Following a sharp gasp he hears a buzz, familiar, like against wood. His phone. Panting and reeling from the nightmare still he reaches for it blindly, blinded by the screen-light, blinks squints. A message, from Loki. 'Come,' it said. He mulls it over. Too briefly then rises.
XXX
Loki's still up, it's two in the morning. Tony smiles somberly at the pair of them, as Loki smiles that small way he does to greet him, and no one else.
"Whatcha readin'?"
"The Hobbit," refaced the pages as chuckling Tony neared. Loki's always on the right side of the bed, to the window, he noticed, the covers too that were tucked up to his torso, uncurling of their own volition at the side empty, making room for him. Warmed by the gesture, Tony shooed off whatever hesitance and sat, and allowed said sheets to sheath his lower half, leans to see by the nightlamp's dim glow where in the book Loki'd reached.
"This part's good."
"Don't spoil it," the mage chastised lighthearted. Smirking Tony absently followed the words promptly absorbed despite his heavy eyes. Sooner Loki turns the page and he pouts.
"Your speed-reading's annoying." The god smirks.
"You've read it before."
"And I'd read it again." He yawns long. Loki cocks a brow.
"Doubtfully now." Tony sinks a little down rather thoughtless tells:
"Read then. Out loud." Loki gives him a look. Tony returns one equally serious. The god was a natural story-teller, weaving with words so whatever topic's acutely of intrigue. It helps that lull to his voice, like a melody. Tony could listen to him for hours, and has, never tiring.
Loki reads to him. Sooner Tony's weariness weighs his mind and he's just hearing the sound of Loki's voice, steady and calm, consoling. He sleeps easily.
XXX
He lifts groggily his head, from where it'd been perched top Loki's chest, looking down at the god deep in sleep still. The sight was new. He was not accustomed to a Loki, lacking so of pretense or meticulous expression, just, rested, at ease. Beautiful. He was, there was no denying it. The rose pale skin the stark black hair, the high cheekbones the sculpted nose, those thin pink lips. Tony spends more time than he should staring.
"Mr. Stark," practically jumps, curses at Jarvis. "You've a meeting in an hour." The arm he'd hardly noticed on his waist tightened just and when he looks Loki's emerald eyes half-opened, gleamed a lazy smirk on those pink lips, that quip:
"Sucks for you." Tony throws him a scowl.
"I should drag you with me."
"Pfft. If I'm there it'd be fun," the god winks. Tony grins.
"Yeah? Set off the fire alarm and sprinkles?"
"You can manage that. Lacking incentive? I'm not," he sits up abruptly and Tony's quick to lean away. Because when it comes to him, Loki has no regard for personal space. "And I'm more creative," and the problem with personal space, or lack thereof, was how it put things into focus, like those still smirking lips, the crinkle of dimples at each corner, the shine of pearl-teeth. Or how dark Loki's eyes are suddenly. Tony falters, reboots his mind talks dismissing the distorted pitch of his voice that rectifies quickly:
"Maybe I can pull off sneaking you out of here. I'm working on something." Loki raised a brow. Tony smirked. "A surprise. Assuming it works. Which it will," he hops off the bed. "Till then, sit tight snowflake," for the door makes, halts tone lowering. "You and I both know you can just waltz outta here when you want to." Loki's devious expression's proof enough. "But drama's only good when it's fiction. Last thing we want's waking up to Nick Fury's infamous one-eyed death-glare," puts a hand top the doorknob.
"He's hardly threatening."
"Psh. He's a nuisance is what he is."
XXX
"Tony," Thor calls coming down across the hall. Tony mentally curses.
"Hey buddy. Whatcha doin' up so early?" Thor shrugs.
"I've awoken. Had you called on Loki?"
"Uh, yeah. Just came down. He's up but I wouldn't bother him till he's had some coffee."
"Like you," Thor smiles as they stop at the lift and Tony calls it, grin sheepish.
"Yeah."
"Your intrusion wouldn't bother him."
"Psh. Nothing he can do if it does."
"It doesn't," Thor says, with a cool certainty that stiffens his back further.
Finally the lift comes and Tony chides himself, for sharing a bed with Loki again.
But then he remembers Loki reading to him, forgets quickly why at all it's a problem.