A/N: Mentions of character death and suicide.
"Oh dear."
The voice, echoing through speakers in the wall, seemed like a mockery of the velvet smooth tone he'd come to expect from his lover. His soft yet sharp face now distorted by the reflections against his glass cage and the sarcastic expression of dismay.
Tony was trying very hard not to vomit.
"You actually thought it love, didn't you?" Luke - ... no, Loki - Loki drawled, false surprise and sympathy dripping from his every word.
Clenching his jaw, Tony couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted too. He'd come down here angry, seeking answers. Luke - Loki dammit - had entered his life like a tropical storm, blowing every single one of his defenses down. They'd met at some dull as dirt event, their eyes meeting across the crowded room like some kind of fucking love story. They had talked, flirted and left together. But they didn't go to bed together. They'd walked. Talked. Flirted more. And exchanged numbers.
Eventually, Tony had found himself opening up to him and a way he'd never even imagined he would. He'd thrown caution to the wind, allowing Luke's consuming spirit and freedom to wash over him, and shared every part of himself with the man who had won his heart. He'd needed it after Pepper's dea ... after he lost her. He'd been on the edge of suicide when Luke had shown up.
And it'd all been lies. To get the that fucking Tesseract.
Not only that, but Fury now believed Loki had actually killed Pepper to get close to him. The thought made Tony tremble with too many emotions to name.
"My sweet, pitiful mortal." Loki whispered, refusing to drop the mocking tone, "To think that anyone, much less a being such as myself, could ever, possibly love you." Smiling 'sadly', Loki shook his head, "It's so sad. Pathetic really." With a heavy sigh, Loki bit his lips together.
Tony suspected he was trying to keep from laughing.
'Pepper loved me.'
"We." Tony managed to ground out, "Are going. To beat. You."
This time Loki did laugh, an amused, condescending laugh, "Are you certain of that? You know, you do prattle on a bit when you think somebody cares enough to hear what you have to say. I feel I know everything I need to know about your team, your technology and indeed your world, in order to ensure my success." Taking a step forward, Loki's expression took on a vicious edge, "It almost made laying with you, touching you." There he shivered in disgust while Tony tried to hold back tears, "Worth it."
Loki trailed his eyes up and down Tony's body and fucking sneered, "Almost."
Tony turned away at the reminder, at the memory of laying in bed with the man he loved, spilling everything from his childhood, complaining about the Avengers, explaining - in vivid fucking detail - his newest inventions. He hated it. Hated him. Hated, more than anything, that he just wanted to close his eyes and wake up. Wake up back in Luke's - yes Luke's - arms, telling him of this nightmare.
He hated that Loki's mocking, cruel laugh sounded just as melodic to him as when he'd found the one ticklish spot on the base of Luke's foot.
Hated the ghost of a tingle he felt on his collar bone, the small bruise there once a token of love, now a medal of his own stupidity.
Making himself walk away, Tony fought every instinct in his body that screamed at him to look back. Just one more time.
He hated it.