"You think that after all the betrayal anyone has shown to you, Loki Laufeyson, you would think more than twice trusting another soul besides your own."
The Allfather's words hit him hard in his chest as he struggled to lift his head. Chained to this steel table that withheld magic was no holiday party. With his spells being controlled in his mind by Odin he had not options but to withstand the pain as another spell broke loose from his control. His fists clenched, toes curled, and mouth winced. He would not give into the physical pain vocally. He was stronger than that. What was left of his dignity held on strong throughout the pain.
Once the pain subsided he was left in a weak slump only held up by the cuffs around his wrists and biceps.
"I would have thought that a man of such importance with so many enemies would focus his thoughts on something else than lies and his own bastard son," Loki growled out lowly, his eyes lifting enough to catch Odin's. "You speak of greatness; of your great feats. You gain respective followers and what are you truly: a liar and a thief. A man no greater than the humans that slay one another! You steal relics to parade off. What do you seek, Odin! You seek the power you yourself tell those below you that no man should ever have. You want it all for yourself. Odin Allfather glows with green greed. A glowing green monster like that of the Migardian's Hulk but you… you want power over all realms for yourself. Those who agree not with you are sentenced to banished depths of the realms and created into burning, terrible monsters that need to be rid of or locked away in their own world." Loki heaved with loss of breath from his outrage. "You are no better than myself. You are worse, Allfather, for I have terrible creature in my blood but, you, you act out of sheer boredom and hate for heroics not of your own."
He had decided long ago that if he were to die here, at least he can get his word out against this wretched man. He allowed his tongue no boundaries.
Odin was back inside of his head casting one of Loki's worst spells that brought barbed wire scars to his skin as his body felt as though it would burst from being squeezed to hard.
The Allfather approached the table where his once-was son squirmed beneath popping wires.
"I should have raised you in the dungeons of Asgard so you knew of your monstrous origins. That way you would truly be a relic I could use against all. A man with sure purpose rather than a tantrum against his family because he was lied to." The barbed wires were twisted in a spell in his mind- he was blocked out from hearing the rest of the spell but caught slight sight of what it was. He did not know what it would cause until his lips were in searing pain.
"You're going to sit in pain and silence as I tell you every lie you ever were told. Loki Laufeyson will know how much of a monster he is since the day he was born. He will know the mockery he truly is and just when you're humiliated enough, I will kill you."
Loki's eyes stayed to the ground as he was spoken to. He could not speak and he could barely think for himself. He was doing the best he could to keep his thoughts away from Odin's magic hand that forced evil spells to erupt over his body beneath the shackles.
Of course his heart was broken. He had been betrayed by a man he didn't actually know as it turned out, the last year of his life had been a lie with friendship and comradely. And now, now his father shows his true face after a year of plots only to kill his son after making him suffer terrible truths.
His eyes stay downcast, his body limp, and he stopped struggling against the Odin feature in his mind or against the shackles.
"You could never be trusted even by a man who knew every detail of you," the voice repeated over and over in his head, only breaking him down. Loki was sure that when his brain was only about to turn into mush and he let everything go would Odin kill him.
He found himself wondering how he would be killed. Decapitation? Explosion of his body? Or would he send him to one of the worlds that loathed Asgard forms to tear him up? No. Odin would not give the pleasure of killing his own son to some neadrathal creature in a dirty world.
"You were never made to be a King. It was a sad surprise when you became so clever with spells and your silver tongue. I was going to hand you to Heimdall to throw you out into the waste of the universe yet your mother would not see to such a thing when she heard of my plan. I should have wasted you if not train you in the dungeon. A disgusting creature you are.
You ask me if you cursed. Of course you are. Cursed from the moment your filthy form appeared to Jotunheim. Whether you stayed on that earth or I take you, your fate would be the same: death by Odin Allfather.
You would enjoy to have seen the look on Thor's face when I betrayed him. It was almost like the expression he made when I banished him to Midgard, but much better. The look of distraught betrayal as I finished him with the Mjölnir that aid him in battle all those years."
The word of Odin betraying Thor- a man who saw greatness in all those he met, a man desperately loyal to his family, to Asgard- made his teeth clench. Thor, Loki knew, would still wish his brother to forgive and live by his side once again. Thor was a great power, Loki loved and hated the thought- mostly hated, and he did not deserve betrayal by a man who brought him up. A man he truly looked up to and sought to become through battle and knowledge.
Odin was about to speak when the shackled were broken off in a sudden burst. Loki's body stumbled to the ground before he was quickly, and properly, clothed.
There was a wide smirk on Odin's face that welcomed battle. His eyes feared what Loki would do next but he truly did not fear the son before him.
Green wisps of magic swirled around Loki's fingers as he shot spurts of magic towards Odin, backing him into a corner. His lips still sewn shut- he was working on that.
Loki's form changed into Jotun and he grew much bigger than his Asgard form. Kneeling over he touched Odin, freezing him to the spot. "Weak, I am not," he growled in the brief moment he freed his lips.
There was an enormous battle within Loki's head. Odin was in there yelling psychologically degrading things and twisting words within the spells he tried to conjure up. His form deflated back to his Aseir size, his lips painfully sewn once again and Odin was breaking the ice.
In a fast burst the ice was gone around Odin's form and a sharp blow of magic was thrown at Loki- sending him across the room in a pile of random things that had fallen.
Odin moved what was blocking Loki's face and reached his hand to grab it. Just before he could Loki vanished.
Tony stark had company over. Specifically he had Dr. Banner over from whatever third world country he had been enjoying for some drinks and catching up on whatever science stuff they could think of.
"Sir, it seems you have an intruder in the laboratory. I would advise you to remove Dr. Banner or go down alone."
"Jarvis, what the hell are you talking abo-" Whatever had broken in was now flickering on the floor in the living room, struggling with each flick to stand up.
"What the hell is that?" Banner asked, his voice still calm as it always was though the furrow on his brown was a telling sign that whatever was happening he, and the other guy, did not enjoy.
Loki collected his thoughts and stood up before he appeared next, his eyes scanning the room to collect boundaries then he toppled to his knees with his hands clutched to his sides.
"Oh. Holy shit." Tony turned to look at Bruce who stared at Loki with an unmoving expression. "Yeah, Banner. Looks like you should leave. Hey Jarvis prepare the suit and give a call to our Thunder Buddy."
Loki's eyes narrowed and looked up to the pair. He could feel Odin searching for him as the magic within his mind was not quite gone.
"Hide me, you fool," Loki hissed as the wire disappeared for a moment then seared its way back onto his lips. The raw skin screamed at him for the repetitive pain.
"Yeah not gonna happen."
Loki disappeared in a fast moment when Odin appeared before them. He looked to the two Midgardians and frowned, looking suspiciously over to them. "Who are you before Odin?"
Shit. Tony thought. Who was this guy and was he after Loki? This guy looked like a white magical spinoff of Fury.
"Bruce Banner, who the hell are you?" It was a very surprising feat that Dr. Banner had found his voice before Tony had even thought of something witty to reply with.
"I am Odin Allfather. Has my son, Loki, come through here? It would be wise to not lie to an Allfather."
Tony shook his head and threw his arm around Banner's shoulders. "Nope, no Loki here. Just two lovers enjoying a domestic disagreement." Hey, it would explain the broken things if they had been fighting over something. Loki hadn't dropped in light as a feather.
Odin watched them curiously. Tony bit the bullet with this one and kissed Banner's cheek, giving his shoulder a squeeze. He would have more than the problem of Loki hiding somewhere in his house if this really angered Banner. He did not need a Hulk, an Allfather god, and a demi-god all after him for protection and revenge.
"Honey, I told you that poking me in public was a definite no and that's that. There's no need to throw me across the room." Tony smiled briefly and gave a pat to Banner's ass before walking to his disheveled bar and poured himself a drink. Portable Iron Man suit wrist cuffs quickly placed on his wrists. It was déjà vu to prepare for protection as a God stared at him, almost ready for some kind of battle neither of these Avengers needed.
"But hey, if I find a Loki I'll tell him to give you a call or smoke signal. "
"If you do come across Loki, I fear for your life but do give him the message I am looking for him." And with that, Odin seemed to be off their hands.
"Honey?" Banner asked, his hands massaging the hem of his pants. "Your idea to distract the guy of your lie was to call me honey and pat my ass?"
"Let's face it, if the Hulk and Iron Man had a domestic dispute the place would look like this. Far worse. I really should create a place I live in out of that Titanium crap Rogers has in his shield. I'm tired of repairing this place. Jarvis, do a scan on the damage and estimate the cost of repairs. We'll need to get this fixed soon. Also, order some more of my Whiskey. Throwing the demi-god over here was a terrible thought."
"Tony, are you not worried that Loki will appear here again? I think I might want to leave if you are worried over repairs."
"Nonsense. You stay, he'll go. Besides, Thunder Thighs is coming soon, right Jarvis? I doubt Loki wants to be in the same room as the guy who will bring him back to Asgard in a heartbeat."
"Sir, Thor can not be reached. Shall I contact Director Fury?"
"Absolutely not. Jarvis, what did I tell you about that guy? Total flake in my ass. Why can't Thor be reached? Realm connection issues? Give me a one way to his device."
"Sir, he may have been on his way before you tried to contact him. There is a storm pretty large not far from here. He may be coming soon."
"Tony is it the best idea for us to bring Thor here? We don't know who was looking for Loki, or where Loki even went. What if Loki tries to kill Thor when he arrives?"
"He won't. Loki's still here. You know how convenient stores once they lock their doors people can't get in, but they can get out before they're fully closed? Yeah well I have this device that allows magic in but not out. It's a little fault because I usually don't have plans after that."
"Yeah but what about that Odin, guy? He got in and he got out. He got out, didn't he?"
Tony frowned, "Jarvis pull up the sensors for magic. Loki's and all other powers." With a quick scan he could find where Loki indeed was and there were no other fuzzy glows of magic on the screen. "Huh. I'll have to make it a no way security breech. Jarvis, make a sticky note for me to finish this project and soon."
"Sir, I can not write down a sticky note but I will store it in your daily reminders. Shall I make this one hourly, sir?"
"God no. Every other day. Let's not annoy the genius."
"So what do we do until Loki appears and decides he wants to explain why he expects you to hide him or control our minds to be part of some new army? I really think we should call someone else over here, Tony. This doesn't seem good and I can't say I'm fond of the thought that Loki, the guy who almost destroyed New York, is lurking about in your apartment waiting to prance."
"What a downer, Dr. Banner. J-Just, how about you go ahead and get yourself a hotel for the night until I figure out what Reindeer Games wants and then I'll let you know. If Thor shows up, I'll send him over to you to tuck you in. Until Loki does make his second appearance I'm going to enjoy some whiskey and work on magic proofing the hell out of this place and Jarvis."
"Oh sir, is it my birthday?"
"I don't feel right leaving you here alone with a demigod that is filled with rage and hate towards earth, the avengers, and Thor. Which, if you didn't realize, all three are right here in this room."
"Except Thor. He's not here yet."
"Whatever. You're still bringing all he has tried to rid of right under his nose. In your suit, Tony Stark, you're Iron Man and can not be defeated easily but as Tony Stark your heart beats forever and your body does not age but you can still be broken."
"Listen, Banner, I appreciate the worry but Jarvis has you and everyone else on speed dial if anything does happen. I'll keep my suit cuffs on, Jarvis has the portasuit prepared and it looked like Loki's li-" "Lips were sewn." Tony nodded as Dr. Banner finished his sentence for him.
"Okay, I'll go. I'm using your credit card and finding the most expensive place to stay."
"Yeah, have fun telling them the Hulk needs a room for the night next to all their fine China."
"Be safe, Mr. Stark. Tell Jarvis to call me first since I am the closest."
"Got that, Jarvis?"
"Indeed, Sir. Call the swelling green one first."
Tony only grinned sheepishly when Bruce raised his eyebrows to the description. "Hey, have a good night. No blowing through walls in green rages if the waiter spills something on you."
After a few glasses of whiskey more Tony made his way down to his lab, only to be thrown against a wall with a hand tight on his wrist. Yep. This was how he was going to die: suffocation from a startling cold hand.
He looked around to find the body of this hand before they rolled back in his head, green clouds of scenery falling before his vision in his mind when Loki appeared.
"Stark, I can not speak for my adoptive father has sewn my lips shut. I here invite you to see all that has happened to me the past year." Swirls of magic ran through Tony's mind as Loki showed him all he could show. The man who swelled red, the comradery, the plans against Odin, then what just happened hours ago. He lost slight control and let Tony feel the betrayal and anguish inside of his stomach before he quickly ended the spell and stood before him with a hard expression in his eyes.
"Wow," he could only mutter out. "Yeah. Okay. There's a guest room you can hide in until I come up with something better."
Tony, unknowing why, reached his fingers out to touch the sewn lips but pulled his fingers back last minute. Loki didn't look to be in a touching mood and Tony had found the control over his emotion as it had apparently ran away from him briefly.
Tony looked at Loki and frowned, "Put some antibiotic on that mouth. We'll figure something out to get them off or something." Loki began to give him a look that said- "I know, I know. Allfather, most powerful, yadda yadda. Whatever. I'll figure something out."
Tony waited for Loki to leave to his room and frowned as the god lingered. Green writing appeared on the wall before them. "Thor?"
"Right. You think he's dead. No, I don't think so. Jarvis said he detected his lightening a few states away. He should be here soon. I'll send him to you." The hand that clutched his throat told him that was a bad idea. "Okay," he croaked, "I'll occupy him."
Loki's hand retreated from Tony's neck and he vanished before him.
"What a temperamental god," Tony muttered and finished his journey down to his lab. There he manipulated things hypothetically on the screens and created prototypes, talking to Jarvis as he got his thoughts of creation out into the files.
"Sir, Thor Odinson is on the landing dock and wishes to be let in. Shall I prepare Loki for our visitor?"
"Prepa- No. I'm sure Loki knows who is here and if he wants to be seen he can come out of hiding himself. Let the Thunder God in and I'll be right up. Offer him a drink."
Tony made notes of where he was leaving off before he went upstairs to greet the god of thunder.
"Tony, my friend, this man who speaks to me from the walls where does he come from?"
"Technology, big guy."
"Like this cellular device?"
"H-Jarvis. You said you could not reach Thor. He's got it right on him."
"I'm sorry Sir, perhaps his method of travel cuts the connection much like thunder storms disrupt cable channels."
Tony rolled his eyes, Jarvis was being quite snarky today. "Hey, Thor, so that brother of yours, what's his deal?"
"His deal? Why do you ask of my brother? You have heard from him?"
"Well, no, not exactly." Tony could feel Loki's presence, but his image did not appear anywhere. "Uh, let's just say that I got a visitor from, who I kind of believe is your father, a guy with an eye patch named Odin Allfather."
"Odin Allfather? Why did you receive a visit from him! Have you tempered with magic and science?"
There were bits of crackling and Tony wondered where exactly he went wrong in this conversation. These damn brothers.
"Calm down, Thor. I did not send any Iron Man messages to any worlds other than my own. He was… he was looking for Loki and was a little disheveled but pretty angry."
"Who else knows of this visit?"
"Jarvis, myself, and Dr. Banner had been here." He gave a breathy laugh, "We called it a domestic dispute for the mess and called each other honey. He seemed to believe we knew not of Loki."
"Stark. Do you know where my brother is? I will not ask you again."
"Okay, see, yeah, here is where I'm in the sandwich. You'll give me a more than puppy love tap with Mjölnir and I'm a human shmore but if I tell you the truth I'm green slime by a guy with sewn lips."
Thor stood motionless as he stared to Tony. Ah, yep, he gave himself and Loki away by defending himself aloud.
"Listen, okay, this is my life I either want to become goo or toast. Loki's here. Somewhere in the house in one of the bedrooms. Yeah, uh, Thor, I wouldn't go searching for him." Thor pushed his way through the house to search for Loki, calling his name out loudly. Tony followed quickly behind.
"Loki! You show yourself! What business do you have seeking aid from Tony Stark!" Thor bellowed as he made his way down a hallway, beating each door open as he passed it.
"Jarvis, I would let Loki know Thor's here."
"Already done, sir."
Once Thor reached the door that did not open he pound his fists hard on it. "Loki! You open this door immediately!" Thor's bellow was loud, thunder rumbling above the house.
"This can't be good. Thor, do not even think about swirling your hammer."
Thor did not take orders from puny humans, it seemed. His hammer began swirling in his hand and all this electricity started swelling from no where. But as he was about to aim the Mjölnir to the door it simply opened and Loki stood behind it. He was dressed in Tony's clothing-, which took Tony, by major surprise. His shirt was too tight on him though Tony found that was something he definitely did not mind about the god. He wore simple black pants that Tony was pretty sure he had been wearing earlier and his lips still sewn shut.
"Loki," Thor's voice was much smaller now. "Who has done this to you?"
Tony leaned against the wall, "Uh, Odinson." He walked into the room moving his gaze across the room, as it seemed very much untouched still. "Nice shirt, Reindeer Games. Shall I tell Thor?"
Loki narrowed his eyes when Thor took steps closer to him. He vanished and appeared across the room as Thor's hand had reached out to touch his face. Tony tried not to notice how he had not done that earlier. Moving on.
"Loki is being hunted by your father, Thor. He's not playing nice, either. I mean, I wouldn't either but the guy has put Loki through some emotional hell. So, he's staying here for now."
"Loki, what has father done to you?"
Loki's chest swelled up as anger spread through his body.
"Yep, I'll answer that one. He used a very powerful spell to keep those lips tied tight and is trying to kill him. There seems to be no trial for whatever Loki has done all in the past. Odin's going straight for the gold to ice Loki."
"He tried to ice you? Why would he put ice on you?"
"Kill, Thor, kill."
Thor nodded with understanding. "I will go to Asgard and ask father why he does such terrible crimes against his own son."
"You musn't!" Loki growled, clearly fighting with the wires magically as he advanced only a foot or two, "he aims to kill you, too! He told me he hated us both!" Loki fell against the side of the bed as the wires made their way back through the skin on his lips.
That was a shitty sight to see even for a god of mischief that tried to destroy New York City.
Tony looked to Thor who looked lost in thought over this news. He also looked broken by the sight of severe struggle by Loki against a terrible spell and the physical pain it caused him.
"I will go, Loki. I will find the root of his meanings."
Loki shot Thor with a great green burst and Thor nodded. "I will follow the instructions. Thank you, Brother."
"What the hell just happened?" Tony asked but Loki was doing something that threw Tony out of the room, closed and locked the door behind him, and Thor was already gone to Asgard. Or, well, wherever he had gone. All he knew was he had a mopey mouth sewn shut demi god locked in one of his rooms, Dr. Banner on edge to hear from him, and a Thunder God who was probably in some pretty crappy danger.
Thor made his way to Asgard though when he was close to the realm he made himself invisible such as Loki did. It was a loan of power that Loki treasured very dearly. He was thankful Loki found sense to lend such a thing to Thor.
When he got to Asgard, however, Thor was astonished with the sight before him. Forms of ice took place where the buildings were. Disgusting machine-like aliens guard all around and fly above his head. The bridge was guard by what seemed to be Jotun and Chitauri and in the middle one that looked to be morphed with both creatures alike. Much of a mutt.
Thor went to the building his family live. It was colder than ice within the halls. People of Asgard chained together as they walked, or sat, or even just stood idly like a bunch of empty beings. He walked to where his father held the throne only to fine the master of Jotun sitting beside the tesseract with his father kneeling before him, telling him of the acts that had happened in the Midgard realm.
Thor waited until his father was sent away to follow him. Until he was alone did Thor make himself visible. When Odin ran to attack him, yelling the thunder god's name he saw that the eye of the man he knew as his father were stained blue.
Odin Allfather cursed by the tesseract, under Jotun and Chitauri control? How did this happen and why were he and Loki's heads on a bounty?
As Thor watched his father look around frantically Chitarui forms walked in, barking at the man to silence.
"Thor! Thor is here and I must kill him!"
Oh shit. The Chitauri were immediately on guard shooting at random even though they did not see him.
Thor found himself face to face with a Chitauri creature. The thing looked right through him but he could feel that the thing knew he was there. Would he feel the blast of magic go through him? Would he stay unharmed? He was about to find out.
The Chitauri shot it's spear of magic and Thor appeared as he was thrown across the room and though the wall. He was shot at many times, keeping him down. With a last muster of power he shot Mjölnir at the oncoming creatures and got the hell out of there with Chitauri and Jotun hot on his tail.