My War Is Over (Original Unfinished Version)

Chapter Four

It's well past Tony's second trip to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach in the back corner of his tower's infirmary since they'd began to work on Loki. He's seen shit that he can't and won't ever get out of his head, rape, abuse, neglect, etc. Hell, he's been tortured. But nothing could have ever prepared him for the extent of such things and more inflicted on Loki's broken body laying on the medical table with Bruce hovering anxiously next to him, and that's only what they can see.

He blindly gropes out for the roll of toilet paper beside him and hastily wipes the bile off his chin, flushing the toilet and standing, using the sink as support, rinsing the bitter taste from his mouth with mint wash. His legs tremble as he makes his way back to Loki, the smell of blood and anesthetic causing his nose to sting. Loki had finally passed out not long before Tony had taken off to the bathroom with a strangled, "Gimme a minute,". Bruce was pacing back a forth next to him, periodically running green-tinted fingers through his hair, the tops of his ears a dark shade of green, taking labored, deep breaths as he did.

"Brucie?' Tony tentatively calls out, not exactly willing to risk a hulk-out with Loki so vulnerable. He comes to a halt beside the god, absent-mindedly rubbing his fingers across Loki's loose knuckles.

As they had lead Loki into the infirmary, dead on his feet, he'd taken one half-lidded glance at the place before crumbling in their arms, startling Bruce enough that he jumped away from Loki's side, leaving Tony to catch Loki's limp body, sobbing and pleading for mercy. What did they do to you?

Bruce turns sharply, green-tinged eyes flicking to Tony's, tears threatening the corners of them.

"How could they...w-whoever did...he's...Tony, he should be dead." Bruce stutters out, wringing his shaking hands.

"Whoever the fuck did this...when I'm done with them they'll wish they'd never fucking laid eyes on him," Tony growls. Loki's body alone made Afghanistan look like a three-month super deluxe cruise.

"Tony, Fury is demanding a team meeting...he wants to interrogate Loki before sending him back to Asgard and you know what that means and I-I can't-"

"It's fine. I'll do it. You just..." Tony makes an unhelpful gesture with his hands.

"I'll make sure he's okay while you're gone," Bruce says softly, giving Tony a long look that the inventor doesn't exactly want to stop and analyze. There's an odd pull in his chest as he runs his fingers over Loki's knuckles once more. His skin, despite the abuse, is somehow still startlingly soft and cool to the touch. I don't want to leave, he realizes, but he's not sure why.

-oOo-

As Tony strides through the heavy black doors of the conference room, the tense atmosphere grows silent, every Avenger turning to face Tony. Even Nick Fury himself paused mid-sentence, fixing Tony with a slightly incredulous, one-eyed stare. On any other day, Tony would have been rolling on the floor, clutching his sides with laughter. He supposes a silent Tony Stark would be a scary sight indeed, especially seeing that even Natasha looked a bit caught off-guard. He could only imagine what his face must look like to them now, as he'd left his usual snarky, immature self somewhere else, stopping beside the long table with a blank poker face save for the hellfire still burning in his eyes. His serious side is estranged to every single occupant of that room as he never uses it. Never had to, and never cared to. But that doesn't mean it's not there.

"Have a seat, Stark." Fury is the first to break the sudden silence, his face once more his usual signature scowl.

"Uh, yeah, I'm gonna pass on that one, Eye-patch. In case you haven't realized there is a space-alien with magic powers who erupted into a full-blown panic attack just at the sight of the fucking infirmary. While, sure, he's unconscious right now I shouldn't have to remind you that Bruce is also upstairs barely keeping it together, and I'm really not confident he'll be able to if and once Loki wakes up, so if you really insist on doing this now? Then make it fucking quick."

"And just who the hell brought Banner up there with a psycho killer who isn't, last I checked, restrained in any way?"

"I did. Loki needed medical attention badly."

"That thing upstairs is a murderer and tried to take over the goddamn planet, are you serious right now, Stark?"

"That person upstairs was tortured! Fury, he was tortured. I really don't think he was acting on his own terms when he invaded." Fury scowls.

"Look, throw a temper tantrum if you want but do it later and elsewhere. But if you actually want to talk then you'd better make it quick because my patience is running thin." Tony growled.

"Banner sent the scans. You were there. Explain." Fury growls right back, eye twitching.

"Then I really hope you peeps didn't have lunch," Tony mutters, loud enough for them all to hear and turning to the screen behind him with a queasy feeling in his stomach.