Chapter 47
Chapter 47
It had taken one full week for SHIELD to track him down. Probably only because it had taken three entire days to convince Fury that Loki was no longer a wanted criminal but Thor's lost lover who had been captured and imprisoned. But that didn't change much. Once Fury had agreed to help, the following days had been filled with tension and restlessness. Since SHIELD was now handling the work, nobody else could truly assist, which drove the team crazy. The only one who was actively doing something was Tony. He'd made it his job to develop special suits to protect them from the wannabe heroes' superpowers. Thor, on the other hand, was still haunted by images of Loki. His crying attacks had become less frequent over the days, probably because Thor had learned to compose himself enough to converse with the others. After one week, however, they were all sitting together, eating in tense silence when Tony's phone started ringing. The scientist gave the others an annoyed glance before pulling it out and accepting the call without looking.
Tony: „The owner of this device is currently trying to eat and, therefore, not able to attend phone calls, dates, or other senseless—Oh, Fury...“
The inventor got up and walked out of the room to avoid interrupting the others. When he walked back in minutes later, no one had said a word or even touched their food. They tried to read his expression, but Tony wore a mask of neutrality. He didn't sit back down, instead standing in front of the others. He waited a few seconds, all eyes on him.
Tony: „They tracked him down. - They're hiding in an abandoned research building somewhere out in New Jersey. We're leaving in 10 minutes.“
The silence that followed was brief before everyone hurried out of the room to get ready for their next mission.
------
When the helicopter touched down, they all stayed inside at first. Since they had received news that Loki had been found, Thor hadn't sat still for a single minute, more restless than ever before. In front of the windows, they could see the targeted building, black and inconspicuous. By now, they had all put on their protection suits, except for Tony, who couldn't pull the suit over his Iron Man armor. But he was optimistic his suit would protect him as well.
Tony: „Alright, here's the deal. We're gonna go hit those guys with all we've got. Then, when they're distracted, Thor swoops in and busts Loki out.“
Clint: „Nope, that's nonsense. Firstly, Thor's the one they're aiming at, right? So sending him in would only risk them capturing him too. Secondly, you're the only one who isn't wearing fancy protection clothes, so I guess you two are going to swap roles.“
Tony: „Wait, you're saying I can't even join the beatdown? No way, I'm not having you guys have all the fun!“
Steve: „We'll hit them twice as hard for you.“
Tony: „ - Okay, okay. But don't kill them off immediately! - And Thor, try to blend in a bit, yeah? We don't need you getting caught too.“
The thunderer nodded anxiously.
Thor: „You're going to bring him out?“
Tony: „Yeah, that's the idea. No worries, I'll bring him straight to you.“
The fight went surprisingly smoothly. Without their powers to use, the enemy had little to offer. The only challenge was dealing with their sharp weapons, which were trained to harm both humans and Asgardians. Tony watched them for several minutes, observing the uneven battle. When he was sure there was no one left inside, he flew in quickly, letting Jarvis scan the area for any rooms that could be used as a prison. Once Jarvis had found a suitable room, the genius headed there, easily breaking the door without much effort. Bingo! The trickster was curled up in a corner, shielding his face from view. Tony landed a few feet away, quickly stepping closer and lifting him up without further explanation. Loki gasped shortly, looking up at him in obvious fear.
Loki: „Wh-what? Let me go! LET GO OF ME!“
Tony: „Stop yelling, you idiot. I'm here to rescue you. But fine, if you'd rather stay here, I'll let Thor know he's got to schedule a visit if he wants to see you. Visiting hours from 3 to 5 pm.“
When the god of mischief recognized the slightly metallic voice, he calmed down somewhat. At the mention of his lover, his eyes filled with silent tears.
Loki: „Thor? Where – where is Thor?“
Tony: „Oh, he's out there, hopefully giving those jerks a royal beatdown with the others.“
Tony didn't waste more time with talking, flying straight back out from where he had come.
------
When the fight was over, Thor immediately looked around for Tony. But the scientist descended from above, landing directly in front of him and opening his faceplate.
Tony: "Has someone ordered a freshly freed trickster?"
He held the curled-up bundle out to him, a wide grin on his face. Thor immediately stepped forward, taking Loki into his own arms, all attention now focused on the black-haired man who was now crying in his embrace.
Tony: „Oh, thanks for asking – I don't take tips.“
Thor pressed his love close to his chest, holding him so tight that no one could ever take him away. The others joined them, watching the affectionate scene with smiles on their faces. Thor whispered words into Loki's ear, so quiet that no one else could hear. As minutes passed, the others began to feel uncomfortable.
Bruce: „Thor?“
It took a moment until the blonde looked up at him, his eyes full of tenderness and pure love.
Bruce: „We're flying back, okay? We all could use a change of clothes, and Loki definitely needs something to eat. No one will take him from you, okay.“
The god hesitated briefly before following them, wrapping Loki in his cape on the way, still holding him tight.
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Once they were back home, Thor carried a small tray with a pot of soup upstairs. As thankful as he was, he wanted Loki to lay down, realizing that sitting down and eating with the others might be too much for him at the moment. So he placed Loki gently on the bed, putting the tray down on the bedside table. Thor sat down at the edge of the bed, wrapping Loki in all the available blankets. While doing so, he noticed that his own hands were shaking slightly. Loki was no longer crying, looking up at Thor with weary eyes. Now that they were safe back at home and Thor saw Loki tucked safely into the blankets in his arms, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. But they weren't tears of grief; they were tears of relief. Thor then moved to the middle of the bed, letting Loki rest in his lap with his head against Thor's chest. They both remained silent for a while. At some point, Thor picked up the bowl of soup, feeding Loki spoonful after spoonful. Only when Loki moved his head slightly to the side did Thor set the bowl aside, realizing that Loki was probably too tired to continue.
Thor (whispering softly): „I've missed you so much. So, so much.“
There was a moment of silence before Loki began to speak. His voice was barely audible, a quiet, hoarse whisper that trembled as if it might break at any moment.
Loki: „I - I was so scared. I - I saw them hurt you, and I saw you bleeding, and then they took me. They never said a word - they threw me in a cell. I - I always hoped you'd come for me. But you never came. I - I was so scared. I - I thought you'd given up on me...“
That was when his voice broke, and he clung even closer. Thor needed a moment to find his voice.
Thor (whispering): „You're safe now, Loki. I'll never let you go. This will never happen again.“
Loki: „I - I thought the baby would die. Thor, please - don't let go. Please don't let me go.“
They didn't speak after that. Eventually, Thor lay down with Loki, sensing that Loki was too tired to say more. He pulled the blankets over them, reestablishing his hold around the fragile body. Tenderly, he started stroking Loki's back, watching as the younger man cuddled even closer and finally fell asleep after a few minutes.
Thor didn’t sleep much this night. Not that he couldn’t; he was simply too anxious when he thought about the last time they’d slept like this - peacefully beside each other. So he stayed awake, his gaze fixed on the sleeping figure beside him, holding him tighter from time to time out of fear he’d be taken away. And when the smile - the small and so, so beautiful smile - the smile which had always melted his heart, appeared on Loki’s drained features, he let the tears fall.