.

"Trust me, I didn't want to admit it either," Zemo glared up at him, "But there's a reason Wren stayed with me so pleasantly, why she didn't leave when she had the chance."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"She didn't tell you?" Zemo's brow furrowed in true surprise. When Loki continued to look lost, Zemo chuckled. "It would appear she can keep more secrets than we thought."

"What do you mean she could have left?"

"I mean that she had the chance. I...I wasn't at my best. It was a...a rough day, to say the least. I'd gotten drunk, gotten myself hurt, made myself ill. And the keys for the door fell out. I said some things in my condition, things I shouldn't have said. She went to leave but...she came back for me."

Loki closed his eyes, sighing at the total Wren-like move.

"I didn't deserve what she gave me. But I see you now, and you know what? I see the same look of someone who feels they didn't deserve it either."

"You don't know anything about me."

"Wren told me great things about you, actually."

Loki looked up at that.

"Not that I believed all of them. She has a habit of viewing life in terms of arcs and redemption. To me, you would remain the man who tried to enslave humanity."

"And what are you but the man trying to take down a team of people protecting your world? A man who kills and takes what he wants. To me, you remain the man who captured and tortured her."

"You see?" Zemo smirked, "Hopeless cases."

Loki turned away angrily, pacing a few steps before facing Zemo again.

"The difference between us is that I've changed!"

"The difference between us is that you're living with the people you once despised. I won't allow myself to do that. But the only thing that pushed us to be better was Wren."

"See, that's where you fall short in your analysis," Loki mocked, "I was always going to change. Wren showed me that. I was in my own way, and I get out of it in the end. But you? Did she tell you where you are in her world? Still in prison. Still the same as you were."

"Were you always going to join the heroes? Become their friends? No, that's right, you don't live long enough to see if your first brave act of your life actually accomplished something."

Loki's eyes were burning into Zemo's now.

"The only person who made that all possible is Wren," Zemo continued, "The only person who would have stayed with their captor, helped them through their pain, was Wren. She took care of us both."

"Pain," Loki scoffed, shaking his head.

Zemo's eyes grew darker at that and he pulled himself up to face Loki.

"Have you ever had someone take a loved one from you?" Zemo said in a low tone, jaw tightened to control the shaking anger that was building.

Loki's eyes softened ever-so-slightly.

"You have," Zemo read his expression, "And what happened to the person who took them?"

"They're dead."

"By you?" Zemo raised his eyebrows, expecting a yes.

"No, by Thor."

"Did you try to get him? The man responsible?"

"Of course," Loki answered quickly, straightening a little.

"And Thor, was this person dear to him too?"

Loki looked away briefly, sadness filling his eyes.

"Yes."

"So you both went after those responsible for taking your loved one? What would you do if they were still out there? If they still lived?"

Loki's face hardened, but he didn't give Zemo the answer he knew he wanted.

"Would you let them go? Would you know a moment's peace, going to bed every night with the knowledge that they live while your loved one died? That they never paid for what happened? What lengths would your desire for vengeance allow you to go? Would you kidnap? Would you kill? Would you torture?"

Again, Loki didn't answer, suddenly uncharacteristically quiet.

"The Avengers are the takers for me, and my family the ones snatched by their recklessness. I did what I thought I had to. The only thing that gave me purpose. I couldn't know a moment's peace if they didn't pay the price, just as you know you couldn't."

"That doesn't justify what you did."

"And whatever pain you felt that pitted you against the Avengers and this world? That does not justify what you did. Surely Wren hasn't just told you it's ok, that what you did was warranted?"

"You know she wouldn't."

"But she forgave you nonetheless? Gave you another chance? You see, either we're both lost causes or we're both saved men. Choose to ignore the similarities all you want. But we both know that we were consumed with a singular purpose. And we can either both come back from that, or none of us can. So go ahead and hate what you think I am. But you're really hating yourself."

Loki's expression was one of conflict. He was trying to resist throwing Zemo over the rail, while his eyes juggled the truth of Zemo's words.

"Just as I can never forgive the Avengers for hurting me, for touching the ones I loved...I understand why you'll never feel anything but contempt towards me. I hurt someone you love."

Zemo walked back a step, sitting down again. Loki took a few paces away and did the same. Both men stared out over the edge in silence.

"I won't be like you," Loki spoke after a few minutes.

Zemo looked to his right, meeting Loki's determined eyes.

"Not anymore. You're me...unless I do better. I..." Loki swallowed, closing his eyes like it hurt him to say what he wanted, "...I forgive you."

Zemo was taken aback, opening his mouth to speak, but not knowing what to say. He blinked once or twice, shaking his head a little as he tried and failed to respond.

"Some advice though. If you think we're so alike, then take it from someone who understands," Loki continued, "Don't hold onto the hate. You may care for Wren, you may have stopped chasing what you needed to tear down the Avengers...but you're a time bomb. As long as you internally justify how you feel towards them, it'll always be in you, ready to explode. And the longer you hold onto your emotions, the easier it'll be for you to do something you'll regret, more than you already have. You think letting her go, protecting her, is good enough. That she stopped you from cascading further. But I know what it's like. It takes a level of self-motivation, an internal desire, to make that last push. You'll backtrack if you don't come to terms with what they did, why they did it, and who they are...which are good people. Think yourself against them all the time, and you end up making some poor decision...like coming to Knowhere to create a fake Aether."

For the first time, Zemo and Loki were looking at one another without hatred. Zemo looked sad as he turned his head away, not wanting to admit Loki was right but unable to think of an argument.

"What do you do...when you try to make things right...yet all you do is continually find out how far you have left to go," Zemo said quietly.

"I ask myself that every day. After I screwed up here," Loki gestured to the city, "I tried to be better. To see how it felt, how things went. I never knew what it would bring me. And then, the past came back and punished me for my mistake. It didn't matter how much I'd changed. It took everything I'd gained. At least, I thought it had. But Wren gave me more than a chance or her friendship...she gave me a whole new family. Some of them are gone. She's gone. But even if we could never bring them back, I would try to continue. For her. Because even now, I'm not alone. It wasn't until she was taken that I realized she'd given me everything I needed to continue. I had the others. So how do we get over that sense that no matter what we do, we'll always fall short? Never live up to what she saw in us? By understanding that no one, not even the Avengers, are perfect. Are blameless."

"Isn't that the truth," Zemo scoffed.

"Exactly. But what makes them different than what you and I were is that they never gave up on trying to make it better. I mean, look at you. You're a perfect example of Stark's mistakes coming back for him despite him trying to move on and do better. If he can struggle, if he can fight to make it through and not let the past cause him to give up...then why are we any different? Why does a mistake we made have to mean we're doomed to be a plague? Wren didn't want us to change, to embrace the Avengers, become a hero, because they were flawless beings. It was because they are what we could be. People who overcame their pain. I will always struggle with whether what I'm doing is worth it. Whether there's a point in trying when I'm continually reminded of how far I have left. Hell, I nearly slit your throat. And the fact that saying that out loud does not at all bother me shows I have a ways to come."

Zemo chuckled at that, and Loki allowed himself a smile.

"I could hardly blame you if you did kill me that night," Zemo said, "I'd have done the same to anyone who had hurt someone I loved."

"That's our problem though isn't it? We're unable to let things go."

"Well," Zemo shrugged, a smirk playing on his face, "I'd say we're not doing terribly?"

Loki gave a small laugh, shaking his head.

"No I guess not."

"What did she do to us?" Zemo smiled, "The God of Mischief, and the man sworn to topple an empire...both of us here, working with the heroes that opposed us, all to bring her back."

"I'm going to sound like Wren when I say this, but they're really not bad. The Avengers. I'm not just doing this for her. I lost other friends in the snap."

"Consider yourself lucky that you have more than one person you care about."

"That only happened when I made the decision to let it happen. Wren can only do so much for us, I'm afraid."

Zemo hummed in agreement.

"So did she preach about their goodness to you too?" Zemo asked innocently.

"Heavens yes," Loki groaned.

"I guess with you it worked."

"Not so much her preaching. She's not just an optimistic 'everyone deserves a chance like the awesome Avengers' kind of person. She's blunt."

"Ooooh yes she is," Zemo laughed, "Very harsh when she shoots the truth at you."

"Borders on insults," Loki smiled.

"Borders? No, I think she flat out insulted me a hundred times."

"That's what worked, I think. The fact that she both believes in us and berates us. Understands, but holds us accountable. There's no getting off easy with her. You do the right thing, or she'll make it very clear how big of an ass she thinks you are."

Loki was staring off into space as he spoke, smiling pleasantly.

Zemo tried hiding the smirk when Loki looked up.

"Don't," Loki rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"I've seen enough of that look in Thor's eyes."

"Did I ever tell you she never once took off that necklace you gave her?" Zemo pretended to just be casually reminiscing with no ulterior point he was trying to prove, "It was on every minute of every day for the whole twenty-plus day stay."

"How amazing," Loki said drily, though he mentally smiled at the information. It always made him happy how much she wore his gift.

"And when I asked her where she got it, she very eagerly wrote out the whole story. The Burning Caves, the reason you said you got it. She was always trying to paint you guys in such a kind light that she didn't shy away from saying how much she loved the gift or how sweet you were for getting it."

"Well, I'm glad she likes it."

"And one time, on her last day, I brought up a little rumor I'd heard while...well, while observing you guys. You know what that rumor was?"

"I have a pretty good guess," Loki sighed, looking agitated.

"When I so much as hinted at it, her face burned. You'd have thought someone had turned the heat on suddenly with how quickly she reddened."

"I'm telling her you snitched on all of this."

"Go ahead, then maybe it'll bring up that rumor as a point of discussion...and you two can finally address it?"

"We have addressed it!" Loki defended, even though he knew what he'd confessed to himself about his feelings.

"In a productive way this time."

"You guys copy?" Clint's voice saved Loki.

"Oh thank gods," Loki muttered, turning on his com, "We read you, Barton."

"You're out. Move in now."

Loki wasted no time.

"Stay here," he told Zemo, before swinging his legs over the railing and dropping the large height to the ground.

The Collector's warehouse was eerily silent. Loki crept past containers of creatures, some looking pleadingly to him. The pity he felt for them this time around was greater, but he stood by what he once told the Captain. There was nothing he could do to help them.

As he approached the Collector's personal room for highly sensitive artifacts, he had to duck behind a pillar. A servant, or, more appropriately, a slave, was tapping away at a data pad. She was right between him and the door.

Time to pull a Kenobi, Loki thought with a grin, having watched Star Wars with Wren.

Looking down the racks of relics, Loki chose one far enough to keep the young lady occupied. Concentrating on the target, he toppled it with his magic. The noise startled the girl, but she promptly went to check on it, beginning the tedious process of cleaning it without a single complaint. Her master had her trained, or tortured, well. 

Loki ran quietly to the door, inputting the security code Stark had given him. As promised, the door promptly opened.

The room was lined with shelves, all housing things too sacred to keep in his general areas. Near the back was the Aether, right next to the copy Loki had made. Making a duplicate was a rather quick process. His younger self had had to spend time kissing up to the Collector, hence the longer wait. Taking the real container and storing it with his magic, Loki then conjured a replacement. Leaving the two fake copies on the shelf, he retreated through the door, sealing it just in time. 

Tivan's voice echoed down the hall, and Loki slid into the shadows.

"What happened here?" Tivan asked the girl as Loki snuck his way back through the building, "Touching my things again are we?"

The poor girl didn't respond.

"You know what happens when you touch stuff," Tivan stated rather than asked, and Loki hated that he couldn't cut the man's heart out and make him eat it.

"I'm going to assume you're still in the building, and that there shouldn't be a second one of you coming this way?" Zemo's voice called in.

"What?!" Loki exclaimed.

"That's what I thought, I was just checking," Zemo replied, "In that case, we have some company."

"Zemo, does he know you're there?" Clint asked, but there was no response, "Zemo?"

"I'm on it," Loki said, "Clint, new rendezvous. Get over here now."

"On my way."

Loki made it to the side-door, bursting out into the street. There was his younger self, pinning Zemo to the side of the building he'd been on top of moments before.

Some things don't change, Loki thought, noting the dagger held against Zemo's neck.

Younger Loki tried to contain the shock of seeing another one of himself. He pulled Zemo from the wall, facing him to Loki with the dagger kept firmly against his throat.

"Another step and I spill his blood."

"Half an hour ago I'd have said go right ahead," Loki said casually.

"Aw, so we count as friends now?" Zemo muttered.

"Don't push your luck."

"When the Collector said he'd been waiting for me, that I'd been spotted coming this way moments earlier, I knew something was amiss. Who're you?" young Loki said, tightening his hold on Zemo.

"What do I look like?" Loki said, holding out his hands.

"Some kind of second-rate sorcerer."

"I'm you. From another time."

"It's adorable that you think that would work," other Loki laughed, pulling the dagger harder.

"It's the truth. Wren may or may not have told you about time travel yet, I don't know I can't remember. But if she hasn't, she will. And this is it."

Loki's eyes widened a little at the mention of Wren, but he tried covering his surprise.

"I don't believe you."

"Yes you do," Loki groaned, "You think I don't recognize my own self-denial? Come on, we love it. It's about the only thing we revert back to."

Clint ran around the corner then, and young Loki positioned himself so he could watch both Barton and Loki.

"Shit," Clint said, eyes taking in the two Lokis, "Just as I'm liking one, we throw in another."

"Barton?" young Loki said in disbelief, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, uh, hey Loki," Clint waved.

"Wait," young Loki shook his head at the impossibility of it all, "Tell me you're the one from the compound I just left?"

Clint scrunched his face apologetically, "Yeaah, about that."

"No, no this isn't happening."

"Time travel, or seeing yourself paired with Barton? Believe me, I didn't pick him," Loki said.

"Hey," Clint said in offense, "I thought we were cool?"

"I know, I just---that doesn't mean you're necessarily my first choice---"

"Not your first---what, who is then? You want Korg?"

"No need to get touchy, Clint."

"I'm not touchy, I'm just wondering who you think coulda been more useful than me."

"If a fight broke out, would you take a super soldier or an archer?"

"Steve! You'd take Steve's company over mine?"

"I didn't say that, this isn't about the company---"

"No, except the first dis you made was about the marvel that you are willingly paired with me, which you then denied was willingly at all. That kinda sounds like claiming you wouldn't have chosen me cuz you don't like---"

"Now you're just being stupid."

"Shut up!" younger Loki yelled, looking in disgust at his older self, "What the hell happened to me?"

Loki looked down himself, patting his clothes like he was trying to find the problem. "I don't see anything wrong?"

"If I killed this man here, would you be concerned?" younger Loki asked, motioning like he was about to do it.

"Don't!" Loki shouted, hands held out as he took a step forward with Clint.

"See?" younger Loki smiled wickedly, "You care."

"I'm you."

Younger Loki glared at that.

"Loki, listen," Clint said calmly, "We really are from the future. Thanos, he wins. Despite what we do, he wins. And we need the stones to bring them back. So I need you to let go of our friend there, and go back to the compound like nothing happened."

"And why should I? Clearly I live," other Loki nodded to himself, "And clearly I'm still tied down with you, so maybe I should just claim the Aether now? Get myself out while I can."

"It doesn't matter that we live," Loki said, "She doesn't."

Other Loki's eyes grew as his brow softened.

"Who?" he pretended.

"You know who."

"So what? We don't know nor care about her."

"Is that why you healed her face? Or her nose? Why save her?"

"Strategy. I couldn't keep it from the Avengers. The nose was to gain good favor. And her information is too valuable to lose."

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to? I've lived it all already! You can't hide any thought from me, any feeling. I know the lies we told ourselves."

"She dreams of something we're not. I'm not going to bend to what someone else thinks I am."

"But it's not just what she thinks we are. She's not in this for herself, she doesn't want us to be something for her. She's trying to give us something! Do you want to know what happens? Tomorrow night, there will be a dance on Asgard. And for reasons you can't fully comprehend, not at the moment, you're going to dance with her. Something will happen that you've been secretly contemplating since the day the two of you were left alone in the compound. The day where you did things you'd never done before, had fun you thought was beneath you. You're going to ask to be friends. And part of her will think you're playing her, and part of you will always try and tell yourself that that's the case. But time will prove it to be the best decision of your life."

"Are we always this sentimental in the future?" he asked Barton.

"Just listen to him, Loki," Clint answered.

"It's ridiculous," other Loki continued, though he looked like he was unraveling, "Wh--what, I-I-I'm supposed to just believe that the 'power of friendship' conquers all, is that it?"

"You're supposed to believe that there's a future where you're not miserable. That for once in your damn life you accept that there are people who care about you and that it's ok to care about them," Loki said.

"So you just get along with them," he pointed to Barton, "After everything that's happened between us? After they sent us back up in chains?"

"Chains we deserved."

Other Loki chuckled like he couldn't believe he was hearing this.

"She really has you roped around her finger, doesn't she?" other Loki asked.

"Maybe we stop being an ass long enough to admit when we're wrong. Wren makes us face it, she doesn't control what we do. I made the decision, because being with her, being with them, was...like nothing we'd felt in a while. No constantly feeling we had something to prove, someone to cheat and scam. Is it so bad that she made us see the only one who viewed us as lesser was ourselves? Honestly it was damn relaxing too, not having to go up against everyone! So yes, I stopped fighting it. Not right away, and certainly not entirely. It took swallowing all of my pride a few weeks ago just to tell Nat that I don't hate them anymore. Because in all these months I had never said it! Something as stupid and small as that, and it took every ounce of strength."

Other Loki stared at his twin, unable to hold the tight jaw and stern look. He couldn't hide from himself, literally.

"So we give up. Give in. No throne. No anything."

"Gods, I see how hard it was dealing with me now," Loki sighed, looking to Clint apologetically, "No, it isn't no anything. It's something better. We knew we were missing something, we know we care for Thor...for our father."

"He's not our father."

"He is."

"I can't believe we're the same person."

"And I can't believe, after seeing a future where we're the cause of our father's death, that I took so long to admit that I love him."

Other Loki eased his hold on Zemo, looking back and forth between Loki and Barton.

"Who the hell is this?" he asked, nudging Zemo in the back.

"Best to wait and find out," Loki grinned, "Wouldn't want to spoil all the fun."

"Oh yeah, he'll put you through all kinds of fun," Clint snickered, "His actions are really captive-ating."

"Dad jokes, Clint, really?"

"I thought it was funny," Zemo shrugged.

"My point exactly," Loki said.

"Now are you gonna let him go?" Clint asked.

Young Loki looked indecisively back and forth between the two, finally yielding his hold. Zemo stumbled forward, nodding his thanks to Clint.

"Go," other Loki said, "Before I change my mind."

"Oh um," Clint said before he walked away, "If one day during the prank wars, Wren at all tells you it was me...it wasn't." He smiled to a very confused Loki, walking off before he could ask anything.

Zemo's gaze went slowly from Loki to other Loki as he followed Clint.

"Do we care for her?" other Loki stopped Loki abruptly as he tried to move after the others, "As friends I mean."

"Do you?" Loki asked.

He shook his head sadly, "I don't even know what to believe in my head anymore."

"Believe this. When she's gone...there's nothing in this world you wouldn't do to bring her back."

A soft smile tugged at the corner of other Loki's mouth, mirroring the expression on his older self.

"We're not supposed to change things. We don't want to make timelines worse when we think we're making things better, so let things play out, ok?" 

Other Loki nodded.

"A small piece of advice though," Loki continued, "Very soon you'll be going to Sakaar. On that day, you'll realize something. Something you never thought you'd think. It's brief, and you try pushing it aside. But you'll always remember it as the time you first noticed."

"What?"

"Spoilers, remember?"

"Then why tell me at all?"

"Because what you do after that realization is important. You're going to wait too long to address it. Don't."

"Fine, whatever I say I guess," other Loki smirked.

"We always did listen to what we told ourselves."

"I still don't see how you grew into this. Sentimental. Kissing up to Barton of all people."

"I do not kiss up to anyone," Loki looked disgusted, "But I still don't see how it took us so long to grow into this. Good luck."

Loki smiled to his younger self. It had taken every ounce of willpower to not despise this younger form. A reminder, a living breathing embodiment of what he was. And to hear him voice the lies and arguments Loki had battled and conquered? It was exhausting having to face them again. But he also pitied this younger version. So he'd spoken sincerely.

Loki caught up with Clint and Zemo, who were waiting down a quiet street.

"Love yourself so much it was hard to leave?" Clint asked, Loki giving him a look.

"You have the stone?" Zemo asked.

Loki nodded, materializing the Aether for them to see before hiding it again.

"Alright then. Let's go home," Clint said.

"Thank you," Zemo choked out quickly, "Both of you for...for not just leaving with the stone."

"You didn't actually think I was serious about leaving you earlier?" Clint smiled.

"Can never be too sure."

"Wren would never forgive us, so..." Loki shrugged like it was nothing, bringing his suit around him. Zemo met his eye, a silent understanding passing between them.

"Ready?" Clint asked.

"Time to bring them home," Zemo said, closing his helmet with the rest.

On Clint's mark, all three shot through the quantum realm.

***

"That's the mountain?" Nat asked, looking at the deadly peak of Vormir.

"I guess so," Rhodey answered, squinting up at the orange-purple light that made its way around the dark moon in the sky.

"Doesn't seem too high," Nat joked like she could have survived the fall.

"Looks like our targets are already here," Vision said, nodding across the land spotted with small pools of water.

It was hard to miss the giant vertical ring.

"That's the flying donut?" Korg asked.

"Remember what I told you?" Nebula turned to Vision and Rhodes.

"I'm incapable of forgetting," Vision smiled.

"Don't worry, we'll have those communications down," Rhodey confirmed, "Let's just hope you're right about there being no one else on that ship."

"As Thanos' children, we try to please him. Maw would not make it look as if they needed help by bringing others."

"We'll see you in a bit then," Rhodey said, the two of them flying off.

"When will we know they have it?" Nat asked.

Nebula shook her head, "I don't know. But they won't make it to their ship."

"Guess we better get over there then, right?" Korg asked.

"Let's go," Nat agreed, leading the trek across the dunes of sand.

It was a silent walk, besides Korg and Miek chatting about the "hidden beauty in the world's desolate appearance."

"Ok, I think we got it," Rhodey called over the coms.

"We're outside the ship now," Nat replied.

"On our way down," Vision answered.

Moments later they rejoined the group.

"So..." Rhodey said after another few minutes, "Any idea how long this'll take?"

On queue, a rumbling crackle split the air. The group watched as the spires at the top of the mountain shot a beam of blue light into the sky. The effect was blinding, all members shielding their eyes. When it was done, the air was silent. 

"What the bloody hell was that?" Korg asked.

"It's them," Nebula answered, taking a few steps ahead of the group, her eyes fixed on something in the distance.

Following her gaze, the others saw three figures. A man, Maw, and Obsidian. The man scrambled to his feet, seeming a bumbling wreck. Obsidian raised his large hammer.

"We've gotta help him," Nat made to move past Nebula, but she caught her arm.

"It's too late."

The weapon was brought down on the man, who was sent crashing into the sand. Lifting the body with his powers, the Maw extracted the stone from the corpse's grasp.

"Rhodey, take the Rock and the bug," Nebula said, "Go for Obsidian. He's a brute that'll over-commit. Get him going one way, then attack his weak points. Blind spots from behind."

"Got it," Rhodey nodded.

"We've got him, man," Korg assured her.

"Maw will hold onto the stone with his life, which makes him vulnerable. He'll be distracted, making sure the stone doesn't leave him. We're not going for the stone though. We go for the head."

Everyone nodded at Nebula's orders.

In this time, Maw and Obsidian had seen the intruders. They'd paused to talk to one another, possibly even try their coms. The latter wouldn't work, not with the job Vis and Rhodey did. After a bit, they began moving again. Stopping on top of a dune thirty or forty feet away, Maw called out.

"The traitor. Surrender now, and you and your little band of feeble beings will be given merciful deaths. Do not, and we promise a pain worse than death."

"Hand over the stone, and we might let you walk away from this," Nat shouted back.

"Very well," Maw said, lifting the sand under him so that it carried him towards the others. Obsidian growled, running alongside the magic sand-lift.

"Keep to your assignments," Rhodey said, closing his mask and launching off.

As planned, Rhodey got the giant's attention. He was dodging the hammer throws, all while firing rounds down at him. Miek slid in from behind, cutting at the back of the creatures knees. When he turned to swing at the bug, Korg blasted him in the back. Obsidian whipped the hammer towards Korg, who blocked the majority of the hit with his gun, but was sent rolling through one of the pools.

Rhodey fired a series of small whistling rockets, which Obsidian either tried knocking aside or dodging. Those that found their target still did little damage against the sturdy opponent.

Miek sliced at his side, dodging the arm thrown his way. Holding an armored arm up on one side to block Rhodey's shots, the monster finally made contact on Miek. With Miek now trying to scramble to his feet, Rhodey had to dive in from the air to help. He flew full-force into him, the two enemies tumbling away.

Meanwhile, Maw was keeping the other three at bay with relative ease. He used the sand and water to his advantage, throwing it at them or shielding himself. Only after a prolonged effort did Vis manage to get close enough to knock Maw off of his little perch. Ebony tried throwing Vis back, but the android slammed his feet in the ground, pushing back with all his might. Occupied with Vision, Maw still had awareness enough to stop Nebula's charge from the right...but not Nat's from the left. Her rod made contact with his head. He dropped to the ground, turning to lunge at his attacker. Vision launched into him, sending him rolling down a dune...and the stone shot free from his hand.

Nebula slid down the slope, grabbing the orange gem. The sand around her began to lift as Maw made to pull her towards him.

"Romanoff!" Nebula called, throwing the stone through the air.

Nat lunged for it, Maw hot on her tail.

He pulled the sand out from under her, the movement causing her to trip. Vis flew overhead, grabbing the stone from her outstretched hand just as Maw got to her. Simultaneously, Nebula swung at Maw with her sword, cutting his side. In his anger, he froze Nebula mid-motion, pulling the metal parts of her slowly apart as she screamed. His enraged attack gave Nat the moment she needed to strike for the head again, this time hard enough to send him down without a quick rebound. He wasn't moving.

Nat ran to Nebula, helping her stand as she put her arm back together.

"You ok?" Nat asked, breathing heavily.

Nebula nodded, looking uncomfortable with the care displayed towards herself.

Vision, upon seeing Maw incapacitated, flew over to help Rhodey. Korg and Miek had rejoined the effort, the three having Obsidian on his heels. With Visions help, the creature's own weapon was soon sending him flying a very very long distance.

"Damn," Rhodey breathed, meeting up with the girls, "You didn't say he'd be such a brick wall."

"I didn't say he'd be easy," Nebula countered.

"Thanks for the help there, mate," Korg said to Vis, who patted him on the back.

The fighting had lasted ten minutes, maybe more. Now, all six stood together, catching their breaths as they reigned victorious.

"The stone?" Nat asked.

Vis opened his palm, the orange rock shining brightly.

Nat couldn't help but smile in immense relief.

"Screw the mountain," Rhodey said, smiling with her.

"We should go," Nebula said.

"Yeah, after that, I could use a nice shower. Look at my rocks, they're just covered in sand," Korg complained, holding up his arms, "What about you Miek, you ok?"

The little bug squeaked his affirmative.

"Ok everyone, let's get the hell outta here," Rhodey said.

All six materialized their suits.

"On three. 1, 2, 3."

Everyone shrunk down...except for Nat, who was ripped backwards.

She rolled over, groaning as she did, to find Maw standing over her. She reached to press her control, to escape while she could, but he forced her hand back against the ground.

"I warned you," Maw said, the low grumble behind him indicating Obsidian was approaching, "Surrender or pain. And now, for what you did, my master will give what was promised."

***

Fifteen bodies reappeared on the stage. Suits retracted as everyone looked around, taking a head count.

"Did we get em all?" Bruce asked.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey smiled.

No one said anything as they continued to take in everyone, making sure all were there.

"We did it," Steve smiled.

"Thank God," Clint breathed, walking across to hug Nat.

"I can't believe this actually worked! God, that was so insane. We fought younger version of Cap," Scott started telling the others, everyone greeting each other and exchanging happy remarks or their own stories.

"Nat?" Clint said, looking closely at her, who had hugged him slowly and now was staring into space, looking like she was trying to remember something, "You ok?"

Her eyes cleared as she seemed to shake whatever was bothering her.

"Yeah," she said, still sounding a little more reserved, "I'm fine," she smiled, "I just can't believe we did it."

She hugged him again, and he laughed as he embraced her tightly.

"God, we did it," he repeated.

"Alright everyone," Cap said, quieting the group down, "Let's bring them back."

He led the way down the ramp, everyone following suit. Nat was the last to leave. She paused, looking up at the mechanism above her and smiling where no one could see.

"Nat, let's go," Clint called back.

"Coming!" she said, giving the control panel a sideways glance as she made her way after the rest.

More Notes: Please excuse how brief the Vormir mission was. I didn't really know how to write a mission that's essentially just a fight, and quite frankly I don't think we need to know every detail of said fight. We know what MCU fights are like, so I don't need to bore you with vivid descriptions of every punch. Sorry if it seemed rushed though. Also, when you start messing with timelines, you open up more ways to screw something up or miss something obvious like I did with Hela and Odin. So if I make a completely irrational blunder, I'm sorry. But hey, I realized how stupid some of their decisions in endgame were when writing this, so if the movies have plot armor so can I!!!

Chapter 50: (Chapter 49): Assemble

Notes:

Kinda shorter than usual, this one is around ten thousand words which I know is a few thousand less than usual sorry. But the battle is the focus and I don't like drawing out fight scenes unnecessarily. I also could have gone further in the end, but decided to save material for next week just cuz it'd fit better that way. As usual, I did some on my phone, so autocorrect might be a pain in the butt. Let me know if something is off. Enjoy!

Everyone changed from their quantum suits or past outfits, with Cap putting the 2012 costume back on the shelf in favor of his modern one. Loki found himself switching to Midgardian clothes, with a long sleeve black shirt on black pants. Over the last month he'd found himself wearing their clothes infront of them more often. In the past, Wren had gasped at his use of Midgardian pajamas. What she didn't know is that he'd lounge in their style of clothing often, though he'd never let anyone see. Keeping his Asgardian clothes on for show was such an afterthought in the midst of the last month's events that he'd simply not cared enough to change before coming down.

Everyone waited impatiently for the nerd boys to get the stones in order. It took longer than they thought, with Rocket, Tony, and Bruce doing everything as slowly and carefully as possible. They had to crack open the Tesseract, get the mind stone from the scepter, and consolidate the Aether into stone sized containment. They managed to accomplish the third chore by extracting the Aether from the box holding it. Using essentially the same device they'd have needed to get the darkness from Jane, they pulled the red sludge from one source and injected it into another.

Lastly, they had to design the glove and move all of the stones into position. Rocket jump scared Tony after he delicately placed the stones in Stark tech gauntlet, earning him a glare from the billionaire.

The team gathered around as the finishing touches were completed.

"Alright, the glove's ready," Rocket said, "Question is, who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?"

"I'll do it," Thor stepped forward.

"Slow down," Tony said, stepping in his way.

"Thor just wait," Cap added.

"What, we're all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor asked, "Sitting here staring at that thing isn't gonna bring them back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me."

He wasn't as emotionally flustered as in Endgame. He wasn't a broken man trying to do something good when he felt he hadn't in a while. He was genuinely trying to take the weight on his shoulders for the team because he thought he should.

"He's not wrong," Loki said, "Both of us could survive the damage. In theory."

"In theory?" Scott asked, "Well maybe we should discuss it more then?"

"Loki's just being stupid," Thor waved him off, "We could survive it. So one of us has to snap, and I'm not letting him do it so---"

"And what makes you think I'd let you do it?" Loki countered, pushing off of the table he was leaning against to walk to his brother, "You're not the one who let all of this happen---"

"Loki---" Thor began.

"No, Thor, I don't need to hear it. I know what you're going to say. Mistakes were made by everyone, we don't know how things would have gone, all of the advice you've already given." Loki let out a sigh, a sad look in his eyes. "It doesn't change what I did. And it doesn't make me feel any better. Not really, not enough."

"Guilt's part of the job description," Tony said, "If that were the requirement for who snaps we'd need a few more gloves."

"Why are we arguing when Cap knows who does it?" Clint asked.

As if realizing that for the first time, everyone turned to Rogers.

"Thor isn't in any condition to do it in Endgame," he said, "So---"

"I do it," Bruce cut him off.

Cap met his eyes, nodding gravely.

"And he lives?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes," Steve answered.

"The radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this."

"But I'm in condition now," Thor said, "So he doesn't have to hurt himself."

"The Hulk can handle it, buddy," Bruce assured him, "Maybe even more than you. Remember, Hulk literally heals me. I shoot myself in this form, he makes it so it never happened. If anyone's body can take it, even more than a god, it's him. You'd probably live, but I'll take less damage."

"Not to volunteer you, pal, but couldn't Vis do it?" Clint asked, "I mean, he's vibranium."

"I don't mean to sound horrible or anything, but would the snap even work if he did it, because you're not...well, cuz you're you know, not a person, flesh wise I mean! You're a great person," Scott sputtered out awkwardly.

"No you're right," Vision assured him, "We don't know if it would work. And if it did, my vibranium doesn't have the luxury of being real enough to heal itself over time. It would require fixing, which we could do, but if my circuits are fried, so to speak, it'd be like rebuilding another robot."

"One that might not be you," Bruce nodded.

"Which is a sacrifice I'd more than willingly make, as you all know. But given the current status of our argument, I understand advocating for such a course of action would be futile."

"It's ok, Vis, this one's on me," Bruce stepped forward.

No one spoke, waiting for someone to argue.

Bruce walked over, transforming as he did. Grabbing the glove in his hands, he gave another look around the room.

"Good to go, yeah?" Tony asked both Bruce and the group.

"Let's do it," Bruce confirmed.

"Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away a month ago, you're just bringing them back to now, today," Tony stated, "Don't change anything else."

"Got it," Bruce nodded.

People started getting in defensive positions as Bruce readied himself. Steve's helmet was now on and shield on his arm. Scott closed his suit, as did Rhodey. Thor held an arm up in front of Rocket, who pulled goggled over his eyes. Nebula, who was next to him, seemed unfazed.

"Oh, forgot to check," Rocket whispered to her, "You really you?"

"Even if I wasn't, the me from a few months ago was also against Thanos," She answered, eyes never leaving Bruce.

"Ok, good point," Rocket muttered, turning back to the show about to begin.

Korg pushed Miek behind him, and Vis positioned himself slightly in front of both. Loki looked to his right, seeing Zemo standing without protection and not looking to find any. Loki took a small step over, placing himself in front of him. Zemo caught his eye, and Loki tried to instill as much "I'm doing this cuz I should, not cuz I want to" as he could in his look. Zemo just smirked back, and Loki had to refrain from appearing amused as he rolled his eyes and looked back at Banner.

Tony brought up a shield, holding it in front of Clint.

"Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol will ya?"

"Yes, boss," she answered, blast doors beginning to close around the room and overhead.

Clint turned to instinctively make sure Nat was protected behind him as well, but she wasn't there. Clint looked around confused, and would have called out for her had Bruce not spoken first.

"Everybody comes home."

With that, he began sliding his hand into the glove. The tech grew, spreading around his hand and wrist. When it closed into position, bolts of light shot from the stones, coursing up his arm like veins. Bruce yelled immediately, dropping to one knee as his skin near the end of the glove began burning, spreading up his arm.

"Take it off! take it off!" Thor shouted.

"No wait!" Steve held up a hand, "Bruce, are you okay?"

Bruce's head pulled back to the ceiling as he continued groaning and yelling in agony, the damage now up to his shoulder.

"Talk to me, Banner," Tony said.

"I'm okay," Bruce forced out, "I'm okay."

Thor held two thumbs up, his terrified look showing he was trying to comfort himself more than anything.

It took a few more seconds of panting and struggled grunts to lift the glove in the air. With a final shout, Bruce brought his fingers together. There was a flash of bright light, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Bruce fell on his back, the glove slipping off his arm.

"Bruce!" Steve said, rushing to his side.

Clint kicked the smoking gauntlet away as everyone gathered around.

"Don't move him," Tony ordered, quickly spraying something to cool and seal the burns.

"Move," Loki said, pushing Tony aside as he knelt down next to him. He held his hands over the arm, a green light releasing over the wounds.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Korg asked, looking worried.

"Did it work?" Bruce said through gritted teeth, clinging to Steve's arm.

"We're not sure, it's ok," Thor hushed him comfortingly.

The doors began opening again, and Scott walked into the next room to look outside. Clint's phone began vibrating where he'd left it, and he walked over quickly. There was Laura's face. Not wanting to believe it until he heard her voice, he slowly picked up the phone.

"Honey?" he choked out.

"Clint?" her voice called back to him.

"Honey," he repeated, tears building in his eyes.

"Guys," Scott said, "I think it worked."

All hell broke loose.

Projectiles tore through the roof, sending the room into chaos. Explosions erupted around them, the floor breaking apart. When the bombardment ceased, the team was scattered throughout the wreckage.

Bruce struggled to hold chunks of building off of himself and those who had fallen with him.

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Rocket yelled from under the rock on top of him.

"Canopy! Canopy! Canopy!" Rhodes yelled, his suit opening so he could slide out.

"Guys, get out of here!" Bruce shouted.

He made to crawl to Rocket, but Zemo was already there, lifting the debris off of him. Instead, Rhodes turned to make sure Miek was alright. With everyone in the immediate surroundings safe for the time being, Rhodey flopped on his back, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Was this part of the plan?" Zemo said through panted breaths, wincing as he pushed himself up.

"Rhodey!" Bruce yelled again, trying to warn them about the flood of water rushing their way.

"Mayday, mayday! Does anybody copy? We're on the lower level. It's flooding!" Rhodey's voice rung in Scott's ears as he pushed himself free from the rubble around him.

"What?" Scott said, a bit deliriously.

"We are drowning! Does anybody copy? Mayday!"

"Wait! I'm here!" Scott yelled, "I'm here, can you hear me?"

There was no response, but Scott started off anyway, running to get them.

***

Loki, Korg, and Nebula had fallen in the same area.

"Alright?" Loki asked, helping Nebula up.

She nodded.

"Korg?" he called to the Kronan, who was ducking under busted pipes to get to them.

"Yeah, I'm alright man. You good?"

"Fine."

"What the hell happened?" Korg asked.

"My father," Nebula answered, confirming Loki's fears.

"How?" Loki shook his head in frustration, rubbing his hand over his mouth, "How did he get here?"

"Was anyone missing from the room?" Nebula asked.

"What?"

"Minutes ago, was anyone missing from the room?"

"I--I don't know," Loki fumbled, trying to think back.

"Natasha wasn't there," Korg said.

"You're sure?" Loki asked as Nebula's head lowered.

"Yeah bro, I saw her leave while Bruce and Stark were finishing the glove with the little squirrel."

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Loki snapped before he could stop himself. Of course he knew Korg wouldn't think anything of it.

"Was she in trouble?" Korg asked worriedly.

"I fear she is," Loki said sadly.

"She must have been compromised on Vormir," Nebula said.

"How? You were all there, you said everything went fine!"

"I don't know."

"She's got to be here," Loki said, "So let's go find out."

***

Clint stumbled to his feet, groaning as he leaned against the wall for support. Turning on his flashlight, he looked around. There was a hole above him where he'd fallen, roots and dirt indicating he'd dropped below ground level. He was in the lower levels, red emergency lights dimly lighting the hall.

"Cap?" he called up, but heard nothing in return.

A few feet from him sat the glove. He moved some rocks, brushing it off. A low growl stopped him. He straightened a little, reaching slowly for an arrow before whipping around with it drawn in his bow. The arrow had a light, which he shot down the corridor. Clinging to the walls, making there way to him, were those damn space dogs again.

"Okay," Clint muttered, retracting his bow, grabbing the glove, and running off in the opposite direction.

He splashed his way around a corner, throwing arrows to the walls and ceiling as he went. The explosion sent him flying forward, yet a few dogs got up in the flames. Shooting his grappling wire above him, Clint began rising through the shaft. Any dog that climbed after him was met with an arrow shoved forcefully through them by hand.

Clint landed, yelling as he readied for another animal to jump through after him, but they were all dead. Laying his head back on the ground, Clint sighed, allowing himself a rest.

Footsteps made him look up.

"Oh thank God," Clint breathed, laughing a little in relief, "You're ok."

Nat didn't bother with pretenses this time. There was no smile, no hint of affection as she leaned down to take the glove from him.

"Master," she called into an earpiece, causing Clint to lift his head, "I have the stones."

"What the hell Nat," Clint started, trying to get up, but Nat's foot in his chest held him down...and the gun she drew kept him from trying a second time.

She cocked the weapon and made to pull the trigger.

Loki dove in, tackling her off of Clint. Barton scrambled to his feet, running to Loki's aid.

Nat was putting up a fight, having whacked Loki in the head with a broken pole. She flipped him off of her, making to swing down on him again when Clint grabbed her arm. Nebula grabbed the other and they pinned her down.

"Hold her still!" Loki said, leaning over her.

"What's wrong with her?" Clint asked, frightened for his best friend. She was writhing and lashing around, trying to break free. Her eyes were full of hatred, and she was practically growling as she groaned and screamed to be let go.

Loki's open palm made a slow pass over her face and head, though he never actually touched her skin. Wherever his hand had passed over was now like a brief x-ray, showing the veins within...and the red-black energy coursing through them.

"Is that?" Clint started.

"The Aether," Loki finished.

"That's bloody disgusting," Korg said.

"How do we get it out?" Clint asked, struggling to keep Nat still.

"The same way we would if it were Jane," Loki answered, holding his hand out to the side. In his grasp materialized the syringe-like device. "Korg, keep her head still for me."

Korg hurried around, dropping to his knees behind her.

"Be careful," Clint told him as he took her head in his hands.

Loki readied the device next to her neck, taking a breath.

"Do it," Nebula encouraged.

Loki pressed the end, driving the needle into her skin. She cried out, clenching her teeth as the tube filled with the red virus. Nat stopped struggling, her eyes widening. They filled with a red swirl, before fading to her normal color as the last traces were pulled out of her. Her eyelids closed and her body went limp.

The others let go of her, but Clint moved his hand immediately to the back of her neck, lifting her head gently.

"Nat! Nat, can you hear me? Please, please, Nat, don't do this, come on. Come on."

He was shaking her gently as he spoke.

Loki felt her pulse. "She's alive."

"Wake up, Nat, come on," Clint whispered.

Movement behind her lids made him perk up, leaning forward.

"Nat?"

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times.

"What?" she groaned, looking around with narrowed, tired eyes, "What the hell---" she started again, but stopped as realization, or her memories, hit her. "Ugh," she dropped her head back, taking a deep breath, "That wasn't fun."

Clint laughed, squeezing her hand.

"So you remember what happened?" Loki asked.

"Yeah," she said, using Clint's help to sit up, "I'm sorry guys."

"Hey, don't," Clint looked her hard in the eyes, "This wasn't your fault."

"Where is everyone?" she asked, waving Clint off as she stood herself up.

"We don't know," Clint said, looking around at the damage, "They could be anywhere in all of this."

"We know where three of them are," Loki said.

"We do?" Korg asked.

"If this is Endgame, and Thanos is here...that means the final battle's started."

"The Big Three," Nat said. Wren had talked enough about the three OG's versus Thanos for them to know.

"It's going on now, shit," Clint grumbled, scanning the room for the best way out.

"Which means if this all is playing out, his army will be coming next," Loki said.

"Yeah, well..." Clint shrugged, "So will ours."

***

"I'm sorry."

Loki's face was there. You blinked, or so you thought you must have, and he was gone.

Your body went from cold to slowly gaining feeling. You didn't know what was going on. You turned from where Loki had just been, looking down at your arm again. Your hand was returning, the dust coming together to form flesh. Your feeling came back to it, and you opened and closed your fist, staring with wide eyes.

I was dying. Why didn't I die?

Your brain was firing too quickly to keep up, and you didn't know what to think. Additionally, you were still mourning! You'd just lost everyone. Your face was still wet with tears. That pit in your stomach was still there, making you feel sick. Now you weren't dead? You hadn't died? What had happened? Was it a dream? Why did you remember a darkness? Everything going black? The arm disappearing and growing back?

Wait, I've seen that before.

Your brain had calmed down enough to think logically, but the realization it came to only sent another wave of fear.

I did die.

"Wren?" Bucky's voice called, and your eyes shot from your hand, which you were still holding in front of you, to the man on his knees across the opening.

"Buck!" you started crying immediately, running to hug him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Guys?" Wanda said behind you, turning both of your heads.

You just smiled through your tears, standing to run to her.

"You were gone," you cried into her shoulder, breathing shakily.

"We're back," she said, holding you comfortingly.

Dust started swirling next to the three of you. You watched as it formed into a person, and that person became Yelena.

"Nat?" she asked, looking around, eyes as wide as everyone's had been. She landed on the three of you, freezing. "Did we all die?"

"Yeah I think so," you chuckled at the way she said it.

"That was not fun," she shivered squeamishly, walking over.

"How're we back?" Buck asked.

"I...I guess they did it," you said, "They brought us back."

Your mind was racing, and you were still shaking from the fear and grief you'd experienced mere minutes ago.

"This is..." you shook your head. Your leg buckled a bit as you took a step forward, but Wanda steadied you. "Sorry," you tried smiling, but it was a scared and weak smile. For some reason, your eyes were still glistening.

"It's ok," she said, hugging you again, "It's a lot to grasp."

You sniffed as you pulled back, wiping the tears away.

"Wait, if they snapped us back," Yelena said worriedly, "Did they get the stones from the Thanos we just saw, or did they go back in time?"

The fear on her face was understandable. If they had to go back in time for them, someone had to die for the soul stone.

Though your face couldn't do anything to comfort her, for you were thinking the same thing, you tried with your words.

"I told Cap everything about Endgame. The time travel missions, what goes wrong, everything. If I know them, they found another way. And they certainly wouldn't have let Nat jump."

"So what happens now?" Bucky asked.

"Can't it ever just be we take a damn second to breathe?" Sam asked, walking through the trees with T'Challa.

You ran to him, nearly tackling him with your hug while the others greeted T'Challa.

"Well look who loves me now," Sam said as he held you tightly.

"Shut up," you chuckled.

"You know we just saw each other like a second ago."

"And you know I was the last to dust, meaning I just had to deal with you dying seconds ago," you slapped his arm.

"Hey Sam," Bucky said, giving a genuine sad smile. It seemed no one knew entirely how to deal with dying and coming back, or how to act.

"Hey," Sam said back, patting a hand on his shoulder as he walked into the group.

"You good T'Challa?" you asked the king, who gave you a smile and nod.

"As far as dying goes, that was painless at least."

"Yeah, kinda just numbing I guess," you agreed, "Does anyone kinda have like a memory of like black, but the kinda black where you don't know how long it's been? Like it feels like everyone was there one second and gone the next, but at the same time when I try thinking back to it it feels...distorted?"

"Like a dream kinda, really foggy," Bucky nodded, "Like we fell asleep or something."

"I don't know, it's real trippy though," you added, "Messing with my head."

"Not much in there to mess with in the first place," Sam snorted.

"Really? I just cried over you and you gonna start already?"

"How long has it been?" Wanda asked.

Everyone looked like they'd forgotten about that.

"Holy shit we could have been dead for a while!" you gasped.

"Not five years though, right?" Buck asked.

"Was Scott stuck in the little realm place?" Yelena said.

"Even if he was, the others knew to find him. And that's if they had to go back in time," you said, "Maybe they found Thanos before that? Though...I don't know how they would. In theory it should have taken Captain Marvel the same amount of time to find Tony, given how everything is playing out. Which means they probably found Thanos' garden too late."

"So they find Scott and go back in time right away," Sam said.

"Except..." you said, eyes growing wide at the thought. It may not be five years, but being dead for any amount of time was unnerving.

"Except what?" Sam pushed.

"Except it takes roughly 23 days for them to bring Tony back...meaning they'd have had to wait at least that long for his help navigating the quantum realm."

"We've been dead 23 days?" Buck said in disbelief.

"34," Okoye said, walking into the clearing with a handful of the Dora Milaje and Shuri. She smiled broadly, bowing to T'Challa and speaking something in their tongue. The two broke what was probably etiquette by hugging.

"The one time I'd have been in charge with you gone and I had to die too?" Shuri shook her head, walking up to her brother.

"So sorry you weren't around to enjoy my death," he smiled, hugging her warmly.

"It's been over a month?" you asked Okoye, and her smile dropped.

"I'm afraid so."

"Did the others have to go back in time?"

"Last I heard from Nat, that was the plan. I take it they were successful."

You and Yelena exchanged worried looks.

"Ok..." you said thoughtfully, pacing a bit back and forth, "So if I told them how Thanos gets through, that means they would have done something to prevent it. Which means we won't need to fight, which means Tony won't need to snap."

"Yeah we thought Infinity War wouldn't happen either, but look where we are," Sam said.

"Thanks for rubbing salt in the wound," you groaned, "Why not give me a paper cut and squeeze lemon juice on it while you're at it?"

"I didn't mean it was your fault."

"It kinda was, it's fine," you waved him off, "There's so much I wanna know though! How did they do it? Did they do the same missions? How did they get the soul stone, cuz I know they'd never have sacrificed anyone for it. And Loki he's..."

"He's what?" Buck asked.

"He's...he's alone with the Avengers."

"So?" Sam said, "I thought you trusted him? And it's not like he hasn't been alone with us before, you're not always together."

"No, I know, it's just...guys, if you think we have guilt over losing, Loki's gonna beat himself up ten times that."

"Or blame it on everyone else," Sam added.

"Exactly! But even when he does that it's usually to push any blame from himself. But I--I really don't know how things woulda gone with him."

"I'm sure he was fine," Yelena said, "Maybe some destroyed furniture he'll have to pay Stark for, but come on the man isn't a child. Ok, so the man isn't always a child. We'll find him at the compound with everyone else."

"Ok, so can we get back?" you said eagerly, "We have to make sure they're all ok."

"We can call them back at the palace," Okoye said, motioning for everyone to follow.

A yellow circle stopped all of you in your tracks.

"I'm supposed to tell you to prepare for battle," Wong said, not bothering to come through all the way.

"Wait, Wong why?" you asked.

"Oh, so you're the universe traveler," Wong nodded, "Then you should know why."

Your mouth dropped. "No."

He gave an understanding look. "Be ready in twenty."

The circle closed, leaving everyone stunned.

"What the hell was that?" Buck asked.

"Dr. Strange kind of magic," Sam explained in your place, because you were too shocked and terrified to speak.

If the battle was still on...that meant Thanos had still found a way through. Which meant Tony might still have to snap. You didn't know how, but you were not going to let that happen. You had failed on so many levels thus far, but you promised yourself this would be the one thing you'd get right. Even if it meant snapping yourself.

"You heard him," T'Challa said, taking control, "Twenty minutes."

Everyone rushed back to the speeder Okoye had brought over. Twenty minutes never flew by so quickly. The city was in a rush, the Border Tribe and King's Guard being assembled as hastily as possible. You straightened yourself up, re-braiding your hair, grabbing a new spear, and drinking some much needed water. After all, for you the Battle of Wakanda had just finished. Now you were on your way to the biggest climactic event in movie history.

In the blink of an eye you were back in the field, lined up once again like the day was restarting itself. A circle appeared, with Dr. Strange popping through quickly.

"Everyone ready here?" he asked T'Challa.

"Waiting for your signal."

"Good, you'll probably be first," Stephen nodded.

"Is everyone ok?" Sam asked, "I'm trying to reach Steve, but I can't."

Strange smirked. "You will in a second."

"Do me a favor will you?" Sam asked before Strange left, "Open the portal on his left."

Strange looked like he was about to ask why but gave up on caring. "Fine," he shrugged, walking through his portal again.

Sam caught you smiling at the look on his face.

"Don't tell me I don't do this in the film, we both know I would."

"Gives me chills every time I watch it."

"Well turn that earpiece up and get your sweater cuz you're about to see it first-hand."

"I guess that's a plus," you smiled, trying to calm your nerves.

A couple seconds later, Sam's hand went to his ear. You heard it too. The static. As if it was connecting to the others, finally able to reach.

"It's your time," you grinned.

"Hey, Cap, you read me? Cap, it's Sam, can you hear me?"

The distinct change in audio showed Cap had opened his end, as if to speak back.

"On your left."

The sparkles started ahead of Shuri, T'Challa, and Okoye, who walked through the circle first. Sam took off from next to you, flying in over head. A few seconds passed before T'Challa started the chant, and you almost wished you were on the other end of this circle, watching everyone come in. You had to mentally slap yourself to get it together. This wasn't a time to fangirl. The circle grew large enough for the army to begin marching forward, repeating T'Challa's chant back to him. Bucky moved forward, you and Yelena with him.

Stepping through the portal, you couldn't believe your eyes. There it was. The battlefield. Faint rays of sun fought to break through the thick swirl of smoke that darkened the sky. Flames decorated the ground, sending embers dancing through the air on the wind. The landscape was a series of broken ground, scattered debris, pits and craters. You couldn't help but feel horribly sad over what had become of the land, no matter how epic it looked. The paths you'd walked, the place that had been your home for the past months, it was all gone. Your room, the kitchen, courtyard, training center, living room, everything. Yes, it was petty to grieve over something so materialistic, but you never knew how sad the destruction of the compound was until you'd lived in it for so long.

Snapping back to reality, mentally this time not literally, you looked around at the growing army. Wanda had landed dramatically, and Tony was standing up. You assumed the Big Three had been fighting Thanos. Seeing Vis stand from the battlefield and fly over to land next to Wanda, you realized he'd been out there too. At least something hadn't gone exactly like the movie. That was a good sign, right? You were grasping at straws, but just seeing Vis alive and in the final battle where he wasn't supposed to be gave you hope.

You craned your neck to try and find everyone, but the line-up was now massive. You were close to the front with the others, with Cap catching your eye as you walked down with Buck. You smiled back at him, before both of you looked away to take a tally of others. Thor was alive, pushing himself up as he looked around at everyone. It was hard to miss the large Asgardian army, with Odin, Heimdall, Brunnhilde, and the Warriors Three in the front. You couldn't be sure, but you were nearly certain Lady Sif was standing with them. Who else would be with that trio?

Please, Nat, be here! And where's Loki? Or Korg or Miek?

Quite a few were missing, and you hoped they were just somewhere you couldn't see right now.

As if on queue, you looked to your left and saw Loki, Nat, Clint, Korg, and Nebula walk in for what would have been their standing ovation moment in theaters. Loki's eyes were fixed on the army ahead of him, and rightfully so. Only you would be the idiot that looked around trying to spot your friends like this was a school assembly in the auditorium. He wasn't standing far from you though, brandishing his daggers as he stood at the ready.

A rumble started to shake the ground, and a large form broke through the wreckage of the compound. It was Scott, grown to his giant size. He opened his hand, and you sighed in relief upon seeing Rocket, Miek, and Rhodey jump off. You squinted a bit to try and make out the fourth figure.

Who the hell am I missing?

There was no time to ponder, for Cap started saying the famous line.

"Avengers!" he shouted, Thor landing next to him. Mjolnir flew to Steve's hands, and you held in your smile. "Assemble."

"Daaaaaa, da da DA DAAAA, da da da," you started singing the Avengers/Portals theme to yourself, needing to do something to lighten the panic of charging straight into a bigger army than you'd fought an hour ago. And those Leviathans were huge!

You tried to block everything else out as you leaped off of an elevated position right into the swarm.

Just keep blasting and whacking, you told yourself as you rolled, shot, and stabbed better than you ever had.

Surprisingly, this battleground had a lot more room in terms of the surrounding capacity of the enemy at any given time. Most likely the reason was the increased numbers on your part, forcing the opposing side to spread and take on more.

Drax was on the back of Obsidian, stabbing him routinely as Korg lifted his hammer into the creature's face. You ran in behind the Kronan, protecting him from the back.

"Hey buddy!" you grunted over your shoulder.

"Wren!" Korg said happily, slamming his hammer on a head next to him. The momentary pause after gave you enough time to hug him. "You have no idea what you missed! We got these very nice suits that took us through some really weird tunnel. I almost lost my lunch, I'm ashamed to say, but I did hold it in. And then we were on a beautiful planet with some big mountain and we fought some creepy dead-looking guy and his massive friend, who actually looks like that guy I just hit---"

He turned to fight some more, you doing the same.

"We'll catch up later, Korg, ok?" you smiled, though it was more of a frenzied half-hearted smile as you looked around at all of the work to be done.

"Yeah, no problem," Korg waved, before screaming and charging off in another direction.

You fought your way around, not going anywhere in particular, just trying to kill as many as you could and stay alive. You tried staying to one area, especially if it was well protected, but no one stood in one place for very long. So there was no piggybacking off of T'Challa or anyone.

"As epic as you remember it?" a voice called from behind, and you paused your shooting to whip around.

Zemo was flipping a man over, stabbing down on him with a sword he must have gotten from them. When he looked back up, breathing heavily, he managed an adorable little "all good" smile.

"Zemo???" you said, trying to piece together why he was here.

"Duck!" he ordered, and you dropped down.

When you stood back up, the animal with the sword in his chest showed just how distracted you'd been.

"Pay attention," Zemo smirked, walking to grab his sword, "Wouldn't want you dead after all the effort we put in to get you here."

You didn't care why he was here, you just threw your arms around him. He placed his hand on the back of your head, hugging you in that comforting father kind of way.

He quickly pushed you off, swinging at a lunging enemy.

"Maybe now isn't the time for this," he said.

"If Peter and Tony can do it, I'm hugging anyone I want."

You turned to blast some more, being occupied for a few more minutes. When you turned back, Zemo had moved further away.

"You have explaining to do!" you called.

"That's all you can focus on right now?" he yelled back.

You smiled, facing away again and letting the flow of battle carry you forward.

"You're alive!" you said, blasting one direction while Nat shot in another.

"Yeah, the mountain looked fun and all, but I passed."

"So you went to Vormir?"

"Oh yeah, it was loads of fun."

"I'm so confused."

"Explain over a girls day out?" Nat asked.

"Yeah sounds good," you panted, twirling your spear around your back to stab up into a guy on the other side.

Nat moved off, and you made to move away as well, when a fist caught the side of your head. The man, or Chitauri or whatever it was behind that mask, that you'd stabbed wasn't dead. Though weaponless, he'd hit you down and was on top of you now. He was holding onto your spear, which you had horizontally in your hands, unable to break it free. He kept pushing, trying to bring the rod down to your throat and strangle you with your own weapon. Just before you lifted your leg to try and maneuver him off, he was sent flying off you in a flash of green.

Loki charged him, stabbing his dagger down into his chest. But he didn't stop. He kept on stabbing the lifeless corpse over and over, shouting with every swing.

"Hey, hey, I think you got him," you said calmly, grabbing his arm to pull him back to his feet.

Loki's chest was heaving from his efforts as he stared in disgust at the now mangled body.

"You ok? Been a while since you let out some steam or something?" you teased.

For the first time he seemed to come back to himself, turning to face you. You saw the relief in his eyes, the joy. He pulled you in for the most aggressive hug he'd ever given you, arms wrapped around your shoulder like you might disappear if he let go. You held on to him equally as tight, content to just be held at the moment. The last you'd seen of him, he'd looked so terrified, almost as much as you'd felt at that time. Not only that, but for you it had been only an hour roughly since you discovered he was alive. You'd had an entire day of fearing he was dead. And then you got him back, only to have to leave him. You couldn't believe it had been a month for him, and you were touched by how happy he was to see you alive. And you'd never been prouder of him. He'd done this with them. He'd brought you back.

"I told you once," he said into your hair, "That if you died, we were going to have some issues."

You laughed but didn't let go.

"It's weird, we just did this like half an hour ago for me. The whole hugging cuz one of us was dead or presumed dead thing."

"We both came back though."

"You know how convenient it is that there's a long enough break for us to hug?" you asked, "Plot armor's the best."

"You can never just let a moment happen, can you?" he pulled back, the happiest smile on his face. It looked like he'd never been more thrilled to be able to chastise you.

"I was just saying," you shrugged, blasting a few rounds to give the two of you more time.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you 'just saying' everything."

You smiled, but were caught off guard by the sincerity and emotion on his face when you turned. It was that look again. The one you'd seen creep on his face before. The same tone, like on New Year's Eve.

This isn't the time to let old thoughts make you weird again.

You couldn't help it though. Your stomach did somersaults. Looking at that face, that was filled with such kindness and adoration...how could you not get butterflies? You weren't sure if he loved you. Actually, you were rather certain he didn't, not in that way, because that was still ridiculous. But standing there, seeing him here...you realized you couldn't lie to yourself. You realized you'd been lying to yourself probably for a while now, and you never knew it. Thinking you'd lost him had put things in perspective, even if Thanos coming had cut off any chance of this realization happening in Wakanda when the two of you had reunited then. Now, with the abnormal amount of time the universe seemed to be giving the two of you, you admitted it to yourself. You loved him. You must have for a while. It had never been just something weird that stemmed from a love of his character. There was a reason you'd never been able to push it away. You'd focused on his reciprocation as justification for why you didn't or couldn't love him like that, but now you didn't care about reaching for justification. He was your best friend, but you loved him more than he'd ever know. More than you had even known until now. More than you'd loved someone before.

"I missed you too," was all you were able to say, trying to seem normal. Not that his looks were doing anything to help. If he was going to stare with that fondness in his eyes, so were you.

"Cap, what do you want me to do with this damn thing?" Clint's voice broke the two of you from your thoughts.

"Get those stones a far away as possible!" Steve yelled.

"No!" Bruce said firmly, "We need to get them back where they came from, remember?"

"No way to get em back, Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel," Tony noted.

"Hold on!" Scott's voice chimed, "That wasn't our only time machine."

You heard the musical horn of the van, smiling as you and Loki continued to fight those around you.

"Anyone see an ugly brown van out there?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Valkyrie answered, "But you're not gonna like where it's parked."

"Scott, how long you need to get that thing working?" Tony asked.

"Uh, maybe ten minutes?"

"Get it started," Steve ordered, "We'll get the stones to you."

"We're on it, Cap," a voice answered, and you knew it must have been Hope.

"Guys forget about the tunnel," you grunted, "Cap, remember you guys don't get them there before he destroys the van? Someone strong enough has to snap, that way Tony isn't forced to."

"Who do you volunteer, Wren, cuz we're kinda out of options," Tony said.

"Thor or I can do it," Loki said.

"No!" you yelled quickly, "I didn't mean you!"

"You said someone strong enough. Thor and I can do it."

"Loki's right," Thor backed his brother, "We should be able to survive."

"Should isn't good enough," you argued.

"She's right, we're not risking your lives if we don't have to," Steve said.

"This is gonna sound terrible, but did Danvers ever come in? Cuz everyone's pretty sure she could have done it and lived. Girl doesn't take an ounce of damage like ever."

"She's away right now," Tony said.

"You let her leave!"

"We didn't think we'd have an epic battle, ok?" he shot back.

"Wren, let's try to get them to the tunnel," Cap said, "It's our only play right now."

Not if I get to the stones first.

You looked around for Clint, running off when Loki was distracted. At one point a bunch of guys around you were lifted in purple beams, before sucked into the ground.

"Oh my God!" you shrieked, jumping back at the unexpected occurrence.

You started looking around for the cause, turning to find Strange landing.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that thing ya do," you breathed, leaning against your spear, "Pretty cool."

He didn't say anything but gave you a look.

"Alright," you rolled your eyes, "I get it, you were sorta right."

"Looks like I was more than sorta," he nodded to the battle around you.

"Only if this ends worse than the film. Does it?"

Before he could answer, Tony landed.

"Hey. You said one out of 14 million we win, yeah? Tell me this is it."

"If I tell you what happens, it won't happen."

"You better be right," Tony pointed, walking past him to you.

He didn't say anything but hugged you.

"You see Peter yet?"

"Yes, we had our hug," he answered, knowing what you were getting at.

"Good," you smiled at him when he pulled away.

He gave you a smile back, and you saw the same relief in his eyes that he has with Peter. It still shocked you to think you meant something to the Avengers, let alone on a scale equivalent to the Tony/Peter relationship. He closed his helmet, blasting off again.

"Hey," you stopped Strange before he could fly away, "Seriously though. The whole not telling someone or it won't happen, is that actually true? If someone snaps, just tell us who it is so they can do it now or someone more suited for it can snap."

"Kid, you don't know what you're dealing with---"

"No, you don't know what it's like to have to sit here and pretend that any of their plan is actually going to work, knowing damn well one of your friends might have to die in the next ten minutes!" you lashed out, "So please...tell me they all make it."

Stephen lifted his head a little as he sighed.

"I can't. I'm sorry, kid."

You closed your eyes, shaking your head as you turned to enter the battle again.

"But," Strange stopped you, "Just...keep doing what you're doing."

Your brow furrowed, and he gave you a wink, flying off without another word.

Keep doing what I'm doing? What was I doing? The stones! Right.

You ran off, continuing your search for Clint.

Does this mean I snap my fingers? If he wanted me to keep going for the stones?

If that was the case, you'd made your peace with it. Mainly because there was too much adrenaline right now to think too deeply about or fear anything.

Running down a slope and around a chunk of roofing, you slammed on the brakes. Wanda was facing off against Thanos. As epic as that would be to watch, you were way too close for comfort.

"I've got it!" Peter's voice rang through the coms.

You looked past Wanda, seeing Peter swing in to get the stones from T'Challa.

"Shit," you mumbled taking a slightly longer route around the big boss battle.

Peter was getting surrounded, his instant kill slowly getting overwhelmed.

Gotta get there before Steve helps him.

The missiles that began bombarding the battlefield put a wrench in that plan. You were thrown backwards by one, standing up and trying to run forward again. You stumbled left and right as near misses still shook the ground and threw chunks of earth at you.

"Uh, is anyone else seeing this?" Pepper asked, and you knew she meant the lake was flooding in.

Strange can get it.

"Help! Somebody help!" Peter's voice reached your com, and you cursed at what you knew was about to happen.

"Hey Queens, heads up," Steve said.

You watched as Peter latched on to Mjolnir, flying away with the stones. Keeping track of him through the air was difficult, as he bounced around from Pepper to Brunnhilde. Still having to fight and dodge was an added problem. Eventually he got blown from the sky, and you marked where he landed. However, he'd been shot down because the firepower from Thanos' ship seemed to increase...meaning you were now in a similar predicament.

You catapulted forward as one landed just behind you. You scurried against some wreckage, covering your face from the flying rocks sent your way. Vis landed next to you, crouching over you with his arm up to protect you.

All at once, the attack stopped. Vis slowly lowered his hand, helping you up as the two of you stared at the sky with everyone else. The guns had changed their focus, firing off into the clouds.

"What the hell is this?" Sam asked.

"Friday, what're they firing at?" you heard Tony ask.

"Something's just entered the upper-atmosphere," she answered.

"It's about fucking time," you sighed, watching as Captain Marvel flew in.

You were off before she made it to the ship, not needing to watch what you knew would happen. You had to get to Peter before she did.

"Danvers, we need an assist here," Steve said.

Yeah, for you to snap your frickin fingers! you thought angrily. You knew it was wrong to not care if she potentially died as long as Tony didn't, so you kept your thoughts to yourself.

You got to Peter just as she did, and you had to try to hide the irritation on your face.

"Hi, I'm...Peter Parker."

"Hey Peter Parker. You got something for me?"

"I don't know how you're gonna get it through all of that," he said as he stood up, handing her the gauntlet.

"Don't worry," Wanda said, dropping down.

"She's got help," Okoye said.

"Like she needs it," you scoffed, exhausted and irritated at this point, "Did you see her a second ago? She blasted through that entire ship! And she's just gonna fly through them as stuff magically blows up around her, not getting so much as grazed by anything, while we clean up the scraps. And how the hell did we all end up at the exact same place in this massive battleground for the female superhero strut?"

"Wren," Nat said, smirking at you, "You're killing the mood."

"Sorry," you sighed again, "Fine let's have our moment."

With that you marched forward with the rest of them.

As predicted, Danvers just flew through the hoards like they were a swarm of gnats, while you struggled to make it through what was left. You could have taken your time looking like a badass with the rest of them, but you needed to be there when that gauntlet was knocked from her hands.

You ran past Shuri as she, Pep, and Hope blasted Thanos to give Carol a clear path. But you knew it would all be fruitless.

Thanos threw his blade into the van, the explosion sending a wave towards you. Shielding yourself did little, for you were still sent several feet in the air, flying back into an uprooted tree.

Your eyes felt heavy, your vision going black for a second before you blinked the dreariness away. Pushing yourself off of the tree, you saw Thanos and Marvel going at it.

How did I miss Tony, Cap and Thor fighting him? you thought as you tried making up the ground you'd lost. It dawned on you that your eyes may have gone dark for a few more seconds than you noticed.

Thanos grabbed the power stone, launching Danvers away.

Damn damn damn damn!

You didn't bother looking to Strange, because Tony clearly already had. He was grabbing the gauntlet on Thanos' hand, drawing the stones into his own glove.

Thanos threw him off, straightening the gauntlet. You couldn't hear what he was saying from where you were, but you got close enough to hear Tony's response.

"And I...am..."

"Friday!!" you shouted running at Tony.

"...Iron-Man."

He made to snap...but Friday had detached the glove of his suit.

You'd never broken your sprint, hoping beyond hope that she'd know what you wanted. What you'd jokingly discussed early that week. Well, week for you, over a month for her.

You slid in, catching the new glove before it even hit the ground. You knew trying to get it on and snapped now wasn't going to work, not with Thanos charging.

"Wren!" Tony yelled in concern throwing himself in the way to give you time, "Get out of here!"

You ran up a hill, seeing Thor fly in to cover your escape. None of them knew what you had in mind. Leave it to Cap to catch on though.

"Wren," he grunted, having awakened from Thanos' punch. He was now fighting the Titan, keeping him at bay as long as he could. "What're you gonna do with those?"

You paused a distance away, seeing some of the army, and Maw, making their way across the field, eyes fixed on you. Now was the time.

You took a deep breath, closing your eyes as a tear escaped it. You told yourself you'd be brave when the time came. But one doesn't get to choose to not be afraid. You weren't so much afraid of death as you were of leaving them. Of never seeing Loki or any of the others again. Of never getting to say goodbye to your parents.

It's ok, you told yourself, they'll be safe. All of them.

You smiled, reaching to pull the glove on.

"Darling, don't!" Loki said, hands held worriedly in front of him. He looked cautiously from the gauntlet to you, taking a slow step forward.

"Loki, I'm not letting Tony snap! And I can't ask anyone else to risk it. Not even Captain Marvel! Cuz if I'm wrong, then I've killed someone! And I can't do that anymore," you said, eyes filling with tears, "Look around! I've killed so many already because I've never seen the urgency in any of this! I was thrown in a movie world and I took it as fun! I said I knew it was real, that I knew it wasn't fantasy. But if that were true I'd have talked about Infinity War and Endgame like they were real threats! I'd have told Thor to go for the head! I'd have made sure we destroyed the Tesseract immediately, no matter what good reasons we had for keeping it around! I'd have done so many things differently. Please, let me do this one thing right."

You were crying now, pleading with him through your tears.

"None of it's your fault," he started.

"It all...is," you said through gulps, "Please just...don't make it harder. I-I-I already c--can't, it's already hard, I just...I don't wanna say bye."

A sob escaped you as you finished your words, but you sniffed, trying to reel in your emotions. Thanos was getting closer, and Maw was making his way through the others.

"Then don't," Loki said, eyes watering, "Just hand it over. We'll find another way."

You knew what his other way was, and you weren't going to let that happen.

You slid your hand in.

"I---" you started saying before you were thrown backwards, the glove ripped off your hand before it even secured itself around your wrist.

You had been unprepared, landing hard on your back. You groaned, rolling a bit back and forth as you gingerly waited for the pain to stop. You caught your breath, propping yourself onto an elbow.

Loki had the gauntlet on, the colors visibly coursing through the veins on his neck. Thanos had reached your position, and Loki's attention was on him.

"You'll...never be...a god," he struggled out with a smile, "But I am."

With that, he brought his fingers together.

You couldn't even shout, mouth hanging as the bright flash dimmed. Thanos stopped his advancement, looking around in horror. One by one his army dusted away until he was all that remained. Walking to a rock, he sat down. His eyes met yours. There wasn't anger or hatred in his gaze. It was the look of failure. He'd lost.

He lowered his head, blowing away into the wind.

"Loki!" you exclaimed, rushing to his side.

He had stumbled to prop himself up, slumping down to lean his head back against his support.

"Hey, you're ok," you started whispering, smiling as more tears snuck down your cheeks, "You're gonna be ok, alright? Just, just talk to me Loki, please."

You had his hand in yours, placing your other on his cheek. The others were gathered around.

"Look at me, can you hear me?"

Loki's eyes seemed more aware than Tony's, and the damage seemed to stop around his neck. You prayed his body hadn't taken fatal injuries.

He met your eyes, nodding once, though it hurt him to do so.

"Oh thank God," you breathed.

Loki opened his mouth, but you cut him off.

"No no no, it's ok, don't try to talk. We're gonna get you out of here ok?" you rubbed his cheek with your thumb, "You're gonna be fine."

Thor kneeled next to you, placing his hand gently on his brother's shoulder. Loki managed to turn his head to his brother.

"I told you we could survive," Thor smiled.

"So...did...I," Loki smirked, ignoring your orders not to talk.

"Well, you said in theory," Thor teased.

Loki managed a classic eye-roll, even in his condition, making you laugh.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Korg asked.

"It's my brother," Thor said loud enough for all around to hear, "When does he ever die?"

Loki smiled, and there were a few relieved laughs around the group.

"We did it," Cap sighed.

"You did it," you whispered so only Loki could hear.

The two of you just held eye contact for a while, as Tony had Friday scan the damage on the god.

"Hey hey hey, stay with me!" you said, seeing Loki's eyes start to close.

"I'm not...dying," he said slowly, smirking a little, "I'm tired."

"Yeah me too, you don't see me giving you a heart attack by closing my eyes like a classic death scene!"

He coughed out a little chuckle, letting his eyes close the rest of the way. Though he was asleep, you didn't let go of his hand.

Odin walked over, kneeling next to his son. He passed his hand over Loki's wounded side, muttering something under his breath.

"He's gonna be fine, right?" you asked.

Odin looked up, smiling kindly. "Yes, my dear, he'll be alright."

You nodded, wiping away your tears with your free hand.

"But we should get him back to Asgard," Odin continued, standing up.

Fandral and Volstagg walked over, reaching to pick up the god. You reluctantly let his hand fall away, backing up.

They walked a few feet away with him, readying for departure.

"You should go with him," Steve said, and you turned to find practically everyone still there.

"Look around, Cap. We have a lot of cleanup."

"Kid, none of us will be doing that," Tony snickered.

"I know, but how many dead are there? How many people who need someone to take care of them? To help?"

"We can take care of it," Nat said.

"You should be with him when he wakes up," Sam said, smiling sincerely rather than teasingly, "As cliche as I'm sure that sounds to a movie buff."

You chuckled, looking around the group.

"You sure?" you asked.

"From someone who shouldn't be standing here right now...go," Tony nodded.

"The second person who shouldn't be here agrees," Nat smirked.

"I guess while we're at it, the third says get out of here," Vision smiled.

"You've done enough," Cap said kindly.

You couldn't stop the tears from coming as you let out everything. The stress, the horror, the grief, the guilt, the fear. Everything that had been building like a tidal wave ready to drown you. You were able to release it all at those words. The confirmation that you'd done enough. That you'd done it.

"Come here," Tony waved you over, and you stumbled into his hug, "It's ok, Smiley. It's over."

You stayed in his arms for a minute longer, shaking with the force of your sobs. He never made to pull away, letting you stay as long as you needed. When you were calm enough that it wasn't embarrassing, you let go.

"I'm sorry," you laughed, cleaning your face, "That was such an ugly cry breakdown."

"We all know Barton's having one somewhere," Tony said.

"I'm right here," Clint spoke from behind him.

"Oh, look at that," Tony peered over his shoulder, "You been there the whole time? You are one of those unmemorable, invisible faces, it's hard to remember when you come or go."

"You should go," Steve said, "Looks like they're wrapping up."

"I'll see you all soon, ok?" you said, backing away. You saw Zemo near the edge of the group. "Will you be here when I come back? I don't really know what the hell happened, like are we all friends now or---"

"No," Zemo said, "We're not. And..." he looked down the group, "I'd like to be here when you do, but it's up to your friends."

"He'll be here," Cap gave you a reassuring smile.

No one argued, all waving as you made your way towards Odin.

"Mind if I come along?" you asked him.

"Who do you think we're waiting for?" he smiled.

You chuckled and shook your head.

"You always know don't you?"

"At my age, child, you'd better have learned to read people. Or your life has been a vastly unobservant one."

"Are we ready?" Strange asked, stepping to the group that would be journeying up to Asgard first. This included the Warriors Three, a handful of guards, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, and yourself.

"Yes," Odin nodded.

"See ya later, kid," Strange flashed you one of his smirks, sending a circle over the group.

 

Chapter 51: (Chapter 50): Decompress

Notes:

Ok, so this is my first chapter under 10,000 words in a long while. We were getting ready for vacation all week, and were traveling all day Saturday, hence why I couldn't finish to post on time. We're in South Carolina for the week, so I won't have an update next weekend. This will be it until the following week. I wanted to leave you with a longer one to make up for that, but it didn't work out that way. We're close to 10,000 words, but just shy so sorry for the shortness. Oh, I also can't wait til Thor on Friday! Hope y'all see it and everyone enjoys! And Happy Fourth to all fellow Americans!

You fell to the back of the group, smiling or passing a word or two with one of the Warriors Three. They were used to battles, seeming as merry as they usually were. But you? You felt...drained. Yet peaceful. Also, you still felt like you wanted to cry. Tears of joy and blessed release from the pressure you'd never realized was always weighing on you, hiding in the back of your mind all these months. You'd acted like you'd always win, treating things as a cool movie. But that was a distraction from even thinking that losing was possible. Had you allowed yourself to entertain the thought, you could have done things right. It wasn't until it was all over that you realized how much your subconscious had always feared the idea of losing. If anything that's probably why you pushed a happy face forward all the time. To cover your deepest fear.

Now you could breathe. And it felt so good. You'd just lived through two of the biggest battles in Avenger movie history, and all in the span of a day. To say you were struggling to wrap your mind around it was an understatement. You didn't know what you were supposed to be, how you were supposed to feel. Merry like the Warriors Three? Act like it was nothing? If lying to yourself for the last months had taught you anything, it was that you couldn't keep pretending things were ok if they weren't. And right now, though ecstatic over your victory, you didn't know how to cope. You just knew things didn't feel like sunshine and rainbows on the inside.

It isn't until the quiet hits that the horror of the day finally starts catching up with you. On the beautiful peace of Asgard, walking along the bridge with nothing but the sound of waves to fill your head, your adrenaline dissipated...meaning it couldn't keep your mind and body focused anymore. You felt weak. You tried hiding it, but your body was shaking a little. And mentally it hurt trying to admit what had happened.

I saw Thanos. Not just saw, got thrown into a tree and backhanded by Thanos! And I fought fucking aliens. Space dogs. Saw Maw, Obsidian. Fought Proxima Midnight. Held the mind stone. Died. I died! That was death. Was there an afterlife and I don't remember it? Or were we just snapped back from when we left so we never got there? Oh God, I died.

That was the hardest to tell yourself, the hardest to contemplate. Life, death, reality, time, these kinds of things were creepy enough if one really got lost in thought about them. Try having to come to terms with watching yourself turn to dust and then just being there again like nothing had happened. Of experiencing the loss of friends, only to get them back right away. Of having the fear and, essentially, trauma of dying only to have to continue your day like nothing had occurred! Of having to just go right into another giant battle, after miraculously surviving one you never thought you'd see.

Your head was hurting, and you tried not thinking of any of it. Tried just saying "oh well" and shrugging it off like you'd managed to do with everything else. But doing that with everything else had led to what had happened. It had been a mistake. Was it a mistake to not let yourself freak out? Did you need a good freak out session? You'd already had a break down like ten minutes before. But that had been over the overwhelming emotions you could release having finally won. Now you were having a crisis about the crazy shit you'd witnessed.

Am I a baby if I let myself freak out? Who would I even freak out to? No one wants to hear your whining. And every hero here didn't go cry to someone after their first battle. I made it through the Knowhere and Sakaar battles without a problem, why can't I do it now?

You knew why. For starters, those had been child's play compared to Wakanda and Endgame battles. They'd never felt nearly as life or death as these had. Secondly, you hadn't died and been resurrected in those! You also figured the fact that Wakanda and Endgame were specifically from the movies was what made it all the more mind-blowing. Those were things you should never have seen, never have participated in. The thought of being in them was a cool one before, but not so much when in them. Even if you'd accepted being in a movie world, you'd pushed Infinity War and Endgame completely out of the realm of possibility. Which meant that, ever since Infinity War had started playing out, you hadn't had time to process or accept it. You'd just had to numbingly go through it all. Hold it all together. You hadn't had time to prepare yourself for Endgame, coming back to just be told it was happening.

It made it worse that all of your issues were of your own making. None of it would have been possible had you done your job better.

Don't. You just let it all out down there cuz Steve said you'd done it. And you did, right? Everyone's alive. You saved Tony. Nat, Vis, Loki, Gamora, they are all still here. Odin is still here. Asgard is still here.

The dead bodies that littered both battlefields flashed across your mind, and you winced. Next came the destroyed compound. Their home. Your home. Gone because of you. Screams filled your memories next, the shouts of those getting torn apart by dogs in the field around you as you try tuning it out to keep your focus on blasting and swinging your spear. No one ever talks about the non-main characters that die do they? But you were there. They were as real as any of the Avengers. Some helped you out throughout the battle, people you didn't know and some of who you were sure didn't make it. You remembered the unfathomably loud sound of the missiles as they exploded around you. You'd tried running through, focused only on getting the gauntlet. But now, with time to decompress, your mind seemed to play back all of the details you hadn't noticed it'd picked up. People blown apart by direct hits.

Had I hopped over a faceless guy??? you thought in a panic, suddenly having the image of a sorcerer from the mystic arts laying on the ground as you leap over him to pursue the stones. Well, you think it's a him. The memory isn't clear, because his face was smashed in. Possibly from flying debris from the missiles, possibly from one of Thanos' large brutes. Possibly any of the other horrible things you'd allowed to get to earth.

"Are you ok?" Hogun asked, and you nearly jumped.

You realized you must have looked frenzied, being jittery enough to get jump scared by a question.

"Yeah, I'm good," you smiled, "Just a lot to process down there, right?"

You tried saying it casually, unafraid to show you were a little nervous or tired, but hiding what you'd really been terrifying yourself with in your head.

"That?" Volstagg laughed like it was fun, "That was as glorious a victory as I've ever witnessed! Did you see the size of those air beasts?"

Fandral and Hogun looked at him disapprovingly, the former giving him the silent queue to stop talking. Volstagg looked from them to you, eyes widening slightly.

"Uh, but no, that was difficult for everyone. Hard day, very hard," he tried saying seriously.

Thankfully, his attempts just made you laugh.

"You'll have to excuse our friend," Fandral chuckled, "He's been in so many battles he tends to forget they're not games."

"It's fine, I'd be the same if I was as experienced. You don't have to baby it down for me, Volstagg, I'll get over the shock of it all."

"It can be daunting," he nodded, "I remember my first big battle---"

Volstagg distracted you with his very animated tale of battle, and you found yourself feeling better by the time you entered the palace. The people had cheered for their first round of returned heroes, bowing out of respect for their king and the injured prince.

The guards carrying Loki made for the hospital. He was brought to a bed, healers flying around him like busy bees. You stood a few feet away, wanting to watch but not get in their way.

"You should let someone look at you," Odin said.

"I'm good," you smiled appreciatively, "I don't need to take someone's time, I'm not hurt."

"Your head," Odin raised his eyebrows, looking to the side of your temple.

You reached up, feeling the blotch of dried blood, some a little pasty wet from the cut that seemed to still be oozing.

"Not bad," you shook your head, "It'll be fine."

He reached a hand to place gently on the side of your face.

"My dear, the body can hurt more than what's on the surface. And sometimes the best healing we need isn't physical. Rest can do wonders for our mental strength."

There he was again with that knowing look and wise words, seeing right through you.

You nodded sadly, not denying his implications.

"I don't wanna leave him though," you looked over your shoulder to Loki, whose arm was being dressed with bandages, "I wanna be here when he wakes up."

"He will be asleep for some time, don't worry. His body knows what he needs. It doesn't fight the urge," he smiled, that twinkle in his eye.

You smiled back, giving Loki another glance.

"Promise me you'll get me if he wakes up before I'm back?"

"If that happens, you have my word. But I believe you can rest assured it'll be longer before he wakes."

"Ok," you nodded, walking off with him. He left you with other nurses that patched you up, gave you food and water, cleaned your scratches and dirt, soothed bruises throughout your body, and gave you a much needed bed.

"Unless you'd prefer your room?" one of them asked, "You're in no severe condition if you'd like to leave?"

"Am I taking the bed from someone who needs it?"

"The others are not yet returned with the wounded. When they are, we have more than plenty room for all."

"I'll stay here then, if you don't mind. I just need a nap."

"Stay as long as you need," she smiled, swiping the golden force shield closed as she left. It was like those curtains in hospital rooms for privacy purposes, but in Asgardian tech design. The sun was high in the sky when you'd arrived, and you intended to sleep for a few hours.

It wasn't dark when you woke up, which you thought was odd. Had you really only needed such little sleep? You weren't complaining, standing to go see Loki sooner than you'd anticipated. Tapping aside the barrier, you stepped into a busy hospital. It was a good thing the chamber stretched on for a while, because there were soldiers everywhere. You walked by one with a missing hand, and you felt the sting of guilt at the sight of the discarded bloody bandages they had used before clotting the wound.

You didn't have much time to dive back into your thoughts of despair, because Loki's bed was up ahead. At least, you were pretty sure it was his.

"Excuse me," you stopped a nurse, "Is that Prince Loki's?" you pointed to the curtained area.

"Yes ma'am."

"Do you know how he's doing?"

"You'd have to ask her," the girl pointed to one of the ladies you'd seen working on him a few hours ago, "She's the head healer. Been in charge of his care, Miss."

"Thanks," you smiled, walking off.

"Ah you're awake," the woman smiled.

Your eyes narrowed a bit at the way she said it.

"Uh yeah, I guess I wasn't that tired," you said uncertainly.

"I wouldn't say that," she chuckled like you were joking, "We were beginning to contemplate waking you."

"Wait, I--I'm sorry, uh, how---how long was I asleep?"

Her face switched from surprise to understanding.

"Nearly 24 hours, dear."

"What? But the..." you waved to the window, before realizing that it made sense for it to be light out if you slept almost a full day.

"Your body knows what it needs. We'd have gotten you if the Prince awoke. The Allfather's orders."

"Right, thanks, uh...how is he? Is he healed? How's his arm? Neck? Any residual effects? When will he be up?"

She put a hand on your arm to quiet you politely, smiling warmly.

"Why don't I take you over to him?"

"Thank you," you nodded rapidly, "Yes, yes please."

She walked you back to his bed, swiping aside the screen. Once inside, she closed it behind the two of you.

There he was. Sleeping so peacefully. His right arm was wrapped, and the bandages climbed up around his neck. The burns seemed to just make it to his jawline. His face had been cleaned like yours, leaving only a scratch here or there. They could easily be taken care of with magic when the time came, but all their efforts had clearly gone into healing the gauntlet's work.

"His skin will heal. The coating we've placed under the wraps is working as we speak, with a little help from magic. Internally, the damage didn't reach any vitals. We spent a while putting our strength into healing from the inside out, but he'll take time to recover."

"But he will recover? Like fully?"

"Yes, he will."

You sighed, turning back to him.

"How long til he wakes up?"

"When he's ready."

I coulda told ya that.

You nodded, but your disappointment must have shown through.

"I'd expect no less than two days. His body took a great deal of strain to fight off the radiation and energy from the snap. He's strong though. By all signs medically, I'd expect to see him awake before long."

"Two days is long," you said sadly, your hand reaching to play with the sheets at the edge of the bed, "Three if you count the one already."

"Long for us maybe. For him? A lesser man would have died. And even so, his body will take a fortnight at least to regain full strength. To be awake in such a short time as three days would be a strong feat indeed."

You smiled a bit, hand sliding to rest on his.

"The stubborn son of a bitch will definitely be up then."

You didn't bother seeing if she was offended by your name calling of their prince.

"Would you like me to have a chair brought over for you?"

"If you don't mind, that'd be great thank you!"

She smiled, turning to walk back through the screen. As promised, a seat was brought for you. You stayed next to him, leaning your elbows on the mattress as you rubbed his hand.

"Hey," you whispered, "Seems every time we meet up again, one of us leaves right away. I know it's only been like two days for me, but it feels like longer. Feels like ages since you and Thor left. I miss you. And I know you're here, but again you're kinda not. I just miss normal, ya know? If you could ever call it that."

You slid your fingers gently around his hand.

"I..." you started, voice cracking slightly, making you pause. You swallowed hard, not knowing what you wanted to say. "I know we won. I know I should feel happy, and I was. For a bit. But, I think it was more relief than joy. I just...I had this weight, you know? I never knew it was there til it was gone. It was so heavy. So heavy," you repeated, shaking your head as you wiped a tear away, "And even though it's over...I just---I can't help but wonder...did it have to be so heavy? Did I make it worse by ignoring it? I don't think I meant to! I really--I don't know. But I think back, and all I can see is how stupid I was. How stupid I've been. None of this should ever have happened."

Your whisper grew more hoarse as the tears forming in your eyes began to intensify, flooding over so one or two made their way down your cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I'm so...so sorry, Loki. For everything. You shouldn't be here. Not that I'm not grateful that I didn't have to die, and that everyone will be fine and you'll be alright, but...It should never have come to this. I know you're asleep and I look like an idiot right now, but Loki...you're...you're the only one I can talk to right now. And I could really use a talk," you stopped holding back the tears on that last line, bowing your head as you let yourself cry, "I don't know who to talk to. I'm sure all the others would listen, but they're not here, and if you were awake I don't know if I'd have the courage to tell you all of this. I mean, hiding what I'm feeling is kinda my thing apparently. But I just, I don't know I--I--I need to just...I wanna scream! So many are dead! It's like I never even thought of non-main characters! Like movie extras weren't real! And so many died, I can't...I can't. I just can't."

You moved your other hand to hold his with both of yours, lifting it a bit as you leaned your forehead against your folded hands.

"I guess I'll stop talking now," you sniffed, "Or try for something happier. That's what I was good at, right? The optimism to your realism? I can try at least," you chuckled through your sniffs and choked voice, "For starters, your final line to Thanos was kinda badass. Leave it to you to gloat. He deserved it though, with his whole 'I am inevitable' bullshit. Yeah, what was that you purple shithead? Who's inevitable? You sure as hell ain't invincible, needing neutrogena for your dusty ass skin. But guess who is invincible? This guy," you lifted Loki's hand, "And even his burnt skin will come out looking as flawless as it usually is, while we're vacuuming your ashy remains from the battlefield."

You smiled to yourself, though it was as sad as it was happy.

"You'd have rolled your eyes at all that. Laughed as you told me how stupid I am. God, how much longer til you're awake?"

You looked at a clock on the wall, groaning when you realized how long of a wait this was gonna be.

"I'll be right here though," you smiled, leaning back in your chair.

You were right there. For the rest of the day, through the night, and all through the next. Meals were brought to you, no one asking if you wanted to leave. You slept in the chair, and you didn't care how uncomfortable it was. The only time you left was to use the bathroom. You'd watch as check-ups were done on Loki, his bandages changed and more healing done on him. With every visit, the doctor would assure you he was healing well. 

With endless time to yourself, your thoughts often threw you back into self-loathing. You were moody, it would seem, probably due a lot to the stress, trauma and lack of sleep. You'd go from hating yourself, to being so happy that you'd pulled it off that you wanted to cry, to feeling drained and absolutely, mind-numbingly shocked at trying to grasp the reality of what had happened. Sometimes you'd just sit and try to imagine what Loki and the others had done for the last month. You'd pieced together that Zemo must have come because of the snap, possibly looking to bring you back. You were touched by the notion, and thrilled that he'd managed to work with them. But how he and Loki survived in the same household was a story you desperately wanted to hear.

It was now the second night by Loki's bed, and you'd just set your book aside. It was a picture book more than anything, because you had no idea how to read Asgardian. 

"Wren?" Thor called, the barrier opening to let him through.

You launched from your chair, running to him.

"Hey!" he said, holding you tightly, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," you said, before realizing that he meant he'd missed you in the last month, "Well, I guess it's been a bit longer for you, hasn't it?" you pulled back, smiling up at him.

"It has," he said, hands still placed fondly on your shoulders.

Neither of you seemed to know what to say about the last month, so Thor changed the subject.

"How is he?" he asked, walking around to the left side of the bed.

"Good!" you said happily, walking to the other side, "Hopefully he should be waking up soon, but the doctors still think he'll be in here for another week or more afterwards. He's healing well though, they say he'll be fine."

"Of course he will," Thor said softly, hand placed gently on Loki's shoulder.

You let him have his silent moment with his brother before asking the questions on your mind.

"How's everyone?"

"Good," Thor nodded, pulling his eyes from Loki, "Everyone's ok, the cleanup has started. The wizard made gathering and moving people easy, but Stark's got some uh, men in orange clothes and yellow hats to help move the rubble."

"Where's everyone staying?"

"It's Tony, the man has more Midgardian money than he knows what to do with. Rented out a whole floor in some building, a hootel I think he called it."

"Hotel," you corrected.

"Right. Most are scattered around though, all with a lot to do. The king cat has gone back with his people, Steve is doing a lot of publicity with Stark to inform the public, Lang has returned with his girlfriend to San Francisco, and Barton has gone to his family. Everyone else is rather busy trying to help where they can."

"They need a rest."

"One we'll all have together."

"What about you, how're you doing?"

"I visited Jane! She's well, she's coping. A lot to take in, you know. Dying and all that."

"Tell me about it."

"Besides that," he raised his eyebrows, "Thanks to a little bird that flew in to help, I have my people, my brother, my father, my planet, my eye, my hair, my hammer, and all of my friends."

You chuckled as he looked at you, shaking your head.

"You fought for it. All of you. I just came along for the ride."

"Oh come on, you did it! It's ok, you can let yourself smile about it," he teased when your look wasn't as happy as his. You tried smiling and nodding, but he knew something was wrong.

"Hey," he said more seriously, walking around the bed, "Do you know what I had to deal with after you were gone?"

"What?"

"A Loki. A Loki without you there to tell him to shutup when he's being stupid."

"Sorry 'bout that," you laughed.

"Oh, it's alright, I just stepped in to tell him myself," he said like it was fun, "But do you know why he was being stupid?"

"I have many answers."

"Because he was blaming himself."

Your smiled dropped.

"I figured he woulda done that," you said somberly, glancing over at Loki.

"But you know it wasn't his fault."

"Of course not! I told him it wasn't his fault the second he started feeling bad that the Aether was used on Asgardians."

"And I had to tell him the same thing on the way to Nidavellir."

"Oh my God, yeah you went to Nidavellir! I saw Stormbreaker in the battles, but I haven't seen it up close! Did it have a golden handle or am I trippin? Cuz that kinda looked sweet I ain't gonna lie!"

"Yes," Thor laughed, "It was golden. A certain someone has a thing for that color."

"I need to hear this story."

"I'm sure there will be plenty time for all to tell their stories when we meet up. But what I was trying to get to, is that Loki couldn't help but blame himself. We all did."

"It's what you guys do."

"And it's what we had to show Loki. That we all held blame. That we all felt it."

"I'm guessing he...I mean, I didn't think he'd go crazy and kill you guys or something, but like he doesn't handle blame or guilt or loss well, and I'm honestly surprised he didn't try to lone wolf it. Like, it seems you guys were all good, though I don't know how much validity I have to back that when I've seen you all for like an hour since I've been back."

"No, he did stick with us. We stuck together. And you know why? Because he managed to see he wasn't alone in this. Even without you. Believe me, I could tell he wanted to act like his old self. He told Natasha as much."

"He told Nat that?!!"

"Mmhmm," he nodded, "Confessed he didn't know what to do, how to be a part of team. But that he felt he couldn't leave. That he wanted to be with us, that he liked being with us. And it scared him."

"How in the hell did she get that from him??"

"You'll have to ask her, but she and Clint enjoyed telling everyone."

"I'm sure they did."

"But you see? Loki couldn't go back to who he was, because he wasn't that person anymore. He was able to work with and be a part of our team. And who gave him that opportunity? Who gave him the information he needed to cheat death?"

You met his eyes but didn't answer.

"And even though Loki was told over and over that he wasn't to blame...even though he found a way to accept it and continue on...he never once stopped fighting the feeling that it was all his fault. That none of it would have happened if he had done things differently."

"How do you know?"

"Because it was the same with me," he said, giving you an understanding smile, "The same with everyone...and the same, I think, with you?"

You squeezed your lips together, trying not to cry again. 

"But, the thing is...no matter what the others did wrong...they never would have had the chance to make that mistake if I hadn't screwed up."

"And Wanda made mistakes with Ultron, but never would have had the chance had Tony not screwed up. Do you blame one more than the other? Hold one more accountable?"

You shook your head once.

"Exactly. No one does everything right, Wren. You of all people should know this. You, who have preached second chances and what it means to be a hero. You who can understand everyone's faults, and see past them...all but your own."

You let yourself cry now, and Thor pulled you in for a hug.

"Shhh, it's ok," he said comfortingly, "You've done more than you can ever realize."

"I did what I wanted," you cried into his chest, "But didn't see what else I could have done. How I could have done it. Those people who died...there were so many."

"Their deaths do not dwindle down to what you could have done, or should have done. Countless actions, if done differently, could have led to different results. Me not giving Tivan the Aether. Loki not allowing him to run it right to Thanos. We can go around in circles all day. But you didn't kill them."

"And here I was thinking battles would be cool," you continued to sniffle pathetically, "I was such an idiot."

"It's not a bad thing to grow wiser, Wren. We all do. That doesn't mean we beat ourselves for ever having been more naive. We can't grow or learn without mistakes, and how can we move on if we let those mistakes hold us back?"

"When did you become so wise?" you lifted your head to look up at him, though still with your arms locked around him.

"I'm not an oaf, even if Loki tells you that on a daily basis."

You laughed, letting go of him.

"Does it ever get easier? Guilt? Cuz I can't think about how happy I am for more than ten seconds without immediately thinking about all the bad."

"I think you should ask him," Thor nodded to his brother, "After all, it was because of you and what you'd given him that he was able to be different. Take some of your own advice. Whatever you've ever told him or any of us, say it to yourself. Ask him how he did it, and you'll see that you helped him. You help all of us. Wren, you've spent the last months constantly picking us up, helping us forward, never once focusing on the bad in anyone, never once holding our past against us. You gave my brother a chance, let him become the kind of man who potentially sacrificed himself for the universe. You gave Sleemo a chance."

"You know his name," you smiled.

"Yes, but I still don't like him. The point is, you can give everyone else a break, understand everyone's mistakes, help them move past it. But you never once asked for the same in return. Never once were as kind to yourself as you were to us. Let us return the favor. So know, from someone who has had thousands of years to feel what you're going through on many different occasions, that it gets better. That if Loki, the God of Mischief, can accept that things weren't all his fault, or at least not let it hold him back, then you can too. Because you've done it, Wren. Rogers wasn't lying when he said you've done enough. I think you knew it too, down there."

"Yeah, but guilt's a bitch and came in and ruined everything."

"It'll do that," Thor sighed, "But we can get through it. Because we all have. You've seen us, both on screen and in real life. So don't ever think it won't be the same for you."

You were silent for a few seconds, taking in what he said.

"Thank you, Thor," you said, giving him one last hug.

"Everyone is proud of you. You should be too," he whispered.

You just nodded against his chest.

"Say it."

"What?" you laughed.

"Say you're proud of yourself."

His voice was humorous now, and you couldn't help but giggle.

"I'm not saying that out loud---"

"Say iiiit. Say it."

"I get it, I'm not gonna hate myself but---"

"Wren Arlington, I won't let you go until I hear those words."

"Fine! I'm proud of myself. There, I said it."

He let you go, giving you a playful shove. "See, was that so hard?"

"Hey you beat yourself up for five years, I don't wanna hear it."

"Ok but, we were all doing that for five years," he said defensively, "No one had anyone to keep them going. Here we've won!"

"Can't argue with that," you smiled, actually feeling better by it. He was right. You'd won. There was so much good to focus on. You just hoped guilt and horrible visions of the things you'd faced didn't always get in the way. After all, that shit was terrifying. No one is going to leave that battlefield without nightmares of snarling space dogs.

"How much longer are you staying?" you asked.

"I've come to help up here for a while, so you'll see me every day."

"Coming to check on him everyday?" you said annoyingly, raising your eyebrows.

"Don't tell him that," Thor said, "I won't hear the end of it."

"Your secret's a hundred percent not safe with me."

"Yeah, I know," he grumbled, turning to leave. "Wait, do you sleep here?" he asked when you weren't following.

"Uh..." you said, eyes darting to the chair, "Maybe?"

Thor's teasing smile grew slowly.

"Ahhh, right, ok," he nodded, giving you that look, "How very...kind of you."

"Thor," you warned, hand on your hip.

"What? I think it's sweet." He gave you a quick wink, before hopping out of the room.

"I'm smacking you the next time I see you!" you whisper called, not wanting to disturb others.

You walked back over to the bedside, eyes focusing on Loki's calm expression. Seeing it gave you comfort, helped keep your mind off things. Thor had helped too, and you felt more relaxed then you had the last two days. 

"Good night," you whispered to Loki. Before you could stop yourself, you leaned down to kiss his forehead.

Oh God, he can never know I did that!

You don't know if it was the fact that you weren't denying your love for him that made you do that, or if you would have done it even if you still told yourself he was nothing more than a friend. Either way, you immediately grew red at the thought of it, fearing that somehow he'd know you'd done it. Imagination ran with the wild ideas of what would happen should Loki find out you liked him. Well, you'd have to tell him, right? That thought sent fear right to your gut, and you shrugged it off.

Worry about that later.

You brushed a piece of Loki's hair from his face, giving his hand a squeeze before settling down for the night.

***

Loki groaned a bit, shifting a little. Despite this having happened on several occasions, you still dropped your book to see if he was waking.

His eyes remained closed.

You sighed, sitting back down.

"Eh, gods don't need as much sleep," you mocked him to yourself, "If only that were true."

"The real answer was always that I just don't sleep in til noon like your lazy ass," Loki muttered, "But it was more fun to rub in that I'm a god."

"Loki!" you practically shouted, throwing yourself in for the hug.

"Easy, Darling," he said, wrapping his good arm around you.

"Sorry!" you tried pulling away, but his hand remained on your back.

"It's alright," he said, smiling up at you.

"You idiot!" you laughed, and his brow furrowed adorably, "You couldn't just let me snap!"

"You just couldn't let me do it without dramatically trying yourself!" he threw back at you, no harshness in either of your words.

"Well, if you had died, then I'd have been a failure for not completing my number one reason for coming here!"

"I'm your number one reason?" he smirked.

"Of course you were. Don't smile like that, you know I hated your death."

"I told you I'd survive."

"No, you and Thor had a theory!"

"Which worked out, didn't it?"

"Thank God it did, or I'd have slapped your corpse in the face so hard."

"Why do I get the feeling you would do that?"

"Right before the emotional breakdown, yup," you confirmed.

"Well we're both fine," he said softly, hand rubbing your back.

"Tell that to your side. Charred worse than Zemo's bacon."

"Thanks for reassuring me it's all fine," he snickered.

"Oh, it will be!" you added quickly, "But hey, it is what it is right now. Though it's actually looking really good under those," you pointed to his bandages.

He tried lifting his arm, managing to get it off the bed slightly before dropping it back down with a wince.

"Hey don't be stupid!" you smacked his chest.

"I saved half the universe and your sad little life, so I can do whatever I damn well please."

Even though he was joking, your face grew more serious.

"I'm sorry," you said, "That we got there in the first place. That everything happened."

"Me too," he said, hand moving to the side of your face, "But we all messed up."

"Screwed the pooch," you nodded.

"Uh...sure," he scrunched his face, "I guess so."

"But we did the right thing in the end. Raised the hybrid puppies."

"Not your best analogy, Darling."

You couldn't help but laugh at his face, that smile he had when he found something funny. It had felt like ages since you'd seen it.

"I know it's been like three or four days for me, but I missed you. And Thor told me about how...how you stayed with the team. Loki, I...thank you. And I'm proud of you, for what that's worth."

From the expression on his face, it was worth a lot.

"Also, I did tell you being part of the team was possible, so it's good to see you finally listened to me---"

Loki started laughing, not even bothering to eye-roll or hit you with a sassy remark. The laughter made him cringe a bit more in pain.

"I should get off, I'm practically crushing you."

"No," he said quickly, hand moving behind you again, "You're fine."

The two of you locked eyes. His hand slid it's way up to the back of your head. It was now that you remember he was shirtless, your hand resting on his bare chest. Had this been something you'd noticed before? Sure. But you'd never stared...for long at least. You couldn't view this as a friendly embrace anymore. Admitting you'd liked him had only made scenarios more awkward. And now, held against his shirtless chest and your faces very very close, you didn't want to do something to screw stuff up.

"I should get the doctor," you said.

He seemed to snap from whatever thoughts he was having, nodding to your statement.

"I'll be right back."

He smiled, pulling his hand off to let you up.

The doctor had a look at him, helping him sit up more so he could drink some water. She gave him his orders, which were absolutely, under no circumstances, was he to use his right arm, stand up, or remove the bandages. 

"He'll need as much rest as he can get, so you should leave," she told you.

"She's staying," Loki said.

"With all due respect, my Prince, when in my custody my orders outrank even yours. I don't mean to be rude, but I must insist for your wellbeing."

"Believe me, my wellbeing has been in question for the last month. The only thing that will make that better is her."

Your eyebrows shot up, and you looked over at him. He met your eyes with a soft smile.

"I still think it unwise," the doctor insisted.

"I understand," Loki said kinder than you thought he would, "But if you intend to try and force her out, I suggest taking it up with my father first. We'll see if he agrees with your directive."

You smiled at the faith Loki had in his father's support, or maybe it was just the fear he hoped to instill by threatening bringing Odin into this.

"Very well," she bowed her head, "She may stay. Don't strain yourself too much."

With that she went out of the room.

"We're lucky she doesn't know you well enough," he grinned when she was gone.

"Hmm?"

"Then she'd know there's no way to put up with you that isn't straining."

"I can follow her right out," you threatened, standing from your chair.

"Sit your ass down."

"See the great thing about this whole situation is you're not allowed to stand. So I can just not listen and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Isn't there?" he smirked, and your chair was pulled forward, hitting the back of your legs and knocking you down into the seat. He smiled, but you could see the energy it took for him to do even the smallest amount of magic.

"Hey! You're gonna make me look bad, that's exactly what you're not supposed to be doing!"

"Well then, don't be straining," he teased.

"So I listen or you'll hurt yourself?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'd only be doing what the horrible, straining person who won't leave me alone is making me do."

You nodded with a face of reluctant submission.

"Ok, you won this one."

"I'm sorry, can you just say that one more time? I loved hearing you say that."

"I will leave."

Loki chuckled, setting his head back against the wall.

"How're the others?" he asked, "Everyone make it?"

The smile on your face made him roll his eyes.

"Come on, it's not like I was at their throats lately. And you knew they were growing on me, you always know. So don't act like it's some monumental occasion."

"It's just nice to see it out in the open," you said sincerely, "And I heard about how you managed to work with them. It didn't sound like an easy battle to win with yourself."

"Thor's been here," he said with a dry look.

"Yeah," you laughed, "But he just wanted me to know how you did it. How much you overcame."

"We all had to," he said softly, eyes seeming to still be amazed by the sight of you alive.

"Also heard what you confessed to Nat," you said with a stupid grin.

"Ugh," Loki rubbed his forehead with his hand, "Yeah...that."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"About what?"

"I don't know....all of it? You have a month to tell me about. For starters, how the hell did Zemo manage to work with you guys??? How have you not killed him??"

"Honestly it's a miracle, Darling, you'll have to ask someone who knows," he smiled, but he dropped to a more serious tone for his next words, eyes drifting past you as he thought back. "It was hard."

"Zemo? I coulda told ya that."

"All of it," he swallowed, eyes meeting yours.

You didn't speak, your look telling him to continue. You did scooch closer though, hand resting on the bed.

"Darling this...this hero stuff it's...it--it's difficult."

"I know," you said kindly.

"But rewarding," he said, catching you off guard, "I felt...I felt like I was up against a wall when you left. Like, my past had cornered me finally. And it was either go back with it, or get crushed against the wall. I wanted to feel comfortable, wanted to feel something familiar. I tried to be angry, to accept that I was and only ever will be mischief...but I couldn't. And without that path out, I didn't know what to do. But even gone...you were saving me. Because you've only ever shown that I can save myself. It's not something you do, it's that you show me what I can do. And I never wanted to believe what you said about me and the team, because I never thought it could be true. But they didn't leave me. We were all the same. And it was...it was like no comfort I've ever felt. It may be easier to be angry than hopeful, but choosing the latter...choosing to let myself grieve with them, I just...I think I did it? The final lesson, the one you could never walk with me through. I needed to be put to the test without you, and Darling...I did it."

He was speaking so softly, so thoughtfully. He sounded so relieved to say he'd done it, like how you'd felt when Cap had said it about you. Maybe both of you had this hurtle to overcome, this weight on your shoulders, and had never known it? Had ignored it.

"Loki, I'm so sorry you guys had to go through that month. But if this is the result? I'd gladly die a hundred times. Because how you view yourself is more important than me. And I'm so happy for you."

That was your last checklist, the ultimate goal. Your fantasy from the beginning. Get Loki and the team together. Give him a future.

Maybe some good came from things happening the way they did?

It didn't make what happened ok, but it helped you to take the good from the situation.

"Nothing's more important than you," he said earnestly.

"Loki," you chuckled, but his face wasn't joking. Not a trace of tease.

"Loki!" Thor barged in, and you whipped your hand away from where it had gradually grasped his.

"Hello, Thor," Loki shook is head with a light smile.

"How're you feeling?" Thor said, hand going to Loki's forehead like he was checking for a fever.

"Fine," Loki slapped the hand down, "I'm fine Thor, really."

"Good, great," Thor nodded, hands folding in front of him.

These two had had a complicated few years. The last few months had been better, but it was like neither knew how to do this level of caring.

"Wren, could you excuse us please?" Thor asked.

"Thor---" Loki started protesting.

"No, he's right," you cut him off, "You two should talk. I'll go see about the food the doctor mentioned."

You walked out, leaving the brothers together.

***

Thor walked around to take Wren's seat. Loki had an eyebrow raised in mock anticipation, though actually curious as to what his brother had to say that was so private.

"Brother..." Thor started, hand tapping the side of the bed, "I'm glad you're ok," he tried saying casually, clearly dancing around his feelings.

"Yeah," Loki cleared his throat, "Me too."

Thor nodded a bit, both brothers looking around for something to stare at.

"Look, Loki," Thor started again, "I know we've gotten along lately. But I don't just want to leave this as an unspoken understanding. I want you to hear it."

"Ok?" Loki said, looking amusingly like he was fearing the sentiment to come.

"I love you, Loki. Counting the snap, that's now four times I've thought or feared you were dead. And I don't want you to go one day, for real that is, without me having said it. You're my brother, and my best friend. Always have been. And I told you once that I no longer had the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there. That you could no longer count on that sentiment to keep you safe from me. But even then, even with everything you were doing...that was always a lie. I'm proud of you, brother. And I hope we can move forward together...as brothers. Because I don't want to go without you. Wren always said that you and I were the heart of my movies, the Thor films in her world. That the brother bond, even through our fights, was the center, the soul. I think the Midgardians in her realm can see that which takes us far too long to admit. That we need each other. That you're one of the most important things in my life."

Loki looked at Thor's emotional expressions, the big teddy bear looking like he might tear up. With a struggle, Loki moved his legs towards the side.

"Loki!" Thor tried stopping him, but Loki waved him off.

He swung his legs over the edge, cradling his arm against his side. Now facing Thor, Loki reached his good arm over Thor's shoulder. Thor leaned in, making the hug easier on Loki.

"I don't want to go on without you either," Loki said over Thor's shoulder, "Brother."

They stayed like that for ten seconds or so, before Thor gently pulled back.

"I'm sorry for everything," Loki said, eyes watering, "For...gods, for trying to kill you! For everything with earth, with the destroyer... everything. Feeling remorse doesn't feel like it should be enough," he scoffed.

"You did just save half the universe," Thor smirked, "Add on all you've done since Wren found you? Loki, you can let it go. Move on. I forgive you."

The gold screen dropped, Odin standing in the opening.

"May I come in?" he asked, a small smile on his face as he looked from one brother to the next.

"Yes," Thor cleared his throat, standing up, "Loki, you should lie back down."

"Oh this took no strength at all," he groaned jokingly, lifting his legs back onto the bed. Thor helped him back into his sitting position, making sure he was alright before inching away.

"I'll see you later," Thor said, and Loki nodded with a quick smile.

"And here I was thinking you'd be up in a day," Odin smiled, still standing within the now closed doorway.

Loki gave a headshake in mixed amusement and irritation, like he couldn't tell whether his father was teasing or couldn't decide whether he found said teasing amusing.

"Given your propensity for getting back up that is," Odin added, stepping towards the bed.

Loki allowed a smirk to form, traces of irritation floating away from his eyes.

"My apologies for nearly dying. I'd have been up sooner."

Odin chuckled, taking his turn in the seat.

"I know you would've."

They held eye contact for a moment, no animosity in their looks. Loki broke it first, looking forward uncomfortably.

"You know...there have been three times in my life when I thought you were dead."

"What's the third?" Loki asked inquisitively, knowing of the bifrost destruction and Dark World.

"When I was told that you were found. And that you were leading a charge against Midgard."

Loki's eyes grew darker, filled with guilt, yes, but also a tinge of anger. Anger that of course Odin had to bring it up. He knew he deserved it, that he could hardly begrudge his father for having been angered over his actions. That didn't ease the pain at his father only being able to discuss it now.

"On that day, I thought the man who was my son was gone. That I'd been...unable to save him. I'd failed."

Loki softened his look by a fraction, glancing over to his dad.

"Is that what I was to you? A failure? I hardly needed you to tell me, I figured as much," he said bitterly.

"No, Loki. I was the failure. Mistakes were made by both of us, but I focused on yours out of anger for what you'd done...and anger for how I must have failed you for you to do what you'd done."

Loki wanted to relish in such a confession. To take it as a victory, a confirmation that he'd always been right and Odin was the problem...except he knew that wasn't true. That if he cheered for that, then all he praised himself for accomplishing was nullified.

"I know we've put the past behind us, briefly discussed what has occurred...but we've ignored a lot of what happened," Loki said, swallowing hard, "I'm sorry. You're not in control of me. I did what I did, no matter your mistakes."

The look on Odin's face couldn't have been prouder.

"And that is the proof that my son was never dead. That I shouldn't have given up on him. I'm sorry too, Loki. I handled things about as poorly as one could," he said with a sad little laugh, and Loki let out a breathy chuckle. "And because we never addressed it...know that I always loved you. It wasn't just a claim. I never favored Thor in my affections, even if the unspoken secret seemed to be a rift between us. You're too intelligent, Loki, something you get from your mother. There was no keeping the truth from you. In some way, I think you always knew. But without having an answer for what you subconsciously recognized, you felt as any child would. Alone. That is all my fault. Forgive me, my son."

"Forgive me... father," Loki smiled back, eyes welling with tears.

Odin placed his hand tentatively on Loki's arm, to which Loki bent his hand up to grab his father's. Odin squeezed it lovingly.

"Please, do me one thing?" Odin asked.

"What?"

"After a fourth time now being added to the list...please never have to make me fear your death again?"

Loki laughed, leaning his head back.

"I think it's become my greatest trick. I'd hate to disappoint."

"I believe I can handle the disappointment."

"You bros done hugging it out yet or---" you barged in, carrying a tray of food. "Shiiiit," you whispered, "I just ruined a moment didn't I?"

"When don't you?" Loki tilted his head.

"Sometimes I wonder why I wanted you to wake up."

"I'll leave you to rest," Odin stood.

"I'm sorry, Odin, Your Highness! Sorry!" you corrected quickly, cringing as you did. "It's still weird calling you anything but Odin, my bad."

"Quite alright, my dear," he patted you on the shoulder, "Are you to stay the night again?" he added in a whisper Loki couldn't hear, "Or shall I have someone ready your room?"

"Oh...uh, I'll stay here," you whispered back, "At least for tonight. It's late anyway."

You weren't quite sure why you were whispering, but Odin smiled and bid you and Loki goodnight as he left.

"What was that?" Loki asked as you sat down again.

"He was just checking to see if I'd be needing my room or not."

"Why wouldn't you?"

Ohhh that's why he was whispering. In case I didn't want Loki to know that I'd been sleeping here.

"Oh, well I uh, I've been staying here."

"In the hospital?" he said worriedly, fearing you were hurt.

"No, like here here, like in this room."

His mouth hung open slightly.

"Wait, where, in the chair??"

"Maybe," you shrugged.

"Darling---" he started, but he couldn't pretend to be angry, apparently. He looked moved. "You shouldn't have done that."

"You'd do the same," you said, without pausing to question if it were true.

His face caved to that.

"I know."

"So um, what did your father want?" you changed the subject, giving him your bratty smile.

"Stop, stooop," he said warningly as you continued giving him that look.

"It's ok, you've already answered by not answering."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm."

"I hate you."

"That's perfect, cuz I hate you too."

Both of you ended in smiles, Loki trying to give you his playful stern look but failing miserably.

"Here, you should eat something," you lifted the tray from your lap, setting it on the bed, "Can you do it, or are you pathetic with your left hand?"

"I throw daggers with both, mind you, and I will throw one at you if you don't wipe that stupid smirk off," he huffed, grabbing the plate.

Despite what he said, it was hard keeping the plate stable on his lap and trying to cut and eat with one hand.

"This is fascinating."

"What?" Loki glared sideways.

"Seeing how long it'll take before you ask for help."

He let out a sigh, holding the fork up to you without looking.

"It's ok, I won't rub this in at all," you lied.

"Just get on with it."

You cut the meat, lifting a mouthful on the fork.

"Here comes the plane," you made the sound with your lips as you moved the fork through the air.

He gave you such an "I'll kill you" look.

"Fine, open up."

He did it, looking you dead in the eyes as he did. None of you could hold a straight face as he bit down aggressively.

"Ok ok, seriously though, let's do this," you said when both had stopped giggling, "Half your bodied is torched, you need help and that's fine."

"You never answered how the others are?" he said as he took another mouthful.

"They're good! Clint's back with his family, everyone's doing what they can to help. But I think it's a matter of just decompressing, ya know? There's been no big get together or anything."

"Everyone made it out?"

"Not if you count the hundreds dead," you mumbled, continuing to feed him.

"Hey," he stopped you before you could stab another piece, "Are you alright?"

"Thor already talked to me, we're good," you said, making him finish the last few bites.

"Darling, things don't go away that easily, believe me. Are you alright?" he repeated.

You looked him in the eyes, shaking your head.

"No," you whispered out.

Loki didn't try talking, didn't try to ask what was wrong. He knew. And somehow, you knew he knew.

He used his good hand to push himself further away, making room for you.

"Come on, you're not sleeping in the chair anyway, I won't let you," he said to your hesitant look.

You put the tray of dishes aside, turning out the light before climbing in. The bed was Asgardian, so naturally it was huge. Still, the two of you didn't lay far apart, only a foot or so of separation.

Loki's hand found yours under the blanket and he held it tightly, entwining his fingers with yours.

"Are you alright?" you asked quietly.

"I am now."

He held your hand in silent comfort after that, until the two of you fell asleep.

Chapter 52: (Chapter 51): Vacation

Notes:

Ok, so I have four weeks left until I leave for school. I'd like to finish before then so that school doesn't postpone updates. I have no idea how crazy my school life will be, so I don't want to risk it. If I have to go over four weeks, I will. But the goal is now a maximum of four chapters left. I'm aiming for three, but it could be less or more. But just so y'all know, we're almost done. Sorry this chapter is a day later than it should have been. I think knowing that I'm almost done made me too sad to want to write😂. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

You woke to Loki's face in front of yours. He was still on his back, but his head had turned to the side. You were curled on your side, with your face on the pillow directly next to his. Surprisingly, your first instinct wasn't to move away. Instead you smiled at the man in front of you. Careful not to wake him, you gently slid your hand from where it rested on his arm. Propping yourself in a sitting position, you zoned out for a bit while your mind woke up. The first thing you noticed was the tray on Loki's bedside table. It had the medicine he was supposed to take when he was up. That meant someone had seen the two of you sleeping together. Though your stomach felt the small sting of embarrassment, you were used to what people would say and think. Knowing they were right, now that you'd admitted your feelings to yourself, made some scenarios weirder, but sometimes, like now, it made you not give a damn. The two of you had slept in the same bed before after all. And you really did love him, and it had been the greatest comfort to just lay there and hold his hand. It was like all the fear, all the guilt and problems tormenting you over the last few days was vented to him without having said a word. He'd known. He known by your simple response, and he'd given all the comfort words never could. That silent understanding. The two of you had been through so much recently, and that had been conveyed in one small gesture of resting together, finally after all the struggle.

But that's all it had been, a comforting gesture. You knew he cared for you in a certain way, but was it the same way you'd recently discovered you cared for him? You didn't dare hope or engage that thought, because the fear of what the answer would be if you were bold enough to tell him made you feel sick. You didn't want to ruin what you had with him. No, you couldn't ruin what you had with him. If not for your sake, at least for his. He'd found a friend. One he cared enough about to go to great lengths to protect. One he'd snapped for. How could you potentially change that friendship by putting him on the spot? By forever making that friendship awkward if he didn't feel the same way? Was there a chance he did? Your stubborn and "realistic" side still wanted to shout no, but you had to face the truth that you'd never been real to yourself about any of this for a while. Therefore, you couldn't ignore the obvious chance that he could like you. Looking back on so many things, now that you weren't in denial, you saw how they could indicate he liked you. His looks from time to time, the things he'd done for you, conversations here or there that made more sense if viewed with the idea that he liked you. 

Yet there was still the chance that that was all in your head. That you were remembering things differently now in an attempt to convince yourself he felt the same. Or maybe all those awkward times like New Year's Eve were just you being unable to confess your feelings to yourself. That you were looking at him differently, and not the other way around. That you were seeing what you wanted to see, even if you always told yourself that's not what you wanted.

Could you risk it? Was it selfish? To want to tell him so badly, and to now want to hear that you weren't imagining things, that he did like you too? If you were wrong, you could hurt Loki. Not that he wouldn't be kind, but the relationship between the two of you would be changed forever. Could you do that to him? All to ease your own desire and curiosity? How would he look back on your times if you were wrong? All those silly times, all of those taunts and arguments and aggressive feuds, all those actions that were like two best friends unafraid to insult the other because both never cared. Would he see them differently? Would he see someone who wasn't genuinely comfortable just being that best friend, but rather someone who always wanted more? You knew it wasn't true. You didn't always love him like this. He really was your best friend. But would he understand that? Could you ruin those memories, prevent a future for new ones, by being the one that just had to go and ask for more? He didn't deserve that. He deserved to have some sense of normalcy, of consistency. A friend he can count on to be a friend, not some girl drooling over him. 

Maybe some day, you thought, smiling sadly down at him, But I'll always love him. Always have, even if it used to be in a different way. If best friends is where this stays, I'll happily have the best best friend. I'll be what he needs me to be, because he deserves it.

You thought of home and your smile faded. 

It's over. Which means I'm not needed anymore.

You weren't upset over the thought of seeing your parents again, or your friends. In fact, the last few months had made that previous life seem so distant, so nostalgic, in a sense. You missed aspects of it, your loved ones certainly being on that list. You wanted to tell your Marvel friend, who you'd consider your best friend at home, all about everything. But going back meant saying goodbye. Staying meant saying goodbye. Either way, there was no path that didn't hurt. If you went back, was there a point in telling Loki how you felt before leaving?

Sure, make things awkward for him just before you leave. What a great parting gift. And if I found out that he did like me? Now I just made leaving harder on both of us! Unless...

Could you do that? You'd told him once that you couldn't just leave your family. But then you'd also said it'd have to be a compelling reason? One you knew for sure would be strong enough to justify leaving without ever telling your parents. Did finding love count? Deep down, you knew it did. You'd told Loki you'd know what that compelling reason was when it came, and now you did. If he loved you, you were pretty sure you'd stay. You were pretty sure your family would have wanted you to. Like how Loki said they'd want you to be where you were happy. You weren't able to justify staying here just because you liked it. But falling in love with, not only Loki, but anyone who you got along with so greatly was a rarity in any universe. So if you told him and he said he liked you back, you'd stay. Your head screamed at that thought too, like you were betraying your family. No matter what you decided, you were going to lose. You couldn't have both worlds. 

It doesn't matter cuz I can't tell him! I can't ruin it for him. Can't risk it just for myself. He's Loki. If he wants me to stay, if he feels that way, he'd tell me. Or would he? I don't really know, this is new ground with Loki! He essentially told Sylvie when push came to shove, so he'd tell me? Listen to yourself! Talking about the time a fictional character told another fictional character he liked her! And now you're doing what you said you wouldn't, and you're falling for the guy you grew up watching! That's sick and weird! What would he think if he doesn't like you like that? If he finds out all your talk about not crushing on his character is nullified by your current feelings? Gosh I'd look like such a slut! Not to him, maybe, but who knows! Coming here to save a man just to get with him? How does that look? 

None of it mattered. You sighed and tried pushing the debate from your mind. Whether it looked messed up or not, and you knew it certainly did, you didn't come here to hook up with your favorite character. You didn't anticipate being his friend. You didn't anticipate falling in love with someone who shouldn't have been real. Who wasn't real eight months ago. You knew your tendency to ignore situations until they came to a head had gotten you into trouble, but once again you couldn't see any other course of action. If you told him, and the answer wasn't what you wanted to hear, you'd have screwed up big time, making leaving or staying more difficult. If you didn't tell, then you either left or stayed still on great terms, still as best friends. Part of you didn't believe Loki viewed you as anything more than a best friend, but you could no longer tell yourself that with a hundred percent confidence. For the first time since you arrived, you accepted that you didn't know shit. You always pretended to, but you never did. And being uncertain was uncomfortable and scary. You'd wait and see what happened, but you were too terrified to tarnish what you had by being greedy.

"You alright?"

You snapped from your thoughts, realizing you were zoning out again and probably looking really distressed. Loki's eyes were open, looking up in concern.

"Yeah, no I'm good just...still thinking of...everything."

You knew you couldn't lie without him most likely noticing, so you told a half truth. With everything that had happened, and your evident gloom over it, Loki would hopefully think this was still about all your stress and grief implied at the end of last night's discussion.

He reached for your hand again, looking in understanding as he took it comfortingly. 

It was moment's like these! The prolonged eye-contact, the looks! How were you supposed to decide what was friendly and what wasn't? Movies always have those scenes where there's this silent understanding between two individuals, like a "yeah we like each other" message conveyed telepathically. Usually this was followed by a kiss or something, and that's what had always worried you about some of these situations. Were they in your head? Did you freak out for no reason? Did movies make you view reality as something it wasn't? Had you fled his room that one time when there really was no kissing scene about to happen? Had you hyped up all those other weird times? Why couldn't reality be a little more forthright? Enough with this silent looks bullshit! 

Despite these thoughts, you smiled back, not pulling your hand away.

"How're you feeling?" you asked, sitting further upright to reach your arm across to his bandages.

"Not sure you're qualified for checking wounds," he smirked.

"I'm just looking, I ain't gonna touch."

You lifted what you could from the bandage near his neck, seeing the sore red skin underneath.

"Well, it doesn't look crispy at least."

"You're disgusting, you know that?"

"How else would you describe burnt skin?"

"Burnt."

"Regardless, it's looking better. You feel ok?"

"You know me, Darling."

"So more tired than you'll admit?"

He gave you a look but sighed.

"It's fine," you smiled victoriously, "Cuz you're not leaving this bed for a good week at least."

"I won't need that long."

"What's your rush?"

"Would you want to be stuck in a hospital?"

"If I'd just nearly killed myself and beat destiny by being alive when I shouldn't be? I think I'd take the rest. Hell, I didn't even snap and I'm digging just chilling for a bit. We won, dude. Take a break."

He seemed almost sad at the news that you'd won.

"What?" you asked, face scrunched in confusion.

"I...I suppose you'll be going back soon."

"I'm staying til you're healed."

"Not that," he gave a quick chuckled, "I mean home."

"Oh," you said somberly, swallowing a bit as you stalled for something to say. He didn't press you, eyes filled with a sad understanding.

"It's ok," he whispered, squeezing your hand a little tighter, "You have a family."

"I have one here too."

An amused smile broke on his face and he shook his head.

"What?" you questioned.

"How we've changed sides since the last we spoke of this."

"Well not totally, I mean I'm not saying I should stay. Not that I don't want to!" you clarified quickly.

"And I'm not saying you should leave."

"What are any of us saying then?" you laughed.

"That you should do what your loved ones would want."

"How..." you started saying, stopping when your voice cracked, "...How am I supposed to know without asking them? And I can't do that without already having made a choice."

"What do you want for the people you love?"

You stared at him, mentally inserting him in that hypothetical.

"I'd want them to be happy."

He nodded, eyes never leaving yours.

"But I'm happy both here and home!"

"What else would you want for...for the people you love?"

You wondered how your face didn't give yourself away as you stared at him.

"I'd want them to have a life. To be safe, to have a future. To not be alone."

"So it stands to reason that your family would want the same for you. That we want the same for you. "

"That still describes both worlds though."

"Darling...it's your home."

"So you think I should go back?" you asked, unable to not feel disappointed.

"I think you need to decide where your future lies."

"Oh, so nothing too difficult," you huffed sarcastically.

"Remember that compelling reason?" he asked, sounding hesitant as he did.

"Yeah?" you practically whispered, drowned in hopeful anticipation that he'd say what you wanted to hear.

He stared at you with such kindness, yet uncertainty. Like he was nervous. Your mind told you he was going to say it. But then the look changed.

"You never found it," he stated rather than questioned.

"Uh...I--I guess not...but what if it's all of this? All of you? How do I know where my future is? I mean, go back to working at a library or stay in the MCU? I mean, come on!"

"You and I both know that no matter what world you live in, you will live your life how you want. Do the same things that make you happy. It's the people you have to leave that hurts."

"I don't want to choose," you whimpered, eyes threatening to start watering.

"Then let me help you," he said, hand rubbing your arm, "The choice will always be yours. But family is the most important thing. You gave me back mine. Gave me a new one. And yeah, it would suck having to choose between them. But there are some kinds of love that go deeper. Family love is one of those. Your parents are missing out on an exceptional, kind, stubborn little ass of a daughter."

You laughed at that, though his words made some tears escape as you hung your head.

"And I," he continued, placing a hand on your cheek to raise your gaze, "Would never deprive people of someone so amazing. They need you."

You had so many mixed emotions, you didn't know what to think. He'd made you miss your parents even more. But was he saying it because he thought you wanted to go back? That he could make the choice easier? Did he really think it was best for you to go? Would he tell you to go if he liked you? Either way, whatever his feelings were, he had decided the easiest course of action was to encourage you to return. What could you say to that without repeating your troubles again? You had to give up one family, and Loki thought it should be this new one.

"It's ok," he said, wiping a tear off your face, "You've saved us. You've given us everything. It's time you did something for yourself. Time you got your family back."

"I--I'm g--gonna," you took a breath to stop your choked up stuttering, "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"Not a day will go by that we won't miss you," he answered, eyes moist but tears reined in. He was being so calm, so strong. The decision seemed easy for him, and you slapped yourself mentally for making it harder than it was. 

"You should take," you waved to the tray of medicine, unable to think of the word, "ya know, that."

"Medicine's a particularly hard word, I know. Don't strain yourself too much."

"My brain isn't working this morning."

"This morning?"

"You're trying to make it easy to leave you, aren't you?" you tried joking, standing from the bed as you did. The joke felt hollow, though you said it with as much conviction as you could.

"Why focus on it now? I mean, you don't have to leave right away, we have time."

"We don't even know if we can get me back," you said as you handed the medicine to him, "My decision might be made for me."

He drank the liquid, contorting his face in mild disgust as he swallowed.

"You try drinking it," he said in response to your expression.

"No it's just, you'd never show that on screen ya know? Not liking something like medicine, you'd drink it like a man."

"Well no one else is around," he shrugged.

"What's it gonna be like...when you're back to a movie character?"

"Hey, I said don't focus on it."

"I know I know, but I just..." you sighed, "I know. Sorry."

The two of you were quiet for a few seconds.

"Even though the films are the worst of me, you know what I am. Always did. I used to think it was something repulsive, and also something to be proud of. But through the films, you and many others apparently saw something deeper than the surface. You'll remember. And you'll know. We'll never just be movie characters. At least you can see us whenever you want."

"It won't be the same."

"It'll be something."

"Now look who's sounding sad," you nudged him, "We'll get you a phone. Rack up some photos or something."

"We have that prank still on camera?" he smirked.

"No, uh...we don't," you said sadly, "My phone was in the compound."

"I'm sorry about your things."

"It's just stuff," you shrugged, "I can replace them. And look, at least one thing survived."

You reached down the top of your suit, pulling out the crystal that had been hanging on your neck.

"You kept it on during battle?" he asked, slightly amused.

"Well yeah I didn't know what was gonna happen, but I wasn't gonna leave it behind."

He smiled as you rolled the crystal between your fingers.

"Besides, I never take it off," you added.

"You know what was taken off and left to burn? That coat you got from---"

"Ooookaay," you laughed, "It's summer, so I don't need to wear a---"

"So mine's the more practical of the two."

"Practical? We're basing gifts on practicality now? That's boring."

"Ok, you get the most use of mine."

"You liked the coat before you knew it was from Zemo."

"That does tarnish the gift a bit, yeah."

"I thought y'all were best friends now?"

"Who told you that?"

"Well he's not dead."

"And that means he's my friend?"

"With you? If you don't kill them it's the closest thing."

"Wow, I'm still that low to you?"

"Always," you laughed.

"Well I hate to disappoint," he held his hand out with a smile, "Had to be the God of Mischief you were expecting to meet."

"And you were everything I thought you would be."

There was another somber pause, the joking manner not enough to hide the sad nature of the conversation. The two of you had come to the conclusion that you'd be parting ways, and no amount of teasing could wash away the genuine sadness, nor stop the sincere compliments you couldn't contain now that you knew you'd be leaving one day.

"And you were more than I bargained for when I threw you in prison."

"That'll teach you," you giggled, "Imprison me and you just might have the terrible fate of never getting rid of me."

"It wasn't all bad."

"Nah, I taught you how to prank properly, so there's that."

"Yes, you taught me. It took enlisting a whole army, but you got those pranks out," he said in mock praise.

"What did ever happen to the Prank Wars?"

"Perhaps we outgrew them."

"You mean matured??? Gross."

"Heavens no. Simply found more enjoyable ways of spending our time."

"More enjoyable than pranks?"

"Fine, equally enjoyable ways."

"Maybe we should team up for one? Halloween was a success, just imagine what else we could do?"

"Who should be the target?"

"Sam," the two of you said synchronously.

"We should probably wait til things are like not batshit crazy," you said, "Wait til we have a new compound or something and a bunch of people didn't just die and come back after a month."

"I guess it would be poor taste."

"And we'd never do something in poor taste."

"We're the epitome of class."

"That's us."

A nurse entered then to check on Loki and ask about breakfast. After they tended to Loki and left the trays, the two of you chatted about what had happened while you were away. You demanded to know about time travel.

"I'm afraid I really can't speak for the others."

"Then we're gonna need to have a group storytime when we get back down there. But what about your trip? What stone did you go after? Who was with you?"

"Clint and Zemo were---"

"THEY PAIRED YOU WITH ZEMO???"

Your mouth was wide with shock, and your outburst nearly made Loki jump.

"Yes, they did," he said, pretending to act as if there was nothing strange about that.

"Were they trying to set up as dramatic a scene as they could???"

"He was the last man left and we needed a spot for him. Asgard and 2012 weren't an option, and the least damage he could do was on a mission where he didn't really have a job and Barton and I could watch him."

"Is that where you guys became friends?"

"We're not friends!"

"But you don't hate him?"

"He's a constant reminder of how I was, so I despise everything about him," he spewed out without thinking. "I mean he... he's like I was. Blinded. If there's not a chance for him to be different, there wasn't for me."

"Damn...did the two of you like talk or anything?" you asked slowly.

"A bit."

"You came to this conclusion over one conversation?"

"He was in the compound for longer before that. But... I guess the conversation got me thinking. It wasn't until I ran into myself that I realized how much I hate former me, and Zemo seemed to hate what he did to you, so I guess...I guess I understood."

"Wait you met YOURSELF?"

"Are you going to exclaim over everything?"

"Oh I'm sorry, am I supposed to just pretend you meeting yourself is normal??? What the hell happened? What year did you go to? What did you say?"

Loki told the story, though withholding details of his conversation with himself.

"Talk about facing who you were, literally! Like literally having to overcome your past, in the form of your past self!"

"Of course you'll analyze it like it's a movie," he rolled his eyes.

"You can't tell me that isn't a movie set up."

"I didn't pause long enough to consider it, I was too busy facing the very real very murderous non-fictional me," he sassed.

"So you already knew what younger you was thinking. That's so weird, cuz I'm sure you, as in younger you, didn't like being told what he was thinking."

"I said he came around."

"Wow, I wish I was there. You were younger you once, what would you have thought if you could see future you and me as friends?"

Loki thought of what he had told himself.

"I'd say I wouldn't be surprised that I was happy having a friend, even if I would deny that it's anything I'd have ever wanted. I would be surprised that it actually worked out though. Though I'd know deep down that I had already started to like your company."

"Awwww, did you tell him that?" you asked annoyingly.

"In a way."

"Gosh I wish I was there. What about the others though? What were their missions?"

The two of you spent hours catching up. He told you about the last month, how everything went, the time travel missions, what went wrong and what went right. You couldn't believe it had all actually worked.

"I can't believe Zemo came."

"Guilt makes people do crazy things."

"He's clever, so he probably knew something was up before I went silent. I was acting strange, or letting messages go for too long. Sure it wasn't a shocker when people started disappearing."

"Not a shock?" he said like it was the stupidest thing you could have said.

"Well yeah I'm sure people dying is still gonna catch you by surprise, but I mean the overall event was---"

"Darling, I knew what we were fighting to prevent and still took days to get over the shock. We all did. There is no preparing for something like that. You can't possibly wrap your mind around the idea until it happens, and even then it seems impossible."

"Ok, so that was stupid to say, but you know what I mean. He knew something was up."

"Didn't keep him from looking as horrible as the rest of us when he first came."

"Oooo he must have been absolutely biting his tongue off to keep from running his mouth. And the shame from having to go against his pride? I woulda paid to see that."

"This is why we're friends," he smiled.

"I'd tell this to Zemo's face too, he knows I'd get a kick out of seeing him have to work with you guys. The second I get back down there I'm telling him."

"If he hasn't run off yet."

"He said he'd stay, and Cap said he could."

"Great."

"I know he's...well, still a bit of an ass. But he's trying. Where he ends up just might not be the same as where you've come to. Some people never get over hatred, and honestly it's understandable to always view someone a certain way after such a tragedy. It's got to have forever changed how he views the Avengers, and I get that. He can't help but think of his family, which would make being around the team really uncomfortable. That doesn't mean he can't do better away from them. Unlike you, I think distance is his thing. What he needs to continue."

"A very great distance."

"Oh stop it," you slapped his leg, "I hope I'm wrong. I hope he can do what you do. He'd be a good addition."

"To the team??? Darling, do you honestly think they'd allow a guy like him to---" he stopped, as if remembering the great deal worse he'd done before they let him in the compound.

"Don't look so glum," you smiled, "In the past, remember? But if you can do it, he can, right?"

"I hope so," he said sincerely, "Because I see why you like him. And he cares for you, that much is clear. He's not terrible, and for you I'd even try to like him."

And so this is how you spent your time with Loki. The two of you talked, read, played stupid little games you made up on the spot, argued, joked, ate, slept, and repeated it all again. You'd leave to change, take care of yourself, get out now and again, but you spent most of your time with Loki, and you still slept there. Thor and Odin would stop by often, the former bringing news from earth for the both of you. By the end of the first week, clean up of the compound's former grounds was done. All that remained was the charred, crater filled land, and the hole where your new home had been. Thor said Tony was helping the world recover from the last month, though significantly less damage had been done than would have occurred in a five year time lapse. Tony had, for the time being, relocated the team to a resort along the beach. Pairs of people essentially had their own beach house, each one adjacent to the next. Why he'd chosen this location out of the many other buildings and facilities he owned? Because he said the team needed a vacation. He wasn't wrong, and you couldn't wait to get back.

Loki was much stronger, able to move more, sit up easier, and use his right hand. At the week and a half point, you watched as the doctors helped him stand. His legs were a little wobbly from the lack of activity, but he adapted quickly. Soon you were able to walk with him, though his arm remained in a sling. Another few days of magic and medicine and Loki's sling was gone. For the first time, his bandages were removed completely. 

"How does it feel?" you asked as the two of you sat at the familiar table in Prince's Hall.

"Still...new? Like the skin hasn't been touched by clothing before and is still getting used to it."

"So kinda tender?"

He nodded, flexing his fingers as he looked at his arm.

"But besides that, everything's good? It doesn't hurt to move? Strength is still there? It's not tight or slower than the left one?"

"Darling, I'm not gonna break," he chuckled as he looked over at you.

"Well Bruce has his arm in the sling for a while, and I still don't know how well it heals in the movies, so I just wanna make sure."

"I'll be fine," he insisted as he took a sip of wine.

"Good, cuz if you aren't I'd hate you and myself, and then you some more so I don't have to hate myself."

"Even if I had some lasting effects, I'm alive. You'd be dead. Don't start bringing guilt into this."

"I'm not," you defended.

"Yes, because that's totally not what you were doing."

"I wasn't!"

"You were thinking you should have snapped," he accused, looking irritated by the thought.

"I was thinking I'm sad you had to."

"And if the opportunity to redo it came, would you still try to?"

"I..."

"Unbelievable!" he tossed his fork down, standing from the table and walking a few paces away.

"If I was gonna try once, I'd probably try again! That's all I was saying!"

"We're all alive! How does that not effect your decision at all!"

"Why are we even arguing about this???" you yelled back from where you remained in your seat.

"Because it's not just 'would you do it again', it's that you know you'll always try something like that!"

"Try to save people?! Oh, my bad!"

"Try to kill yourself when you don't have to!"

"I didn't know you'd live!" you stood up angrily.

"It's not just the snap, you always do this! Run into things for the greater good when there could be another way!"

"Next time I'll pull out a whiteboard, maybe make a nice powerpoint presentation, really analyze the pros and cons!"

"Ah yes, joke your way out of another situation," he said harshly, shaking his head as he turned away.

"What is your problem??? I didn't know you'd live, so I was gonna do it myself! And any other time I've done something that could get myself hurt, it was either I do it or someone else does! Why should I sit and wait for someone else to risk their lives? Since when is it a rule of yours that I have to be selfish?!"

"It's selfish to think you could get yourself killed without thinking of the pain you'd put everyone else through!"

"So I just let someone else get hurt instead??? You're still not answering the question!"

"Yes! You let someone who has less potential of dying take the risks!"

"Less potential doesn't mean they won't, and I won't push someone else forward like that! You know this, why are you like this now?"

"Because I lost you once!" he shouted louder than any of the rest of the argument.

You went silent as his angered look calmed slightly.

"I lost you once," he repeated, eyes locked with yours, "And I'm not letting that happen again."

He stormed off to the balcony, leaving you to rub your forehead in frustration. You couldn't be mad at such a sweet reason.

"Loki," you said, following him out, "You're never going to stop people from dying. I'm going to die one day. Not only that, I'm going to die a lot sooner than you. You're gonna lose people, ok? We all do. And it sucks. What, y-y-you think it was any easier for me having to think Thanos had snapped your neck? Or having watched Bucky, Yelena, and Wanda turn to dust? To know that Sam, T'Challa, Drax, Groot, Peter, Quill, Mantis, and Strange were gone too? I died, I know, and I'm sorry you had to go on. It's worse being the ones that survive. But that doesn't mean I didn't lose them all too before I died. That I didn't also have to fight to go on, thinking you were dead somewhere. Why do you think I tried snapping? You think you're the only one trying to hold onto people? I had just gotten you back, I wasn't gonna let you go again! But you don't see me telling you never to try saving people again! I could be furious right now that you risked your damn life by snapping! You seem to be throwing my past back, even though I survived, so should I do the same? You could have killed yourself, and that pisses me off as much as it terrifies me! I know I'm not a god, or goddess I guess. I'm not protected by a suit of armor, or the plot armor of being completely invincible (Captain Marvel)" you coughed her name. Despite still looking out at the view and not you, you saw the hint of a smile at that. "But neither is Clint, or Nat, or so many. And I'm not the best trained or the greatest warrior, and really who's fault is that, teacher?" you teased, "But you can't stop me from trying to save you. To save people. It's why I came here, and it's what I'll always do. Even if I absolutely suck at it, which, I mean, current events and a hospital full of injured soldiers might hint that I do."

"I know I can't stop you," he sighed, still staring out at the city, "And I know you do what you think you have to when the time comes. Can you just promise me you'll consider what you do in the future? So I don't have to worry about, I don't know, you running at an army when we have tanks on the way?" He was smirking as he said his example.

"Tanks! We need tanks! And I don't think I've gotten to fly or drive one piece of fancy tech since I've been here. Like what the hell's up with that?"

Loki chuckled, looking down at his hands on the railing.

"I'm sorry," he turned to you, keeping one hand where it was.

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming. Our arguments are usually ended by silence until one of us pretends it didn't happen and we talk like normal."

"Don't make me take it back."

"You can't! You said it, it's said."

"I am though. Sorry that is. You're trying to do what I did, and what I'd do again. We look after each other."

"Which makes it miserable for both of us when the other wants to be the one to go jump in the fire."

"Well, I mean...I am technically more in the right. Who'd have a better chance of surviving fire?"

"I don't know, Frost Giant, would you melt?" you sassed right back.

His look made you fear you'd gone too far, before you saw the playfulness in his eyes.

"I think uh, Thor's calling me, I should probably---"

You sprinted away, with Loki in pursuit.

"Doctor said no running!!!" you shouted as you used the table to separate the two of you.

"How often do I listen?" he grinned.

"Oh you're really well behaved, which is why I know you won't disobey her orders by--Oh my God!"

Loki had launched over the table, getting you before you could run far.

"I will hit your right side, don't think I won't!" you said from the grasp of his left arm.

Your body went cold...like freezing. As if you were standing in the snow with very little covering.

"Whaaaat just happened," you panted, trying to catch your breath that had been sucked from you.

"I don't know," Loki lied, "Are you cold though, Darling? You're shivering. Perhaps a fire? Melt away that cold, warm you right up."

"Ohhhh ok a-a--assh--hole," you stuttered, still trying to settle your breathing and chattering teeth, "I..." you took a deep breath, "I g-get it. I'm sorry."

"Could you say it a bit louder, I don't think I quite heard that?"

"I'm sorry."

"One more time."

"I'm sorry!"

Your body's temperature came back, and you took a breath of relief.

"Now, was that so hard?" he looked down at you.

Your heartbeat quickened as you realized you were held against him.

"Nope," you answered, though without pulling away.

"No arguing?" he said, looking surprised. In your daze at being in his arm, you'd just yielded without any fight. He nodded like he liked it. "I could get used to that," he said, his voice quieter now.

You wanted to kiss him. Something about the thought made you nervous, yes, but bold. Something about feeling this way made you want to just try. But you couldn't read his expression. And your thoughts from earlier hit you. You couldn't risk it. Couldn't do that to him. Especially when he'd made it clear he thought you should go home. Why make things weird before you left when leaving was already making things hard?

"Don't get used to it."

You pulled yourself free and walked away. He didn't try and stop you, which you were grateful for. You needed time to clear your head, calm down, and come back more composed. He needed you strong, not on the verge of caving in.

***

Two days later and the doctor cleared Loki from the hospital. You and Thor helped move his things back to his room, happy to see him looking like his usual self. Happy to say goodbye to that hospital room. 

"So, brother, what would you like to do first with your new freedom?" Thor beamed as he dropped Loki's things on the bed.

"I'd like to go back."

"Permanently?" you asked before you could stop yourself.

"I don't know," Loki looked between the two of you, "Asgard is my home, but I think it'd be nice to be with the others without the fear of imminent death on the horizon. And you don't have much longer here, so..."

"What?" Thor furrowed his brow, looking to you for an answer.

"We're...well, we knew I'd have to leave eventually, right?" you tried saying like it wasn't a problem.

"Yes, but I--you..." he started to wave a finger from you to Loki before dropping it, "I don't want to see you go, that's all," he smiled sadly, "But your family would want to see you I'm sure."

"That's what we decided too," you motioned to Loki, and Thor gave his brother a curious look, "You guys are my friends...my family. But...that doesn't mean I belong here. My real family, like family family, is without me. I don't think I should leave them behind to go off with my friends, you know?"

Thor continued giving Loki the look, one you couldn't read. Loki must have been able to, because he was avoiding eye contact with Thor at all costs.

"Well..." Thor started, frowning at Loki a little longer before turning back to you, "We'll just have to make the most of your time here, won't we?"

"So earth it is?" you held your hands out, looking from one man to the other.

"Earth it is," Thor smiled.

The three of you made what preparations were needed, but really there wasn't much to do besides get to the bifrost. 

"Heimdall!" you jogged up the steps to hug him, "Sorry, I never really said hi after the battle. I be hugging a lot of people lately, it's really getting out of hand."

"Quite alright," he laughed.

"How've you been?" you asked as you backed away down the steps.

"Not bad for dying. You?"

"Same," you laughed.

"What about you?" he asked Loki.

"Like you even had to worry," Loki scoffed.

"Your friends are eager to see all of you."

"You've spoken with them?" you asked.

"Didn't need to."

"I'm eager for that beach. I mean houses by the shore??? Heeeeeeelll yes!" you said as you took your place.

"Enjoy," Heimdall laughed, lifting the sword into position.

The familiar sensation pulled you forward, the swirl of colors vanishing to reveal a bright sun and warm breeze. You were standing on sand, the sound of waves playing behind you. 

"Oh my gosh, this is beautiful," you gasped, seeing the tropical forest bordering one side. This was a private beach, it's own tucked away paradise. The trees stopped to make room for the little development of beach houses. They were adorable white, two-story homes with wrap-around porches, sitting areas to overlook the ocean, and steps leading right down to the sand.

"Vacation, baby!" you cheered, running up the beach, "Gah, I forgot how much I hate running in sand," you panted as you reached the steps of the first house. Thor and Loki weren't far behind, walking together.

"Hey guys, they're here!" you heard a voice call out.

You looked up to see Bucky standing on the porch one house over. He jogged down a different set of stairs that led to the concrete paths between houses rather than the sand.

"Hey!" you ran over, throwing your arms around him.

"How've you been, freak?"

"Fine, Cyborg, how bout you?"

"Someone thought it was funny to room me and Sam in the same house," Bucky sighed, "So you can imagine how that's going. Hey Thor," Bucky smiled at the god, "Loki," he nodded, the kind look still on his face even if the smile was more reserved than the one offered to Thor.

"Barnes," Loki nodded back.

"Hello Buck," Thor said, taking his arm in that warrior kind of handshake, "All healthy up there, right?" Thor tapped Bucky's forehead.

"Yeah," Bucky laughed, whacking his hand away, "I'm all me."

"Good," Loki said genuinely, pretending to look more stern than he was.

"You're looking alive," Bucky gestured to Loki's right side.

"Very observant."

"Hey guys!" Wanda hopped down the steps, wearing the most adorable sundress.

"How've you been?" you asked as you hugged her.

"Look around," she said like she'd won the jackpot, "Who wouldn't be good in a place like this?"

You had to try and hide the mouth drop you did when Wanda casually hugged Loki. If he was shocked at all, which you thought you saw a bit of, he did a fantastic job of hiding it. He smiled as he hugged her back, giving you a look over Wanda's shoulder as he caught your expression.

"I'm so glad you're ok," she said as she pulled back, "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," he chuckled, "Wren's been worrying enough for everyone."

"As she should," Wanda gave you an approving look before embracing Thor.

"I've texted the others, they'll be here soon," Cap said as he approached the group.

He hugged you, greeting Thor and Loki.

"I didn't know you'd learned to text?" you teased.

"He needed a bit of help, but I was here, so," Bucky shrugged like he was accepting praise.

"Yeah and who taught you?" you countered.

"Sam," Wanda answered before he could.

"I've texted before," he sighed like this was an argument he'd had many times already.

"You all have replacement phones already?" 

"Tony can't live a day without technology," Steve said.

"We get it, Gramps, kids these days with their nose in their phones, yadayada," you giggled.

"You are on yours all the time," Loki defended Steve.

"Am not."

"If you leave to use the bathroom, you'll come all the way back specifically to grab your phone first," Loki pressed.

"Ok, who doesn't do that? What're you supposed to do in the bathroom without the phone? Stare at the wall?" 

"How about get out so the next person waiting can get in?" Sam chimed, having come around the corner.

"The compound was huge! Don't complain cuz you were too lazy to walk to the other hundred possible bathrooms," you argued.

"Nice of you to stop by and ruin vacation," Sam smirked as he pulled you in for a hug. "How's it goin?" he nodded to Thor and Loki.

"Oh you know, can't complain," Thor grinned happily.

"Yes he can, a lot," you and Loki answered simultaneously.

"Shhhhh," Thor placed his palm over your whole face, "I'll be happy to have more company than these two."

"Look who it is! Oh my God you have no idea how much I've missed my duo," Yelena ran goofily through the sand, coming from somewhere down the beach. She pulled you and Loki both in for  hug, an arm around each of your necks.

"It's nice to see you too, Yelena," Thor pouted, though he was unable to maintain the facade as he smiled and hugged her next.

"Come on, we know who the most fun Avenger is," she gave him his compliment.

Nat and Bruce had followed Yelena, evidently not running ahead like her.

"Where're you guys coming from?" you asked as you hugged each, though being careful with Bruce. His arm was still in a sling.

"We were just---" Bruce started, but Yelena cut him off.

"Having a super romantic walk on the beach at sunset, making me be the third-wheel."

"No one made you third-wheel it," Nat smirked.

"I wanted to walk on the beach too, and you had to bring your boyfriend, so---"

"I remember you saying you were going to play tennis with Clint," Bruce smiled, both he and Nat knowing whatever truth was behind this story.

"That was....befoooore I remembered that I wanted to walk on the beach."

"Before you heard Bruce and I were going."

"What?" she gave an exaggerated gasp, "Natasha, really, I think we're a little old to think one of us would want to stalk the other on a date because we like bothering the future brother-in-law because we're protective of our sister and we get a kick out of it?"

"Did you ever tell Clint you cancelled?" Bruce asked.

"Was I supposed to?" 

"Yelena!" you laughed.

"Ok, don't look at me like that, people, he didn't think to ask if I'd cancelled until now, so he clearly didn't care enough to check," she held her hand out to Bruce, "And he's been his friend longer, so really what's the bigger issue here?"

"For the last time, don't eat the sand!" you heard Rocket's scolding voice, "Come on, get over here. Do you wanna see her or not?"

Groot had frolicked over to the sand, with Rocket calling from the walkway. The toddler looked over at the group Rocket was gesturing to, meeting your eyes. A smile broke on his face and he ran through the group to you.

"Hey buddy!" you crouched down for the hug.

"I am Groot."

"I missed you too."

"You can speak Groot now?" Loki asked.

"I can sometimes piece together what he's saying."

"I am Groot."

"Ok, I don't know that one?" you looked up to the gods for help.

"He asked why you were gone for so long," Thor answered.

"We've been through this," Rocket explained in a tone more patient than usual, "Bozo brain almost got himself killed."

"It's good to see you too, Rodent," Loki greeted.

"Come here, Rabbit," Thor smiled, pulling Rocket in for the hug.

"Nah nah, it's not necessary, I'm good," Rocket tried pulling away.

"I am Groot?" Groot walked to Loki.

"Yes," Loki smiled, "I'm fine."

"I am Groot."

Loki chuckled. "I missed you too."

Groot held his hands out for the hug, and Loki sighed, kneeling to oblige the little kid.

"Awwww," Sam mocked.

A flick of Loki's hand sent him falling off the path into the sand.

"Oh come on!" Sam yelled as everyone laughed, "Now it's in my shorts," he muttered, standing to brush himself off.

"Look Miek, he's alive!" Korg said as he, Drax, Miek, and Mantis came down the walkway, "Look guys, he's alive," he told the others, as if they couldn't hear it unless directly addressed to them.

"Your neck was disgusting," Drax said to Loki.

"So you and Wren love to say."

"Nah, I said your skin was crispy, not necessarily disgusting," you said as you hugged Korg and Miek.

"You'll never believe the things they have to do here," Korg told you, "And there's something called a snow cone that I highly recommend you try."

"I've got a lot of vacationing to catch up on," you agreed.

Everyone chatted with each other, waiting for the whole gang to arrive. You were catching up with Mantis when Quill and Gamora came in, followed shortly by Rhodey and Nebula.

"Oh my God, we haven't met!" you said excitedly, holding your hand out to Nebula.

Obviously now used to being around friendly people, she took it with only a mild look of "you're an idiot."

"I'm not sure if they told you about where I'm from?"

"They did."

"Cool, then you know why this is so awesome for me. I'm so glad you're ok, and I'm really sorry I didn't get here in time to stop you from getting kidnapped by your father and everything."

"If I hadn't been captured, I'd never have known when Maw went for the soul stone, so your help was not necessary."

"Oh true true....but I'm still sorry you had to go through that."

She lowered her eyes, and you searched for something to change the topic to. Thankfully, Rhodey did it for you.

"Should we bring this inside? Yelena will burn if her pale skin is out for too much longer."

"I can still kick your ass, burnt skin or not."

"Worry more about Loki. Looks like he hasn't sunbathed a day in his life," Sam huffed, taking the the lead between the houses.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want you melting," you whispered to him as you walked along side him. He stepped on your foot without breaking stride, smirking as you grunted.

Once through the houses, you could see that this really was a resort. A road came in, made a circle around an elaborate fountain, and then carried on down the line of houses. The main clubhouse was on the other side of the circle, and that's evidently where Sam was taking everyone. You entered into a large beautiful lobby, decorated and themed to match the location of this tropical paradise. The team gathered in a large sitting area. The room had a glass wall on one end, showing the grand patio and pool outside.

"Wow," you whispered, walking to the window to look at the stunning pool. On the other side of it was a bar, and small white lights were strung up everywhere. 

"I'm sorry I did not see the text until now," Vision's voice spoke, and you turned to see him floating in through the wall.

He spoke with Loki and Thor for a bit before making his way to you.

"I tried running," you said as you hugged him.

"I'm sorry?" he looked confused.

"The son of a bitch used another portal cuz his fat ass couldn't catch me."

"Oh," Vision laughed, "You mean with the stone, yes. Fat ass," he giggled some more like he found it really amusing, "That's a good one."

"It's weird seeing you without the stone though," you said, looking at the now bare forehead.

"Well, I've been really giving people a scare by doing this," he said, before a shimmer passed over him and the human face of Paul Bettany smirked down at you.

"That is so cool," you said, touching his cheek tentatively, "I'm not even gonna ask how that works."

"You probably wouldn't understand anyway."

"Guys, Vis is in human form, he's doing it again," Sam complained.

"I think it looks good," Yelena shrugged.

"It's like having a whole new person here, it's weird," Sam stated.

"You're just jealous that yet another member of the team is more attractive than you," you said.

Bucky laughed, while Sam glared at him.

"I think you look good however you are," Wanda said as she put an arm behind Vision's back and he placed his over her shoulder.

"Thank you, darling," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm gonna cry," you teased, though you weren't entirely joking. You couldn't believe you were witnessing this new ending. One where she didn't go on to live through unbearable pain and trauma.

"No tears on vacation," Tony called over, and you realized he was in the room, standing with Thor and Cap.

"Sure, just make me have to walk all the way over here," you said as you went to hug him.

"Attitude already? After what I brought for you?"

He stepped aside to let you look out the window that faced the road. A black car was there, with Happy struggling over all the bags he was pulling from the trunk. Next to the car, staring in awe of everything, were Peter and Ned.

"Yes!" was all you could say as you ran back through the lobby and out the front door.

"Hey!" you shouted as you came out the door.

"Oh my God, hi!" Peter smiled in surprise, "I--I didn't know you were back!"

"Guess Tony kept both of us a surprise, I didn't know you'd be here! And you too Ned??? How did you explain this to your family?"

"Vacation with the Parkers," he grinned, lifting his bag as he pointed to the back of the car. 

You saw a pair of hands trying to take some things from Happy, who was insisting he had it under control. If he was showing off, that meant the hands could only belong to one person.

"Hey sweetie!" Aunt May greeted happily as she hoisted a backpack over her shoulder. She'd treated you like Ned and Peter since day one, even though you'd had very limited time with her. She was just like that, always the kindest.

"He brought all of you! How are you???"

"Oh you know, trying to get over the fact that we've missed a month, but we're good. Right?" she smiled to the boys.

"Oh yeah totally," Ned said honestly, "Five years would have been bad, but with only a month gone it was kinda cool."

Peter cringed at Ned's choice of words, but you just laughed.

"How long are you guys here?"

"Uh, three weeks. Three weeks, right?" Peter turned to Happy.

"Yeah," he forced a smile, "Three long weeks."

"You don't have to carry those, Happy's got it," you motioned to the two bags Ned and Peter had.

"No no, I-I can take it," Peter told Happy, giving you a smirk to show he knew what you were up to.

Ned, on the other hand, dropped his bag promptly with a "Cool."

"I don't think he has room," May said, looking over the pack mule that was Happy.

"Nah, I got this," he assured her.

"Come on in!" you stepped aside, holding your hand out to the door, "Everyone's inside."

"Everyone?" Ned whispered in awe.

"Yup!"

He gave Peter a smile before the two walked nervously forward, Aunt May right behind. You looked down at Ned's bag, smiling as you raised your head to Happy. He was glaring, unamused by your manipulation of the situation.

"I hate you."

"I know," you nodded, bending down to carry the bag for him.

He smirked when he saw you were going to take it, eyes meeting yours with a little more kindness.

"I'll tell May you did it," you whispered, and his eyes were right back to annoyance as he stumbled up to the entrance. You giggled as you followed him in.

"Wreeeen!" young voices reached your ears as Lila and Cooper Barton ran across the room to embrace you.

"I think they remember you," Clint laughed.

"I didn't know you guys were here too!" you said as you hugged them back.

They proceeded to talk over each other as they told you all about flying here and the things they'd done since arriving.

"Ok, kiddos, why don't we go get your suits on to swim?" Laura asked, giving you a knowing look as she ushered them out the door.

"Hey, punk," Clint smiled as you hugged him.

"I heard Yelena stiffed you today."

"We just got over this," Yelena groaned, "I did not stiff him."

"Yes you did," Clint argued.

"I was sparing you a loss, how many times do I have to say it?"

"You guys play the game all wrong anyway," Rocket said.

"You've played tennis before?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"It's not called that, and it's played a 100% better."

"How do you play it, man?" Korg asked.

"With knives," Drax answered.

"Yes, exactly!" Rocket said.

"Is there a game with you that doesn't involve weapons?" Rhodey asked.

"Is there a game with you that does?" he countered, and Bruce made a face like that was a good point.

A sparkling portal opened, with Strange and Wong stepping through. Ned, who was closest to the action, dropped his water bottle as he launched back.

"It was one month," Stephen was saying.

"The two week mark was passed," Wong argued back.

"Nice of you to show up," Tony said, "Coulda portalled outside though? You made Ned spill his drink."

Strange looked at Ned like he was wondering what this child was doing here anyway.

"What two week mark was passed?" you asked.

"Apparently," Strange rolled his eyes, "He's now the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Oh, uh...congratulations," you smiled to Wong.

"Thank you."

"Uh oh, boys and girls, Professor Weird isn't in charge anymore," Tony smiled, loving Stephen's plight.

"It's only because I blipped for a month."

"Coulda been five years though," you said, "But it wasn't...and I remember someone holding out hope that everything could work out better, while someone else was all doom and gloom?"

"I didn't want you to be wrong," he grumbled.

"Ehhh, you were kinda hoping I was gonna be though."

"And have the world blip for five years?" he raised his brow at you, waiting for a logical response.

"I'm just messing with you, gosh. You were right, ok? I was being careless."

"Wren, you're never supposed to say the words 'you were right', his head doesn't need to get bigger," Tony complained.

"I found myself hoping you were wrong about some aspects," Strange gave Tony a look as everyone else began mingling with one another.

"But you told me to keep going, which saved him, so...thank you," you said to him alone.

He gave you a smile, "You were the one crazy enough to grab the gauntlet, kid."

"How long are you staying for?"

"Three weeks."

"That long?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd come at all."

"I'm not antisocial, kid."

"Stark begged him to do it for you," Wong interjected from behind Strange.

Stephen gave Wong a look over his shoulder, before slowly turning back.

"For me?"

"Yeah, he uh...he wanted you to have all of your characters here. Thor was updating them on how Loki's health was going, so he planned on having everyone come this week. The king with the cat obsession and Lang are coming tomorrow."

"Well thanks then...for coming. I'm glad you're here."

"We saved half the universe together, I think we deserve a vacation."

"As much as I love cloaky back there," you waved to his cape, which waved back, "Do you have to wear sorcerer garb to the beach or...?"

He shook his head with a smirk, changing his wardrobe with a twirl of his hand. He was now in casual summer clothes like everyone else.

You continued talking with those in the room, looking around to take it all in. Here they were. Well, most of them. Living and laughing together. All alive and celebrating their success. Loki was engaging with Peter and Steve, though you'd seen him talking with many others. Those who didn't know each other well were changing that, which essentially meant Strange had a lot of visitors. You noticed one person absent, and your face dropped in momentary fear.

"Hey, Nat, where's Zemo?"

"Oh he's uh...he's not much of a socializer. He's not in the group chat, so I don't think he knows you're here."

"Where can I find him?"

"You could try his house? Number 10."

"Thanks," you smiled, slipping out of the room.

You walked down the street, turning up the short driveway to house 10. Your knock was answered shortly, Zemo looking ready to have to put on a tolerant face. His eyes widened when he saw you, and he chuckled as he stepped out.

"Of course I find you by yourself, old man," you said as you hugged him.

"Group activities are a little...strange," he said as he stepped back to let you in.

"I get it." You looked around the adorable house as he led you to the living room.

"Are you thirsty at all? Or have the others taken care of you already?"

"Actually we've been so busy catching up. I'll take water if you don't mind?"

You walked with him to the kitchen, taking a seat at the table while he filled a glass for you.

"So...how's it been?"

"Living with the people I swore to destroy?" he gave you a knowing look, "You're practically bursting with the need to laugh at my situation."

"I would never," you said in an offended tone.

"Of course not," he played along, taking the seat opposite of you.

"Seriously though. How've you been? Both since the battle and at the compound?"

"I'm sure Loki filled you in."

"From his perspective, yeah. I wanna know how you're doing though."

He was silent for a moment as he stared into space.

"Like I'm being pulled in half."

You didn't speak, waiting for him to elaborate.

"All I could think about was what you tried to tell me. How you didn't have time for my bullshit."

"Hey, if you're gonna jump on the guilt train, we're already full. One small setback doesn't mean things would have gone differently. We won, and you're ok. We're all ok, so don't beat yourself up."

He smiled, nodding like he was trying to accept that it wasn't his fault but was finding it difficult.

"I keep thinking that the least I can do for you is give you what you want. All of your defense of the Avengers, all the stories I wouldn't allow to change my stance...I've now lived with them for a month, and I hate myself...because I still can't let go. I go through times where I know I can't blame them for what happened. They made a mistake, same as me. But then I look at them, and all I see is that day. Stark flying around. The footage of Captain America, the Hawkeye...all of them, standing in the ruins of the city. I wish I could grow to like them, as you'd want me to. As Loki has....but I--I'm sorry. I can't."

You let him sit quietly for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, you're not trying to kill them. And look what you accomplished with them? You don't have to love people in order to make things right. You lived through something horrific. To expect those memories to just disappear because you want them to is unrealistic. Who cares what I'd want. What I really want is for you to be ok. Living through torment by being around constant reminders of your loss isn't good for you. Don't do it because you think you have to or that I want it."

He smiled sadly, wiping an eye before a tear could get out. The thought of having to tough it out for you must have been killing him. A man torn in two. He still had a lot to overcome, and you'd just relieved him of one burden.

"What of the others?" he asked, "I doubt they'll let me walk away."

"You got a ride lined up?"

"Is that a serious question?" he smirked.

"Ok, genius, call them. I'll tell the others once you're gone."

"Wren, I can't---"

"It'll be fine, trust me."

He still looked uncomfortable with the plan, but he nodded. He pulled out his phone, tapping away.

"They'll be here in half an hour."

"Damn you really had that escape route planned."

"Always."

The two of you caught up for the next thirty minutes, enjoying what could be your last moments in person. Thankfully, no one stopped by. Either they were all still hanging out together, or Nat had kept them away for the two of you. When the time came, you and Zemo walked out to the beach, going down farther past unoccupied houses. A chopper landed up ahead.

"Zemo, I...I've decided to go back home, if I can."

He contemplated that for a moment, looking conflicted.

"Do the others know?" 

"Loki and Thor do."

"And what do they think?"

"It was Loki that encouraged me to."

He looked surprised, but hid it quickly.

"Everyone has a place where they belong. Me, for example, I do not belong with the Avengers. If you think your home is that place for you...then I wish you all that life has to offer, Wren Arlington."

You started tearing up, trying to hold it in.

"I know I thought the last time we split that that was the last time I would see you....but now, I..."

"Now we know," he smiled comfortingly.

You couldn't stop the tears now, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Wren. For everything."

"Thank you. For doing the right thing. And for giving me another friend."

He pulled back, revealing the tear on his cheek.

"Come now, crying over freedom from your captors?" you teased as he had once done to you, causing him to chuckle.

"I'll miss you, Wren."

"I'll miss you too."

"I'll try not to blow the chance you've given me."

"I know you will."

"Do me a favor?"

"Yeah, anything."

"Promise me you'll have an extraordinary life?"

"I already have," you smiled, wiping the tears from your cheeks, "I don't plan to stop now."

"Here," he said, opening his bag, "I'd get you a replacement, but security around here might be a little tighter after our last ruse."

He handed you his folded coat.

"Zemo, I can't! It's iconic, it belongs with you!"

"I'll get another one," he shrugged, "I had to give you something to take back."

"I promise I won't let this one get burned in a blitz."

He laughed, closing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Bye, Zemo," you said, able to control your crying. You didn't want your last moments with him to be nothing but tears.

"Goodbye, Wren."

You gave a little wave as he started off towards the helicopter.

"One more thing," he stopped and called back, "Loki. He isn't bad. I see why you love him."

By the way he said it, you knew he meant more than a friendly love. You smiled, flipping him off but not denying it.

And with that he was off. The last you saw of him, he was sitting in the same position as when you had first met him. He gave you one last smile, before closing the door.

***

Surprisingly, the others weren't upset by the news. They seemed content, fine with you letting him go. The sun had officially set by the time you were back, so everyone joined the Barton kids in their nighttime swim. The pool lights made it a must do after all. Chicken fights broke out, turning aggressive and competitive, as all things did. When that was finished, Tony had a fire started, everyone sitting in a large circle around the pit. Smores were provided, with Korg nearly sending a burning marshmallow into Rocket's fur. 

As you looked around at the smiling faces, you thought about how hard it was to leave them. But at least this is what you were leaving behind. You smiled to yourself, pushing the future away. For now, you'd enjoy this time.

More notes: Ok, there was a LONG list of people to have to keep track of, so if I missed anyone in this chapter that should be there too, I'm sorry and let me know! Valkyrie will come in later. 

 

 

Chapter 53: (Chapter 52): Love is Mischief

Notes:

Sorrryyy!!! I didn't write anything the first week after the last chapter cuz I was both sick and had a funeral/viewing that week for my mom's best friend. Then this past week I had camp and got sick again (what the hell's up with that?). So here I am, over two weeks late, but finally have it out!
Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the wait! Also, I did all of this on my phone, so help me out if autocorrect was a bitch!

The first week blew by too quickly. There was so much to do, including just relaxing, that the time flew. Even though everyone would split by themselves or with small groups throughout the day, everyone always got together in the evening. Cookouts and parties by the pool were a common occurrence. Beach trips together had happened on quite a few occasions as well.

Seeing as it was both summer and vacation, Loki couldn't wear his usual Asgardian attire. Surprisingly, you didn't have to tell him. He dressed in midgardian clothes. The first time he walked in with a white v-neck and navy blue shorts you just about died of shock.

"I don't think I've ever seen you wear something that isn't green or black," you'd gasped.

"Thor wears colors different than his usual clothes back home. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because on the rare occasion you have, I've only ever seen black and green."

"What, the two times you've seen?"

"Still, you were two for two. That's a 100%."

"Fantastic math, Darling."

"I just didn't know you wore other colors."

"I know this will be impossibly hard for you to hear, but we aren't just comic book characters. There are no set colors and costumes we have to abide by. Normal people wear different colors."

"Did you just say you were normal???"

"Don't change the subject when I'm winning."

"Winning what? It's not like I'm fighting your color change, it looks good."

And so he'd continued wearing a wide set of clothes. You knew it had caught the others off guard too. Perhaps not for the small detail of color, but simply for the fact that seeing Loki look like he was ready to recline on a beach with a drink in his hand (the ones with those little umbrellas obviously) was something none of them could ever have thought they'd see one day.

He'd never once backed out of hanging with people. In fact, he joined everything, partaking in festivities and life like it was the most natural thing to do. The month without you had really brought him to a new place, one where he had fully embraced Avenger life. Fully embraced life, actually. Just living. No more fighting his instinctual fall back of pretending he wanted to be alone.

The team must have fully accepted him while you were gone too, for they carried on with him like he'd always been a friend. No tension, no hostilities. No more "yeah we like him now, but he could still be buttering us up for a backstabbing."

Life was good.

The houses, though able to sleep six in a pinch, had been divided amongst the team to accomodate two or three members each.

Tony and Pep had #1. Steve and Rhodey, #2. Bucky and Sam, #3. Nat, Bruce, and Yelena, #4. Vision and Wanda, #5. Clint and his family, #6. Nebula, Gamora and Mantis, #7. Rocket, Groot, and Quill, #8. Korg, Drax, and Miek, #9. Zemo had been #10.

Now, you, Thor and Loki had 10. The Parkers and Ned had 11. Wong and Strange had 12. T'Challa, Shuri, and Okoye had 13. Scott and Hope had 14, and Carol, who'd come later in the week, took 15 for herself.

Activities so far had included lots of beach time, tennis, group volleyball matches, boat rides, snorkeling, and countless other things.

The boat ride had been one of the highlights. Tony had a yacht, obviously, which was beautiful and amazing as is. But you'd begged Sam and Bucky to do the Titanic Jack and Rose pose at the front of the ship. Though they'd denied profusely, you and the rest of the team were able to guilt trip them into doing it by using the "I'm leaving this world for good soon, and I won't even have a picture of us fooling around." With that, they'd finally agreed to pose for one picture.

As promised, Loki was gifted a phone to make some memories on, which you helped him with. Not that that was necessary, for Tony had everything photographed. Both officially and otherwise. He'd caught hilarious action shots without the knowledge of many.

Stories had been passed between the team, so you were officially brought up to date on what everyone had been doing while you were dead. Rocket and Thor had danced around some detail in their story, that was obvious. You dug the answer out of Thor later, learning of Rocket's little side mission and how they ran into younger you.

Despite how the battle and Thanos' defeat had been a frequent topic of discussion the first day or two, something had never occurred to you until the night of your eighth day back.

The group had had a fire again, with people leaving at their own leisure. Sam, who'd just dried off and changed from an evening swim before dinner and the campfire, was one of the small group left. The others were Yelena, Peter, Loki, Shuri, T'Challa, Rocket, Ned, Steve, Bucky, and yourself. Besides Steve and T'Challa, everyone else was either aware of the prank about to ensue or were a part of it.

Just as Sam, Bucky, and Steve stood up to go, Redwing flew in. He started shooting small taser blasts towards Sam, missing just at his feet, but doing the intended job. It chased him right into a nice tumble in the pool.

"Who touched Redwing???" Sam demanded as he splashed his way through the surface.

"Touched him???" you said through laughter.

"Told you I always liked that little guy," Bucky smiled.

"You hate Redwing! I know it's you," Sam said threateningly as he staggered up the pool steps.

"Yeah, I reprogrammed a flying robot," Bucky said, unfazed.

"You're right, you don't know how to work a microwave," Sam begrudgingly agreed, looking around the group of still chuckling culprits. His eyes fell on Peter, who widened his.

"What?" Peter said, his entire stance giving himself away.

"It was Wren and Mr. Loki's idea, Shuri and Rocket helped reprogram it, Yelena helped capture it, and Mr. Barnes knew, so it wasn't Peter's fault Mr. Falcon sir!" Ned said quickly, "We only kinda sorta helped. Maybe we thought up the idea to get you wet again, but that was just a small thing!"

"Why am I never shocked to hear you're involved?" T'Challa looked over at Shuri.

"We'd have come to you too, brother, if we didn't think you'd be the stick in the mud who'd turn us in."

"I can keep a secret."

"You'd have told us not to do it."

"Suggested, Shuri. Only suggested."

"Thanks," Sam said sarcastically to the king.

"I suggested using live rounds," you said casually, "But I was overruled, so taser shots is what we got."

"You look really nice and dry, Wren," Sam started moving forward.

"Rocket, cover please!" you shouted as you started weaving your way through the chairs to the gate exit.

Rocket laughed maniacally at having been given permission, and you heard Redwing fly in again.

"No, noooo!" Sam started warning, but the little zaps that sounded behind you indicated Rocket wasn't listening.

You got back to the house, finding it empty. Thor was probably out with Jane, who had been brought in that morning and was going to stay with you and the brothers. You tossed your phone on the couch as you walked through to the kitchen, heading to grab a snack from the pantry.

You had the popcorn ready to go and drinks on the end tables just as the front door opened.

"Cutting it close," you called out.

"You wouldn't start without me."

"Who's to say I haven't watched the whole thing before without you while you're not here?"

Loki flopped down on the couch, grabbing his bowl.

"You have seen the whole thing before."

"Exactly, so it's not like I'd be watching ahead without you, like it wouldn't be rude. I already know it all."

"Shut up," he hushed you as he hit play.

The third episode started.

"Don't skip it," you said.

"I wouldn't," he said as he let the theme song for Stranger Things fill the room.

The bowl of popcorn sat on the cushion between the two of you as you watched the show.

"This is that Weird Stuff show?" Thor asked as he and Jane came in the back door.

"Stranger Things," Jane corrected him.

"Oh, do you watch it? We can watch with them if you'd like?" Thor said, eager to make sure he wasn't keeping her from the show.

"No I haven't yet, it's just blown up in the few days it's been out. We'll watch it together."

"Shhhh," you and Loki shushed.

"Just like they're doing," Jane whispered, motioning Thor out of the room.

"Yeah sorry, we'll give you your privacy...you know, in case the two of you wanted to do anything private...whatever that may be," Thor said obnoxiously, making Jane giggle as he followed her out of the room, smiling at the glare you and Loki gave.

As far as your feelings for Loki were concerned, you'd reached a good place of acceptance. That's not to say you didn't think of it, or wonder whether he liked you, or start analyzing the things he said or did. All stuff you'd done in the past when the team or your instincts had gotten to you. The only difference now was that you were admitting you liked him, which made it worse. You were now searching for the outcome you wanted. However, the decision you'd come to on Asgard was your main motivation. Thinking back to it, and your reason for keeping down your emotions, helped focus your determination. Therefore, it wasn't as hard as you thought it would be to continue on with him. You were going to enjoy your time normally with him, both for yourself and for Loki.

"Nah I think I might fall asleep," you said, seeing it was almost 2AM.

Loki paused the next episode, which he'd let start by itself.

"Then fall asleep," he said, hitting play again.

"Hey!" you hit his arm, a little wrestle for the remote breaking out.

"It's just sad, stop," Loki said in mockery, as you reached pathetically over him for the remote, which he was holding away with his long arm. His other hand was keeping you back with a firm grip on your shoulder.

"No watching without me, that's the rule!"

"Is it though?"

"It's been the rule for me with you."

"Yes, but as you so kindly brought up earlier, you've seen it all already, so it wouldn't be rude for you to watch without me. So I decided you were right, and it isn't rude for me to watch without you."

"Nah nah nah, funny, Loki, really hilarious. You watch the next episode, I spoil the ending and the next two seasons."

His eyes narrowed as he brought his arm in to hand you the remote.

"Thank you," you said victoriously, grabbing it from his hand and shutting off the TV.

"It's not right to leave me on that cliffhanger," he whined.

"I've had to wait two years for season 4. I was this close," you showed an inch of space with your fingers, as you walked up to place the remote on the TV stand, "It was probably coming out some time in 2022, and then I jumped back six years. So I think, and this is just a thought, but I think you can wait til tomorrow night."

"Look at the bright side. Season 4 will feel closer once you've been seven years away from it."

"I'ma borrow a quantum suit when I go back, use it to jump forward and watch the season."

"Yes, risking the timeline for a show is something you'd do."

"The timeline is already slightly messed up in alternate versions, especially the ones you guys visited. Like, when Cap returns the stones I wanna ask him---" you stopped mid sentence.

"Did you not know?" Loki asked, reading your look.

"No no no, wait wait he couldn't have already...he was supposed to..." your eyes stared widely into space as your mind rapid fired.

"Where're you going??" Loki stood as you made for the back door.

"Just stay here, I've gotta---I'll be right back!" you said, letting the storm door swing shut behind you.

The path along the back of the houses was darker than the front, with only the back porch lights of the houses to light the way. From the vast black void to your left came the sound of waves, a beautifully terrifying sound in the dark. It was always weird to look out and know there's nothing but miles and miles of ocean, which seemed more powerful at night.

The summer air and nighttime ocean breeze was perfect, but you hardly noticed as you walked frantically towards house #2.

You jogged up the wooden steps to their porch, hesitating at the door. You didn't want to wake Rhodey, but you needed to talk to Cap...If he was even back, which you were pretty sure he would be at this hour. The complex had seemed to quiet down.

Reaching out, you tested the handle. It was unlocked.

"Screw it," you whispered, pulling the first door open and pushing in the second.

If you hadn't known which room was Cap's, you wouldn't have entered. But it was something you'd learned this week by chance, so you tiptoed quietly up the stairs.

You knocked softly, hoping a supersoldier had refined hearing. Rolling your eyes, you knocked a little louder, looking worriedly down the hall at Rhodey's door.

Thankfully, you heard footsteps approaching the door.

"Wren?" Cap looked confused and slightly concerned, glancing past you to see if anyone else was with you.

"We need to talk," you whispered.

Cap looked at you a for a few seconds before nodding, evidently understanding that whatever it was was urgent for you. He walked back to his dresser, grabbing a shirt to throw on as he walked out his door.

"Let's go downstairs," he whispered, taking the lead towards the staircase.

"What's goin on?" he asked as he leaned back against a counter, arms folded.

"You returned the stones."

"Yeah," he said, seeming to not understand whether it was a question or a statement.

"But you're still here."

His eyes narrowed as his confusion grew.

"Yeah I made it back in one piece. Missions were weird, as usual, but went by pretty---"

"No I mean, you're still here! Like here here, this timeline!"

It was his turn to confuse you, for his expression turned to realization.

"Wait, you know what I'm talking about?" you asked.

"I guess I have the same idea in your world."

"Why didn't you go???"

"Because of you," he said after a few seconds contemplation.

"What, what did I do?"

"Nothing," he assured you, walking a few steps from the counter, "But I brought extra particles, just in case. It was a last second idea, one I just thought of the night before. Bucky knew. I was close to going through with it. Then, I realized that you might know if I do that, if it works. And too many problems happened already, I wanted to talk with you first."

"First?" you said worriedly, pacing back and forth and holding your forehead, "You're back, Cap, you didn't go! I'd have wanted you to go! You should have gone."

"I still can."

You paused and looked at him.

"What?"

"I still have the extra particles...and Bruce may have kept the new quantum tunnel. For one last trip."

"So go!" you said happily, walking up to him.

"It works? I mean, how does it work? So much is changed."

"Question of the century isn't that?" you smiled, "I guess there was a timeline where you were her husband. Because I'm pretty sure it's confirmed that her husband here wasn't you. Who knows how much that changed in that world, but obviously it turned out fine."

"I know her husband," he said, "Not personally, but I know who it was. It wasn't me."

"Yeah good that's what I thought. Cuz kissing your own niece woulda been weird."

"Sharon and I kiss?" he asked in surprise, suddenly looking embarrassed and curious all at once.

"Yeah, you guys kinda reconnect a bit at Peggy's funeral," you said gently, knowing her funeral, which had happened earlier in the year, was a hard day for him, "And then she helps you out in Civil War."

"Right," he nodded, still looking like he was questioning so many things.

"Hey, she's hot too, and pretty badass. I didn't have a problem with the kiss, or her...yet."

"Thanks for the permission," he teased.

"Why did you wait so long to talk to me? I've been here a whole week."

"Time is literally not an issue," he smiled, "Besides, I wanted you to enjoy your weeks here. You earned them."

"Thanks, but Cap I'm happy when I see you guys happy. Your life is ahead of you, a life with her."

He stared into space for a moment, sighing as he looked back at you.

"You know I get it," he said, "How hard this is for you. Choosing which world to stay in."

Your eyes saddened, as your smile faded. You'd told the team you'd try to go back if a way could be found, something Tony and Bruce has already started discussing before even hearing your decision. But you now realized how much your indecisiveness had shown through, because Cap had picked up on how torn you were.

"It really sucks," you nodded.

"Doesn't seem right, choosing one family over another. The thought of seeing her again...of having a life with her...it seems like a no-brainer. But then you look at the other side. The friends in this new life I was thrown into."

"You're preaching to the choir," you said, not having realized how similar your situation was to Cap. He had a new family, new friends. But his home was the forties. To him, he'd only been here for four years. Pair that against the twenty plus years of life before this? It was like how you had a whole life and family back home...and how nine months of a new family sometimes didn't seem enough to cast away the old one. Yet at the same time, it did. At least, it felt just as painful choosing one over the other.

"But Peggy she's...she's my girl," he smiled to himself, a sad reminiscent look in his eyes.

"Which almost makes the decision for you," you nodded, "All the family and friends in the world pale in comparison to finding the one. And they'd all want it for you anyway."

"Sometimes wish I could have both."

"Maybe....maybe you can?" you said, brow furrowed as an idea came to you.

***

"Before you say anything," you spoke to Strange, who had that look on his face, "He's supposed to do it. This isn't something we change. So spare us the long list of rules I'm sure you'll say we're breaking."

The group had been summoned together three days after your talk with Cap. Even Fury was there. Valkyrie had popped in, so she was there too. She was currently staying with Carol.

If the news Steve announced to them was hard to believe, the quantum tunnel stage set on the beach in front of them certainly supported his statement.

"Wow, uh...I guess I understand quotations around his death now," Tony said.

You nodded, looking around the group. Many didn't seem to know what to say.

"I'm happy for you," Sam said, stepping to Steve, "Really, I am. Go get her."

Steve took the handshake, pulling Sam in for a hug. That seemed the queue for everyone to make their way to him to say goodbye.

"You know um..." Tony started, trying to keep his nonchalant face on, but not hiding how sad he was, "You really were as bad as I thought you'd be. Worse even. The real kind of guy my dad would rave about."

Steve chuckled. "Thank you, Tony."

They shook hands, and at first you thought that was all. But finally Tony rolled his eyes and threw his arms around Steve.

"Gonna miss you, buddy," Tony said.

"I'll miss you too. Keep them in line," Steve said as Tony pulled back.

"Oh is that official word from you that I'm in charge? Even though I paid for everything, gave you bed and breakfast, supplied the costumes and gadgets..."

"You are the leader, always were," Steve said seriously, "This family's nothing without the heart."

Tony smiled, nodding as he backed into line with the others.

You and Buck said goodbye to him last. The two friends spoke quietly enough that you couldn't hear what they were saying, and you were sure why. It was the same reason you kept your voice down as you hugged him.

"If this is the last time I see you," you said, light tears in your eyes, "Thank you for being amazing."

"Thank you for this," Steve gave the large group a glance, "Keeping our family together. Take care of yourself."

"You too. And no matter what happens, I'm happy for you. Enjoy some of that life Tony's always telling you to get."

Steve smiled, walking to the steps and taking his place at the center of the circle.

"Don't do anything stupid til I get back," Cap called over to you and Buck.

"You wanna do the honors?" Buck smirked.

"Nah, it's more iconic if you say it."

"How can we? You're taking all the stupid with you," Bucky answered.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" Loki stepped beside you, whispering in your ear. He seemed to think something was up.

Steve gave one last smile to the group, who waved or, if you're Tony, thew some comment back. With a nod, Bruce started flipping switches.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you smiled.

"Three, two, one," Banner counted down, Steve disappearing through time.

Everyone stood for a few seconds, silently staring at the void. You, however, were staring for an entirely different purpose. You and Buck met Bruce's eyes as he reached for the control. Just as people began to turn away, he pressed it. The whirring sound started up, two figures appearing.

"What the hell?" Sam said, everyone slowly stepping towards the platform. The quantum suits retracted, revealing Steve and Peggy.

"I was going to say why don't we just bring her back here!" Yelena said like that won her bonus points.

"You thought of something and it didn't come out your mouth?" Rocket asked in disbelief.

"I didn't want to make his choice harder if he really wanted to be in the forties, ok?"

"Hello," Peggy smiled sheepishly, "I'm sure this is a bit of a shock."

"Shock? No, no who said it was a shock?" Tony said sarcastically.

"You must be Howard's son," Peggy stated.

Tony gave her a look at that, but didn't deny it.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Rhodey asked.

"Cuz the old man wanted to squeeze a sappy goodbye outa me," Tony said, "Enjoy it, Cap, it's the last nice thing you'll hear me say to you."

"I wasn't sure if Peggy would want to come back with me."

"It took some time to come to terms with his story, and to get my affairs in order, but I came around," she smiled at Steve.

"How much time?" Nat asked.

"Three months. Wait, no, almost four," she corrected herself.

"Once again, I don't wanna hear it," you said, seeing Strange's face.

"At this point there isn't much you could do anymore that wouldn't be a violation of every natural law, so I'm used to it, kid. I was gonna say, welcome to 2016, Ms. Carter," Strange stepped forward, holding his hand out to her. She walked down the steps with Cap, shaking Strange's hand.

"Dr. Stephen Strange," he introduced himself.

"The sorcerer," she nodded, "Can't believe I'm saying that word, but your field sounds fascinating."

"I see Captain Rogers has filled you in," Fury stepped forward.

"He did," she said, giving Fury the same professional inspection look that he was giving her, "Director Fury?"

"Last I checked."

"From what I hear, you've quite botched my program."

"We're still kicking, in more ways than we let our enemies know."

"Well, I look forward to helping you restore Shield to its highest potential," she said with a smirk, holding out her hand.

"Welcome aboard, Agent Carter," Fury shook it.

"If she founded Shield, doesn't that rank her above you?" you asked.

"And I'm still above you," Fury threatened.

"Technically I'm not even an Avenger, and even the Avengers don't work for you anymore, so are you really?"

"Please kid, you're an Avenger," Tony scoffed, turning to lead the way back inside.

Everyone followed, lots of people introducing themselves to Peggy.

"I'm made of rocks, as you can see," you heard Korg saying.

But you were momentarily frozen in thought by Tony's words, taking a slow step after the rest of the group.

"What, didn't think you were part of the team?" Loki nudged your side.

"The team as in the group yeah, but like...I don't know, the team as in an Avenger? Like...what the hell," you breathed in disbelief, "I thought I'd run out of things that would shatter my head, but somehow hearing the words that you're an Avenger takes the cake."

"Well, as a fellow new Avenger, I say we both need a drink to celebrate our promotion," he held out his arm.

"Starting to sound like Thor, using every excuse for a drink," you giggled, taking his arm as he led you down the beach.

"When the occasion calls for it."

"What a thing to check off that bucket list," you smirked after a minute of walking, "Become an Avenger."

"I don't see how it's a shock. After all, your insufferable arrogance and bravery told me all I needed to know about you. You are an Avenger."

You smiled at his words, knowing he was paralleling what he'd said the first time you'd met.

"I stand by what I said then too. The Avengers are the arrogant ones??"

Loki laughed, the two of you reaching the walkway and taking it towards the lodge with the rest.

***

The end of the three weeks, and end of July, was nearly here. Loki had gone out with Nat, Clint, Yelena, Danvers, Okoye, Bucky, and Rhodes. Where to you didn't know, but you didn't need to know. He did his own thing with others more now, which made you happy.

You were by the pool with Vis, Drax, Wanda, Mantis, and Pep.

"Hey guys," Wanda greeted Steve and Peggy as they came in the pool yard.

"Drax and I are playing 'Hold Your Breath Til You Feel You Are Drowning'," Mantis said from the pool, with Drax under the water, "Want to play with us?"

"Um, that's quite alright," Peggy declined politely, "I'm afraid I'm not feeling a swim. Have fun though!"

Mantis went back to watching Drax underneath, who had started spewing bubbles that were floating to the top.

"Tony told me to send you his way," Steve said, "He's in the lodge, top floor."

"He say what for?"

"No, which is either a good surprise or you're in trouble."

"I think with her we can safely assume the latter," Vis joked.

"Yeah I don't know what I did," you groaned, standing from your pool chair and throwing your dress on over your bathing suit.

"He's a Stark, we know how to handle them," Peggy encouraged, giving you a smirk.

"It's certainly a skill," Pepper agreed.

"I'll be fine. Might wanna check on Drax though, I think he's really drowning," you said, having seen the bubbles stop.

You walked out of the gate as the others tried calling Drax. You heard the splash of someone going in after him, but couldn't stick around long enough to see the rest.

You entered the lodge, taking the elevator to the top floor, which was only three floors up. It was evidently a party room, much like Tony's, but now had been turned into a workspace for the boys.

"What's going on here?" you asked as you looked at the tables of machinery and notes and data in the air.

"Good, Cappy found you," Tony clapped his hands together, walking around one of the tables.

"Whatever I did, it was Peter."

"If you hacked Pigeon's flying toy and had it chase him into a pool without repercussions, there's really not a lot I can or will punish you for."

"So whaddya want?" you said after breathing a sigh of relief.

"We've been working on something," Tony said, glancing to Bruce, "And we've got some good news for ya."

"We think we found you a way home," Bruce said.

The news was intended to be happy, but you couldn't prevent the stomach drop you felt.

"Really?" you said, pretending to be normal.

"It's a working progress, but we're pretty sure we've got it," Tony bragged.

"All we need is a quick test from you," Bruce said, pointing to the big ring standing in the room.

"That's gonna be it? The portal I mean."

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" Tony asked, rubbing his hand along the side of the tall metal structure.

"How does it work?"

"Well, you know how we think you came here because of the link between your alternate self?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, but that's cuz whatever they did to her enhanced her mind as she screamed out in pain," you scoffed, "There's no version of me back home reaching out for help with advanced serum coursing through her veins."

"See that's the thing, the experiments and the pain she was under caused the freak connection, a sporadic link between the two of you. But what that showed for us was how all we need is a connection," Bruce explained.

"Meaning it doesn't have to be through torturous or mad scientist serum methods," Tony chimed, "All we need is the link, which we amplify using this baby." He tapped the machine.

"What link though? I'm here and there's no me over there."

"You're the link!" Bruce said, "You, your connection to that world. You know it's real, we just need you to focus on it."

"But you all know it's real. Does that mean anyone can now hop dimensions? Heck you now have proof of the multiverse!"

"In time, hypothetical multiversal travel could pan out," Tony said, "But it'd be risky without a destination and nearly a thousand times harder without a preexisting connection."

"So just cuz you know it exists, doesn't mean you have the connection to get there?"

"Exactly," Bruce nodded, "But you have memories. Emotions tied to that universe, people you know and love. We think if you reach out hard enough, we can amplify the gateway."

"And that thing will do the amplifying?" you pointed to the machine.

"That's what I built her for," Tony said, "And I'm usually not wrong."

You opened your mouth to speak but he cut you off.

"Say Ultron and I turn this thing on and toss you in."

"So how do we test it? You wanna open a portal right here?" you said like it was a possible danger.

"What we want is to see if it can start opening, if the machine can enhance it enough," Bruce said, "I won't engage the stabilizers, so she won't stay open. We just want to see if it's possible."

You nodded, looking back up at the circle.

"So how do we do this?"

"You are gonna stand right here," Tony positioned you five feet or so in front of the ring, "Just stay right there, and when we tell you to, say 'There's no place like home' and tap your heels together."

You gave him a look as Bruce moved into position.

"Just think of home, concentrate on visualizing it, on feeling it," Bruce said more helpfully than Tony.

"Got it," you nodded once, taking a deep breath.

"Here," Tony said, strapping a harness around your waste and attaching the end firmly to a pulley system on the table.

"What???"

"Just a precaution. In case, ya know, it misbehaves."

"Ready?" Bruce asked.

You gaped at both of them, shaking your head at the craziness of it. Hesitantly, you nodded again.

"Ok, wait for my signal."

He tapped away at the controls, and, soon, panels on the ring started expanding off, hovering like Tony's nanotech. Probably because it was Tony's nanotech. The panels formed their own arc over you, a blue light seeming to scan you.

"Ok, now," Bruce said.

You closed your eyes, picturing your house. That little one-floor small family home you had. The one you'd grown up in. The one your parents now rented to you for super cheap, as they'd moved to a smaller apartment. The house you had so many memories in. You and your sister, Amy, playing in the backyard. The old wooden fence that lined the border. That stupid door that hadn't opened properly in a year. All of the family barbecues. The nights you and Amy slept out in your little tent, telling scary stories until the late night. Your old high school friend group having gone to see Endgame together, and coming back to that cake your mom was famous for. You thought of them. Your parents, your sister, your friends.

"It's working," Bruce said, and you opened your eyes.

A swirling portal, the same shade of blue as the one in your backyard, was starting to form. It was small, maybe a foot or two across, but it was growing. It eventually filled the six feet of space, before Bruce shut it down.

"So..." you said, breathing a little heavier, "It'll stay open long enough?"

"If I had stabilized it, you would have had all the time you needed. It requires a lot of energy though, so I didn't want to drain the system. It'll stay open until you go through," Bruce said.

You nodded, lost in your own thoughts.

"We did it," Tony high-fived Bruce.

"You did it," you repeated.

Thinking of home had made you miss it, but at the same time now your departure seemed too real, too soon.

"You good kid?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, no I'm good. I just can't believe it. It's been...a long time. Feels longer than it has been."

"I'm sure they're dying to see you," Tony patted you on the back, heading for the door, "Just as we're dying to get rid of you."

He left, but Bruce stayed, staring at you with the look of a scientist breaking down a problem.

"You sure this is what you want?" Bruce asked.

"What if I said the answer was yes and no?"

"I'd say I wouldn't want to be in your shoes," Bruce smiled understandingly.

"So...when do I go?"

"Whenever you want."

You looked down at the ground.

"I want to say goodbye when everyone is here for me to say it to," you said, "Seeing you all together would be the way I'd want my last glimpse of this world to be."

You looked up to find Bruce's sad but supportive look.

"Sounds like a great last glimpse."

"It will be."

He nodded, giving you a small smile.

"People start heading out on Saturday."

"So Friday night?" you asked, your voice faltering a bit.

"Friday night."

"I'll uh... I'll tell the others tonight I guess? Don't tell anyone please?"

"Let's just hope Tony doesn't let it slip."

"Thank you, Bruce," you smiled, "For doing this for me."

"The least we could do," he waved off the thanks.

"I'll uh, I'll see you at dinner," you turned away.

"See ya," you heard him reply.

You got in the elevator and leaned back against the wall, taking in a sharp breath. Your eyes were starting to water, so you rubbed them, grumbling in irritation.

Friday night, you thought, trying to test if you could think it without crying.

You managed to not tear up, telling yourself you had this under control.

Friday night.

That was only two days away.

***

Thursday evening you were sitting in the living room of your house. There were so many things you wanted to do before you left. You felt like you should be out hanging with anyone and everyone you could. But the weight of how much time you wanted to spend with everyone only brought the truth that it was going to be over soon. And you didn't want to face that. Somehow, sitting in this room ignoring your problems felt safe. You knew it was stupid. But you were afraid, in moments like this, that your emotions would result in tears if you ran out to find someone.

They'd all been treating you differently as was. Like they were avoiding you all day. Whispering around you. Whether it was their own way of coping or they didn't know how to act normal was anyone's guess. You understood. It's why you hid in here. It was hard to not treat every interaction and moment as if it was the last, which just made things harder.

Still, no one had come to find you. You knew it was a stupid thing to think, but you couldn't keep from jumping to it now and again.

Stop waiting for someone to drag you from your gloom. You have to do it yourself.

Still, you sat.

The door opening perked you up, and you quickly made it look like you were searching through Netflix.

"Why are you in here?" Thor asked.

"Oh, just relaxing you know? That game of manhunt last night was intense."

"Yes it was, a great victory."

"We did do a pretty good job wiping the floor with them, didn't we?"

"Of course," Thor laughed, sitting next to you, "But what's the real reason?"

You stared back into those eyes that could be so wise sometimes.

"I wanna be out there...with you guys, making the most of my time here, but..."

"But if you do that, you're admitting to yourself that you have time to waste."

"Yeah," you said sadly, "And I guess everyone else is feeling the same, cuz they've been weird today. Like they're trying not to say things around me."

"They're not avoiding you, I promise," Thor insisted.

"I know not intentionally, like if anything I'm avoiding them right now. But still, I guess the pathetic side of me wanted someone to drag me out of here."

"Allow me then," Thor stood, holding out his hand.

You smiled, taking it as you got up.

"Where to?" you asked.

"I heard dinner's almost ready. Cap asked me to get Tony, but I wanted to check on you first."

"Thanks," you smiled, squeezing his hand.

"Care to join me as we force Stark from his toys?"

"I'd be honored."

You and Thor made your way across to the lodge, hopping in the elevator. You hadn't seen anyone on the way over, which wasn't inherently strange. But dinner was soon, according to Thor, so people should have been heading over to the lodge. In fact, you hadn't heard any voices on the first floor at all.

When the doors opened, you realized why.

"Surprise!" Korg yelled, "Oh, are we not saying that? Ok, yeah, good to know."

You stared in shock for a bit, before the smile broke out.

"I hate you all," you laughed stepping out with Thor.

The room had been cleared of Tony and Banner's junk, now set up for the party it was meant for. The room was decked out in blue and gold, with tables of food, colorful lights, music clearly from your playlist, and everyone, all of your heroes, smiling at you.

"So glad you feel that way after I brought strawberries fresh from Asgard," Brunnhilde said, gesturing to the large bowl on one of the tables.

"Guys you... you didn't have to do this, you shouldn't have."

"Wren, after everything you accomplished, a party is not only warranted, it's a guarantee. You think we were gonna let you go without a going-away/thank you party?" Tony asked.

"Is that why you've all been so weird today?"

"Weird?" Sam looked around the room, "Who was weird?"

He was met with unanimous feigned denial.

"Y'all suck at planning a secret."

"I told them to keep it from the..." Carol said, eyeing a few people, "...General public, but they insisted on having everyone in on it."

"Were you surprised?" Rocket asked you, noting Carol had looked at him during her statement.

"Yes," you chuckled.

"Great, then mission accomplished!" he looked hard at Danvers.

"We gonna sit around looking at the party, or are we gonna enjoy it?" Thor asked, heading over to the bar.

"I vote enjoy," you said, scurrying like an idiot to join him.

And so the party began. You talked with everyone, played games, danced, ate way too much food, and had some of the most delicious cake. Tony had had it made by some insane bakery, so it was one of those large artsy cakes you wanted to look at rather than eat. It was a huge display, with every hero on it. There was even an edible figure of you. It was still weird seeing you up there with the Avengers, but hey you tasted good so it didn't matter.

"It's not that funny," Loki insisted, though you were laughing pretty hard.

The cake had been cut at the base, leaving the displays and figures. However, you were now biting the heads off of them and placing them back. You were doing it one at a time, waiting in between to make sure you weren't caught and cracking yourself up with every success.

"Hand me Thor," you giggled.

Loki rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, unable to hold the smile as you chomped off the head. You nearly choked on the cake as you put the headless Thor back up.

"I'll admit, that does look better," Loki said, grabbing Sam's to do the same.

"We're genius," you continued nearly inhaling the cake as you laughed.

Tony started walking over, so the two of you hurried away.

"Very funny guys, I spent money on this ya know. This is disrespect at its finest," Tony called out, drawing attention to the improved cake.

"They missed Bucky," Sam whined.

"I got it," Tony pulled it down, eating the arm off and putting it back, "There, that's more accurate."

"Tony!" many gasped as the room started laughing.

Buck looked like he was used to arm related jokes from Sam, just staring ahead in reluctant acceptance.

"No hard feelings, Wolfman, it's a sick arm," Tony patted his Wakandan limb as he passed.

"It's White Wolf," Bucky sighed, walking over to grab the figure of himself and finish the job.

"Why didn't we think to eat the arm???" you whispered to Loki.

"Something about decapitation was too amusing for you."

"Yeah I think I have problems."

"You're just now realizing this?"

"Hey at least we didn't absolutely mangle the Nebula figure, that'd have been too far," you started laughing, "Get it? Cuz she's like 10% organic material?"

"Oh I get it, you're just horrible."

"I learned from the best, don't pretend it isn't funny."

"Can I have your attention please? Yeah, shut up, I'm over here doing the cup tappy thing. Cup tappy thing means zip it," Tony announced from the elevated stage-like area where the DJ was set up. "Um, I'd like to say a few words, not that speeches are ever just a few words."

"Not when you love the sound of your own voice," Pepper gave him a look.

"You can come do this actually, if you'd like," Tony offered the mic to her, "No but seriously...gosh, where do I start?" Tony looked to where you were sitting, and you smiled back. "I guess I could start with how stubborn you are, or how you can get under someone's skin, or how you throw all caution to the wind when you've set your mind to something, or how you fail at listening to orders? It's almost like you've watched a disastrously wreckless band of foolishly brave guys and girls in spandex for ten years."

"Disastrously wreckless genius billionaire playboy philanthropist actually," you corrected.

"Quoting!" he snapped, pointing to you, "How could I forget the quoting? How every situation always has an applicable quote. How you can't help yourself, even if it means getting thrown in the lake."

Loki raised his glass slightly to that.

"Don't forget the pranks!" Rocket called out.

"I thought you liked them?" you challenged.

"That was until my drawers were full of sand yesterday. I know it was you!"

You laughed with everyone else, giving Rocket a "we'll never know" look.

"But in the end..." Tony said, his voice more serious, "I think it was your passion. Your devotion. Your love. Your kindness. Your relentless optimism. Your friendship. These are the things...that I'll miss most. And I think I speak for everyone else on that. Wren, you came voluntarily into a world of pure insanity. Now I know that back in your world, hundreds of fangirls are saying they'd do the same if given the opportunity. But let's be honest, a glowing blue portal opens up in your yard and there's no guarantee it's leading where you want to go? Most aren't even thinking of the MCU as they hightail it out of there. Unless you're as batshit crazy as you.

For once I mean that as a compliment. Yes, it was nuts. Probably even stupid. But your desire to help us, to save some of us...to save my life, and those of my friends... that's all that motivated you. That kept you in a yard with a possible death circle. That carried you through that portal and right to our front yard. And I thank the universe every day that this reality happened to call out to you. Because, who knows what would have happened had it been anyone else.

You've somehow not lost your mind as you dealt with finding out movie characters were real. You dealt with pressures I can only imagine," he said sympathetically, and you felt yourself wanting to cry at the memory of the truth he was speaking. Something only Loki and Thor had heard about was now being spoken in the open. And you smiled softly at the relief. "Pressures I think we sometimes didn't think to ask you about. And if I know you, when stuff went wrong you blamed yourself. Thought you could have done better, could have handled things differently, told more details. Thought you could have had things turn out perfectly. Well, look around you. I'd say this is as damn near perfect as I can imagine.

You're one hell of a brave kid. You put yourself in danger when everyone told you not to, because you insisted some asshat was worth it. And he was. Loki, that's the best compliment you'll get from me, so enjoy it. I could go on forever, but I didn't make flashcards, so I'll end on this. There's no amount of words to express what you've done for us. What you willingly went through, kidnappings and all, in order to fight for us. But more than our savior, you are and always will be a member of this team. A friend. A part of this family. We'll miss you tons, kid. Go kick some ass back home."

Everyone clapped as you brought your crying mushy self up to hug Tony. When you let go, Steve had come to the stage.

"I think that's as good a time as any to bring this up," he said, the room quieting down, "Wren," he looked to you on his right, "I know this is your night, but I thought you'd want this said. And I know you'd want to hear it yourself before you go.

Loki, four years ago, you led an attack. I never thought that I'd one day see you as an ally. I certainly never dreamed that I'd see you as part of our team. But we know now why you did what you did. And, as Wren has made clear to us many times and I know we all understand, we can never justify the things we've done. But that doesn't mean we can't come back from them. It's the hardest thing...but you did it.

Now, we thought it only fair that the world should know. That the man who attacked earth, at the behest of a mad titan, later stood up to him, saving the world he'd once been sent to conquer. Saving it from the very being who'd sent you that day. If there's any indication of a changed man, I'd say that was it. And...the world agrees."

Steve pressed a button, a projection displaying news feeds popping up behind Cap.

"These are recordings from news reports in the last month. With a little help from the press and a certain podcast we all listen very intently to," Steve smiled at Scott as you gave him applause, "The world knew the truth."

You turned to look at the screen, which was switching from one news channel to the next.

Loki, God Sent to Earth Four Years Ago, Saves Planet From Titan.

2012 New York Attacker Saves the Universe.

Thor's Brother Saves Humanity.

Loki: Mischief or More? God Stands up to Leader of 2012 New York Army.

The headlines continued, every one talking of his great sacrifice.

"But..." Loki started, "I still did those things. They shouldn't act like it was all Thanos."

"They're not," Steve said, "But the world knows what you did to make up for it. How you turned on the man who sent you. Like it or not, you saved this entire planet. And there are millions that will never forget that."

He paused the screen on a particular headline.

What Now for God of Mischief? New Avenger?

"With your permission, we'd like to answer that for the world...and officially announce you as part of the team."

Loki's mouth was open as everyone turned to him for his answer.

"This is the part where you say yes, stupid," you whispered loudly, causing chuckles around the room.

"Might as well make it official," Sam called out, "You're as annoying as the rest."

"I..." Loki hesitated, still seeming to wrap his head around it. Finally, he settled on a soft smile, "I'd be honored."

There was more applause as Steve switched to a screen with a headshot of everyone.

"Then welcome to the newest line of recruits," Steve held his hand out to all the extra faces on the screen, "It's time the world knows of the Avengers. The real Avengers. No longer Earth's mightiest heroes, but part of something bigger. We have friends in space, from other worlds. And on that battle day we saw armies come together from across the universe. Ravagers, Nova Corp, Asgardian... we're a united army, no longer a small team. If ever any one group needs support, the others will be there. Today starts an initiative bolder than any attempted before."

"Wow, how long did you rehearse that one," Tony said as he took Steve's position and the cheering subsided, "I at least freestyle mine, which is more impressive than a fancy rehearsed speech."

"If you really want to know, I didn't prepare a speech," Cap defended.

"Ah, I don't want to hear it, we all know you do."

You laughed at the two of them, taking the opportunity to get off the stage. The party eventually returned to how it was before, and you found Loki and gave him a huge hug.

"What's this for?"

"Welcome to the team. Look who was shocked when they heard the official news, even though they joked about being a new Avenger literally in the last weeks."

"Alright, I get what you meant about hearing it said for certain," Loki rolled his eyes.

"Your insufferable arrogance and bravery will fit in nicely I'm sure."

"It's not like I'll be around much," he said, and you gave him a look.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, I have two homes same as you. Who knows where I'll end up staying more."

"Loki, Thor can split his time, and so can you. The team needs you and, most importantly, you need them."

"I know but... nevermind. I'll do my best."

He was hiding something, you knew it, but you didn't press.

The night passed on, and eventually you were trudging along home with Peter, Ned, Shuri, Carol and Valkyrie. For whatever reason, you, Peter, Ned, and Shuri were singing Bohemian Rhapsody, giggling as you very poorly belted out the song, all four swaying along or jamming out.

"We should really start a band," you said as you got to your door.

"The Ear Bleeders," Carol said.

"Oh, I like that one," a drunk Brunnhilde agreed.

"Though they've really got a future in the legal system. They just invented a new form of the death penalty," Carol said.

"Oh go play with more infinity stones," you waved at her, perhaps a little intoxicated yourself, "Maybe we'll get lucky and one will kill you instead of give you invincibility."

"Goodnight, Wren," Carol smiled.

"Yeah, night night," you mumbled, stumbling through the door and up the steps to your bed.

***

"Is she asleep?" Thor asked, tiptoeing past Wren's door with Jane, while Loki peered in.

"Out like a light," Loki smiled, pulling the door shut.

Thor looked from his brother to Jane, coming to a decision.

"Jane, why don't you go on ahead, I'll be in in a minute," Thor kissed her forehead.

"Ok," she smiled, knowing he wanted to be alone with Loki.

When she was gone, Loki sighed.

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Loki rolled his eyes, holding his door open for Thor to walk through.

He did so, looking grave as he walked to the other side of the room. Loki closed the door, pacing to the middle of the room where he folded his hands behind his back in fake anticipation for what Thor was going to say.

"Loki," Thor started, eyes fixed out the window, "I've spent the last months joking a lot with you. Even when I meant most of it." He turned to his brother, all uncertainty tossed aside as he spoke his next words with determination. "But I'm done with that. You're going to hear what I have to say, no games, no pretenses."

Oddly enough, Loki only looked down for a moment, swallowing hard but not arguing.

"I've watched you become the happiest version of you that I've seen. More than when we were kids. I've been patient, knowing or--or thinking that it would come out one way or another, that you couldn't possibly be this stubborn. Especially when it came to something you loved. I've prodded, I've tried to get you so annoyed that the two of you would grow up and say it already, but I've run out of time. So tell me, brother," Thor said, walking towards him slowly, "How you can let that girl..." he held his hand out to the direction Wren's room would be, "Go without telling her how you truly think of her?"

Loki's hard stare was mixed with emotion as he tossed his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

"Because I have to," he said quietly, "Alright? Yes, I love her. You've heard the truth. I hope you're satisfied," he said bitterly, brushing past his brother as he went to sit on the bed.

Thor waited a moment, pondering Loki's answer, before taking a seat next to him.

"Why?" Thor asked.

Loki continued staring at the fixed point at the base of the wall he'd chosen to burn with his eyes, and for a second Thor thought he wouldn't answer.

"Do you know how hard it is? Having to accept what you've always known? The truth that you were wrong, that everything you did was a mistake? I pushed down every word you, or father, or mother ever spoke of my actions against you and earth, but that's because of course I knew I was this killer. I convinced myself it's what I wanted, that I was simply trying to be a benevolent ruler as was my birthright," Loki scoffed, "But I was hiding from what I knew I was afraid of. Being alone. Wren had seen me confess as much in her world. Do you have any understanding of what it's like to stop running? To have to face what you are?"

"In many ways, yes," Thor nodded, "But not in your way I'm sure."

"Exactly," Loki nodded.

"Then tell me. Stop keeping things. We're brothers, remember? Tell me. What does that have to do with Wren?"

"I know I've changed. Know I was able to hold on when she was gone. Know I have more now than I did before. I'm not trying to say I'd never be good enough for her, though believe me that's a constant battle of it's own. No, what I'm saying is...to find a friend who was willing to stick with me is one miracle. Being able to change was a second one. Having a team willing to give me the chance, no matter how cautious or reluctant? A third impossible miracle. So to hope that after everything, I can expect or hope for that friend to love me? That I could and do truly love her? Come on, Thor. Good things come in threes, but often don't make it far past that. How big of a miracle am I asking for here?"

"But Loki, open your eyes! For all your gloating of cleverness, you've admitted to never being able to see things clearly when they're in regards to yourself. Wren loves you, brother. If she doesn't, then every member of this team is crazy, that's what you're going with? We're all imagining it? Come on, isn't learning how she feels before she goes at least worth the risk of opening up?"

"No, it isn't. Because I may have been blind to many things before, but I'm not so much anymore. Of course I know she could like me. Sometimes I have to fight thinking that's impossible, but I can't ignore what you were all saying. Haven't been able to for a while now. Ever since I started analyzing every stupid detail, which was back when I first admitted to myself that I didn't care that I loved her. That I was going to keep on loving her."

"So you know she likes you!"

"Know she could, and maybe does."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"I didn't tell her because of how I thought it too good for me, too good to be true. I was scared to muck things up. But now, my fear isn't if she doesn't feel the same...it's if she does."

"Uhhhh, nooot quite seeing how this makes sense," Thor said, smiling apologetically when Loki rolled his eyes.

"She risked her entire life, her future, to come here for us. And losing her for that month? I just...this world it--it's far from safe."

"Loki, any world is far from safe. She could walk out of her house and get struck by lightning."

"Whose fault would that be?"

"Hey, I don't control all weather! And remember there's no Thor in her world. The point is, you can't keep her from danger no matter where she is."

"No, but she'd have a better chance at a normal life there."

"Does she seriously come across as the kind of woman who wants a normal life? Look what she jumped into!"

"Yes, actually, she does. Yes she loves the adventures and magic and all of the characters...but she told me once that she'd realized how all of her heroes just wanted what she had. A normal life. Time to just live and have a family. She did like her life, and that's what she wanted to give to us...what I can't give to her."

"Just because she liked her life, doesn't mean one full of magic or perils is something she'd shun. You two can have a peaceful---" Loki gave him a look, "---Semi-peaceful life together. Come on, brother, you know she loves the action as much as the quiet time. She'd risk a hundred dangers if it meant spending a life where she gets to see us happy. Why can't you be happy with her?"

"Because that's just it!" he hissed, looking to the door like he might wake Wren, "She'll never stop being willing to risk herself for any of us. Back at her world, there's hardly anything to risk her life for!"

"This is why you edged her towards choosing her home," Thor said, understanding dawning in his eyes.

Loki nodded. "It's not like I'm forcing her somewhere she doesn't want to go. She had an unbearably hard choice. How could I make that harder on her? How could I do that? She deserves to live a long life with her family."

"What if telling her made her choice easier? Did you ever think that maybe she'd choose here if she knew you loved her? What if she's not telling you for the same fearful reason you didn't tell her? Because she might make things harder, or screw up what you have? You both are too dumb to realize that if you just confessed, her decision would be easy."

"I used to hope that if I told her, she'd stay. Now, even if she does, I told you I can't do that to her."

"Loki, that's shit and you know it."

"Then tell me Thor!" he said loudly, stopping himself as he glanced at the door worriedly, "Tell me," he continued in a lower voice, "How you let the woman you love know how you feel, knowing that means they'd leave the one place they'd be safe. I won't use her emotions to get her to stay for me, keeping her from a family that loves her. Honestly, I thought you'd understand how I can't be that selfish, despite every selfish instinct I have to hold onto her and refuse to let her go."

"Don't you think that should be Wren's decision. It's not you getting her to stay if she wants it. It's her life, Loki."

"Is it her decision though, if I go on trying to make her guilty by professing my love for her just before she goes home? I'd be doing it just to get her to stay."

"And she'd only make the decision that she wanted to make. How often has she kissed up to you? Sugarcoated things? Has she ever told you a lie to make you feel better?"

"No."

"Then how can you think she'd choose any differently than how she really wants?"

"And what if she regrets that decision later? I tell her how I feel, and she feels the same and stays. But maybe months, years, decades, who knows, but at some time what if she starts missing her family? Regrets her choice, feels guilty for what happened? What if we don't work out, and I've now made her waste her one chance to get back to a normal world? Back to her family? What if I break her heart? And now she's trapped here with that pain? Any day that she regrets her choice will then become my regret. My guilt. For having not forced her back where she was free from any possible danger, any possible pain, whether of my affliction or another's."

"It's still her choice."

"Not if I make it for her. I can't risk losing her, and I can't risk her living a life she'll regret."

"So this is more to spare your fear?"

"Don't try to twist it that---"

"No, Loki, that's what this is. Alright, you're afraid of being the cause of her grief. You're afraid that her choice, the one she might want, won't pan out. That's your fear. But it should be her pain to risk, not yours. You'd be happier if she stayed, and if she feels the same for herself then she gets to make that decision, not you."

"Sometimes love means letting someone go...letting them be better."

"Why are you so certain you can't be the better in this scenario?"

"Because all of my protection in the world couldn't stop her from getting dusted. With the snap of a finger, Thor. That's why. There are no mad titans in her world. I can't protect her here, none of us can. Not for certain, not indefinitely."

"Would you want someone to make that decision for you?"

Loki looked up at him, shaking his head softly. "No."

"So when tomorrow comes, are you going to let her leave without ever knowing if you loved her? Or are you going to do what you should?"

Loki thought for a few seconds, sighing as he shook his head, looking to Thor in submission. "What I should."

Thor beamed, patting Loki on the back.

"See? Was that so hard? If you'd just kissed her anytime in these excruciatingly long months of 'lets pretend we don't like each other' then we'd have our answer already and this wouldn't have been an issue."

Loki chuckled, fiddling his hands as he spoke.

"You know...there was a time I was going to."

Thor gave an exaggerated gasp.

"Why do I tell you these things?" Loki slumped his shoulders, tilting his head to his brother.

"I'm sorry, I'm serious I promise. I'm listening."

"There's nothing else to say. I just...I was close to doing it. Had decided to, actually."

"What stopped you?"

"She did. I think she noticed, got scared. It's difficult to know if she feels the same sometimes, but I can never tell if it's because of my own hesitations to believe it or not. I mean, I'm used to girls making it quite clear that they like me, but something like this?"

"Usually you make it quite clear when you're...'into' a girl," he said, making air quotations. "No one escapes you when you go to make the move," Thor laughed.

Loki gave him a disapproving look but smirked.

"I told you, something like this is different. It's infuriating, impossible to tell something as important as...well, love, I guess, as opposed to a girl fawning over a prince. Or me just...going for some random girl."

"Loki if you've been analyzing every interaction for a while now, I can confirm what you're probably telling yourself you're imagining. She likes you." He leaned in, bumping Loki's shoulder with his own.

"Yes, you've made your opinion quite clear from day one," Loki said, pushing Thor upright and off of himself.

"It's not just an opinion, it's the truth, or so be it I'm not worthy."

"Betting your worthiness on this now?" Loki raised his eyebrows teasingly.

"That's how certain I am."

"Gods I wished she made it clear. I couldn't even go for the kissing tactic. That's when you know it's a difficult egg to crack."

"So you can stubbornly hide your feelings, but she's supposed to just let you know?"

"That would be nice, yes."

Both of them laughed, Loki's face looking less burdened.

"I'll tell her when we're all together before she leaves," Loki promised.

"Yes!" Thor clenched his fists excitedly, "It's about time. You know, now that I know, tell me everything!" Thor said like the nosy sibling, "When did you notice you liked her, what's it like, how're you going to tell her, are you going to marry her---"

"Right, that's when you leave," Loki stood, grabbing Thor by the arm to make him do the same.

"Fine," Thor grumbled, following him to the door, "But I will get these answers from you. Don't think you're off the hook."

"Goodnight," Loki sighed, moving the door closed.

"Night," Thor waved.

Loki stopped the door before it shut.

"Oh and um...thank you. For caring enough to talk to me. It's irritating most of the time, but I know you've always wanted me to be happy."

"And always will," Thor smiled.

Loki smiled back, swinging the door forward again with one last farewell.

***

You'd had a lot to do on your last day. There weren't many films after Endgame that you needed to prevent, but you did warn Tony about Mysterio, should Beck ever try something. You also sat with Wanda for a long while, explaining how powerful she really is.

"Hey hey hey," you'd made her look at you after telling her about Westview. You knew that expression on her face. "I don't want you ever for one second to be afraid of yourself or your powers. You lost control because you were going through heartbreak unlike any anyone here has ever witnessed. No one was there to pull you back. When you found out what you did, you had to let Vis go again, and you did it willingly. Screw what that Darkhold book says about you. You are what you want to be, and you don't need Agatha to tell you that. You proved that. And hopefully Agatha will never be drawn to you. But if she is, know that you're stronger than the frickin sorcerer supreme. Capable of spontaneous creation. I don't trust that end credit scene with the Darkhold though, so maybe stay away from that."

"What if I'm happy with my powers the way they are?" she said thoughtfully, letting her fingers glow as she examined them.

"Then stick to what you know best. But if you ever practice to be more, know that you can do it. And that it isn't something to be afraid of. You have this family. And no matter what happens, they will always be here. If Vision is ever taken, don't lose yourself. Don't go on alone. Because you have so many who love you if you'd just reach out to them. But I know you'll be fine. Cuz you can kick anyone's ass, and you are the farthest thing from a villain. Trust yourself, ok?"

You'd left her seemingly confident in her abilities, or so you hoped, giving her a big hug afterwards.

The day sped by and before you knew it, you were standing on the beach yet again. The amplifier was set up, ready for you. You let it scan you, opening the portal for Bruce to stabilize before going to say goodbyes.

Everyone gathered around, and the moment you'd pushed to the back of your mind had arrived. You knew that thought should have made you cry, but it still seemed surreal. It took only the first goodbye to bring the tears, however, which wouldn't stop throughout all the farewells. That first goodbye was Korg and Miek.

"Hey," you'd started strong, "I uh...I guess this is goodbye."

"You ever gonna visit?" Korg asked hopefully, and that's where the tears had started.

You shook your head, briefly unable to speak as you tried holding back the tears.

"No," you said, giving up trying, "I wish I could."

"Oh," Korg and Miek looked sadly at one another, "I'm gonna miss you, man. But hey, what are goodbyes but tests of friendship? We'll always be friends, right?"

"There's no universe I could go, where that wouldn't be true," you said, giving the two of them a hug, "Keep on being you, ok guys? Never change."

"No changing happening here, Wren. All rocks," he tapped his arm, "And always will be. I think?"

You laughed, moving to the Guardians.

"I'll miss our dance parties," you hugged Quill.

"You can still do it, solo parties are the best," he tried cheering you.

"He's speaking from sad life experience," Rocket said.

"Keep bothering him will you?" you smiled to Rocket, nudging your head at Quill.

"Girl, I didn't need to hear it from you. I got this."

"I know you ain't a big hugger, so fist bump?" you held out your fist.

"Ah, what the hell," Rocket muttered, holding open his arms as he walked in for a hug.

"Keep watching over them," you smiled to Gamora.

"Unfortunately, I think that's my life."

"I could think of worse."

"Yeah," she smirked, looking at her group, "So could I."

"I know we don't know each other well," you said to Nebula, "But I still think you're awesome in the movies. And you have so much potential, the chance at a life with a family. Take it."

She nodded back.

"Oh, and uh..." you glanced to Rocket, "It was fun filling Rocket's drawers with sand."

"You were in on it???" Rocket exclaimed to Nebula.

That had managed to get a smirk out of her.

"It was fun," she agreed.

Next was Groot, who you knelt down in front of.

"So long, kiddo. Now, you behave for your dad, you hear? Just not too much."

"I can hear you," Rocket complained.

"I am Groot."

"He says if he could have any babysitter, he wishes it could always be you," Rocket said.

"I am Groot."

"And that he'll miss you."

Groot had a little tear at the corner of his eye that snuck out, and you pulled him in for the hug.

"I'll miss you too. Have a great life, Groot."

Standing to face Drax and Mantis, you tried wiping some of the tears off your face.

"The two of you better visit to play video games with Korg and Miek."

"I will always beat the rock man and insect," Drax promised.

"But we don't throw the controllers," Mantis said what you'd had to repeat to Drax on many accounts.

"Exactly," you smiled, hugging both of them.

"I know we didn't see a lot of each other, but you're actually pretty cool, Danvers," you smiled at her.

"Not so bad yourself," she said, shaking your hand.

"Take care of yourself," you said.

"Same to you."

"Ok, Happy, I swear I know I messed with you a lot, but," you started saying to him, but he held his hand up.

"To be honest... we'll miss seeing you around," he said.

"Yes, we will," May said, hugging you, "You make sure you stay safe, and stay the way you are. Never stop helping people."

"I will. Thank you for always being so kind to me."

"I can't believe we can't figure something out," Peter said, his eyes growing red.

"Hey, we had fun while we had the time. Hell, I got to meet Peter Parker! And his best friend," you said in response to Ned's face, "Come on, you know you're iconic too," you said, throwing an arm around each of their necks as you gave a three-person hug. "I'll miss you guys," you sniffled.

"We'll miss you too," Ned said, pulling back to reveal misty eyes, "You were the coolest thing to ever happen to us."

"But that's not why we'll miss you!" Peter said.

"No! No no no, that's not why. We'll miss you for you, I swear!" Ned spat out.

"I know," you laughed. "No matter what happens, stick together you two. You and...any other friends you have," you smiled, thinking of MJ.

"Bye, Wren," Peter said, wiping a tear as you moved on.

"Do I have permission from the protective duo to jump through a portal?" you teased Sam and Buck.

"Why? Looking for a reason to stay?" Buck smiled.

"Hell no, I'm almost rid of you," Sam said, "You're going."

"Thanks for so easily being like family to me," you told both of them, "Somehow, it felt like you were...well, like my brothers."

"And you certainly played the roll of the shithead little sister," Sam joked, looking sad as he did.

"I can't believe the last thing you'll see is me crying over you," you chuckled through your tears as you hugged him and then Bucky.

"Well Sam's not holding up too well either, so..." Bucky shrugged.

"It's the sand, some blew in my eye," Sam said.

"Bye guys," you said, both nodding as you stepped to the next person.

"Wish we'd gotten one last frozen yogurt trip," Rhodey sighed.

"Desserts in this place aren't bad."

"They're not Jenny's though."

"No, nothing quite comes close to Jenny's."

"Look after yourself," Rhodey said when the silent pause led into the goodbye.

"You too," you hugged him, "And thank you for always being there for me. You have no idea how much it meant."

"I'd do it again. Anytime."

"You're a badass, and that's about all I need to say," you said to Okoye.

"I try," she smirked, "Though you did well with the spear," she said, moving her hand from behind her back. You thought it was just her stance, but she was actually concealing the weapon.

"No way...really?" you asked, taking it from her.

"You earned it," she bowed her head.

"We know you will use it wisely," T'Challa said.

"Thank you," you smiled, "And thanks for believing me way back when. For helping us."

"It was you that helped us," he said, putting a hand on your shoulder, "Always continue to speak the truth, even if others are unwilling to hear it."

"Brother, she didn't come to us for fortune cookies," Shuri knocked his arm off of you, "She came to say goodbye," she finished as she hugged you. "I'm going to miss our little group."

"The young Avengers gotta stick together."

"I'll miss you, Wren."

"I'll miss you too, Shuri."

"Let's not keep this long, it only prolongs the tears," Brunnhilde said, pulling you in for a hug, "See you around, Wren."

"I wish."

"Eh, you never know. The universe is a strange place."

"Let's hope so."

"Don't go getting boring."

"Don't go getting soft."

Yelena was next, and you let the sobs flow as you hugged her.

"Oh my God, I told myself I wouldn't cry, now look what you did," she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"I'm just so loveable."

"You really are, I mean so fun. Who could Loki and I replace you with for our midnight snacks? No one, that's who. You've left us shorthanded and made me cry, you're the worst."

"You were absolutely fantastic, Yelena. Better than I could have hoped."

"I get that a lot," she shrugged with a tearful smirk.

"Don't go giving her a bigger head," Nat said, hugging you next.

"It's my job. Raise you up, so I don't feel bad insulting you."

"We've taught you too well."

"You did. Your training kept me alive," you cried.

"Eh, Loki helped," she admitted reluctantly.

"Don't let him know that."

"Goodbye, Wren," she smiled, keeping a brave face on as she always does.

"I don't even know what to say to Natasha Romanoff for the last time," you tossed your hands in the air, "uh...thank you. For everything, Nat. I can't even list what I'll miss about you. You never imagine how characters will be in normal life, and having you, Yelena, Val, and Wanda as...well practically sisters? Better than I could have dreamed. If you and Bruce don't get married soon, I'll jump universes again and wed you myself."

"Oookay," Bruce chuckled, "Let's uh, let's leave the marriage talk for later."

"What will you do when I'm not here to force you into awkward situations?" you chuckled, hugging him.

"Cuz of you we have Yelena here now, so uh thanks for that."

"I'm picking up on some sarcasm," Yelena motioned like the vibes were invading her space.

"I'm so happy for you, Bruce. Seeing you where you are now just...it's all I wanted."

"And wouldn't be possible without you," he said kindly, hands still resting on your shoulder from after the hug.

"I'll miss barging in the labs and nearly scaring you into hulking."

"I won't," he laughed, "But our hot chocolate nights in the kitchen were good times."

"Until you started officially dating Nat, then you were doing something else late at---"

"Ok, move on," Nat pushed you along, smiling with Bruce.

Wanda and Vision were next, both giving you a hug as words were hard to form.

"I think this," you gestured to the two of them, "Is one of the greatest joys of having been here. When I think of what was supposed to happen," you stopped, taking a few shakey tearful breaths, "It's insane. But I think I'm crying more tears of joy right now," you laughed, pointing to your mess of a face, "Cuz I can't believe I got to see the alternate ending both of you deserved. I love you guys."

"We love you too," Wanda said, lip trembling a bit as she took a deep breath to control her watering eyes, "I'll miss one of my sisters," she hugged you again.

"Keep being the best couple," you whispered, looking down to Tony to see if he heard, "Cuz you are."

"Oh I don't think that was ever in question," Vis smiled, "Goodbye, Wren."

"See ya, Vis. Enjoy the next few seasons of the Walking Dead. People say it gets slow around 7 and 8, but if you wait til all the episodes are out and binge it through, I think it's fine."

"I'll remember that."

"Of course, you're incapable of forgetting."

Steve and Peggy were waiting for you next, with Steve smiling at your tears before wrapping his arms around you.

"Remember what you said to me...about how the one outshines everything else? How that person almost makes our decision for us?" he whispered, pulling back to give you a knowing look.

"No," you smiled sadly, answering his unspoken question, "I can't. Your situation was different, your...person was different. I wish I could explain."

"You don't have to. Whatever you choose, it's your choice. As long as you're doing what makes you happy, I'm happy for you."

"And I know we haven't known each other long, but what I've spent with you in this short time has proven all I'd heard," Peggy said, "You're a fighter. And you're not a fool. Do what you think is right. That's the measure of a hero," she said, looking fondly at Steve.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to know you, Peggy. I guess I couldn't become friends with all the MCU characters. Time just wouldn't let that happen."

"Well," she said, giving you a light hug, "I'd consider anyone who helped save this world and reunite us as a friend. Thank you."

You smiled, before turning your attention back to Steve.

"Why do I keep finding myself unable to think of things to say? How do I think of last words for Captain America?"

"How about for a friend?"

"Yeah," you nodded, tears coming heavier, "I can do that. I love ya Cap, you frozen fossil."

"I love you too," he said, "And I'm glad I got to know you. Place won't feel the same without you."

"I'm sure you'll manage."

"We always find a way."

"Goo..." you choked up a bit, "Goodbye, Steve."

"Goodbye, Wren."

"I'll miss America's Ass," you said over your shoulder as you walked on to Clint and his family.

"I'll miss you too, guys," you said in response to Lila and Cooper's goodbyes, "Take care of your old man, and look out for your ma. Think you can do that for me?"

They both nodded.

"Good," you smiled, turning to make your baby noises and tickle the little stomach of Nathan, who was in Laura's arms. "You're gonna grow up to be just as annoying as your daddy, aren't you? Yes you are! You're gonna be so big, littlest Hawkeye, yes you are," you said in your "talking to babies" voice.

"We'll miss seeing you with the group," Laura said, as she put her available arm around you, "Thank you for being so great with the kids."

"Thank you for letting me help you with them on Christmas. I didn't think I'd get as lucky as I've been. But getting to know your family has been amazing. Even if it hasn't been long."

"Feels longer though, doesn't it?" Clint asked, standing at the end of his family.

"Yeah, it does."

He nodded, trying to act normal. The tightening in his jaw and lips told you he was getting emotional and trying to fight it.

"Um," he started, clearing his throat, "Don't go poking your eye out with that," he pointed to the spear.

"I think I saved your life a couple of times with it, so I'm pretty sure I know how to use it."

"Yeah, well, you're you."

You chuckled, falling silent as you didn't know what to say next.

"You're a real pain in my ass, you know that?" Clint said, hugging you before you could answer.

"Yeah...I know. But you'll have Yelena."

"She doesn't do it quite as well," he laughed as he let go.

"Eh, give her time. Some more practice and she'll be driving you up a wall."

"Nah we're already there."

"Thought so. Let her babysit, ok? She'll be a good aunt."

"Don't worry, we will," Laura tapped Barton's arm, whose face said otherwise.

"Bye, Clint. And thanks. From the day you jumped into the bifrost, you've always watched out for me."

"Paternal instinct, what can I say?" he smirked as you moved on.

"Hey," you smiled to Hope, "It's been nice getting to know you. Keep a tight leash on that man, will you?" you smirked to Scott.

"Oh yeah, he's not allowed to do much without us watching him," she assured you.

"What? That's kinda harsh, don't ya think? And super breach of privacy," Scott said, "Though I am supposed to take the suit without your permission, but that's not gonna happen anymore. And just cuz future me was gonna do it...or past me now, right? Anyway, just cuz I was supposed to do it, doesn't mean I would ever do it. You know?"

You and Hope just stared at him.

"Ok that didn't make sense," he admitted.

"Oh I'll miss you so much," you laughed, hugging him.

"Me too. Miss you, I mean, not me. That wouldn't make any sense. Sorry you could never meet Cassie. She would have thought your knowledge was so creepy, she'd have loved you."

"Don't get yourself in any trouble, ok? Or do, whatever's more fun," you said, starting your step away.

"Me?" he asked, shaking his head in mock impossibility, "Never."

Strange and Wong were next. You bowed to Wong when you said bye to him, just to annoy Strange.

"Realize how I didn't have people bow to me when I was Sorcerer Supreme?" he asked.

"Cuz no one wanted to, not cuz you didn't make them."

"Out of all of the beings who could have been sent to this world, and we get stuck with the spunky snarky kid."

"I don't know, I think we got along more than any of us thought we would these past three weeks. I mean, I've always liked you, but ya know...rough start with each other, and circumstances after that weren't always the most pleasant, soooo..."

"You're not so bad, kid. I...I may even miss having you around. Though you won't be leading any band of children to go through my things anymore, so there's a bright side in everything," he smiled cheerfully.

"Who said Peter and Ned are done bothering you? You all live in New York, don't forget that."

Stephen let out a long breath. "Concealing spells might have to be put in place."

"Sounds like a decision for the sorcerer supreme."

Strange gave you his iconic look of disapproval.

"Please, you like Peter anyway. Don't pretend having kids think you're cool isn't something you like. Maybe what you need are some friends that aren't Wong? I don't know what's up with Christine or where she went. I don't know what your future holds cuz I haven't seen you in a film since Endgame. But maybe stop being a loner? You don't always have to be the only one in your life."

He looked sadly grim by what you were saying, and you figured you'd struck a chord.

"Just saying," you shrugged with a smile, "Crossing personal boundaries is something I apparently do. But I just want you to be happy, Stephen. Like everyone else."

He smiled, looking down briefly before meeting your eyes.

"Thank you."

"Now I know we don't know each other as well, but I'm gonna give you a hug cuz you need one as much as I do."

He rolled his eyes, but held his arms out. His cloak wrapped around for the hug too.

"See ya, Cloaky," you smiled when he waved, "And bye, Strange."

"So long, kid."

"Took you long enough to get down here," Tony said, hands in his pockets like nothing was happening. The way his eyes were trying to look everywhere but at you told you he was trying to keep it reined in too.

"Have fun dealing with him, Pep," you said as you embraced her.

"Never a dull moment," she chuckled.

"I wish I'd have stayed longer for the wedding, but...well, uh congrats I guess. It'll be beautiful, I know."

"And possible, because you saved his life," she put a hand lovingly on your cheek, "Thank you."

When Tony was up for the hug, he was still trying to stand like this wasn't a goodbye.

"Betcha never thought we'd get here, huh? Going home," he said.

"Bet you didn't."

"No I knew you would make it. Did I want to see you go though?" he raised his eyebrows, trying to shrug like his carefree self, but his eyes were starting to glisten.

"God, I'll miss you Tony," you threw yourself into him, "You were and are a legend. And before I go, I'm sorry for any and everything I ever did. Because you were the best. If I could do it over, I'd have told you about Buck sooner---"

"Hey hey, no, none of that," he pulled back, putting a hand behind your head to make you look at him, "That was so long ago, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Ok? You're fine. Don't go home thinking about what coulda been. Best to shove the broken toy under the bed and pretend it didn't happen. Move on. I owe you everything. Ok? You hear me?"

You nodded, crying harder as he hugged you again.

"I'm gonna miss you, Smiley. God," he sighed, taking a deep breath as he blinked back tears.

"So long, Iron Man. Pep, you're gonna hate me for saying this, but keep kicking ass, Tony."

"Getting him to stop has been one of the few failures of my life," she said, "I've accepted it."

"Wait, Tony can Friday hear me through that?" you pointed to his wristband.

He rolled his eyes with a smirk, tapping his wrist and holding it out.

"Friday?" you tested.

"Yes, Wren."

"I feel like it's been a while...ya know, without the compound."

"It has."

"How've you been?"

Tony gave you a look like it was the stupidest thing to ask a bodiless AI.

"Not bad for only having the boss as company now."

Tony tilted his head to the wristband.

"I can't imagine what that's like. You, my friend, are a saint."

"I try my best."

"I'll miss you, Friday," you giggled, "You were the best partner in crime a girl could ask for."

"I'll miss talking to you, Wren. You brought a certain mischievous element to the compound."

"I did Loki's job for him??? Yes!"

"Alright, that's enough," Tony pushed you along, "Look how much you've corrupted my girl?"

"Bye Friday!" you called back.

"Farewell Wren!"

"Down here already?" Thor looked around the group, as if he'd wished it had taken longer.

"I don't like it either."

"Yeah, well... that's life, right?" he tried saying good naturedly, "Nothing permanent about life. The only thing permanent, is impermanence."

"Well said," you giggled.

He tried to smile, but the sadness was now consuming his expression.

"Come here, big guy," you whispered through a sob, hugging him tightly. He squeezed back, as if holding firmly meant you couldn't go.

"If you go, I'll always miss you, Wren. I hate this, goodbyes, ugh," he said humorously, wiping his eyes of the tears that were showing now.

"If?"

"If? Did I say if? No, I meant when. Sorry, ya know just blah," he pointed to his head, making a silly face, "Can't think straight with the tears and all."

"God, I'll miss you so much," you said, laughing at how stupid he was, "Feels like you're just...you're such a part of my life, ya know? You really are the most amazing person, Thor. No one is as worthy, and no on makes me laugh harder. I love you, buddy. And I'll miss you," you broke down again, hugging him once more.

"I love you too," he sniffled through his tears, "Please, have a good life, alright? Something you'd tell me all about if you could?"

"I'll try."

"Good," he smiled, patting you on the shoulder as he turned you to Jane.

"Take good care of him," you said, hugging her, "He needs you."

"The need is mutual," she gave him a smile, "I'll keep him in line."

"You made him worthy...always remember that," you whispered.

She smiled as you stepped to Heimdall and Odin.

"I don't think there's enough I can do to thank you for the number of times you've helped me out," you said, "And I'm sorry, you're gonna need to brace yourself for another hug."

Heimdall laughed as he indulged you.

"Take care, Wren. And if I could see across the multiverse, I'd help your plea wherever you were."

"So...you've seen your mission through, have you?" Odin asked, that small smile indicating he was about to contradict whatever you said.

"Yeah... though I get the feeling you're about to tell me I haven't."

"I was going to do no such thing, my dear. This chapter of your life is over. But where you go from here...your next purpose... that is an entirely new adventure. I hope you choose wisely in your life, Wren Arlington."

Though you assumed there was more to his words that you'd never understand, and were never meant to, you nodded.

"Goodbye, Allfather. It was a complete gift to get to meet you."

"The gift," he said, taking your hand warmly, "Was all ours. Thank you for what you've done. I wish you nothing but the best."

He kissed your hand before letting you walk to the last person in line.

"Thanks for coming down, Ceyla," you hugged her.

"You think I would miss it?" she said, using a handkerchief to wipe the tears. "I just wish you didn't have to go. You helped me so much, Wren. Truly. I'm honored to have been assigned to you."

"One of the first good things Loki did for me, and he didn't even do it on purpose."

"Loki? It was the Allfather who assigned me to you, remember?"

"Oh, right," you said, forgetting she didn't know of Loki's disguise, "It's so long ago, I'm forgetting."

"Well, let's hope you don't forget what I taught you?"

"With a teacher like you? Nah, those hair styles are burned in my brain. I could do them in my sleep."

"Good," she smiled, hugging you once more. "Goodbye, Wren. I'll miss you."

"Thank you for being my absolute savior on Asgard. I would never have made it through without you. I'll miss you, Ceyla."

You gave her one last smile as you turned to go to Loki, who stood fifteen feet or so in front of the whole group, waiting by the portal with your bags. On your way over, you remembered Fury.

"Wait, where's eyepatch?" you asked.

"Standing dramatically over there," Tony said, nodding to the walkway.

"Because that's such a Fury thing to do," you called over to him, "I won't even get mad you didn't come crying to me with a goodbye."

He smirked as you waved your hand high in the air to him, returning it with a nod.

You stopped about two feet in front of Loki, facing a way where you could look between the team and him while you spoke.

"I... I--I don't..." you closed your eyes, taking a few slow breaths to calm yourself. Wiping your face and sniffing back your emotions, you tried again. You wanted to say this clearly, with as minimal tears as possible. No tears was an impossibility, but limiting them was doable. "I don't know what I could ever say to all of you to make you understand what you mean to me. If I was told, nearly ten months ago, that I had the opportunity to say something to the Avengers...what would it be? What would I do with that time? I think thank you is the only thing I can think of.

In my world, we thank Stan Lee, the author of Marvel comics. We thank Kevin Feige, the president of the MCU. We thank the actors and directors that brought your stories to life. But now...knowing that those characters are real elsewhere? That those stories are only fiction in our world? I'd be an idiot to not thank you guys over any of those in my world.

And I do...thank you, that is. Thank you so much. For being the inspiration. I've always loved movies, maybe a little too much. But the thing about that is...people say movies are an escape. And that's true, some of the time. Maybe even a lot of the time. I know when things get hard, I turn to Marvel or Star Wars or anything. Get it on, get myself distracted. Feel comforted by these stories that, no matter how much life changes around us, will always stay the same. Will always be there.

But to say it's nothing but an escape, a comfort, when the world's we're watching often have troubles worse than our own? I mean, who goes to watch characters die as a source of comfort? I think people miss a big aspect of what makes stories like you so amazing...it's cuz you're relatable. Sometimes it can be a comfort to watch someone else go through pain, and not in a sick way. But in a sense that you can release your own emotions through them. Cry when you need a cry. Laugh when you need a laugh. And yeah, watching you guys die on screen sucked...but I still rewatched it a million times.

Because what you stood for never left. Watching you make sacrifices teaches us to make sacrifices for what we care about. Made us realize that our own lives, and what we have, are precious and we should cling to them and never take them for granted. And if someone is going through loss like you guys are? Well, then they can learn how to cope. Feel hope that things will get better, by seeing you guys give up things you love while never letting it keep you down. And even if it does, because I don't know what the rest of your stories are in the future movies of my world, sometimes a character that never gets a win can still give us something. Maybe teach us to sympathize more? Recognize what that's like for others? Appreciate that maybe we're not that unfortunate.

Things in your stories may go to shit. Or would have. But we watch because we know you will fight to make it through. Know there are lessons to be learned. We want to be with you every step of the way.

In short...you were always more than stories to me. Even before you literally were more than stories. I may not be someone whose life was hell. Who wanted to get away. That doesn't change how you..." you started crying more, taking a second to wipe the tears and clear your voice, "...How you changed me. How you guided me through whatever hard times I faced. I had you, always. And I don't know where I would be, how different I would be, if I didn't have what you've given me.

I love you guys. Always did. But having the remarkable honor of meeting you? It's more than I could ever have asked of life. And I didn't know it was possible for this universe and it's characters to help me any more than they already had. But then you were real. And I witnessed who you were. I learned things I never knew. Know more flaws and irritations than I did before. But that's only made you all the more important to me. I didn't think it was possible for people to be as amazing as they seem. They say never meet your heroes. But I'm damn glad I met mine.

So know how much you've done for me. Even before you met me, and certainly every moment since. I've had to learn so much since being here...and I can never repay you for the ways you keep on saving who I am. Making me better.

I know it's ridiculous to think of a big happy family all squeezed in the same compound. You all have lives," you smiled, "Have families to start, if some of those currently present would get a move on already."

"Why'd you look at us?" Tony folded his arms.

You laughed but ignored the question.

"Promise me something? That you guys will stick together, even when you're off on your own journeys. Nice big old Avengers reunions once in a while would be nice. Maybe hard for the space or cross-world commute, but those who are closer better damn well meet up at least once a month."

"Ehhh, every three months?" Tony offered.

"Whatever. Just...promise me you'll look out for each other? Never forget one another. I know I will never forget you. And not just cuz I have your movies and know the characters. I mean you. The people I've gotten to know. The life I got to have with you. Cherish each other as I cherish you? Because the MCU has taught me how important family is. How they can always come back to you. But how they can also be taken. Don't waste out on the time you have with each other."

Everyone kind of silently took what you said, some nodding, others still crying.

"I guess...I guess that's it," you smiled, facing  Loki for the last and hardest goodbye.

"Ooooooh boy," you breathed, making yourself chuckle as you tossed the spear with your bags and nervously shook your hands out like you warming up for something, "If you can't understand a word I'm saying cuz I'm crying too much...I don't wanna hear it."

"Darling," Loki said, his eyes already wet from the tears he'd been keeping back, "I don't think I can put into words what I have to say. There's not enough time in the universe to explain what you've done for me and what I think of you. Not a long enough goodbye for what I'd want to say for the last time."

"Tell me about it. I just did a frickin speech and still feel like I didn't say everything I'd want to say."

Surprisingly, the sobs weren't happening. Your head was tired from the crying, your eyes puffy and red. Your face, tearstained. But now were only soft tears, as if you knew you couldn't have your last moments with him be drowned by sadness. Either that or you were almost out of tears.

"Then let's keep it short," he stepped forward, his hand grabbing yours at your side, "Here," he said, slipping an envelope in your grasp with his other hand, "For when you get home."

"Cheater, I didn't write down a goodbye."

"It's more than that. You'll see."

"Loki..." you whispered, squeezing your eyes as the tears trickled out, "I won't try to say all that needs to be said. Just know you mean more to me...than anything. You're my best friend. And I'm so proud of you....So proud."

He embraced you as you finished, the two of you crying in each other's arms. When you pulled apart, there was that silent understanding. You sniffed as you nodded.

"It'll be ok," Loki said, wiping a tear off your face.

"Make me a promise?" you said, your hands still on his arms.

"Of course."

"Do what you did when I was gone before. Don't hide yourself away. Never go back to being alone. Cuz you're not. And you never will be. Promise me."

"I promise," he smiled, stepping back to let you go to the portal.

You didn't say goodbye, as if those words, though said many times already, had more finality now. He gave you an encouraging smile as you walked to face the portal. Your bags were lined up on the ground, but you hesitated to grab them. It was going to take strength to jump through that familiar blue light.

Loki looked to Thor, who had a worried expression on and had stepped slightly forward.

"Wren," Loki stopped you, and you turned around where you stood. He walked up to you, pausing within an inch.

"Wh---?" you began to question, but he cut you off, wrapping his hands around your waist and meeting your lips with his.

Your mind exploded, as did the fluttering in your stomach, and you couldn't even think of what to think. So many times you had been unable to not think of what it would be like if he'd ever kissed you. Somehow, every imagination paled in comparison.

Your hands reached around his neck, as you returned the kiss. All thoughts of this being Loki, the fictional man, the character you'd grown up with, were out the window. All that was left was the man you loved. The kiss slowed into one last exchange, before he pulled back slightly, forehead resting against yours.

"Yeeeeeah!" you heard Sam cheer, a few others whistling like idiots while someone, probably Wanda, shushed them.

"I love you," he whispered breathlessly.

"I love you too."

"And I'm sorry," he said, placing a hand on your cheek, "I'm so sorry."

Before you could ask what he meant, the green glow from down near your waist warned you too late. The blast from his hands shot you back. You instinctively shouted his name as you were consumed by the thrumming energy.

***

Her things were lifted by his magic, following Wren through the portal before it closed. Everyone was stunned into silence.

"Wha---what...what did you do?" Thor said, completely shocked.

"What I should have," Loki answered, eyes still on the empty circle, "I kept her safe."

With that, he walked slowly off the beach.

The End.

 

Notes: I'M JOKING!!!! ITS NOT THE END. STOP FREAKING OUT IT'S FINE, YOU'RE OK, EVERYTHING'S OK.
Sorry again for how late this was. Also, if I missed anyone in the goodbyes, let me know. There were so many I was trying to keep track of, but I had to keep going back and adding people as I remembered them. So if something doesn't transition well during the goodbyes, that's probably because I kept editing parts into it and didn't fix the transitions.
Also, I think Amy was one of the names I had Wren write her note too before she left her world, so I just put that as her sister. Picture it as any sibling, cousin, friend or relative you want if that's better for you, but I just picked sister. I hope we all have someone, if not a sibling, that we can insert for her, but making Wren an only child was too much of a cheat I think. Now she has a sister to go back to also, which probably helped make the decision hard. I personally have eight siblings, so maybe y'all can guess why I'm making Wren care so much about not just abandoning her family. I would be torn if it was my family over like a true love or something. So I didn't want her to just be like "yeah I love everyone here and Loki, so goodbye fam." I think what is interesting too is that even if Loki hadn't done what he did after kissing her, she still had a choice to make. Give up family for Loki or Loki for family? Cuz again I don't think, if you're someone with people you love in this world, that it would be an easy decision.
Anyway, hope y'all are doing well!

 

Oh, and the title of this chapter I just kinda wanted to use😁 Love is a Dagger kinda didn't make sense based on how Loki explained that analogy, so I unfortunately couldn't use that. But Love is Mischief, another fun one, made at least a little more sense. Cuz like, Loki pulled that whole Loki move on her in the end, but cuz he loved her? I know, a bit of a stretch. But hey it's something Wren would probably say about the scenario anyway, so what the heck let's go with it.

 

Chapter 54: (Chapter 53): Glorious Purpose

Notes:

Ok...last and final chapter! I can't believe we're here already, but thank you for coming along with me! I wrote this on my phone, so once again let me know of any errors. For some reason like halfway through the paragraphs pasted with big gaps in between. I was far too lazy to go and fix that. So when you get there, just know there's no reason for the gaps, they're just there. Also, I went through and added stuff a bunch of times, so if something didn't save correctly and whole chunks seem to be missing, let me know! I'm sorry it was late again, but it's the last one so I took my time. I could have split it into two if I wanted to rush and get something posted on time, but I didn't want to do that. It's the last chapter, so it deserves to be long. And it is. It's the longest chapter I've written. Seems like a fitting way to send it off. Thanks again for everything and enjoy!

"Lokiiii!" you shouted, hearing your own screams drowned out by the humming that filled your ears, the darkness that consumed you.

You felt the brief weightlessness, the stomach drop as if free-falling, before your heel hit something solid. Although feeling like you were falling, you'd exited through another vertical portal, so you were now being shot backwards. You tried planting your heels in the dirt, but failed. Your back hit the ground as you somersaulted backwards, skidding to a stop on your stomach.

Too many things were happening at once that your brain didn't know what to focus on. The trick of Loki's? His kiss? How you'd just felt like a world was torn from you? Or the fact that, as you lifted your head, there was that old fence? You remained on the ground turning your head back to the portal.

There it was, nearly the same place as it had been all those months ago. Here you were, like time had reset. Without a sound, your bags dropped through the portal, landing a few feet in front of you.

Before you knew what you were doing you were on your feet. As if knowing your intent, the energy disappeared, closing in on itself until nothing remained.

You stood staring at the emptiness, not knowing what to do...what to think, how to feel. The shock, and overwhelming flood of emotions you'd just experienced in less than thirty seconds, had stopped your tears.

He Sylvied me, was all you were able to think.

And, just like Loki after Sylvie's actions, you didn't know what else to do besides sit on the porch and zone out. You thought of how you'd had, for the shortest of times, everything. Of how, despite wanting to be furious at him, you knew exactly why he'd done it. What he'd say to defend himself. Unlike Sylvie, he hadn't done it for himself. He'd done it for you. And you wanted to hate him for it, but all you could do was close your eyes as one tear decided to make itself known.

"Wren?"

Your heart stopped at the voice, but you didn't whip around to see. Your reaction time was either down or the surprise of hearing her voice left you stunned, but you turned yourself slowly around. With wide eyes you saw her there. Your mom.

She was as surprised as you were, looking around as if wondering where you'd come from and taking in the bags on the lawn with complete puzzlement.

"Honey?" she repeated again, stepping out the door, a smile on her face and tears of relief starting to form.

You smiled back, a mixture of happiness, grief, and complete exhaustion released in the new stream of tears.

"Mama," you cried like a baby standing and running into her arms.

"Shhhh, it's ok," she tried comforting you, crying her own tears, "Baby, where have you been? You scared me to death, I thought you were gone!"

"I'm here, I'm here mom," you sniffled, not letting go of the embrace.

"Five days," she wimperd, "Five days without a word. Nothing but that letter. What happened, where were you?"

You'd pulled back quickly as she spoke, eyebrows raised as your mouth began to drop.

"What is it?" she asked, putting a hand worriedly on your arm.

"What did you say?"

"That we haven't had a single word from---"

"No! No, th--th--the time," you shook your head frantically, trying to speak, "How long has it been?"

Your mom looked concerned.

"Five days?" she answered slowly, phrasing it more as a question.

You let her hand drop from your arm as you turned away, walking off a few steps as you tried grasping what you'd heard. Your mom was speaking to you, but you weren't hearing any of it.

Five days...it's only been five days.

After ten seconds of panic, you realized that this wasn't a bad thing. That if anything you'd been blessed.

"Wren!" your mother said more forcefully,and you snapped back to her.

"Yeah, sorry, so so sorry ma I-I-I can't, uh, I d-don't know how---I can't explain it easily, I mean you won't...ugh," you pressed your palms to your forehead, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from your face, "I have to show you something."

You took her to your bags on the lawn.

"Ok...you know the MCU?"

"With you as a daughter?" she sassed.

"Forgot where I got it from," you muttered, "Yeah ok, good. So...the MCU...I went there. And before you say anything!!!" you cut off her look, "I can prove it."

You picked up the spear, which your mother got a very "protective mother" look over.

"Where did you get that??? Is that a spear? Wren, why do you have---"

"Just let me show you!"

"You hit me with it and I stab you back," she relinquished the mom look, stepping away another foot to prove her lack of trust in you wielding a weapon.

"Now...you've seen Infinity War with me. Remember, that one where they're fighting the purple guy? Amy and I made you watch it?"

"Yeah, 'Mr. Stark, I don't wanna go', that one. Tom Holland dies."

"Yeah, well... remember Chadwick Boseman's character? The Black Panther? How they go to his place and fight those space dogs?"

She looked at the spear and then back at you, understanding where this was going.

"No," she shook her head, readjusting her glasses, "Nope, no no no, I'm not doing this. I can't believe that you're---"

"Mom, I didn't just run away, ok?! I wouldn't do that, not without telling you where I was---"

"Without telling me where you were going??? No, you would do that!" she said angrily, fumbling with her pocket, "Because you did!" she shoved the folded paper in your hand.

Opening it, you saw your handwriting. The note you'd left months, or days, ago. You closed your eyes as you sighed, feeling guilty all over again for leaving.

"Mom, I ---"

"No, don't. You leave, telling us you're not abducted, but can't tell us where you're going? And I'm supposed to believe that nothing happened to you? No. I come after two days of hearing nothing from you, to find this letter! And I think that you really were taken, that someone put you up to this, made you write it!"

She was crying angry and stress-filled tears.

"Mom!" you said urgently, but as comfortingly as you could, "I couldn't tell you, ok? Because you wouldn't have believed me anyway! Heck, I didn't even know! But I can show you! You know what I was gonna say. This spear is from there. From Wakanda. Chadwick Boseman's place. It can shoot and everything."

Before she could argue, you lifted it and blasted the grass a few feet away. Your mom shrieked at the shot, hand over her mouth as she stared at the scorched lawn...and the frog that had been launched backwards.

"Oooo," you cringed, "Sorry Kermit Number 2."

Your mom slowly let down her hand, eyes turning to the spear.

"Th--th--that, that that can't---"

"Mom, I wouldn't lie about this, you know that! Look!" you said, opening one of your bags, "Here."

You put a frame in her hands. A frame that held a very important picture. There they were, all of them. Every hero, every one of your friends, all smiling in the one good group shot Tony managed to get everyone to stand still for and smile nice for the camera. And there you were, between Loki and Tony, your arms behind their backs and theirs behind yours.

"That's---" your mom whispered, touching her hands to the glass, "That's RDJ."

"It's not," you smiled, looking fondly at the picture.

"Iron-Man," she said, barely loud enough for you to hear. You related to this, the mind-shattering feeling. Her face must have been like yours when you arrived at the compound.

"Hey hey, easy!" you said as she stumbled a step back, knees starting to buckle. You steadied her, walking her to one of your porch chairs. "I know, I know, it's a lot! Just breath."

She gripped your arm tightly, doing as you said and taking deep breaths.

"Lemme grab some water, I'll be right back!"

Your rushed to the door, nearly jamming your wrist as you pushed your body forward in anticipation for the door to open.

"God this door!" you said in irritation, giving it a shove, "You beautiful old awful door," you muttered as you ran in, having missed the house more than you realized.

It was dreamlike being back in here again, especially after having just been standing in front of everyone moments ago. Having kissed Loki moments ago. Instinct kicked in and you managed to open the right cabinet, grabbing a cup and filling some water. As it filled, you looked out the kitchen sink window to check on your mom, but were unable to not look where the portal had been. You shivered as the deja vu of it all, of standing here again, made your head spin.

Pushing it aside, you rushed back out to you mom.

"Here, drink this."

She complied, setting it down shakily.

"You ok?" you asked as she leaned her mouth against her knuckles.

Her eyes flickered up to you, and she chuckled as you would.

"Yeah, great. No, completely normal."

"Ok, you don't have to be so sassy," you laughed.

"So..." she said, tapping her finger on the table next to the picture, "...this...this is where you've been?"

You nodded.

"And...you just...you just took pictures? Got a spear? What, all in five days?"

"That's your question? Not how I got there?"

"Well, yes that too! But, you have a lot of bags for five days, so..."

"If there was ever any doubt where I get all of me from, it's gone now," you smiled at her.

She smirked, but pressed her question again. "So??"

"No, it wasn't all in five days...more like...nine months."

She turned her stunned face to stare out into the yard, shaking her head like she shouldn't believe what she was hearing but did.

"What happened?" she finally spoke, almost robotically, as if emotion wasn't even possible under the amount of reality-bending information she'd just been delivered.

You told her about that night, about how it appeared, the pain in your head.

"And you went through it???"

"How couldn't I?! Wouldn't you, if you weren't ya know married and whatnot...but you know what I mean! When life hands you travel to another world, you think I should have passed on it?"

"You didn't know where it was going!"

"No, but I had a theory. And if I'd never tried, I'd have kicked myself for the rest of my life."

"But the Marvel universe?? You could have died, Wren! You could have died, and we'd never have known. How could you---"

"Because it was risking my life to save others. Isn't that what you taught me, to be selfless? What the fantasy stories I've always been way too involved in have taught me? What the Marvel characters had taught me, the very same ones I was going to protect."

"Risking your life for fictional characters!"

"But they're not!" you said angrily, grabbing the picture.

"They were at the time. You jumped to possible death for a series of movies."

"That, if I was right, were real and were on the other side. That meant that people were on the other side, people who would die if I hadn't gone!"

"Then you---" she stopped, hanging her head as she sighed. When she looked back up at you, you knew you'd won.

"Mom, it's not that I didn't care about you enough to just leave. It's that I had to make a choice. And yeah, a lot of times I wondered whether I'd made it too quickly. Felt guilty for leaving without you knowing, for the months of pain I thought I was putting you through. But look!" you said, lifting the picture to her hands, "Look. They're safe. All of them. I did it, ma. And...I had some of the greatest moments in my life. I went to space! I saw aliens, I lived on Asgard! Mom, there's so much to tell you. And if you're mad at me," you said, starting to tear up again, "I don't blame you. But please...please understand. Cuz I missed you, mom. I missed you so much," you started crying, and she pulled you in for the hug.

"Don't cry," she hummed, rubbing your back, "I'm sorry."

"I know the thought of me having willingly left for potentially nine months hurts, but it doesn't mean that I love you any---"

"I know. I know, baby. I'm just glad you're ok."

You stayed in her arms until your tears were done.

"I can't expect to hear that a portal opened and be angry you went through it," she smiled, "Especially you...being you."

"Yeah, I got it," you chuckled.

"Do I think you're stupid? Reckless? Nerd?"

"Yeah yeah, we knew all this already."

She laughed with you, settling on a smile as she looked at you with fondness.

"Tell me everything."

So you did, or the main events of what was stopped, how things went down. You talked for hours and hours, after bringing your dad up to date when he came in, which was an adventure of it's own. How could you express the sentiment held for what you'd lived? The friendships? The places? Loki? You didn't know, but you certainly tried. Telling them you had died wasn't the best, slightly incurring their scared anger at you leaving. But they came back around, listening as you told them about what you'd learned, how you'd fought.

"Oh honey," your mom grabbed your hand on the couch, "I'm so proud."

"Loki said you'd be...I just, I didn't wanna give myself any comfort when I knew I'd left you."

"Let me see that spear," your dad said, softly taking it from you. "You can use this?" he raised an eyebrow at you.

"Yes! And I can do so many combo moves and self-defense attacks. I can punch, kick, roll, even flip! Though flipping was only a few times when Nat got me to do it...and it was more of a cartwheel kinda thing anyway. I woulda gotten better at it, but..." your face dropped briefly, "Didn't have time."

Your mom looked to your dad, who was still analyzing the spear. Tutting, she took it from him and gave him a look, tilting her head to you.

"You know I can see you," you smiled.

"And you know I can tell when something's off with you," she returned.

"I'm fine," you said, "It was just hard...leaving all of them. I really loved them all."

"Tell us more," she encouraged, "What was it like living with them?"

You went late into the night talking with them. It was impossible to tell them everything, and a lot of stories would mean more if they were Marvel fans that didn't require some background information. Regardless, you revealed a lot. Definitely the most important events, like the battles, but then as many stories of living with them as you could. You would laugh and energetically speak about them, your joy at being able to share this with your parents outweighing the sadness you'd feel over missing them.

"Wren," your mom stopped you before you could head to your room for the night.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad you're ok...but I'm glad you got to go. Lived your adventures."

You smiled, thinking of all the things you'd gotten to do.

"Thanks, ma. Night."

"Goodnight, sweetie."

Once in your old room, you dropped your bags on the floor. Taking in the sight, you remained in the middle of the room.

I missed it, I really did.

Which is why you hated that it didn't feel the same.

It'll take time, that's all.

Going through your bedtime routine, you got yourself ready to sleep. You then flopped on your bed and stared at the ceiling. When talking of Loki at all with your mom, or when seeing him in the pictures you showed them, you'd not known how to feel. Angry at him? Sad? Miss him? Hell, you knew you missed him. But you weren't sure if the kiss had made you want to cry more than you already would have wanted to.

Therefore, you'd just continued on, keeping a happy face as you filled them in. It wasn't a lie to be happy. You weren't pretending. But the shock of leaving and how it had happened had worn off, and you now felt empty.

I have my family back. My mom, my dad. I missed them. Even if he hadn't kissed you, this was going to be hard, you knew that. You weren't planning on moping for the rest of your life before, so don't let what he did change that.

But would you have stayed? Had he not tricked you, would you have stayed after hearing he loved you? You'd always looked for that compelling reason, and yeah your parents might have wanted you to...but the decision remained just as hard. Could you have really brought yourself to do it?

The fact that I tried running right back through it might answer that question for me. But could I have really never seen mom and dad again? She was so hurt as it was, so scared, and that was only five days! Could I leave her for a lifetime cuz I fell in love?

Despite always thinking the answers might be easier had Loki ever just confessed he loved you, you now realized it wouldn't have changed a thing. Your decision would have only been unbearably harder. Loki made it for you.

I know I should be grateful he did...save me the trouble of choosing. But what if I'd chosen differently? But then again, what about mom and dad?! Around and around we go!

The truth is, you'd never know how things would have gone, so there was no point in thinking about it. All you knew is, you should thank Loki for forcing you into a choice with as little stress as possible. That you should continue on with your life as you'd promised them you'd do...As you'd made Loki promise he'd do. Yet all you wanted to do was curl up and miss them.

Sighing, you pulled out the envelope Loki had given you. It was time. Pealing back the seal, you slid your hand in for the two pieces of paper inside. The first was a letter.

Darling,

I'm sorry. If you're reading this, then I've gone through with it. Believe me, I've been fighting every desire to tie you to another tree and never let you leave. But that'd be selfish of me. I know that, if you too care for me, then it seems like the typical asshole thing I'd do to tell you before sending you back. But I had to know. Had to let you know. I couldn't see you leave without ever telling you the truth. You deserved as much. Please understand why I did what I did. If you loved me in return, that only meant that I couldn't let you stay. You were going. You were about to see them again. Manipulating you to leave them would have gnawed away at me for the rest of my life. And I know you, Darling. Your decision was already hard enough. Had you stayed, even if you thought it's what they'd have wanted, you'd have wondered about what they went through for forever. I had gotten that notion of a "compelling reason" in your head early on, which was selfish of me then. You were right. This world is not for you. Not because you don't belong, or that we don't want you...but because it's too dangerous for someone so deserving. I guess I know that I'm still selfish in wanting you home so you're safe. I know it should be your decision. But you'd regret what you did to your family if you stayed. So, your decision or not, I did what I had to. I'm sorry that I had to, but I'd make the choice again. There's no point in pretending otherwise. Please know that, no matter how far away you go, I will always love you. You're the most important thing to me. And you've given me a second chance. Letting you go is the hardest thing I've done, but I hope you'll be proud to know I did it more for you than for any reason of my own. I know you love to say I've done the work and you only pushed me a bit, but, Darling, I would never have made it here without you. Please, whatever you do in life, do it as passionately as you do everything else. Continue to be the spark that rekindled a frozen heart. Yes, cheesy, I know and I don't care. I love you, and will keep on loving you.
Forever yours,
Loki Odinson

You stopped the tears from dripping on the paper, tucking it back inside the envelope as you opened the other one.

BUCKET LIST

 

•Become your friend
•Become part of the team
• Try a Cheezit, and all of the other unhealthy things earth has to offer
•Talk to younger me
•Save the universe
•Ice skate in NYC
•Watch Star Wars
•Eat the whole bag of pizza bites with you and Yelena
•Play video games
•Give a gift to Barton
•Be in a room with Rogers without wanting to stab him
•Have a food fight with the Avengers
•Have chicken fights in a pool against a raccoon
•Let Zemo live (still second guessing that one)
•Reconcile with my father and Thor
•Know that I'll never be alone
°See you again

 

I could write a hundred more, but you see my point. These are the things I'd have never thought believable. But, as I've told you, who said they had to be realistic? You've helped me experience some of the most amazing things. I no longer doubt the possibility of anything. So maybe we'll see each other again? I want you safe...but I'd be lying if I didn't wish that somehow you come back. I leave it unfilled, with the hope that I'll see you again one day. If that's not what's meant to be, then I will cherish you forever. Go add to your bucket list, and only make them the most unrealistic, fantastical dreams you have.

 

You laughed at the end, placing the list back into the envelope and hugging it against your chest.

If we could skip to the part where I've adjusted and learned to fondly view my time with them without crying, that'd be great, you thought as you cried into your covers. But Loki's letter was doing little to help.

***

Your sister was there when you woke up, your parents having accomplished the task of explaining the insanity of your situation. It was a relief having her in the early stages of acceptance already. But, with Amy being a Marvel fan (less enthusiastically than you), she wanted to know so much. What every person was like. And you wanted to talk, so Day Two was spent relaying all of the stories you'd told your parents already and then some more.

"It took Tony forever to realize it was me and my movie knowledge that had put Friday up to it," you laughed with her.

"Not Thor of course," she giggled.

"Oh hell no, he didn't care about it playing whenever he walked in, he loved the Immigrant Song by the end of the day."

"Oh my God I wish I'd met him."

"I wish you'd met him too," you said disappointedly, "He and Loki were so much fun to room with."

"And live on Asgard with! Do you have any pictures?"

"Of Asgard or---"

"Anything!" she exclaimed.

"She hasn't showed you the pictures yet?" your mom poked her head out of the kitchen to look in the living room.

"I'll get them, give me a sec!" you said defensively when Amy gave you a look.

You returned quickly with a bag that was devoted entirely to gifts and pictures you'd brought back with you. All of your belongings had burned up, but that didn't mean Tony let you go without them for three weeks. He'd replaced a lot, or gotten you some knew things.

"Here," you said, pulling out some frames, "And this photo book here is full too."

She flipped through the book, enjoying the pictures as much as you were.

"You got one of Bucky in a bathing suit???" she said excitedly, "Hell yes."

"Tony had the professional going a lot when we had group events. This beach day was one of them."

"You got them to do this, I know you did!" she cracked up at the Titanic pose Sam and Bucky did.

"It was a group effort, but mainly yeah."

When she was done, she lifted the framed photos from the bag one by one.

"Awwww," she said of one of you and Loki you'd had framed, "Still can't believe he turns good."

"Hey! We've talked about his character before, don't act so surprised."

"You mean you've talked my ear off about his character."

"True, but don't pretend you didn't agree or that you don't like him."

"Yeah but all that was analyzing a fictional character. It's all theoretical, especially when he's real. He coulda done anything."

"But he did what we thought he would... eventually."

"You look really good," she said of the picture, "Both there and now."

"Thanks! Rigorous defense classes and an old man who's more Hydra than Shield when it comes to running will do wonders for your physical shape."

"Sounds disgusting."

"Oh it was," you giggled with her, "But I'm gonna miss doing it. Something about trying to keep it up on my own just...I don't know if I'll be able to do it...like trying to keep something alive that's not."

Perhaps sensing you were descending rapidly into grief territory, Amy changed the subject.

"Where'd you get that?" she pointed to your necklace.

"Oh! It's from this cave on Asgard..."

You explained the Burning Caves and what it was like, before actually getting to how you'd gotten the crystal.

"I never thought I'd here the words 'Loki got it for me for Christmas' but damn."

"Yeah, he was really sweet," you said, eyes lingering on the picture of the two of you.

"Wren..." Amy said slowly, and you looked up to see her eyes wide, "Did you like Loki???"

"Come on, Amy, no! Believe me, Loki and I had to constantly tell the others that it's different to think someone's hot when they're fictional, or even if they are in person. It doesn't mean I could or would like someone who I've essentially known since I was a kid!"

"Had to tell the others? So they thought it too?"

"They knew he was my favorite character."

"And how good of friends were you?"

You didn't answer.

"Wren, how close were you?"

"Best friends, ok?!" you hissed, grabbing her arm and leading her down to your room before your mom could get nosy. "Ok, listen...we became very good friends, alright? For a while, I was the only one besides Thor that Loki trusted or admitted to liking being around. He's now friends with all of them, one of the team, but yes it wasn't always that way. He was my best friend there. And no, I didn't like him when they all teased us about it...or at least I don't think I did or didn't always, but..."

Before you could finish, she shrieked, jumping like a little girl.

"Shhhh!" you pushed her, "Stop being so annoying! And don't let mom hear you!"

"You haven't told them?"

"Of course not!"

"Does he love you too? He does, doesn't he? I've seen the movies, I know he doesn't smile like that!" she pointed to the picture you still had in your hand.

"You'd be surprised. He's much happier now."

"But he does doesn't he???"

You opened your mouth to speak, but the embarrassed smile you'd had on your face dropped. You just nodded.

"What is it?" Amy asked, sitting down on the bed.

You sat next to her, telling her everything. The story was impossible to relay without tears.

"He totally Loki'd you."

"He did," you whimpered, "But it's probably for the best. I'd have just had a harder decision, but I should have come back. This is what I was supposed to do, Loki knew it. I didn't belong there, I couldn't leave you guys."

"As touching as that is, are you insane!! Girl, you were able to meet an entire team of fictional heroes! Go to a world where you traveled through space! Fought aliens! You have a fucking spear in your bedroom! And then you fall in love with someone, which I've been waiting waaay too long for you to do, and it's not just an ordinary guy, it's Loki! The last person in Marvel one would think to be the falling in love type, and you got him to fall for you!"

"Don't ask me how."

"Doesn't matter, the point is that of course you should have stayed! Maybe even if you never told him or he never loved you the same, it sounds like you loved that world! Loved them!"

"Of course I did, but I only knew them for nine months! I've known you guys my whole life, I love you guys in a way that passes anything else!"

"And you would continue to love us and we'd love you. But to see you sitting here crying to me? It's not worth it."

"Amy, stop trying to be so good, ok? Just tell me I made the right choice."

"Sure I'll lie if that's what you want."

"It is."

"Seriously, Wren, I wish you'd stayed."

"You really mean that?" you said like you knew she was lying, "Cuz let me paint the other picture for you. I stay. I live in the world I've dreamt of, live happily ever after with Loki. But what it looks like for you is different. What you have is a letter. The last words you ever hear from me. You spend the rest of your life wondering what happened to me, thinking I was taken. Hoping I'll show up one day. Maybe call the police..."

"We did actually."

"What???"

"Yeah, after finding the note."

"God ok we'll have to take care of that.... anyway! The search goes dead after weeks, eventually everyone but you and mom and dad forgets. Maybe you move on, maybe you don't. But what if the thought of where I am and what happened to me eats at you or them? Lingers for the rest of your life? You telling me you want that?"

She went to speak but hesitated, clearly changing her answer. "No," she said quietly.

"Exactly," you said aggressively, loving that she was getting how hard this was.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had that choice to make."

"But you know why I made mine? Well, aided by a mischievous Loki, but..."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish one life didn't have to be ruined for the sake of another."

"Hey, my life isn't ruined. So I left the guy I love? I'm not dead. I have my life, right here. And you, mom, and dad are all I need. Well...and Wendy, who I can't wait to explain this all too!"

Wendy was your closest friend in this world. Unlike your other friends, who you were either more just friendly with or who you didn't talk to much anymore since high school, Wendy was someone you spoke to a lot. Someone who was a nerd in almost as many ways as you were.

"Oh she'll go nuts."

"Yes she will."

"I'm glad we know what happened, but...any chance you could get on back over there?"

"Remember the younger me thing?"

"Yeah but Tony and Bruce got you back?"

"With a machine."

"I'm just trying to think of something for you," she said to your snippy attitude.

"I'm sorry, I know. I just," you sighed, "I want things to get back to normal. And if I waste my time thinking about getting back, like...what am I doing with my life? I told them I'd live my life. The way I lived it before. I was perfectly happy then, I want to be now."

"You will be," she tried assuring you, "And, hey, you'll have the best stories and memories of anyone."

"I wish I could take you there."

"Not sure I'd want to die and come back. No, I like the movies, but not that much. I've got my job, Garret---"

"Oh yeah, how's Garret?"

"He's good. Haven't seen him much lately with the whole...well since you disappeared."

"See?! I'd have ruined relationships if I stayed away."

"I'm sorry, but I'm glad you're back. Thank you."

When there was too long of a silence, she spoke again.

"Wendy would go with you, easily."

"No, she's got Don remember? Yeah, my best friend breaking the code and getting a boyfriend, can you believe it?"

"Maybe you should amend the code."

"Ew and bring boys between the girl bond? Nope. Hoes before bros."

"Not sure that saying is reversible---"

"Shh it is cuz I said so."

"Honey, I forgot we found this when you were gone," your mom walked in your room, "I kept it charged."

She handed you your phone.

"What're we talking about in here?" she gave the two of you her nosy look.

"How long you're taking to make dinner."

"Could set the table while you wait," she said in the mom kind of suggestion that was more an order.

"Yes, ma'am," you both sighed, rising from the bed.

***

And so, Day Two back home was over. Your family insisted on spending most of the next week at your house, as if you'd disappear or collapse if they weren't around to watch you. Wendy came over during that time, getting the whole day's worth of storytelling. She also was filled in on the Loki situation, and she couldn't stop beaming.

She'd told you she would have stayed, but when faced with the same dilemmas you'd presented Amy, she changed her mind. And, just like Amy, she wanted a way where you could go back. But, with no such option available, you continued to try and let the other life fall into the past.

As much as you'd tell yourself you wanted to be alone, it was simply so you could sit and do nothing but wallow. When people were around, you got engaged in stories. Not only that, but you were surrounded by the people you had returned for, making the choice well worth it. But when they were gone? You'd go about your day in a trance. Constantly thinking of Loki, replaying the kiss in your head. Missing him and the others.

As much as you loved the peaceful times with the Avengers, something about the normal world felt too...normal? Giving the Avengers what you had should have made the two lives equally as enjoyable. They now had the family life that you did. Then why did this world seem so much smaller now? Less satisfying then it did before? You didn't want to be selfish, thinking yourself horrible for calling what you had boring compared to the MCU. As if your standards were higher now. You hoped that wasn't why you felt this way...but something was just off.

TV was your escape, as it had always been...but what happens when the cinematic saga you watch to escape is the very thing you're trying to escape from? You tried not even looking as you entered Disney+, choosing Star Wars instead. After an hour, you couldn't resist anymore. Maybe it was the false notion that somehow you'd feel comforted by seeing them, somehow still have them with you, that made you want to watch. But you were crying at the sound of Thor's voice, before it even showed him in the cage. You cried more when you saw Asgard. Even more when you saw Loki. It was so strange. Like it was them, but... not. Like being more familiar with their mannerisms and living with them for so long made it seem like they were just putting on some play for you right now, something that never happened. Because, for you, it never had.

"Yup, big mistake," you turned it off just before Odin died, "Not doing that again. Congrats, Marvel has officially been ruined for you."

You'd gone back to work, making some excuse for your absence the same you had with the police.

Asgard's could fit a hundred of these, you thought as you walked through the library. No! Stop comparing things as if you're too good for them! You love this library.

Still, you struggled with those kinds of thoughts through most of your shifts...most of your days, actually.

They're waving, but they're just aching to know what happened, you thought as you smiled at your neighbor while walking from your car to your door.

Most of these neighbors you'd known the majority of your life. A police car pulling up and the news of you missing for five days was impossible to hide. They all knew, and all wanted to know where you'd been. What had happened. You could feel their eyes on you whenever you were out.

"Hey ma," you called out, having seen her car in the driveway, "Dad here too?"

"At Amy's, but they'll both be over soon," she answered from the kitchen.

"Shocker," you joked as you took a seat at the table.

"I know we've been clingy lately, but don't start and try to blame us."

"Don't worry, I won't be jumping through anymore portals."

"Right," she scoffed.

"I'm serious."

"We both know you'd go back if you could."

"And leave you guys?" you said a little angrily, "Mom, I gave up a whole other life for you guys!"

She looked taken aback by the added force to your words.

"Sorry, I just mean...it was a hard decision, ok? But I never could convince myself to stay there because of you. Cuz I'd never leave you like that, I wasn't gonna do that to you."

"Wren...Amy told me about him."

"Of course she did," you rolled your eyes, "Can't trust her with anything."

"She told me so that I'd understand. And I do. If you want to talk about it, or---"

"I'm fine, mom, really I'm good. Can we not talk about it?"

She nodded, going back to her work. The damage was already done though, so you hurried to your room.

"Friday, play---" you stopped, groaning at your mistake. No matter how long it had been, you still made that mistake. Made it on vacation, made it here.

"Alexa," you said instead, the device on your dresser lighting up, "Wanna be my partner in crime?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure."

"Alexa, you're no fun."

"If you'd like to tell me how I can improve, try saying 'I have feedback'."

You groaned some more, before faceplanting on your bed.

"Alexa, play my sad playlist."

"Shuffling songs from 'Songs I Listen to When I Want to Cry Rather Than Face My Problems'."

"Amen," you mumbled into your mattress.

The songs, however, started off right away hitting too close to home.

I tell myself you don't mean a thing
And what we got, got no hold on me
But when you're not there I just crumble
I tell myself that I don't care that much
But I feel like I die til I feel your touch

Only love, only love can hurt like this
Only love can hurt like this
Must have been a deadly kiss
Only love can hurt like---

"Fri---Alexa, skip," you lifted your face to call out before dropping it back down on the bedding.

I know you're somewhere out there
Somewhere far away
I want you back, I want you back
My neighbors think I'm crazy
But they don't understand
You're all I had, you're all I had

At night when the stars light up my room
I sit by myself
Talking to the moon
Tryna get to you
In hopes you're on the other side talking to me too
Or am I a fool who sits alone talking to the moon?

I'm feeling like I'm famous, the talk of the town
They say I've gone mad
Yeah I've gone---

"Alexa, why are you being a bitch?"

"I'm always interested to hear how I can improve. Try saying 'I have fee---'"

You threw your pillow at the device, knocking it, and the picture of you and Loki, off of the dresser.

"Shit!"

You had never jumped up faster, getting to the picture nearly as it hit the floor.

"Nooo, no no no," you said in a panic, seeing the cracked glass.

It's just a frame, you can replace a frame.

You transferred your weight off your knees as you let yourself drop to a curled position, back against the dresser. The picture was in your lap, and you didn't try to stop the tears.

You closed your eyes, letting the sobs you'd been trying to keep in for two weeks come out. You'd cried, yes, but you hadn't let yourself just mourn. Completely and utterly mourn. Meeting them had been the greatest gift of your life, and you were grateful for that. But sometimes you wished you'd never fallen in love with Loki, because the pain of never seeing him again threatened to crush the joy you know you should have felt at the opportunity you'd been given. Part of you told yourself it was ok. To let it out. You'd had to make a shitty decision either way, and no matter what you were going to lose. A loss like this deserved a cry. But it was starting to boil over into anger. Or, if not anger, then a pit of emptiness that you felt was going to swallow you. You couldn't tell. But this feeling was overwhelming. Like it was going to suffocate you. Drown you.

"It's just gonna drown me." Wanda's words from Wandavision played in your head.

"No, it isn't."

"How do you know?" Your brain continued with the abridged dialogue.

"Because it can't be all bad, can it?"

It can't be all bad, you told yourself, It can't be all bad. It can't. It isn't. What is grief...if not love persevering?

You smiled sadly, breathing shakily as the tears kept coming.

Even the bad stuff...we watch because we can vent our own emotions through them...but also because there are lessons to be learned.

You couldn't lose sight of what you'd told the Avengers. Of what the movies had taught you. If there was any lesson to be learned from Wanda, it was to not let this feeling take over. In her case, she was pushed to the breaking point. You weren't. You had family. And you had memories. What Vis told Wanda in order to help her move past her brother's passing still applied, even if you wanted to just give up. This feeling was temporary if you could simply not give in.

And Loki isn't dead. I haven't lost nearly as much as Wanda did. Perspective. The movies always gave me perspective. Don't lose that.

Your crying slowed, and you reached above you for the tissue box.

It's ok, you told yourself, Think of the lives they're living. And the memories you have. Grief is just love persevering. You'll always love him and it will always hurt. But that just means that there was something good there to begin with. It can't be all bad.

You closed your eyes again, resting your head against the drawers.

Just let it out now.

Tears ran down your cheeks as you let the last remnants of this tantrum spill out.

And there will be more times when you feel like this. But it can't be always. Remember what they taught you.

You smiled at that, thinking of them. Of the movies. Of everything they'd ever helped you through in your life. The speech you'd given before you left. How every word was true. Every word reflected a real time in your life where they'd been there for you. And now you knew them better. You thought of everything. Stronger than you had when telling your family about it, because here, in your room, you were letting yourself feel all the emotions that came with those stories. The good feelings and the longing. You thought of the compound. Your first time on Asgard. Your first run-in with Loki. The dance. Christmas. New Year's Eve.

The sudden sound of energy made you open your eyes, which thus turned into a shriek as you launched yourself back into the dresser more than you already were. You didn't even care for your stupidity, because the blue circle had been there. You'd seen it. It was small, but it had been there.

NOOOO way!!! No no no no, how did that happen? Did I just open it? No you didn't open it. Of course you opened it! But I can't open it! But clearly I can!

"Wren, what's the matter!" your mom burst in the room.

You didn't answer right away, doing a double take from her to the now vacant air.

"Wren?" she walked closer to you.

"Mom," you said excitedly, a smile starting to creep on your shocked face, "I think I just---"

How could you tell her? What were you supposed to say? That you wanted to leave her again? Did this mean you could open a portal anytime? Could you even do it again? Would she want to hear that you could go back?

"What?"

"I just...I realized you're right. We should talk about it. About him."

"Ok..." you mom said, and you were pretty sure she wasn't buying it, "When?"

"Uh, later tonight maybe?" you said, starting to walk by her.

"Where're you going?"

"For a run. Gotta keep in Avenger shape, right?" you said, now past her and backing your way out of the room.

"In sandals?" she said as you grabbed them at the door.

"Yeah, uh, Cap was a strange coach. Lots of different techniques. Must be a forties thing, anyway gotta go!"

"Dad and Amy will be here for dinner soon!" she called after you but you kept going.

You hurried down the street, ignoring the looks your neighbors were still giving you. The sun wasn't quite setting, but it was getting there. Which meant the long walk you had went until after dark. By the time you reached home, you'd come to some conclusions and formed more questions.

First, if you could open the portal again, and that was a big if, that didn't necessarily mean you should go through it. You wanted to, but that defeated the whole purpose of coming back. Unless you spoke to your family about it, but the guilt of leaving them in the first place and hearing about what it did to them still ate at you. You didn't want to tell them that you were thinking of going back. Well, Amy and Wendy would be on board, but you still felt wrong.

Second, if you could open it, did that mean you could open a portal back and forth anytime you wanted?

Third, what about the whole time problem? If you went through and wanted to visit a few months later, would it only be a few days for here? Yes, that seemed ideal for your family, but over time you'd be aging much faster than them. Weird. What if something even weirder happened with time? What if it reversed and years had passed for them? Would coming and going even be a responsible thing to do with consequences like that? Would saying goodbye to your family, if you went through, be the last time you'd see them?

In short, the walk did little to help the situation. All it did was buy you time, prolong having to face your family.

Dinner was finished when you entered, and you found your sister walking into the kitchen from the backyard.

"Hey," she said kind of awkwardly.

"Hi," you gave her a look, pretending not to know why she was looking at you or what she was waiting for. Mom had told them what had happened, and Amy was poorly concealing her need to know what was up.

"Dinner's in the fridge," she said as she filled her glass with water.

"And mom and dad?"

"Outside. Gonna come?" she motioned to the door as she made her way back to it.

"In a minute, yeah."

You let her go on ahead, though there really was nothing you had to do first. You just needed a second to gather your thoughts. Letting out a deep breath, you walked to the stubborn door, yanking it open. Eyes were all on you. Subtlety wasn't this family's strong suit. Both that, and nobody here quite cared for pretenses. Something Loki would say was a trait passed on to you.

"You could at least pretend to not be waiting for it."

"You could also just spit it out?" Amy countered.

"Ok," you rolled your eyes, "Earlier, in my room...I think I started opening the portal again."

You had to shush the flood of questions that came next.

"I don't know! I--I don't know, ok? I wish, I mean, I may know, but like I don't really know."

"But you have an idea?" your dad asked, and you nodded.

"Remember when we were talking, Amy, and I said that Tony and Bruce were able to do it because they had a machine? Well...I'm thinking that we might not need it. The first time, with younger me, it wasn't just the experiments being done on her. If I hadn't been reaching out in my own stupid way, the connection would never have been made. But now that it was...I'm thinking it never left. Bruce said that I was the connection to this world. That that's all we needed. Well, what if I could have opened the portal myself without the machine? If I really tried? I mean, I tried once early on. But it was brief and Loki had a theory that it was because I didn't really want to leave yet. All I was focusing on, or telling myself, was that I wanted to know if was possible. As if saying "show me it's possible" would just open the portal. Now, if I'm right, I don't know if this means that every person has the potential to cross the multiverse if they know about another universe, or if the freak thing between me and my other self and then crossing through the portal twice has now given me...I don't know, the ability to do it?"

"You think you have powers?!" Amy said like it would be amazing.

"No, not like superpowers I can just use...well, I don't think so. No, I'm just saying that maybe because I'm the only one, or only known one, that's made a connection by accident, I am now the only one who can open that connection. Like, science more than powers. Unexplained science, something I don't understand. Bruce and Tony barely understood it, they were all theorizing! But I already know that they're partially off because they said we needed the machine, and I just started opening it without one. So either that machine gave me powers, or the miraculous connection Hydra forced upon me and younger me has given me the ability to be aware of both worlds. Aware in a way that telling others about doesn't make them. There's a lot we don't understand because this is completely unstudied terrain! But if the part of what Bruce says about how we needed a connection is right...then on top of younger me, whose mind I momentarily linked with once, I now have entire memories! People I know! The very things I used to get back here, the things Bruce said only I could use to get back here because they were my connections."

"But you just said that clearly Bruce and Tony were wrong in their theories," your mom pointed out.

"Parts of it, yes. Because I just proved we don't need the machine. Did it help? Yes. Would it be easier? Yes again. But no one else that I've heard of has accidently opened portals just by thinking of some place. It's gotta be my connection now. And I think we can say Bruce was right about that part, cuz thinking of you guys brought me home!"

"So...you wanna go back?" your dad asked, and everyone was silent for a few seconds.

"I...I don't know, I---"

"You should go," your mom cut you off, and even Amy looked surprised by her words.

"Honey, you're saying our daughter should go back to a---" your dad started.

"Yes," your mom cut him off, "I am. All of those stories, Sean, that she told us? All of those things she did? You know how proud we are. But that beats anything life can give her here."

"Mom, no," you began protesting that last part, "I'm not ungrateful for this world. It's full of as many things to make me happy as there, I'm not trying to escape anything--"

"You're not escaping. You're moving on. Wren, I've watched you try and settle back into the life you had before, but you're doing a shit job of it."

"I'd just need time."

"We both know that isn't going to make a difference. I'm not saying you can't be content here. You'd find the happiness, you always do. But it wouldn't be the same. It isn't. Because you know something that you can never tell anyone but us. Have experienced something unlike anything in this world. And try to fit back in as hard as you can, but that will always separate you. Don't be ashamed of accepting a different life just because it's not one with us."

Your eyes watered as you nodded, looking to your dad.

"She's right," he said, almost reluctantly, "I may want you here...but you can't come back from spears and battles and space! There'll be days where you probably wish you could...but you can't. I say go get em."

"You already know my vote," Amy smiled, though her eyes were sad.

"There's something else though," you wiped your eyes before the water could turn to tears, "I don't know if I can open it again. And if I do, I don't know if I can do it back. And even if I can...the time is clearly off. I could come back years later but it's only a month, or vice versa. Coming back would be---"

"Not an option," your mom took over your sentence, once again making Amy gawk in shock. You dad, however, seemed to have the same grim understanding.

"What?" your voice cracked.

"If you come back, you don't know when you're coming to. That's more problems then it's worth...more stress, more fear then it's worth. And I don't want you to live your life worrying."

"I don't want you to either."

"Exactly. Best to know I'm saying goodbye for good, rather than secretly hope you'll drop out of the sky. That's not good for anyone," she finished, her voice choking up as the tears she'd held started to leak out.

You walked to her as she stood up to hug you.

"I'll miss you, mama."

"I'll miss you too, baby."

***

You spent the next day getting everything you wanted to take back with you. That meant repacking everything you'd taken from the MCU first. Once again, you felt mixed emotions about your decision. It was so hard to have to do something that would both make you happy and sad. Say goodbye to others for good, just to say hello to someone else. Life didn't seem fair sometimes. But then, it rarely is.

There was, however, something different this time. A strange sense of calmness under all the raw emotion. A feeling you couldn't quite describe. The best word you could think of was comfort. Yes, you had to say yet another goodbye. Give up the family in the end, when you'd been unable to do that earlier. But this time, you had their blessing. Their support. Knew they'd be comforted knowing you'd found happiness. And that, in turn, gave you comfort. Gave you closure. It didn't make leaving them any easier, but it kept the gut wrenching grief at bay.

You smiled as you folded Zemo's coat and placed it back in the bag, thinking of how you'd see him again after all. That was the last item of Marvel merch (in the truest sense) that you had to pack, moving on to your own stuff next. You made sure to bring all sentimental items. Most importantly, you packed the entire Infinity Saga. Movie nights were about to get interesting.

When the evening came, you were ready to go. You'd gotten your story straight with your family for what they were supposed to tell any acquaintances that might ask about you years later. But Wendy was your main concern now. She'd been invited over, filled in on what was happening. You'd said you take her if she wanted, but she chose what she had here. Honestly, you understood why. Her Loki was here. Yours was out there.

At long last, the moment you'd grown to hate arrived again. Goodbyes. You gave your sappy words, hugged a million hugs, and shed as many tears as you had only two weeks ago. But when the time came to try and open the portal, the crying had stopped.

"You got this!" Wendy cheered goofily, making you chuckle as you faced away from them.

"No laughing if something doesn't happen," you said.

You closed your eyes and concentrated, your family quieting down for you. Before long you heard the gasp. Opening your eyes, you saw the small blue swirl forming. You didn't break concentration, focusing on them. The Avengers. Loki. You knew it was these connections, these feelings, that would get it to remain open for you. It began to grow slowly.

Just then, the setting sun reached a spot where it shone through the trees, nearly blinding you. Though, you quickly realized the reason it seemed so bright.

The crystal on your neck was glowing that magnificent orange.

"No matter where you are, you can look down, and see that orange fire capture in that tiny crystal. You will always be reminded of Asgard, and you will always have part of it with you."

Thinking of Loki's words, and all that they meant to you, must have been the final push. The portal loomed in front of you, now humming steadily at full size.

"Wow," you heard Amy and Wendy whisper in unison.

You bent down, grabbing the spear.

"Watch out below," you said, throwing it through the portal. "Ok...maybe I shouldn't have thrown it with the head first."

"Wren!" Amy exclaimed while Wendy laughed.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," you shrugged, tossing two more bags in that you couldn't carry with the rest. With your arms full of the remaining luggage, you gave one last look to your family. They were crying, but still looked happy for you. Your mom gave you one last encouraging nod, and you smiled back.

"I love you guys."

With that, you turned and leapt once more into the now annoyingly familiar experience.

***

The portal opened with the ground under you. Thankfully, your bags cushioned you this time. When you rolled off of them, there was no sign of the blue gateway. You stared at the sky for a few seconds, letting yourself come to terms with what you'd just committed to. With one last sad smile, as if saying goodbye all the way from here, you picked yourself up off the ground.

Where am I?

You were on a nicely kept bit of grass...with a lake, though farther in the distance and different than the one at the compound. There were woods on the other side of the lake, which wrapped around it on the right. From your elevated position, you could see the woods went on for a while. Wherever you were, the grounds were extensive...Assuming all the rolling fields on one side and the lake and woods and all the inbetween were part of a property.

Doing a slow 360, you realized it was indeed one property. There were buildings all around behind you. How big the facilities really were was unknown, but you'd recognize that architecture anywhere. The big Avengers logo standing at the entrance to a gate was another give away. You'd dropped near whatever road led into this facility, and you could see parking lots with cars and people heading in and out.

One of Tony's places? But with Avengers branding?

It didn't make sense, but you didn't care enough to piece it together.

Great, just find someone and ask them if I can borrow their phone. Hope they don't ask where I came from or why I'm carrying a cart load of luggage and a weapon. Simple.

The thought of a phone made you pull out your MCU one. It didn't have service or a functioning number at all in your world, though the battery had remained intact. Now, you wondered if it'd work again. Deciding to test your theory, you called Tony.

Though the dialing sound in your ear was your focus, you could have sworn you were hearing a voice...that, if you weren't mistaken, sounded like yours.

"...I'm probably lost...or need money...or accidentally killed Sam in one of my pranks...or got kidnapped again...or somehow dusted again..."

It was definitely your voice, and you knew where you knew it from: The ringtone Tony had made you record for him to use for your contact. You turned around and there he was, twenty feet or so away. He was staring like he'd seen a ghost, phone held in his hand.

You stared back, wanting to run to him but also not knowing where to start explaining things.

"Were you gonna answer it?" you finally asked, waving your phone once.

"Kid?" he finally spit out.

"Yeah," you nodded, "I know, I know, I got a lot of explaining to do."

He chuckled, shaking his head like he couldn't believe it and also like he was going to kill you.

"I feel like I should just stop letting things surprise me at this point," he started marching over, and you ran the closing distance to hug him, "God, I can't believe it's you," he said.

"Miss me already?" you teased, smiling so hard you thought your cheeks would break.

"Well, I held out longer than the others," he tried to brag, "You know how they are. Especially Sam. But maybe, just a bit," he shrugged.

"I've missed you already and I don't care to admit it!" you hugged him again, "But where the hell are we?"

"Nice to see you're as oblivious as always."

"What did I do?"

"Miss the giant A I had planted up there. Thought it was big enough people would know where you were, but maybe the mailman really is getting lost and Sam and Bucky aren't taking my packages."

"Wait...Avengers compound?"

"No, this is Hydra's compound," he said sarcastically.

"But...how did you..." understanding hit you. "Tony, how long have I been gone?"

His smile dropped to concern.

"Two years last month."

Your eyes grew wide and you felt your heart rate quicken.

"Kid?"

"Two years??? Two years???"

"You're repeating yourself."

"It's been two years, Tony?"

"Yeah," he nodded sadly, "We really missed you kid."

"But...but Tony it--it's only been two weeks for me."

Despite what he'd said moments before, he let yet another thing shock him.

"Shit," he rubbed his mouth, letting out a sigh, "That explains why you're so... nonchalant."

"Big word there."

"Don't get snippy cuz you're having a crisis here."

"I'm always snippy," you said distractedly, "Or did you forget in the two years I've been away?"

"Hey, it's ok," he rubbed your shoulder, seeing you were starting to freak out, "Come on, let's get you inside," he said as he started walking you towards the building.

"What about my things?"

"You forgetting who I am?"

"Right, someone will get them."

"Atta girl, Smiley, now why don't you tell me how you got back here? Thought loverboy shot you back?"

You gave him a look at that but couldn't argue. You told him what had happened as he led you to the new kitchen.

"Woah, I like the place," you said, walking around to examine the room, "Where's the island counter thing?"

Tony groaned in response. "I thought, with the growing numbers we can have at any given time, that we could exchange counter space for a bigger table so---"

"SO YOU GOT RID OF THE ISLAND?"

"All it did was collect junk when people didn't want to---"

"It was great for counter space, serving up food, party style snacks---"

"And you could barely sit at it with the unnecessary pounds of muscle the super soldiers around here carry with them as they shove their way by---"

"And the storage space was phenomenal---"

"What's this abou---" Steve started saying, walking in the room, his smile dropping to an opened mouthed stare.

"Steve, tell him the island was necessary and should be reinstalled," you said.

"I can't just put it in now, it would throw off the entire layout of the room, which was designed without an island!"

"Steve, back me up here---" you stopped when seeing his confused look, which hadn't changed.

"Ohhh," you nodded stupidly, catching on.

"Yeah, 2 years there genius," Tony shot at you.

"I'm starting to wish it'd been longer for me," you fired back, "Sorry, Steve... yeah, I'm back," you smiled hesitantly, holding out your hands, "Kinda opened a portal...again...but without someone getting tortured this time! I think..."

"Oh my God," was all he said, starting to chuckle as he had a look like he shouldn't have been surprised.

"Language," you smiled, running over to him.

"I...how've you been?" he settled for the easiest question.

"Well, it's only been two weeks for me, so still grappling with that, but yeah pretty good."

"Two weeks?"

"Yeah ya see, when I went back it had only been like five days for my family. Guess time is wonky coming back too. How have you been though??? Two years! I can't believe it and I'm slightly terrified on the inside, but please please please tell me everyone's alive???"

"We're all fine," he laughed, "Everyone's good."

"If you can call hearing shit about one design flaw for a whole year good," Tony scoffed.

"Ha, others have complained!"

"And you called it a flaw!" Steve snapped his finger, pointing at Tony victoriously.

"I meant from the point of view of those few close-minded individuals who---"

"Naaah, he said it," you smiled.

"Friday, you got that all on film, right?" Steve asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Send it to Bucky and Sam, will you?"

"Already done."

"Friday!!!! I missed you so much! You have no idea what a bitch Alexa is compared to you, absolutely zero fun."

"I'm just hurt you tried to replace me at all, Wren."

"Pfft, I made due with what I had. A necessary evil, I swear. But now I'm back and we've got a lot of crime to catch up on!"

"You're back for ten minutes and I want you gone already," Tony said.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Rhodey's dealing with some military junk across seas, big higher up boring stuff," Tony said.

"So something other than punching to a solution."

"Exactly."

"Sounds awful."

"T'Challa's still working on his relief projects, and Wakanda's doing well," Steve said.

"Pete's on his way to college next month, MIT," Tony said like a proud parent.

"Awwww they grow up so fast."

"Yeah, too fast," Tony turned into protective dad mode real quick.

"He has a girlfriend," Steve explained.

"MJ?!"

"God I almost forgot how annoying that is," Tony shook his head in awe.

"Nat, Yelena, and Shuri live here, still doing Avenger work, but..." Steve smiled, "...a little extra work on the side."

"They set up a fashion company," Tony cut to it.

"No way!!!!"

"Yup, run it right from a HQ on this land. That way they're close to both jobs. They leave most of the heavy lifting to secretaries and employees anyway, it's what they're paying them for. But Nat likes to have her hands on the numbers, keep things in order. Then go and punch out her boredom with us."

"How successful is it?"

"A fashion company with Shuri's brain, the style of those three (and Brunnhilde from time to time), and run by the Black Widow and her sister?" Tony said, "How do you think it's going?"

"Oh my God, they actually went through with it."

"You told us all to live our lives," Steve said.

"What about Bruce?"

"Still here. Gotta be, if he's married to both an Avenger and sin CEO."

"Married??? Agggggggh" you shrieked, "It's about time!!! But what's sin?"

"SYN, pronounced sin. It's Nat's company."

"Ohhhh. How'd they come up with that?"

"Their initials," Steve answered.

"Ohhhh," you said again, "Cool how they spell sin in a fun way. Totally what a company run by Nat should be, and not in a bad way. But keep going! What about the rest?"

"Korg and Miek are momentarily off world. They asked to join the Guardians for a few weeks, called it vacation time. Which I actually don't give you guys, but I allowed it," Tony said.

"You don't pay them anyway," you noted.

"I mean, I technically do," Tony said.

"Avengers get paid now?"

"Complicated system, but follow the money and it leads to me."

"Usually does," you agreed.

"Sam and Buck are down at Sam's sister's, spending a week by the water," Steve moved on.

"And why aren't you with them?"

"Peggy and I were on one of our own, which they then had to go on one because I was being 'non inclusive'...when taking my wife away for our anniversary."

"EVERYONE GOT MARRIED!"

"You've been away a while," Tony said apologetically.

"What about Wanda and Vis?"

"Semi-retired in New Jersey. They come when we need, visit on some weekends, tune in for the once a three month meeting."

"Once a three month?"

"For in person, if people can make it," Steve said, "But we have a once a week call-in for Carol and the Guardians and everyone else to join and fill in on their status. The channel's also always open. We're keeping watch in the stars as well as on earth now."

"What about Scott and Hope?"

"Not married, so don't go screaming your head off prematurely," Tony told you, "But they're back together. Fell apart a bit I think sometime last year, but going strong now. Happy as two little bugs could be."

"Where's he living?"

"Still in San Francisco. Though he's a registered Avenger, so as long as he lifts a finger at least once a month, he gets paid," Tony rolled his eyes, "He 'watches over his city', though, or so he likes to say. A miniature Batman."

"He also works with the Pyms on their research," Steve defended him.

"You and Pep stick up for that guy like he's your son," Tony scolded.

"Wait, you and Pep sealed the deal, right?"

He held up his hand to show you the ring.

"Awww I wish I coulda been there!"

"We wish you were there too."

"Ok, so, what about Clint?"

"Same as you left, really," Steve chuckled, "Never in full retirement."

"Do you guys know how Zemo is? Have you heard from him?"

"Not a lot of friendly catching up to do over a cup of coffee," Tony sassed, "But I've been keeping tabs. Hasn't exactly been hiding though. The police never had any reason to want him because we never made our discoveries public to them. So I guess he knew we'd leave him be."

"And??"

"He's good," Steve took over before Tony could, "Continued his charity work, but it's kind of taken off to new heights. A lot of charity homes for Sokovian survivors, among other things. Relocations, hospitals, and so on. Helping orphans or victims in more places than just Sokovia."

You smiled at the news, proud that Zemo was accomplishing a lot.

"And what about Thor and...Loki?"

"Thor's still with Jane," Steve said.

"He's around here all the time though. Comes on all missions. He still works for me afterall."

"Still not working for you," Steve shook his head in a sarcastic apology.

"Follow the money, that's all I'll say. We all know who's really giving you your cash to go pouring over cheap romance novels and your hot wife."

"And Loki?" you changed the topic back eagerly, trying to hide that fact.

Tony looked to Steve, both obviously dancing around the awkward circumstances of your last parting.

"Yes, we kissed, ok? Get it out in the open!"

"Oh I was planning on it," Tony assured you, "Because he's lucky he didn't hear it from me that day given the uh... situation. But just what makes you think you can go around kissing men?"

"He kissed me!"

"But you liked it."

"I---"

Your hesitation made Steve smile and Tony start laughing.

"Oh shut up!" you punched his arm, "Ok, fine, I'll say it now! Yes, I love Loki. You all knew it anyway, and have even more now for two years. Grow up!" you said when Tony hadn't stopped giggling.

"I'm sorry, it's just so funny to me that you fought so hard for how long? All of this 'ewwww, I could never love someone I grew up watching'---" he mocked your voice, waving his hands around as he did.

"I wasn't lying! I just...didn't stick to that in the end. I didn't always like him, so you were still all wrong!"

"It was a looong kiss too," Tony continued, "You come up for air at all? I was about to come pull him off you, for multiple reasons."

"I hate you so much right now."

"Oh well, we can't all be as lucky as Loki when it comes to your love," he gave you a kissy face, scurrying over to the bar before you could hit him again.

"How is he though?"

"If you're asking has he got a new girl, no he hasn't," Tony answered, and you glared back.

"He's good," Cap said, "Likes to come down few times a month, even visited Clint once or twice. In the early days, he still lived with us, even if he split his time between Asgard and here. But now..."

"Now what?"

"He's got some more important shit, which you'll love when it comes to marrying him," Tony said after a sip of his liquor.

"I will find Cap's shield and split you in half with it!"

"He's busier up there," Cap continued, "Cuz he's king now."

Your jaw dropped, but morphed into a wide smile.

"You're kidding me???"

"Nope," Steve shook his head, smiling with you.

"Yeah, antlers got the promotion about six months back. One hell of a coronation, Asgardians really know how to celebrate."

"Oh my God," you started laughing in pure surprised joy, "He became king!"

"And doing a much better job than you said he does in Ragnarok," Steve said.

"Oh my gosh. I...wow."

Part of you wanted to feel sad that you'd missed out, but you weren't going to turn this news into something bad.

"When can I see everyone?"

***

A call to the Guardians was planned first, which you did right away in another room.

"You're gonna be right in front," Tony maneuvered you, "So any shit we may receive will now go to you and they'll feel bad."

"Mmm, will they though?"

"Just stand here."

The signal was sent, taking a couple of seconds before being answered.

"Give us a minute, Rogers, the idiot's decided to---" Nebula had been saying as she appeared, looking to her right, but she stopped when turning back forward. You smiled at her, waving a bit. She smirked briefly. "You're back."

"No, I'm a hallucination."

She narrowed her eyes, but nodded hello.

"Took you long enough. STOP ARGUING OR I WILL TEAR THE REMOTE TO PIECES!" she yelled to someone in the background, "Ugh, maybe you'll distract them. HEY! GET OVER HERE."

"We just had the meeting last night, what does he want---" Quill stepped in, "WHAT? Heeeeey! Rocket! Rocket, guys get over here! No, it's not that, just how about you trust me for once and get over here?"

"Trust you?!" Rocket laughed, walking into view with Drax and Mantis.

"It's Wren!" Mantis waved excitedly.

"Hiiii!" you waved back.

"I thought she was dead?" Drax said in confusion, to which everyone just slowly turned to give him a look before ignoring the statement.

"You! You caused me a load of trouble!" Rocket accused, pointing a finger at you, "Ever since you left and Groot's hit his d-hole phase, I can't find anyone willing to take him off our hands so we can go ONE HOUR without his mouth!"

"Go yell at Loki!" you said, knowing you still had made the initial decision and may have stuck with it.

"Oh yeah, how was it getting blasted after he kissed you?" Quill asked, "It was about time though, right?" Quill smiled, eyebrows raising up and down.

"Where's Gamora?" you asked.

"Trying to get Groot to come out of his room," Rocket answered, "He's glued to that stupid game and won't do his chores. She's the only one who can sometimes get to him."

"Go tell him I'm here!"

Rocket rolled his eyes but did as he was told. You caught up with the others while Rocket was away, but soon he and Gamora appeared. Gamora smiled to you while Rocket motioned to Groot, who wasn't in sight yet.

"Get over here or I'll take the surprise away!" Rocket warned.

"I am Grooot," Groot said with attitude, giving a face as he entered. His disrespect dropped as he saw you, eyes widening.

"Hey buddy!" you said, knowing you shouldn't be getting emotional over how grown he was, "You're so big!"

"I am Groot," he walking closer holding a hand up as if you were able to touch it through hologram. Even though you couldn't, you copied his movement.

"He said 'You're back' but like a question," Rocket translated.

"Yeah Groot, I got back here. Sorry it took me so long."

A smile grew on his face and the whole group around him gasped.

"I forgot he could do that," Drax said.

"Oh my God, it's a miracle," Quill whispered.

"Someone not listening to what I said before I left?" you teased Groot, but to your shock he started getting a crying face on, shaking his head. "Groot it was just a joke, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"I am Groot, I am Groot, I am Groot," he started saying like someone who was venting, waving his hands around.

"Hey! We're not controlling!" Rocket argued, "And maybe we wouldn't be on your case so much if you behaved a little!"

Groot started crying more, making Rocket uncomfortable.

"Yeesh...ok ok, it's alright kid, bring it in," Rocket said, hugging the tree's leg.

"Where're Korg and Miek?" you asked.

"They went out to get snacks, but shou---" Gamora answered, but was cut off by Korg's voice.

"They didn't have the red kind, Drax. But that's ok cuz I found some red drinks, which doesn't technically mean they'll be good, I know, but it was red so I thought we could give it a go, you know?"

"Hey Korg!"

"Oh! Hello Wren! I thought you said it wasn't likely you'd visit? Glad you did though, we missed you, bro. Got this sweet setup up here on this ship you gotta try sometime. Space can be a crazy place when you're always on the road, or on the stars I guess you could say, but I find it also relaxing to see the vast universe. Life can seem so big and scary until you grasp your own insignificance in the cosmos."

"Wow, that sounds...amazing," you went along with it, "I missed you guys a lot! Hey Miek!"

Miek waved back, his other arm full of snacks.

You continued talking with the group, finding out that you'd see them next week at a ball Asgard was having. The party was apparently an annual celebration honoring the warriors of Asgard, and Loki had invited all of the Avengers.

"I'll see you guys later!" you waved as they signed off. "Where's Tony?" you asked Steve, looking around the room.

"Getting a few friends," he smiled.

Sure enough, a few minutes later he walked in with three irritated girls behind him.

"Oh my God!!! Yes yes yes yes yes!" Yelena shouted as she ran to you, the two of you rocking back and forth as she hugged you tightly, "What took you so damn long to find your way back? I've been waiting forever! After a kiss like that, I knew you'd be back for more!"

"Shut up!" you laughed, turning to hug Shuri. "How have the young Avengers been?"

"More mischievous than my brother would like," she grinned, "It's so good to have you back."

"I thought," Nat said slowly, still standing where she'd entered the room, "That we sent you home?" Her arms were folded, giving you that Natasha smirk.

"I just had to make sure you and Bruce got hitched."

"Well, I couldn't seem to keep the dork away, so you got your wish."

Her big smile finally filled her face as she stopped playing around and walked over to hug you.

"Oh I missed you," she said as she squeezed you, "How've you been?"

"Well it's only been two weeks, so---"

"Two weeks?" Yelena asked.

"For me, yeah. And when I got back it had only been five days for my family."

"That is some trippy time shit right there," Yelena held her hands up like she wanted nothing to do with it.

"Yeah, turns out there's a lot more about multiversal travel we don't know about," Tony said, "Didn't figure all the kinks."

"No, that can't be true. You're the great Tony Stark," Shuri sassed.

"Don't you wanna go to college?" Tony offered, "Seriously, I'll pay! Go to MIT with Peter and his friends, or Harvard or wherever! Just go, you know you want to," he pleaded.

"Why go to college when I'm already smarter than you and have one of the fastest growing fashion companies?"

"The 'college experience'? Isn't that what all you kids waste your money for?"

"What?" you heard a voice from behind Nat, looking to see Bruce standing there, "How---how are you...what?" he said again, with a slight chuckle, walking towards you.

"Hey Bruce!" you hugged him, "Long story short, I managed to open another portal but it's only been two weeks for me and it was only five days for my family during the nine months I was here. Any other questions?"

"Yes, how??"

"You're the scientist. You said we needed a connection...I guess I now have one between both worlds, but...I can't control the time aspect."

"Right," he nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "Sorry," he shook his head, snapping out of it, "How've you been?! Gosh it feels like yesterday that we last saw you but also so long."

"I've been good! I uh...may or may not have brought a certain collection of movies back with me..."

"You didn't," Tony's mouth dropped.

"I did."

"Movie night!" he said, "I don't care what everyone has, whoever is here is having movie night. We're starting with mine!"

"That is where you start, so yeah."

You spent the rest of the day hearing everything they had to tell you and planning how you were going to drop in on the others. Yes, you were going to see them next week, but you couldn't wait that long. In Loki's case, you desperately wanted to beam up right now. But after the move he pulled, you managed to find the patience necessary to wait. To do it on your terms. He always had a flair for the dramatic, the movie entrance. So you'd do the same.

"You mind coming to see Pep tonight? You can stay at our place?" Tony was saying as he took you around for a tour of the new facility.

"Um, I'll stay wherever you put me, but yeah I'd love to see Pep if that's ok? I don't wanna take over your home though."

"Come on, she'd love to have you. And besides, she needs the help."

"Help?"

He didn't answer as he started showing you something else. As the evening started to approach, he had you grab a bag with some clothes before heading out to a car. He hopped in the bright orange vehicle, and you giggled as you climbed in. It had been a while since you'd driven with Tony...and it was always an experience.

"Buckle up," Tony said, "Don't want any Doctor Stranges."

"How is he?" you asked as he launched out of the parking lot.

"Oh you know, same as always. Attends meetings though, so that's a bad thing."

"Ya mean good thing."

"Nope, I meant what I said."

"Any big Avengers issues in the last two years?"

"More space problems than you'd think. Danvers can't be everywhere at once, so we've been called in to support the Guardians a few times. There was something with a tracksuit gang causing trouble. Mafias aren't really our problem though unless they start stepping on the wrong toes, which these guys did. I think there's a higher up, some big guy we're missing but..." he shrugged, "...guess we'll find out. Oh, and some asshole managed to make more of that super soldier serum. Had a prolonged battle with a group of them that got their hands on it. Called Zemo in for that one actually."

"You said you didn't talk to Zemo!"

"I said there's not a lot to talk about over coffee."

"He helped you guys?"

"He hates super soldiers almost as much as he hates us, so it wasn't exactly a favor."

"I'm guessing this group was the flag smashers based on the description? And the fact that Zemo came in?"

"Do I bother scolding you for not telling us things anymore?"

"Hey, I didn't think the flag smashers would happen! They literally had one month of a blipped world, so I didn't think they'd experience as great a change. But apparently they still liked the world as it was during that time, psychos. Also, Sharon isn't the Power Broker, so a lot of things weren't in position to happen. I didn't know a variation would."

"Eh we handled it," Tony gave in, "So you're off the hook."

The two of you talked the rest of the way to his luxurious home high above the city.

"Everything's alright, I'm back now you can stop missing me," Tony said as he saw Pepper in the kitchen.

"Oh, well, thank God," she joked, walking around the counter and down the steps to the lower area of the open-floored setup you were in. "How are you?" she hugged you, having been told by Tony already that you were back.

"Good, how bout you?"

"Busy," she said like she meant it.

"Hard being his wife, huh?" you said quietly, watching as Tony walked up and around the counter.

"Yeah that and...other stuff."

"What's he doing?" you asked, seeing Tony hunched over.

"Come see," she took your hand, leading you to his spot.

"Wren," Tony said, turning to face you, "Meet Morgan Wren Stark."

Next to him was the highchair and the bundle of joy in it.

Your mouth hung open for a bit before you knelt down in front of the child.

"Oh my gosh, hi," you said quietly, reaching your finger forward for Morgan to clasp onto with her tiny hand, "How old is she?"

"Ten months," Tony answered.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Morgan. I was hoping I'd see you one day."

Tony just grumbled at the reveal that you knew about her.

"But..." you continued, looking up at Tony and Pepper, "Morgan Wren Stark?"

"Mhmm," Pepper nodded with a smile, "After the woman that saved her daddy's life."

Your lip quivered a bit as you smiled, standing to hug them both.

Spending the night with the Starks was a blast. You helped them with Morgan while they got dinner ready, you got to feed her a few times, and you watched as Tony was the most adorable father. When it was time to put her to bed, you stood in the doorway of her bedroom, watching on in happiness as Tony laid the already sleeping bundle down in the crib. He looked like he didn't want to leave as Pep pulled him away.

The last thing to do was watch Iron-Man, which he'd made you bring. Pepper had fought him on it, talking about how creepy and invasive it was and so forth, but in the end even she couldn't get past her own curiosity. To see oneself, one's life, filmed like a movie? Too tempting to pass up.

The scene early on with the reporter Tony got a little friendly with led to a hilarious moment and subsequent commentary from Pep. You were left in tears from laughter, unable to even listen as Tony blamed it all on you for not telling him it was in the film.

Moving past that, it was continued amusement watching the two of them watch themselves. In some instances it was sad, because Tony had to rewatch everything he went through...kind of traumatic when you thought about it, and you briefly hated yourself for being so glued to Tony's reaction rather than the movie. But with the hard scenes done, it was entertaining watching the two of them comment on Stain or what it was like, etc etc. Really weird experience, but all around entertaining.

"I am Iron-Man."

The credits rolled and Tony stood to clap.

"No, no that was awful," Pepper stood up, carrying their cups back to the kitchen, "I looked awful in half those scenes, I didn't need to see what happened in that cave, I---"

"Some of it was movie-detailed in ways we didn't need, I get that," Tony began diplomatically, "But all around Pep, you gotta say it was pretty cool watching it all from---"

"Cool? There was nothing cool about watching yourself, it--it was like watching someone else with your face because I know I wasn't there to film that and---"

"Because we didn't film it Pepper, we lived it, and now we get to see it!"

"That's worse! Why would we want to relive that stuff?"

"Iron-Man 2 tomorrow."

"No! No no no, Tony, I allowed this, I let you have your fun, but we are not doing that again. We're not!"

"It's the one where you guys fall in love," you said, "Well, I'm sure y'all already liked each other as you could tell in the film. Come on, wasn't it at all a bit entertaining to see how he started falling for you? And you're kinda a badass. Second one's with the first kiss."

"See, first kiss Pep!" Tony piled on.

Pepper looked between the two of you, both with pleading faces.

"Fine!" she sighed, "Fine, just one more and that's it!"

You and Tony had one more drink to celebrate your victory, before he let you crash in the guest room.

The next day was full of plans. You had a lot of stops to make, all of which Tony had set aside his schedule to help you with. You were packing your bag to leave for the first stop when a flash of orange across your vision brought an entire scene change.

You dropped your hands from where they'd been held up like you were about to zip the bag closed, smiling as you looked around the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"Bit dramatic?" you said for your voice to echo, knowing he was here somewhere.

"I thought you said it was cool last time?"

You looked up the stairs, seeing him standing at the balcony in normal clothes and a cup of coffee in his hands. He smiled when you saw him.

"How ya been kid?" he started walking down the steps.

"Good! And you?"

"Better," he said after giving it a second's thought, nodding in content.

"Have anything to do with the huge team you have now? Or the kids I'm sure that pay you visits?"

"So I've become friends with some of them, don't give yourself the credit."

"I get a Strange hug or what?"

He smirked as he magicked his coffee away and caved to your request.

"I had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of you. Can't say I'm mad you breached the walls between reality again."

"Hey, don't let someone hear you, they might think you have a heart."

"Your mouth is still the same."

"Well, only been two weeks for me. Make of that what you will."

"The time paradox," he nodded, "Makes sense not everything worked. It's a tricky field you very carelessly dove into. Not all universes are running on the same concept of time. An hour for one reality could be a year for another. It's a concept we know little of."

"I guess it was a good thing for my family. They'd only missed me for five days."

"Missed you?"

"Yeah...and I'll miss them," you said, knowing he was joking but being unable to not speak the truth.

"I'm sorry, kid."

"Don't be. Everything was taken care of."

"You want anything?" he asked, magicking his coffee back to him.

"I wish I could stay and chat, but Tony's gonna be waiting for me soon. You'll be at the party next week though, right? Registered Avenger after all."

"I'll be there," he assured you.

"See ya then," you waved, taking a step back.

In a flash you were back in front of your bag. You finished closing it, hurrying out to meet Tony. The first stop was Sam and Bucky. You and Tony had left early, getting to Sarah's house in the morning. A quick check-in with Sarah, who was inside, revealed that Sam and Buck were out fixing up the family boat.

"Ok, let me go first," Tony said from where you guys were peering out behind a parked truck, "I'll get em to look away, then you come in."

You nodded as he walked around. The duo didn't see Tony until he was close to the boat, both sighing as they saw him.

"We're on vacation," Bucky said like that answered whatever Tony was going to ask of them.

"Yeah, nothing like hard labor to help you relax," Tony snickered as he examined the old boat.

"Whaddya want, Tony?" Sam asked, "If you came all the way out here, I'm guessing we're not gonna like it."

"Eh, probably won't," Tony held his hand out, turning their heads to where you stood on the dock near the tip of the boat.

"Shit," Sam said, looking so confused, while Buck hopped over the edge onto the dock as soon as he laid eyes on you. Sam scrambled to do the same.

"Heeeeey!" you said as Buck literally lifted you off the ground with his hug.

"How're you here?" he asked, looking down at you like you shouldn't be real.

"I thought we got rid of you," Sam laughed, catching up to Buck and hugging you.

"Didn't trust Bucky to annoy you enough, so here I am."

"Seriously, how'd you get here?" Sam asked again, looking back at Tony.

"Uh, I opened another portal. I can do that apparently. Your haircut!" you changed the subject, reaching up to mess Bucky's hair.

"Yeah, I know," he said like you'd be upset.

"Hey, you're hot either way. I like it both ways. It's kinda like you've settled in though, I think it's great."

"Drooling over them," Sam shook his head, "Some things don't change."

"Well it's only been two weeks for me, so I ain't gonna change that quickly."

You proceeded to spend the next hour with them, explaining and catching up. Sam's family was great, and you would have been upset when it was time to leave, had Clint not been the next stop.

Tony landed the quinjet right there on their lawn, not trying to hide. You watched as subtly as you could from the top of the ramp as Tony approached Clint, who had been pitching to his kids. Now he had the stance of someone who was bracing themselves for the next fight he was being called to. Instead, Tony pointed back to the jet, that being your queue. You hurried down the ramp, unable to play it cool.

Clint dropped his mitt immediately, jogging across the lawn. He didn't say anything as he pulled you in for the hug.

"Good to see you too," you smiled as you pulled back.

"You're such a pain in the ass," he chuckled, "Make me get all emotional over you, just to come back. I hate you, kiddo."

"After I came all this way to see you?"

"Do I even wanna hear how it happened this time?"

"You're gonna hear it anyway," you patted his back as he put his arm over your shoulder and walked towards the house with you.

Lila and Cooper remembered you, though it still took some warming up before they were comfortable around you. Nate was now pushing four-years-old, and obviously remembered nothing from the age of 1. You and Tony spent a few hours with them, leaving in time to get to the compound for the evening visitors.

"Hey Bruce, hey Steve," Peter's voice greeted casually as he walked in the kitchen. You were hiding just around the corner in the other hall.

"Hey, Pete. MJ, Ned," Bruce returned the hellos, "All ready for college?"

"Yeah actually," MJ answered, "Well, I am."

"Peter and I aren't... completely far behind," Ned defended unconvincingly.

"Get on that," Steve warned, "Don't wanna be running around like Peter before a mission."

"Hey I'm getting better," Peter declared.

"You'd forget your head if it wasn't attached," Tony disagreed.

"How he hasn't revealed his identity to the world yet is one of the untold miracles," MJ added.

"Any particular reason you invited us here, Tony?" Peter changed the subject.

"Kid, you're here literally all the time."

"Yeah, I know, but like you usually don't go out of your way to make sure all three of us will be here when you ask if I'm coming over."

"So I have to be planning something?"

"Mmm yeah kinda," Peter chuckled, and you were caught off guard by his increased comfort and boldness around the team and Tony. You had to remind yourself two years had passed.

"Fine, smartass, you ruin every surprise. Come on out."

You stepped around the corner, Peter's smile dropping to an amazed expression.

"Yeah, I know," you nodded, walking towards him.

"No way!" he said excitedly as he hugged you, followed by Ned.

"How'd you get back here???" Peter asked.

"I opened a portal! I can do that I guess!" you said like a child.

"Awesome," Ned said in awe, "Wait so do you have like powers now, does that count?"

"I mean, if you wanna count portals as a power, sure?"

"Dr Strange can do that!" Ned said, "Dude, you've got Dr. Strange-level powers."

"Technically bigger, but don't tell him I think so. And I think it's more science than powers, and I also can't control aspects of them...and shouldn't use them again..."

Ned looked bummed along with you.

"But I got here!" you changed back to a happy tone.

"Oh my God, there's so much to fill you in on!" Peter started talking at the same time as Ned.

"First, aren't ya gonna introduce me to MJ?" you asked, looking between them to where she was making it very clear, in her MJ way, that this was awkward.

"Did you know she and I would...you know---"

"Date? Of course! I so badly wanted to meet her, but couldn't spoil what role she plays for you, so---"

"Wait..." MJ cut you off, "You're...you're Wren?"

"Aww, the boys talked about me."

"They only nerd out over the fact that they're movie characters like all the time," she snickered.

"Let me guess, like to think about what their edits are like? Interviews? Go about life saying and doing things with the anticipation that somewhere else it's on camera?"

"Yeah," she laughed.

"We don't do that," Peter said.

"Yes you do, you guys did it when I was here. Even if you thought I wasn't paying attention."

"Right?!" MJ continued, "I mean, they think I'm just oblivious to them posing all the time like they're being watched."

"Welllll...if you guys really wanna see some cool things, and also stuff that no longer happened with you guys...I may have brought some movies back with me."

"You brought the movies?" Ned said like he might pass out if it were true.

"Yup!"

"We're gonna see ourselves on TV!" he and Peter started grabbing each other's arms excitedly.

And they did. You watched Homecoming with them that night, and you were finding movies brought out arguments with people because it brought all mistakes to light. Most of it was playful, but you were starting to think ahead to Civil War...and how maybe you shouldn't watch that one with them. When they left, Tony brought you to your new room.

"Not that you'll be here for much longer, but when you come down it'll be here."

"What're you talking about?"

"Loki? You gonna have a long distance relationship or live with your dearly beloved up there?"

"Oh... I-I never put any thought to it actually, but uh...um yeah no, I guess...I guess you're right? If Loki wants me up---"

"If??? He may have carried on to be a pretty great guy who's still annoying as all hell, but anyone with a brain can tell how much he misses you. And from what I've heard from Thor and Val, he let's his guard down when he thinks no one is looking. Has a face like a lost puppy in those moments."

You laughed at the image, unable not to smile at how you were the cause. You'd never say it, but part of you was still freaking out that Loki actually liked you. You hadn't had time to just consider that truth.

"Well, we'll see what happens next week, won't we?" you said, stepping into your room, "Wanda and Vis tomorrow?"

"Bright and early."

"And Zemo?"

Tony gave you a look, hesitating in his answer, but he couldn't say no to you. You saw it in his eyes.

"Fine, I'll see where he's gonna be. Shouldn't be too hard, he's the face of a lot of operations over there now."

"Yes, thank you Tony!"

"Don't say I never did anything for you!" he called out as he walked down the hall.

***

By 9 o'clock you were pulling through the familiar streets of Westview. Something about seeing it gave you chills, like trauma and this town just went hand in hand. But all those fears were tossed aside as you pulled into the driveway. You thought of Wanda's breakdown as you stepped out of the car, walking the same route she walked. The difference here was that the lot wasn't empty. A beautiful home had been built. It was definitely a house from a picture-perfect sitcom. The well-kept yard, the pristine fence, the garden full of flowers.

On the mailbox were the words Vision Residence. You beamed as you saw that, hurrying to catch up to Tony, who was at the door already. He knocked three quick times.

"Vis, can you get Tommy's cup while I---" Wanda was calling out as she opened the door, mouth forming a huge grin as she saw you. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" was all she said.

"Oh my God right back!" you said, gesturing to the little boy in her arms, who couldn't have been much older than 2.

"I know! This is Billy, but oh my God!" she said again, throwing her free arm around you for the hug, "How're you here?"

"Portal again, but I did it myself."

"Wanda, who is it?" Vis walked into the hall, holding the other twin in his arms. "I...I find being shocked an increasingly common feeling," he said with a smile, "What am I doing?!" he started scrambling, moving to the living room to set Tommy down with his toys, "Standing there like you're just here to deliver a paper," he said apologetically as he rushed back in, "How are you?" he hugged you.

"Better now! You're a father!"

"Well, in training, but I do try," he said breathlessly.

"You're doing a great job," Wanda patted his back.

"Well come in! Come in!" Vis ushered you further inside, leading you to the couch, "Tony, it's good to see you," he shook his hand, "Sorry we couldn't make the video call this week."

"You helped us out with that skirmish in Paris, so we'll call it even," Tony smiled, sitting on the floor with Tommy rather than the couch.

"Skirmish in Paris?"

"Oh yes, fun story that one," Vis nodded.

"But we wanna hear about you," Wanda sat next to you and took your hand, "Ever since we got this house, I knew how happy you'd have been to see it. And now you're here!"

You filled her in on everything, and she and Vis told you about their lives since you left. The land Vis had bought, the new house being built, adopting the twins, everything. While Vis and Tony kept the kids occupied, Wanda took you on a tour of the house, seeming so proud to play the stay-at-home mom she always wanted to be...Right down to talking about different wallpaper choices.

You paused in one hallway, looking at the framed deed for the land hanging on the wall.

To grow old in.

You smiled at the heart and Vis' initial.

"I can't believe it all worked," you whispered.

"I can't believe he could be so secretive. The whole surprise he planned when he revealed the deed? Wren I wish you'd been there."

"Well I'm here now. And I hope you know I will play the role of troublemaking aunt."

"I count on it," she laughed, moving on to the next section of the house.

If the others had been hard to leave when you had to move on to your next stop, Wanda and Vision were even harder. Everything about seeing the life they deserved filled you with such a great feeling. Plus, Billy and Tommy were adorable. You never wanted to leave. However, you had an across seas trip to make and it was approaching noon already.

"Wish you could have stayed longer," Wanda hugged you again.

"I'll be back. And we'll see you at the dance next week, right?"

"Already have the babysitter ready," Vis answered.

"Good, as long as she's not named Agnes."

Vis looked confused while Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Never liked that name," she played along, walking you and Tony through the door.

It wasn't until much later in the day that you were standing outside a building belonging to one of Zemo's companies. By Tony's sources, the man of the hour should be working from here today.

"Hi," Tony smiled to the lady at the desk, "We're here to see someone. Man in charge, actually, the Baron?"

"Have an appointment?" she responded with a heavy accent.

"Tell him who's here," he answered, sliding his card to her.

She read the name, furrowing her brow a bit before looking back up at him with widened eyes. He just grinned back, and she quickly picked up the phone. She relayed the information in their language, waving you through to the elevator and giving the floor number.

"Man probably thinks he's in deep shit," Tony chuckled.

"So has everyone you've dropped in on before showing me."

"I'm not that bad!"

"When you show up, it usually means something's about to blow up. You're a busy guy, how many times do you make house calls if it isn't life or death?"

He didn't answer, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head like you were right.

The elevator opened, showing another lobby and halls jutting out from that. People who recognized Tony gave awed looks as you passed, but none of you slowed until you reached Zemo's office.

"Want me to go in first?" Tony smirked.

"Yeah, make him scared a bit, why not?" you whispered back.

Tony liked that idea, wiping the smile off his face to look serious before opening the door.

"Stark," you heard Zemo greet him. Your ear was pressed to the glass door, though it was thick and tinted so you hoped he didn't see any shadow through it.

"How's it goin, Zumba?" Tony replied.

"Your names are growing increasingly farther from the actual source."

"Yeah, but I'll take anything that starts with Z."

"What do you want, Stark?" Zemo sighed, "I doubt you came all this way to volunteer for the work we run?"

"Can't, gotta kid I have to get home for."

"So I heard...Congratulations," he forced himself to add.

"Plus, I believe I donated a hefty sum already."

"I didn't ask for your money---" Zemo started like Tony was going to hold it over him morally.

"No, but people needed it. Not you, but them."

You wished you could see the looks in there, the interactions, but evidently Zemo had relinquished whatever fight he was about to start.

"So, why are you here?" Zemo asked again, a little more kindly.

"Brought you something."

"Handcuffs?"

"I wish, but no. I brought you something a little better.....that's your cue!"

"Oh!" you jumped upright, opening the door.

Zemo looked like he'd entered a dream, standing slowly from his seat, eyes never leaving yours.

"Hi, old man," you smiled.

He walked around the desk, still staring like you might disappear.

"You left," he furrowed his brow, hand reaching out tentatively to rest on your shoulder.

"I'm not gonna vanish, dude. I'm here."

He smiled, more emotionally than you thought he would, resting his chin on your head as he held you in an embrace.

"I'll be outside," Tony backed out of the room.

When you and Zemo pulled apart, his eyes were misty.

"Hey, this is a happy moment!"

"Have you never heard of happy tears?"

"Didn't know they were your thing. You go and get soft while I was away?"

"How is this possible?"

"Don't entirely know. But I'm back!"

"You're back," he hugged you again, "So many times you've kept me on the right path, even when you were gone."

"You kept yourself on that path. You got to where you are, not me. People gotta give themselves some credit sometimes."

"And you have to give yourself yours."

"It really is amazing what you're doing, Zemo. Tony and Steve filled me in."

"Keeping tabs on me, are they?" he smirked.

"Like you're not doing the same?"

"Well..." he shrugged, "Just to check now and again...to see if anyone dropped into their yard."

"Well, your spies were slacking the last few days."

"Always with the terms that sound so much worse," he laughed, "It's not spying."

"It is!"

"But the connotation behind it is all wrong."

You sat with him for a while, catching up on each other's lives. When evening rolled around, you got Tony to agree to have dinner with him. The three of you went to a restaurant, which you were loving in a foreign land. You'd never done much traveling...if you didn't count other planets.

You and Tony stayed over at a hotel that night, so you were able to see Zemo one last time in the morning before leaving.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around?" you said, standing outside the quinjet.

"Depends how often you're coming to this part of the world, but...at least it's a possibility now."

"And we have these wonderful things still, called phones," you handed him yours, "Put your number in. You do have a phone that isn't a flip phone, right?"

"I'm not from the dark ages. That was merely a necessary device for our purposes."

"Yeah, ok," you said sarcastically, taking your phone back when he was done.

"Keep in touch," he nodded to the phone.

"You too," you smiled, backing towards the ramp.

Once on the jet, you sent a message.

K how're you?

 

Been a while

 

It starts

 

***

 

You'd already spoken with T'Challa, because Shuri had told him right away, so that left only Rhodey and Scott that were down here for you to see. Thor was up with Jane on Asgard, the two staying the days leading up to the dance.

 

You and Tony hopped on over to San Francisco for your first trip of the day and last stop of the reunion quest.

 

Scott's house had an official sign promoting his security company, which was evidently still alive. You and Tony walked up the steps to the door, knocking promptly.

 

Like deja vu, Scott opened the door in his pajamas and robe, eyes getting comically wider than anyone else's.

 

"Am I dreaming? Because I've done this before, and then I tell Hope about something she said and she never said it, but it feels real, and---"

 

"Scott, it's me."

 

"How the hell are you here?!" he asked as he stepped out to hug you.

 

"How the hell are you always in your pajamas when we come here?" Tony countered.

 

"Sleep is a talent," Scott retorted.

 

"That's true," you nodded, "I'm so serious. Try finding someone who has a tough time falling asleep," you said to Tony's expression, "To them, we're absolutely gifted beings."

 

"Come in, uh, it's a bit of a mess," Scott fumbled out of your way.

 

"When isn't it?" Tony sassed, stepping over a coat in the hallway.

 

In a very similar manner to your first and only trip to this house, you explained while Scott sat there like a confused yet entertained child. And just like every other reunion, you listened to how he'd been doing, hanging with him for a long while.

 

"You'll be at the party, right?"

 

"Of course! It's Asgard!"

 

"True, good answer," you smiled, waving as you walked back down to the street.

 

Rhodey was back on American soil, so Tony asked him to drop in. Not that he wasn't going to anyway, which Rhodey promptly pointed out and questioned what Tony was up to.

 

"You really suck at this subtlety thing," you told him.

 

"I'm sorry, who am I doing this all for again??"

 

You still nagged him about it, though he knew you appreciated his help.

 

When Rhodey walked into the kitchen, you had an ice cream bar setup.

 

"I know it's not frozen yogurt, but it's the closest thing," you said casually, placing fixings on the table, "And I got most of the toppings we like, so I think we're good. I'd have set this up on the island, but someone decided we didn't need it."

 

"I'll take that ice cream and throw it in the microwave," Tony threatened.

 

Meanwhile, Rhodey was still looking at you with a very puzzled expression.

 

"I'm sorry....what???"

 

"I opened a portal, now I'm here. End of story...kinda. Was expecting a happier reaction, but ok," you fake sniffed, "If we weren't that close, I get it."

 

"Making me remember everything I didn't miss about you," he smiled walking over to you.

 

"So you did miss some things?" you teased as you hugged him.

 

"It's so good to see you. I did miss you, weirdo. So, what the hell???" he gestured to all of you, "How did this happen?"

 

With Rhodey being the last one, there was nothing to rush for. You spent the rest of the day with him and those in the compound, even working out with them again. Everyone on earth was accounted for on your checklist, leaving only Loki and the rest of the Asgardian bunch.

 

***

 

The big day arrived, and you were now more impatient than ever to see Loki. But, you were equally excited to drop this on him at the proper time. You'd had time to plan the scenario with the others, certain to get Thor on board with it when you saw him.

 

The rest of the Avengers, and you mean all of them, were gathering at the compound in an hour's time to get beamed up together. You, however, were going early. Everything had been worked out with Heimdall. If you went with the group, Loki might see you, because he knew when they were arriving and might greet them.

 

"See ya guys later," you said to Steve and Yelena as the colors dropped around you. "I missed that so much!" you cheered as you stepped across the dome, jogging up the steps to say hi to Heimdall.

 

"You done?" Brunnhilde interrupted your reunion.

 

She was standing by the exit, waiting to escort you secretly to your chambers. She couldn't hold the smile as you looked over to her.

 

"I told you, the universe is a crazy place," she said as she gave you a quick hug.

 

"And you've never been more correct."

 

"I don't know," she smirked, "I seem to recall saying you and Loki would get together, and that's just how it was going to be?"

 

"Yeah, well then he blasted me away for two years."

 

"I never said how soon. Time doesn't decrease the victory. I was right."

 

"You were right," you rolled your eyes.

 

She led you to your room, knowing where Loki was at this time. Ceyla was in there waiting for you, so that led to another long catching up conversation. Unfortunately, that put you behind on getting ready.

 

"What dress will it be tonight?" she asked, opening the wardrobe.

 

"If we're going for cute drama here, it's gotta be Loki's colors. Classic fanfic choice."

 

"Emerald green it is," she selected the dress in question, one that had gold embroidery at the hems and in a design down the sides.

 

"Let's do this," you said, stepping into the frock.

 

Ceyla had your makeup and hair done in record time.

 

"Wren??" there was a hard knock on the door.

 

You ran over, throwing it open and hugging Thor.

 

"You came up here without telling me?! Not only that, but you've been back for days?!"

 

"I'm sorry! We had to keep things quiet, keep the news from up here."

 

"How did you get back here?"

 

"Trust me, there's a lot of catching up to do! Which I don't think we have time for, right?"

 

"Yes, we should be heading to the dance soon. But you'll tell me everything when you have the chance," he pointed his finger in your face.

 

"I know!" you laughed, giving him another hug, "Did the others fill you in yet?"

 

"Yes, I know my part. All of this sneaking is rather adorable," he said annoyingly.

 

"Yes, it's out in the open now after the kiss, I know," you sighed, "I hope you slapped him for what he did, cuz I'm certainly going to."

 

Thor smiled understandingly. "I hope you don't take it out on him too harshly? Yes, he was wrong, but you have to know why he thought he---"

 

"Thor, I know, it's ok. I should have expected it from him, I'm just... not used to his tricks being because he loves someone. But I could never be mad at that...not too much anyway."

 

"I can't wait for him to see you," Thor smiled excitedly.

 

"Better get in position then."

 

"Right! See you later!" he started to step away, but launched back for another hug, "Just in case a portal swallows you."

 

"Get going!" you laughed, and he hurried off.

 

You and Ceyla left shortly thereafter, with her leading you down to the party to sneak in with the average crowd. Walking in with the Avengers was a giveaway. You waited amongst the crowd for their king to enter. And soon enough, there he was. You had to remind yourself you were supposed to be hiding as you caught yourself staring. He hadn't changed a bit. Why would he?

 

"My esteemed friends and guests," Loki smiled to the crowd, "Please join me tonight in celebrating the valiant warriors, both present and past, who have risked or given their lives for our home."

 

You applauded with the rest, unable to not smile like an idiot at how happy you were right now. You were so proud of him.

 

"Let us recognize and applaud the one warrior who still remains from the times of old. Who has given his all time and time again for both Asgard and the protection of the Nine Realms, and who taught me and my brother all we know about what it means to be a leader and warrior. My father, the great Odin," Loki held his hand out as Odin made his entrance.

 

"And entering with our friends tonight," Loki continued when the cheers had subsided, "Let us honor both my brother, Thor, and the Avengers: The Cosmos' Mightiest Heroes."

 

The team entered, but your eyes were still on Loki. Tony was right. You could see it. He was genuinely happy, but, when all eyes were supposed to be on the Avengers, you saw the tint of sadness in his smile. No grief, but a contented longing. Like he had embraced it and made peace with it, but still couldn't hide it completely.

 

The party began, and you made sure to sneak your way around for the first fifteen minutes, smiling at the others as they gave you a wink as they passed by, all playing it cool for you...Though you doubted Korg, Drax, or Mantis could play it cool, so you avoided them for now.

 

At long last, the time came. You saw Thor give you a nod, so you made your way towards his position as he called Loki to him. After whispering a few things, Loki sighed but gave his blessing. Thor then nodded over to the band, who gave the signal for the one-on-one dance. It had been a while, but you remembered it. You'd had a great teacher after all. Everyone grabbed their partner, while Loki let himself fall to the back of the room.

 

"Sitting out on the first dance?" you asked from behind him.

 

He whipped his head around, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He stared at you, not speaking.

 

"Why are you hiding back here?" you said, though unable to do so as casually as you wanted. Your face had held the biggest smile since you started speaking. "I won't let you get out of this one," you held out your hand.

 

His eyes still held the disbelief, though a soft smile began to pull at the corners of his mouth.

 

"Darling," he whispered.

 

"Yeah," you shrugged, looking down at your dress as you did, "All dressed up and everything. You didn't honestly think I'd let you have a party without me?"

 

He put a cupped hand on your cheek, and you put yours over it.

 

"I'm here," you said, starting to choke up a bit, "And I hate you," you continued, "So so much."

 

"I know," he nodded, before kissing you. He kept his one hand on your cheek while the other pulled you closer to him. When he finished, you jumped back jokingly.

 

"What?" he asked in actual concern, but your eyes were on his hands.

 

"Just making sure," you said, giving his hands a distrustful look.

 

"You think..." he laughed, taking your hand and pulling you back to him, "That I'd ever let you go again? I did the heroic thing once, but twice is asking too much," he said as he met your lips.

 

"Don't think you're making it out of this without a slap," you pulled back to say, but he just dismissed you with a hum as he kissed you again. You wrapped your arms around his neck, letting him hold you as you kissed him back, letting yourself enjoy every second of it.

 

The couples were all in position, the musicians about to begin. Loki pulled away, looking over to the dancefloor.

 

"I wasn't hiding back here," he mirrored his words from that night over two years ago, "I simply pick and choose what I want to do...and who I want to do it with."

 

With that, he led you to the middle of the room. You took your position, hand on his shoulder and his on your waist. You weren't as rigid this time around, with Loki not hiding how closely he was holding you. The dance began, and you were carried along with him.

 

"You're doing tolerably," you chuckled.

 

"Yes, well, I'm out of practice."

 

"Too busy being king? Loki that's amazing!"

 

"Thank you, love."

 

"That's a new one," you smiled, feeling your stomach flutter at the name.

 

"Not new to me. Just out loud now."

 

"Why didn't you tell me?"

 

"For the same reason you didn't tell me I suppose?"

 

"Gosh, I spent so long denying the possibility that I don't think I even realized I loved you until way later than I actually started loving you."

 

"When did you accept it?"

 

"On the battlefield, after coming back from the blip."

 

"Wow," he laughed, "Ouch, ok. Mine was much earlier."

 

"What?? When? And it's not a dis, it's just me being more stubborn. That's not when I started loving you."

 

"The notion first popped into my head the day you told me why you'd put yourself in harm's way with the Hulk on Sakaar...the fact that you would do that, just...I thought then that I loved everything about you, but quickly told myself that's not what I was feeling. I didn't stop fighting it until New Year's Eve."

 

"I knew something was different that night! I thought it was me being weird and that I was starting to get feelings, so I told myself it was just the situation and everyone else getting to my head. But that was bullshit. Of course I was fighting the truth. I loved you then. Probably loved you before that too. But that's the first real time it threatened to make it's way out."

 

"We're both too stubborn for our own good."

 

"Ok, now that...this is out in the open," you smiled, unable to not feel strange in a good way over how you and Loki were talking about loving each other, "I spent way too many hours analyzing interactions---"

 

"Me too!"

 

"So tell me...were you going to kiss me that night? After our fight about Zemo and the kidnapping?"

 

"Darling, there are many times I thought of kissing you," he smirked, "But yes...I was. Or at least, I was finding myself slowly unable to resist. If you hadn't run, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself."

 

"I didn't run, I just...walked quickly in the other direction."

 

"You ran," he laughed, "And I don't blame you."

 

"I didn't know if I was imagining it! What if I did the whole cheesy movie thing where they read the vibes wrong and go for the kiss but get awkwardly rejected? Hell no, I wasn't doing that!"

 

"I was terrified to do it, so I should thank you. Though, if I'd done it earlier maybe what...what happened wouldn't have happened?" he said like he wasn't sure yet if that would be a good or bad thing.

 

"I'd still have the life-tormenting guilt of leaving my family. You sent me back to them."

 

"Then...why are you here? How are you here?"

 

"Guess I don't need Tony and Bruce's fancy tech to hop between worlds."

 

"You did it yourself?"

 

"All I need is a connection. And I had a very compelling connection waiting for me."

 

He laughed, but his eyes filled with worry and his smile faded.

 

"But, Wren...your family?"

 

You looked somberly back at him, but remembered what they had wanted.

 

"I said it'd have to be one hell of a reason to make me think they'd want me to stay...turns out I was right," you smiled.

 

"I'm sorry," he said with loving sincerity.

 

"It's ok," you whispered, "They wanted me to go."

 

"Can you open one back? Visit them?"

 

You shook your head.

 

"The time's all messed up. It had only been five days for them...and it's only been two weeks for me."

 

"What? So...I said goodbye to you two weeks ago?"

 

"Shot me through a portal two weeks ago," you corrected.

 

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"

 

"Maybe it'll die down after a few years, but no guarantees."

 

The dance ended, but Loki didn't remove his hand.

 

"Well then, I just won't let you live anything down for the rest of our lives."

 

"Sounds like a deal."

 

You kissed him, stopping when you heard the cheers. The rest of the crowd was watching on in smiles or talking amongst themselves about what they were witnessing, but the sounds were coming from the team. You and Loki turned, seeing Sam clapping like a moron and Peter recording.

 

"We hate you all," Loki called over, walking with you to join them.

 

As the party dwindled, you and Loki managed to escape the others. The celebration had started earlier than your last dance, so the sun had just disappeared over the horizon as you and Loki entered the balcony.

 

You stared at the pale blue light just above the horizon, mixed in with swirls of pink and orange. Just over nine months ago, you'd been staring at that same color in your own evening sky. That blue. The color that then took you on a journey you'd never imagined you would have experienced.

 

And here, in this place, you'd met Loki for the first time. He'd proven harder to deal with than you thought possible, but somehow it'd worked. It'd worked better than you could have dreamed.

 

Loki placed his hand on top of yours on the railing, and you looked into those sparkling eyes.

 

"I guess it pays to put unrealistic dreams on the bucket list," you smiled.

 

"You're here, aren't you?"

 

"Yep, right back to the place I got kidnapped."

 

Loki rolled his eyes but chuckled. "I'd do it again for the same outcome."

 

"Shhh, if the others hear that kind of talk, they'll think we might like each other! What a stupid possibility!" you mocked both of you. Loki laughed some more, turning his body to face you. He placed a hand on each arm, as he took a step in.

 

"You'll always be the most annoying thing to happen to me, you know that?" he whispered to you.

 

"I try my best."

 

He lifted your chin into another soft kiss.

 

"Remember that favor I still had to ask of you?"

 

"Pretty sure you cashed that in already."

 

"No, I didn't. Look who's the goddess of lies?"

 

"Of tiny fibs, or mild wrong suggestions."

 

"I think I'd like to use that favor now."

 

"Oh dear, what're you plotting?"

 

"As stated once before, I don't always scheme ahead of time. Which is why I'm ill prepared for this. Wren Arlington..." he took both of your hands, "...Will you spend the rest of your days with someone who will drive you absolutely insane? Who will always screw up, but who would stop at nothing to give you the world? Who loves you more than he will ever be able to show you? Will you be my glorious purpose?"

 

You were stunned into momentary silence.

 

"W--w--wait, Loki are--are you...are you, ya know---"

 

"Yes, Darling, this is what a proposal usually is. Best friends don't ask you to join them for the rest of your life. Unless I get lucky and get to marry mine?"

 

"Loki..." you said softly, a thousand things running through your head, "...a bit soon, huh?" you teased with a grin.

 

He rolled his eyes, bringing you in a step closer.

 

"Not for me. I've waited 2 years and several months."

 

"Using the favor to get me to say yes?"

 

"You going to make me use it?" he smirked.

 

"Save it for a rainy day," you smiled, "Because the answer is yes."

 

Loki broke into the biggest grin you'd seen him wear, picking you up into a hug as he spun you around.

 

"I love you, Loki."

 

"I love you, Darling."

 

Together you watched the light fade on a magical day. When the sky had darkened, you didn't have to stand and go back inside your little home. You didn't have to shut off the fantasy in your head. You got to walk back into a golden palace with Loki Odinson. You got to look forward to a life with him and the Avengers. Your family. The wonder of the world you were in never matched up to that. The core of both worlds was your family. No matter where you went, what you did, you'd continue to not scoff at life. No matter how mundane it got or how used to the MCU you became, you had given them what you'd had. In return, you'd received something you didn't know was missing from your life. And you were going to love him. That last elusive piece of the puzzle that had found it's way where it belonged, finishing the picture. What that picture became from here? Well, that's the fun of life.

 

The End...For Real This Time.

 

Notes Again/Future/Thanks:

 

First off, thank you so much to everyone!!! I've never been so upset to finish a project because I had a blast writing it, and I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it! Which, if you made it this far, I assume you did. Never dreamed this many people would read this. When I first decided to write this, it was just for fun. I wasn't planning on posting it. But after like twenty-something chapters I decided it might be fun cuz I was really having fun and others might too. It then took to new heights and the chapters got longer cuz I got really invested in the story and characters. Seeing how much you guys liked it helped with that, helped make me really invest in it. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

Second, I can't believe it's over! But part of the journey is the end. If I missed someone in the quest she went on to reconnect with everyone, let me know and I'll fix it.

 

Thirdly, I'm thinking of potentially starting a spin-off kind of series with just little adventure chapters for us to essentially pop in and see what they're up to. It'd be something I could do in free time at school (if I have any). I might be too busy, who knows, so no guarantees. But it'd be something where I could take requests and give us little scenarios. If that's something you'd want, let me know. Again, no guarantees it'd for sure happen, but I want to keep writing as a hobby.

 

Lastly, Marvel means so much to me as you could probably tell. I didn't base Wren on myself, besides a few details that there was no point in thinking up differently because it didn't matter. Though I'm sure my personality shown through in her inadvertently. Regardless, a lot of her monologues on characters or what they mean to her obviously were very much from the heart. Thor and Loki together helped me through a hard time. And everything else, from Wanda's grief to Tony's death to every other moment, has always provided something for me. I'm actually a bigger star wars fan than I am Marvel, yet in recent years the MCU has happened to hit home in a different way. And if it isn't as important to lots of fans reading this, then I apologize for the monologues of Wren that you had to read😂 But that's why they're there, cuz it's something personal to me that I couldn't in good faith leave out.

 

Despite the MCU having a main canon timeline, it's technically just the fiction from the minds of creators. So, with every fanfic being nothing but alternate creations, all timelines we write differently are just as real as the real thing. Cuz they're all made up. So yes, the MCU will always be the MCU how it is. But I like having this story in my head where things went a little differently. Cuz why not? If you got any ounce of the fun I got from it, then I'm happy.

 

A big thanks always to Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, and everyone at Marvel for the stories we've been given.

 

Thank you all again, and I hope you're doing great!
Love y'all 3000❤️

Chapter 55: Quick Update for Spinoff Thing

Real quick, I'm going to be posting a "chapter" for the spinoff thing. It'll be it's separate story, so not under this one. The first post will just be a "Hey, lemme hear ideas" sorta thing. So if you wanna find it, you'll see it as another story by me. Ok that's all, bye now😁