The Point
Ironically Tony was rather unappreciative of the interruption, when Jarvis notes them of Steve and Clint’s return. “Right then.” Loki set him down and rose. “Want to stay?” He shakes his head hops off the bed saunters towards the door, looks at Loki so Loki nears and opens it, following the Stark out.
They exit the lift on the 92nd where top them a chopper had landed on the roof and agents were coming down with stacks of odd items, few crates, and books mostly. He trots towards one of the boxes. Loki calls out: “Tony don’t touch anything. Could be hexed and you don’t need that on top of everything.” Oblivious agents eyed the man addressing in all seriousness a cat strangely. Clint chuckled tickled still seeing Tony like this.
When all’s set down and Shield takes off, Steve faces Loki. “You’ll do your research here. Under supervision. Nothing leaves this floor, and when he’s back this stuff gets shipped off. Clear?”
“Or what?”
The cat meows grazing past his leg. Loki looks down retorting: “Like you’d put up with him.” It turns to Steve and grumbles, tail coiling absently around Loki’s ankle.
“You two are disturbing,” Clint has to comment.
“As is your general existence,” Loki moves towards one of the piles disregarding as usual Clint’s scowl.
The team fan out each digging about in search and settling with some reading article, piping up every now and then with suggestions or questions that Loki refutes because they’re pointless. Tony’s by him on the couch watching the pages flip quickly. Half hour through with nothing to do, he paws at some words and quietly though not unkindly Loki answers: “Not now.” Tony murmurs annoyance and Loki smirks.
“What does he want?” Bruce asks concerned.
“He’s bored,” Loki fiddles with his phone as Clint jeers:
“What, no fun being a cat? Chase your tail around.” Tony growls and Loki grins eyes from the screen don’t move.
“That roughly translates to ‘fuck you’.” Clint sneers.
“Because you speak fluent ‘Tony’.”
“That’s right,” he sets the phone up against the pile near him and hits play. Batman the Dark Knight. Tony looks at him and yelps almost in the same ridiculous excitement every time this movie plays. “You’re welcome,” Loki shakes his head smiling, reverts to the grimoire.
The group is very silent.
XXX
{You’re making it really hard to concentrate I hope you know.} Almost an hour in now Tony’s been sat flat down that way his chin on his paws, tail draped fanning over Loki’s thigh, and purring loudly.
Loki’s hands itched to move. From pages to pelt to pet.
Finally he feels he’s found the answer and he performs the spell and all wait.
And wait.
“…Should we wait?” Clint prompts.
“Not sure. How long had it taken for him to turn the first time?”
“Instantly,” Nat answers.
“Hmm.”
It meows a near audibly panicked ‘what??’ to which Loki answers: “Calm down. Least now I know what to look for,” he gestures vaguely, books and scrolls start floating about them floating from their hands, pages ruffling glowing in faint green and Loki’s eyes closed. A minute then all’s set down and he says: “Nothing else. We’ll have to wait for Thor.” Tony meows protesting. Bruce adds:
“But he won’t be back for days.”
“I’m aware. You try fixing this then.”
Again meows louder. Loki bites back: “Don’t look at me like that. You got yourself into this mess. Make it easier for you and get comfortable till he comes back.” The cat’s stiff posture sags. It climbs down and trots off. “Where are you going?” A loud meow in answer. “How will you operate the lift, genius??” Another. Loki curses in a language no one understands appearing exasperated, before following after.
Resolutely Tony stares forward at the closed lift tail twitching, and unprompted Loki pressed so the doors part. They step in both and it closes to descend.
The group face each other. Clint starts: “Okay, what the fuck?”
“…Well, they are, pretty close,” Bruce iterates with an unpersuasive lack of certainty.
“Alarmingly, maybe?? Loki’s actually-…I mean-” cuts himself off with a huffed laugh. Nat asks:
“What? Putting up with him? Doesn’t he always?”
“Why am I always the only person asking ‘why’??”
“Cause you keep denying the obvious.”
“Obvious what that he ‘cares’? That he is in fact, not a heartless, genocidal pain in the ass?? Or that he’s pining for Tony.”
“What?” taken aback Steve probes incredulously. Barton gives him a look.
“Really?” Bruce rolls his eyes calls:
“Clint.”
“Oh I’m wrong? Are you blind to how much time they spend together that is more than ‘platonically’ acceptable, i.e. twenty-four-seven.”
“They’re friends.”
“Come on. We’re friends. I don’t even spend that much time with Natasha!”
“He’s right,” she says, shrugs. “He is.” Steve adds in hopes to veer the subject:
“What, that you don’t spend as much time together-”
“No that Loki’s in love with him.”
That has everyone’s attention.
Bruce speaks up unconvinced, not wholly: “And you just, suddenly came to this conclusion.”
“Had it for a while but he pretty much confirmed it. The scene I walked in on.”
“What scene?!” Clint exclaims. Steve waves.
“Guys, we really- This is, insane – Tony’s with Pepper.”
“So?? You do know who Tony Stark is, right?”
Nat shakes her head. “I don’t think they’re sleeping together.”
“Are you kidding?!”
Bruce tries: “They could just be, really close. I mean. Tony’s in the lab most of the time, and Loki, doesn’t seem to mind being there, which, okay, might be, untypical, but. Well, Loki. Doesn’t strike me as the type to make friends easy.”
“Wonder why that is.”
“But, Tony makes it very easy. So, instead of solitary self-confinement why not share the space?”
“Nat, what did you see?”
“…Enough, that I’m sure at least that. Loki cares about him. More likely than not, loves him.”
“What did you seeee?!”
“Tony’s prone to nightmares and Loki knows. He was sleeping when I walked in, Loki reading. He had one and Loki didn’t even hesitate to reach out. His eyes, his voice.” Clint laughs. She gives him a look. Steve is highly unnerved and Bruce is, processing.
“And you don’t think they’re sleeping together?”
“They care too much, to risk screwing it up.”
Banner probes pensive: “You think, Tony-”
“Yes, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
Steve insists: “I don’t see how this, is helping with anything.”
“Well course it helps,” Clint says with snide. “If it’s true that is. Tony Stark. Is Loki’s soft spot,” his grin trouble-brimmed. Steve’s frown’s stern.
“You talk like that’s something we can take advantage of.” The Hawk shrugs.
“Never know. Volatile guy like that’s prone to go whack at some point. If we’re lucky, Tony might be our only shot at stopping him, without too much bloodshed.”
“And if you’d been right all along Clint, and Loki really is that unpredictable, who’s to say he wouldn’t turn on him instantly, hurt him or worse?”
“Nothing’s guaranteed and thanks for finally seeing things my way! The fuck you think I’m worried all the time??!”
Bruce intercedes: “Let’s just, wait for Thor. Hopefully he’d find something to change Tony back, and maybe, I don’t know. Shed some light on this, awkward topic.” Clint chuckles crudely. Nat points out:
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he already knows.” To which Barton nods:
“I’ll bet. Bet he’s rooting for Tony and Pepper to break up. Who knows how long it’ll be before Loki loses patience and tries to sabotage their relationship.” Steve stressed:
“That won’t happen. They-”
“What, love each other? You go deaf when they fight every other week? Does Pepper voluntarily spend hours in Tony’s workshop, listening to him non-stop ramble about his tech and actually discuss it with him, does she stay up and binge watch Lord of the Rings with him? Does she find his sarcasm and infallible ability to make a joke out of everything particularly entertaining? Does she answer or yell and storm off? Have you ever seen Loki raise his voice at Tony? It’s been like six months and they only fought once and we still don’t even know what it was about – they didn’t talk for a week and they were both miserable – Come on!”
“Okay…I, see your point.”