Loki's breath hitched and his entire body shuddered beneath my lips as I kissed every bruise and welt within my reach. I tried to wipe my mind free from the simmering rage I felt, and just focus on this small show of kindness instead, but it was next to impossible with the evidence of his mistreatment staring me right in the face.

The god held his silence as I worked, the only sound in the room that of his strained breathing.

I stroked his flanks lightly, reverently, letting my fingertips trace the curve of his ribs before capturing Loki's right hand, lacing our fingers together. He griped tightly, desperately, and I gave a reassuring squeeze, saying with my motions that I was right there. I wasn't going anywhere.

Finally, I licked a long, wet stripe up the center of his sternum and leaned in to capture his mouth once more in a slow, gentle kiss. When I pulled back I caught sight of the damp tracks leading from the corners of those emerald eyes and disappearing into his hairline. My heart leapt into my throat, and I silently cursed myself, thinking I must have caused him pain somehow.

"Hey, no," I murmured. "No, no, no. Don't cry. Please? Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all," Loki whispered.

"Then what," I questioned, holding myself above the prone god, staring deep into those eyes misted by tears.

"Simply your kindness," he replied softly. "It has been an age since any showed me such care. I had forgotten what that was like."

I bit back the growl I wanted to voice at his words, instead lifting our entwined hands to kiss the back of Loki's palm before pulling free from his grip. Then I wiped away his tears with my thumb, saying firmly, "No more of those. I suck at tears. They make me want to fix whatever caused 'em…and by fix I usually mean punch somebody."

Loki gifted me with a tiny smile. "My protector," he said fondly, and with a start, I realized that that was exactly the role I now found myself occupying.

For months I'd hated the man beneath me. Hated him with a passion that curdled my blood and set my teeth on edge. Even the sound of his name was enough to make me clench my jaw and glare at whoever had dared mention the god while in my presence. But all the while I'd carried that spark inside me…that minute, burning ember of want. Once I laid eyes on Loki again, once his gaze met mine, all of that emotion I'd kept caged inside was thrown into turmoil.

The way he'd knelt, bowed and broken before Odin had brought a slew of new feelings to the surface. It birthed a protectiveness that was like nothing I'd ever felt, and that sorta scared me a little. And the immediate rage I'd felt when he'd revealed his wounds was almost impressive in its intensity. I'd managed to stuff it down, ignoring the beast inside that howled for blood; telling myself that all I could do at this point was comfort my broken god.

And then came his confession, and that hatred was snuffed out like a candle in a strong wind. And wasn't that a weird feeling? Something I'd carried for so long, nurtured and fed…just…gone without a trace.

"Looks like you need a protector right about now," I ground out, trying, and failing to ignore the riot of bruises that marked the lean frame beneath me.

"Indeed," Loki mused and lifted his hand to curl around the nape of my neck, his nails scratching lightly. "And who better suited for that job than you?"

"I do have a unique skill set," I murmured, leaning in to brush my lips across his.

"Show me," Loki whimpered, nipping at my lower lip. "Please, Clint? Show me all your varied skills."

"With pleasure," I smirked.

I stood to my feet and quickly stripped myself bare, flinging my clothes off to the side without a second thought. My hands slid up Loki's thighs to the fastenings of his breeches and his breath stilled as I worked them open. He lifted his hips as I peeled the material off, leaving him fully exposed to my eyes. Even with all the emotional upheaval the last fifteen minutes had brought, Loki was as achingly hard as that first time in Stuttgart. I gave a pleased growl and teased my fingertips over his length, watching as the muscles of his belly trembled in response to my attentions.

"Please," he gasped, writhing on the bed, his back arching and eyes drifting shut in bliss from the tiniest of touches. "Oh please, my Hawk. More."

"Absolutely," I breathed. "Just…gonna have to be careful so I don't hurt you worse."

Loki's brows drew together at my words, and he captured his lower lip between his teeth, giving a quick nod. "Of course," he murmured.

I crawled up the bed, sitting with my back against the headboard, legs splayed before me. "C'mere," I beckoned and stretched out my hand to pull the dark god to me.

Loki gave me that tiny, enigmatic smile of his as he settled over my thighs, knees snugged in tight to my hips. "Like so," he asked.

"Yes," I answered, circling my right hand around both of our arousals as my left stroked down his spine to the cleft of his ass. "Just like that."

The god gave voice to a small gasp and rocked his hips forward, fucking himself into my loosely held fist. I echoed him with a low moan at the friction of his heated flesh against my own. Loki's hands came up to settle on my shoulders and he held my gaze as he began to move atop me, his thighs flexing as he thrust and withdrew, thrust and withdrew. I swore softly at the sinuous motion of his body, caught in the burning stare of those poison green eyes as he panted raggedly.

"More," he demanded.

"Greedy," I chuckled and gave a long, slow pull to our combined girth.

Loki whimpered and dropped his head forward, brows drawing together and his lips parting slightly as a low moan built in his chest. I twisted my hand around and over the head of his cock, and then stroked back down to the base to squeeze and release. And even as I teased the hardened flesh in my grip, I slipped the fingers of my left hand deeper to ghost over his entrance.

A small, soft "Oh," was his response, and then he was pushing back against my questing fingers, enveloping me in his tight heat.

"That's it," I murmured. "Take what you need, Loki."

There was a nearly inaudible whisper from the god astride me, and suddenly my fingers were slicked and gliding deeper into his body. I held my position, allowing him to set the pace and depth as his eyes bored into mine. Then he was arching down to mouth along my throat, pleading, "More," against my thundering pulse.

I gasped at the press of Loki's sharp, even teeth at the crook of my shoulder, and as he licked over the sting, I bucked my hips up, grinding my cock against his. He shifted his weight, rocking faster as his hands clutched tighter at my shoulders.

"Please, please, please," Loki chanted, his voice gone rough with lust. "Fill me up, Clint. Give me more."

"Fuck. Love it when you beg," I moaned. "Keep that up, Princess, and you can have whatever you want."

"Is that all I need do," the god asked as he rolled his hips. "Such a simple request."

"I'm a simple guy," I replied and crooked my fingers, searching for that hidden spot that was Loki's undoing.

"You are anything but that, my Hawk," Loki panted, and then stiffened above me as I found my target.

I sent a rakish grin up at the slack-jawed god, pressing my fingertips firmly against that sensitive patch of flesh and thrilling to the stuttering gasp he voiced in response.

"Again with the praise," I mused. "Flattery doesn't usually work on me, but this? I could get used to this."

Loki mewled and rolled his hips back against me, trying to take me even deeper. I pulled nearly free and worked a third finger into him, noting the flush that was rising in his cheeks, spilling over to stain his throat and chest. I drove deep into him while moving my right hand faster over his now leaking length, smearing his pre-come over our combined girth.

"You almost ready for me," I asked, stretching up to nip at his ear.

"So very ready," he breathed in response, snapping his hips forward and sighing at the silken glide of his flesh against mine.

"Good," I growled. "You're not the only greedy one, you know. And I wanna feel you wrapped around me. Wanna hear you moan when I fill you so fucking full."

"Yes," he gasped. "Take me, Clint. Make me yours. Please?"

"Told you, Princess," I murmured. "Take what you need. I'm here to deliver."

And with that, Loki rose to his knees, uttering a small whimper at the loss of my fingers stretching him open. He shifted his weight forward, reaching beneath himself to grasp my cock and guide it where he was most wanting. My breath caught in my throat, and I let out a low hiss from between clenched teeth as Loki slowly sank down, taking every inch of me into his searing heat.

"Fuck," I snarled, fighting the urge to clamp my hands onto his hips and rut deep between his spread thighs.

I didn't want this to be just a violent release of need.

I needed it to be more than that; to show my god exactly how much I missed him. How much I wanted him.

The whining little moans leaking from Loki's lips were not helping me to hold back. I needed more of those low noises of lust; his voice ragged and wanting and so full of bliss. I didn't give a shit as to my own pleasure right then; I was fully focused on making him come apart. I wanted his screams of release echoing in my ears; the burning streaks of his come soaking into my chest. And as Loki took the final bit of my cock, snugging his hips down tight against my belly, I circled my hand firmly around his insistent length and began to stroke.

"Yes," he cried out, tossing his head back and turning unseeing eyes to the canopy overhead. "Oh, by the Nine, Clint…-yes-!"

"Move," I growled, while giving a long, slow pull to his cock. "Show me how much you want me."

Loki's head dropped forward, and he fixed his eyes upon mine. Even in the deepening gloom, his gaze shimmered, catching what little light there was and seeming to softly glow. I gave a shallow thrust of my hips, teasing a gasp from the god astride me.

"Move," I repeated. "You're in charge this time, Loki. I'm following your lead."

The corner of Loki's mouth curled up into a smug smile, and he lifted himself slightly before sinking back down. He circled his hips, rocking slowly as his breath came faster. I panted raggedly, my eyes locked on his as he found his rhythm, watching closely at the play of emotion across his face. Loki whimpered softly as he moved, and his hands stroked gently over my chest before he braced himself and bent low over me.

I brought my free hand up to tangle in long, dark hair and dragged Loki down to capture his mouth in a blistering kiss, swallowing down the god's moans as he moved faster. I snapped my hips up to meet him, biting back a growl at the heat and the friction and the clenching tightness of Loki's body wrapped around my thick cock.

I'd waited so long…wanted so much…and now he was here, right where I needed him. It was almost enough to break me completely.

The god pulled back, licking across my slack mouth and shining a grin down at me, almost as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"And is this what you have yearned for, my Hawk? Is this what you have dreamed of these long months past," Loki purred.

I sank my teeth into my lower lip and ground my head back into the pillows, giving a slight nod by way of reply. Really, all I'd wanted, all I dreamed of was Loki. The how and the where and the why never seemed to matter quite as much as the who.

As long as I had him, then ultimately, that was all that mattered to me.

I gasped as Loki molded himself to my chest and mouthed my throat, nipping and licking over my thundering pulse, tasting the salt of my skin. He rutted his hips forward, pushing his cock more firmly into my fist as he quietly murmured, "Please, Clint…I cannot hold back much longer. Bring me to ruin? Make me come undone…"

"Fuck," I groaned. "Thought you'd never ask."

I tightened my fingers deep in Loki's hair, gathering a fistful at the nape of his neck and pulling him closer until there was barely any space between us. He rocked faster, hands slipping up to once again clasp my shoulders and he brushed his lips over my own, breathing out a soft, "Yes. Harder," as I stroked his length.

"Come for me, Loki," I panted, tilting my hips up, driving deeper into him even as I worked his heated flesh. "Wanna feel you so fucking tight around me when I spill. Milk me for every drop? Please?"

His steady rhythm began to falter, the measured pace he'd enacted stuttering as tremors rose in those lean thighs that bracketed my hips. I could feel him shaking; hear the way his breath hitched, the slightest whisper of a moan caged behind clenched teeth as I moved beneath him; within him.

"So…close," Loki keened. "Hold nothing back, my Hawk…please!?"

I flicked my tongue over the shell of Loki's ear before breathing out, "Don't want to hurt you. But I think you can take what I have to give easily enough, can't you?"

He nodded, eyes wide and burning with a deep seated hunger. I bucked beneath him, arching my hips up and twisting the palm of my hand over the head of his cock as I surged into him, tearing a strangled cry from deep in the god's chest. Loki uttered a low, needy sob and stiffened as his orgasm suddenly crashed down upon him.

"That's it," I cooed, as his heat spilled over my fingers and down to pool upon my belly. "Come for me. Just for me…"

The god trembled and shook in my grasp, writhing in wanton abandon; muted curses and hissing breaths filling the space between us. "Come with me," he gasped, his voice ragged and blown with lust. "Fill me up, Clint. I've been dreaming of such for so very long now. I need your heat to remind me that I'm alive. Make me feel again."

And if that didn't sting…hearing that he'd been dreaming of this; dreaming of me all during his time away. But I'd be goddamned if I'd let his words give me pause.

No.

I was going to deliver exactly what we both needed, and fuck all the pain and angst that kept rearing its' ugly head and trying to ruin this.

My hand slipped from Loki's hair to clasp the nape of his neck tightly and I tugged him down to meet my mouth. And as I slicked my tongue over his own I drove deep between his spread thighs, allowing that last tenuous thread of restraint to snap. The tension coiled at the base of my spine let go, and with a low snarl, I was coming. The god's back arched, and his eyes snapped to mine, holding my burning gaze as I filled him to overflowing, and my hips twitched and stuttered, fucking the last bit of my too long pent-up lust into the pliant body above me.

"C-coming," I stuttered. "Oh…-fuck-…Loki, I'm coming. Can you feel me?"

"Yes, my Hawk," he answered smugly. "I can feel every last bit of you. Every single drop. And all for me."

"All for you," I agreed. "Whenever and however you want me."

Loki dropped his head, pressing his face against the side of my throat, nuzzling lightly. My arms wound around his back, seemingly on instinct, and almost before I realized it, I was cradling my broken god. Loki uttered a pleased little hum, and snuggled deeper into my arms.

"Thank you," he murmured. "You haven't the slightest idea what a gift you have given me."

"Oh, I think I might have a better idea than you realize," I replied, stifling a yawn with the back of my hand.

Loki gave me a rueful smile. "Have I worn you out so completely," he asked. "Or do you simply find my company that boring?"

"Shut up," I said fondly. "I've had a really long day and too much mead on top of all that. And yeah, you definitely wore me out. So shoot me if I'm ready for a nap."

The god pulled back slightly, stroking one hand through my hair before stating, "You should go, then. You'll need your rest for whatever tomorrow brings."

"Who said anything about me going anywhere," I asked, yawning again. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

Loki's brows drew together and he looked like he was about to argue that my staying in his room would be a bad idea all around. That it would be frowned upon if our…fraternization were discovered.

And then he realized that I didn't give one single, solitary fuck about any of that, and instead held his silence.

"C'mere," I mumbled, drawing Loki back down to lay against me. I tucked his soft, dark head under my chin, and pressed a quick kiss to his crown before closing my eyes. "Sleep now…argue later."

Loki snorted in amusement and wriggled against me until he found a comfortable position. "That is what I'm afraid of," he replied. "So many arguments."

"And you're the Silvertongue," I muttered, poised on the verge of unconsciousness. "'F you can't argue your way out, then I'll start punching. It'll be okay."

"I certainly hope so," Loki whispered. "But we shall see…"