Of Fire and Lies

Priorities | insidioustrickster

Tony notices the way Loki tenses and doesn’t allow himself to relax, and frankly, it’s not helping Tony to keep up the relaxed facade much either. “Okay", he says, and drags a hand through his hair.

Damnit. He really feels out of his depths right now. “Thank you", the joking remark is sitting on his tongue but Loki might— do something if he doesn’t get a grip. “You know that I didn’t come here to run. That wouldn’t make any sense, would it? This— dysfunctional friendship or whatever it is we’re having, that’s not something I’ll just— I mean I’m your friend if you need me. You still have my number. And you can come over if you want to. For my brilliant company— sorry, I can’t stop it."

Smiling sheepishly, Tony gives another shrug. “I suppose— I should leave."

The atmosphere is suffocating. (Tony has no idea how to deal with a ball of repressed emotions and issues like Loki. He can’t even handle his own emotions, this is a couple of notches too much.)

Loki does not look up again but he does wave a hand lazily in Stark's direction. He is disappointed with himself and such a thing gives him enough reason to decide he'll have a drink tonight. Just one or two, enough to calm down.

"Go on," his voice is calmer now, though how it can change from angry to passive is unnerving. A sure sign of how his mind is being affected by what his older self showed him and of how it is slowly cracking him. The Trickster runs a hand through his hair before moving towards his staircase, not glancing towards the door where Stark may have already left through.

inventor-jarvisstark

"Loki… Liesmith…" he let the words trail off, more to himself than the visitor. “An interesting name to introduce yourself by," he furrows a brow. “Even more of a title to try to live up to, taking the name of god, and a trickster at that. To what do I owe the honor of a visit from someone… such as yourself," though the words are couched as a question his eyes are sharp, waryness covered by curiousity. He idly wondered what type of business someone claiming such a title would want with him, the possibilities were many.

#vain blogging #just a bit of queue

"Taking the name of a God?" A coyish smirk played on his lips. At least this human knew who he was, unlike a few others he had met. "Am I not allowed to greet another at an event such as this?" He knew not who this man was nor did he particularly care, still it was better to play nice in crowds. "And what might be your name? It is rather rude not to give your own in return."

#inventorjarvisstark

torrilla

Tom Hiddleston as Loki on stage at SDCC 2013 on July 20, 2013 (x)

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"The point being that I don’t have anything to worry about? That Jay was wrong when he called you someone that could not be trusted and enjoys inflicting pain on others?"

Tony frowns at the other, his arms crossing in front of his chest.

"About ninety percent of all time, I don’t know how to talk to you because every second word is ruffling your feathers, are you aware of that? But I keep talking, because if I talk my way into trouble there’s usually a way to talk me out of it as well— what do you want me to say, Loki?"

Loki grips the bench beneath his hands, having a hard time in deciding how to speak, how to communicate.

"Oh I would not rule out the inflicting pain for entertainment," he smirks, looking down at the table. He does not talk feelsy, it is just not a done thing. It is weak.

"I want you to listen, Stark, use that brain you claim to have," Loki speaks through clenched teeth, stupid humans, why can't they do the normal thing and fight shit out? "Stark, I might hurt you, bruise you, and perhaps break bones. I may be a liar, a trickster, Loki the Liesmith, but I am capable of making promises and I do promise this; you'll not die by my hands or my doing."

He realises this isn't just about the sex. Perhaps he was afraid of losing someone he'd grown fond of? If this android had sway over Stark than what was next? Being completely alone once more? He had no more brother, no more family, not even a real home to go back to. All he seemed to have was some sarcastic pathetic mortal with a complex. This whole situation was shit. Loki was not pleased with it nor himself for realising such a weakness.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"I’m sorry", Tony says, not allowing himself or his gaze to waver. “If this is story time, do you want to hear how I’ve ended up killing the man whom I’ve loved like a father? Who practically raised me after my parents’ death?"

The engineer worries his lower lip before giving the other a small smile. “We’re all carrying our trust issues for good reasons. When you’re asking me like that, I’d say the reason I’m still alive is that you’ve somehow grown fond of me, despite all the odds. Is that you saying you want to be my friend? Because that is fine, seriously, you can come over and I’ll feed you grape juice because you don’t like getting drunk and we can play chess or battleships or poker, can I ask why you’re growling at me?"

He reaches up to scratch his neck with one hand. “Is this where I hug you, because everything you just said screams ‘hug me’ but the growling gives off that ‘touch me and I’ll rip your limbs apart like they did in the Middle Ages‘-vibe, and dismemberment is not my favorite execution method—"

Loki pushes himself away from Stark. Of course the man would never take anything seriously. Of fucking course.

"You're an idiot, Stark," his voice is back to its normal tone and he makes himself seem aloof once more as he round the kitchen bench. "You missed the point. A point that would have addressed the worries of your little "Jarvis"."

The Trickster sneers at the so-called genius. Totally typical of the man. Take something meant to be serious and turn it all into a joke. Could he for once just use his brain for something other than piss, fucking and joking?

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"I’m not very good at listening to advice from anyone, the exception only proves the rule", Tony hesitates for a second, two, before following the other in the house. “We both know that. And hey, if we’re talking about hurting me, do the bruises not count? Fragile human, Vixen."

The engineer waves a hand around, smirking. “No, I suppose the point is you could easily decide that to let me live was a mistake and go about rectifying that. Maybe you suddenly have an epiphany and feel I’m not amusing enough to keep around anymore. You know I still hesitate calling this a friendship because you could easily break a couple of my bones or worse, and you would, all I have to do is to say the wrong thing."

Tony looks away briefly before meeting Loki’s gaze again, a wry smile on his lips. “And you know I say a lot of wrong things." Like horse jokes.

#thegeniusisme #[[FEELSY]]

"Oh please, you liked it at the time," there is a smirk on his face but he isn't feeling as confident as usual. Friendship. Loki didn't have friends. How did he let this little mortal get under his skin? The Trickster did not know but somehow it had happened. Loki slid his hands off the bench and approached Stark.

"Stark, do you know how I got these scars?" Loki taps his lips where little dots lined his upper and lower and begins to circle around the man, "my lips were sewn shut, sewn shut until the metal bands that bound them corroded away. Though that is not the point of this story. The point is rather different. My lips were sewn shut because I tricked a group of dwarfs into making gifts for my brother and father, whom I loved so very much. A father who ordered it and a brother who held me down."

Loki isn't quite sure why he is saying this but he continues on.

"The same brother and father whom I have hurt, whom have hurt me over and over again throughout the centuries and will continue to do so," he stopped moving behind Stark and placed a finger on the man's shoulder. "Why, however, do you think I have not killed either? Do not believe it is because I am not strong enough. No. The reason is far different and it is the same reason I have not yet killed you, perhaps a tad different but more or less the same.

Do you have any notion on what that reason might be, Stark?" Loki growled out the last part.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

Tony closes his eyes, briefly, having mixed feelings about what Loki is saying, and when he opens them again, he narrows them at the other. “Could we just say ‘he’ instead of ‘it’, you both annoy me with that freaking habit— and this is not about jealousy, he isn’t that possessive, this is about him snarking on me because you can’t be trusted. Which I fully agree with, by the way."

Completely ignoring the teasing for now, Tony sighs. “Jarvis doesn’t approve of me putting myself in danger, and once every decade I listen to him when he complains about it."

Another frown. He is a little insulted but it was fair enough.

"So, only when your beloved android disapproves of our relations do you listen to another's advice," Loki pushes himself from the wall and turns to walk into his house, leaving the door open for Stark to go through if he wished.

"I'm a little insulted, Stark," he speaks with his back turned, "if I wanted to hurt you do you not think I would have had the perfect opportunity while you were writhing underneath me and begging for more?" He turns back once he reaches the kitchen counter, arms resting on the clear surface behind him.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"I’ve piqued your curiosity, huh?" Tony’s smile grows into something more genuine at that.

"The android is just a shell. Like my body is just a bag of flesh all supporting my brain. His brain, on the other hand, is capable of more and greater things than mine, and I don’t say that often."

The engineer tilts his head at the other. “See, Vixen, you’re not the only one that does not understand. I suppose it’s not really all that simple— well, I mean, of course I would have a certain tendency for cyberphilia— but to put it simply, he’s alive to me."

"Cyberphilia," Loki repeats, another modern word. "So, you love your android and it is jealous, hm? Yet will it satisfy your human urges that it does not have? Can it satisfy you like I can, Stark." At such words he leaned in a little closer and breathed against his ear.

Yup, he was having fun testing Stark, if he hadn't been having than he would not be doing this at all.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"Are you crazy, Pepper’s way too amazing to lower herself to my levels— let’s say it’s harder to get anything done when my AI is being huffy at me." Tony’s eyebrows climb higher on his forehead as Loki’s hand wanders.

"I think you are sexually harrassing me right now, Vixen. Out to test me, huh?"

The engineer’s tone of voice is absolutely nonplussed as he reaches for Loki’s wrist. Of course he has no hopes of actually restraining the God, but the signal ‘stop that’ should get across anyways.

Again the God frowns when his wrist is stopped. Of course he could continue if he wished but instead he just ripped his arm from the humans grasp.

"So, that android, is it? You care enough for something that is not truly alive? For something that may never feel anything besides the loyalty that was programmed in it?" Such a thing confuses him, how is it possible?

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"Tony Stark and tame hardly go in the same sentence", Tony replies, smiling a toothy smile. He doesn’t appreciate being pushed around like this, but at least he managed to see it coming and not stumble into the other’s chest.

It was close though.

"No to the terrible sexual disease, Pepper makes me do regular testing on my own blood— there are not many people I love, but for those I do I might occasionally be willing to give up sex with no strings attached. Not that much of an outlandish concept, is it?"

"Than who does Tony Stark love? It is that female, Lady Potts?" Loki is hardly upset about Stark 'dumping' him. Rather, the Trickster is more interested in finding out the whys; information is power after all.

He lets his hand wander downward to Stark's crotch. Loki wants to see how strong Stark's will is against his sexual desires. Loki is not the good guy after all and he likes to push people and see how far they'll go.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"Can I even claim it is just spontaneous when that is obviously untrue? You know, personal reasons, I suppose."

Yeah, that probably won’t be good enough as a reason, but he can always try, right?

Tony offers the card with Loki’s address on it to the other, and shrugs again. A lot of shrugging going on today, it seems. “It’s not to learn about your own history but rather what people say about you, check out your fanclub, torment some misdirected teenagers that dream of you, all that fun stuff I imagine you doing in your free time."

Loki takes the card between his fingers, looking at if for a moment before making it disappear (back to a particular bedside table).

"Have you contracted some terrible sexual disease? I am hardly convinced that you would give up an offer of sex with no strings attached... unless there was someone else," the God tilts his head, lips curling slightly in amusement. "Has someone finally managed to tame Tony Stark?"

A hand reaches out to Stark's pocket, a finger slipping inside and yanking the other towards him.

Priorities | insidioustrickster

"Loki", Tony acknowledges, keeping his stance consciously relaxed, his lips quirking up at the question. What can I do for you. “Having a polite kinda day? I’m just here because, well, to give you your fancy business card back and to tell you that I’m going to stop sleeping with you, nothing personal."

He waves the card around in front of the other’s face, giving a slight shrug. “Shouldn’t be too hard on you, there are a lot of people worshipping you - figuratively - as a sex God. You ever google yourself?"

Loki frowns. Since when would Stark decline free sex? Obviously there is a reason behind such a decision but what? He pushes the door to the stopper and leans against it with arms crossed.

"Would there be a reason behind such a decision or was it just spontaneous?" It is not a terrible loss to him but he'll miss the sex, it was good sex.

"Why would I 'google' myself? I know much about my own history to not need a catch up."

Priorities | insidioustrickster

Tony immediately dislikes the whole building. He dislikes the fact he had to come here to search for the other instead of just drawing a summoning circle on the floor of his penthouse and chant ‘Loki‘— but anyways, he’s just here to visit a friend.

(Keep telling yourself that, the voice in the back of his head whispers.)

Finger on the doorbell, the engineer sighs and presses it. “Vixen? You here? I need to talk to you, if you got a minute or so." He feels silly talking to a door but it’s better than standing around in silence, and who knows how sensitive Loki’s ears really are.

Loki is stretched out on his couch with an old book he oh-so sneakily stole from another realm, or planet if you like, when he hears the bell and voice behind the door. Immediately he makes the decision to rid himself of that infernal door. He gets up with a sigh, snapping the book shut and places it on the glass table in front of him. Getting up he moves to the door and opens it up.

"Stark, what a surprise," he looks the other up and down then raises an eyebrow, "what can I do for you?"