Chapter 4 – Night Terrors
They pulled up in front of the restaurant and the valet opened Loki's door. They went inside together, Tony not even having to give his name before the hostess was ushering them to a secluded table off to the side of the dining room, a candle already lit at the dim table. It was a charming, and again extravagant restaurant. They were in a booth this time, and they hung their coats before sitting across from each other. Tony watched as Loki accepted his menu, opening it carefully. When Tony opened his own menu, Loki looked up, his hands gripping the menu tightly. He tried not to fidget but felt nervous, unsure of what to say now to this man, embarrassed from their last encounter.
"I – I wish to apologize for last time."
Tony looked up in surprise and immediately saw the discomfort on the surface, the nerves hidden beneath it.
"For what? You were justified-" he tried to say, but Loki waved him off.
"No, I wasn't. My reaction was harsh and unfair. You had no way of knowing a specific phrase would offend or upset me and so reacting upon it is completely my fault." he seemed to relax once the words had left his lip and busied himself taking a sip of his water. Tony watched him, surprised again by the man across from him.
"It's okay."
The words were simple, commonly used and heard everyday in some context or another, but this time it meant something more than just a trivial response. Loki felt his smile moments after he'd realized he'd allowed it onto his expression, and watched Tony's lips curve in response. Tony's eyes dropped briefly to the menu before setting it open on the table, clearly about to make a suggestion.
"How do you feel about seafood?"
Tony whistled on his way up the elevator to his flat, completely thrilled that the second date had gone so well. So well, in fact, that Loki had suggested a third. He grinned to himself as he stripped off his suit jacket, tossing it on a chair. It was promising for the future that it was starting to no longer seem as one sided. He froze mid-step, wondering when he'd cared so much about the future, but shrugged it off, pulling his phone out of his pocket as it rang for the third time since he'd reached the building.
"Hello,"
"Tony where have you been, I've been trying to reach you all night!" Pepper's voice came through, clearly frustrated.
"I was on a date. What is it?"
There was a pause before she answered but then the annoyance only became more apparent.
"We've got media on the doorstep wondering if the man you've been meeting has to do with some new weapons deal? Especially since you called off the weapons making and then were seen with a wealthy, foreign man."
Tony's grip on the phone tightened, his other hand lifting to touch the circle of glass and metal in the centre of his chest. He opened his shirt with one hand, moving in front of the mirror to see the blue glow of his own life shining in his reflection.
"No. It wasn't an arms deal. He was my date."
There was a moment of shocked silence, and then Pepper cleared her throat.
"What should I tell the media?"
"Nothing." he replied, and she huffed in his ear.
"I have to tell them something."
Tony thought of Loki's reaction to any attention from the press and cringed.
"Just tell them that it had nothing to do with weapons." he said, and he heard her sigh, pen scratching.
"Fine. But I really do think you should reconsider on the matter. Weapons are – were your main source of business." she said, and Tony shrugged before remembering she couldn't see him.
"Goodnight Pepper." he hung up before she could say anything more, staring at the piece in his chest, then he turned towards the elevator again, taking it to his lab. There, he moved to stand in front of the iron man suit.
"Time for a night out I think."
Loki tossed and turned in his sleep, the sounds and images of warfare filling his senses. He jolted awake at a moment where he should've died, sheets tangled around his limbs, chest heaving as he gasped in the air. He slumped back against the pillow, running a hand over his face before getting up, getting himself a glass of water before moving towards the window and pulling back the curtain. The city lights shone, the sky a midnight blue above the bright glow of city life.
A small, fast moving shape in the air caught his attention and he tracked it with his gaze, recognizing fairly quickly the iron man suit. He frowned as he studied it; the glow of power source in the middle of its chest, the flashy red and gold colours. There had been a lot of talk about the suit, and the man who owned it.
Loki's thoughts drifted back to his date, and he smiled at the memory. Tony Stark. Who would've assumed he would associate himself with such a name, so focused in the media, when he was trying to hide. Yet what bad could come of it? He wasn't somewhere people would look; not for him anyways. He watched the iron man suit fly over the city and disappear behind a cluster of towers and stepped away from the window, tugging the curtains back in place. He glanced at the bed but knew he wouldn't get anymore sleep that night and so turned instead to his closet, reaching for clothing. Perhaps it was time for a walk.
Loki found himself walking down the empty streets of three a.m.. He was alone in the streets, alone in his thoughts, and so alone to brood. He watched the snow as it fell, each flake intricate and pretty. A shout caught his attention, and Loki turned towards one of the many houses in the street, noticing for the first time how the door was open. A little boy came running out, no older than 8, still dressed in his pyjamas, face stained with tears. He came running up to Loki, who crouched in front of the boy, unable to walk away from the distressed child.
"What's wrong?"
"You have to help! He's hurting my mom. I tried to stop him, I swear I tried, but he locked the door and I can't get in. Please help me, please!" Loki stood, taking the boys hand gently in his, instantly furious.
"Take me there."
The little boy tugged him along, up his front steps and into the house. The mother's voice came from the back room and the boy pulled him forward. When they reached the door, Loki stepped in front of the boy, pushing on the locked door with what appeared to be little force. It sprang open, the boy looking on in awe as Loki took in the scene.
A man stood over what Loki could only assume was the boys mother, and she cowered away from him, hands raised over a battered face. The man's hands were in front of him so Loki couldn't see, but he could hear the words.
"You never learn!" he raved. "You just let that little brat run wild. And you, you're clumsy and useless. I should just be rid of you and get myself a new wife." Loki's hands clenched in fists as he stepped into the room.
"I think you need to learn to respect the mother of your child." Loki said, understanding well enough what had been going on. The man spun, eyes wild, face splotchy with anger and drink, clearly not sober. Disgust welled in Loki's chest but he remained still, watching the man as he brandished a gun. The woman had scuttled away from him, moving to put space between her and her husband, and Loki stepped back, drawing the man out of the room.
"What are you doing in my house?" the man demanded, and Loki shrugged, not altogether sure himself.
"My help was requested." he said, and the fathers face went purple.
"By who?" he turned just as the little boy tried to dart past him to his mother, and the man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. The little boy cried out, just as the mother rushed forward, but Loki was faster. Quick as a snake, he'd grabbed the mans wrist, forcing him to release the boy, and pushed him across the room, placing himself between the man and the rest of his family. He watched the mother scoop her son into her arms, clearly relieved, but when she looked up at him, she didn't say a word, eyes sparkling with tears, one half closed from what Loki could only assume was a fist, but she clung protectively to her boy, and Loki respected her for that. He turned back as the man climbed back to his feet, and Loki watched him with scorn.
"Perhaps we should carry on this discussion outside." Loki suggested, and the man stood, trying to be imposing at his full height, but Loki still looked down at him. The man seemed to hesitate, and Loki looked back at the mother and child.
"Do you wish to see him again?" he asked, and while the mother frowned, the boy shook his head.
"He hurts momma. He should go to jail for life."
"You watch your tongue boy, who do you think puts food in your stomach? Clothes on your worthless back?" he tried to move towards them but Loki pushed him back again, sending him reeling without even sparing him a glance.
"Ma'am?"
"I-" she hesitated then shook his head, eyes defiant as she looked at her sons father. "No."
Without another word, Loki turned back to the man who was glaring murderously at the wife.
"You'll pay for that you worthless bitch." he said, but now Loki was moving forward, stepping out of reach of one punch just to come in, grabbing the mans' shirt and tossing him towards the front door. The man stumbled but managed to stay on his feet, spinning back.
"You can't kick me outta my own house!" he said, and Loki just raised his eyebrows.
"No, I can do much worse. But we're going outside to end this conversation. You can either make your own way or I will force you but you will no longer display such violence in front of your family." he shoved the man back, eyes suddenly ice cold, violent, and not quite human. "You are supposed to protect them from violence," he hissed, shoving the man down the stairs, and yet he appeared at the mans head when he fell, appearing taller, feral. "They are your family." he dragged the man to his feet, even as the man quaked with fear at what he'd seen, pulling out a phone and calling a taxi. He held the man up for the ten minutes it took for the taxi to arrive, shoving him in first and then looking back to the house. The wife and son stood in the door and he just nodded before climbing into the taxi.
"Where too sir?" the taxi driver asked, and Loki glanced over at the man who was watching him as if afraid he would bite. Loki gave the man an almost savage grin.
"Just drive towards the water. I'll tell you when to stop."
The taxi pulled away and Loki glanced back to see the door closing and turned back to the husband.
"Looks as if you're no longer welcome home." he said, and the man just shrank back, having seen something terrifying in this man who had appeared in his house.
"You're a demon." he managed to whimper, and Loki slid a cool look in his direction.
"No."
He motioned to the driver to pull over next to an abandoned shop with an alley, paying the driver and dragging the man out. He waited for the taxi to pull out of sight before dragging the man into the alley, snow catching in his raven black hair, his eyes seeming to nearly glow as they bore holes in the man.
"I'm not a demon." he paused as he pushed the man against the brick wall, pulling off his gloves and tucking them into his pocket. When he looked back up, his appearance had changed and the man whimpered again as he shrank back. "I am so much worse than any night terror you could conceive."