Reining in The Trickster

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Thor, The Avengers, or Thor 2 and I'm not making any money from this fic

Summary: Thor persuades Steve to come and see Loki

Warning(s): Spoilers for above-mentioned films; some mentions of torture

Pairing: (Hinted at) Steve/Loki

Steve reflected that at least he was getting more used to this time. The Internet was probably one of the best inventions for him to catch up with more that he'd missed - though he certainly wasn't worried about catching up on the past right now.

Taking a step back, Steve surveyed the punching bag. He'd managed to hold back enough so as not to send the bag off its hook and into the wall, but he hadn't kept himself controlled enough to avoid spilling any of the stuffing from the bag onto the floor.

At least he was the only one in the gym right now.

Steve wasn't sure what to think about the publicity the Avengers Initiative had generated with people. For as many people who were grateful to them, there were just as many who blamed them for all the damage that had been caused.

That, of course, was one of the things Steve had been trying to work through.

As Steve left the gym, he noticed a commotion across the street. There was a huge crowd of people - and above their heads, Steve could see the head, shoulders and upper chest of a very familiar man.

What was Thor doing here?

Pushing his way through the crowd, Steve reached Thor's side. The Asgardian beamed at him, apparently unconcerned with the amount of people crowding around him. "Steve!" he boomed.

Steve winced. Did Thor even realise how loud he was? He grasped Thor's arm, steering him away from the group - many of whom were females. "You can't just show up here unannounced," he said quietly. "Not everyone is too fond of us right now."

"Those women seemed nice."

Steve considered telling Thor that the reason the women had come over to him was because of the way he looked, but he decided against that. Instead, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure what to do about Loki."

Steve couldn't quite hide his surprise. He wasn't sure why Thor had come here about Loki. None of them were likely to have any sympathy towards the trickster. Then again, Thor had fought alongside them - and Steve knew that battle formed friendships quicker than anything. "Is he to be executed?"

Thor shook his head. "The AllFather has had him imprisoned. Mother and I have been forbidden to visit him... though I suspect my Mother does so secretly." He hesitated. "Loki isn't evil. Misguided, yes - but I'm certain he suffered during his time away from Asgard. I don't think I could speak with him calmly. I thought perhaps you might be able to help."

"You want me to see if there's any good left in your brother?"

"There's a part of me that's certain there must be. We grew up together and I've always loved him as my brother. Finding out he's not related to me made no difference. He's still my family." Thor spoke earnestly, but he looked pale - and the dark circles under his eyes revealed how little he'd slept.

Steve hesitated. It was hard to refuse Thor. As different as the Asgardian was, Steve could recognise the look of desperation on his face - along with the hope. And, really, it wasn't like he had anything else to do.

He just hoped he wasn't about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Thor had hustled Steve as quickly to the Asgardian cells as possible. Steve had seen the rainbow bridge, but hadn't had much of a chance to take it in - or the giant guardian, who was even bigger than Thor, if that was possible.

Whether by accident or design, Thor had brought Steve to Asgard during a celebration. Steve could hear loud talking and laughing going on as he was led through the palace. He even heard banging and the odd call of, "Another!"

"We have been fighting a lot in other realms," Thor said by way of explanation. "And when we win a victory, we celebrate with a feast."

"I'm sure there are worse ways to celebrate."

Thor didn't make any reply to that. They reached the cells without being stopped and Thor spoke to the guards for a few moments, who then left.

"What did you say to them?" Steve asked.

"I offered to take over their shift for a while, so they could join in the celebrations."

Steve glanced towards the cells, which were far more technologically advanced than any Steve had seen, even the one S.H.I.E.L.D. had designed to hold Loki. "It looks like you treat your prisoners more like guests."

"I haven't seen any of your prisons on Midgard, but my understanding is that it's a similar system there."

"Perhaps you're right. What if Loki tries to use his magic on me?" Steve asked.

Thor retrieved a medallion from his pocket and handed it to Steve. "If you wear this, you will become equal to any Asgardian - and none of Loki's powers will have any effect on you."

"Do you think you could get these made for the rest of the Avengers?" Steve put the medallion around his neck.

"Perhaps." Thor headed down the steps. "I'll open the cell and close it behind you. When you want to come out, just let me know."

Steve nodded, but didn't reply as he followed the Asgardian.

"Come to gloat, brother?" Loki asked as they stepped into view, sneering.

Thor didn't make any reply and simply pressed a panel next to the wall. The cell slid open and Steve walked inside, hearing the door sliding back behind him.

"Did you come here to lecture me? To try and turn me 'good'?"

Steve focused on Loki, allowing himself to see the trickster for the first time. For all that Thor and Loki weren't actually related by blood - and looked markedly different to each other - they showed similar signs of exhaustion. Dark circles ringed Loki's eyes, stark on his pale face. Steve frowned. "Have you been having nightmares?"

"Everyone has bad dreams."

"What happened to you when you were gone from here?"

"Do I have the right to refuse to answer a question?" Loki asked.

Steve met his gaze unflinchingly, before letting his glance move over Loki's body, taking in the way the trickster's clothes hung from his body. He couldn't imagine the Asgardians wouldn't feed their prisoners - and he recalled Loki looking thin and pale on Earth, too. "I've seen men on Earth who were tortured before."

"Well, I'm not a man, am I?"

And there it was. Not a denial. Loki might lie regularly, but Steve was certain this was the truth now, if only because Loki looked so tired and heartsick. "You were forced into attacking Earth... weren't you?"

Loki said nothing.

"There's no shame in buckling under torture."

Loki snorted softly. "Thor would never have done so."

"No one can know how they would handle themselves under torture," Steve replied. "You should have said something. We could have protected you."

"You were only a small team."

"A small team who still succeeded in driving back an entire army." Steve watched Loki closely. "You don't belong in a prison cell."

Loki smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. "And where do I belong? I would be welcomed nowhere within the nine realms, not after what I've done."

"People might find it hard to forget, but if you do good, you will redeem yourself."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Loki shrugged. "You're the American hero or whatever they call you these days. Would you give me a chance?"

"Yes," Steve answered without hesitation.

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to believe you could redeem yourself." And Steve couldn't help feeling a bit protective over Loki, considering he knew the trickster had been forced into the actions he'd taken.

"That's all?"

Steve hesitated. "Do you want there to be more?"

"I'm not foolish enough to believe in happily-ever-afters, but your belief in me helps," Loki said quietly.

"I thought you were the prince of lies."

"I'm tired of lying. I'd like to try it your way for a while."

The End