Faith In The Deceiver

Chapter 6

The air was tense. Suffocating.

Tony, Loki and Clint sat on one side of a table and Fury and Coulson on the other with the Avengers lining the wall. Thor stared at Loki with those longing and pleading eyes. Thor desperately wanted to understand his brother. Steve watched Tony feeling all but guilty at harboring doubt against his friend.

Clint squirmed under the death glare Natasha was giving him and Bruce fidgeted awkwardly, wanting to excuse himself but damn too curious to leave.

Everything got a little worse after the video ended.

Tony had forgotten to delete the audio.

"OH! That's why you said to knock first!" Clint suddenly burst out and pointed to Coulson. Coulson shook his head and Fury rubbed his temples.

"Casimir," Fury mumbled. "Bruce," Fury turned to the scientist. "we're going to need you."

"Excuse me?" Bruce said with a slight shake in his voice. He didn't like he suddenly was part of this in a deeper way.

Tony eyed Fury.

"You know who he is."

It wasn't a question.

Fury suddenly looked weary.

"What do you know?" Tony said his voice stern.

Shockingly Fury didn't lash out at this, but answered.

"Casimir was exposed to high levels of gamma radiation. Unlike others who have been exposed he didn't...change," he glanced quickly at Bruce. "He was the only one who was exposed without the usual and known side effects. In other words, he was a success."

"Another one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s experiments?" Bruce said.

"Volunteer," Fury corrected. "Casimir was always a strange boy, engulfed in history and prophecies and destinies, all of that-"

"That's it."

All eyes turned to Loki. Who looked like he was going to be sick.

Luckily Steve whipped the trash can around just in time for Loki. Tony stood up next to him and rubbed circles on his back. Loki let out a moan. Thor took a step forward and hesitantly placed a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Brother..."

Loki scrunched his eyes shut. When he finally opened his eyes he looked up at Thor. The hate Thor used to see now was replaced with something he could not place.

"We're going to need your help Thor," he said.

Tony was annoyed that Fury still wasn't telling them everything about Casimir, but he was grateful for his apology. How often does one Nick Fury apologize for calling you a traitor? Tony also didn't like the fact that him and Loki weren't allowed to leave the mansion, but he knew it was for the best. Oh, and there was also the fact that Loki was keeping him in the dark about something as well, but after being threatened several times by Loki he let it slide, for now.

But that didn't stop Tony from asking indirectly.

"So where'd you send Thor? He was so eager to help I feel you'll be taking advantage of him," Tony said as he turned away from the window. Loki sat on the couch, a stack of books piled on the floor.

"I take advantage of most people, you should know that."

Tony took a seat on the couch. "You think you'll find the answer in some books?"

Loki slammed the book he was flipping through shut. "Casimir got his information from somewhere, books are a good place to start."

"We don't even know what that information is we're looking for."

Tony watched Loki closely.

"Please, tell me Loki, what do you think it is..."

"If what Fury said was true, that Casimir was into prophecies and destinies, then whatever he wants with us, with our child has to be a part of that, of something. And if it is..."

The words didn't need to be spoken.

Tony sat there, his mind taking in this possible hunch as reality. If what Loki thinks they're involved in is true...

Then maybe there is no avoiding it.

"Teach me magic."

Loki's head snapped up to Tony. "Excuse me?"

"Teach me how to do magic."

"Tony, I told you-"

"But there has to be a way, just, something, tips, anything for me to get to it or something."

Loki saw the determination in Tony's eyes.

"Fine," Loki said. Tony cheered but Loki halted his celebration. "But you have to do everything the way I say it." Tony just nodded and sweared he'd be a good student. Loki had his doubts.

It was weird how easily Loki integrated with everyone. There were still S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were skeptical, but all of the Avengers just passed him like he'd been there all along.

"Is there a reason we're here?" Tony asked. Loki had brought him to the training room, where Steve was currently beating a punching bag.

Loki stood with his arms crossed and gestured with his chin towards Steve.

Tony shrugged in a 'what' motion. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Rekindle yourselves," he said.

Tony just stared at him blankly.

Loki gave him a hard shove that knocked him down. He fell with a loud bang and groaned.

"What the hell?" he shouted but when he turned back Loki was gone.

"Hey," Tony looked up to Steve towering over him. He held out his hand.

Tony took it and hoisted himself up. "Thanks."

"No problem." Steve shifted on his feet. "Hey, Tony."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry, for ever doubting you."

Tony just shrugged. "It's cool, nothing big."

"Nothing big? Tony, I thought tha-"

"Hey," Tony cut him off and placed a hand and Steve's shoulder, and smiled at the super-solider. He could feel the tension ease off of Steve as a small smile took shape on his lips.

All was forgiven.

"So, you and Loki?"

Tony laughed awkwardly. This was the first time anyone had mentioned it. "Yeeeah."

"And with a child on the way..."

Tony didn't know what to say so his awkward laugh got a bit more awkward.

It took Tony a good thirty minutes before he found Loki with Bruce in his lab. Loki was wearing a pair of goggles as he stood over Bruce as they were both watching something foaming.

"You two look like you've become buddies. What was up with peacemaker back there?" Tony asked as he leaned in the doorway. Bruce paid no mind to him and Loki glanced up.

"I hear that clearing the air between friends after a misunderstanding is healthy."

"And you're all about healthy relationships."

Bruce looked up now. "I don't anyone in this place even knows what a healthy relationship consists of."

There was silence. Then all three men shrugged.

"Okay," Bruce said as he finished up with whatever he was working on. "Shall we begin?"

"Sounds good to me," Loki said as he removed his goggles.

"Begin what?" Tony asked.

Tony stared up at the ceiling. Well, in the direction of it.

"Do we rea-" He was cut off from a harsh shush to his left.

"You wanted to learn magic, being able to relax your body is part of the process," Loki said in a low voice.

They were in the dark, which was slightly illuminated by Tony's arc reactor, in a dance room Tony didn't even knew the mansion had. Tony, Bruce and Loki each laid arms width apart on a yoga mat. Tony listened as Bruce gave instructions on how to breath and to relax. Tony wasn't a zen guy, he was the guy that sat in the same position hunched over work for hours on end. He let out an audible sigh directed towards Loki and closed his eyes. He listened to what Bruce had to say. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Let everything drop, he felt his jaw unclench, his forehead relax along with his shoulders.

His body began to relax.

He felt a stirring inside himself. It was faint but it was warm and very...

Alive.

Suddenly the lights snapped on.

"Heeeey, I was beginning to get somewhere," he said as he leaned up on his elbow.

"Sorry," Bruce apologized. "We were at it for a good hour or so and Loki..." he motioned towards to the god.

"Over an hour?" Tony sure as hell didn't feel like he was laying there for over an hour, he turned to Loki were he heard steady breathing.

He was fast asleep.

"Is he going to be okay?" Bruce asked as he made his way over to Tony.

Tony looked over Loki. He wasn't sure about the answer to that.

"A lots been going on, he just needs some rest," he turned to Bruce. "Thank you...for caring. I'm actually surprised with how everyone's so...okay with him."

"It's a little weird, not going to lie. I think people are trying to figure you out a bit first," Tony chuckled. "But I think we all knew there was this side to Loki, I mean with all the stories Thor would tell us, it's hard to think that, despite everything that's happened to him, how he used to be would be completely gone."

"Yeah...Wait. What stories?"

"If you had ever decided to join us for dinner once in awhile, Thor always had a new tale to tell us."

Tony turned back to Loki and watched his chest rise and fall.

"You did good Tony, maybe all he needed to change that dark path he was on was a hug."

Tony smirked. "Oh, I gave him more then a hug."

Bruce's face fell. "TMI Tony, TMI."

Tony laughed as he leaned over to wake Loki up.