The Avengers Collaborative Drabble Thread

[aggedy_ann]

Title: Minty fresh Sneezes

“Hehp’tshah.” Bruce, like always, managed to spit into the sink before the sneeze overtook him. He set his toothbrush down, rinsed his mouth out and blew his nose before exiting the bathroom. He made his way downstairs with minty fresh breath.

Steve and Tony were sitting in the kitchen with steaming mugs. “Coffee?” Tony offered.

“Sure.” Bruce took a seat as Steve got up and poured him a cup.

Bruce took a long sip of the warm brew. “Hehp’tschh.” He managed to set the cup down before a sneeze overtook him. “Excuse me.” He sniffed.

“Bless you.” Offered Steve while Tony offered a napkin.

“Thanks. “ He took another sip of the coffee and paused, features wrinkling again. “Hehhp’tschoo. Excuse me again.” He nodded at Steve’s blessing and pretended he didn’t notice Tony scoot his chair slightly away. He took a long drink of the coffee and held it in his mouth a moment, this time, noting a minty undertone. Swallowing rapidly, he reached for a napkin and braced himself for the sneeze that was to come. “Hehh’tschahh, tschahh.”

“Bless you.” Steve offered for the third time. “You alright?”

Bruce nodded. “Is there mint in this coffee?”

Tony nodded. “It’s a peppermint blend.”

Bruce blew his nose. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just have regular.” He walked over to the single cup brewer and selected a cup and package, waiting for it to brew.

“You don’t like it?” Steve asked, disappointed as he had been so excited to discover peppermint coffee and bring it back to Stark Tower.

“Mint of any kind makes me sneeze,” Bruce admitted, looking down, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

“Oh,” Both men said in unison. Bruce expected them to tease him or make a big deal out of it, but they didn’t say another word.

So he was surprised the next morning when he went to brush his teeth and instead of the half empty tube of mint toothpaste was instead a tube of bubblegum flavored Sponge Bob toothpaste.

[Dye]

Awww, that's so sweet! Steve and Tony are so considerate when they want to be. Also cutie Bruce sneezes aaaaaaahhhhhh

[fufufufu]

OMG sneezy!Bruce!!!! My favorite thing ever!! That was adorable.

[Ciuty80]

this was cute!!!! :drool:

i wonder how the hulk would sneeze O_o

[aggedy_ann]

5 Alarm Chili

So I found this avengers kink meme site with some sneezing/allergic/sick prompts on it and thought I’d drabble them.

http://grammarie.net/avengers-km.html

Here’s the first one.

Loki is allergic to spicy Midguardian food; Jotuns cannot stand extreme heat, regardless of the form it presents itself in.

Thor had taken to experimenting with Midguardian cuisine after his jaunts on earth. Loki was his guinea pig, much to Loki’s dismay.

Today’s concoction was thick and red and meaty. “What is this?” asked Loki, poking at it with his spoon.

“Chili. Jane taught me how to make it. It might be a bit spicier than you’re used to.”

“Spicier?” They typically did not eat spicy foods on Asgard. And Thor was about to discover why.

“Tastes hot.” He explained to Loki who still looked confused but took a tentative bite, followed by another and several more.

Loki’s bowl was half empty when a sharp itch in his nose took him by surprise. “Heh-chuhh, Chuhh, Ihshchuhh.” He reached for a napkin off the table and swiped at his tickling nose. “CHuhh, Hhhchhuhh, CHuhhsh, EHhchh, Yehhchhh, Hehhchoo, Choo, Choo, Chhuhh,Choo, Hehh-choo.”

Thor looked on in concern as his younger brother sneezed fitfully. Finally, Loki came up for air, red faced and teary eyed. “Are you ill, brother?” he asked.

“I am not ill. I believe it is this accursed soup.” He sniffed.

Thor took a bite of the soup. Spicy, yes, but it didn’t make him sneeze. In fact, it sent a warmth throughout his entire body. Then he remembered something the allfather had told him in his youth about the frost giants: they could not tolerate heat in any form.

“Loki, take another bite of the soup.” He requested, wanting to test his hypothesis.

Loki did so, and was rewarded for his efforts with a loud “Hehptchuhh.”

“I think your intolerance of heat exceeds to spices.” Thor said, pulling the bowl away from Loki, and handing him the bread and butter instead.

Hope my attempts at Loki and Thor are ok. Now it's off to do some sportswriting before I work on my fic.

Edited December 5, 2012 by brigid

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

Eeeeeeeeei this is so ridiculously cute!! I love loki snezes of any kind and the above is just almost too adorable to handle, besides which I love love love when the brothers are playing nice. Bravo. BRAVO! good job very good yes

[Ciuty80]

perfect...just so PERFECT!!!!

[fufufufu]

Oh I loved that!!!

I was hoping someone would get around to that prompt, fellow meme-r... Actually the kink meme's had a couple of good sneeze-related prompts, iirc.

[aggedy_ann]

There were a lot of good prompts in that meme. I might have to try some of them on for size.

[sprinkles287]

Oh holy wow. That Pepper fic. And Tony's reaction. And the funny adorable. Just........wow. Brilliant.

[aggedy_ann]

Another one from the Kink!meme

Bruce/Tony, hay fever: Tony an allergic mess and sneezing his face off, and Bruce taking care of his science boyfriend

“Hehhkishhh.” Tony’s head flopped forward in yet another sneeze. He grabbed another tissue from the box Bruce held out to him. “Heehhhh’Kihshh, Kishhh, kishh, ishhh, hih-ihshh, ishhh, Ishhh-ishhh-kishh-kish-ish-ishh, h-ishhhh.” Tony took a shaky breath and reached for more tissues to blow his nose.

“God bless you. That was, um, intense.” Bruce said, looking on concernedly.

Heh-hehihshoo.” Was Tony’s response.

Bruce reached over to Tony with a fresh tissue and began dabbing at the man’s watery eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me your hayfever was this bad? I never would have suggested a picnic in Central Park if I’d have known.”

“Heyyishh. It’s dot that bad.” Tony blew his nose again as Bruce crossed to the kitchen sink and ran a dishrag under water.

“Not that bad? It sure sounds like your nose is trying to escape from your face.” He teased, coming back over to Tony.

“Hehhkishhh, Kiihhshehh.” Tony snuffled miserably into his tissues. “Okay, it is that bad.”

Bruce clucked sympathetically. “Let me see your face.” He gently pried the tissues away from Tony’s eyes and nose. “Try this.” He draped the dishrag over Tony’s face, smiling as he heard Tony’s moan of relief from the cool rag on his itchy face.

[ID2006]

I love science bro fluff <3

[Ciuty80]

so much cuteness!!!

[fufufufu]

Is it Christmas already, because that prompt has been on my wishlist forever.... girl... you are AMAZING!!!

[fufufufu]

Apologies for double posting... I wrote some sneezy!Natasha.

Open window.

She probably should’ve said something after the embassy mission. That had been a basic spy job, an in-and-out data-gathering mission that had required Natasha to slip a hacking device onto a high-ranking official’s computer, and discreetly remove it thirty seconds later. Easy. Simple.

The only odd detail was how her eyes watered whenever she got too close to the open windows. The diplomat they’d been spying on took pride in his garden – no, his arboretum, with tall healthy trees. Natasha’s eyes had watered badly enough to be memorable, but it had seemed like an inconsequential detail compared to all the information they’d gleaned. Not to mention the gunfight that had eventually ended the mission.

As she awakens one morning in March, that detail doesn’t feel so inconsequential.

She’s just coming out of sleep, in her broad soft bed in Stark Tower, when she realizes her eyes are filled with that familiar itch. Natasha blinks rapidly and scrunches her face, and feels a few tears slip down her face. She sniffles, realizing her nose is also dripping, and that it too is plagued by that inexplicable itch.

The itch gets sharper and sharper, Natasha’s breath catching. She barely awakens in time to press two fingers under her nose.

“Hihh-iiiitschoo!”

Natasha’s red curls fly, her head jerking up from the pillow. The sneeze is shrill and sharp, and loud enough to echo off the high walls of her bedroom. Breathless, Natasha pulls the fingers away from under her nose, peering at them in mild disgust.

She sniffles. Sniffles more urgently. The tickle gets worse. The fingers go back under her nose.

“Hahhh-itschhheww!”

Natasha moans hoarsely, flopping back against her pillow and pushing frustrated hands up and down her face. Ridiculous. Was she coming down with a cold? She never gets colds, and she never sneezes like this. Yet she’s got an inescapable urge to blow her nose. There are no tissues within arm’s reach, and she’s still a little sleepy. Natasha takes a heavy, intense sniffle and hopes that’s enough. She regrets the decision as soon as the tickle reappears.

“Hiii-iiishhoo!” She spatters her chin and neck and nightshirt. “Hiiiiits’chhuw!”

She’d made a mess all over herself with that last one. Well, now she’s got to get up.

As she swings her legs over the side of the bed and stands up, Natasha groans. Her head feels heavy, all of its weight focused on one itchy point behind the bridge of her nose. She sniffles and sniffles, trying to keep her nose from streaming, but can’t. How is that even possible, she wonders, when her nose is simultaneously so stuffed up?

She gets to the bathroom and splashes water on her face to clean off. One of the nice things about living in Stark Tower is that things like dispensers full of soft tissues are just everyday amenities. Natasha pulls out a tissue and wads it up against her nose, blowing it to try to ease her congestion. Looking in the mirror, she’s mildly horrified to see how violently pink her eyes and nose are, and that her skin is slightly puffy. This is in addition to her rumpled red hair, and the plain black nightshirt she’d sneezed all over. None of this assuages the sinking feeling that she’s getting sick.

Her reflection shows the exact moment the next sneeze starts to creep up on her. Natasha’s full lips part, crooked and wavering, while her eyes roll upward and her lashes flutter.

““Ih, Ih, Ihhh…” she breathes. “Hih-iiettchhheww!”

Natasha claps a tissue against her face, but she doesn’t catch all of it, and sprays across the sink and mirror.

“Hihuhhshoo! Huh’ttschiew! Itttsch’eww!”

Dammit. Damn it. She is sick.

Swaddling herself in her bathrobe, and taking a handful of fresh tissues, Natasha trundles up to the laboratory where Dr. Banner usually works in solitude. When she finds him, Bruce is bent in concentration over some arcane math problem. Thankfully, Stark is nowhere to be seen. She likes Tony, but isn’t much in the mood for his smartass remarks right now.

“Are you still, um.” Natasha sniffles. “Hisssshoo! Taking patients?”

“Natasha,” Bruce says, startled out of his work. He stares for a minute, no doubt surprised at her uncharacteristically disheveled appearance, and then snaps to attention. “Oh, yes, of course. I’m sure I can do something for you. Have a seat.”

She sits in the indicated chair. While Bruce busies himself changing lab coats and pulling his bag of medical equipment out of a bottom cabinet, Natasha finds herself fighting off another sneeze. She presses a tissue against her twitching nose, her eyes watering badly.

“Hhh… ahhhishhoo!” She tries to muffle the little explosion, but the force of it jerks her head forward. “Uhhhshoo! Usshoo!”

“Bless you,” Bruce calls as he approaches, his face all doctorly concern.

Despite the rocky start their relationship had gotten off to, Natasha appreciates Bruce’s bedside manner. He’s orderly and honest, laying out every item of medical equipment he might need: thermometer, tongue depressant, cotton swabs.

“Hiihzzshoo!” Natasha sneezes into the crumpled tissue. “’ssschew!”

“Bless you,” Bruce repeats, looking mildly surprised. “I take it congestion and sneezing are on the list of symptoms you’d like me to have a look at.”

Natasha nods, sniffling wetly and pushing the tissue against her nose. “I woke up like this.”

Bruce tsks in sympathy. He leans forward, peering at her face. “Your eyes look irritated as well,” he observes. “Do they itch?”

Natasha sniffles heavily into her tissue. “Kind of.” She lets out a little puff of breath, draws it back in sharply. “Huiish-shoo!”

“All right,” Bruce says. He picks up one of the medical devices. “This is an ear thermormeter. I’m going to take your temperature, just to rule out an infection. But I’m doubtful that’s what it is.”

Natasha pulls back her hair, allowing him to press the thermometer into her ear. “If it’s not an infection, then what is it?”

“Well,” Bruce says, glancing out the window at the clear spring sky. “Given your symptoms, and the fact that the oak trees just went into bloom, I’m thinking you’re suffering from hayfever.”

“Hayfever,” Natasha repeats sharply. “That can’t be right. I’ve never been allergic to anything in my life. It would interfere with my job.”

She finishes this statement with a deep sniffle, which Dr. Banner observes with a slightly wry expression. “Your immune system might not care about your work,” he says.

“And how do you – iiittshhh! – know what trees are blooming right now?” Natasha says irritably. She’s got to clamp the ear thermometer in place so that it doesn’t dislodge when she sneezes. “Huh-ssheww! I didn’t know your scientific genius includes botany.”

Banner chuckles. “It doesn’t. My… Betty’s hayfever used to flare up terribly around this time of year.” He smiles, a little wistful. “Poor thing. She’d have an allergy attack if someone opened a window two floors up.”

They trail off into an odd silence, Bruce glancing away with some sad affection. Natasha doesn’t need her spy training to figure out how badly he misses her. His expression makes it plain, not to mention the way Tony’s been known to half-jokingly threaten to hire her just so Bruce will buck up. She wonders idly if Bruce’s reminiscing over Betty is influencing his diagnosis.

Or… maybe not, Natasha thinks, as that familiar, aggravating itch flares again in her nose.

“Ihh,” she exhales sharply, “Ih, issshhew, IF’sshoo!”

It pulls Bruce out of his train of thought, and he reaches for the ear thermometer. He glances at it with little surprise. “As I thought. Your temperature’s normal. That points to allergies.”

“Points to,” Natasha says. “Isshh’shoo! It’s not confirmation.”

“No,” Bruce agrees. “I could run a scratch test, I suppose, but I’d need a day or two to obtain the materials.”

“Or we could open a window,” Natasha chuckles, a little grim.

“I would not recommend that,” Bruce says. “You’re reacting enough already.”

“HISSHshoo!” Natasha expels sharply. “…point taken.”

“Listen,” Bruce says. “You should probably get one of the doctors at SHIELD to run a full test. It might not be oak – there are other plants blooming this time of year.”

He pauses, watching Natasha’s face crumple.

“III-YESCHUU,” she explodes, unusually violent.

“In the meantime–” Bruce pauses.

“Hih-ESSCHH!”

“—why don’t you go rest in your room, and I’ll come by with some antihistamines,” he says.

“Thanks,” Natasha snuffles, frustrated to find her last tissue is soggy and unusable.

Bruce reaches into his breast pocket and finds a clean handkerchief to offer her. It’s soft, smells a little bit like a man’s aftershave, and feels soothing against Natasha’s irritated nose. She blows extensively, gurgling and taking a big breath and blowing harder, and yet she’s still itchy and sniffling when she’s done.

“And maybe soup as well,” Bruce says, watching her with obvious pity.

“Soup?” Natasha says, slightly dumbfounded. “That’s – Etschh, Ehhssx’CHOO! – very kind of you, Dr. Banner, but you really don’t have to.”

“Well, I happen to be familiar with a good recipe. I wouldn’t mind an excuse to make it again,” he says. “Chicken soup with lots of lemon and garlic. It’ll clear out some of your congestion.”

He’s got that pained, nostalgic expression again. Natasha guesses the soup is Betty-tested and Betty-approved, and she suddenly doesn’t have the heart to turn it down.

“Thanks,” she says, rising from the chair. “I really – ‘ssSSHOO! -- ugh… I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” Bruce smiles. “Off to bed. I’ll be down with the medicine soon.”

=end=

[hiyou9]

UGH. This is so PRECIOUS! You captured the Natasha/Bruce dynamic perfectly, and those little added details about Bruce and Betty--so many feels!

[fufufufu]

YAY thank you! I really liked their dynamic in the movie, they had really interesting chemistry IMO. Glad you liked it!

[Naraya]

Just wow. What a great pairing, kinda sweet.

[aggedy_ann]

Here's some Bruce and Natasha:

Natasha winced as her arm twinged. The rest of the Avengers were out on a mission, except she was home with a broken wrist. Well, all the Avengers except Dr. Banner who was in bed with a bad head cold. Tony had asked her to keep an eye on the doctor, and she had reluctantly agreed.

She ladled soup into a bowl the best she could one handed and carried the bowl up to Bruce’s bedroom. “Doctor Banner?” She called through the partially open door.

“Come in.” A stuffy voice welcomed her.

“I brought your lunch.” She told him, setting the soup on the night table and standing against the door.

“Where’s Tondy?”

“On a mission. It’s you and I.”

Bruce nodded, cupping a hand over his nose and inhaling sharply. “Hehh-Chshh, Chshhh, Chshhuh.”

“Bless you.”

He nodded his thanks, blowing his nose. “If I could just stop doing that.”

Natasha smiled. “I always find that the most annoying symptom.”

“Agreed. You can come in, you know.” He coughed. “I’d appreciate the company.” Figuring out her hesitation, he paused. “It’s ok. The fatigue from the cold keeps the other guy away. I don’t think I could transform if I wanted to right now.”

She hesitantly approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like hell. How’s the wrist? HehhChuhshoo.”

“It aches.” She admitted as he yawned. “Getting tired, Dr. Banner?”

“I’ve been tired since I got sick. No amount of rest seems to help. And please, call me Bruce.”

“Are you sure this is just a cold?” She asked. “No offense, but you sound terrible.”

He nodded. “Yeah. It hasn’t spread to my sinuses or my chest. Just a particularly nasty cold.” He buried his nose in tissues and sneezed again. “Hehh-ehhschoo.”

“Bless you. Eat your soup.” She urged, pushing the bowl closer.

He nodded, reaching for the bowl. “Thanks, Natasha.”

[fufufufu]

brigid - I love it!! So happy to see more Bruce and Natasha. Headcold!Bruce is adorable and delicious.

---

I wrote some science bros/boyfriends (could read it either way if you want).

A Man’s Best Friend.

The nice thing walking around the city with Bruce, Tony finds, is that they’re never recognized. Bruce had spent years as a fugitive, and he’s good at blending in with a crowd. While Tony has never minded basking in his celebrity, he discovers it’s nice to take a few pages out of Bruce’s book, to go incognito and walk around the city like regular civilians.

The only not-so-nice thing is that Bruce has a tendency to wander off and explore. This is also a habit he’d picked up during his years on the run, which Tony finds both sad and fascinating, because Bruce usually doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. This particular day, he wanders over to a pen full of golden retriever puppies, for sale outside of a small pet shop.

Bruce doesn’t bother asking if Tony wants to join him. Which is understandable in this case, as Tony’s dislike of pets is well known. Banning them was one of the few actual rules he’d set down when everyone moved into Stark Tower. Apparently deciding it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission, Bruce had drifted off mid-conversation and gone over to chatter at the puppies.

Tony follows, trying not to glower too obviously. He can’t help looking a little petulant, though, especially when Bruce goes from ruffling the heads of the puppies to actually scooping one up. Tony wrinkles his nose, watching the dog squirm around in Bruce’s grip and lick his chin. Hulk or no Hulk, he’s going to kill Bruce if any of that dog hair gets into the laboratory.

“I hope you’re planning to burn that shirt before we go back to the lab,” Tony says.

Bruce barely looks up from where he’s rubbing the puppy’s chest. “Says the man who regularly advocates for drunk science.”

“Johnnie Walker Blue does not cover groundbreaking Stark technology with fleas and animal hair.” Tony frowns, not a little tempted to stomp his foot at the way Bruce is barely paying attention to him. “What’s with you and the precious moments all of a sudden, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce says. “I like dogs. I had one in Brazil, till Blonsky showed up.”

“You know that animals only stick around because you feed them,” Tony says.

“Maybe.” Bruce smiles, a little pained. “She was all I had for a long time.”

Tony shoves hands in his pockets and looks away, trying not to show too obviously that yes, he is capable of feeling like a jerk sometimes.

“Ittssh!”

Tony looks back, startled to see Bruce has turned his head aside and is slightly red in the face. Bruce has gone still, his eyes closed and his lips parted while he takes in a slow, steadying breath. In profile, his nose wrinkles up as far as it can go.

“Ittssh! ITSSH!” A bright pink flush has spread through Bruce’s cheeks and up to his eyes. He looks slightly bewildered at himself. “…Whew.”

“Bless you,” Tony says.

“Thaks,” Bruce says, a little congested. He puts the dog back into the pen, snuffling and rubbing the back of his wrist against his nose.

The puppy lets out a high-pitched bark and leaps back up, trying to get his attention. And yeah, Tony may be a certified pet-hater, but even he can admit that’s damned cute. No surprise that Bruce is even more susceptible to the puppy’s charms, and bends back down to ruffle and pet the dog’s head.

“AhhITSCHH!” It comes over Bruce so violently that he doesn’t have time to turn his head or cover, and Tony can see a little bit of spray flying in the sunlight. “Heh-ICCHmmpf!”

“Gee, I thought I was the dog-hater,” Tony says. “Bless you.”

It turns out to be slightly premature. Bruce’s eyes are closed, and his shoulders are starting to go up and down in time with the rapid hitch of his breath. He waves a hand in front of his face, as if that will help ward off the sneeze that is clearly oncoming.

“Heissh-SHHUH!” Bruce explodes. Cupping a hand loosely over his nose, he rakes in a deep, wet sniffle. “...nngh… Do you hab a tissue, Tody?”

Tony pats at his jeans, fishes around in his pockets. “Sorry, big guy, I’m out. Didn’t anticipate you sticking your face in dog hair when we set out.”

Bruce looks annoyed, but it's swiftly absorbed by an impending sneeze. “Hkkx’SCHEWW!”

“Uh,” Tony says. “Were you, by chance, allergic to this dog you had back in Brazil?”

“Hiiii-ITSCH! Of co… of course dot.” Bruce sighs. “I have do idea why I’b sdeezig like this.”

“Yeah, crazy. It’s almost like you have allergies, or something,” Tony says.

Despite his heavy sniffling and teary eyes, Bruce looks over at the puppy pen with nothing short of heartbreak. “But I cad’t be allergic,” he says. “I love dogs.”

That logic fails about every scientific level, but Tony doesn’t have the heart to say so.

“Huh-TSCHIWW,” Bruce sneezes heavily.

“Maybe it’s just that one breed that bothers you,” Tony offers. He promptly kicks himself, because why is he giving Bruce a possible avenue to bring a dog back to his Tower?

…Oh, right. Because it immediately wipes that despondent look off Bruce’s face, and he brightens.

“Yeah, I’ve read that… HifSSCHEW! … about golded retrievers, now that I thidk about it,” Bruce says. “That they’re bore likely to cause a… ahh – allergies.” Pause. “Hiiii-ITSCHEW!”

“I’m still going to kill you if dog hair from any breed gets into the laboratory,” Tony says.

Bruce looks over at him, a little dumbfounded. “I wasn’t actually planning to get one,” he says. “I know you hate them.”

“I don’t hate them.”

“If you say so,” Bruce chuckles. “HUHK’schheww! Besides, I’ve got other sources of companionship now.”

“And just think. You didn’t even have to feed me,” Tony says. “C’mon, there’s a bodega up ahead. You can get tissues there.”

-end-

[Spoo]

I am absolutely LOVING the sudden increase in Avengers drabbles! You all are awesome! Poor Bruce. And Tony. And Natasha. And everyone. Keep up the good work, guys!

[Ciuty80]

this is awesome!

sneezy!bruce is soooo LOVELY!!! and his sneezes...yummy!! :drool:

[42686]

these are awesome! im anxious to see more thor and loki

[Dusty15]

fufufufu! So many delicious fics! I love the Natasha allergy one! For some reason, this bit curled my toes: "Natasha moans hoarsely, flopping back against her pillow and pushing frustrated hands up and down her face." Yummmmm. These are all so lovely (I'm such a SUCKER for Bruce fics too!)

[Mercury]

Have I.... Have I only contributed once to this marvellous thread... *looks back* I think I have... how rude of me to bugger off for so long while continuing to enjoy the other stories posted here. Bad, me.

So here’s Loki again, just a quick thing. It was almost Clint, but when in doubt, write Loki.

I also have another Loki idea, hopefully coming shortly (again, when in doubt...)

Control

“Heh’Ihetttchh!”

Clint blinked.

He’d been pouring over maps of the German building they were soon going to infiltrate when the sharp, wet noise had disrupted his work.

“Hih’Itchhhh! Hih... Hic’Chhhhtt!”

Stay away seemed to be the predominant order coming through the mind-controlled link. Part of Clint’s brain recognized that he was under hypnosis, that the order shouldn’t mean anything to him and that humans’ had free will, whether Asgardian wanna-be princes wanted them too or not. Yet, the hostility that was pulsating from the small room Loki had occupied was tangible and no self-respecting minion would even attempt to approach.

However, Clint, in his heart, was a caretaker, and some human instincts were too powerful to be ignored.

It was his duty, his mind reasoned itself around Loki’s control, to insure the health and comfort of his master before all else.

With a few quick steps, Clint made his way to Loki’s office, where the expulsions had been clearly audible even through the closed door. The God was standing to the side of the small room, leaning heavily against the wall with his hand clasped over his mouth and nose. There were deep circles under his closed eyes and he was trembling slightly, but from what, exactly, Clint couldn’t tell.

Shutting the door behind him, Clint cleared his throat softly to alert Loki to his presence.

“Boss?”

Loki’s head snapped up, surprise and anger in his eyes at being caught in such a compromising state. Clearly, whatever was affecting his nose also hindered his ability to sense Clint’s presence. An illness, Clint thought, but he didn’t know anything about Asgardian biology and was concerned that the sneezing could be indicative of something else.

“Whad are you doigg here?” Loki snarled.

“You seemed distressed and... and I want to help.” Clint frowned as the strange psychic mind control made him stutter as he struggled against his previous orders to leave the room and its occupant alone.

The god blinked in confusion.

“I am well;” he said in a tone that suggested he need not explain himself, “simply adjusting to your Earth air.”

“Ah.” Clint’s eyes roamed over Loki for a moment. The slender frame was still shaking, perhaps worse now than before although it was clear it was attempting to be hid, there was also a slight sheen over Loki’s face, and when his nose twitched and lips parted to allow for a hitching breath, Clint saw they were both chapped, and his nose tinged red.

“Hit’Ishhhh!” Loki brought his hand up embarrassedly to cover the spray, “Hitttchhh! Hih’Ittchhheeww!”

“Boss?”

“Whad!”

“I want to help.”

There was a small moment when the two looked at each other, Loki clearly eyeing up his minion and evaluating his trustworthiness, and Clint trying to decide what orders he was being given, because he hadn’t been evicted from the room, yet there had been no further instructions.

“You must tell no one of this. I order you; tell no one.”

Clint found himself bowing before he could even register the order, “yes, Boss.”

Before he had straightened from his show of servitude, Clint found two arms wrapped around his waist and a shivering, ill god pressed against his side. Loki snuffled slightly while nuzzling his head into the crook of Clint’s shoulder, his breath surprisingly cold against the skin of Clint’s neck.

He returned the hug, his arms following the unsaid orders of his master, with one holding Loki close and the other resting on the back of his head, stroking the dark hair softly.

“Hih’inkgttthh!” Loki failed to stifle, as he sneezed wetly against Clint’s shoulder.

Clint, even in the small part of his brain that was still conscious of his stolen free will, couldn’t bring himself to be disgusted at the act. So he resigned himself to not struggling against Loki’s control while the god was in his care.