Loki returned to his room, blocked his bedroom with a chair so it wouldn't fall shut yet, and then went to Stark's without even knocking.
He threw the key for the bedroom's door and the elevator at him. "Here, you stupid creature. Maybe now you will stop trying to use that I am not a prisoner here against me again," he mocked, leaving the room there for returning to his own, removing the chair and slamming the door.
Well, now he was locked inside, as it probably should have been since the beginning. Not too bad. He shut himself into the bathroom and returned to the shower once more.
What. The. Hell. Was. That? That was it. That was the only thing Tony could think about. He couldn't even remember what he was doing before the god had interrupted him with flying objects.
What did he throw anyway? Tony glanced down at the item on the floor by his feet. Keys. He threw his keys. Why?
And then it finally registered with him what Loki had said.
Well, fuck.
He snatched the keys from the floor and dashed to the elevator moving faster than he had in a while.
He didn't even bother knocking on the door, just used the key to get in, he was that... emotional. He was angry and worried and hurt all at once. He walked straight to the only sound in the flat; the shower.
"What the hell was that about?" he growls as he storms into the bathroom.
As soon as he heard footsteps in, Loki immediately closed the shower's curtain. The last thing he wanted now, was to be lectured from that man about the scars and cuts on his arms.
"You heard it very well." he said as he picked the bottle of shampoo and poured some on his head for washing it. "Isn't there a way to get rid of you? It was so peaceful while you were away."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future," he responds. He picks himself up and sits on the counter top. "What's going on with you? And don't tell me it's nothing, because there's very obviously something wrong. So tell me."
He knows Loki won't tell him. At least, not without a lot of coaxing, hopefully. He wasn't about to ignore the fact that he had a god who petulantly locked himself in his room, because Tony screwed up. He wanted to fix whatever it was. Even if they went back to just insulting each other the whole time.
"There is nothing, believe it or not, and even if there was, surely I would not talk to you!" he snapped, and he started washing his hair hard enough to actually hurt his own scalp without realizing it, and just then he forced himself to stop. Never be rageful while washing, it gave him a hell of headache.
"Will you leave me alone on your own, or will I have to drag your dead body out myself?!" he threatened, remembering very well how Stark still seemed to be scared Loki might kill him in any moment. And then the man expected him to believe he missed him. Sure.
"You'll have to drag me out yourself," he replies, finding that half hope that Loki was telling the truth when he said he wasn't going to kill him. "Loki," Tony says softly, despite the other's anger at him. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I did, or what I said, but I know it was something. Something I said up on the roof or did or whatever, and now you're just angry all the time. You don't even smile anymore. I am sorry."
Loki growled at the reply. When did the man become so confident Loki wouldn't hurt him? Some sort of psychological torture would work anyway. Making his mouth disappear, so that he couldn't speak nor drink anymore? Forcing his mind to live over and over again the events of New York? Anything might be good enough, even without taking the man's life.
"Smile?" He growled again. "You say you like me and yet you think I might kill you, you say you missed me when you escaped from me, and you keep throwing back at me that with you I'm not a prisoner, when you fail to see how this is not even true even just for the fact that you do throw it back, and you keep trying walking through barriers you know you can't fight, making me speak with you of my wife and life! What else then? Trying to turn me into some domesticated dog, laying down next to you when you want to watch some stupid movies! Do you expect me to be grateful, do you expect me to follow your lead, do you expect me to smile? Really?" he yelled across the shower box, not caring anymore about keeping some sort of composure.
"Fuck you, Loki. Honestly. Fuck you. I try to be nice, try to be truthful, you just continuously push me away. Yeah, I ran. Because that's what I fucking do at first sign of emotion towards anyone other than hate. I run." Tony's hands clench at his sides. "I only asked. I never forced you to tell me anything. You didn't have to say anything. You could've just left. And you know what? You should. Finish your fucking shower and then get the hell out of my tower. If I see you again I won't hesitate to call the Avengers."
"I can't leave and you know it!" he yelled, opening the shower box to look at him this time. He gave a glare of hatred before going to pick the robe again and put it on, pushing Stark out of the door, back into the bedroom. "I don't want to be dragged in chains back to Asgard to be put at Odin's mercy. I gave you back the keys, I will remain here, out of your way! What do you want more?!"
Tony stumbles back when Loki shoves at him. "I don't want you to be dragged back to Asgard either! And I don't want you to trap yourself down here. That'll only make me no better than Odin. I want to know what the hell is going on with you! What happened to make you suddenly become a hermit?!"
"You happened! You and your nice words and nice behavior!" He said, turning to look at him. All that yelling gave him a heavy breath, but it didn't stop him from looking at him with hate burning in his eyes. "Affection is never for free. Odin wanted to use me, Thor needed my help, Sigyn stayed for the kids, and she left as soon as they died! So, I'm wondering, Tony Stark..." he started again, approaching to him. "What do you want from me?"
It all registered with Tony. Every single word. Odin, Thor, Sigyn, kids. It all hit home. But they only thing he concerned himself way the last question. What did Tony want? What could Loki possibly give him? He didn't know. Actually, that's not true. The answer was simple.
"You," he's says honestly. "I want you. And I don't even know why, but I do."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" he yelled again, pushing him again. They were always only lies. The only one that gave him love without asking anything back was Frigga. All the others... they were all the same. Nothing ever changed. "What do you want?!"
"I'M NOT LYING!" This time when Loki shoved him, he grabbed Loki's wrists to keep him close. "I want you to believe me. I want you to forget what's happened in the past and I want you to look at me. And I want you to see that I'm not lying."
Loki did look at him, though without trying to see anything. Staying at distance, he had to keep his own heart cold and away from anyone's grip. That was the only way he could save himself from being hurt and disappointed once more.
"Let me go," he only said, trying to remain quiet as he spoke.
"Fine. Fine," he replies letting Loki's wrists go. "Don't believe me." But it wasn't fine. Because it hurt that Loki didn't believe. It hurt a lot. "Sorry I care."
Tony, unable to hide the pain anymore, hangs his head and turns to leave. If Loki wanted to stay locked in his room, then so be it.
Before Stark could leave, Loki gripped his wrist and pulled him back in. "What is it? Do you think that I will feel guilty if you play the part of victim?! If you show big painful eyes? You are a liar, as anybody else. Nothing comes for free. There is something that you want from me, and I will discover what it is." He insisted, looking right into the man's eyes. "I fail to see how you think I can trust you."
Tony wrenched his wrist from Loki's grasp. "I'm not a victim. I'm not playing the victim. I don't even know why I came down here. I don't know why I do anything anymore. You're not going to believe anything I say. I'm sorry so many people have hurt you in the past. I wanted to be the one person that didn't want to hurt you. If you won't have me fine. You don't have to be a dick about it."
Loki once more removed his still wet hair from his face. He kept his eyes still on Stark, studying him with attention.
He was lying. He had to be lying. Everybody lied when it came to this. Even more now. He was a murderer, he was dangerous, Stark himself admitted he was afraid of him. He had to be lying.
"Why should I trust you?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't have a good answer for that." He wanted to be as honest as possible here. And little half lies wouldn't help here. "But if you want a reason, because I haven't lied to you. Except about calling the Avengers thing. I probably wouldn't have done that."
"You would have." he responded instead. "Because I could push you down off the roof, couldn't I? You have to pay attention because if you piss me off too much I could kill you." He threw back at him, approaching again. "Stop pretending everything is love and sunshine for you. You don't trust me. You would have called them."
"You're right. I don't trust you. But you don't trust me either," he points out. "And not everything is love and sunshine. You could kill me. You told me you wouldn't, or rather that you already would have if you were going to. If you go back on your word, I'll haunt your ass in the afterlife."
"I don't, and I never hid it. I don't go around calming I like you or that I missed you." He responded easily, going to sit on the bed then, crossing both his arms and his legs.
He sighs. "Let's just... Not. You've already told me you don't like me back. And I'm okay with that. I think. Believe me or not, it's your choice. But I'm tired, and I don't want to fight anymore."
"Oh, sure. Let's not. Let's keep on escaping from problems." He mocked him with a careless shrug. "Do you really want me to leave? Don't think of Asgard or Odin, I can hide myself. Answer honestly."
He rolls his eyes at the trickster's mockery. "I'm here aren't I? I just don't want to fight anymore." He sighs. "Of course not. Not thinking of Asgard or Odin. No I don't want you to leave."
Loki stared at him, trying to find the crack in his facade.
"Are we able to do anything besides fighting?" he asked after a moment, sighing and laying down on the bed, his hands crossed upon his stomach while he stared at the roof.
It was better this way, after all. If they fought, then Loki would never grow fond of Stark, and if the mortal truly cared for him on some level, it would pass. Fighting was better. It had to be.
"Sometimes," he says thinking back to the few times they ended up in a bed together. "Sometimes we have really domestic times." He smiles softly. "But for the most part we're at each other's throats. And not in a good way."
"Domestic arguments," he corrected, giving him a quick glance.
He turned on the bed and gave his back to Stark. He held his injured arms to his chest and closed his eyes, sighing.
Nothing would be alright, anyway. Nothing was ever alright with him. He didn't have trust in anyone after discovering his true origins. With Stark, it was not different. He couldn't trust him. He was the enemy, after all.
"Touché." Tony sighs, dropping the keys on the god's dresser. "Don't stay down here forever. Visit those of us in the land of the living sometime."
He turns around to leave. But spins back around almost as fast.
"Oh, before I forget. I brought you back some chocolate. There was a little place I passed that just made me think of you. So I don't want you starving yourself either."
When he heard the sound of the keys being dropped, Loki turned, leaned over for picking them, and threw them back at Stark.
"You will use it against me again if I keep them," he quickly explained, and then slipped under the blankets. "I will eat if and when I'm hungry. You can eat the chocolate, I never asked for it."
Loki's sleeve had been bunched up allowing Tony to see the scars adorning his arm as he reached for the keys. Were they always there? Or were they new? He doesn't say anything, thinking it was beneath Loki to self-harm, and not wanting to cause another argument.
"I don't like chocolate. Not enough to eat it straight."
He bends down to pick up the keys once more.
"I'm not going to treat you like a fucking prisoner. If you take the goddamn keys, I'll try my damnedest to not say anything to you. Cause you sure as hell don't want me saying shit anyway."
He tosses the keys back at Loki and slips out the door before they could be thrown back at him.
"Everything you say is shit." He responded coldly, turning just in time to catch the keys before they could hit him and for seeing Stark leaving.
Sighing, he stood, opened the door, and aimed right at the man's head when he threw them back at him.
"Stop it, okay? Stop being friendly, stop doing anything for me, stop caring, if you truly do it. Stop it." He growled. "Throw the damn chocolate away, take the damn keys and ignore my existence."
Tony ignored it all, just continued on his death march to the stairs. If that's how Loki wanted to be then fine. Screw him.
He could go fuck himself while he wallowed in the pool of self-pity for all he cared at the moment. Tony had a one-way ticket to "IDon'tGiveAShitVille" and he was campaigning for mayor.
This is why he hid behind a bastard's personality, heavy sarcasm, and witty remarks.
Loki looked at the man while he walked away with an angry expression. Stark was... ignoring him.
"Hey, I am talking to you!" he called as he followed after him. He could stark ignoring him after the discussion was closed, at least.
...No, no. It had to be Loki closing the discussion, and slamming the door on the man's face. Not like this.
"Stark!"