"Trouble in Paradise"
Chapter 10
Steve watched as each of the Avengers arrived. It was incredibly odd. They all had their weapons, but he, Natasha, and Clint did not have their usual battle uniforms.
Thor was dressed in his Asgardian battle gear. Iron Man hovered next to the Hulk, who was never unprepared, he supposed.
He and Clint wore jeans and shirts, and Natasha was in shorts and hoodie.
He could only imagine the face Tony was making over the red, white, and blue shield combined with his green button-down, and Hawkeye's arrows looked very incongruent next to the man's faded jeans.
"Fury sends his apologies that your vacation has made a turn for the worst." Coulson spoke up, as soon as the entire group had gathered.
"Did he know this would happen? Is that why he sent us here?" Iron Man demanded.
"No. Just luck of the draw, I guess." Coulson smirked.
"Okay," Steve interrupted, what could have escalated into a fight that was not at all what they needed right now, "Clint, Tony, get to the coast. Clint on the ground; Tony in the air. Fire as far out as you can. Try to keep as few of them from hitting shore as possible. Natasha, I need you running through the hotel grounds. Make sure civilians are inside, and take out any of the invaders that get there. Thor, get to the cliffs, anywhere up high. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can take out the dragon. Hulk, you and I have got the beach. Alright?"
Nods and answers of affirmation echoed from the team.
"Let's go then–"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Clint cut him off, and everyone turned to see Loki approaching, in his Midgardian clothing, carrying what looked like a large butcher knife.
After a beat, Loki hesitantly said, "I was going to ask if there was anything I could do to help."
"Oh, fuck, no!" Natasha marched towards Loki, shoving him hard in the chest. She made to swing at him again, but Thor stepped between them, holding his hand out to stop her. "I'm not going to distract myself, worrying that this guy's going to kill us, while trying to fight off a completely different threat," she directed at Thor. She sneered back at Loki, "I haven't properly paid you back for the last time–"
"Do not talk to my brother like that." Thor warned.
"I can talk to him any w–"
"Tasha," Clint interrupted relatively softly. He didn't make eye contact, when she turned to him, but he continued, "Just leave it. He can stay in the hotel. We don't really have time right now."
"What if he…" She trailed off as the entire group turned it's focus to the Hulk.
Loki swallowed hard, as the giant creature slowly made his way to the demi-god, not fondly remembering how his last encounter with the Hulk had gone. The other Avengers made way for the Hulk, but Thor tried to remain with his brother, before Hulk easily brushed the thunder god aside. Loki stared up at the towering figure, trying unsuccessfully to calm his breathing, but made no move to flee.
The Hulk peered at the tiny god. The team watched in silence, and the Hulk poked Loki in the chest with his finger, causing Loki to stumble back a step and cough for breath. Once he had caught a breath of air, Loki looked back up. The Hulk turned back to Captain America and placed a beefy, green hand atop Loki's head, "Puny god stays."
Loki's and most of the team's jaws dropped. Thor felt a grin threaten to spread across his face.
"Well, looks like Jolly Green's made his choice." Iron Man pointed out. He turned to Natasha, "And, I think arguing with the Hulk might not end well."
Her head snapped to look at the newly adopted god, "If you hurt anyone of us–"
"I give you full permission to kill me." Loki finished for her.
"I–" she looked shocked for a minute, before her face hardened again, "Good."
"Um, Loki…I guess, follow the Hulk to the beach. Natasha, I'll join you searching the hotel."
Natasha glared, but nodded.
"Yes, Captain Rogers." Loki agreed.
"Alright, then…" Steve said, eyebrows raising in surprise at everyone's easy acceptance of his instructions.
"Well, let's get this over with." Clint growled, loading his first arrow.
Thor gripped Mjollnir, and flew from the pool. Clint and Natasha sprinted off in their respective directions.
"Come on, Apple Pie. I'll give you a lift." The Iron Man grabbed Steve and shot off.
Loki and the Hulk regarded each other for a moment, before the Hulk easily lifted Loki in one arm.
"Wha–?" Loki let out in a high pitched cry, that was nearly a squeak.
"Go. Smash." And, the Hulk galloped, carrying Loki like a rag doll.
Natasha ran to the hotel. Before she got inside, she shot at two podfuls worth of green, humanoid, reptilian aliens. A couple were able to get close enough to hit her, but fortunately, her hand-to-hand skills outranked theirs.
She realized, in a hoodie and shorts, she looked much less authoritative, but fortunately, when she instructed men, women, and children to stay inside, the guns in her hands and firm tone were enough for most people to follow her orders.
"Ma'am, please stay in the hotel," she commanded a mother with two kids, that she met as she was about to leave the main lobby to find Steve.
"I'm not keeping my kids inside after that earthquake!" The woman gasped.
"Believe me, that wasn't an earthquake." The Black Widow shook her head.
"Why should I beli–"
Without turning her head, Natasha fired at three of the extra-terrestrial soldiers, who were about to come in.
The woman shrieked as the reptile fell. She looked back at Natasha, and picked up the little boy. "Come on, Em."
"Thank you, ma'am." Natasha said at the mother's retreating back.
The twelve-year-old girl looked up at Natasha with big blue eyes.
Unable to help herself, Natahsa only semi-successfully repressed a smile, "Go on, sweetie. Don't worry your mom."
The girl turned and ran, blonde hair flouncing behind her.
The Hulk charged the beach. Once, he reached the sand, he dropped Loki.
Loki spat out sand from his mouth before standing. He marveled at the green monster easily sweeping tens of attackers out of his way at one time.
The Hulk's roar echoed across the beach, fortunately empty of the sunbathers and swimmers from earlier. Loki frowned. The Hulk was a monster; a creature who spoke in fragmented sentences and smashed anything in its path.
But, it–he?–possessed the powers of judgement and reason and had clearly decided in favor of Loki, who until that day had given him very little reason to trust him. He possessed…kindness. And clearly, the Hulk wanted to do good.
Loki remembered that he had described Banner as a monster that masqueraded as a man.
Maybe, it was the other way around.
Maybe neither was a monster.
Down the beach, the Hulk laughed, swiping entire pods out of the air, with large hands.
Sighing, Loki looked at his butcher knife. He charged forward, swinging at attacking troops.
Tony shot phasers into approaching ships. Sometimes, he traced the shore and sometimes went farther out.
He never ventured too far, because if he did, he knew Hawkeye wouldn't be able to help him. Plummeting into the ocean in the Iron Man suit wasn't exactly something he wanted to try. The suit could remain underwater for short periods, but wasn't quite water resistant.
He made a mental note to start working on a waterproof suit. Hopefully, he could get Bruce to help…
A blast from an alien gun grazed him, and roused him from his thoughts.
"Tony, come on, pay attention!" Hawkeye called from the ground.
He answered. "I got it!" Swerving to evade guns and bullets from the last platoons and shooting at least a couple of them down, Tony shouted, "It that the best you've got?" He laughed, "Clint, get a load of these guys!"
There was no answer.
"Clint?" Tony looked down from his place in the sky.
Clint was drifting face down about twenty feet from the shore. Blood from his shoulder was permeating the water.
"Shit." Tony groaned and swooped down. He picked Hawkeye up under his shoulders, "Come on, Legolas, don't do this."
He could sense that Clint was faintly breathing, but the gash across his shoulder and back looked serious. And, now, upon closer examination, he could see blood from his head as well. Head wounds bled a lot, so it might not be as bad as it looked, but he had no idea how problematic it would be.
Tony took off back to the hotel grounds. "Well, Robin Hood, you're sitting the rest of this out for the rest of us Merry Men…and Nat."
"I've cleared the hotel." Natasha shouted, as she saw Steve approach.
"Great. I've checked he grounds, and I think we're set. We should probably–" Steve stopped suddenly and squinted, as he saw Iron Man flying towards them.
Natasha looked at the flying metal warrior. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Who is Tony carrying?"" Steve asked.
Without Hawkeye's normal uniform, it was hard for Steve to distinguish the body in Iron Man's arms.
Tony came down and hovered near the Black Widow and Captain America. "How are you kids doing?" He asked casually, as if there was no bleeding man in his arms.
Natasha just stared at Clint's unmoving form.
"What happened?" Steve questioned. He stepped up to Tony and reached out to touch Clint's arm.
"Not sure, but I'm taking him to the hotel doctor."
"Okay. Once you drop Clint off, stay here. Patrol the area, and make sure none of the invaders get in. Nat and I will get to the beach to fight."
"Aye-aye, Captain." Iron Man nodded and blasted away.
Natasha followed the gliding bodies with her eyes, until Tony disappeared down a hall, and then kept staring into the space where they had been.
"Natasha, are you okay?" Steve put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah…fine." She said, distracted.
"Then, come on!" He cried.
Thor punched the reptilian invaders and swept them away with Mjollnir. They tumbled off the cliffs, which stood high over the beach.
The giant, green dragon hovered over Thor. Its massive wings beat the air loudly and created winds that blew back
"Fafnir!" Thor screamed over the noise, "You have no right here!" He fired a bolt of energy at Fafnir.
The dragon swerved to dodge the beam. "I do, though, Thor Odinson. Your brother gave me that right, when he violated our contract." The dragon's voice was smug and rough.
"No deal he made in his madness is valid!" Spinning Mjollnir to create momentum, Thor swung again.
"Your excuses for him, bore me." Fafnir growled and dove at Thor.
Just in time, Thor jumped out of the way, but Fafnir's impact sent a shock of energy through the rock face, and it began to crumble under Thor's feet.
Thor scrambled to reach solid ground, but could not and went plummeting to the sandy ground below.
Steve and Natasha reached the coast, as the Hulk smashed and Loki stabbed with his butcher's knife, killing what seemed to be the last of the attackers, who were not fleeing.
"…Not bad…" Steve mused, once he reached Loki.
"Thank you." Loki almost let himself smile. The Hulk lumbered to where the group was gathering.
"Okay, where is Thor?" Steve asked.
"Still on the cliffs." Loki pointed.
"Great. That thing is our last threat. Let's go up and help him." Steve began to run to the stairs, when Natasha stopped him.
"I don't think we need to go up…" Natasha said.
Loki's mouth fell open, as he watched Thor and the rocks tumble down. "No…" He began running towards the collapse.
"Come on!" Steve shouted, and the three Avengers followed.
Once he was close enough, Steve threw his shield. When it hit, the dragon let out a roar.
Loki ran to the pile of rubble that covered his brother. "Thor!" He fell to his knees, and reached through a gap toreach Thor's shoulder.
Thor let out a soft groan. He was alive, but weak.
Loki screamed as the dragons tail sliced across his left arm.
Fafnir sneered, as Loki looked up at him, "Ah, the dealbreaker" he rumbled in a gravelly voice, "You dare show your face?"
After a shudder, Loki stood, clutching his knife harder.
The creature laughed. "And what weapon have you here?" Easily, Fafnir's swiped across Loki, causing Loki to go flying and the butcher's knife to leave "How sweet of you to protect the brother you would have killed. Perhaps I will do the service of ridding the world of you both."
Panicking, Loki saw Mjollnir, several feet from where his brother fell. He grabbed the handle, instinctively, and pulled but could not move it.
"Goodnight, little lost princes."
Shouting in exertion, Loki ripped Mjollnir from the ground. The hammer cast a shield around them, just as a cascade of flames surrounded the two of them.
While Fafnir was distracted with incinerating the brothers, Natasha fired her gun. Fafnir shrieked in pain, as the bullets hit his eyes. The cascade of flames stopped, when the dragon ducked his head, revealing Loki, now in his armor and horned helm.
There was a roar, as the Hulk leaped onto the dragon's back, tightening its arms around the beast's throat.
Steve threw the shield at the creature's gut, as the Hulk jumped down and ripped the skin from one of Fafnir's wings.
"Fight me, now, Fafnir!" Loki shouted from multiple places, and Fafnir turned, disbelieving, in circles, trying to find the real Loki among the many copies.
"Fire!" Steve commanded.
The Hulk jumped back up, smashing Fafnir's head to the ground, as Natasha fired, and Loki and Steve threw Mjollnir and the shield.
As the weapons returned to their handlers, and Loki's duplicates faded, the Hulk climbed down. Natasha still held her gun at the ready, but did not fire.
Fafnir did not rise.