Is There Anybody Out There? CH 13

“Sir, Mr. Odinson has returned.”
“Thank you, Jarvis. Where is he?” Tony put down his screwdriver and spun his chair around, standing and heading for the stairs.
“He is currently heading for Mr. Silvertongue’s room.”

Thor opened the door as Tony rounded the corner, to find Loki sitting on the bed, a book open on his knees. He froze in his tracks and narrowed his eyes doubtfully.
“Loki, you’re reading?”
Green eyes snapped up, meeting Thor’s startled blues. He put the book down and smiled his trademark grin as he stood up and walked over to Thor, stopping inches away from him. The grin disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“Thank you ever so much for leaving me here with no warning. Perhaps I should take your sight and leave you to fend for yourself in an unfamiliar place. It was great of you, really. Please, you must do it again sometime.” The sarcasm drilled directly into Thor, and Loki grinned again, this time with a touch more malice than usual. In all honesty, it creeped Thor out.
“I am sorry, brother, I left to find the men who tortured you and bring them to justice-“
“Justice would have been leaving me there to face my death. Now, I can’t say I’m one to point fingers,” he started to circle Thor, slipping easily into the malicious character he had become too accustomed to over the years, “but vengeance is more your style. Perhaps you could plan it one day, instead of running into things like a wild beast.”
“Loki,” Thor warned, and a roll of thunder echoed through the skies, “You would do well to watch your tongue.”
“I hate to interrupt, kiddies, but not only is it way too early in the day for a God war, but can we please just get the story before my stuff gets destroyed?” Tony was standing a few feet behind Thor, an unamused expression plastered on his face. Thor hung his head, and Loki stepped away, refusing to look at his brother.
“I returned to where I found Loki, to find their leader and interrogate him.” Thor had a tone of satisfaction to his voice, but his air of pride dissipated when Tony threw his head back and groaned.
“You could have at least told us, so I could have called you an idiot. I’ve been working on trying to find them myself, with Loki’s help. If you send them running, we won’t be able to trace them.” He was trying to keep his tone even and explain things without losing his head, but it was so very, very hard.
Thor at least looked apologetic now. Loki grinned again, satisfied that someone had gotten something through his thick skull at long last.
“Don’t you start smiling, either, you little shitstirrer. Let New York know we have two angry gods in my house, and the little bit of cover we have gets blown.” The grin disappeared again.
Tony left them to themselves, heading to his workshop again. When he was out of sight and earshot, Thor grabbed Loki and pulled him into a hug.
“You have your vision back, and you are healed! This is good news! We can return home-“
“No.” Loki looked guilty, and he pushed away gently, “I don’t belong in Asgard. Everyone distrusts me, and with good reason. I think…” He broke off and looked away. Thor softly rested a large hand on his shoulder.
“Tell me what is on your mind. I will listen.”
And so Loki sat down and told Thor everything.

--

“Tony..?” Loki tentatively knocked on the door, and stood in the doorway.
“Hmm?” Tony didn’t look up from whatever it was he was fiddling with. Loki remained silent, thinking of the best words to express what he wanted to say. After a moment, Tony fixed his full attention on the unusually awkward god, “What’s going on? Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Are you going to cry on me again? Because I like this shirt-“
“Tony, I don’t want to go back to Asgard.” So many implications, so many possible meanings, and so Tony remained silent, waiting for more, but nothing came.
“So what you’re saying is… You want to stay here on Earth? Here, like, right here, with me?” Loki nodded and Tony sighed, “Listen, it’s not that I don’t like you or anything, but are you sure that’s the best idea? I mean, I know you’re alright, deep down, but not the rest of the world. All it would take is one person to see you and report you, and you’d be put back in that cell to die.”
“I understand. However, I think I know who might have been behind that in the beginning.”
“There are other places to kill people in this world, Loki, there’s nothing stopping another group from-“
“Odin wanted to punish me, but I escaped his cell, with Thor’s aid. I think he’s been waiting for me to leave Asgard again to catch me while I was gone, away from any allies I may have had. Think,” He was pacing anxiously, “They knew to use a poison that still hasn’t been identified by your Midgardian science to disable me from using my magic. They took my sight, so I could not identify my attackers. And one person was kind enough to feed and bathe me once. I’d say he was killed for that. The only people who would do such a thing would be the magicians I trained with as a youth. Certainly nobody from this realm.”
Tony looked at him, trying to find fault with his theory, before hanging his head in defeat.
“Damn. It makes sense. But wait, Thor-“
“I think he went back to question the  Allfather. He smelled of the Bifrost’s power. And he hadn’t mentioned returning me to Asgard until now. I think he has been convinced by Odin to bring me back, where I will only be put to death.”
“Thor wouldn’t-“
“Thor is as thick headed as a bull. He means well, I’m sure, but I would die nonetheless.”
Tony sighed as if the entire world rested on his shoulders, and he buried his head in his arms.
“Stop making sense, it’s scary. You can stay, for now.”
And with that, Loki turned and went back upstairs, leaving Tony to think about what he’d said.

So much for it being a good day, after all.