"Yes?" Loki came out into the hallway. "Am I needed?" "Loki, where's my notebook?" Bucky asked, trying not to be angry, but failing. "I left it right here on the bed. Now its gone. Have you seen it?" Loki crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Possibly. What does it look like?" "Like a pocket sized navy colored notebook." Bucky glared at Loki. Thor came upstairs. "What's going on?" He looked at Bucky, who was still glaring at Loki, sighed, and put his hand against his face. "Brother, what did you do?" "He took my notebook." Bucky turned back to Loki. "And I know you have it, so don't bother lying. Just give it back." "This book?" Loki held it up. "You should really put your name on things like this. It was quite interesting to read, though." "YOU READ IT!?" Bucky slammed Loki into the wall. "That wasn't yours to read!" "Good to know now. You should put a warning label on it." Loki winced. He pushed at Bucky's arm. "Leave. my. stuff. alone." Bucky took the notebook from Loki and went back into his room. The door slammed behind him. Loki winced again and pushed himself away from the wall. "I can see why that metal arm is useful in a fight." Thor glared at his brother. "You snuck in his room!?!?" Loki glanced over at him. "Yes. I thought we'd established that already." Thor grabbed his brother's arm. "Another incident like this, and you're going back to Asgard." Steve came up the stairs. "Leave him alone, Loki" he said as he walked by. Steve knocked on Bucky's door. Loki pulled his arm out of his brother's grip. "Call Heimdall then, brother. I'm sure Odin will be overjoyed with my return." Thor looked at his brother. "That's what I thought." Loki turned and headed down the stairs. "Loki! Where are you going?" Thor hurried downstairs after him. Loki stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you my personal guard now?" "It seems you need one." The bedroom door opened. "Good. he's gone." Steve came into the bedroom. "He stole your notebook?" Bucky nodded. "Yeah and read it. Probably going to keep bringing up what's in it too." "I can confirm." Loki appeared in the doorway. Thor came back upstairs. "Another illusion!?!" Loki turned around. "Of course." It was Thor's turn to smash his brother into a wall. "This is quite unoriginal." Loki grinned, but looked pained. "You should think of something else." Thor dropped his brother, who stood slowly, wincing with pain. "Do I need to put you in chains!?!" Loki leaned against a wall with one arm. "There's something original." Bucky gave Loki a look. "Get out of my room. And not a word about what you read in that notebook." "We'll see about that." Loki told Bucky. He pulled away from the wall, still wincing slightly, and walked down the hall to his room. Thor started to follow and Loki whipped around. "What can I POSSIBLY do from my room!?!?" Thor looked surprised for a moment, before crossing his arms over his chest. "I do not want to take any chances, brother." Loki looked annoyed for half a second, and then turned and went into his room. Thor stared after him a moment before he followed, giving Bucky an apologetic look as he passed by. Late that night The house was quiet. Everyone was asleep. Everyone that is, except Bucky. He was leaning against the wall, a blanket still draped over his legs, the bed relatively undisturbed except the removal of the comforter. The floor was slightly cold in the night air, except where he was sitting. Bucky listened to the silent house. "Good. Loki finally fell asleep. I better make sure he didn't do anything to my notebook." he whispered as he pulled the notebook out from where he had kept it. "Oh, that's where it typically is." Loki nodded to himself. "I've been waiting for you to do that. And I assure you, I only read it. Nothing else." He grinned at Bucky. Bucky stood up. "Get out of my room! What is wrong with you!? Why do you have no respect for other people's privacy!?" Thor knocked on the door, awakened by the commotion. "What is going on?" Loki glanced at the door, eyebrows raised. "Thor has arrived." He looked back at Bucky, grinned, and disappeared. Steve came into the room, yawning. "What is it? Nightmare? Memory?" Bucky sat down on the bed. "Loki. He was in my room again." Thor stood in the doorway. "Where did he go? I swear, I'm going to chain him up in a corner." He spun around, checking to see if his brother had appeared behind him. Loki reappeared just outside Bucky's room. "I'd like to see you try, brother." Thor looked about ready to tackle him right then and there. So did Bucky. And Steve. Steve stomped over to Loki. "Alright. I have tried to be patient with you. Even though you almost destroyed New York. Even though you made us leave cracker barrel. But I have had enough. I don't know what your problem is but it needs to stop. Stay out of our rooms. Leave our stuff alone. Or you can go back to Asgard or wherever. Get your act together."
Next morning. Thor woke up with a start. Suddenly worried, he glanced around the room for his brother. "I'm right here, brother." Loki stood in the corner, watching his brother carefully. Thor narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if it was an illusion or really his brother. Loki sighed and walked over. "It's not an illusion." Thor grabbed his brother, and once satisfied he was real, let go. "Good to know that you're finally doing as you're told." Loki raised his eyebrows. "Is it really that hard to believe?" It was Thor's turn to sigh. "Unfortunately, brother, yes." Loki looked at him for a few seconds, before turning away. "I believe Bucky and Steve are already downstairs." Steve was cooking the waffles this time. Bucky was washing dishes at the sink. Steve looked up. "Good, you two are up. We need to go gift shopping today if we want to have any time for it." Thor nodded, and Loki looked skeptical. He glanced between Bucky and Steve and sighed. Thor came into the kitchen. "Waffles again?" Loki came up behind his brother. "Good to see you cooking this time." He turned to watch Bucky carefully, wary of his reaction. Bucky turned around, holding a soapy spoon. "Yeah well, don't expect to get anything from me." Steve stepped between them. "Breakfast time." Steve's waffles were better, but still slightly burnt. Thor tried a bite. "Perhaps it's the machine." Loki gave his brother an amused look. Thor shrugged at him and ate another bite. Breakfast was fairly uneventful but Bucky was giving Loki dirty looks the entire time. After everyone had eaten, Steve stood up. "Well, how about we go shopping in an hour and a half?" Bucky nodded. "That works." "I suppose there's no use in postponing it..." Loki sighed and went upstairs to his room. Thor started to follow and he spun around. "I am going to MY room." He headed into his room, slamming the door behind him. Thor rolled his eyes, and noticed the lights he had set on the couch yesterday. With a shrug, he went over and started to hang them up around the living room ceiling. Bucky saw Loki come upstairs and quickly shut and locked his door. "Not today." he muttered. He pulled his notebook back out. "Now where to put this? Where will Loki not find it?" Downstairs, Thor was talking to Steve. "Perhaps we should each make a list. Could make this easier." He surveyed the finished lights carefully. "That's true." Steve nodded thoughtfully. He pulled out his pocket notebook and wrote a few things down. "I'll tell Loki, you tell Bucky." Thor told Steve as he walked up the stairs. He went over to Loki's room and opened the door. Loki was sitting on the windowsill, reading a book. Bucky was in his room, folding up the blanket that was still laying on the floor. He looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. "Its Steve. Can I come in?" Bucky opened the door. "Hey. Did you need something?" "Me and Thor were thinking that gift lists would make the shopping easier. He went to talk to Loki." Bucky nodded. "Yeah, okay." He pulled his notebook out of his pocket and wrote a few things down. Meanwhile, across the hall, Thor was talking to Loki. "Make a list before we go shopping. It will make it easier." Loki gave his brother an amused look. "There is absolutely nothing here that I could possibly want." He closed his book. Thor sighed. "Why must you always be so difficult? Just try." Loki rolled his eyes. "Certainly." He opened his book again and went back to reading, ignoring Thor, who sighed again and left. Steve had gone back downstairs and was cleaning the waffle iron when Bucky came down the stairs. "Steve! There's a blizzard warning!" Steve whirled around. "What?" Bucky pulled on his coat. "There's a blizzard warning. I'm going to go bring the motorcycles closer to the house." Then he went outside, the door swinging shut behind him with a thump. Loki came down the stairs. "What is going on?" He sounded panicked. Thor hurried downstairs a moment later. Snow had started blowing against the windows, making little thump noises with every clump. Thor looked at the weather outside. "Blizzard?" He asked Steve. Steve nodded. "Yep." Bucky came back inside with a swirl of snow, the tip of his nose red. "Its really blowing out there." He pulled off his coat, which was crusted with snow, and slapped his right hand on his knee to warm it up as he took off his boots. Steve looked out the window. "I guess we'll have to go shopping later." Bucky stood up, blowing on his hands. "Much later." Next: Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/963598028
