Loki tossed in his bed, he ached as he felt his body burning from the inside of his head out, the pain radiating out to his fingertips. He whimpered as he turned over again, his nails digging into his pillow as the sheets were soaked with his sweat.

"You're not my son!" Loki screamed as he sat up and he looked around in panic. The words echoed in his brain over and over as he stood. He walked to the kitchen and his hands shook as he poured himself a glass of water. He gripped the table, his legs threatening to give out under him as he sipped at it slowly.

It was his third night of having the same dream and he still reacted to it in the same way. He gripped the glass tight until he felt the white ceramic crack and looked down at his wet and bloodied hand like it wasn't even his. He blinked when the bloodied water dripped onto his lap and he moved. "Fuck." He hissed softly and stood, grabbing some paper towels and began to dab at the water on the table. He went over to the sink and ran his hand under warm water and went to get the small first aid kit that was tucked behind his bathroom mirror.

He was confused, more than he had been before. His head pounded as he wrapped his hand up and leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. "Fuck this." He hissed and hit the kit off the couch, not knowing what to do or why he felt the way he did. Why did he suddenly hate Thor; Thor, who had done nothing but tell him amusing stories of what he believed were their lives as brothers? He rested his arm over his eyes, blocking out the little bit of light that came in through the window. He rested there, just letting his mind drift until his bedroom alarm began to ring and he stood for work.

He dressed slowly, not bothering to look for something that drew his eyes, having shifted though the piles of bland clothing a hundred times. He pulled something on and left, his mind swirling with questions the whole way to the hospital.

He stumbled his way in, hiding his hand as he swiped his card in and walked past the guards. He looked around the place, his heart pounding hard as he saw no one in their usual couches. "Where are they?" he demanded from the guards.

One snorted at him. "Calm down." he said "Stark came back. They're all in his room." He gave them a glare and walked towards the room and stopped outside the door, where they couldn't see him.

"Someone is behind this." Tony's voice was soft, weak. "All I could hear was an old voice, deep, and heavy." he breathed and Loki's head ached as he remembered the voice from his dream. "He wanted... Someone." he said and was stopped as Clint put a hand on his arm.

"Someone's listening." He said and they looked to the door. Loki bit his lip and came in. He looked around at them and frowned as he took them in.

"What happened to them?" he asked and crouched by Steve and Natasha. Steve's head was pressed limply against Thor's chest and Natasha's head was on Tony's lap. He snapped in front of their eyes, wanting some reaction but they just smiled numbly.

"Meds." Tony said. "Like the shit they had me on, but Natasha is still weak from her beating two days ago and they always go overboard with Steve because they still don't know how fast his serum can get rid of the medication." Loki frowned and he reminded himself that the man was crazy, even though his eyes looked alert. The white bandages wrapped around his neck reminded Loki of his attempt.

"Right." He said quietly and helped Natasha off his legs and onto the bed. "Where did you say she was hurt?" he asked, figuring she must have hit herself in one of her tantrums the guards told him about.

"Her ribs." Tony said and forced himself onto his knees and lifted her shirt for him quickly, along with the bandages, covering her mouth as she cried out in pain as his knuckles pressed onto the fresh cuts. Loki's eyes widened at the deep scars on her side, raised from where they had healed and been reopened again and again. "Believe me now?" he breathed and pulled down her shirt and bandages down and slumped on the ground as guards came by. Loki arranged her on the bed calmly.

"Everything good?" A guard asked and came in to look around. Loki kept his eyes on Natasha.

"Everything's fine" Loki said evenly but as Tony glanced at him he saw a look he hadn't seen on the man since his attack on New York. The rage of a caged animal, confused and uncertain but still there. Tony smiled and leaned his head back, catching Loki's eyes as the guards left.

"Guess we're all trapped in our own way, aren't we?" He smiled and for a second Loki smiled back at him.

"We're just supposed to let him figure it out on his own then?" Clint demanded as Loki went off to lunch. "Do you know how long that would take?" he hissed and his arms tightened around Bruce, who leaned back on his chest. "Just talk to him until he starts to remember who he is? We don't have time for that!"

Tony sighed. "It's the only plan we've got." He reminded them. "And he's starting to remember... Or doubt, or something." he sighed. "That's our only hope right now."

Clint glared at him "That's not enough!" he screamed and Bruce whined his arms. "We need to escape, soon." he looked between the two of them, his eyes pleading. Thor held his hand up to his mouth.

"Someone's coming." He said and his arm tightened around Steve, trying his best to stand between him and whatever was coming for them. Clint glared at the door and held Bruce close as two guards came in.

"Grab him." The main guard said, pointing at Bruce, and Clint tried to kick at the guard that came close. "I don"t have time for this." The guard sighed and came over and gave Clint a hard kick, careful to avoid Bruce. He reached down for Bruce when Clint doubled over, gasping in pain. He clicked his tongue as Bruce struggled a bit in his arm. "Be a good boy for me." He said softly and Bruce stopped struggling, holding onto him tighter and settling into his chest.

"Yes, Clint." he breathed with a small smile and the man carried him away as the other guard held Clint down.

"No! No!" Clint screamed as he heard Bruce say his name and struggled under the guard, his arms held behind his back until the door of their connected room slammed shut. The guard above him shoved his face hard into the carpet and stood, walking out and locking them all in the room. He scrambled to his feet. "We have to go!" he screamed at them and threw himself against the door, grunting in pain as his side hit the cold metal but not stopping. "We have to get him."

He struggled as arms wrapped around him. "Legolas, Legolas, stop-" Tony struggled to keep him from charging against the door again "Clint!" he snapped and grabbed him by his shoulders. "He'll be okay." he said and tried to smile. "He's out of it. He thinks it's you... It'll be okay. He won't suffer much." Tony hissed as he was thrown to the ground.

"He's not you!" Clint screamed and even Steve flinched and whimpered as he buried his face into Thor's chest. "He won't be okay, and I won't lie to him! He's not alone anymore, I care about him! The only person insane enough to care about you is dead, Stark!" Regret filled his eyes as soon as he said it and looked down. "-I'm sorry." he breathed. "Fuck, I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, you did." Tony said as he stood. "I'll make this easy for you, Clint." he said and put his hand on the man's arm and gripped it hard before punching him across the face, Clint too weak and slow to stop him. He let the man drop and grabbed him, dragging him to lean against the wall. "You want the same thing that's happening to Bruce to happen to Steve?" He suddenly asked Thor harshly.

The blonde blinked "No, no, of course not." He held the smaller man closer and Steve sighed happily. Tony gave Thor a hard look and Thor saw how his eyes were hardened, violent.

"Then we do as I say." he told him. "You keep your mouth shut about your stories as kids. If that was going to work it would have already." he said and sat down across from them, looking at Thor intently. "Now, tell me anything and everything you know about your brother."

Thor was cradling Steve close as Loki came in, stroking his hair gently and trying to encourage him to eat, even though the other struggled to keep his head up. Tony did the same thing for Natasha, though she seemed to be having an easier time, the discomfort and pain cutting through the large amounts of medication probably pumping through her blood stream. "Where is Clint and Bruce?" he asked and leaned down by Steve to help hold his head up so he could eat.

"Bruce got roughed up by the security guards," Tony sighed. "They let Clint in to look after him when Bruce began to cry mid-session." Loki blinked and felt his head throb again. He sat on the ground, cradling his head and whimpered as images of men dressed in golden armor held him down. He remembered the ache of his knees, the smell of the roses around them, and how they laughed when they left him. Thor frowned and leaned over to touch his arm.

"Brother-"

"Don't touch me, you oaf!" he hissed and pulled away. He cradled his head for a few seconds before looking at Thor again when the pain subsided. "Sorry" he breathed "sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean it." Thor nodded but smiled a bit, making Loki look away. He stood and went to sit by Tony to help him with Natasha. "Stop looking at me." he muttered as he caught Tony's amused eyes.

"Alright." he said and looked down to hold Natasha's head up. "But you were more fun the last time we met... Well the last time you were the real you." he admitted.

Loki narrowed his eyes at him "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked and Tony grinned at him.

"Yeah." He hummed "For you at least." he said and looked him up and down. "Although this isn't very you " he sighed. "The you I knew was more flashy, with golds, black, and green." Loki blinked and narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know I like those colors?" he asked and Tony shrugged.

"I told you." he said and stared at him intently. "We know you." He looked away as he heard footsteps again. They kept feeding Natasha quietly as the guards walked by, not even looking up to see them as they made their rounds. Loki waited until they left, still wondering about how Tony knew what he knew.

"What else do you know about me?" he asked with an amused smile, but he could hear his heart beat fast in his chest. "Sometimes, I don't even feel like I know." he breathed. Tony smiled and reached over for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We'll figure it out." he promised.

Hope at last! Writing is so much easier now that I'm home. Some actual frostiron coming up soon.