Caged
Tony had been sleeping quite nicely for an insomniac when suddenly he awoke. Tony looked around in confusion before lying down when he heard what woke him. A whimper. And now a moan. Tony's lover/friend-with-benefits, Loki, who Tony was trying to win over, was in anguish.
Nightmares were in the norm with Loki's past and father troubles. Sadly he didn't trust Tony enough to tell him what was wrong specifically. None-the-less, Tony never gave up and always comforted Loki in the after-effects.
"Loki," Tony whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Loki."
"Caw! Caw!"
There was a black and green crow with emerald eyes, locked away in a golden cage. It was scared, it was alone, it wanted out, freedom.
"Me-ow."
The crow froze, turning its head sharply to the window sill. The old grey, one-eyed cat was looking at him, purring at the crow's panic and fear. The crow looked away, looking anywhere but at the lying, unloving cat.
The crow noticed the yellow chowchow, his friend. The crow cawed, begging to be saved, to be let out, to escape. The dog barked happy, only thinking the crow wanted to play. The dog didn't see the danger the crow was in.
The crow was desperate, thrashing in its cage when it heard a hissing. The crow cowered as a blue alien serpent slithered around the cage, feinting strikes at the crow.
The crow was so terrified, it hid its head with its wing; the classic out of sight, out of mind. It didn't work, the crow cried as the three menaces mocked him with their loud noises; calling him names and shouting his faults. Unlike the other times, there was suddenly a peaceful chirp, it stopped all the noise.
Shocked, the crow poked its eye through its feathers. Among the darkness of the room, there was a fluttering blue light. In seconds, the light became a russet sparrow that had a glowing blue breast; it was flying into the room.
In an instance, the blonde dog was trembling in the corner, whining. The old one-eyed car growled and with a huff, it jumped out the window. The alien serpent hissed as it backed up and disappeared into the ceiling. The sparrow continued to fly over, chirping a happy tune. The crow was shocked, such large and scary creatures yet the sparrow showed no fear.
The sparrow's chest illuminated the room, the darkness fleeing as it flew towards the crow's cage. With a song of flutes and bells, it landed on the cage's hatch; like magic, the hatch was undone and the door was opened. The sparrow was flying again, beckoning the crow out. The crow wasn't sure at first; it was the freedom it wanted but it also meant no protection against the dangers of the outside worlds, conquering alone.
The sparrow whistled and the crow accidently looked it in its hazel eyes, then the crow saw it. In its eyes, the sparrow showed only love and compassion and friendship, and the need to protect. The need to protect the crow.
'Loki…'
'Loki.'
'Loki!"
Loki's eyes snapped open and with a gasp, he jolted up. Loki panted, gripping his shirt over his heart. Another nightmare. A hand gripped his shoulder, making him jump and look up. Worried eyes.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked quietly and gently.
Loki as frozen in revelation. The sparrow's eyes.
"Loki?"
Loki started to slowly nod only to pause and tackle Tony into the bed. Tony could say nothing as Loki's mouth covered his in a kid, but this one was different; Tony could feel Loki's love and trust. They separated.
"What brought this on?" Tony asked in slight confusion.
Loki frowned, looking away. "I was born…" And so Loki told Tony.
End.
Symbolism:
Black and Green Crow- Loki, with or without SHEILD's glass dome or the Tesseract's mind control, Loki has always been in a cage
Old Grey One-Eyed Cat-Odin, he never gave a minute to Loki, not really, to him Loki was a trophy to look at and admire as he remember the Jotum he killed, Odin gave Loki those punishments that made Asgardians kneel and beg, Loki isn't Asgardian
Blonde/Yellow Chowchow- Thor, loveable and loyal but stupid to danger, Thor saw his brother as sick, someone who lost his way but in truth, Loki didn't lose his way on his own and he sure as hell didn't have help finding his way back
Blue Alien Serpent- can either be Laufey or Thanos, either way, they both suppressed Loki into a corner, bending his will to follow their orders, Loki was strong, but he was never strong enough to fight alone
Blue Breasted Sparrow- Tony, Tony would always protect Loki form big or small, he'd always listen and he'd always fight for Loki, he would heal him in his own way. He didn't what others couldn't. Tony found the key, unlocked a lock, and set free, an Eagle.