Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 159

It's not all too often that everybody is in the same room together.

Movie nights are one thing, but to have everybody gathered around a table without distractions, free to speak to anybody and everybody, is a rare feat. But today is Thanksgiving, and with all the effort that Clint, Natasha, and Laura put into preparing this feast, nobody would dare skip it.

Tony must admit, he's having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Pepper flew in late last night, toting some bread rolls as her contribution to the holiday, and there are very few things he likes more than spending time with the love of his life (and though bread rolls are not one of them, they certainly are a nice touch).

Not only that, but this is the first time the Barton family has ever spent Thanksgiving with them – Clint and Natasha included; they would always get a 'mission' every holiday, and Tony can't believe he never pieced that together – and they seem to be phenomenal cooks. He could smell their work from halfway across the compound, and he certainly didn't mind it for a moment.

And now, as everybody is finishing stacking their plates and making their way to the table, Tony can't help but smile to himself. A few years ago, he never would have believed his life would come to this. He had his three friends – Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy – and that was all he needed. He never could have imagined that he'd one day have a whole big family like this.

It's strange to think about, but Loki being imprisoned on Earth might be the best thing that's ever happened to Tony. He was pretty content with where his life was going before this, but he has a new sort of satisfaction about it now. He gets to live with (most of) his best friends – friends he may not have ever again given the time of day if this hadn't happened. He really just feels like an all-around happier person than he was three or four years ago, and, in a weird way, it's all thanks to Loki.

Speaking of Loki, he's one of the many people Tony hasn't really seen all day. He scans the throng of hungry heroes until he finds him, heading over to the table with a plate that's not nearly full enough for the first plate of Thanksgiving dinner. He's about to make a teasingly sarcastic remark about it, but then he notices Loki's face and thinks better of it.

It's hard to pinpoint what exactly seems wrong. He looks like himself. He doesn't look like he's been crying. He's certainly not crying right now. But he just looks... dull. There's no pep in his step, and his step is usually full of pep – or drama, at the very least. He has a very dramatic strut, but right now, it seems to have disappeared. He doesn't like that.

Loki takes his seat, and Steve sits down next to him, playfully bumping their shoulders together and earning a small, unconvincing smile in return. At least Tony's not the only one who can tell that something's going on. Maybe it has to do with last night. A part of him wants to ask Steve about it. A part of him is sure Loki doesn't want him to know. At least Thor's back. That will hopefully cheer him up.

Everybody else gathers around the table, each with their own heaping plate of delicious goods, and then it's time to eat.

Loki's just an afterthought after that. There's nothing he cares for more right now than his food. He hasn't eaten all day, just waiting for this moment, and he's not going to let anything ruin that for him.

There's some friendly chatter as they eat, and Tony finds it in him to join in between bites of turkey – and holy shit, Laura Barton knows how to cook a turkey. Nothing of any real importance is brought up, and that's how he wants it to be. He doesn't want this to be some sort of mission prep meal. It's just a nice holiday dinner among friends (and two small children, which means all conversations have to stay somewhat tame and child-friendly, and that is not easy for him).