Silver Tongue And a Heart of Gold (LokixReader)

Chapter 16: Freedom for a Price

Throughout the night at the club, (y/n) spent more time constantly looking over her shoulder. She kept worrying that Loki was still there, lurking in the shadows as he waited to strike. She was right, he was. However he couldn't be seen. The nagging thought that Loki wouldn't let her go stayed in her mind. Even as she sat at the bar with Steve, her concerned expression didn't change. Steve noticed of course and sighed. He turned to see her, and gently set his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's going on? Really? It's pretty clear you're not ok."

Looking over at him, she thought about telling him what had just happened, but wasn't sure.

"(Y/n)?"

"Look Steve, I just-"

"Yo! (Y/n)! Having a good time?" Tony interrupts, an walks up to them. She picked her head up and turned around to see him with a fake smile. Even Tony could see through it though. "What's the matter? Captain Serious wont let you have a few more drinks? Nothin' wrong with being completely drunk." Steve rolled his eyes then looked back at her. She chuckled a little, then shook her head.

"No, no. I'm fine really. Just a little, distracted I suppose."

"Distracted at night club? Are you kidding me?" Tony says, raising a brow.

"Writers block is still getting to me. It's been a while since I have made any updates and it's driving me a little insane." Tony sips his drink, and Steve smiled a little, "Well if that's the case, maybe doing something besides party would help. More calming than wild."

"Easy there gramps. Let's not bore the girl to death." Tony adds. She giggles again and shakes her head.

"No that's all right. All suggestions are welcome." Steve smiled again, and gave Tony a look that read 'I win'. Tony shrugged then made another suggestion, "Ok how about this. What idea did you have in mind for your next chapter?"

(Y/n) thought carefully about her answer. Perhaps if she could explain her real issue in a way that sounds like a story idea, they could help without Loki catching on. Or help with her paranoia. She looked back up at the men, then calmly spoke.

"Well actually, I was thinking of a whole new book. A one shot instead of a series."

"What about?" Tony asked.

"An agent for the government, haunted by past memories. She tries to forget them but she ends up. . . very paranoid. Ah. . . she feels that someone is hunting her, for her crimes in the past, and when she spends a night out with family she runs into the one who has been after her."

Steve looked suspicious and even Tony wasn't buying her new "story."

"(Y/n), did you see Loki here?" Steve asked, using a more hush tone.

She didn't answer, her voice was caught in her throat. Tony and Steve exchanged looks then nodded to one another. "Let's head out. I'll go get Clint." Steve says and Tony nods. "I'll watch her. Meet us outside." In another moment Steve takes off to grab Barton, and Tony escorted (y/n) out of the club quietly.

"Why didn't you say something before?" He asked.

"Loki was inside my mind. Forcing me to be quiet. . . ." Tony sighed, "Great. He's here then." She looked up at him and shook her head. "I don't think so. At least not anymore. He would have threatened me by now." "So where do you think he is?"

Far from earth, not even in the same galaxy, Loki was thrown before the chitauri leader, The Other. "Where is the mortal?!" He yells. One of the aliens kicks Loki in the stomach and knocks him on his side. He was battered, beaten, and bruised. They had tortured him earlier, and now punished him for losing (y/n). "The Avengers are protecting her. . . She is on earth once more. . . ."

"You were supposed to keep them away, and bring her to us!" Hissed The Other. "Can you not even manage to keep a simple task from falling apart?!"

"Well. . . perhaps if you had come sooner. . . the last six months I had her captive. . . you could have had her. . . ." Loki breathes out. He was still in pain, and had a hard time speaking to them from the torture earlier. The Other growled and Loki was kicked again.

"Had you not lost to the Avengers, and our armies were not destroyed, perhaps we could have. But you keep failing us!" He looks up at the two chitauri who where beside Loki, and nodded at them to pick him up. They did so, but Loki's head hung down. The Other moves in and grabs Loki's jaw, forcing him to look up. "If you do not get this mortal girl to us, and return the tesseract, you will never be free of this world. You'll rot here in chains before you ever see the light of day again." He then squeezed Loki's jaw tighter, and turned his head so the words could be made clear. "We will kill you. . . have I made myself clear?" From there, he lets Loki go, and the chitauri drag him back to where he was summoned from. Once in front of the portal to the frozen realm of Jotunheim, they threw him in, and Loki laid in the snow in pain, groaning as some of his wounds still bled out.

"I will. . . be free of you. . . one way . . . or another. . . ."