A/N: Correction from last chapter: this takes place sometime around February.
Tony uneasily shifted his weight as he continued to watch the God of Mischief sing and dance. He had been standing in the same spot for almost two hours now, and he hoped the god would end the concert soon – he had so many questions buzzing through his mind. His ears perked up as the current song struck its final chord. Loki gently put the microphone back on its stand, and bid the large audience farewell. Tony quickly ran to the side of the stage where the god was making his exit.
"Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going so quickly?" the Avenger asked coyly as he blocked the Trickster's way.
"Mr. Stark, enjoy the show?" Loki replied smoothly.
"Not as much as I'll enjoy finding out why you're on my planet."
The god rolled his eyes and tutted his tongue, glancing at a large clock at the other side of the park. He sighed before not so gently grabbing Tony's shoulder. The Avenger couldn't contain the yelp that escaped him as he was dragged away from the stage. He could hear a clock chiming as a signal that it was now midnight. Everything began to glow and spin around him and Loki.
Tony was gasping for breath as he was suddenly thrown down on a hard wood floor. He coughed and sputtered a few profanities as he attempted to take in his surroundings. Loki chuckled darkly from behind him.
"Wha-where are we?!" the Man of Iron spat, whirling around to face the god. The Trickster sat on a long twin bed with one leg propped up and the other hanging over the edge. He held his arms out wide as if to embrace the world like a rebellious teenager would hug a controlling father.
"Welcome to my humble abode," he said in a steely voice that sent shivers of fear down the Avenger's spine.
"I'm sorry, what?"
The God of Mischief elicited a sigh.
"This is my current place of residence," he stated slowly as if speaking to a child. "I live here."
Tony gawked at him, a mix of terror and confusion shining in his dark eyes. Loki met his stare with an amused smirk. The Man of Iron suddenly let out a giggle. The god's smirk turned to a frown.
"What exactly do you find so funny, Stark?" he asked coldly as Tony continued to laugh.
The billionaire glanced around the small place – beat up wooden floors, ratty gray curtains, a decrepit twin bed on a rusty metal frame, a crooked door that he assumed led to a creepy bathroom, dark walls, a high yellowed ceiling, and a sketchy looking light bulb that hung from the ceiling on a black cable. There weren't many items in the room besides a large stereo set with a plethora of CDs neatly stacked next to it, and a crooked table with a bowl of fresh apples in the center.
"This place just doesn't seem your style, Reindeer Games."
Loki glared at him.
"I didn't exactly get to choose…" he trailed off with a huff. Tony quirked an eyebrow in question. The Trickster rolled his eyes then avoided eye contact as a distant look took hold of his face.
"Look, I don't normally care about sap stories like this, but since you're a crazy deity bent on subjugating my planet I'd kinda like to know what's going on and why the hell you're here."
The God of Mischief elicited another sigh before meeting the Avenger's gaze.
"This is my prison."
"What?"
"Stark, if you truly want answers, please refrain from interrupting me."
Tony nodded in uneasy silence.
"Asgard is in disagreement at the moment as to what my formal punishment should be – death, exile, imprisonment in the dungeons, torture – everyone's too stubborn to decide. And so, while they debate my fate, I am stuck here because people like you will stop me should I step out of line." A moment of awkward silence fell between the two of them.
"How exactly is this a prison? Couldn't you just beam away?" A look of contemplation played out on Loki's face.
"My magic is bound. Odin managed to figure out how to make it impossible for me to harm anyone."
"I'm not sure I follow…"
"It's not that hard to understand, Stark, I can only use magic to help other people."
"Okay…and why do you live in this dump?" Tony asked, gesturing around the room.
"Odin decreed that I will appear here every day at midnight and be forced to stay here until noon."
"So you're dad gave you a curfew?"
"He is NOT my father!" Loki's spat vehemently. "And it's not just a mere curfew!" The god exclaimed, jumping up and quickly walking over to the front door. The Avenger was surprised when Loki opened the door and steadily held his hand out. The air around his hand sparked with purple magic and roughly shoved him away from the door. Without a word, Tony approached the door. He held out his hand like the god had, but nothing happened.
"Do you understand now, Stark?" Loki asked.
"Yeah, I think I got it, but…what the hell is with the whole rock band thing?"
"I was bored."
Tony eyed him suspiciously.
"That's it?"
"Indeed." Another awkward silence fell between them.
"So, you don't want to subjugate the world?" the Man of Iron asked in a quiet voice. Loki thought about his answer for a moment.
"I do not."
Tony scrutinized him with his eyes again.
"How am I supposed to trust you?"
"You're not. How could I possibly expect you to trust or believe me after all I've done to you?" The God of Mischief feigned a pout at the Avenger.
"You little shit. What are you planning?" Tony could feel his heart rate rising. Loki actually seemed genuinely almost offended. He scoffed.
"I am merely living as exciting a life as I can before my imminent execution." A cold silence fell between them. The god spun on his heel and returned to his creaky bed, avoiding eye contact with the Avenger.
"How long have you been here?"
Loki slowly met his gaze, a ghost of a smirk haunting his features.
"Eight months, two days, and twenty-three hours."
"That means-,"
"Yes, Mr. Stark. I've been in your realm ever since I attacked it. You could even say I never left."
Tony swore the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. He tried to protest, but the words caught in his throat.
"But…w-why…h-how?"
Loki seemed genuinely confused.
"I just explained the situation in its entirety."
Tony took a few seconds to collect himself. Turning to fully dace the god, he broke the silence that had settled in the room.
"Are you lonely?"
"Excuse me?"
"It's a simple question, princess. You're the kind of guy that needs to have an audience. You want people to kneel before you, to cheer your name – you're showy as hell."
"Speak for yourself."
"Yeah, I know, but don't you want people to be close to, to support you?"
Loki elegantly raised an eyebrow and playfully smirked.
"I don't care what people think as long as it's about me," he said.
"That's a good line for a song."
"Yes, it is." Loki interrupted himself with a yawn. "Stark, I'd love to continue our little chat, but the day has been long. If you still question my intentions, come to tomorrow's show."
"I will," Tony found himself agreeing almost too easily.
. . .
After attempting to sleep for a few hours, Tony found himself tinkering in his lab. He had tried to keep his promise to Pepper and not spend every night down there, but since she left him he found it harder and harder to. His thoughts traced around the Trickster god. Had he been telling the truth? He was known for lying after all. Tony needed someone else's opinion on this.
"Jarv, call Banner," he ordered as he continued to work on a new repulsor for his most recent suit. The line rang a few times before the doctor answered.
"Tony, do you even know what time it is?" Bruce asked with no attempt to hide his annoyance.
"It's not like you were sleeping," Tony jabbed lightly. He could practically hear the other man smirk. "Hey, can you come to New York tomorrow?"
"Why?"
"There's something you gotta see!" Tony's voice held a genuine glee that made Bruce feel a bit more at ease about the prospect of returning to the city where disasters always seem to happen.
"I won't be able to stay long," the doctor said.
"That's fine, it won't take long to show – do you like rock music?"
"Sure, I guess – Tony, what exactly is it that you want me to see?"
"In due time!" And with that Tony ended the call. Bruce was level-headed enough to listen to what Tony had to say, and if Loki decided to cause a problem the Hulk would put him back in his place. What could go wrong?
"Jarv, give me all the info you can find on Loki."
. . .
Bruce sighed as his taxi took him to a small park in downtown Manhattan. He glanced over his text conversation with Tony on his phone as he felt the cab come to a stop.
"Sir," the cabbie said gently, "is this your stop?" Bruce nodded, though he was still quite unsure as to why Tony wanted to meet him here. The scientist held out his payment, but the cabbie shook his head. "Avengers ride for free," he said with a smile. Bruce shyly thanked him then made his way to one of the benches in the park. He didn't get too far before he noticed a growing crowd around a small stage. He saw Tony emerge from the back of the crowd. The billionaire called him over.
"Did you really make me fly to New York just to see a concert?" Bruce asked with a smirk, shaking hands with his fellow Avenger.
"Not just any concert! Hey look, it's about to start!" Tony couldn't contain his laugh at the look on Bruce's face when he saw Loki appear on the stage.
"Tony, what's going on?"
"Chill out, Loki's not here on villainy business."
"But shouldn't we call SHIELD or get Thor or something?" The music abruptly started loudly and Tony's response was lost in the sound.
"Say my name and his in the same breath
I dare you to say they taste the same,"
The god pointed straight at Bruce.
"Let the leaves fall of in the summer
And let December glow in flames,"
The two Avengers glanced uneasily at one another. Tony knew Loki wouldn't cause any trouble with the Hulk in town.
"Erase myself and let go
Start it over again in Mexico
These friends, they don't love you
They just love the hotel suites, now,"
Tony found himself studying the god's outfit more intently than may have been considered normal. He was wearing distractingly tight leather pants, a punked out version of his typical outer coat, and his hair and make-up were more exaggerated than last time.
"I don't care what you think as long as it's about me,"
The Trickster winked at Tony who smirked in response.
"The best of us can find happiness in misery,"
Bruce shook his head as he watched Tony exchange facial expressions with Loki. He didn't trust Loki – and probably never would – but Tony almost seemed head over heels for the god. His phone buzzed in his pocket as Loki finished out the chorus.
"Oh take a chance, let your body get a tolerance,"
Bruce pulled out his phone – he had a text from Natasha.
"I'm not a chance, put a heat wave in your pants
Pull a breath like another cigarette
Pawnshop heart trading up,"
The text read "Are you here because of Loki, or are you actually taking a vacation?" Bruce sighed a laugh, and responded with, "New York isn't my preferred vay-cay." Tony, who was oblivious to all things not Loki, could feel a strange knot forming in his stomach – was he really getting aroused from this?
"On the oracle in my chest,
Let the guitar scream like a fascist
Sweat it out, shut your mouth
free love on the streets but
in the alley it ain't that cheap, now,"
That would be a yes. Tony Stark was very aroused by Loki's singing. Bruce noticed his shameful blush and sighed as he read Natasha's reply.
"Don't worry too much about Loki – we've got that under control. Feel like coffee and debriefing?"
"As long as it's decaf."
Loki watched as the doctor hurriedly said good bye to Tony and departed the crowd as he sang the reprise of the chorus. The Man of Iron gave the god a weary look, but Loki winked at him. Looks like the Avengers weren't assembling tonight. The song came to an end and the crowd chanted his name – well, the band's name, but Loki relished it none the less. He locked eyes with Tony again and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows. The scarlet tinted cheeks and slight gasp he elicited from the Avenger gave him a sort of satisfaction – this will be a fun game to play. Tony nervously shoved his hands in his jacket pockets in an effort to distract himself from how tight his pants felt. With a quick beat from a guitar the next song began playing.
"Brothers and sisters put this record down
Take my advice 'cause we are bad news
We will leave you high and dry
It's not worth the hearing you'll lose,"
Loki sang with his eyes closed which simultaneously relieved and infuriated Tony. When the god finally did open his eyes, he was met with a glare from the billionaire. He simply smirked and continued singing.
"It's just past 8 and I'm feeling young and reckless
The ribbon on my wrist says 'Do not open before Christmas.'"
The Trickster held out his arms as if to embrace the dancing audience.
"We're only liars but we're the best
We're only good for the latest trends
We're only good cause you can have almost famous friends
Besides, we've got such good fashion sense,"
A man in the crowd suddenly shouted what sounded to Tony like an insult. The music continued but Loki abruptly stopped singing when the man leapt up onto the stage. The rest of the crowd shouted at the man to get down.
"Please vacate the stage," The man interrupted the god's sentence with a swift punch in the face. Tony bolted for the stage but he couldn't get through the crowd fast enough.
"You fucking bastard killed my family!" the man spat vehemently at Loki as he showered him with punches and hard kicks. Tony was shocked to see that Loki wasn't defending himself. Every punch found its mark. The Man of Iron finally managed to push through the crowd and pulled himself onto the stage. He pulled the distraught man off the god.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Tony said curtly to the man.
"Why are you defending that monster?!" the man shouted.
"Loki is under the protection of the Avengers, anyone who has a problem with that answers to us." A silent hush fell over the crowd.
"Stark…" Loki said in a tone of warning.
"Show's over for now, Fall Out Boy will be back soon." Tony's voice sounded authoritative enough. A bell chimed from a nearby church. The Avenger reached behind him and pulled Loki up to his feet. He held the god's wrists as magic sparked around them and they teleported back to Loki's decrepit apartment. The god tore his arms away from Tony and not-so-gracefully flopped onto his bed. The Man of Iron didn't know what to say. Loki groaned, why did this have to happen when Tony was at a show? He'd gone six months without incident. Tony abruptly coughed; he could smell the faint stench of blood. The god slowly raised his head and glanced at the Avenger.
"Jeez princess, you look horrible," Tony said with a soft smirk. Loki glared at him half-heartedly. The Trickster had a few cuts scattered around his already bruising face. "How'd some normal guy get you this bad?" Tony's voice was quiet.
"I believe you would call them brass knuckles," Loki said dryly.
"And your magical restrictions don't allow you to defend yourself?"
The god chuckled darkly.
"Very perceptive of you, Stark." Loki stifled another groan of pain as he attempted to remove his leather overcoat. Tony watched the god struggle for a few moments before silently approaching him. The Avenger gently pulled the coat off, revealing his bare chest, and took a closer look at Loki's injuries.
"Brass knuckles or not, it would normally take the Hulk to beat you up like this," he said softly. Loki sneered before slowly getting off the bed and approaching the ever present bowl of apples on his table. He grabbed one and took a bite. "What the hell…?" Tony gasped as the cuts and bruises began to fade away. Loki didn't seem fazed by it at all. He stretched his arms somewhat lazily. Tony tried not to gawk at his extremely well-toned muscles. "Are those apples magical?" Loki narrowed his eyes.
"No," he said curtly. "Odin may be able to bind my magic, but he cannot change my natural rate of regeneration." He tossed the half-eaten apple at Tony, who caught it. Without thinking, he took a small bite. It was indeed a simple gala apple – no magic. Loki watched him with well-hidden amusement. The annoying pain from his little fight finally faded away. He slowly returned to the bed where he gracefully sat on the edge of the mattress. Tony awkwardly moved over to the table and set the apple on it.
"So do magic apples from Idunn's garden actually exist?" Tony asked casually as if he were simply asking about the weather. Loki let out a controlled chuckle.
"Interested in immortality, Stark?"
"Nah, I just read about them and some other myths," Tony said coyly, leaning against the table and facing the god.
"Oh? I've been avoiding those silly Midgardian stories – they tend to be far-fetched."
"So you're not the mother of an eight-legged horse?"
Loki let out an unnatural sound that sounded somewhat like a snort.
"Um…all I'll say is Sleipnir is the best steed in all the nine realms," the Trickster murmured quietly. Tony was about to ask another question, but was interrupted by a loud knocking on Loki's front door. The god quickly got off the bed and opened the door. An old, angry looking woman glared up at Loki.
"You're rent is late boy," she spat at him. Loki grabbed a roll of cash out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked at it apprehensively.
"I promise it's all there, Ms. Hudson," he said calmly. She glared at him again before turning and walking away. Loki closed the door and sighed.
"So this place is your prison, but you still have to pay rent? That's a bit screwed up," Tony said.
"Yeah, Odin's a dick." Loki turned and returned to the bed. Tony's stomach let out a low rumble, and he glanced at the mostly eaten apple, now yellowed, sitting on the table next to him.
"Are apples the only food you have?"
"Yes."
"Why?!" Tony was horrified by the thought of no food.
"I don't need sustenance in the way you do."
"Bull."
"Excuse me?" Loki seemed confused. Tony rolled his eyes.
"I've seen how Thor eats; I know you guys need food like we do." Before Loki could make a snarky comeback, his own stomach betrayed him by growling.
"Alright, you caught me. My feasting money went towards paying my rent," the god said, trying to not sound as defeated as he felt.
"Okay, then I'm ordering pizza," Tony said nonchalantly as he pulled out his phone.
"What is 'pizza'?" Tony almost dropped his phone in shock.
"You've lived in New York for almost nine months and you haven't had pizza?!"
"No."
Tony gawked at him for a moment before quickly ordering five of the biggest pizzas available from his favorite place. Loki eyed him curiously.
"They should be here in about an hour, but the wait will be totally worth it!" Tony said as he pulled one of the chairs away from the table and finally sat down. They sat in silence for a moment. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and Tony could feel pants tighten again.
"See something you like, Stark?" Loki practically purred, clearly playing him on. Tony swallowed hard. Damn, the god was perceptive. The pizza needed to get there fast.
A/N: I don't own the Avengers, nor Fall Out Boy's songs. Songs used: I Don't Care, and Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued. I hope you enjoyed, and things are gonna heat up next chapter! :D Stay awesome out there!