Hey guys! Read all of your reviews and I hope this answers some of your questions =) If not, drop me another line! I'd love to hear from you anyway, if you're still reading! SuzukiLi x
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Thor frowned at his brother, who was leaning over Steve's shoulder, hand placed delicately on the captains arm. Steve had a sort of, glazed look in his eyes as Loki spoke and nodded every so often, in a daze. Bruce was trying to focus on his crossword and not on Tony, who was openly staring, mouth agape at a certain goddess who was sipping on a glass of water and doing a very good job at pretending no one in the world existed.
"Loki I did that thing, you asked me to do," Clint said, walking into the kitchen and Thor focused his frown on the archer. Clint had that same glazed look in his eyes as he stared at the trickster who thanked him and turned back to Steve. Clint took a seat next to Thor pouring himself a cup of coffee and smaller cup for Natasha when she joined them. Loki stood up, his fingers lingering on Steve's arm for a moment longer.
"Perhaps a walk in the garden, My child," Loki said, gaze falling upon Hela who glanced up at him with a small smile. She placed the water back at the table and was by her fathers side in an instant. They linked arms and left the room, conversing in an unknown tongue that sounded almost satanic. Thor focused his gaze back on Steve who was thinking, then made as if to stand up.
"Sit down, Steven," Thor said, and he folded his enormous arms across his chest. "My friends I must have words."
All eyes focused on him, as he cast a concerned glance around the room.
"You must not allow my brother to touch your bare skin," Thor said quietly, quickly glancing at the door that Loki had exited moments before. Steve brushed his arm where Loki had touched him, shooting a puzzled look at Thor.
"Why not?"
"My brother posses the power of persuasion. A dangerous tool. It takes only a required amount of skin to skin contact for him to plant an idea into your mind. You must be very careful, he is feeling rather vulnerable," he explained, his eyes lingering a little too long on Tony for his liking. He kept his stare on Tony and added; "No doubt a trait that Hela would have inherited."
Tony held Thor's gaze as innocently as he could, but felt himself die a little inside. He noticed Bruce cough a little too enthusiastically and he managed to tear his gaze away from the King of Asgard to give his science bro a pleading look. Bruce returned it with a "you're on your own mate" look and continued with his crossword.
"No touching. Got it!" Tony said as lightly as he could and he stared at his butter knife, wondering how long it would take to saw through his wrists.
"So... the reason that I suddenly feel like spying on Hela... that's not me," Steve declared, shaking his head and leaning forward into his hands. Thor nodded and small grin appeared on his face.
"Ah yes, Loki is currently worried that Hela is up to something," Thor explained and again he cast that look upon Tony, who could have sworn he felt his balls retreat up inside of him.
"What could she be up to?" Clint wondered, earning a filthy look from Steve when he put his boots up on the table. Thor shrugged.
"If her mind is anything like my brothers, it would be impossible to fathom. I am sure she knows what it is she is doing though."
Tony scooted his chair back and stood up.
"Uh, Bruce, buddy? Could you come and look over some data with me real quick?" he said, turning to Bruce who looked a rather dangerous shade of green. Bruce shot up in an instant.
"Yes uh... yes," he mumbled and he turned, marching out of the kitchen, followed closely by Tony. Thor watched them go and grinned to himself, helping himself to another slice of toast and shaking his head.
...
"So... she got you too huh?" Tony asked, once they were safely tucked away in his workshop and JARVIS had double locked down. Bruce drew in a long breath and looked awkwardly at his shoes.
"I've uh... I've been working on something for yeah... I didn't take as much, uh... persuading though," he admitted, casting Tony a very knowing glance. Tony grabbed at his hair with her hands, and made a face that only Tony could make.
"Fuuuuuuck," he exhaled. "Thor totally knows. He totally fucking knows."
Bruce let out a small chuckle.
"Of course he knows. He is the king. He is omniscient. But, if he was truly bothered by it, you would be just a Tony coloured smear on the kitchen floor," he said, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows.
"So what is it she wants..."
Tony dug through the papers on his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper, passing it to Bruce. Bruce studied it, brow creasing into a frown.
"A glove?"
"This is what I've been working on. Not so much the glove, but the gems. She's had me studying the gems," Tony said, pointing at the 5 gems on the glove.
"So what's this?" Bruce asked, pointing to a black mark on the knuckle.
"That, I'm assuming was the Mind Gem, that Thor destroyed... well, not destroyed, the gems cannot be des-" Tony paused, pointing at Bruce with sudden realisation. "The gems can not be destroyed. I... I did not know that."
"So the mind gem is still out there? I thought Thor crushed it with his hammer?"
"No... no he immobilised it. Oh my god, it's like she's, planted wikipedia in my head or something. It's been immobilised, so it is powerless... but..." he thought a moment longer, taking out a new piece of paper and scribbling all over it.
"She needs me to do something with the other gems, in order to find the mind gem. Damn she's good..." Tony muttered, slamming down his pencil and huffing dramatically.
"What's she had you doing?"
Bruce removed a small notepad from his pocket and flung it to Tony.
"At first I was studying Loki's mind. He's been having some sort of message transmitted to him in his sleep. She seems to want to understand how this is happening, rather than why." Bruce pondered, looking over the design for the glove. Tony had drawn each gem individually. They were all same size and shape, but each a different colour.
"What are the gems for? What do they mean?" Bruce asked.
"Soul, mind, space, mind, reality and power," Tony reeled off, without even thinking and suddenly his eyes snapped up to Bruce.
"I didn't even know I knew that."
Bruce looked back to the design, looking it over and over.
"She's trying to tell us something... is there some sort of code perhaps?"
Tony thought for a moment...code...
"Ah!" he thought suddenly, diving for a file had had on his desk, pulling out another sheet of paper. "This. This... she drew it when she was all... little, told me that I may need it. I thought at first it was an equation but..." he said, scanning it into JARVIS.
"JARVIS translate."
"It is a message sir, do you wish me to read it?"
"That would be great."
"I can not tell you my plan because he is watching. He is always watching. The design in your hand is the infinity gauntlet. It is the only way to defeat him. The gauntlet resides in Asgard. It must be taken and the power of the gauntlet used to re locate the mind gem. Only then, do we have a chance of saving your realm, and all of the other realms from him."
JARVIS fell silent and Tony and Bruce exchanged worried glances.
"If Loki is being fed messages from this, whoever it is, do you think perhaps he could still be being used a pawn?" Tony asked.
"I'm uh, I'm not sure. But I think we should try and find out what Hela can talk about..."
