Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 3

It's been a day and a half since Thor dropped Loki on Midgard and left him here, and he's spent his time alternating between pacing around his room and lying in bed. It's incredibly boring, but at least Tony and Natasha have mostly left him alone. It's humiliating enough having to live with them. He doesn't want to talk to them if he doesn't have to.

He really can't believe he's sunk this low. He was fine with going to prison on Asgard. He still felt like he was in control — if not of his situation, then of himself. But living with two of the Avengers, physically incapable of leaving the tower? It's just embarrassing. It was bad enough that a group of mortals managed to defeat him. The idea of facing then every time he walks out that door... he would rather not.

But after a day and a half of doing absolutely nothing, he decides that he needs to get out of this room. It's late enough at night that he'd like to think he can do so without getting caught, and he's desperate enough that he's willing to take that risk.

He slowly opens the door, grimacing when it creaks, but he's well-removed from just about everything so he doesn't worry too much about it. He heads down the hallway, as quietly as he can. His eyes scan the rooms as he passes them, but none of them look to be what he's searching for.

"Alright, what are you doing?"

Loki turns around to see Tony heading his way, and he bites back a groan. He'd really hoped he could do this without getting caught. And, judging by how tired Tony looks, he probably wishes the same thing.

"Looking for a glass of water," Loki says simply. "And maybe something to eat."

Tony pauses, almost like he's going to tell Loki no, but then he nods once and gestures for him to follow. In all honesty, Loki would rather have spent the next hour looking around by himself than accept the help of an Avenger, but it would be weird to throw a fit and refuse, so he reluctantly follows Tony through the building, taking note of any places of interest they pass.

Finally, they reach the kitchen, and Loki awkwardly stands in the doorway while Tony finds him something to drink. He opens up the fridge and stares at it for a few seconds, then pulls out a bottle of water. He tosses it at Loki without looking, and he has to bend down to catch it before it hits the floor. It wouldn't be so annoying except that he knows Tony can throw, so he chose to throw it like that.

Next, Tony heads to the closet. After a few moments, he pulls out a red box, which he also tosses at Loki. With the water bottle in one hand, catching the box in the other is difficult, but he manages. He holds it up in front of him and reads the name. Cheez-It.

Loki furrows his brows and looks over at Tony. "What is this?"

"Food," Tony says, kicking the closet door shut.

Loki gives a sarcastic chuckle. "This is not food."

"'Course it is," Tony says. He walks over and takes the box from him, opening it up to show him the bag inside. "See? Food."

"That is not food," Loki repeats. Anyone with half a brain could tell that this is not food.

"No, look at this." Tony opens the big, tossing the chip clip on the counter. He pulls out a little orange square, shows it to Loki, and tosses it in his mouth. "Mm, delicious."

Loki looks down at the bag in hesitant dismay. Is it actually food, or is Tony just messing with him? He didn't seem at all bothered by eating one, but still, this just... doesn't look like food. It doesn't look like any food they have on Asgard, at least.

Finally, he reaches into the bag and picks one up. He holds it in front of his face, studying it. It's so dry. He can't imagine it being food. Is he really supposed to eat this?

"God, it's like living with an alien," Tony mutters under his breath (which makes sense because he really is living with an alien). "Try it. Go ahead."

Loki hesitates, but he does eventually put the Cheese-It in his mouth. He scrunches his face in disgust, but he forces himself to finish chewing it before he says, "That really cannot be food."

For the briefest moment, Tony looks amused by that, but his annoyed persona takes over almost immediately. "Well, that's all you're getting, so you better learn to like it."

Loki shakes his head to himself. It's not worth arguing. He takes his water bottle and his box of Cheese-Its back to his room. He makes sure the door is locked before he sits down in his bed and pulls the cap off of his water bottle. (Looking at it now, he gets the feeling he was actually supposed to twist it off, not pull it). He puts it to his lips and starts drinking... and drinking... and drinking... until there's nothing left, and then he tosses it aside.

He turns his attention to the box of Cheez-Its sitting next to him. They taste so bad. It's not even just the taste; it's the texture he can't stand. If he'd thought the Asgardian prison food was bad, he should have seen these. But after a day and a half of not eating anything, he's getting desperate. He takes out another Cheez-It and puts it in his mouth...

Then puts the rest of the box on the floor. He's not eating this garbage. He'd rather starve to death.