"Why do stars fall down from the sky? Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be, close to you."
Close To You, The Carpenters.

Loki left the bathroom before Tony, heading towards their bedroom in just a towel. He truly had no shame, often strolling around without a shirt on without really a care as to who saw. Not that he needed to have any shame – he had a wonderful body. True, he wasn't as muscular as Thor, but he was lean and lithe and toned, well defined but not overly so. He guessed the lack of humility was something that dated back to the god's youth – Thor too often wandered around half-naked. Clearly it was something they'd both become accustomed too growing up. Tony guessed he should've expected it; as princes, the pair were probably taught to be proud of their appearance, and their strutting around in very little was probably appreciated, if not encouraged, by their people.

When he eventually followed the taller man into the bedroom, Tony found Loki drying his hair in front of the mirror. He couldn't help a small grin. He'd never seen Loki happier than the day he taught the demigod to use a blow dryer. He was shamelessly vain, often taking up to an hour to get ready in the mornings if they were planning on going somewhere. Though Tony supposed he couldn't complain; he wasn't a whole load better.

It was a crazy thing really; both men were so similar that they'd expected their personalities to clash. Both were highly strung and high maintenance and borderline narcissistic, but they seemed to fit into each other's personalities perfectly. Tony saw a side to Loki he'd never even imagined could exist; the softer side, the side who wanted to spend a morning in bed just talking, the side who would flirt and mess around and could actually be really cute and silly. It'd taken a while to get to that side, though. Tony remembered the first time they'd made love, down in that damned cell in the basement – Loki had simply dressed afterwards and left Tony in the fold-out camping bed alone. When Tony asked, he'd got a simple reply; "I don't snuggle, Stark."

Now it couldn't be more different. Loki, for all his airs and graces of being above such childish behaviour, wanted to be within constant proximity of Tony, it seemed. His sex drive wasn't as high as the mortal might've liked, but he was visibly happier when in Tony's company, and it was rare for the couple to be within touching distance and to not be doing so. Tony guessed it was probably something to do with their mother; Thor had mentioned once or twice that when they were kids, their mom had been way into hugs and kisses and lap-sitting and bedtime stories. It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the younger god got comfort from affectionate touches even now – especially now, since he found out he was adopted.

The roar of the blow dryer shut off and Loki grinned at Tony in the mirror.

"Hi," he said, sounding much more cheerful than he had before. "What do you want to do today?"

"Let's go back to bed," Tony suggested, sitting on the edge of the mattress. Loki laughed there.

"We've only just gotten up," he commented, turning to Tony with a cynical eyebrow. "Gods, boy, your sex drive is just astonishing."

"You know you calling me 'boy' doesn't help if you want me to stop being so horny for you," Tony advised. "And for once, maybe I'm not actually asking for sex. Maybe I just want to snuggle that hangover out of you?"

Loki grinned and lay on the bed beside the mortal, folding his arms around Tony's midsection and pulling him close, until his head nuzzled into the god's neck, his hair tickling up the taller man's nose, but Loki wasn't complaining.

"You know," Tony broke the non-tense silence. "For a guy who didn't snuggle six weeks ago, you sure do get into these cuddles."

"Shut up, Anthony," Loki's voice was loving as he said it. "We're having a 'moment'. Please don't ruin it."

"Sorry," Tony chuckled, cuddling closer. There was something massively alluring about cuddling with Loki that Tony couldn't quite put his finger on. Maybe it was the fact that there was never an awkward too-much-body-heat period; Loki was always cool to the touch, as if he was actually made from alabaster or marble (Thor had explained it was due to his 'Jotun blood'. Tony wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but any time he tried to talk to Loki about his birth parents the god had clammed up and Tony could see it was unwise to press further.) Or perhaps it was the way the lean, sinewy arms were strong and comforting around the smaller man's body. Or maybe it was the way Tony fit into the crook of Loki's elbow so perfectly, and vice versa. Or the way the skin on Loki's neck and chest was silky smooth and cool against Tony's cheek. Or the way Loki's hair smelled. Or maybe it was just the bond between the two men extending out and warming both of their hearts to the point where they'd be nowhere but in each other's' arms.

Loki pressed a gentle kiss to Tony's forehead, and all of a sudden, Barton's words came back to him.

Has he ever actually said it?

"I love you, Tony," Loki breathed, his breath cold on Tony's ear.

"You too, hon," Tony replied, and Loki swallowed deeply.

"Say it properly," he said, his voicing pleasingly even.

"What do you mean, properly?" Tony asked, sounded confused and slightly pissed off.

"Say you love me," Loki whispered. "Go on."

"I just did, didn't I?" Tony sat up to look at him, perplexed. Loki bit his lip, then met the mortal's eyes.

"No. You didn't say it properly," Loki's voice adopted an underlying whiny tone. "Please, just say it."

"Jesus Christ, Lo. When did you get this needy?" Tony sounded distinctly pissed now.

"I'm not being needy," Loki pouted, but Tony didn't comment on the cuteness of it this time. "I just want you to say it."

"You said I was ruining this moment," Tony said, swinging his legs out of bed. "Jesus fuck."

"Where are you going?" Loki sat up too now, frowning as he watched the smaller man get dressed.

"I don't know. Down to the workshop or to the bar or some shit," Tony grumbled.

"Are you mad?" Loki's voice was quiet.

"Kinda," Tony replied, not turning to look at the demigod. He heard the slim man sigh wearily, and then he did turn around.

Loki was now lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling sadly. Tony went to him and sighed too.

"What's with you today, huh?" he asked, softly. "Is it just the hangover, or what is it?"

"The other day, Barton said…" Loki cleared his throat. "He said that you don't love me and that I'll struggle to get you to say it because it's not true. I'm being foolish. Ignore me."

"No. You're not being foolish," Tony pushed a strand of Loki's hair off of his face. "I told you, didn't I? Barton was talking crap. Ignore everything he said. He said it to hurt you. It's just not true – none of it, okay? I love you, Loki Laufeyson. Don't you ever forget that. Okay?"

"Okay," Loki simply smiled in response.