Bruce and Tony left the room and were instantly met by Thor's concerned look. He still hadn't slept. He'd held his brother's hand through the night and made sure he was okay.
"His bones are reset. I still need to pop his shoulder back into the socket but he needs to be awake for that." Bruce explained.
It took Thor a moment to properly understand the words. "He needs to be awake? Why? Is this some form of Midgardian torture? I thought you meant to help him!" Thor's anger was frightening.
Bruce shook his head immediately. "He has to be awake so that I can know for sure that it's in. Once it's back into place, it'll feel a lot better. If I do it when he's asleep he won't be able to tell me if it feels better or not."
"Yeah, but do you really think he'll talk to you anyways? Seemed to me like he was pretty out of it." Tony pointed out. For the most part, Tony had been a good sport. After a few daring and terrifying looks from Bruce his snide comments and remarks cut off and he focused his energies on helping Bruce calm the injured God.
Thor sighed. "I am sorry for yelling at you."
Bruce nodded and smiled. "You seem like you could use a rest. Why don't you go lay down? We'll keep an eye on Loki for you." Tony went to protest but was silenced by a jab of Bruce's fingers into his ribs.
Thor bit his lip, something both Tony and Bruce betted some people would pay to see; Thor in such a vulnerable position.
"You'll wake me if he gets upset? If he calls for me?" Thor asked with a childlike stubbornness.
Bruce smiled gently. "Yes. I think for now we should just let him rest. We'll check on him in an hour." Bruce walked down the hallways, leaving Thor and Tony alone.
A question was burning on Tony's mind ever since they touched down in Asgard, and he saw the chance to ask it. "So, was it your father who did," he gestured to the door wildly "all that to him?"
Thor sighed heavily. "Yes. I believe he thought Loki would repent. But after a year, our torturer said there was no progress, and that Loki refused to admit to his wrongs." He ran a hand through his long hair. "I tried to tell father it was useless to keep him there but he was insistent. He thought he was faking memory loss. He wouldn't let me visit him." Tears brimmed in Thor's eyes and for a moment, Tony was sorry he even brought up the subject.
"And why were we able to just walk in and take him, again?" He thought that maybe changing the subject was best.
Thor took a breath, steadying himself. "The All-Father, Odin, doesn't sleep like the rest of the Aesirs. He is constantly awake, and so every hundred years or so, he falls into what is called, the Odin-sleep. When he is asleep, the eldest son or queen is charged as regent king. In this case, it was passed to my mother because of my frequent absence."
Tony nodded. "Think he'll come after us when he wakes up and finds out Loki's gone? I'd at least like to be prepared for when an angry, Norse God-King comes knocking at my door. Or, stemming from your entrances, knocking down my door."
Thor was confused at the reference but answered Tony's question. "I believe he will not. He will be angry at me, but I don't believe he cares for Loki—"Thor stopped himself and shook his head, refusing to complete the sentence. "No. I do not think he will come for him."
With a nod, Tony slapped Thor on the shoulder. "Get some rest; we'll take care of your brother."
Thor nodded, too tired to smile and followed Tony down the hallways to the guest room that he always occupied when he stayed in New York.
Bruce heard the door open just as his head hit the pillow. His room sat just beside Loki's, and no one was supposed to be in there. He had a feeling. It had been a few hours since they arrived at Stark Tower, ample time for the other Avengers to arrive. He got up and quickly calmed himself, before padding out into the hallway and to Loki's door. He listened intently with his ear pressed against the wood, and heard nothing.
Then, a click. Bruce's heart hammered and he knew there was no way he could handle this without going green. He jogged down the hallway to Tony's room, praying he'd make it in time. He threw open the door, receiving a confused look from the undressing Tony.
"What the hell?" Tony asked.
"Someone's in Loki's room." Bruce said, relieved of the pressure as Tony immediately ran out of his room and towards Loki's.
Tony was vaguely aware of Bruce's slower steps behind him as he threw open the door. What met his eyes was shocking.
Natasha was blinking furiously at the broken god, but her gun was attached to her hip. A hand covered her face and her shoulders shook with sobs. Tony stood frozen as she turned around and tried to speak thru the tears. Bruce's gasp forced Tony out of his shock at seeing the seasoned assassin breaking down in front of them.
Bruce had calmed down, he stepped in front of Tony and touched Natasha's shoulder gently. "Come on, it's okay." He gently led her out of the room and shut the door, silently telling Tony that he needed to make sure Loki was alright.
With a sigh of relief, Tony let his shoulders slump and walked over to Loki. He didn't force his eyes up until he was standing right next to the bed and he could hear the god's shallow, weak breathing.
When their eyes met, Loki was blinking up at him, curiosity showing in his eyes replacing the primal fear that had encased them earlier in his rescue.
"She wouldn't kill me." He rasped out, and Tony was shocked to hear his voice after only hearing his pathetic pleas and whimpers.
Tony nodded, understanding. Natasha had a hard time dealing with Clint after Loki's attempt at world domination. Clint's troubles were practically her own, and the level of damage Clint sustained were enough to make him seek help. Night after night she awoke him from nightmares that reduced him to a sobbing and helpless mess. He let his vulnerability bleed thru to only her, and she hated it. Hated what Loki had done to the man she loved and cared for. Hated that she was forced to give up her careless façade and be flustered by his presence. As selfish as it was, she hated him because he forced her to care; and in her line of work, caring is dangerous.
But what Tony didn't understand, was the tears in Loki's eyes. Tears were expected in his predicament, yes, but in this element Tony was confused about their cause.
"No, she won't. None of us will. Not until you're strong enough to fight back, at least." Tony knew his words had turned something back on in Loki, when his lucid expression turned back into the fear that haunted his eyes once again.
"Until I'm healed." He peeped it as more of a question than a statement, but Tony knew he was just repeating it out loud to himself. To make better sense of it.
Tony sighed and felt the unnecessary need to explain himself. So he sat down in the chair next to the bed and waited until Loki had turned his head over in his direction to finish.
"You're safe with us. We're not taking you back to Asgard. As long as you don't threaten to harm us, we won't hurt you." He knew he was quite possibly making a promise he couldn't keep, but placating a terrified soul was too appealing to pass up. Every glance at the terror in his eyes made his heart ache. The desperation he was feeling—he'd felt it too. Maybe not to that extent but, he'd felt it.
Loki swallowed thickly and recognition flitted back into his eyes. "My brother; he'll bring me back. He is loyal to the All-Father."
Tony was shaking his head before his sentence was finished. "Thor saved you from there. Odin's asleep, or comatose or some mythological shit. Thor's not gonna let anyone come for you." Tony wanted badly to cover his softness with sarcasm but he could tell the god needed this; gentle honesty.
Loki didn't reply, just looked down at his sheets and absently twitched his broken fingers.
Tony got up and headed for the door when he heard behind him, "You could kill me."
Tony stopped and stared ahead at the knob of the door.
"Any of you could kill me, and no one would care. I wouldn't be missed. After all I've done to you; to your Earth. Why won't you just kill me?"
Tony turned around and met watery eyes.
"Please?" The plea was torn in half by a shaky voice.
Tony turned back around and exited the room, not trusting himself not to insult or further hurt Loki's will. Comfort was the word secured deeply in his mind. A mechanism he didn't know he had until he was faced with nursing a broken former enemy. He was grateful for this instinct, because without it, he was sure he would have left Loki in that prison cell to rot.