Over the next few days and weeks Tony and Loki shared meals. They sat on the couch and sometimes managed to drift off to a relatively comfortable sleep. But more often than not they would find some show with baking, cooking, or if they were feeling adventurous they would search for something involving information. Loki would bake, sometimes trying out a recipe they had watched together. Tony would order out but sometimes he would cook up something to share. They grew comfortable with sharing space.
At first Loki would flinch if he didn't see an interaction coming. He would curl up into himself or worse he would sit there silent until Tony questioned it. But as time went on he grew confident in the interactions.
Tony could fill any silence with facts and continuous run on sentences. He didn't always enjoy doing that but sometimes it was necessary. But here with Loki he made a point to pause and ask Loki what he thought. Gently nudge for a conversation instead of a one-sided lecture.
After about a month, Loki allowed Tony to bake alongside him. They kneaded dough together. They mixed colors and frosted desserts together.
After two months Tony allowed Loki to come into his workshop. Tony would tinker and Loki would take notes on the results. Which came in handy when the math was just slightly out of alignment and Tony was too deep into the experiment to figure out where the mistake had landed.
Loki was still tense around the Avengers. If contact or even interaction could be avoided he would do it. He still sometimes slept in his shop. Or he would stay up for an unhealthy amount of time only to justify it by keeping busy with baking.
Only Tony could drag Loki back to the tower and into bed.
Only Loki seemed truly successful when it came to getting Tony out of the workshop.
Together they were more than happy to curl up on the couch and eventually fall asleep. Heads lulling to the side till they gently bumped on each other. Tony's legs and feet curled up on the couch as Loki's legs eventually became slack and would have been a tripping hazard had anyone else been in the room.
Jarvis kept a watch. He made certain that no one would walk in on his resting charges. No one would burst their bubble of feeling safe and protection. He trusted everyone in the tower. He knew that he cared for each of them. But in these moments, it seemed as if discretion was key.
Loki's wounds closed.
Tony drank less.
The pair of them got more and more sleep till they were regularly getting five to six hours each night.
After nearly four months of sleeping on the couch Tony suggested the bed. "It's doing to waste in there. Probably covered in dust and cobwebs. Besides I'm not getting any younger. If I keep sleeping like this I'm going to accidentally snap a body part off."
Loki agreed. That night they curled up in each other's arms and slept for nearly eight hours. And when they woke they both felt all the better for it.
