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"Look, I'm not saying we don't hold the muzzle in reserve, but we need to talk to him," Tony said, glancing around to look at the other Avengers. "And Bruce has a plan."
Loki sat on the bunk in his cell, watching them all with open curiosity, obviously amused by their bickering. Thor was studying him warily in turn, the muzzle held loosely in one hand. "His words will poison you," Thor said. "He is my brother and I love him, but he cannot be trusted. It is for the safety of all of you that I suggest we do not let him speak."
"You don't want to hear my side of the story?" Loki asked, voice silken and almost laughing. He leaned forward, eyes open and earnest. "It's quite the thrilling tale."
Bruce stepped forward, holding a syringe. "Thor, please, trust us," he said. "We're going to need you to hold him down."
Loki tensed, getting to his feet and backing away. "What is that?" he demanded. Thor stepped forward and Loki had nowhere to run as Thor trapped him back against him, and Bruce deftly emptied his syringe into Loki's veins.
Thor let him go as Bruce stepped out of his range, and Loki pushed himself dizzily to the wall, before spinning to glare at them all. "What have you done to me?" he demanded.
"It's a truth serum," Bruce said. "Perfected by SHIELD over time and very top secret. Our preliminarily tests indicate it will also be quite effective on you."
"Don't worry, we'll start easy," Clint said. "What's your name?"
"That's not as easy as you might think," Loki said, grinning widely. "It's simply Loki, really." Loki frowned, turning and clutching one hand to his throat. "Loki Odinson," he said grudgingly, before turning to glare at Thor, daring him to comment.
Thor watched in disbelief. "This truly works?" he asked Bruce. "He cannot lie?"
"It's been fully tested," Bruce said. "But your brother does have a very unique biology, so—"
"So no promises," Tony said. "But that's what we have the test questions for. Hey, Loki, you want to sleep with me, right? Cause I was totally getting that vibe."
Loki stared him down in distaste. "Absolutely not," he said.
Tony turned to Bruce. "Okay, it's obviously not working," he said.
"Shut up, Tony," Clint snapped. "Thor? You want to give it a shot?"
Thor looked stunned that he might finally get some truth from his brother, but he stepped forward. "Loki, I—please, just tell me, do you truly hate me so much?"
Loki pressed his mouth shut, leaning his head against the wall and letting out a small cry before slamming a fist into the glass. He couldn't avoid answering this question though, so he pressed his eyes shut and spoke without looking at him. "No," he said.
Thor inhaled sharply. "He has not admitted to such since our disagreement, and Loki never answers with only one word, he is too well-spoken. Truly, he must have been forced to respond."
"Stop this, Thor," Loki said urgently, spinning around. "Don't let them do this to me. Don't let them take this too."
"Brother, it is for your own good," Thor promised. "If we can find out the truth—then maybe…maybe I can finally help you."
"I think we need more test questions," Tony insisted. "So Loki. That kinky helmet? Ever use it during sex?"
Loki's eyes slid in his direction. "More than once, and for more than one purpose," he said, before his eyes narrowed into a glare and he flexed his hands, straining his magic in frustration.
Thor tightened his grip on his hammer and Steve blushed bright red.
"You will cease this line of questioning," Thor snapped.
"Woah, okay, fine, big guy," Tony said, holding up his hands.
"I think it's safe to say it's working," Bruce said. "Maybe we should start with the real questions?"
"Who are you working for?" Clint asked.
"You mean, who was controlling me?" Loki asked snidely. "I was hardly here of my own free will."
"Wait, what—?" Clint broke off, going pale. "What did you say?"
"I was under their control. The Chitauri," Loki said easily. "It's hardly how I would have taken over the world if I was the one calling the shots."
"You mean you were being controlled just like me?" Clint asked again.
"Yes," Loki repeated. "This serum apparently makes me tell the truth, it doesn’t make me stupid. I understood the question. Did you?"
"Brother, why would you not tell us this before?" Thor demanded, giving him a rough shake.
"You would not have believed me," Loki snapped, pulling away. "I thought my chances were better if I played along, and surrendered gracefully."
"Is their control gone?" Thor asked urgently. "Are you yourself?"
"I am the self I was when last we were together on Asgard, though if you would recall it was hardly our shining moment," Loki said, and then frowned, seemingly angry at himself for giving so much away.
"Please, tell me truly," Thor asked quietly. "Do you still care for me? Do you wish to come home?"
"Yes," Loki said. "And no."
Thor looked caught between elated and devastated. "You could still come home," he said softly.
"The question was do I wish to, and cursed to tell the truth as I am," Loki spat, "my answer remains no."
"Well, maybe, uh, maybe he could stay here? You could both work together here?" Steve ventured quietly. "We'll have to talk to Fury, of course, but if Loki was being mind-controlled—I mean, we're not holding Clint or Selvig responsible for anything they did. We can hardly hold Loki responsible."
Bruce nodded his agreement. "I think we definitely need to reevaluate everything now," he said.
"You'll have to stay locked up," Clint said, but seemed a little reluctant now, almost guilty in the way he avoided Loki's eyes.
"Of course," Loki said. "I understand."
"I will stay here with you," Thor said.
"Brother, I would rather you were there to petition my case," Loki said.
Thor lit up, gripping one of Loki's arms with a tight squeeze. "You called me brother."
Loki frowned to himself, glancing away. "I guess I did," he admitted.
The Avengers filed out of the cell, talking amongst themselves, planning out how to present their findings to their commander. Loki waited until Thor had rounded the corner with one last longing back, and then lowered his head to hide his slow grin.
They should have listened to Thor, because they were lost the moment they let him speak. Really, these mortals were too hilarious—using a truth serum, on him.
Still, it served a purpose. It made it so much easier to be believed.