Sorry it took a while to update, I've got midterms and a couple big projects coming up soon. I took a sick day today, though, so I could actually write finally! This chapter is an original chapter, and the next one will be as well. So, since I'm still not sure how notifications work, I edited the story a little bit, so if you haven't read the chapter where Loki whips Tony, you need to go back a chapter.

This chapter gets really angsty towards the end.

Thank you guys for all your reviews thus far!

Anyways, on with the show!

"Apparently, the simple sting of a whiplash is not enough to silence that sharp tongue of yours, Stark," mused Loki. "I suppose that I'll have to get a little bit more… creative."

The cool words coupled with the dark words set Tony on edge, almost as much as the sadistic smirk that shown upon the god's face.

There was a soft snap, and the chains supporting Tony abruptly released his wrists with a soft click. Tony fell to the cool stone with a muffled thump. Cold hand closed, vice-like, around his biceps and dragged him to his feet, pushing him from behind towards the metal table that had somehow moved from its place against the wall into the middle of the room. He was lifted and unceremoniously set down on the table, despite his protests and straining feet against the table.

Tony sat up and attempted to climb down off of the table, only to be stopped by a hand splayed against his chest. Tony tensed imperceptibly as the fingers brushed over the arc reactor, but the god made no comment, merely pressing him back against the table with astonishing strength. His head slammed hard against the table, and his vision blurred for a moment from the impact, enough time for metal braces to spring from the table, pinning him to the cold surface.

His vision back to normal, Tony registered the cuffs and began straining against them futilely, not just due to the fact that he was pinned. His PTSD was beginning to return, after he'd just gotten rid of it, Tony'd thought for good. But this whole situation - the stone room, the table, the cuffs, the sadistic tormentor – reminded him all too much of Afghanistan, and the panic was beginning to set in, not just the panic that would occur in this situation, but the panic of one who's suffered through a similar situation before.

Tony quickly realized that the more he struggled, the tighter the cuffs got. "I would suggest that you stop for now, Stark, unless you wish to lose the use of your hands," said Loki distractedly. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

In, hold, out. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. Just breathe.

His panic attack ebbing slightly, Tony turned to look for the god, to see what he was doing, to try and prepare himself. Loki's back was to him, as he was fiddling with something on a much smaller cart. It appeared to be glowing slightly, but Tony couldn't quite get a good glimpse of what he was doing.

Suddenly, the god turned to face the billionaire, his body still blocking Tony's view of whatever was on the cart.

"Tell me, Stark, do you know what else I am the god of?"

Tony chuckled mirthlessly. "Hmm… asinine-ness? Craziness? Oh, I've got it, kinky sex, seeing as how you seem to be into the whole BDSM thing."

A withering glare silenced the genius as Loki turned and wheeled the cart around to sit next to the table.

"I, Stark, am the God of Fire."

"Oh, well. That was not what I expected, but cool, nonetheless. I have a question, though." Tony paused for a moment, debating whether or not he actually wanted to risk asking. It would just incense the god even more, make him torture Tony even more. But, it would piss the god off, and heaven knows Tony loves to piss anyone and everyone off. To ask, or not to ask? "How can you be the god of fire when you turn into an icy blue thing that looks like your trying to channel 'Avatar'?"

Aw, hell. He was Tony Stark, after all.

The god's eyes narrowed to slits in fury, but when he spoke, his voice was deceptively calm. Which, in truth, simply made it all the scarier. "And who told you this, hm?"

"Your big brother. Or wait, he's not your brother, is he? I don't see how you could have even thought for a moment that you and Thor were related. I mean, all gold hair and blue eyes and then random black hair and green eyes? That's kinda weird. Anyway, Point Break was really interested about the whole 'being an alien to an alien' thing, what with you Yo-da things versus the Ass-guardians. I mean, you guys being able to fling ice spears and turn all smurfy and stuff sounds pretty cool, you know, sans the red eyes. That sounds pretty creepy. But, I must say, now I'm curious. How can you control fire when you're an ice giant thing or whatever? Though you don't seem like much of a giant to me," mused Tony thoughtfully.

By this time, Loki was trembling with barely restrained fury, and though Tony knew he should be positively terrified right now, he couldn't help but grin. Even as a captive, I still have the ability to piss anyone, in any situation, off. I mean, come on, I think that deserves a little bit of pride.

Loki turned away from Tony for a moment, and Tony could see his shoulder's heave slightly as he struggled to regain his composure. After a moment, the harsh line of his shoulders eased into a relaxed curve, and his posture showed that he had managed to master, or at least mask, his anger.

He turned back to Tony, the only thing showing his rage the sharp spark in his eyes. He walked calmly over to the table, his hands conjuring a pair of tongs as he walked.

Raza picked up the translucent papers that, when held together up to the light, showed the only means of escape that Tony and Yinsen had. Both men held their breath as Raza examined the papers before setting them back down on the table, mistaking them for meaningless scrawls.

He turned and paced slowly across the room towards where Yinsen was standing next to a small furnace, questioning the progress that had been made on the Jericho. Tony and Yinsen tried to reassure him that it was almost done, they just needed more time…

Raza cut them off impatiently, picking up a pair of metal tongs encased in rubber handles and turning towards Yinsen.

The god reached the table to which the billionaire was strapped, a faint smile contrasting sharply against the anger practically pouring out of his eyes. If looks could kill…

He turned towards the cart, setting the tongs into a hammered bronze bowl, from which a faint glowing emanated, flickering against the sharp angles of the god's pale face, making him look ethereal, like a nightmare come to life. Almost like…

Oh. Well, fuck.

Loki lifted a burning coal from the bowl, the red-orange embers shimmering against the black, examining it silently. Some part of Tony's mind, the part that wasn't currently focused on the burning hot object held between the tongs, made a connection between the god standing before him and Lucifer, the devil himself. He'd never been religious, but the relationship was almost uncanny. A divine being, fallen from grace, thrown into an eternal flame, always causing chaos and destruction, trying to lead people down the path to darkness. Both Tony and Loki's eyes were locked on the coal, seemingly mesmerized by it, albeit for two completely different reasons.

Raza raised the tongs towards the furnace, reaching into the machine to retrieve a glowing coal. He nodded towards two of the armed guards that had come in with him, and before Yinsen or Tony could to anything, Yinsen had his arms pinned behind his back, face forced roughly against a metal bar. Tony watched in shock and horror, paralyzed as the coal inched ever closer to his only friend in this god-forsaken place as the rest of the men in the room watched silently.

Loki's eyes snapped from the coal to Tony, and when the genius made eye contact, he grinned darkly, his expression showing in no uncertain terms the thrill he got from having Tony Stark, the Iron Man, at his mercy. The coal that was hovering above the bowl swung over to rest just above the arc reactor in his chest, and Tony's entire body tensed up.

Raza began interrogating Yinsen in a language Tony couldn't understand, apparently unconvinced by the explanations the two men had just given him .Yinsen kept replying "Jericho," yet the coal still inched ever closer to his face as Raza continued asking the same question, receiving the same answer each time. When the coal was mere centimeters from Yinsen's mouth, Tony stepped forward despite the unrest of the soldiers, unwilling to let his friend suffer through the agony that was seemingly about to be forced upon him.

Tony wouldn't beg, he told himself. No matter how much it hurt, he would not beg for it to end. He would never lower himself to begging someone, especially Loki, for mercy. His pride, his self-respect, wouldn't, couldn't, allow it. I will not beg, I will never beg, will never plead for mercy from some bastard like Loki.

But he would for another person, spare them the pain. He did it for Yinsen, he did it every day as Iron Man. He would die before letting someone else get hurt if he could keep it from happening. Anyone had more to live for than the narcissistic Tony Stark.

"So you're a man who has everything, yet nothing."

Family, future, everyone had something that Tony didn't seem to have: a reason to live other than just to spite the world, to show everyone, to show Howard that he could, that he could be something in life, actually be important. Yes, Tony was alive out of spite, when he had the blood of countless innocents on his hands. He had to prove to the world that he was good, that he was worth it. He had to prove it to himself, and he would do it however he could.

"I've got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

And then the coal alighted on Tony's chest, just below the reactor, and his tortured, agonized screams reverberated from the chamber walls.

So, what'd you think? Please review :)

Also: The next chapter should be up soon, but I can't be specific what with all the stuff going on at school.