Stephen kept a close eye on Loki after Bruce had left, watching him prowl around, muttering to himself. He was like a caged animal, wounded, furious with everything.
'How many enemies does he have? The people I need to maim?' Loki asked suddenly.
'Most of them are gone,' Stephen answered.
'Wanda, who is this?'
Sitting back, Stephen rubbed his temples. 'She's a mutant, a human who was given abilities, magical ones. Years ago, she manipulated the Avengers to try and fight each other, invaded Tony's mind with her powers to show him his worst fears and make him act according to her will.'
Loki froze, face clearing for a moment.
'That was who he was speaking of. He spoke to me ages ago about one who manipulated his thoughts and decisions. I asked him if he had taken her life for such a crime, and he did not want to talk about it further.'
Stephen got to his feet as Loki's hands began to glow with magic.
'Where is she?' he hissed from clenched teeth.
'I'm not sure.'
'Do not lie to me,' Loki whirled to face him. 'You would let the one that harmed our love walk free? Who caused him mental anguish, who made even you furious at the mere mention of her name?'
'Tony wouldn't want you to harm her. He'd never see you again if you did.' He ran his hands up and down Loki's arms, trying to soothe.
'He has a fear of magic because of her. The very thing that is the core of our beings, Tony hates!' Loki spat, shoving at Stephen's chest, not in an attempt to move, but an outlet for his frustration.
'I know.' Stephen dragged him closer, tucking Loki's head under his neck and holding him steady until the anger abated. 'You're only seeing it from one way again. Even though he hates magic, he trusts us with it. It shows the depths of his feelings.'
Loki was rigid in his arms.
'Not only did she prey on his mind, he is doing the same thing! It feels as though we are not doing enough,' Loki sounded disgusted, even as he began to thaw in Stephen's hold.
'Remember, it's like you said, we can't make Tony aware and risk Nightmare knowing. Who knows what he'll do to him. I want to fight as much as you do.' He moved back, running his hand over inky hair. 'We will fix this,' he leant down to kiss Loki, a chaste brush of lips.
'Do you think Tony will be agreeable to meeting with us?' Loki murmured against his lips.
Stephen understood the need to reassure himself that Tony was well, that nothing could harm him as long as he was near. He also knew Loki had been more affected by Bruce's talk about Tony's acceptance than he was revealing.
Loki had extended him the courtesy of allowing their first time alone...
'You go to him. I have things I need to do at the Sanctum.'
Stephen could give Loki the same gift he'd been given.
'More important than Tony?' Loki tried for a sarcastic tone, missing the mark by miles.
'Nothing is more important to me than Tony. But I have responsibilities, things that I've been neglecting. Look after him?'
A twisted sort of fierceness overtook Loki's features, and he reached up, taking Stephen's lips between his own, hand twisting to the point of pain in his hair. Gasping, Stephen gripped Loki harder, shuddering under the sensation.
'Always. Come to us when you have finished.'
With that, Stephen was left holding onto nothing.
****************
'You once spoke of bumping and grinding, I wish to see it.'
Tony looked up from his schematics of the Spider Suit, smiling in amusement as he stared at Loki standing in his lab, arms crossed.
'Hello, Loki, nice to see you, how've you been? Me? Oh, I'm fine.'
Loki prowled closer, pulling his chair out and spinning it around so Tony was now staring up at him.
'Are you trying to say you want to go out for the night?' He could be down with that. Tony couldn't remember the last time he'd gone out for a night out.
'And watch others lust over you? Not in the slightest. Come, show me.'
Tony looked around the lab, a hand raised for effect.
'Ask your FRIDAY to lock down the lab. Total security. None but Stephen can get in,' Loki ordered, eyes gleaming.
'You heard him, FRIDAY.'
'May I use my magic to enter your mind? I promise it is only for an illusion. You can trust me,' Loki's hands framed his face, pressing a lingering, bruising kiss to Tony's mouth.
He's going to invade your mind. Don't let him.
Tony held the green gaze, ignoring the whispering doubt in his mind, that this was one of Loki's tricks, that he was going to do what Wanda had. He could feel himself sinking into the doubts, startling as Loki bit his lower lip.
'I do believe your dancing will be alluring, dear one,' Loki purred against his mouth. 'FRIDAY? Play music suitable for what Tony calls bumping and grinding, please.'
A low sultry beat thudded through the lab.
'I trust you,' Tony answered, more because he wanted to carry on with the spell Loki was weaving over his body than anything else.
In an instant the lab was gone, and they were in a busy club. Scantily dressed girls danced, glistening muscles undulating as the they moved to the beat. Tony remembered this night, it was one of the better ones of his memory, the stranger he took home that night one of the best sexual experiences of his life.
'I need a drink,' he gasped out. 'It's a little hard to dance stone cold sober, Lokes.'
'Nonsense, Tony Stark, party animal, playboy. I know your flair for the dramatics,' Loki's fingers trailed over his throat, walking around from behind him. When he stopped in front of Tony, he could feel his eyes bug out of his head.
Loki only had his leather pants on.
The illusion was fantastic. Tony could smell the alcohol on the air, sweat coating the dancers' bodies, the musk of sweat enshrouding them all. The vibrations of music matched the thumping he could feel through the floor, snaking up into the muscles of his legs.
'Now. Show me,' Loki ordered, hands on Tony's hips.
The synergy of beat and sensation made Tony move, swaying his hips from side to side, intent on seducing Loki, smiling as he drew the green gaze. Thrusting them from side to side in sharp snaps, he tilted his head back provocatively, exposing his vulnerable throat to Loki's hungry gaze. He was yanked close to Loki's body, feeling the hard muscles under his hands. The irresistible allure of the beat melted Tony's reservations and he gave himself up to the music and by extension, to the god.
Hands slid down his forearms, slick with sweat as they moved together, Loki easily keeping up, matching the pull and push of the dance, the dips and twists as Tony swayed his hips. The Asgardian's sensuality was evident in his strong and graceful movements. Elegant, yet carnal, their hips grinding together.
Tony took a few steps back, enjoying the way Loki swiped at him to try and keep him close. Pale, sculpted cheeks were flushed, inky hair curling around his neck and shoulders, but it was the look in Loki's eye, the smouldering possession, the need to claim, to own.
He moaned, turning and looking over his shoulder, grateful when Loki pressed in close, ripping the buttons from his shirt with one strong finger. He snagged his ass back into the cradle of Loki's sharp hips, rubbing back against the erection.
'You are never to dance like this with another,' Loki hissed, hand splaying over his stomach, encouraging him to grind again, his lips attaching themselves to Tony's neck.
'Not even to tease you?' Tony gasped out, slumping a little as Loki's hand snaked down to his cock, squeezing to the point of pain.
'You will not like what happens,' Loki growled, continuing to grind, free hand at the base of Tony's throat, coaxing Tony back to rest his head on his shoulder. 'You are spoken for, Tony Stark.'
'And if I want to leave?' Tony pushed, flirting with the edge of danger, gasping as Loki stopped any attempts of grinding, thrusting his cock into Tony's ass in a dry hump.
'Beg and plead, mortal. I will never let you go.'
Tony twisted, facing Loki and forcing his head down so they could kiss. Loki's tongue thrust into his mouth, fingers leaving points of pain on his flank, his leg sliding in-between Tony's, giving him something to rut against.
It was dizzying, the feel of Loki's hot thigh against his cock, the smell of him so close. It wasn't the saltiness of sweat he could smell, it wasn't like anything Tony could describe, his head darting down to Loki's neck, lapping the beads of sweat. It was tingling cold, making his tongue numb for a few seconds.
With his legs beginning to tremble, head spinning from overheating, he felt hands lifting him from the floor, encouraging him to straddle the thick muscle of Loki's thigh. Coaxed back into a bend, Loki's tongue ran flat from his navel to sternum, leaving behind a trail of delirious sparks that seeped into Tony's skin, making him plead for more.
Struggling in Loki's hold, he somehow managed to get them to the floor, the shock of the frigid concrete floor against Loki's back making him drop the illusion. It was just them on the floor of Tony's lab, music still blaring, want thrumming between them.
'Clothes off,' he snarled into Loki's mouth, grinding down at the sharp bite to his lower lip, nails raking down over pale skin, the marks fading as quickly as Tony brought them to the surface. He felt the coolness of the lab's air over his fevered skin as his clothes faded away, contrasting with Loki's scalding flesh pressing into his, the curve of his erection rubbing against the cleft of Tony's ass.
'So delirious for me,' Loki murmurs, voice pleased.
Tony's body was dragged up Loki's chest, and he protested, fighting it. His legs were positioned either side of Loki's head, and he screamed as Loki held him open, tongue lapping at his hole, twisting and probing in. Tony rolled his hips back in needy desperation. He could hear himself over the music, wanton moans tumbling from his lips, Loki redoubling his efforts as Tony tried to stifle them, the hands gripping him tightening in retribution
'I would hear you Tony, do not hide from me,' Loki breathed the words across the paper-thin skin of his balls, his voice clear over the music.
Loki thinks he's running the show, does he?
Tony shoved him away, reassuring him quickly with a deep kiss as he resumed his earlier position over Loki's cock. He grinned at Loki's floundering, the way his eyes rolled back as Tony lined his cock up and sunk down, slow, feeling the burn of not enough lubrication, not enough stretching. Loki cried out, sharp and broken, as Tony took him with agonizing slowness.
When his ass met the strong jut of Loki's hip, he waited for a moment, letting his body adjust before he swivelled his hips in a loose circle, smirking as Loki's hands clamped on his thighs. The rhythm he set was completely at odds with the fast tempo of the music, ignoring Loki's demands that he move faster, or harder, and even the stray threat to maim if he didn't.
'Don't like being at my mercy, baby?' Tony moaned, finding the sweet spot inside him, shouting Loki's name, flinging his head back and thrusting steadily back against it, using Loki for his own purposes, his needs, his desire.
'I am at your mercy constantly, you wretched thing,' Loki growled, trying to tug Tony closer, to move his hips up and set a faster pace. His eyes snapped open with disbelief as Tony stopped, fingers trailing over nipples with a feather-light touch.
'Beg for it,' Tony panted out.
'You're...asking me, a god, to beg you?' Loki was incredulous, mouth open as he stared up at Tony.
'You heard me, Reindeer Games.'
He was toying with fire and Loki responded, planting his feet on the floor behind him, grabbing Tony's wrists and pinning them against his stomach. The sudden, powerful thrust of Loki's hips made Tony moan, unable to wriggle away, Loki's strength unyielding.
'What is it you want me to say, beloved?' Loki's voice was sinfully dark, pouring over Tony, drenching him in lust. 'For me to beg you to let me come? To let you please your god?'
Tony felt powerless. He might be the one on top, but Loki was controlling him, using him for his wishes, sending bolts of pleasure straight up his spine.
'Loki,' he gasped out, begging.
'Shall I plead for you to ride me until your body is spent? Thinking of none but me and what pleasure my cock can bring you?' He shifted Tony's hands into one of his own. Tony couldn't pull away, couldn't break Loki's grip.
'My bewitching, beguiling mortal.' Loki hissed the compliment, one finger trailing up the side of Tony's cock.
His orgasm took him by surprise, his moan punched out and raw, body shaking from the release. He heard Loki's cry from some faraway place, smiling absently at the affection in the tone, Loki's pleasure thick inside of him.
Dimly, he registered the dull pain in his knees, spreading up into his legs, the burn in his ass from Loki still holding him open. Gravity shifted and he tumbled forward, warm arms reaching up to catch him, panting breath ruffling his hair.
'Rest now,' Loki said, voice syrupy thick.
They were no longer in his lab, but in his bedroom in the compound. His exhausted body was cleaned with tender care, a sharp contrast from their actions not five minutes ago. Tony yawned as he was tucked into his bedsheets, clinging to Loki, arms and legs wrapped around his body.
He wasn't sure how Loki would be after sex, if he'd be distant. He was pleasantly surprised by how much Loki seemed to cling to him in return, long fingers threading through his hair, lips pressed to his forehead, holding Tony close.
'Are you asleep, dear one?' Tony felt the words spoken into his hair.
'Nearly,' he answered, lassitude seeping into his muscles.
'Were you working on anything important when I interrupted you?' Loki asked into the darkness of the room.
'Modifications of Peter's suit.'
'May I offer some advice?' Loki's question was so gentle, so cautious and Tony knew it was from someone who has spent so long second-guessing themselves that they were on guard for a rebuff before they'd even spoken.
Dragging himself away from the precipice of sleep, Tony nodded, placing his ear over Loki's heart, listening to the slow thump.
'Why not teach Peter how to do the modifications? So he can assist you with his suit?'
That...wasn't a bad idea. The kid was smart, could easily do what Tony was doing, probably improve it.
'I've gotten so used to doing everything for the team, upgrades, new weapons. I forgot the kid is self-sufficient and smart. Good idea, Lokes, FRIDAY arrange a meeting with Peter for me,' Tony yawned again, feeling happy.
What if he makes a mistake? He is only young, it is better for you to take control, to look after him.
He tensed.
'It is hard, letting go of a child, to see them growing up. I do not have any parental skills, nor was my upbringing a good one. But I remember the fear on my father's face when he let me go into battle with Thor the first time. The pride when I returned from my first victory. I imagine it is hard.'
Tony shifted up a little, looking down at Loki.
'You're saying I need to loosen the reins a little? Give him more space,' he added at Loki's confusion.
'You cannot prepare them for life if you will not let them live it. I will help the both of you, add my magic to Peter's suit, aid in his protection.'
'Really?'
Loki nodded, drawing him down for a kiss.
'The child will be unstoppable. Sleep, beloved. I am here. Stephen will join us later.'
******************
Stephen opened a portal into Tony's bedroom, hoping the two of them would still be awake. Shaking his head at what he found, his clothes shifted into his sleep pants, taking a moment to look at the pair of them asleep in Tony's huge bed. Shifting closer, he only managed to get one knee on the mattress before Loki was moving, crouching over Tony's body protectively, dagger in hand.
'It's only me,' Stephen whispered, hands held up, not wanting to wake Tony.
'You are later than I thought you would be,' Loki murmured, moving back to lay beside their smaller partner.
I was researching all I could about the Dream Realm, Stephen thought, getting into the covers on Tony's free side, kissing him gently on the temple and placing an arm over his stomach. Tony stretched in his sleep, nuzzling closer to Stephen's warmth before settling. Smiling down at him, Stephen reached over, kissing Loki before laying back against the pillows.
Did you find out anything of use?
No, not beyond what we already knew. How'd this evening go? Stephen rolled his eyes at the smug satisfaction he could sense radiating from Loki, both from across the bed and telepathically.
He is magnificent, Loki purred, reaching over to clasp Stephen's forearm as they held Tony between them.
That he is.
I was able to gauge just how deep Nightmare's hold is on his astral form. It is worse than I thought. However, I believe I helped a little in Tony's fear for Peter. That is something.
Stephen saw the images Loki sent over, nodding in the darkness.
I've protected his dreams for tonight. He will be dreamless until the sun rises.
Thank you. Let's hope that helps.
****************
Tony's back ached as he woke. Aside from that, he felt...fantastic. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept the entire night without any nightmares.
'FRIDAY, how long have I been asleep?'
'Just under ten hours, boss.'
'And everyone is safe?'
'There have been no reports of any criminal activity, there are no warnings from SHIELD, and Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes and Peter are all well.'
It was a small thing, but Tony felt amazing. He'd slept, he didn't feel awful, and everyone he cared about was safe.
Speaking of which.
'What time did Loki leave?'
'He is in the living room with Doctor Strange.'
Leaping from the bed, he searched around for some boxers, shimmying them up his legs as he went in search of his lovers.
'Perhaps we can place a spell that activates when he sleeps, no matter where he is.'
That was Loki talking.
'We can't, you know how he feels about magic.'
'Then what are we supposed to do!'
He was arguing with Stephen about something. Tony held himself still in the corridor, holding his breath, trying not to alert them to his presence.
Who were they talking about? Him?
'It's alright, Lokes, it won't be for too much longer.'
'Stephen, I can't bear it, his touch is repulsive.'
See how they talk about you behind your back.
Tony's mouth filled with blood as he bit the inside of his cheek. No, this was the problem with eavesdropping, you could jump to conclusions without knowing any of the variables. Tony was at heart a scientist, an engineer, taking things apart to see how they worked. To understand.
'Who are you talking about?' he asked, coming around the corner, almost daring them to tell him.
'You should still be sleeping.' Loki stepped out of Stephen's hug, coming to him. 'How are you feeling?'
'Guys, come on, we said no secrets remember?' Tony sidestepped, not willing to be distracted, needing to know who it was.
To make sure it wasn't him.
'An interdimensional threat,' Stephen answered, approaching Tony. 'Something Loki has been helping me with. How'd you sleep? You were out cold when I came last night.' Stephen chuckled, bending down for a kiss.
Tony accepted it, still suspicious, but not seeing a lie on Stephen's face.
'Is it something I can help you with?' Tony asked, stomach grumbling as a delicious scent wafted over to him.
'No, beloved, as impressive as you are in your armoured form, it is powerless to the forces of other dimensions. Stephen brought pancakes and coffee.'
Tony tried not to let the brush-off sting, the suggestion that he might not be good enough to help. It was bullshit. He was Iron Man, had defeated Thanos, had saved the world countless times.
Why aren't they asking you for help?
'Were you even going to share if you thought I'd still be asleep?' Tony snarked, sitting on the couch and holding a hand out for coffee.
'I would have saved you some,' Stephen reassured.
Loki laughed, leaving them both on the couch and walking to the bar, summoning something from his pocket dimension.
'What's that?' Tony asked, nodding his thanks to Stephen as he handed over a plate of pancakes.
'A type of tea from Vanaheim, I thought Stephen might like to try some.'
'Is it going to make parts of my body fall off?' Stephen asked, deadpan.
'No. It is safe for mortal consumption.'
'That's what you said about the last tea, and it turned my tongue purple,' Stephen muttered under his breath, loud enough for Tony to hear.
Tony watched as Stephen went over, looking over Loki's shoulder at whatever it was Loki had brought him, leaving Tony to eat his pancakes and drink his coffee.
He was being ridiculous. Where had his good mood gone from earlier? He wanted the two of them to get along, to have a relationship outside of him. He'd been frightened they were only together because of him, and now those fears were twisting, becoming concerns about being left out.
Loki and Stephen shared a look. He'd been around Pepper and Rhodey long enough to recognise those looks.
What if they were changing their minds about him?
It would make sense, they had more in common after all.
'Tony?' Loki asked, bringing something to Tony, placing it on the table before him. 'I'm not the best at gift-giving... but it is part of Asgardian courtship.'
Guilt gnawed at him. What the fuck was wrong with him?
Putting his coffee mug down, he brushed the pancake crumbs from him, looking at the piece of metal shimmering on the table. It was a dull, uninteresting chrome, but as Tony moved his head to look closer he saw a shimmer of colour on its surface, like oil on water.
'I needed to make sure it had no adverse effects on mortals before I brought it to you. It is Niflheim metal, stronger than Midgardian metals, it can also absorb certain magical attacks. I thought perhaps, you might like to experiment with it, possibly use it for Peter's suit. If it is suitable, I can always bring more.'
Tony picked it up with trembling hands, itching to experiment to find out what it was, its properties.
'Tony?'
It was hard under his fingers, didn't give as he tried to bend it. Would it be brittle? Malleable if he heated it?
'I think you've broken him, trickster,' Stephen said fondly.
'Can I go play?' Tony asked in excitement.
'Get washed and dressed first, and then you can,' Stephen teased.
'Yes, Mom.' He shot to his feet, turning the metal over in his hands, excitement coursing through his veins. God, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this. 'Loki?'
'Hmm?' Loki glanced up from his pancakes.
'I haven't got a way to contact you,' Tony blurted, not wanting to be clingy, or needy, or any of the other things that probably drove Pepper and Rhodey nuts. 'I mean you guys can do your...mind-reading or whatever it is you do... and Stephen has a phone...'
'I apologise, it was remiss of me not to consider how you could contact me if you wish. I could try one of these...phones you speak of. Thor has mastered the recreational games device, and we were trying to integrate me into Midgardian culture... there is another possibility,' Loki offered, cautious.
'You guys use carrier pigeons?'
Stephen snorted where Loki looked confused.
At least one of them got his humour.
'I could place a spell on you, not dissimilar to the one Stephen has on you, a mark of protection.'
Tony remembered Loki telling him it was something magic users did to the ones they loved, warning others away and protecting them. He was struck with the realisation that just as he didn't have a way to contact Loki, Loki didn't have the same claim on him as Stephen did.
He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but he probably would have drowned without Stephen's magic tracking thing. He'd be dead now after Thanos.
'It would allow you to communicate telepathically with me, not unlike how Stephen and I can.'
'You can do that?' Stephen questioned.
Loki nodded, 'I can teach you later, if you wish.'
'So, you'd be in my head?'
'No!' Loki snarled, enraged at the suggestion. He took a deep breath, fingers twitching. 'No, not like that. If you think of me and will thoughts to me, I will hear. It was how mortals use to pray to us long ago, when we favoured our chosen ones, bestowing gifts on them.'
'Hmm, praying to a god and knowing you'll hear? Sure, sign me up.' He was glib, trying to dismiss his fears.
'Are you certain?'
'Sure, no poking around in, oh holy fuck!' Tony screamed as agony detonated behind his eyelids, his brain feeling as if it was on fire.
'Tony!' there were two shouts of his name, hands on his body.
As sharp as the pain appeared, it left, leaving him to slump in their arms.
'What did you do?' Stephen shouted.
'Nothing, I had not touched him!'
'FRIDAY?'
'There was an increase in his adrenaline and cortisol hormones, constricting the blood vessels in his brain and causing-'
'A migraine,' Stephen answered, shaking fingers rubbing over his temples.
'They don't usually come and go like that, Doc.' Tony winced, scared to move in case the sudden pain started again.
'Come on, let's rest for a bit,' Stephen persuaded, lifting him carefully under the arm.
'Are you both staying?' Tony asked, nervous they were going to dump him in bed and leave.
'Of course. Come on, trickster.'
'I suppose I can be persuaded to lounge with you both,' Loki smirked, holding Tony's other arm.
Tony could see they were communicating with each other, the way they were focusing, the tightening of their lips.
Leaving you out again.