A perfectly good operation to capture an alien invader had descended into a street-circus act, noisy and ridiculous, with no trace of a serious battle left.
Steve watched Loki, seething with frustration and rage as Rimuru rode on his head and toyed with him, then listened to Tony egging them on and cracking jokes. At last, he couldn't stand it anymore.
He stepped forward helplessly and spoke up.
"Rimuru, stop fooling around. We have more important things to do."
With that, Steve raised his hands and stepped in, expertly locking Loki's arms with a precise grappling hold. He pinned him firmly to the ground, leaving him no room to struggle.
Completely restrained, Loki knew that struggling would only bring him more humiliation and accomplish nothing. He gave up all resistance and lay still, his face cold.
As he calmed his mind and his divine power subsided, the Asgardian light swirling around him slowly faded. His distinctive helmet and magnificent Asgardian armor turned insubstantial layer by layer, then quietly vanished without a trace.
With the illusory armor gone, Rimuru abruptly lost his grip and support, leaving him no choice but to hop down from Loki's shoulders.
He lightly rubbed his fingertips together, still savoring the feel of the horns on Loki's helmet, and silently reflected.
You know, that helmet made in Asgard was hard and smooth, with exquisite patterns. It really did feel pretty good.
Tony put away his flying armor and walked over, wearing the teasing grin of someone enjoying the spectacle. He came over specifically to rib Rimuru.
"So, how was it, our valiant matador? How did it feel to tame a wild horse? Did you enjoy yourself?"
The two of them openly discussed what it had felt like to ride on Loki's head and toy with him, as