Preface: Purgatory
After tricking Thor and the rest of his adoptive family that he was dead, Loki retreated back to Earth to attempt another attack on the Avengers, but this time he would attempt to be as subtle as possible. Such as it was, the attack turned out to truly be as unsubtle as possible, and Loki was captured. After being thrown in a cell in Tony Stark's basement with various other villains, the Avengers came to a unanimous vote that Thor was not to be notified because of the fact that every time the God of Thunder would attempt to escort his adoptive brother back to their home, Loki would some how escape and make his way back to Earth. With that being said, Loki was put into another transparent box, each cell no more than 10 feet from the other and a lighted pathway down the stretch of corridor. It wasn't as lavish as his adoptive mother had made his cell on Asgard, but you give and you take.
It was time for dinner, but instead of hearing the heavy footing and wheezing of their usual "care taker"all the villains heard singing echoing down the halls...
To adore is to grieve, to worship is to bleed
Loki leaned away from the wall and stood up as he listened intently to the lyrics...
Find your way inside my heart, and bring all your pain to me
There's hell in your eyes
So let your demons dance with mine
Without a second though, Loki moved closer to the front of his cage, attempting to get a good look at the woman singing.
We'll kill each other some day, but now is not the time...
Sacrifice all that's left, so we'll give in 'til it hurts...
Loki caught glimpses of the woman with the voice, her raven hair swaying with every step she took as she shoved meal trays through the small slits in the cell walls, ignoring the catcalls from the villains around her as she continued her song.
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
'Til our afflictions set us free?
The kind of hurt that we both need
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
He watched, slightly amused at how she danced around the cells to the music in her ears.
How deep, how far will you go?
Tell me, 'cuz I wanna know
I'd give you my life, all the air that I breathe
I'd suffer for you.
Would you suffer for me?
At this point, the dark haired beauty had made it to Loki's cell, and made eye contact with him. A slight chill ran down Loki's spine as her gray eyes met his light green and he saw something... otherworldly in them.
It's not real unless it hurts, 'cuz true love is a curse
Let's compare each other's scars,
I see who really had it worse...
She backed away from Loki's cell, skipping his meal tray as she continued to dance to the other cells around her. Loki gaped at her, slightly offended and annoyed at how she blatantly skipped him.
I'll inflict myself upon you, 'cuz the pain means we're alive
We'll scratch our way through the dark, 'cuz to struggle's to survive
Sacrifice all that's left so we'll give in 'til it hurts
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
'Til our afflictions set us free?
She finally turned back to Loki with his tray in hand as she walked slowly towards him.
The kind of hurt that we both need...
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
How deep? How far will you go?
Tell me, 'cuz I wanna know
She pushed his tray through the opening and he grasped the tray, his eyes never leaving hers.
I'd give you my life, all the air that I breathe
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
Loki looked down as she pushed something else through the opening. It was a book... He looked back up at her as she back away from the glass.
Would you hurt for me?
Would you bleed for me?
Would you die for me?
She turned and dragged the metal cart away with her retreating form as she continued to sing, but not once looked back to gaze into Loki's eyes anymore.
Suffer... suffer... suffer... suffer...
I'd suffer for you, would you suffer for me?
The woman disappeared and her voice no loner echoed against the walls of the dungeon. Loki turned his eyes down to the hardcover book that the woman had given him and thought about the lyrics to her song. Even though he knew they were words that had already been prewritten by somebody else, he couldn't help but feel she had attached another meaning to them when she sang to Loki. Perhaps, it was all in his head, simply just what it was... a song.
Retreating to his cot in the corner of the cell, he continued to flip the book back and forth, studying the book's jacket. Loki set his meal on the bed next to him as he lifted the book's front cover to find a note tucked between the title page and the acknowledgements.
Might as well make the most of being in a cage, right?
Enjoy.
Loki flipped the note back and forth, but there was no name. He tucked the piece of paper into a pocket on the inside of his jacket and flipped pages until he reached the Title page. He leaned his back against the wall as he picked up the dinner roll on his tray to nibble at it as he began to read.
The Art of War
Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope this caught your interest, even thought it is a bit cliche as of right now. Please, follow, favorite, and/or review!
Song was Suffer by New Years Day