Tony knew that the Avengers were staging another intervention. The text hadn't said so, they never did, but the fact they were calling him back to the tower after being in the lab for days was never a good sign. The only question was what it would be about this time; drinking, time spent in his own lab, or something new and surprising. He almost wanted to skip it entirely, stay with Loki, maybe he could have ordered a lemon bar or something. But he had tried ignoring the interventions before. Which had only led to Bruce talking to Steve who talked to Clint who talked to Natasha who finally went to Pepper. Pepper in turn had practically dragged him out of the lab and forced him to go to the longest intervention that had ever been staged for him. It had lasted nearly an entire day. And of course they had to bring up every little "problem" they thought he had. Though they didn't call them problems, that would imply something they apparently didn't want to imply. Instead they had spent nearly an entire day talking about his "lack of connections", "identified triggers", "verbalized and visualized behavioral limits", and Tony's personal favorite "response to reinforced self evaluation that had been built up since Howard and had only become worse in recent years." No, Tony would not skip another intervention. He would rather sit and have them worry about one problem at a time. It was just easier. Perhaps having each problem talked about individually lengthened the time talking. It made more times where he was forced to hear how they saw him struggling. But he just couldn't stand to hear it all at once. As if he was a walking catastrophe, waiting to flicker out of sight. No, he was not going to skip out and miss what catastrophe was being worried about today.

Soon enough Happy pulled up at Stark tower and Tony was making his way up to the communal living room. As the elevator door slid open he sauntered out. "But Cap I only just left, what possibly was so important to call me back." He had been joking but by the end of the sentence Tony could feel the mood in the room. "No really, what happened?" They way they looked at him made it seem like someone else must have died. As if he had been the murder.

Clint dropped down and Tony couldn't for the life of him figure out where the man had come from. But he didn't have time to worry about it.

"What happened is that we have a problem," said Clint.

"Yes, that right there, that totally clears everything up. Thanks."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Stark."

"Oh so we're back onto last names. What did I possibly do this time. I haven't even seen you-"

Clint cut Tony off before he could pick up his talking stride. "But you have been seeing Loki."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments. As if they were all waiting for someone else to speak.

"Have you heard about Tea and Potions. I hadn't but I was going on a hole in the wall tour of New York coffee. And let me tell you, it's pretty great."

Clint looked like he was going to attack Tony mid sentence so Steve stepped closer and put an hand on his shoulder. "Tony we don't care about your search for coffee."

"Oh but you should. I'm sure that after the nap you had you would want to find the best coffee you could get your hands on." By this point Tony was starting to get fidgety. He shouldn't have come. He should have stayed in Tea and Potions, gotten a damn pastry, and endured another day long intervention. At least Pepper would have been present for that. "It feels like a cottage in the woods, homely. Something a witchy grandmother would put together. It's sweet-"

"AND RUN BY A MAN WHO IS MEANT TO BE DEAD." Clint shook his shoulder till Steve let go. He walked up to Tony and poked him in the chest. "His body is meant to be rotting on some planet and here you are kneeling on the floor with him."

Tony waved Clint's hand from his chest. And took a step forward which forced Clint to back up just a bit. "He was having a panic attack. Was I supposed to leave him there to deal with that on his own? Cause I've dealt with my own attacks with and without people trying to help. And wanna know what I've found? It's terrible having to get out of your own head with nothing and no one there to help you. So yes, I helped him. I helped a man who is meant to be dead. And you know what, I'm glad he's not dead because other then the "king of the world" business he's actually a pretty okay guy."

Everyone could hear Clint's intake of breath. Watched as he took a step and then another so he was practically standing on top of Tony's toes. Watched as his arm swung back and fist connected with Tony's face. Only when he started winding up for the next punch did they intervene. Steve grabbed his arms and pulled him away from Tony. Natasha stepped in front of him to block Tony from view. And Bruce checked that Tony was okay.

Tony was fine. Or close enough to being fine that it was practically the same thing. Either way he probably should have stopped talking but he didn't. He just kept going. "Loki thought I was trying to trick him when I went to his shop with different bracelets. Ones that would allow him a little more access to his magic. Because in case you didn't know, he was tortured. Tortured to a point where the magic he has now can only hide what happened. Not heal it. He seems to think that he doesn't deserve to be helped. Or cared for. As if he deserves to be tortured or at the least that his wounds aren't meant to heal." Tony gently moved Bruce out of his way so he could look Clint in the face as he said, "He doesn't seem to want to live."

Clint had stopped struggling by that point. He smiled, "Nothing is holding him back. He could die at any point. Everyone would be perfectly fine with that."

"I'm not. I'm fine with that." Tony shook his head and continued, "But it doesn't really matter what we think. Or what he thinks. Because Frigga, his mom, the only person who ever seemed to care for him died. And the last time they saw each other she wanted him to live. And now he feels forced to abide by her wish." Tony held up a hand to stop anyone from cutting him off. "One of the last things he managed to say before his panic attack stopped him was "all I've ever been is nothing. And not even you would try to save something that is nothing." He thinks he deserves to be tortured. As if death is too easy, too painless." Tony runs a hand through his hair till it stands on end and laughs. It's the kind of laugh that is devoid of humor and dies quickly. "When he leaves the counter he puts up a sign that says, 'The argr will return soon.' Do you know what that means? Cause I didn't. I thought it was a odd way to say witch or something-"

Natasha was the one to answer. Standing next to Clint and looking at Tony. Her face was completely straight as she said, "It's a term of insult. It denotes effeminacy or other unmanly behavior. In essence to be argr is to be unmanly. Which in a society such as the one on Agard it is probably one of the worst insults to receive." She just slightly smirked at Tony as she finished.

Tony let her words sink in and tried to ignore the little smirk. Finally he said, "I know all of you have been keeping tabs on me. How much I eat and sleep. How much I drink." He rolled his eyes. "But Loki doesn't seem to have anyone. He spirals. He probably sleeps even less than I do. Certainly eats and drinks less than I do." He did that nervous, humorless laugh again and said, "Hell I think the most he's eaten was a scone that I made him eat. And he nearly cracked the bones in his wrist. I think he had been trying to assure himself of where he was." Tony shook his head. "I just think he deserves a little help. Okay."