Chapter 9 – Not a Simple Man
Tony nearly laughed at Loki's statement, lifting their joined hands to his lips.
"Do you think, even for a moment, I met you and thought you were a simple man?"
Loki opened his eyes and Tony managed a lopsided smile.
"You have to understand, I'm not even really a man."
Tony didn't even flinch.
"I know. I found your costume in your closet, along with a neat little sword. And the blood on your floor? Well yours looks human, but the stuff there didn't. Definitely foreign, and nothing foreign goes after a human and is given enough of a fight to bleed all over their living room unless what they're fighting isn't completely human. Not to mention the fact that unless I've forgotten the rules of physics, you fell from a fourteen story building and still walked over here." he paused then, a skeptical expression filling his features. "You did walk, didn't you?"
Despite himself, Loki gave a weak laugh.
"Yes. I walked."
Tony gave a relieved sigh. "Good, I was worried you grew wings or like slithered or something."
Loki laughed, but then sucked in a breath at the pain it caused. Tony's other hand moved to touch his shoulder in comfort.
"So what happened?" Tony asked when it was clear Loki was past the wave of pain.
"They found me. I was hiding here, on earth, and they found me."
"Who?"
"The Other." Loki let out a deep breath, his eyes closing again as he spoke. "He is the leader of the Chitauri; the one that found me after I fell from my world, a disgrace. I had done terrible things but couldn't see through my hatred, and jealousy. So I fell and the Other was the thing that found me." a shiver passed over him, his hand tightening in Tony's. "They call themselves the immune system of the universe, and what better tool for them but a broken God of Mischief."
"You weren't broken, you just fell-" Tony began, but Loki opened his eyes, his other hand coming up to cover their joined ones.
"When I fell I was simply a child who felt betrayed, when I escaped, I was a twisted, broken thing. I ran, and ended up here. I'd been here for nearly a decade by the time you saw me, and I'd finally begun to heal." another shiver passed over him.
"Why are they looking for you?"
"Because nobody escapes." the statement was bland and ungiving, and had a cold chill passing over Tony.
"You did."
"Apparently not."
Not liking the defeated tone, Tony made a slight change in subject.
"Was it this Other that was in your apartment?"
Loki shook his head. "No, it was his torturer. My keeper."
Tony clenched his free hand into a fist, furious again, but not at Loki.
"What do they want you for?"
"To conquer the minor races. Do away with free will. Be the face for their conquests so that the enemy isn't them, but focused on me."
"It's smart, but stupid."
Loki gave a wan smile. "That statement makes no sense."
"Doesn't it though? They were smart to put another face to their attack, but stupid to pick someone like you for the job."
"How does that make them stupid? I'm the perfect candidate. A God of Mischief. What better leader for an attacking force could there be?"
"Oh I'm sure you were quite capable of the task. But you are so much more than they made you, even now. And you're not alone anymore. You don't have to face this alone."
Loki sat up immediately, gripping Tony's shoulder.
"You cannot face these creatures. Or my keeper. He can tear you to shreds before you even blink, and while I will heal from no matter what they do, you will not."
"Obviously you forgot the fact that I'm the neighbourhood superhero. I am Iron Man. As well as a genius. I know how to fight the crazies."
Loki shook his head, bowing it between them.
"You don't understand. The thing that's after me, it doesn't care who or what stands in the way. It will kill and destroy whatever it has to until it gets through to me. The best thing for me to do is to run. As far from here as I can, to another planet if I can." The fear struck Tony so hard that he froze, unable to move.
"You can't."
Loki looked up with a pained expression.
"I have too. It would be the safest option. In a century or so I could return to earth, but no sooner or I would bring the Chitauri here."
You will not leave."
Loki's face folded into a frown.
"I must."
"I won't let you."
Loki's frown became a look of panic.
"You have to let me. I can't stay here. If I stay here, they will come."
"Let them."
"No, you don't understand the danger they pose."
"I don't care how dangerous they are. You are not leaving."
"But I have to! You don't understand-"
Tony stood, stepping away from Loki, hands clenched in fists.
"You're right I don't understand. I don't understand why you seem so hell bent on leaving me." he was facing away from Loki so didn't see the way his face fell, eyes shining with what could only be tears.
"Don't you see? If I don't leave, if I don't run, they could find you. You, Tony. I can't allow that to happen. If it was any other human, I wouldn't care, I probably wouldn't even blink an eye. But it's not anyone. It's you. And I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you." he sounded so defeated that Tony couldn't help but turn back, and saw the tears swimming in Loki's eyes.
"That's why I can't let you leave. I need you here. Need. I don't need anyone, but I need you."
Loki's eyes dropped away from Tony's and he twisted his hands in his lap.
"And I need you to stay alive."
Tony through up his hands in frustration.
"You're being impossible." Tony growled, and Loki shook his head.
"No, I'm being logical."
"There is nothing logical here!" Tony shouted, and Loki went silent.
"You still don't understand," Loki murmured, and Tony turned a fierce glare on him.
"What? What is it that I don't understand?" he demanded, but Loki didn't rise to the challenge of Tony's volume and anger, instead he remained unmoving, looking from Tony to his hands and back again. When he said nothing, Tony stormed towards the door, hands still clenched in fists. When he reached the door, he opened it and moved to storm out.
"That I love you, you foolish mortal." Loki whispered.
