Still Holding On

Chapter 49

"You know," Tony remarks, "I don't think this is going to be a good idea."

"Probably not," Loki agrees. "Any objections to me trying anyway?"

Tony huffs and waves him on. "Go right ahead. Try not to break too much."

Loki cracks a smile, and the helmet's face mask slides down. Slowly, very slowly, he begins to hover off the ground. The boots are doing all the work – and by all, he really does mean all. The only pieces of the suit Loki wears right now are the helmet and the boots, which is concerning in and of itself, but especially because he doesn't have the gloves on.

Still, he manages it surprisingly well. He's able to levitate off the ground, which is probably more than Tony could do — and definitely more than he could have done when he was first getting used to the suit. It's impressive. It really is.

He starts wobbling a little bit, and his arms shoot out to the side to keep his balance. It seems to have the opposite effect; his whole body begins to wobble, growing more dramatic as he tries to overcorrect.

"Okay," Tony says quickly, "let's—"

Loki falls over, and the boots launch him straight into the wall before they shut themselves off. He whimpers quietly, his body mostly limp as he sits against the busted wall.

"Holy shit," Tony whispers, already taking off. In an instant, he's by the god's side. "Are you okay?"

Again, Loki just whimpers.

"Hey, hey, come on." Tony rests his hand on the helmet, and the face shield slides up.

Loki is not, in fact, whimpering.

He's just laughing.

"Oh, my god," Tony breathes. He sits on the floor, legs crossed in front of him, and takes a deep, calming breath. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Loki just laughs harder. "That was so fun!"

Tony scoffs. "How is that—" He cuts himself off. This must be how Pepper felt when he was still new to being Iron Man. But it's worked out pretty okay for him, so Loki and his god powers are undoubtedly going to be fine, too.

"I have a much greater appreciation for the gloves now," Loki adds. "They certainly make a difference."

Tony sighs and shakes his head to himself, more amused than anything at this point. "You're killing me, buddy."

"Sorry," Loki says. He is very clearly not sorry.

JARVIS cuts in with, "Sir, your guests are here," which is probably a blessing in disguise. God only knows what Loki would get up to in here if he had more time.

"Alright," Tony says, waving it off. "Tell him — wait." He repeats that message in his head."Guests? Plural?"

"Yes, sir," JARVIS says. "Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff."

Tony scowls. "Great." That was not part of the plan.

Loki looks at him warily. "Agent Natasha Romanoff, I presume?"

Tony sighs. "The one and only," he says. "I can go kick her out. I never said she could—"

"No," Loki interrupts. "No, that's alright. Perhaps with two other people in the room, she won't be all too concerned with me."

Tony frowns. "I really can just tell her—"

"I don't want to sour the evening — or the afternoon, or whatever time it is now — before it begins," Loki says. "I'll be alright. I assume they won't stay all too long — no more than a few hours?"