*Torture ahead*
"Hey Loki, the food is on the way and will be here soon so I'm going to go downstairs and wait by the door." You say, pulling your coat off the hook and pressing the elevator button. Loki nods his head in response.
As the elevator's doors open, you step inside. "JARVIS, lobby please."
"Certainly, Miss Hemming."
As the doors open into the lobby, you head to the heavy-duty double doors.
"JARVIS, unlock door 1A and the main gate, please."
Tony made sure that JARVIS automatically locks all the outside doors when he is out on missions. The Avengers who are left at home can still ask JARVIS to open the door, but it leaves unwanted guests outside.
With a heavy click, the door in front of you unlocks. Pushing the door open, you step outside. Less than a minute later, you spot lights bobbing over the grass as the car follows the road to the front of the compound.
Stepping out from beneath the brightly lit canopy, you wave the car down. In front of you, the car stops and you wait patiently for the delivery man to grab all the food. The driver opens his car door and stares at you.
"Hi, order for Nova Hemming?" He asks.
"Yep, that is me."
Upon getting out of the vehicle, the driver hands the bag over to you. Pulling out a 20 dollar bill from your pocket, you hand it to the driver.
"That's for you. Thank you for driving all the way out here." As you turn to go back inside, you smile.
"Hey Miss Hemming! Are the Avengers home? I would love to get a picture with them. My boy, he is such a huge fan."
"I'm sorry, but they left for a mission a few hours ago and they won't be back anytime soon." You reply over your shoulder as you return to the door.
"Then I'm so sorry for this." He mumbles before catching up with you and pulling a bag over your head. Then, he starts dragging you to the car, but your kicking and screaming significantly slows him down. A camera on the building's side focuses on the struggle.
Upstairs in the living room, Loki is still reading his book, awaiting your return.
"Pardon me for interrupting, but there's a man outside, he is trying to kidnap Miss Hemming." JARVIS displays the front door camera on the window across from him, causing Loki to jump out of his seat.
Immediately, he runs toward the elevator but jumps over the balustrade next it instead, falling three floors down but landing on his feet. He bolts out of a side door, watching you claw at the man as he continues to drag you toward his vehicle.
Loki stealthily sneaks behind the man, clasping his hands behind his back and leaning forward to whisper in his ear.
"Boo."
He finally lets you go and turns to fight Loki, balling his hand into a fist and striking the God square in the face. Loki does not flinch as the driver's fist hits his cheek, he simply smiles.
"Right, my turn." Loki punches him hard, launching him over the car. Falling to the ground with a heavy thud, the driver stumbles and groans as he tries to stand up again. You pull the bag from your head and look up at Loki who has reaches his hand out to pull you up.
"Are you okay?" Loki asks with concern in his voice. You nod.
"I'm okay. Thank you."
After scrambling back to his feet, the man rushes back to his car. Once inside, he tries to close his car door, but Loki catches it before he can do so and tears it clean off its hinges.
"You are not going anywhere." His thin lips are covered with an evil, sadistic grin as he drags the man out of his vehicle by the neck.
"I'm not the one you want! I was hired! My job was to kidnap the woman and deliver her to them! I swear! Please do not hurt me!" The driver clutches his hands out to shield his face.
"Who is 'them'?" Loki snarls, tightening his grip on the man's throat.
"I don't know! It's the truth! Please!" The man struggles against Loki's hand, attempting to free himself from the God's firm grip.
"What is in it for you?" Loki growls.
"Please, good sir, they have my son." Tears stream down the driver's cheeks.
"Let him go, Loki. He's harmless." After hearing the poor driver's plea, you approach him. Loki releases him from his grip. "Where were you supposed to take me?"
"To an abandoned warehouse near the Hudson. It is you in exchange for my son. Please, I swear I didn't mean any harm. I just want to save my boy." He begs. "He's only eight years old."
"Your eight-year-old son was kidnapped?"
"Yes ma'am. They will kill him if I don't bring you within the next two hours. Please, you have to help me." Getting a glimpse of his bloodshot eyes, you stare straight back at him.
"Take me there."
"Absolutely not! It's far too dangerous! You shouldn't venture out alone." Loki warns. "You shall wait for the proper authorities and allow them to take care of it."
"No, Loki. They might kill his son before the police even gets there! We have to do something now." You argue. "If we don't do something, who will? His son is in danger! The poor boy must be terrified!"
"Then what do you suggest?" Loki huffs.
"I have a plan."
~~~~~
"Well done, you got us captured." Loki grumbles. "A tremendous idea, I must say."
"That was the plan, idiot." You roll your eyes, already irritated.
"Do enlighten me - oh, wise one - How do we get out of here?" Loki huffs, breaking his chains with ease. In shock, your eyes widen.
"That's handy," You say, amazed at how easily he broke free. "Your magic was bound only to a certain extent, right?"
"The old ergi could never bind my Seidr. I only allowed him to think that he did." Loki huffs.
"So, you've had full access to your magic all along?"
"Seidr, but yes."
That might actually make things easier. Thor told me that you can clone yourself, is that true?"
"Duplication casting, not cloning. And yes, more than once as well." Loki boasts.
"I just need you to duplicate yourself once. One Loki is already a lot to handle, let alone two or more." You pull on your binds once more, hissing as the chains dig into your skin.
"You wound me." Loki remarks sarcastically.
"Would you just listen to me?!"
You explain that you want him to grab one of the guards and knock him unconscious. The guard should then be taken into your cell and hidden in a dark corner. Then, Loki must shape-shift into this guard's exact appearance, while leaving one of his own copies sitting next to you, still pretending to be captured.
After that, Loki must find both the father and his son and get them out without setting off any alarms. When all that is done, he has to come back for you.
Loki does as he is told. When a guard comes along, he knocks the guard out and drags him into your cell, into the corner where the shadows hide him. Loki allows his duplicate to step out of his body and sit next to you, pretending to be bound by the chains he dropped earlier. In a flash, Loki transforms into an exact copy of the guard.
"Just stay here. I will come back to get you, I promise. Do you trust me?" Loki asks you as he shuts the door to your cell.
"I ... I do. Loki, wait!" Loki turns back to face you. "Please be careful." His eyebrows are raised when he hears your concern for his safety. A reserved smile escapes his lips as he walks away from the cell.
~~~~~
Loki has been gone for several hours now. Almost an hour has gone by since the sun rose, and you're getting worried. Despite your attempts to speak with him, his copy never answered or moved. He just sat there. You weren't even sure how it worked in the first place.
The cell door opens with a loud metal screech, bringing you back to your senses. A HYDRA assassin enters the cell, dagger in hand. As he approaches you, he puts his dagger under your chin, raising it to meet his gaze.
"At last, we've caught you." His thick German accent echoes throughout your cell.
"Caught me? Who the hell are you? And what do you want with me?"
"You'll find out soon enough, witch."
"Tell me!" You growl.
The assassin draws his blade away from your neck, but then places the sharp tip against your cheekbone. His other hand grabs your hair and holds on tight.
Your heart thumps out of your chest and you scream and wail as he digs the blade into your skin. He cuts from your cheekbone all the way down to your chin at an excruciatingly slow pace. A mixture of blood and tears run down your cheek and drip onto your shirt.
As he pulls back the blade and releases your hair, you flinch in pain and sob.
"What a lovely little slave you will make." His grin grows wider as he licks your blood from his blade.
"Fuck you!" With a scowl, you spit into his face. The assassin laughs out loud and wipes his face.
"When I'm done with you, you're going to wish for the sweet mercy of death." He slaps you backhanded.
You hiss as salty tears stream down your cheeks and sting your open wound. They intend to torture you. But why? What have you done? What could they possibly want from you?
Nevertheless, you force yourself to stay strong and you won't let them break you. If they want information about the Avengers, they might as well kill you right then and there, because there is no way in hell you are telling them anything. And you've already lived such a long life, maybe this is how it ends.
An alarm suddenly blares throughout the entire building. The assassin runs to your cell door, looking around for others.
"Was ist los? Sind Gefangene entkommen?" He asks the soldiers rushing through the hallway.
"Nein, wir haben Gesellschaft!"
Loki's clone flickers and fades right before disappearing altogether. Your heart rate quickens, and you suddenly feel very alone in this chaos. Did Loki blow his cover? What if he's hurt? What the hell are you going to do? What the hell is even happening?!
A deafening blast launches a handful HYDRA soldiers through the hallway. Heavy metal steps echo down the hall and your heart beats out of your chest with every single step until the Mark VIII stands before you. A sigh of relief escapes your lips as the faceplate opens to reveal a very angry Tony.
"We leave for one mission, Elsa! Just the one! All you had to do was watch the grease monkey until we get back! But no! You decide to go and get yourself kidnapped! What the hell, kid?"
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Tony uses a laser to free you from your chains. His eyes flit to the nasty cut on your cheek and he gasps softly.
"Jeesh, what did they do to you? Can you walk?" Tony places his metal gauntlet underneath your chin to check out the damage.
"Yes, I can walk. Please, let's just get out of here." You push his arm away and quickly stand up, shrugging the chains from your body.
"Stay close, kid. We're going to grab Reindeer Games and then we're getting the hell out of here." Tony drops the faceplate and starts walking out of the cell. You follow him quickly. "So where is he?"
"Why are you asking me?" You ask, confused at his question.
"We need to find him before he escapes."
"Tony, he's not here!"
"What do you mean he's not here?!"
"Tony!"
"What?!"
"He was supposed to get the other prisoners out! I don't know exactly where he is!"
"Right. JARVIS, scan the building for Loki."
"Scan complete. He is not in the building, sir. But there are many other prisoners in the basement. I count twenty-six prisoners and six hostile." JARVIS reports.
"Great, then the slithering snake got out. God damned!" Tony mutters. "Nat, Steve, there's prisoners in the basement, twenty-six of them. Six hostile, go get them."
"Sir, incoming phone call from the compound." JARVIS says.
"Put 'em through."
"Tony? it's Pepper."
"Bad timing Pepper, kinda in the middle of something here." Tony grumbles.
"Tony, Loki is here with two of the victims. He teleported them here." Pepper explains.
"He teleported them? I thought he didn't have his magic? You know never mind that now. Pepper, call the proper authorities. Police, ambulance if they need it, and keep the grease ball there."
"I will. Be careful out there." Pepper says before hanging up.
"Okay, let's get out of here, Elsa. The way out should be clear but stay behind me, just to make sure." You nod and follow Tony.
~~~~~
As soon as the last SHIELD carrier arrived at the HYDRA base, Tony and Steve helped them round up all the remaining HYDRA soldiers. Nat however, she worried about your injuries and took you for shelter in the Quinjet to try to get the bleeding under control.
Nat flagged down one of the medics but you wouldn't let them tend to you. Instead, you ordered them to go help the prisoners. Those poor people were probably down there for a long time so they need the help more than you do. You could stand to wait until you get back to the compound. Bruce will fix you up.
Another hour later, after all the commotion died down and the sun was setting once again, you were finally allowed to return home to the compound. The flight home is quiet. Tony and Nat are at the controls and Steve is sitting next to you, watching you lean into your seat as you hold the gauze against your face.
"You okay?" Steve gently places his hand onto your arm and squeezes gently. You look up to meet his gaze.
"Just a little light headed. I've lost quite a bit of blood and I haven't eaten in about twenty-seven hours." You sigh. "I just don't understand what happened."
"What do you mean exactly?"
"Why Loki would just leave me behind like that. He said he was coming back for me and he just didn't."
"We don't know the whole story. Could it be that he just wasn't able to come back for you? He did end up teleporting that father and his son to the compound. Maybe he depleted his magic?"
"Come on, Steve." Tony interrupts. "The guy doesn't care about anyone but himself. The moment he had the chance to run, he took it."
"He didn't run. He returned to the compound. And if we don't give him a chance to explain himself, we'll never know. I refuse to believe he would just run and leave Nova to die." Steve bites back. "Not even Loki is that cruel."
Both men keep arguing with each other, but you already decided in your heart that you are just too mad at Loki. You don't care about hearing an explanation. The selfish God left you behind and broke his promise. Why should you allow him to explain himself at all? After all, it's not like it was only an hour or so, he was gone for at least twelve hours.
~~~~~
When the Quinjet finally arrives at the compound, you spot Loki standing next to the driver and his son. You bolt out of the loading bay and head straight for him. Loki meets you halfway, his eyes immediately locked onto the wound on your cheek.
"What happened? What did they do to you?" Loki asks, worried.
You don't reply. Instead, you punch Loki square in the jaw.
"You asshole! What happened to coming back for me?! You left me there!" You shout, tears welling up in your eyes.
"Darling, I apologize, but –"
"Don't you dare 'darling' me! I don't want to hear it anymore!" You hiss through your teeth. "You asked me if I trusted you, and like a damn fool I said yes! I SAID YES, LOKI!"
Loki raises his finger, ready to reply but you interrupt him.
"You know, that's on me. You never deserved my trust to begin with. You don't deserve anyone's trust! I was the only person that still trusted you, even after everything that you've done. But that's gone now. That's on you." You spit as you poke your finger into his chest.
You turn on your heels and walk away before he can answer. He turns his gaze towards you and watches as you disappear into the compound.
~~~~~
"There. That was the last stitch." Bruce cuts the surgical thread and leans back to admire his handy-work.
"Will it leave a scar?" You grab the mirror next to you and hold it up to your cheek.
"It might. We will have to see as it heals." Bruce covers the wound with an adhesive dressing and gently smooths the edges.
"So, uh, what's the deal with you and Loki?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you punched him pretty hard. Did he do this to you?" Bruce points his gloved finger to your covered wound.
"No, some HYDRA asshole did. Loki was supposed to come back for me. But, of course, he didn't." You respond bitterly, leaning your elbows on your knees, your chin in your hands.
"I don't understand why you trusted him in the first place. You saw what he did to New York. Why would you trust a man like that?"
As Bruce removes his gloves and throws them in the nearby bin, you frown at his question.
"When I was a kid, Hilda told me to always be kind to people. We don't know what they went through to act the way they did or did the things they did. Maybe, nobody ever showed him kindness. I just wanted to give him a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance. You of all people should know that, Bruce."
Bruce hangs his head and fiddles with his fingers for a moment. As he looks back at you, his gaze softens upon processing your words, and he nods.
I guess that's true, although that doesn't mean that I have to like it." He chuckles briefly. "Just say the word and I will tell the other guy to put him back in line."
"I don't think it's necessary for now." You laugh as you get up from the table.
~~~~~~
After leaving the lab, you decide to head back up to your suite. Although you are really hungry, it's late, and after all the commotion, you just want to plop down on your bed and go to sleep.
Your eyes are drawn to Loki on the couch as the elevator doors ding open, and he leaps up, making one more attempt to speak to you.
"Are you alright?" Loki asks, keeping a comfortable distance from you as he catches up with you.
"Been better. What is it to you?" You grumble, though you keep heading in the direction of your suite, not bothering to stay for his explanation.
"Look, Nova ..." Loki reaches for your hand, but you pull it away and face him.
"It's alright, I get it. You wanted to convince everyone that you were a hero. News flash, you aren't a hero, you're a coward!" You say firmly. "I suggest you give up on your little fantasy of rescuing a damsel in distress in order to return to your stupid realm, because it didn't work!"
Loki stares into your eyes, nostrils flaring and eyes narrowing as he straightens his back.
"Fantasy? How dare you talk about fantasies when you and I both know you have had quite vivid ones yourself. Don't think that I don't know about your little fantasy in Asgard."
"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Loki." You scoff. "This is hardly even the same thing!"
"Oh, I don't flatter myself. Your thoughts were quite loud so it was hard not to hear them." Loki sneers.
Your suspicions were confirmed, Loki did read your mind in Asgard. Clearly, he knew what you were doing and decided to use it against you.
"Ok, fine! Yes. Are you satisfied now? Is that what the God wants to hear? That I had a moment of weakness?"
"I've told you before that satisfaction is not in my nature." Loki says matter-of-factly as he crosses his arms behind his back.
"And fraternizing with the devil isn't in mine!"
"Devil? Dear girl, I am a God, not a devil. And make no mistakes, I have no intention of becoming your friend. You are a small, weak creature that is easily crushed by a boot. Like an ant." Loki growls. The veins in his neck bulging as he clenches his jaw and balls his fists.
"I'd like to see you try." You look him dead in the eye. Despite Loki's size, you won't be intimidated by him.
"Do not taunt me, girl." Loki spits.
"Or what?"
With a scoff and a smile, Loki turns his back on you. After taking a few steps away from you, he turns back to face you, his hands on his hips.
"I shouldn't have trusted you." You say, shaking your head.
"What makes you think I care to earn your trust at all?"
"You asked me if I trusted you! Right after you shape-shifted into that guard. Don't pretend that you didn't."
"A mere test to see if you would blindly trust me. Not a good trait for a being as fragile as yourself." Loki muses.
"A being as fragile - I don't care anymore, Loki!" You turn to face him once more. "You betrayed the only person here on Earth that was still willing to give you a chance and you blew it!"
"Well, who's fault is that??"
"Yours! You left me there to die! I was tortured, Loki!" You place your hands on his chest and shove him out of anger, though your shove did nothing to move the raven-haired God. Slightly surprised but more annoyed than anything, Loki lashes back at you.
"Who asked me to shape-shift? Who asked me to get them out of there?!"
"You know damn well who did! You know damn well! " You scream as your hands keep pushing Loki. Tears are running down your cheeks and you hold back a sob as silence falls between you. Both of your breathing now heavy as you stare the other down.
"Why did you abandon me? You left me there for over twelve hours." You sniffle, your anger turning into utter sadness that sits like a hard lump in your throat, making it hard to breath. Watching the tears stream down your cheeks, Loki's gaze softens and he sighs sadly.
"Nova, I didn't. I -"
"Hey Elsa, is everything ok here?!" Tony's voice rings throughout the living room and your eyes flit to the shadowy figure approaching from the darkened hallway. "Why are you arguing? What's going on?"
"Hey, Tony. Don't worry, we're done here."
You pull yourself together and wipe the tears from your cheeks. Loki just stares at you with sad and pleading eyes as he searches yours. Not willing to look him in the eyes any longer, you bolt out of the living room and to your suite.
You slam the door shut behind you and plop onto the bed with a heavy sigh as you sob into your pillow, wondering why things just couldn't have gone differently?
You thought you and Loki were getting along nicely. You were hoping that maybe one day, he would consider you a friend. Or simply someone he could confide in. But you were wrong. The God had made his intentions clear: He will only do what is necessary in order to return to Asgard.
Meanwhile in the living room, Loki sighs sadly and starts to walk back to his suite as Tony speaks up.
"Hey Reindeer games, what was that about?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Metal Man." Tony scoffs at Loki and laughs.
"Please enlighten me and tell me what is so amusing?" Loki turns to face him with a scowl on his face.
"See, you say it doesn't concern me, but believe me when I say that if you mess with her, if you even think about putting your hands on her, I will kill you. We all will." Tony warns.
Rather than reply with a snarky comment, Loki's scowl fades and he simply nods, turning back toward the hallway and continuing to walk to his suite.