A/N: So it's the start of the school year again, I've been super busy so I wrote you just a short St. Nick's day story. It's really silly, but hopefully that's okay. Thank you for all your support, and the Christmas chapter will be coming up soon.

"Dude, come on, just put them out-"

"Sam, don't push it-"

"I'm sorry, Cap, but seriously? It's tradition! Even Asgardian's have to take part-"

"I'm not Asgardian-"

"Alien, Giant, whatever. Everyone. Put your shoes by the damn fireplace already."

Loki huffed out in annoyance, his family watching him carefully to see what he would do. Already, seven pairs of shoes were lying by Steve's fireplace. He grumbled angrily, "Why not Sarah?"

Bucky grinned, toeing his own shoes aside to show a pair of small pink sneakers hiding between his and Steve's. "Done."

"She doesn't wear those-"

"She will when she gets big enough." Bucky shrugged, "Loki. Shoes. Fireplace. Now." With each word he pointed to it's subject, his tone firm yet playful.

"Fine! Dull creatures, with your ridiculous holidays... making me walk around in socks." He pulled off his boots and set them beside Victor's. "If anything happens to them, I will-"

"Eviscerate us?" Sam offered.

Giving him an approving look, Loki nodded, "I was going to say maimed, but eviscerate is much better."

Steve snorted, patting Loki's shoulder, "Good to know the holiday spirit is strong with this one. Now it's bedtime- everyone." He waved them all to their rooms, but Frigga lingered.

"What is the point of this tradition if there is no one to leave treats in the shoes, as you say? There is no magical St. Nick…" She shrugged, "I don't understand."

"It's just a tradition." Sam peaked around the hallway to make sure the others were in bed before he nodded to Steve, who opened a closet door and pulled out a bag of candy. "There's no real St. Nick, instead the parents put the treats and gifts by the fireplace." He waved to indicate Steve and Bucky, who were kneeling by the shoes and placing treats by them.

Frigga smiled but cocked her head, "I do not understand the point then. You Midgardians are quite strange…"

"Yeah, well. We like to have our fun." Sam moved to the kitchen, "Anyone want something to drink."

"Tea?" Steve bumped his cheek into Bucky's shoulder to get his attention.

"Sure."

"Tea for us." He offered, slightly louder so that Sam could hear.

"Sleepytime?"

"Of course."

"Anything for you, Mama Bear?"

"Yes, this sleepytime tea sounds like something I might like to try. May I see how it is prepared?"

Sam snorted, "Sure thing."

In the kitchen, Frigga softened her voice for just them to hear, "I still am uncertain how this is considered fun…"

"Well, it's something our parents tell us as kids." He shrugged. "Then when you grow up, you find out that it's just a story, but you keep doing it because it reminds you of what it felt like to believe in magic and that silly idea that not everyone who intrudes in your home is there to kill you, so." He chuckled, "Makes you feel safe, warm, loved. Well, that's what the holidays are supposed to do, but… this is my first Christmas hanging around the Avengers tower so I'm not entirely sure that's what happens here. Feels close to it though."

Frigga smiled as she mimicked his actions to prepare her own tea, "Are you missing your family?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. But after the past year or so, telling them about my job and my friends, they said I didn't have to keep coming back when I had made a family of my own up here that needed someone to stop them from breaking Manhattan every couple of weeks. Besides, I was getting tired of having them ask why I wasn't bringing a girlfriend home yet, so," He shrugged, "I figured Christmas here would be a nice distraction from that."

The two turned to check on Steve and Bucky, smiling when they saw the men sitting together, watching the fire as they snuggled, the picture of a happy couple. Frigga took a sip of her tea and nodded, "This is quite good. So, Sam, what do you look for in a potential partner?"

Sam just about spit up in his own tea, "I, uh, dunno…" He took a second to eye Frigga, making sure there were no alternative motives she had. Satisfied with whatever he saw, he shrugged, "I dunno. Strong. Smart. Sweet. General things like that."

"Are you attracted to men or women?"

"Women…" He frowned in confusion, "Why?"

"Nothing, darling, I'm just curious."

"Forgive me, but I'm not sure I truly believe the Queen of Gods is going to randomly take an interest in my love life."

"I take an interest in the happiness of everyone's life who I consider family. You are very close to Steve and Bucky, who are very close to my son. Therefore I consider you family, and therefore your happiness is of interest to me." She raised a brow, "Or am I wrong?"

Sam shook his head, pressing his lips together, "Nah, just seems weird to me."

"Would you rather your woman be a warrior or a mage?"

Sam's eyes widened, "Are you planning on setting me up with someone?"

"No, I wouldn't even think of it." She put a hand over her heart as if affronted, "I'm simply asking because it reveals what type of person you would like." Her demeanor suddenly changed from a lady to that of a mother once more, "So, if you had the choice, which would it be?"

"Um… I don't know…" He shrugged, gesturing for words. "Warrior, I guess."

"Hm." She grinned, seemingly please. "Thank you for confiding in me." She wandered off, humming to herself.

When she left he shook his head, "I swear to God, I feel like I just walked myself into a trap…"

"Uncle Winter! Uncle Winter!"

"Oh god…" Bucky mumbled into Steve's ear. "We've woken up in a Christmas program…"

"Wake up! Wake up! There are gifts!"

Steve mumbled something about waiting a few more minutes, while Bucky grumbled, "Chill, guys…"

Two strong hands grabbed him and pulled him from the warm embrace Steve usually kept him in, making him squawk with surprise. He tumbled to the ground to find Silver and Scarlet's bright faces, "You were right! There's candy!"

"Oh god…" Steve muttered, causing Bucky to roll his head so he could look under the bed to the other side where his partner lay, having somehow been deposited on the floor there, "This is a Christmas program."

"Yeah," Sam laughed from the doorway, "They did this to me too."

"Did you guys put it there?" Scarlet asked, poking Bucky's cheek.

"Mmm." He replied, trying to curl back up into what residual warmth was left from Steve on his clothes.

"Wake up!" Silver shook him far too quickly, making him feel like his brain had literally rattled around in his skull.

"Is someone dead!?"

"My thoughts exactly…" Loki grumbled from down the hallway. "Oh! Yarn!"

Sam looked out the doorway with an expression of disbelief, "Are you sure you're a frost giant? Like, your dad didn't just say that so he could excuse himself for picking up a kitten and turning it into a humanoid creature?"

"Silence, mortal… Natasha, if you continue to take pictures-"

"Eviscerate?"

"Exactly. I like that. Eviscerate. It's enjoyable… as is this yarn-"

Victor's sigh leaked into the room, "You have no idea what you've done. He'll play with it for hours-"

"I can see the universe in it!" Loki pouted, "I enjoy it!"

"I know you do…"

"BROTHER!" Thor's voice was the ticket to shaking off the rest of sleep, and Bucky sat up, moving outside the room in a fashion reminiscent of a zombie, "WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THE MAGICAL SHOES?!"

"Yarn…" Loki's voice was that of someone mesmerized and Bucky's eyebrows rose at what he saw. Tony had suggested the ball of red yarn as a joke gift, but to everyone's surprise, laying on his back tossing the yarn in the air with a fascination that bordered on worship, was Loki von Doom

"Oh dear…" Thor frowned, "The magic shoes have given my brother that which is the only item able to entrance him."

Jane had a look Bucky could only describe as one you saw when a woman was watching a viral video of an adorable kitten. She approached her brother-in-law and caught the yarn mid-air. Thor and Frigga both raised their hands in warning, but Jane just sat beside Loki and rolled the ball away slowly. Loki fixated on it, grabbed it, and began batting it in the air again. With a grin, Jane took the ball again, and began to play with Loki like one would a cat.

Thor's jaw dropped in awe, "Mother, my Lady Jane had tamed my brother."

"Oh, he's just like the kitten I had growing up!" Jane grinned, scratching Loki's hair between his ears. Loki grumbled at that but she kept the yarn rolling so that he was more focused on that than her petting him.

Steve's voice whispered right behind him, "Remind me to keep more yarn around."

"Noted."

Victor sat beside Jane and she showed him how best to use the yarn. Everyone, taking the new development in stride, went about sifting through their candy, chatting, eating it, and in the meantime 'aww'-ing over Loki. At one point, Victor even managed to get Loki to roll over just to keep his eyes on the yarn, which caused Frigga to burst out laughing, something which she wasn't able to stop for long minutes.

"Do not laugh! They are teasing me…" Loki mumbled, cheeks red, though his attention was lost to them when Jane tossed the ball up in the air again.

Thor sat beside Bucky, "If I had known this was all it took, perhaps we could have spared Midgard so many casualties… If only we had a ball of yarn back then."

Bruce had stepped in by now, and he'd been leaning over Clint and Nat's shoulders, looking through pictures on her phone of what he'd missed, "Told you. His mind is a bag of cats."

"Kittens." Scarlet corrected.

"Kittens indeed." Victor smiled as he carded his fingers through Loki's hair.