I forgot to mention that this story is taking place in COMPLETE movie-verse. That means no Sigyn, no Baldur, no Loki's children, none of those. Because I like simplicity and I cannot keep track of Norse mythology or fifty years of Marvel comics. Also, this is my first time attempting to write with an unreliable narrator, namely Loki. Hope it isn't too bad!
Stay tuned for the next chapter to see what Loki actually experienced...
He awoke in ice.
Cold. Frozen cloth underneath him. Frozen blankets upon his chest. Ice threads weaving through his hair.
He was asleep and awake. Dreaming but restless. He didn't remember which was reality and which were nightmares.
He saw—
Spinning endless in the void, until the cold froze the blood in their tracks and he choked to death—
Rainstorms of his own blood
A snake drunk with poison
wrapping itself around his neck
cold fingers drawing circles on stone
Asgard consumed by flames
Snow. So much snow.
You're just like me.
Vomit in his throat. Vomit staining the floor, his hands, his skin, seeping—
Bloodied snow.
Falling through the branches, falling in space, silent, endless
a beast with its mouth sewn shut
—No, Loki—
Humming, a song of pain, an endless dance to death
Echoes are trying to speak to him.
Someone strong, someone familiar, taking nine steps.
Free-falling, spinning, long dead and unsalvageable since the drop—
You're just like me.
His heart is ripping itself out of his chest
Breathe.
It hurts, doesn't it?
Breathe, you don't deserve death, for it is too sweet.
Crying—what does that mean?
What does that mean?
Red snow.
Sad blue eyes.
(Who are you?)
White light, it is almost blinding.
Someone speaks.
Saying words, what more, what now, what do they want, what else can they say—
(i am—)
Pain. There was something about pain. He remembers.
Is this death? Then death is life's greatest lie.
(Loki?)
The name sets his mouth on fire.
(Don't speak don't speak shut up why can't you learn to shut up no more there's nothing but rot they'll nail it if you try don't want to don'twanttoplease oh please don't dothispleasedon'tmakeme)
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
(Why?)
He doesn't know.
They were all seated in one of the conference rooms, a screen above the table that showed the security recordings of Loki's room. He looked stable, meaning he looked like he didn't have a single ounce of energy to throw something at someone, but Thor did not seem any bit relieved at Loki's improvement, however little it was. He kept his gaze fixed on it at his place at the head of the table, almost unaware of the others sitting around him, his thick fingers tapping the side of his paper cup of coffee nervously.
Natasha couldn't deny the feeling of wariness. Thor was never a fidgety person, much less a worrisome one, and she could only imagine what state of mind his nervousness left him in if he had become so. All because of Loki, of all people. Loki, she thought dryly, didn't deserve such a brother.
"Sorry I'm late." Steve Rogers hurried through the doorway, his hair tousled and his jacket thrown haphazardly on his shoulders. No doubt he had jumped out of bed despite the hour when he heard of the situation. He took a seat next to Tony, who made a point to spin the swivel chair askew before Steve could sit on it. "Thor—it's great to see you again."
"Likewise, son of Rogers," said Thor, although his voice hadn't a single hint of pleasure. "Will Barton not join us?"
"Not sure if he'd be too keen on knowing about Loki," said Tony, raising an eyebrow to Natasha. Natasha shook her head.
"He's already been alerted," said Natasha.
"Are you kidding me?" said Tony. He leaned back in his seat and groaned. "Great. Now we're going to have loads of fun babysitting Reindeer Games."
"It wasn't going to stay a secret to him," said Natasha. "And if any of you were thinking to keep him in the dark, I'll personally blind you."
"No one's trying to hide anything from Barton," said Bruce. "It's just that one in the morning was probably not the best time to tell him this."
"It could be happy hour and I'd be pissed." Clint had entered the room right after Bruce finished speaking. There were shadows under his eyes after long nights of duty, but he didn't look the least bit tired. He took a seat next to Natasha, his fists upon the table and his glare fixed on the screen. "So. Anyone care to explain why he's back?"
"He was not going to linger here a long while," said Thor. "Nor was I. I solely sought for a place where he would be safe." Thor's gaze flickered toward Natasha for a moment. She pretended she did not notice, much less care.
"Safe?" said Clint. "It's Earth that needs to be kept safe from him. Of all the places in the universe, Thor, why here? Why'd you have to bring him here?"
Natasha stole a sidelong glance at Clint. She had to admit, she was mildly impressed at how even his voice was even though she knew how many times he jolted awake from nightmares of killing his friends under Loki's rule, or how many weeks he spent visiting the families and graves of the agents whom he led to their deaths. But the cold and searing fury was still behind his eyes, unbridled and waiting for the kill.
"I did not mean to bring him here," said Thor. "But I had passed it along the way and could go no further."
"Passed it along the way? What were you doing, taking the Loki for a walk?" said Tony.
"I was not," said Thor. "I was trying to take Loki back to Asgard."
"Yeah, well, you missed," said Clint.
"Come on, let him speak, guys," said Steve.
Thor gave a small nod of thanks to Steve before continuing. "When we returned to Asgard—Loki and I—after the battle several Midgardian years ago, he was put on trial and punished, just as I had promised you. He was imprisoned, his magic withheld, and allowed no visitors except my father and mother. Not even I could see him." He pressed his lips together before continuing. "Therefore when he was—taken, I had no idea."
"Taken?" said Bruce, removing his glasses. "By whom?"
Thor's fist tightened. "By the Chitauri."
"There we go with the Chitauri again," said Tony. "Seriously, I thought they and Loki were on the same side."
"That was what I had believed as well," said Thor. He swallowed hard, staring down at the cooling coffee in his hands. "When I was told that it was the Chitauri that had taken him from the cell—it was I that told Father that Loki had defected. That the Chitauri helped him escape, that Loki had planned this all along, that—" His voice caught in the middle of his throat and he shook his head. "I make cruel judgment against my brother without ever truly knowing him. Why must I continue to do this?"
"It wasn't your fault, Thor," said Natasha, her voice firm. "Anyone would have believed the same thing. This is Loki we're talking about."
"They took him," said Thor. He couldn't bring himself to look at the screen anymore. "They took him and it was because of my words and my judgment that Asgard never tried to look for him, bring him back, help him. We left him for centuries, to think him a cowardly traitor, when in actuality—" Thor couldn't bring himself to say more and he lowered his head, nearly crushing the cup of coffee in his hands.
"Wait—sorry," said Steve. "Um—Thor, did you say centuries?"
"Okay, good, I'm not the only one losing their hearing as well," said Tony. "Can you count, Thor? It's been like, three years."
"Do not assume me a fool," said Thor with a growl. "I have seen more than you know about this universe. And most of all, I understand more of time than you could ever live in your mortal life. Do not think I am raving."
"Okay…okay, sorry," said Tony, crossing his arms. "Then what do you mean? And what did the Chitauri do with Loki? Seriously, what the hell is going on?"
Thor lifted his eyes to Tony. "Why do you want to know?" he said. "To relish in Loki's pain?"
"Gosh, Thor, we aren't sadists," said Steve. "But it's Earth that's caught in the middle of this, I think we ought to at least know what's going on."
Thor nodded slowly. "It wasn't until three Midgardian years later did I see my brother again. See what the Chitauri had done to him."
"How?" said Bruce.
Thor raised his head, his eyes cold like steel.
"They offered to return him."
Every royal guard was on duty, whether in the streets to protect the common folk or armed from head to toe with vicious gold in the palace. There was no warning, no war drums as a prelude, no premonition to ready their forces. IT came in the form of black smoke, of the stench of Death's perfume. IT came in all the glory of a pyrrhic victory, a funeral, a plague.
Thor himself was armed before the throne, his father behind him and armed with Gungnir and his mother on the other side. Let them come, Thor had said earlier, preparing Mjölner in his grasp. Let them come and taste the fury that is Asgard.
Fury, indeed.
IT did not rain devastation on Thor's people as he had feared, but instead rushed into the halls like a gust of windstorms that wouldn't restrain itself from destroying everything in its path. The guards immediately braced themselves, their weapons aloft, as the black air cleared and the smell of rotting flesh nearly choked all who breathed. Thor's eyes stung as he tried to see through the poisonous smoke, only identifying a monstrous, towering figure at the gilded doors.
The guards readied their weapons, undaunted and unshaking like true warriors would. Thor tried to wave the blackened air from his face, but it curled past his fingers and evaded him. Breathing felt coarse against his throat, even as the smoke began to fade.
"Whoso demands violence and filth for the presence of Asgard?" said Odin, his voice echoing through the muddled halls. "How dare you threaten our peace with your airs?"
The air thinned in their eyes and what was revealed made Asgard's warriors in all their strength and bold glory look tainted and false. The creature—the mad titan—looked as if he could reach the high domed ceiling with just a raise of the hand. Power and ferocity defined every angle and line on the formidable body. Just looking upon him struck an unnerving and unfamiliar sense of fear and anger in Thor's heart; Mjölner nearly slipped from his grasp.
"Thanos," Odin whispered.
"All-Father." Thanos's voice was like the sound of pure venom. "I come to bring a fine and charitable proposal."
He swept his hands before him as if to present himself to Odin in his deathly glory. Chitauri soldiers lined behind him like shrouds of shadows, blending in and out of the darkness outside. The Asgardian warriors glanced uncertainly at Odin, waiting for an order. Odin was still, his eye fixed stubbornly on Thanos, daring him to make a move.
"I refuse to have dealings with the bloodthirsty and insane," said Odin.
"Will you truly refuse a humble tradesman?" said Thanos.
Thor held his breath, preparing Mjölner. He only heard stories of the mad titan, how he drowned in nihilism and fascination of darkness, and the sea of death he left at his wake. The thought of him poisoned Thor's mind.
"There is nothing you can offer that I would desire," said Odin. "Leave my realm be, and take your evildoings elsewhere."
"Ah, but I may correct you on that," said Thanos, stepping forward. The tension stiffened in the room as Thanos approached Odin's throne. Thor fought the urge to slam his hammer into the titan's face right then and there. War with Death's lover was nothing Asgard can afford. "And I believe I have leverage you may consider."
Odin narrowed his eye. "If you wish to speak to me, speak quickly. I will not bear your tarrying."
"A wise and practical request, All-Father," said Thanos. "I'm sure you are already very aware of what I so yearn for. In your vaults, hidden from the rest of the realm, you hoard treasures. You hoard the Infinity Gauntlet."
"You wish to barter that treasure from me?" said Odin. Immediately the guards poised their weapons, ready to attack. "How foolish you are! No force will have me bequeath you the Infinity Gauntlet, not when the fate of all realms hinge upon that decision."
"Nothing, you say?" said Thanos.
"None."
Thanos grinned, his teeth gleaming like daggers. "Perhaps if I barter this, you may stop to think."
He gave a nod to the Chitauri behind him before taking a step to the side. Two Chitauri warriors stepped forth, dragging a figure behind them. They threw the body at the foot of the stairs leading to Odin's throne; it was unmoving and slathered with its own blood, limbs too thin and bent in angles too unnatural, white skin stretched too tightly across bone. At the sight of it Frigga let out a cry that sounded like a wounded animal. Thor needed a second glance before he realized with an agonizing jolt what he looked upon.
"LOKI!"
He ran forward, ready to pull Loki's unresponsive body into his arms, before the Chitauri immediately stepped forth and swiped at him with their jagged blade. Thor jumped back, raising Mjölner to retaliate before a blast from the Chitauri gun sent him flying back. He slammed against the wall, stars flying across his gaze.
"What is the meaning of this?" said Odin.
"You knew we took him, did you not?" said Thanos.
Loki blearily opened his green eyes. Thor's heart skipped a beat and he pulled himself onto his feet. He made to rush forward, but Odin brought out Gungnir and held Thor back immediately. Thor spun around to face Odin, an angry accusation ready at the tip of his tongue, but the look of graveness on Odin's face silenced him.
"As a prisoner?" said Odin.
Thanos laughed—the sound of it was terrifying. "Were you deceived? Did you truly think he came willingly? That after he failed to do as we wished—failed to bring us the Tesseract— we would welcome him as a friend? He made a promise to us that he could not keep—surely we would make him pay the price."
Every word that Thanos said was a dagger in Thor, slicing him until he was raw and shocked. All blood rushed from Thor's face as he couldn't take his eyes off of his bloodied, beaten brother. No…was this the truth? Had Loki never really escaped from Asgard, but kidnapped to a worse fate? Had Loki been doing the Chitauri's bidding on Midgard the whole time? The realization of their folly—Thor's folly—made his mind shatter and he wanted nothing more than to break each Chitauri into pieces and protect Loki from the world, or whatever dangers left that he had not yet faced.
"You stole our prisoner—you stole my prince and tortured him, and you think I will do your bidding?" said Odin.
"What do you say, All-Father?" said Thanos. "You hand to me the Infinity Gauntlet, and your prisoner can finally come home. You withhold it from me, and your prince may not live to see another day."
"Father," Thor said in a strangled voice.
Frigga stood strong and silent, but her hand shook and her eyes were so wide at the sight of her youngest son that she looked as if she were about to be sick. Loki turned his head slightly until he could just barely see his family. His lips moved—he was mouthing something to them—but his voice was gone. His lips were dark with his blood, as if death itself kissed him. It made his skin look all the paler.
It was his fault, it was all his fault, his brother had suffered, had been tortured, had never been found for all this time because of him, because he was so mistrusting, because he left his brother to die to rot to agonize—
"You demand the Infinity Gauntlet in exchange for my son?" said Odin. "The control of all existence for my boy?"
"Father!" Thor cried out. Loki let his head fall back to the ground, his breathing growing shallower.
"I thought you would appreciate my attempts to formal trade," said Thanos in a sickly polite voice.
"You are a monster," said Odin.
"Odin," Frigga said, her voice as thin as yarn. "Odin—my child. Our son."
"A monster prepared to wreak death on all of the realms for your own fantasies," said Odin. "You will bring the pain and destruction of countless innocent lives of all races and creatures."
"Father, please," Thor whispered.
"I cannot give you the Infinity Gauntlet. I shall not," said Odin.
"No!" said Thor, and his heart shattered.
Frigga's face turned deathly pale at Odin's words, petrified as if bewitched into stone. Odin's voice echoed in Thor's head, not entirely accepting the truth that his father had rejected Loki, had denied the chance to save his child. All of a sudden the Infinity Gauntlet had no meaning to Thor anymore, neither its power nor notoriety. All he knew was that his brother was on the brink of death and they had just shoved him off into his doom.
Loki understood, and he closed his eyes. Thor wanted to scream.
Thanos gave a last bark of laughter. "So be it."
The Chitauri reached down and each grabbed a hold of Loki's arms, dragging him back.
"You mustn't!" Thor rushed forward, his weapon held high. Thanos struck him, and with only his fist he sent the God of Thunder, the golden prince and warrior of Asgard, flying back and crashing into the pillars. Before Thor could pull himself back onto his feet, Thanos took a hold of Loki as if he was an animal—no, a dead and dull creature—and pulled him away, vanishing into the smoke of his magic and seeping out of Asgard, leaving behind the grim air of his presence lingering in the corners.
"How could you?" Thor said, spinning toward Odin. Odin looked as if all life had sapped from him and all that was left was a swollen shadow. "How could you leave Loki in the hands of that murderer?"
"You must understand, Thor," said Odin, his voice brittle.
"You threw him away!" Thor said. "You tossed him aside to suffer longer, all for the sake of a golden gauntlet. You left him to his suffering, and I—I was the one that locked him there."
Thor took in a shuddering breath, the realization raining on him like falling iron. He had misjudged—he had assumed Loki was cruel, was petty and desperate, and instead he had signed Loki to endless torture. He felt weak in the knees but forced himself to stand strong. He needed to be strong, for Loki, for Frigga—he needed to right his wrongs.
"I cannot give him the gauntlet," said Odin. He shook—the All-father, the powerful warrior of a king that Thor had respected and feared, was quaking. "I love Loki—I always have, always will—but I cannot give Thanos the gauntlet. Not when Asgard is unable to wage war. Not when he would use it to destroy every living being in it for his own desire. How can I throw away everyone's lives?"
"But you are willing to throw away Loki's," said Thor. He heaved for breath, trying to keep himself from seeing red. "You threw away your son—you threw away my brother."
"Thor, stop this," said Odin, turning away.
"Mother." Thor turned sharply to Frigga. "Mother, you cannot possibly—you do not—"
Frigga was shivering, pressing her thin hand against her quivering lips. She could not bring herself to look at either her eldest son or husband, her eyes still filled with the image of her bleeding, broken youngest.
"He will take the Infinity Gauntlet with or without your consent," said Thor. "Do you think your refusal to trade will stop him? He will tear Asgard apart and take it for himself, but now Loki is doomed to die. Thanos may not even have the Gems, he may not even be able to use it—yet you think it matters not."
"Asgard will have the chance to fight for the freedom of these realms," said Odin. "Do you not think my heart breaks at the sight of Loki? That I would rather have him in my arms now?"
"Save him," said Thor, his voice nearly tearing his throat. "Or let me save him. I cannot leave him."
"You mustn't, Thor," said Odin, turning away from Thor. "You will lead all realms to ruin."
"Please, Father," Thor said, the tears burning the rims of his eyes. "Loki—please—I cannot let him suffer any longer. Please."
There was silence. Frigga placed small hands on Odin's shoulders, her eyes raw with pain and a hint of betrayal. Odin raised his gaze to Frigga before giving a shuddering sigh.
"Oh, Loki," he whispered before his shoulders quaked and his breath hitched and tears fell from his eye.
Heimdall did not betray a glance when Thor approached him at the tentatively repaired Bifröst. Thor came before Heimdall, the hood of his cloak drawn over his head and his weapons hidden in its folds. It was nighttime and silent, save the flowing of the river of stars around them and the weak hum of the bridge's magic at their feet.
"You knew I would come, Heimdall," said Thor.
Heimdall's face was etched in stone. "I did."
"Then you know what it is I ask of you."
Heimdall closed his eyes. "Loki has been and still is shrouded from my gaze," he said. "I cannot see nor hear him, cannot sense his magic anywhere. It is as if he never existed."
"But he does exist. Somewhere between the branches," said Thor. "They could not have—they mustn't have killed him."
"Perhaps not," said Heimdall, his voice soft. "Magic cannot hide the dead." He turned in his spot to face the swirling heavens, his gold eyes sharpened like weapons.
"It is Thanos' power that I see pulsing between Niflheim and Midgard," said Heimdall. "It sucks in all that passes like a fallen star. Should he keep Loki, Loki would be there."
A chill ran down Thor's spine. "A barren moon, perhaps? Or a cold star?"
"Or all of the above," said Heimdall. "Thanos' power is great. One lonely moon would not be fit to hold him."
"Then there are more places for me to land," said Thor. "Take me there."
"You ask a miracle from me," said Heimdall. "The Bifröst is barely resurrected and you demand I take you where none survive."
"Send me to Niflheim through the Bifröst and I will break from its path in between," said Thor.
"You will be lost in space. The bridge will not reach you should you find Loki safely."
"I must try, Heimdall," said Thor. "I will never forgive myself if I did not try to help him."
"And what of your kingdom? If Thanos takes this as an invitation to take the Infinity Gauntlet as his own?"
"We are jesting with ourselves if we think refusing Loki will keep Thanos from fighting for it," said Thor. "But this time, Loki shall not be a victim of filthy diplomacy."
Heimdall turned his head to face Thor. "He was already lost the first time he fell from Asgard," he said. "Now, he may be unsalvageable."
"There is always a chance, a shred of hope," said Thor. "I know my brother is not dead. The brother who loves his family and Asgard, who played tricks with his magic to make us smile, who once sat at your feet marveling at your stories of the universe still lives."
Heimdall closed his eyes, letting the memories seize him. Time and truth could not erase what memory had etched in stone.
"If you go, I cannot promise you I can bring you back with the bridge," said Heimdall. "You may be lost in between realms for eternity. Time does not pass smoothly in every place of the universe, especially if the Time Gem is in the wrong hands."
"If it does not kill me, it will not be a struggle," said Thor. "Loki knows how to slip through the rips of space to move between realms. Once he is safe with me, he will know how to come back."
"And will he let you come with him to safety?" said Heimdall.
"Yes," said Thor. There was no hesitation. Many said trust was a weak spot, an open-fleshed belly, but Thor ignored all warnings.
Heimdall gave Thor a significant look before turning toward the golden globe. Thor followed him inside, his heart beating wildly. He had never been lost between realms, and certainly never near Niflheim. But the memory of his brother broken and fallen erased all doubts and nervousness as he stood before the opening portal.
"I will not be able to bring you back to Asgard once you break from the Bifröst's path," said Heimdall over the roar of the churning universe. "Unless you are able to bring yourself to one of the realms, you will be lost."
"Have a little more faith in me, Heimdall," said Thor. "Nothing can deter me now."
Heimdall twisted the dagger in its stand. Ribbons of rainbow light shot from the portal and ensnared Thor, pulling his body into the hungry belly of the universe. Thor felt himself be lifted off his feet and hurtled past stars and galaxies. He counted down silently in his head, his heartbeat picking up its speed at every passing second as Niflheim rose as a speck before him. Anywhere—Loki could be anywhere—Thor may easily have passed him already—how could he be sure—?
Even if the chance presented itself, Thor would not have turned back. With a swing of Mjölner, he spun out of the flow of the Bifröst and broke through the rainbow current, spinning through lost and dead space—
"I do not know how long in Midgardian time I was lost," said Thor. "By the time I finally found Loki, I thought surely I was too late."
"Midgardian time?" said Steve, leaning forward. He looked as if Thor's story had made him wearier, the lines of grim tiredness etched on his face. "What do you mean by that?"
"Thanos has the power to manipulate time," said Thor. "He could cause time to repeat itself…to stretch out as long as possible beyond reckoning…to catch his victims in an endless loop. I know now how he has done it, but for however long I was between the branches felt like a decade. It is like how when you slumber, a dream that feels like it lasts an entire day only took ten minutes of your time."
"Ten years?" repeated Tony. He looked as if he would become ill. "So—let me get this straight. This—Thanos person, he can make time go as fast or as slow as he want because of God knows why, and you spent ten years floating around trying to find Loki?"
"There were many instances where I saw glimpses of him," said Thor, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "But I could not reach him. He would disappear almost immediately after. The Chitauri can shield themselves from all senses if they wish."
"Let me generalize," said Tony. "You say Thanos dropped by your place for a visit three years after the whole New York City thing. So—sometime this year, in like, the time span of a month or even a week, you went through ten years in space?"
"That is as easily as I can explain it," said Thor.
"Holy shit," Tony said, leaning his head back over the top of his chair. "Holy shit, ten years. So if each week equaled ten years, Loki could have been there for like…a thousand and fifty-some years, going through whatever it is that Thanos did to him."
Thor winced at the possibility. "If Thanos was willing to keep time steady for all that time."
Natasha could see Tony shift uncomfortably in his seat. No doubt he remembered his days in Afghanistan, and how each passing moment made him suffer. So that was perhaps why Thor thought Loki had done his time. Though, Natasha thought in spite of herself, if it was truly as horrendous as he said then Loki wouldn't even be alive right now.
"I'm surprised they kept him alive, honestly," said Bruce. "If Thanos was willing to trade Loki in the first place, he wouldn't have thought him worth keeping if his plan to trade didn't work."
"I'm almost certain Thanos did not believe Odin would so easily hand over the gauntlet in the first place," Thor said, his voice grating. "He is a sadist in the highest caliber. He would have thought it another way to torture Loki—make him believe Father thought him worthless." He lowered his head. "That I thought him worthless."
"He did a pretty damn good job," said Tony.
"What else did they do to him?" said Clint.
"This isn't your sadistic side speaking for you, is it?" said Tony.
"Goddammit, can't I just say something without people automatically thinking it's because I want to take a punch out of the guy?" said Clint, clenching his fists.
"No, because you do," said Tony.
"So why did you bring him to Midgard?" Bruce said before Clint could retort. "Why aren't you—well, back in Asgard?"
"It took me a great amount of time to bring him away from the Chitauri," said Thor. "He was very heavily guarded at all times. I had to kill a Chitauri warrior from the outskirts of his guard and pose in its skin to gain access to him."
"I'm sorry—what?" Tony said, gagging. "You killed a thing and then you crawled into it and moved around in its body?"
"What better option did I have?" said Thor. "I cannot slaughter them all without bringing Loki and myself to Thanos' feet. I had to be discreet."
"Yeah, you definitely are the product of mythology," Tony said, rubbing his face. "Ugh. Take a bath after this, won't you?"
"I tried to coax him into forming a double of himself to make a distraction," said Thor. "But he could not recognize or understand me. He was more than broken, he was—lost. He couldn't speak and he was too weak to teleport. I hadn't time to waste, so I took him and—I jumped. I plunged through space until I found a rip in the universe and disappeared into it—and ended up here in Midgard." Thor swallowed hard. "Loki cannot yet be taken away by the Bifröst. He's too weak. The travel will kill him."
"So we're here to baby him until he's better?" said Clint. "So you can bring him back home and be one happy family again?"
"Clint," said Natasha.
"Dammit, it's just not fair, all right?" said Clint. "I don't care what it is that he went through, it isn't fair if after all this he can go back to his perfect life with his perfect home and perfect family while people here in New York City still have an empty chair at the dinner table."
"Agent Barton, what would you have me do?" said Thor, his voice torn. "Would you have preferred I left my little brother to suffer eons of Odin knows what?"
"I would have it that I never had to hear about him ever again," said Clint. "I thought everyone else was on that boat, but apparently not. If he comes close to hurting anyone here on Earth again, I'll take matters into my own hands."
"You will not come near him," Thor said, rising from his seat.
"Guys, please, let's not do this," Bruce said.
"Clint, sit down," Natasha said when Clint pushed away his chair. She felt a pang inside of her when Clint spoke, remembering the sleepless nights when she spoke with him through the phone half a world away when he needed to break down, remembering the whispered pleas that she tell him if he killed anyone, and the burning rage against Loki intensified. But she couldn't let her emotions tell her how to do her job. Aloof. Unaffected. That was the Black Widow. "Clint, you know this isn't what you want. You're no killer. Not like this."
"Not like him," said Clint. He kept his hardened gaze on Thor before finally relenting, sinking back into his chair. Thor did not do the same.
"I'm sorry for taking too much advantage of your hospitality," he said, his voice chilled. "On my promise, I will take Loki back to Asgard and he will never return to Midgard again. And if you truly desire it, I shall do the same." With one last sweeping look of betrayal and anger, Thor left, the door slamming like snapping thread behind him.