A/N: A fairly fluffy chapter. Hope you like. :)
Loki strode down the corridor in his ridiculous mortal clothes; although, the black silk shirt was very nice.
As he approached the little side-room where the meetings were held, he could hear the lilt of Scottish tones.
"...life is hard. Life knocks us, again and again, and never seems to pull any of its punches. No-one notices how tired we are, how much pain we're in, so we think we must not matter. We turn love to hate because we're afraid of getting hurt – we've been hurt so badly already, that we think we can't take any more. But hate burns in us, destroying us from the inside out, making us into something we're not... And if you've ever been knocked that hard – and I know that all of us here certainly have – then I am oh so proud to have met you. Because you are stronger than all of those people out there – the cowards who drag us down and make us feel useless, the abusers who took away our choices, our confidence, our pride, the people who think we are weak when we are oh so strong..." the voice trailed off.
"Please," Loki whispered from the doorway, "don't stop on my account. I'm sorry I'm late. Continue."
"No Luke, it's fine, I was just about done anyway..." the other Omega looked at Loki with a mixture of surprise and concern, "let me get you a coffee or something, you look like shit."
"Tactful as always Leo."
The other man laughed self-consciously, "That came out wrong," he said, "I meant... when did your heat finish?"
"This morning."
A woman immediately sprang up and offered him her seat, helping him over to it and accepting no argument. Loki sank into the chair appreciatively, sighing as his sore muscles found a degree of relief. He allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again.
"You didn't have to come the day you came off-heat," Leo Fitz was saying, still standing in the little circle of the support group.
"I needed to," Loki muttered.
The others nodded in response, knowing exactly what he meant.
"You want to talk mate?" Leo asked, but gently, not pushing.
Loki nodded, "I'll sit, if that's ok."
"Jesus! Of course man. We don't expect you to stand just after heat Luke."
Leo himself sat down as Loki gave another tired nod, "I'm going to assume," Loki said softly, staring down into the folded hands in his lap, "that since none of you are particularly stupid, you've figured out that I'm the Omega that Tony Stark is... Tony Stark is my Alpha. That's a long story in itself. But I... we care for each other. After the news broke though... well, I'm sure you've all seen pictures of the protests. I've... it was... stressful. If it wasn't for the Avengers, I would've walked straight out into that crowd when they started to turn Commands on me. Then... then they would've killed me – after raping me repeatedly, I assume," Loki's voice quivered, and then firmed, "but that didn't happen. I'm here; I'm alive. I just... I wanted make it clear that who I'm with doesn't change who I am – and that I'm... trusting... all of you to keep our meetings confidential," he looked up at them, eyes wide, "Please?"
"Anyone who breaks confidentiality," an older lady assured from across the circle of chairs, "will no longer be welcome here Luke. I've been coming here for over a decade – you're one of us now my boy, and we take care of our own."
"Definitely mate," Leo chimed in, "no Omega left behind and all that. You, um, you alright though, Luke?"
A long exhalation, "About as much as can be expected," he was so tired, "that's... that's all I feel like saying at the moment Fitz, if that's ok."
"That's fine. Thanks for sharing with us Luke. Well done mate."
Water slipped over his weary body, relaxing the tension of his muscles and erasing his pain. He lay back against Tony in the sunken bath, his wet skin pressed tightly against the Alpha's flesh; Tony's arms were around him, gently holding him in the water. He turned his head to Tony's chest, breathing in his scent. Tony caressed his shoulders; Loki sighed happily, dozing in the warmth of the liquid around him. He knew that, to Tony, the water was only just warm enough – but to him it was sheer bliss.
They had taken to bathing together here, in the suite's massive sunken bath. There was something about that lusciously warm and wet intimacy that helped Loki to relax, to open up, to (dare Tony even think it?) heal. Tony would wash him, tenderly, enjoying the way the shampoo slipped through Loki's hair, and the way that the soap slid along his skin. Bath-time was Loki-time – Tony loved to pamper the Omega, and adored the feeling of Loki's wet and naked flesh against his.
Loki's arm swished back and forth languidly through the water, and Tony's breath caught at the sight of those slim fingers rippling over the surface. Loki caught his eye and smirked, leaning up for an entwining kiss. His arm came up to Tony's neck, and Tony tangled a hand in Loki's hair, leaning deeply into the kiss before, reluctantly, pulling away.
"You're getting me over-excited," Tony mock-chided, "and you'll blame me if we make a mess of the water."
"Don't tempt me," Loki purred sleepily, dropping his head once again to Tony's chest, "you make it sound like a challenge."
Loki was fully asleep when Tony lifted him, dripping, from the bath. He pulled a towel around him to dry him off before settling him, lovingly, into their bed.
"I don't know where you get your strength," Tony whispered, looking down at the porcelain figure nestled in the sheets, "because I don't have half the amount that you do, but I will give you anything else you need – my home, my support... and my heart. And if that strength-supply ever runs out, I guess you can have what little I got of that too; cos I'm always gonna be in your corner, Lokes, you're stuck with me."