Kill them all
The days ran pretty quickly after Thor´s departure with both Loki and Tony engaged in more than one field simultaneously. The engineer was super-excited about testing the Sorcerer suit – a name he didn´t yet share with Loki – and it was not exaggeration to say it was even worse than his very first sets of tests on Mark II, which made it kind of perfect.
The exception now was that he didn´t really hit anything because of Loki being present and ready to bring a spell between him and the wall, something he quite missed the first time around. Tony joked that he was much better safety guard than U with his extinguisher, for which the little bot took a grave offense.
The runes caught Tony´s attention even more when another were added on the places Tony didn´t even know remained still untouched. He could watch Loki lean over it and do his thing all day long, but usually the god needed a concentration and let’s say Tony staring at him was a little distractive. More so if he started to lose his clothes in the process, inviting Loki´s hungry eyes his way instead of the armor.
Two weeks passed and neither Thor nor Asgardian army made their appearance and Tony took it as a final sign of goodwill, not questioning Thor´s words anymore. Instead he started to focus on the Avengers things as he had a lot of requests from his team he needed to look at. It wasn´t like he could help Loki with Amora anytime soon, not until his tracking spell would start to work. The god explained to him that the spell was very weak, a measure necessary for making sure that Amora won´t know about it. It would eventually grow stronger, but it took time. Until then Loki studied and stayed low and to Tony’s surprise, he didn´t leave Tony´s side for more than few hours a day. It was hard to read what that change meant, maybe just his safe house was blown off, Tony didn´t know and he didn´t care. He wanted him to stay.
On the other side, his team wasn´t very happy that he started to spend even less time with them. They even asked if he had a girlfriend in some point, but he denied, of course, which only made them more suspicious. What began as mere innocent complaints with smiles very soon turned into real thing. Steve took it as his holy mission to make the team work and he thought that off-field activities were a necessary ingredient. Tony felt bad for missing most of them, but well, he had work and he had a hot god on his damn couch. That couldn´t be compared with movie nights, especially movie nights after a god sex, when Tony forced Loki to watch all kinds of supernatural and sci-fy movies with him.
After his brilliant crash-course into cinematography he was proud to claim that Loki was ready for the real world out there. He understood most of the Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter references. That was a needed start pack. Tony didn´t worry that he would get culturally lost anymore.
So yeah, that was how his life looked now. Days and nights spent with god of mischief who once wanted to take over his world. It sounded just like something Tony Stark would like. And yes, also working himself to the bone for his team, which was nicely overlooked by the said team.
“I do not really understand, why you do those things for them,” Loki hummed annoyed one time hanging out in Tony´s workshop. Tony lift his welding mask to give him an eyeroll.
“Because SHIELD´s tech sucks and I don´t.”
Loki smirked at him. “Sure. And I can see how thankful they are.”
Tony could see his point really. It wasn´t like he was blind, but he chose to close his eyes in certain situations to keep everyone safe. Loki had it within himself that he wanted to repay good and bad done to him, both in equal manner. Like thank you Loki for magic resisting suit! However not everyone was brought up with a cultural codex of Asgard.
“I don´t need the praise for my work,” he said tidying up his worktable and avoiding Loki´s gaze.
“Liar.”
“Look who´s speaking,” he noted sarcastically, finally looking up. “Do you really see me as such a low human being?” he joked, but Loki stayed serious.
“I said you need it, not that you like it. Actually for how big your ego seems to be you are very uncomfortable when people try to give you some credit.”
That… Tony ignored. He didn´t know how to respond.
“By the way, this is maybe not a right time,” he efficiently changed the subject, “but I have also something for you.”
He let Loki´s interested eyes map his movements as he approached one of his tables and pulled out a drawer. He hid its content in his palm and came closer to the curious god.
“I didn´t know if it was possible to make, not in this form at least, but I´m Tony Stark so eventually I found a way.”
He let the elegant chain fall of his fingers, displaying the pendant in the shape of a small silver dagger swaying on the one end Tony was not holding with the tips of his fingers. Delighted from the god´s reaction he watched his hand come to touch it with an expression of utter admiration, surprise and confusion.
“That is for me?” He looked at Tony and then on the pendant like none of it was real. Loki was a son of a king for Christ sake, he had to be used to receiving gifts, right?
“Obviously it is,” Tony joked, “first I wanted to make you some very deadly set of daggers, but yours are already a fine work so I tried to think harder about what else you might need.”
When those emerald eyes looked up at him again, he could swear there was a million of emotions running through them. If he knew he would make Loki look at him like that he would give him something every single day.
“Of course, it is not only an accessory. This necklace works just as that cube from your witch friend we used to return here. Shame it disappeared immediately, but it made sense as it wasn´t from our time. This one is better, has twice as much capacity so the next time we appear in the past or some alternative universe with my luck, we can save my reactor a few hard moments.”
Loki didn´t respond for a while looking stunned, so Tony laughed to ease the mood. “And it looks cool. I just hope I understood it correctly and you can´t just find something like that around the next corner. Can you?”
Finally Loki seemed to snap out of his bubble and he shook his head, still eyeing Tony like he grew another head.
“No, you can not. Those devices are extremely rare and usually they need a space inside them to work properly. I´ve never seen it to be that…”
“Flat?” Tony offered, but Loki again shook his head.
“Beautiful.”
Tony took a ragged breath, feeling all high from the way Loki was staring at him. He let the necklace fall into god´s hand.
“Try it on,” he encouraged him with a small smile playing on his lips. It would have been probably too awkward if he had tried to do it for him.
Loki spread the chain around his fingers and then settled it around his neck, taking the small silver dagger in his fingers.
“It´s not unbreakable, unfortunately, it didn´t work with those kind of materials.” Tony admitted letting out a bit of frustration he´d felt during the work. “But it will react only to your magic, which is kind of a new feature. With that you don´t have to worry you´ll lose it somewhere and someone will kick your ass with your own tricks.”
Loki let out a small laugh. “It is incredible. You know that nothing like this exists in the whole nine realms?” he asked and grabbed Tony´s arm to give strength to his words when he saw the engineer tried to brush the compliment off.
“That was a point here. I wanted it to be special. It´s not like I´m going to produce this in big numbers, just this one… for you… and maybe some advanced in the future if you will need it.” He got a feeling he may have blushed, but Loki just kept focusing on his eyes only and then on his mouth when he pulled him into the gentle kiss, whispering “thank you” and “I will treasure it” against his lips.
“You would make every weaponsmith´s work on Asgard or on any other realm look like a child´s play.”
“Oh, flattery. Yes, flattery will get you everywhere with me.” His eyes dropped on Loki´s neck. “Just as I thought. It looks perfect on you.”
Something in Loki´s posture changed. There was this wild look on his face and the grin that screamed troubles in very pleasant way.
“Maybe we could go to your bedroom now and I would be wearing this.”
“Okaaaaay,” Tony sang thrilled.
“Wearing only this.”
Tony burst out into the laughter of his life time, hiding his face into Loki´s neck after wrapping his frame around him. He let him magic them into his floor, straight on the bed.
“I knew we should have never watched that damn Titanic.”
OOO
Loki looked remarkably good in the suit, period. A long time ago, Tony had seen him in one, in Germany, wearing it with as much confidence as his usual armor and that was not even tailored Armany he was wearing now. His eyes dropped to the small silver pendant slightly visible under the white shirt.
“It was not a coincidence you gave it to me now, was it?”
Tony smirked, caught on the act.
“No. I wanted you to wear it tonight.” So I know it´s you, he didn´t add, but maybe Loki knew it.
The god said thoughtfully: “but you do not have a problem with my other form.” There was a slight hesitance and the engineer hated to hear it.
“That´s not the same.”
Tony was ready to go. He grabbed black tie from the bed and approached Loki, waiting for him to finish his cufflinks first.
“In your other form, you´re blue, but that´s it. It´s still you.”
“You know I need to change my appearance if I want to accompany you. I think we will give dear old Captain enough heart attack from you having a male date for this beneficial event. He doesn´t need to know it is me.”
Tony knew it was logical, but it didn´t make him feel any less uncomfortable.
“You know your gift will be covered. And I recall a tie is a necessity for such an occasion in your culture.”
Despite that Tony smiled. “I know it´s there. That makes it better. Now come here, we´ll be running late.”
His movements were fast and organized – tying a tie came as easy as tying laces on his shoes and Loki looked satisfied with the result after he saw himself in the mirror. Tony didn´t turn away from his reflection when it suddenly started to change. Loki´s eyes were first – the green vanished and was replaced with blue. The height stayed the same, but his hair became much shorter and lightly brown, his face losing some of its characteristic sharp features and turning into something very sympathetic – a face of a guy you would want to befriend and tell him all your dark secrets. The smile, however, remained the same when it was aimed at Tony.
“I am ready.”
Tony let his eyes wander over the body structure which hasn´t really changed that much. God, the man looked hot.
“Yes,” Tony reminded himself what time it was. There was no possible way to get him out of those clothes and then back in only 3 minutes, with or without magic. Instead he called Happy to prepare the car, focusing on walking and threating Loki to behave around Avengers or he was staying on the couch. That always worked for everyone – god or no god.
They arrived right on the time in the end. Tony would lie if he´d claimed that it wasn´t fun to walk into the room, challenging every person present to give him a disapproving look because of his very male date. And he would also lie if he´d said that he didn´t notice Loki being totally fine in the spotlight and the center of the attention, enjoying it just as Tony was.
He didn´t thought that he still had it in himself. Playing the playboy, causing havoc, set himself in the center and be okay with it. But a lot of things has changed since… well, since Loki. And with all the rumors going around about his disappearance it was good to cause a scene or two and divert attention.
“Dear captain looks like he feels troubled,” Loki whispered next to him. Tony led them both after the smell of champagne and when he spot the glasses he took two and placed one into Loki´s hand.
“Maybe we should go and say hello. We want to play nice after all.” He let out one devilish grin and one returned his way, brightening Loki´s face and catching Tony´s eyes for a moment.
He knew that Loki felt the same kind of adrenaline in his veins as Tony and it made their senses and minds work 100%. No mistake allowed.
“Let the game begin.”
Tony made his way through the gaping people, sending fake smiles on both sides, even grabbing Loki´s hand at the end to pull him with him towards the captain. Steve Rogers was watching him with a small blush on his cheeks, looking so lost and uncomfortable that he was almost cute in his innocence.
“Hey, people, having fun?” Tony let his eyes scan Clint and Natasha standing by Steve´s side, they had amused expressions on their faces and were clearly enjoying the cap´s reaction as well. Sometimes they knew exactly what was Tony doing, damn spies.
“Tony, do you mind to introduce your date? I have a feeling we saw each other briefly on the last gala, haven´t we?” Natasha narrowed her eyes, but otherwise looked interested.
“Sure, this is Luke. Luke, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton and Steve Rogers.”
Loki offered his hand to every single one of them with a sweet smile and the nod of his head. He only wavered for a millisecond when it came to Barton. Tony pushed away the bad feeling for this one. A lot of questions followed soon after, just a traditional “Where do you work?” and “How do you two met?” sort of questions. Tony let Loki talk, drowning in his voice and speaking skills. He was captivating when he had full mouth of Tony´s tongue, but he was breathtakingly fascinating when he was able to talk and charm others around him. Despite that they haven´t really prepared their story to the smallest details, he was able to neatly omit everything which may have give them out.
After a while his silence had to draw attention because Clint suddenly looked at him funny and smirked.
“That´s the first one making you shut up, Stark. You better keep him.”
Tony let out a small smile, taking a sip of his glass. “I like his voice,” he answered truthfully.
“More than yours?”
Loki´s and his eyes met and his smile only brightened. “Yes.”
“That should be recorded,” a soft voice behind him laughed and someone gently touched his shoulders. Tony tried not to jump, his brain screaming at him it was just his Pepper and that it was alright, safe. He turned on her with restored face and somehow sensed that Loki lost his tensed posture as well. She happily offered her hand to Loki and the god kissed it on the top like he did with Natasha.
“It is nice to meet you, Luke. When Tony warned me he was going to cause some incident tonight I didn´t expect the incident being this polite and handsome.”
Tony blushed a bit, watching as Loki thanked for the compliment and engaged himself in a new conversation with Pepper. Tony´s brilliant ex-girlfriend had a courage to wink at him before she dragged Loki few meters away so he couldn’t eavesdrop on their very private talk.
Tony meanwhile discussed some Avengers related things with his team, but only briefly, earning some biting comments about how it was now perfectly clear why he didn´t attend their unofficial meetings. Steve remained silent for the most of the time, but Tony knew he wasn´t really judging him. They all fell into the comfortable mood, eyeing the other quests and chilling with their drinks as a man Tony didn´t know shyly approached them.
He was in his forties, dressed in a good suit, but looking unsure of his actions. He was holding something in his hand while gazing at Tony.
“Ehm, can I help you?”
The man opened his mouth and nodded. “Good evening, Mr. Stark. I´m sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to ask… well, my daughter is going to have a birthday soon and she asked me about…”
“An autograph?”
“Yes,” the man breathed out a wave of relief, sending a smile towards Tony for understanding.
“That´s no problem. What is her name?” he asked, reaching into his pocket for a pen. He always tried to have one on himself, just in case.
“Ughmm… Rebecca.”
The man handed him the small photo, but Tony froze. He was aware that his body language didn´t imply that he wanted to take it. Thank god Pepper just made her time to reappear at his side and get a hold of it before he would need to explain.
“I´ll take this, thank you,” she diverted the man´s attention to her nice smiling lips and shoved the photo into Tony´s hand. He got a glimpse of Iron Man flying above some people´s heads and he signed it in the corner. He didn´t remember when it was taken.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Stark,” the man waved his goodbye, returning to his crowd which immediately cheered with him.
“Has it ever crossed your mind he might have no daughter?” A seducing whisper in his ear made him tense again, but now for a good reason.
“I pity him then that he thought he might lie his way through the god of lies.” He felt Loki´s hand on his lower back making them both come even closer.
“The way people are looking at you makes me want to kill them all.” Tony trembled with the thought.
“You jealous?”
He tilted his head to look at Loki´s face and his predatory smile he knew would be there. The truth was they were probably looking at Loki more than at him, both because he was extremely hot for this company and because he was there with him.
“You know there is a private restroom up on the floor, maybe we could just disappear for a moment and have a word there?”
Loki gave him a very long look and Tony almost expected him to start tearing his clothes apart right on the spot. Before the god could open his mouth, Tony turned towards others, cursing in his mind when he realized everyone was staring at two of them with a knowing look.
“Excuse us, ladies and gentlemen.” He grabbed Loki by his hand, taking quick steps away from the room, when a different hand stopped him somewhere in the middle of the room and he almost snarled at the person who dared to touch him, half expecting it to be Rhodey and they would laugh it off. But no, it wasn´t his best friend.
“Mr. Stark, excuse me, I would like to ask you few things,” the reporter was a new face for him, very young to actually be here and Tony couldn´t see his access card hanging around his neck. No reason for him to speak with the boy then.
“Sorry, kid. I´m in hurry. Maybe when I return?” And check who the hell you are. He wanted to continue in his tracks when the next sentence coming from the boy´s mouth hit him.
“I only wanted to ask if your breakup with Miss Potts is finally official, Mr. Stark, as I see you brought a different partner tonight.”
Tony slowly turned back, taking a deep breath. He might have oversqueezed Loki´s hand in his, now he let go.
“I don´t know if you possess the knowledge, but this is a charity event and there are certain private questions you should not be asking people around if you want to continue your career as it is.” Maybe too harsh, but when it was about Pepper… She was still not entirely prepared to let the world know about her and Happy. Tony should have taken it into consideration before he showed up.
The kid had guts to smirk, clearly not realizing Tony could destroy his whole life with one fucking call. Well, bad for him.
“Can you at least tell us what is the reason behind the breakup?” The young reporter didn´t look like he wanted to stop on his own, so Tony started to look for the security. “Is it because of your current mental health?”
Tony snapped back to the small shit.
“What did you just say?”
They attracted a small crowd around them and in his peripheral vision Tony saw his team stepping through it.
“Well,” the kid started with a satisfied grin, “it is not a secret you suffer from PTSD from both of Afghanistan and New York. More so, there is an evidence that you frequently visit a psychiatrist and also that you have been prescribed drugs for anxiety and panic attacks.” The fucking motherfucker was speaking loud enough now for almost everyone to look their way and Tony felt anger dangerously bubbling under his skin. “Don´t you feel like a liability with this condition while operating Iron Man?”
That was it. Tony just snapped.
“I have no reason to answer any of this. You somehow obtained private information no different way than illegally, so I´m calling my layers, because you obviously started to play with a wrong person. You will see them on the court. Now, if we are quite done, I´m leaving.”
“I´m not afraid of you,” the kid called out not so confidently. Tony just flashed him one of his smiles promising hell on Earth. The steady voice next to him replied in his place.
“But you should be.” Tony gazed at Loki and he swallowed his next words. The god looked deadly serious or maybe just deadly.
“And you should be afraid of me, because I´m not so patient as Mr. Stark here, nor so pacific.”
“Heavy words coming from a one-night stay. Or does Mr. Stark prefer it differently now?”
All Tony heard was a snarl and suddenly Loki stood in front of him taking the smaller man by his throat lifting him up on his toes. Someone screamed and the glass shattered against the floor. Loki wasn´t making any threats, just squeezing slowly and watching how the color left the man´s face. The captain appeared next to Tony and put his hand on Loki´s shoulder receiving no reaction.
“Hey, he understands now, buddy. Put him down.”
Loki wasn´t responding and Tony started to worry. He moved capsicle away and stepped in front of the god, facing him and placing his palm on Loki´s neck. He prayed in his head for Loki not being too lost that he wouldn´t recognize him.
He didn´t let his eyes divert from the reporter who started to make some very disturbing noises, but he didn´t fight Tony´s touch either.
“Hey, leave him, please? I know he deserves to have his ass kicked, but I don´t want to be here anymore. I want to go home.”
As the last word left his mouth, Loki´s head turned his way and their eyes locked onto each other.
“Good, you´re with me? Please, let him go and take me home. Please, baby.”
Tony felt Loki´s body tense even more, but his eyes cleared a bit and he saw a recognition there. He used his touch as an anchor to drag him back to reality. Loki´s fingers gave away, but Tony didn´t care about the man on the ground trying to catch his breath, instead he turned on the approaching security.
“Thank you, gentlemen, this man bothered both me and my partner here. I appreciate your help.” The head of the security looked puzzled, but he didn´t dare to get any closer to Loki, what was after all Tony´s plan.
Finally their host showed and apologized, claiming he wouldn´t ever let a person like that on his premises. Tony didn´t pay him much attention. He wanted to be away from the place and fast. He didn´t even say goodbye to anyone, but he was certainly glad Pepper wasn´t in the room anymore. She would have probably encouraged Loki to end the man.
“Come.” He made sure that Loki was really following him, catching Natasha and Clint whispering to each other and looking surprisingly amused before they left the quests behind them.
The ride back home passed in silence. But once they were in Tony´s workshop, the god changed into his own form throwing away the tie from his neck with such a rage that Tony stopped on the spot, glancing up at him unsure how to approach.
“Explain something to me, Anthony,” he started with an icy voice which could cut through concrete. Tony didn´t remember him ever being this angry and actually letting it show. “How is it possible that a worm under your shoe can open his mouth like that in the public and talk about someone who saved his useless life from an army of invaders? In what kind of society isn´t this considered to be highly ungrateful and beyond any means of sanity?”
Tony let him yell.
“And yet no one took necessary steps. Not even your team or captain.”
Tony let out a breath he was holding.
“You did,” he said softly, just now realizing that no one ever has stood up like that for him and it made him feel appreciated and cared about. It made him feel warm.
“Thank you.”
Loki gave him a serious look. “You know I spared his life only because you asked for it, although I do not understand why. In Asgard for such an offence he would be killed immediately, if not by me or you, then by any other honorable warrior who has witnessed your deeds.”
Tony tried a small smile, not wanting to provoke Loki. “It´s not a good idea to piss of a date of the prince?”
Loki overcame the distance between them, cupping Tony´s face in his hands. “If I were as a prince there, I would have to be merely satisfied with a quick and silent death. If it was only up to me, I would gut the man and let him live for many, many hours until I would rip his heart away from his chest right in front of his eyes.”
Tony swallowed, terrified that the confession made him somehow happy.
“I… I appreciate that, Loki, and I´m not joking right now. I really do, but you can´t do this here. I´m glad you listened.”
The god hissed. “Do not do that again, Anthony. Do not step between. I tend to lose control and I´m afraid you won´t always be able to stop me. I do not wish to hurt you.”
There was something terribly raw in his eyes. Tony let his own hand cover Loki´s. His skin was cold.
“You might want to stop telling me such things if you don´t want me to fall for you even more than I have.” Tony had no idea what gave him the courage to say that, but when it was out, he felt lighter. A panic started to raise in him, when Loki didn´t say anything. After few seconds he gave Tony a bittersweet smile while slightly shaking his head.
“I do not wish to endanger you. If I acknowledge this thing between us to be more than attraction, you will become my weakness and Anthony, I have many enemies out there.”
“So do I,” Tony protested. Now he knew where was Loki coming from. “We can protect each other. We are better together than alone, you have to see it. I need to know if you just consider me a good lay and a decent talk or if I can hope for something more.”
Something warm spread over the god´s face and it crashed the last mask he was wearing.
“I think you know the answer for this, Anthony, don´t you?”
Tony wanted to hear it, but right at the moment he wasn´t about to push any further, not when Loki was looking at him like he meant his whole world. He leaned in, taking his lips, tasting the champagne and laughing against Loki´s mouth when they parted.
“What is so funny?”
“I´ve just remembered tonight. I doubt anyone will even breath my way from now on.” Tony let himself relax in the steady embrace.
“Good. Because my threats are very real.”
Tony nodded. “Just for now I wish to forget about that stupid fuck ruining our night. Maybe you want to continue in tearing your clothes off in that hot, very violent manner?” He grinned, mischief met with mischief and Loki´s eyes mapped him hungrily.
They ended up on Tony´s couch and then against his worktable and every second of that was a heaven on Earth.
But heaven usually doesn´t last long for Tony Stark.
The next day Thor bursts into his workshop and has very secretive talk with Loki, after which they are both looking more concerned than one would expect. Loki comes to him and tries to explain, but after a while Tony just shakes his head and kiss him goodbye, accepting that he can´t be invited on this quest.
They go somewhere in the different realm and Tony thinks he can last a week or two without getting himself into trouble as Loki asked. But then Ultron happens. And Loki is not there. And all Tony can think about as he dwells in his own misery is where his stupid god is when he needs him.
But maybe it can get even worse and Tony shouldn´t test his luck. When he learns that Loki is dead it might be the last nail into his coffin.