Toxic

36 | He's Here

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Italics are a flashback!

•••

"He always knew everything." Summer softly explained with a sigh. "I don't know how, but he just... he just did."

With a sympathetic smile, Thor asked, "I understand this may be tough for you, but can you give us some examples?"

She sucked in a deep breath and nodded her head. "The first time he brought me out in public for the first time... it was as a reward for me 'being obedient.' He brought me to a fair. I see now it was just a test of his."

Summer played along, pretending to have a great time, all while fearing for her life, praying for a chance to escape. Praying someone would notice she wasn't safe.

That time never came, so, she took matters into her own hands. She spotted the photo booth when they first arrived and thought she tricked him into using it. After that, she almost let a cried out in relief when Loki allowed her to go to the restroom by herself.

An older lady was thankfully just about to leave before Summer caught her. "Ma'am, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," The woman smiled warmly, her voice had a nice southern twang to it. "What can I help you with?"

She licked her dry lips and asked, "where.... where am I?"

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"I-I don't know where I am.... I don't know what state I'm in, o-or country..." she swallowed hard, knowing she was running out of time. She shakily held up the extra strip of pictures. "Here, please give this to.... someone.... anyone. The police, or if you can somehow get in contact with the Avengers. I need help."

Her eyes widened, "do you want me to call-"

"No! No, please don't call anyone yet.... please, people will get hurt. Just.... just give the picture to someone who can help so they know... I'm alive." With that, she placed the pictures in the woman's hands and took off.

She composed herself on her way back and met Loki back where she said she would. She felt guilty doing what she did. She was slightly unsure why she did it. She was married to him now, committed for life. At least, that's what the potion told her.

Loki opened his arms and she happily stepped into the embrace. With his arms securely around her waist, he lowered his head to say lowly in her ear, "I know what you did."

And then, she did the stupidest thing of all...

She screamed for help.

She'd never forget the utter fear that gripped her heart after that. To this day, she doesn't know how he knew what she did.

Immediately, he whisked her away to leave before anyone could find her. It was only a matter of minutes before she heard people chanting in glee of the Avengers' arrival, clueless as to why they showed up to the tiny town fair. She swore she even saw Spider-Man swing by.

She wondered why Loki would bring her so close to where the Avengers resided. Maybe he enjoyed toying with them, proving to them that he couldn't be stopped.

"You keep your head down and don't say a word to anyone. Understand?" He threatened through a tight smile.

Wide eyed, Summer nodded, her gaze glued to the ground.

With an ironlike grip on the back of her neck, he guided her out of the fairgrounds and to the vehicle they arrived in.

He didn't feed her for three days. He kept a window by her closet open, so at night, her weakened body would freeze. She got terribly sick, so bad, she thought this was the end for her. However, Loki somehow knew her limits. Once she accepted she'd die, forgotten in that closet, he'd come to her "rescue."

But this time, things were different. This time, a guard came for her, telling her Loki had been injured.

Looking back on it, she wasn't sure he was injured at all. It was all an act- a facade.

"He knows everything about me." She finished the story with tears in her eyes. "Everything."

•••

"Can't sleep?"

Thor turned to find the source of the voice, before replying, "no, Landon. I can't."

Landon sighed as he took a seat next his adoptive father. "Me either... It's crazy. You'd think we'd have some type of peace with all the surveillance she's under. I don't think it matters if we had all the guards in the world outside her door, I'm constantly terrified of losing her again."

"Me too." He softly responded. "I fear there's no amount of force that can stop Loki. He's far more powerful than we ever imagined he'd be."

Landon nodded with a frown. "Y'know, I...." he cut himself off with a sigh, struggling to piece the right words together. "I hate that I look just like him. I look in the mirror and I see him. I see the monster that ruined our lives."

There was heavy silence for a moment, before Thor tried to lighten the mood. "At least Loki wasn't a bad looking man, right?"

The poorly timed joke took Landon back, but maybe Thor just didn't want to dwell on his brother for too long. "Right," he quietly laughed.

Seconds later, Thor was on his feet. "I'm going to go check on Summer. Make sure she's sleeping okay."

"M'kay. Night, dad."

Thor turned and gazed at him, thoughtfully. "Goodnight, son."

Landon sat by himself in the living room for not even five minutes, before Thor returned. "Was she sleeping?"

Thor quirked a brow and hummed in question. "Who?"

"Mom. Didn't you say you were going to check on her?"

Thor slowed his steps, staring at him, questionably. "I've been going over some ideas with Bucky for the past hour or so. I can go check on her now-"

"No..." Landon drawled, slowly connecting all the dots. "you were just here with me five minutes ago." He responded, frantically, darting up from the couch.

Thor's eyes widened and his heart sunk to his stomach. "He's here."

Summer's scream could be heard all the way from her bedroom.

•••

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