I woke up late to my head spinning and an aching shoulder. I winced when I attempted to sit up, feeling pain shoot down my arm. I may heal faster than most humans (as I Steve told me whilst I was sparring with hum), but it still took time and hurt like any other wound. I looked down to my wrists and legs, noticing that I was strapped to the bed. I let my self lay back fully. I didn't want to call for anyone, but at the same time I didn't want to stay strapped to the bed. So, using some of my strength, I made a glass fall off the dresser next to me and shatter on the floor. Almost instantly, someone came into the room, so I loosened my hold on that section of reality, causing the glass to come back together onto the surface.
        "Stubborn." Steve murmured whilst smirking, unhooking me from the bed. I sat up, wincing a small bit, then rubbing my wrists where the straps had been digging into them.
        "Thank you, Steve." I mumbled, standing up. We both stood there in silence before I worked up the courage to speak.
        "Did I-"
        "Not badly." Steve inturrupted, turning to look at me. I couldn't meet his gaze. "Tony's a bit dinged up, but I'm sure he'll pull through. You did do a bit of damage to Loki, tho-"
        "Loki!?" I stopped, clearing my throat before continuing to speak. "How... how bad?" I questioned, finally looking Steve in the eye. He seemed a bit surprised, maybe even a bit worried or scared, but he shook it off.
        "Well, he's fine. He's currently laying down in his glass cage. I don't think he can stand." Steve answered, looking at me expectantly. I was, of course, rather worried about Tony. He was like a brother to me, a best friend, a shoulder to cry one, but... Loki. Loki had been the only one I told my real problems to, the one I trusted most... mainly because he couldn't tell anyone what I told him and I couldn't see his reactions. So, to now have the one person I fully confided in, the person that would respond to me, even if he didn't like me, in a cage... it just didn't feel right. Of course, I couldn't convey this to Steve as he would think I might be a threat, so I decided to let him be and go search for Thor to ask him the location of Loki's prison after I talked with Tony.
        "Well... I'm going to go find Tony. It was a pleasure talking with you!" I spoke quickly, making sure that Steve couldn't ask me any questions. I ran down the halls, sliding past all the doors until I made it to Tony's. I paused. I slowly opened the door to see Tony dressing his wounds, black ooze everywhere. I let out a pained gasp, accidentally making myself known.
        "(Y/n)!" Tony exclaimed, putting everything down and trying to look as comfortable as possible, but I could tell that he was in pain.
        "I... I did this..." I whispered to myself, trying to slip away. Tony rushed at me, grasping my wrist tight, pulling me into the room and closing the door behind me. Now that he was this close, I realised just how badly he was hurt. He had bruises and wounds down his arms, as well as a particularly bad looking scratch that went through his eyebrow and past his eye. There was going to be a scar there for sure.
        "(Y/n), listen to me; this wasn't you. You have to know that. This isn't you and it will never be you." He brushed a stray hair from my face and looked into me (e/c) eyes.
        "But... but it is. This is a part of me! So-" Tony pulled me into a tight embrace.
        "So this isn't you. The sooner you realise that, the better." He mumbled as he stroked my hair. He really was like the brother I never had.
        We hung out for a little while more before I remembered Loki. I rushed to Thor, asking him where Loki was. He told me that there was an elevator door that led down to Loki's residence, saying that there wasn't anyone in there. I ran as quickly as I could, making sure that no one saw me. There was an elevator that I took down to a a small room. There was a voice activated system.
        "(Y/n)." I said into the machine, it flashed red, let out one, quick beep, then went back to it's original state. I tried my name a couple more times before realising what Tony had done. I sighed heavily.
        "Shirley Temple." I half-grumbled half-laughed. An automated voice came on then.
         'Access Granted.' Was all that was heard theb in the small room before the doors opened, revealing a large, glass cage with someone inside.
        "Loki-!" I nearly shouted before covering my mouth and stepping back slightly. He didn't move. I walked a little closer to see black ooze splattered on the floor in random places, some smeared against the walls. Chills ran up and down my spine as breaths lurched from my throat as I tried not to vomit. I stumbled over to the cage, putting my hands over my head and looking down at the ground as sweat and tears poured from my face.
       "Loki, I'm... I'm so s-sorry!" I heaved with a cracking voice. Heavy sobs shook my body as a tearful scream erupted from the bowels of my stomach. There, I crumbled to the floor against the cage as the feeling of shame and guilt wrapped their ugly fingers around my throat, making it difficult to breath. I never wanted this. This curse, this... this monster... but I have it, and I cannot part with it. My eyes were shut tight, but I still noticed the feeling of something in front of me. Was he moving? Had he moved?
        "I'm so sorry..." I rasped, barely able to speak anymore.
        "Now that's just pathetic." A muffled voice came forth, breaking through my thoughts, slicing through my very being.
        "Apologizing? Come on now." I looked up to see him sitting there, blood and black ooze dripping from his face and stomach. I gasped again, letting out another gut-wrenching sob.
        "Please f-orgive m-me! I-I didn't... I didn't w-want this, oh god! Please!" I looked down again, clenching my fists tight as my stomach began to hurt.
        "Wow, you're really shaken up about this, aren't you?" He chuckled. I looked up at his relaxed, mischievous expression. Though I could still see pain twinkling in his eyes, a weak smile managed to find it's way to my lips.
        "What's with that mischievous look on your face?" I laughed as I wiped at my tears, my voice still cracked from crying.
       "I don't know. What's with that sad look on yours?" He shuffled a little bit which caused him to wince, but at least he could sit comfortably now.
      "I just... I feel terrible. I didn't want to hurt you, and... look what I did." I looked at my hands in shame, realising that Tony probably showed up just in time to distract me from what I was about to do to Loki... I don't even want to think about what that could have been. What could have happened.
        "What, this?" Loki gestured to himself, "This is nothing. You think a puny... semi-human could kill me?" He laughed to himself which, I must admit, caused me to laugh a bit, too.
        "No. I guess not." I replied. He seemed a bit surprised that I had agreed with him, but he let it go almost immediately.
        "So... who are you, anyway?"