"Tony, man, wake up! God, you sleep like the dead!" Tony jerked backward and opened his eyes as he felt a foot connect with his shin. He glanced up to see a very agitated Hawkeye hovering over him.

"Tony, the good Ol' Cap's called a team meeting, and unless you want Tasha stringing you up by your heels, I'd suggest you get up and go." The archer said shortly.
"Clint? What the hell? Go and tell your girlfriend to calm down. I'll be up there in ten minutes." Tony mumbled blearily before he squinted and glanced around. He had fallen asleep in his workshop, not an overly concerning occurrence, but he could feel an imprint of a wrench on his cheek.

"She's not my girlfriend." Clint snapped back at him, an odd expression on his face.

"Don't care, go away, I need to clean up." Tony groused. Getting barely 5 hours of sleep in the last three days and waking up without coffee hadn't put him in the best mood.

"Whatever Iron Butt, just hurry." Clint shot back, smirking.

Tony rolled his eyes and pushed out of his chair and away from his desk, not caring about the general mess of his surroundings. Stumbling into the elevator he hit the button to his floor, Clint barely squeezing in before the elevator doors closed, throwing a glare at Tony as he did so. Tony just smiled a razor of a smile but it fell as the Hawk closed in and poked his neck.

"Is that a hickey? You've been going out? Why haven't I seen any girls coming and going?" The archer closed in on Tony, voice mocking.

Stark whacked Clint's hand away and turned to look over at the reflective walls of the elevator, sure enough, there was a very telling hickey right on his pulse point.

"You haven't seen any girls because he isn't a she. He also knows to come over when you are all, coincidentally, out. He also leaves before you get back." He growled, reminding himself to tell Loki to lay off on the hickeys around the neck. He didn't need the team getting on him all the time. Especially this particular teammate.
"He? HE? Tony, I'm shocked. Does Cap know? Does JARVIS know? Hey JARVIS, do you know how Tony keeps sneaking random men into the tower?" Clint was taking a vicious enjoyment out of Tony, and wasn't shutting up.

"JARVIS, don't answer that. Clint, I really don't care. If you're curious on how it's done, I know a few people." Tony sneered that last part before he stepped off the elevator and onto his floor as the elevator doors began to close, he left Clint standing in the elevator with his jaw hanging slightly open.
Tony pulled his shirt off and glanced in the mirror opposite of the bed. Sure enough the hickey wasn't the only token Loki had left on him during their last romp in the hay. His chest was covered in bite marks and even more colored bruises, making him grimace slightly.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now." He muttered to himself.

"No, I don't suppose there is." The silken voice came out of the silence without warning

Tony glanced up from his chest, carefully schooling his expression into one of aloofness, to see Loki lounging on his bed where he hadn't been before. The god rarely came to him in the day, and if he did it was usually because he was feeling bored or needed a distraction from his thoughts. "Loki, how nice. I don't suppose you could be more obvious?"

"Come now Stark, has it ever bothered you before?" Loki practically purred.

"No, but Steve-" Tony protested before stopping abruptly, face conflicted.

Loki raised an eyebrow and looked at Tony sharply. "So it's the fact that the Captain is going to see the marks that's concerning you?"

"Well, I was going to say it's the fact that Steve is going to give me shit about it is why I'm so concerned."

Loki let his eyes wander down from Tony's neck to his chest, lingering at the reactor before traveling lower, fire igniting in his eyes as he did so. "I rather like them. You keep insisting you're a playboy, why should bearing my marks bother you if someone else were to see them? I will go, as it seems you're going to be busy with your meeting. I'll meet you later, I wish you luck."

With that Loki vanished, leaving Tony standing once again alone in his room. "Damn god. JARVIS, next time, warn me."

"I shall endeavor to do so, sir. The Captain is becoming rather irritated with the fact that you are taking 10 minutes longer then you said you would be to come to the meeting room, I suggest you hurry."

"I'm hurrying Jarv, I'm hurrying." Grabbing the cleanest shirt he could find, Tony threw it on as he strode from the room and back to the elevator, grabbing his tablet along the way. He had a feeling this meeting would take a while and he didn't even know what it was about. As the elevator doors dinged once more he stepped off and into the meeting room, only to be greeted by silence. Looking up Tony saw all the Avengers, including Thor surprisingly, sitting around the table with Steve standing at the head.

"Tony, so nice of you to join us. I won't even ask what was taking you so long." Steve commented drily.

"You can't hurry perfection Cap." Tony didn't even bother looking around as he walked over to the only remaining seat in between Thor and Hawkeye. "You mind telling me why I was pulled from the first ounce of sleep I've had in days and told to come up here or else I'd be strung from the ceiling?"

At this point Thor stood up. "It seems that even though my brother has been released from punishment on Asgard, and sent back here, he has not informed anyone of his intentions. I would like to tell you all that he has been sent back on the Allfather's word to do right his wrongs. Though I have been told many a times not to, I still trust Loki to follow our Father's wishes."

"We appreciate knowing that Loki is back on Earth, we just don't know what he might be up to. Given the noticeable lack of evil goings on, S.H.I.E.L.D. has decided to just keep an eye on him for now." This came from Natasha who was sitting in between Bruce and Clint.

"Hey Tony, what's that on your neck?" Clint leered at Tony only to yelp when the Widow gave him a swift kick under the table. Of course, by then it was too late, and his comment had drawn everyone to the glorious bruise that had formed on Tony's neck.

"You know what it is bird brain, and I know where you keep all your nests. Don't direct attention to me just because you're jealous when you've been lacking attention in a certain department."

"Clint, that is not what I called this meeting for." This came from a hesitant Cap, who, when Tony looked up, had a faint flush on his cheeks.

"Aw, why not? I'd love to know how Tony gets his lord into the castle every time we're gone."

"Besides that being a very valid point for conversation, that's still not what I called this meeting for." Steve flushed even more, maybe it was the Lord and not Lady part that had his face colored so pink.

"Lord? I was not aware that Tony has someone of noble lineage visiting him." This came from a slightly confused Thor who was looking at Tony's neck now with interest.

"He is not a Lord, well, he kinda is, but that's completely besides the point. It's a saying Point Break. Feathers here wantss to know how I keep getting a person in and out of the Tower without anyone knowing about it." Tony muttered.

Clint opened his mouth again only to close it with a wince when Natasha muttered something low in Russian. "Бартон, оставить человека в покое. Мы бы не хотел, чтобы кто-то допросе, что произошло в Будапеште не так ли?"
("Barton, leave the man alone. We wouldn't want anyone questioning what happened in Budapest would we?")
"But Tash-" Clint opened his mouth to protest whatever she had said.

"Leave it." That last part was delivered in English and to a very confused team.

"Can we hurry this meeting up? I have things to do, and I'm sure Banner would love to get back to his Lab." Tony had finally taken a break from his tablet and was now looking at Banner, who had stayed oddly quiet throughout the whole conversation.

Steve sighed and looked around the room at the team knowing that he wasn't going to get much more done at this point in time. "Fine, we're done. Just be on the watch for Loki. I don't know when he'll show up next, but we need to be ready just in case he decides to abandon this guise of good will he's been wearing around."

Tony was more disturbed than he should be when Steve said that. The past three months with Loki had passed by extremely fast. He realized then that he had just taken it for granted how well behaved the god had been up until today. Sure, he expected him to have that glint of madness in his eyes now, but given what Tony had gleaned had happened to him, he knew it wasn't without just cause.

"Tony? Something wrong?" Steve, ever the observant one, was peering at him quizzically. The rest of the team was filing out, with Bruce giving them a look as he silently walked past them. Tony shook his head out of the fog and threw the Captain a smile, filled with teeth. "Just a bit preoccupied. Did you need anything?"

"No..." Steve answered slowly, before his eyes trailed down to the hickey and he flushed the slightest bit. Tony laughed before slapping him on the back. "You should see the other guy!" He called back teasingly as he walked out the door. The look on Steve's face was priceless, and he was far too amused by it for the rest of the day.

Later that night once Tony had successfully avoided Clint's dirty comments and Bruce's odd and inquiring looks he finally made it into his room and collapsed on his bed. He was debating on if he had the energy to get undressed when he sensed an increasingly familiar presence crawl into the bed beside him. "Long day at work honey?" He mumbled inquisitively.

"Yes. It was also terribly dull. You know how it is these days." Loki said smoothly, sitting back and staring at him, dressed only in a plain shirt and black trousers.
"Mhmm. I do." Tony say up and drew his shirt over his head, deciding to leave his jeans on for the moment. "Clint was awfully curious today about that one hickey."
"Was he? How strange." Loki mused half-heartedly.

"Yes. How strange indeed." Tony grumbled.

"Go to sleep Stark. I didn't come here just to listen to you babble all night." The god ordered.

"Then what did you come here for?" Tony rolled over looking at Loki who was laying on his back staring at the ceiling. Loki hesitated before answering him.

"A distraction from the dark realms of my own mind and the things that crawl there when I'm surrounded by silence for too long." Loki whispered quietly.

"Oh." Tony mumbled as he mulled it over.

"Yes, now go to sleep. You needn't be worried. If an Avenger comes in, I'll be gone before they can spot me."

"But-" Tony protested, hating how much he sounded like Clint.

"Stark! I am not in the mood! Go to sleep!" Loki hissed, eyes flashing.

"And if I don't?" Tony asked, ornery as ever.

With a growl Loki rolled over and forced Stark onto his back before coming to a stop on top of him. "Then I will be forced to make you. And I am far too tired to do anything right now, despite what you and your mouth may think."

Tony's eyes flipped between Loki's neck and his eyes while he was talking. He licked his lips, an action that dragged Loki's eyes down to them before speaking.

"By 'making me', do you mean that spell wise, or tiring me out by a certain activity wise?" Tony questioned innocently, eyes alight.

The god of lies glowered at Tony once more before ducking his head and giving a savage nip to Tony's already bruised neck, making him yelp in surprise. "Do not test me. Go to sleep, we have tomorrow and the following days to do whatever you heart may desire."

"Fine, fine. I'm going to hold you to that you know." Tony looked up at Loki once more before shoving the god off of him and rolling onto his side, back to the god.

Loki waited a few minutes before answering him. "I may be the God of Lies Stark, but even I have to tell the truth sometimes if I want my lies to be believed. That's something people often seem to forget."

When Tony didn't answer Loki leaned back over and saw that the mortal's eyes were closed and that his breathing had slowed down. Smiling a secret gentle smile, Loki leaned back down and scooted right over to Stark's back before falling asleep himself. Once asleep his unconsciousness seemed to realize something was wrong and he threw an arm across Tony's stomach, making Tony grunt in surprise and scoot back closer to the god before both of them fell back into a sleep deeper than that which carried dreams.


There were things they both didn't speak of when the god began to stay the night. The times when Loki would wake up Tony with his cries of 'Father!', or when Tony would wake up Loki by screaming as he drowned in a hot, dusty cave. Those times no one spoke of afterwards, only whispered assurances when the other woke up, gasping for air and eyes wet. It was a silent agreement between the two that it meant nothing, when, without either realizing it, it became everything.


Enjoy! Most of the credit for this one goes to TheDarkElement, she's an amazing beta, and came up with most of this. Thanks so much Element! Another chapter coming soon :)

P.S. If some of you read this immediately after I posted it, I've had to edit some things, so if you catch any mistakes, please, let me know! .