Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 117

Steve hasn't had a lot of time to relax as of late. Between tracking down the scepter and then fighting Ultron, it's been a high-stakes week. Last night was okay, but he can't deny that falling asleep on the couch is not the most comfortable of ways to spend a night, so this time, he made a point of going to bed a little early.

He's been reading his book – To Kill A Mockingbird; apparently it's a classic – for half an hour or so when he hears the knock on his door. He doesn't get a lot of nighttime visitors, so he's not sure what to expect when he tells whoever it is that they can come in.

It's Tony who opens the door, making this the first time since Steve moved in that Tony's been in his room. The usual air of lightheartedness that follows him around is gone; instead, he just seems... dull. It's a disconcerting sight.

Steve folds over the corner of his book and puts it aside, pushing himself up in bed so he's sitting rather than half-lying on his pillow. "Are you okay?"

"Mm," Tony hums. It's supposed to be a yes. Steve can tell that it's not. He leans against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. "Have you talked to Loki?"

"A little bit," Steve says. Not so much today – he's seemed pretty content to sit in his room by himself for most of the day – but they had a decent conversation the day before. They dealt with the whole "Sylvie" thing, so that was nice. Awkward, perhaps, but nice nonetheless. "Have you?"

Tony huffs. "Barely."

"Yeah, he's kinda been in hibernation since he met the twins," Steve says. "You should've seen it. I almost thought Wanda was gonna be his new best friend until she told him where she got her powers from. He flipped like a switch."

"So I keep hearing," Tony says.

"Did he apologize?" Steve asks.

Tony barks a laugh. "Oh, you're funny."

Steve rolls his eyes. "Stark..."

"Of course he didn't apologize," Tony says coldly. "He never apologized for leading a goddamn alien invasion, and you think he's going to apologize for choking me half to death?"

Steve sighs. "I know, but–"

"But nothing," Tony interrupts. "I'm getting real sick of forgiving him for shit he doesn't regret."

"I'm sure he does regret it," Steve protests. "He just has too much pride to admit it."

"Bullshit," Tony snaps. "If I can put my pride aside and admit when I'm wrong, so can he."

Steve lets out a long breath, his gaze rising to the ceiling for a few moments. He really should have pretended to be asleep. "Did you apologize for what you said?" He's sure he already knows the answer.

Tony scoffs, and it's clear that that didn't make this situation any better. "He said he wishes he killed me years ago, and you think I'm the bad guy because I called him a monster?"

"No, but he might," Steve says.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't care what he thinks," Tony snaps. "All I did was call a spade a spade. If he doesn't like that, that's his problem."

Steve runs his hand down his face. God, this is exhausting. "Are you just here to tell me you're still mad at Loki? Because I already knew that."

Tony sighs, and as he does, his anger seems to fade. "No, it's not that," he says. "You said you talked to him. Did he mention the scepter?"

Steve shakes his head. "I brought it up, but he didn't want to talk about it."

"Of course not," Tony mutters. "So we have no idea why it scares him?"