Chapter Text
“Tony, no!” Steve said from his position on the ground, where he was on his hands and knees. His face was bloody, and he had more injuries than Tony would like to count.
“If it means you get to live then I wish I’d never met you in the first place,” Tony spat back at him.
“I’d rather die than live without you,” Steve said.
“Fuck that,” Tony yelled back, “it’s not your call to make!” He turned away and Steve’s head dropped, but a second later he was getting up again, pushing himself to his feet.
“Tony,” he started, “please-”
“You will let him go,” Tony said to Loki, his back to Steve, “I’ll do whatever you want, you won’t even have to zombifie me, but he lives.”
Loki opened his hands wide and smiled. “I am a man of my word.”
“I highly doubt that,” Tony said derisively, “which is why if anything happens to him the other Avengers will come for you.”
“Without question,” Loki said, “my brother is awfully fond of, what was it? Earth mightiest heroes?”
“Tony-” Steve started again, trying to take a step forward but his injured leg wouldn’t hold his weight and he stumbled to the ground.
Tony’s shoulders stiffened.
“You may say your goodbyes,” Loki said, “I’m not a cruel man.”
Tony didn’t rise to the bait. He turned on his heel and dropped to his knees in front of Steve.
“Tony you don’t have to do this,” Steve whispered, “the others will be here soon.”
“Not soon enough,” Tony said, head close to Steve, “when you get out tell the others what’s happened, tell them the deal I made with him.”
Steve looked at Tony’s face and realised this was well past argument.
“We’ll come-” he started but Tony kissed him into silence, digging his fingers into the back of Steve’s neck, pulling at the short hair at the nape.
“Don’t you dare,” he said once he pulled away.
“It’s not your call to make,” Steve replied, and managed a half smile.
“That’s enough!” Loki said, pulling Tony away from Steve so forcefully that Tony landed on his ass, “Shall we begin?”
“Let him go first,” Tony said, eyes still locked on Steve.
“Oh no, I don’t think I will just yet,” Loki said, smiling again, “where’s the fun if he doesn’t see himself erased from your memories completely before he leaves. To know he truly doesn’t matter to you any more?”
“You lying son of a bitch,” Tony snarled, scrambling to his feet.
“Don’t worry,” Loki said, rolling his eyes, “he can go afterwards.”
Tony looked away then, at the rubble all around them. “Fine, just do it.”
Loki put a hand on the side of Tony’s face and closed his eyes. It was over in a second but when Loki opened his eyes again he smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Still angry at you,” Tony said.
“What about that man behind you?” Loki said.
Tony turned around to see a man on his hands and knees looking up at them.
“Tony?” the man said.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
The man’s head fell and Tony felt a strange sense of, was it guilt? Emptiness?
“How did he get here?” Tony asked Loki.
“We captured him,” Loki said, “same way we captured you, but I’m not after him, not like I’m after you, and now you’ll stay here with me for the rest of your life.”
“That was the deal,” Tony said, and there it was again, a strange sense of something missing, of loss. “the deal,” he repeated, “that you let him go.”
Loki waved a hand and a doorway opened in the wall.
“You may go,” Loki told the man, then with another wave of his hand he sent the man flying out before the hole closed up again.
“Who was that guy?” Tony asked, not really expecting an answer.
“Nobody,” Loki said and smiled, “not any more.”