The Avengers Horror Story "The Unforgiving" is already posted. Please drop by and leave a review for the next chapter. I really hope you like it and trust me, the horror will get worse. Thank you again for the support! Btw… this chapter nearly brought me to tears.

oOo

Chapter 25 – Alone

"Her blood pressure's dropping!"

"She's starting to convulse."

"Stop her from moving. Hold her arms."

"The drug's not working."

"This is Project 48. We have to pump the drug out before it attacks all working systems inside her."

"This could potentially damage her brain."

"Give me an IV bag!"

"Status report?"

"She's going into cardiac arrest!"

"We're losing her!"

"Ready the defibrillator!"

"Alright, One… Two… Clear!"

Her body jumped, but there was no sign of a pulse.

"Again!"

They rubbed the paddle together, creating static and placed it on her chest.

"Clear!"

She jumped again.

"It's not working."

"Wait!" One of the doctors shouted.

Beep... Beep… Beep…

Her heart went into a steady rhythm.

"Stop." The doctor breathed. "She's… she's stable."

oOo

They were looking through glass and watched as Natasha laid on the gurney with machines attached to her. She looked paler than usual, sickly even. She remained still as the dead would and the light made her look like an angel.

The machine beeping by her side was an electrocardiograph that indicated her heart activity. It was normal and beeping in a nice pace. There was a tube neatly shoved down her throat with an oxygen tank right by the headboard, giving her what she needed in case there were problems.

Which were quite a lot.

Clint stayed by the window, staring at Natasha's still form.

Steve had just finished talking to the doctor. It took hours and it was already morning. It was hours of endless screaming from Natasha that Clint had never heard of before. Clint clenched his fists as he continued to stare at her, unable to forgive.

The necklace remained on her neck, a symbol of something far greater than mere friendship.

"Hawkeye?" Steve whispered, but Clint didn't turn. "They said she's lucky she doesn't need a pacemaker. They said she's going to recover."

"They're lying." Clint mumbled.

"All we can do is pray."

"Will that really help?"

"It won't hurt."

"We're not exactly saints, Cap." Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're killers, assassins. To us and every other heartless person out there, there is no God to save us."

"I understand." Steve breathed. "But you're wrong."

"Why?" Clint gave him a questioning look.

"You're wrong." He repeated. "I get it that you're killers, assassins, but I don't see a heartless person. If you were heartless, you wouldn't have helped all those people in New York, nor would you have forgiven Loki no matter how much you hated him. You and Natasha aren't heartless."

"It's our job—"

"And you chose that job, but it doesn't say everything about who you really are. Just think about it."

"Whatever," Clint swallowed and sighed loudly.

"She'll be fine." Steve tried to change the subject, hoping that it would ease the tension. Then again, it never really helped, because Clint was far too depressed and Steve just felt numb for some reason. He could sympathize, but there was a numbness he never knew about.

"I know that, but still—how long until she gives in?"

Steve turned to look at the glass. He didn't know what else to say in this situation. He barely knew these two. And yet for some reason, they knew each other so well. There was a connection, an understanding that had long since been dormant.

"How long have you known each other?" Steve asked.

"A long time," Clint answered.

"She was worried about you, when you—"

"Yeah."

"And now—"

"I know, Cap." Clint turned to him, eyes dark and grim. "I know."

He paused.

Clint felt so far away from Natasha.

They were partners, friends, maybe even more, hell he didn't know. They were close, they knew each other. They've been in the same business for years, and a single drug was going to kill his partner. That's what tore Clint apart the most.

He didn't want to lose her.

He can't.

"She's always been strong." Clint continued. "She always stayed on top of her game. Now— I've— I've never seen her drop like this, Cap. She's always a fighter."

"She's stable for now." Steve insisted.

"For how long?" He argued. "The drug is killing her."

"Banner's looking for a way to save her. We're all doing what we can to help out, one way or another. You—you shouldn't lose hope just like that. There's still a way."

"Yeah?" Clint stared at him. "I know that, Cap, but if you look at all that's happening, we're all a mess. Banner can only do so much, and so could Selvig. Thor's irrational because Fury prevented him from finding his brother while Stark and Loki are missing. We're not exactly okay."

"And Loki has the same virus as Natasha." Steve added.

"Natasha's only human." Clint frowned, turning to the glass window. "She's not a god."

"And Loki is," Steve stared at him.

"So?"

"That's why you're not worried about him.'

"He'll survive longer, but Natasha— I don't know how long they'll keep her stable."

"I'll convince Fury to speed up—"

"Whatever you do, no matter how much you push them, they won't get the cure fast enough." Clint grimaced, looking away, his voice cracking. "I'm just hoping for the best. We don't heal as fast as you guys do, you know?"

"Okay." Steve just nodded.

Silence.

It was deep.

Sharp and cutting.

"Do… you want to be alone?"

"Yeah."

Clint watched as Steve walked away slowly.

He stared at Natasha one more time before going inside the infirmary. He crept up quietly, watching her chest move up and down. The noisy beeping was comfort to his ears, but he wished it wasn't there. He just wished the sound of Natasha's voice filled the air instead of a machine indicating she was fine. It hurt. Clint hadn't realized he was holding his breath, and only did he sit right next to her did he release all the tears he bottled up.

"I'm so sorry." He sobbed.

He gently took her hand as he broke down.

No one was watching.

No one was there.

They were alone, and yet Clint couldn't feel Natasha in the room.

It felt so cold.

So…

Empty.

oOo

Thor was sitting on a couch at one of make-shift lounge, holding the Starkpad that Tony gave him and Loki. He sat there in an uncaring manner, ignoring every gaze shield Agents gave him. He did not care about them, he cared about Loki. The moment the spell placed on him broke, he had bolted to find his brother, but he was too late.

Fury had told him they were gone and showed him the video feed.

When Thor asked about the others, besides Tony, he was shocked to find out that they were also a mess. Natasha was down for the count, Clint was stressed out to the point where he couldn't work and Steve, he was trying his hardest to build the team again.

But what was the point when they were all scattered.

"Thor?" Steve coughed.

"Aye?" Thor looked up and saw him standing there. "Is there something you need?"

"I just want to know if you're alright."

"I suppose." He shrugged.

"It's alright to talk to me, Thor. I just want to help out."

"You wish to know why the state of your team is in disarray."

"Not the team," Steve said. "The individual's in the team."

"What is it that you wish to speak of?" Thor lowered the Starkpad.

"I know you're worried about Loki."

"That is an understatement."

"It is." Steve agreed. "But we'll work it out."

"Loki teleported outside—"

"I saw the feed." He breathed. "But Tony's with Loki, so it's going to be fine."

"You mean for me to believe in the man that he himself has panic attacks?" Thor grimaced. "I do not trust Stark to be there for my brother. I know I hold little for Stark, but Loki will be hard to—to manage—and with both of them having problems—"

"Tony's a good person." Steve insisted.

"Will he be able to help my brother?"

"I trust him."

Thor palmed his face. "May I ask how the search is going?"

"Not so good." Steve sat on the couch in front of him, both of them separated by a small table. "Fury and Hill are trying to track one of the Hydra Agents but he got away. He took a working Quinjet and bolted."

"And the tesseract?"

"Gone."

"They took it?"

"We believe so." Steve blinked. "Why?"

"Nothing," Thor shook his head, he had an idea but wanted to keep it to himself. "You do not look like you've rested."

"I didn't," He sighed. "I've been helping out with the search. That Tucker guy got away, and we believe that the Other also went with him to Earth. The other one is in interrogation. His name is Cordell."

"I see."

"There's something on your mind." Steve saw. "I can see it."

"Why can we not go to Earth as well?"

"It's too dangerous."

"But Loki is down there as we speak." Thor grunted. "If what Barton said was true, I want to rip that man Tucker to shreds for what he did to my brother."

"I know that, Thor." Steve hunched forward.

"Loki is in danger."

"I'm worried about him and Tony."

"I— I understand." Thor sighed, turning back to the Starkpad.

"What are you watching?"

"I should have known better than to allow myself to be so blind." Thor scowled. "Especially with Loki. I've been watching the feed of my brother leaving the infirmary and placing a spell on me. It hurts, and I do not want to dwell on the idea, but why would he leave? There has to be a good reason."

"Do you think he was forced to leave?"

"The Other." Thor thought. "He spoke to Loki about something, but Loki was hesitant about it."

"What do you think?"

"I question why he left, and what his reason is."

"That's a good question." Steve had a lot to think about.

"You should go to Fury, Rogers." Thor said. "Perhaps you might be able to convince him to allow us to go to Earth."

"That's going to be hard."

"But you will try?"

Steve nodded. "I will."

"Thank you." Thor lowered his gaze.

"You don't want to go with me?"

"No." He shook his head. "I need to think."

"Okay."

Again, Steve was shoved away by another teammate and was left on his own. Thor had a lot to think about and it was best if he allowed him some time. Steve walked away as Thor sat there on the couch. He eyed the video feed and watched Loki stare at him with regret. Loki looked guilty and sorry for what he had done, and looked as if he had no choice.

Just when Thor had finally gotten his brother back, Loki was ripped away from him.

And he was alone again.

oOo

Loki sat there, hugging his knees, leaning on the tree. He didn't want to look at Tony, didn't want to talk to him or even share the same world with him. Loki felt drained of energy, and he couldn't even feel his magic anymore. He could only feel the burning sensation in his body, making it heavier and harder to breathe.

Tony sat crossed leg, opposite him, leaning on his standing suit.

"Loki."

Nothing.

"Loki." He called.

Loki refused to acknowledge his presence.

"Come on, Loki!" Tony urged. "It's six in the morning and people are busy here in New York."

"And I care because?"

"Because we might get caught?"

"At least we would have food and shelter."

"Look, unless you can teleport us back to the Helicarrier, we can't move." Tony frowned.

"And why can you not fly us there?" Loki groaned tiredly.

"Because the tracker's gone, I can't contact anyone and the suit is low on energy." Tony grimaced at Loki, who ignored him still. "You're making this extremely difficult, you know?"

"Oh am I?" Loki huffed. "Good."

"Okay, enough with the childish nonsense, kid."

"Childi—?"

Loki suddenly felt a sting on his chest.

Loki immediately lowered his gaze and curled his hand over his stomach. He groaned in pain, making Tony worry for his safety. Loki took sharp breaths and composed himself before Tony could ask what happened. Loki could feel the drug running inside of him, making him hurt all over. He was overwhelmed by the strange feeling of helplessness. It was so familiar, the same feeling he experienced with the Chitauri.

"Hey! Easy there, Loki. No need to get riled up because I can't keep my mouth shut."

Tony walked over to him.

"Look—"

"W—we wouldn't b—" Loki panted. "Be here if you hadn't pressured me—to—"

"This isn't my fault." Tony glared. "It's yours. Just accept it. I know your body hurts, Loki and I know you're sick. You can get into a panic attack at any moment, just like I would at any moment, but I'm the reasonable adult here. Got it?"

Loki glared at him and looked away.

"I'm sorry." Tony apologized. "I'm not comfortable being stuck with you."

"You w—were comfortable before." He panted.

"We're in another world where we might get experimented on or think we're aliens. Which we are, if that defines the unknown. But seriously, I have no way of contacting anyone. That scares me a little."

"Good t—to know."

"I hate you." Tony pouted.

"Good, because I h—hate all of you."

"Ugh!" Tony palmed his face. "Let's get this out of our system, okay? Why do you hate us since we helped you?"

"I don't…" Loki closed his eyes. "It's not all of you p—particularly. Just anything in general. I hate that I am stuck with you and that I am separated from my brother. I hate that I am wearing nothing but sleep wear and your jacket. I don't even have those stupid slippers and I am feeling hungry."

"Lots of complains." Tony nodded. "Months of not eating. Okay. I think I know what to do."

"Do you really?" Loki groaned.

"Pain, you're in pain. AGh!" He frustratingly pulled his hair. "I have money in my wallet. I can buy us clothes and return here, but I need to borrow the jacket."

He reached out for it.

Loki clutched it around him.

"Why?"

"So people won't recognize me and swoon over my gorgeous face."

"You won't be so c—confident if I break that gorgeous face of yours." Loki winced at the sudden heat in his body. "I wa—want to go home, Tony."

"I get it." Tony reached out. "You with me?"

"Okay."

Loki finally agreed and handed him the jacket, carefully pulling it off him and handing it over to Tony slowly. Tony took it and wore it, covering his head with the hood.

"Look, I know how you suit up." Tony grinned. "You're the type of guy that— nevermind—I'll just pick your clothes out for you. We won't be here for long."

"I hope you are right." Loki grimaced. "How will you return?"

"Damn, Loki." Tony rolled his eyes. "It's not like I can't memorize street names. Just rest for a while and don't die on me and we'll be on good terms."

"I cannot promise you that." Loki clutched his stomach again. "Everything hurts."

"Don't die."

"Just go away."

oOo

"That asshole got himself caught!" Tucker punched the already dented wall. "The stupid idiot!"

"This is your fault!"The Other hissed. "You should have had this planned, Mortal!"

"It's not my fault!" Tucker turned to him. "It's your damn fault for letting them get away with it."

"You dare?"

"You were faster—"

"Whose idea was it to bring Loki to Earth?"

The Other suddenly lunged in front of him, raising his fingers to Tucker's face, pinning him to the wall. The Other hissed heavily in front of him, making Tucker shut his mouth.

The two of them were stuck in an abandoned building in the middle of New York, miles away from Central Park. The Quinjet crashed to the nearby shore. Before authorities found out, he detonated the Quinjet and got away with it. Now the two of them were alone together, scheming for another way to get on with their escape.

"What do you want?" Tucker asked. "My partner's gone, and I'm a fugitive."

"You are in a world where you could easily blend it. They will not simply come look for you. They are bound by their rules, which makes them complete cowards."

"That makes sense."

"They do not want to expose their existence, something you and I are not afraid of."

"Okay." Tucker nodded. "What do you want?"

"The Tesseract, and if you can… Loki. Those are the two things I need to return to Lord Thanos."

"The Tesseract wasn't there." He moved away. "They probably have it in a tight location, I can't get it. I don't know how to get back up there unless someone comes down here. Or unless you can fly there."

"You are useless."

"Not useless." He glared. "I can get Loki."

"Can you really?" The Other grinned.

"I'm not done with him."

"Your desires blind you."

"It doesn't."

"What is the sole purpose of claiming him? What idea do you have?"

"I just want him punished, and I can get pleasure out of it." Tucker shrugged. "Besides, if I get him and will be able to get some of him then maybe Hydra will pay me more. I'll be a big time guy…"

"Fame is what you wish and so is the desire of tasting flesh."

"And more…"

"What if I told you, that your priorities should just be of ours? Mine and Lord Thanos?"

"What are you saying?"

"Ignore this Hydra— Find Loki and he will be our key to getting the Tesseract."

"Alright," Tucker agreed. "But I have my conditions."

"Name your price."

"I get to have Loki first."

The Other paused, thinking about the situation.

"You will have him punished?"

"More than that," Tucker said. "I'll have him crying on his knees, begging, screaming until he can no longer hear himself. If the rape he experienced on your planet was worse, I'll do my best to top that off. You heard me before. I find something delicious in him, and I mean to take it."

"Fine," The Other hissed. "I… accept."

oOo

Blue, there was so much blue swirling around like thread. It was so beautiful. It was captivating and mesmerizing, he couldn't take his eyes off it. The blue circled him, calling out to him. Showing him what he desired the most, a family who understood him, loved ones who stayed when he needed them, respect that he deserved and mostly acceptance to the world he did not belong to.

But it was ripped away from him.

Something darker entered his mind and he couldn't escape it. The blue threads swayed dangerously around him, like waves from the sea. It began to drown him, swallow him whole into the darkness. He clawed for a way out, but was overwhelmed by the power.

A cube…

He could see it glowing.

Whispering to him.

Touch it.

It said.

Accept it.

It continued.

No—no—no—no… not again! He didn't want to. He wanted it to go away. He wanted the voices to go away, but it was calling out to him from the darkness. It wanted to be touched. To be used. The cube wanted to be useful, but— but Loki didn't want to use it again. Never again! It was an opening to horrors… a vast empty space of darkness. The void! He didn't want to see it ever again!

Open your eyes.

How long had it been?

Hey! Open your eyes!

Loki groaned, feeling something cold touch his warm skin.

Why did he feel so warm?

Why did the touch feel so cold?

Shouldn't it be the opposite of what he was supposed to feel?

Come on, don't die on me.

How long had it been?

Hours?

Loki?

An Eternity?

Please?

Loki opened his eyes slowly.

"Hey sleepy head, I thought I lost you." Tony was kneeling in front of him. "Wake up and get changed."

"Your clothes." Loki pointed out.

"Yeah, I changed into new ones. Like it?"

"What time is it?"

"It took me 30 probably 40 minutes. I had to speed up so I could check up on you. Seriously, don't know why women take longer. Anyways, I've memorized the street names and found a few good places to stay where no one will recognize us, but this is New York so who am I kidding. Anyways, you better get changed, because we're all over the news."

"You're so confusing." Loki groaned, leaning to Tony.

"Hey, you can't sleep on me."

"Soft."

"Yeah, that's my shirt."

"Tired."

"Sleep later." Tony pulled Loki away from him. "They're investigating where the bright light came from last night. And we have to get out of here because the Federal Agents will be coming to investigate. They'll know. So get dressed, Loki."

"I can't move."

"You have to move."

"Tired." He repeated.

"Look, I have thousands of dollars in my pocket, but it won't last forever." Tony said. "I have credit cards, but it's not going to work here. Okay? So come on. I'll try and book a hotel for the two of us. F—Y—I— there's nothing weird going on between the two of us, okay? Is that clear?"

"I hate you." Loki slurred.

"Hate me later, for now I have to take care of you. Thor will surely kill me if I let you die."

"So you really do pity me." Loki wanted to cry. "You don't care. You care because of Thor."

"Hey, that's not true." Tony lifted Loki's chin. "Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?"

"That's not true, Loki. We care. I care. Why would Barton and Romanov risk their lives for you? They hate you on a certain degree, but they know how much you're worth. So don't let me hear you say those things again."

"So my worth is what keeps you close?"

"That's not what I meant." Tony grunted. "Ugh, just get dressed, Princess."

Tony handed the bags over to him.

"I'll explain later."

oOo

"Barton."

Clint looked up from where he laid his head right next to Natasha's hand. He hadn't let go of her hand, fearing of losing her. Standing by the door, was Agent Hill. She had tears in her eyes, but she kept herself calm and composed like the next leader she was.

"Hey," Clint wiped his blood-shot eyes. "You look horrible."

"Not as much as you do."

"Natasha—"

"She'll recover." Hill muttered. "She's strong, you know that. Banner and Selvig are doing all they can to help out. They're working non-stop to find the cure. It's still early, so can't lose hope."

"Why are you here?"

"To see you."

"Why?"

"You need to eat something." Hill pushed a burger in his hand. "Take it and eat."

"Thanks." He muttered.

"You know she doesn't want you to act like this." Hill insisted. "She'd want you to find those bastards instead of wallowing in self-pity and grief. She's not dead yet. She'd want you to—"

"Fight?"

Clint dug his teeth on the burger and took a bite.

"Exactly." She answered.

"You're right, I know that." Clint swallowed. "D—do you have any leads?"

"They left, that's for sure. Tesseract's gone, and we have limited video feeds that tell us the real story, but Steve and Thor have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Loki left the room, so they're guessing that the Other had something to do with Loki leaving Thor's side. The video cut off right as he appeared on the level where the Tesseract is."

"Anything else?"

"Sitwell's being interrogated and he's close enough to snap."

"Good." Clint huffed. "That traitor should go to hell."

"We also have that Cordell guy locked up."

"Good. What about that Tucker guy, that sick bastard that has a lust for Loki." Clint elaborated. "He got away?"

"He did." Hill said.

"How?"

"Steve almost caught them, but it was too late. Tucker took the Quinjet and he's with the Other. They're probably on Earth by now, but he cut off all connections. With the Other's interference, we can't find him. We were supposed to—"

"I'll do the interrogation."

Clint had finished up his burger and quickly threw the wrapper in the trash. The beeping continued, and Clint really wished that Natasha was listening. He stared at her and thumbed her hand. It was both warm and cold, balancing between life and death.

Clint just wanted his partner back.

"Which one?" Hill asked.

"Big guy." Clint smirked, pulling away.

Hill understood what Clint wanted to do. He was going to break this man until he had an answer. He wasn't going to stop until every ounce of Cordell's courage was gone. Clint was going to make him scream, make him tell the truth, and he wouldn't care until the guy bled in front of him until justice was served.

"You think you can do that for me, Hill?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"I'll hook you up."

oOo

Tony was wearing casual clothes, but had a cap and sunglasses on. To top it off, he had the hood of his jacket on his cap. To the right of his arm, Loki clung onto him with his head on Tony's shoulder. Loki was wearing a light green shirt, wearing a loose black jacket with the hood on top of Loki's head. They looked so weird like this, but Tony couldn't complain. He had an arm looped around Loki's waist to prevent the young god from falling.

"How you holding up Jarvis?"

"Everything is normal, Sir." The suit answered. "Quite natural, if I may say so myself."

"Well, keep controlling that thing and make it act normal."

Nobody was supposed to care about the two of them being so close.

Nobody.

But… damn…

The Iron man Suit made them look so obvious.

"I think we should have thought this more thoroughly." Tony grimaced.

"You think?" Loki groaned.

"You could've taken the suit."

Loki almost tripped if it hadn't been for Tony holding onto him. Loki felt embarrassed. He hated being in someone's debt. He hated being so close to another man that wasn't his brother. He simply hated it. Loki took a deep breath and simply slumped into Tony's touch, no matter how much he hated it.

"Yeah too conspicuous," Tony coughed awkwardly.

"Perceptible." Loki said, hoping to make this bearable.

"You're too tall. We might not be able to fit your whole body in, let alone your head."

Loki glared.

"Jokes aside, come on." Tony grimaced. "I hate the attention as much as you do, so we have to find a hotel."

"You're the one attracting attention." Loki hissed.

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Hotel, Tony?"

"Oh yeah, there's one!" Tony frowned. "Man, this feels like my teenage years."

"Don't you dare." Loki winced when he felt a sudden contraction. "Ow… hurts."

"Easy."

Suddenly they were stopped by a few people holding flyers for New York Comic Con with the Avengers Age of Ultron theme. Tony did his best to shield Loki away from them to hide, while he hid his own face. Damn, they might have noticed the suit. Well, duh, it was a dead giveaway.

"Ugh, excuse us." Tony disguised his voice. "We're kind of in a hurry."

Loki mumbled a threat on Tony's shoulder, which Tony heard perfectly clear. He muttered something back, and Loki looked up, giving him the most threatening glare he could make. Tony wanted to laugh, because it was a damn good effort. Loki's death threat face that said 'I'll kill you' looked more like a 'please shut up' face instead.

"My friend's sick." Tony said.

"Oh, sorry." The woman said. "I'm Angie, these are my friends. We just want to know if you're here for the Cosplay contest."

"Contest?"

"Yeah, your friend over there could win with that suit." A guy pointed at Jarvis. "You three should really sign up. There are prizes to be won."

"That's a cool costume man." Another guy walked up to the suit. "What's it made of?"

"Gold Titanium Alloy." Jarvis responded.

"Wow, you even have Jarvis' voice down."

They were impressed.

"Lots of metal." Tony coughed, trying to hide his voice. "And my friend's an engineer so yeah. He's also good at those audio things."

"Isn't that cool, Brianne?" Angie asked.

"Are you guys cosplaying Tony and Loki?" Brianne nearly shouted. "Are you cosplaying the FrostIron fandom?"

Oh damn, they stumbled upon a territory that they'd rather not go through. Loki was just a confused kid in the park, while Tony was the adult who almost knew everything. Tony did not want Loki to hear any of it, but apparently, Loki was listening.

"Come again?" Loki pretended to cough.

"Fandom." Tony mumbled. "We have to go. We have to get my friend to— some place."

"Wait." Angie handed him a flyer. "Here, you should go. The Age of Ultron casts will be there!"

"The what?" Loki just looked confused.

"Awesome!" Tony pretended to care. "You're excited too, right Frank?"

"Frank?" Loki grimaced.

"You okay, Frank?"

"Oh… oh… yay." Loki said dryly.

"Right!" Tony spiked his voice up. "Rob! Sharlotte, Evans and Jeremiah! I get it! All of them?"

"Of course." Angie said. "They're going to promote Avengers 2."

"I'm excited for that too." Tony took the flyer and started pushing Loki forward to cross the street. "We'll be sure to drop by, but my friend has to rest first. You guys will be there, right?"

"Of course." She nodded. "Bill, Pike! Let the Iron Man suit go."

"Sure." Bill nodded. "Damn, that's one real suit."

"It is." Pike agreed.

Tony and Loki were out of earshot. Jarvis walked right behind them, and Loki looked like a dead weight. Tony pushed them across the street and inside the hotel, which was huge. He pushed Loki to sit on the lounge while Jarvis sat right next to Loki in an awkward manner. People were staring at them, because the hood on Loki's head had dropped and because Iron Man was inside the hotel.

Great.

"Why did you talk Jarvis?"

"I see no reason not to Sir."

"Fine, okay then what was that, Loki?" Tony whispered to the young god. "You almost got us caught."

"I was acting." Loki rubbed his eyes. "Are you seriously planning to go to that place they were talking about?"

"To meet our counterparts? I don't know."

"When is it?"

"Tomorrow." Tony grimaced when Loki swayed. "Can you still walk?"

"Tired."

"You suck at socializing."

"Hotel?"

"Yeah, we're in the hotel. I have a plan, but I'm not sure it will work."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Loki we're inside a hotel and you're sitting on the lounge. They're expecting us to show some I.D. once we check in. Hell, you don't have an I.D. and nor does Jarvis. Damn it, my I.D. is named Tony Stark. Not Rob Devan, the actor!"

"Can we just get a room?"

"Shit." Tony cursed. "Jarvis, hack into the system for me."

"What would you like me to do?"

"Get us a reservation, all info. Give them my name Tony. V.I.P. Come up with something that I know."

"Already done, Sir."

"Great."

Tony walked over to the counter to talk to one of the staff. Loki watched as Tony casually flirted with the girl on the desk and continued to distract her as she looked at the reservation. Loki eyed the woman, who was enthralled by Tony's constant compliments, and eventually, it stopped coming and Tony got the room.

Loki turned to the suit, which turned its head.

"What are you looking at?" Loki hissed.

"Expressing concern, Sir." Jarvis said. "Are you well?"

"What do your censors indicate?"

"Your temperature is quite high."

"High?" Loki wondered.

"Get up." Tony whispered from behind them. "We have a room. Come on."

Tony slipped his hand to Loki's and pulled him up on his feet to the elevator. Jarvis followed and when they got to the elevator, Tony pressed the 24th floor.

Loki stayed in the corner, eyes closed.

"How are you holding up, Princess?" Tony asked, but Loki stayed silent.

"You expect us to not be found?"

"They won't bother us." Tony insisted.

"What makes you think they will not bother us? Did you pay them?"

"I cheated for the greater good." He sighed. "I asked Jarvis to help us out, remember? Jarvis hacked the system and we're already paid."

"But there was no payment?"

"No," He frowned. "Look, I can't afford it. Damn, I never thought I would say that, but shit, I can't access my richness from here. Besides, I need the money to feed us and get some supplies from the hardware store to fix the suit so we could get back to your brother."

Loki grimaced.

"It's an affordable room, Loki." Tony tried, but Loki stayed silent. "Jarvis, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

"You did, Sir… but you've made it manageable."

"We won't be here for long. Besides, it's not like they'll lose money for losing one room. Sheesh! I'm not a criminal. Besides, we need a place to stay. This seemed like the best option."

Suddenly, Loki's stomach growled.

Tony turned to him and Loki looked away with a blush.

"I'll get you food later on."

When the door opened, Tony and Jarvis walked out while Loki staggered out. Tony unlocked their room as Loki casually stared at the ground, leaning on the wall. Tony ushered Jarvis inside and stared at Loki for a few moments. There was an unsettling silence between them.

"You okay?"

"You keep asking me that." Loki's voice croaked.

"I kind of have to."

Loki merely looked at him, but turned away to go inside. Tony followed, and saw the place. It looked pretty normal. The Iron man suit awkwardly sat on the couch, looking retired. When you enter, there's a small living room in the middle, a kitchen with a counter on the left and a room to the right.

"Not too bad."

"What do you plan for now, Sir?"

"Eat?" He shrugged. "Then maybe buy some parts."

The room was kind of cozy. It was smaller than his usual hotel rooms, but it was enough for the two of them. Tony walked over to the kitchen and eyed the emptiness of it. Tony regretted going into a hotel.

"Maybe we should've gotten an apartment instead." Tony shrugged. "It's cheaper."

"Sir, it would be advisable to think of your priorities first."

"Don't dictate me, Jarv."

When Tony was about to voice his complains, Loki was nowhere to be found. Tony panicked a little and thought Loki had teleported away from him. When Tony ran to the room, he saw Loki curled on the bed. Loki lay there, looking exhausted. Tony walked over to Loki and saw that he was shivering slightly and sweating profusely. He was paler and sicker than he looked before.

"Loki?"

"Hmm?" He asked.

Tony palmed Loki's head and felt the warmth seeping out.

"Shit." He cursed. "You're feverish."

Loki was completely out of it.

Tony started to panic but was still able to compose himself. He took the sheets and draped it around Loki, who shivered, painfully groaning. Tony knew that Loki wasn't going to make it if he didn't do something to contact Shield. He watched as Loki fisted the sheets tightly as the fever got worse.

"That's bad…" He panted. "Really bad… Loki?"

Loki couldn't hear him.

Tony went to the bathroom right at the left of the bed and locked it. He braced himself on the sink and held it tightly. Tony looked into the mirror and saw himself shaking slightly. He fisted his hand and took a deep breath. He opened the faucet and splashed his face with water.

"Calm down." He dried his face with a towel. "You're smarter than this. You can't let your emotions get the better of you."

He went back to Loki and stared at him.

"Hey," Tony whispered. "I'm going out to get some things."

Loki remained silent and fidgeting.

"Don't die on me, okay?"

Nothing.

Tony closed the door to the room and eyed the Iron man Suit.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Keep me posted on Loki's condition." Tony said, still feeling the anxiety reaching out to him. "Contact me on my phone."

Tony paused.

"My phone! That's it!"

oOo

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think guys!

Also, check out "THE UNFORGIVING" and drop a review.