Ynath Esrith: Agreed. I do apologize for the turn the story has taken but it will get better in time. Promise! Just hang in there friend!
ONE STEP FORWARD, FOUR STEPS BACK
A THOR/AVENGERS FANFICTION
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: Monsters and Men
WARNING! This chapter contains the torture of a minor. If you don't like, don't read. And please, no hate.
By nightfall, Bruce had managed to find Loki a cot of his own. Loki pouted of course, seeing as he didn't have his goat or Thor to sleep with he was looking forward to sleeping with Bruce. Bruce scolded him lightly, saying that the boy should at least try to sleep by himself. The boy mumbled in agreement, knowing that Bruce was right. The two got ready for bed, Loki exhausted. He had been through a lot that day and couldn't wait to go to sleep. As Bruce tucked him in, Loki sat up, causing Bruce to scowl.
"Did I not do it right?" Bruce asked. Loki shook his head, blush beginning to creep into his cheeks.
"No, tha's not it. It's j'st tha' I still wet the bed, Mr. Banner." Loki said, ashamed. Bruce smiled gently.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can really do." Bruce said. Loki nodded and lied down again.
"I know. I j'st w'nted t' tell you so you wouldn' get mad at me." Loki explained sleepily.
"I wouldn't get mad," Bruce said. Loki yawned.
"'Kay," he mumbled softly. Bruce kissed the boy's forehead.
"Sleep well, little Loki," Bruce whispered fondly, crawling into his own bed. The lights went out shortly after that, the ten o'clock curfew coming and going. Bruce sighed and rolled over, wishing there was more he could do for the boy but knowing there wasn't.
During his time at the tower, Bruce had thought that Thor was being dramatic when he talked of loss of sleep. There was no possible why that Loki was up that constantly, right? Well this night, Bruce learned that Thor wasn't stretching anything, and that it was very possible that Loki could be up screaming at any and all hours of the night. Bruce had truly underestimated just how bad the nightmares and night terrors were until he had to deal with them himself. It was awkward for him, not really knowing how to comfort Loki at all. The boy, however, seemed to catch on and silently coached Bruce through it, hinting at certain behaviors and gestures that made him feel safe. That not only comforted Loki, but Bruce as well. Because of Loki's silent help, by the third nightmare, Bruce was capable of handling it on his own, the boy merely crying softly into Bruce's shirt.
At long last, morning came, and despite his best efforts Bruce found himself with Loki curled into his side. Bruce sat up, stretched and sighed despite himself; his cot was soaking wet with urine, the boy next to him even more so. He decided to let Loki sleep a little longer and carefully got out of bed as to not wake him. Not too long after Bruce had gotten out of bed, Loki woke up screaming, Bruce coming immediately to comfort him. Bruce held Loki for a long time until the boy's cries softened.
"Bruce?" Loki said timidly.
"Yes?" Bruce asked in reply. Loki's face turned bright red.
"I...I wet the bed." Loki said.
"Yeah, I know and it's okay. It was an accident." Bruce told him gently. Loki nodded miserably.
"Yeah, but I don' have clothes t' change into an' I got your bed wet," Loki said shamefully. Bruce sighed sadly.
"I know, bud. You'll just have to deal, sorry. And don't worry about it; it'll dry." Bruce said. Loki's lip trembled violently. The boy sniffled and cuddled into Bruce, obviously searching for comfort in any sense of the word.
"I wanna go home. I wanna see Thor." Loki muttered. Bruce held him close, trying his best to comfort him. He knew that only Thor could truly make the boy feel better, but he tried nonetheless.
"I know buddy. I know."
Time marched on slowly, elder-Loki no longer with Loki. He was bored, hungry, and miserable. Bruce was doing his best to comfort the boy, but knew that nothing he did would make Loki feel better; he wasn't Thor. Loki was sitting on Bruce's lap when his tiny stomach began to growl.
"'M hungry," Loki said. Bruce chuckled lightly.
"Me too," Bruce replied.
"'Ow long has it been since you ate?" Loki asked.
"Hmmm...two days maybe. Fury wants to see if hunger will make me transform into the Hulk." Bruce explained. Loki blinked.
"The Hulk? Is tha' the big green thing tha' saved me from the soldiers?" Loki asked.
"Yeah. I'm so thankful that it did save you. It very well could have hurt you." Bruce said.
"But, isn't the Hulk you?" Loki questioned. Bruce sighed; how could he explain this to a five-year-old?
"Yes and no. If I have control then yes; the Hulk is me. If I don't have control, it's just a dangerous monster, destroying everything in its path." Bruce explained softy.
"Tha' sounds scary," Loki commented.
"It is," Bruce replied.
"'M scared," Loki whispered.
"Don't be scared. I will look after you." Bruce told him.
"D' you know the Tarzan song?" Loki asked. Bruce's brow wrinkled.
"No," he said.
"I'll teach it t' you. Me an' Thor sing it lots." Loki said, adjusting himself on Bruce's lap. Bruce smiled at him.
"Alright, teach me." Bruce said. Loki smiled brightly.
"'Kay. It goes like this: Come stop your cryin'. It'll be alright. J'st take my hand, hol' it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don' you cry." Loki sang.
"I think I actually do know this song," Bruce began, "does the next part go like this: You'll be in my heart, yes you'll be in my heart." Loki nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! Then it goes; From this day on, now and forevermore." Loki sang.
"Well don't worry Loki. I will protect you to the very best of my ability from all around you. Please don't cry." Bruce said. Loki's face instantly brightened, a wide smile engulfing it.
"I love you Mr. Banner," Loki said, cuddling into Bruce's chest.
"I love you too, Loki," Bruce replied, holding the little boy closer.
"D' you think tha' is Fury scary?" Loki asked after a moment of silence had passed. Bruce nodded, his face pale.
"I find him terrifying. But don't worry; I won't let him hurt you." Bruce said. Loki shivered a little.
"You can protect me in here, but if Fury takes me away wha' can you do?" Loki asked fearfully.
"I'm not sure, but I won't let him hurt you," Bruce replied.
"'Kay. I trust you." Loki said. Bruce smiled fondly at him, glad to have his trust.
"I'm glad."
The morning became afternoon and Loki's stomach was growling. He hadn't felt hunger pains since his time in Fjørlag-Bryggja. Loki had forgotten how badly they hurt. He knew that Bruce had gone far longer without food and that he shouldn't complain. He couldn't fight, however, the tiny whimpers and stray tears that would escape every so often. He tried to hide it so that Bruce wouldn't see. Bruce had to be far hungrier and probably wouldn't appreciate Loki's whining. As noon approached, Loki truly couldn't keep a lid on how hungry he was. He just hoped Bruce wouldn't get angry with him.
"M-Mr. Banner?" Loki said timidly. Bruce looked over.
"Yeah?" Loki blushed slightly.
"'M hungry," Loki told him. Bruce sighed.
"Yeah, I know," he replied sadly.
"'M sorry. I know I shoul' say anything 'bout it 'cause you've been hungrier longer, but 'm still hungry." Loki said in a rush, not meeting Bruce's eyes. Bruce smiled sadly and patted the boy's hair.
"Don't worry about it. Believe it or not, I used to go this long without food a lot." Bruce told him, waving a hand around.
"Really?" Loki asked, curiosity rising. Bruce grinned; he had caught the boy's attention. Perhaps a story of his many travels would keep the boy entertained for a while. Bruce knew he was bored.
"Yeah. You see, before I had a lot of control over the Hulk, I couldn't stay in one place for too long. I might have hurt a lot of people if I did." Bruce said. Loki squirmed a little.
"So wha' did you do?" Loki asked excitedly.
"Well, I would travel a lot to avoid hurting anyone. I went to many interesting places." Bruce explained.
"Where'd you go?" Loki asked.
"Hmm…well one time I lost control near a heavily wooded area and woke up in the woods. I sat up and found myself naked in the middle of the woods and I had no clue where I was. My memories as the Hulk are foggy, and often times I cannot remember being the Hulk at all. For all I knew, I was on the other side of the country. I stood up and started walking, the cover of tress making it hard to tell if it was day or night. I walked for hours and the sun was still shinning, so I figured I still had a few hours of daylight to find shelter of some sort," Bruce paused and glanced over to find Loki staring at him intently, waiting for the man to continue his story.
"Then wha' happened?" Loki asked.
"Then I heard something odd," Bruce replied. Loki's eyes widened.
"Was it a bear?" Loki whispered. Bruce chuckled.
"No, but it was people," Bruce answered.
"Where they huntin'?" Loki asked.
"Yeah, only they weren't supposed to be. You see, I was in a protected forest, my walk through the woods led me to a fence with a sign that said no hunting. These men weren't supposed to be hunting at all. I hid behind a tree and waited for them to pass, not knowing why they were there yet. I was about to leave when I heard a whining sound. It was close, so I followed the sound to find a mother wolf and its cub trapped in a trap. I put two and two together, and had to contain myself so I wouldn't get angry. I tried to release them from the trap, but the hunters were coming back. I quickly climbed up a tree and wondered how I was going to save the wolves." Bruce said, Loki interrupting.
"Wha' were they gonna do t' the wolves?" Loki asked.
"I'm getting to that," Bruce teased lightly, a faint blush appearing on Loki's cheeks, "I decided to attempt to use the Hulk to save the wolves. The problem was, I wasn't good at controlling it at that point. I had a thought that perhaps if I forced myself to transform, I'd have more control. It was a long shot, but it was worth it. These men were going to skin and kill these rare wolves and I couldn't allow that. So, I cut my arm and transformed, breaking the tree branch I was sitting on and landing right in front of the men. They freaked out of course and ran off. I then had to release the wolves from the trap. The Hulk broke the trap and the wolves ran off, but not before licking me senseless, forcing me to become me again. I patted both of them and went on my way." Bruce finished, embellishing the end a little. Loki didn't need to know that the men initially attacked the Hulk, the Hulk then killing both men and wolves in the process. That was one of the only Hulk incidents that Bruce could remember afterword. It still kept him up at night. Loki giggled brightly.
"Tha's good. They shouldn' hun' if it's 'gainst the rules." Loki said. Bruce nodded.
"I agree," he replied, his nervousness about the boy catching on to his lie dwindling.
"Thanks for tellin' me that, Mr. Banner," Loki said, sliding off of Bruce's lap and on to the ground.
"You're welcome," Bruce responded, wondering what the boy was doing.
"Wanna play with me? I got lots of good games we can play, e'en without toys!" Loki said happily, bouncing on his feet. Bruce nodded and stood.
"Of course I will," he said. Loki's face brightened and the two began to play together, Loki dictating all the games.
Noon came and went and Bruce had to stop playing because of fatigue. Bruce tired his best to stay attentive, but because of hunger didn't have the energy to play with Loki for too long. The boy quickly became bored, no crayons or movies or elder-Loki to play with. He lay in bed day dreaming until footsteps came clanging down the metal hallway, snapping both Bruce and Loki out if their stupors.
"Who d' you think tha' is Mr. Banner?" Loki asked. Bruce stood and gently pushed Loki behind his back.
"I don't know. Stay quiet and listen to everything I tell you, okay?" Bruce said. Loki nodded.
"'Kay," he replied, his voice shaking out of fear. Bruce awkwardly took the boy's hand and waited. To his ultimate dismay Fury and Clint arrived, handcuffs waiting.
"Banner," Fury said curtly. Bruce scowled, the little boy trembling behind him.
"Fury," Bruce replied harshly, Loki whimpering now.
"We need the boy. He'll return later tonight so long as he behaves." Fury said. Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"What are you going to do?" Bruce questioned.
"That's none of your concern, Banner. Hand the boy over, or agent Barton will remove him forcibly." Bruce sighed and turned around to face Loki, squatting down to his eye level.
"Listen little guy, whatever happens, just be good, okay? No tricks or lies. Listen to whatever they tell you to do, unless it seems completely wrong. If they hurt you, tell me and I'll deal with it. I wish I could do more to protect you." Bruce said, feeling extremely helpless. He planted a kiss on the trembling boy's hair.
"'M scared," Loki whispered, "I don' wanna go." Bruce pulled the boy into the hug.
"I know. Be brave, Loki. You'll be okay. They won't let me go with you, but if I could, I would." Loki shook his head.
"Don' let them take me away!" Loki cried, clinging to Bruce, refusing to let go. The cell door opened and Bruce's head shot up to find Clint in the cell.
"We don't have all day, Banner. Hand Loki over." he said.
"I'm trying. He's just a little boy and is obviously scared. Give me a minute or two more." Bruce spat. Clint scowled and grabbed Loki's arm, the boy screaming and struggling.
"Let me go!" Loki cried frantically, trying futilely to get away from Clint.
"Back off Barton!" Bruce growled angrily, an angry shade of green flashing his normally gentle brown eyes. Clint's eyes narrowed.
"Let's go, brat," Clint spat, Bruce breathing heavily. His heart rate was increasing, and he wasn't even trying to contain it. Bruce wouldn't allow them to take Loki away. He promised the boy that he would protect him and he would go to whatever costs to keep that promise.
"Let him go," Bruce hissed icily.
"Wouldn't want to Hulk out now in front of the brat, would you?" Clint said mockingly, pushing Loki out of the cell.
"Mr. Banner! Don' let them take me away!" Loki cried as Clint tried to drag him away. Loki accidently used magic to stick himself to the floor, firmly planting himself in the doorway of the cell. Clint noticed of course and pulled harder until a loud pop was heard. Loki cried out in pain and fell to the ground, clutching the arm Clint had been pulling on. His shoulder had been pulled out of the socket.
"Loki!" Bruce cried, darting toward the door. Fury pulled a gun and pointed it at Loki, the boy's frightened and blurry eyes locking with the tip of it.
"M-Mr. Banner…" Loki whimpered, glancing over at Bruce who had a greenish tint to his skin.
"Back off Banner, or I blow his brains out," Fury threatened. Bruce's eyes widened and he slowly backed away, his own lip trembling.
"Please…just leave him alone. Be mad at me, take this out on me, but please, don't hurt him. He's just a little boy!" Bruce begged, falling to his knees. Fury scowled and knelt down, grabbing Bruce's face.
"It's a shame you know," Fury said, forcing Bruce to look at him, "You had a chance after the battle in New York. You've just blown all your chances for a monster. He's not a little boy, he's Loki. Loki is a threat to security and he will be dealt with. That's the end of the story, Banner. You can either deal with it, or face consequences. The boy agreed to this, remember? It's not my fault if he's a coward trying to back out now." Bruce's eyes filled with tears.
"How blind are you? Can you not see? He's not dangerous! He hasn't hurt anyone! Just let him go!" Bruce bellowed. Fury spat in Bruce's face and shoved the man back into the cell.
"Pathetic," Fury muttered, shutting the door. Loki looked up at Clint, pleading with him.
"'M sorry," Loki whimpered. Clint glared down at him.
"You will be," Clint said harshly, still gripping Loki's now numb arm.
"Go Barton. Agent Romanov is waiting for you." Clint nodded and dragged the boy away. Fury left as well, leaving Bruce alone.
The man sat alone for a while, not daring to move or speak. He was so angry and upset that anything could set him off. He wasn't about to give Fury the satisfaction of transforming now. That was the whole point of threating Loki with a gun and he knew it. It was low and disgusting, but so was Fury. Nothing Fury could do would surprise Bruce at this point. Bruce had managed to block everything out, falling into his own little world. He was so numb that he didn't hear someone approach his cell.
"Bruce?" Bruce's head shot up and he locked eyes with Steve.
"What are you doing down here?" Bruce asked, still on the cold floor. Steve shrugged.
"I, uh, heard what happened. I wish there was more I could do. I told Natasha to go easy on him…" Steve trailed off. Bruce nodded his head and sniffled.
"Thanks. Loki doesn't deserve this. He's just a kid." Bruce muttered sadly. Steve sighed and broke eye contact, his hand floating around his back pockets.
"Did he sleep okay last night?" Steve asked.
"No. Why do you ask?" Bruce replied. Steve shrugged, still not meeting Bruce's eyes. Steve couldn't help but feel like all this was his fault. He couldn't bear to look into the eyes of a man who loved Loki so much when he was the one who kidnapped him.
"Well, he brought up a stuffed animal to me yesterday; said he couldn't sleep without it. Guess he really can't." Steve answered.
"Oh, he told you about Da?" Bruce questioned.
"In passing, yeah," Steve said, digging into his back pocket.
"Steve, what are you…" Bruce trailed off as Steve handed him a sewing kit.
"Here," Steve said, handing Bruce a small bag of stuffing and clumps of miss-matched fabric. Bruce took it, a confused look on his face.
"What's all this for?" Bruce asked. Steve handed him a folded piece of paper. Bruce unfolded it and saw it was basic instructions for sewing a teddy bear. He looked at the pieces of fabric and smiled.
"I think Loki will really like it," Bruce said. Steve shrugged.
"I just feel so disgusting. I wish…" Steve trailed off, unwilling to voice his emotions any further. Bruce sighed in understanding.
"I know. I wish there was more we could do for him too."
Clint took Loki to a dark hallway and dragged him all the way down it. He opened a door and pushed the boy inside. Loki was still clutching his dislocated arm, whimpering and crying silently. Clint left, leaving Loki inside what appeared to be an empty dark room. The boy whimpered and squinted into the darkness, finding nothing except pure blackness. Loki choked on a sob and sat down, bringing his knees to his chest. His chest convulsed and he began to cry loudly, the memories of Fjørlag-Bryggja filling his mind.
"T-Thor," he cried, unable to say much else. The lights flickered on suddenly and Loki's face paled. The room was silver, with various devises lined up on the walls, a small dog crate in the corner of the room. Loki shivered and backed into the wall, his whimpers hysteric now. Little did he realize that Natasha Romanov was standing before him, ready to begin her task.
"Stand up," she commanded coolly, the boy's eyes locking with hers. Loki complied, his throbbing arm still in his grasp. Natasha gripped his good arm, ripping it away from the dislocated one, and dragged him over to a chair.
"Sit," she demanded. Loki nodded mutely and sat down. Natasha began attaching little wires to the chair and Loki finally found his voice.
"Wha' are you doin'?" Loki asked, his voice breaking. Natasha didn't respond. Instead, she straightened her back and grabbed a clipboard.
"Why are you on Earth?" she asked. Loki blinked, unable to shrug at her question.
"I don' understan' your question," Loki replied. Natasha flashed a metal box at him.
"See this?" she asked. Loki nodded and she continued, "Do you know what this box does?" Loki shook his head. Natasha pressed down on a button on the box and Loki was instantly electrocuted. He screamed in both terror and in pain, struggling against the restraints.
"Answer my question!" Natasha bellowed over Loki's screams of pain.
"T-Thor t-to-took me h-here! I d-don' know why you'd a-a-ask tha'! Honest! 'M only here 'cause T-Thor is!" Loki managed to cry during the intense pain of high voltage coursing through him. The pain finally stopped and Loki sighed in relief.
"What do you plan on doing now that you're here?" she asked. Loki whimpered.
"I don' know. Nothin' I guess. I j'st wan' t' see Thor!" Loki panted. After he had said his answer, Natasha hit the button once more. Loki screamed, the shocks and pain worse than the first time. After the pain was over, Loki realized that each time she hit that button, the pain was only going to get worse. He didn't even understand why she was hurting him to begin with. Natasha hadn't set any rules like Margr-Vígaferli had, so he didn't understand why Natasha continued to hurt him.
"Why are you hurtin' me? Am I not answerin' right? I don' know wha' you wan'." Loki said timidly.
"We just want answers, and you're not delivering; simple as that. Now, do you still have control of the Tesseract?" Natasha asked. Loki's sweaty brow furrowed in confusion.
"Wha's the Tess-are-act?" Loki asked. Again, Natasha hit the button and Loki screamed, the voltage causing him to get a nose bleed and void his bladder completely. When it was over, his nose was gushing blood and the boy was numb. His brain wasn't processing anything but pain anymore.
"Loki," Natasha said softly. He didn't respond, so she smacked him, the boy only flinching. Natasha undid the restraints and wires and pulled the boy to his feet. Loki wobbled and Natasha dragged the boy over the dog crate. Loki didn't realize what was happening until he was pushed inside. He snapped out of his stupor and looked at Natasha.
"Wha's goin' on?" Loki asked frantically. Natasha didn't respond, but shut the door instead.
"Ma'am?" Loki questioned, his heart beating rapidly. Was she really going to leave him in a dog crate? Natasha walked away and killed some of the lights, leaving a spare few to dimly light the room. Loki's breathing hitched as she left and he wrapped his tiny fingers around the bars of the crate door.
"Hey! Come back! Don' leave me!" Loki called frantically. Natasha didn't return and Loki took a shaky breath. His trembling fingers began to shake the cage door, his body too shocked and injured to conjure up any magical hope of escape. Loki cried loudly, unable to knock the door open.
"Please! 'M sorry! Let me out, please! I'll be good!" Loki cried loudly. He rattled the cage door even harder, his dislocated arm totally unresponsive. Loki took a harsh breath and continued to yell for someone-anyone-to come save him.
Loki was trapped in that cage for six hours before Clint came to let him out. Once during that time, Loki's cries got so loud that Natasha did reenter with a knife in hand. Loki panicked of course, Natasha threatening that if he didn't stay quiet that she'd cut his tongue out. This shook Loki to the core, the boy's loud wails and cries fading to silent whimpers and sniffles. Finally when he was let out, he also had the privilege of Clint relocating his arm without any sort of warning. The boy let out a scream, Clint hitting him as soon he let out the scream. Loki flinched and never spoke again in Clint's presence. Clint led him to Bruce's cell, the man pale with worry. Bruce was sitting on his cot when the cell door opened, the man standing instantly as Loki was pushed inside. The boy was a shaking, bloody mess, his normally tidy hair unkempt and sweaty. His eyes were wide with fear and scanning the cell for potential threats. Bruce glared daggers at Clint, who glared right back before slamming the door and sulking away.
"Loki! Thank God you're alright! Steve…Steve tried to get you out of there, he really did. B-but Fury…Fury can't be stopped…I…I'm so sorry." Bruce said, ending in a whisper. The boy didn't respond. Bruce tried meeting Loki's eyes, but the little boy avoided Bruce's gaze. Bruce sighed sadly and pulled Loki into a hug. The boy's body convulsed and he let out a sob. Loki gripped Bruce's shirt tightly and buried his face completely into Bruce's chest. He took a shaky breath and opened the flood gates, tears completely soaking Bruce's shirt. Bruce picked the boy up and paced slowly around the room, trying to calm him down.
"It's alright. I've got you. You're safe now, it's alright." Bruce cooed softly. Loki nodded, but sobbed nonetheless. The boy was muttering incoherently, Bruce doing all he could to soothe him.
Once Loki was calm, Bruce began to wipe Loki's face so that crusted blood wasn't covering it anymore. Loki was quiet, not having much to say and not really wanting to speak even if he had something to talk about. When Bruce was done, he told Loki to sit on his cot. Loki stared down at his slightly damp socks, his brain slowly shutting down as exhaustion set in. He moaned and rubbed his eyes.
"Can I go t' sleep now?" Loki whined softly.
"Sure, but I have to give you something first," Bruce told him. The man pulled out the bear he had sewed that afternoon and put it behind his back so Loki couldn't see. The boy's eyes widened a little, curiosity spiking even after the horrible day he had endured.
"Wha' d' you have? A present?" Loki asked, Bruce walking over and sitting, the bear still concealed behind his back.
"Yeah. Do you want it?" Bruce asked. Loki nodded vigorously and Bruce presented it to him. Loki gasped a little and took it. The bear was composed of fabrics of different colors and textures, its head a lighter brown than its belly. The belly was a soft dark brown, Loki petting it as he held it. The bear had little glass eyes, the irises a bright blue similar to Thor's. There was a little smile etched on to its face. Loki cuddled it close, warmth coursing through him. Never had he received such a gift in his short life.
"Thank you Mr. Banner," Loki said, "Did you make it yourself?" Bruce nodded.
"Steve gave me the material and I spent most of the day making it for you. I figured you needed a little friend to help you sleep at night." Bruce said. Loki giggled softly.
"Thanks Mr. Banner," Loki replied with a yawn. Bruce stood up and gestured for Loki to lie down.
"Alright, bud, bedtime," Bruce said. Loki nodded and crawled under his covers.
"'M s'rry if I keep you up t'night," Loki said sleepily.
"It's alright. You had a bad day today. If you need to cry some more or if you have bad dreams, you just let me know." Bruce told him. Loki's lip trembled slightly.
"'Kay," he replied.
"It's alright," Bruce said.
"I j'st wanna go home. I wan' Thor! These men an' tha' lady aren' very nice." Loki cried softly. Bruce shook his head.
"They aren't men, Loki. They're the monsters. No matter what they tell you, you aren't a monster. People who hurt children are monsters, not you." Bruce said.
"They're scary. 'M scared. I wanna go home." Loki whimpered. Bruce kissed his forehead.
"I know. Thor will come for you soon. I know he will." Bruce said. Loki sat up and kissed Bruce's cheek.
"I know he will too," he said.
"Go to sleep. I'll see you when you wake up." Bruce said. Loki nodded and shut his eyes. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and vowed to never let those monsters lay a finger on Loki again. He didn't care what happened to him, so long as Loki was okay. It was all he could do until Thor could come to rescue Loki. That and pray Thor would come sooner than later.