The trek across the rainbow bridge and towards the Bifrost was long and stressful, as Tony second-guessed himself over and over again. Tony had no idea what Loki was thinking about the whole thing, and Loki's icy demeanor worried him. The last thing Tony wanted was for the god to resent him for what he had done.

Tony's heart was in his throat by the time they stopped in the center of the golden room where Heimdall stood centered on the golden dais.

Odin hefted his staff and moved to stand in front of where the guards were holding the bedraggled god.

"Loki, you have caused trouble not only for the people of Asgard, but for the people of Midgard as well. Since you seem to harbor hatred for me and your family, perhaps a sentence on Midgard will humble you." Odin pointed the golden staff at the center of Loki's chest. "I take from you your magic, passed down from generation to generation, from sorcerer to sorcerer." There was a flash of green light and a shower of sparks that cascaded down Loki's arms as his face remained stony. "I take what was given to you at birth, and I take your status as prince and god." The armor that Loki always wore seemed to crumble, leaving him in that green tunic and black pants, making him look small amongst the Asgardians in full armor around him. He was now mortal and more vulnerable than ever before.

Loki's face was carefully blank, as if he was bored with the situation. The combination of the pale face, disheveled hair, and lack of armor made him look nothing like the manic god that had come to steal the Tesseract.

The Allfather turned to Thor. "Escort them to Midgard and then return here immediately. Loki does not need a constant connection to Asgard if banishment is to be his punishment."

"Yes, father," Thor replied, moving towards Tony and taking him by the arm.

Odin stepped closer to Loki, a tap of his staff removing the heavy chains that had bound Loki's wrists, and they crumbled away much like Loki's armor had. Loki rubbed at his newly freed wrists.

"I will be honest in saying I do not expect to see you returning," the Allfather said in his version of farewell.

Loki's face remained blank as Thor ushered him and Tony to the opening in the Bifrost, despite the coldness that the Allfather was blatantly displaying towards the younger god.

Heimdall hefted his sword, pressing it into the stand in the center of the room, which was the last thing Tony saw before they were swept off.

XXX

The sight of Loki in his living room was not a new one, but the knowledge that he couldn't disappear at the blink of an eye was. He was here to stay and didn't seem to be very happy about it.

Tony couldn't help but think that the Loki they had retrieved from the dungeons of Asgard was a completely different one than the Loki that had been visiting Tony for the past three months. This Loki's demeanor was surprisingly like the Loki Tony had seen in the cage in the helicarrier, cold and aloof to the mortals around him.

Thor stood in the center of the room awkwardly, clenching and unclenching his hands by his sides and glancing at Loki, who was standing off to the side and resolutely staring at the white carpeting.

"I am afraid I will not be able to stay here. Even now I sense my father's impatience." Thor turned fully to Loki. "You will behave, Loki, or Tony will give you to people who wish you dead, a feat much easier while you are contained in a mortal form."

Loki glared icily. "Do not worry yourself, Thor. I lack the motivation and ability to wreak havoc."

Tony didn't doubt Loki's ability to cause mischief and damage even as a mortal. If Loki was motivated enough, anything was possible.

"Good luck, Tony. I do hope we made the right decision." Thor placed a warm hand on Tony's upper arm. "I trust you to find the brother I remember in what he has become."

Tony smiled a touch nervously and shrugged. "At least there's a better chance of it here, right?"

Thor nodded. "You are right. I bid you farewell, Tony, Loki."

When Thor's heavy gait faded out, leaving the room completely silent, Tony finally allowed himself to make eye contact with Loki.

"Well, this is more awkward than I thought it would be," he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"How dare you," Loki replied dangerously.

Tony froze, feeling a numbing coldness spread through his body. "What?"

"I said, how dare you. What gave you the thought that you could control my fate?" Loki was no longer hunched in on himself; he had drawn his shoulders back, his eyes were bright, and with the dried blood still painting the side of his face, he looked downright terrifying.

"You mean, why did I go through a shitload to rescue you?" Tony felt his skin crawl with irritation. "The whole 'dungeon for eternity' crap sounded a little rough."

"So you went to Thor!" Loki spat.

"The only option I had!" Tony snapped back. "You were gone permanently, locked away in Asgard and I had to do something about it. So I contacted Thor, the only Asgardian I know besides you."

Loki sneered.

"Would you rather be back in that cell, because I'm pretty sure that can be arranged if you really want. I didn't know dungeon-chic was your thing!"

Loki turned his face away, glaring at the carpet as if it had done him a personal wrong.

"Sometimes, Stark, things are better left as they are. You have meddled in affairs not your own, and now I am doomed to the life of a mortal."

"Which is so much worse than torture," Tony shot back. "What pain you must be in!"

Loki was up in his face in an instant. "I am a god! How dare you speak to me so? You have no idea what it is like to feel your magic ripped from you, what you have relied on your whole life, gone."

Loki was like a cornered animal, lashing out in fear, hiding it behind anger and viciousness. Tony could see the shine to his eyes that spoke of helplessness, and suddenly his anger deflated. Loki needed to let his frustration run its course.

"The Allfather will never allow me back in Asgard, and without my magic, there is nothing I can do about it. You have effectively trapped me on Midgard forever."

"I don't see how an eternity in a dungeon is better than this," Tony said, gesturing widely.

Loki turned away, about to storm off, so Tony snatched his wrist.

"Loki, wait a second."

Loki was completely still, his back stiff like a statue, yet Tony could feel the soft warmth of the wrist in his grip, the sign of life that had been missing the past months. The god slowly turned and stared at where his wrist was trapped, face carefully blank.

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I thought this would be better," Tony said softly. "I couldn't stand the thought of you alone in a cell, being tortured until you lose your mind. I'm not sure anyone deserves that."

Loki slowly looked up at him, his expression unclear.

"You're still unable to hurt anyone this way, and now there's a chance you can learn a lesson from living here. Much better, in my book."

"I'm not sure I trust 'your book,'" Loki responded, his voice strangely rough, but there was a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, a miracle.

Loki slowly uncurled Tony's fingers from around his wrist with his other hand, twining them with his own instead. Tony's heart skipped a beat at the affectionate gesture.

"Were your actions just for the sake of my wellbeing?" Loki asked softly, looking down at their intertwined fingers.

Tony swallowed. "Not completely."

Loki's face held mischief now, slowly leaving the icy fury behind. "You know, Stark, I think the idea that there was personal gain on your part sits much better with me than the idea of you acting the selfless hero."

The about-face in Loki's attitude was dizzying, leaving Tony speechless as he gazed up at the tall figure now looming over him.

Loki's other hand came up to trace the edge of Tony's jaw with his thumb, lingering at the edge of his beard.

"What happened to your urge to stab me?" Tony breathed, unable to break the intense eye contact.

"Oh I am still angry, Stark," he promised, the statement punctuated by an almost painful squeeze of the hand still laced with Tony's. "But there is something overshadowing my anger at the moment." His eyes focused on Tony's mouth before flicking back to meet Tony's gaze. "What is the use, wasting what I have been craving on a bout of anger that is unlikely to undo what has come to pass?"

"Yeah, what's the use?" Tony echoed with a small shrug.

He was caught completely off guard by the hot mouth pressing tightly against his own, cutting off whatever he was going to say next and derailing his train of thought. Loki was pressing into him insistently, mouth a hot brand against Tony's.

All that mattered now was the urgent press of lips and the soft gasp Loki let out when Tony kissed him back, matching his pace and leaning into him. Tony untangled his hand from Loki's and wrapped it around the back of his neck and into the silky hair there, using his other hand to hook around Loki's waist and pull him completely flush.

Despite apparently being a Frost Giant, Loki was a line of heat that seeped through Tony's clothes, and the hands that snuck under the hemline of his now untucked shirt were hot on his lower back.

It was overwhelming all at once; Loki was all around him and his hands felt like they were everywhere. Tony could smell metallic scent of dried blood and something wintery that spoke of Loki, and he tasted of something sweet and difficult to place.

"Sir, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a visitor outside the front door."

Tony groaned as Loki began to mouth his way down Tony's throat, leaving a hot trail in his wake as Tony tilted his head back.

"Not now, Jarvis," he bit out, twining his fingers in soft, silky hair and feeling Loki's smile against the skin of his throat.

"Sir, it is Miss Potts," Jarvis informed, and he almost sounded regretful.

"Tell her I'm not here," Tony snapped.

"I already have. Unfortunately, Miss Potts is not easily fooled."

Tony groaned loudly and Loki pulled back just enough so that he could see Tony's face. "Must you answer the door?" the god asked, and his flushed face coupled with the glances he threw at Tony's mouth almost broke his resolve. But the thought of Pepper on the doorstep tapping her foot made him hold Loki at arm's length and take a deep breath.

"I really have to answer that, or she may just murder me," Tony said with a light smile. "Hopefully whatever it is, it won't take too long."

Loki didn't respond, so Tony winked and turned away from the sight of the god with lips parted and his face flushed. "Go hide upstairs or something," he said as a last second thought, turning and pointing to the staircase and watching Loki's raise an eyebrow. "Just don't allow Pepper to see you, okay?"

As Tony turned to go answer the door he felt the trickster god's gaze on his back.

Tony quickly finger-combed his hair into place, re-tucked his shirt, and firmly imagined Nick Fury in a bikini to disrupt any arousing thoughts, before opening the door to see a very irate Pepper. She was standing on the doorstep clutching a stack of papers to her chest and scowling. It looked like she had just come from work, as she was dressed in a pencil skirt with a matching jacket that hugged her slender form and her hair was back in a neat ponytail.

"How long does it take you to answer a door?"

"I was in the bathroom," he lied smoothly, offering her an apologetic smile. "Come in?"

She smiled as she stepped past him, and Tony watched as her irritation melted slightly. "I basically have a mountain of paperwork that requires your signature, and I've put off getting them done long enough," she explained, making her way through the open foyer area to the living room.

"You want anything to drink?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll have a glass of water. Thanks." She sat down on the couch and plopped the papers down on the glass table with a heavy sounding thunk. Tony was very relieved to see that Loki had taken his advice and gotten out of the room. Tony didn't trust Loki not to purposefully cause a scene.

Stopping in the kitchen, he poured Pepper a glass of ice water and made his way back into the living room to subject himself to writing his name a hundred or so times. He handed Pepper the glass and took a seat next to her.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

Tony grumbled, but started signing the forms proffered without too much complaint. After all, he was walking on thin ice as it was, and he didn't want to cause too much strife before any secrets were spilled. All the strife needed to be saved for then, just in case. Tony really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Not knowing where Loki had gone off to, Tony wondered if it would have been a good idea to lock up the house to make sure Loki didn't wander off and start national incidents. It would look pretty bad if Tony managed to screw things up in the first hour of Loki being there.

"Tony, is something bothering you?" Pepper asked, concern coloring her expression. "You look distracted."

"Nothing you should worry about, Pep," he reassured her.

"There's definitely something you're not telling me."

"Pepper, seriously, I'm fine."

Pepper narrowed her eyes in scrutiny of him, and then handed him another paper to sign. "You've done something stupid, haven't you?"

Tony scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Pepper, I'm always doing something stupid, and you know that."

Pepper was about to respond, but was cut off by a clatter coming from upstairs, and they both jumped in surprise. Tony felt his heartbeat speed with nerves.

"Is there somebody in your house, Tony?" Pepper asked nervously. "I mean, if it was just one of your female friends you wouldn't be acting like this." She stood up, headed for the staircase with a leery expression on her face.

Tony sprung up, spilling the papers out of his lap that fluttered weakly to the floor. "Pepper, you really don't want to know."

"Did you adopt a dog? We both know you would be a terrible pet owner."

Tony laughed. "Let's just say it's a pet and move on with our lives."

Another clatter sounded from up the stairs, and an image of Loki pushing over lamps with a wicked grin on his face flashed through Tony's mind. Honestly, it wasn't that far-fetched of an image.

Pepper looked terrified, as she was probably running through all the options of what terrible things could be hidden in the other room that Tony didn't want her to see. She started heading that direction again, despite Tony's warnings.

"Pepper just wait here a second, would you?" Tony begged, putting a hand on her arm with a pleading expression.

Pepper stared at him and then crossed her arms. "Fine."

Tony raced up the stairs, grumbling under his breath. "Loki?" he whispered loudly. "Where the hell are you, and what are you doing?"

He entered the guest bedroom and found Loki sitting on the edge of the bed, reading one of Tony's books, as innocent as can be. As if.

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply, crossing his arms as Loki looked up at him.

"I'm reading, as you can see. Midgardians are a strange race indeed," he said with an amused glance down at the book in his hands. It happened to be a book on advanced calculus. Well then.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "What the hell was with the loud noises then?"

"Loud noises?" Loki looked around the room ponderously. "I have not heard any loud noises."

Tony ground his teeth at the obvious lie. "Alright, whatever. Just please, keep quiet, would you? Pepper does not need to know you're bunking here."

"Tony?"

Tony and Loki both turned their heads swiftly to where Pepper's voice had come from, right outside the bedroom door. Of course she would have followed him up here.

Tony had always hoped he would live a full life in which he accomplished as much as he could and possibly even ended world hunger and all that, but it seemed that his life was about to end.

Tony flinched as she opened the door and stared blankly into the room before shrieking and making to flee. Tony quickly grabbed the door to prevent it from slamming and snatched her wrist to prevent her from running away in a panic.

"Easy, Pepper," he soothed hurriedly as he allowed the door to swing back open to show Loki still calmly sitting on the bed, his expression amused. "Please let me explain."

Pepper shoved his hand off of her wrist as her gaze bounced between the two of them, still looking as though she wanted to run and never come back. "What is he doing here?" she asked shakily, eyeing the god.

"Pepper, I promise you, he can't harm you, and he's supposed to be here." Tony made sure to speak calmly and act as if he was in control of the situation, even though it felt as though his life was spiraling out his hands.

She turned on Tony, her eyes wild. "You better have a good explanation, Tony," she bit out, fear filling her body with tension, a bowstring ready to snap.

"Maybe we can go downstairs and sit down?" Tony asked softly. "Then I can explain and you won't try to kill me."

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze flickering back to Loki.

"Or we can just sit right in here? Please, I just need to explain, and I promise you that you're perfectly safe."

Pepper seemed to be weighing her options, taking in Tony's relaxed posture and proximity to Loki and deciding that she was at least safe for the moment. She skirted around Tony and gingerly sat in the chair in the corner of the room, eyes never leaving Loki.

Tony followed suit, taking a spot on the edge of the king-sized bed, putting him between Loki and Pepper just in case the shit hit the fan. Glancing at Loki and seeing the amusement painting his face made Tony grit his teeth.

With Pepper, Tony knew that if he told anything other than the truth she would know, so he started right from the beginning and told the entire story. Both Pepper and Loki's gazes were transfixed on him as he relayed the strange events that had led up to this point. This was actually the only time he had told the entire story without censoring any of it. He saw Pepper's eyes widen when he got to the part about Thor and Asgard, and he wondered if knowing that Thor was involved and had agreed with Tony's decisions would help to change her mind.

When he finished, silence wrapped around them like a smothering blanket. Loki's expression was unreadable and Pepper looked like someone had thrown a well-aimed punch at her face.

"Are you crazy?" she finally breathed, and Tony felt his heart drop.

"Pepper, you-"

"No," she interrupted, rising quickly. "No, you've lost your mind, Tony, and I am not getting into it this time. See, this is why I wanted out of this." Her voice was increasing in intensity, heading towards hysterical. "He almost destroyed New York, and now he's in your house, sitting in your guest bedroom!"

Tony hung his head and sighed before looking back up at his angry CEO. "Pepper, I don't expect you to agree with it, but can you at least respect my right to make decisions? He's under official rule of Asgard, here legally. This is my way of trying to do something good."

"This is pushing it, Tony. Of all the crazy things for you to get into, this is what you choose? I thought you were better than this!"

"Three months, Pepper!" he snapped, shooting to his feet. "Three months with nobody around to make sure I was even alive. I've been having nightmares about the wormhole, and I've been wired with nerves, and you know who connected with me and made sure I wasn't rotting here alone?" Tony jabbed a finger at Loki. "He did. He could have tormented me, tricked me, or drove me out of my mind, but he didn't. He was there for me, and we kept each other from going insane. Pepper, you may not want to hear it, but you know what?" He paused, catching his ragged breathing. "I see myself in him."

Pepper's eyes were welling with tears. "He killed thousands of people in New York, Tony," she responded, her voice barely a whisper.

Tony closed his eyes. "And I killed hundreds of thousands, maybe more than that, with my weapons. I got a second chance. I want to be able to offer that chance to someone who needs it."

Loki's gaze didn't move from Tony, intense and calculating from where he was statue still on the edge of the bed, still clutching the hardback book in his lap.

"I understand what people are capable of when put under the right kind of stress and persuasion. What he did was horrible, but what if he can be changed? Redeemed?"

"You're taking a huge risk, Tony."

"Which I'm willing to make."

Pepper sniffled and wiped angrily at her eyes. "Tony, I'm sorry, but this is your problem. I can't- I can't get behind this. It's too much."

"I know, Pepper." He met her pained look with a sad smile. "I've been handling it this long, I can continue to handle it on my own. I'm a big boy."

Pepper let out choked sound and quickly turned and exited the room, hand over her mouth. This was exactly why they had broken it off, exactly why Tony had let her go live her life away from him. He was unhealthy. As the click of her heels finally faded out, and through the huge windows in the bedroom, Tony saw her car zoom away down the curving driveway, Tony's throat constricted. The silence in the room practically echoed around them, and Tony could still feel that green gaze on him.

Tony covered his face with his hands and tried to breathe evenly through the tightness of his throat, standing in the middle of the bedroom dejectedly. It felt as though Pepper's sadness and disappointment were a hand gripping his windpipe and refusing to let go.

"Stark."

Tony removed his hands from his face. "Shut up," he snapped, leveling Loki with a glare. "We could have avoided all of that had you just remained quiet instead of acting like a-"

"A trickster god?" Loki finished dryly. "If you must know, the falling books were an accident." Tony glanced over at the bookshelf to see that the clatter had been caused by half of a shelf of textbooks and hardcovers falling to the floor. "I didn't realize by removing one, the rest would fall. My coordination is somewhat…lacking at the moment."

"Those things haven't been off the shelf in years. You disrupted the perfect balance." Tony shook his head. "She would have found out eventually, I suppose. It went swimmingly, if you ask me," he grumbled, his voice laced with sarcasm in an attempt to hide his emotions. Judging by the look Loki sent him, he had failed.

Loki stood, moving towards Tony. "How did you expect it to go? The last she remembers of me, I was leading an alien army through to your Earth."

Tony cursed and stared at his feet.

"She could have run out without hearing your story. She could have reported my presence to your SHIELD, none of which she did." A long finger pressed under Tony's chin and lifted his line of sight to the brilliant green of Loki's.

"Give her time, Stark. If she cares for you like you say she does, she will eventually come around. We shouldn't expect too much of her."

Tony snorted. "We."

"I am on your side now, aren't I?"

Tony squinted. "I'm not entirely sure."

Loki leaned down and kissed him softly, the tenderness of the gesture catching Tony by surprise. He let out a soft gasp as Loki pulled away.

"You risked the wrath of the Allfather for me. Of course I am on your side." Loki's eyes were clear and focused entirely on him.

"What changed your mind? Last I checked you were furious about that." The cool fingers on his chin were very distracting.

Loki's expression was serious. "Your speech to Miss Potts changed my mind."

"Well…"

The next kiss was less soft and made Tony's head spin as his mouth was claimed. The grip on his hips was tight, possessive, holding him captive against the trickster's body, and Tony could feel the sharp touch of teeth in the kiss. Tony reached a hand up and brushed the side of Loki's face, pausing when he felt dried blood under his fingers.

Tony pulled back reluctantly and watched as Loki's eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"Hey, maybe you should clean up first," Tony suggested. "Maybe even get some rest. God knows you probably need it."

Loki looked loath to stop again, but he also looked deathly pale and haggard. There was still dried blood on the side of his face, and his hair was less than neat.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to work the shower, and I'll even let you borrow some clothing."

Loki's answering smile was small, but it was genuine and it made Tony's heart clench painfully. Boy, he was in too deep.

"Thank you, Stark." He leaned close to Tony's ear. "And after, I will have my way."

Tony swallowed and felt a shiver run down his spine.