PS:
Barb is Tony's robot maid.
Tony's thoughts are in [Italic Square Brackets]
Loki's thoughts are in {Italic Curved Brackets}
Anyone's else's thoughts would be in 'Italic Single Quotations'
XXX
Cold, water floods his mouth and nose, muffled shouting he can't hear cause there's water in his ears water in his lungs burning – he gasps sharply eyes opening, to an all-consuming black void, a space-ship implodes fire erodes and grows and his suit dies, and he-
Wakes with a start, Loki's face a low hush, a soft touch on his skin his cheek caressing, thumb ghosts along his lower lip then Loki was rising from where he'd knelt at the side of the bed, hand outstretched and Tony sits up confused looks around, his room, Pepper fast asleep by him still. Reverts to the god possibly a dream, takes the hand that gentle pulls till he stands, moves follows out the room the door shutting hushedly behind.
Down the stairs they trot, to the lift where Loki presses to his and Thor's floor, and as they descend hands clasped still, Loki's thumb circling the back of his in leisurely motion, Tony's too sleep-riddled to pull away, and althesame grateful for the contact anchoring him to this scene, as opposed to that playing on loop in his head still.
They're in Loki's room and some part of him means to ask, as Loki sits him top the bed and he perceives he too's still in nightwear. "Lie," Loki says, and this was definitely playing out like one of his guilty-pleasure dreams, a little more on the mellow side and those with Loki were often too but this, as he's coaxed gently to lay and the sheets drape over of their own accord up to his torso, and Loki's rounding the bed and climbing in beside him, distance between them. Then he turns onto his left, and after a moment quietly asks: "What did you see?"
Recollection is fresh as is the usual need to say 'nothing', when it slips past his lips: "The cave."
And instead of trying to reassure him or ask him what happened or stay silent and fix on him pity-eyes. Instead he says: "…Tell me how you escaped," an unusual request, one he's not as opposed to, one stressing the fact in itself, that he had. So he iterates what details he can recall, and he does not recall going into such detail before. He talks for so long it could've been hours, with Loki listening non-typically quiet, yet the typical, understanding in his eyes has him resume unreluctant, answer the questions that pop up here and there. When he speaks of Yinsen speaks of his end his voice falters. Loki lands on his shoulder a hand squeezing, those eyes still knowing and quiet, so he finishes the story. Awake enough now to ask:
"Why, um. Why did you, bring me here?" Loki's faint smile is warm.
"How am I to enjoy your company when you're exhausted and grumpy all the time?" Tony smiled too always of humor responsive. Loki laid then back on his back, eyes shut and he tells: "Try to sleep." And Tony ought ask 'here, in bed, with you?' as he turns onto his side struggling to capture Loki's intent but. Perceiving him so near in way to sleep, he remembers how alike Loki's prone to night-terrors, that he doesn't of speak and. For some reason that keeps him, here and from asking how or why Loki'd snuck into his room as once more weariness claims him like a wave – eyes heavy and he closes them briefly. Warmth radiates from Loki's form and that he's there and still awake's consoling in some way. Rather promptly Tony drifts off.
XXX
Warm and soft and it smells like winter, familiar. He burrows closer – tensed heard a door open, a voice:
"Easy, it's just Barb," Loki's.
Loki.
He's in bed with Loki.
His arms they're around Loki, he's been nuzzling his neck –
tilts just as Loki sits, the curtains are drawn though the glass's still in shaded mode. Loki picks both ebony mugs off the tray from Barb, she turns and whirs out the room door closes. As he blinks the sleep away and sits Loki holds out one mug the smell of rich coffee instantly rushed through his nostrils. He takes it as Loki leans back reverting eyes to the window like often he does like some caged bird.
The hours past rushed to the front of his mind in vagueness, surreal and dream-like, but he's here and so is Loki so it must've been real. His mind asks why again, Loki's answer had been in jest. Is it jest still now that they've waken this way, or has awkwardness inevitably surfaced? He can't quite think past all else that'd surfaced at night all that he'd told Loki. He can't quite think past Loki and Loki's hands and Loki's hand around his warm, on his cheek light, firm on his shoulder. He looks at Loki who's still looking away, he looks past Loki to the window to the sun high strung in the sky.
"Jarvis what time is it?" skeptic asked. Greens on him turn.
"1:43 in the afternoon, sir." That takes him quite aback – he actually can't recollect when last he'd slept as many hours uninterrupted.
"You should sleep here more often," Loki sips a smirk on his lips, and still rather in shock it takes Tony a beat, before a tense chuckle leaves him as he struggles yet to think, snaps out of it finally to counter Loki's playful flirts in kind as usual.
"Was the cuddling necessary?"
"Tell yourself," the god shrugged. Tony scowled.
"I don't cuddle."
"Well then I must've imagined waking up tangled in your clinging limbs." Red tints his face as it does at an annoying rate whenever Loki crawls under his skin like he does so well – he'll not give him the satisfaction retorts:
"Yeah?"
"Shall we ask Jarvis?"
"What were you doing in my room? How'd you even sneak in?"
"You know better than to ask that. And as for what," rarely ever does Loki show apprehension, as he looks down to his mug's steaming contents, the humor in his voice dry. "Sounded like you could've used a wake-up call. I think your girlfriend's deaf." Chest slightly stung he knows not why. Pepper and his nightmares don't clash well, a fact he disregards clears his throat, perplexed asked:
"How'd you, even hear?"
"How do you constantly forget I'm a god?" smugness to which Tony raised a brow unimpressed.
"So you're just constantly eavesdropping."
"When I wish to," Loki bears another wicked smirk and Tony's stuck still on the novel info.
"Really? Thor too?" Loki nods. Tony faced forth vexed mumbles: "Awesome." Now how was he expected to counter something of that capacity? Asking Loki was out of the question. And Thor wouldn't be a help, as usual. "So what were you doing listening in? Hoping you'd hear something naughty?" Loki's cringed reaction's satisfactory.
"Please."
"Didn't peg you for a perve, Lokes." Aside Loki sets the mug and abruptly he's four inches from Tony, voice dropping in a low, sly octave that was as unnerving as always.
"I listened to see if you were up. So I could annoy you," light pinch at his chin, Loki's slender fingers retreat, as does thankfully his person, leaning back once more. "Now that you're sufficiently awake. I'm very bored. So bored I might," gave a light shrug, blameless adds: "go up to your room and turn all your clothes pink, or maybe shave Pepper bald." Caught off-guard Tony's laugh is genuine; Loki smiles.
"Um, there will be no shaving my girlfriend's head, but. Would you be willing to swap my clothes for Clint's? His reaction'd be-"
"Very much worth it."
"Definitely. Do it while he's up and he doesn't notice he's walking around all glittery pink."
"You know if we ever united in plot, it'd be wicked," alike his wolfish grin. Tony gives him a look, smirks.
"Undoubtedly. Why do you think everyone gets all twitchy when we're in agreement."
"When are we not?"
"When you're pondering having my girlfriend's head shaved."
"Like you're not curious how she'd react."
"She'd throw a fit."
"Which would be most amusing."
"It's really not."
"At that instant it would."
"And I'd pay for weeks."
"Wherein you would continue to recall said incident, stifling laughter everytime she scowls." Tony shakes his head chuckling.
"You're awful."
"You love it," tone a hint softer, and before Tony can think Loki'd rose as
all then his mind does, is concur.
"Come then, let's find him. Try and maintain that immaculate poker face of yours. Laugh and I'll turn your hair blue."
"Do and I'll lock you and Thor up for three hours in one room." Loki feigns shock.
"And they call me evil."
"Hoho, babe if I were a supervillain I'd be the best," he swings off the bed.
"No doubt. They underestimate their luck; you being on their side."
"No they don't," before one another they stop, Tony instigates: "Why do you think they're so against this?" teasing the hem of Loki's sleeve with a tug. The mage raised a sole brow, closer stalked drawled:
"Thinking I'm the bad influence," index traced up Tony's fore and upper arm raising gooseflesh. Browns darken – lower he counters:
"Aren't you?" Loki's silk-like little chuckle is toxic, as is his dexterously light touch drawing back down thumb teasing Tony's knuckles to and fro and of its own volition Tony's hand tilts closer.
"If it helps," Loki says, leaning closer, too close. "I'll gladly be the bad guy," words whispered lips ghost along his ear he bites down a shiver, and when Loki exits his personal space, makes off to the bathroom door shuts and Tony breathes heart pounding. It isn't the first time Loki's come on to him, it's less a matter to flirt than it is to affect, and Loki revels in success and he often succeeds, because Tony's mind lags in Loki's intrusive vicinity in an irritating way, because hardly anyone possessed the attributes to faze him so. He has trouble often discerning, if Loki's genuine or joking. Because genuine's a problem because he's with Pepper and he loves Pepper and Loki knows this. But Loki never does more than this, so once the fog lifts Tony's happy to continue to pretend, that that's all it is. A game. To continue to pretend, he doesn't feel more.