Finally Found You (Loki x Gender Neutral Reader)

Chapter 22 - Tony Tries To Understand

1237 words

3rd person pov

In the mission meeting room, Tony is pacing, stopping briefly to look at the holographic screen. "I can't believe this happened under our noses," he sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Fury's gonna be mad."

Several news reports of bins and cars with gaping scrunckled holes are displayed, dates and locations circled.

Then Fury calls.

"Speaking of the devil..."

"Hello, Stark. I believe you've just found out about Hydra's latest attempt at creating a killing machine."

Tony zooms in on a fuzzy image of a grotesque beast.

"Yeah, I know these things have supposedly been wreaking havoc for a month and—"

"It's a little more than havoc, don't you think?" Fury replies, unimpressed.

"I know." Tony pulls up a tab filled with charts and data, "That's why I've been working on a way to predict when and where these creatures will appear next—and I have. I hope you haven't forgotten my genius." Tony sharpens his tone with a hint of wit.

Fury rolls his eye briefly, "I haven't Stark, but I don't want to see another article about this again, you understand?" Fury's voice is firm, laced with authority.

"Yes, Fury. I'm getting started right away."

"Good luck, Stark." Fury hangs up, leaving Tony to sigh with frustration.

"Well, sh*t. Jarvis, call an emergency team meeting."

"Right away, sir."

A siren blares, and heavy footsteps can be heard approaching.

The Avengers file in sporadically. Once everyone is seated, the siren stops.

"Y/n is on bed rest, so they won't be attending right now," Loki informs the group.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. I hope they recover soon," Tony replies, the rest of the room nod solemly until Tony clears his throat, "Now, there have been multiple incidents of strange, random acidic puddles appearing around London at night."

"Acid? You mean there has been an increase of unnoticed acid-related attacks?" Bruce looks around the room, "Do the attackers have bad aim or something?"

Tony shakes his head, "Not quite. In the same areas of the acid puddle have been reports of ugly creatures roaming and destroying anything it their paths. By looking at the location of these acid burns, these creatures can't be more than 3ft high."

Steve leans his head in, furrowing his brows with seriousness, "Have any civilians been injured?"

Tony sighs and pulls up the news articles on his screen, "Two people were moderately injured in the last two hours, with descriptions matching these creatures."

A murmer washes around the room as Tony starts to point at his findingd, "It seems they've been attacking and dissolving things. We believe this may be Hydra's doing, but we can't be certain."

Steve shares a glance with Bucky who is uneasy. Steve then nods lightly and turns to Loki who is across the room and intently reading the data on the screen. Steve then clears his throat and then asks, "What makes you think it's Hydra?"

Tony then walks to the screen and zooms in on a photo of one of the creatures, revealing a blurry seering on the side of the creature, "This looks very much like the Hydra logo, don't you think?"

Steve nods and says "I think you're right, where do we start?"

Tony zooms out and pulls up a map, "I've worked out that these creatures are likely being released through these three separate sewer systems at random intervals. That's what we have so far. Captain, I'll hand it over to you."

"Thank you, Stark," Steve begins. "Since this is possibly Hydra, I'll go myself. This creature must be in its early stages, so hopefully I can manage with just one partner." Steve looks around the room before his eyes land on Loki, "Loki, would you like to join me for this mission?"

Everyone but Bruce, Thor, Wanda, and Nat raise their eyebrows.

Loki looks between Bruce and the screen before scanning the room. Everyone looks either confused, shocked or intrigued, this makes Loki stand up with determination, "Sure, let's get started," he strides over to Steve, who extends his hand.

"Let's kick their butts," Steve says, shaking Loki's hand.

"With pleasure." Loki replies, and they both leave to get ready.

Meanwhile, the room is dead silent.

"What's wrong? Did something else happen?" Nat asks, receiving no response. "To be fair, I've never heard Steve say 'butts' before," she smirks.

Bruce turns to her, grinning. "He's growing. In a month or two, he might upgrade to 'arses,'" they both chuckle.

Tony crosses his arms, walking over to interject, "I guess I wasn't expecting the Captain to duo with the Trickster."

"Well," Nat replies, "do you have a problem with that?"

"What?" Tony scoffs

"Yeah," Wanda chimes in, "you've always had a problem with Loki. Why can't you get over your childish grudge?"

"Look, I know—"

"Don't start giving excuses, Stark!" Thor grumbles.

"Not this again!" Tony throws his arms in the air.

"You have to look at this through Loki's perspective! What you're doing is harmful!" Thor strides toward Tony.

"And what exactly am I doing that affects him?" Tony retorts.

"HE'S TAKEN YOUR SH*T FOR YEARS, STARK! YOU'VE BEEN MAKING IT SO MUCH HARDER FOR HIM TO HEAL, TO HEAL FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT MOUNTAINS OF TRAUMA. ON TOP OF THAT, YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO SEE HIM AS A BEING WITH EMOTIONS AND SOMEONE WHO DESERVES LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP IS CONSTANTLY RIPPING HIS WOUNDS APART!" Thor's eyes start to glow, leading Peter to duck under the table and Wanda to poise her hands ready as Thor continues, "I KNOW YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM HIS ACTIONS, BUT HE HAS BEEN CHANGING, YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW THE GUILT HE IS GOING THROUGH. IF YOU REALLY WANTED HIM TO CHANGE, YOU'D LET HIM BE, SO WHAT IS THIS REALLY ABOUT?!" Thor's voice booms through the room, leaving everyone wide eyed.

Bruce gulps and looks around, no-one seems to know how to calm Thor down, but Thor might hurt Tony if they don't. Bruce stands up and slowly walks towards, despite his instincts telling him to flee. But the way Thor seems to be gasping for breath reminds him of the flashes in his brain when he is Hulk. He holds his hands out slowly at Thor, who is buzzing, "Whoa, whoa, Thor, discussing this isn't healthy when you're angry," Bruce says gently, guiding Thor's breathing.

Thor pants, red-faced, sparks flying off him. He flickers between Bruce and Tony, before taking a deep breath and nodding.

Tony stands frozen, pale, like a paralyzed ghost. His eyes begin to swim with immense regret and fear.

"Tony," Thor says, half-calm, shoulders slumped but fists still clenched, "I shouldn't have shouted. I'm sorry."

Tony tries to speak, but no words come out. He reads the room,  sitting down on the floor, , rubbing his head, silent.

"I suppose my views of you are warped by rage, and that's not healthy," Thor continues, visibly calming down, "Loki means a lot to me, and I always feel angry and sad when anything happens to the people I love." Bruce nods, still impressed, letting Thor express his feelings. "I still believe you've done wrong, but it's not right for me to call you out in front of everyone and—"

"No, Thor, stop," Tony whispers. "I didn't—I never..." He takes a deep breath, glancing at Thor and everyone else before looking away in shame. "I'm sorry."

Tony struggles to formulate his words. "I—I never tried to realize what I was doing. Can I think about this alone for a bit?" he asks. Thor nods, looking around at the others' awkward faces before leading them out of the room. Tony lies down on the floor, still in shock, his mind racing as he tries to piece everything together.