the silver tongued god of mischief

"Out of the entire store to chose from, why is it that I find you standing and staring in the least exciting section?" Loki said as he walked up to Agent Coulson from behind. He stopped next to the agent and peered into the tank directly in front of the mortal. He made a disappointed expression. "There's not even any fish in this one. What's wrong with this display?"

Coulson merely smiled. "Look closer."

Loki shot the agent an irritated frown but then did as instructed and peered more keenly into the fish tank. Hiding beneath an ornamental log set into the middle of the aquarium were two writhing forms. Loki was amused to discover the pair of eels.

"And you find these more interesting than the rest of the animals here?" Loki asked.

"They remind me of you."

Loki's face fell at that comment. "Is that so?" he replied, tone flat now that his amusement had dissipated.

Coulson turned to the god. "They remind me of one of our first encounters together," the agent explained.

Loki's head cocked slightly in intrigue at the statement, encouraging Coulson to continue.

"You put a pair of eels in the coffee pot I was about to use," the agent elaborated.

The god's face lit up in recognition at that and he chuckled softly at the memory. "As I recall, you carefully moved them to another container for transportation. What ever did you finally do with them?"

"I found a good home for them."

This caused Loki's smile to grow more fond as he gazed at the agent. There was always that quality of homeliness about the suited agent and yet the pleasant surprise of his unexpected actions continued to attract the god to the simple mortal.

"Why did you bother?"

Coulson did not answer immediately, pursed lips indicating that he was searching for the words he wanted to use in explanation. Loki watched the agent carefully as he waited patiently for the answer.

"It wasn't their fault for being there. I had no quarrel with them, and they were innocent of the practical joke being played on me. It wouldn't have been fair of me to hurt them. And if I suddenly found myself displaced from my home, I know I'd be grateful if someone were to help me find a new one."

It was an honest answer and read as such from the agent's expression. But Loki had need for one step further. "They were just eels. Why go to all the trouble to save them? Why not simply get rid of them, kill them and dispose of them? No one would miss a pair of slimy eels."

Coulson was happy to provide the answer to this question as well. His eyes shone with fondness for more than just the honesty with which he provided. "Contrary to popular belief, most eels aren't actually all that slimy. They weren't going to hurt anyone and they deserved a chance. Besides, they made someone happy."

"Oh?"

"They still do. We could visit and see them if you like," Coulson said with a knowing smile.

Loki gave Coulson a funny look, a clear decline to the offer but one tinged with amusement at it. "I'll take your word for it."

Coulson nodded and then turned back to the tank with the eels hiding inside. "You know, I bet Raun would enjoy them."

The hidden implication was not lost on the god but he played along with the game anyway. "I have a feeling you might be right. What feline could resist the attraction of the wriggling form of an aquatic creature beset before them?"

"I know I wouldn't be able to. If I were a feline."

Loki caught Coulson's eye and the two of them shared a moment of resisting smiles together. Coulson lost the battle and smiled up at his partner first though Loki suspected the mortal simply did it to force Loki to smile triumphantly in return.

After all was said and done, they ended up leaving the store with a pair of happy eels accompanying them.