Fallen God Chapter 36

A Fallen God

Chapter 36

A Thor-Loki-Avengers/Frostiron fic

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, movies, comics or anything else. All that belongs to Marvel and the creators. I don't even know the actors, though I'd like to.

Warnings: Since this is a story in progress, Not sure what to warn ya about. This will be a Tony Stark/Loki.Which means guy/guy. There will be some cussing (Tony does have a mouth) and angst. Some violence. There are references to past rape as well as rape and improper use of a fire poker. So be careful while reading.

Hope you enjoy and please leave comments! Thank you all for reading this and the support!

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"You shouldn't always be running to clean his messes," Hap comments quietly. He was surprised to get a call saying there was a change in the schedule and she needed him to take her to Stark towers. He had really believed she was done with whatever mess that had resulted in her taking a surprise vacation. Most of which she spent at the tower rather than at home with him.  

"Hap, it's complicated. But I won't be staying there long. Just handling some...negotiations. A few hours at most. Are we still on for dinner tonight?" She asks, hoping that by changing subjects he will be a little more relaxed.

"As long as he doesn't keep you, yeah. Sure," he replies.

She sighs as she gazes out the passenger window. She knows he doesn't believe her. Problems with Tony take usually more than a few hours to clean up. This particular problem...who knows how long it will take to make things right. Months? Years? Or maybe, it'll never happen.

Considering this is Loki they are speaking about, it isn't hard to believe that there is no solution. His mind was already damaged before all this. That invasion thing is enough to convince anyone of that. But to be broken down further...there is a point when broken items are beyond repair. Loki may very well be like a mirror that has shattered beyond repair.

"Here we are. Should I wait for your call?" Hap asks, shifting to his professional personality.

"I wish I could say," she replies as she gets out. But before she walks away from the car, she bends over, looking in through the open window. "Hap...Thank you for staying with me through this."

"Only for you Pepper. Now go see how bad things really are," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

Pepper stands back and watches the car drive away. Taking a deep breath, she enters the lobby of Stark towers.

"Good afternoon Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark is waiting for your arrival on his floor. Should I let him know of your arrival?" Jarvis asks.

"Good afternoon Jarvis. Yes, please do. Tell him that I will need to speak with Loki alone," she replies.

She steps into the elevator, again wondering what had gotten Tony so riled up. A small part of her wishes that Loki has proven this all to be a grand hoax and he's ran off to do whatever scheme he has planned. That would be easier to deal with than this situation. But she knows that is not the case. The time for this to be revealed to be just a game has long passed. Loki's current state of mind is no game.

The elevator door opens and she finds Tony standing by the glass looking out. She stops cold at the genuine look of concern on his face. A look that ages him by twenty years. This is serious.

"Tell me again what happened," Pepper says quietly, not bothering to greet him in any form.

"What, you had a bad connection earlier? I told you everything already," he replies without looking at her.

"Alright. Then I'll just have a word with him," she states coldly as she moves towards there room where she is sure the trickster is.

"Pepper..." Tony calls out.

Pepper stops and looks back.

"When you tell me how bad I screw up later, don't sugar coat it, okay?" He asks, turning to smile at her.

"Never do," she replies.

She goes to the bedroom door and stands outside for a moment. She goes over what Tony had told her on the phone. After a very long day, Tony had left Loki alone to work on some project that he swears will help Loki and help the team at the same time. Though he swears he didn't plan it, when Jarvis informed him that the only person current in the tower today was Clint, he expected there to be trouble. Instead of being reasonable, he had let things play out. At first he had thought things were going to be okay for the trickster for he cleaned two floors without any problems.

Then Jarvis informed him that Clint was making his way towards the same floor Loki was on. After that, he ran up the stairs and barely saving Loki from another mentally scarring episode. She didn't bother to tell him that Loki didn't need to be actually penitraited for that to have scarred him. Nor did she point out that part of the responsiblity for that scar falls on him.

Taking in a deep breath, she knocks on the door.

"You may enter," she barely hears from the other side.

She opens the door and enters the familiar bedroom. She had expected to see Loki sitting on the bed or perhaps standing. Instead he is sitting against the wall, his legs curled to the sides his hands again laying still on his lap. He lifts his head but not enough to meet her gaze.

"Good afternoon Loki. How have you been?" She greets, remaining by the door for now.

"I am well," he answers.

She hears the tone that had worries Tony. He had described it as empty. Lifeless would be the word she would use.

"You don't sound well. Tony told me about what happened today. Do you need to talk about it?" She asks.

"No. Unless you wish me to," he replies.

"Loki, the choice is yours. I'm not Tony. It's okay to speak freely," she says, trying to coax him into saying more.

"He allows me to speak freely as well," Loki states, turning his head to the side.

"I imagine he does. He always believes everyone has an opinion, just not that everyone's opinion is right. Which is often why he ignores us," she shares with a smile.

Loki says nothing to this. She glances at the door, biting her lip in thought. She decides to try a more direct approach.

"Loki, how are things with Tony?" She asks.

She notices his hands jerk for a moment, as if they wanted to do something but he is resisting.

"There are no complaints worth speaking about," he replies, though there is a slight change in his tone.

"But there are some?"

"Y...yes," he says quietly.

"What are they? Go ahead and tell me."

"He...he is too lax with me. Too careless," Loki replies with a sigh.

"I see. Do you think that's why things happened earlier? That he was careless with you?" Pepper asks.

"He could have...used me differently."

"He shouldn't have used you at all Loki. Not like that," Pepper corrects, sliding herself off of the bed.

"Yes he should. I am nothing but his property now Ms. Potts. The fact does not shame me but..." He shares as he slowly looks toward her.

"But what?"

"What does he want from me? Why will he not use me directly? If he would, then I could please him. Show him I can serve a purpose. I don't need to be tricked Ms. Potts. I will do anything and everything he asks. I swear I will," he tells her as tears are forming in his eyes from frustration. "I just need him to tell me. Order me so I can prove myself."

"I...see. You are upset because he used you without you being aware of it, am I right?" Pepper asks, trying to make sense of this.

"I...may not have liked it. Barton...has reasons for what he does but what he was going to do today," Loki pauses, shivering a little from the idea that had almost became a reality, "I would have done what he wanted. I...only want to...be able to gain his attention from time to time. To earn it Ms. Potts. To know that I can obtain this. That...it's not out of my reach like so many things in my life."

Pepper watches him lean his head back and close his eyes, letting the tears fall. A small smile forms on his lips. She thinks over what she has just heard. Loki wants to be given opportunities to prove his loyalty to Tony. To display his willingness to obey. Not all that different from a child who strives for straight a's on a report card in an attempt to gain attention from a parent.

That must have been what he was trying to do earlier. But without direction, Loki did only what he knew. As for the lack of emotions...

"Loki, is there a reason why...earlier when you first spoke to me it sounded like you were trying to do so without expressing your feelings or thoughts. Was that what you were trying to do? If so, why?" She asks.

"Slaves give up their will and being to their Masters. But what use are emotions and thoughts to them?" Loki replies.

"I see. Do you know why I am here?" She asks.

Loki looks at her, shaking his head slowly.

"Tony was concerned because of what happened and the way you were behaving. Loki, Tony is trying his best. This is new to him so he'll need a little time to figure out how to fit you into his life. Until now, he's been alone with his machines and Jarvis. But I do know that when he figures it out, he doesn't want you to be acting like some lifeless doll. He likes things with personalty. Just look at Jarvis," she points out.

Loki looks away in thought for a moment. Very quietly he speaks. "You seem to be very knowledgeable about him. If you would, from this knowledge, can you tell me what he will want from me? What will he...desire from me?"

Pepper blows out a breath as she thinks this over. Honestly it's been a long time since she accurately predict Tony's actions. In fact, it is easy to do. Simply pick the most reckless plan of action and Tony usually would be doing just that. But it rarely involved other people. Even on a team with other super heroes, Tony had a way of doing things on his own.

Which is why she has been so concerned about this slave thing. She had told Tony that this means he is responsible for the broken man now. That means he has to stop and work with the Fallen God, finding out what his needs are and meeting them. And right now, Loki feels like he has to be tricked into fulfilling Tony's needs rather than being given the chance to show he would follow them willingly.

"I will talk to Tony and get him to figure that part out. Okay? I'm going to do that right now in fact," she tells him as she gets up and heads to the door.

"Thank you," Loki tells her.

She turns and smiles back at him. "You're welcome."

Leaving the fallen God in the bedroom, she walks back into the living room space, seeing Tony waiting for her.

"Well?" He asks.

"Well what?" She counters, widening her eyes in mock confusion.

"Come on Pepper. About Loki. How bad did I screw up this time?" Tony asks with a groan.

"Not so bad that you can't fix it. Would help if you thought things through now and then though," Pepper comments.

"So this is because of the Barton thing earlier."

"No. This is because of you," she corrects.

Tony looks at her, giving her the deer caught in head lights look. She shakes her head. For someone so brilliant...he can be so thick at times.

"Loki wants to be able to prove his devotion to you. His willingness to obey any order you give him. He doesn't want you to think he has to be tricked into things. He wants you to trust him Tony and he's willing to earn it," she explains.

"I wasn't tricking him! I really wasn't using him for bait either. I didn't have time is all," Tony replies, crossing his arms before rubbing his face.

"To him, that's exactly what you did. And I will admit, it sounds that way to me too. Look Tony, Loki was known for being a Master manipulator, right?"

"Among other things."

"Why? Why did he choose to master that kind of skill?" Pepper asks.

"Pepper, I know you think so highly of me, but honestly, I have no secret insight to his mind," Tony replies.

"Victims of abuse have a higher chance of becoming abusers themselves Tony. Now apply that to Loki."

"Wait, you are saying he became a Master of manipulation because...someone did it to him?"

"In his mind, yes. When victims become abusers, it's for a sense of control. They had none over what happened to them but now when they do it, they have that control. It's the same for Loki. He feels he was used and manipulated for whatever means, powerless to stop it. So he started doing it to get some of the control back," Pepper explains.

"Makes sense. But if it's all about the control, then this whole slave thing makes no sense what so ever."

"It does actually. The manipulation Loki feels that was used on him, was done so without him realizing it until much later. I'm guessing years later. Here, he gave you control over him. He knows you will use him for what ever. That in itself is a form of control he didn't have before. Knowing he will be used. But what you did with Barton, it took that away from him. That's what I meant earlier by you needing to think things through. With Loki and this situation with him, you need to do this," she tells him firmly.

"So how do I give him that control back? Should I just call it quits on the whole slave thing?" Tony asks, sounding a little hopeful at that last part.

"No. It's not going to be that easy Tony. Loki...has put everything into this agreement. Though I never will approve of it, the others were right. If you end this, you will do more harm then good to him. As for the control, I have a few suggestions. Got a notebook and pen handy?" She asks.

A little over an hour later, Ms. Potts is on her way to the lobby, returning to her work and life. Tony looks at the notebook, thinking over what they had gone through. On those pages is a set schedule for the former God. Everything planned out. He will be cleaning more floors as well as being shown how to do paperwork for Stark Industries. He will also be bringing in deliveries for the tower, carrying them up the stairs to their desired floors. Pepper hadn't liked that idea but when he explained his madness, she agreed though made it clear this should happen no more than twice a week. On top of this schedule, Tony will try his best to make the God feel useful by throwing orders whenever he is around the trickster. Pepper told him they didn't need to be much. It could be something as simple as getting him a glass of ice water or bringing him a magazine.

He believes he can handle that. In fact, he feels pretty good about it. He told her what he has in mind for Loki later on. The thing he had been working on. She had agreed it was a very good idea, for once. Before she left, she stressed out how important this is and he can't be firm on day then lax the next. He told her the only thing he could, that he'll try to keep that in mind.

He reads over the schedule again then gets up. Time to put his money where his mouth is. He opens the door and looks in.

"Need you out in the living room Rudolph," he tells the man before turning and returning to his spot before the window.

A moment later, he see's Loki's reflection.

"Take a seat on the couch. There's a notepad on the stand. That's for you. Read it," he orders.

He watches as Loki's reflection moves to the couch, sitting on the edge and picks up the notepad. Loki's reflection shows him studying the page then flipping to the next.

"That will be your day to day schedule starting tomorrow. From the moment you get up, you start on that list. Jarvis will be programmed to remind you of your tasks for the day. I will be checking with Jarvis on your progress. I expect those lists to be completed by the end of the day. You will also be doing paperwork for my company. No complaints. And you will be off loading deliveries for the tower. Again, I don't want to hear any complaints. Are we clear so far?" He asks as he turns towards the former deity.

"Yes sir," Loki replies as he looks at these lists, one for each day of the week. He could tell that Tony plans to keep him very busy from now on.

"Good. Now about the Barton thing, I should have warned you. But then again, I did tell you before that if he ever came for you, there was an order I expected you to follow, wasn't there?" Tony asks as he tries to keep his face blank. He had rehearsed this with Pepper. In order to give Loki back the sense of control he needs, he needs Tony to fulfill his role as Master completely.

Loki's eyes widen as he looks up at Tony. He had forgotten about that. "Y-yes."

"And what was that?"

"If anyone orders me to do something that will harm me, I should refuse and return to the bedroom. And ask for you," Loki recites.

"Did you do this?" Tony asks.

"No sir, I did not," Loki admits.

"Were you obeying orders that you knew were going to cause you harm?"

"Yes."

"So you disobeyed my order, right?"

"Yes."

"So what should I do about that?" Tony asks.

"You should...punish me," he says quietly.

"And I will. But answer this question first. How should I punish you?" Tony asks, walking slowly towards the man on the couch.

Loki suddenly very exposed. An answer comes to mind but he isn't sure he should suggest it. How will it play out? Will Tony laugh at him? Make lewd comments? Realize that this is too much and have him locked away?

"Still waiting for an answer pal."

Loki lowers his head. He can't think of anything else. There should be countless ways he can suggest for Tony to punish him but only one comes to mind. "Perhaps...you can repeat the first punishment you bestowed on me," he suggest before holding his breath.

"The first punishment...." Tony repeats, a bit confused. Then he realizes what Loki is referring to. He arches one of his eyebrows as he bends over and lifts Loki's chin, makin the former God look off. He examines the deep green eyes, seeing the fear and uncertainty in them. "So you think I should kiss you again. Tell me, did you...enjoy it? Answer me honestly Loki."

Loki looks away, his cheeks reddening before Tony's eyes. "Yes."

"I see," Tony replies. He feels surprised that the man had admitted it so easily. That and hearing that the God of Mischeif liked being kissed by Tony Stark. He wonders what that could mean. But before he could let his thoughts wander off, he needs to finish this little chat. He brings himself closer to Loki's face, until their lips are only inches apart.

"Then that won't work," he tells Loki, seeing the green eyes snap to his own as he pulls backend releases Loki's chin. "Punishments are not meant to be enjoyable. Elsewise it will just encourage the bad behavior rather than correcting it. Which we don't want to do, right?"

He see's the disappointment for a moment before Loki nods his head then lowers it. Tony's mouth curls up on the right. So the God had been telling the truth. He liked it and was hoping for it to happen again. With a smile, he again reaches out and lifts Loki's head. He see's the honest confusion in those sharp features of his for a moment before he closes his eyes and kisses Loki.

He can feel Loki tense at the moment of contact but then it passes. When he breaks it, Loki quickly lowers his head.

"Wh-why did you do that?" Loki whispers.

"Because you've been honest with me. And that is one behavior that should be encouraged. So consider it a reward for being honest. Keep it up, and it might happen again," Tony answers with a wink.

All he recieves is a quick nod.

"As for your punishment...my workshop could use a little bit of organizing. So come on, I'll show you what I mean then we can both get to work."