Hawkeye's eyes narrowed, forcing himself to focus on the looming grey monstrosity rather than getting distracted by the same diversion that was keeping the opponent from smashing the Eiffel Tower and a good portion of Paris as well. While he hadn't really enjoyed the three am wakeup call or the super-sonic flight, he was admittedly relieved that, for once, Manhattan wasn't taking the alien beatdown. Then again, Paris wasn't getting hit by much at the moment, either: the alien giant was thoroughly taken with the creature darting over its body and constantly changing shape.
Iron Man hovered just a little bit away, ready to catch Hawkeye in case the archer slipped and fell from his precarious perch amidst the steel bars of the Tower. Dents could be seen in his scratched red-and-gold suit, and a stray spark occasionally shot out from certain cracks and joints, but he was still holding steady with both hands flexed at his sides. He'd refused to sit down, even once Loki had completely entranced the behemoth despite Coulson and Thor's entreaties; whether Iron Man or Tony Stark – he was always a stubborn ass.
No one was really sure where the Hulk had gone: a line of smashed buildings testified to the path his body had taken when flung by the grey goliath, but they hadn't seen him since. Thor, having just landed from a rather hasty trip to Asgard, held easily to the tip of the Eiffel Tower, just waiting to unleash his own maelstrom.
"I've got a clear shot," Hawkeye announced into the comm, "Do you want me to take him out?"
"Are we talking about our favorite god of chaos, lies and adorable children or the New Colossus?" Iron Man queried, "Speaking of – what the fuck is he doing?"
It was a question that had immediately sparked in Hawkeye's mind once the fluffy brown squirrel creature that was currently Loki had begun leaving a trail of thin gold that wrapped around the giant's chest and arms, binding them tight. Immediately realizing what was going on, the behemoth began struggling, though it couldn't move its arms more than an inch or so. Once he'd danced over its torso a few times, squirrel-Loki darted up to its shoulder and perched there for a few moments until the giant settled and lowered itself down to its knees.
"Hawkeye, Thor, Iron Man, stand down. Loki seems to have this under control," Coulson replied needlessly.
Lowering his bow, Hawkeye dropped the sedative-laced arrow into his quiver and tapped his bow's grip, causing the quiver to whir softly as it rearranged tips and shafts. By the time it quieted, he'd folded his bow and accepted Thor's hand and was being flown down to the ground, and he was definitely not clinging to Thor's muscled forearm in terror. He just didn't really relish the thought of splatting against the ground in case his hand slipped.
They landed just as Loki did, his feet shifting back into humanoid, boot-clad ones just a moment before touching the ground. The length of gold chain vanished almost before the rest of them could comprehend what it was. Luckily, they had Hawkeye's sight if they needed any answers – at least regarding the appearance. He was damned if he could understand how gold chain the width of a necklace was keeping the building-sized monster still.
"Where's Bruce?" Iron Man, already shifting back into Tony, asked as he flipped up his face plate.
"'m here," a muffled voice replied.
All heads turned to where a shirtless, barefoot and nearly-pantless Bruce Banner was making his way cautiously over the rubble. His hair was mussed into bizarre spikes and dirt was smeared across one cheek.
"Damn, buddy – lookin' fine," Tony declared before being cut off by Coulson's voice in his ear.
He paused just a moment to listen before glancing at the kneeling giant and frowning faintly.
"Coulson wants to know how we're getting Big Guy out of Paris," he relayed.
"I assumed we would return him to his realm," Loki answered mildly before glancing over at Thor and Banner, "I can open the portal, if you two would … help him on his way."
Thor nodded, and the Other Guy grunted as he appeared. Then, with a vague gesture from Loki's hand, the sky was rent and the abysmal blue-black was ringed with gold as the two musclemen of the group began leveraging the bound giant into the portal. Clint was the only one who saw Iron Man drop to a knee, faceplate slammed down and fist pressed into the ground as if to hold him steady while the world was pulled away.
However, once the alien was bundled off to his apparent realm, the others began reacting in a blur. Loki turned and froze for only a moment before stalking towards the bent suit, and then the Iron Man helmet was gone, and Loki's pale hands were on either side of Tony's ashen face. The Other Guy vanished back into Bruce Banner's body, which immediately began shuffling over, and Thor strode to his brother's side.
"What's going on? Hawkeye, report," Coulson ordered.
"Iron Man is down," the archer reported automatically before hesitating, "I…I think he's having a panic attack."
Loki's eyes flickered briefly, and Thor stepped close enough to lay a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. A moment longer, and then he leaned back onto his haunches with a sigh, and Tony slumped forward.
"His armor should be removed," the god instructed quietly, "and, if possible, he should be given to Miss Potts immediately."
"Jet's on the way. Be there in a minute or less," the Black Widow offered through the comms as Hawkeye and Banner began dismantling the suit.
It had taken a lot of work, but the team – mostly Steve – had eventually convinced Tony to let them know fo the emergency releases for his armor just in case he was stuck inside some time. Now, the archer and scientist stripping him were washed in gratitude that they had persuaded him, though neither seemed to be panicking as they carefully popped apart the suit and sat it neatly to the side. Come to think of it, Bruce realized, everyone's so…calm. Even the one or two civilians who'd straggled into the park seemed to look around with a hint of confusion and otherwise tranquility. The earlier urgency to neutralize the alien giant along with the anxiety that had leapt up at Tony's collapse was gone, washed away with the soothing tide.
"Loki," Bruce started cautiously, "did you put a…uh – calming? spell on the city?"
The god was still sitting with his knees and the balls of his feet pressed into the ground, and one hand rested on his leg while the other rubbed his forehead.
"No. I cast one on Stark as well as an impulse for sleep," he answered.
"And that's – that's affecting the entire Champs de Mars?" Bruce demanded.
A low chuckle from the god startled him, and the scientist glanced back to see Thor's hand tighten on his younger brother's shoulder. Loki's eyes opened just slowly enough to mostly mask the jump they made from void-black to grass green, and Hawkeye felt a shiver run down his spine. He'd noticed that particular shade tended to occasionally appear in Loki's irises, but it had never entirely connected why that might be.
"No, my own spell is acting up. Apparently, neither Stark nor I react well to the spaces between Yggdrasil's branches," he explained in a hollow voice.
That understatement was momentarily forgotten as the quinjet landed and the entire team clambered in. Steve was already waiting in the back while Natasha flew and Coulson co-piloted. For once, both Thor and Loki rode home rather than flying or teleporting.
"Brother," Thor started some forty minutes into the flight, "that chain – it was Gleipnir, was it not?"
Loki nodded a silent affirmation.
"And Fenrir?" his brother prompted.
"Remains bound. I was the one who bound him, Thor," Loki reminded before adding coldly, "though not the one to suggest the sword."
Visibly blanching at this prod, Thor fell thankfully silent for the rest of the flight. New York had just settled into its afternoon hum, but the team – aside from Steve, Thor and Loki – were swaying on their feet by the time they arrived. Tony, half-awake and very confused, was ushered away by Pepper, and the rest of them save the wakeful trio found their own beds calling their names.
The other three, however, found themselves crashed around the common lounge. None were overly eager to rise and actually do something – apparently, fighting giant aliens and herding civilians away from said alien was a little bit tiring – but neither were they tired enough for sleep.
"So, how is Asgard?" Steve inquired after twenty minutes' lazy silence.
"It is thriving," Thor answered after a moment, "though reparations with Jotunheimr are still being decided upon."
Loki grimaced at that addition, his gaze busily watching the clouds drift by even as he listened.
"Really? I thought that would have been cleared up by now," Steve admitted in surprise.
"Our negotiations were…er – stalled a few times," Thor explained, casting a cautious glance towards his brother.
Turning his gaze in Thor's direction, Loki's eyes narrowed, and the two held each other's gaze for a few moments; Steve, meanwhile, was left glancing between them and trying to read whatever was silently said. Finally, he simply stood and turned to go.
"I'm gonna' go down to the gym," he explained over his shoulder.
"What's slowing the negotiations?" Loki demanded as soon as Steve was out of earshot.
"The new Jotun king – Helbindi," Thor started before pausing, "He knows you are..."
Somehow, saying it aloud seemed too daunting a task, even as Thor realized his hesitation as a mistake; Loki's face had darkened and closed off into its flawless porcelain mask.
"Jotun," his brother supplied tightly.
"His younger brother saw when – when we were fighting, before," Thor released a huff of a breath – why was this so much harder for him than Loki? "They are…fixated on it."
"And Odin didn't think to remind them of my name as a shapeshifter?" Loki sighed, knowing the futility of the ruse, "He couldn't pass it off as a reflex?"
Despite the gravity of the situation, Thor felt a quick grin slip over his features. Though the Aesir had oft compared him to his father, the similarities were nothing compared to Loki and Odin. Even now, their minds ran a similar course.
During the negotiations, when Odin had suggested this possibility to the frost giants, Thor had perked up immediately as the thought slipped into his mind. Immediately, he'd hated himself for being so callous as to wish his brother anything than what he was; how many times had he told Loki that it mattered not whether he was jotun or ás – he was Thor's brother?
"They did not believe him," he admitted, "Evidently, they have had experience with other shapeshifters in the past. They…"
He stopped himself there, again hesitant to admit the truth. Loki hated frost giants – had been terrified of them since they were tiny children – and Thor was unfortunately certain that discovering he was one of them had done nothing to abate this loathing. Loki had never been all that fond of himself, anyway.
"They what?" Loki prompted, eyebrow quirking.
Whatever Thor had to say, the lie-smith had little worry. He'd had enough punishments for his crimes over the centuries to lessen any anxiety he might feel over future consequences. Death or imprisonment was hardly frightening when you'd lain beneath a serpent's acid drip for two centuries.
"They want you," Thor finally finished, eyes averted.
AN: What, is this a wild plot suddenly appearing? Ohnoes! Yeaah, we'll see about this. JORMUGANDR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER :D ...I think