Chapter Text
The weeks following the invasion of New York are filled with life shattering adjustments. Practically everyone on Earth is dealing with the fact that they’re not alone in the galaxy, meanwhile Tony is adjusting to the idea of sharing his living space.
It’s entirely his own fault, since he’s the one who invited them to stay and designed their living spaces, but it's still weird. As Steve cooks him breakfast and chastises him for not eating enough, Tony can’t help but wonder if this is what having siblings would have been like. The idea of Howard being allowed more kids makes him shudder.
Tony grumbles about Clint hogging all the coffee while he sets another pot away. He almost jumps out of his skin when the noise of an explosion hits the side of the building. Tony, Steve and Clint all tense, immediately ready for action. Tony taps at the bracelets on his wrists, seconds away from summoning a suit.
Bruce frowns, impressively keeping his calm facade. ‘What was that?’
‘Sirs, Mr Odinson has arrived.’ Jarvis tells them calmly.
‘Ah.’ Tony takes a breath, letting the adrenaline bleed away now he knows they’re not under attack. ‘Well, let's go play the welcome wagon.’ He says, reluctantly abandoning his coffee.
Natasha joins them as they head to the communal floor where Thor is walking towards them from the balcony.
‘Is that a kid?’ Clint asks, eyes fixed on the bundle in Thor's arms.
Tony squints, jealous of Clint's eyesight as he tries to figure out what on Earth Thor is carrying. Steve jogs ahead to open the door for the man who beams at him.
‘Thank you Captain.’ Thor says, keeping his voice much quieter than usual. ‘Pardon my sudden appearance.’
‘You’re always welcome, Point Break.’ Tony assures him.
Thor flashes him a grateful smile as he moves through the room to place his bundle on the couch. The bundle shifts and a blanket falls away to reveal a mess of black hair.
‘Explain.’ Natasha demands, skipping niceties. Tony likes to think it’s a sign she’s getting more comfortable with them. It’s surprisingly relieving that she’s not faking her nice persona anymore.
‘I admit, I am here to ask for your help.’ Thor says with the look of a kicked puppy dog.
The kid shifts again, revealing a very familiar mask on the bottom half of his face.
‘That better not be who I think it is.’ Clint says with a scowl.
Tony tilts his head to get a better look at the kid. ‘...Oh fuck!’ He adds eloquently when the puzzle pieces click together.
‘Hush.’ Thor brings a finger to his lip, gesturing for Tony to stay quiet so they don't wake the sleeping boy. ‘Yes, that is my brother. Just a… younger version of my brother.’
‘How?’ Tony asks, dying to shake the kid awake to get some answers.
‘I am afraid I don’t know.’ Thor admits. ‘Loki was in his cell in the dungeons and some unknown magic has turned him into a younger version of himself.’
‘He did this?’ Bruce asks, trying to get a better look at the boy without getting any closer.
Thor shakes his head. ‘Loki’s magic was bound. He could not have done this. But the Allfather is… not convinced.’
‘Neither am I.’ Natasha states, eyes fixed on the sleeping child.
‘Father intended to continue carrying out Loki's punishment. But I…’ Thor sighs, glancing at his brother. ‘If this isn’t a trick… I couldn’t let him do that to Loki. It’s too cruel.’
‘What was the punishment?’ Steve asks.
Thor's jaw twitches. ‘Loki's mouth was to be sewn shut and he was to be bound under a serpent who would drip venom on him…The sentence was indefinite, I know not how long Father intends this punishment to last.’
‘What… the actual… fuck?!’ Tony stutters. The US government gave up the rights to try Loki for his crimes, trusting the Asgardians to handle it themselves. Tony can’t help but think that that may have been the wrong call now. ‘Is that normal for God town?’
‘Fathers ruling was… extreme.’ Thor admits. ‘He’s making an example of Loki, but then Loki was suddenly a child again and my Mother begged me to get him somewhere safe while we figure out what happened.’
‘You want to leave him here?’ Tony realises.
‘I wouldn’t ask this of you, but there are very few places in the Nine Realms where Loki would be safe.’
‘Yeah and this isn’t one of them.’ Clint scowls.
‘Clint, it’s a child.’ Steve reasons.
‘Magic demon child.’ Clint grumbles, wincing when Natasha elbows him in the ribs.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much time, I have to return to Asgard. Are you able to provide sanctuary for him while we figure this out?’ Thor says, an uneasy expression on his face.
Tony can’t say no to those puppy dog eyes. ‘Course we can, Big Guy.’
Thor practically melts with relief. ‘Thank you friend.’ He says, pulling Tony into a hug. ‘These are the keys to the muzzle and the shackles. The shackles restrain Loki's magic, but it shouldn’t be needed at this age.’ He explains, handing Tony a set of ancient looking brass keys. ‘I have to go and see if I can convince the AllFather to delay Loki's punishment.’
Natasha and Clint both notice the sleeping boy twitch. They watch closely for signs of movement, but Loki's breath quickly evens out and he remains still.
Thor hugs Tony again and waves at the Avengers before heading back to the balcony to travel back to Asgard.
‘Well…’ Tony starts, exhaling slowly.
‘We know you’re awake.’ Natasha says bluntly.
Bright green eyes flick open, quickly scanning the room before looking each Avenger up and down, assessing them as he slowly sits up.
‘Hello.’ Steve gives the boy a weak smile and is glared at in response.
‘We uh … we should probably get rid of the muzzle, huh?’ Tony suggests.
After the battle, the muzzle was a welcome tool to shut the rambling maniac up. But for a child, it looks too cruel.
Loki just raises an eyebrow in response, unimpressed.
Tony raises his hands to show he’s unarmed, hoping the kid won’t notice the fact that Natasha and Clint absolutely have hands on their concealed weapons. ‘I’m just gonna unlock this, alright?’
He works quickly and gets his first proper look at just how young the little war criminal actually is. Tony frowns to himself when he realises the muzzle was tight enough to leave indentations in the boy's pale skin.
‘Who are you?’ Loki asks, his voice sounding hoarse and much more Nordic than the British accent they’d come to expect from him. ‘Where am I?’
The Avengers share a look, absolutely no idea what they’re supposed to tell him.
Thankfully, Steve takes the lead. ‘We’re friends-’
‘That’s a lie.’
‘What?’ Tony interjects, confused.
Loki's eyes flash as he turns his gaze to Tony. ‘He’s lying.’
‘That’s Captain America. He’s not allowed to lie, it’s in the constitution.’
‘Also a lie.’ Loki tells him with a scowl. ‘Who are you?’
‘We’re the Avengers, you really don’t remember us?’
‘I’ve never met you before. Where am I?’
‘This is New York.’
Loki stares at him blanky.
‘What does Thor call Earth?’ Natasha asks.
‘Middle Earth?’ Tony offers.
‘Midgard.’ Bruce corrects.
Loki's face drops, eyes wide in fear. ‘I’ve been banished…?’
‘Not… exactly.’ Steve offers weakly.
Loki jumps to his feet. When the blanket falls away, the Avengers can see the bronze handcuffs binding his wrists together. Loki notices them for the first time, pulling his hands apart to test them and wincing when the chain jingles against the metal. ‘Where is Thor? Tell me the truth!’
‘He’s gone home, back to Asgard.’
‘Is he alright? I didn’t mean to hurt him!’
Bruce frowns. ‘What…?’
‘Thors fine, Kid.’ Tony tells him.
Natasha holds a hand out to silence the others. She crouches down in front of Loki. ‘What’s the last thing you remember before waking up here?’
Loki bites his lip anxiously. ‘We were playing in the forest… I turned myself into a snake and I bit him when he picked me up. I swear I didn’t know I would be poisonous! Where’s Father? I can explain! I swear.’ The kid begs, working his way up to a panic attack.
Tony shares a look with Steve, obviously thinking the same thing. There’s no way this is a trick. As ridiculous as it seems, Loki has actually been turned into a child.
Even Clint relaxes, taking his hand off the knife on his belt.
‘Thor’s okay. He’s home on Asgard, and you’re here with us for a few days while Thor and your Mother sort things out with your Father.’ Natasha says calmly. ‘Am I lying?’
Loki looks at her intensely before reluctantly shaking his head. ‘No…’
‘Let's get these cuffs off.’ She gives him a fake smile before gesturing for Tony to come closer.
‘We sure this is a good idea?’ Tony mutters as he crouches with her, thinking about all the ways Loki can fuck them up with magic.
‘He’s a child.’ Natasha says simply, holding her hands out.
Loki slowly places his hands in hers and Tony quickly sticks the keys in the lock, catching the shackles as they fall away. Natasha keeps a gentle hold of Loki's shaking hands as Tony marvels at the weight of the shackles, it's a miracle they weren't weighing the boy down.
‘I didn’t mean to hurt him…’ Loki whispers quietly.
‘We know.’ She promises him. ‘How about we get you set up in your room, okay?’
Loki takes a slow, shuddering breath before regaining control of his emotions. Any signs of being overwhelmed disappear behind a blank mask of indifference. Tony winces, remembering that feeling well.
‘Yes…’ Loki nods and Natasha gets to her feet, leading him to the elevator.
Tony, Steve, Clint and Bruce stare at the closing door.
‘J, take them to Thor's suite.’ Tony says, shaking himself out of his stupor.
‘This is… my literal nightmare.’ Clint tells them. ‘I hate everything about this.’
Tony carefully places the shackles on the table. ‘Those are heavy.’ He grumbles. ‘So, what do we do?’
‘Just… wait it out I guess?’ Steve offers weakly.
‘Do any of us know how to look after a kid?’ Tony asks. ‘Because I’m definitely not qualified for this.’
Steve and Bruce both shake their heads. Tony looks over at Clint. ‘You and Natasha?’
‘Natasha doesn’t.’
‘But you do?’
‘Here and there.’ Clint replies vaguely. ‘But I want nothing to do with Loki.’
‘He’s not the same person as the guy who led the invasion.’ Steve reasons.
Clint rolls his eyes. ‘We don’t know that for sure. It could be a weird long con.’
The elevator door opens again and Natasha steps out. ‘How badly are we freaking out?’
‘Very much, is it too early to drink?’ Clint sighs, falling into an armchair.
‘Did he say anything?’ Steve asks, arms folded over his chest.
Natasha shakes her head. ‘He seems to have none of his adult memories.’
‘So we’re stuck with the ten year old alien prince?’ Tony surmises, stunned that this is his life now.
‘Looks that way.’ Natasha glances at Clint. ‘I know you haven’t wanted to talk about him, but if you have any intel, we could really use it. Thor didn’t give us much to go off.’
Clint folds his arms over his chest, avoiding eye contact. ‘I don’t know much. He was in a pretty rough state when he first came through the portal. It took a while to get him patched up and it was like he hadn’t slept in months.’ Clint taps his fingers against his arm. ‘Other than that… you know everything. Adopted, jealous brother who wants to take over the world.’
‘So we’re going in blind.’ Natasha clicks her tongue. ‘We’ll have to tell Fury.’
‘We cannot get SHIELD involved.’ Tony groans. ‘Last thing the kid needs is to be shoved into another cell.’
Natasha considers it for a moment. ‘We can delay reporting back for a few days.’ She relents. ‘But I’m not being saddled with the bulk of the babysitting because I’m a woman.’ She warns them with a glare.