Hey guys. I know I don't upload that often lately. But that's just because I don't have time. So, don't worry, I won't abandon this fic. Never. Thanks to Emma for betaing this chapter.

By the time Tony wakes up, the sun is already shining brightly. Despite having slept for more than twelve hours, he doesn't exactly feel awake – to be honest, his head hurts quite a bit, and a look in the mirror a couple of minutes later shows that his eyes are red-rimmed.

He had eventually collapsed into bed yesterday evening, after waiting for hours for Bruce to show up - and at the same time hoping that he wouldn't. After Bruce and Loki's conversation, he had actually been sure the scientist would knock on his door any minute, but he never did. A shiver runs down his spine when he thinks of Bruce, half transformed into the Hulk, about to kill Loki… and him doing nothing about it. Nothing at all. JARVIS had informed him as soon as Bruce had arrived at Loki's door, but all Tony could do was stare at the screen in front of him; listening to Bruce and Loki speaking, listening to Bruce accusing Loki of having manipulated him, watching the doc almost change into the Hulk more than once, and finally watching him attack the trickster. He knows he should have done something. Should. But the only thing he did was sit in his chair in front of the screen and watch Loki almost suffocate, watch him kicking in Bruce's direction, his movements getting weaker and weaker.

He shakes his head, trying to get the images out of his mind. Surprisingly enough, Bruce and Loki had sat down and talked afterwards. Even more surprising was that Loki hadn't told Bruce everything, only enough for the doc to almost lose his temper again after the conversation, after he had closed the door behind him. He had seen the look on Bruce's face, the disgust, confusion, the anger – the scientist had looked directly into one of the cameras, almost as if he had expected Tony to watch.

The glow of the arc reactor catches his eyes after a couple of minutes of staring in the mirror, completely lost in thought. It looks different again… it is somewhat bluer, and the glowing doesn't seem artificial like it's supposed to - quite on the contrary, it seems like something living, pulsating, even changing colors every now and then.

With a slight tingle of concern, he undresses to get under the shower. The magic has already started regenerating, and he knows without even having to check that the level of magic in his body is almost the same as it was before yesterday. His whole body somehow feels different from what he felt yesterday - already, there is the desire to get near Loki again, something inside him longs to touch his delicate, pale skin, to feel himself inside of him…

Loki. He remembers the magic lessons the God of Mischief has offered to him. Magic lessons. His fingertips start to tickle when he thinks of controlling the magic inside of him, and even the thought of having to deal with Loki again suddenly sounds appealing. Come back tomorrow morning, he had said, but Tony has a better idea.

"JARVIS, tell Loki to come here. And send breakfast."

He doesn't even wait for JARVIS to reply before he jumps under the shower.

It must have been the shortest shower of his entire life, because he is already finished when he hears the ping of the elevator a couple of minutes later, and he's changed into a t-shirt and a pair of denims - although his hair is still wet, and he feels small droplets of water dripping onto his forehead.

"Stark," Loki mumbles, not quite meeting his eyes. With a tiny smirk Tony notices the S.H.I.E.L.D. t-shirt the trickster is wearing, and the way he tugs down the sleeves as if he is almost uncomfortable having nothing to cover the pitch-black runes on his forearms. If he didn't know better, he'd think that they looked like strange tattoos - but not quite. He catches himself staring at them, and he is somehow sure they are moving; at least, he can't quite focus on them. He sees them, but is not sure what exactly he is even seeing aside from black patterns on pale skin.

He must have stared at Loki's arms for too long, because the trickster scowls at him. But he says nothing, so Tony just nods at him and walks into the kitchen, where someone must have put down a tray with cereal, donuts and fruit mere seconds ago.

"Are you hungry?" he asks and grabs one of the donuts, noticing Loki eyeing the bright pink frosting suspiciously.

"I would not say no to something to eat." Loki's hand hovers over the tray and he is obviously not quite sure of what to choose, but before long, he picks up some grapes and slowly eats them, with his gaze never letting go of Tony.

He pours some coffee into two mugs and places one of them in front of Loki, who stares at it with a somewhat irritated expression.

"What is this?" he asks, his eyes fixated on the deep brown liquid.

"Coffee. It's a… Midgardian beverage. You can drink it like that, or put milk and sugar in it."

Loki nods slowly, before he reaches for the sugar and puts three cubes in it, his eyes still fixated on the mug.

"So, why am I here, exactly?" he asks after a while. He has already eaten his way through most of the different kinds of fruit, and is suspiciously eyeing the donuts.

"Well, obviously to teach me some magic. But I thought it would be nice to have some breakfast first." Tony stands up and carries his plate to the sink - something he never usually does, but the sheer vicinity of Loki is making his brain stop working properly. All he can see is the gracefully disheveled hair that is again loosely braided, the love bites on his neck and shoulders, the long fingered hands finally reaching for a donut, the green eyes staring at him somewhat sleepily and the mischievous smile that never quite vanishes from Loki's face.

"Your friend almost killed me yesterday," Loki says, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I know." Tony doesn't quite know what else to say, and he doesn't turn around - instead, he is bent over the kitchen sink, both his hands grabbing the plate and almost breaking it.

"So you did watch us. I thought as much."

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you come? Why didn't you stop him?" Loki doesn't sound as if he's accusing him - he just sounds curious. But nevertheless, Tony still can't bring himself to turn around.

"I… If I were you, I doubt you would have come rescue me."

"Point made." Loki's voice is somewhat cold, but isn't it always? At least he doesn't make any attempt to tell Tony that this does not, in fact, answer his question. Tony turns around again, his hands hot and damp from the water he had washed his plate with, and sees Loki smirking at him broadly.

"I wouldn't have expected you to come, Stark." Loki gets up and walks towards him until he is standing right in front of him, his smirk making him look more like the Loki he had met four months ago – mad and dangerous.

And he actually believes him.

A shiver runs down his spine when one of Loki's hands moves underneath his shirt, touching bare skin, and soon the trickster's other hand joins in; brushing over his arm, to his shoulder, to his neck. A second later, before Tony could actually do anything, the hands are gone, leaving him feeling almost naked.

"First lesson. Concentration," Loki whispers, his eyes sparkling with a green so unnatural that Tony has to blink twice to make sure he hasn't imagined it.

Loki gently touches his shoulder and navigates him out of the kitchen, to the living room.

"Sit down." Tony nods and complies, his eyes fixated on Loki.

"Now. Close your eyes. Concentrate. Concentrate on the magic. I want you to feel it. Feel the way it streams through your body. Be one with it."

Loki sits down next to him and lifts one corner of his mouth into a lopsided smirk. Tony closes his eyes, but for a moment, the sight of Loki is still etched in his mind - his hair, his eyes, his voice, the way he smells, the way he touches him…

He tries as hard as he can possibly do to banish his thoughts to a far corner of his mind. Concentrate on the magic. Most of the energy is hosted in his arc reactor, which is why he concentrates on his chest first, on the slight buzz of energy he can feel. He imagines it streaming through his veins like blood; he can feel the tingling sensation in his fingertips now, more prominent than ever. For a few moments he just sits there and simply feels - and he doesn't know why this works now, doesn't know if this is because he has never tried to actually feel the magic before, or if it is because the magic is opening up to him because Loki has said it can. But it doesn't matter, because for a moment, he can't think, he is drowning in the overwhelming sensation of the foreign energy streaming through his body, making his heart beat faster and stronger; for a moment there is no Tony, there is no Loki, there is just pure magic. He can feel it gather in his palms, and he tries to move it back and forth at will, but it doesn't seem to actually recognize his presence.

Then, the moment is over, almost as soon as it had begun.

"Quite intense, wasn't it?" Loki is suddenly right next to him, whispering in his ear. One of his fingers is trailing patterns on his cheek and every touch suddenly feels like a firework, even more intense that it used to feel before.

"What… have you done?" Tony gasps, opening his eyes, staring directly into the trickster's.

"Me? Nothing. This is all your doing. It seems you accepted the magic. You've never actually tried to think of it too hard, have you?"

"It's not like I have known of it for that long." Tony moves one hand towards Loki, intending to pull him down onto him; but the trickster only smiles, shaking his head and smacking the hand back.

"Don't move. Concentration is the key to it all. So… I want you to concentrate on the magic again. I want you to understand what it does."

"What it does?"

"Don't move. Don't talk. Close your eyes and don't open them unless I say so," Loki whispers and Tony is acutely aware that Loki is, in fact, a prince. He imagines him talking like that to his servants and instantly feels a bit helpless. He does what he is told, though, and closes his eyes, instantly feeling Loki all over him - his hands pulling his t-shirt up and caressing the skin underneath it, his lips finding his nipples and playfully biting them.

"Don't think of me, Stark. Think of the magic. Do you feel it intensifying wherever I touch you? Follow its movements. Feel the flow of energy inside of you."

Yes. The flow of energy. Sure. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to ignore the fact that Loki is sitting on his lap, trying to get rid of his t-shirt; but he feels his body pushing against him, his lips trying to find Loki's.

"Stop it." There is a hand pressed on his arc reactor and another one lifting his chin. "If you can't sit still, I might need some other methods."

"Wait." Tony opens his eyes again and sits up from his almost horizontal position. "What are you doing? Are you teasing me?"

For a moment, Loki does nothing but lift an eyebrow and show off his mischievous grin.

"Maybe. But believe me, Stark. Do what I tell you to do, and you will be able to control this magic eventually… if you are strong enough." He leans forward until their lips almost touch and Tony only marginally notices the hand that is still upon his arc reactor.

"Now, since a mortal like you has obviously not got enough self-control…" Loki mutters and sits up again, the hand that is not pressed upon his chest glowing golden and green.

"This won't hurt and it will wear off soon." He gently touches his forehead and for a second, all Tony can see is a flash of green and golden light that makes him close his eyes tight. He sees lights dancing behind his eyelids, but after a few moments they are gone, and they leave a feeling of comfort behind.

"Don't panic," he can hear Loki say, almost soothingly.

Why would I panic? He tries to open his mouth, but it stays locked. No matter how hard he tries, he can't move the muscles in his face. He opens his eyes – tries to, but his eyes also show no sign of responding. And it is not just his face. His whole body lies there, limp and lifeless, with his beating heart being the only thing that is working – but even his heart doesn't work as it should: the heartbeat, that normally would have increased by now, is steady and slow, as is his breathing.

"It will wear off in a matter of minutes. Do not panic, Stark." A hand is caressing his cheek, moving to his neck.

"Concentrate on your hands. Try to feel the energy there. Do you feel the tingling sensation in your fingertips?"

Loki suddenly moves down to his stomach, brushing over his belly-button, moving on to his hips.

Concentrate on your hands. Well, it's not like Tony can do anything other than lie there motionless, so he decides to give it a go (and kick Loki's ass as soon as this is over). So he tries to block out Loki's touch and instead brings the tingling of his fingers into focus again. Yes, he does feel the magic there – it is even more prominent when Loki touches him, he can feel waves of energy streaming through him every time Loki's fingers touch his skin.

He hears the sound of a zipper and feels his jeans being pulled down, slowly, carefully, and almost teasingly.

"Concentrate on your fingers. This will help you later when we come to actual magic."

Still, he can't ignore the feeling of Loki slowly pulling down his boxers, of his fingers exploring the sensitive skin.

"Try to summon the magic in your hands."

My hands. Right. The tingling of his fingertips has spread to his palms and is almost unbearable now. But he can feel a new sensation there, something he can only describe as power. His hands feel heavy, but at the same time he has the feeling that he could actually turn Stark Tower into a pile of ashes - well, if he could only move.

"Now. Try to break through. Try to block me out completely, try to break the spell I have laid upon you."

You bastard, Tony thinks, wanting to scream it out, but his mouth still doesn't move.

He can feel Loki's breath on the skin of his stomach, his tongue leaving behind a thin trail of saliva. For a brief moment, he almost loses himself into the sensation of Loki's hands finding their way to his cock, slowly starting to stroke it… but then, his attention moves back to his hands. There is more and more magic gathering there, but how the hell is he supposed to use it?

He hears Loki chuckling quietly when his gentle strokes become stronger, when one hand is brushing over the head of his member and Tony wants nothing more than for his hips to move towards Loki, but he still can't move.

"Come on, Stark. You can do it."

Lazily, Loki lets his fingers rest on Tony's hard length, only moving them slowly, but never doing more, never giving him the satisfaction he needs - and suddenly, Tony understands what Loki has been planning all along. He won't get anything more than this. Not until his spell has worn off, or he manages to break through it.

He tries to concentrate on the magic again, which is more than difficult since his whole body is crying for more, and he can almost see Loki grinning like the mischievous bastard that he is… but he is trying with all his willpower to not think of his grin, to not think of the hands still resting on his cock, making tiny movements as if to tease him - well, that is exactly what Loki's doing, teasing.

Okay, come on, break the spell, he thinks, but Loki never actually told him how to get the magic to do what he wants. He thinks of the magic streaming out of his hands and breaking whatever spell Loki has cast upon him – he imagines it to look like a cocoon, encircling his body, a cocoon of green and golden energy, only to be broken by the piercing blue one that is his.

He hears Loki drawing a sharp breath, and he suddenly feels the link to the trickster being completely cut off - for a second, there is no energy whatsoever transferring between them. Briefly, his senses are gone, he can't smell, he can't feel, he can't hear. It's like a big black hole is trying to swallow him, and a part of him wants to let himself sink into it - but he fights it until it gets smaller, and smaller.

He opens his eyes again, and although his vision is still a bit blurry, he can still see Loki bending down to him, looking more than surprised.

"I've made it."

"Indeed."

He pulls Loki down to him and turns them both around until he sits on top of him, almost resulting in them falling down from the sofa.

"You bastard. What did you even think?"

"Well, it did work. Surprisingly so."

There is a moment of silence between them, in which Loki does nothing but grin broadly.

"You still owe me something, Loki," Tony whispers, suddenly being reminded of his still throbbing cock - and Loki slowly trails one of his hands over the other man's hips until it almost reaches his cock.

"Mr. Laufeyson, I have to remind you that Mr. Banner awaits you." Tony silently curses at JARVIS' voice, perfectly polite as usual.

"It seems this will have to wait, Stark," whispers Loki, and the satisfaction in his voice is more than obvious.

How did you like it?