Summary:
Thor isn't sure how he feels about the relationships Loki and Baldur and making while on Earth.
Notes:
No beta
Thanks for all the feed back.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thor was not pleased. Since Loki and Baldur arrived over a week ago, he had not a moment with neither his brothers nor even his girlfriend. His Avenger friends were so amazed by what Loki could do that he was constantly sought after for advice, to do tricks, or to just sit there and listen to their insistent chatter about nothing and boy did Loki like to listen to chatter about nothing.
It wasn't that he was jealous or anything, of course not. He'd never been in a position to be jealous of his brothers. He was the strongest, the most respected and perhaps the handsomest, no he had no reason to be jealous. He just couldn't understand what was so fascinating. Sure Baldur told a story better than anyone he knew, and sure Loki was full of sass and snark but that was no reason to just follow them around all day.
Jane wouldn't stop working. Once Loki opened his big mouth about all the things he knew about intergalactic travel and portals and his time floating through time and space she was hooked on his every word. She had one question after the other and Loki just loved having her there to talk to. His brother always did like the sound of his own voice.
A part of him was happy Loki had someone to talk to. Asgard didn't have an abundance of Loki fans, though some people had softened to him after his fall from the Bifrost, but no one really spoke to him the way The Avengers were.
Then there was Tony, so interested in Loki's magic. He wanted to study how it worked, where it came from, what it felt like, how powerful it was. For four hours Loki was tested, prodded, scanned and questioned and it seemed the more Tony learned, the more he wanted to know.
Baldur was practically attached to Bruce's hip. Everywhere Bruce went Baldur followed. Bruce said Baldur was calming and Baldur said Bruce was interesting.
Barton and Natasha found Loki hilarious. There wasn't a thing Loki said that one of them didn't laugh at.
Then there was Scarlet and her all too touchy hands. He really needed to have a talk with her about touching things that wasn't hers. Loki had a hard enough life without complicating it with her empathy/mind control abilities.
He had hoped he had an ally in Steve to keep his brother's away from the rest of the Avengers but all he said was "Thor, don't worry, soon enough your brothers will be gone and everything will be back to normal."
Thor nodded but in his head, he spoke every cuss word he could to the good Captain. What kind of advice was that? The next time intergalactic foes entered the Earth's atmosphere he was going to tell him to just want until they leave and then everything will be back to normal.
Thor sat at the table, pouting and in a bad mood while Pepper and Natasha cooked a special lunch for Baldur. Scarlet and Barton were sitting across from him while playing checkers. Tony and Steve were busy trying to find a way to keep the ice dispenser from going nuts every time Loki touched it. Especially since it delighted his younger brother to see the thing go berserk.
Loki came in, scepter in hand and took a seat across from his brother and next to Barton who immediately perked up at Loki's presence. "Loks…" Oh they had nicknames now? "What are you up to today?"
"I've not decided but I'm leaning toward going to the aquarium and eating all the fish there." Loki told him. "I've been told it is against the rules but, you know, I'm Loki."
Pepper snorted.
"You might have to." Natasha encouraged. "We're out of fish."
Loki gasped the horror written on his face. He slumped over, depressed looking before he looked at Barton. "Barton. Go to the store and buy tuna."
Barton shook his head. "No way. I just had to go grocery shopping for the wife and kids and it was not fun."
Not one to take no for an answer, Loki tilted his staff and touch Barton's heart as his eyes turned blue. "Go buy tuna."
"As you wish." Barton stood up.
Natasha laughed. "That is so cool!"
Thor shook his head. What was wrong with Natasha, encouraging his brother to mind control people? "Brother, Mother told you about this. You cannot make friends with mind control."
Scarlet laughed. "I beg to differ."
Why can't she shut up? Who was talking to her anyway?
"Anyone else need anything?" Loki asked ignoring his brother's warning.
"Eggs!" Pepper yelled out.
"Pop tarts!" Tony added. "Someone eats a box a day."
Thor refused to apologize for that. If they didn't want him to eat it all, they shouldn't make them so good.
"You guys realize this is wrong right?" Steve told them.
Loki rolled his eyes. Mr. Do-Gooder Captain America always talking about what was right and what was wrong. "So you don't want creamer?" Luckily Loki was good at convincing people that right was whatever he thought it to be. "I know how much you hate coffee without creamer."
An internal battle started in Captain America between his head and his taste buds. "Ok yeah, hazelnut." Score one for the taste buds.
"Off with you minion." Loki motioned to the door and Barton left without a fight.
Suddenly a beeping noise went off and Loki's face lit up. "A text message." Loki pulled out a cell phone. "Jane requires my assistance. I must be off."
"Jane?" Thor was outraged. "When did you get a cell phone?"
"Yesterday. Tony bought one for Baldur and me." Loki answered. "I love them. There is a wealth of entertaining games including one where I can take pictures of people and decorate them with funny captions."
Thor didn't even have a cell phone.
"Can I come?" Scarlet asked. "I'd love to see what your magic can do."
That sounded far more sexual than Thor liked.
"Yes. I would love the company." Loki, as always, was oblivious to flirtatious advances of a woman.
After she left to grab her jacket, Thor took that opportunity to put an end to Loki's friendship with the witch. "Brother, what do you think you're doing?"
Loki shrugged on his jacket. "What father sent me here for, of course. I've been helpful to Jane and have not once called her a peasant girl. To her face anyway."
His problems with the growing friendship between Loki and Jane could be handled another time. "I mean with Scarlet."
"Oh. She interested in the magic aspect of things. I told her I would help her with it." Loki took out his phone and started swiping at the screen. "Her powers are very much tied in to her emotions. Plus I like her accent."
Thor couldn't care less about her emotional powers. "You are traveling alone with a female?"
Loki snorted. "Brother, things are very different on Midgard than on Asgard. Males and females can travel without escorts."
This wasn't about the social norms of Midgard. "Brother Midgardian women aren't like Asgardian women. They are more…"
"We are more what?" Pepper interrupted sensing where this conversation was going.
"More..." Realizing that Natasha was also looking at him with a hand on her hip, Thor realized he was about to piss off the wrong two women. "Look it doesn't matter. What about Baldur?"
"He's with Bruce." Loki answered looked a bit confused. "They are dissecting some poor creature or something. I don't know. I don't listen to full sentences just a few key words."
Scarlet returned. "Let's go."
"Scarlet." Thor stopped them. "A moment please."
"Oh Thor come on." Loki begged.
Thor wasn't about to let his little brother walk off with this overly flirtatious woman. "I kindly ask you to keep your hands to yourself."
"Seriously?" Loki was mortified.
"Excuse me?" Scarlet had no idea what Thor was talking about but something in his tone told her to be insulted.
"Loki is a prince," Thor explained. "And you have no rights touching…"
"Seriously, I know I'm the prettiest but I am your brother not your sister." Loki's voice took on a more annoyed tone.
"Loki has no problems with me touching." Scarlet was not going to let Thor tell her who she could touch.
Thor pushed Loki aside and stepped closer to the witch. "Loki doesn't know what you are capable of."
Loki grunted as he hit the wall before adding, "Loki would like to know what she's capable of."
Tony giggled at that.
Thor pointed a long finger at her. "Loki is a child."
"Child!" Loki was outraged.
"Loki and I did the math. We are the same age." Scarlet stepped closer to Thor. She wasn't afraid of him or his mighty hammer.
"I have you both know Loki is standing here and he is not pleased with you talking about him like he isn't here." Loki yelled.
Thor took a steadying breath. "Loki, you know not the ways of women."
Loki snorted. "I don't know if you remember but I was stuck in a woman's body for like four years."
"Really?" Tony asked. "How did that happen?"
"Spell gone wrong." Loki explained. "Father was not happy a day in those four years either. I was hot. He had to beat the guards off me."
"Ah." Tony said as if people just turned into different genders all the time thanks to spells gone wrong.
Loki turned his attention back to Thor. "Thor, your over protective brother speech can resume when I return. Jane is waiting for me."
Jane used to wait for him. Jane used to call the towers at least four times a day to speak to him and now she is texting Loki messages!
Scarlet gave a glance at a very angry looking Thor. She picked up her hand and slowly placed it on Loki's back then rubbed in small circles. "I'm touching your brother."
Loki laughed. "He's going to pop a vein. Come on." He grabbed her hand and teleported away.
Tony folded his arms. "What's your problem? Scarlet is a good girl and there is no one her age around here. She's just having fun with another magical creature."
"Loki is not here for fun and games." Thor told him plopping on his chair.
"Loki is doing what he was sent here for. Leave him be." Natasha warned.
"And where is Bruce?" Thor was yelling again. "What if he Hulks in front of Baldur? Dissecting animals! Isn't that was Loki said they were doing?"
"We can't really be sure of that." Steve said. "Loki said he only listened to key words."
"I KNOW WHAT LOKI SAID!" Thor couldn't believe the nerve of these people. They were acting as if they knew Loki better than he did.
Not pleased with Thor's tone, Tony stepped closer to the thunderer. "Baldur is not stupid. Seriously, what are you worried about?"
Thor slumped down on the table. "Friend Stark, I don't even know. My brothers have not spent a full hour with me since they arrived."
Everyone exchanged glances nodded and making a-ha noises. Pepper walked over to Thor and put an arm around him. "You're still their older brother Thor. They are just in a new environment. Give them a few days to settle in and they will be at your side again."
Thor sighed. "Thank you Pepper. You give better advice than Steve."
"Hey!" Steve actually sounded offended though he really wasn't.
000
With his hand behind his back, Loki walked into the living room where Thor sat with Tony watching a sports game. Loki wasn't interested in the sports on Asgard other than hunting, and Midgard sports didn't gain his attention either.
Thor looked up, gaging how angry Loki might have been with him. Loki sat next to him, a beer in his hand. "What are you watching brother? It looks like something boring."
"It is a most entertaining sport called American Football, not to be confused with European Football, which is known as soccer here." Thor explained relieved that Loki was talking to him.
The look on Loki's face said uninterested but then he asked. "How is it played?"
Tony watched as Thor launched into a very animated speech about football and smiled to himself. Loki was not at all interested but he asked questions and stayed by Thor's side for the rest of the game.
Tony wanted to laugh at the obviousness of Loki's fake interest but Thor didn't seem to pick up on it. It was actually kind of sweet. Apparently Loki knew full well that Thor was missing his brothers and he handled his business and spent the day with Scarlet only to come back his brother's side and for two hours, hung on his every word even though he had no interest in sports.
At the end of the game Loki stood up and stretched. "Well, I better call it a night. Scarlet is in bed waiting for me."
Thor jumped to his feet so fast the house shook and the wide smile on Loki's face said it enjoyed the trick before he disappeared. Tony laughed. "You wanted his attention."
Thor looked at Tony. "Brothers are most annoying."
Tony smiled clicking off the television. "Thor, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Thor sat back down.
"Why Loki? I mean, Baldur flirts with everyone who walks through the door but that doesn't bother you. Why does it bother you that Loki is getting attention?"
Thor sighed. "The attention is not what bothers me. It's what the attention may mean."
"What do you mean?" Tony frowned.
"Tony, Loki is a Jotun, an enemy of my people. When my Father adopted him, no one would play with him or touch him, other than us because of his appearance. Eventually he changed his appearance to please other Asgardians removing his usual blue skin. Loki will do a lot of things just to please people. He will do tricks and be a clown for the amusement of others just for the attention and possibly affection."
Mildly insulted Tony replied. "You can't possibly think we'll do anything like that. Loki is a cool cat."
"Loki is a cool cat indeed and I don't think any of your will hurt him, not intentionally."
"Unintentionally?"
No, maybe not all of The Avengers but one of them in particular could very well hurt his brother. "Scarlet…"
"Ah yes. That can lead to unintentional hurt." Tony, being the one who unintentionally hurt his partners all time could very well understand that. But then Pepper came around and despite his tendency to ruin everything he touched, she loved him not in spite of it but because of it. "Or it can lead to a beautiful relationship."
Thor nodded. "So you think I should let things happen naturally."
"He has to live Thor. You can't protect him forever."
Thor would never forget that. No in the centuries he was promised to live would he ever forget that he was in no way strong enough to keep Loki safe. It was his weakness that forced Loki to choose to save Baldur instead of himself.
"I might not be able to save him from everything, but I will protect him from as much as I can while I still can."
Tony couldn't fully understand that as he had no siblings, but he thought about hi science bro Bruce. He often shielded the green giant from a lot of things to keep him safe. Tony nodded. "You're a good brother Thor."
Notes:
As always, tell me what you think!
