disclaimer: i do not own marvel

Chapter 23

Thor had always known where his adopted brother, or rather, the now human man who was his beloved younger sibling, resided. Not that the golden god ever thought he had one less family member. Those were facts he did not want to face. In fact, the way his fellow earthly warriors spoke of this "Locke," the name Loki chose to go by on Midgard, filled him with memories of a younger and very different Loki. Not the chaotic mad one trying to take over this world, but the one who used to be his mischievous trickster of a brother, the one that could sweet-talk himself out of any dangerous situation, someone better who could actually laugh heartedly or give a warm smile. It gave him faith, a faint spark of hope flickering in his big, strong heart.

His mind spun backwards in time, recalling the ease with which emotions changed on the face of his comrade and friend, Tony. A mere fraction of a moment was all it took to go from a warm, laughing expression to a serious, tight-lipped one laced with worry. The joker, the playboy was gone, replaced by a man full of naught but worry for a friend. Even Thor had trouble comprehending this new found friendship between these two unlikely candidates. Yet who was he to judge, especially if he considered that his younger sibling seemed to have returned fractions of his old self into his behaviour.

Even more astonishing was that the Man of Iron knew and accepted that this "Locke" was a mere disguise to survive in the human world without being immediately noticed. His friend had even tricked him into spilling words from his lips that he otherwise could not have spoken under his promise to Odin. For that, he was slightly angered. Over time, Thor had come to be both wary and weary of tricks. But this one let him know that he could place his trust in the Man of Iron, who was probably the only human willing to aid a former adversary.

Thor waited until the red and gold armor was out of his field of vision to bring the one called Bob to the Midgardian healers. His arrival at the large, sullen white building had caused some chaos and distress. Jane had often reprimanded him about suddenly flying head on into things. It scared weaker humans, subjecting them to panic, even if it was meant well. A set of Midgardians dressed in white robes took the man away for care. One of them asked if he needed anything tended as well. Thor refused this politely, for he was healthy, fit and strong, not even a sweat had broken his skin. That and he held a great dislike for the Midgardian way of healing after a series of unfortunate incidents during his short exile.

Proudly, Thor stood outside, waiting for his fellow Avenger to meet him there, hopefully with an uninjured human named Locke. Impatience also reigned in his veins for the wait was long and worst case scenarios prowled darkly into his mind. What if Loki let the bitter emotions stirred up by his Jotun look get to him? What if that mad glare appeared back in his eyes at the sight of unwanted, cold power? What if the unlikely friendship Stark and Loki had formed broke down beneath it?

With every passing breath, his worry grew, accompanied by a frown creasing his forehead. Possible scenarios played out in his imagination, ranging from good, to bad, to worse. Thor's worry finally eased when a familiar sound came closer and closer, lifting his spirits immediately. The Man of Iron slowed down for landing, bringing along with him another living being.

Thor could only describe the man he saw as Asgardian. Half-long golden locks of hair hung just above the shoulders, its ends curling upwards with a single tress of blond hair hanging defiantly in front of the face. He had eyes much like his, bluer than any sea on Midgard, yet colder and more distant. The only notable difference was his non-Asgardian build. He was still tall, but lean muscled instead of the more bulky and broad-shouldered build of most Asgardians. If the thunder god had to choose a word to describe the other person, the first word would be displeased, or disgraced at being carried to the hospital, anything but happy. It looked like the Man of Iron had simply scooped him up after a faint protest. A protest that would carry on in heated discussion later, judging by the look on that strict face.

He watched as his comrade got a disapproving finger from the tall stranger, waving it in a agitated way in front of his face. Tony could be seen rolling his eyes at this while sprouting some verbal nonsense. With a smirk, the tall man replied, drawing a paler face from the Man of Iron. Slowly, a warm mischievous smile crept up in the corner of that mouth. Then and there, Thor recognized Loki. It took every ounce of willpower in his body not to shout out or bear-hug him, for it had been years since he saw his brother hold a smile with such mirth.

A badly-needed kiss provided enough distraction for Tony to wrap his metal clad arms tightly around Loki. The brown-haired genius found it superbly difficult to leave those warm moist lips, but their confines and heated clutches foretold a much more delirious want. It was too much for him to handle right now. His red and gold armor was not fitted for endeavours like these. But surely adjustments could be made, bearing in mind future purposes. With his teeth, he raked the trickster's bottom lip, gently pulling it before removing himself. He let out a soft whisper in one of the ex-gods ears, "Hold on tight, Highness."

The gold faceplate snapping shut gave Loki a kick back into reality. Objection immediately rose inside of him. Surely Anthony would not dare to abuse this current situation. Of course, Loki himself would, that was normal, but for him to be tricked into this current predicament was shameful. "Anthonaaaaaaah." Before his velvet voice could form the rest of his warning words, a shout was drawn out by the force of Iron Man's thrusters lifting them up into the sky. Firm metal hands grabbed him, pulling him close and into an uncomfortable position against the armor.

As Tony landed at the hospital, he unhanded his cursing assistant, whose blond hair hung wild around his pale face. Loki gasped for air while a dull flame of anger burned behind those upsetting, but beautiful eyes. "Yeah, I know, it was the best ride you ever had. Not every guy gets carried by the one and only Iron Man, superhero extraordinaire. So can I get my reward soon? As in right now?" asked Tony, a cocky smile on his face.

"You think yourself worthy of reward and praise, Anthony?" questioned Loki, trying to gain control of the incredible mess that the wind had made of his hair. His head simply looked like a war-zone in panic, a true disaster.

Tony's lips were still raised in that arrogant smile as that wild tangled hair gave him rather sexy thoughts. "We're both alive and in one piece, that has to count for something," retorted the engineer while his warm brown eyes traced pale fingers combing through golden locks.

Loki looked at the brown-haired engineer without anger or resentment in his eyes, a grin slowly forming on his sharp angular face. For some reason, it was a struggle to stay angry with the other man. A struggle that he eventually lost in the end, for something else had settled into his mind now. It was akin to lust, but without the rough animalistic edge. Pure desire was stirring, making itself known that it would have this shorter man and soon. This newfound emotion was more intense than raw lust in a way. His mind was filled with clarity, gone was the haziness and clouded thought the lust had caused.

"Oh?" He spoke with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I hardly find you deserving of any reward, Stark." Loki replied sternly, noting the happy glint in those brown eyes fading. And then he smiled from enjoyment, his silver tongue turning his voice into liquid sex. "But I might deem it necessary to punish you."

Tony was one hundred percent sure that all the blood had vanished from his head, giving him the strangest pale-faced look, as blood accumulated in another area. Now, more than ever, his suit was proving too restricting. And with the way Loki was smiling at him right now, he wasn't entirely sure his armor had or had not made a loud "clang" sound in his groin area. "You bastard," he muttered, knowing that he had to walk around, probably feeling highly uncomfortable. The engineer narrowed his eyes and stared back at those stormy blue eyes. "You did this on purpose. You absolute ass."

"Now, Anthony, one can hardly claim that, for I held no intent on doing anything to you. You reap what you sow, Anthony." Loki's smile held nothing but mirth and mischief and with this, he turned around, indicating that the conversation was over. Foot by foot, he travelled toward the hospital entrance.

Iron Man was flashy and popular enough to attract attention in mere seconds and already, he could see curious people from the corner of his eye. He felt the need to get out before it became too crowded. That and he wanted to see how Bob was doing. Hs friend - the one human he had protected, perhaps even saved from inevitable death. Still, he was not sure why he had done this, why he had told the other man to run while he…shifted. The "old" Loki would never have done this. A mere insect saved without any purpose? It was a thing for ridicule. Helping one was even worse, yet regret for this could not be found in his heart right now.

What lingered now was a feeling of fright and surprise at the change his body had experienced. Surely, it had been some great cosmic joke of the All-Father's. So much for being human, he thought, but when it came down to it, he could still wield deep cold power against an enemy. Why had he never felt this presence before? Why now? What was different than before? The answer was simple: he had wielded it with the intention of protecting a thing.

Oh, by the Nine…

Loki froze in his footsteps when he saw Thor, with his ridiculous, beaming smile looking at him, or rather, past him. It was a thing of annoyance to see it, like an itch under his fingernails. He could scratch it, yet not reach it, unless, of course, pulling off nails and revelling in the soothing look of them bleeding was an option. It was a smile that Loki would have loved to wipe off that face. Permanently.

The golden warrior stepped forward, his leather covered feet steady and happy. It was sickening to see him like that. Much to Loki's surprise though, the god did look past him, or at least made an attempt not to concentrate on him. It was a strange thing to behold. No doubt it would demand plenty of restraint on Thor's behalf. It was almost admirable…almost.

"Friend Tony," boomed Thor in his clear, loud voice. "'Tis good to see you and your assistant unharmed and safe from any dangers. Did you have a good battle?"

Tony walked the last few steps toward the awaiting Thor, discomfort evident with each step. "There was no battle, Thor."

"Man of Iron, you are hurt! Should I call for the healers?" the Asgardian warrior asked with concern upon seeing his friend limp slightly in his suit.

"No, that won't be necessary. Just sprained a muscle, nothing bad. It'll go away soon." I hope… "But enough about me; where is Bob? I'm sure that is the question on my assistant's mind as well."

"The one called Bob was taken in by your Midgardian healers. I do not know where for I did not enter." With this, the blond warrior finally paid attention to his younger sibling. He could no longer ignore him out of fear that he might burst open and shout out his name in greeting. "It is good to see you safe, Locke. Friend Tony was worried about you. Your friend Bob is inside. He was also worried for you." It was strange to use that name and equally hard to keep a straight face. Expectantly, he looked at Loki waiting for a reply.

Thor did not greet him as a sibling. As pleasing as this was, it was notably odd. The restraint could easily be seen on that blond-bearded face. The elder of them could never and would never lie, nor would he willingly hold back like this under normal conditions. Loki concluded quickly that it must have been the All-Father's doing, just like the cruel joke played on him by turning him into this shell of his former self. It had to be a promise made, an oath sworn not to interfere with anything concerning him. Yet that big idiot radiated the truth now that he faced his once younger brother. "Stupid oaf" was all he said before ignoring this foolish, amateuristic theatre piece Thor thought he was performing.

After the grumpy-looking ex-god had entered the hospital, Tony had to ask. "He called you a stupid oaf, and still you're smiling?"

"Of course, friend Tony," replied Thor, as if it was the most idiotic question one could ask of him.

"Not a man of many words are you? I mean, why are you still smiling, after he called you a stupid oaf?" Perhaps a different way of formulating his question could get a clear explanation from the Thunderer.

Tony's raised eyebrow told him that his fellow Avenger required a longer answer. "The mad man you saw when the Chitauri invaded this world was nothing like my little brother." Thor shrugged his shoulders slightly, continuing, "Perhaps only a little bit. This person," he smiled, "is my little brother. It feels as if he is returning."

Tony could live with that last reply, since it was indeed true. Who would have guessed that this former villain could care for a human life, let alone enough to willingly save that person? Who would have ever dreamt him truly capable of raw passion and heated, desire-filled glances? Loki was even somewhat pleasant to live with... if you could cope with tricks, lies, and imaginary health problems throughout the day.

When the elevator doors slid open, Loki could see a mop of familiar hair, accompanied by a voice he had hoped never to hear again - Cassandra. Just behind her, he could perceive the tall short-haired Steve Rogers, looking like he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Their eyes met and the ex-god was met with this pleading, puppy-eyed look. The young nurse kept on chatting, bombarding the All-American Hero with questions and useless comments. Through it all, his face kept saying, "Help me! Get me out of here."

Loki was almost feeling sorry, right up until the point Rogers called out for him. "Locke! It's good to see you in one piece."

At the mention of this name the woman almost made a happy jump. "Locke! Oh, it's been so long. How are you feeling? Do you need a check-up?"

No, I don't need you feeling up my legs again, whiny insignificant woman. "Hello, Samantha." He purposefully used the wrong name.

"Already told you to call me Sandy, darling," she cooed, the only indication of his getting her name wrong was a slight pinch of her mouth.

What did she just call me? The nerve she has! He noted that the Captain was feeling relieved to get out from under her attention. Since the use of a different name had not deterred her and her attention was now on him, Loki gave Rogers the coldest stare he could currently muster.

"See, I was just talking about your stay here to Mr. Rogers," she began to ramble, pointing to the uncomfortable man. But before she could continue, Loki interrupted hastily.

"Yes, how kind of you to do so. Could you show me my friend's room?" requested the ex-god, clearly annoyed by the fact that she kept stalling the conversation. He did not care to be kept from his goal.

"Of course," she replied with a tender smile. "He's the one that used to visit you, isn't he?" She started moving slowly, walking towards the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, she also kept on rambling, producing unnecessary noise. Her attention turned back to Steve Rogers, making the tall, blond assistant believe he was relatively safe and sound. Her words however, proved him oh so wrong.

"Did you know I accidently asked him out on a date the last time? God, I made such an ass out of myself." She blushed, remembering the whole scene.

Had Loki more energy, he might have actually killed her here, Captain America's presence be hanged. Please, somebody strangle that creature so she shuts up. As it was, all he could do was glare tired daggers into the back of her head.

"Why?" asked Steve, with all honesty. "I think it is courageous of you to do so. It requires guts and daring to ask another for a date, even if that person rejects you." Leave it up to the honest Captain America to question this. Now she would spout even more unneeded words. Loki smothered an inward groan.

"Oooooh, you don't know, do you?" giggled the aggravating nurse, a tone of surprise in her voice. "Well, I'll leave you to find out for yourself. Here is the room you're looking for, come and drop in more often, Locke. Unharmed, of course. Bye!"

Rogers looked perplexed. "What don't I know? Locke help me out here," he asked politely.

"Some things are better left alone, Rogers," Loki sighed before opening the door. Oddly, he did not feel surprised to see Iron Man already there.

"What?!" Tony challenged arrogantly, noting a look of disapproval on the good Captain's face. "I flew in. You can't expect Iron Man to take the elevator."

"Tony, really, you flew in? This is a hospital. What were you thinking?" Steve's calm voice lightly reprimanded his friend. He was still confused, wondering over the comments of the nurse and Locke, but he did not feel the need to pry right now. After all, they had just come back from whatever was going on and the Chitauri were involved. Still, he took a mental note to ask later, Steve hated being kept in the dark about things.

"I don't expect anything of you, Anthony," Loki said, responding to the engineer's presence, relieved that Thor had wisely decided to stay out of the hospital. He could still felt Rogers' questioning stare aimed at him, like a subtle itch at the back of his neck. He would ignore those questions until much later, if, indeed, he ever chose to answer them.

"So you call him Anthony, eh? It's good to see you make friends, Highness," came a raspy voice from under the bed covers. "Sorry, still out of breath it seems. And tell the nurse to get rid of this thing. I feel fine." Bob pointed to the IV, which was currently slowly dripping fluid into his veins .

"Sir, with all due respect, you should listen to the hospital staff. From what I gathered, you are not ready yet to leave the hospital or this room." The good captain managed to straddle the line between imploring and commanding. It was his rational voice, filled with respect yet demanding to be heard and taken seriously.

"Well, they can't expect me to stay here for this li'l thing," noted Bob, raising his arm to show a strange burn around the wrist. "Ya know, you could have warned me 'bout them magic hands, Highness.

"Magic hands? Sir, are you all right?" asked Steve worriedly, looking over the wound and recognizing it for what it was. "How exactly did you end up with frostbite?" With this, he looked up at Locke, an eyebrow raised in question.

"I…" Loki startled, not having known that he had given the man a wound like this. It had taken him by surprise.

Bob saved him from having to speak. "He saved me damn ass, that's what he did. Froze one of them ugly bastards right up." Bob's attention went back to the ex-god, a warm smile under his big moustache. "Boy, now, more than ever, I'm happy for finding you back then. God knows how it would have ended without you."

"Yet this is my fault," replied Loki, carrying a softer tone than usual. For the Chitauri were here for him. They were searching, scavenging, gathering resources if and where they could. He had led them here.

"Listen Highness. You had a run in with one of those things before. One that, considering the horrible state I found you in, wasn't that pleasant. But that doesn't make it your fault. I live, you live, and that's all that truly matters to me." The elder man let out a small laugh. "Heck! You even have cool superpowers, literally." Everybody stayed notably calm at this revelation except for one, still very confused Captain America.

Steve blinked in shock. "He what?! Tony?" He looked at his friend, who was clearly not as profoundly confused as himself. It was apparent the engineer had known of this and withheld this vital piece of information from him, but why?

"He's a mutant." Tony's mouth seemed to work on its own accord before he could control his words and before Loki could speak on his own behalf.

"Why did you not mention this to me?" asked Steve, in a disappointed tone. He hated it when people did not keep an open book. He knew Tony had his secrets, but this was ridiculous.

"Look, Steve, don't get your panties in a twist," Tony tried to reason. "We'll explain what happened later when everybody is back in the tower. I'm sure Bob and Locke here could go without an argument right now. That and it saves me from having to explain it twice."

"Could you two be silent!" snapped Loki, his voice loud and clearly holding a certain pissed off, exasperated tone. Both men instantly held their mouths, looking at him with wide eyes. "Very well. As Anthony said, all will be cleared up later. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to speak with Bob. Alone." Loki was sick and tired of all the unwanted interferences for one day. The ex-god saw that Steve blushed a bit shamefully while giving an accepting nod and leaving with understanding. Tony Stark, on the other hand, was more troublesome. Naturally. He was reluctant in leaving. "Anthony, out. Now." His tone was low, but not dangerous or insane. Still, it certainly held a promise of revenge if it was ignored. Brown eyes looked at him, filled with hidden worry.

"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll be going. Just be all right when you get back home, okay?" Tony managed to get out before he was either dragged or pushed out of the hospital room. The brown-haired engineer tried not to sound the slightest bit worried. Deep down inside, he was desperately hoping that Loki would not have some strange kind of blue relapse. He caught those beautiful blue eyes, but their expression did not give anything away as the door shut in front of him.

When the ex-god turned around, the smile on Bob's face had vanished into thin air. His lips were now in a rarely seen serious line, something akin to sadness on his otherwise calm face. "You knew what they were." It was a statement, not a question. "Tell me honestly Locke, where are my friends?"

The downward heading mood struck Loki hard, giving him unwanted sentiment and a strange feeling of loss. Lies would not come, for his freakishly human heart wanted to speak the truth. "I don't know."

"Highness, that's bullshit. You have to know something. Now, I won't press you to talk about past experiences. But ya gotta give me something to go on here," Bob stated, awaiting another answer patiently.

The kind older man wasn't angry with Loki, not in the least bit, but he was disappointed. Somehow, this gave the trickster an awful, bitter feeling. He had told the truth, had he not? Was this not a thing that made humans feel better or more relieved? Then why had nothing changed? Why did this foreboding mood still fill the air around him? "I tell you truthfully, I really do not know, Bob. But I can tell you that the Chitauri need a voice, a leader. Otherwise they would not handle something like this so efficiently."

Grief ran deep and strong in Bob's voice, like a current heading to a waterfall. "What will happen to them? Are they even alive? Please, tell me they are, Locke. I already lost everything once."

"Before…in the past, they needed humans to do labor for them, often creating the finer things their claws could not. My guess and hope is that. If not, then I fear the worst." A long sigh escaped Loki, letting him know exactly how tired and weary he really was. His body was making it known that it wanted to rest in the warmth of soft thick blankets.

"Why did they have to come back?"

It was not a question, yet human impulse caused Loki to answer. "For me, I fear." The silence around him, accompanied by the stare aimed towards him, made him realize his words. "I'm sorry; that comment was not supposed to find a voice. I'll take my leave now, for we both seem to need a sufficient amount of sleep."

"Locke, whatever you went through, whoever you were, promise this old guy one thing, will ya?" asked Bob, slowly getting his good old comforting smile back.

Intuition told the ex-god all he needed to know. "I'll find them."

Later, during the car ride towards the tower, he realized that he truly did want to find them for Bob, preferably in one piece and relatively healthy. He held no understanding of why he felt like that, for it was utterly foreign. This whole day had been filled with a whole variety of new and occasionally subtle emotions. Now that there was a lull, he was left to deal with the aftermath. Truly, he was at a loss, tired and confused. For though he was no longer a god, he also wasn't a normal human man. But he could not now feel the Jotun power streaming coldly through his body. There was only a lingering feeling of power and one simple question.

What am I?

Thank you guys for reading!

And feel more than welcome to leave a review.

I know this chapter was not action filled, but it was necessary non the less.

thank you swordmisstress for being my beta.