Loki stared at the hammer in his hand. He couldn't believe he was holding Mjolnir. And not just in the manner of his admittedly mischievous youth where he tried to lift the thing more times than he cared to admit. Hel, one of the last times he'd tried it, the damn thing had sparked lightning, burning his fingers.

And now?

Now he was holding it.

Wielding it.

He didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. The giant was back and as angry as ever. Loki gripped the hammer more tightly and planted his feet. Fighting with the hammer was much different than fighting with his daggers. He was used to fighting on the balls of his feet, darting in jabbing a few times and darting out again before he got hurt. Mjolnir was a stronger weapon, a heavier weapon, for all that it now felt light in Loki's hand. He had to plant his feet, shift his weight, throw his hips and his body weight into gaining the power he needed while he swung the hammer ruthlessly into the giant's head.

The giant went flying. For all that Loki was thinner and less obviously muscled than his brother, he was still a trained warrior, still muscled and combat trained. He knew more weapons than his beloved daggers, they were just his specialty.

The giant crashed on the other side of the battle and Loki could stare for another moment at the hammer in his hands, disbelieving that he was actually wielding it. After centuries of dreaming of being worthy, he was actually wielding it.

"Brother, I know you're pleased to be worthy, but I could really use my hammer back!" Thor called across the battlefield.

Loki smirked and did something he had wanted to do since he was a small child.

He chucked Thor's stupid hammer at Thor's stupid head as hard as he could.

He lit up in glee as the hammer flew across the battlefield to his brother. His glee was slightly diminished with the fact that Thor caught the hammer, but it was still there in the fact that he'd been able to throw the hammer. It would've been so much sweeter had it smacked Thor in the nose.

He might've been a touch vindictive over being tormented with that stupid hammer for years.

Just a touch.

He turned his attention back to the battle, summoning his dagger in one hand and a bolt of magic in the other. The creatures were swarming, coming to attack the civilians.

It was then that something happened that none of them expected.

Even the Asgardians.

Or perhaps especially the Asgardians.

Frigga stepped forward, away from the circle of protection, away from where Wanda was shielding the civilians, away from pretending she was a civilian. Soft golden power glowed around her as she stepped forward to face the charge of creatures, her blade held expertly in her hand.

"Mother?" Loki asked, overflowing with worry for his beloved mama.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Together, my son. We will protect our family together," she told him warmly. Loki nodded and the pair rushed into the battle. Loki stayed close to his mother, but he needen't have worried. She was beyond skilled on the battlefield and Loki was forced to remember that she had taught him how to fight all of those centuries ago.

The pair were blurs as they fought and they fought identically with speed and deadly skill as their blades blurred and magic shown as they threw spells at their enemies.

The creatures turned on them, recognizing the pair for the threat that they were. There was no fear in either of them when they found themselves surrounded by enemies. Frigga simply reached for Loki's free hand. He held her hand in his, their power combining around their joined hands. Without needing words, they both sank into their power, both sank to the depths of that well of strength inside them.

The spell didn't need to be spoken as they ascended, bringing every drop of magic they could muster with them. Power exploded from them, leveling the battlefield and turning every enemy to dust, leaving only the team and civilians standing.

The entire team stared in shock and awe at the power and skill of the pair, even as they leaned on each other to remain standing. Thor came over to the pair and he and Sif steadied them. "Mother, are you alright?" he asked. Loki would never be offended that Thor checked on their mother first. He would have been insulted if he hadn't.

She gave him a warm, if exhausted, smile. "I'm alright, my son," she reassured him as she and Loki both steadied from the massive spell. They would crash hard when they were safely back at the tower, but would stay on their feet until then. Thor was still reluctant to let Frigga go and kept an arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "You boys are always so protective," she told him and Loki both.

The rest of the team gathered and Stark rushed over to Peter, Aunt May, and Pepper to check on them. All of the civilians had made it through without a scratch.

Loki made his way over to Peter and Wanda as well. His mother was safe, he had to check on his adopted little siblings. Wanda was exhausted from the battle and channeling so much magic and Peter was supporting her for a minute while she recovered from channelling that much magic all at once. For all their strength and skills, she and Peter were only fifteen. It was so young, especially to the centuries old gods.

"Loki, I'm sorry, I-" Peter started, heartbroken that he hadn't been able to help. He couldn't let his aunt find out his secret. She wouldn't understand that he was Spiderman. Loki knew how young his friend was. While they were of an age if one considered life cycle equivalencies, Peter just didn't have the world experience yet. He didn't understand yet that none of the team would hold his need to keep his secret identity secret against him.

Loki gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "Two, and only because there was a battle tonight," he reassured his friend, using Peter's silly number system to let the teen know that everything was ok. He saw Peter's usual lopsided grin and knew he'd succeeded. "You kept Aunt May and Lady Potts away from the danger. You kept them safe and did a warrior's work tonight. Everyone is alive and well, if tired," Loki continued and Peter finally relaxed with Loki's kind words. Loki smiled warmly at Wanda, who was standing on her own again. "And you did admirably tonight, little sister," he told her warmly and, in a rare move for Loki, pulled her into his arms, pressing a brotherly kiss to her forehead. She looked up at him surprised, shocked beyond words for a moment, but extremely pleased.

"Sister?" she asked so softly only Loki could hear her. He heard the hopeful note in her voice. As well as the surety that she had heard him wrong.

"Sister of my soul, little witch," he told her warmly and she hugged him tightly. He could feel in her too-tight grip how desperately grateful she was to have a family again after all she'd lost. Loki really was getting used to this whole hugging thing, strange though it was to him.

"Oi! Loki!" Thor called.

Loki looked over to see what the oaf wanted and saw Mjolnir flying toward his head. It took every ounce of Loki's self-control to fight his centuries of muscle memory and not duck out of the way of the hammer. He reached a hand up to catch it and prayed whatever magic had made him worthy earlier held and he was still worthy.

Or else this was really going to hurt.

His hand wrapped around the hammer and he braced himself to be thrown, already preparing to defend the little witch in his arms. But the hammer stopped when he grabbed it and allowed itself to be held.

Loki was still worthy.

The team stared in surprise. They either hadn't seen earlier, or hadn't comprehended that Loki was worthy. Wanda grinned up at him before she let him go so he could revel in his newfound worthiness. "That's not possible!" Stark whined. Of course he, and all the others, had tried and failed to lift the hammer. Most of the team was still too dumbfounded to say anything.

"Congratulations, witch!" Peter told him, knowing how much it meant to Loki to finally be worthy. Loki had confided his feelings of inferiority in compared to Thor to his young friend and Peter hadn't forgotten and had completely understood.

Loki smirked at him. "And yet, I am holding the hammer. Would you like to try?" he asked, offering the hilt to Stark, who grumbled and didn't take it.

There was a gentle hand on his arm and Loki turned his attention to it and saw his mother, her eyes filled with pride. She hugged him tightly around the neck and Loki's arm went around her automatically. "I'm so proud of you, my son. I always knew you were worthy. It was just a matter of you learning it for yourself," she told him warmly as she held him.

Frigga's pride in him meant even more than the fact that Loki could wield the stupid hammer.