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There was nobody better than the Avengers.
They were the strongest, fastest, most awesome people on earth- they could do anything, save anybody, beat any villain, and fix any problem. Captain America had even picked up and thrown a whole car on the TV once, and both Iron Man and Thor could actually fly! Probably they could go all the way to where Mommy was.
She would like that. Mommy always watched their cartoons with him on Saturday mornings, and she took him to all the parades and the speeches and even brought him to get autographs signed even though they had to wait in line for hours. If she could meet them she would be happy, really happy, especially if they could bring her back home.
The news said they were nearby, just two blocks away, down by his brother’s old work- and he could hear them sometimes too, loud noises that the TV showed him came from Iron Man’s guns. That was fine, they were heroes, it would be safe to be around them, even if they were fighting; he saw on the cartoon, nobody ever got hurt while they were around. Nobody but the bad guys, the people who deserved it. He knew he shouldn’t leave the house alone, but Papa was asleep, he wouldn’t ever have to know, and how happy would he be when he brought Mommy back! He would stop yelling all the time, and blaming him, and calling out for her in the middle of the night. He wished Mommy would answer one of these days, Papa probably thought she was ignoring them. Maybe she was just mad that they hadn’t gone looking for her yet but that was okay, because he’d find her today. The Avengers could do anything, after all.
He was tall enough to reach the key now, even when it was hung up on the hook, and he was glad he’d be able to lock the door after he left so that nobody would come in and wake Papa up. He was sleeping on the couch again (he wished he was bigger, so he could bring him to his bed, but only brother could do that and he wasn’t home today) and had left the TV on, but it kept him asleep so he didn’t turn it off. He did go over to take the bottle out of Papa’s hand though, because he always got mad if he woke up and saw that he’d spilled any. He started to put it down on the floor so Papa could get it later, but then he brought it into the kitchen instead- Mommy said drinks like that had to be in a certain cabinet, so it would be better if she came home and everything was how she liked it.
Papa might be mad, but he only liked that drink when Mommy was gone anyway, so it would be all right as long as she came home.
He was careful getting outside, because he didn’t want to make too much noise, but every other house on the street was empty now because of the Avengers’ fight. Papa hadn’t taken them away, because he’d been sleeping, which meant he didn’t have to wait for cars, or bigger kids, or even dogs when he got on his bike (two wheels, not three, Mommy would be so proud when she saw he’d learned) and started peddling down the street.
It was loud, now, not at all like the fighting on TV, and he could see fire and bullets and all those things he was supposed to avoid in the air by the school his brother had taught at. He was scared, slowed down and wanted to turn around but never stopped. Mommy, and Papa, and brother were all counting on him, and he wouldn’t be hurt, anyway.
The Avengers could fix anything.
It hurt his ears, now, and he was shaking a bit on the bike, but he made it all the way until he could actually see Thor before he finally got off. He couldn’t see who they were fighting, but when he watched Thor land and call out Captain America joined him soon, and Iron Man was flying off close enough for him to see, too. He was tired from biking so far (he’d fallen once, because there was broken rock all over the street) but when he saw them he ran, and tried to shout for their attention.
He wasn’t as fast as a superhero, so he didn’t get there in time, and when he reached where just had been he could only try to catch his breath and blink back tears. The fight wasn’t going to end yet, he could still find a way to talk to them in time. If they heard what had happened they would definitely help him.
He tried to look around to find them, but everyone he could see was in the air. Thor, Iron Man- and Him. The Bad Guy. The one they were always fighting, even though they kept beating him. He trembled and took a step back on instinct but reminded himself that it was okay, nobody ever got hurt around the Avengers, they saved people. That’s just what they did. He tried calling out to them, but they were too far away and didn’t hear. They didn’t look over and see him either, even when he jumped and waved his arms. The Bad Guy was distracting them, and he couldn’t see Captain America or Hawkeye or the Black Widow or even the Hulk on the ground- there was smoke everywhere, and it got in his eyes and throat and made him cough and watered his eyes, so he pulled up his shirt to try and keep it away.
His brother’s old school was ruined now. He was sad, because he wanted to go there when he was bigger, but couldn’t anymore unless they fixed it. And even then it wouldn’t be the same, but he was happy because at least it wasn’t all gone. The flagpole was broken, but the auditorium where they had listened to brother give speeches was still there, and that building was big. Brother had taken him to the roof after the show to let him see the whole city because it was so high up, and maybe from there he could see the rest of the Avengers. He might be able to see Mommy, too, and then they wouldn’t have to look so hard when he asked them to help. But that was okay, even if he couldn’t. The Avengers could find anything.
The fence usually around the school was gone, which was good- he was a really bad climber, brother always said so. He didn’t know how it had been broken, but there was none of it left anywhere, and he thought the Bad Guy must have done something to it. Gates were there to protect you, Mommy said, and superheroes did not stop things from protecting you.
He stepped past where the gate had been and found he was alone in the yard. It was broken in a lot of places, and there were still explosions everywhere (that were less scary when he could still see Iron Man only a few buildings away), but it was still a big kid’s school and there was nobody there but him. School was weird on Saturday’s, even in the afternoon, and it was even weirder without any teachers or hall monitors or anybody making sure he didn’t do anything wrong. He wouldn’t break the rules though: if Iron Man saw he might tell Mommy, and then she would be unhappy with him when she got back.
He just had to get into the auditorium and find the stairs big brother had shown him. The school was so big though, and there were so many buildings. The one he was looking for was really tall, but they were all huge, and there was a sign on the door that said auditorium, in cursive. They’d just started learning cursive, too, so he knew he’d be able to see it when he got to it. He started to cross the field to go read the sign on one of the doors nearby, but he stopped when he heard Captain America shouting. He knew his voice, it was a really distinct voice, and he was always the one calling orders when they fought on TV. They must have seen him, they were going to help!
He turned around to call back, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt, but there were no superheroes coming towards him. Instead the big grey building where papa had worked until a week after Mommy went away was tilting, like a Jenga tower, right towards him. Falling. He only stared at it at first, knowing he should run but he couldn’t get his feet to move, because that wasn’t supposed to happen- buildings didn’t fall, and heroes didn’t let people get hurt. The Avengers could protect anything.
There was glass falling from one of the windows where it broke, and rocks where coming off the building and pencils and chairs where coming out of the window and there was fire too, eating up the chairs even while they fell. He couldn’t run, but he dropped to the floor and hugged his knees to his chest, hiding his face and covering his head because this was almost like an earthquake and that’s how you kept yourself safe during earthquakes. There were still voices, and this time he could hear them, but they were all separate and blurred together and didn’t make sense.
“The kid, someone get the damn kid-“
“Thor, get over there, that building’s going down-“
“Someone keep on Loki’s tail, make sure he doesn’t do anything.”
It’s okay, he was safe, there was rock and wood and it was all hot and burning and almost hit him when it fell, but these were the Avengers, and they weren’t going to let him get hurt, and they’d seen him now, so he could tell them Mommy had gone away and they would find her. The building sounded like it was in pain, he didn’t know metal could make sounds like that, like it was screaming, and glass continued to shatter and rain down and it got really close that time, like it might hit him, and he couldn’t open his eyes but it must have been right over him-
Then it all stopped. He knew it was over the second it was and looked up without moving his hands from protecting his head (just in case), scared to smile but not able to stop. He was sorry the building was broken, but Papa had said it was a bad place, anyway, after he’d stopped going there, and heroes got rid of bad things, so he must have been telling the truth. Not that Papa ever lied, so he knew it was true that Mommy was gone because of him (even if he didn’t really know how it could be his fault) and so it was his job to get her back. Now he could, and he’d meet a real life hero too, and he started to laugh, he was so excited.
But when he looked up he screamed (shortly), instead, because it wasn’t Captain America standing over him or Thor keeping the building away, but the Bad Guy; looking tall and pale and menacing and floating off the ground- just like a ghost.
He froze and stared up at him with wide eyes, shaking with fear. The building slowly moved back to where it belonged behind the Bad Guy, but he didn’t turn around to watch it. “Now what are you doing here?” He asked in a low voice, no cackling or deep evil that he always talked with in the cartoons, and landed on his feet. “You should not be alone. Where is your mother?”
He stopped shaking a bit, it was a lot easier not to be afraid when the man wasn’t floating above him like some fairytale monster. Don’t talk to strangers. He knew that, every kid did, and it was always Mommy’s Most Important Rule. The Avengers were different, because they were heroes- like policemen, or firemen, or all those people he knew he could ask for help when he needed to. The Bad Guy did not apply, he was a Villain. But he had also mentioned Mommy, and it would be rude to ignore him completely.
“I’m looking for her,” He whispered truthfully. His voice was softer than normal because he hadn’t said much in awhile, but Bad Guy nodded like he could hear anyway.
The not-ghost was really tall, and it hurt his neck to crane back to look up at him. Luckily, he noticed, and crouched so that they were seeing eye to eye, then smiled not like he wanted to take over the world, but like Mommy did when he’d had a nightmare and was too scared to say he wanted to sleep in her bed and needed her to hold him, the smile that said she knew something was wrong and he didn’t have to say if he didn’t want to. “Oh? Perhaps I can help. Do you know where you live, child?”
He nodded and managed to move one hand from his head to point down the street. He really shouldn’t tell a Bad Guy where he lived, but he’d said he would help, and he was strong too (not as strong as the Avengers but still) and maybe Mommy wouldn’t be mad that he’d talked to a Villain so long as he found her for him.
Bad Guy nodded like he’d just realized something important. “They evacuated that area. You should have gone with them, she must be terrified,” He scolded, still a smooth voice that made him feel better, safer, somehow.
He shook his head, feeling a little more confident, and moved his other hand away but didn’t stand up yet. “Mommy left a long time ago,” He explained urgently, and Bad Guy looked surprised and a little angry for a moment, but then smiled again in a way he hadn’t seen before. It was scary, but again he could imagine Mommy looking at him like that, so he didn’t scream even though he kind of wanted to.
“I see. How did this happen?” The Avengers were gathering in the background now, and Thor was yelling (”Do not harm him, Brother!” ), but the rest were keeping him back and pointing at the tilting building, saying things he couldn't hear. He wasn't sure why Thor was so worried, because the Bad Guy hadn’t done anything yet, but he was glad they were there anyway.
Papa told him he was never supposed to talk about how Mommy went away again, but Papa wasn’t there, and he had asked… “She was coming to get me from school and never got there. Papa said she went to Heaven, but I can’t drive so I can’t find her,” He explained quietly- when Mommy left the car went with her though, so he hadn’t asked Papa to follow her either, even though he used to drive all over.
The Bad Guy’s face softened again, and he looked so sad that he stood up normally again and held the man's hand, like brother always did for him when he was upset. The sadness was still there, but so was that smile again, so maybe brother was right that touch helped with the kind of hurt you couldn’t see. “I see. Well, heaven is very far away. I don’t think you can get there by car.” That was the same voice the teachers used, or the pastor used, or his brother used right before they said they couldn’t help him- and he spoke up quickly, scared that the man in golden armor was about to tell him the same thing. It was rude to interrupt, he knew that, but he was scared that even this person only the Avengers could beat might not be able to find Mommy either.
“Mommy did though,” He explained, but that didn’t make the Bad Guy look any less sad either , so he kept talking. “But you can fly, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can fly.” His voice was still soft, but the Avengers had stopped like they could hear him too; which made sense, they were all superheroes. They were better at everything than normal people.
“Even higher than Iron Man?”
His smile was slightly less sad this time, and there was a bit of laughter when he nodded. “Yes. Even higher than Iron Man.”
“Higher than Thor?” He wondered with a whispered touch of amazement. After all, the bad guys almost always escaped in the end, so maybe they had to be really good at going far away. And since He was the Bad Guy, maybe he’d gone all the way to where Mommy was now, and even talked to her or seen her while he was waiting for a safe chance to come down.
“Oh, yes, much higher than Thor.” Bad Guy nodded again, this time raising his voice so that the others could definitely hear him. “But don’t be too impressed by that. My brother’s a bit of an imbecile, my standards are much higher than that.”
“Loki!” Thor had calmed down somehow, looking less angry and much less scary, and gave his brother a thin-eyed look, shoulders hunched like the kids at school who’d been scolded and were mad about it. “That’s rude, don’t tell him things like that.”
Loki was a good name, and it fit the person in front of him better than Bad Guy did, now that he thought about it. “So can you fly all the way up to heaven? Mommy doesn’t know we want her back,” He whispered, deciding he could be brave enough to reach out and tug at Loki’s big green cape, even though he had to stop touching his hand to do it. “I’m scared of heights, but I’ll go with you. So you don’t get lost coming back.”
“Thank you for the offer.” Loki smiled again, and didn’t even turn around when Captain America snapped Shut up for once, okay? and glared at Iron Man, who crossed his arms and again said something that he couldn’t quite hear. It was strange, to see them arguing, and he couldn't tell what about, but that was okay, this was all strange, but if it worked... “But I’m afraid they don’t want me where your mother is. Don’t worry though, I’m sure she already knows you’re looking for her- she’ll wait for you, If you’re good.”
What? He couldn’t get to her? Tears started to sting at his eyes again, but he was too old to cry, so he blinked his eyes really quickly to clear them away. “You don’t have to go in. You can call for her from outside,” He pleaded, though he didn’t understand why Heaven wouldn’t want Loki. He was being nice, and Heaven was for nice people, wasn’t it?
“I don’t think they would let her come with me,” Loki apologized. Apparently he wasn’t hiding his tears well enough, because the Villain put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye, his smile again just too sad. “And she wouldn’t like it if I took you to see her either. It’s not safe for people who haven’t been invited yet.”
“How do I get invited?” Maybe there was still some hope- Loki seemed to know a lot about Heaven, maybe he knew how to get there, even if he’d said he himself couldn’t go.
“Oh, you don’t want that.” Loki shook his head, a bit of worry mixing with sadness. He couldn’t tell why the older man was sad, but he knew that he didn’t want him to be, so even though he was still sniffling back tears, and it had been a long time since he'd done it at all, he hugged him around the cold metal armor. Loki looked startled for a moment, even scared, and turned around like he didn’t know what to do, but when he looked back he hugged him too, a little awkwardly. He didn’t seem so sad anymore, so again big brother’s advice had worked. “Not yet anyway. If you’re very good for a very long time you’ll be invited eventually, but you have to be patient, and don’t try to see her until she calls for you. Understand?”
Understand? “Not really,” He admitted quietly; why couldn't he see Mommy? Why did he need her to call for him first? She’d never cared if he went into her room without permission, or if Papa took him to work to surprise her. Showing up and surprising her in Heaven would make her really happy, even if he didn’t have an invitation. He could always wait outside and ask someone to bring her to him, right? They said there were gates to Heaven when they talked about it in church, maybe they could just talk through those if they wouldn’t let her leave.
“Neither do I, really,” Loki admitted and pulled away from the hug, keeping a hand on his shoulders. Adults never admitted when they didn’t know something unless they were trying to get kids to stop asking questions, so for a second he was worried that he’d been too annoying and that Loki wanted him to leave. But he looked like he was telling the truth, the same way brother did when he didn’t have to lie for once, like he was uncomfortable saying something he really meant. His heart dropped, because if Loki didn’t know who would? “My daughter knows much better than I do. She takes care of people where your mother is, you know.”
“Really?” He didn’t remember anybody at church saying anything about a girl helping everyone in Heaven- it was always “He” or “Father” and sometimes “Son”- but if Loki had a daughter who could talk to Mommy for them… “Can you give her a letter for me?” He whispered nervously, trying not to downcast his eyes like he always did when he had to ask for a favor. His brother always said that might make people think you didn’t really want their help, and Mommy had said that when she was at work or visiting somewhere he could always count on his brother for advice.
“I can’t bring anything with me when I talk to her, but I can take her a message.” Loki promised. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to speak with your mother if I ask.”
He didn’t have any paper, or a pencil, or even any crayons, but he still wished he could write something, instead. He looked nervously over at the Avengers, but now only Thor was pacing by the collapsed building while Captain America and the Black Widow where still nearby, leaning in close and whispering to each other the way adults always did when they had the bad kind of secret. He didn’t know when or where the others had gone, but those two looked busy, so nobody would be able to hear him but Loki, which wasn’t so bad, and if it meant he could let Mommy know how much he missed her…
“I want Mommy to know that I miss her, and that if she wants to come home Papa and I still save her a plate at dinner,” He began quietly, looking down rather than meeting Loki’s eye. It was embarrassing talking to Mommy through somebody else, especially the Bad Guy, the one he’d only known before now as that black-cloaked man who laughed while he destroyed people’s houses. Maybe it was good that it was him instead of one of the Heroes though, he didn’t think he’d want them to know that he was upset or think he was a crybaby. “And um… I’ve been doing my chores and everything, and my grades are getting better. Big brother comes by a lot more often now, so Papa doesn’t drink too much of that stuff you don’t like.” He was lying, sort of, because brother was so busy all the time and Papa never was anymore, but Mommy might not want to come home if she thought it wasn’t how she liked it.
Loki nodded to show that he had heard everything, and he would have been worried if he hadn’t known Thor’s brother was very smart and would remember every word he’d said, even if he couldn’t write it down. “My tummy hurt a few days ago, and I know you could have made it better if you were there, so please come home soon, Mommy.” He was running out of words, and for some reason the more he talked the more he wanted to cry, and he had to wipe his eyes quickly before Loki saw anything. “I tried to find you, but I’m not allowed wherever you are yet. I really want to see you though, I promise.”
He didn’t know what else to say now, except ‘I love you’, but he couldn’t make himself actually say it even though he had a feeling Loki would know to tell his daughter anyway. He wanted to meet her himself, so he could thank her for watching Mommy and everyone else she was with now, but he didn’t want to be told that she was another one of those things he couldn’t see yet. When he looked up again Loki’s sad smile was gone, and he wasn’t crying but there was something watery about his eyes that wasn’t too far off. He quickly started to apologize- it was mean to make people cry, and he hadn’t meant to upset Loki, really he hadn’t- but before he could even say sorry there was a familiar shout and he looked up in time to see somebody sprinting toward them through the rubble, looking very different in a penguin tux with a gun in hand.
“Phil!” He said, because big brother didn’t like to be called big brother, and ran to meet his sibling halfway.
Brother stopped in his tracks and bent to return the hug that was thrown around his waist without, it felt, really thinking about it. He didn’t say hello like he normally did, or pick him up and spin him around, and when he looked up Phil was looking angrily at Loki, and had tightened his grip around him so that it almost hurt. “Widow, you should know better than to let Laufeyson come anywhere near a civilian,” Brother said in a cold voice that was so different from how he was at home that he looked up in surprise, scared he’d done something wrong. Normally brother was so happy to see him, especially when they’d gone so long without a visit. It had been almost three weeks since the last one. “Who collapsed the office?”
“Stark. You know how he gets,” The Black Widow scoffed, rolling her eyes and shrugging off Phil’s unwelcoming tone. “Laufeyson saved the kid. Cap decided it would be sound not to interrupt them, and he’s given no indication of meaning any harm yet.”
Loki had stood up again and turned around so that he could see his face now, just as cold as brother’s. It was scary to see these two people, who he knew could be so kind and made everything better when they smiled, looking so dangerous. “I was not aware you had any siblings, agent Coulson. How… domestic.” Loki’s lip curled unpleasantly, but his eyes still weren’t quite dry, and when the god met his gaze he smiled again, easing his worry a little.
“He’s not exactly my sibling,” Phil replied sharply, though they both knew that didn’t matter- he’d always been the one to say it anyway, when he first showed up at their door.
Loki raised an eyebrow but looked quickly toward Thor with some of that same old sadness (Thor looked up eagerly and took a half step forward, but stopped and shrunk back again before actually saying anything) before his eyes fixed on big brother again. He hated to see that they were still slightly teary, but he did think the green looked nicer this way- sharper. Mommy said the eyes were the window to the soul- and always laughed afterward at how silly the truth sounded- and Loki had nice eyes. “I am surprised at you, really. I thought your lot were more capable than that- this child was left alone to wander here in the midst of our battle. If I had not seen him he may very well have died.”
“We ordered a full evacuation the moment you decided to start ruining people’s lives around this section of the city,” Phil retorted, standing up and keeping a firm hand on his shoulder without ever looking away from Loki. He wished he would put the gun away, at least- it made him seem so different than the brother he needed right now. “Cut to the chase, Laufeyson. I want to know what’s going on here, and why the team apparently decided you were doing something important enough that they didn’t arrest you the moment you hit the ground.”
Captain America and the Widow looked at each other with odd expressions, like they’d bit into something sort of sour, but Thor just took his chance to speak without apprehension. “Yes, brother. What trickery motivates this change of heart?”
Thor’s voice was so unfriendly that he stared at him in surprise- he was an Avenger, one of the good guys, but he was looking at Loki in a way that was undeniably mean, dooubtful. Loki himself clenched his fists and looked like he wanted to walk over and hit both of their brothers, but to everyone’s surprise he only shook his head. “Let me speak with your brother a moment longer, first. We weren’t finished talking.” He asked quietly, in a way that could have been friendly or dangerous.
Phil looked like he was going to refuse flat out, but his brother looked down and he didn’t have to fake the pleading expression that he normally reserved for passing an ice cream stand when Papa had said ‘no treats’. Phil's icy look didn’t change, but he nodded, anyway, even if he didn’t move his hand away. “Five minutes, Laufeyson. And don’t you dare leave my sight,” He snapped, waiting for Loki to roll his eyes and nod before letting go of his shoulders.
He was happy to see his brother, of course, but the initial excitement had faded somewhat and he ran as fast as he could back to Loki, who laughed at his enthusiasm and let him take his hand when he was close enough. Seeing Phil again had reminded him that he wasn’t completely done with his not-letter to Mommy, not just yet.
-
Coulson kept his eyes trained on Loki and the kid as they walked away-just out of hearing distance- and didn’t turn away or relax his glare even when the god crouched down to his level again and merely brushed off the dust that had gathered along his clothes. Steve couldn’t hear, but it looked like he was laughing at something Loki had said, which was practically a miracle in and of itself. The kid had a too-familiar haunted look, something that had plagued the cities during the war, and it had been hard to imagine him laughing at anything again for a long while.
Thor was watching them too, looking if possible even more suspicious, though he turned after a few moments to face the rest of them (sans Tony, who had flown off to inform SHIELD what was up, since Loki’d taken the liberty of destroying their communicators nearly half an hour ago) with a confused sort of frown. “I do not believe my brother means the child any harm, though I cannot guess his purpose.”
“Who is that kid, Coulson?” Steve would never have guessed that their team leader (despite what people insisted on calling himself, or Tony, or sometimes Thor) had any siblings. He’d never mentioned a family, but none of the rest of them ever had either, unless said family happened to be destroying the city. They all had their demons better left buried. “Is he really your brother?”
“No. Not really.” Coulson at least seemed to realize that Loki was, for the moment, done with his random acts of violence and turned to look at Steve while he answered, eyes as unreadable as ever. “There was a teacher at his school we believed to be involved in a terrorist threat. When he entered a big brother program I went undercover as his surrogate sibling in order to gain access to the teacher. We caught her planting a bomb in the cafeteria half a year later, two weeks after Aaron’s mother died in a car crash on the way to see him in the school play.”
Thor’s suspicion seemed to vanish in an instant, and the look of horror and concern he turned toward Loki and the kid could have been directed at either of them for all Steve knew. For his own part he’d simply stared at Coulson, torn between fury at whatever sick person would plant a bomb in an elementary school and a slight pain in his chest for Aaron’s situation. A car crash. Thank god Tony wasn’t back yet. Coulson just nodded after watching them all for a moment, then continued. “His father blamed him for it. From what I understand he’s always been a drunk, but he became violent. I remained undercover, and as a favor Fury let me handle the situation, at first. In four days child services will arrive and take him somewhere else.”
Coulson was perfectly unreadable, but Steve didn’t need to see any hints of how he felt to know. When the kid was taken to a different family their connection would be broken, and Coulson would no longer be around to watch his “brother” grow up. He was so good at his job that the rest of them sometimes forgot it, but their handler was only human- he thought and felt like one as well as any of them.
“I want to know why Laufeyson’s so interested,” Natasha cut in darkly, folding her arms to glare at the god of mischief as he offered Aaron his helmet to touch, laughing at the boy’s excitement.
Before any of them had to respond a crack cut through the air, and about ten seconds after that booster jets hit the ground ten feet off. Iron Man was back. If it was possible for a suit of armor to look terrified then this one did- and Steve was already answering Tony’s questions before he’d finished sprinting over to ask them.
“Loki’s given no indication of violence, it looks like he really just wants to talk with the kid.” Steve knew Tony would be looking at him incredulously under the mask, but he was wearing his own and didn’t have to show anything more than a shrug.
If they could understand Loki he wouldn’t very well be the god of chaos, now would he?
“This is fucking ridiculous. Who thought it would be a good idea to leave Loki with the toddler? The kid’s defenseless!” Tony protested, the armor whirring slightly as he turned to look at all of them in turn, clearly searching for somebody who agreed with him.
Coulson only raised an emotionless eyebrow and went back to watching the pair of them, and Thor clapped a heavy, solemn hand on Tony’s shoulder so hard that the metal rung with the force. “I do not think my brother will harm the child, Man of Iron. He wants only to speak with him.”
Confident, considering he had been the one trying to rush at Loki earlier, when they didn’t know why that kid was there or what Loki could possibly have to say to him. But the news of Aaron’s mother’s death seemed to have brought some realization to Thor, and Steve didn’t see any point contesting it. “Yeah, sure. We’re talking about the guy who kills hundreds of people every time he blows a city sky high- ‘the hell should this kid be any different?”
“I believe my brother never means for children to die in his attacks,” Thor said simply, now following his gaze to watch as Loki stood, mouth still moving with words they couldn’t hear, and offered his hand to Aaron. The boy, without an ounce of anxiety, took it and let himself be led back to the rest of them, though he looked down shyly as he realized almost all of the Avengers had gathered in that one spot. Clint, still on sniper duty, was probably just wondering why he hadn’t been given the all-clear to fire on Loki yet.
“Laufeyson. Step away now,” Coulson snapped as soon as they were close enough. Loki narrowed his eyes and for a long, silent moment the two held gazes, until the god slowly released his hand and took one mockingly theatrical step backward. Aaron turned to him, looking confused, but Coulson was by his side before he could ask anything. “Dad’s going to be worried. You shouldn’t sneak off, you know, it’s dangerous.”
There, a brotherly tone for the first time-Steve saw something in Aaron visibly relax, though the boy was still looking too shy to do more than shuffle his feet. “I wanted to see Mommy, that’s all," He whispered, barely audible. Steve pretended he couldn’t hear, and continued to look at Loki rather than the kid himself.
“Act too recklessly and you just might," Coulson muttered just as quietly though Aaron, not meeting his brother’s eyes, might not have noticed. “I’m walking you back. Promise me you won’t sneak off again.”
“Promise,” The boy conceded, but not without looking toward Loki first, waiting for the god’s nod before answering.
A muscle twitched in Coulson’s jaw, but he only placed a hand on Aaron’s shoulder and gave him a brief nudge to turn him around. “If he’s still here in five minutes detain him, I don’t care how you do it,” He commanded briefly before taking a few steps forward- after which Aaron halted suddenly and turned toward Loki again, looking almost anxious.
“Am I gonna see you again?” He wondered. Steve could see something warring behind Loki’s eyes, too close to fear, and the god made no response until he’d glanced almost nervously at Thor, even glared again at Coulson.
Then nodded. “Of course. Burn a candle and I’ll come by, but make sure you say my name when you do it, or I won’t know.”
The kid beamed and Coulson- Coulson said nothing. He watched Loki for a moment then turned away and whispered something to Aaron before they both continued down the street. Steve thought of what he’d said earlier, how child services would be taking the poor kid somewhere else in less than a week, and understood his silence. Loki was dangerous, but if Coulson couldn’t be around to watch Aaron than at least somebody would, whenever he was needed.
Tony, who hadn’t heard the first half of the explanation, didn’t get it. He seemed furious, and before Steve thought twice he’d dived forward to catch and misdirect the Iron Man glove as it shot off, having been prepared to blast Loki back a good ten feet. “What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you doing, letting somebody like you anywhere near some kid? Why? What’s with the false sympathy? Gonna start handing out flowers soon? Walk old lady’s dogs?”
Steve didn’t let go of Tony’s arm even when he’d finished shouting, but neither he nor Loki looked on the verge of attack anymore. “Why? Because, Anthony Stark, I have watched my own children as they were torn from my arms, crying for their mother- I would not let such a thing be so. Even in this world.”
Thor stepped forward, halfway through the word “Brother”, but before any of them could even blink Loki was gone. Tony growled, sounding more frustrated and confused than angry, and shot his repulsor at the empty space where the god had been. Steve saw no point stopping him. “That guy’s crazy. Bipolar son of a…” He clenched his fists but said no more, and nobody spoke up to agree with him, though Steve found he would happily have done the opposite. He’d never had more doubts about the man who'd forced them to become the Avengers than he did now, watching the far-off back of a young boy as he spoke excitedly to his brother who wasn’t, oblivious as to what would happen to his world in four days.