Faith In The Deceiver
Chapter 2
Loki knelt down in front of where Tony sat and placed his hand upon his cheek. Tony could feel the fatigue leaving his body as the tendrils of Loki's magic flooded his body. The snake on his wrist began to pulse and welcome the feeling. Tony closed his eyes and bowed his head.
"What do we do now?" Tony asked in a low voice. Loki stood up and walked a few feet from him. His gaze falling on the ocean below. He walked to the edge of the cliff and listened to the waves crashing below.
"For me, the usual would just be going on with my business," he turned to Tony, "but that's not an option."
Tony looked up as Loki turned around, although healed and back to perfect health Tony looked tired and weary.
"So, I suppose we'll have to prove you're not to one behind all this."
Tony looked away from Loki and to the snake on his wrist. He fingered it gently and said, "We don't even know who is."
Tony will never be able to process how he got here. To lay in bed with one of their most wanted enemies. Of course he'll remember the rough start, but how it all smoothed down into something neither of them quite understood is all a blur. They had just clicked. Tony knew he was probably an idiot to trust Loki at all, but somehow he just knew when Loki was lying and telling the truth. Maybe it was because Tony lied to others so much too that he can just tell, or Loki wanted him to know. Wanted his trust. Who had ever trusted the Father of Lies before anyway?
Despite how he got here, here he was. In bed (naked) with Loki curled up beside him, his arm wrapped around to god. He wished it could just be like this forever. He knew eventually S.H.I.E.L.D would find out and God only knows how that'll go, but he also thought about how everyone would take him sleeping with a guy. Minus the fact it's Loki. All his life it's been women, women, women. Suddenly Loki comes along and he doesn't even take a time to say, 'hey, this is a dude.'
Maybe he's not into guys, just Loki. He'd have to see. Check out Steve, maybe Clint, see if he feels anything rumble inside him.
"Stop thinking."
Tony let out a small laugh and began to run his fingers up and down the length of Loki's arm.
"That's what I do though."
"Well, then stop over analyzing things." Loki cracked one eye open.
"How do you even know what I'm thinking, let alone over analyzing?"
Loki raised his right hand and began to trace the circle that was his arc reactor. "Your breaths become long and deep and your heart picks up just a fraction."
Tony brought up his left hand and laced his fingers with Loki's right. They laid like that for a while, the glow of Tony's arc reactor the only light in the room. Loki suddenly shifted and sat up looking over Tony. Despite the lack of light Tony could see worry in the gods brow.
"Looks like I'm not the only one thinking," he said as he got up on his elbows.
Loki began to trace his fingers along the arc reactor again. "I worry about you," he said in a small voice. Tony grabbed his hand and sat up beside Loki. Tony was going to say something sarcastic because this was Loki, but when he got closer he could really see the worry in Loki's eyes.
"Hey," he said. "There's nothing to worry about."
"One day you're going to be in danger and the suit won't be enough. One day you might not even have that suit of yours."
Tony knew that wasn't all. Tony was a human and Loki was a god, immortal until struck down. The fact that Loki was thinking so far ahead into the future really brought the light down upon what they had. Loki was in for the long run. Tony cupped Loki's cheek and raised his head so they were looking each other in the eyes.
"One day maybe, but not today. Time is tricky. So lets enjoy now," he said with a small smile.
The worry still lingered in Loki's eyes. "Do you trust me Tony?"
"Look at where we are, if I didn't do you think we would've gotten this far?" Tony said as he leaned in and planted a kiss on Loki's lips.
"So, you trust me?" Loki questioned again when they pulled apart.
Tony let out a laugh. "Yes, Loki, I trust you."
"Then will you allow me to do something?"
Tony raised a questioning brow. "What is it?"
Loki took Tony's left wrist into both his hands and turned it over to reveal the smooth skin. He began to trace circles over Tony's pulse.
"If you're ever in danger, if you're ever without your suit, this will help you. It's a link to my magic."
"A link?" Tony asked, he looked down and could see a small image begin to form. He felt the spot begin to warm up as well with an energy. "You're giving me your magic?"
"In a sense. Of course you won't be able to do anything even close to what I can do until..."
Tony looked up. "Until what?"
"Magic, Tony, is not as easily explainable as your science. One day you might harbor magic of your own."
Tony watched as the image became a solid green snake. He could feel Loki's energy tracing its way up his arm and throughout the rest of his body. It was comforting.
The cool ocean breeze along the back of Tony's neck brought him out of the memory and back to the hell he was currently in.
"Where do we even start?" he asked.
"Well, I suspect you'll need some things."
Tony looked up at Loki. "You want to go back?"
"The Iron Man lacks his iron and I thought you'd want that talking guy."
"Talking guy?"
Loki raised his hand a twirled his finger in the air as if signifying the space. "The voice in your house who listens to you."
"Oh, JARVIS?"
Loki shrugged.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was all over my computers before we got out. The chances that they haven't raided my place by now are slim. The thought of their hands on my suits makes me sick."
They stood in silence, each with thoughts running through their heads. Then, something to Loki didn't make sense.
"How did they know to look into your computers? With all the mayhem going on, everyone bloody and battered, why take the time to break past your security and check your files. Even if there was evidence in the debris that pointed to you, they had your files cracked within a day's time."
Tony processed what Loki had just said. The reason S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten into his file so fast was because whoever put those files there had weakened the security significantly and left it permeable just for them. Though, what Loki said was true. What made S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately go there? Confrontation, let alone to an ally, was more of Fury's thing.
"You think whoever did this is in S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Tony said standing up.
"Or has someone placed there."
"So, what do we do?"
"Get back into S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Loki, their security-"
"They were just attacked, the chances of them being up and running is slim. Most of their forces are down anyway. We're not attacking, we're going in, grabbing what we need and we're out."
Tony let out a deep sigh as he stared Loki in the eyes. He was right, this would be their only chance with S.H.I.E.L.D. as weak as they are right now. He still didn't like it.
"Fine," he said. "How are we going to do this?"
"Why, we're going to walk right through the front door," Loki said with his signature smirk.
