Loki sighed as he surveyed the remnants of the spell at his feet. Clasping his hands behind his back, he began to pace the length of the glass cage.
"What did you do?" Steve yelled, considerably higher than his usual baritone.
"Silence!" Loki snapped.
"Brother? What have you done?" Thor asked as he strode into the room.
"Just a bit of fun." Loki growled in reply. That was when my sister and I slipped in.
"What happened?!" My sister Hailey squeaked loudly.
"Nothing." Loki muttered.
"Nothing? I'm fourteen!" Steve yelled.
"And I'm sixteen. The spell will wear off." Loki stated matter-of-factly.
"When, brother?" Thor questioned gently.
Loki stopped his pacing and turned to face us. He smiled grimly as he pushed his black hair out of his eyes, the soft waves flipping back as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Twenty-four hours."
"I guess you two will be going to school tomorrow." Coulson's mild voice broke the silence, making everyone jump.
"What?" Loki asked, confused.
"You're sending Cap and Reindeer games to high school?" Tony chuckled, wiping grease off his hands.
"Affirmative. " Coulson replied calmly.
Steve looked around apprehensively, his blue eyes wide. "This is a joke, right?" He asked quietly.
"Cap's scared of high school?" Tony asked, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a laugh.
"What is high school?" Loki demanded.
"Torture." I supplied unhelpfully, grinning at Loki.
"YOU SHALL NOT TORTURE MY BROTHER!" Thor boomed as Bruce walked in.
"Tony, no torturing Loki." He said calmly.
"Why do you assume it was me?" Tony asked, hurt. He left in a huff when he noticed everyone was looking at him incredulously.
After a minute Loki looked around suspiciously, "Do you honestly plan to torture me?" he quietly inquired.
"I will not permit the torture of my brother." Thor stated menacingly.
"High school isn't torture, right, Devon?" Coulson glared at me.
"Yeah, it's not that bad." I agreed.
"What is it?" Loki queried.
"It's a place where you go to learn." Hailey clarified, "and it is that bad."
"So this high school is lessons?" Thor questioned.
"Yes, Thor." Natasha answered as she walked in.
"It's all set up" Coulson mentioned, "Steve will go to class with Hailey tomorrow, and Loki will go to class with Devon."
"We're in all the same classes?" Steve asked.
"Yes, and I expect all of you to behave." Fury poked his head in and glared at Loki with his one eye.
"Of course." Loki smirked.
Everyone followed Fury's example and left to go back to work. Bruce had to get back to the lab, Thor needed to train, and Clint and Natasha had paperwork to do.
"Get them up to speed for class tomorrow, please." Coulson ordered Hailey and me as he opened Loki's cage.
"What did he mean,'get them up to speed'?" Loki asked once Coulson left.
"He wants us to tell you what we're doing in school tomorrow." I explained. Loki nodded as we headed to grab our backpacks.
It was Tony's night to make dinner, which meant pizza as Tony doesn't cook, so Hailey and I could bring Steve and Loki up to speed in the kitchen. Twenty-five minutes later, Coulson came to check in on the four of us. Loki was peering over my left shoulder as I tried to explain what we would be doing in psychology. Across the table, Steve and Hailey were chatting about the Middle Ages.
Around nine o'clock the pizza arrived. After we hastily cleared our schoolbooks off the table we went to help Coulson bring the pizza in. Dinner on the helicarrier means feeding a super-soldier, two scientists, two master assassins, two Norse gods, and two teenage girls (me and Hailey) so we go through a lot of pizza. Tony came into the kitchen the second the pizza boxes hit the counter.
"Bruce and I are on to something!" He exclaimed as he checked a couple boxes and took them back to the lab. Thor appeared next, followed closely by Clint and Natasha.
"We've got paperwork, so we'll see you later." Clint said as they whisked away some pizza.
"Thor's joining us." Natasha added as the three of them headed off.
That left Steve, Hailey, Loki, and me to have dinner together. We clustered around one end of the table, and between the clouds outside the window and the lack of talkative Avengers, the kitchen seemed sad, dark, and empty. Until Loki started telling jokes. Within minutes the four of us were laughing our heads off. Loki's ice-blue eyes sparkled as he told us hilarious stories and jokes.
"You always have been quick-witted, brother." Thor chuckled as he entered the kitchen and headed toward the fridge. Loki smirked and, with a wave of his hand, made an image appear on the table. The creature looked like a cross between a hippo, a moose, and a crocodile.
"A bilgesnipe, Loki?" Thor asked, still looking for a can of pop.
"Of course." Loki smiled, his ice-blue eyes sparkling.
It was ten o'clock by the time we finished dinner and got the leftovers packed up. As we stuffed the last of the pizza into the fridge, Bruce walked in.
"Why aren't you ready for bed?" he asked calmly, putting the kettle on for tea.
"Tis early still." Loki replied, slightly confused.
"If you all get ready for bed quickly I'll read you Alice in Wonderland, deal?" Bruce offered. There was a chorus of happy agreement and Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I rushed off to get ready for bed.
Twenty minutes later we were back in the kitchen, barefoot and in our pyjamas.
"Ready?" Bruce asked, looking up from his papers.
"Yes, sir!" Steve chirruped while the rest of us nodded enthusiastically.
"All right, come with me." Bruce grabbed his tea and the book and led us to the common room. He and Steve took the couch with Hailey snuggled between them. Loki and I leaned floor cushions against the coffee table and curled up together. Four pairs of eyes looked up at Bruce expectantly as he opened the book.
"'Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do:'" Bruce began. Hailey was soon half-asleep and leaning on Steve, who had wrapped one arm around her shoulders in a kind and protective way. Loki's shoulder was touching mine, but he didn't seem particularly inclined to cuddle. That is, until the red queen appeared. Every time she yelled for someone to lose their head Loki held me tighter. Something about it seemed to scare him, so I snuggled up close and hugged him.
When Bruce finished reading, Hailey was asleep on Steve, who had drifted off as well, and Loki and I were half-asleep. He had slipped one arm around me, and I was leaning on his shoulder with one arm across his chest.
"Time for bed." Bruce said quietly as he shook Hailey and Steve awake.
"Mmm..." Loki murmured in agreement as he freed himself from my grip. The four of us thanked Bruce for the story and headed off to bed without complaint.
The next morning I was awoken by someone knocking on my bedroom door, five minutes before the alarm went off, of course.
"Good morning, may I come in?" Loki asked when I opened the door.
"Sure, it's not like I needed five extra minutes of sleep." I grumbled,
"Clearly." Loki replied, matching my sarcastic tone.
"Tell me more about high school?" He begged, sitting down on my bed.
"We have five minutes, what do you want to know?" I sighed, sitting beside him.
"You told me about the classes, but what of the building?" Loki queried.
"It's pretty big," I started, "and the halls get pretty crowded...but I'll help you get around and by the end of the day you'll be an expert." I added quickly, noticing Loki's expression of alarm. Just then the alarm sounded, meaning J.A.R.V.I.S. started blasting "reveille" through the entire helicarrier, just like he does at six a.m. every morning. Steve loves it, the rest of us... not so much.
"Saved by the bell." I smiled, ushering Loki out of my room. "Go get ready!" I told him as I shut the door. Just as I was about head down to the kitchen Hailey knocked,
"Can I borrow your comb, please?" she asked frantically.
"Fine." I sighed as I passed her my comb.
"Thanks!" Hailey yelled as she ran off.
Steve and Loki were already in the kitchen when I walked in. Coulson was frying eggs and telling Steve he was too young to drink coffee, which was making a certain super-soldier rather cranky. The fact that Loki was smirking at him didn't improve Steve's mood.
"Anything I can do to help?" I asked Coulson while peering over his shoulder.
"You could set the table."
"On it."
Just then Hailey bounced in, "Good morning!" she grinned, eliciting a small smile from Steve.
"Three, two, one," Loki muttered, "morning, Thor."
"Good morning, brother!" Thor boomed, putting pop-tarts in the toaster, "Up to your tricks I see."
"So THAT'S how you knew he was coming!" Hailey exclaimed.
"Precisely." Loki murmured, preoccupied with his magic.
"Tony's coming, don't talk to him until he gets his coffee." Bruce warned, walking in with a mug of tea.
"Mmm, coffee..." Steve sighed wistfully.
Just then Tony stumbled in like a zombie and made a beeline for the coffee maker. I quickly remembered I needed to look for salsa to put on the eggs. Hailey and I don't know how to act around caffeine-deprived adults, our parents don't drink coffee.
"Eggs are ready." Coulson announced.
"Do we have salsa?" Hailey queried brightly,
"Fridge door." Tony gasped as he came up for air.
"Thank you." Hailey and I chorused in unison.
"Why do you need salsa?" Steve asked cautiously.
"It's good on eggs." Hailey replied cheerfully.
"Gross!" Tony exclaimed, "and you four are way too perky for a Monday morning." he added, taking in our grins.
"Perhaps they are excited for school." Thor suggested.
"Mm-mm." Tony mumbled, swallowing the last of his coffee, "Nobody is ever excited on Monday morning." I was excited, but I kept my mouth shut.
"We should get back to the lab, Tony." Bruce suggested.
"Fried egg sandwiches!" Tony answered.
"I've got paperwork, you four will be alright, won't you?" Coulson asked. We assured him we would be fine and Thor added that he would be doing paperwork right across the hall and would check in on us.
A few minutes later Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I were in the middle of breakfast when Clint walked in.
"Good morning! Are you ready for a cooking demonstration?" He asked enthusiastically. We nodded. Clint loves to put on a show.
"Today's recipe is 'Mexican Circus Sandwiches'!" He announced gleefully, gathering bread, cheese, and salsa. "Mexican Circus Sandwiches" turned out to be grilled cheese sandwiches with salsa in them. Natasha slipped in while Clint was grilling his sandwiches.
"Buenos días, Querida." He smiled when he saw her, "Siéntate, yo cocinando un desayuno para ti."
"'Mexican Circus Sandwiches'?" Natasha asked as she sat down. Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I grinned and nodded.
"What did he say?" Hailey questioned. I quickly avoided eye contact.
"You four can figure that out, I'll never tell." Natasha replied
"Please tell us!" Hailey begged.
"Natasha's the best spy in world, you won't get anything out of her." Clint laughed.
"He said 'good morning', told her to sit down, and said he's making her breakfast." I mumbled, leaving out the part where Clint called Natasha "dear".
"How did you know that?" Steve asked.
"We have Spanish class today, do we not?" Loki interjected. I nodded, smiling slightly.
"Do you know what 'querida' means?" Clint asked casually.
"Umm...kind of..." I mumbled.
"You'll learn." Clint said happily, "Para ti, querida." he smiled at Natasha, handing her a plate and giving her a peck on the cheek.
"Clint, there are children present." Natasha warned.
"'Querida' is a term of endearment, is it not?" Loki whispered.
"Yeah." I whispered back.
"What does it mean?" Loki breathed.
"It means 'dear'." I replied as quietly as possible, scratching my ear. Loki's breath really tickled.
"No whispering, please." Coulson walked in.
"Sorry." Loki and I mumbled in unison.
"You two should start packing your books." Coulson addressed Hailey and I, "Steve, Loki, come with me please." He added.
Hailey, Steve, Loki, and I put our dishes in the sink and followed Coulson's instructions.
Five minutes later we reconvened in the kitchen. Steve and Loki had black S.H.I.E.L.D-issued backpacks and binders.
"Don't forget these." Coulson said as he handed each of us a brown paper bag.
"Thank you." We chorused as we stuffed them into our bags.
"Haven't you left yet?" Tony yawned on his way to get more coffee.
"You don't want to be late." Bruce added mildly.
"We were just leaving. Follow me please." Coulson turned to address the four of us clustered to one side.
"Yes sir!" Steve answered, his military training kicking in.
"As you wish." Loki smirked. Hailey giggled, I grinned. Coulson wisely ignored the four of us and led the way to the truck. Our school isn't exactly close to the helicarrier, so Coulson drops us off and picks us up. He says he likes to get away from Tony.
"So...who's sitting up front?" Steve questioned.
"You can if you want." Hailey offered after a short silence.
"That would work well." Coulson added.
"I wish to sit in the center of the rear row." Loki chimed in quietly. We tossed our bags in the trunk as Coulson got in. Steve climbed into the passenger seat as the rest of us piled into the back.
"Is everyone buckled in?" Coulson asked.
"Almost." I grinned, helping Loki with his seatbelt. "In." I confirmed, giving Loki's right shoulder a quick rub.
"Can we turn the radio on please?" Steve asked as we started moving. Coulson nodded and hit the power button.
"No complaints." he added as classical music filled the truck.
"Thanks." Steve said. Loki visibly relaxed with the music, adopting his usual dominant posture with his knees wide and his arms draped around the backs of the seats. Not that I noticed. I might have shifted slightly so he had more leg room, but the fact that I ended up cuddled against his side by doing so was purely a coincidence.
"Hmm." Loki smirked, sliding his arm around my shoulders.
"Is this it?" Steve asked incredulously as we pulled up in front of the school.
"Yeah." Hailey answered, "This is it."
"See you at three." Coulson interjected, hitting the button to open the hatchback.
"Thanks for the ride!" We chirruped as we piled out and grabbed our backpacks. Hailey and I led the boys in the front door and split up.
"Break, your locker?" I asked Hailey.
"Yup." she replied, grabbing Steve's hand and making him blush as she dragged him to the band room.
"Where to?" Loki queried quietly, taking my hand gently.
"Psychology." I answered, trying not to sound flustered as I led him through the crowded halls.
We got to the class and I grabbed sheets for Loki and settled him in the empty seat on my left. Class went on without a hitch. I was the only one who noticed that, due to the speed required to take notes, Loki had reverted to writing in ancient runes.
"I know them better." he whispered when he caught me looking. I nodded, not telling Loki I had seen him writing english in a beautiful script with incredible speed. If he's more comfortable writing in ancient runes that's fine, and like I said, nobody noticed.
While we were in psychology Hailey and Steve were in band. Having grown up in the age of big bands and jazz, Steve was very happy to hang out in the percussion section with Hailey.
"Since when do you play percussion?" she asked Steve when he filled in on snare drum.
"I learned in the army." Steve answered with a small smile. "And I was a chorus girl." he whispered, making Hailey laugh.
They took every opportunity to talk, sharing opinions and jokes in every spare second. By the end of the class, Steve had promised to introduce Hailey to music from the twenties and thirties.
Back in psychology, Loki had started to doze off during the videos. When the bell rang he jumped and touched his left upper arm reflexively, before remembering that he didn't have his throwing knives hidden on him. My inability to hide a grin earned me a reproachful glare from Loki. His expression changed to one of surprise as I dragged him out into the crowded hallway.
"I thought this institution was a place of learning." Loki stated quietly as he squeezed my hand tightly.
"It is." I answered.
"Then why do the maidens dress as harlots?" Loki continued.
"That's a really good question, I don't know." I grinned as I dragged him to math class.
We sit in groups in math class, which didn't seem to phase Loki. What did phase him was when the teacher handed out playing cards to randomly assign groups for that class. Loki quickly got over his shock, however, and with a smile convinced one of the other girls to trade cards with him. He smirked as he slid into the seat beside me.
While Loki explained what we were doing for the fifth time Hailey and Steve were furiously taking notes in social studies, both of them filling page after page with small, neat writing.
Finally the bell rang for break and I dragged Loki to my sister's locker. Because of where the classes are we ended up waiting for Hailey and Steve. Loki glared disdainfully at the grade eight boys play fighting in the hallway while I repeatedly popped up on my toes to try and spot my sister and her super-soldier friend. (Occasionally there are disadvantages to being short.)
"Why are you standing on your toes?" Loki's silver voice cut through the noise in the hall.
"It's the only way I can see over peoples' heads." I answered thumping down hard on my heels. Loki gave a slow nod.
"The soldier advances toward us." He added, nodding slightly in the direction of the stairs at the other end of the hall. Sure enough, when I looked right I could see Steve's blond side-part heading toward us.
"He's blushing." Loki commented as Steve grew closer.
"Hi!" Hailey grinned when she reached us. Her hand was firmly entwined with Steve's, which explained his blushing.
"No concern for propriety I see." Loki chided with a smirk, making Steve turn even redder.
"Courtyard?" I asked Hailey.
"Courtyard." She echoed in reply as we dragged the boys outside.
The pale grey cement courtyard shone so brightly in the late morning sun that we were forced to squint as we slipped out the door.
"How's your day been so far?" I asked.
"Pretty good." Hailey answered.
"She won't let go of my hand." Steve grumbled and blushed. Loki smirked at that.
"How was class?" I grinned.
Hailey and I led the boys into a slight alcove and the four of us sat leaning against the wall and chatted until the bell rang.
"What's next, tin grin?" Loki smirked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.
"Spanish, and thanks." I grinned. Beside me, Steve, ever the forties gentleman, gently offered my sister his hand. He blushed slightly as she took it and he helped her to her feet, Hailey smiling the whole time.
The girl who usually sits beside me in Spanish wasn't there so I guided Loki into the farthest left seat in the front row and slid in beside him. Loki has a gift for languages and, considering I'm in my third year of Spanish and Loki's never taken one class (I asked him), he did exceptionally well. While I translated things for Loki, Steve and Hailey learned algebra.
Steve, I later learned, is an excellent person to sit beside in math class. He pulled Hailey's chair out for her and took his seat. Of course, the boys started teasing him about it.
"Sticks and stones." Steve muttered quietly, which is when the boys turned on Hailey.
"Hey! You wanna shut up?" Steve snapped after the first nasty comment was aimed at his friend. Luckily class started before things could get worse.
The one downside to sitting beside Steve in math class is that he makes you pay attention. Hailey is a total genius and more than half the class is spent going over the notes from last class, which has her bored out of her mind.
"Put those away!" Steve whispered when Hailey pulled out comic books.
"The teacher doesn't mind." she whispered in reply.
"It's disrespectful." Steve countered under his breath.
"Fine!" Hailey huffed as she stuffed the comics back in her bag.
"Thank you." Steve whispered, leaning over slightly. Hailey gave a small smile and shifted almost imperceptibly so that she leaned toward Steve.
Meanwhile, in Spanish class, Loki had decided that the language was fascinating and I was to translate everything.
"What does that that mean?" He asked, pointing at the word "caerse".
"To fall, but we're supposed to be doing this activity." I said tapping the textbook.
"Si, querida." Loki smirked.
"Good, you're learning." I said, keeping my eyes on the textbook and ignoring the fact that Loki just called me "dear". It's probably just because I told him what it meant this morning.
Loki continued making me translate everything until the bell rang, which thankfully wasn't long. As soon as I stuffed the textbook into my bag Loki and I headed upstairs to meet Hailey and Steve. We didn't have to wait long, when we reached Hailey's locker Loki and I could see a blushing super-soldier being dragged down the hall by my bubbly brunette sister.
"He's awesome!" Hailey exclaimed as she approached.
"What happened?" I grinned, knowing it must be a good story.
"I'll tell you in the courtyard." Hailey promised, still grinning and holding Steve's hand. With that the four of us dodged through the crowded hallway, down the stairs, and out into the sunlit courtyard. We settled into our alcove and, after saying grace, started in on our lunches.
Coulson had packed us all leftover pizza, which is a wonderful school lunch in my opinion. Hailey filled Loki and me in on the events during math class and how Steve was awesome because he stood up for her, which made Steve blush bright red. We ate in companionable silence for all of ten seconds before Hailey got excited.
"Yes! Goldfish!" She exclaimed. Loki and Steve looked at her with horror, and then confusion as Hailey pulled out a plastic baggie full of goldfish crackers.
Coulson had packed goldfish for all of us and, as Steve and Loki had never even heard of goldfish crackers before, Hailey and I had no trouble convincing them that the proper way to eat them is to tilt your head back and drop them in your mouth. Pretty soon Loki was tossing goldfish up one at a time and catching them in his mouth.
The bell rang too soon and we packed up our stuff.
"We'll pick you up at your class after." I told Hailey as she dragged Steve in the opposite direction.
"Ok, thanks." She replied over her shoulder.
"Why?" Loki queried as I dragged him to social studies.
"Why what?" I asked, dodging other students.
"Why are we picking them up after class?" Loki clarified.
"Because Hailey likes it when I meet her at her class." I replied.
"You'll do anything to make her happy, won't you?" Loki asked with a note of quiet contempt.
"Yeah, pretty much." I answered. When we reached the classroom I slid into my usual seat next to the wall and pulled Loki in beside me. Current events went well, we're allowed to use our phones so I looked up articles for Loki and me to share. Once current events was over the teacher put on a video on Pierre Trudeau and the October crisis.
The downside of my seat is that I can't see very well unless I lean left. Loki likes to lean right with his chin in his hand. As a result we end up leaning toward each other.
"You love Hailey dearly." Loki whispered suddenly.
"She's my baby sister." I whispered back.
"You fight fiercely, like a pair of bilgesnipe." Loki replied a moment later.
"Yeah, we fight, but at the end of the day she's still my sister." I whisper in reply.
"Just as I still think of Thor as my brother." Loki whispered, more to himself than to me. The rest of the class passed in an introspective silence. Well, except for the FLQ on the video.
The second the bell rang Loki and I were out of there. We raced to the opposite end of the school and met Hailey and Steve as they left health and career.
"How was class?" I asked, giving Hailey a half-hug.
"Good." She replied.
"You two are best friends, aren't you?" Steve commented.
"Yup." Hailey and I replied in unison, grinning at the boys.
"Coulson will be waiting." Loki remarked.
"I need to stop at my locker." Hailey mentioned.
After going to Hailey's locker the four of us headed outside to meet Coulson at the corner. "Same seats as last time or does someone else want shotgun?" Steve asked as we sat on the chain waiting for Coulson.
"What's shotgun?" Loki asked, obviously confused.
"Front seat." I clarified. Loki nodded slowly.
"The same seats we had this morning would be nice." Loki commented in answer to Steve's question.
"Then it's settled." Steve said as Coulson pulled up across the street. We piled into the SUV between songs on Coulson's cd and had the doors closed just before the Andrews sisters started singing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".
Steve and Hailey both love big band jazz and, just like this morning, the music seemed to relax Loki. He adopted his usual dominant posture with his knees wide, his head held high, and his arms draped around the backs of the seats. Once again I shifted to give Loki more room and ended up cuddled against his side. Completely by accident, of course.
"How was school?" Coulson's voice broke into my thoughts.
"Informative." Loki answered, "You midgardians need a ruler who will prevent you from turning on your own countries."
"What?!" Coulson exclaimed as we stopped at a red light.
"We were learning about the FLQ crisis." I explained, leaning into Loki slightly, just close enough to feel him breathe.
"Hmmm." Loki growled, smirking. He dropped his hand onto my shoulder and pulled me closer as "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" started playing. I spent the rest of the short trip back to the helicarrier cuddling Loki and listening to Coulson, Steve, and Hailey comment on the different songs.
Thor was outside when we got back to the helicarrier. As soon as Loki i got out of the truck Thor swept him up in a massive bear hug.
"I missed you too." Loki laughed.
"Thanks for picking us up." Steve said to Coulson as he dropped out of the truck.
"Thank you." Hailey and I added in unison.
"Do you always speak together?" Thor asked as we headed inside.
"No." Hailey and I answered at the same time, quite by accident of course.
"Yes, I can see that." Loki remarked dryly.
"Did you all have a good day at school?" Bruce asked as he walked into the hall where we were taking our shoes off.
"Yes, thank you. How's your day been?" Steve answered for the four of us.
"Good, thanks." Bruce replied, "Clint's making you a snack, 'Mexican Circus Finger Sandwiches' I think he said, then you should start on your homework."
"Listen to Bruce, kids." Tony called out as he walked past us down another hall.
Five minutes later Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I were sitting at the kitchen table with our schoolbooks spread everywhere.
"I've got a challenge for you four." Clint announced suddenly,
"There are four ingredients in the sandwiches. Whoever can name them all in Spanish wins."
"Queso, salsa..." Hailey listed hesitantly.
"Bien." Clint encouraged,"Do you know any more?"
"No." Hailey admitted.
"Good try, keep learning." Clint responded, "Who's next?"
"I don't speak Spanish." Steve muttered after a moment.
"Nor do I, but I believe Devon does." Loki added. I dropped my head.
"Your turn, Devon." Clint ordered. "Queso, salsa, pan, y mantequilla?" I mumbled.
"Bien, for those of you who don't know that's cheese, salsa, bread, and butter." Clint explained, setting a plate of finger sandwiches among our homework.
"Thank you." Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I chorused. Natasha chose that moment to sashay into the kitchen and head for the coffee maker.
"Lady Romanov, looking radiant as ever." Loki cooed.
"What do you want?" Natasha glared over her coffee.
"I simply wish to know the meaning of 'bien' as the archer has uttered it repeatedly." Loki smiled.
"It means good." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Thank you," Loki murmured, "and you do look lovely."
"Thank you." Natasha said curtly, spinning around and standing on her toes to reach the cookies.
"Your ballet training is showing." Clint teased as he brought the cookies down into her reach.
"Oh very cute, happy little family." Tony joked as he entered the kitchen. "X squared, kiddo." He added, looking over Hailey's shoulder. "That should be positive." Tony instructed, looking over the quadratic equation I was fighting with. I hate math.
"Thanks." I mumbled. Tony had moved around the table to help Steve with a particularly difficult algebra question.
"That's an 'x' tile." He explained patiently.
"And we're the domestic ones?" Natasha asked with one eyebrow raised.
"I never said that." Tony retorted.
"It was implied." Clint remarked, siding with Natasha.
"They are all rather domestic." Loki observed in a whisper.
"Homework." Natasha chided sternly.
"Yes, ma'am." Steve chirped in reply.
The four of us spent the next few hours doing homework at the kitchen table. Every few minutes someone would wander in for coffee, a snack, or something else and look over our shoulders. Thor turned out to be quite helpful with socials homework. By the time Steve, Hailey, Loki, and I had finished our homework and were packing up it was getting close to dinnertime.
"Finished your homework?" Bruce asked as he meandered in.
"Yes!" we replied in unison.
"Great, think you can help make enchiladas?" Bruce queried.
"Sure!" We responded together.
Dinner on the helicarrier means feeding two scientists, two assassins, two Norse gods, one super-soldier, and two teenage girls. We go through a lot of food. Steve and Hailey got to work chopping onions while Loki and I grated cheese and Bruce cooked the beans. With all of us working together dinner was ready in no time.
By six o'clock the enchiladas were ready, the table was set, the milk was poured, and everyone was gathered around the table.
"Dig in, everybody." Tony ordered once Steve finished saying grace.
"Tony, show some decorum please." Natasha groaned. Tony promptly stuck his tongue out at her, eliciting muffled giggles from everyone but Natasha. She simply rolled her eyes.
The rest of dinner was filled with bad jokes, harmless teasing, and lively conversation. We were having so much fun that nobody noticed the dark clouds rolling in. After dinner we all cleaned up. The bright chatter mixing with the clang of pots being thrown in the dishwasher and the rustle of plastic as containers are dug out for the leftovers. Occasionally a bilgesnipe or some other fantastical creature would gallop across the counter and through the dishwasher.
"All right! Movie time!" Tony announced as the last container was shoved in the fridge and the dishwasher was closed on an unsuspecting dragon.
"Tony, it's a school night." Bruce argued.
"Bruce, it's seven-thirty." Tony countered.
"Please?" Clint begged from his spot in the air vent.
"All right," Bruce sighed, "but I want everyone in pyjamas first."
Half an hour later Hailey and I were in our pyjamas waiting for everybody else. Bruce was the first to wander in, wearing a t-shirt and loose pants. Soon after, Clint flipped down from the air vent in purple pyjamas, followed closely by a cupcake-pyjama-clad Natasha. Steve was next to appear, back to his adult self and wearing shorts and a (rather snug) white t-shirt. He blushed when he noticed Hailey staring.
"Drooling over the captain, Hailey?" A once-again adult Loki teased as he and Thor walked in, making Steve blush more. Thor was in red pyjamas. Loose pants and a tunic with a slit at the neckline. Loki's pyjamas were the same style but forest green, the slit moving to expose his delicate collarbone with every barefoot step.
"Great! You're all here." Tony exclaimed as he wandered in wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I've got a great movie ready to play, but it's a bit scary so Hailey might have to snuggle Cap." He continued. Hailey grinned at that, Steve just blushed.
"You're sitting next to me." Loki whispered, laying one hand on my left shoulder. I nodded.
Tony leads us into the common room and immediately takes charge. "Clint, Natasha, you take the loveseat." He orders. "Thor, Steve, you take that couch. Put Hailey between you." Tony continues. "Everybody else on this couch." He finishes.
We all scramble to our seats and I end up on Loki's right. JARVIS starts the movie and Loki pulls me close. I'm glad he does because Tony picked "Insidious". By the end of the movie Clint and Natasha were curled up together, Hailey was being hugged by Steve and Thor, Loki and I were snuggled up to each other, and Tony and Bruce were wide-eyed.
"Ok, bedtime." Bruce ordered, slightly shaken. Everyone got up and I could overhear Hailey asking Steve something.
"Umm...do you think maybe you could possibly please..."
"What?" Steve asked gently.
"Can you please tuck me in?" Hailey begged.
"Umm...I suppose..." Steve blushed.
"Thank you!"Hailey grinned and they headed off. When I checked on them five minutes later they were curled up together, fast asleep.
I lay in bed listening to the rain for a while when suddenly there was a deafening rumble of thunder. Seconds later Loki came racing into my room and clambered into bed beside me.
"I'm not overly fond of thunderstorms." he muttered through clenched teeth. Just then another thunderclap rent the air. Loki slid down and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair. I slid one arm around him and rubbed his back until I felt his heart rate slow and his breathing even out.
When the morning alarm went off Loki and I were still holding each other. As I'm sure you can imagine, Fury was thrilled when he found out. Tony teased us for weeks. At least he never found out about Steve and Hailey's sleepover.