I know you must think I'm a terrible person to leave you (and Loki) hanging like that. But, hey, now you all get to see if he's okay or not. :) And they're free now, so yay! Though, of course, they have a long way to go, still.
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!
"Loki," Tony shook his shoulder. "Loki!"
He wasn't waking up. His breathing was shallow and raspy.
"Hey, come on. You have to get up," he patted him on the cheek. "You can't stay out here. You can use my arc reactor and heal yourself. I told you that."
Still, nothing.
Tony sat on his heels, running a hand through his messy hair.
This was bad.
This was really bad.
He had no idea where they were. How was he going to get help? Who could even help in this situation?
"Lokes, listen to me. You have to wake up. You can't die on me."
Tony had spent the last few weeks, months, however long he had been there, feeling alone and helpless. He hated feeling like that. He was a doer. An inventor. And he wouldn't leave a debt unpaid.
He got up. Sitting there would do nothing but run out the clock. He had to get them both to some shelter until he could figure out where they were.
He scooped Loki up, struggling. He was tall, which made it awkward enough, but, wow, he was heavy for someone who was borderline starving.
Tony looked around.
Which way?
He thought for a moment, then went back to the area he had fallen. The skid marks, the scrapes on his arms, calculating, calculating, okay. Toward the oranges and yellows appearing in the sky.
East.
Easy enough.
He walked toward the trees, shifting his hold on Loki. As he got into the woods, the shadows settled over them, making it harder to see. He found a section of thick brush next to a tree.
That would be a perfect hiding spot.
He sat Loki back onto the ground, trying to be gentle.
"Loki," he called again.
Tony propped Loki against the tree. It wouldn't be good for him to lie down with his nose bleeding like that.
"Loki, you need to open your eyes for me."
Loki shuddered in his sleep. He was really getting pale.
Tony shook his shoulder, roughly.
"Loki!"
His eyes fluttered open. They were unfocused and underlined with dark circles.
Tony let out a sigh of relief.
He wasn't in good shape. Not in the least. But he woke up, which was a good sign.
"Well, it's about time you woke up," Tony patted him on the shoulder.
Loki looked up at him. He was so lethargic.
"Here," Tony ripped some of the cloth off of his shirt.
He put it over Loki's nose and held it tightly, prompting him to lean back. It didn't take much convincing. He was wondering if Loki even knew what was going on around him.
"I know this is a stupid question, but how do you feel, right now?"
Loki shook his head.
"Everything hurts, huh?"
He nodded. Slowly.
"You need to heal yourself, okay?"
Loki shuddered again.
"Can you do that? You'll feel better, you know. I'll help you."
Loki wasn't paying any attention to him. Tony grabbed his hand and pressed it against his arc reactor.
"Come on, Loki. Look around you. We're free. We're free and the last thing you want to do is die out here when you finally got out of that awful place."
"I can't," Loki said, his voice quiet and scratchy.
"You can't what?"
"I can't."
Tony looked at his hand, noticing there was no golden glow.
"Okay, you're going to have to help me help you. Is there anyone who can fix you up? I don't know any doctors that understand what you're going through. But maybe there are other Asgardians here? Some I don't know about?"
Loki didn't respond. He was shaking more.
"Maybe Thor would know what to do? If we could figure out where we are, we could find him and..."
"No!"
Loki stared him down in such anger, it was surprising, considering the shape he was in.
"Loki, listen to me. I know you two have your problems, but I doubt he would just stand by and let you suffer like this if he knew he could help."
"I will not...go to that...man for help. I would rather die."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Are you serious? You would rather die than ask your brother for help?"
"He's not my brother."
"Well, whatever he is, you're being awfully petty."
Loki glared at him.
"Don't look at me like that. You are being petty."
Loki closed his eyes tightly, rubbing his forehead. He was very close to passing out. Tony put his arm across his shoulders, letting him lean against him.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
The prison was surrounded by enough people to fill a small town. The military had dropped by to round up their national security problem. Said problems were both angry and worried. They were going to be put away for good. Still, some of them were more worried about what Innokenti was going to do when he got back.
Steve and Thor busied themselves by helping with the prisoners and figuring out what there next move was going to be.
"You can't feel him at all?" Steve asked.
Thor shook his head.
"I was right there," Steve shook his head. "I had him and now we're back to square one. How are we going to find him now?"
"I do not know."
This getting more hopeless by the moment.
They opened one of the doors, revealing more wide eyed prisoners. They were all unsure of what was going on, seeing all of these people in military garb and black S.H.I.E.L.D. suits. It took some coaxing to let them know they were safe. They were terribly skinny and wobbly. Even so, once they figured out they were in the presence of help, they were all smiles and tears.
Medical help was close by, but there was nowhere near enough. They expected a lot of people, but not quite this many.
"Um, Thor?" one of the agents approached. "Could you come with us? We need to show you something."
"Do you need anymore help here?" he asked Steve.
"No, I've got it. Sounds like that's important."
Thor nodded and followed the agent.
"So, bluffing and technique," someone said.
He turned around to see James walking by, handcuffed, with a soldier pushing him along.
"Yeah. That's the way to do it."
James laughed bitterly.
"You've messed with the wrong person, Captain. Innokenti will come after you. All of you."
"Oh, trust me, James. We've dealt with a lot worse. He was the one who messed with the wrong person."
"Let's go," the soldier said, making him walk forward.
"Excuse me," one of the prisoners tugged on Steve's shirt.
She was small, with dark hair and big brown eyes. Eyes that were full of worry, instead of joy.
"Is something wrong?"
"I can't find my son."
"I'm sure he's around here somewhere. What does he look like?"
"He's five years old, but he looks younger. I wasn't able to take care of him as well as I needed to. His hair is dark brown."
A five year old?
A five year old?
The bastard kept children too?
"I haven't seen any children around. There's so much ground to cover. We'll find him."
"Please. I have to get to him. Innokenti took him a few days ago and I haven't seen him since!"
That didn't sound good.
"Follow me. We'll look for him together, okay?"
She nodded, still clutching onto his arm.
oooooooooooooooooooooo
"What is this?" Thor asked.
He was lead into a room full of screens. Another agent was sitting in a chair, watching them.
"Hello, Thor," he got up and shook his hand. "I'm Agent Michael Miller. Why don't you have a seat right here."
Thor sat down next to him.
"What is this?" he asked again.
"I thought you would like to see what has been going on around here. See if you can help me figure something out."
He rewound one of the videos until he got back to the scene he wanted Thor to see.
"This is from a few days ago."
Thor stared at the screen. Loki and Tony were sitting together in the cage. There was no one else around. They were talking. Even though the words weren't so clear, they didn't seem very happy with each other.
"What is that around Loki's neck?" Thor asked.
"We've seen a couple of those around other prisoners' necks. They were all high risk. Either of being violent or trying to run away. Those collars are there to shock them into submission."
Thor squinted.
"I do not understand. You are making it sound as though Loki were a prisoner. How could they keep him trapped? He was able to escape from Asgard's own prison."
"I don't know. That's what we're trying to figure out."
Thor's mind was racing. They were under the impression that Innokenti was working for Loki. He called them and told them that he was going to torture Tony. Now, he was a prisoner? Now, he was...
Forced to tell them that.
How...? He was... How could he...?
"Is there technology here that blocks magic?" Thor asked, his voice weak. "Similar to what S.H.I.E.L.D. has started using?"
He had been sensing Loki's magic all over the place. He assumed Loki was doing that himself.
"No, not that we've found. There is an energy source similar to his that we've detected here. We're trying to track down its origin."
"We need to find out more about this Innokenti. Not only who he is, but what he is."
"What do you mean, what he is?"
"No normal human being could trap Loki. There is no possible way. Captain said Loki appeared to be weaker than usual."
"These tapes definitely confirm that."
Thor leaned over, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What else is there? Could you show me?"
They went through the footage. Loki's collar was eventually removed. He was brought food. He was holding his hand over Tony's arc reactor, then he was healing Tony at gunpoint.
"This is quite strange," Thor said, eventually.
"Tell me about it."
"He was fed well, in this tape. Why? Where were they taking him afterward?"
"I don't know. We're trying to go through as many of these as we can. We haven't been able to find anymore of Loki."
"They hid the other tapes. There must be something else they don't want us to see."
ooooooooooooooooooooo
"Okay, let's test this out."
Loki lifted his head so he could get a good look at Tony's invention. A piece of wood from a fallen tree, big enough for him to lie on. Thick vines were twisted together like a rope and attached to either side.
"That looks as though it...would fall apart," Loki said.
"Do you have a better idea?" Tony crossed his arms.
Loki thought for a second.
"No."
"Well, then, this is what we're going to use. Not like there's a Home Depot nearby."
He pulled the contraption up to Loki.
"Okay, let's get you set up, here."
Loki looked at the thing warily.
"Come on. I'm sure they're sending search parties for us. We have to get away from here."
Loki sighed and crawled onto the wood. He laid down, curling up.
"Try not to roll out, okay?"
"Try not to dump me out."
Tony lifted the vines, pulling them over his shoulders. It made the wood rock. Loki clutched onto the sides.
"I don't like this."
"Just hold on. Keep all limbs inside the vehicle, fasten your seatbelts, and all that."
He heard Loki growl behind him.
He pulled the makeshift sled forward. It was a rocky few first steps, but it got a little easier as he kept going. The sun was over the horizon by that point. He guessed it was around nine o'clock. It had taken a while to find the materials and build the thing. He tried not to worry about how close the guards could be. There was urgency to move as quickly as he could, yes. Worry, however, was counter productive.
The plan was to get Loki some help. Where, was the problem. Hopefully Loki's magic would replenish itself enough, so he could recharge it with the arc reactor. That would make everything so much easier. Then, they would need to get some essentials. Food, water, the works.
Eventually, they would find someone. Something.
Eventually.
He kept an ear out for Loki. Sometimes, he would moan, trying to deal with the overwhelming waves of pain. Tony stopped every once in a while to rest and check on him. He was shaking more. Then, to make matters worse, his nose started bleeding again. That was what bothered Tony the most. The stomach pains were expected, but he'd never seen him bleed before.
"We should have stayed," Tony finally said.
Loki looked at him with disbelief.
"What?"
"You said Innokenti was leaving to get the file. We had time."
"We had time? No, Stark, they...wouldn't have...let me 'heal' you... anymore. We didn't have time."
"They were still feeding me. None of them mentioned anything about me dying. Now we're here and, well, you just might be."
"Oh, so you think that...I'm lying now?"
"Noooo, I mean what I said. You should have waited."
"And what if the invaders...had gotten to you first?"
"Invaders? What are you talking about?"
Loki opened his mouth, then shut it again.
"Um, you know. The fighting and everything that...was going on. Someone had infiltrated...the prison. You heard all of that...noise, out there."
"Did you see who it was? Is that where you got that busted lip?"
"No. No, I fell. I didn't see them. I mean, I saw them, but their...faces were covered."
"Loki, that could have been someone coming in to rescue us! These were the people we were trying to protect the country from! That could have been the military or S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
"And what if it wasn't?" Loki curled up again, gritting his teeth.
"And if it was, that just might be the help we need. What if Steve or Bruce or any of the others were there?"
"I doubt it was your precious Avengers. Besides, the military...and S.H.I.E.L.D. aren't...the only people who...have something against them. It could have been someone else. Someone, oww, worse."
Tony took a deep breath, exhaling with a huff.
"I guess it could have been."
"So, you see I did the right thing?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll never know. But, you're in bad shape."
"I've noticed."
"Is there medicine here on Earth that can help? I had Palladium poisoning one point in my life and I drank chlorophyll to take the edge off."
"Did it work?"
"Um, sort of. Not the way I wanted it to."
"I know of nothing on Earth that will cure this. We are immune...to most human illness, yet...there are some things we...get that humans cannot."
"I thought you were sick because you were low on magic? Why are you talking about illness? This is a disease?"
Loki ran his hand over his face in annoyance. He was talking too much.
He had to stop doing that.
"My magic will return. It will take a while, but it will return. Don't fret so much over...my condition."
"But, wait, stop trying to dodge my question. What kind of disease is this?"
Loki's eyes fluttered closed.
"Loki?"
He didn't answer.
"Loki!"
He let out an obviously fake snore.
"Idiot."
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Thor was pacing back and forth in front of the building. He needed to think and it was too crowded inside. They watched the only tape they had of Loki several times. He didn't understand it. There had to be something else. Some sort of explanation. Loki and Tony were in there together, but then they took him. He was healing Tony at gunpoint.
It didn't make sense.
He did appear to be forced to do this. But Loki knew those guns would have no effect on him. Unless there was something special about them. Unless they were more powerful.
Unless, unless, unless.
"They told me what happened," Steve said, walking up behind him. "The tapes."
"I have to find him."
"Both of them."
"Of course, but, I need to know what he was even doing here."
"The building is being powered by his magic."
"It is?"
"Yeah. That's why you can feel it everywhere."
"The building and allowing Innokenti's henchmen to use it to their advantage."
"You said no regular human being could hold Loki."
"Yes. I want to know how they did it. I want to know how they controlled him. Why he looked so weak. These people are extremely dangerous and now I think it will be much harder for even us to defeat them."
"This is really something. Who knew we would have to rescue Loki?"
Thor nodded. He seemed uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"We'll leave and look for them soon. But, I'm kind of trying to find someone else, at the moment."
"Who would that be?"
"One of the prisoners had a kid. A little boy. She said Innokenti took him a couple of days ago and she hasn't seen him since."
"He has children here?"
"Apparently. I haven't had much luck with finding him."
"I will help you. He has to be around here somewhere."
oooooooooooooooooooo
Maybe staying in that limbo of darkness was better. Being awake was pure misery. Natasha hated that breathing tube and was glad to finally be rid of it. But she felt so uncomfortable and sore, being bruised from her fall. Tubes and needles were stuck to her arms and hand. She could barely move and her throat hurt.
The doctors and nurses checked her vitals. They were all relieved that she was up. That alone gave her more of a chance to recover.
But there was one thing.
"Do you remember what happened Ms. Romanoff?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," she answered, voice scratchy. "I was shot."
"In the back. Our surgeon was worried that you wouldn't be able to walk again, due to the bullet's placement."
She swallowed.
The doctor lifted the sheets to her ankles. He rubbed a metal instrument across the bottom of her foot.
"Do you feel that?"
She was quiet for a moment, nervously rubbing one of the tubes between her fingers.
"No."
"What about that?"
The beeps of the heart monitor grew faster.
"No."
She remembered not being able to feel her legs while she was out. She hoped it was some kind of sleep paralysis.
"And that?"
She was lost in her mind. Not even realizing that he was still checking her legs.
She knew she wouldn't be able to keep the thickness out of her voice.
So, she shook her head.
The doctor muttered something to the nurse. Natasha didn't try to hear what he said. She didn't care. Her legs were useless. She was useless. She was scared. Terrified. Hopeless.
"What about my job?" she finally asked.
"You should be more focused about getting better."
"So, it could be temporary?"
"We will have to do some tests. We'll figure out where to go from there."
Confusion turned into fury. How could he be so calm? She might be paralysed from the waist down.
He should be upset. Devastated. Like she was.
She didn't notice when he left. Her company was the nurse. The nurse. Not Clint. Where was he?
"Can I use the phone?"
"Not right now, honey. You just woke up. You need to take it easy."
Take it easy?
"Are you okay?"
"Hmm?"
"You're crying."
Natasha reached up to wipe the tears that were threatening her composure.
The nurse put a hand on hers.
"I know this is hard. But everything is going to be fine."
"What if it's not?"
"You have to have faith that it will be. I know it's hard to believe right now, but even if it's permanent, it's not the end of the world. You're alive, your mind is still sharp, and you will be okay."
Natasha took a few deep breaths, hearing the heart monitor go back to its normal rate.
She was alive.
She was alive.
And she was going to be okay.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Loki was having a hard time concentrating. He searched through the depths of his being for an ounce of energy. He would hold a shaking hand out in front of him, hoping for a glow, only to be disappointed.
And then, there was that problem of deep pain inside. He tried not to make a noise, but, well, what did it matter? Hey, he was getting a lot of sympathy, due to that. It was the only good thing that came out of being miserably sick.
He attempted to distract himself. How many leaves could he count on the trees?
Nope, that wasn't working.
His wooden, mobile bed was dragged over a rock. It jostled him, making him cry out in pain.
"Sorry," his driver said.
"Sorry doesn't exactly help me, Stark," he growled.
"I'm trying to be careful."
Loki wrapped his arms around his stomach. He pressed his forehead against his knees.
"We've put about five miles of distance from where we landed," Tony said. "Looks like we're just heading into more country. I guess it makes sense. They couldn't hide a big prison like that where there's a lot of people."
Loki dug his fingers into his skin as another wave went through him.
"It's bad for us. Man, if I just had JARVIS with me, things would be so much easier."
"Who's Jarvis?"
"My AI."
He tried to relax, to take deep breaths, so he wouldn't pass out.
"AI?"
"Are you feeling worse? Because you sound worse."
"I'm fine."
"Stop lying. What are you trying to hide? I can already see how sick you are."
"What about your...AI? What is that, exactly?"
Tony made a noise of annoyance.
"AI is Artificial Intelligence. A smart computer."
"Oh. Why did you...name a computer?"
"You can't have something with intelligence and not name it, Rudolph."
"So, your computer is smart...enough to tell us where we are going?"
"Well, you don't need a smart computer to do that. That's basics, these days."
"I see."
"I'm gonna have to find us some food, pretty soon. I'm starving. Do you think you can eat?"
"Ha, eat. I'd be lucky...if I could sit up on my own."
"That's not good. I mean, you're going to have to at some point."
"It's not going to be...anytime soon, I can guarantee that."
"There has to be some water around here. At the least, I can't have you getting dehydrated."
"I can go long periods of time...without food or water, if I must."
"You said you need magic to live. Seems to be screwing up your whole system, with so little. I wouldn't risk it if I were you."
He did have a point.
Still, he knew his stomach wouldn't cooperate with him.
"We've reached five miles, huh?"
"Yup."
Loki nodded. He watched the scenery crawl slowly by. The sun was high, bringing out the colors of the forest. He reached out and let his hand go over the sparse grass.
How long had it been since he had seen nature? Been outside in some fresh air without the knowledge that he would soon be taken to get his magic sucked out?
He smiled. It was small and weak, but a smile, none the less.
And it didn't last but maybe a moment.
"Do you think he will find us?"
"I don't think so."
"Really? You don't think he will...come after us?"
"Oh, of course he will. But that's just it. We're not stuck in that cage, anymore. We actually have a chance out here."
Right. They weren't stuck in that cage anymore.
"Besides, wasn't he on his way to get the file? Even if he turned around, we still have a good head start on him."
The other guards. He couldn't have forgotten about them, could he?
They were fortunate, so far. There was no sign of them being followed. But then, that might not mean anything.
Loki bit his lip, thinking.
What would he even do if they were being followed? What could he do?
He was completely dependant on Tony and he hated that.
And what if it was Thor that found them?
He rubbed his aching jaw.
"Are you scared?" Tony asked.
"No," Loki mumbled.
Not that he would ever admit to it.
oooooooooooooooooooo
They thought they had seen the worst of it. People starving, having terrors, open sores, sickening conditions, old injuries that hadn't healed correctly.
But this was absolutely worse.
Steve couldn't say anything. He had his hand over his nose, trying to keep the smell of rot away.
Thor was the braver one, taking the first step inside. He had no expression on his face.
"This is the only child we have come across," he finally said.
He knelt down and picked up the other end of the chain.
"It looks as though someone else was here. Chained as well."
"What do you think they did with the body?" Steve asked.
"I don't know. But perhaps they weren't dead."
"I really hope that someone didn't have to live through this."
"It wouldn't surprise me."
Steve crossed his arms and shook his head.
"I was hoping that once the war was over, we wouldn't find things like this anymore. I guess that was just wishful thinking."
Thor got up from the floor, letting the chain fall.
"We should tell his mother. And the medics."
"I'm going to hate telling her. How could someone do this? I mean, he was a little boy."
Thor put his hands in his pockets, glad to leave that awful room behind.
Images of Loki, when he was a little boy, sprung into his mind. His dark curls hanging in his face while he would flash that always misleadingly innocent grin.
He chased the thought away.
"Would you like for me to tell her?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. I've got it. You should go ahead and head out. See if you can find Tony and Loki. I'll catch up with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Okay. Thor had no idea where to start, but he had to begin somewhere.
With his hammer by his side, he quickly left. Hoping to complete the mission, this time.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Loki must have fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the lighting in the woods was dimmer. Reds and oranges tinted everything. He was still.
He looked at his surroundings. Tony had disappeared. Loki had been parked in an area of weeds. The hiding spot seemed purposeful, so he expected Tony to be back.
He heard the sound of rushing water somewhere nearby. It made him realize how thirsty he was.
Loki slowly rolled onto his back, pausing before he started the exhausting task of sitting up. His head pounded and he felt like he would either throw up or faint.
Ugh, he was so sick of being sick.
It took a moment for him to steady himself. Then he tried to stand.
Okay, it was working. He held himself up with the help of a tree.
A few steps, maybe?
He moved forward with the grace of a toddler.
Even so, this was good. He felt proud of himself.
He was several feet from his bed. Maybe he could even explore the forest.
Dumb idea. His legs gave out from under him and he found out the hard way that he was at the top of a hill.
The tumble knocked the wind out of him.
"Owwwww," he rubbed his cheek.
As if Thor's mark on his jaw wasn't bad enough, he would probably develop a bruise there. And various other places.
To make things worse, he heard the sound of feet running toward him.
He scrambled up, ignoring whatever aches and pains ailed him.
"What are you doing?" Tony said.
"Oh. Stark," Loki went back down to his knees and sat on the ground.
"I thought you were asleep. Why are trying to walk around, idiot?"
"I heard water. I was thirsty."
"I was going to take you to the other side of the creek when you woke up. You know, the part up there," Tony pointed to the top of the hill.
"Why didn't you just take me to the creek in the first place instead of leaving me in those weeds?"
"One, I was trying to hide you in case someone came by. Two, I didn't want you to accidentally roll in and drown. But apparently, that didn't keep you from hurting yourself."
Loki brushed the grass and dirt out of his hair, looking embarrassed.
"What are you doing down here, anyway?"
"I'm looking for fish."
"And there are no fish up the hill?"
"I didn't see any. So, I walked down the creek some, then I came back to see if that little waterfall had washed any down here while I was gone."
"Any luck?"
"Yep."
He went to the waterside and grabbed his catch to show off.
"See?"
Loki stared at the three fish. The three, tiny, miniscule fish.
"Um, that isn't very impressive, Stark."
"They don't have that much room to grow. Besides, I was on a roll, until you decided to join me."
"Please tell me that pun was not intended."
"Pun? What pun? Wait. Oh yeah, heh, heh, heh. That's kind of funny."
Loki rolled his eyes.
"Here. Let me help you back up there."
Loki looked back to his former destination.
He groaned.
"I don't want to."
"It won't take that long. The creek is a little less wide up there, so we can actually get across."
"My stomach hurts," Loki whined. "My stomach and everything else. I can't walk that far. I want to stay here."
"Fine. Okay. We'll stay here for the night. But tomorrow we have to go back up. Does that sound good?"
"I guess."
"As for right now, stay there and don't move."
Loki laid back down on a warm dirt spot.
"Don't worry, Stark, I don't plan to go anywhere."
"Okay. I guess I should get started on this fish before it gets too late."
"Can I have some water first?"
"Yeah, come on."
Tony helped Loki back up. He still had trouble staying on his feet. Tony had to practically hold him up to keep him from falling as he took one clumsy step after another.
"This might be easier if I just carried you."
"No. I've got it."
He fell to his knees at the edge of the water. He leaned over to scoop it from his hands to his mouth.
"Better?" Tony asked when he was done.
"Yes."
"Good. One less thing to worry about."
Loki could feel another ache rising from his stomach. He gritted his teeth and tried to think about something else.
He turned away and threw up.
"Um, well, there goes that," Tony said.
Loki coughed, trying to catch his breath. He somehow felt even worse than before.
"Stark," he said.
Tony sighed.
He sounded so pitiful.
"What am I going to do?"
"I don't know, Loki. I wish I knew how to fix this."
Loki splashed some water on his face. He was tempted to drink another handful to get the awful taste out of his mouth. But he didn't even bother.
Tony helped him to a safe distance from the water. Loki stayed there, curled up with no desire to move while Tony quietly cleaned the fish. Night was fast approaching, so he gathered some wood nearby and started a small fire in the clearing. The temperature was dropping quickly. They didn't expect to get much sleep that night. Even so, it was better than before.
Much better.
Loki gazed at the deep blue sky. There were so many stars visible.
He had missed this. Those little things.
Tony was cooking the second fish over the small camp fire. The smell was making his stomach growl.
"You don't seem to be...the type that would know how to cook," Loki said.
"I don't, really. Desperate times."
"That one is burnt," Loki nodded to the blackened fish that was set on a rock.
"I know. Thank you for pointing that out, Betty Crocker."
"The one you have now...is about to burn."
Tony pulled the fish back from the fire, wrinkling his nose at Loki.
"Well, don't you want a...somewhat decent meal?"
"You know how to cook?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?"
Tony put the last fish on the stick and held it over the fire.
"My girlfriend tried to teach me once. Let's just say the fire department wasn't very happy with us."
Loki chuckled.
"That bad, huh? Once, when we were on...one of Thor's wild adventures, he nearly...set the entire forest on fire. I was always in charge...of our meals after that."
"Heh, yeah, I could see him doing that."
"All he knew how to do was...fight and cause trouble," Loki's tone became laced with bitterness. "Now he suddenly thinks everyone...should believe he's had this change of heart. That he cares about the...well being of the worlds. He loved war. Adored it."
Tony squinted. How had a nice conversation taken such a wild turn into dangerous territory?
"Well, uh, it's not impossible for someone to make a one eighty. Lots of people change throughout their lives. Besides, you two still seem to be pretty young. Maybe he just needed some time to grow up."
Loki scoffed.
"Yes, three days on earth...really made him wise, didn't it? He was probably just whoring around with...that woman. 'Changing' just so he could...go back home and become the perfect...golden prince that everyone loves."
He winced, holding his hand over his midsection.
"Take it easy. Stop stressing yourself out before you blow a fuse."
"You people probably just love...him too, don't you?"
Oh boy.
"He's really not that bad. I like him. He's a nice guy."
"I'm sure he is."
"Aww, don't be jealous. That doesn't mean I don't love you too, baby."
"Stop making fun of me."
"Loki, in all seriousness, I think you should try to, I dunno, make a life change. What was it? The daddy issues? The bullying when you were young? The whole adoption fiasco?"
"So, he told you all...of my business, didn't he?"
"We wanted to know why you lost it and used our world as a punching bag. A lot of people were hurt and killed. Could you blame us for wanting to know why?"
Loki said nothing. He turned away from him and returned to star gazing.
"I don't want you to think I'm trivializing your pain, but I'm just trying to say that it's time to move on. My childhood sucked. A lot of people's childhood sucked. The thing is, you could start over. You say you hate your brother, so why do you keep letting the memories of him and the rest of your family control you?"
Loki took a deep breath and pretended to ignore him. There were tears wanting to gather in his eyes, but he wasn't going to destroy his pride by letting them fall.
"You're an adult now, Loki. You are, aren't you?"
"Yes," he rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm an adult."
"Well, if you play your cards right, you don't have to be with them if you don't want. You should be focused on getting heathy again. Letting your body and mind heal from everything. You know, have fun, loosen up, eat, drink, and get laid. This is your life. Not theirs. There's a saying that the best revenge is to be successful in your life. Or something like that."
"You're about to burn that...fish as well, Stark."
Tony growled at both his incompetence, as far as cooking, and Loki being stubborn.
As usual.
"Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Yes. I should just forget everything...they did to me. That it was all okay."
"Wow, yeah, that's not at all what I was getting at."
"Isn't it, though?"
"No," Tony got one of the already cooled fish and took it to Loki. "So, you're not going to be happy until you get revenge? That's your life goal?"
"It's not my life goal. But I just want them to really see how I've felt."
"Mmhmm. So, say a family member of one of the victims in New York wants the same thing."
Loki glared at him.
"Here, sit up for me."
Loki dragged himself up, leaning against a rock.
"Ugh."
"What?"
"I feel dizzy. It will go away in a minute."
"Are you okay?"
"Fine. I don't know...what you're expecting. I couldn't even keep water down."
"You haven't eaten all day. Just try? Take it slow."
Tony peeled a tiny piece of meat from the fish and handed it to him. Loki took it and picked at it with his teeth.
He was kind of hungry.
His stomach began to protest as soon as he swallowed it. He didn't take anymore for a few minutes.
Deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
And surprisingly, it didn't come back up.
"Do you want some more?"
He nodded.
And was able to keep that down as well.
"Okay, this is good. We're making progress. So, that's what the trick is. Really small bites with some time in between. You should be able to hold the water, now."
"I hope so."
"Well, look at us. Our first meal as free men."
Loki smiled.
"Yeah, being free. That actually makes all of this bearable."