Chapter 42
Chapter 42
One day later and the team was at the landing base of stark tower, waiting for their ally to arrive. They hadn't seen anything from him or Loki since their last encounter and Clint, whom they had curiously asked about Thor, hadn't talked a word of that matter.
Tony: " - You think it's a good idea to let him go after all?"
Everyone kept quiet, not wanting to express what they were thinking. Finally, Cap took the initiative and spoke their thoughts.
Steve: "No. - But we ain't got a choice. - We have to let him go. Although we all never liked it, Thor has never stayed for long - guess we all know that. And now it's no difference. His home's not with us."
No one said a word after that, all staring out into the distance. When the door opened however, all of them turned immediately to see Thor walking out of the building with Loki cradled in his arms, who was wrapped in several blankets to shield him from the cold. The team guessed Thor wanted to keep this farewell short, so they all approached him quickly, saying goodbye one after the other. The blonde held Loki with one arm, while firmly hugging each of his friends with the other. His face was a mask of neutrality once again, but every time he looked at Loki, they could make out a glimpse of love coming through. When it was Tony's turn to step forward, he took out several bundles of hundred-dollar notes, handing them over to Thor.
Tony: "Why going to work when you clearly have better things to do and a friend from work who's got no problem with throwing money outta window?"
The prince smiled briefly, accepting the offered support thankfully. He would have refused normally, but he knew Stark's words were true and furthermore, he couldn't think of working when Loki was in danger. Loki had been wide awake all the time, however, his gaze stayed focused on no one but Thor during the whole farewell. When Tony stepped back and rejoined the others, there was an uncomfortable, tensed silence. Thor stood motionless, looking from one to the other.
Tony: " - You know you can always come back if you change your mind, right?"
Asgard's prince nodded, still not saying a single word.
Bruce: " - And - if anything happens - just call me. - We'll find a way to pass by."
Another nod, with no word to confirm it. None of the others knew what to say exactly. They didn't want to say too much, but simply letting him go like this seemed strange either. When the silence grew too long to bear, Steve broke it.
Steve: "So - good luck then, you two. - We'll see you again some time, won't we?"
Thor took time to respond, his gaze still trailing from one to the other.
Thor: "Yes, - I hope so. - Thank you all for your assistance."
During the last words, he looked at tony and Bruce specifically, as they were the ones who had had to do the most. Ironman had offered his home as a place to stay for someone he should actually hate and Bruce had even treated one of his former enemies.
Tony: " - No thing, Sunshine. - Take care and stay safe, okay."
The prince looked at each of them one last time, silent despair now visible behind his sparkling façade. Then he took Loki securely into both arms again, raising his hammer up into the sky and taking off slowly. The others stared after him, not knowing for sure when they'd see him again. They never had been actually, but this time - it felt different somehow. More final. And somehow they couldn't shake the thought that their friend was running right into hell and they were doing nothing to hold him back. Even those who had argued that it was Thor's decision and they weren't allowed to interfere now began doubting if what they'd done had been right.
And Thor? He wasn't as numb as he let himself appear, only - he didn't want them to see. He didn't want anyone to see how much he was truly struggling with himself. He knew that what he was doing was the best thing he could do. For Loki. And that was all that counted. However, at the same time, while he took off the roof of Stark tower and saw his allies disappearing in the distance, he felt as if he'd already lost his love. With a look down he reassured himself that he was still save in his arms. Loki believed him to be strong. But while wishing to chase any evil that wanted to do Loki harm away and shatter it into dust, he knew that - in this case - he was defenceless, no matter how strong he seemed to be. His strength and the way he tried to make Loki believe he was okay and save were only meant to cover his insecurities, buried deep inside his soul. But it didn't matter anyway. As long as Loki was being happy and would make his way to Valhalla if he really … if it really happened, his own feelings had to enqueue behind that. He knew they'd all tried to stop him, reasoning he'd throw himself away, - and probably they had been right. But forcing Loki to stay would have only caused more fear, nightmares and Thor doubted he would have been up to force Loki to letting himself be treated anymore. By now, the prince hadn't given up though. He was aware that the chances were slim, but as long as there were some, he was more than determined to do everything so they could come true. He was an optimist, that was official. And even in the darkest days, even when everything seemed already lost, it were the optimists who had to stay strong, had to keep fighting until they won or … until their dying breath.
When the blonde looked down again, the beauty in his embrace had nearly fallen asleep, his eyes nearly closed. When the smaller man noticed Thor looking at him he blinked up at him sleepily, cuddling into his covers.
Loki: "Th-thor? - Are we - are we going - home?"
The thunderer hesitated, tears making their way to his eyes. He blinked them back vigorously, forcing a smile onto his face so Loki wouldn't notice his distress.
Thor: "Yes, my love. Yes, - we're going home now."
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Their main base was probably the saftest place there was. All of them were quite certain no one would come here, looking for them. Even if the team had had something against the choice, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Their leader knew how to give orders, and all of them knew better than to not obey them. They all had done it. Once. And not again. It was dark here, no windows to offer some sunlight and the electricity was a catastrophe at this place. So they sat in the darkness, waiting for their leader, their commander, to arrive. As always, they all were nervous but hiding it as best as they could, which meant if they hadn't known that the others were anxious as well, they wouldn't have noticed at all. The room was cluttered with designings of weapons, carelessly thrown aside. The real ones, the ones that had passed the tests and were ready to be used, were with their owners, remaining right at their side. Asher and Lucian, better known as Striker and Blade, were more than proud of finally having something to contribute to their coleagues' magnificent abilities and wouldn't try to hide it. When the door to their room opened quietly, all gazes turned immediately. The entering figure was clothed in a wide cloak, hiding everything but his face. On his face, he wore a mask, white and covering everything from his features, only leaving a blank space to look at. When the figure came to stand in front of them and started to speak, in an icy cold and quiet voice, he had all the attention from the others.
Death: "How are the plans proceeding?"
Death was their leader. And also the only one, from which no one knew his original name or had seen his face even once. At all their meetings, he seemed to wear the same cloak and the same mask, not showing them anything from his look. They'd collected a while ago, a group of students from university, sharing one particular characteristic. They were fascinated by Norse mythology, and even more so from the impressive and powerful thunder god, Thor, the son of Odin. Death had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, approaching them and inspiring them to expand their knowledge on this particular topic and entrusting some of the team with skills, such as time manipulation and mind-control to "help them realize his plan" as he'd said. They'd started studying Thor's history together, also informing themselves about his recent adventures on Earth, alongside his team of wanna-be-superheroes. And as the months had passed, the fascination for the thunderer's life had transformed into an obsession, led by Death himself. Into an obsession to understand how this ancient brain was working, how his feelings could be affected and, this was the main conclusion, how it could be manageable for someone to break this optimism, this stability and heroism down at once, without killing him directly, but hurting him so badly that the hero the world knew as Thor Odinson would not arise once more. Their leader had announced them to research everything they could and develop a plan, how they in particular could reach this goal. They had worked obsessively, studying asgardian powers, weapons, habits and weaknesses and finding ways how to make use of them. While some had begun building weapons, powerful enough to injure Asgardians, others had started exploring everything they knew about Thor's psyche, considering his soft spots and weaknesses. It was Selene, also known as Viper, who had worked on that project, alongside with Sinestra, famous for her codename as Nemesis. And it was also she who answered their leader's question.
Viper: "We can indeed cause Thor physical pain, but we don't think this alone can bring him to his knees. He's got too used to that by now. We have to combine it. With something regarding his mentality."
Death listened attentively, his face still hidden beneath the mask.
Death: "And how should this be possible?"
Nemesis: "We've made some research on Thor's current state of living. he left Asgard and his family behind. What's more, he's not engaged with Jane Foster anymore, but with his adoptive brother - Loki. Looks like he loves him quite much."
Viper: "We could imprison him here and then - make use of our special skills."
A few minutes later and the plan was fixed.
Death: "The plan is done. Now comes your greatest challenge. You will capture the god of mischief and afterwards proceed as planned. Alone. Make use of the abilities I entrusted you with. - Don't disappoint me."
The cloaked figure turned after that, leaving the room and his formed team to themselves. No one said a word. They'd often heard those words from their leader and by now, they knew only too well what it meant to "disappoint" him. Disappointing meant pain, disappointing meant punishment, disappointing meant … suffering.