WARNING: some language/mild violence.
Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own these characters. All rights belong to Marvel etc.
NOTE: The words in Italics that are not contained in "" [and that stand alone, not in a sentence] are the characters thoughts and not intended for others to overhear. [ although it does sometimes happen.]
The words in "Italics" are a conversation intended to be heard between the 'mind link'.
[ still not beta-d]
The plot goes on.
Their hands found one another in the silence and squeezed comfortingly. There was something strange about watching the ocean without the sounds of crashing waves. It was as though the world had been put on mute.
"I feel like I should blow out this window too. I want to hear the waves..." He trails off, suddenly realizing how insane he sounds. Beside him , Loki turns his head and smiles.
"We need sleep, both of us are still in danger after all the trauma we have endured." He said before pulling Tony down the hall to the bedroom.
Stark lets himself be pulled into his own room like a child. Once there, he shuffles to his oversized bed and falls into it face first.
He calls out to Loki, his voice muffled from the covers,
"Come on, I doubt I can sleep anyway. You might as well keep me company."
Loki moves slowly over to the bed before laying gracefully beside the exhausted lump of a man. His eyes adjust to the darkness quickly, allowing him to see Tony's breathing.
He watches this for a while, finding simple pleasure in the movement that distinguishes life.
" I can help you sleep and avoid the dreams." He said quietly. Tony tilted his head to the side, barely able to make out the god in the dark. Seeing a small spark of green light from his eyes, he reaches out and touches Loki's cheek gently.
"Will you be able to sleep too? I don't want you up casting spells on me while I sleep like a baby." He asks, his voice becoming slurred with sleep.
Loki's chuckle was dulled by exhaustion,
"We shall both sleep peacefully. If our minds are still linked, that is. "
Tony scoots his body closer and frowns to himself.
"When I tried back at SHEILD, I blacked out. You don't think..?"
He trails off again, afraid to speak his fears out loud.
Loki feels his eyes crinkle from a smile . He nuzzled his face closer to Stark's and gently pushed a thought into his mind.
"That was because of the machine, Anthony. We should be fine now, after all, we are connected in more ways than we know."
Tony raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself. Their faces were too close for either of them to read one another's expressions. His thoughts grew concerned, his whole life revolved around reading people's faces. He always knew just what to say, and what not to say.
(Most of the time. 12% of the time.) He found it hard to respond when he couldn't gage Loki's emotions.
"I... I guess you can technically say I've been inside you. So we can officially say our relationship has gone past first base. " He finally thought, closing his eyes with a huff of laughter.
The god groaned at this and bit the mortal's nose playfully,
"Your mind tends to wallow in the same place,Anthony."
He squeaks at the assault to his face and hides his nose by nuzzling it into Loki's neck.
Closing his eyes, he feels a shiver course through the god,
"Oh, have I found a sensitive spot? And yes, my mind does 'tend to wallow' in the gutter."
A low husky voice purrs in to Tony's ear,
"Do not tempt me more, or I shall exhaust your body until death takes you in his arms... simply out of pity for your body."
Tony shivers at the delicious though and moans softly into Loki's shoulder. Instead of feeling the usual sexual tension building up, he feels his body relaxing against the one next to him.
Huh, I guess dying a few times takes a toll on the sex drive.
He wraps his arms around the thin body in front of him and thinks back sleepily,
"Such a tempting offer, but unless you're into necrophilia, I'll pass for tonight."
Loki chuckles out loud and mumbles something that leave a weight on his eyelids. A gentle weave of a dreamscape forms in Tony's mid. His eyes try to snap open in surprise but can't. Both of them are suddenly whisked away into a soft golden realm.
"What?! What is this?"
A solid form of Loki sat beside him on a golden bench, looking out at the garden that surrounds them.
Loki turns his head and smiles, touching Tony's hand before speaking,
"It's a place to hide from the darkness. Our physical bodies shall heal without us feeling the pain and our brains will avoid the nightmares."
Tony had never seen the god look so pleased with himself. He was looking around the garden with a warm smile on his face. Stark found his attention torn between the beauty of the imaginary world and the confident delight on Loki's face. He gave up on the scenery and leaned close, giving the raven haired god a soft kiss. He felt the physical warmth of Loki's real body comfort him.
Loki smiles against his lips and mumbles as he moves his head back to look at Stark,
"Thank you, you do not understand how much you have helped me. You have nearly...undone years of suffering in the course of a month."
Tony just smiles at him with his eyes closed, his body tilting to one side. They both fell into a large green sheeted bed inside the dream.
Stark mumbled with a glance around the room,
"This is your room from Asgard, isn't it?"
A sad smile graced Loki's lips as he responded,
"It is. It is the easiest to recreate due to the extensive amount of time I spent there. It was the only place I called home... for the longest time."
Tony whispers as he falls asleep,
"You called my house.. Home.."
A soft blush grows on the god's cheeks before he closes his eyes,
"So I did, Anthony, so I did."
"No."
"Oh come on, seriously? I hate flying in planes and the suit will draw too much attention right now." Tony whines.
"No, and since when have you not wanted attention, Stark?" Loki asks, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.
Tony glared at the god and started to tap his foot.
"Plenty of times, for example, when a massive corporation of spies is on the look out for me. Or perhaps when I'm..." His mouth hung open as he looked for words,
"With someone who is considered a war criminal."
Loki's eyes narrowed,
"Anthony, you do not understand, it's a longer distance than up and down floors in your house. You just recently died...twice. I would not suggest you travel that far by magic so soon."
Tony let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.
This guy, you kiss him a few times and he turns into Steve, the all caring.
"Look, Loks, I die every other day around here. More so lately, but I think I can handle a little travel."
Tony glared as the god shook his head,
" Come on, if you show up in the Avengers Tower before I do, I can damn well tell you now: Clint will shoot you before he even knows it's you."
" Thor can arrive before me and announce my arrival." Loki said with finality.
A hint of sadness creeped into Tony's eyes as he spoke,
"Come on, Loks... I just... I don't want to be separated from you just yet. Okay?"
The stubborn expression on Loki's face crumbled away leaving uncertain eyes.
Instead of speaking he thought his reply,
"That is your true reason for wanting to travel with me?"
Tony's cheeks became pink as he looked back at the god shamefully.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. I honestly don't like the thought of being that far away from you right now. "
He looked down and continued his thought,
"Not after everything that's happened."
" ARE WE LEAVING BROTHER?"
Both men flinched and turned to see a boisterous Thor swinging his hammer around and grinning. Tony's mouth fell open as he stared at the beaming god.
He's almost glowing with happiness.
Dude looks like he just tied his own shoes for the first time.
A quiet through from Loki crept into his mind,
"Kæri Óðinn, hvað hefi ég gjört? I knew I would regret this."
Tony laughs and suddenly slips his hand into Loki's.
"Better leave now, Loks, before he hugs you so hard he pulls a Bane on your spine."
Loki smiles sweetly at his brother before they were gone. Thor continues to grin happily before running off to find a balcony he can fly off from.
There is the whizzing sound of an arrow before Stark realizes they've arrived. Loki spins him around behind his back and catches the arrow in mid-flight.
He snarls and quickly tosses it to the side,
" You did warn me, Anthony, yet you insisted we come anyway."
When he received no witty response he turned to look at the mortal. Tony was on the floor staring up at the ceiling looking pale and confused. Loki was beside him in a second, already sending magic into Tony's body.
A soft chuckle came from Stark,
"Oh stop it, I'm fine. It was the swirly bit at the end that got me. Get your perverted magic fingers out of me."
A laugh broke out from behind Loki,
"Aha, shit, sorry guys. I just saw the motion out of the corner of my eye and shot. Be glad it was me and not Nat, I don't think Loki here can catch bullets."
Clint came over and helped Tony up with a grunt. Dusting him off with a grin, he gestures to the door,
"Let's go see the others. Oh, and Tony, your man pad at the top of the tower is still empty. No one wanted to move in there, it's sorta' a mausoleum for you. "
Tony stared at him,
"Thanks, that's not unwelcoming or creepy in any way. I'll just hop on up there and find a black tux to change into. Think you can find me some flowers? I'm sure Agent Romanoff can conjure up a priest for my last rights."
Clint snorted and wandered off to find the others. Loki jumps a little when Tony's body is suddenly leaning on him.
"Anthony? What is wrong?"
He nuzzles his face into the god's arm and mumbles his response into the fabric of his sleeve,
"I don't actually like being here anymore. Nether of us have very good memories of this place."
A calm ,electronic British voice chimes in,
"It's a pleasure to see you here again sir, I have assisted the Avengers since they moved into the tower."
Tony casts a glare towards the ceiling,
"You really choose the best moments to talk about shit, you know that Jarvis?"
The AI stayed silent and Tony shrugs, removing his body from Loki's with a wobble and heading for the door. They entered the common room greeted by curious stares. Both Banner and Rodgers jumped up when they walked in.
"Oh thank god, Tony. I thought you were going to die for real this time." Bruce said, hugging Stark tightly. Steve was looking between Tony and Loki almost guiltily.
"Loki, I am glad you're alright too. " he shuffles his feet a little before looking sternly into the god's eyes,
"You have my apologies for not intervening before SHEILD did that to you both."
Loki was taken aback for a moment before a familiar smirk formed.
"That is quite alright, Captain, you did your part in saving our small damsel in distress before hand."
Tony's head snapped around, shouting mentally ,
"HEY!"
Loki winced and turned to glare at Stark,
"What?"
"Leave my hight out of this."
"It's nearly out of the picture as it is, Anthony. "
Tony's eyes narrowed and he steps closer to the god,
"I take back calling you a Smurf. You're more of a Jolly. Green. GIANT."
Loki snarls and moves closer to the shorter man, a small wave of green magic grew between his fingers.
Banner and Steve had backed off a little, looking over at the others for help.
The archer cleared his throat,
"Okay guys, I don't know what's going on since, you know, we can't hear you. How about you calm down?"
Tony smirked and said out loud,
"Yeah, Loks, why don't you cool down?"
The magic condensed into an angry green ball, the gods eyes started to glow. There was a tense moment before Tony thought,
"You started it, Frosty."
Loki snapped and flicked the ball of magic at Stark's chest. It hit with a shower of blue sparks and evaporated. Everyone in the room tensed, Natasha had her guns in hand and Clint already cocked an arrow. Tony looked down at the glowing reactor in his chest and back at Loki. He snorted and suddenly both of them were laughing.
"Oh shit, it's true, Loks!" Tony said, trying to catch his breath. Loki turned away from the others, doubling over with laughter. The rest of the team stared in confusion as the two of them calmed down.
"Uh, sure okay,Guys. Care to explain what the fuck that was about?" Clint frowned and ,with a single fluid movement, put his arrow away.
" Also, if you don't mind, how in the hell did Loki's magic just bounce of your chest?!" He added, glaring at Stark.
Tony looked at Loki and back at the others.
"He called me short." He said, pointing at the god.
Bruce crossed his arms,
"You are short. Explain the part about the magic. Now."
Tony frowned at his friend,
"You're about the same height, Leprechaun. "
he grinned at Bruce's deepening glare and continued,
"Uh so, LokiandIaresortofsoulmates. So apparently we now can't magically hurt one another. Oh, also, I'm a wizard."
At this, he posed with his hands on his hips. Loki rolls his eyes and drops his head into one hand.
Natasha snorts and tits her head to one side,
"You are soul mates and... A wizard? That explains absolutely nothing,Stark. Well, one thing." her hand opens and gestures to Clint.
The archer grumbles and digs around in a pocket a moment before pulling out a twenty-dollar bill and handing it to her.
"I hope you were placing bets on the wizard part, not the soul mate part. " Tony says, raising an eyebrow.
They were interrupted by a strange sound from Steve,
"Whathuhno? What are you saying, Stark? For one thing, you are both men, for another, didn't you love Ms. Pots and wasn't he an enemy not that long ago?"
he stumbled back on to the couch and sat, looking confused and scared. Tony sighs and looks over at Loki who still has his head in his hands.
He notes the god's hidden smile and turns back to Steve,
"Capsicle, guys can be together too. The thing is.."
He paused and looked at all of them, biting his lip,
" Things with Pepper were... different from the start. It took all of this,"
he waves his hands around dramatically, " to figure that out. Loki and I are together, for real. I think."
Natasha's eyebrow went up at the last part.
"The thing is, we're somehow connected inside . Long story short, we are soup-for-the-soul mates, I've got magic in me, and we are together because we like each other." he paused and added,
"I think."
"I know." Loki added and smirked behind his hand. Tony blushes and shuffles over to stand next to the god awkwardly.
Several people spoke at once,
"What do you mean magic? You can't-"
"How do guys even.. Fondue? He's still-"
"I don't even want to know -"
Loki snaked his fingers between Stark's and gave his hand a squeeze.
"Listen." He started, silencing them with a glare,
"This is not the most important subject right now. We shall attempt to explain more about the magic when we know more. For know, understand this, Tony and I are threatened not only by your SHEILD agents but from something far more dangerous."
He swallowed and looked away from their startled faces,
"I believe none of you will be directly involved should the thing attack. I feel as though I should warn you now.."
He looked back at them as his voice became threatening,
"There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it, should it arrive, there is no need to put yourselves needlessly in harms way. I repeat, you will not be able to help."
Silence enveloped the room with a cold familiar feeling. Tony could hear a rushing sound in his ears and was reminded for a moment of the silent ocean last night. His eyes traveled through the pale faces in front of them, before he smiled weakly.
" As poetically dramatic as Gonzo here makes it sound, it's a very real threat." His hands started to shake as he spoke,
"When I died, uh, the first time...it was there and I caught its attention. "
Bruce cleared his throat and weakly asked,
"What is this thing, exactly?"
Tony's eyes glazed over and Loki looked at Banner calmly,
"We do not know. I only know that it was with me in the void the entire time and that it is large and old."
Thor broke up the silence that had fallen after Loki spoke by smashing through a window and rolling into the room. The window seemed to fix itself (Loki ) a moment later as Thor stood and brushed himself off.
"BROTHER!"
Loki grimaced and slithered behind Stark, holding him in front of his body like a shield. His shield laughs and moves closer to the happy brother, threatening Loki with hugs and puppies. In the end, Thor picks up both of them and crushes them into a hug.
"Oh for...Thor! Being pushed through a meat grinder would be more gentile."
"Loks, I blame you if my spleen ruptures. In fact," Tony groaned,
"I don't want you to heal it, just so I can sue you. "
A sneer formed on his face as he faded from Thor's arms and reappeared in front of them. Tony sent a threatening glare at Thor before the god dropped him.
"My apologies, Tony. I was just so happy after last night."
"Oh, did you two announce your wedding last night?" Asked Clint, a shit eating grin firmly in place.
Thor's eyes went wide at the archer before he tore his gaze away to face his brother.
"BROTHER?! YOU DID NOT TELL ME-"
"SHUT UP, THOR!" Screamed Loki, surprising everyone. He never raised his voice much louder than a manic shout.
Well, except when he wants you to kneel.
Or if he's screaming in pain.
"You're blundering cheerfulness has turned a serious conversation into a comedic act. Why must you always make everything about you!?"
flinching away from his angry brother and visibly deflating, Thor mumbled apologetically,
"I am so sorry, bro- Loki, please continue what you were speaking of before I interrupted."
Loki snarled,
"I no longer wish to talk about it."
Tony frowned and moved towards him, reaching out a hand.
"Loks, you-"
"No!"
Tony flinched away from his anger, startling Loki. He looked hurt and a little afraid of the god.
Loki grimaced at his lovers response before he no longer stood before them.
The silence blanketed the room yet again before Tony spoke quietly to his AI,
"Jarvis?"
"He is in the penthouse, sir."
Casting a sad look around the room, Tony feels an ache start to grow in his chest. This room was filled with his friends, his team. He had just told them he was dating, not only a man, but a god who attacked the very city they were in. They knew about the dark, silent, thing that was perusing them. Their faces were filled, not with judgment, but sympathy.
Judgment I can handle.
Sympathy I can't.
He escapes the silent room and takes the elevator up to his penthouse.
The room he enters is cold and stale. He recognizes the bar in front of him and realizes this was where he threw Tony out of the window. A lump of guilt settles into his gut as he steps over to the very window he tossed his lover through just a month ago.
Or was it a year?
There wasn't a single sign of damage left anywhere on the building. Leaning his head against the cool glass, he finally lets out the aggravated sigh that he held in this whole time. The sound of a small bell causes him to turn away from the widow.
"Oh, reminiscing about the good old days, Loki?"
He frowned at the formal name Tony used and looks into the mortal's eyes.
Tony met the god's eyes, searching for clues on the emotions tormenting his boyfriend. Loki looked a lot like he did back in the cave, his body listed to one side and he looked thinner than before. His eyes showed a broken and anguished god, yet again.
Tony's chest clenched at the sight and before the god could respond he rushed over and hugged him.
"Sorry... Sorry Loks."
Loki froze upon contact but after a moment his hands snaked around the shorter mans shoulders.
His voice hinted of unshed tears,
" Do not be scared of me. Please never be scared of me, Anthony. Please."
"I'm not scared of you, Loks. I'm scared for you, I'm scared of hurting you or making you mad. Well, really mad, not joking around and throwing magic at me mad." He paused and added in a whisper,
"I'm scared of losing you."
There was a small comfortable silence in the room, so unlike the one Tony left downstairs. Something had felt so terrifyingly uncomfortable about the silence downstairs. A frowned formed as he tried to place a finger on what felt so wrong about it.
"Loki... When you left downstairs, did you notice anything?"
He leaned back and looked at the god, waiting for an answer. Loki's brow furrows as he thinks, his hand absent-mindedly rubbing Tony's back.
"I had not noticed anything in particular? I was angry and left with great haste. Why do you ask?"
Tony thought back to the faces he left behind. What was it that felt so off about it?
I'm not used to sympathy, but it wasn't that.
It felt so heavy, and no one even moved to stop me when I left.
No one moved at all.
No one even breathed.
The silence.
There was a rustle.
"Oh fuck, it can't be."
Is it weird that I scared myself?
Please review!
Be ready for the next chapter...