TSOF: Revelation

Memories

Since it was almost time for dinner Frigga just led everyone to the dining room. Loki and Thor had dragged Skurge and Amora to Asgard that morning before going back to pick up Tony and Anselma. Odin sat at the head of the table with Frigga to his right. Thor sat across from her with Loki next to him. Tony sat next to Frigga and across from Loki. Anselma claimed the seat next to her Papa. Frigga stared at Loki, her eyes lingering on his hair clearly wanting to know why he cut it. Anselma grinned as Odin outright asked. "What happened to your hair son?" Loki shifted slightly in his seat. "Anselma thought it would help me fit in on Midgard." He said quietly. Everyone looked at her. "What?" She asked innocently. "Thor is next when we get back." Thor swallowed and sat back while tugging at his hair, almost protectively. Frigga shared a smile with her. Odin leaned back and studied her. No one spoke again. They sat in awkward silence for a while before Tony decided to open his mouth. Loki and Anselma both groaned silently in despair. "So," he said cheerfully and clapped his hands together once. Anselma prepared to drag her Papa out of harms way if he said something stupid. Loki just hoped Tony didn't say anything inappropriate. "You're Loki and Thor's parents. They must have been a handful growing up." Frigga smiled at him. "Loki was a mischievous child." She said in stage whisper to him. "Oh?" He asked with a raised brow. Frigga nodded. Anselma relaxed as it seemed they would get along just fine. Odin watched them for a moment, a small smile on his face, before turning and asking how his boys had been while on Midgard. Anselma was content to sit back and listen to the casual conversations. Several servants moved to place food on the table in front of everyone. Anselma smiled and thanked them. They beamed at her and bowed out of the room. Anselma watched them before something Frigga was saying captured her attention.

"Oh, Loki was such a cute baby!" Frigga gushed. Tony smirked and leaned towards her eagerly. "You wouldn't happen to have any pictures or stories would you?" Loki glared lightly at him before blanching at his mother when she eagerly pulled out an album from seemingly no where. "I have many Lord Stark." Her grin was too mischievous for Loki's liking and told Tony where Loki got his humor from. "Would you care to listen to a few?" She asked casually, winking at him while Loki wasn't looking. Tony smiled sunnily at her. "It would be my pleasure My Lady." Loki scowled at them and turned to join Odin and Thor's conversation only to find them paying attention to Frigga and Tony's. "I have a few pictures you could take with you as well." Frigga smiled at Tony who couldn't look happier if he tried. "How wonderful." He grinned. Anselma hid a smile by taking a bite of whatever food that had been served. It was delicious and she happily dug in. Frigga slid the picture book to Tony so he could look through the pictures with Anselma.

She laughed at the first page. It showed six pictures. One was of a tiny baby Loki, with his tuft of black hair sticking everywhere, chewing on a crying Thor's ear. Another showed Thor sitting on a pouting Loki with a wide grin on his face. The third was of Loki pushing Thor's head down under the water while in a bathtub. Anselma couldn't help but coo at his baby faced smirk. Loki flushed while Thor laughed at him. The next was of Thor and Loki smiling adoringly at a laughing Frigga while sitting on Odin's chest. It was a cute photo. The fifth showed Odin holding a laughing Thor in one hand by the ankle, his other hand supporting Loki who was sitting on his shoulder with a proud smile. The last one was of Thor and Loki hugging, not even seeming to notice that they had been photographed. They just looked like brothers happy to have each other.

Tony had a lot of fun looking through the album, especially because Frigga used a magic to copy the photos he picked to take back home with him. Anselma just awwed at the baby versions of her father and uncle who were bright red by the time they finished. Soon Frigga had Tony breathless with laughter with stories of her son's childhood.

She told them of how when they were little Loki had made clones of Thor and himself to get out of lessons to go hunting in the woods. They got lost and climbed trees to escape from a bilgesnipe which turned out to be nothing more than a grazing deer. It took Odin hours to find them and when he did they flung themselves at him while swearing to never misbehave again as long as Odin was always there to save them. "In our defense the deer did sound remarkably like a bilgesnipe." Loki said proudly. Tony pressed a hand to his lips to muffle his laughter. Loki scowled at him.

"Do you remember when Loki charmed the guards darling?" Frigga asked Odin who grinned with amusement. "When he charmed them to sing instead of speak and dance instead of walk you mean?" He responded. Loki straightened. "They deserved it for deeming themselves above everyone and terrorizing our guests." He said defensively. Everyone ignored him. "Or when he locked Thor is his room, spelled himself to look like Thor, and went around doing foolish things to embarrass him. Such as talking to thin air, proposing to every single maiden he saw, and wearing bright pink out into the town." Frigga giggled. Thor glared at his little brother who was fighting a smile. "It took months before people finally believed it was a trick of Loki's." He murmured darkly. Anselma beamed at him. "Don't worry Uncle," she laughed. "I believe you." He gifted her with a soft grin.

"I remember," Thor rumbled causing Loki to shoot him a wary look. "When we were little and Loki became upset that he could not yet go hunting with Father and I." Loki slouched and tried to hide as he realized what story Thor was telling. "He hid in Father's satchel. We didn't notice him until we were already deep in the woods. Father reached in to get his cloak and instead pulled out Loki." Loki avoided looking at anyone and pursed his lips when Thor nudged him. "He got scared and shot a spell at Father. It burned him and he let Loki go." Odin chuckled and continued for Thor. "He was so frightened that he lunged into Thor's arms begging him to save him." Thor leaned over and ruffled Loki's hair. "I shall always protect my brother." He proclaimed happily. Loki shot him a small smile. Anselma grinned at them and motioned for Thor to go on. "We turned and headed back home. Mother was so relieved to see Loki with us as she had been searching for him since we had left two days before." Frigga looked at Loki fondly when he shot her an apologetic look.

"One day we told Loki he had to attend his studies with Thor instead of practicing his magic. In a fit he spelled snow to fall all through the palace and disappeared in it. It took us days to find him." Frigga said, her eyes glinting with joy. "He was the only one not bothered by the cold." Loki shrugged at them. "I believe that is enough stories about me." He said with a light tone that fooled none of them as the deep red along his cheeks gave him away. It took everything inside of Anselma to resist leaning over the table and pinching his cheeks. Her grin faded as he turned to smile wickedly at her. "Let us hear about the childhood of my daughter." He said, a glint in his eyes. "What do you say Anselma?" She opened her mouth to refuse but Tony cut her off. "Why not?" He grinned. The others smiled with curiosity. Anselma dropped her head to the table and groaned. "You're evil." She moaned miserably. "All of you." She scowled at their laughter.