So like there's a certain someone who everyone thought was dead and ended up not being dead in Infinity War and I don't like the way they handled it. So yeah. Please enjoy!

Being from Asgard and Jotunheim, Thor and Loki healed much faster than ordinary humans. Loki only had a thin cut on the side of his face and Thor's arm was already scabbed over. It now resembled the burn on Hawkeye's arm.

The next morning, they had left early, leaving Hogun and Fandral behind with Laura and the kids. Loki had avoided speaking to Thor like the plague. He didn't necessarily seem angry, perhaps bitter or just sad and if not sad, then resigned.

By the evening time, the group had reached a stalemate. They couldn't just sit here and wait, but they couldn't search the whole world either. And it wasn't as if it was of much use unless they were in the right place at the right time. At least this had been Hawkeye's point of frustration.

The subject had come up about sending word out to the public, but Captain America and Hawkeye had shut it down immediately. There was nothing worse than mass panic. That would only make it harder for them to do their job. If it could be called a job.

Thor went to speak to Loki several times, but he never followed through. The Jotun's cold demeanor wasn't helping. Loki knew that the Avengers were uneasy partially because, technically, he was the king of the monsters attacking them. They blamed him subconsciously, not entirely aware of it themselves, because he wasn't doing anything about it. It was unlikely these thoughts had actually been connected in anyone's mind, but Loki connected it himself. Being a frost giant just qualified a person for being hated in this universe. Or so he believed.

Fortunately, Hawkeye's children had no such prejudices. Especially since Loki had saved their father.

All of them were inside the house right now, including Loki. There weren't any guards outside the house at the moment, so the God of Mischief was lingering closer. Thor hadn't asked him to do so, but it seemed the best way to avoid any conflict.

To try and lighten the dim mood, Volstagg had brought some Asgardian liquor down. Mead. Although so far the only ones actually drinking it were him, Fandral, Hogun, and Thor.

"How old would you wage this stuff is?" Tony asked, tapping on a bottle.

"Older than you." Volstagg replied with a hearty laugh. Loki rolled his eyes ever so slightly, but he didn't take his eyes off his book.

Tony grabbed a glass and held it out. Fandral's eyebrows went up and him and Volstagg glanced at each other.

"It's not like your drinks here." Thor said simply.

"I know. That's exactly why I want to try it." Tony replied "Don't need to be much, just a titch."

Volstagg shrugged and picked up the bottle. He poured about a third of the glass, which must have been well above the expectation because Tony eyed it. Captain America scowled slightly.

"Here goes nothing." Tony said and took a nice big sip.

Everyone was watching him and it wasn't long before Tony's eyes widened a bit and he started coughing.

"Alright, yep, I'm in." Hawkeye said, sliding over a glass.

"Well let's at least try to avoid getting drunk." Captain America said, sitting down.

Tony breathed out loudly "Wow, that's got a kick to it."

"I wouldn't have much more." Fandral said, pointing a finger at him casually "It's not meant for mortals."

Thor laughed, taking another large drink.

"We've got a stalker." Black Widow said, nodding over to the living room.

Cooper had appeared there, sword in hand. He was indeed trying to sneak up behind Loki, who was faced completely away from him.

"Ten bucks says he hits him." Black Widow said quietly.

"No way." Tony shook his head "That guy pops in and out so fast you don't even remember he's there."

Cooper was about two feet from him now. He took one more step and raised the sword Loki had given him, face exhilarated that he might finally be able to do it. He swung it and suddenly the weapon vanished in midair.

Cooper fell forward, propelled by his momentum. Loki turned around slowly, looking down at him with raised eyebrows.

"Looking for this?" he asked, holding up the long sword.

Cooper's mouth opened indignantly.

"How did you know I was coming? We hadn't even been fighting!" he protested.

"Because you're loud." Loki responded, handing the sword back to him.

"I didn't make any sound." Cooper said, stepping back as The God of Mischief passed him.

"That's a matter of opinion." Loki replied.

"What?" Cooper asked in confusion.

Loki didn't reply to him.

Nathaniel was at the bottom of the stairs, looking disappointed. He jumped off the last steps and went over to his older brother. He had on footie pajamas with little rockets all over him.

Hawkeye motioned them over to him. As they approached, he raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for bed?"

Cooper gestured at the window in exasperation "It's still light out!"

"Yes, but you wake up at the crack of dawn." Hawkeye replied "Go back upstairs to your mother."

"She's with Lila." Cooper responded "She hasn't even noticed we're gone."

"Then you'd better get back before she does." Hawkeye said pointedly.

"Can we PLEASE stay up?" Cooper appealed "You're never here and when you are we're always asleep."

Hawkeye looked at him and seemed to let out a mental sigh. After a second, he rolled his eyes slightly.

"Alright, you can stay up for another hour."

Both boys let out a sound of triumph and turned back around.

"But hey, go get Lila so she can be out here too." Hawkeye requested.

"I'll get her." Nathaniel said immediately, running over to the stairs. Cooper followed him, not to be outdone by his younger brother. He pushed him to the side slightly as they raced for the stairs and Nathaniel protested lightly.

"How often do you come back to see them?" Captain America asked, fiddling with his glass.

"You mean when does SHIELD not need me?" Hawkeye asked "Honestly, never, but I take time off anyway every once in a while."

"Well, we can drink to that." Tony said, gesturing at his glass "Take a sip."

Hawkeye raised his glass and took a bit smaller drink than Tony. Unsurprisingly, he had the same reaction, except his eyes began to water just a little bit towards the end. Volstagg laughed again.

The thought to invite Loki over undoubtably entered everyone's minds at least once, but it never came to pass. Loki seemed to prefer his distance from them and more particularly since the fight between him and Thor.

"How can you guys drink that stuff?" Hawkeye asked, pushing the rest of his glass away.

"It's only the best." Fandral replied.

"I would keep the drinking sensible, boys." Sif said with a little bit of annoyed amusement.

"Boys are we?" Volstagg asked.

"Have a drink?" Fandral offered her.

Sif rolled her eyes slightly and he poured her one. He didn't need her consent to know she did.

Tony took another sip and still coughed "Alright Rogers, your turn." he seemed to shake a finger at the bottle "That stuff is potent as hell."

"Well, your words are starting to slur so I don't think I should." Captain America said.

"You're not quite human though." Hawkeye said.

"Human?" Captain America asked, giving him a look "I think I'm more human than all of you put together."

"Wow." Black Widow said, tilting her head "That was cocky.

"What about you?" Tony asked, looking at Banner.

The man winced, glancing down at the bottle "Yeah, sorry, alcohol and emotions don't mix too well together."

"I thought that was the point." Tony said, spreading his hands.

All three children came running down the stairs as Banner looked at Tony, unable to come up with a response. He finally just kind of blinked and looked away.

"Loki?" Thor asked, looking over at his younger brother. It was the first time either of them had addressed each other since the fight. He stood up and walked closer to him "Join us for a drink."

Loki lifted his head, eyes stoic. The others all glanced in his direction and no one objected, even by facial expression.

"No. I'll pass." Loki replied, looking back down.

Thor didn't really have a response to that, but he didn't need one because Cooper and Nathaniel walked over to them.

"Can we play with your hammer?" Nathaniel asked eagerly, eyes wide with anticipation. A few of the warriors snickered quietly as not to be overheard by the child. Thor frowned slightly.

"No." he responded, his answer sounding a tiny bit like a question itself.

Nathaniel looked down in disappointment and a embarrassment. Cooper gestured at him for them to go outside with a waved of his hands.
As they left, Loki scowled over at The God of Thunder.

"What?" Thor asked, sounding a bit surprised at his look.

"Do you remember when you used to be the nice brother?" Loki asked in irritation "It was like five seconds ago. It used to be me, then you took over for the last little while and you just transferred it right back."

"Well they can't play with it." Thor replied forcefully, clearly just stating a fact.

"They weren't asking if it were possible to play with it, they were asking if they might play with it." Loki said, stressing certain parts of the sentence in emphasis as he moved his hand with the words "For someone who has spent a lot more time around mortals than I have, you certainly know nothing about them."

Thor pressed his lips together angrily, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Loki.

"And suddenly your moral compass points up?"

"It doesn't have to just for me to see that you were not very kind." Loki said pointedly "I mean, I guess it's not surprising considering you couldn't even keep a mortal woman at your side, which should have been easy considering you're a God."

"You're one to talk seeing as you've never courted a woman in your life." Thor replied in annoyance, clearly surprised and stung at his words.

"Fair enough." Loki conceded, spreading his hands and staring at him stoically. Then he looked back down at his book without another word.

Thor stared at him with a deep scowl on his face as if unsatisfied with the way the conversation had ended. He finally looked away, arms folded. Then, after a few more seconds he dropped his arms, turned and walked towards the door after the children. Loki's eyes surreptitiously followed him and he didn't have to say anything for the others to know what he was thinking.

"He's humbled more than you know." Sif said, regarding Loki pointedly.

The God of Mischief's eyes flicked up at her, but he didn't reply to her. Sif continued to stare, clearly peeved by his silence. She took it for disbelief.

####

They weren't sure what Thor had done out there, but one could only assume he went to apologize. Either way, when he came back in, he gave Loki a look before going back over to the others. The younger brother didn't seem to notice, or care. The two boys were still outside, while Lila remained beside her father, climbing on and off his lap.

Laura had come down and to everyone's surprise she didn't scold her husband for being a bit more lenient with the children. She looked at the Asgardian mead bottle with raised eyebrows, having already heard a bit of Tony's slur. Even though Captain America's reaction hadn't been any different to the liquor, he didn't appear to be suffering the side effects.

While it appeared they were celebrating, they truly had nothing to be celebrating about right now. They were more self-medicating than anything. Responsibly of course.

"That stuff really is disgusting." Hawkeye said, seeming to think back on his experience.

"Were you Asgardian, you would not think so." Volstagg replied with a smile.

Nathaniel and Cooper both came stomping back into the house, although by now it was background noise to everyone. Loki still stared down at his book, turning the pages every few minutes.

Nathaniel glanced furvitively around, as if ready to divulge a secret. Then he walked over towards Thor's hammer, which rested in the family room on the floor. He went over to it and pulled on it lightly, as not to attract attention.

Volstagg and Fandral both chuckled, having noticed it first. Thor then glanced back with raised eyebrows.

It captured Loki's focus too, because after a moment and once Nathaniel began straining, he walked over. He deftly touched his shoulder.

"Better men have tried." he said, his voice rather hushed.

"You can help me." Nathaniel admonished.

Loki let out a breath halfway between annoyance and amusement.

"I can't. It won't help."

Nathaniel stopped and looked up at him with a very irritated child scowl.

Loki nodded "Believe me, I know. Take it up with Odin."

A rumble of thunder outside surprised them all for a moment and they looked over at the window. Loki looked up at the ceiling, as if sure he misheard.

"Rain?" Tony asked. The sky had been clearer than anything today. He was answered by another boom of thunder.

Loki looked over at Thor. His older brother shrugged.

"It's not me."

Loki's eyebrows went up, almost as if he didn't believe him.

"It's not." Thor repeated with a bit more force. Almost as if to prove his innocence, he walked over towards the door, grabbing his hammer as he did so. Loki leaned away from him slightly in irritation as if simply being within half a foot disgusted him. Then he walked after Thor. Nathaniel went to follow, but Loki grabbed his arm with a rather harsh grip. He pulled him back to where Laura could keep ahold of him.

"Not again." Hawkeye muttered, standing up. Out of anyone, he definitely had a reason to be most worried. Besides having nearly died, he had Laura and the others to worry about. Not to mention the home to defend.

"Tone down the thunder, God of Thunder." Tony said with a bit more cheer.

He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but no one else seemed quite as amused anymore. Volstagg and the others went to follow them and after a moment, Captain America did too.

When they got out, they found Thor and Loki both staring up at a gathering storm. It looked like an ordinary storm except for the fact that it was all gathering in one spot.

"Random...hurricane? Tony asked, looking around. Most of them were actually looking at Loki, but he wasn't saying anything.

"Are you sure this isn't you, Thor?" Fandral asked hopefully "I wouldn't be at all upset if you said yes. Even if it were a practical joke."

"I'm not doing anything." Thor said. He looked at Loki "What is this?"

Loki shook his head slightly without looking at him.

Then, without warning, Thor summoned his own lightening by thrusting his hammer into the air. The bolt shot into the center of the mystery clouds, electrifying the air around it. When he stopped, most of the clouds had dispersed.

Loki was still looking up at it, face concerned. Thor's own lightening seemed to have taken care of the ominous storm. It was definitely unnatural by the way it receded so quickly.

"Well it's gone now." Thor said. Even though his words were definitive, they were almost defiant in the way they denied that anything else would happen. Loki didn't correct him, but he slowly took his eyes from the sky. Captain America watched him with cautious eyes.

"I don't suppose there's anyway we can return to the festivities now?" Volstagg asked, earning an elbow from Fandral.

Thor was now looking at Loki, clearly demanding to know something, but the God of Mischief wasn't returning his gaze. He was simply standing there, listening and waiting, eyes unfocused.

"I don't suppose you've seen this before?" Captain America asked.

"No." Loki said flatly.

The soldier looked away, clearly unsatisfied.

"But my best guess is that it's a warning." the God went on.

"A warning for what?" Hawkeye asked with a bit of sharpness "More frost giants?"

"Most likely." Loki responded, nodding towards the field.

"Most likely?" Captain America asked, following his gaze.

Near a pile of churned up dirt, the dust was starting to swirl, lifted by an unseen force.

Thor turned to it, hammer waving a bit in his hand with anticipation. All the other warriors walked forward to stand by his side. They could deal with frost giants.

"I certainly hope it's not more of them." Tony asked "Their strategy didn't work out so well the first time, so for their sake, I hope they're not returning for another round."

"They didn't announce themselves last time." Hawkeye pointed out, referring to the thunder.

The air simmered, and then turned black as a single hooded figure stepped out of the void.

"That's no frost giant." Captain America said, stepping forward next to Thor.

"Wait. We don't know who they are. Maybe they're peaceful." Thor said, halting him.

The figure walked forward, keeping his head low.

"Stop where you are." Thor ordered "If you come in peace then we have no quarrel with you."

"Come in peace?" the voice belonged to that of a man. Captain America's eyes widened just a bit.

"Peace has no place in war, gentleman." the main continued, raising his hands to take off his hood. He looked up at them, sunken eyes filled with triumphant menace.

He had red skin and horrible grotesque features. His nose resembled that of a skull. He smiled at them.

"Do not threaten war here!" Thor yelled back.

"This isn't the first time. And as much as you hate to admit it, it's quite easy." he said. His eyes finally fell on Captain America with a bit of surprise "Well this unexpected. You're still alive. I honestly didn't expect anyone here to greet me."

The newcomer was Red Skull.

Please review! Please remember that everything that happens has a purpose in this story. :)