[Redacted]
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
Sometime later, Loki awoke again. Everything ached, and he was taking that as a good sign. After all, if he could feel pain in all his limbs, then he wasn't paralyzed. Slowly peeling open his eyes, he saw nothing above him other than the white stucco of the ceiling. He tried to turn over but found it difficult as he was seemingly embedded into the ground. Seeing no other way to get out, Loki slowly and painfully hoisted himself up out of the hole. When he finally did, his body almost gave out on him again. However, he fought to stay conscious and came out of that battle victorious. After a few minutes rest Loki started pulling himself forwards, up the small staircase that lay just a few feet from him. That's when he finally took notice of their presence.
The "Avengers" in all their glory stood before him. The beast, the man of iron, the captain, his… Thor, the Black Widow – now wielding his staff – and the Hawkeye, who had an arrow aimed directly at his forehead. Loki swallowed hard. He was no fool. He knew when he'd been beaten; when there were no tricks left to play; when his only option to ensure his own personal safety was to surrender. So, he slowly raised his hands.
"If it's all the same to you," he found himself saying. "I'll have that drink now." The Hulk gave out what seemed to be a snort of indignation, but the rest seemingly gave no response, just stared daggers at him for a few seconds. Eventually, the Hawkeye lowered his bow and the Black Widow handed the scepter over to Thor. Within seconds, each of them was grabbing one of his arms and pinning them behind his back.
"Under the Supreme Court decision of Miranda v. Arizona, all law enforcement agencies – including S.H.I.E.L.D. – must issue the following warning whenever an arrest is made," Hawkeye said. "But in this case, you are not a citizen of this planet, nor a citizen of this country, so none of these rights apply to you, but we're legally required to tell you all of these rights that you do not have."
"You do not have the right to remain silent," the Black Widow said. "Refusal to answer questions will not be taken lightly."
"Anything you say could be used against you in a court of law," Hawkeye continued. "But let's face it, you're never going to go to trial."
"You do not have the right to consult an attorney before answering any questions, nor do you have the right to consult an attorney now or in the future." Loki could feel something tight and metal close around his wrist. He tried to tug at it, but the Widow responded by jabbing her fist into his side. He tried to suppress a groan of pain.
"Once again," Hawkeye continued saying. "Since you are not going to trial, you don't need to worry about hiring an attorney, but if you were and unable to afford one, the court would not be obligated to appoint one for you."
"If you wanted to answer questions without an attorney present, you do not have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney."
"Do you understand these rights that you do not have?" For a few seconds, Loki just blinked at Barton with a puzzled expression. He wanted to ask what an attorney was and why he was not allowed to have one, but instead, he kept that to himself and just nodded weakly. At that point, the agents grabbed both of his arms tightly and started pushing him towards the nearest stairway.
"Back us up, Thor?" Loki glanced over his shoulder to see his brother nod and start to follow them. In his eyes, Loki caught a glimpse of a wide range of emotions. Anger was the leading one, but he could also see glimpses of more heart-wrenching ones – disappointment, shame, despair – and the fact was, Loki couldn't find it in himself to blame Thor. Not because of everything he destroyed or the lives that were taken, he still felt that it was his God-given right to rule over all the Nine Realms.
No, it was for the deal he made – arguably the worst thing he did because now not only did Thanos know where another Infinity Stone was hidden, but Loki had also failed him. Failure was not an option when you were a servant of Thanos. It was either success or death. Then, the Other's words from earlier echoed back through his head along with the scorching memory of the pain that had been inflicted on him.
"If you fail; if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something sweet as pain."
Loki squeezed his eyes shut and bit down on his tongue. Even though he didn't have it, he felt it necessary to exercise his right to remain silent now.
With each piece of armor that was lifted off him, Tony could slowly feel the weight of the world slowly lifting from him. It was over. Loki was captured. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that had been under Loki's influence were being rounded up and detained while they tried to figure out how to break the mind control without using Natasha's process of "cognitive recalibration". The police, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the National Guard were evacuating unauthorized civilians from the area, getting them to safety and medical attention if necessary. All the Avengers were accounted for, even if they were a little worse for wear. Steve was alive, safe, and head over heels for him (and yes, Tony still couldn't believe that last thing.) Most importantly, though, he was still alive.
His heart was beating normally (or what substitutes for normal when you have a cluster of shrapnel embedded in your chest), he was breathing fine, and as far as he could tell he had no critical, life-threatening injuries. All that Tony had JARVIS reassure him of at least five times since he set foot back in the tower, but it only served to scare him even more. Why? Because if nothing was wrong with him, why did it feel like everything was wrong with him?
As stated before, every time a piece of armor was removed from his body Tony felt an immense weight come off him. However, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. With each piece that came off, it literally felt like Tony was getting lighter and lighter to the point he had no physical mass. If he got any lighter, he'd get carried off on a breeze and float away. Thankfully, he did have a little bit of encouragement to keep moving forward and not collapse to the ground like he wanted. Steve was waiting for him at the end of the assembly line and as soon as the final piece of armor was off him, Tony practically jumped into his arms.
"Uff," Steve groaned as their bodies collided. He had to take a step back to regain balance. "You might want to take it easy there. I'm not as young as I used to be."
"Sure, you are," Tony said into his shoulder. His arms quickly wrapped around Steve's torso and he clung to him almost for dear life.
I'm not weightless, he reminded himself as he pulled his face away to look up at Steve. That's impossible. I'm not going to fly away if I let go of Steve. I'm not…
Tony's thought process was cut off by Steve's lips crashing into his again. God damn, he didn't know what had gotten into Steve, but Tony had to admit he liked it and this kiss had to be even better than the last one. Steve was an excellent kisser, but this time Tony got to be even more of an active participant. It was invigorating, the heat that swirled between them with each passing second and when they broke apart, neither one of them could wipe the ridiculous smiles off their faces.
"Hey," Steve said softly as he reached up to gently run a hand through Tony's hair.
"Hi," Tony responded back with a sense of amazement that he usually only reserved for tech he's never seen before and newborn babies. It caused his heart to swell up so much, tears threatened to start streaming down his face. "I'm alive."
"Yeah." Steve rubbed his other hand gently up and down Tony's side. "You're alive. We're all alive. We're safe."
"No," Tony said. "Steve, you don't get it. I'm alive." Tony could feel himself shaking, his left-hand trembling something fierce. Steve brought his hand down to cup Tony's jaw. Every breath he took felt like a struggle, not unlike the one he experienced back up there in space. "I… I almost asphyxiated… I saw that army… I…"
"Hey, hey." Steve's arms quickly encircled Tony in a warm comforting hug. For two seconds Tony let his guard down and allowed a few tears to slip out. "You're here now and everyone's safe. That's all that matters. Just try to focus on that, okay?"
"Okay." With a sharp breath Tony pulled his emotions back. The battle might be over, but they still had things to do – namely meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. and dealing with all the bull they had to dish out. He hoped they'd be able to squeeze shawarma in before that. He couldn't remember the last time he ate anything substantial. Probably when Pepper forced him to sit down and eat a ham sandwich a few days ago. Regardless, he couldn't do either of those things if he was a pathetic, sobbing mess, so he forced himself to pull it together. Still, he couldn't help but sneak out one small form of comfort. "Don't let go of me." A small, soft grin appeared on Steve's face.
"I won't," he assured. "Not unless you tell me to." Tony reflected that grin and placed a hand on Steve's shoulder, pulling it down his arm until he reached his hand and their fingers intertwined.
"Uh…" A nervous voice broke through their little bubble and Tony pulled back from Steve a bit. He didn't let go of his hand, though, as he turned to face Bruce who had returned to his normal form and was using a throw pillow to cover himself. "I'd hate to break up the moment, but can someone tell me where I can find some pants?"
"I have some in the middle drawer of my dresser," Tony said. "Just go down the hall and it should be the last door on the left, right before the emergency stairs." Bruce nodded and gave a quick "thank you" before disappearing down the hall. Tony turned back to Steve, who looked at him with a bit of concern.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah," Tony assured. "Yeah, I'm good."
"Good." Steve rubbed his thumb across the back of Tony's hand. "So… I guess we should talk about this, huh?"
"Not now," Tony said. "When we get longer than a moment alone, then we can talk about it. For now, let's just enjoy the moment."
"Enjoy the moment?" Steve questioned with a bit of a wry grin on his face. "How do you suppose we do that?"
Tony responding by pulling Steve in for yet another kiss. This one was more achingly slow and affectionate, and they both threw themselves into it completely. Oh yes, this was a moment that Tony could already tell he would treasure forever.
…Or at least he would have if it wasn't suddenly cut off by an inhuman scream and the sound of something hard and heavy hitting the wall. Tony and Steve instantly pulled back and his panicked eyes instantly connected with Steve's. Without even a second of discussion or hesitation, the two ran off – still holding hands – towards the source.
Making it down the hall, they quickly came across the sight of Lara pinning a still-naked Bruce to the wall, knife in hand ready to plunge into his eye socket at any second. Steve tried to step forward hoping to try and separate them, but Bruce's hand shot out in a motion that told him to wait. He obliged, but by the tightness with which he was gripping Tony's hand, Tony could tell that he wasn't too keen on the idea. Meanwhile, Bruce turned his attention to Lara.
"Listen," he said calmly. "Just listen. You need to put that knife down and back away."
"Why? So, you can kill me?" she questioned. "Fat chance."
"No, really listen," Bruce implored again. "You really don't want to do that. Just put the knife down. Otherwise, you're going to be putting yourself in danger."
"Conroy just drop the damn knife," Tony said, catching Lara's attention. "I really don't want to fire you for stabbing one of my friends." With that, Lara's eyes went wide, and the knife fell from her hand. She turned, saw Tony there, and let out an audible sigh of relief.
"Tony," she said as she rushed over to him. Tony was a little surprised when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. "Thank God you're here. I was so worried."
"I was too," he said. "But I'm not sure how I feel about the hugging." Lara instantly pulled back.
"Okay," she said. "That's fine. No hugging's good. Christ, sorry I'm a mess. These guys just broke in and…"
"It's okay," Tony assured. "We've got it taken care of. You're safe now."
"Wallace is dead," Lara said. "At least I think he is. They shot him. I saw it on the CCTV. There were too many of them, I couldn't handle it alone." Tony looked down at the news.
Damn it, yet another person I couldn't save.
"Then why'd you come charging out the door when I tried to open it?" Bruce's question made Lara turn around.
"I thought you were coming to kill me," she said plainly. "The best way to survive a mass shooting is to avoid the attacker, deny them access to your location, and – if it comes down to it – defend yourself. I couldn't avoid them, and I thought holding that door closed wouldn't last me long. The best option I had was to at least try and defend myself. That's what the Secret Service trained me to do and I was fully prepared to do it if Tony hadn't spoken up."
"Sure, you were," Bruce said not quite convinced. "Wait, Secret Service?"
"She's my assistant," Tony clarified. "She's had quite the interesting occupational history."
"Yup," Lara agreed. "Also, while we're on the subject of getting to know each other, who's that guy and why is he naked?" She turned and flickered her gaze back and forth between Steve and Tony. "I mean, I didn't walk in on some weird swinging thing or orgy, right?" Tony tried hard to suppress a laugh at Steve's reddening face and Bruce's abject horror.
"No," Tony said. "God, no. I'm not as rebel to the idea of monogamy as people might think. Anyways, the naked guy is Dr. Bruce Banner. Bruce, this is Lara Conroy. Now as to why he's naked… Uh, let's just say you don't want to piss him off."
"So, naked guy with anger issues?" Lara looked Bruce up and down as if assessing him. "Eh, I've been to San Diego. Nothing I can't handle."
"You might want to rethink that," Bruce said. "And by the way, clothes?"
"This way." Tony tapped the door he had meant for Bruce to go to. Apparently, he'd just gotten his left and right flipped and went into the supply closet directly across the hall, which Lara had been hiding in. Bruce gave a grateful nod and quickly disappeared behind the door. Meanwhile, Lara scratched the back of her head.
"So, anyways, I think I'm going to go," she said. "No offence, but after this whole ordeal I think I just want to go home and relax in the tub with a lavender bath bomb." She brought a hand to her head. "Err, maybe I should go to the Emergency Room first. I'm pretty sure I missed my last dose of insulin."
"They shut down Park Avenue," Tony explained. "So, once you get outside just follow the directions of the police and National Guard. They'll get you off the island safely."
"National Guard?" Lara gave him an odd expression.
"You'll see why when you get down there," Tony said. "Just listen and do what they tell you. Also, watch your step." Lara still looked confused, but nodded nonetheless.
"Alright," she said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Err, Tuesday. Tomorrow's a holiday. Anyways, see you." She then went to the emergency stairs, opened the door, and pulled it shut behind her.
"I hope she knows she left her laptop and all of her other crap here," Tony remarked once she was gone.
"Should we tell her?" Steve asked.
"Nah," Tony said. "The sooner she gets out of Manhattan, the better. Anyways…" Tony turned and wrapped an arm around Steve's waist. "Where were we?"
"Enjoying the moment," he said.
"Ah, yes," Tony said. "I really liked that moment. Care to revisit it?"
Just as Tony and Steve started to lean in for their fourth kiss, another door banged open and footsteps could be heard entering the penthouse.
"Stark!" Natasha called out. "We're back! Loki's in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and he won't be getting out any time soon." Tony pulled back and looked at Steve, slightly disappointed.
"…And the moment's gone." Steve put a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay though?" he asked.
"Yeah," Tony assured. "Come on, let's go get something to eat before we all keel over from exhaustion and starvation."
Surprisingly enough, the shawarma place was still open when the Avengers showed up. When they asked the old man and woman who ran the restaurant why they didn't close shop and flee when the invasion started, they looked completely non-pulsed.
"We from Gaza," the man said in heavily accented English. "Palestine. This normal." Tony made sure to give them an extra big tip after that.
They sat in silence for quite a while. No one really wanted to break the silence. For once, it was comfortable. That wasn't something Tony expected sitting at a table with two deadly assassins, the Incredible Hulk, a Norse God, and Captain America – the living legend himself – but the circumstances and working together as a team had changed that. Now, Tony could honestly say that he trusted everyone sitting at this table with his life and that was something he thought he'd never be able to do. It was almost nice.
Keyword: almost. Tony felt like he was lighter than air and though he thought eating would help, but so far, the only thing that did was leave him with the horrible feeling of a rock sinking into his stomach. Don't get him wrong, the shawarma was good. He supposed it was more his nerves than the food causing that upset, and it was understandable. After all, who wouldn't freak out if they had something wrong with them and they couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was?
Across the table, Steve glanced up at Tony with a concerned look. Tony did his best to give his newly-acquired boyfriend a reassuring smile but found he couldn't be quite convincing enough. Tony beat him to the punch before he could say anything.
"I'm okay," he assured. "Don't worry about me."
"You just threw a missile into space," Steve pointed out. "I think I have a right to be worried."
"Well, don't," Tony said. "I am one-hundred percent, completely, absolutely fine."
"And I'm supposed to take your word for that?"
"Yes, otherwise I'm going to find a way to make you shut your mouth."
"Oh, really?" A wry grin came across Steve's face. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Tony smirked.
"Don't test me, sweetheart," he said.
"Uh," Bruce suddenly spoke up. "Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to ask, when did all the flirting and the kissing start? Not that I have a problem with it. Good for you guys, but did I miss something?"
"Wait, they kissed?" The excitement in Natasha's voice unnerved Tony a little bit.
"Aye," Thor confirmed.
"Twice," Bruce added. Natasha let out a slightly wicked laugh and held out her hand to the man next to her.
"Pay up, Barton."
"I don't have any money on me," Clint said through a mouthful of food.
"Well, you should have thought of that before you made the bet."
"Crap." Clint swallowed hard. "I'll pay you as soon as we get back, alright?"
"You two took bets on whether or not I'd kiss Tony?" Steve brought a hand up to his face in a weak attempt to hide how red it was turning, both from embarrassment and anger. Tony glared at the two assassins, who were attempting to handwave the issue.
"No," Clint dismissed.
"Of course not," Natasha said. "We bet on whether or not you two would get together."
"That's even worse," Steve protested. "When did you even make the bet?"
"When we were getting off the Quinjet," Natasha shrugged. "You were two busy gaping at the sky-whales to notice."
"I wasn't gaping," Steve insisted.
"I could hear you over the comms, honey," Tony said. "You were, in fact, gaping, but then again who wouldn't? None of us has seen anything like that before. Well, other than Thor, since apparently giant birds are common wherever he's from."
"Actually, they're a more common mode of travel on Vanahiem than Asgard," Thor said. "And I never said they were 'giant', just large enough to ride."
"That's giant to us, Thor," Clint said.
"Regardless," Thor said. "I can assure you I have never seen anything like that before. That was…"
"Brutal," Natasha offered.
"Horrific," Steve added.
"The stuff of nightmares," Clint groaned.
"Chaos," Bruce continued.
"E," Tony said. "All of the above."
"Yes," Thor said regretfully. "And on behalf of my brother and all of Asgard, I must apologize for everything he has done."
"No need," Natasha said. "As long as Loki receives sufficient punishment on Asgard, we'll consider that apology enough."
"Loki's going back to Asgard?" Bruce questioned.
"It was Fury's decision," Natasha said. "Our legal system isn't prepared to handle a case of these proportions, especially when you consider all the legal and political issues that prosecuting an extraterrestrial would stir up. In the end, it was smarter to hand Loki over to his own people."
"Loki's actions will not be taken lightly," Thor assured. "Our father will see to it."
"Yeah," Clint said. "That's reassuring. Daddy's going to put Loki in time-out. Meanwhile, one of my closest friends is dead."
Everyone fell silent after that. No one could bring themselves to say anything, because damn… That was, until Steve raised his glass.
"I'd like to propose a toast," he said. "To the man who believed in us, even when we didn't; the one who looked at us, saw what we could be, and didn't give up on us. To the heart of the Avengers, Phil Coulson." Tony held up his glass.
"To Coulson." Bruce, Thor, and Natasha followed his lead.
"To Coulson," they said unanimously. Slowly, Clint raised his glass.
"To Coulson." With that, their glasses clinked together, and everything fell silent again as they took sips off their respective soft drinks. Tony felt the corners of his lips raise as he looked around the table. At that point, it truly sunk in.
We're a team now, he thought. No going back.
His smile faltered when he took a deep breath in and felt like he was inhaling water.
Yup, something's wrong with me. Shakily, he put his glass back down on the table and hoped no one noticed how bad his hands were twitching.
Thank you to mfaerie32 and guest reviewer Star for the reviews on FFN and FriedChickenNisha for the comment on AO3. You guys rock!
[This unrelated rant has been redacted]
Remember kids, don't listen to me when I'm off my meds. I tend to ramble about pointless topics like this. SERIOUSLY CVS, WHAT THE FUCK?
Star: Thank you so much for the review. Yeah, you're right, poor Steve, poor Tony, and poor Loki, too! I'm really glad you enjoyed this chapter! :)
Originally posted to FFN on 1/25/19.