They were assembled. Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Wanda, Clint and Sam on one side. On the other side was Tony, standing alone. Between them stood the god of mischief and created a nonexistent wall. But Tony was glad, Loki was there. If the wall didn't separate them, Steve's team would've already ripped Tony apart.

Loki looked at Steve's team.

Then the god fixed his intense green eyes on Tony.

"Tony have seen The Avengers die." Loki's voice was strong and powerful.

"You, Scarlet, knows that. You where the one to show him." Loki continued, Wanda didn't even flinch. "It wasn't necessarily the future. It wasn't necessarily the truth. No, it was his greatest fear."

Something in Steve's eyes changed.

"You all abandoned him. You blamed him. He saw every one of you laying still. Dying or dead. Wounded."

Loki paused for a second and looked down before he caught Tony's eyes once more.

"But that wasn't the worst. You were dying but it wasn't the worst."

Loki's voice failed him.

"The worst was that he wasn't."

The god turned to Steve's team.

"Tony Stark lived with the fear of your abandonment for years. He waited for the moment where you would cast him away. Meanwhile he lost everything. There was no family, no friends, no lover. Only The Avengers. He really fought for you."

Loki's voice had been powerful but not loud. Now he shouted with anger.

"He started to trust you. He started to believe that you would not cast him away. He felt safe! You where the only thing, he had. And then you did it. You abandoned him when he needed you the most. Did you even ask why? Did you ask him why he signed? Did you know about the feelings that weren't pride for the people he saved, but guilt for those he didn't?"

Tony couldn't take it. He had kept this in for so long, it had buried it's claws in him. Even if he wanted, he wouldn't have been able to tell them the truth. Now someone spoke for him instead of against him. He had never guessed that his life would be in the hands of Loki, but right now, in this moment, Loki was the only person, Tony trusted.

"Tony, usually heroes are forced to play with death. But you... You asked death to dance with you. If fate hadn't been different, you wouldn't be here today. And your death would not have been caused by a villain."
Loki's words stroke into Tony's heart. It was the truth. Tony was no more than a pathetic suicidal-

"No, Anthony, you misunderstand my words," Loki said and walked closer to the heavy breathing man. "I admire your strength. You were never good enough, were you, wasn't that what your father told you? The man who was supposed to protect you. And i didn't even change when he died. You tried to prevent something to fall apart. You tried to prevent someone from choosing the wrong path. But they didn't see your actions, as you did, and they hated you. You were suddenly the villain for trying to save the world."

Loki paused and Tony realized that this was not only the story of his life. It was also Loki's story.

"You have been walking on the edge, Anthony, but I admire your strength. You always managed to pull yourself back. Admitted, had I not been immortal, had my mother not been the greatest healer of Asgard, had my sister not been the goddess of death, then I wouldn't stand here today."

Behind the god, Bucky seemed to be caught completely off guard. apparently it had't struck the super soldier that Tony and Loki both had tried to kill themselves. And though he shouldn't feel anything, he was taught so, especially not for his victims, then he felt something for these two broken souls.

Tony finally reacted. He took a step forwards and stood just in front of the god. Loki didn't move, nor did Tony. They just stood close to each other without touching, without talking.

Steve knew that it would never be the same. There was no going back.

But there was going forwards. And maybe he could change present to something better. Steve would be the hero of the day, because he decided to make peace with Tony.

But Steve was not today's hero.

Tony and Loki were.