Work Text:
The first time it happened, Thor was only passing the living room in his Avengers Tower apartment when he noticed that something was wrong. Loki was sitting on the sofa, half buried in one of Thor’s sweaters, and watching the film on screen with an inordinate amount of tension in his frame for the activity. When Thor entered the room, he noticed something off in the boy’s breathing. When he walked around the sofa, he saw that Loki was fighting back tears.
“Loki, what’s wrong?”
To Thor’s surprise, his little brother swallowed heavily and pointed at the television. An animated film was playing. The characters appeared to be attending a wake. “Tadashi...” Loki said the word with such sadness, as if he felt the character’s pain like it was his own.
Thor had no idea what to make of any of it. “Tadashi?”
Loki all but leapt from the sofa and suddenly Thor found a pair of thin arms wrapped around his waist and a small face pressed into his abdomen. Loki’s muffled voice was thick with emotion. “Promise me you will always be careful when heading into danger! I couldn’t bear to lose you, brother.”
Thor wrapped his arms around his little brother and frowned at the television. The boy on the screen appeared to be suffering from grief. Combined with the wake shown earlier, he could only assume the character had a brother who’d died heading into some sort of danger that Loki feared Thor could potentially replicate.
Loki had been prone to sadness as of late. He’d begun having nightmares that seemed to be based upon his final years of life before Thor resurrected him in his childhood form. Loki could never fully describe what occurred in his nightmares, but he seemed to fear himself and was all but crushed by a tremendous sense of guilt at times. His sole source of comfort at present was his brother, who had been the only one from his old life to accept his return as reason for joy rather than anger.
Watching a film wherein a boy not much older than himself loses his brother (after having already lost their parents, from what Thor could gather) was definitely not something Loki should be viewing in his present state.
The strange thing was, Loki had never showed any interest in such films before. Thor wondered if it was just a unfortunate coincidence that his little brother happened to select that film to watch. Or perhaps the algorithm behind Stark's new streaming device was faulty. The residents of the Tower were each given one to test out its performance, after all.
But Thor had more important things to worry about than informing Tony that his latest technology might be faulty. His little brother was still holding onto him tightly, his small shoulders tense with worry and sorrow.
Thor maneuvered himself onto the sofa without releasing Loki. His little brother immediately curled up beside him until he was practically burrowed into Thor’s side. Hitting pause, Thor saw that the film wasn’t even halfway through. He wondered if, perhaps, the point of the film was to help children cope with loss and that was why it had been recommended to Loki. Only, the thought of losing Thor was too much for his little brother to consider in his current emotional state.
On one hand, Thor was always pleased to be reminded of how much his little brother loved him. On the other hand, he despised anything that brought Loki to distress.
He decided to let Loki decide. “Do you want to see if the story improves or would you like to watch something else?”
Loki glanced at the television and then turned his sorrowful eyes to Thor. “Do you want to watch with me?” His voice was hopeful but not pressing.
Thor stayed. The film did seem to improve and also seemed to be teaching its audience to cope with grief as he’d suspected. Loki calmed and appeared to enjoy the film from his spot on the sofa, still cuddled up to his big brother.
Until the film decided it needed to not only tear the lead character’s new caregiver away from him, but make the child ultimately responsible for the loss. When Loki quietly gasped out “No, not Baymax too...” Thor turned off the film. His little brother was close to tears again and he himself felt like flying to Walt Disney Studios and setting lightning upon the whole lot.
Instead he flew Loki to Coney Island in an attempt to cheer him up. Steve had told Thor about how his dearest friend, Bucky, had done the very same for him once and the Thunderer figured it was worth a shot. Thor broke several booths paying games because they were not built to handle his strength, but he also discovered cotton candy and, most importantly, Loki’s spirits were lifted.
Still, his brother hugged him a little tighter than usual when they said goodnight later, and spoke a little more reverently when he told Thor that he loved him.
The next evening, Loki selected a different animated film to watch. This time, Thor decided to watch it with him from the beginning. The animation style itself was different and Loki was immediately intrigued, stating that it looked like a living storybook. The colors and music seemed to appeal to him. The narrator was singing through the prologue and Thor himself was quite impressed until the villain attempted to murder a baby that he claimed was a demon. When the man decided to keep the child, claiming that it might be of use to him someday, Thor felt Loki shift beside him.
Loki was curling in on himself and looking slightly disturbed. Thor shifted closer. When the film showed the man raising the child to believe he was truly a monster, Thor felt his brother start to grow cold beside him, something that usually occurred when he was deeply distracted, profoundly unhappy, or ill. Thor wrapped an arm around Loki and his little brother shifted closer still.
When the villain later used the young man he had raised, reprising his thoughts on how he knew the child would be of use to him one day, Loki paused the film. He pulled away just enough to look at Thor and the desolate expression on his face made the older man want to go punch someone. Preferably someone at Walt Disney Studios.
“Thor...do you think our- the Allfather- ever truly saw me as his son?”
The people responsible for the film could wait. Now Thor wanted to go home and punch his father. Looking back, his favoritism had been so blatant, and the stories he told -not to mention the stories he allowed to be told- in Loki’s presence...always painting the Jotun as monstrous, soulless beings. That Odin did so knowing the child’s heritage, knowing Loki might to come to know of it himself one day…
It was a cruelty Thor hadn’t known his father was capable of. One he didn’t think he would ever truly be able to understand or forgive.
Just as cruel was the manner in which Odin had banished Loki from Asgard after his resurrection. It did not matter that he was reminded of Loki’s redemption in the end or the fact that the boy didn’t recall anything that occurred after he’d grown past his current age. Odin refused to see him as anything other than a mistake, one he claimed ultimately lead to his wife’s demise, despite Thor’s arguments.
Loki had been crushed. Thor had been infuriated. They had both left Asgard immediately.
Thor reached out to stroke Loki’s hair. “I believe so. Unfortunately, our father does not see anyone or anything beyond its use to him. That includes his sons. I’m afraid losing mother has caused him to grow bitter and belligerent.”
He held his brother’s gaze until he was sure Loki would hear his words over whatever doubts were whispering in his mind. “Do not believe his measure of you to be accurate, little brother. Do not take his words, spoken in grief and anger, to heart. You are worth so much more than he realizes.” Thor took Loki’s cold hand, now so much smaller than his own, and wrapped it in his. “It took losing you for me to realize, but you mean everything to me.”
Loki immediately uncurled himself in order to wrap his arms around Thor’s neck. In turn, Thor wrapped his arms around his little brother once again. Loki released a deep breath, as if he’d been fighting for air and he could finally take it in. His voice was completely genuine when he spoke, this time into Thor’s neck. “You mean everything to me too, brother. I’m sorry the version of me you knew before lost sight of that.”
Thor held on tighter. “You have nothing to apologize for, Loki. Whatever passed before, it was not your fault.”
Loki signed, clearly unsure of whether to believe the comforting words or not. Once again however, his voice held no deception when he replied. “I love you, Thor.”
“And I love you, Loki. Always.”
The film was forgotten in favor of exploring the board games Tony had stocked their apartment with.
The next night, Thor came upon Loki in their living room again, to find the boy watching another animated film with growing frustration.
Thor wasted no time in checking in. “Are you well, brother?”
Loki’s response was immediate and full of the pain of injustice. “It isn’t fair! Ralph cannot help that he was cast as the villain by his creators! He only wants to be treated with dignity and judged fairly! Why will no one give him a chance to prove his true character?”
Thor decided that, rather than continue watching the film, it would be a good night to introduce Loki to video games and pizza. Clint had mentioned that those were his preferred tools to fight nightmares from his past and he hoped they might work for Loki as well. The action might not have answered the boy’s questions and their underlying concerns, but the time spent with his big brother put a smile on his face and, for a time at least, his worries were forgotten. Thor was content with that.
Until the following evening, when he again caught Loki just as he was starting the night’s film and decided to join him once more.
Just as before, Loki was intrigued by the animation. This time, it resembled Midgardian paintings of old. A storybook opened to introduce the story, wherein a princess was born, much to the delight of the kingdom. The exception of this was a witch, who decided that some slight the king and queen made against her merited cursing the infant. Despite a fairy having apparently altered the course of the curse, the royal parents still decided to send the child away for some reason. Thor wasn't sure why, but they also deemed it necessary to hide her identity from everyone, including the princess herself.
“I don’t understand.” Loki spoke quietly, sadly, as the princess was suddenly informed that her life had been a lie and she was now expected to give it up to live as the king and queen desired her to. “Why would they do this to her? Why wouldn’t they tell her the truth from the beginning and spare her this torment if they weren’t going to allow her to continue living in the woods? Or why not leave her be, if they truly love her? She was happy...”
Thor wrapped an arm around his little brother and slid the boy closer to him as he glared at the television. He took a breath and made a point not to growl out his response. He didn’t want Loki thinking he was angry with him. “Sometimes people believe they know what another will feel or desire, but fail to pay enough mind to actually know the person in question. They do not do this maliciously. They simply have grown arrogant and don’t realize that what they want for another might not be what that person wants for themselves.”
“You mean...they didn’t think she would be distressed to learn she wasn’t who she was told she was?” Loki sounded confused and still pretty upset. “How could they think that?”
“Because they did not truly know her.” Thor rubbed Loki’s arm. “What say you we try another film instead? I already cannot root for any probable ending with this one.” It wasn’t like he could hope the witch would win but Thor couldn’t honestly say he wanted the king and queen to get their daughter back when they clearly did not deserve her.
Loki nodded and remained curled up against Thor while he switched to the next film on Loki’s list. It was yet another animated picture by Walt Disney Studios. Thor was weary, but it started off well enough. Two sisters -princesses, no less- snuck out of their room in the middle of the night to play, much the way Thor and Loki used to. Loki relaxed against Thor’s side and began to enjoy himself once again.
One of the sisters had ice powers that the other sister took great delight in. Thor was wondering if Loki might be able to achieve the same feats as the girl in the film, if that might make him feel better about his Jotun heritage, when the film quickly took a turn for the worse.
A simple accident caused by the recklessness of the ice-princess’s sister led to the king and queen allowing their fear of their daughter’s power to take hold of their hearts. They separated the sisters and forbade the wintry girl from using her magic. Worse still, they made her sister forget the magic entirely and forbade the poor gifted princess from speaking of it. This placed a heavy wedge between the sisters and caused the magical girl to grow up isolated and in fear of her own powers and feelings. When the parents died and the girl was shown crying in ice and isolation, Loki began to tear up and grow cold.
Thor found himself wanting to punch someone again and in the brief moment he gave himself to calm, it looked as though the story might improve. The sisters were somewhat reunited, their interactions tenuous but clearly reaching toward reconciliation. Then, however, the now ice queen’s powers were revealed and she was immediately declared a monster by all. Loki covered his face in a weak attempt to hide the fact that he had began to cry.
Thor grabbed the StarkStreamer and crushed it in one hand. Then he tossed the ruined device aside and turned to his little brother. Loki was crying silently and his skin was freezing to the touch. Thor wrapped his sweater around Loki, something that seemed to bring him comfort as well as warmth, and gathered the boy to him. Loki came readily and returned his brother’s embrace firmly.
Thor’s hold was more gentle, cautious of the smaller being in his arms, but none the less secure. “It is not your fault, Loki. You cannot help what you are any more than that poor princess could help that she was born to magic. The mistakes she made are her parents’ fault. Had they been honest and allowed her to try to control her powers rather than suppress them, to understand what she is rather than hide it, she would not be so lost.
“The same is true of our parents.” Thor usually didn’t like to consider their mother’s culpability in the events that lead to Loki’s undoing, nor did Loki, but he felt it was important to be entirely honest if he was going to make a point to his brother. “Had they been honest with you -with us- you would never have been in a position to reach such a low at the revelation. I would have challenged any who dared to speak ill of you. You would not have felt so alone. It would have been difficult to bear, certainly, but its weight would not have been so great as to break you.”
“You heard the same tales as I.” Loki’s voice was soft, fearful, distressed. “What if I truly am a monster? What if-”
Thor interrupted firmly. His voice was iron when he spoke, leaving no give for doubt. “You are not. I have seen your heart, Loki. I have seen your courage, your wisdom, your sacrifice. Even after madness took you, when the time came, you still fought beside me. You still did whatever you could to protect me and the innocents that were under threat. And now, little brother, you are still all of those things and more. You are caring, thoughtful, and loyal.
“You are no monster.” Thor leaned down to kiss the crown of raven locks pressed against his chest. “You are my brother.”
Thor’s words and actions were soothing, but it still took some time for Loki to calm entirely. The Thunderer waited with a patience most didn’t realize he possessed. Once his little brother had grown warmer and calmer, he settled him down on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book that Steve had loaned the boy when he discovered the Captain had many books on Midgard’s history. Still wrapped in Thor’s sweater and looking safe and comfortable, Loki thanked Thor and promised that he was well again.
“I am glad for it.” Thor tucked a lock of hair behind the boy’s ear. One thing was still bothering him. “Loki, why have you suddenly taken to watching these films? Is it because they were recommended by the StarkStream?”
“They weren’t recommended by the device.” Loki looked confused that his brother had thought so. He had made it clear at the start that he didn’t trust a machine to think for him. “Tony has been speaking to me of my...problems...of late." His expression turned dejected. "He said that he, too, has suffered from dark thoughts and nightmares. He recommended these films personally. He said they would help me.”
The boy looked sad, as if he believed he had failed somehow. “He sounded so certain.”
Thor found himself growing angry again. Tony had assured him, when he arrived with Loki, that he held no ill will toward the child. Despite the anger and ill will he’d harbored for Loki before, he’d said he knew it wasn’t fair to blame the boy. He’d said it was hypocritical of him to judge Loki to begin with, that he hadn’t been a saint in his past either. He’d said he understood the situation once it was explained to him.
If that were true, then why would he trick the boy into watching films that were certain to distress him? Thor could come up with a few answers to that question and he didn’t like any of them.
Loki had come to trust Tony, to confide in him. They had bonded over goals of redemption that neither required any longer and feelings of worthlessness that neither should harbor. If Tony had manufactured that trust and them misused it, the man would pay. No one hurt Thor’s little brother without feeling the Thunderer’s wrath.
“Loki, will you be alright if I consort with the others for a moment?” Thor kept his voice as calm as he was able. When his brother assured him that he was alright to be left alone, he checked the child’s temperature once more. He felt warm enough to ease Thor’s concern about leaving him. “If you have any need of me, simply ask Jarvis the Artificial Intelligence to contact me. I will return at once.”
Loki assured him once more that he would be fine. Jarvis chimed in that he would keep an eye on the boy and contact Thor immediately if anything seemed amiss. Thor wasn’t certain that he trusted the AI, but he certainly trusted his little brother. After placing another kiss upon his head, Thor headed off to find Tony. He hoped he was wrong in his concerns, but he wanted answers.
Thor considered Tony a friend, but if the man had intentionally brought his brother to harm, he would pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony was on the common floor of the Avengers Tower. He and Clint had been trying to explain to Steve just what streaming was and how the StarkStream worked specifically, when Thor stormed into the room, looking every bit the vengeful god he was claimed to be.
“Stark!” The massive Asgardian moved directly into the named man’s personal space and glared down at him. “By what rights do you wreak vengeance upon my little brother?! How petty a man must you be that you would deceive a child with such cruelty for deeds you know he is not responsible for?!” Thor pointed a large finger at Tony’s face. “Cease your maltreatment or I shall forget our history as allies in battle and smite you as the-”
“Wait, wait, wait! Just hold up, Sparky.” Tony held up his hands in a peaceful (and somewhat defensive) gesture and took a step back, pressing himself against the entertainment system. “What are you talking about?”
Thor did not lower his finger or remove himself from his friend’s space. “You know very well what I am speaking of! And I warn you, friend, anyone who means my brother harm is my enemy-”
“Thor, wait a minute.” Steve interjected, looking between his two allies. His stance was solid, as always, but non-threatening. He made no move to get between the other two, but made sure he had Thor’s attention. “What’s going on?”
“Is Loki alright?” Clint chimed in, looking toward the hallway that Thor had come from as if checking for some sign of the boy.
Since returning to the living as a child, Loki could always be found near his brother. His absence combined with Thor’s words and hostility were definitely cause for concern. That concern showed on the other men’s faces.
“He is depressed.” Thor shot another glare at Tony before turning to the others. “His heart was already leaden with burdens far too heavy for any child to bear, even one as gifted as Loki. Now, because of this one’s deceit-” He jabbed a finger in Tony’s direction as he spoke “-He is in even further distress!”
“What deceit?” Tony appeared torn between irritation and concern. “Thor, I swear I didn’t do anything to hurt the kid! I like Loki now, remember? Everyone does. He’s clever...and adorable.”
Thor looked as though he were going to berate the smaller man some more. Steve jumped in before he could start. “Thor, what exactly did Tony do?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Tony frowned at Steve, who just shot him a look that said he expected him to remain silent while Thor answered.
Thor crossed his muscular arms and shot Tony a dark look before responding to the others. “He lured Loki into a false sense of camaraderie, offered counsel on his depression, and set him on a path to further distress.”
“What?” Tony sounded genuinely baffled. He looked between Steve and Clint, as though hoping one of them might clarify the situation. Seeing that they were just as confused as he was, he jumped back into defending himself. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt that kid!”
Steve looked slightly apologetic as he replied. “Well, not intentionally.” He held up a hand at the enraged expression on Tony’s face. “You know you have a habit of not thinking things through before taking action.”
Tony scoffed. “Sorry, am I the pot or the kettle here?” He held up a hand as if he were waving away the query. “Wait, doesn’t matter. They’re both reckless assholes.”
Steve sighed. “Not the same thing, Tony...”
Clint frowned at Thor, appearing to ignore Steve and Tony for the time being. “I feel like I should ask if Loki’s alright again. Is he hurt? He didn’t...” He gestured helplessly at the larger man, who clearly didn’t understand his meaning. “Try anything concerning, right?”
That last question got Steve and Tony to stop quarreling and pay attention to Thor’s answer, as the Thunderer finally seemed to understand what Clint was concerned about. He patted the archer’s shoulder in a gesture that seemed intended to both offer some assurance and gratitude for the concern expressed for his little brother.
“Loki hasn’t done anything to harm himself. He was brought to tears and near-freezing temperatures by this one’s treachery but my presence was enough to comfort him through.” Thor shot another dark look Tony’s way before turning to the smaller blond again. “He is reading one of the history books Captain Rogers loaned him now. The tales collected by the Brothers Grimm seem to sooth him.”
“That’s actually a book of folklore...but I’m glad it’s helping.” Steve amended before looking from Thor to Tony again, still at a loss as to what exactly Tony did that led to Loki crying and in need of comfort. He honestly didn’t believe Tony would do anything malicious in regards to the child -as the man had said, the boy had easily won them all over- but that didn’t mean he would rule out any accidental suffering.
Clint rubbed the side of his neck, a clear indication that he was getting a tension headache. “Okay, so now that we’ve established Loki isn’t seriously hurt or in immediate danger of anything, do you think you could be a little more specific on what Tony did that upset him so much? Eh-eh!” The blond shot up a hand to halt Tony when he immediately opened his mouth to argue. “Let him answer or we’ll never figure out what the hell is going on.”
Tony paused for a moment, looking slightly indignant, but finally nodded and turned toward Thor. Clearly he was ready to hear the Thunderer out before arguing his innocence again.
“Loki has been plagued by feelings of sorrow, guilt, and worthlessness as of late.” Thor looked morose as he spoke of his brother’s emotional state, but then anger crept into his voice as he continued. “Stark professed to emphasize with the feelings burdening his young heart and recommended he view several films that he claimed were certain to ease his troubled mind. Instead, they were horrible tales, full of prejudice, betrayal, heartbreak, and death.”
“What-?” Tony’s baffled expression quickly turned to one of curiosity and then something close to understanding. At least, he seemed to have some idea of what was happening. “Wait, are you talking about the Disney films I told him to watch? Those are literally made for kids, Thor!”
“How can that be?! They are terrible tales wherein children lose their families; rulers who should protect their charges care only for their own comfort and power; faithful companions are killed; children with unique gifts are feared and hated; and ‘villains’ are treated as such regardless of their motives or attempts at redemption.” Thor sounded more and more irritated as he went on.
“And why do the princesses never know how to defend themselves properly?!” Thor asked suddenly. He gestured at himself and the others in the room as he expounded on the thought. “If I had a daughter, she would be able to best any of you in combat by the eve of her second decade!”
“Which movies did he watch?” Steve’s questioning gaze took in both Tony and Thor, but it was the latter who answered.
“I did not ask after their titles! My brother was so distressed by the first one, I thought perhaps it was a mistake and permitted him to try a few of the others, but they kept growing worse! We couldn’t even finish most of them! So was Loki’s distress that I finally had to smite the streaming box!”
“You smashed the StarkStream?” Tony frowned when Thor answered in the affirmative. The residents of the Tower were essentially his test audience of the new product and in fact, owned the only ones in existence. “Why didn’t you just turn it off?”
“Tony...” Steve looked like he was going to try to reason with the other man, but Clint interrupted him to address Thor again.
“Thor, can you described the films? What about them upset Loki?”
“There was one wherein an orphaned boy lost his brother, his dreams, and his his sense of purpose. He is then aided by a automaton created by his fallen brother, only to lose him as well! Another featured a man called Ralph who resided in a video game and only wanted to be seen as the hero’s equal, be treated fairly, but he was treated as a villain no matter what he did! A princess was cursed in another and sent to live in the woods, where she was lied to by her caregivers and knew nothing of her true heritage until it was forced upon her with no regards to her feelings! Yet another told of a Roma hunchback who was spared by the enemy of his people, only for the man to raise the child to believe himself a monster unworthy of anyone’s love or respect! The final tale told of a girl born with the power of Winter, but she was feared for her magic and called a monster! Even her parents feared her uniqueness and forced her to keep her magic a secret as though she were a source of shame!”
Thor’s tirade made the others suspect that he might have been as upset by the films themselves as he was their effect on his little brother, until the significance of the descriptions registered.
Tony looked guilt-ridden at the description of the films. “Oh, shit.”
Clint exhaled harshly. “Yeah, those are not the movies a kid with Loki’s history should be watching.”
Steve looked sideways at Tony. “You couldn’t have turned him toward Studio Ghibli?”
“Again, those movies are made for kids!” Tony sounded defensive, clearly realizing he’d made a mistake with Loki and trying to prove he wasn’t entirely at fault to himself as much as the others. “I told him to avoid Bambi and any old Disney films that weren’t animated. Its not like I put on Old Yeller and told him to be sure to watch it through to the end!”
“What are Bambi and Old Yeller? Do not tell me they get worse!” Thor waved away the thought and turned to Tony, still angry but looking less likely to call down the lightning if he said the wrong thing. “Why would you recommend such stories to Loki, if not to bring him to further distress?”
“He likes the fairytales Cap introduced him to...I thought he’d just get caught up in the stories and the singing and not feel shitty for a while!” Tony still sounded defensive but also frustrated that his plan to help the boy had failed so spectacularly. “Distractions usually work for me, why wouldn’t they work for him?”
Thor frowned at the answer. “You believed they would distract him from his melancholy by causing him grief of another sort?”
“No! It didn’t occur to me that any of those might strike a nerve with the kid, okay? He never brings up crazy adult Loki. I didn’t know he remembered any of that. He’s a too-clever kid on an alien world who recently found out he’s adopted and actually the child of what-he-thought-was-his people’s worst enemy. I thought he was just having a hard time coping with all the changes. I didn’t think he would relate to the characters that much.” Tony was sounding more distressed the more he thought about the situation he’d inadvertently caused.
Clint cocked his head curiously. He glanced at Thor. “Does he remember anything from...before?”
Thor considered the question for only a second before answering. “Not truly, no. He has terrible nightmares that seem to be inspired by the events of his life after he passed the age he is now. Some of the details are incorrect and he cannot give you much information beyond how he felt in them, but it is enough for him to fear his future and feel guilt over a past that is no longer his.”
The Thunderer crossed his arms once more as he looked down on Tony. “Feelings that have only been compounded by the films he watched at your behest.” He frowned. “Why would you think those would help him?”
“Well it isn’t like the characters don’t rise above the problems the kid related to. I figured they would distract him from his feelings for a little while and maybe give him some hope that things’ll get better.” Tony frowned, looking slightly confused and a little irritated that he had clearly missed something important. “Shouldn’t they have inspired him at least a little? I didn’t realize the kid was such a pessimist.”
“Wait.” Clint pointed at Thor. “You said you didn’t finish them. When did you stop them?”
Thor frowned at the question. “When they began to cause my brother such distress, of course!”
“You just shut them off?” Tony sounded incredulous. “You didn’t wait to see if they fixed the problem for the character?”
Thor drew his brows and frowned deeper. “After the first tricked us into a false sense of ease, only to bring further suffering later, why would I trust the others not to do the same? Why would I risk further distress to my brother?”
Tony threw up his hands. “Because Disney is notorious for happy endings! Do you know how many angry parents they’d have to answer to if they gave the stories realistic conclusions where everyone didn’t live ‘happily ever after’? More importantly to them, do you know how much their sales would drop?”
Clint arched a brow. “Uh, Tony? Thor and Loki don’t know anything about Disney...or money. It doesn’t exist on Asgard.”
Meanwhile, Steve looked at Tony questioningly. “Did you mention any of that to Loki when you recommended the films?”
Tony’s face fell and his shoulders lowered. “Shit.” He ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath. “No. No, I didn’t. I didn't want to spoil them.”
“Do you mean to tell me that the characters conquer their problems in the end of all those tales?” Thor sounded disbelieving. “How?”
“Usually love saves them in one way or another,” Clint offered. He offered a ‘what can I say’ look and a shrug when the Asgardian looked at him incredulously.
Thor’s expression didn’t change. “How so?”
Tony rolled his eyes and started ticking characters off on his fingers. “The robot left the kid the chip that makes him, well, him. The kid’s able to make him a new body and bring him back to life. The dead brother’s friends stick with him and support him. The six of them continue on as heroes, hence the film’s title. So love conquers grief.
“The hunchback makes friends and stands up to Frolo. The friends have his back and they defeat him together. Once the rest of Notre Dame sees how loco Frolo was, and how Quasimodo defended his friends, they decide not to judge him by his appearance but by his actions and he’s accepted. So love conquers prejudice.
“Ralph makes friends with a little girl from another game who thinks he’s great just the way he is. He eventually explains his perspective of things to Felix, who feels bad for letting him live that way for so long. They all band together to save the day and then make improvements to everyone’s attitude and Ralph’s living conditions. So love conquers fate.
“The prince the princess met in the forest doesn’t care what their parents say, he loves her and decides to fight for her anyway. Of course, it turns out the girl he loves is the forgotten princes, so it all works out for everyone, really. The witch is defeated, the parents are happy, the kingdoms are at peace, and the prince and princess get married and can probably live wherever the hell they want. So love conquers evil.
“After a shit load of drama, the sister of the ice queen finally realizes her sister was always trying to protect her in her own way and decides to return the favor by protecting her from the real villain of the story. The ice queen finally accepts an emotion rather than fight it like her idiot parents taught her, and realizes that’s how she controls her powers, by actually dealing with shit instead of trying to suppress everything all the time. Once her subjects see that their queen can control her magic, the villagers realize their queen isn’t a monster but a total badass who can protect them from an entire army all by herself and they fucking love her. So love conquers fear.”
Tony looked at Clint and Steve. “Did I miss anything?”
Steve shook his head. “No, I think that’s pretty much it.”
Clint nodded his agreement and then turned to Thor. “See? Love always saves the day in those films.”
Thor looked thoughtful. “Those lessons might actually help Loki.”
Tony rolled his eyes again. “Gee, you think?”
The Thunderer frowned. “But why do they have to make the children suffer so to reach the end of the lesson?”
“Because when you’re feeling any of the things the characters are feeling, it seems too big,” Steve explained calmly. “By making sure the kids feel some of the stress or sorrow the character feels, they’re able to feel a sense of relief at the end to drive home to lesson.”
“It also makes the stories more interesting,” Clint chimed in.
Tony rolled his eyes. “Again, the endgame is money. If the kids aren’t invested in the characters, they won’t ask for toys, clothing, and lunch boxes featuring them. The lessons are there to make the parents feel better about putting one of their movies on repeat for five hours instead of actually interacting with their offspring.”
The billionaire ignored the looks the others gave him. “But the lessons are still there and for a kid like Loki, they might make everything seem a little better for a while. If he’s up for it, give them another shot.” He looked Thor over and considered how the large Asgardian had responded to the films himself. “Or I can watch them with him, if you don’t want to deal with them again.”
Thor stepped forward, looking angry with the billionaire once more, if less so this time. “I am not one of the guardians you spoke so derisively of, who use digital entertainment to distract their ward rather than interact with them. Loki is in my charge and I shall care for him to the best of my ability no matter how many terrible films he chooses to watch.”
Tony held up his hands again. “I didn’t mean it like that, big guy.”
“You’re a wonderful brother, Thor.” Clint clapped the large man on the arm. “I wish my big brother had been half as cool.”
“And you’re doing a great job with Loki,” Steve added. “He’s much better off than he was before.”
“I just thought it might put you in a better position to be there when he comes running to you after the emotional roller coaster if you weren’t riding it with him.” Tony shrugged. “Besides, its not like having another adult around who he knows he can cry in front of is a bad thing. Most of us suffered from a lack of that as kids and look what it took for each of us to get our shit together.”
Steve raised his brows and then turned to Thor. “He has a point.”
“I do?” Tony went from surprised to critical when the others looked at him incredulously. “Of course I know I do, but I didn’t expect you to see it.”
Steve merely arched a brow at Tony before turning back to Thor. “Part of the problem before was that Loki was only ever exposed to one viewpoint. One that perceived the Jotun as monsters and Asgardians as demigods. So when he found himself on the other side of that viewpoint, he couldn’t handle it, right?” He waited for Thor to nod before continuing. “Then if he has more people he trusts enough to ask about stuff, and therefore hears different opinions about things, it might make him feel better about seeing things differently or being different from everyone else.”
Clint nodded and indicated the other two men, his expression suggesting he agreed with their points. “Plus, who can’t use a little extra support now and again?”
Tony’s eyes suddenly lit up and a grin broke across his face. He clapped his hands. “I got a great idea. Found-Family Movie Night. We’ll bring all the loveseats in the lounge here and turn them toward the big screen, get all the people Loki can trust in one room, and binge watch his movie list together.”
Steve looked a little uncertain. “Maybe we should just watch one or two a night. All of those at once might be a little much for the boy.”
Tony pointed at Steve. “Good point. We’ll meet up here every night to watch a couple of them, provided none of us get called out to save the world or take care of someone swearing vengeance on any us. In which case, we’ll either do it afterwards or postpone until the next night, depending on how everything goes.”
Thor wore a bright grin and clapped Tony on the shoulder hard enough to scoot the man over a couple inches. “That is an excellent idea! Looking forward to a night of revelry might also ease the strife Loki experiences during the day.”
Clint already had his phone out. “I’ll text Nat and ask her to bring pizza.” He glanced at Steve. “You in?”
Steve shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I’ll text Bucky.” He shook his head with a small smile as he unlocked his phone. “I’ll tell him to bring those cases of Fanta he bought. I don’t know why he couldn’t just buy one bottle of each flavor if he wanted to try them.”
“’Cause then he wouldn’t be able to share it with the rest of us.” Tony’s tone suggested he thought that had been obvious. “Have you seriously not figured out that Bucky’s a giver?” He arched a brow when the taller man turned to him, but grinned. “Jarvis, let Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce, Sam, and Wanda know we’re having a movie night to cheer up Loki.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later found Thor sitting comfortably in an over-sized loveseat with his little brother nestled against him, a bowl of popcorn on his lap, a large stein of grape Fanta on a tray beside him, and one of the previously dreaded films on the very large television ahead of him. His friends were all seated in the room as well, paired off on their own loveseats with their own snacks. Some of them made comments at different parts of the films or even simple sounds to express their reactions to the film. Sometimes one of them asked a question and another answered. Pepper, Rhodey, Sam, Natasha, and Wanda sang along with the characters more than once.
Thor couldn’t say if it was because he was near from the start, because they’d already been prepared for the rough spots, because everyone had assured them that the films got better after the points they had stopped them before, because of the distraction of having the others around, or some combination of all those things, but Loki didn’t seem as distressed this time around.
Thor draped an arm over his little brother and checked in with him during the parts that upset him before. Certain scenes still bothered Loki, but he just settled closer to Thor and trusted that they would pass.
And then they did. Usually after one of the others had expressed their own distress at the scene.
Half of the room was in tears when Tadashi was killed, and then again when it appeared Baymax was lost as well.
Bucky -who had never seen any of the films before either- quickly declared that the way Ralph was treated by the Nicelanders was ‘messed up’ which was followed by a loud chorus of ‘right?’ from all the others who had seen it before.
Steve and Sam kept pointing out how ridiculous it was for the parents of the cursed princess to send her into the woods after destroying all of the spinning wheels that were meant to trigger said curse. They complained again when the king and queen decided to bring her home before the deadline of the curse had passed.
When the ice princess’ parents told her she needed to suppress her feelings in order to control her magic, Wanda scoffed and stole Clint’s plate of pizza to ‘sublimate her rage at their foolishness’. He stated that was understandable and made himself another plate.
The heavy silence after Frolo claimed the malformed baby might be useful to him someday was filled by Natasha emphatically calling the character a bastard, which caused many of the adults to laugh and even earned the woman a small smile from Loki.
Thor also wasn’t sure if it was the lessons of the stories, the distraction they provided, or the camaraderie of everyone watching them together, but Loki seemed to grow less desolate over the next several days. It made the Thunderer happy.
He apologized for breaking Tony’s StarkStreamer. Tony responded by making him and Loki one with stronger casing. Thor didn’t mention that he could crush it just as easily.
He was delighted when Tony’s algorithm started recommending more films based on how much he and Loki liked the ones they’d already seen. Loki was especially excited by a film that showed monsters as everyday beings who were simply viewed poorly by humans and decided to take advantage of it in order to use the humans fear as a a power supply. The boy didn’t mind when Tony and Rhodey kept talking over the film to point out ways they could have improved the monster’s machinery. In fact, he seemed intrigued. Thor made a mental note to watch out for any mischief inspired by the discussion, even as he was glad to see his brother’s sense of mischief and fun returning.
Eventually, Thor decided he liked Walt Disney Studios and was pleased he hadn’t demolished it.