It's silly.
Is it?
How long do these things usually take?
He wouldn't know.
He could ask.
Natasha was upstairs, she'd know.
Tsk, you know what.
He pulls out his phone.
Scarcely had they ever communed through it. A joke or two in text, a playful call or three from Tony, before.
Would he be too peremptory now to call, overwrought in his concern – what is concerning?
Four hours. That's what.
He dials.
XXX
Happy cocks a brow as Tony at his ringing phone smiles. Promptly rising the latter heads for the door that's left open, stands his back to the threshold responding in what ought to be quiet yet Happy could hear him.
"Hey gorgeous. Miss me already?"
"Enough that I might fly to your rescue. How long have they been grilling you?" Tony laughs heartedly.
How amusing would it have been in his retelling of events to Hill that on cue in mention of Loki's arrival the latter flies in indeed.
"No, they wrapped up hours ago. I dropped by the hospital to see Happy."
"How is he?" Despite remaining confused as to why Loki would inquire he responds glancing Hogan's way.
"Up and kicking," ponders asking jestfully if he should pass said concern on to Happy when he's stumped with a second question.
"How are you?" his tone this time's more gentle, grazing warmth in Tony's heart.
"…Better now," he smiles, visualizes Loki in the silence trailing smiling too.
"…You know I wasn't kidding. Say the word and I'm there." [I love you.] Tony breathes in strenuously, resists the urge to put a hand to his aching chest when back he leans his head says quietly:
"…I know."
"You done simping over there?" He turns to Happy whose face glares from behind the wall, straightens grins.
"Loki says 'hi'." Happy pulls a face, says sarcastic:
"How sweet."
"Put him on." Though that takes Tony by surprise he's curious to hear what Loki has to speak, knows his tone regardless would be jeering which makes him chuckle, nodding:
"Okay." With the phone he nears Happy who, acknowledging what's to come shakes his head and mouths a 'no' hands waving. Protesting back as voiceless Tony glares and Happy glares back then the phone's on speaker and put before Hogan's fuming face.
"Aw, I didn't know you cared so much," he said scathingly.
"Don't flatter yourself," the smirk in Loki's voice could be well-heard. "Though you could do us all a favor and equip some form of stealth or caution next time." Happy scowls rolls his eyes. There's not a time he's met Loki where the latter hasn't mocked or taunted him in a way or another.
"Yeah, why don't you tell your boyfriend? He went ahead and got his house blown to bits." Loki's caught the bit of news where Tony'd very publicly threatened a terrorist. Furious as he was he wasn't surprised. And it had been days and the situation dealt with; he did not bring the topic up,
but wouldn't stand for its reenactment.
…Tony knows, and it stuns him then how wary he is of Loki's reaction to this, thinking it was the first he'd heard of it.
But Loki's attention remains on Hogan, and a pregnant second passes before in a voice much colder he says: "…On whose account?"
This takes both men aback and at Happy Tony glances to see a face red and flustered, uneasy. Deactivating speakerphone Tony pulls the cell and himself away, concluding the subject and he says to his lover: "Hey. I'll be back in thirty tops." The quiet on the other end of the line agitates Tony, then more softly Loki says:
"…Don't keep me waiting, love." To himself Tony smiles and his worry wades away. Even if Loki upon his return was to confront him, he'd speak from concern and Tony to soothe him would promise to be more careful, even if in a given other moment of heat he can't predict truly what he'd say or do on impulse.
…But a part in him subconscious is certain Loki would and was more than able to keep him in line,
…and maybe he needs someone to do just that.
"Not a chance."
XXX
"There's my little troublemaker." By Jarvis informed already of his arrival, up Loki in the library looks from the book in his hand to his lover advancing, smiling wide with eyes bright beaming; Loki smiles at him compulsively.
He further approaches, rounds the table to stop at Loki's back, smiling down as the god smiled up, before from behind bowing his lips to meet Loki's that are grinning then. Tony pulls next away and his eyes glint mischief. "You wanna see a magic trick?" Loki's accustomed from him to this phrase or ones similar whenever he'd tease he'd grasped some semblance of magic; he chuckles lighthearted, tilts at Tony his head says:
"Impress me."
"I always do." How soft was Loki growing in thinking that was true? Tony winks and moves aside, Loki in his seat turning. "Hmm, let's see." He pulls over a chair and on it perches, thrusting a hand through his jacket's inner pocket. A brow he cocks with a face of mock wonder asking: "Oh, what's this?" Out he pulls a full-bloomed, long-stemmed rose, red blazing. He faux gasps and having not at all foreseen this Loki laughs winsomely, facing down as Tony spoke on jesting. "Looks like I've got my own multidimensional pocket."
"It would seem," Loki grinned and Tony loses concentration when up at him the former looked with cheeks a shade of pink deeper. He smiled in awe, brushing soft petals of the flower featherily to Loki's skin. Loki sees the way browns gaze at him and his heartrate fluctuates. He picks the flower from his hand, brings it close breathes in that floral, rosy scent before skimming it slyly over his lips, greens a tint darker as from under low-set lashes Loki leered at him in a way that the latter's thought-line stuttered. Loki tilted then his head in the playful way he did, quipped teasefully: "Such a romantic."
Tony chuckled, in his chair falling back. He was awfully bad at romantic gestures, a self-opinion that if Loki knew would scoff strongly.
"What can I say; you bring out the worst in me," he states in satire then at him Loki grinned lewdly.
"Glad I've such an impact," that voice was sin, those greens in want gleamed darkly, demanding. Those browns in line fell wicked and wanton. A finger wagged in calling Tony told him:
"Come here." Loki's mischief-primmed smirk swelled as he rose with the rose still in hand. In two long strides he paused not; Tony laughed when instead Loki settled onto his lap, tossed both his arms cross Tony's shoulders leaned in close. "Hi," Tony smirked, his hands to Loki's waist as Loki drawled:
"Hello," before teasing Tony's lips with his. Tony grinned afore responding, trading short, sweet kisses with Loki before one long locking, then they smiled, foreheads pressed they wandered in each other's eyes for a longer moment, speaking without words and listening to every line they hear clearly.
Unbidden a query comes to Tony then that had enough times to voice, and now was somewhat fitting so he springs it calmly: "Can I ask you something?"
"I don't know; can you?" Loki shot back wry. Tony pulled a face.
"Charming." More serious grows again, "Why do you keep asking about Happy? Why the sudden interest?" Loki'd predicted this would come. He chuckled instead, said coyly:
"Why Anthony, you'd know better than to think I'd take an interest in him. He's nowhere near my type." Tony smirked in humor, retorted:
"Yeah? What is your type then? Short, witty brunets?" he hinted playful. Loki grinned wide, cupping Tony's chin with a hand rose still pinched in the other.
"Very pretty ones," he tops, takes his time with his eyes admiring every feature of Tony's rugged face, from the frame of his hairline, to thick, bushy brows, countless, dark lashes, gleaming brown eyes, an adorable bulbous nose, such a sweet spray of freckles, heart-throbbingly beautiful laugh-lines, facial hair worth envy, and pink, curved lips that to Loki looked just edible. He almost doesn't hear Tony speak when he does.
"Pretty?" sounding near offended, which considerably added to Loki's tickled mood. Smile expanding he leaned then closer, purred:
"Very." Blood in Tony's veins rushed down as Loki shifted, kissing him slowly, then softly on his cheek, going lower and Tony's eyes abrief shut before his attention snaps conscious.
"Hehe, nice try. Do not, change the subject, Lokes," that said in a gravity not near considerable and with a mind of its own his hand's made way to Loki's thigh, gripping where it slides further up and by his ear Loki whispers breathily:
"Or what?" A low, near inaudible growl-like sound reverberated through Tony's chest; Loki felt it, was aroused intensely. Tony called his name then in a tone reproving that was more akin to pouting and Loki rolled his eyes, listless with the topic as he was with voicing motive, but he does, impatience sounding.
"I don't care," he emphasized the word, admitted brashly: "At all. He can fall off a cliff and I wouldn't bat an eye," those greens that were wide in ridicule fall more somber when next in a tone weak of humor Loki says: "But then you'd break into grieving tears," and frustrating within as that was to him, that many to Tony mattered high,
so many ways to hurt him,
his gaze, voice, softer spoke: "…And your tears are very precious to me." With the back of his hand he stroked faintly, sweetly Tony's cheek, gazing through browns that were as heavy in heart and words as his.
Stem from this topic, the way he was feeling, Loki does bring it up. "Can I ask something of you?" Tony nods and says in a voice void of all restraint:
"Anything." Loki smiles at him weakly, eyes loving, then hard and though he sounded calm there's an edge to his tone unoverlooked.
"Next time you seek to exact vengeance upon someone, do it quietly." Tony should've seen that coming. "Play it smart. Hm?" There was a warning in that brief glare that Tony was not deaf to. "Stop painting a target on your face. I am aware there already is one," Loki clarified, "but you needn't be provocative, however testing the opposite party is intently." What's added next is different in a way that Tony can't discern. "You are not invincible. Stop acting like it." No, he can. It's plain, raw concern, and maybe he hasn't before heard Loki voice it, a trace of
fear
he thinks he's never seen before, not in Loki.
…For him.
Browns lenify considerably; he listens to the eyes that at him bore sternly, bearing still the same gaze, in it a plea that he can see and Loki knows that he can, worries for a beat on his reaction uncertain why exactly, then the brief tug at Tony's lips up, a spark in his eyes of something real before they shimmer in trouble and now he's smirking.
"…Invincible Iron Man," he mused looking up, tips at Loki to the side his head. "Got a nice ring to it." Loki deadpans unamused and Tony breaks down laughing, forcing an urge to smile in Loki that has him shaking his head in a face he stays unimpressed. Tony sees through the effort and to this level of concern to come from Loki he is unaccustomed but warms him wholly as his eyes adore that face regardless. Grinning unabashed Tony drawled bawdily: "You know, you're cute when you're mad." He brushed a kiss to Loki's jaw, then his neck and lingered there, toying with his tongue and mouth the skin that Loki arched his neck aside involuntarily, eyes shutting to focus on the pleasant sensations Tony was playing despite his mind protesting for a comeback. He is not 'cute'.
"Loki." In steps Thor with a bag of Doritos grinning.
He sees them.
He freezes. They freeze.
Slowly his expression unravels and were they closer they'd see how red how quickly he'd turned. "I'll, uh. I'll just, uh." He backs stumbling back out the doors.
Laughter Tony tries to stifle, hides his face in Loki's chest and Loki runs a hand up through his hair, grinning himself. Disturbing Thor was a favored hobby of his, and [I'm so lucky the guy likes me.
Can't imagine what he would've done right now if he didn't.]
{Nothing. No one touches you, certainly not him.}