A belated happy new year, everyone!

Ah, this fanfic never goes where I expect it to, as this chapter indicates... I had such a clear idea with what I wanted to write, then I blinked, it was two hours later and I had this chapter on my desktop. :/ Totally not what I had in mind. Muse is weird. Still, it's incredibly fun to write, I hope it's as fun for you to read :)

As always, many MANY thank yous and cookies to my wonderful readers! They're chocolate chip this time, hope you like 'em ;)

Enjoy!


It took some getting used to, having the arch nemesis of the Avengers living under their roof. Not pleased with the idea of Loki bunking on the couch, Tony walled off the bottom level of the mansion, designating it as the madman's cage. Locked down and closed off whenever Tony felt like doing so. It turned out, though, that all the extra precautions weren't necessary. When Loki wasn't 'helping', for lack of a better word, he mainly sulked around on his level anyway. Tony watched the security cameras more than was strictly necessary, but the god didn't seem to be in the mood to shake things up. Mostly he sat and just stared into space, a vacant – but still creepy – grin on his face. Whatever he was up to, it was going on behind the eyes. And Tony didn't have a machine to read minds to help figure it all out.

Yet.

There were, though, a few disturbing instances where Loki simply… disappeared. After locking him away on his level, Tony would peruse the security feeds and find him nowhere. The second time this happened, he alerted the rest of the team, but no one was really keen on heading down to the lair to check. So they searched with every camera, to no avail. Then, boom, he'd suddenly be there, sitting on a couch or chair like he'd never moved. Any questioning on that subject – even when coupled with death threats from Clint – were met with stony silence. It was worrisome, certainly, but Thor remained steadfast in the fact that Heimdall would be watching carefully, seeing what puny human cameras could not. Thor intoned solemnly that if Loki was still here on earth, then he must not be getting into any trouble.

Amazing how sure Thor seemed about the whole thing. Tony knew he probably should put more stock into the god's power, but they'd let Loki escape once, hadn't they? Tony wished he could beam a cellphone up to this Heimdall, too, so he could quit the babysitter duty and let the all-seeing guy handle it. It'd be so much easier – the god could just give Tony a call when Loki was making mischief. Save a lot of his time, too - he had better things to do than watch cameras all day. His thoughts often turned to inter-universe cellular devices whenever the trickster annoyed him.

Although, much to Tony's chagrin and bewilderment, the god was proving useful. When not confounding the Avengers with his disappearing act or staring at walls, he was with Bruce in the makeshift Voldy-tracking room, or with Tony in his workshop.

And he was helping.

Where was that coming from?

After their initial encounter in the workshop, Tony thought the god would get a clue and leave him the hell alone. But, despite the clear 'never come here again' message that he'd thought he'd sent, Loki appeared the next day, waiting patiently by the triple-latched door and asking – politely – to come in.

So of course Tony ignored him. Loki left after a time, and Tony found out afterwards that he'd gone to Bruce instead, who welcomed the mad god into his lab. And, a stunned Bruce told him later, had actually contributed some suggestions about how to better track the readings off of Voldy's wand.

This didn't make sense. What, had the whole evil gig gotten old? Was putting on a halo and helping out your enemies more fun now? Tony had no answers for the god's behavior. Yes, this Voldy guy was big, bad, and scary. They'd all covered that. But scary enough to have a deranged madman call it quits and join the good side? No way. There was something going on under the surface, there had to be. Tony just… didn't know what it was yet.

But Tony decided to polish his halo as well, and grudgingly allowed the god access when he appeared again the next day. He still couldn't use magic, he still didn't have access to anything useful or potentially incriminating, and he could still get blasted with arc reactors if he acted up. So Tony figured he didn't have much to lose.

What he didn't expect was for it to be so mentally exhausting. Loki was willing to help, or so he said, but he seemed rather unwilling to divulge his information. Tony's halo didn't last long – he promptly told the god to stick his information up his ass. Unfazed, Loki said he was willing to trade – information for information, secrets for secrets. He had much to give, he said, but only if he received as much in return.

So Tony was forced into a war of words with the beguiling trickster. Extorting what truth he could, trying to figure out if there was any truth at all in his words, and above all, not giving the god anything of worth in return.

He wouldn't have tried so hard, but unfortunately for Tony's pride, it was actually worth it. Loki had some good information to give. His first suggestion that Tony wormed out of him was for a modification to his suit – to help keep Harry's shield spell effective longer. Something about changing the flow of energy so it didn't interfere with the magic as much. How he knew about Harry or the shield spells, Tony didn't know, and that right off made him nervous. Leery, Tony tested it exhaustively before even thinking of trying it on, but he came up with nothing. JARVIS – grudgingly – said that the modification had done nothing but improve the system's performance.

Wasn't that just great. So now he had to put up with the devilish little prick. After reiterating the threats that had already been repeated a hundred times before, Tony agreed to play his little game.

The questions Loki asked of him, though, weren't of the nature Tony was expecting. He didn't question about SHIELD or the inner workings of the Avengers – though maybe he thought those would be too obvious. He didn't even question about Tony's arc reactor. No, instead, the god wanted to get personal – he asked about the Avenger's pasts.

Tony assumed Loki was looking for dirty secrets, weaknesses and failures that he could use to hurt them later, as he had supposedly done to Natasha. Why Loki thought Tony would willingly give him a weapon like that, Tony had no idea. But Tony gave as good as he got – whenever he thought Loki was lying, or just whenever he felt like it, he lied as well, giving a whole host of juicy stories with no merit whatsoever. Loki's expression never changed, but Tony was looking forward to the day when Loki tried to torture Bruce with information about his long lost sister.

With hours upon hours passing without end, Tony found himself almost getting used to the routine. It was an extremely uneasy alliance, but it did help pass the time. It had already been four days since Loki had first appeared – Tony honestly hadn't expected him to survive that long. But more than that, Tony never thought he'd be able to leave his back exposed when he knew the god was behind him. Not for the first time, he wondered where all this trust was coming from.

Loki did leave now and again, but it was clear he liked annoying Tony the best. After a brief reprieve, Loki slipped back into the workshop when Tony was returning from a food-and-scotch break. Tony ignored the god, going back to viewscreen and working in silence for a few minutes. When Loki didn't speak, Tony sighed and said, "So what'll it be today, trickster? More childhood memories from me? I'm sure that'll give you all the hidden secrets you're looking for."

"Your turn, I think," Loki said from his perch on the desk. He was holding a piece of scrap metal in his hands, and was currently testing its durability, twisting it in ways no human could ever have done. Those shackles didn't hamper his strength any.

"My turn? I'm flattered," Tony said. "Let's see… let's get right to the point. What are you after, Loki? What's all this sainthood about? A new arc reactor? A new army of slaves? I'm honestly curious," Tony said, finishing with the line Loki often used in his interrogations.

"I'm not interested in your trinkets," Loki said flatly. "I've told you that before."

"Yet you're mighty interested in improving them," Tony noted.

"If that is what it takes to bring down the sorcerer, so be it. It means nothing - There's no place for your primitive work in the world of magic. I've no interest in your electronic playthings."

Tony opened his mouth to say something very naughty, but thought better of it. "Fine." Loki was scowling now, and he knew there'd be no point pursuing the point for now. "Since that wasn't an answer in any sense of the word, I'll go again."

Loki went back to wrecking the metal in his hands. "Proceed."

Tony thought of one thing, something that had been burning at him against his will since Loki had first showed up. With no pretense, he said, "What did you mean, when you talked about Coulson?"

"Exactly what I said."

Tony frowned. "Then explain what you said."

"Ooh, that will cost you, Stark," Loki said, leaning back. "That's quite a big order."

Unimpressed with the theatrics, Tony waited for the inevitable request in return. Putting down the metal, Loki finally said, "I think I may have to hear about this Obadiah Stane character before we go any further."

Another dig in the old troubled childhood. What a surprise. Still, for all his questioning, this one was fairly mild. Yes, it was painful what had happened with Stane. Very painful. Shattering in many ways. But if Loki ever tried to turn it on him, Tony was confident he would keep his cool. He had survived it, seen Stane for what he actually was, and moved on. No matter what Loki said, he wasn't going to change that.

Still, he hoped nothing leaked out in the carefully neutral tone he adopted as he explained Stane's betrayal. He kept it honest, hoping for an honest answer in return.

Loki listened while Tony dictated everything in a monotone. When he was finished, Loki looked pensive for a moment, then said, "You really should have seen that coming."

"Normal people don't expect family members to try to kill them," Tony reminded the god. "That's just your problem. It's called trust," Tony said shortly. "Trusting your friends not to stab you in the back. I don't think you're well acquainted with that particular trait, liarboy."

"I am 'well acquainted' with trust, actually," Loki said. "Acquainted enough to realize its stupidity." He stood, his face still a fierce scowl from Tony's little family jab. "You yourself are a prime example. You trusted this man with your life, and look where it got you."

"A member of the Avengers and more fame than I know what to do with. Doesn't sound like it backfired much." He knew that wasn't what the god meant, but he'd played along enough. "I told you about Stane. Hearing snarky commentary wasn't part of the deal. What really happened with Coulson?"

Loki's snarl melded into a grin. That was not a good omen. Watching Tony carefully, Loki said, "I did not kill Agent Coulson, Stark."

"You're going to have to lie better than that, Loki," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "Thor saw you."

Loki didn't seem surprised by Tony's reaction. "Tell me – what did I stand to gain if I had killed Coulson that day?"

"The fun of killing a good man?"

"Always enjoyable, but not worth it in this instance," Loki said. "He was not only good, he was knowledgeable. Fury's right hand man, so close, so… unprotected. I fully intended to bring him to my side, to use him as I used Clint. But he was just so righteous," Loki said in disgust, shaking his head. "It irked me. So I left him a painful reminder of my power. Not fatal, but painful." The bloodthirsty grin on his face now was just sickening. "I fully intended upon returning later. But then came the brilliant move by your commander. I never expected Fury to find him more useful in 'death' – it was truly my undoing, wasn't it? If it hadn't been for Coulson's supposed heroic sacrifice, you all would still be arguing and gibbering while the world fell at my feet."

"Rather high opinion of yourself," Tony muttered, but internally his mind was racing. What Loki said checked out, according to mad-villain logic. But still – it couldn't be true. Would Fury really go that far, have Coulson feign death to get the Avengers moving?

Wait. This was Nick Fury. Of course he would.

"Ask Fury, at the next of your little meetings," Loki interjected quietly. "Watch him. His face will tell you the truth." And he grinned, delighted with how compromised he'd managed to make Tony. Causing confusion and uncertainty seemed to be his number one hobby.

Tony hated himself for hoping again. Suddenly infuriated, Tony picked up a wrench and hurled it at the god. Loki caught it easily, and Tony tried to calm himself before he threw another.

"Channeling our dear archer, are we, Stark?" Loki said, still fiendishly amused.

"Enough with the games, liesmith. Either make yourself useful or get the hell out." Usually their little give-take information game continued as long as they worked, but Tony had had enough. Loki could cause one thing while wrapped up with the Avengers – dissention in the ranks. And if he kept listening to that snake-tongued bastard, it was definitely going to happen. And they didn't need any more problems right now.

But he was going to ask Fury on his next visit. Just in case.


Loki took the hint and made himself scarce for awhile, but Tony had barely begun enjoying the Loki-free hours when the god showed up again. Things began again as they were before the whole Coulson incident, which suited Tony just fine – he got Loki to explain a bit more about the overall nature of magic, which was considerably helpful. Annoying that he had to wheedle it out of the god, but helpful all the same.

After working for over a day on end with little food and absolutely no sleep, Tony finally had to call it quits. Ignoring the taunts from Loki, he kicked the god out and locked the door securely, keen on getting maybe a few hours rest before returning to the grind. Magic-proofing his suit – or proofing anything, for that matter, was causing his obsessive work ethic again. Not that he minded – it got things done.

Before passing out, he stopped in the kitchen so his stomach would shut up. Of course, he was not alone there – Bruce and Thor were at the table, eating… crepes? Tony wasn't sure, but there were none left in the pan regardless. Grabbing bread from the counter, he dropped two slices into the toaster, avoiding the side with two deep dents from when Clint had had a temper tantrum. As he waited impatiently for the bread to toast, he glanced around the room. The kitchen bore distinct signs that supernatural – or at the very least strange – people lived within it. The arrow dents in the toaster, for one – but also the dent in the fridge, which was from when Thor accidentally stumbled into it. There were also pottery chips imbedded into the floor, courtesy of the thunder god. He had some trouble breaking the habit of not breaking mugs when he liked a drink. The habit particularly annoyed Natasha, who, on one memorable morning, had flung her own mug at his head after he'd smashed yet another glass. His bewildered reaction was blackmail fodder for years to come. And then there was the scorch mark on the back of the bar… that one was Tony's fault, and he now solidly adhered to the rule 'no shooting in the suit while drunk.'

And then of course there was the rickety wooden table, missing an irregular chunk from the side of it when Steve had slipped, grabbed the table for support, and accidentally ripped it apart instead. Tony could have replaced the table, of course, but had decided to keep it in a rare fit of posterity. It was also nice to have a physical reminder of what had been a hilarious event. Steve didn't deal with embarrassment well.

An annoying beeping intruded on Tony's reminiscing. "Turn your phone off, Bruce," Tony said, closing his eyes as the noise made his headache worse.

"S'not me," Bruce said through a mouthful of crepe.

"But –" Tony began, but broke off as the beeping suddenly increased, in both tempo and volume. He suddenly realized what it was. Tony swore foully, tearing out of the kitchen and going to the first computer he could find. It was Harry's tracker, all right, activated and beeping up a fury. He'd held it down much longer than 5 seconds – this was a serious emergency.

"Of course they would get in trouble now," Tony muttered to himself, sounding the alarm and running back to inform Bruce and Thor. "Couldn't be when I'm well rested and fed. No, let's send him in starved and drunk with exhaustion. Great idea."

Once everyone was gathered, he realized they were one short. "Grab your brother, Thor," Tony said tersely. Thor disappeared immediately before anyone could disagree. "Clint?" Tony said as he passed the archer, "If you see a green light coming toward you, shove Loki in front, okay? Okay."

The ship took off in record time, with Natasha and Clint piloting. Steve roughly shoved Loki under a seat when Fury came on screen to find out what the hell was going on.

So Harry and company had probably gone toe to toe with Voldy and needed backup. Though they'd all known this was coming, to Tony they felt woefully unprepared. He glanced at Loki, stuffed unceremoniously beneath the chairs, and grinned. Served him right – finally, he was kneeling down to the rest of them.

Despite enjoying Loki's predicament, however, he found himself hoping that Loki's improvements would actually be of some use. Even with those, though, he had limited protection, no more. One well-aimed green laser, and that would be Tony's curtain call. It was a daunting prospect, and – though he would never say it aloud – a terrifying one. He never thought a stick of wood could be such a deadly weapon.

But they'd survived it once – sort of. They could do it again.

He hoped.


Hope you guys enjoyed, action next chapter yaaaay. And more canon-smashing, but ah well. It's fun canon-smashing, so hopefully that'll count for something xD

This also was not majorly proofread, (product of 4 AM writing... again) so if you guys find any derps let me know please? :3

And Leonais, I really like 'unlikely alliances' - when it's not 4 AM I'll put it up. Thanks a lot! As I said before, I'm so uncreative with names it's just sad xDDDD