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If someone had told Loki years ago that one day he would be doing a children's magic show, he would have laughed at the pure absurdity.
If he could talk to that past Loki, he would tell him that he was the happiest he'd ever been, and part of that happiness was being called "Uncle Loki" by the children in the audience, eagerly waiting for him to show off his tricks.
They were in Tony and Pepper's backyard, blankets laid out on the ground where his crowd resided - Lila, Cooper, Nathaniel, Peter, Harley, Abby, Morgan, Cassie, Alex, and, of course, the birthday twins, Tommy and Billy. The now-five year old boys had requested he do a magic show and Loki wasn't about to turn them down. They could have asked Dr. Strange to do it, or even their mother, yet they asked for him, and that meant more than he would ever admit.
He brought his "A Game," as Scott jokingly encouraged him to do. He pulled out all the stops - every illusion he could think of, conjuring bubbles and confetti as easy as he could a dagger, turning himself invisible, teleporting and reappearing in different outfits and poses and even as other Avengers so he could imitate them, and changing into several different animals. It got cheers and laughter from the kids as well as from the rest of the huge family who stood close by or near the tables full of food.
"We should do 'get help,' brother!" Thor suggested at one point, chuckling as Loki focused on levitating the children. Thankfully, they were too enthralled by his magic to catch onto the idea and insist on knowing what the blonde was talking about. Loki shot a glare at his brother.
"Absolutely not," he replied. Thor only laughed harder. Loki fought back the grin trying to form on his face, raising the kids as high in the air as he dared lest the parents get nervous before putting them back down on the blankets.
"For my next trick," he announced with a flourish, having watched more than a few magic shows to deliver a performance worthy of the party. He even wore his Slytherin robe that Tony got him after the whole de-aging debacle back in November, occasionally pulling out the wand Tony also bought him with the outfit. "I need the birthday boys to step on up."
Tommy was there in a flash - literally, his speed had him on Loki's left in an instant. Billy hopped up to stand on his other side. Both bounced on their heels with excitement.
"What do you want us to do, Uncle Loki?" Tommy asked.
"I want both of you to try and stand still." He said, not expecting it to be possible. They did their best, vibrating in place with their contained excitement, and Loki had to bite back a chuckle. "I'm going to temporarily swap your appearances. Is that alright?" When they both nodded, he pulled the wand from his robes's inner pocket. He waved it in a circle for dramatic effect before lightly tapping the top of each of their heads as the fingers of his other hand snapped behind his back. Instantly, the two boys swapped appearances - hair lengthening and shortening, clothes changing, their subtle differences shifting. It was only a simple illusion yet it enraptured their attention.
He let it go on for a minute before switching them back with two more head taps and a second snap. It was then he noticed Pepper waving. When he raised a brow, she pointed out Steve and Bucky, carefully carrying out the giant blue and green birthday cake from inside the house.
"Do either of you have a last request before we eat?" He asked the two.
"Turn into a snake!" They answered at once.
This time, Loki didn't hold back his chuckle. Despite all of them knowing he could turn into a snake at will without any guestures, he tapped the top of his own head before transforming into the same green snake as he'd always used to startle Thor when they were children.
Billy gingerly picked him up and he wrapped around the boy's arm, sticking his tongue out and doing a mock bow to the clapping audience. He was passed around from kid to kid until Tony called them to come gather around the cake. Tommy put him on the ground where he could transform back into himself and join them.
"Thank you for the show, Uncle Loki." Billy said, grabbing his hand as they walked the short distance to the picnic table that held the three tiered cake and tubs of vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream.
"Yeah!" Tommy seized his other hand, walking backwards. "You are awesome!"
"It was no problem." Really, the tricks were easy as breathing. Once he would have thought himself above doing them, especially for something so trivial as the birthday party for two Midgardian children. Now, it was completely worth it for the warm sensation in his heart. "You're welcome."
Soon, everyone surrounded the cake, Tommy and Billy held in the arms of their parents where they could actually be seen over the dessert as well as blow out their candles. They sang the Happy Birthday song, which Loki didn't expect to be so simple yet have so many variations, and then cake was served, cut with Wanda's magic. The inside was also chocolate and vanilla.
They dispersed afterward, groups forming as they had throughout the party, and Loki found himself standing with Tony while he ate. He'd never expected Midgardian food to be as delicious as it was - it had a quality to it that made it unique to Asgard in a good way.
He glanced over at the genius, finding him looking over the party with a look that was somehow happy yet somber. Loki wasn't entirely sure who Tony was to him. A friend, for certain, but his time as a child and the way he found himself trusting Tony Stark because of that incident was different than how he viewed other Avengers. He didn't know how to define it or if he even needed to. Tony was like a brother, or a father-figure, or something in-between that had no name. No matter what, Loki didn't like seeing him sad, especially at his grandsons' birthday party.
"Something on your mind?" He asked.
Tony glanced at him and gave him a small smile. "Just that time sure does fly."
Loki nodded slowly. Though his lifespan was much different than Midgardians - and he tried not to think about that fact too much now that he essentially had a Midgardian family - he could understand the sentiment. "Yes, it does." He offered the words hesitantly, not knowing where the conversation was going. He was great at manipulating and figuring out liars - not navigating emotional turmoil.
But he'd do his best.
The brunette moved some cake around on his plate, eyes shifting to where Tommy and Billy were on the shoulders of Harley and Peter respectively as they played some game that looked a little like tag, laughing as the sugar high hit. "Feels like I was holding them in my arms as babies just yesterday. Of course, they should only be a year old now."
The twins' age predicament was one he understood well as he'd been called in to help with the whole situation. They'd been born well earlier than they should have and aged faster than Midgardians were supposed to. It had taken a combination of magic and science to slow their aging down to proper levels as well as align with their actual birthday. "They did age fast," he agreed, not knowing what he was supposed to say. Maybe he wasn't supposed to say much of anything.
"Although I really think I'd feel the same way if it had been truly five years." He paused, clearly thinking, and Loki stayed silent. Eventually, he spoke again. "But considering a few of us are supposed to be dead right now, I'd rather time fly than have none of it."
It was a sentiment that hit Loki harder than he expected. His eyes automatically found his brother, grinning at something Scott or Clint said. As if sensing his gaze, Thor looked over, smile growing, and waved. Loki gave a smaller wave back as he replied, "I understand." He himself was supposed to be dead afterall.
After a minute, Tony clasped his shoulder, his smile shifting into something happier. "I think I've done enough philosophical thinking for the day. My head hurts and the only cure is to have something explode." The look in his eyes was one Loki knew well - he'd seen it in his own many times. It was one that meant chaos was about to erupt. "You ready for the showstopper?"
Loki smirked. "Very ready."
"Never had a doubt. I think it's time to rock the world, mischief."
"Gladly."
As the sun finally set on the day, Loki got everyone's attention when he made the equivalent of a firework burst in the sky, green light exploding among the stars. The kids shrieked in joy and others awed. It only encouraged him. He directed different colors to explode in various shapes, from stars to diamonds to crescents, and caused several more explosions of color before having 'Happy Birthday Billy & Tommy!' appear as the ending to the show.
As the twins ran to give him a hug and everyone else cheered and clapped, Loki allowed himself to revel in the feeling of knowing he was loved - a feeling he'd lacked for a long time.
He had wanted so many things in life - the crown, power, revenge - and yet all of this? He hadn't had to fight for it. He'd just had to accept it.
As he knelt to receive the hugs, two sets of little arms wrapping around his neck, he'd never been happier that he had.