Avengers 1. Ants

**Hello, followers and other readers! It's Rudolphsd. For those of you who are anxiously waiting about my other fic, "White as Snow," sorry. I kind of have dedication issues. However, if even one person requests I move on with it, I shall.**

**Anyway, this idea popped into my head after reading a lot of Avengers fanfiction. I saw a FrostIron high school AU, along with a Clintasha one. I didn't care for these however because a) they were romance centric, and b) they had no magic. I decided to write a series (maybe just one) of connected one-shots (maybe longer) about The Avengers (plus Loki, as an Avenger) in high school. They have to defend the planet, plus stay undercover in a high school environment with drama and homework! Please enjoy, and review if you feel like it. I won't waste my energy begging you to review.**

**And by the way, this will be Loki-centric, with plenty of brotherly friendship between him and Thor. They make a great team.**

Loki hated high school.

He hated the homework, the teachers, and the dullness of it all! The worst part, it was his fault he was stuck down here in Midgard with Thor in the first place; not that he'll ever admit that.

It all started, as most things do, because Loki was bored…

…

Thor had been sparring with the Warriors Three and Sif (so they were more like the Warriors Four, Five with Thor), and they had taken an early lunch break. Loki was relieved, because the sun was burning down on him in an unnatural manner. Even Heimdall did not get hot in this weather with his dark skin and his ridiculous armor. Not that he would be caught complaining about it. Sometimes Loki thought he was an automan.

Anyway, the five warriors were laughing and chatting as usual, when the subject of the queer Midgardians came up.

"They're weak. I could slay them all with this if I wanted to!" Thor held up the piece of meat he was eating. Sif and Fandral exchanged glances. Voltstagg was still eating, stuffing his face as usual.

"If that were so, another realm will more impulsive battle-craving warriors than you would have done it long ago," Sif replied.

"Nonsense! They're puny."

Although Loki disagreed with Thor in real life in this instance, he pretended to agree, nodding his head, if only to gain popularity from his older brother.

"See! Even Loki agrees, and he's always got his head stuck in a book."

"It's called literacy, Thor," Loki countered while rolling his eyes.

"Nonsense! All of us can read, and we don't, right guys?"

"Anyway," Sif said, going back to the subject at hand, "my point is still valid."

Hogun nodded in agreement, not saying anything, like usual.

"Midgardians are ants. I can prove it," Loki argued, grin on his face. This would be fun, practicing his new illusion trick. "Want to see?"

As much as he loathed to go outside, that was where the anthill was, so that's where he and Thor would go. The others were still eating. When they got to the anthill, Loki concentrated, and the anthill with ants became a depiction of a Midgardian building with little humans crawling around. They both crouched, entranced for a second, until Loki had an idea. He drew his dagger that he had been using to spar earlier, and slanted it so the sun focused on it, and put it on the nearest ant-human. Slowly, the projection started smoldering, and soon turned into a small pile of grey ash. They both watched intently as Loki tried again, not noticing the All-Father approaching them.

"BOYS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Father!" Loki looked up, startled. He cursed himself for not hearing him coming. "We were just playing…"

"You were killing!"

"Father," Thor injected, "they were only ants."

Odin pointed at the Midgard illusion, which Loki had not dissolved yet. "Even if they weren't in the guise of major citizens of a major realm, you are harming innocent creatures. Do you two actively seek death?"

Thor didn't really get the point. "They're just ants! They're tiny and bothersome. The kitchens might thank us."

"What next? Will humans be bothersome by existing?" Loki opened his mouth to try to say something, but Odin cut him off. "Not now Loki. I fear you two lack empathy and respect for anything other than yourselves. That would be disastrous in a king." Loki sighed in his head. Everything was about prepping them for kingship. As much as being king sounded great to Loki, couldn't he just be a child?

Odin was still lecturing: "Your mother and I have been talking, and we think you guys need some experience with other realms. It now seems that shipping you off to Midgard, or Earth, is the perfect place. The sooner the better. Heck, why not tomorrow"

Thor and Loki both snapped their heads up. Was he seriously going to make them go to Midgard, to live? Tomorrow? For how long? For someone who did everything for a reason, this seemed rather impulsive to Loki. He looked at Thor, whose jaw was gaping comically. He would tease Thor about it normally, but he felt like doing the same. How could a bit of fun turn into banishment?

"You guys may as well start packing."

…

Thor was furious. Loki did not have to know his brother very well to know that. As soon as Odin had left, the clouds had darkened the once-bright sky to the point of heavy rain. When Loki was packing his favorite spell books, he heard a crash next door. Dashing through the secret passageway between some tapestries, Loki soon arrived next door to Thor's bedchamber, where the noise came from.

One of Thor's bedside tables was in splinters. After repairing it with some chanting, Loki rolled his eyes at Thor. "That was mahogany*. Show some respect."

"How can I show respect? We're practically banished, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Ouch. Loki looked up in despair. Thor sobered immediately. "I'm sorry, Brother."

"It's okay," Loki replied. "It is anyway," he whispered to himself.

* Forgive me, I had to


	2. Welcome

"Welcome to New York High."

Loki turned and faced the girl behind him who had spoken. She had short red hair and a cool look in her eyes. "I'm Natasha. You're new here. Where are you from?" He had a distinct feeling that was more of an information-gathering than legitimate curiosity.

"Far away."

"That's obvious, based on your accent. Where is 'far away?'"

Loki grinned. "A long way away."

Just then, the bell rang, and the teacher looked up. Loki did as well, judging the place. It was a very large class, with at least twenty students in it. Loki and Thor sat in the back, trying to avoid attention, but they were magnets to it. Thor wanted to be his loud boisterous, and annoying self, but Loki convinced Thor that it would be easier to blend in. "We are here to observe, Thor. Do not speak unless spoken to. This is another planet, so our culture is very different. Try not to make it more blatantly obvious than it already is. Do you want to get in trouble with an 'inferior race' and start an intergalactic instance that this world isn't ready for?" Thor opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Loki. "No? Good. Then keep your mouth shut."

"Yes, brother."

Now, they both cautiously looked around the room, observing every detail in every person. The redhead from before, Natasha, seemed to be able to observe Loki and look at the teacher at the same time. Two girls, one with longish, straight, brown hair and the other with curly black hair and glasses, were staring at Thor. Some of the girls and one guy were also checking out Loki in a similar manner, but he ignored them. The teacher cleared his throat to get the class's attention.

"Good morning." He had an odd accent, little hair, glasses, and a short beard. "If you look at the board, you'll see that today we'll be beginning our mythology unit. Please open your World Mythology books to page 23, the Greek. Read this chapter, then we will go on to discuss it." Mr. Yinsen, as the board said, then began to do the same, most likely thinking of discussion topics. Loki opened his book and dove into the Migardian history, which was pretty funny. Siblings marrying each other? Gods screwing with beasts? There were all sorts of laughable ideas, but his favorites were about fools like Kronos and Oedipus trying to avoid their fate. _"If I were aware of such fates,"_ Loki thought,_ "I would do things smarter than this to avoid it."_

After that thought, he suddenly couldn't concentrate on the book. It wasn't Loki's fault; some girls were pointing and giggling at him and Thor, but mainly him. "Would you please keep quiet?" he whispered politely, "I'm trying to read." He noticed they were mainly blondes, and not the black and brown haired duo he saw whispering before class.

"Make us," one sneered at him, quiet enough so Mr. Yinsen didn't hear. He was quite absorbed in his task, after all.

_"Fine,"_ he thought, _"I will make you."_

He could have shut their lips together with a spell, but that would be way to obvious. Instead, he waited to exact his revenge.

…

"Ashley, would you share your opinion on this question?"

"Certainly." She flashed the teacher a grin, popped and popped a fresh piece of gum in her mouth. She did seem to love gum.

_"Any second now…"_

Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't. Every time she tried, soap bubbles came out of her like a machine. The whole class cracked up. She blushed a furious red, trying to pry it out of her mouth. The class laughed harder.

Loki just hid a grin and slipped some bubbles back into his pocket. Thor spotted him and grinned.

"Oh, brother."

"What?" Loki looked up with a faux innocent expression on his face. "She wasn't being quiet. She did ask me to make her shut up…" They both chuckled.

…

Three periods later, Loki was glad he packed an extra pair of clothes with him. However, he wasn't glad that he had to run a mile clothed in black in the hot sun. He soon fell behind Thor and the other children, and soon found himself side-by-side with a child his own age and size.

He was small and slight, with curly hair and glasses. His eyes were a dark brown, but they held a light mirth in them. Loki recognized this child as a classmate from his first class. He had sat very far away, so he didn't stick out to Loki.

_"It doesn't matter. Just survive." _

"Another mile-hater? Welcome to the club. My name's Bruce." It was the boy.

Loki blushed. He didn't notice he was speaking out loud. Trying to change the subject, he stated, "It's embarrassing to be beaten by a girl." He gestured to Natasha, who wasn't tired-looking at all, although she was only half a lap in front of them. Personally, he disagreed. An Asgardian had to if they were in any proximity to Sif. However, Midgardians were a sexist race, and he wanted to blend in.

"Nah," Bruce said, "there's no shame in being beaten by her. She's a special case." Loki looked confused, so Bruce continued. "I hang out with her in our group. We call ourselves the Avengers. Inside joke. Anyway, it contains, Natasha, Tony, Clint, Steve, and myself." He pointed out the members, who were all in the class, running at their own pace.

Tony had short, dark hair that was slightly mussed. He was gaining good time, despite having dark circles under his eyes. Clint also had dark hair, but his defining features included his short, muscular frame and his hawkish nose. Steve was blonde, tall, and muscular, but not as muscular as Thor, who he happened to be racing with a grin on his face. They were neck and neck, but Loki turned to Bruce before looking at the outcome. Perhaps humans weren't all idiots.

…

"Pleease Loki?"

"No matter how long you hold the 'e' sound, I'm not staying with you, Thor. I want to go explore."

"But you said we would eat lunch together!"

"Yes, I did, and we did."

"It took you five seconds!"

"I am the fastest eater in the nine realms. I'm not even going to leave the school."

"Fine," Thor grumbled. "Be careful, Brother."

And Loki was. Right before he ran straight into trouble.

**How's you guys like chapter 2? By the way, Loki being a fast eater is actually stated in the comics. It's not just a convenient plot feed. Sorry about the abrupt ending, by the way. **


	3. Rain

This time, it wasn't Loki's fault.

After leaving his brother to his slow eating, he meandered around the school, looking for anything odd in particular. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular, just observing the school on an alien planet. He was looking at a gap between buildings (maybe good for reading, hiding from Thor, or practicing magic), when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, and ended up surrounded by a pack of female humans.

"Hey, runt."

"_Crap._" But Loki just smiled, giving off not a trace of fear.

"You think it's funny? We're not here for a tea party, weirdo. You need to be taught a lesson." And she punched him in the face.

It was a good left hook. Loki could swear he felt his teeth rattle. Shaking his head, he took a fighting stance. He was from Asgard; he had been battle-trained since he could walk. However, he wasn't very heavy, and he had always used magic when it came to punches. He could feel it, pushing to escape, to help him, but Loki knew that would be a death sentence. They had to bend in, regardless of the cost. Even if it meant being pinned to a wall and beaten up by a pack of teenage females.

The group surrounded him. The pack leader, whom he had pranked, nodded to a big girl Heimdall's coloring. He might stand a chance against the make-up lovers, but she was a trainer fighter, and one of the leader's friends, based on her place at the classroom table. All he could do was curl up in a ball, repressing his magic, until they got bored. Unfortunately, it only got worse. The weaklings gathered up their courage and started kicking him, and those high heels _hurt_. He wanted to appeal to their morality, but he was being knocked around too much for it to be safe to put his silver tongue to use. Plus, he was focusing on the final steps of bottling up his magic, keeping it from knocking every one of those Midgardians down on their arses.

"STOP!" Loki tuned and saw an imposing figure at the opening of the buildings' gap. It was Thor. Loki relaxed with relief, but tensed in fear a second later.

_"What part of 'blend in' do you not understand? If you start showing off with the rain, and the th- too late." _Thor had taken a step towards the pack, who backed off except for the fighting girl. Immediately, the sky turned dark with clouds, despite the fact that there were none in the sky minutes ago. Soon, even rain started teasing the ground, dropping at a slow, uneven pace. That changed, and it was pouring moments after that. Enough was enough, and the few females who wanted to stick around to watch the fight fled to seek shelter from the oncoming downpour, for there were no awnings on the buildings that made up the gap.

Loki ducked in the corner, pretending to try to shield himself from the rain. If he acted like he was being rained on, maybe the fighter female wouldn't realize that he actually wasn't. It was part of Thor's Asgardian power to prevent his rain from touching his allies.

The girl got into a fighting stance, but before she could even give a punch, she was knocked down by Thor's brute strength. She looked up, and noticed that his clothes weren't wet. Now her fear showed, and she fled the gap, never looking back.

Thor offered a hand to Loki, who accepted it before shoving Thor with the little strength he had left.

"You idiot! What part of blend in do you not understand? Is it the part when you're not allowed to show off? There have been no clouds in the sky all week, Thor! You probably just freaked out the whole city. And if that wasn't enough, you had to get your powers spotted by a Midgardian! You might as well walk in a classroom with Mjonir and a big sign that says 'I'm not human.' You have to learn to think before you act!"

"I'm sorry brother, but you were getting hurt! What was I supposed to do, just watch?"

"Maybe! Or you could just keep a lid on it! Was the rain really necessary? You have to learn to sacrifice things for the greater good. Better me being beaten up once then having us dissected or discovered on this god dammed planet!" Loki exhaled, closing his eyes, and calming himself down. "Come on, we have to get to class."

"No brother. I'm taking you home and cleaning you up if I have to carry you."

Loki sighed. Thor needed some better threats. "Fine, let's go home." They turned around and walked smack into Bruce.

The child was carrying a slip of paper, possibly a pass. The thing that concerned Loki was his proximity to the gap; there was no way this was his route to the bathroom or anywhere; this was the corner of the school. However, all Loki could do was glare at Bruce as they walked away. He should have been worried on how much he had heard, but all he could care about was getting some sleep. Something about being beat up that takes it out of you.

Sensing his brother's discomfort, Thor struck up a conversation. "When you were gone at lunch, I met these two humans. Remember the ones giggling at us at first period?"

…

The next morning, Loki was greeted by Mr. Yensin with a two passes to Mr. Fury's office. Mr. Fury was the principal, and had helped Thor and Loki get settled in on their first day of school. Loki's neck hairs went perpendicular when he saw him. There was something wrong with that man, and not just the eye patch.

"It says here that it's an urgent matter. Shame, we're starting Egyptian mythology today, and that's always fun," the teacher sighed.

As they wandered to the main building, Loki briefed Thor in an undertone. "Just keep your mouth shut. I'll do the talking, and we'll get out of this just fine. Remember, though, do not speak."

As they walked into the office, they were acknowledged by Ms. Hill, the vice principal. She seemed normal enough, except for her searching gaze on the boys when she thought no one was watching. "Mr. Fury will see you now," she remarked.

The principal's office was tiny, only having a desk with what Loki recognized to be a computer and a bookcase filled with files. Besides the one behind the desk, there were two hard chairs in front of the desk, evenly spaced apart. It felt like more of an interrogation, especially when Mr. Fury started speaking.

"Misters Odinsons, could you explain why it started pouring rain out of nowhere after a vicious dry spell?"

Loki put on his best innocent face and replied smoothly, "Why are you asking us? We weren't the only people outside when the storm hit."

"That may be true but-" Principal Fury stopped talking when his fist landed on Loki's face. Loki's magic shoved back without warning, causing the man to go flying into the wall with an impressive crash. Another crash sounded when Ms. Hill shoved open the door with a gun in her hand. She tried to pin Loki but was caught by surprise when Thor knocked the gun out of her hands.

With resilience too high to be normal for a vice principal, Ms. Hill caught the gun and pointed it in Thor's face.

"Well," Fury groaned, "I guess both of the cats are out of the bag."

Loki hung his head in shame. They had been caught.


	4. SHIELD

**Hullo, dear readers. I now have 12 followers, and REVIEWS! I am so happy! I'm sorry about not responding to them. **

**Two of you guys see Loki and Natasha becoming a couple. Sorry, but I'm going to pass for two reasons: 1) It's not canon, 2) Natasha's going to be with someone else. However, they will become very good friends. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside that people are actually reading my stuff. For those of you who wanted Loki and Natasha together, I'm sorry. Please don't unfollow this story though, and keep reviewing! I can see why authors beg for reviews…**

**On that note, here comes the rest of the story.**

"This is not a regular high school. Is it Mr. Fury?" Thor, ever the obvious one.

"You are correct, Mr. Odinson," Mr. Fury replied, "And please, just call me Fury, just like you should call Ms. Hill 'Hill' and your PE teacher 'Coulson.' They'll respond better to that."

Hill still had her gun trained on Thor, so Loki cleared his throat. Noticing him, Fury nodded toward the boys. "Lower your weapon, Agent Hill."

"Agent?"

"Yes," Fury stood up into what Loki thought was probably his lecture mode. "Agent Hill, just like your coach Agent Coulson, is part of the American government in a program called SHIELD. That stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. I run that program, and help protect the world from threats unperceived by many of the public, including most of the American government itself."

"That's cool," Loki interrupted, "but what does that have to do with us?"

Fury gave him a death glare that would probably scare the puny Midgardians, but Loki just looked back, unafraid. "I was about to get to that. You've met Bruce Banner and Natasha, correct?" He gestured to Thor as he continued, "And you've met Steve Rodgers, Clint Barton, and Tony Stark?" The boys nodded. "They are all also heavily involved with SHIELD, Clint and Natasha being full agents. Every single one of those children in The Avengers, as they like to call themselves, is extraordinary in some unique way. Since they are all the same age, we decided to move in to this high school, and take over. We can monitor their behavior and activities, and they can have as close to a normal high school experience and education as possible. Also, being in the middle of downtown, it is a good place to keep an eye on the rest of the city. "

"Cool story," Loki interrupted again, "but why should we care?"

Fury completely ignored him this time, and continued on with his lecture. "I got reports at the end of lunch time yesterday, claiming that there were storm clouds forming around the school on a crystal clear day. Further reports of a fight going on and two boys not being touched by the rain drew in our suspicions." Here he stopped, and looked the boys straight in the eyes. "We always knew there were other worlds out there. We never thought that other races would come and attend our school."

Loki finally figured out his game. "You want us to join the Avengers."

Fury's reply was finally short, "Yup."

Thor spoke up first after a silence lasting about a minute. "Sure, I guess."

Loki whipped his head and faced his brother, practically gaping. "You want to become involved with Midgardians?"

"Why not? They're the only ones who will provide a good fight."

Loki looked up and smiled, "Just a moment." Muttering under his breath, he produced a shield of sound around him and Thor. "That's all you care about? Having someone to spar with?" He covered his mouth so the humans couldn't read his lips. "These people are dangerous Thor. All we need is to blend in and grit our teeth until Odin recalls us from this over exaggerated punishment. There is nothing to gain from putting our entire existence at risk. Your existence, Brother. It will be harder to protect you if you mingle with possibly dangerous risks."

Thor started talking as soon as Loki stopped. "Look around Loki. Isn't this what you wanted to have? You can fight, and be considered an equal. Here, your tricks won't be called tricks, they'll be admired. None of the people in this realm have seen what you have before. You'll make a name of yourself, in a good way, and not because you're the Prince of Asgard. You can be happy.

"And even if you foolishly think this isn't what you want, I'm joining these people anyway. If you want to protect me, you'll have to join me." Loki had to give Thor some credit; he wasn't an oaf all of the time with words. Perhaps he was leaning from Loki.

"Fine." He took down the wall of silence and rubbed his temples as Thor nodded vigorously at the tall man.

Fury didn't miss a beat. "Go to this address after school. There you'll meet your teammates and get settled into your new home."

Loki snapped to attention. "New home? We'll need to get our stuff from our old lodgings."

"That won't be a problem. Some agents will pick up your stuff."

"That will be a problem. I'll get my stuff."

"We won't touch your stuff. "

"Of course you won't. Because you're smart. Now, what's the address?"

He handed them a card that said the following:

_Stark Tower_

_200 Park Avenue_

_New York, NY_

...

Bags on their backs, the brothers looked up at the building in front of them. They circled the block for a while, looking around at the humans around them. Finally, the Asgardians entered the building.

"Welcome to Stark Tower," a man greeted as they entered the lobby. "Mr. Stark is waiting for you on floor 50. Please take the elevator to my left and insert these key cards into the slot."

They were impressed by the technology, Loki hiding his emotions. They were especially startled when a voice came over the speakers, seeming to come from nowhere. "Hello. I am JARVIS, an artificial intelligence, or AI, built by Tony Stark. Misters Odinsons, your rooms will be on floors 43 and 44, connected two floor suites. Your bedrooms are soundproof and are fully furnished along with the rest of your rooms. Please talk to Mr. Stark for arrangements on the color of your walls and any additional personalization you wish to have. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Before either could comment, the doors opened. As the boys stepped out, they spotted Tony, who was looking out the large glass wall into the city. He heard them approach and turned around.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, and welcome to the team."

**Remember how I said that this was going to be a series of one-shots? It's not. Thanks for reading this. Review if you want, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. **


	5. Intro

Loki opened his bag. Inside, his books were perfectly alright, besides being knocked around from travel. He took one out, and began reading it right away. It was a new book he had found in the library, hidden behind bookshelves. Whether the librarian was discouraging magic or another person hid it for himself, Loki knew better than to ask. He was excited about this book, because it would explain hand gestures over chanting to produce spells. Loki wanted to master speaking spells before he started hand gestures. It would be nice to know both, and hand gestures were a lot simpler, although they were easier to mess up.

He plopped down on his new couch and propped his feet up, not bothering to take off his boots. A servant would probably clean it if it got too dirty. Or maid, whatever. He was reading for a few hours when JARVIS interrupted his studies. "Mr. Stark would like you to go to floor 50 again to meet the rest of the team."

Loki sighed. He didn't want to interrupt his mind work, but it would be worse to piss off the genius. Reluctantly, he got off the couch, grabbed his book, and made his way to the elevator.

The 50th floor was most likely the messiest in the building because no staff was allowed. It was a mixture between a lounge with a kitchen and a meeting room with screens and other computer equipment everywhere. The Avengers were all lounging in ridiculously colored bean bag chairs surrounding a short, glass table. There were seven mugs, each with their own symbol on it. Clint and Natasha were sharing a bean bag and sipping from black mugs. On closer inspection, Natasha's had a red hourglass painted on it. Steve was sitting up straight in his chair, holding a white mug with a colorful shield painted on it. Bruce was writing furiously on a dark green clipboard, his dark green mug forgotten. Tony's seemed to have a red and gold mask on his mug, and was chugging it deeply. There were two white mugs on the table, unadorned but filled with a hot, dark brown liquid.

Loki raised his eyebrows. What was this stuff? He repeated the question out loud as Thor took a deep drink of it, before Loki could stop him.

Tony laughed. "That's coffee."

Thor nodded, and proceeded to throw his cup on the floor.

Loki reached out to grab it, but it was to far away and it smashed on the ground, shards flying all over the ground. With a sigh and a hand gesture, all of the pieces came flying back into Loki's hand, fully repaired.

The Avengers looked at the brothers in shock. If they weren't shocked by Thor's behavior, they were by Loki's magic. Loki however, just rolled his eyes, replaced both of their mugs on the table, and chided his brother. "Thor, I don't think that's acceptable behavior on Midgard."

"But I liked it!"

"They don't know that. So," he turned to the humans, "how's this going to work? Should we introduce ourselves first, or will you guys start?"

Bruce spoke up. "I'll start, I guess. I'm Bruce Banner, I'm a freshman, and I turn into a giant green monster when I get too angry."

Loki and Thor were shocked at his blatant speech and the fact that he could turn into a 'giant green monster,' but Steve picked up the speech before either could comment.

"I'm Steve Rogers, I'm in my sophomore year in high school, and I was injected with a chemical mixture that made me strong and tall. I also have a shield made of bullet-proof Vibranium."

Natasha spoke up next. "Hi, I'm Natasha."

Clint interrupted her in a drawn out monotonous voice, "Hi, Natasha…"

She pushed him off the beanbag chair and continued like nothing happened. "I'm a freshman."

Clint felt the need to continue for her. "Her skill is seducing and tricking information out of stupid people."

"Like you," she muttered.

"Hey! Anyway, I'm Clint, and I'm a senior. I have amazing archery skills, so, yeah…" He stared at Tony like he was expecting something from him.

"What?" Tony shot at everybody. "Fine. I'm Tony Stark, a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. I'm also a junior. I have a badass iron suit that can fly. Beat that.

'Oh yeah! Also, we all have code names we use in combat." He pointed around the circle. "There's the Hulk, Captain America aka Cap aka Capsicle, the Black Widow, Hawkeye aka Legolas," here Clint rolled his eyes, "and me, Iron Man."

The Asgardian brothers were overwhelmed by the information. Loki was still suspicious of everybody, but he felt he could introduce them without giving too much away; better than Thor, anyway. "I'm Loki and this is my brother Thor. We're, um, not from around here. Thor wields a hammer named Milojnir which only he can lift, and I throw knives."

Natasha spoke up. "How did you unshatter Thor's mug? Was that magic?" She asked it in way that looked like she was afraid of the answer.

Thor spoke up. It was very unusual for him to stay silent for such a long time. "Yes. Loki is the most powerful sorcerer in the nine realms. Back at home-"

Loki shut him up with a silence spell. Thor kept talking and didn't notice that no one could hear him "Now that introductions are out of the way," Loki interrupted, "now what?"

Bruce shrugged. "Well, you could work on the homework and classwork you guys missed when you met with Fury."

"We had homework?"

**I hate this chapter. It's boring, awkward filler, and Clint is really out of character. In my own defense however, this is before they're the age they are in the movies, and Clint hasn't calmed down yet…**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! **


	6. Nightmare

That night, Loki had a nightmare.

It started off as a horrible night before he was finally able to go to bed. Loki also felt bad for Bruce and Thor, but Bruce was used to functioning without getting much sleep, and Thor fell asleep on the table when Bruce was teaching them math. Although Loki and Thor had learned basic things, they did not get the concept of algebra. Unfortunately for them, Loki and Thor were in algebra 2.

Bruce suggested that they switch classes, but neither boy's pride would allow that, and Bruce was kind enough to tutor them. After finally finishing the forty problems they were assigned, Bruce revealed that they also had physics homework and a test the next day. Again, Bruce helped Loki (they had given up on waking Thor) with physics, for Bruce was a physics and math whiz. He explained that his father had taught his this stuff when he was six, before the 'accident,' as Bruce called it. Loki didn't pry further.

Physics was a nightmare for Loki because not only did they have to use multiple algebraic equations, there were terms and rules Loki had never heard of. What was velocity? Was it different from speed? Why couldn't he just use magic? Why would you need to know how fast something was falling? Bruce patiently answered all of these questions, although the magic one shocked him a bit. Neither of the Asgardians had (successfully, in Thor's case) told the Avengers where they were from or any other details on their lives, so Loki just redirected the questions Bruce shot back. To be honest, that question was rhetorical.

Luckily, there were only five physics problems, and Bruce assured him that since he mastered them, he would be fine for the test tomorrow. Wearily, Loki wished the human a good night, and trudged to his new room. He left Thor where he was, because he was too tired to attempt the impossible task of waking him up.

Loki fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but it felt like the nightmare did too.

In his dream, Loki was falling. That wasn't the scary part. The scary part was that it was dark. Totally dark. And silent. The only thing that was happening was the feeling of falling, and Loki couldn't even feel the wind in his ears. He could feel his sanity start to slip away, and he was scared. He tried looking down, and actually found his body. That was the worse part. Because on his arms, and slowly spreading to the rest of his body, were the cerulean markings of a Frost Giant.

…

Loki sat up awake, gasping and clawing his arms, which were Loki's normal skin color. He looked around. He was still in his bedroom, where Earth's moon shone through a window somewhere. Relieved that it was only a nightmare, Loki went to sleep again.

Only to have the exact same nightmare.

When Loki awoke this time, he checked the clock on the table beside him. Only twenty minutes had passed since he awoke the first time. Realizing that he would get no sleep, Loki dragged himself out of bed and got dressed in another tunic he had packed. He grabbed his knives and a magic book, and shuffled into his living room. There, he looked through his book until he found a picture he found: a Jotun. Casting an illusion in front of him, Loki drew one of his knives, waked back to the other side of the room, and chucked it.

All night while he practiced, feet getting cold from the lack of movement, magic being depleted from the times he called his knives back to him, he chanted to himself, "_I am not a Frost Giant. It was just a nightmare_," over and over again until the sun rose and the wall behind the illusion had countless holes in it. Feeling satisfied, he left his room to pack his bag for school.

Loki was the last one at the kitchen table, where the others were all eating. When Natasha looked up to greet him, she did a double take.

"Holy shit! Loki, you're a mess!"

This of course, drove everybody else to look up from his or her eggs and toast to study him. After glaring daggers into Natasha, he replied, "I'm fine. Just a long night of studying, that's all."

He smiled at Thor, who looked increasingly concerned at his brother's state. "_Leave it alone, brother,_" he thought angrily, "_I can take care of myself._"

However, Loki could not take care of his horrible day at school. All day, he dragged himself to the next class, where every second was a struggle to stay awake. Not because he cared about listening, but because he was afraid the nightmare would plague him. He couldn't use magic because he had used it all up the night before.

He managed to fall asleep at the lunch table with the Avengers, the sandwich given to his by Stark's chef in his stomach. Perhaps his tablemates were impressed by the speed it was consumed, but Loki was too foggy to remember. One moment he was sitting at the table with his head down, and the next he was falling in darkness again.

When Loki awoke this time, everybody had their eyes on him in stunned silence. Stark broke it.

"So, why were your arms blue?"

Loki snapped his head up, horror creeping into his features. Although Thor tried to hide it, he was confused and scared as well.

"Are you okay, brother?"

"_My illusion magic must be acting up. That's is. I'm not a Jotun_."

"Loki?" Even Clint was concerned, and he barley met him.

"I'm fine. My magic must be acting up in my sleep or something."

Thor looked doubtful, but let the topic slide as Steve asked, "So, you can do magic?"

Loki was relieved that the subject had been changed. "Yeah. Thor can do some subconsciously, but it's mainly because of his connection to Mijolnir. I can consciously put on illusions. Like this." He flipped his hand twice, and the material the sandwich was wrapped in turned into a green snake. It slithered around the table until Loki waved his hand and it disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Please don't do that again," Clint asked.

"He was poisoned by a snake once," Natasha whispered.

"That was so cool!" Tony practically cried out. "Do that again!"

"Sorry guys. Not now."

"Pleease?"

"Tony!" Bruce cut in, "can't you see that he's exhausted? He probably had a nightmare…"

As much as Loki hated his weaknesses being pointed out like that, Bruce was right. He was too tired to do anything. Even though he feared the nightmare, his eyes were drifting shut.

"It's okay, brother," Thor murmured. "Just sleep."

And he did for the rest of the hour, without a single dream.

**Yup, two chapters in one day. I post them as soon as I write them, so I don't have a bunch of them stored away just to torture you guys. I'm going to be answering some of the questions reviewers have here:**

**Sagitarizzie: Thank you for reviewing so often! And wait until they study Norse mythology...**

**Lovesbugsalot: I like your username. And thanks! I really try to be a good writer.**

**AngelofMischief: To answer your question, I would have to spoil a lot of things in the plot I don't want to, but please keep reading. I think you'll like the story, even if some parts worry you. Just keep that in mind.**

**This might not be a linear plot, so I apologize if that bores some of you. If you want to say anything about this story, please review!**


	7. Myths

**I think this chapter's mainly going to be filler, but next chapter should be fun, and the one after that should be really fun. Please bear with me on this one, though.**

"So, Loki, I never told you about Jane." The Asgardians were walking to their first class. Loki still had the same nightmare, so he didn't sleep, but Tony had shown him that coffee helped one stay awake. With a mix of something he found in the cabinet called '5 hour energy' and hot chocolate, coffee became a miracle drug to him.

"Who's Jane?" Loki looked sideways at his brother, having a foggy memory.

"Remember on the first day of school? The pair of girls who were giggling at us?"

"Almost all of the girls were giggling, brother. You have to be more specific."

"I don't have to be," Thor commented with a gesture, "they're right here."

Jane and another female with curly black hair were waiting by the door, staring at the boys. Loki remembered the pair was off to the side that day, and not with the clique that Thor had scared off.

"Jane Foster, Darcy, meet my brother Loki."

"Dang," Darcy commented, "you're brother is just as hot as you are."

"Actually, I prefer colder temperatures than he does. It is just one of our many differences." Loki knew he was being a little rude, but he didn't care. He was only polite if he respected or feared someone, or anyone on Asgard. A prince had to be polite.

The girl Jane giggled, "Loki, she tried to complement you. It means you're attractive." Thor made a face.

Loki stepped inside, sitting down and taking out his mythology book. The bell would ring any second and he would be relived of social interaction. When it did, Mr. Yensin came to life immediately with a smile wide on his face.

"Today we will begin Norse mythology. I'm especially excited because-" he looked Thor and Loki in the eyes, "you'll see. Begin by reading page 203."

Loki began reading at once. It was clear that Mr. Yensin thought that the two boys would find the passage extremely interesting. He remembered what Odin had told them long ago, in one of their only trips to the Weapons Vault: _…we have fallen into man's myth and legend…_ Perhaps it would mention the war between the Frost Giants and the Asgardians on Midgard. It would be interesting to see the humans' perspective on things.

However, what he read shocked Loki to the core. The first myth on the chapter recounted an apocalypse. During Ragnarok, (according to the book) the moon and sun would be swallowed, the gods would die, and Yggdrasil would burn. The worst part were the descriptions of a 'Loki'. Although the legend wasn't the brother of Thor and the son of Odin, his personality was eerily similar to his own. He was the adoptive brother of Odin and a Frost Giant.

After reading those words over and over, he looked over at Thor. Thankfully, that oaf wasn't reading, and instead trying to catch Jane's attention. However, Bruce and Natasha were neck deep into the book, seemingly comprehending every word.

"_It's not true_," he thought to himself, "_these myths are already laughably inaccurate. There's nothing I can do but keep reading_."

He did, but it got even worse. According to myth, after killing Thor's brother Baldr (it was understandable, he really did sound like a prat), he was chased to the ends of the earth. Being perused by all the gods for years, Thor finally caught him. Loki kept reading, ignoring the horror that crept into his stomach. The other Loki was chained to a rock in punishment, letting deadly snake poison drip into his eyes for until Ragnarok. Then, he was supposed to be freed, and fight against the gods. The myth foretold that Loki and Heimdall would fight to the death, each mortally wounding each other. His end would come waiting in great pain, the last ambition being to watch the end of all life.

Loki felt nauseous. Was this his fate? To be painfully tortured, then to die in pain, betraying his brother? He closed the book and rested his head against the table. For the moment, he hated Mr. Yensin.

…

"So," Natasha asked, "are you guys really Asgardians? Are the rest of the myths true?"

"Yeah," Clint laughed, "I was wondering if you guys would ever find those myths. Is it true that-" Thor looked at him ready to ask the question, but Steve seemed to know the question and covered his mouth.

"That's not really an appropriate question, Clint. I don't want to know the answer, either."

Loki sat up. "Most of those myths are, as you Midgardians say, bullshit. The Norse Midgardians that wrote these myths lived about one thousand years ago. Thor and I were hardly born. We couldn't talk or walk, let alone _sleep with horses_." He added the last part while looking at Clint. Steve just sighed with relief.

"Wait," Bruce interjected, "you were 'just born' one thousand years ago?"

"Yes, we were. Asgardians live around five thousand years, in your time," Loki explained, "We age at a slow rate compared to you humans."

Stark arrived after during the following silence, a girl holding hands with him. She had strawberry blonde hair in a high ponytail and freckles.

"Hey guys! Oh, yeah," Tony gestured to the Asgardians, "you people have not met my girl. This is Pepper. Pepper, meet Point Break and Rock of Ages. Point Break and Rock of Ages, meet Pepper."

Steve rolled his eyes. Noting the boys' confusion, he explained, "Tony makes nicknames for everything, but a lot of the time only he and one other person gets the joke." He turned to Pepper, "Their real names are Thor and Loki."

"Like from Norse mythology," Pepper clarified.

Thor opened his mouth to explain further, but Loki whispered, "We should not tell more people our origins! Especially the female."

"Quiet, Loki. Know your place!" In a louder voice, he told Pepper, "Very much like the myths of the Norse, actually."

"They're from the 'realm' Asgard," Natasha continued, "And they're the new Avengers."

…

That night, everybody sleepily gathered around the meeting table on the 50th floor. Thor had asked JARVIS to wake everybody and meet for an emergency meeting. All sleepy and somewhat shocked that he could talk to JARVIS, the Avengers assembled around the table. Tony was the last to arrive, in Iron Man nightwear.

"It better be important, Point Break," he growled, "I was having the awesomest dream."

"It is urgent, Stark. The Casket of Ancient Winters was stolen from our vaults in Asgard, by Jotuns. And that's not the worst part: they're bringing it to Earth."


	8. Casket

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, but the holidays and the discovery of Doctor Who has blocked my progress. I might not update as often, sorry. Here's the chapter!**

"So," Steve began in his best captain voice, "what are Jotuns? Why did they steal this Casket? Why is it so bad that they're bringing it to Earth?"

"Long ago," Thor began, "the Jotuns, or Frost Giants, came to Midgard, what you guys call Earth. They sought to control it, to bring about another ice age for themselves, with the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters. However, our father, Odin Allfather, took troops to Mid-er Earth to defend it. Our armies drove to Frost Giants into the heart of Jotunheim, where Odin and Laufey, their king, fought. Although he won, Odin lost his right eye that day. He took the Casket, their source of power, from Jotunheim, and took it to Asgard. There it stood, safe, until yesterday.

'My father appeared in a dream to me, telling me that a small group of Jotuns slipped through our defenses, killed the guards in the vault, and took off. He fears that they will come to Earth and try to retake the planet, just as they tried before. However, he does not wish to spread panic or show weakness across the realms, so Asgard does not know. He wishes for me and my brother to take it from them before this happens."

Loki nodded, and left the room purposefully; ignoring the looks he got from the Avengers. There was something Thor wasn't telling him, and he could tell, so he turned into a hiding place he had found and stuck his ear to the wall. There, he could make out Thor's booming voice.

"Another thing. For some reason, Father does not want Loki to touch the Casket. Therefore, I need some others to help us fight. The fate of Earth could rely on this. Do any of you want to come?"

"We should fight with them," Steve agreed. "The world could end if we don't."

"Wait," Clint objected, "we need to ask Fury. We," he gestured to Natasha and himself, "only can take orders from him."

"Then ask," Tony said, "I'm going, and I bet Spangles is too. Bruce?"

The boy sounded very hesitant, "I'm not sure that's the best idea. I still can't control Him. The Other Guy might hurt one of you guys-"

"You'll be fine," Tony interrupted. "Here's Fury now…"

Loki had heard enough information to satisfy him. He went to his room to pack up his knives and suit up.

…

"So," Steve began as they looked down on the portal opening, "according to Thor, this is where the Frost Giants will appear. Bruce, Thor, and I will form a triangle around the portal, ready to intercept them. Natasha, Clint, and Loki will form an upside-down triangle around them, doing long range attacks. Stark, you have air support. Make sure none of the giants escape to cause chaos with humans. Got it?"

"Ummm…" Bruce stammered, "I'm more nervous than angry right now so I don't think that-"

Tony had slapped him in the face, with his metal suit on.

For a second, Bruce looked like the hurt child he was. Then his eyes turned green, and his muscles grew larger. Loki's eyes grew as well when in the span of thirty seconds, there was a large green monster standing outside the opening in the worlds. The beast roared as Steve yelled at Stark.

"What the hell was that for? You just unleashed the Hulk on us! If the giants come now, they won't even have to fight us! We're dead!"

"Relax, Cap." Tony looked up at the Hulk. "Sorry bout that, Jolly Green Giant. Just had to get you to suit up."

The Hulk roared in his face, but nonetheless took his position around the portal.

After ten minutes of alert silence, Loki sensed something. He could feel the connection around them activate as someone attempted to use them. "Guys!" he shouted, "I think they're coming!"

As soon as he said that, a Jotun came out of the portal. Based on his height and the fact he held the Casket, it looked like Laufey. For some reason, Loki was drawn to his markings. They were oddly fascinating, and he could study them all day if they weren't on his enemy.

The Hulk roared, tending his muscles and ripping up the last of Bruce's shirt. Taking that as a signal, the Avengers attacked as more Frost Giants poured out of the portal.

Thor was the most notable, a grin on his face as he smashed the brains in of Jotun after Jotun. He threw his hammer at Laufey and turned around to face his lieutenant in combat. When it missed Laufey, the hammer turned around and flew right into his waiting palm, where he grasped it and swung it at the lieutenant's head.

Clint was on a perch somewhere, firing arrow after arrow into the skulls of the aliens. Some arrows looked like they missed, but actually exploded, taking out a number of very surprised Jotun. However, one raised his hand, and a horde of ice arrows of his own pursued Clint, making him take cover for a while.

Natasha was probably the calmest of the group, aside from Clint. She carefully shot bullet after bullet at their heads, before they realized that these tiny projections were actually a threat. Then, they created ice shield that neutralized her bullets. Realizing that such pieces of lead couldn't effectively pierce their skin from her distance, she crept up and took random shots at random chinks in their leather armor. However, as she was retreating, one grabbed her arm, and she cried out.

"Cap! Thor! Hulk! Don't let them touch you!" However, with some fancy footwork, she still managed to defeat the creature.

Tony was having a better time with them. His thrusters melted any ice shields or weapons, but it was hard for him to aim at the Jotun, not hit his teammates, and fly at the same time. He seemed to manage, though his kill rate was rather low.

Steve did better than Loki expected, armed with a gun of his own and his trademark shield. He threw it and slapped it across faces, efficiently wiping out a good number of giants. Although, he seemed to knock them out instead of killing them.

The Hulk was ripping through the ranks, ignoring the scratches on his arms from the ice weapons the Frost Giants grew from their hands. Their icy touch seemed worthless as well. Laufey sent a blast of ice at him, but he smashed him into the ground.

Loki was keeping track of the Casket until he saw two giants racing toward him. Perhaps they thought he was the weak link in the plan. Either way, Loki grinned. He formed an illusion of himself and shrank back, watching as his illusion performed impossible moves, weaving in and out of the warrior's moves, waiting for one to strike the other. When that happened and the Frost Giant on the left fell to the ground, coughing up blood, into his mortal wound, he stepped out and let his illusion dissolve. It had served its purpose well, but Loki wanted to do more than throw knives at the occasional giant. He wanted to fight a little.

Drawing his combat dagger with a smile, Loki turned to his opponent. The Jotun smiled back before they slashed each other. The Jotun aimed for Loki's head, where he had been a moment earlier, and Loki aimed for the warrior's kneecap. Loki ripped out his knee, forcing the warrior on his knees. It was not a fatal one, but it would down him for the remainder of the battle. In fact, he may never recover.

With that thought, Loki crept away, but was grabbed by the arm by another Frost Giant. Surprised by the lack of pain, he looked at his arm and practically gasped. His arm was the same shade as the giants', and the hue was spreading to the rest of his body.

Quickly, Loki stabbed his attacker in the heart without mercy. Retreating into a corner, he grasped his chest and stared at his arm with a morbid curiosity, daring it to change back to blue.

"_Never mind. There isn't time for that_," Loki thought as he drew another throwing dagger. The battle was still raging, even if there was only Laufey standing, covering his brethren's retreat. Loki ran up to the giant and tried to get a hit in, looking for the Casket as well. He still held it as he did at the beginning of the battle. Loki drew his last throwing knife, exhaled, and launched it at the leader's hand, severing, causing him to drop the Casket.

Remembering Odin's warning, Thor stepped forward and caught it. Before Laufey could blink, the Hulk took the opportunity to knock him off balance, throwing him into the portal in which he came. With a couple words and hand movements, Loki closed the gap between the worlds.

"Wow," Tony deadpanned in his suit, "why didn't you do that in the first place, Loki?" Then he laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You are, Reindeer Games. Your helmet…"

Thor laughed along, but it seemed more endearing. "I agree, Metal Man. They look like cow horns."

"You're one to talk," Loki retorted, "Your helmet has feathers."

They all laughed, enjoying the team-ly moment as the Avengers left the scene, not bothering to clean up after the battle.

…

After a quick moment of celebrating, the team went to bed. After all, there was school the next day. Loki, however, was worried that his nightmare would return. After all, his arms changed colors like they did in the dream.

Instead, he took watch over the cube. He was sure that Laufey or a small group under his command would come to try to reclaim it. After all, it's what he would do. He set up a scrying spell on the storage room in which it sat and watched it for the night, waiting for the inevitable. Stark may have the best technology, but that would no match for determined Jotun. Besides, he could feel someone trying to make a door from the other side.

As expected, he saw movement on the cube's floor around midnight. Loki closed his eyes, gathering his magic to teleport him to the Casket of Ancient Winters. Quiet as a cat, he stalked up to the lone Frost Giant, who held up the Casket in triumph. However, a moment and a flash of steel later, his dead body was curled on the ground, the Casket falling. Loki caught it, and nearly threw up.

Again, the blue hue of a Jotun traveled up his body, but Loki let watched through the reflection of the Casket. When it reached his eyes, he almost dropped the cube. Because they were red, just like a Frost Giant's.

He heard the door open, and he turned to see Thor at the door of the storage chamber. Loki turned, fear coloring his features. Thor had raised his hammer to smite the intruder, but he dropped it.

"Brother," Thor whispered, "it's going to be okay."

"How can anything be okay?" Loki felt tears in his eyes. "I'm a monster."


	9. Identity

**Hey guys! I hope you guys liked that last chapter. Rioludoodle, thanks for the long review. You asked some great questions that I will answer. It's my fault for not addressing them in the first place.**

**To answer your question, Tony's Iron Man identity is not public. None of the Avengers are really public. Fury protects them from attention, or else the whole high school thing wouldn't really work. Tony had Iron Man PJs because he's an egotistical billionaire (hired a tailor?), so of course he wears a depiction of himself to bed (when he's not with Pepper ;P).**

**Anyway, here's the story.**

The silence was broken when the rest of the Avengers came bursting in the room.

Loki cringed. They had just spent most of the night killing Frost Giants with brisk efficiency and here Loki was, a Jotun himself.

There was more silence after that. Everyone could see the truth, but no one knew what to say. Meanwhile, Loki's mind was a blur.

"_I'm-I'm a-_"

"So, Loki…" Stark began. He stopped when Loki turned to face him, red eyes huge, pleading him not to joke. Tony took the message. He might throw a couple inappropriate jokes in inappropriate places, but everyone could see that Loki was balancing on the line of medical shock.

"What's your name?" Bruce asked. Everyone knew what it was, but he was just trying to see if he was in shock.*

"I'm Loki Odins- no, wait. I'm not the son of Odin. I'm the son of-" A memory flashed through his brain. His markings were too similar to… "Laufey."

This caused some looks exchanged between the other Avengers. Finally, Thor spoke up.

"What makes you think that? Not all Frost Giants are the sons of Laufey?"

Loki laughed. It was a shaky, kind of scary laugh.

It was the laugh of someone balancing on the edge of sanity, perhaps.

"You're an idiot, Thor. Anybody else with a brain can tell that my markings are similar to his. Too similar." He laughed again. "I guess this is what Fa-Odin meant when he said we were both born to be kings. What he didn't say is that I'm a monster."

"That's not true-" Thor began, but Loki cut him off.

"Of course it's true. You said it yourself that you'd slay them all, just like Odin. He was probably knee-deep in Jotun blood when he found me, probably abandoned. Of course even my own blood parents would abandon me. I'm even tiny for an Asgardian, and they runt Frost Giants." He was rambling now. "They are called Frost Giants after all, and I'm tiny. I'm tiny in stature, I'm pathetic in worth… I'm just like this artifact, a relic hauled away for personal use."

"Brother-"

"You're not even my brother."

"It-"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" This was a desperate sob, tears almost coming from those now green eyes. The Casket lay on the floor, forgotten. Loki started chanting under his breath, getting ready to teleport to who-knows-where.

"No!" Thor grabbed at Loki at the last second, grabbing his hand. They both disappeared in a flash of green light.

...

When they awoke, Loki and Thor were at school. It was the gap between the buildings, where Loki had gotten beaten up. Loki laughed at the irony.

"Did you know?" he asked Thor. "It would explain everything, why you treated me like you were beneath me, like your shadow. Like here, you didn't even consider that I had a plan, you just rushed in. Like I was some fragile boy that always needed rescuing."

"You know that I didn't, Loki. You're smart enough to know."

"Oh, flattering now, are we?"

"Listen-"

"I'll never listen. You'll just lie, just like the Allfather."

"Listen!"

Loki grinned. "Make me."

Thor gritted his teeth and opened his hand, calling Mjolnir. "Fine."

Loki was still grinning as he drew his dagger. He closed his eyes and gathered some magic. Pointing at his dagger he said a word, and it glowed for a second, bathed in green light.

Meanwhile, Mjolnir had flown into Thor's waiting hand. Thor threw it at Loki, who barley dodged it by shoving himself into the wall. Thor called the hammer back into his grasp as Loki ran behind Thor, trying to get out of the enclosed space. Thor swung his hammer, but Loki dodged and sliced at Thor's arm.

They began a combat so intricate it looked like a dance: Loki using magic and a fighting style similar to his mother's whirling, and Thor tossing his hammer and the occasional bolt of thunder. It was now raining, soaking both of the fighters. The battle went on without end for minutes, neither side wielding, each strike blocked or dodged. Loki sent out another bolt of fighting magic, but it was deflected by something.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Steve shouted. In their battle, neither Thor nor Loki had noticed a small hoverer carrying the humans to the school. However, Loki, who was on his knees from the shield's recoil, just kicked Steve's legs out from under him and made to scamper away. Sensing the battle wasn't over, Thor threw Mjolnir, and this time it hit, sending Loki face up on the ground with Mjolnir on his chest. He strained with all his strength, but Loki could not remove it from his chest. He shot the energy that he had stored in his dagger, but Thor dodged it. Loki was out of tricks. Thor had won.

For several seconds, the only sound was Loki and Thor trying to catch their breath while the rain slowly stopped. Then, Thor spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Loki, I truly am. I'm sorry that you think I didn't treat you as an equal. I'm sorry that you had to find out your parentage this way. I'm sorry that I had to fight you.'

"But you're my brother, Loki. I care not who your true parents are. I care not what species you are. I care about you, Loki, brother, friend." He gathered Loki up in a hug, tossing aside the hammer. "I love you."

Loki wrapped his arms around Thor's neck, muttering so the others wouldn't hear. "_Never doubt that I love you, Brother_." He planted a kiss on his forehead, as if giving him a blessing.

There was a clapping sound. The brothers looked up to see Tony clapping as if he were at a play. They both glared at him.

Then everybody wrapped their arms around Tony, as if planned, ignoring the squeaks of indignation coming from the center of the giant hug.

…

Fury watched the cameras. He had been since they detected an unknown energy in the gap between the classrooms. Although he had asked his agents to suit up in bulletproof gear when he saw that the brothers were fighting, he knew better than to interfere unless either were in actual danger. All SHEILD could do was watch as the two teenagers fought each other.

When the rest of the team arrived, Fury dismissed the agents. The Avengers could handle the rest. However, he kept his one eye on the camera, listening as Thor knocked some sense into Loki. When they hugged, Fury's one eye softened. He would keep this tape, to watch on a bad day. Not every fight went this well.

*** A symptom for shock is 'dissociative amnesia.' This means a victim might forget something related to the crisis. Since it was an identity shock, Bruce asked Loki his name.**


	10. Competitions

When Loki woke up the next morning, he realized it was almost noon. He was surprised, because it was a Friday; there was school that day.

"Good afternoon, Loki. Today, Mr. Stark decided that you needed a break a prevented me from waking you up. Thor is also staying home from school today. Mr. Stark and Thor are on floor 50 if you need them."

"Thanks JARVIS," Loki replied, recognizing the AI's voice. He got up and got dressed in his last pair of clean clothes. He made a note to ask Tony where he could wash his clothes.

When he went the hangout room on floor 50, Loki was greeted by Thor and Tony yelling at each other at the top of their lungs as they looked at a TV screen. There, two figures seemed to fight each other.

Tony cursed and pressed a button on the thing in his hand. "Good morning Reindeer Games."

Thor seemed in a much better mood. "Morning brother."

Loki glared at both of them. "Why didn't you make JARVIS wake me up?"

Tony glanced at him and raised his eyebrows. "You and Thor were fighting like hell last night, and you didn't get any sleep last night. JARVIS told me you were looking at the Casket while the rest of us were sleeping after the battle."

"If I didn't, the Frost Giant would have gotten the Casket back. Fine, I can understand why you would let us stay home from school, but why are you here?"

"Moral support, bro! You were totally angsty last night, and what if you needed someone to talk to?"

"Liar. You just wanted to skip school."

"Eh, maybe. Want to play?"

"What is that?" Loki gestured to the controller thing in Tony and Thor's hand.

Tony looked shocked. "You've never heard of a video game?"

Loki ground out, "In Asgard, there isn't any electricity. Why the heck would we have electric games? Besides, all people do is spar anyway."

"Good," Tony responded, "Because this is the ultimate sparring simulator."

"It's called Super Smash Bros. U. I'm King Dedede." Thor explained. "He has a hammer too!" He grinned.

"Want to play?"

…

When the Avengers went to the 50th floor to do their homework as usual, they heard yelling and cursing from the main room, as well as explosions. Clint ran inside, but the others grabbed their weapons, fearing for the worst. When they looked inside, they were relieved to see that Thor, Tony, and Loki were only playing a video game. However, they were yelling and cursing as if they were in real battle.

"GODDAMN IT LOKI! THAT MOVE IS UNFAIR!" Tony shouted.

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK TONY!" Thor screamed back, "STOP USING YOUR CELING FRIEND TO CHEAT!"

"HAHA BITCHES! I WIN!" This was Loki.

"I call playing next!" Clint called as he raced into the room.

Steve sighed. "Tony, I thought the point of you and the brothers staying home from school was so you guys could rest. You're so riled up."

"Cheer up, grandpa. This is relaxing."

"Your voice is hoarse." Steve countered.

"C'mon guys, I call Pit!" Clint tried to coax them back to the game.

"I call Kind Dedede!" Thor claimed.

"I'm Mega Man," Tony announced.

Loki said nothing, just put his controller on Sheik and changed the coloring to green. For some reason, Tony stifled a giggle when he found out that Loki favored Shiek/Zelda, but he never commented on it. Clint changed Pit to black and Tony turned Mega Man gold and yellow, but Thor didn't change King Dedede's colors. He looked enough like Thor anyway.

Being Player 1, Tony chose the course and the settings. Standing up, Tony turned around like he was some sort of professional announcer.

"The game will be timed, with two minutes for each player to knock as many others as they can out of the arena. Teaming is unsportsmanlike. The only exception is if Clint makes Pit do the bow-wheel thing. Then we can all work together to kick his ass. Anyway, the course will be my favorite: Final Destination. The winner will have bragging rights and be the first to dessert, the losers will have to lick the floor, as per the agreement. Ready, set…"

They waited for the screen to say 'BRAWL' before beginning the fight. Instantly, there was chaos. Whether on accident or on purpose, Thor and Loki's characters never fought each other, they were too busy handling Pit and Mega Man. Clint and Tony were both masters of the game, having played it for years. Thor and Loki picked up the basics well enough, but didn't have the experience of Clint and Tony.

The game was chaotic. There weren't any terrain disadvantages, so that made things easier to see, but otherwise it was a mad rush for the characters to beat the crap out of each other. When the glowing smash ball appeared, everyone scrambled for that, Dedede actually getting it and the power up that came with it. The players looked at Thor a little surprised, but kept playing. Near the end of the game, during the last seconds, Pit also got a smash ball, knocking down all the gamers.

All the time the boys were yelling at the top of their lungs, but the volume increased even more as the computer announced, "The winner is… Pit!"

Everybody except Clint cursed at the top of their lungs. They had to lick the floor, as they agreed. Unfortunately, Loki did not know a tongue-numbing spell, despite Thor's pleading looks he shot towards him.

Although the floor tasted horrible, and he would never bet his tongue like that again, Loki found another taste in the dirt: acceptance.

…

After the Avengers finished their homework, they all went to the gym to train. It wasn't planned, but somehow every member ended up at the gym at the same time. Steve, ever the opportunist, suggested that they trained together. Tony, ever the competitive one, suggested that they play dodgeball.

"Just hear me out guys!" he shouted, mainly over Steve. His voice was still a little sore from the intense gaming, but it was still loud enough for everybody to hear. "Since I expected Steve to shoot this down, I added a 'team-building' part to it. We have to chose a partner from this hat," he picked up a hat from the table with slips of paper in it, "and we'll be handcuffed to them. Then, we'll split into three teams and play. How does that sound?"

Loki nodded, and the rest seemed to agree. The game was on.

Closing his eyes, Loki reached into the hat and grabbed the nearest sheet of paper. Opening it up, he found that it was Natasha. He announced her name and put her name in his pocket. They grinned at each other. This would be fun.

In the end, Bruce and Thor got paired up, plus Steve and Tony. Natasha explained that although they bickered a lot in daily life, Steve and Tony were a good team when it came to battle. And Steve could throw a ball hard if he wanted to. Clint drew the "S" card, meaning he would be the shag.

"The shag catches the balls and rolls them back to the players," Tony explained with a grin. "I'm glad that it's not me." Clint glared.

The gym was divided into three even parts, one for each team, plus had two balls per side. "Alright!" Clint announced in his own announcer voice, "In this training exercise, these dodge-balls are hypothetical cannon balls. That means if you're hit, you're out. If your partner gets hit, you have to either ditch them or carry them as dead weight. Dirty tricks are expected, but you guys are also in hypothetical public, which means no obvious magic, Loki, no Mjolnir, Thor, no Hulking, Bruce (not that I expect you to), no knives, Tash, no shield, Steve, and absolutely zero suit, Tony, unless it's invisible. Got it? GO!"

Loki and Natasha looked at each other, than pulled in the opposite directions of each other. When they got up, they had to duck a missile from Steve and Tony, who already grabbed their balls. Thor was already out, being so big, so Bruce was just using him as a shield as he tried to get his handcuffs off. Realizing they were next in line, Loki started whispering quickly.

"Okay, I'm going to need control of our hands for a sec. But first, let's take cover behind those punching bags first."

Natasha nodded, and they ran to cover like quails being flushed out of the grass. Luckily, they made it, and Loki started his spell. It stretched the metal so he and Natasha could slip their wrists through. Then he cast an illusion on their wrists so it looked like the handcuffs were still on. Unfortunately, Clint ran by chasing a ball, and shouted at them, so they put the cuffs back on as Loki undid his spells.

"Can you make us a shield?"

Loki closed his eyes, searching for one that would fit their needs.

"Yeah," he whispered back, "but it can only take one hit from one of those balls.

When Natasha looked at him like _what kind of a sorcerer are you?_ he whispered defensively, "Shields are hard work. You actually have to create matter, and making it invisible is an extra piece of work."

"Sorry," she hissed, "but we'll just have to make everybody throw our balls at us. That should eliminate them of their ammo and give us some. Ready to dodge?"

"Ready."

They stepped out, crouched and ready for a ball to come hurtling towards them. Surprisingly, it was Bruce, who had freed himself from Thor and was using his mobility to his advantage. Then Steve and Tony fired two heavy shots in a row that they barley dodged, Natasha using a fallen ball to black one of them. Bruce was about to throw his own ball, but held on to it in case he needed it for the same reason.

"Goddamn it!" Tony shouted in frustration. "I just let the two knife-throwers have all of the balls! Da-"

He was cut off by Loki's ball slamming him in the gut.

"Tony's out!" Clint shouted.

Steve retreated from the two balls that came hurtling at him, trying to undo the handcuffs. With a long tug, he undid them with his bare hands, but stumbled backwards into Natasha's ball, which had come rolling.

Loki and Natasha turned to get Bruce, but Natasha was hit straight in the chest. Unexpectedly, it ricocheted into Loki's as well.

"BRUCE IS DA WINNER!" Clint shouted. He was quite enthusiastic.

Suddenly, the screen in the corner of the gym gave out a loud, momentary, sound. Aware of the alarm, the Avengers looked wearily at the screen, expecting Fury's voice. Even Loki and Thor could guess what was happening.

They were being called in to fight.

**This is another chapter that I don't really like. It was mainly filler. I'm sorry if it was boring. I tried to incorporate the whole 'high school' idea in, as you'll see next chapter. Remember how it was going to be a series of one-shots? These were some ideas I had come up with. If you guys have nay, feel free to tell me. Also, do tell, would you guys rather have more drama/ fighting scenes or high school scenes? Please leave your opinion in a review or a PM so I can have an idea of what the readers want. Thanks.**

**Since I am going to be busier now, I also will have less frequent updates. Sorry**

**Also, sorry if the indentation is a little weird. My tab button is being a jerk, so indents over have the page. Therefore, I had to (and will continue to have to) space it by hand. Sorry if that's annoying.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	11. Clint and Natasha

**So some of you avid readers have been pressing me for details, and I think that's good. One comment was about how each teenage Avenger had a fuzzy background, so I'll take a break from the main storyline to explain everybody's back story, just to straighten things out. Another thing that bugs even me is the lack of Loki and Thor's formal speech. If I ever edit these previous chapters, I'll make them formal at first but slowly transition them to modern speech, but for now it'll disrupt my flow of writing. I'm sorry about that, it bugs me too, but I know what it's like to wait for the next chapter of a fanfiction, and it isn't fun. Therefore, I won't spend time fixing something that isn't a major drawback. I will try very hard in the future to make their speech formal, but it probably won't happen. I realize that slang might detract from the authenticity, but this is just for fun. Thanks for the detailed feedback, however. You guys push me to improve my writing, and your reviews always make me happy.**

**Oh, and by the way, this chapter includes attempted rape. Not by the main characters, but if you're squeamish you'll want to skip this chapter.**

Clint tossed and turned. No matter how hard he tried to fall asleep, his demons pursued him. Nightmares were inevitable and painful. His past was just too complicated to forget.

"_Barney_."

Sometimes, he was jealous of the Asgardians. Hell, he was always jealous of them. Even when they fought, he was jealous. They could use magic and were from an alien world. So what if Loki was adopted? It was trivial. Why did they fight about that?

He mainly jealous because they made up. Nobody who watched their make up hug could not feel happy for them, at least a little. However, Clint's joy for them was overshadowed by regret and envy. Why couldn't that be him and Barney?

"_Probably_," he thought bitterly to himself, "_because you killed him._"

…

_"So, bro, why don't we run away and join the circus?"_

_ "Barney, you're being ridiculous. The circus?"_

_ "That's the cliché, right? The two orphan boys run away to become stars at some circus." He sobered up. "It's almost been a year here." He gestured around at the orphanage building and asked, "Do you want to be here forever? To be stuck in a boring building until we're kicked out to become beggars? Or worse, get separated. You're my little bro, you'd be lost without me!"_

_ Clint grunted. He was a quiet child, especially compared to his emotional, over exaggerated older brother. "Okay, but we need a plan."_

_ After rummaging through the sheets of his always-messy bed, he held up two bags. "Who needs planning?" he exclaimed with a grin. "I packed our bags already, and there's a circus in the next town over. Whad'ya say?"_

_ Clint nodded and grabbed his bag form Barney. The circus sounded fun._

...

Clint shook his head roughly as he got out from under his covers. Sleep wouldn't come, so he might as well practice in the gym. Taking his favorite bow, he rode the elevator to the main gym, his face uncharacteristically blank. Never mind that it was past midnight, Clint needed to clear his mind. It always worked, except when it had gotten him in trouble that one night.

…

_Clint looked up. There was another sound besides his arrows hitting their target, only missing rarely. It had been a couple of years since he and Barney had joined the circus, but Clint was already famous for his archery skills. Barney hadn't found his niche, and he could tell it frustrated his brother. Over the years, Barney's expressive nature had faded with bitterness, and he was now as serious as Clint had once been. Worse, actually. Clint had tried his best to cheer him up, but he kept sinking into despair._

_ He was snapped out of his reverie by what were defiantly footsteps. Narrowing his eyes, he loaded his bow and snuck out of the practice arena, hawk-like eyes searching for the person who stalked the circus tents. He turned around, drew his bow, and was so surprised he almost let go of the arrow._

_ Barney was on top a girl, covering her mouth. It was pointless, however, because Clint could tell even from this distance she was drugged to the gills. He recognized her from their performance the previous night. She sat in the front row, giant eyes filled with wonder._

_ The girl couldn't have been older that eight. _

_ Shock filled Clint's body as he relaxed his grip on the bowstring. Finally noticing his audience, Barney turned around._

_ "Clint," He didn't even sound surprised. He could tell Clint knew what he was doing, and he didn't waste any time. "You should run away."_

_ Clint just stared, not responding._

_ "After all, I'll kill her if you don't. And I'll kill her if you tell anybody." He turned, and showed Clint a big knife he held to her throat. "I really will kill her. And the thing is, I won't feel anything. I stopped feeling a long time ago. You will forever feel her death." His face turned bitter. "You're special that way."_

_ He tried to reason with Barney. "You're special, too."_

_ Barney laughed. It was the laugh of a psychopath. "I'll have fun with her either way."_

_ Clint was filled with horror. Stay or get help, and the girl dies. Tell anybody, and she dies and he runs to continue this monstrosity. Walk away, and he'd molest her and continue to do it for who-knows-how-long. But at least no one would die._

_ He turned around and prepared to walk away from the boy he once knew, without looking back. But then Barney made a noise, one of hunger, and for the last time, Clint acted without thinking. He tuned and shot._

_ He indeed had the aim of a hawk, for the arrow hit Barney straight in the chest. With a cry, Clint dropped the bow and ran to his brother's side, but it was too late._

_ Barney was dead._

_ After mourning for an hour, he realized he could not stay. There would be too many questions. So, tears in his eyes, he removed the bloody arrow from his brother's cold body, cleaned it, and hid it. He then stuck the knife in Barney's wound, making it look like Barney killed himself._

_ The sun was rising as Clint took his last look at the circus tents from far away. He turned around and started hiking. Distance would be the best medicine. _

…

Clint gaped as he tore himself back into the present. He didn't mean to access those painful memories, but for some reason, his mental shields were weak. Maybe Thor and Loki had affected him more than he cared to think. Although he tried to not think about it, the past memories once again hit him.

…

_"Natasha Romanoff."_

_ "That's my next target? She's hardly ten!"_

_ Coulson rolled his eyes as Clint grinned. To carry on his brother's memory and to hide his identity, Clint had taken to become as hyper and expressive as Barney had once been._

_ It was the least he could do after murdering his brother._

_ "Be careful. Although around thirteen in age, Natasha has become a master assassin by seducing and manipulating her targets. She really is like a black widow."_

_ "Hawks don't fear spiders," he scoffed. Clint's code name was Hawkeye, given to him be SHIELD trainers. They realized his potential in covert assassination and noticed his accurate all-seeing eyes. Add the fact that he preferred high places (Barney's blood had stained the ground, plus it was easier to see), and a nickname was guaranteed._

_ Coulson sobered. "You're not the first to think that. Make sure you're the first to survive."_

…

He was yanked back into the present by the slightest of touches on his shoulders.

Natasha.

"You were far away again," she whispered. "You haven't done that…"

"Since the hospital?"

…

_Panting, Clint stood firmly on top of his target. Natasha kept struggling like a panicking rabbit. Although it wasn't fair to her it was accurate. They both knew they were going to die, but wanted to go out fighting._

_ Clint stuck the tranquilizer in the girl's neck, and she relaxed instantly. It would be easier to finish her off this way. He dropped the needle, held his knife to her throat, and looked into her eyes._

_ And promptly threw up. The scene was so familiar. Her eyes glazed, just like the child's' at the circus, all those nights ago. Clint felt a twinge of doubt. He would not kill the girl. He would not become another Barney, not feeling a single thing. Clint took out his mobile and called Coulson._

_ "Change of plans, Coulson," Clint stated in a monotone, "You'll have to pick both of us up." Then he hung up and smashed the phone. Coulson would just have to live with his plans._

_ Later, after hours of bargaining, scolding, and yelling, Clint was finally free with a simple detention, a boring assignment. Normally, Clint would give Coulson hell, but since her life depended on his cooperation, he kept his mouth shut. After the mother of all scoldings, he went to check on his ward in the helicarrier hospital._

_ Natasha still hadn't woken after the five hours of the tranquilizer, and Clint was worried about her. It was only supposed to last three hours. Had he killed another person?_

_ He mulled this over and thought about the other people he had killed, especially thinking of Barney. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice her wake._

…

Clint was back in the present again, but he didn't move. He stood with his bow still in his hand, and Natasha by his side. Her arms were wrapped around his right one and her chin rested on his shoulder.

They stood there like that for some time, each one chasing the demons from the other's mind. They both thought of Budapest, their first mission together. They worked well with each other from the beginning, and finished it dramatically together, shooting arrows and bullets at the army, taking shelter behind a half-bombed wall. They ignored the camera that recorded the whole thing.

Mission after mission, the pair grew closer until you would not see one without thinking about the other. She baited and lured, he took them out. She was serious, he was expressive. They fit together very well, despite all of the psychologists that said otherwise.

Natasha said love was for children. Clint disagreed.

**That chapter was kind of choppy, but I found it sweet. Don't worry; I'll cover Bruce and maybe Steve in the next chapter. Sorry for taking a break from the main plot, but the individual back story of the Avengers needs to be established. Thanks for reading, as always.**


	12. Bruce and Steve

**Next up, Bruce and Steve!. This one is about as bad as the previous chapter, so if you skipped the last one (sorry), you should skip this one.**

**Oh, and there's no Betty in this chapter, and probably not for the whole story. **

Nightmares. Every single Avengers dealt with dreams of their past. Of course, no one told each other, but everybody knew.

Bruce was no exception. He probably started having nightmares the earliest (save Natasha), because that's when his innocence was taken.

"_Having your mother murdered right in front of your eyes will do that to you_," Bruce thought.

…

_He was four._

_ His father worked for the military as a scientist. Bruce rarely saw him, but that was okay. He and his mother lived a happy, normal life, except for the fact that Bruce was four and entering first grade in the fall._

_ It was because Bruce was curious. Like many children, he asked lots of questions. Unlike other children, he was persistent enough to keep digging, no matter how hard it was. If the book that contained his answer had words he didn't understand, he would look in the dictionary. If the definition didn't make sense, he would ask his mother or keep looking in the dictionary until he understood it. Never mind that it would take all day (like when he asked why the sky was blue, one of his first questions he researched), he would keep looking until he was satisfied with what he found._

_ Ms. Banner was pleased. Although her ex-husband left her and rarely showed up, he had blessed her with such an intelligent child. She was so proud of her Bruce. However, her ex-husband was what inadvertently gotten her killed._

_ Bruce still remembers every detail of that horrible summer day._

_ Both Bruce and her mother were reclining in the living room, reading. There was a sound of a car approaching. Both Banners looked up. They were in the middle of nowhere, at a dead end. The only way a car would have shown up was as if they had been looking for Ms. Banner and her child._

_ Curious, Bruce's mother looked outside. After a second, she turned around swiftly, with wide eyes. Bruce knew something was wrong, and he asked what it was._

_ Ms. Banner didn't bother lying. "Bad men are coming. Hide, sweetie, and don't come out, no matter what I say, until I make a raven's caw." She had taken him bird watching once, and Bruce liked ravens the best. He nodded._

_ "I understand, mother. You hide too, okay?"_

_ Bruce had hidden in a small cabinet up high in the living room, where they had been reading. He could see through the crack in the doors, but he was sure that it was too dark for anybody to see him. Countless hide-and-seek games with his mother confirmed that; she never found him, and she never found out about the place._

_ When the men came, Bruce was surprised. Although he loved his mother dearly, he didn't know she was worth so many guns. He then realized that they were asking about his father. Why else would they have come? He kept quiet, just like his mother would want him to._

_ Even when they found her and dragged her, kicking and screaming, into the room where he hid._

_ Even when she called for him in words, not using their signal they had agreed on._

_ Even when they tortured her, deranging her in ways no one should have to witness, let alone her child._

_ Even when they finally killed her, realizing she knew nothing of what they asked._

_ Bruce understood sacrifice, but that didn't stop his tears._

…

Bruce blinked back tears as he hugged his knees to his chest. Ten years later, and he still felt the guilt of her death. Unfortunately, it wasn't as horrible as his father's death...

…

_It was nine years after his mother was killed._

_ Having no choice, Bruce's father took him in, towing him around like an extra suitcase as he traveled the world, assisting the government and a program called SHIELD._

_ Bruce didn't know any children his age, except for Tony. Tony's father worked for SHIELD too, and their isolation from others remotely close to their age brought them together when they saw each other. They taught each other physics, and shared facts and information that an average adult wouldn't be able to comprehend. They called themselves the "Science Bros," and they were very close, just like human brothers._

_ Thankfully, Tony sick when the accident happened._

_ Howard Stark and Mr. Banner were working on a serum. 'Just like Captain America's,' they'd whisper when something went right. They were working late in the night when something went wrong._

_ No one knew what, or who was to blame. The building was completely empty (except for the three) at the time, and Bruce was reading outside the lab. After it happened, the lab was gone, and the remains too radioactive to study. The only evidence was Bruce._

_ All Bruce could remember was a loud sound. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a hospital bed, and he felt weird. Strong, but fragile as well. And he could tell they were putting him on some kind of a medication that made his blood pressure high. Bruce had read enough medical journals to know._

_The doctors said that there was nothing really wrong with him. Something had absorbed the radiation that would have instantly killed Bruce. But they were hiding something, Bruce could tell. He asked them, but they just kept quiet._

_ Then Bruce got angry. _

_ Later he understood that the doctors didn't know what absorbed the radiation. No one knew until cameras caught the child turn into a huge, green monster. The monster, later named the Hulk, smashed everything. Killed everyone. As he stumbled out, he shrank back into a boy, only scraps of his medicine gown covering him._

_ Bruce looked dazed for a moment. Then he looked around, and realized what he did._

_ It didn't matter that he was weak. It didn't matter that he was naked. It didn't matter that he was unprepared. It didn't matter where he went, as long as it was far away._

_ Bruce ran._

…

Steve was afraid of heights.

They all had fears. Loki was afraid of the dark after the traumatic prophetic nightmares that ended up being true. Tony was afraid of water after the torture he went through in Afghanistan. Clint was afraid of needles, for some reason, and Natasha flinched at open flames sometimes.

To be more accurate, Steve wasn't afraid of heights. He was afraid of planes.

…

_Steve joined the military in 1942, at the age of fifteen._

_ Of course, his form didn't say that. His form wasn't accurate at all. Once he was accepted, no one cared what his age was. They just wanted him to follow orders like everyone else. Even when SHIELD took him from the ice less than a year ago, they didn't change it, even though the file was wrong by about seventy years now. _

_Steve had other things to worry about._

_ How he was supposed to fit in to such a different world, for one thing. The world was so bright and colorful. Every time he thought he knew something, another series of modern common knowledge made itself known to him. _

_ When Steve went under, the world was at war. When he thawed, SHIELD told him America won. They didn't tell him what they lost._

**Sorry for the abrupt ending and short history with Steve. If this was a normal story, I'd explain Steve's full background, but because it's a fanfiction, it would be redundant. I know Bruce's history with SHIELD is unsatisfying short, but there will be more next chapter, when I cover Tony.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	13. Tony and Bruce

**Sorry for the long wait for the next update! Here it is. Tony only has a tower in New York (as a house) for this fic, just so he doesn't have to build it. Oh, and I'm going to jump right into Tony's past for this one.**

_Like all things, there were advantages and disadvantages of hiding one's age._

_ Tony should know; he acted older than he was all the time. He had to do so to impress his clients. But that was when he created and sold weapons. Before some damn terrorists trapped him in a cave and tortured him. _

_ There he met Yensin, and for the short time they spent in hell together, he had become more of a father figure than Howard had ever, especially since he died a year ago. He knew Yensin was willing to die for him, he saw the look in his eye when he picked up the gun to buy Tony time. Luckily, Tony thought quickly and barricaded the door._

_ "Stick to the plan!" He had hissed at the man._

_Stane was once also a father figure, but then he took Tony's heart out of his chest, both literally and figuratively. Plus, he tried to kill Pepper, his PA's daughter, for helping Tony._

_ After the battle in the streets in New York, a man had entered Tony's private laboratory. He later would know him as Fury._

_ "Do you think you're the only super hero out there, Stark?"_

_ Tony laughed. The public didn't know that he was Iron Man. Iron Man was an anonymous figure. Most thought that he was just a robot. _

_ "Ya think I'm a hero? I built weapons of mass destruction until a while ago."_

_ "My name is Director Fury. I am the director of SHIELD. Needless to say, I know you're Iron Man. You should know that you're not the only superhero alive right now. Let me tell you about the Avengers Initiative. There are people out there Stark, with incredible powers. Each of them is an outcast, branded by what makes them unique. They're just like you. Would you like to join them? Don't answer now- just read this." Fury handed him a file and walked out._

_ Tony opened the black folder, labeled 'CLASSIFIED." The first thing he saw was a school building labeled 'New York High School.'_

...

One day, when Tony and Bruce were alone in the laboratory, working on science stuff, Bruce looked up, like he remembered something. After about ten minutes, he returned, handing an envelope to Tony. Inside was a check from a month's minimum wage work. It was addressed to Tony.

"It's for my board," Bruce muttered. "For giving me a place to stay."

Tony laughed. He cracked up. He was almost crying, until he saw Bruce's face. He didn't look like he was joking. In fact, he looked sad and his eyes were turning green. Realizing this wasn't a joke, Tony set the check down and looked Bruce in the eye.

"You don't need to do this."

"It's the least I can do after you saved me."

…

_Bruce was sick of the New York ghetto._

_ To be fair, he was only sick up it because of his predicament. He was homeless, running from SHEILD ever since the lab blew up, and he became this freak._

_ He got some money helping people. He was known as "Dr. Child," because he taught basic medical care and treated the other homeless and deathly poor. However, it wasn't easy. Most of the time Bruce treated himself, because he was a lone child in the streets of New York, and was easily targeted. He was infuriated by his weakness, but instead of running away like most people, Bruce had to focus all of his energy into keeping calm._

_ After all, if his blood pressure got too high, the Other Guy would kill them._

_ It happened once, while he was traveling to his cardboard box that he called home. Bruce heard the screams of a female, and looked into an alleyway. There he saw a young woman, surrounded by a gang, probably about to be raped._

_ Bruce got angry. Really angry. He tried to take calming breaths, but the men spotted him and dragged him over, probably to kill him…_

_ The next thing Bruce remembers is standing in front of her, who was screaming even more. He turned around, and saw the muggers, bleeding out on the sidewalk. They were obviously crushed by something. _

_ He wanted to scream, to cry, to mourn for taking those lives. But for his own sake, he just ran, shirtless, into the New York night._

_ Days later, he literally ran into Tony on the Manhattan sidewalk. Bruce had gone into town, just to see his friend's house for one last time. One last time before he would get rid of the monster._

_ He did not count on running into Tony himself._

_ After colliding with him, he looked up to apologize, only to realize his childhood friend was hanging onto his wrist with an iron grip._

_ "Bruce?"_

_ Bruce winced. "Hi Tony."_

_ "Oh my god. Fucking hell." Tony looked at his hand, which was still stubbornly holding Bruce's wrist. "You're real. Where the hell were you? SHIELD hasn't seen you since…"_

_ "You've seen the video footage Tony. You know what I am. Let me go."_

_ "You're my friend, Bruce. You need to stop running."_

_ Bruce looked Tony in the eyes. There was only brown, and sadness in Bruce's eyes. He smiled and said, "Oh, I'm not running anymore. I'm fighting." _

_He tried to pull out of Tony's grip, but Tony didn't budge after the seconds it took to realize what he meant. Because to fight the Hulk, Bruce would have to…_

_"Get inside," Tony grunted as he dragged the broken boy into Stark Tower. "I have a file I need to show you. Remember Eyepatch man?"_

…

"I was low," Bruce whispered. "I was gunna stick a bullet in my mouth. I came to the Tower to say goodbye to you, but you found me. You gave me a life, a place to live, and a purpose. The check is the least I can do."

"I'm a billionaire, Bruce. I don't need the money."

"It's the least I can do-"

"Bruce. If you really don't want the money you spent hours of your life working for, hours that could have been with me in the lab, by the way, I'll get us some liquid nitrogen. We could always use some of that, right Science Bro?"

**That's the end of the flashback series! Now I'm going to be going back to the original plot. Sorry for keeping you guys on a mini-cliffhanger…**


	14. Maximoff

**So, um, even with the flashbacks, I forgot to cover something about Tony. Pepper's mother and Tony's ex-PA Ms. Potts now runs Stark Industries. Obidiah ran it before he betrayed Tony, but after that, Tony immediately handed it off to Ms. Potts. Also, Obidiah tried to kill Tony to guarentee that he was the CEO of Stark Industries before Tony came of age. Sorry I didn't explain that.**

**To answer your question, rioludoodle, Bruce was at a SHIELD lab when it exploded and killed Bruce and Tony's father (both fathers worked for SHIELD).**

**Anyway, last we actually saw the Avengers, they were looking at the screen in the gym, wondering why Fury had called them…**

"Meet Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, both sophmores." Fury's face was replaced by a shot of two teenagers sitting at a lunch table by themselves. One was a female with long, curly, bright red hair like Natasha's. The male had white hair, and was talking to his sister in the shot. "They're new transfer students at New York High School. They had their first day of school today, but rumors have been flying about them anyway. Wanda has a reputation of creating hexes, and her brother Pietro has been found to think and run and very fast speeds." The screen went back to Fury's face. "They obviously aren't trying to blend in. There's something odd about them. SHIELD would like you guys to find out their powers and intent. If they're not aggressive, we would like you guys to train them, and see if they're Avenger material."

The Avengers looked at each other. New Avengers?

Tony spoke up. "Well, we won't be able to see them until Monday. What if they scare?"

Fury replied, "If you had been at school today, Stark, you would know that there's a school dance tomorrow night from eight to midnight. Wanda and Pietro both have bought tickets. The theme is 'Meta-Tech.' Food will be provided." He saw Bruce swallow and open his mouth, but Fury cut him off. "All of you are required to attend, each with a plus one. Blend in, and wait for Saturday for further instructions." The screen went dark.

…

"Alright," Steve said in the conference room, "we need two people to approach Pietro and Wanda. Natasha, being the only female on the team, you need to approach Pietro." His face turned pink as he stuttered, "Get the information out of him, by, ya know…"

Natasha nodded. "I'm on it."

Steve, face still red, turned to the rest of the group. "Alright guys, we need a male volunteer to keep Wanda busy. Make sure she doesn't try to stop Natasha. And, if possible," Steve's face was really red, "seduce her as well."

All of the males looked uncomfortable. Tony spoke up first. "I have a girlfriend, and I'm not sure that Pepper will take the 'line of duty' excuse for seducing another woman."

Steve sighed. "Well, the rest of us are single… I guess I-"

Clint cut him off. "No way dude, she'll walk all over you. You won't be able to say a word. In fact, she'll probably 'black widow' you herself."

Natasha looked pleased that Clint had invented a verb based off her code name.

"Fine," Steve sighed. He kind of looked relieved. "I guess you're not volunteering, Clint?"

Clint laughed. "Why not Loki?"

Everyone looked at the mentioned magician, who glared at Clint.

"Actually," Steve said, "That's a good idea. You're both magic users."

"Well," Loki started, using his silver tongue, "it would be weird, considering that I'm not even human."

"Thor's going out with Jane, and he's not human."

Thor turned around and glared at Tony. "That was a secret, human."

Loki laughed. He didn't care if he had to talk to Wanda anymore, this was all worth it. "Ahahahaha! Finally! Good job, brother! You can finally talk to a girl without turning as red as your cape!"

Thor glared at his brother, face turning pink. "I haven't seen you talk to any girls."

That summoned a big "Ooooh" from their teammates.

"I don't need to," Loki replied briskly, "I only need to talk to Wanda."

…

The next morning, as Loki trudged to the breakfast table, Natasha grabbed him. Caught by surprise, Loki didn't do anything but attempt to squirm out of her grip, which was futile anyway.

She threw him into a metal Stark machine in the garage, where surprisingly, Darcy, Jane, and Pepper were already inside.

Natasha sat in the seat next to Pepper, who was sitting behind a wheel. Loki was by the left window, with Darcy in the middle and Jane on the right side.

"Surprise," Darcy grinned, "We're going shopping!"

**I'm so sorry that this chapter was so short. Next chapter should be really fun, though!**


	15. Shopping

**Hi guys, I'm posting the chapter I know many of you are excited for: Loki is dragged along to shop!**

"Why me?" Loki complained to Natasha.

"Many reasons," Natasha replied smoothly. "First of all, you're the most gender neutral of our candidates. Second, you're roughly the same size of us. If we took Thor shopping, it would be awkward to find something for him to wear. Third, you were the only one sleepy enough for us to kidnap by the time Darcy arrived." Natasha glared at the girl.

"Sorry! I don't want to get up early on a Saturday! I don't care what clothes I would miss!"

Loki looked around. "We're going clothes shopping? Why? All of my clothes fit."

The girls looked at him to see if he was serious, then laughed. Pepper spoke up. "Hon, those clothes may fit you, but they do not fit in. You need an upgrade."

Loki glared at the driver. "Call me 'hon' again and I will stab you."

"Aw, don't be like that Loki," Jane sulked. "Shopping is what we 'Midgardians' do for fun. It'll be educational for you. Besides, you need to look nice for your date."

Natasha grinned and ignored Loki's threatening glance.

…

Natasha could not believe that their crazy plan was working.

Although she found it a little juvenile, Natasha always went with her friends shopping. Even before Loki and Thor arrived on Earth, Darcy, Jane, Natasha, and Pepper would shop together. They were all friends, despite Darcy and Jane having no SHIELD connections.

They were first friends with Pepper, having been in her class since they were in second grade (that's when Jane's parents died and she went to live with her godfather, Dr. Selvig). When Natasha and Tony became teammates, Pepper and Natasha had provided each other with a touch of female companion, something rare in the tower. With Jane and Darcy introduced, the group became whole.

That was why when Natasha heard that Loki had a date, she called Pepper, Jane, and Darcy. They were happy to volunteer to help him out with his outfit. It was his first event on Earth, after all.

It never was really a choice. Loki was their target from the second he volunteered to 'Black Widow' Wanda.

Natasha was especially relieved that the Asgardian was too sleepy to try to fight back when she dragged him to the car. Sedatives could only be a surprise once.

…

The car fascinated Loki, although he tried not to show it. After all, everybody on Asgard traveled by foot, horse, or the occasional flying ship or boat. Cars were possible in his home, but not needed.

He pressed a button on the handle, and jumped back when the window began to roll down. The wind was fast and loud, hurting Loki's ears.

He didn't care. He held the button until the window was completely rolled down. Hesitantly, Loki stuck his hand out, and was thrilled by the cool air rocketing into him.

It wasn't long before most of his body was hanging out, Asgardian tunic flapping slightly. He looked down to see that the car was going slower and the streets were narrower. He couldn't help the shout of exhilaration before two pairs of hands dragged him back inside the car.

Loki looked around to see three faces glaring at him. The headrest on her chair obscured most of Pepper's head, but he could tell even her hair was messed up by the wind.

He grinned. "You're the ones who wanted me to come."

Darcy replied by attacking Loki's hair with a comb.

…

After five additional minutes of adjusting their appearances (minus Natasha, she didn't care), the group parked the car by a person with a shirt labeled 'Valet.' Pepper handed him $100 and the keys, and motioned for the other girls to get out of the car.

Jane spoke up, "Where should we go first?"

Darcy looked Loki up and down. "Haircut," she decided. "Then mani and pedi."

"I think we should start with the food court. I missed breakfast," Pepper argued.

"So did I." Loki glared at Natasha.

"Food court it is," Natasha announced.

…

_"Midgard is the strangest thing that's happened to me."_ Loki was surrounded by colorful and noisy shops, each having something good-smelling to tickle his nose. After all of his time on Asgard, Loki never knew there were other ways to cook meat (or at least what his nose thought was meat).

The girls stood by an especially bright stand. It read 'HOT DOG ON A STICK."

"What's a hot dog?"

"A simplified sausage," Pepper replied after thinking for a second. Alien or not, how could he not know what a hot dog was?

Jane stepped up and ordered. "We'll have five regular hot dogs on sticks, two orders of fries, five large lemonades, and five orders of funnel cake fries."

Loki noticed they ordered for him too. He was curious what commercial Earth food tasted like. It was made quickly, so Loki had doubts, but his curiosity won out as he copied Natasha, who dipped her hot dog into a thick, bright red sauce and took a bite. She did the same with the yellow sticks they had ordered.

The food was very delicious, if a little rich. There was so much oil in everything! Loki hesitantly tried the drink, worried that there was oil in that as well. Thankfully, it was sour, sweet, and cold, a good refresher after the fried things. Soon, he finished his own food and started stealing his companions' funnel cake fries.

"So," Darcy commented between bites, "do you like the food, Loki?"

Loki nodded. "What are these?" He pointed to the straw.

"A straw." Natasha spoke up, strangely quiet from the gossip streaming out of Pepper, Jane, and Darcy's mouths. "You drink out of it."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

…

After their meal, the group dragged Loki to a store filled with loud, strange music. The sign above it read 'Hot Topic.'

The store was dark inside, and filled with clothes at one end, and colorful accessories at the other. Immediately, Darcy grabbed a t-shirt off of the rack and held it up to Loki, seeing if it would fit. She shook her head as the rest of the girls split up and explored the store. Loki could faintly hear her mutter over the music.

"Black is okay, black is good, but not Meta Tech. Godamn it Mr. Fury, why did it have to be Meta Tech? I suppose black is okay for that…" Loki stopped listening and craned his head around, observing the store.

Jane and Natasha were talking and trying on clothes for each other by the changing rooms, and Pepper was looking at the colorful pins, reading each one and putting a few in her hand. He looked back to Darcy, who had poked his shoulder, hard.

"Take these into the changing room. I need to see if they fit."

Loki went, observing the other customers as he did. There weren't that many besides the girls and a pair of clerks. Said clerks looked bored, talking to each other in hushed tones and looking at a glowing device in their hands.

When Loki entered the changing room and closed the door, his magic lashed out at the mirror. It was instinctive, and equivalent to non-magical creatures' hair standing on end. Luckily, it wasn't enough to break the glass or make a sound, but it got Loki's attention nonetheless. He turned and saw what he thought were blue eyes just below his own. He did a double take, but his eyes were green, like normal.

"_As normal as a Jotun in Asgardian skin_," he thought wryly.

He put on the new clothes and looked himself up and down. There was no sign of the blue eyes, but his own reflection startled him. His tight pants, leather jacket, button up shirt and Asgardian boots (all black) made him look so… ridiculous. Sif would have a field day if she saw him now. Nevertheless, they were comfortable, even if his pants could be a size smaller in the waist. Loki tried on the next set that Darcy had given him.

There was a knock on the door. "Ma'am," a clerk called, "are you okay?"

Loki blushed. He had no idea he had taken that long. Wait-ma'am?

"Sorry," he said as he stepped out of the room. "Ma'am is what you say to females, right?"

The clerk blushed. "Um, yeah. Sorry… Do you need anything to be put back?"

He held up the small pants. "Could I get these in a smaller size?"

She was still red. "Yeah…" The clerk ran towards the pants area, but was obviously having a conversation with the other one, who was rounder and 'black,' as he heard Clint say. They ran at each other, the one who was at the desk carrying a pen and a small card. They each scribbled something on it, whispering to each other. After a minute, the one who had initially sought the pants hurried back with a pair.

Now her face was pink, albeit a dark shade. "H-here. Each pair is different, so you might want to try these on too."

Loki smiled and took the pants from her. She ran off, ears read as well.

"_Humans_."

When he had finished, Natasha approached him as he stared at the card the clerks had written on. One side advertised the business, but the other was handwritten. On it were three sets of numbers, each set separated by dashes. The first two sets had three numbers, and the last one had four. The first three numbers had parenthesis around them.

When Natasha saw the set, she cracked a smile. "Those fit?"

Loki nodded, still confused about the number set.

"Let's go check out."

Natasha herself had brought a t-shirt and a pin with a red hourglass on it. Jane had gotten a pair of jeans and a necklace, Darcy got a belt, and Pepper had gotten herself handful of pins. Loki was the only one with more that two items, and felt awkward with his load. However, the red-faced clerk filled all of their items in an economical three bags.

When they left the shop, Loki turned to Darcy, asking her "Why do I have so many items?"

"You don't have any Earth clothes, according to Natasha, so we have to get you started."

"Why were those girls giggling and turning red?"

"They gave him their number," Natasha explained.

"Oh, they thought you were cute?"

"Cute?"

"Hot, attractive…"

Loki turned red for a change. "What did the numbers mean?"

Pepper spoke up. "That was their telephone number. It's a method of communication."

"So?"

The girls all slapped their hands to their foreheads and groaned.

…

"What does 'XXI Forever' mean?"

"Forever twenty one. It's Roman numerals," Jane said over her shoulder as they stepped inside the giant store. "It's a girl's store."

"Don't tell him that," Darcy hissed.

"We won't be here long," Pepper comforted. "Here, I got you something." She fished through her Hot Topic bag and pulled out a pin.

It was a dark-maned lion with a scar on his eye with a paw on his face. It said 'I'm surrounded by idiots' in black with a green background. Loki looked up to thank her, but looked over sharply to the left, where Jane was squealing something about a sale to Darcy. Darcy squealed back and ran towards her, gushing incoherent high-pitched squeaks.

Loki looked down at the pin and laughed as he pinned it to his tunic.

"_Idiots_."

…

It had been half an hour since they had entered the store, and Loki was bored. He leaned his head against the wall he was sitting by, and let out a groan. He was so bored! The store was big, so he couldn't politely ask one of the girls to leave.

Loki's face brightened as he got an idea. He hid the rest of the items with a subtle illusion and pulled out Pepper's phone from her purse. It took him a while, but eventually, he sent a text to Darcy, Natasha, and Jane:

_Find me if you can! I'm inside the store._

_-Loki_

He put the phone back and hid the purse with the same illusion. Then he went to go hide.

Ten minutes later, a mildly annoyed Natasha tapped him on the shoulder. "Please don't tell me somebody stole our stuff."

Loki grinned up at her. "Nah, I hid it with an illusion. Let's go."

Jane had a single bag with a dress, socks, a pair of shoes, and a headband. Darcy bought a matching pair of socks and a matching headband.

"Last stop," Pepper promised. "Nordstrom's Rack. Jane just needs a scarf."

Loki rolled his eyes, but entered the store.

True to Pepper's word, Jane only purchase was a scarf, and it had only taken five minutes. The group tuned to leave the store when they heard an announcement over the PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could you come to guest services to turn in your wallets, watches, cell phones, and other valuables? The doors are locked. Any scream, any cops, and we will shoot. Thank you for your cooperation."

Natasha and Loki looked at each other. Then Natasha looked at Pepper, calm as can be, and started giving directions.

"Take Jane and Darcy to the racks. Try your best to hide. Don't take any unnecessary chances, and don't come out unless Loki or I tell you to face to face." She turned to Loki as they left. "Do you have any weapons?"

"Just a throwing knife. You?"

"I have plenty, but I can only use a switchblade with this many people." She looked around for a bit, then faced him again. "Try to injure, not kill, unless things are really bad. They have guns, so be careful. No magic, and don't get spotted. You go right, I go left."

"No magic? Dodge ball all over again."

"This time, we're winning."

They pair smiled at each other before splitting up, skulking to the back of the store to find the gunman. Loki found him first, holding a gun to some human's head. Loki slowly approached, hiding behind another rack when he turned his head. He seemed alone, and Loki couldn't help be impressed for a second. Very few Midgardians were fighters, but taking on a whole store alone was still dangerous.

Somehow, he met up with Natasha again behind the same rack.

"Did you see more than one guy?" She whispered.

"No," he replied, "he's doing it solo, as far as I can tell. You distract, I strike."

Natasha nodded, then ran to the next rack. She hid her knife and crawled to the closest door, not being stealthy at all. It wouldn't be long until…

"You there!" Shots rang out, and customers cowered. "No escaping."

Natasha looked back in fake fear. She shoved herself against the wall as more bullets peppered the plaster. The gunman ran toward her, frustrated he was wasting bullets. When he passed Loki's rack, Loki struck.

He elbowed the nerve at his knee, causing the attacker to kneel painfully. He tried to turn, but Loki knocked the gun out of his hand with his knife. One kick later, and the gunman became unconscious.

Natasha took the gun from him, carefully putting it in an empty shopping bag.

"I'll hide this," she whispered. "You get the girls and go. SHIELD and the police will take care of the rest." She handed him the store key.

"We won," Loki whispered back with a smile.

**Because shopping would be boring without some action. Sorry if this was too boring anyway…**

**On a different note, I have over 20,000 words in this story! Yay!**

**As for the blue eyes in the Hot Topic mirror, what do you think?**

**Thanks you, as usual, for reading this. I hope you have a nice day!**


	16. Prep

**I have some big (in my opinion) news concerning Loki: he's 1048 (Earth) years old in the Marvel movie canon. This is based on the captions in the first Thor movie and Loki's statement on the average 5000 Earth year life cycle of an Asgardian. That might not sound like a big deal, but with the average human living to 82, using ratios, Loki's Asgardian age is akin to a ripe old… 17. 17! Marvel, if they ever get a wind of this, will probably say something about 'aliens aging differently,' and they're kind of right. **

**Oh well. **

**Here's the next chapter:**

Tony glared.

Loki stared right back, unimpressed.

"You took my girlfriend into a shop with a shooter in it?"

"How was I supposed to know that there would be some stupid, greedy human in the same store as we were?"

"Magic."

"It was my first shopping trip in a different planet."

"No excuse Rudolph," Tony stated, still looking over Pepper, "you were the only gentleman on the trip. It's your duty to protect the ladies."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I'm going to change for the dance."

Per Natasha's suggestion, he wore only black from head to toe, except red t-shirt she had slipped into the purchases to match Wanda's hair. It said 'DON'T EVER JUDGE ME.'

"Subconscious messages are crucial. Wanda is new, and she's going to try and make an impression. Therefore, she is almost defiantly wearing black as well, to contrast her hair. With your red shirt in contrast to your black… everything, you'll almost certainly draw her eyes tonight. Plus, you two will defiantly match."

"Thank you."

Natasha shrugged. "No prob. This is what I do. Now if you excuse me, I have to give the same tips to Jane, at her house." She grinned as a sound came from her back pocket. "Duty calls. See you."

…

One hour later, the Avengers and their dates were waiting in the garage for Tony.

"Wow, did you guys hear Fury? Meta-Tech. The closest one of you guys to that is Darcy, and that's because she's wearing bracelets. That's sad."

Everybody glanced at the young billionaire, who was wearing a dark gray suit with a black tie.

"Fury probably did it to get rid of all of those broken helicarrier pieces," Clint muttered to Natasha, who laughed quietly.

Loki looked around, and noticed what everybody was wearing for the first time. Had Darcy purposely steered him wrong?

He didn't need to worry. Darcy herself was wearing a dark gray dress, the same shade as her headband. Jane was wearing the same headband, but had a lighter, iridescent shade of gray on her dress, which was to her ankles. Pepper wore a white gown with a sash the same color as Tony's suit.

Natasha was stunning, with a white mini-dress that went to her thighs and had very low cleavage. Her lips were a bright red, and a simple black necklace with a red hourglass tied everything together.

Clint and Steve wore tuxedos, Clint's black with a dark purple bowtie and Steve's blue with a gray bowtie. He was Darcy's date, if only just to follow Fury's 'plus one' requirement.

Thor was in fancy Asgardian wear, with a red, long sleeve tunic and some nice, black pants. Loki had helped him pick it out, and had subconsciously matched it to his own outfit*.

Bruce was the most casual, with just a plain, green cotton t-shirt and a nice pair of jeans and leather shoes. They were probably the nicest things he owned.

Tony muttered something to JARVIS in his earpiece, and the limo door opened, allowing people to crawl in. Jane was first in because she was the closest to the car, followed by Thor and Loki. Natasha squeezed in next to Loki (probably to prevent him from smashing a window or something), Clint following her. Tony went next, followed by Pepper. Finally, Steve, Darcy, and Bruce entered.

"Wait," Bruce injected into the small conversations already forming, "Who's driving?"

Tony smiled. "JARVIS is driving, thanks to my new program. You guys'll see this on the market in a couple of years. The driver won't be as smart as JARVIS, of course…"

Everybody turned back to their conversations, and JARVIS started the engines. Loki suddenly remembered what he was going to do. He closed his eyes and began a spell, concentrating on Jane. It took a lot of effort and energy, but he couldn't let Thor hear.

"_Meet me at the girl's restroom ten minutes into the dance. Don't bring Thor. I need to talk to you._"

Jane's eyes widened and she gasped, shocked at hearing Loki's voice in her head. She probably tried to respond, but the spell was a message only. Unfortunately, Thor noticed her reaction.

"What's wrong, Jane?"

"Uh…" Loki gave her a hard look, so she drifted her gaze to a bottle in the tray. "Is that champagne?"

"What is champagne?" Thor asked.

Tony laughed briskly. "It's the best drink, along with vodka, scotch, rum…" he trailed off when he noticed the Asgardians looking at him sideways. He looked defeated. "What drinks do you guys have in Asgard?"

"Mead, beer, and the occasional wine. Why?"

Did Tony look… excited? Relieved? A mixture of both?

"Oh, good. You guys do have alcoholic drinks. Why don't you guys try some champagne? It's like the same thing." JARVIS opened a drawer next to the drink tray, revealing cups. Loki grabbed a bottle, took out his dagger, and removed the cork. He good-naturedly offered Jane a glass, but she shook her head.

"I don't drink. It's illegal for people under 21."

"Really?" Loki mused, handing the bottle to Thor, looking into his own glass. "Are Midgardians immune to dehydration?"

Jane laughed. Thor had poured himself a big glass and handed the bottle off to Natasha, who also poured herself a glass. "We drink other things, such as milk, orange juice, and water."

Loki frowned. "Odd. Are you the only one who doesn't drink?"

Clint spoke up. "Even though it's illegal, Tony, Natasha and I drink. Steve can if he wants because the serum makes him drunk-proof, but he doesn't because it's technically illegal for him. Natasha, Tony, and I have a high resistance to alcohol, so we do it."

Tony gave a whoop in joy as the bottle reached him, only to find it empty. He glared at Clint and got another bottle. When Tony was satisfied, he raised his glass into the air.

"I propose a toast: to the dance, and a night of fun!" He looked at Steve's scowling, and added, "And a mission. But that's no fun."

During this time, JARVIS had conjured a bottle of what Loki made out to be 'apple cider,' so even Darcy, Bruce, and Jane held up full glasses. Tentatively, Loki and Thor did the same. As soon as they did, everybody tapped their glasses with each other's, so Thor and Loki also did the same. When they finally got to drink, Loki was surprised. The drink was lighter than expected.

Thor looked down at the glass with surprise. Apparently, he was learning fast, because he did not smash the cup. Instead, he finished it and asked for the cider to be passed. Loki did the same.

As soon as Tony finished his drink, JARVIS spoke up.

"Sir, we have arrived at New York High School."

"Did you stop for drive through?" Tony shouted into his speaker.

"No, sir, you stopped for a drink. I know you hate being interrupted."

"Fair enough. Open the doors, JARVIS. Let's get this party started!"

…

Loki had never been to the auditorium, and the dance was one hell of a way to introduce it to him. The room was noisy and dark, with noises bouncing off of giant, shiny, polished metal scraps. There were colored lights reflecting everywhere, and the music not unlike what played at Hot Topic could dimly be heard over the rushing beat that Loki could feel in his throat. He had heard thunder right next to his ears, but even Thor recoiled at the loud music. He carefully excused himself and Jane to a quieter place.

Loki fled, first locking eyes with Jane. Her eyebrows raised as she remembered Loki's instructions, but she smoothly followed Thor as nothing had happened.

Ten minutes later, she was shaking her head, trying to keep her ears from ringing. When she saw Loki, she bounded over to him, hair bouncing.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

* I had originally planned to write about Thor's wardrobe woes and Loki helping, but I didn't like it, so I cut it.

**I am so sorry. I'm so evil! I want to finish this saga as much as you guys do, but all of these mini-plots keep popping up! I'll try to get it up by Saturday. As usual, thanks for reading!**


	17. Dance

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I am approximately 850 Midgardian years old. In Asgardian, I am about 14. Ever since I could walk, I have been trained to fight, to kill." Jane looked scared now. She stepped back, but didn't try to run. "You could run away, and I could still kill you with a paperclip. I have been trained to rip organs out of enemies. I can kill you in an instant or make it take painful years. My point it that if you ever hurt Thor, in any way, do not doubt that I will use these skills."

Jane covered her mouth, probably to cover the 'aw' sound that came out of it.

"That was the scariest 'hurt him I'll hurt you' speech I've ever heard. And probably the sweetest. But I won't hurt him."

"But you will, Jane. I've seen the way he looks at you, and you at him. If you truly love him, and him you, he'll only have you for what feels like a year. You'll age, and he won't. It will break his heart. I do not approve of your relationship." Loki sighed. "However, Thor is free to make his own choices. But if you hurt him, I will hurt you."

Jane nodded somberly. "I get it. Anything else?"

"This conversation never happened."

"Got it." With that, Jane walked away, high heels making clanking.

Loki turned and ran another way. It would be suspicious if they entered together. When he arrived at the auditorium, he covered his ears with his hands and kept his eyes open, looking for Wanda. He finally found her, dancing right by the speakers with her brother. Natasha was close by, ready to swoop in to Pierto when Loki had gotten Wanda out of the way. Loki supposed she did have magic, because otherwise she would go deaf. The volume was insanely loud.

Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the sea of Midgardians. The closer he got, the harder it was to move. The speakers boomed, and Loki's arms were shaking from the vibrations. Finally, he was spitting distance from his target.

Like Natasha predicted, Wanda wore black. It really did make an impression. Her wavy hair looked like fire, especially when the vibrations and her movement shook the strands.

Loki finally caught her eye. Wanda looked him up and down, studying him. When she looked at his face again, it was in a sweet smile, with his hand out. Although she probably couldn't hear his offer over the booming music, it was clear that he was offering her a dance.

She blushed and mouthed, "I can't."

Loki grinned. He walked to where the music was quieter.

"I'll teach you," he mouthed back.

With a blush and a smile, Wanda walked over to where he was. They could hear each other now, albeit barley. Nevertheless, they talked normally.

"I'm Loki," he said, taking her into a traditional Asgardian dance.

"Wanda. This is a strange dance for a dubstep song."

Loki laughed. "I guess you could say I'm strange person."

"Where are you from, strange person?"

"Really far away. Where are you from?"

"I'll answer the question if you do."

"Oklahoma."

"You're lying."

"What do you want me to say," Loki laughed, "That I was born in Jotenheim and raised in Asgard?"

Wanda tilted her head, clearly confused. "Jotenheim?"

Loki laughed. "You clearly do not have Mr. Yensin as a teacher."

"Nope."

"Loki was a Norse mischief god," Loki explained. "He was from Jotenheim, but was raised in Asgard."

"Ah."

"Yeah, it takes the fun out of the joke if you have to explain it. So you never told me where you were from."

"Far away."

"Hey," Loki chided as he spun her, "that is not fair. I told you something about me, now it's your turn."

"I don't know. There, you happy?" She frowned, like she was actually trying to remember.

"We'll talk about something else. How do you like school here so far?"

This also seemed to be an uncomfortable subject, but Wanda answered the question anyway. "It's pretty lonely, to be honest. I always seem to bring bad luck wherever I go. My only company is my brother, Pierto, and he's an outcast as well."

"I'm sorry. I know how that feels." Noticing Wanda's sad expression, Loki tried to change the subject. "Want to get something to drink? My voice is kind of hoarse from having to shout over the music."

"Mine too. Let's go." Wanda grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the concession table, a long piece of iron with refreshments on it. Some members of the student council were collecting money from customers in exchange for water bottles. Wanda and Loki grabbed two bottles of water and waited in line to pay. When they were finished with the transition, Wanda dragged Loki into a long hallway, and shut the door behind her.

"It's quieter in here," She murmured.

"I noticed," Loki muttered back.

She grinned. "Quiet enough for me to try something." Her eyes flashed red, and the floor beneath Loki gave away. He looked up, stunned.

Her grin was huge now. "I told you, bad things happen around me. Now, tell me who you really are, and I'll let you go. Don't bother screaming, the music will drown you out. "

Loki chuckled. "Impressive. How, if you don't mind me asking, can I get out?"

Wanda looked up. "There's a janitor's closet right above your hole. I could let the ceiling crumble and a ladder would fall down, into your hole. It should be high enough for you to climb out"

"How can I know you're lying?"

She grinned. She looked… insane. "You can't. However, it's your only chance of escaping. This hallway is really quiet after all."

Loki laughed. "You're good at this. Really good. Do you tell your brother that you kill?"

"Of course. He understands. Anyone who knows about us has to die. And I know you know. I've read you SHIELD file."

"I really am impressed, Wanda. However…" The form in the hole flickered, and disappeared in a flash of green light. It was an illusion. Wanda turned around to see the real Loki leaning against the wall behind her. "That wasn't me." He leapt into a balanced stance, ready to jump if Wanda made the floor fall again. "How did you know I wasn't normal?"

Her eyes flashed again, and a chunk of the ceiling fell to where Loki was a second before.

"I am a witch, _Jotun_. Do you think Asgard or Jotenheim are the only places with magic? I knew something was off from your accent, dance, temperature… so I scanned you. Turns out the human skin is just an illusion. And soon, that's all you'll be in people's minds." Her eyes flashed red once more, and the floor folded in on itself again. Loki was only half prepared, reeling from her comment on his race, so he couldn't avoid the hole. All he could do was hang on the edge, which was falling in under his weight.

"My offer has expired," Wanda called. She was leisurely strolling away. She stopped, and pushed down with both of her hands. The dirt floor that would cushion Loki's inevitable fall imploded. "It's a shame that the only support that would save you had crumbled into a tunnel 100 feet below. If you fall now, you'll break your skinny little neck. Goodbye, _Jotun_."

Loki peered down into the darkness. It was just like his dream, falling in utter blackness, dying like a Jotun. Suddenly, Loki grinned. He got an idea.

He reached deep inside himself, searching for the trace of ice in his heart he knew was there. It was his heritage. Like pressing a button, he pushed on the ice.

His arms began to turn blue.

**I'm a little troll, cutting you off here! Sorry. **

**Did you really think that Wanda and Loki were going to get together? Did you think that Wanda and Pierto were going to join the Avengers? Did you notice that Loki was really out of character to Wanda? Please tell me in a review!**

**Speaking of reviews, I would really like to thank rioludoodle and Sagitarizzie for reviewing every chapter. It feels good to know that people read my story and comment on it every chapter. **

**Sorry if this was confusing or fast paced, but my stories are like that. I don't usually use foreshadowing; my plots just flow out every new chapter. I also hate re-reading my own writing directly after I write it, so my syntax is really weird.**

**As usual, thanks for reading! **


	18. Fatigue

**Oops.**

**I kind of made a mistake. In the chapter 'Maximoff,' Fury told the Avengers that the siblings "weren't really hiding." But in the last chapter, Wanda said "anybody who knows about us has to die." I know the fact that Wanda is insane doesn't completely explain this, so I'll do that in this chapter or the next one. Sorry.**

Loki exhaled, feeling the cold spread up his body like a disease. He knew that he was de-activating Odin's charm, and that he may never be able to activate it again. However, he had to stop Wanda, and he was the only one who could do that. When he opened his eyes, the room changed.

The room was brighter than before. Loki could see Wanda, or at least sense her heat. He guessed that Jotun eyes had adapted to the eternal dark that was Jotenheim, allowing him to see in the very dark room.

Loki exhaled again, then inhaled, trying to tap into some of his power. He allowed his magic to help, but creating ice crystals was natural for a Frost Giant. He felt his hands grow cold, and soon he felt the crystals growing into what looked like giant claws. He dug the ice crystals into the floor he was dangling from, giving him the grip he needed. Loki pulled himself up from certain death with a gasp.

Wanda, who was almost at the door, whirled around with a gasp of her own. Loki was completely out of the hole now, discreetly holding something in his right hand.

"You call for the Jotun, Wanda, you get the Jotun." Loki was grinning, enjoying the feeling of scaring her. "You are a puny, mewling, quim. Frost Giants are merciless monsters. We eat bad Asgardian children, and have killed thousands of Midgardians. You're just the latest in an infinitely large line of those murdered by a Jotun."

Wanda shook her head. "You talk big. But what are you but words."

Loki's grin grew wider. "I am words. I am Loki, of Jotenheim. I killed the invincible god Balder with a sprig of mistletoe. I am Silvertounge. I am the god of lies. And I will bring your death." He threw his dagger, aimed straight at Wanda's heart.

Wanda's eyes flashed again, and a gust of wind came out from the hole, and moved the dagger, making it miss. However, it wasn't strong enough, and it hit her shoulder. The power of the throw pinned it to the wall, bringing Wanda's shoulder with it. She cried out in pain. When she looked up again, all she could see was Loki's fist, knocking her out.

Loki sighed in relief. He had won. However, his prisoner would die soon. Wanda's beautiful hair and dress were shiny and sticky from the blood that flowed in great quantities from her shoulder, and the ice burn where Loki had knocked her out with his Jotun fist didn't help. He murmured a spell as he removed his bloody dagger, and the wound in her shoulder closed until it was barley bleeding.

Loki could hardly stand. The mixture of the fading battle-adrenaline and the energy consumed in his crude healing spell made his knees buckled, and he threatened to drop Wanda. He dragged her body to one of her holes, and sat down with his dagger on her neck. Then, he grabbed his magic and began another spell, using gestures this time.

He imagined Pietro's face from the pictures Fury had given them. He pushed his magic outward, filling the auditorium until it found the face he was looking for.

Loki one again gathered his magic for a telepathic spell.

"_I am Loki, of Jotenhiem. I have your sister. Bring yourself and the girl with short red hair to the hallway by the concession stand in one minute, or Wanda dies._"

With the message sent, Loki felt dizzy. He was natural at using magic for illusions or fighting, but the healing really took it out of him. But he had to stay alert; Pietro and Natasha could be there any second.

Soon after that thought drifted through his mind, Loki heard the door open. In a flash, Pietro stood over them. Loki propped Wanda's chin up with his dagger.

"_I guess he really does have super-speed._"

Out loud, Loki shouted, "Not another step, or she dies. In fact, take three steps back."

Pietro obliged, but Natasha ran foreword. Loki hadn't noticed her.

"Loki!" she exclaimed, "What the hell happened?"

He addressed both of the figures. "Wanda is insane, but she is very powerful. I think SHIELD could use her, and you Pietro, after she has healed. Natasha, take Pietro to Fury."

Pietro snarled. "Not without my sister."

"Look at me," Loki growled. When Pietro didn't, he snarled again, "Look. At. Me."

Fearfully, Pietro looked Loki in the eyes.

"Scary, isn't it," Loki taunted. "Now, I cannot go out there like this. I don't trust you with Wanda, and Natasha can't carry Wanda without attracting attention to her bloody shoulder. You have to go with Natasha here to Fury."

Natasha spoke up, "If we can get across these holes in the hallway, there's another door outside. From there it's just a quick run to the office. Fury should be there, or at least Hill."

"Fine." Loki's lips were still curled in a snarl. He could tell that Natasha was also scared to death of his Jotun form, but she did a really good job of hiding it. Reluctantly, Loki slowly took off his jacket with one arm, and wrapped it around his arms. He turned to Pietro. "Don't try to grab her, or the jacket will slip and I'll give you both freeze burns. Well, another in Wanda's case."

Pietro looked enraged when he saw Wanda's face, but he didn't do anything. Natasha unconsciously rubbed her arm where she was freeze-burned by a Frost Giant.

"Come on," Natasha called as she crept past the holes. "Let's go."

They had to move slowly to prevent Loki from dropping Wanda and to prevent falling in the holes. Pietro went first, testing the floor with each step. Loki went next, struggling with Wanda's dead weight. Natasha took up the rear, making sure no one was following. Finally, they made it to the door.

Pietro looked out the glass window in the door.

"It's too dark. I can't see a thing."

Loki elbowed him, pushing him over. He narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window. His red eyes glowed like hot coals. "There's a couple in the alcove of the building there, and a SHIELD guard in front of the office building."

Natasha shoved Loki out of the way. "I'll go first, and preoccupy the couple. You guys run to the office, and wait for me in some cover. SHIELD knows me."

She snuck out of the hallway and crept towards the couple. Loki took that as the cue and raced towards some bushes near the office. Pietro had no choice but to follow.

They reached the bushes and collapsed behind them. Loki was relieved that he didn't have to carry Wanda's dead weight anymore. Pietro looked like he was planning on snatching her, so Loki let an icicle grow on one of his fingers and held it up to her neck. Pietro's posture shifted, but Loki kept the icicle by her jugular.

Suddenly, Wanda's eyes shifted. Loki looked down, and to his horror, she started to move sluggishly.

He curled his hand into a fist to knock her out again, but Pietro whispered, "Give her another burn and I'll kill you."

Loki bared his teeth. "Just try." However, Wanda was still stirring, and they didn't have time to argue. Franticly, he swiped his hand over her eyes while reaching for his magic. Instantly, Wanda relaxed.

"What did you do to her?" Pietro hissed.

"Nothing…" his voice was slurred in exhaustion. "Just put her to sleep."

Loki willed himself to stay awake, to fight through the fatigue that coursed through him. However, he still hadn't recovered from his fight from Wanda, and he saw nothing but black.

…

When Loki awoke, he was lying down in a white bed. He was still in his clothes from the dance, minus his boots, even though the shirt had blood on it and was rather worn. He looked at his arms, and noticed they were still blue. Loki reached inside himself, and undid the button he had pushed. Slowly, his features returned to a pale Asgardian shade. There was something stick in his arm, and Loki pulled it out. He knew that it was put there on purpose, but he was really fine. All he needed was rest, which he got.

Now, he had to track down those twins.

Loki put on his boots and walked down the hallway. After a couple of wrong turns, he made it outside, where he reached for his magic.

It was still there, stirring. Loki closed his eyes, and sent out a search for a face. He was surprised to find it inside the base. He followed it up stairs and down ramps. Finally, he reached a hallway with glass rooms. In it, lay Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.

Pietro, sensing his presence, looked up. However, his view was blocked by something, for he didn't focus on Loki's form. Quietly, Loki snuck into the room, and closed the door behind him.

"I didn't expect you to be here," Loki commented dryly.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I don't. You had the perfect chance to get away, and instead, you turned yourselves in?"

"How did you know that?"

"I guessed. If you had just fled, you would not have failed."

Pietro tsked. "You still don't understand. I was protecting my sister."

Loki scoffed. "Please. I didn't knock myself out for nothing. That wound is as harmful as a scrape."

"You healed her? You're Loki?"

"Yes. Blue is not my preferred skin color. So, back to 'protecting your sister.'"

"Yeah. She's insane."

"I noticed."

Pietro glared, but continued, "You said SHIELD could use her. I put two and two together and figured that they would want her alive, and heal her. She wasn't always like this, crazy for death. I figured that this was her best chance."

"Sentiment," Loki scoffed.

"Anyway, I'll stay here, with her, and help her. One day, we may even join your team. But for now, this is where you leave."

"Why?"

"Because the dance is still going on."

Loki whirled around. Pietro continued, "Wanda trapped you around nine, and we turned ourselves in two hours ago. There's still an hour until midnight."

Loki ran out the door. "Have fun," Pietro called.

…

Thor tapped Steve on the shoulder. "Have you seen my brother?"

"No," Steve replied, "I haven't seen him since about two hours ago. Why?"

"I am worried he has gotten into trouble."

"I wouldn't worry about that, big guy. He's probably busy with, ya know, his mission…"

"But Natasha said two hours ago the mission was a success."

"Oh cr-no. I'll get Clint and Bruce."

"I'll get Tony."

They found each other two minutes later. Nobody knew where he was.

"We may never find him," Thor said, exasperated. "My brother can be quite low-key."

Tony slapped his hand to his fac. "Dear God, I hope you did not do that on purpose."

"Do what?"

Meanwhile, Clint was listening, looking, and chanting the song that was playing at the same time. "We're up all night to get lucky, we're up all night to get lucky…" He looked up, then at Tony. "One could say we'll be up all night to get Loki*."

Tony groaned. "I am done. I am one-hundred percent done with you."

"I don't know," Natasha said, coming out of the shadows, "that last one was pretty good, Clint."

"Thanks, Tash. Do you know where Loki is?"

Natasha sighed. "It's been two hours, guys, and you're just now asking where Loki is?"

Thor looked ticked off. "You know where he is?"

"Yup. Last I checked, he was in the med-bay."

This caused heads to whirl.

"Is he okay?" Bruce asked.

"I have to say, I'm touched." Loki spoke up from behind Thor.

Everybody spun around, looking him up and down to see if he was hurt.

"I'm okay," he consoled. "Just tired myself out for a bit. I am quite hungry, however."

"Come on," Tony grinned. "Let's get you something to eat."

* Did I set up this whole plot arc just to make that pun? Maybe.

**And that ends the 'school dance' ark! As usual, thanks for reading!**


	19. Messages

Loki had a dream that night.

It was kind of frustrating, considering all of the excitement he already had that day, with the dance and the battle with Wanda. When Loki finally got in his sweet, soft bed around one, he just wanted to rest. But no, Odin had to call on him that night.

As soon as he fell asleep, he felt a presence approach him. It was the same kind of feeling he felt when he traveled in the bifrost, except it was outside of him, not inside of him. He sat up, and saw Odin Allfather walk towards him.

Loki bared his teeth. "GET OUT!"

Odin wasn't fazed. "I'm not physically here, Loki. I'm just in your dreams."

"I didn't ask you to invade my head. Leave!"

"My son, what's wrong?"

Loki laughed. "You mean Heimdall didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what? He never tells me anything unless I specifically ask. He is like you in that way."

Loki didn't know how he felt about the comparison, but it didn't matter. "I know."

The Allfather's face turned paler than the wan skin tone it usually was. "My son-"

"I'm not your ANYTHING!" he shouted, "I'm just a relic to you. You didn't tell me what I ought to know. If Thor wasn't there when I found out, I probably would have gone insane. I almost did. Did Heimdall tell you that?"

"You speak the truth. I owe you answers."

"I know I'm Laufey's son. You owe me other answers. Is Ragnarok true?"

Odin stiffened. Loki noticed, and continued. "Am I really destined to be chained to a rock by my son's organs, a snake dripping venom into my eyes? Do three old ladies really sit at the base of Yggdrasil, spinning this fate?"

Odin was silent.

Loki drew the dagger he kept under his pillow and tackled the Allfather. Surprisingly, he made contact, and Loki forced Odin's chin up with the blade. "I grow tired of you silence old man. Even though we are in my mind, will I be able to hurt you? There is no Balder, but will I set off Ragnarok by killing another Asgardian?"

Finally, Odin started talking, "Destiny is not like a tapestry. One can always change fate, if they are willing to. I am sorry for keeping the truth from you. I hope you can one day you will forgive me."

Loki got up, realizing it was the most he was going to get as far as answers went. He summoned a ball of fire and glared at him. "I spent so much of my time trying to impress you. Trying to receive as much love and pride as you gave Thor. After a while, I was just looking for an acknowledgement from you. I never wanted the throne," Loki whispered, "I just wanted to be an equal." He looked back up at the man who was once his father. "You kept this from me, treated me like a horse's arse, and you expect me to forgive you? I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" His voice had risen to a shout as he shot the fireball at the Allfather, knowing he would be gone by the time he faced him.

…

Loki woke up in his bed with the dagger in his hand and tears in his eyes. He didn't care if anyone saw him right now, he needed to talk with Thor. He stalked out of bed and approached their joint door, just like in Asgard. He knocked on the door.

"Brother?"

With those thundering snores, it would seem like he would be hard to wake. However, Thor was a warrior, and a warrior had to have all senses alert even in sleep. Loki heard footsteps, and soon the door opened.

"Loki? What is it?"

"I almost killed your father."

Thor looked up to see if Loki was joking. Realizing he wasn't, Thor gestured him to enter the room.

Thor's room was a mess, with clothes, papers, and boots strewn everywhere, but they both just stepped over the clutter with their long legs. Thor sat down on the bed and gestured for Loki to do the same.

Loki sat on the edge and hugged his knees, leaning on Thor. "It's been a long week," he started.

"Aye. With us coming to Midgard, meeting all of these Midgardians, you finding out about your birth, your fight with the witch…"

"There is more. When the girls dragged me shopping, there was a store. I looked in the mirror and saw blue eyes just below my own. They weren't mine, and no one else was there." He looked up at his older brother. "Something is going to happen, Thor. The Allfather," Loki spat out his name, "sent us here now because we're going to be at a crossroads. The crossroads of destiny. There are so many paths, Thor. So, so many. I could become your bitterest enemy, I could kill you, the nine realms might be destroyed, and the worst part is that I don't know when. Soon can be as many as a day or fifty years, it makes no difference to us. Either way, we need to be ready."

"Hold on," Thor interrupted, "you said you almost killed Father."

"Your father," Loki corrected, "and yes, I almost did."

"How? Why?"

Loki recounted his dream word by word, Thor struggling to keep anger off of his face. It didn't work.

"Odin has kept many secrets."

Loki looked over to Thor, somewhat shocked. It was the first time he had heard him call Odin anything but 'Father.'

"Aye."

"What about Frigga? Do you consider her your mother?"

"Frigga is my mother, just as you are my brother."

They sat there in silence for a while, until Thor gave a great yawn.

Loki chuckled. "I should go back to bed."

Thor grabbed his wrist as Loki got up. "Why don't you stay here?" he asked. "Your room's cold by now. It'll be just like when we were children."

Loki groaned. "You'll take up the whole bed, oaf."

"I promise I won't."

"Fine."

And they curled up around each other, Thor hogging the bed, just like when they were children.

…

Thor sat up. It had been about an hour since Loki entered the room, and Thor didn't usually wake up unless something woke him up. He turned toward Loki, who was on the edge of the bed.

"_So if it's not Loki, who woke me up?_"

Thor grabbed Mijolnir from the other side of the room. He wanted to make as little noise as possible, can calling the hammer by hand created wind noises. He tiptoed into Loki's room, looking around. Standing at the foot of Loki's bed was Odin Allfather.

"What is your message, my king?" he did the traditional bow.

Odin turned around. "You do not need to bow. I am merely in your dreams again."

"Then how come Loki's here?"

"He probably latched on to your mind. That child is powerful…"

"He's just 'that child' now?"

"Do not judge me for keeping Loki's true parentage a secret, child. It would not be healthy for him to grow up with that knowledge on his shoulders."

"It was even worse when he found out on accident!"

Odin opened his mouth, but Thor cut him off. "Just deliver your message."

"Very well. It would not be good to quarrel with both of my sons. Tell your friend of iron to bring the Casket of Ancient Winters to the roof tomorrow at noon. It would be good if you or Loki see that it gets to Heimdall directly."

Thor bowed his head. "Thank you for the message. Next time, I humbly suggest asking Frigga to carry messages like this."

Odin barked out a laugh. "Do not worry. I will not be carrying messages like this again."

**So, how did you like it? **

**I hope I wrote Odin well. I really dislike him in the movies. What he said to Loki before he fell from the bifrost was really stupid, and probably drove him to insanity/attempted suicide in the first place. I feel like Marvel was just having fun making a jerk in the second movie. He's practically another antagonist. If you haven't, you should see Thor: The Dark World. There are some really big twists in there that I love.**

**Thanks for reading! Next chapter should be some Christmas stuff, but otherwise there should be more action from now on.**


	20. Christmas

**Happy holidays! I'm back. Enjoy the story!**

"AHHHGH!" The team looked up, alarmed. Was that Tony's scream? They grabbed their weapons and raced to the hangout room that Tony had dubbed the 'posh room.' It had giant, plush armchairs and a real fireplace, so the Avengers tried to keep it clean. They normally didn't hang out in there to avoid the trail of mess that followed them, but for the holidays, it had become more active.

It had been about three months since Thor and Loki had joined the Avengers. Their rooms and mugs were painted, they had official beanbags, and they had the team's full acceptance. Although some mini-cliques formed, they were all really close friends. The Avengers were truly a cohesive team.

They had just come home from a battle with some Greek-loving scientists that had genetically engineered some animals to make them like Greek monsters such as the Manticore and the Chimaera.

Loki and Thor were offended, and they fought with a vengeance. Why didn't anybody try to copy Norse myths? The monsters even called them Greek names! Clint was Apollo, Natasha was Aphrodite, Thor was Zeus, Tony was Hephaestus, Steve was Ares, Bruce was Poseidon, and Loki was Athena.

"Athena?" he had cried, shooting magic at a monster, "Why do you stupid Midgardians keep thinking I am a female? And why did he change our names?"

No one had answered, but Tony had laughed into to comm. unit.

When the Avengers had jumped into the posh room, the first thing they noticed was that Loki had not changed out of his armor. He was reading a book with his back to the fire, unconcerned about Tony's shout. There were some pine garlands on his helmet, but he didn't seem to mind. He was busy reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. He licked his finger and turned a page.

Meanwhile, Tony was writhing on the floor, holding his crotch. There was a broken ornament on the floor right next to Loki, and Tony was beside it.

Clint, with his fast eyes, figured out the situation first. "Tony, what possessed you into thinking it was a good idea to try to hang ornaments on Loki's helmet?"

"Spreading holiday cheer?"

School was out for the holidays, and the team used their spare time to try and teach Loki and Thor about holidays on Midgard. They both grasped the religious and commercial concept of it quickly, Loki going out of his way to learn more. There was a giant Christmas tree in the posh room and other garlands everywhere to help 'spread holiday cheer,' which was Tony's personal mission and current catchphrase.

Clint just rolled his eyes and helped Tony to his feet. Nobody said a word more as they finished putting up Tony's dropped decorations, until Steve turned on the radio.

_"_Rudolph the red nose reindeer…" Here Loki looked up, seeing if someone had called his name. The song continued.

Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer

Used to laugh and call him names

They never let poor Rudolph

Join in any reindeer games!

Loki whirled around at Tony. His mouth was slightly open.

"Reindeer games? Is that what you named me after? A song involving a reindeer with a red nose?

Tony grinned. "I was wondering if you'd find that song, Rudolph."

Loki gave a long, exasperated noise and left the room. Ten minutes later, he came storming angrily back in.

"My horns look nothing like reindeer antlers!"

Thor muttered something about cows.

"Goddamn it JARVIS!" Tony shouted at the ceiling, "Why did you have to teach him Google!"

"Because you asked, sir." There was almost a grin in the snarky AI's voice.

"Fetch me some eggnog."

"Yes, sir." A panel of bricks opened, and there was a glass of eggnog in the hole in the wall. After Tony took it, the bricks were replaced.

"Get some for Thor and Loki as well."

"Of course, sir." Two more eggnog cups appeared, and Thor and Loki grabbed them. They each took a long sip.

"Does this have alcohol?" Loki asked.

"Yes, it does. Do you want to have a drinking contest?"

"I accept your challenge, puny mortal!" Thor shouted.

"I'll pass," Loki said quickly.

Nobody was listening, however. Everybody was too busy looking at the match of the century.

…

A half an hour later, the contest was won.

Thor was swaying slightly, but otherwise was fine. Tony, on the other hand, was drunk. Really drunk. Loki, feeling generous, helped Bruce carry him to his room.

Tony, as a joke, had put mistletoe in the air vents so that Clint would have to kiss Natasha when the crawled in the vents together. It wasn't a very thought-out plan, and both of the agents saw it coming from a mile away, so Tony moved it into the main room. They all took large lengths to avoid the sprig, but Bruce, Tony, and Loki walked right under it.

"Well, this is awkwarrrrd," Tony slurred. "Which one of you am I going to have to kiss?"

Loki and Bruce looked equally horrified. Tony had taught the Asgardian brothers what mistletoe signified.

"You know, I once killed someone with mistletoe," Loki announced.

That shut up Tony.

After they had successfully downed the drunken one, Bruce whispered to Loki, "Did you really kill somebody?"

"No," Loki whispered back, "it's just a myth. Balder doesn't even exist."

This made Bruce chuckle.

…

A couple of days later, on Christmas Eve, Thor and Loki went missing, along with their armor and some weapons.

The Avengers freaked out until the brothers returned, barley managing to carry a giant slab of meat.

"I have brought a beast to feast upon!" Thor chuckled at his own rhyme.

"A little assistance here would be nice," Loki squeaked from under the butchered carcass.

After some scolding from Natasha, Steve, and Fury, Thor and Loki began to cook the meat. Loki seasoned and cut up the large slab while Thor started with some smaller birds. Steve, not wanting to be outdone, began to work on potatoes and sides, with Bruce helping a little.

The result was a perfect little Christmas feast. The big mystery meat took up most of the center table-space, but there was still plenty of room for the various birds and side dishes as well. The Avengers all sat in the posh room, in expensive dining chairs with fancy plates. Recognizing the occasion, the team dressed up in formal attire.

For some odd reason, Thor kept laughing, especially as they began to cut the meat. Loki stepped on his foot, and Thor hid his giggles. However, when the humans took a bite of the meat and promptly spit it out, Loki joined in Thor's hysterical laughter.

"I cannot believe they fell for that!" Thor laughed.

"You would think that two scientists would recognize bilgesnipe meat!" Loki laughed back.

Still not amused, Clint asked, "What's a bilgesnipe?"

Thor was still laughing, even if has resolved into fits of deep-pitched giggles. "Big, scaly, large antlers. Do you have those here?"

"No." Natasha's eyes were looking as fiery as her hair. "Those do not exist on earth.

"Well, as you can see," Loki gestured to the bilgesnipe meat, "they are repulsive. They are also very formidable foes, and it took a long time to slay one. It was even harder to find a butcher who would slice it up. Only dogs will eat it willingly." He turned to Bruce and Tony. "I thought you guys would enjoy experimenting on an Asgardian species."

"We're not really biologists," Tony started, but noticed Bruce's expression. It was filled with wonder, and he started peppering Loki with questions.

"We'll take it!" Tony cried.

…

Even after the dinner prank, everyone's belly was full of food from the feast. Tony, eager as a child, ran to the Christmas tree.

After plenty of nagging and pleading on Tony's part, the Avengers agreed to open presents.

Tony had given everyone in the team two sets of custom painted motorcycles ("What if one explodes?"). Bruce and Steve were excited, but Thor and Loki didn't know what the machines were. With a sigh, Tony handed the stage to Steve, who had drawn each team member in minute detail, in full battle-armor, complete with colored background and a frame.

Very pleased, Loki then gave out his gift, which was petrified mistletoe stem and leaf, both very sharp and attached to a chain. Bruce rolled his eyes, but put it on nonetheless. Thor had a similar idea, stringing Asgardian currency on a leather cord. Natasha had gifted each of them a vial of one of her trademark sedatives, and Clint had given them cookies.

Bruce was the only one who had given out unique gifts. For Tony, he made a (matching) bracelet the said, 'SCIENCE BRO.' He gave Natasha a pair of high heels, Steve a sketchbook and charcoal, Loki a hoodie with ears on the hood and a tail, Clint a series of books called 'Lord of the Rings,' and Thor a colorful plastic bag. He looked at it, confused.

"It's called candy," Bruce explained. "You unwrap the plastic and eat it."

Thor immediately opened one and ate it, quickly consuming it before unwrapping another. Loki lifted one from the stash without Thor noticing, and ate it. It was called a 'Twix.' He didn't take another; they were too sweet for his taste.

After they had finished opening all of the gifts, some from the girls, Tony wanted everybody to ride their motorcycles around.

"It's too late," Steve said regretfully, "it would be dangerous to drive in the dark."

"Stevie, you forget that I'm a billionaire. We can use the racetrack on floor 60. JARVIS, go ahead and move everything up there."

"Of course, sir."

Natasha gestured to her dress. "Am I supposed to ride in this?"

"Of course not," Tony replied. "Go to your rooms, put on your battle gear, and meet at the track ASAP."

"ASAP?" Loki inquired.

"As soon as possible," Clint clarified.

They did. Loki brought his helmet (horns ornament-free) under his arm and put on his battle tunic. He and Thor arrived at the giant dirt track at the same time, anxious about the new Midgardian mode of transportation. There were so many already, and those were on land and in the air.

They jogged to Tony, who handed them what looked like giant orbs that had been compressed and then hollowed out. Tony noticed they weren't putting them on, and without warning, he stuffed one on Thor's head, ignoring the muffled protests. It was silver, with wings painted on the side. It matched his motorcycle, which was the same shade of silver with bright red cushions. Loki noticed that his motorcycle also resembled his armor, with horns painted on the side of his helmet and green, black, and gold designs on his bike. Tony had done the same to everybody else's motorcycle and helmet, each matching their theme. When he looked closer, he noticed they also had weapon holders to fit their specific weapon. Bruce's just looked really strong and durable.

While Loki was checking out the other bikes, Tony had finished fitting Thor's helmet. He grabbed Loki's helmet and made to do the same thing, but Loki dodged.

"Thank you for the gift, Tony, but I already have a helmet. That one would do nothing but reduce my visibility."

Surprisingly, JARVIS was the one who responded. "Mr. Loki, the government has stated that specially designed motorcycle helmets like this one reduce the morality rate of deadly accidents by 37 percent. I cannot allow you to ride without one."

"Thank you JARVIS, but am I to wear two helmets?" He sighed, grabbed the helmet back from Tony, and reached for his magic. With a shoving motion, the two helmets melted into each other and took the form of the motorcycle helmet with his actual horns. With a wave of his hand, Loki turned the horns back into painted ones and pushed his motorcycle to where the others were waiting.

Following their example, Loki straddled his bike like a horse. He tried to click to it, to make it start, but it wouldn't start. Bruce stood in the front of the group like a teacher and explained how to start up the motorcycle and demonstrated. After an hour of practicing, Loki managed to get around the track. Never mind if he dug in his heels if he wanted it to go faster.

At least he managed to start it up. Thor could barley do even that, and it took him another half an hour to be able to ride it in a straight line. Bruce assured them they would get in eventually, and everybody added an extra half an hour to training time to master riding the motorcycles Tony had given them.

By the time school rolled around, even Thor barley kicked the sides of the motorcycle when he became impatient.

**Thanks for reading!**


	21. Evaluation

**Am I the only person who thinks it's weird for the actor who plays Fury to do Capitol One commercials? It's so weird!**

Bruce left the classroom.

Loki looked up, concerned. He knew that Bruce knew every law and formula in their class like the back of his hand, but it was still odd that he left the classroom every day halfway through the class and didn't return until halfway through algebra. The teachers never commented on this, they just carried on with the lesson. The other students even seemed oblivious to the free pass the student had.

"Why are you always late for algebra?" Loki asked one day as they ate lunch together. For some reason, only Clint joined them.

"I go meet with Dr. Phillip. He's my therapist."

Clint snorted. "He's your therapist? The guy who heads psycho? God, I hate him."

"Psycho?" Loki asked. He had never heard the term.

"It's what Natasha and I call the psychology unit in SHIELD." When Clint noticed Loki still looked confused, he elaborated, "Psychology is the study of the brain and human behavior."

"I am not in that sphere on influence."

Clint smirked. "I don't think that'll stop you or Thor from being subject to the infamous psycho test."

Bruce sighed. "I don't get why you guys hate him so much. He's really nice, and genuinely cares about every patient. And he loves science."

"It's all about science for you, buddy." Clint muttered.

The trio changed the subject, and didn't really think about it until a week later, when Fury asked to speak to Thor and Loki while the others were training. They went to the corner of the room where the screen hung, where Fury's face was already glaring at them.

"On Monday, after school, report to the counselor's office. It is time you two took your physiologic evaluation. This is a basic test to make sure you two can work well enough in high-stress situations."

Thor spoke up. "Apologies, Fury, but that is unnecessary. My brother and I have gone through many battles together."

"It's just a standard procedure. Everyone on the team has gone through it and passed, although some quicker than others. Just answer the questions truthfully and it will take no time at all."

The screen went dark, blocking any arguments. With a sigh, Loki rejoined Clint at the target range, where he was learning how to fire a gun.

"What was that all about?" Clint asked.

"We have to take the psycho test on Monday."

"Ha ha."

Loki elbowed him in the ribs.

…

"State your name please," Dr. Phillip stated, as if talking to a child. Not in voice tone, per say, but in mannerisms. Besides that annoying quirk, he also had a voice very similar to Odin's.

Loki didn't like Dr. Phillip already, and he had only asked one question.

"Loki."

"You full name, if you please?"

"Just Loki."

Dr. Phillip sighed. "Very few people are this stubborn this early on in the process, Mr. Odinson."

Loki stood up, knocking his chair backwards and onto the concrete floor. "I am not his son!" he shouted.

"Hmmm." Dr. Phillip leaned forwards in his own chair, hands resting on the plastic table. "It says in this file that you are. Care to explain?"

"I do not have to explain anything to you."

"You do if you wish to remain in the Avengers."

Loki glared. He'd have to lie his way out of this one. "Odin and I got into a fight."

"What about?"

Did this guy's questions ever end?

"_His constant wonderings make him even more annoying, if possible,_" Loki thought. He put on a fake smile.

"He wanted me to come home before midnight and stop playing tricks."

"Hardly a fight worth estrangement."

"I am considered a difficult child." That part wasn't a lie.

"On a different topic, where are you from?"

"Oklahoma."

"Your file says that you are from a distant planet, Asgard. Do you think the cultural differences alienate you to a point where it become hard to function in day-to-day Earth life."

"No."

"Why did you feel compelled to lie on your point of origin? Are you ashamed of where you come from?"

Loki laughed. "Why would I be ashamed? It's far better than this realm."

"Then why did you lie?" Dr. Phillip insisted.

"I wanted to annoy you."

"Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?"

That question startled Loki, but he didn't show it. "No."

"Have you ever thought about hurting others?"

"I have thought about hurting you multiple times during this conversation."

The doctor was not fazed. "Okay then. Let's talk about your brother, Thor."

"We will not discuss Thor."

"Even when he's discussed you?"

Loki eyes widened, and his lips curled into a snarl.

"You lie."

The bastard had the nerve to smile minutely. "I'm not lying. He told me everything. How you're a different species, one that is considered lesser in your world. How Odin raised you as his brother. Your childish feud with Odin for not telling you about your birth."

Loki was stunned. "Why would he do that?"

He asked himself, but Dr. Phillip answered anyway. "He cares for you. He believes that I can help you. He wishes for you to be happy. Don't be mad at him." He leaned forward even more. "He's right. I can help you. I can help you feel better again."

"The only thing you can do to help me feel better is run into my dagger multiple times," Loki snarled. "If you have no further questions for me, I will take my leave now."

He left.

…

"That bastard!" Loki shouted as he stabbed one of Steve's punching bag. He trashed it until it was empty, sand spilling everywhere. Loki had driven straight from school to the tower on his new motorcycle as fast as he could, and then had stormed up to the training room, which was blissfully empty.

"Yeah, he's sadistic."

In one swift motion, Loki threw the dagger at Clint's head, but he dodged, sending it into the wall. Clint didn't look particularly surprised or angry at the attack. "Psycho eval went that bad?"

Loki sighed. He normally didn't tell people things like this, but Clint was his teammate, and he trusted him. "That whore's-son tricked Thor into telling him everything about me."

"He did that to me too."

Loki looked up. Clint's cocky aura was gone, and his eyes were trained on the floor. "He convinced me that I could help Natasha recover from her bad past. He was so sympathetic, so kind." He looked up. "I'm an assassin. SHIELD tells me to shoot someone, and I do. I don't really interact with people. That became Natasha's job when we paired up. So I actually thought that he could help her. I told him everything he asked, and more, and he humiliated me. He told her that I told him, and he told her my secrets. Luckily, Natasha forgave me. You should forgive Thor, too. He didn't know."

Loki's shoulders slumped. "I was never mad at Thor, really." He smiled. "Although he'd be more compliant if he doesn't know that."

Clint grinned. "I won't tell anyone."

Loki remembered something, and sobered. "But we need to tell Bruce about him. What if Dr. Phillip hurts him?"

Clint pursed his lips. "Bruce's father died a while ago. Natasha told me that Bruce looks up to Dr. Phillip as a second father. If we tell him, it'll break his heart. So far, he's shown no intention of hurting Bruce like he did us. Maybe he really is helping him."

Loki snorted. "Maybe."

…

The next day Bruce did not return.

Loki waited anxiously all during algebra, head turning to the door every time it opened. Bruce always appeared at the same time each lesson, practically on the dot. When he never showed up, Loki started to get really worried.

Was it a coincidence that the day after Loki met the doctor, Bruce didn't show up?


	22. Psycho

**This chapter is pretty f-ed up. Remember chapter 11? It's kind of like that. I hate to spoil it, but there's suicide, so beware of that…**

As soon as the lunch bell had rung, Loki raced out the door. Natasha, Darcy, Jane, and Thor looked concerned that Loki was in such a rush, but he didn't stick around to share his fears. Time was of the essence if something had happened to Bruce.

Looking back, Loki considered this decision rather Thor-like. Thor-like decisions were rarely the wisest ones.

Loki ran to the normal meeting spot where the Avengers normally ate lunch and practically threw off his backpack. He got out his black cat-eared hoodie and stuck his dagger in the pocket, thankful for his decision to wear black pants. Black was the preferred color of stealth on any realm. He slipped on his hoodie and slowly made his way to the counseling office, where Bruce almost undoubtedly was.

"_Perhaps I am just being paranoid,_" Loki thought bitterly. It was more of a vain hope.

…

When Loki got to the office, he was almost shaking from battle nerves. Almost. He was raised as a warrior.

Nervous, he slowly opened the door. Like most SHIELD facilities, the counseling building was a dark, concrete room with other rooms build into it. The ceiling was tall, with florescent lights hanging from a pipe. The floor was a cheap, shoddy blue carpet. It was nasty, but it helped muffle Loki's already quiet footsteps.

He crept by each door slowly, and quickly peeked into the windows. One of the rooms he recognized to be where he took the psycho eval, but it was empty, and not Dr. Phillip's actual office. Most of the other doors just had people organizing files or working on computers, but the door at the end of the room didn't have a window. Slowly, quietly, Loki approached and opened it.

This was obviously Dr. Phillip's office. It held a couple of pictures and awards behind a desk. There were two chairs in front of the desk, and a plusher one behind it. There was also a door painted into the wall, almost invisible except for the knob and outline. Curious, Loki opened it, and shut it quickly behind him. He started to look around when a click came from the door. Loki whirled around to open it again, but it was locked. He was trapped.

The room he was trapped in was obviously a lab, with a giant chair in the middle surrounded by lab equipment. However, what drew Loki's attention was the screen and the speaker.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Odinson," Dr. Phillip called from the speaker. The screen flickered, and soon his face appeared on it. "What brings you here? You evidently hate me."

Loki's featured smoothed out into a mask. "I was worried about Bruce. He never came back from today's session."

Dr. Phillip smirked. "You do not need to worry about Mr. Banner. He's simply learning the truth."

Well, that was ominous.

"The truth about what?" Loki subtlety reached his hand into his hoodie pocket.

"Why spoil the surprise? Goodnight Mr. Odinson."

One of the machines shot a dart at him. Loki barley dodged it, but another one came out of another machine and hit him in the leg.

Immediately, Loki felt woozy. He pulled out the dart, but the feeling persisted. Loki slammed his back against a wall to help prevent any sneak attacks from coming and drew his dagger.

Another dart shot at him. Loki tried to deflect it, but he was too slow, and it hit his neck. With a gasp, he passed out.

…

When he awoke, he was in the chair, dagger gone. He tried to get up, but multiple tight restraints rendered his limbs useless. Loki growled in annoyance. There was only one thing he could do, as much as it hurt his pride. He reached for his magic and began a message.

"_Clint! It is I, Loki. Do not try to reply, for this is just a message. But Dr. Phillip drugged me. Bring the rest of the Avengers to the counseling building. And be cautious of darts…"_

That's all he could fit. Even though such spells were becoming easier with training and constant use, the drugs had really exhausted him. He closed his eyes…

"Loki!"

It was Thor. Somehow, he had tracked Loki without him noticing, which was really impressive. However, what was really shocking was Bruce's body in his arms. The smaller boy was limp, and his eyes were blank.

"Bruce!" Loki fruitlessly tried to tug on his restraints. Realizing it was futile, he looked up at his brother, who was now surrounded by the rest of the Avengers. They must have snuck in as well. "Is he okay?"

Tony looked angry. "He's dead."

Loki's eyes widened. "No…" he whispered.

Thor was furious. "You lame Jotun runt! How could you let this happen?"

Loki was crying now. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

Steve spoke up next. "We should never have trusted you, liar."

"You weren't even able to save him. A dart took you out." That was Natasha.

"Anybody worthwhile could have saved Bruce." Clint.

Then, Bruce spoke up, still dead in Thor's arms.

"Why didn't you save me? I trusted you. Dr. Phillip tortured me to death, and I called your name. And you didn't help me."

Loki closed his eyes and screamed. When he opened them, Frigga stood there, and the Avengers were gone.

"Odin was right." Her voice was cold. "You aren't worthy to be our son."

"Mama?" His voice was weak, small.

"He should have left you in the cold!" she screamed. "Not be raised next to Thor. You were never anything to us. "

And she turned and left.

The next thing he heard was her scream, followed by those of the rest of the Avengers. Suddenly, their bodies were thrown into the room, eyes blank and dead.

"Why can't you save us, Loki?" they asked, eyes still glassy. "Why?"

And Loki screamed.

…

Loki tried to push his head up, gasping. The restraints still held him tight though. He was still helpless.

He looked around, but thankfully, there were no bodies.

"_It must have just been a nightmare_," Loki thought. "_But it was so real…_"

The screen he was facing flickered to life. There was a video, showing Bruce and Dr. Phillip facing each other in the doctor's office. Bruce was obviously alive, much to Loki's relief.

The audio came on, and Dr. Phillip started speaking.

"You're a freak."

Loki's eyes widened. Was he talking to Bruce?

Instead of a snarky reply like Loki would have given, Bruce was quiet.

"You've killed tons of people, and you deserve to die. Remember the hospital? After the lab incident?"

Bruce was still quiet. It was evident that this conversation had been going on for a while.

"The woman I loved was in there. We were going to get married, and be happy. But you just had to transform into that beast. The monster killed her without remorse. You. You are a monster. You killed her without remorse." Dr. Phillip's voice was thick with emotion. And it was killing Bruce, to see the man that he had looked up to hurt him like this. He held his hands to his ears, trying to block him out.

"Stop it! Please!"

"I was wrong. Death is too good for you. But I'll give it to you anyway." He took out a syringe. "This will give you death, quick and painless." Bruce didn't respond. "Don't believe me? I'll prove it."

Quick as a flash, Dr. Phillip plunged the syringe in and pushed the plunger. He looked Bruce in they eyes, life quickly fading.

"Dr. Phillip! No!" Bruce, after all that he said, still cared for the man.

"There's another one in the desk," he croaked, "strong enough for even the Hulk. You killed me. Remember that." He looked up. "Marlene, I'm coming." He twitched once, and then was still.

"No!" Bruce rushed to the doctor's body, to check his pulse, but it was futile. Dr. Phillip was dead. Loki would have sighed in relief, but he had scarred Bruce. Bruce stepped away from his body, eyes somewhat glassy from shock. His mentor just told him that his deepest fears were true, and he believed it. He walked over to the desk, and pulled out a syringe.

"NO!" Loki shouted. The dream Loki had was of his deepest current fear that Bruce would die. But it was actually happening now, in front of his eyes, and there was nothing he could do. He reached into himself, hoping that his Jotun form could help, but it was coming too late. Loki wouldn't reach Bruce in time.

Loki could only stand there in horror as Bruce set up the plunger, and made to stick it in his arm…

An arrow came whizzing by, shattering the syringe with deadly accuracy. Clint jumped out of the rafters, Natasha following right behind him. Tony blasted through the doors at the same moment, iron gauntlet glowing from usage. He ran towards his friend, Steve and Thor hot on his heels.

Bruce stabbed the syringe in, but it was too late, there was nothing to inject. Tony wiped away the liquid to avoid skin absorption and pulled Bruce into a hug. Bruce clamped back with all of his strength, needle on the floor, forgotten.

Tony spoke up after about four minutes of stunned silence. "Bruce, why?" He was still kneeling; they had quite a height difference.

"I deserve to die," he whispered.

Tony just held him tighter, stroking his hair. Loki was shocked. He had no idea that the egotistical genius cared so much about Bruce, and was even capable of such emotions.

"We need to look for Loki," Natasha whispered. "Who knows what he did to him."

Clint nodded, and the pair slipped back into the air vents. Less than a minute later, Loki's eyes were drawn to his own air vent, which was knocked open. Clint slipped out, staring at Loki and the screen.

"Why are you in Jotun form?"

"I needed to escape. I can turn it off." Loki reached inside, and undid the button. His features slowly returned to Asgardian tone, and the room darkened as his eyes turned green again.

Up high in the air vents, Natasha shouted, "Get Loki out of there! I think I pulled a trip wire!"

Clint drew his knife and slashed through the restraints. Loki picked up his dagger from a side table and stuck it in his pocket. He turned to leave, but there was a voice on the speaker.

"Clint." It was Dr. Phillip's.

Natasha dropped out of the vent, and joined Clint and Loki in staring at the speaker.

The voice continued. "I knew one day you would sneak into my office. And I know how much you love the air vents. So it's time I fulfilled my promise. Time to spill the beans! Oh, and I know that Natasha is probably there. I'm surprised she forgave you." The dead doctor's voice was bright. "Should I tell how you murdered your brother first, or the big one… I'll start with the big one. You love her."

Natasha stumbled back like she had been shot. Clint looked equally winded. Nobody noticed Loki.

"You're a pervert. She's a child, you're an adult, but you still love her. You're no better than your brother. I guess such sick behavior runs in the family. He hasn't told you the sick things that run through his head about you, has he, Natasha? Your partner, who you trust so much…" The transmission cut off as Clint shot an arrow at the speaker, rendering it unusable.

After another minute of shocked silence, Clint spoke up.

"C'mon. Bruce needs us badly. We can't let some stupid drama distract us. Look what his lies did to Bruce."

Natasha moved as if to climb into the air vents, but Loki just opened the door to where Tony was still hanging on to Bruce as if the boy's life depended on his grip. Tony was crying now as well, and Steve looked close to joining him.

Bruce was old for his age, even if he looked small, but at the moment, he looked infinitely young, infinitely old, and infinitely broken.

Natasha, ever the calm one, called Fury on the doctor's phone, just telling him to come to the office.

"And bring Coulson. It's really important."

Loki walked over to where Thor was. He was still staring at Bruce, still confused on what had happened. Suicide had never crossed Thor's mind before as a possibility.

Loki walked up and embraced Thor.

"_I have seen and heard horrible things today, brother_," he murmured into his ear. "_Just do not ever leave me. Please_."

Thor hugged him back, "_I will not. Ever_."

The Avengers were at there most broken point, but they were also at their closest.

**Dam! I swear I had no idea this would get so… emotional. I hated this chapter at first (and still hate the ending), but the story flowed the more I got into it.**

**As usual, thanks for reading!**


	23. Recovery

**Thank you guys so much for reading this and for the awesome reviews! I don't think I thank you enough!**

**Anyway, this chapter is about recovery. They all need it. Dr. Phillip pushed them psychologically harder than GLaDOS, and that's really saying something.**

**Here's the story.**

Somehow, word got out. It was a high school, and rumors were always flying. Luckily, Bruce managed to stay out of the rumors, even though he stayed at the tower for a week after the incident. Per his request, Loi brought him his homework and classwork.

Tony also missed a week of school, never leaving his 'science bro's' side. He was more or less his usual egotistical personality, but his eyes never left Bruce. Per Bruce's request, he also got his homework and schoolwork brought to him. All of their teachers thought that Tony and Bruce had gotten sick. Although they were alerted about the suicide of their colleague, they never knew that the Avengers were involved.

The team hadn't heard from Fury since he and Coulson had arrived at the office to collect the body. Bruce and the rest of the team had left, riding home in silence. When the got home, Bruce and Tony fled to their lab, but the others each went to their rooms.

They all had a lot to think about.

Loki, since he saw the most (besides Bruce, of course) of the incident, explained exactly what happened. He didn't even need to ask Clint to leave out the part about the recording. By the end of the story, there were even more tears. Immediately after he finished the story, Steve went to the gym, probably to beat the crap out of their punching bags. All of them.

Loki? He just stared at the hoodie that Bruce had given him for Christmas (the cat-eared one) just a couple of weeks ago. He thought about how his awful nightmare had almost come true. He thought about Frigga's appearance in the dream, and his teammates telling him how much of a fail he was.

Thorwas gone, at Jane's house. He asked Loki if it was okay first, of course, and Loki just nodded. He needed to talk to someone else anyway; someone who'd understand the dream.

He got up, and asked JARVIS to take him to where Clint was.

…

The sound of arrows hitting their targets was somewhat familiar to Loki, having been raised in a warrior culture. Archery was considered a coward's skill, but it was still taught in the academy, if only to teach them another weapon.

Loki might have been an archer if he didn't prefer throwing knives. Either way, he was called a coward.

He walked up quietly, but not soundlessly, so he could alert the archer to his presence. Clint didn't even turn around.

"Go away Loki, before I shoot you."

"I just want to talk."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I am a self-centered creature. Who said I want to talk about you?"

Clint stopped firing arrows and turned around. "Can't you talk to Thor?"

"He is at Jane's house at the moment. Besides, you will probably understand better than the oaf."

He sighed and looked Loki in the eyes. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Dr. Phillip did not just torment you and Bruce. After he drugged me… I had this dream."

Clint cut him off. "The darts probably had a hallucinogenic in them."

Loki looked confused. "What is a hallucinogenic?"

Clint sighed in impatience. "Do you know what hallucinations are?"

"No."

"They can give you visions or make you hear things that aren't real. They screw with your brain. The sadist probably designed or chose the drug to show you your deepest fears."

Loki nodded. "That makes sense. Thank you Clint, for talking. It is quite evident you did not want to." He started to walk away.

"I killed my brother." Clint barley whispered this, but Loki heard it anyway. He turned around.

"What happened?"

Clint put down his bow and sat down on a barrier. He motioned for Loki to do the same.

"A long time ago, my parents died in a car crash. Barney and I were sent to an orphanage. We hated it there. One day, when the circus was in town, Barney suggested we run away. So we did, and the circus let us join. I got into archery. I was really good, and right away I rarely missed. I found my niche, and I was happy. But Barney never found his, and he turned bitter. One night, I was practicing archery, and I heard a noise. I went to check it out. It was Barney, and he was sitting over a little girl, about seven years old. She was heavily drugged or something, because she wasn't struggling. Barney held up a giant kitchen knife, and threatened to kill her unless I ran away. I tried to reason with him, but he had turned into a psychopath. So, without thinking, I drew an arrow, and I killed him. I replaced the arrow in his body with his own knife, and I ran away."

Clint's eyes were far away. He wasn't with Loki anymore, he was with Barney.

"SHIELD found me, an assassin for hire. Coulson figured I had good in me, and he turned me into an agent, usually just assassin jobs, but some that were otherwise. One of my jobs, about a year ago, was a girl named Natasha Romanoff. She was a rouge assassin, like I was, but had a history of working with the Soviet Union."

Noticing Loki's confused look, Clint explained, "The Soviet Union is an enemy of SHEILD, located in Asia…" Loki nodded.

"Anyway, I was sent to kill her. I finally managed to pin her beneath me, but she kept struggling. Usually, I took targets out from a distance, but in case of close combat, Coulson gave me a tranquilizer. I drugged her, and she stopped fighting. I held the knife to her throat, ready to kill her. Then I looked into her eyes. They looked just like the little girl's, and I was Barney. There was a drugged little girl, under me, and I held a knife to her throat. Sound familiar?" His head was in his hands, and he was shaking. Loki awkwardly put his hand on Clint's shoulder, like he had seen other Midgardians do. "And I couldn't do it. I thought, 'I'm just like Barney.' So I called Coulson, told him I couldn't do it, and smashed the transceiver. They picked us up, and made her into an agent. She became my partner, and I began to trust her, and she trusted me, and…"

"You fell in love with her," Loki whispered.

For the first time since he started his story, Clint looked at him. "I've only told this story to three people: you, Natasha, and… you know. You better not tell."

He looked up. "That goes for you too, Steve!"

Redder than his shield, Steve stepped out from behind the doorway.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. A broken punching bag was dragged behind him.

"It's okay. If I didn't want you to know, you wouldn't know. I trust you."

Steve looked relieved. "Either of you guys want to punch something?"

Clint looked up with a grin. "How 'bout you?"

They chased each other around the training floor, laughing. Loki got up.

He was done here.

…

Thor returned to the tower while the rest of the team was eating a quiet dinner. Even Bruce and Tony came up from their laboratory to eat. Tony claimed that his chef's risotto was so good he'd stop 'sciencing' to eat it.

Nobody knew what to talk about, so the dinner was mainly filled with the sounds of eating. Steve, being the leader, constantly tried to induce conversation, but no one really wanted to continue it. Finally, he gave up, until Thor entered the room.

"How's Jane doing?" he asked.

Thor grinned and held up two slips of paper. "Jane asked me out on a date!"

There was applause around the table.

Thor frowned. "But she's sick, so she gave me the tickets and told me to choose someone else to go with me. I wanted to stay with her, but she said that I should go."

Tony smirked. "That's what she said, huh?"

Clint, Bruce, and Natasha snickered.

Thor nodded. "Yes, that is what she said."

"So," Steve asked, "where are those tickets valid?"

"Some place called 'Sea World.'"

**Yes, I do realize there is no Sea World in New York. But next chapter's going to be fun, because these last chapters have been really heavy. **


	24. Amusement

**Wow! Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I went on vacation and couldn't bring the story with me. Sorry.**

**And the ENTIRE story, I forgot a disclaimer! So here's a good one:**

**I do not own any of the characters except for my two-dimensional OC Dr. Phillip, whose name derives from the TV personality Dr. Phil. All of the other characters are owned by Marvel, and they are not mine. If they were mine, we would know tons more about the fake-deaths the characters love pulling off.**

**Anyway, here's the story.**

Thor chose Loki to come with him. No one was surprised.

However, Loki almost turned it down.

"Thor, I do not wish to go. Ask someone else."

"Why not?"

Loki sighed. "Never have we gone in Midgardian public alone without our friends."

Steve, ever the optimistic one, spoke up. "You guys'll be fine. All you need to do is follow the signs and the worker's instructions, not bring alcohol, not bring your motorcycles inside, and wait patiently in lines. You'll be fine!"

Tony whispered something to Bruce, who smirked. Loki ignored this and sighed again.

"Fine. I will accompany you, brother."

…

The hardest part in Steve's rules was 'wait patiently in lines.'

Although Loki was patient when it came to battle, where there was the chance you could get killed if one is not, waiting in lines was boring.

Thor wasn't even patient in battle, so the lines were even more dull for him. He soon became grumpy.

Loki turned to Thor and smiled sweetly, ensuring something was up.

"As much as I appreciate you blocking out the sun with your horrible temper, I doubt the rest of the park does. Could you put a lid on it?"

Thor took deep breaths, just like Loki had taught him on Asgard. The clouds soon disappeared.

"_We really need to help Thor control his weather powers when he gets upset. We do not need anybody else finding out. This whole trip was a bad idea_."

After a long line to get a parking ticket to park their motorcycles, another line to get in the park, and a line to get food (they had skipped breakfast), Loki was sick of inconsequential waiting. Then he waited in a two and a half hour waiting line for a ride called Shipwreck Rapids.

After the ride was over, Loki was breathing heavily. After waiting two hours, he expected the ride to be longer and more exciting than Thor's boat driving (which was awful). Unfortunately, Thor wanted to ride it again. The line was only forty-five minutes long, but Loki still got impatient. They were still in the back of the line.

With a small gesture, he cast a couple of illusions over himself and Thor. He also made an illusion of Frigga near the front of the line.

Thor opened his mouth, probably to ask Loki why they looked like young children, but Loki stopped him.

"No talking. Do you want to ride earlier, or not?"

Thor scowled. "_Loki_…"

The child grinned, then put on a slightly worried expression as he pulled Thor along.

"'Scuse us," child Loki muttered with big, innocent eyes, "Our mother is ahead in line."

The Midgardians let them pass.

They caught up to the Frigga illusion, which conversed as if she was really there, and went along with the 'separated children' façade. They didn't notice who was in line with them until Bruce, Tony, and Steve got on the ride's boat with them. Their teammates didn't notice either.

Steve was the first to notice. "Thor? Loki? Is that you? Who's that?"

Loki, still in child form, smirked. "The line was taking too long for us. What are you doing here?"

Tony spoke up with a pleased smile. "We have fast passes, so we can cut the lines!"

The ride hadn't started, so the boat was still at the dock where the riders boarded them. Loki looked past Tony's head where workers were helping people board. One worker caught Loki's eye, an attractive female with long, curly, blonde hair. She winked at Loki in a seductive manner.

Loki looked down. Wasn't he still in child form? Why was this woman winking at him?

"_Hello, munchkin._" He heard her voice, but her lips weren't moving. Loki's eyes widened, pupils dilating.

"_Amora?_"

But when he blinked, she was gone. Loki turned to his friends, trying to forget.

"_Perhaps it was my imagination._"

Although the ride was much more enjoyable with his team, Loki still couldn't shake her from his mind.

…

Soaking wet from the ride, Bruce, Steve, and Tony went to go to another ride called the 'Manta.' Thor and Loki went to the dolphin show. It started in a half an hour, but the first seats were already filled.

Loki sighed as he sat down in a wet seat. He didn't mind being cold, but being wet was annoying. Luckily, his boots were at home, so they weren't sodden by the water. The tennis shoes he borrowed from Clint, however, caught the saltwater and retained it, making his feet uncomfortably sodden.

Thor didn't mind, and just waited for the show to begin.

Loki was bored. So he plotted, and he planned, and grinning, he waited for the show to start.

…

Marina the dolphin trainer was angry.

It had taken her a while for her to lose her trademark calm. First, when the fish and gelatin in the ice buckets for the dolphins' reward was replaced with cheese dolphin crackers, she rolled her eyes and replaced the buckets with the stuff in storage. When all of the whistles were plugged up by clay, she gritted her teeth and unplugged them. When the props were found in the dolphin tanks, Marina graciously fetched them, thanking her lucky stars that they were waterproof.

She was looking for the culprit when she found out that somehow, somebody had turned all of the costumes black. The only ones that were not black were three sizes too big for the actors. When Marina tried on her own costume, her scream was almost too high for humans to hear.

Her costume had been filled with snakes.

…

Loki snickered when he heard the scream around the beginning half of the show. Thor raised his eyebrows at him, but didn't say anything.

When he had noticed that the costumes were too big, right at the start, he remained silent. When he noticed the props were soaking wet, he knew that Loki was having too much fun.

After the show was over, despite being soaked, Loki's mood had improved.

"I like this place."

**Sigh… I'm cutting this chapter off here. I'm sorry it's so late and I hate it so much. The next chapter should be longer. I'm so sorry about this bad chapter. Perhaps I'll fix it one day, but I really need to get on with the story, and I've been spending all day on this. Sorry again! **


	25. Disease

**Happy New Year guys! I'm so excited for Winter Soldier! I hope Steve and Natasha don't get together…**

"His name is Doctor Doom."

Once again, the Avengers had been training when Fury sounded the mini-alarm. The spy glared forebodingly into the screen until the image changed to a picture of a man. He was wearing a black mask set into a frown and a dark green cloak.

"Five minutes ago, SHEILD detected a breach in the computer firewalls. Someone had gotten through the first major one and left a message before destroying itself. The message is for the Avengers, who don't officially exist outside of SHIELD."

The image of Doctor Doom shifted. The video started to play.

"Avengers," the masked man announced, "My name is Victor von Doom. I demand your immediate and unconditional surrender. Meet me at 8306 125th street at 13:00 tomorrow." Bruce scowled, but flinched when the Doctor continued, "Bring the beast in his human form. I have plans for him. If you do not comply," here the screen changed, "I will bomb this building. You are all familiar with New York High School, are you not? It would be a shame to kill all of these students…"

The screen went dark, and Fury's face quickly replaced the black. "We have already fully evacuated the school and sent a bomb squad. Even if this is an empty threat, I want you guys to capture him and bring him in, alive. The tech guys aren't the only ones curious on how that guy got into our system. Be careful."

This time, no face replaced the blank screen.

…

Without discussing it, the team made their way to their meeting room on the fiftieth floor, where Steve took one head of the table, and Tony took the other. Already, JARVIS had provided maps of the location, pictures of Doctor Doom, and even a picture of the school. As usual, Steve stood up to begin the meeting, but this time Tony spoke first.

"Alright guys, I think we need to suit up."

Clint raised his hand, but began without anybody calling on him. "Why? We arrive any time before one tomorrow, and we risk the school being blown up."

"I would not mind that too much," Thor muttered.

"Exactly, Clint." Steve looked Tony in the eyes. "You're being too impulsive. We can't risk anything happening to the school."

"Actually," Bruce began, "I agree with Tony."

Clint gasped dramatically, but Natasha elbowed him.

Bruce continued, "Harlem is a dark, confusing place. You can know it like the back of your hand and still get lost. Even if we don't attack the warehouse, checking it out first is a really good idea."

Steve pursed his lips, but sighed. "Alright, all in favor of scouting ahead?"

All hands except Clint's and Steve's raised. Steve sighed.

"Alright guys. Suit up."

…

The building, according to the city, actually never existed. Luckily, Tony had JARVIS, so he was able to find it. 8306 125th street was a warehouse with one main entrance at the end of an alleyway. There were no windows except for four small panes of glass for each wall the size of a piece of paper. JARVIS and Tony also found a tiny roof hatch and a one-way back door that was impossible to get open soundlessly.

The team was about to head out when they heard a roar a couple of alleys away, where Bruce was looking for other entrances or cameras. Immediately, there was a crash at the warehouse and Steve was heard over the comm. unit.

"Okay guys, we have the Hulk on the loose. Hawkeye, do you copy?"

"Yeah Cap, he crashed into the warehouse wall. I can see his silhouette through the dust, but not for long. Want me to follow?"

"Yeah. Widow, go with him. Iron Man, you and Thor try to cut him off. Smash through the wall if you have to, but do not try the windows. They may be trapped. Loki, go through the back. Open that door. I'm going in through the Hulk hole. Remember, Doctor Doom and his trap are in there, so be extra cautious. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Rodger."

Loki raced around the building, looking for a way to get to the back door. The New York streets were busy and confusing, causing him to have to backtrack a couple of times. When he finally got to it, a cry in his comm. unit made his blood run cold.

"Loki! Do not enter the building!" It was Steve. "I repeat, do not enter the building!" His voice was muffled. "We're being gassed in here! Iron Man, help me take everybody out. Hulk is small now, so he shouldn't be a problem. I have Hawkeye, Widow, and Br-small Hulk. You get Thor!"

"Should I open the door?" Loki shouted into the comm. unit.

"No! Just stay there!"

After ten minutes, Loki spoke into the comm. again.

"What happened?"

Tony spoke up. "According to JARVIS, they're all infected with Valley Fever, and a really deadly strain. They all also got knocked out by something else in the gas."

"What is Valley Fever? Why are you and Captain immune?"

"Mr. Rodgers is immune because of the serum, I conjecture. Mr. Stark, on the other hand, is just lucky that he had a mask on." The voice that appeared on the system was deep and clear, putting a snarl on Loki's face.

"Doom."

"Greetings. You are correct, Mr. Stark. Your team is infected with my personal strain of coccidioidomycosis, or Valley Fever. There is no known cure, but I'll leave your organization time to hopelessly scramble for one before blowing up the school. Same time, same offer, only at a place I'll specify an hour before-hand. I'll bring the antidote. Don't break the deal again. Ta!"

His voice was gone. Steve spoke up.

"Tony, call SHIELD. We have a problem."


	26. Doom

After being stripped of everything and tossed into a hot stream of water by humans in giant, blue suits, Loki was ready to kill. Especially when they took his knives. He almost lashed out with magic a couple of times, but barley reined it in.

Steve and Tony were being more compliant, scrubbing their hair and not feeling at all awkward about having their clothes ripped from their bodies and being shoved into what was labeled 'DECONTAMINATION SHOWER.' Loki, however, was extremely self-conscious, plus the water was scalding. After a minute of embarrassing, uncomfortable exposure, the water shut off and three towels were delivered.

The men with the blue suits came back in and took their blood, explaining that it was to test for the fungus. Loki didn't struggle this time, but glared as menacingly as he could. It wasn't helping that he was only covered in a towel.

Tony was oddly silent during the whole process. Steve was stoically silent, but that was to be expected. Finally, after another two minutes of awkward quiet, a screen flickered to life. Instead of Fury's face, however, and image of Agent Hill filled the screen.

"Do we have it?" Tony impatiently exploded with the question.

"No," she answered curtly, "you three weren't infected. However, the rest of the team, including Thor, tested positive. We have started treatment, but it doesn't seem to be working. Even though you guys have tested negative, we can't risk having an open debriefing. Please tell us what happened, and why we have to evacuate half of Harlem to test for Valley Fever." She sounded angry by the time she finished the last sentence.

Steve explained the scouting mission, Bruce's Hulk-out, and the gas. Immediately after she confirmed that his story was over, Hill turned the screen over to Fury. If the situation wasn't so grim, Tony would be joking around with how Fury-ous he was.

"Gentlemen, if you will, please explain why you went off on a scouting mission and entered a dangerous building without SHIELD approval!"

Tony sputtered. "What, like SHIELD's the boss off us now? We've operated the last four months without you guys telling us what to do and what not to do."

"Bullshit. The Avengers Initiative is a SHIELD operation, meaning all of you are under our control. Just because we've temporarily relaxed that control does not mean you guys call the shots. Missions are given by us, and are controlled by us. Thanks to you, we have a possible epidemic on our hands, one that we have no cure for. Any solution for that?"

Loki piped up meekly, just like when he had to speak to the other one-eye in his life. "Sir? Doctor Doom will contact us with a meet place. All is not lost. We can fool him into thinking we're compliant, and then defeat him. Punishing us would do no good. One of his terms was that we are the only ones involved."

Fury seemed to notice the child for the first time. He sighed. "If you were normal agents, you would be suspended from SHIELD and have your memory wiped already. However, you are not normal agents. Return to the tower and stay there until Doom contacts you or us. And do not leave it! Am I understood?"

The three nodded. The screen turned to black.

…

Back at the tower, the remaining Avengers nervously waited. They hung out in the gym, but did three different things at the same time. Tony alternately paced and fiddled with a circuit board he brought up. Steve was beating the sand out of a number of already patched punching bags, and Loki was spearing the wall with his knives. No one spoke.

This went on for hours until Loki heard a voice in his head.

"_Central Park. The Great Lawn. One PM. Don't be late_."

Voice cracking, Loki repeated the directions out loud.

Steve and Tony both stopped cold and whipped their heads up.

"What did you say?"

"Central Park, the Great Lawn, one PM. The Doctor will give it to us then."

"Okay, let's suit up," Tony said, standing up from the bench."

"Wait, Tony," Steve interrupted, "One PM isn't until tomorrow. Plus, one of his terms was Bruce."

Tony laughed a dry, humorless laugh. "That's your reason why we're not going now? Because we need Bruce's unconscious body? Last I checked, you were the compassionate one."

Steve was about to respond, but Loki cut him off. "Peace, Tony. I can make an illusion of his body. It will be translucent, however, so we need something to 'carry' him on. And before you ask, Tony, we shouldn't rush in now. The only reason he told me the place was because he is prepared. If we rush in again, there's a chance we'll be infected or killed by Doom. All we can do now is call Fury to evacuate the citizens, and prepare for battle."

Tony stood up. "Fine. I'll call Fury."

"Meet in the conference room at nine o clock, sharp," Steve called after him. "That goes for you to, Loki. Until then, get some rest."

Loki walked over to Steve and put his hand on his shoulder gently.

"Steve, what happened today was not your fault."

He sighed. "Yes, it was. I was an incompetent leader. No general worth his money would lead all of his troops into a dangerous building to go after one person. I should have only sent in Clint, or-"

"Let me tell you something. My mother is the queen back in Asgard. She leads armies from Asgard, and Thor and I often fought alongside her to learn the ways of war. Every death count she got weigh down on her, and she constantly beats herself up about it. None of them are her fault, however. Succeed where the queen of Asgard failed. Let it go. We need our leader to be in good condition tomorrow if we are to win. You represent the cattle of Midgardians, so make them proud."

Steve looked wryly at Loki. "You have cows in Asgard?"

He laughed. "Get some sleep, Steve."

…

The next morning around eight-thirty AM, Loki arrived at the kitchen in full battle armor, helmet tucked under his arm. He sat down on a stool and picked at the egg, bacon, and potatoes on his plate. At nine, he joined Steve and Tony in the conference room. Multiple images of Central Park and Doctor Doom were shown on the screens. Steve leaned over the table, which projected an image of the Great Lawn. He tweaked the image a bit, poking and pinching until he looked up.

"Alright guys. At thirteen hundred this afternoon, Doctor Doom will meet us here, at the Great Lawn. We'll have to bring the gunnery with the fake Bruce on it. Loki, how far away can you be and still hold the illusion?"

"Not far enough, it looks like. I'll have to bring the gunnery."

Steve nodded. "I'll help you with it. Tony, can your suit do stealth mode in the trees?"

"Yeah, the Mark 17 should be able to manage that. That reminds me." He turned to Loki. "Yesterday, you just announced the rendezvous out of the blue. How did you get that message?"

"Someone sent the message in my head my magical means."

Steve sighed. "Magical? Doom can do magic?"

"No," Loki started, "It's very unlikely he can do magic. Even if he could, he would need someone to teach him. You need to know what to do in order to pull of a telepathic spell like that. He has an ally."

"Joy," Tony murmured. Out loud, he said, "Any idea who that might be?"

Loki grimaced. "I have one idea. Amora, also called 'The Enchantress,' was banished from Asgard a while ago. She has the motives and the means to defeat my brother and me. Her power level, unfortunately, is currently unknown to me. Please do not question me further."

Steve nodded. "Let's go over emergency escape plans."

…

"Ahhh…" Doom drawled behind his mask, "punctuality. You two are right on time. Now, hand over your weapons, shield, and the boy, and then we can talk." The Doctor gestured to a table, and they set down the illusion of Bruce, Steve's shield, and Loki's various knives.

"Alright, we've given you what you want," Steve declared. "Now give us the antidote."

The knife hit Doom in the neck the moment he faced the pair, antidote in hand. Instead of blood, sparks flew out of its neck.

Loki hissed and made a gesture. The air seemed to shimmer, and a large number of robot Doom clones we made visible.

"Shame," the Doombots chanted in unison, "That is the actual antidote. If you had trusted me, you would have lived."

"Tony!" Steve shouted.

A flash of red grabbed the vial from the robot's hand and flew off, little more than a slit in the sky by the time the robots attacked.

A laugh resonated from the bots.

"There goes your transportation out. There goes your chance to live."

**Two weeks off, and only three chapters? Please don't hate me!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I just want to give a big thank you to all of my reviewers. I have over 62 reviews, and I'm thankful for every one. Thank you all so much!**


	27. Amor

Loki leaped forward to grab his knives from the table. He had plenty hidden in his leathers, but it was easier to grab the ones already on the table.

Handing the shield to Steve, he reported his observations on the robots encroaching on them.

"From what I have seen of Tony's flimsy books, these are too smooth and realistic to be pure human engineering. I can feel some magic emanating from them. It might just hold them together, but be cautious anyway. Also, aim for the neck. It seemed to stop that one Doombot."

"Er-thanks." Steve was the one who usually laid things out. "We just have to survive long enough for Tony to come back. He should be able to get us out of here. Or maybe SHIELD will bring us an airplane. Either way, don't take any stupid risks."

Just as he finished his speech, Steve threw his shield at a bot. Instead of hitting the neck of the creature, it bounced off of its chest and flew towards another bot, which picked it up. Loki threw a knife at it, but the shield blocked it. He gritted his teeth and shot a bolt of magic at it, but the bot reflected that with the shield.

"If you get it back, please never throw your shield again."

With that, Loki drew a dagger and charged at the robot. He was never one for charging, but he had no choice. He faked a punch and at the last second reached for the edge of the shield, but the robot was too fast and moved the edge down, making his left hand grab at air. Loki took the opportunity to take a stab at the robot's exposed neck, effectively dispatching the Doombot.

During this time, there was a humming coming from the robots' arms. A split second after Steve got his shield back, the air was filled with energy blasts. Steve did his best to shield himself from twenty different blasts at once, and even incinerated one, but Loki had to duck and roll, hoping that the bots weren't tracking his movements. After one minute of continuous fire, the bots started smoking. A couple seconds later, they shut off, and a feminine cry could be heard.

Now free from having to run around like a headless chicken, Loki looked up, chest heaving. A woman stepped out from behind the trees.

Loki's heart skipped a beat. That long, curly blonde hair, the curves… it was Amora, his old mentor. She didn't look a day older from when she tried to kill him so long ago.

Loki stood up, face alight with a snarl. Amora was on the other side of the field, but they both could see each other well enough to recognize each other. Steve, meanwhile, looked between the two, recognized their evident history, and poked Loki's shoulder.

"Mind explaining how you know her?"

"Amora was my mentor before she tried to kill me. She specializes in seduction magic, so I suggest covering your eyes."

"Eyes? Oh-whoa."

Loki gave a little hiss. He was too late. No mortal man could resist her very aura, and many Asgardians had a hard time as well. Even Odin himself avoided her when he could, back in the days of Loki's magic education. Luckily, her spells never seemed to work on Loki. It was what drew her to take him as her apprentice. Thinking back, it probably had to do with his Jotun heritage.

"You must be getting weak, Amora. Normally he would be worshiping you by now."

She gave a throaty chuckle, one that would draw in men like a magnet. "He has something in his blood. It mutes my magic, but just by a fraction. He will not be of any use to you." She looked him over again. "Are you sure you are a male? Even my strengthened aura does nothing to you."

Loki sneered. His face flushed by the barest shade. "You would know."

She laughed, a full one this time. "Yes, I would." She looked around, green eyes sweeping the sky. "I had a proposition for your man of iron. He is quite the impressive Midgardian, creating self-sustaining robots. Much better than the Doctor guy I was controlling. I guess you will have to do, munchkin."

Loki's eyes widened. "So it was you at the amusement park!"

Amora smiled. "Yes. Your reaction was almost was amusing as it is now. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to come under my wing again. I have taught you but a fraction of what I know. I can teach you to speak in such honeyed words that would make anyone, Asgardian, Midgardian, do what you wish. Heimdall himself will bow to you. I can teach you illusions so powerful they would be solid! I am the most powerful sorceress in the Nine Realms, and I will teach you everything I know. What do you have to say, munchkin?"

Loki bowed mockingly. "My good Lady Amora, I will have to decline. I apologize deeply that I will not touch you after you tried to rape me as a child, then tried to kill me when I denied you. I'm sorry that I will not flock to you like one of your slaves. Now leave, before this has to get any messier."

If Amora was bothered by the rape comment, she didn't show it. "Shame, you had such a delicious body for a child."

Loki bared his teeth. "Run back to your cave, quim*," he hissed.

This time, Amora was caught off guard. She bared her teeth, matching Loki's snarling expression.

"How dare you, Odinson! You have made an enemy of me! Watch your back, little one. One day, the one you love most will betray you, I do so swear."

With a wave of her hand, the Enchantress disappeared.

The second she was gone, Steve shook his head and looked down.

"My head's still kind of fuzzy, but I don't get what the big deal was. Sure, you called her a not-so-nice name, but was that really so bad? It sure doesn't sign your death warrant, right?"

Loki looked at him sideways, eyes still flashing in anger. "Either something was lost in translation of the All-tongue, or there is a cultural difference here. Such insults have caused many a blood feud. Damn! I should have held my tongue!"

"Don't worry. If I was able to speak, I would have cursed at her, too. Let's go check on the others."

…

Thor and the others were out cold when Loki got to see them. The gas had worn off, but the doctor had put them under to avoid the pain of the treatments. After some testing, the antidote that Tony brought was deemed safe an effective, and it was administrated immediately. The doctor had said that the team would be free of the spores in less than twenty-four hours.

Loki was relieved when he heard the news, but his brain went back to Amora's threat.

_One day, the one you love most will betray you, I do so swear_.

***This means c**+. Yeah, so not cool, Loki.**


	28. Ally

**I have 69 reviews! Heh-heh. But thanks, guys!**

**Anyway, have you seen the new Agents of SHIELD episode? They explained Coulson's resurrection. All I'm saying is OMG!**

At the two-month anniversary of the Dr. Phillip incident, Fury called Loki in the conference room.

"Somebody hacked our outer firewall and left a message for you. We scanned it to see if it was clean, but we didn't open it. Would you like to see it?"

Loki nodded once, and Fury pressed a button.

Immediately, Amora's voice could be heard.

"Hi munchkin! I'm coming to kill you!"

The message was terminated.

Fury started speaking into his earpiece the second he heard the threat. "Triangulate the position. Track whoever's sending the message. I want a position now!"

Another man's voice was heard. "We've tried, but there's a wall in the way. Even our most advanced codes can't put a crack in it. It almost seems… magical."

Loki had long since stormed away.

…

Loki stormed into the training room, eyes only for one person.

"Steve!" he seethed, "Please don't tell me you told Fury what I said Amora did."

"Loki-"

"You told him? You-"

"No!" Steve was forced to shout over Loki's string of creative insults. "I said my brain was too addled to listen to what you guys were saying."

"But that is a lie."

"Exactly. You think I'd tell him that?"

"She tried to kill me. That is all that happened. Understood?"

"What else happened?"

Too late, Loki noticed Thor standing beside Steve. Loki's rage had caused him to focus on Steve, and not notice his brother training with him. Luckily, there was no one else in the room.

Unfortunately, Thor was not an idiot. Many people assumed his hulking mass made him incredibly stupid. Although next to his clever and (usually) cool-headed brother he was dumb, especially in battle, he was able to clearly spot the subtext in Loki and Steve's discussion.

Steve had quietly exited the room during the silence that followed Loki's realization, so the brothers were alone.

"Tell me brother, what did she do?"

"As you heard, she tried to kill me," Loki smoothly replied. "It was her plan from the beginning, apparently. However, I am currently in very well being. See you at dinner!" He walked off proudly, trying to remain a shred of dignity.

"No." Thor grabbed Loki's hand. "You are a talented liar, but a child could tell you are not telling the truth. It helps to talk about these things."

"You are just curious at happened."

"Well, yes. I will not press you too hard, however. Just remember, I will always be here for you."

Despite everything, Loki was touched that Thor cared enough to give up the burning curiosity for Loki's sake.

"As you said, you are not an idiot. After dinner, I am calling a meeting to discuss her. If you are smart enough, you will figure it out. I will leave you to your training."

…

After dinner, as he told Thor, Loki held a meeting.

"I know that I have never lead one of these before, but I have to most information on a new person of interest to us." Loki stood in the front, looking comfortable in the spot of high pressure. He waved his palm, and a projection of Amora stood flickering over it. "Her name is Amora. She is also called the Enchantress. Around one hundred twenty-two Midgardian years ago, two Asgardian years, she was banished from Asgard for crimes against the royal family, attempted murder, and other crimes. Per the Asgardian custom, she was pushed down the void, which the bifrost hangs over."

Noting the confused looks from the humans, Loki added, "The bifrost is the magical 'rainbow bridge' in your myths. We Asgardians use it to travel to other realms. Anyway, no one had returned from the void, until now." He closed his palm, and the figure of Amora disappeared.

"She convinced Doctor Doom into attacking us. She originally wanted you, Tony, for your engineering skill far surpasses Doom's, but you were here. When Steve and I fought Doom, his robots broke down, and she walked up to us and offered me partnership. I refused. Now she is after me, and recently hacked into SHIELD to leave me a death threat. Currently, Fury and his minions are trying to find her. When they succeed, I need to find her, and end her. Which is why I called this meeting.'

"Amora's powers include sexual manipulation. Her aura alone is enough to make most men, Asgardian or Midgardian, bow to her will. After this, she usually has fun with them. She is addicted to sex and sexual activity, and actively tries to seduce every man she meets. Therefore, I need to know if any of you males are gay, and if you, Natasha, are attracted to women. I cannot do this alone and-"

"Woah, woah, wait. Slow down." Tony interrupted. "You're seriously asking if we're gay."

"Yes. Amora's control is only sexual. If any of you are not attracted to woman, I would like you to accompany me."

"But most of us have girlfriends," Steve objected.

"They could be beards," Natasha pointed out. "A fake boy/girlfriend to hide one's sexuality."

"This is no time for pride." Loki asserted, "If any of you are not attracted to women, now is the perfect time to say it. As a bisexual myself, there will be no judgment."

This was met with some silence.

Natasha spoke up first. "If you're by, how come Amora's aura or whatever doesn't work on you? And for the record, I'm straight, so you can count me in."

Loki sighed. "I do not know. Perhaps my Jotun blood blocked it. Perhaps it is my magic. Either way, Steve can attest that she does not control me. Perhaps that is why she hates me so much."

Steve nodded. "I could tell that it pissed her off that he wasn't fazed by her big sex spell."

Thor's eyes widened and he stood up, hands curled into fists on the table.

Loki just looked at him coolly. "You figured it out. It took you a while, oaf."

This seemed to enrage him even more. "She rap-"

"Attempted to!" Loki's bark was even louder than Thor's, and the whole table jumped. "She attempted to, failed, and tried to kill me. The only thing the surprised me is how long it took for her to try it."

The table members were silent again as they figured out what the two were talking about. This time, Thor broke the silence first.

"Either way, it is too dangerous for you to go alone with just Natasha. No offense intended."

She glared, but didn't comment.

"I know. That is why I need to speak to Fury about Wanda Maximoff."

...

The first thing Loki's old foe said to him was mysterious.

"The crossroads of destiny are coming, Jotun. An oath will be kept."

Wanda's red eyes faded to her normal blue and blinked as if nothing had happened.

"What do you want, Loki?" The tone was more curious than condescending.

"Your mind is more stable that it was when I fought you. The therapy worked. Are you an agent now?"

She nodded. "It turns out the chaos magic in my veins makes me volatile and prone to insanity. SHIELD and Pietro figured out a way to cap the insanity. It's a long, complicated story that ends up with Hill asking me to meet with you. What do you want?"

"I need your help. Are you attracted to women?"

Wanda snickered. "You might want to soften that question the next time you ask. Somebody could punch you for that. No, I'm straight. And I'm in. Hill explained everything to me. Apparently Amora is in the Miami area. A quinjet is waiting for us. And by the way, my code name is Scarlet Witch. After you."


	29. Destiny

**Just a warning, this is going to get tense. I ask of you, please don't quit the story because of the events. Got it? Good.**

**Now let's start this chapter.**

Amora had gotten herself a mansion. It was white, and almost reminiscent of the Asgard palace. The structure had the similar triangle shape, although the mansion was not made of gold. Just for comfort, Loki recited the spell he had learned in his head again, eyes not moving from the image on the quidjet's big screen.

"Nervous?" Natasha tilted her head curiously. It was only five months since the team had fully assembled, but nearly every member had internal issues. For some reason, this made them band together tightly, and they were pretty much each other's best friends. The team's trust was deep, filled with almost a child-like dependence on each other. This bond combined with Natasha's skill set, made even Loki's face an open book to every emotion. The fact that Amora was involved didn't help Loki at all.

"I want to enter, rip out her throat, and leave. This is an assassination, correct? I just want to get the job done."

Wanda awkwardly stood on the other side of the quidjet. She didn't fit in with the other two in the group, and it could be felt.

Loki broke the awkward silence that had settled over the jet.

"Natasha, I know I'm not Steve, but I will try very hard to be the leader he is. Wanda, I know you get this, but for the foreseeable future, I am your leader. You will obey my orders without question or hesitation. Although we met as enemies last time we saw each other, every one of us has to trust each other with our lives. Asgardians have a saying, 'One cannot shoot straight if they are watching their backs.' We watch each other's back. In case I fall in battle, Natasha will be the leader. Understood?"

Wanda rolled her eyes and glared. "I'm not an idiot. I have passed SHIELD training. You need to trust me as well, Jotun"

"Do not call me that."

There was another pause after the quidjet had landed at the site, five miles from the mansion. It was a bit of a hike, but stealth was critical in the mission.

Aside from the necessary directions, that pause hovered over the trio has they hiked through five miles of swap land. The mansion looked especially impressive after five hours of alligator-land.

The plan was simple enough. Wanda would distract Amora and lead her to either Natasha or Loki, who would snipe her from a distance with a bullet or knife. Loki had threatened to rip out her throat on the jet, but practicality stated that a long distance shot would be best. He wasn't even sure he would be the one killing her.

They entered through windows, big arching ones. It had taken a while for them to open without breaking them, but it was possible, and done by Natasha. Inside, it was clear there was some form of a party going on. Amora was in the middle of some sort of circle of males, all looking at her. "Don't trust me" by 3OH!3 was playing on some speakers.

"_Don't trust a hoe, never trust a hoe, don't trust me_," the singer warbled on the speakers.

Loki held back a snort.

In position, Natasha and Loki waited for Wanda to bring Amora to either side of the room, where a projectile would strike her.

Meanwhile, all he could do was wait. An hour passed, and soon the music stopped, and the chatter halted. Loki closed his eyes and cast his new spell, the one he practiced in the jet. If the spell worked, he would be invisible. If not, he would still be careful.

A crash and a yell came from down below, followed by a rumble. A quick peek revealed that Wanda had succeeded getting Amora's attention, and they were moving toward Loki. He drew a knife, waited, and watched from the shadows. The rumble came from outside, so Loki ignored it.

Wanda's eyes were red, fading to blue for a second and then shifting back to red every time she called upon her power. The lamps cracked and fell on Amora's head, but she dodged them. Wanda called bolts of red energy to shoot at the Enchantress, but those were also dodged. Suddenly, Amora grabbed both of Wanda's hands. The Scarlet Witch fired bolts from both of her hands, but they never had a chance of hitting. Eyes glowing, Wanda created a hole in the floor, but Amora just flung the girl into it and leapt away gracefully.

"_Scarlet Witch here. I'm in a hole, under the mansion. My legs are broken. Target on the loose, cover blown._"

"_This is Black Widow. I copy. Permission to take down?"_

"_Permission granted_," Loki whispered into the comm. unit.

A bullet was fired. Seconds later, it was not Amora who gave an angry yell.

"Munchkin!" Amora cried out, "I know you are out there! Show yourself, and no clones, or else the girl dies."

Loki peeked out. Sure enough, Amora held a knife to Natasha's neck. Natasha herself was surrounded by a yellowish, magical hue. It was a trick the Enchantress had taught him, a kind of poison. Unless Amora herself removed it, Natasha would die.

He hesitated. Natasha would not want him to surrender. She would want him to finish the job, regardless of the consequences. However, she was so young. Only fourteen years old. And if Loki let his friend die, he would never forgive himself. Neither would Clint.

Loki jumped down, quiet and graceful as a fox. His landing was punctuated by the same rumbling outside. Amora looked over, and completely through him. Loki smirked; he didn't know the spell would work. However, it had to go. He gestured, and the spell faltered.

"Do the same with the curse."

"Take off your tunic and belt, and I will discuss terms."

Loki did so, exposing his pale, bony chest as well as stripping him of his accessible knives. There was one in a hidden pocket, and his hand slowly crept toward it…

Amora was faster. With a gesture, the sickly aura around Natasha faded, and the girl crumpled to the floor. Fast as a snake, she grabbed Loki's hands, and a pair of heavy cuffs appeared on them.

The mission was going horribly wrong.

Amora exhaled with a proud grin.

"A good effort, munchkin. But your sentiment is a weakness. I thought princes had no weaknesses. Minus that brother you dote on so much, or course."

"She has lived but a fraction. She is even young by Midgardian standards. A strong warrior, and a good seductress. You would like her. "

Amora shrugged. "Alas, not in this lifetime. I have a deal, though. Her freedom for yours."

Loki gritted his teeth. "What kind of prince would let his young subject die?" he replied mockingly. "Besides, her boyfriend would kill me if I returned without her."

"Ah, Midgardians…" She faded off for a second, but snapped back a second later. "Enough chatter. I have something of mine to claim, something that is overdue…" The woman looked Loki up and down with hunger.

Loki curled his lips in disgust. "Why, with all of that seed inside you, are you not pregnant?"

Amora gave a tight, self-pitying smile. "Why, I'm barren, of course." She grabbed Loki's chained wrists, and leaned forward…

…Only to be knocked backwards by a flying hammer. Mjolnir struck Amora's chest, caving in her ribcage and mortally wounding her. The Enchantress gave a wet gasp.

Thunder rumbled as Thor ran toward his brother. With a tug, the chains slipped off Loki's wrists, and he rubbed them.

"Do not touch my brother," he growled.

With all of the excitement over, the fear of what could have happened washed over Loki, and his knees buckled. He wrapped his arms around Thor's shoulders, and Thor hugged him back.

"You are safe now," he murmured.

Amora shifted a bit under the hammer.

"Kill him."

Thor, despite his stubbornness, was still an Asgardian male. He was unable to resist Amora's honeyed, seductive words, even as she lay dying. His blue eyes turned glassy, glazed with the same shade of yellow that threatened Natasha. Loki tried to pull away, but the arms that once comforted him imprisoned him. He could only squirm in terror as Thor grabbed the hidden knife in his trousers and stabbed him in the back.

"_There are so many paths, Thor. So, so many. I could become your bitterest enemy, I could kill you, you could kill me…"_

_ "One day, the one you love most will betray you, I do so swear_."

_"The crossroads of destiny are coming, Jotun. An oath will be kept."_

Loki stopped struggling.

Amora gasped, twitched once, and then lay still. Her death broke the spell, and Thor became aware of his little brother's lifeblood flowing from the wound he had caused.

**Like I said before, please don't rage quit the story…**


	30. Death

**_DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE PREVIOUS ONE!_**

**I know that I accidently double-posted chapter 27, but it's fixed now. I'm sorry about that. Last chapter, there was also a really important point in the story that I don't want to spoil. So read the last chapter, please! **

**If you have, please don't kill me, and thank you for continuing to read the story after last chapter.**

Natasha awoke to the crash of thunder. Although her eyes snapped open, the spell Amora set on her had drained her energy, so she felt sluggish. She was embarrassed, but thankful, that Thor had come to put Amora in her place.

The grogginess in her brain wore off the second she saw Thor knife his little brother in the back. The worst part was the screaming. When Amora's enchantment wore off and Thor realized what he had done, the air was filled with a low yell as he dropped to his knees, Loki's limp body following. As an assassin, she had heard screams when her victims were discovered, but none like this.

Loki, even dying, reached up and covered his brother's mouth. Thor's eyes widened even more when he saw the blood on his hand, but he kept his mouth shut. Natasha was on her feet now, just barley.

Loki's last words were soft, barley croaked out. Natasha didn't bother listening. The words weren't for her. She just watched the death pallor creep up his skin like an infection. Loki's hand jerked once, in her direction, but it could have just been a twitch. He said something else, and then died.

With tears in her eyes she refused to acknowledge, Natasha turned her comm. unit on.

"_Loki has fallen_."

…

Wanda knew something was wrong even before the scream.

Her magic stirred, like it was gloating. According to Pietro, she had gone under moments where her eyes glowed red and she spoke words from someone else's mouth. She knew that her chaos magic was almost sentient, and now it sensed something, like a prophecy that had come true.

The horrible scream seemed to confirm it, and less than a minute later, Loki's death was announced.

Her shock did not mirror her magic's smugness.

…

The knife in his back _hurt_. And it was his own knife, too.

But that didn't matter right now. Loki knew he was dead the second he heard Amora's voice. Thor knew where Loki's secret knife was, and Amora always kept her word when it came to oaths.

_One day, the one you love most will betray you, I do so swear_.

"_Well, look what happened,_" Loki thought bitterly.

Thor's scream was annoying, so Loki tapped into some of his precious remaining strength to cover his mouth. Thor finally shut up.

"Is she dead?" Loki's voice was hoarse, lungs starting to fail. It was getting hard to breathe with all of this blood.

Thor nodded once, eyes wide as Asgardian banquet platters. He was in utter shock.

"Good." He twitched his hand to where Natasha was struggling to get to her feet. "Make sure they get together." He didn't need to specify whom. There was so much sexual tension with her and Clint that even Thor could sense it.

Loki coughed once. He was fading fast, practically drowning in his own blood.

"I love you brother," he murmured.

Loki closed his eyes and died.

…

Tony looked up, where Bruce was staring into space.

"Something's wrong."

Tony would tease the kid if he didn't feel the same way.

…

Fury's phone call came a minute later. Being the SHIELD boss, Fury didn't get shaken easily. But his face was abnormally blank.

Sensing something was wrong, Steve turned to Clint.

"Have you seen Thor?"

"I thought he was taking a break from training."

"Gentlemen!" Was Fury…. Tense? "Bring Tony and Bruce up here, now. And hide any expensive equipment."

Tony and Bruce ran into the gym, tenser than Fury.

"JARVIS told me you called. What's up?"

"Loki's dead."

Clint was the first to speak up. "Where's Tasha?"

"She, Agent Maximoff, and Thor are fine. Relatively. "

Steve, the stoic Captain America, gulped. He had to ask the question that was burning in everyone's mind.

"What happened?"

Fury looked at Bruce, oddly enough. "The motives are unclear, but according to Agent Romanoff… Thor stabbed him in the back."

Bruce was already a little green before Fury told him that. Besides Tony, Loki was his best friend. They were in all of the same classes, so they did almost everything together. If Loki hadn't found that something was wrong, Dr. Phillip would have killed him two months ago. Bruce was Loki's first human friend. And now Loki was dead. It took everything he had to not Hulk out.

But when Fury dropped the other shoe, Bruce gave into the rage. Loki had talked about Thor all of the time, sharing their misadventures on Asgard. Loki adored Thor, and Thor had killed him.

Everyone, including Bruce himself, called Hulk 'the other guy.' But really, he was Bruce, the animalistic side of Bruce. Humans had evolved with emotion three million years before they had logic, and that's what the Hulk was. That was why instead of smashing everything in the room, the Hulk just roared.

The petrified mistletoe necklace chinked around his neck.

…

Just twenty-four hours after the incident, it was time to say goodbye.

The Avengers, plus Darcy, Jane, and Pepper, waited on the roof of Stark tower. There wasn't a funeral, but they all went to see Thor and Loki off. Mostly for Loki. They all knew that Amora made Thor to do it, but only Steve, Jane, and Darcy actually said goodbye to Thor. It was doubtful that he would return to the realm where his brother died.

Steve was first to say goodbye. He was Thor's companion in discovering the new world that was modern day Earth, and they both had a lot in common. Like Bruce with Loki, Steve was Thor's closest Midgardian friend.

Darcy liked Thor a lot, but had barley met Loki. She was mainly there for moral support as Jane went to see Thor off.

It was hard for Jane. Thor was her first boyfriend, and although it took a while to get over the fact that he was a god, she loved him. She remembered how Loki threatened her at the dance when he found out they were dating, and her eyes misted up a little more.

Jane kissed Thor on his wan cheek. It was hard to believe that two days ago, they were healthy and sun-kissed.

A blinding light cut through the pouring rain, and when they could see again, all the Avengers could see was the Asgardian symbol, burned into the structure. Thor and Loki were gone for good.

…

If the Migardian goodbye was sad, the Asgardian funeral was depressing. Asgardian royal funerals rarely happened, and most people were expecting it to be Odin or Frigga first. Not one of the (relatively) innocent boy princes.

Asgard cried, but Thor just looked blankly into the distance as the lanterns flew up into the sky, and his brother's boat burned. Frigga was in tears.

Thor stood there until the last lantern had burned out, and Loki's boat was long just ashes. His brother was gone.

…

The boat had burned a long time ago, but his body fell into the void.

Frost Giants don't burn.

…

The body landed when Thanos was working with his new gem.

The Mind Stone was a gift from the Chitauri, who gave it to him without a thought when he flew down the void like a god so long ago. However, it took years of planning to be able to steal the mind gem from the unsuspecting owners. However, his persistence paid off, and Thanos had finally managed to receive the green stone.

In his opinion, it was the least useful of the stones, but it was the only one whose location he knew. Besides, for his plans, he required the full set. So he looked at the glowing green gem, and wandered the Chitauri planet, looking for something, or someone, to test the gem with. As much as he hated robbing a soul from his Lady Death, Thanos needed to test the stone's authenticity.

The small Jotun body that fell from the sky seemed like a gift from his Lady. He heard from his sources that the Asgardian prince had died, but he didn't expect him to drop at his feet, with the body of a Frost Giant.

After hurrying back to his throne, Thanos excitedly raised the green gem.

A green glow surrounded the body. The wound in its back closed, and its heart started pumping again.

Loki opened his eyes.

**I told you to keep reading! Uhhg, writing angst is one thing, but actual mourning is hard to write. I'm so afraid the characters will be OOC. ** **I'm also sorry if this chapter's confusing.**

**I took a few liberties with Wanda's magic, Jotun physiology, and the Infinity stones. In the comics, her magic is not sentient, and does not posses her. Frost Giants, as far as I know, do burn, but that would ruin the story. As for the Infinity gems, I'm using the words 'stones' and 'gems' interchangeably, unlike the movies, where they just say 'stones.'**

**Once again, thank you for sticking through this story, and I'm sorry for the publishing error. Review, if you want, but please keep reading! **


	31. Note

His back didn't hurt anymore.

Loki opened his eyes and looked around. It was dark, far darker than he expected in Niflheim. He was stabbed in the back, after all, hardly a death worthy of Valhalla. The only upside was that he might have the chance to punch Amora.

However, on closer examination, this wasn't even close to the descriptions in the books he had found describing it in the Asgardian library. This place was as dark as the void, with only the odd porous rock formation floating around. Only the faint stars seemed to give off light.

"If this is not Niflheim, then where am I?"

"The inhabitants of this world did not name it. Welcome to what I call Titan."

The speaker stepped into Loki's field of vision. The creature was a dark purple-pink, the color of painful bruises. He was wearing a golden helmet that didn't cover the long bumps on his chin. Most notable were his eyes, which were glowing blue.

Loki cocked his head. "You were the eyes in the Hot Topic mirror. Do you look in there often?"

The creature laughed. "Not even a bit of gratitude for the one who saved you."

Loki was taken aback. "I'm not dead anymore? What did you do?"

"I do not wish to tell you. You were a successful experiment, that is all."

"What is your name?"

The creature smirked, showing off his white teeth. They almost glowed as much as his eyes did. "The pursuit of knowledge is not always wise, Jotun. You may address me as 'Master.'"

"I am grateful for what you have done, but complete subjugation is a bit much."

The pure white grin of the creature faded. He put his foot on Loki's chest. "You might not be with Lady Death right now, but you are close to her. Your wound has been healed, but I not you do not rise. Perhaps you lack a sufficient amount of blood… Either way, you are my experiment. The only thing keeping you alive right now is my curiosity. Do not test me."

Loki gave a grin of his own. "Just asking." The creature's boot dug deeper into his skin. "Master," Loki added.

…

Before he had left, Thor had left a note for Natasha. JARVIS delivered it to her room, and had given it to her when she woke up on the second day after Loki's death.

"Apologies," the AI said with a more somber voice than usual, "but Mr. Odinson wanted the delivery of this to be delayed."

After giving the sheet of paper, JARVIS signed off, without any of his normal snark. Was it possible that Tony made the Artificial Intelligence so intelligent it had developed feelings? After all, Loki had been delighted with JARVIS. Once, Natasha even caught him engaged in conversation.

…

_She had been outside, poised to knock on the door to announce a question on the homework when she heard a noise from under the door. The walls were soundproof, but not the door. _

_"JARVIS, I'm bored," she heard Loki groan._

_ "__Have you finished your homework__?" JARVIS was really like a parent. No wonder Tony loved him._

_ "Yes. It is too easy. I have read all of the books in the house, and the 'e-book' Tony ordered has not arrived yet."_

_ "__The cargo plane it was planned to ship on was delayed due to the snowstorms in the west. Apologies.__"_

_ "It is not your fault Midgardians are imbeciles." His voice had lowered here, and Natasha had to really strain from her position on the floor to catch his voice. "Thor has gone off with Jane, doing things I would rather not know about." Loki gave a disgusted sigh. "I suppose it is my fault, getting us banished to Midgard in the first place. I just wanted to impress Thor, and now I am stuck here. I can no longer roam the forests, playing tag, or racing horses, or going on hare-brained adventures… I guess I still do that, but I miss Asgard. I miss the fresh, pollution free air, and the sounds of horse hooves." He sighed again. "But you do not wish to hear a boy's regrets. Tell me, did Tony use magic to create a sentient being as yourself, or is this really just electricity?"_

_ "__My intelligence is based off of electric circuit boards, yes. Tell me, how does magic work?__"_

_ Natasha stood up. She would ask Bruce about the homework._

…

The memory saddened her. He never got to see his home again.

It was a vain hope, but perhaps Thor's letter would take her mind off him. She opened it. The note was noting special, just shaky pencil writing on a piece of lined paper, folded twice.

_Natasha,_

_I apologize for writing this to you instead of telling you, but I know none of you want to speak to me right now. I cannot blame you. Besides, I doubt I would be able to tell you this in person._

_Some of Loki's last words were for you. _

Natasha broke her cool mask on her face by widening her eyes.

_"Make sure they get together." He was referencing you and Clint. You two obviously love each other. I would never say this to you normally, but_

The sentence was not finished.

_I have heard you say that love is for children, and that may be so. But keep this in mind: you two were his last wish._

_ Goodbye,_

_ Thor_

Natasha stared at the letter. She didn't move until JARVIS called for dinner.

…

The device was cold. Loki rarely felt cold, but he could tell the temperature difference in the metal device he was lying down upon. Magic rays pulsed from it, scanning the inside of his body.

"Tell me," the creature that called himself 'Master' called from across the room, "how did you die?"

Loki bit his lip. Those memories brought nothing but remembered pain.

"Knife to the back," he called back.

"How?" the creature inquired.

"Master, is this necessary for your research?" He couldn't help but always add a bit of factiousness to every 'Master.' Loki was a prince, of Jotunheim by blood, of Asgard by practice. Subjugation did not come easy for him.

"It is. Speak."

Loki sighed. "An enemy of mine caught me off-guard. She got a knife in my back somehow…" He squinted, as if he was trying to remember. Realizing his brain might be scanned, he made it think he was really straining for a memory. Undead or not, Loki still had his lying skills. "Apologies. I cannot remember."

"Cannot or will not?"

"It was not pleasant, I can tell you that much."

'Master' squinted at a screen that was hooked up to the device Loki was lying down on.

"You have seiðr." 'Master' mused.

"Seiðr is an ancient word. Most just call it magic."

"Where did you learn this?"

"Information for information. What is your name?"

The creature snorted in distaste. "I am just trying to confirm what I already know, Loki. I watched from the temple mirror as Odin took you from Jotunheim as a babe. I heard reports of the princes of Asgard, Thor, Loki, and Tyr, and the important news in the court. And most importantly, I know you are a liar."

Loki just shrugged. "My reputation precedes me. What else is new?"

'Master' had a hungry look on his face. He seemed to forget about Loki for a second, but looked him in the eye a minute later.

"How is Lady Death?"

Data and memories processed in Loki's brain.

"_No wonder he did not want me to know his name. History books rarely have pictures_," Loki realized.

"You woke me up too soon, Thanos. I have seen naught of her."

Thanos didn't answer, just tapped furiously on the screen.

After a minute, he yelled in frustration.

"Cursed runt! By being woken too soon, you prevent me from knowing news of my Lady's well-being and happiness. I would send you back to her forever, but just like the one before you, you have too much power to let go."

"The one before me… you spoke to Amora!"

"The cursed Enchantress told me she would go to Niflheim, but she took my power and went to Midgard instead! I need another assistant."

Loki pulled himself out from the mild restraints on the device he had been lying on. It was time to flee.

"The friend of my enemy is never my friend. Thanos, Worshiper of Death, Mad Titan, I refuse your offer." Loki ran from the room, but he still was lacking blood from the wound in his back, and so never made it to the door.

Thanos made a gesture, and a dark blue orb appeared in his hand. He grinned, teeth as white as a predator's.

"You will change your mind."

A beam of blue energy hit Loki between the eyes, and world went black.

**Will I ever post a chapter before 9 o clock?**

**Anyway, Loki's not dead, so don't freak. And sorry if Loki was OOC at the end, but Amora makes him loose his cool, even after her death.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. Turn

**Sorry I updated so late! **

The child slumped forward the second the Mind Stone's energy hit him. As was planned. If Thanos couldn't recruit the prince with words, he'd have to use magic.

The Titan put the child on the device as if he were a babe, but he strapped him in restraints he had hidden. They were just precautions; it was unlikely the runt would awake during the process. Thanos took the Mind Stone and placed it in a special device, designed to read it. Now that the power had touched Loki's mind, the stone contained all of his memories. With a combination of a device he had designed and magic, Thanos could take full advantage of the memories.

Thanos put his hand on the gem and pressed a command. Instantly, Loki's memories became accessible. He cruised through them, considering his emotions, thoughts, and logic. He felt Loki's love for powerful love for his adoptive brother, and the intense amount of care for 'The Avengers.' Besides these people, there were few people Loki cared about. The Queen of Asgard was in that list, but there was nothing but resentment for the King.

All well and good, but there was too little hate on this level. The Mind Stone was powerful, but it could not create feelings that were not there. Thanos realized this as he tried to create loyalty to himself in the mind. However, he found a microscopic amount of respect for being able to keep himself anonyms for so long, and was able to increase it to a terrifying amount.

Best of all, Thanos found a bit of hatred for Thor. It was so small that Loki probably wouldn't be able to notice it, but the Mind Stone sniffed it out. It was anger, one that rooted in the fact that he wasn't able to stop the control that Amora sent on him. The Jotun was logical, or illogical enough to be frustrated that his beloved, stubborn brother stabbed him in the back. Grinning, Thanos increased that anger.

With a frown, Thanos considered Loki's memories about the 'Avengers,' as the called themselves. There was too much happiness in the memories to alter them, so he just deleted them, except for an instinctive knowledge about their weaknesses. Now came the hard part of editing his remaining memories to suit Thanos' needs perfectly…

…

When Loki awoke, he was lying down on a metal device.

"Thanos? Why am I lying down on your scanner?"

The purple being looked up from his screen. "You fell asleep when we were talking. I did not want to disturb you, so I set you down there."

"That was kind of you. I do not remember drifting off, however."

"Few do."

That was funny, because the last thing Loki remembered was…

"Now, Loki, that I have two of the Infinity Stones in my possession, I can track the others. The closest one is on Midgard, the Space Stone. I know you bear ill to that realm-"

Loki's fists clenched. That was where his literally back stabbing brother killed him. "That is an understatement," he growled.

"But I need you to do this," he continued. "I have prepared you a weapon, a scepter with a sliver of the Mind Stone itself. Touch the chest of any mortal, and their will is yours. However, it is a part of my closest possession, so keep it with you at all times. "

Loki bowed his head slightly in respect. "Thanos, it is an honor to be in possession of such a powerful item. The scepter will never leave my sight."

"If possible, make sure it never leaves your hand. You do know how to wield a scepter?"

Loki nodded. "I prefer my knives, but I can make a scepter work."

"Excellent. Prepare yourself to travel to Midgard."

…

Heimdall turned his gaze at Midgard. Per his Prince's request, (and with the King's approval) he regularly checked on each of his friends. It had only been about an Earth month since Thor returned to his home, but the Avengers were busy, taking new missions all the time. Perhaps they were trying to keep their minds off of Loki.

For the first time, the one Thor called 'Clint' went off on his own. Curious, Heimdall watched as 'Fury' assigned him to guard something called the 'Tesseract.' On closer examination, the Tesseract looked just like the Space Stone, which had been moved to Midgard ages ago to separate it from its brethren.

Heimdall prepared to call Odin when there was an explosion of blue light. Clint drew his bow and watched as the light faded, and a figure was made visible.

Heimdall and Clint spoke in shock at the same time.

"Loki."

…

Loki stood up on the platform, grin on his face. Already, he could feel the corruption of battle spreading through him as he prepared to kill anyone in his-

"Loki!"

A human, a boy on the verge of being a man, stood up. He relaxed his drawn bow, slightly tussling his hair. Loki had no memories of this Midgardian, but he felt familiarity, and care.

"Where have you been? How did you survive? What the hell happened?" He addressed Loki with the same level of familiarity as Loki felt. However, he still didn't remember him.

It didn't matter. Thanos said to grab the stone and leave, and kill anyone in the way. Wasting precious time, Loki looked around. Only one other person, a tall, dark man with an eye patch and a long coat registered familiarity, but it was minor, and tinted with respect.

Loki didn't want to kill these people, but he couldn't let them be in his way. Making up his mind, Loki walked up to the teenager and touched the scepter to his chest. He watched as the Mind Stone glowed, sending a wave of energy to his eyes, which turned all black, and then faded until the irises glowed blue.

Sensing something was wrong, an agent drew his gun. An arrow and a knife struck his neck at the same time.

Not wasting a moment, Loki sent a beam of energy to the closest agent, who fell down immediately, dead. Battle lust rushed in, and soon he and the teenager had killed every person in the vicinity.

However, the man with the eye patch was just as fast. Loki turned to the cube just in time to see Fury pick it up and run out the door. Before Loki could chase him down, another agent shot at him. After taking him down, Loki ran at the door, but it was too late. There were too many hallways. Loki ran into one at random and commanded the controlled boy to do the same. He raced down it and listened, but it was silent. Soon he got affirmation that the archer didn't find 'Fury' either.

The man had gotten away with the Space Stone.

**I know this is really similar to The Avengers, but this is not a head cannon. I don't think that's what happened to Loki. This is an AU, but I'm basing some events off of The Avengers. Sorry.**

**At the same time, this will be very different from The Avengers. For one thing, this was supposed to be a grab and go with the Space Stone, so things had to go differently.**

**Seriously though, thanks for reading this. Every view means so much to me. Thank you. **


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Avengers