Loki sat in his little room, unnecessary shackles around his wrists. He slumped against the wall, his eyes tracing the patterns of a fly above me. He wanted to sleep, seeing as though Fury had relentlessly drilled him for answers since he'd "peacefully agreed" to tell them everything. But even gods have their limits, Loki thought to himself as the fly landed on the wall adjacent to him. He tried not to think about the reason he was here, the reason his voice was now hoarse from overuse, and the reason he'd actually had to sit in a freezing room because of his lack of energy.

Despite telling himself he wouldn't, though, he began to think about Tony.

How he betrayed him.

How he must have hated him.

How Loki actually thought he'd been in love.

How foolish, Loki thought, the room turning colder with his mood. How foolish of me to fall in love with such a lowly, lecherous creature.

Yet, his heart hurt every single time Tony's name was mentioned, inside and out. He missed the inventor badly, wanted to kick him before showering him with kisses. He wanted to be held in the man's warm embrace. He missed that.

He'd never admit aloud that he missed Tony.

He also very much missed Lokitty.

Loki slumped lower, being both emotionally and physically worn, his eyes shuddering shut. The cold enveloped him, and dreamless he slept.

Tony was awakened with a start as Lokitty dragged his tiny claws across Tony's face. "Aaaah?!" He pushed the cat away, amazed by how big he was getting, and rubbed his face sleepily.

"You have a guest, sir."

"A' the door?"

"No, in the sauna."

"Shut up, JARVIS. Tell 'em I'm busy."

"He refuses to leave, sir."

Tony groaned loudly, standing up with a forced -but well needed- stretch. "Why don't people leave me alone? I join the geek squad, and now I'm suddenly pelted by visitors who 'refuse to leave, sir'." He mimicked JARVIS's voice, scratching his head. He was still in the clothes from yesterday, and he was too lazy to change anything at the moment.

"Send 'em in, I guess," Tony said, fixing himself a drink. His mouth tasted gross and he'd needed a nice, refreshing glass of wa-

"Hey, Stark."

"Steve? What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing." The blond looked at him, concerned. "Also, because director Fury said-"

"Ah, ah, ah. No speaking of that name in my place, Cap. Don't wanna talk about him."

"Fair enough. Why did you turn Loki in? Not that I mind, because I don't. He's dangerous."

"He is not." Tony shot a glare at Steve, who recoiled. "Not anymore, at least." Tony held a glass under a faucet, running the water and filling it up. He took a swig and let out a satisfied sigh. The taste wasn't going anywhere, but the dryness in his throat was momentarily gone.

Steve was surprised to see how fast Tony stuck up for the old villain. "Do you miss his company?"

"If I didn't I would have thrown the goddamned cat out the goddamned window."

"Is that Loki's cat?"

"Yeah." He smiled at the kitty, and scratched behind his ears. "Lokitty."

"Did you name him that?"

"No, Lo..." He seized up at the god's name. He looked down, his neck burning in shame. "I can't... I can't believe I did that to him. He looked so pissed at me."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you sooner or la-"

"Does Loki look to you like someone who'd easily forgive someone? Are you really, really sure?"

Steve was taken aback at that, and he looked away, turning. "You're right, Stark. I'll leave you to your wallowing then. If you ever want to see your pet god, you know where to go."

Tony just stared into his glass, his eyes misting up. Steve left, but he didn't notice. Lokitty mewed to be fed, but he didn't notice. What had he done?

Why didn't he just treat the god as he did everyone else?

Why did he still have these feelings for Loki?

Eventually, Tony did feed Lokitty, and held the cat in his lap while his eyes played visions of him and Loki every time he blinked. One would be the time in the garage, another, the staring contests, and the sweet kisses that always seemed to send cold shivers down his spine. He looked to his hands and imagined the god's blue ones in his, the little comments about the warmth, and the way Loki'd never quite closed his eyes all the way when Tony'd trace the patterns on the backs of Loki's hands.

Lokitty mewed up to him, a sad little sound, as if to ask where Loki was.

Tony smiled to the cat and petted his head. "He'll be home, he'll always be back."

He felt that, in trying to assure the at of Loki's return, he was desperately trying to convince himself that what he said was true.

Loki started awake at the knocking at his little prison door. A voice asked for permission, and Loki said nothing. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? An agent opened the door, one of the faceless people he'd not bothered with speaking to. "Mr Loki. Director Fury needs to speak to you."

Loki stood, wordless, and followed after the agent took off his shackles. He gave his fists a flex, rolled his wrists twice, and nodded ever so slightly at those who acknowledged him. The agents seemed to have gotten used to having a Joutun in their capture, even after a few hours. Well, all except for one, a woman, who'd stare at him as if he'd spread the black plague by breathing.

At her, he smiled.

They arrived at Fury's office, and Loki stepped in, almost cautious.

"Finally," Nick Fury said with a grunt. "took ya long enough. You can leave now," he indicated to the agent who was unsure of leaving a frosty blue man with the director. Loki turned to the agent and twisted a smile onto his lips.

"Worry not, I will not kill your precious leader. Or freeze him, for that matter."

The agent nodded, and then left, shutting the door behind him.

"Do you know why my people listen to you now, more than me?"

"I suspect it is because I am blue and intimidating. Perhaps I scare them?"

"No, not at all." Fury smiled at him, and Loki's face turned into a grimace of annoyance.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what you find funny, either?"

"No, I just love seeing how hopeless you look here."

"Whatever. Tell me what you want from me, so that I may leave." Loki stared at Fury, as if trying to get an answer from him.

"Well, we need to know the exact reason you came for the tesseract. And for Earth."

"I told you. The tesseract could be used for travel through the realms, and for the leader of the Chitauri, Thanos, who if I might add, is not a Chitauri himself."

"So your reasons for wanting to take over was because some other dude told you to?" Fury asked, leaning forward. Loki snorted.

"I never said that. No, the sceptre I held was controlling me like how I controlled those whom I touched with it. Remember when your 'Hulk' grabbed it? It changed him, did it not?"

"Yeah. So you were under the possession of your little stick?"

"In a ways, yes."

"Uh-huh." Fury mulled this over a bit, and Loki looked around, trying to keep boredom -And Tony- from creeping into his mind.

"So then what about your boy Thanos? Do you have any way of communicating with him?"

Loki blinked, his attention suddenly very much on Fury. Had Tony told him about the dreams, too? When he'd cried, scared for both Tony and himself, Loki didn't think to tell Tony not to tell anyone about it, he merely assumed. His assumptions were getting on his nerves now. Finally, after deciding he'd go ahead and despise Anthony Stark for the rest of his free days, he spoke.

"Only some times, when the leader is generous enough to gift me with his presence," Loki said sarcastically. "And only when I dream will he have a conversation."

"Well then I suggest you get to sleeping, 'cause something tells me he's gonna come back, with friends."

"If you mean the Chitauri, then I assure you, all of them have been wiped out."

"I'm not talking about the Chitauri." And then Fury began to explain to Loki about the villain Steve had told them about, how he'd disappeared from the contact to the tesseract. After a few minutes of Loki thinking, Fury asked him, "Do you think it's possible?"

"It might be. They may be working together, and if so..." He let his orange eyes bore into Fury's one. "Then I was naught but a distraction." He crossed his arms, now wondering about Thanos's strange agreement to his offer. "I will try and speak to him, if that is what you wish. I could tell him I'm infiltrating your base for him to move in."

"Do you believe you have enough lies up your sleeve to pull that off?"

"Maybe not lies," Loki said, a grin forming. "But enough rage and hatred to make it look real enough."

Oooooh man. OhmanohmanohmanohMAN what am I doing? Jesus, HI PLOT. Great, hmm? Reviews, critiques, anything will make this story THAT much better!