Loki pulled free from my arms and twined his fingers through mine, tugging me through the nearest archway and into his chamber. It was fully dark outside now, throwing the room into shadow, yet what little I could see was fitting for the god. Dark, burnished wood offset by the rich glimmer of gold, and the only accent color was his trademark green. But truthfully, I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings.

My eyes were on Loki.

He cast quick glances back at me, a faint smile playing upon his lips as he led me to his bed. I kept waiting for this whole situation to feel weird. It should feel weird, right? But I just shoved that thought away, telling myself that I was over thinking again. And when has that ever been a good thing?

No. I tended to do my best when I was acting on instinct. Screw over thinking, and screw hesitation. I knew what I wanted…for the first time in half a goddamn year I knew exactly what I wanted…and he was right in front of me.

I wasn't going to let my asshole of a brain ruin this.

The bed was similar to mine; just larger, and the drapes that surrounded it were half drawn, making the interior even darker than the room in which it stood. Loki turned to face me, that enigmatic smile plucking at the corner of his mouth as he sank down to perch on the edge of the mattress. He drew me to him, slowly, until I was standing between his spread knees, his glimmering green gaze locked on my own.

I bent my head to capture his mouth, nipping softly at his lower lip until he granted me entrance. And as my tongue touched his own, Loki uttered a quiet, shuddering whimper. The sound hit me low in the gut, unfurling a banner of heat within me that I'd been denying for six months. I moaned in return, my mind showing me all the ways I could coax more of those wanton, needy sounds from the god beneath me.

My hands came up, almost unbidden, to twine through Loki's fall of ebony hair, and my fists tightened slowly as the kiss deepened. Pulling his head back, I licked over the long line of his pale throat before biting down on the god's thundering pulse, tearing a breathy squeal from him. I drew back to give him a smug little grin, and Loki's eyes burned up at me before he turned his head slightly to the side, proudly displaying my mark upon his throat.

"Missed this," I panted, leaning back in to kiss him again. "Missed you."

"And I, you," he murmured. "I have thought of this time and again, all during my long days…away. Being able to lose myself in the memory of our one brief night together has served to make my punishment almost bearable."

Part of me preened at his admission, while another cringed. I didn't want to think of Loki reliving our encounter in order to take his mind off of his torture. And even though he refused to speak on it, or even call it such, I knew he had been tortured. I knew the signs and hallmarks; I knew how it could change a person. And the Loki before me was definitely changed.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what had been done to affect that change. So I quieted that mouth with another blistering kiss.

Loki responded eagerly, pulling me down atop him and letting his hands wander. He stroked up my arms, across my shoulders, and then raked his nails slowly down my back to grasp my hips. I drew in a sharp breath at the sting, and the god bucked beneath me, grinding up and allowing me to feel his arousal.

I swore softly and pulled one hand from Loki's hair, slipping it between us to trace the hard line of his cock. He twitched beneath my fingertips and I chuckled. "And here I was wondering if you still wanted me as badly as last time. Guess this is my answer."

"Just as badly, if not more," Loki said, pushing up his hips, seeking more friction. "Before, I was unaware of exactly how skilled you were in the ways of the flesh. Now I know precisely the bliss you can visit upon me."

"Heavy praise, Princess," I gasped as one of the god's hands left my hip to brush lightly against my own growing need.

"I am simply speaking the truth," Loki replied. "I seem to remember you suggesting last time that I should take that route."

"Yeah," I said breathily as he palmed my cock, squeezing firmly. "I did. Good to know you were listening."

Loki gave an appreciative hum before thumbing open the button on my pants. "I remember everything you said in our time together," he murmured as he lifted his head to capture my mouth again.

I lost myself in the heat of the kiss; the slow, steady burn that overflowed from my gut to spread through the entirety of my body. My skin felt like it was on fire, and all I wanted was to have this moment last forever.

Fuck the council; fuck the punishment hanging over Loki's head; fuck the Asgardians, and fuck whatever the future might bring. Because for the first time in far too long, everything felt right, and I was bound and determined to enjoy that.

Then Loki's hand slipped down the front of my pants to loosely circle around my cock, and my racing thoughts came to a violent stop. My vision tunneled until the only thing left was the two of us; a slack jawed assassin and the smirking god beneath him.

"Oh…fuck," I moaned, my hips stuttering unbidden. "Yes. Put your hands on me."

"Gladly," Loki purred. "You need not even ask, Clint, as I have been aching to do that very thing for far too long now."

I held myself above Loki on trembling arms, my eyes fixed on his as he firmed his grip before giving a long, slow pull from base to tip. I huffed out a strangled groan as the feel of his cool fingers caging my heated flesh.

After Manhattan I'd closeted myself away, putting up a wall between myself and any physical pleasure. I denied my needs just as staunchly as I'd denied my feelings…and as such, I'd almost forgotten how good it felt just to be touched.

And as the god stroked me faster, harder, the tremors spread from my arms throughout my entire frame.

Loki's mouth curved into a pleased smile at my reaction, and his eyes narrowed in a mischievous manner. "I see you have missed my touch," he murmured.

I nodded, not trusting my ability to string words together in a way that might make any sense. And goddamn if what he said next didn't almost break me completely.

His free hand slid around the nape of my neck, and Loki pulled me down until his lips were brushing against my ear. His breath was warm; fanning against my skin as he cooed, "Shall we see how very much you've missed my mouth? I wish to use it upon you, Clint."

"Oh. Please…" I gasped, burying my face in Loki's throat as the memory of exactly how skilled he was with his mouth burned through my mind.

With a slight chuckle and a sudden shifting of his weight, I found myself on my back, Loki astride my thighs as he gazed down, eyes bright with amusement. I let out a throaty growl and bucked under him, nearly lifting the god off his knees as I canted my hips up, pointedly begging with my body.

"So impatient," Loki chided.

"You love it," I moaned as he continued to languidly stroke my cock. "You love knowing how much I want you. You get off on making me whimper and whine; feeling me strain for your touch. C'mon, Loki. Don't make me wait anymore. Let me have that mouth?"

A full body shudder ran through him at my words, and his gaze grew hooded with lust. Seems I'd hit my target dead center; pushing one of Loki's buttons yet again with deadly accuracy. And the god bent low over me then, nipping at the lobe of my ear before murmuring, "Perhaps I should make you beg for this mouth."

My right hand tangled deep in his hair and I arched my hips up against Loki's own, teasing a surprised gasp from the god. "And maybe," I growled, "I should make you beg me for the right to use that mouth, hmmm?"

"Then I fear we would find ourselves at an impasse," Loki panted as he rocked back against me, his mouth twisted in a feral grin. "As much as I wish you to beg for me, I also burn to taste you again. And as much as I want to see the evidence of your need, I can scarcely hold myself back from rending the clothes from your very frame." He paused there, his poison green gaze crawling over me. "I dream of bringing you to ruin with nothing more than my touch."

"Well that would be a waste," I said and tightened my fist in Loki's hair. "We both know you have a lot more to offer than just your touch."

"You speak the truth," the god gasped as I tugged his head to the side and ran my tongue over the sensitive dip under his ear. "So much more."

"Then show me, Loki," I murmured. "Show me everything you've got…"

The quiet moan he voiced sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt a fresh bloom of heat rise in my belly. I rolled my hips, fucking myself into Loki's firm grasp and arching beneath him as he slowly worked his way down my body, mouthing, licking and nipping all along the way.

And fuck if he didn't take his time.

Soft lips moved across my collarbones, a warm tongue lapped over the hollow at the base of my throat, sharp teeth closed over the peak of my nipple, biting down through the cloth of my shirt, and my head ground back into the bed as I cursed bitterly in response. He hadn't even hit my abdomen yet and I was already skating on the edge, half embarrassed by how quickly I'd gotten to this point.

Sure, he was still using that slender hand of his to tease and torment. And yeah, the anticipation of having that mouth wrapped around me was not helping me to keep my cool. Still…no excuse. I needed to get my focus back otherwise this would be over before it started. And that would be a goddamn crime.

Loki's free hand pushed up my shirt as he trailed lower, and I felt the burning heat of his mouth against the bare skin of my belly. His tongue ran out to dip into my navel, and I twisted and bucked beneath him as a low, shuddering moan rose in my throat. He licked a hot, wet stripe to my hip, and then scraped his teeth over the ridge of bone, making me yelp out a curse and grip his hair tighter.

"Please," I gasped. "Oh fuck, Loki…please!"

The god uttered a quiet chuckle before biting down on my hip and I sobbed in frustration. The alcohol combined with my too long neglected need had broken me down, left me a shaking mess of want. And he was so close to where I wanted him…just inches away from giving me exactly what I craved.

"So lovely when you beg," Loki murmured, giving one last swipe of his tongue over my lower belly.

I strained in his grasp, hips leaving the bed entirely as I panted out a final, choked, "Please!"

"As you wish," he said in a voice like smoke, and then I tensed as I felt the searing heat of Loki's mouth envelop my insistent cock. He pushed forward slowly, taking me in inch by inch, and I howled brokenly, my fist clenching tighter in his hair.

"Fuck! Oh…goddamn it," I panted, thighs trembling, stars exploding behind my tightly shut eyes. "That fucking mouth!"

Loki hummed in delight around the thick flesh stretching his jaws, continuing his forward motion until his lips brushed against my lower belly. My hips stuttered, pumping helplessly between the god's lips and I bit back a hiss at the feel of his throat so very tight around the head of my cock. When Loki began to firmly swallow around me, I cracked my eyes open and looked down at him in awe, the sensation just this side of too much.

"Oh…just like that," I whimpered. "Don't…don't stop."

Those poison green eyes narrowed the slightest bit at me in mute agreement that he would do no such thing. That he would continue on until I begged him to stop, and even then, he might just continue.

I held Loki's gaze as he backed off a bit, taking a deep breath through his nose before surging forward again, the flat of his tongue pressed firmly to the underside of my flesh. I rolled my hips, withdrawing as he moved back; thrusting as he swallowed me down. I swore through gritted teeth at the heat and the wet and the sheer burning friction, feeling like the top of my head was about to blow off.

This was too much and not enough all rolled into one, and it was driving me mad.

I wanted everything at once. Loki spread open underneath me; thrusting harshly between his thighs, making him wail and gibber. I wanted his eyes rolled back, sightless as he came, the burning brand of his come soaking into the skin of my chest. I wanted his teeth in my throat, his nails in my back; the hot trickle of blood emanating from the half moons of pain he would gouge into me. I wanted to be inside him, but I also wanted to roll to my hands and knees; to arch my back and beg him to take me, fuck me, claim me as his.

I wanted all that and more.

But I wasn't quite done with his mouth yet.

Splaying my hand across the base of his skull, I held the god in position as I snapped my hips up, fucking his pliant mouth. He wriggled in my grasp, grinding his own neglected length against my leg, needy little noises leaking out from around my thick flesh. The mead burning in my belly worked on loosening my tongue and I found myself babbling away as I drove deep again and again.

"Dreamed of this," I groaned. "Dreamed of you. Stuttgart left me wanting more. Wasn't enough, just that once. Dunno what it is about you…but you made me…hungry. Dunno know why or how you got under my skin like you did. But I couldn't get you out. Couldn't stop thinking of you. And my head said it was wrong; that I was wrong. But my body said something else entirely." I paused there, staring steadily into Loki's eyes, glittering green and gone wide at my words.

"Got so twisted up, trying to figure that out," I continued quietly. "It hurt when you put me back under. And it hurt more when you left me on the Helicarrier. Tried to tell myself that it didn't…but it did, Loki. It fucking hurt. I just…I wanted to stay with you. I knew it was wrong. That what you were doing was wrong. But I wanted you. Still do."

Loki pulled back, letting my cock fall free from his mouth as he hovered over me. I watched as a myriad of emotions cycled through those eyes, and finally he replied in a small, contrite voice, "Would that we had met at another time; in another place. Perhaps then…"

"Wasn't done talking yet," I cut in, my hand sliding down to grip the nape of his neck lightly. "Can't change the past, and what happened before? It doesn't matter. Not now. Now that I know the truth of it. Let the past stay dead, and the future bring whatever it's gonna bring. You're here now, with me, and that's all that matters."

In the gloom, I could barely make out the wet gleam in Loki's eyes, or the way he blinked back the tears that threatened. But I could definitely hear the way his voice trembled when he spoke. "Thank you," he said, his tone ragged with barely suppressed emotion. "Thank you for allowing me another chance at having that which I so desire. I had thought you would carry nothing but hatred for me…especially after my actions in Stuttgart."

"Not gonna lie," I answered. "For a while, I did hate you. But that was before. And even when I did hate you? I still wanted you. Which is why my head was so fucked up over all this. Wasn't sure how I could have both those feelings in me for one person."

I pulled Loki up by the nape of his neck, pressing my mouth to his in a rough kiss. "But now none of that matters anymore. I think we both deserve a fresh start."

He eagerly returned the kiss, almost frantic in his desire, and I rocked my hips up to grind against his still hidden arousal. "Enough talk now," I murmured, nipping at his lower lip. "I wanna show you how I feel."

"Yes," Loki breathed. "Please, my Hawk. I have waited so long…"

"We both have," I said, my free hand sliding down the curve of his spine to grasp his hip, plucking at the fabric of his breeches. "No more waiting. I want you bare…now. I wanna see all of you."

Loki tensed in my grasp, his wide eyes conveying the slightest measure of panic at my request. My brows drew together as I studied him and the way he seemed to curl into himself, crouched over me as if he were about to bolt.

"Are you okay," I asked slowly, lifting myself to my elbows. "Did I say something wrong?"

Loki's eyes slid to the side and he gave a small shake of his head, his mouth drawn into a thin line. "No," he answered quietly. "I…just…I haven't let…" His words trailed away and he huffed out a deep sigh before lifting his hands to hesitantly undo the laces holding his tunic shut.

I watched as he untied the rough cords, mystified by his reaction. But when he drew the shirt off over his head and dropped his gaze, then I understood.

"Oh god," I breathed. "Loki. No."

His torso was covered with a series of mottled bruises in every ugly shade of the rainbow. Purple, blue, black and maroon, all fading into a sickly yellow at the edges. A garden of pain bloomed across that formerly pale and pristine skin I remembered so fondly. That in and of itself would have been enough to spark my rage, but the raised and crusted welts that criss-crossed his thin frame sent me right the fuck over the edge.

"Who did this to you," I demanded, my voice low and sharp as the whip tails that had marred his flesh.

"Someone far beyond the reach of your ire," he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest in a self conscious attempt to hide the damage done. "Do not concern yourself with such. It was simply my punishment, and I weathered it. I survived."

"Fuck that," I growled. "That's not punishment! That's…torture."

"How does one break a god," he murmured. "How do you bring low an immortal? Through pain and humiliation; through subjecting them to a never ending cycle of torment all while reintegrating exactly what they have done so very wrong. One must be broken in order to be remade."

I pushed myself up, my hands raising to hover over the worst of the marks on Loki's skin. I was in a black fucking rage; I wanted the head of whoever had done this; wanted to subject them to the same punishment and listen to their screams for mercy. And when they begged, tears spilling and breath coming ragged, I wanted to put the whip to them just that much harder.

No one deserved this. Never this.

But I knew that the chance of me ever coming across the one that had doled out this treatment was slim to none…so I buried my rage deep and dipped my head to catch Loki's gaze. "Does it still hurt," I asked quietly.

"It has mostly faded to a dull ache," he answered hollowly.

My throat tightened at his tone, and I lightly traced one of the welts with my fingertips. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, and then bent my head to gently kiss his wounds.

The god uttered a surprised gasp, his arms falling slack to his sides as I turned, lowering him slowly to the bed and set about softly kissing each and every mark upon his skin, murmuring apologies all the while.