"JARVIS. Call Bruce up here."
Tony's voice was surprisingly calm as he extended a hand to Thor's chest, swallowing something sour and pulling the dagger out – damn, that sound was just sick. He wasn't even sure it was the right thing to do.
With shaking hands, he stared at the blade. It was pitch black, curved and resembled nothing he had ever seen, meaning it could only come from...
"That bastard", Tony whispered and then, he spun on his heels and ran towards the elevator. Just when he arrived, Bruce stepped out with a mixture of concern and anger on his face, but before he got to say anything, the millionaire drowned him in a flood of short, hectic sentences: "Go take care of Thor. Don't freak out, breath in and out, y'know how to do that. I'll explain everything when I understand it myself. Nono, don't you go to the green side now. I'm gonna find someone. Figure... things out. We can talk later, Thor needs help. Bye."
With that, the doors closed and Tony took the two floors he passed to steady himself. Not to calm down, no. Just to keep himself from smashing something right now. He would come to that later.
There was a painful sting in his chest. It was sickening, nauseating, but that probably laid in the nature of the thing, right? His knuckles turned white where he gripped the handle of the dagger and he clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. Yes, it was the nature of betrayal. It hurt like nothing else could and it never came from your enemies.
After reaching the level he had aimed for, he crossed the corridor and slammed the door at its end open to see Loki sitting on the couch, the personification of innocence, and reading a book.
"Stark?", he asked, and oh, what an actor he was. He looked confused at Tony's grim expression, but not intimidated. As if he didn't know what he was here for. Bastard.
"Does this", Tony hissed, holding up the knife, "look familiar to you?" The god's eyes widened (oh, what an actor) and he stood up from the sofa, putting the book aside.
"That's mine", he stated, reaching for it, but the millionaire drew back until his back was flush against the wall. He gave a small laugh.
"Oh, brilliant strategy. Admit it, you idiot. You should at least try to", he waved with the dagger in his hand, "you know, deny it. But probably there's a plot behind this plot, too. Seriously, when did I start to trust the god of fucking lies?!"
"Stark, now you are just not making any sense", the god said firmly. "Don't you want to tell me what this is all about?"
Tony took a breath. A deep breath.
Then he grabbed Loki, who was only a step away now, by the collar, turned around to slam him into the wall and hissed: "This is about you stabbing your brother in his sleep, you bastard!"
And – yes, he thoroughly enjoyed the way Loki's eyes widened, and that stunned, soundless cry, barely more than a hoarse breath escaping the prince's lips as Tony buried the blade to the hilt in his stomach.
"Stark", he breathed, his hands clutching the millionaire's sleeves as he crouched over the blade. "What are you..."
"No! Just no!", Tony growled. "You killed your own brother in his sleep, you treacherous son of a bitch!"
"Thor?! I didn't do anything like that!", the god defended himself, his face white as a sheet.
"You just admitted this is your dagger. Really, I would have thought of you as a better liar", Tony sneered bitterly. "But then again, I wouldn't have thought of you as such a dirty player, either."
"I didn't even bring weapons to earth with me! I have no idea where..."
"Shut up!" Tony shifted to whisper right into the god's ear, pressing him even more firmly against the wall. "You're such a sly little bastard. I should never have taken you in, I should have done this", he gave the blade a sharp twist and felt the other shiver, heard the strained whimper Loki couldn't suppress, "right from the beginning."
"Listen, I can explain...", he tried again.
"Enough!" The engineer took a step back, pulling Loki with him by his collar, and felt the god's knees give in. Right, he was sort of human right now, he couldn't just ignore an injury like that. The thought gave him a grim kind of satisfaction. "I'm not buying any of your lies any more. I did so far too long." Slowly he started to pull the knife out, ignoring the way the god bit his lower lip until it drew blood. His eyes were rolling back helplessly until he finally squeezed them shut. "Do you remember yourself teaching me how to stab someone the right way? Well, thanks for the lesson." He smiled coldly.
"Stark, please", Loki whispered. "Listen to me. I..."
Tony felt betrayed. He had trusted Loki, something he didn't usually do this easily (and really, what had he been thinking?) and to see his trust abused this way hurt. Right now, he was able to channel it into anger, but it wouldn't stay this way. Not for long.
"No! You are not going to talk yourself out of it this time!", the millionaire hissed. "Did you really think making me fall in love with you would leave me oblivious for your lies? I might be stupid sometimes, but I'm not that dumb."
Loki's eyes widened even further. "Making you...", he began, but was cut off again.
"Well, no. Fuck you." He examined the god's shirt with the blade still in his stomach, thinking about the way he would slide it between those fragile ribs. Because yes, at that moment, Loki looked really fragile, desperately trying to free himself but stuck under Tony's weight and too weakened by his injuries – ah, there had been broken ribs, right? They probably hurt like hell.
"Stark, Anthony, please, you need to listen", he whispered, trying to get away from under him, tears of pain glimmering in his eyes. "Please!"
"Oh, now you're begging? Didn't leave your brother the chance to do so", Tony stated scornfully.
"I didn't..." Suddenly the room went dark, dark and somehow cold. Not cold in a temperature-kind of way, but like a weight pressing down on him. The millionaire felt Loki's breath hitch for a second to continue in the doubled pace. "Get off me", he whispered. "Get off now or you..."
"What kind of trick is this, Loki?", Tony snarled. Like hell he was going to fall for – holy fuck. Hastily he moved away from Loki, scrambling to his feet as he eyed the... the... whatever it was. It was ugly, and it looked dangerous, and why the hell was it in his tower?!
"I am pleased to see you attempt to do my work, human", the creature sneered. It was clad in some mixture of robe and armour all in grey and black, also including a hood that looked almost like it was made of leather. Where its eyes should be were thick, dark bandages hiding its forehead and the upper half of its head. The lower part of the blueish-grey face, only covered by something resembling a golden cage that made absolutely no sense to Tony, contained a set of red teeth that appeared just slightly unsettling. The hand closed around a black, broad sword had clearly just too much fingers and ew, there were so many reasons not to look at it.
"JARVIS, Avengers, here, now", the millionaire breathed, retreating until he was with his back against the wall. The AI didn't confirm, but he knew he had heard him. Now he just had to hope the others were fast.
Faking self-confidence, he demanded: "Right. I think you forgot to tell me what this is about, if I might remind you. So what the actual hell is going on here?" Things were happening, much too fast for him to comprehend.
"I am here to get back what is mine", the creature stated, making a gesture towards Loki with his – god, how many fingers had that thing?!
"I still have some unfinished business with him, if you don't mind", Tony retorted, watching as Loki used the wall for a hold while getting to his feet, shaking and panting. Somehow he began to think he had made a really bad mistake.
"So have I", the thing replied and really, it started to be annoying that it didn't have a name to go by. But if Tony got that right, this was the creature that had held Loki captive, the one he had never referred to with any name but just The Other.
There is no need to call him here by speaking his name, he had said.
"I got him first."
"This is no time for your games, mortal!" The moment the creature spoke, the door busted open and he heard several pairs of footsteps.
"Maybe for theirs?", Tony asked with a smug grin. Then he looked over his shoulder and saw Clint and Natasha– "Where the fuck is Steve?"
"Got called out on a mission a few minutes ago", Natasha answered curtly. Great. Bruce was nursing Thor who was unconscious and Steve was out. So apparently, it was three humans against a god and – a thing. Just fucking great odds. "What's this all about?", the red-haired spy demanded.
"About someone", the millionaire spat, "who's got a different definition of loyalty than I do." Loki straightened himself up, a pained, but still smug grin on his lips.
"Well, Stark", he managed, "it's been nice. Really. But I told you he would come back. You were right, trusting the god of lies was not your wisest action yet." He gave a short chuckle. "Aside from this unpleasant little surprise", he looked at the bloody spot slowly growing on his clothing with an expression that resembled amusement before he looked up again, "really, Stark, you made this almost too easy."
"I am pleased, little prince", The Other spoke up with something that should probably resemble a smirk, "that you know where your loyalties lay." He gave Tony a dirty look.
Loki flinched just from hearing the voice of the creature, but he kept his malicious, almost sadistic grin up and glared at Tony. The fact that he was not wearing his armour, but only a button-up-shirt and black jeans didn't make him much less intimidating. Neither did the blood soaking his clothes – more in the opposite – or the hand clutched over his stomach. He was even standing straight again, even though there was sweat forming on his forehead and he was clenching his jaw just a little too hard to seem unaffected by the pain.
"Well then, trickster, don't you think it is time for us to go?", The Other asked in his graveyard-voice. "Of course we will take your little friends with us. You shouldn't be lonely after all." He stepped closer to Loki and instantly the god tried to back away, managing exactly one step before he was with his back flush against the wall.
Tony heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him, probably coming from Natasha. There was a sting in his chest as he saw how easily the god submitted to that thing, that thing that had probably had him imprisoned. Five years.
But apparently, there had been more behind that. There had been a plan, all the time, and Loki was probably here to find out the Avenger's weaknesses all along.
Or hadn't he?
We will take your little friends with us.
I saw him torturing my mother, Thor, my children... I couldn't bare watching how he punished my family for my mistakes... At first, I was still able to tell his illusions from reality, but...
So no illusions this time, but Avengers.
Tony had absolutely no idea who was good and bad by now because it seemed to change every two or three minutes, but he knew that he was so not going to be part of some sick psychotic torturing game.
And he wasn't going to let the panic get the best of him, not – ah, scrap that, logical thinking took time he didn't have. With a growl he jolted forward, raising a fist (and yes, during that one second he had before it connected he did scold himself for attacking a being that was able to dominate a god with his bare fist, but, by then, it was too late) to let it crush into the side of the beast's head.
It didn't even flinch.
"You should not have done that, mortal", it snarled instead and turned to face Tony.
"Got it. Bad idea", the engineer muttered while backing down slowly, followed by the creature, step by step.
The sound of a gun being fired chimed behind him, but The Other only raised a hand and there was something, a flash of light, and Tony didn't dare to turn around but heard Clint gasp: "Tasha!"
"It is funny to see how–" A sound, a really disgusting sound, resembling a... gurgle, or maybe... There was really no need to describe it further. Disgusting. However, that sound followed, and the creature stopped dead in its tracks, mouth opening and closing, displaying red teeth and – whoa, it had clearly never made contact with a toothbrush in the millennia it had lived.
Tony was grateful as it collapsed on the ground before him, giving way for him to see Loki with the dagger in both hands.
"Where did you get that from?", the millionaire asked. It was the first
"You left it in my stomach", Loki snapped. "I see what Rogers is always complaining about. There is no way to follow a plan when you're in it." He grinned, but it quickly turned into a grimace and he pressed a hand onto the wound. God, he had pulled the knife out himself without making a sound...
Immediately, Tony was beside him, holding the god by his shoulders as he broke down on his knees.
"Fuck, Lokes – I'm sorry, I...", he stammered. Slowly, oh so slowly, the pieces came together. Loki had played along to fool The Other, he had never actually been on his side. Tony could have slapped himself. He was so fucking stupid. "God dammit, I overreacted, I'm so sorry, you can call me the dumbest genius of all history if you want, I should've..."
"Shut up", the god groaned. "You better – oh Norns, Stark, move."
"What?", Tony asked, confused. "You're injured, you shouldn't..."
"Move!", Loki repeated and then Tony heard a strange scratching noise from behind him as the god stood up shakily, swaying on his feet more than actually standing, and pulled the engineer up. Where did he take that strength from? "Move out of his reach, you fool!"
"Keep cool, Loki, he's dead", the engineer reassured. "We just need to –"
The god gave him a forceful push, shoving Tony away. Loki staggered a step forward, then his eyes grew wide and a weak, agonized choking sound left his lips as The Other's black sword was thrust right through his chest from behind.