Second Chances - Chapter Twelve -
(sorry it's short. Next one'll be longer though ;) )

'Okay. Okay Tony, don't panic. You just accidently kissed someone who up until a few days you hated and hated you back but that's fine. That's more than fine.' Tony told himself throughout the drive back to Stark [Avengers] tower.

'Shit... It's not fine is it? It's like... Kissing your best friend. It's just wrong.'

He paused as he got into the elevator and headed up to his floor. Wait... Did he just say best friend? No. Surely he didn't think that much of Loki already. 'I know we've had a lot of fun lately but... Wow. We've changed quickly... I don't even think I've slept with anyone since seeing him that first time.'

Tony pursed his lips in thought then let a breath out quickly as he rubbed the back of his head. Had it really been that long since he'd hooked up with a girl? Had Loki really influenced that in some way? 'Yikes.'

As he reached his floor, he was glad to find it empty as he grabbed a drink from the bar then sank down in one of the sofa's, using it to stretch his legs out as he lay there and thought. He groaned as he craned his neck backwards and stared up at the ceiling.

The moment where his lips touched Loki's kept playing over and over in his head like a broken record. And the weirdest part was that Tony thought he actually enjoyed it.

Okay, so maybe he liked Loki a little more than in just a friend way.

'Huh...' now that he thought about it, lots of things that happened lately would make more sense. Why he hadn't been out searching for female bed partners, why he had been trying to spend every minute he could with the ex god, the way he'd always try to check him out or flirt when they were together, the thoughts when they watched that couple in the restaurant get engaged and also when they had kissed each other.

'Well shit.' he thought as he drunk the contents of his glass in one go then lay back down with his hands linked behind his back. He had never liked a guy before. Did that make him gay? Or was it just ex gods that happened to be extremely hot and sexy?

He shut his eyes as the questions whizzed around his head until he sat up and rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. In that moment earlier, Loki had neither pulled away nor looked shocked... Does that mean Loki liked him back? Or was he just confused.

He ran a hand through his hair again then stood up and headed for his room. He decided that he'd give Loki a little space tonight then visit him after his work and ask him then... And also pray for a positive answer.

oOoOoOo

The next day, Loki couldn't concentrate on his work. The only thing on his mind was the kiss that he and Tony had accidently shared the night before and how Tony had left and made the situation awkward.

He had nearly ran into several customers, knocked over a whole shelf when restocking, and even managed to spill coffee all over his crotch (very painful and highly inconvenient but thank the gods he wore black trousers today). Matt had laughed so hard when Loki came out of the staff room with a giant wet patch on his trousers, a strong smell of coffee about him and a flushed expression.

"Stop laughing." Loki said later in the day when they were serving the last few customers of the day. "It's not funny anymore."

"Oh but it is." Matt said with a wink, ignoring Loki's death glare. "Hey is something up man? You've been really distracted all day..."

"Huh? W-what do you mean?" Loki replied innocently then smiled at a customer as they walked away from his and left the shop.

"You know what I mean. What's going on?" Matt said, turning to lean against the counter with his arms folded and an eyebrow raised. Loki sighed then ran a hand through his hair.

"I- something happened last night... Between myself and a friend... A new friend to be precise and we uhh, accidently kissed." He said, blushing like crazy as he did. Matt's eyebrows rose in surprise but then he smiled.

"Wow. You like her?"

Loki shrugged. "Well... Yeah, I think I do. But it's weird because we used to hate each other and his friends don't like me."

"He?" Matt said and his eyebrows rose higher than before. "Cool, didn't know you swung that way."

"Swung what where?" Loki said, frowning in confusion which made Matt laugh.

"It's a phrase, means you're gay. You like men which is totally fine with me. Love is love right? So what happened after you two kissed? And how'd he do it?"

Loki smiled then grimaced slightly. "He tripped over a stack of books in my apartment then afterwards he just left..." Loki sunk down onto the counter with his head resting upon his hands as he sighed. "I don't know what to do. Since it happened I haven't heard a word from him and I can't get him out of my head!"

Matt moved closer to Loki and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Maybe he's just embarrassed by the situation. Is he gay too?"

"No. He's kind of known for being a bit of a... 'Ladies man'." Loki said while pulling an annoyed facial expression.

"Ah, well, Uh... Maybe he found it weird. I mean, if he's straight then it probably freaked him out a little, don't you think?"

"Maybe..." Loki said then sighed again and smiled at Matt. "I think if I just give him some time, he might eventually talk to me again. If not then it's not a big deal... Our friendship was sort of doomed from the start."

"How so?" Matt asked with a frown. "It's not like a stereotypical Romeo and Juliet type story is it?"

Loki laughed. "Ehehe, no I'm afraid it's a little more complicated. But don't worry, I'll survive it." he smiled at Matt. "Thanks for talking to me."

"No problem." He said before disappearing into the staff room. "If he breaks your heart then just give me his name and address and I'll go kick his ass for you." he said with a wink and a mischievous smirk which made Loki laugh again.

"Thank you Matt. I'll see you tomorrow, oh, actually I think the boss gave me a late shift so I won't be in until eleven. Can you survive without me?"

"Of course." Matt answered back while puffing out his chest and grinning which made them both laugh. "See you tomorrow mate." he said before disappearing out the front of the now closed shop.

Loki watched him go then shook his head and chuckled as he grabbed his own stuff and left.

As he walked back, he thought about what Matt had said to him and started wondering; was Tony actually gay? Because although he left in a hurry, he had also lingered during the kiss which suggested that maybe he was confused or something like that.

He grimaced as he walked up the stairs in his apartment block because the coffee on his trousers chaffed horribly against his skin. The one day that he'd forgotten to wear underwear had to be the day where he spilt a hot beverage on himself. Although he could just blame Tony for it.

He chuckled at the thought of him telling that to Tony when he came to his floor and stopped when he noticed the man himself leaning against the wall opposite Loki's apartment.

He was texting someone so didn't see or hear Loki approach but when the ex god cleared his throat to gain his attention; the billionaire jumped and nearly dropped his phone.

"O-oh. Hey Loki." Tony said nervously as he placed his phone in his pocket then smiled at Loki.

"Hey... Tony... What are you doing here?"

Tony looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well uhh, I was hoping that I could talk to you about what happened last night?"

Loki flushed slightly but moved to unlock his front door to hide it. "Sure, come in." he said as he went in.

Tony took a deep breath, cracked his neck from side to side then jumped on the spot to psyche himself up a bit before following Loki inside and shirting the door behind him.

Dark: I shall update when I can :) Thanks for the kind reviews people sent, please continue to do so as I continue this again :) until the next chapter.