Chapter 6: Separate paths

Sorry for the delay in my usual posting schedule, I blame my work, it has been crazy lately. I will try to keep the current pace of publication, but if I delay, is probably my job again LOL. But do not worry, the motivation to write is still intact, the chapters will keep coming :D

Now, I leave you with the story:

The progress the tribe had made, which was now a village, had aroused the jealousy of other remote tribes.

The situation was tense and many times they found themselves in need of reacting to attacks that were designed to rob them, harm them or simply gather information about their success.

This was how the enemy tribes learned of Loki's existence and their apprehension only increased. How was it possible for the village to have a personal God who blessed them with wisdom and good fortune? What made this village so special that it was favored over others?

Tensions continued until everything reached a decisive point. The enemy tribes decided to unite and declare war. Their goal was to seize the 'God Loki'.

Loki knew everything about battles. Not for nothing, he had grown up in a warrior society dominated by the importance of combat and excellence in his military training.

He was aware of everything that involved the struggle for survival and the sacrifices necessary to achieve success. He knew, of the powerful force generated by the ideals of freedom and of the price that certain people are willing to pay to obtain power.

Loki understood all this, and it was for that very reason, that he could not avoid a twinge of uneasiness that settled heavily on his stomach as he recognized the great danger that lurked on the horizon.

What did it matter what other Asgardians said about the glory in battle? The truth, the only great legacy of a war, was death. The losses were always greater than the profits and the experience, left marks that even time never managed to erase.

And yet, despite all his abilities, all those battles, Loki saw no other way out. The confrontation was inevitable.

What else could the village do against enemies who wanted to dominate them and kill them? There was only one way left, to fight and protect.

It was a fact that war brought pain, but it was also true that it was a valuable tool that served to get rid of tyranny. Something that allowed to defend the most valuable, the life of those who made your home.

Tony, who was a respectable figure among his people, would definitely go to the fight.

A wild and irrational part of Loki, wanted to convince him not to go. It did not matter that it was cowardly or ignoble, but something inside him was screaming.

"The body of humans is so fragile" His mind never tired of reminding him "It would only take a small blow to the head or the edge of a knife piercing his skin..."

But his most logical part, recognized that this was only a useless longing. Loki knew, that inside Tony, inhabited the soul of a warrior. For him to sit idle while watching his people perish, it simply was not part of his nature. Asking him would be like demanding him to renounce an important part of his being.

He then, kept silent.

Life, had taught Loki, that it was more useful to be a realist than a dreamer. What was the use of wanting? What was the use of asking? When the result would be the same, Tony would leave and there was nothing he could do about it.

It did not matter that sharp anguish, like the weight of chains tightening on his heart, tying him from within, or those cravings that seemed to want to explode from his chest. He took all those feelings and hide them in a remote place.

The days after the announcement of the war, were used in preparations and training.

Time passed faster than expected, that anguished rapidity of those who await an inexorable fate

The routine remained unchanged. Tony and Loki continued doing their morning walks and spending time between leisure and research of new technologies.

Without agreeing, none of them spoke of the impending departure, only enjoying each other's company and making the most of each moment together. Treasuring that borrowed time, one that they knew was a gloomy countdown.

However, on the eve of his departure, when everything was imminent, the truth hit Loki squarely in the face, leaving him totally at lost. He felt as if a thick haze had settled in his mind, a sense of unreality that made him perceive himself from the outside, as if for a moment his body had separated from his consciousness.

He watched the dawn fall uneasily, it was time to say goodbye. The next morning, very early, Tony would leave with the rest of the group to go to battle.

"This was really happening? This was going to be the last time I would see him? Was he going to leave as everyone else had done before?"

He felt an anxiety that made his stomach twitch, refusing to settle. The visceral sensation of something rotten ran through the mouth of his stomach, making him feel nauseous and dizzy.

Impotence and anger made their way from his entrails, shoved against one another, making him feel suffocated; as if someone was squeezing the base of his throat.

And Loki, as he always did when he could not deal with his emotions, put a mask on his face. He made a wall that would protect him from any feeling or emotion. Inside those sheltered walls, he could pretend that nothing mattered, that none of this had any meaning for him. Protecting himself from something he knew, to give it room, would irretrievably damage him.

When they said goodbye, Loki's mask was firmly in place. He was courteous and aloof, speaking only just and disregarding any attempt by Tony to get him out of his indifference.

They're chatting like strangers rather than saying any of the real things, and they both knew it.

When Stark, angry, tried to confront him, Loki's mask broke and the rage seemed to radiate through each of his pores.

"If you're so willing to leave, better leave at once. I hope you are satisfied when a sword crosses your chest or an arrow is keyed in your skull. You have no idea what you're are facing, you ignorant mortal."

Loki ignored the twinge he felt when he saw Tony's wounded and resigned look, as they took separate paths.

Lying on the bed of his abode, he also ignored the itching of his burning eyes and the pain he felt somewhere close to his heart. Like a great thorn of guilt sinking more and more against his chest.

When finally his consciousness vanished, his dreams were plagued by strange and disturbing nightmares. All fragmented disordered and disconnected. But always in each of them, a disturbing and desperate fear. Horrible visions of inert bodies and spoils of bloody battles.

Rest did not arrive that night for Loki.

It was early morning when Loki felt the door of the entrance to his house burst open.

Waking up in a jump, he heard hasty footsteps and then, as if it were an apparition, he saw Tony's figure, positioning himself directly in front of his bed.

For a moment, he seemed to want to say something, opening and closing his mouth, but instead, unable to find the clarity to give voice to his thoughts, he began to walk the room from end to end, in impetuous strides and nervous gestures.

Loki, looked at him first stunned, and then incredulous.

"What was going on? What was the meaning of this erratic behavior?"

"Tony, what are you doing?" Loki finally said, when he could not stand the expectation anymore.

Upon hearing those words, Stark jumped, surprised, as if that voice had taken him out of the deepest meditations.

He rubbed his face, trying to recover with that a little of his composure and then, finding himself a little more lucid, he raised his eyes to focus completely on Loki.

"Ok, I can't do this any longer. I got tired of pretending as nothing happened. I'm leaving and this could be the last time..." Tony had to stop there, if he didn't, his voice would start to vibrate.

Loki noticed the deep anguish that at that moment invaded his face. There was something slightly vulnerable around his mouth and his face was open, raw, with emotions so sharp that seemed painful. His body contracted defeated, as if his mind had reached an insurmountable limit, one that threw him into the abyss of impotence.

Loki gasped, and Tony's feelings seemed to project from his heart to his.

An intense need invaded him, one that urged him to intervene, to comfort, one that made him want to erase forever that anguishing bitterness.

"Tony... it's alright. Hey, Tony, look at me, everything is alright, okay?" Loki said softly.

That seemed to reassure him.

"Loki... I know you don't want me to leave, but I... I have to."

"I know" Loki sighed "I understand. You leave because you think it's the right thing to do. You are a man of honor, a hero from head to toe (even if you do not believe it yourself.)

But the thing is, that I am not, I am someone selfish, a jealous being who... would like you to stay here, out of danger, with me…"

Surprise reach Tony's face and then, a somewhat sad smile settled on his lips.

"No, you've misunderstood, I don't... Loki, I'm going to tell you something. I don't want you to get mad or freak out, okay? In fact, if you do not agree, you can even ignore that this conversation happened at all. It's just... I didn't want to leave without being able to tell you..."

Something in his voice, something in the air, made Loki tense, making his face heat up.

"Loki..." Tony murmured, his gaze unbreaking "You...?" His voice trailed off suddenly.

"Phew! Ok, this is harder than I thought" He said, running his hand through his hair.

"Do I... what?" Loki supplied, urging him to continue with his speech "For Norn's sake! What has this man so nervous?"

Stark did not respond, instead, approached slowly.

Loki stiffened. He found himself surprised, nervous. His heart beat hard against his chest.

He couldn't say why, but suddenly he was afraid of the intensity of that gaze, of how quiet everything had become.

The man sat next to him on the bed.

"Tony," He said narrowing his eyes "What are you doing?"

There was melancholy in his eyes now; melancholy and something else, maybe fear?

"Why was there fear in his eyes?"

"I... I wanted to tell you something important. I know you think I'm going to protect the people of the village, but I want you to know that that is not the reason. The truth is that I... I want to protect you..."

At that moment Tony's fingers landed on his chin. Brown eyes rested on those bright green orbs. Those eyes looked at him with a burning intensity, full of chaotic emotions and an almost palpable hope.

His face came closer until it was inches from his mouth.

"I shouldn't be doing this." His words were mere murmurs under his breath, and Loki could not tell if they were meant for him to hear, or just for himself. "This could ruin things, I shouldn't... Ah, but..." He shook his head, a small, guilty smile on his lips. "I can't control myself, it seems."

"Tony..." The rest of the words trapped in his throat; letting escape in its place, a trembling sigh.

Stark looked down for a moment, as he seemed to gather his thoughts. When he looked up again, his expression softened and fear left his eyes.

"I'm going to kiss you, Loki... I'm going to do it right now, if you do not want this to happen, it's best if you say it now..."

His brain froze. His eyes widened and all his thoughts were caught by that tender and passionate gaze. His breathing stopped when Tony's face began to slowly descend to his, cautiously, giving him more than enough time to back off.

The world stopped abruptly when he felt the brush of Tony's breath touching the surface of his trembling lips, a fleeting moment before the other man's mouth settled over his.

Loki's skin bristled. It was as if a shock of electricity had passed through him, sending tingles through his spine.

He found himself overwhelmed by a multitude of sensations, as he had never experienced before or even thought himself capable. He felt dizzy, and strangely euphoric, like a drunkard, or a man in a dream. Everything that existed in the darkness of his mind, at the limits of his senses, was Tony, and it seemed almost as if he were the only thing that really had existed.

Despite the confusion, somehow, he felt relieved. He didn't know what to do with all this, he couldn't comprehend what on earth was occurring, but suddenly he found himself wishing, feeling an irresistible longing to get more of what was being offered.

He realized that he had been waiting for this for a long time.

How long had he felt this way? How long has he longed for this, in the depths of his dreams? He couldn't say.

He felt that at last, he had been given the answer to a question he had never dared to ask before.

"You know?", Someone who curiously sounded like Tony, laughed in the back of his mind, "despite all your scrutiny, Loki, sometimes you are very unobservant."

After that brief and chaste touch, Stark stepped back slowly to analyze his face, to study his reaction. What he saw made a smile fall on his lips. Those eyes looked at him with intense passion, bright eyes full of emotion.

Soft lips caressed him once again, moving with extreme care, almost with sacred adoration. His head was supported by a pair of strong hands radiating a heat that spread all over his face.

Loki shook himself out of a contained anxiety, then closed his eyes and surrendered his senses to the overwhelming intensity that ran through him.

The feeling coiled inside him, filling each of his cells with explosions of sensations that turned his whole body into putty. In a pulsing entity of nothing but warmth and pleasure.

He gasped loudly, amazed, and the mouth that held him captive swallowed the sound completely. A tongue explored the seam of his parted lips, and he gave a hesitant permission for further invasion, opening wider.

Tony came in like a whirlwind, like a soldier returning home. So ferocious that Loki's bones felt as if they were on fire. The renewed heat exploded in his veins in the next second. The burning, like lava, poured into his mouth in a river of desire and he felt dizzy with the sensations that vibrated through his cells. He was being completely possessed, devoured, taken. He was being broken and reformed. He was being kissed directly towards his rebirth.

Loki wanted more, wanted everything at once, needs to be closer.

Tony's fingers curled into his hair holding him. Those hands were burning against his head, keeping him warm, completely unbalanced. He was being singed, from the inside out, in a conflagration of emotion that was turning his whole being into a pool of pulsating blood and vibrating sensations.

Stark's lips remained close to his, long after the kiss ended. Tony tilted his head towards him so that their foreheads touched, caressing the side of his face.

When Loki opened his eyes, he found himself on the receiving end of the most beautiful expression he had ever seen. No one had ever looked at him with that impressive mixture of ecstatic exuberance and hopeful tenderness. Stark's gaze was brilliant as a diamond, two huge spheres watching him with evident devotion.

"I love you. I've loved you for a long time." Tony said.

Those words vibrated through Loki, down to his core, moving through him like an earthquake. His breathing quickened and a shiver of passionate joy passed through him.

He tried to swallow the knot that had formed in his throat "I love you too" He said, this time without fear. Daring to pour out his whole being, all his heart to another soul for the first time.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief at that, and then a smile of pure joy made its way to his lips.

The tips of his rough fingers framed Loki's cheekbones with care, brushing long strands of hair from his pale face, smoothing his long, dark strands with a trembling hand. He traced all the curves of his face, with delicate affection and fervent passion.

Loki allowed the man to touch him as he pleased, leaning towards his touch, marveling at the kaleidoscope of emotions that only that contact was capable of provoking him. He closed his eyes, submerging himself in all those sensations, drowning himself in those sweet caresses.

After a moment, sighing contentedly, Tony buried his face in the crook of his neck, breathing in slow and calm puffs, ones that made Loki feel the back of his neck bristle.

Silent dust motes danced erratically near the window and the light of the stars swept through the room, covering everything in a bluish glow.

They both remained silent, motionless as if they were part of a paint of ethereal strokes, or perhaps as if they were in the middle of a melancholy dream.

"You better come back to me. Return unharmed, or I'll never forgive you" Loki said suddenly, with a voice that reverberated throughout the room.

When Tony raised his face, it was to give him a penetrating and determined look. Those sharp eyes settled on Loki's, full of determination and overflowing intensity.

"I promise, even if I have to cross the whole earth, or even hell itself, I will come back, this is my vow to you Loki, I swear, I will return to your side."

Tony at that moment, had the certainty that he would never see anything so beautiful, like the smile that Loki gift him that night.

The next morning, found Loki in Tony's arms. His head resting against his chest moved in a rhythmic sway, product of that deep and serene breathing; and the comforting warmth of his body, made him feel wrapped in a soft blanket of pleasure and emotion.

When Loki opened his eyes, he met Tony's gaze already on his face, watching him with a deep smile and bright eyes full of affection.

"It's time, isn't it? You must go" Loki said resigned.

"Yeah, but I still have some time left and I would like to take advantage of every second I have, to spend it with you"

Stark put a hand on his cheek and approached to give a soft and warm kiss.

Their lips were still together when suddenly, the door of the house opened with a bang.

"Mr. Stark, are you here? The troop is ready. They are looking for you..."

Hearing Peter's unmistakable voice, Tony jumped.

"Hey, kid! We were just... ehemm...well..."

Peter looked at them, noting the closeness of their bodies and their lips still swollen from the kiss.

An uncomfortable silence extended for a moment.

"God, I was starting to doubt it was ever going to happen," Peter commented in a fervent exclamation. It seemed he was only just resisting throwing himself at them in a hug. "I think Miss Pepper won the bet, after all, I must tell her! you just... continue with what you were doing, I'll tell the troops to wait a moment," Said Peter with a smile from ear to ear, running off.

"My, my" Loki said after Peter left, with a mischievous smile on his mouth, "I think, that I should personally apologize to the troop."

"And why would you do that?" Stark said, smiling too.

"For make them wait. I plan to keep you with me much more than just a moment."

Apologizing, Loki had said, But he did not look like he was sorry at all.

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Yay! Finally the kiss, I was wanting to write this scene for a long time, I hope you liked it!

If anyone is wondering, neither Pepper nor Peter go to war, Peter is too young for that and Pepper is more a strategist than a fighter so she does not go directly to battle either.

I wanted to give me the time to thank everyone who has been following this story. I am incredibly grateful for your comments and for all of you taking your time to let me know what you think, or leave me favorites.

Also a special mention to all those silent readers, I know they are there hehe, thanks for reading!

Thank you so much, everyone! :)