Had this idea for awhile now, and finally put it into action. Really stoked to see how this story turns out!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

xxx

Loki was in a lot of pain. He had never hated his father so much, for he was the one that created this inhuman form of punishment. Stripped of his magic, Loki sat in a musty, underground cell with high security. He wasn't allowed to have any visitors, except when they came for revenge.

This was the price he had to pay for his crimes; he had to receive the same pain that the people of Asgard experienced when he wreaked chaos on their world. Lamenters came who had lost loved ones in the fight, and took their anger and grief out on Loki. He was chained and defenseless against their wrath, and could not heal himself. Oden made this punishment to teach Loki a lesson and to appease the citizens of Asgard, so they wouldn't revolt against the royal family.

Loki sat in his cell looking at the long gash running across his stomach and at the discolored bruises that were beginning to form on his arms and most likely, his face. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and his leg screamed in pain where it may have been broken. He focused on breathing evenly, trying to ignore the intense throbbing. He would not show weakness.

Suddenly, the door opened to his prison cell. Loki groggily thought that it couldn't be another angry Asgardian already; usually he got at least a of couple hours in-between torturers.

"We have come to collect you. You are being transferred to another prison," a gruff voice came from an armed guard outside the door. Loki wearily looked up at the guard and couldn't hold back a smirk at the amount of security Odin thought he needed. There were 5 guards and they were all clothed in full body armor and were each armed with a sword and shield.

"I can't really go anywhere, can I?" Loki said rudely as he shook his arms that were still chained to the wall, giving the guards a spiteful look. The leader came and quickly pulled out a key and unlocked him, the other fools standing alert with their hands gripped around their swords. Loki slowly stood up, trying to act casual and not show that he was in pain. Loki walked in silence, contemplating what he should do as the guards walked him down the numerous hallways. They finally arrived at the Throne Room, where Odin was waiting for their arrival.

Odin gave Loki a level look, as if Loki were just another despicable criminal and not his own adopted son. "You may be wondering why I have brought you here," Odin stated, watching Loki for a reaction.

Loki kept his face impassive, though it was true that he was confused as to why he was there.

"You are being transferred to Midgard, and are going to be left with your brother and his friends who stopped your perilous behavior and assisted us in stopping the army you created. It is no longer safe for you to stay here."

Loki eyes widened and he felt anger and dread pooling in his chest. He would have to be trapped with the measly Avengers on Earth? And with Thor, no less.

"Before you go, you must be justly restricted. Director Fury and I have already discussed this as well. Guards, do as I have commanded." Odin addressed the oafs surrounding Loki, and suddenly they sprung into action.

Loki was roughly slammed into a wall, and unable to fight back, stood there defenseless as a guard inserted a needle into his neck. It brought on a wave of pain through his throat, and continued to simmer and burn for quite awhile. Loki tried to cough, but found he could not make any sounds.

"You will not speak another lie, Loki. You will not speak at all." Odin said gravely as he watched the guards attack his unworthy son.

The guards then grabbed his left arm and harshly pulled it away from his body, twisting it in painful and unnatural angles. Something was then clasped around his wrist, where a violent, sharp pain emerged and ran through his arm like fire. Suddenly, as quickly as the pain came, it dissipated, leaving only a faint tingling behind.

"This is so if you try to escape your designated prison in Midgard, 10,000 volts of magic and electricity will run through you. It would be like the pain you just felt, except a hundred times worse. If any harm comes to it or you try to take it off, it will be set off and will take you straight to unconsciousness."

Loki glared at the man he once knew as his father, and then turned his eyes downward to inspect the instrument of destruction. It was a small metal chain that looked similar to a bracelet. For something so small, it sure did have a lot of power.

"Good bye, Loki. I hope your wrongdoings can be forgiven, and your mind reformed." Odin said his final partings to his Frost Giant son, and then the guards took the raven haired prisoner away.

xxx

Heimdall easily teleported Loki and three different guards to their desired destination, but the potency of the magic left Loki unconscious when they landed. He was roughly awoken, and one of the guards grumbled something about always getting the worse jobs.

Loki was pulled to his feet with no trace of sentiment from the guards. He swayed slightly, and when his head finally stopped spinning, he realized he was at Stark Tower in New York, the very city he tried to destroy months before.

The four of them walked up to Stark's front door, one rudely dragging Loki with him, while the other two gripped their spears that looked out of place in modern America. Once at the door, the guards faltered slightly, and then decided on just ringing the doorbell.

"They do expect our arrival, right?" One guard asked while waiting for someone to open the door.

"Hopefully they do, or they're in for an awful surprise." The other guard answered, looking at Loki in contempt. It seemed that no matter where he went, Loki was always despised in some way.

Finally, after several minutes, the door was opened by Tony Stark who stood just inside the doorway with a drink in one hand. Loki could hear loud music coming from within the Tower and wondered just what "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" did in their spare time.

A flicker of surprise flitted across Stark's face when he saw who was waiting outside, but then with very little hesitance said, "Sorry, trash days are on Sundays, come back another time." He glanced at Loki and then went to close the door. Loki narrowed his eyes at the measly mortal, and forced him to remember that in a hundred years time Stark would be long dead, while Loki would still be alive and kicking.

Suddenly the sound of Fury's voice rang through the Tower. "Don't you dare close that door, Stark!" he hollered. Nick Fury was suddenly next to Tony, and gestured at the guards to bring Loki in.

Tony's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "What is Loki doing here?" he said in irritation, glaring at Fury and then at Loki.

The rest of the team soon came down because of all the commotion, with various drinks in each of their hands. Natasha cursed when she saw Loki, and Clint Barton looked rather like he wished he had brought his crossbow with him.

"Now, now, that isn't any way to treat a new guest." Fury said. "I guess I should've warned you beforehand, but now is a good time as ever to tell you. Loki will be staying in Stark Tower under the surveillance of the Avengers as a prisoner."

Everyone on the team reacted to that statement. Thor looked like he had mixed feelings, as if he wanted to be excited but was still afraid of Loki losing his mind again. Bruce Banner just took the information in and nodded, deciding Loki wouldn't be much of a threat. He was the only one who noticed what a terrible state Loki was in. Steve looked worried, and immediately set his drink down.

Tony Stark just looked even angrier. "I hate to break it to you, cupcake, but this is MY Tower. I get to decide who stays here, and let me tell you, an insane, possibly evil God of Mischief isn't high on the guest list."

"I'm aware this may not seem like the best arrangement to you, but it's our last option." Fury responded. "It is no longer safe for him to stay in Asgard, and Earth was the next suitable choice."

"Why was he not safe in Asgard?" Thor asked, his first words spoken since the arrival of his brother. Loki looked at Thor surrounded by his new friends, and realized Thor hadn't worried about Loki much after he had been taken away. Loki wasn't sure why he felt a pang in his chest at that thought. Who cares what that oaf thinks?

Fury looked at Thor with a piercing gaze. "The Chitauri are looking for him. They seek revenge, and the people of Asgard were accused of helping Loki with his schemes. War would've broken out if he had stayed, and now, without his magic, he is untraceable here on Earth."

Thor nodded thoughtfully, and Steve said, "At least Stark Tower will be the last place they will think to look for Loki."

"True. Asgard is making it look like Loki escaped prison, and went God knows where. With that knowledge, the Chitauri will never expect Loki to be in the hands of the very ones who defeated him."

"Wouldn't be easier to just deliver Loki to the Chitauri? No harm in that." Clint muttered, and Natasha smirked.

"If he messes up again, we just might do that." Fury said gravely. "Be sure to report to me if anything goes awry."

Loki heard the threat loud and clear, and realized there was still a lot of bad blood between him and the Avengers, along with Fury. He figured it was to his benefit to try and make amends, but he had no idea how he would set forth doing it.

The other Avengers nodded, and Loki saw Natasha lean over and whisper something to Hawkeye, making Clint grin. Loki didn't particularly like the look of that.

"Alright, well now that this meet and greet is over, we can see you out." Fury looked at the guards respectfully, and they nodded, happy to hand over the prisoner for good. They quickly left the tower, and were all three teleported back to Asgard.

There was a silence among the Avengers after that, no one quite knowing what to say. Fury glanced at his watch and proceeded to grab his coat from the rack. "I have a meeting to attend, but I expect you guys to stay on your best behavior while I'm gone. No parties, alright?" He finished, looking at Stark. Tony, who had been zoning out during Fury's classic good bye speech, nodded half heartedly.

Fury stepped outside, and then turned around as if a thought just occurred to him. "Perhaps you can give Loki a tour to keep you busy." At Tony's look of disdain he added, "At least show him his room." And with that, Director Fury whisked out the door, leaving the Avengers alone with their new arrival.

xxx

Loki decidedly hated the fact that he couldn't speak. It took away his second most valuable weapon, his words. (First being his magic, that he conveniently didn't have access to either.) And right now he wanted nothing more than to harshly address the Avengers and the unsettling looks they were giving him.

Tony Stark, the one known as Iron Man, as Loki recalled, was the first to step up to the mangled prisoner. His initial retaliation had since worn off, and he obviously had a change of heart on the entire situation. He smiled the kind of grin a child does when he gets a new toy, but with hints of mischief in his eyes.

"So, about that tour?" Stark said, smirking at him in a way that Loki was not accustomed to. He knew that Stark was prone to jacking around, but he wasn't sure what was up Iron Man's sleeve this time.

Without waiting for a reply, (which, well, would've been hard for Loki to give), Tony grabbed Loki's arm and began dragging him towards the elevator. Loki winced in pain at the flares of a burning sensation that trickled up and down his injured leg, but forced himself not to limp.

Tony was oblivious to Loki's discomfort, and joyfully pressed the button to summon the elevator, humming to himself. Loki looked at the elevator in interest, thinking it was quite a clever idea to invent a machine to move you up and down floors of a building, especially for those who could not teleport.

"Anyone want to join us?" Tony called over his shoulder to his fellow Avengers. There were many faux excuses made, claiming they had stuff to do and other garbage such as that. Loki knew they just didn't want to be near him, and though pride was his first emotion of being able to frighten them, an ever present loneliness was his second.

Bruce was the only one who walked up to them, slowly scrutinizing Loki with curiosity and hints of concern.

Tony looked surprised that someone might actually take him up on his offer. "You're coming?" He addressed Banner.

Suddenly Loki vividly remembered that this pleasant looking man was the one who turned into a raging green monster when angry, and quickly Loki felt embarrassment and recalled bad memories of being smashed into the ground by him.

Bruce shook his head in reply to Tony's question. "No, I was just making sure Loki was healthy enough to be up and walking around a lot."

Tony raised an eyebrow and turned to face Loki, noticing for the first time Loki's swollen eye and tender way he was standing, with his weight heavily shifted to one leg.

Loki scowled, and instinctively tried to say, "I'm fine," before remembering he couldn't. He was glad he was wearing long sleeves and long pants, because he didn't want them to see the huge bruises that decorated his arms and legs. He didn't want their pity or concern, and he didn't deserve it anyway.

The elevator suddenly dinged, announcing its arrival. Tony shrugged and grabbed Loki's arm (with less force than earlier, Loki noticed) and pulled him into the elevator.

"He'll be fine." Tony said to Banner as the elevator doors closed.

xxx

The silence was deafening inside the small confinement of the elevator. Loki felt odd standing this close to Tony Stark, alone in a metal box, and for the first time in his life, felt hints of claustrophobia. Loki wondered if Tony remembered being thrown out a window by him, and felt an unfamiliar feeling at the thought of Tony planning his revenge on him, right at this very moment. Loki wasn't, couldn't be… was he actually feeling nervous?

The elevator door opened after what felt like hours, and Loki quickly got out, feeling relief wash over him.

This didn't go unnoticed by Tony. "Perhaps we'll take the stairs next time, hmm?" He said, his voice laced with amusement. Loki sent him a sharp glance trying to remind Stark that he was supposed to fear a megalomaniac such as himself, but Tony just chuckled at the constrained demigod. Tony then began to walk down the hall, leading Loki to his room.

"This floor is above the ones the Avengers sleep on, because some of them may not want you sleeping and dreaming dastardly thoughts too close by." Tony said. Loki rolled his eyes at Tony's childish statement.

"Also, it is above us so if you wanted to leave this building, you would have to get past our floor of 6 trained fighters, along with my exceptional security devices. Jarvis, say hi to our new prisoner." Tony said cheerfully, seemingly talking to no one.

"Hello." A kind British voice sounded throughout the hall, and Loki looked around to see where it had come from.

Tony held back a smile at the confused demigod, and explained, "That is Jarvis, my AI. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, and he does the majority of keeping everyone in line here."

Loki nodded, not wanting to look like a fool by saying he didn't quite understand. Midgard was so different from Asgard, and he knew it would take him awhile to get accustomed to it.

"Well you responded much better than Thor did when Jarvis first unexpectedly spoke up. He jumped up, grabbed his hammer, and looked about ready to beat the living daylights out of someone." Tony commented, and let out a small chuckle at the memory.

I'm not Thor, and never will be. Loki thought darkly, glad he wasn't related to that imbecile.

Tony may or may not have noticed Loki's withering look, but luckily steered away from the subject of Thor when they arrived at Loki's room.

"Here we are." Tony announced, gesturing at a closed white door, which was very plain and looked as if it had never been touched before.

Tony opened it and Loki peered inside to look at his soon-to-be bedroom. It was more on the small side of the spectrum, as far as rooms in Stark Tower go, but Loki didn't mind. It actually seemed rather cozy. He had a plain white double sized bed with a gray comforter, and there was a window near an armchair that overlooked New York that Loki appreciated.

"Of course, I wasn't aware of you coming before today, so everything in here is just default for a guestroom. Pepper may have to buy you some new clothes," Tony paused here, glancing at Loki's current bedraggled outfit. "And this room gets very drafty in the winter, so I can haul up some blankets for you sometime. Other than that you're set to go. Any questions?" Tony grinned, knowing full well that Loki couldn't actually ask anything.

Loki was inwardly stunned for a moment at the amount of kindness Tony Stark was showing him. Loki had done nothing to deserve it; in fact, he deserved exactly the opposite. Perhaps, though Loki wouldn't dare admit it, sometimes small acts of compassion were exactly what he needed to warm his Frost Giant heart.

Suddenly something sparked in Tony's eyes. "Hey have you ever had pizza?" Loki raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should be suspicious. He slowly shook his head, and marveled at the delight that overcame Tony.

"Well I know what we're having for dinner!" Tony declared happily. Loki remained confused, and figured he would discover what this 'pizza' was soon enough.

"So, to the stairs?" Tony said as they walked down the hall, glancing at Loki from the corner of his eye, a teasing smile on his face.

Loki allowed himself a small smile, and nodded. Tony led the way, and Loki followed close behind, deep in his own thoughts. Loki watched Tony with curiosity, something he never had for a mortal before. He then decided that perhaps staying with the Avengers wouldn't be so bad after all, especially if they were all as interesting as Mr. Tony Stark.

xxx

So there you have it. Loki is already warming up to Tony! Yay! Also this is the longest chapter I've ever written, and I'm pretty proud of it. Please review, it's my inspiration!