As the same, their day in most was spent in the lab. Tony continued to work on a prototype for Loki's new suit, avoiding a topic of direct relation to Loki's novel status on the team, that Nick'd mentioned and asked of them and it remained, and would, undiscussed till there be hard reason.

Tony did not want to souren Loki's mood that was bleak already but he hasn't noticed. Loki hides it well, easy enough as Tony on his work placed full focus. And often he'd stop and watch, or distract himself in many, any means. Lest he drive his mind mad in thought and he'll not spur up the subject with Thor again. Instead he turned his whole attention to Tony, engaging in whatever he was doing and being particularly annoying but not in a way that Tony minded.

The next day two hours after lunch, Bruce made for his laboratory and Thor in search of a nap. A text, likely from Clint, had Nat rising, headed for her room.

Some moments of quiet half-watching another episode of Breaking Bad, Loki paused it facing Tony, who'd been ogling his tab for the past half-hour. Scooting closer Loki stowed an arm over his shoulders, with the other hand traced an index up and down Tony's arm, in affection nosed the side of his face and Tony hummed contented with a smile, turned his head in slight to Loki, whose gaze fell abrief towards the screen of the tablet and what it had on display, then again to Tony. "What are you doing?" he asked with no actual interest in an answer, fully intent on pertaining Tony's unrivaled attention.

"Sending over a couple things to Harley's." Loki's motions discontinue, brow rising curious then confounded.

"…The boy?"

"Yeah." Tony scrolled still up and down a list of what Loki notes are images of various sets of chemistry equipment. There were many other tabs with names of more objects, some electric or mechanic, others to Loki unfamiliar, or titles covered by wedges of the tabs that followed.

There were many, now in Loki as the questions, questions that of this topic in him before occurred but quiet and clouded, unessential, unimportant in the bulk of the action with more pressing matters.

Now however they come to light, stringing words to phrase slowly as Loki asked skeptic first: "…Why?" Heedless Tony says in turn:

"Well, I took his laptop, and wrecked a bunch of his stuff," to himself Tony smirked abjectly, browsing still.

"Which you intend to repay with interest, and then some," Loki spoke with a hint of dry satire.

"Hey he's a sharp kid. A push in the right direction, might just grow up to be one of the brightest people on the planet." Loki studied carefully his lover then, asked implicitly:

"And what direction is that?"

"He's got a knack for tinkering. Primitive but potential, nevertheless."

"Same as with thousands of other adolescents. Why take such an interest in this one?"

"Gave us a hand, didn't he?"

"I wouldn't call helping yourself to his heap of scrap much assistance, aside from not running off tattling to his parents, given just who was rummaging through his belongings."

"Folks weren't home. Mom works late at the diner. And," noting the edge in Loki's tone Tony faced him quizzically, "what do you have against treating the kid?"

"Nothing, love," Loki said impassive. "Just curious as to your reasoning. What of the father?"

There it is.

Distant browns become abruptly, rapid blink then ahead gazing. His voice changing, "…Ran out on him and his ma six years back," tries to sound impartial, but with Loki fails blandly.

"…Hmph," Loki voiced in contemplation. Tony looked to him again, asked probingly:

"…What?"

"Nothing," Loki spoke it prompt enough for Tony to like he wanted ask him:

"Something. Lokes. Seriously?" he shut the tab, tossed on the couch aside as he fixed better himself to face him. "You know you can't fool me," he said factual and Loki's lips tugged up in a smile before it fell as more staidly, measuredly he tells him:

"…You're projecting." Features on Tony's face fall stiff as his eyes come knowing, indeed this Loki says: "…Some part in you already knows that." Ahead again Tony looks and now not knowing of what exact he's irritable.

"…So?"

But Loki knows.

"…Look at me," he calls in so soft a tone that thoughtless Tony does, but be damned those greens that he knows see everything, everything he wants unsaid let alone to acknowledge, but Loki tells him: "…Don't let your father's faults as a parent drive your actions." He doesn't – it isn't – He is not the reason, it's not…

Loki spoke on. "I don't like – and I doubt you do – the kind of control, he still has over you." He doesn't, he…

He cannot with Loki quarrel because when Loki speaks it is of certain knowledge – unconscious he's so convinced of this. And what Loki says, what he's trying to express, Tony does not skip over, fixes on the concern that he speaks from because to the words he does not want to listen but Loki makes him. His tone's more firm but green eyes rest afar, "…You are not that boy's father." Tony's heart there skips a beat because that was not at all his aim, it wasn't…

…No, it- "Support him as you like," Loki says faux calmly, cause the phrase that comes next is voiced as sternly, "just don't forget that. And don't ever make him think it." Here alas Tony sees where precisely Loki from speaks, what in bold he needed highlighting and where the scrutiny in this topic stems from.

He's like evasive of the subject abruptly, concealing the source from his eyes and face as he picked the remote and played again the show, gazed at the screen concludingly. But Tony was not done. He regards his lover closely, empathy in his heart for what Loki tells him not to do Tony does perhaps unwittingly, as Odin's influence on Loki still claims him, insufferable the notion is to both because they detest it each, but can't prevent it.

…

He's not sure where the idea springs from but says asudden: "Let's go out." As surprised Loki cocks a brow, at him looks again, but Tony's serious, posture and gaze radiant in sure anticipation. Loki smiles.

"…Where?"

"Anywhere," Tony moves. "I don't care. Out," he shifts himself without prompt onto Loki's lap, "Just us," leans in to his ear whispers: "How does that sound?" smooching Loki on the cheek and Loki laughs in earnest, placing a hand to Tony's waist, another on his lower back, says impishly:

"Sounds like fun."