Author's note: I'm so sorry for the late update! I had meant to put this up not so long after the last chapter, but I got busy. Also, I'd like to mention that while I don't write explicit stuff, depending on what happens later, I may or may not bump the rating up. Just in case. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Devil on the doorstep
After landing on the balcony of Stark tower, the evidence of their skirmish in plain sight, Thor led Loki into the battered lounge where he had found his brother, barely able to crawl away. No matter what Loki did, the sight of him in such a battered state brought pain to his heart. Thor knew and understood that he should feel only revulsion and horror at the devastation his brother had done to Midgard; all of those lives lost, all the pain wrought, families broken and yet, the love he held for his brother felt like a candlelight that could not be snuffed out. Maybe it was different for Loki; he did not seem to want anything to do with him or their parents, which saddened him greatly, but his own feelings could not be quashed.
Only the somewhat distant sounds of the broken city outside could be heard now, neither brother making a sound; Loki couldn't even if he had wanted to, for neither Odin nor Thor had thought to remove the muzzle. Thor would leave that up to S.H.I.E.L.D. for now. Emergency sirens, the odd crash of the aftermath that still raged across the city as structures fell from the lack of support, yelling and crying. All rather clear to the two with Godly hearing. One desperate to assist, one desperate to escape from it. Neither one moved.
The sound of the elevator rang through the air followed by footfalls and clinking of weaponry as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Agents Romanov and Barton, along with some other agents came towards them, unamused and very serious.
"I thought you were taking him back to Asgard," Fury said, by way of greeting.
"Director Fury, please give me the chance to explain. I realise it is rather large a request that I seek to put upon you, but our father wishes for Loki to serve out his punishment here on Midgard, much like I had a year ago. He has been reduced to a mortal body and his powers limited that he cannot harm an innocent being, either physically, magically, directly or indirectly. I assure you that he therefore cannot harm anymore of your people," Thor explained. Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Really? This is the almighty God of Magic and Chaos here we are talking about. How can we know for sure that he is safe?" Fury asked.
"You have my word. I saw it for myself and our father is a powerful man, if you have any faith in me at all you will believe what I say is true," Thor said. "He is to serve his punishment at your order, although I would prefer it if you lay no physical harm upon him; there are better ways to seek justice than that of torture. He will, however, assist in the rebuilding of your city and in any other way possible, lest he have to remain here forever." Loki was currently glaring at the large dent in the floor where the beast had smashed him.
"So you're telling us that your father expects us to have him here indefinitely?" Natasha asked, unimpressed.
"He is but a mere mortal with harmless magical powers now," Thor repeated, but there was a gravity to his emphasis that silenced the agents for a moment, and Thor's expression could not hide the pain behind his eyes. If his brother never redeemed himself, then Thor would lose him to old age. It pained him more than he could speak through words. He knew their mother and father would mourn his passing if it came to that, but Loki needed to be punished.
"Alright, well, it's not like we can do much else at this point. Luckily for us, Stark Tower doesn't need too much in the way of reparation, although we do not have a cell for him. We are in the midst of drawing up plans to make part of Stark Tower into our new headquarters," Fury said.
"You need not place Loki in a cell, he is harmless and will not attempt an escape," Thor spoke. Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know that?" She asked. Thor turned to Loki; in all honesty, he could not guarantee that as much as he could the harmless part. Green eyes met his blue ones and Thor gave him a look that clearly questioned the God of Mischief whether he would try to run. Loki shook his head, his eyes hollow. Thor turned back and nodded.
"Even if he does attempt, I will find him. Please, do not worry, my friends," Thor said.
"Very well, but you need to talk to Stark first," Fury said.
"Where might I find him?" Thor asked.
"Sir, Mr. Stark will be joining you in a few minutes, I have let him know that you are here," Jarvis answered. Thor looked around, unsure of where the voice was coming from.
"That is Stark's computer, Jarvis. It is connected to the whole building and into his Iron Man suit. He will assist you if you ask," Fury said.
Thor nodded and before he could say anything, the sound of something landing outside drew his attention to the windows. Tony in his Iron Man suit was walking towards the door, his suit being taken off of him as he did so before entering and stepping closer to the two Gods, an eyebrow raised.
"So even the heavens spat Rock of Ages out? Too bad. What brings you here?" Tony asked. Thor explained the situation and Tony looked to the God in question, who was still in the muzzle and cuffs they had kindly supplied for him. Loki had his back to Tony, and turned away from the agents. "Okay, okay, I guess I can let you stay. Just, no more tantrums, okay, Jailbreak? When we have problems, we don't go to someone else's backyard and break things. You go to your mom and dad's room and break their things instead."
"Thank you, Tony, you have my gratitude," Thor said.
"Yeah, yeah, but you guys owe me, hm?" Tony said.
"Of course," Thor said, humbly.
"Alright! I'll show you two to a room each. All of my rooms are state of the art, so this lucky bastard will be one luxurious prisoner. It's more than you deserve, so be grateful," Tony said, leading them into the elevator. "Are we keeping these chains and muzzle? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a great look, if you're into that shit, but it's not very practical." The elevator started downwards and Tony started working the muzzle off.
"Sir-," Jarvis started.
"Not now, Jarvis," Tony said, brow furrowed in concentration. He finally got the thing off and put it to the floor before unlocking the cuffs. "Don't make me regret this, Rocky." Loki ignored him, just standing there as if nothing had changed. The elevator stopped and Tony frowned at the number on the screen. "Ground floor? Why are we-?" The doors opened and showed Pepper standing there, looking furious. "Oh, shit."
Pepper stopped the door before Tony could jab at the close buttons effectively. "Tony," Pepper said. She reached him and fought with herself before throwing her arms around him. "I saw the news and I saw what you did with that missile! How could you be so reckless?! You stupid, stupid—" Pepper was in tears by now and Tony placed his hands on her back, patting awkwardly.
"Hey, hey…relax. You know me, never a dull moment. Besides, I probably would have died anyway if I hadn't done that, so cheer up, eh?" Tony said, lightly. Pepper fixed him with a glare. "Okay, bad choice of words. But it's over now and you can't take me down that easily, so how about we just focus on fixing up New York?" Pepper sniffed and nodded, looking back up at him, before noticing who else was in the elevator. Her eyes widened.
"Isn't that—" Pepper started.
"Don't worry, he's like a little bunny right now, harmless. His pops obviously has this impression that Earth is their prison. Quite insulting, really. Anyway, I was just showing them to their rooms before you overrode the command," Tony said, pushing the button and sending the elevator back up. It felt like a heck of a long time being in that elevator with the guy who flattened Manhatten and his brother. He could not have been happier to hear the ding, leading Pepper and the brothers onto the floor. Walking in silence, Tony stopped at two doors, one opposite the other.
"Okay, so, it works like a mini-apartment. You kids play nice, you hear? There's a lounge and communal kitchen up there, and a few of the others will be on this floor as well…Birdseye really wants to put an arrow into your eye socket, so don't give him a reason," Tony said, winking, before leaving with Pepper.
Loki remained silent and merely opened the door to his right, closing it behind him. He leant against the door, taking in the room. Not as big as his own room back on Asgard, or rather, his former room, but bigger than some of the Midgardian rooms he had seen before. Although, this was like one of those apartment abodes he had heard of. A miniature home. A lounging area, a kitchen, a door off to the side and a door just ahead. Bedroom and bathroom. Loki just stared around, leaning against the door, for some time. So this was where he was to live for the unforeseeable future…He was mortal now. If he did not 'see the error of his ways', he would die of old age. How glorious. Was that really the best Odin could do? If he died, it would hurt them more than he. Had he not wanted death the moment he let go of Gungnir? Let go of all fears and embrace the darkness of death, which did not come, but in this situation…it would come.
And he would be free.
But was that what he truly wanted? Perhaps if he was feeling truly vindictive and vengeful, then yes, maybe he would just let time take him. The hatred and anger was so set within him, that Loki did not know whether he could ever feel happiness again. Simple tricks would not amuse him, most people would never trust him again nor like him, his heritage alone made him miserable…Loki would merely see what life brought. Perhaps he would find new reasons, perhaps he would be able to become immortal again, or perhaps there was no hope for him. Loki straightened up and walked slowly through his new accommodations…as much as he hated to admit it, they were far better than what he had previously. His last good accommodations had been his former room on Asgard. He opened the door to his bedroom and looked around, taking in the large bed and the soft, neutral colours. He spotted an armchair and sat down within it, looking around thoughtfully. The bed slowly became that of green with one thick gold strip silk covers and pillows, while the sheets became black. The walls took on a nice shade of light gold. He sat there for a moment in silence before conjuring a book to read.
Thor looked around his room and sat down. But he soon stood up, unable to sit still and left his room, staring at Loki's door for a moment before walking down the corridor. In all honesty, the building was strange to him and he was unsure where to go, with all of its many rooms and floors. He remembered the computer, Jarvis, or something. He looked at a strange contraption on the wall next to the box they had arrived in. "I wish to speak with the one called Jarvis?" Thor asked, uncertainty in his voice.
"Yes, Mr. Thor?" Jarvis asked.
"Ah yes, I would like to know who I can speak to in regards to Jane Foster," Thor said.
"Of course, I believe Erik Selvig will be living on this very floor, in the corridor to your right. He is in room 14C," Jarvis answered.
"Thank you, Jarvis," Thor said, finding it rather strange to talk to a speaking inanimate object.
"You're most welcome," Jarvis said. Thor walked off down the corridor, searching through the numbers until he found 14C. He knocked, remembering to be careful with the fragile door. It opened to a tired looking Erik. The man perked up immediately.
"Thor! It's good to see you, it's been a long time," Erik said, with some disappointment in his tone.
"Yes, my apologies, my fight with my brother ended in the necessity of destroying the Bifrost, that another realm not be destroyed. I could not return until recently, when it was absolutely necessary," Thor said.
"I fear that won't matter to Jane," Erik teased.
"That is one reason I have come; I wish to know where she is. My brother had led me to believe her dead, but Heimdall spoke of her living," Thor said.
"She is safe, and I believe they are bringing her back. She should be back in a day or two," Erik said. Thor beamed widely.
"Thank you, Erik Selvig," Thor said.
"Would you like to come in? I think I have some good ale for you to try," Erik said.
"Of course!" Thor said, laughing.
