Sorry about the wait, I would have typed up another chapter on Wednesday but I had a test on Thursday I had to study for. Good news is, holidays start next week, and I feel more inclined to write this than to study for my year 12 finals; which, in retrospect, probably isn't really all that good, for me at least.
Some people are trying to guess whats going to happen, and some are coming rather close, however I believe you would only be able to join the ideas if you knew the exact context of the situation. With that said, none of you have guessed correctly yet, but you can keep trying if you like.
I love hearing ideas from you guys, so leave them for me to read through.
Also, if you like Captain America, sorry I keep making him out as the bad guy…
For now; enjoy.
~~~~~PARTY TONIGHT PAGEBREAK~~~~~
Tony went downstairs to speak with Thor. He had kinda promised Loki not to go get Thor, but the guy already knew his brother was here so…
He didn't have time to clean himself which, in hindsight would have been a good idea.
He exited the elevator to find everyone standing around and waiting for him. Okay, maybe they weren't waiting on him as so much talking about Loki's apparent presence in the building, but that didn't stop everyone's attention snapping to him as he stepped out.
He figured he made quite the sight, y'know, being covered in blood and all. Most of it had dried, but some of the blood on his palms still slid freely.
"Holy shit, Tony! Are you alright?" Natasha rushing forward to check him over, Clint by her side.
"Fucking motherfucker!" Clint exclaimed looking him over.
"I told you to keep away from Loki!" Steve accused, and it was then that he realised what conclusion they had come to.
"It's not mine." He spoke softly, hands still shaking; keeping them raised in front of him, for what reason he had no idea.
"Fucking hell Steve," Clint cut in, "Shut up." Walking to grab a cloth and fill it with water.
Bruce was by Tony's side and he hadn't even noticed. "That's a lot of blood." He forced his head to nod as Clint came back and wiped his hands clean.
"What has happened man of Iron?" Thor asked, cutting through the small group of people, "What is it that ails you?"
"Nothing, Thor. I'm not– not ailed. " He's still standing and ready to make his escape into the elevator the moment this gets out of hand, or the moment JARVIS informs him of a change in Loki's condition.
"Then what has happened? Where has this blood come from?" Somehow his voice seems softer; Tony didn't know it had a setting other than boisterous.
"It's Loki's." Everyone looks shocked, apart from Steve who may look a little happy. It could have been the light, but Tony thinks that's what he sees for that split second and he sees red. Not just the red on his arms and clothes though, but the red that erupted from Rogers' nose and mouth as his fist connected with it violently. "Fuck you asshole! You have NO IDEA what I just saw!" Bruce had his hand on one of his arms, warning him to stop. Thor grabbed at his arms and demanded his attention.
"What is it? What has befallen my brother?"
"I-" he choked on the word, "I don't know. He's uh, he had this thing. In his side. It was like this big," he held up his fingers trying not to hurl at the memories, "And it was sending some kind of shock into him or something." He took note of the displeased faces around him; he didn't pretend they cared what had happened to Loki, except for Thor, but he knew they cared about his reaction to it. "They, uh, whoever had him, they-" he stops momentarily, oesophagus contracting and threatening to bring up his food, letting a sputtering cough out of his mouth, "They used Diethyl Ether, and they- they poured it down his throat." His mouth was sticky and he could feel water running down his cheeks in his efforts to not empty his stomach across his team mates.
"That's not that poisonous though," Bruce supplied, confused by the words and the actions.
"They lit it on fire." His voice sounds like the wind, a soft whine carrying such heavy words. He watches as Bruce and Clint head for the sink retching harshly. Thor's skin turns white as a sheet, not understanding the chemical, but understanding the implications of having ones insides lit on fire. Natasha is green and has minutely shaking hands covering her mouth. Steve, for his part, looks like a mix of the latter two, a pale green that did not look good on him. He still had their undivided attention as Clint and Bruce looked to him from where they still cowered over the sinks. "He has pipes, in his chest, so- so he can breathe." He realises grimly that even he couldn't have looked that bad after his time with the ten rings. He'd made it out better off than Loki had. "And he's blue." Bruce's head snaps up medical knowledge snapping into action.
"Is he…" he can't finish the sentence as he bends over the sink again.
"No, he's alive. Just, he's just blue." He's not had this hard a time talking in a while, not when he really has something important to say.
"I must see my brother." Thor speaks with determination.
"No. Thor, you gotta stay down here."
"I must see my brother, Stark."
"No. Thor, you can't see this alright?"
"Man of Iron," he had an angry look set on his face, "I will see my brother." He made to shove past Tony, but he shoved back at the thunder god's chest.
"No! I made him a promise! I PROMISED him! I understand, it must suck, but for whatever reason he doesn't want you there, and I promised him. I'm breaking that promise by telling you this, so you can just stay down here." Thor is quiet for a long moment
"You are noble and loyal Tony Stark. I loathe to stay down here, but I will do as you ask." His jaw is clenched like its taking every ounce of his effort not to smash his way up there. It probably is.
"Alright, you guys need to stay down here too. Except you Bruce. He said he just needed rest, but I really, really need you to look him over for me, okay? I don't know this stuff." He felt so tired, every movement weighed so heavily on him. Bruce gave a resolute nod as he collected himself from the kitchen and made his way to his room, returning with a large and fully stocked med-kit in hand.
Before the elevator made its journey up he had one more question for his patient's brother. "Thor, why is he blue?" he needed to know, for his own sanity and the health of the other.
"Father told me that Loki… is not of Asgard. He is a frost giant, born from Jotunheim, but I have not seen this blue state you speak of. If anything is the cause of it, it is his heritage." Thor speaks to the floor, the word frost giant seeming like an atrocity on his tongue, something disgusting. The doors slid closed and he punched the button to his own room.
"JARVIS, an update?"
"Nothing has changed, Sir." He sighed, not knowing if it was a positive or a negative.
He stopped Banner just outside the bedroom door.
"Look, I know I explained his situation, but please. Don't underestimate it. It's not anything you could possibly be prepared for." Bruce nods in return and he pushes the door open. The sheets have begun turning red where the god lays, and he looks just as bad as he did before, the tubes spitting specks of blood over his chest. Turns out, Bruce didn't really get the message as he slammed the adjoining bathroom door shut and gaged turbulently. Tony scrubbed his face with his hands exhausted and sat on the edge of the bed.
It was the last he remembered.
The first thing he found when he returned to the waking world was a haggard Bruce Banner staring down at him and asking him if he was alright. He didn't look overly concerned, more like he was asking out of politeness than of actual worry. All of the actual worry was centred a little to the side of Tony.
Tony turned himself violently to focus on the god who no doubt was laid next to him. He looked better than before, well not really, but he could see the improvement. The most alluring being the air that softly flew through his parted lips even as the pipes whistled. He was healing.
"How long was I out?" he asked Bruce, not turning his attention away from Loki.
"Seven hours."
"Seven hours?" that was a rapid improvement on the gods part, "And you stayed?" Bruce sent him a scalding look.
"I wasn't leaving." Tony felt terrible at just suggesting the action. Their conversation was interrupted by a paltry keen.
Loki's face twisted in pain and his chest lifted from the bed in his discomfort. Tony was quick to put a softly restraining hand there to keep it down. Loki opened his eyes and surveyed the room through a watery red. His eyes landed on Tony and registered something; okay. Alright, fine, whatever you want to call it, his face didn't bring a searing sense of dread in the gods eyes and it elated the inventor. When they landed on Bruce though, they squinted with a keen sense of hatred. Self-hatred. His hands lifted to his face as a hollow rasp escaped his throat in his best attempt at forming coherent words; 'don't look at me.'
They made to leave, but Tony was stopped by a hand weakly bound in the sodden fabric of his shirt. Bruce gave an understanding nod, closing the door behind him. Loki didn't say anything more; he hadn't wanted anything other than to not be left alone.
It was an excruciatingly long 2 days before the wound on the gods side had healed and his trachea was fixed enough to be able to remove the pipes. He only knew this because he had run to the bathroom at the sound of the god screaming. Turned out it was just Loki ripping the pipes out of his lungs with a sickening slide and pop. Gross but, y'know, good. In the long run.
It was another 2 days before he could recognise the normal voice of the trickster float through the penthouse. He was yelling out in old Norse throwing pillows around the room as Tony had reminded him not to break his stuff once a pot went sailing past his head. He was almost completely healed but…
He was still blue.
He lived constantly in only pants. He wanted to cover up the blue skin, but the shirts provided stifling heat and more so tugged at his healing skin.
Tony crossed the distance to the god who had slid to the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"Do I look okay?" he cries dejectedly, head dropped on his knees and hiding behind crossed arms, a wrecked sob almost working its way out.
"Physically or emotionally?" he joked, because that's what he's best at. He receives a derisive snort for his efforts. "Hey, you're fine, okay?"
"I'm not 'fine'." He spat the words, "I'm a monster."
"You're not-"
"Don't even try it, Stark. Look at me; I'm an ungodly blue with eyes the colour of blood. I emit a chill straight from the bowels of Hel itself. I am a monster."
"Not what I was taught monsters look like." He supplied offhandedly, trying to coerce the god into a more cooperative nature.
"Well it's what I was taught. Along with the entirety of the other realms. People cower in fear at the mention of cold and it is because of what I am; a cold. Blue. Heartless. Monster!" he punctuated the last word by tossing the pillow across the room again.
"I thought we went over this; you have a heart." Tackle one problem at a time.
"I wish someone would rip it out literally instead of metaphorically for once." He lifts his head slightly from the cave of darkness.
"But my point still stands; you have a heart. And creatures that care like that can't be monsters."
"I beg to differ. Many would not think so." One red eye is now visible as he looks forward, avoiding focusing on anything other than the sky outside the window.
"Yeah well, I'm not many. Those who are can shove it up their asses. And as for cold; did you know that most people live where it snows at least once a year. People pay thousands to go stand out it the cold and play in the snow. People also tend to chase after it on boiling hot days." Loki looks sideways at him.
"And what of my being blue?" he asks sourly, making it sound more like he's caught a child stealing than whatever this situation is.
"What?"
"You are trying to rationalise all I have pointed out as a fault, but you cannot. Especially not this… horrid state." He fumes, head sinking back down.
"Blue is hot." Tony says quickly, because it's the first thing he thinks of. It makes Loki's eyes snap back out of their hole to look at him with a strong sense of confusion and probably a dash of questioning of his mental state.
"What?" he echoes the sound Tony had made moments before.
"Blue skin is hot. Have you seen mystique? She had blue skin, although I admit her red hair and yellow eyes is a little off putting; too many primary colours. But you would not believe the amount of men, and a fair share of women, who would want to spend the night with her." Is he rambling? Yes. Does he care? No, not particularly. Loki's eyes flick over his face looking for any trace of a lie, Tony knows he won't find one.
"…Then you humans are more disturbing than I thought." He says finally, lifting his chin up onto his forearms and turning his attention back to the sky.
"Want to hear something more disturbing?" he asks Loki, leaning close conspiringly.
"What?" he acquiesces softly.
"I still think you're hot." Loki's head snaps sideways to watch him and Tony doesn't miss the discolouration of his cheeks, wouldn't miss it for the world. He doesn't move back, revelling in the close proximity to Loki, the way the other swallows shallowly.
"Why are you doing this." His voice is soft and more than a little unsure.
"You started it." He accuses childishly. Loki splutters.
"I- you know I was playing you." The look of utter confusion on his face is adorable.
"Still doesn't change the facts." He's aware he's probably treading on thin ice, what with the way Loki's eyes skipped around and how his mouth and brows pull as though he's in pain. But he doesn't move away, so that's a plus.
He dips his head forward, moving in to Loki, crossing the small distance between them. "I-" Loki starts to protest and he gives pause, stoping his movements for the split second he talks. When the sentence trails off he moves forward again. "…You wont-" again, he falters at the noise momentarily before following forwards, "Don't-" but it's too late by then.
He presses softly into the taller god, hand moving up to rest in his long tresses. Loki doesn't move for a long moment, and it made him open his eyes. He can't see much of the gods face, except for the brows pulled as if the action is harrowing and despairing, eyes clenched shut tight as though he's fighting with himself.
He closes his eyes again and bites at Loki's bottom lip, coaxing the mouth open. It does his biding and his lets his lips slide and lock with the ones under his, tongue tentatively reaching forth. It's cold, he's not gonna lie, but he can't help liking it. It's similar to Loki's normal chill, only more intense, and he wants to dive further and find out more.
He wheedles his tongue further as he feels Loki's arm unwrap from around his knees and ever so cautiously reach up to wrap around his neck, the touch soft, every move lined with hesitation and guarded desire. With a bit more pestering, Loki responds.
It's nothing like the others, the touches they shared when Loki was fully in control, when Loki had everything falling into place and playing out his tune just for amusement. This is completely different, and whilst all the other rendezvous were mutual, this is filled with a different understanding, different intentions. Similar feelings. For while he wasn't opposing to the other meetings, just as he isn't to this one now, he is filled with an apprehension he hasn't known in a long time.
When he pulls away Loki's eyes are still closed, opening only to show a haze of malady; waiting for the punch line. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tony knows it won't come, he hasn't planned this out, didn't start this to cause injury, but he can tell the god is thinking he has. He plans his next words carefully, thinking on every angle as to how a simple statement might affect the god.
"You're fine." He says, rubbing his hand up and down the gods back. You're fine. Not you will be fine, which suggests there's something wrong with him, because there isn't. This is what Loki is, and he knows that people always tell each other just to be who they are and others will like them. He doubts Loki's ever been told that. Clearly the same things run through the others head, and he gets one of those small, gentle, heartbreaking smiles in return.
"I still don't believe you." Loki says, but there is no anger in the voice, just a teasing uncertainty, "Blue is not an attractive colour." Tony really needs to get to the bottom of how Loki ended up this way, but it can wait for now. He needs to get Loki feeling better too.
"I'll prove it," he states proudly, "JARVIS, patch me through to Clint."
"Of course, Sir." Loki is looking at him dubiously, but that's fine for now.
"Tony?" Clint's question rolls through the air, "Is something wrong?" it's not harsh like he's expecting him to be bleeding out after Loki's turned on him or something, but rather like he's asking if they need anything; from milk to a medical professional. He also sounds like he'd do anything to get it for them.
"Nah, just got a question." He replies nonchalantly
"Oh, okay." His voice implies he is waiting for the query.
"Is mystique hot?" just the right words. Better than saying 'is blue skin hot?' because then Clint would surely know what was going on, yet this question gives the same results. He receives an amused scoff.
"Yeah, duh. Why?"
"No reason."
"Alright… do you need anything?"
"No we're cool for now." He reaches over for his remote server to end the call.
"Okay, just, make sure he gets better." He really sounds concerned, either that or he is a way better liar than Tony ever believed.
"He can hear you."
"Oh, well… get better soon." Loki's looking so lost, assaulted with people who insist they care even the smallest amount, yet his mind is telling him it's all a horrible trap.
"I- thank you." He stutters out. Tony mutes the connection on this end but leaves it open on Clint's; he knows where this is heading and thinks the avenger might benefit from what is said. If others are with Barton, then it's even better. "Why did he say that?" Loki's voice is shaken, thinking the call is over. Tony will deal with the repercussions. Loki doesn't know what to do with this, everything he knows is conflicting and it shows in his tone.
"Maybe he's giving you a second chance."
"But I don't deserve it" he's shaking his head like it's obvious.
"That isn't your decision; it's his." He stands, sick of sitting against the wall, "Besides, I thought you said you had to do it."
"It doesn't matter why I did it, it only matters that I did." He knows the self-loathing will carry through the transmission, so thickly entwined with every word.
"It's better to euthanize a kitten because it will live a life of pain and suffering than it is to kill a kitten for fun." The topic is morbid, but it makes sense.
"Then why wasn't I euthanized, if only to stop the pain and sufferings of others." Operation; make Loki feel better is definitely not working. Loki had his head buried again.
"Because that's selfish. That's not giving you a chance."
"I've never had a chance, my fate is carved in destiny's stone; pain will be wherever I go, and hate is all that follows."
"Yeah, well, you're bad at your job."
"Clearly." His voice is dry, not believing a word he says.
"I don't hate you." Loki stays silent, mulling over the words. "Maybe you can break that bitches stone yet." He jokes playfully, giving his hand out to offer to help the other up.
"It hasn't worked before." He says, staring out the window, "But if nothing else I am stubborn; perhaps bone headedness shall prevail." With that he looks up at Tony, eyes filled with a seed of hope. He's far too happy he planted it there. He cuts the connection with a swipe of his finger over the screen.
"Come on. How long 'till we can go down and talk about why you got here the way you did."
"When I stop being this." A hand motions to his form in general.
He's sick of arguing so he just asks; "How long will that be?"
"Hopefully by the coming noon; I am still not happy about the prospect of being surrounded by a group of people who would have no qualms in caging me I'll have you know."
"You don't have to stay," he offers, "We just want to know who attacked the city – well, more attacked you, but the point still stands. And the others will have to deal with it because, like it or not, you've stopped the city from being destroyed twice now."
"That's what you think."
"Yeah it is. Why? Had ulterior motives?" he's teasing, not accusing. The tone makes all the difference.
"No, only I believe the number to be greater that two."
"Really?" yes, that is surprise in his voice, "How many times?"
"I'm not telling you."
"How many?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"Come on, tell me! How many?"
This continued for an embarrassingly long amount of time.
To his everlasting shame, he didn't get an answer.
They had to wait until noon only because Loki didn't know how fast his magic would return to him. It returned faster than he expected; much faster. Almost an hour after Tony had finished pestering him his magic returned in a wave. Of course, he hadn't been expecting it, so he wasn't trying to hold it back, rather pulling it towards himself. The power surged in and Tony only noticed because the others skin bled from blue to white in less than a second, rushing over his body. The power surge continued when all the lights in the vicinity brightened to an unnatural level before bursting, appliances shuttering to hectic life; and there were a lot of appliances and the pieces of furniture lifted themselves from the floor sharply, rushing towards them from the way the god had been trying to draw energy towards them. This all happened in the same second, incredibly abruptly, and they could hear screams flying through the building. Loki looked momentarily shocked before clenching down on the power and the furniture fell to the floor once again.
Looking around the penthouse Tony noted that everything he owned had gravitated a little too close to them for his liking. He could have been taken out by a flying couch a moment ago. He went to turn back but was stopped by hands on his shoulders and a chest to his back.
"Now that I've returned to a healthy state," Loki spoke as though considering something, "More than healthy, I have a considerable amount of magic at my current dispense, I do believe I have a promise to fulfil." Tony was at a loss. What promise? "I remember requesting my brother not be contacted."
"Hey no!" instant defensive, "He contacted me!"
"Regardless, I gave my word. Now, where is the most valuable item?"
Tony sighed resignedly; "Probably the liquor cabinet; that is filled with hundreds of thousands of dollars of the good stuff." He could always buy more, but some of it was incredibly hard to come by.
"Well then I shall make sure to avoid it." A cryptic response, but he supposes it's the gods way of rewarding him for keeping the thunderer away. His musings are cut short by the muffled sound of an explosion on the lower floors. He briefly wonders which of the avengers that would affect most. He never felt Loki pull away, but suddenly he was being beckoned to the elevator, "Hurry; apparently I have a meeting to attend."
"Sure, whatever topless." He called, strutting past the god whom of which quickly shoved him into the elevator. The doors started closing and Loki was still on the other side. "Hey! Get back-"
"Sorry Stark, I can't hear you!" Loki called playfully over the opening beats of So Good by B.O.B that now filled the space, "I must be presentable; do play nice while I dress." The doors slammed shut and the elevator rocketed down to through the floors.
"What exploded?" he asked upon exiting the elevator, only to find the music flowed just as loudly down here and had to repeat the question in a yell.
"I…a..ap…tr…ng..ym" Natasha yelled across the room as Clint was laughing and dancing just to be an asshole.
"What?"
"It..as…apta…tr..ing..ym" She yelled louder and moved closer
"What?"
"IT...AS..APTA..TR..ING…YM!" louder and closer again
"What?"
"IT WAS CAPTAINS TRAINING GYM!" she yelled incredibly loudly as the song ended, changing into the starting beats of Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5. Clint laughed harder before continuing to dance like an ass, mouthing the words and putting his hands over his heart and whatnot. He put on a fake serious expression as he started whipping his head and hips around exaggeratedly, every move causing Natasha to roll her eyes.
"Captains gym?" he asked, Natasha could probably tell what he was saying by reading his lips. Of course it was the captains gym, Steve and Loki practically hated each other. Not even practically; they did. Well at least Steve hated Loki, Loki probably just thought it was funny.
She replied with what looked like 'yeah, the fourth time was a ringer', or maybe it was 'the face was his elbow'. Neither of those made any sense, and his confusion probably showed on his face. Natasha had to actually yell at his ear for him to be able to get certain words such as 'force' and 'window'. What the hell? Oh, of course. He understood now.
The force threw him out the window.
Absently he wondered if Loki had something against windows as Clint mimed Steve flying out the window and laughed.
~~~~~PARTY TONIGHT PAGEBREAK~~~~~
Oops, got a bit carried away and decided I'd better stop it there. I had more to write but then I realised the chapter would be super long.
It's a bipolar chapter as is anyway; it didn't need more.
Leave your thoughts in a comment/review/whatevar
I love hearing from you guys! I would love to have some suggestions as to what could happen prank wise – even as the plot progresses, I want more funnies, and I'm sure you guys can come up with some I can work into the story : )
Stay tuned and stay awesome