Walk A Mile In His Armor

[darkdragonne]

Title: Walk A Mile In His Armor
Fandom: Avengers MCU
Characters: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Loki, Thor, Steve Rogers (Captain America), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Bruce Banner (Hulk), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Doctor Doom, Amora (Enchantress)
Words: 10,212 (including author's notes)
Summary: The Enchantress' spell went wrong, and now Tony and Loki have to deal with the results as Tony struggles to master the magic that could fix it. (Written for a No True Pair prompt involving Tony, Loki, and bodyswap).

A/N- so I was sick today and stayed home, and this monster is the result. I literally didn’t move from the computer except to get food. I only started with a vague idea and sorta let it write itself. Hope you like it!

A Mile in his Armor
“Traitor!” Amora hissed, throwing a glob of green light at Loki. “You would have left me to die!”
“Only a necessary casualty!” He said, and the illusion of himself hit by her magic disappeared. “You know I would have had Hel bring you back!”
“Liar!” The Enchantress’ body started glowing green, as did her eyes, and she rose a foot or two in the air, hair whipping around her with an unseen wind. She was working a powerful magic, and Loki frantically worked to put up a shield around himself.
And then it went wrong. Stark, who had been watching the scene unfold from above, decided it would be a good idea to enter the fight at that moment, swooped in and knocked Loki to the ground. The shield around him flickered as he lost concentration, and it was all he could do to build it up again as Amora released her spell, which shot towards him and Stark with a crackling sound. And as the spell hit the shield and exploded, the world went green, and then, as Loki felt the life ripped out of his body, black.
***
Tony woke up with a groan. He remembered something about a battle, flying in, something exploding… and nothing. There was someone breathing next to him, and he thought he recognize something familiar and trustworthy about that sound. Someone he knew then. “What happened?” He asked groggily, noticing something strange about his voice, and then it hit him.
The suit. If he had flown into a battle, he was supposed to wear his suit. The team hadn’t carried him back to the tower, because he could feel rough pavement on his cheek, and an almost unbearable heat, as if he was wearing a coat in the middle of a desert. Slowly he got to his feet and surveyed the area.
Scorch marks on the buildings. Shattered windows. Someone’s blood, spattered in small drops around. And lying on the floor, the suit. It looked a bit smaller than usually. He must have knocked his head hard. But why was the suit…
Muffled sounds were coming from inside it, and it moved into a sitting position, as if there was someone trying to get out. “JARVIS, who’s in my suit?” He asked in alarm, and then his eyes widened as he realized his voice was not his own. JARVIS didn’t answer, of course. Crap. “JARVIS, override 2234621. Open helmet.” The piece of golden metal covering the head of whoever was in the suit- his suit, slid back, revealing… Tony’s face, staring with an expression of distaste.
“What are you doing in my body, Stark?” The not-Tony asked.
“I could ask the same,” Tony said absently, looking down to see in whose body he WAS exactly. Green and black leather. A stray black hair drifting into his line of sight. Lifting a hand to his face, he saw golden vanguards and long, pale fingers. No. No. NO!
“Give it back!” Tony demanded, on the verge of hysteria. “Give my body back, you freaking elk!” Wait, did that mean Tony was the elk now, in this ridiculous outfit?
“Do you think I chose to be trapped in your pathetic form?” Loki asked with derision.
“Well, if you didn’t do it, then who?”
“Amora.” The word was said with finality, and although Tony trusted Loki about as far as he could throw him without the suit (although after whatever had just happened he suspected the distance might be much farther than it was), it didn’t feel like he was lying this time. Then again, it was hard to tell with Loki.
“The Enchantress? Aren’t you supposed to be working together or something?”
“I did not tell her the entirety of my plan, and she overreacted.” Tony highly doubted that was all there was to the story, but there were more urgent things on his mind. “She cast a spell with the intention to rip my soul out of my body, but you interfered, and the shield I cast was enough to keep both our minds inside it. They did get ripped out, however, and apparently latched themselves to the nearest empty bodies they could find.”
“So can you reverse it?” Tony asked, hoping Loki wasn’t going to leave him like that just out of spite.
“No! I have no magic in this body!”
“Wait a second… does that mean I do?” Finally, one good thing about this situation.
Loki seemed to hesitate a bit before saying, “Probably. But do not try it! You will destroy my body if you can’t control it!”
“So, on my end things are pretty sweet, eh?” Tony gloated. “I have an immortal, magical body, and you’re stuck in a mortal with heart problems.”
“Do you truly think it is as simple as that?” Loki scoffed. “Need I remind you what your friends will do if you return to Stark Towers in this state?”
“Shit.”
“You will learn to control my magic, and you will return us to our own bodies. And you will do it soon, before anyone notices.”
“And what, leave you to run around in my suit, running my company and fighting me with the rest of my team?”
“I am no happier about it than you. You could ruin my alliances, my plans, everything!” Loki took a deep breath and continued, sounding slightly calmer. “I believe we must reach an agreement, Stark.”
“An agreement?”
“We are both in a position that could potentially ruin the other. I will not interfere with the running of your company, or harm your teammates, as long as you do not disrupt any alliance of mine or destroy my possessions. If either of us damages the life of the other, he will be repaid in the same coin.”
Tony considered the offer. He might be able to pull it off, if he tried. “Watch my suit, then, Reindeer Games. If you so much as scratch it…”
“I would request the same of my magic, if I did not know you cannot properly control. It took me centuries to master it properly. And you, a mere child, are the only one able to fix it? This is ridiculous! Let us make this deal, then- I will train you in the most fundamental magic- enough for you to keep my body safe, and to return me to it eventually, and you will train me in the use of your technology so I do not end up dead myself.”
“I’m not going to teach you how to use my weapons!” Tony said indignantly. How stupid did Loki think he was?
“Would you rather I die in battle? I assure you that if I will die in your body, you stand no chance of getting it back.”
“Damn. Looks like I have no choice then. I’ll teach you the basics, but not more.”
The sudden sound of a siren blazed through the night, and a shout that sounded like Steve came from their left.
“Go.” Loki said, and told him an address. “You will find books about magic in there. Learn what you can, and meet me there in a week’s time.”
“Right…” Tony hesitated, then said, “JARVIS will explain anything you need to know. And drop the fancy speech when you’re talking to my friends!” With those words, he ran, glad that the address Loki gave him wasn’t very far. He tried to stay in the shadows, draw less attention, but people noticed anyway. Damn. He could only hope SHEILD wouldn’t follow.
***
When Loki saw the rest of the ‘Avengers’ running towards him, it was all he could do to not lash out at them, or blast them with the suit’s energy. Instead, he waited until the Captain was close and then fell to his knees, putting on a show of weakness.
“Tony!” Rogers grabbed him before he hit the ground, and it was all he could do not to shake him off. “Are you ok?”
“Loki… spell…” He grunted as if he was having difficulty speaking. “Heart… malfunctioning… I think it was hit…”
“Let’s get you back to the tower.”
“Did you see where Loki went?” Thor asked in his too-loud voice, and a wave of emotion he couldn’t let show on his face rolled over him.
“I didn’t.” He replied simply, and let the Captain carry him to a SHIELD vehicle. Hopefully, he thought, Stark was able to get his body away safely.
***
Loki’s apartment wasn’t what Tony had expected. He had imagined something more primitive, with a fireplace and maybe a dead animal or two serving as a rug. He’d even expected some kind of enslaved servant, although he didn’t know where the god could even find those.
What he wasn’t expecting was a stylish home with modern furniture, a 70 inch screen and a thin black laptop resting on a glass coffee table. Hell, there was even a fish tank! (Granted, it was filled with piranhas, but it was the thought that counted, right?) There was a refrigerator and a perfectly modern air conditioning system, that Tony noticed was set at 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and yet he somehow didn’t feel cold. If anything, it was a welcome shift from the sweltering heat outside, although, before he had entered Loki’s body he didn’t remember it being so hot. Maybe it was just something about how this body worked. Either way, it wasn’t Tony’s bill to pay. He left the AC on.
After Tony had cooled down a bit, he set to explore his very temporary (or so he hoped) home. The bedroom contained a bed of dark wood with green sheets, an elegant desk with a stack of papers Tony was almost afraid to inspect too closely, a self of some very old books, and a very large closet, which Tony pegged as his first target.
After selecting the simplest clothes there- a long-sleeved green shirt and elegant black jeans, and wondering why Loki didn’t own any short-sleeved clothing even though he seemed to be always too warm, he struggled to take off Loki’s armor, which was even worse than his own.
First went the shoulderplate, which was held in place by some belt slung diagonally over his shoulder and below his waist, looping in and out of the many layers of clothing he wore. When that was off, he slipped off the elaborate vanguards, then moved on to remove the sleeveless coat, which thankfully came off rather easily. Next came the black metal breastplate, followed by a long-sleeved shirt that was a struggle to remove (seriously, how many layers did Loki wear?), and finally another long black undershirt with a collar that was green on the inside. Then the boots- heavy leather monstrosities that came up to his knee. After wriggling out of those (for some reason, they had no zipper or opening that Tony could see), he was left only in Loki’s pants (he probably shouldn’t have snorted with laughter at the thought, but he was Tony, after all), and after locating the shower, he grabbed the clothes he had chosen and slipped into the bathroom, happy the ordeal was over.
If Tony had been anyone else, he would have found the prospect of taking a shower in an enemy’s body daunting. But Tony chose to ignore that fact, and instead focus on the problem at hand. Namely, how to get out of this body.
As he stood under the stream of water (which he soon discovered he preferred on the coldest temperature, very unlike what he was used to as Tony), another, more trivial thought popped into his head- how was he going to wear that ridiculous outfit again next time he went out? He hoped he would be able to master enough magic to be able to simply summon it, as he saw Loki do a few times.
After he was clean and dressed, Tony made his way to Loki’s kitchen, which was surprisingly well-stocked and equipped with pretty much every kitchen gadget known to man- toaster, oven, stove, microwave, ice cream machine, coffee maker, blender, waffle iron, and a few things that even Tony didn’t know exactly what they were for.
He assumed Loki was the type who knew his way around the kitchen, if only because imagining the guy who could juggle fire with one hand and kill a man with the other being stumped by something that simple was laughable. And the shelf of cookbooks was also an indication.
Tony himself had no such illusions. He knew he was incapable of even the simplest omelet, and that toast was pretty much the maximum of his ability. Sadly but unsurprisingly, there was no frozen food stored in the freezer. There were, however, a few leftovers, and Tony decided to save the question of what he would do when they ran out to a later time.
He warmed up a slice of pizza (homemade, of course) that he found on the top shelf, and took it back to Loki’s room, where he started inspecting the books as he ate. Loki had told him to read about how to use his magic, and he was definitely going to try.
He wasn’t what book he was supposed to be looking for. The books were in English, at least, or maybe in the Alltongue, which Thor had mentioned once- the language that looked and sounded like whatever language you spoke best. There was no Magic for Dummies, as Tony had hoped there might be, so he ended up selecting a title called Basic Illusionary Magic. From what he had observed so far, this was Loki’s favorite type of magic, so it could help him maintain appearances in more ways than one.
***
“It doesn’t look like anything is wrong.” Banner said, looking at Loki’s… or Tony’s perhaps, bare chest with too much scrutiny for Loki’s comfort. The fact that the room was cold, and that Loki, underdressed as he was, could actually feel the cold for the first time in his life wasn’t helping. “Your heart rate’s normal, and the scans don’t look like the shrapnel’s any closer to your heart. Are you sure the magic harmed it?”
“You know I don’t understand how the hocusey-pocusey stuff works.” Loki said, trying to remain calm. Annoying Banner was, after all, the last thing he wanted.
“Yeah, I know you don’t like it. But if there’s anything you’re not telling me, then I can’t help.”
“I’m fine. I just need to rest.”
Banner shrugged, but let it go, as if he was used to such behavior from Stark. Maybe he was.
Loki made his way to where he had confronted Stark the first time he had tried to rule Midgard (in a rather backward and primitive way, controlled by emotions rather than reason. Not at all anything like his newer plans, obviously). When he was sure he was alone, he did as he remembered Stark doing once- speaking to the empty air and waiting for JARVIS, the invisible servant, to answer.
“JARVIS, can you hear me?”
“I can hear you, sir.”
“What is the meaning of the override Sta… ah, Loki said earlier?”
“It gives Mr. Laufeyson full command of my circuits, sir.”
Right. So Stark was still in charge of this Tower. “So if our orders were to contradict…”
“I would obey him, sir.”
“Of course. But if I tell you not to mention certain parts of our conversation to anyone but him, would you do that?”
“Of course, sir. You programmed me that way.”
“Then I need you to listen to me. There has been a slight malfunction, and I do not remember everything about the controls of the suit or any of the technology in this tower. Gather information about how it works for me, and speak of it to no one.”
“Yes, sir.” JARVIS replied, and started searching his databases, or at least so Loki hoped. He felt something of a fool, speaking to someone who wasn’t even there, wasn’t even real, but he had to grudgingly admit that the invisible servant was a good idea. A butler who obeyed every command without question, and was fully understood by none but its owner- he would have to get himself one someday, as soon as this mess was sorted out.
Stark’s body was a living hell. Loki could practically feel it decay and wither slowly, every second nearing it to its death. And the machine placed where Stark’s heart should have been was more uncomfortable than the mortal showed, the chafing of nerves on metal a constant discomfort. He needed his body back.
A few hours later found Loki curled up in one of Stark’s rather comfortable sofas, reading an article about computers and programming with fascination in his eyes.
***
“Do you think Tony’s been acting a bit weird lately?” Natasha looked around at Steve and Thor, whom she had cornered in the kitchen, far away from Tony, who seemed to have hidden himself in the labs over the past three days.
That in itself was nothing strange for Tony, of course, but she still couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. There was nothing particular she could set her finger on, but Natasha considered herself a good judge of character, and something about Tony was definitely different.
“I haven’t noticed anything weird,” Steve admitted. “Not weirder than usual, anyway. He shuts himself off in his lab, snarks at anyone who approaches, and is a general ass. You can’t get more Tony than that.”
“I know. But I still think something is off. Did you notice anything, Thor?”
“Nothing in particular, Lady Natasha.” She had never been able to get him to simply call her Natasha. It was as if something in his brain was hardwired to add ‘Lady’ before the name of any female. “Although…” He paused, and she could almost hear the gears in his mind spinning. “He hasn’t talked to me since his last battle with my brother. I almost feel he is avoiding me.”
“He’s avoiding everyone, Thor!” Steve said.
“I know. But nonetheless…”
“I see.” Natasha said, contemplating. “Let’s just keep an eye on him, for now.” She was probably just imagining things, or at least she hoped she was. But the Black Widow never imagined things.
***
A week since the body swap thing happened, a knock on the door interrupted Tony from his nap on his… on Loki’s desk. After yet another sleepless night (Tony’s sleeping habits were irregular at their best, nonexistent at their worst), the last thing Tony needed were any of Loki’s supervillain buddies popping up for a social visit. He had avoided leaving the apartment for an entire week, and his hair was unkempt, his clothes wrinkled, and the apartment a mess. It was a miracle that none of Loki’s possessions were destroyed, although Tony took special care of them, afraid Loki would make good on his promise to mess with his life irreparably if anything happened.
The knock sounded again, more insistent this time, and just as Tony contemplated whether or not he should attempt to wear the armor, or at least a more dignified suit (the closet was full of those), a familiar voice- his voice, said, “Stark, open the door at once or I shall destroy it.”
Loki.
Right. They were supposed to meet today. Oh joy.
Tony opened to door and saw Loki, who was dressed in clothes that were surprisingly Tony. He had expected the god to stick to his more formal clothes, but maybe Loki too had seen the necessity of maintaining appearances in a place where so many others lived. Maybe that was why he was here dressed in casual jeans and an AC/DC T-shirt.
As soon as Loki entered the apartment, he cast a critical eye at the mess, a certain stony cast to his face. Tony refused to apologize. He hadn’t destroyed anything, and he had even fed the fish! Besides, he was willing to bet his labs were in the same state. Or possibly not, because Loki was probably one of those meticulously clean freaks who had to catalogue everything alphabetically and sort their socks into different drawers by color (although Tony had yet to find a sock in any color other than black in Loki’s wardrobe).
“Has anyone come seeking me?” Loki asked, and Tony shook his head.
“Not as popular as you think you are, eh?”
“I assure you that there would have been many visitors if I hadn’t made it clear a while back that any who intrude upon my privacy will suffer for it.” Even in Tony’s body, Loki managed to pull off that predatory smile, the one that showed slightly too many teeth for comfort.
“Right… so, uh, magic lessons?” Tony was afraid to ask how things were going back at the tower. Unless there was a frickin’ alien invasion, he decided, he didn’t want to know. He would just remain hidden in this apartment until he could fix it, and deal with everything later.
“Indeed. Have you learned anything from my books?”
Tony nodded, and created a thin veil of green mist between Loki and himself as a demonstration. It had been difficult, at first, but Tony was one of the few people who could actually teach himself anything out of a book, without any previous knowledge. The charts and explanations were different to comprehend, but when he found them too complicated to continue he would cross reference with different books, or scour the internet for mystical forums that weren’t total bull (very rare, these).
And it was worth it. Tony still held on stubbornly to his dislike of magic, but as a subject of study, it was fascinating. The way magic took science and twisted it inside-out in a Mobius strip with holes in the middle was annoying when he couldn’t use it, but now that he had access to powerful sorcery, Tony was finding it all too enjoyable.
Loki, however, did not seem impressed. “Is that all?”
“Not at all.” And Tony began with a demonstration of everything he had learned, starting with wobbly balls of fire and ending in creating an illusion of a semi-transparent snake (somewhat fuzzy at the edges, though- Tony had worked on that particular illusion with a sadistic streak for days, but he still hadn’t perfected it) that hung over Loki’s head, venom forming on the edge of a fang, for about three seconds before it disappeared. He did not miss Loki’s flinch, and allowed himself to smile with satisfaction. He had done his reading on the myths as well as the magic, and it paid off.
“Not as bad as would be expected from a mortal.” Loki said, and Tony assumed that it was his way of giving praise. “But you let your mind limit you. Magic is a thing of instinct as well as reason. You must come to terms with my body before you can use it properly. Until then, you are merely a child playing with matchsticks.”
“I’d like to see you do better, studying what you can only from books.” Tony challenged.
“I did. And you may or may not be pleased to know I have mastered the use of your suit.”
“Come on! That’s not nearly as difficult! JARVIS does most of the work anyway!”
“I was speaking of my youth.” Loki said, and Tony found himself wondering why the prince of Asgard had to teach himself rather than have the best instructors brought to him. It was probably a lie, Tony concluded. Loki was just jealous of his progress.
The next few hours were possibly the most mentally exhausting of Tony’s life. Magic, he learned, was like a muscle. Use too much, and you get tired. And Loki didn’t give a fuck how tired Tony was. He put him through a series of exercises that stabilized his fire, solidified his illusions, and taught him new spells altogether. According to Loki, who watched his progress with a critical eye, he would be able to attempt to fix them in about a week. Tony could survive another week.
“That is all I had planned for today.” Loki said. “Is there anything else you wished to learn?”
“No, I’m good.” Tony said, then corrected himself. “Actually, how do I put your armor on? It took me about an hour to take off!”
“A simple summoning charm ought to work.” Loki replied. “But you must understand the intricacies of where each part lies, or it will not sit well when it appears.”
A soft thud sounded from the door, and Tony looked up in alarm.
“Well, it appears that I have mail.” Loki said, striding towards the door, his usually graceful steps somewhat marred by Tony’s more awkward body. “It’s from HYDRA.” His face wrinkled in distaste. “How did they figure out this address?”
“I didn’t think even you would stoop so low as to work with them.” Tony said, the look on his face mirroring Loki’s.
“I do not work with them. But they wish to make an agreement with me, and they want to meet and discuss the terms.” He scoffed in derision. “I will most likely refuse their offer anyway. But they have been known to procure interesting bits, and it is only prudent that I go speak to them, however distasteful I find them.”
“Give me this.” He snatched the letter from Loki’s hands. “Wait. They want the meeting to be in three days.”
“And if it won’t, they will attempt to make the deal with Victor itself.”
“Right. So what are we going to do about it?” If it was up to Tony, neither would make the deal, but apparently it had to be one or the other. And if it was Loki, well, at least Tony would have some say in what happened here.
“You will go to the meeting in my stead, obviously.”
Tony shuddered. The idea of meeting with a bunch of Nazis without trying to kill them wasn’t one he liked. But he could see that there was no better option.
***
When Loki returned to the tower, he found himself cornered by the rest of the team.
“Where have you been?” Rogers asked.
“Can’t a guy go out for a breath of fresh air?” He replied innocently.
“You’ve been holed up in your lab for a week, and now you expect us to believe you just wanted to breathe?” Banner said skeptically.
“Fine.” He held his hands up in mock surrender. He could lie his way out, as he always did. “If you must know, I was investigating.”
“Investigating.” Romanoff said flatly.
“Yeah.”
“Investigating what?”
“Loki.” His name had the desired reaction. At the mention of one of their greatest enemies, heads turned and eyes widened in interest. “He messed up my heart. I want to find him and make him pay.”
“Tony…” Thor put a hand on his shoulder, and at that moment Loki wanted nothing more than to lash out, run away, make the tower explode. Instead he clenched his jaw and waited for it to end. “You know we have searched many times, and we have yet to find him.”
“I know, but I thought this time might be it.” He couldn’t bring himself to use a nickname or sarcasm, as he so often did when pretending to be Stark. Not when this was Thor and it was all he could do to be civil.
“So do you have anything?” Barton asked, too eagerly. Loki knew that the archer would like nothing better than to rip him apart, piece by piece, for making him a slave.
“Well…” Loki smiled, and gave them a stream of false information, alleged sightings, and wrong addresses. Let them waste time figuring it out. He was safe. Emulating Stark’s behavior wasn’t as difficult as he had expected, and this opportunity to infiltrate the Avengers… the next week was going to be well spent gathering information about them, he decided. Attempting to divide them on the inside was too obvious- no matter how subtle he tried to be, they might suspect something, and then everything would crash down on him. But knowledge of their weaknesses would be a great asset.
***
The meeting with HYDRA did not go quite as planned. Namely, it ended up with Tony standing over the bodies of three low-ranking expendables, burnt nicely to a crisp. Doom watched him with a thoughtful expression, and the thought that the real Loki might not have reacted quite like that passed through Tony’s mind.
But hey, what else was he supposed to do? He was pretty sure that sending out three expendables to meet with two of the world’s (not only this world’s, as a matter of fact) most powerful suprevillains was considered a serious insult. And the bargain they had offered wasn’t that great either- apparently they were planning to attack SHEILD in a few weeks and wanted their help.
Hopefully, in two weeks Tony would be back in his own body and able to warn them. He didn’t think Loki would be too upset- he disliked HYDRA too, after all. And the bargain wasn’t something irreplaceable- Loki would have plenty of other chances to fight, if that’s what he wanted. And, on Tony’s end, HYDRA was enough of a challenge to fight without Doom and Loki joining in. So all in all, it could be considered a success, couldn’t it?
“That is what I like about you, Loki.” Doom said, coming to stand beside him, and Tony had to use all of his self-restraint to refrain from blasting the guy’s face. “You know that you deserve more than these goons.”
“I was not planning to let a group of Nazi fools direct my actions.” Tony replied.
“Of course not. However, their idea was not entirely flawed.” Tony raised his eyebrows, urging Doom to go on. “The so-called heroes are more dangerous now, that they work together. To defeat them, we may need to do the same.”
“Work together.”
“We’ve done it before. I do not mean working with the idiots at HYDRA, of course,” he added, seeing the look on Tony’s face. “Just you and I.”
“And who do we fight? The Fantastic Four?” That group was known as Doom’s greatest enemies. And also, directing attention away from his friends would be nice.
“I was thinking of giving this round to you. You may have heard of the battle in Latveria last week.” Heard of it? He’d been there! “I think that defeating the Avengers together would be mutually beneficial.”
“I cannot deny that.” Not if he wanted to maintain his cover.
“Then it is settled,” Doom concluded, and Tony wondered whether he had just walked into a trap. Curse the man. How did Loki deal with this kind of shit all the time? He’d thought fighting these psychos was bad, but apparently working with them was even worse.
Resigned, he listened as Doom laid out the plan he had devised, which involved a number of traps, explosions, and the weaknesses of each member of the team. Tony pointed out what he presented as flaws in the plan, changing the designs to a certain extent, hoping these small things might help his team survive.
***
Loki was surprised when JARVIS notified him of an urgent email. That in itself was not unusual- Stark received hundreds of daily emails, among them at least ten were marked as urgent. No, that was no surprise at all. What was more interesting was that the email had been sent from himself, or rather, from Loki’s email address (yes, he had an email address. How could he be expected to purchase things online without one?). Which meant Stark must have figured out the password (which, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t ‘thorsux’, although it was tempting). Or perhaps he’d hacked into his account, which wasn’t implausible.
Loki contemplated whether he should inform the Avengers of the contents of the email. Apparently there was no deal with HYDRA, but Doom had allied himself with Stark (the situation was funny enough for Loki to appreciate it, at the very least) and would attack the Avengers in a matter of hours.
He could help Doom, of course, but then there would be the slight problem of the Avengers (and Stark, now in possession of his magic) trying to kill him. And, powerless as he now was, it wasn’t a chance he meant to take. Victor was powerful, but he couldn’t succeed alone. And Stark was overconfident in his power, and would probably be reluctant to harm his teammates- not much of a threat. Loki himself, of course, would have no problem harming Victor. The god of lies worked for himself alone, and was bound by no obligations.
Or so he told himself.
It looked like telling the Avengers was his best option.
After he told Natasha what he knew of Victor’s plan of attack, she shook her head disapprovingly. “That would be just like Loki, although Thor would deny it. Thor deserves better.”
Loki shrugged, telling himself she was only an ignorant mortal. And if she thought Thor was too good for him, so what? She wouldn’t be the first, nor the last. It didn’t matter
So why did it still hurt?
***
Tony had to admit that there was something appealing about being a villain. Being able to unleash powerful, destructive energy without giving thought to the consequences, laughing manically as he did so, was definitely one way to let out pent-up energy.
But of course, he couldn’t go completely wild. Because no matter what body he was in, he was technically still a good guy, and had to make sure no civilians actually got harmed. And while it didn’t take all the fun out of the experience, it was a definite downer.
He shot his magic this way and that, cackling as a small squad of doombots led the Avengers away from him and towards where Doom was waiting. The plan was working, of course, and…
Wait. What was he thinking? He didn’t want the plan to work! Shit!
Shaking himself back to reality, he ran (as he didn’t want to risk teleporting with the little magic he knew) after them, hoping he wasn’t too late.
***
“It’s a trap!” Loki shouted, his visor still up, and then the ceiling caved in on them. They had been fighting the Doombots when Victor had shown up, gave one of his pretty speeches about victory, superiority, revenge, and vanquishing his opponents, pressed some button or another, and disappeared.
A huge slab of rock fell from the ceiling, about to crush Hawkeye, when it was tossed aside by some unseen force, crashing into a pile of smaller rocks.
“What the…” Barton muttered, and the Hulk roared (Loki flinched slightly- his first encounter with the green beast had left a strong impression not only on him, but on the floor of Stark Tower as well).
Loki looked at the source of their amazement, and saw himself, or rather Stark, standing at a small entrance he had blasted in the rubble with sweat beading on his brow. “Miss me?” He asked, and Loki found himself wondering whether he might have said the exact same thing.
The large rock that had crashed into the rubble had shifted whatever precarious balance the structure had managed to achieve, and the debris started falling around them.
“You fool!” Loki found himself shouting. “You will bury us here!”
Something shifted in Stark’s eyes. As if he had finally let go of his mind and given into the instincts of the body he was in. He reached out with his arms, and Loki knew what he was going to do a second before he did it.
Veins of ice stretched from Stark’s fingers, wrapping around the rocks that formed this stone vault they were trapped in and holding them in place. The ice thickened more and more, and finally, the debris stabilized again, held in place by a thick frozen layer.
Overcome with fatigue, Stark crumpled to the floor, tired and very blue. “Bastard,” he muttered and with what must have been the last of his strength shot a blast of magic at Loki, who could not defend against it, knocking him backwards. As he hit the ground, he felt something constrict in his chest, and the light of the arc reactor flickered and died.
“Damn,” Loki muttered, and passed out.
***
“Would someone explain to me what the hell was that all about?” Clint asked, but Thor paid him no mind.
“We must get them out of here. The ice will not hold for long.” The god of thunder said, with considerably more calm than he felt. Maybe it was because he had fought in so many wars, but he managed to remain calm even when faced with the possible death of his loved ones.
“Them?” Clint challenged. “All I see is Tony and a murderous psychopath. Only one of them needs rescuing!”
Thor opened his mouth to protest, but Natasha, ever the voice of reason, cut him off. “Argue later. For now, we have to get them out. Yes, both of them.” Thor had never felt as grateful to her as he did in that moment.” Thor, you’re the only one who can fly. Take them.”
“I can only carry one.” He said morosely.
“Tony is the most injured, he…” Steve started, but Natasha laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Let him be, Steve. You know what he’ll choose. He’ll always choose his brother, no matter what we say. We’ll get Tony out in time.”
“Thank you, Lady Natasha,” Thor said, picking up his unconscious brother, taking care not to touch the exposed blue skin. He hadn’t expected such understanding from the assassin.
“Go!” She said, and he spun Mjolnir and took off through the opening Loki had made. They weren’t very far from the tower- it would only take him a minute or so to get there. Loki stirred in his arms, and muttered something illegible.
“Rest, brother.” Thor said softly. “You are safe.”
“Not… your brother…” Loki protested.
“Don’t be foolish, not now. We might not be related by blood, but…”
“No… not Loki… Tony…”
Thor frowned. Could it be… “What do you mean..?”
“How… slow… Point Break…”
“No…” Thor whispered. “No…” Had he saved the wrong person? “You will be fine, Tony.” He said, louder, hoping his friend hadn’t noticed his distress. “I am taking you home.”
Had Loki truly been there, all this time? So close, and Thor hadn’t even noticed? There had been something different about Tony’s behavior of late, yes, but he hadn’t even dreamed… did he truly know Loki so little he wasn’t even able to recognize his brother?
Loki… no, Tony’s face was reverting to its normal pale peach, jotun blue fading away, as Thor landed on the roof of the tower.
“JARVIS!” Thor called out to the invisible servant. “Take him to the infirmary! This is Tony, not Loki!”
“Yes, Master Thor,” the AI replied, and an automated bed on wheels rolled over to where he was standing, and Thor set Tony on it and remained on the roof, waiting for his teammates to return his true brother.
***
Tony woke up with a strangled shout, tangled in the sheets of a hospital bed. It took him a moment to realize he was in Stark Tower’s medical wing- he was home. His home, not Loki’s apartment.
“Are you feeling well, sir?” JARVIS’ voice came from around him, and if the AI had a body Tony would have hugged him.
“Never better, JARVIS. Never better.” JARVIS never called anyone other than him sir, and even though he was still in Loki’s body, he could only assume… “You know who I am, JARVIS?”
“Yes, sir. Master Thor informed me when you were brought in an hour ago, and Miss Romanoff confirmed.”
“Thank goodness.”
A quiet rap on the glass door to his room sounded, and Steve’s head poked in. “May I come in?”
“Sure.” He waved his hand lazily, then winced as the motion sent pinpricks all over his arm.
Steve entered hesitantly, followed by Bruce, Natasha, and Clint. “How are you feeling?” Bruce asked.
“Like someone put me through a blender.”
“Right… well, it should pass soon anyway.” Bruce said. “Apparently you used too much magic. I was worried when you turned blue, but by the time we got here it was gone, so…”
“Hang on a sec. I turned blue?”
“Yes. Thor wouldn’t explain why, but he looked uncomfortable when we asked.”
“OK… Where’s Loki? Did I get him?” Tony half-hoped he did. Even though he knew he might have harmed his own body, Loki deserved it. Even though none of it had exactly been his fault, there were enough reasons for the guy to get knocked around with a taste of his own magic that were jumping around in his mind, clamoring to be heard.”
“We brought him back, or at least the Other Guy did.” Bruce explained. “We thought he was you, but even when we knew he wasn’t we had to treat him. To save your body until you get it back.”
“Not to mention Thor would have murdered us if we hadn’t.” Natasha added drily.
“That too. You got him pretty bad. I don’t know what you did, but it interfered with the ARC reactor. It stopped working.”
“WHAT?!” Tony shouted hysterically. “Couldn’t you have mentioned that earlier?”
“Calm down, Tony. If there had been a problem, we would have told you. Everything’s fine. Pepper knew how to fix it, and as far as we could tell there was no lasting damage. Thor’s with him now, and JARVIS’ watching, so we’ll tell you if something happens.”
“OK. OK. Fine. I’m calm.” Tony said, and then it hit him. “Thor’s with him?”
“Yes… why?”
“Nothing. I just wonder how that will go.”
***
When Loki came to, he was in a room that he only half-recognized from the blueprints JARVIS had shown him. Possibly the medical wing. He was lying in a narrow white bed, and besides it was sitting…
With a snarl, Loki sat up quickly, ignoring the sudden dizziness. If Thor was here and not with Tony, that meant he knew. And if that was the case…
“Calm down, brother.” Thor said. “You are safe.”
Loki shook his head in silent fury. How could Thor say that? Not only was he in a house full of enemies, but they knew he had been living among them for the past two weeks.
“My friends treated you. You will come to no harm as long as you do not attempt to hurt them.” Thor said, although Loki very much doubted that. The only reason the Avengers weren’t here yet was that they were probably dealing with Stark.
“So what now?” Loki asked bitterly. “Am I a prisoner here?”
“I do not know. But… brother, I want to talk. I want… I want to say I am sorry.”
“You’re sorry.” Loki repeated flatly. “For what?” Surely not for the right reasons.
“I am sorry that all those years, I never listened.” Loki recoiled as if he was struck. Not the wrong reasons either. Had Thor finally come to see… no. Thor was incapable of such thoughts, and Loki should be beyond those sentiments. He couldn’t forgive Thor, and Thor shouldn’t forgive him, although he always did. They were no longer brothers. It didn’t matter. “I am sorry that my ignorance pushed you to do those things you did.” Thor continued. “If I was the true cause of your actions, then I am unworthy, and you deserve better.”
Keeping his face carefully composed, Loki said, “I find it interesting that you apologize to me, while I am the one who tries to destroy you and all you hold dear. That you say you are unworthy, while it is I who am described as not good enough for you.”
“Then the others know not of what they speak!” Thor declared hotly, and Loki felt something warm burn his eyes. Pathetic mortal body. “You were not always like this, and if I alone remember who you truly are, so be it! I will not give you up, though. I will never give you up.”
“You threw me from the bridge.” It came out as little more than a whisper. “You left me to the chitauri, and the torture they devised.”
“I thought you were dead.” Thor’s voice was lower than usual as well. “I did not throw you off. You let go. Have you truly forgotten? I tried to catch you as you fell.”
“I… my memory of that day is clouded.” Thanos had told him he was thrown off. He had claimed so repeatedly, every time punctuated by more pain. Loki did not remember. He didn’t know if he wanted to.
“Let me help you.” Thor pleaded. “Come back to Asgard with me, and do not escape before you can see mother and father. They will be pleased to see you well.”
“Why would they be pleased? Why would anyone? You have seen what I am, Thor.” When Stark had instinctively reached for the ice, Loki had felt his heart sink. Because now, he was exposed as the monster he was. Thor had known for months, of course, but seeing it firsthand was different.
“You have many forms, brother. I have seen you as a woman, and elf, even as a mare. Have I ever criticized you for those?”
“Yes.” Loki replied simply. The incident when he had been stuck as a mare had been embarrassing to all involved parties, especially Loki himself, and Thor never tired of laughing about it.
“Well then…” Thor thought about it, suddenly uncomfortable. “Have I ever loved you less because of them?” When Loki didn’t answer, he pressed on, “So why should this one be any different?”
“Because it is real.”
“After Sleipnir’s birth, you explained to me that when you wear a form of a different race, it is real, or at least real enough for you to be as any member of that race. You have worn your Aesir form for most of your life. Even if you were not born in it, it is real enough for me.”
It made sense, in a straightforward, Thor kind of way. Had Thor been better-versed in magic or shapeshifting, he would have understood the difference, but he didn’t, and for him, that explanation was enough. And even though that answer showed that Thor still denied his true form, to some extent, he was coming to accept it, and maybe that was alright.
And then suddenly, unexpectedly, Thor pulled him into a hug, and Loki found himself unable to resist, because this body was so much weaker than what he was used to and he was still weak from whatever Stark had thrown at him, and he just hung limply as Thor embraced him, and he tried not to care because if he cared that would mean sentiment, and Loki wasn’t ready for that.
***
When Tony was well enough to walk, he paid a visit to Loki’s room. After living in the god’s body for two weeks, he felt as if he should do that, at the very least.
“Yo!” He said cheerfully as he entered. “ ‘Sup?”
“You are enjoying being able to talk like yourself too much, are you not?” Loki said, allowing his amusement to creep into his tone.
“Yeah, pretty much. I hear you’re talking to Thor again?”
“When have I ever stopped?”
“OK, let me rephrase. I hear you’re talking to him in a friendly way again.”
“That might be partially true.” Loki admitted, and Tony knew it was. Thor had been overly excited- he hadn’t stopped talking about it ever since Loki had woken up. If you listened to everything Thor said, you would expect the two to be best friends by the end of the week, Loki to reform and join the Avengers, and everyone to be a big happy family again. Of course, anyone with a realistic grasp on life knew there was no chance of any of that happening, but if Thor was happy, no one had the heart to correct him.
“I still can’t believe you managed to impersonate me for two freaking weeks.” Thor had once told him he was very similar to the way Loki had been before he went batshit insane. He used to laugh at the very idea, but now…
“Neither can I, Stark.”
“So, since you’re probably in a megalomaniac mood, d’you mind if I ask you something?” Tony said.
“You just did.”
“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter.” He said with his most serious face. “Anyway, I was wondering… why is everyone saying I turned blue?”
Loki sighed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good question after all. “It is because you did.”
“I know I did. But why?”
“Because that is my true form.”
“Your true form… the way you actually look… like a teenage Smurf?”
Tony had expected a number of reactions to that statement, from confusion to anger to affront. But not a slight chuckle. Oh well, he supposed Loki must have heard about the Smurfs at some point since he came to Midgard, and there were some things you just couldn’t not see.
“You are the first to laugh about it.” Loki admitted. “On Asgard, I would likely be killed if the fact were well known.”
“WHY?”
“Because…” Loki swallowed, as if he did not want to continue the sentence. “I shall tell you, if you swear to breathe a word of it to no one. Know that I tell you only because it is about time you know what body you are truly living in right now.”
“Why would it..?” Tony was getting confused.
“Because you’re living in the body of a monster.” Melodramatic much, if you asked Tony. But then again, Loki normally was. “I am, in blood, a frost giant of Jotunheim. The form I normally take is the result of a magic Odin worked on me when I was a child, but whenever I use ice magic, or come into contact with a jotun, I revert back to my true form.”
“And that makes you a monster because..?”
Loki shook his head as if to scoff at the ignorant mortal. “Because that is what frost giants are. They were enemies of Asgard for centuries. Vicious creatures, who revel in pain and suffering. I could have killed them all, and if Thor hadn’t stopped me, I would have, and never regretted it.”
Did Loki just admit to attempted genocide right now? Because Tony was pretty sure he did, and fuck, that was even worse than he’d thought the god was capable of.
“That’s pretty messed up,” Tony mused. “But, you know, I don’t think that in itself makes you a monster.”
“I have heard that opinion before. It is of no interest to me.”
“No, really.” Tony insisted. “I mean, You’ve been pretty much the same as always this past week, haven’t you? And you were a mortal. And I know I was the same, and I was a… jotun? Is that what you call it?”
“Of course we were different. I did not kill your housemates and you fought alongside Doctor Doom.” Loki said, as if Tony was stupid not to realize that.
“Because we had to! Not because we wanted to!”
“You might think so. I beg to differ. It is of little consequence one way or the other.”
“There’s really no convincing you, is there?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Right.” Tony wondered if he should say the rest of what was on his mind, and then decided, hell, why not? In their current situation, he had the upper hand anyway. “So, whatever you think you are, do you mind not taking out your daddy issues on us next time? Because I have daddy issues, and Bruce has them, and so does pretty much half of the world. And just because you can take them out on people doesn’t mean you should, see?”
The wording felt a bit awkward to Tony, and Loki felt it too. “I shall think of it,” He said, and one side of his lip curved into a sarcastic half-smile.
***
“Do you really have to do this at Loki’s place?” Rogers asked for what might have been the hundredth time. “And does it really have to be just the two of you?”
“Yes.” Loki snapped. “Or anyone else in the vicinity might get caught in the magic, and this entire situation will be repeated.”
“Are you sure you will be ok?” Banner asked Tony.
“Yeah. If he wanted to hurt me now, he would have done it a while ago.”
“And when he gets his magic back?”
“Even then. I’ll tell you a secret,” Tony lowered his voice to a mock whisper, “I think he might kinda like me.”
Loki pretended not to hear, knowing that anything he said could and would be used against him. Because, somehow, he did find Tony (who had at some point over the past few days become Tony rather than Stark) more bearable than the rest of the mortals, if only because of the similarities between them. And besides, it was impossible to live in a person’s body without developing some understanding, he assumed.
Thor laid a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with sad eyes. “You do not plan to return after this, do you?”
“No, at least not for a long time.” Loki admitted. “But I assure you, this is hardly the last you have seen of me.”
“When we next meet, brother, I hope we will not be enemies once more.”
“That, only time shall tell.”
“Farewell then, brother.”
“Farewell.” Loki did not even protest as Thor once more embraced him tightly, heavily muscled arms closing tightly around his smaller frame. He did not hug back, of course. But he did not fight.
“You coming, piranha?” Tony asked, and the rest of the team frowned in confusion at the new nickname. Of course. Tony had seen his fish. Loki mentally winced, remembering they hadn’t been fed in over three days.
“I am. We will meet again, mortals.” He said, and turned away to lead the way in the direction of his apartment. He did not look back.
***
“Are you sure you know the spell?” Loki asked, holding a sparrow in one hand and a bowl with one of his fish in the other.
“Yes, for the hundredth time!” Tony whined.
“Then try it.”
“What?”
“Swap the minds of the bird and the fish.”
“Dude,” Tony exclaimed, “isn’t that, I don’t know, animal cruelty or something?”
“Better them than us. And if you can do it once, you will be able to reverse it before any harm is done.”
Tony swallowed. It was cruel, but the argument made some twisted sense as well.
“Fine.” He closed his eyes and recalled the exact nuances of the spell. Loki’s magic did not require chants or potions, but rather a certain state of mind, a way to focus that led to the universe altering around you to be the way you want it to be. And Tony liked influencing the universe. For a moment he considered simply not performing the magic, and maintaining a life of freedom as the new god of mischief, with the ability to alter reality, be an ass without anyone really giving a fuck, and doing whatever the hell he wanted.
But then he remembered Loki’s misery over his true heritage, and how annoying dealing with supervillains was. He remembered the team, and Pepper, and his general decision to be one of the ‘good guys’. There was no way he was staying in this body.
Focusing into the particular mindset needed for this spell, Tony imagined the magic as strands of a web, like that Spider-Man guy used. He wove the strands of magic into a clumsy web around the bird and the piranha, taking care to leave Loki’s hands out of it. He mentally held both ends of the web, and tied them into a knot, twisting the strands around each other, through the minds of the animals, making sure each strand passed through both brains. And then he cut the knot in the middle.
The bird flopped to its side suddenly, flailing and gulping for air, trying to dig its wings into the floor and swim. The fish fluttered around in the water, moving in all the wrong ways and unable to float properly while it fluttered its flippers like wings.
Loki nodded. “Now change them back.”
Tony repeated the process in reverse, reconnecting the strands of magic he had cut and untangling them. It was a more complicated process, but he could feel each of the strands struggling to return to its rightful place, and they helped him along. When he was done, he saw the fish swimming regularly, and bird attempting to fly out of the closed window and smacking into it with loud thuds. Taking pity on the moronic creature, he opened the window, letting it out, and then closed it back, to avoid interfering with the AC.
“Now us.” Loki said, and closed his eyes, as if he didn’t want to see Tony screw it up.
“Now us.” Tony echoed. “I just want to say, it’s been a blast. Literally. And learning all this magic stuff… pretty fun, I guess. So, thanks?” He was babbling. He knew that screwing up this spell could easily kill both of them, and he was babbling.
“Just do it, Stark.” Loki said, and Tony did.
The strands of magic were already woven into them by Amora, which made the job of reconnecting the broken ones more difficult. But they seemed to almost sing to each other, and after what might have been seconds or an hour, Tony managed to locate which connected with which. Untangling them was a more difficult process- Amora had been thorough even when the outcome wasn’t what she had intended. A sailor’s knots were easier to undo, and yet he had to, and do it properly, without tearing anything.
“The rabbit goes through the hole…” Tony muttered as he worked.
And finally, with a tug, he untangled the last strands, and everything exploded into green light. Again.
***
Loki woke up before Tony did. He looked around his apartment, noticing that everything made of glass had been shattered in the explosion. The fish had already died. Pity, he was starting to like them. They had been a gift from Victor, who claimed they were necessary for every supervillain lair. He would have to buy new ones.
The wail of sirens was already sounding. Loki took exactly ten seconds to allow himself to revel in the joy of being back in his own body, with his magic and his immortality, and then pulled himself back to the present. SHEILD would be here any minute. His address was no longer a secret. He would have to move.
With a sigh, he waved his hand, concealing all of his possessions in a pocket dimension (it felt so good to be able to do that at last). He would take them out once he found a new home. That came first.
Afterwards… he didn’t know. He would probably go back to his old ways, toying with the heroes and villains of this world alike, because they were just so much fun. Even though he didn’t always win, there were the moments when he stood at the figurative top of the world, looking down at the mortals who thought themselves his equals, and smiled. Those moments made everything worth it.
Now, when he was back in his body and out for a new start, it was one of those moments.
Things won’t go back to the exact way they were, though. He might be kinder to Thor from now on, for a start. And Tony… their relationship would be different, that was certain. But Loki didn’t mind uncertainty. He was a god of chaos, and if nothing else, he was adaptable.
“Farewell, Tony,” he told the unconscious mortal, “and thank you.” And then he disappeared in a flash of green light, leaving an empty apartment with a sleeping body in it and an air conditioner working at 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
___________________
A/N- So how was it? R&R! I didn’t end up exploring every possibility I had in mind for scenes in this fic, but it’s long enough as it is, I think. If there will be demand, I might write more stories set in this verse. Anyway, it’s been tremendous fun witing this, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.