For many of those who had asked..
"The Unforgiving"
It's the same timeline after Two Worlds of a Hero, but not exactly the sequel.
It's a different story, but follows after TWH.
oOo
Chapter 26 – It comes with a Price
Loki curled up on the bed, shivering. He could feel someone watching him in the corner of the room. He was too sick to try and turn his head to make out what was happening. His whole body felt so warm compared to his normal temperature that it was becoming too unbearable for him.
And to make matters worse, he was alone.
Tony was elsewhere, buying him food. Loki had heard Tony shout something about making repairs to his suit while looking for a good morning meal. Loki didn't stop him.
He was too tired to even try.
Tony however, was having the worst time of his life. He hated being in disguise. He wasn't exactly in disguise per say, but he was wearing a hood and sunglasses and Tony had to keep his head down just to hide his goatee. He was so glad that he took out the ear piece on the suit just so he could stick it up his ear and hear Jarvis without making an effort.
"Burgers are a no, right?" Tony said. "That's not a healthy morning meal."
"It's not advisable, Sir."
"I figured that out, thanks."
"Might I suggest vegetables?" Jarvis said through the com.
"Ew," He shrugged. "Well, I can't buy home cooked meals 'cause I can't cook. And it's a freaking hotel. They don't have ovens or toasters and whatever you use for cooking."
"What about take out, Sir?"
"I guess it beats my cooking any day." Tony said. "I hope Loki likes Italian."
He decided to go to the nearest Italian restaurant and ordered some fine take out. Sure, it put a small dent on the money he had, but Tony was good in math. He had it all numbered down inside his head. When he finished, he immediately went to the hardware store and started picking out some materials.
He even pushed a cart for his things.
"Mechanic." Tony laughed, remembering his Iron Man movie. "It's hilarious how fate works."
"Sir, you might wish to speed up your shopping."
"Yeah yeah." He grunted. "I need bolts, screws, screwdriver, hammer, welding, ugh. This costs so much."
"Now you know how Miss. Potts feels."
"Don't mock me, Jarvis."
"Do not forget wires and a few circuit boards, Sir. You may want to fix the communication."
"What do I do without you?" Tony laughed.
He finished buying everything he could and was ready to head back to the hotel. He wanted to take the cab, but decided against it. It would cost way too much to take one, and Tony figured he needed the exercise anyway. So… walking it is.
"I knew this was too good to be true." Tony grimaced. "Hey Jarv, any luck?"
"With the connection, Sir?" Jarvis asked. "Allow me a few more minutes to bypass it further."
"Still no luck with my phone, huh?"
"I'm afraid so. Mr. Loki has indeed damaged even that."
"Speaking of Loki how is he?" Tony asked, trying to balance the bags on his hands.
"Still with a fever, Sir."
"Are you there with him in the room or are you just monitoring him through the suit in the living room?"
"Through the suit, Sir."
"Okay, just keep monitoring him. I'll be back. I might need to stop at a drug store and buy a few pills to keep his fever down. Maybe later tonight, we can contact everyone on the Helicarrier to ask about Project 48. I'm sure someone is bound to give us info to help Loki."
"That would be wise."
"Yep."
Suddenly, Tony saw a Captain America: Winter Soldier DVD by the window of a small comic shop. There was also a posted of the New York Comic Con event for tomorrow. Tony eyed it furiously, and decided if he should go or something. Maybe he would buy a DVD too, but Tony merely shrugged.
Waste of money, Tony thought.
oOo
"Any luck?" Tucker asked.
The Other woke to where he stood at the corner. He was trying to locate Loki, and with much luck, he found him. Tucker was leaning on the opposite side of the wall, glaring at the Other, hoping for a little adventure.
"There is luck."
"He alone?"
"Most definitely."
"Great, what else can you tell me that's useful?"
"His mind is a mess." The Other hissed. "Our connection allows me to haunt the shadows in his head, yet it prevents me to attack him. This drug you gave him is working, and he is in ruins."
"That makes him an easy target." Tucker smirked.
"In broad daylight, you will attack him?"
"He's hiding somewhere people won't find him, right?"
"You would do this now?" The Other paced. "Make him suffer? Claim him as your own?"
"At least he won't fight me off."
"Such a troubled creature you are."
"Where is he?"
"So desperate as well."
"You want the tesseract, don't you?" Tucker mocked. "You want to be praised by your master. You want to give the tesseract and Loki to him and I am helping you. Be thankful."
"I can kill you easily and find another to help you."
"In this world?"
"There are plenty." The Other hesitantly said. "But you would do for now."
"Shield is searching for us, and I took down everything I could so they won't find us. I just have to lay low for a while, try not to draw attention to the security cameras all over New York. Besides, we don't know where the tesseract is yet."
"Oh believe me, I have an idea."
"I'm gonna pay Loki a visit." Tucker grinned devilishly. "Tell me where he is."
The Other gave him the place.
oOo
Punch.
Clint hated being lied to.
Kick.
He hated people who don't have any remorse or any value for the people they've shared their life with. He hated not being able to do anything and be labeled as weak for a simple mistake. Clint couldn't handle being on the receiving end when it comes to being punished.
Plop.
There's no God in the criminal world.
But he prayed for her safety.
Drip.
Because Natasha wasn't just his partner.
Knock. Knock.
Steve stood at the interrogation door, and heard a scream of agony pierce through his ears. Steve palmed his face and opened the door without any permission. He saw Clint standing there, pale looking and a bit sweaty. Cordell was on the ground, his face swollen, blood dribbled down his chin, his hands tied behind his back while he was on the ground, curled up in a ball.
"What?" Clint wiped his brow.
"You," Steve gestured. "And him."
"Hill told me they authorized it." Clint breathed. "They agree they needed me. Bastard wouldn't talk to anyone else, I figured I could break it out of him."
"No luck?"
"Oh, he told me everything."
"He did?" Steve said with concern. "When?"
"An hour and a half ago."
"And you're still here?"
"Needed to let off some steam," Clint breathed. "But I'm done. He ain't worth shit anymore."
"Your leg's injured." Steve pointed out. "And you're blowing off steam?"
"I'm fine," He winced. "It doesn't hurt much anyway."
Numb.
Clint felt numb.
"Out." Steve ordered. "Now."
Clint turned to Cordell, who was cowering where he lay. Clint heartlessly walked over to him and knelt down, whispering a few words to him before he stood up and walked past Steve out the door. Steve palmed his face in frustration, unable to control Clint's anger. He decided that Cordell's little issue with Clint wasn't their problem at the moment.
He closed the door and started walking with Clint.
"Why did you pull me out?" Clint asked.
"Fury wants a word with us."
"Can't it wait?"
"What for?" Steve grimaced. "You can't brutally torture someone like that. He gave you the information already, so you should've stopped."
"I was trying to pry out more secrets about Hydra." Clint told him half the truth. "Turns out, he knows nothing but what he's given. Just hail hydra, and it's nothing personal. Just that."
"Well, what's the information he gave you?" Steve wondered.
"Later," He replied. "Any word from Stark or Loki?"
"None."
"What about Nat?"
Steve heard the sound of Clint's voice cracking, but chose to ignore it. They must have been through a lot for Clint to care so much like that. Steve saw the necklace that Natasha had. It was an arrow. It could mean a lot of things, but Steve figured it had something to do with Clint.
"She's still stable."
"She's in a coma, isn't she?" Clint deduced.
"Not that I know of." Steve breathed. "They're working on it."
"Where's Thor?"
They needed the change of topic before everything spiraled down to being emotional and overbearing. Clint hated being mushy, and he sure as hell didn't want to be mushy in front of Steve.
"Thor's talking to Fury." Steve palmed his face. "We're trying to convince him about a certain idea of ours. Hill gave you the run down, didn't she?"
"Yeah," Clint shrugged. "Something about Loki leaving the room, forced by the Other. My guess, Loki's conscience got the better of him. And for the worst too."
"That's one way to put it."
"What about you? You're not just here to call me, are you?"
"I need to convince Fury to get us down there." Steve sighed. "I tried and—"
"You need my help." Clint sighed loudly. "What did he say?"
"Same as you said," Steve smiled sadly. "It ain't worth shit."
oOo
"I think I found Stark." Tucker mumbled in an annoyed manner. "He's not lying low as I thought. And who would've thought we'd actually cross paths so soon."
Tony crossed the street patiently, and came across the same people he did earlier. Tony stopped in front of them, and went to get another flyer. He threw away the first one without even reading it and Tony figured it might be worth something to go to the Comic Con. Tony tried to sweet talk those people, and it was working wonders.
Tucker, who was wearing a hood, was a bit pissed.
"The hell is he doing?" He huffed.
He tried to stay calm and try to not risk looking like a maniac, but Tucker was a bit freaked out. Stark had the ability to kill him with that suit, but without it, he was nothing compared to Tucker. So Tucker took it like a man and pretended to belong with the crowd.
"What are you waiting for?" The Other whispered in Tucker's mind. "Get the child!"
"Can't get near him." Tucker thought. "Stark is here, and he probably left the suit with Loki."
"Find another way."
"Shit," He openly cursed.
Tucker tried not to murderously glare at Tony when he walked past him. Tucker picked up a nearby newspaper from the stand on the street and pretended to read it. Tony walked into the hotel with the things he needed and when Tony was a little far, Tucker walked inside the hotel.
"You're wasting time, Mortal!"
"Hold on."
Tucker watched as Tony got on the elevator alone, so he ran up and blocked the door. He muttered a high pitched 'sorry' to Tony and allowed the door to close with just the two of them alone inside the elevator. Tony swayed back and forth on the balls of his heels. He awkwardly glanced at Tucker, who stayed perfectly still. When Tucker was being a little bit suspicious, he started whistling.
Tony stayed silent, and Tucker noticed the tenseness on Tony's muscles.
"You on the same floor, pal?" Tony asked without a second thought.
"Mhmmhm…" Tucker shrugged.
24th floor, he memorized.
When Tony took a right down the hall, Tucker took left. There was an audible sigh from Tony, signaling that the man had no idea who he was. Before Tony could lock the door, Tucker spun silently, watching where Tony had gone through.
Room 249.
How convenient.
"Having fun with your little adventure, Mortal?"
"Remind me again why I'm listening to you?" Tucker mocked. "Be thankful that I found out what room and floor they were in. Your idea of an address was fucking vague, do you know that?"
"Just finish the job."
"I have a plan."
He punched the elevator button to the ground floor and exited the building. Tucker immediately went to the group who were giving out flyers. They held one out for him, which he took with a convenient grin on his face.
"Comic Con." Tucker smirked.
"Yeah!" Angie said. "It's Marvel's day tomorrow, and they're going to promote stuff."
"Yeah, I'm a fan." He laughed.
"Cool." Pike chuckled. "They're probably going to reveal footage of the movie. Tomorrow's opening day, so people will be lining up for questions."
"Sad that Loki won't be there," Angie giggled. "Tom's a great actor, and ladies love a good bad guy."
"Guys love bad girls too." Bill laughed. "Like Natasha for example."
"She's not evil." Pike said dryly.
"But she's hot."
"Boys." Angie warned. "Anyways, Sir, there's an admission fee tomorrow in the front. Not hard to miss."
"Who will be there?" Tucker said, trying to be polite.
"Jeremiah, Rob Devan, Sharlotte, Chris and Evans, Russo, a few new Avengers." She replied. "I'm pretty sure Sam J. will be there too. Producers and directors most likely."
"8 am huh?" Tucker laughed. "Pretty early. Thanks for the flyer."
"Whoa, nice Shield outfit." Pike pointed out. "You should lose the jacket though, you can't see the logo much."
"Nah, I'm more of a Hydra guy." Tucker grinned.
"Oh Hydra in a Shield Agent disguise," Bill approved. "A lot of people will be cosplaying that."
"Hail Hydra, good Sir." Angie winked.
"Hail Hydra." Tucker nodded and began to walk away.
He felt like a geek.
Or worse…
A Nerd.
When he left, he cursed silently and began to glare at the stupid flyer.
"Damn assholes." Tucker breathed. "These people are crazy."
"What do you expect, Mortal? They believe themselves to be our creators. Such is another world, do not be fooled by their common knowledge and our fame."
"This place is a gold mine." He thought.
"What knowledge did you gain by speaking to those insolent children?"
"Information," Tucker smirked under his hood. "Stark's planning to go to that event. I dunno about Loki, but it's a good strategy to meet up with the other Avengers. It's the perfect opportunity."
"You will go there?"
"Hell yeah." Tucker licked his lips. "Besides, Stark can't keep Snow-flake for himself."
oOo
Loki fisted the sheets when he heard the door open. Tony was back home, or if you would call it a home. Loki heard some paper back being crumpled from outside the room, and Loki decided to call it quits in staying in bed. He gently pushed himself up from the bed and was half way by the door.
He felt his chest burn.
Loki slumped forward and eyed the moving floor underneath him. The world wouldn't stop spinning around him, and he felt like he wanted to throw up. Suddenly, he found himself standing perfectly still, with an arm looped around his waist.
He looked up to meet brown eyes.
"Okay, you shouldn't be standing up." Tony said, pushing Loki to sit back on the bed.
"Sorry."
"I'm sorry too. I knew I shouldn't have left you alone."
"Doesn't matter."
"Jarvis was with you."
"Hmm…" Loki dismissed him.
"Ugh… so…" Tony awkwardly stood there. " How are you feeling?"
"Hungry." Loki mumbled.
"Oh, right!"
Loki winced at Tony's voice.
"Yeah, I have food." Tony patted Loki's head. "I should probably feed you right now."
"Stop that," Loki pushed his hand away.
"Just stay still and stop moving. I just got back, okay? And damn it, your fever looks like it went up a notch." Tony patted Loki's shoulder gently. "Stay still, I'll be right back."
Loki watched as Tony came back with some food and water.
Tony placed it on the night stand and pulled it forward so Loki could use it as a table. Loki ate the food slowly, trying to get used to the idea eating. Tony didn't say anything. He just sat opposite Loki on the floor, staring at him. Of course, Tony ate at the same time Loki did and when they both were finished, Tony cleaned up for the both of them.
Loki sat on the bed with his knees to his chest.
Tony came back with a glass of water and some pills.
"Here," Tony gave him two.
"Why?"
"It's for the fever."
Loki took it hesitantly and eyed it for a few seconds before deciding that it wasn't as worse as what happened to him yesterday. Loki swallowed it, drank the water and handed it back to Tony. Tony watched as Loki mumbled incoherently. Tony really didn't like what was happening to the young god. He cupped Loki's face and noticed the warmth of Loki's skin.
Loki's eyes were blown wide as well.
The green hue in his eyes was blocked by his blown pupil.
"Um, maybe you should take a cold shower." Tony said.
"That seems wise." Loki mumbled.
oOo
"For the last time, I can't let you go there." Fury said. "What's your plan exactly? Drop there, find Stark and what? Reveal to everyone on Earth that they have counterparts in another universe? It'll upset the balance of reality!"
"Fury's right," Hill agreed. "It's not a good idea."
"And what about Loki?" Steve said. "We can't just let him die."
"We can't let Romanov die either." Fury said. "You already know about Coulson. We saved that special drug for the Avengers. T.A.H.I.T.I. But we don't have the supplies on board."
"What do we do then?" Thor asked. "There must be a way."
"Like what?" He replied. "If I let you go to Earth to retrieve your brother and Stark, what will you do but cause a scene?"
Thor opened his mouth to talk, but sighed loudly instead.
"There has to be another way," Steve grimaced. "We need them back here. Both of them."
"Even if we do, what's the point?"
"Tony could help with the cure. He and Banner are smart enough."
"Even so, we don't know where the tesseract is, Rogers." Fury scowled.
"And what makes us think that Cordell is telling the truth?" Hill spoke up.
"He said he saw the video feed before they completely erased and changed it." Clint piped up. "Loki left the infirmary room and transported directly outside the room where you have the tesseract locked up."
"What if the Other has it?" Thor said hesitantly, despite his idea.
"They would have been long gone by now." Steve said.
"Nay," Thor shook his head. "They wanted Loki."
"Maybe they're waiting." Clint shrugged. "I highly doubt it. Cordell said they didn't have the tesseract. Before they could get, it was already gone."
"Who could have taken it?" Steve wondered.
"I know who." Thor said grimly.
"I hope you know what you're talking about Thor." Fury glared at all of them.
oOo
Tony waited just outside of the shower curtain while Loki took a bath in the nicely rectangular made tub big enough for two people. Tony didn't want Loki to drown and risk the wrath of his godly brother, so he stayed, giving Loki the privacy he needed. Loki silently sat in the water, hugging his knees to his chest.
The water was freezing for Tony, but it was normal for Loki.
Loki felt slightly better, but it didn't stop him from feeling a bit depressed. Loki continued to stare at his hand while the other hand hugged his knees in place.
"Look at you," Loki told himself. "So hideous."
It was blue.
His whole body made the water even colder and it made Loki hate himself.
Loki eyed the royal patterns on his body.
It was darker and it curved beautifully on his skin. However, Loki didn't want to look any further. He knew that the patterns continued on his back, his hips, his chest and even his face. He didn't want to see a waking reminder of someone he killed.
Laufey.
That was a memory he wanted to forget, but the blue pale color on his skin made it harder for him to do so. The feeling itself of being cold made Loki feel as normal as he could be, but he'd rather be warm than feel empty and in pain.
"How are you doing over there, Loki?" Tony asked.
Loki flinched, looking up from his hand.
He didn't want to be seen like that.
He was so…
Blue.
A monster.
"I know it must be weird for you," Tony went on. "We fought each other while the Chitauri killed many people. I mean, it's harsh for us not to give you a second chance because of what you did, but it wasn't you. So don't think that you deserved any of this pain you're feeling right now."
"Why must you insist on peace?" Loki wondered.
"Why not?"
"Why are you so nice?" He croaked. "None have extended this much kindness to me in years, all except Mother and my Brother. Maybe a few people, but—"
"Maybe I just see myself in you, Loki."
Tony shifted from where he sat on the tiled floor. Loki figured that the man was uncomfortable sitting on floor, but he was patient enough to stay and talk to Loki. Loki felt a sudden urge to start crying, but then again, pride swelled in his heart, numbing him.
"And I want to help." He went on.
"That's stupid." Loki scoffed.
"It is." Tony laughed.
Silence.
Loki felt the tension die down a little, but it wasn't enough. Loki felt alone and foreign to the world around him. Amidst the soft white tiles of the bathroom, the bland white shower curtain and the beautiful marble tub, Loki's blue skin stood out in complete contrast. Even the water seemed to be Loki's enemy.
Even more so with the silence.
"Look," Tony continued. "You may technically be older than me in number and experience, but that doesn't mean you have to act like you have to shoulder everything. You're just you. You're one person with feelings and with issues, but you don't have to carry all of that."
"Your point?" Loki scowled.
"I'm saying that you have to let someone help you shoulder your issues. You're not alone and don't even think that you're going to burden someone. If they're willing, then they're willing to help out. I care, and so does the Avengers. Why would Clint and Natasha risk their lives for you if they didn't care? Clint still has that injury on his leg."
"He's stupid."
Great, Loki figured.
Was that all he could keep saying?
The word, stupid?
"Barton's not stupid, Loki."
As Tony sat, he yanked the shower curtain aside, making Loki squeak and hug his body.
"What are you doing?" Loki glared.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before or don't have, Hun." Tony took a good look at Loki's skin.
It was flawless.
And blue!
Loki had dark patterns on his arms, his forehead and it traced behind his back. It wasn't anything like Tony's ever seen before. He would comment on Loki looking like a smurf or an avatar but the insults just escaped him. Loki looked different. Far younger and well… dare he say… prettier? No, charming!
That's what it was.
Loki hugged himself to shield him from Tony's strange gaze. The water and his knees covering parts of him that Tony shouldn't see which of course, Tony didn't really care about. The odd skin Tony was witnessing didn't really matter. For some reason, the blue skin was normal for Tony. It's like he was drunk and just had to make due of what he was seeing. It wasn't so bad either, so what was there to complain about.
"Blue skin," Tony breathed. "Is this what you actually look like?"
"Go away." Loki flushed in embarrassment.
"Did the cold water do this?"
"Stop looking."
Loki wanted to die.
Tony couldn't stop staring.
The blue color was just mesmerizing as Loki's crimson eyes.
"Look, I didn't mean to open the shower curtain," He apologized. "But you need to look me in the eye and realize that I'm a friend and not an enemy."
"What makes you think I'm a friend?" Loki questioned. "You already know of my heritage, and you've now seen what I really look like. A Frost Giant, so why aren't you afraid?"
Tony laughed.
"What's so funny, Stark?"
"You want me to be afraid of you?"
Loki was so confused.
"Hun, you're in a tub with cold water that has bubbles in it, embracing yourself to hide from me just like a little kid who's been caught playing with soap. You want me to be afraid of you because of your pale blue skin color? I'm not even that stupid to try and believe that shit you came up with."
Loki grimaced at him.
Tony was clearly enjoying his misery.
"I see the way you look at me, Loki." Tony sighed. "You think I'm just going to abandon you just because of what you are, or what you look like? I'm not that harsh. Hell, ask Steve if he's afraid of you. More so, ask Barton or Bruce! Bruce turns green, Loki. And I'm not afraid of the big guy!"
"Does it really matter?" He glared. "Stop looking."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"The Hulk is green, Loki! Don't you see that you're not alone?"
"Would you shut up and leave me alone!"
"Dude, I'm not afraid of you. Hell, you're like the cookie monster."
Monster.
That's what he was.
"Hey!" Tony scolded. "Not a monster, you hear me?"
"I know what you meant."
"No, you don't."
Loki wanted to burn a hole through Tony's forehead and laugh at his corpse.
"There's a TV show with a puppet-thing known as the cookie monster. He steals cookies from cookie jars. Stupid, I know, okay not a good reference but hey, you get my point?"
"You are a confusing man." Loki grimaced. "Go away and let me finish my bath."
"I don't want you to injure yourself and risk looking like an idiot and a prick. Call it an intuition or just let me tell you that it came from me due to experience. I've been through that. You're snarky as hell, and to be honest, you're fun to hang out with. Thor tells us you're smart, and you're a good person. You killed people, and so did I."
"You did?"
Loki blinked his red eyes at him.
He remembered the Iron man 3 movie he and his brother was forced to watch.
He did kill people.
"Not personally no. Not yet at least, but my weapons did." Tony sighed. "Look, why don't you get out of the bath and get some rest. You've been there for the past hour and a half. You're gonna get all prune-like! You'll know what it feels like to be old."
Loki splashed the water right at Tony's face.
"SHIT!" Tony shouted. "That's f—fre—freezing!"
"Serves you right for disrupting my privacy." Loki glared angrily. "Now go away, stupid Mortal."
"Did I ever tell you red is my favorite color?" Tony mocked. "Okay, okay! No more jokes. But at least your fever went down a bit, but you're still blue."
"I don't have my magic anymore." Loki mumbled.
"Say what?"
"I don't feel it."
Tony palmed his face.
New Problem.
"We'll talk about it later then, come on, we don't want you to prune."
Tony stood up and dusted himself. He reached out for a towel and handed it over to Loki. Loki stared at him, his legs still curled to his chest as he glared at Tony. Tony rolled his eyes. It was like arguing with a little kid. Tony gave up and looked away to give Loki privacy. Loki stood up and took the towel, wrapping it around shoulder.
Tony looked back.
"You're seriously thin." Tony grimaced. "Not thin-thin, like lean-thin."
"Feminine, you mean?"
Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "Didn't your mother scold you for looking so thin? You don't eat much, do you?"
"If you're going to insult my eating habits, I suggest you stop."
"Just get changed, Lo'."
"You are not going to leave me alone, are you?" Loki sighed.
"No."
"Why?"
"I don't want to risk you collapsing while not under my watch, Reindeer Games."
"Stop pretending to care." Loki glared. "I don't need you."
"Okay fine," Tony had enough. "You don't want me to care, great. Leaving you alone now! Walking away now! See?! Okay, goodbye!"
Tony dramatically walked away.
Tony slammed the bathroom door shut with emphasis on his sigh, and Loki heard him leave the room as well. Loki felt a pounding on his head like never before and the sudden heat crept up his body. Loki lifted his arm and watched as the blue receded.
He was back to his pale skin.
Loki eyed the mirror, and he was back to looking like an Aesir.
That was odd.
It didn't help what Loki felt though.
He still felt alone and miserable more than ever before. He opened the door and felt lonely. He changed back into his clothes and lay on the bed with a lot on his mind. What would his future be like? What would happen if he returned to Earth? What was he going to do?
It circled his mind, and it didn't allow him any sleep.
oOo
After a few hours or so, Tony got bored of leaving Loki alone. So he opened the door and saw Loki curled on the bed, sleeping soundly. At least the cold bath worked. Tony went to the small kitchen and took some food from the fridge. He was so glad he bought extra. He placed it on the night stand by Loki's bed and closed the door.
Little did he know that Loki was wide awake.
Loki slowly sat up and eyed the food.
So the man did care.
It took Loki a while to realize it.
"Any luck, Jarvis?" Tony asked as he sat on the couch. "Are signals up and running?"
"I've managed to patch through, Sir. You are good to go."
"Great!"
Tony took his phone and slumped back on the couch, completely lying on top of it with the suit opposite him.
"Call Fury."
oOo
Fury, Thor, Steve, Clint and Hill were arguing in the most logical way possible. They didn't think they had it in them to even try. They've thought of ways to get down to Earth without getting caught. They talked about strategies they had to take. They even hacked the secretly in New York's cameras to find Tony and Loki. They talked about Tucker's whereabouts and a few video footage from Earth that signified he was in the area, but they were still lost.
They couldn't contact Tony hours ago, and they gave up.
That was their mistake.
"Sir," Hill walked forward. "We have a call."
"From who?" Fury wondered.
"It's Stark's A.I."
Their eyes widened at the sudden call.
"Put him on." Fury said.
They put him on speaker. All they could hear on the other end of the line was a deep breathing noise and some static. It made the rest of the Avengers feel nervous until Steve gained enough courage to ask questions.
"Tony?"
"GUYS!" Tony shouted. "Finally, I have you on the line!"
"Glad you're alive, Stark." Hill sighed.
"Thanks." He said. "Where's Thor?"
"I am right here," Thor sat up straighter. "Where is my brother, Stark? May I speak to him?"
"He's not doing so well."
"What?"
"Project 48 took him down."
"He is dead?" Thor shouted.
"No! NO! GOD THOR! You're going to give me a heart attack! No! Shit! Loki's alive! He just has a fever! That's all! Nothing more! He doesn't have magic. He told me that he doesn't feel it, but god damn it Thor, he's not dead."
Thor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's Banner?"
"I'm right here." Banner walked over to the team.
Everyone turned to Bruce, who casually walked inside the main room without even so much as flinching. Banner looked a little worn out, but there was determination and worry on his face. Tony was a friend to him, and they got on each other's good side.
It was only right that Bruce was worried about him.
"Shouldn't you be looking for a cure, Doctor?" Fury leaned back on his chair.
"I wouldn't be working my butt off if Project 48 hadn't been created at all." Bruce sighed. "Selvig and the other scientists are testing it right now. They don't need me for the next few minutes. We're kind of stuck."
"Shit." Clint cursed.
"Tony, how are you and Loki?" Bruce wondered.
"I'm supposed to ask how Natasha is, but yeah, Loki has a fever and I'm kind of stressed out here. He was shaking so much and he's really hot."
The line went silent.
"Not the way you think, damn, I can feel Thor's glare penetrating my brain!" Tony huffed. "He's sick and warm. Warmer than he usually is."
"Can you keep his fever down?"
"Believe me, Bruce." Tony laughed. "That's what I've been doing for the whole day."
"Thank you, Tony Stark." Thor mumbled. "For taking care of my brother when I am not there."
"You're welcome, big guy!"
Fury allowed the team to talk to Tony first. He knew how stubborn Stark was and Fury knew that the man would just clam up and shut down if Fury stared questioning him. Stark wasn't someone to be tampered with, and Fury knew that from the movie.
"Tony," Bruce wondered. "Are there problems with Loki?"
"I let him have a cold bath, other than that, I'm feeding him Italian. Also, bed rest." Tony shrugged on the other line. "Before you ask, I'm staying at a hotel."
"And how the hell did you get into a hotel?" Fury asked. "And buy Italian too?"
"I may have asked Jarvis to hack into the hotel's system and got us reservations." Tony laughed.
"And they believed it?" Fury gaped.
"They didn't recognize you?" Steve breathed.
"Why wouldn't they believe me? And it's legit, Cap!" Tony grinned. "The people here are total fans! They think we're just cosplayers or something."
"You're an idiot." Hill crossed her arms.
"I aim to please, anyways, How's Natasha doing?"
No answer.
"Please tell me she's alive."
"She's unconscious." Clint grinded his teeth.
"Good, that's great."
"That's not good."
"No, I just…. It's better than being dead. I'll shut up now."
"Is there a way to get to you, Tony?" Steve piped. "Where exactly are you?"
"Not far from where we landed. How are you gonna do that?"
"I told you," Fury sighed. "What's the point?"
"If you're planning to meet with us or get us, you can always go to the Comic Con tomorrow."
"We're listening."
oOo
"Like I said, only if you want to." Tony huffed, sitting upside down on the couch with his leg resting on top of the other. "But I don't think there's a reason for you to go down if you can't do anything about it."
"You can always call us if you need help." Steve insisted. "We need a plan."
"Stark," Fury spoke up. "Does Loki have the tesseract?"
"Uh, no?" Tony mumbled.
"You sure?"
"Positive. I haven't seen him carrying it around so where do you think he'll put it? In his pocket?"
"Maybe he hid it?" Bruce said.
"Possibly." Thor muttered. "Maybe it is still in your Helicarrier."
"I'll have my men double check." Fury said. "Dr. Banner, do you have a way to track the tesseract the same way you and Stark did so before?"
"With gamma radiation?" Bruce nodded. "Sure."
"I'm cool with that idea." Tony stared at Loki's door, upside down. "I can do it on my phone."
"Good."
"Guys, can you text or call me all you want," Tony huffed. "But I need to talk to Bruce urgently. You okay with that, Banner?"
"Loud and clear, Tony."
"Cool. I'll call you on your phone."
Tony hung up and started calling Bruce on the other end of the line. Bruce lifted his phone and turned to the Avengers, knowing that it was Tony who was calling.
"I should go back to the lab." Bruce said before he walked away. "I'll tell you what I find out."
"Now that we have that settled," Fury said. "We wait until confirmation. If the tesseract is there, I want two Avengers to go down and get it. I'm not leaving this to Stark alone."
oOo
Loki listened in on Tony's conversation, even if it was one sided. He opened the door slowly and peeked through the small gap. He saw Tony standing up and staring out of the window. It was already dark outside, and Loki hadn't realized time passed by so quickly.
"Is Natasha really dying?" Tony mumbled.
Loki felt sorry for the woman who was caught in his battle.
"We don't know." Bruce said. "Selvig and I have been doing everything we can to save Natasha's life. And possibly, Loki's as well."
"It's weird though, the effect it has on Natasha is practically lethal as you described it." Tony leaned on the glass. "But Loki only sprouted a fever, chest pains and heat exhaustion. He may have lost his magic somehow, but I think it's still there."
Loki sat by the wall of the door, looking at his hand.
Is his magic really still there?
Why couldn't he feel it?
"It's probably Loki's magic trying to counter the effects."
"Natasha's only human, I get it." Tony huffed.
"Project 48 is mixed with dangerous and highly advanced toxins," Bruce muttered. "They matched it perfectly to battle Loki's magic."
"Loki's magic is probably unstable."
Loki listened carefully and felt a small pain contract in his chest. Maybe Tony was right, maybe his magic was unstable. Loki hugged his knees again and crossed his arms, resting his head on top of it. If only there was a way to listen to the other person in the other end of the line, maybe then, Loki would fully understand.
"That's it!" Bruce deduced.
"That's what?" Tony blinked. "What are you talking about, Bruce?"
"Unstable! It's an unstable chemical drug. It's not yet complete, therefore it's not stable. It's not okay. That's the missing piece we were looking for. We were treating this drug like it was finished, when in fact, it's not."
"Slow down, Bruce."
Loki noticed the distress on Tony's features and eyed the man closer.
What were they talking about?
"Loki's a Frost Giant, possibly close to the human's immune systems, but still very far from our resisting cells. Thor's seemingly stronger, do you see it, Tony?"
"I'm not following you, Bruce." Tony laughed. "I'm an engineer, not a medical scientist."
"Loki's body is stronger than a human, but Thor's body is stronger than Loki's kind. Frost Giants are bigger in sense, but they have a weakness and its heat. Hydra must have seen through the blood they got from Loki as well as his temperature."
"You're brilliant!" Tony jumped.
That made Loki even more confused than he already is.
"No wonder Loki's sprouting a fever! His body can't take the heat!"
Loki wanted to roll his eyes at that stupid deduction. Of course he didn't like the heat, he was colder than an Aesir and human, so why would that common knowledge be useful.
"It's killing Natasha because her body can't handle the heat and its rejecting project 48." Bruce said. "Her body almost gave out if it wasn't for the doctors quick thinking to revive her. I just noticed now that the room temperature in the infirmary where Natasha's held had been cranked up to Loki's normal temperature."
"We can counter Project 48 with Thor's blood!" Tony grinned. "He has more white blood cells to counter toxins in Loki's body. Question is, will that blood be compatible to Loki and Natasha? I mean Thor's Asgardian and Loki's Jotun, and Natasha's… well… human."
Loki covered his mouth in shock.
"Thor?" Loki wondered. "They wish for my brother's blood?"
What were these mortals thinking?
"We can make it compatible." Bruce smiled. "I'm sure Thor's going to be okay with Loki, but Natasha, we'll have to adjust the amount of resistant cells to give her."
"Will it give her god like powers?" Tony laughed. "She's already scary enough without it."
"Doubt it." Bruce replied. "She'll probably be more resistant to nature."
"Wish I was there to help."
"You'll be help to Thor by helping Loki."
"Got it."
"Take care, Tony. I'll tell my findings to the team."
"Thanks for the talk, Bruce." Tony said. "See yah."
Loki started contemplating on the idea of Thor giving him blood. Would it really help him counter this strange drug inside of him and will it help save the assassin caught in his mess? Loki really wished it were that easy to know. Loki turned to the small gap and eyed Tony, who plopped down on the couch and mumbled things to Jarvis about how tired he was.
Loki figured the man had done a lot of things today.
And it was all for the both of them.
Maybe Loki shouldn't have eavesdropped. It would have made him feel a little less guilty than he already was. Loki shook his head and carefully crawled back to his bed silently.
oOo
It was in the middle of the night.
Panic attack.
Tony was having a panic attack.
He bolted from the couch and fell to the floor with a soft thud thanks to the carpet.
He sat there for a few minutes in the darkness, trying to calm himself down.
Minutes passed quickly.
"Jarvis, when we get back, remind me to be nicer to Pepper." Tony muttered. "I think I know how she feels like when I'm being stubborn. And I know how babysitting works now."
"I'll put that in your to do list, Sir."
"Also, remind me to learn how to cook." He chuckled sadly.
"Anything else you wish to get off your mind, Sir?"
"Yeah, I want to take her out on a romantic evening."
"The big works, Sir?"
"Just a simple dinner at a restaurant, and nothing too extravagant. I want no press, no media, no nothing, just us."
"That is lovely, Sir. She would love that."
"Glad you like the idea."
A long pause.
Silence.
It was deafening.
"How long till the suit is fully operational?"
"Approximately five more hours."
"That'll give us enough time to go to the Comic Con event thing. And we can fly out of there."
After a while, Tony felt sleepy.
He felt on the floor.
The TV was on mute.
And Loki… he was awake.
He eyed Tony, who was sleeping on the floor right in front of the TV. Tony was shivering slightly and although Loki was also in pain, he felt regret and guilt rise up in his chest. He walked over to Tony and draped a blanket he got from one of the closets. Loki placed it on top of Tony and quietly walked back to his room. He clutched his stomach and carefully stumbled back.
If Tony was willing to bring him back to Thor.
Loki was grateful.
He missed his brother.
And if Tony was his only ticket to get back, he would cooperate.
Tony blinked his eyes open just enough time to see Loki's back turned. He eyed as the door closed with a soft hiss and Tony eyed the blanket placed on top of him.
Tony wanted to laugh.
Bad guy… pfft… Talk about misunderstood.
oOo
TBC…
We're coming to an end!
Only 4 chapters left!
Please review and tell me what you think!
It fuels me for the next update! xD