- Chapter 14 -

Despite being quite sweaty Loki leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She tried to move past him, but Tony caught her around the waist and dragged her close. "Oh!" She braced herself with a hand on each of his shoulders.

Keeping her body pressed flush to his, Tony held her tightly to him with one arm,. He buried his other hand in her damp hair and tilted her head up so that she was looking at him. She was so close, so beautiful. Loki was all Tony ever needed. Leaning down, he pressed their lips together. He kissed her slowly, deeply. He wanted her to feel the devotion he had for her. The discussion they needed to have was going to be unpleasant. He wanted to remind her how much he loved her before that happened. So he kissed and kissed until the need for air had him pulling back. "I love you," he murmured against her reddened lips.

"And I you, my Love," Loki murmured in return. She pulled away from him slowly. Love you forever, his seidr was whispering to her. There was so much warmth there, and it was all for her.

Unease danced at the edge of Tony's thoughts. He looked back at the tablet as Loki moved towards the door. He didn't want to talk about this again. He never did. The small bench that normally sat pressed up against the wall by the by the door was still in place. He hadn't noticed it when he'd walked in. A bucket of water and a fluffy towel were all that was on it. It was always a bucket of water and then a shower. Loki always said it felt better that way. She tossed the mask down next to the towel. Tony stepped backwards as Loki picked up the bucket, lifted it over her head and then dumped it down over herself.

The water cascaded down over her. When Loki shook her head, droplets of water splashed all around her. She dropped the bucket to the floor then picked up the towel. It was soft on her skin when she wiped her face dry. "Is there something you need, my Love?" she asked as she turned to him.

"What's wrong, babe?" Why am I stalling? He looked around the room. "You've been down here for three hours. Something's wrong." She didn't answer him right away, so Tony waited. He set the tablet down on a dry patch of bench to free up his hands while he waited.

Since Tony wanted to talk Loki uncurled her seidr to make this go faster. The Restoration Spell composed quickly then released over her, cleansing and refreshing as the frothy wave of emerald light rolled forth. Once she was clean she composed and released a Conjuration Spell to change her clothing as well, from her traditional sparring leathers back to her typical Midgardian clothing. Tight fitting denim wrapped around her hips and legs forming back into a pair of jeans. Her seidr flowed loosely around her torso leaving the sleeveless silken tunic that was there several hours ago. Loki wore no shoes. She ran a hand through her rapidly drying hair pushing it out of her face. Her seidr curled back into her seidr core. It left only a small ache in her chest that cleared up quickly. "Everything is fine."

Quickly Tony stepped closer to her again. He put a hand on the side of her face and pulsed his seidr into her. The urge to connect with her, to make sure she was well, was omnipresent. As Loki's eyes flashed with his seidr he smiled. "You normally exercise for an hour. One hour. You've been down here for three. Why?"

Even through the small spike of frustration Loki still felt loved. Tony was so unlike anyone else she'd known. He was always so aware of her needs, even when she was unaware of them. Even her Amma and either Afi weren't so aware. Loki shook her head at herself. Foolish old habits, she thought. "I'm just restless. They don't feel quite right," Loki put a hand to her temple.

Moving quickly again, Tony pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. Loki fisted her hands in the material at the back of his shirt. Her head rested with an ear against his chest so she could hear the beat of his heart. It was a sound that never failed to soothe her. "I can't imagine how hard this was for you, how weird it is. I'm proud of you for doing this. It was scary and hard, but you did it," he spoke calmly. Tony pulled back, placed a hand on either side of her face. He placed a soft kiss on each eye lid then wrapped himself around her again. "It's understandable. It really is. You were used to a jury-rigged solution for hundreds of years. Now things are healed, and it doesn't feel right. It's understandable, it is." He pulled her away from him and put a hand under her chin to hold her gaze. "It's ok to be unnerved. It's ok to feel unsettled or just weird. There's nothing weak about it. It's ok."

I want to live! Loki held tight to him again. She buried her head in his chest and breathed his scent in. Just being near Tony made her feel strong. She was struck again by how deeply she needed him. "How did I live without you?" she whispered. I want to stay with you forever!

"Poorly," Tony placed another kiss on the top of her head. As much as he loved her, he couldn't stop the anger surging through his veins again. "Poorly," he'd said. He'd wanted to say, "Almost not at all." Those bastards! He hated talking about Loki's history, hated anything to do with it. Fire and a near insatiable itch in his hands to spill blood burned through him every time anything about her past came up. His arms tightened around her as he felt the need to encompass her entirely. It was only the feel of her skin, her scent of her, the taste of her lips that could cool the blood thirsty fire. It was only because she'd asked him, almost begged him, that Thor remained unharmed. Tony knew it wasn't truly Thor that he was most angry with. That was Odin and that purple bastard. Thor was just the most convenient target. He would probably never have a direct chance at Odin. Indirect fire was the best he could hope for since it would still hit the target. That thought always made Tony grind his teeth. When he was done designing his ships, then he would hunt Thanos. He breathed in her scent again. This was what was important. To have her in his arms, to know that all of her belonged to him alone. That was what he needed most.

"Why don't we go tonight?" Loki leaned in against Tony's chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart. It was the safety she always craved. "When Jay gets home with the children, just go. Everything is packed, all you need to do is get James to agree to come with us, and we'll be set."

"Rhodey's out getting food," Tony looked down at the tablet and sighed. And we need to talk. I don't want to talk about this. "We'll go tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"

"If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." Loki nodded and smiled contentedly.

Grim anticipation coiled in his chest. Tony took one last deep breath, then stepped back. "So, are you ever going to tell me what that thing is?" he pointed to the mask on the bench. I don't need a distraction. Why did I do that?

.-.-.-.

Healed? What do you mean by that? Thor didn't get a chance to puzzle over Stark's words for long before he saw it. The look on Loki's face that made his heart hurt. He knew that look, remembered it from long ago. The genuine smile that spread on Loki's face reached all the way to his eyes. It was hundreds of years since Thor saw that look. It made him ache inside to think of how easily he let it go. Loki withdrew from him over the years. His smile grew less and less real, until it was a mask that his Little Brother hid behind. Thor wondered why Loki's smile changed, but he'd never pressed to find out why. Whenever Loki told him, "Everything is fine," he accepted it. He wasn't surprised when Stark pressed for a better answer as he was never a man to settle for anything less than the truth. Thor was shocked when Loki gave it so willingly. He wondered if he'd pressed, would Loki have confided in him?

There was a time, when they were young, that Thor confided everything in Loki, and Loki returned his confidence. They were inseparable as boys. Even when Loki was confined to the healing rooms, Thor would still come and spend hours with him. They played with small, hand-carved, wooden, soldiers. Their little army was a gift to both of them from Uncle Frey. He would play with some of the little soldiers when his uncle would put him in a Soul Forge. He'd always hated the times his uncle put him in the Soul Forge, but he loved the little army from his uncle that made it bearable. Thor still had them in his chambers in Asgard. He kept them in the tiny chest they'd come in. There were many times that he'd thought about getting rid of them. He was too old for such childish things. He just couldn't bring himself to. Every time he thought about being rid of them he would remember playing with Loki. They were happy memories that still brought a smile to his face. When did things go so wrong between us, Little Brother?

.-.-.-.

A content smile touched Loki's lips. For the rest of her life this smile would only be for him. Her gaze drifted back to the bench, "It's just a training tool." She reached down and picked up the mask. She'd trained with it for hundreds of years. It'd been in existence for millions of years before that. It was a relic of a bygone age; a tool from a time so distant that it was an age of legends to the long-lived Asgardians. The mask, and what it was part of, was one of Loki's most prized possessions. Loki was tempted to say that it was responsible for making her into the skilled a warrior she was. That honor belonged not to the mask, but to the ones who'd given it to her, the mentors who'd guided and molded her. Loki felt a sudden longing to see her Amma again; to see Afi Gin and Afi Gorynych in person. She felt the loss of her mentors and wondered if she would be able to see them again. It'd been years since they'd seen each other. Even though she knew it wouldn't happen, she still hoped that Amma might come to visit her one last time. She had so much she wanted to tell Amma, so much she wanted to share with each of them. Sending constructs to visit them wasn't good enough. It caused a distinct ache to be separated from them. When we visit Frey again then I'll take Edward to meet Amma and Afi Gin. It's time.

"Train me with it," Tony said. Why am I stalling?! I need to stop stalling.

Looking down at it nervously, Loki held the mask in both hands. "I don't think that's a good idea, Tony. This is more than what you think it is."

"I know it's enchanted. I can feel that. What does it do?" Whenever Loki was hesitant about a new training tool or technique that was when Tony loved to dive in headfirst. It would always be difficult, but it was always worth it. He'd never felt more confident and in control than after Loki had started training him in both martial and magical arts.

"It's a Masquerade of Shadows, Tony. It's not to be dallied with," Loki said quietly, still looking at the mask.

Now Tony had to know. "So, it has a bad-ass name. What does it do?"

Finally, Loki looked up at him. "It's essentially a sensory deprivation chamber, but far more powerful than anything you've ever seen. It doesn't just deprive the senses. It cuts them off without killing you. Your eyes aren't blocked, they're deadened. Your nose isn't stuffed, it's disabled. Your ears ..."

"I get it, I get it. No sight, sound, taste, smell. I get it," Tony said. He was suddenly eager to try it. It sounded more entertaining that his other plans.

"No, you don't. It disables all physical sensation. All of it." Loki hoped that he would leave it be. The mask was far too like the void to someone who hadn't been trained. Tony still had nightmares from New York, and Loki still held guilt for causing them.

"Even touch? Its enchantment cancels everything," he said slowly, thinking about it as he went. An image of the other side of the portal flashed in his mind. It was nothingness, a vast openness that consumed everything. The Chitauri and their ship came out of that nothingness. He remembered the brief moments before the ship was struck. It's so big, he remembered thinking. It looked to be equal in size to Earth's moon. Even the great magnitude of the Chitauri ship was dwarfed by the vast nothingness. While Tony no longer physically recoiled from it, he certainly didn't dwell on it either. At least he no longer felt like the nothingness was trying to drag him back and swallow him whole.

The sudden fear in his eyes distressed Loki when she saw the look on his face,. She would give almost anything to be able to go back and make it not so. It had to be as it was, there was no other way. "I don't think it would be wise for you to use this."

The look in Tony's eyes hardened. "Give me the damn thing. I don't care if it hasn't been through the wash. I want to try it."

"It's enchanted. It never gets dirty or worn, and always fits its wearer. You using it isn't a good idea," Loki held the mask closer.

"Loki, I'm not a child, stop treating me like I am. Let me try it. I'll decide if I can't handle it," Tony was always annoyed when Loki try to wrap him in proverbial bubble wrap in the name of safety. He stepped in front of her, and gently took the mask from her hands. "Let me try it."

"It will automatically re-size itself to fit you, you needn't worry about that. Once it's in place, you need to do up the latches on the neck. Only when the last one is latched will it activate," she looked up and spoke. Loki was uneasy about this. Tony didn't understand. No one understood, not until the mask was in place.

.-.-.-.

As Anthony took the mask from Loki, Frey watched. Frigga's eyes widened some. Odin slightly arched an eyebrow as he watched. What a fool, the elder King thought with a touch of sourness. None of the three monarchs couldn't really believe that what they were watching was going to happen. So powerful an artifact would challenge such warriors as them. None felt that the man they'd been watching stood much of a chance. Odin knew it would end poorly. While Frigga worried over why Loki put up with the fool, Frey worried over what was coming. He cared for Anthony and knew this wasn't going to end well. All he could do was sit, watch, and wait. It was all any of them could do.