Adult-FanFiction.org : Marvel 'Verse

The Avengers: Tainted Love	By : ParadoxdelaPaladino Category: Marvel Verse Movies > Avengers, The Views: 6390 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
- 3
- 4
- 5
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. :)

Author’s Note: Another installment! I’m excited for the movie to finally come out so that I can see if my writing is anywhere close to movie’s plot.

Also, IGN is releasing “The Avenger’s Clips” like crazy and I’ve had to rewrite some dialogue countless times. I’m going to stop watching any more clips and at the urging of my Beta, will continue with the original plot I had in mind. I’m sure I can write a fanfiction based on the Avenger’s movie once it comes out, but for now, I’m going with my own thing.

For Those Confused: You’re supposed to be. :) It’s part of the plot. The cosmic cube scene is the one at the end of Thor.

Thank you to my Beta AG!

~*~

The dark sky stretched as far as the eye could see. Try as it might, the moon could not shine through the barrier of clouds, which loomed overhead. It was the witching hour and all was quiet at the Avenger’s headquarters since only the lone prisoner, his caretakers and minor security remained. Eyeing the surveillance cameras with boredom, the guards failed to notice a faint smell entering the room. Within moments, every guard had slipped into a deep slumber. One by one the screens showcasing the infamous prisoner flickered before they showed nothing but black and white static.

Having walked around his cell multiple times for lack of anything to do, Tony Stark finally sat down on the shameful cot posing as a bed. He noted with ire that wherever he looked, he could not escape his image. Musing on the strange décor, Tony wondered if the multiple mirrors served a purpose. Maybe Fury believed that by exposing Tony to himself constantly, he would be able to cure his “narcissism” by attempting to use some sort of reverse psychology. He laughed at the idea of Fury watching him like a lab rat before dispelling the absurd image from his mind.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he remembered Fury’s cold stare as he arrested him and try as it might, his mind could not remember what he stole. Apparently, this object must hold some significance if stealing it warranted a prolonged vacation in a mirrored fortress. He wondered how the Avengers would fare without him and part of him wished that they’d act like chickens with their heads cut off.

In the corner, a shadow flickered. Tony stood up as he began to slowly look around, turning in circles as he did so. He stopped his search once he spotted Loki. Anger overtook his instincts and he charged forward – his fist colliding with the mirror. Loki’s amused laugh echoed in the small room.

“So you’re an illusion, well ain’t that peachy. What’s the matter? Not strong enough to get in on your own?” Loki seemingly teleported to the other side of the room, away from the broken glass and Tony’s bloodied fist. Tony sat back down on the bed in a huff, although he did not know what hurt more – his pride or his fist.

“You took it, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Loki answered nonchalantly, bypassing any ploy at feigning innocence on the matter.

“Great. You mind telling the others? If they’re gonna hate me, I’d rather it be because of something I’ve actually done,” Tony complained.

“I’ll be sure to send them a memo.”

“You know, visiting hours are already over.”

“Always the comedian, aren’t you?”

“You like my stuff?”

“Don’t quit your day job . . . although you don’t seem to be good at that either,” Loki smiled again, lacking his usual venomous grin.

“Care to tell me what I stole?”

“I’m sure your comrades will inform you soon.”

“Great, so in the mean time I get to sit here and stare at myself?”

“But I thought you loved yourself?” Loki asked while feigning a shocked expression. Tony merely rolled his eyes as he sat back on his bed, his back reclining on the mirrored wall.

“Why are here?” He sighed. Tony Stark was a genius when it came to working with his hands, but he never had time for mind games. “Don’t you have better things to do, like control people and make their eyes turn green?”

“So you noticed,” Loki quirked a surprised eyebrow.

“Hey I’m not called a genius for nothing,” Tony inflated his ego briefly. It was Loki’s turn to roll his eyes.

Tony rested his head back against the mirror and enjoyed the silence in the room. After a few moments he sat up and to his surprise, Loki had not vanished. He shifted uncomfortably as Loki continued to observe him with an unblinking gaze. Other than his initial landing on his car, Loki had appeared solely to him and Tony wondered why the god would single him out.

“Is there a reason you’re stalking me? I know I’m amazing, and I’m really flattered, but already have all the fans I could ever need – and they usually have boobs,” Tony inquired, hoping his question would break Loki’s unflinching stare.

“Don’t flatter yourself, human,” Loki snarled as his eyes flashed in warning.

“Hey, I have a name. It’s Tony Stark,” He paused for a moment before he realized that they had never formally introduced themselves. “I don’t even know yours.”

“I don’t see that as important.”

“Ok, I guess I will keep calling you Thor’s little brother,” Tony grinned. Loki narrowed his eyes as a tense atmosphere overtook the room. Tony held his breath in anticipation of Loki’s next movement. Maybe he would hurt him or turn him into a snake or –

“Fine. It’s Loki.”

Tony blinked in surprise.

“Nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but mine is covered in glass.”

“Your fault, not mine,” Loki chided as a sliver of a grin appeared on his face.

“Look, it’s not like I don’t enjoy our amazing conversations, but I’d really like to know a few things. Like why did you make me steal some crap that has Fury’s underwear in a twist and why are you here? They’re watching us, you know.”

“Not quite,” Loki grinned.

“I assumed you pulled some greenie trick on them?”

“Something to that effect.”

Tony watched Loki, hoping for once he wouldn’t disappear and would give him some much needed answers. Loki must have caught the gist of Tony’s thoughts because he released an exaggerated sigh.

“You are different from the others and don’t strike me as the ‘hero-type’. You do things for yourself like me.”

“Ok, I agree with the first two points, but I’m not nothing like you,” Tony attempted to stifle his laughter.

Tony Stark loved to be the center of attention in a crowd while Loki seemed to value his privacy. He favored technology while Loki enjoyed his magical green poofs. Above all, Tony’s status as the “good guy” remained embedded into people’s minds while Loki seemed hell-bent on destroying this world the second he landed on Tony’s Audi. The only similarity that Tony could possibly find between them was that they were both good-looking. Although, Tony was surely the more handsome one.

“Really?” Loki quirked an eyebrow. Tony twitched as Loki’s eyes burrowed into his own and he briefly glimpsed the ice world Loki had taken them to. He had already pushed the memory down into his psyche as far as it would go. He didn’t want to remember what had happened let alone discuss it. Despite being an interesting character, Loki remained an enemy and Tony did not want to form any attachments to the man – much less one of empathy.

“Yeah, really. So how about you send some of that green stuff my way and get me out of here?” Once again, Tony retreated to using humor as his shield. Loki began laughing and suddenly stopped, his eyes glowing green as if something caught his attention. He looked back at Tony.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be in there for long,” he announced before he melted into the mirrors behind him.

Tony groaned with annoyance. Seriously, doesn’t he ever get bored of being Houdini? He felt warmth engulf his hand and suddenly watched it glow green. He cursed as he started scratching at it, as if his scratching would remove the magic.

After the glow subsided, Tony noticed that the cuts on his hand had healed and he clenched his fist a few times in disbelief.

~*~

Dense fog had settled around the headquarters with only fragments of the building achieving visibility. Natasha’s soft footsteps seemed to echo as she heard nothing stir. Only a soft breeze stirred the trees and escaped through the hollowed wood creating a haunting melody. Marble steps which gleamed during the day, now seemed as lackluster as tombs in a graveyard. She patted her hip, feeling for her gun before she gazed at the building, looking more like an abandoned asylum than a functioning headquarters.

Natasha shook her mind free of any thoughts before she entered the building. She adjusted her eyes to the bright lighting inside as various night staff moved about their normal routine. After clearing various checkpoints, she heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing her laptop on her desk as if waiting for her return. In her hurry to get home, Natasha had forgotten it and only noticed when she finally settled down on her couch to read tomorrow’s briefings from Fury.

Out of her comrades, she was sure that only Clint and Bruce bothered to read anything Fury sent to the team. In all honesty, she had no idea if Thor could read since she had never seen him do so. She giggled softly as she remembered Steve bashing a computer with his shield after it had said “Good Morning” and knew the technophobe wouldn’t go near a laptop although somehow Fury had taught him how to use a cell phone. Unfortunately, the man who had the biggest love affair with technology had probably never read a single word Fury had sent.

Now that she was already here, Natasha decided to visit the semi-lovable narcissist. Of course she would never see him directly, deciding to risk annoying Fury, who was already wound tighter than a spring. She placed her laptop in her bag and made her way to the surveillance room.

As she turned the corner, she noticed flickering lights above her causing her to stop in her tracks. Her eyes instantly darted towards the door of the surveillance room, which had been suspiciously left ajar. An eerie silence permeated the area causing her right hand to instinctively move towards her gun as she placed her computer bag on the floor. Gingerly stepping towards the room, she slowly opened the door with the fingertips of her left hand. In a flash she drew out her gun and found herself aiming at nothing.

On the floor lay the bodies of the night shift and after holstering her gun, she darted between them and felt for signs of life. She felt a tingling sensation on the nape of her neck and before she had a chance to turn around, a kick sent her sprawling into the large window behind her, creating a few cracks in the glass. She quickly regained her senses and from her position on the floor, she looked towards her attacker.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her twin stared back. Images of Clint’s personal army from a few weeks ago flashed before her eyes. She stood up and watched her opponent for any apparent weaknesses. Her clone seemed to be doing the same. Without warning, Natasha lunged for her opponent who countered with a jab to her jaw. Quickly recovering from the blow, Natasha ran towards a wall and used her momentum to jump from the wall and towards her opponent, landing a kick that sent the clone hurtling towards a wall.

The clone stood up undaunted, its eyes void of any emotion. In instant both Natasha and her doppelganger ran towards each other and nothing could be seen except for flashes as both fought to gain the upper hand. The clone landed a punch to Natasha’s face causing blood to spray. Natasha watched as her clone lapped up at the blood, its eyes briefly glimmering green. Natasha mentally filed away the strange behavior as she once again began an assault on her opponent.

As they continued to fight, Natasha began to see a pattern emerging. The clone would let Natasha attack it for a few moments before counterattacking with the same techniques. As if to cement her theory, the clone chose an opportune time to run at the wall, rebounding and kicking Natasha in almost the same manner she had done earlier.

With her palms on the ground, Natasha pushed herself from the floor into a standing position and briefly glimpsed her clone disappear in a glimmer of green smoke. She stood there for a few moments, catching her breath before she reached into her pocket and dialed Fury.

“Natasha?” Fury asked, worry evident in his usual impassive tone.

“There’s been a problem. It seems that Clint is not the only one with clones.”

“What?”

“Can you meet me at HQ? I will explain everything.”

“On my way.”

After replacing her phone in her pocket, Natasha noticed the monitors had regained their functionality. Her eyes scanned the various images on the screens ranging from some night staff doing paperwork to Tony Stark taking a nap. She sat down and began to look for the original footage which caught him stealing the briefcase. She located the footage and began to carefully review it for any abnormalities.

A few minutes into the video she noticed that Tony’s eyes seemed to have a glint of green. She watched the few seconds in a loop in order to make sure that her eyes were not playing tricks. She recalled Fury mentioning how Tony seemed oblivious to the whole situation. Her mind began to create a thread between the green eyes and the possibility of the victim losing control of their actions.

Something clicked in her mind as she remembered that the day the Avengers had met. As soon as Tony had entered the briefing room, her memory became hazy until she saw Steve and Tony verbally sparring. Within an instant, she located the video and began to watch. Once again, she noticed the strange green hue to her eyes before she saw herself shake her head.

“Natasha?”
Natasha had been too wrapped up in her discovery to notice Fury at the door and she turned from the monitors to see Fury looking around the room in confusion.

“What happened here?”

“I’m not sure. They were on the floor when I got here. I think you better call the others. I may have found something.”

Fury stared at her for a few moments before he walked away to contact the others. After a few minutes he reemerged into the room.

“Clint and Bruce are already on their way, however,” Fury paused. “Neither Thor nor Steve are answering their phones. What is this all about?”

“I believe that Tony was telling the truth. Someone was controlling him.”

~*~

As soon as he stepped outside the café he was blinded. He tried blinking but his vision was cloudy with twinkling stars. Closing his eyes, Steve held his head steady until the pulsing in his temple stopped. In his haze, he had stepped into the street and a car narrowly avoided hitting him. His eyes widened as he watched it drive away. He had not seen a model T like that since the 1940’s and he briefly wondered if someone had bought it as an antique.

A couple walked past him, the man adjusted his fedora as the woman’s burgundy dressed fluttered in the wind. He looked at the other random citizens walking towards their destinations and noticed that their clothing dated back at least seventy years ago. A feeling of nausea overtook him as his heart rate sped up and his nerves run cold.

He anxiously ran a hand through his hair as he studied his surroundings. To his surprise, the stores around him had changed as well. There were no more internet cafes or video stores just small diners, simple tailor shops and even a shop that sold typewriters. From the corner of his eye, Steve spotted movement in an alley. As he turned around his heart skipped a beat. His eyes locked with those of his former friend.

“Bucky?!” Steve shouted. His memory instantly replayed the last time he had seen him. In the midst of a chase, Bucky had lost his footing and clung onto the side of the train which raced along a bridge. Steve had tried to go back to save his friend, but Bucky had lost his grip and fell into the icy water below.

Bucky took one quick glance at him and dashed into the alley, with Steve hot on his heels. Déjà vu hit Steve as he recognized the alley where he had been bullied. He looked around for Bucky but saw no sign. In a second he lay flat on the ground with someone’s hand around his neck.

“Why did you let me die?” The voice breathed into his ear before picking him up by his neck and shirt and throwing him against a wall.

“Bucky! I didn’t want you to – I didn’t –” Steve stammered, still trying to collect his thoughts and process the situation at hand. Bucky lunged at him and Steve barely managed to avoid his punch.

“Wait! Let’s talk this out! We’re not enemies!”

“Aren’t we?” Bucky sneered before he lunged towards Steve. “I fought for this country with my own hands but you,” Bucky’s fist collided with Steve’s midsection. “You were just given everything! Just like that. I had to prove my worth Every. Day,” Bucky accentuated his words with punches to Steve’s face. Steve finally fought back and aimed a kick at Bucky’s midsection that sent him hurtling towards the wall behind him. Undaunted, Bucky stood up and ran towards Steve, continuing his tirade in between his physical assaults.

“I trained for weeks!” Bucky yelled as he attempted to kick Steve, only to be knocked to the ground.

“But no, you were special,” he mocked as he remained crouched on the ground. Steve stood a few feet in front of him, processing his friend’s words. “You never even went back to look for me,” Bucky spoke, his voice wavering with barely contained emotions. He finally lifted his mournful gaze towards Steve.

“Bucky . . . I just wanted to join the fight for this country, I never meant to –”

“You couldn’t do it on your own like the rest of us? No,” Bucky stood up so that he was eye-to-eye with his former friend. “You just had to cheat!” As Bucky shouted his finally words, he charged at Steve with all his strength. His assault managed to stun Steve and his head collided with the wall behind him causing fragments of brick to fly. For a brief second, Steve lost consciousness.

When Steve opened his eyes, they were once again blinded by the sun. He slowly sat up and shook himself out of his daze. The giant obelisk in Central Park loomed over him, informing him that he had returned to the present era. He massaged temples in attempt to quell the emerging headache and wondered how he could have possibly landed in the park.

He got to his feet as he spotted Bucky staring at him in the distance. As he began walking towards his friend, Bucky’s eyes took an ominous green glow before changing form. Steve stopped in his tracks as he saw his own eyes staring back at him. His twin wore the same Captain America outfit he had worn the last day he had seen Bucky. Steve stood frozen from both confusion and fear before his doppelganger disappeared in smoke.

~*~

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Thor warily looked around the crowded plane. He had wanted to use his hammer for flight but Fury had sternly told him not to do anything that would attract attention. He had helped book Thor a flight instead. Thor smiled as soon as he thought of Jane and their impending reunion.

Since the flight would be a few hours and Thor had nothing better to do, he decided to get some rest. He began to doze off as the plane began its ascent. He felt that he had only closed his eyes briefly before a jolt brought him back to consciousness and a feeling of nausea overtook him. The plane was descending in an almost vertical motion.

He braced himself for impact and on instinct called his hammer; the armor enveloped his body just before the plane collided with the ground. As soon as the debris began clearing, he looked around the plane to see if he could help the injured. To his surprise, the plane seemed vacant. He shifted a few pieces of the plane in disbelief, trying to find signs of the people he had seeing sitting with him just moments ago.

Feeling slight claustrophobic, Thor used his hammer to destroy the emergency exit door and jumped down onto the frosted ground below. A cold gust of air hit him in the face as he began to observe his surroundings. Jagged snow-covered mountains dotted the otherwise barren landscape. When he turned back, the plane had vanished and in its place stood Loki.

“Brother! What sorcery is this? Where are those people?” Thor yelled as he gripped his hammer, ready for action.

“Sorcery? Is that what you think of me? A mere sorcerer,” Loki glared. “There were never any people, Thor. They were all an illusion.”

Thor looked at him with confusion and noticed a strange blue glow surround Loki rather than his trademarked green.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m merely claiming my birthright,” Loki laughed, a hollow sound that echoed through the mountains.

“What birthright?” Thor shouted his words barely audible due to the howling wind.

“Odin didn’t tell you, did he? Of course he didn’t. He didn’t want to spoil his illusion,” Loki’s eyes flared with anger as he recalled the last time he had spoken with the man he once thought of as his father. Thor just looked at him, curious as to what their father had kept from him.

“You never saw me as an equal. Too busy playing father’s favorite,” Loki breathed his words with the allure of a dragon. Wind continued whipping around him altering his visibility to Thor.

“That’s not true! Father loves us both!” Thor insisted, yet a small part of him knew Loki’s words held some truth.
“Does he?” A bitter laugh could be heard as the arid wind once again obscured Loki from Thor’s sight. “Then why would he let his beloved son fall off the Bifrost?” A deafening silence enveloped them as the wind continued to howl.

“Do you want to know why?” Loki questioned and Thor almost feared the answer.

Strange marking began to appear on Loki’s face and any skin his armor left exposed. Within moments, his pale Aesir skin became a deep blue. Thor’s eyes widened and he almost let his hammer slip between his fingers. Mixed feelings raged within him as he began to understand why Loki despised the word “brother” and why Loki had chosen to fight against him.

“Are you disgusted?”

Thor began to shake his head but before he had a chance to reply, Loki sprinted towards him at lightning speed. His fist collided with Thor’s midsection causing him to shoot a few yards away.

“No, I am not,” Thor finally answered his brother’s question as he rose to his feet. “This does not change anything between us. We are still brothers.”

“You’re wrong. This changes everything!”

Before Thor had a chance to react, Loki has sent a strong wind that knocked Thor off balance. Using his hammer, Thor broke all the icicles that were fired towards him like arrows.

“No one in Asgard would ever accept a Frost Giant as king,” Loki sneered at Thor. For the first time, Thor began to see Loki’s inner turmoil unravel before him.

“You have the kingdom of Asgard – but what do I have? Nothing. Instead, I have decided to claim this world as my kingdom.”

“Loki, what you are saying is madness! You cannot just claim a kingdom!”

“I can’t?” Loki asked with sarcasm. “Who’s going to stop me? You?”

“If I must,” Thor answered as he twirled his hammer between his fingers, feeling the familiar thrum of the electric currents running within the metal.

Loki’s eyes crystallized as he raised his hand and released another icy assault on Thor. Raising his hammer above his head, Thor hit the ground, causing it to break. The crater in the ground produced cracks and Loki moved to avoid falling in.

“You and I are still Princes of Asgard,” Thor shouted, knowing his words would still carry to his brother, even through the icy gales. “Our birthright is to uphold the realms, not destroy or enslave them.”

As the wind cleared, Loki finally emerged. His eyes were cold as stone and his face showed a determined mind.

“I am no Prince of Asgard. I am a Jotun,” Loki let the word escape his gritted teeth. “A Jotun can only equal an Asgardian when they are in conflict, never on the same side. Don’t you see, brother?!” Loki shouted his eyes ablaze. “I will always be your polar opposite, forever pulling you down towards my level.”

“No! You and I are meant to be on the same side!” Thor’s desperate plea only earned him an empty laugh.

“Same side?” Loki echoed Thor’s words before his eyes glowed and he transformed into Thor. Thor took a step back in surprise. Before he could utter another word, Thor’s twin charged at full speed with his hammer raised. Instinctively, Thor threw his hammer at his unrelenting opponent.

Before long, they were engaged in battle – lightening against lightening. As he defended himself against what used to be Loki, Thor found his mind reeling with what he could possibly say to halt his brother’s insatiable rage.

Distracted by his thoughts, Thor did not see the last blow coming until it collided with his ribs, causing him to fly over the edge of the cliff. He managed to grab a jutting rock and held onto the crumbling ledge as he saw his clone staring down at him, with his head cocked to the side.

“Well, well. Does this not look familiar?”

“Brother, please! We are not enemies!”

“As much as I would enjoy seeing you die, there’s no point. The fun is only beginning,” the clone reached down and grabbed Thor’s arm before hurling him into the side of the mountain. Thor’s head collided with the unmovable object and he blacked out.

He felt a breeze stir his hair and move gently across his face. He opened his eyes to see a large bridge. As he sat up, he continued to study his surroundings and discerned that he was once again in the large Midgardian city. Before he had time to recollect his thoughts, his phone rang and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange object.

“Thor?!” He flinched at Natasha’s frantic yell.

“What has happened?”

“Finally! We’ve been trying to reach you for hours! Can you come down to the Headquarters? We have something we need to discuss. The others are already here.”

“Of course, Lady Romanoff,” Thor answered before Natasha hung up.

He sat rooted to the spot as he tried to process all of Loki’s words. He felt angry and betrayed that his father had kept Loki’s heritage a secret from him. He shook his head and knew that at least on his end, nothing had changed. He still loved Loki as his brother and he always would. He continued to sit on the cold ground, trying to figure out if there was even a slight chance he could say something that would change Loki’s mind.

No matter how hard he tried, his mind stayed blank.

~*~

His hand hovered near the door. Any sounds around him were drowned out by the rapid beating of his heart. He knew that the news awaiting him concerned his brother and whatever plans he had set into motion.

Thor took another shallow breath before walking into the briefing room, his heart heavy with the weight of knowing that he could no longer protect his brother. As soon as he entered, he spotted Fury talking with Bruce while Steve hovered nearby. Clint and Natasha were looking at something on the computer.

Upon hearing him come in, everyone stopped their conversations and looked at Thor. A strange silence seemed to overtake the room, even more deafening than the pounding of blood in his head.

“What has happened?”

Fury disengaged himself from Bruce as he walked towards Thor.

“We have reason to believe that the clones as well as Tony’s actions have been controlled.”

Thor clenched his palms and felt sheens of sweat appear.

“Furthermore,” Fury continued without any hesitation or consideration for Thor’s feelings. “We believe that the being responsible for such actions must have been using some sort of magic as opposed to any known technology.”

Thor felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes seemingly betrayed his fear. Natasha strode towards him, her eyes filled with pity.

“We’ve been looking over surveillance footage,” she began to speak softly. “Anytime someone is controlled, their eyes shine green,” as she elaborated on Fury’s words, she studied Thor’s expression. He looked down at the ground and after a few moments of consideration, he heaved a sigh. He knew he could hide his brother’s actions no longer.

“My brother’s magic does posses a green hue,” Thor carefully censored his words.

“So it’s possible that he could be behind all these clones?” Fury asked. Thor looked confused for a moment.

“Clones?”

“Yes. We fought Clint’s in Central Park around the same time you must have seen Bruce’s. When I came to the headquarters this evening, I ran into mine and Steve has returned from seeing his,” Natasha answered. “Have you run into yours?” Thor furrowed his eyebrows. He had seen Loki transform into himself and he was unsure if this counted.

“I encountered my brother, earlier. That is why I have not been answering your call. He did change his form to match mine,” Thor admitted.
“Did he say anything?” Fury asked straight to the point.

“He only spoke of things past.”

Fury processed the new information as he studied Thor.

“Did he mention anything about his plans?”

“No,” Thor replied, aware of his partial lie. Although Loki had made his intentions towards this realm clear, he had not told Thor any details in regards to his plan.

“Can you locate him?”

“What are you asking me to do?” Thor’s eyes narrowed as his protective streak emerged.

“What are you prepared to do?” Fury countered, sensing Thor’s reluctance towards any actions taken in regards to his brother.

Thor continued to stare at Fury, his mind torn between protecting his brother and aiding his comrades.

“I cannot locate him. Loki uses his magic to mask his whereabouts,” Thor finally admitted.

Fury looked deep in thought before he turned around to look at Natasha.

“Natasha, please inform our agents that we need to find this man at all costs. In light of his actions, we must consider this man a threat and he must be captured immediately before he does any real damage,” Fury commanded before he began walking away.

“I’m going to release Mr. Stark,” he declared before exiting the tense briefing room.

~*~

Resting his hand on the door of his office, Tony Stark raised his eyes towards heaven and released an exasperated sigh. Only the door remained between him and the solace of his lair. Before anyone could grab him and force him to attend another meeting, he quickly opened the door and darted inside. In an instant, he felt his excitement drain as he spotted the figure gazing through the large office window. He gripped the door with his right hand and slammed it behind him with enough force to shake the glasses hanging over the bar.

Ignoring the rather childish reaction to his presence, the figure continued to observe the Chrysler building as his menacing leather armor glistened in the sunlight.

“You again,” Tony remarked when the figure made no motion to acknowledge his presence. He began walking towards the bar, stealing a glance at the staff Loki loosely held in his left hand. He had never seen Loki carry such an object and its strange fire-like shape intrigued him.

“You’re like a black cat, you know that?” He began ranting as he rummaged through his impressive selection of liqours, finally settling on a suitable aged scotch. “Every time you cross my path I run into trouble,” continued his tirade as he picked out a Bohemian styled-glass.

In lieu of an answer, Loki turned his head to the side, observing Tony with his peripheral vision.

“You damaged my car, sent me to the hospital,” He picked up the pinchers for the ice cubes. “Stalked me.” Clink. “Controlled me.” Clink. “Oh, and let’s not forget the lovely few days I spent in jail.” Clink. “And for what?” Tony asked as he took the glass in his hand and turned around to regard Loki.

“What have I to fear?” Loki queried before finally turning around to face Tony.

“The Avengers,” Tony replied. Loki cocked his head to the side, seemingly taking an interest. “It’s what we call ourselves. Earth’s mightiest heroes type of thing,” he continued as he calmly took a sip from his drink.

“Yes,” Loki grinned. “I’ve met them.”

“Yeah,” Tony answered with a cocky laugh. “Let’s do a headcount,” Tony continued. “Your brother the demi-god, a man with breath-taking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, the super solider and me. You’ve managed to piss off every single one of us,” Tony finished as he took another sip from his scotch.

“That was the plan.”

“Not a great plan.”

Loki narrowed his eyes. Thor would be a challenge if only for his god-hood. However, the other humans, with their crossbows and guns and their shake-and-bake, ready-made bodies posed no challenge for him. For a brief moment, the scientist who became a green giant, had held his interest for a while, but the green monster’s low intellect repulsed him. As he went over the list in his head, Loki remembered why he was here and focused on the task at hand.

“I have an army.”

“We have a Hulk,” Tony countered.

“One giant green man,” Loki cocked an eyebrow. “I’m shivering.”

“You’re underestimating us. Let’s hope it doesn’t bite you in the ass.”

“No, I just know a winning side when I see one.”

“Sure, whatever makes you sleep at night,” Tony turned away from Loki. The past times they had verbally sparred, Tony found himself enjoying it. However, the recent events and the hell he dealt with in regards to his company’s recent acquisitions coupled with Loki’s verbal jabs only increased the tension coursing through his body.

“Look,” Tony spoke as he began making himself another scotch as a distraction, using the simple action as a way to placate his desire to punch the smug god in his smug face. “Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us but it’s all on you because if we can’t protect the earth, well be damn well sure to avenge it,” he finished as his eyes fell on a bracelet in front of him. He quickly put it on his wrist before Loki noticed.

“Why not join the winning side?” Loki breathed behind him, low and menacing.

“Are you serious? You’re trying to enlist me?” Tony whirled around with his scotch in his hand.

“I’m merely trying to show you other opportunities,” Loki leered, his face dangerously close to Tony’s.

In order to calm his nerves, Tony took a sip of his scotch. As he stared into Loki’s conniving eyes he began to see a pattern emerge and he almost crushed his scotch glass in anger.

“So that’s what this has been all about,” Tony stated as he watched those poisonous eyes glimmer. “The reason you’ve only been visiting me is because you’ve been trying to make me join you in your schemes?” Tony felt his body turn warm as anger began coursing through him. No one made Tony Stark their pawn.

“Of course. I saw potential in you, Stark. With my magic and your technology, we could be partners.”

“Not even in your wildest fantasies,” Tony fumed through clenched teeth as his whole body yearned for him to lunge at the man and rip out his throat. Without warning, Loki took him by throat. In shock Tony dropped his glass on the floor.

“Let go!” Tony shouted as he tried in vain to loosen Loki’s grip.

“Then you shall die.”

“You think I’m afraid of you?” Tony challenged. Loki searched his eyes and saw only anger instead of the fear he expected. He felt a strange thrill run through him. He had intended on killing the human if he refused his offer but his lack of fear seemed to change Loki’s mind.

“Interesting,” Loki breathed as he watched Tony struggle against him, undeterred by the god’s superior strength. To his surprise, Loki found the sight strangely arousing.

“Put me down you son of a bitch!” Tony yelled. As their eyes locked, Tony noticed a predatory glint shine in Loki’s eyes before they briefly darted away from him towards something in the corner. Without another moment’s hesitation, Loki threw Tony with all his might and watched him collide with the window behind him. In an instant the window shattered and Tony began falling to the street below.

Once again, Loki disappeared in fumes and a moment later, a bomb exploded in the office causing the top floor to collapse, taking a few more floors with it.

~*~

Author’s Note: Get excited! Next chapter will some of the NC-17 a lot of you have been waiting for!
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Avengers: Tainted Love