Bruce had taken apart some old communication equipment from parts of the ship that no longer needed such devices. He hoped that he would be able to come up with something to try and communicate with Earth and at least let Tony know they were coming. Loki had started off trying to help Bruce come up with a working device but he had become more and more distracted over the following hour and a half. Bruce decided to say something when he saw Loki was sat in a corner with his knees pulled to his chest. He went over to the God slowly and crouched down in front of him.

"Loki? Is everything okay?" Bruce asked, his voice laced with concern. Loki lifted his head slightly and looked at Bruce with tears in his eyes.

"I just want to stop the voice. I don't want to cave in to the urges." He gripped his arms tighter around his knees.

"Can you tell me what urges?" Bruce had an idea of what Loki was on about, but he wanted to be sure.

"I need to make myself throw up. I could just teleport away if I wanted, you know." He was trying hard not to show Bruce that he was shaking.

Bruce smiled softly at Loki. "Then why haven't you? Not that I'm not grateful that you haven't."

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Guess I just don't want to break your trust. You're the only friend I have and that's more important than what I am feeling."

"I'm proud of you Loki." Bruce stood up and took a glass of water from the side. "Here drink this. It might help settle your stomach a little. I think we should have a chat later about how you feel about yourself."

Loki nodded. "Thank you." he smiled as he took the glass. "Can I come with you when you talk to Thor? I need to try and explain some things to him."

"If that's what you'd like." Bruce said and Loki nodded.

"I'm ready when you are." Loki said as he took a large sip from the glass.

"Okay. We'll go now then. I don't want to stress you out." Bruce took the glass back and placed it on the same table he picked it up from.

Thor had already retired to his own chambers for a break and was relaxing on his bed when he heard the knock at his door.

"Enter!" Thor spoke loudly. He smiled when he saw Bruce and Loki come in, closing the door behind them.

They didn't realise that Valkyrie had seen them and had decided to listen through the thin metal doors, adamant she would destroy Loki.

"Hi, Thor. We've come to have a chat with you about Loki's eating disorders." Bruce said as he sat down at the small table that was in Thor's room.

Loki and Thor followed and occupied the remaining seats at the table. "Is everything okay, brother?" Thor asked concerned and Loki nodded.

Bruce decided to start off the conversation. "Has Loki told you about how he has been feeling lately?"

"Well, he hasn't really told me anything. I was unaware that he had panic attacks and he only told me yesterday that he had been making himself sick on purpose. I'm afraid that's all I know." Thor tried not to sound upset but was unable to hide it from Loki, who looked guilty for hiding these things from his brother.

Val smiled to herself outside the door. So she had definitely heard correctly at the feast table and now she had even more information. How far could she push him before he had a panic attack? She was determined to find out.

"Do you know why he might want to make himself sick?" Bruce asked tentatively.

Thor glanced at Loki before shaking his head. "He said something about control. I don't quite understand, I'm sorry, brother."

Loki gave Thor a small smile. "There has been more than one reason, brother. I'm afraid it's quite complicated." He looked over at Bruce for help.

"Has Loki mentioned the Grandmaster at all?" Bruce was unsure if this would be an effective subject. He didn't want to upset Loki.

"Yes, only briefly. I know little of what happened during our time on Sakaar."

"So from what I understand, the Grandmaster didn't take any notice when it came to consent. Experiences like that can cause people to do things like making themselves sick or not eating at all or by hurting themselves on purpose as a way to feel like they have more control over their bodies." Bruce explained in the simplest of terms for Thor.

"You would never hurt yourself on purpose would you, brother?" Thor asked looking straight at Loki. His tone was almost accusing of Bruce.

Loki avoided Thor's gaze and stared at the table. He slowly nodded his head. "I'm sorry."

Thor's eyes started to water as he was left speechless by his brother's confession.

Loki used his magic to lift his sleeves and show his arms to Thor. They were covered in various cuts and burns. Some of the cuts were still fresh on his skin. "I was going to tell you at some point, brother, I know I can't hide it forever. I don't want to hide from you anymore."

"Loki, some of these cuts are from a few hours ago." Thor said as he held Loki's hands lightly in his own, his voice soft.

"I'd rather not talk about it, brother. One of the reasons I didn't tell that I've been cutting myself is because I was worried you would think I was only trying to get your attention." Loki was unable to meet Thor's eyes.

Val couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was too good to be true. She knew she would have to be careful with how she went about with her plans but she couldn't wait to watch Loki fall by her own hand. She could definitely find a way to expose his wrists to everybody.

"I'm sorry I ever made you feel like that. You said there was more than one reason for doing this, brother. If control is one what are the others." Thor's face was a mix of hurt and confusion.

Loki looked to Bruce. He knew that meant Loki would rather not say, and understood that he was allowed to explain to Thor. "Loki has been having some issues regarding his self-image. Sometimes he makes himself sick so he can try and lose weight. These issues mean that sometimes, he will also skip meals. He hasn't told me about the self-harm." Bruce gave Loki a reassuring smile.

Thor looked upset. "Brother, is this why you didn't eat breakfast?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier brother but I didn't know how." A few tears fell down Loki's face.

"It's alright. I would never be mad with you." Thor wanted nothing more than Loki to be happy.

"Thor, I'm helping Loki to work through his problems and I encourage you to help. There are a few things you should be wary of though." Bruce said, knowing Thor would be onboard with his plans.

"I'm listening." Thor was going to make sure he could help as best as he could.

"Okay. I would like you to try not to constantly watch over Loki at meal times. If you make him uncomfortable he won't eat anything. Also, try not to push things too much. If he has eaten a small amount or tells you he is full, don't ask him to eat any more. It'll make him more likely to throw up again."

Thor nodded. "I can manage that. I only wish for Loki to be well again."

"Thank you, brother." Loki smiled at Thor warmly.

After hearing the conversation come to an end Valkyrie decided to head back to her own chambers and write some of this information down so she could form a plan. She had many ideas for her revenge and she was going to make sure that she could do as many of them as possible. Hopefully, she thought, it would be easy to emotionally blackmail him into silence.

"We should get back to my room now, I have some new ideas on what can be used to help get a transmission signal." Bruce said as he stood up from the small table.

As Bruce and Loki walked back down a corridor to Bruce's room, Bruce noticed Loki had stopped. He turned around to face him and noticed him take something small out of his pocket. "Loki?" He asked confused

"I would like you to keep this with you. It's a teleportation device I took from the Grandmaster." Loki held out a small device with two buttons on it.

"Why do I need this?" Bruce took the small device from Loki and held it carefully.

"I have the other side to it. When I press the button on my end it will give your side a signal and you can push the button on yours and get teleported to me. It works the other way around as well. I would like you to keep it so if I ever need you urgently you can come. I will probably use it most if I am panicking and can't calm down." Loki said the last bit quieter than the rest, but Bruce understood.

"Of course. I'll make sure I have it everywhere. Don't be afraid to call me at night if you need to either. I'll still come." Bruce smiled and took another look at the small device.

"Thank you. I cannot count how many times I have been panicking so badly I have passed out."

Bruce smiled sadly as he put the device into his pocket. They made their way back to Bruce's room.