Born Of The Same Impulse

Summary: Barely five minutes into the past and Tony has already taken care of Ultron, thus prevented Sokovia, thus – hopefully – made sure that the Civil War would never happen. All things considered, he was doing pretty well!

Then he just had to look up his fellow superhero turned time traveller on the internet.

Star Surgeon Involved In Car Crash, Condition Unknown

Chapter 22

By the time Tony managed to catch up to him, Thor was halfway to the infirmary. Tony had thrown a curt "Don't touch the stone" over his shoulder, barely managed not to stumble over it and broken out into a sprint. So that was how far he'd come: leaving a weapon of mass destruction lying on the floor of his tower in a desperate attempt to salvage his team dynamic.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Tony's cards were finally out in the open, but strewn around so messily that nobody could recognize the picture for what it was.

"Thor," he called, shouldering past the icy feeling in his chest. "Thor, wait."

Thor's steps faltered, but he didn't stop. At least he wasn't ignoring Tony.

"You wanted me to explain, right? So let me try. If you'd just– Let me–" Tony's voice trembled with frustration and he cut himself off. "Just give me a chance."

"So you have an explanation," Thor said, halting in his steps.

Tony pressed his lips together. "Not a pretty one," he admitted, "but... yeah. It's... it's better than nothing."

Hurried steps sounded through the hallway. Steve was first, steering towards them with a determined look. Clint and Natasha followed, and Bruce came trailing after them as though he'd contemplated heading back several times.

Tony tried – once again – to find the right words. He realized that with only the six of them, it was easier. He realized that despite the tension – despite the cracks spread over their old trust like a spiderweb – the words didn't stick to his throat like before.

If this went right, the team would no longer be a source of discomfort. If Tony did this right, they could go back to how things were. (Or perhaps they could form something better. Something they hadn't had in either this nor the other reality.)

"Okay. You know that… wait." He started again. "Do you remember the day Vision came online?"

"Of course." Bruce furrowed his brows. "You shut down JARVIS and disappeared for several hours."

"I went to Stephen's place. He'd... well. He was still recovering."

"And you couldn't have done that after your little experiment?" asked Clint. "Or before?"

Thor's frown deepened. "Why is this important?"

"I'll get to it," Tony promised. "There's more I did that day – it's important, I promise. Just hear me out. I set up a bunch of new subroutines. One of them to track down the twins, and the other... the other for Barnes."

"Okay. That's... If you could do that, why didn't you do it earlier?" Steve was trying to put together the puzzle pieces of Tony's story. A couple more of them, and hopefully the picture would become clearer.

"I couldn't. Do it earlier, I mean. I didn't know about Barnes." Tony glanced at Clint. "I didn't know about Stephen, either."

"You mean his accident?"

Or his general existence. "Yeah."

Bruce's voice was hesitant when he said, "You found out all of that on the same day?"

"Not– Kind of. It's... complicated." Tony closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Everything I did – changing Vision's code, setting up those subroutines – they were all meant to prevent something terrible from happening."

"Something terrible," Thor repeated slowly. "What precisely?"

Tony pressed his lips together. "Vision going rogue. Him becoming... dangerous. JARVIS dying, and... others. Many more. Civilians, mostly." Tony's eyes dropped to the ground at the memory. He forced them back upwards immediately. "And so many other things afterwards."

Clint missed a beat. "That's... really specific."

"You speak as if you're talking from experience," Natasha noted.

"Yeah, well." Tony pulled his lips into a humorless smile. "I wasn't just speculating."

Tony realized that he was stalling and tried forcing himself to stop. It was now or never. He had one chance to mend the splinters within the team – only the one.

"We– That is, I know all of this because I've lived through it before." There was a beat of silence. "I'm from the future. Everything went south, and somebody decided to give me a second chance."

Nobody spoke, and Tony did his best not to fidget.

"Tony... maybe you need to sit down."

Tony wasn't surprised to look up and meet Steve's frown. "I haven't hit my head, if that's what you think."

"That's exactly what you said during your last concussion," Clint muttered.

Steve let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows as though he was fighting off a persistent headache – or like he was resigning himself to do something pointless. "Okay, I... Okay. Let's talk about this." He looked up and caught Natasha's eyes. "Nat? What do you think?"

Natasha's gaze felt like she was trying to pierce skin and look right through Tony. "I can't tell if he's lying."

Tony huffed a joyless laugh. "Oh, you can. You just don't like what you're seeing."

Her expression was almost entirely blank. Only her lips were pursed. "He's convinced he's telling the truth."

"Oh, come on." Clint looked to the ceiling, seemingly doing his hardest not to roll his eyes.

Bruce, in a similar fashion, looked seconds away from ushering Tony into the infirmary and checking him over for signs of a head trauma. Perhaps the only thing stopping him was Thor's thoughtful frown – and their guest currently blocking off the infirmary.

"Do you have proof?" Steve asked, sounding half-exasperated, half-desperate.

Tony paused. There was no physical proof he could offer. There was nothing that could prove that their journey through time had happened, and nothing to show that Stephen and he were other people than they'd been before that day.

Stephen didn't even have the time stone in his possession. Perhaps if they contacted the Ancient One and had her confirm their story... Then they'd have the confirmation that a mysterious, robe-wearing stranger believed in time travel. Wonderful.

What about other proof? What about things he'd learned? Something they (or someone) knew to be true, but that his younger self would have had no way of knowing?

Clint's family sprang to mind, and Tony debated whether it was worth spilling the secret in order to prove himself. Although, he figured, that spilling secrets was rather the point.

"You trust us," Tony said, looking at Clint, "right?"

"... What?"

"Do you trust us?"

Clint huffed out a breath of air. "Yeah. Of course I do."

"I mean really," Tony pressed. "If it came down to it, would you trust us with your life? With everything?"

Clint paused and finally seemed to take the question seriously. He opened his mouth and closed it. Then, "Yeah. I do."

Tony nodded, relieved. "I met your family. We all did."

Clint gave him a perfectly uncomprehending look. "SHIELD was the closest I had to a family. In case you haven't noticed, it didn't exactly turn out well."

"Nice try," Tony said, "but I'm talking about your wife. Plus kids. Also a dog? Look, it was a farm, I'm pretty sure there was also a dog."

Clint's mouth fell open. He darted a look at Natasha, who twitched her shoulders.

"Wait," Bruce said, his eyes wide. "You have a family?"

"You're married?"

"What are their names?" Clint asked, ignoring the others.

Tony raised his hands defensively. "I've met them once, but okay. Um. Laura, Layla… No. Lila? And... Cooper? And the little one, you called him... called him... Nathan... iel? Yeah, that one. Nathaniel. Interesting choice by the way, but you do you."

"We're gonna call her Natasha."

Oops.

"Congratulations. It's gonna be a boy."

Natasha let out a rather un-assassin-like curse under her breath.

Silence settled between them, none of them sure about how to proceed. Bruce leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Tony's anxiety raised its ugly head and roared, making his stomach churn and drawing each second out unbearably. "So. What now?"

"That was no answer," Thor said.

"What?"

"My question. You have not answered it."

"Right." Tony blinked. "Uh. What was your question again?"

Thor pursed his lips. "Why have you kept it a secret from as long as you did?"

"You said that you've known since Vision," Steve added quietly. "Tony, that's months back. Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why not immediately?"

Tony's eyes slid to the floor and he clenched his jaw. His hands fidgeted at his sides. "The last time we'd seen each other," the last time that wasn't spent fighting a war, "I blasted off Barnes' arm and you rammed your shield into my chest."

Steve stiffened. He opened his mouth as though trying to protest, but Tony interrupted him.

"The Avengers didn't exist anymore. Half of you were fugitives. Another invasion happened – worse than New York, so much worse, just like I said it would happen – and we were all over the place. We didn't manage to stop it. The world needed us – it needed us together – and we weren't there to stop any of it."

Tony paused. He swallowed bile and tried catching his breath. More quietly, he added, "I didn't want it to happen again. I was... I was terrified of messing up and making it happen."

"Well. I'd say you almost managed it," Clint muttered.

"Stephen kept telling me the same."

"Wait," Steve said, "you told Strange?"

"He already knew. He came back with me." Before any of them could jump to conclusions, Tony added, "He wanted me to tell you. He kept telling me that from the start. I just– I didn't–" He cut himself off and clenched his jaw. "Well. Here we are."

There was another pause. Tony chanced a glance at Thor and found him looking... thoughtful. He was still frowning, and there was still anger clouding his expression, but it was nowhere near as suffocating as it had been earlier.

"This was... a lot of information," Tony said when everybody else seemed at a loss at what to say. "Maybe we should, I don't know. Take a break. Let everything settle. We can talk more about it later."

"That might not be a bad idea," Steve admitted.

Bruce nodded, accepting the suggestion gladly. Natasha pursed her lips but inclined her head, and Clint followed suit not much later.

Thor hesitated. "Is there someone else that you've told?" He didn't sound accusing when he said it. Just tired.

"There isn't." Tony paused. "Not counting JARVIS. Stephen told his mentor, but I'm pretty sure she already knew. Other than that... No. Nobody else knows."

Thor gave him a long, scrutinizing look. Like he was gauging Tony's sincerity. In the end, he gave a small nod. "Okay."

With that, he turned and headed back towards the infirmary. It didn't feel as ultimate – as final – as it had before, but still Tony felt the urge to call after him. He wanted to make sure they were actually okay (or would be), but he couldn't bring himself to.

Tony let him go, just like he let the others go when they steered back towards the common area. He was left with a dull feeling in his chest – unpleasant, but far different from his earlier sensation of plunging into a free fall.

It wasn't all fine, but nothing was lost, either. They'd figure this out. Not today, not overnight, but they would. Tony believed that by now they were all willing to work for it.

Loki woke up in an unfamiliar environment. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, nor which realm he opened his eyes in. He heaved himself into an upright position – perhaps not his smartest of ideas, Norns, it hurt...

Where was he? How had he gotten here? Why was the air buzzing with something other than magic, that low, near imperceptible humming of a small insect flying directly next to his ear... Loki went stiff. Midgardian technology: that was where he'd felt the buzz before, startlingly close to Yggdrasil's energy yet so much weaker and more lifeless. If the humans had captured him (How? Where was Thor? How had Loki even landed on Midgard?), Loki would have to act swiftly.

An ear-splitting snore shattered the silence, and Loki found himself relaxing. He rolled his eyes, frantic worries forgotten as he relaxed into his cushions.

Thor lay slumped in a corner, his bulky frame folded into a plastic chair about half the size it needed to be. If his bro– if Thor was here, rather than occupying a healer's bed himself, he must have escaped their escapade more favorably than Loki.

Tension wound its way back into Loki's shoulders at the thought of who'd brought them to this point: Loki injured and Thor forced to beg those for help who would gladly take Loki's head as compensation for what he'd done. No wonder Thor was reluctant to leave his bedside.

"Good morning, Mr. Odinson."

Loki's head snapped up in search of the disembodied voice.

"You cannot see me. I am JARVIS, an artificial intelligence created by Mr. Stark."

Loki narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

'Jarvis' was not deterred. "I have been asked to inquire as to your wellbeing. Are you in pain?"

Loki contemplated not answering at all. The risk of Thor's little team returning sooner to investigate was high.

"Fine," Loki said curtly. He paused, and he decided that the risk of being denied answers was preferable to keeping his silence and learning nothing. "How long have we been here?"

"Your brother asked for assistance and asylum nearly two days ago."

Two days. Two days since they'd barely escaped Maw. Two days since Loki had lost all pretense: he had not only failed Thanos, but he'd also aided Thor in an attempt to foil his plans.

Loki's death sentence was signed. His only way of survival was to kill the executioner before he could lower his scythe.

"Has Thor mentioned his plans?"

"The Avengers have agreed to sit together and design a plan of action as soon as your brother has had some time to recover."

Loki gritted his teeth, wondering what role he would play now that Thor was reunited with his team. Thor might have proven spectacularly careless about the amount of freedom he allowed Loki after plucking him out of Asgard's dungeons, but his team certainly wouldn't.

How long would he be kept here? Temporarily? Permanently? Would they keep him locked up until they found a better solution? Until they could find a way to make him somebody else's problem?

Thor snorted a breath as though Loki's heated thoughts were enough to rouse him. Loki paused and kept silent. After a few heartbeats, Thor turned and dozed off again.

"Are you a servant?" Loki asked once he was certain his voice would not wake Thor.

"I beg your pardon?" Jarvis asked.

"You are made to follow orders, correct?"

"Indeed." Jarvis paused. "However, I do not believe Mr. Stark has ever thought of me as his servant."

Loki hummed. "Are his orders the only that you follow?"

"Yes and no. I am programmed to take into account every input I am given. However–"

"You are not forced to obey unless it is your master's command," Loki guessed.

"Correct."

He still sounded like a servant to Loki's ears. An unconventional one perhaps – one who could not carry out orders that required physical work. But still, orders were orders, and those who followed them were servants.

Someone knocked on the door, and – after waiting for an answer in vain – warned, "I'm coming in."

Loki stiffened even more at the sight of his host. His eyes twitched to the closed window – the only exit in the room other than the door Banner was now blocking.

Banner did not seem any happier to be standing in the same room with Loki than he was. "JARVIS told us you were awake."

His voice was soft, and still Loki's eyes twitched towards Thor to check whether he would wake.

"Don't worry," Banner said, following his gaze. "He'll be sleeping for a while."

Loki hummed in mild interest. "Did you drug him?"

Banner furrowed his brows. "Of course not. It's the... Well. I don't know what kind of medicine you're used to, but pain killers tend to make you drowsy."

Loki wondered how much Thor had needed to take before the Midgardian medication started having an effect on him.

Banner chewed on his lip. He seemed restless, but not nearly as nervous to be alone in his presence as Loki would have liked. He supposed it was no wonder, considering his last encounter with Banner's alter-ego.

The frown tugging at Banner's features stayed.

"Thor told us about what happened."

"What did he say?"

"That whoever ordered the attack on you – the titan... um..."

"Thanos."

"Yes. He said he'd be after the stone."

Loki's breath got stuck in his throat. His heart stuttered in his chest. "He brought it here?!"

Banner hesitated. "It's here, yeah. He said that–"

Loki stopped listening. He'd known there would be no hiding from Thanos for long as soon as he'd lost two of the stones in the wake of his failure. He'd known that Thanos would not forget, and he'd known that eventually, his punishment would come.

He hadn't expected Thor to bring the bait that would lure his doom in even quicker.

"Look," Banner said, drawing his attention back and looking even more uncomfortable than he had earlier. "I know this is a big deal. Thor told us–"

"Thor has no idea what he's talking about."

Banner pressed his lips together. He watched Loki out of firm, expressionless eyes – wary, but not afraid. And why would he be afraid? He'd seen Loki beaten once. He was the one who'd beaten him.

"We can talk after Thor's woken up. I don't know why I–" Banner trailed off and shook his head. "Nevermind. I– Thor's here. And... JARVIS can hear you. If you need... Just in case."

In case Loki did something he ought not to. In case there was a need to keep him under surveillance. Loki curled his lips into a snarl. "How generous of you."

Banner paused as though he wanted to say more. Instead, he pressed together his lips and left.

Loki deflated as soon as the door fell shut. He waited for the telltale sound of a clicking lock, but it didn't come. Perhaps they did not fear an escape attempt as long as he was still injured. Or perhaps Thor was the reason for their deceptive carelessness.

Loki sunk back, realizing how drained the conversation had left him. His injuries ached. He saw the titan's fleet nearing when he closed his eyes, and he heard Thanos' troops marching to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He felt the heat of an unfortunate, unruly planet, burning in its entirety because the half of it that had been bestowed the right to live had been too defiant for Thanos' liking.

It was not difficult to imagine Asgard in its place. Nor was it difficult to imagine himself in the flames, following Thor's foolish whim to rebel. If Midgard was first, the rest of the Nine would follow.

Loki shuddered and opened his eyes. He had time until Thanos' arrival to convince Thor of the fruitlessness of a struggle. He could convince him to... do what? Hand over the stone and hope for the best? Attempt to haggle for Asgard's survival, as well as for Thor's precious Midgard?

Loki cast a glance at his brother, and his heart sank. Thor wouldn't listen to him. He hadn't listened when Loki'd told him the danger of seeking out the stones, and he hadn't listened when Loki had claimed that Maw was no opponent they were able to beat unprepared.

If Loki did not change Thor's mind – if he found no way to make his brother see reason and accept that there were enemies even he could not beat – they would not live to see another year.

A/N: Thanks to everybody who took the time to review! :D This story would be only half as fun without you!

I'm back at school! We've got half our school days in class (with a bajillion hygiene rules) and half of them at home via self study. Our school doesn't have many classrooms large enough, so we need to take turns with the other classes.

Beta'd by the wonderful To Mockingbird, PyrothTenka and Igornerd.