Warning: N/A

Chapter 4- The Worse of Plans Being Revealed

Tony's head was throbbing, the familiar, pulsing ache of hangover. He pealed himself off his bed, groaning as the light shone in his eyes. It was maybe a bad idea to drink so much last night. He'd just felt so overwhelmed, by Thor being back, by the thought of Thanos doubling his power, by having no idea what they were supposed to do next.

The kitchen on his own floor was pretty bare, even his coffee running low. He was pretty sure there was a stock of the coffee he liked down at the common kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and headed down to the elevator. When it pinged open on the common room floor, the whisper of voices echoing down the hall. He wandered down the hall, rubbing his eyes, and as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, the whispering stopped.

He hesitated, peeking one eye open to glance around his still raised hand. Natasha and Loki were in the kitchen. Natasha sat at the counter, glancing over her shoulder at Tony with her lips quirked up in a smug smile. She had a plate of half-eaten eggs and a mug of what was probably coffee.

Loki stood across the counter from her, scowling down at his teacup. His hair was shoved over to one side, tangled on top of his head, and obviously not even brushed since he'd gotten up. He was wearing those green silk pajamas Tony had bought him on a whim a couple weeks ago, the ones that Loki had blinked down at for a solid minute before taking them gingerly between his fingers.

"Why?" Loki had asked, his eyebrows furrowed, eyes still locked on the pajamas.

"I thought you would like them," Tony had answered. He hadn't added how he thought they would match Loki's eyes or how Loki deserved all the silk green pajamas he wanted. He'd been right. Loki looked really good in those pajamas. Well, he'd been right about Loki deserving the pajamas, but Loki looked really good in those pajamas, his green eyes bright in the morning sun.

"Talking about me?" Tony asked, only half-joking. He dropped his hand from his eyes, and Natasha's smug smile widened.

"Just talking about your courting plans," Natasha said, and Loki scowled harder at his tea, his knuckles white around the ceramic.

"Our courting pla…?" Tony asked, the sentence not even fully out before flashes of the night before ran through his mind. The cool press of Loki's side against his when he'd snuggled against him. Flirting with Loki as the credits rolling and silently—or maybe not so silently—willing Loki to flirt back, his arm around Loki's shoulders. Thor waving his hammer around, practically sitting on Loki as he congratulated them on courting, as he said Tony suited Loki. It had kind of been nice to hear. Until Loki had run away. "Oh."

"Well, I leave you to talk about that, shall I?" Natasha ask, somehow making it sound not at all like a question. She picked up her plate and mug and left the room. Loki kept scowling at his tea. Tony cleared his throat, shuffling further into the room, but Loki raised his eyes to the ceiling, bringing the mug up to his lips.

"Any coffee?" Tony asked.

"In the pot." Loki gestured with his left hand, still not looking over at him.

Tony bit back his sigh. At least Loki wasn't ignoring him ignoring him. He poured himself a cup of coffee, holding the full mug up to his nose. It was his favorite blend, the kind that no one else in the tower even liked, bitter and strong. He flicked his eyes toward Loki, who was still scowling at the ceiling, his finger now tracing the top of his mug. No way Natasha had used this blend for her coffee.

He leaned against the counter next to Loki, pressing the mug to his lips. He let himself drink about half his coffee, stalling the inevitable conversation he and Loki would have to have. It was bitter and revitalizing on his tongue, the creep of caffeine waking him up and helping to soothe his headache. By the time he was done, Loki had finally turned his attention toward him, glaring over the counter like Tony had spat on him or something.

"What?" Tony asked, which ok, might have been a little redundant.

"We need to relieve Thor of his inane notion that we're courting," Loki said. Tony licked his lips, feeling impossibly hot. The ceramic of the mug under his hands was warm, still steaming gently. The taste of coffee was bitter on his tongue, birds chirping outside the window and sun shining through the wide windows. He didn't want to tell Thor he was wrong. He didn't want to pressure Loki.

"Let's go on a date," he said, and Loki's eyes widened, his lips parting just slightly. "I just—" Tony tried again, the words coming faster than his thoughts. "That's if you want—I mean, I'd like to go out with you…I'd like to court you—date you."

"You want to court me?" Loki asked. He looked a little shocked, his jaw slack, and Tony suddenly had the urge to kiss the expression off his face. It would probably clear up some of his confusion. Maybe wouldn't be too good on the consent front.

"Uh, yeah," Tony said, and Loki blinked, closing his mouth.

"You're not enchanted?" Loki asked, and it was Tony's turn to blink. Enchanted?

"What?"

"You're not hallucinating? Enchanted?" Loki asked. "Amora didn't get you when we were fighting her or—"

"What? No!" Tony interrupted, sliding his mug away from him. He wasn't even sure where this was coming from. Or going for that matter. When would he have been enchanted? What did that even have to do with anything?

"And you want to court me?" Loki asked, which was beginning to be a little insulting. Why couldn't he just believe Tony?

"Yes!" Tony answered, his voice a sharp snap, and Loki's eyes widened. He let out a short breath, and then he was laughing, his hair falling into his face and his eyes bright, and Tony was really beginning to consider the possibility that Loki had finally lost his mind. "Um…"

"Yes," Loki said.

"What?"

"Yes, I'll go…" He waved his hand, his eyes flicking across Tony's face. "What did you say? I'll go on a date with you. You can court me."

"Really?" Tony asked, and Loki laughed again, the curve of his throat pale and lean in the morning light. God, Tony really wanted to kiss him.

"No, I was talking to the other Tony Stark," he answered, and Tony swallowed, fumbling with the edge of the counter. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Loki so happy. He smiled at Tony like he was greatest thing ever, like Tony asking him on a date was the best thing that had happened to him, and Tony wasn't sure anyone had every really looked at him like that.

Loki's eyes crinkled as he stepped toward Tony, and they were barely a foot away now, and Loki was like a magnet, dragging Tony toward him like he barely had a choice. Tony clutched the counter with his right hand as he stumbled toward Loki. He reached out with his left, his fingers digging into Loki's shoulder. Not that he seemed to notice. He just clamped his hand onto Tony's waist, pulling him close, and they were less than an inch from each other, their clothes brushing against each other, and Tony wanted more.

Tony leaned forward, pushing his lips against Loki's and Loki let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan, his free hand coming up to cup Tony's face, his fingers digging into his waist. Tony drug his hand up Loki's shoulder, pressing his hand against Loki's neck. Loki licked along the seam of his mouth, driving his mouth harder against Tony's, and Tony's knees felt weak, his heart beating a million miles a minute. He clutched at the counter, opening his mouth for Loki.

Loki pressed his advantage, stepping forward and pushing Tony back, and Tony was suddenly pushed back against the counter, Loki plastered against his front. Tony moaned into Loki's mouth, and Loki immediately moaned back, his fingers dug into Tony's waist, pushing up and back, and it took an embarrassingly long time for Tony to get his drift. With Loki's help, he hefted himself onto the counter, his legs wrapping around Loki's hips, Loki's tongue in his mouth. He shoved his hand into Loki's hair, tilting his head and digging his foot into Loki's back to urge him closer. Loki stepped closer between his legs, his tongue licking Tony's—

"Oh my—" someone said, and Loki tensed under his fingers. "I…wow…" Tony drug his mouth away from Loki's, glancing over his shoulder to see Steve standing in the doorway, still dressed in his Captain America gear with a travel bag sitting at his feet. His jaw was slack, his face pale. "Sorry," he said, sounding more embarrassed than sorry.

"Oh, no," Loki muttered, his cheeks dusted a faint red. "We enjoyed the interruption."

"I hope so," Natasha said, stepping into the room. She had a wide smirk on her face, looking entire too pleased with herself. "We eat there."

"Well, now we makeout here," Tony answered.

"Um," Steve cleared his throat, a slight smile beginning to take place on his lips. "You'll have to do that later. We've got a mission."

Tony wasn't even surprised to see Amora at this point. He was pretty sure the universe was determined to interrupted any and all of Loki and his conversations. They could have been having sex right now. Hot amazing sex. But no, Amora had to come and interrupt. It was like the universe was running out of plot devices or something.

She wasn't even really doing anything, just hanging around a group of men with dazed expressions on their faces. He was really tired of her controlling men too.

"I am surprised she is still here," Thor said. "She must know it was only a matter of time before she was captured."

"She's always been one to hold a grudge," Loki answered. Amora smirked over at them, her eyes lingering on Thor longer than any of the rest of them.

"Get them," she yelled, and the men turned as one. Tony took a step back, getting ready to face the men while Loki and Thor barely glanced at each other, already ducking through the men and heading for Amora.

Tony sent one man flying with a (relatively) soft punch to his jaw. He hit the ground hard, groaning lowly. He saw Steve brace a kick against his shield, his face determined. Natasha barely looked at a man she swept his feet out from under him, raising her batons toward another. Clint backed up a step and bashed his bow into a man's head. There was a flash of green from Tony's right, and he ducked around a man's raised arm, starting up his thrusters as he headed toward Loki, Thor, and Amora.

They were locked in an intense combat, flashes of green and red and lightening flickering around them. They were moving almost faster than Tony could keep up with. Loki ducked around when Thor hesitated, covering his weak spots, and when Loki stopped to cast a spell or adjust his dagger, Thor was there, twirling his hammer in his hand, lightening crackling over the metal.

"Do we need to help?" Rogers asked, stepped up beside Tony.

"I guess?" Tony answered, but he wasn't actually sure how. Maybe he could—

Suddenly a blast of lightening caught Amora across the chest, and she flew through the air, crying out as she landed hard. Loki raised his hand, green sparks crackling between his fingers, and ropes wrapped around Amora.

"You can't send me back to Asgard," Amora said, her voice echoing loudly, annoyingly in the lobby of Stark's lobby. Thor kept his hand tight around her arm, dragging her along with his jaw clenched as he resolutely ignored her. He'd already proclaimed his intention to take her back to Asgard to face punishment and everyone else had shrugged, unwilling to deal with Amora or the All-Father is they refused.

Anthony hummed under his breath, walking so close to Loki, his hand kept brushing along his, and Loki couldn't tell if it was intentional or not. He wasn't sure he cared. The contact felt too good. Too easy. Rogers had already caught the movement once, blushed and hurried over to where Natasha was stabbing at the button to the elevator with Barton at her side. Loki assumed Bruce was still upstairs. He wished Anthony and him were up there too. Preferably not with Bruce.

"Loki," Amora said. She tugged against Thor's hold, her head whipping toward Loki, her eyes wide in application like she hadn't just attacked him and his lover. Norns, his lover. Natasha jabbed the elevator button again as Thor stopped in front of the doors, and Loki decisively turned his back on Amora.

"You can't let your idiot of a brother send me back," she tried again, but the elevator was dinging open, and Thor was shoving her inside, and Anthony was telling Jarvis to take them up to the roof. Loki deliberately brushed his hand along Anthony's knuckles. Anthony tilted his head, his eyes crinkling. Loki still couldn't believe Anthony wanted to court him. That he wanted Loki.

"I can tell you what Thanos wants," Amora said, and Loki froze. Anthony's head jerked back, his eyes narrowing. Thor came to an abrupt halt, forcing Amora to stumble beside him.

"What?" Rogers asked. His back was so straight he looked like he had some kind of pole attached to his back. Natasha leaned against the wall behind them, her lips pursed. Barton's gaze flicked over Amora, suspicion etched in every line of his body, and Loki wished he could just ignore her. She was lying. She had to be. How could she know?

"I made a deal with him. I was meant to distract you while he finished his plans," she said. "He said you were an annoyance he didn't have time to deal with. I wanted more information, and he was more than happy to…" she hesitated, her eyes flicking over to Thor. "Brag."

"He could have been lying," Loki answered.

"We can't trust you," Anthony said.

"And what did he brag about," Natasha asked.

They all spoke at the same time, and Amora's smile was just a little too smug. Thor's eyebrows furrowed, his hand loosening just a little too much on her arm for Loki's comfort.

"He could have been lying." Amora shrugged. "But I don't think he was. He's too confident." Her eyes were steady on his face, her expression arrogant. She wasn't wrong. In the little time Loki had spent with Thanos, he would definitely describe him as confident. "And no, you can't trust me, but is ignoring me really a risk you can take?"

Loki forced himself to stay still, to hold her gaze. She was testing him, and he wouldn't show weakness. She would pounce on him the moment he let her, and he couldn't afford to let her. Anthony shifted next to him, a warm hand resting against his back. Someone leaned against the wall to the right of Loki. Thor huffed a frustrated breath.

"Promise not to take me to Asgard, and I'll tell you everything I know," she said.

"We can't—" Thor started.

"I promise," Loki interrupted.

"Loki—" Anthony tried.

"I promise to stop Thor from taking you to Asgard," Loki interrupted again. There was a shuffling of feet behind him. Anthony's hand pressed harder against his back. A hard blast of air against his hair. Loki couldn't afford to hesitate.

"You cannot promise—" Thor started.

"I know when you're lying," Amora said.

"I'm not lying," he said, and Amora narrowed her eyes. Her eyes flicked over her face, and the elevator pinged pleasantly as it stopped at the roof, the doors sliding open. No one got out. Amora finally nodded. She tugged against Thor's hand, and he let her slide out of his grip, his eyes uncertain on Loki's face.

"Jarvis," Loki said. "Bring us down to the main floor." Loki kept his face even.

When he was young, learning his magic with wonder in his eyes and heart as he watched Amora wield he own magic in ways he'd never thought was possible, she had been able to tell when he was lying. She had been one of the few. She'd been one of the few who really understood him, who could look at him and laugh through his pranks and his lies. But that had been when he was young. She had no idea who he was now.

Amora didn't start talking until they were all seated in the war room. She herself stayed standing, the cuff inhibiting her powers still locked around her wrists. Loki rolled his eyes. She was such a drama queen. Anthony nudged Loki's knee with his own, his eyes intense. Probably wondering what Loki's plan was. Thor watched the exchange with wide eyes. Probably wondering the same thing. Barton had his eyes narrowed dangerously, fingering his bow and eyeing both Loki and Amora like he couldn't decide who he wanted to shoot. Bruce, who had come into the war room when Anthony had told Jarvis to tell him what was going on, just looked curious. Natasha's expression was completely blank, her eyes locked on Amora, but if she was really worried, she would have already put a stop to it all.

It shouldn't have meant so much to Loki that they trusted him enough to go along with his admittedly not well thought out plan.

"Thanos is collecting infinity stones," Amora said, her voice deep and heavy like she was expecting a gasp from around the room. Thor's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes," Loki said. "We already knew that."

"We did?" Anthony answered.

"Yes," Loki said. "He already has the mind stone and the space stone."

"He's getting the power stone as we speak," Amora answered.

"The power…" Thor said. "But it's being protected by Xandar, isn't it? How could he take it from them?"

"Wait," Anthony said, setting his left hand on top of his right hand in a perpendicular fashion that made a T sort of shape. "Wait, wait. What are infinity stones?"

"They're six powerful… gems," Thor hesitated over the word, no doubt having to dust off the very, very deep recesses of his mind where the classes he'd barely paid attention to were stored. "They're tied to the different aspects of the universe."

"Only immensely powerfully beings can use one," Loki said. "Much less two." He turned toward Amora. "Why would he want more than two? What is he planning to do?"

"He's planning to wipe out half the population of the universe," she answered. There was half a beat of stunned silence, and then the room collapsed into chaos.