Time went by, slowly. Most people were just happy that I was back and didn't ask many questions. Maybe so I would still have a safe haven if I needed it. Maybe so they wouldn't be able to answer anything if some authority asked. Maybe they were angry at the whole thing and prefered to forget it. Maybe they just didn't care. It was OK, because I was not willing to give them many answers.
Only Tony was more insistent, terribly curious after seeing me return so relaxed after spending two months running away from the authorities, as a fugitive. He was convinced I had outside help and he tried making me tell him who had been helping me through many means: computers, emotional blackmail (from I'm your friend to I just wanna thank them)... But none of them worked. I knew that if I said something Loki would be in trouble (he was supposed to be in prison in Asgard, after all) so I kept quiet.
There were new missions, new enemies and my time away didn't seem so important.
The first mention to my new friend came some months later. Clint got very ill after a fight, no one knew exactly what he had - but whatever it was, it was bad. At first, the doctors recommended bed rest and antibiotics, but he only got worse. He spent all day in bed, unable to move, feverish. With each day he got worse and no one was able to give a solution. Apparently, the pathogens had gotten too deep in his system, in an intracellular level. It was only going to get worse. And then even worse. Then I remembered that a chapter in Loki's thesis dealt with this type of affection and offered to give it a try. It was quickly turned down, people said I was crazy for wanting to give Arsenic to an already ill man.
But then Clint went into a coma and, a bit desperate, Natasha decided my idea was worth a try. With the help of Loki's findings always guiding me via the Cambridge server, I made a chemical mixture with a base of diluted arsenic and injected it to our fallen friend.
It worked like a charm.
Everyone was happy to have a man with medical knowledge among their own and thanked me and my was nice.
But Tony, apart from being happy, was suspicious. The thesis had only gotten on-line a short while ago, and I already knew much parts of it by heart, as if I had studied it.
"I assume you know him , then. This Doctor... Jack Connelly?"
Well, I knew him. That much was undeniable.
"Yeah, British friend of mine, Jack. Showed me his work before he published, quite interesting, right? I think you would like him, by the way. The guy is total party animal."
Let it slide, Tony. Don't dig any deeper.
"A british guy, Bruce? And why haven't I heard of him? JARVIS, find everything you can on this guy."
I was scared that he wouldn't find almost anything and get even more suspicious but Loki had obviously improved his cover since I left, giving Tony a reasonable amount of documentation proving Dr. Connelly's existence and his life in England. And the newspaper articles, of course.
"Doesn't like cameras much, this guy?"
All the photos were out-of-focus, blurred, or he had his hair in his face.
"He had acid thrown at his face. It's pretty messed up."
It was story I heard him use. Seemed fitting enough. Tony looked at the articles and documentation.
"Ok, I'll forgive you for having a brit friend you never told me about 'cos this guy is obviously a total genius and he kind of saved Clint's life. So... acid in his face, what happened?" He asked as he stared into the screens, zooming in a blurry picture.
"He's never told me exactly what happened." I said, trying to be as truthful as possible. "But he's had many problems with the authorities. He had many issues with his dad, too. Serious issues. That's why it took him so long to go to college."
"You're friends with all sorts of messed up people, aren't you?" Tony asked, funny.
"That's why I like you so much."
I was glad that Loki had improved his cover and that Tony had bought the Jack Connelly identity. And even more happy when he left it alone. I also wondered what would have become of Clint if I had never read Loki's thesis. But it was better not to think about that.
Everyone continued with their life and there was no reminders of my time in London. Sometimes I missed it. When I had a cup of tea. When I saw karaoke place on the street. Sometimes I wished back there, with the Thames and the beers and Loki winking at me wearing that leather jacket. I missed the movies, the sodas, my little room with the green sheets, the little parks everywhere, the tourists, our small living room where we watched the BBC and I joked about how much Loki and Thor resembled Merlin and Arthur.
After some time, the guys who had imprisoned me had been fired and tried for wrongful arrest. I was living with Tony (and occasionally, Pepper) and had a lab to myself. It was good. Nice.
Until one fateful day Thor stormed in Stark tower, while I was having lunch with Tony and Steve.
"Friends, I fear I bear terrible news." He said.
"Nice to see you too, buddy." Tony said, arching an eyebrow.
"This is no time for jests, friend Stark. The Chitauri are back. And they seek retribution."
Tony visibly paled at this.
"Do not panic, Man of Iron, the surviving Chitauri know not of your implication in the blast that killed so many of them. Since they were no survivors of your explosion... the Chitauri blame my brother."
"Well, that's a relief." Tony said, breathing again.
I was not relieved at all. A horde of angry aliens were targeting someone I cared about, for something he hadn't done. Thor's expression hardened. He was obviously taking this very seriously and continued talking.
"A Chitauri squad entered Asgard unnoticed not long ago and breached our prison walls. They got into Loki's cell and slit his throat."
It was terrible for the poor man on his place but I was thankful it was not really him.
Steve was horrified.
"God, Thor, I'm so sorry."
Tony looked a bit disturbed, too, maybe feeling a bit guilty. Of course, the Chitauri had supposedly killed Loki for something he had done, he probably felt it was a bit his fault.
"What they ignored, as I did, was that it was not truly Loki. He had escaped our custody and magicked a man to wear his face and looks. The Chitauri's search for the real Loki led them to Midgard, here, but I lost track of their whereabouts."
I was a bit concerned. Loki had his magic to protect himself but the Chitauri had gotten into Asgard's prison like it was nothing. They were really pissed and I didn't even want to know what they could do to him before killing him.
"The Chitauri are a dangerous race and could cause great damage to this planet. I ask you to help me locate them with your technology so we can stop them before it's too late." Thor declared. He never mentioned his brother but it was obvious he was in such a hurry to find them because he wanted to stop them before they killed the real, actual Loki.
Everyone agreed and we were all ready and suited before finishing lunch. JARVIS had caught sight of some Chitauri near Glasgow and we were heading there. I imagined Loki had moved from his home to have a place to come back to, but was caught before he could go any further - stuck. Tony was flying in his suit, Thor using Mjolnir and Steve and I on a Stark enhanced helicopter, with Steve on the controls. It wasn't long before we got there. I was getting a bit anxious, not wanting to relive New York.
Thor and Tony got down on what looked like "alien camp base" and Steve was going there, too, when I saw a smaller group of Chitauri playing with something. No, playing with someone. Someone with black hair and his hands chained. Someone bleeding and who barely had energy to conjure sparks on his hands to try and keep the enemies away. I opened the door of the chopper and was green before I reached the floor.
No more mister nice guy. No more Bruce Banner.
The Chitauri had to pay and they were knocked out in seconds. Using one to beat up the rest never failed. Loki shrank away, with all the strength he had left, looking at me, afraid.
"LOKI NOT AFRAID. HULK HELP LOKI. LOKI FRIEND."
Loki seemed hesitant (which was kind of normal, after the beating the Hulk gave him last time) but then his eyes widened.
"Behind you!"
The remaining Chitauri was out in seconds. It was no rival for the Hulk. Looking back at Loki it was obvious he was in a pitiable state. The torn clothes. The ragged breathing. The blood everywhere. And there was a wide variety of Chitauri weapons with different purposes (electrical, burning, shooting) near him and different injuries that matched each weapon. The poor guy.
"LOKI HURT."
He smiled a bit, giving his bloodied face a disturbingly careless expression.
"Well, aren't you a thoughtful green thing? I am damaged, but I could return to battle getting rid of this chains - they tamper with my magic."
Said and done. One green punch and Loki's rusty handcuffs were broken in two. Loki quickly made the remaining parts disappear and was trying to stand, looking around for more Chitauri, but there were none. With much effort, he got on a standing position, looking determined. But as he tried to walk he swayed and was on the floor, again. There was no way he was going to battle again, so I stopped him.
"LOKI HURT. ESCAPE. AVENGERS SMASH CHITAURI."
"All right, but only because it's you. Tell your less green half he is always welcome in London. And thanks."
On a flash of green mist, he was gone.
And so, I was back in London.
The Chitauri had been easy to take down, and had been sent to place they came from, without the means to travel between realms. They were told that if they ever came back they would be defeated again, and they seemed to believe it. As angry as they were, they knew they stood no chance against the defences the Earth had. Some of the few that had made it here were dead now - every time they came here their numbers decreased. This would, at least, buy us some time.
I had been the only one to actually see Loki and had told the rest that he'd been space-jumping between realms when the Chitauri had caught him, but that he was alive and apparently had no evil intentions. I saw both Thor and Tony breathe relieved at this: Thor because he still had a brother (mad as he could be) who was apparently in one piece and Tony because the explosion HE caused had not killed anyone else. As much as he disliked Loki, he knew as much as I did that Thor still cared for him (a lot) and their relationship would probably be a bit worse if Loki was killed for something Tony had done.
After debriefing some agents SHIELD had in Scotland we set off home, again. I told Steve to leave me in London, if he could, to see some friends. The official story was that I was going to visit Dr. Connelly, to personally thank him for helping us (through his book) with the Clint situation.
But the truth was I was worried. This Loki was not as strong as the one from the invasion. Whatever they'd done to him while in jail had messed up with his strength and his ability to heal. And there had been something when he saw the Hulk, something I had never seen on his face before (not when we lived together, not when he was villain): despair. As if an angry Hulk could mean death. As if he hadn't the power to recover anymore. And the Chitauri had given him one hell of a beating. What if he didn't have enough strength to make it back to London? What if SHIELD found him passed out in some alley and imprisoned him? No, that man had risked his cover, probably his life when he broke me out of prison, he risked exposure when he gave me his key, his phone number... I needed to know he was all right. Just needed it.
I went by his place but no one was answering the door. Called the number I had but it was disconnected. After some minutes I saw Mrs. Roberts exiting the door.
"I don't know if you remember me..." I started, because it had been a while since I was last there and I didn't know if Loki's spell (the one to hide my identity) would be still in place or not.
"Of course, dear! You are Jack's friend, aren't you? You came to see him?"
"Yes, but I think he's not home."
"I just had some terrible news, I'm afraid" Oh-oh. He wasn't dead, was he? "He was found unconscious on the street, someone attacked him and stole his wallet. I was just going to the hospital to see him, maybe you'd like to come with me?"
I nodded and went with the old lady to the hospital, head full of questions. Was this all a cover or had someone actually mugged him on the street after the Chitauri attack? And wouldn't the doctors notice he was not exactly human? The way there seemed eternal.
When we finally got there and were finally reaching the room I had another nasty surprise. Tony, the one and only Tony Stark was talking with one of Loki's doctors. This couldn't be good.
"Who's that, dear? Another scientist friend of yours?" Mrs Roberts asked.
"Yeah."
What was Tony doing there? Was he going to expose Loki? Why was he even here? Why did I even care so much? Arggh.
I asked Tony if we could speak on private and he smiled, while the old lady entered the hospital room, ignoring the doctor.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Well, I wanted to know why you were being so secretive about this guy and was curious of how your other friends were, and JARVIS picked up someone checking in a hospital under his name. The police think it's been some robbers but it kinda looks like some angry aliens wanted revenge, doesn't it?"
Damn. Even under the black and blue he'd seen who he was. And he was angry.
"You know that he has a very rare syndrome that has so many abnormalities that make him almost a different species? Like, I don't know, a frost giant, maybe?"
Under the sarcasm I could see the confusion and anger.
"What the hell, Bruce? Your british friend is Loki?"
I had to answer and I had to be convincing.
"He was the one who broke me out of SHIELD's prison. Took me here, to London, with his magic and I lived with him two months. Two months were the most evil thing he did was spell some money out of an ATM. He rescued me, Tony, protected me from all the people who were looking for me. You know why the Hulk was nowhere to be seen? Because I was happy, I had freedom and a place to live -his place- and a flatmate and... It was great, like a vacation. I didn't want to lie to you but I just, I couldn't tell you because then you'd want to get him back to prison in Asgard, where he belongs, yes, but I couldn't do that to the guy after he freed me."
Tony looked inside the room where Loki lay, surrounded by tubes and machines, all bandaged up.
"Seems a bit unbelievable." He said, but his expression was softer.
"You tell me. One minute I was in prison somewhere in the states and the next I'm having tea with the god of mischief. It felt unreal. But it was real. He saved me from SHIELD, from all those people criticising me."
He looked at me, then at the person behind the window again.
"So... his face. That was Thor's dad?"
"Well, he's never said it with so many words, but yes, I think so. He's all covered in scars, some old, some new.. seems like justice in Asgard is a bit more extreme tahn our own."
"You're trying to make me feel bad so I don't tell the others about him. You shouldn't protect him, Bruce, he is a criminal." Tony said, but something told me he didn't really mean it.
"And so was I until you guys cleared my name. For a long while, I was as guilty as he was. Being put in isolation, being moved so nobody could find me, no visits, just nothing. And then, suddenly I had a home and friends and tea in the mornings. Please, Tony, just... give him a chance. He deserves it. For me, if not for him."
He was not sure of what to do, so I just let him think about and went on to the room. There he was, my former flatmate, white as a sheet, with most his face and neck filled with cuts, stitched up or bandaged and a nasal cannula under his nose. He was still unconscious. Damned Chitauri. And the thought that I (the Hulk, but still) once gave him beating as bad as this. NOw it felt so wrong. I could see him again, winking, telling me that we were free and alive and talking about particle collisions. With that calm expression that screamed after everything, we are free, the worst is past. His hands were bandaged, too. The eyes closed.
After a while, Mrs Roberts went down to the shop, to get some flowers for the room.
Tony came in the room, still a bit reluctant. Took a good look at the man.
"So... it was him who wrote that arsenic thing that helped Clint?"
"Yeah. He was- is pretty proud of it. Doctor Jack Connelly, scientist: Loki, for his friends. And look at him now. Beat up, motionless. He was always awake before me, well, almost always, and he would do this delicious things for breakfast, even if he hardly ate. And he liked Deep purple and Led zeppelin, like you. And Pink Floyd. All those weird rock things."
Tony was obviously hesitant. As much hate as he may had felt before, it was difficult being angry at someone lying in a hospital bed, injured, vulnerable. He looked at me and rolled his eyes.
"I have an idea." Tony said. "But I want to make sure he is really not a threat. I'll come back tomorrow."
During the rest of the evening Katia came - the girl from the party, she was happy to see me there. (He missed you, you know? she said, He would never admit it, but he was happier when you were there to talk about science and things. Less lonely.). The police asked some questions about the attack and one of his professors from Cambridge came too. We all commented the bad luck the man had, with much politeness and accents.
Loki awoke two days later.
The green eyes were glassy, but focused on me.
"Banner. What...?"
He interrupted himself when he saw Tony behind me. His expression went from scared to resigned in seconds. He tried to manage a sitting position, but it was obvious that moving wasn't painless for the guy. He sighed.
"Oh... do not tell me I have to think another cover now... Another realm... After I worked so hard on this one."
"So I've seen." Tony said. "You have convinced half the hospital that the Jotun syndrome is something that actually exists. Pretty impressive. Not sure why you would go through all the trouble, though."
"My landlady has a key to my apartment. When I arrived here I was in bad shape, she could have found me unconscious when she came to collect the rent or water the plants. And she would call an ambulance. I needed to have something that would explain my... peculiarities." He said, not without effort.
He finally settled and breathed heavily, looking at us, a bit sad with those green eyes. Tony continued speaking.
"Why did you do it? Save Bruce, I mean. After all the work you'd done to go unnoticed here why would you risk it all? You wanted to get inside the Avengers? Get revenge through us?"
I was getting a bit angry, Tony was being quite harsh with a man that was still in a very delicate condition. But I managed to calm down. Last thing we needed was a Hulk destroying the room. Loki sighed.
"I know of the hells of prison, Stark. Intimately. Doctor Banner is a intelligent man and did not deserve such treatment. You could not break him out, so I did. You can never know with me, do you? And I am not all rotten inside, despite what Thor may have told you."
Loki looked around his room and saw the get well cards. Mrs Roberts, her grandsons, Katia, Professor Pierce. His life in London. A life he probably thought all that was about to end.
"Well... here's what we're gonna do." Tony said. "I'm not gonna rat you out to your brother or Fury... because Bruce has asked me to, and because honestly, I'm not sure I agree with what they were doing to you in Asgard. And inadvertently maybe, but you saved Clint's life. But - if we ever catch you on the evil path, you go down."
Loki nodded, tired.
"And in exchange for me keeping my mouth shut, you'll help me with any magic-doer criminals or with poisons or with Asgardians, anything you know. No buts. If I'm not having you in jail then I want those wits you used to build this fancy life on my service."
The god quirked an eyebrow at Stark and then looked at me with a wild expression that said can you believe this guy?
"I was badly injured because of something you did, Stark. I will ask for something in return for my services. You'll finance my next research."
"Sure, I could put you in Stark's industries payroll, as scientific consultant."
"Not only that, I want you to write an article praising me and saying how it's a delight to count with british genius Jack Connelly among your workers. And be creative."
"Boy, you do have a world of self-esteem issues, don't you? Deal. I'll write something so gorgeous people will think I'm in love."
Tony left not long after that. I was happy, not having to hold on to that biiig secret.
And we were left alone.
"Long time no see, my singing partner. How do you do?"
I smiled at him and started talking. And then talked some more. Science. Avengers. Explained everything about the Clint incident (I'm glad, he said, he was always my favourite minion). He told me about the projects he was working on now - a project about black holes, really interesting.I decided to stay in London until he was completely recovered and felt, once again, at ease.
I hoped that, with time, more people learned about him. About this other Loki who was much more complex and much more caring than the crazy assassin they all knew.
I hoped that they saw there were more sides to him than New York and Stuttgart.
There was also London.
Where my friend lived.
A/N: You thought I was done with this? Well, apparently not. Hope you liked this installment and the angst and hurt (I just can't stay away, can I?) please do tell me what you thought, every comment is appreaciated.
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