Loki sticks around for a while. He's right by Tony's sidet to watch the clips of Aldritch Killian's fatal experiments. Then, of course, Tony has to tell him who Aldritch Killian is and how they met. Other than that sarcastic remark about how he has a hard time seeing how he's the bad guy when Tony does shit like that, he's not a bad listener.
After that, Loki goes back to check on Harley's progress. Tony makes his way back to his car so he can call and do the same from the comfort of his heated stolen vehicle.
"Alright, how's it going over there?" Tony asks, his phone propped up on speaker by the steering wheel.
"Harley is quite the technological prodigy," Loki tells him through the phone. "He had everything ready for you when I arrived."
"And JARVIS?" Tony asks. As much as he appreciates the help, JARVIS is the only one who can talk to him about this suit on his level.
"JARVIS is somewhat operational," Loki says. "Harley has been asking him trivia questions and gleefully enjoying the wrong answers."
Tony snorts. "Sounds like you're having the time of your life over there."
In the background, Harley can be heard asking, "How tall is Mount Everest?"
JARVIS replies with, "Mount Everest is 29,032 feet highway."
Harley bursts out laughing.
"Uh..." Tony furrows his brows. Okay, that's weird. "What's going on with JARVIS?"
"I will let JARVIS tell you himself," Loki says.
There's a brief pause and a quiet clink of metal on metal.
"JARVIS, buddy," Tony says uncertainly, "you okay?"
"It's totally fine, sir," JARVIS says. "I seem to do quite well for a stretch, then at the end of the sentence, I say the wrong cranberry."
Tony blinks at that.
Okay...
"And, sir, you were right," JARVIS adds. "Once I factored in available AIM download link facilities, I was able to pinpoint the Mandarin's broadcast signal."
"Alright, what are we talking? Far East, Europe, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, Syria? Where is it?"
"Actually, sir," JARVIS says, "it's in Miami."
Tony hits his head against the headrest a few times. "Okay, Loki, you're no longer the dumbest person in the room. Check the screen. Where is it?"
There's a brief pause as Loki does just that. "It says Miami, Florida," he says. "Why does that surprise you?"
Great, he's working with an artificial intelligence system with broken intelligence and a god with no concept of geography. Thank god he's at least got Harley.
"Nevermind," Tony says. "Look, I'm going to Florida. How's the armor coming?"
"Uh..." Harley checks that. "It's not charging."
Tony slams on the breaks.
It's not charging?
It's not —
It needs to charge.
"Actually, sir," JARVIS says, "it is charging, but the power source is questionable. It may not succeed in revitalizing the Mark 42."
Tony pulls his hands away from the steering wheel, and they begin shaking in front of him. "What's questionable about electricity?" he demands. "All right? It's my suit, and I can't... I'm not gonna... I don't wanna..." He trails off breathlessly. "Oh, god, not again."
God, why is this car so small? He's suffocating in it. He can't move. He can't think. He sucks in a ragged breath. He can't breathe.
Tony feels around for the door handle. Why can't he find it? It's right here. It's on the door. He just wants to open the door. He needs to get out of here.
Oh, thank fuck, it's the handle. He pushes the door out and stumbles out of the car. He grips the door frame tightly, like it's his only lifeline. He can't breathe. He's breathing, but he can't breathe. Why can't he breathe?
"Tony?" Harley says cautiously. "Are you having another attack?"
Tony sucks in a labored breath. He can't do this. He can't keep doing this. He slams a hand on top of the car, trying to steady himself, but he finds himself sliding to the ground anyway.
Loki appears in front of him, and Tony jumps at the sight. He's never going to get used to this guy just appearing places. Loki crouches down in front of him, and Tony lets his head fall back against the car, his gaze on the sky.
"Stark, just breathe," Loki says, gently but firmly.
"I can't," Tony whispers. "I can't—"
"You can," Loki says. "You've been doing it for decades. Just breathe."
Tony swallows hard. Yeah, he can... he can breathe. He forces himself to take a deep breath. God, the whole world is spinning. Why is the world spinning? He takes another measured breath. This is good. Breathing is good.
"We will fix your armor," Loki says. "I assure you of that. We will fix your armor, or we will find another way to keep you safe, but we cannot do that until you calm down."
Tony just nods. He knows that. Of course he knows it. But even as his breathing begins to slow, his heart still pounds rapidly in his chest. He can't just calm down.
"You've done a lot today," Loki says. "You've been through a lot. You deserve a break; to take a few minutes to relax and gather yourself.
Tony shakes his head. "I can't," he says breathlessly. "I can't just—"
"Two minutes," Loki interrupts. "Give yourself two minutes to collect yourself. Nothing bad will happen if you wait two minutes to clear your head."
Tony squeezes his eyes shut. That's probably true. He can have two minutes to himself. Two minutes to just breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Over and over and over. Just in and out.
His heart rate begins to slow, no longer pounding throughout his body. He opens his eyes and holds his hands out in front of him. They're barely shaking. He presses the back of his palm to his cheek. This is better. He's doing better. He's okay.
Finally, Tony forces himself to meet Loki's gaze. "Okay," he says. "What do we do now?"
"That would be your choice," Loki tells him. "But if the problem with your suit lies in the electricity, perhaps we could call for my brother. He's overcharged your suit before. He can charge it again."
"How?" Tony asks. "I'm pretty sure Thor doesn't have a phone."
Loki hesitates, then sighs. "By doing this." He raises his gaze to the sky. "Heimdall? I know we are not on the best of terms, but if you can hear me, I need to see my brother."
Tony furrows his brows. "What are you doing? Who are you talking to?"
"Heimdall, the Asgardian gatekeeper," Loki says. "He can see everything in the Nine Realms. Though I am no longer a citizen of Asgard and he has no reason to watch over me, I would like to think if he can, he will help, if only because you are a friend of Thor's."
Tony stares at him. "So he can see everything?"
Loki nods. "Essentially."
"Isn't that... creepy?" Tony asks. He thinks it's creepy. "Especially if you know him. He's just... watching you. All the time."
"I always found it more annoying than creepy," Loki says. "Especially now. I am sure he is enjoying my exile immensely." He rolls his eyes at that.
"What, you're not buddies?" Tony asks teasingly.
"No, we are not," Loki says darkly.
Tony's brows shoot up. "Wow, okay. What happened with you guys?"
Loki shakes his head. "Doesn't matter."
"Oh, come on," Tony says, almost whining. "Look at me!" He spreads his arms helplessly. "I'm suffering! It's been a rough day! Why can't I have a story time?"
Loki rolls his eyes. "Because."
"Does Thor know what happened?" Tony asks. "What if I ask Thor?" He wouldn't care so much if Loki wasn't so determined not to talk about it, but now he's curious, and he's not above asking around for answers if he has to.
"No!" Harley whines. "Then I won't get to hear it!"
Tony jumps at the sound of his voice. "Holy shit," he breathes. "I forgot you were still on the phone."
"And you're, like, really quiet," Harley adds. "Can you come closer to the phone so I can hear?"
Tony can't help but chuckle at that. He's a cute kid. There are definitely worse partners out there. And, just for that, Tony pushes himself to his feet and pulls his phone out of the car. Loki stands back up as well.
"Well, now you have to tell us the story," Tony says to the god. "You can't leave poor Harley hanging, can you?"
Loki rolls his eyes. "There is no story," he says. "I was king and he betrayed me. I punished him for his treason. That was the last I saw of him."
Tony balks at him. "You were the king?"
Loki just nods.
"Of Asgard?"
He nods again.
Tony scoffs. "What the hell happened?" How did he go from the king of Asgard to an exiled nuisance that tried to take over the world?
Loki shakes his head. "Irrelevant," he says. "What matters is that Heimdall has a good heart, even if we tend to disagree on... well, most things. I trust that if he can help, he will."
"So you think he'll send Thor down?" Tony asks. That would be nice. They could use the extra set of hands, even beyond just powering the suit.
"I hope so," Loki says.
"Then we should head back to Harley's," Tony says. "'Cause I'm guessing Thor will just show up wherever we are, right?" He's not just going to pop up here on the side of the road when Tony and Loki are long gone?
"If he does come, yes, Heimdall will likely bring him to us," Loki says.
"Great," Tony says. That's actually perfect. That's exactly what he'd want. "Then let's go." He slides back into the front seat and puts his phone down. "Lokes, you riding with me or just teleporting back?"
"In no way is anything I am doing even remotely related to teleportation," Loki says, and he's way more exasperated about that than he should be. "But I will ride back with you — if you do not mind."
Tony waves that off. "Yeah, no, that's fine. I don't care." It'll be kind of nice to have the company. He doesn't want to do this alone. He's not sure he could do this alone, if he's being honest.
Loki teleports into the seat next to him (why does he not consider that teleportation?), and Tony puts the car back in drive.
Harley cuts in with, "Does this mean I get to meet Thor?"
"Sounds like it," Tony says.
"Possibly," Loki corrects him. "I cannot guarantee he will come. I cannot even guarantee Heimdall pays me any mind now that I am no longer his charge — and even if he does, he may not relay my message."
Tony frowns. "Okay, well, what are the odds that he's gonna show? 'Cause he kinda has to show."
"I haven't the slightest idea," Loki says. "It depends on both Heimdall's willingness to help and Thor's availability."
"I'm pretty freakin' sure Thor will make himself available," Tony says. Tony's life is on the line. He and Thor may not be besties, but they're good enough friends that Thor would definitely not leave him hanging.
"If he can, I assume he will," Loki says. "But I cannot promise he will come, so I do recommend at least trying to create a second plan for if he does not show up."
"Tell you what," Tony says. "If he hasn't shown his face by the time we get to Harley's, we'll start brainstorming other options. How 'bout that?"
"I suppose that works," Loki agrees.
"I have an idea," Harley volunteers.
"And I'm sure it's a bad idea," Tony says. "I'm hanging up. Let the grownups talk."
"No," Loki says, and Tony glances over at him with an eyebrow raised. "I think we should listen."
Tony rolls his eyes. "Fine. Harley, what's your idea?"
"Why don't you call in the other Avengers?"
"I..." Tony trails off. Why hasn't he thought to involve the other Avengers? Even if they're too busy to pick up the phone, he has Loki here. Why hasn't he thought to send him out to talk to them?
"The other Avengers are on their own missions," Loki says. "Much like my brother, they are not always available upon request."
"We could ask, though," Tony says. "Someone's gotta feel bad and come help." If they hear that his life may be on the line, someone is going to come help him. They won't all leave him hanging, right? "If this thing with Thor doesn't work out, go hit up the others, will you? Really play it up."
"I will try," Loki says. "But if they are already preoccupied with their own deadly situation where my presence could be a hindrance, I will leave without speaking to them. I am not going to risk their lives to save yours."
"What, you don't think I'm more important than them?" Tony asks teasingly.
"You are the single most obnoxious person I have ever met," Loki deadpans. "I would sacrifice your life for a bowl of ice cream."
Tony snorts. "Great. Thanks, Loki." He shakes his head to himself. What a nice guy. "Alright, Harley, now I'm actually gonna hang up, but keep working on the suit. JARVIS will tell you what to do. We'll see you in, like, half an hour."
"Yep, bye," Harley says.
Tony feels around for his phone, but Harley hangs up before he can find it.
Tony lets out a long breath. He almost feels like he can relax now. He's going to get help. He already has help: he has Loki. He never would have imagined finding comfort in Loki's presence, but right now, he's actually glad to have the god sitting by his side.
"So, I'm thinking," Tony says, mostly to hear himself talk because it's very relaxing to talk through this, "once Thor shows up — or when we get someone else's help — we'll head down to Miami. That's where we should find the Mandarin. We stop him, we stop the deaths. Then we go find Killian. Sound like a plan?"
"A plan? Yes," Loki says. "A good plan? That remains to be seen."
Tony rolls his eyes. Such a pessimist.
They drive in silence a while longer. There's no point in making conversation if it's just going to consist of them taking jabs at each other. As much as he enjoys making fun of Loki — and he really does enjoy it — right now feels like the wrong time. He'll save it for when he's not grateful for the god's presence. It shouldn't take too long.
A beam of light strikes down in the woods by the side of the road. Tony slams on the breaks, staring at it with wide eyes. The light doesn't stop, still streaming down into the trees.
"What the...?"
"Thor," Loki says simply.
Oh. God, he'd nearly forgotten what the Bifrost looked like.
Tony pulls up next to the light just as it disappears. He parks the car and hops out, and Loki follows him towards where the Bifrost once was. This was actually a lot quicker than he'd expected. It's great, really. It's perfect. Thor can hitch a ride to Harley's, power up the suit, and the two of them can head down to Miami together and take out the Mandarin. This is going to be easy.
As they walk into the woods, Tony says, "Oh, hey, if Thor's gonna come with me, you're welcome to head home."
Loki raises his brows. "Oh. Alright."
"Just 'cause, like, he'll be here," Tony says. "I figure if I have his help, I shouldn't need yours." Loki's done enough. Just having someone familiar around has been enough to keep him calm and collected, and it's been nice to have someone to talk through this with. But Loki's stuck around for long enough. Thor can take over.
"Alright," Loki says again.
"Alright, good."
"Good."
The rest of the walk is silent, not that it lasts very long. They just want to find where the Bifrost struck down, and it's not very difficult to find an empty spot among a tree-filled woods.
As expected, there is someone in this tree-less circle, but, to Tony's surprise, it's not Thor. No, this is a woman — a fellow Asgardian, if her fancy silver armor is any indication. She brushes her long, raven black locks out of her face and looks around, and Tony eyes her warily. This is not what he was hoping for.
"Well," Loki says, loudly enough for her to hear it even as they're still closing the distance between them, "isn't this a lovely surprise?"
"Believe me," she says darkly, "I would not be here if the Allfather himself hadn't sent me."
Loki chuckles dryly. "It's nice to see you, too, Sif."
Tony looks between them, his brows furrowed. Well, this is interesting.
Loki stalks up to her, looking down at her with his chin lifted. She keeps hers raised as well, unphased by what seems to be an attempt to intimidate her.
"I asked for Thor," Loki says. "Why did the Allfather send you?"
Sif plasters on a condescending smile. "Because he knew you missed me."
Loki huffs a humorless laugh. "He knows me so little, I'd almost believe that," he says. "Why are you really here? I asked for my brother for a reason."
"Thor's not in Asgard," Sif tells him. "He is out of our reach, off in another realm. That is all the Allfather will allow me to tell you."
"Slaughtering the neighbors, I presume?" Loki asks.
"Protecting the peace," Sif corrects him. "The peace you broke."
Loki scoffs. "I beg your pardon? This is my fault? I've hardly been in Asgard in, oh, 18 months? How is this my fault?"
"You know exactly how," Sif says. "When the Bifrost was lost to us —"
"And who broke it?" Loki interrupts. "Who demolished your precious Rainbow Bridge?"
"You forced his hand."
"I did no such thing," Loki snaps. "I was entirely within my right as king—"
"You were never supposed to be king!" Sif practically yells.
"It was my birthright!" Loki yells back.
Tony finally decides to cut in. He steps up next to Loki, looking between them with a frown. "Alright, can we just—"
"Shut up, Stark," Loki snaps.
"How 'bout you both shut up?" Tony counters. "Seriously, guys, I'm kind of in the middle of fighting a literal terrorist and his human bombs. Can you stop fighting for two minutes and work with me so I don't die?"
Loki grits his teeth and Sif crosses her arms, but neither of them try to argue.
"Thank you," Tony says indignantly. "Now, I just — I gotta ask. What happened with you two?"
"A thousand years of microaggressions," Loki says.
"And his immaturity and sense of entitlement grew more annoying by the day," Sif adds.
Tony eyes them for a few moments. "Are you guys, like, exes?" It would explain a lot. Bitter ex-lovers reunited, immediately at each other's throats? He'd buy it.
Sif blanches at the suggestion. "Of course not! I would never—"
"She's a friend of Thor's," Loki says.
"Ah." Tony nods, as if that answers his questions at all. Is this just part of Loki's "I hate my brother" thing that didn't go away when he learned to tolerate his brother again? Is this just an ordinary sibling thing? He's so confused.
"I was your friend, too," Sif says, "once upon a time."
Loki shakes his head. "We were never friends, Sif," he says. "There's no reason to rewrite history."
"Do you really believe that to be true?" Sif asks him.
"I know it to be."
Tony cocks an eyebrow. He wants to hear more about that. (Yes, he knows his life is on the line and Asgardian gossip is the last thing he should care about, but he can't help it! He's interested!)
"Hey, Loki," Tony says, "you wanna go check on Pepper real quick?"
Loki's brows shoot up. "Now?"
"Yeah, now," Tony says. "That's what you're here for, remember?"
"Yes, but—"
"So go check on Pepper." He shoos the god away. "Go! Do your thing!" He's really not worried about her, but if he gets Loki out of here, he might be able to get Sif to talk, and he would love to hear some Asgardian gossip about what Loki was like growing up. He couldn't have always been batshit insane, right? Although Thor did say he turned into a snake and stabbed him when he was eight, so maybe...
"I will look in on Pepper after Sif returns to Asgard," Loki says, shooting her a pointed look.
"Well, maybe Sif wants to stick around," Tony suggests.
Sif cuts in with, "Actually, I—"
Tony cuts her off. "Let's just talk about it," he says. "But, Loki, seriously. Go check on Pepper. It's been a while. I wanna make sure she's alright."
Loki shoots him a glare, but he does as he's told, thank god. As soon as he's disappeared, Tony turns to Sif. "Okay, what's Loki's deal?"
Sif raises her brows. "Excuse me?"
"Look," Tony says, rushing his words with what limited time he has, "the only other Asgardian I get to talk to is Thor and I don't trust his word on Loki at all, so while you're here and he's not, what the fuck is up with him?"
She shakes her head helplessly. "What do you want to know?"
"I don't know," Tony says, "what—"
Loki reappears in front of him, eyes wide, cutting their conversation short. "They took her."
Tony stares at him. "What?"
"They took her!" Loki says again. "Someone took her!"
Tony shakes his head. "No, they didn't," he says, almost to himself. "They — You're joking. That's what this is. It's a joke. Right?" God, his heart is pounding. He can barely hear anything. This can't be happening. Pepper's safe. She's supposed to be safe. He can't be putting her in danger again.
"I would not joke about this," Loki says. "Someone took Ms. Potts. She is alive, but she is..." He trails off. That's probably for the best.
"Dammit, Loki!" Tony yells, his hands balling into fists by his side. Raising his voice like this is making his head spin. He doesn't care. He doesn't care that he can hardly breathe anymore; that he can feel his pulse through every inch of his body. He cares that Pepper is gone; she's hurt; she's alone. That's what matters to him. "You were supposed to be watching her!"
Loki scoffs. "I'm sorry, I was busy trying to keep you alive!"
"I didn't ask you to!"
"You didn't have to!"
Tony grits his teeth, fuming. That son of a bitch. If he was really here right now... Well, he should be glad Tony doesn't have a spare blaster left.
"This is what I do, Stark," Loki says, his voice lowering but none of the emotions subsiding. "I protect my people. Whether they deserve it or not."
"Yeah?" Tony says. "Well, I'm not 'your people'!"
"Yes, you are!" Loki says. "As long as I am living in your tower, you are under my protection."
"Bullshit!" Tony snaps. "You're not protecting anyone! You haven't done jack shit all day! All I asked you to do was watch over Pepper, and you couldn't even do that!"
Loki narrows his eyes in a glare. "Fine," he says. "Finish this yourself."
And then he's gone.
"Dammit!" Tony yells, fuming. He left! He found out that someone took Pepper, and he just left! How spectacularly useless can one asshole be?
"I should be returning to Asgard," Sif says. "But I do wish you well. Best of luck to you."
"Wait, hold on," Tony says quickly. "You're leaving? But I don't know if I can do this myself."
Sif shakes her head. "I was told not to interfere."
Tony blinks. "What?"
"The Allfather will not let me — or anyone else — interfere with Loki's banishment," Sif tells him.
"Well, great, Loki's not here anymore," Tony says. "So you can stick around and help."
"That makes no difference," Sif says. "I am here to tell you that Thor will not be. That is all."
Tony sighs and runs a hand down his face. "So that's it. You came here to scare Loki away, and now you're leaving."
Sif snorts. "I would hardly say I scared Loki away."
Tony shoots her a look. Now's really not the time.
Sif sighs. "This is just who he is," she says. "He does what he wants with no regard for how it may hurt anybody else. If you expected any better from him, that was your first mistake."
"Yeah, no, I see that now," Tony says. "Has he always been like that? How'd you deal with that for so long?"
"He's always been selfish," Sif says, "but he changed after Thor's coronation. My understanding is that you've met a very different side of Loki than I know."
Tony furrows his brows. "What do you mean?"
"The Loki I knew was quiet; he kept to himself," Sif says. "As his sense of entitlement grew, he became more outspoken about his wrath, but there was a time not long ago when it was easy to ignore."
"So he's always been a piece of shit," Tony surmises. "He was just a quiet piece of shit."
Sif huffs a laugh. "Essentially, yes."
Tony cracks a smile at that, but it fades after a few moments. "You really can't stick around? Even for a couple hours?"
She shakes her head. "As it is, I've stayed well beyond my welcome. I should return to Asgard — but it was nice to finally meet you, Tony Stark."
Tony gives a small nod. "You too, Sif. And if you see Thor, can you send him over? I still really need the help."
"Of course," Sif says. "But he speaks very highly of you. From what I've heard of you, I expect you to be fine. Still, I wish you the best of luck."
Tony gives her a small smile. "Thanks, Sif."
Sif returns his smile, then raises her gaze to the sky. "Heimdall?"
It only takes a second for the Bifrost to return, and Tony quickly steps away while it sucks her up and away.
He sighs.
Back to the drawing board, it seems.