"You're looking better, love," Loki greeted you the next time he came down to visit. You bounced up from the cot and over to the glass of the cell when he spoke. He looked you over more closely when you were standing in front of him. "Yes, much better." You saw earlier in the small mirror that you actually had a complexion again and the dark smudges under your eyes had faded. The not casting a reflection thing was only true in really old mirrors that still used actual silver for the backing. New mirrors didn't cause you any trouble. You weren't all the way well, not just with one small taste of blood after so long, but you were doing much better.

"Thank you," you told him sheepishly, still embarrassed over drinking your friend's blood, especially straight from the vein...

He saw your discomfort and didn't acknowledge your thanks. Instead: "You still do not appear to be feeling completely well," he started, a bit hesitantly, unsure, though wanting to make sure that you were ok. You wondered briefly why he cared so much about the monster who had literally drank his blood.

"Thanks ever so," you told him sarcastically, choosing to pretend he was insulting your appearance so you didn't have to answer his actual question which was whether you needed more blood. Before he could rephrase and actually ask and corner you into an answer you didn't want to give, you changed the subject slightly. "How'd you get in here anyway? I thought you said that thing limits your powers," you gestured to the piece of tech on his arm.

"It does," he replied, inclining his head. "So my teleporting is limited to the boundaries of the tower. I have been forbidden to help you escape, but..." he shrugged.

"That doesn't stop you from being able to come in and visit." He inclined his head again. You wondered why he hadn't before, but it was probably to keep up the appearance that he couldn't, since he already wasn't really supposed to be down here. You took your seat in front of the glass. "Did you finish reading The Hobbit?" you asked him.

"Not yet, I decided to reread the Sarah Vida series first," he replied too casually as he took his chair on the other side of the glass. He gave you a knowing look with those words. The Sarah Vida series was the first vampire book you had recommended to him, the one that was the most accurate. He wanted answers about vampires, which is why he was bringing the book up.

You sighed heavily. "Stubborn god. You aren't going to let this go, are you?" you asked. He kept finding ways to circle the conversation back to what he wanted to talk about.

"Of course not. Surely you cannot blame me considering the state you were in yesterday, little one," he replied pleasantly. Too pleasantly. He was worried about you, for rather good reason, but still... You also knew the pleasant tone wouldn't stay around if you didn't give him some answers.... or if you didn't hesitate in a more acceptable manner.

You twined your fingers together nervously. You hated talking about or thinking about what those stupid vampires had turned you into. "Can we have this conversation after I'm out of this stupid cell and can actually do something about the situation?"

He thought about that for a moment. You saw he wanted to press for answers, but he finally inclined his head. "Very well," he said with a knowing smirk.

You caught the smirk and couldn't help your excitement that nearly had you bouncing out of the chair. "You know something?" you demanded excitedly.

He held a finger to his lips, though his smirk widened to a proper smile. "Soon, love. Soon enough that I am willing to wait patiently for more answers until then," so really soon. Loki was not the most patient person ever.

"More interference?" you asked.

"Not directly. My last bit of interference was discovered, I'm afraid, and Director Fury is most displeased with me for it. So unfortunately, I cannot pull that same trick again, since they are watching for it. However, since it has come to the team's attention that I'm down here every day spending time with you, they have asked my opinion on the subject. Not that I believe it did any good, given my past..." his voice was bitter at the last, but also, too modest. You wondered what he'd done that he wasn't admitting to. Still, his bitterness made you sad and there was nothing you could do about it.

"Loki..." you said softly and placed your hand against the glass. It was all you could do.

He gave you a warm smile, obviously touched by your concern. "Don't fret over me, love," he bid you warmly. "Will you answer one question for me, though?" he asked softly. You nodded, much as you hated to answer any questions about what you were. "Are you going to be alright for a couple more days?" his tone was serious, truly concerned and wanting an honest answer.

You thought over his question carefully and you saw that he appreciated that your answer would be thought out and truthful. You knew better than to try to lie to him. He was a human-shaped lie detector after all. "If it's an actual couple of days and not Clint's constant promise of a couple more days, then yes, I'll be fine," once you were out of this stupid cell you could figure out how to acquire something proper to eat. You'd have to convince them to let you out of the tower. Or write a super embarrassing shopping list.

That was a bridge to jump off of later.

Right now you and Loki both jumped to your feet when you heard all of the footsteps and voices coming down the hall. You waved to Loki and darted back toward the cot. You didn't want to get Loki in trouble for being here when he wasn't supposed to be. Loki vanished in a shimmer of green magic as expected. You were not expecting him to reappear right next to you in the cell. You would have shrieked in surprise if he hadn't clamped a hand over your mouth. "Shh," he hissed in your ear. You nodded and he let you go. "That's the entire team coming. I don't know what they're up to, but I dislike it, and I dislike leaving you alone to face it,"

"Loki, go. You'll just get in trouble for being here," you told him softly, urgently. You wanted your friend out of danger.

He chuckled, but obviously appreciated your concern. "Don't fret over me, love. They won't know I'm here unless they do something to you," he told you. He placed his lips against your forehead with a warm smile. There was another shimmer of green magic and a little green snake was on your bed.

"Right, shapeshifter," you commented and lifted the pillow so he could hide under there. You sat on the bed with your book and were settled just in time to see the entire group of Avengers appear in front of your cell. You closed the book and looked up at them, wondering why they were all down here.

"Hey, Kid," Clint greeted you kindly. And because he was kind and liked you, Nat liked you too. You waved to them and stood from the bed, stepping toward the glass, though you heard the snake under your pillow hiss. Silly Trickster should've picked a better shape if he had wanted to stay with you when his brother's idiot friends came to visit.

"Where is Loki?" Thor asked you. He was always direct, but kind. You still hadn't found out why he had nearly started crying the day they had brought you here. You'd have to ask Loki if he knew.

You shrugged. "How should I know?" you asked instead of answering Thor's question. There was no way for you to know where Loki was if he wasn't in plain sight, at least not according to the others. If you didn't answer the question, he couldn't claim you were lying.

"We needed to ask you about what happened yesterday..." Clint started. He didn't want to ask, you saw it in his eyes.

You were going to deny that anything happened, going to try lying to them, to protect you and Loki both, but Cap stopped you in his no nonsense way. "You drank his blood," he told you simply.

You sighed. "I assume there are cameras?" you asked them. You should have expected cameras. Tony nodded. You hesitated, but they were demanding answers. Needed to know how dangerous you were. "Then I'll also assume that you saw that I was so weak from hunger that I couldn't move?" you asked with just a touch of temper. They were really treating you unfairly. "That he had to offer multiple times, that even starved nearly to death he wasn't in any danger, hurt in any way, or allowed to donate any more than the bare minimum to keep me... alive for lack of a better word?"

"So it's true? You really do need to drink blood to survive?" Clint asked hesitantly. He had deluded himself into thinking the human food was enough.

"Trust me, I hate it just as much as you undoubtedly do," you told them firmly. You hated what you'd become just as much as they thought you a monster. "It doesn't mean I'm a danger to any of you, or humans in general. There are much more civilized and humane ways for vampires to get what they need than attacking humans," you finally told them, still more grumpily than you should. They were accusing you of something that hadn't happened. Except, you saw in their expressions that they weren't accusing. This wasn't an interrogation.

Clint gave you a bright smile. "Thanks, Kid. Don't worry, you'll be out of here soon." He told you kindly. You rolled your eyes. He'd been saying that for awhile. "I mean it this time. Your testimony just now and the footage should give us the last bit of leverage for Fury and SHIELD," he explained. They actually stayed and chatted and you finally saw that though they hadn't been around, they were all doing things to help your cause, and while the stupid glass cell sucked, you were partially here because it was safely underground. It still sucked, but the entire team promised it was just a few more days.

"If you see Loki, would you kindly tell him I wish to see him?" Thor asked as they were all leaving. You promised that you would.

Loki turned back to normal once they were all gone. He turned to you and grabbed your upper arms in a vice-like grip as he held you up on your tip-toes, forcing you to look at him. "Loki!" you protested, wondering what was wrong to make him so angry like this. "What is it? Put me down and talk to me," you told him urgently. You squirmed, but his grip was tight and you were nowhere near up to full strength with only one small blood donation. Already the strength from the blood he had given you was fading.

"What do you mean 'bare minimum to keep you alive'?" he snarled. "You said you were ok," he added, hurt and upset, thinking you'd somehow lied to him.

"I said I'd be ok for a couple of days," you reminded him with tears in your eyes. You hadn't lied. You were careful in your wording. "Do you know how much I hated even taking that much of your blood, of anyone's? I hate what I am and what I have to do to survive. You're my friend and you never should have seen that side of me," you told him, desperate for him to understand.

"You're the only one here who is remotely pleasant to me, and... my friend," he told you firmly, though the word sounded foreign, or maybe like it wasn't strong enough, but that couldn't possibly be. "You've been here for months, why didn't you tell me they were starving you to death, why not them?" he demanded, hurt that this had happened.

"I didn't want you to worry, and they already think I'm a monster without them seeing me drink blood straight from the vein like a heathen," you told him. One of the many reasons you'd hated the vampires who had stolen you away. They ate humans and not volunteers either. "And it was only a couple more days, followed by-"

"A couple more days," he finished. He sighed and lowered you back onto your feet and wrapped you tightly in a hug. You sagged against him and laid your head on his chest. "Please, love, let me know what I can do to help you," you looked up at him, hesitant, afraid of breaking your friendship.

"You won't think less of me?" you asked him softly.

"Not a bit. You're the strongest, most intelligent, and wonderful, caring, gorgeous lady I have ever met. You're not a monster, and I won't think less of you, I swear it," he told you. You flushed under all of that praise and more-than-friendly compliments.

You should have known better, but you finally nodded. "Alright..." you said softly. "I can't summon things from here..." you started and sat on the cot. Your powers were drained too.

"Just ask," he told you gently and sat next to you. It had taken you forever to be comfortable enough in your friendship to ask him to get you books from the library upstairs. Asking him to use magic on your behalf was even harder. Especially when you had power of your own, but just not enough right now.

"C-can you get a glass of red wine?" you asked softly, nervously. He didn't ask why, didn't ask questions, the glass just appeared in your hands. "You promise you don't mind?" you asked him one more time.

He rolled his eyes. "Y/N..." you were stalling, nervous, and didn't want to ruin your friendship over something like stabbing him.

"Do you have something sharp?" He always had daggers and one appeared in his hand. You took it from him and took his cold hand. "I'm sorry," you told him softly and sliced his finger carefully. "I'm sorry!" you told him again at his soft hiss of pain.

"It's fine," he reassured you as you flipped his hand over and let the wound drip blood into your glass of wine. It took a moment to get the proper concentration of blood in the wine. It wasn't terribly much. When you had, you lifted his hand and licked his finger, closing the wound with vampiric power, just as you had before. "That's it?" he asked dubiously. You had made a big deal out of a little blood in a glass of wine. He was expecting something bigger, more impressive.

You nodded and summoned a little tongue of flame to heat the liquid in the glass. "It's not the best Yarbarah, blood wine," you clarified at his confused expression. "I've ever made, it's better with mulled wine, but with limited means," you shrugged and vanished your little flame.

"Care to explain?" he asked, gesturing to the glass of wine you were sheepishly sipping on now that it was the proper temperature.

"Civilized vampires drink Yarbarah, a glass every night. That and a shot-glass or so sized glass of undiluted blood once a month is usually enough to keep a vampire happy and healthy. It doesn't have to be human blood either, animal also works," you explained softly. You hated talking about vampire eating habits, but it seemed important to him to know. You peeked up at him, but he didn't seem concerned or disgusted by what you'd told him, or what you were currently drinking. He was thinking over what you'd said and explained.

"Oh, I was supposed to tell you that Thor's looking for you," you told him with a grin, hoping that he didn't notice that your fangs were visible when you grinned. It happened, especially when you were actively drinking blood. He laughed, he had been in the room when Thor had made that request.

"So I heard. I'll go find him when you've finished that," he gestured to the glass of wine. He'd make sure the wine glass vanished too so the others wouldn't question it yet. You'd have to reexplain all of this later, but he'd help you now. So you sipped on your glass of wine and he told you old embarrassing stories about Thor. The glass vanished when it was empty. Loki stood from the cot and you joined him.

"Thank you, for everything," you told him softly, touched that he cared. He smiled and lifted your hand to bow over it and kiss your knuckles.

"It is no trouble, love. No trouble at all for a dear...friend," there was that hesitation again, was he so unused to having a friend? Or something else? He kissed your forehead. "Soon, love, I swear it,"

"I know. Thank you again,"

He gave you a warm smile a vanished in a shimmer of green magic.

*

Loki returned again the next day, materializing directly in your cell. "Sorry, love. I can't stay long. My idiot brother is being more moronic than usual," he looked truly apologetic.

"It's alright. You're not exactly allowed to be down here," you reminded him as you went over to him and only barely kept yourself from hugging him, unsure if it would be welcome. He seemed so reserved most of the time, except when he was initiating things like kissing your forehead. You still weren't sure, though. Maybe you'd pluck up the courage before he left this time. He smiled and shrugged.

"I don't mind a little trouble, and no one minds that I've been keeping you company. I am supposed to be helping out the team in penance after all," he told you with a grin. He considered you part of the team. He waved his hand and a new book and a glass of wine appeared on the little table beside the cell door.

"Is that-?" you asked, looking at the glass of wine. He grinned, pleased by your response.

"Of course it is," he replied warmly, smirking too innocently. He'd thought this little surprise out. Of course he had, silly Trickster.

"Loki, you shouldn't have!" you protested, surprised by his thoughtfulness, and surprised that he would make the Yarbarah for you, and you knew exactly whose blood he had used for it: his. You could also smell from where you were standing that he'd even been listening when you'd told him it was better with mulled wine, since that what it was made with. You hadn't meant or expected him to make you Yarbarah. He chuckled at your surprise and looked pleased with himself.

"It was no trouble, love, but I really do have to go,"

You stood up on your toes to kiss his cheek, surprising the god in return. "Thank you," you told him softly.

"You're welcome, little one." He vanished in a shimmer of green magic.

*

At Loki's next appearance he walked up to the cell. "Hello, love," he greeted you warmly as you jumped to your feet.

"Hi, Loki," you replied brightly.

"I have something for you," he told you with a Cheshire cat grin.

"And what would that be, silly Trickster?" you asked with a smirk. He was up to something and having too much fun about whatever it is. He held up a hand and from his long fingers dangled a set of keys. Your eyes lit up in excitement. "Finally?" you asked, too excited.

"Yes, finally," he replied and opened the cell door. You rushed out of that stupid cell and wrapped your arms around Loki's neck. He stiffened in surprise, but chuckled, your excitement and happiness infectious, and his arms circled around you. "Come on, love, let me show you around. There are only a couple of floors that have been set up for you, but Stark is working on more,"

You let him go and took a step back, flushing a little at your impromptu hug. You were just excited, and he was a friend. "What do you mean set up for me?" you asked him curiously. He just smiled and gestured down the hall.

"You'll see," he replied with a hint of mischief. Silly Trickster liked his surprises. At least they were all pleasant surprises so far. He led you down the hall to the elevator.

"What time is it?" you asked him nervously as he pushed the button. You'd lost track of days and times, but it felt like it was daytime.

"Noon," he replied. "I know, you should be asleep at this hour, but I wanted to make sure you knew what I meant by 'set up for you'," he explained with a teasing smile.

"You're incorrigible," you informed him and stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled. You stepped into the elevator with him and watched as he pushed one of the buttons. The elevator started to rise out from underground level that the cells were on. You realized when the elevator broke the surface that the walls were glass, and faced the outside. "Loki-" your voice was scared as you stepped backwards toward the doors and away from the light to hide from it for as long as you could.

"I know, love," he told you and pulled you to him, shielding you from the light with his body. "Shut your eyes," he added gently, even though his hand was on the back of your head, holding your face against his chest. You did as he told you, trusting your friend. "It's just for a moment," he promised. You tried not to notice as you were pressed safely against his chest how muscled he was, or how good he smelled. The elevator doors opened and Loki turned you and steered you through the doors. "It's safe now," he told you warmly, his voice an amused whisper in your ear. You opened your eyes and shrank back into him. The walls were full of huge windows and the room was light, so very light. Loki chuckled and held you firmly. "It's alright, love," he told you kindly.

The light didn't hurt, you realized when your brain got past terror. You stepped out of his arms and into the middle of the bright living room and its many couches and huge TV. "I don't understand," you told him, looking in awe at the natural light on your skin. Indoor lighting didn't bother you, but sunlight...

"Stark had all of the windows replaced on this floor and the floor your rooms are on with these special windows that let in the light, but not the... UV rays? I apologize that I cannot explain it more clearly, we don't have the concept on Asgard," he explained. "Regardless, this floor and your rooms are safe for you according to Stark, and it appears he was correct. The elevator is next on the list," he added quickly. "You don't have to fear the sun here, love," he told you warmly.

"I-I can't believe it," you told him and went to one of the windows. Loki followed, amused by your reaction. "I haven't seen the sun properly in years," you told him a little sheepishly.

"It's wonderful to see you happy," he told you warmly. "This is the living room," he told you, drawing your attention away from the windows. He showed you the rest of the rooms on the floor, mostly a dining room and huge kitchen. There was also a small medical bay. You would have kept staring at the sun, but hid one too many yawns behind your hand. Loki chuckled and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. "Come along, love. It's well past bedtime for sleepy vampires," he told you warmly and steered you back toward the elevator. He again shielded you from the sun with his body in the elevator and promised that Stark was fixing the windows soon for you. He steered you down the hallway when the doors opened again, and pretended he didn't notice your head on his chest as his arm was around you. The sun was shining through the windows on this floor too, but again, they didn't hurt and you couldn't help smiling like an idiot about it. He opened a door just down the hall. "These rooms are yours. Get some sleep," he bid you warmly. "I shouldn't have brought you up so early, but I wanted to make sure you knew you're safe here,"

"Thank you, Loki," you told him brightly, then thought of something. "Where do you live?" you asked, wondering if you were going to have to wait until nightfall to find your friend. He gestured to a door across the hall.

"Right there. I'll be around if you need me," he told you and kissed your forehead. "Off to bed with you, little one,"

"Goodnight, Loki." He smirked at your choice of farewell. You kissed his cheek in thanks for everything and as a properly, purely friendly and nothing more farewell, and slipped into your room, closing the door gently behind you. You found the bed and nearly fell into it, passing out as soon as your head hit the pillow. Loki was right, it was well past bedtime for sleepy vampires.