Author's note: Heh, surprisingly few people have actually asked for what's to happen in this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. ;)
For once, he's the first to wake up in the morning. Usually, it's Loki doing that and then busying himself snuggling until Tony is aroused from his sleep by a straying hand or a soft pair of lips. But this time, Loki is still asleep, spooning against Tony's back with an arm loosely hocked around his waist.
Carefully, he turns to face the sleeping god, watching him for a little while before letting a finger trail across his cheek and over the slightly parted lips, tracing his features. Loki is so beautiful like this, and he can still hardly believe his luck, having someone like that right here next to him.
He pulls the god closer and presses a light kiss to his forehead. At that, Loki stirs, and a second later, two green eyes are staring into his.
"Morning, hot stuff," he says, grinning.
Loki smiles back. "Good morning, Tony," he replies, nuzzling up against the crock of Tony's neck with a yawn. For a while, they say nothing else, but simply lie there and enjoy each other's presence.
At least they're on their own now. Steve left the day before, having obviously arrived at the correct conclusion that he'd stayed long enough, politely thanking Tony for his hospitality and apologizing for intruding, ever mindful of his manners. Of course, Tony had prodded him about what he was going to write in his report to Fury, and whether Loki had passed the test of proving himself reformed from his world-conquering ways, and Steve had curtly responded that he'd seen nothing that indicated the contrary, so that was what he would be reporting.
And Tony had felt a huge wave of relief at that. If Steve had decided to write anything else, it could have spelt serious trouble for him and Loki both. But now his worries concerning Fury and SHIELD have all been dissolved, and it's like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
"Feel like going out to the park today?" he eventually asks. "I got nothing planned for the day, and I figured you might wanna get out of the tower for a bit?"
Loki's hand ghosts over Tony's hip as he responds. "As much as I like the park, don't you have any… wilderness on Midgard? Something that is not so structured and pruned and orderly?"
"Uh, you mean, like nature?" Truth be told, he's never been very fond of nature. It's generally muddy, too hot or too cold or too wet, and too unpredictable to boot. As well as pretty damn boring.
Loki raises an eyebrow at him. "Yes, like a forest, or a lake, or mountains. Something not shaped by human hands. I have missed that since coming here."
Okay, not his choice for the day, he has to admit, but if Loki wants to… It does sound kinda important to the god, after all.
"Alright, then. Not that we've got anything like that right here in the middle of New York, but we can go for a drive somewhere. Where there's, you know, trees and mud and bugs and all that nature-y stuff."
Then, a thought suddenly hits him.
"And tell you what, since we're going to be spending time out there in this nature, why don't we take the opportunity to make it a good one and have a real picnic too while we're at it?"
He has Jarvis order some express delivery picnic food, and not long after they're off. It's a bit of a drive getting there, so at least he has that pleasure before the more dubious outdoors stuff awaiting him. And really, he always thought those hikers and campers were a bit weird, but he supposes that when you come from a society like Asgard where there are no movies, TVs, computers or other forms of digital entertainment, maybe reverting back to nature is a bit more understandable.
The last leg of their drive is slow and bumpy, and given the narrowness of the road, he's glad there isn't any oncoming traffic, or his Ferrari might have been sporting some really ugly paint scratches right now.
They pull up at some clearing to the side of the road – if it can even be called a road at this point. It's not exactly a parking lot either, but probably what counts as it out here.
"Alright," he says as he turns the engine off. "Here you go. Forest."
Loki gives him an amused look. "You don't like forests?"
"Hey, I'm a city boy. I prefer places where there's Starbucks and MacDonalds within spitting distance. Makes me feel more at ease and not like I'm about to get mauled by a wild boar any second." He peers suspiciously at the trees looming outside. "Besides, it's not like there's anything to do out here," he adds, making a little grimace.
"You don't need to do anything," Loki counters, pushing the car door open. "Just being is enough."
"Sounds very New Age-y to me," Tony mumbles, not convinced. "So can we at least eat first? I'm kinda getting hungry here."
At least Loki doesn't offer any protests to that.
So he brings the picnic basket out of the trunk and then trails after Loki who has already taken off on some path leading off between the trees. He sure hopes the god doesn't plan on going far; he has no particular desire to get lost in the untamed wilderness. Luckily, Loki doesn't, though, instead stopping at a little clearing, taking in his surroundings.
"Okay, perfect picnic place," Tony quickly chimes up before Loki says it's not good enough and decides to head off to heavens know where. "Let's eat right here."
Loki nods his approval, so Tony gets to unpacking the basket, its contents still wrapped up in all-consuming plastic. Heck, he didn't even know there were companies specializing in his kind of stuff, but it's the full mounty, meeting every picnic-y cliché including the grapes, a bottle of wine, and a chequered blanket.
A few minutes later, they're sitting on that very chequered blanket, eating food out of little jars and boxes, sipping on a mug of wine each.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Loki says, chewing on a piece of bread with cheese.
"Yup, Tony agrees, swallowing down another gulp of wine. "Though the food is better than the wine."
"I wasn't primarily referring to the food and drink," Loki says with an amused expression, his gaze going upwards to indicate the forest around them. "Just… this. The trees. The peacefulness. The calm surroundings."
Tony's gaze follows Loki's, taking in the sight of the trees looming over them. They sway and creak slightly in the breeze. "You know, if any of those things fall on my car, I'm going to buy every acre of this land and have it razed to the ground. And then cover it all with concrete."
Loki laughs. "Come on, Tony, just be quiet and listen for a while." The god scoots over to him, and places a pair of fingers on his lips to silence him. Reluctantly, Tony acquiesces, shutting his mouth as Loki leans against him, once more gazing up into the trees with a content look on his face.
So they simply sit there for a while, Loki's head against his shoulder, and Tony trying to listen to the, well, silence. There's the faint background noise of leaves rustling around them and an occasional chipper from a bird, but little else. He closes his eyes, feeling the soft wind against his cheek, and the warm body lying bonelessly against him. Truth be told, it actually is rather relaxing. And somehow, it's making him more aware of Loki too; the slow heaving of his chest, the warmth of his skin, the faint smell of shampoo and something else. It's… nice, the way his mind and senses are being filled with impressions of the god, having been emptied of most everything else.
He leans back on his elbows, mind drifting until he's half-dozing, almost lulled to sleep by the momentous effort of being one with nature. It's Loki who finally breaks their little slumber party up.
"Let's go for a walk," he says, slowly getting to his feet.
Tony quenches a little sigh wanting to escape his lips.
"Do we have to? I'm almost starting to like it here."
Loki responds by holding out a hand, pulling Tony up into a standing position.
"Okay," he relents, "but if I get assaulted by a grizzly bear or a piss ant crawls up inside of my pants and bites me in the balls, I'm holding you responsible!"
"Don't they say here in Midgard that exercise is good for you?" Loki says, apparently having little sympathy for Tony's position. "I would think that walking counts too."
They stuff the remainders of the picnic back into the car, and then proceed to walk down some nature trail marked with an arrow that is probably supposed to mean something. Tony still isn't sure how he feels about this nature thing, but he does like the hand that has seamlessly snuck into his somewhere along the way, fingers entwined with his own. It's… nice. Kinda like being back in high school again. Or probably more like junior high school in his case; he was already far past the hand-holding stage as a high schooler anyway. But it's remarkable how such a simple thing can in some ways feel more intimate than actually having sex.
Then again, he supposes the number of people he's held hands with doesn't come anywhere close to how many he's slept with. Maybe that's what's making it feel more special. That, and the way Loki smiles when their eyes suddenly meet, the sunlight striking his face just the right way and the breeze ruffling his hair in that playful manner.
Okay, so maybe nature isn't that bad after all.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Loki says at his side as they're standing on the flat rocks, looking out over the lake before them. And it's a perfect picture indeed, a blue expanse of water stretching out beneath an equally blue sky, the little lake framed by lush trees and smooth cliffs.
"Uh-hub," he agrees. "Not bad at all."
The hand in his suddenly lets go, as Loki takes a step forward. "How about going for a swim?" he asks, looking expectantly at Tony.
"How about 'no'?" Tony replies, wincing. "It's far too cold for that."
"You don't go for swims in Midgard?"
"Well, not at this time of year we sure don't. Not most of us, anyway."
Loki shrugs in reply and then his hands go up to the collar of his shirt, pulling it over his head. "Well, I do," he says as he proceeds to divest of the rest of his clothing. "Sure you won't join me?"
"Quite sure."
He watches as a naked Loki walks down the few steps to the shoreline and then plunges fearlessly into the water without batting an eyelash. Oh well, at least it's making the pretty picture even prettier, having a naked god swimming around in the middle of it.
He stands there for a while with his hands in his pockets, getting lost in his own thoughts, until there is suddenly a splash of cold water in his face. Startled, he looks down to meet with Loki's mischievous grin, the god standing at the shoreline with water lapping at his waist.
"Hey!" he protest at this indignity, taking a step back as Loki's hand darts back beneath the surface, ostensibly to send another volley of water his way. "Don't even think about it!"
"Don't be such a landlubber," the god teases. "Join me."
"You know, I'm quite sure that skinny dipping counts as indecent exposure," he mutters, digging his hands even deeper into the pockets of his jacket.
"There's no one else around to see," Loki points out, and then he grins toothily. "And here I thought the Man of Iron was made of sterner stuff than that, being deterred by a little bit of cold water."
Alright, that does it.
"You're getting back for that splash of water, just you wait," he threatens as he quickly strips, throwing each item of clothing on the ground with a pointed motion before stepping down into the lake, trying not to wince at the cold water meeting his skin. The only reply Loki offers is another splash of water right into his face.
And then, the battle is on. For a long time, there are only shrieks and ice cold water and laughter and stolen kisses in between, followed by a swimming competition to the other side of the lake and back – that Loki wins – until they're lying on the rocks, wet and panting and out of breath but smiling.
He's utterly exhausted, as much from laughing as from the physical exertion, and it feels as if he could lie here until the morning comes, if it hadn't been for the fact that he's freaking cold.
Rolling up onto his elbows, he looks at the clothes still strewn out all around hem, and then back to the god at his side.
"You didn't bring a towel, did you?"
Loki snickers. "I'm afraid I didn't. How about we make a fire instead to dry ourselves?"
"Ever the boy scout, huh?" He collapses onto the smooth rock surface again. "I'm not even sure it's legal to light up like this – you know, forest fire risks and all."
"I thought swimming naked wasn't allowed either?" Loki pointedly remarks before resolutely getting up and starting to collect pieces of wood lying around, gathering it all up into a neat little heap.
"There we go," he says once the pile is big enough for his liking, as if making fires is something he does on a daily basis. "Just need a spark, and we're set."
And from the way Loki's eyes are searching the ground, Tony gets the distinct impression that he's looking for a couple of sticks or whatever nature-immersed people use to make fires. And there's his tolerance limit for boy scout antics right there.
"Got a lighter in my jacket," he says, pointing towards the crumpled heap of cloth to his side. "No need to go all Palaeolithic here."
It takes a few attempts to get the fire going, but a few minutes later their collective efforts lead to triumph and a warm, crackling fire.
"Hey, look at that," Tony says contentedly as he eyes the burning wood. "I might earn my Eagle award just yet."
They sit naked around the fire long after they're already dry, Loki nestled up into his arms. With the heat from the little bonfire and the god warming his skin, clothes seem superfluous anyway.
As they sit there they talk, Loki about growing up in Asgard and Tony about growing up in New York, Loki about doing magic and Tony about doing science. And it's strange, he reflects, as Loki recounts how he had eventually learnt the difficult and complex art of teleportation, how they're both naked, not a thread on either of their bodies, and yet, he doesn't feel any particular desire to have sex. Well, not any more than usual, at least. It's as if sitting here with Loki in his arms and running his fingers through the god's hair while listening to him as he speaks is perfectly enough right now, like it's somehow even better than sex.
Wow, what's happened to him, the great playboy Tony Stark, when sex isn't the one thing first and foremost on his mind?
And then he suddenly hears his own voice, refusing to remain silent any longer, interrupting the god as he's describing an embarrassing teleportation mishap.
"I love you," he says, and Loki's words are cut short in the middle of a sentence as if his vocal cords just got snapped off.
But the silence doesn't last for long.
"I love you too, Tony," comes the breathless reply, soft and almost trembling.
The kiss they share a moment later is sweeter than any sugar or alcohol he's ever tasted.
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