Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or their awesome Avengers. :)

CHAPTER FOUR

By now, Bruce was awake and, after being tackle-hugged by a certain blond Asgardian, was babbling with Tony about science. Clint raised an eyebrow. They must remember more of their old lives than they were letting on.

He took some time observing the Avengers and Loki. He realized that they must be older than toddlers, since they were nearly four feet tall. And they acted in a more mature fashion than most toddlers would, such as their speech patterns (especially with Thor). So that would put them at maybe…seven years old?

"BROTHER, WHY MUST YOU INSIST UPON SITTING IN THAT SMALL CORNER OF THE ROOM?" Thor bellowed from the other side of the room, interrupting Clint's thoughts.

Clint surveyed the room:

Loki was sitting in front of and staring at a blank white wall, apparently lost in thought;

Natasha was firing her Nerf guns at Loki's back and making "pew! pew!" noises;

Steve was jumping over furniture, chasing Thor who was trying to run through everyone to get to Loki;

And Tony and Bruce were still babbling, while Pepper kept a watchful eye on Bruce to make sure he wouldn't "Hulk out" on them.

Clint groaned and nearly face-palmed himself. He seriously hoped Loki would turn them back soon; his team mates were proving to be a handful.

"I'm hungry!" Tony wailed.

Bruce nodded quickly. "Me too!"

Steve nodded quickly, stopping in his chase of Thor. "Me three!" Steve gave a cough, and Pepper shot him a worried look. The Super Soldier had mentioned before that he had suffered from various diseases as a child before the Serum… Had Loki's spell managed to neutralize the Serum as well? Had the same happened to Natasha? She'd mentioned before that she had always been naturally flexible... Clint doubted he would be able to tell the difference between her with the Serum and without it.

Then the kids interrupted Clint's thinking with a chant of: "SNACK! SNACK! SNACK!" Loki merely looked disinterested, opting instead to tangle the soft carpet with his little fingers.

Clint looked to Pepper. "Do you have any food?"

Pepper gave a hurried glance at the beseeching children. "I'll try and fix them something to eat. You distract them." And with that, she marched quickly into the kitchen (which happened to be in a conjoining room).

The archer almost protested, then realized that it would probably make no difference. No one in their right mind would ever voluntarily watch a group of overly-active kids.

Besides, he couldn't cook to save his life. (He could barely toast Pop-Tarts.)

Feeling the stares of six pairs of curious eyeballs on his back, Clint turned to face his teammates. "Hi," he started hesitantly. "I'm Clint."

"I know," Tony interrupted.

Clint ignored him. "I'm going to be your babysitter for a while, along with Pepper Potts. She's getting you food right now." Not knowing what to say, he stared at the kids, who stared back at him, Loki looking almost like he was trying not to snicker.

Trying to think of all the games a toddler could possibly enjoy, Clint blurted:

"How'd you guys like to play Hide-and-Go-Seek?"

And then he realized what a bad idea that would be. He'd probably never find Natasha, and he had no idea what Loki was capable of.

"YEAH!" the six toddlers cheered, fists pumping the air.

Thor looked especially excited. "LOKI WILL ENJOY THIS!" he shouted happily. "HE WAS THE CHAMPION ON ASGARD!"

Clint raised an eyebrow at the young demigod. "Was he now?"

"YES! HE COULD HIDE FOR HOURS AND NONE WOULD FIND HIM! I REMEMBER ONE TIME WHEN… WHEN…" Thor looked confused. "When…"

"There were many times where we played this game," Loki cut in. "And you cannot even remember one time?" He cackled.

Clint frowned. "Loki, that's enough." Then, he realized that what Loki had said meant that he had more memories than Thor, and gave little Loki a curious glance. Which was returned with a scowl.

The archer decided it would probably be best to just start the game.

"30…29…28…27…26…25…24…23…22…21…" he counted slowly, covering his eyes with his hands. "20…19…18…17…16…15…14…13…" By now, the kids had all sprinted out of the room. (He'd counted six pairs of feet leaving.) "12…11…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Ready or not, here I come!" he called.

As soon as Clint removed his hands from his face, he went into "Hawkeye Mode", scanning the room for any changes. There was nothing, as he had suspected.

So, where would Tony hide? (He'd decided to try and find him first because Tony was just so annoying.)

He first checked Tony's bed – which had a large lump in it. Clint raised an eyebrow. How predictable. He peeled back the covers to find the little kid giggling madly and rolling around in his red-and-gold pajamas. "How'd you find me? I had such a great hiding spot!"

Clint rolled his eyes and sent the kid to the kitchen to find Pepper. Distractedly, he hoped Tony realized he had meant the person and not the spice…

Oh well. Now, to find the rest, Clint decided. Where would they hide?

Clint walked back to the main room of Avengers Tower – the same room the Hulk had smashed Loki around – to see if he could track any of the chubby demons. He was glad to hear Tony chatting to Pepper, which meant Clint had not inadvertently gotten one of his team mates lost.

Then he heard a slight rustle from a few meters away. Clint briskly walked out of the main room and into one of the many hallways he had heard the rustle coming from. Another rustle came, this time louder. He walked over to one of the closets and opened the door. "Found you, Steve."

Crawling out of the coat closet, Steve gave a sigh and a smile. Espionage had never been his strong point, Clint thought. "Good game," Steve offered cheerfully, sticking out a hand.

Clint shook it, and found that the kid was bony. It seemed as though the Super Soldier Serum's affects had been stripped away – no way had Captain America been that skinny. "Why don't you go see Pepper about your cough," Clint suggested to Steve.

Steve nodded, then started walking back to the kitchen – dragging his Frisbee/shield along with him, Clint noted.

Now, just to find Bruce, Thor, Loki, and Natasha.

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Also, I'll be trying to update every three to four days... :)

Thanks for reading and all the great reviews!

- ImaginaryParchment