In the lounge, Fury stands – hands clasped behind his back – across a table opposite Loki, who was seated on the couch, arms spread across the backrest,

smirking.

"You knew I could," he gives coolly, then grins and tilts his head. "Come now, it was as easy as breaking a window." Fury tenses, sneering.

"And you understand the consequences of such an act-"

"Director. If there were any, I wouldn't still be here," Loki counters slyly.

"…I could send you back." Tony and Thor's features harden instantly. "I should-"

"But you won't," Loki confidently asserts.

"No. I won't," Fury firmly expounds. He paces then to the side. "…Tell me why you broke out."

Wasn't it blindingly obvious?

Ah, but it's Loki. Nothing's truly this simple with him, right? [Wrong.] It's the angle that everybody's looking from, and if they just inched to the side they'd see it clearly.

And they'd have to see for themselves because Loki won't point it out.

"Thought I'd get some air," he shrugs and were Tony closer he'd see that glimmer of mischief he knows in his eyes where so it amuses him like a game watching those around spin about stomping for answers.

"Really? And you just happened to end up right where Stark was." There his heart skips a beat because now really his mind takes in the topic and it's the fact that

Loki had come for him. ["I'm not going anywhere until the Mandarin's dead."]

"How did you even know he was alive?" Nick asks, aggravated immensely when he's responded to with all but a smirk. "…Some kind of spell, I assume," said so very distastefully and Loki absolutely loves it, the way he knows what little powers he still possessed agitated everyone so, that they're in the dark as to his limits and it must stay that way; they should stay afraid. "Unless he called you."

"You know he didn't. And I would like my phone back."

"You left it on purpose." […You clever little minx.

He knew it was traceable.]

"Of course I did." [Hey, I didn't tell him.]

"You didn't want us to follow you. Why?"

"Follow me? Is that what you would've done? Figured you'd be more inclined to bring me back." And though Asgard was not the referred to – neither what any other inferred – it's what Tony hears and it's what so disturbs him, sooner to recall: ["Not to Asgard. To the tower."] Still this doesn't ease him.

Snapped out of it then when Nick says matter-of-factly: "Now why would we do that, if you were the only person who knew where he was?" And he wonders now but it's like somehow he knows the answer, so certain of a reason unspoken as Loki keeps to silence.

Yes, there's a reason but they needn't know it. Nick's smirking then himself

and maybe they already do. He hadn't exactly been hiding it.

"…You wanna know what I think?"

"I can't say I care in the least."

"But you care about him." Nick looks but there's no reaction. Loki doesn't confirm it,

he doesn't negate it.

…

And maybe he should.

There's that voice in his head just begging to speak up and wipe that know-it-all smirk off the director's face, prove him wrong and show them no, there's not a thing nor a person that could claim any sort of effect on him, he hadn't that type of weakness…And he'd love to say nor any…That was as untrue as to deny that

to those eyes he knows are watching, yes, he was weak…

And these things he wanted to say – cruel and cold and harsh – he can't. It matters more in volumes the way they see him as opposed to what he wanted others to see, what for certain now they do because he won't deny it.

"You needed to show him that, hence the solo rescue op."

…

[Is that really what it was about?] a question everyone is asking, even those who'd been suspecting. They don't get an answer when Loki sharply retorts:

"Does it make it easier?...That decision so difficult you weigh wondering at the wisdom of having me on your so-called 'team'." This is the part that actually concerned Tony, so wary of the resolve he noticed not the gawking faces and wide eyes around him frozen shocked at what Loki was insinuating.

"It's not wise in any sense of the word," Nick says so quickly and it's the lack of confoundment in his face and tone that it starts truly to seem as though this had been brought up before and they were none the wiser.

"No, it's not. And yet you ponder it. Because, really where's the wisdom in having someone as volatile as the Hulk, or of a past like the Widow's, hm?" The mentioned are taken aback. And it's the logic in his words that thinking, to Nick, is compelling, sets in the others an inner state of panic. "It was never about what's smart, it's about power. You made that abundantly clear the day you risked tampering with the Tesseract."

"We needed to be prepared, exactly for someone like you," an excuse Loki finds all but laughable; he grins.

"But alas it was your meddling that had endangered your realm. How ironic is that?"

"There's plenty of irony to go around, Loki," said indicatively and Loki knows he'll not like what's to come. "Like you risking your life for one of the very species you tried to subjugate."

…

It's not easy for Loki to feel, to care, to say it, express it. This, Tony's always known.

So when he does, when they've reached this point after so long a road it should all but be mocked. And as Loki he's furious, more so he's dreading truly that now or later or whenever else someone's questioning Loki's ability to feel that there's a chance he'll decide it's not worth the trouble, it's less bothersome not to care. He shuts him out and it's over, and that can't happen. It can't. {It won't.}

"…Let me make it easy for you," Loki speaks and this time not sarcasm nor indifference, his tone is laced with venom. "You can't trust me and you shouldn't. I don't care if you do, I don't care for your team, I don't care for your realm. Simple enough?" He leans forth and there's so much going on in Tony's mind – he's at a breaking point, a beat away from storming up there to pull the plug on whatever this was from top to bottom. But everyone, including him, are verily stumped when Loki says: "…With him…I will continue to fight, whether or not you allow it. Try and stop me, threaten to lock me up or send me back, I'm afraid you'll be taking a far bigger risk."

They hadn't in anyway seen this coming and it takes them all a minute to process, even Nick, who then asks:

"…That being?" And it's the upward tugging of Loki's lips, the troublesome glint in his eyes that Nick concludes it.

"…Are you willing to lose him?" Acknowledging the same, all other eyes simultaneously land on Tony, something different in them than shock and confusion, a question.

"Is that what you think will happen?" In Nick's voice there's an attempt at ridicule, as though what he was implying was so implausible.

Was it?

…

…Tony knows one thing…

He would raise hell if Loki went away, were taken away.

It wouldn't matter what he'd have to do nor whom he'd have to fight, if he'd be breaking Loki out of prison or building a portal up to Asgard and going toe-to-toe with Odin.

It's insane and unreasonable the surge so strong of a violent urge, the fear so searing it's snuffed out by rage and the wrath he'd see to unleash should they even try.

…Loki smiles.

"You wanna bet, sweetheart?"

Everyone in the room looks at Tony for the answer. It's on his face, it's in his eyes…Loki couldn't be more right.

…It's one of the things Nick had grown to suspect, to dread, ever since he'd been relayed to the night of the cell and Tony's rash, taken actions.

No,

further back,

the day he'd called him in about Loki in the lab, near the end when he'd snapped.

To think then he'd all but spent a month or two with Loki, what now indeed would he do?

…

…That Loki knows, that he's counting on it…"…One might be inclined to think," Nick says measuredly. "You're taking advantage…of how much he cares about you." It's how everyone opts to see it yet to Tony it's of no validation. Where's this exploitation if the situation were reversed and Loki would do the same, already had.

Loki wouldn't have him doubt this…not with the effort it had taken in just telling him. Though mild and brief, the god's face curls disdainfully, before as swiftly there's just another superficial smirk of wry amusement. "…If I were looking to take advantage of anyone, it'd be Thor." The sibling's eyes widen slightly then Loki's gaze locks with his as the latter looks to the camera, smirking. "No offense, brother."