Author's Note: Uh, be warned, today's chapter is heavy stuff.

Replies to reviews up now :)

LillianaStone: Hey you! Thanks so much for the review! Well I'm glad I surprised you and it's great to hear I succeeded in writing Darcy well! This chapter is… interesting too, I guess. Hope you enjoy. (or don't kill me, whichever.)

Queen Martha Pond: YES! You're so right. I love how you always get those tiny details I try to put across! I'm glad you liked the chapter. I hope this one is up to par with the rest of the story. Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it :D

Crystal12: Thanks so much for your kind words :D They made my day. Here you go, another update! I hope you enjoy!

TheIronBat: Well thanks to you I woke up to a LOVELY surprise this morning :D ELEVEN whole reviews! I can't believe you took the time to review each chapter individually, I'm so touched! And then reading every one made me happier and happier. I'm very glad I wasn't mistaken and that Hulk reference really did come from your story :3 and since you love Loki-Louie interactions… well… you're either gonna love this chapter or you're gonna come after me with a blunt instrument. You're totally right about the others slowly coming around to liking Loki a teeny bit but it's really slow and boy, Clint is gonna be the toughest nut to crack. WOOO THE HAIRCUT SCENE WAS SEXY! I giggled a lot writing that lol. I'm so glad you understand the mixup. The mixup, like the singing scene was one I cringed a little while writing, purely because of the realism I felt like I had to maintain. Crackfics aren't really what I'm aiming to write here. Okay I'm writing another novel here, I'm just gonna let you get to the chapter.

Dear Readers – Note that this chapter is a differently toned one and revolves around darker themes. You have been warned.

Chapter 17

Loki POV

Loki couldn't understand what went wrong. It was all fine up until Thor flew away. The illusions were in place, Darcy was safe and Thor took her back to stay at the ship. Tony, Loki and Louie were thinking up a new plan when he heard the shouts. Before he knew it, he could hear that animalistic growl once more and he tensed.

"He knows," he said.

"Shit," said Louie.

"Who?" asked Tony. As if to answer him, Slasher made a leap into their midst.

There was no use; with Slasher's sense of smell, he was going to find them. If they stood still, all they were going to be were sitting ducks. Loki broke the illusion and grabbed Louie's hand.

"Run!" he yelled. He projected a mental message to Tony and prayed it went through.

We shall get Pepper . You're to keep the mutant away from us. Tell Thor we need him.

Tell Thor we need him. Now there was a line he never expected to hear coming out of his mouth ever again.

"What are we going to do?" cried Louie as they headed straight for the building.

"We will barrel through and fight," replied Loki, albeit a little resignedly. Louie snorted.

"What happened to being smart and safe and not marching in again?"

"That was before they knew we were here," he replied edgily.

Slasher had sounded the alarm and men were already aware of their approach. He gave Louie's hand one last squeeze, pulling in some magic that made his stomach ache and let go, summoning his dagger and slashing viciously at three men that ran at him. With a flick, Louie extended her staff, bending the earth to her will and sending people flying left and right.

There wasn't any time to dawdle, they had to get Pepper out immediately. Who knew what that man could do to her with a mutant like Slasher at hand? He used a little bit of his energy to hunt for Pepper. She was there, being dragged out to the back of the building with two others. Time was against him, but -

"Louise-," he roared, holding out his hand. Louie spun, slashing at the men around her and leapt for his forearm.

The magic sparked through him and his mind cleared. Focusing on where he wanted to go, he disappeared, pulling Louie into space and time with him.

They reappeared immediately in front of the party trying to escape through the back - a stupid idea that had them both hitting the ground and rolling away from gunfire. Loki staggered to his feet, catching his breath as they faced off the three figures in front of him.

"Loki," said the older man, standing with his hands behind his back. "So good of you to join us."
Loki felt a thrum of recognition in his mind. He searched for a name to match the familiar face.

"Quincy," he said at last and the sound of the name brought back the memories. The oily voice, the equally greasy hair, the ferocious temper and the cold, detached air he had towards all his men. Loki did not have to be anything special to dislike this mortal. He exuded the aura of an untrustworthy being.

A second mutant was standing behind him. His upper body looked perfectly ordinary, but where his legs should be, he had instead eight tentacles. One of them was gripping Pepper tightly as she struggled. There was a bruise forming on her face and a few cuts as well. Loki felt uncharacteristically irritated. These humans were his idiots. Nobody else had the right to harm them.

"So good of you to join us. I have unfinished business to discuss with you, to put it simply," said Quincy cocking his head. Something clicked in Loki's brain. Of course.

"I apologize," he said picking his words slowly, "for the delay in payment. It was unnecessary to go to this extent to meet me; a simple message would have sufficed." Quincy snorted.

"Oh, please. Like the World's Mightiest Heroes would have allowed me to pay a social visit. More importantly, like you would have stepped out from behind their backs. Besides," his eyes settled on Louie, "there were perks to this route of action."

"How did you find out?" asked Louie. Her voice was flat, strained, as it usually went when she was covering up her worry.

"Ah, I made a few friends who took a wrong turn down an alley," said Quincy. Louie hissed in anger.

"Just who are you?" she demanded. Quincy merely tilted his head at Loki, inviting him to explain.

"Mr Quincy was an acquaintance," he said, feeling bitter as he said it. With a good four feet in between him and Louie, he felt fear ebbing in and magic ebbing out of him. "He assisted me during my... episode in New York last year."

"I see." Loki winced at the emotionless tone Louie's voice took. It meant she cared. She cared far too much. Quincy bobbed his head at Louie in a gentlemanly manner.

"I knew you would come. You must be Loki's new apprentice." Louie stiffened.

"Yeah, you could say that," she said carefully.

"But you must also be an Avenger then. On behalf of them, I urge you to make a bargain. If you and Loki come in quietly, Miss Potts walks free." Louie swallowed, eyes wide.

"You see," said Quincy, "there is someone out there willing to pay a pretty price for Mr Laufeyson. I believe Thanos wishes to meet you again, Loki."

The wind left Loki's lungs in a big whoosh of air. No. No, no, no, this wasn't happening, this could not be happening.

"Your call," said Quincy to Louie, shrugging.

Louie set her mouth in a grim line. Loki knew what was going through her head. She was a stupid, noble mortal with ideals like Thor and the rest of them. But if she didn't agree, Pepper would die. If she didn't agree, all deals would be off and there would be no bargaining whatsoever.

"No dea-"

"Deal." he interrupted. He summoned the last dregs of magic within him and froze Louie in place, her mouth open in a surprised little 'o'.

"No!" cried Pepper, struggling, "No, what are you doing?!"

"Thank you, Loki. You have made this very easy for us." Loki smirked as the mutant with the tentacles grabbed Louie's arm. There was a sharp crack and a yell of pain. Loki sighed in relief. His borrowed power faded away from his fingertips, leaving nothing but a tingling shadow of a memory behind. His magic made a sound barrier of protection around Louie, keeping her safe from her attacker's grasp.

"You cannot touch her," he declared with a grin, "not for the next hour or so." He tilted his head in mock thought. The faint sound of thunder and bullets reached their ears. "I do not think you have that long."

Quincy snarled in anger, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Pepper's head.

"Very well, trickster," he snapped, "if that's how you want to play it-"

"Quincy," he interrupted, "I'm still here." His jaw physically ached as he added the next bit, true fear coursing through his veins, "You can take me in exchange for Miss Potts."

Pepper's jaw dropped and Loki would have slapped her for having so little faith in him if he hadn't been mentally kicking himself for being such a compulsive, senseless fool. He was going to risk his life for a mortal and not just any mortal, oh, no, it had to be a mortal who was once upon a time his enemy.

Then, Pepper was falling to the ground with a thud and the tentacled mutant was on him, a slimy, writhing protuberance wrapping around his waist and flinging him into a tree.

He got up, winded, the back of his head feeling exceptionally tender. He hadn't seen it coming. The continuous borrowing of Louie's power had weakened him, the chore had left him blind and far too slow to fight. Compared to his usual stamina, he now realised his movements were sluggish.

"And how exactly are you planning on calling to Thanos?" he asked thickly, stalling for time. Was he mistaken or was the sound of fighting getting closer?

"Oh, Mr Laufeyson," said Quincy sweetly, "we're not doing it. You are."

Tentacles wrapped his body tightly and he was dragged away. Pepper stared after them, her eyes screaming silently at him until they disappeared and he was deep into the woods. What was she telling him? Was she telling him he was insane? Because he was. He was crazy and by the gods, someone was going to pay for his lapse in cohesive thinking.

Once they were well into the woods, he was flung against a tree again. He groaned at the impact.

"I'm beginning to sense a pattern here," he winced.

"Don't play games with me, Laufeyson" snarled Quincy, his face utterly murderous now that Louie wasn't in the vicinity. "I've waited far too long for payment. You must send a message to Thanos at once."

Loki laughed hollowly.

"What makes you think I know how to reach the Mad Titan?" he asked. Quincy raised an eyebrow.

"The world has become a smaller place, Loki," he said gravely, "I hear stories about you and how you know more passages and paths between realms than any other living being around. You know. You're a liar and I don't believe you when you say you don't know."

"Even if I wanted to I couldn't. The Allfather has taken away my magic. You will get nothing from me, you stupid mortal," he spat derisively.

Quincy snapped his fingers and the mutant advanced on him, his fist swinging as hard as his other eight limbs. Loki dodged and parried but he was no match for the mutant when he was suddenly being attacked by octopus tentacles too. He struck out with his dagger but an inky black appendage caught him by the wrist and twisted it so hard something snapped. Loki yelled in pain.

Seven other tentacles wrapped so tightly around his body that he could barely breathe, let alone move.

"Don't lie to me, Loki," said Quincy softly. "You will send my message or I'll get Dakota to break every bone in your body."

"If it kills me there will be no use, now, will it?" he snarled.

"True, the price on your head would drop," Quincy shrugged, "but it would still be far, far more than what you owe me."

"I will pay you double the price," Loki said automatically. Quincy had the audacity to laugh.

"You? The fallen prince? The shame of Asgard? Oh, that stupid boy who hacked into SHIELD had no idea what kind of information he stumbled into. I learnt so much about you by piggyback riding his little experimental excursion into their systems. It was a brilliant stroke of genius to put those links in that boy's path, if I do say so myself. You have nothing, Laufeyson. Once more, don't lie to me."

Loki felt a rage so great nothing else seemed to matter.

"You- you dare-?" The rest was drowned in a gurgle of pain as one of his fingers broke with a sharp snap.

"Send him a message, Loki," said Quincy, his voice deadly calm.

"I cannot," he said, his teeth gritted in pain, "I cannot-" Snap, went another finger.

"I do not lie," he panted. "Believe me, I can't do anything."

"Such lies," tutted Quincy, clearly enjoying himself. "You're the one that always paraded around pretending to be a god. How does this feel Loki? To be brought down by a single mortal?"

Snap, snap, snap, went the rest of his fingers and Loki groaned in pain, his legs giving away. The only thing holding him up now was the mutant.

He snapped his forearm next.

His mouth opened in a soundless gasp. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Never, not ever. Pain was coursing through him and although he struggled to break free he couldn't. How could this be? How?

"I'm not a very patient man, Loki," snapped Quincy a vein throbbing in his temple. Dakota dislocated his shoulder. His entire dominant arm was now useless and he felt mildly irritated at how stiff it would be in a few hours.

He was furious. He was a god, how dare these petty humans make a fool of him in this way? How dare they? Loki spoke the only words that came to his mouth.

"Fuck you."

It felt strangely invigorating, using the petty words and he understood why Louie seemed to like swearing so much. It was almost worth the slap that came out of nowhere.

Quincy shook his hand with a grimace. "I really don't like getting my hands dirty. Last chance, Loki. You will send a message or Dakota will run you through with your own filthy dagger."

Loki had a sudden mental image of a Kursed doing the same thing and felt a shudder wracking his body.

"Three," said Quincy expectantly, eyes gleaming. Loki swallowed.

Heimdall, if you're listening. I am sorry. For being so weak, I am sorry. Every inch of his body repelled it but he attempted to cast the spell anyway.

For a moment it might have worked; he felt a stirring conscious on the other end of the mental spectrum but then the seal kicked in.

Loki screamed.

It hurt so much. The seal was working quickly, like a magnet, pulling his arms to his sides where they stuck to him firmly. He fell, his back arching into the air. Everything hurt so much. Everything was burning. There was a roaring in his ears and all he could think about was how sorry he was - he didn't mean to, he didn't, he didn't and oh, gods, he was sorry, he'd never, ever again do this, never, please, just stop-

Louie POV

When I found Loki, I was going to murder him. Commit straight up, cold blooded murder.

"Louie," Pepper said faintly, struggling to her feet and approaching me. "Louie what did he do to you?" Her voice sounded plugged and distant, like someone had clapped their hands over my ears. I couldn't reply. I couldn't even move.

Murder. I was going to murder that stupid idiot.

"Oh god, oh god, what do, we do, what, Louie, I don't know how to fix this, Christ, please just - I -," Pepper took in a deep breath.

"Okay," she said, "you're going to be okay."

Are you sure about that? I wanted to ask, fear spiking my heart. Over Pepper's shoulder, I could see soldiers approaching. I screamed. I struggled. But Pepper couldn't hear me; she just made to touch my face before changing her mind and withdrawing. Then, shifting the cloth just barely, not jostling me in any way, she searched my jacket pocket for something.

"Found it," she said in relief. She pulled out my baton like it was a plastic vital in a game of Operation.

"God, thank you-," she pressed the top of my staff and a red light blinked. I watched in surprise; I didn't know I could do that with my staff. But I didn't have time to think about it. The goons were approaching, a full two dozen of them, guns cocked and Pepper still hadn't noticed.

Struggling inside a magically bound body is like putting a cast on your ankle and not being able to rotate it any more. It felt like a cast was on my entire body, and as hard as I tried to struggle inside it, I couldn't break through.

"Please, hurry up," whispered Pepper to no-one in particular.

Pepper, turn, I chanted, turn, before you die. But she didn't turn, not until a goon cocked his gun at her back and said, "Freeze!"

Pepper froze, her eyes the size of dinner plates. Two dozen guns moved around us in a circle. Pepper gripped my baton tightly, muttering something under her breath. A man cocked his gun, aiming it at me.

Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Focus, Louie, get out.

I could see the gunman exhale, his finger slowly pressing down on the trigger. Pepper let out a strangled moan.

Several things happened at once.

The cast on my body disappeared and I had a moment of Hell, yes, freedom! before a scream ripped through the forest.

Loki.

There was a shout from behind us and I tackled Pepper to the ground. An arrow whizzed past and buried itself in the gunman's eye. He dropped his gun, flailing and fell backwards. More arrows whizzed past and gunfire opened out.

I turned back to look at my saviors and called out, "What the hell took you so long?!" Natasha reloaded her gun and shot down three men.

"We got a little distracted on the way. Where's Loki?" I scrambled to my feet.

"Did you hear him?"

Natasha nodded, "It was kind of hard not to."

"I'm going after him," I said and took my staff from Pepper.

"What was that thing you did with it?" I asked her. She dusted herself of and backed against a tree, leaning heavily.

"Tony puts tracking devices in almost anything he gets his hands on," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

"And thank God for that," added Natasha, "do you know how big this place is? We would never have been able to find you on our own."

"Do you know what happens to the others?" I asked anxiously. I flexed my hand for good measure, stirring up a bit of a breeze. Natasha shrugged.

"We all ran into trouble. This Quincy guy, he has a lot of manpower."

"Duck!" called Clint, firing three arrows at us. We dove away just in time, although the top of my head seemed awfully warm for a second.

"That better not be fire," I said, patting my head frantically.

"By my count," said Clint casually, pulling a couple of his arrows out of two bodies with a nasty squelch, "I got eighteen. I win." Natasha scowled and made a rude gesture at him when another scream ripped through the air.

"Loki." I leapt over a couple of groaning figures and sprinted for the woods.

"Louie!" shouted Natasha behind me. "Louie, wait!"

No, I couldn't wait. Something was happening to Loki. That's why his spell over me broke so suddenly.

"Almost there, Loki. I'm almost there," I panted. I could see figures moving up ahead. A thick, acrid, black smoke.

I felt energy thrum into my fingers before it sputtered and died.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking joking," I snapped, skidding to a halt and staring at my hand in disbelief.

"Really?" I hissed at my fingers "You're gonna do this now?" A hand touched my shoulder and I gasped, wheeling around. Natasha pressed a finger to her lips.

"Don't do that, Jesus!"

"What's going on?" I shook my head.

"I think I'm a little drained because Loki borrowed too much off me. I can't use my magic." We crept forward together, edging closer and closer to the thick smog.

"What is this stuff?" asked Natasha and I shrugged.

"Beats me."

Every fibre in my being was strung as taut as Clint's bow. I flexed my fingers again, and this time a tiny flame appeared. I breathed a sigh of relief when a cracked keening of pain broke through.

Someone swore.

I couldn't wait. I burst through the foliage and blew, chasing the smoke away into thin wisps with a mighty gust of air. I cracked my staff hard onto the ground.

Rules of Jumping into Battle like a Maniac stated one must always be aware of their surroundings. I was now aware. And I kind of wished I wasn't.

Loki was on the ground, tremors wracking his body. The man in the suit was shaking his head but his eyes were locked on me, glinting with a dangerous hunger.

"Dakota," he said, "don't touch him again."

Dakota shot him a look and stepped back, nursing one stump of an appendage which was torn off, when he too, noticed me. His lips curled and he shot out a tentacle, trying to grab me.

"No, you fucking don't," I said sharply, snapping my fingers. My hand burst into flames and the tentacle stopped immediately, retracting warily.

"Put your hands where I can see them, Quincy," said Natasha from behind me. Quincy's eye twitched.

"I should have dealt with you sooner," he said looking at me in annoyance. He nodded to Loki.

"Your master isn't in any shape to be touched. He took Dakota's arm… leg… thing, straight off."

"What did you do to him?" I snarled. Loki's face was white and he was twitching and jerking. He let out another hoarse cry and blood dripped from his mouth. I swallowed down a sickening sensation in my throat.

"Move away from Loki" said Natasha. "Don't make me hurt you." Quincy didn't move. Instead a cruel smile graced his features.

"I said step aw- ohhf!" There was the thudding of feet, a snarl and a grunt of pain. I wheeled around and shot a fireball at Slasher who had just leapt at Natasha. The attack just glanced off him and he took Natasha's hand in his arm and twisted it so hard there was a resounding crack. Natasha yelled in pain.

"Stop that," I yelled at him. With a burst of energy a scoop of earth was in my hand which I flung at the mutant.

There was a hiss as a bullet whizzed past my ear.

I whipped around, aiming fireballs at Dakota. He deflected them, wincing in pain. Quincy was edging towards Loki once more who had stopped moving completely, a greedy look on his face.

Discs of hard rock went whizzing in his direction like mad frisbees and he backed away immediately, scowling at me. I raised a hand; one twitch of my finger and those frisbees would come right back but before I could do anything, my legs were swept out from under me.

The scent of blood filled my nostrils as Slasher pinned me to his chest, his meaty forearm threatening to choke me. His face was pressed against my cheek and he inhaled deeply.

"What the hell are you doing, you disgusting, perverse-," I grunted through gritted teeth. His claws appeared in front of my eyes and wiggled in a menacing manner.

"I knew it!" he rasped. "I knew I recognized that scent."

"What are you talking about? Let – me - go!" I jabbed my elbow into his gut but he didn't even seem to feel it.

Even Quincy was frowning at him, confused. I twisted and turned in Slasher's grip, pretty pathetically because it was unyielding. But the cavalry was coming – lightning cracked in the sky above and I could see two figures flying towards us.

"This isn't over, Laufeyson," spat Quincy. He nodded to his henchman, grabbed him by the wrist and disappeared into thin air.

Fuck, he was a mutant too? Slasher dropped me and I lost balance and fell to the ground. My hand lit up with fire and I launched myself at his leg, holding tight. Slasher didn't even flinch.

His eyes bore into me and he gave me an unpleasant grin, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

"Just like your daddy," he smiled. "You're just like him."

I saw the boot coming so I had time to roll away. Slasher bounded over me and ran into the woods, dodging Iron Man's lasers and the swing of Mjolnir.

I lay there on the ground panting, suddenly too weak to stand.

My father?

I hadn't thought about my father in years. Mom never left me with the need to; it was us against the world. I hardly ever needed him and I hated thinking about him. But - Slasher knew, or had known, my dad? That certainly didn't bode well for whoever he might be.

Disgust spurred inside me. Maybe that's why he left us. Maybe that's why he never called or wrote or sent me a damn birthday card. Maybe he was dead. I closed my eyes, my body aching so much it made everything numb.

Slasher had brought up flashbacks of faint moments I never wanted to think about. Ever. Try as I might though, it didn't stop the memory of strong arms lifting me into the air or a whiskery kiss and a nice, soothing smell of tobacco that never completely disappeared from my mind.

There was a sharp tap to my face and my eyes flew open.

"Are you okay?" asked Tony, his faceplate off. I nodded jerkily and sat up, groaning.

"Loki," said Thor, falling to his knees beside his brother. He tried to touch him and his arm jerked horribly like he had been shocked.

"Something happens if someone touches him," I said scrambling to Thor's side, Tony watching me go like I was Dummy on a particularly well-oiled day.

"He was yelling his head off too," Tony commented, "We could hear him from where Pepper and Clint were."

"He called to me," said Thor, "the fool, he knew what would happen if he used his magic, and he called to me with his mind." Thor's face was marred by lines of sorrow and anger.

God, Loki looked a fright. Except for breathing in short, harsh gasps, Loki was unmoving and waxy pale.

"This is the work of Odin's seal," said Thor. "We might have to simply wait this out."

"Wait it out, my ass," I said sharply, my throat aching in a way that said tears were about to follow. Loki heaved a small, dry sob. "I have magic. I could probably touch him without having my arm taken off."

Thor didn't look very sure but he glanced at his brother's face, at the blood dripping down from his mouth and nodded.

As a precaution I covered my fingers with a sheen of energy, summoned for protection and also to feed Loki and refill his drained stores.

Slowly, very slowly, I touched his face.

Loki POV

Everything hurt, it hurt, his eyes hurt and ached and they stared helplessly at Louie whose hands were coming closer and closer.

No, he tried to say, no, don't touch me, you'll hurt too, oh, it hurt so much, it hurt.

It was okay, she was mouthing, it was going to be fine.

Lies. Her first touch was impossibly painful. Odin's seals warred against the contact, punishing him for attempting what could not be done, punishing his gall for trying.

Bit by bit though, his arm grew numb, quiet and his body didn't ache so and the pain faded away into a dull throb.

His throat felt thick ragged and he swallowed blood.

But his mind - his mind still echoed painfully with memories that hurt more, so much more. This, this was the ultimate punishment, Loki knew, this rush of memories that he had tried for so long to block but now he couldn't anymore. He couldn't. Odin was forcing him to see, for his worst nightmares to resurface.

Louie sucked in a breath like someone had punched her. Her mind was deep in his, a backward telepathic link between them, she couldn't, shouldn't, be able to delve so far and yet she did and now she was drowning, drowning in his pain, his guilt, his anger.

Her mouth fell open wordlessly and her eyebrows contracted in pain.

Monster.

Stolen relic.

What am I?

TELL ME!

You are my son.

No.

No!

Pain. So much pain

Worthless runt.

Red.

Blood.

Pain.

It hurts.

No.

Thor, help me.

NO, PLEASE-

Jotun runt.

Stop, please, stop, it hurts, you're hurting me, you're hurting her -

He flinched, back into reality, pulled back by a single string of thought. Louie was staring at him, into his eyes and Loki recoiled at the expression they held.

She had seen everything and her expression was proof of it. He shrank back, trying to move his useless limbs but he couldn't and it hurt and why was she staring at him like that- ?

There was horror, anger and immense sadness in her gaze and he was apologizing before he knew it, a flood of surface thoughts trying to barricade her against the memories, they weren't stopping -

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, I didn't mean for that to happen, I'm sorry-

She was ignoring him and silently, a tear etched its way down her cheek. She was crying and he did it, of course he did it, it was his fault, all he did was bring pain but he was sorry, he was, stop the hurt-!

Her conscious snapped back out of him like a rubber band and then, it reentered; this time it was her pain that filled his mind. She was pulling him in, into her thoughts and he didn't want to know of her disgust because he secretly loved her fascination of him, of how he was an enigma to her but now she'd see his lies, see them all and he would know exactly how she'd feel and he didn't want to -

No, no, I don't want to see, I don't want to see, NO, PLEASE, I CAN'T STAND IT -

He was sobbing too, his breath ragged and tears blurring his eyes but she was not stopping.

For the first time she spoke, in his mind.

Loki.

And it was filled with so much kindness and something much more and Loki was gasping like a fish out of water because he couldn't breathe, her pain was so strong, how could he have hurt her this way, how, HOW- ?

She was in agony, pure, unfiltered pain and he fought it, because he denied it and denying was what he did best but she was strong, determined, she wanted to show him something, she wanted to show him something… What was it? What was it?

There it was…

Tell me, tell me, I need to know, console me…

Wasn't because she was angry at him, no, it was because she was in agony for him, she was in agony FOR him, for him, HIM, worthless he, she was sharing his pain and his tears and she was crying with him and all she was begging in her mind was for him to stop hurting, she was begging to God, to the Allfather, to Yggdrasil itself to please, please, please make him stop hurting, it's too much, nobody could bear it, she couldn't stand to see him this way because he didn't deserve it, it was killing him, oh please, end the pain.

And strangely, it calmed him down. As the seconds ticked away his mind reeled itself back in and his breathing returned to journal. His tears dried and he felt drained, much more than he had at the beginning of this ordeal.

He blinked, hazy, cruel, embarrassing reality coming to life.

Tears cooled on his cheeks, drops that weren't his own mingling on his skin. His head was on his brother's knee and his hands holding onto the palms placed flat on his chest. His heart thudded away beneath Louie's fingertips.

He was immeasurably tired. So tired that he didn't care that Tony was holding his wrist, taking his pulse, that Thor was carrying him like he was a newlywed bride, that Louie's fingers had slipped into his hair and that occasionally, he could feel her shake with suppressed sobs. So tired he couldn't remember what he said or did and so tired that he faded in and out of consciousness throughout the entire journey.

Louie was white and strangely quiet all the way back ho- to Stark Tower. Nevertheless, the pressure of her hand never disappeared from his.

Louie POV

Had it been less than a day ago that I was out at a party, worried about Loki the way a teenager might worry about their first crush?

Coming out of Loki's head, I felt like I had aged hundreds of years along with him. I couldn't speak. He had so much hurt, so much pain locked away in him. Torture, abandonment, lost love, grief, hate, a raging self hate… I couldn't help the tears any more.

I cried, I did. I cried for Loki, for how much he hurt and for how much I wanted it to stop so he could be whole again.

When I looked at Thor, the anguish in his eyes seemed to mirror my own and I understood, completely and wholly. I didn't need half assed guesses anymore. This was his true pain. This was what he had to be healed of. This was what Thor yearned to heal.

I put both my hands on Loki's chest and weakly he brought his hands up to hold mine. I let him take what he wanted, what he knew how to take better than I knew how to give.

A tiny pounding began in my temples.

Five minutes passed, then ten. No-one spoke, although Tony and Natasha stood next to us, silent sentinels until the job was done.

Finally, finally, Loki let out a quiet sigh and let my hands go. His eyelids drooped.

"Brother?" asked Thor softly; stroking his hair with a gentleness one would think was impossible, coming from him. He got no reply but no animosity either, no angry, rebellious glare. Just a quiet look that said I'm tired, Thor. I'm tired.

"You had a seizure of some sort," I said, reaching out and wiping some blood from his chin. His emerald eyes looked at me, but they were so unfocused, so dazed, they barely seemed to acknowledge the action.

"Come on," I said, "let's go home."

Loki slept for two days straight.

Tony's paperwork began piling up in Loki's room because I took to finishing it all in there. Since I was a walking, talking bag of magical fluid, Bruce let me hover around, let me give Loki the energy he needed.

Thor gravitated around the room too, never quite far away. On the third day, when Loki woke up and sighed, Thor got up two rooms away and clambered for the door, upending a table and knocking down Tony and Bruce along the way.

"Brother," he said, hurrying to his side. I let go of Loki's hand with a grin. I was tired, but man, seeing Thor at his happiest, all full blown, crinkly eyed smiles was totally worth it.

"I'm fine, Thor," he said, folding his arms.

"I am very glad to hear that," said Thor, and not even Loki and his cold stone heart could deny that. Thor was happy. Thor's happiness was infectious. Loki's lips twitched slightly.

"Well, I'm hungry," he said succinctly.

"Food. Yes. I shall get you food." Thor stood, so unsure on his feet that he did a little dance in one spot. "I shall bring you the Captain's finest pancakes."

He hurried out the door, and judging by the grunts and the loud apologies that followed ("I am sorry, my friends but my brother has awakened!") Thor had knocked over the scientists again.

The smile faded and Loki fixed his gaze on me. Guilt, I thought immediately. That was the emotion he was reflecting.

"You are alright?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine, yeah," my throat felt rather dry.

"Look," I said as Loki opened his mouth, "just - just listen to me, okay?" Loki raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry for leaving you thinking we weren't friends. Because we are." Loki's heart rate spiked on the monitor, beating a violent tattoo.

"Just because you pity me –"

"I do not pity you," I cut across him, the anger rising again. Not at him, but at whatever it was that had given him this major inferiority complex. I fought it down. Misinterpretation was something Loki did best. "I – I hurt for you. I felt your pain. And as your friend, I say, I'm sorry, for not seeing it sooner."

"I have no friends," he whispered, deathly pale, his eyes looking enormous in his thin face, "I am alone, I do not deserve –"

"No, you do," I didn't care that I was practically shouting, that Bruce had come running to see what was wrong. "God, you know - do you know how I know you're my friend?"

He shook his head and I couldn't decide if it was a reply or a denial of every word coming out of my mouth.

"I know you're my friend because - because only a friend can look at me and then sacrifice himself without another thought, the way you did with Pepper and me. Only friends do that. That, by the way, is something you are never to do again because god, Loki, you don't do that to your partner, you just don't.

"We are partners. We are friends, Loki I'm sorry I didn't know that before but I do now and you don't make the shots on your own, okay? Not about stuff that involve putting your life at risk. You tell me before you go off on a self-sacrificial, suicidal death spree. Or else - or else I'll personally kick your ass into goddamn kingdom come."

"Nobody trusts me," he said hoarsely, echoes of his wounded throat still remaining. "Nobody." I inhaled sharply. This was about the torrent of things I'd seen, he and I both knew it. But not now. Now was not the time to get into that ugly pool of feelings.

Baby steps, I reminded myself.

"Yeah?" I reached for his hand, immediately feeling his very existence in my bones. As always, it was slightly cool at first, but a second or two later, it heated up.

"You think I don't know you have an unlimited power source when you touch me?" I whispered, so the eavesdroppers at the door couldn't hear me. "I know you do. You could suck the life out of me like a Dementor and make a break for it but you don't. You won't. I know you won't because I trust you."

Loki he didn't say anything for the longest time. I stayed silent. I had laid out all my cards on the table. The ball was in his court now. After a while he spoke.

"I do not know what a Dementor is." I cracked a smile. It was a start.

"Well then, as your friend, I make it my official duty to enlighten you."

A/N: Okay, confession time. I had a terrible week. I was actually experiencing writer's block and I was reading headcanons and looking through fanart and fics and things, trying to get inspired but then I got so many angsty feels, probably just venting out the troubles I have. I apologize if it messes with the story; this chapter was supposed to be serious but it wasn't supposed to go this far.

Sigh, I had promised myself when writing this I won't go angst, it was supposed to be humor but along the way it developed a plot and the plot bunny dug a hole so deep I've fallen in and I'm stuck.

But it did, and well, I feel all angsted out so it won't happen again. Also I think it was a good reason for Loki and Louie to be jerked out of their tiny problem.

Also yeah, mutants are going to end up in this story.

Anyway. I hope the ending made up for all that jazz.

Let me know what you think.

Until next time,

Much love,

xo