Notes: In which something crops up that everyone should have thought of already, and superheroes and their allies have a pronounced domestic bent.
Warnings: Having a houseparty for this many people produces a considerable amount of work for everyone. Keep that in mind next time you decide to invite twenty superheroes to stay.
Chapter Eleven
They entered the house through the back door, via the enclosed porch and the kitchen, then all of them began to disperse up the staircases to the bedrooms. Loki embraced his brother, and also Jane, and watched them start up the stairs. Then he and Annie made their way to the other end of the ground floor, to the foot of the staircase that led to their own room.
"We'll see you- later, I guess," Annie said to Mitchell and George, who had accompanied them even though their rooms were up the same staircase as Thor and Jane's. Their friends nodded.
"But I must find Philip and Elizabeth first," Loki remembered. He looked up. "JARVIS? Are the kittens- ?"
"They are in the formal living room, sir," the AI replied. "They appear to be admiring the tree."
"Really?" Loki asked. "Thank you, JARVIS."
He and Annie peeped through the door, and found Philip and Elizabeth sitting before the tree like two furry little angels, their heads tilted in fascination and their tails wrapped primly around their toes. Loki was perfectly aware they were almost certainly wishing for the charm against climbing to disappear, but still they presented a most appealing picture, one that reminded him very much of the greeting cards exchanged by humans at this time of year.
"What do you think, little ones?" he whispered. Elizabeth turned her head and made a little trilling response, then squeaked as Loki picked her and her brother up.
"We can come and look at it again later," Annie said, scratching the two little heads. "But now it's time for bed."
When they walked out of the room they were all four surprised to find George and Mitchell hanging around the foot of the stairs, looking uncomfortable.
"Are you all right?" Annie asked, puzzled. George glanced at Mitchell, who fidgeted in a way that was not like him at all. Loki, for reasons he did not entirely understand, handed him Philip, who climbed up Mitchell's shoulder and purred in his ear.
"Mitchell," Loki pitched his voice quite softly, "what is the matter?"
Mitchell bounced Philip gently against his shoulder, as one might a baby- Philip clutched at his shirt and mewed a complaint- and finally muttered,
"I'm just a little... it's not that I'm not having fun. I am. I'm enjoying myself, really. Especially when we're outside." Loki raised his eyebrows: he had not realized Mitchell was a devotee of outdoor sports, and he still did not quite understand what Mitchell was trying to say. And then, looking terribly ashamed, Mitchell admitted, "It's just... I'm used to it just being us. And I like everyone here, they're wonderful, but... they're humans."
George winced, Annie's eyes widened, and Loki struggled to keep his expression calm.
"Mitchell, do you mean you are- ?"
"I'm having a little trouble," Mitchell mumbled. "I should have realized I would, but... The last time we and the Avengers were all together, we were so focused on- well, not dying- that I didn't really have time to think about... And my room is- it's beautiful, but at night I'm all by myself in a house full of humans and I can't stop thinking- I can feel them- "
"I thought he could move in with me," George said, looking sideways at Mitchell and trying to pretend he was less concerned than he was.
"That's an idea," Annie agreed, slowly. She glanced at Loki, who knew they were thinking the same thing.
"You could both come join us," he offered. "If it would help."
Mitchell looked utterly miserable. "I don't want to ruin your- "
Loki shook his head, and Annie spoke up quickly, "No. It's actually- we miss you, too. And if it would help you, it'll make us feel better, too."
Mitchell grimaced. "I'm so sorry- "
"Stop," George ordered. "We don't have the water bottle with us and it's too far to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. You're doing your best, you haven't done anything wrong, and we all help each other. That's what were here for. That's why we're together."
"Aww," said Annie.
"Umm," said Mitchell.
"Silvertongue," said Loki, with a smile at George.
"Why don't you go get in your pajamas and come join us?" Annie repeated. Mitchell looked uneasily at Loki. It was quite apparent that, in addition to feeling anxiety and shame about his... condition... he was reluctant to intrude upon them.
Loki smiled at him. "Annie and I have been telling each other, the bed in our room is at least as large as the one in my old chambers in Asgard. And you recall, we were all quite comfortable sleeping together there." He paused as he remembered the next morning, and amended, "Well, except of course for the uncomfortable after-effects of drink, which will not be of concern to us now." He turned his attention to Elizabeth. "There should even be room for the two of you, should there not? And Scamp."
"But you won't want- " Mitchell argued feebly. "I mean, you must- "
Annie raised an eyebrow, then said forthrightly, "I'm still not exactly corporeal, as Loki puts it, so there's a limit to how much you'd be interrupting anyway." Both George and Mitchell flushed a deep, rich red- even Loki went rather pink- and Annie giggled. "That gave you something else to think about, didn't it?" Sobering, she said, "Maybe tonight you and George will go back to the other side of the house and bunk together, but if you're tired and feeling... vulnerable... right now- " Loki could only approve her choice of wording, although considering the presence in the house of a number of sleeping, non-superpowered humans- one an elderly lady- and a vampire who had been trustingly invited in, one could argue the designation applied to more than just poor Mitchell- "it's probably best if you're with all of us."
Mitchell gave in with an expression of relief. "Okay. Where can we find you?"
"Up these stairs, at the end of the hall on the left," Loki said, gesturing. "We will leave the door open."
"Thanks," Mitchell said, with real gratitude. George's expression, when he turned to follow Mitchell, reflected the same emotion.
~oOo~
George and Mitchell appeared in a remarkably short time, Mitchell in a t-shirt and pajama trousers that Loki suspected had been borrowed from George, and a woolen robe that was the twin of the one in Loki and Annie's wardrobe, except for being blue and grey instead of green and grey. George was of course in his own pajamas and robe.
There was more than enough room in bed for all of them- really, it was enough to make one wonder what sort of activities Tony expected his guests to engage in, to require so much space- and Mitchell permitted himself to be ushered into the middle.
"If you need to go wee, you'll just have to crawl over Loki or me," George announced.
"When did you become so obsessed with wee?" Loki yawned, pulling up the warm heavy covers as he settled down between Mitchell and Annie. Scamp, of course, chose a spot beside Annie, but Philip and Elizabeth walked back and forth for a little while before curling up on top of Loki as usual.
"Thanks, guys," Mitchell said, very close to Loki's left ear, and his tone was such a combination of gratitude and humility that Loki edged closer, mumbling,
"We should have thought of this before we came. I am sorry, Mitchell. We all admire you for your strength, but we should not take it for granted." George muttered something in agreement that sounded as if he was nearly asleep already.
There was a distinct smell of wood smoke on their hair and skin, and Loki thought vaguely that the time for laundry had indeed arrived: the bedclothes would surely absorb the smell, and it would be less pleasant when stale. Then the thought left him as, despite his position between two rather chilly presences, Loki felt himself sink into the warmth of slumber.
~oOo~
Loki was aware at one point of Mitchell snuggled up to him- or perhaps he was snuggled up to Mitchell- and he woke briefly when Mitchell and George crawled out of bed some time later. He did not truly wake until the light in the room confirmed it was near midday. His hair now smelled rather unpleasantly of stale smoke, and so, despite not knowing what activities the day would hold, Loki once again began it with a shower. The status of his wardrobe, or at least the availability of undergarments, was finally becoming critical. As he stepped out of the shower, Loki resolved to ask Tony the location of-
The ridiculousness of the idea struck him before he had finished thinking it. Instead, he looked up at the ceiling and asked,
"JARVIS? May I trouble you to determine the location of laundry facilities?"
"Certainly, sir." The AI was silent while Loki dried and dressed himself, but as he left the bathroom, the cool voice announced, "The laundry room is on the ground floor, accessible through a door in the kitchen, beyond the section that serves as a sitting room. It is equipped with an industrial-sized washer and dryer, as well as such supplies as detergent and fabric softener."
"Thank you, JARVIS," Loki said. Back in the bedroom, he retrieved his carpet-bag from the top shelf of the wardrobe. Annie stripped the bed, with a great deal of assistance from Elizabeth and Philip, who pounced repeatedly upon the moving sheets and had finally to be lifted out of the carpet-bag so that Loki could put the bundle comprising the rest of his laundry into it.
That done, and the litter box dealt with, Loki and Annie made their way down to the ground floor.
The kitchen smelled so appetizing, when they got there, that Loki was very tempted to delay his chore for a little longer. Steve waved from the stove, where he was frying bacon and eggs for everyone, and offered to start some for Loki.
"What are you up to?" he asked, looking with curiosity at the carpet-bag.
"Washing," Loki admitted. "If you would care for me to attend to yours as well- ?"
"You don't use magic for that?" asked Clint, who was delivering a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast to Mrs. Coulson at the table.
"Not usually," Loki replied. "We have a washing machine at home, you see." He glanced around the table, where by now everyone except Pepper and Tony was sitting. "If anyone has things to be washed, I would be happy to look after them for you."
Judging by the response, it became evident most of the Avengers were either not skilled in that domestic art, or else tickled at the idea of having their washing done by an alien sorcerer. Mrs. Coulson demurred, but Agent Coulson fetched her washing with his own- Loki suspected he, and probably also Steve, were quite capable of doing the chore for themselves, but they accepted the offer in the spirit in which it was made.
Loki found the facilities exactly where JARVIS had said they would be, and started the first load of his own light-coloured items as the others brought in their own.
Tony, who had joined them by the time Loki emerged to begin his breakfast, was not best pleased by any of this.
"Loki, you weren't invited here to do the laundry. How did you get talked into this?" Tony demanded.
"I have no idea," Loki shot back. "How was Steve persuaded to make everyone their breakfast?"
Tony turned to Steve, who was still at the stove. "Egg?" the captain offered, looking self-conscious.
"Well," Tony began, and then did not seem to know how to go on.
"We are enjoying the feeling of doing things for ourselves, are we not?" Loki persisted. "I am perfectly competent to operate a clothes-washing machine. I have not had to resort to enchanting the one at home for some time now."
"He put a curse on it," George explained. "There was a sea serpent and everything."
"A very small sea serpent," Loki reminded him. "And the clothes came out very clean, did they not?"
"Well, yes," George agreed.
Tony frowned. "No sea serpents, okay?"
"Of course not," Loki replied. "Your washing machine is not in a cellar, so the water would all run away and leave our feet wet, and the poor creature with nothing to swim in. Now, bring me your washing and I will attend to it presently."
Tony started to say something, but just at that Steve put a plate in front of Loki containing a scrambled egg, some perfectly crisp bacon, a little heap of apple slices, and a piece of fruitcake.
"If you'd like toast, just say. Tony? Pepper? How do you like your eggs?"
Tony surrendered to the inevitable as Pepper smiled brightly at Steve and said, "Scrambled would be lovely, please."
Loki did not ordinarily begin his day with such a large cooked breakfast, at least not since he had come to Midgard- mornings were generally hurried, and anyway he had not known how to cook for himself when he arrived, so he had adopted the custom of cold cereal and fruit described to him by Annie. However, it was now closer to lunchtime than breakfast and he was quite hungry. It also could not be denied, it was pleasant to be fussed over in this small way. He smiled his thanks at Steve and picked up his fork.
Tony dropped into a chair and looked around. "Okay, how are my other guests going to be exploited today?"
Thor looked up from folding a piece of toast around half a fried egg and a slice of bacon. "Mrs. Coulson has promised to reveal the secrets of this meat pie, which sounds most delicious. I am to make pastry for her, and also for the fruit pies we will have for dessert tomorrow. I would ask for assistance in preparing the apples, Loki being occupied with washing."
Loki was about to point out that he would have ample time to cut fruit between cycles, but Bruce and Agent Hill spoke up to offer, and Jane seemed to assume Thor would assume she meant to assist him as well. Clint and Natasha, both of whom were singularly adept with knives, offered to help Mrs. Coulson chop the meat and potatoes for her pie.
"I haven't seen any eggnog around here," Fury remarked. "Think I'll get on that, if anyone can spare me a hand with it."
"Sure," Rhodey agreed easily.
Coulson raised his eyebrows. "This is looking like a whole lot of dirty dishes. I'll stay on top of that."
"I'll help," George offered. "How about you, Mitchell?"
Mitchell grimaced as he considered his least favourite household chore. "Maybe I'll help Loki fold laundry."
"I'll help you, Agent Coulson," Annie offered.
"So will I," Pepper promised.
Tony looked around with an expression of faint nausea. "Well," he said, "isn't this homey."
Steve smiled as he set plates before him and Pepper. "It is, isn't it? Thanks for arranging it, Tony."
"Thank my dishpan hands," Tony muttered, but one did not have to be the God of Mischief to know he was not as displeased as he pretended.