Author's note: Chapter inspired by comments from AidennQueen. ^^

He's glad that there's at least a window not too far away, even if he can't really see anything more than the sky from his position in bed. It's not much, but it's vastly preferable to having only a blank wall to stare into.

Distractedly, he lets his gaze drift from the window and back to Tony who is standing next to his bedside, placing another stash of magazines and books on the bedside table while making a comment about how he'd rather not have Loki go crazy in here from boredom or anything.

And even if Midgardian books are most often either dull or strange or both, Loki is still glad for the distraction.

Tony soon changes subjects and moves on to talk about some kind of invention or the other that he's currently working on down in his workshop, while Loki lets his thoughts wander. After having already been exposed to more of these long monologues than he can count, he has long since concluded that Tony doesn't really expect him to offer any comments on these foreign topics. The man just likes to talk.

The words are turning into a soft droning in the background as Loki adjusts his position against the headrest of the bed into something marginally more comfortable. After his run-in with the Einherjers, he's still trying to mentally adapt to the most recent change in his situation. However, this time, the change is actually for the worse. And it's one of the few times since his arrival here that his situation has actually deteriorated; truth be told, most changes so far have been for the better, starting with the realization that Tony wasn't going to take advantage of him, and then continuing all the way up to not long ago when Tony had said he would let Loki go outside regardless of whether he had done anything to earn it or not. And perhaps even further up to that strange, illogical thought from yesterday...

But despite this assurance, he can't help but feel a twinge of worry in light of recent events, a concern that has only gotten increasingly more pressing. At first, he hadn't thought about it much, overwhelmed by relief at still being alive after having so narrowly escaped execution. But now, as that initial relief is starting to fade and is no longer obscuring the reality of his situation, the sight that greets him is disconcerting.

Because it's obvious that none of this would ever have happened if Tony had never let him outside, if he had instead opted to keep Loki safely locked up in his tower.

And it's because of that, that Tony is now burdened with a slave who can't do anything and is nothing but a liability. The question is, how willing will Tony be to let him outside again, after all that has happened? What reason is there for him to want to risk a repeat of recent events, if they might once more leave him with a slave that will be bed-ridden for weeks?

Sure Tony had said that going outside would be a privilege he'd have regardless, but what if the man will change his mind after having gotten such a brutal wake-up call about what such frivolities might lead to?

Of course, it's not like he will be able to go anywhere for quite some time in his current state. But even though that knowledge makes something sharp prickle his insides, he could have dealt with that, just as long as he knew that he'd have the privilege back once he was in a well enough shape to make use of it again. As long as he would have that to look forward to, he'd be able to deal with being confined in here for a few weeks, if necessary.

But if not…

Reflexively, his hand goes to the tracker bracelet around his wrist. At least Tony hasn't taken it off, so perhaps that should count as a good sign. Then again, maybe the man just hasn't gotten around to removing it yet, but will soon enough, once there is no longer any point to it.

His fingers nervously slip beneath the space between metal and skin, trailing the underside of the bracelet. Up until know, the act has always been accompanied by a sense of comfort, reminding him that despite everything, there is at least the outside to look forward to, there is still something good in his life.

But now, for the first time, the sensation of the cool metal at his fingertips is accompanied by feelings of unpleasantness, suddenly making it very clear to him what he might not have anymore.

And that's when he notices that the room has gone silent and Tony is no longer talking.

He quickly looks up, and meets with Tony's eyes. The man is regarding him with one eyebrow raised, and from the look on his face, it's obvious that he's waiting for Loki to respond to whatever it is that he has just said. And Loki didn't even hear the question, deep into his own disturbing thoughts as he was.

Totally unacceptable behaviour for slave, of course, not listening when his master is talking. Had he been in Asgard, he could have counted himself lucky if all he got for his lack of attention was a backhand to the face.

But this time, the uneasiness that always follows in the wake of his mess-ups in front of Tony – despite full well knowing that the man isn't going to physically punish him for them – fails to make an appearance. Even if he can't explain where it came from, just like yesterday when he knew that Tony wouldn't force him to sort any papers in his current state, there is an inexplicable certainty suddenly rising inside of him that Tony isn't going to be annoyed with him for not listening. No, the man isn't even going to even care that his slave wasn't paying him the undivided attention that his status as master should entitle him to.

The realization is both confusing and something else that he isn't really sure how to define.

"I said, is the bracelet chafing at you or something? I guess I could always take it off, even if it would involve some tinkering," Tony repeats his question, proving Loki's hunch correct in that he doesn't seem the slightest bothered by his slave's inattentiveness, or even deigns to comment on it. As if it was of no consequence at all.

"No," he quickly answers, shaking his head for emphasis. "It's not." Instinctively, he covers the bracelet with his hand, shielding it from view. He doesn't want it taken off, because it would feel like being removed one step further from the already dangerously precarious promise of outside.

"Okay then," Tony says, eyeing him contemplatively. "It just seemed like it was bothering you, the way you were fiddling around with it."

He looks down at the hands in his lap, one of them still protectively circling the wrist with the bracelet. "It's not bothering me," he says, the words discordant in his ears from how he is uttering something like this before Tony, speaking like his feelings on the matter are actually of interest to his master…

However, there's one thing that is bothering him in regards to the bracelet – namely the question whether he is going to need it at all from now on, or if Tony has had it with taking him outside after having been shown in no uncertain terms what consequences might follow.

Granted, Loki doesn't think the same thing is at all likely to happen again. Even before he got carted off to Midgard, he'd been informed that there had been a group of Einherjers and a sorcerer assigned the task of bringing him back in case he would try to escape. And Heimdall would immediately inform them of any such breeches of the conditions of his sentence, so that they could be sent out without delay. However, they would hardly want to make the same mistake again, so next time they'd certainly be less quick to draw unfounded conclusions, in case he should get separated from Tony again. Going on this errand to Midgard in vain once must have been annoying enough for them; they would not want to repeat that error.

However, Tony might not see things that way and rather decide that it's better to be safe than sorry.

So no, it's not the bracelet that's bothering him, but something else. And in that moment, the vivid memory rises inside of him how Tony once told him he was free to speak up if there was something – anything – bothering him.

It feels strange, because of all the centuries in which he's internalized the concept of what is acceptable behaviour for a slave and what is not, but he overcomes the inner resistance and looks up from his hands to meet with Tony's eyes.

"Will you stop taking me outside after all this?" he asks, feeling something churn painfully inside of him as his fears are suddenly given a voice.

Tony raises an eyebrow at him. "Uh, no, I wasn't planning to," he says, sounding surprised at the question. He cocks his head a bit to the side, but the searching gaze never leaves Loki for a second. "Well, unless you don't want to anymore, after all this crap."

"No, I… still want to go outside," he says, a wave of soothing relief welling up inside of him, and he feels his body relax against the pillows as the world once more tilts back into its proper place.

Who would have known that it could be so easy? A simple question, and the fears that had been weighing on him were dispelled only seconds later, like swirling mist with a gust of wind, as if they were never there at all.

He can't help but marvel at the simplicity of it all. Just… asking had been enough. It hadn't taken more than that, and the nagging worries were all gone.

And he was free to do it, too. So why hadn't he realized it before?

"Are you not concerned that something similar will happen again?" he asks, blurting out yet another question, unable to stop himself now that the invisible barrier has been broken. "That Asgard will… have the same reaction in case we get separated again?" He could have added 'and you end up with a useless slave again,' but he leaves that part out, because it's understood anyway, and because… well, maybe he's just imagining it, but it somehow seems like Tony is strangely indifferent to his degree of usefulness.

Tony shrugs. "Well, in that case, Bambi, they'll have to go through me first. And next time, I'll make sure to have my suit within grabbing distance."

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