Chapter 7

The journey was faster than first expected and was a lot less painful than it could have been. Conversation had run quite thin which had left everyone to their own devices to amuse themselves. Tony tried to avoid Loki, but having him in such close proximity was not helping. He didn't know if it was deliberate or not that Loki seemed to be even more attractive yet mysterious than normal. Instead of engaging in conversation, the god of mischief had a book open in his lap that he read with interest. Managing to capture a small glimpse of one of the pages told Tony that it was also written in Asgardian. Perfect. Loki really did make it difficult to get to know him.

As the journey went on Loki appeared to grow weary of reading and instead stared out of the window. By the time he had given up on the book the plane was flying at its full height. Leaning his forehead almost flat against the windowpane, he stared out and watched the world go by below. His eyes moved back and forth, trying to see everything from this view. Obviously he found flying very interesting. Tony wanted to take him on every plane ride he could just so he could see that look of joy that crossed Loki's face as he saw something of particular interest.

The plane began to descend and then the world seemed to speed up. They were in baggage claim, then in a car (provided by S.H.I.E.L.D), then they were driving before they pulled up beside their hotel. It rose high up into the sky which spiked Loki's interest, Tony noticed. Apparently he had a thing for heights.

Their baggage was unloaded onto trolleys that were rolled away to their rooms. The group trailed in afterwards before separating out to their separate rooms. Loki went with Thor and Bruce whose rooms were all in a line while Tony, Steve, Clint and Natasha headed up two more floors to reach their rooms. When they regrouped not that much later, it was dark outside and the city had begun to light up.

"Tony, where are you going?" Steve asked, watching the genius strut away.

"I'm going where you are supposed to go, the Casino."

He didn't stop to see if they were following, he knew they would never be far behind. Sure enough, a second later Clint appeared on his right side and Bruce was a step behind on his left. Smirking to himself he walked off into heaven.

"So have you got any fresh ideas about what you are going to do about 'proving yourself'," Bruce asked, sipping at his orange juice slowly.

Tony, who was downing his own whiskey, looked up and shook his head. "No, do you because I really need some suggestions?"

"Well I was thinking about it but I haven't come up with much. But I have one idea though if you're trying to impress this person I wouldn't advise doing it."

"I have nothing so hit me with whatever you've got," Tony muttered, draining his glass in one quick motion before turning round and ordering another. The bartender slammed the fresh drink down on the bar a second later then he walked away; knowing that if asked Tony would just say to put the price on his tab.

"You could always make them jealous."

"I never thought you would be the type for that, Brucey. I'm very disappointed," Tony chided jokingly.

"No no no, I wouldn't ever do that and I'm not telling you to do it now. You asked so I told you. So yeah that's an option, maybe flirt with someone else, get whoever you like a bit jealous then when they confront you about it, you come up with a great story and then boom, you have your woman...sorry man." Bruce blushed lightly.

Tony sent him a sarcastic smile before settling backwards so his back rested against the bar casually. He contemplated Bruce's suggestion even thought he knew it was a bad suggestion. That was what made it so appealing. It was so stupid and slightly cruel that it seemed perfect for the situation. By no means was it the best option but it was the only one he had and he supposed it was worth a shot.

If the plan backfired, however, that was another matter. His gaze skimmed the loud bar and came to rest on Loki, who was seated at a table with the rest of the Avengers team. When his eyes came to rest on Loki, the god in question chose that moment sit up straighter. Tony watched in awe as his back curved beautifully as it stretched backwards and Tony was sure if he had been topless he would be able to see all the taught muscle moving delicately into a more comfortable position. Tony shivered at the thought. God he wanted to do some things to that body. He was getting tired of being ignored by the Norse god.

"Excuse me, are you Tony Stark," an accented woman's voice asked tentatively.

Turning his head swiftly, he was met with an eyeful of cleavage and bright pink top attempting to contain the overflowing breasts. He averted his eyes quickly and settled them on her face. Full lips stretched into a wide smile and blue twinkling eyes came into view.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh, Kate it is, it is Tony Stark," She shrieked, looking behind her to another woman that was dressed similarly at the end of the bar. Said woman let out a cry of delight and hurried over as fast as she could in her six inch stiletto heels.

"No way! Wow Tony, Mr Stark it's amazing to meet you," Kate said in a rush, almost tripping over in her haste to join the group.

Taken aback by the shrillness of both women he took a small step back to try and regain some personal space boundaries. Behind him Bruce was retreating further along the bar, not wanting to get caught up in the conversation. Tony, who hadn't moved, watched the women continue to gush out their love. After listening to the first few ramblings Tony zoned out, retreating into his thoughts. At first his mind wandered aimlessly before a thought struck him.

"Ladies ladies please, let me buy you both a drink," He interrupted.

"Oh my! Yes please, thank you. Jess, Jess Tony Stark is buying us a drink," Kate gabled to her friend.

Tony smiled then asked them what they would like. Once the drinks were set down, the women fell into silence as they sipped their drinks; however their eyes never left the genius.

"So are you both on holiday here or?"

"Well we have taken a gap year from our studies and are now travelling round America," Jess answered.

Nodding in response, Tony thought about what he could say next. He needed to keep the conversation going because he needed Loki to notice. The god in question was currently starring in the total wrong direction, apparently fascinated by the lights flashing from the casino. What he didn't know was the other occupants at the table had all noticed him and, sure enough, a few seconds later Loki turned his head and looked straight at Tony.

It was probably the worse time then for Jess to trip on one of her ridiculous heels and fall straight into Tony's chest. He caught her just as her overly large breasts pressed into him. Tony, who had been concentrating on his own balance, shot a quick glance sideways and saw Loki watching the scene transpire. In a second he decided what he was going to do, it was worth a shot.

"Wow there," Tony said. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine," Jess replied, blushing a light crimson as her friend fought furious giggles behind her. "I'm really sorry."

"No worries at all, please let me buy you both another drink."

The women nodded excitedly before eagerly accepting their second drink. This went on for a while, the trio just standing by the bar and chatting lightly. When Tony's legs began to protest with the continuous standing he asked the women if they wanted to accompany him to a table. Without hesitation they accepted another of his invitations and eagerly latched on as her offered them his arms.

Loki's eyes never left the small group. He was confused as to what was going on, was this serious? Did Tony like these strangers or was it just a friendly gesture? Loki was still new to most of Midgard's concepts so he was not sure which it was. Still his eyes moved with them as they settled down at their table.

"Tony can I talk to you a second," Bruce asked, just as Tony sat down.

"Uh okay," He huffed in reply. "Excuse me for a moment ladies."

When they were far enough away from the women Bruce spoke. "I didn't think this was part of your plan."

"What can I say? Bored of waiting I guess, it's just a bit of fun."

Without saying another word he rejoined Jess and Kate who had just got to their feet.

"We're sorry but we have to go. Thankyou so much for the drinks though, it was amazing to meet you," Jess said, smiling toothily.

"No worries, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip." He then bent and kissed both of their hands making them blush and gush out another couple of thankyou's.

When they had finally tottered off in their stilettos, Tony turned round and was met with an empty seat at the others' table. He asked where Loki had gone and was told that he had excused himself seconds before stating that he was tired. Furrowing his brow Tony thought for a minute about why he would just suddenly up and leave. Then it struck him. The plan had backfired and Loki was probably assuming Tony no longer had feelings for him.

Downing his drink in two quick gulps, Tony excused himself too saying he was tired from the journey and needed a lie down. Before the others could question him too much he hurried from the bar and took a lift up to Loki's floor. He fought a battle with himself as to whether he should run or not. Turning up out of breath could make him look desperate in a good and a bad way but walking to might make it seem that he doesn't care. Going for a halfway point, he jogged a few steps then walked the rest. He reached the door before he even knew what he was going to say but before he could stop he had raised his fist and knocked on the door.

The knock interrupted Loki's musings long enough to make him forget exactly what he was thinking about. Grumbling darkly, he chose to ignore the door because he was already getting comfortable in his bed. Then it struck him that he hadn't locked the door. What kind of hotel was this that didn't have auto-lock doors? Anyway he scrambled to his feet and went to answer the door. Expecting it to be Thor checking up on him he didn't bother to check through the peephole. When he stepped back out the way of the door he wasn't quick enough to hide the shock on his face.

"Stark?"

"Yeah hi, is it okay if I come in?" Tony asked politely, trying to keep his voice even so as to not give away his racing heart.

Loki sighed but moved out the way to allow him entrance. Once he was safely inside, Tony stood around awkwardly for a second until Loki took a seat back on the bed. Although thinking it totally unwise, Tony ignored his brains warnings and sat next to him. His brain continued to scream warning after warning to him but he blocked it all out and dived straight in.

"Why did you run off back there?"

"I didn't run off, I was tired," Loki replied flatly.

"Yeah right now tell me the truth. Was it because I was talking to those women and you didn't like it?" Tony asked straight, watching closely as Loki's head snapped up.

"It was not just that. I was led to believe that you liked me and then there you were with two female companions looking very smug and-"

Tony laughed before he could stop himself. "Smug? Really? And before you interrupt I do like you but you made that difficult to do when you said I had to prove myself. I mean how the hell am I ever going to do that? If you didn't push me away it would probably be easier for you to actually see I like you."

"Do you not think there could be a reason why I push you away?" Loki snapped, shock crossing his face a second later as he realised his mistake. He had let his mask slip for the shortest time but it was enough for Tony to know that that was the point he had to press.

"Well now I think there is a reason. Do you want to share it?" the genius said lightly.

Sighing and grumbling, Loki mumbled something incoherent while staring at the ceiling before lowering his head so he could stare into his lap.

"When we were growing up Thor had everything. He had Odin's attention, he had mother's adoration and he had everyone else just falling at his feet, they all wanted to be his friend. I, on the other hand, did not have friends nor did I have many people trying to become one. If anyone attempted to become my friend I would push them away in hope of them coming back because I was once told that those who care will always return. After I pushed them away, however, they never returned so I believed them not to care and apparently I still do it today..."

"So you thought I didn't care because I didn't come back to you. All that stuff about proving myself wasn't true, you just wanted to see if I cared enough."

The words were left the hang in the air, thick, almost suffocating. "It sounds pathetic now," Loki spat, seeming horrified with himself.

Tony didn't answer. Instead he shifted closer to Loki. He wanted to wrap his arm around his waist and draw him close into his arms but he thought the god might protest so he refrained. Anyway a moment later Loki got to his feet and stood with his side facing Tony.

It would probably have been the best moment to say something meaningful or relevant to try and lift some of the tension that wrapped around them both like a thick veil. Never being one for tradition Tony went for the total opposite.

"I didn't actually like those women you know, I was just doing it to make you jealous," He said hesitantly. "I didn't know what to do so I thought I should try the opposite and flirt with someone else and see what happened and hopefully you would confront me and then we would talk and everything would be fine."

"Both our plans worked out well," Loki said sarcastically.

Tony chuckled in response, agreeing totally with the god in front of him. It had all been so stupid and they had all made themselves look stupid. But now here they were and they were not a step closer to getting where they wanted to go.

"At least we are here now," Tony said. He wanted to look into those green eyes again, he wanted to lose himself in them but Loki seemed determined to stare at the floor for as long as possible. "Hey, Loki?" He stood himself and tugged lightly on Loki's arm to try and make him turn. The god didn't budge so Tony tugged a little harder. "Loki, look at me."

This time he tugged slightly too hard. The mischief maker was pulled off balance and went toppling onto Tony. They landed on the bed, Tony with his back flat against the soft duvet and Loki hovering only a few centimetres above him. Words of shock were ready to flow from Tony's lips but they were washed away by the breath that was released now he could see those eyes. They were so close and so so green.

Loki breathed evenly as he stared down at Tony. Their eyes locked together. Breaking the contact briefly, he flicked his gaze down to the genius's lips before looking back into his eyes. Then he leant closer, closer. He was so close. Then their lips connected. The kiss was soft and gentle but it was enough, it was enough to express how they were both feeling at that moment. The indescribable feelings that were too difficult to put into words. Then it was over.

Tony looked up at Loki who opened his eyes slowly. He smiled at the god, whose lips twitched in return. Slowly Loki bent down again and their lips met for a second time, as he made to pull away Tony brought up his hands and gripped onto his shirt collar preventing his retreat. Without hesitation Loki pressed more into Tony and moved his own hands to bury them in his short brown locks.

Tony gasped lightly as the cool fingers ghosted over his face. Loki took the opportunity to slide his tongue out along Tony's bottom lip, this causing him to moan quietly. His mouth now wider, Loki slipped his tongue inside and let out an appreciative moan himself as Tony's tongue came up to meet his.

For minutes they remained this way, slowly exploring the others mouth. Tasting, touching, savouring. But soon the urge to breathe became desperate and they broke apart, panting lightly. Loki sat up, effectively removing himself from Tony who sat up as well, a smirk plastered firmly on his face.

Loki sighed and shook his head in mock frustration; his facade was blown however by a shuddering yawn that racked through his body.

"Looks like someone needs their beauty sleep," Tony teased.

"Thankyou for stating the obvious. I do not mean this rudely but I am very tired and would now ask you to leave." To prove his point Loki wriggled under the duvet, laying his head back on the many pillows.

"But I can't leave because that would mean you having to get up and lock the door and we wouldn't want to disturb the princess from her cosy bed," Tony smiled cockily. He knew he was trying is luck but it was worth a shot. It appeared that today was a day for taking risks.

To Tony's great surprise Loki rolled over to the edge of the bed and pulled back the cover on the other side as an invitation. The smile that crossed the genius's face was dazzling as he locked the door then removed his shoes, socks, shirt and belt. He kept his trousers on though he craved for freedom from them. Then he settled down on the opposite side of the bed to Loki, flipping off the light switch in the process.

"You know I normally get to know someone before I sleep with them."

"Shut up, Stark, and go to sleep," Loki mumbled, though Tony could hear the smirk playing on his lips.

Closing his eyes and relaxing into the soft welcoming mattress, Tony really thought things were starting to look up. Loki shut his eyes as well, ready for a peaceful night's sleep. It had been a long time for both of them since they had gone to sleep with a smile on their faces.

OMG SO IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Anyway I'm sorry to say it will be a while until the next update because I'm going on an exchange trip for 9 days next week. Hopefully I will update soon after I get back. But for now I hope you enjoyed this and please review! thankyou x