When Wanda wakes up, Pietro is still fast asleep, sprawled out with an arm and leg hanging over the edge of his bed and his face jammed into his pillow. She just watches him for a few moments, amused. That really can't be comfortable.

Then she heads out the door and over to Loki's room. If she's awake, he might be, too, and she doesn't want him to be alone for too long once he's up.

The sight of the empty mattress in his room makes her heart stop.

Then she notices Loki sitting in the corner of the room with his back against the wall, and a wave of relief washes over her. So he is okay.

He's still asleep, it seems. His legs are pulled up into his chest, and his head rests on his knees, his eyes closed. He doesn't notice her standing there, and she almost wonders if she should just leave him be. If he's tired, he should sleep. She doesn't want to disrupt that.

But then Loki's eyes flutter open, and he gives Wanda a small, tired smile.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she says teasingly. "Are you ready to get up?"

Loki just looks at her, his smile unwavering.

"Okay, come here." Wanda brings the wheelchair over to him, and she hooks her arms under his own, ready to hoist him up. "One... two... three!" She pulls him up...

But he only comes a few inches off the ground before he falls back down again.

Wanda frowns. That didn't work as well as she would have liked. She slips a hand behind his knees, the other supporting his back. One... two... three! She picks him up... And he barely leaves the floor.

Wanda sighs and puts him back down on the floor. "This is not working, is it?"

Loki just looks at her.

"I will find help," she says. "Stay here."

She heads out of the room, leaving the door open for him this time. She pokes her head in her own room, but Pietro is still asleep, so he's no help. She'd feel weird checking Thor's room, so instead, she takes a walk around the tower. She has a vague idea of where the kitchen is, and she knows where a couple of the common areas are from yesterday. Those seem like good places to start.

She's on her way to the kitchen when she hears two very familiar voices down the hall.

"-- so weird," Clint is saying. "I can't even hate the guy anymore."

"Well, yeah," Natasha says, "hating a guy who can't do anything would make you the bad guy, not him."

"Oh, yeah, that's easy for you to say," Clint says. "He never mind-controlled you into helping him take over the world."

Wanda's brows shoot up. Are they talking about Loki? (Of course they're talking about Loki. She's not an idiot; she knows that. But are they really talking about Loki, because...?)

"Oh, come on," Natasha says teasingly. "Everyone gets mind-controlled every once in a while."

"No, they don't!" Clint says. "Most people go their entire lives without getting mind-controlled!"

They turn the corner just as Wanda is reaching it, and their conversation ends in an instant. She's sure it was on purpose, but they don't seem very bothered by having to cut their conversation short.

"Hey, kiddo," Clint says with a warm smile. "You sleep well?"

"I did, thank you," she says awkwardly. She's never been one for small talk — probably because the only person she's had to make small talk with for the last decade or so has been Pietro. "Could you help me get Loki up?"

Clint groans. "But everything hurts."

Natasha rolls her eyes. "I can help you get Loki up."

"Is Pietro up?" Clint asks.

"Not yet, no."

"Then I'll come with you to help get Loki up."

Natasha snorts. "What is it with you and that kid?"

Clint grits his teeth. "He just gets on my nerves."

Natasha shakes her head, amused. "Yeah, okay."

"Pietro really is a good person," Wanda tells them.

"Uh-huh," Clint deadpans.

"Stop it." Natasha slaps him on the shoulder. "She's gonna think you're serious."

"Good," Clint says. "I am serious."

"No, you're not." She looks at Wanda. "No, he's not."

Wanda just looks between the two of them, confused. At least they're being nice to her, though. She was kind of worried... Their partnership really was just one of necessity when they fought Ultron together. As strange as it is to now share a home with the people she'd thought for so long were the enemy, she's glad they're not treating her like "the bad guy" anymore.

Speaking of "the bad guy..."

"Did you say that Loki mind-controlled you?" she asks the archer.

"Uh..." Clint glances at Natasha uncertainly. "No?"

Natasha gives him a really? look. "You couldn't have tried to make that at all convincing?"

Clint scoffs. "Well, if she heard me say it..."

Wanda furrows her brows. "You did not want me to know."

Natasha shrugs uncomfortably. "No, not really."

Clint elaborates, "There's just no reason to tell you any of it. Loki needs help. He needs someone who understands him. And after all the shit he's pulled, that's never going to be us — even if he was telling the truth; even if he was coerced into it. We've all agreed to try to forgive and forget, but it's easier said than done. But you and Pietro seem to get along with him really well. We don't want to ruin that by telling you everything he did."

"What if I want to know?" Wanda asks. "Loki is my friend and I love him, and nothing will change that. But I also want to know who he used to be, the good and the bad, and I do not think you should be able to keep this from me."

Clint and Natasha share a look, silently communicating with one another in ways Wanda can't understand.

Finally, Natasha says, "Talk to Thor. He knows Loki better than anyone — and he might appreciate having someone to talk to who likes Loki as much as he does."

Wanda gives her a small smile. "Okay, I will." That might be an interesting perspective.

When they reach Loki's room, he's right where Wanda left him, sitting in the corner of the room with his knees to his chest. His eyes are closed, but the squeak of the door hinge wakes him up again. His gaze bounces between Natasha and Clint, but while he looks wary, he doesn't look too scared. He looks less scared than he would if it was Thor, at least, though that's not a high bar.

"Why's he on the floor?" Clint asks.

"I think he slept there," Wanda says.

"On the floor or on the mattress on the floor?" Natasha asks, eyeing the mattress with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm not sure," Wanda admits. She picks the mattress up and sets it down on the bed frame. "Will you help me get him up?"

"Well, that is what I'm here for," Natasha says.

Natasha and Wanda each grab underneath one of his arms, and Loki stares at Natasha, his eyes wide with fear.

"Alright," Natasha says, "up and at 'em, Loki."

On her count of three, they both lift him up, and Clint brings the wheelchair toward them so all they have to do is turn Loki around. Once Loki's seated, he pulls his legs up onto the seat, and Wanda puts the foot pedals out so he can use the bars for his feet.

"He seems to be doing okay," Natasha remarks. "You know, all things considered."

Clint scoffs. "If this is 'okay,' what do you consider 'not okay'?"

"I do agree," Wanda says. "A lot has happened this week, but he does not seem as scared as I would have thought."

Clint thinks about that for a few moments. "Yeah, I guess I can see that."

"You guys hungry?" Natasha asks. "Clint's making pancakes."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are."

Clint nods. "Guess I'm making pancakes."

"I like pancakes," Wanda says. "I don't know if Loki does, but we can try."

"Does Pietro like pancakes?" Clint asks.

"He does," Wanda says.

"Dammit."

Wanda looks at him curiously. That does kind of sound like a joke. She's getting pretty mixed signals, but maybe Clint doesn't really hate her brother? She hopes he doesn't. That will make this a very difficult home to adjust to.

They head down to the kitchen, Wanda behind the others as she pushes Loki's chair. Natasha and Clint seem content to talk amongst themselves, though they do sometimes try to get Wanda involved with very little success.

When they reach the kitchen, Clint begins rummaging around the fridge for the pancake ingredients, and Wanda brings Loki to the kitchen table, pulling a chair out of the way so Loki's wheelchair will fit. She sits down next to him and props her head up on her hand, looking up at him with a small smile. Loki lets his head fall forward and closes his eyes.

Natasha sits down on Wanda's other side, but her focus is on Loki. "Still sleepy, huh?"

"I do not think he's slept much the last few days," Wanda says. There's been too much moving around, too much noise.

"Maybe we should've let him sleep," Clint says.

Wanda shakes her head. "I think he would rather stay with us." And by 'us,' of course, she means her and Pietro and only her and Pietro, but she doesn't want to say it.

Natasha seems to be thinking roughly the same thing, because she says, "I thought he'd hate us for, you know, kicking his ass and letting Thor hand him over to a bunch of Nazis, but he must not hate us too much if he's willing to sleep around us."

"Or he's just really tired," Clint says. "Give it a week. Then we'll know what he really thinks."

"I do not think he hates you," Wanda says. "He may be scared, but I think he is more afraid of his family than he is of you."

"That really doesn't make it much better," Clint says.

Loki shifts in his seat, getting comfortable so he can sleep. Wanda can't help but smile. She really does have the cutest friend.

"So, what's a typical day for him like?" Natasha asks. "I don't want to freak him out more by changing everything."

Wanda shakes her head. "I don't know," she admits. "Sometimes I think HYDRA forgot about him toward the end. I think he was usually alone when Pietro and I were not there."

"The bruises say otherwise," Clint remarks, his attention still on his pancake-making.

Wanda frowns. He has a point. She and Pietro could only spend so much time with him. They had other responsibilities; places to be and things to do. Who knows what went on when she wasn't there?

"Did he have set meal times?" Natasha asks.

"There were times I wondered if he'd been given food all day," Wanda admits. "I know he would eat whenever Pietro and I brought him food. It was never the same time."

Natasha frowns. "God, this poor guy. This place is gonna feel like Heaven to him."

"I hope so," Wanda says. "I hope he enjoys it here."

"You guys remember we're moving up north any day now, right?" Clint asks. "He won't have time to enjoy it here."

"Well, then the Compound will be like Heaven for him," Natasha says. "It'll be a fresh start for everyone."

Wanda looks around. Does she hear footsteps? She thinks she hears footsteps.

And, sure enough, Thor appears in the doorway just seconds later. He seems a little on edge, but when his gaze lands on Loki, he relaxes a bit.

"Hey, Thor," Natasha says.

Loki's head snaps up at the sound of his name, and Wanda reaches over and grabs his hand. She rubs her thumb against his hand gently, a silent reminder that she's here for him.

After a brief pause where everyone looks at Loki, Natasha finishes, "Clint's making pancakes."

"I think Loki may be more comfortable if I don't stay," Thor says. "I was hoping he would tell me about Thanos before I left, but I do not see that happening."

"He will definitely not tell you about Thanos," Wanda says. "But if you wait outside, maybe he will tell me."

Thor nods once and leaves the room. Wanda has to respect how readily he does it. At least he understands that Loki doesn't want to see him.

Wanda turns Loki's wheelchair to face her, and she sits in front of him. She smiles at him, but while he finally does look away from the doorway, he doesn't smile back.

"Loki," Wanda says softly, "your brother wants to stop Thanos."

Loki's eyes go wide.

"Is there anything he should know before he starts to look for him?" Wanda asks.

Loki opens his mouth, but he closes it silently. He shakes his head.

"Are you sure?" Wanda asks. "I know that Thanos scares you. Thor will make sure he never scares you again. But it will be easier if you tell me about him. You can show me anything." It's a strange feeling, looking into his head, having his thoughts thrust upon her, but if it will keep them all safe, she'll do it without complaint.

But Loki shakes his head again.

Wanda lets out a long breath. "Okay," she says. She turns him back to the table. "Thor?"

Thor steps back around the corner and into the doorway. "He told you nothing, I assume?"

Wanda nods. "I'm sorry."

"I now know who I am looking for," Thor says. "That alone will help me immensely."

"You gonna stay for a pancake first?" Clint asks, pouring the batter on the griddle.

Thor glances at Loki. "I probably should not."

"Well, your loss," Clint says with a shrug.

Thor watches Loki for a few moments, then sighs. "There is so much I'd hoped to say to him when I found him. This is a rather disappointing ending to a long journey."

"You can still speak to him," Wanda tells him. "He will listen, even if he does not answer."

Thor hesitates, then shakes his head. "I think he would rather I just leave. But I suppose..." Thor takes a few steps forward and kneels down in front of his brother. "I'm sorry," he says. "If nothing else, I want you to know that."

Loki just stares at him, no less terrified than he was before.

Thor pushes himself to his feet. "I will return soon, whether I find Thanos or not. Until then..." He gives them a small smile. "Thank you, my friends. For everything."

"Any time, buddy," Clint says.

"He's kidding," Natasha says. "If you lose another Infinity Stone, you're on your own."

Thor cracks a smile. "I do not think that will be a problem."

Natasha smiles back. "Bye, Thor. Don't stay gone for too long. Steve, Bruce, and Tony are gonna want to say goodbye, too."

"I won't," Thor assures her, and then he's off, walking down the hall and off to Asgard.

As he gets further away, Loki relaxes a bit more. Wanda gives him a small smile, and Loki smiles back.

"This is gonna suck if we can't have Loki and Thor in the same room," Natasha says.

"We'll figure something out," Clint says with a dismissive shrug. "First round of pancakes are done, though."

Immediately, Pietro is in the doorway, a smile on his face. "Ooh, pancakes?"

Clint lolls his head back, exasperated. "God spends every day wondering how he'll spite me next."

In the blink of an eye, Pietro is seated on Loki's other side, a pancake on his plate. He cuts a piece off with his fork and takes a bite. "Mm, delicious."

Clint glares at him, but Natasha just smirks. She stands up and kicks her chair under the table. To Wanda, she says, "I'll grab yours."

"And Loki's?" she asks.

"And Loki's," she adds.

Wanda sits and waits. Natasha joins her at the table again, balancing all three plates very precariously, and she sets them down one at a time, silverware on top. Wanda doesn't hesitate to start eating. She's starving. That big pizza dinner last night isn't holding her over any longer.

Loki slowly picks up his fork, examining it. He toys around with it a bit, readjusting his grip over and over. He tries switching hands with it, but that doesn't last long until he switches back. He changes his grip again and again, but he can't seem to figure it out.

"Does he not feed himself?" Natasha asks.

"He does," Wanda says, confused. She's never seen him struggle with his food before. If anything, that's usually when he was most excited.

Pietro reaches over and puts the fork in Loki's hand correctly. "How is that?"

Loki readjusts his fingers a bit, but he does seem to think it's okay. He picks up his knife in the other hand, and Wanda fixes it for him before he has to go through that again.

Loki gently stabs the pancake with his fork, and he brings his knife down to it. He saws the knife back and forth, but he's not pushing down hard enough for it to cut.

"Here," Pietro says. He takes the plate away, cuts the pancakes up with his own fork and knife — nobody mentions that he's been eating from that fork — and slides it back to him. "Now you just eat."

Loki puts his knife down and begins eating. His hands shake as he moves, but he manages just fine — well enough that Wanda doesn't want to interrupt, at least.

Once everyone is content seeing Loki eat, they start eating, too. The room grows quiet as they do, everyone far more interested in their food than any conversation they could be having. Wanda keeps a careful eye on Loki just to make sure that he's doing okay, but despite the initial struggle, he doesn't seem to have much of a problem eating.

"Did HYDRA not have silverware?" Clint asks, though he sounds like he's mostly joking.

"They did," Wanda says. "Loki did not."

Clint nods slowly. "Got it."

"He's got a lot to relearn, doesn't he?" Natasha remarks.

"He does," Pietro agrees. "But he is smart. He will be okay."

Wanda nods. "We will make sure of it."