Walk a Mile

"Gotta love fights."

Loki's eyes widened. He silently thanked the norns he hadn't gone far.  The avengers were out looking for him. And if they asked the shopkeeper if he was there he'd surely give them the information they needed.  He hurried to the next shop. The quicker he got there the less likely he was to get caught.
"I wonder how they knew.."He mumbled as he walked in. He was greeted by the employees behind the cash registers. A few heads turned to see who had walked in but they quickly went back to their business. 
He walked up the front and stood in line. Waiting for his turn. Not like a certain billionaire. Who he shall not speak up.
"Hi, what can I do for you?"
"Hello," He began. "I was wondering if you had this book." He showed the young girl the book.
"We do! It should be over there," She pointed at the science fiction section. "On the second shelf. I'd go with you but..."She gestured to the line forming behind him.
"Thank you. It's okay, I completely understand." Loki heard her sigh in relief. He smiled at her and walked towards the section. 
True to her word the book- well more like books because there was more than one-  was there. He picked one off the shelf and inspected the book. The spine was good. None of the pages were ripped or stained. Once he was sure it was in good condition he went back to the line to pay.
The door opened and the bell above rang. He barely turned around before he was looking straight again scared for the civilians' lives. Behind him stood Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff.  He calmed his quickening heart using the breathing exercises he'd practiced throughout the years.
He watched as the two superheroes walked to the front of line just like Tony.
'Do any of them have manners?' He thought as his face once again scrunched up in disgust. 'Even I wait in line.' Loki was more than appalled and surprised by the Avengers behavior. 'I hope Thor doesn't cut in line. Mother would be disappointed in him.'
"Sir? Did you find the book?"
"Hm? Oh! Yes I did." He put it on the counter for her to scan. He handed her thirty dollars. "Thank you." He looked down at her name tag. "Avery." She blushed crimson and nodded.  Loki shot a quick glance at the Avengers, like everyone in the shop was doing, the only difference was Natasha and Loki locking eyes. His mouth went dry as he walked out and quickly turned a random corner.  Thank god the other employee was a fan. Steve hadn't had the chance to ask him questions yet.
"This isn't good for my heart."
"We were scared too, Luca." He whirled around to face the voice. Out of the shadows stepped Deadpool, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man.
"Dude you should have told us where you were! We've been searching for hours!" Deadpool shook him almost violently.
"Heheh," Loki rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry guys."
"Loki. This was stupid."
He gasped in horror at the sorcerer. "You should know any bookstore run is not stupid."
"No Loki. He's right. The Avengers-"
"Yes I know. I just ran into three of them."
"How are you still here? We should be storming a SHIELD base right now."
"Because they didn't see me. Idiot."
"Who did you see?"
"Tony, Steve, and Natasha." Spider-Man and Dr. Strange shared a look. Deadpool understood part of the look and called Daredevil.
"We found Loki. We're heading back to the apartment. Meet us there." Daredevil didn't even respond, just hung up.
They waited about fifteen minutes for their fourth member to arrive at the apartment.
"Sorry it took so long. Had to lose a tail." Deadpool raised his non-existent eyebrow at him.
"Still blind over there, Devil?" 
"Yes. Thank god. I wouldn't want to check a glimpse of your body." He shot back.
"It's not that."Deadpool pouted.
"Neither is being blind." He mumbled.  He clapped his hands. "Where did you find him?" 
"In an alley."
"It was more like we ran into each other in the alley."
"Why were you in an alley?"
"Steve and Natasha walked into the bookstore I was in.  I was trying to get away fast."
"He also saw Tony." Peter added.
"Where did you see him?"
"Let me guess, at Steams?" Daredevil interjected.
"Close. I was leaving the Starbucks across the street when he walked in."
"He was alone?" Loki nodded. "Weird."
"How so?" He questioned.
"The others were in pairs. So I find it hard to believe he was alone." Peter said.
"Who all- wait a minute, Matt you were late and you said you were being tailed. I'm guessing the Avengers."
"Yep. I ran into Tony and Thor. They were in Steams asking for you. "
"Ugh. I hate it when I'm right. They're ruining my life. The shopkeeper no doubt knows I'm the crazy ass god that tried to conquer earth now. I can never go back."
"They would have found out at some point. It's all over the news, Lokes."
"You're kidding."
Deadpool winced. "Sorry but no. SHIELD didn't cover it up." Loki's head fell into his hands as he let out a pained scream. Will anything go the way he wanted?
His friends tentatively went back to the discussion. "They said something to you when you walked into Steams, didn't they? That's why you didn't meet us in the alley."
He sighed sadly. "Yes, Thor mainly wanted to speak with Loki and maybe take him home and Tony... I'm actually not sure. It seemed like he just wanted to talk with Loki. Genuinely. He also said that Steve had told Fury everything that's happened and that's why they're out searching for him."
"They didn't try to fight?" The others asked surprised.
"Not a hint of hostility was in the air. But Loki," he hummed in acknowledgement. "You do know what this means, right?"
The god sighed. "It means I really can't leave. My anonymity has been compromised. So I am no longer safe."
"Exactly. Promise us that you won't leave."
"I promise."
"Also promise to stop calling my magic 'parlor tricks'." Loki shot a hard glare at their resident sorcerer. "It was worth a shot."
Loki was officially burnt out. "It's been a long day. I'm gonna head to bed. Do me a favor and don't go out on patrol tonight. The avengers will surely be looking for us. " They nodded to their tired friend as he walked away. Frowns occupied all their faces as they watched him walk away.
"Peter?"
"Yes Dr. Strange?"
"Do not go out tonight. In fact, we're all gonna stay here tonight."
"Yay! A slumber party! I'll get Loki." Deadpool got up and walked over to the gods room.
"No. Let him be alone for now. We'll be here when he's ready." Peter shot a web at Deadpool and pulled him towards the couch he was laying on.
    "Does that mean I get to cuddle with you?" He asked excitedly. The group rolled their eyes. Loki did too. He could hear them talking through the thin walls. A small smile made its way onto his face. He sighed and laid down. If his friends were still here maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
    The next day they were all eating Wade's famous pancakes in content silence.  Not a superhero suit in between them. The silence didn't last long though. Because something dawned on Peter then.
    "I thought we had agreed that Loki would meet them tomorrow. Why the fuck would they tell SHIELD?"
    "Remember it was Steve that tattle tale. He's got his head stuck in Furys ass."
    "Let's stay optimistic. Things'll be fine tomorrow."
That was not the case. Things only got worse. Team Red was going crazy, specifically Loki. His magic was spazzing out so bad to the point he couldn't keep up his glamour.  Which caused him to be even more irritated. Not only that but the American government had put out a manhunt for him. They had gotten deathly close to finding him. They had tried to get Deadpool to talk. And they couldn't enter the apartment because they were scared of the mercenary. Loki thanked the norns that Deadpool was basically untouchable.
"This is fucking crazy! I'm getting fucking sick of this. Straight sick. And if I'm tired of it I know Loki's exhausted." Deadpool currently paced in front of his teammates mumbling to the boxes. "Are you sure we can't kill them all? It would be the easier option. Murder them all and swim in their blood." 
With that being said Peter webbed the man to the wall. DP and Loki weren't the only ones getting hounded. Peter or more specifically Spider-Man was on the brink of getting kicked out of the Avengers if he didn't bring them Loki.
Dr.Strange was also getting a lot of heat. The avengers wouldn't stop bothering him. He also had to endure Thor's pleading. Daredevil had it better than any of them. He didn't have as big a following as the others but it was because of this that the media came to him. So he had to deal with nosy reporters.
Over at the Avengers compound it was complete chaos. Unlike Team Red they were divided. Not into teams just divided. Banner, Stark and surprisingly Thor had hulled themselves up in Tony's lab and hadn't been out for days.
Natasha was feeling conflicted and a little guilty. And extremely worried. Because this is the one thing she was trying to avoid. Another civil war is not what any of them needed. She thought maybe if Loki had really changed over these years he would just join the team. But now that the US government had gotten involved everything had really shot to shit. 
Steve was confused as to why Thor, Bruce, Tony and Bucky were all avoiding him. Everytime he tried to talk to any of them another would swoop in and take the other one away with a glare. He was upset that Loki had caused all this drama when all he had to do was turn himself in and die. Simple.
Clint silently observed his teammates from the vents. He watched as all of them sorted out their feelings about the god while also battling his own. Yes the god had controlled him and he was still upset but he didn't seem so bad when he thought about how they fought over food. And his overall behavior.
Wanda was just plain confused. She didn't understand the majority of the problem. She tried to talk to her teammates but got mixed answers from all of them. She might not have understood them but she started to understand Loki.
They might have been divided but none of them wanted another civil war. Some more than others because they knew their side would lose. But either way they all tried their damndest for the sake of the team.
All of them weren't exactly content with the way things were but they were okay with keeping it like it was for at least another week. That didn't happen though. About three days into the madness they all gathered in the kitchen by accident. This was their chance to get it all out. But would they talk?
Yes. Tony was the first to talk. And he let all it out at Steve. Seeing how this was all his fault.
"I just find it crazy that you involved SHIELD."
"They would have found out either way."
"While that is true you didn't have to tell them that we'd spoken to him. Or Strange, Daredevil, and Deadpool. Especially Spider-Man!"
"Everyone would have found out sooner or later Tony."
"That's not the point. We shouldn't have gotten involved. Why couldn't you just forget it ever happened? There's a fucking manhunt going on for gods sake."
"If I may,"Thor stepped into the conversation. "My parents, they knew the whole time that Loki was here on Midgard. They left him alone because he was doing so well. Why Steven are you so hellbent on my brother?"
"He should pay for the lives he took. The families he ruined."
"His parents are literally gods. They've said he's good so we should leave him be before we go to fucking war with Asgard."
"Face the facts Steve. Loki's changed. There's no need for this." Bruce tried to plead. But Steve couldn't meet his eyes and instead looked to Bucky for support.  James was hesitant to speak but did so anyway.
"Loki is cool Steve, we have nothing to worry about. Earth has nothing to worry about." His face scrunched up in disbelief as he turned to Natahsa. She only shrugged and said, "If we can change, so can he." Though she didn't sound convinced. Which Steve was quick to point out.  "I don't know Steve! I really don't. He seems genuine but he also seemed genuinely insane when he attacked us the first time."  She sighed heavily before slouching in her seat. All their faces paled a bit after she had finished.
Tony started to talk again, trying his hardest to get through to Steve. But Steve didn't want to hear any of it. He started to yell over Tony.  Which caused Bruce yelling backing up Tony. Steve then started yelling at Bucky. Sam jumped into James' defense. Clint shot an arrow between the group to get everyone's attention but it didn't go as planned as everyone's temper was directed at him. Which then caused Natasha to scream in russian.
Stark was about to blast Steve out of a window but never got the chance to because a golden portal opened up in the middle of the communal kitchen. All fighting had ceased as they all stared at Team Red.
"Oh don't mind us. Continue." Deadpool waved at them to resume. "Gotta love fights."He sighed. The Avengers continued to stare at the team. They were all dressed in their hero attire. Or anti-hero according to Deadpool. If any of them were put off by Loki's blue skin they didn't let it show. He was dressed in his asgardian robes. Even had the helmet it all clashed with his blue skin beautifully.
Loki was the first to speak. He wanted to get past this problem as soon as possible.
"Yall need to call this shit off. I haven't been able to leave my house in days. We can barely pay our rent because neither of us can work. Spider-Man and Daredevil haven't had a decent patrol in days an- you know what, just call this shit off so everything can go back to normal. " He dragged hand over his face in exasperation. 
Steve looked at his team that was spread around the kitchen. He shrugged. "Sure."
"Great. Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be-"
"You didn't let me finish."
"I beg your pardon?" They all stopped one foot in the portal and looked behind them. Even the other avengers were staring at the Captain in confusion.
"We'll call it off if you turn yourself in." Dr. Strange, DareDevil, Deadpool, and Spider-Man all got in front of Loki protectively. All in their fighting stances. Loki behind them rolled his eyes and pulled out his daggers. "Wrong answer." They said. 
Steve sighed again. "Just give yourself up! Once you pay for your crimes this can all stop."
"No. I won't let myself be subjected to your cruel legal system."
"Loki." Steve said in an equally exhausted voice.
"No! You don't get to be tired. I- We have had enough of this."
Tony stepped forward wanting to help alleviate the rising tension. "Loki?"  
"Enough!" A wave of magic explodes from Loki and hits everyone in the room. All the avengers and team red went flying in different directions. Glass broke and the house shook with fury. They woke five minutes later groggy and disoriented. With blurred vision, racing hearts, and ringing ears.
"This is why-" Steve tried to speak but was hushed by everyone. It was far too loud to understand anyone. And when they tried to move. Their hands were filled with glass. 
"How's everyone doin' JARVIS, FRIDAY?" Tony whispered to his AI assistants.  Thank god the assistant weren't stupid. They whispered everyone's vitals. Even Team red. Everybody was fine for the most part. Their heart rates spiked but that was about it.
It took everyone another ten minutes minutes to relax enough to move, talk, and understand. 
Loki looked up from his spot on the floor and made eye contact with himself. He instantly rolled his eyes.'Yay. Stuck in the mirror dimension again.' He looked at the others in the room. 'Why am I over here?' Loki was uber confused. He was on the other side of the blast. Why was he by Steve Rogers?  'I should be... over there' He slowly turned his head back to what he thought was his reflection.
He looked down to not be met by his blue skin but tan skin and an iron man repulsor. His eyes widened as he looked back at his body. If he was in Stark's body, was Stark in his? Did anyone else switch? Can he still use his powers even though he's not in his body? 
"Nope. This is some fictional movie shit." Tony, in Loki's body, stood up slowly so as to not fall on the glass.  "Loki switch us back."
"While you're doing that, switch us back too." Spider-Man said from Deadpool's body.  Loki cursed under his breath.
"Brother?!" He looked frantically for his oaf of a brother.
"I am here." Loki turned to face Bruce Banner. "What did you do brother? How did I get into this body?"
At this point everyone was standing and robots were cleaning up the broken glass. Holding the bridge of his nose with a slight headache forming Loki asked the group, "Did anyone else switch bodies?" At the affirmation no one else had switched he continued. "I have good news and bad news. Good news is we can still use our powers. Nothing has changed other than the fact that our souls have switched bodies. Bad news is I don't have the power to switch us back. "
"Then Strange, you change them back. We need to get you out of Tony's body."
Dr. Strange rolled his eyes at the stubborn Captain. "If it were that easy I would be doing it."
"Why?" Natasha asked. Stepping close to Steve.
"Because we have different magic types. Anything that he does I can't reverse or reengineer."
Tony grabbed his head in pain. He thought it was because of all the arguing but even when they stopped talking for a minute the pain didn't stop. He threw the golden helmet off and would have fallen had it not been for Loki catching him.
"Stark?" Tony began to mumble something. It was too quiet for him to hear. "I can't hear you. Can you speak up?" He stood there quietly for a moment before moving away.
"I said your mother could help us." Loki instantly shot a glare at Thor.  Then moved his eyes to Bruce Banner's smaller form. He had forgotten that quick that they had switched bodies.
"I have not told them anything brother." He hummed skeptically. And turned back to Tony.
"Your mother taught you magic so she would be qualified to help us, right?" He stepped closer to Tony looking him directly in the eye.
"She did. She is. But I do not want her help."
"This isn't the time for your games Loki." Clint said.
"I don't know guys." All heads turned to the body rolling around on the floor in glee. "I like being in a different body. Kind of feels nice."
"Deadpool, please stop rolling on the ground. Even in a different body I can feel the dirt on my skin." He sighed and moved to sit by Spider-Man's feet. "Thank you."
"Yeah no. Loki, how would it take to switch us back?"
"Two weeks. A month being the longest." He shrugged.
"And if your mother were to help us."
"A few hours to a day."
"Thor, can you bring your mother here?" Steve asked.
"Odin doesn't like mother going off world. Chances are slim." Loki explained.
"Then we go to Asgard."Tony said with a roll of his eyes. Both Loki and Thor stared at the man in disbelief.
"If only we could."
Tony narrowed his eyes at the man possessing his body. 'I wasn't aware I looked that good.'
"Stark! Are you even listening?"
"Mhm?"
Loki rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "We can't go because they don't like outsiders." Meanwhile Thor sent a melancholy look to his adopted brother. Though Loki ignored it. "I'm sorry. I really didn't want this to happen."
"It wouldn't have happened if you had just given up." Steve said. Multiple glares set on him. "What?" He shrugged.
"You must not have everything up there." Deadpool pointed at his head. "Because this is y'alls fault."
"DP's right. Loki wouldn't be losing control if he wasn't so stressed out. He's not like this. Why? Why are you so hellbent on Loki? Do you, of all people, not believe in second chances?"
"I do! But hasn't Loki had numerous chances?" Loki at least had the decency to look ashamed at being called out. "He paid for his crimes the asgardian way. Shouldn't we be able to punish him our way?"
"You want me dead?" He said in disbelief. "You want me dead. Why am I not surprised by this?" Again all eyes were on Steve.
"Okay. Yes. I do."
A bitter laugh left both Tony and Loki. "He didn't even kill anyone important to you."
"While I do agree I deserve to die. It wouldn't do any good to the families I've hurt."
"Standing around wont do them any good either."
"Who said I was standing around Steven?"He sighed before continuing. "Bottom line is we're going to have to wait till my magic has stabilized. Which means calling off this fucking man hunt."
"We probably shouldn't let Fury find out."
"No shit Deadpool." Daredevil spoke from behind Strange. "Though this means those who switched bodies won't be able to leave their homes."
"To hell with that!" Yelled Loki. "I have cooped up in that damn apartment for far too long and the moment we step out of it I'm cooped up for even longer. I think the fuck not."
"At least you'll have more company this time."
"Excuse me?" Loki stared deeply at the sorcerer and Daredevil. The rest of team red smirked at their companion.
"We're gonna stay here. With the avengers." Spider-Man said. "This'll also give them a chance to get to know Loki. See that he's changed for good."
Loki and Deadpool exchanged a look."Have I though?" 
"Has he though?"
"Who's side are you on?" Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and maybe a bit of fondness.
"What do you think Steve?" Natasha asked. He looked at her blankly. Then looked at the others in the room. He stared the longest at Loki. Or more importantly the shape his body was in. The dark blue circles under his eyes showed how tired he really was. And when he looked at Tony's body he could see in Loki's posture how he really felt.
"Do you think you can keep your mouth shut long enough for him to solve this problem? Or do you want to make the situation even worse?" He turned to Daredevil and gave him a hard glare.
"You're all gonna regret this."
"Was that a threat?" Deadpool reached for one of his katanas.
He sighed. Defeated. "No. It wasn't. Now that he's so close to us it's only a matter of time before he gets what he wants and betrays you."
Loki looked completely downcast as he spoke to the Captain with unwavering truth. "No. That won't happen. I won't let it happen again." He crossed the rest of the room to his team. They were quick to embrace him as he fell into their arms.
"We're gonna head back. This'll give everyone some time to settle down and process. And remember, no going outside." Stephen said. And with that they left.