Author's note: Funny how one short single sentence can set off so many speculations among you guys… ;)
Steve hovers in the background as they're back to running the tests for the magic blocker in Tony's workshop. After everything that's happened lately, what with Thor's visit and Loki's reduced sentence and Fury's resulting stopover, those things have been put on hold for a little while since there just hasn't been any appropriate time for it.
Now, however, there's no point in holding it off anymore, quite the opposite. If he can show Steve that they're taking the work on the magic blocker for Victor Doom seriously, the guy is surely going to mention that in his report to Fury. And that can only be a good thing, helping to clear any doubts Mr Trenchcoat might harbour about Loki doing more good in Tony's tower than in a cell at SHIELD.
Of course, it's not like Steve has any clue whatsoever what they're really doing in here, what button does what, and whether those numbers flashing on the screen actually mean something or are just a collection of the winning national lotto numbers for the last three decades.
But it's makes little difference. He's learned long ago that the less people know about science and technology, the more they tend to be impressed by complicated words and data and devices. And, usually, the fewer questions they tend to ask, since they realize that they won't comprehend the answers anyway.
And truth be told, he really has no desire to go into lengthy explanations for the benefit of the Captain, given that the man won't understand any of it anyway.
He turns a knob, adjusting the frequency just a little bit. "Any changes there?" he asks Loki, who is sitting in the chair opposite from him, a crease of concentration on his forehead.
"No, none that I can tell," the god says after a few heartbeats of slowly curling his fingers through empty air, as if he's searching for something tangible. It's making Tony insanely curious – again – what it is that Loki is actually feeling from those force fields, because he sure as heck can't sense a thing.
He makes a mental note to ask the god more in depth about that some time, if it's more like a tingle or a pressure or something else, that sensation he's registering.
"Alright, then," he says, his hand reaching out to the control panel. "I'm going to amplify the magnetic resonance until we get it to synchronize with the secondary Brokker fields; that might decrease the gamma fluctuation a bit."
If he's totally honest with himself, he's not saying all that just to satisfy his own narcissistic leanings that enjoy the sound of his own voice, or even for Loki's benefit. No, he's intentionally using as much techno-babble as he can possibly fit in, just to annoy the good Captain who's sitting a little bit away, watching the proceedings like a hawk. As if he would ever be able to make sense of anything they're doing in here.
He isn't sure exactly what it is about Steve's presence that irks him so much, but it's really freaking annoying having someone sitting there staring at you as you work, despite having no clue whatsoever about what's going on. Tony could be building a nuclear bomb for all anyone cares, and Steve wouldn't be able to tell before he saw the resulting giant mushroom cloud forming on the horizon.
Well, that, and also having to grow up with the never-ending litany grating on his ears about how freaking-amazing-and-fantastic Stars and Spandex was.
Oh well. At least the guy isn't scribbling down notes like a fucking psychiatrist; Tony is quite sure that would have frayed his nerves to flimsy ribbons, apart from just having been terribly distracting.
He makes some further adjustments and then types up a couple of commands on the computer screen. "Any difference now?" he asks Loki, watching the god tense slightly as he half-closes his eyes in concentration, focusing on those elusive sensations that are totally off-limits to Tony.
"I'm not quite sure," the god says with some hesitation. "Perhaps a slight shift to the positive, but it's hard to tell."
Tony nods. "Okay, we'll wait for a few minutes until the frequency oscillations get more regular, then it might be easier to spot any difference." He watches the amplifier, then lets his gaze drift to Loki's hands and the long slender fingers that are now back to resting on the top of the workbench. It is with some effort he fights down the urge to reach out and touch those hands, slowly letting his fingertips trace their way up across those lean arms and further still onto even more interesting body parts. Heck, they'd probably have enough time for it while waiting for the amplifier frequency to stabilize.
But of course any such activities are out of the question when Captain Spangles is sitting there within spitting distance, his presence effectively ruining Tony's chances for any fun and games.
He sighs. Nope, no bending Loki over the workbench and having his wicked way with him, or any of the other million things his inner eye could see them doing right now. Instead, he has to sit here in his sexual frustration with Mr Spandex's morally righteous face looming over the proceedings.
Again, he's seriously hoping the guy isn't going to be staying for terribly long. He's had enough with all the blue-balling he's endured since Loki came here, and now that he's free to indulge in the god with his full consent, he really doesn't fancy having to hold off again just because of his unwelcome guest who, despite his ninety-something years on Earth, probably still has yet to get laid.
Oh well. If the guy wants to turn his own sex life into a barren desert, it's his problem; Tony just wishes it didn't have to affect his as well.
But he stoically keeps his hands to himself, despite the temptation to just scoop Loki up in his arms and press his lips against the god's, and his eyes on the little frequency indicator on the control panel, watching it slowly but surely slow its oscillations.
"Okay, let's try it again," he tells Loki as he flips a switch, watching the god go into his focused mode again. "Anything now?"
"Yes, there is something," Loki says with some hesitation, but then nods with more conviction. "It's not a huge difference, but there's definitely a change."
Tony is about to make some further adjustments when Steve interrupts. "So Loki is the only one who can sense any of these… force fields?" he asks, eyeing the equipment on the workbench as if expecting to see a physical manifestation of whatever it is that Loki is picking up on. "How come neither of the two of us can feel anything? I find it a bit strange, to be honest."
Tony rolls his eyes inwardly. Okay, perhaps he accidentally did it outwardly too, if the tensing of that square jaw is anything to go by. So the guy might be built like a brick house, but he still doesn't know jack shit about science. He's about to give a dismissive reply, but Loki pre-empts him.
"Then why don't you come over here and feel for yourself, Captain?" he inquires, gesturing to the empty chair to his right. "Who knows, maybe you do have a trace of magic in you that would allow you to feel the force fields, after all."
Steve looks vaguely uncomfortable at the mere suggestion that there might be anything magic-y about him beyond those super-soldier chemicals swirling around in his bloodstream.
Loki crooks a corner of his mouth at Steve's wary reaction. "It's not dangerous, so how about giving it a try?"
Steve hesitates for a few seconds, and Tony is convinced he's about to decline the offer, but then he gets up from his chair next to Tony, walks around the edge of the workbench and sinks down in the seat next to Loki instead.
"Alright," Steve says, looking comically out of place amidst the plethora of devices and cables and technology. "What do I do now?"
Loki inches a bit closer to the sceptical Captain, taking hold of one of his hands. "Just hold your fingers out in front of the amplifier like this," he explains as he moves both of their hands into position before the prototype device.
Tony watches the two of them in silence, Steve's face scrunched up in concentration or suspicion or a combination of both, Loki's slender hand still holding onto the Captain's more square and callused one.
"You feel anything now, Captain?" the god asks, an eyebrow raised in inquiry.
"No, I don't," Steve replies slowly, sounding more relived than disappointed.
Loki shrugs, giving a brief smile. "Well, I do," he says, hand still on Steve's. "It tingles."
"Alright, Stars and Spangles," Tony interrupts, a bit harsher than intended. "How about you get your hand out of the way so we can continue with the testing here? I'm quite sure there's not a single trace of fairy magic in a straight-laced guy like you anyway."
"Well, don't let me hamper your research, Stark," Steve replies as he leans back into his chain, withdrawing his hand. "I'm just here to observe, after all."
"Yeah, you do that," Tony mutters, holding the other man's gaze for a couple of seconds before he redirects his attention to the monitor again. There are a few adjustments that need to be made, some rewiring to be done, and then they can pick things up again. He taps on his keyboard, bringing up the latest data and test results, trying to find the pattern that he is certain should be there.
As usual when he's working on a complex problem, the world around him slowly fades away, leaving only what's right in front of him as his brain sets to work, structuring and analyzing and solving. He's only vaguely aware of Loki and Steve striking up a conversation across the table, their words turning into a soft droning without any individual syllables really registering in his brain.
Perhaps he can connect another alpha circuit board to the amplifier. It might strengthen the field, even though it might also disrupt the signal from the magneto-resonator. He could give it a try, he supposes. Or maybe add a bit of palladium into the mix, that might be the catalyst needed to speed things up a little.
"Not at all, Captain," he suddenly hears Loki's voice through the soft background droning. "I, for one, have to say I think it's nice to have a visitor around."
Tony looks up from the monitor, the equation in his head splitting up and falling into pieces, his concentration broken. Loki's fingers are resting lightly on Steve's arm, his upper body leaning forwards. And Tony can swear that those fingers linger on that swelling bicep for longer than is really necessary.
He frowns, but then pushes the vague feeling of disquiet away. Surely that is just his brain overreacting and misinterpreting things.
Right?
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