Clint hummed to himself softly as he took the long elevator ride up to the living area of Stark Tower. It had always annoyed him ever since he moved in that the building was also used as an office building. It made it slightly embarrassing for him to come and go, given that he had to pass by the security desk and a lobby full of people every time he wanted to go outside. Sure there was Stark's private elevator in a secluded part of the building, but for some reason it was not functioning when Clint tried to use it. Using this elevator only had the mild inconvenience of having to swipe his Avengers ID for clearance, but he had to share the elevator with Stark's employees, who eyed him suspiciously when he entered and had not stopped asking him questions once they caught him with his ID card. This was what he got for being late he guessed. He hoped that the coffee that he swiped from one of the building's conference rooms would help make up for it.

"Hey Steve, sorry I'm late!" He shouted once the elevator finally made it to the living area. Clint was met with silence. "Steve? Where are you?" He set the coffee down on the counter and began to search the area. "Dammit Steve, don't you disappear on me too."

Thankfully, Clint quickly found the Captain fast asleep and laid sprawled on the floor a good way from the couch. He laughed to himself softly that poor Steve could not even make it that far as he knelt down next to him, shaking his arm slightly. "Hey, sleepy-head. Rise and shine."

Steve groaned softly at the motion and slowly began to pull himself up. "Clint?" Steve began rubbing his head. "Aw, what happened? My head's killing me."

"You must have passed out from exhaustion." Clint said as he helped Steve move over to the couch. "Here, I brought you some coffee. Sorry for being late. I know it's not as strong as your other stuff, but this should at least help you get back to your senses."

"Thanks." Steve said as he happily took the cup. However, Steve's eyes suddenly lit up like he had just remembered something. "Tony! Tony was here!"

"What?"

"While you were gone. I was trying to make some coffee myself, but the mug went missing, then it came back, then the machine and the mug vanished, then I saw Tony, and I tried to chase him when he ran to the balcony, but when I ran I didn't go anywhere and-"

"Whoa, slow down there Cap." Clint sat up and took the coffee away from Steve. "You sure that you did not just dream this up?"

"Yes. I think so. I'm sure. Maybe?" Steve rubbed his head again. "I'm pretty sure I really saw him. I think."

Clint sighed as Steve continued to debate with himself if he was dreaming or not. Poor Steve looked so confused. "You said he ran out onto the balcony?" Steve nodded. "Okay, Steve, you head on over to bed and sleep this off. Once you're well rested you'll probably remember more. In the meantime, I'll have a look around and see if I can find any clues."

"Alright." Steve said weakly as he pulled himself off of the couch and shuffled down the hall to his room.

Once he was sure that the Captain had made it safely into bed, Clint ran out onto the balcony to look for clues. The balcony on question was definitely way too high up for Tony to just climb down. SHIELD had placed motion sensors on all of Tony's suits, so he knew that Tony had not flown off as Iron man. It was possible for someone to pick him up from a helicopter though. Being in the city, it would be difficult to look for the usual signs for a vehicle pickup. He could not see any signs of recent damage on any of the surrounding buildings either, so that cut out some of the more violent possibilities, or that the Hulk was involved. Maybe Steve was just dreaming after all. Stark was going to owe them all a vacation after having to deal with all of this.


It had been a crazy homecoming, much more than Bruce was expecting. He thought that all of Asgard was on the bridge to greet them. He was wrong. When they arrived at the palace, Tony practically threw himself off of the horse before a stable boy could offer his hand and bruise his ego even further. As soon as their feet hit the ground, a swarm had them surrounded, shouting greeting to them. Some came up and hugged Thor, or gave him a strong slap on the back. It was all Tony could manage not to be pushed to the ground and stampeded upon with the way the crowd was acting. Bruce just crept his way towards Thor, never wishing to be invisible more in his life.

The royal guard soon swooped in, forming a barrier around the trio and the excited crowd. After they had put a stop to the rampage they led the three to Odin's chambers.

"Quite the security team you've got here Thor," Tony commented looking at the tall gilded guardsmen. "You think I could borrow a few of them for my next press release? Press has been getting a little close recently."

"Tony, shush." Bruce slapped Tony's arm with the back of his hand. He could not help but eye the guards spears as they walked. They made sure not to leave any space between them for anyone to slip through; in or out.

Thor continued to beam happily as they walked. He seemed to be in his natural element, he hardly seemed to mind the escort. Thor likely had them around his whole life. Bruce had to remind himself that Thor was royal, he had guards and servants, it was not all uncommon for him.

When they reached the throne room, Bruce could not help but let out a small gasp. The room was absolutely huge. It was large enough to fit the massive crowd that had met them outside, however the room was empty apart from the two golden thrones at the very end of the room with an older man with grey hair and one eye, and a beautiful woman on each throne. As they entered their escort split and took their places at the edges of the room and around the doors.

With the guards gone, Bruce finally felt himself relax slightly. Thor sped up to walk in front of the group. He quickly fell to one knee and bowed before the throne.

Thor smiled grandly. "All Father, it is good to see you once more."

Odin nodded, allowing a small smile on his face. "Indeed, my son. It truly is." Thor stood as Bruce and Tony caught up with Thor. "Now, Midgardians; my son has told me of your quest. You wish to learn magic, correct?"

"That's right, um, All Father." Bruce was not sure how to address him. It seemed to have been enough.

Odin continued. "Normally, we would require that those from other worlds would prove themselves worthy of such knowledge. However, your brave work bringing Loki back to Asgard has proved most impressive. Therefore, I shall allow you two to learn our magic on the condition that you solemnly swear not teach these ways to those who would use it for ill, and that you honor and preserve our scrolls and books within our archives."

"Of course," Bruce muttered, a bit nervous about the whole thing. "We shall do our best to obey your conditions." Bruce gave a small bow after his promise.

Tony stood still, dumbfounded and in shock at the whole of it. Within a brief moment, Tony recovered his press-smile and raised his arms above his head.

"Oh, great Allfather! King of all-OW!" Bruce elbowed him in the ribs.

"Excuse him, sir. Please. Thank you, sir. This is a wonderful gift. Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine. We are preparing a feast in your honor to welcome you our guests. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three will attend as well, and are thrilled to see you, my son."

"And I, them," Thor smiled.

"Until then, perhaps you should show the Midgardians the grounds. Perhaps show where they shall be staying."

"Of course! Come, my friends." Thor bowed once more, only this time with a small half bow. Bruce bent at his waist and pushed Tony down a little as well. They stood up and followed Thor outside, rushing to catch up.

"I believe it best to take you to our royal archives first. You will not have enough time to study them to your liking before the feast, however you can get acquainted with them and with the grounds," Thor suggested.

"Sounds good as long as I don't have to ride a horse again," Tony crossed his arms. "Big Daddy Odin did say we are staying in the palace, right?"

Thor let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, Man of Iron, I shall show you to your rooms after dinner."

They had walked for several minutes through identical hallways with breathtaking views at every turn when Thor suddenly stopped in front of a large door, hesitancy written on his face.

"S'up, point-break?" Tony asked.

Thor paused and spoke slowly as if to pick his words carefully. "This may displease you both, however, this door leads to where my brother is being kept."

"What, he's being kept here? In the palace?" Tony dragged his hand across his face. "Don't you have a dungeon realm or something? The English had Australia."

"Though Loki has committed crimes, he is still of Asgardian royalty. He is safe in the palace dungeon."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Tony frowned and opened his mouth to speak again.

Bruce interrupted before Tony could say no. "Thor, I understand you want to see your brother. We won't mind if you want to visit him for a little while."

Thor smiled gratefully but Tony rolled his eyes further in protest. "Like hell we wi-!"

"Thank you, friends. I have not been to visit in quite some time. I wish to see that he is doing well."

Thor turned away and walked past guards into a large building. Tony turned to Bruce.

"Really? Are you serious?" Tony asked angrily.

"Hey, we want Asgard on our side, right? Besides, maybe we should get Loki to like us so we can get more help learning magic."

"He threw me out of a window when I offered him a drink!"

"In his defense, sometimes I want to throw you out of a window too," Bruce muttered and followed Thor down the dark stone stairs. Tony shrugged his shoulders and scoffed, "Unbelievable."


There were fewer guards in the palace dungeon than Tony would have thought. Only two men stood by the doors as they entered, while another pair stood guard further down the dark hallway. Only one large square light filled the darkness of the endless hallway.

"Not many in the slammer, huh Thor?" Tony tried to make light of the situation, but to be honest, the whole thing seemed rather depressing.

"Nay," Thor said somberly, not breaking eye contact with the white light. "Loki is the only prisoner here."

They walked down the stone steps to the lower level where the light was. The walk seemed to be miles but it was only a couple of yards before they reached the large glass pane that was the wall for Loki's barren white cell. Tony and Bruce stayed slightly behind Thor once they caught sight of Loki. His conditions were Spartan to say the least. He did have anything in the cell with him, no books, no scrolls, no blankets. The poor guy did not even have a bed. Just a large white room with a glass wall and a bright light.

Tony could not help but think of an exhibit at the zoo, watching an animal roam about it's cage safe behind the thick glass while the poor beast sat bored and alone out of it's natural environment. Peaking around Thor, Tony could see Loki laying on the floor in a mass of black and green, his back turned from the glass. If this guy had not thrown him out of a window and destroyed his tower and city, he would almost feel sorry for him.

"Loki." Thor said hardily over a whisper as he approached the glass. "Brother, I've come to see you."

The mass moved slightly but did not turn around. Looks like Loki was not up for company from big bro.

"Brother, please, don't act like this." Thor looked down sadly, Tony guessed that this was not the first time Loki had snubbed Thor when he came to visit. "I've brought guests with me this time if you do not wish to speak with me."

Loki still did not budge. Tony took it upon himself to lighten the mood. He walked up to the cell and began tapping the glass like a five year old with a fish tank. "Do you think he's dead in there? I don't see any air holes." Tony could see Loki's head turn, likely puzzled at the unfamiliar voice. "Hey, Loki, do something already. Bruce and I are getting bored."

That made Loki move a bit more. Slowly, but surely, Loki sat up and turned around to face them, confusion and a touch of pain on his face. Tony waved his hand high in the air once he caught a glimpse of Loki's green eyes and did his best to give him a big smile, anything to try and lift Thor's spirits.

"Hey there Loki-doki. How's the big house treating ya?" Tony shouted as Loki stood up quickly.

"What vile torture is this?!" Loki spat as he approached the glass. "First you defile the hallowed halls of Asgard with your so called guests, and now you have come to have me mocked by mortals!"

"Should I be offended? I'm feeling a bit offended." Tony said looking from Thor to Loki.

"They are not here to mock you brother." Thor looked down at the ground. He looked like he was regretting bringing them along on this little visit. "The Dr. Banner and the man of iron are here to learn magic."

Loki seemed to let out a short, genuine laugh at that. "Magic! The mortals wish to learn magic. Now Thor, I do believe you have found someone less intelligent than yourself." Loki walked closer to the glass, a cruel smile on his face. "Magic is not something a mortal can master. And it certainly is not something they should be permitted to control. You should learn your place!"

"Loki, enough!"

"Have I struck a nerve, Thor?" Loki smiled again. "Does Asgard's prince bow to mortals now? Do you answer their every prayer and lick their boots as well? Is there no hope for Asgard?"

"Loki!"

"Are you going to give them control of the Bifrost next? Or perhaps you'll surrender Mjolnir to them? You should be careful Thor, or you shall lose yourself to these sniveling creatures."

Thor growled loudly before turning away from Loki in frustration, choosing to walk down the dark corridor to keep from saying something he would regret. Tony and Bruce were left face-to-face with the imprisoned man.

"So, about that magic then?" Tony began once the silence was becoming too much for him. "Any pointers you wanna share?"

"Don't meddle with what you cannot understand, mortal!" Loki turned to pace around his cell. "You wish to pursue something that takes centuries to master. You would be deep in the grips of Niffelheim before you even can grasp the simplest of spells."

"What if we just focus on teleportation?" Bruce suddenly asked. Loki seemed surprised to see Bruce. He seemed to have finally recognized him.

Loki let out a quick little chuckle. "So, he brought the monster to Asgard? Do you wish to take the throne by force, Thor?" He shouted this a little louder so that Thor could hear him from down the hall. "Did you bring him to me so I can release the beast for you?"

"Look Loki, I'm enjoying seeing you play hard to get with Thor and all," Tony started, sounding as if he was trying to close a business deal, "but me and Brucie-bear are trying to make a teleporter. And it would be really great if maybe you could give us a hand every now and then. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we leave you alone."

"Mortal's do not possess the capacity for the mystic arts. Perhaps with enough time a competent mortal could master such an art with my assistance. However I doubt either of you would qualify. Especially not a mindless beast and a heartless man."

"Hey!" Tony was going to start yelling but Bruce stepped between them. "Out of the way Bruce!"

"This is what he wants Tony," Bruce sighed in a measured voice. "All he wants is to get a rise out of you and get you angry." He leaned closer to Tony. "Let's just go, we might not even need his help. He's not going to give us anything at this rate anyway."

Tony took a long moment to stare at Loki, who only smiled sinisterly at them in return. "Alright, I see we made you cranky, waking you up from your nap. You be sure to get all rested up for when we come back to rub our magical skills in your face."

"Good bye Loki." Bruce said as he pushed Tony back towards the door where Thor was waiting.

They walked out of the dungeon and down the bright golden corridor for while before Thor finally broke the silence.

"Forgive me, my friends. I did not mean for my brother to speak to you in such a manner. I just thought he would be willing to aid you in your studies."

"Don't worry about it big guy." Tony sighed and continued. "Loki is a bit of a tough nut to crack. We'll break him open and get to his helpful center. But you have the two smartest people on Earth right here. We probably won't even need his help at all."

"Thank you my friends, you are truly kind." Thor gave each of them a strong pat on the shoulder. "Come, I shall show you to your rooms before dinner."


A/N: Special to jakiratsenekazu for writing half of the Bruce and Tony bits in this chapter! No one writes the Science Bros like she does.