Warnings: PG13, just to be safe.

The Wonder Twins of Death get back with Thor and Loki sometime around 10pm. Not that Tony is waiting for them or anything. Please. The WTD's are assassins, while Thor and Loki are aliens. Tony….is just worried about his plane. Clint's flying it.

Nuff said.

So, yeah, so not worried about the mission. Or what Hydra has done to Loki. Nope, super chill here. Just Tony sipping on a glass of vodka.

Natasha pauses at the doorway and snorts. "Really, Stark?"

"Of course," Tony says, all teeth as he grins. "Clint's flying."

"Right." She glides in further like some kind of beautiful snake – the deadly kind that hypnotizes you and then bites when you least expect it. Yeah, Tony isn't buying any of the innocent air for one second. "Clint says you need to tweak something on the left wing."

"What did he do to my baby?" Tony whines, as is expected.

Natasha ignores him.

Clint enters, so Tony focuses all his pent up worry – for his plane – on him. "What have you done to my baby? Nat says you messed it up."

Clint rolls his eyes. "It kept trying to veer off to the left when on autopilot."

Tony curses in his head. He thought he'd taken care of that little problem months ago. Or was it weeks. He might have been a bit drunk at the time of said fixing. Tony pouts. "I blame you."

"If it helps you sleep at night."

"Infinitely."

Natasha slams the fridge door closed with a bit more force then necessary. Tony gets the message and shut up. He knows better than to advance when Natasha's in this kind of mood. After that incident with the fork, he's never going to push that envelope ever again.

Thankfully, Thor decides to arrive with Loki. The latter of that party looks half asleep and more than a little beat up. Bones are visible again – great, they didn't feed him – and his clothes are rags.

"So, more broth?" Tony asks, fiddling with his glass. As much as he likes the distraction from certain fork death, he does not like dealing with sensitive gushy stuff – like emotions. Comfort is not his forte. Bruce can attest to that.

Speaking of which…

"Jarvis, can you get Brucie up here?"

"Of course, sir."

"My thanks, Anthony," Thor starts to say.

"Tony. I insist."

"Tony." Thor brings his little brother over to the nearest couch. But, to Tony's slight surprise, the big guy sits them both on the floor, leaning against the couch arm. It's a little weird, to be honest. Tony just bought those couches for the express purpose of the team.

"Do they smell?" he asks Thor, waving at the couches. "Or it some weird Asgard thing?"

Thor, for all his blondness, only looks confused for a few seconds. "Neither, Anthon – Tony. It is merely easier for Lok – Loptr."

Ah.

Makes sense.

The elevator dings to let Bruce out. The younger man blinks at Thor and Loki sitting on the floor, but then shrugs – as if to say, I've seen worse. He strides in further, hands shoved into his pockets.

"So, the mission was a success then."

"Indeed." Thor glances down at his sleeping brother. "I fear I have need of your assistance still, friends."

Tony does not like what that implies. "What's wrong?"

"Loki…" Thor takes a breath. "Loki is dying."

"What?!" From Clint. "But he was fine in the field. Even did his little green magic stuff."

"That is the problem."

"Explain," Natasha says.

Thor's forehead crinkles. "I shall try, but I fear my knowledge in this area is not what it should be."

"Is it physical or mystical?" Bruce asks from his corner.

"Both, though one is caused by the other."

Hello Twilight Zone.

"His magic is hurting him," Natasha states.

"Indeed."

"Why?" From Clint again.

"Because his human body cannot take such raw power at one time." Thor tightens his grip on Loki. "My brother is not merely able to access the mystic forces. It lives in him. That is why my father did not remove it from him when Loki was exiled. To do so would kill him."

"Like with Merlin in that BBC series?" Natasha asks.

Thank God they'd been able to watch a few episodes before Thor left the first time round. Otherwise they'd all be floundering right now.

"Indeed," Thor replies. "My father couldn't take it away, thus he blocked the passages and changed Loki's body structure to make it harder to access."

"But now its back," Tony says. Loki's magic is somehow back – cough, Hydra, cough – and he's stuck in a human body, not an Asgardian one. Which means…well, something bad evidently.

Life sucks.

That much Tony's pretty sure about. He huffs and punches his laptop keys a bit harder than he should. He hopes one of them breaks. Than he can yell at something, instead of wishing he could.

But no, it's Stark Tech, so it holds firm and takes his abuse.

Stupid tech.

Stupid complications.

Stupid Odin. What guy doesn't think through his plans? Okay….fine, Tony might not if he were in Odin's shoes, but he's human. Odin is supposed to be this powerful, almost all-seeing alien dude. He's this towering figure of a king, designed to elicit fear and wisdom into others. How did he miss this?

Bruce clears his throat and Tony glances up to find everyone staring at him. Perfect, more stupid to go around. Tony knows he's not being fair. He could care less. This newest development…well…yeah…

Bruce sighs. "Thor, is it all right if Jarvis helps us with a visual aid?"

Thor nods.

So, Jarvis puts up a hologram of Loki's internal organs right there in the living room. Loki's organs are a mess. Half are melting, while the other half are just plain disappearing.

"Is that…?" Clint says, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yep, when he was in the plane ride here." Tony spins another picture into the mix. This one of Loki now. It's worse. Some of the organs are missing entirely. At least a kidney has up and moved to somewhere else in the universe.

"Hydra didn't do any of that?"

Tony laughs. "I wish. Then I could fix it. But no, no! This is all Daddy dearest fault."

Clint grimaces. Oh right, Daddy issues with him too. Tony hides his own wince – he didn't mean to bring up any nightmares for Clint – and moves on.

"Anthony," Thor growls out. "Have a care how you speak of my father. He is not a cruel man. He did not foresee Hydra unlocking Loki's magic."

Tony really wants a drink.

He continues instead. "Can't we call up and ask him to reverse this then? Make him Asgardian again?"

"I fear…" Thor sighs into Loki's hair. "There are many on Asgard who would view such a help as treason."

"He's king!" Clint splutters. Tony wonders who such an amazing assassin is so inept at politics. But Thor answers before Tony can give vent…spoilsport.

"Indeed, Agent Barton, and, as such, he is subject to the whims of his people." Thor glares. "Or, at least, the ones of his court. He reassures me the lower class have no such quarrels with Loki."

"So it's just the rich dudes," Tony says. "Great. Politics. I knew politics were going to come into this eventually."

Natasha jabs him really hard in the ribs for that. Ow! He glares at her. What? Something had to be said. Sheesh. Why does no one ever say what they think? At least he's keeping everyone honest here.

"There's really nothing your father can do?" Bruce asks, shuffling forward. "Can't he stop it up again?"

"I…I do not know for certain," Thor says. "Mayhap he can. I have asked Huginn and Muninn to convey my message to him."

Tony hates the waiting game. He really, really hates it. Because it means they have to rely on others to help them, and Odin's track record isn't the best. Hmmm, maybe Tony can find a way to call up Steven. The doctor's pretty good in the whole magic thing.

What's this? Two chapters in one day? Why yes, yes it is. I'm so proud of myself.

So, quick question for you all. I'm bringing in Doctor Strange, but should I include the Xmen and other Marvel characters? I've been thinking of doing so, but need your opinion on it. Please?