A Special Death
“the blood transfusions have been working…”
Ikol disassociates, he doesn’t need to hear this all again because every time it’s brought up he feels sick, like something bad is going to happen.
“he’s still weak though, we can’t heal that part yet.”
So he doesn’t want to hear it again.
He sits there, playing with his fingernails as he tries to remember the dream he had last night. He remembers a black wolf, Fenrir was her name and apparently she was his. He remembers some old man giving her to him-
“ask about Hela”
He frowns, looking beside him for the voice but he only finds Barnes sitting there and playing with a pen. he blinks looking at everyone else to see if they heard it too.
“ask”
He so badly wants to tell them to shut up but no one else hears it, so obviously he’s just hallucinating.
“ask”
He sighs loudly, trying to ignore them.
“ask!”
“alright fine” he blurts at the empty space beside him before turning to everyone else and asking “who is Hela?” a little harshly.
“um” Bruce clears his throat “she was your sister, your dad banished her from Asgard before you and Thor were born”
“where is she?”
“she uh, died” he explains slowly and Ikol doesn’t ask anything else. She must’ve died in her banishment. They ended the meeting shortly after that, Fury lets everyone leave but Tony and Bruce.
They stayed back to tell him the real truth, which is; “the transfusions aren’t really working” Bruce states “it’s helping but it’s not keeping him alive like we thought”
“so why aren’t you telling the rest?”
“it’s hard to figure this out if everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off” Tony says, “trust us, we got this”
“and what happens if you don’t?” Fury asks and Tony has no answer, none of them do. “if this doesn’t work then we lose all hope of bringing everyone back, he’s the only way”
“we’ll figure it out” Bruce reassures, “we want to tell them tomorrow but we need a distraction for Loki”
“already got that figured out Brucey”
His distraction worked better than he thought, said distraction was a library in the compound that he didn’t tell Loki about until just before the meeting. The room was a little modern but the dark wooden furniture and all the black made up for it. Ikol doesn’t know who decided the interior of this room but he mentally kisses them for it.
And as expected, he stayed back from the meeting to go through any and every book on the glorious twelve foot oakwood shelves.
What wasn’t expected was the scene that was found when they got back.
They all stop, looking over all the broken glass and furniture littering the floor. The glass top stove dented and tipped over, the TV off of the wall and not even in the room anymore. Tony’s immediate thought was kidnapping, he opens his mouth to call out for Ikol when the latter is suddenly in his face.
Ikol pushes him against the wall and is screaming so loud that Tony has to focus to actually understand him. “you lied!” he screams as Bucky and Sam pull him away “you said that I could go home but that was never your plan!”
“what are you talking about?”
Ikol slams the paper into his hands before turning around and flipping the couch, causing it to break the glass coffee table. Tony flinches at the sound of glass exploding but it doesn’t scare him nearly as much as when Ikol screams “shut up!” at an empty spot beside him “I know already just shut up!”
“who are you talking to?” he tries to ask but Ikol spins around and commands “read the damn paper”. His voice so low that Tony listens without even trying to.
Ikol (Loki Laufeyson)
His file… Tony sees why he’s mad now. He looks away from the paper “I’m sorry Ikol but-“
“I’m dying and you lied about it!” Ikol hisses “not to mention you’re only using me to get your dead girlfriend back” Tony tries to ignore the pang of anger that sparks in his chest “news flash, I can’t even bring myself back properly, I’m dying”
“no you’re not” Tony shoots back just as harsh “we’re going to figure it out”
“how?” Ikol yells “you don’t know anything about resurrection” he groans, running his hands through his hair “I knew I shouldn’t have come back”
“don’t talk like that”
“why not?” he asks bitterly “it’s not like I have anything to live for other than being another pawn” he catches the very practiced confused faces and can’t help but scoff. “I read my file so don’t act dumb”
“We’re not using you okay?” Bruce questions “why else would we focus on you before getting everyone else back?”
Ikol shakes his head, walking out and mumbling something under his breath, ignoring Bruce and Sam calling after him.
The next morning was fine, no tension and no arguing but that’s because Loki and Tony weren’t there, Natasha realizes. “Where’s Tony and Loki?” she asks Bruce as she continues eating her omelet.
“Ikol left so Tony went to look for him”
“I thought they hate each other?”
“I think Tony kinda likes him” Natasha grimaces in disgust and Bruce corrects himself “Tony logic, annoy the hell out of people you care about”
“that’s true” Natasha frowns as he remembers that the fight was yesterday, “wait they’ve been gone all night?”
Bruce nods, “J.A.R.V.I.S said they went to a bar”
“oh no”
And right on time, the elevator dings and the doors open, revealing the culprits drunker than they’ve ever been before. “good morning” Tony says sloppily and nearly slips when he steps out of the elevator, Ikol steadying him and the two bust out laughing.
“really Tony?” Natasha asks “you’re already corrupting them”
“hey, they’ve been corrupting me” Tony cries in self-defence “I wanted to come home but they wanted a drink”
“somehow I find that hard to believe”
Loki mumbles “believe it Naty” with a tune “the corruptor has become the corrupted”