disclaimer: i do not own marvel
Chapter 16
The impact of the news that Loki was gone hit Tony heavier than he expected. On a certain level, Tony even felt guilty because, after all, had the Avengers not succeeded in capturing the god? Iron Man certainly was part of them. Moreover, that chaotic, evil bastard surely did deserve every inch of punishment they could image. Right? Admittedly, with the exception of Steve, they all had wished him dead at some point. Yet hearing from Thor that Loki was actually gone, actually dead, had struck a nerve.
Tony found himself hit by a raw hurt on the way back home. A sense of grief had come washing over him. He should not feel such empathy for a villain, for the mastermind behind so many attacks and so much death and mayhem. Yet he did, and what perhaps struck him more is that Thor had been there. How could any man or god who had defended their sibling for all that they were worth, even when enough deaths had already been dealt, stand by such a punishment? How could Thor even talk about it with such ease, especially when it had been only two months ago?
Neither he nor the others had ever caught the big Asgardian telling a lie, not even a small one. The man had always stated the truth, sometimes to the point of being hilarious. So for Tony Stark to doubt those words seemed far-fetched. There was still something hidden though, something left unsaid. Thor had definitely not told them all there was to say and none of them felt like pressing him at that moment. Tony sighed. Where was the Black Widow when you needed her the most?
The grey expanse of metal and glass that formed the city in all its glory came into sight. Morning had come and gone long before he reached S.H.I.E.L.D. and now it was time for the sun to start setting, for all regular people to start dinner. To be fair, he had had plenty of good coffee today, but his stomach had yet to be filled. "Jarvis, is Pepper still at the tower?" If anything, Tony wanted food right now. Real, solid, good food, preferably steak.
"No, sir. She left after Mr. Ladislav woke. He insinuated that they both should get back to their work, seeing as there was more than enough piling up." Jarvis stated.
Dear God, it had never occurred to him that Locke was equally the workaholic that Pepper was. He could always find the man working behind his laptop, or with his nose in documents and papers, carrying a frown while studying them. Only in the very beginning had he struggled slightly. It was only in the very beginning that he had not noticed certain traits of his assistant. Tony figured he might as well risk it and ask Locke to order dinner. "Jarvis, open a comm line between me and the tower." There was no way that he, himself, was going to get steak right now.
"Comm line is open sir, but I do suggest waiting. Mr. Ladislav is currently attending personal business."
"Oh is he? Now you've made me curious." Personal business sounded way too deliciously private. How could he not want to sneak a peak of whatever was currently going on in the tower? "Can I get a visual of this personal situation?"
"I'd rather not give it to you. So no, sir, you may not have a visual."
"Jarvis, you're not helping here." Tony definitely did not remember giving Jarvis a sense of moral decency.
"And I don't plan to, sir. The comm line is open now."
Stark sighed in defeat. "Highness, are you there?"
"What!? Stark how dare you intrude on my...Stark where are you?!" Well, at least Locke was awake and himself again.
Tony's curiosity reared its head. "Still having that beauty sleep over there?"
"No, I was merely taking this opportunity to bathe. I felt the need to freshen up." Locke said on the other side of the line, clearly annoyed that he had been interrupted during this.
Tony had a good imagination. It was like a second nature to him, like engineering and inventing, just another perk of being who he is. His imagination was currently working in overdrive, like an unstoppable spinning wheel, granting him a perfect imaginary view of Locke bathing. Still, he was betting that the actual sight could easily beat this vision by tenfold, if only for the fact that it would be real. "Well, get dressed, I have an important errand for you to run."
"Ah yes, and of course I want to run your important errands now. No, really, Stark, that was my lifelong dream." Locke's voice dripped sarcasm.
"Wow, somebody is grumpy again. But it doesn't matter. I like it when you're feisty." Tony couldn't help the suggestive brow waggle, even though no one could see it. He could even envision his tall assistant's eyes rolling with that last comment perfectly. It was something he had come to see as a typical Locke thing. Or rather, a typical thing the man did as a reaction to him.
"Yes, well, state your business Stark."
"I want steak. No pizza or burger or anything fried. No, I want a real, good, thick, juicy steak. While you're at it, get something for yourself, too. I'm sure there's a restaurant nearby that you can coerce into take-out steak. Just give them that irresistible, cold stare of yours. I bet they'll drop to their knees instantly and serve you their best." Tony swore he could feel his stomach rumbling contently at the thought of such food.
A sigh was heard on the other side, a sign of a mind made up. "Just this once, Stark, and only because I'm sick of your revolting eating habits."
Score! "You hurt my feelings, Locke. I have perfect eating habits." When it comes to finger food.
"Goodbye, Stark." A recognizable sound in the background betrayed that elevator doors had closed.
"Please, Jarvis, tell me you have footage." He was already feeling more cheerful now, but the chance of seeing that perfectly shaped backside was not one he would let slip from his fingers.
"No, sir. As this was not an emergency, I took the liberty in deciding to not record any visuals in Mr. Ladislav's room." Tony swore that if Jarvis could smirk, he might have done so.
"I'm severely disappointed in you, Jarvis. I never raised you to have such morals." Well, at least I still have my imagination. He also said goodbye. That's a new first, and I think he even meant it.
In all the long, tiresome days they had previously shared, Tony had never gotten a real good morning, good night, or even goodbye from Locke. Especially the first five or six days, when the man was still wearing the cast around his leg. Did Locke know that bit by bit, his stoic demeanor was crumbling? Every now and then, the brown-haired engineer had caught glimpses of what lay beneath that composed and sometimes spiteful shell the man kept up. So rarely had those walls crumbled, but sometimes he'd seen it when Locke was working, his face in peaceful concentration. He had seen it burning with a short but unrivaled passion, one that he hoped to meet and match again.
This morning, he had seen it on Locke's handsome sleeping visage. How he had wanted to run his hand along that cheek, trace those slightly pale, but soft rose-coloured lips with his finger tip and kiss the other man. Shit. Tony Stark knew he was attracted to his assistant and that could only mean one thing.
Pepper knows.
Pepper always knew things, even before Tony had a chance to discover them for himself. Yet no word about it was spoken this morning, nor did she seem angry or disappointed. The only thing that he could read from her face was the everlasting worry and concern for his safety. She had held that face ever since his return from Afghanistan, where the Ten Rings had kept him confined inside that accursed mountain.
Then it could only mean that she didn't care or judge him for being attracted to men. Leave it to Pepper to accept things with such ease, but he still had the feeling that he was going to get a long, and probably boring, speech from her just so she could be sure he knew what he was doing. Which he didn't, even for a man with his playboy reputation for flirting and sleeping around with anything that had a nice ass or a decent pair of breasts.
Currently, he was exploring unknown territory and its finest inhabitant might prove hostile. Although, he was hoping that recent signs were pointing in the opposite direction. After actually accepting it, he had to admit that it was only trading one problem for another, potentially more complicated, one.
The tower came into sight, a big bright 'A' already illuminating the slowly darkening sky. It was the only thing that was not fixed yet, a constant reminder of the tumultuous battle that had ravaged in the city's centre. He really should fix it. "Jarvis remind me sometime later that I need to repair the tower's sign."
He landed soundlessly, his boots sliding into place at the raised platform on the balcony, instantly triggering a series of robotic reactions guided by the meticulous A.I. The completely normal looking, but well-built, piece of architecture shifted and moved, giving way to a whole new and different structure. Nothing could ever be considered normal around him and that also included the places he lived. Piece by piece, his suit came off, every movement carefully calculated, every shift and balance in weight triggering new actions around him. He guided his right foot to step on actual concrete, knowing that if he looked behind him, nothing could be seen except for a relatively normal stylish balcony, empty of all the separate parts of the Iron Man suit carefully being stored by the fluid moving robotic arms that had been there mere seconds ago.
"Jarvis, how much longer before Locke gets back?" Tony asked while one of the glass doors slid open for him, giving him entrance to the the inner sanctum of his home.
"You can expect your dinner approximately twenty minutes and thirty-six seconds from now." Jarvis replied, voice seemingly more monotone than usual.
Tony immediately caught the difference in the vocal tone. He hadn't spent years talking and having conversations with an A.I. without being able to notice the subtle changes in its demeanor. Tony knew very well that Jarvis was hiding something from him and that was not an event that happened often. He decided to let it slip for now and just wait for the result.
"All right, just notify me when I can chow down on my dinner," Tony said before he headed back to the workshop with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.
Loki was drifting in the confusing state between dream and consciousness, but he refused to open his eyes. Sleep was such a comfortable state in which to reside. Unfortunately, he still he felt his body waking. He pulled his cold foot back under the blanket, shifting so that he sank deep into the pillows. The horrid thing about waking up slowly is realizing there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. Eventually, you have to crawl out from under the covers and confines of a comfortable bed.
This is not my bed.
The thought awoke him instantly and he concentrated on recognizing his surroundings. He was sleeping on the large sofa in the living room of Stark Tower, covered by a soft, warm blanket. How the hell did he get here? Slowly, but surely, he remembered. He had reacted in fear and shock. The Chitauri have returned. The skies above New York had become unnaturally clouded and thunder had sounded. After that was nothing but a vague blur as his human body had shut down on him, some kind of primeval defense mechanism. With great care, he slid the blanket from himself and sat up in the sofa. He combed a hand through his hair while trying to figure out how he got there.
"It's Tony's doing," said a definitive female voice familiar to him.
He rubbed his temples before speaking. "Miss Potts."
"You can call me Pepper, you know," she said, offering the just awakened man a glass of cold water. He had changed so much in the past eight or nine days, from the thin, sickly-looking drifter with an unkempt, messy beard, and equally unruly, muddied, long blond hair, into what she saw before her now. The only thing that had remained the same were those blue eyes. The hair that used to hang long, reaching even over his shoulders, was now cut shorter, but it still remained long for a man. It rested just above his shoulders and was neatly styled into place. The whole beard was gone, which she had not expected. Before, with his hairy chin and sideburns, he had looked wild and lost. Now, with the scruff gone from his face, he appeared calmer, attractive even. It wasn't strange to see how Tony had been drawn to his assistant. Even to her, Locke was handsome.
"What happened?" He took the glass of water, feeling grateful to have a drink, not that he'd say it out loud. Loki drank it with greed, feeling the need to quench his sudden, desperate thirst.
"I don't know everything. It's probably best if you ask Tony about most of it. When I came here on his call, asking me for help, my first thought was that he'd done something stupid again. But actually, he called me because was worried for you." She paused in her speech, to give Locke time to let the words sink in. There seemed to be a million things going on inside of the tall, blue-eyed man at this moment. "When I arrived, you were out cold and comfortably sleeping against Tony." She couldn't help but let out a soft, genuine laugh.
I WHAT!
"Tony couldn't move an inch because of you and all the time you were passed out, he sat there. I've never seen him with such patience toward another person. Not even me." She couldn't help it, but at that moment, she had felt a small pang of jealousy. "I helped him get out, but Tony was the one who carried you to the couch. He even tucked you in."
HE WHAT!
"He basically called me in to make sure you were all right when you woke up. Which, in my opinion, you are." She already had her handbag, filled with papers and documents, hanging around her shoulder. She smiled and stood up from her seat. "I do need to get back to work now."
"Stark is an idiot. I will make sure this event does not repeat itself." Loki scowled. Did that fool Stark have nothing better to do than to disturb people who actually worked hard?
"I'm not arguing with you about him being an idiot at times. However, he was genuinely concerned on your behalf." Her smile turned slightly devilish as a plan formed in her mind. "You owe him a favor, Locke." With that, she left, as enough had been said today. Still, to think Tony would like men? Never in her life had she expected that one. Furthermore, to think that the one who seemed to carry his favor was as much of a hassle as the irritating genius himself? She really didn't even know half of what type of chaos Tony had managed to get himself into this time.
Oh, Tony, you are in so much trouble.
The thirst he was feeling had not been quenched by that one glass, so he carried it to the kitchen for a refill. His throat still feeling dry, he welcomed the cool, flowing water. When he opened the fridge to put the glass in its place, he noticed that Pepper had saved the uneaten sandwiches made by Steve Rogers. He liked the way she had neatly wrapped everything. More often than not, Tony would just throw food back into the fridge, not even caring if it was stored properly.
He checked the time, blinking in big red numbers on the microwave and winced. The day had gone by without him. It was already late in the afternoon, or even early in the evening, yet to him it felt like morning. He was drowsy, sweaty, and feeling annoyed as hell. There was also no coffee in the kitchen greeting him and that just did not feel right. He was so used to it by now, so used to the fact that Stark made him coffee early in the morning. It was something to which he had become fond. He enjoyed the coffee and the fact that Stark made it for him each day. It started out as a point to prove in an argument, but it had escalated somehow. There was no longer a point to prove. For some impossible reason, Stark was being considerate toward him. Almost unknowingly, he had been accepting this small show of kindness every day and he had started liking it.
Loki walked back to his room feeling irrationally conflicted with himself about enjoying Stark's coffee. He might not have his dark, hot drink now, but a shower was still a valid option. If you needed to feel awake, anyway. The faucet of the shower was turned on and he adjusted it until the water was lukewarm, mimicking the rain on a hot summer day. He stood there, eyes closed, facing the direction the water flowed from. Unfortunately, good things never lasted long.
"Highness, are you there?" Stark's voice interrupted his brief moment of peace.
Loki grabbed a towel and wrapped it his waist, momentarily forgetting to turn off the shower. "What!? Stark how dare you intrude on my..." Loki turned off the shower and cast a quick glance around the bathroom. He let out a deep breath of relief, although his heart was still racing. He was still alone. "Stark, where are you?"
"Still having that beauty sleep over there?"
"No, I was merely taking this opportunity to bathe. I felt the need to freshen up." By the Nine, Loki, you oaf! Why did you tell him the truth? You do not need Stark using his imagination to invade your private space! He knew full well what the contemplative silence on the other side of the line meant - Stark's brain was running wild. Probably concocting indecent images of him using the shower, even the both of them together, if he had half the chance.
Loki, stop using your brain like those insects! For just a millisecond, he had done the same.
"Well get dressed. I have an important errand for you to run," said the disembodied voice of Stark. He could almost hear the man smirking.
With haste and a disturbing feeling that seemed suspiciously like guilt, he got dressed, not even bothering with fresh garments. "Ah yes, and of course I want to run your important errands now. No, really, Stark, that was my lifelong dream."
"Wow, somebody is grumpy again. But it doesn't matter, I like it when you're feisty."
You and me both Stark. Loki mentally punished himself for that last thought running about his mind. Ever since that kiss, he'd felt so on edge. He felt...well, mostly, he felt ashamed and guilty. Yet, sometimes, his blood felt awfully warm when he saw or thought of his infuriating employer. It was not a thing he wanted to face, so he ignored it whenever possible.
"Yes, well, state your business Stark," he snapped.
"I want steak. No pizza or burger or anything fried. No, I want a real, good, thick, juicy steak. While you're at it, get something for yourself, too. I'm sure there's a restaurant nearby that you can coerce into take-out steak. Just give them that irresistible, cold stare of yours. I bet they'll drop to their knees instantly and serve you their best."
Loki recalled Pepper's words, that he owed Stark. Since he had the feeling that the man was aggravatingly determined on having his dinner, he decided that giving in to the request would be his best option currently. He sighed. "Just this once Stark, and only because I'm sick of your revolting eating habits." That and he wanted to have a decent, non-greasy meal. He was sick of the way Midgardians ate. The only person with decent taste whom he had met so far had turned out to be Captain America.
"You hurt my feelings Locke, I have perfect eating habits."
Loki rolled his eyes at that. "Goodbye Stark."
As he left the penthouse, he heard a familiar voice speak up while he waiting inside the elevator. "Sir, the communication line to Mr. Stark has been terminated. Might I suggest ignoring his tip on asking a fancy restaurant for take-away?" suggested the calm, steady voice of Jarvis, echoing through a speaker in the right corner of the elevator.
"I was planning on ignoring that as well. His ideas can be quite childish for a grown man. No sane person would demand that from a decent restaurant." Except Stark, of course. "What is your suggestion, Jarvis?"
Before Jarvis could speak his thoughts, the doors of the private elevator opened into the lobby of Stark Tower. He grabbed his phone and brought it to his ear to carry on the conversation he was having with the A.I. With just a touch of a button he connected again, hearing Jarvis answer the moment the cellular device hit his ears.
"Well, sir, I believe that there is still a grocery store open not to far from here. I've already made arrangements for a driver."
Tony had only been busy for twenty minutes and already he had managed to get oil smears on his hands, arms, and face, not to mention the fact that he was working up a good sweat. Creative geniuses like him don't need to go to a gym. The perfect mixture of coffee, creativity, and a high I.Q. made sure that there was hard work to do in every hour of the day or night. There were always improvements to be made, new suit designs to work on, and that he had a whole arrangement of new ideas popping up in his head at any given time.
Right now, he was modifying the carcass of his old sports car. The self-sustaining engine was already complete. The car would be able to run at maximum speed for days and not weaken, the wheels spinning on and on. The whole thing could probably be used as a backup generator as well; you just never knew when you needed one of those. Currently, he was welding one of the larger frames, large goggles atop his head and AC/DC blaring loud through the speakers of the workshop. He was lying on the ground in a rather uncomfortable position, just to get to the right framework. Dummy was anxiously standing by, carrying a fire-extinguisher as if his life depended on it.
"Sir, dinner will be ready in approximately one minute and fourteen seconds."
Tony turned off the welder, the flame snuffing out instantly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dummy standing dangerously close and holding a familiar object in its metal hand. "No, Dummy, no. Be a good boy and put it down. No, just put it down." He coaxed the little robot to set the extinguisher down before raising his voice in a more serious, yet still affectionate, tone. "Now go and stand in the corner. I already told you that I'm not going to burst into flames while welding." The robot let out a defiant sound before lowering its arm. Then it turned around, almost dignified, and went to its corner where it huffed and made a small noise of annoyance.
"Good boy." Tony took off his goggles and placed them on his workbench, next to the car's engine. He looked like a mess with his hair sticking out in odd places and oil and grease spots all over his skin. It generally didn't bother him. It was the price he paid for working hard. There was no way in hell was he going to clean up for a piece of steak in his own damn kitchen.
A mouth-watering and wonderfully aromatic smell greeted him as soon as he reached the vicinity of the kitchen, the kind of fragrance that made one salivate and savour each breath, as if he could taste it just from smelling it. Whatever restaurant Locke had raided, his assistant could be sure that he would find himself returning there for more. Assuming, of course, that the taste of his steak was just as perfect as that alluring smell. Tony's steps brought him to the open doorway of the kitchen and he couldn't believe what he saw once he focused. It had to be an illusion, or some coffee induced hallucination. How many cups did he drink today?
Locke was cooking. No, not just cooking. He was probably preparing one of the best steaks ever, if the smell was an accurate indication. His assistant had a fork in his right hand and his elegant chin was cradled in the other while his elbow rested on the kitchen counter. The sound of sizzling hot meat came from a pan on the stove. There was a bowl of potato salad in the vicinity and a plate with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, and other healthy shit Tony would never eat. What made the scene even more surreal was that Locke was wearing an apron.
Tony decided to break the silence, mostly because he was feeling ravenous by now and certainly not because of seeing Locke lost in thought while wearing an apron. He could have stared at that absurd, yet endearingly cute, scene longer otherwise. "You are cooking? When did you even? No, wait, never mind what I said. Sometimes words just stream out. So, yeah, cooking. Nice." He babbled rather awkwardly.
Loki had not heard a sound, so the sudden voice of Tony Stark had startled him. It almost resulted in him dropping the fork he had been holding. He quickly regained his composure and turned around. "Yes, Stark, I am quite capable of cooking." He paused, briefly. "I was told by Miss Potts that you..." Tucked me into bed after I..? "Handled my sudden shock with care. She recommended that I should return the favour."
The smug engineer left the doorway and stepped closer to Locke. I owe Pepper for this and she knows it. "So you are thanking me? You are a real sweetheart, Highness."
Loki narrowed his eyes at this and shot a glare in Stark's direction, who was too close for the taller man's comfort. He strengthened the hold on his fork and tapped the place where the engineer's heart was hidden beneath glowing technology. The high sound of metal on metal tinkled softly. "I am merely settling a debt, nothing more."
Every detail of Locke's movements made Tony think about the god who had passed, from the glare to the eerily similar way that the other man had tapped his arc reactor. Locke's expression shifted and he turned around, testing one of the juicy steaks on the stove with his fork. Soon, a filled plate was shoved into his hands, and the only look on his assistant's face was one of loose disinterest.
"Enjoy your dinner, Stark." Loki's face held his best serious expression while the shorter man in front of him was smiling.
"What? Are you not eating? Just grab your plate and join me." Tony saw the hesitation flickering in those blue eyes of Locke's, meaning that he was actually contemplating it. His assistant just needed one more small push in the right direction. "I promise, I'll behave."
It would not be that bad having company, even if that company was Stark. After all, he was still repaying the favour, right? "Very well." Loki gave in and prepared a serving of his own and headed off to the dining table. Even though Stark had left the kitchen before him, he was still the first at the table. The other man was going through the insides of the bar, carefully choosing his liquor for the evening. A head of disheveled brown hair shot a look his way.
"Do you want a drink?" Tony asked, again feeling a sense of déjà vu regarding the green-eyed god. He shook it off. He probably had a thing for tall, lean-muscled men that could stare wickedly and look absolutely gorgeous doing so.
"Your offer is appreciated but useless. I do not like to indulge myself in the drinking of spirits." Loki stared at his dinner. There was no use in letting his hard work grow cold. Stark had managed to find a suitable drink for himself and took his seat at the dining table across him, contemplating his own plate with a studied eye. Loki's gaze shifted to the other man, who looked so different, somehow more real than usual. Stark was generally well-dressed even on his worst days, his hair impeccably styled, and even his casual clothing seemed to be chosen with care. However, right now he was anything but - his hair was in messy disarray, his face and arms were grimy from shop work. Even the black wife beater Stark was wearing was grubby and unkempt. His eyes shot to the genius' chest where a blue glow betrayed what lay beneath. Overall, Loki found himself appreciating certain of Stark's features; they made him want something he had denied himself for a long time.
Tony looked up after finishing his dinner and found blue eyes observing him. Is Locke checking me out? The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile toward the other man and he noticed Locke's eyes dart back to his empty plate. "You know, that was unexpected talent on my plate here. I might need to tuck you into bed more often, if I get this in return." The small blush of red on Locke's face did not escape his eye. His assistant was definitely blushing faintly. It told him all he needed to know.
I am, indeed, being checked out.
Instead of trying to formulate a reply to Stark's words, Loki just grabbed his empty plate and stood. He snatched the other man's plate before he could protest against it. Out of all the different situations Loki had gone through after being stripped of his powers and cast out, out of all those raging, very human emotions and feelings dwelling inside him, attraction had to be the worst. Human anger he could manage. Anger was fast and hateful, but burned up so fast. Fear or sadness lasted longer, but could be ignored until they eventually faded. The helplessness and weakness he felt in the beginning was almost gone, too, as even stuck in human form, Loki was a formidable man.
Despite his vehement denial however, the attraction he felt toward a once-loathed enemy only grew, born of lust and awakened by a heated kiss. Perhaps it had been there longer, lying dormant in the far corners of his mind. During the day, and sometimes the night, it came crawling to the surface and pierced his heart like an unforgiving needle. Out of all these different, new, and infuriating emotions he felt, attraction refused to be ignored.
The sound of a chair being pulled aside was followed byfootsteps coming closer, making it painfully clear that Stark had decided to pursue him. Loki abandoned the plates in the sink instead of placing them in the dishwasher, like he normally would have done. He just wanted to get out of the kitchen and back to a place with more space between himself and Tony Stark. A familiar and unwelcome figure in the doorway prevented him from any of the above.
"You were checking me out," Tony stated, voice sure, perhaps even challenging. The hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips.
Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. "Your imagination is getting the better of you, Stark. Now let me pass." He sincerely hoped that the shorter man would give up his antics.
"No, I want an answer. Don't think for a second that I didn't notice. Things like that never pass me by." Tony kept the doorway occupied on purpose. He knew that Locke wanted to slink away again, but he'd be damned if he would let that happen without a struggle. He took a step forward, knowing he would be intruding upon the other man's comfort zone. He gazed directly into Locke's shining blue depths. "You were checking me out back there, weren't you?"
Those intense brown eyes cut into him, implying something dangerous. A hot shiver running up Loki's spine told him to get out now. "I was merely observing, hoping you were finished."
"Oh, no. Don't give me that bullshit." He recognized a change in his assistant, his resolve finally dissolving. "I know what I saw. You blushed and you want me." Tony asserted, a flirtatious lilt apparent in his voice.
"Stark, I firmly believe that the one doing the 'checking out' is you." By the Nine, the man was testing his patience. Right now, Loki wanted to punch him in the face, almost as much as he wanted to ravish the infuriating man. "Now, I will not say it again. Get out of my way."
"Haven't you learned by now that I always get what I..." There was more to say, but being grabbed by the collar of your shirt kind of blocked those things.
Loki had his hand full of black fabric and a grinning Tony looked up at him. "No, Stark, you want me." He proceeded to draw the aggravating engineer in, hauling the man closer to himself. "You want me so badly that you are letting yourself dwell in these illusions." The smug grin on the other's face faded. "Convincing yourself that I have a want for you as well."
Slowly, Loki bent his head, letting his lips hover a fraction of an inch above his squirming employer. "Well, I have news for you, Stark." His voice turned to liquid velvet as he brought his lips to the other man's ear and whispered. "Perhaps, if you knelt down and begged me for it, I would consider giving you a reply."
Tony was a sweaty, crumpled mess in his hands, in no position to do anything more than pant desperately. Even if the other man had a will to fight back now, those brown eyes told Loki that for now he was helpless to do so. With that, he released his grasp on Tony, turned around, and walked off with a certain determination in his footsteps. He would not deign to give the appearance of fleeing. He had not even realized yet that he was beginning to refer to the idiot as Tony instead of Stark.
Tony opened his eyes again after feeling the strong grip let go. His blood surged through his body, gathering in one point only.
Damn that was... So hot.
He would probably have let himself fall on his knees if Locke had remained a second longer.
Thank you guys for taking time to read this story, and of course for following or favoriting it.
Feel free to leave a review, i use them as power snacks.
Huge amount of thanks to my beta for this chapter, Wampus Dragon and swordmisstress