I can't help it, I love Loki struggling with the simplest Midgardian things!


"I don't understand," Loki said. "We are playing 'we?'"

"No," Tony replied with a laugh. "We're playing Wii. W-i-i."

"And what exactly is 'wii?'" the god asked suspiciously, as if the word were about to blow up in his face.

Tony just smirked. "You'll see."

He led Loki into the media center without another word, pausing to turn on the massive television and grab the Wii-motes from their storage cradles.

"Okay," Tony said. "This is a Wii-mote."

He handed it to Loki, who held it between two fingers near the end, studying the thing. It was oblong, rectangular, and white, and it contained several buttons and a line of square lights along the bottom, all of which blinked when he pressed the button labeled 'A.'

"It seems to be some kind of controller," he conceded, loathing the look of amusement on Tony's face. It wasn't Loki's fault that he knew almost nothing of Midgardian technology, while Tony was what the human's seemed to consider a technological genius!

Loki scoffed at that word. "Genius." Put Tony against any child's puzzle from Asgard, then see how well he would fare. Genius indeed.

"Yup, it controls the Wii," Tony nodded.

"You keep saying the word 'Wii,'" Loki pointed out. "And yet you won't explain what a Wii is, and so it has no meaning."

Tony nodded, conceding that, indeed, he hadn't explained. He hit a button the the television remote, flipping it to a white screen with several boxes and annoyingly cheerful music in the background.

"This is Wii," Tony said, gesturing to the screen with the hand that held his 'Wii-mote.' On the screen, a gloved, pointing hand appeared, following the movements of his hand. Loki stared, transfixed, while Tony moved his hand and the hand on the screen followed to the top left box. He hit A, selecting it and enlarging the box to show what it was.

"Wii Sports?" Loki inquired, then realized exactly what this was. "This is a video game!" he accused.

"Exactly!" Tony agreed with a grin.

Loki shook his head, setting the Wii-mote down on a table and turning to leave. "I have no interest in these games, Stark."

"Winner tops tonight," Tony said, voice entrely serious, but when Loki turned back, the look on Tony's face was a look of mischief that he was certain the human had picked up from himself.

"Well, that's a but more enticing, isn't it?" Loki said with a quirk of an eyebrow and a smirk. "What is your choice of game?"

By this time, the game menu had changed, listing sevral different gaming possibilities.

"Tennis," Tony said, smirk deepening now that Loki had taken his bait.

"Then Tennis it shall be," Loki agreed. He walked over and picked the Wii-mote back up, turning to the television. "I'm assuming I use this to swing?"

"You're assuming correctly."

Loki soon realized that his controller had no control over what was going on on-screen, though Tony could easily choose the different options. When it came to choosing Loki's Mii, Tony laughed when he discovered that there was already a Mii in store that looked exactly like Loki. Too accurate for the options the Wii provided when creating characters.

Freaking gods of mischief, man.

Tony selected a few more gaming options. They would play a single game, they decided. No second chances.

Inwardly, Loki thought it wasn't really all that fair. Tony had no advantage over him, only an imagined advantage of familiarity with the technology, but clearly, this would be a test of skill. Loki was certain that it wouldn't be difficult to cultivate that skill while facing Tony.

The sound that came from the speakers seemed to be some parody of a whistle, and the next things happened too quickly for Loki to fully realize what was going on, but a small sign that said "server" appeared above Tony's character, then the ball came wizzing towards Loki's character, smoke trailing behind it. Loki swung wildly, but missed the ball entirely. Didn't even come close to hitting it.

The game awarded Tony fifteen points and Loki fumed. Tony just smirked, letting the replay run through just to annoy Loki more.

Tony did the same thing once more, serving so fast smoke trailed behind the ball, but this time, Loki was ready. He felt that he almost missed it, but he felt a satisfying vibration in the Wii-mote when his virtual racket struck the virtual ball. Success!

But before he could properly celebrate, Tony swung, sending the ball right back towards him. It bounced by his Mii and then out of bounds.

Tony was now at 30 points.

Loki swore under his breath, glaring at Tony and assuming a more ready-like stance, preparing for whatever Tony would send at him.

This time, Tony took pity, sending over a nice, leasurely serve. Loki wasn't taking any chances and he swung quickly, sending the ball soaring over the net. It bounced once, then twice. He let out a whoop, jumping in the air, a taunt making it's way to his tongue, when he realized that Tony had been awarded the points, and now the human was laughing.

"What is this?" he demanded. "I won the point! Stark, how have you cheated on this videogame?"

Tony laughed. "The ball was out of bounds, Loki," he said, still laughing. "My point."

Loki pursed his lips. "Serve again," he said through gritted teeth.

Tony grinned at him, sending another slow serve. Loki was lucky this time (though he wouldn't call it luck. Pure skill, obviously) and swung, sending the ball back over the net. Tony returned it before it even bounced, and Loki returned it once more. They vollied for about thirty seconds before Tony surprised him by pushing him, causing him to miss the ball - and lose the game.

"Not fair!" he exclaimed. "You cheated!"

"I don't remember you saying that was cheating," Tony laughed.

"It wasn't fair, I was unfamiliar with this game!" he insisted.

"Should've thought of that before," the human said, leaing in to Loki for a victorious kiss.

Loki flexed his hand and pushed Tony's face away, bristlying from such a display. He turned to leave.

He was Loki of Asgard! He did not get bested at Wii Tennis!

"You'll be preparing yourself, then, yes?" Tony called after him.

He didn't hear the response, but as he climbed the stairs, Loki smirked to himself and murmured, "We'll see."