Chapter one) A not so warm welcome.
There were certain things simply not done, if Tony Stark had anything to say about it. One of these things were leather briefcases, another were pants that were cut off too short at the bottoms and last but not least; welcoming a would-be destroyer of New York back into the Tower said destroyer had nearly destroyed. But, there were some things that even Tony Stark couldn't change.
"You found him where?" Tony asked once again, as Steve Rogers was hauling the unconscious body of the God over his door step. "No, no, nevermind, I don't want to hear the whole story again. Just lay him down somewhere. Out of my sight, preferably."
"He is hostile," said Steve, while Tony conveniently stepped towards the counter to get himself a drink that he truly did deserve this time.
"Really, hadn't noticed," Tony replied sarcastically, while Steve was still trying his best to get Loki up onto the couch. "For a... puny God he weighs quite a bit, it seems. Or are you feeling a little... off, Rogers?" he said, the question not actually being a question at all. "Just leave him there," he added, watching Loki fall back down to the area between the couch and the coffee table. Now on to the matter of Loki actually waking up; "If he breaks anything, he'll pay for it. No, he'll have to magic it all back. Do you think he can clean with that stick of destiny of his? Oh wait, he doesn't have it anymore, of course." The string of thought was out, before he finally got his attention on the glass and the bottle and poured himself the drink.
"I'm flattered you think me capable of knocking him unconscious while he was able to use all his magic, but do you really think a God would stay unconscious for a three block walk and an elevator ride?"
Tony shrugged, quite willing to believe Steve was capable of such a deed. He had a few sips of his drink as he stepped towards Loki, who was in a seemingly uncomfortable position, lying face down on the carpet. Even without being able to cast a proper look at his face Tony was able to make a few clear distinctions between the God he'd met before and the one that was lying, dangerously out of it, on his floor. "He's a little pale, isn't he?" he asked. Again not an actual question. He realized he did that a lot.
"So, what will we do with him?" Steve asked, setting them on the track of 'important issues that needed attending'. All he received for a while was a shrug, as Tony continued to observe the body on his floor and take a few sips of his drink.
"I suppose we could bury him alive."
In the end the decision fell that it would be best to have Steve out of the Tower before the God would wake up and do another attempt at outing his anger on the captain, this time for knocking him out. Instead, Tony was seated on one of the chairs, waiting for the God to stir into consciousness, while he patiently continued to sip his drink.
After a few minutes he wondered whether perhaps the God had fallen asleep, or was dead after all, which another few minutes later was proven not the case as Loki's arm suddenly moved, twitched somewhat as if he did not have full control of it. He let out a groan, a low, hoarse one and then tried to push himself up.
"There we go," Tony said, watching the God tense his shoulders and release the tension again in an attempt to loosen his muscles. A moment later Loki's attention had snapped wide awake and he had turned to face Tony. He also slid halfway back down to the ground as at least one of his legs and one of his arms was fast asleep, Tony presumed this was the reason for his drunk behaviour anyway.
"What - ?" Loki began, eyes looked around the room for a moment, before coming to rest on Tony's again.
"Surprise. Yeah, it's as bad as you think," Tony replied, smiling a second, before shooting him a serious look again, that might also be perceived as a bored one. He liked to show Loki just how little effect the God's presence had on him.
Loki gathered himself up from the ground after a few attempts of trying to push himself up on a still sleeping arm, causing Stark only more amusement. "You could have asked for a hand, I would have given you one," he looked down at his hand as Loki pulled himself up by grasping hold of the couch, a slightly vicious look on his face. "Ah, maybe not." Tony lowered his hand again and took a sip of his drink. After all, if he had expected Loki to comply to his offer, he wouldn't have offered. He didn't like giving people hands. Not in the literal way.
"What am I doing here?" Loki asked, as if he found himself in the foulest pit of torment. The look of anger in his eyes as he pushed himself in some kind of standing position remained, hand searching for the armrest. He must be dizzy.
"Oh, well, Steve, the Captain, found you somewhere and knocked you out when you started wincing. He was just a few blocks away from my Tower and figured - wrongly - he might as well drop you off here," Tony said. This was as much of Steve's story he'd picked up on, as he hadn't been too interested in the rest. He motioned towards the couch Loki was standing beside. "Sit or something, really, you must be dizzy," Tony said, his expression remaining neutral from the insulting words he's spoken in the God's direction.
With a soft grumble, the God looked around the room and decided to indeed take a seat. "So where's your..." Tony moved his hand around the area above his own head, indicating the horns that Loki wore last time he'd not-so-casually visited Earth. Loki rolled his eyes dismissively, which took over the slightly crazed look he'd had before. Tony let out a soft chuckle. "How long are you visiting for? Or is it no visit?"
Loki grumbled softly and looked the other way, which reminded him of when he'd mentioned Thor just before he was thrown out of the window by the evil God. He laughed again as Loki did no attempt to actually do something similar. "What was that?" Tony asked, only to annoy the God a little more. He got no answer though, yet. "So what happened to you when you got back home? Did the muzzle stay on for long?" he asked, moving his hand over his mouth to put emphasis on the muzzle.
Loki just looked at him, eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to pain him, threaten him, but what with? Thor wouldn't have sent him to Earth with powers and he would have followed him, were Loki to escape. It looked like the God had been down here on Earth for quite a while, seeing the craze in his eyes, the slightly frantic hairdo and the paler-than-normal skin. Thor would have found him by now if Loki wasn't supposed to be here.
He got up and set his glass down on the coffee table, walking round to the back of the couch, where Loki could only see him vaguely on his reflection in the glass. "What are you here for? Are you thinking of new little plans you can create to make Earth's population ehm... how did you put it? 'Kneel'?" Tony laughed softly. "You do know that here people don't kneel for anyone," Stark said, "...well, except if they're proposing marriage, but I don't think that's what you're expecting," Tony added sarcastically.
"I don't need your advice," the God sneered and something about the way he did that gave away exactly how lost he was. Much of Loki's former self-control seemed lost behind those piercing eyes. Eyes that Tony remembered to be blue - he frowned, though decided that it was of little importance. It wasn't like it had been his biggest concern back then, but something told him he would've remembered their colour should he have seen it before.
"You never answered my questions, though," Tony said, somewhat disappointed, though it was all played. "I bet you got quite the reality check back in - " he motioned skywards " - that Asgard planet thing."
"It is not of your concern," Loki replied, coldness laying thick on his words. It caused Tony to sigh in annoyance. If only the God could show some friendliness they might be able to get through this conversation relatively unharmed.
"No, but I like the gossip." If looks could kill... Tony would've suffered heavily, twice. "So, was it as bad as the old folklore? With the snakes and the chains and the crucifixes - though, those are reserved for Christianity I assume."
Loki gave him another murderous look. "Asgard is different than your Midgardian fiction portrays the world of Gods," Loki spoke mockingly.
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Tony said, a chuckle leaving him. "It must hurt to realise that you were overpowered by some 'fiction'," Tony said, already taking a step back from Loki, knowing he would take that to heart. "Okay, maybe that went a little bit far, sorr- it is true though."
Loki's eyes narrowed and he stepped around the couch, moving towards Tony. "Do you like my new interior, by the way? Changed it a bit, made it more... ehm, me," Tony said, trying to distract the God from what he'd just said, but also not being able to avoid from mocking Loki in this way. Loki had left and everything had gone back to normal. New York was as good as rebuilt and his building was as good as new. And guess what? Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Thor - despite his absence - where worshiped only more, for saving their beautiful city.
"I don't care for your petty 'apartment' and your pretty little pieces of furniture," Loki sneered. Tony chuckled, enjoying the anger he brought the other as he knew that Loki could do him no harm, not without his magic, and definitely not in the weak body he owned now.
"Then what do you care for?" Tony asked, moving behind the bar to pour himself another drink.
"Ruling Earth," Loki said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I am a God, everyone will worship me," Loki said, a crazed grin on his face. "I will get everyone to kneel for me, I will be the leader they desired. Even you will kneel, eventually."
"Yeah, or not," Tony said softly, sipping his drink. "So if you want to rule the human race," Tony started, moving out from behind the bar, standing before the God and spreading his arms invitingly, "show me how you're going to do it. Show me how a God can convince me to worship him."
He could see in the God's eyes the many thoughts that crossed Loki's mind. After a moment the God merely sniggered, quite insultingly so. "You merely intent to mock me, but I will not bow down to childish behaviour," he said. "I assure you, I will rise to power once more. After all; I've lived more days than you have taken breaths. I have time. And - more importantly - " he inched closer and Tony felt his guards raise, though did not back away. Hey, backing away was not on his list of traits! "Most importantly;" the God's voice had lowered, as their closer proximity allowed for Tony to hear him perfectly should he whisper. "I want it."
"Ah, yes, well," Tony quickly replied, turning away from Loki to step back to the counter, having a few sips of his drink. This wasn't backing away, this was casually using the large space of your apartment to get as far away from your enemy as you could, because... you wanted to. "You wanted to last time, but you failed."
"I didn't fail!" Loki replied and the word came off his lips like a mother would speak of the murderer of her only child. "Failure comes with giving up and I, most certainly, did not."
"Well, excuse me for overlooking that tat bit of information," Tony said, continuing to sip his drink quite casually.
"You will regret every foul word you have spoken to me," Loki said, his eyes narrowed. "You will be the first to be punished for what you've-"
"Punished?" Tony interrupted Loki disrespectfully. "You never mentioned punishment in your little world-ruling scheme. So, who will it be? The negros, homosexuals, handicapped and Jews? Or will you go for every religious man and woman?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows. "We already had a man like that ruling Earth, Loki, we don't need another. We don't need a leader,and if you're not convinced, talk to Steve."
Loki shook his eyes at Tony in disbelief. "You don't get it, do you? You don't understand your own race and don't tell me that I'm wrong, I've known the human race longer than you have," Loki sneered.
"You're forgetting one important thing there," Tony said, stepping down from the kitchen, glass in hand, one finger pointing at Loki, "I am the human race," Tony said. "I am a human. I know what it's like to be a human. Loki, youare the one not understanding things."
"The human race works the best when under the power of a higher authorities," Loki said.
"The human race is a beautiful one that develops because they have emotions and emotional connections. You can not treat a person as a 'thing' and therefore you can't rule them as 'things' in boxes. People make art and compose music, they write books and poetry and they have done forever. Why would you remove what makes the human race, the human race?"
"It is you with your delusions and assumptions once more," Loki said, almost more to himself than Tony, which was exactly why he meant the words for Tony. The God seemed to like playing these kind of games, which was fine with Tony, who rather enjoyed them too. "This is the only race of humanity you know, but it is not the only one it can be. It could be free of freedom! Free of all the things that cause you petty problems and dreams of unreachable goals, that will only crush your pride in the end!"
"Last time I checked it was the human race that reached their goal of crushing you andyour army," Tony replied matter-of-factly. Ah, they could keep at this all night, but frankly that was not what Tony was planning to do. "So, you planning to stay?"
Loki rolled his eyes at the change of subject. "Stay where? Here?" he asked, looking Tony over in a disgusted manner. "With you?" Tony let out a chuckle as he acted in such a way.
"Yes, with me. Who else?" Tony said, drinking the whole content of his glass. Loki couldn't answer the question he asked, of course. "I've got a spare bedroom down the hall from mine you can stay in, if you don't make a mess, because, I don't like mess," Tony said, clearing that out. "I've got cereal and other 'Midgardian' foods in the kitchen here you can eat. Make yourself at home or-" Tony chuckled softly, "whatever you call it up there." As Tony didn't feel in the slightest intimidated he managed to find it in him to see Loki for not only the monster he was, but as the person Tony simply needed to deal with for the time being, until a better solution came along.
Loki grumbled at the kindness of Tony's words. He didn't want to stay here, it was obvious, but where else was he going to go? Back to the streets? "I've got quite a few books around you should read. You may learn from it," Tony said, pouring himself another drink. "Drink?"
"You underestimate me. Just like everyone else," Loki said, looking up at Tony. He spoke these words with little emotion to be read in his eyes and it made it difficult for Tony to know where he would take this subject. "You think that I am worthless. You put me below yourself while I possess a knowledge you could never even imagine. I'll read your books, but possible not come across a thing I didn't know. I want power and I will get it like I once had," Loki said, looking Tony over, ignoring the drink he'd been offered, like the last time. Tony wondered if he would come back to it at a later point, like last time too. "Have you ever been loved to such a large extent you could hardly fathom it?"
"Hey, I'm Tony Stark," Tony said simply, raising his arms as if there was nothing he could do about it, "of course I know what that feels like."
"Statues - tokens of worship and appreciation, of servantry and devotion - shattered. Statues of me! You mention Christianity as if it is yet another thing, but it is the destroyer of true belief. Imagine you are nothing but a work of fiction, that is no longer told or talked about."
Tony wondered what the purpose of telling him these things was, but decided that questioning the God would probably do little in the way of keeping the conversation light. Since when was Tony one to keep things to himself, though? It didn't sit well with him, but as he was tired and quite ready to sleep, he decided he would have to let go of some of his ego.
"You can tell me all about it, tomorrow," Tony decided. "Now, come along, so I can be rid of you."
Loki seemed almost disorientated for a moment and Tony noted how half the things he'd talked about weren't things the God would have normally mentioned, as far as Tony could tell, of course. They'd only properly met once before, so he might not actually have as good an understanding of Loki as he wished to have, but it would suffice, as he most definitely wasn't planning on making this encounter last longer in the sake of getting to know each other.
Tony was about to set off into the direction his bedroom was in, quite willing to shove Loki into his own room and shut the door. Maybe he should lock it, just in case, but he somehow figured that wouldn't keep their mutual passive aggression passive. Loki's eyes had clouded somewhat and it was only when Tony clicked his fingers the God's attention snapped awake again.
"So, you really did spent the past days in the gutter," Tony commented.
"What makes you say this? More mockery?" Loki replied, annoyance audible in his voice. Tony shrugged.
"Just, you had a strange look in your eyes that reminded me of the one you see in strays. Or hookers. Wait, how did you get money? Or don't you eat?" Now that he thought about it, every drink he'd offered had been rejected, but that was probably just Loki trying to remain mysterious. Well, he did do a good job of it, although Tony would never admit it out loud.
Loki looked insulted at the word 'hooker' and shook his head, chuckling softly to soon show Stark that definitely wasn't what he had been up to. "You don't think I would sink that low, do you?" he sneered.
"You call the people on Earth 'low'?" Tony asked, brushing a hand through his hair. He could go on rambling about that, but he decided not to and waved it away with his hand. "Now, do you, or don't you eat?"
Loki rolled his eyes at Tony, his hands moving to flatten his own hair as he didn't like the idea much that he looked like a 'stray'. "Of course I eat."
"Then feel free to make yourself a sandwich or something," Tony said, pointing at the kitchen behind him. "But come with me first, I'll show you to the room you can stay in, for now," he said. Having Hitler-like ex-God in his house was hardly what he warmed to, but taking him to a hotel, and paying for it, was even lower on the list as he hardly wanted to take responsibility for Loki having all the visitors kneeling...
He took Loki down the hall to the furthest away door. He opened it, revealing a large, tidy bedroom. "Here, you can stay here. Through that door there you have your own bathroom," he said, laughing softly. "You might want to get yourself showered," he said, indicating that the smell the man brought with him wasn't especially a pleasant one. "If you want, you can borrow some clean clothes. Borrow."
Of course Loki didn't take kindly to these words, but he seemed too exhausted to make a big deal out of it. Ah, unfortunately he had offered the God a good night sleep, which automatically meant he would be fully capable of snarkiness tomorrow.
"I don't need your help," Loki sneered and a moment later Tony was stepping towards his own bedroom, glad to leave the God to his misery. He felt little pity for Loki, as whatever punishment he had gotten was clearly not as severe as it should have been. He could still walk, could he not? Though, not being the one for grudges he soon found his mind wondering off elsewhere, quite happy with the silence that had fallen.
Before he went to bed, he secured his bedroom with a simple alarm function, so he would be alerted should the God do an attempt on his life somewhere in the middle of the night. Tony wasn't that gullible, after all.