A/N: Man, I love writing dialogue between Tony and Loki! It's so much fun after so long of silent!Loki. Also, I have an (evil) idea for the next chapter of Like Poison, so expect an update to that soon, as well! ;)

Nothing More Than Feelings – All the Feelings

All Loki wanted to do was curl up by Tony's side, to feel warm and safe as he had as a cat. He had loathed all the petting and contact at first, but now he missed it with an almost physical pang.

It was over, he realized. Tony Stark knew who and what Loki was, and this space between them might as well be an impenetrable wall for all that Loki could cross it. It was foolish, he knew, to envy the life of a cat of all things, but just thinking about all he had lost was making it difficult to breathe.

Happiness was transitory, and he knew that. Now, it was time to move on.

"So," Tony said. His voice summoned Loki back from his maudlin thoughts. "Why a cat?"

"Why not?" Loki automatically deflected. He laced his fingers together to keep from fidgeting.

Tony smirked and shook his head. He set down the heavy bowl with a clank and turned his full attention on Loki. "Okay," he said, "then why here?"

Loki had a lie ready on his tongue until he looked up into large, dark eyes and forgot what he was going to say. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

The couch was a decent size, but Tony tended to sprawl, limbs flopping about in every direction, so that there was barely a foot of space between the two. Loki studied the human quietly; in his experience, only someone who was confident or feigning confidence could fill up space so efficiently. In contrast, Loki perched on the edge of the couch, muscles tense and limbs close to his body. That was an indication of someone wary, unsure, and Loki frowned, displeased with his own display.

True, Tony's confidence bordered on arrogance, but no mortal should have the upper hand in this situation. Loki leaned back until his shoulders met leather and cushion, and, slowly, he unwound like a ball of yarn until he sat back in a muted version of Tony's sprawl.

His shoulder almost brushed Tony's and those dark, dark eyes were close enough that he could see flecks of gray and brown, but if Loki's pulse jumped, surely it was an aftereffect of exerting his magic the night before.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "You've been dying to say that, haven't you?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I have."

Loki allowed himself a wry grin and a huff of laughter.

"Seriously though."

Loki arched an eyebrow at his human companion. "I do not think you've ever been serious in your life, Tony Stark."

Tony smirked but waggled a finger disapprovingly. "Hey, stop evading! Bad kitty!"

Loki's lips twitched in a smile despite his wishes. Tony Stark was a strange human.

He looked tired though, Loki realized. Haggard, even. This close, Loki could count the lines at the corners of Tony's eyes, the dark points of stubble that dusted his jaw. His eyes were heavy-lidded, shadowed, and puffy, and his hair stuck up at odd angles the way it did early in the morning. Loki wanted to reach up and comb his fingers through the wild strands.

He didn't.

Loki cleared his throat and looked at the TV. "I made an enemy," he answered. He did not have the energy to conjure up another lie, not with his skin prickling under that stare. "I thought I could use you and your spandex-wearing friends as a distraction. Plus hiding under your noses amused me."

Loki plastered a smirk across his face and held it as he turned back to Tony, gauging his reaction. Tony's eyes dropped, his brow furrowed, and then he nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I can see you doing that," he said, almost flippantly. He half-turned so that his torso was facing Loki with his elbow resting on the back of the couch. "Especially the 'making an enemy' part."

"I'll have you know I can be very charming when the mood suits me." Loki's smile turned a bit coy, and he found himself leaning towards Tony just enough for his shoulder to brush the human's arm.

Loki knew he must be starved for attention if such a simple touch felt like fire. He pulled back when Tony didn't, unsettled without knowing why.

"Are you angry?" he murmured. It was a ridiculous question, but he wanted to know.

Tony's eyes held his as he considered. "No," he said after a while. "I suppose I should be. I mean, I'll miss my cat and all, but... this is you, after all, so I'm hardly surprised. You'll still purr if I pet you though, right?"

Loki smirked. "That depends."

Tony tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed in consideration but lips curved with the hint of something else. "Interesting," he said. "Usually, when I flirt with you, you get all pissy and slap me around a bit."

Loki returned the human's stare evenly, the ghost of a smile still tilting his lips. Tony was still sitting closer than a friendly distance, and Loki itched to just grab the irksome human by the collar and pin him against the couch. "Well, I suppose I've built up something of a tolerance after all those times you rubbed my belly." His eyebrow gained a suggestive tilt.

Tony inched closer as his smirk inched higher. "I distinctly remember you purring each time."

Loki's skin tingled. They were breathing the same air now. "You would too if I rubbed your belly that way." He ached to close the distance, to run a hand along the sharp angles of Tony's jawline, to bury long fingers in Tony's hair, but he could not bring himself to be the one to break down the barrier between them.

Tony's eyes looked black now. He bent forward until his breath tickled Loki's ear. "So," he murmured. "Why didn't you?" His voice sent tiny shivers down the crook of Loki's neck.

And then the incongruity of the words penetrated his fogged brain. "Mmm?"

"Use me as a distraction?" It took Loki a long moment to realize that Tony was picking up an earlier thread of conversation. Tony leaned back enough to look at the Trickster, eyes still dark but serious with the weight of his question. The space he had occupied a moment before felt... colder, somehow.

Loki swallowed. No mortal – no human – should leave him so addled. He started to pull back, to put some distance between them so that he could clear his head, when Tony slid a hand around the back of Loki's neck to hold him gently in place. The touch sent a shiver down Loki's spine.

"I don't remember much," Tony murmured. "But I remember you. You woke me up, tried to warn me. That thing that shorted out my arc reactor was distracted. You could have run, but you didn't. Why?"

Loki glared but did not pull out from under Tony's hand. He did not know how to answer. "You talk too much, human."

"Why?"

Loki grabbed a fistful of the human's hair and smashed their lips together.

Tony grunted in surprise but did not pull away. As first kisses went, it was sloppy and brutal, a clash of teeth and tongues. Tony's grip tightened on Loki's neck until his nails started to leave crescent-shaped furrows in pale skin, and his free hand curled about Loki's hip.

When Tony pulled back for air, there was a large, almost loopy smile on his bruised lips.

"So that's why," he said. "You like me!"

"Perhaps I was merely trying to shut you up."

"Admit it! I grew on you after all that time, didn't I? You like me!"

"I'm liking you less the more you sp– !"

The soft press of lips against his silenced him. This time Tony's touches were fleeting and gentle, one hand curving against Loki's cheek and the other curling around his waist. Loki stiffened. Violence and roughness and anger he could take and would relish, but this softness was... unwelcome. It reminded him of warmth and safety and of a home that he would likely never see again. Loki pushed Tony to arm's length and pulled back as far as the couch would allow, keeping his expression closed off.

"I am your enemy," he said. "You would do well to remember that."

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, well, you're also my cat, so..."

"All the more reason why you should not kiss me so."

Tony made a face that was somewhere between amused and horrified.

Loki's smile was bitter. He could not do this. "Goodbye, Tony," he said before he could change his mind. He was on his feet and down the hall before Tony could stammer a reply.

"Whoa, whoa, what?" His voice followed Loki, but he dared not look back. "Hey!"

Tony did not follow, for which Loki was grateful. He needed to be alone, to clear his head and to distance himself from the human so that he would finally leave the Trickster's thoughts. He did not want to deal with anyone right now, so Loki was careful to avoid his brother and the other Avengers.

Loki slid from room to room, from the house, and melted into the shadows of night, where he belonged. And if it felt colder than he remembered, well, he would just have to get used to it.

Hours later, Tony shuffled into the kitchen, where Thor and Steve were busy pretending to be busy. "My cat seems to have run off," he said wryly.

Thor and Steve exchanged glances that were less subtle than they thought. "About that," Steve said, raising an eyebrow meaningfully at Thor.

"Yes," Thor said solemnly, setting aside the cookbook he had been pretending to read... upside-down. "About your cat, son of Howard..."

"Oh!" Tony blurted, realizing the reason behind their uncomfortable fidgeting. "Ha, yeah, he's the real Loki. I know. He told me."

Thor blinked, and he and Steve exchanged startled looks. "Oh," Thor sighed, and his shoulders slumped with relief.

"Wait, hang on," Tony said, suddenly realizing something. "Did everyone know that my cat was the real Loki but me?"

Thor and Steve exchanged sheepish glances. "Well... you called him Loki," Steve reasoned. "We just assumed that you knew."

"Well!" Tony snapped. "You know what assuming does!"

Thor and Steve hung their blonde heads and centered identical puppy-dog eyes on Tony. The irritation bled out of him, and he blew out a heavy sigh.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Anyway, Loki's missing. That was what I meant before."

Thor frowned but looked more disappointed than surprised. "I am surprised that he remained here as long as he did, Tony," he said solemnly.

"What were you expecting?" Steve added.

Tony's mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, and he shifted awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I don't know," he murmured. They were right; he should not be surprised that Loki had just up and left, but... "I, uh. I don't know." He cleared his throat and shuffled back out the door, wondering why he felt so disappointed.

Steve watched Tony fidget uncomfortably and then leave. He gave Thor a sideways look. "What was that about?" he asked.

Thor smiled softly but said nothing.