s=k log W

Quantum relative entropy
Each world is a different possibility of disorder.
Each story is a different possibility of disorder.
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Gone Tomorrow
1819 words
Tony/Loki
Angst

She's not a pleased woman as Happy pulls into the driveway of the Tony Stark's Malibu home that looks more like a glass UFO than a billion dollar structure. Heat waves rippling up from the baking concrete as the ocean beyond it rolls with the endless pull of the tide. A cold release from all the heat.

It would be pretty picturesque if not for how pissed off Pepper was.

This trip could have been avoided if Tony only answered his phone for once, there's only a hand full of papers he has to sign a year now that she's acting CEO and leave it to him to avoid one of those times. Jarvis kindly telling her that he's busy at the moment the first time she'd tried calling from her office, by the third day he didn't even respond, just let it dump straight into voice mail. She's sure this is all Loki's doing. The god is a sore spot in her otherwise once perfect life.

Tapping her manicured finger nail against the folder in her hand she waits for the gates to open and Happy to come around the Rolls to let her out.

"It will only be a moment Happy, just leave it running." She says with a fake smile, already feeling the mid summer heat pouring down on her as she walks across the concrete drive up to the house. The cove over the doorway doing little to protect her from the heat as she leans in close to the control panel by the door.

Out of respect for ancient Norse deities that enjoy blood baths, she should knock.

Pepper punches in the access code with an under her breath swear.

The house opens up to her like a gaping black mouth that wants to swallow her up. It's not cold though. There was a time before Afghanistan and Iron Man when Tony would keep the house at a sub zero temperature, after he came back the idea of dark, cold places seemed to spring him into a panic attack that had to be some kind of PTSD. This is a sauna though, a sticky warmth that's more humid than the air outside. Almost as hot too.

The TVs in the living room are silent; the windows dimmed blocking off most of the light from the sun. The once full of life mansion now simply feels like a mausoleum over run with shadows.

A very hot mausoleum.

"Jarvis turn on the air. It's an oven in here."

"Jarvis override Ms Potts command and leave the current temperature of the house alone."

"Yes, Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis says in perfect monotone that should have no emotional inflection but the AI almost sounds relieved. Like she's the trespasser. Her. Not Loki. She closes her eyes tight for a moment to clear her thoughts, trying to corral in the raging emotions. Hatred is first but blind terror is a close second, wrestling for control.

Smoothing her hand over her blazer, she turns slowly and to see Loki standing in the deep shadows by the waterfall, his green eyes glowing with a haze in the darkness.

Even now, three years after he's invaded earth, he's still terrifying to her. Shield has cleared him as a non-threat and Tony's fallen in some bastardized version of love for the god, to her, he will always be the monster in the dark.

Especially as the smug bastard smiles at her.

"Is Anthony home?" She asks, clasping the folder against her chest like it's a shield, like it can protect her from his evil.

"He is." Loki says, tipping his head to one side and watching her with calculating eyes. She feels like a mouse trapped between the paws of a tiger.

"Right, down in the shop." She says, gathering the courage to walk past him only he pushes himself up off the wall and into her path. All six feet of a very powerful god and mage.

"No."

"Excuse me?" She asks, her frown slipping onto her face as her annoyance overrides all the fear that's clogging her veins.

"No. He's not taking visitors at the moment." He says, his voice condescending and sharp as he thrusts out a hand, his fingers long and elegant and deadly. "Give me what is for him and leave."

Her spine goes ridged and sharp and she clutches the folder tighter. "Excuse you? No. I think I'm finished talking to you. Tony?" she calls out, terrified that he's done something awful to her boss and ex.

The ticker tape of possibilities is endless and horrifying.

"Tony!?" She calls again, her voice echoing though the hot darkness as Loki swears behind her, his sudden grip on her arm tight and hard as he grabs her.

"Give me what is for him now if you wish for him to have it and leave or I will skin you." He hisses, his green eyes toxic and feral as he leans in close, towering over her.

"You've got to be nice to Peps." Tony's voice brings both their heads around and she's horrified to see how bad he looks leaning against the wall. She'd assumed he was in the shop, doing his own little thing, working on the suit. God she wishes now it was true. His brown hair soaked to his brow and once rich eyes washed out to a sad chocolate. His smiles there, but it's a tired stretch of pale lips and lacking his normal charm.

"Tony. Please." Loki says and all the anger and venom in his tone is gone completely, he shoving her away against the wall and going to Tony. "I said I'd get it."

"and Jarv said it was Pep and yhew-" He breaks off his weak voiced rant to cough, bowing over and the wet sound makes Pepper want to cry. Loki's hands gentle as he gathers Tony against his chest. Supporting the shorter man though his coughing and rubbing his back.

"You two hate each other." Tony groans, swallowing a few times before trying to straighten up. He sways for a moment before finding his pillar against Loki. His head down against him like he's to tired to keep it up and keep himself on his feet at the same time.

"Tony..." She breathes out, the look of pure hate Loki shoots her is terrifying but at the moment her need to pacify Tony is greater." Tony. I don't hate him."

"Don't bullshit me, Pep. I'm sick. Not ignorant. You two hate each other." She blushes, looking away from them for a moment. The folder in her hands nearly forgotten as she realizes it's still in her grasp. She should hand it to him and tell him to sign the papers but when her mouth opens up nothing comes out right.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

"Banner is in town, He comes in the morning and at night." Loki says for Tony. The long fingers of his hand stroke through Tony's sweat damp hair, twisting around the soft curls at his nap.

"See Pep and I'm getting better." Tony says, his voice muffled and rough from coughing, the weak smile on his face only last a moment.

None reach Loki's, the god's eyes are distant and full of what can only be hurt and Pepper realizes with icy dread that it's all a big lie.

"Better, but not best. You must return to bed." The god whispers, his lips brushing against Tony's fevered brow before leading him down the hall.

Pepper stands for a moment like her bones have turned to stone. The beat of her heart suddenly so painful that she wants to scream, she can feel it bubbling up to the point she has to keep her mouth closed and breathe through her nose. Watching the two walk slowly back to the bedroom, Tony's movements the sluggish drag of someone too hurt and too tired to carry on and it's will alone that keeps him moving. Loki never once takes his hand off the small of his back.

Slowly, with her cement bones and hollow heart, she wanders back to the master bedroom. Standing in the doorway as she watches Loki's back and Tony lying down. Her eyes passing over them to the bedside table and the little army of putrid orange medication bottles, she wonders with a growing understanding of how long this has been going on behind everyone's back.

Does anyone know? Bruce knows but does Shield and the Avengers?

Tony would never want anyone to know. It's him. Not Loki. He's always been one to hide away from his problems. Crawl off like a cat about to die and do so in peace with his lover by his side. The fact that he didn't call her was like a dagger in her heart she'd long thought was gone.

She stares for a long time at someone she'd thought of as indestructible through all odds lays very broken on a bed too big. Turning away out of decency for once and not shame as Loki brushes his lips to Tony's and murmurs soft words in a language she doesn't recognize.

Her tears are hot in her eyes by the time she makes it to the door and the blazing sun outside. Cold long fingers stopping her short before she can make it past the out cove to the driveway.

Loki doesn't say anything for a long moment, holding tight to her arm with green eyes that hold just as much liquid as hers. His throat working before he lets go of her.

"He's dying, isn't he?" She asks, the question a bitter copper taste in her mouth as she blinks her eyes quickly, refusing to cry in front of this man.

"Yes. Banner fears he has but days now. There's no stopping the poison this time. No rebuilding the reactor. No out." Loki says quietly, wrapping his arms over his chest like despite the heat it's cold for him. Like his heart is on ice back in the bedroom.

There's some bitter part of her that's glad to see him suffering.

"What is the point of being a god if you can't stop one man from dieing?" She hisses.

Loki flinches, recoiling like he's been struck. She thought she'd like to see the vivid splash of tears in his eyes just because he is a monster but it just makes her feel sick now. Unable to take the words back, unable to take anything back.

There's no apology that's going to stop Tony from dying.

"Goodbye." She says, not just to him, but Tony as well, her voice breaking somewhere in the middle with a barely contained cry before turning away. Clutching the folder to her chest. It never got signed but now that matters so little, like it's a forgotten fragment for a world long ago.

Big FAT thank you shout out to the worlds best Beta ever glamourraisedfromperdition