I'm a bit late this weekend, but that's because I'm crazy busy at the moment! I hope I'll be able to continue posting as frequently as I did, but… We shall see how it goes. Anyway, have fun panicking alongside Tony ;)

PREVIOUSLY ON ASAF: "Drop it!" Coulson said warningly.

Loki lifted his hands in the air – but he didn't drop the Chitauri gun he had found.

CHAPTER 19

Tony reacted instinctually. He activated his repulsors – not well calibrated, which meant he was thrust forth with way more force than expected – and flew towards his soulmate, barely managing not to barrel into him. His boots skidded on the gravel, and just before he stopped, he used his momentum and a little repulsor boost to turn around and face the guns trained on them, arms held wide in an attempt to stop them from shooting. A bullet clanked against his faceplate, and May's gun registered as hot on his infrared scanner.

"Are you crazy? Who the hell do you think you're shooting at?"

"Isn't it obvious? A dangerous criminal."

"No! You're shooting. At. My. Soulmate!" He turned his head half-way back, so that he could keep an eye on all crazies at the same time. "And you! What the fuck are you doing?" Tony was glad his suit was hiding him from view, because he was sure he was trembling all over. Fear and panic had overwhelmed him when that bullet had whizzed towards him, and he was still breathing hard.

Loki quirked an eyebrow, red eyes looking at him with contempt. "Proving a point." And he shot the alien rifle he held loosely in one lifted arm that was directed at the head of the Leviathan. Two human bullets twanged against Tony's suit, while a huge section of the frozen cheek of the beast cracked and crumbled. When the smoke cleared, Loki added: "As you can see, energy weapons such as these are the most efficient, and when frozen the destruction is indeed more complete. In other words, you had the tool you needed since the beginning." Loki turned the weapon around and handed it to Tony, who took it over gingerly with his metal glove.

He stood frozen in place, blinking, before lifting his faceplate. "And you couldn't just have said all that so that we wouldn't get shot at?"

"Where is the fun in that? And either way, I was in no danger."

"Well unless you're bulletproof, you're only standing here unharmed because of me!" Tony said, seething.

"Exactly. You are here. Therefore I was in no danger." Tony's building rage deflated suddenly, and Loki obviously felt it because he smirked. Tony had been defeated in the battle of wills he didn't know they were having, and he felt at a loss. What had this been about? Scaring Tony just for shits and giggles? Or was it revenge for making him turn blue? Or was it some kind of test to evaluate Tony's capacity as a bodyguard? Or maybe even a test to see which side he would choose when Loki was armed and dangerous – which was silly, really. If Loki died, he died, so he didn't even have much of a choice. Anyway, with a guy as crazy as his soulmate, it could be all of the above, or even none.

Loki casually stepped around Tony, unarmed and unprotected, and went to inspect the crumbling section of the Leviathan's face. The agent's eyes and weapons followed his movement, so Tony strode purposefully – and hurriedly – towards them. If his path intercepted their line of fire, well. What could he say – it was one hundred percent his goal after all.

Tony thrust the Chitauri weapon at Phil the moment he was close enough. "What the hell, Phil! Why the fuck did you and your lady sidekick shoot at my soulmate?"

Coulson was calmly putting his revolver back in his holster while he hugged the alien rifle with the other arm. "Well, I can't speak for May, but I only shot because you were in the way, so no harm would be done."

"No harm? You scratched my paint! This is a relic! It belongs in a museum that has my name on it! I shouldn't have to repair bullet dents!"

"I've always wanted to shoot you, you know. You're a pain in the arse way too often. So I took the chance when I could. Can you blame me?" The man's face looked so innocent, it almost made the horrible things that were coming out of his mouth seem like an auditory illusion. "And of course I'd really like to shoot Loki too, he did kill me for no reason after all. So be glad I chose to shoot you instead." The sunny smile that followed really was something! No wonder he got promoted to Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; he may not look like it from afar, but Coulson was definitely among the best bullshiters out there.

Tony closed his eyes for a second, debating if he wanted to continue arguing with such a professional arsehole, and decided against it. He turned to the other culprit. "And you, why did you shoot?" he sighed, exasperated.

"I told you, a dangerous alien criminal was holding a dangerous gun. And anyway, it was only going to graze him. It was a warning shot," May explained levelly.

"Then why did you shoot twice?"

"He shot the alien gun. And you were in the way. So I gave you a warning shot."

"In the chest."

"On your armour."

This time, Tony could only bring his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose – with his gauntlet still on like an idiot, ouch! And anyway, who the hell was babysitting who here? Of course, he knew he couldn't count on Loki on that front because the guy could be an inconsiderate jerk – but really, why couldn't the millennia old guy be the mature one, for once? Why did Tony have to be the only rational person within the block?

Something hit his armoured shoulder hard enough to make him wobble in the suit, and his head whipped around in that direction. Again, he hadn't been paying attention to presence-locator-GPS side of the bond, and Loki had gone somewhere unexpected; this time it was him standing really close, their shoulders – or rather, Loki's shoulder and Tony's armour – brushing.

"Give a guy a warning, will ya? No need to try and knock me over!"

From the corner of his eye, Tony could see May had tensed again, hand held over her holster, no doubt. Coulson, though, looked relaxed – well, as relaxed as someone could look while hugging an alien gun, that is. Tony concentrated back on Loki in time to see a blue-coloured finger poke his upper arm, and he went with the movement; what if he didn't, and his poor, rather thin Mark V ended up dented?

"Get out of that ridiculous suit—"

"Whaaaaat? How dare you call my baby ridiculous? Sure, it's a bit old and not really up to par, but none of my suits have ever been ridiculous! Even the Mark I looked cool, for something built in a cave!"

Loki patiently waited for the end of his diatribe before continuing. "I want to change back, and you don't need to stay in your 'cool'-looking slightly old master piece."

It took Tony a second to close his mouth and get over the fact that Loki had let him win this argument so easily, but then again, it was the quickest way to get what he wanted; this type of flattery, even if Tony knew it was false – or rather, not false, as there seemed to be no lie, but it certainly wasn't heartfelt – still worked when it came to praising Tony's achievements, and it seemed Loki had understood that all too well. The smirk might not be visible on his soulmate's face, but Tony could feel the satisfaction smugly trickling into his mind while the Mark V peeled itself off.

The moment his hand was free, it was met by a larger, colder one, and Tony looked down at it. It was strange to think that so few people had ever held his hand like that – like little kids, like a parent and child, like a couple – and now it seemed that soon, very soon, Loki of all people would be the one who had held his hand the most. And for them it was more like… business. A way to make their stupid soul bond happy.

That blue colour was so striking against his own skin. It should have looked weird; he wasn't living in a sci-fi movie after all. But those long fingers and rather sharp-looking black nails that curled around the back of his hand seemed… normal, somehow. The feel of the cold-yet-strangely-not-cold soft leathery skin wasn't that bad either. He wondered for a second if that skin was as resistant as it looked – perhaps he could persuade Loki to agree to some tests sometime.

The tingling began then, starting at the centre of his palm and moving upwards, along the steel cable of their soul link, creeping quicker and quicker towards his torso, and making a bee-line for his heart. Tony reflexively squeezed Loki's hand, heartbeat picking up – he had never felt this weird thing before! Did it have to do with magic? He didn't feel it before, how come he could feel it now?

Loki stepped in front of him them, facing him, standing a bit too close, and the other hand was laid gently, almost soothingly over the cloth-covered Arc reactor. Tony stared at it for a moment, but when Loki spoke he met the pair of blood-red eyes, fascinated all over again by the giant irises that left no place for any white – or any other colour – and that should have looked animalistically frightening, but which could only be described as looking at him kindly.

"It's all right. Breathe. Don't be so tense, simply let it flow." Tony didn't know what 'it' was, or how he was making it 'not flow'. "Don't concentrate on it. Try to think of something else." Usually, trying to 'not think' about something was difficult, but the perfect distraction was only a dozen inches away this time: Loki's face.

The alien face, all Jötunn blue – light Jötunn blue for most of it, and dark Jötunn blue for the elongated squircles that traced straight lines on chin and cheeks, and half circles on his forehead – was fascinating enough to captivate his attention thoroughly. Lids were hiding the ruby-coloured eyes now, but in the full sunlight, the faintly bluish-tinted dark eyelashes that fluttered slightly were interesting enough to observe.

Loki's indigo-ish lips parted just enough to glimpse sharp-looking incisors and very pointy canines – they were a tad long, almost vampire-like – and while Tony watched they started shrinking, becoming duller, until they reached a human-like, or Áss-like, appearance. The blue colour receded, bleeding out from the centre of his face towards the sides, creeping down the neck, and smoothing out the ridges as it went. On a last chilly exhale that greeted Tony's brow, Loki's eyes opened on that mesmerizing green that Tony knew he shouldn't look at, otherwise he'd be lost.

His gaze remained focused on the lips, now an appealing pink, that he'd concentrated on before – and maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The only time someone looked so intensely at someone else's lips was when: A, they were trying to understand what the fuck that stranger with a weird accent was saying or, B, they'd really like to know what those deliciously soft-looking lips tasted like. And right now, neither of those situations applied, A, because Loki wasn't speaking, and B, because… well, because.

Before he could look away, Loki's jaw clenched and he stepped back to his previous position on Tony's right, leaving his gaze focused on nothing, staring at the damaged buildings somewhere above Coulson's head. The agent and his soulmate started up a conversation, but Tony didn't listen; he was blinking at the cityscape, intensely aware of the almost warm hand still holding onto his, and his feelings a heap of turmoiled confusion. On Loki's side the bond was firmly clamped shut, and even through their physical contact Tony couldn't discern anything precise. He wished he could do the same right now. Because the only thing he could think about – and really, what the fuck was he doing? – were those lips that he wouldn't have minded looking at for a few hours or more.

XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

It took Loki a moment to realise that Coulson – the man who could not possibly be standing here without the use of forbidden and dangerous practises – was speaking to him. Firstly, because he had barely gone through a reluctant shapeshifting for the fourth time today, and it was starting to take its toll, but also because he had been standing close enough to Tony for his smell to overwhelm him, and the gaze directed at his lips had been almost too much for him to bear; it took all his willpower to step back instead of leaning forward and tasting his soulmate for the first time.

This was all getting out of hand. He really needed to control himself, and his feelings, better. Instead, he was still shamelessly holding onto Tony's hand even though it was not needed anymore, and he certainly wouldn't be the first one to let go. How pathetically weak of him. Therefore, it took some time to register Coulson's question.

"How do you fire this thing? I've had scientists pour over it for hours, but they still didn't manage to even make it power up."

"Skin contact is necessary. The touch of a magical signature makes it possible to fire. That way these weapons can be safely stored without the risk of one of them shooting a hole in the hull of your ship."

Coulson looked disappointed. "Oh. Too bad, I would have really liked to shoot one of these babies."

Loki rolled his eyes. The ignorance of these people! "Of course you can use it. Everyone has a magical signature. Most of you may barely have enough magic for your magical core to manifest itself, but that does not mean you do not have magic." All three Midgardians – it seemed Tony had overcome whatever emotional mishmash he had been struggling with – were looking at him with surprise clearly written in all their features, and Loki sighed. "All three of you have magic. Obviously. Tony's is the most developed, but I believe it is due to his Arc reactor's influence, and not because of some natural talent." He looked straight at Coulson. "Your core is… visible enough." It was even rather strange, like water that used to be clear but that now looked somewhat troubled. He met May's suspicious glance next. "Your core is barely there. And yet, you can all use this gun in equal measure, because the strength of our magic is of no consequence."

"I'm definitely trying that out!" Coulson said before walking towards the Leviathan and discharging a loud salvo of bright energy shots at its face.

Now both alone with only the Midgardian woman, the conversation ceased. An opposing mixture of discomfort and ease was coming from Tony, and Loki was unsure of what it meant; he definitely did not want to fool himself by imagining that the ease came from their still joined hands. To distract himself from that thought, Loki focused on the magical flow surrounding them – and it seemed that even though his core was low on reserves, he could 'feel' the world around him in a particularly wide circle today. It was only when May insistently looked down at their hands with a raised eyebrow, and when Tony hastily removed his from Loki's grasp in response, that he realised why. When touching, their bond connected their cores – they shared the same magical signature after all – and Loki had unconsciously accessed Tony's (un)awareness of the world alongside his own, doubling his current 'sensing' perimeter.

This double range, and double strength, also made him painfully aware of what he had been able to feel before and did not anymore; tiny specks of 'light' – the magic, life and soul that represented a being – had disappeared from his senses. On places where there should not have been any to begin with.

"Give me back your hand," he said somewhat urgently, and he could see Tony's protest ready to form on his lips. "Just do it!" he added, moving his own hand towards his soulmate. Tony met him halfway even though bewilderment sang along the bond, and the instant they connected Loki focused on the spot he had sensed what should not be. And yet, it was.

"There are people," he said, turning towards the source. He pointed in their general direction, and the two others followed his movement with their eyes. "I can feel them."

Tony took a startled step back, letting go in the process, and Loki's awareness faded again. "Wait! No! Holy shit! Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I thought that statement was rather clear."

"You can feel people – since when?" Tony seemed confused, and shook his head vehemently as if to clear it. "That's not the point. You can feel people under the rubble? Alive?"

"Yes. If they were dead, I would not be able to feel their presence."

"Phil!" May called in an uncharacteristically uncontrolled voice, with two fingers on her ear, and stalked away.

Tony passed both hands through his hair in agitation, and paced a few steps to and fro, turning on himself a few times and looking around, lost. Then he stopped, eyes on the gigantic pile of debris that had previously been a building, and that Loki had previously designated. "How many?" he said in a low voice.

"From here I could sense three, close together."

"Oka— Wait. Could?"

"The soul bond enhances my magical awareness, it seems."

Tony remained motionless for a moment, head turned towards him, before stepping closer and grasping his palm, warm fingers squeezing the flesh, connecting them half-soul to half-soul once more – becoming, in essence, one. A small cluster of tiny lights – presences – appeared where he had felt them before, weak and flickering.

"Can you feel them now?" Loki nodded once. "And you can pinpoint an exact location?"

"I won't know unless I am closer, but I believe I can give accurate enough directions."

"Okay, I'll put my suit back on, and we'll try to dig them out," his soulmate said, the previous panic ebbing away, replaced by determination and worry. They separated again.

While Tony stepped back into his collapsed armour, the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had arrived, speaking urgently to each other, and into the small communication devices. Loki ignored them until Tony walked back to him, suit whirring, with his head and right hand bared, palm held up. Loki accepted the clear invitation and put his own hand on top, reconnecting their identical magic, and letting him 'see' clearly again.

"So, you're saying you can feel survivors with… magic?" Coulson asked with a tone that simply seemed to ask for confirmation – as if it did not surprise him in the least. Perhaps the mortal had seen enough of the world to understand that infinitely more things than he could imagine were possible.

"Indeed."

"And you can help us save them?"

"That depends." May's eyes narrowed, but Coulson's expression did not change. "I cannot use magic to help; otherwise I might have been able to transport them here in an instant. I only have my magical awareness and physical strength to dig them out."

"That will have to do then. Let's go."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent gestured for him to lead the way, and hand in hand with Tony, Loki walked in the direction of the buried Midgardians. The stench of the dead Leviathan made him wrinkle in nose as they went passed, moving towards the tail and the rubble of the building the organic ship had collapsed. His steps faltered as the range of his senses moved.

"I can feel another one. Alone. On the far end," he said, gesturing to where the gigantic pile was somewhat thinner. Noise was starting to come from all around them as people assembled near the crash-site again, and strange-looking vehicles pushed a new path among the debris.

"Is the access to that one easier than the others you can see?" Coulson asked.

"I believe so."

"Then you will show us the location, and let us humans handle that one, and then we will go to those you found first. We'll see how we get them out when we get there."

Loki acquiesced – it did not matter where they started to him. He had never really been in the business of saving lives, except that of Thor and his stupid friends when they didn't listen to his plans, so if Coulson wanted to choose the order of events, it was all the same to him. Saving fragile mortals who would die in a few decades anyway was not the kind of thing he had ever imagined doing, but as all this destruction was partly his fault – he had let Thanos poison his mind and take away his sanity and freedom – and as his soulmate was a mortal as well – a mortal hero in the business of saving lives to boot – it was only logical that he helped as well. He would be doing good, and his doing good would be acknowledged; that might actually be a first in all the millennia he had lived.

As they advanced, Tony shifted his palm's position, pushing his fingers between Loki's and interlacing them, squeezing, as if wanting to mould their hands together so that their connection would never break. Loki held on tightly in reflex – or rather, as tightly as mortal hands could bear – and he felt some tenseness leave his body. He could get used to this; more physical contact with someone. And of course, they had to touch at night, so he would indeed be touching Tony more often than he had ever touched anyone else, except perhaps his mother. However, he should not get used to this: Tony holding onto him tightly in broad daylight, both reaping comfort from the gesture. It was only due to this unfortunate situation after all.

Time to save some mortals next time ;)

Spread the Luv!

LL