ROBIN ARRIVED AT THE AVENGERS compound near the end of the day. As soon as he dismounted from the horse, she dashed back the way they came.
Inside the building, the Avengers were all seeing the screen, thinking it's a recording. Robin was dead, wasn't he? This had to be from when he first decided to stay with them on his own free will, right? Tony was quick to see if he could delete the footage, to save them some of the pain, but frowned.
"What is it?" Steve inquired, noticing the hesitation Stark was showing. It had been three days since Robin had been dead now. It still hurt, but they had to focus on the important thing - saving the world.
"This is live footage," Tony replied with hesitance. He was still staring at the screen.
"There's no way..." Clint said breathlessly.
"Let him in, dumbass!" Natasha said, slapping Tony's arm.
Robin was in terrible shape. He looked like he had been to Hell and back. Of course, he actually had been to what people call Hell, and he came out in better shape than this. He just couldn't catch a break.
As soon as he got inside, he engulfed Pietro in a hug. The boy was taken by surprised, but eventually hugged back.
Bruce pulled them apart to do a check up and make sure there was no permanent damage. Luckily there was nothing too bad, but his arm was broken, as were a few ribs, and he would definitely have some scars.
Bruce forced everyone to wait until the next day to question him, saying he needed to rest. The others reluctantly agreed.
They only saw him again the next day around lunch, when he snuck out of the med bay despite Banner's warnings to stay laying down. He sat down at the table, not looking up. He was still tired - exhausted, really - but every time he closed his eyes, he could see Asteroid's face, clear as day.
"What happened to you, Robin?" Sam asked softly.
"Got kidnapped," Robin simply said with a shrug, finally taking his eyes off the table.
"Hold on, you died!" Pietro exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, it didn't stick." He had no doubt in his mind that Asteroid simply told them he had died. The man hadn't even bothered check for his body, like an amateur. If you're going to kill someone, at least do it right. The guy was an idiot. He basically let him escape.
"You were gone for a month," Natasha stated, emphasizing the last word.
Robin shrugged as if that wasn't a painfully long time. He didn't really feel like explaining what he had gone through. The Avengers hardly trusted him, really. It made him wonder why he even returned to the compound. He could've gone to camp.
His wounds were still fresh. Bruises from the chains that had held his wrists were ever present. He looked better now, having cleaned up properly. That didn't mean he looked like he did before. Bandages were wrapped around different parts of his body. His right arm was in a sling. A fresh scar cross over his nose, almost directly following his eyes. He had dark bags under his eyes, despite having slept more than ever before.
"What happened to you, really?" Loki demanded, jumping into the conversation.
Tony glared at him in turn. "Shut up!"
Robin didn't mind the way the god spoke to him. It made him feel normal. The others had been treating him like an injured animal, something to be handled with caution. He lazily glanced over to the raven-haired man, who was standing with his arms crossed beside Thor, who probably insisted.
"I tricked Thanatos, that's what happened," Robin answered the question he was asked.
Loki narrowed his eyes. There was something about this kid that seemed off, but he couldn't figure out what.
"Tha-what?" Steve questioned from the other side of the table.
Robin sent him a sarcastic smile. "Death, Boy Scout."
"You escaped death, but turn out exactly the same?" Tony asked skeptically.
Robin sighed. He offered no comment. Mortals would never understand, would they? Were their minds really that fragile? He had been in near-death scenarios countless times. Granted, this was one of his worse experiences, but he had to keep himself sane somehow. He had to hold onto a piece of himself.
"What's the plan?" He asked instead of answering.
"What plan?" Clint inquired. "The plan to defeat Asteroid?"
"No, the plan to kill Captain America," Robin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Yes the plan to defeat Asteroid!"
"Oh, no, you should be healing," Bruce protested.
"Let the boy have his fun," Loki spoke up, earning himself a punch from his brother.
"Yeah, listen to the British guy!" Robin said, pointing to the now scowling god of mischief.
"I agree with Doctor Banner on this. You should rest, Robin," Wanda said, an almost sad look on her face as she looked at her friend.
Most of the other Avengers also agreed with Bruce, much to Robin's dismay. Sure, they had his best interest in mind, but you can't even tell him the plan? That's just stupid.
"I can heal faster than the rest of you!" The demigod protested, but despite that, they refused to tell him anything.
After eating some food, Robin left bad to his room. After the weeks he spent trapped, getting tortured by Asteroid and his Jendaks, he had learnt a lot. He had to write it all down. Just as he turned down the hall, he was pushed against the wall. It did nothing for the healing process, but the person who pushed him probably didn't care.
With his left hand, he reached for the charm on his necklace, but it was held away. Robin glared up at the man, who just glared back.
"You're a demigod," Loki stated, as if wanting the boy to admit it.
Robin glared harder. "What does it matter?" He demanded.
Loki glanced both ways then pulled the boy into the nearest room, which happened to be a storage closet. It lacked space, despite the size of the building as a whole. The room was dark, and there was only a single lightbulb, but it wasn't very bright.
"That's it, is it not? You're a demigod. It explains everything you can do," The god of mischief said.
"Why does this matter to you, Mischief Managed?" Robin questioned, squirming uncomfortably in the man's grip.
"They don't know, do they?" Loki asked, ignoring the boy's question outright.
"Of course not! Why does this matter?" He asked again.
The god frowned. "They are far more foolish than I thought. You haven't been doing a good job of hiding it, in any way."
"Gee, thanks, mister," Robin said sarcastically.
Loki rolled his eyes. "You must do better at hiding it if you want to keep it a secret," He instructed.
The son of Zeus furrowed his eyebrows. "Why try to help me?" He asked
Loki shrugged. "I figured I would do a nice thing. I have heard all about this Asteroid, and I do not want him to destroy your planet, no matter how annoying you all are," He explained. "I assume your Avengers wouldn't take to kindly to you keeping this from them."
Robin looked down. "Yeah, probably not. I hope once we beat this guy you won't try to take over Earth again."
Loki simply rolled his eyes and left.
YOU ARE READING
LIGHTNING ✔P.M. ₁
Fanfiction"Well this is awkward." The boy joked as their weapons were trained on his figure. "Who are you and how'd you get in here?" The assassin questioned, her gun lingering on him. She pulled him to his feet with her free hand. Before he could answer, tho...
