Broken Beyond Repair

Chapter 7

"I'm gonna say this once."

Tony and Bruce both look up from their work with the cradle, and though Tony is very clearly about to make some sort of quip — which is his usual state, to be honest — he cuts himself short when he sees who Steve's brought with him.

"Shut it down," Steve says.

Tony barely seems to register his words. He jerks his head towards Loki. "Is that...?"

"Yes," Pietro says, "and he is very heavy."

Bruce wordlessly kicks a rolling chair over to him, and Pietro sets Loki down on it. Loki tries to pull his legs up with him, but he doesn't have enough space to prop his feet up. He starts to lower his feet to the floor, but he pauses a foot or so above it, then tries to pull his feet up again. He squirms in his seat, trying to get comfortable, until finally, Pietro picks him up, carries him over to a wall and puts him down on the floor. Loki pulls his knees into his chest and wraps his arms around his legs, and his eyes flicker between each of the Avengers.

"Well," Tony says. "Didn't see that coming."

"What happened to him?" Bruce asks.

"Turn the cradle off and we'll talk," Steve says. It's a decent bluff, given that he himself doesn't know what happened to Loki.

"We can't do that," Tony says.

"Stark—"

"You all talk too much," Pietro says. He darts across the room, unplugging every port within the cradle in the blink of an eye. When he finishes, he stands on the other side of the room, holding some sort of tubing that's doubtlessly very important to whatever suicide project they're working on.

Tony scoffs. "Hey!"

Bruce walks toward Loki, each step slow and cautious. Wanda steps toward her friend as well, fully prepared to go to any lengths necessary to stop him if he tries to hurt him.

"Loki?" Bruce says warily.

Loki's gaze is glued to his face, his eyes growing wider as Bruce approaches. Wanda crouches down by his side to keep him company. She doesn't want him to think even for a moment that he's alone here.

"Loki?" Bruce says again. "Do you remember us?"

Loki's attention snaps away, and without warning, Pietro is thrown back against the wall behind him. A bullet shoots up from beneath the floor, shattering the glass Pietro had stood on a moment earlier.

Pietro stumbles and throws his arms out to catch his balance, then immediately returns to Wanda and Loki's side, probably the safest place to be.

Bruce gestures to Loki with his head, but his gaze strays to Wanda's face. "Did he do that?"

Wanda furrows her brows. "I do not know." She crawls in front of him, and his gaze softens at the sight of her. "Was that you?"

Loki reaches a hand up toward Pietro, and he crouches down obediently. Loki takes his hand in his own, and Pietro gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Barton, get up here!" Tony calls down to him. "And don't shoot anybody!"

While they wait for him to come up, Pietro leans in and presses a kiss to the top of Loki's head. He lingers there, and Loki closes his eyes, taking in their closeness and the comfort it brings.

The cradle begins to beep, a clear warning sign of some sort, and Tony announces that he's rerouting the upload. Steve throws his shield at him, and Tony shoots a blast of energy back at him, throwing him across the room. The rest of Tony's suit begins to follow, the back piece swiftly attaching itself to his body.