The brothers landed outside the tower. Unfortunately, the Bifrost never had the ability to set someone down gently. So Loki's knees jarred as he landed hard. Thor's grip on his arm steadied him as he regained his balance. He nodded a silent thanks to his brother for his help and support.

Thor nodded back, and Loki noted that his brother was on alert for danger. He saw Loki as injured, which he admittedly was, and was taking up the protective position. Thor spotted something and his grip on Loki's arm changed. He pulled Loki closer, shifting their positions so Loki was on his other side. Loki saw why immediately, the press had spotted the Bifrost lights and were coming to get a glimpse of the Asgardians, of the Avengers. Thor and Loki both didn't want them seeing Loki's mouth sewn shut. "Can you get us inside?" Thor didn't think Loki had enough ability at the moment to teleport them.

Loki shook his head. Under normal circumstances, teleporting that far would be no trouble, but his mind and magic were muddled with pain and healing drugs. He couldn't safely teleport them. He could and did summon a hooded cloak over his shoulders and pulled the hood up to hide his face.

"That isn't suspicious at all," Thor said dryly. Loki rolled his eyes and elbowed him hard in the ribs, which made Thor chuckle. Some things about his brother hadn't changed at all. At least he hadn't gotten stabbed for annoying Loki. "Let's get inside," he said and led Loki into the tower, keeping himself between Loki and the press so the press couldn't bother his brother, couldn't find out about the stitches in Loki's lips. None of them wanted to explain that to anyone, but especially not the leeches who were the press.

Once they made it through the front door of the tower, they were safe. Or safe enough. The press couldn't come in, the security and receptionist would make sure of it. The brothers strode past the security, Thor and Mjolnir getting them passed without Loki even having to lower his hood. Loki finally lowered the hood again when they entered the private elevator that took them up to the common room.

"Everything will be alright, brother. I'll make sure of it, I swear it to you," Thor reassured him. Loki heard that there was more behind the words, more than just this immediate situation. Thor was going to go back and deal with Odin for this atrocity.

He just wanted Loki safe before he did. He wouldn't risk his little brother. Not again.

Loki laid his head on Thor's shoulder and purred softly, accepting the reassurance that Thor gave him. Thor pulled him closer, though was careful not to squish Loki and upset him. "I've missed you purring. You used to all the time when we were children, before you realized that it made you different. I was sad when it vanished, though, as I could always tell when you were happy when you would purr," Thor explained, his arm around Loki's shoulders. He then considered. "You've truly been unhappy all that time," he said softly, as the realization truly dawned on him. "When we grew apart, when you were in my shadow, when father gave me undue praise and gave you nothing. That's when you stopped purring, that's when you stopped letting all of us but Mother in," he said, horrified that Loki had truly been so unhappy all of those centuries. Loki didn't answer, but his slightly bowed head was answer enough. "I won't let you feel like that again," Thor swore to him.

Loki nodded, hearing the truth in Thor's words. Thor would keep his oath, no matter what it took.

Thor's grip remained firm around Loki's shoulders as the pair walked out of the elevator and into the common room. The entire team was there, clearly waiting for the brothers. It was just as clear that they'd gotten some of the story from Peter and Tony. Peter was pacing anxiously for the brothers to get back and Loki could see clearly that he'd hated being sent home early, hated not staying behind to help.

Peter whirled to the elevator when he heard the doors open. He ran over to Loki, worry rolling off of him in waves. "Loki! We were so worried, we thought you were getting punished and-" he stopped short when he finally looked up into Loki's eyes when he finally registered the thick black thread through Loki's lips. "Loki-? How-? What-?" He asked, flabbergasted and stunned.

Loki stiffened, afraid of the rejection, afraid of more pain.

"I will explain what happened. Right now, Loki needs to get off of his feet, spider child," Thor told the teen gently.

Peter blinked and took a minute longer than he would have liked to process those words. Then he took Loki's hand to drag him to the couch. "Of course, c'mon witch," he said, his usual self, despite that he was stronger, warmer, more solid, and now Asgardian. The change was subtle if you weren't looking for it, but Loki was, and noticed the change in his blood brother. Knew the apple would keep slowly changing Peter as it fully took effect.

For now, it was enough that Peter was alive.

Loki let himself be led to his favorite couch and sat next to Peter. Thor sat on his other side. Wanda moved to curl up in the closest chair to them, worried over Loki as well. The entire team was filled with horror and disgust over what happened.

"What happened after we left?" Stark demanded. Even though he and Loki didn't usually see eye to eye, he couldn't stand the thought of Loki being tortured like this. Not for the crime of saving Peter's life.

Loki squeezed Peter's hand while Thor started to talk. He as glad Thor was taking the lead and explaining things to the team. He couldn't exactly do it at the moment. The horror and outrage in the room only grew as Thor told the team what happened.

Peter was still beside Loki and Loki could feel his rage. Peter had learned to hate.

It was a lesson Loki had never wanted Peter to learn. And one he needed to nip in the bud now. He squeezed Peter's hand again to get his attention. Peter looked up into his eyes, anger, pain, rage in his eyes.

Loki's lips twitched up into a smile to reassure his friend, his blood brother. It was a pathetic attempt at a smile, but the reassurance was there. Loki would be ok. Loki would heal. Peter was alive. Thor would take care of Odin.

Everything would be alright.

Peter squeezed his hand. "What's the number, witch?" He asked, trying to keep his voice strong, trying to keep himself strong. Loki could see it in his eyes.

He nodded with that same tiny smile and squeezed Peter's hand again before he dropped it to hold up his fingers. He held up six of them. Loki wasn't exactly having a good day.

Peter frowned. He considered and rummaged in the drawer next to the couch for a pen and a piece of paper. "How can I help?" He asked as he handed the items over for Loki.

'I just need rest' Loki wrote in his elegant scholar's script.

Peter nodded. "Do you want to keep listening to Thor?" He asked softly. Loki nodded and let Peter pull him down so his head was on Peter's lap, his feet in Thor's. He didn't know or care where his shoes had gone. The next moment, Peter was petting his hair and Thor was rubbing his feet. It didn't erase the pain in his lips, but it did feel nice.

Soon Loki was purring for them, relaxed and safe with his brothers.

Peter gasped at the sound. "You can purr!" He exclaimed, amazed, and in awe. It seemed to him that Loki was a giant cat, which was wonderful and perfect in Peter's eyes. Loki stiffened and immediately stopped purring, knowing it was strange. Asgardians and humans couldn't do it. Not like that. "No! Please don't stop, I love it!" Peter exclaimed.

Loki looked up at him, a question in his eyes. Peter went back to petting his hair gently. "Yes, I mean it. You could tell if I lied. You are the god of them after all," he teased fondly.

Loki laid his head back on Peter's legs to let the teen pet him. It felt good and he could forget about his pain while Thor droned on about what had happened.

Something teased Loki's senses while he was half dozing. He couldn't quite place what it was, so he extended his magical senses, trying to figure it out.

/Loki??/ he heard the voice in his mind. That wasn't strange in and of itself. Loki was a telepath. So was Wanda. Those two were always speaking telepathically. Though this voice wasn't Wanda's. It was male.

Loki also realized that he wasn't just overhearing a stray thought, which was also known to happen especially around untrained mortals. He usually tuned those out.

No, this was something different.

Loki jolted up when he realized what it was and looked to Peter. /You hear me?/ he asked Peter, speaking magic to magic.

Peter lit up in delight, clearly having heard Loki. The discarded pen on the table started to float with a few other odds and ends nearby. Peter's eyes widened. "I-I'm doing this?" He asked as he looked around in awe, seemed to see the shimmer of gold magic between him and the floating items.

There was no denying it. Peter had gotten Asgardian magic in the transformation.

All Loki could do was nod. It looked like he'd just acquired another student.