On that dusty roof in the dead of night, Loki's thoughts were comprised completely of the mortal whose red-golden metallic wrapped around his body as they lay together beneath too-bright wording appearantly signifying some sort of popular Midgardian beverage. How kind it had been of him to retrieve water and medicine for his throat and aching head (his pains had been utterly subdued). How his breath smelt vaguely of alcohol and something called mintgum. How his facial hair gristled gently against his forehead. The way his voice wavered when he spoke of something or someone he cared for.

He rouged each time he recalled that they were courting. And his mouth went a little dry with panic when he subsequently remembered that he had no clue what that entailed. He had never deigned to read of such things. They had always seemed such trivial wastes of parchment. On what realm did 'The magic of Love' take precedence over actual magic?

He regretted rolling his eyes at all those asinine book titles now.

He had only come even remotely close to romance once when he had been foolish and young. And that had ended miserably enough that he cringed each time the memory crept up unannounced. Humiliation was a running theme in his life.

He could feel the floodgates crashing open and all those old feelings breaking through now, though he daren't recall the pain they had brought in the past. Each day with Stark (and those had been four so far, not that he was keeping count) only seemed to escalate the stakes just a little bit. His heart seemed to beat a little faster and his mouth felt a little drier. He knew that he was having a difficult time shutting him out, Stark seemed to command the truth from him, and time after time he felt hopeless to comply. It was too easy to be honest with him, and Stark always seemed far from judgement.

Loki didn't even mind his brashness, he didn't care that he loved his alcohol and women enough to rival even Thor and Fandrall's escapades on Asgard, and spoke of both to unending lengths.

And he liked that the hero was so brittle each time they met, because he was brittle too.

'... listening are you?' Stark's voice broke through his thoughts.

'You're boring me.' Loki grinned.

'Not possible. I'm exciting as fuck. One man party.'

'And I am a god. I can summon death with a flick of the wrist.'

'Then I must be a god too.' The orb of light on the palm of Stark's suit began to glow.

'Nonsense. I will not argue this with you again. I'm far too lucid to engage your flawed logic.'

'Not fair. I got some good points this time. Not drunk good, like good good.'

'Absolutely not. I'm certain that of all the subjects possible in all of the nine realms we can find something worth conversation that actually holds my attention.'

'You sure you wanna go there baby?' And there it was again. Loki's heart flipped. 'You know I've got a one track mind. You won't like where the train's headed.'

'I...' He was flustered, still getting used to being reffered to under a term of endearment. 'Tell me about the thing in your chest.'

'Oh, this old thing? This one here was my dad's big idea. Not the whole thing, I'll take the credit thank you very much, but the batteries that keep it running. Well, okay sort of the whole thing, but I don't share credit. Anyway, keeps my heart from getting stabbed from the inside. Keeps me alive.'

'You're not afraid that now I have this information...'

'Nah, I felt your pulse. You like me too much.'

'Oh.' Loki could feel his face turn scarlet. He gently pulled his hand away from Tony's grasp. 'Well now I know what defeated me, at least.'

'Pretty much. Still disappointed about that? After all this time?'

'If it had worked, all that time with Barton and Selvig could have been with you.'

They were both silent for a moment, separately considering that fact.

'That wouldn't fit the time line actually,' Tony eventually pointed out. 'All things considered, we'd probably have had an hour or less.'

'I'm not adept at saying romantic things, Stark. I was trying to be romantic.'

'Shit. Sorry. You wanna try it again? I'll be better this time.'

'The moment has passed.'

'I only have myself to blame.'

'You do.'

'I'm supposed to be better at romance.'

'Considering your illustrious reputation...'

'I've never really tried to be romantic before. I mean, seduction is a world away from romance. I know seduction like the back of my hand, but with romance I'm a fucking boat in the desert. I've seen t.v shows longer than every relationship I've ever had. All I know is how to fuck 'em and leave em. Except this. I like you even though you don't have those awesome boobs anymore. And that's saying something. I mean, I felt the same about Pepper. She was supposed to be different, you know? But I couldn't hack it. I didn't know how to love her the way she needed me to. It was all so much harder than it was supposed to be, and in the end I guess I gave up. I went back to what I knew and ended up hurting her worse than if I'd never tried to love her in the first place... I'm doing it again, aren't I?'

'I don't mind. It's alright.'

'Promised I'd stop talking about her and every five minutes I just start monologueing.'

'I like to hear you talk, even if it's about things that make you sad.' Loki confessed, closing his eyes. He was utterly unaware of the floodgates anymore, and just how fatally they had been breached.

'You,' the metallic hand of the suit rolled away and Loki felt Tony's fingers brushing along the underside of his jawline. 'I didn't understand before, why Thor kept defending you for what you'd done or why he believed so much that he could fix you. But I see it now, I see why he loves you so much.'

Loki froze in Tony's arms. 'Do not speak to me of my brother's love.' His voice was cold and stilted. Shame and self-loathing rose to his throat like bile.

'At least tell me what happened.'

Loki shook his head and tried to find distance between himself and the hero. The floodgates were slowly fixing themselves up again.

Normally when he no longer wished to be someplace he just vanished without second thought, but with his magic being what it was, and considering that he did not wish to see more of the contents of his stomach, he only slid away from Stark and prayed the Avenger would stay where he was.

'I will not speak with you of my brother.' Loki hoped he sounded strong and resilient, but there was a shaking in his body he feared was self-evident. Stark did not keep his distance. But he did not speak. Instead he wrapped an arm around the god and kissed his neck. Loki thought he would cry from the sudden wave of memories engulfing him, forcing him beneath the surface, but in Tony's embrace, none of his pain seemed all that bad. He could breathe.

'I'm sorry,' Tony whispered and kissed him again. 'Forgive me?' Tony kissed his jaw.

'You're forgiv—' Tony smothered him in kisses and all Loki could do was laugh. And they descended into a fit of giggles for a minute. The absurdity of it all. Hero and villain, kissing under a gaudy coca-cola sign like a couple of lovesick kids.

The God sank into the mortal's arm, relishing the cool of the mortal's suit. It was uncomfortable only for a second. They lay together in silence. Just the buzz of the lights behind them. And the rush of the city below.

It took Loki roughly thirty to realise the mortal had fallen asleep and he disentangled himself from his grasp. He stood and gazed at the man decked in the most flamboyant ruby and gold this side of Asgard. This was his second time in as many days watching the mortal sleep. And an iridescent calm claimed his body, and his mind. It'd been so long since he'd felt contentment. It crept so silently upon him, he never noticed himself relinquishing control; if only for that single solid moment on an unknown rooftop; beneath a blinking white sign.

Tony snapped out of sleep at the insistence of a raucous cacophony. Beethoven's fifth, second movement. It was loud enough to rattle the lampshade on Tony's bedside. He rolled over and pressed a pillow to his ears. He didn't fucking need this.

'Jarvis!' He shouted. 'Turn that fucking thing off!'

'I've tried to, Sir. Perhaps you should tell your guest yourself. Each time I try to he only turns it back on louder. Also, now that you're awake, I don't actually know if I'm supposed to call S.H.I.E.L.D or if you'd rather I placed you in mortal danger instead. I just assumed mortal danger.'

'UGGGGHHHHHHHHH,' Tony growled.

But he was up in seconds anyway. He stumbled to the doorway leading to his vast living quarters. He had to blink a few times to wipe the sleep from his eyes and make sure he was seeing right.

There was Loki on the lime green (duh) Adaglogi sofa with his eyes and smile pointed triumphantly at the sky. Tony didn't have to guess.

'I would have pegged you as more a Tchaikovsky type.' Tony grinned, unsure whether or not he could be heard over the noise.

Loki turned and the music ceased. He smiled pleasantly, as if utterly unaware he'd woken Tony with the auditory equivalent of a frying pan over the head. Or maybe he was aware. 'How did you sleep, Tony?'

'I,' Tony turned to the large window behind Loki, streaming in all kinds of sunlight and winced. He was also completely awake to the fact that Loki had addressed him using his first name and tried not to let his utter appreciation of this show. 'Slept like shit. What time is it?'

'If I may interject,' Jarvis interjected. 'This man threw you out the window, sir. He is number three on S.H.I.E.L.D's most dangerous criminals list.'

'Number three?' Loki looked pointedly at Tony, who shrugged.

'You were on Asgard.'

'All I'm saying,' Jarvis interjected again. 'Is that we have S.H.I.E.L.D on speed-dial. And Ms. Potts.'

'That won't be necessary.' Tony assured the A.I, eyes on Loki who was smiling at the ceiling.

'Certainly sir. I have an undertaker in my indexes who would welcome our business.'

'Funny.' Tony rolled his eyes. Loki laughed.

'The building is humorous indeed. But please alert it to never attempt to interfere while I listen to music again or I will reduce your tower to a pile of rubble.'

'Noted. I gotta brush my teeth. Don't disappear on me.'

'If I had the energy... If I had not had to remove your armour for you as you slept I would have left already.'

'Yeah, well thanks for that.' Tony hooked him by the waist and pulled him in for a brief kiss.

'You're welcome.' Loki said solemnly, though he was completely crimson.

Tony left him and found a bathroom and wondered whilst in the process of washing his face, whether or not every single bathroom in this whole tower was stocked though he was the only one living here. Loki would make a nice permanent fixture. He grinned foolishly as he brushed his teeth feeling obscenely happy. Was it legal for people to be as wholeheartedly happy as he was? He heard the beggings of Fur Elise from the living room. Perfect. He'd since forgotten that he hated classical music anyway.

Breath minty fresh like he liked it, he walked back to the living room to find Loki staring out the window. He approached from behind and wrapped his arms around the God's waist and kissed his neck.

'My brother told me I would rather dislike Midgardian music.'

'Now, why would he say a thing like that?' Tony grabbed Loki by the hand, and turned him around.

'He told me you listened to the sort of thing I would utterly disagree with. But, even by Midgardian standards, this music is fit for court.'

'Oh, this? It's not even mine. Pepper's the one who listens to this .'

'Then she has superior taste.'

'I won't even argue with you.' He pulled Loki down for a kiss on the lips. The god was certainly participating more; he was growing confident in his little motions, though Tony was still the captain of that boat. Tony liked the whole feel of it; the surface of Loki's tongue, the inside of his teeth, the roof of his mouth; everything. And Loki's tongue fighting back, if tentatively, was a wonderful development. Loki placed his hands beneath Tony's jaw and pulled him closer. Tony had noticed that the Asgardian had a habit of pulling him close when they kissed, well he wasn't about to psychoanalyse it now. He pulled away and pressed Loki's body against the window 'Maybe after we-'

Riing Ring Ring

Tony actually twitched a little.

'Sir, Incoming call from S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters.' Jarvis snidely pointed out. Tony really had to reprogram him soon.

'I can see that.' Tony growled. He lifted the phone from his jean pocket and and just stared for a moment. He knew where his priorities lay but honestly, making out with a really sexy God far trumped another one of Fury's tantrums right in his ear.

'Nick.' He answered curtly.

'I'm there in five. Hope you're decent.'

'What?' Tony's disbelief was palpable.

'It's one o'clock in the afternoon, Stark. I'm just glad you're awake.'

'You are not coming here.' Tony hissed.

'You're letting me in or I'm nuking the god damned door down.' And he hung up.

'What?'

'Director Fury's vehicle is a quarter of a mile from the premises, might I suggest hiding your guest behind the curtains?' Jarvis pointed out. Was that smugness? Tony utterly regretted programming a glorified Siri with the full range of human emotion.

'He's just gonna show up?'

'He called an hour ago, actually. But I did not wish to wake you. Sir'

Tony stood stock still, both frustrated and wrought with disbelief. His own AI was conspiring against him.

'I'm going to take you apart and rebuild you as a toaster.' Tony grumbled.

'You built me in the first place, sir, you only have yourself to blame.'

'Do you,' Loki spoke for the first time since the phone rang. 'Always get into arguments with your tower?'

'Just one of the many perks of being me.' Tony sighed.

Three minutes and forty five seconds later Fury and his eye-patch were making their way to the second-last floor. Tony was reclining on one of the sofas trying his damndest not to let his actual feelings about Nick's presence seep through his demeanour. He was also very, very aware of Loki was standing right next to him. Invisible, yes, but still right there.

Fury eventually sashayed through the door beside a little helper robot Tony had forgotten to decommision. He was wearing one of his three expressions besides angry and very angry: judgemental.

'Tony, we need to talk.' He said.

'Are you breaking up with me?' There was no laughter in his voice though, he downright despised being judged and he had the feeling that was exactly what was happening.

'I have put up with you for a long time,' Fury spoke evenly, as if he was choosing his words with care. 'Longer than any sane man would have. I have given you chance after chance to prove yourself, I have stood by my decision to keep you on in the face of heavy criticism and my leadership has been questioned because of it. I'm here because I trusted you to become a better person, a better hero. And you betrayed that trust. I'm not even going to talk about the past few months, but this week. Thor tells me you had contact with Loki. And you didn't report it a week ago. You completely abandoned your patrol last night and when your partner came looking for you, you were nowhere to be found. You turned a simple arrest into four injuries and one guy fighting for his life. And it's on the internet. I wanted to do this in person so you know this is final. You are suspended from your duties as an Avenger, effective immediately. You will resume your duties as a consultant in a month. In the meantime get your shit together and your priorities straight.'

Fury was looking at him and Tony was looking back. His lips were pressed thinly together. He couldn't be sure what emotion was feeling but maybe it was all of them. With the exception of any form of gladness.

'Do you have anything to say about that?'

'No.' Tony answered hoarsely.

As Fury walked away Tony felt a ghost of a hand over his. He didn't move. He was utterly immune to touch.

'Let's get shitfaced,' Tony said to no-one in particular.

If I didn't have the attention span of a walnut I might have finished this faster. Thanks for your reviews and follows guys, if i could offer you all my body, i would. In an unrelated story I finally found the plot. It was in my other pants. Look forward to it in the next chapter. Now that I've established the nature of their relationship, i think it's time I destroyed everything. Hehe.