3. Thunder Strikes

Tony gave a small cough as he buried his bruises face into the pillow. Peaceful sleep drained from the man and his body was acting quick to remind him of the pain.

"Shit." The billionaire muttered and he turned onto his back. How long had he been asleep? Tony let out a long and deep breath as his fingers ran softly through his hair. Of course. He was still in the house of the enemy. Whatever. This wasn't the worst captivity he's been in. There was always the day he had awoken in the grasp of terrorists with a hole in his chest.

Tony sat at the edge of the bed and he looked to the discarded black undershirt that the god had removed during their previous encounter, remembering that his bloodied chest was bare. He refused to let the pain get the best of him, he was stronger than this. Reluctantly, the genius stood using the bed for support. It only took one timid step to have his weak legs give into the pressure and he fell hard onto the unforgiving floor. Tony's fingers dug into his own palms as his fists clenched and his body screamed in pain.

"No...!" The billionaire muttered a growl into the floor and he was determined to get his strength back. But his legs were more weak than he thought and he was not adjusted to walking. However he dismissed this as brought himself to his hands and knees. It appeared he would just have to keep pushing himself.

It's just one man. You can handle this. Tony found comfort in that thought as he crawled over to the tall door. He clung onto the wall to bring himself back to his feet and his hand clutched to the metal doorknob. To his pleasant surprise, the door was unlocked, and Tony easily stumbled through.

No lock? Had Loki really thought Tony wouldn't be able to make it through the door? Or maybe he was becoming careless and didn't think things through. The room he had entered was dark but as his eyes adjusted, he could see a flight of stairs. His best guess was that he was in a basement.

With uncertainty and weakness, Tony made his way to the stairs, using the railing for support. It was difficult but with determination, the struggling man climbed up to meet with a tall wooden door. His fingers wrapped around the doorknob and gave a quick twist but it didn't budge.

Ah, so this is where he put the lock. Tony's deep brown eyes rolled and he slumped down to sit on the steps. Maybe it was just a simple lock that could easily be picked. This did seem like a basic house after all. But Tony was already feeling exhausted and was not wanting to search for something that could pick a lock with there only being a slim chance that it would even work. As Tony's head fell into his hands, a soft click was heard and the door unlocked before creaking open.

"Just my luck." Tony mumbled under his breath and there was no doubt as to who could possibly be standing behind him.

"Walking already? You must have been eager to see me." The silky voice purred and soon the god was seating himself besides the weak man. He was wearing a white buttoned up shirt along with black pants and tie. The attire actually suit the god quite well.

"Right. Because you're always so fucking delightful." Tony muttered and the words drew a soft chuckle from the deity.

"You'd be surprised." Loki gave a soft smirk before turning the mortal's face so they were looking towards each other. As his gleaming eyes examined Tony, Loki confirmed that the mortal body did not seem to be in any better condition. If anything Tony was only reopening wounds with all of his unnecessary movements. "I did not expect you to be walking so soon."

"Well I'm not exactly known for my patience." Tony's voice was coated in irritation as he stared into the god's eyes. Loki's hand that was curled from the base of the billionaire's chin to the side of his face kept Tony from looking away and the god's green eyes subtly narrowed.

"Then you must learn to change that, because you won't be leaving the premises anytime soon." Loki hissed and a hand abruptly gripped onto Tony's arm to pull him to his feet. The mortal grunted as the touch seared pain into his flesh. What was even worse was when the god aggressively pulled him down the stairs until reaching the bottom, where he mercilessly threw him into the center of the room. Tony caught a shout of pain in his throat as he panted into the floor. But he knew he would have to grow accustomed to withstanding pain.

"Fuck you." Tony growled as he rolled onto his back, taking in deep breaths of air.

"And is that something that would interest you?" Loki's smile was wide and mischievous as he approached the man laying on the floor.

"What..?" The billionaire raised an eyebrow as he propped himself up on his elbows. Did the god really just say that? Tony swallowed, watching Loki take powerful steps until he was standing above him. The mortal begun to push himself away but soon the god was straddling on top of him. "Hold on! What are you-" Tony couldn't finish as Loki's fingers wrapped firmly over his mouth to muffle his words.

"You speak too much." Loki whispered and he pushed Tony back down so he was flat on the floor. Tony's heart was racing as he looked into the god's eyes. Just where was the criminal going with this? Loki's eyes closed as he leaned into the mortal, slowly pressing his lips into the flesh of Tony's neck. The playboy's eyes widened and he gave a surprised grunt.

The deity grinned under each kiss as he moved down to the mortal's chest. His eyes fell upon the circular glow protruding from the man. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, perhaps some form of armor. But he figured he could get more information on it later. As Loki kissed into Tony's chest, the mortal's muscles tensed and the god's hand slipped from his mouth.

"What the hell?" Tony muttered in almost a moan and the god rolled his eyes upon hearing the mortal's agitating voice again. However Loki dismissed it as he wrapped his arms around the mortal and deepened his kisses.

Tony winced as Loki softly licked over a sensitive burn. It wasn't completely unpleasant and there wasn't much the billionaire could do, but it still seemed so wrong. And yet almost entirely right. Loki moved up again so he was looking into Tony's glistening brown eyes, a slow smile creeping across his thin lips.

"Not everything has to be so awful." Loki whispered and his fingers ran through the mortal's hair.

"And why would this ever not be considered awful?" Tony growled in response and his words had the god shoving him harder into the floor.

"You are a stubborn one." The god hissed as his hand met with the roughly with the base of Tony's neck. Before the mortal could come up with a reply, Loki abruptly smashed his lips against Tony's as he stole an aggressive kiss to take his words away. The mortal could only give a small cough as his breath was taken from him and his eyebrows furrowed into a deep trail.

Before their kiss could deepen, there was a loud and distant knocking, repeating itself and growing louder. Loki took in a loud gasp and a wave of worry washed over him. He instantly pulled away and stood from the man as he looked to the stairs in the room.

"Damn." Loki muttered under his breath as he straightened his tie. Before the god was about to leave, he looked over towards Tony again and gave a loud groan. He couldn't just leave him here unattended. Especially knowing that the mortal was already capable of mobility. Loki quickly walked over to look through different drawers, searching for anything that could help him out in this situation. Tony instantly sat up as he watched the god pulling one sliding drawers after another while the knocking from upstairs continued and was growing impatient. Was someone at the door? If so, it may just a perfect chance of escape. The mortal forced himself to his feet and he stumbled over to a wall with a painful limp.

Loki had small amounts of panic wash over him as he noticed the captive attempting to leave and he hurriedly grabbed some sturdy rope. This was exactly what he was fearwe would happen while keeping Tony in his house and the god wasted no time in grabbing the mortal's wrists and holding them behind his back.

"You are staying right here, Anthony." The deity breathed heavily and pulled the struggling man backwards with aggression. Tony grunted as his bare back was pushed into a cool metal pipe that was connected from the floor to the ceiling. Tony tried desperately to pry the god for him but Loki was overpowering and he easily bound the mortal's hands behind the pipe agonizingly tight. With a breath of relief, Loki stepped from the struggling man with a sense of pride and he admired his good work.

"Shit!" Tony shouted and he fought against the rope with useless determination. Loki's eyes gave a soft roll as he pulled a long cloth from his pocket.

"Anthony, I need you to stay here in silence." There was more knocking and now whoever was at the door was rapidly pushing in the doorbell to send a ringing throughout the entire house. Loki growled irritatingly and he brought the cloth over the mortal's mouth. Tony turned his head away but could do nothing to prevent the cloth from being firmly tied over his mouth. The billionaire had several complaints but every word he attempted to speak came out muffled and incoherent. Loki smiled wickedly and without any warnings, he abruptly slammed his clenched fist into the mortal's tensed abdominal muscles. Tony let out a small scream of agony before painfully sliding down the pipe and into a sitting position. He was breathing deeply in pain while occasionally uttering short grunts and he forced himself to look towards his captor. His deep brown eyes were glaring angrily at Loki, however the god only smiled in return.

"You have no need to fret, I'll return shortly." Loki took one last look at the mortal before swiftly turning on his heel and walking towards the stairs to answer the ongoing knocking. Tony could have sworn that if the knocking were to get any louder a door was going to be smashed into the ground, someone must have really needed to get in.

Loki's fast pace soon turned into a dash as he rushed up the stairs, quickly opening the door at the top before slamming and locking it behind him. The god looked around the peaceful living room and quickly made his way to the main entrance. He took in a deep breath, brushed his hair back with his fingers, and swiftly opened the door.

"Have you no patience?!" Loki hissed towards the intolerant man on the other side of the door.

"I haven't any room for patience, and you have not earned any lenience from me." The blonde Asgardian pushed past his adoptive brother with a growl as he entered the house.

"Well it is not as if I can alway just be prepared for whenever you decide to drop by." As Loki spoke the words, the god of thunder abruptly grabbed onto the trickster's clothing and slammed him roughly against the wall with unclear anger.

"Brother, a few days ago, Anthony Stark's home suffered a disastrous explosion. We thought we may have lost him however his body was not in the building nor have there been any signs of him since. The house is not far from here." The Asgardian spoke dangerously as his tone lowered, and he shoved the trickster into the wall with more force. "Loki, if I discover that you have anything to do with this, or if you hurt, perhaps even killed my friend, I will personally see to it that you will pay for your actions!" Thor's glistening blue eyes looked threateningly into Loki's, however the God of Lies kept calm.

"Why would I dare even attempt to go near my own enemy's place of living? Let alone cause any destruction. You know I don't have my powers." Loki's eyes narrowed and he pushed the thunder god from him. Thor took in a deep breath and he slowly nodded, admitting that it would be nearly impossible for the powerless god to pull off a stunt such as that while getting away clean.

"True. But that does not make you innocent. I will always have my suspicions." Thor breathed out and he brushed the back of his hair with his fingers. His long gold hair was pulled back at the sides to form a small braid that fell down along with the rest of his hair. He was wearing a black T-Shirt and deep blue jeans. Seeing such simple mortal clothing on a god appalled Loki, even if this god happened to be Thor, the largest oaf he could possibly fathom.

"Is that all you came for? Can you leave now?" Loki asked and he glanced towards the locked basement door. Thor only sighed and he looked around the quite simple house.

"No. I have not been able to visit you in weeks. I wish to know how things are going and how you are progressing." As Thor spoke the words, a muffled and angered yell was heard coming from the distant. Loki's heart dropped as a shade of color drained from his already pale skin. The yell was distant and soft, but could still easily be heard if listening closely enough. Perhaps the thunderer hasn't noticed. But as the Thor's blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Loki highly doubted it.

"Yes of course." The trickster quickly replied and he cleared his throat. "How about we take this conversation outside, I haven't left this house in quite a while and I could really use some fresh air."

"Did... You hear something?" Thor asked and the faint yell was heard again. Loki swallowed and he quickly stood in front of the adoptive brother as he took a step forward. If Thor found out about the captivity of Stark, it would not be taken lightly. And his punishment would only be extended.

"Not particularly." The trickster raised his voice in panic with desperate intentions of draining out the mortal's yells. He would have done a better job at keeping Tony quiet if Thor had not been rushing quite so horribly. "Are you familiar with mortal technology? I've been hearing strange noises coming from some of the underground machinery all day. It could be normal I'm really not sure, perhaps it will go away soon if just given time." The trickster forced a smile as he put a hand on the larger man's shoulder.

"Machinery..? Well I cannot say that I am too familiar with mortal technology." Thor responded and his eyes slowly retuned to his brother's gaze. Loki took in a deep breath of relief to know that his brothers gullible idiocy just might be the key to keeping Stark's capture a secret.

"Then we should forget about it. Come brother, I have much to tell you since your last visit." The mischief god walked for the entrance of his home with his hand still on the thunderer's shoulder. He figured his best shot was to stay on a brotherly side to take Thor's mind away from Tony's shouts. If anything could keep Thor distracted it would be his foolish high hopes of Loki seeing the 'truth' of how wonderful friends and family can be...

...

...

No one's coming. Tony stared dead ahead as he kept in complete silence, waiting for any sign of someone coming to his rescue after hearing his shouts. But instead there was not a single sound heard and Tony's head slumped forward in disappointment. Had he just not been loud enough?

Didn't matter. He'd still get out of here either way. But what Tony couldn't clear from his thoughts, was that the criminal had kissed him. Why would he do that? Of all things. If it was just to mess with his mind then it was working.

Bastard. Tony thought in silence as his gaze fell towards the base of the stairs. There was a distant slamming and the billionaire gave the guess that the noise came from the closing of a door upstairs. Maybe the visitor had left now, possibly along with Loki. Now it seemed all he could do was wait in prolonging silence.