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'.

[ this was edited! Thank you Juliet! ]

Thank you to Nevrandil for reviewing. She will be helping me beta my previous chapters! Everyone, applaud her!

[Oops..lost my italics there. ]

Five days later Tony is standing at four in the morning, staring at his bed.

I'm not going to even bother trying to sleep.

He turned around to take the elevator back down to his workroom where he has spent the last three nights alone, staying awake with a new project. He smiles bitterly at the memory of his first night back in the tower.

"What do you mean you 'require a room'? You don't want to sleep with me? " Tony asked, trying not to whine.

Loki let out a sigh and rolled his eyes,
"As pleasant as it is to be near you, I would rather I had a room of my own. I shan't be sleeping with you every night, Anthony."

"Why not? Don't we sleep better that way?" He frowned.
"Aren't we safer the closer we are?"

"He is after me, for the most part. You are safer sleeping alone."

No matter how hard Tony begged and whined and argued, Loki would not relent. They spent the first night together, sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. It had been one of the best nights of his life, and he wasn't even getting laid.

The next night he went to sleep around twelve and woke up screaming an hour later. He left his room immediately to hide away in his brightly lit lab. Steve found him in the morning after twelve cups of coffee, jabbering about his new suit idea and a possible cure for bunions.

The night after that he couldn't even shut his eyes. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling with a light on. Finally, giving up, he dragged his exhausted body out of bed and went to his work space yet again.

Tonight was no different, unless you count the shadows that kept flitting past in the corner of his eye. Or the rustling sound he kept hearing as he walked around. He knew that it was from lack of sleep; at least he hoped it was.

Down stairs, he brewed his tenth cup of coffee since the afternoon. He felt an ulcer coming on with a vengeance.

Hmmh... I wonder if my ulcer can be a new Avenger.
What an asshole he would be.

Jesus, am I really thinking this?

His eyes blurred and he slumped against his work bench. Blinking a few times in an attempt to clear his foggy mind, he notices the room grow darker.
"JARVIS, I told you to keep the lights up!" He yelled toward the ceiling.

His eyes close and the last thing he hears is the AI saying,
"I have not changed the lighting levels, sir."

Loki's concern was growing for Tony as the days passed. The third day after they arrived at the tower, Tony had fallen down the stairs. It was a small incident, a few bruises, but everyone could see the billionaire was losing it. He laughed too loudly, spoke to quickly, and drank copious amounts of coffee.
No one had failed to noticed the screams that heralded the sound of the elevator bringing the man down to his lab.
After the screams, Loki had rushed into the hall to find him already in the elevator. The second time Tony went downstairs he just watched silently from his door, unsure of what to do.

What was the appropriate response to this?
Would Stark push him away in an attempt to keep his pride intact?
After telling him to sleep alone, how could he ask to sleep with him again...

Tonight was the final straw, watching Tony walk into his room and then leave only a half hour later. Loki decided to speak to him in the morning, if Stark would even be conscious by then.

When morning came, Loki was surprised to see Tony's door was closed. This usually meant the mortal was occupying the room. He swallowed nervously, then gave a gentle tap on the door. After waiting for a few moments, he glanced up at the ceiling.

"Jarvis, open the door."

The AI sounded reluctant to answer,
"I don't think that is a good idea, sir."

Loki raised an eyebrow,
"Please? I'm concerned for his health."

"As you wish, sir. I would like to mention that you should review my records of what transpired last night before coming to any conclusions."

With that the door opened slightly and Loki, confused, pushed it further ajar.
From the door, he could see the mess that Tony called hair peeking out from under a sheet. Loki smiled and crept closer to the bed before noticing a second lump under the covers. He stopped, one foot forward and stared as a feeling of dread filled him. As he watched, both occupants of the bed shifted and yawn, waking up.

A blond woman rose, shamelessly letting the sheet fall from her bare breast. She spotted the god standing by the bed and squeaked, pulling the sheet back up. Tony stirs again and rolled onto his back, his eyes opening.
There was a long pause before someone spoke.

"What the... Fuck... Is going on?" Tony groggily mumbled before sitting up. He stares at the blond woman in confusion before whipping his head around to face his lover.

"This is absolutely not what it looks like," he denies while jumping out of bed.

Loki stares at him. His heart and mind stopped processing since laying eyes on the woman. He wasn't functioning enough to appreciate a naked Stark in front of him. Tony doesn't look back at the blond, stepping close to touch Loki's arms gently. His voice gently sneaks into the god's mind.

"Loki, something is wrong here. I was down in my workroom last night and I think I blacked out. That's the last god damn thing I remember."

Loki slowly caught up with the situation and tore his eyes away from the confused blond. Tony was pale, his body was visibly shaking and his eyes looked dark and haunted. A twinge in his chest reminded him that there was no way Tony could have voluntarily done anything with someone after not sleeping for three nights.

He wrapped his arms around the shorter man and rested his forehead against his.
"Tony, calm yourself. I believe you. After all, your Jarvis said something about reviewing his records from last night. "

There was a slight whimper before Tony wrapped his arms tightly around him. A wave of relief washed over him at the mortal's honest physical response. Clearly, there was some sort of misunderstanding. The blond gathering her clothes on the far side of the bed noticed the two hugging.

She sneered. "What the hell is this? Are you gay? Who are you anyway? You never even told me your name."

Loki waved a hand and the girl went silent, her eyes glazing over. Tony turned and looked at her without sympathy.

"Thanks." He turned back and mumbled into the the god's chest, "Let's head downstairs first. Jarvis, send her home if she's capable of moving."

Down in lab, Tony had several screens open at once. One showed his bedroom, another his lab, the others showed the surrounding hallways for both rooms, and the last was a view from inside the front door. The timer was at 4:02 and the Tony on screen was standing, staring at his bed. The current Tony was leaning back heavily against the taller god, trying not to pass out from stress and lack of sleep. Coffee in hand, he orders Jarvis to play.

"Anthony, you stood there for a half an hour?" Loki asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Tony shrugged and swallowed a large gulp of his 'liquid energy'.

"I have no idea, it felt like ten minutes, tops."

The Stark on screen left the room and stood swaying in the elevator. They watched nervously as he entered the lab and fiddled around for a while. Loki flinched when the Tony on screen slumped against the work bench. His voice rang out, complaining about the lights and suddenly he was on the floor.

Loki frowned as the timer continued on for a few moments.

"Jarvis, fast forward until any sign of movement." Tony spoke into his coffee cup. The video buzzed forward until the Tony on screen was suddenly standing up. He stood for a moment before walking out of the room.

"I don't remember that!"

Loki spoke sharply, "Return to the moment before you stood."

Jarvis complied without the order from Stark. The video played in slow motion. Tony on the floor. In less than a second he was standing. Tony frowned as he watched this."That's not normal...not for me anyway."

Loki grew pale, his finger nails dug deep into the palms of his hands before he wrapped his arms protectively around his lover. He recalled the words of the thing yesterday.

His Tony, a puppet.

His arms tightened around Stark as they continue to watch the smaller version walk out the front door.
There was an hour between then and the next time they saw him entering, the blond in tow.
She was flat out drunk, not even recognizing the billionaire beside her. There was a moment where Stark turned and looked up at the camera, a sickening grin forming on his face before they wandered off to the elevator.
Loki felt ill as his Anthony flirted with the blond.

That wasn't Anthony, that was the puppet master.

The thing had literally worn his lover's skin and went out into the world, just as it promised. They watched as the two of them reached the bedroom and proceeded to strip off clothing.

Tony suddenly spoke up."Jarvis, stop there. Close screens."

Loki glanced down at his lover and saw the look of disgust. It was somewhat a relief to know the man felt as horrified as he did.

Tony turned around in his arms to face him. "So, apparently my body cheated on you last night. I officially want to tear my skin of and vomit like the Exorcist."

Loki let out a chuckle."Please refrain from ripping your skin off. I like it where it is."

"I was sort of hoping you would do the ripping for me, since I'm so fucking tired." Tony's head flopped against Loki's chest. Feeling the heat from his forehead through his shirt, Loki pushed the mortal away.

Placing a hand on his forehead, he frowned. "You are feverish, Anthony."

He transported them back into Stark's bedroom and spoke again,"You need to rest; he has over worked your already abused body."

Tony wriggled uncomfortably in his arms."Oh, not here," he said, staring at the bed with unease. "I won't sleep here...not after that."

Loki watched him with growing concern. His lover's eyes had gone wild with fear at the sight of the bed. He swallowed, and they reappeared in Loki's new room a moment later.
Lifting Tony up in his arms, he gently set him down on his own wide bed.

There was a weak laugh. "I like what you've done with the place, Loks. How did you even manage to change everything to green and gold?"

Loki smiled and lay down next to Tony. "A little magic, of course."

"You seriously wasted magic on this? You could have just asked, and I would have bought you tons of green shit."

"I do what I want, Anthony."

"Tell me something I don't know," Tony snorted.

"I have been married before."

"I didn't mean literally! Jesus, it's a rhetorical question." He glared at the god.

There was no way he was going to fall asleep before that was explained. Loki was clearly amused by his reaction.

Oh, a little bit of revenge?
We will make you an Avenger yet, Loks.

"You were saying?" He nudged the god to continue.

"I was married a long while ago to several...beings. I have six children."

Tony sputtered. "SIX!?"

"Yes, although three are closer to me than the others." There was a heavy pause. "I have not seen them in many years."

"What, why not?"

He was staring at Tony as though unsure if he should speak. For a heartbeat Tony thought he might go silent again and avoid the subject as usual.

"Odin banished them from his kingdom. He sent them far away into separate realms. Not together, but alone and cursed as monsters." A crackle of hatred filled the god's voice as he continued, "I fought for them to at least stay together, but he ordered it as my king, not as my father. I was a foolish man, then, for thinking that my 'father' knew best."

Tony wrapped his arms tightly around Loki. He felt ashamed that his eyes were watering at Loki's story, but he couldn't hold back the grief he felt for his lover. The lost of family struck a little too close to home for him, as a small memory of his mother surfaced.

"Loks... I'm sorry you lost your family like that. You haven't seen them since?"

Loki gazed at the mortal, who was nearly crying.

Tony was crying for his loss, crying for him.
Why would be cry for me?

Why would he cry for my children he has never met, and will likely never meet?

It was if the sadness of his lover woke him from a dull dream. He suddenly felt the hurt and anger that he pushed away all these years. He pushed it down, forced it out of his mind and struggled on. All the while, he knew, his children were torn from him and he forever loathed Odin for that.

All of this time, he had ignored his own suffering, his children's suffering, to make his 'family' happy. Thor had expressed his sadness by a hug and a pat on the back. He had never had children, he could never understand what it was like to lose them like that. For them to be treated as monsters unfit for love, unfit for Asgard. Frigga had been the kindest of them all; she saw how the hole torn in him filled with bitterness. She tried to keep things cheerful between Odin and himself, but something was lost that day.

Perhaps this was when it all started, the realization that Asgard was not as perfect as it seemed. When your king, your father, banishes your children for their 'monstrosity'. That day, Loki had awoken to a new reality and found he was no longer ignorant to the dirty underbelly of Asgard. He would never want the throne of a place that accepted such treatment as normal. He knew he would never be respected as a king, even if he rightfully earned it. His brother was accepted for all his faults, even when his reckless actions brought pain to others. He had hoped he could be the one to guide his brother away from such practices, by being kept close as an advisor. This, of course, ended poorly when Loki discovered he was a monster himself. His true being was never accepted, just as his children never were.

"Loki?"

He blinked and focused on the worried face in front of him. Stark was waiting for an answer to his question.

"I did see one of them for a short moment several years ago." Loki smiles bitterly at the memory. "My daughter, Hela, is the ruler of Hell. I had passed beyond during a... moment of weakness."

"First off, your daughter is officially cool. Secondly, A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS!?" Stark shouted, sitting up and glaring at him. Loki sat up and shrank away from Tony's anger.

He mumbled, "She was angry with me and returned me immediately to the world of the living."

Tony opened his mouth and shut it again, his body shaking with rage. Loki continued on weakly,

"I know, Anthony. Of course I know it was wrong. I was reckless during a battle by Thor's side, unusual for me, and I became wounded rather badly. I simply felt, tired. I was tired of the lifestyle. I was suffering alone with my loss, I cleaned up after my blundering brother daily, and my father had become angry about my use of magic in our battles." At this, Tony raised a questioning eyebrow, a scowl still firmly in place.

Loki, his head tucked down, mumbles, "It is considered a trait of the weak or womanly."

Tony's scowl twitched. "Well you are a little woman-"

"Stark..." Loki warned before continuing. "I lay there without healing myself. I honestly did not expect to pass so quickly. I simply wanted to feel the pain a little longer," he finished sheepishly.

There was silence while Tony glared at the god.

Sighing, Tony ran a hand through his hair. "I'm pissed because I care about you. You know that right?" Loki nodded.
"So let's hope neither of us pay her a visit any time soon. Unless, of course, we're invited."

Exhaustion started to ebb back into his body as the adrenalin from the shock wore off. He cast one more exasperated glance at his lover and fell back into the pillows.

"I just want to sleeeeeeeeeep." Loki leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently. His cold lips felt excellent on Tony's feverish body.

"Sleep. I shall help you with your dreams," he said, smiling.

Tony felt his eyes close heavily as he was whisked away into pleasant dreams of Loki.

He hadn't wanted to tell them, but Loki insisted that he could use their help. Of course they laughed, well, Clint laughed.

"You sleep walked out and cheated on your brand new boyfriend? That's an all time low, Tony." He wiped his tearing eyes. "What about you, Loki, you haven't killed him yet? I figured you would already. Are you losing your touch?"

There was a flash in the air that left a knife sticking out of the wall inches away from Burton's ear. The laughter stopped abruptly and he remained quiet for the rest of the meeting.

"If you are finished finding amusement in one of your comrades being used as a puppet, I would like to ask for your assistance," Loki hissed. Guilt silenced the room.

"I can not be vigilant at all times, considering I will need to set up some security on this tower. I would hope that you could spare time to check on Anthony for any signs that he is... not himself."

Tony snapped, "I have plenty of security here and I don't need a bunch of fucking baby sitters." He was still three days overtired and trying to cut down on the coffee.

Loki simply shrugged and thought to him,

"We require a magical barrier and I would rather not find you in bed with another woman."

It was Tony's turn for guilt, he quietly answered back,

"Fine, don't rub that in my face forever though, I don't think my heart could handle it."

"I shall not, I am simply concerned." Loki frowned while glancing at the others.
" Admittedly, it hurt to see you like that."

Tony came closer and to touch his arm, causing Loki to face him again.

"What can I do to fix this?"

Loki spoke out loud, "You can get some sleep, for one thing. I will assist until you are fully asleep, but then I must set up the barrier. "

Tony blushed furiously and left the room, grumpily muttering, "Thanks. I really wanted everyone to know that I need a bed time story to sleep."

The tower was far too large to protect all of it. The lower floors were too far away for a magic barrier to cover, and that wasn't even including the basement levels. As he traveled around, following directions from the ever present 'Ceiling Servant', he made plans for the barrier. The most important area would be the penthouse and the four floors above and below it. The penthouse itself took up three floors on its own, leaving a lot of room for vulnerability. Loki would have to weave the strongest of his magic here and stretch it out. The rest of the floors would be a web of smaller spells and traps, less powerful but more plentiful.

He started in the living area of Stark's penthouse. Biting a finger to draw blood, he smeared it in a circle around his body, tracing small runes around the outside.

Anthony is going to have a fit when he sees this.

Kneeling on one knee, his hands caress the floor searching out any imperfections. Rivulets of magic spread from his fingers as he pressed one hand down firmly, the other tracing more complex runes in his blood. Ripples of green energy flowed across the floor and up the walls causing the windows to flash when the magic reached the glass. He feels for the furthest parts of the penthouse before expanding the field. The power fluctuated and weakens as he reaches the other floors. Grimacing, he reaches out for more power, and finds it.

An explosion fills his body, the green blurring into a violent blue before fading to a teal. Opening his eyes with the shock, he nearly loses the connection.

"...Anthony?"

"Yeah, babe?"

His eyes close, concentrating on knitting together a web through more of the floors.

"Aren't you sleeping? How are you lending me your power?"

"No idea, Loks. I'm floating around in a dream and you just sorta tapped in." Tony's voice sounded pleased. "Glad I could help. How's it going?"

Another wave of power shook his body.

"Please be more gentle, my body can not handle channeling our powers together very well."

There was a chuckle from Tony, "I'm not even gonna' comment on that."

Loki smirked as the final wave of magic encompasses every level of the tower in a strong web. He releases a large breath of air and withdrew from the well of magic.

"It is complete, and a lot more powerful than I expected. Do you mind if I join you? I am concerned that this drained you more than you can handle right now."

When Loki received no response he grew afraid and stood, ready to teleport into his bedroom.

A voice from behind startled him.

"I figured I would join you, since you just did all the heavy...what is that?"

Loki winced and turned around inside the bloody circle that Tony was clearly gesturing to. He watched as the man leaned closer to inspect the mess on his floor.

"If that's your blood I'm going to have to blow out another window for hurting yourself. Then I will yell about my floor that you ruined." His voice was light and flippant but Loki could hear the undertone of concern.

He sighed. "It's the only way to cast this spell, and it was a small price to pay for it," Loki said, running the non-bloody hand through his long black hair.

"A SMALL price? For one thing, this floor cost far more than the entire country of Norway. Do you think tiling is cheap? I bet you do with your big golden halls and furs." Tony still sounded somewhat amused until he spoke again, "This is no 'small' amount of blood, Loki. I don't consider this a 'small price' to pay for anything...just let me have my fit about it." He exhaled noisily and fell into a couch near by.

Loki finds himself fidgeting like a nervous child. He immediately chides himself at the immaturity of his actions and sits down next to Tony gently. The anger was fading back to the exhausted face Loki had seen earlier.

After a moment, he dared a question. "Anthony, please, why are you out of bed so soon?"

Tony did not answer, but continue to sit there, glaring out the window with his arms crossed. Loki started to fret again at the lack of response. Tony never stopped talking.

He must be furious!

His mind started to race to find any and all ways of making it up to his lover. Tony's voice disturbed him from his internal panic.

"I...this morning..." The voice was low and heavy with emotion. "It sort of felt like I was raped, I guess. Like some guy just had his way with me and left me there all broken inside."

Whatever Loki was about to say died in his mouth. He felt a stabbing twisting pain in his chest at those words.

Raped.
Used.
Broken.

They were all too familiar to him, and to associate them with Tony made him feel sick. All throughout the day, he had forced it out of his mind. Forced himself to just accept it. Forced out the memory of that beast's smile or the sight of Stark's weak, abused body in the morning. His jaw tensed as he fought down a scream of rage and despair. Tony hid it so well. His usual snarky façade had fooled the god completely. He felt moronic for failing to notice his own lover's pain.

"Tony..." he started, his voice hoarse with despair. "What can I do? Tell me, what can I do to help you?"

Tony looked skeptical, which hurt Loki more, feeling that his love had no faith in him. But, after a moment, a childish grin broke on Tony's once solemn face.

"Doughnuts!"

Loki blinked. "I do not...I do not know what that is, but I shall do it if it helps you."

Tony was snickering, now. "It's a food. I want food. I want doughnuts." He gestured dramatically.
"Here on earth, they are the cure all for emotional trauma. This makes them precious are rare to find."

Unsure if he were joking or not, the god prepared himself mentally for the fight to get Stark 'The Doughnuts'.
All the while he watched his lover carefully for any slip in the cheerful mask he wore.

It felt good to be outside again.

Well, to be himself and outside again.

Tony felt his eye twitch and silently cursed his body. This was not going to be a big deal for him, he refused to let it be. They were taking a limo to retrieve his doughnuts. After Loki gave a heartfelt speech about the trials he was willing to go through to find them for his lover, Tony had to explain it to him. But not until he finished laughing on the floor for twenty minutes.

"Jarvis, play it again," Tony said now, and the small television screen embedded in the seat flickered on to show Loki in the penthouse. There was a huff of annoyance from beside him.

"This is the twelfth time, Anthony. You are such a child."

"Hey, I just assumed you were a pastry worshiper like your brother. I didn't know you would take it to this level." He laughed again at the sincerity of the Loki on screen. He had even dropped on one knee.

He felt a barrage of upset thoughts tumbling out of Loki beside him. Glancing over he saw his lover was more upset than he was letting on.

Huh
He's actually holding back his anger?
That's a first.

A lone thought seemed to be on repeat through the god's head. Tony focused on it and listened carefully.

I would do anything for him.
I would have...
Doughnuts.
Feh.
I would do anything to fix this.
I am responsible...
I would do anything for him..

Tony started to blush as he stared at the sulking form of Loki. After a moment the god looked up, noticing the lack of laughter.

"Anthony? You may continue to watch it, if it pleases you," Loki said, uncrossing his arms and looking defeated.

Tony launched himself across the seat and hugged him tightly. The expensive leather creaked as he wrapped his legs around the god and settled into his lap.

Loki managed to stutter,
"W-what..? What is going on?"

He thought for a moment, his head pressed into Loki's shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Loks. You don't have to let me make an ass out of you just to 'help' me." He paused, and whispered, "You're already helping me."

Loki's cold hands slid down Tony's back carefully. He repressed a shiver at the feeling, trying to appreciate that he could even feel it.

That something wasn't riding his body like a...

He twitched again when the driver knocked on the window to let them know of their arrival.
Leaning back, he admired the god in front of him. His heart filled with affection at the concerned look in Loki's eyes, the way his hands held Tony's body in balance.

God, I love him.
Whoa, wait. Wait.
Wait.
Uh.

"Shall we go find you some easily obtained doughnuts, love?"

Tony blinked and remained seated on Loki's lap, his mouth gaping. At last he let out a nervous laugh and rolled away to open the door.

"Here we go, magical doughnuts to cure my soul."

A soft laugh came from behind him as they crawled out of the limo,
"Your soul is undamaged and I hardly see how a circular pastry could heal it anyway." Loki"s chuckle deepened. "You seem to have an affinity for the shape, though."

Tony smacked his arm and pouts at him as they entered the store. He became his usual flippant-smart-ass self and preceded to order, yet again, obscene amounts of food.

"What of the doughnut holes? Should you not order the removed centers as well?" Loki asked, looking at the trays of little cake spheres with what looked like pity.

No doughnut left behind for Loki.

"Sure thing. Hey miss?!" Addressing the woman with the paper hat, Tony proclaimed dramatically, "My boyfriend would like all of these doughnut holes. I'm afraid he feels they're left out from our wonderful doughnut party."

The woman arched an eyebrow at the billionaire's boyfriend and went back to packing the doughnuts. Tony thought he heard her mutter "LSD," and held back a laugh.

Loki seemed to be considerably more cheered since they entered the store. Tony formed a sneaking suspicion that Loki shares his adopted brother's pastry affections after all. Once five boxes and several bags were packed, Happy came and collected some of them to be placed in the trunk. The man had an amused smirk on his face that Tony felt earned him a box for himself.

Once back in the limo, Tony nestled into his seat and watched the god slip into the car like a cat. This wasn't the first time he mentally compared Loki to one and doubted it would be the last. He was just so lithe, his movements were always smooth and effortless.

Even when going down on one knee to declare that he would retrieve the mighty doughnuts for me.

He giggled yet again at the memory as he looked at the god's face.
He was staring at him, his face held an emotion Tony had never seen before. Loki's deep green eyes were gentle and for once his eyebrows weren't furrowed in concern or anger. He looked younger and less tense.

More human.

He reached out towards his lover and his hand was met with Loki's. Without speaking, the god drew his body closer, intertwining their fingers as Tony fell into his lap again. The kiss was gentile, the hands that fluttered across his body touched him tenderly. He felt as if he were being embraced by a warm cloud.
When they broke the kiss , he took in a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked into Loki's green ones steadily.

"Thank you."

There wasn't a single twitch or shiver of fear left in him.

Please review!

THERE IS STILL TIME TO VOTE FOR SMUT!

So please let me know. I have a few things that need to come first, but I have a place for it in the story.

[ Seriously though, so far everyone is yay for it. ]