Author's Note: So hello and welcome to Loki's Redemption. This is the third and final installment of the Trials of a Dammed Soul series so I give all those who have stayed since Loki's Pain a big THANK YOU for staying with me for 2 years!
POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!
Also, things are going to get maybe a little confusing because this part of the fic is essentially going to combine Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. So hopefully this grand finale will be both interesting and successful. As always...
Enjoy!
At first, Loki hadn't thought this whole Avengers thing would work out in the long run. But, it's almost 8 months later and he has his own uniform and he's quite satisfied with the results of how far he's come. He hardly has nightmares anymore, and seizures hardly ever. Tony likes to joke that it's because of his own 'Iron Stick of Destiny' that his god has such clarity, which Loki never disputes.
He hadn't been expecting to become such a public figure, though. The first time he'd appeared on the news, it was followed by the headline 'Has Nightcrawler Gotten A New Look?' He'd had to investigate this Nightcrawler person a bit before understanding. But after the team had insisted on a press conference with the public, he had been introduced to the world as Loptr, a new addition to the Avengers team who just so happened to be in a relationship with billionaire Tony Stark. No big deal. Not really.
But enough of the past. As of right now, Loki and Thor are in the gym at Avengers HQ, sparring. He's smiling even though he has a blood dripping down his face.
Thor throws another punch and this time, Loki blocks it. His brother is clearly thrown off by the grin on his face, but it doesn't seem to slow him down one bit. Loki takes his staff and smacks Thor in the back of the head with it. Thor's eyes widen. It's a game they used to play as children during the few sparring sessions Loki attended. Loki manages to get a couple more hits in before Thor starts to catch on.
Thor's only chance for retribution is to get the staff away from Loki as quickly as possibly. Otherwise, he will be a mass of bruises and welts in the morning. He lunges forward and makes an attempt. He misses when Loki sidesteps his next attempt. This goes on for several minutes until they hear a hoot of laughter off to the side. It appears that they have gathered a small audience.
Loki stands back with a hand on his hip, essentially giving Thor a break as he begins twirling the staff between his long fingers.
"Had enough, Thunderer?' he asks. Thor merely grins. He dabs at the stinging spot behind his ear, checking for blood. There is none so the game is not spoiled.
"Are you trying to quit, Trickster?" he retorts. Loki laughs out loud. The mere suggestion of him giving in is absurd.
"So...is it a tie?" Tony calls from the sidelines. Both gods turn to look at the inventor with amusement. Between the two of them, there has never been a tie. Today might be a first, though. He gives Thor a knowing look. A tie will never last between them and they make the silent promise to one another that it won't last because only one of them can be crowned the winner.
Fast forwarding to now, however, things are much calmer. Loki and Thor have still not made good on their tie, but you never know what the future holds.
The fact that Tony and Loki have been in a relationship for a year and a half is not at all surprising once the facts are presented. Those close to them know that they are deeply in love and share a strong dedication to the Avengers. The fact that now is the first time they've been photographed by paparazzi during the 6 months that they've been going out on dates, however, is.
Loki's mouth is set in a thin line as he watches the television. Minva is taking a nap for the evening, while Loki sits in the living room, watching Frelser play with a set of custom made building blocks, courtesy of papa Tony Stark himself.
At this point, Frelser is almost 5 months and is moving more or less on his own now. For the time being, Frelser is kept out of the lab as much as possible and Minva isn't allowed inside without proper supervision, much to Tony's annoyance. He claims that his robots and JARVIS are supervision enough.
Loki smiles as Frelser puts a block bearing the letter 'C' in his mouth. It's holographic surface changes to spell C-A-T in bright, flashing letters. The inventor had insisted on starting the learning process as early as possible, for optimal effects in the future. Whatever that meant.
Loki is frowning now as he looks at the screen. The woman speaking points to a picture that has appeared next to her head. The picture is from three nights ago when he and Tony had gone out on a date.
They try not to make a habit of it, as they are happy new parents, and like to avoid the paparazzi, but the other Avengers had insisted. That and the fact that the inventor had begun to feel guilty about the fact that the two of them hadn't been able to properly date in the first place.
The woman is still talking. He thinks that if he teleported right in front of her and slapped her across the face it would be a satisfying use of his energy. He immediately banishes the thought. What would Tony think of him? He shakes his head in shame. The voice begins to fill his head again.
"What the hell is Tony Stark thinking? Just because you work with the otherworldly beings that help to defend our planet, doesn't mean you have to sleep with them the first moment you get. I'm pretty sure the only explanation for this kind of behavior is that he's screwed around so much in these past years, he feels he has to try something new every once in awhile."
He can't bear to listen any longer. He shuts off the TV when his anger begins to flare up again. He sees that Frelser is finally starting to nod off on the floor. He scoops him into his arms and puts the infant back into his room to sleep. He makes sure to leave the baby monitor close by.
Loki makes his way to the bar and pours himself a double shot of scotch. Usually, he doesn't drink much, but he doesn't feel very comfortable right now. He needs something to relax him.
For some reason, he's angry. It sounds weird, but he's angry with himself for even being angry. That woman from the television doesn't know anything.
He finishes the drink and then, once he is calm again, goes back to the room that he and Tony both share. He decides to take an example from the children. Loki doesn't even bother to remove his clothes before he lays on the bed and proceeds to allow himself to nap.
Tony comes home 2 hours later to a quiet house. The inventor can immediately tell that something is wrong, or at least off. It's never quiet around the house anymore. Not that he's complaining; he loves his new family. Commotion and all. It's what keeps him going now.
"JARVIS?" he asks slowly. The AI comes to life at the sound of his voice.
"Loki and the children are all resting sir. All is well," JARVIS responds. Tony nods slowly. He takes his jacket off and proceeds to the bedroom.
He enters and sees Loki sleeping on the top cover of their bed, still dressed in his clothes. The god looks to be positioned uncomfortably with the way his arms and back are turned. The god lets out a small moan, as if in pain. Tony sighs and goes to reposition his lover. He tries to do so as gently as possible, but as to be expected, Loki awakens the moment Tony begins to move him.
"Hey, babe. How are you?" he asks, reaching to brush at Loki's sweat soaked brow. Loki rolls into his side to look at him. He takes a moment to get his bearings before speaking.
"I'm fine. How was the meeting?" the god questions. He playfully swats the inventor's hand away when it continues to stroke. It tickles him and the inventor is doing it on purpose.
"It was ok. Boring really. Have you been in my scotch? I can tell 'cause you're sweating and you smell a little but like it. That's what happens when you drink it," he says. Loki sighs through his nose. It's really bright in the room and he's sure Tony will keep talking through his light hangover. It's how he prefers it.
"I may have had a little...for my nerves," Loki admits. Tony nods and lies down beside him. He throws an arm over Loki's chest, and the god grunts in feigned discomfort.
"There's nothing wrong is there? You don't usually drink." It's true. Most of the time, Loki won't touch alcohol. He claims it's because when he's drunk he can't parent well, but they both know it's an issue with control. Loki doesn't like losing it, no matter what reason. He prefers to stay in control of his emotions and alcohol doesn't help any.
"How are the kids? Were they good?" Tony asks instead when his previous question is met with silence. Loki nods and curls into his side.
"They were exceptional. Frelser is having fun with the toys you've made him. You should start your own company catering to children. Minva is still having a hard time sleeping, though." Tony nods absentmindedly. Loki frowns because Tony is never this quiet. It's always a sign that he's nervous about something. Now it's his turn to worry.
"It's got nothing to do with you. I just felt like having a drink. That's all," Loki says quietly. Tony frowns, even though he finally has an answer. He's been in a board meeting all day and he's tired. Thanks to Pepper, of course, he's becoming a responsible adult. Not that he wasn't before.
"Ok," is all he says. Seeing that the man isn't going to provide a more lively response, he sits up. Loki allows the inventor's head into his lap and Tony sighs contentedly as Loki runs his long fingers through his hair. Tony takes it as a sign that it's ok to continue.
"Bruce and I came up with this great idea a couple weeks ago. It's a peacekeeping program called Ultron. We're messing around with your scepter, and I think we're actually getting somewhere. It's for the future of course. We're not going to always be around to save everyone. Maybe you will. But I'm human. I've got 20 maybe 30 years max, and that's being generous." Loki finds himself frowning again. He knows Tony is mortal, but he doesn't like to speak of the man's mortality.
"Don't talk like that. You're underestimating yourself," Loki insists. Tony sighs and rolls onto his stomach.
"Easy for you to say. You're practically immortal. A god. You, Steve, Thor...maybe Bruce if the Hulk has anything to do with it. You're all going to outlive me by at least a decade." Loki closes his eyes and lays his head back against the headboard. This talk about death unsettles his stomach.
"There are ways where mortal men can achieve that which is considered immortality," Loki says quietly. Tony cranes his neck to look at him.
"What are you saying? That there's a way to extend a human lifespan past the expiration date? Like those preservatives, they put in soup? I think I'd look good as a mummy. Pharaoh Tony..." he says with a wide grin. Loki shrugs.
"What do you know of Indun?"
Today is a lazy day. The team has the weekend off unless there is another threat to the world and Bruce takes full advantage of it as he and Steve roll around on the bed.
Steve ends up on top this time. They're both sweating a little, both from the heat and the exertion if the situation. The TV plays in the background, the only witness to their fun, unseeing on the other side of the screen.
The news show that is on flickers suddenly as the signal is interrupted. The sound of static draws Bruce's attention from their make out session. The screen changes to one with a red background and a circle made of ten others in a ring. He immediately recognizes it as the Ten Rings symbol.
A bearded man appears on the screen. Steve turns to face the television. The man begins to speak. His voice is deep and unwavering as he delivers his speech.
"Some people call me a terrorist, I consider myself a teacher. America, ready for another lesson?" The image switches around, first showing a close-up of his face and then pictures of an armed militia.
"In 1864 in Sand Creek Colorado, the U.S. military waited until the friendly Cheyenne braves had all gone hunting, waited to attack and slaughter their families left behind, to claim their land." Pictures of slaughtered men and women flash onto the screen, covered in blood.
"Thirty-nine hours ago, the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was attacked. I...I...I did that! It was a quaint military church filled with wives and children, of course. The soldiers were out on maneuver, the braves were away." The Mandarin points a thick finger at the camera. He looks as though he wants to smile, but knows that grinning isn't exactly part if a successful terrorist's mannerism.
"President Ellis, you continue to resist my attempts to educate you, sir. And now, you've missed me again. You know who I am, you don't know where I am, and you'll never see me coming." The footage ends and the TV channels change again.
All of the news channels are talking about The Mandarin. The news on TV shows the headline of President Ellis Addressing The Mandarin Threat Directly.
"Central to my Administration's response to this terrorist event is a newly minted resource. I know him as Colonel James Rhodes, the American people will soon know him as the Iron Patriot." Bill Maher is shown, talking about the subject on his show. He ends the clip, shaking his head.
"And how is President Ellis responding to this threat? By taking the guy they call War Machine and giving him a paint job." Steve turns the channel again. Joan Rivers is seen on her show, 'The Fashion Police' talking about the new Iron Patriot suit.
"It's the same suit but painted red white and blue. Look at that. And they also renamed him Iron Patriot. You know, just in case the paint was too subtle." Bruce and Steve share a look of bewilderment. Looks like the fun is over.
"So...I guess it was too good to be true huh?" the captain asks. Bruce nods. He sighs heavily.
"You still wanna make out, though? We haven't gotten a call yet so..." he says. His smirk is playful and very inviting. Steve grins back. Within moments, they return to rolling around on the bed, mouths locked together in a heated frenzy.
"You still haven't told me what you and Tiny are doing in the lab," Steve says, latching onto Bruce's neck. The scientist laughs.
"I'll tell you later," he promises. For now, he thinks, they should have as much fun as they can.
Tony is in his lab injecting himself with subcutaneous electronic devices. With each one that pierces his skin, he curses with pain. It's late at night...or very early in the morning rather, and he's starting to see strange shadows. He doesn't know how long he's been up for, maybe days. He's not very sure of the time either.
"Sir, please may I request just a few hours to calibrate..." The AI begins, but Tony cuts him off with an unsteady wave of his hand.
"No. Forty-eight," he counts, injecting himself. "Ah! Micro-repeater implanting sequence complete," he announces. The AI sighs audibly.
"As you wish, sir. I've also prepared a safety briefing for you to entirely ignore," JARVIS tells him with much sass. Tony nods enthusiastically.
"Which I will. Right, let's do this." He turns to face the robot that's using a broom to clear the rubbish off the floor.
"DUM-E. Hi, DUM-E. How did you get that cap on your head? You earned it." Tony walks towards the robot. "Hey. Hey! What are you doing in the corner? You know what you did. Blood on my mat, handle it." JARVIS decides that now us a good time to interject again.
"Sir, may I remind you that you've been awake for nearly seventy-two hours. Tony ignores him, turning to address the Iron Man suits that are still in their glass cases.
"Focus up, ladies. Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suite. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother." You know you're going insane when you're talking to inanimate objects. He instructs JARVIS to continue recording with the camera. "Start tight and go wide, stamp in the time." The exhausted inventor turns back around. "Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence." Tony raises his hands and motions to activate the new suit.
Music starts playing, and Tony moves with the music for a moment. He comes back to himself after a few moments. Now is not the time for dancing. He then points his arm toward the dismantled Iron Man suit on the table in front of him. Nothing happens.
Tony begins to hit his arm where he's injected himself, ignoring the pain. Then points his arm again. This time, a part of the suit flies over to Tony and attaches itself to his hand and extends to his arm and shoulder. Tony then points his other arm toward the suit and the second part attaches itself to his other arm. Tony laughs. That's more like it.
"Alright, I think I can handle this. Send 'em all," he orders. The leg flies over and attaches itself to Tony, then as another part flies over, it crashes into one of the Iron Man glass cases. Another part hurls itself at Tony's head and he barely has time to deflect it with his arm. It spins in the air, breaking more glass.
"Probably a little fast, slow it down. Slow it down just a..." Suddenly, another part of the suit shoots over and Tony ducks as it narrowly misses hitting him in the head. "Slow...little bit," he says pitifully. The other parts fly over and attach themselves with more force than Tony was expecting. He knows his back and groin area are going to be sore for a few days.
"Cool it, will you, Jarvis?" he demands. The AI is apparently ignoring him on purpose. What he deserves he supposes. All the other parts shoot over and attach to Tony, except for the final face piece, which just hovers. Tony's eyes narrow.
"Come on, you little bastard. I ain't scared of you." The face piece flies over and Tony flips over to grab it. He snaps it into place and finally the Iron Man suit is complete. Tony checks himself out in the mirror.
"I'm the best," he gloats. At that moment, one of the stray pieces of the suit shoots over to Tony and knocks his legs out from under him. The entire suit falls off, except for the headpiece.
"As always, sir, it is a great pleasure watching you work," the AI tells him. The inventor groans.
"I guess seventy-two hours is a long time between siestas. Don't think it can get any worse, huh buddy?"
"Actually, sir, Loki is upstairs and is asking for you to see him immediately. He seems very agitated." Tony sits amid the pile of armor, dumbfounded. A fight with his resident god is the last thing he wants or even needs at the moment. He cleans himself up as best as he can without using the shower and goes up to where Loki is waiting. The god is staring, transfixed by the TV.
"Babe, look I'm sorry. I just got caught up and..." he trails off as he watches the television. The bearded man on the screen is addressing the president directly now. Loki, lets him listen to the rest of it before turning to him.
"I think things are going to get a lot more exciting now," Loki observes. Tony can only nod as he watches what happens on the screen. He begins to think about the program he and Bruce are building. Suddenly, it cannot come fast enough.
Happy watches as Aldrich Killian opens the car door for Pepper. He frowns when she smiles and gets into the car with him. After a few minutes, they drive off. Probably off to some fancy restaurant, he thinks. Per his instructions, he immediately pulls out his phone to call Tony. When he tells him, the inventor is immediately uncomfortable with the situation and demands that they are followed. Just because Pepper is his ex, doesn't mean that he shouldn't care about the guys she dates.
Happy gets into his truck and starts the ignition. He tears off down the road, careful to keep an even distance away from the car in front of him. He makes himself inconspicuous, slowing to make as though he is about to make a turn. So far, he's like a fly on the wall.
"Hey, Tony? The guy's name is Killian. You know that guy I was telling you about? Killian. Aldrich Killian." The emphasis on the name does nothing for Tony. He leans back in his chair, using his legs to spin around in it.
"Who?" he asks. He honestly doesn't know who the man is talking about. Happy sighs, rubbing his forehead.
"We met him back in...I think it was back in '99. That geeky guy at the science conference that wanted to meet you on the roof and you never showed? Looks like the guy didn't need you, after all. To be successful at least," he says. Tony frowns on the other side of the screen.
"Really? Killian? Where are you now? Are you still tailing them?" he asks. Happy shakes his head.
"Tony, you're distracting me. I think I'm going to have to hang up. Talk to me when you can calm down a bit, ok?" He ignores Tony's cry of outrage as he ends the call. He's got to concentrate on following...crap. He looks around, searching for the car that is supposed to be ahead of him. It's gone. He curses.
Oh well. He might as well get a bite to eat.
Tony picks at his burger and fries as Rodney talks. It feels nice to get out of the house for a while without having to work. Loki had insisted upon it since all the exploding machinery was driving him insane. Plus, Frelser was apparently sensitive to vibrations and could feel when such things happened. So, after taking a sleeping pill -that was somewhat forced down his throat- Tony had awoken, feeling very refreshed. And now he's out having lunch with his friend, Rhodney.
"What's with the whole War Machine rebranding thing?" Tony asks suddenly. The Colonel stops talking for a bit as he looks to where the other man is looking. The diner's TV is showing ongoing coverage of yesterday night's Mandarin broadcast. James returns his attention to Tony.
"Well, it tested well with focus groups," he says. Tony grins.
"Is that what they tell you to say? Focus groups. I suppose Iron Patriot does sound friendlier. Less 'I'll kick your ass', more 'Star Spangled' and 'I love Rainbows. That's nice." James just shakes his head.
"So...the Mandarin. What's going on here? Maybe I could be of some assistance." he suggests. James shakes his head again.
"I'm sorry, Tony. That's classified information," the man tells him. Tony eyes widen and he moves closer. There's never a piece of information too off limits for him.
"C'mon Rhodney. We're basically in the same line of work. Protecting the people. We're on the same side." he insists. James rolls his eyes skyward. After a quick look around the room, he too leans in.
"Alright, look. There have been nine bombings so far, but the public only knows about three of them. It's just that no one knows what's causing it. There's been no sort of residue or casings left behind to examine. It's like...poof." When he makes the sound of the onomatopoeia, his hands spread in a sort of jazz-hands gesture. Tony goes back to stirring his coffee.
"If you guys need a hand, I'm here. I've got a lot of stuff you could use. Even bomb disposal units. Catches the explosion in mid-air. No mess cleanup," he offers. James studies the man for a long moment. He sees that Tony has dark circles under his eyes and his eyes are a bit unfocused. His frown pulls a similar look from the man opposite him.
"What? I got lettuce in my teeth or something?" he asks. James just shrugs, which infuriates him even more.
"You don't look too good man. How long has it been since you've slept? Really slept I mean." Tony scoffs.
"Rhodney, I already have one guy in my life that's riding my dick. I don't need another one." Rhodney makes a face of horror. He did not need to know that.
"TMI, Tony," he says. Tony grins like a satisfied cat.
"Just so you know, Loki made me take a sleeping pill last night. Put me right out for 12 hours." Rhodney nods and takes a sip of his iced tea. Ice clinks softly in his glass as he sets it down.
"Well, thank god for Loki. I'm just worried about you, Tony. I mean first you fight a bunch of aliens, then you disappear for a year without a trace. Then you show up again with two kids and...Loki. I'm just saying that a lot has happened. To the both of us."
"Hey, look I told you. Loki has me covered. He's great. And before you say anything, yes he's been reformed. He's not gonna try to take over the world again, that's for sure. And we're happy together. We've got things covered, so don't worry so much." Rhodney lets out a little snort.
"Why shouldn't I? From the sound of it, Loki needs a break taking care of you. Glad that you've changed and all, but you're still...reckless."Tony raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, so what? The government has a team of secret people built specifically for something like this and they haven't called us yet. Why is that? I mean it's not like they have anything to hide. Or do they?" he questions. Rhodney shakes his head.
"Listen, the Pentagon is scared. After what happened in New York... aliens, come on. They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is a priority, but it's not..." Tony grimaces.
"Oh no, it's ok. I can see the 'Superheroes Not Wanted' sign from a mile away." Tony looks over as two children come over to their table, a girl and a boy. From a few feet away, Tony can see who he assumes is their mother urging them along. The girl holds up her drawing and Tony smiles at her.
"Hi. What's your name?" he asks.
"Erin," she says in a tiny voice. It tugs at his heart strings the way she says her name, so small and unsure. He takes her drawing and a pen out of his pocket. When he sees the picture, however, he freezes. It's of him a year ago, flying into the portal to get rid of the rocket that had been launched at the island of Manhattan. He swallows heavily.
He closes his eyes as his heart begins to speed up. He takes a breath and quickly sighs the paper. The more he stares, the more he remembers and it becomes overwhelming. Tony pushes himself away from the table. Black spots are dancing across his vision.
"Take it easy Tony," he hears Rhodney say. The inventor gets up and runs out of the diner. He's breathing heavily as he gets into his suit.
"JARVIS, what is it? Is it the brain? Oh god...is it a heart attack? I don't feel..." he stops speaking, trying to conserve his oxygen.
"Sir, I am not detecting any signs saying there is any sign of a cardiac anomaly or abnormal brain activity." Tony is starting to panic now, making his heart rate rise even more.
"Did someone poison me? Oh fuck, I should watch what I eat. I bet it was that kid..." he babbles.
"Sir, it appears that you are suffering from a severe anxiety attack." Tony reads the statistics over again. It doesn't seem right. It's strange because he hasn't had a panic attack because of the portal incident in months. He shakes his head. There is a tapping on his suit and he lifts the face plate up.
"Tony, there's a crowd gathering out here. Maybe you should go home and get some rest," Rhodney suggests. Tony nods.
"Sorry, I gotta split. Make sure that girl gets her picture," He powers the suit up and takes off.