Chapter 3
Tony was getting suited up, and I was meowing loudly at his feet.
"No, I can't take you with me." Tony grumbled.
I growled lowly and scratched at his suit.
"Hey! Don't use me as your personal scratching post!" He exclaimed.
I huffed as he gave in.
"Fine! Just don't get hurt." Tony mumbled.
...
As soon as I knew it, we were flying, and my claws dug deeper into the cracks of Tony's suit. He didn't slow down, though, but I guess that's fine. Even if I did like the song he was playing, it was too loud for me to focus on it. It just became noise, loud noise.
Luckily, we were nearing the ground already.
"Agent Romanoff, you miss me?" Tony said as his song was now playing from the jet.
This alerted Steve and loki to our presence. I jumped off Tony quickly and moved to stand beside Tony when he hit the ground, as he hit loki with a blast of his hands. Loki hit the curb with a pained groan. Tony then held up his hands before saying.
"Make your move, Reindeer games."
Then the music died down. Loki was looking more at me than Tony, his expression amused and confused. Steve then made his way to stand beside Tony. As loki saw Steve, Tony, and me together, he raised his hands in 'defeat'. His armour magically disappeared in a soft emerald glow.
"Good move." Tony commented as he lowered his hands and other weapons.
Steve sighed, "Mr. Stark." Said a little out of breath.
"Captain." Tony responded.
Then Tony and Steve rounded loki up into the jet. I jumped up the ramp into it. Steve looked at me confused.
"Why is there a cat in here?" He asked sceptically.
I glared at him, and he flinched. I flicked my tail as my glare looked dangerous. I then moved beside Tony.
"Oh, cerberus over here is the stray I took in." Tony answered.
Steve rolled his eyes and didn't question further. I then made my way to loki. He hadn't said a word since he got shot by Tony. He looked quite menacing in person rather than on screen. I then rubbed my face on his hand gently. He looked at me weirdly but scratched between my ears. I had blocked out any conversations going on as I focused on loki's petting, I purred loudly as he continued his strokes down my back.
Then I heard the thunder, my hair stuck on end, and the petting stopped abruptly. I looked up at loki to see the fear etched on his face that he tried to hide. His heart rate picked up quite a bit, too.
"Where's this coming from?" Natasha said.
Both Tony and Steve looked around before staring at loki.
"What's the matter? Are you scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked mockingly at loki.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki answered. I then moved my tail to his arm, waving I over at him to calm him whilst I glared daggers at Steve.
We all then heard a thud on the roof of the jet. Everyone looked up as the jet rocked back and forth, except me. I tried to keep loki here. The jet continued to rock as Tony started putting his suit on and opened the hatch. I moved protectively over loki.
"What are you doing?" Steve yelled over the wind that lapped at the exit.
Tony then moved to exit to see what it was before thor landed in front of him. Thor then started attacking Tony. He let out a pained gasp as he fell back, more into the jet. I started growling and hissing at thor. He ignored me and went straight for his brother. Thor grabbed loki by the neck as he dragged him out of the jet. I quickly latched onto Loki's back, gripping my claws into his asgardian leathers. Thor then flew through the air, the winds volatile nature tried to rip me off loki, but I held on tightly.
I heard Tony blast off not soon after thor flew us out. I quickly jumped off loki onto the ground before thor dropped him on his back. Loki let put a pained groan as his hands moved to push him up. He laughed a little. It sounded forced.
"Where is the Tesseract?" Thor demanded.
I quickly ran to Loki's side to make sure he's okay. Loki pushed my face back to indicate that I needed to hide. And hide I did, though, not many places to hide.
"I missed you too." Loki laughed.
"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor practically hissed in anger.
"You should thank me." Loki continued as he moved to sit up, pain still evident in his voice. "With the bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here? Your precious earth." He spat with venom in his tone.
Thor growled as he dropped his hammer. I jumped as it gave off a loud metal thud that could be heard from miles away. It reverberated in my ears and made me recoil in pain as I whined. Thor then grabbed loki by the neck again and pulled him up so that they were face to face. When was Tony going to get here?
"I thought you dead." Thor muttered, though, I just barely heard his as my ears were trying to readjust.
There was a short silence for loki to speak. "Did you mourn?" He asked.
"We all did. Our father-"
"Your father." Loki cut in stopping thor short. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"
I could tell loki was still firmly on the belief that he should be cruel because of his race's reputation. Loki then moved stiffly down the gravel ramp/path behind thor. Placing a hand at his lower back.
Thor turned to say, "we were raised together." He then moved to follow loki as he continued. "We played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?"
Thors voice was loud and demanding, demanding to be heard, listened to. Loki turned around, a bitter expression painted on his face.
"I remember a shadow." Loki says, "living in the shade of your greatness." There was a pause. "I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be, king!"
I huffed a little at his words, sure thor destroyed the bridge, but he didn't toss loki into the abyss. Loki let go. He fell into the abyss, that's unfair to blame thor fully for that. Now that I think about it, he sound similarly to how lucifur was cast out.
"So you take the world I love as a recompense for your imagined slights?" Thor growled out, emotion deep in his response. "No. The earth is under my protection, loki." Thor stated as he moved closer to loki.
Loki laughed wickedly. "And you're doing a marvellous job with that." Loki huffed, "the humans slaughter each other in drones while you idly fret." He pointed out. "I mean to rule them, as why should I not?" Loki stated arrogantly.
"You think yourself above them?" Thor asked.
"Well, yes." Loki murmured breathily as he looked at thor.
"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother." Thor responded as he took a step closer to him. "A throne would suit you ill."
Loki huffed in anger or frustration and pushed thor out of his way by his chest. Loki then marched up the path to move away from thor. I could hear every little sound, every breath, every wind that bristled over the ground, and every bird over head. It all made a very uncomfortable atmosphere around me. I shuffled my fur body closer to loki to hear them better over all the other noises, making sure not to let thor notice me.
"I've seen world's you've never known about!" Loki hissed, "I have grown, odinson, in my exile."
Thunder clapped over head, and I jumped, making the gravel underneath my paws move.
"I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it..." loki trailed off.
"Who showed you this power?" Thor asked, ignoring Loki's theatrics.
Loki went quiet. I knew loki wouldn't wish to talk about such things. He would never bring up thanos. It would dig up all the pain with it. He always wanted to retain his composure in front of everyone.
"Who controls the would-be king?" Thor demanded, his voice in a mocking tone.
"I am a king!" Loki yelled.
"Not here!" Thor bit back.
Thor pushed loki close to the edge of the cliff, grabbing the side of his neck. He had a grip on the back and side of Loki's head, just under his ear.
Thor raised his voice. "You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream!" Thor paused and softened his tone slightly, "You come home."
There was a slight silence as they looked at each other. Loki smiled and scoffed slightly. He then shook his head.
"I don't have it." He said simply, talking about the Tesseract.
Thor huffed and stepped back. His expression was one of anger. He then recalled his hammer to his hand. The familiar metallic sound cutting through the air made my hair stand on end, as the atmosphere was high in tension as it was with static.
"You need the cube to bring me home." Loki stated factually, "but I've sent it off, I know not where." He admitted to thor.
I could hear a roaring in the distance. Was that... it sounded like Tony's blasters when he flew. My tail swayed a little as I knew what this meant.
"You listen well, brother." Thor started, "I-"
Thor was cut off by Tony flying into him at full speed. Thor let out a pained gasp as he was hit, and his voice rang out in the distance. It was even more hilarious watching it in person than on screen. Loki stared at where thor had been standing, waiting for more words.
"I'm listening." He said sarcasticly.
I could hear a distant crash that echoed through the trees. I moved out of my hiding spot and crawled next to loki as he sat and watched the chaos ensue. I laid so that loki could reach to pet me. I purred in his hands as he didn't take his eyes off the fight.
"You know, it's rather rude to stay in this pitiful form." Loki muttered to me.
I looked up at him, Suprised, my eyes growing wide. My tail shot up and wrapped around his wrist. How had he known? After a while, I shook my head.
"Oh, do you truly think so little of me, little kitten?" Loki asked, his voice low and dangerous.
I shook my head again, my tail releasing his wrist. Of course, I didn't think that he couldn't figure it out, but now? I thought it would be at least a little while longer. Loki hummed a little at my reaction to his words. we then spent the rest of the time in a comfortable silence, watching the 'show'.
...
Loki was now in a holding cell that was supposed to be used for the hulk if he ever got out. I sat on a chair as I watched the live footage of fury and Loki's exchange.
"You so much as scratch that glass," fury pressed a few buttons, and gusts of wind lapped up the reinforced glass of the cage. Making his threat known.
Loki looked down at the fall, likely making a mental note on how to get out and trick thor. Knowing what happens makes it possible to predict what they are thinking, but I could always be wrong.
"30,000 feet, straight down, in a steel trap." Fury reiterated. "You get how that works?" He asked, whilst closing up the hole to not have to yell. "Ant." He motioned to loki. "Boot." He motioned to the controls.
I didn't exactly think it was wise to show loki how that worked, but I wasn't one to state the obvious, and I certainly didn't want to talk to Fury. It was bad enough trying to sneak without seeing fury on his ship.
Loki laughed, "it's an impressive cage." Loki shifted backwards, "not built, I think, for me."
"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury commented.
I moved uncomfortably as they started talking about Bruce. I don't exactly think he deserves to be talked about that harshly, too. He's already got a lot on his plate with trying not to lose himself with being the Hulk. This just adds to the stress and, likely, just makes things worse. I mean, he did lose himself with being the Hulk in ragnarok.
"Oh, I've heard." Loki says as he turned to look at the camera we had. "A mindless beast."
It unsettled me seeing loki like this, trapped, locked up. It was definitely different on screen than 'in person'.
I looked up at natasha being the only one sitting in this moment along with me, but I guess I don't count because I'm a cat at the moment.
"Makes play he's still a man." Loki's voice played through the speakers on the table. "How desperate are you, you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"
I looked over at Bruce and held my head out for pets. He took the offer, however hesitant it was. I sighed as I pushed into his hand purring loudly to help ease him. I could tell it wasn't working the way I hoped but it still worked, however small.
I just hoped that I could help to change the fate of these Avengers and others.