Chapter Seven
Anthony Stark was a curious man by nature. Curious and untrusting after his life of full-on brutal lessons so this person, Rio, who was as alien as Thor just didn't fit right into his living room curled with a book giggling and flushed red as he quickly read its pages like a man needing water. He wasn't sure what either to consider this Vulcan and it's now 'ownership' of his friend because it felt like slavery and he just wasn't down with that. They couldn't just hand Thor over to be brutally abused, though blonde was a tough one like capsule it just didn't feels right. He was betraying Thor somehow by letting this happen.
So Stark decided to do some of his own research and my, oh my did he find something astounding. Earth was highly influenced in the mythical stories sense by both Asgard and Vulcan influence. Chupacabra-Vulcan. Vampire-Vulcan. Werewolf-Vulcan. Pretty much a lot of their horror and dark myths seemed to center around them. Oh, and apparently they were the 'humane' way to kill prisoners who were on death row. That just felt wrong. BUT he did peek at the criminals who they charged with this murder and they were not the type he felt could ever be rehabilitated. Rapist, murders, child molesters, and the worst of it was some had been there multiple times for their crimes or were never found until so... so many years.
It was this that eased him into letting it continue he just didn't like it really but he wouldn't fight it all that much... now. He shifted setting the toy in his hands down onto the table and eyed Rio who marked the spot in the book just before he stretched and got up eyes turning, slightly surprised, to look at Tony a small grin on his face soon after, "Hey."
"Hello." Tony replied before looking Rio over, "So..."
"Yes?" Rio asked curious and uncertain why Tony looked slightly spooked and unsure.
"Why are you doing this?" Alright, not what Tony wanted to ask but it worked.
Rio sighed as he set the book on the table counter for the living room turning to give Tony a full attention look and facial view before stating firmly, "I'm doing this because I want Thor to learn that he cannot be ignorant and harmful to others who want to be his friend. That he isn't the center of the universe wherein Asgard that's all he was. I want him to 'see' the damage he caused to his brother and how unacceptable it was." Rio replied honestly with his voice firm but slightly emotional in anger, "I also want him to see that his culture isn't the center of the world and treating it as such will be the death of his kind."
"Well doesn't it seem more like your forcing him to abide by your laws, rules, life and ripping him from his own?" Tony questioned leaning forward unsure
"So you feel it is alright for him to judge us, force us to follow his laws, and you expect us to just keel over and allow him to talk trash to us, walk over my brother's feelings, and call him, my kind who are like him, whores?" Rio questioned furious hands clenched, "Your friend, your 'Pepper', if he were to insult her as he did my brother would you not slap him and force him to realize the fault of his actions with the understanding of how wrong it is!"
Tony opened his mouth but was silenced by Rio again, "Every second my brother was on that planet, that Asgard, he was questioned, humiliated, insulted, and attacked both verbally and physically all because he was different! Because my kind does not follow their logic or rules or value system or ethical views that a male cannot be a anything else that shows the slightest bit of 'malish' sight. That a female is a breasted thing with a cunt between her legs and a man must lay beside her in a manner sexually while a male cannot love another of the same gender and live happily beside them throughout eternity." Tony watched Rio pick up his book growling, "Is this acceptable behavior of a King to be, of an ally to a race who live differently? Should I allow that to be subjected to my people?"
"No, but-." Tony was cut off.
"But what? Do you really think All-daddy of his will ever bend him over his knee and slap him when he does anything wrong? No. If it wasn't for the fact my kind could save his race, his people, and planet, then he would not at all bother to punish his 'child' of 'golden' stature like he would his son of 'mischief' and a penchant for needing more affection than a stern gaze and a scorning mouth of a father and son who care not for how he feels."
Tony felt like he suddenly lost control of the situation as Rio stormed out of the room book in hand and down to the elevator to go to his room acquainted with him. A lot of the points Tony felt Rio was right. Thor had a lot to learn in diplomatics and cultural respect of another race. There were a lot of issues now with Thor and Earth values so who were to say that the method of ethics was actually being applied to benefit two races but in a method, Tony saw often from Clint and Natasha to others in the Avengers or the SHIELD members. Tony leaned back as Steve walked in making some coffee quickly peering at the stunned and thinking genius before coughing to get his attention.
"Everything alright, Tony?" Steve asked sitting down while the coffee was brewing.
"I'm just debating on a rather heated discussion with Rio if Thor deserves or doesn't deserve to be pushed into slavery because of his actions." Tony looked at Steve eyes uncertain before he eyed the electronics he had been working on scattered slightly around the table with his gear.
Steve sighed, "Tony," Steve began, "As much of a friend I am to Thor, I feel that all wars, discrimination, and difficulty with each other are because people like Thor are not given the chance to learn another's situation. Being from before the war and living in a rationed system for food for a long time I know the struggle that people have with food or things that don't seem fair but I also know if he doesn't learn now it'll get worse later when the situation is so dire that he'll do something irrational like he had the first time he was sent to Earth."
Tony let his mouth slide open before stating, "Oh... yeah, forgot about him starting a war."
Steve shook his head, "And he pretty much nearly did again. He obviously needs to learn more than Earth can show him because we appear to be similar to his own kind in a lot of ways. This might give him a good chance to change that."
"Your right." Tony sighed, "You're always right almost."
"So you are admitting I'm correct enough in things involving our team and everything else... does that include drinking out of the milk carton and not a glass" Steve questioned as Tony blinked quickly pulling everything into his arms stating in a rushed almost inhuman method of 'I got to go' and Steve laughed as in seconds Tony was gone from their sudden specific topic change.
Thor looked at his group of friends before lowering his head, "I thank you for being by my side, my friends, while this has happened. I'm sorry you must suffer to this all because of issues that do not wholly make sense." Thor's eyes shot over to Rio and Mua who were a little distance away from the glare recognizable by everyone and very strange to see on someone so loveable like Thor.
Tony and Natasha looked at Rio along with Mua as the two were talking into a palm-size screen to another person. Tony was eager to get his hands on it and figure out how it worked but the two aliens didn't look very happy as they spoke, however, it seemed that whatever the issue was it was mainly towards Thor and things happening obviously on the other side of the screen. Natasha felt that they were missing things as if 'that' issue was was something importantly dangerous.
Returning his focus to Thor Tony slowly saw things that before just didn't seem to register in his mind. He remembered Steve always pulling Thor aside to talk to him about a few of them, one having been homosexuality which Steve himself was adjusting to but had no issue with it, second was women's rights to their bodies as they all learned Asgardian women did not have, and the last was something that right now Tony never fully registered because Thor never outwardly showed: Racial discrimination. Thor always said Midgardians were a lot like those on Asgard but maybe other races had been subjected to abuse because they were not like Asgard. That thought bothered Tony a lot in many ways because apparently, Steve was not arguing with Thor over accusations of it towards people Steve and the rest of the Avengers these months were attempting to get to know. Rio was a good gentle person who loved a lot of things and didn't care over any of their issues while Mua was protective but also a little bit of a trickster when it came to his gossiping habits. They were 'good' people, almost like regular humans, and Thor was outright accusing them of being lower than trash because of how they ate, they lived, and their 'bodies'. From what Bruce had told him Rio's species had three different genders: Female, male, and 'bearer' (A combination of male and female organs). It was just wrong seeing Thor nearly yelling at Steve over Steve trying to state that accusations and racial discrimination are not becoming of Thor and he should attempt to open himself up but Thor nearly looked like a tomato red and furious hands clenched but no Godly power or Thor's hammer to use for abuse.
Tony on the other had looked to eye Rio before frowning at Thor's sudden rising fury. He took a breath about to stand up when Bruce stood to raise his hand, "Thor, are you going to persecute everyone based on your people's views?"
"What?" Thor asked suddenly confused.
"Being with another man, living a life that doesn't follow that of your own people?" Bruce stated with a frown.
"Yes, they are sinful lives," Thor grumbled.
"Then you should do the same to us, Thor. Tony sleeps with men and women. Natasha the same. There are so many things here that you and everyone else doesn't like... So tell me, can you stand there and tell me honestly: Are you better than us?" Bruce watched as Thor began thinking over this eyes moving over each person's face obviously coming to terms with his thoughts before swallowing and turning his back heading out of the room and to the elevator.
"Whatever that means," Clint began, "might have cost him my friendship."
