*The next afternoon*

"C'mon Loki, we have to," Tony tries for once in his life to be mature, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He'd been trying unsuccessfully for the past twenty minutes to get Loki out of bed and down to the medical bay so that Bruce could check his sutures, but the god remains curled up on his side, back to Tony, just like he had been ever since he'd discussed the scars on his lips with the billionaire. 

"Please," comes his faint voice, thick with tears, "I don't want to go there again." Tony bites his lip, circling around to the other side of the bed where he can see Loki's face. The god makes no move to turn away, tears streaking from dull eyes staring blankly ahead of him. Shit.

"Alright, alright I'll call Bruce, and we won't do it there," Tony suggests. "I can have him meet us in my lab. You haven't been there before Lokes, I think you'll like it." There's a small pause. 

"Who will be there?" Tony wants to dance in relief since while the whispered question isn't a direct agreement it's the closest he's gotten toward any positive response yet. 

"Just you, me, and Bruce. Though I don't have to stay if you don't want me to." Loki's eyes snap to his. 

"You'd leave if I asked you to?" Loki seems rather shocked at the implication. 

"Yes, but not because I want to leave, only if you want me to leave." Loki hums softly, looking away again. 

"Do you want me to leave?" Tony asks, not sure if he really wants the answer. Loki considers this for a moment before he shakes his head softly. 

"No." 

"Then yeah, just us." 

"Must we do this?" Loki asks, but he sits up slowly, drawing his knees to his chest and glaring at Tony. 

"Sucks, eh? But yeah. It'll suck even more if those stitches get infected. Thor says you heal really fast though, so I doubt you'll have to get the bandages changed for very long. Besides, dontcha wanna see my fabulous-as-fuck lab?" 

"I suppose."

"Then c'mon, Princess, Bruce is already waiting in the med-bay, I'll tell him to march his ass down to the lab. Let's see who gets there first. Probably Bruce with how slow you are." Loki's glare hardens into a scowl. 

"I am not slow," he growls, sliding his long legs off the bed and rising to his feet, wobbling slightly as he did. 

"Sure, just weak as fuck and still in recovery. No judgies! Once we get a shitton more of those pancakes in ya you'll be right as rain. Probably scarier than Natasha, if your powers really are as strong as Thor said."

"They were...are," Loki snaps. 

"I can't wait to see it, Snowflake." Tony grins. They reach the elevator doors, Tony leaning to the side to push the button on the wall to call for it. 

"You'd be interested in such things?" Tony can feel Loki's green gaze boring into the back of his skull as they step into the elevator. He pushes the button for his lab, leaning against the wall and pretending not to notice as Loki attempts to subtly push himself into the furthest corner. 

"Yeah, I mean, I don't really believe in magic, er...well, I didn't, and as a man of science, I don't know if I believe in it now or not. I mean, there has to be some scientific explanation for it all. But I saw what I saw with my own two eyes. Everyone did. I have to say it was pretty fucking cool. You'll have to show me all the shit you can do someday. When you're all better." Loki smiles a little bit, and Tony swears he isn't squishing himself into the corner quite so much now. The elevator dings. 

"Hi, Loki, Tony." Bruce greets warmly as Tony and Loki step into the lab. The massive room is quite impressive. Of course, it is, he'd built it. The triple-enforced sliding glass doors are tinted from the outside and sound-proof, so while one could see smudgy blurs of activities inside it's very private. They point to a large raised portion of the floor in the center of the room, where a mostly disassembled Mock VII suit is suspended by thick cables going into the high ceiling. The suit is surrounded by large curved desks, anointed with various types of thin-screened computers, greasy rags, random tools, and a few cups of fresh coffee; courtesy of Bruce. Behind the desks are large glass cases of various older suits, some with different colors and many in slightly different shapes. To the left of the desks are huge cabinets and a long countertop, with more various tools, multiple coffee pots, a first-aid kit, a blender, and a refrigerator at the end. To the right of the desks are various machines, spare parts, cars, and tables set up with multiple experiments Bruce had been tinkering away at. 

"Pretty sexy, eh?" Tony grins, winking at Loki's poorly-concealed awe. 

"I must admit, this is quite impressive, Anthony, and ah- forgive me, Son of Banner, greetings to you as well." 

"You can call me Bruce," Bruce chuckles and gestures towards one of the tables to the right. "Would you mind sitting up there? I promise this won't take long, but I want to make sure you're not at risk of infection." Loki worries his lip between his teeth but obeys, sitting delicately on the table and fidgeting with his long fingers. 

"Alright," Bruce says, coming to stand beside the god with a large medical kit in hand, "I'm just going to take the bandages off, check for infection, rewrap them, and then you're good to go. That sound okay?" Loki swallows, nodding slowly after a moment of hesitation. 

"Right, uh well...you want me to stay?" Tony announces his awkwardness with a little wave, not wanting to intrude if not welcome. Loki doesn't respond but instead fixes Tony with an intense stare, a pleading one. 

"Staying," Tony says a little softer, coming to stand by Loki's other side, who's breathing rather heavily. 

When Bruce begins to unwrap the bandages on Loki's right wrist Loki's knee begins to bounce up and down, his tongue darting out more often than usual and the fingers of his left hand tapping an anxious beat on the table. 

"Just relax," Bruce murmurs as he moves the gauze off the wounds, focused intently on his wrists, therefore, failing to notice the growing panic spreading on Loki's face.  As soon as the gashes come into eyesight, Loki yanks his arm to his chest, shaking his head rapidly. 

"Stop," his voice is airy and tight, "don't look at them." 

"I have to make sure they're not going to get infected, Loki. It's nothing to be ashamed about, I see it quite often actually." Bruce says calmly. Tony shuffles on his feet.

"Y-you do?" 

"Yeah. Unfortunately, it's not an abnormal thing here on Earth. A lot of people turn to self-harm when they're in pain and don't know what else to do. It becomes addicting because it releases endorphins...sorta like people with drug addictions feel. I'm no stranger to suicide either. It's not embarrassing nor does it make you any less of a person. It just means you're in horrible pain and don't have the tools to manage it." Loki shook his head.

"It is considered an act of much shame in Asgard. I have, once again, brought shame upon the house of Odin." Loki whispers. 

"It's not an act of shame, Loki. Those fuckers in Asgard don't understand." Tony murmurs, moving closer to him. 

"You know Loki, I was suicidal once too," Bruce states quietly, Loki's gaze snapping to his. "When I first became the Hulk, it was...a monster I couldn't control. I hurt people. I lived in fear of letting the monster out and hurting people again. I saw death as the only way to solve that problem. Do you think I should be ashamed of that?" 

"No!" Loki exclaims quickly.

"Then there's no reason for you to be either. You'll get through this, with our help, and come out on the other side stronger than ever." Loki adverts his eyes. 

"Not because you aren't strong now, Snowflake." Tony nudges Loki's shoulder and to his surprise, the god doesn't flinch away. "You're incredibly strong." 

Bruce slowly takes Loki's arm back into his own and brings it closer to his level. Loki doesn't resist but remains rigid and tense, his thick black hair falling in front of his eyes. Oh, there's an idea.

"Can I braid your hair?" Both men turn to look at Tony with equal incredulous faces, though Loki's eyes seem to soften when he realizes Tony is being serious. 

"You may," he says. 

"You..you can braid hair?" Bruce asks very slowly. 

"Yeah, don't ask why."

"Oh no, no, I need to know why." 

"It was a phase Brucie, just a phase," Tony says, tilting Loki's head gently so he could have better access to his hair. 

"Aright, yeah...never mind, that sounds bad. Please spare me the details," Bruce mutters, shaking his head as he pulls out a bottle from the medical kit.

Tony begins to comb through Loki's hair with his fingers, being very gentle around the tangles as he does. Despite the grease and slight grime, it's much softer than he'd expected. As he works through Loki's hair, eventually beginning to twist the strands into a long french braid, Loki's knees stop bouncing and his fingers stop drumming on the table. At one point Tony swears he hears Loki sigh in contentment. 

"We really need to wash your hair, Snowflake," Tony teases, looping another strand together to join the braided bunch. Loki scoffs almost lazily.  

"Are you insulting me?" 

"Oh never, Princess, but just imagine how cute it'll look all fluffy and shit. Bruce, do you have a hair tie?" 

"Why would I have a hair tie?" Bruce asks at the same time that Loki mutters "I'm not cute."  Tony rolls his eyes. 

"Then can you grab this one off me?" he asks, extending his wrist in Bruce's general direction, but it's Loki's slender fingers that pull off the black elastic band from his wrist and hand it to Tony. 

"Oh, all done bandaging?" Tony asks, securing the braid with the tie. Bruce hums. 

"Cool, me too. Aw, look how pretty you look," Tony coos, messing with the braid a bit before stepping back to admire his work. Loki blushes, but a small smile still tugs at his lips. It drops the second Bruce speaks next. 

"Loki, do you mind staying here while I talk to Tony for a second? It won't be for very long." 

"I'm perfectly fine on my own, Banner," he sneers, "I don't need you to treat me as a child." Bruce holds up his hands. 

"Didn't mean to insult you," he says, shooting Tony a glance. Tony sighs, fussing with Loki's hair for another minute before stepping away to join Bruce.

"Be right back,"

When he leaves, Loki raises his fingers to his hair and smiles.

-oOo-

"What's wrong, Brucie?" Tony's voice is light, but his eyes are serious as he peers at the shorter man. Although they'd moved to the furthest corner of the lab, Bruce still lowers his voice. 

"Has he spoken at all about...anything?" 

"Well, not really. I mean, he told me the fucked up story behind his lips being fucking sewn shut but sorta clammed up after that. I know I'm a delight to chat with but I was actually a little surprised that he even told me that." 

"Do I want to know?" 

"No. You really don't." 

"Tony, he needs to talk about this. Bottling everything up is just going to result in another suicide-attempt. He nearly succeeded last time, if he tries again..." 

"I know, I know that. I know. We can't make him talk though, he won't trust us if we force it on him. Trust me, I would know." Bruce scrubs a hand over his face. 

"What are we going to do then?" 

"I don't know. I guess I was just going to just keep trying to earn his trust and hope that I can do that. Got better ideas?" 

"Well, what if you took him down here regularly? Not just to change his bandages, but to work and talk? We could chat about anything really, and maybe if he gets used to talking to us, he'll open up more." Bruce suggests. Tony nods.

"I think you're on to something. Routines are good for people who are struggling with mental health problems." 

"You...have a routine?" 

"Are you kidding? No way. But having something to do helps. I always have things to do. Not talking about me though. Loki just...lays there." 

"Alright, well then take him back here tomorrow, we'll stay and talk. I'd love to hear more about Asgard anyways, the culture difference is intriguing." Tony nods and gives Bruce a mock salute. 

"Aye aye captain." The two walk back to Loki, who eyes them suspiciously as Bruce rummages through his medical bag. 

"Alright Loki, they're not infected yet, but they're too irritated for my liking. I'm going to have to give you a steroid to help calm down the irritation. It'll make your arms quite achy, I'm afraid. But it will only last for a few hours. If they're still aching tomorrow let me know. I also want you to stay away from getting them wet, and try to limit your arm movement for a little while. Any questions?" 

"I, ah, was hoping to be permitted to shower?" Loki says softly, color rising to his cheeks. Bruce frowns. 

"Well, no offense but I think that would be a good idea, only to wash your hair you'd both have to use your arms and run the risk of getting them wet. So really you probably shouldn't." 

"I could wash your hair for you," Tony interjects, shrugging at Loki's cherry-red cheeks. "It's no biggie. Your hair is fun to mess with." 

"I-I suppose that would be alright," Loki mutters, biting at his lips. 

"There's..uh, one problem," Bruce confesses, and Loki glares at him. "It's an injection, one in each arm. It'll be really quick an-"

"NO," Loki growls, leaping off the table and staggering a few paces away from Bruce, hands gripping onto the edges in order to remain upright. 

"NO, get away from me!" he wheezes, breath erratic and eyes wild once again. 

"Hey," Tony gently runs his fingers across Loki's arms to ground him, and had the situation been different Tony would have smiled when Loki reaches for his hand. "It's okay, Bruce has given me shots before too, I promise it doesn't hurt when he does. Okay? You can hold my hand, I can do your hair again, anything you want, Snowflake. You don't even have to look. Just stare at my sexy face and it'll be over before you know it, I promise." Bruce steps away a bit to give the two some privacy. 

"I-I can't, Tony I c-can't-" Tears fill his eyes, red from so much crying, sliding down his cheeks as he clutches at Tony's hands in a death-grip. "Please, please don't make me do this, please I can't, not again, please," Tony's eyes widen in realization. 

"This reminds you of whoever hurt you, doesn't it?" he asks very softly. At his words Loki's body gives a little jerk slightly, his eyes scrunching shut as he whimpers involuntarily. 

"Shh, it's alright, no one's gonna hurt you now," Tony murmurs, squeezing his hands harder. "Bruce, I think we're gonna pass on that, okay?" he calls, looking the scientist dead in the eyes. Bruce nods.

"Alright, I'm sorry I upset you, Loki. I shouldn't have even mentioned it." Loki doesn't answer, but Tony flashes Bruce a grateful smile as he begins to lead the shaking god back towards the elevators. 

-oOo-

"My deepest apologies for embarrassing you in front of your friend. It was not my intention to reach in such a childish way." comes Loki's soft voice over the sound of Tony washing their earlier lunch dishes from that day in the sink. Look at me, the great Tony Stark, washing dishes like a middle-aged mother. Jeez. 

"You didn't embarrass me Loki, that wasn't childish, and there's no need for an apology. I understand." Loki's perched on one of the bar stools at the breakfast nook, nursing a new cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He doesn't answer, instead just staring into the steaming brown liquid as though it contained the secrets to the universe itself. 

"No, really, I do," Tony says, shutting off the water and drying his hands with a towel. "I still can't take baths or go in swimming pools. I probably never will. Showers are...horrible. It's nothing to be ashamed about, it's just a part of having trauma." Where are these wise words coming from? 

"It was a simple needle. I lost my composure. Making that twice, which I lost my composure around your friend and four times around you. It is disgraceful." Loki mutters, glaring at the hot chocolate. 

"No, it's really not. I'm assuming Ass-gard is not the type of place where people really talk about their feelings, but it's different here on Earth...though to be fair I'm horrible at it. Loosen up, honey, no one is going to judge you and it might really help to talk about those things." 

"Yet how do I know that the people with which I speak to will not desert me, or stab me in the back at the first chance?" Loki's brows furrow, genuine confusion written across his face. Tony sighs and takes a seat across from Loki. You've just asked the question I struggle with the most, honey.

"You don't, which is the scary part of opening up to people. There's no rule that says they aren't going to leave you all alone again. But despite what life has seemed to teach you, most people aren't assholes. You just have to find the ones you trust and..well...yeah." 

"Who is it that you trust?" Loki asks. 

"Well, it's a short list, a very short one. I have an old friend named Rhodey, who has been at my side for a lot of things but also has...not been. It's complicated, as relationships tend to be. I talk to him less and less, but he still makes the list simply for statistic's sake. I had Pepper but I never really talked to her, and now we're not a thing anymore. Also there for a statistic. But, Bruce. I have Bruce. He doesn't judge, he doesn't push me to talk about anything he just is there when I feel like talking. He's never told a soul about a single secret of mine. I haven't told him even half of the things, but if I ever needed to, he'd be safe.  And you, you're weirdly easy to trust. I've actually told you more things than anyone else in my life. Doesn't really feel weird though, come to think of it." 

"I'm easy to trust? Me? Loki? The god of lies?" 

"And 'speaker of hard truths', right?" Loki blinks.

"Normally people overlook that part," he murmurs. 

"What can I say? I'm a curious fellow." Loki hums. 

"Perhaps one day, Anthony." he eventually says, staring again now at his hot chocolate. 

"One day what?"

"I'll speak to you."