A/N: I really put a lot of work into this and I am sorry if the ending is lacking. I really just wanted to be done with it. I might come back to it later, but for now I think this fanfiction is more than an adequate explanation behind the preview image.

Preparations on the device were nearly complete. Soon, the gateway between worlds would be opened and Earth would know the full-force of Chitauri army. All it needed now was a power source, the Tesseract.

Loki smirks, his fine pale lips curling to one side as the distinct sound of repulsors displace the air around Stark tower; once, twice. The second trip around gives Tony time to scan his target, to devise and calculate as tubes of smoke trail behind him like scrapped thought processes.

Jet boots touch down on the helipad, mechanisms latching into place, pressure distributing to different parts of the suit to accommodate the weight as he steps onto a punctuated letter "S."The man who describes himself with such pompous words as invincible and iron opens the latch to his face plate.

The sorcerer greets his adversary with a gaming smile and Tony sets aside his affections for gambling, ignores his love for toying with business and pleasure because he doesn't like the idea of betting the entire human race on one hand of blackjack, especially when the dealer is Loki.

Loki's insufferable blue eyes narrow, conducting his own calculations this time. The brain is one of the seven vital organs in the human body and Tony has chosen to expose it to his magic. It's an interesting prospect.

In the short time the god of mischief has come to know the man named Tony Stark, he has found that the billionaire, playboy, philanthropist has an innate impulse for recklessness. Stark is a man who pursues a jaded existence; burdened by a world whose neurons don't fire quite as rapidly as his own (except for Bruce's neurons, they're like watching fireworks). He finds his direction and purpose and release in insolence and algorithms; a chaotic neutral character. That should have been a good enough answer for the god, should have been, but isn't.

As Loki indulges in his thoughts, fine lines appear around Stark's brows, his mouth, his eyes. It's a stern, piercing glare that still manages to look handsome. Loki smiles at the thought and decides not to complicate things when they are plenty complicated already.

"Come to try your luck again,"Loki asks, pretentious confidence brewing from his lips. And yeah, Tony gets the message. It's some prissy god bullshit about how he's a foolish mortal that doesn't have the right to exist; like he hasn't heard that line from a terrorist before.

It's time to exchange superhero versus super-villain banter, but Stark remains silent and the opportunity to see who can construct a better pun drops from the air around them. How considerate and unlike Tony to cross out hearing himself talk from his list of things to-do to put doomsday back on schedule.

I retract my former statement. Tony's been prattling on since the moment you started reading, he's just done it without the use of his mouth. And that's a gift really, so parent's don't lie to your kids and say anybody can become a master of subtext.

When he's not insulting someone, Tony likes to communicate with science and genetics just happens to be a form of science so it makes sense that what he wants to say to Loki is written all over the brown disks of his irises. I know it sounds strange, but compare it to the magnetic imprints on a hard drive. Got it? Good.

Tony's determined to stare at Loki until the magician finishes reading every last kilobyte he's got stored in his eyes. Last time I checked, mortals didn't tell gods what to do, but then Tony has always had problems with authority figures.

Loki's jaw clenches and his skin tightens as he reads the phrase, "let's help each other out." There's a sensation like needle points, like platypus quills creeping up his neck, just under his finely draped hair. His fingertips have gone numb as well, painfully so. These nervous reactions bears a striking resemblance to poison, but that can't be possible. Loki's immune to every kind.

The Asgardian attempts to rid himself of the feeling with a snarl and a subtle turn of his head, similar to how one might relieve a kink in his neck. Doubt can be such a pestilence. It infects, multiplies, and destroys. All this trouble just from one man's gaze. He must remember to commend Stark for it later, and by commend I mean he's going to beat him to death with his spear. But then, the doubt inside Loki explodes, goes off like a suitcase full of C4 and destroys the titanium safe containing all his suppressed emotions. A million doubts scatter through Loki's mind, like hundred dollar bills descending from the sky and it's impossible to try and catch them all and stuff them back inside his head before they reach the ground.

The first few doubts are caught and zip-locked and duck taped somewhere until he can find a place for them. One doubt slips past Loki's grip and falls to his feet. Suddenly, the magician's ears are alive with the sound of his own voice. His deepest feelings are being played back to him, like a scandalous tape recording. His voice is confident, aspiring and proud when it says, "I am a king, I deserve power." The next track isn't so adamant. It's speaks to him with the voice of a young boy. Sorrow latches itself onto every word, a child trying too hard to become an adult, to look strong in the face of pain. It's intolerable to listen to such a pitiful creature cry, "I am outcast, I am weak, but I will prove I am neither."

The magician's mind blasts apart, an apple in a microwave as he hears himself speak those words. Loki doesn't try to hide the rest of his doubts as they stream past his shoulders to pile around his ankles. More doubts come, one after another in a torturous succession, like the cruel lashings of a whip.

-You're a coward-A master of every face except for your own-The deceiver is now deceived-A body like yours is built to suffer, to cause suffering-An embodiment of nothingness to your very core-Doomed to live in an eternity of exile, to begin and end alone with no power in existence that can save you-

Loki snarls, a vein splitting the skin around his temple as he strains to endure the striking blows dealt by his inner anima. Blue eyes are pinched shut to seal away burning red behind ivory folds.

Great, the trickster's self-esteem issues are splattered all over the fucking place like a bloody murder scene and it's Tony's fault for being the catalyst in this experiment, but the engineer won't lie and say he isn't enjoying it. Oh gross, it seems a few of Loki's issues have landed on his gauntlet. Tony brushes the psychological excrement off, trying not to imagine little green Loki heads snickering up at him. A smug little smirk peeks out from Tony's lips though.

"You know I was thinking ...," Tony says, rubbing his metallic chin. The statement draws Loki's attention to him which may have been a bad idea now that he thinks about it. Tony flinches back for effect because maybe Loki won't kill him if he thinks that death glares from psychotic alien princes makes Iron Man tight around the pants. Also, Loki isn't following the directions on the back of his hatred medicine because all that extra anger in his system is turning his eyes red. At least he thinks his eyes are red (which can't be healthy by the way). It's hard to tell from this distance so Tony takes a moment to really look at Loki's eyes because they're distracting for one and two Tony likes to pry. After seconds of intense oscillating, the brunette discovers that no, it must have been the red of his suit reflecting off of Loki's eyes or some other phenomenon that only happens when the stars align every thousand years because all he sees is blue.

Where were we? Oh yes, Tony hasn't finished his thought yet. "Would you describe yourself as the controlling manipulative type," Stark asks pensively. The brunette nods then says,"I think we both can agree that you are so my next question is, do you enjoy S&M, bondage, asphyxiation or all of the above?" Tony allows a pause to take over this part of the dialogue so Loki can bubble in his answer.

Ok, Tony can be a bastard. Ok, Ok Tony is a bastard. Loki laughs, a haughty self-loathing sound. Yeah, maybe the idea of a mortal mocking a god is pretty damn hilarious, but Tony's eighty-five percent sure that that's not what Loki's laughing about. Black nails tighten around the gaudy spear that the Asgardian always carries around with him, the Tesseract glowing a little brighter than normal, and Tony thinks he better do what ever it is he's planning on doing before he gets blasted off of his own building.

"I'll just assume you picked letter A."

Tony's suit hums with animation. His knees bend, his back curves, and an armored fist presses into the ground. Loki watches Stark with intrigue, collecting each one of his movements and running them through a series of tests which brings him to the conclusion that yes, Tony is indeed kneeling before him.

"Ah, Sir," Jarvis asks nervously, "remember that talk we had about how self-sacrifice?"

"Shut up Jarvis, robots don't count."

The British voice scoffs in a offense and says something along the lines of "that's not what you said last night."

Tony can't decide whether he feels incredibly hot or incredibly cold. And before you think it's the suit's environmental stabilizers malfunctioning, it isn't. Tony's high-maintenance when it comes to building machines, especially if those machines are in charge of keeping him alive. He's got backup plans, reserves, double joints, detachments and re-attachments. My point is, that even when Tony manages to drag himself out of his workshop and into bed he doesn't sleep. He stares up at the ceiling, and tries to think of a thousand ways Iron Man can die. The exercises has obvious drawbacks, but it's good for progress. That's right progress. Lying awake at night, jittery and paranoid gives Tony lots of inspiration for suit upgrades and third party infiltration programs. I know this is sounds a lot like Tony Stark is afraid of his own death, but that's only because he's really good at acting one way when he feels another.

The cause of his odd temperature readings, in case you were still wondering, is Loki. At first, Tony thinks the increase in his body temperature is just a side-effect of Loki's magic trying it's damnedest to pull answers out of him (which is a violation of his privacy and could qualify as sexual harassment with the way it's touching him), but then he remembers that mind-controlling devices and arc reactors are like oil in water and and Loki's magic is hydrophobic. Tony draws up a new theory for what the chilling/burning sensation could be and it's even more preposterous than his last attempt at an explanation, but here goes. The power saturating his every muscle and raising his core temperature a few degrees is none other than Loki's will. It's ok if you want to slap Tony because Tony wants to slap himself for how ridiculous that sounds. Do gods even have the power to make their will tangible? Can they use it to influence, contest and condition? Tony is going to say 'yes, yes they do' because Norse gods don't play by the rules, they do what they want.

Tony's finds himself amazed and jealous that one person can want something so badly that they would do everything imaginable to get it. It's not that he doesn't understand Loki's desire for answers because he does. The jealousy is there because Tony's abandoned his search for answers a long time ago. He's denied nearly every human need and yet Loki stands there, even after a millenia of failure, still searching for his acceptance. Of all the crimes Loki's guilty of, this is the one that pisses Tony off the most. Here's where Tony's intentions get a little skewed. Nothing buys time and gathers more Intel like playing the role of a helpless negotiator going on traitor, but Tony's done using Black Widow's tactics. Instead he wants to point out Loki's every flaw, bash his face in until it's unrecognizable and leave what's left of the would-be-king on Odin's doorstep with a post-it note attached that reads 'keep your kid off my lawn' in runic letters.

Tony frowns. He closes his eyes and keeps his head down.

"Look, I know you don't want to do this," he says and there's something different about Iron Man's voice. It's like he's trying to relate to a god that's hundreds of years his senor. One psychopath giving advice to another.

Loki's features take on an apprehensive look. It seems that little entreaty has been biding inside Iron Man for quite some time and the superhero has only recently been able to polish them off for his listening pleasure. Loki finds it unsavory that Tony would confess his twice-baked censure to him when the true recipient is lying dead in a grave. Loki's tempted to ask just who that someone is because the magician has never seen such mystery surround one mortal man and he wants to surrender to the Avengers just so he can see what kind of expression it would create on Stark's face.

Make no mistake, Loki isn't fool enough to fall for Tony's act. Loki's a master of his craft. He can spin webs of lies just as easily as he can see the paths of deceit weaved by others and while he does find Tony to be one of the more fascinating creatures in the universe, he cannot afford to put his plans in jeopardy to fulfill a whim. He needs this war to happen if his grand scheme is ever going to see recognition.

Stark doesn't pose a challenge once the portal is opened. His priorities involve saving the Midgardians trapped inside a collapsing office building that Loki may or may not have instigated. Thor is next in line to appear on top of Stark tower. Loki allows himself to laugh at the thunder god's expense. Really, it's like watching a puppy chase after his tail with the way he pleads with him to cease his madness and come home. Does Thor truly believe his brother is moved by such petty trivialities? You cannot solve an ever-changing labyrinth by throwing love and peace at it. Jane may have softened Thor, made him less susceptible to Loki's trickery, but she cannot cure Thor of his Promethean skull.

When Loki grows tired of toying with his brother, the trickster boards a Chitauri hovercraft to tour through Manhattan in chaos. He watches from on high as the Avengers play out their roles perfectly, freaks of every color banded together by their personal vendetta against one god of mischief. Steve, the super-soldier, takes the title of their leader. The blond demonstrates impressive skill in knowing how to exploit the strengths of his teammates, but Loki finds the first Avenger to be completely droll in terms of entertainment. He's predictable and un-inventive and Loki rolls his eyes as another Chitauri soldier falls to his patriotic shield. Loki prefers to look a little further to his left and witness the deadly stylings of the black widow and her beloved archer. Spandex and acrobatics rotate with speed and precision, a seamless progression of intricate movements of staggering force and impenetrable defense. Watching them is like watching a living, breathing ying-yang in action, a relationship born from experience and intimacy.

Loki has to divert his attention to his driver, grabbing hold of the controls to avoid a head-on collision with Tony and his newly acquired rage monster. Loki ducks under the oncoming green fist and hears it plunge through the head of his driver, leaving behind a gaping hole and a pair of shoulders. Explosions blow up the sky around him. It's a rain of smoking engines and dismembered body parts and then the whole place shudders under the dead weight of a Chitauri APC. Leave it to the powerhouses of the group to be uncoordinated, tactless and devastating all at the same time. It's your average brain and brawn relationship with a not so average twist. Separating the head from the body won't kill the beast. Both boys are big enough menaces on their own, but together the risk triples. Tony with his versatility and the Hulk with his solid destructive power they cut through anything airborne and leave their partners on the ground take care of whatever is left.

The teams switch and it's the philanthropist with the soldier, the beauty with the beast and it's the same as hydrogen bonds breaking and reattaching themselves, different chemicals, but always the same result. Loki studies the mechanics of each dynamic duo, their strengths and their weaknesses. Scorn him for having a mother's heart because he can't help admiring the beautiful creation he has given birth to. He can't trust SHIELD, the father of the Avengers, to raise this group of superheroes so it's his responsibility as a parent to see to it that they become one of Earth's greatest weapons.

By the end of it, Loki lies defeated at the Avengers feet. Who knew the war was going to end with Iron Man riding shotgun on a nuclear warhead, but it's those surprises that make mischief undeniably satisfying. Loki smirks up into five pairs of scornful eyes, but it's Tony who he chooses to taunt. He wants the man to know he's made an impression on him, that he'll be back and they'll see each other again soon. Stark's eyes widen at his claim, but Loki is the only one who notices it. It's pleasing to know that the man of iron takes his threats seriously even if the engineer pretends he doesn't. Their exchange on top of Stark tower has provided them with a connection and while everyone else in the group lives blissfully inside their delusions of peace, Loki is plotting his next move.

It isn't long before all of the major characters of this drama are together again outside a secluded park. The trickster isn't overly fond of chains, even less fond of the ones he's currently wearing and their magic-resistant properties. It's seems SHIELD is becoming quite informed about him. Loki eyes shift to glare at his half-brother accusingly, but the blond misses it, grinning as he says his goodbyes to the red-headed spy. How nice that the rest of the Avenger is here as well, substituting uniforms and armor for suits and jackets. Thor thinks they've come out of their way to see him off, but the truth is it's a contractual obligation, paid bodyguards sent to affirm a prisoner transfer. The thunder god is going to deeply regret taking him back to Asgard.

Tony asks Bruce about the effects of gamma radiation and now he's talking about genealogical mutations but it doesn't matter what they're talking about because Loki is staring at him. It's setting his nerves on edge and Tony tries to concentrate on what Banner is saying, but the words mute and his internal mantra of: "don't look, "don't look," "don't look," takes over. It's not like Stark wants to look because he's interested in Loki. No, the temptation to look is just the magician forcing his will on him again so it's totally objective. Tony hates his body sometimes and he's pretty sure his body hates him back because it makes lots of bad decisions like locking eyes with Loki. Loki smiles in return, pleased to have stolen Stark's attention away from the other scientist.

Tony's lack of involvement in the conversation becomes apparent rather quickly and Bruce asks his friend if everything is alright. When Tony doesn't move, Banner follows his line of sight to Loki, but the shape-shifter turns away before they're caught staring at each other. Loki's smile persists, hidden under his restraints when he finds Rogers all the way at the other end of the spectrum. The super-soldier has his back towards everyone, making himself small and avoiding Tony because his little speech back on the helicarrier is eating away at his heart of gold and the shame is too great for him to work up the courage to apologize.

"Hello," Bruce asks, waving a hand in front of Tony's purple shades.

"Hm, what was that? Oh, oh yeah everything is fine. Hey, why don't you meet me in the car," Tony tells Bruce, clapping the scientist on the shoulder a few times to tell him that he shouldn't wait up. Bruce blinks at the now empty space in front of him. He tries to say something, anything to give Tony a clue that it isn't wise to offend someone that can eat you alive, but all his tongue manages to produce is a series of nonsensical sounds. Bruce shakes his head, rubs the pain at the nape of his neck because he really doesn't want to analyze what the hell is going on between Tony and the super-villain Loki. He would rather wait in Tony's convertible.

Thor's about to activate the Tesseract when Tony runs up to him, waving a hand and calling out to get his attention because Asgardians are incredibly tall and Tony doesn't even stand eye level with the blond. Steve takes off on his motorcycle and the sound of the engine has died down enough that Loki hears Tony approach.

Thor moves to embrace the business man in a bone-crushing hug.

"Man of Iron, my friend! We have not yet exchanged parting words."

Tony blanches at the thought of exchanging manly acts of affection with Thor because the demi-god has muscles that can bend steel and all Tony has is hollow carbon holding his body together. Tony tries to back away, but Thor can't read Midgardian body language. He hoists Tony up into his arms.

"I am going to ... miss you ... too," Tony groans, face turning red.

He can't breath or feel his legs, but the pain is worth it because he thinks he hears Loki laughing at them. Tony doesn't realize he's subconsciously been playing Loki's_ 3 on loop inside his head until Thor pulls them apart rests his hands on Tony's shoulders.

"I've been meaning to speak with you. I wish to leave our quarrel in the woods behind us. Let us embrace the future as comrades in arms."

Thor makes a fist for emphasis, the rush of battle coursing through his muscles.

"What is your answer?"

Tony's pretty sure he wouldn't be standing upright if Thor's strong grip wasn't holding him in place.

"Sounds good to me. Don't worry about what happened," Tony says, coughing as his lungs return to their normal size. "It was a long day for both of us, tensions where high."

"Good, good! You fought well man of iron."

Tony can tell Thor isn't used to giving out compliments, neither is he, but he's still going to die from an overinflated ego.

"Thanks, but I do have one question before you go."

Thor gives him a big grin and says, "Of course, anything my friend."

Tony nods towards Loki's general direction and asks, "What's going to happen to him?" It isn't a friendly question. It's arrogant and sassy because let's be honest, Tony's the the billionaire that gets whatever he wants, Thor's the salesman and Loki's the yacht he's going to buy.

Thor is looking a little chocked up at the moment. The blond looks toward the ground and then at his brother and you can hear the conviction in his voice when he says. "That I do not yet know. Loki must appear before the Thing before a decision can be made. I fear my brother's punishment will be harsher than any before it."

"So ... no last requests?"

Thor looks at the brunette with confusion. "What is this last request you speak of?"

Tony glances at Loki and accepts the challenge he finds waiting in his mirthful eyes.

"Really you've never heard of a last request? I am surprised. I thought Asgradians were an honorable and noble people."

"Mind your tongue! Asgard is a land of glory and any warrior would gladly give his life for a place in Valhalla's hall."

"Whoa hey, you don't need to convince me. Convince the Thing that Rudolph here is entitled to his last request. I mean, he's your brother and he's royalty too."

"Indeed he is." Thor nods because it's an irrefutable fact in his mind.

"Alright then, listen up. A last request is a courtesy, something you do out of respect of the prisoner. It can be because he or she is of noble blood or he or she showed courage or valor or whatever it is you value up there in the big rainbow in the sky. It's a lot like a last meal. They're different circumstances, but it's the same idea. He asks for something once and you give it to him once. Well, you can't give him anything he asks for. There are rules to this type of thing. One rule is he can't ask for his freedom. The request has to be reasonable and doable. Are you getting all this big guy?"

Tony cuts their Q and A session because he think he may have fried Mr. testosterone brain.

Thor's face scrunches together, picking apart the information and digesting it. Five seconds later he nods his understanding.

"You propose an interesting prospect Starkson. I will see to it that the Thing hears of your words. Now, I must be getting back home. Farewell, my friend."

Tony tries to stall them a bit longer, but they're gone in a trail of cosmic blue mist. Tony sneezes because magic particles irritate his nose.

Later that night, Tony and Bruce are tinkering around in the Stark Tower laboratory. Tony sketches out designs for heavy impact shocks absorbers and Bruce experiments on cancer cells.

"Have you ever thought about working on a joint project together," Tony asks, breaking the lasting silence between them. Tony swivels around in his stool and trains his eyes on Bruce.

The doctor starts to squirm in his seat because he hates attention and more specifically he hates being examined like he's a disease that needs to be tested for it's potency and resistance instead of being treated like a human being. You call tell that doctor Banner is feeling anxious by his muscle spasms. They congregate in his upper body, usually manifesting in his neck or arms. It starts in his neck this time. He messages at it because sometimes it helps to just stop and breathe. He was hoping Stark would take the hint and drop the one-sided conversation, but he's beginning to learn just how persistent and invasive the man can be.

Bruce sets down his pipette full of iodine. It's been two hours but it feels like fifteen minutes. He supposes it won't hurt if he resigns himself to a short break. The problem is that he wants to keep going until his heart gives out, not just until he finds a cure. He needs the distraction because American clinics won't accept him into their practice with his track record. Absorbing himself into his work and collapsing from exhaustion is the only way he can rest. If he spares any thought about what he is or what he's done to be condemned to this life, he's afraid the world is going to see a lot more green.

"No, no I couldn't. There's people out there that need a doctor."

With that said, Bruce looks back into the microscope eyepiece. He adjusts the slide to check the status of cancer cell twenty-one. When Bruce looks up from his observations it's to record the cell size. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Stark spin his pencil between his fingers and put it behind his ear. Bruce continues to ignore Stark in favor of composing his notes. His scrawl deteriorates into a corkscrew when his pen is snatched out of his hand. Tony scampers away down the rows of workbenches before Bruce can catch him by the scruff of his shirt.

"That's cute." Bruce scoffs. He eyes his fellow Avenger's back incredulously as he promenades around the lab. He's growing increasingly annoyed by the fact that Tony is purposely trying to trigger him into having an episode. Bruce takes off his glasses and sets them where Tony can't reach them. He runs his hands through his hair and then moves down to rubs at his bloodshot eyes. He's starting to think that coming to Stark Tower was a mistake because it's feeling a whole lot like Culver University.

Tony taps the pen against his fingers, turning on his heel when he reaches the end of the room.

"I could build you a set of armor you know."

Bruce laughs half-heartedly and rests his aching head in one hand.

"That's not necessary."

"Well I just figured you would be more comfortable in your own skin if you had a suit of your own."

Bruce slides his glasses back on and leans against the corner of the workbench, fingers laced on his lap. He says,"I am fine," as genial as he can.

Tony's made his way back to Bruce's lab table and they tolerate each other's presence for few minutes, neither doing anything substantial. Tony leans his elbows on the black countertop and offers the man his pen back, dull-end first. Bruce takes it and goes back to writing in his notebook, praying their exchange is over.

Bruce manages to write a sentence before Tony commences with the melodramatics. The playboy groans in irritation, throws his hands up in the air because he can't understand Bruce's quest for normalcy.

"Oh, c'mon! Fury's going to keep us penned up in his sick superhero daycare for god knows how long. We might as well have fun."

"I'll think about it," Bruce nods.

Tony's really starting to hate that trained, docile attitude. He also hates how the doctor is doing a better job of pissing him when it should be the other way around. Tony's the king of cruel around here and he's going to live up to his title by peeling off Bruce's cool, cucumber skin.

"I want to hear a yes or I am going to eat this," Tony asserts, grabbing a petri dish full of contaminated white blood cells.

Bruce is out of his seat in an instant, rage filling his eyes. It takes an honorable amount of self-control not to jump on the president of Stark Industries and punch him in the face for using bio-hazardous material as a hostage.

"Tony, do you have any idea what that would do to you?"

Tony's takes a step back, eyebrows raising toward his hair line. There's the incensed reaction he's been waiting for, but now that he has it, he has no idea what to do with it. The two men are at a standoff with each other because Tony really doesn't want to eat cancer cells and Bruce really doesn't want Tony to become his test subject.

It turns out that Tony is the one who makes the first move. He unwinds himself from his defensive position, trepidation marking his movement. As more appendages are removed, Bruce locates his experiment cradled under the engineer's arm.

"Fine, you win." The billionaire concedes and slowly sets down the petri dish as if it's a loaded gun (and kind of is if you think about it). Tony returns to his side of the room, leaving Bruce to retrieve the colony of cells.

"Thank you."Bruce sighs.

Tony glaces over to his colleague. His hands are shaking and there are small beads of sweat collecting at his temple. An indication that there's suspense lingering inside the doctor's veins. Tony hasn't lost all his progress. He browses through the flasks of chemicals on his desk and pulls out his favorite.

"I'll just have to drink this instead."

Tony holds up a flask labeled "nitroglycerin." He swirls the liquid around around and smells the vapors like he's just opened a bottle of Chardonnay.

"Please don't do that." Bruce says placidly, holding his hands up.

"Then agree to a party with me."

Bruce smiles dangerously (at least it's dangerous by Bruce's standards). The physicist is on the offensive as he strolls over to his tormentor. It's the the finely controlled placement of his steps, the relaxed sway of his head and shoulders that has Tony worried.

"You know, you're really good at pushing people."

In one practiced movement, Tony chugs the nitroglycerin. Afterwards, he keels over and starts chocking.

"Oh my god! Tony!"

The doctor is huddled around him in a panic, hands twitching to do something heroic, but knowing it's better not to touch the idiot that just ingested an explosive chemical.

"Just don't move. Shit, where's your phone? I am calling an ambulance."

Bruce is darting around his lab looking for anything that might qualify as a communication device because he knows Stark won't have a normal phone. Bruce is completely disoriented. He takes a few steps forward and then a few steps back, unable to go very far in any direction because he doesn't know his way around and today has been one stress after another and now his friend could potentially die.

Tony's managed to recover from not being able to swallow properly and drags himself haphazardly to sit on his stool. He coughs in his hand, voice still small and crackly.

"Whoa, calm down Brucey. It was only alcohol."

Bruce's stands straight as a pencil with his shoulders cocked back. When he turns back to face Tony, he goes off into a series of mortified hysterics. He pulls at his hair then throws his arms down a his sides, clenching his fingers into claws. He periodically spouts hippopotamus grunts as he walks in small circles.

"You keep alcohol mixed in with your beakers? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Pepper went vodka Nazi on me. I had to hide it somehow."

Bruce's eyebrow twitches in barely suppressed indignation. He really can't think of a reason why he shouldn't kill Tony Stark.

"By the way, the girls have been waiting upstairs for about ... ," Tony pauses to check his watch, " … Oh my, twenty minutes. We should probably go say, 'hi.'"

Tony grabs Bruce's wrist and leads him into the elevator. Bruce doesn't resist, doesn't protest just stumbles along compliantly with wide eyes as if he's just another lobotomy patient. As he watches the floor numbers light up overhead he can distantly hear Stark warn him about Tina. Apparently the woman likes to be rough with her men and has a fetish for spanking. It doesn't matter if he listens or not because whatever argument he has against call girls or sexy parties is going to earn him another punishment. All Stark wants to hear from him is a "yes" and the doctor is going to be saying it for the rest of the night.

Fuck he's late. Fuck, fuck fuck, he's really fucking late. Tony runs to every corner of his living room, looking under furniture and sweeping through countertops trying to find where he put his Rolex. The watch isn't a necessity and searching for it will undoubtedly make him late (if you haven't noticed already), but he's masochistic sometimes and needs to know how many minutes of his life are going to be spent bored out of his mind at this shitty award ceremony. Tony likes numbers. They're exact, relative and applicable. They also tell him how long he's going to complain to Pepper for insisting on his attendance to Innovators of America. He's hoping Pepper will stop asking him to go to social events if he whines enough about it. It hasn't worked yet, but Tony's persistent when it comes to avoiding overtime hours.

Tony is starting to think that his watch doesn't want to go to the award ceremony either because he can't find it anywhere. Hell, he would be hiding to if Pepper didn't know all of his hiding places.

Oh hello, what's this? Tony finishes pulling his tie into place so his hands are free to flip through this month's issue of Maxim Ms. Virginia forgot to throw out. The two of them have an ongoing battle about Maxim. Pepper cancels his subscription and throws out each issue that makes it's way into the mailbox before he can read it. Tony resubscribes and sometimes wakes up early enough to snatch it out of the mailbox. He doesn't take all of his mail into the house with him, he just takes the magazine because what else are personal assistants for? Kirstin Stewart is on the cover this week along with a featured article that tells women ten ways to please your man. Well, Tony's sold. He can spare five minutes.

Tony licks his fingers and turns the page. He about to learn what the number one way to please your man is when thunder strikes inside his penthouse. Tony shrieks, does a humorous dance that ends with his back slumped up against the sink and the magazine on the floor.

When Tony's eyes adjust from the bright flashes of light, a big blond thunder god becomes part of his interior design.

"Good day Starkson. Pardon my intrusion, but there is an important matter we need to discuss and there is not much time."

Tony collects himself from off of the kitchen cabinetry and clears his throat. "Watch where you're aiming your damn thunderbolts! Are you trying to kill me? We're one thousand feet in the air someone is going to file a complaint about the light show going on inside Stark Tower."

The shock still hasn't worn off of the president of Stark Industries and Tony claps a hand over the arc reactor and concentrates on trying to breathe. He pats himself over and it doesn't feel like he's been burned to a blackened crisp. He can't decided whether he's should feel lucky or disappointed because being struck by lightening would have been the perfect excuse to miss out on an award ceremony.

Thor is fixating him with an odd look, like he can't understand Tony's reactions. Thor's probably comparing him to a frightened rabbit and Tony has to agree with the guy because his heart is pounding a mile a minute and his eyes are blown wide. Pepper is not going to be happy about this.

Thor yanks on a chain that Tony didn't realize he was holding and out from behind those broad godly shoulders steps Loki.

Good job Tony, you just exposed yourself to a box of cats. Tony is about to feel sorry for himself when he realizes Loki's lanky frame couldn't possibly line up with Thor's stockier one. Magic is only way Tony would have missed all that spiky hair sticking out of Thor's silhouette. The problem with that theory is that Loki is still wearing his mojo-blocking shackles. Tony stands up a little straighter because it's foolish to show any kind of weakness around Loki and he just got done showing a lot of weakness. Tony likes it when people think he's loose, that he has no sense of danger because when people feel in control they drop their guard. They say and do things they wouldn't normally do. It's a business strategy that Tony applies to every aspect of his life. Loki can't be thrown into that category of people. He's an a electromagnetic pulse that jams Tony's reception. The billionaire can't tell how powerful the god is or what his intentions are because all he gets is a wall of static.

"I see you brought your evil half with you," Tony comments, avoiding Loki's eyes.

Thor's frowns, his eyebrows forming a deep "V" shape because insulting Loki is an insult to him and he's about to go off on a rant about how his brother isn't evil, he's adopted. Tony tells his body it's time to learn how to dodge thunderbolts, but to his relief the Norseman blows all the steam out of his nose.

"We are here because Loki has been granted a last request."

Tony slides his sunglasses down and raises one very expensive eyebrow. The billionaire looks between the two Norse gods and says very carefully, "And that concerns me ... how?"

Thor smiles as if it's obvious and extends his hand out to the shorter man as if to introduce him, "You, you are his last request. He wishes to speak with you, privately."

"Excuse me?"

"I will be close by. If anything should happen, call for me and I will come to your aid."

"Oh, no! You get back here you over-sized piece of-"

Tony doesn't get to finish his insult. There's another blinding flash of light and the brunette nearly falls on his ass as a surge of energy spiders through his living room, kicking up papers and screwing with his electronics. Branches of electricity trace over Loki and the bastard stands in the middle of the chaos, smiling the entire time because one billion volts of energy feels like a tickle to him.

When the impact of Thor's departure dies down, it's just the two of them in the room with no distractions. Tony pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. He angles his face away from his guest and tries not to scream in frustration.

When Stark refuses to acknowledge him, the god of mischief paces around Stark's penthouse. The white and steel decor does little to distract him.

"Is this your plan then, ignoring me?"

Tony peaks through his fingers and asks, "Is it working?"

Loki's chains rattle as he gestures with his hands, a motion similar to the one Thor used earlier.

"I am sure that this must come as a surprise to you, but you are the one responsible for my presence here."

Tony takes his hands away from his face and slips them into his pockets.

"Nope, I am used to having angry girlfriends showing up unannounced and trying to kill me. They usually don't make it this far though."

"Girlfriend?"

Loki grins wickedly as he's struck with a wonderful idea. The playboy would be much more receptive to his demands if he was being seduced by the voluptuous assets of a beautiful woman. It's a pity though. With the limitations on his magic, he cannot craft a successful shape-shiffting spell without running the risk of transforming into a heifer, a shape, Loki doubts, Tony will find attractive. Even if Loki did conjure up enough magic to change into his womanly form, his stamina wouldn't last beyond opening negotiations.

Thor's imminent presence is also a factor in this civil affair. If Tony makes any sound of distress Thor will come barging in all blond flashy glory and Loki leave Earth unaccomplished.

Loki's voice is exasperated, compromising when he says, "I wish to ask you but one question."

Tony finds Loki's efforts of humility to be disconcerting, but then again Tony supposes having the god of thunder as your bodyguard prevents the god of mischief from turning you into a newt. Tony gets that Loki isn't here to kill him, but that doesn't mean Tony is going to act like a responsible adult. He's a professional at making matters worse and acting immature so he shuffles towards the door, pointing towards it with both thumbs as he goes.

"Can we walk and talk because I am sorta late and Pepper is going to -"

Loki grits his teeth and closes his eyes. This time it's harder to bite down on his anger.

"I will be brief then. Tell me, why did you do it? Why did you kneel before me? What prompted you to say such words?"

Tony's shocked stiff. Of all the things Loki could have said and of all the things Loki could have asked him, it had to be about the kneeling thing. Tony doesn't know why he's so surprised. "Why did you kneel before me" has got to be one of the top ten questions he would have expected Loki to ask him.

The engineer's mind goes totally blank, the same expression carrying over to his face. Whenever Tony doesn't know what to say, his mouth speaks for him, spilling out sarcastic comments and condescending quips.

"Oh, that. It was nothing really, just thought I should try out a new exercise and my speech therapist says that-"

"Stark I will have the truth from you. I do not have time for games."

Loki's strides up to Tony, quick elegant boot-steps bringing them closer together until their practically chest to chest. Loki stares down at him with those intense blue eyes and Tony pretends he's not affected by the fact that Loki could reach out and touch him if he wanted to. The shorter of the two men doesn't look up to meet the other's eyes, but he does lift his chin up slightly and he does move to stand on balls of his feet to look a little taller than he actually is. Tony refuses to step back, to put distance between them because he doesn't want to give Loki the satisfaction of knowing he's at a loss.

Tony looks out the window at the city because it's a lot less stimulating than the black and gold adorning the Norse god's collarbone. Even without his sight, Tony can still smell, can still feel the man steal his breath away like an Arctic wind. Maybe it's the proximity or Loki's magic or his weird gender swapping pheromones, but the smell of leather of wheat grass and dusk is driving him crazy.

Tony swallows, but his mouth is poor and dry when he says, "You can't always get what you want."

Tony's prompted to look down as long elegant fingers splay against his chest. They start to play with the lapels of his suit and the buttons on his shirt.

"So you would offer me the option of a final request only to leave it unfulfilled?"

Speaking doesn't get any easier for Tony after that.

"I need something to drink."

The Midgaridan rips away from the trickster in a hurry and takes refuge behind the mini bar. Even with his back to Loki, his hands are still shaking from his the assault on his senses. He pours himself a drink. He spills Whiskey across the wooden bar and all over his hand, but it doesn't matter so long as most of it goes into his mouth. He feels a tendril of relief wash through him as the burn spirals down his throat. The pain wakes him up, resets his thoughts and instead of going through the trouble of pouring himself another glass he just puts the bottle to his lips.

"May I have one?"

Tony chokes on his alcohol, sputtering out copper droplets all over the arm of his suit. He looks over his shoulder to see Loki causally taking up residence on one of his bar stools.

Loki smiles up at him coyly, his hands neatly clasped on the bar. Tony continues to gawk at the god because he's used to Loki towering above him and this shorter version is just weird. Maybe short isn't the right word because even with the god sitting down, his torso and his long neck give him plenty of height to work with. The step behind the bar gives Tony a boost and while he may currently have a few inches on Loki, it doesn't put him at any sort of advantage. Tony thinks that's a bit unfair.

The god of mischief amuses himself by counting the dark splotches discoloring the cuff of his host's sleeve and the fabric around his neckline where he spilled his whiskey. Loki's finishes the minuscule task and Tony still hasn't moved to make him something to drink.

"If I recall, I was promised a drink."

Without question, Tony pulls off another glass from the stack and pours Loki a shot's worth.

Loki nods appreciatively. The glass is put back onto the wooden bar and Loki licks his lips, the bitterness of the alcohol contorting his expression.

"What is that? It's strong."

Tony smiles because if a Norse god says Whiskey is a strong drink then damn it must be true. He feels a little pride well up inside him because he's been drinking Whiskey for most of his life and it's like liquid kryptonite every time. Tony doesn't get the impression that Loki drinks all that much though. Thor would probably say all Midgardian mead tastes like water. Tony pours his guest another serving to reward him for saying something he liked.

Maybe you don't know this, but Tony and alcohol are bffs. Alcohol comes to every one of his parties. It's his wing-man and they always have a good time together. Booze answers his calls whether Tony's mourning or celebrating, whether it's three am or twelve o' clock in the afternoon and lives only as far away as his liquor cabinet or the nearest convenience store

"I saw myself..."

Loki raises an eyebrow at Stark's sudden admission. Loki returns the glass that was poised at his lips to rest in his hands. He regards the philanthropist with a sense of awe and intrigue as the man that was so reluctant to answer his question earlier suddenly wants to tell him his deepest secrets. Tony keeps the bottle in one hand, the other laid out flat against the wooden surface. His head is bowed down, shoulders rolling up to his meet his ears.

"... A man with no place in the world that needed to make one for himself."

Tony finally locks eyes with Loki. It's the first time he has done so since their meeting began so it makes all the more impact. The similarities between them are so startling that Loki gasps. The second layer of armor Tony wears is even stronger than his iron suit, but he's stripping the pieces off and bearing the broken and empty soul inside. There's pain, rejection, loneliness, depression, addiction, desire, anger and so much more reflected in those brown eyes then Loki could have ever imagined to find in one mortal man.

It's a few good moments before Loki speaks. When he does, it's barely above a whisper.

"I see. So you meant it. It was not a trick."

Tony sighs, allowing himself to sink further down against the bar. His arms criss-cross over his face.

"Can we agree to never talk about this, ever ... again?"

Loki frowns. His chains rattle as he moves to dislodge the alcohol from Tony's grip. The bottle comes loose after a few persuasive tugs and Loki sets the alcohol down on the floor, effectively thwarting any attempts the alcoholic has at reclaiming it. It's a fool's errand considering there's a colorful rack of assorted spirits left unguarded at Tony's rear, but Tony seems to have forgotten this fact because his hand searches blindly for his lost Whiskey. After a few more misguided attempts at locating anything that resembles a cylinder, Stark peaks out from behind his arms. He sumps his head back down in defeat because Loki has obviously spirited away his alcohol (haha, get it). Loki raises a skeptical eyebrow because if the man was truly thirsty all he had to do was turn around and pick out a new bottle from his collection.

Loki decides he's sick of Stark's scowling. He wraps his fingers around the hand that isn't tucked under Stark's elbow and tugs. The touch causes the billionaire to look up at the god with tired and questioning eyes. Loki doesn't feel the need to explain himself. He pulls the brunette free of his makeshift cage of arms and leads iron man out into the living room, their hands erected high like they're about to dance.

Loki cocks his head to the side cutely and Tony turns his head conversely so they meet in the middle. The billionaire blinks at Loki because he didn't know mischief had the power to make the god's eyes shine an unearthly green. This encourages thoughts about how many color settings Loki has and where the master control button is. Iron Man is very inspired by the idea of outfitting Loki in a tie-dye pattern.

Loki spins them around so they're facing each other, Tony's hand still in the trickster's possession.

"Will you kneel …for me?"

Tony shows Loki his finest flabbergasted expression and then laughs.

"You're crazy." He tells the magician.

Loki smiles charmingly, "But it would make me oh so happy if you did."

Tony angles his head down as he runs the numbers on this wager. On the one hand, Loki did ask nicely. On the other hand, Loki killed a lot of people. On the other hand, Tony's already fulfilled Loki's last request. Anything beyond "conversing" with the god would qualify as a bonus and Tony isn't famous for handing out money. On the other hand, Loki's pretty.

Tony wriggles free of the magician's fingers to fetch the bottle of Whiskey he spies at the base of the bar stool. He swallows the rest of it's contents and then bangs it triumphantly on the bar.

"Jarvis cut video feeds. I don't want this getting out."

"Already done, sir."

Tony takes a moment to relish in fatherly pride. It's thanks to his paternal instincts as a programmer that Jarvis can anticipate and accommodate his every action before Tony even knows what those actions are. His little invention is upgrading so fast.

"Good looking out." Tony says.

He jogs back up to Loki and prepares himself for a lifetime of humiliation and blackmail. Tony sniffs, cracks neck and then bends his knees as if he needs to warm up for the amount of strain that kneeling is going to put on is body. Tony doesn't kneel, he bows and there's nothing more to say about the lackluster performance.

Loki verbalizes his disgust. Fine wrinkles crease his otherwise flawless white skin.

"Utterly atrocious. Surely, you can do better."

Loki does one of those arrogant nose in the air gestures that makes Tony want to go postal on upper class society. Tony might be a queen himself, but he isn't going to fling himself in with the privy crowd because he just does rich better than everyone else (well maybe except for Bruce Wayne). If Loki is expecting chests of jewels and rolls silk and grovelling, he's not going to get it. Tony really wants tell Loki to get over himself and how posh princes are dying breed. The jackass should feel privileged because Tony Stark doesn't do medieval piety shit for anyone.

"You really know how to get what you want don't you?"

Loki simpers. "I wouldn't be a very good god if I didn't."

Tony takes a deep breathe because he's getting way too emotional over this. Loki knows what movements he choreographs to his lies, know when his heart is beating faster than it should be. Never has someone demand this magnitude of sincerity from him and it bothers Tony. He takes it personally because his armor is a part of him and he doesn't like taking it off.

This time, Tony does kneel. It isn't just a repeat performance of what happened on top of Stark Tower. It's better, refined, knightly and beautiful because Tony doesn't dismantle his armor, doesn't forsake what makes him whole. He embraces the boy, the man, and the armor and all the bullet-holes, scars and tarnished imperfections.

Loki smiles his pleasure. Tony thinks Loki looks very good dressed in pleasure. The alien prince is built for the bedroom, but he's much more suitable for taking ecstasy then giving it (though Tony is convinced Loki can do both). The brunette starts to fantasize about how much better the magician looks when he's begging for more, when there's a dick pressed between his narrow hips. Tony's tasted both men and women and while he prefers women, he's totally open to the idea of having sex with Loki. Have you looked at the guy because he's gorgeous and Tony's shallow.

The spiky haired male leans in closer as if he can hear Tony's thoughts. His chains rattle as he cups the shorter man's cheeks.

"This is why I like you Tony Stark."

Loki's breathe is an icy spearmint against his skin and Tony feels a shiver ripple down to his toes. The bastard prince doesn't even have to try to sound sexy because his voice is naturally provocative and it puts you in the mood every time you hear it like a good love song. Tony's special though, so Loki customizes his voice just for him. If you want to know what it sounds like then just take the original product and lower the volume, make it lighter so sounds worn out and strained and you'll hear what Tony hears.

Tony decides he wants to have his own sexy voice. It's not that he's running low on lovers and needs a new pitch because money and fame aren't hitting him any homeruns. He just thinks it would be cool to make women orgasm with the sound of his voice. The billionaire is confident he can build a speech emulator capable of mimicking Loki's voice if studies the man's mouth long enough. While Tony's staring at the magician vocal cords, Loki admires the color of iron man's lips. The magician likes to make first kiss scene last so he pauses to draw out the tension, their mouths a fraction of an inch apart. Tony makes the tiniest inclination forward and Loki leans down for the kiss without any trace of hesitation.

Their kiss is salty with lots of tongue. When they pull apart, Tony's breathing heavy and he's got that look in his eye that means he's going to do something audacious. He's determined when he says, "I am going to save you."

Loki laughs and strokes Tony's chin playfully. His fingers trace along the dark contours of his beard.

"There's no hope for me my little iron bird. I will finally be put to rest. No more decisions, no more life. I'll be free."

Of course that's one of the biggest loads of horseshit that's ever come out of Loki's mouth. He has no plans of lying down and dying for everlasting peace in the universe. The Avengers however, he has many plans for.

"You're not the only master negotiator around here. I'll speak with Thor. I'll give you a choice."

"A choice? To be good?" Loki asks, one fine eyebrow raising in amusement. The whole idea sounds like bizarro world to him.

Tony shrugs.

"Working with SHIELD means we get to be on the same team. It's horrible salary, horrible hours, mandatory meetings, and mortal danger which I guess wouldn't be a problem for you. Honestly, I think you're better off working for me. I'll dish out the extra zeros if it means I get to have a powerful sorcerer on my payroll. Of course, SHIELD's not so bad when you consider who you get to work with and Black Widow said she would bring-"

Loki presses the pads of his fingers under Tony's chin, black nails dipping into the grooves of his lower jaw and coaxing it forward for another kiss. Tony rambles when he's nervous. Loki finds that adorable and the kiss isn't meant to silence the brunette by any means. Loki kisses him because he desires the man's touch.

Tony hums his satisfaction and kisses the Asgardian harder, presses his hand to the back of that ivory neck just so he can suck more of him into his mouth. He wants them closer, wants their clothes off because tailored suits are hard to move in and Loki looks like he needs a break from all that leather drapery. Tony would gladly take it off himself, but with all those layers it would probably take him awhile. Maybe Loki can magic his clothes off so Tony doesn't have to look like a dumbass trying to find a belt or zipper or whatever it is Asgardians use to fasten their clothes.

When Loki pulls away Tony almost keels forward trying to recapture his lips. Obviously, not one of his most shining moments. It's too bad he doesn't have a resume typed up outlining his credentials in the field of sexual experiences. It would be several pages long and with very impressive testimonies. That way he can show Loki he isn't some middle-aged creeper that has no idea what he's doing.

Loki giggles because he also finds it adorable when Tony gets aroused. The man becomes completely unaware of his surroundings and is liable to stumble over his own two feet. He forgets what he's was talking about or why it was important and his speech deteriorates into a choppy film full of random pieces of information. Tony is quick to recover though and redeems himself by acting like nothing happened. He stands up straight and clears his throat.

He never got to finish telling Loki what Black Widow was going to bring so he mutters "doughnuts" under his breath.

"I am very much going to miss you," Loki says as if this is about to turn into a very long-distance relationship real fast.

"Your time is up brother."

Tony looks toward the door and nearly screams when he see Thor because he expected the god to be riding in on one of his big bolt of thunder and to have him materialize out of nothing is some serious creepy ninja type shit.

"I've never known you to be so prompt brother." Loki jokes, offering a tight-lipped smile that may seem affectionate, but isn't. Thor smiles back as his brother stands beside him.

Tony looks at the space around him and then looks at his hands because last time he checked Loki was wrapped in them. How did the trickster move so fast, or rather how come Tony didn't feel him disappear when they were both violating each other's personal space? Tony was expecting a temperature change or a charge in the air, but then again he already feels hot hot and charged so maybe he was just numb to the warning signs.

"I trust you have fulfilled his wish?" Thor asks Iron Man.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We had a nice long chat."

"Good." Thor says, with a few awkward shakes of his head. He doesn't know where to look because he wants to ask what they talked about and if everything is alright, but then he doesn't want to intrude on his brother's privacy either.

"Shall we go then?" Loki asks, regarding his brother with sappy eyes and using that adolescent tone that makes Thor melt into a puddle of brotherly love.

Loki turns to look at Tony, offering him a derogatory smirk. Suddenly, Tony remembers he has some negotiations to do.

"I think there's something you should know," Tony says to Thor.

Loki's features turn nasty the moment the billionaire decides to volunteer his opinion on the matter.

"We have this punishment here on earth Earth called community service. Loki could atone for his crimes by helping us rebuild homes, planting trees and all that evangelical crap. I think it would be good for him. We could all bond together as a team."

"Enough." Thor bellows.

Tony thinks he felt a squall from Thor's voice push him back a step.

Thor holds up his hand so Tony will cease his incessant propositions. The thunder god's bushy eyebrows knit and he shakes his head of golden locks as if separate his thoughts from Tony's words. Thor may not understand all Midgardian jargon, but Tony speaks with such speed that it sounds like his voice rides on the backs of wild horses and it gives Thor a headache. It's not that he doesn't comprehend what Tony's saying, he just doesn't understand why Tony is involving himself in Asgardian affairs or why the man is conspiring with his brother.

"I do not know if the Thing will accept such a punishment, but why do you concern yourself with my brother?"

"Look, there are going to be a lot of people after your brother now. SHIELD can protect him, make him a good guy. All I am saying is, he's better off to us alive."

Unable to summon up a viable argument, Thor looks to Loki for guidance. "What do you say brother?"

Tony feels his phone vibrating in his pocket. He finds the mute button through his slacks and presses it. It doesn't matter if he answers. Pepper is already on her way up to the tenth floor.

Loki shakes his head prudishly. "I wouldn't want to ruin my perfect manicure by helping your petty species," he says as he admires the black nail polish on his fingers.

"Liar, quit being afraid."

Both gods gape at Tony.

"It's time for you to grow up and get out of your parent's basemen and get a job."

Tony doesn't know where that outburst came from or what compelled him to say anything at all. He grips his throat, trying to figure out if Howard Stark just overshadowed him.

Loki sighs dejectedly. "If you insist."

The billionaire may have won the argument, but somehow he feels like he just signed himself over to Hel.

Thor nods his approval because as far as he's concerned they're done here. He gently grabs his brother's bicep and pulls him in close so he won't lose him on the trip back home.

Thor looks down with a firm sturgeon face because Tony's hand is on his arm. Tony feels like he's shrinking under those fierce surly eyes. He should really stop trying to put the breaks on their road trip, he could get trampled one day.

"Just as a precaution, you should probably leave him here. I can handle him while you go sort things out."

Thor lowers is hammer and there's disagreement in the Norseman's voice when he says, "Are you sure that is wise?"

"Sure it is. He can get an early start on his community service. Besides, Pepper is going to help me."

It's against Thor's better judgement, but he truly does fear for his brother life. He leaves go of Loki's arm.

"Please take care of him. I will return again when there is news."

"Oh buddy, would you mind nixing these lovely bracelets your brother has on?"

Thor looks between them suspiciously, piecing together the evidence and coming to the conclusion that Tony is under the influence of one of his brother's enchantments.

Tony picks up on this and quickly denies all allegations.

"It's not what you think. I just can't have him showing up to a bow tie event in chains."

It's a long instance before Thor aims Mjölnir at Loki's chains and they blast apart with a bright spark. Loki's utterly perplexed at the unprecedented development and rubs at his now free hands as if it's a vivid hallucination. The god of mischief looks at his brother with beseeching eyes, mouth open to debate his recklessness, but Thor will hear no more from either of them today. The thunder god wastes no time taking flight on an uproar of wind.

Loki wasn't prepared for this twist in the story. He had plans in Asgard and now those plans were ruined. He cannot spy on or manipulate his people if he cannot reach them. He is blind to it all until his brother returns. He imagines Thor will not be met with a welcoming reception either.

Loki turns to face the scourge responsible for his foul mood.

"Why would you do that for me? I had no need of your help mortal!"

Tony strolls up to him like the professional business man he is.

"I told you you weren't the only master negotiator."

Loki's wants to tear Tony apart, but then he has to credit the man for his success. It's Loki's fault for issuing a challenge that required him to use magic to win. Loki decides that maybe he can work this rift in his to his advantage. If Stark has truly allied himself to him, then he has access to all of his connections. Perhaps he can construct something that can enhance his powers or use Midgardian politics to gain some sort of diplomatic immunity. He wouldn't hate thinking up a new strategy so much if he didn't think his original plan wasn't already perfect.

"You're a high-risk candidate so your interest rate starts out at ten percent. That means you're going to be indebted to me for a long time if you don't make you monthly payments. The good news is that you can start repaying your loan right now."

Loki laughs and decides he might as well enjoy his time here on Earth. The Asgardian presses his fingers softly against Starks lips. His fingers move down the expanse of Iron Man's neck, following the line of his body.

"Oh? And with what currency should I repay you with?"

Loki peers at Tony through his eyelashes, his head tilting like a songbird.

"Kisses."

Loki has to admit he wasn't expecting that.

"Very well." Loki closes his eyes and angles his head to deposit his first payment, but Tony remembers something at the last second and leaves the magician's lips kissing air.

"Oh one sec." Tony says, lifting up a pointer finger. Loki blinks open his eyes and watches as Tony runs into his bedroom. Loki crosses his arms and tries very had to wait patiently and not explode Tony's coffee maker. The brunette reappears holding a hanger. From what Loki can tell, it's a black suit wrapped in plastic.

"I am going to need you to get into this. You can't go to suit and tie party in that."

Since Tony's so picky, not just about what he wears, but about everything so Pepper always brings home a few extra suits for him to try on. Don't hate him for wanting to look absolutely fabulous. Besides, he wouldn't have this extra, slightly longer suit lying around for Loki if he wasn't a pretentious investor.

Loki snaps his fingers and black smoke surrounds him. When the dark wisps clear, Loki looks positively dashing. The suit fits him a little tighter than it should and Tony thinks that this is what the god must look like if he was wearing Tony's skin. The trickster could use magic to make adjustments to the seams, but then with the way the worsted wool clings to every boxy curve, Tony's guessing Loki's leaving it a size smaller on purpose.

"Now where were we."

Tony leans in for the kiss and Loki finds it only fitting that he copy Stark's own methods to tease him. The trickster pulls back before their lips make contact and asks, "How much is one kiss worth?"

Tony smiles back methodically because if this is a poker game then Tony's holding a Royal Flush.

"Five-thousand each. That's a generous amount considering how much it costs to repair a city block and you destroyed like one-hundred."

Their breathes mingle as their bodies slowly gravitate towards each other.

"Perhaps I could convince you to raise the asking price?"

"I am going to need a demonstration before I write up the contract."

Loki full-on grins and yanks Stark in for another kiss.

"Tony!"

The high pitched yell of his CEO shocks Tony into breaking the contact with a smack. The brunette looks positively scandalized as he turns to face a very angry red-head.

"I come up here thinking something happened to you and …," The red-head face-palms and sighs at the disturbing sight. When she looks up it's to say, "... would you please explain to me what's going on here?"

Pepper's face matches the color of her hair, but there's a waver in her voice and tears collecting at the corners of her eyes. She bites her lip trying to mask her feelings, waiting for Tony to say something.

Tony falters in his speech and finally says, "I thought we could use an addition to our group."

The woman shakes her head dismissively. She's disappointed and hurt and she feels like an idiot because should should have known Tony would would do something like this. It wouldn't hurt so much if she caught Tony with a woman because she's used to that, but she caught him with Loki of all people.

"If you're not inside that limo in five minutes, I am calling the newspaper and telling them you're gay."

She leaves the same way she came in, her heels clacking loudly down the hall.

"We should probably go after her."

Loki nods.

Thank you for reading.

Comments and Questions Welcome

Chapter Completed: June 14, 2012 2:18 am