Chapter Fifty-Six

'Stark was jealous,' Loki announced as soon as they entered the kitchen.

Tony swung around to glare at him. 'No I wasn't!' Total. Fucking. Lie. Tony had rarely been jealous throughout his life; how could he be when his father, and later himself, had been one of the richest people on the planet? Tony had been jealous of his father's lovers, his work colleagues, and Steve fucking Rogers. But he'd never been jealous of some random guy whom his partner had been flirting with.

Loki was smirking as he sat himself at the table across from Bruce. Bruce glanced between the two of them. 'Um...'

'You were jealous, Stark,' Loki said.

'I.. you... Strange is an asshole!' Tony snapped. 'And you were flirting with him!'

Loki's smirk quickly fell into a scowl.

'Stephen Strange?' Bruce asked. 'When did Loki-'

'I was not flirting with Strange,' Loki interrupted. His eyes were still on Tony. 'I was willing to listen to him and make a deal to protect you.'

'Strange wants a deal?' Bruce questioned.

'No, seriously, since when are you in the habit of making a deal with mortals?' Tony demanded. He leaned over the table to glare at his partner. 'You made me immortal because you wouldn't go into business with someone who'd die in just a few years.'

Loki rolled his eyes. 'While that is true, offering you one of Iðunn's Apples wasn't just because of our deal.'

Tony... frowned. 'It wasn't?'

Sighing, Loki said, 'You can be incredibly obtuse, Stark.'

'Says the guy who didn't realise I was fucking jealous until ten seconds ago,' Tony muttered.

Loki rolled his eyes. 'You amused me far too much for me to let you live out a ridiculously short life,' Loki explained. 'I wanted to see what you would do, given a few more hundred years. And before you ask, no, I wasn't in love with you when we first entered this agreement. I was simply fascinated by you.'

Tony didn't know what to say that. Of course he was aware of the fact that Loki hadn't loved him when they first started working together; he was assuming that Loki's feelings, like Tony's own, had changed as they got to know each other. But to hear that Loki had been fascinated by him even back then, instead of just seeing Tony as an annoying little human...

'So you've exchanged "I love you"s?' Bruce questioned. Tony jumped, having honestly forgotten that Bruce was even there. 'It's about time,' Bruce continued. He smiled slightly when both Tony and Loki turned to stare at him. 'I thought it'd be years of vague hints and tension until one of you almost died and the other professed their love. I'm glad I won't have to deal with that.'

'You're lucky that Stark likes you, Banner,' Loki muttered.

'Tony did just admit that he was jealous,' Bruce commented, apparently trying to take Loki's attention off of himself and move it back to Tony. Tony knew because Bruce was freaking smiling brightly at him.

Tony groaned and Loki smirked.

'Yes, that's true,' Loki said, a glint in his eyes when they swivelled to rest on Tony. 'You have admitted to it.'

'Well it took you long enough to figure it out,' Tony shot back.

'I admit that I wasn't sure, at first,' Loki allowed. He held out his hand in Tony's direction, eyes large and bright. 'Forgive me?'

It was so goddamn clear that Loki was playing him, but rarely had Tony been able to resist those eyes. 'Asshole,' he growled but grabbed Loki's hand and allowed himself to be pulled into the seat beside him. 'You're lucky I love you.'

Loki's face softened into a smile and he leaned over to press a kiss to the side of Tony's head. Tony's heart may or may not have skipped a beat at the gesture.

'Not that this isn't nice,' Bruce interrupted, 'but I've gathered that Stephen Strange knows that you two are working together?'

'He does,' Loki agreed. He turned to look at Bruce but kept Tony close, fingers brushing over the back of Tony's hand. Tony really didn't mind. 'He was aware that I was here and destroying SHIELD bases, but he also picked up another magic-user working alongside me.' He inclined his head in Tony's direction. 'He wasn't aware that it was Anthony until they met face to face.'

Bruce was nodding along, a frown on his face. 'But he didn't say anything. Or did he?'

'No, I don't think so,' Tony said. He sighed. 'I really don't want to work with Stephen; I'd rather just kill him to get him out of the way.' Bruce stiffened at Tony's casual mention of murder but said nothing; Tony appreciated it. He knew that Bruce was still having difficulty with how cold-blooded Tony could be. 'The good news is that I don't think he knows about you, Bruce.'

'I doubt that he's aware of Banner's true allegiance,' Loki agreed. 'Banner has only accompanied me to the Malibu base but Strange would have no way of knowing that.'

'So what are you going to do about him?' Bruce asked.

'What are we gonna do, Brucie,' Tony corrected. He ignored the incredulous look Bruce gave him, the look of pure venom Loki shot his way, and instead focused on the problem at hand. 'I really, really don't wanna go into business with Stephen. He's a stuck-up asshole.'

'He and you are alike, you mean,' Loki said. Tony poked his tongue out. 'Childish, my love,' Loki commented.

Tony jolted upright, eyes wide. Because... yeah. He and Loki loved each other. They were in love.

Loki smiled slightly but moved the conversation along. 'I think it would be in our best interest to make a deal with him. Strange has no doubt shared Stark's true colours with those closest to him and we currently have no idea who those people are. He spoke of having hundreds of Midgardian sorcerers under his protection. They could make life extremely difficult for us if they attack while we're trying to destroy SHIELD. And they could, of course, join SHIELD's side and work against us.'

'We could totally beat them,' Tony said but he was frowning. Because... when Loki put it like that, going into business with Strange was the smart move. While Tony very much doubted that Strange would ever help them like Bruce did, he wouldn't be against them, either. He'd stay out of the fight with SHIELD, with the Avengers, and not cross Tony or Loki in the future as long as they didn't mess with Midgard's magic.

And if Tony and Loki helped Strange, then Strange and his own would be in their debt. Having a bunch of sorcerers on their side...

'Son of a bitch,' Tony muttered. He pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Fine. Fine.' He looked up at Loki. 'You wanna work with him?'

'I don't want to work against him if we can easily avoid it,' Loki said. 'Strange is powerful but I would come out victorious if we truly went to blows. I don't wish to have to face him, SHIELD, the Avengers, and Asgard at the same time.' He sniffed. 'I'm not in the habit of starting wars with dozens of enemies at once.'

Tony shook his head and glanced at Bruce. 'What do you think?'

'I... honestly have no idea what Dr Strange is capable of,' Bruce said slowly, clearly thinking everything through. 'But he could prove a problem to... to us, right?' Tony nodded. 'So why not make a deal?' Bruce said. 'It's the smart option. You and Loki need more allies than just me.'

'Aww, Brucie, you're awesome!' Tony said. He reached over the table to clap Bruce on the shoulder with his free hand. Loki still had the other clasped within his own tightly, nails scraping along his skin.

Bruce chuckled weakly. 'I'm not that awesome, Tony, and neither is the Other Guy. You need more people on your side. If Dr Strange, for some reason, is offering his... his support, then you should take it.'

'He fears for his safety and the safety of Midgard's Sorcerer Guild,' Loki told him. 'SHIELD targeted Anthony when he was still a hero, simply because they knew what he could do if pushed the wrong way. They will most likely think the same of Strange if they don't already. He is magic and has access to magic. We know how SHIELD feel about magic.'

'They wanna use you to make fucking weapons!' Tony growled when the memory resurfaced at Loki's words. He still had some of the magic guns locked up in his workshop. While he'd studied them, understood how they'd been made, he still didn't understand how SHIELD planned to use Loki to power them.

'They want to do what?' Bruce demanded.

Tony looked up sharply at his tone and oh, look at that, the skin around Bruce's eyes was turning green. Loki had gone very, very still and very, very tense beside Tony. Tony peeked at his partner from the corner of his eye and saw Loki glaring at Bruce, entire body ready for a fight. Tony could feel Loki's magic ready to pounce.

'Okay, let's all calm down,' Tony said soothingly. He kept his eyes on Bruce but slotted his free hand over Loki's, fingers gently tapping along Loki's. 'We found some guns and crystals in one of SHIELD's bases. They were modelled after the guns SHIELD were planning to power with the Tesseract. However, now that the Tesseract is safely in Asgard, SHIELD were going to use Loki's magic to power them.'

'They would no doubt torture me into releasing my magic,' Loki said. 'Enough pain and my magic tries to protect me; they would most likely try to siphon some into the crystals they've been producing.'

Bruce was shaking lightly but the green slowly receded as he shook his head. 'Okay.' He took a breath. 'Okay.' Another inhale, exhale, and Bruce relaxed minutely. 'That... was probably something that you should have shared with me earlier, but I'm okay.'

'Want some tea?' Tony asked. Tea he could make; Loki loved the stuff.

'No, I... yes, actually.' Bruce stood quickly and moved to the cupboards above the sink.

'The cupboard on the right, top shelf,' Loki helpfully supplied.

'Thanks,' Bruce muttered.

'As I was saying,' Loki continued as Bruce shuffled about making himself a calming brew, 'SHIELD most likely won't try to use Strange as a battery. They will try to use Strange and his followers for their own personal gain. Sorcerers are not common on Midgard, but Strange knows all of them. If SHIELD can they will try to sway Strange over to their side.'

'He promised to be a consultant,' Tony said. 'Probably just to keep Fury off of his back.'

'I will tell him to go when Fury calls,' Loki mused. 'Fury may share his plans for you with Strange and Strange can pass them along to us.'

Tony sighed. 'Another spy? Great. Just great.'

Loki glared at him. 'Put your dislike of Strange aside. He will work with us, or I will simply kill him. There is no need to be so annoyed by it.' He squeezed Tony's hand to prove his point and Tony glared right back.

'Until Strange signs a damn contract, I'm going to hate him with every goddamn atom of my being.'

'So you agree that we will make a contract with him?' Loki asked.

'Yeah, sure, why not,' Tony muttered, 'not like it could go wrong. 'Cause Stephen Strange is just so goddamn precious-'

'Stark, cease prattling; you tire me,' Loki interrupted.

'After earlier, I'd hope so.'

Loki's eyes narrowed at that but Tony saw the lust that was steadily creeping into his gaze; that little spark in Loki's eyes that Tony knew was Loki's desire to throw Tony down and fuck him until he shut up.

'Please leave if you two are going to stare at each other like that,' Bruce mumbled from near the electric kettle. 'Or better yet, let me make my tea and leave, then you can do whatever you want.'

'But I wish to stare at Stark and imagine mounting him while you're here, Banner,' Loki commented. He glanced at Bruce, a shit-eating grin on his face. 'Your discomfort amuses me.'

Tony nudged him. 'Stop being mean, honey-bunny.' He grinned when Loki went still at the nickname. He could feel Loki's anger from where he was sitting. 'Is that a no to "honey-bunny"? How about "sweetums"- oof.'

Tony blinked rapidly when he suddenly found himself on his back in the middle of his and Loki's king-sized bed, Loki himself towering over Tony with narrowed eyes.

'Okay,' Tony said, 'I can deal with this.'

'I am going to gag you,' Loki said slowly, eyes travelling down Tony's body, 'I am going to tie your hands to the headboard. I am going to torture you with my lips, with my fingers, until you are begging for release. But you will not receive it because your words will be muffled. All you will be able to do is squirm and cry as I have my way with you. And only when I am ready will I fuck you until you surrender to the pleasure I give you.'

Heat had been steadily crawling up Tony's spine and he probably would have shouted, "Fucking yes please" if Loki hadn't smashed their mouths together, swallowing any sound Tony could hope to make.

Tony's whine was muffled, his tongue forced down when he tried to lick into Loki's mouth. He felt cool air against his skin and glanced down to see that Loki had magicked his clothes off to places unknown. And then there were cold bands wrapped around his wrists, his arms were wrenched above his head, and Loki sat between Tony's spread legs with a truly evil look on his face.

Tony groaned but something thick and heavy silenced him. He couldn't see what it was, could only feel warm cloth wrapped tight around his mouth. He watched with wide eyes as Loki bent down to breathe heavily over Tony's cock.

But he didn't touch. He didn't press or lick or feel. He just fucking breathed and stared at Tony and fuck yes.

This was the greatest punishment Tony could ask for.

.

{oOo}

.

Wong was reading a thick, leather-bound tome when Stephen Strange walked into the library. He didn't look up until Stephen had thrown the Cloak over the closest flat surface. It hovered above it, of course, flicking its tail every which way and seeming to stare at Stephen in betrayal.

Stephen rolled his eyes and fell to sit in the closest seat. His hands were shaking and he tucked them under the table. If he couldn't see them, he didn't have to deal with them.

'Well?' Wong asked. His face was blank, as usual, but Stephen could see the curiosity in his dark eyes. He'd gotten better at reading Wong since the world had almost been destroyed. It's the small things, Stephen mused.

'I have both good and bad news,' Stephen said. Wong was silent. 'The good news is, I don't think Loki wants to take over Earth. I don't believe that he's here to make himself a Kingdom and screw everything up with magic.'

'Okay,' Wong said.

'The bad news is that he has a partner,' Stephen said. He leaned back in his seat, images of Tony Stark glaring at him, eyes dark and stormy, ingrained into his brain. Stephen had known Tony for about eleven years; not well, no, but they'd run in similar circles when Stephen had been at the top of his field. Benefits and charity events and parties that only catered to the rich and elite. While Stephen would never call Tony a friend, they'd been similar enough to enjoy verbal sparring every time they came face to face.

'Do we know his partner?' Wong asked. His lips twitched minutely in what could almost be a frown. 'Mordo?'

'No, thankfully,' Stephen sighed.

'Kaecilius?' was Wong's next guess and Stephen laughed.

'No, not him either. Although I kind of wish that either one of them was working with Loki; at least then I'd know what I'm dealing with.' He shook his head and reached up to rub at his mouth. 'It's Tony Stark.'

Wong was frowning, now. 'Tony Stark the billionaire? Owner of Stark Industries and Iron Man?'

Stephen's eyebrows shot up. 'You don't know Beyoncé, but Tony you've heard of?'

'Everybody has heard of Tony Stark,' Wong said. He finally shut his book and leaned over the table, both hands pressed flat against the surface. 'And you are telling me that Tony Stark is the magic-user working with Loki. How? The Ancient One never trained him.'

'Loki trained him,' Stephen said. 'Because apparently Loki has the ability to make people mages.' He groaned and hung his head back, the tips of his boots pushing at the floor so that he could rock back and forth gently. 'I don't know what Loki's capable of, Wong. Maybe I shouldn't have revealed our existence.'

'But you had to,' Wong argued in that simple, no-nonsense tone that Stephen had come to enjoy. Wong was a simple man who didn't like beating around the bush. In this strange new life, Stephen really needed that. 'Loki is not our problem; whoever is working with him is.' He was still frowning as he stood tall. 'Except it is Tony Stark.'

Stephen nodded. 'I haven't seen him use magic, but I felt it; a lot of it. And it was similar to how Loki feels. Tony's a mage, of that I have no doubt. But I don't doubt that I could beat him in a battle.'

'And Loki?' Wong questioned. He was staring at the cut on Stephen's face. Stephen winced and reached up to touch the tender skin of his cheek. He was pretty sure that Tony's punch was going to leave an impressive bruise.

'I think I could beat him?' Stephen tried. 'But I don't know.' He touched the Eye of Agamotto, still barely clinging to his neck. He'd need to replace the strap. 'Loki is a mage from another Realm and, if the myths are to be believed, over a thousand years old. I have no idea what he's studied, what his people know, what he knows. He was able to break out of the Mirror Dimension without a ring.'

Wong was nodding along, apparently not surprised by that little bit of information. Stephen scowled at him.

'I don't think it would be wise to make Loki an enemy, especially now that SHIELD knows of our existence,' Stephen added.

'You will have to tell me what happened,' Wong said. 'You've left much out.'

'Yes, yes,' Stephen muttered.

Wong stared at him, waiting, and Stephen realised that he wanted to know now.

'What, no tea? No munchies?' Stephen pouted. 'You disappoint me, Wong.'

Wong just continued to stare at him, completely unamused.

'Fine, I'll get the munchies,' Stephen said and pushed himself to his feet. 'And maybe an ice pack; my face hurts.'

'Did you deserve the punch?' Wong asked.

Stephen ignored him and marched out of the library. He ignored the Cloak, too, when it latched itself back onto him and began petting his neck. There were only so many ridiculous things that Stephen could deal with on any given day before he needed a break.


Author's Note: Yes, I mentioned Kaecilius. I just freaking adore Mads Mikkelsen and don't want to rule out the possibility of his character popping up in either this story or the sequel. While I have no plans for him or Mordo to actually make an appearance, I wanted to leave my options open. And if Kaecilius does appear, I'll have to figure out how he survived or came back from what happened to him at the end of Doctor Strange.

Hopefully the chapter was enjoyable. And haha, this one didn't take me four months to get out! Take THAT, universe! Or whatever.

Dreamer