Loki's Pain

Chapter Fourteen- Tony

The rest of the Avengers eventually converged on the room, but hesitated outside the door when they heard the sound of Loki's sobs accompanied by Ash's gentle voice attempting to comfort him. Even Tony, as brazen as he normally was, eventually decided to leave them be rather than to open the door.

Thor arrived from Asgard late in the evening, having been informed of his "attempted escape" and not much else. He was swiftly intercepted as he had been stomping towards Loki's room like an angry bull. Cap and Bucky dragged Thor into a side room where Stark was waiting for him. Tony even started out politely explaining what had happened to an irritated Thor, until the conversation eventually devolved into a shouting match.

"He is my brother, how I treat him is none of your business!!!!" Thor eventually shouted. "It is in when he's in my house!!" Tony responded, voice equally loud as they squared off with each other, "He's not a prisoner anymore Thor! Or had you forgotten!?" Tony shouted at him, irate at Thor's persistence on trying to go lecture Loki for his actions. "We just rescued him from our enemy! What about that situation makes you think that a lecture is an appropriate reaction!?" Tony practically spit out, as he felt an uncharacteristically protective instinct towards the damaged god, "He ran because something scared him.... you....." Tony's face was bright red, the veins bulging, and he suddenly lost his ability to speak from the sheer idiocy of Thor's actions. He turned away for a moment to compose himself, "No wonder, Reindeer Games was so fucked up. If this is your idea of a caring response to his trauma." He muttered softly before trying to get Thor to understand, "Thor.... Your brother ...is damaged. He's in pain, he's been tortured and abused, and he ran away because his thinking is confused by what he's been thru. You barging in there to lecture him over it would only traumatise him even more!! Don't you even understand that much!?"

Thor stood there with an angry scowl on his face, but kept silent. He was angry at so many things he could no longer count them all. He was pissed at his father, whom he could no longer confront due to Odinsleep, he was pissed at Loki for rushing off alone to save Ash, he was pissed at himself for not noticing how his actions had led to Loki's pain and torment on so many different occasions, and so much more he couldn't even identify. In the end, Thor dropped Mulnier to the floor and practically roared in his frustration, his hands curled into fists as if preparing to fight some invisible enemy.

Once he was done he dropped down into the nearest seat and hung his head, his long and lanky hair swung forward to hide his face as he held it in his hands.

"Why didn't he wait for us?" Thor asked the room softly, his voice breaking slightly, but not truly expecting an answer.

"He wasn't thinking clearly," Tony responded gently, "His mind was already off the rails by then... And because... it was Ash. If it was Jane that had been captured, would you have waited for back up? Could you have waited for back up once you knew where she was?"

"Jane and Ash are different..." Thor started to say, only for Tony to interrupt with a sharp-sounding, "How?"

"I love Jane...Loki...." Thor began slowly, using a tone like he was trying to explain it to a confused child, only to hesitate as he remembered Loki uttering a norse endearment to a sleeping Ash.

"Loki loves Ash too." Tony replied bluntly, "Not as if he is "family" either. He loves him, completely. Why do you think he flipped out so badly when Ash was captured? And the very thought of Ash being in danger due to him sent Loki into a freaking panic attack!"

"But...they are both men..." Thor stated, still confused, despite everything, "I thought he was only jesting...." He hadn't really thought that way, but was desperate to fool himself somehow.