I wasn't going to post this until I finished Magic Tricks (which is still only on AO3). But I made the mistake of letting Emily and Resoan read it, and they both got excited about it, so I got excited, and I have absolutely no willpower to resist posting this any longer. One of these days I will actually finish a story.

A huge thanks to my lovelies, Emily and Resoan for reading this for me, and to Isa who lets me continually bounce ideas off her.

/

Tony grins at his reflection when pale hands suddenly materialize to straighten his tie. Loki wraps his arms around Tony's waist, resting his chin against Tony's shoulder. "I was hoping to catch you before you dressed," the Trickster pouts.

He turns his head to the side and places a light, but nowhere near chaste, kiss on Loki's lips. "Unfortunately Cap threatened to come up here and drag me out if I was more than five minutes late."

Loki growls possessively, his arms tightening around Tony. "I would like to see him try to take you from me."

"Oooo, jealousy." Tony turns in Loki's embrace, wrapping his arms around the god's shoulders. "Hot."

He slams his lips against Loki's. Loki slams him against the wall. Tony moans and Loki's tongue ravishes the inventor's mouth. "Cap's going to be up here soon," Tony groans when Loki pulls away.

The god goes down on his knees and smirks up at Tony. "I believe we have enough time for a preview of the birthday gift I will be giving you tonight."

Tony groans at the feel of Loki nuzzling against him, his fingers curling in dark hair. He opens his mouth to tell Loki that as much as he loves the god's lips on him they need to be quick, he doesn't really care about getting caught but they still haven't told anyone about their relationship, and this is not the way Tony wants to break the news, but he chokes on the words. He can't breathe. There is no air in his lungs. He doesn't hear the angry hiss that escapes Loki's lips as his fingers tighten painfully within the Trickster's hair over the roaring in his ears. Tony slides down the wall, twitching violently. Loki's face is blurry in its panic above him. He can feel his lover's arms around him and tries desperately to anchor himself to reality by clinging to that feeling.

But the world goes dark and silent as nothingness rushes up to meet him, dragging him down into its depths.

/

He claws at the darkness, fighting so it will release him. But there are chains tearing into his flesh, dragging him back each time he moves forward. His eyes snap open and he gasps, taking heavy breaths to fill his lungs again. Strong hands hold him down on a bed until he calms down enough to take in his surroundings.

Bruce smiles down at him, but his eyes are clouded by concern. "Hey, welcome back, Tony. How're you feeling?"

"Back? Wha-?" He cuts himself off, head snapping to the side as computers begin to beep alerts. The chains are nothing more than wires hooking him up to machines monitoring his vitals. It looks like Bruce's lab, but it's not, and yet it is.

The memories come crashing back; becoming a professor, becoming friends with Bruce, Loki, god Loki, his marriage falling apart, Bruce's research, and finally Tony volunteering to be Bruce's guinea pig for his newest experiment.

He had been Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, Iron Man, the lover of a god. Now the simulation had ended and he had woken up. Now he had to go back to being Tony Stark: the engineering professor with a suburban two story house, PT Cruiser, a cat, and a failed marriage.

Tony wonders if he can convince Bruce to start up the simulation again.

/

Resoan said that when she read Tony saying "hot" all she could think of was Oghren talking to Sigrun...and now I can't get that image out of my head.

Anyways, feedback would very much be appreciated. This is completely different from anything I've attempted before.