There's nothing more to say. Loki leaves and when he's out of frame Steve shuts down the feed, asserting inarguably: "This is not happening. Loki isn't getting on the team."

Frustrating as this attitude of finality was, Tony hauls up some patience because yes the reaction to the proposition was expected and it required some careful persuasion.

…But just then, after all Loki had said about wanting to fight by him, caring for nothing but him,

he wasn't feeling very lenient with the rest of them, wasn't sure he'd tolerate a word against him.

"Can we not just-" Thor interrupts Tony with a firm nod and a steadfast gaze saying:

"I think it's an excellent idea."

[Have I ever told Thor how much I love him?]

"I'm sorry, what?" Clint asks incredulously [he is gonna be a problem.

He should be very careful right now.]

"Did you not hear a word he just said?"

"What did he say, exactly?" Tony frigidly retorts. [Course, he's nitpicked the entire conversation.

Oh look, Steve has something to add. Awesome.] But he gets not the chance when Fury steps into the room. And towards him Clint makes urgent haste with an inquiry sounding more to a petulant plea.

"Director, you can't be serious."

"Does this sound like something I'd joke about, Agent Barton?" said quite expressionlessly [then again, really that's one of the only two expressions he's capable of emulating, the other being pissed.]

Next and sounding rather alarmed now Bruce asks: "So you're putting him on?" [Come on, Bruce. Be with me on this, please.]

"Fury," Steve calls, says sternly: "With all due respect, that is not your call to make."

"Whose call is it, really?" Nat passively inquires, leaned back against the side of the couch with arms crossed. "You heard him. Even if we say no, he'll just break out again," she shrugs. [Yes. Yes, he will.] Tony isn't sure why he finds this amusing. Really then all he's seeing is Loki walking up to him in the suit, that sly little smirk playing on his lips as he makes for his rescue. [I do not have a problem with that happening again.

God, he was so hot in the suit.

*clears throat*

Very bad time to think that up.]

"And where does he go when he does?" [Oh, right. We're in the middle of something.] Thor talks on fondly. "He does not try to escape, he causes no harm. He goes to Stark." Tony would appreciate his words if it hadn't resulted in every pair of eyes in the room landing on him, and not in a flattering manner.

"…What do you guys want me to say?" said quite stalely. "If I tell you he cares, if I tell you he told me that he cares, would you believe me?"

"We'd believe that you believe it," says Clint. "We'd believe it's what he wants you to believe." Triggered furious now and rather befuddled, his tone is sharp and intolerant, opposing than actually asking:

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

In response and with his own thinning patience, Clint looks to: "Thor! Your brother turning on you for the throne-" Tony eyes him bewilderedly, interrupting.

"What does that-"

"Did you ever see it coming?! How long were you led to believe he cared about you?!"

The look on Thor's face of such struggle he wants to argue with reason, deny and negate this,

but it was true; Loki had taken him for a fool.

Tony holds hard his gaze and somehow there's not the hint of doubt in his voice, in his eyes when he's telling him: "He does care. You know he does." Thor believes him, because so badly he wants to.

"Do you?" Clint asks but now he's facing Tony, and Tony's had it.

"No, I'm gonna stop you right there," with an expression hard as stone, a voice so cold, hissing, and they're stood face to face with but a foot of hostile space. "You don't know a goddamn thing about him-"

"How are you so sure you know him at all?" This time it's absent, the spite, the scathing sarcasm, truly then he's asking, begging Tony to open his eyes and see, acknowledge just the chance,

that maybe it wasn't real.

…

…His response

none expect;

it stumps them.

"…How am I so sure I know you at all?"

Clint's features furrow, alarmed and confused.

Tony steps back, eyes about, speaks now to all. "I'm sorry, three of the people in this room are international super spies, con men and women – liars. No offense intended." Again he looks to Clint. "Why do I trust you? Maybe I shouldn't." It gets to him more than he'd thought it would, because Tony's right and he knows, what he says is of sense but…what he's saying is absurd, to compare their friendship and comradeship to whatever bizarre relationship he'd cultivated with the God of Lies and Mischief.

No, he gets it. He understands precisely why and what goes on between them, and were it not Loki maybe he'd be understanding. But it is and he can't. For a liar, true he was, but to Tony he hasn't lied and he cannot confirm that Loki neither has, wouldn't, no matter what he says or claims. There's always the chance and the risk is too great and Tony must see this. So with a cool tone and face he says:

"…Maybe you shouldn't." And Tony cocks a bemused brow at the man, his friend.

"Oh, ho. Really?"

"Stop," Steve steps up because then it's going too far, a place they don't want to be, not after how far they'd all come. "Tony, we've been fighting together for over a year, living together. We've never given you a reason not to trust us." And this can't be something now to question, but:

"Neither has he," the latter asserted indisputably.

"Right, except for that one little time he tried to kill you," Clint says and Tony just snaps.

"I am only gonna say this once. He wasn't. Trying. To kill me."

"Then what was he doing, Tony?! Checkin' to see if all the wires were in right?!" Really worried Tony would punch him because those fists at his sides won't stay long in place, Bruce puts a firm, pulling hand to Clint's shoulder.

"Clint-"

"No, you know what, I'm done," Tony decides

because this memory

he doesn't wanna see, feel,

because he knows – he knows why then Loki had flared, he knows and he understands

and yes it had hurt but Loki…he'd been hurting then, was scared and they're always scared,

…but they…can't be scared of each other…

"Tony-" Steve calls to calm him but be damned.

"No, here's how this is gonna go…Loki and I just became a package deal."

…This precisely what most had feared.

For better or worse, this pair likely wouldn't break,

for better or worse and if worse comes to play what then?

What then?

"I'm on the team, so is he. You don't trust him, I do. If trust means a goddamn thing, really," Clint's shot a pointed look and it gets to him, upsets him [your words, not mine; remember?] 'Yeah, Stark. I remember…' Tony breaks their gaze to face the others. "With him on the field, so is Thor," he gestures. "Which puts us back at full capacity. Less causalities, more offense," he looks to Nick. "Less problems." And the latter had been silent thus far, because as Steve had said this group decision was not his to make, not alone.

And maybe since Tony had brought it up with him in private he'd been coming to terms with it, maybe even planning up to it, that Loki be on the team…But he hadn't really expected it to be so…personal. He hadn't expected what Loki had said, and he should've predicted the way Tony would react should they reject him, likely because of what Loki had said.

Clint had pushed it, yes. But now at least they see it clearly, the level of devotion Tony had developed towards him.

And no, it wasn't good.

"And if he becomes a problem?" Steve asks in a factual rather than contemptuous manner, very careful with the wording now.

"Then we will stop him," this surprisingly comes from Thor, who it seems is trying to take some of the heat off Tony. "Like we have before-" but then Nat asks him:

"Would you be okay with that?"

"You mean if he starts killing people for no reason? Yeah Nat, I'd be okay with stopping that. Except it's not gonna happen, because he's not mentally deranged!"

"Debatable," and they're all glaring then at Clint because the way Tony's looking at him could start a fire quite nearly. Steve quickly intervenes.

"That's enough."

"Okay, well. I'm gonna go, before I punch Malfoy here square in the face. You guys go ahead and argue over some more hypothetical what ifs, yeah? Knock yourselves out, I don't have anything else to add."