I fought.

[ It comes out as a whisper, but still defiant. Loki fought and no one can strip that away from him. Not this time. ]

We will . . . as they say, play it by ear. Should he choose to pursue Stark completely, well . . . what I got is more than I hoped for.

[ It's been a whirlwind for them both. Loki isn't going to fool himself into believing that Steve would ever love him completely. Love him only. No one has been capable of doing that anyway. He'll always want more. That is his nature. But he can settle for scraps too. That much, Asgard has taught him.

Quietly, Loki runs his hand through his hair. He can't shake off the shade of foolishness and stupidity that hangs over his head. That his lackluster attempt at starting something new failed so badly. That it hurts even now, even when Steve and Loki settled it between them. That it is not ruined.

Perhaps he came to Thor because Thor always helped him believe there were other options. ]

I should go. I've taken up enough of your time with these matters.