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The Avengers: Tainted Love	By : ParadoxdelaPaladino Category: Marvel Verse Movies > Avengers, The Views: 6408 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fandom of Avengers or anything Marvel. I do not own the characters. I make no profit, money, etc. from it. I own nothing. :)

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Author’s Note: HELLO ALL!!! Excuse the long absence – I was dealing with finals! Now that they’re over, I’m almost finished with this saga! Chapter 19 is being edited as I write this and I’m writing the final chapter.
As I was writing this chapter it dawned on me that I have been describing Tony’s house as the mansion in Malibu when in fact this story takes place in NYC. For the sake of this story, the house he has in NYC looks like the one in Malibu but it’s in Brighton Beach (Brooklyn). Got it? Awesome, let’s proceed with the story. Also, maybe Tony shouldn’t drive anymore. Just saying.
~*~
“The DOW dropped a few points today due to the recent events in –”
His eyes snapped opened as a cold sweat quickly appeared on his body. Tony had completely forgotten that he had timed the television to wake him up at exactly 8am.
“Jarvis! Off!”
In an instant, the room was once again silent. Intent on sleeping a little bit longer, Tony turned to the other side – only to be blinded by the light from window. He cursed himself for forgetting to close the blinds last night, but smiled when he spotted the rumpled pillow next to him. He stretched the full length of the bed before climbing out, intent on finding his houseguest.
Loki was sitting on the couch with a blanket draped across his lap, flicking through the channels mindlessly. Sensing Tony, Loki stopped channel-surfing as his eyes drifted to the disheveled figure on the stairs.
“We need to talk about Doom. I’m sure by now he has sensed the presence of the tesseract.”
“Good morning to you, too.” Still groggy and sore from last night’s activities, Tony was not in the mood to talk business. “Are you hungry?”
Loki shook his head before commencing his digital hunt.
“I have some work to do. I will be up in an hour and we can order breakfast. If you need me I will be downstairs.”
Tony dragged himself downstairs, barely able to think clearly enough to put one foot in front of the other, but once his eyes fell upon his schematics; his mind went into overdrive and forgot the existence of time. After a few tweaks of the equations and a few more trials, the bracers finally assembled on him simultaneously without catching his skin. With a smirk, he jotted down a few notes.
“Perhaps you should eat, Sir.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s noon.”
Tony rolled his eyes at his AI’s natural maternal instincts before continuing his notes.
“Tony?”
With a smile he turned towards the softly whispered word, but when his eyes fell on Loki’s blue form, he fought the fear that was sure to be evident in his eyes. He gulped as attempted to keep his breathing steady. His minded recalled the last time he had seen Loki this way:
He watched Loki disembowel a giant who bore the same blue coloring and ominous red eyes. Tony’s heart began to palpitate as he pressed himself against an ice spire, desiring beyond reason to merge with the formation.

Markings consumed the pale face he once knew and they grew more prominent as Loki stalked towards him with a snarl, his eyes clouded with betrayal. He felt like a cornered animal and tried to run before Loki could pounce.

“So you want to kill all of us, is that it? All of us Frost Giants!”

The words were shouted in his face as he was hoisted upwards with brute strength, his back slamming against a wall of ice.

He begged, pleaded, as he tried to move his arms but an earlier encounter left them numb and useless.

“I told you I would turn on you, Stark!”

Loki grabbed his tunic with ease before slamming him against the ice spire again, letting him fall to the ground into a useless heap. A cold hand moved up his shirt and fingers gripped his arc reactor. A sadistic grin and then a twist. The sound of grinding metal made him reel with nausea as his mechanical heart was ripped away from him and carelessly tossed in a hand.

His back collided with a heavy metal object, effectively bringing Tony out of his daze. Instinctively, his hand went to grip his arc reactor.

“Tony, I’m not here to hurt you.” Loki raised his hands in front of his chest, the palms facing outward.

“You ripped out my heart,” Tony could barely hear his own trembling words. His eyes briefly flickered to his bracers wondering if he could call them in time before darting back to the blue form in the doorway. Seconds passed like hours and his ears picked up the faint ticking clock in the corner. With his whole body tense, Tony continued to stare into Loki’s eyes, expecting him to lunge at him – to throttle him. Instead, he stood still with his hands still in the air.

With a sigh, Loki shimmered from view.

Auburn eyes frantically darted around the lab expecting Loki to reappear and, quite possibly, launch a sharp object towards him. After a few more minutes of standing still with halting breaths, Tony cautiously moved towards his desk. He tried to pick up his pen and continue writing, but his hand shook. He needed to clear his mind.
~*~

An old woman with grocery bags entered the subway car and Tony got up to offer his seat. She sat down with a nod of thanks before positioning her bags in front of her. His palm began to sweat as he gripped the iron rod above him, fearing that someone would notice him.

He had purposely forgone wearing his usual suit and instead opted for black slacks and a grey sweater with a turtle neck, accented with a grey fedora. He shifted his sunglasses nervously as he looked around the subway car. Due to the recent events, he felt like he had to do something that made him feel normal and would take him out of his comfort zone so that he could think.

It had been years since he used public transportation and he forgot how oblivious New Yorkers were to their surroundings. As he waited for his stop at Grand Central Station, he endured the static-filled and incomprehensible announcements over the intercom every time the subway car stopped. Finally, he recognized Grand Central and quickly exited the subway car, moving with the crowd as one. Once he was on the street, he let himself breathe in the fresh air. So far, so good.

Compared to Los Angeles, New York was a relief. When he was on the streets, he was one of them. People brushed passed him without as much as a glance. He walked around aimlessly, for once not worrying about his destination or how long it would take him to get there. He took a right down Park Avenue, enjoying the various stores and coffee shops without a thought in his mind.

Hours passed until he felt an ache in his legs. When he spotted the Flatiron building he realized he had walked a good twenty blocks. Despite living in New York, he rarely had the time to examine the true beauty the city had to offer. Mindful of the other pedestrians, he flattened his back against a wall as he gazed at the magnificent building in front of him.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Beautiful,” Tony spoke softly, not even turning to look at the stranger who shared his wall.

“Sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that stand out from the crowd.”

A pang of guilt began to eat away at him as Tony’s eyes turned to look at the ground. He should have known better to react like he did. Loki had just begun to trust him and instead of embracing him, he backed away like a coward. He jerked when he felt a hand entwine with his.

“Hey! What – !” The words died in his throat as he turned to stare up into familiar emerald eyes. “You found me?”

“Of course,” Loki bent down and placed a soft kiss on Tony’s parted lips. “I believe you owe me breakfast.”

A smile spread across his face as Tony quickly nodded, gripping Loki’s hand tighter. Surprisingly, Loki seemed to know where he was going, navigating the streets like a professional. For the first time in years, Tony felt so happy he could giggle, but he fought the urge. After a good half hour, Loki brought them into a bar, gently releasing his hand as they walked inside.

The interior was composed of dark wood, similar to the pub they had been in London. Behind the bar stood a quick-footed bartender who moved seamlessly between the beer tap and patron. There were various flags hung from the ceiling, ranging from the Union Jack to Irish flag. There was even a working fireplace with books stacked on the ledge above the cracking fire.

After looking around, Tony noticed that his companion had already chosen a table near the window and he quickly moved to join him.

“Feeling nostalgic?”

Loki answered his question with a grin before turning to the waitress that had appeared by their table. Before she could even greet them, Loki ordered for both of them before handing the menus to her. After quickly jotting down the order, the waitress walked away.

“You ordered for me – does that mean we’re on a date?”

“I think we’re far beyond that.”

Tony met Loki’s eyes with a grin. He was about to say something before the waitress interrupted them.

“Your beers,” she set down two pints of dark amber. “Your food will be out in a minute,” she gave a quick nod before spinning on her heel to take orders from a nearby table.

“I’m getting the biggest wave of déjà vu,” Tony laughed as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes continuing to trail along the walls of the tavern. “Hey, did you know your eyes match the green in the Irish flag. You could totally pass for Irish. Do you have leprechauns in Asgard?”

“Tony,” Loki sighed as he adjusted the dull green napkin in his lap. “Can we be serious? Between the battles and the globetrotting we never had time to . . . talk.”

A knot found itself worming into Tony’s stomach and he began fidgeting with his napkin. All his senses were on stand-by and he regretted that his first instinct was to run out the door. He would have but he knew Loki would find him in less than a minute. So he sat there, poking at his fork, eagerly waiting for his food to arrive, not because he was hungry, but because it would distract him. A hand fell on his, effectively stopping his fidgeting.

“Tony.”

“I’m not very good at talking.”

“As surprising as that is to hear, we do have some things to discuss,” Loki soothingly rubbed his finger tips over Tony’s knuckles. When his companion didn’t protest, Loki continued, “After Doom invades, which I fear will be soon, we must decide what we should do.”

“I was kind of hoping we could deal with Doom first and then decide later.”

Tony finally tore his eyes away from the painting on the wall and turned them towards Loki.
“Not one for planning, are you?”

“I considered acting on instinct, one of my many admirable character traits,” Tony smirked which earned him an eye roll.

“Yes, but if we defeat Doom –”

“When,” Tony corrected.

“Fine. When we defeat Doom, then we will have to face your teammates.”

“Thor knows.”

The simple statement rendered Loki speechless as he took in a deep breath, his eyes frantically darting around yet focusing on nothing. While he was lost in thought, Tony took a quick sip of his beer, his eyes noting the light scratching of Loki’s nails against the wooden table.

“Am I to correctly assume his reaction was not pleasant?”

“Oh, he’s already planning for the wedding. That is, after he bashed my head against a concrete wall out of sheer joy.”

Shaking his head, Loki inhaled a deep breath before focusing his eyes back onto Tony’s.

“At least you’re alive.”

“I had a bodyguard.”

“Please don’t judge him too harshly. I’m sure he was just acting out of protectiveness. He’s always had that side of him – even when we were children. I can make him come around to my side.”

“Can you make sure he doesn’t use his hammer to make me one with the ground before you guys talk?”

“I assure you that he will not kill you,” Loki smiled.

“Hm.”

Still unconvinced, Tony allowed the subject to drop as his eyes found the painting again before a thought hit him.

“What happens after the attack? Will you go back to Asgard?”

Stalling in his answer, Loki took a few slow sips of his beer before resuming his desire to destroy the table with his nails.

“I’m . . . not sure. I suppose I can use the tesseract to travel between your world and mine, but . . .” Loki’s voice trailed off. To fill the awkward silence, he took another sip of his beer.
“Now who’s not planning?”

Tony’s sarcasm was met with a glare before Loki abruptly moved his hand away from Tony’s.

“Look, I’m not good with relationships and a long distance one is not exactly on my list of things to experience.”

“And what, pray tell, is your suggestion?”

The venomous sneer did not go unnoticed. Never one to back down from a challenge, Tony stared at Loki with equal intensity.

“You could move in with me.”

He couldn’t believe the words that fell from his mouth. This was probably the hundredth time he wished he thought before he spoke. Admittedly, the thought of Loki living with him excited him, but at the same time, filled him with horror. If it didn’t work out, he doubted Loki would just walk away. He’d probably destroy his mansion and his suits before making him into a pile of green sludge.

Somehow he felt a strange feeling of accomplishment at seeing the shocked expression on Loki’s face.

“Geez, I’m not asking you to marry me. We could . . . try it.”

Surprisingly, Loki laughed.

“Shall I turn in my application for the Avengers, too?”

“You don’t have to be such an asshole,” Tony snapped before turning to look out the window. His hand gripped the pint of beer before he drank it in one swallow, slamming his glass on the table.

Sure, he was aware throwing a mini-tantrum wasn’t the best tactic but at the moment he couldn’t care less what Loki or anyone else thought of him. He braced himself for a barrage of negative comments and he readied his hand, intent on answering any more sarcasm with a punch to Loki’s face. Even though he was conscious of the god’s superior strength, he wouldn’t go down without scarring that pretty face first. A warm hand enveloped his tightly clenched fist.

“Tony, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.”

“Sounded like it,” Tony answered through clenched teeth as he continued to stare at the people passing by the window. A hand gently cupped his cheek and moved his face so that he was staring into those intoxicating green eyes.

Damn those eyes.

Damn those gentle fingers that were caressing him so tenderly.

Damn his erection.
“Let’s try it. If–When we defeat Doom, I will move in with you. We’ll deal with your teammates afterward.”

He smiled and suddenly the idea of them living together didn’t scare him anymore.

~*~

“Well, aren’t we eager?”

“Shut up,” Tony grabbed Loki’s hand and practically hauled him up the stairs.

After their dinner, Loki had insisted on an hour long walk. While Loki took in the sights, Tony struggled at every corner with the desire to pin Loki against a wall. Every building looked like a phallic object to him.

“So this is the famous park?”

“Yeah, now you’ve seen it. Awesome – right? So much fun,” Tony growled as he hauled a cab.

Before Loki could take another step towards the park, Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him into the cab as he practically shouted his address to the cabbie. Upon recognition of who was in his cab, the driver immediately stepped on the gas pedal.

He knew he overpaid but didn’t bother counting the bills as he thrust a handful at the cabbie before grabbing Loki. They were almost to his bedroom and he could barely contain himself.

As soon as they entered the door, Tony attacked Loki’s clothing like it was on fire. With a laugh and a snap of his fingers, Loki made sure Tony matched his own state of undress.

“Why didn’t you tell me you could do that?”

“You never asked.”

Tony’s eyes hungrily roamed Loki’s body but instead of lunging for him, he stood there and bit his lip.

“I . . . I want to see all of you.”

“What?” Loki cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“You know . . .” Tony faltered. “Earlier I was a dick about it and I’m sorry, but I . . . I want to see your real form,” his request faded into a whisper. He watched Loki’s verdant eyes darken in anger.

Before Loki could lash out at him, Tony gently placed his hands on Loki’s arms.

“Look, you know everything – seen everything – about me. You even touched my arc reactor. I’m just asking for . . .,” Tony searched for the right word. “. . . a reciprocation. I trust you, don’t you trust me?” Tony hoped that Loki wouldn’t misinterpret his words as some type of threat or trickery; he hoped that Loki would accept his words as a sincere request.

Blazing green eyes continued searching panicked brown for ulterior motives as Tony continued to soothingly massage his arms. For a moment, Tony thought Loki would simply vanish. Instead, he witnessed a spark in the green iris before swirls of red took over. Like ripples in water, deep blue hues began to slowly trail over the pale white skin until they dominated.

“Beautiful,” Tony murmured as he gazed at Loki with awe. Slowly, Tony moved one of his hands to tentatively cup Loki’s cheek. Loki visibly flinched and moved his face away.

“You’ll be frost-bitten.”

“Worse has happened,” Tony simply answered before running his pink tongue over the cool lips before plundering his mouth with increasing intensity.

Loki snapped his fingers and Tony pulled back to watch his partner briefly engulfed in a green hue.

“What was that?”

“A simple magic spell so that you won’t turn into an icicle.”

With a content sight, Tony’s eyes shined with desire as he used his hands to roam the toned planes of Loki’s body, enjoying the refreshingly cold skin in contrast to his warm hand. He placed a hand behind Loki’s neck, forcing the cold lips as he invaded Loki’s eager mouth. He moaned at the delicious feel of the cool tongue battling with his own.

He gasped when nails slowly trailed along his hips, sending shivers down his spine. Grabbing Loki’s forearms, Tony pushed him backward until he landed on the bed. With a mischievous grin, Loki used his leg to switch their positions. He hovered briefly above Tony as his eyes raked over the muscular contours of the willing body beneath him before lunging towards his neck. He gently bit down at the juncture between Tony’s neck and shoulder and began sucking gently.

He pulled away to trail a cold finger tip in teasing circles around Tony’ nipples, almost instantly awakening them. Satisfied at the reaction, he moved downward and settled between Tony’s thighs. With a feral grin, Loki moved his hand up and down the hard column of Tony’s manhood before gently licking its length. In one swift motion, he enveloped the hardened member in his mouth earning a surprised gasp and a fierce buck from Tony.

“Loki,” Tony breathed; his hand clutching at the sheets. With hollowed cheeks, Loki began to move his mouth up and down in a fluid motion, stopping to swirl his tongue around the tip before once more taking the entire length into his mouth.

“Won’t . . . last . . . long,” Tony managed between breaths. Loki’s gentle ministrations did not stop. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that he had such control and quickened his pace. Before Tony could finish, Loki released the strained erection.

“You’re too easy,” Loki smiled.
“Do you blame me?” Tony grinned back. From thin air, Loki made a bottle appear. Using his forearms, Tony sat up and grabbed the bottle. He ignored Loki’s inquisitive stare as he pushed him onto the bed. Opening the bottle, he coated his fingers with its contents while his other hand pumped Loki’s erection with deep strokes and then shallow as he learned what gave Loki pleasure. Loki’s eyes closed as his breathing faltered.

Grinning at the reaction, he bent down to lick a trail from the tip of Loki’s erection towards his entrance.

Inch by inch he enveloped the cool member as he pushed a slick finger into the pulsing hole. Since Loki didn’t protest, the first finger was quickly followed by a second and then a third as Tony continued moving them in a pumping motion while sucking the hard cock. Lifting his hips, Loki provided a better angle. When he heard Loki moan, Tony grinned, knowing he had found the tender spot and began massaging it again and again.

Without warning, he retracting his fingers and watched green eyes snap up at him with a glare. He moved to lie on his back and stroked his cock in all its veined glory as an invitation. Loki took the hint and moved to position himself into a crouch above Tony.

“Ready?”

Loki nodded as Tony grabbed his slick erection and slowly directed it into his partner’s willing body. With his patience wearing thing, Loki speared himself on the eager cock.

“Oh fuuu . . .”

Cringing from the pain, Loki willed his body to relax as he positioned his knees on either side of Tony’s torso. He took a few deep breaths before he felt hands grab his hips and begin thrusting upwards. With a moan, Loki moved his hands to grip his partner’s exposed throat as he began to ride him.

Digging his nails into the supple hips, Tony attempted to angle his thrusts and when he heard Loki utter a throaty purr, he began to thrust harder. Between watching Loki’s facial expressions, the hands clamped around his throat and Loki eager impaling himself on his cock, Tony knew he was close.

Their thrusts became more desperate as both men were reaching their pinnacle. Tony moved his hands to latch onto Loki’s lower back, leaving angry red dents. In return, Loki tightened his grip on the pale throat beneath him, effectively halting the breath of his partner.

After a few more violent thrusts, Loki released a cry of rapture as he felt his orgasm rise through him in tight coils. Nails raked down his back as Tony followed with his own lewd moan. With his hands shaking and unable to support his body weight, Loki collapsed onto the heaving body underneath them, releasing his hold on the pale throat.

For a while, they both lay there with their chests heaving against each other. Gradually, Loki’s Jotun form began to disappear, leaving behind his usual pale skin.

“We need . . . a shower,” Tony stated, eyes still half-open.

“I agree.”

Slowly, Loki sat up and removed himself from Tony before hoisting him upwards and teleporting them into the nearest shower.

“Lazy,” Tony mumbled knowing that the shower had only been a few feet away.

“What’s the point of being a god if you don’t have any perks?”

With the way his half-lidded eyes looked and the clumsy way he was moving, Tony looked almost drunk. Loki began lathering them both up since Tony was too busy enjoying the afterglow. With his hand circling around Tony’s waist, Loki pulled him up for a long kiss as he let the water wash away the soap.

When the water began to turn cold, Loki helped Tony out of the shower, quickly drying both of them. Clearly, Tony enjoyed being pampered because he didn’t even lift a finger to help. Once again, Loki teleported them onto the bed and watched Tony eagerly climb in, pulling him downwards with him.

Tony positioned himself so that he could nuzzle Loki’s neck, enjoying the sharp scent. Gently, Loki wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer.

“Good night,” Tony murmured.

“Good night.”

As soon as their eyelids closed, both drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

~*~

The droning voices seemed to go on for eternity and Tony was already done playing with his phone. He tried his best to pay attention but ever since he became Ironman, anything else, including his business, sounded so boring. The only reason he was at the meeting in the first place is because Pepper had just left London and her plane still hadn’t arrived.

For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt. He should give her a vacation or a salary raise – probably both. With new found enthusiasm, he began looking for vacation hotels she’d like – something with a salon that offered Swedish massages and pedicures.

A strange feeling crept up his back as though someone was dragging their nails softly up and down the length of his spine. He turned his head sideways, knowing no one was there but the feeling wouldn’t leave him. Turning back to his phone, he tried to shrug the feeling away.

After another hour, the meeting ended and Tony practically flew downstairs. A smile appeared on his face when he sat inside the comforting leather of his gleaming convertible. After last night’s activities, he woke up wanting to see more of the color blue so he chose the metallic beamer. No sooner had he started the engine he sped off home, coming up with interesting tourist sights he could show Loki.

His rapped his fingers on the wheel. For some reason, every time he was in the car, he felt he should be multi-tasking. As if on cue, his cell phone rang.

“Pep! Yeah . . . I know. Driving home, why? . . . I’m always on the phone!”'

Making a fluid turn with his left hand, Tony adjusted the phone but before he could do anything else, a blast from underneath the car sent him and the beamer hurtling towards the edge of the bridge.

~*~

With inhuman force the remote was hurled through the air, landing in the middle of the television. Loki grinned as he watched the screen fizzle and crack. The television was probably a few thousand dollars but hell, Stark was a billionaire, so why not destroy it?

With a twinkle in his eye that promised more, Tony had said he would return after his company’s annual meeting. It had been well over half a day and not even a phone call. Lack of patience was a trait he and Tony shared.

Heaving himself off the couch, Loki went downstairs with the intention of causing some real damage. Using his magic, he broke the lock and walked inside. He had never had the chance to really admire the lab and he took his time walking around.

With his flying and teleportation abilities, he had never had the need for a car but he found himself admiring the sleek designs. His eyes scanned the lab before landing on a suit standing in the middle. He began walking around it, trying to see why this suit was on a pedestal while the other ones were lined against the wall.

“Voice of the mansion,” Loki looked around him as he spoke. He never understood where the voice came from but being a student of magic, he never questioned Tony about his trick.

“It’s Jarvis, Sir.”

“Jarvis, why is this one different from the rest?”

“It’s Mr. Stark’s latest model. It’s designed to find him when he activates his bracelet.”

“So he can summon it?”

“Yes, in a way. It assembles around him while the others he’s had to carry with him.”

Loki looked at the suit with a piqued interest. He remembered the heavy suitcase Tony used to move with him. An idea flickered into his mind. How better to irritate Tony than to mess with his newest suit?”

“Let’s modify it, shall we?”

“What did you have in mind, Sir?”

Jarvis’ almost eager tone surprised Loki but he decided not to question his good fortune.

“Can you paint it green and gold?”

“Of course.”

At Loki’s command, another one of Starks robots zoomed towards the suit and began painting at his direction. When the job was finished, Loki stood back to admire his work. Green dominated the suit with the only gold being the face plate, upper arms and thighs. Feeling a slight change in the air, his eyes narrowed. He straightened up, clasping his hands behind his back.

“Not everyone has the ability to sneak up on me,” he spoke towards the suit, his eyes catching a reflection of someone in the faceplate.

“To be honest I was expecting someone else.”

Loki finally turned around and stared at the petite red-headed woman. The mistrust in her eyes matched his.

“Is it a habit of yours to sneak into Stark’s mansion?”

“Is it a habit of yours to tinker with his suits?” She countered, placing her hands on her hips in a defiant gesture.

“Well played,” Loki smirked at the second human he found amusing.

“Thank you. I spend hours practicing in the mirror.”

“Is that before or after you fix those lovely curls of yours?”

“After. It takes me about the same time to fix my hair as you take to squeeze an entire bottle of gel into yours.”

They stared at each other in a sudden game of loser-blinks-first. Loki lost by grinning, easing the tension in the room.

“It seems we were waiting for the same person.”

“I thought he’d be back by now,” Natasha shrugged before gazing at the suit. “Nice work.”

“Thank you,” Loki turned back to admire the glinting armor that now matched his eyes.

“How long have you been hiding here?”

Loki stiffened as he suddenly remembered that she was no ordinary citizen. She had a reason to be here and he was sure it was not for a friendly chat.

“A few days at most. Going to alert your director?” He turned to her with a sneer. To his surprise she shook her head.

“I would never do that to Tony.” Seeing his confused expression she continued, “I know all about you two and your little escapades.”

Careful to keep his face neutral, Loki stared at her wondering how much Tony had told her. She walked up to him and casually trailed a finger down his chest.

“I can’t say I blame him,” she winked enjoying the small blush that crept up into Loki’s face. Just as he was about to utter a retort, her phone rang. She looked at her pocket in irritation before taking out the device. One look at the caller and she picked it up with a cheerful expression.

“Pepper! How nice to – wait, wait slow down! What do you mean ‘accident’? What happened?”

A painful wrench took hold of his stomach as Loki watched Natasha’s eyes widen as she continued to listen to the frantic woman. He remembered the name. Tony had mentioned how “Pepper” was his “right-hand” and practically ran his company. He began to shift from one foot to the other as he waited for the red-head to inform him of what was happening.

“Ok, I will tell the others. Don’t worry – everything will be fine. Ok, bye.”

After replacing the phone in her pocket, Natasha glared at Loki. Just as he opened his mouth to speak she cut him off.

“The tesseract – it’s here, right?”

He hesitated before nodding.

“I’m assuming this former ally of yours, Doom, can track it, yes?”

Green eyes dilated as Loki took in the gravity of the statement.

“Tony was driving back here while on the phone with Pepper before she heard him scream and what sounded like a crash. I’m guessing your friend has him.”

Beneath his cool demeanor, Loki’s heart thudded like a drum. For all he knew, Tony could be dead. Nothing would please Doom more than to dangle Tony’s lifeless corpse in front of his face. He began assessing his options before his eyes darkened in thought. With a sigh, he pulled out the tesseract and hovered his hand over it. Sparks of green flew into the tesseract and for a brief moment, the bright blue hue of the tesseract turned green before reverting to its original color.

“What are you doing?” Natasha’s eyes darted between Loki’s face and the cube in his hands.

“A necessary precaution. I think it’s time you alerted your team. Doom and his army are not far.”
“What are you going to do?”

“What I need to.”

A flash and he was gone.

~*~

“We are standing outside Stark tower where an explosion broke out moments ago.”

The camera zoomed to the top of the tower; a figure was wrapped in chains with only his face visible. A metal arm extended so that he was dangling over the street below, attached to a contraption with a large hourglass.

“Mr. Stark has been tied to a rather strange piece of equipment and if we zoom closer we can see a sign has been attached to the hour glass. ‘You have one hour,’ it reads. I fear we may be facing another attack.”

Angrily, Fury muted the television just as his phone rang. He picked it up with a growl, “What? Yes I know – haven’t you seen the news? He’s tied to something that’s dangling him over the edge of his own building . . . I assumed we would be. Head to the tower.”

He shut his phone while looking at assembled members of the remaining Avengers.

“The remaining agents will secure S.H.I.E.L.D. while all of you head into the city.”

“How much more damage can New York take? It’s just being rebuilt,” Bruce muttered, crossing his arms.

“New York hasn’t fallen yet. Keep in mind we are fighting two fronts. Doom will make his appearance soon and Loki must be near,” he turned to gaze at Thor, whose eyes looked conflicted.

“Are you prepared to stand with your team?” The question was barked in Thor’s direction. He looked up with a solemn nod.

“Good – move out!”

No one had to be told twice.
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The Avengers: Tainted Love