Still Holding On

Chapter 11

"You're a dead man walking."

Tony sighs. "I know."

"No, you are literally a dead man walking," Rhodey insists. "I don't know who's gonna kill you — him, Fury, whatever — but you're a dead man walking."

"Trust me, I know," Tony says darkly. "And Loki seems to think we're both dead men walking, so that doesn't make me feel any better."

Rhodey snorts. "Oh, great, because that's what I wanted to hear," he says sarcastically. "Who does he think is gonna kill you? His daddy?"

"I have no idea," Tony says. "For a guy who loves to talk, he doesn't really like to talk."

"Oh, great," Rhodey says. "That's just great. So he thinks someone's gonna murder you and he won't even tell you who."

Tony waves a hand dismissively. "I'm not too worried about it."

"Hey, man, it's your funeral," Rhodey tells him.

They both look back to the projection in front of them. Loki hasn't moved since Tony left the room — which is half the reason he called Rhodey; he was starting to get bored — so he's still curled up in a ball against the wall, his head buried in his arms.

"So, what do you do with him?" Rhodey asks.

Tony shrugs. "Nothing."

Rhodey looks at him skeptically. "Nothing."

"Pretty much," Tony says. "He doesn't try to go anyway — he can't go anywhere — and he barely eats, so except for bringing him toast and apple juice every now and then..." He glances at the clock. "Actually, I promised him more Advil. You wanna come?"

Rhodey scoffs. "No, I do not want to come."

"Aw, c'mon, it'll be fun," Tony insists. "How often do you get to meet international terrorists from the comfort of your friend's home?"

"Never, and I would like to keep it that way," Rhodey says.

Tony sighs, exaggerating his disappointment, though hopefully not enough that Rhodey can see through it. "I don't want to go alone," he tells his friend — which isn't really true. He doesn't mind going alone, but he likes dragging his friend places. "Dealing with him is exhausting. Just come with me, okay? I won't even make you do the work."

Rhodey hesitates, but, unfortunately for him, he cares greatly about being a good friend — his biggest flaw. "Can I just wait outside the room?"

"No, come on," Tony whines. "Come in with me. It'll be quick."

Rhodey heaves a sigh. "Fine."

Tony beams. He loves when people are easy to manipulate. "Cool. C'mon."

They head to the kitchen first, where Tony pours another glass of apple juice. He pauses, thinking back to the footage they'd just watched. Did Loki finish his toast? He has absolutely no idea. He tosses another two slices of bread in the toaster anyway. Better safe than sorry.

While he's waiting for that finish up, he grabs the bottle of Advil and pours a bunch in the cap. It's probably half a dozen or so, maybe a bit more. Is that what they decided worked? They've gone through so many iterations, he can't even remember anymore, but this should be good enough.

"Woah, hold up." Rhodey hits his arm to get his attention. "You're not giving him all that, right?"

"He's a god, Rhodey," Tony says condescendingly, as though he wouldn't have thought this was overkill at first, too. "He's not exactly a lightweight."