Hi there! So I decided to start a new story, and this one has no actual plot other than sweet, fluffy Avengers sweetness. I always wondered how things would be different if the Avengers and their love interests grew up together and how this would change their relationships - and I read the fic Baby Avengers by livin-la-vida-loki-d, and it is the cutest thing! You guys have to check it out.
So this is my rendition of: what if the Avengers plus Loki and their girlfriends were hit by an non-reversible spell, and have to live out their lives together? Be warned, because this will probably be exploring all possible ships in the Avengers, and I'll be putting Natasha with a bunch of them, because I literally ship her with everyone. Clintasha is not guaranteed, sorry!
So, enough with me - you wanna read the story! Enjoy and review!
It was a peaceful Saturday morning in New York City. Or, it was peaceful to the Avengers. New York was a busy city, and with its traffic, busy streets and shouting pedestrians, it could never be peaceful.
Tony Stark loved his life. He had finally married his long-time girlfriend, nobody dared threaten him with his suit and he had actually started counting his team as a part of his family. He loved his team: Bruce, his science bro; Steve, the Capsicle; Natasha, his (surprisingly) best friend; Clint, the sassy and witty kick-asser; and Thor, the hilarious god who loved pop tarts. Plus Peter, of course, who had recently joined the Avengers two years prior.
What a coincidence, he thought in his head as JARVIS informed them that Peter was on the phone. The twenty-three-year-old was going for his first day of work as a research scientist in Roxxone Energy Co., and it was his first actual time in using his science major in chemistry and physics. His last job had been as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle, so Peter was quite nervous about this one.
"Put it on loudspeaker, JARVIS," Tony instructed, sitting down on the couch next to Natasha and stealing her coffee. She rolled her eyes and nudged him in the stomach, which he dodged. "Aha!" he yelled in triumph. "That doesn't work on me anymore, Tasha!"
"Whatever, Stark," Natasha replied with an easy smile on her face, leaning into Tony's chest as he sipped her coffee.
Tony had loved Natasha when she had been his PA, and found himself completely at ease with her. He didn't know what it was, but he liked her as a person, and not just because of her rocking body. She was a mystery to him - she never smiled - and back then, he wanted to find out what was keeping her so reserved and let her be at ease with him. He had completely trusted her, which was why he felt absolutely betrayed when he found out about Natasha's actual job.
And then she had become his teammate, and he found himself slowly forgiving her for her betrayal after she confronted him the day after the Chitauri attacked and made sure that he knew she didn't mean to. But Natasha was still stoic and collected, never revealing her actual emotions - and while the rest of the team liked her, they didn't do anything to change that. Clint didn't really help either, even though the two were romantically involved - he told Tony that that was just the way she was, and he couldn't do anything to change that, and Tony had wanted to prove him wrong. So he did.
He talked to her more often, met up with her, and with Pepper's help, Natasha slowly began to leave her disability to trust and opened up to him. She had turned out to be a great friend that Tony could put his trust in, and pretty fun as well. They had become closer over the years, and whenever Tony had come near death or had a problem, he'd call Natasha, because she wouldn't fuss over him like Pepper would and she'd always do what he needed her to do. Like that time when Tony had broken his arm because of an attack gone wrong and he had called Natasha to fix him up after the team left his floor and Pepper was out. She had glanced at his arm then quickly twisted it back to its original position, ignoring his loud yell of pain. And she didn't take crap from him either; she had scoffed in his face and told him to "man up", but she returned to him and took care of him the rest of the night anyway.
Natasha always had a weird way of showing her affection, but it worked for Tony. He was just happy that she looked happier than he had ever seen her before.
"Hey guys," Peter's voice sounded through the loudspeaker, sounding nervous.
"Hey," all six of the Avengers chorused, Thor having decided to stay on Earth to be with Jane. Speaking of Jane, Tony had actually hired her for Stark Industries after Thor had complained about the travel distance between New York and New Mexico. She was exceedingly smart and a talented physicist, and that was enough for Tony. Besides, she was looking for a better job, anyway.
"How's the job going?" asked Steve from his position on the floor, where he was leaning against the couch where Natasha and Tony sat.
"Met any new hot chicks yet?" Clint asked as he walked away from the bar, holding a cup of hot chocolate. He climbed up a ladder and sat on a double-decker couch; Clint had insisted that if he was to be around, he needed a 'nest'.
"Shut up, Clint," Peter groaned, and Natasha chuckled. "I'm outside - they're expecting me in ten minutes."
"Don't worry, Pete, you'll do great," Bruce said encouragingly, sitting on a lone armchair.
"Yeah, you'll blow their minds with your brain, they won't know what hit them," Tony supplied.
"I hope so," Peter sighed. Thor was about to throw his pop tarts on the floor but remembered where he was, and stopped mid-way, sheepishly getting up to throw the box away.
"Peter, you're one of the smartest people I've ever met, and that's saying a lot," Natasha informed him, lifting her head off Tony's chest. "They're lucky to have you. Plus, you're freaking Spider-Man; if they fire you, just kick their asses."
"Amen," Tony chorused after Natasha, making Steve laugh.
"Thanks, Natasha." They heard Peter sigh. "Okay, I've got to go. Wish me luck!"
"Bless you, manservant of cars!" Thor boomed as he walked in, and Tony roared in laughter at the variation of Peter's last name. Thor thought that wishing someone luck meant showering them with his blessing, since he was a god, and being blessed by him should give you luck for all eternity.
"Um, thanks, Thor. Bye, guys."
"Bye Parker!" Clint yelled out before Peter hung up on them. "My little boy's growing up," he sniffed, wiping a fake tear from his eyes. Bruce threw a pillow at him, laughing.
Bruce had definitely changed since five years ago. He was a more lively man, showed affection more and cracked more jokes, revealing a whole new person behind the calm and controlled Bruce Banner. Of course, his reunion with his former girlfriend Betty Ross had contributed to that, who Pepper had become quick friends with.
"Sir, Loki has arrived at the bottom floor," JARVIS said in his cool voice.
"Bottom floor?" Steve frowned while Tony yelled, "Send him up!"
Loki had been subjected to 'banishment' on Earth as well after his attack five years ago. Since it had worked out for Thor, Odin decided to let Loki atone for his sins on Midgard, where he would live with Thor, and since Thor lived with the others in the Avengers (Tony had started calling it that) Tower, Loki stayed there, too. At first they hadn't gotten along well at all; they were all still suspicious of Loki and Fury was furious (heh) at Odin's 'punishment', but Loki had quickly deemed himself worthy to be trusted, with the help of Thor and surprisingly, Steve. The guy saw good in everyone, and was the first to actually decide to treat Loki normally.
But Loki had made it clear that trying to take over Midgard was a mistake, and proved it by helping out with problems on Earth. He had greatly improved the human trafficking situation, and spent lots of time retrieving kids from all over the world and bringing them to an institute to care for them. With the help of Tony, he had set up an organisation to bring traffickers down, and had reduced sex slavery immensely, even more with child slavery. Needless to say, SHIELD and the team had been so impressed that Loki had been forgiven and offered a place on the Avengers, to which he declined, though he informally joined them for some missions.
Loki walked into the room, looking tired for a Saturday morning. He was dressed in a formal suit with a green tie, and his hair had turned a nice brown from too much exposure to sunlight, and less greasy. He sat down next to Natasha on the couch, mumbling a greeting to the others.
"How was Thailand, Loki?" asked Steve, who had decided to occupy another armchair. Loki instantly perked up.
"Good," he replied, "we found one of the major traffickers in the north. They had been attempting to ship children off to the Philippines, but I've sent them to the nearest institute. The leading faces are now prisoners."
"That is wonderful, brother!" Thor exclaimed, and Loki smiled, nodding.
"Yeah, it really is," Natasha smiled, patting Loki's thigh. She hesitated a while, then said, "I'm proud of you."
Loki glanced at Natasha warmly, and laid his hand on top of hers. "Thank you, Natasha," he replied.
Tony smiled at the exchange. When the rest of them started listening to Loki's encounters in Thailand, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'm proud of you too, Tasha."
Natasha squeezed Tony's hand and went back to listening to Loki.
A few moments later, Jane, Pepper and Betty showed up, each of their partners looking up with a grin on their face, Thor responding the most enthusiastically with a boom of, "Jane!". Pepper sat on the other side of Tony while Loki and Natasha shifted to make room while Betty and Jane went to sit with their boyfriends.
"How's it going down there?" Tony asked Jane, wanting to know what the next act for clean energy was.
"It's going great!" she said enthusiastically, and launched into details while Tony nodded with glee. Betty soon joined the conversation, wanting to get information to tell her students at the Empire State University, where she worked. Bruce watched her with a smile as she supplied some of her own ideas. Loki and Natasha started talking about Steve's date with a young brunette while Steve blushed and refused to supply details, save for the fact that he wasn't going to ask her out again. Tony soon withdrew from the conversation with Betty, Bruce, Jane and Thor (who was just watching confusedly) and was having a private conversation with Pepper. Clint, from his nest, was making hawk noises the whole time, occasionally yelling, "Caw caw, motherfuckers!"
Clint was the first one who saw it coming. A grenade was thrown onto the roof, and Clint let out a yell as he ran outside and kicked it away, looking for the source. Natasha was beside him in a second, and the rest of the Avengers, plus Loki, joined them after a while.
"What was that?" asked Bruce.
"Grenade," snarled Natasha. She narrowed her eyes, looking for the source, and finally spotted a strange-looking man wearing a tunic. He appeared to be chanting. "There!" she pointed, and all of them went into defense mode, Clint firing an arrow.
The tunic man caught it and vanished, appearing on the roof of a building opposite them. He laughed wickedly.
"You will perish today, my friends!" he grinned.
"It is the Executioner," Thor said in disbelief.
"But he's dead," Loki said in the same tone. At the others' looks of confusion, he elaborated. "His name is Skurge, and we used to spar with him back in the day. He fell for the Lady Amora, who was banished to another realm, and struck against Odin in anger."
"He was too dangerous to be alive," Thor finished darkly. He held his hand out, and Tony assumed that he was summoning Mjolnir.
"He's chanting," Natasha interrupted, and Loki was just able to put up a shield spell before they were all hit with a blast of magic. The Avengers, Loki, Jane, Pepper and Betty collapsed to the ground from the impact of the blast. There was a loud yell, and then quiet.
Thor looked up around him, his ears ringing from the blast. Tony and Clint were both passed out beside him, and Thor coughed as Natasha, Loki, Steve and Bruce staggered up.
"What was that?" asked Steve groggily, heaving a coughing fit. He suddenly noticed Tony and Clint still passed out. "Clint? Tony?" he asked, kneeling down beside them to shake them awake. Natasha pressed her ear to Clint's chest while Steve fumbled with Tony's wrist for a pulse.
"He's alive," Natasha said softly, and Steve sighed in relief indicating that Tony was alive as well.
"We - we were hit, there was a guy..." Bruce frowned, and as if on cue all five of them turned to the other building, where the tunic-wearing man was unconscious with blood trickling down his chin.
Thor raised his hammer, intending to fly over, and Loki grabbed his arm at the last moment to go with him. Natasha and Bruce watched as Thor kicked the guy, and when he didn't get a response, kneeling down to check for a life sign. "Wait!" Loki cried, using his power to create a shield between Thor and the man. Thor frowned at his brother.
"Brother, he might still be alive -"
"He used magic similar to mine, Thor. You do not understand. Look," Loki gestured, and Thor turned to look back at the man, but in his place was an unconscious child. Thor's eyes widened and he nodded, letting Loki kneel by the boy. Loki closed his eyes and concentrated, hovering his hand over the boy's chest, and his eyes snapped open.
"What is it?" Bruce called from the Avengers Tower, and Loki staggered backwards.
"Do not touch it, Thor," he warned as a golden thread began to form over the body. "Or you shall perish as well." To prove Loki's point, a pigeon landed on the body, and as the body grew brighter and smaller, it eventually disappeared along with the pigeon.
"What the hell just happened?" Natasha asked, and Bruce shook his head.
"Explain to us all, brother," Thor said in a low voice, and flew himself and Loki back to the Tower, when he suddenly noticed the women inside. "Jane!" he cried out at the sight of her limp body, and Bruce took notice of Betty as well. They both ran towards the penthouse as Loki examined Tony carefully. Natasha let out a sound of annoyance mixed with desperation; for once she had absolutely no idea what was going on, and how she could help.
"They are merely slumbering," Loki called out to Thor and Bruce as they carried the three women (Thor had managed to lift Pepper as well) to the open space.
"Can you please tell us what the hell is going on?" Natasha asked impatiently, while the other two nodded. Loki sighed.
"Skurge had been gifted in sorcery, like I," Loki started, "he had used a banishing spell. In other words, he was going to erase us all from time. We would never have existed."
"That is dark magic," Thor said in a low voice while Natasha covered her mouth in shock and Bruce stared in disbelief.
"Yes," Loki agreed, "had I not created a shield, we would all have been perished. But my shield had deflected the spell, and Skurge himself was hit. He now had never existed."
"But if he had never existed, then why do we remember him?" Bruce asked, puzzled.
"We had a brief encounter with him just before the spell," Loki said. "It is an after effect - we should forget him soon. Everyone will. The spell was supposed to de-age us to our early years, and finally make the body disappear, as you have all witnessed. In short, Skurge had never been born at all."
Natasha couldn't wrap her mind around it, and therefore asked a simpler question. "What happened to the others?"
Loki hesitated before sighing. "Although I managed to shield you from the damage," he began carefully, "I did not manage to deflect the spell entirely. We have all been hit."
"What?" Bruce exclaimed, scratching his head. "So are we going to be erased from existence as well? Is there a cure?"
"I don't know," Loki said honestly, "I should hope not. If the worst should happen, we would de-age as he had done. And I have no knowledge of a counter-spell to this. But I do not understand what had happened to the others, I am sorry."
"I was exposed to radiation, and it strengthened my immune system," Bruce said after a while. "Steve had his super soldier serum, Thor and Loki are gods, and Natasha -"
"I was injected by the super serum as well," she cut in and Steve stared at her in shock. "It slows my body clock, and I'm betting that it strengthened my immune system as well. Our bodies are equipped to deal with strong stuff. That's why the others are out," she realised.
"Then they will be hit by the consequences first," Loki said gravely, and the five of them grew silent.
"Will we be remembered?" Steve asked suddenly. "If we de-age."
Loki frowned thoughtfully before replying. "I should believe so," he nodded, "but only by strong minds and those close to us. I don't think the public will."
"This is ridiculous," Natasha laughed without humour. "So I'm supposed to believe that we were hit by a spell that's going to change us into kids, and nobody's going to remember us except for SHIELD and a bunch of your relatives, there's no cure, and did I mention - we're going to change into kids!"
She groaned in frustration and kicked one of her guns. She had been taught to deal with situations, but not with something like this. With something like this, she didn't know how to react.
"Tasha, we'll be okay," Steve said, leaning beside her and putting his arms around her, ever the captain.
"JARVIS, did Tony's security cameras catch this?" Bruce asked, and Loki frowned at him.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Because if Fury comes and it's too late -" he cut himself off at Steve's glare, and sighed. "Just show this to Fury."
"Very well, sir."
The five of them decided to move Tony, Clint, Pepper, Betty and Jane back into the penthouse, laying them on different couches. Thor sat with Jane, Steve had resorted to a glass of scotch, Natasha had resigned to the whole bottle, and Bruce was talking to Loki about possible ways to undo the spell.
"I am sorry, Bruce, I know not of the counter-spell," Loki sighed, and Bruce pressed on.
"But if there was a way to undo the spell -"
"I know not of the origins of the enchantment."
"There must be another way," Bruce muttered, fearing for Betty and the others who were passed out. What if the passed out people would have it worse than the ones awake? Would they be erased from existence, but very, very slowly?
"Shit," muttered Natasha, and she stumbled against the bar, dropping her bottle. Steve caught her and laid her down on the ground, where she was losing consciousness.
"No, Tasha, Natasha, don't do this!" Steve shook her while Bruce kept yelling to keep her awake.
It didn't do any good, and Natasha lay slumped against Steve's legs, passed out. Loki and Thor watched quietly as Steve lifted her up and lay her down on another couch. Bruce paced the room, muttering, "No, no, no."
"Bruce," Steve warned, but Bruce didn't calm down. He became more and more angry, and his eyes blared green. "Bruce you don't want to do this!" Steve yelled, Loki and Thor getting up to keep the Hulk down, but they didn't need to.
Bruce's eyes returned to normal and he fell to the floor as Thor and Steve rushed to check on him. "He has used too much energy," Thor realised, as Bruce now lay unconscious as well. Steve shut his eyes tightly and Loki spoke gravely.
"It has begun."