Tony Stark was totally focused on the task at hand, which was a rarity for the restless billionaire. He'd evacuated the tower, fed some small fib to Pepper about needing some space for the night, and then he had locked himself into the lab, just him and the replacement power core for the reactor in his chest.
He'd known that the core had been damaged after the whole disaster with the Chitauri, but he'd kept quiet while the world calmed back down and then he'd started work on recreating the element. Banner had, had a little input and with the good doctor's help, he'd managed to get things put together must faster this time, and he was confident that this time he'd make the thing indestructible. Every damn time he had to replace this reactor he felt like he was back in that cave, half-dead, scrapping together pieces of metal to try to survive.
It reminded him that this damn hunk of energy and metal was what kept him alive: it made him something other than human. He shook his head, "Focus Stark," he muttered under his breath as he finished wielding the replacement reactor into shape. He had made this model damn near indestructible cause he did not want to have to do this ever again.
"Dammit, focus," he growled at himself, working up his nerve. This was the hardest part of the process. How many people ever had to rip out their heart and replace it? While he knew the reactor wasn't actually his anatomical heart… it felt like it most days.
He took a deep breath and carefully began removing the reactor from his chest. Instantly it felt like the air had been sucked from his chest. He coughed, gasped, focused on calm breathing as the reactor hissed and slid out of the hollow of his chest. He set it aside and picked up the new reactor, just a few more seconds and this would all be over…
And then, inexplicably, there was a pair of green eyes in front of him, "Breaking into pieces at the sight of me?" the god of mischief smirked.
Tony gaped like a fish floundering on the surface trying to breathe. Thin, graceful fingers curled around the new reactor and playfully plucked it out of Tony's grasp. "What is this glowing trinket you bear in your chest man of iron?" he asked.
Tony's heart was stuttering in his chest, stalling for rhythm. Air was a suddenly foreign concept but he tried to play cool, "Oh just a night light… case I get scared of the boogey man." He knew his voice was strained and he prayed Loki didn't notice.
Loki ran his hands along the edges of this strange metallic object. The way that Anthony's eyes were glued to the object, Loki was certain that he was lying. He tsk'd softly, "You should know better than to lie to the god of lies Anthony Stark."
Tony licked his lips; strange shades of grey were beginning to play along the other's skin and his breathing sounded painful. Loki felt an unfamiliar sensation run up his spine. Fear. For this mortal before him. "What is this trinket to you?" he asked again.
Tony shook his head, gasping for air. So, this was how it ended? With his reactor in the hands of a… God what was Loki? Angel, Demon? Some twisted and wicked combination of both? "Just… a little night light." Tony barely wheezed out.
"Man of iron, I grow tired of your games."
"I thought…you liked games."
"Why is your skin… graying? What is this shadow coming over you? Loki felt his own voice getting more frantic. He recognized that shade. The color of death, no matter what species it touched it always looked the same, and Loki had seen more than enough of it to know. "You are… dying, are you not?"
"Give the man a prize," Tony coughed and fell backwards onto the workbench. The cold metal was soothing to his burning skin. Funny, he always thought you got cold before you died. He was trying to be calm, but it was fading, "That….thing… is my heart… it's what keeps me alive." he finally said, dropping his head. Why would he tell Loki that?
God, the god was going to let him die here. He choked and felt himself try to fight this overwhelming darkness starting to crawl over him. No, no, no, no. He tried to fight, tried to resist, to cry, yell, anything, but suddenly the world went black.
He woke with a start, a dim blue glow lighting the dark workshop. His hands fumbled over his chest. The reactor. The reactor was installed. He breathed out a sigh of relief, laughing breathlessly. He was alive. How? Who?
He flinched when Loki was suddenly looming over him, features dark and sinister, "You did not tell me that lacking that trinket would cause your death."
"Must've slipped my mind," Tony tried to sit up, frowning when the god pinned him to the table.
"You were nearly dead you prig."
"Yeah, and you care so much?" he smirked, surprised when he suddenly found the god's lips tenderly pressing against his.
"You know little of me man of iron," Loki's voice was cold, "I would not watch you die with your heart in my hands."
"You…?" Tony was still processing the kiss.
Loki arched a brow, pressing their lips together again, and this time there was no tenderness. A sharp flash of teeth and pain, Tony felt the dark coppery taste of blood burst into his mouth followed closely by the trickster's tongue.
"You. You are mine, do you hear me?" Loki's voice was a growl stirring something primal in Tony.
"You don't own me. And stop with the kissing shit." Tony protested and tried to sit up but he was no match for the god.
"That gem in your chest argues otherwise…" Loki tightened his grip, "…And the stirrings of your loins… argues that you quite enjoy my lips." He rolled his hips and Tony was suddenly, excoriatingly aware of how hard he was.
"Jesus," he let his head hit the back of the workbench. This had to be some kind of hallucination brought on by a near-death experience.
"That is not my name," Loki's lips quirked as his lips ghosted across Tony's jawline before his teeth clamped down against Tony's throat.
He swore, blood running down his neck, "Ow, dammit Loki, stop-" he gasped as Loki's tongue ran across the bite, soothing and cooling and arousing as fuck. Tony Stark was in trouble, and he was rapidly forgetting that Loki was dangerous, was a killer for God's sake. But that tongue…
Loki purred against his throat, "Are you done with your useless fighting? You are mine man of iron."
"You…what the hell are you after?"
Loki smiled, "Well, if that is not clear than I must be doing this incorrectly." In an instant Tony felt his sweatpants tugged off of his hips and watched them sail across the room.
He was stark naked, horny as hell, and pinned down by the god of mischief, things were going really well or were about to go to hell and Tony wasn't sure which it was.
