I'm cruel. I seem to enjoy torturing you all. XD

What did Loki mean when he said he could give Freyr one night? O_o

I just realized how long it's been (for me) since I posted a chapter! I'm sorry, I'll be better.


Forty-Ninth Installment: Interlude: Hold Me Down

Tony had been through a lot of weird things in his life, some dreadful, some pleasant, some surprising. Being invaded by the fucking Aether was the weirdest. The sensation was shocking, somehow freezing cold, and it took his breath away. Literally couldn't breathe. It felt like something too big for his skin had nudged its way inside him, sharing a space meant only for one.

Then the sensation passed, and while Tony was still aware of it, it wasn't quite so strange. Except for one little thing.

He could hear a female voice in his head. Except, he couldn't hear anything because it was only in his head, but because Loki had kept calling the Aether 'she', he associated the sensation of it talking as a female, and so that's what he 'heard'. And it felt like she was poking him all over, getting to know him. One thing became apparent right way.

She loved Loki almost as much as Tony did. She would destroy absolutely anything, from buildings to towns to cities to worlds to protect him. She wanted the best for him, and that included his partner. Even though it was freaky as hell to know how powerful she was, it was less than ten seconds before she clearly said in his mind,

"I like you. You're better for him than that Freyr."

Tony glared down at Loki. "Who the hell is Freyr?"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I told you not ten minutes ago. The king of Alfheim."

"You didn't tell me his name," Tony grumbled. So you think I'm better for Loki that this punk Light Elf. Hmf. I like you, too.

Definite laughter. "He was all soft and gentle with Loki. You won't be, will you?" She was practically purring.

Tony blinked. "Wait, are we talking about sex?" he said aloud without thinking.

Loki's lips quirked in a smile. "No, she wasn't. I may not be above chaos and destruction, but I am rather discriminating when choosing bedfellows."

Not bothering to ask how Loki had heard the Aether, he lowered his head to bring their mouths back together. "Good." Then, while all but biting Loki's lips, "Was I the first man to claim this?" His hands oh-so-rudely grabbed Loki's ass. Considering he hadn't told them to do that, it was rude.

"Yes," Loki said, honesty surprising Tony, and contemplation entered his verdant eyes. "Shall we switch positions?"

Tony had never been with a man at all, so the idea of taking instead of giving was a little weird. He shrugged. "Sure. But not right now." He leaned down again.

Chuckling quietly, Loki accepted the kiss.

o0o

Stark was like an animal in heat, rubbing himself all over Loki as if he intended to scent-mark him, and he was being very handsy and mouthy. He kept sucking and biting Loki all over.

Loki couldn't move. Stark's whole body had coiled around him, and for the first time it wasn't about him allowing the human to touch or hold him. He couldn't do anything. The Aether had lent Stark a strength so potent even Loki's couldn't rival it. It was strange to be at his mercy. Strange, and more than a little exciting. He could use magic to remove himself from the situation, of course, but it was easier to pretend he couldn't when his physical power wasn't enough.

If the Aether decided to prevent Loki from using magic, too . . . well, he wasn't at all sure he could stop that.

He trusted her never to do that unless he really wanted it, and even that was exhilarating. That the possibility existed was somehow . . . delicious.

From where he had his teeth latched onto Loki's neck, Stark grunted something that sounded like, "Tie him down."

Glowing black ribbons oozed from the human's body, and Loki hissed when the cold dark slid around him, pinning his arms above his head. His heart started to race (anxiety? excitement?) when he couldn't move. Not an inch, and without thinking he tried to escape.

Don't. Don't. Allow him. Allow us.

Stark's mouth wandered down his torso, teeth nibbling at taut belly muscles and placing stinging nips over a sharp hipbone. A warm (hot) hand gripped behind his knee and lifted up. Loki stared blankly up when that rude mouth landed on his inner thigh. Gently, now. He merely sucked on that sensitive skin, and Loki knew it would leave a mark.

He's marking me.

"You're hard. I haven't even touched you yet."

Loki tried to suck in a breath when a prickly, stubbly cheek rubbed against his arousal, only he hadn't exhaled yet so he couldn't. Eyes wide and unseeing, his entire body tensed in something between alarm and mindless bliss when Stark's lips closed around the head of his arousal and sucked.

He'd been alive a long time. Compared to a human, he'd lived a long time. Never in his life had he ever allowed anyone to touch him like this. Never had he been disallowed to protest. He realized he was panting as that mouth descended on him, and damn him, Stark was still using his teeth. They were lightly grazing sensitive skin now, but it was distracting. A sensation bordering sweetly on pain, a promise not delivered upon.

Since his legs weren't bound, Loki managed to lift the one not held in Stark's hand and dug his heel into the man's shoulder. Stark hummed.

Loki's head snapped back, eyes squeezing closed as the sound caused vibrations to travel all the way from the base of his skull to the tips of his toes.

"Stark . . ." he gasped.

The hum changed to something more like a growl, and Stark's free hand squeezed the base of Loki's arousal a little too tightly.

Loki almost laughed. "Anthony," he corrected himself, low and sweet.

Now almost a purr. Loki pulled against the Aether's bonds, enjoying the cold on his arms, the heat between his legs, the not-quite-pain of the tight binding, and the complete and utter helplessness. And, of course, the pleasure. That was hard to forget, building up as it was.

Stark abruptly pulled off and half sat up. It bent Loki back to an interesting position, given that his leg was still slung over the man's shoulder. His pupils had almost swallowed up the dark brown, giving them the appearance of being black. He'd never seen him looking more dark, more dangerous, or more in control. It sent a shudder through Loki's skin.

Stark didn't miss it.

"You're excited by this," he murmured, and somehow he looked like a predator who'd just spotted a lame fawn, "being at my mercy."

Considering how difficult it was to render Loki helpless, he wasn't above admitting to enjoying the loss of control. It was more exciting than anything he'd yet experienced. Academic pursuits had always prevented him from exploring sexuality, and he found Stark to be a worthy teacher.

An interesting role for him to fill.

So Loki allowed himself to completely give up control. He bit his lower lip. "It's a first for me."

He hadn't thought Stark's pupils could dilate further, but they did. The desire in his face was palpable, and it thrummed between them. He surged down to reconnect their mouths, bending Loki in half. He moaned faintly into the kiss, perfectly willing to see how far Stark would go.

o0o

Tony had been called a sexual predator before. Being rather indiscriminate in choosing bedfellows meant he'd been with women who wanted just about everything. Wanting to be in control. Wanting to lose control. BDSM, S&M, vanilla sex, spicy sex, fun sex, playful sex, weird sex, and anything else imaginable.

Tying his partner down and taking control wasn't new.

Tying down Loki and taking control was new.

It was only something Tony had hoped for in his wildest, most secret fantasies. Surely, he'd reasoned, Loki would never give him that. The prickly bastard would never let go enough to be this vulnerable. And yet, here he was, naked and unable to move, trapped by a force even he couldn't deny.

The fact that the god of mischief could still end this only made it all the sweeter, because Loki was allowing it. Completely and utterly giving up control, voluntarily. That was so, so much better than physically overpowering him. It made Tony want to devour him.

His skin was warm, hot even. Loki's skin was cool. The Aether was cold. Tony could tell his lover was enjoying the contrast between Tony's touch and the Aether's, and he caressed Loki's thin waist. His hands quickly slid behind him, cupping that perfect ass and lifting.

"Want me to be gentle?" he purred, "or want it rough?"

Loki, who was already being held in about the most awkward position imaginable, still managed to lean up and bite Tony's lower lip so hard it started bleeding. His eyes, normally so verdant green, had been made nearly black, pupils blown wide by desire. His expression clearly said,

Don't ask me. I gave you control.

"He will heal very quickly," the Aether piped up in his head.

Yeah, it was still weird to hear her chip in.

Reaching down, Tony grabbed Loki's bound wrists and yanked them up, the Aether obedient to his wishes. He draped Loki's arms around his neck, rocking them both up into a sitting position. With a half-thought to the Aether to make sure this worked, he hooked his arms under Loki's knees and let gravity pull the god down onto him.

Loki's head snapped back, something like a strangled groan forced past his lips.

The heat was incredible. The pressure was intense. The friction was mind-numbing. The pleasure was insane. And Loki's raw, sexy beauty was breathtaking. Tony felt half-mad with his own desire, wanting things he couldn't even quite define. He let go of Loki's legs and rolled onto his back. It was a good thing his lover was so flexible, his arms were still bound around Tony's neck. The change in position meant he was now laying on top of Tony.

He turned his head to nibble at Loki's ear. "Move." A command, not a request.

They were so close there was no missing the shiver that passed through Loki's body. And because of the awkward position he couldn't do much more than grind himself up and down, more gyrating his hips than thrusting them. Tony practically groaned to feel Loki's hard length trapped between their bellies, already slick and weeping.

This was the sexiest thing he'd ever done in his entire life. His hands gravitated back to Loki's ass, stroking, squeezing, spreading. It caused Loki to clench around him, and he hissed at the feel.

Loki made a sound half moan, half gasp. "Stark . . ."

Tony was half tempted to slap his ass in punishment for not using his first name, but he didn't quite dare. Giving up control was one thing. Indignity was another. It still made him grin as he continued to bite at Loki's ear.

"Tony," he corrected, squeezing the delectable flesh in his hands.

Made him want to take a bite.

"Mm, idiot," Loki purred.

Yeah, he was still Loki.

"Fuck I love you."

"So you've said."

"Shut up and move like you mean it."

"Then let go of my arms," Loki suggested, sounding a tad breathless.

"No. I like you all tied up and at my mercy."

"Stark . . ."

Growling, Tony sat up and in a dizzying whirl flipped Loki onto his elbows and knees, himself right above the other. He pushed his knees between Loki's thighs, spreading them as wide as he could before plunging back inside him. Loki rewarded the rough entry with a low, faint moan. Those little sounds made Tony crazy. He wanted so much more! He stayed on hands and knees, giving him the perfect leverage to set a fast, punishing rhythm. One which Loki didn't hesitate to meet.

It wasn't all that surprising, that they didn't last as long as that incredible night in Nidavellir. Even though he knew Loki didn't like stimulation front and back to reach orgasm, Tony still wanted to reach around and touch him. He couldn't make himself slow down enough to do so. Conscious as ever of his partner's pleasure, he made sure to keep every thrust aligned with Loki's prostate. He'd memorized exactly what angle was needed to keep the pressure on it. He knew how much Loki loved that.

Climax stole over Loki with little more than a gasp, clenching around Tony. Tony didn't relent or slow, driving forward to fuck Loki through his orgasm. It made him moan. That faint, sexy little moan. He kept going until he felt Loki's body going limp beneath him, and he came with a groan that he buried in Loki's neck. He didn't stop until the glittering aftershocks of pleasure were almost too much.

"Stark." Soft.

"Will you call me by my first name already?"

"We should return to the city," Loki ignored him.

As usual. "Why?" Petulant. He would need only another minute before he could go again.

"My brother will be wanting to see me. I have a promise to keep."

"He can wait," Tony grumbled, nuzzling Loki's neck. "He didn't miss you as much as I did."

He gasped when cold suddenly spiked through him, and when the sensation passed, Loki was lying on his back. The Aether had returned to her home. Loki was wearing only a sweet and teasing smile. Reaching up, he cupped Tony's cheek.

"Will you make a liar of me?"

"There are better uses for your talented tongue," Tony said without thinking.

Loki just laughed. "There will be a time when we'll have all the opportunity you could desire for activities such as these, Stark. You need only be patient until then." So saying, he vanished and reappeared, fully clothed and un-disheveled.

Bastard. "Patience isn't my strongest suit, princess," he muttered, getting up. Didn't even let me enjoy the afterglow.

"Then we shall have to take the fight to our enemy," Loki said, "that we might end the threat that much sooner."

A plan much more to Tony's liking. He waved a hand. "Go on to your family. I'll be there as soon as I find my pants."

With a faint chuckle, Loki disappeared. Tony sighed and donned his clothing once more. He didn't immediately follow. His thoughts still troubled him. He'd always been romantic enough to think for the right people, love was enough.

That was before Loki. I love him. He's what I want. For the rest of whatever life I have.

And for Loki, he wasn't at all sure it was enough.