Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers, La-Z-Boy, Pop Tarts, Nutella, the card game War, X-Box, or Call of Duty.
'Blah' means thoughts
Author's Note: I originally wrote this story right after The Avengers movie was released but I lost the story until recently. This takes place after the first Avengers movie and Thor 2.
Thunder boomed and lightning struck the Avengers' Tower. Natasha and Clint smiled. Thunderstorms reminded them of Thor. Tony stalked through the room, grumbling. "You think Point Break could make it a point not to hit the tower."
Another bolt of lightning struck the tower, causing the lights to go out for a couple of seconds. Once. JARVIS got the lights back up, there was another person in the room.
Natasha stood up. "Thor, it's so good to see you. Who-what happened?"
It was at that point that Clint and Tony noticed Thor was carrying an unconscious-looking Loki. "The Allfather has dealt out my brother's punishment and has released him into my custody. He needs rest. Friend Stark, may my brother rest in the room next to mine?"
"Of course, but how do we know he isn't a threat?" Tony asked.
"Have care how you speak about Loki. He may not be your friend, but he is my brother and is under my protection. Do not bother him whilst he is resting." Thor carried his brother to the room next to his and closed the door.
Once the door closed, Loki opened his eyes. "Was that necessary, Brother?"
"Yes, brother. I believe it was." Thor set Loki on his feet. "You can drop your illusion now."
Loki sighed and let his illusion end. Standing where the God of Mischief was was a raven-haired emerald-eyed eight-year-old boy wearing the same exact clothes sans helmet and armor Loki did. He sat down on the bed. "I do not know how long this will last."
"What do you mean?"
"Your friends won't leave me alone, especially if they find out what the extent of my punishment is."
"I will not allow that to happen. Just as Midgard is under my protection, so are you, Loki." Thor sat down next to the rejuvenated God. "You are my brother. Nothing will change that."
Thor wrapped his arms around the child his brother had become, and Loki simply leaned into his brother's broad chest. Thor barely heard his brother whisper, "Thank you."
"You are welcome, Brother. Now, lie down and get some rest. I will talk to my friends." Thor unwrapped his arms and stood up, allowing Loki to lay down on the bed.
As Thor walked out, Loki used his magic to seal the door against everyone except himself and Thor. He didn't want to seal the door, but at the moment he didn't trust anyone except his brother. 'I'll come up with a better solution tomorrow,' Loki thought as he fell asleep.
Thor entered the main area to see all the other Avengers assembled.
"Where's the threat?" Steve asked. "Do we need to suit up?"
"My friends, there is no threat. I have returned to the tower of Stark with my brother, who has been punished by Odin. I ask you all not to disturb him while he is here. I can assure you he will not cause any chaos."
"You have my word," Steve promised.
"I won't disturb him," Bruce said.
"Fine," Natasha huffed.
Clint narrowed his eyes at Thor and stalked out of the room without uttering a word.
"How long is he staying?" Tony asked.
"I do not know," Thor admitted.
Tony groaned. "I need a drink. Can I interest anyone else?" No one followed him over to the bar. "C'mon, guys! You're making me feel like an alcoholic!"
The next morning found Thor walking into his brother's room, a box of Pop Tarts in each hand. Loki was already awake. He had a thick tome in his hands and looked up when Thor came in.
"Good morning, Brother. It is time for sustenance. Try this Midgardian delicacy called Pop Tarts." Thor handed Loki one of the boxes, before opening the remaining box and consuming its contents.
Loki eyed the silver foil package warily. He knew Thor's palate wasn't discriminating, so he wanted to be cautious. He carefully opened the package, extracted the pastry, and bit into it. He repressed the urge to spit it back out. It was awful! Swallowing the bite, he glared at his brother. "How can you eat such vile food? I'm leaving to find something better to eat."
Loki left the box of Pop Tarts behind with a stunned Thor. Before exiting the room, Loki cast the illusion on himself to appear older and unsealed his door. He saw Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Banner in the main sitting area. Agents Barton and Romanoff were in the kitchen.
Tony spotted him first. "Hey, Reindeer Games. You look better than you did last night."
"You should see how I truly look," Loki muttered inaudibly. He sighed and asked, "What is there to eat?"
"I thought Thor brought you Pop Tarts," Bruce commented.
"He did. They're vile." He sat next to Tony. It was at that point that Thor exited his brother's room, having gotten over his shock.
"At least our Pop Tarts budget won't double," Tony mentioned.
"Even if it did, it's not like you can't afford it," Natasha quipped.
Tony scowled and returned to eating his breakfast, which consisted of a container of Nutella. Steve frowned. "That is not breakfast, Tony."
"Maybe not, but it is sweet."
Loki perked up at the word sweet. He looked at the container in Stark's hands. Except for Thor, no one knew the God of Mischief had a sweet tooth. He wanted a taste to see if indeed it was sweet. While the container was in Stark's hands, he had no chance of covertly obtaining a taste. However, opportunity presented itself in the form of JARVIS.
"Sir, you have an incoming phone call from Pepper Pots."
Tony put his Nutella down on the coffee table and picked up his phone. Loki noticed the unattended container of Nutella. He looked at the Avengers: Agents Barton and Romanoff were still in the kitchen with their backs to him, Stark was away from the couched talking on the phone, Banner recently left to go back to the lab he shared with Stark, and Rogers was reading a newspaper while enjoying his coffee. Only Thor was watching him. He inched closer to the edge of the couch and in one smooth but quick motion scooped a finger-full of Nutella out of the container and into his mouth. His eyes widened as he removed his finger. It was sweet. He then decided to search the kitchen for a full container and confiscate it.
After searching the cabinets and avoiding eye contact with the two SHIELD agents, Loki found a container. He nicked it and a spoon and returned to his room. As he ate the Nutella, he decided to have Nutella for breakfast every day.
After breakfast, Tony joined Bruce in the lab, and Thor went to visit Jane Foster. Steve remained in the main sitting area, and Clint and Natasha were nowhere to be seen. Bored, Loki decided to explore the Avengers Tower with the illusion still in place. Most of the tower didn't interest him until he got down to level five. There was a huge television mounted on the wall, there were game systems hooked up to the TV, and there was a surround sound stereo system hooked up to the TV as well. There were couches and several types of chairs (all black leather). Interested, Loki walked in.
%%%
Clint and Natasha quickly and quietly stole into Loki's room. They had in their possession a few of Tony's mini cameras. They proceeded to bug Loki's room, placing cameras in multiple places. They wanted to keep an eye on Loki as neither really trusted the trickster. Their job complete, they walked out of the room.
%%% HOURS LATER
Thor returned to the Avengers Tower after a pleasant visit with Jane. He immediately went to Loki's room to check on his brother but found the room empty. He walked back out to the main sitting area where Steve was relaxing.
"Friend Rogers, have you seen my brother?"
"Not since this morning. He must still be in the tower. Would you like some help?"
"Your assistance is not necessary. I will simply search the entire tower until I find Loki. Would you remain here in case he returns first?"
"Yes, Thor. I can do that."
Mjolnir in hand (loosely as he's not expecting to do battle), Thor began to search the tower. As he got closer to the lower levels, strange yet familiar sounds became louder and louder. When he got to level five, the sounds were even louder. Thor gripped Mjolnir tighter as he recognized the sounds of explosions and gunfire. Ready to defend the tower from the obvious attack, Thor crept through the hallway. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he threw his hammer at his foe. Summoning Mjolnir back, he continued his search. As he searched the level, he continually threw Mjolnir at the perceived threats until he heard his brother's voice. "Don't shoot."
Thor paused to determine where his brother was. Once again, he heard Loki say, "That was close," which was quickly followed by, "How many of you are there?"
Thor narrowed his eyes. His brother was under attack by many opponents, and on one was coming to help. His brother sounded close like he was on the other side of the wall. Thor ran at the wall, bursting through it as if it was made of paper.
%%%
Clint and Natasha had easily located Loki (by using. JARVIS) and had spent the first ten minutes just staring at the scene. The God of Mischief was sitting in a black leather La-Z-Boy recliner with the footstool out and playing the X-Box 360 game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with the volume turned all the way up. Once they got used to the scene, they had to admit Loki was pretty good at the game. It was almost as if he had played before. He even shouted things at the game. All of a sudden, Thor busted through the wall nearest them, Mjolnir in hand, looking as though he would hurt the first thing that approached him. Loki looked over (the game was auto-saving) at the two SHIELD agents. "Agent Barton, you must have taken lessons from Agent Romanoff as she's the only one who's been able to sneak up on me."
Natasha located the TV remote and turned down the volume, so no one had to shout to be heard. "It's hard to hear someone approaching when you have the volume on max."
Loki looked at Thor. "Brother, there is no battle here. You may want to relax before you attack someone."
"Brother, you are not engaged in battle?"
Realizing Thor mistook the sounds of the game for an actual battle, Loki shook his head. "Brother, I will not engage in battle unless you think it necessary."
%%%
Tony was in his lab with Bruce when he heard crashes and thundering footsteps. If Bruce wasn't calmly sitting in front of a nearby computer, he would've sworn it was the Hulk smashing and bashing his way through the tower.
"JARVIS, what is going on?"
"Mr. Odinson is making quite a mess on level five, sir."
"Not my game room!" Tony exclaimed, running out of tube lab. He arrived on level five in record time. His widened as he took in the damage to the tower. There were large dents in the walls that led to a large hole in the wall separating the hallway and the game room.
It was one of the most unique gatherings Tony had ever seen. Clint was standing in the doorway; Natasha was further in, holding the remote for the TV; Loki was sitting in the La-Z-Boy recliner and holding the X-Box 360 controller; and Thor was standing near his brother, Mjolnir in hand.
Tony almost groaned. He turned to the person most likely to give him a straight honest answer. "What happened, Legolas?"
Clint turned to Tony. "From what I understand based on the conversation, Thor mistook the sounds of Modern Warfare for actual warfare."
Tony shook his head. "Turn off the game. We're all going upstairs."
Loki turned off the equipment, and everybody followed the billionaire playboy philanthropist upstairs to the main sitting area, where Steve still was.
"I see you found Loki, Thor," the super soldier commented.
"Yeah, he found him after causing damage to my game room." Tony stalked over his bar.
"My apologies, Friend Stark. I thought we were under attack."
Tony grumbled inaudibly under his breath before taking a breath and calling out, "Hey, Reindeer Games, do you want that drink now?"
Thor narrowed his eyes at Tony. "Do not give my brother alcohol, Friend Stark."
"Relax, Point Break. It's just a drink."
"No, Stark. Maybe another time. I'm going to go back to my room," Loki replied before retreating to his room.
He closed the door and was about to drop his illusion when something caught his eye. He walked over to the desk where he had a couple of spell books stacked on top. There was a strange spot on the wall above his books. It was a strange piece of technology that wasn't there before. He used his magic to detect and locate any other devices. There were about a dozen. Loki picked them off the walls and ceiling and carried them into the main sitting room, where he dumped them onto the table. "Those were in my room. I'd appreciate if whoever put them there didn't repeat the action."
Tony picked one up. "These are my cameras." Noticing the dark look Loki was giving him, he added, "I didn't put them in your room. I was in the lab since breakfast."
Loki stalked back to his room and closed the door. He dropped his illusion, grabbed one of his spell books, and sat on the bed. He opened the book and proceeded to pour over the information and spells. He didn't even look up when the tower shook. There was a knock on the door, and Loki heard his brother's voice. "Brother, there is an attack on the city. My friends and I will engage in battle. Stay here, and wait for my return."
Loki didn't say anything. He just turned the page in the book. After an hour had passed, the tower stopped shaking. Loki closed his book and set it aside. He closed his book and set it aside. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He was suddenly outside, floating and invisible to all. He saw the Avengers fighting a giant monster. They had everything under control, and, curiosity satisfied, Loki was about to return to his body, when the creature backhanded Thor hard enough to knock him unconscious. Enraged and horrified, the God of Mischief returned to his body.
Loki's eyes flew open. He knew Thor was in danger. He could smell the blood. Racing to the top of the Avengers Tower, his illusionary magic took effect, making him appear like his old self complete with the armor and helmet. He reached the railing and looked over the edge. To his horror, Thor was laying on a pile of rubble, appearing unconscious. Gripping his spear in both hands, he backed up as far as he could, took off running, and used his spear to vault over the railing. "BROTHER!"
He landed on his feet in front of Thor, spear held out in front of him, daring someone to come closer. Fortunately, the battle was over thanks to the other Avengers, who had noticed Loki.
"Hey, Reindeer Games, you've got some bad timing. The battle is already-" Tony Stark cut himself off as he and his teammates watched as Loki dropped his spear and turned to Thor, his illusion failing. There, kneeling next to the now conscious Thor, was a raven-haired eight-year-old boy dressed in what looked like a miniaturized version of the God of Lies and Mischief's clothes.
"Brother, what are you doing out here?"
"You were hurt. I could not sit by while you-whoa!" Loki felt himself being picked up by the back of his clothes. He wasn't that far off the ground, but the grip on his clothes was vice-like. No matter how hard he struggled, Tony Stark was not letting go. Loki took this time to survey the rest if the team. Barton had his bow out and an arrow nocked and aimed right at him, Romanoff looked at him with an intrigued look on her face, and Rogers and Banner (who was no longer Hulk) helped Thor to his feet.
"Friend Stark, put my brother down."
Tony looked from Thor to the child and back to Thor. "So, this is why you were insistent that we not bother Loki?"
"Yes. Now, put him down." Tony set the boy on his feet, but Loki didn't move. His emerald eyes were fixed on Barton's bow and arrow.
Natasha noticed this. She placed a hand on Clint's arm. "Easy, Clint. He may be Loki, but he is a child."
Clint removed the arrow, placing it back in his quiver, and folded his bow. Loki was at his brother's side the second the arrow was not trained on him. Loki picked up his spear, and Thor summoned Mjolnir. "Come, my friends. Let us return, and I shall explain what happened."
Once the Avengers and Loki were back in the tower and were sitting in the main room, Thor (with Loki sitting next to him) launched into his explanation. "Once we arrived back in Asgard with the Tesseract, Loki was taken into custody, and I went to Odin to discuss my brother's fate. The traditional punishment befitting crimes of this nature is death. However, I pleaded with the Allfather to find an alternative punishment for my brother." Loki leaned against his brother, who wrapped an arm around the boy. "This is what he came up with. At first, Odin wanted Loki's magic bound so he could not use it, but I disagreed with that. The punishment we agreed upon was age regressed with Loki in full control of his memories, magic, and abilities. However, his emotions are that of a child." Loki closed his eyes and fell asleep, laying his head on Thor's lap.
"A child who adores his older brother," Natasha commented, staring at the sleeping child.
"How long is this going to last?" Steve asked.
"The Allfather did not say."
Clint looked at Natasha. "How do you know he adores Thor? Last I knew, he tried to kill him."
"He jumped off the tower to get to Thor, after the battle, he made sure his brother was okay; and now he's sleeping on Thor's lap. Does that look like someone who wants to kill his brother?"
"No, but it could be a trick," Tony spoke up.
"My brother does use tricks, but this is not one of them."
"When he wakes, let him know he's not allowed to hide in his room all the time," Bruce commented.
"My brother prefers his solitude. Even when we were growing up, he read a lot."
"He can sit out here and read too, since we know what happened to him," Steve suggested.
"I will let him know."
"I do have a question, Thor," Natasha said. "When you arrived here with Loki, he didn't look like a child, but he was unconscious. What was going on?"
"He was not unconscious and had an illusion much like he did earlier today. We thought it would be better that way."
"That makes sense," Tony said before something dawned on him. "Wait a minute! I offered alcohol to a minor!"
"Relax, Tony. You didn't know," Bruce told him before turning back to Thor. "So, every time we have seen Loki he had an illusion spell in place?"
"Yes. Loki was sure he would be ridiculed if you knew what the extent of his punishment is."
"I can't speak for the others, but had I known he was a child, I wouldn't have been as harsh," Natasha put in.
%%% THE NEXT MORNING
Loki woke up to banging coming from the kitchen. He got up and made his way to the kitchen. He saw Thor and Rogers trying to do something.
"Good morning, Brother. What are you doing?"
"Good morning, Brother. Friend Rogers and I are cooking."
"We are making pancakes for breakfast, Loki. Would you like some?"
"Have you cooked before, Rogers?"
"Yes, but Tony's technology is different than what I am used to, and call me Steve."
"I think I'll decline," Loki opened a cabinet, pulled out a jar of Nutella, got a spoon, and sat down on a bar stool. He watched Thor and Steve make pancakes as he enjoyed his breakfast.
The smell of pancakes drew the rest of the Avengers to the kitchen.
"Who cooked pancakes?"Clint asked.
"Thor and I did," Steve replied.
"Good job, guys. They look great," Natasha complimented.
Tony walked in, and his eyes locked onto Loki, who was still eating Nutella. "Hey! That's mine!"
Before Tony could come any closer, Bruce put a hand on Tony's arm and calmly said, "He found something he likes. Our Nutella budget will double that's all." Bruce turned to Loki. "Hello, Loki. After breakfast, Tony and I would like you to join us in our lab."
"Why?"
"Perhaps we can find a scientific solution to your problem?"
"I doubt it."
"Magic is just science we don't understand yet."
"You've been hanging out with Jane Foster and Eric Selvig."
"Will you come down?" Bruce asked, ignoring Loki's comment.
"All right."
"I have noticed that Loki hasn't told one lie in the two days he's been here," Natasha commented. "Why is that?"
"I am sorry, my friends. That was one condition the Allfather would not budge on. My brother is no longer able to utter a lie," Thor spoke up.
Tony rubbed his hands together. "No lying? Really?"
"Tony, be nice," Steve warned.
Tony pouted slightly. "All right. What is your opinion of the Avengers?"
Loki sighed. "You know my opinion on my brother, I have nothing but respect for Agent Romanoff, Stark is annoying, Rogers is the opposite of Stark, I have nothing against Banner, and Agent Barton is downright scary."
"Clint? Scary? His aim is amazing, but I don't know if I'd call him scary," Natasha said.
"You didn't think that when you took over my mind," Clint retorted.
"Let's not bring up bad memories." Steve brought over a heaping platter of pancakes. He set it on the table. "Let's eat."
Tony and Natasha brought the silverware, butter, and syrup over, and all the Avengers sat down, leaving Loki alone in the kitchen.
Thor looked up and noticed that Loki hadn't moved. "Brother! Come and join us!"
Loki hopped off the bar stool and joined the table, sitting between Thor and Bruce Banner. After an uneventful breakfast, Loki followed Bruce and Tony down to their lab.
On the way there, the God of Mischief noticed a significant drop in temperature. He hoped his Jotunn blood wouldn't react, but his hopes were dashed when Bruce spoke up. "Loki, are you okay? You look like your skin has a blue tint to it."
"I'm all right. My Jotunn blood is showing as a reaction to the cold."
"Jotunn?" Tony questioned.
"Frost Giant. Odin adopted me and hid the truth from me until about a year ago."
"I thought Asgardians and Frost Giants were enemies," Bruce mentioned.
"They are. Odin found me abandoned in a temple on Jotunheim and brought me to Asgard."
"I've got a question for you, Reindeer Games," Tony said. "How come you are back to referring to Thor as your brother?"
"In all the ways that matter, he is my brother. I was wrong to deny it."
The rest of the trek down to the lab was quiet. Bruce pulled out a chair for Loki to sit in while he connected wires to him. Loki knew nothing would come of Banner's research. The rejuvenated God was slightly nervous with all the technology that was around. Bruce pulled up multiple screens with all the readings on them. Loki kept his eyes on Bruce, so he didn't see Tony sneaking up behind him with an air horn. When he was right behind the oblivious God, the billionaire squeezed the trigger and blasted the loud noise right in his ear. The loud noise scared Loki so much that he accidentally overloaded the computers with his magic, causing the power and lights to go out.
The second the lights went out Loki pulled off all the wires and sensors. In the darkness of the lab, it was easy to see the arc reactor in Tony's chest. Loki narrowed his eyes at the thought of the joke played on him. His right ear was still ringing! Loki stood up and cast an illusion on himself in full battle gear (i.e. - armor, helmet, cape) with the Tesseract Spear. The illusion was inches away from Tony, and the Tesseract Spear was pointing at the spot right below the arc reactor. The illusion was perfect right down to the maniacal glint in his eyes.
The lights and power came back on, and Tony was face-to-face with a very pissed off Norse God.
"Do something like that again and I won't hesitate to kill you," Loki hissed before stalking out, his illusion disappearing.
Tony gulped and turned to Bruce. "That wasn't one of my better ideas."
%%%
Loki stalked back into the main sitting area. Noting Loki's attitude, Thor asked, "Brother, what happened?"
"Stark was annoying, but I've taken care of it. He won't do that again."
A smirking Bruce and a slightly pale Tony came up a few seconds after Loki's vague explanation. Catching sight of the God of Mischief, he said, "I had forgotten how scary he can be."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"While Bruce was running tests, I snuck up behind Loki with an air horn. The noise startled him, and the power went out. When it came back on, I had a pissed off adult Loki in my face and that scepter of his pointing just below my arc reactor."
"It was an illusion," Loki admitted.
"What is an air horn?" Thor asked.
"A Midgardian torture device," Loki replied.
"Now, picking back up on our conversation, Steve. This game is old," Natasha said.
"What game?" Loki asked.
"It's a card game called War," Steve answered.
Thor was intrigued. "How does one play this game?"
"It's easier to show you." Steve looked at the rest of his teammates. "Who's up for a demonstration?"
"I'll help, Steve," Bruce volunteered.
Steve dealt the playing cards into two even piles, one in front of Bruce and one in front of him. They put the piles into neat stacks and turned the first card over. They placed the cards face up in the middle of the table.
"This is the game. You turn over your cards one at a time. Whichever number on the card is higher wins. The person who put the winning card down takes both and puts them to the side. See? I have a four,and Bruce has a ten, so Bruce wins."
Bruce pulled both cards to his side of the table. "Simple enough," Thor commented.
"Then, we repeat the actions." Steve and Bruce dealt their cards. Steve had a king, and Bruce had a jack. "In this case, I win since a jack is an eleven and a king is a thirteen. The queen is twelve, and the ace is an one." Steve pulled both cards to his side of the table.
"What happens when you have the same number?" Loki asked.
"That's why the game is called War. Let's see if it'll happen soon," Steve suggested. It took a few turns, but it finally happened. Both men had sixes. "Here we go. Now, we lay the top three cards face down and the next card face up. Whoever laid down the highest number of the newest set of cards takes all of the cards. If both cards are the same again, repeat the action until the cards are different." Steve and Bruce demonstrated, but their fourth cards were different. "Whoever has the most cards once your piles are gone wins."
Loki smirked. "Brother, do you want to bet on the outcome of our game?"
"If you want to, Brother."
"If I lose, I have to eat a whole box of Pop Tarts."
"If I lose, you may cast a spell of your choice on me, Brother," Thor said.
"Really? If I win, you would let me do that?"
"Yes, Loki. I trust you."
"Why would you?" Clint questioned.
"He is my brother, and he loves games."
Natasha smiled, remembering how they found him in the game room. "He sure does."
"How do you know that?" Steve asked as he shuffled the deck.
"He found Tony's game room and was playing Modern Warfare. He was really good, wasn't he, Clint?"
"Yes."
"The deck is ready," Steve spoke up. Steve and Bruce stood up, and Thor and Loki took their places.
"Ready, Brother?"
"For a game? Always."
The two brothers turned over their first cards, and the game began. The rest of the Avengers watched the game play. Steve and Bruce were amazed how quickly the two Asgardians picked up the rules. Natasha and Clint were enjoying the interaction between the two Gods. Tony stared at the scene of Thor and his kid brother (literally) playing a card game in the main sitting area of the Avengers Tower.
It didn't take very long, but it soon became obvious that Loki was going to win. Unsurprisingly, Thor took losing pretty well.
"All right, Brother. A bet is a bet. Cast your spell," Thor stated.
Loki closed his eyes and brought up his hands. He muttered a spell under his breath, and his hands started glowing green. Then, Thor started glowing green. Just as soon as Loki finished the spell, there was a bright flash of green that caused the other five Avengers to shield their eyes.
When the flash faded, they opened their eyes to see Loki sitting across from a ten-year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. The boy (Thor obviously) stared at his brother. "Why did you choose this spell?"
"It was the first one I thought of, and I thought we could spend time together like we used to."
"No harm in that, I suppose."
"Before you two go anywhere, it's lunchtime," Tony mentioned. "I ordered schawarma."
"The restaurant doesn't deliver," Clint said.
"They do when you're Tony Stark," Tony smirked.
"Sir, the delivery men are here," JARVIS alerted them.
"Ah, right on time. Cap, Legolas, come help me with the food." Tony led the two men to the door. He helped unload the delivery men, tipped them generously, and helped his teammates carry the food to the table. Everyone gathered round.
Loki looked at the table laden with food. "What is this?"
"This is food fit for the Gods," Bruce mentioned.
"He speaks the truth, Brother," Thor added, clapping a hand to Loki's shoulder. Lunch passed without incident, Loki enjoying all of it.
"That was delicious. Only one thing could make it better," Clint said.
"Ice cream!" Tony exclaimed.
"Loki and I will retrieve the ice cream." Thor jumped up, grabbed his brother's wrist, and ran into the kitchen, dragging the God of Mischief behind him.
Wrenching his wrist from Thor's grasp, Loki hissed at his brother. "What is going on?"
"You have not played any tricks, Brother. I think it is high time you had some fun," Thor whispered.
"You want me to?"
"Most of the time I find them humorous as long as no one gets hurt."
Loki grinned. "I've got an idea."
Minutes later, Thor and Loki returned with ice cream, the latter levitating the bowls. The bowls landed safely in front of the other Avengers and Loki. Tony grinned and grabbed the spoon. The second the spoon touched his lips there were three small explosions; one from Tony's bowl, one from Steve's bowl, and one from Bruce's bowl. Each explosion was only big enough to cover each bowl's owner with its contents.
Loki grinned, and his grin grew as his gaze fell on the three ice cream adorned Avengers. Thor just laughed.
Tony's gaze fell on Clint and Natasha, who not only weren't covered in ice cream but were actually eating it. "Why aren't you covered in ice cream?"
Natasha shrugged. "You'd have to ask our resident trickster."
Tony turned his attention to the still grinning God. "Well, Reindeer Games?"
"Like I've already stated, I've got nothing but respect for Agent Romanoff, and I don't wish to incur the wrath of Agent Barton."
"All right. You have had your fun, Brother. Now, reverse the spell," Thor said.
The grin disappeared from Loki's face. "I-I can't." The eight-year-old stared at the floor.
"What do you mean you cannot?"
"There is no reversal spell." Loki's voice was little more than a whisper. Then, he raised his eyes, emerald meeting sapphire. "I've checked all my books. A reversal spell is never mentioned."
"So, Thor is stuck this way?" Steve inquired.
"Yes," was the reply from the God of Mischief.
"Wow. Point Break and Reindeer Games are both children now and stuck that way. You Asgardians play for keeps, huh?" Tony laughed. "JARVIS, remind me never to play against Thor or Loki."
"Duly noted, sir."
Fin
