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Chapter Text

Loki stormed the stupid palace, ignoring the stupid guards with their stupid faces and stupid weapons. It was safe to say that everyone in Asgard was stupid and he was not.

How dare Thor laugh at him! Him! Loki! Loki scowled as his wet shoes squeaked across the floor, further embarrassing me.

Mere minutes earlier, Loki had innocently been trying to use the grown up toilet, too lazy to travel to a bathroom with a smaller, more suitable toilet. Everything was going well until Loki accidentally fell back, getting stuck in the toilet. He had sobbed until Thor found him and rescued him from that death machine and just when he was going to thank Thor, he looked up to see Thor fighting back a laugh!

It was truly devastating to see Thor laugh at his plight. Loki truly believed it'd hurt less to be struck down by mjolnir. Thor had taken him to mother and his voice had shook with laughter as he explained what had happened. And then even mother had laughed!

Loki had ran off in tears, furious that he was being mocked. He needed to get out of Asgard. He was obviously very unappreciated here! He clutched Ulf, who had thankfully not even smiled a little at his toilet entrapment and ran straight to the library.

Unbeknownst to many, the vast library was one of many spots that hosted old portals to different realms. He ran straight to the first one and did the most logical thing and threw himself in it.

He did not care that he had no weapons. He had the clothes on his back and his trusty Ulf who would always protect him!

Loki groaned, his stomach twisting as he was deposited into somewhere dark. Ow! That hurt!

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, was casually strolling in the park when he heard a thump, followed by a high pitched whine of pain. Thinking perhaps a small animal had gotten hurt, he turned round in search of the source of the noise. He scanned the park, confused at the lack of a source until he saw a peculiar sight. In a nearby trash can, he could see two tiny legs poking out and flailing. He ran over, gasping at the sight.

“A baby?” He gasped, pulling the child out.

The boy had an oddly familiar look to him, messy black hair, odd Shakespearean like clothing and bright green eyes. The poor thing was soaking wet with some nachos from the trash crushed in his hair, sauce sticking clumps together. He was clutching a strange cat stuffie as he looked around before his eyes landed on Steve.

“Hey buddy, where did you come from?” Steve held him right, brushing his hair from his face.

The boy expectantly burst into tears, sobbing in his arms. What the hell?!

“Shhh shhh it's ok, buddy.” Steve cooed, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around the boy. “Hey, are you hurt?”

The boy shook his head but continued to cry. It was a relief but there was still much to do. Pulling out his phone, he immediately dialled Tony's number. When he didn't pick up, he sighed and called Pepper instead, hoping she was not busy although the odds were against him.

“Hello?” Her voice answered after a few rings and Steve thanked God she answered.

“Hi, Pepper. Are you busy?”

“No, I'm just having breakfast. Is that a kid crying?” She asked, hearing the sound of the boy bawling in his arms.

“Well I'm on my morning walk in the park and I found a baby in the trash crying. He's fully soaked, too. It's like someone dumped the poor boy in the pond and then threw him in the trash.” He heard her sharp gasp and some shuffling.

“Oh my god! Is he hurt?” She quickly asked.

“Doesn't look it. I'm bringing him to the compound for now.” He answered back, walking.

“Wait, don't we need to call CPS?” Pepper questioned, her voice laced with confusion.

“Here's the thing… His clothes look Asgardian. And he looks like Loki.” The boys eyes widened as if he recognized the name.

Did Loki have a son Thor neglected to mention? Steve could not picture any woman getting close enough to Loki to make a baby with him but Loki's evil villain attitude had maybe attracted at least one girl who liked the whole ‘bad boy’ persona.

In no time, Pepper had arranged for Steve and the mystery boy to be brought to the compound. Steve had tried to ask questions but the boy seemed adamant on not talking to him.

They still had no information on where he was from, who he was or what had happened to him. Bruce was available but the boy had become distraught at the sight of him, screaming ‘monster’ over and over. The crestfallen scientist, assuming the boy was scared of him due to the hulk, had told Steve that he would bring a paediatrician over to check up on the strange boy.

After determining that was nothing physically wrong with him, Pepper had bathed him and dressed him in some clothes an assistant had brought. Currently Pepper was spoon feeding the boy some cereal on her lap as he eagerly awaited the return of his stuffed cat, who was currently in the wash.

“Who's the kid?” Pepper turned to see Natasha and Clint walking in, eyeing the boy.

The boy scowled at Clint, which was unusual.

“Steve found him in the park in a trash can.” They both winced at that and Pepper sympathised with them.

Asgardian or not, no child deserved to be chucked away.

“How come he's here?” Clint sat down in front of the kid, eyebrows furrowed at the displeased reaction on his face.

“Steve thinks he's Asgardian. The physical exam came back and he's definitely not human.”

“Silly mortals!” The kid piped up, huffing with a pout.

“Well that confirms it. I'm guessing we're expecting a visit from Thor?”

“Thor? Why Thor?” Stark walked in with Steve, who had no doubt explained the situation.

“Well Thor said some guy is always watching. Unless the kids been banished I reckon that guy has told him so the kid can be brought back.” Pepper turned to him, running one hand through the boys hair, smiling when he melted into her touch.

“No!” The boy squeaked out angrily, slapping his hands against his little legs.

“You don't want to go back?” She asked, concerned.

“No! No! Thor's mean!” The boy protested as Pepper put the bowl of cereal down on the coffee table in case he knocked into her and spilled it.

“You know Thor?” Tony's eyes widened.

“He's a prince, everyone in Asgard knows him.” Natasha raised a brow, her head tilting at how familiar the looked.

“Why is he mean, kiddo?” Clint knelt down only for the boy to bury his head into Peppers chest to hide away from him.

“I am so glad I'm not a father- ow!” Tony exclaimed as Natasha punched him in the gut lightly.

Before anyone could say anything, a bright light shone from the balcony, momentarily blinding them all.

Chapter Text

“Our saviour is here.” Clint smirked as Thor appeared from the Bi Frost, not carrying mjolnir but… A toy?

It was a large wooden toy chariot with gold linings.

“You replaced your hammer, Thor?” Tony chuckled as the boy scrambled behind the couch, alarming Pepper.

“Loki! Come out!” The man walked inside, looking around.

Immediately they all became alert, standing tensely.

“Whoa whoa Loki's here?” Tony panicked, remembering their last encounter.

“No he is not!” The boy huffed from behind the couch.

Immediately Pepper knelt beside him, wanting to shield him in case Loki attacked him. Who knew where that maniac's morals lay?

“Yes. Fear not, he will cause no harm, Avengers.” Thor attempted to placate as Steve stood beside Pepper.

“Like hell he won't, he's a murdering monster!”

“I thought he was locked up!”

“He mind controlled me. That son of a bitch should be executed for what he did to me!”

“ENOUGH!” Thor roared, silencing them all.

The blonde god was a sight to behold when angered and the group were glad he was on their side when they saw the rage in his eyes. Thor stormed to the couch, easily lifting it up with one hand and looking down at the toddler behind it, who had covered his eyes.

“Let us go home, brother.” Thor's voice was far more gentle when addressing him.

Thor had another brother? That was definitely a surprise to the others. Maybe his parents decided to have another child after the disaster Loki had been.

“I am not here, Thor. You waste your time.” The boy hmpfed, shaking his head.

“I can see you.”

“No you cannot. For I am not here.”

The sight would be more amusing if they weren't all paranoid about a certain black haired power hungry on the loose.

Bruce wandered in, holding the little cat stuffie. “Hey, I dried this for the boy. Oh Thor! Hey buddy.”

The boy tensed at Bruce's voice and scurried straight to Thor, who put the couch down and picked him up, cradling him close.

“We were worried, brother. You must not run off. It is dangerous.” Thor chided.

“So back on the whole Loki thing.” Clint urged, holding his bow tight.

Thor turned to his friends, putting the toy chariot down on the coffee table next to the cereal with a tense expression.

“My friends, it is time you meet Loki.” Their eyes widened but before anything could be said, he continued. “The true Loki.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Tony poured himself a drink, knowing he was bound to have a headache after whatever explanation Thor provided.

“This is Loki.” Thor gestured to the boy, who had his head buried in Thor.

Yells erupted around the room and up in Bruce turning slightly green, Thor quickly talked.

“Listen to me! He is harmless.”

“Yeah, he really showed that when he tried to take over the world.” Clint sarcastically scoffed.

“He's a monster, Thor. When you said he'd be punished by Asgard I wasn't expecting this but it doesn't change the fact that Loki is inherently evil. He's dangerous. He causes death and destruction wherever he goes-” Tony's rant was interrupted by the bifrost once again.

They turned over to see a blonde beautiful older woman in an exquisite golden dress walking over with hear held highly.

“Mama!” Loki turned over, surprising them with big tears rolling down his face.

“Oh, my poor thing! What were you thinking?” she walked over, scooping over Loki into her arms.

“You're Queen Frigga.” Natasha hid her surprise at seeing a magical Queen goddess in front of her.

“Indeed. You must be Lady Natasha. My son speaks highly of you all.” She smiled gracefully.

“Uh, welcome your majesty.” Tony awkwardly put his glass down before thinking better and downing it one go and then putting it down.

“I believe we owe you an explanation.” She patted Loki’s back. “Is there perhaps a room Loki and I could go to whilst Thor explains exactly how this happened? I am afraid he has been rather startled.”

Tony nodded, looking around. “Uh, yeah. Bruce, take em to somewhere. Anyway.”

“Wha- me?” Bruce panicked, looking back between Loki and Tony.

“You're right. Uhm… Pepper! You up for the job? Since you're the only one without history. Technically.” Tony turned to her.

Pepper frowned, staring at Loki before nodding. “Yeah, why not?”

Chapter Text

Soon, Pepper was leading Frigga down to a frequently empty sitting area.

“Mama, home. They're so mean. Said I c-cause death and I break ‘fings and is evil.” Loki whimpered, wiping his tears.

Frigga gasped, holding him tighter. “Vile lies! Loki, you are nothing of the sort.”

She clearly was horrified by the hostility her boy had been met with. Pepper couldn't blame her. The older Loki was much easier to hurl insults at. This little Loki who liked cheerios and stuffed cats was much more difficult to insult. And those eyes! Pepper wanted to wipe away his tears herself but figured she would be overstepping.

“They're mean, mama!” Loki hiccuped. “Kill ‘em.”

Frigga sighed sympathetically, shaking her head. “Ignorance is not a reason for execution, Loki.”

“Um… Can I get you anything to drink, your majesty?” Pepper awkwardly interjected, feeling as though she was intruding.

Frigga turned to her, opening her mouth to reply only for Loki to talk first. “Mama she's nice. And p'etty. Don’ kill her.”

“There will be no killing, my darling.” Frigga rubbed his head, turning to Pepper. “Thank you for showing him hospitality. I do understand that this must have been difficult due to Loki's past actions.”

That was certainly one way to put it but she wasn't about to say anything to the literal Queen in front of her. “Oh, it's no problem. He's a good kid.”

Should she do it? Should she ask about this? The queen did seem nice and Pepper was sure the woman liked her.

“If you don't mind me asking…” she waited to see if Queen Frigga reacted negatively at all, guessing the woman knew what Pepper was about to ask. “Why is he… small?”

“Big.” Loki sniffled, wiping away stray tears as he calmed down, curling into her lap and huffing.

“Yeah, you're a pretty big boy aren't you? I'm just curious because the last time I saw you… You were a little bigger.” She emphasised the word little, hoping he wouldn't get upset with her.

Thankfully he merely nodded and allowed his mother to continue, “Many years ago our darling Loki here cast a spell which unfortunately impacted the eyes and minds of all. We believed we had seen him grow up but those memories were all false. Loki's true age is the one you see now.”

Pepper stared at Loki, who self consciously gripped his mother's dress. This… Baby? Toddler? Had been the one to attack New York.

“So Loki was actually a child when attacking New York?” Pepper slowly asked for clarification, unsure of whether or not it was a sensitive topic.

“No’ a child! ‘M on da cusp of adul'hood.” Loki piped up, shaking his head.

“No, you are a child. You are not yet close to adulthood and it is wise of you to stop pretending. You are such a sweet boy, there is no need to rush. After all, adults do not get naps, do they?” Frigga tutted.

Loki's eyes widened at the mention of his beloved naps and he immediately shook his head, causing the two women to chuckle.

Frigga turned back to Pepper, gently smiling. “Indeed he was. That was a rather silly decision, was it not?”

A silly decision was a bit of an understatement but Pepper awkwardly nodded as Loki huffed, clearly unhappy with being lightly scolded.

“I wan’ed a throne.” Loki grumbled.

“But you made a bit of a mess trying to obtain one, sweetling.” Frigga pet his hair gently before turning to Pepper once again. “I am ever so sorry about Loki's tantrum.”

Pepper, startled at such a choice of words, awkwardly stuttered out. “T-tantrum?”

Frigga nodded as if there was nothing odd about the statement. “I assure you he will not be doing it again unless he wishes to spend his playtime thinking about his actions.”

Pepper tilted her head in confusion. “He got a timeout for the whole… Invasion thing?”

Frigga seemed rather confused before laughing slightly, looking down before looking hack up. “I apologise. It must seem strange to you for such a lighthearted punishment. Loki's true age was discovered before he could receive a true punishment. In addition to this, Midgard is seen as… Primitive.”

Pepper tried not to seem offended at her words, reminding herself this was a literal Goddess who lived thousands of years. “I see.”

“To us… It is equivalent to Loki harassing some deer in the woods. Sure, he may have taken it too far trying to claim ownership of your little realm but Midgardian lives are just not as valuable as Asgardian lives. Thus no heavy punishment was delivered.” She turned back to Loki. “Although you should be lucky you were not put over your fathers knee!”

Loki blanched at that but the group was distracted by the door knocking.

“Who is it?” Pepper called, Loki shifting to sit in his mother's lap.

If any of these dumb mortals tried to harm him his mama would show them who was boss!

“Uh, me.” a hesitant voice replied.

Oh no! That was the voice of the scary green monster man! He had really hurt Loki back then. Loki made sure he protected his mama, wrapping his arms as far as they could go! The nice midgardian lady was in danger though! Loki reached into the pocket of his mamas dress, trying to find a dagger.

“What are you doing, you silly boy?” Frigga chuckled, taking his hand.

No! He needed to have a weapon!

“Monster!” He urgently squealed, trying to grab onto anything sharp and pointy in her pockets.

“Oh, Bruce isn't a monster. He's our friend.” His new friend Pepper laughed gently.

How could they be friends with a big scary unnaturally coloured monster?! Loki froze. He was a big scary unnaturally coloured monster. Mother had told him he was not but… It was still difficult to accept especially when people still did not like frost giants.

Loki frowned. Was he treating the green monster the way Asgardians treated Jotuns? No, surely not. After all, he had witnessed the monsters rage and been beaten up quite harshly by it. Loki winced just thinking about it.