oOo

Chapter 5

Loki groaned as he heard clicking noises and heavy breathing from outside. Loki turned to the side, opening his eyes only to be welcomed by bright lights. He focused on the door.

Was someone finally going to end his misery?

Loki's eyes widened when the door opened and an avenger entered, breathing heavily and slamming the door shut. The man leaned heavily on the door, panting hard and looked as if he ran a marathon. Loki tilted his head, because the said avenger wasn't even paying attention to him.

Was he in the wrong room?

"Shit. Shit!" Tony breathed out, talking to his phone. "That was close. Jarvis, why didn't you warn me there was a patrol right at the corner!? They could have caught me!"

"Apologies, Sir." Jarvis replied. "It seems they switched patrols when you asked me to narrow my search on an easier route."

"You can multi-task Jarvis, why the heck did I build you anyways?"

"Perhaps to stretch your ego, Sir?"

"Oh god, I want to throw you in the trash right now."

Tony looked up to see Loki staring at him.

"Um, hi? This must be weird for you." Tony sheepishly grinned. "Hi? Oh right, forgot about the whole muzzle thing."

Loki was just sitting there, bound hands sitting on his lap while he stared at Tony, unable to express anything on his features but tiredness.

Why was he here?

Loki scrunched his brows together, as if to ask a question.

"You must be wondering why I'm here." Tony laughed.

"Funny you understood that in the first try." Loki glared at him, trying his best to threaten him with his stare.

It was slightly working.

"Whoa reindeer games," Tony raised his hands. "I only have a few minutes, so if you can make this easier for me, that would be nice."

Loki made a noise from the muzzle as Tony walked up closer to him. "I'm just going to take the muzzle off and I'm going to ask you a few questions. It's better me than Thor, okay?" Loki stared at Tony as he tried to undo the muzzle.

It snapped off and Tony immediately backed off by the door.

"Why?" Loki's voice cracked.

"Why not?" Tony smirked, fiddling with the muzzle. "I don't understand how you can take this thing on your mouth. I'd probably have end up loony if they kept me silent for a long period of time."

"What do you want?" Loki glared, breathing hard. "If you want to mock me then be done with it."

"I'm not."

"So your presence here means something else?"

"Honest! Scouts honor! I vow, whatever you guys tell each other." Tony raised a hand. "Seriously, I'm here to ask questions."

"On whose orders?"

"Mine?" Tony bit his lips. "Okay, I'm here on my own."

"Why would you break the rules just to speak to me?"

"Because no one else would." Tony said. "Okay, I'm just going to downright betray a friend here, but Thor said he's planning to give up on you. And I don't want that to happen."

Loki didn't believe him and it caused Tony to roll his eyes and bring out the big guns, meaning have Jarvis show Loki the footage from his phone.

"Take a good look, Reindeer Games." He held his phone for Loki to see.

"Are you really giving up on the notion that he is your brother? Or are you just bitter because he didn't accept your second chance at redemption?"

"Both."

Loki was a little taken back.

"Is that so?" He composed himself quickly. "And I care because?"

"Because he's wrong and he's making a big mistake."

"And you know this to be true?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "We're not exactly friends, Stark."

"And you're not exactly the enemy."

"You're one of the first foolish ones to believe that." Loki snorted. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I read."

"Then your information is most likely false."

"I doubt that because everything I've seen so far is true." Tony smiled. "Listen, Thor said that you know things that he doesn't and I know for a fact that you want your questions answered. So how about we make a deal?"

"Depends on what your deal is." Loki mumbled. "And why? I am your enemy."

"Rain check on that one." He smiled, checking his watch.

"You keep insisting I am not, and you're not severely bothered that you are within a few feet away from me, and even with these hand cuffs I am still capable of strangling you."

"One," He raised a finger. "Because I can name a lot of other things that would easily bother me."

He gave Loki a wink, which the younger god failed to understand.

"And two, Loki, I'm not seriously sure you should be making demands when you're all tied up so kinky and shit." He laughed. "Big daddy has the upper hand over here and I'm way over my head for even talking to you but I guess I am a stubborn ass guy that does what he wants."

"I find you severely annoying."

"And you're cute." Tony smirked, trying to rile him up.

Loki glared.

"Okay, plan: play with fire is going well. Insult Loki and not die is going great." Tony thought. "He's not trying to kill me so far, and that's a good thing."

Loki sat there wanting to murder Tony from where he stood. There in front of him, Tony was nothing more than just a mocking reminder of what he had failed. But Loki was just glad that he found a distraction to keep his wandering mind off the void.

That was good enough for him.

"Look, I only have a few minutes before they find out that I hacked into their system. Make a deal with me."

Loki stared for a while before he answered.

"Go on."

"I'll answer your questions and you answer mine. It's not like you have anything to lose."

"Haven't we been doing that since you first came in?" Loki mocked.

"Sit there and be pretty. Don't care." Tony leaned on the door, looking at his phone. "You must be wondering what the earthquake was on the Helicarrier."

"You assume correctly." Loki nodded. "Will I get my answer?"

"Yeah. We went into a wormhole."

"And I am supposed to believe this?"

"We're not in our own world anymore."

"I find your humor very creative, Stark."

"You're really being annoying." Tony pouted. "Do you want to know what happened to us or not?"

"By all means—"

"In this world, we're just characters from a story book, a movie, a film, something to watch." Tony explained and showed Loki his phone. "Just take it and take a good long look at the truth and see if I'm really lying."

Loki obliged.

Loki saw pictures of this world, and swiped to show more pictures and stories.

Loki kept his eyes glued to Tony's phone, unable to contain his shocked expression; he lets out a soft grunt. Loki tried to understand what he was seeing but his mind was too distant to try.

"See, we're actors and the people here act our story." Tony chuckled. "And you thought I was joking."

"This means to comfort me?" Loki shook his head.

"Did you really have kids?"

"Pardon?" Loki flinched at the sudden question. "What kind of a ridiculous question is that?"

"Nothing." Tony just gave him a look.

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, there are just some stories of you birthing creatures, like that 8-legged horse or the sea serpent." Tony grinned, waiting for a reaction, which Loki only shrugged off coldly, much to Tony's disappointment.

"No. Sleipnir was a gift."

Loki kept looking, and before Tony could reply, he interrupted.

"And who is this?"

"That's your counterpart and they love him, and also you. And they wouldn't have fallen for him if it weren't for your heartfelt story, something that half of this world or maybe even the whole world understands and can relate. I don't know. I may just be being biased here."

"This is impossible." Loki mumbled, looking up.

"We don't exist here, Reindeer games." Tony blabbed and pointed at his phone. "Keep looking."

"I do not wish to delve any further."

Loki tried to hand Tony the phone back, but the inventor refused.

"We're just a story to people, an entertainment, but they could relate."

"Stark, I'm ordering you to stop." Loki growled, but Tony ignored him.

"You however, you're legend here. I'm not giving you any ideas, but I'm just saying that the people here understand you. You may not exist but your story does and these people care about you. They can actually sympathize with your story, your life, your magic and—"

"Why are you telling me this?" Loki blurted out.

Tony paused for a moment, wondering why he was telling Loki this. He thought a good and short answer that might convince Loki that he was only trying to be the good guy here.

"Because I thought you deserved to know and because I needed answers."

"Why?"

"Because there's no reason to keep you in the dark."

"I— don't understand." Loki almost choked.

Tony could see Loki looking a little lost and he wanted nothing more than to prove that he could do something good for the team, even if it meant being the lone wolf.

"Just because." Tony sighed, shrugging. "We need help, on how to get back."

"What makes you think I know?" Loki handed the phone back, which Tony accepted.

"Because your brother said so."

"Thor is a fool." Loki scoffed. "An idiot and a good for nothing—"

"Look, do you know how to get back or not?"

"I am your prisoner, what makes you think I can judge from here in this tiny cell?" Loki stated.

"Good point. So that's a no." Tony thought harder. "Maybe if I asked them to let you out, convince them—"

"Why are you here exactly?" Loki wondered, tilting his head.

"What do you mean?"

"It is not to tell me of this strange event, is it? It is something else. Something to appease a desire, it is to prove something."

"You're a sneaky bastard, do you know that?" Tony shook his head when Loki smirked. It's Tony's turn to bring out the big questions, by big he meant utterly random. "How old are you?"

"Pardon?" Loki blinked.

"I didn't stutter. And I managed to throw you off your game."

"Why is my age important to you?"

"Humor me."

"One thousand and forty eight." Loki mumbled.

"You live for five thousand, right?" Tony estimated in his head. "So that probably makes you—"

"How did you come to that information?" Loki stared at him but Tony ignored him. "Was it that stupid oaf, who calls himself my brother, the one who told you?"

"Oh god, you're a teenager." Tony blinked at him.

"No."

"No, you can't mistake my math skills."

"I am not a child."

"Teenager! There's a difference. You're young! YOUNG! Oh man, I'm older than you. Older… that's… ughh."

"Would you be serious for once, Stark!?"

"But you're so young that it makes me feel horrible for trying to—"

"No I am not—"

"On earth you're approximately 17 or 18 years old. But don't get me wrong, I know you don't act that way because you've lived for a thousand years but shit, you're young in Asgard's standard."

"And this is relevant why?" Loki hissed.

"Because I know what happened." Tony blurted out. "And this changes everything, Loki. This changes a whole lot of things!"

"I am your enemy, how could you possibly think any different than that?"

"Because it wasn't all of you, was it? You lacked conviction. You lacked the determination to put us down. It's all a game to you, just like me, trying to prove something."

"What are you talking about, Stark?"

"I know what happened after you fell off the bifrost. I know why you attacked Earth, and if I'm right then you—"

"How did you?" Loki's eyes widened and Tony knew he hit a nerve.

"Loki, listen to me…"

"How could you possibly know?!" Loki stood up in anger.

"I told you remember, this world has everything about us!"

"You think me a fool!" Loki pushed Stark as hard as he could, but ended up as just simple shove. Tony realized that Loki was more injured than he thought and the theories and facts in this world were plausible.

"What makes you think you know me?" Loki kicked Tony and he hit the wall.

"Loki easy— trust me okay?" Tony raised his hands.

"Trust you?! You wish for me to trust you!? After such a treatment!" Loki felt water sting his eyes as he tried to kill Tony. "I do not even know you! I DO NOT KNOW YOU!"

"I'm trying to help here! If we could just—"

"Help? Not even Thor can help me! My own brother! MY BROTHER!"

"Listen to me Loki, I know what happened okay, just hear me out!"

"What do you know, Stark!?" Loki breathed, wanting his blood spilt. "You are just like them!"

Just when Loki was about to strangle Tony, and Tony was about to have a panic attack, the door opened.

Natasha kicked Loki by the bed and activated the device on Loki's wrist and it electrocuted him. He fell to his knees, clutching the sheets of the bed, hissing in pain. Clint was armed, and he pulled Tony out of the door.

"Tasha." He gestured.

She stopped the device and Loki could only look up, anger in his eyes, staring at Tony, who was standing outside looking as disappointed as he was. Clint pushed Tony to the wall of the hallway as Natasha locked the door and left Loki in there.

"Are you insane?" Clint glared.

"Let me do it." Natasha punched Tony on the face and let him drop on the floor.

"Ow! Did you have to—?" Tony covered his split lip.

"If we hadn't gotten in there in time, you'd be dead." Natasha hissed. "If we hadn't found out that you looped the video feed then you would be a goner. What would we tell Pepper, Colonel Rhodes, or Happy?"

"Sorry. I had a brilliant falling out." Tony coughed.

"Why did you decide to waltz in there and question him?" Clint asked.

"I thought I could try and do something for the team!"

"And prove to Steve that you're an idiot and you don't follow the rules?" Natasha pulled him to his feet.

"It was worth a try." Tony wiped the blood off his chin.

"A try to get yourself killed." She scoffed. "He was about to strangle you. Kill you slowly."

"Fine, I didn't have a full proof plan." Tony sighed. "I thought he'd be happy that I informed him of the truth. Too bad he wanted to kill me instead after our little deal. I made a mistake."

"A stupid one." Clint chuckled.

"So did you tell everyone about this? Am I to be locked up too?"

"Not unless you give us another reason to do so." Natasha glared.

"That's reassuring."

"Only Fury, Hill and the two of us know." She sighed. "We decided not to tell anyone else. Not yet. We figured there had to be a reason for your visit. You don't act without one, and we know you're not drunk."

"What was so important that you had to break the rules and talk to him?" Clint wanted to punch him, but Tony was already injured.

"Loki's guilty, but he's also innocent." Tony blurted out.

Natasha and Clint looked at each other in the eye and sighed. Tony figured it out in an instant. Those two must have encountered the same information he did about Loki and figured that taking a look at the feeds would help, only to have his plan foiled.

"I guess we're on the same topic." Tony sighed. "Did you have to electrocute him?"

"Get back to your room before we make you." Natasha ignored his comment. "You have a lot of explaining to do in the morning."

oOo

Inside the cell, Loki was breathing hard and heavy. He retreated to a corner of the room, by the left of the door. He tried to compose himself and tried to think properly. They were trapped in another world, a world where they didn't exist as themselves.

"Enjoying yourself, supposed King?"

Loki closed his eyes, dropped his head on his knees and tried to drown the thoughts. He would not be played a fool, he won't.

"No." Loki answered.

This time, being honest.

oOo

TBC

Please review and tell me what you think.