7

It had been all over the news, newspapers, articles, drifting in conversation of the Avengers. There would be no accomplishable way for him to be oblivious of the power ' ', as they titled him, clasped. Quite impressive, judging by his attacks that were shown through the screen of the television. The screams, panicked looks on people's faces, trying to flee for their lives. Mortals. Impossible for them to fight back. A large reason of why he did not pity them. They thought lowly of themselves, therefore they were. This Dr. Doom already had quite a bit of this realm under his control, with an exception of New York and many other areas. It intrigued him of why he had not onslaught there yet, for he acknowledged this mortal could easily take control, with a flick of his wrist. He wanted to know. Of course, all of his ideas were gone when the teammates stepped into the living room, all injured beyond belief. Even Thor, though it was Tony's beaten up and dented suit that concerned him the most. All of this in one day? This man truly did have power, well no matter. He knew he should not have been as interested in the other side of the battles as he was, but . . . He was. A disgrace he would not admit. Loki arched a brow as he looked over his shoulder, "Any good?" He questioned, despite being aware of the answer.

Tony didn't reply, heading straight to his lap to start repairs as he wheezed, wincing as his chest stung painfully. "Just a bit." Bruce sighed before following his science bro in concern, knowing Tony was too stubborn to be checked out by any S.H.I.E.L.D doctor. Nat helped Clint limp along to the couch then they proceeded to bandage each other up. Thor headed straight to the kitchen, no doubt to wallow in pop-tart self-pity. Steve sighed. "We need to contact the Fantastic Four."

Tony's voice appeared over the intercom. "You call Richards, I walk."

"Tony, we need help-"

"Not from Richards."

"He knows Doom-"

"Don't care."

"This is all one man?" Loki asked in slight disbelief mixed with annoyance in knowing, deep inside, he could never do half of this on his own. He could not even rule New York with the assistance of many others, let alone by himself. That would have been horror. He shook his head, rolling his eyes halfway to the conversation between Rogers and Tony, but did not say a word. He examined Natasha and Clint, swallowing thickly. He disliked seeing Nat in pain, Clint he really could not have cared less about. He wished he could help, knowing that he couldn't. His magic would not do, especially with the rate of his stamina.

Nat glanced over. "Maybe Loki could help-"

"No." Tony appeared again, changed out of his suit. "I'm not putting Loki at risk like that. If he could beat the crap out of Thor, then there's no way that Loki would stand a chance against him."

Loki wrinkled his nose, muttering something under his breath. "That is because Thor is a oaf with no strategies beside punching. Perhaps I could help. Unless Stark thinks it's too risky, of course." He waved a hand, crossing his legs over one another.

Clint blinked, "Am I the only one who still doesn't trust the guy?" He said aloud as he stared at Loki, surprised by this. They were speaking to him as if New York never happened, and he wasn't certain he'd ever be able to do the same. Not after having the psychopath in his mind. "Loki could help, probably kill us all while doing it, but he could."

"No!" Tony snapped. "I'm not risking him-"

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Okay." He interrupted, a smirk appearing on his lips. "You don't want me to help you." He really was only doing it to get a reaction out of Clint, but also to say something to Tony. "Which I am alright with. Of course."

"I just don't want you hurt." Tony flinched. "And if that means you not helping, then I'll be damned if I let you help."

"I do not need protection, darling. I heal. Faster then Thor. I am wiser than him, I always know the correct move to make. Now, if that does not sound helpful to you, so be it. It may, however, to others." Loki tilted his head to the side, arching a brow.

"If you knew all the right moves, then how come you didn't take over New York?" Tony shot back. "And last time I checked, your so called 'wiseness' got clouded pretty easy by your daddy issues, jealousy of Thor, and damned pride." The rest of the Avengers watched them like a ping-pong match before they all disappeared, knowing that Tony and Loki's fights, when they did happen, which wasn't often, could get ugly fast.

Loki chuckled softly, shutting his eyes and raising his brows as he shook his head. "You are a fool. You truly want to get into this, so be it. Jealousy, oh no. Only thinking myself superior to him, which I am, and deserve to be recognized for that. I deserve the recognition I so desire, and you are one to speak of pride. Tony Stark, such a barbaric, egotistical, dimwitted fool. The amusing part of it is how you cannot realize it." His voice rose as he stood to his feet, "What, daddy issues? As if you do not have your own, as if you do not have a father who despises you as well, Anthony. Or, the last time I checked, of course."

Tony clenched his jaw. "Fine. Go ahead and write up your own fucking funeral then." He stormed out of the Tower, not caring it was winter and he was only in a tanktop and jeans.

"Tony, where are you going?" Steve yelled after him.

"Getting out of New York." Tony snapped before disappearing into the crowd.

Loki crossed his arms, tilting his chin back with a dark chuckle creeping up his throat. "I believe I will be making my exit as well. It was truly a honor, being welcomed." He murmured something under his breath, along the lines of 'one you will regret'. He vanished from his spot.

Tony shivered violently. He hated the cold. Why the fuck did he walk out with just a tanktop and jeans on? His eyes narrowed. Oh yeah. The fight with Loki. Whatever. If he wanted to get himself killed, then that was his problem. Pain flashed through his chest. What if he was wrong to start a relationship with Loki? What if Clint was right? What if Loki was just using them all? Pain flashed through him again. He didn't want to think those thoughts, but they buzzed in his brain like annoying flies. He huffed and continued walking along a deserted road, trying his best to ignore the cold.

After Loki had left, there had not been many attacks from Doom. For around a week, perhaps a few days of one, things were . . . Calm, you could say. It was not until his next attack that the god was shown, scepter in his hands along with his armor and helmet, clearly assisting the much more powerful force. It had been all over the news, now people were truly panicking. From the damage Loki caused before mixed with someone much more powerful than himself, they truly had a reason to fear. It was shown past the glass and doors of buildings that held televisions inside, revealing to the world everything happening. Everything they could gather, of course.

Tony was going to kill him. As soon as he saw Loki on the t.v. screen with Doom, his heart plummeted into his stomach, which leapt into his throat. He was so pissed that the glass of beer in his hands had shattered. He slammed some cash down for the damage and stomped out of the bar. He called his suit by the bracelet and shot off for Doom's headquarters.

That was exactly the reaction Loki would have been satisfied by, although he was too busy helping - as much as he disliked the word, it was to be used temporarily - this mortal. Everyone feared him, and he loved it. It was what he had wanted, for them to run in fear. Not to simply glare, as they had before. In between the moments of now and after his independent attack. He remembered why he enjoyed his moments of power in New York, and the desire to rule only grew stronger with every blast of his scepter in this town. He glanced to Doom, who was doing an impressive job of causing destruction. "Bravo," Loki muttered under his breath, smirking to himself. Unfortunate that this man would not live to see his goal.

"Loki!" Tony roared before slamming into the god.

Loki gasped, feeling himself be lunged forth within a matter of seconds. He growled, instantly aware of the voice. "Anthony. This was not how I planned running into you again, but it's suitable." He laughed in between his words, stumbling as he teleported himself behind Tony and sent a blast of his scepter in his direction. "First I will take your life. Then the rest."

Tony dodged the blast and shot one of his own. "I'll take yours first!" He snarled.

Loki teleported himself once again, "Oh, what a threat." Duplicating himself to where many appeared around Tony, it not being known which one could possible be him, another attempt to hit the mortal with the blast being sent.

Tony snarled again, shooting Loki in the chest, causing the other duplicates to disappear. "I know you better than that, Loki!" He snapped.

Loki stumbled back, staying on his feet. "Oh, you know all of my tricks. How sad for me . . . Well, not really. More so for you, if you truly believe that." He arched a brow, glancing over to Doom.

"I said I know you better, not that I know everything." Tony hissed. "After all, I didn't know you'd be a fucking turncoat."

"Loki, stop playing with it and just get rid of it already." Doom glanced back over. "Or I will."

Loki pressed his lips together tightly, disliking orders but going along for now. He used his free hand to restrain Tony from moving temporarily, stepping forward. "Isn't it sad, how it must end this way?" He felt up his side before pulling out a knife, furrowing his brows. "I . . ." He only stared, dropping it.

Tony narrowed his gaze. "Do me a favor and kill me." He hissed. "It's not like I haven't wanted to die before. But you knew that already." He hissed. "Because I trusted you. All of us did. Even Clint even though he didn't want to admit it. What happened to Nat, Loki? Did you kill her too? Use one of her fears that she shared with you, like the coward you are?" Tony snarled. "I'd rather be dead than live my life knowing that at one point, I loved you, more than anything. And where did that love get me?" Tears glistened in his brown eyes. "A fucking knife in the back."

Doom suddenly appeared behind Tony, grabbing the arc reactor and yanking it out. "You talk too much." He growled. Tony gasped before falling, eyes growing dim.

Loki smirked, though the tears showed through his eyes. "Why, you read my mind." He snorted before laughing, staring down at Tony. "You have fifteen minutes. Perhaps you can watch your surroundings burn? You've killed so many people, for your own selfish needs. Even if you were supposed to be the hero. A shitty one, at that. Including, well . . . Must I say his name?" He spoke to Tony before blasting his scepter at the weakened man who he still loved, turning. Tony stared blankly at Loki as his vision began to grow black before closing his eyes, a single tear falling before he let go of his last breath.

Instantly, at that moment, Loki heard a faint whisper of, "You are a cruel man." But nothing more.

A blinding flash appeared in the corner of Loki's eye and the next thing he knew, Doom was dead at his feet and a furious Jormungandr glared at him. "You bastard." Jo hissed, his giant serpent counterpart starting to show through. His eyes were like a snake's, slitted, and fangs glistened in his mouth. Loki opened his mouth to yield a reply, a defense on his side, but could not at the fact that a hand reach his throat and prevented his breath.

"You are heartless. I will not kill you, only torture you." Hela hissed in a hushed tone from behind him, unable to prevent herself.

"How could you?!" Jo snarled. "You loved him! Or was that a lie too?! What else could we expect from the God of Lies and Mischief?!" Hela loosened her grip only slightly, to allow Loki to speak.

"What, did you care for him more then me? Your own father? Your flesh and blood?" Loki choked out, smirking mockingly. "Kill me, go on. You both are the same as me and always will be."

"At least he cared about us." Jo hissed before narrowing his gaze. "Let him go, Hela. He's not worth the blood on your hands." He sniffed. "After all, we are better than him. He is nothing but a coward and a traitor." He hissed before taking Hela's hand and tugging her back.

Hela stepped back, furrowing her brows. "I should have known not to have hope in you." She allowed him to drop to the ground. "First mother. Then you kill the next person we grow close to. Have you no heart? Death has one." She tilted her chin back, swallowing.

"Obviously he cares for no one but himself." Jo hissed. "Even when you took the Binding Oath with Tony, you meant nothing. Not one word."

Loki stumbled to his feet, glaring at them with his unusually blue eyes. "Of course not. How could I? Now, my children . . . Of course I care for my children. Those who despise me, over the lost life of a mere mortal. Pathetic."

Jo narrowed his gaze. "Hela, look at his eyes."

Hela did as she was told, despite not wanting to. Though she realized it as soon as she did, scoffing. "Still too weak to fight against it." She whispered, looking to Jormungandr.

"Can you get it out of his system?"

Hela took a deep breath, "Perhaps. It would be easier if he was willing, but he obviously is not."

"I'll hold him down." Jo murmured before shifting into his giant serpent form and wrapping his body around Loki tightly, making sure there was no way he could escape. Hela's feet lifted off the ground, levitating herself into the air to where she was right in front of Loki's face, shutting her eyes. The process had already started, though it could only be noticed by how her father's struggling stopped and eyes widened. "Done?" Jo hissed.

Hela did not reply, a second later allowing herself to gently fall to the ground. Loki went limp, eyes rolling to the back of his head. "He will be well." She narrowed her eyes.

Jo narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to wake him up." He shook Loki violently. Loki gave no reaction within the first few seconds, before he began stirring. "Wake up." Jo snapped, growing impatient. Loki opened his eyes halfway, now their original color of green.

"There." Hela scoffed.

"Loki." Jo called, trying to gain his father's attention. Loki took a moment to regain himself, his mind blank as he stared ahead. He blinked a few times, looking between Hela and Jormungandr slowly. "Talk. Now." Jo ordered.

Loki arched a brow, blinking. "What did I do this time?" It was followed by a smirk, not thinking he did something as terrible as he did.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" Jo hissed before moving so Loki could see Tony's still body.

Loki's eyes widened, gasping softly. "Oh . . . Oh dear." He swallowed, able to be seen trembling to the slightest. "Is he . . . Dead?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes. You killed him." Jo snapped.

Loki stared, mouth dropped as he slowly shook his head, the guilt showing. "No . . . I would not. No." He murmured, mainly to reassure himself. He needed a moment, one to think about this. Try to recall something, anything. Knowing well he would not get that.

"You were under the Tesseract's influence, and Doom was the one who yanked out the reactor, but you killed him the moment you stabbed him in the back."

"This . . . If I was under the influence of the Tesseract, this is not my fault. You both know well I would never lay a hand on Tony." Loki furrowed his brows, swallowing thickly.

"Well, you did." Hela blinked, something about her tone being cold. She walked over to Tony's lifeless body, kneeling down and lifting her hands above him as a blue glow originated from them. She assumed she'd best go on and do whatever she could before her father tried to.

"And you have a lot to make up for." Jo added.

Loki opened his mouth to speak, cutting himself off and hanging his head to where he stared at the ground. "I am aware of this. How many other Midgardians have I killed?" Perhaps he was interested in Doom, but did not want to team up with him. He never would have considered it, and it was unfortunate no one realized this. He knew Tony would not.

"One that I know of." Jo spat.

Loki paused a moment, turning his gaze away. "Even though I had no control over my actions, I still take the blame? I love Tony as much as you two, perhaps more. You think I feel no shame?"

"I should hope you do." Jo snapped.

Loki scowled. "Fair enough." Hela took a deep breath, putting more energy into her act. Bringing people to life was difficult, why she rarely did it. Sometimes it would work. Sometimes it would not.

Tony's eyes fluttered and Jo's attention switched to the man on the ground. "It's working this time then." Jo murmured. Hela kept her focus on Tony, as difficult as it was. She felt her body grow weary, struggling to not give up and fall on the ground. She could not. Loki watched with a concerned look, muttering Tony's name. Jo held her. "It's okay, Hela. He's fine. You can let go."

"Who are you?" Tony coughed and Jo froze then looked down at Tony.

"What do you mean?" Jo inquired.

"Who are you three?" Tony looked at them all.

Hela opened her eyes, falling onto the ground and pressing her hand against it to hold herself up. "We need to get him to the tower." She whispered. Loki was quiet, hearing cars approach labeled 'SHIELD'.

"I got this." Jo sighed and headed over to where Nick Fury was standing after making sure his sister was fine.

"What's going on?" Tony asked.

Hela gently placed her hand on the shoulder of the suit, shaking her head. "Do not worry about it. I will explain later." She murmured. Tony nodded hesitantly.

Fury glared at Jormungandr, "We're going to take Loki into our hands." He said simply.

"We need him to help Tony regain his memory." Jo insisted. "Now, you can either allow Loki to stay in Stark Tower or we take them both away."

"I don't give a shit what you need Loki for. He's a threat and cannot go wherever he wants."

"He was under the Tesseract's influence this time as well."

"We kept him locked up last time. Not as long as we should have, but we did. We'll at least need him for questioning. Now step aside."

Jo narrowed his eyes into snake slits. "No." Fangs glistened in his mouth.

Fury reached for his gun, "Do we really have to do this the hard way? With destroying as much as he did, there's no way I can let him off the hook." He did not seem intimidated at all.

"I don't care. Let him off anyway." Jo raised an eyebrow. "And your pathetic little toys won't hurt me."

"They hurt Loki enough. Pretty sure they'd do the same to you, god or not." Fury narrowed his eye, "It doesn't work that way."

"I'm not like my father." Jo growled. "And since we seem to be at an impasse, I'm afraid we'll have to leave." He snapped his fingers and all four of them disappeared.

"I think I would of preferred for them to take me. I'd rather sit in a cell then be treated like I purposefully killed Tony." Loki scoffed.

"The only reason we're keeping you around is for Tony to regain his memories." Jo snapped. "Then, once that's done, you can go sit in that cell for as long as you want."

Loki shrugged, pursing his lips. "Alright . . . And how do you expect me to assist Tony in regaining his memories, exactly?"

Jo sighed. "If he's around you, he may remember more because you were what he cared about the most. If he can remember you, then he'll be able to remember all the other things."

"Hopefully it'll be quick." Hela murmured, sending a look to Loki. Loki sent the look right back to her, not wanting to put up with this. He didn't do anything wrong, but of course it was his fault. He had learned to accept that.

"Fine." He said sharply to Jormungandr.

Tony tilted his head as Loki came towards him. "Who are you?"

Loki furrowed his brows in concern. "I am Loki. Do you know who you are?" He asked, wanting to see if Tony forgot everything.

Tony nodded. "Tony. Tony Stark."

Loki smiled softly, "Good." He breathed out, not wanting to have to start from the beginning. That he could not do. He examined him, unsure of how to get the suit off of him.

Tony tilted his head. "Who were you to me then?"

"Well . . . We were in a relationship." Loki said quietly.

"What kind?" Tony blinked.

Loki was unsure of how to describe it, "We loved each other."

"A lot?"

"More than friendship, yes. A lot."

Tony grinned. "Cool." He murmured before leaning up and kissing Loki sweetly. Loki's eyes widened slightly, but he nonetheless kissed back gently.

Tony pulled back. "I love you then."

"I love you too." Loki whispered.

Tony smiled. "So . . . How far are we into the relationship?"

Loki blinked, pausing. "Far. Very far."

"Married?"

"No."

Tony's face fell a bit. "Oh. Engaged?"

Loki sighed softly, "No."

Tony's face fell further. "Then how far?"

"Not that far."

Tony frowned. "Close to being engaged?" Loki shrugged before nodding. "Who was going to propose?"

"Well . . . Truly, I was not planning to at the time. I am unsure if you were." Loki blinked.

"What about now?" Tony tilted his head.

Loki pressed his lips together. "Now would not be a good time. Because . . . I am not . . ." He sighed. "It just would not be."

Tony's face fell. "I thought you loved me."

"I do. There are just things going on, and I will not be around." Loki admitted.

Tony frowned. "What do you mean, you won't be around?" He clutched Loki's shirt. "You're not leaving me are you?" His voice held a bit of panic.

"Not by choice." Loki shook his head. "Not permanently . . ." He added.

Tony sniffled. "Don't leave."

"I won't be leaving anytime soon, darling." Loki said softly.

"Promise?" Tony whispered.

Loki tilted his head with a slight frown, "Promise." Tony smiled and kissed him again, hunger slipping in. Loki blushed a shade of blue, averting his eyes.

"What?" Tony tilted his head.

"Oh, nothing." Loki murmured.

"What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"You sure?" Tony tilted his head.

"Yes. Of course." Loki shook his head.

Tony smiled. "Good." Loki ran a hand through his hair, swallowing. He just knew once Tony remembered things, he would hate him. Tony hummed and nuzzled Loki's cheek. "I love you." He murmured. "I'm never going to lose you again." Loki attempted a smile, though it was crooked as he thought of the reality. He may as well enjoy this while it lasted.

"Father." Jo murmured later that night.

Loki flipped the page of his book, arching a brow without looking up. "Yes?" He asked quietly, expecting some insult. It was his fault that Tony did not have his memory, of course.

"How's Daddy?"

Loki shrugged a bit, "I cannot say better. The same." He muttered.

Jo sighed. "Does he remember anything?"

"No." Loki huffed, shaking his head.

"Damn." Jo sighed heavily. "I wish I had kept Doom alive long enough so I could torture the bastard. This is all his fault."

"Yes, well. He is a bastard, but all of this is rather impressive, I must say." Loki raised a brow, flipping another page.

Jo shot him a look. "He's a murderer."

"I am well aware of this." Loki murmured carelessly, shutting his book and crossing his legs. "Now he's a dead one."

"I know." Jo sulked when a bang interrupted his thoughts. He looked over to see Slei and Fenrir. Loki blinked, leaning over to see them as well.

"Papa? What are you doing here?" Slei blinked owlishly and quivered behind Fen. Loki furrowed his brows, only sighing and shaking his head as he grabbed his book once again and pulled it open. This was repulsive.

"Loki, knock it off." Tony mumbled, his head in the god's lap. "Be nice to the puppy and talking horse." He blinked. "Since when can horses talk? Did I make it so that could happen?"

"I'll be nice to them, of course. So as long as I-" Loki cut himself off, rolling his eyes. "No. They're my children." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about how nice a cell would seem with Fenrir around.

Tony hummed. "Are they just yours?"

Slei frowned. "Daddy really did forget everything." Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Yes, Daddy forgot everything." Loki scoffed, tempted to add 'you as well', but his mood wasn't that bad.

Fenrir blinked, prancing over and sitting on Tony's chest, placing his paws on his chin. "Hi." He greeted, grinning widely.

Tony blinked before smiling. "The wolf talks too?" He grinned and began to pet him before tilting his chin up to Loki.

"Oh yes, he talks a lot." Loki chuckled softly, bending over a bit to kiss Tony gently.

"Ew!" Fenrir screamed, falling off the couch, eliciting an eyeroll from Jo.

"I like them." Tony murmured. "Were they mine too?"

"Yes." Jo answered, shooting Loki a look before he could answer. "All six of us."

Loki growled at Jormungandr, "Not . . . Six," He shook his head.

"Us four and then the twins."

"No. They . . . No."

Fenrir looked between them, howling just to interrupt. "Shh."

Tony looked confused and a bit nervous, like a skittish deer not quite sure what to make of the situation. "Loki?" His voice was edging on panic.

"It's fine." Loki sat up straight, annoyed by his children. Yes, a cell really did seem nice. He murmured something under his breath, sounding like a spell despite nothing happening.

Tony frowned. "Are you sure?"

Loki smiled, "Of course. Love." Tony nodded, seemingly calmed as he burrowed closer to Loki and nuzzled his neck.

"You guys are so fucking sweet." Fenrir giggled like a mad man, patting the floor with his paw. Loki ignored the wolf - well, he preferred the form of a pup oddly -, tilting his head back to glance at the ceiling. Tony hummed as his eyes drooped sleepily.

"You need to rest." Loki murmured, and he would of tried to carry Tony to their room, but . . . He was not nearly strong enough to do that and would admit it.

"I'm not tired." Tony mumbled only to follow it with a huge yawn.

"How unfortunate. You're going to bed anyways." Loki smiled, not exactly mocking, but close enough.

Tony pouted. "Sleep with me."

Loki rolled his eyes, holding onto his book. "Fine." Tony smiled before slumping against Loki and falling asleep. "What . . ." Loki sighed softly, lifting his arm that held the book to read it without disturbing Tony. He would not be getting up from the couch until Tony woke.

The next morning, Tony was still sleeping soundly, completely on top of Loki, who was also sleeping. Fen had curled up on Tony's back and Slei was tangled in his legs. Hela and Jo were sleeping back to back on the other couch. Loki was the first to awaken, his book having fallen on the floor. He did not move, eyes opening to the slightest as he examined everything. Wow. This was . . . He could not even think of a word to describe it, but it made him smile. Tony stirred slightly but didn't wake and Fen shifted so he slid off of Tony's back like jello and tangled up with Slei, who nuzzled his brother in his sleep. Loki filled his mouth with air as he carefully leaned forward, attempting to grab his book without waking Tony or anyone else. This was going to be difficult. He shut one eye, trying to grab it with two fingers. Tony giggled as he watched him through barely open eyes. Loki leaned over a bit more, the air showing through his cheeks as he held it. He eventually was able to grab it, but it slid out of his fingers and he cursed under his breath. Tony giggled again as he continued to watch the god struggle underneath him. The final time it slid out of his fingers Loki gave up and released the air he held, leaning against the arm of the couch with somewhat of a pout. "Do you want me to get it?" Tony murmured.

"Yes, please." Loki huffed, narrowing his eyes at the wall.

Tony kissed Loki's cheek before scooping the book into his hands and giving it to Loki. Loki took it from him, nuzzling him and pulling it open. Cursing under his breath once again, because dammit he lost his page. "You're on page seventy-two." Tony murmured before nuzzling Loki's chest and closing his eyes. Loki pulled open his book, wondering when everyone would awaken. He was hungry, but couldn't get up because a certain mortal who lost his memory was laying on him. Except . . . He remembered what page he was on in the book. His brow furrowed in confusion. How could he remember something so insignificant like that? Unless . . . Loki calmly opened his eyes, staring upwards at the darkened ceiling. He could hear the rain pounding against their window, the thunder that caused his awakening. He swallowed. Fake. It was all fake, a dream. More so a nightmare. He glanced at Tony laying next to him, eyes locked onto him and feeling his own hand to make sure the ring was still there. He ran a hand through his hair, leaning his head back. That was . . . Strange, more strange than anything he had dreamed in quite a while. Well, he never dreamed in the first place.

Tony stirred. "Babe?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Yes." Loki rolled onto his side to face Tony, eyes practically glowing through the darkness.

"You okay?" Tony turned slightly.

Loki shut his eyes, "Just fine." He muttered.

"You sure?" Tony nuzzled his jawline.

"Just a strange dream, is all."

"What about?" Tony kissed him gently.

Loki chuckled softly against lips, "You don't want to know."