Author's note: Well, I think it's about time for Loki's POV on all this…

"That was quick, brother. Did you enjoy your bath?" Thor asks him as he walks into the library, hair still wet and clothes askew from his hasty, impromptu getting-dressed-while-walking.

"It was… relaxing," Loki replies non-committingly, shrugging. He doesn't even have to lie; it was relaxing, until Things Happened.

It's odd to see Thor sitting at a table surrounded by books; the thunder god rarely has neither the patience for nor the interest in such pursuits, instead favouring more hands-on activities, usually of the sort that involves sharpened steel.

Lifting the heavy volume spread open on the table so he can showcase his pick to Loki, Thor grins contentedly. "I found this book sitting all forlorn on one of the shelves and I've been studying it while you were in the baths. It deals with war strategies, and there is a really interesting chapter right here about offensive tactics against enemies superior in numbers," he says as he gestures to the yellowish pages in appreciation.

Loki only listens with half an ear. He has other things on his mind right now. "So exactly when are we to return to Midgard?"

"We only wait for Man of Iron to finish his bath and get himself ready, and then we will depart." He makes a short pause, gaze resting on Loki. "I would assume you are… eager to leave?"

He sighs. "As it is, I would rather be in Midgard, yes."

Thor looks at him with an unwavering gaze. "I understand that. But I will miss you dearly, brother, though I will endeavour to come visit as often as I can."

Loki only nods in response and then flops down on one of the stuffy chairs not littered with parchments or books, one leg slung across the armrest, returning to his own meandering thoughts.

Tony just refused him.

Right now, there is a hollow pit where his stomach should be, because Tony shouldn't have done that. And it fails to make any sense whatsoever, no matter how he twists the recent events around in his mind, no matter how much he turns his head to look at them from different angles. What should have been a simple equation just doesn't add up.

He hadn't originally planned for things to proceed into that direction. But as he knew that Tony had gone to try the baths, leaving him alone with Thor, he had eventually started to entertain the idea that he might as well take the opportunity to visit them too. After all, anyone in the household would be free to use them, including the servants and even the slaves as long as they didn't have any other duties to fulfil or weren't in the way. But at this time of day, there were bound to be few, if any, other people in there expect for Tony.

So why not relax in a steaming hot bath rather than merely sit around waiting for Tony to come back? He could certainly do with some relaxation after all the disgrace and debasement that he had had to endure since his return to Asgard, and revel in a welcome respite from all that.

The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea seemed – he had missed the public baths, having only used a shower since coming to Midgard. But the prospect of sinking down into a pool of hot water, letting the stress and strain from recent events drain out from his body and mind suddenly seemed very attractive.

In a way, coming here had been like getting thrown into a basin of ice cold water after sitting in front of a warm, crackling hearth. Despite being well aware of just what slavery entails in Asgard, he hadn't been fully prepared for the heavy toll it would exact on him after having lived under Tony's leniency all this time. It had been a ruthless and cruel wake-up call for him, Asgard's harsh demands and expectations of someone at his station being dumped upon his shoulders with full force. Managing that weight had been difficult, and he had stumbled quite badly beneath the pressure during the first day, even though Tony had been there to catch him when he lost his footing completely, stopping him from falling down into the yawning abyss opening at his feet.

In light of all that, the opportunity to loosen up his stiff muscles and soothe his tense mind was simply too appealing. So he had told Thor he'd join Tony in the baths, and his brother couldn't see any reason to object.

At first, he had no other plans than that. However, all that had soon changed once he found himself in the close proximity of one naked and very erect Tony Stark.

It was quite obvious, as Loki was sitting there on one of the upper ledges of the stairs leading into the pool, lathering himself up with over-scented soap, what kind of reaction his personal care was having on Tony. So he had played it up, deciding he might as well give Tony a little show while he was at it, enjoying the way the man's eyes were glued to him as he worked himself over.

It didn't take long before he was overcome in turn by the desire to touch that body so temptingly close to his, to caress the smooth skin, and to engage in other, far more intimate things as well. Being faced with Tony stark naked and up close like this, every angular line and toned muscle at display, he was simply unable to resist, despite knowing that Thor was waiting for them.

And he was certain that Tony would be unable to resist too, considering the obvious desire he had harboured for Loki in turn for so long. Of course, he knew very well that the man did not want any unwilling bed partners, but he would obviously not refuse him now, not when Loki freely and willingly came forth and approached him.

So he had offered to soap Tony's back, already relishing in the opportunity to get to run his fingers across his skin, and then slowly continue to explore other, even more tantalizing territories on the lean, muscular body. Fantasizing about doing this had been pleasant enough, but now he longed to put those fantasies into practice.

But to his surprise, Tony had refused the offer.

Perhaps his overtures were too subtle, then, for a man like Tony. After all, he was the epitome of blunt, almost painfully straightforward at times, so maybe it was to be expected that he would interpret an offer of soaping his back as being simply an offer of soaping his back, but nothing more than that.

And while Loki usually preferred subtlety and grace, he could certainly be blunt and straightforward too, when the situation called for it.

So he slid over to where Tony was sitting with only his head and shoulders sticking up above the water surface, and reached down to take him in hand, smiling inwardly as he did so.

It felt right.

He wanted Tony. Tony wanted him. What else was there to say, really? It would be the most natural thing in the world for both of them to give in to their desires here and now, instead of continuing to hold off while waiting for a better moment. This was the perfect moment.

Tony was hard as granite as his hand closed around the thick shaft, and that only fuelled his own desire even further. So he leaned in, pressing his own body closer, revelling in the close proximity to the man next to him.

There were many possible responses he would have expected from Tony then – hips bucking up into his hand, lips locking hungrily against his mouth, arms wrapping around his waist, fingers intertwining in his hair – his mind was already picturing them all. All, but the one response he actually got.

Tony – impossibly, illogically – refused him.

Despite his obvious arousal, Tony pushed him away, telling him to stop.

The man was making no sense. There was no logical reason why he should so resolutely turn Loki's advances down, not when he was obviously in the mood for such activities and the object of his desires was offering himself up like this, all eager and willing. He knows that Tony wants him. If the man had thought the moment was badly chosen for whatever reason, he could just have said so, and instead suggested that they pick it up later.

The words that followed are still etched into his mind, 'Yeah, I know this counts as appropriate here in Asgard, but it sure as hell doesn't where I come from'.

He's already turned that sentence around a thousand times in his head, trying to decipher it, searching for the hidden meaning behind the words that can throw some light on Tony's erratic behaviour. And he knows that where Tony comes from, there are few restrictions on willing participants engaging in sexual activities, so that can't be what he's referring to. No, something else must be the key.

Furrowing his brow in contemplation, he fiddles with the old, moth-eaten cloth covering the armrest of his chair, removing small pieces of lint with his fingers. And then, he suddenly realizes what Tony must have been getting at. Of course – the baths were too public a place for the man to feel comfortable initiating such activities. Even if there was no one else around for the time being, free access was granted to all men and women in the household, meaning that anyone could step inside at any time.

And he's learnt by now that humans are a lot more modest and conscious about their naked bodies and sexual activities than the Aesir, for whom nudity is considered a natural state, not something to be ashamed of. That had been all too clearly illustrated when Tony had initially questioned the appropriateness of bathing naked, the only natural and practical way of bathing, instead making the droll suggestion to Thor that he wear some sort of garment while in the baths. Also, Tony was unlikely to be aware that the baths were a common place for people in Asgard to initiate sexual liaisons, and there were even secluded spaces in connection with the facilities where enamoured couples could slip off for a moment in private. It wasn't as if they were supposed to rut in the pool where anyone entering could see them.

But given that Tony has grown up in Midgard with their comparatively prudish opinions on what counts as acceptable public displays of sexual behaviour, it is perhaps no wonder that he would consider what Loki was doing highly inappropriate and react accordingly.

Well, then. If Tony feels so strongly about it, he's not going to press that particular issue. Instead, he'll wait until a more appropriate time arises when he and Tony are somewhere more private again, without risking getting walked in on by others.

Then, Tony will surely appreciate and be fully receptive to his advances.

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