He had not managed to remove himself from Stark's bed as of yet, and he didn't feel like leaving in the first place. The previous night ended with both of them face down in the sheets in varying states of unconsciousness. The next morning was more of the same lounging, but both of them were awake and talking. Stark had brought up Thor, which in turn lead to Rogers, which then led to them mocking the two blonds like children. It was foolish, but they were both exhausted and emotionally ruined enough for it to send them into fits of giggling. Loki also had a feeling that Stark was suffering from some mild brain damage. Some of his sentences ended abruptly, or went off on an entirely different direction than where they originated from. If it did not worry Loki so much, he would find it to be amusing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, for the fifth time, i'm alright," Anthony assured him, looking over his pillow at Loki with a scowl. "I know my own body, JARVIS scanned me and I want to shave off Thor's hair."
"You are doing it again," Loki pointed out, his arms stretched out towards Stark, fingers playing with the edge of the blanket.
"I'm fine."
"If something happens, I will be blamed."
"Glad to know you're so concerned about me," Stark quipped and pressed his face into the pillow harder.
I am deeply concerned, Loki though, smiling sadly to himself.
He didn't quite trust his mouth to tell the lies he needed it to, not after last night. Lack of sleep and the strange abundance of comfort he felt right now left his walls down, and his heart vulnerable. But, at least he wasn't the only one. Several times now, Anthony had muttered strange things that made no sense out of context.
"Staring shouldn't help."
"Too complicated, and then there's Thor."
"Shit."
The last one had been repeated often, Stark growing more flustered and upset until Loki would drag him back to the present by talking at him about random things.
"JARVIS, time?" Anthony called out suddenly, his head lifting from the pillow. Loki's lips curled into a smile, appreciating the way Stark's hair stood on end.
"It is two in the afternoon, the temperature is—"
"Don't care," Stark interrupted, "not planning on going outside, anyway."
Outside.
Loki looked to the window and frowned. This was not the first time he had thought of it, but it was a cruel reminder to hear it from his captor's mouth.
Outside.
He wanted to be there, feel the wind, see the veins of life that ran through Midgard, to simply breathe again. It was not the Room and he was not being tortured day in and day out, but was it too selfish to desire more? If he simply walked out of the tower, they would assume the worst and the fall-out afterwards would not be pleasant. They would never believe him, no matter how many times he would tell them that he would return to his glorified cell.
But would I return, and what for? What is keeping me here without chains or wards? They have no means to hold me... by the Norns, I could leave at any moment... yet I stay.
Why?
Loki turned away from the window back to the man beside him. Stark was already snoring again, face down on his pillow with his arms stretched out towards Loki. With a huff of laughter, he reached over and slid his fingers over the back of Anthony's hand.
Was it truly because of him, though? What need did he have for attachments to anyone, much less an aging mortal. Affection, caring, sentiment. None of it had been with him through all those painful years alone, and as one said to him during his small stint in SHIELD's containment , "love is for children". He could survive without it before, and he had. But what of now? Now that he felt something of a sort of fondness in his heart, what would happen to him if it were taken away?
Loki's smile saddened as he trailed his fingers up the scarred forearm. He had never really touched Anthony before, nothing intentional and gentle as this. It was a rare opportunity that he would not miss. Loki traced the muscles of the upper arm before him and leaned closer, eyes following fingers as the found the dip of his collar bone. The rest disappeared into the pillow, so Loki made his way back to the hands. Those poor, abused hands of his, covered in scars and burns. At some point, several of his nails had grown back poorly on one hand, clearly having been removed at some point. Loki frowned, trying to remember what the archer had told him of Stark all those years ago. It had not been much, since their pasts had not mattered to him at the time. Strengths and weakness, yes, but their personal history meant nothing.
How could he ever seek to discover more about the man, when Anthony never spoke of himself in anything more than passing comments? The brief mention of his suffering had been enough to gain an ounce of Loki's trust at the time of his arrival, but now he craved further knowledge for other reasons. What had happened to this fierce man to give him such scars like the light in his chest. He still did not know what that truly was, or how it made him immune to the scepter. The list of things he did not understand, but wished to, seemed only to grow longer.
But, now that Loki was looking closer at the man's body, he noticed a lot of the scars held the familiar signature of a well executed torture. A twisted patch of shiny skin on his arm, clearly from hot metal applied to the skin with cruel purpose. Small lines that went under his nails that had not been removed, possibly from sharp objects being driven under them time and time again. There were knuckles that looked lumpy, crushed at some point and never set properly, thin white scars down his palm, and star shaped burns that dotted the soft side of his forearms.
These were hands of a man who had struggled, and fought tooth and nail. With a painful sigh, Loki turned one over to inspect the palm, which was much wider than his and fascinatingly rough against his smooth skin. Anthony let out a loud snort and Loki froze in his ventures, both hands still wrapped around the man's limb. Luckily for Loki, Anthony simply rolled over to face him, and started snoring again.
He grinned at the new territory spread out before him, his fingers ghosting over the Anthony's face carefully. The man was not classically handsome, but there was something beautiful about him. Vain enough to trim his beard to perfection, but so many signs of self abuse across his body. Wounds that could have easily been avoided, dark circles that were never absent.
Loki's thumb brushed against his lip, causing Anthony to let out a softer sound than a snore and press into the touch. Loki stiffened, all his attention now directed to those lips. Wide lips, dusty pink, and possibly the smoothest part of the man's body. They parted a little more when Loki brushed his finger across the lower lip again. His breathe caught is his chest, eyes widening with fascination. He wanted to feel those lips, to taste them. He needed to, and the need was so sudden and powerful it almost hurt.
He needed to kiss this man.
But, that would change everything. That would be admitting to something he could not bring himself to admit, and he would truly be taking too much if he did. He had already faced one punishment for reaching beyond his means, he would not be burned again, no matter what the prize.
He simply craved possession of Anthony, something he had already been unconsciously trying to gain since he arrived. No matter how he tried to ignore it, in the end, he knew what he was doing and it was wrong of him. But it was also the only thing he had wanted wanted in many, many years. Just this, just Anthony, and cooking together, constructing devices in his lab, the silences, the conversation, and sleep, sweet sleep. It was not too much to ask, was it?
Surely, he was allowed just this.
He brushed his finger across one more time and decided to take what he wanted, no matter the consequences.
Loki tried to complete an analysts of Anthony's lips. The texture, warmth, dryness even, but somewhere along the way his mind simply stopped responding. It was not a deep kiss, rather chaise and the other was still fast asleep, but it ceased all of his mind's normal activity and focused instead of the feelings of his heart.
His heart, which was now beating at a painful pace, was telling him that he was in trouble. Because this was a small desire, a simple thing to take, and it mattered more than anything in the Nine Realms.
He was so lost in the feeling, he did not noticed the way the lips started moved against his, or even the hand that had just brushed through his hair. He was so caught up, he did not hear the needy sounds coming from either one of them. Loki did not even notice when the kiss deepened, and a wave of heat washed over his body. In fact, the only reason he noticed anything at all, was when a husky voice growled, "Loki..."
His eyes snapped open, and was met with the sight of a startled, half awake man. Anthony was flushed all the way from his neck to his eyebrows, his lips dark red from the kiss, and his eyes comically wide.
"I... oh..." Loki stumbled, begging his mind to catch up, to find the right words. He needed the right words, for one wrong word could ruin everything. "My apologies, I should—"
He was stopped by the force of those lips against his again, and words slipped his mind once more. This time, Anthony was doing all the work, pushing Loki's mouth open wider and sliding a rough palm along his cheek. Loki knew the very moment he was sucked in, the very second he became convinced that this was perfect and everything was going to be alright.
One moment they were simply kissing, the next they were tumbling over one another, each pushing their way to the top. Anthony laughed when Loki managed to pin him down, and their eyes met.
"I'm dreaming, right? You're going to turn into a camel or something, then I'll be back in the desert, dying all over again."
Loki furrowed his brow and leaned closer to his face as he spoke, "I am no dream, lest you be my dream. In which case, I rather prefer this to my usual nightmares."
"You won't turn into a camel?"
"If I knew what that was, I still would not turn into it."
"Good," Anthony purred,"I'd hate to think i'm kissing a camel," and leaned up to claim Loki's lips hungrily. They both struggled to keep in contact for as long as possible, breaking only in short bursts to gasp for air before diving back in again. It wasn't until tongues found each other and a callused hand crept its way under his shirt that Loki pulled back.
Of all the outcomes he had speculated on, this had not been one of them. He imagined Anthony pushing him away gently, him screaming in rage, and even more violent denials. Nothing even close to this had passed his mind, and now that he was here, he was at a loss.
"Anthony, I do not... is this not precisely what those two were fretting over?"
"Was it? I thought it was more along the lines of," his voice rose into a whine, "'Tony is horrible, Tony is manipulating Loki with his evil science... Tony is being manipulated by evil magic.'"
Loki huffed and rolled off of the man, curling on his side to face Anthony with a bemused smile.
"I believe we have both established that neither seem to be the case. But are you, in fact, wooing me with your evil science?"
"Probably," Anthony admitted, "yes."
"Good, I find that I enjoy it. It takes my mind off... other things."
"You enjoy the sciences?" Stark quirked an eyebrow. "Lokes, you haven't even seen the good stuff yet."
Loki chuckled and fell silent as his body began to relax again, finding more pleasure in simply looking than exchanging words. Anthony, however, never did stop talking.
"So, this," he began carefully, "this thing between us, this is..."
"A secret."
"A secret... yeah, I guess it has to be." Stark's smile faded a little when he reached out to touch Loki's cheek. "But what is this? I mean one second i'm wondering if I've gone insane, and the next we've both gone insane and—"
"Anthony, i'm rather sure we have gone insane long ago, why question it now?"
"Because I don't want to get hurt."
Loki's eyes widened at the brutal honesty in his voice, something he had heard only once before. Stark's mask was down completely, and he was looking at Loki with an expression the god could not interpret. Anthony's abused lips were tight, half smiling in a way that could easily turn into a grimace. His pupils were so wide, hardly any of his usual golden brown showing.
He was scared. He was scared that he was putting a lot more on the line than he should. Loki nearly laughed at his fear, so ridiculous. He was the one who should be afraid, not Anthony. He was the one who would be punished for his desires, he had everything to lose.
But, no, Anthony did as well, Loki remembered. The trust of his teammates had already waned as time passed. They clearly did not respect his judgment, and they certainly did not think highly of Loki. No, Anthony was right to be afraid, he had everything to lose as well.
"I would not..." Loki began, and found he was unable to articulate just how he felt, without making promises he could not keep. "I would not harm you, not intentionally."
His fingers slid over the bandages wrapped around the inventor's head, his eyes never leaving Anthony's.
"No more throwing me out of windows?" Anthony joked, his rough voice betraying his true emotions.
Loki laughed and shook his head. "Why would I destroy my, what did you call it? My 'night lamp'."
Anthony huffed and finally turned those worried eyes away, nuzzling his face into the pillow. Loki could feel their sudden burst of energy fading already, sleep tickling at the back of his mind yet again. He pressed closer, his face fitting perfectly into the crook of Anthony's neck, just as it had all those times he had been comforted by him during his short stay here.
This, right here and now, this was all he wanted.
"Sleep well, Anthony."
The man mumbled something incoherent and a heavy arm flopped across Loki's hips, pulling him closer. Soft breath and the comforting heat of Anthony's body begged Loki to sleep as well. As he dozed off, he wondered how something so simple as comfort had become more precious to him than any power in the Nine Realms.
Surely, he was allowed just this.
Thor let out a soft breath, his emotions in far more turmoil than he could express at the moment. He stared in silence for quite some time before carefully shutting Anthony's bedroom door and leaving them to their sleep.
"It's okay."
"No, surely, it is not."
"Please trust me, a little." Tony grumbled, pushing past Loki and looking down the hall. He froze, head halfway past the doorframe, before inching back in again and shutting the door. "Okay, maybe not. Why is he just standing there?"
Loki huffed and glared at the door as if he could see through it to the blond standing down at the end of the hall. "You presume that I understand him."
Tony leaned against the door and sighed. "Well, you did grow up with him, I presume you might know why he's been standing at the end of our hall all morning."
Tony was about to say something like, 'he's your damn bother, deal with it,' when he realized that he said 'our hall'. Like they owned it together, suddenly. Was this 'their' room now, too? They had been sharing it for weeks now, but it had never been, well, shared. Did that make it their kitchen too, and what did that even mean? To do this, with the crazy god who attacked the very city he lived in, it was nuts. But, apparently it was already happening, and he was much too late to stop it.
He tsked and shook his head. Calling it 'theirs' like they simply moved in together, not like Loki smashed through his roof looking like a chunk of bloody meat.
Someone was going to come along and question his morals again, sooner than later. He had his money on Steve, but if the looming blond god at the end of the hall meant anything, maybe it wasn't going to be the solider.
"Anthony..."
Tony looked up, humming in question. Loki huffed and reached over, his long fingers pulling at the bandages around his head.
"You should have changed this yesterday. It could breed infection."
"It's fine, will you please stop fussing. You're worse than Steve sometimes." He paused and quickly added, "but a whole lot cuter."
Loki looked appalled and folded his arms across his chest as if deflecting the word. "Cute? I am no where near the realm of 'cute'. That word is reserved for small animals, ugly babies, and liars."
"Well good morning Mr. Cynical, and you can act cute, not be cute. Is that better?"
"I am not cute."
Tony snorted and gave up, realizing he was wasting his time arguing with a damn god whether or not he was adorable. Of all the mornings in his lifetime, this was probably the weirdest. Scratch that, definitely the weirdest. Especially considering they had spent the last hour making out and touching each other everywhere. No sex, which Tony wasn't sure was even a part of this thing with Loki, but they had definitely found some sensitive spots on one another.
"Can we address the current problem?" Loki asked, looking more and more annoyed. Someone needed his morning coffee, and probably some food by the looks of him. He looked as haggard and tired as he did when Tony brought him back to his room. Their room.
Whatever.
"Okay, the facts...Thor has been standing there all morning, I think. Actually, how long has he been there?"
JARVIS chimed in, sounding apologetic, "he has been at the end of the hall since 3:30 yesterday afternoon. He was at the entrance of the room before he left and retuned some time later to the exact spot that he is in now, sir."
Tony sputtered, "at the entrance... he was at the door?!"
"From 2:20 until 3:00."
Loki made a choking noise and looked at the door again with an odd expression as his arms tightened around his chest. Tony watched him fade back into that other version of himself, the scared, abused Loki that still screamed at night for fear of things Tony could not even imagine. He had the same expression as he did when Thor first took him back to Asgard, and just like then, he tried to hide his fear.
"Lokes..."
"It was supposed to be a secret," Loki bit out immediately, his eyes firmly on the door. "You have no idea what this means, what will happen to me now."
"Uh, yeah I do."
Loki turned this head to him with a quick, angry jerk. "Oh?" He drawled, "do tell me, how well you do you understand my place in this realm, in any of the Nine Realms?"
Tony pressed closer and pulled at Loki's tense arms. The god would not relent, so he simply pressed close and looked him in the eye.
"This is my tower, my rules. This also happens to be my world, well not mine per-say, but humans in general. This means i'm the one in control of this situation, next in line to you."
"You paid your price," he continued, finally managing to pull Loki's hands free and squeezing them in his own. "You did your penance or some shit like that. You deserve a break, you deserve to have... whatever this is. I mean, if you want it."
He swallowed the "if you want me," and tried to smile past the strange guilt he felt.
"I deserve nothing. I was meant to die." Loki tensed again and stopped talking, realizing he was saying too much. Tony wanted to ask who's words those were, but Loki would only let him in when he wanted to. There was no wheedling information out of this one.
"If someone told you that, they're full of shit and also a massive asshole. If you were meant to die, you'd be dead."
Loki barked out a sharp, humorless laugh and leaned into his arms muttering, "then perhaps I should be soon."
That hurt to hear, and Tony wasn't quite sure what to do with the bundle of emotions it stirred up in his chest. He should probably put a name to some of those, but that was harder to do than it sounded.
"Loki, you aren't going to die. At least, not anytime soon. I mean, you're immortal and you're safe here, so—"
"No where is safe for me, Anthony. They could come for me at any moment, and no one would be the wiser. I would simply be gone, and you and your team would assume the worst of me." He leaned back to look Tony in the eye. "You do not trust me as much as you beg of me to trust you."
"Hey, I wouldn't..." Tony trailed off and tried to think how he would feel of Loki did just up and disappear. God, that was complicated. "I guess I would worry, at first. Because you've stuck around here so far, not that you have any reason to, just putting that out there. Umm... but I have to admit, I'd have my doubts. But this isn't about my trust," he pushed Loki against the door gently and slid his hands up and down the god's sides. "Because I know you'll never trust me. But i'm going to stick by your side, and you can't tell me I haven't done exactly that so far."
"No," Loki whispered, his expression one of wonder. "No, I cannot deny that you have taken my side, as troublesome and difficult as it's been for you."
"Wait, did you say they could get you at anytime?" Tony's hands froze half way up the god's chest, mind racing to catch up. "They could come here?"
"Yes, I came to Midgard by way of them."
"I thought you escaped," Tony reminded doubtfully.
Loki's lips parted into the wide, manic grin Tony hadn't seen since the attack and it took all of his will power to not flinch back.
"Oh, I escaped and made use of their technology."
"So how much of that," Tony gestured to his body, "was from your pleasant sounding escape, and how much was from your captors having fun?"
Loki pondered this for a moment, resting his head back against the door. "I really do not know, to be perfectly honest. It was all a blur in the end, and I happily elect for it to remain a blur."
Tony simply nodded, understanding almost too perfectly what it meant to leave some memories a blur. You can't quite forget them, but maybe you can smudge them out until they're no longer recognizable.
Loki changed the topic, asking, "I assume this means you have a plan to deal with Thor?"
"You have so much faith in me already," Tony said, flashing a cheerful grin before pulling the door open and nudging Loki out of the way. "I got this, if you want to stay here."
"And let you face and angry god alone?"
"I've done it before, if you recall."
"Ah yes," Loki sighed fondly, "the window shall never be forgotten."
Tony swacked at his arm and pulled the door all the way open. "I meant the other day, but thanks for reminding me. You owe me a window."
Loki huffed but went silent as Tony lead the way into the hall, where all the humor in the air was promptly sucked out by a very stiff looking Thor. The fist thing Tony noticed was his lack of hammer, which he took as a good sign. No hammering Tony into the floor without a hammer, right?
"TROPIC THUNDER!" Tony belted out, coming closer with his arms raised in praise. "How you doing? More importantly, what are you doing?"
Thor, for all his infinite tenseness, actually smiled as they approached."Stark, I am well. I had wished to speak to you both, and I worried you might escape to your workroom again."
"So you waited all night? I'm honored, really, but how about breakfast before we talk?"
Thor looked ready to argue, but Loki was having none of that and brushed right by both of them, heading directly for the kitchen. Tony glanced at Thor, shrugged, and scuttled after Loki to get some coffee.
They didn't do their usual morning routine, something he had happily gotten used to over the past few had actually been eating something in the morning, a miracle. But today, they kept their chatter to a minim and avoided touching as much as possible. Both skipped breakfast, opting for nothing more than their usual morning drinks. Thor watched them in the sort of silence that leaked across the entire room, making even the smallest sound ring louder than usual. His presence alone was stifling, but the silence felt like a judgment.
"Thor," Tony called out, shuffling across the kitchen waving at the blond to follow him into the living room, "come on, in here."
The living room's atmosphere wasn't much better, and Loki wasn't helping it along. He parked himself behind Tony on the far side of the couch, in the farthest spot away from Thor as possible. Every time Thor tried to lean closer to see him, Loki let out a low hiss and pulled back behind him. It was childish, and if the thunderer didn't like he was ready to step on Tony, he would have found it cute.
"Yesterday, the captain and I expressed worry about your friendship," Thor began hesitantly, "but I did not know you two had become so close."
"Does it make you feel any better that we kind if of only got this close because of you guys messing around?"
Thor smiled weakly, but shook his head. His fingers plucked nervously at the sleeve of his tunic, the area already well worn from the habit. He looked tired, which was something Tony had only seen once before, back when Thor thought Loki was dead.
"I do not know how to express my feelings on the matter," Thor admitted to his hands.
"Happy? Sad? None of your business?"
Thor went from confused and worried to full on godly glare in less than a second. "He is my brother, and thus it is my business. He also is meant to follow the road to redemption, and I do not see how you will aid him in this."
"You intrusive oaf!" came a screech from behind Tony, startling him so much he nearly sent his coffee into his lap.
Then, Loki was rushing past Tony and looming over Thor, shaking hands clenched into fists at his side. "How dare you? How dare you?! You do not, and have never, decided my path in life. You have still yet to even ask yourself if I desire your hollow 'redemption'."
Thor opened his mouth to argue back, but Loki continued on, his voice growing louder, "why should I seek to redeem myself by Odin's laws? I ask you again, Thor, what more does he wish from me? Should I cut my limbs away, or spend another fifty years locked away and forgotten? Should I offer him my eye?" He stepped closer, his hair nearly brushing Thor's forehead, and hissed, "tell me this, brother, why must I pay so much more than I even have to offer?"
The air around him was shimmering, and Tony could smell the copper smell of a storm mixed with mint. Two angry gods colliding in his living room, he could sell tickets.
"Loki, I do not wish for more blood, and nor does our father."
"Your father, Thor. The king of your realm, not mine."
"Uh, hey," Tony interrupted, "not to break up the same argument you guys have probably been having for years, but isn't this off topic?"
Both Loki and Thor turned their glares to him, only Loki's softening when he met his eyes.
"Yes, this is about something else," he admitted, stepping back from his startled brother. "But it is intertwined, Anthony and my fate," he said to Thor.
"Why, Loki?"
Loki looked lost for words, his mouth parting several times before closing again. Tony was leaning forward in his seat, probably even more eager than Thor was to hear his answer. His heart was rushing in his ears so loudly, he worried that he might miss it.
"I... need him," Loki spoke softly.
Now Tony's heart was racing so fast it was painful.
He was needed? Not just wanted, but needed? That probably shouldn't be news to him, the way the god had been relying on him so much these past few weeks. But then, Loki didn't say it like that, he was just there to soak up whatever Tony could give.
When was the last time someone needed him, he couldn't even remember. Pepper never needed him, she was always her own woman, always taking parts of him and not the whole. He couldn't condemn her for that, not when he knew he came with too much fucked up baggage, and who wanted a broken piece of machinery anyway?
But needed, Loki needed him, even with all his flaws. That meant something, right?And his heart really needed to calm down soon, before he had a panic attack in front of them. Just the thought of that made his head ache, and it took him a few minutes to realize that they were talking again in a much calmer manner.
"Are you sure, then, that he will help you?" Thor was asking, looking hopeful for the first time since he arrived.
A huff of laughter escaped Loki and he looked back at Tony before replying, "can you not tell? He already has."
Tony flashed a grin, and hoped he wasn't blushing like some teenage girl. "See, i'm not such a bad influence after all."
"I apologize for saying that, Stark. I simply worry for my brother, and I had not—"
"Forget it," Tony stopped him, making a shooing motion with his hand. "More importantly, this was supposed to be a secret, you know, for now."
"For now?" Loki asked darkly.
"Your courtship is a secret?" Thor asked, just as darkly.
Tony gave them both a, "sure, not brothers at all," look and lounged back into the couch. "'Secret' because I don't want Clint or Natasha to try cognitive recalibration on me and lock Loki up for luring me in with magic, and I really don't want Captain Tight Ass sticking his nose in anymore." He met Loki's eyes seriously and continued, "'For now', because I'm very possessive of my things, and I won't shy away from letting anyone know what's mine."
Loki made an odd choking noise, and Thor looked torn between bursting out laughing, and hitting him for insinuating possession of his brother. Before the thunderer could comment, though, Loki was yanking Tony off the couch and pushing him out of the room, muttering a quick goodbye to Thor on their way out.
"Whoa, whoa, something I said?"
"Idiot!"
"Too much?"
"Idiot!" Loki hissed, still pushing Tony along from behind.
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't, hey!" Tony squawked, stumbling through the doorway to their room. "Are you really that upset about—" he stopped when he saw Loki's face. It was bright red, even his nose blowing pink. His eyes were even scrunched up in distress. "oh... oooh, look at you, you're ember—"
Loki smashed their lips together harshly, successfully shutting him up and sending Tony reeling back into the wall. The god followed him, forcing his hands above his head and holding them there while his tongue began to invade Tony's mouth. It was sudden, and violent, but Tony was quick to respond, biting playfully at Loki's lips and laughing into the kiss.
"I belong to no one," Loki growled.
"Too late" Tony responded, panting slightly and grinning as he met Loki's glare. "I've marked you."
Loki arched an eyebrow, his grip on Tony's wrists tightening. "I see no markings."
With a smirk, Tony strained forward to nuzzle into the god's neck, finding a spot he had claimed earlier and kissing the dark bruise he left there.
"Oh..."Loki purred, his head falling back.
Tony's smile widened as Loki went limp under his touch, taking the moment to turn the tables and push the god back into his bed. Their bed.
"Mine," he whispered, and proceeded to show Loki exactly what his place was in the Nine Realms.
Dozens of hot, passionate kisses, a lot of groping and rubbing, and twelve more hickeys later, Loki was fast asleep in his arms, looking completely content for the first time since he arrived. Tony had watched him doze off and continued to stare at him while his mind tried, at last, to put a name to some of those feelings.
He didn't know what this thing with Loki was, yet, or if it was even going to be a thing at all. But he did come to understand something as he watched the god sleep soundly, curled up in his arms like he'd always been there.
He needed Loki just as much.
