About gods and engineers

Loki didn´t move at all while Tony was thinking. He was standing right behind his back, taking him for a shield.
“So?”
Tony lifted his hand and pointed at the men. With the other one opening and closing he signaled talking. There was nothing simpler he could use for a sign.
“And who should talk to them? Me?”
Tony´s hands flew into the air. “Who else, genius?”

“I greet you, inhabitants of this planet…”
“Jesus Christ…”
“I accept your surrender and will keep you as my slaves to serve my plans of taking the rule over the Earth only if you do so now willingly and without any resistance.”
Tony couldn´t believe it. “He´ll never stop trying, will he?”

“However amusing this is, Stark, I have to ask…” Tony looked at him sideway. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Jesus Christ, get me a set of screwdrivers, knife, lighter and saw!” the man in the suit screamed finally irritated and as it seemed in serious pain. “And a duct tape! Can´t forget a duct tape…”

Loki´s smirk was pure contempt and rage.
“Oh, you pathetic stupid creature, how can you possibly think that your threats…”
Tony had to shut him up for their common good. “Remember what you wanted to say and come here, Hornhead. I may have use of your hand here.”

“In any other circumstances I would love to hear that, Stark. But right now I would prefer you to stay alive for some time.”

“Are you afraid I might slit your throat while sleeping?” Despite that Tony expected him to say something by any minute, the question still left him feel like he was expecting just that. From his position it was impossible to tell what was the god doing. He could be as good as sharpening his knife.
“Yes,” he decided not to bother with lies, “or squeeze a toothpaste on my face.”

“So…” Tony was sure he´s going to regret what he was about to say, “you´re admitting that I beat you in some strange psychological way?”
“What I´m admitting is that you got us into this mess, Stark.”

He didn´t move. Not a single muscle. And Tony had to think why until he looked down and saw a broken glass in his bleeding palm - still not too close to Loki´s exposed neck, but as well not too far to slip accidently from Iron Man´s fingers.

“How do you want to get back without me?”
Tony smiled, but it looked cruel. “Don´t worry, in the worse case I´ll build a fucking time-machine.”

“Now we have to work out the way how to get us back home. I think Loki just needs to gather his pixie dust.”

“Thank God, you´re here.” The man – bodyguard – whatever, greeted him with big relief flashing on his face. “I was starting to lose my mind with him staring at me like that.”

“Why should I make another deal with you, Stark?”
Tony already thought about some good reasons before he came in here, before he quite fought with his father, but all he said at the end was: “you fucked with my head.” Loki surprisingly turned to face him. “And I still can blow up your legs.”

“Won´t you ask about helping you to take over the world?” He mentally slapped himself as soon as the question was out. Why to tempt him?
“Not this time, Stark.”

“Wow, I didn’t ´t know you could attend cooking classes along the deadly potions… Guess you have a lot of more interesting education system on Asgard.”

“Is it poisoned? Because it smells good. I forgot to ask.”
“I liked you more when you couldn´t talk.”
“The thing that matters is that you actually liked me for a while.”

“I found few facts about our current situation if you would allow me and shut up for a moment.”

“Why not?”
“Because I said so.” Unbelievable.
“That´s not a reason but your period talking.”

“I´m offended. Why your superhero group won´t leave me alone then?”
He heard Stark laugh bitterly. “I knew you were listening.”

“So your family drama isn´t interesting, but mine is? Why don´t you tell us why are you so angry on him? Is it because he didn´t save you when they ripped your heart out in that cave? Or because he let you take that weapon into the wormhole despite he knew you won´t likely come back? Or because your father loved him more than you?”

Finally the voice returned to Tony´s throat. “Yes. No… Yes. Damn it.”

“Where is he?” Tony muttered.
“You´re unharmed.”

The god´s face twisted after his confession. “You are indeed so easy to kill.”
“Wow,” Tony pointed out sarcastically, “that sounded really non-threating.”

“Yes, I will die, but not immediately. Why do you turn blue?”
His question had only two possible aftereffects: an answer or a punch to his teeth.

“Did they torture you?”
“Did they torture you, Stark? In that cave.”
“Yes.”
A brief second in which Tony felt the stream of warm air escaping god´s lips. “Yes.”

He took his time studying the arc reactor stopping in the moment when Tony left out another painful exhale. His eyes jumped back at him. He smiled. And for a brief second Tony had the feeling that he might crash it in his hand.
“You are extraordinary brave and stupid, Tony Stark.”

“Close your eyes, but don´t die.”

He was like a storm and a day on the beach. Painful and esoteric. This was a god giving a kiss of life on the verge of death. Like when you tie a rope around your throat just to make the end more orgasmic. And sometimes you might hang yourself in the closet, but other times you experience a paradise.

“How was I?” he asked with a notorious grin, not even sure what was the goal of his question. To see if the god can flush? To find out what exactly happened last night? Maybe both.
Loki sighed. He put away the book he was holding.
“You mean when you fell asleep?”

“I knew that mortals can not last long in a lot of situations, but I didn´t know it was this extreme.” There was a playful spark in his eyes, something Tony hadn´t witnessed before. He pulled out another one of his cocky smiles and let it spread on his face.
“You mean like in the situation soon before one goes into cardiac arrest?”

“Are you proposing we should act upon the mutual attraction and after we return, we just hop back into our old roles trying to kill each other?”
Loki´s face mirrored something very dark and very hot in the same time. “Mutual you say?”
Yeah, great. So it was slipping of information on both sides now.

He needed to finish the suit today. Just for the good feeling he could kick that bastard without breaking his leg if he would like to.

Groaning in semi-silent agony Tony bounced his head to his arm several times while holding the hand steady in the place. It was too soft to smash some brain back to his skull.

“What did you do?”
“Burnt myself.”
“Really?”

“When will you know where she is?”
“Hopefully tomorrow. Is this suit of yours going to work or are you just playing around and causing trouble?” Tony worked out a perfect smile just to annoy him.
“Just causing trouble, I like causing trouble.”

Good thing was that Stark had managed to completely repair his armor, which was now resting in his makeshift laboratory for disasters. He hadn´t injured himself or Loki any further. That was a progress.

“I am sorry, sir. You have to put it on manually. This particular system is one of non-working, sir.”
“Of course it is,” Tony cried out, “or you´re just shitting me to prove your point.”
The AI´s voice cracked like he couldn´t believe Tony could even think something like that. “I would never dare shitting you, sir.”

Tony just visualized Jarvis´ imaginary body floating above him and pointing his annoyed finger on the far corner of the room. Yeah, assistance, my ass.
“I know what you think about, Jarvis. But I assure you,” he picked up his voice louder, “I would rather break both of my arms, hop on my stomach like a turtle and manage to suit up in this position than require assistance from anyone in this room.”

“However lovely would it be to watch you break your hands,” Loki appeared next to him with his quick mojo-movements causing Tony to jump, “I must object.”

Tony could feel him behind his back, it was both disturbing and exciting sensation. Was there anything he could stab him with? If yes, would it be more disturbing or more exciting?

“Stark, if I push with all my might, you will end up on the other side of this galaxy.”
“Don´t fancy yourself so much.”

“Ok, so try to smash it in the place, but don´t smash it through my chest, everything clear?”

And yeah, when Loki had said something like: “don´t expect me to use any magic, when I´m just holding the killer locating spell,” he really was one second from laughing his ass off.

“Don´t expect me to spill out all of my weaknesses only because of your pretty face.”
Tony returned him the quick stare and a smirk. “My pretty face?”

“Jarvis?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Why didn’t you remind me to take a helmet with me?”
There was a small awkward pause during which Loki abruptly stopped once more and gave him a seriously pissed look.
“You must be joking, Stark.”

“Even with that device you wouldn´t have enough. You know it is a forbidden territory, Loki. You are not strong enough. You lack the knowledge. You…” she suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence, her eyes widening. “You already did it.”

Loki had to be aware of the reason for his reaction, because suddenly he was right next to him and his shoulder was protectively extended to his front. It wasn´t like he was standing in front of him, but it was close enough to give a warning. The sorceress wasn´t going to touch him again.

“She needs a connection to see into one´s mind,” he finally explained, but still leaving Tony deeply wonder what to do with that information and how to connect it to the rest.
“So you´re saying she wants to look into your head by putting her tongue into your throat?”

“I know what you are eager to find there,” he addressed her, “but I will not betray Asgard and let you see its secrets, not now and not ever.”
“I see,” she slowly nodded while Tony quickly replayed what Loki just said, “you are still so loyal to the people who will never respect you. I hoped that in your time you are wiser than that.”

When after a moment he noticed that she was attempting to put her hand into his hair, he had to fight himself not to break the kiss, his eyes now wide open. Fortunately, the hand only brushed him, as Loki´s fingers stopped her in the move and Lefer let Tony go.

Loki didn´t say another word to her, no goodbye or go and die, you little bitch… Nope.

“Would you have really wanted to continue?” His voice got a bit serious there. “Even if you know… what I am.”

“I knew you were a little shit before too.”

“We will stop here, Stark. I do not want you to fall asleep on me again in this kind of situation.”
Tony wanted to protest, right into his mouth, but he found the words to be truth. He was deadly exhausted. Again. This was becoming a tradition. Press would so love that – Tony Stark constantly falling asleep while making out – exclusive photos.

“Cool. Perfect. Good night.” The man threw himself backwards into the bed. Just no more talking, please.
“It´s still afternoon, Stark.”
“So good afternoon.”

When Loki looked up again, Tony thought ´oh shit´ because the pale face looking back at him was something he didn´t want to see near to any sharp objects ever and there were quite few tossed around the room, easy to pick and stab Tony through one of his eyeballs.

If he let to show that he wasn´t happy about accusation, Loki didn´t acknowledge that he saw or understood his reaction. What a dickhead.

“That is a good question, Stark. But you would not be the first one thrilled by the idea to experience intimacy with a dangerous individual. My theory is,” he made a one step closer, Tony didn´t know it was possible, “that you find it exciting to laugh into death´s face.”

“I could break your arm now. It would snap so easily.” Damn it. How that man managed to threaten him in the way like he was reciting a poem?

His hands now could perhaps break Loki´s jaw, if he wanted to bite something useful of his body. Now they were almost even.

“Okay,” he slowly tried his voice, happy with a result it gave him, “now, when we settled our little argument and your good mood is perhaps restored. Do you want me to go and stare at that thing with you so it might get bored and open up for us?”
He heard something close to an amused laugh at his side.
“Or you can keep talking to it, that will be even more effective.”

Sure, you are right. Yes. We will do it together. Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?”
“Tony talked about you. A lot. He even named one of his greatest inventions after you.”
The man looked stunned, his forming smile one of pure love.
“Is he an engineer, like you, sir?”
“Yes. He is.” Howard slowly approached Maria. She was blinking rapidly. “He is better than we could possibly hope for.”

“I would use a brute force. There´s no other possible way. What can we lose?”
“What about the only magical object which can get us home?”

Loki´s mind brought up the pictures of Stark´s body beneath him, strong, muscles moving against his own flesh and so fragile at the same time, gasping for air, when Loki´s fingers touched him in the right places. He had many lovers and most likely the same could count for the other man. But Loki didn´t remember anyone´s eyes shining so bright while looking at him.
Norns, that man was his punishment.

There was still plenty of topics they could discuss to easy Tony´s shock and calm him down to the point he started to feel like he could manage returning to his time mentally healthy. Or at least the same mentally defected as he´d arrived.

Loki let his eyes drop to the box. “I need to supply this with my magic for at least a week and while doing so we must practice our minds to endure the trip back home.”
“Okay, that sounds like a fun. What will we do? Imagining sweet small ponies jumping over the rainbow?”

“I love you. I´m proud of you, just like your mother. You are and always will be my greatest creation.”

“I counted with your weakness. However much you resemble gods, you are only a human.”
Tony stared at him. Speechless for a moment.
“Did you just make me a very weird compliment?”

“Pepper,” he addressed a worried woman and smiled. He always made her worry so much. “Nice to see you.”
“Oh, Tony.” She just threw herself in his waiting arms and hugged him with the force of a small anaconda.

There was a certain undertone of his message saying that they´d probably started to really freak out and maybe hadn´t expected for him to return at all or at least not in one piece. And then there was this second one loosely translated as where the fuck is my brother?

The multiple cameras in the workshop caught Loki stumbling to the room and crashing into the one of the tables. He looked momentarily disoriented and Tony fought away the feeling his heart was squeezed in someone´s fist.

Tony nodded slowly. “So I´m stupid.”
“I can neither confirm or deny that, sir.”

While waiting he noticed that cap was watching him from the other side of the room, frowning disapprovingly. Well Tony lifted his glass in an invisible cheers after his drink had arrived only to piss him of more.

“I said you should maybe consider my offer one last time.” He blinked and his eyes changed from blue to emerald green, mischief making them glow like two stars in the dark sky. “Stark,” he purred and Tony held his breath. A shiver ran back over his spine.

He made a step towards him.
“You…” he started lost with words, “jerk… are you insane?” The god didn´t look insulted or surprised by Tony´s outburst. He just kept grinning all teeth visible clearly enjoying what he was doing.
“There is a big chance, I am, yes.”

“I hope you will finally kill me tonight, so I´ll learn my lesson.”