Chapter Text
It wasn't exactly that Steve expected to find Loki.
He and the others had concluded that, among putting the stones back, he'd probably need to at least look into Loki and the tesseract’s whereabouts, to clean up the mess they'd made and ensure he didn't come back later to wreak havoc. So Bruce had outfited him with an additional device, to hopefully help him track Loki and the tesseract’s energy signatures, based on what research they'd had from the time surrounding his invasion attempt.
Because while Thor had assured them Loki had changed before he met his untimely demise, this was a different Loki, a Loki from before. One who had not had time to grow, to change or heal, one still consumed by a madness born of a vengeful spirit, warped further by what they now knew to be the torture and control of Thanos. An unstable, powerful sorcerer loose with an infinity stone would likely come back to bite them all, eventually, which is what led Steve to this moment.
He found himself on a small planet, little more than a desolate moon, at the mouth of a cave. The little device on his wrist indicated that what he was looking for was further in, and as he slowly started forward he realized how wildly under prepared he was, if he did actually find Loki here. The bulk of their planning for this aspect had simply been ‘if you find him get the tesseract back’. Steve was pretty sure none of them had really thought they'd be able to find him, or considered how much of a fight he was likely to put up.
In retrospect it seemed like very poor planning, but then again, they'd all just come through hell and no one really expected to find him. But as Steve worked his way deeper into the cave, he realized this was a possibly grave mistake, as a distinctive blue glow from further in became more pronounced.
Coming around the bend, Steve found a smaller chamber, the blue glow coming from within, and he tightened his grip on his shield and the hammer. (He hadn’t returned it yet, in case he might need it. Really the only thing he had returned was the other tesseract, unsure of what having two of them in the same place might do on the off chance he did find Loki.)
The tesseract was sitting unattended on a little rocky ledge, emitting its persistent light. And on the far side of the room, a dark shape was laying on the ground. As his eyes adjusted, he realized it was Loki, curled up with his back to Steve and the tesseract.
It felt like some kind of trick, a trap that would be sprung the moment he reached for the cube. But even as he took the risk, setting down his weapons, Loki did not stir, and his gloved hand closed on the cube. He secured it in his pack- a modification after he'd gone to drop off the first tesseract and someone nearly walked away with the case mistakenly- slinging it back over his shoulder and onto his back.
Tesseract secured, Steve wasn’t sure what to do from there. Should he wake Loki, try to subdue and apprehend him to return to when he’d escaped from? Would he even be able to, alone as he was? He could just leave him there, with no way to leave or escape that Steve knew of. Almost as soon as the idea came to mind, he discarded it as too cruel. He knew what this Loki was capable of, what he’d just done and what his current state of mind was, but if Thor and Bruce were to be believed, he was clearly capable of being better. Even if he wasn’t, it wasn’t in Steve to leave him to such a fate if he could help it.
Picking up Mjolnir and his shield once more and moving forward slowly, he let his feet fall a little heavier, hoping it would alert Loki to his presence. But Loki still didn’t move, and so as he got within a few feet of him, he called to him.
“Loki?”
The figure stirred, sluggishly, as though trying to rouse from a heavy sleep. Steve called to him again, taking a step back as he did, unsure of how Loki would react. The second time he spoke though, it seemed to finally catch up to Loki that someone else was there, and he sat up hurriedly, scrambling to face Steve, even as he also scrambled back until his back hit the wall.
And that was when Steve noticed, with some shock, that Loki was still cuffed and muzzled. It hadn’t even occurred to him, having not only forgotten about them, but figuring Loki could magic his way out of any restraints once he was out from under Thor’s thumb, as it were. He looked more gaunt than he had before, tired and paler and worn thin, leaving Steve to wonder how long it had been for him since he’d made his escape (which he should have probably been paying more attention to). What struck him next was the sheer panic in Loki’s eyes, where he’d recalled only hatred and arrogance before.
But it seemed as soon as Loki actually recognized him, irritation and disdain returned. He looked as though he wanted to say something snappy, rendered unable by the metal over his mouth. But as he took in Steve, his eyes landed on Mjolnir in his grip, and the surprise that registered across what part of his face that could be seen would’ve been comical if the whole situation didn’t have Steve on edge. Something about this seemed off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He made a decision, putting his weapons down carefully and slowly coming forward.
“I’m going to see if I can get that thing off your face, ok?”
Loki eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t move to get away or attack him as he drew closer. He knelt, reaching towards the side of Loki’s face to check for a catch or release on the muzzle. As he did so, he could see how still Loki was holding himself, clearly bracing for something, as though he was expecting the contact to hurt. Steve filed that away for later, as he continued to look for a way to remove the contraption.
His thumb slid over a spot near the jaw, and with a click and a hiss, the muzzle fell away. He caught it, pulling his hands back quickly, and placing it near the shield. Loki worked his jaw for a minute, bringing his own hands up to rub at his mouth. Realizing his mouth must be dry, and having no idea how long Loki had been muzzled, Steve reached for his water bottle, without taking his eyes off him, opening it and carefully offering it to him.
Loki eyed it suspiciously, so Steve took a sip and offered again. “It’s just water, here.” He told him, and this time Loki slowly accepted the bottle, and took a few cautious sips before returning it. Glancing up at Steve, he seemed to be considering what to say, before he cleared his throat and spoke.
“Thanks are in order, I suppose. Unless you were sent to kill me, or return me to pay for my crimes. How did you even get here? I did not think your people were capable of such travels yet.”
“I haven’t come to kill you!” Steve sputtered, a little affronted that Loki would think as much. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet, though. As for how I got here,” He sighed heavily, “it’s a long story.”
Loki’s eyes narrowed, and he took in Steve’s appearance more carefully. The way he was looking at him made Steve suddenly uncomfortable, as though Loki might see right through him and know everything that had transpired to bring him here.
“I am sure it is. However…” Loki started, trailing off as he looked around the cave. Realization dawned on him, and he scrambled to his feet.
“Where is it, what have you done with it?” He was almost frantic, eyes darting around as he got his legs under him.
Startled, Steve jumped to his feet as well, backing up towards the hammer in the process, just in case.
“You know I can’t let you keep it, don’t you?” He asked carefully, watching Loki’s reaction closely.
“I need it, you don’t understand, you have no idea! I have to..” He trailed off, looking past Steve to where the tesseract had been.
“You have to what, give it to Thanos? D’you really think that’s gonna help anything?” Steve snapped, before he could stop himself.
Loki looked like he’d been slapped, shock plain on his face before his expression went abruptly, disturbingly, blank, and Steve knew he’d said the wrong thing.
“Do not speak to things which you do not know, Captain.”
“At this point I know a hell of a lot more than you think I do.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. He had no idea why he’d felt the need to say that.
Several emotions flickered briefly across Loki’s face, before they were replaced with a nasty look and sharp smile.
“Do you, now? Well then certainly you know I need it for my own ends, and cannot let you leave here with it, or let you return me to the Odinson’s keeping.” He stood taller, drawing up to his full height. It occurred to Steve that Loki was putting on a mask, the way he moved, hiding his uncertainty and possibly even fear behind a guise of ego, cruelty, and swagger. He wondered that he never noticed before, probably because there was too much going on then.
“You really think giving the tesseract to Thanos is going to help you achieve anything?” He had yet to hear Loki even acknowledge the name, despite having a reaction to it, and that was starting to worry him a little. Loki faltered a bit, the edges of his wicked grin dulling ever so slightly.
“You think he’s going to help you accomplish any of your harebrained schemes?” Steve pressed on, “D’you have any idea what he’s working towards, that as soon as he gets what he wants from you he’ll toss you out like yesterday’s trash? That what you want means nothing to him, so long as he gets what he’s after?”
“Do you think me so stupid that I would not know that already? I am aware of what he intends for me now that I have failed, I am aware that I would not have had a true victory!” Loki finally snapped. “I do not wish to give him the tesseract if it can be avoided, I wish to use it to…” He cut off, looking away sharply, clearly embarrassed that he said even that much.
It took a moment, and then it clicked. Loki didn’t take the tesseract to bargain, Loki took it so he could get away, so he could hide. As he looked at the shame creeping across Loki’s face, he wondered about the details he didn’t know, trying to tie pieces of what he knew of Loki’s history from Thor and what he knew of Thanos’ training of his underlings from Nebula together to get a clearer picture of where that left Loki now. And slowly, the beginnings of an idea started to form in the back of his mind, a possible alternative that wouldn't necessitate returning Loki to meet his nasty fate, or leaving him here to die alone.
And that’s when Loki dropped suddenly, swinging out to swipe his legs out from under him.
Steve managed to jump back, just in time, ducking as Loki swung his shackled fists around and aimed for his head. Grabbing Mjolnir and the shield, he raised the shield and used it to charge Loki while he was still off balance, driving him back against the wall, holding the hammer at the ready.
No knives, no illusionary doubles, no magical blasts. If Steve had to hazard a guess based on rusty memories, the cuffs were suppressing the bulk of his magical abilities, which made him slightly less dangerous, but only just. He was clearly still fast, and strong, and as wily as ever. Loki put his hands up as best he could, grin like a slash across his face.
“Well you couldn’t have thought I’d go back without at least some fight.” Loki quipped, even as his eyes darted nervously to the hammer. “How did you even come into possession of that? I can hardly believe Thor would part with it, though I cannot say I am surprised that it finds you of all people worthy.”
“I said I haven’t decided if I’m taking you back yet or not, you really didn’t need to pull that.” Steve’s mouth twisted in a half-hearted grimace, but he didn’t take his eyes off Loki as he continued, “And like I also said already, it’s a long story.”
Loki arched an eyebrow, waiting a few moments before saying anything else, clearly thinking over his next words.
“If you decide to return me to either your people’s keeping or Asgard’s, I’d have you know I’d rather you kill me than send me back. But if you are going to take some time to consider, why don’t we sit and you can tell me your long story, if you think you’d deign to tell one such as myself what has been going on.” He gave a little self deprecating smile, gesturing with his bound hands ever so slightly at the floor.
Steve considered his options. This Loki was still more volatile, likely shouldn’t be trusted. But he’d seen small chinks in his armor, so to speak, and it might help this Loki to get himself back together, knowing some of what happened. Steve wasn’t entirely sure why he should care, but having heard so many stories from Thor, and later even from Bruce, seeing now how his rage and grief might have been played up and against him, he couldn’t help but feel like maybe even Loki deserved a chance. And if he went through with the likely unwise idea that was taking root in his mind, it would not only ultimately spare Loki pain, but Thor as well.
And maybe Steve needed to get some things off his chest too, just a bit.
He backed up, giving Loki space to sit, taking a seat himself only after Loki had. Keeping the shield between them, he placed Mjolnir beside him, leaning on the shield and looking Loki over. After a moment’s thought, he reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a protein bar, which he offered to Loki.
Loki eyed the bar, clearly unsure of what it was and hesitant to take it. Sighing, Steve opened the packaging and took a small bite, visibly chewing and swallowing it.
“It’s food, and it’s not poisoned. Here, take it.” He offered again, watching as Loki slowly reached out and took it. He sniffed it, but didn’t bother showing any other signs of distrust or even pickiness (which Steve would have expected, if he was being honest), taking a bite and chewing carefully.
“Thank you.” Loki said, after swallowing.
Steve nodded, a little surprised by the small politeness, but not willing to draw attention to it in case it would disrupt whatever delicate balance they currently had. It also seemed like he should be polite in turn, and let Loki finish eating before he started in on his story. He didn’t scarf it down, exactly, but he took bites quickly and chewed only a little slower, as though he both worried the food would be taken from him but didn’t want it to be gone too fast. Steve looked away after a moment, realizing he was staring and not wanting Loki to catch him doing so.
When he was done, Loki cleared his throat, looking at Steve expectantly.
“So, have you decided yet whether you will tell me of how you came to possess the Odinson’s prized weapon, and of the events that now haunt your face with such new weariness?” There was a smirk at the corners of his mouth as he asked, sitting straight backed, his hands in front of him and forearms resting against his thighs.
Sighing, Steve ran a hand through his hair before adjusting to get comfortable, both arms resting along the top edge of the shield as he leaned on it.
“Yeah, I guess I can tell you some of it. I’m just not sure where I’d even start.” He said, choosing not to acknowledge the brief look of surprise that crossed Loki’s face before it was carefully tucked away. He didn’t think I’d actually be willing to tell him anything , he thought.
“At the beginning is traditional.” Loki commented dryly. “You could start with how you managed to find me all the way out here, when I thought your people not yet capable of such travels.” Then, softer, as though he was afraid to say so out loud, “You might mention how you came to know of Thanos, and my… dealings with him.”
Steve just barely kept from cringing. It made sense that that would be where Loki would look to start, as surprised as he’d seemed to be by Steve knowing of Thanos at all.
“I’m not... I’m from… This sounds so stupid, but I’m from the future. Not crazy far into the future, about a decade-ish.” He started, feeling dumb as he stumbled over his explanation. Glancing at Loki, he almost expected him to look disbelieving or mocking, but instead he simply watched Steve, gaze a little intense but mostly polite and focused. Taking a deep breath, Steve forged ahead.
“We’d been sort of… figuring stuff out, about the Tesseract, and the stone that powered your scepter, but we weren’t really aware until it was.. Well it was basically too late, that they were just a few of what were called infinity stones, and that Thanos was looking for them. We tried to stop him, but. He killed so many, and managed to get them all, loaded them into this gauntlet. He used them to wipe out half the life in the universe, some bullshit about finite resources and creating balance.”
He took a deep breath, getting himself in check. This was a pretty damn watered down version, no need to get worked up over it. Loki looked like he might be sick though, watered down or not, and cast his eyes downward.
“I knew some of this, had my suspicions about other things...” Loki murmured. “He succeeds?”
“Yeah, he did. But we were able to fix it! Undo it.” Steve rushed to assure. “It took some work, I won’t bore you with the details.”
Loki still appeared troubled, and Steve felt both bad about it and relieved that there was a little shimmer of humanity still buried in there.
“How did you…” Loki faltered, still lost somewhere in his own thoughts, and clearly unsure if he could or should ask. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head as though to clear his mind.
“To undo what he had wrought, you would have had to retrieve the stones and gauntlet from him. He is near unstoppable as is, but with them… I do not think you could bore me with such details.” His tone tried for light, but there was still tension around the corners of Loki’s mouth, the set of his shoulders tight and uncomfortable.
It suddenly occurred to Steve that it might have been a less than great idea to come and confront Loki, so tightly coiled and possibly ready to flip at a moment's notice, while still in possession of the infinity stones. Deciding to divulge even pieces of the story now seemed unwise, but he'd already started, and he would just have to tread carefully as he proceeded.
“We had to get… Creative.” Steve hedged.
“Like you are no doubt trying to be with your retelling of this tale, to avoid giving away information I will likely use against you.” Loki commented, looking distinctly unimpressed.
“Look, I don’t have to tell you any of this, but I’m trying, ok?” Steve made a frustrated noise, now unsure of his goal in this regard. The briefest flicker of surprise ran across Loki’s face, before he looked away, chastised.
“We had to travel back in time, alter certain events. It allowed us an advantage, and we were able to undo the bulk of the damage, and wipe out Thanos and his forces in the process.” Steve knew he was skating around the truth as he resumed, omitting a lot of details, but it wasn’t exactly a lie. “But now that all of it’s done, I need to go back and fix a few things to prevent any complications in the timelines. Like returning the hammer to when Thor snagged it from.”
“He did not have it with him already, in the time you came from?” Confusion creased Loki’s brow as he asked, and the bottom of Steve’s stomach dropped.
There was so much he only knew pieces of, so much he hadn’t thought about this Loki not knowing, and again he wondered if this had been a mistake. But if he was going to give this Loki the chance he had in mind, he’d have to at least fill him in on some things.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure of the details, I only kinda got parts of the story from Bruce and Thor, and a little more from their friend Val. But I think it turned out that you and Thor have a sister? Had, had a sister. She kind of.. broke the hammer, when she broke out.” Steve started, jumping in alarm as Loki nearly lunged forward, stopping just short of Steve, his teeth bared.
“Thor,” Loki all but hissed, “is not my brother.” He leaned back, taking a deep breath and visibly calming himself. “And he has no sister, unless it is some bastard of Odin’s.” And then, as if the rest of what Steve said finally caught up to him, Loki frowned.
“She did what to Mjolnir?”
Steve was a little startled by the reaction, but then remembered some of what Thor had told him years ago about the falling out Loki had had with their family. He felt like he was still missing some of the pieces, mostly in the way of context, so he’d just have to proceed with some caution around these parts.
“She, uh, she broke it. Think he said she caught it when he threw it at her, and just crushed it. It sounds like yo--his dad had kept it a secret, kind of wiped her existence off the books sometime right before Thor was born, put her in lock up. Something about her being a goddess of death and going on a murderous rampage without his say-so?” Steve really wished he’d pressed for more details, now that he was suddenly tasked with having to relay it, but there had been far more pressing matters at the time.
“That does sound like something the All-Father would do, dealing with his problems by hiding them away.” Loki said bitterly. And then, with slightly less bitterness and slightly more confusion, “Hold a moment though, did you say Bruce earlier? You can’t possibly mean Banner, your pet beast? What could he possibly know on any of this subject?” There was a nervous edge to his tone that hadn’t been there before, and Steve couldn’t help but believe it was because this Loki had very recently been used to redecorate the penthouse floor.
“He is not our ‘pet beast’. And after an incident on Earth, he kinda got... Launched into space? I dunno, but you and Thor found him and he helped fight yo--Thor’s sister.” Steve was a little offended on Bruce’s behalf, but he wasn’t entirely surprised.
“I dunno exactly how or why, but to stop her you guys had to unleash a fire demon or something, destroyed her and your homeworld. You, Thor and Bruce were on your way to Earth with what was left of the planet’s population when…” Steve swallowed hard, remembering the horror in Bruce’s voice as he told of the massacre. The heaviness, grief, and rage that hung over Thor like the ever present storms that followed in his wake. He couldn’t meet Loki’s eyes.
“When what, Captain?” Loki sounded as though he was barely able to grit the words out between his teeth, and Steve hazarded a look at his face. It was pinched and drawn, an array of emotions playing across his face, the most easily recognizable of which were confusion and hurt.
“Thanos caught up to the ship you were on.” Steve forced himself to continue, regret steadily increasing, and he braced himself to be prepared for an attack, in case Loki lashed out or something. “Apparently he knew you’d acquired the tesseract again, and was still miffed about the whole invasion thing. Val managed to get some of the survivors out, but the rest were… they didn’t make it. I guess he managed to take the stone from you, destroyed the ship. From what I know, it sounds like only a lucky break Thor and Bruce made it out at all. I don’t… I don’t know a whole lot past that, Thor doesn’t like to talk about it, and Bruce gets pretty upset so he tries to keep it fairly broad.”
This was not how he’d been expecting this to go, and he couldn’t decide if it was better or worse than dancing around the infinity stones in his pack.
“He slaughtered them. So Ragnarok came, and those who survived still met with a gruesome end.” Loki’s voice sounded flat, his face gone horribly blank again as he seemed to be processing everything. “I assume I, likewise, meet such a fate, since you’ve made no mention of me from your time?”
“Thor doesn’t...” Steve started.
“Thor doesn’t like to talk about it. So it is true.” He nodded. Steve’s eyes dropped to Loki’s hands, where he was twisting his fingers together in what he could only assume was a nervous gesture.
“If...” Loki started, and it seemed so strange to Steve how hesitant he seemed, how out of focus and quiet compared to only a short while earlier, “If you come to a decision about what to do with me, and decide to return me that I might meet that fate, I promise I will fight you every step of the way. I will either escape you or destroy myself, but I will not go like a sheep to the slaughter. I will not go back to face him if I can help it.”
“No, absolutely not! I’m not going to make you go back to that," Steve assured him.
Only, hadn’t that basically been the original plan? To restore Loki and the tesseract to the time and place they’d come from? Which would mean sending Loki back to meet that fate, a death at the hands of someone he clearly (rightly) feared. But Steve had realized while talking with Bruce, even if he returned all the stones, set everything to right, there would still be branching timelines, different realities born of these endeavors. Sure, some of them would feed back into the main one, but there would still be variations that would feed away into their own ends. And with that being the case, he figured that they could maybe let this slide too.
“I was thinking that, once I’ve finished doing what I need to do, I could, I dunno… take you somewhere you won’t have to worry about Thanos.” Steve suggested, putting voice to the half an idea he’d been sitting on for the last little bit.
“Truly, you think such an idea likely or wise?” Loki was looking at him suspiciously, and Steve could all but see him starting to pull the haughtiness around himself like a cloak, preemptively bracing against the possibility of hope or the likelihood of being let down by it.
“We could make it happen. Might have to house you somewhere we could keep you under supervision for a while, but with a little time you could be…” It was the wrong thing for Steve to have said. Loki was on his feet in an instant, and Steve, startled, followed suit, weapons in hand and ready just in case.
“I will not be treated as some charity case, so that you may applaud yourselves at my reformation! To be truly reformed, I’d have to be repentant, and I am far from that.” He sneered, working himself up. “I am now, and have always been, a monster. I chose to let those traits be sharpened that I might be stronger for it, that I might be able to better take my vengeance and rightful place, and I only regret that your pathetic little team proved to be such a nuisance and thwart me.”
Steve arched an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “Does telling yourself that help you sleep at night? Does lying to yourself about what you are and the mistakes you made make you feel any better?”
There was color high on Loki’s cheeks, and a feverish light in his eyes. His eyes darted from Steve to the exit, and he licked his lips, looking ever so slightly unsure.
“I feel...I..” And just as suddenly as his rage had swelled, it seemed to drain from him. Not only did the fight seem to go out of him, but Loki abruptly sagged against the wall behind him. He folded to the floor, eyes rolling up into his head as a slight tremor ran through his shoulders.
“Loki? Loki!”
Setting his weapons carefully to the side, Steve knelt in front of Loki, reaching out to lay the back of his hand against his forehead. Loki tried to push his hand away, shrinking back a little as he did so.
“Don’t, don’t need your help.” He mumbled, trying to curl in on himself and away from Steve.
“I’d say that you do need my help, since healthy people don’t collapse like that.” Loki’s forehead seemed warmer to Steve than it should, but he knew that he ran hot, and he had no idea what was normal for someone like Loki. “Loki, I need you to stay with me. D’you know what might be causing you to feel faint?”
Holding up his cuffed hands, Loki attempted a smirk, taking a moment longer to gather his energy to speak.
“These suppress my seidr , my magic, which is very much tied up in my vital functions.” He paused, taking a deep breath, as he struggled to keep his eyes open. “They were only meant to stay on until I stood trial for my deeds. They would have been removed shortly after a verdict was rendered, when I would either have been imprisoned to await execution, or been executed immediately following. Wearing them for too long can have negative effects.”
There was a pause, as if trying to gather the words were a physical effort. “I had thought I would be able to... Free myself of them, but it seems I could not.”
He seemed to be drifting, and Steve took him by the front of his stupid leather armor and gave him a shake. Loki made a small, irritated noise, like a kid who didn’t want to get out of bed.
“Hey, I said stay with me. How tied up in your vitals are we talking? Do we need to get those off of you?” He’d removed the muzzle before, so he felt there had to be a similar release on the cuffs. A part, the likely sensible part, of his brain was screaming that it would be a very bad idea to have an unbound Loki loose, especially so soon after he’d admitted to having little remorse for the atrocities he’d committed. But there was probably some work around, though, he could figure something out, he just really didn’t like how foggy Loki had gotten.
“Mm, you won’t be able to. They are a little more complicated than the muzzle, you will either need the key, or someone good with magic and picking locks. Other than myself, that is.” He chuckled, and let his eyes fall closed. “Don’t fret, Captain. I just need to rest a moment, that is all. I have another two, maybe three days before the effects start to become fatal. And then I shall remove myself from your list of troubles.”
Sighing, Steve ran a hand over his face. Maybe he should have asked for an assist on this mission, he thought, as he looked down at Loki’s tired face. It was too late now, though; he had signed himself up for this detail, and if that now included ex-villain sitting, then so be it.
“C’mon, lay down. You’ll rest better, and we’ll figure the rest out later.” He moved so he was sitting next to Loki, his back to the wall, and then started to push and pull on Loki, guiding him to lay down where his head would rest on Steve’s thigh. Loki’s eyes snapped open, and at first he resisted.
“I do not need coddling, nor to sleep on the shoulder of an enemy!” He protested, though it sounded weak to both of them.
“You’ll feel better if you actually rest properly, you’ll be sleeping on my leg and not my shoulder so you can actually be comfortable, and I’m not your enemy. Now lay down and get some shut eye, or I’ll knock you out so you can get it that way.” Steve’s tone brooked no argument, and with a few more minor complaints Loki finally laid down and drifted off.
What have you gotten yourself into, Rogers? Steve thought ruefully, as he tried to figure out what his next move would be.