"Well, that is…really not what I was expecting." Tony stared at the kitten zipped up in Loki's sweater, just its little fluffy head poking out. He didn't dare say it out loud, especially now that he knew Loki was entirely innocent, but he'd half expected Natasha and Clint to bring him back in chains. Again. But apparently this time he'd coerced them into buying him a kitten. "Why exactly have you bought Loki a kitten? Spidergirl, explain."
Natasha looked somewhat embarrassed. "I just…I…who could resist that face?" To prove her point, Loki turned his pleading eyes to Tony, willing a single tear to slip down his cheek. He knew exactly how angelic he looked and how to use that to his advantage. And it was working – he could see Tony cracking just like Natasha and Clint had.
"Okay, but if it makes a mess, I'm blaming you, Antlers."
"She won't make a mess! Her name's Kaos, by the way." Kaos mewed adorably, and Tony smiled before he could stop himself. Just then Steve walked in and froze when he saw the kitten.
"Is that a cat?" He started backing away slowly.
"Yes, it's my cat! Her name's Kaos! What's wrong?" Loki started off enthusiastically, but slowly trailed off when he saw the panicked expression on Steve's face.
"I'm just more of a dog person, that's all." Steve would never admit it, but cats scared him. He'd been badly scratched by a feral cat as a child, and the memory had stuck.
"Aw, you've made Kaos sad. At least come say hello. She's nice, I promise!" Loki seemed almost like a small child – sweet but petulant when he didn't get his way.
"I suppose…if you're sure it's tame…maybe I could…" Steve slowly inched forward, trembling hand held out in front of him. Kaos sniffed his fingers then rubbed her face against his hand, purring. Tentatively, he stroked her head, slowly gaining confidence when she made no aggressive moves. Before long, he was utterly enraptured by the little bundle of fluff.
"Would you like to hold her?" Loki unzipped his jacket and offered Kaos to Steve, who looked slightly apprehensive.
"But what if I drop her?"
"You won't drop her. Besides, cats always land on their feet." Loki smiled reassuringly as Steve gently picked up the kitten and cradled her in his arms. She mewed and curled up against his chest. Steve looked fondly down at her. Loki looked like a proud parent – his new addition to the Avengers family was already being accepted. "Can I go show her to Bruce?"
"Sure thing, Lokes. He's in the lab." Tony flopped down onto the couch with a glass of scotch and started tinkering with some small mechanism. Steve handed Kaos back to Loki, who took off in the general direction of where he thought the labs were.
Several wrong turns later, after getting directions from JARVIS, Loki managed to find Bruce. "Look! Bruce! Bruce, I got a kitten!" Bruce looked up and had to smile at the sight of the overexcited God of Mischief holding up his kitten proudly. It seemed like much longer than a year since Loki had led an army of Chitauri to try and take over the whole world and enslave the human race. He seemed so innocent. Sometimes Bruce had to remind himself that this man had killed eighty people in three days. Most of the time though, he didn't care.
"She's gorgeous, Loki. I probably shouldn't touch her though – my hands are covered in grease. I've been fixing another of Tony's late-night ideas that didn't quite work."
"That's okay. She still likes you. Kaos likes everyone." Kaos somehow knew to meow in all the right places to capture peoples' hearts. Bruce shook his head – that cat was a perfect match for Loki, the God of Mischief.
"Have you shown her to Thor yet?" Loki's eyes grew wide.
"No, I haven't! Gotta go, I need to show Thor!" Loki dashed out of the labs, heading for Thor's room, where Thor was sprawled on his bed watching HGTV. "Thor! Thor! Look! Thor!" Thor muted the television and looked at Loki. As soon as he saw the kitten, Thor's eyes grew to the size of saucers, and he leapt off the bed and ran over to Loki. He crooned over the kitten in Loki's arms, softly stroking her. He looked delighted when she rubbed her head against his arm.
"What is the cat's name, Brother?"
"Kaos." Thor grinned. If his brother had chosen her, the name no doubt suited her.
"She's perfect." Thor hugged his brother, careful not to squish Kaos. Luckily Kaos had seen him coming and climbed onto Loki's shoulders, out of the way. A year ago, Loki would have pulled away, repulsed, but now, he hugged Thor back. Tears filled Thor's eyes. If this kitten made his brother happy, he would protect her with his life.
