It was not Loki's ideal situation, nor was it practical, but his ratty apartment was the safest place in the city, sans Stark's own tower. Well, that was no longer included now that they had been found out. To Loki, it was not so terrible an ordeal to be caught along side Anthony, clearly having been there for some time, and clearly not holding the poor mortal captive. For the inventor, obviously, it was much more traumatic.

Upon their arrival, the man promptly tripped over Loki's pealing carpet and went face first into the back of the only clean and whole piece of furniture in the apartment. He had, after all, needed at least one sanitary place to rest when he returned here. The rest was mere space, meaningless to his needs.

"This is so fucked up," Anthony groaned, pulling himself up on shaking arms and leaning heavily against the couch. Loki had not moved to help him, the rawness of the mortal's voice warning him off. This was not the correct time to hold him close, even if Loki felt a curiously strong urge to do just that. "I'm so screwed. I'm royally screwed and you haven't even fucked me yet."

Loki's brows rose in surprise before he quickly forced himself to keep his expression lax. It was not a good habit to get into, expressing himself so freely simply because the man was blind. Someday he would not be, and Loki would do best not to forget himself.

"I was not aware that you intended such a thing to become a future endeavor for us," countered Loki, moving around the couch to sit with his legs pulled up tightly to his chest. He did not like Stark being here. It felt wrong, him being so close to where Loki came to lick his wounds. So close to the magic that nearly killed him twice over now. Where Loki had nearly killed him, again.

"Please stop bumbling around and sit."

Peeved and clearly exhausted, Stark managed to join him on the couch with little trouble and even less argument. There was clearly a lot more he wished to say, but as soon as he fell back onto the couch, his anger seemed to deflate as he sunk into the cushions.

"You can't tell me that didn't suck," he argued at last, blank eyes falling closed. It made Loki want to reach out and do something to him.

Do not look so vulnerable in my place of power, he thought, offended that he had lost the fear he once held over the mortal. It was a powerful tool that was necessary for remaining in control of this situation. Even if he had already begun to lose his grasp, he was still a god, still strong, still… fearful, right?

Loki frowned, wondering when that had become a question rather than a statement, and tried to reassure that yes, he was the manipulator not the manipulated. "It did not 'suck', as you say. It's a simple set back that, if you so wish it, you can amend once we complete our current task." Loki turned and studied the man, running a thumb across his lower lip as he thought. "You do wish to continue, yes?"

The man hesitated, legs stretching out in his usual lazy sprawl before answering, "Just… give me a minute to finish this train of thought. I've got some dots I need to connect about what just happened."

"Such as?"

"Such as how the fuck did they know you were there? Or how about: why didn't my trusty AI warn me I had a bunch of loser spies in my hallway?JARVIS doesn't take any commands that override my own, or get hacked, so that's bad, real bad. Or maybe even why the fuck Thor wasn't there and where has he been all week? It's been raining for days—it's still raining—why isn't he in the tower?" he paused, fingers tapping against his thigh in a gesture that had, startlingly, become familiar to Loki. "I get the feeling something else is going on here…"

"Perhaps your spies were doing what they do best, and spying," Loki sneered, ignoring the aggravated huff from beside him. "As for mybrother… I do not understand his patterns anymore, and perhaps I never did. I was under the impression that he was out looking for me, according to your Captain."

"That's what he said, or yelled—whatever—but it doesn't seem a little fishy to you? If 'my spies' had a feeling you were here—which, again, how?—then shouldn't he have been in the know?" Stark blinked and sat up a little. "Actually, I take that back, knowing Thor, he would have bust down the door the second someone mentioned you might have been there. Not that it matters anymore, because now he knows you're there or, was there and he's going to know I lied and oh god, I'm going to be turned into a human lightning pole."

Loki simply rolled his eyes and turned away, facing the dingy window that was still streaked with rain. If anything, it seemed to be coming down even harder now, and Loki pondered a moment what that meant.

Had they told him yet? Were these his tears or his anger? Just how much faith did his dear brother still hold in him after crushing his hands and sewing his lips shut? It was not as though he hadn't seen the tears bubble up in those no-longer innocent blue eyes of his, even as he pulled the last stitch closed and wiped away the blood pouring down Loki's chin. He had cried for him, whether it was in regret for what he was doing or grief for what he thought he had lost.

For what he had just lost. The fool so convinced that this was all new, not some lingering, painful beast that had finally broken free of its cage after years. Damned years of holding back his anger and what sort of brother, of blood or not, doesn't notice that?

Beside him, Stark cleared his throat. "You seem a little too calm about this for someone who's about to lose their magic conduit to their stupid brother if he finds us. You know, your magical key to your magical planet of magic?"

"Will you ever let that go?"

"Nope. It's a fucking planet. A celestial body is holding your magic. Considering who I am, you should feel blessed that I haven't made all the overcompensation jokes iv'e wanted to since you told me."

"A blessing would be silence as a whole, and as appealing as it is to hear how little faith you hold in Thor, your own precious team mate, I do not think for a second that he would harm you as such."

"You do know he's tried to kill me, right?"

"Are you speaking of the time where I watched you both fight like children over a toy?"

"Fuck you, it wasn't like that," he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest in yet another familiar gesture. He was locking Loki out over something so simple? Loki was having none of that, they would be getting no where any time soon if he did not sooth those gaudy feathers of his.

"I apologize," Loki lied. "But you must understand, I heard everything quite clearly and I recall a certain someone claiming me as one of 'histhings'?"

A charming blush crawled up Anthony's neck to his cheeks and, sputtering, he tightened his arms around his chest even more. "I didn't mean it like… that wasn't… we just brought you in and he comes swinging in like he's got first dibs!"

"mmhmm…" Loki hummed in disbelief and let out a bark of laughter when he was shoved in the arm by a very flustered man.

"Stop it, or I'll walk come in the rain and die of radiation poisoning on the street corner or something. If someone doesn't mug and kill me first, it is New York, after all."

"No you won't." Loki denied cheerfully. "Because you want this more than anything right now."

Beside him, the man stiffened and shifted away again, making an obvious effort to remove all parts of him touching Loki. It was odd, to say the least, and Loki thought back to their conversation, trying and failing to find something that was worthy of such a response. Nothing stuck out to him, so he made a guess that it was something about his last statement that made him pull away.

Was it not true, then? Did he not want his eyes healed, for some strange reason? That made no sense whatsoever, not after he begged Loki to fix his eyes, even as they were under pressure of his comrades. Not just asked, begged. He wanted this more than anything in the Nine, yet he pulled away as though Loki had… as though… he thought Loki meant something else.

Turning sharply, Loki narrowed his eyes at the smaller man, watching him visibly shrink into the couch as his cheeks retained there flush, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"You do want… this… do you not?" he inquired, carefully choosing his words to reflect what he had said before without alluding to what 'this' he meant. Something was off about him, and he would not let it slide if it was to get in the way of his plans.

"Yeah…" he breathed, a shudder running through him. "Shit, yeah, I do."

Loki unfolded himself and crawled closer, touching the man's shoulders to let him know he was approaching.

"Say it," he demanded, voice rough. "Tell me what you want."

"It's not—no—it's not like that—"he broke off as Loki's hands cupped his face, dragging him up from his hunched position. "Please…"

Loki had no idea what he was doing, but somewhere, some part of him needed to know. He must know what that meant, the thing Anthony Stark wanted.

"Please what?" he whispered, already brushing their noses together. If he was wrong… if he was misinterpreting everything, there was no going back, anyway. They had kissed, touched, teased one another before. Why stop now?

The man swore, and closed the distance with a small, needy sound escaping him just before their lips clashed together.


What did you just say yes to, Tony Stark?

Yes, he wanted to see again because—hello—who wouldn't? Or yes to this thing with Loki, this thing they've been dancing around because maybe it's just the fact that Tony hasn't had physical contact outside of a physical therapist in almost a year, or maybe it's Stockholm syndrome, or maybe he just fucking likes the guy when he's not hurting him. Even if he has hurt him.

Tony decided he would figure that out as he went along, because for the first time since the accident, he actually felt free and ohgodyes this is nice. There were no cameras, no super solider breathing down his neck, no concerned friends, no asshole bosses, no one to tell him he's being a bad person for this. Nothing but him and Loki and his selfish, selfish desires.

Oh yeah, he was selfish, especially the way he dove into the kiss so desperately. There was no hesitation this time, just tongues and teeth and Loki was sucking him in, pulling him down into the darkness and Tony was going all too willingly.

"What—do you—want?" he asked between quick, sloppy kisses. Distracting fingers carted through his hair and pulled with just the right amount of tension to make him groan and arch into the god's body. Tony wished he could see him, because if the little puffs of breath against his lips and the tension of the thin body pressing into him meant anything, it meant Loki was coming unraveled right before him and he didn't even get to watch.

He didn't get to see Loki, the real Loki. All he had were vague memories of a snarling face, a smile so sharp it hurt to see and those shadows under his eyes, like he'd seen things. Like he'd been drowned in a cave in the middle of the desert somewhere, too.

He pulled back regardless of the disappointed sound that came from the lips he reluctantly left and said, "Loki… wait… wait."

"Why?" he snarled, "Do not deny this, not now. You just said—"

"No, I know what I said," Tony assured, sitting up and licking the taste of mint and something almost sweet from his lips. Loki's taste.

"I just need something else right now. Then I promise more of this, a lot more of this. Like, a marathon of this."

Loki's tension went from heated and sexy to stiff and unsure in the space of a second. Tony almost regretted it, mostly because he had never felt Loki like that before. Even during their snuggling-sleeping sessions at night, they never seemed to reach that comfort zone and now that it was gone it was so painfully obvious how different it had been. Aaaaand Tony ruined it.

"Hey, look," he began, reaching out to run his fingers over Loki's forehead and brow. As predicted, they were furrowed together in that sharp scowl he did have a memory of. "Loki… I want to see you."

Rather than an immediate answer, Tony got more hesitant silence and the hands that had been wandering over his body dropped away. So, he waited, pressing a finger between the god's eyebrows to smooth out the wrinkles formed there. After a few moments of rubbing at Loki's forehead, he somehow managed to get an amused huff out of him.

"You utter child…" Loki murmured, hands finding Tony's back once again.

"Says the one moping and not answering me. Lokes, come on, you said it wouldn't be that hard, right? So why are you pulling this shit, now? I promised some serious compensation, didn't I?"

Tony could hear the sneer in Loki's voice as he hissed, "Is that what this was, compensation?"

"Oh for… would you cut it out? Every step forward with you is another ten steps back the second you start thinking. I thought you were some all mighty god, but no, you've got a list of insecurities longer than mine, and that's saying something."

"Well perhaps I do not wish to be taken for granted," He snapped in response. "Did you ever think of that? I may be a god, but against all odds you were chosen for my conduit, Stark. You alone hold the key to my magic, my life, and you cannot expect me to believe you haven't thought of just what to do with me once you're eyesight is returned? I am no fool, Stark, do not make the mistake of thinking I trust you to do anything less than betray me the second you see your chance."

"Are you… are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. "What are you even talking about? I don't fuck people over that I owe. I take this shit as seriously as you do, or at least, as seriously as you should. I know we aren't normal—" Loki huffed again. "—We're weird, admit it. We don't make a lick of sense as… whatever we are. You're not even supposed to be here, but you're not supposed to be in that cell, broken and alone, either. Neither of us deserve what we got—or, well, I mean, you kind of did kill a ton of people and basically ruined my life with your little magic trick there, and that's bad, so yeah, maybe you need to do something about that."

"If you think—"

Tony held up a hand to stop him and ended up shoving his fingers up Loki's nose. Totally accidentally, but still hilarious. He fixed it, quickly and without laughing, thankfully, and pressed his fingers against the god's lips.

"Listen to me, for once," he demanded. "I'm not going to give you some long speech about repenting for your sins or some shit. That was be annoying hypocrite of me and let's just say, it's not what I think you need. But you need to do something, Loki, because someone like you can't become stagnant and it's just as much for you as the people you hurt. You need something… you need a purpose again—preferably not one like world domination, okay? Just do shit, run around the world, make things, I don't know, whatever fun stuff you used to do back on the ol' Asgard." Loki narrowed his eyes and tried to move away. He didn't like the way even Stark's softest touch kept him still.

"Come on… We both know that smart people get bored and that's when we get dangerous, that's when we slack off and lose it. We lose touch with whatever it is that keeps us from fucking breaking everything. And honestly, I would probably have blasted you through the wall if you just showed up like you did and I could see. Not gonna lie, I would. Because I wouldn't been stuck in that room for months going crazy and dreaming up ways to blow up SHEILD as revenge and I have to be crazy to be considering… to want this… thing. With you. That I want."

"You flatter me, truly," Loki drawled, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. "One must be mad to desire me."

"Yeah, like you're not thinking the same thing about me."

"And if I am?"

"Then we're exactly as weird as I said we are and you're argument is invalid so stop wasting our time and help me."

Once again, Loki hesitated, but instead of pulling away this time, he pressed their foreheads together and just breathed.

And Tony really didn't know what to do anymore. He hadn't made any contingency plans that included this mess. Hell, he had been pretty sure he would be dead before his first week out of the hospital was up. But ever since his mysterious British gang member showed up, plans had gone out the window and there was nothing he could do but go with the flow. And besides, he had learned something, surprisingly enough. He had learned that there was more to the god who had been nothing but some two demential criminal using his precious reactor technology to power his portal to bring an army and wreck his city.

That there was guilt, maybe misplaced, but Loki was capable of guilt and that was something. He also learned that Loki liked to read and damn was his voice like sex. He learned that Loki maybe had suffered a little before this whole 'take over the world' thing had happened, even if he hadn't exactly talked about it. He could tell, or at least, he should have seen it in his eyes back then. The blue, the shadows, the nasty color to his skin.

Unless that was just his skin tone, which, okay, Tony could live with that, but he just looked sick and sick people don't decide to take over worlds willy-nilly. Sick people wait until they're at full power. Sick people usually have someone pulling their strings and shoving their heads into buckets of water until said sick person does exactly what they wanted.

And there was more, underneath all that venom and stiffness, there had to be, because Tony had sensed it every time the god tucked his face into Tony's hair and fell asleep in his arms like that was normal, like they didn't actually fit in those molds they were forced to conform to. Because Loki didn't hurt him unless Tony pushed all the right buttons and that was his own fault for needing to test people, because Loki wasn't fucking evil.

He was just him. A little messed up, granted, and probably in desperate need of some TLC and why not throw in some hot, violent sex while they were at it?

I want him, Tony realized, I want him, scars and all and jesus, we are so weird.

"Loki…" he whispered, "I don't know why, or if I even want to, but I trust you. To an extent. You haven't exactly given me much choice, I mean, you kind of hold the 'key to my life' in your hands, too, in case you forgot, but I do. Okay? So maybe trust me a little, you've been doing good so far."

"I… understand," replied the god, still taking deep breaths and pressing their heads together. "I will heal your eyes, and you will not turn me over to your friends, Thor, or SHEILD. Do we have have an accord?"

"Deal," he agreed, and wondered how much Loki was going to hate him when he said, "But I am going to have to go back there and talk to them. Especially Thor. I really don't want that festering until they think we're making plans to kill everyone."

"I doubt they will wait long, but am not returning with you. Even if it hurts us," Loki replied calmly, apparently taking on a new form of optimism after their bargain. "Thor will not listen to reason, he never has. I will be returned to my cell before you can even begin to argue for my freedom."

"If you wished to," he added softly.

That's not the impression I got, Tony thought, remembering the thunderer's face when Tony asked him how he could do that to his brother. Maybe they could do it, maybe they could set up some kind of deal after explaining what was going on and how they kind of might die if separated so don't take my… life away.

"We'll see," Tony muttered, and left it for another day.


Loki looked at the bowl he had once smashed against the floor in a burst frustration. Frustration over failing to break the bond with and kill the very man who stood in front of him now. It seemed ridiculous, standing here with blood pooling in his hand, blank, trusting eyes gazing back at him in the dim candle light.

But, this was where he was now, this was who he was. He had made this choice for himself, for Anthony, and no one else was going to persuade him to change his mind ever again. For once, he would keep what he had earned. Precious, rare trust.

"Your hand," he directed, reaching out to take it. The man's lips had a slight tip downward, head tilted to side just enough to catch every sound Loki was making. But regardless of his tension, he seemed to trust him, just as he said, and allowed Loki to run his blade across the palm of his hand.

"Ow! A little warning next time?" he snapped, automatically flinching away.

But Loki held on fast and pulled his hand over the bowl, tipping it to spill the mortal's blood in with his own. The gold seemed to glow with firelight, and as both their bloods mixed, a hum slowly grew until it was all around them. The bowl was reacting something, or rather, the runes carved into it were.

"What the hell is that?"

"Is it too much to ask for silence?" Loki requested, watching the blood fill until it covered the notch in the metal. " hold it to your chest, and remain silent."

The man muttered something that Loki ignored for favor of leaning in to listen to the hum. He hadn't even begun the spell work yet, the runes should have remained dormant until activated. So what was this power from? Surly not from Loki's nearly magic-less blood, not after his separation from it.

"Stark… is there any old magic in your family" he asked carefully, not taking his eyes off the pool of blood that rippled on its own volition.

"Uh, excuse me? No, we're scientists," he answered. "This is going against all my genes right here."

Loki hummed thoughtfully and crouched down, leveling his gaze across the rippling surface.

"Something is… different. I believe our blood is reacting to one another's in… some way."

"Okay, not liking how unsure you sound about this, considering you're the big bad wizard here, not me."

"I preferred your silence," Loki commented dryly, and reached out to activate the first rune. It felt hot under his fingers, and he traced it more quickly than usual. The other him—the monster—recoiled at the heat, and Loki found himself struggling to place his hand on the next one.

'Sun…" he murmured, and this time the rune seared his flesh, his skin boiling as he traced the lines. He let out a pained grunt and shuddered, sweat breaking out across his body.

"What's gong on, what's wrong?" Loki glanced up, noticing Stark's concerned gaze turned the wrong way, as usual. "Loki?"

"Nothing to fret about, but do please continue the be silent. I need to concentrate."

The third and final rune should have been easier, considering his heritage, but it was not. The cold stung, ice crawling down his fingers and across the back of his hand. But it did not stop there, and continued to send spikes of pain up his arm until it reached his heart.

That was when he felt it, his mask slipping away and the beast breaking free. No, not breaking, tearing free. Ripping him apart cell by cell and all he could do is watch in horror as pale, Aesir flesh turned blue. His vision grew fuzzy, darkness slowly creeping in on the edges of his vision and this was wrong, so wrong.

What has gone wrong?

He opened his mouth to scream, but Stark's own startled screech cut him off.


It was dark.

No, it was light, really light.

Too bright—stop—please…

Who was that? Who was looking at him—no don't touchdon'ttouchme!

Tony shrunk away, but it was the wrong way, that hand was still reaching for him and touching him but he could see it in front of him and across from him. Why was it coming from two directions? Stop touching—stop—

Blue and red and someone was whimpering in pain or maybe that was him.

It's too bright.

God, it hurts.

"Loki," he rasped, reaching up to cover his face with shaking hands. Darkness returned to him, and for the first time in so long, Tony welcomed it gratefully. "Oh fuck… something's wrong."

There was no answer but another pained sound that, once again, Tony couldn't tell who it came from. Everything hurt, something was wrong, why wouldn't he be making sounds like that?

"Loki… what did you do?"

Finally, a weak voice answered him, "I didn't… I had not even finished the spell…"

"What?"

Loki refused to answer again, and Tony heard something clatter to the floor with a wet sound. Then, there was a shuffling, and another thud from what sounded like across the room, and Tony decided to risk the pain to see what was going on.

"Loki, what is… augh—"he cut off, once again assaulted with light and confusing shapes. Somewhere, a muffled cry answered his, and Tony moved to follow it.

It was strange, but everything felt like it was listing to one side. No, wait, what was he seeing? Why did it feel tilted—it was titled—some hideous wallpaper at an angle, but he was seeing the door, too. Tony scowled and tried to blink away the super imposed image of ugly wall paper away. He failed, and ended up stumbling over something on the floor.

"Fucking hell!" he fumed, catching himself before he fell. Again, he was answered with another noise and Tony's heart stopped. It sounded like a wounded animal and this time he knew it wasn't coming from him. "Loki? Come on, where are you?"

"Stay away."

"No way in hell, buddy," Tony answered, squinting through the blurry mess of images and light until, suddenly, the wallpaper disappeared and half his vision went dark. "Gah! Stop it… fuck… just stop!"

"Not me," Loki rasped from somewhere near.

Tony, giving up on trying to see, reached out for him with his eyes closed and found what he thought was a shoulder before it jerked away from his touch.

"I know, hey, I know, Loki," he spoke soothingly, kneeling down next to what he was pretty sure was Loki curled up on the floor. "What's wrong? Why do you feel so damn cold?"

He was always a little cold, well, except when they got all tucked into bed together, then Loki warmed right up and—focus, Tony, focus.

His hand trailed down Loki's arm and just as he reached the hem of his sleeve, the god twitched away again with another grunt.

"Stop! Don't touch me!"

Tony held his hand away, frowning. "Okaaay, so it hurts there… where doesn't it hurt?"

"That's not… that… please, just stay away. It could hurt you."

"It?"

"I could…"

"Yeah, been there done that," Tony remarked dryly and darted forward, blinding grabbing at Loki's shivering body and wrapping his arms around it. Loki gasped, Nothing hurt, but damn was he cold to the touch. "See? All good. Now calm down, you're making me panic."

"How are you…?" Loki wondered softly, and twitched again, this time pressing into Tony's body rather than away.

A royal fucker of a headache was building behind Tony's eyes, sending shooting pains all the way downhill neck to his spine and well, everywhere after that. It was troubling, as was pretty much everything right now, but his heat rate was finally slowing and at some point Loki stopped shivering.

"Lokes?"

"What did you just call me?"

"Lokes, deal with it and can you please fucking explain what's going on? I'm so out of my territory i'm pretty sure I need a passport."

"Do not call me that ever again," Loki hissed, some of his usual Loki-ness returning. A cold cheek brushed against his, and Tony just had to give in to temptation.

He opened his eyes.

Bright.

There was blue skin, he thought, and staring at him was one red eye, watery, dark, was it bleeding?

There was pale skin, ghosting over the left side of everything Tony was seeing, and a bright, golden eyed stared back at him.

"What the fu…?"

The red eye blinked.

The golden one didn't.

Tony shifted, reaching out to trace the lines stretching out from the red eye and made a small shushing noise as the blue figure flinched.

Loki. It was Loki.

"Oh… oh god you're blue."

"A monster," Loki breathed, glancing away and sending Tony into a dizzying mess of images. Both of them whimpered and Tony closed his eyes again, pressing their foreheads together like Loki always did to sooth him.

"No," Tony whispered.

Loki shook his head, their noses bumping together until Tony tightened his grip a little harder to make him stop.

"I think you might have messed up," He pointed out weakly, his hand dropping away to wrap back around Loki's back. "because I'm seeing double here."

"Double…"

"Yeah, I'm seeing… I don't know what i'm seeing. I think you… and something else."

Loki shifted away again, and Tony had to force himself to look.

Bright, always too bright.

The blue—Loki stared at him with narrowed eyes, a grimace of pain crossing his features.

That golden eye stared back, wider, focusing, and now he could see lips framed by a messy beard.

Tony frowned.

So did those lips.

"Oh my god… is that… me?" he rasped, pulling away and nearly falling as more of himself came into view and jesus, it was him. It was him. He was seeing himself.

"Oh."

"Don't you 'oh' me! I'm seeing myself! I'm seeing you and myself at the same fucking time!" Tony shouted, reaching out to grip Loki's shoulders for balance. He squinted more and scowled. "And what the hell happened to my beard? I look like a chia pet."

Loki frowned, and even in all the confusion, a small part of Tony rejoiced at actually being able to see it.

"I see myself and you, as well," he whispered, lifting one hand to cover his eye.

Tony's view of himself disappeared, replaced with a black fuzz along his vision of Loki.

"You switched our eyes?"

"I did not do this!"

"You poured our blood into a bucket and did something to us!" Tony snapped back. "I could feel it!"

"I did not do this!" Loki roared, diving forward and pushing Tony to the floor.

Tony automatically lashed out with his legs, but Loki was not so easily caught off guard this time, and pressed his weight into him. Tony opened his mouth to hiss or snap or maybe bite him, but something about the face above him made him stop.

Something about the anger in his own face made him stop.

"Okay…" he allowed, going still under Loki's body. "Okay, this isn't your fault. Alright? I'm trusting you."

Above him, all the anger and desperation seemed to bleed from Loki's face, until a weak smile replaced his scowl. Tony, completely caught off guard by a sight he'd never seen before, gasped and automatically reached out to touch the god's lips.

Below him, a surprised smile formed, and a familiar hand reached up towards him.

Of course, as soon as he did, Loki realized what he was doing and shuttered his expression into boring old neutral not-feeling-anything.

Tony tsked and pulled on Loki's lip, saying, "Stop it, jesus. The first time I get to see in months and you give me this look? Rejoice! I can see! I can see what you can see, sure, that's not great, but Loki, look…" he trailed off, grinning up at him while he ran his fingers down Loki's cheeks, nose, chin. "Look… I don't jab you in the eye or nose anymore. I can see you."

Loki relaxed, maybe a centimeter at best. But he also tilted his head and kissed the palm of Tony's hand before sitting up and helping Tony off the floor.

"I will fix this… once I revert back to myself."

"Aren't you still yourself?" Tony asked, wavering as the mixed vision twisted and swayed alarmingly. "Whoa, okay, one of us needs to close one eye."

Loki frowned and reached out, about to say something when a crack of lightning pretty much blew the fuses in Tony's mind.

He screamed, a little, and closed both eyes against the impossible brightness assaulting him, yet again. He rubbed at them uselessly and allowed Loki to encompass him in a silent, tight hug.

And maybe it was because he was used to the darkness and the way everything felt around him, or maybe because every hair on his body was standing up as though the lightning was in the room, but Tony felt his presence before he spoke.

"Loki…"

They both turned, eyes opening to see two versions of Thor frowning down at them.