A/N: Now, the Avengers must decide what to do with young!Loki! What will they decide?!
After a few minutes, the seven year old was sent from the room. The Avengers stood around in silence, unsure of what to say or do. Tony glanced around for a long moment.
"What do you think of it?" Steve sighed. "I mean, I know he's a criminal and all, but his letters explained that, for now at least, he is completely a child. We all saw him. He couldn't even use magic very well."
"He's a criminal," Clint stated firmly. "There's nothing else to say. He killed people. He toyed with us."
"I don't know," Bruce sighed. "The 'other guy' still isn't fond of him at the moment, but I personally don't mind all that much. I mean, didn't someone say the Chitauri were forcing him to do it?"
"We can't know that for certain," Natasha declared. "So he's got a bad record... 'Little' Loki didn't do that stuff. The kid outside that door is innocent. He doesn't even know what's happened."
"This could be a chance to give him the childhood he never had," Thor beamed, though there was bitterness in his smile. "When Loki interrupted my coronation, he proved to me how unworthy I was of the throne at the time. Then he was pressured into being king, and I believe he snapped under years of mistreatment."
"Mistreatment?" Steve questioned.
"My younger brother was bullied a lot as a child for his interests and lacking in physical ability," the blonde god admitted.
"Did your parents do anything about it?" Natasha asked. Thor shook his head.
Another long silence reigned.
"So... Who's going to take care of him?" Tony questioned. Thor sighed wearily and raised his hand.
"He is my brother. I will take him in."
"And what, take him back to Asgard with you?" Natasha demanded. "Because as receptive as I'm sure your people are going to be, your dad's definitely not going to miss this opportunity! And haven't you stopped to consider that right now, he's at his weakest? If any of his other enemies find out, he's a goner." Bruce politely raised his hand.
"Umm, can't we just take him back to SHIELD? He's still technically a wanted criminal, and he'll be safer there-" Steve frowned and interrupted, but he still tried to be as nice about it as possible.
"As much as I agree with you on that, big guy, I'm not sure if it's right to turn him in. Doesn't anyone else remember the handcuffs and gag from last time? How do we know they won't put them on him again? Or worse?" The first Avenger seemed particularly disturbed by the mental image of the seven year old in a cell. "Besides, he's clearly forgotten what's happened, and the damage has been repaired... What SHIELD mostly wants now is to take him in so they can make sure he can't do it again."
Clint scoffed. "He still needs to pay for what he's done, brat or not. Just because he turns himself into a kid doesn't mean he gets immunity." Natasha and Tony sighed quietly when Thor decided to add his input.
"While that is true, my friend, Loki does not remember any of it. How can we punish him now? He doesn't even know what he's done. What would be the point of bringing him to SHIELD? We should-"
"But he's still a criminal, and-"
"We can't lock up an innocent child!"
"Fury's gonna find out eventually anyway, so-"
"Alright! Alright!" Tony shouted, holding up his hands and stepping between the forming sides. "We get it! We've all got great points to make, and we don't know what to do. Had anyone thought of asking Loki? Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with any of us."
"Okay," Steve nodded. "Let's hold off on any decisions until we talk to him. If it comes down to it, we can always hide this from SHIELD for a few days until we make our choice, and we need to consider what's in everyone's best interests." The assembled group nodded. Thor opened the door, leaned into the hallway, and called for his much younger brother. The tiny boy looked up from his animated conversation with with bright, sparkling eyes. Obediently, he leapt down from his seat and ran towards the blonde. The small, soft hand slipped into the large, war-battered one without hesitation.
"What did they say?" He asked curiously as Thor blinked at their hands. He gulped and forced himself to meet his brother's hopeful eyes.
"That's why I called you. We wanted your opinion," the man stated in a subdued voice. He turned to lead the boy back into the room, but the child was suddenly rooted to the spot.
"M-my opinion?" He stammered. "B-but I thought I was in trouble. And f-father does not let me choose. W-why does it matter?" Thor sighed and stared down at him sadly.
"You are in trouble," he replied, to which Loki flinched. "That's why we want your opinion. There are people in that room that care about you." In a way... Green eyes widened in shock. "They want what's best for you, and they want you to be happy."
"I-I... B-but I don't know-" Loki tried to protest, but his older brother cut him off.
"They know you," he declared. "Those letters made sure they know you. So please, do not be afraid." The boy blinked, wiped his eyes, and nodded. Thor gave his warmest smile and led him into the room, the entire exchange seen by the others because they were only just beyond the doorframe.
"Hey there," Natasha greeted Loki with a little wave. She knelt down to his eye level. "So," her eyes flickered up to Thor's for a moment. "Right now, you can't go back to Asgard. We need you to stay with one of us for a little while so we can figure this out. There's a safe place you can go, but I doubt they'll be very nice to you... You could stay with your brother, but I don't know where you'll both live-"
"I am sure Lady Jane will not mind-" Thor started to offer, to which Loki was highly confused.
"We're not involving civilians," several voices countered immediately. The blonde god just huffed. The redheaded woman rolled her brown eyes and brought the attention back to their current situation.
"You could also stay with another one of us-" a few weak protests "-but I can't say we'll always be home, and it won't be the safest option for you."
"Wait," Bruce suddenly said. "He doesn't really know us; he said so himself. He's only read files on us. How's he supposed to pick where he wants to stay?" Everyone stared at the child for a long moment.
"I like all of you," Loki murmured quietly.
"For Pete's sake!" Tony erupted. "Loki can just stay with me! All of you come over enough that someone can always keep an eye on him. We've got Pepper in case I turn out to be horrible with kids, this place is practically a fortress, and SHIELD doesn't check in here all that often. Natasha, Clint, you practically live at headquarters anyway, so he can't stay with either of you. Bruce, you and him didn't leave off on the best terms. We've already eliminated Thor, and Cap', I hate to say it, but I honestly don't know if he'll be safe with you. So that just leaves me. Whadda'ya say, Loki?"
Everyone stared at the man as he breathed heavily to regain his composure. Loki stared up at him with wide eyes. Almost out of the blue, a smile appeared on his face, and he gave a happy, affirmative nod. The group sighed with relief. A bit shyly, the boy stepped forward and took Tony's much larger hand. The brunette stared down at him for a second, unpleasant memories drifting through his head.
The poor kid just seemed so... needy, so desperate for attention and love. No wonder he had been surprised when Thor told him they cared. Odin seemed to be starving the little thing of the affection he needed.
Sighing, Tony nodded slightly to show Loki it was okay before leading the miniature god to a guest room for him to stay in. Natasha, Steve, and Thor tagged along behind them, chatting quietly. Clint and Bruce awkwardly decided to leave; they were, after all, the only ones who still didn't seem to trust the silver-tongued male.
"D-do you want to see a trick?" Loki asked sweetly as they walked. Tony glanced down uncertainly at him.
"What kind of trick?" He questioned, wary that the god of mischief was up to no good. Loki gave an anxious smile.
"A-a magic trick. Mama taught me," he answered. The man sighed and nodded. He had enough money to rebuild his tower if Loki burnt it down...
The child beamed and cupped his hands, closing his eyes and focusing so hard it showed on his face. Slowly, a wooden dog figurine formed in his hands. Loki grinned at his achievement and held the puppy out to Tony.
"For me?" The brunette sounded surprised.
"I like cats," the dark haired boy shrugged. "But you seem like the kind to like dogs more." Tony nodded thoughtfully and stared down at the dog charm.
"It's cute," he muttered. He glanced up. "Oh, here's a guest room. I guess you can just stay here." He pushed open the door and watched as the boy's eyes lit up. He darted into the room.
"Wow!" He gasped, looking out the window. "There's so many buildings!" He turned to Tony. "I saw them from the ground when I came, but... Wow!"
"I take it you like it then," Tony chuckled. He entered slowly and sat on the bed. "Loki," he started carefully, aware that he was treading into unsafe territory and he should have discussed it with the group first.
The boy immediately gave him all his attention, previous delight forgotten. He hesitantly sat beside the brunette and placed his hands in his lap to keep them from distracting him. Such a smart kid...
"So, you don't have any idea what's going on, do you?" The man asked. Loki shook his head.
"All I know is that I did something really bad. I feel sorry, even if I am uncertain as to what I have done," the boy nodded as he answered. Tony's eyes widened.
"You feel sorry? You weren't just saying that because you had to?" He startled. Loki sighed, a melancholy expression coming over his face as he placed a hand to his chest.
"Yes. I feel a lot of regret and sadness inside." He winced. "There is so much guilt and grief that it hurts a little. My heart responds to each of you when I look at you, and it hurts just a little more. Especially when I look at my brother. I feel so sad..."
They sat in silence for a long moment.
"You did so something very bad. You see, you're a little smaller than we know you as." Tony let out a slow exhale. "You grew up bitter and lonely. Then you hurt others because you thought it would give you some kind of peace or sense of accomplishment or something. After that, some bad stuff happened to you and you ended up hurting some more people." Loki looked ready to cry, but he didn't deny it. "We think you were being forced to do some of what you did, but we still had to punish you anyway. I guess you must have escaped from Asgard and looked for somewhere to call your own on Earth-"
"Do you mean Midgard?" Loki questioned quietly. He was staring shamefully down at his lap, toying with his fingernails. "Did I hurt people here? Is that why I feel sad when I look at you?"
"Yes, yes, and yes," the man sighed. "But somewhere in between when we last saw you and now, you turned yourself back into a kid."
"A kid?" Loki looked confused.
"A child," Tony corrected with a light chuckle. He just remembered that a kid was a baby goat... He gave the green eyed boy a long, concerned look when he started to shake. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"B-but if I hurt so many people, t-then why are you b-being nice to me?" The child questioned with misty eyes. "S-shouldn't you take me b-back to Father, o-or whip me, or... or..." He looked ready to burst into sobs.
"Loki, we would never do that to you. Even if we hated you and could never forgive you, we wouldn't treat you poorly when you need us. One of our main goals in life is to help people," the dark eyed man offered.
"Excuse me," Pepper called, opening the door. She frowned when she noticed Loki in tears. "Tony!"
"It wasn't me!"
"Hey, do you wanna go get some clothes? You're gonna look kinda strange if you walk around all day in a suit," the strawberry blonde suggested. Loki nodded shyly. He greedily took Pepper's hand when she offered it.
"Thank you, ," Loki murmured softly. "And I'm sorry."
A/N: Some people are like, "But all dis happen cause Loki find out he adopted. Why u no tell Loki he adopted?"
My reasoning: Thor doesn't want Loki to know yet, because he wants more time with his brother without distrust and claims of "I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER!"