Thor and Loki are sitting in absolute silence when Tony returns to the kitchen. Loki clutches Edward to his chest in a tight hug, his grip loosening only when he sees Tony in the doorway. Tony greets him with a smile. He feels like the god needs it right now.
He sits back down at the kitchen table, claiming his seat right next to Loki's. He pats his friend on the leg, and Loki smiles back at him. There they go. That's what he wanted. Things are going better already.
He turns his attention to Thor. "What's up?" he asks. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Thor says. "I just thought I would visit my brother."
Tony nods slowly. Yep. He sure did. His brother sure has been visited. And it's going great.
There's a long, awkward pause, until Thor asks, "Are you doing anything fun today?" It says how little he knows about what these last few weeks have been like. They've hardly done anything at all.
Still, he chose a good day to ask, because for once, they do have some fun things planned. Tony looks at Loki expectantly. The question was meant for him, after all. He should get to answer.
He doesn't seem to want to, if his long pause is any indication. But when Tony doesn't, he finally says, "We're going to the mall."
"Oh, wonderful!" Thor says with a grin. He pauses. "What is a mall?"
Tony gives Loki another few seconds to answer, and when he doesn't, Tony fills in with, "It's just a bunch of stores. It's fun to walk around."
"Ah." Thor nods as though he understands. Tony gets the feeling that he doesn't. "Why was Fury here?"
"To be a dick," Tony says.
Loki huffs at that, a small smile on his face that he can't quite hide.
As a slightly more serious answer, Tony says, "Nat came by the other day and got to meet Loki. I think Fury was jealous."
"Natasha was...?" Thor gives him a weird look – well-deserved, he'll admit, given that it was his idea to keep the other Avengers out of it.
"She had a work question," Tony says vaguely. "She didn't realize I had a new housemate."
Thor nods slowly, processing that. Whether he manages to figure out what really happened, Tony cannot tell for the life of him, but he does stop asking after that, so that explanation must be somewhat satisfactory.
Loki looks between them, confused. "You know them?" he asks his brother. "Natasha and the Director?"
"Of course," Thor says. "They're my friends."
Loki makes a face at that, and Tony bites back a laugh.
"This is an anti-SHIELD household," Tony tells Thor. "If you're friends with anyone from SHIELD, you need to leave."
Thor furrows his brows. "I'm sorry?"
"No, I'm kidding," Tony says. "But if one more person from SHIELD walks into this building, I might strangle them."
Thor just stares at him uncomprehendingly.
"They're rude," Loki explains, two words that do a better job of explaining than Tony probably could have done in multiple sentences.
Actually, speaking of them being rude...
Tony looks at the god curiously. "Did you have people executed for being rude to you a lot?"
Loki bursts out laughing, which is an answer in and of itself. "No, but it sounded like it, right?"
"So you never had anybody executed," Tony surmises. That's what he's saying, right? God, he hopes that's what he's saying.
"Of course not," Loki says. "If I were to have executed every person who spoke down to me, there would be scarcely anybody left in Asgard."
Thor frowns. "That's not true."
The twinkle of amusement in Loki's eye fades. He glances at his brother, then drops his gaze to Edward in his lap. Monotonously, he says, "No, I never had that power, nor would I want it. I was merely hoping it would make him reconsider how he was talking to me. Obviously, it did not work."
Tony looks between the two brothers. Thor shut him down fast – fast enough that even he looks surprised. Loki squeezes Edward's fluffy little stomach in his hands, silent.
"Uh, you know what, Thor?" Tony says awkwardly. "It's a big mall and I want to make sure we have time to check out every store. But if you want to come back another day, we'll put aside some more time for you, how's that?" He plasters on a smile.
Thor looks at his brother like he's going to protest, but he doesn't. Of course he doesn't; he's the reason Tony's calling it quits in the first place. Thor seems to accept that, however reluctantly he is, and stands up to leave.
"I'll walk you out," Tony says.
"I appreciate that," Thor says.
Tony pats Loki on the leg. "I'll be right back."
Loki looks up from his stuffed bear just long enough to mouth thank you. Tony nudges Loki's shoulder with his own in response, then stands up.
"I'll see you soon, brother," Thor tells him. "Have fun at the mall."
Loki just nods, silent. Thor looks at Tony helplessly, and he just shrugs. He doesn't get it, either – but he will, he's sure. As soon as Thor's gone, he has very little doubt that Loki will tell him exactly what he's thinking. He usually does.
Tony leads Thor down the hall, and, as always, it's silent until they reach the elevator. He wonders briefly if Loki's ever noticed that Tony never talks to anybody as they leave. He'd be interested to know what conclusions that brings him to – the wrong ones, he's sure.
As the elevator doors close, Thor says, "So SHIELD knows that he's here."
"Yep," Tony says. "Nat saw him last week, so the jig's been up for a while."
"Are they going to do anything about it?" Thor asks.
Tony shakes his head. "Fury knows he's not a threat, so I don't think they really care." He cares about the scepter, of course. He cares that Loki knows about it, and he seems to care that Loki's mind flashes back to the Battle of New York in his sleep. But he doesn't mention that. He will one day. Whatever reason Loki has to keep it from him, it can't be worth the hassle. But until he knows Loki's reasoning and he's sure it's not valid, he's keeping his mouth shut, just like he promised.
"That's good," Thor says. There's a pause, then he asks, "Does he talk about me?"
Tony shrugs. "He'll mention you sometimes, but he doesn't, you know, tell me your whole life story."
"Has he told you why he's acting so differently around me?" Thor asks. "He was my best friend not long ago. Now he'll hardly look at me."
Tony shakes his head. "I don't know," he admits. "He doesn't seem to like Asgard, so I guess..."
"But the last time I was here, he said I was different," he says. "I never lied to him about who he was because I didn't know. He said we could try again."
"Maybe this is his way of trying again," Tony says. "Give him time. He'll get there." (He may never get there. He has no idea; he's just pulling this out of his ass.)
Thor sighs. "I hope so."
They reach the lobby, and Tony gestures for Thor to go first, then follows him out of the elevator. They head to the front door, but Thor stops before he leaves.
"He likes living here, doesn't he?" Thor asks.
"Oh, he loves it," Tony says. "I gotta find more things for us to do, though. I think the novelty's wearing off. It's only a matter of time 'til he starts getting bored." The mall's a good place to start, but he's gonna have to branch out from there. They could probably try bowling. Maybe there's an arcade nearby? He'll figure something out.
Thor frowns. "He never looks very happy when I see him."
That's probably because you're here.
He doesn't say it, but he's pretty damn close. He doesn't know what's going on with them, but he knows enough.
"I'm glad he seems to enjoy himself when I'm not here," Thor says. "I just wish I could see it."
Tony sighs. "I'm sure you will someday," he says. "But Loki's happy. Isn't that enough for right now?"
Thor hesitates, but it's hard to argue with that without sounding like an asshole. "I suppose so. This has all just happened so fast. A year ago, I would have called him my best friend. It's hard to accept that he doesn't care for me the way he used to."
"You can't force him to like you," Tony tells him. "He'll come back around on his own time — or he won't. I don't know. Whenever happens is gonna happen."
Thor nods reluctantly. "I'm going to go home," he says. "Perhaps when I next come, we can do some sort of Midgardian activity that Loki seems to enjoy? I don't see much good coming from just trying to talk to him."
"I can try to find something," Tony says. "Give me a few days, okay?" Not that it would take him a few days to pull out a deck of cards and suggest they play Go Fish, but he gets the feeling Loki would like the break. He just had to deal with Fury. He deserves a reprieve before he has to deal with his brother.
Thor forces a smile. "Thank you, Stark," he says. "I am in your debt."
"Damn right, you are," Tony says. "Now go do god things. I'm taking your brother to the mall."
That's the extent of their conversation, and thankfully so. Tony doesn't dislike Thor — he honestly likes him about as much as he does the other Avengers — but damn, if the guy doesn't drive him crazy. He's not even sure why. Maybe it's just some internal bias because he knows Loki doesn't seem to like him very much, either.
God, if someone had told him when he first agreed to take Loki in for a day or two that he'd come to like Loki more than he liked Thor, he would have called them crazy. It's funny how things change.
With both Fury and Thor gone, Tony heads back upstairs to check in with Loki. He has some questions to ask, and, he assumes, some comfort to give – what seems to be his new job these days.
Loki's still sitting at the table when Tony gets back to the kitchen, watching the doorway. His face lights up when he sees him, and Tony can't help but smile back. He doesn't quite know how he got Loki to like him this much, but he's glad he did.
"Thor's gone," Tony tells him. "He shouldn't be back for a few days."
Loki just nods, the extent of the attention he pays to that. "Is it time to go to the mall?"
He sounds so excited about this that Tony doesn't want to say no. He does it anyway.
"Can we talk first, actually?" Tony asks.
Loki's excitement fades at the question. "About what?"
Tony sits down across from him at the kitchen table. Even just that brief silent pause brings about a new sense of wariness in Loki's expression.
Tony takes a moment to figure out how to ask his questions. Finally, he settles on, "Do you know something about the scepter that you haven't told me?" Like, perhaps, that it fucked with his head?
Loki furrows his brows. "I beg your pardon?"
"It's okay if there is," Tony adds quickly. "If there was something you didn't want to say in front of Fury; that's fine. But if there's something you want to tell me..."
That only serves to confuse Loki more. "I told you everything I know," he says. "I promise, when I tell you I remember nothing of this scepter, I truly mean I remember nothing after I held it. I wouldn't lie to you."
"No, no, I know that," Tony assures him. "I don't think you're lying. I'm not accusing you of anything. I was just wondering if there's anything you want to tell me that you didn't want to tell Fury. That's all."
Loki relaxes a little at that. "Oh, no, I told you everything," he says. "I wish I had more to offer you."
"No, that's fine," Tony assures him. "I appreciate you being honest."
Loki gives him a small smile in return.
"But why don't you want Thor to know?"
Loki's smile disappears. "I just don't."
"Why not?" Tony asks again. "Do you think Thor knows something about the scepter that we don't?" He'd hate to turn Thor's next visit into an interrogation session, but, to be fair, unless Loki warms back up to him, he's not good for a hell of a lot else. If he knows something that could explain what the hell the scepter did to Loki...
But Loki shakes his head. "No, but I imagine he'd like to."
"What do you mean?" Tony asks cautiously.
"If Asgard knew I'd been in contact with an Infinity Stone, I imagine they'd want to know more," Loki says. "And I have nothing more to tell. You may believe me, but they wouldn't, and I don't..."
Tony cocks his head to the side. "You don't what?"
Loki hesitates, then says quietly, "I don't want them to make me go back."
Tony sighs. "Loki..." He puts his hand on the god's leg. "They're not going to make you go anywhere," he says. "You live here now. They know that. They're not gonna take you away from me. I won't let them."
Loki frowns — not quite the reaction he'd hoped for. "Have you ever met the Allfather?"
Tony furrows his brows. "Who's that, your dad?" He doesn't know where the all comes from, but it feels like a reasonable guess.
"In a way," Loki says. "He's the one who raised me; my real father is dead."
"Oh." Tony frowns. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I killed him."
Tony stares at him. "You did what?"
"He was an enemy of Asgard," Loki says dismissively. "That doesn't matter. My point is that the Allfather does not argue. He has never cared what I wanted. He certainly will not care what you want. If he decides he wants me back in Asgard, I won't have a choice. He will have his men drag me out kicking and screaming if he must. So please, don't tell Thor about the scepter. I don't want anybody from Asgard to know what I've seen."
Tony sighs. Great. That's... great. But at least he can tell Thor now. Thor already knows he had the scepter. He'll doubtlessly want to know that that seems to be when the memory loss started. They can figure out where to go from there — without involving Loki.
"Can I ask a personal question?" Tony asks. He knows damn well that Loki's not going to tell him no, but at least he's prepared for it.
"Of course," Loki says.
"What's going on with you and Thor?" Tony asks.
Loki pauses. "In what sense?"
"Just, you know, in general," Tony says. "I just feel like you don't want him around." Thor said basically the same thing today, too. He'd figured the first couple of times Loki freaked out would be a temporary thing while his memory was slipping, but this is happening every single time Thor comes by.
Loki shakes his head helplessly. "I don't know," he admits. "I love him. He's my brother — kind of. But at the same time..." He sighs. "I don't really like him anymore. We've been drifting apart for decades – centuries, even. I have nothing left in common with this incredible, fearless, heroic warrior and future king of Asgard. I haven't for a long time."
Tony frowns. Well, that's... sad. Trying for levity, he says, "Well, you do have the 'incredible' part in common."
Loki offers him a small smile for that.
"You know," Tony says, "I think he's really trying to do better. He doesn't want to be your king; he wants to be your friend."
Loki sighs. "He may say that – he may believe that – but it's not true," he says. "He's told me before to know my place, and now I do. My place is and always has been beneath him. That's not going to change because I'm now on Midgard."
Tony scoffs. "He told you that?" Oh, he's going to have some choice words for him when he comes back...
Loki cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"He told you to know your place," Tony repeats. "He actually said that."
Loki nods slowly. "Yes?"
"You should've punched him in the face."
Loki cracks a smile at that. "The first time, I very nearly did," he admits. "But it wouldn't have changed anything. This was always how it was going to end. The closer he got to the throne, the further he strayed from me. Our relationship was never going to survive his rule."
"I still think you should have punched him in the face," Tony tells him.
Loki chuckles. "If it's any consolation, I think I did punch him in the face before I left Asgard," he says. "Among other very violent things. It was a bit of a blur, but I certainly did hit him many times."
"Good," Tony says, "because if you hadn't, I would've had to punch him in the face for you, and I don't think that would have ended well."
Loki bites his lip, holding back a laugh. "No, probably not," he agrees. "It would be funny, though."
"I shouldn't have rushed him out of here so fast," Tony jokes. "I could've punched him in the face right now."
"I imagine it would hurt your hand more than it would hurt his face, though," Loki remarks.
"I'm not trying to hurt his face; I'm trying to hurt his feelings."
"Now that you may be able to accomplish – but only if I can watch. I think it would be very cathartic."
"Of course you can watch," Tony assures him "I'll need someone to cheer me on before Thor knocks me into next week."
Loki laughs at that. "Knocks you into next week.'" Tony doesn't have the heart to tell him that's an existing expression and not something he just came up with on the spot. "That's going to be a very strong punch."
"I hope you know CPR," Tony says. "I might need it."
Loki shakes his head to himself, an amused smile on his face, and Tony smiles, too. Bullying Thor is always morally correct if it puts Loki in a good mood.
"Alright," Tony says, nudging Loki's shoulder with his own. "Let's go to the mall."