A/N: I'm going on a short holiday, so I thought I'd finish this before I leave *throws paper at you*
Last chapter, obviously, but there'll be couple of one-shots and then a sequel hopefully, and in theory they won't take too long.
Chapter 7: The Road So Far
They had to head back to the motel to depart from Clint and Natasha - Loki still didn't know their last names and probably never would - and to collect the ends and odds left in their hotel room.
Loki was unsure of what was going to happen now. Probably Tony would shove him in a safehouse while he got his shit together. In any case he was sandwiched next to Tony in the back seat, head screaming in pain and broken rib aching harshly. He kept drifting off a little and he knew the only way to heal quickly would be to drink human blood, which was a deal breaker.
Once they were nearly in Hoople, Clint pulled the car over.
"What? What're you doing?" Tony said confusedly.
"Moving Steve to the front seat. Unless you think you can do it with just you and a half-dead vamp." Clint said, climbing out of the car.
"I am not half-dead." Loki said weakly.
Steve was much more lucid now, if a little jelly-legged, and he managed to climb out of the car somewhat agreeably. "I'm feeling a lot better, thanks to you guys."
Rather awkwardly, all five of them climbed out of the car and just stood there like they were waiting for something.
Natasha and Clint exchanged significant eye contact, agreeing silently on something. Then Natasha grabbed Loki by his long black hair and stabbed her syringe into his neck.
As soon as his body absorbed the dead man's blood, Loki slumped to the ground, half-conscious, held up only by Natasha's death grip on his hair.
Tony shouted something illegible in protest as Clint snatched the scimitar from the car and aimed it at Loki's throat. Not sure if it would work, he dove forward anyway, trying to catch the handle as Clint started to swing and slicing his hand open on the base of the blade. The scimitar stopped in its arc and Tony twisted the handle to liberate it from Clint.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Tony shouted, brandishing the sword in his good hand while trying to ignore the shocking amounts of blood from his bad one.
Natasha released her hold on Loki's hair, letting the vamp crumple weakly to the ground. "Deal's over, Tony. The monster has to go."
"What?! No! Don't you fucking dare!" Tony snarled, crouching next to the vampire. Loki was almost passed out, not just from the injection but also from the pain in his head. "Here." He said soothingly, offering his bloody hand to Loki, who looked fucking pathetic trying to swipe blood from Tony's gash and suck it into his mouth. "We had a deal, guys!" Tony said without looking at any of them.
"Deals with monsters don't count." Clint pointed out, trying to reason with Tony.
"He's not a monster!" Tony shouted. Loki cringed a little from the sound.
"Tony." Steve said seriously. Tony looked up and made eye contact with startling blue. "You know how it works. Get what you want, move on. You don't owe him anything."
"I bloody do. You all do. Steve, your ass would still be in that hellhole if he hadn't dragged you out." Tony said angrily.
"You never should have asked for his help!" Steve replied sharply. "Just because you - you-"
"I what, Rogers?" Tony said, still crouching next to Loki, somehow managing to remain somewhat dignified and intimidating with Loki licking his hand. The human blood was helping though, small a quantity as it was; Loki looked more bright-eyed already, but still deathly weak. "Fucked him? So what? That's not the important bit. What matters is that we owe him!"
"Deals with monsters don't count." Steve quoted Clint, leaning heavily against the car in his weakness. "You don't want to kill him? Leave him here, the other vamps'll catch him soon enough."
"Fuck no." Tony said, pulling Loki with him to a standing position. "He's not, I dunno, a demon or some shit, he's not evil, he used to be a fucking hunter just like us! I am not letting you kill him!"
Tony opened the front passenger door of the car and splayed Loki into it, who made a weird sound of protest that was half yelp and half groan. The vampire looked half-dead, like Clint had said.
"Tony, after I left a few weeks ago, I was all set to come back if you apologised. Now? Well, I'm not so sure." Steve said. "It's him or me, Tony, and that's it."
"It's not him or you." Tony snorted. "It's a man's life vs. your friendship, which I can clearly see was worth fuck all when I wanted your fucking support."
All three hunters looked rather surprised by the exchange, even Natasha, who had raised both eyebrows.
Tony stormed around the car, jumped into the front seat, and turned the car on.
Steve watched in disbelief as Tony murmured something reassuring to Loki, flipped them off and then drove away, making Steve lose his balance and stumble from where he'd be leaning on the car.
He felt weak at the knees. It had been a big week. He sat down against a road sign and put his head in his hands.
-O.O-
Once they were far enough away from the others, Loki felt safe enough to sleep, and went out like a light as Tony drove on.
Without waking the vampire he'd thrown away his best friend for, Tony retrieved their few items from their motel room and checked out.
It took a few more hours on the road of aimless driving, trying to just go somewhere else, before Loki woke up.
When he did, Tony pulled them both over at a picnic area so they could talk.
The first think Loki said was just a tired "Thank you."
"No problem. They were all being assholes anyway." Tony shrugged.
"I am truly sorry, for once in my life." Loki sighed.
"Don't be sorry. For once in your life, you didn't do anything." Tony replied.
Loki looked about the car blearily. "You forgot my sword." He pouted. "I liked that."
Tony laughed suddenly. "It's in the back seat. I bet you look like a fucking badass with it."
"Oh, I do." Loki grinned. Then his face fell and he sat in an awkward silence. "What now?"
"I dunno. What do you want to happen now?" Tony said uncomfortably.
"Well..." Loki said, the beginnings of a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "I do not think any permanent residency by myself in any location would be safe, not with the Alpha himself onto me, and you need a hunting partner..."
Tony beamed right back at him; he'd been entertaining the thought himself, a little, but he was sure the vampire wouldn't to. "I do. Are you suggesting someone for that position, Mr Laufeyson?"
"Naturally." Loki rebounded smoothly. "Under one condition."
"What?"
Loki smiled devilishly. "As soon as I am no longer ailing, I top."
Tony smirked along with him. Maybe things would work out anyway.
