As Anna woke up in her bed Sunday morning, she felt surprisingly good. She had slept well, and she could tell, from the overall lightness in her limbs to the comfort her eyes felt even when opening. Truth be told, she could hardly remember the last time she had felt so well-rested.

"How are you still reading that?" Anna asked Loki, who was hardly past the middle of his book of poems. "I've literally seen you read 200 pages in one sitting."

"Reading something isn't the same as understanding. Poetry requires more thought, which I imagine is why so few even dares bother with it," Loki told uninterestedly, flipping a page. Sensing that Loki didn't really feel like talking, Anna was quick to excuse herself to the bathroom for a quick shower before entering the kitchen where Tony was getting coffee.

"I'm ready to try again," she said directly, clenching her fists awkwardly.

"Try what, Sunshine?" Tony asked, turning to her with his coffee in hand.

"To continue the tests, Tony." Tony leaned himself against the counter before taking a sip of his coffee.

"You know you don't have to," he reminded her, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"I know. I want to," she pressed. Tony looked at her without answering.

"I think it's a good idea to know the extent of my powers, Loki was right. What if I hurt myself by overworking myself?"

"You haven't yet, why should you now?" Tony challenged.

"I don't know, maybe because you and Cap can't go a day together without at least one series of insulting threats or threatening insults?" Anna suggested; "Or because you keep facing increasingly dangerous enemies, or in case something serious should happen to one of you? What if you died, Tony? What if you died?"

"What a pleasant thought to meet so early in the morning," Loki muttered as he entered, getting a teabag out of the cardboard box they were kept in.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that's what you want, yesterday considered," Tony commented dryly at Loki, who did a careless shrug.

"I wasn't the one who slit your throat," he reminded as he poured water into the mug.

"You were holding the knife," Tony argued loudly, apparently having forgotten Anna.

"Holding a knife does not make one a murderer."

"You would know."

Loki and Tony's eyes met, and Anna rolled her eyes at their behaviour.

"Can we go try again?" she asked Tony, who sighed before turning to her.

"Sorry, kid, Bruce and Clint are on a mission and might need healing after. Gotta save up that energy."

Anna sighed but nodded nonetheless, accepting the verdict.

A knock sounded, and Anna was beyond surprised. Not only were the Avengers entirely uninterested in doing things such as knocking before entering, but the knock also sounded to come from outside the window.

"Let him in, JARVIS," Tony ordered, the only one unaffected as the tainted window swung open and Peter jumped in.

"Hey Pete," Tony greeted casually; "Coffee?"

"Can't - emergency," Peter informed out of breath, tearing his mask off before pointing a finger at Anna.

"I didn't do it," she said immediately.

"Do what?" Loki asked her in a mumble, leaning slightly towards her while speaking so Tony wouldn't hear.

"I don't know," she admitted with a shrug; "Just being safe."

"Ah. Clever," Loki agreed, standing fully up; "I, too, did not do it."

"What? No, Harry," Peter tried explaining before needing another second to catch his breath.

"Yes, that's very likely. Harry probably did it," Anna agreed.

"Very likely, Harry surely did it," Loki agreed, unsure if it was a poor attempt to cover for himself or Anna, and if the latter, why.

"No, he wants to invite you over to watch movies," Peter explained.

"Oh no, alert the church! What's the emergency?" Anna asked confused.

"Wait, who is this Harry that's asking you on a date?" Tony asked, making Loki immediately look at Anna.

"Harry is formally courting you?" he asked surprised, once again feeling unsure, only this time about the reaction. Anna was lovely, for a human of course, so of course, Harry would attempt to court her. He was probably not the first nor would he be the last, and that shouldn't be bothering Loki - he knew that. But he also knew why it was, even if he wasn't entirely willing to admit it. He cared for Anna, and he certainly did not care for some high school boy infatuated with her.

"It's not a date, I'm sure it's not a date. Peter, did he mean as a date?" Anna asked, seemingly the only calm one out of the four.

"Uh, I don't, I don't think so. He was talking about a group thing, like all four of us," Peter explained.

"If it's a date it's not a very good one," Loki muttered, scoffing slightly.

"Or it's a very good one," Tony disagreed, smiling at his joke before realising what he'd said; "Please tell me it's not a date."

"Peter, what is the emergency?" Anna asked him. Peter glanced between Tony and her before answering.

"It - it's information. And, it, it's insider information. I gave you extra prep time," he explained helpfully.

"Prep time for what? She's not going," Tony stated.

"I agree, there's nothing to prep for," Loki mentioned, folding his arms above his chest.

A small note sounded, and Anna fished her phone out of her pocket.

"It's Harry, he's inviting Ned, Peter and me over to watch movies tonight. He says we can just stay over," she informed the group.

"Well, let him down gently in case it is a date," Tony joked, clapping her shoulder.

"No, I wanna go," Anna disagreed, all eyes suddenly turning to her.

"You wanna go on a group date?" Tony asked confused; "With... With them?"

"No, I wanna go over to a friend's house and watch a movie," Anna corrected him; "I haven't had a movie night for so long, please?"

Tony thought quietly before rubbing his eyes.

"I suppose... If you either come home tonight or stay up all night, and Peter agrees to watch you for the entire duration... I suppose it's possible," Tony admitted with a sigh.

"I don't mind," Peter informed quickly.

"You know you'll have to be awake and keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't fall asleep? You are not to let her out of your sight for as much as a second?" Tony checked, Peter nodding intently.

"Fine," he then agreed in a sigh; "Tell Harry I'll drop you off when you're ready."

"Thank you," Anna agreed, walking away while reading aloud what she was typing; "Dear Harry, Tony Stark will be dropping me off whe-"

"Not! Funny!" Tony yelled after her. Mere seconds later, Natasha entered the room.

"What's got Anna in such a good mood?" She asked, heading for the coffee pot before glancing at Peter and Loki; "Is it one of you guys?"

"She's going to a sleepover," Tony explained, handing her a mug from the cabinet behind him.

"What? How is she going to a sleepover?" she asked, taking the mug from Tony's hand.

"She'll be staying up, Peter will be keeping an eye on her the entire time," Tony explained. Peter decided to go with Anna, leaving Loki standing uncomfortably and Tony and Natasha talking.

"I thought you were against her staying up all night," Natasha pointed out.

"I'm against her not having a normal life. To go to school she needs to sleep, but it's a weekend and I'm pretty sure this is what normal kids do," he explained to her.

"She's not exactly normal, Stark. Or a kid," Natasha added with a shrug.

"Please don't argue with me about this," Tony sighed; "Anna is my responsibility."

"I know, and I'm not arguing with you, I'm just stating a fact."

"What fact?"

"That you're an idiot," she explained quickly.

"Why? Because I want her to get to hang out with friends for a night?" Tony questioned, crossing his arms.

"That's exactly why. We need Anna to be the strongest she can be, we need her to be the best she can for the good of the community, the good of the world."

"I'm not sacrificing Anna's life for a potential need the world could have for her. She's a person, not a tool."

"She's both, and you're a tool, too, if you don't see it. Know what we used to say when we had to take someone out?"

"Weewoo, here I go killing again?" Tony suggested sarcastically.

"One is less than many," Natasha stated; "You think I wanted to sacrifice my childhood?"

"Frankly Nat, I don't care, because I can't do a thing about that. Anna is my responsibility, and as long as she's the one, I don't care about the many," Tony stated before leaving. Natasha rolled her eyes before pouring her coffee.

"That man has zero understanding of responsibility," she muttered before looking at Loki.

"Perhaps his sense of loyalty and responsibility lies elsewhere," Loki mentioned to her; "One bird in the hand is better than ten on the roof."

"Anna's not a bird, she's not in Tony's hand, and I'm pretty certain there are no birds in the helicopter on the roof either."

"Saving one person and seeing their life actively improved might be something Tony needs. How often does he get to see the positive impact he actually has? Even if he saves nine out of ten, the one person he couldn't save will be the one on his mind. Thus far, I think Anna is the only case where Tony hasn't caused harm, and quite possibly the one thing he does not feel guilty of," Loki explained with an indifferent shrug.

"That's... Surprisingly insightful," Natasha mentioned, narrowing her eyebrows; "A very qualified guess."

"I'm not brainless, midgardian. I do have some capability of understanding others emotions," he stated before leaving offendedly, avoiding any possible questions about how he reached such a state of understanding.