They Come on White Horses: Chapter 3
Requested by: NoVacancyMind and many wonderful others
Sequel to Knights.
This is where things get interesting ;)
Please enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will. So sad.
Warnings: None! Let me tell you, that is a first for me.
Unexpected Consequences
The next few days were…..tense. Loki spent most of his time with Bruce and Tony in the lab. Well, Loki stayed closer to Tony, and kept at least ten feet between himself and Bruce at all times.
Their time was spent mostly talking theory on Loki's part. It took a while for Loki to convince Tony that he was unable to do magic, unless it was in defense of himself or others. Bruce was the one who talked Tony down from tackling Loki or shooting at him to see what would happen, when he had finished examining the bracelets his mother had had made for him. Loki would not admit it, but he was grateful to be spared that bit of insanity that went on in that man's head. Tony was fascinating and quite a bit like himself, though Loki was not sure such a thing would be taken as a compliment. Bruce was….still someone to be wary of, but was a quiet intelligence, humble and with a perfectly timed dry humor. So needless to say, Loki was on amiable terms with both Stark and Banner.
Everyone else was a different story. Thor watched him like a hawk, though that could be said of everyone. He couldn't help the fear that gripped him every so often that he would turn his back and his brother would not be himself again. Loki had a hard time of it shaking that shadow.
Steve was tolerant. He was polite, tried to include him in conversations, but that was it. It is not easy to forgive your enemy of what he did, even when you know that he was just as much a victim as you were. Still, he fought against that face. That mouth spewed out indecent slurs and twisted promises reminiscent of Germany. Those eyes….used to be blue. Loki would catch Steve staring every once and a while. He would be reading during one of his breaks from the crazed inventor and find himself the subject of the super-soldier's scrutiny. The man would then shake his head, smile sheepishly and turn away.
Natasha was curious. She would never offer him more than an eyebrow quirk, but she didn't glare or clean her guns around him. Loki knew from when she shook his hand first, that he had met someone worthy as an opponent. He was sure if he told her, that would get him a smirk. Or perhaps an offer for battle? Things to keep in mind.
Clint wanted to kill him. That much was obvious. The man did nothing but glare at him. He could be laughing at something Steve or Natasha said, then as soon as he caught sight of Loki, he would snarl and leave if Loki did not leave first. The trickster made it a point of never doing so. Thor also kept a close eye on the archer, doubting the man's self-control when it came to his brother. Thor would just pray to Valhalla that Loki did not find it amusing to provoke the agent.
At present, Loki had been in the Avengers Tower for a week, and the heroes were getting a well deserved vacation from crazies. Even SHEILD wasn't calling with paperwork. All in all, it wasn't too bad. At least no one was dead yet.
However, all good things must come to an end. Tony had become absorbed in a project where he tried to create something similar to the bracelets on Loki's wrists. Loki and Bruce's main goal: don't let him blow anything up. It had been going well, well enough that when Tony passed out in the lab after a seventy-two hour invention high, Loki felt it would be safe enough for him to get Bruce and himself some coffee. His brother was right about one thing. The Midgardians made a very good brew.
Bruce was working on one of his own projects one table over from Tony's and waved him off. Loki left and went up a few floors to the main kitchen. He was surprised at first to see no one else in the common area, but when he saw the glowing clock say it was 2:46 in the morning, he understood a bit better. Deciding to take a breather, he sat down in one of the bar stools and laid his head on his crossed arms. During his time with Tony and Bruce, though telling them he could not do magic, he had still been attempting it. He would not admit it, but the effort was exhausting.
He had had his head down for only a few moments, when a sense of foreboding came over him. Loki stood and went to make coffee.
"Jarvis, is everything going alright in the lab?" It had taken Loki considerably less time to get used to the voice in the ceiling than the others. The concept made sense, and Loki nearly praised Stark for his ability to create such an adaptable and completely artificial intelligence without the aid or knowledge of magic. The British voice answered him promptly.
"Everything appears to be 'normal' as of right now, Mr. Loki. Sir is sleeping in his chair as before and Dr. Banner-" Jarvis cut off mid sentence. Loki tensed. He started to walk towards the door.
"What is it, Jarvis?" Loki heard it before Jarvis even answered. A loud explosion echoed up the stair well. As he ran he heard the others coming up behind him.
"Loki, what was that?!" The Captain was the closest and was almost at pace with the trickster.
"Stark….lab….no idea." They reached the doors to the lab, and Loki felt a strange sensation in his chest. He wouldn't find out until much later that it was worry. The glass doors were obscured by smoke, and a red light pulsed inside.
"I cannot sense Dr. Banner or Mr. Stark. They were inside at the time of the explosion, but now my scanners are not reading their signatures. There are, however, two living beings in the lab." The others had caught up to them, but Loki paid them no heed. He threw his hands up in frustration.
"Well, then open the doors!" There was a slight pause, but the doors did not budge.
"This is an emergency safety protocol, Mr. Loki. I cannot override it without proper authorization from Mr. Stark-" Loki growled at the voice in the ceiling. Then he coughed, rolled his head around and said,
"Jarvis, override safety procedures alpha-delta-four-six-seven-three-seven." The Avengers behind him, save Thor, were shocked at the identical voice of Tony Stark coming from Loki's mouth. Jarvis hesitated again. The voice was a ninety-eight percent match to Tony Stark, but it was obviously not Mr. Stark. However, his artificial feelings for his creator made him ignore those small details and accept the protocol override.
"Certainly, Sir. I suggest great caution, as I am still unaware as to what caused to explosion." Loki barely had time to feel triumph before rushing through the open lab doors. The smoke was very heavy, but with little smell, which in and of itself could be dangerous. They all took great care with their steps, Loki in the lead. It was hard to make things out with all of the smoke, but the occasional red flashes outlined everything every couple seconds. They stayed as quiet as possible, listening for signs that Tony and Bruce were okay. There. About five feet to his right and forward was what sounded like breathing.
Loki immediately turned in that direction, but didn't rush, that is…until he heard a small whimper come from that same direction. He was there in a matter of moments, and what he saw caused him to stop dead in his tracks.
Loki shook himself out of his shock and held his hands out clearly at his sides.
"Jarvis, clear the smoke and return to standard lighting, please." He kept his voice soft and as non-threatening as possible. His requests were met immediately, and he was able to see the two figures more clearly. Surrounded by a pool of clothing, there sat two small boys. The shirts they wore were sliding down there shoulders, and just barely hanging on. Both had shaggy brown hair and scared brown eyes. One, with a pair of glasses laying sprawled near him, was holding the other smaller boy to him. Both boys seemed scared, but the one seemed determined to not show it, if only for the smaller one's sake. Said boy whipped his head up when Loki approached and tightened his grip on the smaller one. Neither boy could be older than six. Loki got about a foot away from them and stopped, crouching down to be at their level.
"Loki, brother, is that-!" Loki ground his teeth as Thor's booming voice caused the boys to tremble.
"Yes, Thor. I believe so. Now hush." The one boy kept his eyes locked on Loki at all times while the other hid his face in his shirt. Loki wanted that. It meant that he wasn't seeing the rest of the team surround them and overwhelm him.
"Hello, little ones. I must introduce my self. My name is Loki, and what pray tell are your names?" The kid eyed him with great suspicion in his eyes, but finally determined it safe to answer.
"Bruce. Banner." It was a soft whisper, almost inaudible. There were a couple of gasps and a rather loud 'No sh-!' promptly cut off by an equally loud smack upside the head. Apparently spurred on by Bruce's answer, the smaller boy peeked out from his hiding spot in Bruce's chest.
"I'm Tony Stark. Are you a good guy?" There was a snort from behind him, which he duly ignored. Instead he nodded.
"You could say that, in a way I am a good guy. Depends on your perspective." Tony seemed to accept this answer and nodded.
"That's good. Where…..where are we?"
The team behind Loki was bickering. What do you do when two of your teammates have been turned into children? Well, the trickster decided to leave them to their arguing while he dealt with the…children. He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.
"Well, we are in a tower that reaches higher than the clouds. An entire team of heroes lives here." Tony was getting excited, while Bruce kept a protective hold of him.
"Really?" The boy was grinning broadly. "Superheroes!?" Loki nodded, a friendly smile on his face.
"Yes. Though they can seem a bit grumpy sometimes," he said as he pointedly peeked over his shoulder. The group behind him quieted and stared. Thor looked confused, Clint angry (though when was he anything but), Natasha curious (again…), and Steve a little scared. Loki raised an eyebrow at them and looked pointedly at the children before back at them. Tony was looking eagerly at them, but Bruce looked spooked and had an even tighter hold of Tony. Loki turned back around to them and smiled.
"I have a feeling that you two are hungry. Come with me, and we'll get you something to eat." Tony nodded and pushed Bruce's arms off of him. He stood and the shirt fell completely off of him, leaving him in nothing but his birthday suit.
"And maybe some new clothes."
Now it gets fun! I can't wait to get into Tony and Bruce as children. It will be super fun, I am sure.
Please review! :)