Loki began relentlessly shifting in his sleep causing the man lying next to him to wake as he took one of the trickster's pointed elbows to his ribs. Tony rolled onto his side so he was facing the God and wrapped an arm around Loki's waist.
"Lo? It's okay, you're safe, I'm here. I'll protect you. Wake up Lo, please. You're in the tower with me and we're both safe."
Loki suddenly moved so that he was sitting bolt upright, jade eyes looking around the room in fear, slightly unfocused as the nightmare clung to the edge of his mind. Jumping when he felt something winding around his stomach, the God slowly relaxed as he realised that it was just the arms of his favourite hero.
Tony moved so that he was sat behind Loki and pulled the pale man towards him so his back was flush against Tony's chest and tightened his arms around the thin man. "You okay Lo?" Untrusting of his voice not to break so he slowly nodded his head before changing his mind and shaking it, this time with a lot more confidence in his answer.
"I-It was the Chitauri, they weren't happy with me after my failure on Midgard, and Thor, and you. It was Thor who stitched my lips in the dream," as he said these words Loki ran a shaking finger over the small raised scars from his punishment. "He was laughing as he pushed the metal through my skin, binding it and silencing the liesmith. Then he took me to the Chitauri as a peace offering for Asgard and you as an offering for Midgard. I couldn't save you, I'm sorry. I tried. I couldn't even scream. It did not matter what they did to me for nothing could ever hurt me more than watching you die."
Loki began to shake in Tony's grip as he recounted his dream to the man behind him so Tony carded his fingers through the long ebony hair. At Loki's last words, Tony awkwardly lifted the alabaster man and turned his so Loki was sat on his lap with his legs locked behind Tony's back. Lifting his hands Tony continued stroking the man's hair with one hand while his right hand cupped Loki's cheek, softly running his thumb repeatedly over the sharp cheekbone there. Loki's eyelids fluttered closed as he relaxed into the sensations of Tony's actions causing the other man to smile gently.
Subconsciously Loki pushed himself further into Tony's hand, taking comfort in the feelings. The ivory God lifted a hand to place over his heart, seeking solace in the steady rhythm of life. It did not take long for the events in his dream to be lost in the darkness around them as Loki relaxed completely.
"Thank you Tony," Loki whispered as he opened his eyes and locked his gaze with Tony's. The two men simply looked at one another, unknowingly of the world around them until Tony subconsciously licked his lips, drawing the jade pools to them. Loki slowly closed the gap between them and sealed their lips nervously.
Although they had been in a relationship for nearly a year, ever since Loki had been delivered to the avengers and Tony had removed the metal stitches, but Loki was so broken after his time with the chitauri that he would rarely initiate any contact. This only made it all the more important to them both when he did. Tony smiled slightly into the kiss and continued to smile even as Loki pulled back.
At first Loki felt disheartened when he noticed Tony's reaction as he thought the man was smirking at him but when he only saw warmth and love in his face Loki knew that he had misinterpreted. Each day he spent with Tony made Loki grow more confident in his actions, more sure of himself after he spent so long under the control of the Tesseract.
Of course he still had nights like tonight where his dreams made him think otherwise but he knew that Tony would always help him. As he would help Tony when he had bad dreams.
There were nights that Tony remembered Afghanistan and the betrayal of Obidiah, whom Loki wanted to destroy after hearing what he did to Tony, and nights when Tony was reminded of the events of New York but with a twist. In his dreams he remembered attacking Loki and saw himself doing it, but with the foreknowledge that Loki was just as powerless against the chitauri, even more so in fact.
On those nights Loki would prove to Tony that he was safe (Afghanistan) and that Loki was sorry for what he did when the dreams were of New York. Although Tony would repeatedly point out that the trickster had nothing to apologise for as he knew that Loki was not himself, he was of the mind of the tesseract.
The two men were slowly, but surely, helping one another to get better and move on from the events in their past. Not forgetting them, just wiping over the bad feelings with the love and care from the other. Healing a little bit more after every nightmare or story that they would tell the other of their life prior to meeting.
The thing that helped Loki the most was when Tony learnt of his true heritage and didn't run but rather looked on in awe when he showed the man his true form. Loki knew then that he couldn't really be such a bad monster as he was always told.
Tony always knew that Loki had powerful magic but never knew quite hoe powerful until the God, for he always would be in Tony's eyes, removed the pieces of shrapnel from around his heart. He had been most worried when Tony had told him the tale of the Arc Reactor hidden in his chest cavity and soon made to fix that problem. That day was a big turning point for Tony as it allowed him to be rid of the main physical reminder of his betrayal, although he incorporated it into the suit itself.