Steve sighs. "What are you doing, Loki?"

Loki glances down the hall at the quickly skedaddling Tony, then looks back at Steve. "I was only going to ask about today's plans to decide whether it was worth imposing my presence on unsuspecting teenagers. I was certainly not expecting..." He gestures vaguely. "That."

Steve fights the urge to roll his eyes. Whether that's true or not, he doesn't even care right now.

"You really didn't know?" Loki asks him.

Steve hesitates. Technically...

Loki cocks his head to the side. "You did know."

Steve sighs. "I didn't know," he says. "I wasn't there. I've never asked. But..."

Loki gives him a moment to finish that thought, and when he doesn't, he finishes for him. "But it was more than just a rumor."

Steve just nods. He knew that HYDRA was behind it. Zola had all but told him that. He didn't really know it was Bucky, but it wasn't exactly a difficult leap to make, either.

Well, he might as well ask, since they're on the subject: "Did you know?"

Loki shakes his head. "I am as surprised – or, I suppose, more surprised – than you are." With a much-too-carefree shrug, he adds, "It's nice to be surprised for once. I feel like I've known all the secrets the others have kept, from Barton's hidden family to Romanoff's long-lost sister. I like that I get to be included this time."

"Uh-huh," Steve hums monotonously. "Look, I'm going to go find Bucky." Preferably before Tony beats him to it. He's not even sure he wants to know how that conversation went between them.

"Wonderful," Loki says with a grin. "Let's go."

"That was not an invitation."

"I know."

Steve just looks at him for a few moments, with the most deadpan expression that he can muster. There's no way he doesn't see what a pain in the ass he's being right now. There is no possible way he doesn't see it.

Loki just looks back at him, a shit-eating grin on his face, and one that he seems content to continue wearing until Steve changes his mind.

Steve lolls his head back in exasperation. "I'm going to go talk to Bucky – alone. I will see you later."

Loki scowls. "Fine," he says. "Then I will sit in my room and stare out the window until such time that the Spider-Child leaves or Thor makes a miraculously early return."

Again, Steve just looks at him, this time with a brow raised. Is he serious? He's going to try to guilt-trip him into letting him tag along for what is obviously supposed to be a serious, private conversation? He cannot actually believe that will work.

When Steve doesn't change his mind, Loki just crosses his arms, his scowl unwavering.

God, he's a pain in the ass.

Steve groans. This is ridiculous. "Why don't you go bother someone else?"

Loki scoffs, putting his hands on his hips. "Are you implying that my existence is a bother?"

"Are you implying that being a bother isn't your only goal right now?" Steve counters.

Loki scoffs once more. "Excuse you!" he says indignantly. "Being a bother is only a very small part of my goal right now!"

Steve rolls his eyes. He's not even going to respond to that. It would not be worth the effort.

"I am simply looking for something to do," Loki says. "And if you wish that I not bother the Spider-Child, I have very few options until he leaves."

Steve runs his hands down his face. He can't believe this. He is not an overly religious man, especially these days, but Lord, please give him the strength.

"I will let you come with me," he says finally, "but only if you leave when we find Bucky. This really doesn't have to be a three-person conversation."

Loki beams. "Wonderful. Where do we begin?"

"The easy way," Steve says. "By asking FRIDAY."

Loki's smile falters. Steve knew it would. He understands, to an extent, why Loki hates FRIDAY. He understands how much Loki liked JARVIS, and, in a weird way, he can kind of understand why he wouldn't want them to just replace him at the drop of a hat, but it's been a year since they lost JARVIS. Now it just seems a little dramatic.

Or maybe it's not really that dramatic, and it's just his new shitty mood that's making him think it's dramatic – or, alternatively, maybe it is dramatic, but if he'd been in a better mood, it would be an endearing kind of dramatic. Hopefully he'll find out soon, when he talks to Bucky and things go really well and everyone lives happily ever after with much-improved moods.

... Well, now he just sounds delusional. Moving on.

"I'm not looking all over the compound to find him when I can just ask the ceiling voice where he is," Steve tells the god. And he's definitely not willing to risk accidentally running into Tony again. They'll talk again later, when they've both cooled down (and after he's talked to Bucky), and hopefully they can mend some newly dented fences then.

"I was willing to walk all over the compound to find you," Loki remarks.

"And that's your weird choice to make," Steve says. "But I don't want to waste my time walking in circles. That's why FRIDAY's here."

Loki frowns, and for a moment, he's quiet. Steve waits – with minor impatience – for whatever wise-ass remark he's cooking up in his head.

But instead, all Loki says is, "I think I'll just go back outside, then. Harley should be out of school today. I'll talk to him instead." And then he just walks away.

Steve sighs. Well, now he just feels like an asshole – as if he needed more of that after that conversation with Tony. "Loki, wait."

Loki just raises his hand in a wave, without even sparing a glance back at him.

Steve heads after him. "If you really want to walk around the compound looking for him, we can do that." He's not in that much of a rush. He can spare an extra five or ten minutes if Loki really cares that much.

"I'll be fine," Loki says. He still doesn't look back at him. "Go talk to Bucky. I will see you after."

"Loki–"

And he disappears.

Literally.

That's how he knows he messed up: the guy didn't even want to walk away from him anymore. He decided this was worth teleporting from.

If he's managed to cause genuine, long-lasting (as in, lasting more than, like, a day) problems with both Tony and Loki in the span of ten minutes, he's going to be pissed. But right now, he has to go talk to Bucky. Hopefully he won't fuck this one up, too.