#so that he does have an arc and connection to Thor gets special attention

[worstloki]

Tbh I can’t stand the thorki ship, idk if it’s just that I cannot stand incest even in fiction or if it’s that thorki shippers often deny that it’s incest because “they’re not biologically related.” So??? They were raised as brothers, and as someone with quite a bit of adoptive family, I feel like saying Thorki is okay because “it’s not really incest” is saying that if you’re adopted you’re not really family. Anyways you do you, but could you tag it please?

I use #thorki and #thor/loki and don’t appreciate those arguments either for the same reason... I do however see it as a crack ship and find it extremely funny bc even if you go ‘god genes/family trees are different’ and ‘asgardian culture allows this’ you’re still stuck with the avengers standing right there going ????????!!!!???!?!????????????? Because...... Bro. You two are brothers right. Bro. What’s with the gazing into each other’s eyes?? Didn’t he go genocidal for a bit?? Thor???? Thor?!????

[sweeneyxlaura]

[spoilers!!] the writers introducing two important facts this season (gods can be resurrected - it wasn't mentioned in s1, was it? & sweeney was/is a god) & this whole potion subplot (the scene where it was taken by laura made it clear that it's pretty significant and probably a chekhov's gun, otherwise it'd be promptly forgotten about after that wild night and never mentioned again) make me a bit hopeful about sweeney's future - i mean, all these hints have to lead /somewhere/, right? D:

Woah, I’m so glad you noticed that “gods can suddenly be resurrected” detail too! Because IIRC, in S1, there was more of an emphasis on the stewardship of the various gods, and the amount of attention given to the gods’ respective domains that indicated how powerful they were. I don’t recall whether they ever said that it boiled down to their believers (as in direct human worship) or number of believers. And they have definitely gone into detail and showing us examples (Argus, Zorya, Thor and probably Tech Boy) of how the show defines a god’s immortality and the particular loopholes of how he/she can come back from death. (I mean, does anyone remember Vulcan, who’s probably one of the more powerful gods of our modern era and yet, not a peep).

And yes, ever since I noticed that initial mention back in 2.02, I was thinking about how they probably kinda retconned or shifted all of that so that Sweeney can come back for S3.

As for Sweeney being a god. So cool. A few folks familiar with Irish mythology made the connection back in S1 - that Sweeney, or one of this identities, could be Lugh, the Irish sun god, and there’s definitely those who believe in the Lugh connection to leprechauns and how it derives from Lugh (etymology-wise, and the pronunciation of “Lugh” sounds a bit like “luck”.) There’s also the detail of his lucky sun coin (with a sun on it), and how he calls it “the sun itself”. There’s more on the Lugh/leprechaun connection in this article, if anyone’s interested!

I went into a bit here as to why I think Sweeney isn’t finished in the series from a story standpoint, but here a few other thoughts related to the hints that you noticed:

If you know the mythology of Lugh, it’s often noted that he was like the Hawkeye of the long spear, and we saw this in the episode as Ibis told us the Sweeney-as-Lugh backstory. Not only does Ibis identify him as Lugh, but he made special note of how he skilled he was with the spear, and the episode did show him spearing stuff like a boss in a couple of shots. We also know Gungnir is floating around in the hoard. And because Sweeney never taught Shadow how to grab things from the hoard, we can assume that nobody will be able to get Gungnir out except for Sweeney. I mean, I guess you can write Gungnir out of the series entirely, but it seems a bit on-the-nose to have Sweeney, an expert spear guy, with the potential control of Gungnir. I mean, how badass would it be to have him come back, have Gungnir materialize in his hands and fuck someone up? Seems like a pretty ripe through line to me.

The potion! Yes, totally agree it’s significant - and a clear McGuffin, IMO, for Laura’s character development, much like how the coin is for Sweeney. Imagine Laura taking the potion for her own resurrection. It just wouldn’t feel…right. To me, that not only effectively ends her story, but it also feels like it stalls Laura’s emotional arc where she’s doing something to benefit herself when she can use it for someone else, given the opportunity that she cares enough about this person. In the book, Laura makes a huge sacrifice at the end of her story involving the coin, and while I think that moment will stay intact in the show, I think, because Sweeney is just as important to her now as Shadow, that having her make a similar sacrifice that relates heavily to “Laura believing in something”, especially if that belief is love, makes her giving up the potion hugely impactful for her character journey.

The shot of Laura carrying Sweeney’s dead body. I know I’m not the first to notice or say this, but having Sweeney’s death spin off into another potential arc involving Laura and the life-giving potion that we know is sitting in her pocket, is another possible giveaway. To me, it’s like the show baiting you with the idea that Sweeney could be revived. And maybe nothing will come out of it, but if you factor in this “new” subplot and all the other little hints, it feels bigger somehow, that somehow all of this will pay off down the road.

I rambled a bit here, anon, sorry. I’m just really excited for the potential of Sweeney 2.0!

[macromicrocosm]

Novel Review: Automatic Reload by Ferrett Steinmetz

Hei Hei and Welcome to MacroMicroCosm Literary Review…

Novel: Automatic Reload Author: Ferrett Steinmetz Publisher: TOR Books (2020) Rating: 4/5 Stars

Today we are diving cautious as a paranoid quadruple amputee cyborg into the cyberpunk romantic kill zone known as Ferrett Steinmetz’s Automatic Reload published in 2020 by Tor Books. Strap into something, prepare your payloads and it’s time to dive in.

I borrowed Automatic Reload’s audiobook from my municipal library’s Libby app, and will be critiquing the audiobook narration by Tim Campbell via Macmillan Audio with Steinmetz’ prose. Tim Campbell’s narration hit my auditory nerves with the same grit as a Private Eye in my spouse’s beloved old radio shows. Instantaneously, I was brought back to The Shadow, and Red Panda Adventures. Mat’s internal narration was made vivid with Campbell’s grit. All goes as expected for a guttural masculine-led audiobook… until Campbell narrates female characters. The grit and gruff voice of our narrator and protagonist Mat (whose name I missed completely for the first few hours of audio storytelling), shifted to a nasal ‘quasi-feminine whine’ each a tad different for the few feminine characters in the novel. While off-putting to hear limp feminine audio, it didn’t stop me from listening to the entire audiobook. I wish Macmillan Audio hired two voice actors, that Sylvia and Trish especially were voiced by a woman. I don’t envy Campbell’s options with Sylvia’s voice, especially in the beginning, Sylvia is a panic-attacked whimpering victim and Mat the rough but conscience-bound redeemer. Maybe it’s a pet peeve of mine, when listening to audiobook narration with too ‘breathy’ a character voice, or too much differentiation between a narrator’s timbre and the various dialogue, but it threw me out of Automatic Reload’s prose a few times and elicited many a rant among our MacroMicroCosm discord server on the nature of respecting female characters by allowing them a more natural voice, and not a whining nasal whimper. It’s unfortunate, because Tim Campbell had the perfect voice for Mat’s rough narration. All in, this was the only issue with the audiobook version of Automatic Reload.

On to Steinmetz’s prose. While entertaining, and a fun way of portraying neuro-divergent characters, Automatic Reload is not making it into my top cyberpunk novels. As it was billed to be a cyberpunk romance, the choice to spend a vast third if not half of the novel in a first-person narrator-protagonist dry technological readout of the various guns, cybernetically augmented prostheses and associated weapons-come-defence programs felt stale as a slice of bread on the kitchen counter in summertime. Maybe engineering isn’t my thing, I know of several friends who would love such attention given to the weaponry, and recommended Automatic Reload to all of them, but a good hour into the prose and all I knew of Mat was the amount of weaponry he possessed on his specialized limbs, that he was attempting to halt a kidnapping, and he was paralyzed with the incapacity to kill. A decent bedrock for a PTSD scarred main character, Mat’s inability to take life becomes a mainstay of the manuscript. This is not in itself a negative. It makes for intriguing prose, and shows his caring, ethical side.

But I could not help feeling Mat’s selfish delusions within the first few chapters. His first-person narration of saving the teenaged girl became more about saving the people, who caused her fear and harm at her expense. When I taught self defence in a university and martial art academy setting, one of the first lessons (especially to the female students) was a defender has the right to go home. The attacker has every opportunity to stop harming you, and them refusing to let go is them allowing you to defend your right to survive unharmed as possible. In the introductory arc, Mat rescues a girl from kidnappers, who are prepared to kill her. Regardless of how noble Mat was in his attempts of causing less harm, I could not stop thinking of the harm he was causing to the poor girl frightened out of her mind, with a knife against her neck. Steinmetz goes so far as to have the girl bleed from a superficial slice to the throat, before our ‘wounded hero’ intervenes in a kinetic fashion.

Mat is not a hero, his paranoia at preventing harm does not make him precisely good. It does, however, make him a fascinating study of an injured veteran compensating for the horrors of war. He reminds me of Perseus, played by Sam Worthington in the 2010 released Clash of the Titans, where Perseus discovers his demi-godhood and struggles to go about his mission as a normal man, not a god. As if his spectacular powers were to be feared or forgotten in self-hatred rather than used to others’ advantages. Even when companions on his voyage begin to die, Perseus sticks to his selfish morals and refuses his inner power until it is all but too late. Just as Perseus could have saved multiple companion’s lives had he accepted his power, so too Mat could have saved the girl from trauma (injection of ‘anti PTSD drugs’ notwithstanding) if he hadn’t attempted to wait the kidnappers out as long as he did, until a last second where she looks into his faceplate and knows she is about to die.

As protagonists go, Mat is an insecure, selfish moralist with his own set of obsessive edits, who passes it off as a sheriff’s bravado in the wild world of body hacking. When his contact and seemingly only friend Trish (whom I loved) gets him a job worth millions, Mat dives in to prevent collateral damage only after she cajoles his ethics, and that is noble. But this is where the novel takes its’ turn. I won’t be going into spoilers much here, but from the moment Mat meets assassin-damsel in distress Sylvia, I could see where the novel’s plot was going, and for the most part I was 9 for 10.

Sylvia’s panic and anxiety disorder took centre stage, as Mat tumbled with her assassin-programmed artificial body, and the other body-hackers who were looking to bring her back and finish their job. The bonding between the two (through ‘old timey cinema) was ultimately endearing but fairly stock, between the constant verbal output of every single technological gadget Mat had on hand, or modified to work, or picked to replace old limbs, or because we were at another moment, where Mat needed to drone on about the tech as if to remind us that we were, in fact, in a cyberpunk setting.

My major criticism of the prose isn’t Mat’s struggle with harm reduction, but the sheer amount of technological data Steinmetz pushed into the manuscript, until I felt like half the novel was a sci-fi reader’s guide to emotionless guns, cybernetic components and threat awareness programming. At a fairly early point in the prose, the tech talk got so redundant if I hadn’t been listening on audiobook in my car, I’d skip pages. Yes, I can see this was a coping mechanism for Mat, and the best way Steinmetz had to frame the science fiction setting in a novel completely from the protagonist’s inner monologue (a literal ’subvocal recording’ as we discover), but it threw me. Automatic Reload lacked a balance between the cold cover of Mat’s obsessions and the emotionally gorgeous story of two wounded people falling in love… while being chased by psycho body-hacking killers.

It’s unfortunate, because the relationship development between Mat and Sylvia is agonizingly sweet. Their ability to both freak out and help each other, the peppering of laughter to break the tension of their run with death were all wonderfully done. Trish, Mat’s business contact and friend is the stand alone best character of the novel. Sassy, strong and incapable of selfish intentions, Trish gives Automatic Reload the backbone it needs to evolve both Mat and Sylvia and drive the plot forward, even through the constant re-hashing of the setting as Mat experienced it. I cared about Trish more than I cared about Mat or Sylvia, beyond their growing connection. The enemies, while trope-ish, were believable in their immensity, and brought me to the feel of a 1980’s action flick with Van Damme, or Norris at the fore… if their female lead happened to be more powerful than the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok.

Steinmetz’s plot in Automatic Reload is visible miles before the chapter headings, and that is unproblematic, if you’re looking for an easy, entertaining read similar to that 1980’s action flick. I won’t say the climax didn’t take a twist, it did, but even when the twist occurred, I again called what would remain of the plot. If you want a cyberpunk weapon’s heavy cute-couple novel to relax with, this will certainly do it for you. Aside from its’ flaws, Automatic Reload has a vulnerability and joy to its escapism, the clinging growth of a relationship in two freaked out, lonely people.

Mat does grow through his moments with Sylvia, but especially with Trish’s advice. If you like to know the technological readout of every warrior’s equipment, watched the Matrix and Maltese Falcon, and enjoy a good gritty radio-show, with romantic plot-line, Automatic Reload is for you. I give it four out of five stars, and imagine the ideal reader would be of the masculine or tech-minded variety who is woke enough to handle a gritty romance with more bullets than people, a transgender best friend, and heroes whose anxiety and PTSD cause as many problems as they eventually, and inevitably, solve.

For those who want something to listen to of a similar feel, I thoroughly advise listening to the Red Panda Adventures.

[andinewton]

Born To Be King - Avengers Redemption Series - Part Three - Chapter 34 - Epilogue 5 - An Avengers Halloween Extravaganza!

Characters: Loki, Sigyn;  pretty much everyone from the MCU appears at some point!

Pairings: Loki x Sigyn; Bucky x Amelia

Warnings: Smut, canon typical violence, swearing

Word Count: 60k + (complete with ongoing epilogues)

Summary:

He never wanted the throne…

Loki’s life seems to be charmed of late. His dead wife has been reborn and has married him once more, they have beautiful twin boys, and they are working and living with The Avengers. The only blot on his otherwise perfect landscape is the constant friction Odin seems to be able to cause with one simple request delivered by Thor. Odin wishes to meet the twins but will not cancel Loki’s banishment, allowing him to travel to Asgard with his wife and children. Loki finally caves but has a sense of foreboding about the trip which proves to be all too true…Join Loki, Sigyn and the team as they fight to find one another against all odds and protect their sons from those who would have them as their kings.

Master List

Chapter 34 - Epilogue 5

Summary:  It’s Halloween and The Avengers have gone all out!

A/N:  YESSSS HALLOWEEN!  MY FAVE!  Okay, so it’s my birthday too, which means I love it even more!  But I thoroughly enjoyed writing this!  It’s just a bit of fun and features a lot of our friends from the MCU!  Just enjoy it!  It ran to 26 pages!  Plenty of Halloween goodness to go around!

There had been planning for weeks.  The Avengers wanted to make the foyer of the tower a Halloween grotto, where kids could come and visit, meet with their favourite heroes, make some money for charity, and enjoy the frivolity without being too scared or at risk from nut jobs spiking their candy.  Strangely, it had been Tony’s idea.

‘As much as I approve of the idea of tricks and treats,’ ‘Trick or treat, Mischief.’  Sigyn corrected her husband, as they got ready for bed on the 30th of October. ‘That’s a little limiting, petal.’  He continued.  ‘But, as I was saying, as much as I approve of the notions, I do not quite understand the concept behind it.’ ‘You don’t need to.  And the history or mythos behind Halloween depends on who you talk to around the world, religious beliefs…’ ‘Then explain the idea behind dressing up and frightening children to me.’ She huffed out a breath.  She was sure he was being deliberately difficult.  ‘Some people believe that dressing up in scary costumes is to frighten away any dead who may be lurking on the night the veil between worlds is thinnest, others think it’s to honour the dead who have passed this year, but most,’ she turned shoved him hard enough that he sat on their bed, from where he was trying to sidle up behind her, ‘just dress up because it’s fun!’ ‘Disguise is always a fun pastime.’  His hands slid over her thighs as he tried to ignore the ridiculous Avengers lounge pants she had taken to wearing when the colder weather had set in. ‘And you’re just trying to deliberately rile me up, because I know you already know all this.’ ‘Wasn’t it simpler when the Midgardians used to sacrifice for the Álfablót?’  His hands tracked over her buttocks then under her t-shirt. ‘I don’t miss having to smile nicely and pretend to be grateful for all the dead lambs, no.’  She leant into him with her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to fall backwards onto the mattress with her on top of him. ‘You never were one for all the gore, other than on the battlefield.’  He grinned up at her. ‘On the battlefield it was a necessary evil.  Terrifying small creatures and making a mess out of sheer superstition was, quite frankly, a cruel waste.’ ‘I know how much you hate cruelty, sunbeam.’  He raised his hips teasingly and she knew exactly where this was going. ‘And waste.’  She smirked down at him, lowering her lips to his.

‘It’s safe?’ ‘One-hundred percent, I swear.’  Tony crossed his heart.  ‘You know I wouldn’t risk my grand-baby for anything.  It’s just lights.’ Amelia looked at the man who would be her father sceptically.  ‘I know this was what she wanted, but,’ she sighed, ‘you know what?  I’m overthinking.  You’re going to have an amazing time with her.’ ‘You sure you don’t want to come and trail after us?’  Tony encouraged her with a small grin.  ‘I hear you have your costume all planned.’ ‘I’m still just staying in the background.’  She reminded him.  ‘I’m running the photo printing with Bruce.’ ‘Chicken.’ ‘I just, I don’t like it.’  She shook her head a little too fast. ‘I know you don’t, Angel.’  Tony wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side for a half hug.  ‘Which is why I’m not nagging you to come with us.  Bucky will be doing his hero bit, my suit will be faking me for photos, and I’m going to chase your beautiful baby around all night and make sure she doesn’t give herself diabetes.’ ‘You can’t give yourself diabetes in one night.’  She rolled her eyes. ‘Doesn’t mean that kids don’t give it a damn good try.’  He replied.  ‘Now, just one more thing.  Call that husband of yours and tell him to get up here.  I have a little mod to make on his arm.’ She leant back and eyed him suspiciously.  ‘What kind of a mod?’ ‘Just a temporary Halloweeny one.’  He waved his hand dismissively.  ‘Colour themed lighting.’ She sighed.  ‘We’re still going to be able to put it in night mode, right?  Because I can’t be having all the hassle we had before with it keeping me awake like a nightlight.’ ‘Night mode will still work, Angel, don’t worry.  I know how cranky you get when you don’t sleep.’ ‘Good.  I’ll call him.’  She stepped back out of Tony’s embrace and picked up her phone. ‘Then you can tell me about your secret costume.’  He leant on the desk beside her as she pressed her Stark Phone to her ear. She smiled knowingly at him.  ‘Can’t.  Secret.’ ‘I’ll ask Nat.’ ‘She won’t tell you shit.’ ‘No, but she might have told Clint.’ ‘He won’t tell you either; hey, Buck!’  She said as he answered. Tony gave her a considering look.  He wanted to know what she had planned, only knowing it was something special for Bucky.  He knew it had to be kid-friendly, so it wasn’t anything revealing, but he was damn curious.

The lobby of The Tower was filled with a variety of stalls and fun activities for kids of all ages.  Outside, various food stands were providing a variety of hot and cold foods and beverages, the sidewalk also decorated in a not too scary way leading the way in.  By the back wall, blocking the way to the elevators, several screens were set up with photographers, and most of the team were present, having photos on request for a donation to charity.  Bruce wasn’t comfortable out in the open with so many people, hence he had chosen to help Amelia behind the scenes.  Plus people wanted to see the Big Guy more than him, and that was a bad idea. The team had had a small debriefing then headed straight down to the lobby, where most everyone was already set up.  Georgie was with her mimmy and Uncle Bruce, waiting for her grandad to come and escort her around the event, wearing her special customised pink Iron Man suit, her helmet currently retracted as she spun a circle in her tutu.  Yes, tutu.  And wings.  And a wand.  She was officially Iron Ballerina.  She had her own light-up imitation arc reactor and gloves too, everything in varying shades of pink, just as she had asked her grandad for.  He had really pulled out all of the stops. ‘Uncle Bruce?’  She asked, as she stopped with her arms out, feeling dizzy. ‘Yes, munchkin?’  Bruce asked, as he tried to work out why this printer wasn’t connecting. ‘Do you think Mimmy looks pretty?’ Amelia stopped what she was doing and turned to listen to the conversation instead. ‘She does.’  Bruce flashed an embarrassed smile at Amelia who laughed silently.  ‘Why do you ask, sunshine?’ ‘I think she looks pretty, but I think she’d look even prettier if her costume was pink.’  Georgie continued as she stepped up to the printer and leant to look at the cables leading into the back. ‘It wouldn’t be very authentic if it was pink, lapushka.’  Amelia said, as her heels clicked across the floor to join them.  ‘What have you spotted?’ ‘Cable’s not in properly.  The pin might be bent.’  She said casually, knowing she wasn’t allowed to play with cables, but thought she knew what the problem was. Bruce raised his eyebrows and took a look.  ‘She’s right.’  He said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the offending cable.  ‘I can fix that right up.’ ‘Clever girl.’  Amelia smiled at her daughter.  ‘You’ll be working in the lab with us in no time.’ ‘I don’t want to be in the lab.  I want to fly around in my Iron Ballerina suit, saving the world with Pappa and Grandad.’ ‘We’ll see when you’re older.’  Amelia offered her her hand, still not believing she was regularly arguing with her six year old daughter about her career choice. ‘Grandad says he’ll make me a real suit when I’m big enough.’  She said, as she hopscotched over the tiles with Amelia back to the computer she was going to be stationed at. ‘I’m sure he will.’  Amelia sighed.  ‘Anyway, he’ll be here soon.  Remember what I told you?’ ‘Don’t run off, stay with Grandad, don’t eat all my candy at once, and make sure I have some boring food too.’ ‘Not boring food; proper food, something more filling than candy.’  Amelia corrected her.  ‘They have corn on the cob outside, and hamburgers.  Maybe you can sneak some back here to Mimmy and Uncle Bruce too?’ ‘Mimmy can show off that costume and get her own.’  Tony’s voice from beside the partitions they were behind drew their attention and Georgie squealed. ‘Grandad!’  She jumped up and he picked her up.  He was wearing a suit, rather than his armour, wanting to be able to move more freely through the crowds with Georgie. ‘You all ready, baby?’ ‘Yes!’  She hit the side of her helmet and it descended into place. ‘Then what are we waiting for?  First off we’ll get the photo out of the way so it’s just F-U-N, fun!’ ‘And food!’ ‘And food.’  Tony repeated. ‘Enjoy yourselves, and remember what I said!’  Amelia said quickly, before Tony could turn to leave, but he wasn’t going yet.  He gave her a warm smile. ‘You’re going to knock his socks off, Angel.’ Amelia pressed her lips together at his compliment.  ‘Thanks, Dad.  I hope so.’ ‘If not, he needs wiping again, because he’s faulty.’  Tony winked at her, before turning and taking Georgie out into the lobby, which was gradually filling up with children and caregivers.

‘If anyone wants a photo just create a double.  I am not running back and forth when I could be running around making mischief with my boys.’  Loki complained. ‘I’ll replace you with a double.’  Sigyn muttered and he turned back to her. ‘Pardon, love?’ ‘I said you’re a grump.’  She glared at him where they stood in the elevator, knowing their original arrangement had been that they would take turns as they were required at the photo ops. ‘You know that most parents would not have their little ones photographed with the mon…’ ‘No!’  She snapped at him.  ‘You have proven yourself more times than I can count as a hero!  Enough with the excuses and self deprecation!’ Narvi laughed where he was holding Sigyn’s hand and affected a sing-song voice.  ‘Dadda’s in trouble.’ ‘Do not think I have forgiven you for your costume choice, young Prince.’  Loki gave him a teasing eyebrow. Narvi frowned heavily.  ‘Puny god.’  He growled and Sigyn laughed.  Narvi’s choice of Hulk didn’t make Loki as angry as he pretended to be, and luckily Narvi knew that. ‘My entire family turned against me!  Honestly!’  Loki threw his hands up dramatically. Vali laughed along with his brother this time, shifting his grip on his accessory.  ‘I look like you every day, Dadda.  It’s nice to look like Uncle Thor for a change.’ ‘If blond and brainless are your thing, you are more Asgardian than I thought.’ Sigyn jabbed him in the ribs with her fingers, making him flinch.  ‘You know Thor is not dumb, and do not lead our boys to believe so.’ ‘Fine.’  Loki sighed. ‘He’s strong too!’  Vali flexed his muscles dramatically. Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Sigyn saw and leant into him, nuzzling at his arm.  ‘I still prefer my princes tall, dark and handsome.’ ‘You are the only exception.’  He leant down and kissed her hair. ‘Not the only one.  Ready, baby?’  She leant forward and looked at Vali who grinned. ‘I think I’ve teased Dadda enough.’  He agreed. ‘Good boy.’  Sigyn smiled at him and waved her hand.  The illusion of Vali’s Thor costume broke, revealing his real costume, the one he and Sigyn had kept a secret from Loki for weeks.  He now wore a perfect replica of Loki’s armour and helm, a sceptre in his right hand. He looked up at Loki with a smug smile on his face.  ‘Kneel before me!’ Loki couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he turned to Sigyn.  ‘And you call me mischievous.’  He said, before turning to Vali and dropping to his knees.  ‘I kneel before my benevolent god, and ask but one favour.’ ‘I might grant it.’  Vali giggled. ‘Please, allow me to keep my beautiful wife.  I know she draws the eye of the great God of Mischief and Lies, but she is the reason I wake.’ Vali looked up at Sigyn behind Loki and she shook her head, interested to see what Loki would do if Vali denied him.  ‘I cannot!’  Vali exclaimed.  ‘She is far too fair to be wasted on you, peasant!’ Sigyn and Narvi laughed as Loki raised his head and frowned at his eldest.  ‘Then you leave me no choice.’  He stood quickly and threw Vali over his shoulder, tickling the backs of his legs until he was laughing uncontrollably while flailing as much as he was able, hanging onto his helm lest it should fall of. ‘Dadda, stop!  Please, it tickles!  Stop!’  He squealed.  ‘You can have Mamma, just no more tickles!’ ‘Very well.’  Loki stopped and turned to Narvi.  ‘Any secrets from you?’ ‘No, I mean, Hulk smash!’  He replied and banged his giant Hulk hands together. ‘Can’t win them all.’  Loki shrugged, lowering Vali back to the ground as the elevator sounded their arrival in the lobby.  They made their way around the partitions to find things were beginning to pick up.  There was a number system in place for the photos which was already up to twelve, and Cap was currently crouched with a small girl dressed as Wanda, smiling for the camera. ‘We will make ourselves scarce.’  Loki leant into Sigyn and kissed her cheek but she grabbed his lapel. ‘Before you go gorging on sweet things, I want a family picture.’ ‘Petal…’  He groaned. ‘One photo.’  She looked up at him hopefully before lowering her voice.  ‘And then later I have a special Halloween costume for you to discover when we’re alone.’ He raised his eyebrows and she nodded once.  ‘You are sheer temptation, buttercup.’  He smirked at her before claiming her lips for a tender kiss. ‘I try.’  She replied.

‘Auntie Nattie!’  Georgie patted her on the back with her wand to get her attention. ‘Hey, Georgie Маленький!’  She turned and picked her up, hugging her close.  ‘Look at you!  This is a much cooler colour for the Iron Man suits.  Don’t you think so, Laura?’ Laura Barton turned and smiled, then did a double take as the little pink tutu’d Iron Man hit the side of her helmet to reveal Georgie Barnes, grinning maniacally, her grandfather just two steps behind.  ‘Don’t you look sweet, Georgie.  I guess Grandad helped with the design?’  She glanced at Tony. ‘Maybe a little.  Good to see you, Laura.’  Tony smiled at her.  ‘You brought your brood?’ ‘Just Nathaniel.  Cooper and Lila are far too cool for trick or treating these days.’  She said and Nat laughed. ‘They still want a few goodies bringing home though.’  Nat added. ‘You ought to remind them they’re never too old to run around in costume, just look at their dad.’  Tony replied. ‘You know, that might have worked.’ ‘I’m hungry, Grandad.’  Georgie said, as she twirled Nat’s hair around her fingers. ‘Burger time?’  He held his hands out to her and she leant to him. ‘And corn.  And fries.  And we take Mimmy and Bruce a burger.’ ‘I’m going to make your mimmy get her own burger.  Her costume is too good to hide away.’ ‘You’re not wrong.’  Nat smirked. ‘Amelia’s here?’  Laura glanced around as though to find her. ‘She’s hiding with Bruce with the photo printers.’  Tony cocked his head towards their little set up.  ‘But she looks beautiful.’ ‘Bucky’s not going to know what hit him.’  Nat wiggled her eyebrows at Laura. ‘Oh, now I need to see it.’ ‘I have a plan to get her out here.’  Tony said.  ‘FRIDAY, send Tinman a message…’

Bucky was next up on the list of requested photo ops, and that made him nervous.  He had only participated in group shots so far, and that was fine with him, but the thought of just himself was a little out of his comfort zone. ‘You’re up, Buck.’  Steve called, from where he had just said goodbye to his last customers. ‘You don’t want to sit in with me, do you?  You know, they might think they can only pick one person, or…’ ‘Buck,’ he interrupted, ‘they specifically wanted you.’  Steve wrapped his arm around his shoulders and turned him towards where a small boy and his mother were waiting.  A small boy with a prosthetic arm and a Bucky t-shirt. ‘Whoa.’  Bucky whispered as Steve encouraged him forward, handing him the form that went with the booking. ‘He’s here for you, Buck.’ Buck gave him a stunned look.  ‘Steve, I don’t know…’ ‘You get on great with Georgie and the twins, this is no different.  Go.’ Bucky took a deep breath and stepped forward, forcing a smile onto his face.  ‘Hey, you must be Corey?’ The boy just stared at him, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.  ‘He’s a little shy.’  His mom said, resting her hand on her son’s back.  ‘And starstruck.’ Bucky laughed nervously and looked down at the boy again before crouching in front of him.  ‘You know what, Corey, I’m kinda shy too.’  Bucky admitted. The boy frowned.  ‘But you’re so big and brave.’  He mumbled, and it was only because of Bucky’s enhanced hearing that he heard him. ‘You can be big and brave and still be scared.’  Bucky assured him. ‘You don’t get scared.’  Corey’s face edged towards a smile.  ‘You’re an Avenger.’ ‘I really do.’  Bucky nodded emphatically.  ‘Just this last year my little girl fell out of a tree, broke her arm.  She was so hurt, and I was real scared because I’d never seen her in so much pain before.  And another time, my wife got hurt on a mission.  Terrified.’ Corey seemed to consider him for moment and decided to believe him.  ‘Your arm is cool.’  He said.  ‘I like the lights.’ ‘Me too.  Iron Man changed the colours for Halloween, watch.’  He clicked his fingers on his left hand and the pale purple lighting in the panels faded through to orange, then to green, and back again. ‘That’s awesome.’  Corey grinned.  ‘Mine is just coloured all the time.  It doesn’t do anything cool.’  He flexed his fingers, which moved clunkily.  ‘I got hit with a car.’  He said frankly. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’  Bucky said sympathetically.  ‘But I do like the colours.’  He remarked on the red, white and blue scheme. ‘It’s like Captain America’s shield.’  Corey grinned. ‘Just like it.’  Bucky agreed.  ‘So, you want to take a picture?  Maybe we can pretend to arm wrestle?’ ‘Yes!’  Corey stepped away from his mom finally.  ‘And can it look like I’m winning?’ ‘Wouldn’t have it any other way.’  Bucky straightened and led him to the screened area for his photograph. While they were posing, Bucky letting Corey have a couple of extra shots, his phone vibrated in his pocket.  He said goodbye to Corey and his mom before taking it out and checking his messages.  It was from Tony.  Georgie wanted her Mimmy and Papen’ka to help her with her corn.  He checked the time, unless he was needed on the next shoot, he was good.

Amelia and Bruce were completely on top of the photos, printing them before placing them in the correctly labelled envelopes and passing them through to Jane, who was handing them out. ‘There are some really cute shots coming through.’  Bruce remarked as he reloaded one of the printers. ‘And a surprising number of shots with the mums giving the team heart eyes.’  Amelia grinned, knowing they had just printed one where the mom hadn’t even attempted to look at the camera and was gazing up at Thor from close range. ‘I think we’re much better off.  Sounds crazy out there.’  Bruce admitted. ‘Hear hear.’  She hit print again on the next run.  She had her back to the little entry gap, so she didn’t see Bucky come in.  And come in was an overstatement.  He stood in the entrance with his mouth open, not believing how she looked.  She was wearing an olive green forties military uniform, belted jacket and a skirt, seamed stockings ran down into heeled court shoes, her hair curled under, and when Bruce greeted him it drew her attention and she turned, smiling broadly, and he noticed her authentic makeup, the matt red lips, her hair in a victory roll. ‘Hey, handsome.’  She said as she came towards him.  ‘What brings you to the print shop?’ ‘You look beautiful, darlin’.’  He breathed as she reached him and she glanced down, pleased with herself, before smiling back up at him. ‘Thank you.’ ‘No, I mean it, you look…incredible.’  His voice told her just how delighted and surprised he was, which had been her aim. ‘It’s not too much?’  She glanced down at herself, but in reply, when she raised her head again, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her deeply.  She gave a small whimper before sinking into it, her hands slipping up his chest and gripping his leather coat.  The kiss slowed but they didn’t part far, Bucky resting his forehead against hers. ‘Not too much, sweetheart.  Just right.’  He assured her.  ‘Keep it on once Georgie is in bed?’ Amelia’s face split into a grin.  ‘Alright.’ ‘You wanna go grab something to eat?  I have a fifteen minute break, and Tony said Georgie wants us to help her with her corn.’ Amelia gave a small sigh.  ‘She needs to stop worrying about that wobbly tooth falling out when she eats corn!  Just because she thinks she’ll confuse the kernels for her tooth and swallow it.’  She shook her head. ‘Go see to your baby, Angel.’  Bruce said.  ‘I’ve got everything under control here.’ ‘You’re sure?’ ‘Positive.’  He smiled. ‘Thanks, Bruce.’  She said, as Bucky offered her his arm.  ‘Can I bring you anything?’ ‘A hotdog with mustard would be good.’ ‘Okay, see you in fifteen.’  Amelia smiled as Bucky led her back out of the partitions.  She paused as she took in the many people, the crowds, but Bucky pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ‘I’m here, sweetheart.  It’s no different than when we wait in line at the movie theatre.’ ‘Yeah, but then people aren’t deliberately looking out for us.’  Amelia still didn’t like the fact that so many people not only knew who she was, but that they wanted to know what she and her family were up to.  Too long undercover had made her private, withdrawn almost, but marrying an Avenger and being Tony’s adopted daughter had raised her profile further.  She didn’t have to like though. ‘If they want a snap of us, darlin’, let them.  Just smile.  And the press are being kept at bay, so it’s just…’ ‘Don’t say it.’  She said as he encouraged her forward. He smiled to himself and leant in, murmuring in her ear.  ‘Fans.’ ‘You have fans, I have paps who want to see Tony Stark’s daughter and granddaughter at the park, analyse what I’m wearing and what I could possibly be doing when I’m in The Tower most of the time.’ ‘Who cares what they think, doll.’  He smiled as her thumb tucked in his waistband. ‘Yeah, okay.’  She sighed.  ‘It’s just irritating.’ ‘If you gave them the interview they’ve been begging for they might stop for a while.’ She dug him in the ribs with her nails.  ‘Shut up, soldier.’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’  He saluted her. ‘Amelia?’ They turned as they heard Steve and found his face a look of pleasant surprise.  ‘Hey, Steve.’ ‘Look at you!’  He said, hugging her one armed, as Bucky didn’t seem to want to let her go, as usual.  ‘You look fantastic!’ ‘I feel a little…exposed.’  She admitted. ‘Don’t, your costume is amazing.’  I looked at his best friend.  ‘You’re a lucky guy, Buck.’ ‘You say that at least once a week.’ ‘Still mean it too.’  Steve grinned at them.  ‘I’ve gotta go, my break is about up, but Georgie is out by the food stands with Tony, if that’s who you’re looking for.’ ‘Normally is.  He’s trouble when he gets with Georgie.’ ‘He’s trouble without her.’  Steve said, patting Amelia’s shoulder affectionately.  ‘Don’t hide away in the back all night, okay?  You look too good to be back there.’ ‘I didn’t dress up for everyone else.’  She glanced at Bucky, who hadn’t stopped smiling. ‘You two just make sure you keep the screaming down to a minimum later.’  Steve replied and walked off, leaving Bucky to laugh and Amelia to flap her mouth for a moment out of sheer embarrassment.

‘Bored, little sister?’  Thor sat down beside Sigyn and smiled at her.  He was having a wonderful time interacting with all the small children. ‘Not bored.  I just feel like I’m missing out on spending the night with the boys.  They love this holiday.’ ‘That is not really surprising, given who their father is.’  He reminded her.  ‘And you have not too long until your break.’ ‘I know, and I’m looking forward to it, but Loki will have already seen their faces light up with their favourite things.’ ‘There will be other nights.’  He assured her.  ‘And think of all the small girls whose faces have lit up upon meeting you.’ Her cheeks flushed faintly.  He wasn’t wrong.  ‘I guess so.  Will you go find them when you’re on break?  Get them to meet me?’ ‘Of course.’ ‘Thanks.’ ‘I will be back with your boys before you know it.’  He patted her knee and stood again, leaving her to it.

‘Auntie Darcy!’  Narvi spotted her through the crowd and she headed towards them with a grin, cutting her own wide path, thanks to her costume. ‘Hey, kiddos!’  She grinned, taking their hands as they reached her together.  ‘Don’t you guys look great!  Was your dad surprised?’  She asked them. ‘He was, and he kneeled!’  Vali said excitedly. ‘Darcy.’  Loki bowed his head in greeting.  ‘Why on Earth are you dressed as a cake?’ Darcy looked down at her large pink dress and all the accessories.  ‘I’m Glinda the Good, dumbass.’ ‘Glinda the good what?’ ‘Oh my gawd, I’m going to have to disown your entire family if you don’t correct that, and fast!’ ‘I know who you are.’  Vali tapped her with his sceptre.  ‘You should get Dadda to make you an illusion of a big bubble!’ ‘If he doesn’t know who I am, I don’t trust him to get it right.’  She patted his shoulder.  ‘You make him watch the movie tomorrow.’ ‘From a movie.’  Loki nodded, realising where they were referencing.  ‘A famous one, I assume?’ ‘One of the most famous.’  Darcy insisted.  ‘How has Sig never made you sit through it?’ He shrugged.  ‘I have a good number of movies still to watch.’ ‘You bump this one to the top, or I’ll drop a house on you.’  She waved her wand threateningly, Narvi and Vali laughed, but Loki gave her an insulted look. ‘A house?’ ‘Watch.  The.  Damn.  Movie.’  She tapped him in the chest for every word.  ‘Anyway, I have to go get more apples from the back for the bobbing.  Spoiler alert, the water over there is a really weird colour from all the face paints.’ ‘Thank goodness the boys played early.’  Loki shuddered at the thought of the filthy water. ‘Yeah, well, catch up with you later.  You boys got kisses for me?’  She asked, bending to them. Narvi leant in and kissed her cheek, but Vali reached into his goodie bag and pulled out a chocolate, offering her that. ‘Tricked you, mortal!’  He grinned, and Loki couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Just for that, I’m gonna take it.’  Darcy took the candy off him, but he didn’t mind.  ‘Have fun, boys.’  She said before trying to fit her dress through the crowds. ‘Brother!’  Thor called as Darcy punched him in the arm as she passed. ‘Thor.’  Loki nodded to him.  ‘How goes things at the photo booth?’ ‘Well, the children are quite taken with the idea of photographs commemorating their meeting with the team.’  He grinned before looking at his nephews.  ‘Look at you two!  You look very fierce, young Narvi, the perfect shade of green.  And you, Vali.  Just like your father, and just as much mischief runs through your veins, am I correct?’ ‘Mamma says even put together we aren’t as mischievous as Dadda.’  Vali replied, pushing his helm where it had slipped down slightly. ‘I cannot, nor would I attempt, to argue with your mother.  She is still perhaps one of the most fierce amongst us, when incensed.’ Narvi laughed.  ‘You’re scared of Mamma!’ ‘With good reason!’  Thor argued. ‘On more than one occasion, in both her incarnations, she has turned into a ball of rage at our antics.’  Loki added. ‘And we would not wish to incur her wrath again, could it be helped.’  Thor said, as he lifted Narvi into his arms.  ‘She would like you to return to the photo booth with me at the end of my break so that she may join you.’ ‘Well, I would hate to disappoint her.’  Loki smiled as Vali slipped his hand into his. ‘But first, I would like to see what these stalls have to offer.’  Thor said, looking around.  ‘What do you recommend, little Hulk?’ ‘Knock the bottles over!’  Narvi grinned.  ‘They have toy bows as prizes!’ ‘Knock bottles over it is.’  Thor led the way through the crowd, following Narvi’s pointed finger, with Loki and Vali following on behind. They joined the crowds waiting their turn, both boys chattering about their preferred prize, when the elderly lady in front of them turned back and smiled at them. ‘They know what they want.’  She looked between the four of them.  ‘Just look at you all in coordinating costumes.  That’s so cute.’ ‘They are boys of fine taste.’  Thor beamed. ‘You must be very proud.’  She looked between them, still smiling warmly. ‘We are.’  Thor continued as Loki straightened Narvi’s helmet again which had shifted where he was scratching just underneath it. ‘I think it’s wonderful to see a family out enjoying the festivities together.  It’s so important.’ ‘Indeed it is.’  Thor agreed as Loki’s attention finally moved from his son to his brother. ‘What is?’  He enquired. ‘Important to spend time as a family.’  Thor glanced at him. The lady looked between Narvi and Vali.  ‘And you boys, you’re behaving for your daddies?’ ‘For their whats?’  Loki replied, wide eyed. ‘You don’t have to hide.’  She gave them a wink.  ‘If it had been like this in my day things would have been very different for me, I can tell you.’ ‘We’re not…we’re related!’  Loki said rapidly, flustered by the elderly woman’s assumption. ‘Well, of course you are!  Marriage equality is a wonderful thing!’  She leant forward and patted his hand.  ‘You’re setting such a great example.’  And she turned away as she was next in line. Loki was speechless, he and Thor looked like a couple?  He was mortified, Thor was highly amused…and someone just behind him cleared their throat. The pair of them turned to see Natasha grinning at them, and she gave them a thumbs up, letting them know she had heard everything, and Loki sighed.  They wouldn’t hear the end of this for a while.

Tony wolf-whistled as soon as Amelia came into view, out onto the sidewalk where the food stands were based, and she sighed as flashbulbs began where the press were assembled on the far kerb, kept at bay by security and barriers. ‘I thought you said the press weren’t invited.’  She complained through her smile as Tony embraced her then kissed her cheek, knowing it was for the cameras’ sake. ‘They aren’t, but this is the best we can do to compromise on both sides.’  He grinned, shaking Bucky’s hand then pulling him into a brief man-hug, which neither of them was still used to but always did for the press.  They were supposed to be related, not still awkward after so long. ‘Where’s Georgie?’  Bucky asked, looking around and finally spotting her, sitting with Cassie Lang to one side and happily munching on her corn, no sign of nerves at eating the vegetable at all.  ‘Never mind.  She’s in good hands.’  Cassie had become a regular visitor with her father, loving spending time with the Avengers’ kids, and they adored her too. Cassie waved with a grin before wiping Georgie’s chin with the napkin in her hand, then returned to her own food. ‘She’s fine, what did you drag me out here for?’  Amelia gave Tony a small, fake frown, knowing deep down that Georgie hadn’t wanted them there, that it was all part of some plan he had, probably to get her out in the open so she could be seen in her costume. ‘Because I won’t have my Angel hiding indoors when she looks like that.’ ‘I’m not dressed up for them.’ ‘They love seeing you.’  Tony slung his arm around her shoulder and started leading her to the line for burgers while Bucky went to see Georgie. ‘And I hate that.’ ‘But, and I keep saying this,’ he stole a fry with a wink from a passing kid who was staring at him in awe, ‘the more they see you the less they will hunt you down when you don’t want them to.  Give them what they want.’ ‘What they want is a camera lens up my nose and to know what I do all day.’  She complained as he ushered them into a queue. ‘They know you work in the labs with me and Bruce.  They don’t need to know more than that.’ ‘But they want to!’  She reminded him. ‘You know the job isn’t the issue, and I get what is, but just relax.  It’s been years and still no one knows.  You’re good.  But even if they found out, you know you’re in the safest place, you know we take no risks with Georgie, plus, imagine,’ he slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her tight into his side, ‘how pissed do you think what’s left of HYDRA would be to find out that the greatest spy to ever breach their ranks is a Stark?’ ‘They’d be pretty steamed.’  She admitted with a small smile.  ‘But they’d also want revenge.’ ‘They already consider you a target to get to the team.  We won’t do anything to publicise things, you know that, but if they found out, it’d be a kick in the teeth for them, not us, because we’re already prepared for their worst.  And if those over there, baying for a pic of how beautiful you are, daughter and wife of two of the Avengers,’ he leant back so she could see the press, giving them his full attention and waving while they called both their names, and she couldn’t help but laugh, ‘are the worst thing you have to deal with, is it really so bad?’ ‘I guess not.’  She smiled up at him.  ‘I hate that you can put spin on things to make it seem not so bad.’ ‘It’s not so bad, really.’ ‘Says the narcissistic showman.’ ‘You’re my baby, you’d be great in front of the cameras.’ ‘Only on paper.’  She argued. ‘You’re a tech whizz.  I say you’re more than just my baby on paper, and that being the case you should come over there with me and give them what they want.’ ‘Tony.’  She groaned, suspecting this had been his plan all along. ‘One little interview, answer a few questions, pose for a few close up shots, done in minutes.’ ‘Do I have to?’  She affected a whining tone, hoping it would help.  It didn’t. ‘Daddy says you do.  Buck?’  He turned to his son-in-law who looked over from where he was chatting with Cassie and Georgie. ‘What’s up?’ ‘Come take our place in line.  Two fully loaded burgers, we’ll be back in a minute or two.’ ‘Sure.’  Bucky gave Amelia a curious look as he approached but she simply pulled a face and shook her head. ‘And a hotdog for Bruce, please.’  She asked him as Tony led her away from the line and towards the street, which had been closed off to be used as space for more food stalls, making a street market style atmosphere. The press spotted them as they approached, shouting Tony’s name loudly, cameras firmly pointed at them both, and he leant towards her before they got in earshot. ‘Smile and answer their questions, but not with too much information, keep them guessing.’ ‘Guessing what?’  She glanced at him, feeling her face was in the most forced smile she had ever worn. ‘Whatever.  It’s their imagination.’  He grinned as they got close enough to the press for Amelia to realise that Happy Hogan was already there waiting for them. ‘You set this up.’  She shook her head, but kept the smile on her face.  ‘You were so sure I’d agree to this?’ ‘Figured I could talk you into it, because everything I said is true.’  He said, as he raised his hand in a wave. ‘You’re a sneaky arsehole.’  She laughed. ‘Yeah, but you love me anyway.  Happy, we’ll take a couple of questions.’ Hogan called out to the press, organising the not so impromptu interview, and Amelia couldn’t help but smile to herself.  It wasn’t so bad, not in the grand scheme of things.

‘Hey, Sigyn!’ She turned at the sound of her name being called, recognising the voice immediately.  It had grown up some in the years since they first met, but she’d know Peter Parker anywhere.  ‘Hey, Spidey.’  She replied, as he was in full costume, still preferring to stay anonymous than going public with his identity.  ‘How’s it going?’ ‘Good.’  He nodded as he reached her.  ‘You look a little lost.’ ‘Waiting on my miscreant husband and brother-in-law to return with my boys.’  She glanced over the crowd again, knowing Thor was almost ten minutes late back already. ‘Are the boys enjoying themselves?’ ‘Who knows?  I haven’t seen them since the beginning of the night.’  She frowned up at him. ‘Didn’t Loki stay for photos?’  Peter waved at a kid who was staring at him, amused by the fact he didn’t seem to want to approach. ‘No.  I’ve been creating duplicates of him all evening because he won’t stay in one spot long enough to be helpful.’ ‘Sounds like you’re mad at him.’ She sighed heavily.  ‘Not mad, not really.  I just know how much the boys love this holiday, and as great an idea as this was I’ve been stuck here all night while he’s off enjoying himself with Narvi and Vali.’ ‘I can probably give you something that will make you feel better.’  They both turned to see Nat coming towards them. ‘Candy apples?’  Sigyn asked hopefully. ‘Better.’  Nat stopped beside her and raised her Stark Phone.  ‘FRIDAY, play that footage for us.’ ‘Sure thing, Miss Romanov.’ A small screen flashed to life, showing Thor holding Narvi while Vali was almost hidden beside Loki in the line for one of the sideshow games, then an older woman turned and began speaking to them. ‘FRIDAY, add subtitles.’  Natasha said, and they appeared across the bottom, the volume drowned out in the busy room. Sigyn watched the exchange, a smile growing on her face as she realised what was going on, Loki’s flustered face at the accusation making her laugh out loud.  When it finished she turned to Nat, in a better mood than she had been all evening. ‘Oh God, Nat, please send me that.  And promise we aren’t ever going to let them live this down?’ ‘I have the footage all lined up to send to the rest of the team.’  She smirked.  ‘I figured after you’d been abandoned all night by your own boys, you’d appreciate this bit of revenge.’ ‘I do, but…’ she paused and glanced at Peter with a sly grin, ‘let’s keep this amongst ourselves until the end of the night.’ ‘The unofficial debriefing at the bar?’  Nat checked and Sigyn nodded. ‘I think it’s only fair that everyone should see this together, don’t you?’ ‘Completely.’  Nat agreed.  ‘You staying for the debriefing, Spider-Man?’ ‘I ought to get home.’  He smiled behind his mask.  ‘But I could probably be convinced to stay.’

By the end of the night Sigyn had got the chance to spend some time with her boys, she and Loki creating some simple but entertaining illusions by one of the food carts as they ate, much to the amusement of not only their own boys but many other of the children present.  Amelia returned to the photo printing with Bruce’s hotdog and some popcorn for him, which he appreciated, none the worse for her experience with the press.  Finally the evening wound down and they returned to The Avengers floors for a celebratory drink of a job well done. Seated around the couches, Narvi asleep on Sigyn, his shins on either side of her thighs, cuddled into her shoulder, while Vali was still fighting sleep for all he was worth, Georgie laid on the couch with her head on a pillow against Amelia’s leg. ‘So, kids, did we learn anything tonight?’  Tony asked as he handed out the last glasses of wine. ‘Green face paint gets everywhere?’  Loki suggested, certain he would still find some of the damn stuff despite having tried to clean it all off Narvi with sorcery. ‘It does, but no.’  Tony pointed at him. ‘This is a test then, not our actual opinions you want?’  Sigyn asked, shifting Narvi to a slightly more comfortable position. ‘Don’t start.’  Amelia waved a finger at him warningly. He turned his grin on her.  ‘That’s one thing we learnt.  You wanna answer that, Angel?’ ‘That the press aren’t half as scary as I thought they were, is that what you want to hear?’ ‘Five points to the woman in uniform!’  He snapped his fingers.  ‘Next, what else did we learn?’ ‘Loki is camera shy.’  Sigyn smirked and was rewarded by her husband poking her in the ribs, making her flinch away and giggle. ‘Oh, oh!’  Vali raised his hand.  ‘I have one, Uncle Tony.’ ‘What did you learn, kiddo?’  He smiled at the boy who had by now removed his helm and coat and was dressed simply in black pants and tunic, his boots on the floor beside his father’s feet. ‘Dadda is scared of Mamma.’  He said proudly, as a yawn snuck out of his mouth. ‘Everyone is scared of your mamma.’  Bucky said, toasting her with his glass. ‘With good reason.’  Loki raised her hand and kissed it.  ‘And that was hardly a lesson any of us needed to learn.’ ‘No, there was definitely another lesson.’  Tony sat on the arm of the couch beside Pepper, who had remained safely behind the scenes all evening. ‘Is it how big a success the evening was and how you deserve all the praise and adoration we can pour on you?’  Pepper gave him a sardonic look. ‘Yes, but something else.’ ‘That it’s a miracle Loki didn’t actually play any tricks?’  Bruce suggested. ‘Who is to say I did not?’  Loki smirked. ‘Behave, Mischief.’  Sigyn warned him. ‘I always behave, Petal.’ ‘Behave well.’  She specified. ‘Boring.’  He muttered. ‘That you need to pass the open bottle this way?’  Darcy waved her empty glass until she got her way. ‘You all suck at this game.’  Tony complained.  ‘Nat, you wanna enlighten the room?’ ‘Sure.’  She glanced at Sigyn who gave a marginal nod of confirmation.  ‘Tonight we learnt that, even if you’re related, sometimes there’s no hiding the homoerotic subtext.’  Most everyone else glanced around in confusion until Nat instructed FRIDAY to play the footage. ‘Oh good Gods.’  Loki groaned as the footage began to play, with subtitles no less, and he covered his face with his hand, his eyes slipping sideways to see his wife smirking at him.  ‘You already know what this is, don’t you?’ ‘I might have seen it already.’ ‘It is not funny.’  He said, as Thor began to laugh with the rest of their companions. ‘It is a little amusing, brother.’  He replied. ‘Asgardian power couple.’  Darcy coughed dramatically. ‘Excuse me!’  Loki said indignantly.  ‘Sig and I, we’re an Asgardian power couple, Thor and I…’ ‘Would make a cute couple.’  Clint said, Laura slapping his thigh. ‘Don’t make more trouble, Hawkeye.’ ‘What, they would!’  Clint argued. ‘And the fact they mistook you for a couple means that you’re close, and as brothers that’s a compliment.’  Sigyn argued. ‘It’s hardly the same!’ ‘Watch the video again!  This lady saw two very handsome men with equally handsome boys, who were probably playfully bickering, and she probably assumed you were cosplayers, as she obviously didn’t realise who you actually are.  And it’s very normal for couples to cosplay a common theme!’ ‘We weren’t cosplaying a common theme!’ ‘Hey, you didn’t want to be in the photo ops as an Avenger, so you can’t be mad about not being recognised!’  Darcy argued Sigyn’s side further.  ‘Can’t have it both ways.’ ‘But…’ ‘She’s got a point.’  Steve added, with an apologetic smile. ‘Is there any scenario where you all forget this happened and you don’t remind me constantly for the next year?’  Loki argued. ‘Nope.’  Tony grinned before taking a swig of his wine. ‘Next year I’ll participate in the photo ops.’  Loki grumbled as Vali settled in against his chest, yawning heavily. ‘That’s all we wanted this year.’  Sigyn reminded him. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.  ‘Was this all a plot just to make your point?’ ‘No, tormenting you for abandoning me was my plot.  This works way better than anything I had planned.’  She grinned. ‘But this way the entire team are tormenting me.’ She nodded.  ‘Sounds fair to me.’ ‘Hardly.’  He grumbled.  ‘Can we stop replaying the video footage now?’ ‘Nope.’  Nat smirked and winked at Sigyn, who was grateful that on this mischief night, perhaps for the first time, Loki hadn’t had the last laugh.

BONUS LOKI GIF FOR MY BIRTHDAY!