( SLEEPOVER ★ OLDER-YOUNG AVENGERS )

[ikols]

Who: loki ikols & the ya mess
What: a sleepover! peter3 is scoping out hotties shh
When: [sliding timeline]
Where: loki's aBUSED apartment
Content Warnings: this spotify 2013ish playlist for the ya

[ Loki's apartment has gone from a bolt-hole, a sanctuary, to a sanctuary-for-friends-and-probably-their-partners. It doesn't move around the cities as often and has a somewhat permanent home in a building of Central; the address is known far more widely than he intended, although only residents can open the doors and windows. That's a rule he amends for everyone's safety when he shoots people texts saying Billy wanted a sleepover (semi-lying, Billy did once Loki confirmed he was doing it) since he expects far more chaos than he alone could cause.

The windows are wide open to let in warm summer sunshine and music is playing from a corner of the lounge, the couch and chairs pulled wide to make room for sleeping bags in the centre. It's the middle of the afternoon when people start dribbling in and Loki waves them off to set up wherever they want, Kate's room (as the newest Loki inserted so Billy could be close to her) is declared the cloakroom-and-whatever-else dumping ground, while Loki ensures his own bedroom door is locked. If you take a trip to the bathroom you would not be mistaken for thinking you have walked into a fancy body-shop, such are the treasures Loki keeps. It's a sleepover, so you are welcome to indulge, have a shower, and get your hair done with the various tools set up in a corner of the lounge, near the coffee table sacrificed to a pile of (stolen, shh) make-up. The gaming station is set up too, as well as some board and card games. On some shelves are Asgardian artefacts and on others the 1/6th scale models of various superheroes that this realm likes to crank out for festivals celebrating metas (every Loki, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, one very specific Spider-Man), posters of heroes (Thor!) decorate his walls where Norse scrolls aren't framed, and the décor is personally accented with the colour lavender. It might not be what you expect of the God of Mischief, but it's all very this Loki.

There are pizza and snacks, and the only rule is that everyone has to wear pajamas (that may be Billy's rule, in all honesty: Loki's slacks have tiny daggers). ]

Comments

[thecoolerloki]

[Loki is dressed in a simple green nightgown, having chosen it for its similarity to the tunic he used to wear when sleeping in Asgard. His hair is loose, no cowl or helm. Despite his love of change, he still seems to cling to a few things here and there.

He’s brought all his things with him in a cute little backpack that’s embroidered to read “Bag of Holding”. It’s not actually magic, just nerdy. Fittingly, he’s brought along a DND sourcebook in case anyone wants to impromptu start a campaign! There’s also a small bird plushie in the bag, specifically a magpie plushie.

For the most part, he hovers around the games and food, feeling a bit out of place but trying to act as if he’s the most important person at the party. Loki things. He does eye the makeup curiously, poking at it, but not making any real attempts.

Absolutely no cuddles are permitted except for David’s agreed upon hug and for Kate because he thinks she’s hot. And of course, he’s the first one to fall asleep, though he desperately tries to stay up later than he should.]

[wordiness]

Wanna' try it? [ the makeup. billy reaches past little loki to pluck up an eyeshadow palette, flipping it open and offering it out for the kid to see. ] I can't do anything really elaborate, but I'm pretty good at a smoky eye. [ and other basic makeup application. he likes to wear a little occasionally, and he and teddy both went all out for pride when they lived on earth.

he plops down on a cushion, reaching for a brush and swirling it in a pretty, shimmery silver, swiping it over his wrist to show loki. ]

This is cute. [ he turns his wrist to peer at it. ] Not too glittery. I did actual glitter once and then never again, it took ages to get off.

[thecoolerloki]

Can’t you just magic it all on and off? That’s what my elder self does.

[And yet he has this collection of makeup anyways. He’d taunted her about wearing it when they first arrived, but that was also when the murder plans were still in place. A lot’s changed since then.]

Provide Hug K Thx

[helpdesk_hero]

[David doesn't come seeking out the kid until after he's changed himself into a very loose shirt and leggings. He felt was better not to travel in pajamas, thanks. But seeing the kid, he stops in front of him and opens his arms.]

You owe me, kiddo, for the stress you caused me. WE're lucky I didn't start getting gray hairs.

[thecoolerloki]

I forget, did we specify whether I had to be actively involved in this exchange?

[He’s teasing!]

[ikols]

[ A plate rests atop that unattired head, pizza piled high. Loki keeps hold of it in case the boy startles but it's how he says hello properly, having waved him in earlier while busy. ]

David is making extra snacks but I ordered a Meat Feast pizza especially for you.

[thecoolerloki]

[He startles just slightly but then reaches his grubby little hands up to take the plate.]

Yes! Perfect! I want soda too!

[kindofamazing]

[Okay, so he's not seen the Kid Loki in person before, but he knows a Loki when he sees on, no shadow of a doubt.

For Peter's part, he kind of circles around the little Loki a bit, not wanting to crowd him or anything, just waiting for a natural lull of attention to make his way over.]

Hey. [And he gives Loki the very lightest of nudges.] I think I want cocoa. Wanna come be my supervisor to make sure I'm not using too much reddi-wip? Or, more importantly, too little?

[thecoolerloki]

[For his own part, Loki decided to let Peter approach him instead of the other way around. It’s a test of sorts, to see what he’ll do. His score right now is...]

Just so we’re clear, Peter Parker, I am still older than you. Unless you’re also asking Kate Bishop to “supervise” your whipped cream crimes?

[portolan]

[ At some point in the evening, Balthier and Loki are the two people not absorbed in whatever the group is doing. Balthier doesn't know much about the younger Loki outside some second hand accounts from David, but he imagines there is something isolating about being younger than the rest, and maybe a little outside of the closeness the young avenger's group has. The latter he's feeling too.

So he nods to Loki's bag of things. ]

Want to guess which of the creatures in that book exist in my world? [ It's a little unsettling how many have analogs but are considered fantasy here. ]

[thecoolerloki]

[Loki hums to himself without answering, flipping through the pages until he settles on one and holds it up to Balthier.]

Does your world have this one?

[fledges]

[Kate has grabbed a few bottles of nail polish, and she snags Loki's wrist, tugging him over to the couch.]

C'mere.

[She plops down, tucking her legs underneath her, and spreads the bottles on the cushions.]

Pick one. We're gonna do each other's nails. It's a sleepover rite of passage.

[thecoolerloki]

[He mimics her position and holds out his hands. His nails usually black, have already been painted to match his skin tone. It took forever.]

David beat you to it, I'm afraid. Although I don't mind starting anew.

[He eyes the colors she's chosen and points to a purple. He thinks he's being very smooth.]

That one.

Peter Parker 🕸 The Amazing Spider-Man

[kindofamazing]

i.

[If he casts his mind back, Peter's not sure he can remember the last sleepover he had. A couple with Harry before he got whisked off to wherever to go to fancy rich kid high school, and even those had been kind of strange; one doesn't just have the son of a billionaire over to stay without several dark SUVs stationed subtly around the block. This feels like another unfamiliar version of sleepovers to Peter, but all very much Loki so it makes sense in its approach and execution.

Somehow, he's ended up dressed in a Spider-Man onesie that he absolutely did not pick out for himself and he shuffles around in looking a little unsure of himself. Or maybe he always looks like that. For most people filtering in, it's probably hard to tell for sure. He might also just be on cusp of being overwhelmed by the number of people who are strangers to him, but he knows are very important to Loki which tells him plenty.

So he makes himself very much available, either for a grilling (he's sort of prepared for that) or shovel talk, or just generally to take coats and bags sort of like a mildly awkward blue and red butler. But whoever he's encountering and whatever they're doing, he offers a warm greeting irrespective--]

Hi. [Then, with a little gesture at himself.] Peter. [And then an extension of the same hand.] Good to meet you.

ii.

[wildcard it! basically up for any ol' sleepover shenanigans!]

[wordiness]

[ billy's in a cropped t-shirt and leggings, because that's.. what he usually wears to sleep in here, and he's probably looked happier tonight than he has since he arrived in this dimension. he misses the chaos of living in a small place with a bunch of other people sometimes, especially when those people are your very closest friends.

peter's looked a little awkward at times tonight, though, which is understandable considering he's been interrogated and sized up by all of them at one point or another. so at one point as peter's passing the couch, billy reaches up and snags his wrist, tugging him gently (but also with a nudge of magic behind it) down onto the couch next to him. ]

Hi, [ he says with a grin, a little teasing as he turns toward him, curling his legs comfortably up on the cushion so his knees just brush the outside of peter's thigh. ] I really think you should fight crime in this onesie. Imagine how comfortable you'd be.

[kindofamazing]

[One day, Peter may accurately identify what is a magical twinge of something and what isn't, but he's not quite there yet and for the time being he can just accept that Billy caught him just the right angle and there's not much point in resisting an invitation to flop on the couch.

He doesn't quite catch himself before his eyes flicker down to where Billy's knee bumps his leg a little, but it's very quick and fleeting and it's easy to find Billy's face again swiftly and offer a bright smile. Hey, it's Billy--at least he's met Billy before!]

Sure, I'd be comfy, but I don't know if this is more or less scary to the bad guys than the regular suit, what do you think?

[And he flips the hoodie up for emphasis, the bug eyes of the mask sitting over the crown of his head with the big white eyes kind of looking like panda ears at the right angle.]

Besides, I'd basically be telling people to start using their imaginations again after so many years of them screaming I might as well not be wearing the suit at all, so I'm not sure they're ready for that kind of change.

[portolan]

[ Balthier might be the only one here who is not going to grill Peter, and may -- by virtue of not living with three of the other guests -- be the only one to know fewer people than his host. ]

Judging by your expressions I'm going to hazard a guess you aren't from the same world as the rest of them.

[ If it wasn't made clear by his sweeping dressing gown over a his sleepwear that he's very much not from here, the accent likely gives it away. ]

Good to see you again. How was the rest of the gala?

[kindofamazing]

[Peter huffs out a little chuckle at the observation.]

Nooooo sir, I am from a totally different version of the world than every single one of them. Maybe we got that in common?

[And he gives Balthier a friendly little shoulder bump. Then, he takes a moment to look around the room with a faint smile, his shoulders relaxing just a little as the corners of his eyes soften just a fraction.]

But no, I only know about one other person from my world who came to this one, and he's not here. The rest of them? [He brings his shoulders up to his ears in a shrug.] If they're not from Loki's world already, he's made friends with them real fast. He's good like that.

[Then, he brings up a hand to stroke his face like he's checking his own stubble.]

And yeahhhh the gala. Yeah, I'm sorry that was a little weird and I had a different face on. It was... er... magic. Loki did it. The mostly-secret identity thing, it's still surprisingly complicated here even with a lot of super-types.

I

[helpdesk_hero]

Peter.

[When David arrives, with a bag of supplies and the pajamas he intends to change into (some people don't live in Central and needed to wear normal clothes to show up here), he offers Peter a very warm and welcoming smile. In fact, he shakes his head at the hand.]

You're an honorary YA now I expect, by extension of Loki's fondness for you. That sort of merits a hug hello.

[kindofamazing]

[Part of Peter is sort of braced for Loki's friends giving him the hairy eyeball. And why wouldn't they? If Loki had been as down in the dumps as Billy seemed to suggest when Peter seemed to vanish on him for a while, it wouldn't surprise Peter if Loki had gone for emotional support and venting to any number of his friends who would be within their rights to think Peter had just ghosted.

So it's almost a surprise to find this kind of reaction and he blinks a couple of times in genuine confusion.]

I-- Oh, wow, yeah, hey that's... really nice of you. Wow, thanks. Yeah, hello hugs. Why not, who doesn't love hugs. Let's go ahead and bring it on in here!

[There's really only one thing to do then and turn the one offered hand into two, which is just opening the space for this proposed greeting hug.]

David Alleyne

[helpdesk_hero]

I. Arriving On The Scene
Problem about commuting from another city was that he wasn't going to come here in pajamas. So when David arrives it's in casual clothes, with a full canvas shopping bag on his shoulder. He quickly begs out of socializing for just a few minutes to steal the bathroom before returning in a loose t-shirt, and comfortable leggings to curl up in. Only then does he go and make his way around.

"You know, I haven't had a sleep over since I was, like, seventeen. This is pretty nice. Way better than trying to find places to rest while rushing through the multiverse, right?"

Especially since there is no evil thems chasing them down, right?

"Though I admit, I do miss Noh-Varr and America and Teddy right now."


II. Raiding The Kitchen
Snacks. Snacks matter. And while Loki's definitely helped provide, how could someone expect David to be near such a beautiful kitchen and not play? Most of his bag had been ingredients after all.

"Okay," he calls out toward the living room, hoping his voice would carry, "I can do seasoned popcorn, or some home made salsa. Oh, I've also got some really good stuff to make high end bagel pizzas. Not kidding, I got really good bagels and I'm gonna make these if someone wants them."


III. Free Cuddles and Nail Polish
If there was one thing that was true about David that he might not have shared this with all of the team over the course of the years, the truth was that David was a tactile man. Grow up in a mutant community and you learned of the importance of touch as a comfort, a welcome, and definitely a display of affection.

Which was why he was definitely taking the chance to drape himself over whoever would allow it over the course of the night. Sleep? Who needed that. He's pulled off far more all nighters than strictly healthy anyway.

So there he ended up, half draped over someone else, happily chattering as he worked at painting nails. Advantages of his powers? So many people over the years that he'd known who were really good at doing nails. Everyone was going to benefit from his skill by the end of the night if he had any say.

"I'm just saying that if this was a New Mutants slumber party, we could absolutely expect a raid from some horrible villain somewhere around ten at night. That's just the way it goes. Why are parties with this group so much more chill?"

[ikols]

[ Loki's nails are naturally black so he's always up for someone painting them. That's how he ends up eating pizza watching TV, one hand spread on the coffee table for David to work on; he glances over critically, hearing him wondering aloud. ]

Probably because I'm the big villain. Who's going to crash my apartment? Norman? Otto?

[ Please!! At least raise the villain level to Malekith. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

[It was taking some serious work to get the emerald base layer down to be rich over the whole issue with the dark base. But he intends to manage it before he does gold patterning on it.]

Oh come now, the Otto here is a sweetheart, don't be like that. He's actually written up some of his research on the neural link tech he developed in his world and is gifting it to my company to improve the integration software for the prosthetics. He'd never attack us. No, I think you'd want to be more worried for someone like one of those horrid little villains from the Excelsior confluence a few months back. The social media ones. They were terrible.

[portolan]

I. Hanging Out

[ David and Balthier came from Excelsior, so he also takes a moment upon arrival to change into a slightly-too-large Tshirt that clearly belongs to David based on both the size and the jazz reference and a solid-colored pair of sleep shorts. Lest he be mistaken for anyone but himself, he's also wearing a truly excessive dressing gown.

He's very happy to meet more of David's friends, though he wasn't expecting the homesickness at seeing a group of people with such a deep history spending time together. He might be a little uncharacteristically melancholy between his usual social charms. He might also be a little more hesitant to insert himself, so please, pull him into conversation.

That said if you do get him talking about Ivalice and home, he's gotten good enough with his illusion powers to show off memories and constructions of home. And he's likely to drop lines about tomb robbing, monster-fighting, and how much he hates gods. Sorry Loki(s).

He also will not initiate cuddling with anyone who is not David, but he can absolutely be pulled into cuddling. And will enjoy it. ]

II. We Don't Have That At Home

[ He hasn't been to anything remotely like a sleepover since he was a teenager still in school. Same idea; very different leisure activities. There was also of course crashing in any possible place to sleep in his early piracy days, but this is a good deal more pleasant.

He has not experienced video games, makeup on himself, or earth board games so please, enlighten him. ]

III. Wildcard

[ ooc: feel free to throw something else at him. as always I will match prose or brackets ]

[ikols]

Balthier! I'm Dungeon Mastering a one-shot, come and build a character for the game.

[ Waving him over! Is this because Serrure arrived with DND stuff in tow? Maybe. Loki also loves Dungeons and Dragons, apparently he's always predictable that way. ]