"It's OK, Peter – go on. Loki knows you're coming," Shuri says, gently nudging him toward the entrance to the room. Peter takes a deep breath and steps in.

Bucky stands and stretches, "It's alright – and he had a nap. I'll leave you folks alone for a bit." He turns to Loki, "Let me know if you need anything, OK?" Loki nods. Bucky pats his shoulder, "Hey...don't hesitate." Loki smiles at him and Bucky smiles back.

"Thank you, James."

Bucky slides by the teens at the door, "It's alright, kids. He's doing a little better."

Loki looks to Peter and nods, "Hello, Peter."

Peter nervously shifts his weight, his hands in his pockets, "Hi, Mr. Loki. I...I just wanted to stop by and see how you're doing."

"A little more steady," Loki answers, "I did quite a bit of damage, but I heal relatively quickly." Peter hesitantly approaches his bedside. Loki gestures to the chair Bucky was sitting in, "Please, sit."

"I don't want to keep you from resting or anything."

Loki sighs, "I understand this might be hard for you, but please...spend a moment with me?"

Peter slowly sits, "I just...don't know what you're supposed to say to somebody after something like this."

Loki folds his hands on his lap and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he responds, "You say what's on your heart, even if it's not the easiest thing to say."

"I don't want to say anything wrong and make things worse," Peter replies.

"You can't make things worse."

"I mean...what if I say something that makes you want to live even less and nobody's there to find you next time?" Peter asks, his voice trembling.

Loki meets his eyes, "I'm so sorry, Peter. I thought you would be fine without me."

Peter shakes his head, "How could you even think that?"

"Firstly, let's have Shuri join us, shall we?" Peter nods and Loki calls to her, "Princess? Will you please come sit with me, too?"

Shuri steps into the room with a small smile, a package in her hands, "How did you ever guess I was there, dear Prince?"

"Because it seems, these days, that where Peter is, Shuri is surely to follow," Loki replies, trying to smile back at her, "And I heard you talking to him before he came into the room."

"That would likely give it away," she says as she settles in beside Peter, "But it also means I know where you are in your conversation, so...please, continue."

"Why did you think we wouldn't miss you?" Peter asks, "I mean, we're friends aren't we?" Then he sighs, "I guess I shouldn't ask...I mean, I've been low before, too. Low enough I made some bad decisions and ended up in the hospital. I...I didn't think my friends would be there for me when I really needed them to be...." His voice trails off and Loki doesn't know what to say. He offers Peter his hand and Peter takes it.

Shuri offers him her other hand and he cautiously lays his bandaged fingers over hers, "I heal quickly – the wounds aren't nearly as bad as they were yesterday."

"I know. Thor told us it wouldn't be long before it was hardly noticeable."

"That doesn't mean I won't scar, though, Shuri."

She nods, "I understand. But you still haven't addressed Peter's question. Why did you think we wouldn't miss you?"

Loki falls quiet and then glances between the young hands resting in each of his own, "I...I saw how close you are to one another and thought about the lives you both have ahead of you. Peter, you protect a large community in your city and that will take you home and will occupy your mind well beyond the little time you've had with me. And Shuri, you will soon be queen and there will be no time for visits. You both will move on in your lives into new adventures, on different continents, and I on another. I didn't think you wouldn't necessarily miss me, but I did think you would be fine without me, the rest of your bright futures overshadowing our brief time together."

Shuri nods, "I see...but what you forget is that we don't want to let the weight of our futures erase our time with you. We should still be allowed to be children, Loki, but the world has had other ideas. We are still young, but we were also soldiers in a war for half the universe...and we both died for it, turning to dust in a moment, only to wake up and find ourselves called to an even greater battle. Unlike most everyone else, you've let us play. You haven't treated us like all the other warriors around us who carry this weight – you let us be young."

Peter picks up the conversation with his own thoughts, "I feel like I'm supposed to be a big hero, like Mr. Stark, and all I really ever wanted was to protect my neighbourhood and my friends. Mr. Stark told me I was an Avenger when we were in space, but.... Guys like Thanos? World-destroyers? Mr. Loki, I'm still in high school. I should be worrying about homework and exams and...I don't know, girls and peer pressure and stuff. But instead I'm worrying about whatever's gonna come from the sky next and try to kill us. And then you came into the lab and just...let us laugh about stuff on the internet and tell you jokes, and you laughed with us and didn't treat us like we were just dumb for needing to be kids...." He sniffs, "We need our friends, Mr. Loki. All of us. You, me, Shuri, Bucky...." Peter takes a minute to wipe his eyes, "Look, I don't need to know why you did it. Shuri said you might not ever want to tell us and it's none of our business and all that and I'm OK with that, but don't forget us again, alright? Not even when you go back to New Asgard?"

Loki slips his hand from Peter's and opens his arm, "Peter...would you like a hug?"

Peter nods and then slips from his chair to sit close to Loki on the bed, "Yeah, thanks." Peter rests against him until he realizes that Loki is allowing himself to be touched and sits back, "Oh...sorry."

Loki shakes his head, "Don't be. I would have made it clear if I wasn't able to handle it. You needed the moment. But I do think it was all I can handle when it comes to feeling...contained."

"Can I still sit next to you, though?" Peter asks. He nods. "Mr. Loki...when I got so low, I didn't see a whole lot of ways back up out of it, you know? But M.J. – she's one of my best friends – and Ned, another one, they sent me really ridiculous stuff to make me laugh the whole time. Stuff from online, tacky greeting cards they drew all over, that kind of stuff. Things that reminded me that they were there for me. So..." Shuri hands Loki the package, "We kinda did the same. We made a book instead because I know you aren't into the whole internet thing and because Thor told us how much you love books. And we've got a playlist to share with you, too, when you're ready...."

Loki unwraps the package and gently brushes the cover; the title reads, "Mr. Loki's Book of Reasons Life Doesn't Suck And Staying Alive Might Not Be So Bad." The book is large, dark green, and the lettering is in silver ink outlined in black.

"You even did it in my colours," he says.

"Yes," Shuri replies, "We asked Thor what you would like."

Loki opens the first page and the title is repeated along the top and under it, it says, "By Peter and Shuri." There is a photograph below their names of the two of them making silly faces, their cheeks smushed together, as they take the selfie. Loki smiles and brushes the edge of the photograph with his fingertips.

Peter shrugs, "So...do you like it?"

Loki nods, "I do."

"Can we tell you about the different stuff we put in here? Some of the pictures are kinda...weird."

"Please, do."

Shuri leans over the edge of the bed so she can see the pages, "Turn the page – the first part was my idea."

He does and is met with an explosion of colour and shimmering glittery ink swirling around a set of images of animals with odd titles; across the top of the page run the words, "Earth has WEIRD WILDLIFE! Don't let it eat you (which should be easy, unless you go to Australia or piss off bears)."

Peter points to one, "So...these are all things weird people on the internet decided to rename our critters. This one's called a manta ray, but to the internet...it's a majestic sea flap-flap."

Loki raises an eyebrow, "Majestic sea flap-flap? And why is it called this?"

Shuri taps a few buttons on her wrist band and a hologram of a manta ray appears above it, elegantly swimming, "That's why – it is in the sea, it is very majestic, and it goes flap-flap."

Loki nods, "Well that makes an element of sense." He returns to the page, "Well, at least I recognize the danger noodle or nope rope. They appear on many worlds."

"Convergent evolution likes nope ropes," Shuri says, "Interesting. On Earth, evolution tends to seek a state of crabs. Over time, that is." She points to another picture, "We have many murder logs in certain parts of this continent. I'd advise staying away from them."

"They do look unpleasant," Loki says, "But the shell puppy looks quite nice."

"Unless it's a snapping turtle," Peter says, "They're not so nice. That one's called grumpy mcsnapface."

"Are they one of the creatures one might find in Australia?" he asks.

"Oh, there are a lot worse things in Australia," Peter says. "Like kangaroos. They will kick you to death. Or drag you into a lake and drowned you." He points to a picture labelled as a tyrannosaurus deer, "That one."

"To eat you?" Loki asks.

"No, just because they're assholes," Shuri says. "So are the emu. There was a war against them. The emu won."

"Danger chickens," Peter adds confidently, "They're right there." He points to a picture.

Loki raises an eyebrow, "A war? You have to be joking."

"Absolutely not," Shuri replies, "The emu war is real. I can find you books."

"Oh, please do," Loki says as he peruses the other images, "The trash panda looks like one of Thor's space friends."

Shuri smiles, "Yes, Rocket is a raccoon...somehow. I don't understand how. Thor said he was made, but I that would be beyond my technology."

"He was one of our rescuers. We owe them our lives." Loki nods to himself as he looks over the other animals on the page, smiling as he reads them, quietly laughing to himself. He turns the page.

Shuri meets Peter's eyes and winks as Loki sees what's coming next; this time he laughs out loud as he sees a series of photos of Avenger mishaps and silly selfies, "How on earth did you get some of these photographs?" Loki asks.

"Oh, we just...found...some of them," Peter says, "Because when you have some of Mr. Stark's tech, you kinda...have access to stuff. Like security cameras. And he didn't really tell me I couldn't use the suit to get into the backups of the phones he gave the Avengers.... I just kinda went through their selfies."

Shuri smirks, "Don't let him convince you it was all his technology that got these photos. I have my own ways...and this one of Thor," she points to one where he's making a particularly silly face as he dodges a drone Bucky is fleeing from, laughing, "I took that while Peter was learning to fly that for Sleipnir. It was a very silly day and there were many mishaps."

Loki giggles a little as they tell him stories behind the pictures on the page, every one of them a moment that helps him remember that these heroes, including his brother, are still very much just...people. And that these children don't revere them above him strangely reassures him.

The three spend a good few hours going through the book, Shuri and Peter telling Loki stories behind the pictures and playing him songs from their playlist, pointing out where they've written the lyrics along the pages. The book ends with a detailed stick-figure comic drawn by the teens of Loki's time in Wakanda, including an eight-legged stick horse that looks ridiculously spider-like.

When he closes the book, he smiles at both of them and once again takes their hands, "Thank you so very much, my friends."

"Whenever you feel awful...well, you've got this now, and I hope you'll look at it, even when we're all in different countries," Peter says.

"Absolutely," Loki says, "I most certainly will." He stares at the book resting on his lap, holding their hands, for a moment, searching for the right words, "I've not been given a gift this precious in many years. Nor have I had friends who would have given of themselves in this way."

"Can we both hug you?" Peter asks, "Because you need a hug from your besties."

Loki smiles and nods; they both give him a gentle hug and then sit back in their chairs, "So...shall we have supper?" Shuri asks. "How is your throat? Do you have restrictions on what you can eat?"

"I have to be gentle, but no, not really. As I've said, I heal quickly."

"You ever had mac and cheese?" Peter asks. Loki looks at him with raised eyebrows, "I'm going to take that expression as a firm 'no.' Shuri, we have to get this man some mac."

She nods and taps on her wristband, a hologram of her mother appearing. After a quick conversation about their supper, she taps it again and the hologram disappears.

"So...would you like to tell me what you're going to serve me for supper? Or shall I begin to guess?"

Shuri giggles as Peter begins to detail all the different kinds of mac and cheese they've had for Loki. What comes to them later is creamy, rich, and just a little spicy and it delights Loki. Peter declares it his favourite comfort food and Loki whole-heartedly agrees.