Tony didn't know what possessed him to approach Loki's cage on the Helicarrier. Curiosity? Compulsion? Either way he'd ducked around a couple of SHIELD agents and now stood in front of what was really just a technologically advanced glass container. He found Loki seated on the bench against the back wall, eyeing him rather quizzically.
He recovered quickly, however and broke the silence with a low purr. "Well, well, what have we here? The man of iron himself I presume?" Remaining seated, he leaned forward to get a better look with easy grace.
Tony scoffed quietly to himself, approaching the glass. He wasn't afraid of Loki, never that, but a voice in the back of his head cautioned him that Loki was probably far more dangerous than he was letting on. "I hope the accommodation suits you, best we could do on short notice" he drawled.
Loki leered at him, emerald eyes flashing with mirth. "Are you afraid of me, Mr Stark?" He rose then, and suddenly stood right in front of Tony, only the glass separating them as Loki stared him down.
Tony snorted, though he had to force himself not to take a step back. "Intimidation attempts the best you got?"
Loki just smiled coldly, observant gaze raking over Tony and making him a little self-conscious despite himself. Finally he spoke.
"Why are you here, Tony Stark?"
Tony shrugged carelessly, "To keep an eye on you I guess."
Loki smiled, lips curving rather contemptuously. "Is that not what your machines are for?" he asked, indicating one of the subtly placed cameras.
Tony supposed he shouldn't have been surprised at how easily the god had spotted them.
Loki's unwavering gaze dared him to try again.
Tony smiled insolently. "Fine, I was curious."
Loki nodded, "Came to poke at the caged god did you? To revel in your victory over the divine?" His mouth twisted. "Pathetic."
"Whatever, you're the one who's caged" Tony sneered back.
Loki smirked secretively. "Not for long."
Tony opened his mouth to ask what he meant only to gape silently, a spell preventing any noise escaping.
Before he could even blink he found himself with his back against the glass wall on the inside, Loki prowling towards him.
He learned later that Loki had more or less rendered the cameras useless, replacing their surveillance with old looping footage of himself.
"What am I going to do with you, Tony Stark?" Loki asked, playful tone laced with an underlying sense of threat. There were few times Tony felt as vulnerable as then, without his suit or even a gun. It was times like these he really envied some of the other Avengers whose primary weapons were simply their bodies. He had his mind of course, but Loki had spent centuries unravelling minds no doubt just as brilliant as his own, if not more so.
Loki had him cornered and he knew it, his gaze sharpening into something more predatory. "I could kill you right now" he mused, easily intercepting Tony's fist as it swung towards his face. (He may as well go down fighting right?) His grip tightened where he had caught him by the wrist. "I could crush you bone by bone."
"Not really your style is it?" Tony asked, wincing as Loki's grip continued to tighten. Suddenly the pressure disappeared as Loki released him, smiling slightly.
"You're right. Uncivilised way to destroy one's enemies if you ask me. Personally I favour a more. .. psychological approach."
Tony blinked as Loki's form shifted and warped right in front of him. He couldn't help but make a small noise of surprise at the vision that now stood in front of him.
