Lima to Stockholm
Note: In "Thor" Loki's plan was going fairly well until he had a mental breakdown after finding out Odin hadn't told him about being adopted... And that he was actually a member of species he'd grown up seeing as monsters. In TDW Loki starts in a cell and with little more than his ability to spot opportunities and ends up on the throne of Asgard. In "Avengers" Loki's plan is summed up with "There is no version of this where you come out on top," I'm in the camp that says Loki wasn't really on Thanos' side as the best explanation for subtle, competent Loki in "Thor" and grandstanding to the point of futility Loki in Avengers … Not siding with a guy who is out to destroy all life does not make you a good guy (Wanda, I am looking at you).
Chapter One: All You're Good For
It was no coincidence that the All-Father's chambers were found in the shadow of Asgard's throne. Hlidskjalf granted the power of sight, sight not unlike the Gatekeeper's, to whomever sat upon it. From the throne of Asgard the All-Father could not see the future nor the past but he could cast his eyes on any corner of the nine realms. It was that power which caused the throne to cast a shadow so dark even the Gatekeeper's eyes couldn't pierce it. It was the one place in all the cosmos where Heimdall felt no suspicion due to the gap in his sight for it had always been, from the time of his most distant predecessor, and would always be, to the day Asgard fell.
Hidden in that shadow from the sight of any who would pry, up to and including the Gatekeeper of the Bifrost, lay the private rooms of Asgard's king and queen, their bedrooms and sitting rooms, Odin's study from which he conducted business to which even Heimdall was not privy, Frigga's private library and a small enclosed garden. The latter two had been Loki's most cherished sanctuaries as a child.
Upon taking the throne Loki sealed his father's bedroom with his most powerful spell and moved into his mother's rooms. After bringing Tony Stark's body to Asgard Loki, as Odin, had the coffin placed in Frigga's garden until Thor could be summoned to bury his Shield-brother. From there it was simple enough to transfer the body to Odin's sitting rooms and send an oblivious Thor off to Nidavelllir to bury an empty coffin. Securing the body turned out to be much easier than securing the items needed to convert the sitting from to a bedroom and workshop for the engineer.
The techniques required to restore the Midgardian were forbidden for use on any but Asgard's greatest warriors. Breaking the ancient taboo pleased Loki for it's own sake almost as much as seeing the first step in his scheme falling neatly into place when the engineer awoka and accepted 'Odin' at his word… Almost.
"Is there some way for me to talk to my friends,Thor? Let them know I'm okay?" Tony asked.
"You are not 'okay'," Loki said in the guise of Odin. "You are dead and the dead have no business with the living."
"Not buying it Space Pirate," Tony replied."You brought me back to stop this Thanos guy, that's definitely messing with the business of the living."
"The Mad Titan bears Ragnarok as a mantle. He threatens the existence of all that is. He would tilt the balance of life and death until reality is warped and the afterlife overflows, unable to contain the multitudes of the souls of the dead," Odin declared.
"So hell's exothermic, tell me something I don't know," Tony replied, unimpressed.
Odin gave him a puzzled look, "Inside these room you are as one alive, outside of these rooms you will soon be dead."
It was barely two days before Tony had to put that to the test. He waited several hours after Loki had retreated to his own rooms then crept to the door 'Odin' used to come and go by. When the door knob turned easily under his hand Tony got a bad feeling about his escape attempt but he kept going. As he walked through the door into solemnly appointed study his heart suddenly began to pound and his lungs constricted. He tried to turn back but sank to his knees as the burning need to breath took hold. Terror choked him, for a moment he was back in Siberia, drowning in his own blood, in the cave, cruel hand pushing him back into oily water, explosions of color flashed across his vision, blinding him. Barely a foot from the door Tony crumpled to the ground, escaping into unconsciousness.
In the throne room Loki jerked as he felt one of his traps being triggered. Paying only half a mind to the two noble warriors of Asgard who were currently airing their complaints against one another before their king, Loki stepped back and settled on the throne, his chin resting on his hand, he put on an attentive expression while he focused on his magic. The trap was more even effective than he'd hoped after having observed the Midgardian's nightmares. The magic made him struggle to breath, triggering his terror of drowning and his fear further restricted his lungs in a truly vicious cycle that rendered him utterly helpless in moments.
Loki dealt with the two warriors as quickly as he could, the whole time privately cursing their ranks which elevated a petty squabble to a matter worthy of bringing before the All-Father. Then he excused himself, abandoning the courtroom for Odin's study. He picked up the unconscious Midgardian and carried him back to the room set aside for him. Absently Loki sent a clone of himself, disguised as Odin, back to the throne room to continued the audience 'Let them think even the great Odin needs a bathroom break every once and awhile.' while he settled in to wait once again for the Midgardian to awaken.
Tony's mouth twitched, he drew in a deep breath and some of the tension that had followed him into unconsciousness eased. "You were fortunate my father was nearby when you pulled that stunt," Loki said handing him a glass of water.
Tony glanced toward the door and shuddered. He swallowed, "Can- can you tell me how they are? Pepper? Harley? Vision? How Rhodey's coping, I should have been there to help him." he asked in a subdued voice.
"You can ask Odin," Loki said. "I am as constrained as you."
"Not quite," Tony replied, looking toward the door to Frigga's former rooms.
Loki stood abruptly, towering over Tony. "I gave my life for Thor's as we sought to avenge our mother. And he left me to rot!" Loki shouted. "Don't I deserve someplace to remember her in peace?"
Tony scooted back on the bed, sitting up to try to disguise his need to put some distance between himself and the enraged super sol- Asgardian. "Anyone would, Reindeer Games" he said pointedly. "And at least Thor waited 'til you stopped breathing to abandon you."
Loki stepped back taking a deep breath. "Your former Captain betrayed and murdered you, that is true."
"For Barnes," Tony said tersely. "I thought he was my friend."
Loki's gaze sharpened, "But did he ever think the same? Were you so desperate, your notion of friendship so shallow that you fooled yourself into seeing friendship where only acquaintanceship existed? Thor claimed me as his brother, even after the truth was known. Then he left me," he added bitterly. "His only care for that mortal mayfly of his."
"I just want to know that they're okay," Tony repeated stubbornly.
In the months that followed, in the guise of Odin, indulged Tony's request. Loki told Tony about how FRIDAY was working with Rhodes to allow the crippled pilot to continue to fly War Machine. "Brilliant baby girl, you take care of him for me." He told him of Pepper and Rhodey's work on the Accords and then SHRA. "I knew I could count on them to handle things." He told him of Hope van Dyne and Pym Technologies throwing their support behind the Accords. "That never would have happened while I was alive." Of the new Avengers; Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Ronin; bolstering the team's ranks. "Good, Rhodey won't have to go crawling back to them." Of Harley and Peter's progress on buildings braces to allow Rhodey to walk again. "They'll get there. And second generation Science Bros, how cool is that?" Loki didn't mention Harley's uncertainties about his new position or Peter's fights against the Goblin. He carefully edited any mention of Pepper's pregnancy and of Tony's daughter out of the information he gave Tony.
"They're okay," Tony said, almost to himself a feeling of peace settling over him. "They don't need me."
Loki glanced up from where he poking at the growing pile of machine components in the corners of Tony's room. "Until Thanos arrives and slaughters everyone on your pathetic planet."
Tony looked away, "The boys-"
"Aren't enough. They aren't you and they don't know what's coming," Loki pressed. "Odin isn't asking you to do anything you haven't before." He stepped closer. Tony tensed, refusing to give ground. Loki reached out, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. "They need you, like they've always needed you." He cupped the back of Tony's neck mimicking Thor's favorite gesture of affection toward his younger brother: Taking Loki's life in his hands and not doing harm as he held it there.
"I'm not that easy," Tony snarked, his chin coming up definitely.
Loki smiled. He wondered if the mortal's heart had been pounding so hard back when Stark had coolly offered him a drink while threatening him. "All that's being asked of you is to do what you've always done: Build them what they need. You don't have to trust me. Just give them the means to stand against Thanos and triumph."
Notes: "So hell's exothermic": google "Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic" for an explanation.
I'm finally through all the filler in "Naruto" and watching Naruto and Sasuke's climatic fight as I'm writing this and suddenly it hits me that how I'm writing Loki reminds me a bit of Sasuke: He wants to claim/believe that the bad stuff that happened to him is worse than what's happened to anyone else. And still Loki doesn't grate on me the way Wanda does. Something traumatic happened to him, he went nuts and did bad things… And he gets treated as a villain. It's easier for me to think Loki, for all that he is the villain, deserved better than being muzzled and threatened with isolation for however many centuries he might live and feel sympathy for him than it is to sympathize with Wanda whose every sin is forgiven because of a self-serving change of sides and a sob story that puts the blame for her crimes on Tony.