Chapter Three

Loki lay there for some time before he pulled himself back up to his feet. Only dimly remembering what was going on around him. He had started this right? Some sort of war? Oh yeah, he was gonna be the God of Midgard to upset Thor or had it been to get Odin to notice him and take him home? He missed home. His room, his mother, Thor, not Odin. He hated Odin. For the lies, the pain, the hiding who he truly was all this time. The fall, by the Norn's that fall into nothingness.

He shivered even thinking about it. Had it been centuries or just mere minutes he had fallen? Before that creature had found him, half dead in the void. Whispering to him of glory and redemption. Then pain, so much pain, more than even he could survive. Everything after that was fuzzy. The building rocked from an explosion; he used his magic to transport himself down onto the street. Walking the street watching the chaos around him. Did I do this? He wondered. He saw a mother with two children cowering behind a car from the alien attack, two chitauri shooting at the car. He pulled out his daggers, jumping on the back of the first alien, swiftly slitting its throat. Grabbing the second as the body dropped breaking its neck. Covered in alien blood, he held out a hand to the woman, "If you want your children to live, come."

Warily, she took his hand and allowed him to teleport them to safety. A building outside of the main zone of destruction. "Keep hidden, wait it out." He warned before heading back to the battle.

He found himself face to face with the best of America as he turned a corner. He rolled his eyes and snarled, "Do not test me today." Loki warned.

Captain lowered his shield to his side, "I saw you save that woman. Why?"

"I am a parent. No innocent child deserves to be caught up in this." Loki answered plainly.

"Are you good now?" Captain asked.

"Hardly. I do what is best for me and currently this battle is no longer in my best interests." Loki flickered away onto a roof top, watching as the portal started to close. The metal man driving into it with, was that an explosive? Inventive. That would certainly stop the fleet from coming through. However, it would not stop his ex-master from coming after Loki. He would have to hide himself, keep running for as long as he could. He was a master of trickery, perhaps he could extend his short life span by a few more years by playing a game of cat and mouse. He certainly needed to leave before his boorish brother tried to drag him back to Asgard. He refused to bring that danger to his mother's doorstep and risk losing her.

He raised his hand to open a darker pathway to another realm when he saw the metal man falling from the sky. Falling too fast, if he hit the ground at that speed his would be crushed, metal suit or not. Loki looked around for his brother, "Come on Thor, do something useful for once in your worthless existence!" He did not have enough magic left to both save the Stark and escape, he certainly wasn't going to risk his own skin over a mortal. He started to chant the words that would open the doorway, before looking back over at the fast falling body. He cursed under his breath, throwing his magic out to cushion the other man's fall. Lowering him to the ground at a rate he assumed would be mostly suitable for the weak form. Dizziness hit him, a wave of exhaustion, dropping the body a few hundred feet from the ground. Holding onto a wall for support, Loki used the last drop of his magic to send himself somewhere safe to rest before finding a way to hide from The Other.

Tony came around with his faceplate ripped off staring at his teammates. "Please tell me no body kissed me."

He wasn't sure if Steve wanted to laugh or cry at his comment, he had clear emotion on his face he was trying to choke down. "Welcome back Stark."

"Man of Iron, I am glad that you survived." Thor said, pulling him to his feet.

"How am I alive? The fall alone should have been enough to kill me." Tony asked.

"Ask your little boyfriend." Natasha commented.

"Boyfriend?" Stark asked.

"It appears Loki had a change of heart, not only was he saving trapped victims he also saved you." Steve replied, "I saw the green glow of magic as you fell."

"My brother! I knew he could be made to see reason."

Barton was remarkably silent during all of this.

"You okay?" Stark asked as they looked around watching the fire crews and military take over the clean up duty.

"That creature fucked with my head; I hate him. I want to hate him." Barton commented, "But I also know how it felt to be controlled. The voices in my head, they still whisper faintly to me."

"Loki was not himself." Tony pushed, "I saw his eyes change like yours did."

"I know which is why I haven't shot him in the eyeball yet."

"So, is anyone hungry? I'm starving, I saw a little shawarma place a few blocks away. My treat. What even is shawarma?" Tony asked.