*Gasp* Have I really returned? Yes if for the moment. Enjoy you guys.

I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS! ONLY LYLE!

Chapter Eleven: Jewelry for Kisses

I pushed Loki lightly on the arm and he stood up in order for me to sit up. Loki did not look at Tony but kept his body turned towards me and his eyes on the screen glass door behind me. Loki stood rather close and leaned his hand on the counter while the other hand rested on his hip. I smoothed out my clothes and looked at my dopple ganger,

"I thought you were handling the police."

"I was, then they drove up," she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"So you got in a fight with your ex?" Tony asked, "And you found it necessary to conjure up Loki and-"

"Tony!" I shouted at him, "Yes, I got in a fight with my ex. And in case you didn't notice, came out of it with a scrape," I hopped down off the counter, "and Loki-"

"Yes, Reindeer Games," Tony muttered and turned his attention to Loki, "last time I saw you, you were in a muzzle."

"Strange how big a small man talks when he is without his armour," Loki smirked. Tony's eye twitched and he took a step towards Loki,

"I'd watch what I'd say if I was you." Loki pushed me behind him,

"Or what? I could easily throw you back out a window. I doubt you brought your suit with you." I grabbed Loki's arm and pulled him behind me,

"Alright boys, play time is over." I grabbed Tony's arm and, together, we walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where Bruce was observing my pictures.

"Bruce!" I nearly screamed. I ran over to him and jumped on his back; he staggered to catch his balance and patted my arms.

"It's good to see you back, Lyle," I got off his back and gave him a proper hug,

"It's good to see you too!"

"Why is he here?" Bruce asked, a growl in his voice. Bruce's body immediately tensed and I could sense the beast's rage at how easily the God had gotten off last time. I pulled back from Bruce and took his face in my hands, looking him dead in the eye,

"Calm down. I brought Loki here."

"And what odd drink did you have on Blondie's planet to make you do that?" Tony asked. I turned and Loki had seated himself on the couch, looking over his shoulder at me and Bruce. I caught a slight twinge of jealousy and I rolled my eyes,

"Tony, don't mock me," I let go of Bruce and took a seat next to Loki, who then promptly wrapped his arm around me and leaned back, pulling me with him. Tony visibly clenched his jaw and Bruce remained standing behind us.

"Lyle, if he's got you under some sort of mind control just try to-" I waved Tony off,

"As of currently Tony, I am in complete control. Loki is, for lack of a better word, powerless." Loki's arm tightened around me and shame filled my senses; he did not like being without magic that much was for sure.

"Why the hell is he here then?" Tony asked, leaning into an easy chair and crossing his leg, "he has no more business here," he then turned to Loki, "unless there is some other army you're waiting on, in which case, a heads up would be nice."

"He's here on my account, Tony," I spoke, "there are so many ways to phrase this right now…"

"Then phrase it, please," Bruce answered, "Please, enlighten us as to why he is here." Nerves set in and they weren't just mine. I highly doubted that blurting out 'I'm in love with the god of mischief' was a smart idea but I had to come up with something. I didn't want to send Loki away but there was way too much tension in the room to explain anything.

"Loki, will you please go upstairs?" Loki looked at me, surprised. I needed to get him out of the room so Bruce could relax and Tony would stop his little arrogant remarks,

"I just need…a tad bit calmer environment," I communicated telepathically,

"What will you tell them?" Loki answered back, with the same telepathy.

"I'm working on it, just please go upstairs. I'll come get you when they're gone." Loki just stared at me for a moment before kissing me again…and held it for about five seconds too long. I caught his glare at Bruce before he rose and proceeded upstairs. I pinched the bridge of my nose,

"Tony, what you saw-"

"Oh I know what I saw," Tony answered, "and it wasn't a pretty sight. What'd you do? Mouth off to Blondie and get stuck with Loki for the day?" Bruce finally took a seat next to me and stopped lurking around. He was still unbelievably tense. I grabbed his hand and lightly rubbed my thumb over his knuckles,

"Tony, I asked to take Loki in," before Tony could interrupt I held up my hand, "humanity is one of my things, you know that-"

"Humanity didn't seem to bother you when he was taking over the world," Bruce muttered. I grit my teeth, I'd had enough,

"Then love! Crazy, stupid, love!" I stood up, "I'm in love with the God of Mischief, there, ya happy?" I sat down and put my head in my hands. The room was silent before Tony spoke,

"You must have really drunk something funny." I glared at Tony through my fingers,

"Don't do this to me Tony. I'm not the only one struck by Cupid's stray arrows."

"Leave Pepper out of this," Tony frowned.

"How can you love him?" Bruce asked. I looked at the ground and shook my head,

"Call it hormones, I just do. When Odin was giving him his sentence, when I heard 'jail', I just couldn't leave him there. I really just couldn't. I didn't want to leave him somewhere he might be killed, or alone. Loki may have tried to destroy Earth but still, I just didn't want to leave him. Something just kept nudging its way into my mind. Loki had plenty of times to steal the Tesseract off my neck but he didn't. I never could understand why, still don't completely but I have an inkling of why he might not have."

"Please, share with the group," Tony invited. I chuckled and looked at Tony,

"He could have killed me a long time ago. He could have left last night but he didn't, why do you think?"

"He loves you as well?" Bruce asked. I leaned back on the couch and drew my legs into a criss-cross,

"He may be the God of Lies, but mind reading has become a new hobby for me."

"So you read his mind?" Tony asked.

"No, I didn't have to. He told me."

"When?"

"Just before you walked in?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that he might be using you?" I shook my head,

"Several times over. But Tony, you should have seen him when Jake came. I could feel the jealousy just radiating off him. Emotions, while easy to mask, can be detected just slightly. You can go ahead and call me crazy, but I'm not letting him go. And if you call SHIELD, I will get on your ass faster than you can get that suit on." Tony just sat there with his fingers interlaced and resting on his chest. Bruce wrapped and arm around me,

"Can you take care of yourself?"

"Always," I smiled, "I'm the one with the staff, remember?" Bruce chortled and looked at Tony, who was still contemplating.

"Eh, your mistakes not mine," Tony pulled out a box from his pocket and tossed it to me, "I assume that's for Reindeer Games." I opened it and pulled out a bracelet that looked similar to a medical bracelet.

"Can it hide him?" I asked, fingering the metal links,

"Why do you want to?" Bruce asked.

"I can't have SHIELD poking their noses where they shouldn't be, and if they found out he was here then they would come get him instantly."

"So, you're going to harbor a fugitive-"

"Ex-fugitive, he's serving his sentence" I corrected.

"Whatever, the point is, Reindeer Games is staying here. He is in his own room, right?" I chucked the nearest pillow at Tony.

"He's got the guest room next to mine."

"Lock your door, please," Bruce asked. I leaned against Bruce,

"Nothing's going to happen."

"You sure?" Tony asked, "Because I know a couple of places that sell con-"

"You are really cruisin' for a bruising, Stark," I snarled. I got up and went to the kitchen door,

"Come on back and we can get ya'll something to drink."

"By the way, who was that fellow that probably left his man-card here?" Tony asked.

"An ex-boyfriend who can't seem to get it in his head that we were over a while ago. Water, soda?"

"Got any scotch?" Tony asked. I opened the fridge and grabbed a water and tossed it to him,

"Not much of a drinker. Bruce?"

"I'm fine thanks."

"So is your nose broken or have you suddenly developed healing powers?" Tony asked as I sat down on a barstool next to the counter. I prodded my nose lightly and found no pain,

"I suppose healing is one of my abilities. Rather useful. Are ya'll staying the night or what?"

"We're heading out once business is done," Tony replied, "but, Lyle…don't do anything I wouldn't do." I snorted,

"There are a lot of things that you have done Tony that I would never do. But I do…love Loki. And he will be here for a while."

"How long?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know. As long as it takes," I shrugged.

"Then I think we're going to head out then," Tony answered, "Can you send him back?"

"Why would I?" I asked Tony. I stood up and walked to the front door,

"I have no wish to send him back. So long as he has my trust, which is not much, he will remain here until I see fit." Bruce gave me one last hug,

"Stay safe, please," Bruce whispered. I pulled back and smiled,

"I'm the chick with rock, remember?" Bruce laughed and walked out the door. Tony handed me a business card,

"At least come up in a few weeks, just so we know that you're not dead."

"If I have time, we're going shopping tomorrow."

"So you're not going to put him in something with horns?" I pushed Tony,

"Get outta here." I watched as Tony got in the car with Bruce and they backed out and raced down the street in that sweet little red corvette. I sighed and shut the door; when I turned around Loki was standing right behind me,

"Gah! We're definitely going to get you a bell-" Loki swooped down and captured my lips. I tried to pull away, I had things I needed to discuss with him but he was distracting me. He pushed me up against the door and drew my wrists up over my head. I whined slightly and wriggled; he pushed his body up against mine and trapped me even more. I pulled my lips away and turned to the side in order to catch a breath but he descended on my neck.

"Loki…" I gasped, "need…to discuss with you…something of importance." He growled slightly and nipped my neck. I whimpered and he returned to my lips but I was a tad bit clearer. I transported to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. I held up the bracelet,

"Put this on please." Loki eyed it warily,

"What is this?" he asked, walking up to me and taking it from my hand.

"Something that will hopefully keep you safe." Loki held it up to the light that was filtering in through the window and cocked his head. I scoffed, took his hand, and slipped on the bracelet. Loki fiddled with the chains as I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands,

"God-"

"Yes?" Loki responded. I glared at him through my fingers,

"Don't push me. I've had a long day."

"This day is the same length as any other day," Loki came and sat next to me. He leaned back and pulled me with him before he kicked his legs up on the couch and I was stretch on top of him, my back to his chest.

"Expression," I sighed, my hands still covering my face, "it means I'm not in a good mood." Loki gently pulled my hands off my face and tipped my chin back so that he was looking down at me,

"Perhaps I should try to remedy that." His lips descended lightly on mine; this kiss was gentle and light. He moved down to my neck and rested his lips on my pulse.

"Do you feel any better?"

"Much," I sighed. I rested my hand on the side of his head and rub a lock of his hair between my fingers. Loki's arms encircled my waist and tightened slightly.

"What did I hear about us going…shopping?" I laughed and rolled over so I could nestle my head in the crook of his neck,

"You need new clothes and, while my father's clothes may fit you well, I doubt you wish to wear them for long." Loki didn't answer as one of his hands lightly drew circles on my stomach. My stomach growled and I sat up and rolled off Loki.

"I don't feel like cookin', you ever had Chinese?" Loki raised his eyebrow at me, "alright, that's a fat 'no'." I stretched as I headed towards the kitchen. I grabbed Yun's Chinese menu off my fridge and turned to Loki,

"Beef or pork?"

"Beef." Loki took a seat and watched me as I called in and ordered. Thirty minutes later, I was rolling in shrimp dumplings and Loki was learning how to use chopsticks. I giggled lightly as a piece of beef yet again dropped from his chopsticks.

"There's no shame in using a fork," I told him. Loki just looked up at me with a bored expression,

"I have no need for a fork." I shrugged and snatched an eggroll from one of the boxes.

"We need to get up at around seven tomorrow. All the good shops get swarmed in the afternoon and I would at least like to make it home alive."

"Is there to be a battle?" Loki asked.

"No, but it'll feel like one." Loki almost managed to get one piece of beef to his lips but then it managed to slip. Loki grumbled and shoved the chopsticks back in the box. I tossed him a fork which he caught and looked at with disgust.

"No shame in it," I called as I walked back to the kitchen to throw away the carton. I came back and yawned.

"I'm headin' to the shower. Clean up after yourself." Loki didn't respond as he currently seemed too absorbed in the beef and broccoli. I walked upstairs and grabbed my PJs from my room. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door; didn't bother to lock it as it might be a while until Loki actually came up. I slipped out of my clothes and into the hot shower; shuddering slightly at the abrupt warmth. I went through my normal shower routine but after I had rinsed my hair, I stood there. I was comfortable and not about to move. I slid down the wall and rested on the floor under the cascading water. I closed my eyes and smiled at the peacefulness of my situation. I was roused from my state by the opening of the door. I scrambled up and reached for the towel…that wasn't there. I grabbed the shower curtain and held it to myself as I looked around to see a smiling Loki holding a towel that was supposed to be on the rack. I frowned,

"Loki, give it back."

"Do I not get to see all of what is mine?" I felt my jaw go slack as I stared at him. This boy was flirtatious beyond belief and nothing seemed to keep his libido in check. I gathered myself and twitched my nose,

"This isn't a joke, give me back the towel." Loki stepped away from me and leaned against the sink. He crossed his arms over his chest and put the towel down by his feet. That coy little smile still in place. I felt my eye twitch and the center of my neck heat up. I smiled lightly and teleported myself to my room.

I laughed at the groan that emanated from the bathroom and pulled out a spare towel from drawers. I locked the door and was surprised that Loki started banging on the door,

"Get over yourself Loki!"

"You're not playing fair little one!" I put on my tank and shorts and opened the door to find Loki holding the towel.

"I'm not?" Loki pulled me out of my room while closing my door. I was slammed against the door and yanked upwards to Loki's lips. I wrapped my legs around his waist as his tongue invaded my mouth. His hands roamed under my tank and his thumbs rested just under my breast. He shifted one of his hands to hold me up as he opened the door back to my room. He never broke the kiss as he continued to walk forward. He lowered me to the bed so that I was sitting and he was slightly bent over. He pulled away and I could see the hunger in his eyes. He had started a fire of my own in my lower stomach and it was not going to disappear.

"Loki-" He descended on me again, this time pushing me down onto the bed. I let my own hands roam his body and was delighted at what I found there. He was lightly muscular and lean but still had some meat on him. I tugged at his belt and Loki again pulled away to look at me with a kind of amused surprise,

"Do-" I kissed him lightly to stop him,

"Doubt you've heard of it but I am on the pill," he looked pretty confused but I continued, "I will explain in the morning but for now, I am a virgin." Loki drew back at that point extremely surprised.

"Interesting. So you have never…"

"No," I blushed and turned away, "Never caught on?"

"You just seemed…so assured."

"It's not hard to learn how to be coy." Loki did not say anything for a while and I took the silence as a bad sign but was surprised when Loki drew me to his chest and had his back to the headboard and my back to his chest. He tipped my face up and kissed my lightly on the forehead.

"Then perhaps it is time that you learned what being coy is about." I kissed Loki back; this was going to be a long night.

No I will not continue on with the bed room actions. I just wouldn't be able to write it. If anyone wants to try, message me please! Comments, Concerns?