Schism

Tony never expected to have anything in common with an Alien-pseudo-Norse-Diety, but, well, there you go. 

He and Loki had talked for hours. First, they talked about Loki's involuntary participation in and voluntary sabotage of the invasion, about what came before.

      (Daddy-issues spanned the universe, who knew? )

That led to Tony sharing info about his past (god, when did he become a responsible adult dealing with feelings!?!?). 

It sucked, but it was necessary - there was so much complicated shit raining down, denial wasn't going to help anyone or anything. Because (thanks, concussions!) after talking with Loki, Tony remembered something that scared the crap out of him and was pretty damn far beyond his pay grade (he was good, but not 'handle an alien invasion alone' good!). 

An armada - there was no other word for it: "whaliens" , planetoid-ships ?!?, troop carriers, stuff he couldn't even categorize. Tony had Jarvis pull up any video from his suit during his time in the wormhole and there it was - grainy and distant, but there. 

Tony couldn't deal with this alone - even with a demi-god at his side, that would be foolish and useless. 

EARTH couldn't deal with this alone - it didn't have the tech, the resources, the capacity to fight a battle of that scale.

The "victory" in New York was a fluke, a gift, a warning - barely even a battle.

Tony hoped someone would take it for what it actually was. And if they didn't, well, he'd find a way to make it clear.

* * * * *

Loki hadn't been able to quite hide his surprise at being offered sanctuary in Stark Tower after the previous night's conversation. At best, he'd hoped to be heard and NOT turned over to his somewhat-brother or Shield.  As a thanks, he used his magic to repair the damage he'd caused to the windows - which had startled a laugh out of Tony... who then proceeded to ask if it would be in poor taste to keep the hole in his floor a conversation piece or just repair it like a "regular" person.

Loki merely replied with eyebrow-daggers as the marble smoothed out. 

He woke the following morning and was directed to the common area kitchen by Jarvis, where Tony was already on his 2nd cup of coffee and putting together breakfast from an array of foodstuffs on the table. Tony gestured for Loki to do the same.  They ate in companionable silence, but Loki could sense that Tony was about to suggest something necessary but unpleasant.  Loki was right. 

Tony sighed heavily before speaking, "We can't prepare for this alone. We need powerful allies sooner rather than later... we need to talk to Thor." After hearing a bit of Loki's history, Tony - though respectful of the power and strength Thor possessed - wasn't otherwise impressed with Thor's diplomatic or observational skills. He HOPED recent events might change that somewhat, but hope wouldn't stop a homicidal alien with an armada.

Loki knew he was right - he pretty much felt the same way about his brother. He wasn't thrilled but he understood why alliances were needed.

Regardless, he refused to continue to be a scapegoat for Asgard and the shortsighted, imperialistic, and frankly somewhat delusional attitudes of his not-father. 

"I agree. I will keep myself hidden when you meet. But we need to know what we are dealing with where Asgard is concerned - things I am rather certain Thor would be unaware of if true, that would determine what our next steps are."  Tony nodded.

* * * * *

Tony felt pretty ridiculous standing on his tower calling out to what amounted to an inter-galactic peeping Tom to ask for a meeting with Thor, but - well - strange times and all that. 

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long - he guessed Asgard was on high alert and paying attention to Earth-Midgard-whatever since the invasion because the Bifrost redecorated his roof within the hour.

Thor met him on the roof - the tower would be Loki's sanctuary in truth until Tony knew where Thor stood and what kind of response would come from the demi-god once he had all the facts. 

"Man of Iron!" Thor boomed as he walked towards Tony, arm outstretched in greeting, "How do you fare? Have you recovered?" Tony'd forgotten about Thor's impromptu heart-restart at the tower (what was his life when an incident like that was forgettable'?!?).

"I fare well, Point Break. You?" Thor's shoulders slumped noticeably. Tony wasn't surprised - his brother had been thought dead, then been fought as an enemy and then escaped. Thor was having a pretty shitty time. 

"As well as can be expected," was Thor's diplomatic answer. The battle on Midgard, the loss of his brother, the reactions of those he'd considered his friends for centuries... experiences were changing him and he no longer felt quite right with the Warrior's Three, with his father. He didn't know what to say - he didn't really have the words. 

"I may have something to help with that." Tony replied. "I have something to show you."

* * * * *

Thor sat in the upper penthouse room - the one that had been damaged during the battle. Tony had Jarvis play all of the footage he'd collected during Loki's time on earth.

The mixture of guilt and despair on Thor's face... it was heartbreaking - and for a jaded billionaire like Tony, that was saying something.  But sad as it was, it gave him hope - because if "clueless till he practically died while exiled on a foreign planet" Thor could get his act together, they might have a chance to start preparing for the fight of all their lives. 

"I have been an oblivious, selfish brother for centuries. I lost Loki, then found him again and STILL did not see what was in front of me. YOU - Man of Iron - a stranger to both of us, saw the truth my brother hid, the truth of who he was and was not." Tony's eyes bugged out a bit at Thor's declaration... he, well, wasn't expecting this.

"Loki is missing, has been gone since the day of the battle." Thor stepped toward Tony, placing his left hand on Tony's shoulder, crossing his other hand - fist above his heart. "You are a true shield-brother, in thought and action, Anthony Stark. What you have shown me, with your help and permission, I will use to defend and protect my brother." Tony nodded. He could tell Thor's statement was more than just words - it was an oath. 

"I can do that, Thor." Tony replied, "and I'm honored to be called your shield-brother." Thor gave him a satisfied smile. "I hate to dump more on you, buddy, but there's more, and it's bad."

Thor's brow furrowed in concern; Tony continued. "The Chitauri aren't done with us, and neither is their leader. We need your help, and Asgard's - and anyone else out there you can get to work together." Tony pulled up the suit-cam video from the wormhole to bring his point home. He wasn't surprised to feel a storm brewing outside his tower - he felt the same way as Thor about what they were looking at. 

Tony saw a green light pop up on Jarvis' display - they'd decided that would be Loki's signal that he wished to communicate directly with his brother. Tony took a deep breath - he was pretty sure this wasn't going to be fun.  "Before we do that, you need to make things right with your brother." Thor's head whipped around to face Tony, and Tony plowed ahead, "I can help with that. But I need you to listen, and hold your temper or it won't happen." 

"I swear, Man of Iron." Thor stated. "You have my word." 

"Jarvis, send the all clear." Tony motioned to one of the chairs, "Have a seat, Point Break. We have a lot of stuff to deal with."