Step VI

"Fight the temptation down or make a decision"

PART II

Tony was nervous, ok? He was fidgeting in his place, as Natasha was finishing putting a make-up under his left eye. Some new wannabe villain decided to make Tony his personal punching bag. Iron Man didn't even have a chance to put his helmet back when this bald brute - Ezekiel Stane - attacked him. Truth to be told, Stark didn't even know that Obadiah had children. He never mentioned him, or introduced his son, even though he was close to Tony's age. Anthony had to admit, that even though Ezekiel was strong with his half-cyborg body, he wasn't able to take down the Iron Man. The fight was fair and square, Tony ended with few broken bones and a damaged armor, but he left some nasty bruises on Stane as well.

"Ouch," he hissed when Tasha pressed the pad too hard on his bruised eye. "That hurt."

"Good, maybe it will finally teach you a lesson that we are a team, Tony. We fight together. It's not your lone mission anymore." Tony only sighed. "Your enemies are our enemies now. Get that into your thick skull."

"All right, sis," Tony winked at her. "How does it look? Do I look at least presentable?"

"Eh, Loki will know anyway," she replied, as she put her make-up tools back into her bag. "It was on the local news. That man may not be from our world, but even he reads and watches the news. I guess you won't get any tonight. But for sure you'll get some serious shouting from him. Maybe it will help you."

"Ugh... I need to look good tonight, Tasha," Tony complied, as he reached for a small mirror on the drawer in his bedroom. "I'm taking Loki for a dinner to the Atelier tonight. It's our three-month anniversary. I can't look all beaten up. Help me, girl."

"Since when you're such a romantic man, huh?"

"Ever since he's talked to Thor," Rhodey walked inside Tony's bedroom with a grin on his face. He eyed his friends and sat down next to Stark on his bed. "He follows every shitty rule in this whole Asgardian's Courting Rituals. Can you believe that he has to restrain from sex until the wedding night?!"

"You guys are getting married?" Romanoff asked, surprisingly she wasn't shocked, only slightly confused. "When were you going to tell us, huh?"

"We're not getting married… not yet." When both Rhodey and Tasha gave him looks full of disbelief, Tony sighed exasperatedly. "We're not. For now, we just date… court. And I have to focus on finishing all those steps, ok? It's not that easy."

Natasha laughed softly and stood up. The redhead spy patted the top of his head and offered her wishes of luck before she exited Tony's bedroom. Tony reached for the make-up tools she left and took the concealer out. As he looked into the mirror he realized that it didn't look as horrible as he expected. Tasha truly did her job and covered most of the bruise and the angry cuts on his right cheek. Maybe Loki won't notice? After all the dinner will be in a late hour and there'll be a candlelit… maybe it will be alright.

"You won't be any prettier anyway," James joked, taking the make-up from his hand and putting it back in the black bag. "So, ready for your big night?"

"I hope so and I hope Loki will cease his acts," at that, Rhodey shot him a confused look. "Wanna know what he's been doing lately?" when his friend kept his mouth shut, Tony continued. "He's been tempting me to break the rules. And he's so close to being successful in this, man."

"Tempting you how?"

"It all started last week. You were there," he started and recalled everything that had happened in the past six days.

At first, Loki started to be more touchy. It's like he couldn't stop his hands from wandering on Tony's arms, the back of his neck or his knee. Stark had to stop Loki multiple times when the god placed his hand on his thigh and started to stroke it. Damn, Loki, but he knew what he was doing to Tony and he was so happy about it.

But touches weren't the only thing that changed.

Loki started to wear more of Tony's shirts and it was cute. But then, the mage changed his antics and decided to change himself into a god of sexiness and temptation at the same time.

He started to wear more exposing attires. Shorter tops that exposed his abs and bellybutton. Dear God, Tony wanted to run his tongue all over those muscles. He matched those tops with too-tight jeans that hung so low on his hips that a centimeter or two more and you could easily see a part of his manhood. Stark's mouth was both dry and salivating alternately, especially when Loki bent right before his eyes, exposing his perfectly round butt. Everything inside of Tony screamed to pull Loki onto his lap and rip the clothes off him to have his wicked way with him. The engineer gritted his teeth and started to pinch his forearms to restrain himself.

This was so far the hardest test he ever had to take.

"Oh my god!" Rhodey exclaimed. "Now I understand the sudden change in his clothes! I mean I saw him wearing some crop top and I thought that he was just too hot, you know. But now it makes sense!"

"Yeah, but that's not the worst," Tony added quickly. "Two days ago he asked me to spar with him in the gym. I was like, sure ok, I had to let out my frustration anyway. But, of course, Loki decided to tempt me some more. He decided to spar shirtless and in his ridiculous tight leather pants from Asgard. I'm not sure how he can find it comfortable, but, he does. So we went arm to arm. The temperature in the gym was higher than usual so Loki was sweating quicker. And he was doing everything he could to get me down on the mat and held me with his body. I felt every muscle of his, every roundness… man… I felt like in my hell there. I couldn't do anything I wanted. And believe me, I was this close to grounding my hips to his. Fuck, if I didn't manage to throw him off me, I'm pretty sure I could simply come from just him pinning me down. I got hard… like a teenager again."

"Oh man, you need to get laid asap." Tony only raised his eyes at him, giving him a tired look. "It's not healthy for you."

"You have no idea how friendly I've become with my right hand lately." he groaned and fell on his bed. Tony placed his arm over his eyes and huffed. "He's worth it though. He's worth everything. I didn't know that I could find someone who matches me perfectly in my ex-enemy now one of my best friends. It's crazy. I never saw myself as someone capable of this kind of love, you know. And with Loki… it's so easy to be. Do I sound strange?"

"You sound like any normal person in love, Tones." James lay down next to him and poked his side. Tony took his arm off his eyes and looked at his best friend. "You always were capable of such love, you just didn't meet the right person until Loki. He's your other half."

"Ugh… we're so old and yet, we're such saps…"

"I blame Carol you can blame Loki." both men erupted in a laugh and continued to talk about their beloveds until it was a time for Tony to go on his date.

By the time Tony knocked on Loki's and Thor's floor, the mage was already waiting for him, all dolled up. Loki wore the black suit from D&G that Tony purchased for him for the last SI gala, when Tony took Loki as his plus one, even though they were not dating yet. The suit was tailored perfectly. But with Loki's figure, he was an ideal model for designers. Tall, lean and slightly muscular. The mage often was offered to work as one, but he politely declined every time, saying he will not have much time since he joined the Avengers and is a magic-science-buddy of Tony Stark. Officially, Pepper made him a consultant for the advanced technology department in the Stark Industries. Yep, SI was the first company that worked with the alien technology and Loki was the head of this project.

But back to Loki and his sexy look. Underneath the black suit, Loki wore a black dress shirt, which was no surprise. He preferred to keep his dark look. Tony wasn't complaining, it suited his mage. But the thing that surprised him was the tie that Loki wore today. A gold-red tie with small Iron Men on them. Stark couldn't help but laugh at this.

"I like the tie, Lo-lo," he managed to say after he calmed his laughter. "It's cute."

"I thought so as well when I decided to buy it today." Loki grinned widely and gestured at Tony's attire. Stark went for a classic as well. Black Zegna suit, black vest, and bottle-green shirt. No tie though. "You look very handsome, Anthony."

"Thank you, sweetheart. You look amazing as well." Loki blushed at the compliment. He was so adorable then. "Shall we?"

A half of an hour later, Tony parked his red jaguar in front of the restaurant. He exited the car first and went to open the door for Loki. Yeah, he was a gentleman. The Trickster smiled in gratitude and took Tony's opened palm. Stark threw his car keys to the valet and walked Loki inside the restaurant. As soon as they were in, the receptionist greeted them and showed them to their table. Tony asked for the most secluded area in the local and they were given the table in the entresol. There were only two tables in there in each corner but not occupied. The mortal drew the chair for his mage and sat opposite of him. Mere moments later their waiter showed up with menus.

"Can I offer you some wine, sirs?"

"You pick, Anthony, I know little of Midgard's alcohol." And he did so. Knowing perfectly that his boyfriend had a sweet-tooth and preferred anything sweet, Tony ordered a sweet red wine to go with meat he ordered for himself and the pasta that Loki chose.

Soon, they were consuming their dishes. Tony chose for himself a steak, medium-rare with a salad. Yes, he started to take care of himself to be healthy and fit for his godly boyfriend. He even began to go regularly to the gym again. At least two hours of workout every day. He wanted to be in a shape again.

"You're strangely quiet, my love," Loki addressed him sometime later. "Is something wrong?"

"Everything is perfect, Bambi," Tony flashed him one of his soft smiles. They were only reserved for Loki. He looked on the table and realized they both were done with their meals. "Would you like some dessert? I heard they have an amazing molten lava cake here. Chocolate."

"You know I can't say no to the chocolate, Tony."

The man waved at the waiter and ordered two molten lava cakes and two more glasses of wine, but this time, he decided to get semi-sweet rose wine. It was lighter and would fit better with a dessert. As soon as the waiter brought their desserts, Tony whispered to the young man to bring the package that he had left here yesterday. He couldn't risk Loki finding out about the gift before they dined. The waiter nodded and turned on his heel to walk towards the reception desk. Tony asked for at least fifteen minutes, so they could enjoy their desserts.

Loki was savoring each bite of the cake and moaned silently during so. Dear Lord, the view was pure sex and Tony had a hard time to stop looking and getting worked up by the sounds.

"Enj...enjoying yourself, hon?" he stuttered, as he moved on the chair to stop his groin from getting up. "Want some more?"

"Don't tempt me, Anthony."

"Who's tempting who," Tony muttered to himself after he had taken three deep breaths. Loki took the last bite of the cake and licked on the spoon, eyes never leaving Tony's browns.

Alert! Heart attack here!

Tony, of course, heard that eating can arouse someone, but this… the way Loki was eating the cake it was purely sinful. Tony so envied the silver spoon in Loki's mouth. Oh, he did. The poor man had to bite down on his tongue to not moan in the middle of the restaurant.

Thank all the gods up there that the waiter came back just in time before Tony could make a fool of himself or worse jump Loki's bones. The guy gave Loki the velvet green box and excused himself again. Stark told him earlier to just add it to his receipt and sent it to FRIDAY, who would pay immediately. Tony rarely bothered himself with carrying credit cards anymore.

Loki eyed him and the box confused.

"This is for you, Loki," he handed him the box and waited for the mage's reaction. He anticipated it for a whole week. The mage took the box from him and opened it cautiously. When his eyes landed on the daggers, his mouth opened agape. "I know you probably don't celebrate such things like a three-month anniversary in Asgard, but I wanted to do this. And I wanted to give you something that would tell you, what kind of a warrior and a man you are to me. You're strong, courageous, powerful. And you are the most amazing man I ever met. I guess, what I'm trying to say is… I love you, Loki Friggason. With my both hearts."

Loki was silent for a few more moments, stroking gently the blades with engraved runes. When he finally looked up at Tony again, his green orbs were glassy.

"I love you so much, Anthony." Loki let Tony took one of his hands in his own and bring up to the man's lips. It was a perfect moment for their first kiss, but Tony settled for brushing his lips over Loki's knuckles. "But I do not have a gift for you, love. I was not aware that such things as the three-month anniversary exist. They did not tell me about it. I apologize, Anthony."

"Oh, babe, you don't have to get me anything," Tony reassured him. "You're the most precious gift I ever got."

Yep, there it was again. The adorable blush on Loki's pale cheeks. Tony vowed himself to bring it up as many times as he was able to.

They exchanged a few more love declarations and exited the restaurant. The night was still young and Tony gave a call to Happy to ask him to pick up his car. Stark and Loki walked towards the park close to the tower, holding hands. The moon was shining its light on them, making Loki even more beautiful than he was. If it was possible. They were quiet, but it wasn't an awkward silence, no. It was a comfortable silence. Tony was a loud man, it was his nature. But he was content now, walking in silence with Loki.

"The night is so beautiful tonight," Loki revealed, taking his ming off thoughts.

"Eh, I see something more beautiful every day," when Loki turned towards him, he spotted that Tony had his eyes plastered on him. The mage offered him a bashful smile and leaned down to press his cool lips to Tony's cheek.

"I love you, elskan minn," the Silvertongue whispered to his ear.

"I love you too, pumpkin."

Soon they reached the tower. Tony, like the gentleman he was, he walked Loki to his floor for a night. The mage was still holding his hand as he led the mortal further into the rooms. And Tony was shocked when they entered Loki's bedroom.

The floor was covered with petals of red roses, tealights were placed on the ground and the shelves on the wall. With a flick of his wrist, Loki lit them all and a sweet fruit scent reached Tony's nostrils. Tony was too focused on the decoration that he missed the moment when Loki shed his suit jacket and shirt. Suddenly he stood before Tony, barechested with a palm under Tony's chin. Stark swallowed hard as his eyes raked over Loki's naked chest. What a sight it was. Loki leaned down slowly as if he was giving him the chance to escape.

However, Tony found within himself that he has no more strength to restrain himself anymore.

Their lips finally connected in a first kiss. Tony never expected this to be so amazing when their lips touched for the first time. Loki's lips were soft, just as he imagined them to be. His hot breath was caressing the mortal's lips. The kiss was slow, gentle as if Loki was leaving to decision to Stark if he wanted something more. He did, he so did. Tony felt Loki's tongue licking on his lower lip and Stark, as a man who was weak against this, let the mage's tongue inside his mouth. When their tongues met, the kiss got only better. It sent shivers down his spine and made his knees weak. But Loki wanted more. Tony was so invested into this kiss, that he missed the moment when the mage opened his vest and shirt and placed his cool hands on Tony's chest. Loki moved his hands up and tried to push the clothes off Tony's frame. However, this is when Tony decided to stop his hands and pull away from the kiss.

"We can't, Lo… we can't…"

"Pardon?" Loki took a step back and with a flick of his hands the tealights were out and the room lit up with two lamps. "What do you mean we can't?"

"We've already broken one rule, we can't break more... " Tony didn't even bother to button his shirt and vest. He just turned on his heel and ran out of Loki's bedroom, ignoring the mage's calling after him.

"What rules?! Tony?! Tony?!"

Thankfully to the logistic, Rhodey's floor was just above Loki's, so Tony was there in no time. He burst into the hallway and ran towards his best friend's bedroom. He opened the door widely.

"Rhodey!"

"What the hell, Tones?!" Rhodey covered himself and Carol with the blue sheet and glared at his best friend.

"Sorry, guys," he covered his eyes with a hand to not look. He saw Rhodey naked a few times, but he imagined his friend wouldn't like him looking at his naked girlfriend. "Rhodey, don't make plans for the next week."

"Why?"

"You're coming to Asgard with me, as my family member." Tony made a small pause and huffed loudly. "I can't restrain myself any longer. Fuck the rest of the courtship rituals. We're going to Asgard asap."

With a decision made, Tony left Rhodey's floor and went to get a cold shower or two.

Little did he know that Loki has turned himself invisible and decided to spy on him. Hearing the strange news from his lover, forced Loki to pay a quick visit to his beloving older brother.

…

Bonus scene 2

LOKI POV

The three teenagers were looking at him as if he suddenly grew a second head. They were all quiet as they mused on his words. The Trickster hadn't had a single idea, what they found strange in his questions.

"I don't follow…" Peter muttered. "You're like centuries old, a god and you don't know what to do to… you know … with Mr. Stark?"

"Asgard is different in these matters, I guess," he explained. "We're the warriors' race and every act, even sexual one is somewhat connected with our lifestyle. While Midgard is different. I know nothing about relations and relationships on Midgard. I only ever watched some movies on this strange thing called Netflix? And they showed that every teenager has sex. So, I decided to seek out answers from real people."

"But we are teenagers." Spiderman drawled more. "Why won't you ask someone older, like doctor Banner, or Hawkeye or Miss Romanoff?"

"Because they may tell Tony…"

"And we…"

"And if you will try to rat me out to Anthony, I will make sure that your darling aunt May forbids you doing your spiderman things, Parker."

"Ok…"

"Ok," Michelle decided to interrupt their banter. "First of all, movies are not relatable. Two, not every teenager is having sex. Ned here doesn't, for the example."

"Hey! I watch…" the boy protested. Michelle only glared at him.

"Third," the girl rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a notebook. She has torn a page from it and scribbled something down. Then she handed Loki the page and pointed at some small store behind his back. The man turned around and looked at the building. "That's a newsstand. You go there, give this list to the man there and he will give you all the materials you need of how to seduce Mr. Stark. Start with the top three."

Loki raked his eyes over the letters.

"Cosmo? What is that?"

"A mystical way to learn how to seduce your man."

He was intrigued by that and quickly left the burger establishment. Loki went towards the store. He gave the list made by Michelle to the man behind the counter and received a stack of newspapers from him. Loki flashed the golden card Tony gave him and paid for it. With the papers in his hands, the mage went behind and alley and teleported himself right to his bedroom in the tower. He threw the stack on his bed and shed his coat. The Silvertongue sat with his legs crossed on the bed and began to read.

Sometime later, when he was done with reading a devilish grin formed on his lips. He knew exactly how to seduce his lover. A plan formed into his mind.

He will have Tony Stark in his bed, soon.

To be continued.