Shit, long chapter is long, might split this into two oops enjoy!

Chapter 5 - Debts

Stark? Stark can you hear me?!' Steve shouted into his earpiece. 'Damn it!' He kicked a dead Chitauri on the ground. 'How long ago did they go through?'

'It was not too long ago Captain.' Thor answered unhelpfully.

'I spotted Loki about 15 minutes ago Cap, then they both disappeared through the portal shortly after.' Natasha said as she picked her way across the body strewn battlefield with Jane and Darcy in tow.

Steve turned to Banner, who was back normal size now and clutching ripped pants around his waist.

'How long can his suit last out of Earth's atmosphere?'

'Not long, even powered up as it was compared to Manhattan.' He looked down at the ground as he spoke.

'What are we going to do now the portal's closed?' Clint was pulling arrows out of corpses.

Steve turned to Thor, 'is there anything we can do?'

Thor shook his head and knelt down on the ground, closing his eyes. Jane made her way over and rested a hand on his shoulder, which he covered with his own.

'Please tell me you did not let Stark go after Loki into outer space.' Fury strode over with a handful of SHIELD agents kitted out in body armour, guns slung over their shoulders.

'I should have tried harder to stop him, but I was surrounded by enemies.' Thor straightened up and let out a deep, shuddering breath.

'This is no one's fault.' Steve cut in. 'Stark is capable of making his own choices and very capable of being too bull headed to stop himself doing it.' Steve sighed and picked his shield up off the ground, at a loss for what to do.

'Captain Rogers.' Came a voice from his earpiece.

'Jarvis?' Steve spun round and walked away from the ground, touching a hand to the comm.

'Yes sir, my systems have had to reboot, Stark's suit lost power about 5 minutes ago, he is unreachable. Just before it happened Loki managed to destroy the base and told Tony to make his way back to the portal, but he was attacked before he could reach it.'

Steve turned back round and relayed the information to the others.

'So what you're saying is Stark is dead in the water on a hostile planet with only an alien war criminal as an ally?' Fury seemed to grow a few inches in anger. 'Don't answer that was a rhetorical question. What the hell are we going to do about this. Assuming he is still alive, he could be captured, killed or dropped off a planet. And as for Loki, I don't like this one bit, it has worked out a little too well, Stark seperated with no power and us blind to what is going on. What if he is picking us off one by one? What if this is all part of a plot he has hatched with his friends the Chitauri to try and take over the Earth again. It seems to me we have been double crossed.'

'Director Fury, you wound me with your words.' Came a breathless purr from behind them. They all spun round and Steve flung Fury out of the way to get to the voice. Loki appeared on the grass, staggering to keep upright with Tony's bulk draped over his shoulder. Steve grabbed Tony as Loki stumbled, barely managing to keep on his feet. When Tony was safely off of him he collapsed into the grass, pulling off his helmet and letting his hair fall around his face.

'Many of his bones are broken and he is unconcious.' Loki gasped.

'What happened!' Fury demanded.

'I suggest you see to your friend first, I did not have time to see if his injuries were life threatening.'

'Thor, help me put Tony down, watch his leg, it looks pretty mangled.' Steve called out.

Thor helped him to angle Tony's body down gently onto the ground and then looked him over, Fury shouted to the agents to get a stretcher to get him inside. One came up and handed him what looked like a small tablet and he held it over him.

'God damn it I can't see anything through his suit, we may have to chance taking it off.'

'Wait.' Loki put a hand up and pushed himself onto his knees. He pulled himself over to Tony and placed a hand over his chest.

'What are you-' Fury started, but Thor quieted him. 'Loki knows what he is doing.'

Fury folded his arms and grunted.

A trickle of green light came from Loki's palm and went through Tony's suit, rippling across his chest. Loki closed his eyes and everyone fell silent.

'A fractured skull, 4 broken ribs, countless bruised, a cracked sternum, 3rd degree burns to the chest, shattered wrist and his leg broken in two places. No internal bleeding or life threatening injuries.'

'Can we put him on the stretcher now?' Fury spat impatiently.

'No, let me work.'

Green light coursed from Loki's arm into Tony's chest and Tony's body seemed to come off the floor slightly. Light pooled out from beneath his suit and the others watched on as the exposed skin knitted itself back together as the light grew ever brighter, changing from a dark green to white.

After a couple of minutes Loki slumped back into the grass, flexing his wrist and fingers.

'Now you may move him.' His voice was ragged and breathless.

'What did you do?' Steve's voice was full of disbelief.

'I healed him, what did it look like!' Loki growled, meeting Steve's gaze with unfaltering rage.

Steve looked away and back to Tony who was being placed on the stretcher and carried away. They followed sedately leaving Loki in the grass. He eventually got up, grabbing his staff and helmet which dematerialized in his hands and following in silence.

Tony was taken through to the infirmary where under Jarvis's instruction his suit was removed, everyone was ushered out to wait in one of the lounges, all except Fury and Loki, who made it very clear anyone who came near him would be reduced to ashes. He stood back from them and watched them work.

'Director, he is completely healed.' One of the surgeons said quietly. Loki didn't miss the trace of relief in the voice, as if they had expected Stark to be a mess of internal organs and blood underneath his healed skin. Loki smirked, good. He did not want their trust.

Tony awoke with a jolt and groaned out loud as pain lanced through his head, he touched his fingers to it gently and felt the pull of tubes. He squinted in the gloom to see an IV needle in his hand. He felt his face and could feel more tubes up his nose. He looked into the darkness and seeing no one, he pulled the tubes out, choking slightly as they brushed his throat. He then pulled the IV out and cursed as he nicked the skin.

'Can you try not to damage yourself after the energy I expended to heal you?' Came a dark voice from the shadows and Tony jumped.

'Jarvis, lights!' He called out hoarsely and almost gagged as his throat was so dry. The lights flickered on to reveal Loki leaning upright against the wall by his bed and Tony pushed himself up as his heart hammered in his chest. He looked down to see his arc reactor safely in his chest before looking back to Loki.

'Why are you here?'

'I am unwelcome anywhere else.' He stated dryly.

'Why am I here?'

'Because I hauled your lifeless body back from outer space.'

'You, wait what?' Tony looked around, fumbling with his hands until he found a glass of water, he choked on it as he tried to drink it until finally he stopped sputtering and managed to down it all. His limbs felt heavy and unresponsive and he looked up at his IV. Morphine, of course.

'Are you done trying to drown yourself?'

'Yes, I am thanks for your concern, now would you mind explaining to me what happened?'

'You were shot out of the air when you reached the portal, then pounded into a pulp by the Chitauri.'

'I remember that, where do you come in?'

'I managed to commandeer a vehicle from the Chitauri I had just blown up and was racing back to the portal when I saw you being dragged back to the base, so I slew the few who surrounded you and as the portal had then closed, teleported us back to Midgard.'

'I seem to recall many grievious injuries, how long have I been out.' He panicked, suddenly thinking about 6 weeks being unconcious whilst his body healed.

'2 days.'

'2 days, but my wrist, my leg?' He moved each on in turn, stiff but not broken.

'I used magic to heal you once we were back on Midgard.'

'So... Not only did you save my life, but you healed me aswell?'

'Try not to get overly emotional, leaving you behind would have caused me more grief than it was worth.'

'Could have just told them I was dead.'

'And then be incarcerated and charged with your murder, I think not.'

'Well being that you can easily escape what should it matter?'

'I came here to seek aid, not start another war.'

'Ok, but why use up all your energy to heal me?'

Loki fell silent and Tony felt cold under his glare. After a couple of minutes Loki took a breath.

'It seemed the proper thing to do.'

'Since when do you abide by proper?'

'Since you distracted The Other's forces long enough for me to get close enough to destroy the base.'

'Did you kill him?'

'No, but I managed to take away his powers, so he will not be opening portals for the forseeable future.'

'You what?'

'Too complicated for a mortal mind to understand.' Loki waved his fingers through the air and looked away.

Tony's first thought was to argue, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

'Thank you.'

Loki turned his cold gaze back to Tony and narrowed his eyes.

'For saving my life, unbusting my busted ass and for stopping my anxiety attacks, something I should have thanked you for ages ago.'

Loki just watched him incredulously and Tony wondered when the last time anyone had ever thanked him was, and when he had given anyone reason too.

A few heartbeats later Loki pushed himself off the wall and sank down into a chair so he could face Tony.

'I still don't understand what is going on in that unhinged head of yours, but, still. Thanks.'

Loki pursed his lips and looked away, back to brooding.

'I do not want your thanks, it was all to serve a higher purpose.' He did not look at Tony as he spoke.

'The correct answer is 'it's fine, or no problem.'

Loki looked back to him slowly.

'Just try it? No. Problem.'

Green eyes narrowed.

'Come on, be friendly, just this once, look I am lying in a hospital bed and,' he picked up the covers. 'Oh god someone has given me a sponge bath, please tell me the nurses were female?!'

Loki tried to keep his eyes narrowed, but Tony's petrified face caused him to let a laugh escape, it was a musical, gentle sound that made Tony smile.

'See, that is more like it.'

Loki composed himself and went back to watching Tony with calculating eyes. Tony stared back, Loki's dark hair was out of its usual slicked back style and instead fell messily around his face, framing his narrow cheekbones and causing a stark contrast between his pale skin and hollow green eyes, his eyes had dark red bruises underneath them as if he had not slept properly in a while. His armour was forgone in the stead of his usual leather attire, but without the overcoat and cape, he almost looked casual, in a renaissance fair kind of way.

'You look like shit.' Tony tried to sound light hearted.

'So do you.' Loki replied quietly.

Tony's next words were drowned out by a mass of footsteps sounding down the hall. Loki stiffened and looked towards the door.

'Don't go.' Tony said weakly, but Loki merely looked at him before he disappeared into thin air.

At the same time the door burst open and all the Avengers, alongside Jane and Darcy, filed into the room in a raucourus symphony.

'Tony Stark! You are awake!' Thor cheered through a mouthful of what looked like hot dog. He was the first to reach him and hold out a hand.

'Screw the handshake give me the hot dog.' Tony laughed and snatched it, stuffing it into his mouth before Thor could react.

'That was mine!'

'Sharing ishf caring bith guy.' He said through a mouthful of bun and sausage.

Thor broke into a wide grin and sat down on the end of the bed. Steve came round the other side and pulled up the chair Loki had been sitting in, if he noticed it was still warm he said nothing.

'We asked Jarvis to notify us as soon as you were awake, but Thor here was too busy hounding down food with Barton and Romanoff.'

'And no one thought to bring me any?'

'You've been out of it two days, you need something more substancial than hot dogs and pizza.'

'There is nothing more substancial than hot dogs and pizza!' He cried in mock disbelief. He shook hands with Steve and pulled himself up to clasp Banner's arm and clap Barton on the side. Natasha came down and in a rare lapse of judgement kissed him on the cheek.

'Wow, you all really thought I was de- done for huh.' He touched his hand to where Natasha's lips had touched his skin and felt almost humbled by the faces around him. 'Surely you know by now you can't get rid of me that easy.' He laughed, trying to stop the tension mounting between them all.

'We feared the worst at one point.' Fury came striding in and stopped beside his bed as the other's moved aside for him.

'Welcome back soldier.' He wrung his hand hard. 'For a moment there you had us fooled, you and Loki both. We all thought he'd taken you out for the count.'

'For a moment so did I, but I was wrong and I am very glad I was. I was really screwed back there, they were dragging me back to their master when Loki found me.'

The others looked away and Fury said nothing, obviously no one would give up their hatred for Loki that easily. Was that what he had done? He searched himself, he was frightened by Loki, yes, more than a little unnerved and creeped out, yes, he pitied him a bit, not that he would ever let Loki know that, and he was grateful. He didn't trust him, but he didn't hate him, infact he couldn't remember ever hating him. Now he knew how Thor must feel, if on a stupidly smaller scale, he knew he should hate him, he wanted to hate him, but he couldn't.

'Oh-kaay silence over came someone please give me some clothes and I want to make it very clear that no one is EVER to let a nurse sponge bath me again, am I understood?' A chorus of laughter broke out and he was handed a pile of clothes by a hovering doctor. 'Ok go on everyone shoo, I mean it. No free show today.' He waited until everyone left before climbing out of bed and dressing stiffly, his limbs starting to regain their usefulness. He sat on the bed a while, wondering what the hell to do with himself before he finally managed to make himself leave and go find the lounge. He was lucky enough that a lift was nearby as all the rooms the Avengers used were on the 6th and 7th story, top story for bedrooms, second to top had commodities. Each floor had its own useage, bottom floor was labs, workshops and medical rooms and that was where he was at now. He went up in the lift and came out on the 6th floor to the smell of pizza drifting down the corridor and his mouth watered. He stopped himself sprinting the short distance to food and as he approached the door he could hear laughter and banging.

He walked in to find Thor with Clint in a headlock, Steve and Banner sitting at a counter watching, Jane and Darcy on the sofa cheering and Natasha sitting cross legged on the floor putting a game into the Xbox.

'I swear we left kindergarden years ago.' Tony laughed and they all turned to face him.

'Clint has been teaching me how to use your technology box and now has resorted to cheating because I am winning.' Thor grinned as Clint struggled uselessly against him.

Tony looked from him to Natasha.

'They're busy so I want to play my game now.' She smiled before turning back to a first person shooter. He waved to Jane and Darcy before walking over to Steve and Bruce.

'I see they have resorted to a childlike state due to crisis.' He pointed over at the others and chuckled.

'Aren't they always like this?' Banner lifted his eyebrows as Clint finally got free and slumped on the sofa nursing his pride.

'I seem to be missing a good party, give me some pizza Rogers.' He motioned with his hands and Steve passed him the box, he smelt it tentatively and upon smelling pepperoni he whipped it open and grabbed a slice. As he put the box down and went to take a bite.

'Tony, has Loki spoken to you?'

'Uh uh, can't talk, eating.' Tony took a large bite of the pizza and took his time on it.

'Stark.' Steve warned.

'Oh can I at least eat first before you interrogate me?' Tony said, swallowing his bite and wincing as the lump slid down his throat.

'It's important.'

'And my health isn't?'

'Just answer the question.' Steve pulled his eyebrows together and waited.

'Ok, fine.' He pulled up a bar stool and sat down. 'Yes, he was there when I woke up, he told me what happened then disappeared when you lot came blaring in, that's it.'

'He never left the room you were in according to the doctors.'

'He said he was unwelcome anywhere else.'

Steve furrowed his brow.

'What do you expect, everyone hates the guy he isn't going to come in and be glared at, I expect he gets enough of that on Asgard.'

'You sound like your defending him.' Bruce remarked pointedly.

'I guess I am, a little. I don't trust him, but he has saved our backsides and my life in one night. It doesn't make up for what he did but it's a start.'

Silence. Great, you and your big mouth Stark, just pretend to share everyone else's view and be done with it, he isn't there to be liked.

'Do you know where he is now?' Steve finally looked up.

'No, like I said he disappeared.'

'Can Jarvis find him?'

'He could, but maybe he doesn't want to be found?' Tony offered.

'We need to hear his information, he said he would speak to Fury.'

'He did, and it is getting late, can they not speak tomorrow?'

Steve sighed and pushed the pizza box towards Tony.

'There you go, that is better.' Tony gushed mockingly and started to eat. 'I will cooperate better once I have some food I am starving.'

'You'd better, we can have a mass murderer floating around our building unattended.'

'He probably isn't even here, more than likely is in one of his temperal space bolt holes he seems to disappear into alot.'

'Space holes?'

'A guess, he has to hide somewhere and sometimes Jarvis doesn't think it is on Earth and it sure as hell isn't on Asgard. I think he has lots of little crevices in dark corners of the universe that he can hide for short periods of time.'

Steve just nodded, so did Bruce.

'Makes sense I guess.' Bruce said thoughtfully.

'So, instead of badgering, you're just going to have to be patient, this guy is like a coiled snake, provoke him and he strikes you, or slithers away. Wait him out and he'll eventually lose interest or relax.'

'We don't have time to wait him out.'

'We're going to have to if we want his information.' Tony picked up the pizza box and dropped himself onto the sofa next to Clint.

They continued to watch people play, play games themselves, talk and joke well into the night.

When everyone finally started getting up and going to bed, only Tony and Natasha were left. She bid him goodnight and left him to his thoughts. He had a lukewarm beer still in his hand which he didn't really feel like drinking, he got up and went over to the fridge by the kitchen area and looked inside. Ready meals, candy, beer, soda, plastic containers of cooked food marked with days of the week, vegetables and various tins. He opted for a Hershey bar, wishing he had grabbed some chocolate on his stop in at the UK, American chocolate sucked.

He sat back down and swirled the contents of his can around.

'Jarvis, can you detect where Loki is?'

'No sir.'

'I knew it I knew it.' He took a gulp of his beer and instantly regretted it.

'Eugh warm piss. Why do they make drinks that turn to piss when they gets warm.' He shoved the rest of the chocolate bar in his mouth and put the drink aside.

He sat there quietly for a few minutes and then Jarvis made a beeping noise, he recognised it from the other night.

'Jarvis?'

'I have detected Loki's signature sir.'

'And?'

'You may not like this, it is heading for this room using teleportation.'

'Shit, no sleep for me.' He turned around and looked over the back of the sofa, waiting for the tell tale shimmer of magic.

'Do you even know what a door is?'

'I do.' He heard the silky voice before he saw him appear on the tile floor before him.

'Where have you been hiding?'

'That is none of your concern.'

'It kinda is seeing as you said you'd talk to Fury.'

'And I will.'

'Not if you keep disappearing to your bolt holes.'

Loki looked at him cooly.

'They no longer exist, there are no safe places for me anymore. The last time I used one of my 'bolt holes' as you put it I was attacked and ended up here.'

'So then where have you been?'

Loki sighed.

'On the roof, mostly.'

'Isn't it really cold out there?'

'I do not feel the cold like most.'

Feeling the conversation thinning, Tony grasped for a subject.

'Is it nice, on Asgard?'

Loki turned to Tony, his expression unreadable and Tony wondered if he had said the wrong thing.

'It is beautiful.'

'What is it like?'

Loki crossed the gap between them in a few long strides and came to stand near the sofa, his hands clasped behind his back.

'There is a great, golden palace above the sea, the citadel stretches almost as far as the eye can see around and behind. Magical fires light up cobbled and paved streets worn smooth by horses and people. Beyond the citadel are meadows, criss crossed with rivers that stem from the mountains beyond. Bountiful woodlands border the mountains and the air is always warm in the summer and cool in the winter, the winds blow off the mountains and keep the heat at bay during the hottest times. It is peaceful, the courtyards full of people selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Young soldiers practice fighting together inside the castle grounds and everyone is free to come and go as they please, there is no great divide between the King and his people.'

'Sounds like a great place, we don't have anything like that here, Kings, castles. All that stuff we read about as kids. Sure they do over in Europe, but we have the wild west and presidents. Not alot of magic in that.'

Loki looked at him curiously.

'You know, it still weirds me out that I can go to my local library, get a book about mythology and find you in it.'

Loki smirked half heartedly and looked away.

'It's pretty cool, weird, but cool. I used to read about the Norse Gods as a kid, not alot, to into my science and my dad wanted me to learn about weapons, but still.'

Loki didn't look back.

'I'm trying to keep a conversation going here but I need your help with that.'

'I have nothing to say.'

'Then think of something, you come here to give us help, you're no help to us shutting yourself away or disappearing and only resurfacing when you need something. You say you are unwelcome, then make an effort. You have burned alot of bridges, not just burned, you exploded them into tiny pieces. It isn't going to be forgotten in a hurry, it won't be forgotten at all without you trying.'

'Then why do you speak to me, you haven't forgotten.'

'Because you saved my life, and I can tell you're a pretty lonely guy,' Loki went to speak and Tony put a hand up to stop him, 'don't try to deny it. I don't think you're all bad news, unhinged, borderline psychotic and a total bastard yes, evil, no.'

'I did not come here to be psychologically assessed.' Loki growled half heartedly.

'Why did you come here then, and don't say to me you're unwelcome anywhere else as you could have stayed on the roof.'

'I do not know, to see if you are still alive maybe?'

'Very kind of you, as you can see for now I am still in one piece.'

'How fortunate for you.'

'Back to square one with you again, you know if you dropped the condescending tone when you spoke to people you might turn out to be a likeable guy.'

Eyes narrowed at him and Tony shrugged at him. 'Just a suggestion.'

'I do not wish to be likeable.'

'And why is that?'

'Friendship is a useless thing that brings sentiment, sentiment is a useless bi product of feelings and keeps one from reaching full potential.'

'Spoken like someone who has no friends. By full potential you mean mass murder and intergalactic war? Doesn't seem like such a good thing anymore does it?'

No reply.

'I know the sound of my voice probably irritates the hell out of you, I know I am annoying at the best of times but I am trying here, can't you? Do you have anyone you could call a friend?'

Loki turned away from him, Tony could almost feel him seething.

'I take that as a no, not even on Asgard?'

'No one, once I had my family, but no more.'

'You have issues, I get it, but so does everyone. Mass murder is generally not the option, psychiatrists are.'

A cold look, tinged with confusion.

'A psychiatrist is someone you talk about your problems too, someone who is qualified to help you through them.'

'You mortals tell your problems to strangers and hope they will fix them?'

'See when you put it that way it doesn't sound so good, but, they help. Talking about it helps.' Tony felt a guilty tug at his heart as he said that and thought of Pepper, who he had so carelessly shut out, who was he to be giving life lessons?

Loki watched him curiously now and Tony raised his eyebrows in concern.

'What, is there something on my face?'

'You say talking about your problems is good, yet you and I are not so different in that aspect. You have shut your heart away too and do not let people help you.'

'Difference is I do not go around starting wars.'

'No, you kill the mortals you call the 'bad guys'. People's perspectives of right and wrong differ, even between your own Avengers. Who is to say you are right in how you handle your situation in adverse to how I handle mine?'

'Because I help people, and you ruin people's lives?'

'For all you know the people my army killed were murderers, killers pretending to be normal people.'

'Or they could have been decent human beings trying to live a good life.'

'But there is the question, right there, how do you know?'

'If you want to play that game, what about Coulson?' Tony barely stopped his breath hitching when he felt the pain of losing him hit anew and he looked away.'

Loki stiffened before replying.

'He was going to shoot me.'

'You're a God, that hit did nothing to you.'

'I did not know it would, the weapon was untested. Had. I not had the Tesseract's protection I expect it could have killed me, being that it harnesses the same power as Asgard's Destroyer, which can kill anything.'

'But you had the Tesseract.'

'I did not know if it's protection would work against it.'

'Were you scared?'

'No. I had nothing to fear.'

'You're a really bad liar.'

'What do you want Stark? I do not feel remourse for my actions, I do not want retribution. Did I enjoy what happened? Yes, would I do it again if I needed too? Yes, I do what I must to survive and if it means killing people I will do it. Do you know how many people your Agent Romanoff has killed? How many innocents.' He hissed.

'Don't make this about someone else, she has decided to change, she made the leap to make herself a better person and regrets her actions. You could do it too, it's called learning and very easy to do. Staying on the path your on will just get you killed, you know that or you wouldn't be here right now.'

Tony expected an arguement, or anger, or a sarcastic reply. Instead Loki walked over to the other sofa and sat down on it, as he did his body shimmered and his leather clothing disappeared, in place appeared a green v necked shirt of some very soft material and fitted cotton trousers. He was barefoot and stretched out on the couch as if he had not known comfort in some time.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and squeezed his eyes shut as if battling some internal battle and did not speak again.

Tony waited, he could play this game. After a few minutes he got up and went to the counter, grabbing a bottle of his favourite whiskey he had stashed in one of the drawers. He pulled out two glasses and poured them both a drink and walked over to Loki. He stopped infront of him and the god looked up.

'Here.' He passed him the glass, which Loki took delicately. 'Would you mind?' He brought the other glass closer to Loki. With his free hand Loki touched a finger to the glass, ice crystals fanned out from his finger and stopped mere millimetres away from Tony's fingers on the top of the glass. 'Cheers, neat trick, I suppose magic isn't all that bad.'

He sat down on the other sofa and positioned himself so he could watch Loki and raised his glass.

'To awkward aquaintances, or whatever you would call us.' He brought the glass down to his lips and drank, shuddering as the ice cold liquid hit his throat. Loki merely watched him with narrowed eyes, but eventually took a sip after icing his own glass.

'If we're going to sit here in silence I am going to put on a movie.' He grabbed the remote and turned on the obscenely large flatscreen tv that was more like a small cinema system and flicked through netflix until he found the one he wanted.

He glanced over to see Loki watching the screen curiously.

'Tvs are a god send, I don't know how you live without them!'

Loki looked away, seething and took another sip. 'We prefer pursuits that challenge our minds and bodies.'

'That is all well and good, but you always need an escape from the real world.'

'You see Stark, on Asgard there are these things called books.'

'That's what this is!'

Loki glared at him.

'This brings books to life, using real people or animation to tell the story so you can see it with your own eyes, imagining is great, but this is something else.'

Music started up from the tv and Loki looked back at it, the music became more powerful as the movie started.

'What is this?' Loki asked, then looked away horrified that he had.

'You'll see, and. I bet you'll like it too.' Tony replied smugly.

They watched in silence as the scenes unfolded infront of them and Tony couldn't help smirking. Loki watched with mock boredom as a cat turned into a woman with a pointy hat.

'This is what you mentioned to me the other day is it not?'

'Yep, Harry Potter, you like magic so watch it and don't complain.'

'So they can choose any form they wish yet the woman chooses to shapeshift into a cat...'

'She likes cats ok.'

'But out of everything?'

'I suppose you could do better.' Tony looked over at him, expecting a curt reply but instead Loki shimmered. Oh shit, he paused the tv and winced.

Before the transformation had finished Loki leapt into the air and landed on the other sofa, Tony pulled his legs out of the way as the creature advanced on him.

Green eyes tinged with gold bored into his as sharp canines glinted in the dim light. Tony watched the wolf in frightened awe, pitch black and alot larger than a regular wolf, it panted and bared its teeth before releasing a low growl.

'Ok ok I get it point taken you're better than the people on the tv. Please put the fangs away.'

The wolf, or should he say Loki merely cocked its head in a puppy like fashion.

'Don't act cute or I'll pet you.'

That earned him another threatening snarl and he backed into the sofa as much as he could.

'Point taken, you can go back to your own sofa now!'

Loki growled once more before backing away and stepping lightly off the sofa, he looked back at Tony and shimmered again, Tony let out a sigh of relief but stopped halfway as the figure infront of him turned blue.

Red, white and blue in fact.

'Does this more suit you Stark?' Came the undiguisable voice of Captain Rogers.

'Ok now that is creepy, can you change into anything you want?'

'Shapeshifting is my speciality.' He shimmered again and this time became Natasha.

'Anything, any creature, any gender, anything I want.'

'Weirding me out now.'

'You challenged.' The voice changed halfway through into a male voice, HIS voice. Tony looked back at himself incredulously.

'Do I really look like that? God I'm short.'

Lokitony smirked and walked away, back to the other sofa, he dropped down into it and by the time he was stretched out again he was back to his normal self.

'Er, thanks for the show, you enjoyed that way too much.'

'I like using magic.'

'You don't say. Right, lets get back to the movie before I pass out.'

They continued to watch in silence, Tony expected Loki to ask questions constantly, but, apart from pointing out that wands were too fragile in a real battle and a true sorcerer should not need one, he watched quietly.

When the first film was over Tony asked if he wanted to see the second one, but put it on before he could give an answer saying 'we're watching it anyway.' Loki scowled but said nothing and Tony had to wonder if he was actually enjoying himself but too proud to admit it. He had gone from being stretched out on the sofa to curled up against one arm, even though he was all legs it made him look very small and alot less threatening. Here was the guy behind the leather and bravado, quiet and broody, the mass murderer curled up on the sofa watching Harry Potter with a guy he tried to kill more than once. Go figure. The world works in seriously mysterious ways.