Loki Babysits the Avengers?!

Visit From the Past

It 3:00a.m. Loki shoots straight up in bed. He had a piercing headache, worse then he has ever had before. He makes his hands cold and puts them on his head, trying to ease the pain, but it only makes it worse. He stays still, not wanting to move because it seems even the slightest movement makes the headache worse, then he hears something. It's faint, a voice, saying something. He can't make out everything but he can make out a few things. This is what he hears.

"Plan............our enemies..........a fool!...........your brother............death............listen to you scream!..................a small set back.............only the beginning...."

That's it, the voice doesn't say another word. The headache starts to vaid, then comes back. Loki know that voice, he doesn't want to remember, he can't. It seems like his mind won't let him remember. But he remembers something, he remembers torture, images of death, pain, he remembers pain and sorrow. Then he sees something. Floating in the middle of his room, fire. It's like a switch has been turned on in his mind, all of it comes back to him. He remembers everything.

"Vritra." Loki says, the fire dissappears. Loki shakes his head. "No, no it can't be, no."

The rest of the day the headaches continue, off and on. He has pushed down the thought that Vritra could be back. He walks to Tony's lab. Tony has been working on finding out what happened. Loki sits down at a computer beside Tony. Loki is OK at using technology, he's not that good, but he's better than Thor or Steve. They work in silence for a while, Loki gets another headache but shakes it off. Then his computer starts going crazy.

"Um, Tony, I think I broke it." Loki says.

"Well at least you didn't punch it, Thor punches it. Here I can probably fix it." Tony says. He leans over and looks at Loki's computer.

The computer flashes and then has an picture on it, fire. Then it's goes back to normal. A voice starts to talk, there is not one else in the room but Loki and Tony. But the voice talks.

"This is so pathetic! Ha, really?! I can't believe you haven't put it together! You idiots! Loki you should have put it together faster. I mean wow, after all I put you through."

"Get out of my head!" Loki yells.

"Oh I'm not in your head." The voice says. "I'm in Tony's so call 'perfect security system' you should really do some updates. You don't know how easy it was to break in."

"Well, it is about time for a upgrade, I just haven't got around to it. Apparently I'm lazy." Tony says.

"Enough with that, let's move on to your newest team member. I can't believe you let him on the team! After he tried to kill you. After he tried to take over the world. After he killed so many people. He is evil! He will never amount to anything! He will never be a hero! He is nothing!"

"Shut up! He saved all of our lives! He has changed! He let you torture him to protect us! Let alone he was five years old at the time, he still did it! He's a better man than me! He is more of a hero than any of us! And you will not talk about him like that!" Tony yells.

"Oh, so you are friends now? I never thought that, this evil creature, could have friends. That just seems crazy." Vritra's voice says. Loki listens, not saying a word in his defence, not trying to stand up for himself. He just listens. "Anyway, I really can't believe you haven't figured it out. I told you when you 'defeated' me. I told you that what I did to Loki, was just the beginning. I don't know why you two are still adults, I poisoned all of your drinks on that special day. But no matter, I knew I couldn't defeat you all, when you were so powerful. But I can destroy children. They have no power, they can't do anything. And you two, I can handle two adults. There is nothing you can do to change this. You will die. Your friends will die. And your world will burn."

And that was it, the last word she said. Loki stares blankly at the floor, showing no emotion on his face. Tony looks at him, he looks paler than normal, sickly even.

"You look paler, if that's even possible." Tony says. Loki says nothing he just stares at the floor. Tony tries to lighten the mood. "Well at least we know where to start, I can try and recreate the cure I made you. I'm not sure it will work though, she has perfected the poison. But I can try. In the mean time we can have fun with them being little kids, right?"

Loki still stares blankly at the floor. Tony can almost fell his pain. Loki won't talk about what Vritra did to him, it's like he has tried to shut it out of his mind, and maybe he did. But with this happening, Tony assumes that all this has brought back the memories. Tony fells sorry for him. He won't say anything, out of respect, he knows if he says something it will just make Loki fell weak. Loki is still starring at the floor when Tony sees him blink.

"Did you mean it Tony?" Loki asks, Tony knows exactly what he's talking about.

"I meant every word Loki." Tony says. Loki swallows and slightly shakes his head before speaking.

"I'm not better than you Tony. I'm not even your equel. I'm not better than any of you. She was right about me. I know what I am. You know what I am. I'm....I'm a mon-"

"No. You're a good man. You're a hero. You are not a monster." Tony says, his voice stern but sincere. Loki looks up, his eyes letting off that he still doesn't believe. Tony clasps his hand on Loki's shoulder. "You're not a monster."

Loki looks at Tony. Loki doesn't belive in himself, he does not think highly of himself. He thinks he is nothing more that a monster that shouldn't be given the time of day. But ever since he has been here, they have made him feel welcomed, they have made him feel like he is somebody, they have made him feel like a good person. He hasn't believed that it was true, until now. Until Tony said that, he thought that it was all in his head. But know he knows it's true. He still doesn't think to highly of himself, but he is starting to regain hope.

"Now say it." Tony says.

"Say what?" Loki asks.

"That your not a monster."

"No Tony, that's-"

"Say it, come on, say it."

"No Tony I-"

"Say it! I won't stop until you do."

"Tony."

"I'm very persistent, you know I won't quite. Come on say you're not a monster. Say you're not a monster."

"I'm not a monster."

"Alright you said it, but it wasn't convincing. Say it again! Say it like you mean it!"

"Tony-"

"Say it!"

"I'm not a monster! There are you happy?!"

"Yes, yes I am."

Tony throws an arm around Loki. Loki smiles and rolls his eyes. For the first time after his mother passed, he finally feels like he belongs.