#nsima

       The lab’s attention turned from Loki to you as you spoke to him, though he glanced briefly up at the god once again. Loki arched an eyebrow slightly at him, then withdrew his hand from where he’d been stroking his head, before turning back to the breakfast that still sat on the table in front of him.

       After being released, Aksel stood from where he’d been sitting, then trotted back to your side, nudging his head up under your hand.

       Your fingers easily began to scratch behind Aksel’s ears as he pressed his head into your hand, the action practically a reflex at this point. You kept your gaze on Loki for a moment longer before you looked back over at your friend.

       “I wouldn’t call him a traitor, Nat. He’s just an attention whore.” The small smile that tugged at your lips as you spoke broke into a full-on grin as it got a laugh out of the redhead.

       “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” she agreed, crouching down closer to Aksel’s level and scratching under his chin for a moment. “Next time you can come to me instead of Oscar the Grouch,” she told him. “I’m more than happy to give you all of the scritches. You wanna treat?”

       The black lab perked up immediately upon hearing the word “treat”, and his tail began wagging wildly, and he nearly caused Natasha to trip over him as she walked over to the cabinet his treats were kept in.

       “I’m gonna take that as a yes,” the assassin chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she opened the cabinet.

       You couldn’t help but smile as you watched two of your best friends have this moment, though when you felt a whisper of emotion from Loki tickling the edge of your mind, you turned your head slightly to look at him again, your brows furrowing slightly in concern when you saw the deep scowl on his face. His emotions were muffled and unclear -- unlike Natasha's, which were calm but clear (happiness, love for you and Aksel) -- but it was clear he was unhappy. The urge to ask him if he was alright was strong, but it was difficult to get him to have pleasant conversation when it was just the two of you, so it would probably be nearly impossible to get anything civil out of him while Natasha was there.

       As if he could feel you staring at him, Loki’s sharp gaze was quickly on yours, and you, embarrassed at having been caught, looked away hastily, cheeks heating slightly. Desperate to find something to break the tense silence in the room, you looked around, your eyes eventually landing on the stack of french toast that still sat on the counter.

       “Tasha, you’re more than welcome to some of that if you want it,” you offered, motioning towards the plate with one hand.

       Natasha smiled appreciatively at you, but shook her head slightly. “That’s very sweet of you, but I’ll have to pass. I’m on my way to work out, and we both know what happens when I work out on a full stomach.”

       You wrinkled your nose at the memory of the last time you and Nat had worked out together after a big breakfast. “Fair enough,” you conceded, smiling at her again as she pulled a ready-made smoothie from the fridge before turning to leave the kitchen.

       “I’ll probably take you up on some lunch though,” she told you, winking playfully as she walked past you. You rolled your eyes, but you didn’t turn her down.

       “I think I can manage that.”

       “Manage what?” The familiar timbre of the ex-Winter Soldier chimed in, brows raised curiously as he glanced between you and Natasha. He smiled down at the assassin as she passed him on her way out of the kitchen, patting his arm a couple of times before continuing on towards the elevators.

       “Lunch,” you told Bucky over your shoulder as you grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

       “But no breakfast?” he asked, tilting his head slightly, very similar to Aksel when he was confused about something.

       “Already taken care of,” you assured him, gesturing towards the french toast stack beside the stove as you sat on one of the barstools that lined one side of the island. The brunette looked in the direction you gestured, and his face lit up at the sight.

       “Has everyone else eaten?” he asked, glancing over at you as he grabbed a plate out of the cabinet; as much as Bucky loved breakfast food, he always wanted to make sure everyone else had gotten to eat their share before he did. He had a habit of eating enough breakfast for three people before heading to the gym; nobody else could handle that much food at once, let alone work out after eating so much, but it never seemed to bother him.

       “Nat passed on it, and Loki and I have eaten, but nobody else is up yet. Have as much as you want. There’s still bread in the pantry, so I can always make more when the others show up hungry.”

       That was all Bucky needed to hear, and the next second he was piling what appeared to be six slices of french toast onto his plate with his fork. He looked around the kitchen to find the toppings, and quickly spotted them on the table. He walked over, sat at the opposite end from Loki, and poured an absurd amount of chocolate chips on top of his breakfast.

       The room was silent for a little while, with only the soft sound of the classical music that J.A.R.V.I.S. had turned on while you were cooking earlier floating between the three of you. Eventually, though, Michelle turned up, already dressed and ready for the day, her hair pulled up into a ponytail that swayed slightly as she walked.

       “Good morning.”

       “Good morning,” you chirped back, smiling easily at your friend. “Good morning to you too, Steve,” you added, as the captain entered the kitchen shortly after the healer; he was also clearly ready for the day.

       “Is it still morning?” he asked, looking down at his watch. “I guess technically it is.”

       You rolled your eyes at him. “You’re too literal, cap. It still feels like morning, and that’s what matters.”

       “If you say so,” he chuckled. “What’s Buck eating?” he asked, glancing from his friend and back over to you.

       “French toast.”

       “There any left?”

       “A few pieces. But I was planning on making more. I’m pretty sure Banner was here all night, so I doubt he’s eaten anything in a while.”

       Steve nodded in agreement; you all knew what Banner was like when he got really into a project. He glanced over at the plate on the counter, seeing there were only a couple pieces of french toast left for the moment.

       “You can have them, Michelle,” he said, turning towards the redhead. “I don’t mind waiting.”

       “Alright captain, I see how it is. Give me the old stuff while you get the fresh batch.” There was a slight glint in Michelle’s eyes as she spoke, and you stifled a laugh as you watched Steve go bright red at the comment.

       “Oh, no, that’s not-- I mean, if you’d rather have fresh breakfast, that’s fine, I just thought maybe you’d want to eat first.” The super soldier was so caught up in his stammering that he had failed to notice Michelle already grabbing a fork and the plate from the counter, having only been teasing Steve with her words.

       You and Bucky exchanged a look at your friend’s fumbling words, and you had to put all your effort into stifling your laughter when he rolled his eyes, before shoving a massive bite of his own toast into his mouth.

       “It’s fine, Steve,” Michelle assured him, taking a seat by Bucky, reaching into the jumble of toppings on the table and grabbing the jar of honey, squeezing it over the toast on her plate, followed a moment later by the smallest pinch of powdered sugar.

       Steve nodded slightly at the healer’s words, but he continued to stand awkwardly near the entrance to the kitchen.

       You shook your head slightly at him then, pushing yourself out of your chair, careful not to step on Aksel where he laid at your feet, and made your way around to the stove, where all the supplies you’d pulled out earlier to make the first batch of french toast still sat. “Go sit down, Steve. It’ll just take me a few minutes to make yours.”

       The captain nodded again, making his way over to the table and sitting on the opposite side of Bucky from Michelle.

       It didn’t take you very long to get back into the groove of making french toast for your friends, and after you’d made what you thought to be enough for Steve and Banner, you once again turned off the stove, separating the pieces into two servings on two separate plates.

       “J.A.R.V.I.S.?” you called as you brought Steve’s plate to him at the table.

       “Yes ma’am?” the AI replied immediately.

       “Could you let Bruce know that there’s breakfast up here for him when he’s ready for a break?”

       “He appears to have fallen asleep in the lab. Shall I wake him and pass on your message?”

       “Oh, no, that’s alright. When he wakes up, just let him know I put his breakfast in the fridge for him.”

       “Of course ma’am.” After your conversation with the AI ended, the classical musical picked up once again. You returned to where the last plate of food sat on the counter, opening a drawer and grabbing the roll of foil. After tearing off a piece, you carefully wrapped up the plate. You returned the foil to the drawer, grabbing a sharpie from the drawer and writing “Banner :)” on top, before sticking the whole thing in the fridge.

       The sound of a chair being pushed back pretty aggressively from the table drew your attention, and you frowned slightly when you saw a very irritated-looking Loki stand from his seat, practically snatching his dishes off the table before stalking to the sink. He placed them wordlessly down in the sink with a rather melodramatic clatter, before he turned and stormed out of the room, still without saying a word to anyone.

       You turned to face your friends, all still sitting at the table, all four of you left speechless at the abruptness of the actions of the Tower’s newest resident.

       "Loki?" you asked around a yawn, the hand not on your doorknob coming up to rub the sleep from your eyes. "Can I help you with something?" The God of Mischief had begun to turn away from your door when you spoke, and he looked almost startled at the sound of your voice, though he did turn to face you once again.

       "What was that drink you gave me in the kitchen?" he asked, voice surprisingly calm and not at all princely or demanding like you might have expected, though the question itself did throw you off a bit. You couldn't hear anything but a mild sense of curiosity coming from him, so you decided to just go ahead and answer his question.

       "Oh, uh, it's called a smoothie."

       "What was in it?"

       You were once again caught a bit off guard by the question; you hadn't expected the man who ravaged New York to come to your room to speak to you, much less be interested in something you'd done for him without thinking about it. "Uh, in the one I gave you there was banana, apple, a little bit of milk, and some ice. Oh, and about a tablespoon of peanut butter." Your hand was still on the doorknob, though now your other hand tugged lightly at the hem of your shirt. It wasn't that you didn't want to talk to Loki and answer his questions, but it felt strange to be standing in your doorway talking to someone who was essentially a stranger, and who didn't seem particularly interested in getting along with anyone else who lived in the tower.

       Loki nodded slightly at your words, his gaze focused to a point in the middle distance, as if considering what you'd said. There was a brief, awkward moment of silence then, before his green eyes returned to yours, and his emotions became a bit more jumbled, which only served to confuse you even more.

       "Thank you," the trickster said simply, tilting his head slightly to the left before he turned and walked into his own rooms before you could even respond. You stared after him for a few moments, still feeling baffled by the whole interaction, though you returned to yourself when Aksel nudged at your knee very lightly.

       "He's a strange man, isn't he?" you mused, a small smile tugging the corner or your lips as you scratched behind your canine companion's ears. "That's alright though. Everyone here is a little bit strange."

       Loki sank into a dark green velvet armchair after arriving back in his rooms, letting out a long breath and running a hand through his hair as he collected his thoughts. He still wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to go and speak to you in the first place, and though he'd never admit it aloud, he had been a bit disappointed when he'd thought you weren't going to answer your door. He could tell that you'd been surprised to see him, but you hadn't seemed nervous or afraid of him in any way, which he took as a good sign.

       Thinking back on it now, he felt a bit foolish for asking the questions he had, and then immediately leaving upon receiving the answers, but he certainly wasn't going to go back and knock on your door again to make an attempt at small talk now; it would only be strange and likely uncomfortable for both of you. He sighed then, shaking his head and staring into the fireplace he'd conjured in his room in place of the entertainment center that had been against the same wall as the door.

       “Oh, no, Aksel, get back here, he doesn’t want you bothering him--” you stammered and, momentarily forgetting you held bags of food in your arms, you reached out to grab his collar to stop him like you usually would, sending the bags that held the vegetables and the gallon of milk you’d ordered toppling to the floor. As soon as the flimsy plastic of the milk jug hit the floor, it burst, sending the white liquid flooding across the floor.

       Unbeknownst to you, Loki had been observing you out of the corner of his eye, and while he was a bit confused that your black canine had yet again taken an interest in him, but he was determined not to react and let the creature lose interest on his own. That was until you dropped the bags you were carrying and something broke open on the floor. He turned to see what exactly had happened then, and to his surprise your dog was looking at him very pointedly, as if asking Loki why he wasn’t rushing to your aide. He scowled at the dog, magicked his book away, and stood from the chair, making his way over to where you stood somewhat helplessly in the middle of the mess that had just been made.

       You looked up from the growing puddle and now-soaked veggies that spread out at your feet when you heard the prince’s footsteps approaching, and you felt your cheeks heat with a light blush. “Uh, hi,” you said lamely, adjusting the rest of the bags you still had a hold of. “Sorry about Aksel, he’s just really friendly, and he doesn’t know you so he’s curious, I’ll try to make sure he doesn’t bother you again when you’re busy like that--” You cut your rambling short when he held up a hand, as if to silence you, which caught you off guard.

       “Would you like some help cleaning up?” he asked, voice as even and emotionless as his expression. You felt your blush deepen a bit, and you nodded silently. He nodded back, then looked down at the spilled milk that had nearly reached his toes. With a small wave of his hand and a flash of green light, the gallon of milk was once again intact and full, sitting neatly beside the produce bags of asparagus and spinach. Once the mess was taken care of, Loki bent down, graceful as ever, and scooped the items up into his own arms. “To the kitchen?”

       You nodded once again, leading the way when he tilted his head and indicated for you to go before him. The sound of Aksel’s nails on the stone floor at your side served to calm you a bit, though your heart was still beating hard against your ribcage; something about the emotional silence the villain of New York could turn on and off at will set you on edge, but not out of fear. He was different from everyone else you lived with, and you weren’t entirely sure how to handle that yet.

       The trip to the kitchen only took about a minute, and you set everything down on the counters as quickly as possible, turning to take the remaining groceries from Loki. His fingers lightly brushed your own as he handed over the food, and you couldn’t help but startle slightly at the contact, though you quickly regained your composure. “Thank you,” you said again quietly, offering him a small smile as you looked up into his eyes. He simply tilted his head slightly in a nod, then turned and began to walk out of the kitchen, you assumed to go back to reading his book. You watched him for a moment, a small part of you wanting to call him back and invite him to have dinner with you, but the thought had your face turning a distinct shade of pink, so you hastily brushed it aside.

       You turned back to the groceries on the counter, starting to gather everything you needed, not thinking much of the clicking of Aksel’s nails on the tile as he crossed the floor, you assumed to lay by the table like he usually did when you were cooking; not underfoot but close enough if you needed him. You did look up, though, when you heard Loki trying to shoo your dog away, and you realized that your lab had begun to follow him back to the common area. “Aksel,” you chided firmly, “leave him alone.” The canine looked over at you, then looked back up at Loki.

       “Go, I’m not your master,” Loki said, a slight scowl on his face as he looked down at the dog. Aksel stood still for a moment, then turned and began to make his way back to the kitchen. But as soon as he realized that Loki’s footsteps were not following him, he turned right back around, catching up with the dark prince, stepping in front of him and bumping his head lightly against the man’s knees, as if trying to guide him somewhere.

       “Aksel.” you called again, more stern this time, confused as to why your normally perfectly behaved service dog was suddenly being so rebellious. “Let him be, he doesn’t want you bothering him. Come. Here.” You were sure that your tone would bring your dog back over to you, head hung for being fussed at, but he didn’t even look at you; instead he kept his eyes trained on the god whose path he was currently blocking. When said god stepped around the raven-furred canine to continue back to the chair he’d been previously occupying, though, Aksel did something you’d never seen him do before: he took a mouthful of the Loki’s green tunic shirt in between his teeth and held fast, pressing his weight down into his paws to prevent the man from walking any further.

       Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped at the sight, completely aghast at your canine companion’s behavior, and when you looked back up at Loki you could see your expression mirrored on his face as he looked at you from across the room. “Aksel!” you shouted, returning your gaze to the decidedly bad dog for a second before meeting Loki’s incredulous gaze again. “Oh my god, Loki, I’m so sorry, he’s never done anything like this before, I don’t know why he’s acting like this right now.”

       The God of Mischief said nothing for a moment, simply closed his eyes for a moment, setting his jaw and letting out a rather melodramatic sigh before he turned to look back at your dog. “If I go with you, will you let go of my shirt?” he asked, and it was clear that his patience with the situation was growing rather thin. You thought it a bit strange that your neighbor was speaking directly to Aksel, because you weren’t entirely sure whether your canine companion would understand the whole question, but to your continued bafflement, Aksel’s dark tail began to wag in earnest, in what seemed to pretty clearly be a “yes”.

       “Very well,” Loki agreed, however begrudgingly, and waited until Aksel had dropped his shirt from his mouth before he walked alongside the dog, back into the kitchen. “It appears your little medical professional insists that I keep him company,” he said, a very slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he followed Aksel over to the table and took a seat.

       “My what? Oh,” you stuttered, realizing his joke after a moment, and you couldn’t help but laugh a little. “It would appear so,” you agreed simply, then returned to your task of gathering up the ingredients you need to make dinner, mostly to keep yourself occupied, and to distract yourself from the fact that you were alone with Loki, which had never happened up til now, and you were incredibly aware of his gaze following you as you moved through the kitchen.

       “Are you hungry?” you asked after a few moments of silence, opening a cabinet and pulling out a mixing bowl and an oven tray for the vegetables.

       “Pardon?”

       “Are you hungry?” you repeated patiently, now turning to face the man again. The sight of his furrowed brows made your heart twist a bit, but you ignored it. “I was going to make dinner, but it’ll be more food than I can eat on my own. You’re welcome to eat with me, when I’m finished cooking."

       You watched him as you awaited his answer, and as you saw his eyes searching your face for… something, you could hear whatever magical wall he had up to keep his emotions from you slip a bit, and it nearly broke your heart to hear the confusion and mistrust that plagued his mind at the simple offer.

       “What are you making?” he eventually spoke, one brow arched slightly as he held your gaze, appearing the slightest bit suspicious. Part of you wanted to be irritated by his attitude, but you didn’t exactly blame him; you were really the only person who had treated him with kindness since he’d moved in besides his brother, but their relationship was rocky at best.

       “Just some baked chicken, pasta with cream sauce, and roasted asparagus.”

       “...That sounds acceptable.”

       You couldn’t help but huff out a soft laugh and roll your eyes at his words. “Alright then. Dinner for two it is,” you said, half to yourself, as you turned back to the ingredients you would need to make dinner for yourself and your paranoid companion. You pulled dishes out of cabinets and set the oven to preheat, but after about a minute without any sounds beyond the muted contentment and curiosity coming from Aksel, the clatter of dishes as you moved around the kitchen, and the tangible silence from the man at the table, you felt the familiar itch of anxiety under your skin.

       “J.A.R.V.I.S.?” you called, praying your voice wouldn’t give away your current emotional state.

       “Yes, miss?” the AI answered almost immediately. “What can I do for you this evening?”

       “Some music while I cook would be nice.”

       “Of course. Any specific requests?”

       You turned to look at Loki over your shoulder at the AI’s question. “Do you have anything you’d like to listen to?” you asked, partially to be polite and partially because you were desperately curious to see what his music taste was like. He seemed to consider for a moment, then gave a slight shake of his head.

       “I haven’t heard any Midgardian music, and I doubt that Stark has access to anything Asgardian.”

       You nodded slightly, thinking for a moment about a possible solution. “Well,” you began, making sure you had the god’s attention before you continued. “Does Asgardian music have a lot of strings?”

       The question seemed to catch him off guard again, but he recovered quickly and nodded. “Yes, most of it.”

       “Alright we can work with that. J.A.R.V.I.S., how about some Tchaikovsky?”

       “Of course, miss,” the AI said pleasantly, and almost immediately the main theme from Swan Lake began playing. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips, and you once again returned your attention to making dinner for yourself and Loki. Once you got into the flow of cooking, you completely lost track of everything else; even the music that J.A.R.V.I.S. had turned on at your request seemed to fade away as you prepared everything. It wasn’t hard, you’d done it plenty of times before, but it did require a considerable amount of multitasking, which you’d come to enjoy.

       After about twenty minutes, everything was ready, and you put together two plates of food, carrying them to the table before going back and getting each of you a glass of water from the fridge. You let out a soft sigh as you sat down across from the dark prince, and you offered him a smile as you gestured to the plate. “Go ahead, dig in. It’s not nearly as good once it’s cold, trust me,” you said, before picking up your own silverware and beginning to eat, only realizing how hungry you’d been the whole time after taking your first bite.

       The meal passed in silence at first, besides the music that was still playing, which was fine by you, but after a couple of minutes, you         looked up when Loki spoke your name.

       “Why is your little creature staring at me so intently and waving his tail around?” he asked, and you nearly laughed at the genuine confusion in his voice.

       “Oh, he’s begging. He wants you to give him some of your food,” you explained, then took a sip of your water.

       “...Should I give him some?”

       “Oh, no. He’s not allowed to have ‘people food’. It’s part of his training as a service dog.”

       Loki nodded at that, and while you could tell he still didn’t completely understand what exactly went into Aksel being a service dog, you were very appreciative that he was being respectful of the rules as he learned them. “Very well then,” he said simply, then turned and looked back down at the black lab sitting at his feet, waiting expectantly for the forbidden food. “You know the rules, don’t you?” the god chided, raising an eyebrow at the lab. “I’m sure you do. So, in that case, you’d best stop begging before you get everyone in trouble.”

       The interaction brought a smile to your face, even though you realized pretty quickly that Loki was completely serious; something about the way he was treating Aksel like he was another person was very endearing to you. Aksel, for his part, did as Loki said, though seemed to pout as he laid back down on the cool tile floor at the god’s feet. The interaction caused your stomach to flutter slightly in a way that you were certainly not going to label as butterflies.

       The rest of the meal passed without incident, and once you finished and saw that Loki had finished, as well, you stood, stacking the plates and carrying the dishes to the sink so you could rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher that was going to need to be run soon. As you turned on the water and began to rinse the extra sauce and everything off of the dishes, you heard Loki clear his throat softly, and you glanced up to let him know you were listening before you returned to your task. When you heard him thank you, though, you were caught so off guard that you fumbled with the dishes in the sink, accidentally breaking one of the glasses, which sliced your palm. You swore under your breath, hastily grabbing a nearby dish towel and pressing it to the cut.

       “Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” you stammered a bit awkwardly, blushing as you looked up to see that he’d begun crossing the room toward you.

       “Are you hurt?” he asked, and you couldn’t tell if he was concerned or simply curious, so you waved him off.

       “It’s just a scratch,” you assured him. “I’m going to go back to my room and clean and bandage it there. I’ve got gauze and band aids in my bathroom, I’ll be fine.”

       He looked at you for a moment longer, brow arched as if unconvinced, but after glancing down at your hand for a moment once again, he relented. “If you don’t think you should see your healer,” he said simply, his indifferent expression from the common area once again settling over his features.

       "Morning, sunshine," greeted Tony with a grin, after you opened the door a crack. "I know this isn't really a great time for you, but we need you to sit in on a... meeting with us." Stark's expression softened as he continued, but you could tell by the way he hesitated on the word "meeting" that it was probably going to be more like an interrogation than an interview. You sighed at his words, closing your eyes and resting your forehead against the doorframe for a moment before responding.

       "Alright. Gimme a few minutes," you murmured, and Tony easily agreed. You closed your door, turning back towards your bedroom so you could make yourself look at least slightly presentable for this so-called meeting you were needed at, most likely to make sure there wasn't any sort of blatant deception going on. A small smile tugged at your lips as you saw your dog, still laying on the foot of your bed, tail wagging lightly as he watched you return to the room. As much as you wanted to get back in bed and curl up with him, you knew Tony would be upset if you did.

       "Sorry buddy," you said gently, scratching behind his ears as you passed by him on your way to your dresser. After a moment of thought, you ultimately decided that business casual was your best bet for attire, and you settled on a comfortable yet stylish blouse and a pair of nice black jeans. With a sigh, you hastily brushed through your hair, making sure it would stay out of your face before you joined Tony outside of your apartment. The billionaire smiled kindly at you, then pushed off the wall and walked with you to the elevators.

       The pair of you were silent as you stepped onto the elevator, but after the doors closed, you realized you didn't even know what this "meeting" was for. "Who is this meeting with?" you asked your sort-of boss after a moment, glancing over at him. You sensed his hesitation as he was quiet for a moment before he finally gave you an answer.

       "Someone big," Stark answered simply, and it was obvious now that there was something he wasn't telling you; you could hear the discomfort that flooded the man at his non-answer and your gaze. You had mercy on him and finally looked away. The elevator dinged when it finally reached the selected floor, and you and Tony stepped off once the doors opened. You followed him down the hall to one of the conference rooms, and you couldn't help but stumble slightly when you saw who was in the room upon walking through the door.

       Loki, the destroyer of New York City, standing impatiently beside his adopted brother.

       No fucking way, you thought. Living in the tower meant that you were well acquainted with the presence of practically all of the Avengers, as well as some of their friends -- for example, Pepper and Bucky -- but Loki? No way. You hadn't seen him since Thor had taken him back to Asgard after the attack on New York a few years before. So why was he here now?

       "Alright, we're all here, so everyone please take a seat," said Tony, clapping his hands together once before taking a seat at the large table. You took the seat beside him, finding it difficult to take your eyes off the Dark Prince of Asgard; he looked different than he had a few years ago, but you couldn't quite pinpoint why.

       At the order from Stark, Loki turned from where he'd been staring pensively out the window, and his ocean-green eyes alighted on you, full of irritation and apprehension that you could feel roll over you in waves. You had to resist the urge to visibly shudder. He sat down, though clearly he didn't like following the instructions given to him, and turned his attention to Stark.

       You still didn't't know why you'd been brought to this meeting, but you were growing more nervous about it by the second.

       "Now," Tony began, looking between the two gods. "We're here to negotiate terms for your... rehabilitation, so to speak, here on Earth with us. Correct?" These words were directed at the younger of the two men before you. With a rather melodramatic sigh, Loki nodded in agreement.

       "Yes, we are. Though I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled about it."

       "Well, you know what the alternative is," Thor half-mumbled to his brother, and you could hear the layers of exasperation, worry, frustration, and love that swirled within him. Loki glared briefly at his brother, though the fight soon seemed to leave him.

       "Yes, I do," he conceded, closing his eyes for a moment before sitting up a bit straighter in his seat. "Alright, I'm ready."

       Tony nodded, then gestured to you. "Perfect. My assistant is here to help us keep track of the details, as well as hold all of us accountable in all of this, should any problems arise. Sound good?"

       Loki's gaze shifted to you once again, and he arched an eyebrow slightly as he took you in. Before you could really process what was going on, you went from hearing the irritation and resignation rolling around in the trickster's mind to radio silence from him; it was a silence you could physically feel, and your eyes widened at the sudden switch.

       "Fine by me," the god agreed with a shrug, looking away from you.

       The rest of the meeting passed in a blur for you as you tried to process what, exactly, had happened with Loki before negotiations began. By the time everything was settled, you'd somehow managed to pull yourself back into the present, though the tangible silence from the raven haired man still had you reeling. You looked up and met his eyes for a moment when, just like before, the radio silence was reversed, and you could once again hear the emotions of the younger prince; it was almost enough to give you whiplash just sitting there. It was clear that Loki knew what he was doing, though, because you could see the tiniest smirk tugging at his lips.

       "So, are we all set?" you heard Tony ask, and you blinked, turning to meet his eyes. You knew that was your cue to tell him if Loki had been lying about anything at any point during the meeting. You managed a smile and nodded.

       "Yes, we're good to go," you told him, and you could see him visibly relax.

       "Great! Now, we'll be on our way. I trust you can help him get settled?" Stark said, with a smile and a nod to Thor. The blond nodded and confirmed that he could, and you and Tony left the conference room.

       "Well, kid, I'll let you get back to your space. Thank you for doing this for me." Tony raised his hand, as if to place it on your shoulder, then quickly remembered himself and lowered it again. He offered you a gentle smile and a nod, then turned and walked off. You managed to return the nod, but as you made your way back to your room, you could only think about one thing.

       "Okay, boy. Some fresh air will probably be good for me, anyways. But you already know that, huh?" You smiled slightly as you crouched down, securing Aksel's vest that read "SERVICE DOG: DO NOT PET" and clipping his leash to it. You pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head, then stood once again. Quickly grabbing your keys and bag, you opened the door and made your way toward the elevator. On your way, you passed Natasha and Bucky sitting in one of the common areas. They were adept enough at reading your body language that they knew when you were comfortable engaging in actual interactions and when you weren't, so they simply smiled and nodded in greeting, which you returned silently. The ride down to the lobby was equally as silent.

       In your haste to get outside for fresh air, you hadn't given any thought to where, exactly, you might go. You hesitated for a moment before leaving the building, looking down at Aksel. "Well, what do you think, buddy? Should we go to the coffee shop?" The black lab gave a small wag of his tail at your question, so you took that as a yes. "Alright, coffee shop it is then." With that decision made, you exited Stark Tower and started the trek down the road to your favorite little local coffee shop. Still on edge from the mysterious temporary silence from Loki, you kept your eyes locked forward, just wanting to reach your destination.

       Less than ten minutes later, you reached the coffee shop. You pushed open the door, relaxing as you inhaled the familiar scent of coffee beans and fresh pastries. You approached the register, a smile breaking out across your face as you saw one of your favorite baristas, Lynne, was working.

       "Hey you!" she chirped, her smile becoming a bit more genuine as you approached. "Your usual?" she asked, already reaching for a cup to write your order on.

       "And a chocolate chip muffin, please," you said with a nod. Thankfully, the coffeeshop was mostly empty, so the only noise you really heard was the sounds of the coffee machines and the occasional click of one of the few customers typing away on their laptops.

       "So, you doin' alright?" Lynne asked kindly, ringing your order up.

       "As well as can be expected when you work with Tony Stark," you agreed with a chuckle, handing your debit card over to pay for your snack and drink. Your statement made Lynne laugh a bit too

       "Well, don't let Mister Stark work you too hard, girl. We'd miss you around here!" Her words bring a slight warmth to your cheeks, and you knew she was genuine; kindness and a platonic kind of love flowed off of her, and it made your heart swell affectionately.

       "I'd miss you guys too. So would Aksel." Upon hearing his name, your faithful companion looked up at you and wagged his tail. Lynne grinned a bit brighter, leaning slightly over the counter to catch a glimpse of her favorite canine customer. "I'll make sure Tony doesn't run me into the ground, I promise."

       "Good," Lynne said, relaxing a bit. After a moment, she handed you your drink and a bag with your muffin in it. "You have a good rest of your day, babe. See ya 'round!" she chirped, winking playfully at you. You bid your friend goodbye, then left, making your way back to the tower. You were significantly less anxious than you had been when you left the tower, and for that you were glad. As you walked, you sipped from your drink and opened your muffin bag, smiling when you saw that Lynne had included a little treat for Aksel.

       She's a good friend, you thought to yourself. You closed up the bag again, continuing on your walk back home. As you approached the doors, you saw a couple of men hovering nearby, exchanging hushed words. You could feel irritation and fear coming from them as they looked between each other and the tower. Whatever it was they were discussing, you wanted no part of it. You kept you gaze straight forward, heading towards the doors and pretending the men weren't even there. As you reached into your bag to grab your key card, though, you felt a large hand grab your upper arm, and you jumped, every muscled tensed as you turned to see who was touching you without your consent.

       It was one of the men that had been hovering not too far from the doors. Why he'd grabbed you, you weren't sure, but you were very ready for him to no longer be touching you. "Can I help you with something?" you asked, voice tight. Aksel was glued to your side, eyes locked on the man touching you. He was trained not to be aggressive, but if he needed to intervene he would.

       "You live here?" the man asked, his friend not far behind him.

       "I don't see how that's any of your business," you replied. You meant for the words to be firm and angry, but they didn't quite hit the mark.

       "Damn, okay, so you're gonna be like that." If you hadn't been half-paralyzed with fear, you probably would have laughed at the man's irked and clearly entitled tone. Instead, you simply stared at him, waiting for him to get to the point. "I'm just trying to find out if that psychopath Loki really lives here now."

       "Again, even if I knew if that was true or not, I don't see how it would be any of your business." You tried to wrench your arm out of his grip, but he wouldn't let you go. His expression only grew angrier, and the sound of his shifting emotions sent your head spinning.

       "It's my business because I live in this city, bitch. The city he tried to destroy a few years ago." Whatever he was going to do or say next, you'd never know, because at that moment, Aksel threw himself at the man's legs, hitting him in the groin (though whether that part was intentional or not would forever be a mystery). The man swore, releasing you and he folded in on himself. You didn't give him or his friend any time to get ahold of you again; you clutched your access card, hastily swiping into the building and closing the door as quickly as you could behind you.

       Now that you back in a space you knew you were safe, the adrenaline coursing through your veins began to disappear, and you felt faint. Your head spun with the power of the emotions you'd heard from the men, your knees grew weak from anxiety, and your stomach began to churn. Aksel, ever in tune with your responses to stress, carefully herded you to the elevator and pushed the button. When the doors open, he once again herded you into the lift, once again pushing the button for you.

       You allowed your faithful companion to help you, but as soon as the elevator doors closed, your knees buckled, and you lowered yourself to sit on the floor, curling up into a ball, burying your face in your hands. Aksel licked what small part of your face he could get to, but you could tell that he was worried for you. When the doors opened, you felt Aksel step away from you, sticking his head out of the elevator and barking, trying to get someone's attention; if he had to leave you to fetch help, he would, but not unless it was necessary.

       Soon enough, you heard Bucky's voice, concerned by the fact that Aksel was barking. He peered into the elevator, swearing when he saw the state that you were in. At first, he approached, calling your name gently, but when you curled further in on yourself, he stopped, not wanting to make it worse. He stepped out of the elevator again, holding the doors open, and turned back towards the common area. "Natasha! We've got a situation."

       The assassin was there in a matter of seconds; she didn't know what was going on, but she'd heard Aksel's barking and knew that something must be wrong. She frowned when she saw you in the elevator, giving Bucky a nod before sitting across from you on the floor. Bucky released the doors, allowing them to close. He knew Natasha would be able to get through to you.

       Aksel calmed down a bit, returning to your side and wiggling into your space until he managed to rest his head on your lap. Natasha waited until the canine was settled before she started speaking to you.

       "Alright, Tenderheart," the redhead murmured gently, using the nickname she'd given you pretty quickly after you'd moved into the tower, claiming that you reminded her a lot of the Care Bears character. It made you smile slightly, though your face was still hidden in your hands. "You don't have to say anything about what happened, you know that. I just need some indication from you about whether you want me to take you to see Michelle, okay? A nod will work just fine."

       You considered your friend's words for a moment; you knew Michelle, the healer that lived in the tower alongside everyone else, likely wouldn't be able to do much for you besides give you a glass of water, and maybe a tranquilizer to help you relax, but even just being around her made you feel a bit calmer. You let out a small, shaky breath, then nodded.

       "Alright, I'll help you get there. Is it okay if I open the doors again now?" You nodded again, finally lifting your head from your hands. The sight made Natasha smile a bit at you. "Bucky's out there waiting, and Steve is probably waiting with him by this point. Do you want me to ask them to leave?"

       "No, they can come with us," you murmured, stroking Aksel's ears lightly. Natasha nodded at your words, then reached up and pushed the button to open the elevator doors. Just as she had predicted, both Bucky and Steve were standing a few feet away from the elevator doors, waiting for the two of you to finally come out again. They both visibly relaxed as they watched you stand and walk out with Aksel and Natasha.

       "Alright, boys. Time for a field trip. We're going to see Michelle." As she spoke, Natasha turned and headed towards the tower infirmary, everyone else trailing behind her, though they were all very careful to give you the space you needed. The walk was short, and soon enough you were being greeted by another redhead with a warm smile.

       "Hey, Michelle."

       "Hey there, sweetheart. If you wanna take a seat I'll bring you some water."

       You did as the healer said, thanking her softly as she brought you a glass of cold water. You sipped on it for a minute before you remembered your muffin and Aksel's treat. You pulled the paper bag from your bag, then carefully took the treat from the bottom. "Here you go, bud," you murmured, offering the little bone-shaped peanut butter biscuit to the lab. As he accepted it, you leaned back in your chair, looking over to where Steve was looking at Michelle, his whole expression soft and heart-eyed, and you shook your head; the captain was clearly head over heels for the healer, but you didn't think he'd ever admit it.

       "So... what exactly happened?" Steve asked after a few minutes of quiet, leaning against the wall and giving you his trademark "worried mom" look. You sighed, then proceed to explain what had happened outside the building. By the time you were finished, Bucky looked like he was going to start breaking things.

       "You want me to go after him?" the brunette asked, and it took you a second to realize the offer wasn't a joke. You frowned slightly, then shook your head.

       "No, Bucky. That won't be necessary," you assured him gently, offering him a small smile.

       "Alright. But you say the word and we'll show his sorry ass what being trained by Russians make you capable of," Natasha said, shrugging and crossing her arms. You had no doubt that, if you changed your mind, the pair of them would scour the entire state of New York until they found the man that had harassed you and made him regret it. It was endearing, if also a bit concerning. Steve simply gazed at his friends, remaining silent, though his expression did nothing to hide the fact that he'd happily join them in defending your honor.

       "I just want to know how they could've possibly known about Loki being here already. It's only been a few hours," you fretted, brows furrowed with worry. No one had an answer; they weren't sure how that could've happened so quickly, either. "Well, however it happened, it happened. But I don't see any reason not to give him a chance." You didn't know why you said the words aloud, but you meant them sincerely; yes, Loki had done some terrible things in the past, but you'd always had a feeling that they weren't his fault.

       "Michelle, thank you for letting me sit in here until I calmed down again," you said, standing and offering the healer a smile.

       "Of course, you know you're always welcome to come in here for that."

       You nodded, then made your way back to your apartment, Aksel right beside you. As you passed the apartment closest to yours, you heard the door open, and you looked up, slightly shocked to see Loki coming out. He didn't immediately notice you, and barely caught himself before running into you. The two of you stood there for a moment, staring into into each others' eyes. You noticed right away that his emotions were very soft, but not entirely silent, like he'd somehow managed to make them earlier. A blush rose in your cheeks as Loki's emotions drifted into something closer to curiosity and nervousness, rather than the flat neutrality they had been, and you broke eye contact, murmuring an apology before leading Aksel back into your apartment.

       "I'm alright buddy, promise," you murmured, scratching gently behind his ears before you stood once again. You put his equipment in its proper place, then went into your little kitchenette. Opening your small fridge, you groaned upon seeing that you were, once again, out of the snack and drinks you kept stocked. "Well," you sighed, looking back to your canine companion. "Looks like we're going to the kitchen after all. C'mon, let's go."

       Though you were still a bit on edge after your encounter with your new and pretty unexpected neighbor, you opened your front door and walked out with Aksel, the pair of you heading towards the kitchen.

       You didn’t pay much attention to where you were walking, mostly because you knew the way to the kitchen by heart after living in the tower for so long, so you were thoroughly surprised when you looked up to see your new neighbor standing in the kitchen, looking almost lost, and you could hear the confusion and frustration rumbling around in his head.

       As the god appeared to remain oblivious to your arrival, you glanced over at where Natasha and Thor sat at the dining table, raising an eyebrow in question. The assassin shrugged, and Thor chuckled softly.

       ”He’s stubborn. He won’t let anyone help him figure out how to use anything, because that means he’d have to admit he doesn’t know how to do something,” the God of Thunder explained, which earned him a glare and a sneer from his adopted brother, but to your surprise the raven haired prince didn’t dispute the claim.

       You shrugged at the explanation, then went about your business, opening the fridge and pulling out some fruit and milk to make a smoothie and, after a moment of thought, you grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet. You could feel Loki’s eyes on you as you moved, but did your best to ignore it; he sounded more curious than anything now, so you made no comment on his staring.

       As you were busy slicing up the bananas and apples for your smoothie, you heard a shocked sound come from Loki off to your left, and you looked up to see what could have possibly shocked the prince.

       ”Who are you? Or perhaps what are you is a better question.” Loki’s tone and expression as he looked down at Aksel couldn't have been more amusing, and you couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of you at how incredibly baffled he was by your canine companion. As he shot you a sharp, irritated look, though, you covered your mouth with your hand and gave a slight shake of your head.

       ”Sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” you clarified, wanting to assure the trickster at least a little bit. “His name is Aksel, he’s my service dog. You can pet him right now, since he’s not working at the moment. He won’t bite.”

       Despite your explanation, Loki still looked baffled. “Your… service dog?” he echoed, looking back down at the black lab, who was now smiling up at the prince, his tail wagging ever so slightly.

       You nodded. “Yes. I have some… medical issues, and he helps me when they flare up sometimes.” You kept your description of why you had Aksel in the first place vague, not wanting to delve into all the ways your brain didn’t work right with someone you knew virtually nothing about.

       ”I see,” the prince said slowly, his gaze now resting on you, rather than the dog. “And he… tends to you, when you… have health difficulties?”

       You held this gaze for a moment, and you could tell he genuinely wanted to understand what you were trying to explain to him. You nodded, then turned back to the fridge for a moment, pulling out one of Aksel’s treats and offering it to Loki. “Would you like to give him a treat?” you asked with a soft smile. “He already knows it’s out, and I need to finish making this,” you added, when Loki seemed to hesitate.

       He examined the small, round biscuit in your palm for a moment before accepting it, turning and leaning down to be a bit closer to Aksel’s level. The lab waited patiently for the treat, eyes laser-locked on the treat in the prince’s palm. When it was finally offered to him, the canine took it gently between his teeth, then laid down on the kitchen floor to eat it.

       You put all of your ingredients into the blender, securing the lid before turning it on. You glanced at Loki and Aksel out of the corner of your eye, smiling again as the prince very tentatively stroked the top of the canine’s head.

       ”So,” Loki began after a moment, looked back up at you as he stood. “You said that he’s not working right now?”

       ”Yes, that’s right. When he’s working he wears a vest, so that people know he’s a service dog, not just a regular pet. When he’s working, he can’t be pet, and is meant to be ignored by everyone else, unless he’s trying to get help. Unfortunately, I still have people ask if they can pet him when we’re out in public and he’s working.” You sighed then, shaking your head slightly.

       ”Strangers actively disregard and disrespect your boundaries?” he asked incredulously, as you turned off the blender and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet.

       When he'd finally met your eyes, irritated that he had to listen to Stark's instructions, he'd been provided a small hint as to what your power could be; he could feel a gentle force running over his seidr. It was a barely-there sensation, like accidentally brushing fingers with someone when handing them something. He pulled his attention from you and turned instead to Stark, ready to have this negotiation over with so that he could be rid of the billionaire, even if only for a brief time.

       The feeling of your power grew more insistent rather quickly, and as he looked back over at you, the prince realized you were listening to him, to things that no one else in the room could hear. He didn't know if you were catching all of his thoughts distinctly or not, but he panicked, not wanting to risk it, and threw up his magical mental defenses, his expression never changing. He knew it had worked when you appeared shocked, and he relaxed the tiniest bit. So that was why Tony had brought you to sit in on the meeting. With a power like that, there was no way you were just Stark's assistant.

       The negotiations went by relatively quickly, and he could tell that you were still trying to process no longer being able to hear his emotions just by glancing at you out of the corner of his eye; it was clear that you'd never encountered someone able to defend themselves that way.

       Once the negotiations were finished, Stark turned to you and asked if everything was settled. The god arched an eyebrow slightly, wondering if you were going to mention the fact that you’d heard nothing from him the entire meeting. To his surprise, though, you acted as if everything were normal. He caught your eye, allowing his defenses to drop once more after a moment. Your completely baffled body language caused the tiniest bit of a smirk to cross his lips, but he couldn’t help it; even if you’d been living with this power your whole life, you didn’t know much about how to control it.

       The God of Mischief watched as you and Stark left the conference room, only turning his attention to his brother as he spoke.

       ”Tony has already informed me where he intends for you to live. Come, I’ll show you.”

       Loki had no desire to live in such close proximity to so many people who would likely rather see him dead than help them, but he had agreed to it, so he made no protests and followed his brother down the hall.

       His newly-assigned living quarters were significantly smaller than his chambers on Asgard had been, but he wasn’t surprised by that; he knew that Midgardians nearly always lived in smaller spaces and higher concentration than on Asgard. It was furnished already, but Loki knew he would magic the furniture to be more to his liking as soon as he was left unsupervised.

       Thor told his brother how things generally worked in the tower, introduced him to FRIDAY, then left him to get settled; whatever belongings Loki had wanted to bring with him, he’d stored in his pocket dimension, and therefore Thor was unable to help him unpack, as it were.

       Once alone in his new space, the trickster magicked his furniture to be exact replicas of his royal Asgardian pieces back home, then pulled things from his pocket dimension and decorated how he pleased.

       He lost track of how much time he had spent doing those things, but by the time he was finished he realized he was hungry. He didn’t remember exactly where his brother had said the kitchen was, but he figured it wouldn’t take long for him to find. He stepped out of his little apartment, closing the door behind him, though as he turned around he nearly ran into you. He froze, almost panicked, then noticed the four-legged creature beside you.