Steve has been instructed to wait in the Quinjet.

Steve does not particularly want to wait in the Quinjet, but here he is, waiting in the Quinjet.

And the worst part, he thinks, is that he's waiting in the Quinjet alone. Tony, Bruce, and Wanda are all back at the Compound. The rest of the Avengers – Yelena and Bucky included; the team grows larger by the day – are heading into Seventh Circle Prison to temporarily remove the so-called "Red Guardian" from custody. And all the while, Steve is just here.

He turns on the radio and begins flipping through stations, listening for a familiar beat. He doesn't know this song. He doesn't know this song. He doesn't know this song. He doesn't know this song.

Would it kill a radio station to play something from the 30s or 40s for a change? People his age are still alive, and they deserve to listen to their own music!

... Wait.

He stops on a station, and not a single word being sung makes any sense to him. Of course he doesn't know any of these songs. They're all from Russia. They're not going to play anything he knows on the Russian radio.

So he turns the radio back off and rests his head against the window. This is so boring. Is there really any reason he couldn't have gone in with them? Alexei is going to see him when he comes aboard anyway. Are these extra ninety seconds really going to change anything?

"I feel the same way," Loki remarks. "This is remarkably boring."

Steve lifts his head, and Loki sits in the pilot's seat, as content as can be. Steve gives him a weird look.

"Because I would rather be here," Loki says.

Steve furrows his brows. "What...?"

"You were about to ask why I did not follow the others into the prison," Loki says. "And my answer is that I would rather be here."

Steve cracks a smile. "I appreciate that," he says. It's nice to have company.

Loki leans forward, propping his head up on his hand. "What do you think of Yelena so far?"

Steve shakes his head. "I don't know," he says. "I think she just wants to get done with this and get out of here."

"I disagree," Loki replies.

"How come?"

"Because she doesn't want to leave," Loki says, so matter-of-factly that Steve almost has to wonder if she said it herself. "She wants Romanoff to be the big sister she'd deluded herself into thinking she was, and Romanoff is failing to fulfill that role quite spectacularly."

Steve cocks his head to the side, thinking about that. "You think so?"

"Oh, certainly," Loki says. "I see myself in her. I only hope she has the opportunity to heal as I have."

Steve has to admit, that makes him a little sad. It's not that he doesn't know that Thor and Loki's relationship has had its ups and downs – he's been around for a lot of them – but it doesn't make it much easier to hear. At least their relationship has mended over the years. It really would be nice to see Natasha and Yelena's do the same.

"You should talk to Nat about it," Steve remarks. If Yelena really does want to be her sister again, all it should take is getting Natasha on board, too, right? Is that how siblings work? He wouldn't know; the closest thing he has to a sibling is Bucky, and their every interaction these days is awkward and forced and he suspects they both tend to walk away wishing it never happened.

"You should talk to her about it," Loki says. "I don't think she would want to hear it from me."

"I think she might have to," Steve says. "I don't know the first thing about Yelena, but if you think you know what she's feeling, then you need to be the one to talk to her about it."

Loki crosses his arms. "Well, if I'd known that, I wouldn't have brought it up."

"I know," Steve says, "but you did bring it up, so now you have to stand up for all the little siblings in the world and talk to her."

Loki rolls his eyes, but there's a faint hint of a smile on his lips.

Steve peers out the window, but still, there's no sight of the others. Does it really take this long to drag a prisoner to the Quinjet? They have the prison's permission and everything. Shouldn't it be a quick in and out?

"You should turn on some music," Loki remarks.

"I tried," Steve says. "It's all in Russian."

"That is what you have a phone for," Loki says.

Steve must admit, he makes a good point. He pulls out his phone and opens up Spotify. (He still can't get over how amazing it is that he can carry around a small, hand-held device that fits in his pocket and contains just about all the music in the world. Technology is amazing.)

Steve scrolls through his playlists. He's got a few different ones full of music he grew up to that are usually his go-tos, but he's had enough people (Tony and Natasha, mostly) make fun of them that he doesn't particularly want to play them for Loki and go through it again.

So instead, he heads to the search bar and types in Taylor Swift.

... There is no Taylor Swift music to be found.

He rereads the name once, twice, three times, but he's fairly certain he typed it correctly. He deletes it all and types it again, and he fares no better this time than he did the last. It's like she doesn't exist.

Steve looks over at Loki, puzzled. "It's Taylor Swift, right?" he asks. "That singer that you like?" He does have the right name? He can't imagine he got it wrong, especially after seeing it on Loki's shirts as many times as he has.

Loki grins. "I was hoping you would choose her music."

"So was I," Steve says, "but her music's not showing up."

"What?" Loki walks over to him, standing behind him and peering at his phone over his shoulder. "That's strange."

"Isn't it?" Steve agrees. He tries typing it again, as if it will go differently this time than the first two times, but, of course, it doesn't.

So he exits the Spotify app and opens YouTube instead. He types in Taylor Swift once more, and this time, he's greeted with thousands upon thousands of results. This is much more like it.

Steve looks up at him. "What song?"

Loki hums thoughtfully. "Keep scrolling."

Steve does as he's told, scrolling slowly through the results so that Loki can look at them. He looks them over himself while he waits for Loki to settle on one, and all he gathers from it is that she makes a lot of music – and that she's very pretty, but he knew that already; he's caught glimpses of the tour movies on Loki's TV.

"That one," Loki says finally. "'Begin Again.'"

Steve taps the video, and he's greeted with one of those advertisements that don't really serve as advertisements because they can be skipped after a few seconds, which he's fairly certain no one actually watches because they're just watching the little gray bar that tells them how long it will be until they can skip it. It seems like an awful system, really.

So, of course, he skips the ad, and then the song starts. He has to admit, it's kind of a cute song. It's not necessarily his taste, but it's certainly better than whatever garbage Tony listens to – not that it's a high bar to clear. And, of course, the music video helps, given that it's just as cute, if not cuter, than the song itself. He can see why Loki likes her.

That starts a bit of a Taylor Swift marathon, and as Loki's humming along to the third consecutive Taylor Swift song, it occurs to while Steve doesn't not enjoy it, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit relieved when the others come back. Unsurprisingly, Loki disappears in the blink of an eye – probably for the best; Alexei doesn't need to know he's here right now.

Steve turns his attention to the windshield in front of him, making a point not to look back until everyone is onboard. If his presence is going to be such a roadblock that he couldn't even go into the prison with them, he wants to wait until he knows they have Alexei secured before he shows himself.

"This is wonderful!" somebody – Alexei, presumably – says, speaking in a Russian accent much like Yelena's. Did Natasha used to have an accent? He needs to ask her about that – preferably without Tony around, because he's sure she'll never hear the end of it if she says she did. "Oh, girls, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Ugh, let me go," Natasha groans, and Steve fights the urge to look back and see what's happening – which would most likely involve laughing at his friend's expense.

"It means so much that you came back for me," Alexei says.

"We are not here for a family reunion," Yelena deadpans. "Now sit down."

It grows quiet for a few moments, and Steve purses his lips. Does he turn around now? Does he wait and savor what may well be his last few moments of peace until the Red Room is gone and they can bring Alexei back to prison where he belongs?

There's a tap on his shoulder, and when he glances down, Natasha stands by his side. She gives him a singular nod. It seems it's time.

So Steve turns around, and for the first time, he sees Alexei.

Somehow, he's nothing like Steve expected, and yet exactly what Steve expected.

Alexei's eyes light up when he sees the Captain, and he rises to his feet. "Captain America!"

Yelena rolls her eyes and steps out of the way. He doesn't blame her one bit.

Steve tries to be civil. "You're the Red Guardian?"

"What, you don't recognize me?" Alexei asks, almost teasingly, like he thinks they're old friends.

Steve was prepared for this, but it doesn't make it any less of an uncomfortable situation. Still, they do need his cooperation in this, so he tries to be polite. "Have we met before?"

Alexei barks a laugh. "Always the joker, you are."

Natasha rolls her eyes and pushes past everyone toward the pilot's seat. "I'm getting us out of here."

So Natasha claims her spot in the pilot's seat once more, and soon enough, they're back in the air, on their way to anywhere but here. After all, it's probably not wise for a group of mostly American soldiers to hang around in Russia any longer than they need to.

And now it's time to talk.

"Alright," Yelena says, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring daggers at her not-quite-father from across the ship. "How do we find the Red Room?"

"Oh, look at you, all business," Alexei says teasingly.

"Trust me," Natasha says from the pilot's seat, "it's not pleasure."

"At least let me talk to my old rival first," Alexei says.

Steve fights the urge to join in with the plethora of people on this ship who have rolled their eyes in the last ninety seconds. "You get us to the Red Room, and we can talk all you want." He will even pretend he knows the guy if that's what it takes to finally destroy Natasha's living nightmare.

Alexei sucks in a breath through his teeth. "I can't do that."

Yelena scoffs, marching up to him with her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, you can't do that?"

"I don't know where it is," Alexei says.

"Bullshit," she snaps.

"Alright, who else knows how to fly?" Natasha asks. "I need to talk to my 'dad' for a minute." She says the word with all the sarcasm she can muster, and even Alexei flinches at the tone of her voice.

Steve is about to volunteer his moderate flying skills, but Bucky beats him to it, and Steve has to admit, there's a very good chance that he'll do it better with his Winter Soldier training. So Natasha stands up, and Bucky slides into her seat, picking up where she left off so she can talk to Alexei face-to-face.

Natasha walks up to him, head raised and eyes narrowed in a glare. "You're going to take us to the Red Room, now."

"I told you, I do not know how!" Alexei insists.

"Come on," she says. "You and Dreykov were like–"

"Dreykov?" he repeats, raising his voice in his anger. "General Dreykov, my friend, huh?"

Natasha puts her hands on her hips, her jaw clenched.

"Gives me glory," Alexei continues, "the Soviet's one and only supersoldier – I could have been more famous than Captain America!" He gestures to Steve for emphasis.

Steve raises his brows, but he keeps his mouth shut. He's fairly sure that's not true, but that's not important right now.

"And then he buries me in Ohio on that stupid mission!" Alexei rants. "Three years on that boring, tedious mission – boring me to tears!"

Natasha just narrows her eyes further, more irritated than anything, but Yelena, he notices, has to look away; a solemn look in her eye. She's hurt – and between how Natasha's treated her and now Alexei is, she should be hurt. They could really use a Loki intervention right now. He's good at getting people to think about their mistakes.

Alexei glances at Yelena. "No offense," he says, as if that makes anything better.

Yelena huffs and shakes her head to herself.

And then Alexei is back on his rant. "And then he puts me in prison for the rest of my life," he says. "Why, huh? Why would he put me in prison? Why?" He doesn't give them time to answer – not that they would – before he answers it himself. "Because maybe I want to talk about the withering of the state, or maybe I don't like his hair and I say something casually about that. Maybe, you know, I want the party to feel like an actual party instead of some sourpus organization.

"But instead, no," he says. "He puts me in prison for the rest of my life! And I'm not even the one who, uh..." He pauses, and he looks pointedly at Natasha, who's already tensed for the worst. "I'm not even the one who killed his daughter."

Natasha opens her mouth, but she doesn't get the chance to respond, because out comes Loki out of literally nowhere, the way he's apt to do at the most random of times.

"And that is enough of that," he says, stepping between the two before things can get out of hand.

Alexei jumps, startled, and stumbles backward a few steps. Loki just smirks, and he takes a step toward him, an air of intimidation to him. Steve cracks a smile. This side of Loki can be so fun when it's not directed toward him or his friends.

"Where did you come from?" Alexei asks the god.

"Don't worry about that," Loki answers. "You are here – and I assume you're aware of this now – to tell us where to find the Red Room. You are not here to talk to Captain Rogers, and you are certainly not here to antagonize your daughters. Now, are you going to help us, or are we going to throw you out of the ship and be done with you?"

Alexei gives him a weird look. "You are the alien who was in Germany – and in New York." He pauses. "Didn't you fight my Natasha?"

"I did," Loki says. "But then I thought that she could use a father figure, as clearly, her own had failed her, and we've been together ever since." He flashes the man a smile.

Natasha still looks annoyed, but Yelena huffs a laugh at that.

"But this is not about me," Loki says. "This is about the Red Room, and this is about killing Dreykov and freeing all the young women and girls whose lives and minds he's stolen from them. So again, I ask: are you going to help us, or am I going to let one of our beloved Widows throw you from this ship to your painful, painful death down below?"

Alexei just looks at him for a few moments, and Loki just looks back, a smirk on his face. It takes a moment, but finally, Alexei concedes.

"I do not know where the Red Room is," Alexei says again. "But Melina might."

That name means nothing to Steve, but by the looks on their faces, it means a lot to the two Widows. They share a glance, each wearing what almost seems to be a look of... hope. Joy, even. Like there's one good thing to come out of this.

Yelena sounds both confused and cautious as she asks, "Mom Melina?"

"We thought she was dead," Natasha adds.

Alexei chuckles. "You cannot kill a fox that swift."

Steve gets the feeling that's supposed to be a sexual innuendo. He tries to ignore it.

"Wait," Natasha says. "Are you telling me that Melina is working for the Red Room present-day?"

"She works remotely," Alexei says. "Outside St. Petersburg."

Natasha scoffs, the faint hint of a smile on her lips, and turns back to the pilot's seat. "Hey, Bucky, I'll take over."

So they switch seats, Natasha taking control once more, and then they're off to St. Petersburg for the next step of their wild goose chase.

Loki glances around at the others, a slight smile on his own face, and then he fades from view. Steve finds himself wondering if he's still here, just watching from the shadows the way he doubtlessly was just minutes ago – the way he may have been since they all boarded the ship, even. He's a weird guy.

"How far away is St. Petersburg?" Pietro asks.

"Well, it's not exactly next-door," Clint answers.

Pietro frowns, grumbling under his breath, and sits down on the floor, pulling his DSi out of the little string backpack he brought with him. It's oddly endearing, Steve thinks, in a way that he wouldn't have thought it was a week or two ago. He might have been a little too hard on the twins, he's realized. They deserved it at first, but when Loki started to forgive them, maybe he should have done the same.

Alexei walks up next to the kid, peering down at his game. "Is that Mario?"

Pietro looks up at him, his brows raised. "You know Mario?"

"Of course I know Mario," Alexei says. "Everybody knows Mario. He's Mario." He lowers himself to the ground with a groan, and Pietro angles his DSi so the Guardian can see it.

"I almost ran out of lives," Pietro tells him, "so I'm playing the first level a few times to get my lives back so that I can play the boss level."

Alexei huffs. "You almost ran out of lives?" he repeats mockingly.

"This is hard!" Pietro says defensively.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure that it is," Alexei says, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

Pietro scoffs and shoves his DSi at him. "You try to beat it, then."

"Oh, I will," Alexei says confidently.

There's a pause.

"How do I play? I've never seen one of these... small... handheld..."

Pietro rolls his eyes, an amused smile on his face, and takes it back to show him the controls. Steve will admit, he was not expecting Pietro to be the one to babysit Natasha's pseudo-father like this, but then, Alexei does seem to have the mentality of a child, so he supposes it makes sense.

With Alexei taken care of for the time being, Steve makes his way up to the front of the ship, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair, not that he expects to do any co-piloting. Natasha glances over at him, and when Steve gives her a smile, she gives him a reluctant one in return.

"So," Steve says, "we're going to see your mom now."

Natasha's smile fades, and she sighs. "It looks like it."

"Is she as whacky as your dad is?" he asks teasingly.

Natasha huffs a sarcastic laugh. "No, but I don't know if she's much better," she tells him. "Melina was the brains; Alexei was the brawn. They're two different kinds of fucked-up."

Steve's not really sure what to say to that. There's a long pause, and then he asks, "Are you okay with this? Having all of us around when...?" Whether they're coming up on a heartfelt reunion or the argument to end all arguments, he's not sure they're supposed to witness it.

Natasha sighs. "It doesn't matter if I'm okay with it," she says. "Not as much as it matters to me that we kill Dreykov and shut down the Red Room."

That doesn't make him feel any better about this. "If you want us to stay in the ship while you talk to her..." Some privacy could help, he's sure.

Natasha shakes her head. "I don't expect it to be a quick trip," she says. "Melina's not going to give him up without a fight."

Steve raises his brows. "'Fight' meaning...?"

"Verbal fight," Natasha assures him. "I think she's smart enough to know that she can't take the whole team by herself, even on her turf."

Steve just nods. That's good, at least, but it doesn't fix the crux of the problem: the obvious discomfort Natasha has with this whole situation. Until yesterday, they didn't even know she had a family, and now they're meeting each and every one of them.

Natasha looks up at him, a forced smile on her face. "It'll be fine," she says. "It'll be uncomfortable, but it'll be fine – especially when we take down the Red Room, once and for all."

Steve forces a smile in return. "Alright, I just wanted to be sure."

"I appreciate that," she says. "But I just want to be done with this – whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes," Steve agrees.