Warning ⚠️ strong language, mild violence, death

Limited third person, Loki's pov

The soldier roughly dragged Loki down several flights of stairs before typing something into a keypad at a door. Loki was shivering, the pain from the where the chains had been on his wrists intensifying as the soldier tightened his grip, slamming his other hand into the keypad.

"Dammit, Stark! JARVIS, what's the code for the Hulk cell?" The soldier yelled, apparently at the walls.

"...I'm not entirely sure I'm authorized to give you the code."

"Listen here, you fucking electronic bitch! I did not fight Nazis to be told by some metal machine that I'm not authorized to enter a room in the tower that I live in!" Loki flinched in the soldier's grasp, whimpering when the other man punched the keypad.

"Sir, as this is Mr. Stark's tower, I highly suggest you do not argue with his personal AI. You do not have authorization at the present time. Would you like me to ask Mr. Stark for permission to enter room Hulk_Level_Room314?"

"Fine, tell the bitch he can kiss my goddamn ass too."

"I do not believe I am permitted to directly insult Mr. Stark."

"Fuck you, then." Loki waited for the AI's reply.

"..."

"Well!"

"Mr. Stark has given you temporary permission to enter Hulk_Level_Room314. Please exit within ten minutes or I will have to forcibly remove you." The soldier hissed several choice words under his breath as the door swung open and he dragged Loki into the room.

It was silvery gray metal, with a large glass chamber in the middle. There had been a similar one on the flying ship... did everyone have a spot in case the Hulk made an appearance? Loki didn't have much time to wonder, the soldier pressed a button and part of the glass wall slid open.

Loki was shoved into the cell, falling onto the floor from the force of the push. He heard a soft snick as the wall slid back into place. Sitting up, he watched the soldier leave the room.

Limited third person, Tony's pov

Tony was pissed. His house, his stuff, it had all just been attacked by Steven Grant Rogers, the Captain America, who was always his father's favorite subject. Tony could remember Howard ending all arguments with, "I created Captain America, what have you done?"

Those memories hurt him to the core. He couldn't bear that he wasn't his father's favorite, even though he was technically the only child.

Tony sighed, fiddling with the arm of his suit in the privacy of his lab, an ice pack on his face. Bruce was the only other person there, seated on a couch that Tony kept in the corner for no specific reason. Tony had decided it was best to have his sensitive omega friend stay with him while Steve was angry. Nobody needed a Steve rant when they were already scared to death of him. So Bruce was seated on the old couch, wrapped in a spare blanket, wings tucked around himself.

"Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Loki was okay? He's an omega too, I think, and he collapsed when Steve used his alpha voice."

"I haven't had enough brain space to think about Loki yet, Bruce. I'm still on the verge of slapping Steve right back from where he slapped me."

"I really wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Well, we both know that I've never been one to make the smart decision."

"We should really check on Loki. Can't you open the security screens or something?" Tony sighed, his wings stiffening under his shirt.

"J, open security feed for Hulk_Level_Room314, please."

"Of course, Mr. Stark." A holographic screen popped up over Tony's desk, showing the glass chamber.

It showed Loki standing perfectly still in the middle of the cell, huge black and white wings spread. Nothing moving, nothing changing. Loki wasn't even blinking. Tony raised one eyebrow. Bruce walked over to the screen and leaned in, squinting.

"We need to go down there. Nobody should be standing that still for that amount of time, god or not."

"Yeah. Do you feel safe going down with me?" Tony turned to Bruce, looking in the other man's eyes. He could always tell when his friend was nervous, and Bruce's face gave away all his thoughts.

"Tony, I'll be fine. Let's go." Bruce gently prodded Tony's shoulder with his wingtip. Tony smiled, squeezing Bruce's hand as he stood. The two slowly walked down the stairs to the door to the containment cell.

Tony punched in the code and stepped through the door, holding his arm to stop Bruce from passing him. Loki was facing at a ninety degree angle to them, completely still. Tony stepped forward slowly.

"Loki?" Loki didn't move, didn't even acknowledge Tony's presence. Tony frowned, walking over to the control panel for the containment cell. Bruce stood by his side, watching the cell carefully.

"Tony, it's an illusion. That's not really Loki. He's see through from this angle." Tony looked up from the control panel and saw what Bruce meant. The god's wings were transparent, and his legs kept disappearing.

"Loki, take down the illusion." Tony stepped up to the glass of the cell, waiting for the illusion to disappear. He was in no way prepared for what he saw when it disappeared.

The god was sitting against the back wall of the cell, ice crystals all around him. His skin was a periwinkle blue and covered with light, curving lines. His wings were flared around him, covered in ice. He looked up at Tony and his eyes were bright red. Tony held his stare, noting that Loki was trembling, as though scared by his presence.

"What the everloving fuck?" Whispered Bruce, looking at the god.

"I honestly don't know," Tony whispered back. He squatted down in front of the glass. "Loki, why are you blue?" The god looked down.

"I'm blue because I'm half jotun. When I am stressed or upset, this... happens." Tony noticed that some lines on Loki's blue skin were jagged and red, as though he'd been scratching at himself.

"Why are you upset? Did Steve and I's fighting scare you that much?" Tony could tell he'd said the wrong thing as the god shut his mouth and glared at him.

"Imagine—you thought you were of the most powerful beings in the universe, and in line for the throne of your home. Then you learn that you are some... cursed and stolen monster, used to stop a war and nothing more. So you set out to make yourself equal to your so-called family and get driven down by a pack that can't even work together. And now you're stuck in one of them's monster cell as punishment, wondering if they're going to beat and hurt you. There's only one thing you can do, release all your emotion in the only way you know how." Loki had stood up and walked towards the glass as he spoke, glaring at Tony. "I am a monster. And soon I'll be gone. Maybe my memory will live on, maybe I'll be erased. That is all. There is no fear of death or of life in me, and you would be wise to learn it." Tony raised one eyebrow.

"Okay, fearless bitch. Keep telling yourself that. I'm gonna get my friend, who you felt the need to call a monster even though you're the only monster here, back upstairs." Tony put an arm around Bruce, turning away from Loki. He kept a firm face all the way up the stairs. Once they were in the lab, Tony sat down on the couch, holding Bruce close.

"Are you okay? You know you're not a monster, but I know when other people say it you can feel a little doubtful." Bruce sighed.

"It's not that I'm so worried that he called me a monster. I'm worried as to why he called me a monster. Usually, when bullies make fun of someone else for something, they're doing it to make themselves feel better about some insecurity that same thing. I want to know what makes him say I'm a monster, is it because he's considering himself a monster?"

"I... didn't think of that... Should I check on him again?" Tony looked at Bruce questioningly.

"Send someone else down, you just totally wrecked him so he's not gonna talk to you. I can go."

"Brucie, you're the one he's calling a monster. I don't want you getting hurt. If you talk to him, I go with you."

"I just told you he wouldn't want to talk to you. If I take someone down with me, I take Clint. Clint may hate Loki, but he's not gonna fire off at the mouth, and Loki isn't gonna stop talking because Clint is there. I'll be right back." Bruce smiled at Tony, standing up. Tony smiled back hesitantly, squeezing Bruce's hand.

Limited third person, Loki's pov

Loki sat on the floor of the cell shaking. The Iron Man had been correct, Loki was scared of many things. His worst fears were being hurt and being alone, and it seemed currently he was living either one or the other. He glared at his hand, hating the blue skin that told everyone he was a cursed monster.

At least his wings were free. He flapped the icy feathers a few times, relishing the feeling of freedom that came with them. He knew he was losing feathers, he knew that his wings weren't healthy, but they were wings. And that was something.

Feeling an itch on his arm, Loki glanced down at his blue skin. He had one magical tattoo on each arm, whenever his wives wrote on theirs it would show up his. He assumed it would be his first wife, Angrboda, telling him something about their children, but it was the wrong arm. Sigyn was his other wife, who Odin had forced him to marry after learning that Angrboda was a giantess. At first the two did not get along, but Loki soon learned to love the small blonde who smiled at his side. It had never been quite romantic affection, but they did have a special bond.

Loki smiled as the letters appeared on his arm—but they were in Angrboda's rough handwriting.

Hun er døende. Hun kom til å bo hos meg etter at du dro.

Loki bit back tears, looking at the sharp letters. "She is dying, she came to live with me after you left." Sigyn, beautiful sweet Sigyn, was dying. And he wasn't there. He couldn't help. Sighing, he scratched a message onto his tattoo.

Tell her I love her. May the moon light her path, and may she be granted Valhalla.

He looked down at the simple message, scratched into that one warm spot on his arm, and hoped Angrboda would relay the message. Suddenly, the tattoo went cold, just like the rest of his skin. The message disappeared. And Loki knew what had happened.

She was gone.

And that meant a little bit of him was gone, too.

All of his emotions suddenly hit his heart, and he began to cry. Soft, weeping built up into loud sobs as he held onto the fading spot on his arm. He didn't know how long he had been crying for when he heard a voice.

"Are you alright?" The scientist was leaning against the glass wall. Loki didn't know how long he'd been standing there. Quickly he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He decided he'd give up one reason he was crying.

"No. My wife is dead." The scientist's face fell.

"I am so sorry. You must be in a lot of emotional pain."

"She died! A realm away! I couldn't even say goodbye in person because I'm trapped here!" Loki screamed. He suddenly no longer cared about keeping up his cool facade. He stood, punching the wall. "She's gone, I'll never see her again! It's absolutely miserable, you could never understand!" The scientist rested his palm against the glass, as though trying to calm Loki.

"I may not understand, but I know that you are in pain. And I'm here to help you, okay?" A bit of hope crossed Loki's mind, maybe the scientist didn't have any ulterior motives, maybe he was here to help him and nothing else. This hope was crushed by the next sentence. "Would you just tell me if you consider yourself a monster?"

"I am a monster. I never had any chance of being anything else! I'm destined to be a horrific thing that features in children's stories! I killed people. I killed them! Eighty of them! And I know the man I controlled is standing by the door! If he's here to put me down, he may as well do it now!" Loki hadn't meant for that last sentence to slip out. However, it had, and the scientist's reaction was quite pleasing. His face was scared, then angry, then empathetic. Loki sighed, knowing he had probably just lost his only chance at being seen as anything but a monster.

The archer stepped from the shadows, looking at Loki coldly. That was when Loki knew he'd lost his chance at being seen as anything else. "My name is Clint. I'm not just a random mortal you can control. I have a family, I have friends. I'm a person just like you—only I'm more feeling. I have this thing called compassion, that keeps me sane. You're just a wild card, something twisted and broken that can only exist to hurt. Bruce, let's get out of here." The archer, Clint, took Bruce's arm gently and left the room.

Loki looked at the door and then sat back on the floor, ice spreading around him.