The attack on Stark Tower did not go as planned Loki mused as he sat in a glass cell. He thought he had accounted for every single thing that could possibly go wrong, but he did not consider for a second that his brother might turn up in the middle of the fight.
He had been on the rooftop, laughing as he blasted everyone who approached him with bolts of magic, when he heard thunder roll across the sky, and gasped as Thor appeared next to him in a flash of lightening.
"Brother! You are alive!" Thor boomed, quickly closing the distance between them.
Loki stood in shock, trying to decide how to defend himself from what was sure to be an attack, but then he was pulled into a hug so tight he worried his spine might snap.
"How did you get here?"
"You are not the only powerful sorcerer, Loki. It was easy enough for them to find the tear between the realms when they knew what they were looking for," Thor said, releasing him. "And Mother? Is she here with you?"
"Yes, she is."
"This is excellent news!" Thor said. "Come, we must collect her and get you both back home."
"We aren't going back to Asgard."
"But Asgard is your home, it is where you both belong."
"This is our home now," Loki said, and then another wave of SHIELD soldiers poured onto the roof. "Now if you don't mind, I was in the middle of something quite pressing."
The soldiers fired their guns at Loki, he cast a spell that deflected the bullets, and half of the soldiers dropped to the ground.
"Stand down! Stand down!" Coulson shouted as he appeared from roof access door. "Thor, I'm going to have to ask you to move away from that man."
"Why are you attacking my brother, Son of Coul?" Thor shouted.
"You absolute dullard, Thor. They aren't attacking me. I'm attacking them," Loki shouted, as he raised his hands and blasted the guards with a bolt of magic.
And, rather predictably, the battle had ended ten minutes later with Loki on his back and Mjolnir on his chest.
"Can I help you Ma'am?" Steve said, when he came across a strangely dressed woman in the lobby of Stark Tower.
"I am looking for the one called Fury," Frigga said.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"I need no appointments. He will see me now."
Frigga watched as Steve went to the receptionist, who picked up the phone and spoke into it briefly, then nodded.
Steve walked over to Frigga and said, "Would you like to follow me, Ma'am. I'll show you right up."
"Thank you very much."
~o~
"Here we are," Steve said as they arrived at Fury's door. "It was lovely to meet you Ma'am, I hope you have a good meeting."
"You are the one they call Captain America, yes?" Frigga asked.
"Yes, Ma'am I am."
"So you are a warrior, then. A little low in the ranks for my liking, but it will be adequate. Your handsomeness and your excellent manners make you a fit consort for a member of a royal family."
"Um… what?" Steve asked.
"Do you have writing materials?" she asked, and Steve handed her a pen and paper from the nearest desk. Frigga wrote in beautiful flowing script then handed it to Steve. "Be at this address tonight, at 8pm sharp."
"What? Why?" Steve asked again.
"I should warn you, I have single-handedly slain Frost Giants in my time and I will have no qualms about the same fate befalling you if you do not accept this invitation."
"Uh…. I'll be there…"
"Excellent! Don't be late. And bring a gift."
"A gift? What kind of gift?"
"Oh, the usual, flowers, sweet meats, although if you really want to impress I suggest a flagon of goat spittle," Frigga said with a smile. "Just don't bring the goat. They are a painful reminder of an unfortunate incident, better left forgotten."
Steve watched Frigga enter Fury's office, and then heard footsteps behind him.
"What's this?" Tony asked, snatching the paper out of Steve's hand. "Ohhhh an address. And whose address might this be."
"I'm not sure," Steve replied, "But I think I might have a date."
"Rogers! Welcome to the 21st century!" Tony said, slapping him on the back.
"Where do I buy goat spittle?" Steve asked.
~o~
"Good afternoon," Frigga said as she entered the room, and Fury stood to greet her.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am," Fury said, noting what Steve meant when he said someone a 'little out of place' was in the lobby. "Please sit, and tell me how can I help you today?"
"I understand that you have taken my son hostage and I wish to negotiate his safe return."
"Your son?"
"Loki Laufeyson, prince of Asgard, and future ruler of this realm."
"Ah, you're from Asgard."
"I am, now please return my son to me, before I am forced to take action against your people."
"I'm afraid your son is a criminal, and we can't let him go."
"My son is no criminal!" Frigga said. "He is royalty. You should be kissing the hem of his robe."
"He wants to take over and rule our planet. You must see why that would be an issue for us."
"Why shouldn't he rule here? It has no ruler at present and you humans are tearing yourselves apart with petty wars. When Loki is king war will end, inequality will end, and there will be peace. Loki was born and raised to be a king, he deserves this realm."
Fury stared at her for a moment, picked up his phone, and said, "Send him in."
Frigga smiled, and when the door opened, instead of Loki, Thor stepped into the room.
"Mother!" Thor shouted, crossing the room quickly, and hugging her. "I am so happy to see you!"
"Thor," Frigga cooed. "It is good to see you. How is your father?"
"He is well, but he grieves for you, and for Loki."
"And now you may return and tell him we are fine," she said, as she patted his arm.
"You are not returning to Asgard?" Thor asked, his voice full of hurt and confusion.
"No. Loki and I are making a new home for ourselves now."
"But-"
"No buts, Thor. We are staying here," She said, putting her finger to Thors lips, then she turned to Fury and said, "I'd like to see Loki now."
"Take her down to the cells," Fury said.
"Thank you," Frigga said, as she rose from her chair.
"Thank you, Fury," Thor said as he directed his mother to the door, then Frigga paused.
"You are very handsome by the way, and I do like a man with an eye patch," she said, with a glint in her eye. "I gave our address to your Captain America. If you ever feel like some fun, you know where I am."
"Mother!" Thor said.
"Oh darling, you sound just like Loki," she replied, and left the room.
~o~
"Why will you not return to Asgard?" Thor asked as they walked down the corridor.
"My place is here now, with Loki. He needs me."
"I need you too."
"Oh Thor," she said, pausing their walk so she could turn to face him. "You are my son, but Loki is my child. He needs his mother. You are a man now, and Asgard is where you belong, but you know how they view Loki there. They think him weak, and strange, and he was terribly unhappy."
"I did not know Loki was unhappy," Thor said. "If I had, I would have done something to help him."
"And therein lies the problem. Your brother was crying out for our love and attention, and none of us noticed."
"Is Loki happy here?"
"I think he is. He has made new friends, and one of them is a sorcerer, so they do not judge him for using magic to win battles."
"That is good," Thor said. He was glad Loki had new friends, but at the same time he felt jealous of the men he had not even met, who now got to enjoy his brothers company, while he did not. "Come, I will take you to him."
~o~
"Hello brother," Loki said, not even raising his head to look up when they entered the room.
"Hello Loki. Are they treating you well?"
"Oh yes, brother," Loki snarled. "My cage is most incredibly luxurious, thank you. I have a hard, uncomfortable bench to lie upon and a latrine to use in full view of everyone. Why, it's like a home from home."
"Make no mistake, I do not enjoy seeing you caged, brother, but you hurt many people."
"And what is to become of me?" Loki asked. "Will I remain here for the rest of my never ending life? Surely even you must see the cruelty in that."
"Perhaps it would be best to return to Asgard, my son," Frigga said. "The all fathers justice will be swift, and harsh, but it would not be endless."
Loki looked at her for a moment, then he noticed something in her demeanour, and said, "Yesss, I think I would be better served by justice in Asgard."
"If I let you out you give your word that you will accompany me back to Asgard?"
"I swear on mothers life."
"Very well," Thor said, then he smashed Mjolnir against the seal on the door, until it popped open and Loki stepped out from the cell.
"You did not lie to me did you Loki?"
"Of course not," he replied, then wrapped his arm around his mother's waist, and extended a hand to Thor. "Hold on to me."
Thor took his brothers hand, and felt the air around them begin to shimmer. He felt disorientated as the room morphed out of existence around them, then a rushing sensation, and the bifrost appeared before them.
Loki let go of Thor's hand, but kept his arm around his mother's waist, and Thor knew what was about to happen.
"Brother, you swore on our mothers life."
"I promised I would accompany you back to Asgard," Loki said. "I did not promise you I would I stay."
The last sound Thor heard, as Loki teleported away and sealed the rift behind them so no one would be able to follow them back to Midgard was the sound of his mother giggling and saying, "Oh Loki, you are so clever."
"We are having a dinner guest tonight," Frigga announced when they arrived back at the hotel, "So if you will excuse me, I must begin to prepare the meal."
"A guest?" Loki asked. "And who might that be?"
"Just a friend, darling," Frigga said, walking out of the room and leaving Loki to watch the Disney channel.
~o~
Steve arrived at 8 on the dot, partly to satisfy his own curiosity about who exactly he was supposed to be meeting, and was greeted by Frigga at the door.
"Captain, darling. You made it," she said, as she took his coat, "And don't you look handsome tonight."
"Thank you, Ma'am, but you can call me Steve. Captain seems a bit formal."
"Oh lovely Steven, and you may address me as 'your majesty'" Frigga said, as she directed Steve into the dining room, then shouted, "Darling, dinner is ready and our guest is here."
As Loki walked into the dining room, two sets of jaws almost hit the floor, and both shouted, "What are you doing here?"
"You do realise this is the one that hit me in the face AND the backside, don't you mother?" Loki said.
"This is our dinner guest, Loki. Don't be rude and greet Steven properly," Frigga said, giving him that stern look which indicated that she should not be crossed.
"Good evening," Loki said through gritted teeth, as his mother stood and moved to the door.
"Your dinner is on the table, and the door will be locked," Frigga said, then she pointed at Loki, "And don't you even dare think of teleporting out young man! You are never to old to have your bottom smacked!"
Loki stared at her, his mouth open, as she slammed the door after her, and a lock clicked heavily.
"I-I am sorry for my mothers behaviour," Loki said, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"It's OK," Steve said, wondering just how the hell he got himself into this situation. He looked over at the table laden with delicious looking food, and his stomach rumbled in response. "Since we're here should we maybe grab a bite to eat? It'd be a shame to let this spread go to waste when she's obviously made so much effort."
"That would be agreeable."
"Oh by the way… your mother suggested that I should bring you a flagon of goat spittle as a present," Steve said, and Loki's eyes lit up, "But I couldn't find any so I brought these instead."
He held out an expensive looking gold box that was wrapped in a silk ribbon, which Loki took gently, then carefully untied the bow. The box was filled with luxury hand made chocolates, each one delicately decorated in different styles.
"What a thoughtful gift, Captain," Loki said.
"You can call me Steve."
"Thank you Steve. These are lovely," Loki said, feeling a little choked with emotion at being given such delightful present, and then he asked, expectantly, "Perhaps we can share them after dinner?"
"I'd love to," Steve said, with a smile.
~o~
When Steve left to head back to Stark Tower, he was surprised just how enjoyable dinner had been. He had decided to stay for the meal purely for tactical purposes, to gather intel on a dangerous enemy, and had expected Loki to be the same insane, grinning lunatic he had fought in a corridor earlier in the day, but instead he had proved to be thoughtful, charming, exceptionally intelligent, and generally nice to be around. The fact that he was cute didn't hurt either.
~o~
"How was dinner, my love?" Frigga asked, when Loki emerged from the dining room and joined her by the open fire in the sitting room.
"It was very pleasant," Loki said. "Steve is a surprisingly amiable companion."
"Do you think you will see him again?"
"He is going to pay us another visit on Saturday," Loki said. "He is going to bring his artistic materials. He said he would like to draw my picture. Apparently he is quite the artist."
"Oh that's lovely dear," Frigga said. "It is nice that you have a new friend, especially such a handsome one."
"Oh, Mother!" Loki said, feeling himself start to blush.
~o~
"Where have you been?" Tony asked Steve when he tried to creep past the kitchen in Stark Tower, on his way to his bedroom.
"Out."
"Oh that's right... Wasn't tonight your big date?" Tony said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Spill the details."
"No, it's private!" Steve snapped back at him.
"Don't make me ground you, Rogers. Get in here now and tell me all about it."
Steve exhaled loudly through his nose, feeling slightly annoyed at the intrusion into his private life, but then entered the kitchen and perched on a stool.
"OK, who was she?"
"Actually it was a he."
"Interesting… Detail noted and filed away under 'Shit I wonder if my dad knew about Captain America'"
"If you are just going to make jokes at my expense, I'm going to leave." Steve said, standing up.
"OK, OK!" Tony said. "Tell me all about it. Who was he?"
"Loki."
"Loki? Oh MY GOD! The crazy guy who broke in here last night and tried to kill us all in our beds, that Loki?"
"One and the same… To be honest though, he didn't seem that crazy. In fact, he was kinda nice."
"Nice? He didn't look nice when he was throwing me through a shop window the other week."
"Well, he is, once you get to know him… Outside of office hours."
"Sounds like someone has a crushhhh," Tony teased.
"Knock it off," Steve said, feeling a blush creep up from his collar. "Anyway, I'm seeing him again on Saturday."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm going to show him some of my drawings. I think he'd make a good subject for a portrait."
"As long as you aren't showing him your etchings…"
"Seriously, Tony. Knock it off."
~o~
Steve & Loki's dates became a regular occurrence, they felt at ease in each other's company, both finding consolation in the fact that here was another person who knew very little about the modern world. Steve was often embarrassed when he didn't understand references to popular culture, he frequently felt left out of jokes, or was the butt of them when he made a mistake, but in Loki he had found someone as equally confused by present day Earth as he was.
They would spend time watching TV or movies, and researching on the Internet just why the audience in a sit-com had laughed at something that made no sense to either of them, or they would discuss aspects of Earths more confusing social conventions, and how they had changed since Steve's time.
One night, as Steve was leaving, he got the sudden urge to kiss Loki. He hadn't even thought about it beforehand, it just happened, and as he pulled away he suddenly became flustered and embarrassed at what he had done, and feared for a second that Loki might snap his neck.
"I'm sorry," Steve said. "I just really wanted to do that."
"No, no don't apologise. It was nice." Loki said, smiling shyly.
"I'm not really used to this whole dating thing," he replied. "I'm sorry if this is all going a little slower that you're used to."
"Slower?" Loki asked.
"You seem like the kind of guy who would have people throwing themselves at your feet."
"I can assure you, Steve, that is not the case."
"It's just where I'm from, you spend time getting to know someone before you take things further, and before I became Captain America no one was really interested in getting to know me."
"Further?" Loki asked, still confused.
"You know, in the bedroom… I've never… you know…"
"Oh! Loki said, suddenly understand what Steve was implying. "I have never, you know, either."
"What? I mean I never because I was scrawny and weak and no one would even give me a second glance, but you're… you're… Well, look at you!"
"Yes, well on Asgard I wasn't exactly considered 'a catch' as you would say. The only people who would invite me to bed were those who wanted me for political purposes and I would not allow that."
"So you don't mind if we take things slow?"
"No," Loki said. "I would find that very agreeable."
Steve smiled, and leaned in to give Loki another chaste kiss, then said, "When will I see you again?"
"I will see you tomorrow."
"What time?" Steve asked.
"Hmmm probably around 1pm."
"Where?"
"Why, just follow the sound of the screaming, Captain," Loki said, with a glint in his eye, then he went inside and closed the door, leaving Steve standing bemused in the hallway.
Loki's latest plan to kill The Avengers, or at least some of them, not Steve, Steve was too pretty to harm, had failed when neither the Green Goblin nor Magneto had bothered to show up.
He had brought all the dinosaurs in the natural History Museum to life and sent them running through the streets, snarling at civilians, and then when The Avengers had arrived Iron Man had reduced Doom almost to tears with a quip about his precious destroyed robots, and he had ran off back to Latveria without even saying goodbye.
Upon finding himself abandoned and alone on the battlefield, Loki had dropped his spell and let the dinosaurs collapse into piles of bones, then teleported himself back to the hotel, and fell into his mothers waiting arms.
~o~
"This fighting in the streets is beneath you," Frigga said imperiously, as she stroked Loki's hair, "And your associates are less than adequate. We would be just as well to fight without them."
"So what shall I do?"
"Perhaps we should try a different tactic. Perhaps we should start small," Frigga said. "I believe traditionally on Midgard, if you can defeat a king, you can take over their kingdom. You can rule one country first, we shall use it as a base to take over the whole realm soon after."
"They have other kings here besides Doom?"
"I'm not sure about other kings," Frigga replied, "But I know of a queen."