Yeah! New chapter! Uh... It's kinda long... but whatevs. It's pretty good, as a whole. So... Yeah.
Disclaimers: None of these characters or other fairly familiar things belong to me. I own nothing but the storyline and I don't even legally own that. Like, it's not copyrighted or anything. And also, some of this (some of the funnier Tony parts, my sister says) was written by my sister PlushChrome. As always, if you like my stories, you should definitely check out hers. (Hey guys, this is PlushChrome. You might especially like Lifesource, as it's got a lot of Loki.)
Thank you, PlushChrome. (You're quite welcome.) Anyways, getting back to me. Thanks to all so far who have followed and favorited and reviewed. You guys are cool.
Enjoy.
Jo~ (And PlushChrome. What? I'm not stealing the spotlight. Whatevs.) SHUT UP! (pft, yeah right.) Sorry about her, guys.
"And I just-" Pepper was saying wildly. "He was right there!"
"I know, I just forgot to call," Tony spoke over her.
"Washing the dishes, our dishes!" Pepper continued. "Like – like... I don't know!"
"Should've thought to tell you," Tony said. "That there was a cursed demigod in the Tower."
"Yeah, that would've been nice to know," Pepper said.
"Well, Thor sprang it on me," Tony said, shrugging slightly. "Just last night." "That's... Tony, that's all night and all morning!" Pepper protested. "You could've called!"
"I know, it's just... It was weird," Tony tried to explain. "And it just sort of, happened, like, all of a sudden."
"I mean... He threw you out a window!" Pepper exclaimed.
"I know, but actually-" Tony started.
"He destroyed New York," Pepper continued. "The Tower. Tried to... rip apart our way of life!"
"Yeah, well, that might not be..." Tony hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I think he's different."
"Different?" Pepper repeated. "Tony, that was two weeks ago! People don't just do that kind of stuff, and then get better, in two weeks!"
"I know, I really do," Tony said. "And I actually thought that. But, uh... There's some stuff that just doesn't add up."
"No, you can't fix everything, Tony," Pepper said, breaking their 'talking over each other' moment with a serious frown.
"I know," Tony sighed. "It's just... There's actually some stuff here, Pep. It's hard to explain, but... If you saw the way he was... You know, when people aren't, uh... Throwing things at him."
Pepper pursed her lips. "Why is this important to you?" She asked.
"It's not important to me," Tony protested. "It's just... Everyone deserves a second chance. Wow, okay, that sounded cliché, so... not saying that again. Plus, there were some things he said last night that didn't make sense. I think... I think I might've gotten some stuff wrong."
"Wow," Pepper said, blinking in surprise. "You don't say that very often."
"Yeah, well, that's cause I'm hardly ever wrong about anything," Tony told her.
"Right," Pepper snorted. "Just like you were 'right' when you flew to Hawaii for the weekend, and didn't tell anyone where you were going."
"Hey, I apologized for that," Tony said with a small frown. "And... Actually, I'm pretty sure that... I told Bruce."
"You took Bruce with you," Pepper laughed. "Which, was also not that great of an idea. Because Hawaii is not exactly a stress free environment."
"We had a great time," Tony said airily. "He let go of a bit of tension, everything was..." He wouldn't let himself say perfect. "Just fine. And, come on Pepper, like this Tower is stress free."
Pepper smiled a bit, but then seemed to remember the situation and grimaced. "I just... want to know that you'll be alright," She said. "That you all will be alright."
"... Yeah, but mostly me, right?" Tony said. Pepper gave him a look and he held up his hands. "Right, okay, you want reassurance. I can get that. But, you're gonna have to talk to Lokes... Without hitting him with anything."
"Tony, I don't want to talk to him," Pepper protested. "I just want-"
"You just want someone to honestly tell you he's not going to try and pull anything," Tony said. "Loki can't lie. Ask him to tell you whether or not he's going to cause us, or Earth, any harm. And in order for you to do that... You're gonna have to actually, like, speak to him."
"Fine," Pepper sighed warily. "Fine, I'll... talk to him. But!" Tony froze and she continued strictly. "You have to wear those wristlets for the suit."
Tony held up his hands with a small grin to show Pepper the metal bands on his wrists.
"And I want Bruce there," Pepper persisted, unimpressed. "He's the one that stopped Loki last time, so he's less likely to try anything. And, if I'm not satisfied with this, I'm calling SHIELD."
"What?" Tony protested. "Pep, even Clint and Tasha aren't calling SHIELD, and Thor would be, well, really upset. You should've seen him get all protective when they first came. That, really wouldn't work out well."
"I reserve the right," Pepper said calmly. "Not saying I will call them, but... but I can. And if he starts acting out or... or, he says he really is planning something, then... I have them on speed dial."
Tony hesitated, but then decided that he had asked for this and nodded his head.
"JARVIS," He called. "Where's Brucey?"
"Dr. Banner is currently in the kitchen," JARVIS relayed smoothly.
"Really?" Tony said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "That's good. Come on Pepper."
He began walking to the kitchen again, Pepper following him nervously, and opened the door.
Everyone was there except for Steve. Clint and Natasha were talking in quiet voices, Thor was eating Poptarts, Bruce looked anxious as he poured himself some coffee, and Loki was sitting on a counter again, kicking his legs and looking surprisingly childlike.
When they walked in, silence fell upon the room and Loki looked up and licked his lips nervously.
"Lady Potts," He inclined his head and gave Pepper a small smile. She raised an eyebrow, apparently unimpressed.
"You threw Tony out a window," She said coolly.
"I did," Loki said, dropping the smile. He didn't sound proud of the act, or ashamed. Just stating a fact. But Tony found himself actually impressed by the fact that he offered up no excuses or defenses, or tried to convince Pepper he was great.
"And you destroyed the city," Pepper stated.
"Well, I did not technically destroy it," Loki said thoughtfully, as if he was just considering it himself rather than expecting Pepper to be swayed by this argument. "To destroy means to reduce something to a useless form, broken beyond repair. To defeat completely. More like a decimation as such, though not even to that extent. I suppose I simply wreaked havoc on the land."
"Not really helping there, Lokes," Tony grimaced. "Pep wants to know if you've got anything planned."
"I told you already I do not," Loki said with a frown. "Didn't you explain as much to your lady?"
"Well, yeah," Tony told him. "But hearing it from someone who's unable to lie helps a lot as far as trust levels go."
"So you really aren't going to do anything?" Pepper demanded.
"Anything is a very strong word, Lady Potts," Loki said hesitantly. "I cannot physically do nothing unless I am dead. And as Thor is too foolish to allow that to happen-"
"Loki, cease speaking such words," Thor interrupted with a glare.
"However," Loki continued without taking any notice of Thor. "I can say that I am almost certain I will not do anything to cause you or the others any pain. Unless it's an accident or I completely lose my head. Or unless you're counting insults or other slights that I will undoubtedly say at some point, especially to Thor. And I will probably continue to shove him just because the idiot keeps trying to protect me."
He glared at Thor, who did nothing but roll his eyes in response, and Pepper blinked.
"That's not really helping either," Tony told him.
"I am only being honest," Loki protested in confusion. "Isn't that that what she came back here for?"
"Yeah, yeah it is," Pepper sighed, brushing some hair out of her face. "Thank you for being so honest. I'm still not sure I'm comfortable having you here, though."
"Understandable," Loki said, waving an airy hand.
"Unfortunately, he and Thor are a package deal," Clint said with a glare. "Which seems to be the case every time. And SHIELD can't know about it."
"Pepper's call," Tony said. "Actually, it's literally her call. She has SHIELD on speed dial, and she said she'd call 'em if she wasn't well pleased."
"What?!" Thor demanded. "You swore to me that SHIELD would not be informed! They will not understand, and we traveled here to remove ourselves from those that would think to hurt Loki or misuse the curse!"
"I just wanted to be sure," Pepper said, pursing her lips. "I didn't actually think I was going to make the call. What with Tony being so certain and everything. As long as he's not, like, gonna try and destroy the world again. Or... wreak havoc, or whatever."
Loki offered her a small, almost real smile at the correction before evidently deciding he was done with the conversation and sliding off of the counter, striding easily to the window.
"You have my sincere thanks, Lady Potts," Thor proclaimed, taking Pepper's hand and bowing over it. And then, in a quiet tone so only she and Tony could hear. "He really is trying."
"Pepper," Pepper said, smiling at Thor. "It's Pepper, Thor."
"Of course, Lady Pepper," Thor beamed.
"Easy there, Romeo," Tony said, taking Pepper's hand from the demigod. He turned to Pepper and noticed that she still looked frazzled and worried. "Want a drink?" He asked.
"Tony, it's hardly eight," Pepper sighed. "You shouldn't-"
"Coffee," Tony cut her off. "Brucey? Coffee?"
"Yeah, I could use some," Bruce chuckled. "I've been trying to cut back, though..."
Tony gave him a doubtful look and walked to the coffee machine which, as always, had been filled already by JARVIS.
"Coffee?" Thor asked, his eyes lighting up. "I have had some of this 'coffee'. It was a most delectable drink!"
"Hey, have at thee than, Big Guy," Tony said. "JARVIS always makes a bit too much. Tasha, you want some coffee?"
"No thank you," Natasha said with just a hint of a smile. "I had mine earlier, and I was going to go get some practice in. Clint? You coming with?"
"Yeah," Clint seemed grateful for the excuse to leave. "Anything to get away from Horns over here."
The two agents left, Natasha sweeping the room contemplatively and Clint throwing Loki a warning glare.
"Lokes," Tony said to break the tension. "Coffee for you?"
Loki looked up from the window with a startled expression. "Excuse me?" He asked.
"Do you want some coffee?" Tony asked slowly.
"Oh, um..." Loki looked at the coffee and then back at Tony doubtfully. "That depends. Is it alcoholic?"
"Too early for alcohol," Tony said, holding up the pot. "And, uh... It's just this drink that get's you all, like, energetic and such. It's good, especially black. If you want it. I mean, it's very Earthly and whatever so you might not like it, what with your Asgardian tastes and everything."
Loki just stared at him like he was crazy. "... Why?" He asked after a moment.
"I don't know," Tony said with a shrug, starting to pour out the dark liquid. "Why not?"
"... That is not a logical argument, Stark," Loki said.
"So... coffee?" Tony asked, holding up a Stark Industries mug for Loki to take and smirking a bit. "It's good."
"Why not?" Loki repeated, shaking his head and taking the mug.
"Are you hungry, Loki?" Thor asked absently as he fished in the cupboards for something to eat.
"Yes," Loki answered promptly, glaring. "Stop asking questions."
"Apologies, Brother," Thor said easily. He shouted in victory and removed a box of S'mores Poptarts. "These are called Poptarts and they are only found in Midgard. I am particularly fond of this type of Poptart, and of the chocolate fudge ones."
"I see," Loki said stiffly. "But I do not particularly want your... Poptarts. I would rather not eat sweets on an empty stomach."
"Speaking of which," Bruce spoke up. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but... when's the last time you ate?"
"Two days before coming to Midgard the first time," Loki said airily, sipping at the coffee. "You know, this is not completely disgusting."
"What?!" Thor exclaimed as everyone else froze. "Two days?!"
"Yes, two days," Loki repeated. "Actually, it is... fairly good. We have nothing like this drink on Asgard."
"Why did you not say anything?" Thor demanded.
"I hardly thought it was important, considering I was destroying your world," Loki said, looking up at Thor in confusion. "I do not see why you are so focused on this, Brother. It doesn't matter."
"But... But on Asgard," Thor tried. "Did you not eat on Asgard?!"
"No, I did not," Loki frowned.
"You mean to tell me," Bruce said calmly. "That you haven't eaten in sixteen days?!"
"No," Loki said. "Time moves differently in Asgard. I would say that it has been closer to six days since I ate." He took another calm drink of his coffee. "But as I said, it matters not."
"Don't they feed their prisoners in Asgard?!" Tony demanded to Thor.
"Y-yes, of course we do," Thor stuttered. "I... He wasn't even a prisoner, really. But... I brought him a plate once, but I dropped it and then... Didn't the servants cater to you, Loki?"
"Of course not, you dolt," Loki said, looking even more confused than before. "I do not understand why you're so fixated on this."
"Brother..." Thor started, taking a step forward. Suddenly he was sent staggering back, and everyone looked in surprise at Tony, who had delivered the punch with surprising force and accuracy, a look of rage on his face. Everyone stood in stunned silence as Tony looked around, seeming to come to himself. Turning without a word, he briskly left the room.
Pepper glanced after him before turning to Loki with a strict expression. "You're eating," She proclaimed. "Right now."
Bruce stood up, looking a little green, and walked to the fridge. He silently set a jug of milk on the table, followed by a box of cereal and a bowl and spoon and then took a carton of eggs and the dented frying pan and started furiously making eggs.
"Eat," He commanded shortly to Loki.
Loki looked completely shocked, and hadn't moved since Tony had punched Thor. "I don't..." He started, shaking his head. "I don't understand."
"We have rules here on Midgard," Pepper said, saying the last word with a little extra spite. "Concerning how we treat those under our protection. Regular meals are one of them."
"But..." Loki said, still looking confused. "It... It hardly matters. I can survive for years without food and not die."
Bruce whirled around angrily. "You know that from experience?!" He demanded, the green spreading slightly to his skin.
"Well, yes," Loki said.
Thor looked sick. "Loki," He said. "That is horrible. I meant... I meant to bring you some food before, but I forgot."
"And that is completely understandable," Loki said. "But I-"
Before he could finish that sentence, Tony came back into the room, carrying a protein shake and glaring. He slammed it on the table and then left again without a word.
Loki gaped.
Pepper nudged the protein shake. "That's better than coffee," she said. "Drink it."
Looking completely mystified, Loki picked the glass up suspiciously and looked at the contents. "It looks like vomit," he noted. "But pink in color."
"That'd be the strawberries," Pepper said. "Drink."
"Ugh, fine," Loki said with a long-suffering sigh and a roll of his eyes, having regained some of his composure and stubbornness. He took a few slow sips in silence and watched as Bruce flipped the eggs with a little more violence then was necessary.
"Well, now that that's settled," Pepper said. "I'm going to go to the workshop before Tony destroys the place again."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "He does that often?" He asked.
"More often than I do," Bruce said, slamming the plate down in front of Loki. "I'm coming with you, Pepper." With a look at Thor that clearly meant "Apologize, NOW," the two mortals left the room, shutting the door rather forcefully behind them.
"I really don't understand mortals," Loki commented.
Thor sat across the table from him and pursed his lips, watching Loki as he slowly took a bite of the eggs.
"...You could've asked me for some food," Thor said after a moment. "If you were hungry."
"Could I now?" Loki muttered, leaning back in his chair.
"Loki, you should eat," Thor said gently. "My friends are right, you should've had something by now. Why did you not ask me?"
"I didn't think of it," Loki said with a glare. "I was far too busy sulking over my punishment. Now stop asking questions."
"I'm sorry, Brother," Thor said earnestly. "But you ought to have told me!"
"Oh, stop acting so perfect," Loki snapped suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table. "For far too long you have ignored me and overlooked me, only to lament your lack of perception after the fact! You do not bother with all you claim to consider important! I have starved for eons in the past, Thor, and your little friends noticed within a matter of two days while you have never even bothered to think!"
"Brother, please, tell me how I am to earn your forgiveness!" Thor begged. "I swear it upon the Allfather, I did not know!"
"Yes, you can hardly help your own stupidity," Loki spat. "You have gone through life blinded to all misfortune and prejudice, barreling through with little heed to what you pass. Were you to pass a murderer you would justify his actions!"
"Brother, indeed, I would not," Thor protested.
"You honestly believe that's true?!" Loki demanded with a laugh. "Well, let me think for a second, Thor. Yesterday I said I was a murderer and you said I was not. Now, tell me I have not killed hundreds of people with little remorse!"
"You have not killed hundreds of people withlittle remorse," Thor said steadfastly.
"... You are unbelievably stupid," Loki said.
"No," Thor said. "Say it yourself."
"What?" Loki asked.
"I said, say it yourself," Thor said. "Say that you have killed hundreds of people with little remorse."
"I..." Loki trailed off and cursed before trying again. "I have killed hundreds of people... Hundreds..."
"HA!" Thor shouted, jumping up. "See, Loki? See?!"
"That doesn't change anything," Loki protested. "Remorse or not, I am still a murderer! And you insist on justifying it!"
"I am not justifying the act," Thor said, still beaming. "I am justifying you as a whole. Your actions do not make up you yourself! What you do does not make you the personification of that act!"
"But a person's actions stem from themselves," Loki said with satisfaction. "An action does not shape an individual, but an individual does indeed shape his actions!"
"I don't believe you did all that because you were truly evil," Thor said. "I believe you are good at heart, but were misguided!"
"The problem is," Tony said from the doorway, causing both Thor and Loki to whirl around in surprise. "Thor, you're an idealist. Loki, you're a realist. Relatively speaking."
"Friend Stark!" Thor exclaimed. "What... what are you doing here?"
"I came back for the coffee," Tony said. "And, uh, nothing else. Pepper isn't making me apologize for hitting. I just want the coffee."
"What did you mean by what you said?" Loki asked.
"Thor believes everybody's really good," Tony said. "While you believe that everybody's really evil. So, Thor thinks you can't possibly be evil, even though you murdered all those people. And you think you can't possibly be good, even though you felt bad about it."
"What do you think, then?" Thor asked. "Since you are impartial?"
"Impartial?" Tony repeated, raising his eyebrow. "How would you know I'm impartial, Thor? As it happens, you asked the wrong person. I think Lokes is totally evil."
"HA!" Loki exclaimed, grinning at Thor broadly. "See? Your Stark thinks I'm evil as well, and he's one of your oh so powerful Avengers!"
"Now, don't you get all excited either," Tony said. "I, unlike you, think that people might just be a bit redeemable. So yeah, you're evil. Whatevs. What are you gonna do now is the question."
"Well, Loki?" Thor demanded with a smirk of his own.
"Ugh, sibling rivalry," Tony noted. "I'm just gonna get my coffee and go. Sorry for hitting or whatever."
Suddenly, Steve burst into the room, looking completely frantic. "Pepper!" He shouted. "Guys, we forgot about Pepper! She's gonna show up any minute and she doesn't know Loki's staying here!"
"A little behind the times there, buddy," Tony said, looking surprised.
"She came more then fifteen minutes ago," Thor told him. "We solved everything and now she is alright with Loki staying here."
"She threw a pan at Loki," Tony said.
"Lovely woman," Loki supplied. And then he burst out laughing. "Congratulations, Rogers," He said. "You are even more oblivious than Thor! Quite an achievement, you should be very proud."
"She threw a pan at Loki," Steve repeated blankly. "Pepper threw a pan at the god of lies."
"And here it is," Tony said, lifting up the dented pan that was now encrusted with some egg. Holding it out, he looked at it thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna get it framed."
So, yeah, that's it for this chapter. Not ending the story or anything. Just this chapter. There's still bunches more to come. Lots of crazy Amora, and SHIELD being SHIELD, and JARVIS being cool, (and *teaser* Tony being... well, heehee, you'll have to wait to find out.)
Stop taunting, Plushie. Spoilers, and all that. Oh, and also, I'm thinking of putting Jane in this story. If you guys think that's a good idea, say so in your comments. If you don't think that's a good idea, I might still do it anyway, but I'll consider your opinions carefully. (If you don't want her in because you don't like her, don't worry, we don't like her either. It'll be funny if she does show up.)
And if you want her in because you really do like her, you might not want her in. I was always told that if you can't say something nice, not to say anything at all. But I might. Because I stinkin' hate her guts. (And I say mean things anyway, so... Natalie Portman. Just sayin'.) We all think Jane's a bit of a joke. And by 'we all', I mean me and PlushChrome. And others, but they're not important.
(But Jo, didn't you hear the Doctor? Nine hundred years on the earth and he's never met anyone who wasn't important. Of course, he never met Jane Foster, so... Yeah, moot point.)
Hey, that's what I was gonna say! High five! (You didn't see this, but we just totes high fived each other.)
Anyways, rambling again. Blah. We'll let you guys get back to your lives, or your fanfics.
(One more thing! If you guys like the way we bounce off each other, check out Jo's other story, Networking. It's pretty funny. Even though it didn't make it on the six o'clock news.) We should leave before we make it on the six o' clock news. Owl City tweeted about it. (Everybody liked his status update.)Goodbye.
Jo~ (And PlushChrome. Again. Still not an attention hog.) Oh, let's not start that again!
