Chapter 9: Story Time (Clint Barton's POV)

"Come in," Loki says.

I walk in first.

"We have decided we need to have a further discussion," I say.

I notice the flash of pain shown in Loki's eyes before he turns blank.

"What for?" He says carelessly.

"We believe you didn't give the whole story," Steve says, coming up and standing next to me.

"What would make you say that?" Loki says, looking between me and Steve.

"Everything doesn't connect," Bruce says.

Loki sighs and then makes a face, his hand goes to his side as if in pain. Bruce comes up next to him.

"Get back" Loki almost hisses at Bruce.

Bruce backs away, hands in a retreating position.

"Look, either tell us or we'll lock you up in the cell in the basement," I say, determined to get my answer.

Loki zones off with a glassy look in his eyes. Are those tears? Loki quickly wipes his eyes then turns back to us.

"I won't comply," He says his voice breaking as he did so.

Something in this sentence was ringing a bell in my head. Where did I hear it before? I know! When Loki first got here he had a nightmare? Pretty sure at least it was a nightmare.

"You've said that before. Not when conscious but when you first arrived here, you fell asleep or something along those lines. You had a nightmare. You said that a couple of times" I say knowing I'm finally getting somewhere.

Loki pales and takes a shaky breath.

"My apologies about that" Loki says the usual sarcastic venom in his voice diminished.

He was being genuine. Why was he apologizing for having a nightmare though?

"I will comply, I mean….. I will Ummm.." He mutters something under his breath. " I will…Do it if you take the power dampening cuffs off. My magic is a part of me and it's slowing the healing process" Loki says stuttering a couple of times, unlike his usual, smooth demanding voice.

Bruce and Steve make eye contact and nod they then look at me.

I nod.

"It's a deal, but you have to start from the very beginning, on Asgard and such," I say.

Loki nods, clearly regretting agreeing to this.

"When… When would you like to do this" He says, looking at all of us?

"Give me a minute," Bruce says.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, call everyone to the room Loki is being held in," Bruce says looking at Loki.

"You're still healing so I figured it would be easier to stay here," he says, still looking at Loki.

Loki nods and gulps. We stand there awkwardly before finally others start arriving.

"What now?" Stark grumbles.

Bruce launches into an explanation. When he's done Stark nods his head and Natasha looks blankly at me. Thor looks instead at Loki.

"Are you sure Brother?" Thor says, looking sadly at Loki.

"I don't need your pity, Thor, I'm perfectly capable of handling this," Loki says the venom that had so mysteriously disappeared came back to his voice.

Thor nods his head and leans on a wall. I look at Loki. His face is blank and his breath is even. Though I do notice he is picking at the palm of his left hand.

"You can start," I say pointedly.

Loki takes a deep breath.

"So I suppose I have to start on Asgard. It all started when I and Thor were able to start training, Thor of course always had more strength and I was a weakling compared to him. Of course, when Mother showed me magic I immediately fell in love with it. That would have been fine of course if I wasn't the prince of the almighty Odin" The bitterness is strong in his voice.

"My magic was looked down upon, as was I. I did not have brute strength, but I could easily win with cunning and magic. But the people of Asgard saw this as cheating, dishonorable. Odin never forbade me not to do magic of course as Mother had too much joy from teaching me, but he did show however how much he disliked me learning it. He would constantly try and stop me so I could train with Thor. He would also make comments of distaste, to say the least. Odin never treasured me as much as he did Thor. So I was alone for a long time, slowly my mind decayed. Another ball, another feast, I didn't care they were all the same to me. I only got worse in later years. I distanced myself knowing Thor's brother, his shadow would never rise into the spotlight he had." He says blankly, staring off into the distance.

I know he is trying to keep his expression from breaking. It is easy to tell.

"Now skip 100 years, Mother was off-world. Thor was training with his friends all day every day. One of his friends.. Sif thought it would be funny to chop off her hair and blame me for it. As she was planning to cut it anyway. She ran to Odin, telling her faithful lie. He believed her like a fool! He dismissed her and gave me a speech about being an Odinson. No lying is allowed when you're the son of the king. Not that I did ….this time at least, so he thought up the worst punishment for a silver tongue like me. He demanded that the guards sew my mouth shut and they gladly did." Loki pauses and closes his eyes.

I look around the room. Thor looks close to tears and everyone else is staring at Loki blankly, clearly trying to decide if this was fiction or not. I believe him, his eyes had betrayed him during the story. I could see. Loki looked around realizing everyone was waiting.

"My mouth was like that for a week. The holes that were in my lips were small at first but I kept pulling at the strings. That made them bleed and open more, but still, they stayed. I'm sure Odin took the strings out because mother was coming back soon. When he did I put an illusion over my mouth area. Why bother mother or Thor with my troubles, they had already passed. For at least a week after that, I refused to eat, it was too painful. Thankfully they soon closed up, turning into scars." He says, looking at Thor now.

"Don't tell mother Thor, please, what use will it be now" Loki says looking at Thor.

Thor nods.

"So that's what those things along your lips were," Stark says.

"What? How did you see them? He just said he covered them up" I say looking at Stark questioningly.

Stark starts to speak but then Thor cuts across him.

"When Bruce was examining Loki, he asked me to dampen his magic all the way, which I did….mostly, so Loki's illusion fell," Thor says.

"What do you mean mostly?" Bruce says, looking at Thor.

"Well… it's not my place to tell, '' Thor says awkwardly.

He looks at Loki who sighs and then nods.

"Let's skip to when Thor was off Asgard for a bit. I found I was adopted. After the battle of Jotunheim many years ago, Odin found me on a rock, alone, abandoned. He wished to unite the kingdoms using me. But he told me that it no longer mattered." Loki says hollowly, looking into his lap.

"So you're adopted, what about it" I say.

"You wouldn't understand. I am a Frost Giant. Asgardians grow up hearing how they are monsters, how they are scum to get rid of. Even Thor himself wanted to slay them all at a young age. This is not my actual form, if I do take down the illusion Odin placed on me then I will appear…. Different and you won't be able to touch me, otherwise you will get frostbitten." He says looking down at his left hand as if remembering something.

Bruce looks around curiously.

"Are you able to show us?" He says curiously looking at Loki.

"I suppose so,... I do not see why you would want to see such a hideous thing, however." Loki says a look on his face saying truly how much he hates his parentage.

"Brother.." Thor says sadly, obviously about to try and comfort him.

"Thor," Loki says, warningly glaring at his Brother.

"So, are you going to show us?" I say, looking between Thor and Loki.

Loki looks at me scowling.

"If it will allow me my magic I suppose" He mutters under his breath.

"Back away everyone, though I do wish to injure most of you right now I will not," Loki says.

Loki closes his eyes for a couple of seconds. Slowly, I can see blue creeping up his fingers. It grows and engulfs him. When he opens his eyes I can see the blood-red they turned. I feel the room around me get chillier as Loki looks down at his arms. He shivers but I'm guessing not from the cold. Loki looks horrified. He looks away from his arms and looks at everybody else.

"I told you, you would not want to see it. It is horrific" He mutters venomously.

I can hear him easily though and I'm guessing so can everybody else. Thor is looking at his brother sadly.

"Brother…" Thor once again gets cut off by Loki.

"LISTEN TO ME THOR, I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER. CAN YOU NOT SEE. LOOK AT ME." Loki is shouting and the room is getting colder and colder with each word shouted.

"I SEE LOKI, BUT I DON'T CARE. You are still my brother. Blood or not." Thor says, his anger audibly ebbing.

Loki looks murderous.

"Well, maybe I do, Thor. I would not want to taint the Odinson name with an impurity such as and Jotun" He says calming down.

The room I notice gets a little warmer.

"May I change back to myself?" Loki says.

Bruce nods his head and looks over at Thor. Thor is staring off into oblivion obviously trying to come up with a comeback. Loki is surrounded by a green glow and his skin goes back to normal. The room turns to a normal temperature once again.

"Continue" Nat suddenly says from the corner she's been in.

Loki lifts an eyebrow.

"Where were we. Oh yes, the crushing information. I with all my heart thought I could impress Odin by destroying Jotunheim. As you know this did not work. I ended up hanging off a spear Thor was holding. My last chance to impress him, to prove that I was an Odinson. Gone, disappeared. I let go. Assuming death would be greeting me. How wrong was I? It was Thanos. From the moment I feel to the moment I went to earth, he tortured me, but I tried my best to save Midgard. But eventually, my mind cracked, and he used the scepter to control me." His voice was trembling and his fists were clenched.

"I believe that's all you wanted to know. Now get these cuffs off." His voice was dangerously quiet.

Thor took out a little button pad and pressed one. Loki's cuffs fell to the bed.

"You may leave now. I have told you what you need to know and don't worry about me escaping. Where would I go? I have nowhere to go." His voice is shaking with rage.

His face remained calm, however. I go to the door and open it and the others follow. Thor closes the door behind him and we hear several objects crash around. Thor turns to go back in.

"Thor don't, he won't enjoy your presence," I say not wanting to deal with Thor's death.

Thor grumbles at me and leaves to the room Stark lets him use. I go to the living room undecided if I did the right thing or not. Pushing for answers was probably not the best idea. Though it did work I might add.