I haven't read the comics. I got hooked after seeing the Avengers movie and then re-watching 'Thor' as I feel hopelessly in love with Loki. After a quick thought, I immediately decided that Loki would go best with Tony Stark (I love Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, freaking awesome!). Then I decided that Loki isn't actually evil. He does what he does in 'Thor' because he knows his brother isn't ready to take over the throne, and then because he's been completely and utterly crushed by the revelation of his Jotun origin and driven into madness.

So, I think that Loki deserves a break and some proper loving. But, unfortunately, I'm not going to make it easy for him. I might write a pure fluff and feel-good story later on, but not this time. And I needed to get this idea down on paper and out of my mind. I still have school work, damnit!

And also, any pointers, tips, and ideas you guys might have will be deeply appreciated. I'm kind of treading on unknown territory here and feeling like I shouldn't.


Chapter 1: (Un)Known Feelings

The lights are out in the Stark mansion. Not a rare occurrence but Loki still knows this is where he'll find Tony Stark. Probably down in the garage, tinkering on whatever invention he's come up with, and neglecting to eat and sleep properly.

It's easy for him to find the multi-billionaire. A thought is all it takes and Loki can magically appear not too far from his location. A soft pressure in his chest usually follows those thoughts. Loki tries not to think about that.

It's strange, bizarre even, this 'thing' they have. The Norse god isn't even sure how it all started. A random encounter at a hotel bar and a night he's sure he'll remember for a long, long time. And he's not regretting it. In fact, since the start of this… 'relationship', something's been changing inside of him. The rage and madness that before entirely clouded his senses have started shimmer. He has these moments, brief ones when he's in that state between sleep and awake, where feelings guilt and grief overwhelm him and the only thing he can do is cry.

Loki doesn't think about those moments. He pushes them away, forgets about them, denies their existence. But subconsciously Loki can't help but think this somehow has something to do with the destruction of the sphere he was using. His eyes are green once again.

Tony Stark, amazingly enough, makes him feel calmer. The storm of inner turmoil dimers down to a manageable breeze in his presence. And Loki is starting to wonder what it can be. An icy grip clutches his heart at the thought of ending it all and going back to how things where before. No, he doesn't want that. But he wonders what the alternative could be.

They never talk about what they're doing. Loki just shows up whenever he feels like it and 'stuff' happens. But lately he's been lingering, not disappearing right after they're done without so much as a word between them. Now, he stays in Stark's arms, kisses him afterwards, gets cleaned up and dressed leisurely. And sometimes, they talk. They exchange pleasantries, inquire casually about each other's business, and Loki's finding he wants to know more, wants to say more.

He's been standing on a rooftop some distance away for a couple of hours now. He sent a message earlier, telling him 'not to wait up for him', that he'd 'let himself in'. It's the first time he's announced his arrival. Though he sent that message over 12 hours ago. Loki shakes his head. There's no point in waiting even longer. He disappears and reappears in Stark's living room, no longer in full body armor. Instead, he's dressed in black pants, and a dark green v-cut t-shirt. He shoves his hands in his pockets and makes his way downstairs. His bare feet make no noise against the cold steps, his features cast in shadows from the light from the garage. Until Loki wishes it, Tony will remain oblivious to his presence, but the God of Mischief doesn't feel the need for schemes and tricks when dealing with Stark and makes his presence known to JARVIS when he reaches the soundproof glass door. The program lets its creator know of his presence and Tony's head snaps up. His eyes are wide and there's a look of surprise on his face as he stares at the god, frozen and bent over his bench where the start of a new device lays. The look changes into a grin after a while, Loki doesn't give it much thought, and lips move as Stark tells JARVIS to open the door.

"Hey," the god says.

Loki pushes his way in with one hand, the other still in his pocket. Tony meets him halfway. They don't say anything else and stand close but not touching. Loki looks him over with a neutral face, one that gives nothing away. He can see clear lines of exhaustion in the other man's face and worry gnaws at the outer edges of his mind. There's apprehension in Stark's eyes and Loki wonders about the cause of it.

Tony shakes his head as if ridding himself of unwanted thoughts and steps in close to pull Loki into a kiss. It's not one of their usual hello kisses. This one is slow and deep, more like one of the rare few they've shared after their throes of passion and lust. Tony drinks from Loki's lips, cradles his head in his hands, and memorizes the contours and taste of those lips with his tongue for what feels like an eternity before dwelling into his mouth to trace every nook and cranny he can find. Loki returns the favor eagerly, his hands gripping the sides of Tony's shirt tightly. They take their time. Enjoy being together.

When the need for air becomes too strong they pull back, but they don't let go of each other. Tony smiles, smirks, grins. Call it whatever you like. Loki doesn't return the smile, but feels he might want to. But then Tony pulls back, his chance is lost, and turns his back to Loki to return to his workbench.

"Make yourself comfortable." Tony says and starts shutting things down.

Loki nods, tells him he'll wait upstairs, and disappears in the blink of an eye only to reappear in the kitchen. He's not in a hurry, unlike so many of the other times he's visited Stark, and lets Tony finish his work. He's confident enough in himself to know Tony won't take too long, but just in case, he takes a look at the timer on the microwave and decides to give the man 15 minutes, tops.

Loki grabs an apple from the fridge, courtesy of Ms. Potts but a wasted effort in an attempt to get Tony to eat, and he decides to at least not let one fruit go to waste. He makes his way upstairs, towards Stark's bedroom and he feels… happy, for the first time in a very long long time.

He's still the God of Mischief, a Trickster, and can't help but cause a prank or two around the house with his magic waiting to be uncovered someday. And Loki refuses to think that he does it because he wants to leave Tony something to remember him by when he's not there.

Ten minutes go by and Loki lies down on the bed with his legs bent at the knees at the end of the bed. He's feeling tired, and a bit nauseous now that he thinks about it. He turns to lie on his side and clenches his eyes shut as the room suddenly dips to the side and starts spinning.

What?

His mouth drops open and he starts to gulp in air. His chest feels heavy on the inside and his breaths weighted down. He turns on his stomach and pushes himself up on one elbow. But his head is too heavy for him to hold up and the movements cause him to swallow several times as bile rises to his mouth. He's afraid he might throw up at any moment.

What's happening?

His strength leaves him and Loki crashes into the mattress. He groans in misery and pain as he becomes too weak to move and his eyes open wide in panic. Loki's sweating, his shirt and pants clinging uncomfortably to his skin and he feels like he's burning up from the inside. He wants to scream, to cry out, but he's too miserably weak for that. Terror grips his heart as he thinks about Stark in the same state he's in and doubles the effort at trying to move.

The bedroom door bursts open in a loud and painful boom that has Loki clenching his teeth in pain and suddenly the room is flooded with people clad in dark uniforms and facemasks. Loki draws in a sharp gasp when he notices Thor enter the room.

"Lay still, brother. Do not fight. It will be over soon."

The God of Thunder's voice is muffled by the mask but Loki hears him clearly enough and flinches under the touch of the giant man's hand.

Stark?

Someone forces his arms behind his back, presses a knee into the small of his back, and Loki throws his head back, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain as every nerve in his body lights up in fire at the touch.

Stark.

He tries to fight. Panic clouds his senses. He tries to use his magic but finds to his utter horror and despair that there is none.

Tony.

He's empty. There's nothing in him and Loki feels like he's falling through the Bifrost again. His mind goes numb, his heart freezes. He's scared.

Black Widow and Hawkeye are standing ready with their weapons drawn and pointed at him. Loki can't see but he imagines the look of satisfaction on their faces anyway and it scares him. He turns his head to the side and catches white, blue, and red in the reflection of the window. It's Captain America with the aid from Thor that's on his back.

TONY!

There's a flash of red and gold in the window and then the Iron Man is standing in his line of sight. An iron clad arm reaches down and turns his head. Loki feels the sting of the needle as if it were a burning blade and the last thing he sees before he falls into darkness is a red and golden mask.