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How do you go about picking gifts?

[ He's just going to dive right in. No real introduction, but Steve figures that most people won't care too much about who is asking this or why. ]

I'm sure a lot of you are better at this than I am, so I guess I need some advice. How do you find a good gift for someone that already has far more than you've seen for half your lifetime? Not that I'm aiming to impress anyone, but it'd be nice to pull it off.

[ He grins a little. Okay, so maybe he's trying. Just a little. But Steve is rarely the one that surprises anyone else. He just wants a chance at doing something cool for a change. Of course, he's realistic and knows this is unlikely, but he can try. ]

I'm in a little over my head on this one. Everyone else always has the flashy stuff covered.

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Rattlesnakes?

[ Too bad Tony can't hear him laughing. ]

What about hot dogs and marshmallows? A lot of people like those.

That sounds more like my kind of camping. You'd be taking the easy way out.

[Not that he'd ever go camping, but if he was forced to it'd be in the lap of luxury with a few tiny adjustments to acknowledge that they were outside.]

Well, I don't want to do that.

[See? He does have a sense of humor.]

You know, I wouldn't approach picking out a gift for Loki the same way I would for Tony. They're different people. That would be like picking out something for you like you were him.

I want all of you to have something for yourselves. Much as I like a good hand-me-down, I'm sure you're not used to it.

[He was the younger twin which meant receiving identical presents as if they were some hive mind with identical tastes when they were younger.]

It wouldn't be the first time I've received something with someone else in mind. It's probably the same with him, I can't imagine he would have been happy growing up in Thor's shadow.

...I wouldn't do that, Tony.

[ Now he feels bad. ]

And that's not something I want either of you to feel comfortable with. It's not really a gift, is it? If it's for someone else?

I thought it was the thought that counts.

In any case, since you won't be making that sort of mistake he'd probably be happy with anything just because it's from you.

It is the thought that counts. The thought and the effort behind it.

Thanks, Tony. I appreciate that. I guess this is just kind of new. It is Loki. I've never really worried about what gods in general thought of me.

[He's derailing and this is about Steve not having a clue so he's going to have to steer this back.]

It doesn't matter what gods think of you. This isn't rocket science. Forget the god part and just break it down. What is he like? What does he like? What are his habits?

For example, I'll explain my thought process behind my birthday present to you. You're a man out of time made into an ideal with no input from you. You've adapted, but you're still old fashioned in some ways. Sometimes you'll look at something and wish things were simpler. Nostalgia is always a safe bet on what makes someone happy and I've already made too many assumptions to get to this point so I went with something easy. Finally you lead an active life and you keep yourself busy so nothing that requires a lot focus.

Hence the record player. You can have it playing in the background, it's something you're familiar with in a non-threatening way that doesn't make you feel like you don't belong here. It's easily obtainable as vinyl is making a comeback and I can easily modify it to take out the extra bells and whistles that you wouldn't want.

[Please don't mention the conversation that happened after that.]

[ The way Tony dissects him and his habits is a little unnerving. Not that Steve questions the intelligence of Tony Stark in any universe, but the systematic evaluation of his psychology and tendencies makes Steve wonder just how obvious he is to everyone else. It makes him feel exposed. ]

You don't have to go out of your way to change things for me.

[ Yes, he is a little defensive about that. ]

But I get your point. And I do appreciate the consideration, so I guess you're right. Maybe I'm overthinking things.

You aren't necessarily wrong about your assumptions.

[ See that? That is an attempt at fetching a small olive branch for Tony, since Steve is starting to realize his own assumptions can cause trouble. Maybe that's just because their last conversation actually went better by contrast, but either way he's learning. ]

[Why is he still hung up on this when Tony got over it that day?]

If it makes you happier it's worth it.

I have every confidence you'll be able to pull it off. You're a tactical genius, put that mind to good use.

:)

[ Why won't you let him care about you, Tony? ]

You've got a lot of confidence in me. Sure it's not misplaced?

Thank you. You do go out of your way and I probably don't say it enough, but I do appreciate that. And I'm glad we met.

[He's scared okay! Also this is the reason why he uses text most of the time so he can't tell Tony's embarrassed to read his words.]

I haven't been wrong so far.

You don't know how much that means to me.

[Steve doesn't know Tony is embarrassed. Instead, he thinks that the distance is dismissive or a show of the man's discomfort with how Steve is too different. Too wrong. That he has any faith at all in him is a grand gesture. He misses his connections now that they are all gone.]

I wish I knew what I was doing here.

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