"I dislike these Midgardian clothes," Loki whined, tugging childishly at the stiff fabric of the suit.
"It's almost the same thing you wore when you were here… last time," Tony said, unsure as of how else to put the time the god had come and tried to take over the world.
"No, incorrect, that outfit was far more comfortable than this!"
Tony was no longer listening as he straightened the fabric of his own suit.
"Jarvis, you back?" Tony had given the AI a fair amount of time to reboot and expected him to currently be correcting whatever mistake had allowed Fury to override it.
"Yes, Sir, I have identified the problem and am currently in the process of repair," The artificial British voice sounded, surprising the god.
"Great job, could you connect me to the intercom?" Tony asked, becoming slightly distracted by the way the god circled the room, attempting to identify the source of the voice. He decided their next lesson would be an explanation of the AI unit, because it was starting to get kind of sad.
"Would you like me to connect you to the entire building, Sir?"
"No, just whatever rooms the team members are in," He winked at Loki, grabbing the god's attention. He smiled when the voice of his computer told him that his request had been granted, "Avengers! Suit up!" He grinned as he pictured Steve and Thor jumping out of their skin at the sudden interruption, "And by that, I mean something nice, we've got people to win over today! Press conference at five! Wear your best I-Promise-Loki-Isn't-An-Evil-Villain Clothes and meet at the usual spot at exactly three o' clock!" The usual spot was, of course, the living room on Loki's floor, "Oh, and Cupid, Captain Canada, and Bilbo the clown, I trust that you're back and have retrieved your belongings from my roof. Over and out!"
Jarvis took this as permission to close the line, which was indicated by an audible click.
"You are a most interesting man, Anthony" Loki said, smirk playing at his lips.
"I know," Tony grinned, grabbing the neck of the god's deep green tie and pulling it so he met him at eye level. He smiled as he pulled the god into a crushing kiss, and grinned when he felt long arms wrap around his waist.

---

Loki stood just outside the stage, listening as the crowd of Midgardian voices collected into an angry and impatient roar. It had been quite some time since he had been this nervous, which was made evident as he drew a hand over his brow only to find that he was sweating bullets, a concept foreign to the god.
He had always prided himself in his ability to mask his emotions, but this was different. This was not something that solely pertained to himself; the impression he made that day reflected upon the rest of the Avengers as well.
If he proved himself unstable or untrustworthy, the whole team would be forced to take the blame.
Loki was unaccustomed to worrying for the well-being of others, so having the emotions suddenly forced upon him at such a dire gathering made the god feel weaker and smaller than he had thought possible.
It was only the group's presence at his side that kept him from either turning and bolting or collapsing in a fit of panic. Tony had maintained a firm grasp on his hand ever since they had climbed into the car that had transported them there and Loki could feel Thor's hand on his shoulder and hear the words of encouragement the god was speaking quietly in this ear.
He knew Thor was nervous. The last time the god had been forced through Loki's trial it had not ended well, and he was less than eager to do it again.
"It will be fine, brother," Loki smiled slightly, turning to face the golden god, "I highly doubt the Midgardians shall sentence me to rot in a cell, so it will not be as last time, for this time, I shall plead my case. You know far better than anyone that I can talk my way out of any situation."
Thor let out a breath he was not aware he had been holding, "Yes, let us hope your silver tongue has not grown dull," Thor smiled, "for I would miss its sting."
"Remember your words, brother, for I will remind you of them later when you do not feel as such," Loki's smile came easier as Thor bend down and placed a kiss on his forehead.
"Remember my words, brother," Thor smiled, washing warmth and comfort over him.
"It's time," Tony said, regretfully pulling the gods from their conversation, "Let's go out there and show them who you really are," he smiled as the god pulled him into a chaste kiss.
"Yes, lets," Loki smiled as he pulled away from the blushing genius, "I apologize for the pranks this morning," he said to the other four Avengers, "I say this, because if they kill me this day, I want to leave you with the memory of the god of mischief apologizing for a trick."
"We'll get you back for that when we get home," Clint smirked, clapping Loki's shoulder as the rest grinned good-naturedly at him.
"Come on," Tony said, smile fading slightly, "Let's go."
The group nodded as they walked onto the stage, but just before Tony took the final step, he felt a hand on his shoulder and lips at his ear,
"I love you."
A warm shiver went up his spine as the god released him. He wanted to turn back, to tackle the god and tell him that he didn't have to do this, that it didn't matter what the public thought of his being there, that they could go home and that no one outside the walls of their giant fortress would matter. But he couldn't tell the god that, he couldn't turn back and wrap him in his arms and tell him those things, because telling the god that the public's opinion didn't matter, having him simply stay at the tower and seclude him from the world, meant he might as well have left him in Asgard.
Asgard was the place where Loki had ignored the opinions of the general public, because there was no way for him to change them. Asgard was the place where he had been subjected and confined because he was unwanted.
But this was not Asgard. This was Midgard and, here, Loki would not ignore and be subjected and confine, because now, on Midgard, he could change how people saw him.
So Tony did not turn back and tackle the god and tell him that he didn't have to do this, that it didn't matter what the public thought of his being there, that they could go home and that no one outside would matter.
Instead Tony walked on, head held high, chest puffed out like he had so many times before when he walked out onto a stage, took his seat at the back, beside his teammates, and watched as his god, his beautiful god with that alabaster skin and hair black and soft as silk, walked out and stood at the podium.
Loki stood, in front of his friends, before a crowd that hated him and wanted nothing more than to see his cold corpse at their feet.
"Good evening," Loki said cautiously into the microphone like Tony had instructed him in the car on the way there.
He waited for a quiet that never came, "I said, good evening!"
He spoke louder now, satisfied with the silence that followed, "Midgardians, as I am sure you are aware, my name is Loki, Loki Laufeyson, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are all here because you are outraged by my presence. If I am incorrect, please, correct me," He paused, waiting for a voice he knew would never come, "So, I am correct, that I can take comfort in. I despise being wrong. It is because I despise being wrong that I am standing before you today… because I was wrong, I was wrong and I am able to stand here only because I have been corrected. Truth be told, I am nervous, not only because the last time I was in front of a crowd they sentenced me to rot in a prison cell, but because your decision today not only affects me, but my comrades, my friends, as well," Loki gestured to the group behind him.
This caused a general uproar, questions piled on top of each other, each voice attempting to overthrow the next.
Tony had explained how these gatherings worked, but it did not change that fact that he was becoming steadily overwhelmed by the crowd.
"You, Midgardian, of what do you ask?" He pointed to a reporter close to the stage.
"Harrison Guthrie, Washington Post; You said 'the last time I was in front of a crowd, they sentenced me to rot in a prison cell' well, I can't help but notice that you seem a little less rotted and slightly more alive. Does that mean that you have escaped Asgard and they will come to capture you?"
The hopefulness in the man's voice disgusted Loki, but he held his composer and smiled at the man, an action that seemed to throw the crowd off guard.
"Sorry to disappoint, but no, I did not escape, nor will Asgardian officials arrive to, as you say, 'capture' me. On the contrary, I was broken out of prison by my brother and his friends and released by Odin," Loki once again gestured towards the group.
"Why?" the reporter asked, obviously annoyed by the snarky tone in the god's voice.
"Well, if you cannot tell, I was incredibly close to rotting, something that was not actually intended to happen. In reality, my sentence was meant to last only a few centuries, however due to… previously unknown circumstances, the court did not realize that I was, am, as good as mortal and, though I undoubtedly exceed far passed the limitations of mortals, it would be impossible for me to survive longer than the expanse of one Midgardian year in the prison. Perhaps I would've been able to last longer if provided with food and water, but no such luxuries were given in my sentence," The crowd was nearly quiet now, a concept foreign to all the people in the room, save two Asgardian gods.
"What do you mean 'previously unknown circumstances'?" a woman asked suddenly.
Loki paused, visibly uneasy, something that seemingly baffled the crowd before him, "Please excuse me, this is an uncomfortable subject," Loki said, breathing growing heavy. He had not wanted to trudge up the concept of Thanos, but now it was necessary and there was no avoiding it, "To put it very bluntly, Ma'am, until my brother and the Avengers rescued me from Asgard, I was being controlled by a creature known as Thanos. He is the leader of the… monsters you saw when I was last in Midgard… the chitauri. I do not mean to say that he had brainwashed me, for that is impossible, I mean to say that he… controlled me."
"Meaning?" the woman inquired, scribbling frantically in a notebook like the other people around her.
"I am not sure as of how exactly to put this is terms you will understand…" Loki paused, brain searching frantically for an explanation, "Ah, I know, I trust that several of you have read the Midgardian novels: 'Harry Potter'? I have read the series recently, and while the Midgardian grasp on magic is quite incorrect, it was a solid attempt," He watched as a large majority nodded, "that being said, I assume you are familiar with the fictional beasts called Dementors. The concept is much the same. The monster Thanos, for years, stripped me of all happiness, which was small to say the least, and forced me to recall every painful, anguishing moment of my life, which is in the fair majority. Then, along with the mental torture, he also suppressed all magical ability within my being, making it impossible, during my imprisonment, to heal myself or drive him out. I do not expect you to understand the concept of having your mind overtaken, violated, stripped of every happy memory and left with only the most soul wrenching painful moments of your life, but it leaves you… scared… because the feeling of something like that within your own mind is dark and fucking scary."
The shocked silence that followed his speech pleased Loki greatly, so he waited as he watched questions forming on the lips of each Midgardian.
"When and why exactly, did 'Thanos' take over your mind?" a man asked.
The smile that hand formed on Loki's face slipped to be replaced by an uncomfortable frown.
He turned his head ever so slightly and looked at his brother, silently apologizing for the answer he was about to give.
"To answer your question, Sir, I will have to tell you the source my life's pain. You see, Midgardian, I am not of Asgard, Odin is not my father nor is Thor my brother. These were lies I was told and lies I believed up until several years ago. In reality, I am Jotun, a frost giant, but because of my small build, and despite my being borne of the King of Jötunheim, I was to be left for dead. However, I was found and rescued by Odin, King of Asgard.
"He brought me to Asgard, where my outward appearance changed and he was able to raise me alongside his son, Thor, as a rightful prince of Asgard. My lineage was unknown to me for the better part of my life, though it seems Thor and myself were the only ones in the dark, for never in all my life was I accepted on Asgard. When I realized the truth, I went into a rage and, in my fury, I stormed Jötunheim and killed my father and many others.
"When my rage subsided, I was left with only anguish and a sense of betrayal. Eventually I found myself falling off the edge of the Bifrost, only to be caught by the reaching hand of Thor, however, in my sorrow, I released my hand from the grip of my once thought brother and fell into the endless nothing.
"After an amount of time that is unknown to me, I was captured by the chitauri and brought to his desolate world where I was tortured and overtaken by Thanos before he sent me here to Midgard.
"Despite all this, I can't help but note, since being taken in by the Avengers, all those things seem to matter less and less to me. I have come to terms with who I am and what I've been through and for once in my life, I have found a place where I am happy. So, I stand before you, not as a god, not as a frost giant, but as someone who has greatly wronged each and every one of you. I humble myself and beg of you, do not shun me from your world, allow me to show you who I truly am, allow me to redeem myself. Please."
Never in Tony's life had he seen such a large crowd of reporters so incredibly silent. No noise except the quiet buzz of the speakers filled the room.
"Are there any more questions?" Loki noticed, in all the still and silence, one girl, younger than the rest, was shuffling uneasily from foot to foot, "You, young woman, do you have a question?" He smiled at her, a warm smile that seemed to erase all uneasiness in her mind.
"Are… are you and Mr. Stark in a relationship?" She squeaked, a blush covering her cheeks.
A laugh bubbled from the depths of Loki's chest as a grin erupted on his face and he turned to face an equally grinning Tony.
"I think I'll let you decide that for yourselves," He smiled with the warmth and radiance of one thousand suns as he turned from the crowd, towards his grinning friends.
"Are we ready now?" Clint grinned, "Or are you going to finish your life story?"
"I believe the story about Thor dressing as our mother and marrying the giant Prymr when he stole Mjölnir can wait for another day," Loki grinned as he pulled Tony to his feet, keeping their fingers laced together.
"Need I remind you of all the other creatures I told the ancient Midgardians you birthed?" Thor grinned/
"Hel is a beautiful young woman!" Loki demanded, always quick to defend his daughter, "You would know this if you visited Niflheim more often!"
"She is a horrible hag and you know it!" Thor laughed, "But I suppose she is better than the fictional children I concocted."
"You are a monster," Loki scowled, albeit half-heartedly. In reality he was enjoying himself; Tony was in stitches at his side, along with the rest of the group, still on the stage.
They were aware that the crowd could hear every word they spoke and found it amusing.
"So do I get to meet your daughter?" Tony asked, clutching the fabric of Loki's suit, attempting not to fall to the floor in laughter.
"Hel is far too busy ruling the realm of the dead," Loki said matter-of-factly, "besides, you wouldn't want to, she wreaks something awful."
"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that her lower body is a corpse, brother," Thor grinned, his booming laughter filling the room.
"This is very true," Loki laughed, grasping a hold of Tony's waist and holding him upright.
"Can we go now?" Bruce asked, smirking at the gaping crowd, who were obviously shocked by the group's friendly demeanor.
"Cap, what's for dinner?" Clint asked as the group migrated towards the edge of the stage.
"I am unsure; Loki would you like to aid me in cooking tonight?" Steve asked, smiling at the god.
"Are you asking so that when you decide to sleep in, someone else will be able to cook?" Loki asked, smirking at the soldier.
"Well, I wouldn't want you all to starve," Steve smiled.
"Then I shall aid you, Captain," Loki smiled before turning his head to the wide-eyed crowd, "Thank you for having me here, I hope that I have left you with a pleasant outlook towards me, good bye!"
He flashed them a heart-melting smile before pulling Tony and himself off the stage and towards the awaiting group and get-away-car.

Notes