After that, things went smoothly for a couple of weeks – or, at least, as smoothly as life could go when referring to a group of superhumans and aliens determined to defend the world against other superhumans and aliens bent on taking over the world. Neither brother apologized, HYDRA tried to kidnap Natasha, and then Amora showed up and turned Loki into a kid. Basically.
They found him sitting cross legged in a loose green tunic, black pants and no shoes despite being perched on top of a heap of splintered, magic-laced cement and metal, and it quickly became apparent that this Loki had no idea where he was or why – but he was infinitely more cheerful than his general counterpart would have been at that.
"Brother, what is the last you can recall?" Thor inquired once they were safely ensconced on the quinjet.
His just-under-four-foot frame was curled up into Thor's side while the boy toyed with the edge of his tunic.
"Hmm… Amora was there – we were… Were we practicing spells?" he queried before a disgusted pause, "She wasn't trying to cast a love spell on you again, was she?"
The exasperation with which that was said had Bruce biting his lip to keep from laughing.
"No, she was not," Thor grimaced, "Can you make any doubles?"
The little boy's forehead crinkled in familiar confusion at this strange request, but he shrugged, "How many?"
"Try three," Thor suggested, still trying to pinpoint what age his brother was currently.
The frown remained, but Loki leaned his head back against the jet's wall and closed his eyes. A moment later, three replicas of himself popped up. Though they lacked any gilded edges or crackling that told of Loki's magic being spread too thin, a swipe of Tony's hand revealed them to be incorporeal. A thin layer of sweat caused a sheen on Loki's forehead, and the creases deepened as soon as his magic came in contact with Tony's skin.
"Was that necessary?" Loki demanded, opening venom green eyes.
"Sorry, lil' buddy; we're just trying to figure this out," Steve soothed.
The miniature Asgardian prince's eyes narrowed slightly before he sighed, and the illusions vanished. Snuggling closer to his brother, Loki yawned lazily and quickly dozed off. It was an eight hour flight back, and the tiny god spent the entirety asleep.
"I always used to tease him about sleeping so much," Thor chuckled lowly.
"He's like a cat," Tony muttered, curiosity causing him to poke the kid; Loki didn't move.
"He's tiny," Bruce added.
"I think the Other Guy's talking," Clint remarked dryly.
"No, I'm serious," Bruce replied, "He's a frost giant, right? But he's small for a human boy."
The team paused a moment to glance over the small boy who had gradually wrapped himself around one of Thor's bulky arms in his sleep. Thor had murmured – as much as Thor could murmur – that Loki was about ten, but JARVIS had read him at only three eleven – almost half a foot shorter than average.
"Loki has always been of a slight build," Thor started hesitantly.
"Yeah, but he's a frost giant," Tony objected, "JARVIS, can you take any other readings while he sleeps?"
"He appears to be in the beginning stages of cachexia, some mild hypotension and a severe iron deficiency, sir," JARVIS offered.
"Uh translate, please?" Clint snorted.
"They're symptoms of malnutrition and starvation," Tony answered for the currently stunned Bruce.
"But Loki eats like Thor," Natasha pointed out bluntly.
"But if he's a giant, then he probably needs more food," Bruce protested, "How tall are jotunns usually?"
Thor grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Loki is fine," he reassured futilely, "He is not one to suffer undue discomfort."
"B-" Clint started, only to be drowned out by the sound of the quinjet's back opening.
They'd arrived at Stark Tower and Loki woke up just in time to bound off and chatter excitedly about this gleaming spire. Thor followed more reluctantly, still mulling over his teammates' concerns.
"This is almost as tall as Penningr!" he exclaimed, leaning way too far over the edge of the roof.
And for the next two days, it was all pretty much the same: Loki raced around and disappeared randomly in the building, which made Steve and Tony freak out for entirely different reasons, and once they found him, he'd automatically crash in the first person's arms. That coupled with the fact that he absolutely idolized his big brother was enough to have everyone wondering what the hell happened between them to screw it up so badly.
Then, the Frost Giants showed up.
"What do you want, Jotunn?" Thor rumbled, fully decked out in armor and hammer, "You know full well that your kind is banished from Midgard under pain of death."
One of the giants – who were actual, bona fide giants whose necks were bent to prevent their heads going through the ceiling – rumbled a low, irritated growl. Both wore only knee length kilts of some silky black fabric, though the quieter one also sported a few gold adornments about the top of his kilt and his biceps.
"We come seeking Prince Loki Laufeyson," the unadorned one declared, his voice like gravel and whiskey and three packs a day.
"Laufey's son?" the still-mini-Loki queried worriedly, peeking out from behind Thor, "Brother, what are they talking about?"
The giant who hadn't spoken immediately jerked forward, causing Loki to throw his hands up and whisper a sharp spell; green fire shot up in a cylinder around him, and the entire room could smell burning flesh as the giant ignored this to settle his hand on the small boy's shoulder. It took only moments before the miniature Loki was gone, and they were all forcefully reminded of Loki's heritage.
"Holy fuck," Tony whispered as, behind them, Darcy – freshly hired as Coulson's assistant – dropped the entire sheaf of papers she'd held.
Pearlescent flames still danced about him, stretching and reaching for Loki's hands, still long fingered and dainty despite now belonging to an eight foot or so giant, as they twitched and the fire died. Ocean blue skin stretched over similar, longer bones and ruby eyes glared down from where emeralds generally perched. Ridges of a deeper blue cut jagged lines across his entire frame to disappear underneath the same clothing he generally wore, and Darcy silently prayed that she wasn't the only one itching to see the rest of those intricate whorls.
"Your Highness," the giants uttered, kneeling, "we come bearing the invitation of his majesty King Helbindi Laufeyson of Jotunheim."
"As you know from speaking with Odin All-father," Loki ground out, "your invitation has been politely declined."
Bruce frowned slightly at that, wondering how blunt one had to be to be considered rude if Loki's baleful glare and grit teeth were still under 'polite.'
"Having received word that you were under thrall, Your Highness, Helbindi-king desired to receive confirmation from yourself, Your Highness," the giant with the scorched hand explained.
"As you can see, there is no thrall," Loki snapped shortly, "Now return to your king."
The burnt giant nodded slightly and rose, careful to avoid the ceiling (while Tony's ceilings were inordinately high, they were hardly designed with Frost Giants in mind). His red eyes rested thoughtfully on Loki.
"As you are kin, our doors will ever be open," he offered quietly, resting a hand fleetingly on the other's shoulder.
Loki flinched at the contact before his gaze softened slightly, and green magic swirled briefly around the giant's burnt hand, mending the skin and leaving it the same cerulean as the rest of the jotunn's body. With a nod of gratitude, the giant stepped back and, placing a hand on his companion's shoulder, disappeared. Immediately, Loki's shoulders slumped and he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he shrunk down and blue bled to white.
"Are you alright, brother?" Thor queried worriedly, his hammer lowered and the electricity vanishing from the air.
"I'm fine, Thor," Loki snapped, sharp green eyes glaring over at him.
"You guys want to sit down and explain what just happened?" Clint suggested.
There was a moment's pause with only the sound of Darcy and Bruce trying to gather all the dropped papers up, then Loki reluctantly accepted a seat at the bar, and Thor stepped slightly closer, readjusting Mjolnir so she dangled from his wrist.
"The Jotunn king is convinced I am here unwillingly and seeks to…liberate me," Loki explained tiredly, frustration bleeding through his tone.
"Our father has reassured them – repeatedly – that Loki is here of his own volition, but they seem…reluctant to believe us," Thor added, and there was the faintest stir of electricity.
"That's what was stalling the peace talks with – er – Jotunheim?" Steve queried, fitting together the pieces.
Thor nodded slightly.
"Aye, though, hopefully, that should no longer be an issue," the sigh in his voice somehow completely conveyed the silent though, I doubt it.
"Why do they care? Sorry, Loki, but I mean – you tried to destroy their whole planet, right?" Clint pointed out, "Shouldn't they be happy if you were punished?"
Both brothers were silent for a long while, Loki studiously examining the flecks in the countertop while Thor crossed his arms and averted his gaze. Natasha's eyes narrowed to a veritable glare that somehow managed to encompass both of them while the other four alternately stared at the brothers, Natasha and each other.
"I…We share a father," Loki finally forced out, his voice constricted with undisguised revulsion and loathing.
Something clicked in Tony's brain to give him an a little bit frightening look of epiphany, Steve 'oh'ed' softly and Clint glanced between Natasha and Loki one more time.
"So you're brothers? With the king?" he asked.
"Yes," Loki conceded icily.
"Ah. So that's why-" Bruce murmured, "with Jotunheim…"
He swallowed the rest of his words, because of course. The kind of hatred one would need to try to destroy an entire planet – well, it stemmed from the same strain that had placed a gun in Bruce's hand and the muzzle in his mouth.
Loki was watching him with a quiet sort of intensity that caused Bruce to shift awkwardly and scrub at his glasses.
AN: And if that isn't the worst ending ever, I don't know what is. Also, listen to "When You're Evil" by Voltaire. I can't stop listening :D I'll try to get a new chapter up soonish, but really, I have no idea what to write about. This chapter needs some expansion