Mischief

Chapter Eighteen- Phonecalls

"Stark? You got a call."

The inventor looked up absently, making grabby hands with one hand while turning back to his tech with the other. Quill rolled his eyes, handing Stark the communicator- space phone?- and heading back into the cockpit. Stark pressed the phone to his ear.

"Stark here."

"Tony?" Stark blinked in surprise as Steve's low voice greeted him.

"Steve? What the heck? I thought you were a child?" he put his screwdriver down, a frown wrinkling his brow.

"Yeah, I know. Banner said it was my enhanced genetics, it meant I wasn't as affected. I didn't really understand; he used a lot of big words." Stark laughed.

"Photosynthesis is a big word for you, Cap."

"I'm not an idiot, Stark."

"Yeah? What does it mean then?" Stark could hear the smirk in his own voice but couldn't suppress it, especially when Steve paused on the other end of the line, scrabbling for a definition.

"How's Loki?"

Stark let the obvious subject change slide, glancing over at the child staring wondrously out the window.

"Surprisingly easy. It's making me nervous," he confessed. Steve laughed.

"Don't get too stressed. We wouldn't want you having a heart attack."

"If anyone'll be having one, it'll be you, old man."

"Hey! Respect your elders!"

The friends laughed lightly before falling into silence. Tony fiddled with his tech, flitting his attention between the suit and his ward, who had his nose pressed up against the glass and was trying to see everything. Steve cleared his throat.

"Anyway, just wanted to check up and see how you were doing. And I've done that now, sooo..."

Stark practically heard the shrug, sniggering. "Don't tell me you're worried about me, Cap?"

"You're in space in a ship full of people who could arguably be called criminals and a war criminal. Of course I'm worried!"

Stark smiled slightly. "I'll be fine, Steve. Be back home in no time."

"Yeah, I know. What? Tony. Sure you don't want to speak to him yourself? Okay?" Steve paused, clearly talking to someone else. "Err, Tony? Pepper wants to tell you something?"

"What's up?"

Steve's voice lowered, the old fashioned man clearly uncomfortable repeating the message, and Tony could get why. His eyes widened at the amount of expletives used, the harsh words softened slightly by Steve's awkwardness.

"Jeez, okay. So she's still mad at me for turning the others into kids?"

"You could say that, yeah."

Quill came out the cockpit, making weird gestures with his hands. Stark stared blankly at him. "What?"

Quill deflated slightly. "We're here."

"Oh. Steve? I gotta go. We're here."

"Be careful, Tony."

"Always."

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"Hello?"

"Wanda? It's Steve."

"Oh hey. What's up?"

"We... have a situation."

"An Avengers kinda situation?"

"A 'Tony turned everyone into children, then went off into space with kid Loki to God knows where' kinda situation."

"I leave for five minutes."

"I know-"

"I'm on my way."

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"This ain't right."

"You think?"

Quill stared at the wreckage of the prison before him, one hand on his hip as the other scratched his chin. "This ain't right at all." Stark looked at him from where he was stood in the ships' hangar.

"What now?" he seemed willing to follow Quill's lead for now, which was both a blessing and a curse. The inventor wouldn't cause any trouble, but it also left Quill to come up with a plan. He rubbed his eyes.

They could go back to Earth, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the prison had been attacked because Loki was coming, and didn't want the same fate to befall his home world. The Nova Corps was practically wiped out, the Ravagers would never house them. He had no idea what to do.

"We could always go home?" Loki's childish voice peeped up from behind him. Quill turned, shaking his head.

"We don't want Earth to be attacked too."

"I don't mean Earth."

"I thought Asgard was destroyed?" Quill frowned. Loki tilted his head to the side.

"I wasn't talking about Asgard, either."

Quill jumped as Gamora gasped beside him.

"Genius!" she grinned. "He'll never to think to look for us there!"

"Where?" Quill demanded. "Where are we going? Where?" Loki grinned.

"You'd best put on a jacket," he smirked. "We're going to Jotunheim."

A/N: I updated! This is NOT a drill! This has REALLY happened! The author actually did some work for once!

So yeah. Jotunheim. What do we think? The frozen ice planet that is Loki's homeworld. I am mildly worried I'll get my facts wrong a little here, but I'll do my best, and don't be scared to correct me.

Question of the Week:

Stony or Stucky?

That will be all.