Ugh, there I was last week, speaking of aiming for Wednesday and I landed on a Saturday update. And that only just in this time zone!
Sorry about that folks, but things got hectic on me. Mostly in a good way as I started a secondment at work that's a promotion and I was then super inspired by a random, throwaway line in a fic I was reading that ended up in me writing a few thousand words for an original, sci-fan novel outline.
Still, it all kept me from updating this fic, which I had really wanted to do.
The addition of Pipsqueak to the tower definitely made life more interesting, and not just because about half of the Avengers were still not entirely convinced this wasn't all an elaborate trick of some kind.
No, Tony was far more fascinated in all they learned about Ásgarðr as a result of the questions Loki asked, or the things he seemed surprised at or simply didn't understand.
"Wait, what do you mean punishments?" Tony questioned, shocked.
A quick glance up at Bruce and Steve showed both of them seemed stunned by the question as well, though Thor appeared completely unphased. As if it was a normal question for Loki to ask of Tony.
"For when I am bad," Loki replied calmly, not appearing to realize he had done anything untoward. "I merely wish to know what I may expect then."
"I-" Tony began, at a complete and utter loss as to what to say.
Where was this question coming from? And why was it being asked of him of all people?
"Uh, Loki, why are you asking Tony?" Bruce inquired, clearly more able to talk just now. "Wouldn't Thor be the one to... uh, punish?"
Little Prince nodded once, briefly glancing at Bruce before turning his attention back to Tony. "Thor would be within his rights to do so but, as our host on another Realm, Lo- Tony has a right too."
Jesus.
"Uh, how about you just don't get into trouble?" Tony offered, mind scrambling.
How the hell did he get into these types of situations?
"Even when I make no attempt to, I oft find I have done so," Loki replied.
"Loki," Thor sighed, shaking his head and, at first, Tony was encouraged. Alas it was not to be. "You know well you are causing mischief when playing your tricks."
"Hey!" Tony protested, scowling at the big guy, pleased to see even Steve seemed concerned now. "He literally just said he didn't always mean to do it."
"My brother's words oft cannot be trusted."
Wow. That was...
The way Little Prince flinched at Thor's assertion made it clear this was not an uncommon statement, but... holy shit! The kid was seven! Had those titles of Liesmith and Wordsmith really been haunting Loki for centuries? Since he was just a little kid?
It seemed unreal and shocking to Tony, but it would definitely explain a few things. Like why a teenage Loki had felt it necessary to backdoor his father's dungeon cells.
"Thor," Bruce began and Tony's eyes darted to his Science Bro at the duality in his voice. Yeah, there was a rather green tint to his eyes too. "He is a child."
Rather than notice and take the warning, Point Break scoffed as if there was nothing to be concerned about.
"He still lies," Thor declared.
"All kids lie!" Bruce argued, hands gripping the kitchen counter, clearly fighting for control.
"Uh, should we head down to the containment room?" Steve questioned, having risen to his feet as well.
"No, I am fine," Bruce retorted.
"Bu-"
"If he says he's fine, then he's fine, Cap," Tony interrupted. "I thought you were the one who told me not to prod Jolly Green?"
Steve's mouth snapped shut at those words, but the captain was clearly still uncomfortable.
"As for you," Tony continued, turning to Thor. "Bruce is right, all kids lie, it's normal developmental behavior."
"Not on Ásgarðr," Thor countered, stubbornly.
"Really?"
"Lying is dishonorable."
"I see, so what do you call that thing which came to light in the vault? Sounded to me like it was a lie and the person who uttered it... well..."
As Tony had expected, the mere insinuation served to make the big guy flush with anger as any slight against the All-Daddy did, though Thor seemed to retain enough thinking capacity to realize his point was valid.
"Maybe you should look up child psychology, Thor," Bruce suggested, looking less green. "You may be surprised at some of what you learn and the similarities between... us."
A good suggestion and, when it appeared Thor would not react violently, Tony turned his attention back to Little Prince. The kid was watching them all with wide, green eyes, clearly unsettled but Tony thought it was probably a good thing for him to see his big brother get schooled. If nothing else, it would show adult Loki that Thor was no longer left unchallenged or allowed to spew his nonsense with impunity.
Not wanting to make their mini-villain any more uncomfortable, Tony crouched down to be level with him.
"Okay, so punishments, from what I know so far, I think Ásgarðr and Earth are quite different," Tony began. "Or at least the US is anyway. There will be no corporeal punishments within this tower, understand?"
Loki frowned. "Then what will you do?"
"I don't know, send you to your room or make you stand in the corner."
"In the corner?"
"Facing the wall," Bruce explained. "It's meant to make kids think about what they have done and why."
"Oh."
"That does not sound effective," Thor commented.
"It could be combined with a lack of dessert, or a favored activity or toy being taken away," Bruce replied.
"What about spanking?" Steve questioned. "Doesn't that happen anymore?"
"No, spanking or slapping now verge on child abuse," Tony explained.
"Child abuse?"
To his credit, Capsicle looked more confused than anything else, so Tony decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. It had been normal parental behavior when the poor guy went into the ice after all.
"JARVIS, compile some info on child psychology, punishments and changing attitudes since World War II for both Point Break and Cap," Tony instructed.
"At once, Sir."
"Thanks," Tony turned his attention back to Little Prince. "Does that answer your question?"
"Aye."
From the look in Loki's eyes, Tony doubted the little tyke fully trusted him on the matter, but there was nothing he could do about it other than prove himself later should any such situations arise. Which he really hoped they didn't, because him punishing anyone else for misbehaving?
Yeah, he so wasn't ready to be that much of an adult.
"Sir, there is an urgent request from Director Fury to speak with all the Avengers," JARVIS stated. "Shall I alert the others and request for them to meet you in the conference room?"
"Yes," Steve replied, seeming to shake off his confusion and answering for Tony. "We should attend to this. There has been no alert of an attack somewhere?"
"No, Captain," JARVIS answered.
"Do you mind putting on a movie for Little Prince, J?" Tony asked as they made for the lift. "Maybe Home Alone?"
"I cannot possibly imagine why that choice might be a bad idea."
"Shush you."
"He does have a point," Bruce smiled. "Though it might be good for him to see how Earth attitudes to kids differ from Ásgarðr's."
Thor frowned. "I do not like what you are implying, Friend Bruce."
"Then stop trying to deliberately antagonize Loki and start acting like a real brother."
Tony's jaw nearly dropped at the harsh words. He knew family was a bit of a trigger point for Brucie bear- hell it was for most of them- but wow. It looked like the kid gloves had come off. And, ha!, kid gloves.
"Of what do you speak?" Thor questioned.
"If you continually punish someone no matter what they do, so that they come to feel they can never do right regardless of how hard they try, then eventually they will stop trying," Bruce explained. "Instead, they will start doing what they shouldn't, just to actually earn the punishments."
"That does not make sense."
"Bad attention is better than no attention," Tony retorted. "And, yeah, if you get into trouble when you try to be good, then why bother being good at all?"
"Because it's the right thing to do!" Steve protested.
"Yeah, and how'd that work out for you before the serum?"
The way Cap flushed told Tony he'd guessed that one right. There was something disconcertingly gung-ho about Steve when it came to fighting. It worried him a little.
"Thor, if you know you will be punished regardless of what you do, would you not be tempted to do what you wanted to, instead of what you had to do?" Bruce asked, earnestly.
"I-" Point Break began, brow furrowed. "It would disappoint Mother and Father."
"And if Óðinn were disappointed either way?"
For the first time since this conversation had started, Tony could see a glimmer of understanding enter the big guy's eyes and he figured that was the most they could expect at present. If Thor had truly grown up never having been challenged on this before, and indeed having seen everyone else around him acting the same, then they couldn't really think he'd just overcome it all at the drop of a hat.
Luckily, the lift came to a stop just then and they exited it, heading for the conference room.
"What's going on?" Clint questioned as they entered.
"No idea," Tony replied. "Fury's the one who requested this meeting. Link us up, please, J."
Ugh. All it took was one look at Number Two's face to know this would be bad news. And his day had started out so well.
"What happened?" Natasha demanded.
"The Mind Stone is gone," Hill informed them.
"What?" Clint almost screeched.
"But your men took the scepter!" Steve added.
"We can confirm that Rumlow's STRIKE team took possession of the scepter in the tower and they returned the case to the Helicarrier, but it vanished sometime after that," Fury replied. "The when and how are still being worked out, but it seems to have been taken to another location from which it was, once again, stolen."
"Oh, so now it was stolen twice," Tony muttered. "I don't suppose we have any idea who did the final stealing?"
"Your house guest."
"Loki?" Thor questioned. "Why do you suspect him?"
Rather than reply, Hill used a remote to turn on the screen mounted on the wall of Fury's office. The footage was short and, well, rather to the point in a very literal sense. Tony winced at just how easily Reindeer Games' knives went through the thieves. The force needed for that...
"So, does anyone still think Rock of Ages wasn't toying with us before?" he demanded, wanting to distract himself.
No one tried to argue with him. Not that Tony could blame them, the footage was downright brutal. Those men didn't stand a chance as Reindeer Games wasn't playing around. There were no theatrics, no threats or grand speeches. Just a ruthless attack despite one side being armed with nothing but two knives and the others having a variety of guns and explosives.
"Heil HYDRA!" the last man cried out as he died.
Steve jerked in his chair as if electrified. "What did he just say?"
It... that...
"Please tell me it was a joke," Clint begged. "A really bad joke."
"What is HYDRA?" Thor questioned, confused.
"They were the bad guys Steve was fighting when he went into the ice," Bruce informed him.
"Fury?" Tony demanded.
"There was some evidence found in the base which might indicate they were HYDRA, or at least that they wished us to think so," Hill replied instead.
"Impossible!" Steve denied. "I destroyed them."
"It could just be a tactic to sow confusion and to distract us," Fury stated. "But rest assured that we will investigate this thoroughly, which is why this stays between us. No one else is to know until we figure it out."
As he said it, Fury looked to both Natasha and Clint, and Tony didn't need to speculate to know they'd both be involved in this.
"I want in," Steve stated, not unexpectedly.
"I thought you would, which is why I have informed you," Fury replied. "But, in the meantime, Loki has gotten his hands on the Mind Stone once more."
"So why haven't we seen it?" Natasha questioned. "Is there anymore footage?"
Rather than reply, Fury merely looked at Hill who clicked the remote again. The scene changed from a view of the corridor where Reindeer Games had wrecked such carnage, to a small, darkened room. Towards the back of it, the scepter rested on a pedestal under a spotlight. It rested on a special stand and was surrounded by what Tony assumed was bullet proof glass.
Like that would stop Loki.
The thought had hardly crossed his mind when a door opened to the right and Loki stepped into the room, his clothing pristine. How did the god do that? If he hadn't seen the footage, Tony would never have guessed Rock of Ages had just fought his way through a dozen, highly armed men.
With a brief glance around the room, Loki strode right up to the case holding the scepter. A single touch and the glass frosted over and shattered.
Bruce whistled. "The cold needed to do that-"
"Hammer in ice," Tony reminded him.
"Point."
"Weren't there any other protections?" Clint demanded.
"We have found evidence of some, all of which seem to have malfunctioned," Hill responded.
Damn magic.
Tony's train of thought abruptly derailed as, rather than taking the scepter and leaving, Loki smashed it against the pedestal with enough force to snap it in half. The shocked sounds and mutters from around the room told him he wasn't the only one startled by this.
"Why would he-" Natasha began, trailing off as a second hit dislodged the Mind Stone, sending it clattering across the floor.
Loki then dropped the scepter as if it were nothing more than a piece of rubbish and turned to approach the Mind Stone. Rather than pick it up with his bare hands, the prince pulled a small container out of thin air and used it to scoop up the Mind Stone. Reindeer Games then closed the container and vanished it back off to wherever it had come from before teleporting from the room.
"That is all we have on Loki," Fury said. "The rest shows some scurrying about of two women and a man who stayed out of the fighting. We are currently trying to track all three of them down."
Great.
"So, are we more or less worried with Loki having the Mind Stone instead of HYDRA?" Bruce asked.
"HYDRA is gone," Steve insisted.
"It hardly matters," Natasha replied. "If they'd rather we think they're HYDRA than truly reveal themselves, then they're not exactly on our side."
"I'm more interested in why we haven't seen it since," Tony countered, knowing this merely proved the point he'd been trying to make lately.
"Yeah, why take it if he wasn't going to use it?" Clint agreed, shifting uncomfortably.
"To ensure 'tis not utilized against him," Thor answered. "My brother would not leave such a dangerous artefact in enemy hands if he could retrieve it."
"Meaning he now has both the Space and Mind Stones," Fury ground out. "Are we certain we need to worry about this Mad Titan instead of your brother?"
The sound of Thor's fist hitting the table hard enough to splinter it, made Tony jump and he clutched at his chest.
"Man with a heart condition here!" he protested.
"Have a care how you speak, Director Fury," Thor growled, eyes narrowed as he rose to his feet. "'Tis a grave accusation you make."
"Your brother invaded our world!"
"A far cry from the crimes of Thanos, who slaughtered trillions before he was stopped and cast out of the Nine Realms. He did not seek to conquer mere Realms, but instead to sacrifice half of all life to his delusions."
"If he doesn't plan to use them like Thanos, then why is he collecting them?"
Why indeed. Too bad they couldn't just ask Little Prince.
There, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and sorry about the delay again.
The good news about this fic is that, before everything I mentioned above came into play, I did write some more on a new chapter of this. I have also discovered more about this fic because, unlike with Ásgarðrian Galdr, I had far less of a clear idea of where I was going here. I knew the basic outline (Loki gets deaged and spends time with the Avengers), had a few specific scenes in my head (Loki working with a female companion...), but not the major overarching story arc. Some of that settled into place by the time I started posting the early chapters, but I recently wrote myself into a few surprises.
The reason I'm admitting this is because I want others who write to realize that not every writer always knows everything about a story when they start. I often start the actual writing when I have a good grasp of the overall story with a clear plan of beginning, middle and end, but with enough vagueness to follow unexpected situations and characters as they arise (Yngvarr in my other fic is great example of someone who came out of nowhere and demanded to be added in and fleshed out).
Yet, despite that, I sometimes start a fic with far less when it really is haunting me and those can be quite interesting ones as I often really don't know where I'll end up. I generally don't post those live since I can need to go back and edit them more, but with Loki so close to coming out, my hand was forced a bit. Plus, by then, I had a much firmer grasp on things than when I'd started.
Even with that, though, I have been discovering some surprising things recently. And the best thing? They slot in so well that it'll all look planned from the start. Which, maybe my subconscious did, but I only became aware of some of it recently. And, of bloody course, it means this fic is growing on me, as usual. I really do struggle these days to do shorter fics. *sigh*