It had been almost three weeks since Tony had freed Loki from Asgard, three weeks full of a wary Loki being introduced to Midgardian entertainment, food, and customs. Tony was having a blast, and based on Loki's slowly-improving mood, Tony sensed that Loki was also enjoying himself.

Loki had scoffed at Star Wars, had shown a sort of fond exasperation for Star Trek, and had enjoyed Harry Potter. He seemed to like many of the movies Tony showed him, mostly because they didn't have anything like them on Asgard.

Loki also had a major sweet tooth and loved chocolate more than any other food on Earth. He had quickly found the boxes of sugary cereal hidden in Tony's cabinets, and then had refused any of the other breakfast foods Tony offered. The sight of Loki clutching a bright box of Fruit Loops to his chest in defense of his breakfast of choice would not leave Tony's memory for a long time, and Tony found himself stocking up on cereals that he wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

Loki was also fond of going out to the different restaurants that Tony enjoyed, and Tony found that Loki totally bought into the idea of a date night with fine dining and a bottle of wine. He was fascinated with the romantic rituals of Earth and never missed an opportunity to learn every custom he could. Apparently on Asgard, romance was an important thing. Tony's relationship with Loki felt more real than any other had, and Tony found himself going along with it more than he had with anyone else. Had Tony not been completely besotted he probably would have found it all pretty ridiculous.

Loki got along with Jarvis frighteningly well, and soon was completely comfortable in Tony's mansion. Tony eventually trusted the god enough to leave him home alone when he had to go to a meeting or an event required by Pepper (Pepper still wasn't talking to him, other than sending him paperwork that needed to be signed and events that he had to go to). Soon it felt like they were living together because they had felt it was the right step to make in their relationship.

The more time they spent together the more Tony could appreciate Loki's title: Trickster God. Loki's sense of humor was sharp and surprising at times, and the good-natured smirk it left on Loki's face was addicting, much like a good swallow of scotch.

Tony was also quite sure he was falling deeper and deeper in love. Yes, Tony had been in a few relationships that had lasted longer, but never before had he felt the pull that Loki had on him, had never felt the strange flutter in his stomach that materialized when Loki smiled mischievously at him. It was something novel, and Tony was just as excited as he was absolutely terrified.

Tony would have been more terrified had he not seen the same feelings mirrored in Loki's green eyes, but see them he could. They were both deep, both in it together. He suspected that Loki probably felt nervous about it as well. After all, Tony had once been his enemy in the same way that Loki had been his.

"There is no possible way that's a real word," Loki argued as Tony smirked at him.

"Sure it's a word; you've just never heard it before."

"No, you cannot receive points for that. It makes no sense."

Playing scrabble with an uptight Asgardian was actually very entertaining, as Tony was finding out. It turned out that Loki also had a knack for board games and enjoyed Scrabble the most, and he was just as stubborn as Tony was, which made the game hilarious.

"Fine, fine," Tony relented, taking the offending scrabble pieces off the board and putting them back onto the little wooden stand in front of him. "I'll play a different word."

Tony quickly changed the word to something much more boring and watched Loki's nod of approval.

"Sir, Director Fury is calling," Jarvis chimed in.

Tony froze, his eyes meeting Loki's across the game board, all humor gone. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been tossed over the both of them, pulling them out of the dream life they had been living. Loki was still a criminal in the eyes of the Avengers and SHIELD, and if Tony wasn't careful he could get caught and things could go to hell very quickly.

"Did he give a reason?"

"Apparently it's an emergency situation," Jarvis replied. "His choice of language was colorful when I asked."

"Of course," Tony grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Just pretend you're not here," he instructed Loki, who nodded slowly.

"Patch him through, Jarvis."

There was a beep. "What's up, Fury, my man? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Cut the chatter, Stark, we have a situation in New York," Fury barked, and boy had Tony missed that friendly tone.

"Of course you do," Tony responded lightly. "There's always a situation in New York."

"We're calling in the Avengers."

Tony's throat dried and the remnants of his good mood shriveled. "That bad, huh?"

"Yes. You ever heard of a man by the name of Victor von Doom?"

"Isn't he some crackpot scientist?" Tony could vaguely recall a short man with a thick accent and a crazy streak as wide as Asgard's rainbow bridge.

"Yes, a crackpot scientist who threatened to use his robots to destroy New York. Our field agents found a warehouse filled to the brim with them, and both the agents have gone missing."

"Well, shit."

"My sentiments exactly. I expect you here in six hours, got it?"

"Got it."

The line went dead and the room filled with an ugly silence.

"It seems you are required to be a hero yet again," Loki said lightly, watching him closely.

Tony's mind was running top speed, thinking through scenario after scenario. He couldn't leave Loki here, and taking Loki with him meant facing all the Avengers and having to explain the crazy situation. Tony just knew Fury would not take well to it at all, and Tony would not, under any circumstances, let Fury lock Loki up.

Tony's eyes tracked Loki's face as he wondered what the god thought of the dilemma.

Loki held their eye contact. "I am coming with you. There is no question of that."

Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "Aren't you worried about the team?"

"You cannot keep me hidden, Tony, especially given our relationship. Your Avengers will find out eventually," he reasoned. "Would it not be better if you told them rather than the truth being leaked?" Loki was extremely calm, whereas Tony could feel his own heart racing.

"Yes, you're right." Tony scratched his beard thoughtfully. "They're not gonna like it."

"As the Allfather has made his decision, they cannot do anything about it."

Tony shook his head. "I suppose we're going to New York, then. Pack a suitcase, Reindeer Games."

XXX

"No tormenting, taunting, or teasing them okay? We've got a serious situation down there, and we want them to leave you alone." Tony paused. "Why don't we just try to be on our best behavior, alright? You're a reformed little God of Mischief, harmless and happy."

Loki raised an eyebrow from his spot in the seat across from Tony on the jet, the same spot Pepper always sat in when they flew together. Loki was not Pepper, but his presence was comforting just the same.

"You are telling me to not act like myself."

"Dude, you're the God of Lies! Act like you like them, like you've made a huge change. We're trying to prove to them that you're not dangerous."

Loki's expression was sharp. "I'm not dangerous, and I have changed," he stated softly.

"Yes, but they don't know that, and they need to," Tony argued.

Loki sighed lightly. "I will be on my best behavior," he relented.

"You're going to stay in Stark Tower anyway, and we'll probably be out in the city, so there's not going to be prolonged time for confrontations." Tony shrugged. "You'd be a good asset in a fight, but not when you are magic-less and not-so-invincible."

Loki frowned slightly at that comment and stared out the small window and out at the clouds. Though he seemed at ease, Tony see the slight tension in his frame and the way his jaw was clenched. Tony felt a sudden wave of sympathy for the god, imagining having to walk willingly into the midst of a group of powerful enemies, completely vulnerable. Tony appreciated Loki's bravery and the trust that he seemed to have in Tony.

Tony glanced down at the suitcase that was his collapsed Iron Man suit and then out the window, his thoughts a jumble. He knew that they were testing their luck with this, but leaving Loki at home hadn't been an option. And if Tony could convince the Avengers that Loki was on their side, having the team of superheroes backing him up was a really good thing. It was all up to how well Loki could pull off "innocent god" and how well Tony explained the situation. Tony sighed.

"Hey, Jarvis, is anybody there yet?" he asked.

"It seems all of the Avengers are already there, sir, all except you," Jarvis responded.

"Thor?" Tony questioned.

"Mr. Odinson is currently in Stark Tower with the rest of the team, as well as a selection of security agents and Nick Fury."

Tony smiled. "Hey, Loki, we'll have your brother on our side." He let out a sigh of relief. "It's possible he'll tell the others before we even get there, which'll take some of the surprise factor away."

Some of the tension eased out of Loki's shoulders. "Thor may be irritating, but he is a definite asset in a fight."

Tony shook his head. "There won't be a fight."

"You hope there won't be a fight," Loki corrected, eyebrows pulling upward.

Tony didn't respond as Loki turned back to the window to stare at the clouds.

The elevator ride to the observation floor was tense. Tony could feel his nerves skyrocketing, and the tense line of Loki's back told Tony he wasn't the only one who was feeling anxiety claw at his stomach. He didn't break the thick silence, mostly because there was nothing he could say that would make what was about to happen any better. They had to trust Thor, and they had to trust the reactions of the rest of the team.

The elevator dinged as they reached the right floor, and Loki became even stiffer beside him. Tony held his breath as the doors slid open and revealed the sunlit penthouse room and the team who were all loitering around the conference table that Tony had reluctantly set up at one end of the large room. All eyes were suddenly on the pair exiting the elevator.

"Hey guys," he greeted lightly, aware that while there was tension, no one was acting overly hostile. Perhaps it was the presence of the large Asgardian brother that kept them from acting violently. This was a room full of people who knew about the circumstances but didn't necessarily like them.

"Brother, Stark! How are you?" Thor boomed, standing and moving towards them with the only cheerful face in the room.

At least Bruce wasn't glaring, having put on his forced Zen-face that meant he was keeping his anger carefully in check. The slightest fidget in his seat betrayed his discomfort.

"Stark, I told Thor here I wouldn't touch him," Clint began lowly. "But if Loki does anything fishy, I won't hesitate to put an arrow through him."

Tony took Loki by the arm and skirted around to the empty seats at the table with a grin on his face. "Don't worry, guys. Loki won't be doing any of that, will he?"

Loki dragged his arm out of Tony's grip with a faint glare before his expression cleared into one of convincing innocence. "Tony Stark saved me from an extremely cruel fate on Asgard so that I may have a chance to redeem myself. I do not wish to let him down after all he went through for me."

Steve raised an eyebrow as he reluctantly took his seat at the table. "Is this wise?"

Tony sat down across from Steve and watched as Loki gracefully slid into the seat right next to him, as far away from where Bruce was sitting as possible. In fact, it seemed that he was leaning slightly towards Tony and away from the rest of the team, and his jaw was still tensed.

"Whether it's wise or not, there's no changing what's happened. Loki's my responsibility now, so we're dealing with it."

Thor looked like he wanted to add something, but was cut off by the entrance of Fury.

"Stark!" Fury barked as he walked in, leather coattails flapping like an ominous bird as he neared the head of the table. "I would yell at you for your recklessness, but unfortunately we don't have the time."

The Avengers all settled into their seats like docile yet strange school children ready to listen to their teacher, afraid of the punishment if they didn't do as they were told. Tony felt Loki's arm brush his as the god discreetly moved his chair closer to him, and Tony figured it was in an attempt to put more space between him and Natasha, who had a dangerous expression on her face.

Fury sent a one-eyed glare at Loki. "Why is he sitting at our table? Stark, you have a lot of nerve not only bringing him here, but allowing him to sit next to you at our Avengers meeting."

"This is my table. I bought it. Actually, everything you see in this building is mine," Tony said sharply. "He's a human now, okay? He won't do any damage sitting here and listening quietly while we discuss how to get rid of Doctor Disaster."

"Doctor Doom," Steve automatically corrected, earning him an eye roll from Tony and a small smirk from Bruce. That was one of the things Tony liked so much about Bruce: he was almost reluctantly responsive to Tony's humor, as if it took him by surprise.

Fury glared at Tony and Loki a moment longer before beginning. Apparently the threat was bigger than they thought. Tony had expected a much bigger reaction from Fury.

"Yesterday SHIELD received a tip from an anonymous source warning of strange activity in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Further research led us to the warehouse of one Victor von Doom and the agents we sent in discovered something truly alarming." Fury brought up the screen that was at the end of the table, using a sequence of hand motions to bring up a series of grainy images. Bringing each of them up to full screen in turn, the neutral mood in the room was lowered to grim.

They were photos that were obviously taken from inside a warehouse, and it was easy to see that the warehouse was packed to the brim with shining, metal robots, all carbon copies of the other, all oozing danger. Doom had himself a robot army.

"It gets worse," Fury stated after they had looked through all of the images. After these pictures were sent to us, we lost contact with our agents, and they have been missing since. After many failed rescue attempts, this morning we received this." From his pocket, he pulled out a small memory chip and held it up. "On it is a threat against SHIELD and this city. Doom is planning on releasing robots to destroy New York, no bargaining, no bartering, and they have been moved to various hidden locations around the city, undetectable."

The table was silent as they processed the new information.

"We don't know his motives?" Bruce asked, folding and unfolding his glasses in his hands.

"A man like Doom could make up a motive, really. He's a paranoid crack of a scientist, and since I met him ten years ago, he could have gotten worse. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been working on this for decades," Tony said, scratched at his chin. "He was presenting some sort of revolutionary android technology at the robotics seminar I attended years ago, but I can't remember watching it."

Fury shook his head and leaned his weight forward on his arms on the table. "We are not taking any chances with this man. You'll all be on patrol around the city, keeping an eye out for anything fishy. I'll have agents out as well. We'll stay on our toes."

"It seems counterproductive to destroy New York and nothing else. What does he want?" Steve questioned.

"Some crave destruction and nothing more," Thor stated, voice grave. "They are the most dangerous."

Tony clapped his hands together and planted a false grin on his face. "This should be a real blast, guys!"

He was glared at, mostly in fond exasperation, but Tony caught the small smirk from the trickster god beside him.

"Start suiting up, people," Fury barked, and they did so, feeling as though dark, thunderous clouds were hanging over their heads.

XXX

Tony was bored out of his mind and was almost at the point where he started counting the buildings to curb the desire to blow something up. He was currently on a circling flight path over the southern part of Manhattan, watching the energy signatures on his display and trying to stay focused so that his mind wouldn't drift back to an image of Loki, alone in Stark Tower with a handful of high-security clearance SHIELD agents.

That was really hard to do when nothing was happening. The less action going on outside, the more his brain wandered. He cut a path over the Statue of Liberty, deliberately yawning through the com link.

"Stark, keep diligent," Steve warned, placing the origin of the yawn with no difficulty.

"I bet Bruce's even more bored than I am," Tony responded. "He has to stay all penned up until the action starts."

"I'm actually reading a magazine," Bruce replied, a smile in his voice. Fury had ordered him to stay behind until they needed the Hulk, which to Tony seemed like it would never happen. Everything was just too peaceful in the city.

"Maybe we could stop for dinner," Tony suggested. "I'm thinking some Thai food; I know a great-"

"Shut up, Stark, you're making me hungr- shitshitshit!"

"Barton! What's going on?" Steve asked urgently, but no explanation from Barton's end of the line was forthcoming.

"I'll narrow in on his position," Tony said quickly, flying in the direction of Barton's indicator light on his display.

"Bots, guys, they're here," Clint grunted.

Tony noticed strange energy patterns dancing on his display, coming from Clint's position and assumed what he was seeing were the Doombots. He sped up and started firing at the flying, buzzing metal contraptions in his line of vision. He noticed Clint crouched behind a billboard, letting arrow after arrow towards the strange metal robots that seemed to be ignoring him.

Getting a closer look at the Doombots, Tony saw that they were human-sized and made of crudely welded metal that made them bulky and awkward. Each of them glowed with a strange green light, especially from the eye-holes, giving them a cold and dead feel. There were dozens flying about, but none of them had started attacking yet.

"Doom's been busy," Tony said. "We got a few dozen robots over here, but they haven't started attacking us yet," Tony said through the com. He fired a shot at the closest bot and the blast ricocheted off with a loud ping. "Shit, they're reinforced with something strong."

"Can you tell were they're coming from?" Steve asked.

"The Subway. They swarmed out of there like bees," Clint responded, no longer shooting at the bots after he had realized he wasn't anything but wasting his arrows.

"We have some here too," Natasha grumbled, and they heard gunfire through her com. "He's definitely using the Subways."

"Barton, stay out of their line of fire, I'm going up to look," Tony said, firing his repulsors and gaining enough altitude for a bird's-eye view. His stomach dropped at what he saw.

The bots were swarming around Stark Tower.

"Guys, he's going for my building first."

"Stark, did you anger this guy somehow?" Fury barked.

"Not that I know of."

As the Avengers started to surround Stark Tower, they could see the bots swarming in random patterns around the building, still not firing or doing anything other than looking menacing.

"We must not wait until they attack," Thor said gravely. There was only a slight crackle coming from his end, meaning Tony had finally succeeded in a mouthpiece that worked on the thunder god.

"I agree, big guy," Tony replied, shooting at the nearest robot, rewarded with the loud pops of bullets on unyielding metal. Suddenly, all the eyes of the robots that had been bright green flickered once and turned to red.

"That doesn't look too good," Clint said flatly.

Chaos erupted as the robots went into attack mode, firing blasts of energy and bullets at both the Avengers and the building. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, as well as the sound of both Steve and Fury yelling orders. A loud roar shook the ground as the Hulk entered the fray, ripping robots from the air like toys and shaking them about.

"You know, I just finished fixing Stark Tower." Tony watched forlornly as window after window was taken out. Tony shook his head and resumed firing at the robots, having to hit each one about four times before it caused any damage.

There were too many, and each Avenger was quickly realizing this. Desperation started to color their voices.

"Someone needs to check the subways for a motherboard. We need to find queen bee!" Tony shouted as he shoot a robot off of his boot.

"On it," Widow responded, and he saw her black-clad figure dart out of the fray. Steve was still barking orders, and the sky crackled with lightening as Thor shot down robot after robot.

Sweat was dripping down Tony's forehead, but he didn't have a second to spare. The Doombots had focused half of their attack on the Avengers themselves, going after both the team and the building, and Tony noticed how his every move was tracked by a large group of the bots. He tested his observation by flying higher and watched as a whole section of robots broke off from the group and followed him upward. Bingo.

"Guys, I'm going to take this group for a spin."

"Be careful, Stark," Steve said, grunting as he heaved his shield at another sparking robot.

"You betcha." He jetted off, away from the fray, chuckling as at least a dozen of the bots broke off from the swarm to follow him, green trails of energy streaming behind them.

He flew erratically, testing their flight speed and responsiveness, finding that they were surprisingly agile for such bulky pieces of equipment. They were a touch slower than he was in the suit, but they managed to stay right on his tail.

"Victor is much smarter than anyone gave him credit for."

It was when Tony's attention wandered for a split second that a Doombot was able to clip his boot with its outstretched arm, causing Tony to go pinwheeling across the closest roof, a jarring that left him dizzy and struggling to find balance. When he finally righted himself, he was surrounded by all the robots that had followed him. He began firing as they lurched closer, realizing just how many of them there were and begrudging the loss of his speed advantage. They were quickly closing in on him on the roof, no matter how many shots he fired at them.

"Jarvis, put as much energy as possible into the repuslors."

"Yes sir."

There was the sound of pinging as projectiles from the Doombots deflected off of his suit, and he cursed his inability to get rid of them. Though he had managed to destroy a few, there were too many to keep from circling in on him, red eyes glowing ominously. What the hell did Doom want with them? He hadn't given any terms or any personal threats. He had sent his Doombots to destroy, and that was all.

A Doombot had picked up a thin metal pipe that had been broken off of the building and was wielding it like a sword, much too close for Tony's liking. From all around him, Doombots were shooting and advancing; Tony was being pummeled, Iron Man suit or not.

"Backup, I need backup!" Tony shouted, and then choked in surprise.

The Doombot with the pipe had lunged right as Tony was distracted with another bot and had shoved the pipe right through the armor plating and into Tony's stomach. Tony gasped through the shock of pain as the Doombot yanked the pipe back out and it glistened with his blood. As if sensing they had done enough damage, the bots backed up and merely observed.

Holy hell, he had just been stabbed, while in his Iron Man suit. He dazedly added super strength to the list of skills the Doombots possessed.

With a groan, Tony fell to his knees with a loud clank, clutching uselessly at his midsection. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red and heard the loud thump of boots hitting the roof. Thor had come to his rescue.

"Stark, you are injured."

Tony barked a pained laugh. "Skewered."

Thor moved closer and bent over him, his expression stormy. "Remove your suit, Stark," he demanded.

Tony was unable to argue through the spinning of his head.

"Jarvis, code "cat's out of the bag"," he rasped. Immediately, his suit began folding up around him, exposing him to the air. Once he was completely free and the suit was neatly folded into a suitcase, he clutched his stomach tightly and tried not to pass out.

Tony heard Thor speak sharply in what sounded like a curse in another language.

"Stark is gravely injured," Thor said into the com, reached down and scooping a dizzy Tony into his arms, who felt the world shift dangerously around him. "I am bringing him back to Stark Tower. Fury, have people prepared to help."

Clasping one arm awkwardly around Tony, Thor used his other hand to swing the hammer and take off. Tony's senses were blurred by pain and blood loss, and it was all he could do to remain conscious through the windy flight back to Stark Tower. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes when they finally landed on the penthouse balcony.

Commotion erupted around them when Thor stepped through the glass doors, and Thor gently lowered onto what felt like a blanket in the middle of the floor.

Voices shouted and there were hands on him, pulling up his shirt and pressing on the wound in his stomach. He could hear Fury yelling and Thor yelling right back. All of it was fading away, getting softer and softer around him.

There was a voice that was breaking through his haziness, and he felt a cool hand on his face.

"Tony, you cannot die. Please, try to stay awake."

Tony opened his heavy eyelids to a worried green gaze and a pinched, pale expression hovering close to face.

"Hey, Reindeer Games," he rasped. "Don't know if I can win this one." He felt as though he was floating on a current of pain. His stomach was nothing but liquid fire.

Loki shook his head, and Tony could feel the pressure he was putting on the wound. "The vehicle that will take you to the hospital is nearly here. You can't die before then."

Tony could smell his blood in the air and could sense the commotion around them. Loki was an island in the center of the pain and chaos.

"I don't think I have a choice."

Loki closed his eyes for a brief moment, his mouth a thin line. Loki knew how injured Tony was, and he knew the odds of Tony's survival. Loki was intelligent.

His eyes opened again, and in his gaze was a steely resolve. He directed his gaze upward. "Odin Allfather, I regret every action I have done against the people of Asgard and Midgard, everything that I have done you blame me for. Please allow me enough magic to heal the hero, Tony Stark. He does not deserve death." Loki choked on a sob that bubbled from his throat. "Please."

Tony could feel himself losing feeling across his body, starting in his lower limbs, and he struggled to fight the darkness. He didn't want to be the reason for the shine on Loki's cheeks or the break in his voice.

"I require only a small amount to heal him, and if he dies, the progress I have achieved here on Midgard will be for naught."

"Thank you for trying, Loki," he said so softly he was surprised Loki could hear him. Loki was back to looking at him with a pained expression. "I'm sorry."

Tony's consciousness faded with the feel of a cool kiss on his forehead and wetness on his face.

Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it seems I couldn't resist. Anyways, reviews are appreciated and thanks for keeping up with this fic