Chapter Text
Loki had, of course, noticed that Tony was off for months now, but it’s only now, sitting in a dark corner of Tony’s workshop, listening to JARVIS relate the level of poisoning on Tony’s blood - 89% now - that Loki realized that Tony had been telling him and Pepper goodbye.
He shut his eyes, uncloaking his presence from JARVIS and Tony. His steps were sure, Loki refused to show how his knees had weakened when he had seen the effects of poison. He stopped in front of Tony, who was only looking at him with remorse at being caught.
Loki glanced at the arc reactor, the blueblackpurple lines which he knew indicated poisoning of the highest degree. Loki could survive this, had survived poisoning of this degree many times in fact. Tony couldn’t.
“When were you going to tell me?” Loki whispered, tracing the lines with his fingers.
“You weren’t supposed to find out,” Tony said, he refuse to look at Loki. “I don’t have much time left.”
“I can see it,” Loki whispered, kneeling in front of Tony so he could see the reactor and the damage the technology was doing to his lover. He couldn’t decide what to feel, overwhelming, encompassing rage… or the deep, dark sadness of having someone he loved taken away again. And this time he couldn’t even blame Odin!
“Surely something can be done. Your Midgardian methods may be crude, but I have seen some great things achieved.” Loki said, sounding much more strong and level headed than he felt.
“No one can help me. Not even you.” The whisper was faint, regretful and resigned.
This was Tony, this was his Tony that was fated to a horrible death, something caused by his own technology. Loki wanted to scream and cry and punch something - Stark preferably - to let his frustration show. His lover could be so utterly fucking stupid for an allegedly genius!
“And you weren’t even going to let me try.” Loki said.
“There’s nothing to be done, I’m… I’m dying.”
“We’ll see about that, Mr. Stark.” Loki said, voice suddenly thick with tears. Tony turned to him, but his eyes were dry, “I’m not done with you, I refuse to let you die like this.”
Suddenly Tony’s head is bent backwards, Loki’s grip on his hair tight enough to pull it out. The kiss they shared was, in contrast, the most bittersweet they had ever shared as Loki slowly tasted the bitter metal tang on his lover’s mouth. Palladium. Damn it.
“We still have time, Stark, if JARVIS is right, and I’ve full confidence he is,” they shared a smile, ignoring the AI’s sudden chirpy voice, “I can still do something about it. Don’t worry so much until the poisoning reaches 99%”
They shared another kiss, Loki still pulling Tony’s hair, before Loki left with a wink.
Loki made sure to leave through the front door, immediately stepping through space to Director Fury’s office. He and Natasha shared a wink before Loki knocked on the door, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
“Yes, Loki?” The demigod was the only one with enough balls to enter uninvited.
“I want your file on Stark, and I also want free access to your lab.” Loki said without preamble. He glanced around the office, noticing the very subtle difference in decour.
“Why should I? Specially without insurance.”
“Your insurance is dying at this moment,” Loki said, “if Tony dies, our deal’s off.”
Fury paused. Loki was a very, very, very real threat to Earth, the young - by Asgardian standards - shunned prince had only stopped his conquest of Midgard because he and Stark got caught trading useful and useless knowledge after Stane’s death.
The princeling’s attention had been caught by the heart apparatus, just as Stark’s attention had been caught by the possibilities of magic - once he was forced to acknowledge it existed that is.
When Loki met fury, they made the deal to leave Midgard alone, while the men played with their toys, keeping the destruction only on Stark’s property - much to Pepper’s eventual chagrin - instead of going global.
The fact that they ended up as lovers made things both easier and harder for Fury, who got two powerful beings at the relative cost of one.
“You’ll persuade Stark to enter the Avenger’s Initiative.” Fury stated.
“I’ll give it my best try.” Loki smirked, all pressed lips and no teeth and condescending expression.
Three days later, when Fury eventually got Tony out of the donut, Natasha stabbed him with a solution to counter the Palladium, buying them more time.
It didn’t change the fact that Tony was dying, it only slowed it down.