"No swords," Loki murmurs to him and curls against his chest. "Only plowshares. That is where I am in my life as well, I think. It may change, if a challenge arises and I feel the need to face it, but for now, what I want is peace for my children and loved ones, and a chance to piece myself back together from the hurts of the last few years."

"Just before I met you, I had returned from a battle, one that was a long time coming. I'll tell you the full story sometime, but what really matters is that I have respite now. And so do you, as long as you are with me."

The light shining through his chest-plates only makes Loki hold onto him more tightly. There is something about this visual sign of emotion that's incredibly endearing, and that makes her feel protective. "So, when it snows, we will build snowmen, and in the spring you will help plant our garden. I will teach you to braid my hair, and the children will teach you all the horrible ear-wormy songs they've learned from movies, and you will revel in the domesticity of it, as I do."

"And we will reach out to others, as we find them."