This is a short one, but I think you guys won't mind too much.
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I don't own the Avengers or any characters there.
Trigger warning: abuse, torture
This story does not involve smut in any way, shape or form. It's only a little slashy at that, so if you want that, you'll need to go elsewhere. This takes place after the Avengers movie.
This entire story is already completed and edited. We have 2 more updates left. :) Remember we have two more updates left! This isn't the end. :)
Chapter 7
"Why the fuck has no one told me Loki's back? Whose bright idea was this? He's at Central Park on a sunny afternoon, get your asses there yesterday." Fury barked over the comm.
"Working on it," Tony says, racing past them all, suited up, Thor already following him.
Clint grabs his bow, hops onto the helicarrier. Bruce follows shortly, just a pair of pants on. Apparently he had Hulked out, but Baldr had managed to pin him down. Clint still couldn't hear very well, everything coming through layers of cotton like a bomb went off next to him (and maybe it had, as he saw the city). Steve's suited up and hops in with Natasha and they're off.
It's utter chaos. There are places where the ground is tearing itself apart, whirpools of asphalt and concrete, buildings collapsing. There's another small earthquake, making buildings that are still standing waver. The sky is a horrible blood red colour.
At least there's no Chitauri to deal with, just one incredibly pissed off Loki.
Bruce jumps off first, transforming on the way down, and Steve follows. Natasha looks at Clint for a moment, and Clint yells to the pilot to get him a clear shot at Loki. He can hear the screeching of animals in the zoo, trying to escape. Baldr is there, batting away and dodging the green fire that Loki flings at him.
"I will pin down Baldr," Thor tells them, his voice brooking no argument. "Get my brother."
"Rodger rodger," Tony says, but when he gets within Loki's vision he has to bank hard to avoid a fire ball spared for him. Loki screams when Baldr disappears again, reaching down and shoving his hands into the ground. All around the ground begins to roil, and a wall managing to slow Hulk down just long enough that Loki's gone by the time he gets there.
Clint can see the others trying to figure out how to even get close. The ground is literally ripping itself apart where Loki goes, and he remembers a story about how Loki is the source of earthquakes in the quiet part of his brain that's lining up the shot. Tony shoots a blast at him, and it knocks Loki over. Baldr vanishes, reappears, and Loki comes out of a tumble, already moving towards where Baldr is now.
"He's leading him into the city," Clint says, voice calm despite the fact they need to stop this now. Another small earthquakes shudders throughout the area.
"Drive him towards Hulk."
"Get him in the clearing and I can get him. Give me a clear shot."
"Change of plan. You heard him."
"What are you doing Clint? You saw what Iron Man's shot did. It didn't even phase him." Natasha is staring at him.
"Giving him a chance. I've knocked him over like this before, when the Chitauri were invading." He pulls an arrow out, lines it up. Explosive charge-it clearly isn't going to hurt Loki, but it had knocked him on his ass before.
"Thor, get Baldr. Drive him towards the clearing."
Thor nods, the only indicator he's even listening to them. Baldr moves to vanish again and Thor steps in and slams into him with Mjolnir, lightning sparking everywhere. Baldr tries to move around, clearly realizing what Thor is doing, but toe-to-toe, all restraints of not accidentally harming his teammates and pent-up anger combined, the god of the thunder is clearly the better fighter.
Loki, on the other hand, requires constant herding to keep him from getting to Baldr before they have him set up, and it's terrifying to watch him in motion. Captain America is having to put everything he has into each blow, and use his shield to keep from becoming puree. Hulk never even manages to get close enough to grab him or hit him, and Tony's managing to at least get him to dodge even if Loki doesn't pay attention.
Clint draws the string back to his cheek, watching.
"Incoming," he says, letting go.
Loki moves the way he expected at the sudden opening-small miracles. He catches the arrow, is throwing it aside when it explodes, creating a small blast that sends him onto his back. Thor stops playing with Baldr and smashes him in his all-too kind face, pinning him with Mjolnir. He starts to move towards his brother.
The sky loses a little of its red, and the ground stops shuddering. As the dust clears, Loki is starting to sit up again, looking confused, and a bit in pain. His skin is burned but already rippling and healing. He shakes his head, as if trying to clear it, and sees Baldr pinned underneath Thor's hammer.
Clint hits the ground running, feeling his ankles and knees creak a bit and hopes none of them give out. The others are starting to move in but Loki doesn't see them. He's trying to get his equilibrium back, trying to stand up, that rage starting to build up again, the sky darkening and animals shrieking.
"Loki!" he yells, nearly falling as the ground suddenly begins to shudder again. He hops over the lip of the crater from the explosion. Small miracles, that little earthquake had knocked Loki over again, and he's sitting on his ass blinking.
"Loki," he says, and stops in front of him, breathless and gasping. "Look at me, Loki. Fuck. You don't do small tantrums. Fuck." He gasps some more, but Loki hasn't moved to get up, those green eyes staring at Clint.
Clint holds a hand out. "Enough, Loki. It's ok. It's going to be ok. He can't control you anymore. Enough."
Loki just stares at him for a few minutes. The others are close enough they can hear-provided Loki's shrieking hadn't rendered anyone deaf, and Clint wouldn't be surprised if it had. Clint doesn't look away from that gaze, doesn't shiver even though he kind of wants to.
"Enough, Loki," he says again, voice just barely above a whisper.
Loki takes his hand.