"No matter how you get there or where you end up, people have this miraculous gift to make that place home."
- Creed Bratton, The Office

Sylvie's POV

I got up from her cot and consulted her notes in case I left out any crucial point in her medical or private history. I was about to leave when Rachel's arms wrapped around me, her cheek pressed against my shirt, staining it with tears.
I crouched down to her level. "Everything will be alright, just like you wanted," I said, her hand sandwiched between mine. "Promise you will be brave enough to defend you and your family in future."
"Promise." I saw the once dull eyes of the little girl gleam with joy for the first time. I smiled and gave her a hug if that could provide some comfort to her already wrecked life. I tucked her in bed and averted my attention to other patients.

"She likes you," a voice greeted me from behind.

"It's natural. I'm an amiable person. You can't be a good therapist if you are not."

"That's true in my experience." I turned around to see a grin on his square-jawed face. "You are working since morning, you need to loosen up a bit," he said, standing beside me.

"These people need a break more than me," I gestured towards the people who seemed normal outside but were dying on the inside.
"You know why I could get some shut-eye at night? Because of this job. The satisfaction of putting a smile on someone's face or making them forget their misery for a time, the sorrowful gleam in their eyes turning into hopeful ones.. it's.. the feeling is priceless.
Almighty is the puzzle maker, we're just beings who try to solve the puzzle of life. Some of them break down in the journey; I am just one of them who try to help these broken souls. Who would know it better than you?"

I saw his uninterrupted gaze cast upon me, impressed with me. We had eye contact for a bit too long until I snapped my fingers before his eyes.
"Sorry, that.. that was really something," he justified before I thanked him. There was an awkward silence between us till he spoke again.

"Um.. It's two already. Like to have a bite with me?"
"At the Urban Backyard Café?"
"Done."
Grabbing my purse, I locked my arm with Bucky's vibranium one as we went out for lunch. It's the first time someone asked me out on Midgard, so I wasn't quite sure how I felt. But it was a different feeling.

*****

Things have tilted to the brighter side.
First things first; I'm an Avenger!
All thanks to Loki. (On either sides, if you know what I mean.)

I had to work somewhere or the other for collecting money to retrieve the clinic; but since temporary jobs weren't available, Loki suggested I should enquire at the Stark Tower. Vacancies were always available there so getting work there won't be a problem, especially with my connection with the Avengers. But working there meant crossing paths again with the superheroes. I'd love to, but I was concerned for Loki. They would find out about him eventually and hold him in custody, which I was avoiding throughout the month.

Looking on the positive side, the group was ecstatic to see me again but that immediately went downhill on seeing Loki beside me. Their limits of awe were broken on hearing about us being together as a married Hiddleston couple. It took us a lot of persuasion and promises to keep him free from bars (and Nick Fury). Tony and James became our first allies as they convinced others of it. My mind almost sighed when they agreed not to arrest him again, solely on my trust. Loki kept a poker face in front of them, but I noticed him break character when a wave of relief washed over him.

The day after I told them about the bankruptcy, I received ownership papers of the clinic through the mail. On the post-it note stuck on the envelope was written : 'It's yours now. P.S : Welcome to the Super Secret Boy Band.' and signed off as T.S. I smiled. Hmm. I wonder who that might be.

So now I was busier than usual : working part-time at the clinic, with the evenings spent as the head therapist at the Stark Relief Foundation as well as for the Avengers.
I counseled every one of them, considering what they have been through and train them to be stronger at mind. Sometimes the mind alone can work miracles if the body doesn't cooperate with us, and these heroes need that more than anyone else. It was heart-warming to discover their other side, their tragic backstory which ultimately became their Avenger origin story. Talking with them gave me fresh perspectives towards life and its meaning; so insightful, almost as if I approached them instead for therapy.

*****

Inspite of knowing my powers were stripped off, they made me an Avenger nonetheless. So it was mandatory for me to catch up with the newest developments everyday, be it S.H.I.E.L.D or upcoming trivial missions. While that happened, I couldn't help notice how domestic these people can be.

Wanda took up an advanced cooking course in her free time. She unanimously became the chef for the band, introducing a new delicacy on alternate days. Admittedly, they were lip-smacking as much as they were healthy, taking into consideration their dietary plans. I did learn a recipe or two from her, in case Loki was fed up of eating the same regular meals. She was also the gossip girl of the group, entertaining me with juicy secrets from time to time. But she did not cross boundaries while doing so.

Apart from being the best runner, Pietro was a better rapper than the professional ones in the industry. He posted videos of him rapping on YouTube, and I was not surprised to his fan following reach millions and him becoming a viral sensation, the Avenger identity adding to his fame.
He would team up with Steve to become total showoffs during jogging sessions. 'On your left' became the slogan of the activity, something Steve connected to personally with James.

Pietro and Wanda bickered daily for the most trifling matters. Tony would add fuel to the fire, by gifting either one of them something special for no reason at all, and the other sibling would start the mischief. It reminded me of the petty fights between the young Thor and Loki and how I would take Tony's place that time.

Pietro did flirt with me often in his own style, which I considered quite cute, but I would shut him down with an intelligent comeback which impressed him in return. Yet we remained besties who annoyed each other every moment.

Steve was the most docile of them all. 'America's Golden Boy' spent the day practising with his shield, sparring with Bucky or Nat and coordinating with S.H.I.E.L.D agents. While warfare was his strongest point, technology was his weakest. Tony being the king of impatience had already given up on him, so Nat, Clint and Bruce tried teaching him in his own way.
When I asked him why he wouldn't take a break from exhausting himself, he said it was a distraction from missing his 1970s life, his friends, his old flame Peggy whom he lost a year back. Though he was brought back from his icy afterlife four years ago, he still had a hard time adjusting to the strange new world, with Barnes being the only connection of the past for him. All I could do is teach him the modern ways of life and lend him moral support on the journey, since leading the most reputed superhumans of Earth was no easy task.

Clint was as keen as mustard for video games, ever since Tony presented him the latest X-Box gaming console on Thanksgiving. Call of Duty was his go-to game, slaying every round the 'Hawkeye' way. He was quite popular among his online friends circuit who had no idea it was the OG Hawkeye playing with them. Frequent offline contenders were Pietro and Nat, but they lost against him every time only to hear his victory words "you've just been sass-inated!"
He was quietly funny, but no one noticed the longing for his family behind the agent mask except Nat and me. (Clint didn't tell me obviously, I read his mind during the battle days.) Being the only married Avenger made him frequently worry for Laura, his wife, and his children, fearing that there might be no tomorrow for him to see them one last time. And it was a feeling I personally felt.

Looking at Bruce, one cannot believe easily the fact that he was a doctor with seven Ph.Ds. Seven. He would write articles in his free time, mainly covering topics in biochemistry and nuclear physics. I suggested him to post them online through blog posts, which he did and astonishingly, one of his write-ups ended up in the Scientific American, the oldest and most influential scientific magazine of the U.S. He was also invited to attend the 23rd Solvay Conference, one of the highest honours a scientist receives. Everyone outside knew him as the furious green Hulk, but the higher scientific community and us knew better by admiring his knowledge.
One of the crucial points of his life was anger management, which he coped up with in his own style for many years. But now, he listened to his therapist (that's me) help him practise advanced yoga and meditation, which he knew was beneficial to both his souls.

Pepper was the busiest Avenger in the house, her day bustling with major tasks like fulfilling responsibilities as the CEO of Stark Industries, keep her guard up as Iron Heart and tackle Tony as well. I had a limited number of conversations with her owing to her schedule, but she radiated peace and calm every moment, despite Tony riling her up. No wonder Richie Rich fell for her.

Tony is the one drama queen every group of friends have. Sassy and witty comebacks is a part of his DNA, you can't blame him. His hobby is either spending time at his world's most advanced lab, or binge watching movies. He was a master in pop culture references, from where most of the nicknames are derived. We would speak at lengths about the plot twists in Game of Thrones, how The Office is not cringe once we take interest in it, or debating on which movie is the best in the world.
He lives larger than life, craving for attention which puts off people sometimes, but they never realize he doesn't want to be alone again. Nicknaming people was his subtle gesture for people he cared of. He was the only Avenger who needed proper medication for his mental health. He suffered from PTSD and anxiety attacks, a grave side effect of the NYC battle. Disappointingly, it was Pepper who brought this to my attention because Tony didn't want anyone else to know about it and pity him. And till date it remains a secret between the trio (and JARVIS).

Natasha taught me all Midgardian forms of combat, both with and without weapons. Training under her was intense, emptying bullets from rifles and pistols at dummies was the only thing I was an amateur at. I too taught her some life-saving fighting tricks I learned from Mother and Sif. She was the unofficial mother of the group, keeping the men level-headed and the women empowered. Asgard was way ahead in this matter, with the Valkyries being the only elite female battalion in the nine realms. It is awesome to see women warriors finally making impact in Midgard, if not many, inspiring millions of girls to follow the path of courage.

On some days, Tasha purposely spoke to James, Pietro, Wanda and me in Russian. (I learnt Allspeak as a princess, Russian was one of the many languages in it.) We talked about completely unrelated things, though we made it seem we were bitching about the other non-Russian speakers. Tony was the only one other than us who knew the truth since JARVIS secretly transcribed our conversations for him. Of course Tony wouldn't not want to hear what we say about him (which we didn't). The others, especially Clint complained about us like children, but that only encouraged us more.

And that is the end of this episode of Keeping Up with the Avengers.

*****

I flipped the camera to selfie mode and showed it to Bucky. "You still don't know how to drink it properly. I should be the one doing that," I said, chuckling.
He looked so embarrassed by the latté moustache on the top of his lips, which he quickly wiped it off with a tissue. Sometimes it is almost impossible to believe that a former world class, most wanted assasin would be such a dork.

James is an amazing friend. Curious of getting to know more about the first connection I felt with him, I shook hands with him, not knowing he'd be my closest friend.
When I counseled him for the first few days, I learnt about his history so devastating that for the first time in my career, I literally had to excuse myself in the middle of the sessions to get some fresh air and not think about it. My mind tends to convert the narrated incidents into imaginary scenes, and Bucky's felt so real, almost as if I experienced it firsthand. The torture, the pain... How Bucky was still alive is a mystery to me. At one point he had to calm me down from my distress instead of his. Not that I undermine others' tragedies, but I felt more for him.

Bucky became my driving partner later on, helping me acquaint with cars ranging from sedans to SUVs and jeeps. We shared so many interests, one of them being fangirling over The Hobbit. It sounds so unusual when I say I feel safer with the Winter Soldier (now the White Wolf), the one who fought against Avengers, but I do.

"Hello?" Bucky cut my thoughts in the middle. I blinked my eyes. "Off to wonderland?" I just shrugged and proceeded to enjoy the iced vanilla latté we ordered.
An hour flew by quickly in the rustic café, and we found ourselves in the tower soon.
"Who's next on the list then?"
"Tony."
"Good luck with that." He smirked.
"Thanks for the treat. It was quite.. an experience."
"You're welcome. It's the first time I asked someone out." He scratched the back of his head and I could see him blush a little. I looked down, realizing my cheeks were colouring too.
"Great. Umm... I must get going. Tony would throw a tantrum then. Later, gators."
"Later, gators."

*****

"Jane, they're home!" Darcy announced on opening the door. Jane and Dr. Erik appeared from the bowels of the house, their faces beaming with happiness.
"I have someone else you should meet," I said, referencing him in this case.
"Hello, I am Loki.."
Jane cut him off by slapping him across the face. The onlookers, including me gasped. "This is for New York," she said with a tinch of anger.
Loki being Loki gave a sly grin in return. "I like her," he said looking at me.

The rest of the dinner passed fortunately without more hints of violence. Jane wasn't aware of Loki staying with me and I wanted to wait for the right time to reveal it, which was today. Things between Loki and Jane became peaceful at last, with him taking keen interest on getting familiar with his 'soon-to-be sister in-law'.

Darcy, Doctor and Jane's lives got better in time. After learning about their work, Tony funded their project and they got the privilege to work alongside Bruce and Stark. Dr. Selvig wasn't called a madman anymore by the public and applauded him for his theories. Darcy wasn't just an intern anymore and Jane became more cheerful. Although Thor wasn't by her side again, she was now sure of the fact that their engagement isn't breaking up anytime soon. I was glad Thor could keep my promise to Jane.

*****

"I am so full right now. Ms. Foster does know how to make better lasagna than you," Loki teased as he hung the jacket on the wooden coat stand.

"Cooking's never been my forte." I kept the keys in the drawer and my purse on the teapoy, relieved to be finally back home.

"Your forte is helping people escape from the pit of despair and I think of it as more pivotal than cooking pasta." I sensed a genuine smile forming on my face on the compliment.
"You wouldn't want to keep Mr. Scott and Schrute waiting," he added, eyes turning towards the TV.
"As you say so."

I couldn't break off my gaze upon the dark lord who became a mortal after fighting against some. He looked dapper in the crème Henley t-shirt paired with denims and his ebony hair a bit unkempt despite being trimmed short. (He fussed about it a lot in the start, but he accepted his new look over time.) His fake glasses complimented his chiseled jawline and cheekbones, and he looked a lot more professional in those. I admit he surpassed Thor in terms of handsomeness in the past few years.

"I guess my face is more compelling than the sitcom," he commented, still stuck on watching the episode.
"It is," I replied unfalteringly and saw his lips form a small but honest smile.

One more headline of my life : Loki finally having a change of heart!

Ever since that night, Loki became more open and friendly towards me, almost as if his spiteful self literally ran away from him. You know he has come back to normal once he starts replacing the icing on cupcakes with shaving foam. Or he willingly dressed up as Agent K for Halloween and went 'trick or treating' at the Stark Tower. He accompanied me to Avenger gatherings a few times; though the group as well as Loki were wary of the other.

Sundays were Sylki days, when we would hang out at restaurants, theme parks, or the huge library opposite to my clinic. Any other person might think the last place as unexciting, but is Valhalla for bookworms like us.

I don't know what happened that night. Maybe I said something I should or shouldn't have, or Almighty finally put some sense in him. I never asked him the reason nor that will happen in future. The tables just turned over to the better side in a single night. So I have decided to just enjoy with the flow.
Sincere smiles and compliments, teasing and pranking each other like old times, caring for the other and enjoying every moment I spent with Loki just cemented the fact that this friendship can be revived and blossom into one of the closest ones at heart.

Life's good. For now. And I'm lovin' it!

*****

A.N : Okay so this became more of a filler chapter but presenting the relationships established between Sylki and the Avengers is crucial for the forthcoming chapters. I wanted to take it a little off plotline before I dive into action again.
This chapter is basically about describing the day-to-day Avengers and their way of living. I wanted to show how normalcy returns after dark patches in life for them after battles like these. Not many Loki fanfics delve into the details of the MC's connections with most of them (maybe either two or three), so I want to break the wheel. Also MCU fanatics always crave for relatable Avenger scenes so here is one for you! I know there isn't a lot of conversation between all of them in this one, but that would lengthen it unnecessarily. (Besides I need content for further ones ;)

Shoutout and credits to all Marvel fanfic writers on Tumblr and Pinterest for inspiration for this chapter!

Thank you so much for reading!
Till then, stay tuned!