Chapter 3
It had been a particularly bad night for Loki. For the better part of the morning he drifted in and out of consciousness, wishing he'd kept his bloody mouth shut. But it had been so tempting to taunt his aggressors, now that the muzzle was gone. Finally he could laugh in Barton's face, laugh at his unrequited love for Agent Romanoff... he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have laughed at their poor attempts to break a god. Fact was, he was not immortal. And humans were very innovative when it came to causing pain. They also had very creative ways of using electricity which gave him a totally new sensation and the word pain a new dimension. It didn't even leave nasty marks like bruises or broken bones, no ugly stains of blood on the floor.
He had tried not to scream. Had not wanted to give them that satisfaction...
"You will beg me to stop!"
Loki was on the floor, panting. Barton grabbed a fistful of his hair to pull him up until he was actually kneeling in front of the agent.
"Now that's better, isn't it? You're freed of freedom and get a fair share of your own mad ideas. Monster!" Barton spat at him, then the heel of his boot crashed hard on his right hand, breaking all the bones...
Eventually, in the course of the night, he had screamed. His throat was raw and he wondered if he would survive another night. But he wouldn't beg.
His hand had swollen to twice its usual size, looking like an unidentifiable lump of bloodied flesh, and the handcuff had gotten tighter, cutting into his skin to increase the pain.
He had long given up pretending he was alright, couldn't even think of pacing his cage with an air of boredom. But he kept up his glamour, that last streak of magic left to him. At least they wouldn't get to see how very, very close to breaking a god they really were.
His sense of time had long left him. In the bright light of his prison day and night were all the same, and he only knew it was night when the torture started. His tormentors seemed to care for keeping up a daily routine.
Does Fury know? Loki wondered briefly. After all, he had promised Thor- but Thor had never come back, and as much as he didn't miss his not brother, he would have loved to know what kept him. Sweet Jane? Or had Thor returned to Asgard, leaving him at the mercy of S.H.I.E.L.D until the end of his miserable life?
But no, the Tesseract was still here. Loki could feel its power radiating... and with that came a very awkward memory...
If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you will long for something as sweet as pain.
Damn. So perhaps dying from Barton's torture was an agreeable option. But wait. There was- what? Hope? Dazed by pain he let out a bitter bark of laughter as he tried to grasp the fleeting memory of a mortal witch and her promise to get him out of here.
It must have been a dream, a silly illusion, because- and let's be honest, for once- who in a sane state of mind could possibly want to set him free? He was a fool if he relied on such a promise, and besides, the witch had not showed up yet, nor would she ever come.
He blacked out again.
The next time he regained consciousness, Loki was staring into a pair of blue eyes.
So the witch had returned, at least.
"You look like death warmed over," she said quietly.
"Thank you." Loki managed a smirk and couldn't help but notice the irony of her kneeling before him. Not quite like he had imagined it to be. He was not a ruler here but the god of blood and piss and bile- that rather ruined the moment.
She was upset, her eyes turned ice cold with silent rage. He knew that glance, usually he was at the receiving end of it but not today. Her rage was directed at his tormentors, and her rage was remarkable which made her quite attractive.
Now would be a good time to beg, to appeal to her mercy, put on an innocent look...
"Please..." he whispered.
"Don't." The witch said as she took his good hand in hers, clandestinely slipping something into his palm and closing his fingers over it. "Just don''t." She produced another bottle of water and made him drink a few sips before she placed in on the floor, easy for him to reach. "I told you I'd come back. I also told you I'll get you out of here, and I'm a woman who stands by her promises. No need to beg, right? I... I just wished I could do more, now. But Fury is not to become suspicious.
"I gave you a Portkey."
"A Portkey?" Loki fingered the small object in his hand. "It feels vaguely like the plastic cap of a water bottle."
"It is the plastic cap of a water bottle, turned into a Portkey, and it will activate at 10:03 PM precisely. Just keep it in your hand; it will take you to a safe place."
ooOoo
Raven was enraged and anxious for the rest of the day. She could not get the image of Loki so badly abused out of her mind, and it bugged her tremendously that there'd been nothing she could have done to ease his pain. Simply because she was not to care about him if she didn't want to arouse suspicion, and S.H.I.E.L.D was an organisation too powerful to mess with.
So she had to fight her urge to grab Loki and Disapparate with him. After all, it wasn't only his fate- or hers- that was on stake if she risked a dangerous game, but also that of everyone else involved. Alice, Rocco, all at WIIA... even Severus. That price was too high to pay for a half-baked, rash deed.
Patience was not her greatest virtue, nevertheless she'd come to accept the necessity of it.
There had been only one thing she'd been able to do for Loki, a simple spell to clean him up, to give him at least that much dignity. She would never understand people who enjoyed to torture and humiliate others in order to compensate for their own frustration.
Her own moral codex was- to put it mildly- flexible. She had never considered herself to be made of the same material as the noble and righteous goody two shoes of this worlds. She would lie and cheat, use tricks and cunning to get her way, but there were lines you simply did not cross. Like kicking the wounded on the ground, betraying friends, or lying to lovers. And torturing a helpless prisoner was absolutely inexcusable.
In order to keep calm and patient, Raven started typing a lengthy, pseudo-scientific report about runes and magic for Fury; she really like to keep to her promises even if they were just for pretence.
When Severus came home from work, they went to have dinner at their favourite Japanese restaurant... it was also part of the plan meticulously though-out by Alice and Rocco to give Raven an alibi. She couldn't eat Sushi with her husband and at the same time prepare to spring Loki from his cage at S.H.I.E.L.D Central in another part of the town. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D didn't know much about magic.
Of course, they would suspect her. They would come to question her... later. And she would feign innocence.
Raven paid with her credit card. The voucher said the transaction was made at 9:54 pm. It was a five minute walk from the restaurant back to where they lived. The concierge would later say they entered the building at 10 o'clock precisely. Then it took about two minutes to get into their private elevator, ride up to the 60th floor and unlock the door.
One minute later, Loki arrived out of thin air, screaming in agony. His hand holding the Portkey was on fire. Nevertheless he managed a somehow gracious landing. He let go off the Portkey and the flames ceased.
"Good evening." Loki cracked a smile at Raven and Severus, then he collapsed on the floor, panting heavily.
"We have to remove the bonds immediately." Raven said alarmed as she noticed the angry red blisters on his hands and neck, and she smelled the sickening stench of burnt flesh.
"Wonderful idea." Loki agreed.
"Can we just take them off or is there anything to consider?" Severus asked matter-of-factly.
"Just try not to use any more magic on me... unless you want to fry me."
"Agreed." With skilful fingers, Severus opened the handcuffs. It was quite easy, actually. He gave the runes engraved in the metal a disgusted glance.
The chains were ratting as Raven worked on the collar, fumbling with a more complicated fastening mechanism. Finally, she succeeded.
Loki heaved a deep sigh of relief. You could almost see the magic flooding back to him, shrouding him in a glittering aura of gold and green, emitting sparks. But it happened too fast; it was too much. It almost consumed him
When limbs go numb, it's all needles and pins afterwards. When magic was turned numb, it was much, much worse. It was like glowing daggers and wildfire raging in your veins, and the air was crackling with unintentional outbreaks of magical energy. Loki was screaming again, feeling like he was being torn apart.
Severus reacted immediately. He aimed his wand at the Asgardian and tried to channel the wild energy by making it explode in a bright beam of light that crashed through the terrace door and fulminated outside.
"Are we redecorating, darling?" Raven commented dryly on the shattered glass that came lashing down in their living room.
ooOoo
Loki rolled on his back and started laughing.
He was already feeling better. Not good enough to come up with another plan for world domination- now, that could wait, and he wasn't even that keen on a throne at the moment... sometimes, it was the small things that mattered, and finally being able to heal sounded so much better than a mad struggle for power.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. May I help you to your room?" The dark haired wizard offered him a helping hand but was patient enough to wait until Loki managed to sit up himself, sorting his legs. He was still very weak. And much too proud to show it.
Meanwhile, the witch was cleaning up. It didn't take her long to repair the broken window. At her command, all the shattered pieces of glass assembled in midair to form a new pane. Loki stopped in his struggle to get to his feet, watching her. Although those mortals needed a wand to perform magic, it was more advanced and powerful than he had expected.
Then the wizard led him down a short corridor and opened a door to his right. Loki was almost surprised by not getting tossed into yet another glass cage, the only form of accommodation ever granted to him since his arrival on earth. Instead, he entered a cosy room with white walls, a wooden floor, and furniture made of dark wood. By the window, overlooking the nightly skyline of the city, stood an armchair of golden brown velvet stood next to a small table, but most inviting was the bed with its clean white sheets.
He couldn't remember when he'd last slept in a bed. Almost tentatively he sat down.
"I know, you will probably heal all by yourself. Eventually." The wizard's voice was calm, dark and pleasant. "But the bones of your hand are so badly broken they should be set."
Loki stared at his right hand, still swollen and hurting; a pathetic lump of flesh and shattered bones. The left one didn't look much better. Burned skin and painful blisters. He heaved a sigh; he had always liked his hands, and although he could feel the magic running through his veins like wildfire, it wasn't yet reliable enough to accomplish such a delicate task.
"Are you a healer?" He asked sceptically.
"I'm versed in the art of healing since I completed the healer training program, but I'm a potion's master. In my lab, I don't have to bother with idiots and their self-inflicted injuries caused by inaccurate spells or asinine jinxes." The wizard conjured up a phials out of thin air; it contained a painkiller as he explained. "It will hurt to set your bones-"
Loki snatched the phial out of the wizard's hand. Pride was tremendously overrated when you're sick and tired of pain, so he emptied it in a single gulp.
"I like sensible people. It's stupid to pretend you don't fear pain, because wise people will always choose to avoid it- By the way, I'm Severus, Raven's husband."
"Loki. Guess you knew that already."
"Just Loki, eh? Not burdened with glorious purpose this time?" Severus arched a dark brow at him, slightly amused but with no intention to mock him.
"I'm on vacation. Too many burdens." He offered Severus a winning smile and hoped the wizard wouldn't make the procedure more painful than necessary because he had tried to conquer his world. But the wizard's hand were gentle, trying not to hurt him even though it did hurt. Waves of pain were running through his fingers with every bone Severus set straight, mostly using his wand to do so.
Loki tried not to wince. "Where I come from, only old, toothless women sit over simmering cauldrons and brew potions that are as ineffective as yours."
Severus paused to glare at him, and Loki noticed that the wizard's eyes were as black as the deepest, darkest ponds he'd ever seen. And yet, they weren't cold. There was some warmth in them- but one that came with a fair warning to not mess with him.
"Are you displeased with my work?"
"No." Loki said quickly. "Just trying to make conversation."
"Good. Because if my potion were as ineffective as you claim, you wouldn't be able to try and make conversation."
"You're not really good with patients, are you?"
"That's why I'm a potioneer, remember? And before you mock me for my poor choice of career, may I mention that your hand doesn't look like that of a fierce warrior to me? Of course, it's hardly recognizable as a hand at the moment, but after it has healed it will be as slender as my own. Am I right?" Severus didn't wait for his response but continued. "Where you come from, you're an outsider, a misfit. You're too smug for your own good, and yet you seem to be rather intelligent. Given the choice, you'd rather spend your time in the library, seeking knowledge, instead of wasting time on the battleground. Unfortunately, you tend to make the wrong decisions-"
"You think you've figured me out?"
"Indeed. Because I wasn't much different when I was younger. I was the nerd, the loner, always striving for recognition and just one step away from doing something incredibly stupid."
"What happened then?" Loki wasn't really interested in hearing his story, but anything distracting him from the pain of setting bones was welcome.
"Raven."
Oh please not a sentimental love story now.
But the wizard's eyes weren't welling over with emotions, they remained focussed on the task. "She changed my life for the better, and apparently, she sees something in you that's worth saving, too. You may mock her sentiments and even call them pathetic, but don't be a fool and scoff at what she has to offer."
Loki glanced at him expectantly, waiting for a warning or a threat to come. Something like, if you harm my wife I'll kill you. But none of that ever came. Severus had said what he wanted to say.
"You don't agree with her, though?" He didn't really care how Severus considered him and yet it would be nice to know he had not made another enemy.
"My opinion of you is irrelevant. I trust in my wife's judgement because working in criminal investigation for the last thirty years gave her a great knowledge of the human nature. You can't fool her so don't even try."
"I'll keep that in mind." Loki promised, and he actually meant it. At the moment, he simply couldn't afford to make any more enemies, so it was about time to make some allies... preferably friendlier allies than the Chitauri...
ooOoo
"Sev, are you done here?" Raven appeared at the door of the guest room, glancing at the two men. Both were tall and slender, dark-haired and pale. They looked more like brothers than Loki and Thor.
The Asgardian was lying on the bed, propped up by some pillows in his back. He seemed to be exhausted, pearls of perspiration were running down his forehead, but he still managed to smile at her. The broken hand was resting on his chest; it already looked so much better.
"Almost." Severus replied as he applied a burn-healing salve on Loki's wrists and on his left hand.
"We're already becoming friends." Loki said with a grin, to which Severus rolled his eyes as he glanced at Raven.
She chuckled and entered the room, carrying a tray that she placed on the bedside table. On it was a pitcher with water, a glass and a bowl of steaming hot broth that smelled deliciously of beef and fresh spices. Loki raised his head and sniffed; his stomach was grumbling audibly.
"You must be starving. I guess S.H.I.E.L.D failed to provide you with decent food?" The hungry expression on his face told Raven that he might not have eaten for longer than his stay at S.H.I.E.L.D Central. "Well, try to eat slowly. Can you handle it on your own?"
Loki lifted his left hand and stared at it, flexing his fingers. It was still a bit red but more like from sunburn and not as if it had been on flames. The blisters were all gone.
"Good." Raven gave a satisfied nod. He was really healing fast but she also had to give some credit to Severus' burn-healing salve. He would be okay. "We'll leave you now. Stay in your room and please remain quiet. We're expecting visitors from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Loki's eyes widened. She could still see the horrors of last night in them, the steel-capped boot crushing the bones of his hand... Raven wasn't a vengeful person but she couldn't guarantee for Barton's safety should he dare to show up here.
"Don't worry. You're safe here." Raven promised him before she left the room with Severus, closing the door behind her.
They went to their living room where Raven had already set the scene. The pillows on the sofa were in a comfortable disarray, on the table stood a half-full bottle of red wine and filled two glasses. Candles were burning and the TV was on. It looked as if a happily married couple was enjoying a homey evening together. Nothing reminded of Loki's arrival here. The collar and the handcuffs were hidden in her study, the window pane was repaired, and the floor was thoroughly cleaned of blood.
"Well done." Severus nodded approvingly before he sat down on the sofa, drinking a sip of wine.
"Well, I know how crime scenes look like; I can easily arrange the opposite." She smiled and clinked glasses with him. "So... you and Loki are becoming friends?"
Severus let out an exasperated groan and downed his wine. "That guy is impossible. He's an insufferable nag, the pain of my existence... but it's hard to not like him when he gives you that smile of innocence mingled with mischief. He's damn good at manipulating people." He ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at his wife. "Although I know you can handle him, the idea of leaving for Kathmandu tomorrow evening doesn't sit well with me." He took her hands in his. "But I have faith in you, and I know he needs your help even if he himself is still unaware of this. Just promise me to be cautious."
"I will be. You know me." Raven leaned in closed and kissed him, and for a few moments they both forgot about the world around them. Until the doorbell was ringing.
Raven broke the kiss and glanced at her watch. It was one minute past eleven. S.H.I.E.L.D had needed less than an hour to come to her place.
She exchanged glances with Severus, then she rose to open the door.
"Who's there?" She asked. The shuffling of feet outside told her that there were at least three people, and they were already right in front of her door, which meant they must have managed to convince the concierge to let them take the elevator without informing her.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. Please open the door ma'am."
Raven recognized Fury's voice. Should I take it as an honour that he'd come himself? She wondered briefly before she opened the door, feigning surprise at seeing him.
"Director Fury! To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit? You must admit, it's quite late in the day-"
"Loki escaped!" Fury cut her off.
He really was not a man who wasted time with pleasantries. Instead, he brushed past her and entered the penthouse without having been invited. Behind him, two agents were waiting for his orders.
"Oh my god!" Raven clutched a hand to her chest. "But how... how could this happen? I thought he was secure where he was."
Meanwhile, Severus had risen from the sofa and approached her, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder.
"Is everything alright, love?"
"No. Not at all. Please meet Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury, my husband Severus Snape." She introduced them before she continued, addressing Severus. "A very distressing thing happened. Apparently, that war criminal, Loki- responsible for the horrible attack on New York- managed to escape the clutches of S.H.I.E.L.D and now these friendly agents have come here to warn me..." With the most innocent expression she could muster, Raven glanced at Fury. "I really appreciate you're worried about my safety."
His eye turned to stare at her and it was clear to see he wasn't amused. Most certainly he did not worry.
"Oh dear!" Severus exclaimed, feigning concern. "I hope my wife is not in danger?"
"Where is Loki?" Fury asked.
"Do you want me to come and help collecting evidence about his disappearance?" Raven offered sincerely.
"That won't be necessary." Fury's upper lip curled into a sneer- it was obvious he didn't think much of Raven's skills. He glanced around the living room one more time but couldn't find anything suspicious. Then he took his leave. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"No, thank you, Director Fury, for coming to warn me. I hope you'll find him soon."
"Don't worry about that."
Raven turned to Severus. "Isn't it good to know organisations as big and powerful as S.H.I.E.L.D are there to protect us? Oh- by the way, Director Fury! Since you're here anyway would you like me to give you my report now, or shall I bring it tomorrow?"
"Your report?" He stopped at the door.
"Yes." She smiled at him. "About the runes and the magic."
"For all I care, give it to me." Fury heaved an exasperated sigh that made it obvious he'd probably use her report as toilet paper because the witch had not been of any use so far.
"Just a moment." Raven hurried to the big dining table at the other end of the room and collected a pile of sheets. Fury followed her a few steps into the room, stopped, and glanced around once more. Ever so slightly he shook his head.
He took the report from her hands and left without saying goodbye or closing the door behind him.
Raven breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. Severus made an attempt to speak but she silenced him with a finger on her lips. Not yet, her eyes said as she produced her wand to check the area to see if Fury had used the intrusion for bugging their home and was almost disappointed to find none. That guy had really no great opinion of her, probably thinking her a harmless little witch with a hippie-like peace and love attitude who'd give even the most dangerous prisoner a bottle of water.
She chuckled at that.
"My, my," Severus said finally, after she'd indicated it was save to have a conversation, "even after all these years my wife will never cease to surprise me. Mind, I never underestimated you, but I didn't know either what a very talented liar and actress you are."
"You were very good, too, darling. Oh dear, I hope my wife is not in danger..."
"I was just playing along. For a moment, I thought you almost over-egged the pudding with all your talking about big and powerful S.H.I.E.L.D, but then you topped it all with your report, stalling his leave, letting him follow you inside once more. No one who has something to hide would have done that."
Raven retrieved her glass of wine, downed its content in a single, greedy gulp and refilled it. Then she lit a cigarette.
"That's why I did it. I know how the guilty suspects react; I studied their behaviour for a long time now." She raked her fingers through her hair. "It was exhausting. I never want to have to do that again."
Severus sat down next to her on the sofa and took her hands in his. "I sincerely hope Loki is really worth all your effort."
"So do I." Raven said as she leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying his proximity for a moment before she got up again. "You know I would have preferred our last evening before you leave for Kathmandu to be different, but I have to go and check back on our dear guest."
Severus rose as well. He cupped her face in his palms and kissed her. "You're an incredible woman. Please come to bed soon, will you?"
Actually, it was hard to resist the urge to follow him upstairs to their bedroom, but Raven knew she would enjoy the fun only half as much if she didn't check on Loki first. So she smiled at her husband and said, "Don't fall asleep."
He flashed her a smirk. "I won't."
While he walked up the staircase, she went down the corridor to the guest room, knocking before she entered. Loki didn't stir. He'd fallen asleep, looking all young and innocent.
Raven turned off the light at his bedside table, noticed that he must have eaten the broth since the bowl was empty, so she removed it. Then, she followed her husband.
ooOoo
Sleep didn't come untroubled that night. Raven was dreaming strange things she couldn't even remember when she woke up, sweating and panting, not knowing what had startled her so.
Perhaps it was the fact that she was housing a mad mass-murder and war criminal. But then she recalled Loki's face and failed to see him as that.
And yet, something was amiss.
With a sigh, she left her husband's warm embrace and got up. It was colder than it should be, as if a cool breeze was blowing in from the terrace doors... but they were closed when they went to bed, and she had repaired the broken pane.
Curiosity got the better of her. Raven took her wand and tiptoed to the landing of the staircase leading down to the living room, looking down. Immediately she noticed that the doors to the terrace were standing wide open. Frowning, she walked downstairs in order to check on that.
It didn't take her long to notice that Loki was up and outside, standing much too close to the edge of the terrace and, to make things worse, at a place where no windshield barrier was to keep him from falling.
Damn! Was he suicidal?
Cautiously, she approached him, trying not to startle him. After all, they were at the 60th floor of a building that was some eight-hundred-something feet tall, and she didn't know if a damaged demigod would survive crashing down onto the asphalt of the busy street below.
Loki didn't seem to take any notice of her, even when she started talking to him. He simply kept on staring into the abyss before he finally gingerly, took a step forwards-
Just in time, Raven reached out, got hold of his arm and pulled him back, hurling him around.
"Are you totally nuts?" She yelled at him. "Do you think I saved you from bloody S.H.I.E.L.D only that you can kill yourself afterwards? Goddammit that's a fucking stupid plan!"
All of a sudden, he started panting and his eyes widened. Their colour changed from an unnatural bluish glow back to green as he glanced down and then at her.
"You... " his voice sounded strange, as if it was coming from very far away. From a distant memory? "You will not let me fall... "
"Now that would be fucking counter-productive given the effort I put in saving you from S.H.I.E.L.D-"
"He tossed me into the abyss."
His eyes were still wide, almost projecting a scene similar to this one, only that he was dangling at the end of a... stick... and beneath his feet were not the nightly streets of Manhattan with all its neon lights and cars, but an abyss made of maelstroms of unknown energy and multicoloured nebula.
'No, Loki.'
There was still hope in his eyes as he glanced up to the mighty Allfather who was holding him, him and Thor.
'I could have done it, father. I could have done it. For you. For all of us .'
'No, Loki.'
No one had really tossed him into that abyss- he had willingly let go- but when Raven saw the flicker of hope dying in his eyes, she understood that words could be like daggers, stabbing your heart. Rejection is like a slap in the face, she knew that. It can crash you, destroy you- make you let go. Make you fall...
Loki narrowed his eyes at her, threateningly, realizing she had somehow managed to pry into his mind.
"Do you like what you see, little witch? Does it satisfy you?" He lashed out. "Keep out of my mind!"
"Well, keep your mind occluded and don't projected your memory into the sky for all to see." Raven said unfazed as she placed a soothing hand on his arm. "And no, I don't feel satisfied. Tell me more about it, Loki. What happened then?"
"I fell." He frowned at her. I fell but I didn't die- no one had ever wanted to hear more. Not Thor when he'd grabbed him by the throat and hurled him out of that plane, crashing him onto some rock in the middle of nowhere, demanding the whereabouts of the Tesseract...
Her eyes, almost as blue as Thor's but different, never leaving his face, were showing honest concern.
He took a moment to glance at her as if seeing her for the first time, still frowning.
"You're not that unattractive," he noticed.
"Oh thank you. And you still look like death warmed over." This was about the weirdest conversation one could have with a mad stranger in the middle of the night, especially when you're barefoot and only wearing a thin, silken nightie. Raven tightened the grip around her wand.
"Are we done with flattery now?" Loki flashed her a wide grin.
"For now- just what the hell were you doing here? "
He cast a fleeting glance at the edge and shuddered, moving a few steps closer to the middle if the terrace. "I... I don't know. "
"Your eyes had an eerie blueish glow."
"What?" He asked, sounding totally aghast. It was obvious he knew more than he wanted to tell her.
"Damn, what happened that damaged you so? Thor said you disappeared-"
"You spoke to Thor? What did the big oaf have to say?"
"Um... actually I didn't listen-" Loki's amused laughter cut her off. Raven smiled at him and continued. "I didn't care for his opinion; I prefer to make up my own mind, and for that I needed memories."
"Ooh, you like that, don't you? Snooping around in the mind of others."
"Well, if it's supportive... you know, I don't spring prisoners from jail very often and most certainly not without gathering all information possible first."
"Why?" He nibbled at his lip and shook his head.
"You mean why did I help you? You were in need of help." Raven stated simply. "Now tell me what happened to you after you fell. Where did you go?"
"The Void." Loki mumbled as he turned around, hiding his face, his eyes from her.
"The... Void? Um... care to elaborate on that?"
"Do you want to know about the void? Do you? You want to know how it eats you up and churns you out?" He didn't wait for her reply but continued. First, he sounded upset and full of rage, but that ceased a little later. Then, he merely sounded desperate and broken. "I fell- for how long I cannot tell because time doesn't matter in the void. Hours, years... millennia may pass and it's all the same. Nothing ever changes. You fall, you scream, but no one will ever hear you. There's only silence and loneliness and darkness. You hear your own heartbeat thundering in your ears, pounding louder and louder, deafeningly, until you want to rip out your heart with your own hands, and your fingers are bleeding from trying, but you fail, and the absence of sound is maddening. Worse, so much worse, though, is the loneliness. You're alone with your own monsters, monsters you created and they're gloating, mocking you when you start to fear yourself and the monsters lurking in you. You long for light and suddenly there is, but it burns out your eyes because it's so blinding, and then you fall further into darkness until your eyes are restored and you experience the same over and over again. Your throat is raw from screaming and you long for a balm... a glass of water is your greatest desire, except from death, but the void does not allow you to die, it keeps you alive long after hunger ate your intestines, and the cold of the void froze your heart while at the same time you feel the excruciating pain of heat burning your skin, burning the flesh off your bones... and there is just no end to it. Nothing will ever stop your pain.
"When the Chitauri finally found me, I... I so craved for any form of contact, for any voice talking to me even if it was only insults and mockery. I was the rightful king of Asgard, cast out and stranded in a faraway dimension, abandoned and left to their mercy. They... the Chitauri... aren't a friendly species. But I won't bore you with details about my captivity." Loki let his eyes sweep around, looking for Raven, and found her standing much closer to him than expected. "So yes, I made a deal with them. They were trapped in the dead space between dimensions, they needed the Tesseract to return to worlds of light and life."
If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you, You think you know pain? You will long for something as sweet as pain...
Loki shuddered when he thought of the deal he had not fulfilled.
"He gave me a tool, the sceptre."
Raven remembered that from S.H.I.E.L.D footage and immediately drew a conclusion. "But in fact you were the tool. Well, that explains a lot."
He arched a quizzical brow at her. "Oh, does it?"
There was still a lot Raven didn't understand but that could wait; she didn't want to push her luck too far, and she knew from many interrogations that there always came a point when the interviewed person would stop talking. So she simply placed a hand on his arm.
Loki flinched. He didn't want her pity and was about to shake off her hand or say something insulting, but then refrained from spoiling things, because he actually liked the warmth she radiated. Amused, he shook his head. Her touch rendered him helpless and for once he wasn't being criticised and moralized for his actions, for his choices...
"Hey," she said in a soft, caring tone, "you had a fucking bad time, you've been through hell and back. Take a rest, Loki. Get grounded again. Heal..."
Tentatively he was flexing the fingers of his broken hand but that was not what she meant.
Raven shook her head. There was more that had to heal than just some fractured bones. He was still badly damaged. Broken but not shattered. At least he'd stopped running, wreaking havoc... now he had to try to catch his breath again and think of a way back. It was not too late.
That moment, the sun was rising. A reddish glow at the eastern horizon had already indicated that event but now the bright orange orb emerged at the sky, slowly climbing higher. Loki turned around to stare at it. After a while, when the light became blinding, he closed his eyes and basked in the feeling of sunshine on his face.
"I'll get us a coffee." Raven decided, granting him a few moments of privacy...
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