"Gods. I'm bored…bored and thirsty," I complained to no one in particular as I lie listlessly on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

Even in the legendary Stark tower penthouse it was possible to be bored- on a Saturday night, no less. Bored out of my mind. I was almost desperate enough to see if Tony was around. He was rarely boring. Mostly obnoxious, but never boring; I might be willing to suffer annoyance right now. Before I could convince myself to get off the couch, the cushions shifted. As if someone had just sat down. I craned my neck to see who it was.

Now there's a surprise, I thought to myself. What's he want? The God of Mischief lounged indolently at the far end, studying me with a bemused smirk. I marveled for the hundredth time at the brilliant shade of cerulean in his eyes, and then prayed he wouldn't notice the faint blush that crept into my face. If he did, Loki didn't mention it.

"Bored, you say," he queried.

"Yessss," I groaned irritably while attempting to sit up. "I can't think of anything to do. What's it to you, anyway?"

"No reason."

"Everything you do has a reason."

With a shrug, I dropped my gaze quickly to my hands. In the left one, a swirl of frozen air crystalized into a snowflake. It was a game I played with myself sometimes- to see how long I could use my magic to change the elements. The snowflake melted into a sphere of water, which evaporated into steam. Seconds later, it ignited into tongues of flame. In the ashes left behind, a sprig of mistletoe grew, only to be swept away by a violent whirlwind. I was about to start the cycle over when Loki spoke up.

"Since when is it a crime to take an interest in others?"

"It isn't, but when it's you, well…" I glanced up and noticed that he was staring intently at my palm. "It's a little unusual."

"Why is that, my Lady?"

"Must you call me that?"

I voiced the question, even though I rather liked hearing him address me that way. Something about the sound of the words- or maybe the lilt in his tone when he said them. Every time, I couldn't help the little thrill of pleasure it gave me. Perhaps I enjoyed it too much, and that's why I was so quick to give the impression that I didn't.

Loki shrugged artlessly and said, "Force of habit, I guess."

"Hmmm…is that so? Then what about Tasha and Pepper- it's always 'Miss Romanoff' or 'Miss Potts'. When you're feeling polite, anyway."

He made no reply. I thought for a minute I'd pushed too hard and might have offended him. Not what I'd intended, and certainly not a wise thing to do. The God of Mischief and all…who knew what prank I might endure as revenge. I was about to tender an apology, or whatever, to forestall any of that when Loki did answer.

"I could find something else," he teased slyly, "But I can't guarantee you'd like the alternatives any better."

I flashed him a cheeky grin of my own, glad that he'd taken my question in fun. And because I knew it amused him, I used my shapeshifting talents to give myself a forked tongue. With it, I hissed softly- a somewhat reptilian twist on the very juvenile impulse to stick my tongue out at him. Loki chuckled and shook his head, while I quickly changed it back to normal. We were both distracted by our conversation, and didn't notice we had company until it was too late.

"Hey, Mother Nature. What're you and Reindeer Games up to?" Tony cut in as he leaned over the back of the sofa between us.

I jumped back, startled…and a little annoyed. Stupid nickname. Both of them. My good humor evaporated into a baleful glare in his direction as I exclaimed, "Not that again!"

"What," Tony protested innocently. I couldn't help noticing that Loki was also scowling at him. "Everybody calls you that."

"Only after you started it!"

"Only because it suits you so well! What with the elemental magic and the shapeshifting into animals. It's perfect," he insisted.

In response, I bared my teeth in a menacing growl of a jungle cat. Tony leaned back with a nervous jerk; Loki smirked at his involuntary reaction.

"Was there some reason why you came over to bother us," I asked after a second or two.

"Yes, actually. Thought I heard you say you were thirsty a minute ago, so I brought you something." He produced two long-stemmed wineglasses in one hand. After he'd set them down on the coffee table, Tony drew out a bottle and filled them close to the brim with dark, burgundy liquid. With a flourish, he gestured that I should take one of them. "Compliments of the house."

I regarded the glasses and the bottle warily, vaguely certain I'd seen the latter before. The memory floated on the edge of my brain until finally I realized what it was.

"Oh no. Don't tell me that's-"

"Asgardian wine? Of course it is."

Asgardian wine. Thor said they distilled it in two parts- one in the coldest caverns of Jotunheim; the other in the hottest of Muspelheim. When combined in the mists of Niflheim, they produced a potent elixir prized by the gods of Asgard. The last time I'd had it was almost six months ago, and the memory of what happened after still made me cringe. Potent indeed. No sooner had I consumed it, I'd lost all control of my body temperature. It swung wildly close to freezing at first, and then suddenly burning hot.

Literally, in the case of the latter. The heat was so intense that I'd set the furniture on fire, which then spread to a good deal of the main suite in the penthouse. And by then, the wine had me so intoxicated that I could hardly think straight. I put out the fire, but only by blanketing the place in almost half a foot of snow. When Tony and the rest of the Avengers returned, they'd been stunned by the havoc I'd wreaked on the place. Worse yet, I'd completely lost my senses and tried to kiss Clint- Tasha was not pleased about that one bit.

Nor was I, for that matter. None of that experience was something I dared want to repeat. Even that first time had been an accident; I'd picked the bottle out of the wine rack not realizing what it was. Had someone- like Tony or Thor- warned me they kept that stuff around, I would have chosen something else. So it really was his fault that I'd practically destroyed the tower. Still, couldn't hurt to remind him that Asgardian wine in my hands was a dangerous thing.

"Are you crazy!? Didn't you learn anything from last time?"

"Who cares? I can always use this as an excuse to remodel the penthouse." He backed away with a grin. "See you later, lovebirds."

Lovebirds!?

"Wait- what? Tony…" I twisted around as I called after him. "Hey, get back here! Tony. I'm not drinking that."

It was no use; he was gone. I turned back to the coffee table, staring down the infamous vintage with reluctance. I meant what I said about not wanting to drink any, but it seemed a shame to let it go to waste once it had been poured. Maybe this time I'd be more prepared and wouldn't reduce the room to snow and ashes. Or maybe Tony would spend the next week remodeling as he predicted. Either way, was not looking forward to this. I reached for one of the glasses, but Loki caught my wrist just before my fingertips wrapped around the stem.

"Lilith, don't. Stark might think it's all a jest, but Asgardian wine is dangerous. For mortals especially, but even for you. He was lucky that only the furnishings were damaged last time- it could have been far worse."

He seemed truly worried, so I gave up on the idea with a shrug.

"Yeah, probably. I suppose we can't just put it back in the bottle and save it, can we?"

"No."

"Then I guess I'll go dump these down the sink. Maybe while I'm there, I'll find something with less potential for disaster." But Loki had already taken his glass from the table, as if he meant to consume it. "You're not seriously drinking that, are you?"

"I'm an Asgardian. I can handle it."

"If you say so."

[Hours Later]

"I fucking knew it."

God damn Tony and his fucking alcohols.

Loki drank his glass, then mine, and then a whole lot more. The bottle was nearly empty at this point. And here he was, a very merry and a very drunk demi-god. A drunk demi-god who was now leaning on me as I tried to get him back to his room before he passed out.

"I…I am Loki," the Norse hellion slurred.

"Yes you are," I agreed with thinly veiled exasperation.

"King…of the…world," he continued in my ear. I tried not to wince.

"No you're not."

"Yes- am. Of…your world."

My feet faltered for a second, sure I'd heard him wrong.

"What?"

"I-I…love you, Lilith."

So maybe I hadn't heard wrong. No mistake now what he meant, and I almost collapsed from the shock of hearing those words. But then I shrugged it off. He was drunk, and likely had no idea what he was saying right now. Then again...in vino veritas, I was quick to remind myself. Perhaps even gods weren't immune to the effects of alcohol on one's true thoughts and feelings- even the god who specialized in bending the truth to his whims. Don't give yourself those ideas. He's probably just talking nonsense. It doesn't mean anything.

"I…really do," Loki insisted when I didn't reply. "Really really."

Yup. He was just drunk. Really drunk.

"Everybody does," I muttered absently, still trying to steer us down the hallway.

"Not…the-" he paused to regain his train of thought. "The way…I do."

"Please don't."

I couldn't bear to listen to him any longer. Not because I didn't want to hear Loki say that he cared. I did. Since the day we'd first met at the tower, I'd been drawn to him. More than anyone I'd known. But despite our amiable friendship, he'd never shown interest in me in that way. I couldn't afford the hurt of disappointed hopes if all of this turned out to be a wine-induced illusion. So it was best to stop him before things got any more out of hand.

"You…you have no idea," he continued despite my plea. "How much I…love you."

He really isn't going to stop, is he? Short of physically trying to quiet him in some way, I very much doubted it.

"I-I want to be…the…perfect king. Of your…world, Lilith. You are…the queen…of mine."

If only I could make myself believe that he meant it. But since I couldn't, the words only served as a knife twisting painfully in my chest.

We'd reached the door to his room. Finally. I couldn't take much more of this before I'd do or say something that I'd likely regret tomorrow when he'd sobered up. With my free hand, I turned the door handle. It cracked open enough that I could nudge it the rest of the way with my hip. Loki was mercifully quiet as we staggered towards the bed. I figured by now the wine had about done him in, and he was well on his way to sleeping it off.

But as I plunked him on the bedspread, I noticed immediately that something was wrong. Loki's skin- usually cool to the touch- was feverish. I suspected the wine was to blame, given my own experience. From Asgard he may be, but I was willing to bet even the gods of that realm didn't drink it almost a whole bottle at a time. He looked like he might be slightly ill. Calling upon my magic, I created a layer of chilled air around Loki to help bring his temperature back to normal.

It worked, and soon he was doing much better. Still a bit too warm, though. I thought to bring some ice water for him to drink, and went to retrieve a glass of it from the adjoining bathroom. When I came back, I nearly dropped it in shock. Loki was lying on the bed where I'd left him, but now he was shirtless. Heat flushed in my cheeks as I admired the sight; I had never seen him undressed before.

I should go. Just set the glass down on the nightstand and walk out of here.

Intending to do just that, I forced my feet to shuffle close enough to place it within reach should he want it. Loki's eyes were closed- likely asleep already- so I turned to leave without saying a word. No sense waking him up just to say goodnight. But then he reached for my hand and held it tightly. Frozen in surprise, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I glanced over my shoulder to see that he'd propped himself up on his elbow, regarding me intently. In the darkness, his eyes shone as brilliant as sapphires.

I am supposed to be leaving, I reminded myself. Rather hard to do when I was tethered in place- literally and figuratively. Even if he'd let go of my hand, I wasn't sure I could walk away when Loki looked at me like that. But self-preservation kicked in to rescue me, and I tried to slip my hand out of his grasp. Tried, but failed; he wouldn't let go. Not even when I tugged a little harder.

"Loki- my hand…can I have it back?"

He didn't answer, nor did he release my hand. No choice. I tapped into my powers to raise my body temperature- just enough that he'd sense it as a warning. Message received, but no response. So I tried again, a little more intense this time. Borderline uncomfortable, actually. As the heat radiated from my skin, I expected Loki to let go. He didn't. Then his expression shifted ever so slightly. I knew that look…he was up to something. Wait a sec…

Too late.

With more speed and agility than I would have expected for someone as drunk as he was, Loki pulled me off my feet so that I landed next to him on the bed. Shock propelled me backwards- or would have if he hadn't reached around with his other arm to prevent my escape. I was effectively pinned, adrenaline sending my pulse racing as he leaned over me. Much too close. He was much too close. If I didn't get free, I might do something incredibly stupid.

"Loki, let me go," I said in a tone as firm as I could make it. "Get some sleep. I have to go clean up the living room."

"No." Loki's tone was just as adamant. His eyes glittered as he added in a near whisper, "Stay."

If I thought I'd been warm a few minutes ago, it paled in comparison to the heat simmering inside me now. I was sure I was dangerously close to setting the blankets on fire. Control- I needed to get control. Shouldn't be that hard, since I wasn't the one who was drunk. Maybe I could turn myself into a snake or something and slither away before things got any more out of hand. Just as I conceived of the idea, though, I realized Loki was leaning forward; we were a scant inch apart. Oh lord, I think he's going to…

Didn't even get to finish that sentence before his lips captured mine in a searing kiss. Ice that burned- almost if I had drunk the Asgardian wine. It raged through me and obliterated coherent thought. Loki broke the kiss, only to turn his attention to my neck. At first, I was too dazed to protest as he trailed his lips and teeth over the sensitive skin. Finally, the last shred of discipline I had gave me the strength for one last attempt.

"I can't. Loki…"

"Yes you can," he drawled in between kisses.

I had to stop this. Now.

"Loki!"

He must have heard the edge of panic in my voice, and stopped to look at me.

"I meant what I said."

"What...?"

"I meant what I said," he repeated earnestly, words suddenly a lot less slurred than they'd been before. "If you think I was fooling around- that I didn't mean a word of it- you're absolutely mistaken, Lilith. I really and truly love you."

"Stop saying that" I insisted angrily. "You're still drunk!"

He smirked wickedly, leaned close, and then whispered against my lips, "I never was."

[The Next Morning]

"Hey- anyone know who knocked over the end table," Tasha's voice called from the living room of the penthouse.

Loki and I had just arrived in time to see her righting the piece of furniture- a casualty of last night's revelry. I hoped it wasn't damaged, but if it was, Tony had only himself to blame. And speaking of that smartass billionaire…he and the rest of the Avengers were already up, too. But instead of answering Tasha's question, they were all staring in our direction. I saw more than one of them sneak a peek at my neck, and knew I was blushing furiously.

"Never mind the end table- I'm far more interested to know what the two of you did last night," Tony teased, waggling his eyebrows. He reconsidered for a second. "Unless it plays a part in that story. Then by all means, do tell."

"We…um…" I stammered, unable to think of some innocent explanation for any of this. "Nothing?"

"Or to put it a different way," Loki amended mischievously, wrapping his arm around my waist in an obvious display of possessiveness. "Nothing suitable for polite conversation."

My face grew even redder, if that was even possible.

"Screw polite- dish out the details," Tasha demanded.

"Hmmm…maybe later. For now-" he turned to me and stole a quick kiss- "My Lady and I were just looking for breakfast. We awoke this morning with quite the appetite."

Loki escorted me to the dining room, laughing as the rest of the Avengers tagged along behind us with a chorus of exclamations.

"Oh come on!"

"What happened? You can't just not tell us!"

"Please- anything at all!"

He and I smiled secretively at one another and ignored them. What we'd shared last night was a memory to be treasured- not something meant for anyone's entertainment. So let them wonder and guess.

They'd never believe us, anyway.