The Avengers knew something was up between Loki and Tony. Though they couldn't quite reach a conscious on what was happening or how to address it. Clint wanted to outright ignore the situation. As long as he didn't see or hear anything, he considered himself free and clear of the problem. Steve was hoping (against his better judgment) that Tony was simply interested in cooking for himself. He figured that Loki was potentially one of the better bakers in the tower so it would make sense for Tony to go to the resident expert on surviving in a kitchen. Natasha and Bruce both suspected that the pair was in fact dating. They could only hope that it wouldn't go too far and blow up in everyone's faces. And if anyone had bothered to ask Thor what he thought was going on he would have smiled and walked away. He was trying a new approach with his brother; leaving Loki alone and hoping he could be content.
Meanwhile, Tony and Loki were continuing their dates. Tony would pick up Loki at the end of business hours so they could grab dinner. Sometimes they went to a cooking class or a movie. Other times they walked and talked. Eventually they would make it back to the tower and choose which bedroom to sleep in. Most of the time it was Loki's room they went back to. It was the place that Loki felt safest. Besides, Tony never really felt safe in his own bed after he woke up to one of his suits about to kill Pepper. He really didn't want to have another panic attack there. He certainly didn't want to have another attack while someone else was sharing that bed.
Nearly every night they cuddled up on the couch as some fluff played on in the background. One or both of them would fall asleep on the couch. At which point Jarvis would gently verbally nudge them till they shuffled into Loki's bedroom and curled around each other. After a few weeks of this it didn't feel like Loki's room but instead it felt like their room.
"What do you mean you've never had Ramen Noodles!?" Tony exclaimed as he started to detangle himself from Loki and the couch. "Come on. It's the staple of every college student who is broke, sleep deprived, and/or in the middle of a project with a fast approaching deadline. It's cheap. It's easy. It's even sorta nutritious. At the very least it is pretty damn filling." His sentences seem to ramble on as he goes into the kitchen and starts rustling through the cabinets. "Jarvis, where are the noodles?"
"Regrettably, sir, there are no Ramen Noodles on this floor. Though there are several packages on floor 71."
Tony left the kitchen, returned to the couch, and reached out his hand. He worked hard to drag Loki up and off the couch. After about a minute Loki gave in and stood up. They walked to the elevator as Tony said, "I'm going to treat you to one of the few things that I can competently cook."
Loki let out a huff of a laugh, "I'm fairly certain that's what you said about the omelet which in the end turned out closer to being scrambled. Which was even closer still to being raw eggs on a plate."
The elevator dinged open as Tony said, "That wasn't my fault."
"Was it the fault of the egg? Or maybe the stove. Did you forget to turn on the flame? Because if those were not the cause then I believe the chirping eggs were in fact your fault."
"They weren't chirping," Tony mumbled as Loki rubbed a comforting group of circles onto his back.
Once they reached the dinning floor Loki was directed to sit on a chair at the island. Jarvis was directed to play an instrumental playlist the Loki particularly enjoyed. He watched as Tony began to scavenge his way through the kitchen.
As Tony put two pots with water on the stovetop Clint walked into the room. Tony was busy with unwrapping the packages. He had his back to the entryway of the kitchen so he didn't notice the additional company.
Clint froze in the doorway. One foot still was in the air. His hearing aids were left on the side table in his room. He practically held his breath as he assessed the situation. Currently the two occupants of the room had their backs to him but he knew that wouldn't last too long. His options were to turn around or walk on in. Grab a quick snack or make his way back to look through the mostly bare cabinets in his own kitchen, again. Before his sleep deprived brain could make a decision Loki turned around.
As Jarvis realized that Clint would be approaching the communal kitchen he tried to find a break in the conversation to warn Loki and Tony. He overestimated the time he had to warn them and how much Tony was going to talk throughout his cooking process. Based on all previous readings he should have had enough time. This time however, Clint was stepping into the kitchen as Jarvis interrupted Tony in the middle of his sentence.
The three men stared at each other. After a moment or two Clint did a little wave and said, "Just here for a snack then I'll be leaving." He kept flicking his gaze between Tony and Loki as he made his way to the freezer. He peered inside and grabbed a pint of rocky road ice cream. With his prize in hand he started making his escape.
As Clint rustled in the freezer Loki stood up. He held up a hand to Tony as he reached around and grabbed a spoon. Before Clint could make four full steps away from the freezer Loki stepped in front of him. He held up the spoon as an offering. Once Clint took it Loki signed, 'Good evening. Enjoy your ice cream.'
They stood there for a heartbeat as Clint's mouth fell open. His eyes narrowed but he gave a tentative smile. While still holding the spoon in between three closed fingers Clint signed, 'You too' and left the room.
