I'm so sorry for the way too late update. My birthday has passed by and I didn't have the time to write in the weekend. Anyways, please report mistakes and enjoy this chapter!

"Holy shit, Thor!?" Tony nearly shouted when he came walking in through the door. "You're back!" He exclaimed, observing the Norse deity a bit too. Tony noticed how the blue-eyed god had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he could drop dead any minute.

"Jeez. You look bad. What happened?" He placed the bottle of whiskey he had carried along with him on the top of the bar.

Tony walked over to Thor, who had looked at him with a weary tired look in his eyes, but had not said anything yet. Tony stopped walking and stared back, surprised that the god hadn't said anything yet. Then he noticed Thor's cape was missing, and he found it soon, draped over something that lay on the couch. Brownish stains of a nature Tony could easily guess had saturated the red fabric all over the place.

"Right, Loki was... Being tortured, wasn't it?" The engineer slowly walked over to Thor now, feeling a little bad about how he had enthusiastically welcomed Thor.

"If I may?" He hesitated when he tried to pull Thor's cape off the couch, revealing what would lay under it. Thor looked at him with teary eyes and nodded. "When I found Loki, I felt disgusted." With those words Thor pulled the red cloth off, not giving Tony a chance to cover his eyes from the horror that would follow.

Tony paled at the sight. Shit. Was that Loki? Loki was bleeding from wounds that seemed to cover his entire skin, had bruises everywhere and when Tony looked at the dark haired god's face he felt sick. Loki looked like he hadn't been given any form of food for over the past few weeks and Tony could count every rib, even though they were covered with dried blood and burns. A thin black wire had been sewn through his lips and eyelids. He noticed how dried drops of blood had run down Loki's chin. It was utterly disgusting. Tony felt himself getting dizzy, and he remembered his time in Afghanistan. It was nothing compared to this. This was disgusting.

"Jarvis..." He panted out, reaching for something to support himself on. "Tell the others to get upstairs as fast as possible. Now."

Right after he said that the door opened to reveal Bruce, who seemed surprised with the scene playing before him. He carried a small black suitcase with him. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed Thor sitting on the couch. He pointed to Tony. "Please don't tell me it was that bad." He said, eyeing Tony. Thor kept looking down at the couch.

After a short while of no response Bruce looked at Thor again. "Apparently it was." He said, and he walked over to Tony, who placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce helped the panting engineer by supporting him and walked with him over to a chair behind the bar. Tony settled down, still shaking and a little drop of sweat ran down his forehead. Bruce wiped it away with his sleeve. Tony reached for his bottle again.

Shortly after that Bruce quickly footed back to Thor, and gasped as soon as he saw Loki. "Thor! What happened to him?" Bruce's entire body language displayed how disgusted and shocked he was to see what happened to Loki. He had dropped his case on the floor, and hurried over to Loki, quickly scanning the blue colored body for life-threatening wounds.

Multiple pairs of footsteps sounded and seemed to get closer. "I heard Thor got back?"

Clint's trembling voice was heard from the door frame. The archer was standing beside Steve, who had brought his shield along. "We just got informed by Jarvis." The soldier added to complete what Clint said. Natasha stood behind the two, staying in the shadows.

Thor looked up at the trio when they entered. Natasha was the only one who had not said nothing yet.

"Clint, let me pass."

Clint stepped aside and Natasha walked over to Thor and eyed Loki laying on the couch with suspicious eyes. Thor did nothing to hide Loki from her sight. She crouched down in front of the blonde haired god, leveling her eyes with his. After a short while her expression softened visibly. She knew the consequences of torture all too well and she knew what Loki's condition meant to Thor.

"Thor?" She softly asked the thunderer, who looked her in her eyes. "Why is Loki blue?"

Loki was laid down in the length of the couch, his head laying in Thor's lap. The blonde looked down at Loki, and stroked a hand through the mischief god's hair. When he removed his hand, it was covered with dirt and rusty blood.

In the meantime Tony had walked over to the two again, feeling slightly better and he sat down beside Thor. "Yeah, care to tell us buddy?" He shifted himself closer to Thor. Natasha gave him a stern look at his rude approach, but Thor didn't seem to care about it. "Loki is a Jotunn, or known as a frost giant."

A surprised expression crossed Tony's face. "I thought Loki was your brother!?" He glanced quickly over to Bruce who stood behind him, scribbling down notes quickly.

"I told you Loki was adopted. After I believed Loki killed himself my father told me, and explained how he had found Loki." Thor mumbled softly, stroking Loki's hair again. Loki was still fast asleep.

Tony leaned in slightly, taking interest of what Thor had to tell.

"Loki was born as a frost giant, in Asgard they are known to be dangerous. They can freeze their surroundings and their original colour is blue. Loki had a spell laid on him, that feeds of his own power, turning his skin into that of an Aesir, but the torture has probably blown it off, he must have been too weak to sustain it anymore." Thor looked with resignation to his little brother's face, and it dawned on Tony that if the spell required Loki's energy, Loki was probably constantly on the edge of consciousness.

Suddenly a cry from Loki's emaciated body made the team jump in surprise. Tony immediately noticed the new drops of blood running down Loki's face. Loki had torn open his lips and the blood flowed out freely. He trashed weakly around.

Thor was whispering soft words to Loki already, but Tony noticed how the mischief god clenched and unclenched his fists several times. The god was panicking. Thor tried to make sure Loki didn't fall of the couch, and placed his hands on Loki's shoulders. When the god screamed, Tony called for Bruce.

"Got any quick-working sedatives with you?"

Bruce looked around and then noticed his small coffin he brought along, on the place where he dropped it. He ran over to it, opened it and took out a small injection tube along with a needle. He quickly filled it with Valium and rushed back to Thor and Loki. He skimmed his hands across Loki's left arm looking for a vein, felt one and stuck the needle in, emptying the small tube. Loki visibly calmed down after a short moment of waiting and finally, lost consciousness again.

Steve and Clint had both been staring at the scene playing before them, knowing that they were not of much help, and were now both softly mumbling to each other. This was new for all of them.

Thor frowned at the needle in Loki's arm. "What is this, friend Banner?" He asked with a little suspicion and pulled the needle out of Loki's arm. He stared at it.

Bruce then remembered that it might have looked threatening to Thor and he quickly explained. "It makes Loki calm down, and fall asleep. We use these on Midgardians too when they have a big injury or when they have a big panic attack."

He looked to Tony, who was staring at Bruce with wide eyes. Tony pointed to Bruce's suitcase. "Perhaps we can get the stitches out? I got a medical room downstairs there." He said, and looked back at Loki. Then he noticed Loki was chained. "And perhaps we can get these off too." He pointed at Loki's wrists.

Thor had visibly lighted up at hearing Tony say that, and he stood up, and lifted Loki carefully up, trying not to injure Loki any further. "Where is this lab of yours?"

Loki woke up from sounds for the first time in a month. Confusion crossed his mind first. Why were the guards talking to each other? They never did. Then he heard the familiar voice from his brother, although it sounded muted and sad. And then he remembered how Thor had found him, and saved him from his torment.

He wanted to alert Thor at first that he was awake, but then he would interrupt him, and Loki decided he wanted to hear what Thor said.

He felt how he was laid on something soft, and it felt like leather. His head was resting on something though. He heard Thor's voice from above, and he guessed that it was Thor's leg. He felt how his body hurt a little less than before, and he relished in the knowledge that he was still able to heal. It felt good.

Suddenly he heard someone interrupt Thor.

"I thought Loki was your brother?"

If Loki could have widened his eyes, he certainly would have. It was the voice from the man on Midgard! Was he on Midgard? He wondered in anticipation. He had always wanted to know what Midgard was like, and he felt a tad happy at the knowledge he wasn't in an Asgardian prison anymore.

But Thor's next answer made him cry.

"Loki was born as a frost giant, in Asgard they are known to be dangerous. They can freeze their surroundings and their original skin colour is blue. Loki had a spell laid on him, that feeds of his own power, turning his skin into that of an Aesir, but..."

The dark haired god didn't even need to understand the last sentences anymore. Loki felt himself become sick. He was a Jotunn? He was not Thor's brother? Had Thor never seen him as a brother at all? Maybe that was why all of Asgard had looked down on him, or no, worse- Thor could hate him for being a Jotunn. Thor said he would kill all the monsters, right? Thor would kill him! He needed to get away from Thor!

Loki panicked in Thor's arms, trying to get away, and let out a confused cry, ripping his lips in the process. He struggled to get a distance Thor and himself.

Thor's going to kill me! He will, he certainly will! Loki screamed when he felt Thor's hands on him, holding him back. He heard shouting next to him, and he knew it was the man whose name he forgot. He felt how a small tear had trickled through his closed eyelids.

Not Thor! No! No more pain! Loki though frantically as he still tried to push himself away from Thor. Suddenly he felt a small sting in his arm, and it distracted him, but before he knew it he slumped back into a peaceful darkness.

Tony frowned while he put on his gloves, making sure that everything was sterile before they would take Loki's stitches out. He looked to his side, where Loki lay. He grimaced at the sight of the bound god on a white lab table. He noticed a small track of tears that ran down Loki's face. It surprised him the god was still able to cry.

Tony shuddered as his fellow scientist entered the room.

"Is he stable enough for this, Tony?" Tony nodded firmly in response. Bruce had given the god another injection, making sure he would stay asleep during their work. They were going to treat Loki's wounds. A big task, this is gonna be a long night. Tony thought silently to himself. The sound of Bruce putting on his gloves distracted him. He looked on the other side of the table.

Bruce was standing on the other side, preparing their medical kit. They had decided Thor had to stay out of the surgery room and wait, Thor needed his rest too. And Thor had luckily for them accepted the offer to sleep in one of Tony's guest rooms.

But now Tony was here, alone with Bruce and an unconscious Loki. "You ready?" He questioned Bruce, who nodded back in conformation.

"We'll start with the stitches on his lips, and then we bandage his wounds. After that we can do the rest and maybe it's possible to take these chains off." He said as he clapped his hands once. Then they started treating Loki's wounds.

Two hours later they were done with the stitches. The two scientists had cut them all, and then had taken them out one by one. It was nerve-racking work. Then they cleaned Loki's face, wiping of the dried blood and Bruce checked to see if Loki didn't have an infection in his mouth. Luckily Loki had none. After that they had quickly bandaged Loki, wrapping his body into several layers of white layers of cloth. In the meanwhile, Tony had Jarvis do a body scan on Loki. Tony and Bruce both had listened in slight abhorrence as Jarvis made numeration of Loki's wounds, a list that seemed to go on forever.

Now his eyes were to be treated, and Tony gulped down his nervousness. He almost didn't want to see what happened to Loki's eyes. When Bruce handed him the scissors, he handed them promptly back.

"I can't do this man, I'll screw up." He simply said to the other man. Bruce looked at Tony's trembling hands and knew enough. He started cutting the thin thread with precise movements, making sure he didn't hit Loki or accidentally cut into Loki's eyelids. After that he removed the wires, pulling them slowly out. Tony shuddered. If Loki had been awake he would have been screaming and thrashing around. Loki's face was bloody again by the time Bruce was finished.

Bruce looked at the engineer. He looked then at Loki's eyes, and back to Tony. "We're gonna need to take a look at them." Tony gulped. Bruce asked him if he was okay. Tony confirmed, although he shuddered a little at the thought of seeing more wounds.

"Tony, are you okay?" Bruce asked a final time. Tony nodded. "Are you sure you can handle this?" Tony nodded again, and then Bruce held up one of Loki's eyelids, shining into the mischief god's eye with a small, bright flashlight.

Tony wasn't prepared for what he saw. Loki's iris was totally deformed and several scratches covered what was left of it. His pupil wasn't round anymore, and his sclera was reddened. Several veins that ran through it had popped.

Bruce opened Loki's other eye, finding it in the same condition as the first. "This is gonna take some time to heal." He muttered under his breath.

Tony sighed, and grabbed the bandage. "I guess he'll not be seeing for the next week then." Bruce hummed in agreement and took the bandages from Tony.

"I'll go look for something that can take those chains off, Brucie." Tony then said and he left the room. A few minutes later he returned with a tired-looking Thor by his side.
"Thor said these chains respond to certain people's touches, and it seems that the royal family of Asgard appears to have some sort of veto in this. Thor should be able to take them off with ease."

Bruce directed Thor then to where Loki lay. And while Thor took off Loki's bindings, Tony started asking Thor. "Why didn't you take them off earlier?" Thor looked slightly ashamed and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I... I forgot..." He stammered awkwardly. Bruce gave Tony a slightly stern look.

Thor then looked at his younger sibling, and saw what the chains had done to Loki. When he got the wrist cuffs off he didn't notice the cuts that had been made into Loki's skin. Now he did. But he was waved away soon after he got the rest of the chains off.

But before he left, Thor had asked when he could see his brother again.

"He'll be awake by tomorrow.." Bruce had answered, hoping that it would calm Thor. Seeing the distressed look on Thor's face he knew he had to explain more. "We also need to see if there are any infections on those cuts the chains made." Bruce explained quickly, and Thor was reassured enough to leave. The door opened and closed again.

Tony sighed in exhaustion as soon as the thunderer had left. "Whew! Man, I thought we'd have to convince him more!" He exclaimed while Bruce examined and bandaged Loki's last wounds.

As soon as Bruce was done Tony yawned. He spoke the next words slow. "Bruce, I think he's fine by now. Let's just move him upstairs and have Jarvis watch him. Then we can both get some well-deserved rest too."

Bruce hummed, agreeing and together they placed Loki carefully on a stretcher, and rolled him towards the elevator. Shortly after that they placed him in a room next to Thor's and together they left for their own rooms. both Bruce and Tony were tired.

Tony stayed up a little later than Bruce though. He went to Thor's chamber and informed Thor that Loki was sleeping in the room next to him. Thor had replied a short 'thank you' and Tony was sure he would find the thunder god in Loki's room by the next morning.

Tomorrow he would see what would happen, and if Loki's conduction had improved. All Tony had to do now was to wait for the mischief god to wake up. He yawned one more time before he went to his own room, telling Jarvis a goodnight and promptly falling asleep as soon as he laid down on his bed.