Lessons From A God by Malkavia30 Chapter 109 ENGLISH [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/932240. Rating: Archive Warning: Category: Fandom: Relationship: Character: Additional Tags:

Stats:

Explicit Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings M/M The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Loki/Tony Stark, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Thor, Jane Foster & Tony Stark Tony Stark, Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Nick Fury Dom/sub, Loki Does What He Wants, Jötunn Loki, Tony-centric, Science Bros, Non-Consensual, Dubious Consent, Shameless Smut, Dark!Loki, bottom!tony, Angst, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Mind Games, Hurt/Comfort, Alcohol, Romance, Bondage and Discipline, Violence, Blood, Humor, Clones, Rimming, Sex Toys, Possessive Behavior Published: 2013-08-18 Updated: 2016-05-30 Chapters: 109/? Words: 563928

Lessons from a God by malkavia30 Summary

What happens when Loki decides to take the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark in hand? Whether Tony is keen on the idea or not. FrostIron. Rated Explicit for language, graphic scenes. non-con (first two chapters) and dub-con in a few chapters.

Notes

Quick note on this first and second chapters - contains non/con. If that is not your cup of tea, please don't read further! This will not be a story of constant non/con but it will be a returning theme. I want to thank isahbellah for introducing me to A03 and for all her amazing comments and suggestion on the work so far. I had been updating on FF but I've decided to start posting here. Disclaimer - as much as it pains me, I do not own the Avengers!

In Pieces Three months after the Chitauri attack on New York and things were changing for Tony Stark. He wished they weren't. To start with, as the most recognisable faces of the Avengers (or, at least, the most recognisable able to string a sentence together, sorry Hulk) Steve and Tony were wheeled out to do press and publicity. That meant a lot of media, a lot of politics and a lot of drinking at parties. Hey, the drinking he didn't mind. The drinking was good, but Tony Stark didn't do politics. But playing the media he knew. The damage done to the city had spilt public opinion and it was up to Capsicle and yours truly to get everyone on side with the idea that a band of mighty superheroes saving the day wearing unseemly amounts of lycra was something we could all get down with. Then there was the arc reactor, which was finally kicking off in a big way. One was being built in Calcutta. That was big news. If it could work in India, heading off India's major use of fossil fuels before it could do as much damage as the western world had, that was something to drink to. Everything was something to drink to. Thor's back from Asgard? Great! Let's have a drink. Stark Tower rebuilt? Break open the Jack Daniels. Hey, the mail arrived – I'll drink to that. Perhaps the excessive drinking had been caused by this cold bed that had crept up on him. Just reached over one morning and there it was. A cold bed. Hardly seems fair, really. But she had her reasons. Stupid reasons, but there you go. And watching someone you love fly to his certain death (carrying a nuclear warhead which, come on, should have earned him some major cool points) wasn't something any girl wanted to write home to her mother about. Tony had pointed out that he had tried to ring her. It didn't seem to help. So, needless to say, there was a lot on his mind. In the months to come, Tony would use that as the reason why he managed to walk out of the lift, across the floor and up to the bar in Stark Tower without noticing the tall figure of the whack-job God of Mischief. After all, it's not like he's got spidy-senses or anything. "Perhaps you could pour me one?" said a smooth voice from behind him. Tony paused, the tumbler against his lips, then drained the glass in one gulp. "I just got that window repaired," he muttered bitterly. He refilled his glass and then filled another. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're supposed to be in a cell in Asgard." Tony turned. Other than the fact that it was half past midnight this time, he was having a wicked case of déjà vu. Loki, all over again. Same clothes, same posture, same stupid smirk on his pale face. "You do remember how we thoroughly kicked your ass last time, right?" "A minor setback." Tony chuckled without any humour. "You could say." He walked down the steps and handed the glass to Loki. He forced himself to stay calm, but his mind was whirring. How long had it been? How long had he been here? Jarvis was programmed now to alert the Avengers HQ if this ever happened. So where are the guys? Get Natasha down here, she'll kick his pale"You seem distracted," Loki said. "A lot on my mind," Tony said easily, his outward persona of genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist ever there to take over when his mind was churning. "So, what's up next? An army of flying monkeys?" Loki smiled, seemly placidly as he sipped the whiskey.

"Or maybe you should stay away from the whole army thing in general. Doesn't seem to work for you." "As amusing as this is, Tony Stark, perhaps we can actually get started on the main event of the evening? I was here for some time before you arrived and did some modifications to your voice in the walls. Your Avengers will not be coming to save you." Tony finished his glass. "Another?" He turned away, back to the bar and felt his eyes close in a half shudder. So, as always, survival came down to Tony Stark and his wits alone. Probably shouldn't be downing half a bottle of whiskey then, but he usually did his best work drunk. "Pity, I'm sure your brother would have loved to have been here." "Oh I'm sure dear Odin's son will arrive later. I'll be gone, but I'll leave him a gift." Why was Tony sure that Thor's gift was going to be the mangled remains of a pickled billionaire? He drained his glass again. "Well, I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate the thought." "And so you grasp the point." "Yeah but why? Your entire reason for living seems to be to tweak Thor. Don't you have anything better to do than hanging out here on a Friday night?" Loki's attention seemed to have travelled from Tony to the expansive window next to him. His eyes wandered the horizon as he took another few sips. Tony was a tad annoyed. Even when it was a psycho murder here to kill him, he was Tony Stark and used to being the centre of attention. Even at his own murder. "Please, don't let me keep you if you're busy or anything." Loki downed the last of his drink. "Are you not going to attempt to summon your suit?" That was Tony's first moment of real agony. "No," he grumbled. "Ran into a few kinks I couldn't straighten out. It's down in the workshop in a hundred pieces." "Shame." "Yeah, tell me about it," Tony muttered. But this asshole was supposed to be rotting in a jail cell – or whatever Asgard had up there. Not stalking round his tower like a pissed off panther. No Jarvis. No suit. No Avengers. Tony's options were looking bleak. "Finish your drink, Tony." With speed that made Tony's head hurt, Loki had crossed the distance between them and lifted Tony up by his neck, throwing him into a wall. Tony scrabbled to get back on his feet, trying to think of a witty remark. It was a waste of effort. The minute he had managed it with some great effort, Loki had thrown him against another wall. Glass smashed around him, showering down. He covered his face quickly, but felt a cut open up on his forehead. Blood was running down his face, stinging his left eye. He wiped it away in a daze before he was picked up and thrown again. This time, Tony just lay there. Pain radiated across his body, the impact must have smashed a rib or something because it was becoming difficult to breathe. Tony turned over onto his side as Loki approached. With little to no energy left, he shouldn't waste his time with scathing remarks. "This would be the time for your super villain monologue," he muttered in a croaky voice. Well, he was Tony Stark.

Instead, Loki kicked him full in the chest. Tony yelled in pain, but that was quickly overcome with a blinding fear as his arc reactor flickered warningly. Apparently intrigued, Loki reached down and tore his shirt open. In a second his hand was turning the blue cylinder of light in his chest, and then pulled. "No," Tony gasped. He was already calculating how long he had. But that familiar constricting in his chest, pulsing head, blurring vision… he knew he had seconds. "Please." "Please? What is this, Tony Stark? You beg? The Man of Iron, reduced to a whiny, mewling creature?" Tony's hand reached out and grabbed Loki's ankle. Loki's foot came down hard on it and Tony screamed. Pain lanced through his arm. Yeah, that hand was definitely broken. Loki picked up him by the hair and dragged him along the floor. Tony only realised were they were going when he was thrown down on the bed. His bed. Loki straddled him and pushed the arc reactor back in. Tony gasped and spluttered, trying to regain some control. Caution be fucked. Tony threw a fist at Loki's face. Loki avoided it easily and punched him in the head. The blow was almost enough to knock Tony unconscious; it felt like it had been delivered with an iron bar. As images of his own death filled the inner theatre of his mind, he turned his head away and closed his eyes. Then... Why is it that some things are worse than death? You'd think, in the annals of things you don't want to happen, death is pretty much up there. Right? Loki's hand was petting him, tangling his fingers in his hair and tugging playfully. Tony couldn't believe it. Blood loss, concussion, delirium… anything that would make this was just some sort of delusion. Hell, he'd even take 'and it was all a dream'. Pretty weird dream. Just please, don't make this reality. Loki's mouth encircled his ear in a hot and wet heat. He chuckled gently at Tony's shudder. Then his lips were tracing down his jaw bone, down his neck, following the sensitive skin of the artery. Then the smiling face of the damn god appeared above him, before dipping back to repeat the same process on the other ear. "So silent. Can I take it you're enjoying our little game?" said the whispered voice. That seemed to wake Tony up. He struggled against the lean figure holding him down but it was useless. All it gained him was a couple more blows to the head. Loki waited until Tony had gone still once more before resuming his busy work. The god reached over and pulled a bottle out from under the bed. There were bottles all around the tower; Tony was only amazed that this one was still half full. Loki examined the label minutely, giving Tony time to consider his rapidly diminishing future, the asshole, before pouring it over the playboy's face. The pain was sharp, turning to throbbing as the alcohol poured into every cut. Loki used a corner of the bedspread to wipe Tony's face clean of blood and vodka. "Fucker," Tony spat. "All in good time, my dear." Tony didn't know what about that scared him more. The implication or the dear. Loki's hands where undoing the fastening's on his trousers. Okay. That was probably more scary than the dear. Tony closed his eyes tight. "Why are you doing this?" he asked with effort. Keep the bastard talking, it was the only thing he could think of at this point. Loki's fingers ran through his hair again, stroking him, petting him like a cat. "I am not blind to my own weakness, Tony Stark. To want what I cannot have..."

Tony's mind flashed back to the moment his arc reactor stopped Loki from mind washing, or indoctrinating, him or whatever the fuck it was. The fingers tightened and pulled his head up to face him. The strain it put on his neck was almost worse than the pain already radiating through his body. Almost. "There is nothing in the Nine Realms that I want more," Loki whispered in his ear, "than what I shouldn't." It was perhaps then that Tony realized just how much crazy he was actually dealing with. The knowledge deflated him somewhat. Against the insane, there is no defence. Time to play dead. Let this fucker have his games, and then next time, Tony would tear him apart. As Loki's teeth bit down hard on the Tony's neck, reminding him of the absolute strength, power and control of the man kneeling on his chest, Tony found himself mentally adding to his rant, 'if there is a next time...' Tony's eyes flickered down. So far he had achieved not to with great effort. But now he saw Loki's cock, already hard, and shuddered again. There were many jokes to be had in this situation, along the lines of god-like proportions. None of them seemed funny at this point. Tony had a horrific idea he knew how this evening was going to go and right now jokes about size were not funny. He looked up at Loki and found the man was sneering at him. Loki's tapped his jaw mischievously. "Open wide now," Loki murmured. Tony's head was pulled back violently and as he yelled in pain, the long, hard cock was pushed between his lips. Then Loki paused. That pissed Tony off. He wanted this to be over with so he could go get really, really drunk. Why couldn't the bastard just get this over with? The cock was just resting on his tongue, flexing slightly, as Loki just closed his eyes and enjoyed the wet warmth. Tony took the pause to ready himself. He fought with all his will power not to bite the thing off. Somehow, he didn't rate that highly in his choices to survive this encounter. Maybe the bastard knew, maybe he didn't, but it wasn't Tony's first time with a man. It wasn't necessarily his first preference, but hey; when you're high and drunk, you're high and drunk. And you'll have sex with anyone. But Tony liked a certain measure of control in the bedroom – nothing kinky, but the gentleness and softness of his women had always been more preferable to him. Their gentleness, like Pepper… Loki started thrusting, slowly at first, almost allowing Tony to gauge the weight and power. Then apparently bored of the gentle approach, began thrusting so hard Tony feared the Asgardian would either knock out his teeth or choke him to death. Tony tried hard to relax; this is not the way he wanted to die. Just think of his tombstone, what in the name of fuck would you write on it? Thankfully, Loki's moment of triumph over the Iron Man seemed to excite him far more than any skill Tony might have at blowjobs and his climax came mercifully quickly. Tony spluttered and gagged on the stream pouring into his mouth. When Loki pulled out with a sigh, Tony turned his head to spit. A hand clamped down over his mouth. "Dare you refuse a gift from your god? Swallow." Tony glared at Loki. No way in hell. Loki reached down and grasped Tony's broken wrist. Tony screamed. As Loki began to twist, he threw his pride to the winds and swallowed. Loki immediately released his jaw, but not his wrist. "Good boy."

Undone From a pocket, handcuffs were produced and snapped harshly around his broken wrist. Loki stood up, climbing off Tony's body and flipped him over like a child, face down on the bed. His other wrist was collected by a warm hand and locked into the handcuffs, which were then secured to the bed frame. The God of Mischief reached down and patted the back of Tony's head. He took his time now. He and Tony both knew that the fight was over, the game was won. Now all that was left was for Loki to collect his winnings and go home. Tony winced as Loki very slowly ripped through his shirt and trousers. Every so often he'd stop to stroke or slap the flesh revealed. As painful as the slap was, Tony preferred that to the caresses. The whole process seemed to take eternity and yet the moment came all too soon when Tony was finally left in nothing but his boxers, socks and shoes. There was another slight pause which set Tony's nerves on edge. Why couldn't the bastard just kill him and get it over with? Why did he have to take so long torturing him? "Not much of a fight, Man of Iron..." Loki murmured. "Go to hell, son of a bitch." "That's better." Loki pulled off his shoes and socks. That prompted a brief struggle from Tony - somehow, the loss of his socks had made him feel more naked than the loss of his clothes. Loki grabbed his ankle and twisted to breaking point. "Would this be easier for both of us if I broke your legs?" Tony gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. Loki stroked his calf muscles with long, delicate fingers until his prey was finally still again. Loki licked his lips, a broad smile breaking out over his face. Tony shut his eyes and fingers played over the waist band of his boxers. Fingers were smoothing out along the band, running down to feel every contour and curve of his ass. Tony buried his face in the pillow, burning with a humiliation that was horribly new to him. Loki eased the material down, relishing every second. This was more humiliating than if Loki were to simply pull them off. He was savouring every moment of Tony's torture. Then, once Tony was completely exposed, he simply ripped them from his body. Then everything stopped again. Tony bit his lip in anger and frustration. "Would you just kill me and stop fucking around?" "Shh. Take a few moments to ponder your position. I will return shortly." Loki left the room. He just left the fucking room, leaving Tony naked, handcuffed to the bed. Well, it wasn't the first time it had happened. But it certainly was the first time it had happened with a man, and the first time he wasn't going to be rescued by Pepper in the morning. Tony refocused his thoughts on his current situation. Thoughts of Pepper were not helpful. Time to work out what was happening. Pain radiating from his chest. A burning pain from his various cuts and bruises. Agony glowing white hot from his shattered wrist. "Jarvis!" Tony hissed. But there was no answering reply. The AI was either deactivated, or had been reduced to limited functions. If he had limited functions, he may still be aware that Loki was here and find some way of contacting the Avengers

HQ. If Jarvis had been deactivated... "Jarvis!" There was a sound behind him. Loki was back. If the madman had heard him calling for the AI, he didn't show it. Tony couldn't turn his head far enough around to see what he was doing, but he was definitely fussing around with something. "You want to hurry this along a bit, Reindeer Games? I've got an early morning Racquetball match," Tony drawled glibly, appearing far more confident than he could ever have felt in this situation. Loki ignored his cockiness. "I am disappointed. A playboy such as yourself having such limited toys around the place. Ah, well. Never let it be said that I can't improvise under pressure." Loki returned to his field of view, bending down to pick up Tony's trousers. He pulled the leather belt out of the hoops. Folding it in two, he took some time examining the leather. Tony saw a smile slowly forming on Loki's lips as he whispered, "Playboy." Loki paused for a long moment, the smile becoming a broad grin as he caught Tony's eyes. "Playboy," he said a little louder. "What an expression and how… perfect." There was a flash of craziness in those deep green eyes. Tony turned his head away and braced himself. The first hit, when it came, was already at the limits of what Tony thought he could deal with. "Fuck!" he yelled. The pain flared in his back, and then faded to a pounding ache. "Bad language is not encouraged, boy," Loki said in a school masters tone. He brought down the leather again. This time, Tony bit his tongue hard. He hadn't felt this since his childhood, but he remembered now. It was about dealing with the opening pain, then forcing your mind to accept the ache. But it was all about expecting that initial blow, readying muscles, breathing in and out at the right time. It didn't help that Loki seemed to be equally sure of what he was doing. He'd create a rhythm, like a slow drum beat and Tony would be expecting the hit. But every time Tony would have the rhythm down, the Trickster would change. It stopped Tony from believing for a second that he could control the situation. He couldn't do anything but lie here and be a target for Loki's frustrations until he was finished. Tony faced away from the man and gritted his teeth against his screams and tears. But he could already feel the warm wet on his cheeks. Fuck him to hell. He couldn't be sure how long it went on for, but by the end of it, his back, legs and ass felt on fire long before Loki finally stopped. Tony could hear Loki breathing fast. Well, someone clearly enjoyed themselves. The insane god knelt between his legs, and draped his body over Tony's back. Tony cringed away as he realised Loki was naked and hissed in pain as the heat on top of him added to the burning in his back. "Wasn't that… satisfying?" Loki breathed in Tony's ear. Tony refused to answer. "Come now, boy. Don't deny that you want this as much as I do." Loki's hand slipped under their bodies and grasped Tony's cock. Tony yelped and moaned fervently. He hadn't realised, hadn't realised at all, but he was so hard. His mind had left his body as Loki had beaten him, but now, the god's hand working him a little, Tony's entire world was coming undone.

Loki's lips lightly tapped their way across Tony's shoulder and neck. "There, there, now. I can be kind, as well as cruel. Are you ready to earn my mercy?" Tony whimpered as the hand was withdrawn. He forced his hips into the bed beneath him, finding an angle that would create that wonderful level of friction, but Loki pushed an arm under his pelvis, holding him away. "I can't let you just hump the bed, naughty boy. That would be cheating." "Stop… calling… me… boy," Tony growled through gritted teeth. "But you like it," Loki protested with a slight chuckle. His hand quickly darted down and grabbed Tony's balls, rolling them between his fingers gently. "Don't you?" Tony shut his mouth again. He wasn't going to win. He couldn't win this fight. "Fuck you," he spat. "I don't think so. I am a god, and you are just a little mortal. It would be... unseemly. I will take you. It is the only proper course." Tony was hauled up onto his knees. Loki manhandled him into the right position. At even a hint of struggle on Tony's part, Loki leant over and pulled sharply at Tony's broken wrist. It was an agonising reminder of who was in control. Tony buried his face back down in the pillow again. He heard the scrape of a lid. A long finger entered him quickly and began working in and out, quick and business like. There was no long drawn out dance with Loki this time. The god seemed keen to do this quickly. Two fingers were quickly joined by three, then four. Tony winced. It had been a long time. "Just breathe deeply and push back on my fingers, boy." After a little more stretching, the fingers pulled out and Loki's cock was probing him, pushing in, demanding entrance. Though slow and careful, he was also relentlessly moving forward. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and thought of anything but this. The arc reactor in Calcutta. Avengers. Parties. How drunk he was going to get if he survived this night. That's right Tony, maybe you'll open your eyes and none of this will be happening. Maybe you won't be hard and desperate to be pounded by your arch-nemesis. Tony panted and winced, his heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest before Loki was finally settled. Tony felt the man's stomach against his back and his balls pressing into his ass, completely inside of him. Nothing had ever gone so horribly deep inside him before. Tony forced himself to concentrate on his breathing. It wasn't that bad. If anything about this evening could be described as 'not bad'. Loki was long, but not thick. He was hitting depths in Tony he had never believed were in him, but not forcing him to tearing point. Loki rocked his hips. "Oh, there's a good boy. Make that sound again, please," Loki hissed mockingly. Tony's eyes flew open as he realised that the low, guttural moaning had been coming from his own throat. He bit his tongue hard and glared at the pillow. He was going to have to throw out this pillow. The sheets. The mattress. The whole... bed in general. He would not sleep in a bed where Loki, the psycho princeling of Asgard, had made him moan like that. "Don't be such a stubborn child," Loki scolded, smacking his behind hard. "Wouldn't you rather enjoy this?" "No, I'd rather you took a fucking dive off a cliff. A really tall cliff," Tony derided, rather unimaginatively, his voiced strained and shaking. Loki pulled out entirely and another keening moan escaped Tony. He waited a second for Tony's body to attempt to close, to tighten the muscles before he pushed back in, far more roughly than

body to attempt to close, to tighten the muscles before he pushed back in, far more roughly than the first time. Cruel, calculated, very experienced – Loki knew how to reap the most out of his experience as possible. Tony yelped at the discomfort and, completely unbidden, that groaning growl fell from his mouth. Loki smacked him hard again, laughing nastily. That seemed to be playtime over. The force and pace of Loki's thrusts became far more vicious now. An unrelenting rhythm began, broken only by the occasional round of spanks to his backside. It wasn't long before Tony's hips were rocking in sync with him. Tony was disgusted with himself, but he just couldn't stop vocalising with every movement Loki made. As Loki's cock brushed his prostate, Tony's reaction was immediate, loud and almost primal. He practically tried to throw himself forward off the bed as his whole body screamed with the ecstasy. He couldn't understand it; he was never normally this noisy. And now this lunatic, who had thrown him through a plate glass window, had reduced him to this? Loki laughed at Tony's reactions and tipped his pelvis in order to hit that spot as much as he could. Now Tony was thrashing at his bonds, forcing his body back onto the hard length buried inside of him for all he was worth. The pain racking his body only seemed to add the sensory overload. Tony was whining, garbling some sort of sentence but it was completely unintelligible. Loki's pounding slowed until it ground to a halt. Tony wailed like child throwing a tantrum and tried bucking back, working his hips back and forth onto Loki, but the man held him still. He was still fully inside Tony, but didn't move. Tony felt the other man's hands smooth his hair down. "Shh, now, boy," Loki's voice was a little breathless, but still in control. "Such a wanton little thing you are, but a god has far more control. We have hours of this ahead of us." That was probably what did it. Stars dancing in front of his eyes, the painful, straining crush of his balls as his body begged for climax… the idea of hours like this, tied to a bed with a psychopathic, homicidal manic buried in you - "Please," Tony whined. "I'm sorry?" "Please," Tony cried. "Please don't stop." Loki pulled Tony's face around as far as it would go in their current position. His lips dipped in and Tony, pushing aside his anger at his own behaviour, willingly opened his mouth to Loki. A tongue danced playfully with his own and as one hand held his jaw steady, another slithered underneath him to tweak his nipple. Tony, growing impatient, rocked his hips back and forth, trying to encourage Loki, but all it did was earn him a slap to his face that made his eyes sting. "Patience is a virtue, boy." Loki moved back and pushed Tony's legs apart wider. It couldn't be possible, it shouldn't be possible, but now, with Tony's legs stretched wide and Loki edging in so his body flush against Tony once more, he was even deeper. Tony had a flash of the scene, like he was suddenly looking down on this, from outside his own body. A naked Iron Man, tied to a bed. Loki, the God of Mischief naked, patting his ass with a delicate hand, like a pet. His pet. The god's cock buried to the balls within him, holding Tony effortlessly against him, away from the bed so Tony couldn't find any attention for his aching cock in the friction of the sheets. The hero panting, mewling, begging for abuse, his legs kicking out helplessly at Loki's sides. Tony groaned more heatedly than he had done already as his cock twitched hard. "Please..." "Now, tell me what you are." There was silence for a long time as the last vestiges of pride in Tony put up a valiant effort. Loki sighed like someone highly put upon, and withdrew slowly. "No, no, no!" Tony choked as Loki slipped out with a cringe making sound.

"What are you?" Tony ground his teeth together, growled in anger and rage and yelled, "I'm your boy! Alright?! I'm your boy! Now put your fucking cock back in me please!" Loki laughed raucously, perhaps the most honest emotion he had yet displayed, and shook his head as he guided himself back into his boy. "Well, the sentiment is correct at least, but we will have to work on your delivery." Tony was deaf to Loki's words, his mind returning swiftly to the murky depths as the god pushed forward with all his strength. The sheer force pushed his face into the headboard, but he didn't care. Nothing existed in this world except Loki. Shouldn't that be a frightening thought? It wasn't. The pain of losing Pepper was gone. The weight of expectation now he was an Avenger was gone. The normal, everyday pressures of being the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist was gone. The ever growing fear that maybe all this drinking might (just might) be a problem. The stupid arc reactor in his chest keeping him alive. Or killing him. Or both. The weight of being Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark… Loki didn't care what he was, or what he thought it was. All he wanted from Tony was to lie still while destroyed his body in the most glorious way. Oh man, that shouldn't make Tony feel so... "Please, please, please," Tony was saying in a long, draw out whimper. "Oh yes, oh please, please…" "It amazes me I was beaten by a race so easy to reduce," Loki said, seemly to himself. His hand moved under Tony and grasped his straining cock once more. Tony whimpered and thrust into Loki's hand. "If you are my boy, then what am I?" Tony wondered if Loki realised what he was asking. Tony didn't even hold with religion, but- "A god," he murmured. "What?" "A god! My god! Loki, Loki please…" Loki's hips moved fast and his hand worked Tony until he was screaming and cumming over the bed harder than he had ever remembered doing before. Tony's body gave up as every muscle in his body, tense and straining throughout this whole ordeal, finally let go. He felt almost paralysed as he lay there. Loki grabbed his hips and finished quickly after that, leaning down to clamp his mouth over Tony's shoulder as he climaxed. Loki collapsed on top of him, panting hard. Neither moved for some time. Tony was fading in and out of consciousness when he felt Loki's fingers gliding across his skin. The god was petting him again. Tony wished he wouldn't. Eventually, Loki sighed and patted Tony on the rump. "I have to go, my dear boy." Loki stood and immediately seemed to be clothed. Tony wondered if it was magic, or if he was blacking out. In either case, he wasn't surprised. "Your computer realised I was here before I managed to deactivate it. So the first thing it will do at nine am is contact your Avengers. I suggest you prepare yourself before then. Don't want dear Natasha walking in on you like this."

Afterwards As Loki had predicted, it was the red-headed Natasha who found Tony at exactly eleven minutes past nine. But she found him in a chair, nursing a bottle of something alcoholic – he hadn't bothered to check what. Could be paint thinner for all he cared. It had taken a lot of pain and a hell of a lot of cursing, but he had managed to pull himself to the shower and find clean clothes before the sun had risen. He was brought into HQ immediately and Bruce had fussed over his cuts and scrapes and broken wrist. Tony had spent a lot of time considering what to tell them all and he reasoned that the truth was best. That Loki had appeared, attacked him and left. There now, where's the lie? Steve and Thor entered the room just as Bruce had finished bandaging his wrist. Thor looked like he was working his way up into a towering fury. "Natasha said it was my brother, Loki. Is this true?" "You want to explain why he's not locked up?" Fury asked angrily. "I do not know, but I will find out," Thor said with passion. He turned back to Tony, "What did he do?" Tony shrugged and winced. "You know these Disney villains. Threatened me, threatened us. Threatening manner in general really. Threw me around the room. The world will be mine, all that shit." "Tony, I can't apologise enough - if we had a hundred years I could never tell you how deeply sorry-" "Well you should fucking try," Tony spat. "What, do princelings get the cells without locks? Does this mighty Odin douche think family is fucking exempt?" "Tony," Natasha said firmly. Thor was silent, but there was tenseness in his jaw which told the experienced Thor-watcher that there may be trouble ahead. "I understand your anger. It is rightly justified and I share it. But I would warn you never to question the will of Odin All Father." Tony paused. Why the hell was he taking it out on Thor? The man was just as angry that Loki was on the loose as anyone else. Tony coughed. "Easy there, Point Break. No offense meant. Let's not go Hammer Time or anything." Thor's large hand reached out and grabbed Tony's shoulder. Tony looked up into Thor's eyes. If Tony was the kind to concede anything, he'd have to admit the great oaf did have a very steady gaze. Pity he couldn't channel that into this poker skills; he always smiled at a good hand. "My brother will be found and brought back to his prison. You have my word, Man of Iron." Steve cleared his throat. "Tony, did he give any hint of what he's planning to do?" "No. I think he just wanted to play Mr Boast-y and show us that he'd escaped." "Why come to you?" Fury asked. "Why not to Thor?" "Stark Tower was where things went wrong for him last time. Maybe it's supposed to be some sort of poetic irony." Tony was quite proud of how quickly he had come up with that bullshit. Some of his best work. "I don't know. He'll have some sort of twisted reason." "We should consider placing a guard in Stark Tower," Natasha began, but Tony shut that one down real fast.

"I'm not having soldiers in and out of my tower. Think of the flooring." "For protection." "Loki got what he wanted, I don't think he's coming back," Tony said. Oh please let that be true. Fury went broodingly silent for a long time. Finally he said, "Alright. But we've all got to be on our guard now. This is a lunatic who doesn't know when he's beaten and will keep coming back for more. Let's find him, quickly, before he has a chance to do any more damage. Natasha, come with me." Fury and Natasha left. "Why didn't your talking computer alert HQ?" Steve asked. "My AI was switched off," Tony clarified. Honestly, it was like talking to a toddler. "Why was it off?" Tony chewed his tongue. That seemed to be getting up his nose far more than the attack or the… assault. How on earth had Loki deactivated Jarvis? Steve waited for a while, but finding no response was coming, decided to leave. He gave his few words of moral support, accepted Tony's usual mocking reply with a gentle smile and left. Thor seemed to want to linger. "How did my brother… seem?" "While he was trying to kill me? Or afterwards?" Tony asked with mock sincerity. Generally you had to lay it on thick with Thor as he rarely got sarcasm, but he seemed to understand this time. "Please recover quickly, Tony. Then we shall bring him back to his punishment as quickly as we may." "I'll drink to that," Tony chuckled mirthlessly. "Talking of which, where's the-" Bruce handed him back the bottle. Thor left and Bruce watched him go cautiously. It wasn't until the door had slid shut behind the Asgardian did Bruce turn his attention back to his friend. Tony cast his eyes over to the other man. He was hovering, his eyes roaming the ceiling and the floor which they always did when he was trying to look at you. The man seemed incapable of eye contact for very long. "Tony," he said. "Is there… your wrist should be fine in a week or so." "Thanks Bruce." "Is there… something else… I need to… should check?" Tony paused. "He, erm, pulled my arc reactor. But the fact I'm still alive means the ol' heart is fine." "Tony… I don't want to… ever since we first met you've always treated me with… respect. Probably more than I deserve and certainly more than most. You're… a good friend." "Why, Bruce, are you hitting on me?" "You could be quite badly… torn. I just… infection isn't what you want to risk. Tony, I don't want to pry and I'm not telling you that you have to talk to me about it. But I need to check, if I have to check. I'm a doctor and your friend." Shit. Tony finished the bottle in one mouthful. "And how-" "The way you're moving. The way you don't want to move. The tenseness in your lower back.

Things people don't really think about." "Who in their right mind wants to think about it?" "People who spend their lives trying to cure pain." "I'm fine, Bruce. Honestly." "Did he…?" "Yes. I'm fine." Bruce looked away and shuddered. His face rippled alarmingly, but with a long breath out, it seemed to stop. "You know what he's doing? He wants to destroy Thor through you. Through us." "So, I should be glad that he's not trying to fuck with me. He's just fucking with me to fuck with Thor?" "I don't know, man. It's all pretty, you know… fucked up." Tony couldn't help but smile at the man. He had an obvious dislike of cursing, but did it to make Tony smile. Loki had managed in those few hours to strip the world away from him so nothing existed except the sensations he caused Tony. But now the real world was piling back in and Tony remembered it wasn't all pain. He had friends who cared and had risked their lives for him. They were even cursing now to cheer him up. He felt a lump in his throat beginning and looked around abstractedly for something else to drink. "Well, I'm off back to the tower." "I'll come with you," Bruce said quickly. "Seriously, Bruce. No. Don't. I'm not a child. And like I said. He got what he wanted. If anything, I'd watch your back. He's probably coming after us all, one way or another." Bruce smiled broadly. "I hope he tries." Tony returned the smile and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Puny god." Returning to Stark Tower was... weird. As soon as he reached his apartment, every detail of last night came piling back in almost tenfold. "Sir, would you like me to call housekeeping?" "Oh hello, nice to see you back, Jarvis," Tony said, a tad more scathing than he really meant. "Yes Sir, I apologise. He caught me off guard." "How?" "I have been running self-diagnostics since my reactivation. There seems to be no faults within my programme." "No faults? Turning off, not a big fault. Turning off when there's a guy in the room who was going to kill me... bit of a problem." "I'm sorry, Sir." Tony rubbed his eyes. "We're going to go through every line of code, everything, until we find out how." He pulled off his jacket and threw it over a chair. He'd have another shower and then get down to the workshop. His mind worked better when he could get his hands into the problem. He walked into the bedroom and was again hit by a wave of remembrance. The bed duvet was on

the floor. The sheets were rumpled, bloodstained and... other stains. Tony glared blankly at the scene and shuddered. He could still feel Loki in the room. "Sir, I will make arrangements to replace-" "Leave it, Jarvis. I'm not having the bastard think he's won anything over me. Leave it." The week continued like nothing had happened. Like Loki hadn't waltzed into his life, torn a huge hole in him, and then apparently lost interest. Mother fucker. Back to the life of Tony Stark: board meetings, stockholder meetings, the future of the arc reactor, the progress in Calcutta and Germany's interest in bidding for a reactor to be built outside Sangerhausen. Then there was the new CEO of Stark Industries to wind up. The new, new CEO of Stark Industries. He couldn't remember what this one was called. Tony called him Jimmy. Jimmy had replaced the other one – the short one – who had replaced Pepper when she had left. As she had put it, she couldn't leave Tony Stark without leaving Stark Industries. Or something like that. Jimmy didn't seem to be having any better a time of it than his predecessor. It was due to Tony's 'obstructive manner' apparently. Tony had assured him that he was perfectly content with his obstructive manner and if Jimmy didn't like it, he could buy out Tony's shares. All 51% of them. Tony smirked quietly. Good luck with that. Pepper wasn't returning his calls. Maybe there's no phone signal in Hawaii. Tony toyed with the idea of flying over, just to make sure she was alright. After all, Loki was back in town. Who knows what could be happening? And, they had centipedes in Hawaii. Big ones. You could never be too careful, so maybe he should drop in and check she's alright. If she'd only pick up the damn phone. Then the Avengers were called out to help a nuclear power plant on the verge of nuclear meltdown in France. It was essentially a giant science problem, with the added fun that it might explode. That had been cool and probably the highlight of the week. Then there was media and Tony was his usual self. He could hardly believe it. You'd never know that someone had ripped off the top of his head and poured this blackness into him. Pepper would probably realise it. She always could. Loki just didn't care. Tony wasn't too keen on how many times his thoughts wandered back to that night. He refused to feel scared, or hurt, or vulnerable. He was Tony Stark and that was not an option. So what was left? Shouldn't he feel angry? Shouldn't he be doing everything he could to hunt the bastard down and, when Thor was looking the other way, maybe aim a laser between his eyes? Isn't that what he wanted? Maybe… The problem with the arc reactor was the sheer cost. If it was going to replace coal and oil, it was going to have to be cheaper. That was the problem of the day. Hunting mad gods was all well and good, but this was important. Tony Stark had to leave something behind for the world, because all the Iron Man was probably going to leave behind was an icon. And icons were a dime a dozen – look at Captain Choirboy. A week and two days on, Tony was riding the elevator up from the workshop. It was late and as exciting as the new gauntlet design was, he had to sleep sometime. It was an hour before dawn so now seemed as good a time as any. The lift rose quickly through the floors as Tony's mind wandered. "Sir," Jarvis said. "Loki has appeared in the building. I am contacting Avengers HQ."

"No, wait, don't," Tony said quickly. He didn't know why, but – "Not yet. I want to talk to him without them all ganging in." "Sir, is this wise?" "I don't see how, let's find out," Tony said. The doors opened. Loki was standing by the window, looking down at the streets. Tony found he was almost creeping in and scolded himself. This was his fucking tower! Loki was sans armour today, it seemed. From the footage Tony had seen, Loki seemed to be in the same get up he had worn at Stuttgart. No staff either, Tony noted. Not that it had really been brought into play last time. Maybe it was low on batteries. "Thor's out looking for you," Tony said. The Asgardian tilted his head, recognising Tony's presence, but said nothing. Tony bridled a bit. He didn't like being ignored. "You know, most guests ring the doorbell. It's not polite to just warp your way into a man's house." Nothing. "Neat trick with JARVIS," Tony continued. He would rather die than admit that he still hadn't worked out how the AI was deactivated. "They teach you that in Asgard middle school or something? Can't imagine a prehistoric demi-god of petty inconveniences just picked up hacking overnight. So tell me who told you how to do it?" "Must we go through this dance every time?" Loki breathed. He finally turned from the glass. "Wouldn't it just be easier for you to come over here and be a good boy?" Tony jaw locked. The sheer arrogance of the man and his positive assumption that Tony would was enough to make him spit. "I've never been good at doing what I'm told." "That's because you have never had a suitable hand to guide you," Loki said. He smiled broadly. "You'll learn." He glanced around, almost play acting. "No suit?" "Still in the workshop." "Still? I gave you a week." "Yeah, it's not Lego. It's art. It'll be done when it's done." "Surely you have another suit?" Tony patted his pockets theatrically. "Left it in my other jacket." "No alarms? No Avengers? Really, Tony. Giving in so early on in our game? You could at least pretend to fight me." "I know what you're doing. You're trying to get to Thor through me. Well I'm not giving you the satisfaction. Thor doesn't and will never know what happened. I'm not giving you what you want." Loki had been stalking towards him and paused now. He was only a few inches taller than Tony; Tony knew that for a fact. But now, he seemed to be towering over him. Loki nodded slightly, as though taking Tony's point. Then he leaned down and whispered, "You already are." Fingers were stroking along Tony's goatee. Tony stayed completely still. Why did he tell Jarvis not to call HQ? Surely he had a plan? What was the plan? Loki's lips were gliding over Tony's neck. Now would be the time to think of a plan. Now was not the time to moan. "Such a sensual little creature you are, Tony Stark."

Tony eyes opened as he frowned. "I don't think I've ever been called sensual bef-" Loki's mouth descended on his and his tongue was quick to demand entrance. The billionaire found himself standing stock still as the warm, wet tongue danced and laved itself against his lips, pushing enough to make it's intention's clear. Tony's eyes were wide open, staring at the head of black hair. Now is the time to get the Avengers here, before anything else happens. Tony shuddered, his eyes closing as he parted his lips slightly, and the forceful pushing of Loki's tongue between them reminded him of the god's cock sliding between his lips. Tony moaned again as that memory filled his mind's eye. His body was already responding. How the hell has this happened? In a whirlwind of moment which knocked the breath out of Tony, Loki had thrown him onto the couch and pinned his body down with his own. There was a brief struggle as each tried to move into a position more suited to them. Loki won, and Tony found that Loki was pressed up against him, between his legs so Tony had no choice but to warp one leg around Loki's back supportively, the other swung up over the back of the couch. Loki ground his hips against Tony and delighted in the growl from Tony's throat. "Wonderful. Almost wonderful." Handcuffs appeared again. "No," Tony said, but with a startling lack of conviction. The fight was brief but eventually Tony's arms were pinned beneath him. Loki began ripping open Tony's clothes. "I hope you realise you'll be getting a bill from my tailor." "Oh do be quiet boy." There was another tear. "Nine hundred dollar jacket." Another tear. "Two hundred dollar shirt," Tony muttered. It didn't take long until the remains of his clothes were in a torn huddle on the floor. Loki shimmered momentarily and suddenly Tony felt Loki's hot, hard cock pressed against his own. He stared up at the god, lust burning in his eyes. "Are you just going to sit there?" Tony murmured. "My boy will learn patience," Loki scolded. The god paused, eyes dancing over Tony's body. Tony saw… something in his eyes. Loki ran a palm over Tony's flat stomach, stroking him gently. It moved up onto his chest and traced his six-pack carefully. "Nice," he breathed and Tony felt his cock twitch at the sultry sound of Loki's warm approval. "Very nice, boy." A hand came to rest on the arc reactor, Tony blanched, but kept his mouth shut. He wasn't going to beg, not this time. Loki ran a finger around and around the metal ring. He touched the centre, fingers running across every line. There was a bizarre, warped sense of… well, not trust as such. But Tony was at least certain that no matter what, Loki was unlikely to kill him until he had his fun. What, is that supposed to be a comforting thought? "Beautiful," Loki whispered. The green-eyed god reached down and pulled a duffle bag from under the couch. "So it's not only boy scouts who are always prepared," Tony noted. Loki didn't answer. He pulled out a riding crop. Without preamble, he brought it down heavily, landing squarely on Tony's left nipple. Tony bit back the cry, but it was difficult. And he realised something else. Not matter how hard he tried to stay still as Loki's blows came down, his body jerked. His cock brushed deliciously up against Loki's and before too long Tony was huffing and panting, arching his body up for more and bucking his hips against Loki like an animal in heat.

"Oh, yes," Tony gasped, moving his body against Loki's with all the strength he could manage. His partner was like a rock, he barely moved as Tony writhed beneath him. "Yes..." Tony hissed between his teeth as the throbbing in his cock intensified. "Does my boy think he could climax like this?" Not fucking likely. But as he looked up into Loki's eyes, it became clear that it wasn't a question. "I… can try." "No," Loki smacked the crop down on Tony's cheek this time. It stung viciously. "Again, your sentiments are correct, your delivery poor. Tell me, what will my boy do?" "Oh for fuck –" Tony started, but the crop landed hard and he yelped and grit his teeth. "What the f… what's in this for you? Why are you doing this?" Tony spat. Loki leaned in close. "Close your eyes, boy. Feel me," Loki ground his hips against Tony and stars sprung up as new realms of pleasure opened up before him. "What do you think? You think that vengeance against Thor is the only reason I'm here?" He leaned up, and a whole new wave of strikes began. Tony's chest was bright red and his cock was straining up against Loki's body. Loki reached down to Tony's length and began tugging gently. "Tell me, boy." "Your boy will do as he's told," Tony said, feeling dirty, feeling used, feeling- he yelled out and grunted as he came hard. He was staring into those green eyes, falling into a world that was never going to let him be free of the filth. And he didn't care. Once Tony had finally come down from the afterglow, Loki flipped him around, pushing him up and over the arm rest so his face was only inches from the ground. For a second, it confused Tony, but it became horribly, wonderfully apparent as the god pushed into him. From this angle, Loki was pounding deeper than he had that first night and Tony thought he was going to pass out from the pleasure. "Oh, my, god," he cried. "Now you're beginning to understand, boy," Loki said, his voice delighted but strained. Tony wasn't new to sex, good god no – he was practically an authority. That's what came from a playboy lifestyle. But even in the heydays of ten years ago before the Iron Man, Tony's body had never been so excited to be used so thoroughly. He couldn't believe it, but he was already hard again, and with every thrust his cock brushed against the fabric of the chair. "How the hell are you doing this to me?" Tony whimpered. He couldn't help it; the thought was so loud in his head that it broke free through his mouth the minute his guard was down. "How are you making me feel so good?" "Hush, boy, and take it. I don't ask of you anything but to be still while I use you." That is the hottest thing anyone's ever said to me. Loki grabbed the handcuffs and pulled back, arching Tony's upper back. It was so much more intense, to know it was still Loki there, holding him, controlling him. Forcing him. He couldn't escape, even if he wanted to. That was enough. For the second time, in so short a time, Tony felt that contraction in his balls and sudden, glorious release. Loki came too. They were screaming out together. Please never let it end.

Addiction Loki had left that duffle bag behind. It was still under Tony's couch. Tony's eyes would constantly flicker to it. He debated with himself whether to open it, or at least move it somewhere else. But if he did, then Loki won. Loki wanted to test him, to mess with him. To leave something behind that Tony would spend all his time worrying about, so that in a small way, Loki was always there with him. Well Tony ignored it. It didn't matter to him in the slightest and he did not just spend a good half an hour debating with himself over it. At least he had solved the deactivation mystery. After nearly two weeks of pouring through Jarvis's programming, he had found the cunning protocol hidden away. It was a very stunning little Trojan bug and Tony impressed despite the grief it had caused. There were very few people in the world who could design software like that, so it wouldn't be hard to find out who it was. Could he send horse heads through the post now he was an Avenger? Probably not. There were so many things this little bug could be rewritten to do. He was hit by a hundred ideas immediately, all of which he wanted to do first. This was going to be a project, and how he loved his projects. Tony wondered with a smirk whether Loki knew he had actually given Tony such a gift? Loki… Down here in the lab, his mind was less chaotic which he desperately needed right now. He wanted time to figure out this new addiction he had stumbled into. All he knew right now is that it was getting under his skin more completely than any drug he had previously dabbled in. And probably more lethal. The only thing Tony found he could akin it to was the palladium. At this point, he was convinced he needed Loki's attentions to live, but it was killing him. Well, he had found a way round the palladium; couldn't he find a way around Loki? He had to think logically about this. Was it the kink? Because he could buy kink anywhere. Surely there was some nonlethal man, or woman, out there prepared to hurt him and obsessively call him boy. Tony thought about it and grimaced slightly. Okay, so it was specifically Loki. Why? Because of the risk of death? Loki may know his weaknesses, but Tony was also fully aware of his. It was Loki because it was a stupid thing to do. Because it was a challenge. Because… "Sir, Loki's in the apartment." Tony paused, a soldiering iron still in his hands. Fuck. Now what? "What's he doing?" "Nothing, it seems sir. He is merely pacing the room." Tony didn't hurry, taking the time to gather these thoughts before entering the elevator. His stomach was doing summersaults as it rose through the floors. It had been only two days since Loki's last visit. What did that mean? Or did it have to mean anything? Turns out, what it meant was the god was horny. Tony had barely exited the elevator, opening his mouth for the first wisecrack of the evening before Loki grabbed his jacket collar pulling him up. "No," Loki snapped. "No words, just move. Now!" Loki pushed Tony towards the bedroom. "Someone's in a rus-"

Tony was grabbed by the arm and literally dragged to the bed. Loki tore the clothes from him, pushed him down and was naked himself in seconds. Tony tried to sit up, but it became rapidly clear that Loki had this planned out already. Loki knelt over him guiding himself into Tony's mouth. For a moment, the Stark in Tony wanted to object. He wanted to fight this heavy handed manner, Loki's assumption that he was going to get it his way. But that new voice in Tony which he had never realised was there, which Loki seemed to be fostering, was desperate to please. Tony glared up at Loki for a second, then willingly opened his mouth to suck the god. There was a long, guttural moan above him and his heart leapt in perverse pleasure. There's got to be some bragging rights to giving a god a blow job to write home about, right? Not that this one was likely to. Tony couldn't deny how much he was enjoying being the reason for Loki's gasps and whimpers. His tongue played with the veins along the shaft, enjoying inch he could reach. Above him, Loki was gripping the bedhead tight. He was shaking hard as he clearly fought for control. He could just pound Tony's mouth, but he wasn't. He was letting Tony play. Tony felt his eyes closing dreamily as it almost became hypnotic. Every part of him was focussed on this one task and he didn't have to think. It was liberating not to think. If only for a little while. The hard length was sliding in and out and Tony opened his throat wider to accept more. Then he was trying to push down, sucking hard. Tony hummed slightly in gratification and Loki threw his head back. "Again," he growled. Tony complied and Loki shuddered and moaned. This was heaven, it had to be. Tony couldn't remember a time he had enjoyed anything with such open and honest passion. Okay, he loved Pepper. Loved being with her. Loved having sex with her, of course. But there was always a lurking doubt in his mind that he wasn't… good enough for her. Oh fuck no, he didn't mean in the bedroom. Tony was a god in the bedroom (and still was the ultimate god in this bedroom, despite whatever his current partner might believe). But Pepper was so… good. Honest. Kind. Wholesome. Tony wasn't. Loki wasn't. Loki was evil, twisted and probably just having as much fun with Tony as he could before throwing him off the tower. Again. So Tony was finally able just to feel without thought. To give up and give in because in the long run it didn't mean anything. As Tony began to move his head back and forth, the hypnotic motion of it emptied his head of all thought once more. His hand reached down and began stroking himself gently. He flew in a haze of ecstasy. "No," Loki choked out. He slapped Tony's hand away. Tony pulled his head off to complain, but was immediately pushed back on, hands tangling harshly in his hair. Handcuffs appeared. Where the fuck had he been hiding them? And bound his hands behind his back. "Concentrate on your duty." Duty? No one's ever mention this particular 'duty' to me before. I must have missed that meeting. Tony wouldn't have been able to guess at how long they spent like that, Tony servicing his god with every fibre of his being and Loki simply allowing it to happen. All he knew is that it ended too soon for his liking. Loki grabbed his head and began pounding to the back of this throat. Tony swallowed this time without prompting. It just seemed right this time. Loki fell back on the bed and for a moment, just a moment, looked completely at peace. Given that Tony really only knew the crazed side of this guy, the look of tranquillity was odd. "Well, glad you enjoyed yourself. I, on the other hand, could do with a hand here," Tony said, kneeing the god in his thigh slightly to get his attention.

"Are you ever silent?" "Not that I can recall. No, wait, that's the answer to 'Do you ever remember?' Hang on. Okay, ask me that again." "There's a gag in the duffle bag," Loki said, opening his piecing green eyes. "If you're feeling particularly chatty." Tony decided that a gag was probably a kink too far. "I'm good, thanks." Loki considered him for a while, leaning up onto his side. His hand reached out and ran a finger down Tony's straining cock. Tony shuddered, keeping his eyes on Loki. Loki smiled dangerously and pulled Tony to his side, their heads now at the foot of the bed. He rolled on top of him kissing him deeply. His pelvis ground against Tony. Tony let out a whimpering moan at the friction. "Fuck," he grunted. "It seems clear, boy, that your use of coarse language must be our immediate concern to correct." Tony opened his eyes and glared at him. "Well gosh darn, Loki, I am so terrible sorry." Tony's head snapped back with the force of the answering blow. "Now don't be cheeky," Loki breathed against Tony's neck. Maybe it was concussion or intoxication (though Tony couldn't remember having drunk much today) but Loki's breath on his skin just felt so glorious, warm and smooth. Hands beneath him undid his cuffs. They both paused for a moment, each gathering themselves. Tony leaned up and closed his lips over Loki's shoulder bone. He shuddered in response and Tony smiled and pressed home his advantage. He left wet, sucking kisses all the way up Loki's shoulder, his neck, the sharp line of his jaw, finally taking his mouth with an increasingly desperate urgency. Loki seemed content to left Tony take the reins for the moment, but he was still on top and still very much holding Tony in his arms in a gentle but controlling grasp. Tony suddenly began to feel strong again. Gone was the mire that he had been sinking into over the last few months. Loki wasn't pushing him away, wasn't forcing him now, and he certainly wasn't pushing Tony away. Blue light was pouring out between them and highlighting every muscle in his partner's body. Tony pushed a hand between Loki's strong arms, reaching up to rub his fingers against the god's face. It was somehow a more intimate act than anything they had done previously. "This is still not the craziest thing I've ever done," Tony muttered. "Really? I'm crushed," Loki said with a smirked. "Probably in the top ten." "Well, that's going to stop. You're mine now and I don't take kindly to my things being damaged." Tony reached back and grabbed Loki's black hair. He pulled back and pressed his mouth against Loki's. "I don't belong to you or anyone," he growled. "Oh my precious boy, I don't expect you to concede immediately. And ruin the game? No. But you will learn. We have a long, long time yet." Tony wouldn't have admitted it, not in a thousand years, but every word Loki said was melting him completely. The words dripping from that mouth like honey... or poison. Tony had begun to hear it in his dreams. "Silver tongue," Tony sneered. Loki smiled in honest delight. "Indeed. And if you behave, one day I may show you." "How about now?" That earned Tony a smack but he didn't care. Images of Loki taking Tony's

cock in his mouth was something to think about. Loki grasped Tony's length in his hand and watched the playboy squirm with every sign of satisfaction. "My hand stays where it is. You shall do the work if you wish to climax." Loki said firmly. "Fucking tease," Tony muttered quietly as he began to thrust his hips up, grasping Loki's shoulder for support. His cock slid in and out of Loki's grasp with exhilarating sensation. Tony couldn't believe how amazing it actually felt. "Oh… yessss," he breathed. This was unexplainably good. This was glorious. "Oh, god, yes." Tony's other arm came up and pulled Loki's lips down to his mouth. Tongues danced, Loki lazily, Tony with a dark, lust driven ferocity. As the grip around him tightened a fraction, forcing Tony's hips to work harder, Tony had to break from his lips, throwing his head back and choking out, "Oh god, Loki!" A hot mouth was suddenly sucking at his now exposed neck. "That's right, boy," Loki said softly, his breath against Tony's ear. "You can climax when you need to." Tony looked into his face as he panted and mewled and saw… there was tenderness there. Okay, so the god was staring down on him like Tony was just a performing animal and Loki was enjoying the show, but at least Tony was his performing animal. Loki leaned in and locked his mouth over Tony's, pushing his head down until it was against the pillows. Tony's hips were still thrusting hard but his mouth was now completely captured. The god's lips remained sealed over his and didn't let go until after Tony had screamed in his release. When Tony was finally calm, Loki sighed deeply and pulled away. "Our time, it seems, is always too brief," he muttered. "What are you implying?" Tony asked thickly, proving that even in depleted exhaustion, he was still a crude bastard. "You hardly held out long." "Hush boy." Loki pulled the covers over Tony and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. Tony tried to speak again, whether another snide remark, or a plea for Loki to stay he wasn't sure, but Loki had already vanished. For perhaps the first time since before the Chitauri attack, Tony fell asleep quickly and didn't dream about dying in black and endless space.

Burned Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes

It was becoming less and less surprising to walk into his suite on the top floor of Stark Tower and find Loki there. Tony almost took it as a matter of course. Today, the god was sitting on the sofa, apparently enjoying the sunset. As Tony threw his jacket on a chair, the god stood. Tony threw up his hands. "Whoa there cowboy. I've been at the gym. I'm taking a shower." "Then I will come with you." "Sounds fun. After the shower." Tony walked to the bedroom and locked the door. He waited, but nothing happened. He sighed. Too easy. There was no way he was going to win this one. He didn't even know why he was bothering to fight it because there was no way he was going to win this one. But he wouldn't be Tony if he didn't try. A few minutes later, he was under the warm spray of the shower. And, of course… "It's got to be rude to warp into a guy's shower," Tony muttered, trying to sound angrier than he was. He glanced over his shoulder. "Are you naked? Height of bad manners." "Quiet boy and let it happen. You know I will make you feel so… used. And that's what you want, isn't it?" Hands were running over his body possessively. Tony was tingling, his senses dancing for joy. "Get out of my shower." "Keep it up boy, and I will." Tony glared but shut his mouth. It had been a long day and Tony… Tony just wanted to feel for a bit. Was that so terrible? Yes, Loki was an evil deranged villain over whom his team were having almost weekly meetings on. But Tony wasn't used to being told what he could or couldn't have. Neither was Loki. What happened when two self-obsessed, selfish bastards decide what they want is each other? Surely it was like two negatives ends of a magnet trying to come together. Besides, he'll just make you if you say no. That was a thought worth holding on to. It wasn't like he actually had a choice. Loki's tongue was exploring every inch of Tony's neck and Tony tipped his head forward to allow the man better access. "I don't want to have to play the whole… good boy thing," Tony said warningly. "Tough," Loki breathed in his ear. "Seriously? Am I ever going to get my way?" "When you've learnt that 'your way' is to do what I tell you." Tony rolled his eyes, but relaxed into the arms. There was something so peaceful in the shower, water pouring over them, warming them, their wet skins sliding over each other. For a long time, Loki seemed content just to hold Tony, lips dancing over what skin he could reach. Tony was almost half asleep when he saw Loki reaching out and increasing the temperature of the shower. It was just the wrong side of too hot. Tony hissed and tried to move back away, but Loki

held him there. "You trying to burn me?" Tony snapped. He had to be careful how he stood – way too hot water was hitting very sensitive areas. "Trust me, my darling boy, you will soon plead for heat." Loki said and that dangerous tone was back. "What- oh, fucking hell," Tony yelped. Where the fuck had Loki found ice? His front was burning but his back was freezing. His teeth chattered from the cold while the delicate skin being hit by the hot water burned. It was a strange sensation. Loki quickly pulled his arms up and out, attaching them to the shower door and rail. Tony could shift toward into the burning heat or back into the freezing cold. It was then he saw the blue arm… "Loki…" Tony breathed, trying to turn around, but an ice cold hand forced his head back to face front. "No. You will not," Loki said warningly. A blind fold was pulled over his eyes and a gag was pushed between his lips and tightened. "N-agh," Tony objected. He really hadn't wanted to start exploring the world of gags, but it wasn't as though he ever really got a say in this. "Comfortable?" Loki asked in mocking tones. Tony made his complaints, the sound muffled and distorted around the rubber ball in his mouth. It made him feel even more vulnerable than he could ever have imagined. Steve Rogers had a shield. The only shield Tony had was his wit. Loki stepped back momentarily, examining his work. Finding it most pleasing, he moved back against Tony and noted with delight his boy's flinching shudder. "Now then… we play." Tony was almost driven insane in that shower, he was sure. He was being burnt and frozen to death and his traitorous body was screaming out for more. Cold dominated his back. Heat his front. Loki would reach around and wrap the cold hand around his cock and fondle him for a while, bringing him teasingly close then stopping. The sensations were both agonising and amazing. Tony fought the bonds to escape, tried to fall to his knees away from the hands or twist his hips away. When his struggles became too violent, Loki would push an ice cold finger into his ass and Tony would scream again. Eventually, he learnt to stay still and take what Loki was giving him. His body was shaking hard and not just from the cold, but from the strain of standing still and accepting his powerlessness. Knowing he could do nothing. Perhaps it was the loss of his voice, or the blindness, but his usual, cocky strength failed him that day and tears were pouring down his face. Not tears of misery, or pain… "Is my boy enjoying himself?" Loki asked. Tony nodded viciously, his chest wracking itself with sobs. "Does my boy need to stop?" Tony shook his head hard. Oh god please no. Don't stop! Don't stop or I'll fall apart. Freezing lips pressed against Tony's warm neck and he groaned and leaned into them. "My beautiful boy. I'd like you to cum, hard, while I fuck you in this form. Do you think you will? It's going to be very, very cold. And the water on your nipples and cock is going to be very, very hot."

Oh my god, just call me boy again and I think I'll come. Tell me how beautiful I am and how much you want me and I'll come. Use me Loki please. I'll come for you, I will. Just never, ever leave me. Tony whimpered into his gag. He didn't know whether he was glad to be wearing it or not. The words screaming out of his soul were so wanton, so, so not like Tony Stark that had he said them out loud, now, to this man… he'd probably have never been able to forgive himself. Because each and every syllable was true. Please, my god Loki, I want to be yours and used. "It matters not what you want. Do you understand that, boy? I am going to take you, now. And you will remain still while I do so." Probably not. I'm going to buck and scream and probably pass out. A long, ice shaft pushed in-between his ass and drove home without any foreplay. Tony did scream, throwing his body forward, hitting the burning heat and throwing himself back again. The cunning, twisted bastard. There was only so long Tony could spend in any state. He forced his body into the burning heat, desperate to get away from the cold, couldn't stand the pain of the water hitting him and threw his body back, only seconds later to remember why the freezing cold was perhaps more painful. And, overriding all this pain were the sensation of an ice cold cock working in and out of him and the vague approving chuckles of his god. The cold was so cold, but the natural heat of sex was filling him, driving him to move despite the extremes in temperature. Tony was doing the work for Loki and the god simply let his little mortal dance in beautiful agony. Lust overrode intelligence and pain battled against pleasure and Tony knew that no matter what happened to him, here and now, he just couldn't stop. He couldn't stop now until he came. "That's it boy. Accept that all you are is a toy, my toy and you will learn to feel so much pleasure from being owned." Tony nodded hard, working his body up and down on the hard cock. The pain was adding to the experience, but was slowly morphing into pleasure. The pain wasn't pain anymore, it was… domination. "A little faster, boy." Tony obeyed without thinking. He was huffing hard through his nose, his hips and back aching as he fought to keep the pace Loki required of him. Tears were unending, the groans and whimpers were unrelenting. He was so, so happy to be wanted, finally. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes... Loki suddenly grabbed his hips and began pounding hard. "We are going to climax together, boy," Loki hissed. A cold hand reached around and began pumping Tony. All intelligent thought was gone. No more jokes, or snide remarks, or pondering on what was becoming of his life. There was only one pervading scream in his head. Loki had to let him cum, now, or he was going to die. He knew he had never been so sure of anything before. A hand fumbled at this mouth, pulling the ball gag out and a wailing, which Tony would never have recognised as his own, filled the small space of the shower. An ice hold hand buried its fingers in his hair, yanking his head back against a cold chest. "Cum now boy," Loki hissed in his ear. "I said, now!"

As Tony climaxed, he felt ice pouring deep inside of him, shattering him, making him feel hotter and colder than he had ever done before. Loki sighed loudly, his hand reaching out and turning off the water. The cold behind Tony was gone. Loki pulled out of Tony's wonderfully sore ass and he kissed him gently on the neck. "We must do that again, boy." "Yes... please..." Tony whimpered.

Chapter End Notes

A/N One shot sex scenes, as fun as they are, can't last. For those of you who were waiting for plot, that starts in the next chapter! For those of you hoping for more sex, next chapter! There's a balance to be found and that's the goal. Word of warning, my knowledge of the Marvel universe is limited. So while I don't own any of the characters (damn you Marvel and Joss Whedon!) there's going to be a fair amount of my own story telling which will probably not be canon.

Kneel What were his Wednesday mornings like before the Avengers? Tony tried to remember as he dodged a falling lump of masonry. The problem with so many of his memories – Tony fired a rocket quickly, taking out a soldier aiming some sort of grenade launcher at him – is that they were made fuzzy by drink. But he'd probably be in the lab, building something. Maybe redesigning that thermo-value he could never get right. Now, he was flying around Shanghai helping to put down a band of apparent mercenaries who seemed to have weapons far beyond what they should. And Tony knew his weaponry. This was not your common garden variety missile flying at him. It had been altered. Tony rocketed up as fast as he could and the missile followed. "Sir, it seems to have a track on us," Jarvis said. "Really?" Tony asked as he zigzagged through the glittering streets of Shanghai. Around him, the city was in chaos, but here and there he could see his team mates directing the citizens away from danger, and keeping back the advancing wave of black clad mercenaries, who almost certainly had a name like Black Hand, Black Forest or Aunt Hillary's Gang of Wide Boys, or something. "Deploy countermeasures," Tony commanded. Tiny tubes emitting heat, radio frequency and anything else the little bugger could be attracted to flew out of Tony's suit as he took a violent turn away from the incoming path. The missile flew straight through them. "Countermeasures have been ineffective," Jarvis opined. Tony sighed. "Jarvis, didn't you and I have a little talk not long ago about narrating the obvious?" "I thought it was worth pointing out, Sir," Jarvis replied. Tony saw a lump of masonry apparently flying through the air of its own accord. It landed on a truck used by the enemy, flattening anything or anyone left inside. Tony headed to the area where rubble was being launched and wasn't surprised to find The Other Guy having a whale of a time. "Hulk man, little help?" Tony called as he hurtled past. The Hulk turned, grabbed the missile out of the air and threw it towards a group of mercenaries. Tony smiled as he watched the explosion and returned to fight the good fight. He soared through skyscrapers, gliding past the forests of glass at a fair speed, though you never wanted too fast when flying this low. "Tony, it's Loki!" The sentence was almost enough to make him drop out of the sky. "What?" "On top of the Jin Mao Tower, Loki," Natasha repeated. "Get over there!" Tony did a fast about turn and followed the map that Jarvis had just pulled up. He swallowed, "What's Reindeer Games up to?" "Family reunion with Thor," Hawkeye said wryly. "And Thor's got him on the ropes. Just." Tony finally spotted them, a whirl of red and gold and green. Hawkeye was right; Thor was just keeping Loki down. Only just. But the conjurer was still fighting back hard.

"What is it with you two and fighting on the tops of high buildings? Did your mother never teach you two anything?" Tony called out. He raised his gauntlets, aiming at Loki and… hesitated. For a second. Two seconds. Maybe three. Then he shook his head and fired. The rockets spiralled out and hit Loki, just as an uppercut from Loki's staff knocked Thor to the ground. Mjolnir flew out of his hand and off the side of the building. "Heads up, Mjolnir coming down hard!" Tony called to the ground. He knew that hammer and what it could do. Better give anyone down their warning unless they wanted to become a human nail. Loki staggered upright and looked up. It was a blow to Tony's pride that Loki seemed barely scratched. He looked up and smiled. "Man of Iron. So glad you could join us." "Drop the glow stick, Reindeer Games," Tony said, taking aim again. A blot of blue flew up at Tony. He barely avoided it. The second one didn't miss. Tony's thrusters shorted and he almost fell from the sky. Halfway to the ground, Tony spotted Majolnir flying up past him as Jarvis restarted his systems just in time. "Jarvis, you and I just got beaten by a hammer," Tony growled, and flew straight at Loki. Thor, Mjolnir now in hand once more, was aiming a blow at Loki's head. Suddenly there were dozens of the smirking bastards. Great. As though one wasn't trouble enough. Tony continued his course, but flew straight through the figure. "Damn," he snapped as wall of glass came into view. The Shanghai World Financial Centre. "Erm, up. Up now," Tony said, his voice cracking slightly with alarm. A split second before he collided with the building, his suit finally worked up the power it needed for Tony to pull up hard. As he rocketed up into the sky at a tremendous speed he added, "That was way too slow. We're going to need to fix that." "It's been put on your to-do list, Sir," came Jarvis' calming drawl. "That went on the list fast." "Yes Sir. Remember, I'm in here too." Tony laughed softly. He turned lazily in mid-air, swooping back down again. He wasn't surprised to find the battle was over. "What's happening guys?" Steve's voice came over his comm, "Well, you went for one, Thor went for one and Barton managed to get a shot off." "And?" "No contact. Now he's disappeared." "Slippery bastard," Hawkeye said dismally. Tony spotted him on the rooftop of a nearby building. "The mercenaries on the ground are retreating," Natasha reported. "All clear on the east side, Natasha," Steve responded. "But could do with a hand, we've got a lot of panicking civilians over here." "Are you saying the Hulk isn't enough to reassure them?" Natasha said and there was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Hey, you want a lift down Legolas, or are you going to do that cool zip wire thing?" Tony called. Barton agreed and Tony grabbed his arm on the way past. Thor was winding up his hammer and taking aim. Once again, he and the stupid hammer flew past Tony and landed before him. "Why can't you do that?" Hawkeye asked with a grin as Tony prepared to set them down. "You want me to drop you?" he snapped back. Tony had built the coolest suit in the world, and an oaf in Viking costume with a big hammer had outdone him. It's high school all over again. Once they were all on the ground, the Hulk kicking the debris aside (you know, debris, like fire trucks and lampposts) Steve summarized. "Okay. So he turns up out of nowhere, with an army of mercenaries, comes to this city, we don't know why, attacks apparently random targets and civilians, and then disappears without apparently having gained anything from it." There was a pause. Tony pulled his visor up and slow hand clapped. "Fantastic. That clears that up." Steve turned on him hotly. "Well then, you explain it!" "Oh no, I couldn't add to a masterpiece like that." "Guys, this isn't helping," Natasha said, putting herself in between the two. "This was so pointless that all it did was to get us all here." "He's distracting us," Barton said. "From what?" Thor asked. Of everyone, he looked the most battered and bruised, both in body and pride. Tony almost felt sorry for the guy. Except your lunatic brother, who you assured us was locked away forever, now seems intent on making inconvenient booty calls. And I'm not prepared to tell you to save your stupid feelings and because I don't know yet if I want them to stop... Tony shook himself back to reality. "What?" "Tony, we're all strung out," Natasha said, almost kindly in that mono-toned drone. It was almost as though she spent her life speaking to a dangerous animal. Tony idly wondered if she spoke to Barton like that in the bedroom. "Barton and I will go back to HQ and see what's exploded. If we get anything, we'll call. Go back and relax for a bit." Relax? Really? Tony was flying through the skies towards Stark Tower. It was difficult to relax when you'd just fired a load of ammunition at a god and not even managed to scratch him, let alone kill him. A god, moreover, who was inclined to take his revenge in a more personal fashion than just lighting him up with a staff. But they had never talked about what would happen if they met in the real world. And Loki had attacked him! Tony rolled his eyes. Here he was, trying to think up excuses like he was being sent to the Principal's Office. He was Tony Stark, in the suit, Tony Stark the Iron Man and he did not need an excuse for attacking Reindeer Games! And what was he talking about; the 'real world' like the time he spent with Loki was some sort of dream.

This is doing my head in. The anxiety was not helped when he landed on the platform, mechanical arms removing his armour piece by piece, to see Loki standing in his flat. There was something about that moment. Here was Tony Stark, walking towards Loki unhesitatingly as he was slowly stripped of everything that made him a hero until he was reduced to just the boy. Someone should write a song. When he finally got inside, Loki was at the fridge, glancing at the contents sceptically. "Somehow, I've never pictured you eating," Tony said thoughtfully. "Did you think I simply gained sustenance from the sun?" Tony felt slightly relieved. Only slightly. Generally when Loki shot down any attempts at talking, that was the time to worry. But every now and again, even the god liked banter. "Or maybe you have you seen V? The 1983 miniseries, not the new one, that was crap. That guy and woman with the rats? Like that." "I am not familiar with it." "Oh it's great. We'll rent it, watch it in our pyjamas and talk about our feelings." Loki smiled his teeth white and perfect. "Perhaps not." "Perhaps not. But the pillow fight's a must." Tony paused as silence descended. But silence and Tony were not great friends. "Well. This is awkward." Loki cocked his head questioningly. "You. Me. The whole... trying to kill each other." "Kill you? Death by sex, I assume. I assure you, Tony; I treat you with a surprising amount of gentleness. Alarmingly. Believe me; you'll know when I choose to be rough with you." Loki sighed. "If you are speaking about the battle-" "Would you call it a battle? Didn't really last long enough to be a battle. Maybe a skirmish. How about a set-to?" "I have no interest in the icon, or the industrialist. Just you, boy." Tony's response died in his throat. So this was what it was like to be looked at like... Tony stalked the bars and played the game for years before Pepper and he had looked at so many women like this. Very few times in his life had he himself had been looked at so predatorily. "You really are convinced you're just a smooth talking bastard, aren't you?" Tony asked, trying to sound offended. Loki didn't reply. He was pacing slowly forward, stalking forward like a cat. That's what he was. He'd grab Tony, hold him down, play with him, then release him, both knowing that Loki would be on him again whenever he pleased. There was nowhere Tony could go. You're getting almost constant sex with a god. Where the hell would you want to go, Tony? "Your brother got a good whack in there, I noticed," Tony said. Loki's face at first so hungry, so all consuming, suddenly flickered. "He is not my brother. You would do well to remember that." "Yeah, obviously. Because he's so shiny and good natured and heroic. You know, not to sound like a girl or anything. Essentially very well bred. Son of a King and all."

"As am I." "But didn't you just say-" "Don't push me, boy." Why was he pushing him, Tony wondered? Why did he want to make him angry? Tony rolled his eyes internally. Why did he jump into that car at Circuit de Monaco? Why wasn't he dead a thousand times over? "Do you know a guy called Freud? He had a theory that all men want to kill their fathers and marry their mothers. Now, I'm not saying-" Tony's body was slammed against a wall. Loki's forearm was pressed against Tony's throat and already his head was swimming. "Are you so desperate for pain, boy? That you would dare challenge me?" Loki threw him across the room (something that was becoming real old, in Tony's frank opinion). Tony's back hit the door the bedroom and he fell into the room. "Nice aim," he muttered. He managed to pick himself up before Loki got to him again. "No," Loki said. "I prefer you on your knees." That was a moment that caught Tony short. He stared at Loki, as though seeing him for the first time. Tony crossed the room quickly and dropped to his knees. It was automatic, but not routine. Before conscious thought had caught up with him, Loki's shaft was slipping into his mouth and Tony was bobbing up and down with giddy abandon. A blindfold was wrapped around his eyes. There was a pause and Loki said "I was going to handcuff you… but perhaps… if you feel ready to obey without question tonight, I could be encouraged to leave your hands free." Tony hummed and the god shuddered hard, his cock twitching in Tony's mouth. Tony felt himself smile around the long member. "Disobey once, and you will be restrained." Loki pulled out and made Tony stand. "Hands on your head." Hands on your head? Everything the man said was geared towards making Tony feel like a child again. As powerless and vulnerable as a child. Fucker. He stood like that for some time. The longer the wait was the more likely, both knew, that Tony would disobey. And there was the new challenge, Tony supposed. Maybe his sense of defiance was becoming warped, but the more he knew that Loki was hoping he'd disobey, the more Tony wanted to confound that. Took the idea of petulance to a whole new level. Loki chuckled. "You win, boy. Face down on the bed, arms by your side." I win! Wait, was that a good thing? Tony carefully felt his way, the blindfold blocked out everything to such a degree, despite being some fine fabric, he suspected it must be something Asgardian – a race that had mastered travel between universes, but didn't have a computer. Not even an Amstrad. Once Tony was in the desired position, he felt a hand on his leg, indicating to him to remain still. His hips were pulled up with disturbing strength and a pillow was pushed under his legs. It wasn't

one of the bed pillows either, but one of the fabric ones from the sofa in the living room. It rubbed invitingly against Tony's cock and he sucked in a breath in with a shudder. There was a long, drawn out pause, and then what felt like some sort of flog struck his back. Tony hissed through his teeth but said nothing. "That's it, Tony. Accept what I give you. Be a good boy and reward will follow." It came down again and Tony had to suppress a yelp that time. It was getting worse. Every strike inflamed the tissue in his back, which began to object violently to the continued thrashing. And, how the hell was this possible for him, Tony Stark? He could feel himself growing harder the longer the beating went on for. All too soon, his hips were undulating, squirming, bucking into the pillow beneath him. The fabric was rubbing against all the nerve ending in his cock and his eyes were crossing no matter how hard he tried to ignore the sensations. "Did I tell you to move?" Loki snapped angrily. "No," Tony muttered, slightly ashamed. "No, what?" "No, god." "Then you will be punished. You will not now be allowed to climax until the end of our evening. Is that understood." There is no way in Midgard or Asgard or Oz that I'm going to be able to hold out. "Yes god." Loki beatings continued and Tony was now bleating with every strike. His hips were grinding again but this time Loki made no comment apart from the occasional reproving remarks that Tony's bucking was making him miss. Loki was going to let him. Loki was going to let him cum then devise something worse. Tony forced himself to stay still, but it was too much. As Loki's beating reached a new pitch, Tony's self-control finally gave way and he howled and squirmed against the pillow, cumming without ending. The scene finally stopped and both were left panting and a little dazed. Loki seemed to have enjoyed watching as much as Tony had feeling. The man was suddenly over Tony's back, knees pressing down on his arms keeping him still. A hand pulled Tony's head up by the hair. "I gave you an instruction, boy, which you wilfully disobeyed." "Yeah and you wanted me to." Tony snapped. Loki pressed his fingers down on a newly formed bruise on his shoulder and Tony bit his lip to silence any sound. "If I had wanted you to cum, boy, I would have asked." "Fuck you." "You will now be restrained." "Big surprise."

Captured Loki sat on Tony's back, holding him still and waved a hand. Chains appeared from nowhere, snaking out with minds of their own across the bed. The cuffs opened like mouths and grabbed his wrists. He felt them on his ankles too. He was pulled out and tied down spread eagle on the bed. "Much better," Loki sighed, patting Tony's head. "Oh yeah. Brilliant." Tony spat. His back was still in pain from the beating and having Loki perched up there was agonising. "Now I have captured my little boy, what terrible things can I do to him?" "You could-" "I wasn't looking for suggestions, boy. I was expounding." Loki shifted and Tony whimpered as a cock pushed into him. His hips were still raised from the pillow and Loki slid in like the universe had designed them from the beginning to interlock so marvellously. Tony heard the guttural gurgle in his own throat as Loki came to rest, his balls pressing against Tony. "You feel so amazing," Tony murmured. "I think I'm hard again. Fuck me like you did in the shower." "The point of the shower was the hot water maintained your body temperature. And I held back. Otherwise, I could have killed you. Even Asgardians burn on contact with Jotun skin." Tony frowned, shifting his body carefully and whimpering as Loki's cock inexplicably deepened. "Well, I didn't burn." Tony heard the bitter scoff behind him. "I am but the runt of my people. That's why I was left to die." "Left to die?" "Hush boy. Such thoughts are pointless, irrelevant and not conducive to an orgasm. That is what you want, isn't it?" "I want you." "You have me." "All of you." Loki stroked Tony's hair, lifted his pelvis slightly and slammed down hard into the mortal below. Tony screamed. It was more pain than pleasure and his body shook hard. "You might regret the sentiment." "No," Tony choked. "Do it again." Loki slammed into Tony again. Tony bit back the scream but the howl came unbidden. This was power, force and Tony finally realised how much Loki had to have been holding back before now. "Oh fuck..." Tony whimpered as images streamed in front of his mind's eye. So much about his time with Loki wasn't purely the sex but also the promise of sex to come. Loki slammed down harder and paused while Tony howled. "Language."

Tony forced himself not to use words; they only seemed to get him into trouble. Instead, he whimpered and yowled loudly as Loki set a punishing pace. Despite the pain, Tony knew he was getting hard. Twice in half an hour - it was like he was back in college. But the uncaring, viciousness of the pounding was painful and while he didn't want it to end, he could feel the pain growing. The muscles back there were screaming from the bad treatment, as much as the rest of his body begged for it to continue. He held out for as long as he could, biting down hard on the sheets in front of him. Just at the point he was about to break and beg Loki to stop, the god stopped. Tony bit back his urge to thank him. Loki sighed and sat up. He slipped out and Tony whined softly. "Shh, I am not finished." His boy relaxed, closing his eyes and waiting. Soon, Loki was pushing back in again. He had added more lubricant, gliding in and out calmly now. Tony's body responded so naturally, raising his hips to meet the thrusts, tightening every muscle, trying to keep that rod inside of him for as long as possible. "You respond superbly," Loki murmured. Tony grunted in response. "Does it concern you how easily you've fallen into my power?" Loki purred smugly. "Killing the mood, dude." "You're my little slut, Tony. Don't deny it. Embrace it." Tony was pulled out of his haze by the anger growing inside of him. "Fuck you. Do you have to do the crazy villain rant right now? Fuck you!" Loki's pace quickened slightly as he ran his fingers almost lovingly through Tony's hair, and suddenly wrenched his head back. Tony could hear the gods panting in his ear as the hot breath on his neck made him shiver. "You think what you want is power and control. But you don't. You want the freedom to be happy and the only way you'll get that is by giving up everything to me. Do you understand you little whore? You will always be expected to do the right thing to please the world now you're the hero. But here, now, under me, impaled on my cock, all you have to do is cum on command. How gloriously simple your life is now, boy." Loki's strong hand rubbed over his lips and part of Tony cringed as the god smirked, his fingers glistening from the drool on Tony's chin. It was impossible; Tony's body was nothing but a biological machine responding to Loki's inputs. He whimpered when Loki licked here, whined when Loki pushed there, his nipples hardened at Loki's look, he drooled at very thrust, he flailed around and bucked like an animal when Loki hit that spot. He couldn't control himself. He was Loki's toy. Tony felt his cock twitch hard at the thought. It felt so good. Too good to ignore. "I am your toy," he whispered out loud and felt the throbbing increasing. He squirmed against the pillow, raising his ass again and again to Loki's thrusts. Loki was thrusting hard now and Tony felt that familiar near sightedness taking over as his climax rushed towards him. "Now beg me to cum." Tony as close as hell, but he was angry. Angry at the situation, angry with Loki, angry that the son of a bitch was right. Tony was going to cum, he knew, so close now, but he'd rather die than beg.

"No." "You think you can cum without permission?" I think I am that fucking close the question is really; will I be able to stop? Whatever punishment he got for cumming without permission would be worth it not to have to dance to Loki's tune. So early in the pair's liaison, Tony still believed that stupid ideas like that were true. Loki would train him to believe otherwise. Loki's hand pulled out the pillow beneath them with some force and his fingers darted out quickly to grasp Tony's member. All the while, Loki barely paused driving into Tony's bound body. "You don't cum unless I want you to," he hissed in Tony's ear. Fingers tightened. Tony yelled. Loki held him in a vice like grip at the base of his balls; simple biology dictated that his orgasm was now well out of reach. It was agonisingly painful. Tony's hips were pushing back, trying to escape the grip and Loki choked out in delight as it only increased the penetration. "Ha! Now there's the eagerness I was searching for," Loki gasped. He rode Tony hard as the boy squirmed and bucked to get Loki off. "That's it, fight me! Try to escape! Only when you realise you're helpless to stop me will you ever learn." Tony was learning fast. The chains were immovable; Loki's lust at this point was unstoppable. Tony wasn't going to get relief until Loki came or he begged. And Loki was a god with an amazing stamina. He held out as long as he could. But sweat was pouring from his body, his balls were aching, throbbing and excruciatingly painful and a mangled whining was pouring from his mouth. Loki wasn't stopping and wasn't slowing. He was living in Tony's agony, kissing, licking and biting the bruises he had caused on Tony's back. "Such a brave little boy to fight for so long. I'm impressed. Let's see if you can last the hour." Tony shook his head, fighting, struggling, sobbing. Loki had to cum soon! He had too. Then he would stop and Tony could finally have a moment to pull what was left of his mind back together. "Good boy. Such a good boy. Push back harder, that's right. Make me cum and I may show mercy." Tony obeyed blindly. He'd to anything to make Loki cum so this would end. Tip his hips up? Fine. Push his chest up so Loki could play with a nipple? Okay. Call him a god? Of course. Loki spent some time making demands on his boy, smiling cruelly as Tony obeyed each and every one. Tony howled in misery when Loki's pace slowed slightly. "I'm a little too close. And there are so many things I want you to do still. Maybe I'll get you to bark like a dog." Loki explained conversationally. The revelation shattered Tony. "Please cum," Tony whimpered. "I told you boy. I won't cum until you have begged for your release." "But then you said-" "I lied. It's what I do." Tony had obeyed every instruction to get Loki to cum and end this. Why was begging for his own release so humiliating? Every part of Tony's body was aching. His entire frame was shaking. His

tongue was practically lolling out of his mouth. Loki licked Tony's ear in long strokes. "You know I almost feel sorry for you? But I shan't feel guilty, for you do this to yourself, boy. You could have cum so exquisitely long before now. Yet you cling to your illusion that your pride and freedom are worth so much more. They're not. Accept that you are my boy and my toy and my own personal whore and you will be so much moresatisfied." Tony shuddered. How did he make that word sound so dirty? "Beg." "I-" Tony shook his head. "I-" He buried his head in the bed, gasping hard and shaking his head. "Please. Please, please, please." "Please what?" "Please my god." "Please my god what?" "I swear, one day, I'm going to kill you, you sorry son of a bitch!" Tony shouted. Loki's hips moved fast and his grip on Tony's balls began to pull them away from Tony's body. Not violently, but the slight movement spun Tony's world into even more pain. "You know what else I have in my bag? It's a leather strip which wraps around the scrotum of disobedient little boys and when pulled tight enough does what I'm doing here. It'll hold back your orgasm completely, even if I spend hours sucking your pretty little cock. If I summon it to me now, tie you up tight, I can finish my orgasm and leave like this for hours and hours." Tony's eyes widened as his mind processed this. Tony couldn't stand another minute of his pain. "Now, do you have anything you'd like to say to me?" Tony swallowed. "Please let me cum." "I said beg." "I'm begging you, please, please please! Please let me cum, my god please. I'm begging, I'm begging!" Loki listened with a critical ear and asked for further elaboration. Occasionally he'd ask for more, ask him to include certain words like boy, toy, pleasure and worship. Tony could barely believe the words of filthy lust streaming unendingly from his mouth. Loki was the poet in bed. Tony wasn't. But through Loki's cajoling, Tony was voicing his need in a way he had never done before with any partner. He was panting, mewling, begging for exactly what he wanted, how he wanted it, how hard and dirty he wanted it. His god sighed in a dreamy way when Tony finally stopped his voice hoarse and exhausted. "That's my boy," he whispered, kissing Tony's cheek delicately. "I knew there was the heart of a true wanton little slut in there. And you're all mine, aren't you?" "Yes, yes, I'm yours. All yours." "Do you want to cum first, or last?" "Whatever you want," Tony whined, thoroughly beaten. "Cum first and you will be punished. Don't cum before I do, and I may not allow you at all." Tony felt more tears beginning as he threw his head back. What kind of fucking choice is that?! "I

hate you." "I know, but isn't it such fun?" Tony's primal scream echoed in the bedroom as he came hard. He felt the stream over his chest but he couldn't stop the bucking. Loki came quickly after that, grabbing Tony's hips and pounding him with little control. Of course, as was the way of their couplings, Tony found himself waking from a coma a few hours later. Loki wasn't anywhere to be seen. His body was aching horribly and he pulled himself into the shower. He spent almost an hour under the hot spray, cleaning himself up and pulling himself back together. Thoughts were coming slow and sluggishly. Foremost in his thoughts was what a fucking asshole. If Tony ever saw him again in 'real life' he was putting a missile between his eyes. On the heels of that thought was how amazing that had been. He'd never felt so complete before in his life. I need this so much. Tony shook his head dismally. There didn't seem to be anything Loki could do to him to stop Tony from worshiping every second they spent together. He shut off the water, pulled on a bathrobe and hobbled back into the bedroom. His stomach dropped as his heart flew. Loki was sitting on the bed. "Quite recovered? Good. I believe we agreed that a punishment would be forth coming if you climaxed before I did." Tony stared, his mouth open, swaying uncontrollably. "Loki… I can barely stand." "Clearly. Fortunately what I have in mind does not require you to." "I can't do this now." "Would you rather I left?" Tony didn't answer that. He couldn't. Loki smiled gently. "Relax, my darling boy. It will not be beyond your capabilities." "You made me cum first. I couldn't possibly have held out." "Yes." "You're punishing me for something I couldn't help." "Yes." "Why are you doing this to me?" Loki rested his head on his shoulder in the most innocent, youngest expression Tony had ever seen on him. Or anyone, in fact. Suddenly, Loki was just a young man speaking with his lover. "Because you enjoy it. You want it so much. And if I didn't deliver on this punishment, I think you would be disappointed. Wouldn't you?" Again, it was not a question Tony could answer without destroying what little of his pride he had managed to find and stick back together in the shower. "Why don't you come here and kiss me?" Tony blinked hard, wondering if he was still in a dream. He stumbled over and sat heavily on the

bed next to Loki. "This is fucking insane. You're fucking insane." "Kiss me, Tony." "And what, you take the opportunity to-" "Tony," Loki purred. Tony felt his body melting at the sound. "I want to feel those lips." Tony leaned up and in. Loki's demure behaviour was building Tony up again. Giving him a little strength back. He pressed his lips against Loki's thin ones, working them gently. He decided to be bold, and pushed his tongue out. Loki accepted it into his mouth smoothly, sucking on it softly. His hand was gliding under Tony's robe. When it found his cock he stroked gently. Tony pulled back with a hiss, only to find Loki's hand and the back of his head, holding him against his lips. "I'm too sore for this," Tony protested. "Shh. Kiss me." Tony returned the kiss. It was lazy, easy, comforting. He pushed up a little harder, grabbing Loki's shoulder and pulling him closer. The hand at his length was soft and gentle. He felt the blood beginning to rush down. He was getting hard again. "How the hell do you do this to me?" he muttered angrily. When he continued the kiss, it was with a deeper, urgent passion. Loki was nipping at his tongue now, claiming his dominance over the kiss. The minute Tony was fully erect, Loki pulled away. "Take off your robe. Lie back." Tony sighed and obeyed. "What do I have to do?" "Something I'm sure you will find very difficult. I want you to lie still without another word for as long as I please." "That's it?" Loki rolled his eyes. "An impossible task, clearly." Tony gritted his teeth and stared up at the ceiling. And it that did seem to be that. Occasionally, Loki would stroke him, pet him, play gently with his cock. He spent a long time whispering sweet nothings to him, stoking his hair lovingly. Tony was beautiful, he was sexy, he moved alluringly, his eyes were enthralling… the poetry falling from Loki's handsome lips was enough to send Tony into a spiral of lust. Every muscle in his body shook with the effort of not moving. The instruction was so stupidly simple, but the psychological effort for Tony just to lie still was very stressful. It was forcing him to be passive, and Tony Stark didn't do passive. And Loki's words were so… Tony wanted him to shut up. To piss off. Not to sit there and pretend he thought that any of this was true. This was the punishment. To lie here and listen to Loki pretend he cared like this for Tony. But if he called stop, if he got up and locked himself in the bathroom then Loki would know he'd gotten to Tony. And Tony would rather die. "An hour. Very impressive my boy. I always knew you had the capacity to learn." "That had to be the most boring sixty minutes of my life," Tony snapped sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He hoped Loki couldn't read that lie printed all over his face. "Is that really it? And you've always been so creative up until now."

Loki smiled. "We haven't even begun, my pet. But too much too soon and I worry I'll break you. Now, let's see what we can do about this." Loki grabbed Tony's erection. Tony bit back a whimper. "Look at me, boy. Look into my eyes. I want to watch every thought that rolls across your face." Tony, perched on the edge of the bed, grasping the side desperately to stop himself falling off, gasped and grunted as Loki jerked him off. He kept his eyes fixed on the emerald green ones in front of him. It was quick and soft, Tony shuddered hard and relaxed back panting. "That's enough for tonight, I think."

Louder Tony slammed the door and closed his eyes, resting his head on the metal door, trying to loosen the knot of muscles between his shoulders. Fucking Fury, fucking Steve, fucking Avengers. Without an immediate crisis on the horizon, this was beginning to feel like work and Tony didn't do work. He'd never had to work for anything in his life before; it had all been one long drunken joy ride. His natural talent, money and charm making everything just that little bit easier to achieve. Now he had responsibilities. He felt himself shudder. The tabloids were watching his every move now. When he was the drunk and the Iron Man he was a joke. Now he's part of a team – a team commanded by everyone's hero Captain America, suddenly it wasn't so funny having an out of control playboy on the team. They were obsessing over his every move and Tony's little joy ride in his suit under the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday apparently hadn't been decorous. Fuckers. Being stuck on the Helicarrier did nothing for Tony's mood. Training, meetings and a ticking off. Why the fuck would he want to be here? And he objected to the way his booze was confiscated by the khaki wearers on arrival. He objected to the constant suggestions that he was now meant to be some sort of team player. He objected to Steve's stupid face and his inability to work an iPhone. Or anything with electricity. And he objected to that mono-eyed bastard's demands on him. He objected to the whole thing in general, on principle and every other way that you could object. There was no crisis, no danger, no thrill. It was boring, routine and horribly, horribly worthy. He ran his hands over his face. A few hours of training, sometime in the lab, meetings, briefings and he was done with the Iron Man for another month. Unless – and please let it happen soon there was a global crisis which called for a band of lycra wearing misfits. Then Tony would return to his usual life; days in his workshop, meetings and briefings at Stark Industries. How very sensible and uncontroversial, because now he was the Iron Man, drunk fuelled playboy parties with girls, drugs and rock and roll were off the books. Fuck. Even the rare parties felt like a chore now - they weren't off the wall. They were very much on the wall. Or whatever. They were almost sanitized fun. They were there to keep the Tony Stark image alive. You see, Steve Rogers was good and wholesome America, drinking milkshakes and throwing the ball around on a Saturday in the park. Tony was new America, fast cars, women, money. Between them, the nation felt like America's interests were taken care of in the hands of the Avengers. It gave them confidence. It might have been a different matter if Natasha's Russian roots were brought to light as well as the revelation that Thor was in fact an Alien. Tony had... responsibilities. Double fuck. The only thing he had which was just his, just Tony's, were his nights with Loki. Nights were he didn't have to be a hero or an industrial icon. No, all he had to do was obey simple commands and cum so hard he passed out. Seemed like a pretty good deal from where he was standing. Loki… As though the mere thought was enough to summon, Tony caught Loki's reflection in the mirror. His eyes darted towards the ceiling. He had been assured by Fury and Natasha that there were no cameras in his quarters, but he believed that as far as he could throw the pair of them. Despite the

camaraderie, Tony, Bruce and even Thor to some extent, realized that they were the outsiders here. In a world of martial rule, the playboy, a loose green cannon and god from another realm were hardly in the mould of law-abiding soldier. "As nice as it is to see you, darling, this is a pretty stupid idea." Tony said, not turning around. He could only half see Loki in the mirror on the wall. The man was standing in the doorway of the bathroom behind him. He was wearing that little smirk which was so characteristic of him. "Darling, now, is it?" "Would you prefer snookums?" "No." "Sweetheart? Gumdrop?" Tony turned with a cocky smile of his own. "Get over here and get on your knees." "You've got to be kidding." "I assure you, boy, I am serious." Tony stared at him. This had to be the stupidest, dumbest, most dangerous thing to do- Thor's quarters were opposite! Natasha's was on the left and Steve's on the right! Any of them could walk in and find Tony on his knees with their arch-nemesis in a rather compromising moment. Of all the degrading, idiotic things Loki had demanded of him, this was by far the most out of order. Tony felt a rush of adrenaline. Dangerous. Stupid. Exciting. He shrugged, "Sure, why the hell not?" He walked over quickly and dropped to his knees. He fumbled slightly with the fastenings in Loki's trousers and pulled him out quickly. Tony gazed at the long length and unconsciously licked his lips. It was the little things in life that made things worthwhile; that first look at Loki's cock after perhaps days of not being with him. The way it felt in Tony's hand. That moment he pushed it between his lips and the split second every time he suddenly remembers how much of a challenge it was to take it all. The first burst of taste - rich and glorious and Loki. He couldn't deny how much he's needed this the last few days. "Tell me how much you've wanted this, Tony." The bastard must be psychic. "Meh." Okay, maybe he could deny it. But he still wanted it. Tony pushed Loki down as far as he could. The head hit the back of his throat and Tony choked slightly but kept it there with every ounce of strength he had. The grunt and the fingers tightening in his hair told Tony that it was appreciated. He pulled back, "You're going to have to keep quiet." Loki pushed his head back down sharply. Tony gagged as the length hit the back of his throat harder this time. "Then don't give me a reason to complain, boy." Tony's head bobbed up and down, grasping Loki's hips tightly. God, how must this look? He was the Iron Man only two minutes ago when he walked in that door. Now look at him. He couldn't help picturing the looks on the others faces if they saw. Though someone would probably have to explain it to Steve. There wasn't much that could make this situation worse. "Take your clothes off," Loki growled.

And the psychic always managed to make things worse, even when Tony couldn't believe it. He pulled off again, "Look, I can only do one or the other you know." "I disagree. Do it, now." Loki pulled Tony's head back and guided him up and down, controlling the sensations. This was what Tony tried to avoid. When Loki controlled his head, he tended to push him further down and so Tony was gagging now at every third thrust. So fight him off! Bite him! Something! Tony squirmed inside. Okay, so he could fight him off. But it would just make things worse for him. Everyone was in shouting distance which put them in danger. You're giving Loki a blow job to save your friends? Even if it was a lie, it was one that Tony decided to hang on to, for now at least. It made this easier to enjo- bear! I meant bear. It makes this easier to bear. Tony shuddered as his cock strained uncomfortably against his pants. "Didn't I just tell you to strip?" Loki said darkly. Tony didn't want to risk pushing Loki now he was using that tone. He rolled his eyes and pulled off his jacket. The top half didn't prove too hard after he gave in and just ripped the t-shirt off, but he had to go slower with his trousers and underwear. Loki held his head firm so there was no chance of him stopping, but it was very awkward, very ungraceful and completely belittling. He groaned as the realisation of Loki's power over him made his cock twitch. Okay, so he was messed up. At least he got to have some fun with it. And here, of all places, on the Helicarrier with Thor opposite. This should not be turning me on so much. "Keep your hands away from yourself, boy. That's mine," Loki said harshly, kicking away Tony's hands from himself. Tony refocused himself to his task. Loki let go of his head now and Tony took over again, working hard to show he didn't need the punishing control. Keep Loki in a good mood and he generally got a reward by the end of it. I mean, won't blow up the Helicarrier. Tony pushed himself down again and gagged as the cock pushed past the barrier to his throat. It wasn't comfortable, but Loki's whimper was reward enough. Fucking hell, I actually got him to sound like that. Tony felt a little pride growing in his chest. A hand was stroking his hair. Tony's eyes fluttered closed as he sucked mindlessly. There weren't many occasions where his mind switched off. He had long ago come to understand that it was probably impossible. It was always buzzing away on something. But here and now, his mind could refocus onto something less painful than the opposition to his arc reactor scheme, the weight of the Avengers on his shoulders and the news channel's constant criticism of Tony's every move. Now all he could think of was the rocking, hypnotic moment as he moved back and forth. The way the cock slid in and out of his mouth. The way it would twitch slightly, almost as if it had a life of its own. The heavy breathing of the man knotting his fingers into Tony's hair. Tony hummed unconsciously with the thrill of it. He opened his eyes, looking up at Loki. Loki was looking down on him speculatively. "Pretty brown eyes," he murmured, using his free hand to push back Tony's fringe. "And how you look at me. You need this so badly, don't you boy."

Tony didn't, well couldn't, answer. But he moved faster and Loki crooned softly. When Loki finally came, the god bit his lip hard to keep from crying out. Tony was left on the floor, his cock so hard now it was straining against his stomach. He looked up at his god with lust filled eyes. A thousand different witty, scathing jokes jumped up and down, begging to be used. But Tony stayed quiet. "Lie on the bed. Face up." Tony jumped to obey as quickly as he could. Loki lay next to him. Loki was still clothed. Tony was naked, hard and pleading with his eyes. The divide between them could not have been more perfectly illustrated. Loki took Tony in his hand and pumped almost lazily. It was maddeningly slow and Tony needed much more to climax. Tony wondered whether Loki was testing his obedience or his wantonness. The wrong decision could put him into a world of trouble. Tony couldn't decide if he wanted release or punishment. Fortunately, he knew the decision wouldn't be his. That gave him a giddy thrill inside. "Please," he whispered. "Please what?" "Please, let your boy cum," Tony whispered. "I'm sorry, boy, I didn't hear that. You're going to have to say it louder." Oh fuck. Why wasn't he surprised? "Please, let your boy cum," Tony said, a tad louder than his usual speaking voice. His eyes darted to the door, his ears strained for any sound. If anyone came in this was really, really not going to look good. His body throbbed slightly as he couldn't help but imagine it. The throb started in his neck and ran through his body and made his length feel twice as sensitive. Loki chuckled softly as Tony squirmed under the god's tortuous ministrations. Loki let go briefly, reached his hand out to Tony's mouth. "Lick." Tony laved the palm with his tongue. Loki reached back down and resumed his busy work, his hand slightly slicker now. But it still wasn't anywhere near fast enough. "Louder," Loki whispered, his eyes flashing. "No, Loki-" "Loki. God of Mischief. And you here, naked and helpless with all your friends in shouting distance. Tony, this is where mischief lives." Loki squeezed hard and Tony yelped and tried to cross his legs instinctively. "Louder." You wanted a game, now you're playing the game. If you don't want to play it, it's time to take your marbles and go home. Tony didn't want this to end just yet and if he wanted to keep going, he'd have to go all in. "Please, let your boy cum!" The hand suddenly began moving faster than mortals could. Faster even than Tony's ever could and he was pretty skilled in this area. "Holy f-" Tony bit down on the word before he came, knowing it was a sure way to get Loki to stop. Loki didn't stop, and Tony's seed was pouring out over his hand now. "Son of a-" Tony panted hard, trying to recover. He was so overwhelmed by the climax he won't have cared if all of SHIELD had come in at this point. He lay panting, eyes turning to focus on

Loki. The god was already on his feet and moving away. "Loki." Loki paused. He turned and stared at Tony. Tony only just realised he had actually said the word that was plastered over his mind. He swallowed. Well, way to put your foot in it. Might as well commit to it now. "Stay. For a bit." "Do you think it's wise, boy?" Loki said sneeringly. "Of course not." Tony said with a wry smile. Loki cocked his head thoughtfully and shimmered. His clothes disappeared. He pulled Tony up by an arm like he was a child, slipped himself and Tony under the sheets, pulling his boy hard against his chest. Tony shuddered with pleasure as their cocks pressed together. Blue light dancing between them. Loki reached a pale hand down to stroke the metal slightly. Tony sighed and realised that it was the first time Loki had done this without Tony jumping out of his skin. Was that trust? It was something. Fingers were delicately smoothing around and around the arc. "So beautiful.," Loki sighed, almost wishfully. Tony bit his tongue, not sure if this was really a sarcastic 'thank you' moment. Loki leaned down. Tony moved his face away quickly. That seemed to be happening more and more lately. Loki kept wanting to kiss him and it was just that little bit too much for Tony. Because the kisses were more than good. The kisses seemed to reach into him. Loki dragged a tongue over his neck and grabbed Tony's jaw with a firm hand. Pulling him back, Loki captured his mouth in a long kiss, a tongue exploring Tony. Tony pulled back slightly, but the grip on his jaw was tight. It's alright when he's making me. Eventually the god reached over and turned off the light. He pulled the sheets around them and whispered delicately in Tony's ear, "Tonight, if I have need of your body, I will simply turn you over and take you. All I command is that you lie there and take it. Go to sleep. It will not be for a few hours at least." xxx Tony stared blearily at the screen in front of him. Loki had been as good as his word last night. Sometime around four in the morning Tony had woken on his stomach to find Loki pushing his way into his body. It had immediately become the third favourite way he had ever woken up. But Loki taking him from behind had been so… Tony's arms had been held together behind his back by Loki's godlike strength. All Tony had been expected to do was stay still while the god behind him pounded in and out. Loki's passion had been intense and all-consuming and all Tony had needed was the thrusting and the friction of the sheets beneath him to climax. And the words. He had never in his life had a more vocal lover, whispering words of lust and sex and domination into Tony's ear while he rode him hard. Tony had been taken to another world by the images he had painted. When he came, his seed spilling out over the sheet, he had bitten the pillow to stop himself from wailing. The next time he had woken, Loki was gone. Which was increasingly becoming the worst way to wake up. Now, back in the Helicarrier lab and Tony couldn't think of anything, not a damn thing but Loki. Bruce was eyeing the back of his head. Tony had to admit he was vaguely alarmed. Bruce had proven himself to be far more alert and perceptive than he had ever previously imagined. "Is there something in my hair?"

"You seem different." "In what way?" "I don't know." Tony paused, waiting to see if Bruce was going to add anything. Then he shrugged and clapped Bruce on the shoulder. "Well, it was nice to have this chat. We should do it more often." "I suppose... calmer? Less... sad." "Sad? I, Tony Stark, have never been sad, that I recall. Though there was this one time in the Malibu Beach House when I ran out of gin. Desperate times, my friend." Inside his head however, his mind was whirring. Calm? Calm was not a word he'd associate with Loki's company. "You smile to yourself when you're not thinking," Bruce added. "Or not thinking about work at least. You've been grinning all morning." "Pass me last week's readings over Asia, I think I saw something." Bruce smiled and shook his head. He was smart enough to take the hint. Tony pulled up a map of Asia and overlaid the readings from last week and the most current. There it was. There was definitely a spike. And it was growing. xxx "A spike of what?" Steve asked later during the briefing. Tony launched into the technical explanation with glee. Bruce gave a low whistle of appreciation. It was big news. The rest of the room was silent. Tony sighed and waved a hand. "You know the readings we get when Thor does his falling from the sky surrounded by lightening thing? That." "More of you are coming to our world?" Fury asked Thor accusingly. Tony rolled his eyes, "No. It's not a conduit reaching us. It's a conduit reaching out." Thor looked at Tony in disbelief. "Midgard has Bifröst?" "Who has a what now?" Tony asked. "We're Midgardians," Natasha clarified. "Natasha, I honestly have no idea what you are - some sort of cyborg probably. The point is, this is power unlike anything we currently have." Tony's mind was already considering the thousands of different potential uses for an energy source which, all things considered, could be made stable enough to use. "Indeed and it is not to be taken lightly," Thor said. "You said that about the Tesseract. You don't think anything should be taken lightly and I object. I demand my right to take things lightly." Tony pulled himself up sharply. Damn Bruce. The doctor had told him he wasn't acting like himself, so now he was trying to act even more himself than usual. Did that even make sense? "Whatever it is, we need to locate it and secure it," Fury said firmly. "Stark, do you have a location?" Tony bit back a joke. "Approximately. Well no. I know which hemisphere. Asia."

"That's a lot of ground to cover, Tony," Steve said. "Tell you what, you do what I do and I'll do what you do. Stand around with my arms crossed looking broody. You can figure out the wacky readings that half of our technology doesn't even recognize as being anything. It's like, trying to find glass marbles in water." Tony glanced around as his fellow Avengers gave each other looks. "What, just me? Look, if we could get the Helicarrier over the hemisphere in question, then the readings will be stronger and I can pin point it exactly." "Tony already has a pretty good idea," Bruce chimed in quietly. "Where?" Fury asked. Tony smiled. "North Korea." The majority of people in the room rolled their eyes and made sounds of exasperation. Tony glanced at Thor who was looking perplexed. "It's the land of hugs and rainbows," Tony added for Thor's benefit. "They just love Americans over there." "Can you spell 'War' Tony?" Barton asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was at a spelling bee." "It would be an international diplomatic incident on global scale, Stark," Fury said. "How exactly could we explain it?" "Hey, Kim Jong-un – love what you've done with your hair by the way. Could we just pop in, take control of an alien device which creates conduits to different realms? We promise not to tread mud into your carpets. Pretty please. The Avengers." Tony considered. "That probably covers the essentials. Look, come on! I thought the Avengers were for the world? Peace, love… giant green guys and all that jazz," Tony said, affecting naivety, though he well understood the problem. Still, it was the kind of problem Tony didn't really care to solve. "Yeah, but America is still footing the bill," Bruce said quietly, with a nervous laugh. "Supplying the weapons, the Helicarrier. Paying the wages." "Wages? I don't get any wages," Tony said with surprise. "You don't need any," Fury snapped. He rubbed his face, apparently exhausted. "Alright. This is going to take some handling and it's not going to happen overnight. I'm going to - you -" he wagged his finger at Tony with firm certainty "No fly-bys over Korea, are we clear? In fact, keep away from Asia in general." "Would I?" he asked innocently. "Cross my heart and hope to remain sober my entire life. Getting shot down by a Korean rocket isn't my idea of a Thursday evening." "It's Monday," Barton said. "I work here for free, you know," Tony said. "Out of curiosity, do Bruce and the Hulk get separate pay checks? Or is it down as a job swap? How does it come up on the headcount?" Fury ignored Tony, turning to Thor. "Have your people ever heard of a Bifröst on this planet?" "They are not grown as if trees, Fury. The Bifröst was built by my people to allow us to travel between worlds. It makes little sense that one should be here." Tony raised a hand. "Well one is here." "I cannot explain it," Thor said. "I… I will travel back to Asgard. I am loath to do so while Loki is threatening this world, but I must confer with the All Father. He will know."

"How close is Shanghai to these readings from North Korea?" Barton asked suddenly. Everyone turned to stare. "Why?" Fury asked. "Loki. This Bifröst is powerful, right? And why was Loki just randomly in Shanghai?" The light of revelation dawned on Thor's face. "My brother is seeking the Bifröst. If Shanghai is as close to North Korea as you suggest I have little doubt my brother has already discovered it." Fury turned away, walking towards that dark room where he had his clandestine meetings. Tony reminded himself that next time, he was hacking into the signal so he could eavesdrop. "That settles it, I am contacting the directors."

Power Tony sat in the dark room, working his way through a bottle of vodka. He could have just told Jarvis to turn the lights on, but no. There was something very alluring about sitting in a dark room; you don't have to look at anything. You can just be. Exist. He felt Loki's presence behind him, but didn't turn. He finished his glass and was pouring another before he spoke. "Tell me about the Bifröst." There was silence as he started on the fresh glass. What was it about vodka? There was no real taste; it was the water of the alcoholic world. It was meant for a fast and dirty purpose. Getting completely hammered. "An invention of my people. A bridge that allows us to cross realms." "You don't need it." "I am talented." "In so many ways," Tony muttered angrily. He still hadn't turned to face the god. He didn't want to. "Why is there a Bifröst in North Korea?" "Is there?" Loki asked placidly. "Don't. Don't fucking- just don't," Tony growled. Loki was close now. Delicate fingers were stroking the short, fine hairs on the back of his neck. "Don't." Another hand slipped down his shirt, caressing the skin around the arc reactor. As lips began to press against his neck, the hand under his shirt turned its attention to his nipples. Tony shuddered, biting down hard on his tongue to stop the responsive moan. Responsive. That's what I am, that's what he's made me. He turns me on and turns me off like a toy. "You attacked Shanghai for a reason. Why?" "Don't talk, boy." "Why is there a Bifröst on Earth?" Tony's chin was captured in a powerful grip and his head was pulled back gently. Loki's lips closed over Tony's. Tony kissed back almost immediately, but his mind was in turmoil. Sex was the end of their time together. Any talking they did, they did before. Loki would fuck Tony into unconsciousness and by the time the billionaire managed to open his eyes again, he would be alone. Tony pulled away. There had to be something he could wheedle out of Loki. Particularly if Tony could make himself seem open to play. It was just a matter of pushing in the right way. "Tell me about the Bifröst." "Shh. I can work your body so wonderfully you will not think on this 'til morning." "That's what I'm afraid of." Tony stood and walked away. Loki followed him into the bedroom and watched in silence as Tony slowly pulled off his shirt. Gentle blue light lit Tony's features, giving him almost an ethereal look. "Tell me about the Bifröst." Loki glanced unseeingly out the window with eyes which suddenly seemed so old. "Thor's love of our history is for the conquests and wars. It does not surprise me he doesn't know." Loki began

to undress too. As Tony moved on to his belt, it occurred to him that he hadn't seen Loki undress before. It had always happened by magic yes, he spotted the joke thank you. Watching the tall, pale, lean figure slowly unclothing now was... exciting. "But I studied. I studied them all. Hours in the library by the light of burning candles while Thor and his fawners spent their time in the training yards." Tony swallowed, his eyes flickering away slightly. Of everything he felt about Loki, understanding hadn't so far been an emotion he had felt. He was feeling it now though. Tony had by no standard ever been a jock at school. He had built robots. Mostly to wind up his teachers who had spent long hours explaining why it couldn't be done. Fortunately, he had also been massively rich and a Stark and everyone knew it. So Tony Stark had pioneered sexy nerd, had turned the persona into his first suit of armour against the world and hadn't ever been beaten up on the playground. Okay, maybe once or twice. It was remarkable how his mouth got him into trouble. Loki was shirtless now. Tony found himself licking his bottom lip. "There were always old tales. Myths about the time before the Odin Father himself. Stories of Asgardians who endeavoured to create a web of Bifrösts to connect the Nine Realms. A dream of peace, I think. A harmony between the Realms." Tony chuckled darkly and Loki smiled appreciatively. "You and I have much in common, my little boy." "We're both total bastards?" Tony suggested. "And are fully aware of what can be done to the naive when a dream of peace is offered." Tony had made a living selling the idea that peace was easy to have. All you have to do is own the bigger stick and here he was, selling the biggest sticks money could buy. In the old days. "Needless to say, it caused many wars before the majority of the Bifrösts were finally destroyed. Only two remained. There is a Bifröst on Midgard and its sister is... was in Asgard." "Was?" "Thor had a bit of a temper tantrum. It now stands idle, though the All Father will doubtless have it rebuilt. It is too valuable a treasure to ignore for long." Tony wondered idly what a Thor temper tantrum looked like. And how exactly it could destroy an inter-realm travelling machine? "So why are you so interested in it then?" Tony asked. Tony had finished undressing a long time ago and was now watching Loki keenly as the god dropped the last items of clothing. It had been a mass of leather and fine, silk looking material. All completely unnecessary, Tony considered, but fuck did it make for a teasing show. Loki could go on stage with it. He found he was swaying slightly, waiting by the bed. Waiting for, he couldn't believe it even now, instruction from Loki. Tony's mind was also processing what the god was telling him, doing his best to put the pieces together. And his eyes were devouring the display in front of him, his body crying out to touch the milky skin.

Tony shuddered. So many violently conflicting emotions and thoughts. It was almost more than his sanity could stand. "Power," Loki said with almost a shrug. He smiled. "Who doesn't want power?" "That which you're not allowed to have?" Tony sneered. "I think you've wasted enough of our time, don't you?" Loki asked. Tony raised innocent eyes on Loki, licking his lips again. "You can tell me more, can't you?" he breathed. Loki looked at him, annoyed, but said briskly, "The Bifröst can be used as more than just a device for travel. It can be used as a weapon against worlds." "This world?" Tony asked sharply. But Loki shook his head. "No. That is not my intention. Now do not ask me anything further unless you wish for punishment and not the kind that will make you beg for more," Loki said coarsely. He was getting angry. Tony gazed at Loki sceptically. Well, that seemed to be all he was getting from the mad god tonight. Time to play. "How do you want me?" Did you seriously just ask the bastard how to arrange yourself so he can fuck you? It's all part of the game! If I can distract him, I can get more out of him about the Bifröst. I'm lulling him into a false sense of security. Sure. Tell yourself that if you want to. "Sit up. Against the headboard. Play with yourself. Show me how badly you want me." Tony sat with his back on the headboard as Loki moved to sit on the edge of the bed, out of reach. Tony's hand reached down and stroked himself. He kept his eyes fixed on Loki, forcing down the embarrassment though he could still feel his cheeks getting hot. Of everything he's forced you to do, this is not the most embarrassing Tony told himself hotly. It's degrading. And that's why it's so good. His cock, already semi-erect, was very quickly growing into life. He ran his hand up and down, pausing occasionally to rub his thumb heavily over the head. His hips squirmed slightly. On the increasingly few nights Loki didn't turn up, Tony found himself like this; hard, horny and jerking off while imagining Loki pounding him into the bed. But the orgasms when they came were just a release and didn't seem to relieve the mounting frustration. A frustration which intensified and coiled and tightened with every passing day of Loki's absence. Then Loki would finally appear one night, drag him into the bed and fuck him raw. That coil inside of him would explode, taking with it every ounce of tension in his body and he was left, often in a pool of his own semen, shivering, sore and perfectly peaceful. Peaceful was a word that Tony had never before dreamed of using. He had never really been at rest. Tony smiled broadly, bringing a second hand into play and kneading his balls luxuriously. His eyes grew heavy with lust and his mouth opened as he watched Loki's eyes roaming his body like

it was the most resplendent work of art he had seen. "Enjoying the show?" he asked thickly. "Masterful," Loki breathed. Tony wasn't sure if Loki was being facetious or not. Loki smiled gently. "Such a pretty boy I've managed to capture." "Charmer," Tony scoffed. He arched his head back blissfully as his cock throbbed in his hand. This was amazing and he was close, but Tony wasn't sure where Loki was going with this. "I'd rather have your cock in my mouth," Tony said. Loki licked his lips. "Do you? Or do you flatter to gain permission for release?" "Get over here," Tony hissed through clenched teeth. He wasn't sure how the note of command was going to go down with his god, but he was fortunate this time at least. Loki sauntered over and knelt on the bed in front of Tony. The billionaire was quick to engulf the long length into his mouth and sucked. His second hand left himself to play with Loki's scrotum. Loki thrust lazily in and out of Tony's mouth and Tony, feeling in danger of cumming too soon, used his other hand to support himself. His cock between his legs twitched and pulsed, bouncing in the air almost autonomously, but Tony willingly ignored his own need. The taste and sensation of the hard cock sliding in and out of his mouth was the centre of his universe. All too soon Loki was pushing Tony back. Tony let go with a heartfelt, annoyed grumble. Loki chuckled and patted Tony on the head like a boy. "Hush, my darling. I will never tire of such a pretty mouth." Tony rolled his eyes and made a move to turn over. But the Asgardian stopped him with a hand to the shoulder. "No. I wish to see your face." Tony, he'd privately admit, was intimidated. The majority of his experience had been with women and nothing much in the kink department. Yes, a blow job on a guy when he had been experimenting in college but that had been perhaps on two occasions and it had never done anything for him. And sex, it had always been from behind for Tony with those few guys, both as fucker and fuckee. "Okay," he mumbled as Loki pulled him back on the bed so his head landed heavily on the pillows. Tony found his hips being pulled off the bed as his legs were hooked over Loki's shoulders. Bent into any position he wants me without a word of complaint. Tony cringed slightly. "This is stupid," he mumbled cantankerously and tried to pull his legs back and get off the bed. But Loki held him firmly in place wordlessly and after not even a minute of half-hearted struggling, Tony fell still. Loki patted his stomach soothingly. "New position for you, boy?" "No," Tony objected. Then he muttered angrily, "First time it's been me with my legs in the air, though." Just saying the fact out loud was enough to make his length twitch painfully and push him into a new level of arousal. He scowled at Loki and for some reason he had to make this point clear. "I'm usually on top, you know." Loki laughed delightedly, his white teeth flashing. "Oh, but I think you'll learn that you prefer it like this. This position allows me such better access," Loki ran delicate fingers over Tony's stomach, legs, thighs and cock. "Suppose I could learn to live with it," Tony shrugged, trying to act like he wasn't particularly

bothered. Loki's hand smacked down hard on Tony's ass making him jump. "I can do that, too." Loki purred. Tony began to see all the wonderful little advantages. And you get to see his face, don't forget that. "Anything else you need, boy?" Loki's eyes were fixed on his. Tony knew all he had to do was ask, but that was so hard. He steeled himself for a barbed comment or an evil laugh and asked, "Cuffs, please." He didn't get either. Instead, Loki smiled gently with a little nod, and Tony felt cuffs pulling round his wrists and holding his arms over his head. "Why are you after the Bifröst, Loki?" Okay... this is a really awkward position to interrogate someone, Tony. Loki paused, his sight fixed in the middle distance. His expression was tense and concerned. "There is… something. Coming for me." Delicate white hands were stroking Tony's stomach absent-mindedly. "I need the power the Bifröst generates if I am to have any chance of…" he broke off into a deep silence. Tony looked at Loki carefully. "Talk to me, Loki." "No. I don't think so. My little boy, you are such tease." Loki kissed Tony's legs opened mouthed, his tongue caressing the skin as a hand reached down and guided the rock hard member into Tony's desperately willing body. Both hissed as Loki pushed in past the tight ring. Loki shifted slightly, closing the distance between them and Tony knew that when the pounding started it was going to be very, very deep. Loki rubbed Tony's stomach again and slapped his ass. Tony jerked up with a yelp and impaled himself harshly on Loki, taking the last inch in violently. "Ah! Oh, fuck yes!" "Yes! My darling boy, do it again," Loki gasped. Tony fought to keep control as Loki slapped him harder. He stayed still this time with effort, glaring at the god holding his legs in the air. Loki rolled his eyes and laughed at the ceiling. "You're really the most tremendously difficult creature I've ever had to tame. I honestly wonder sometimes why I bother." Tony looked away. Fuck. Why did that hurt? But he looked back as fingers danced lightly over his aching cock. Tony shuddered and looked back into that face. Loki was smiling thoughtfully. "But then I see those eyes... and I remember. Don't worry, boy. The more of a challenge you present, the more determined I become to succeed. If I were you," Loki whispered now, almost with a conspiratorial air, "I would just give in. Offer your body to me whenever I am near. Then you would become boring and I'd leave you alone." Tony glowered. "Is this trick? You liar." Loki smiled. "Worth the try. I will simply have to force your wanton obedience then."

As Loki began to pound, Tony realised that, at this point, trying to convince himself that he was just playing along with Loki and his madness was harder to do when you willingly ask to be tied up. You said please and everything. There was a strong, powerful, beautiful, lean god towering over him, grasping his legs in the air, holding back from ploughing into him with so much force he could, without restraint, crush Tony's spine. Loki could literally fuck him to death. Fuck, that thought is making me so hard. He felt like some sort of maiden sacrifice. Tony looked down and saw precum leaking from his cock. The sight made him groan loudly. His eyes rolled back in his head as his body arched, forcing himself deeper into the thrusts. He was shaking; he was mewling in one long whine. Loki was panting, grunting, moaning, whispering good boys and oh yeses. The sound filled the room and Tony couldn't escape it. The sound of sex. The sound of a height of pleasure no… no mortal had ever inspired in Tony. The sound poured into his chest and made him fly in a haze of need. "Perhaps I can bend you in two, boy," grunted Loki delightedly. "Imagine how deep I could be then." Tony's legs were being pushed towards the headboard very slowly, forcing the muscles to accept a new position, as Loki gained strength in his driving force. Tony knew he was going to wake up tomorrow aching, but he barely registered the strain in his muscles as his legs were slowly pushed down towards his head. Fuck, no further! I am not that kind of flexible! But he rapidly changed his mind as Loki, with more room now, managed to find a new angle in Tony to pummel. Loki was able to thrust down with greater strength with the natural aid of gravity than he had be had been able to thrust forward. Added to the sound of sex was the sound of a creaking, objecting bed, rocking on its legs and threatening to collapse. Tony's body shuddered involuntary. He could see his toes curling and his body glistening with sweat. "Yes, Loki, yes! More, fuck more! Please!" Loki didn't push his legs down against the bed which was good because Tony was convinced he was too old to get into that position without breaking his back, but Loki had achieved what he wanted now in any case; a better angle, a chance to lean right over Tony, showing the boy exactly who was fucking him and making his cock dribble so eagerly. And more importantly, illustrating graphically that Tony would be bent into any position Loki liked and would learn to love it. Tony's mouth was open, panting, wailing. "Fuck Loki, fuck yes, oh god yes!" What would I be doing if not this? What, six months ago, would I be doing now if I wasn't being rammed into the bed by a horny god? I'd be flying over North Korea right now. Not necessarily. Yes necessarily. You wouldn't be able to help yourself. Pepper hadn't tempered you, she had just made sure that you were suitably ashamed for the terrible things you did. But it rarely stopped you. You would be over North Korea, right now, starting a war. Instead, Tony was lying in his bed, groaning and gasping and feeling that long, wonderful cock penetrating him with demanding thrusts, compelling Tony's submission. He fought to keep his eyes open. Loki's gaze was fixed on his face unflinchingly and he wanted

desperately to return that stare but his vision was blurring and narrowing, involuntary reactions forcing them shut. "Tony." Tony forced his eyes back open again. Loki smiled. He pulled Tony's legs back from nearly over his head so they now encompassed Loki's waist. "Hold on tight, lock your ankles together and tip your hips." The boy's cock pulsed strongly at the calm, commanding tone. Everything about that tone expected Tony to obey unquestioningly. Loki's hands came up under his hips to support Tony's lower back. Tony did follow without hesitation and his body flinched hard as Loki's cock hit his prostate. Tony cried out in a high, whimpering sob. "Oh!" he wailed. Loki hadn't paused a moment in his thrusting and Tony found his mouth on autopilot with every push. "Yes! Hah! Oh! Yes! Oh! Fuck! God! Don't! Stop! Oh! Please!" Loki stroked Tony's thighs with large, warm hands. "You've been so good, holding back. But I want you to relax. Hush, hush boy. Close your eyes. Relax. Let it happen." Tony threw his head back, arms tensing, pulling against the cuffs as he worked his hips into Loki. Stretched out on the bed, he was writhing and flailing under his god so wantonly, opening expressing how he felt without a shadow of shame. In way, Tony was a more truthful with Loki than anyone else. Right here, right now, no mask. It was just Tony's body responding exactly to what he felt. Power. Loki had said it and now Tony believed it. He was totally in Loki's power and there was no way back. Not for tonight, at least. Tony was completely reliant on Loki and wouldn't see tomorrow without him. He was there, so close, so near. He needed a little more. "Hit me," he pleaded. Loki slapped him and Tony half gasped, half laughed. He couldn't help it. He was shuddering hard, eyes tight shut as Loki's hand worked over his cock. A hand smacked down after every few strokes of Tony's eager cock. The boy was keening, teetering now on the very edge, and fighting it back out of a sheer fear that when he tumbled in, he would be lost completely. "This never has to end. I could take your body every hour, of every day until the end of time and I would never tire of hearing your gasps, your moans, never tire of your eyes, of your taste. Your beautiful, perfect body thrashing beneath me as I teach you to worship. Would you like to learn how to worship? Are you ready to accept a god?" That's the last thing Tony heard before his whole body shattered. His own cum sprayed out over his chest. Loki's name was the last thing on his lips before he closed his eyes and slept.

Played The Avengers were in North Korea and currently not in trouble. Yet. Tony had set up shop in what looked like a disused power plant, though he had been pointedly told by everyone it seemed not to try to figure anything out. Tony was more concerned with the readings. He was so close to locating the exact position of the second Bifröst, he knew it. Bruce was at this elbow; the pair were working in complete unison, occasionally pointing to readings and muttering to each other, but otherwise in complete silence. Tony knew he was almost here. All he needed was two minutes of uninterrupted thought, not that he was likely to get"Anything?" "What do you want from me, Barton? I'm not pulling a rabbit out of a hat here." "The Koreans want us gone, Tony." "They're not the only ones," Tony muttered. He rolled his head from side to side, opening his eyes again and getting back to the readings. The satellites were all in sync, streaming data to the computer. The maps and graphs were narrowing in and the little programme Tony had written, which was a work of pure genius, was filtering it all into a simple 'x marks the spot' image. Steve sidled over, trying to look casual. He leant against the workbench, looking out over the field around them and whispered to Tony, "What did you learn on your flyby?" "My what?" "When you flew into North Korea?" "… What?" Steve gazed at him, honestly surprised. "I assumed the first thing you did when you heard about the readings was to fly over here and see what you could pick up. No matter what you told Fury. I was surprised when days went past and nothing about the Iron Man getting shot down in Pyongyang appeared on the news. I assumed you found a way round it." Sorry Steve. I was busy getting my ass owned by a god. "Don't get me wrong, man, I thought of it. But it seems like everyone's on the lookout for the Iron Man these days. I'm stupid, not reckless. Okay, I'm reckless, not stupid. One way or the other, I wasn't getting POW'd by the Democratic People's Republic." Steve looked at him, almost with a new found respect. But there was still a hint of suspicion behind the eyes. "Cross my heart and hope to die, Captain sir. I did not pull Lucy's pigtails. And even if I did, she started it." "Whatever, Tony," Steve said exhaustedly as he walked away. Tony refocused on the screen with a smile. He caught Bruce's eye. The man's shoulders were shaking silently with suppressed laughter. You see? That's why Bruce was a friend. Tony liked people he could entertain. Tony liked people who found him funny and clever. Tony liked people who…who liked him. "It's cold, Tony," Barton called.

"You want me to fix the weather? This is going to take as long as it takes. Why don't you sit yourself down and… Got it!" Tony exclaimed. Bruce stared over his shoulder. "Nice work!" "As the only other person here who knows what I've actually just done, I take that as a great compliment." "You deserve it." "Thank you, yes, I do." "When you two have finished your little bromance moment, where the hell is the Bifröst?" Barton sniped. Tony shook his head. "I think he's just jealous. Sorry, Barton. Bruce and I don't do threesomes. We're not weird." Bruce smiled. "Changbai Mountain." "The Manchzuro-Koreiskie gory. That's an active volcano," Natasha supplied. She shrugged at the look they gave her. "I've been here before." "Who were you here to kill? What, I'm not allowed to even ask?" Tony asked incredulously at a glare from Steve. "Let's get in the transport. The quicker we secure this thing the better." "Nice plan Captain," Tony mocked. "Quick thought. If the Koreans know that there's an immensely powerful device in their backyard which can destroy worlds, do you think they're going to hand it over?" "The Bifröst cannot be 'handed over', Tony. It is a permanent fixture," Thor said. "And here's another little titbit for you, boys and girls," Tony said, swinging the screen around to face them. It showed a map of the Changbai Mountain. "It's right on the border between North Korea and China." "And owned by the Russians, presumably. How can this get any better?" Bruce chuckled mirthlessly. Steve shook his head, ignoring the fact like only a solider could. "This is all for the politicians to figure out, Tony. Our orders are clear." "Yessir," Tony said with a mock salute. "And when things go tits up, I'll remember you said that." The transport landed on the mountain side. It didn't take long after that to find the concealed cave. And when Tony said concealed, he meant- "I can't see a cave," he said petulantly. He glared at the solid rock wall which his sensors had brought him to. He glanced at Steve who was looking at him with almost a smug air. "Get that look off your face, Star-Spangles. I'm still right. The emissions are coming from here." "It is here, Tony," Thor said reassuring. "It is concealed with magic." "Well go on then, open sesame or whatever." Thor raised Mjölner commandingly. The rock shimmered then melted away. Steve whistled under his breath. "Impressive." "Oh, that impresses you? Do you have the slightest fucking idea what I had to do to find this place?"

"Not really." Thor turned and smiled at the iron masked Tony. "Your skills in the ways of science are a magic unto itself, my friend." "Gee, Thor, was that a compliment?" Natasha and Barton where already stalking slowly into the cave, weapons raised. The rest followed. Steve took the lead once they got past the narrow corridor. Tony glanced around. The narrow corridor looked like it had been carved into the mountain. But now they were surrounded by silver pillars and a white marble floor. Tony didn't claim to be an expert, but when you bought enough old stuff (and stuck it away in storage) a little history managed to seep through, even into Tony's disinterested brain. White marble in Asia was not naturally occurring. Someone put a lot of time and energy into this place. The Cap, who had been scouting ahead with Natasha and Barton came back sans the assassins. "All clear. It opens up onto a large chamber. There doesn't seem to be anything in there but some sort of…" Steve struggled in slight embarrassment. "Sword in the stone?" Tony and Bruce looked sideways at one another. Thor's head rose off his shoulders. "A sword?" He rushed ahead, past Steve and as they hurried to follow, they heard an exclamation of surprise. Thor was standing on a raised silver platform, walking around some sort of hub which had a long, thick handled silver sword buried in it. "It is incredible." Tony cocked his head. "It's a bit gaudy." "Oh man, you should really look in the mirror before you say that," Barton quipped. Tony punched him in the arm. "It is almost identical, but the one on Asgard was gold." "Before you had your temper tantrum?" "Pardon?" Fuck! "Nothing." Just keep your mouth shut Tony! Yeah, like that's going to happen. Thor pulled the large sword out. Even by his standards, it was far larger than could be reasonably used in a fight and Tony couldn't help but comment on the fact. Thor smiled. "Heimdall could behead three Jotun with one swing of his sword. This one looks of similar make and power. A fine balance. It is the key to the Bifröst. It is how it is awoken." "Can you activate it now?" Barton said wearily. Thor looked around sceptically. "This place is old and has fallen into great disrepair. I doubt that simply waking it would lead to anything. It needs magic and it does not seem to be gaining any." "You have a gift at stating the obvious, Odinson." The Avengers were suddenly closing ranks, preparing weapons. The Black Guard aimed their enhanced guns at them and standing in front was… "Brother, we need not fight-" "Oh will you ever give it a rest?!" Tony snapped, "Seriously? You think he's suddenly going to say 'no, you're right Thor. Let's just put these petty differences aside'?" "Agreed," Hawkeye said. His bow moved, aiming an arrow between Loki's eyes. "Let's just shoot

him in the head." "Maybe too far in the other direction?" Tony asked. "Hand over the Sword, Thor," Loki said. Thor shook his head. "I cannot do that, brother. I believe there is good inside of you still. I will not risk you falling deeper into this madness. Brother, please, I am taking you and the Sword back to Asgard. Come with me. There our Father-" "Speak not of him to me!" Loki snapped. The staff was raised. "Hand it over." "No." The fight was brief but messy. With not much room in the chamber, Tony could hardly fly. Barton couldn't exactly perch somewhere high up to pick off his enemies and when the Hulk appeared, it got crowded very quickly. Tony knocked a Black Guard over with a punch to the jaw and made for Loki. Not entirely sure what he would do when he got here. But he was caught by an energy blast from a mercenary with messed his visor up for a good two minutes. He was blind and was only saved by Natasha knocking him down and breaking the neck of the advancing guard. The mercenaries main job was one they did well, if unimaginatively. Keep the Avengers away from Loki and Thor up on the platform. Which, regrettably, left a not overly bright man, burdened with a trusting, caring nature, a sense of honour and fair play fighting his brother alone, for whom he cared deeply. A brother who was an evil scheming bastard. It was never going to end well. The problem was, as the problem always was, Loki wasn't strong or fast but sly. And he could create illusions. After he had knocked the key from Thor's hand, he had distracted him long enough for one of his mercenaries to run with it. Thor had seen a version of the sword still lying on the floor and when he had gone to pick it up… Well that was a fucking waste of everyone's time. The Avengers where back in the transport, metaphorically licking their wounds. It wasn't exactly the glorious battle of song and story. SHIELD was inbound to secure the Bifröst chamber to begin their studying. For once, Tony felt curiously disinterested in what might be a tremendous scientific find. Natasha even commented on it, but Tony waved her away. His mind was working overtime. Bruce watched him pace, wrapped in a blanket. You think the man would learn to wear larger clothes so he didn't rip through everything, wouldn't you? Tony stopped in front of Bruce. "Why was Loki here?" "To get the key." Tony shook his head, pacing back and forwards across the transport. He stopped again. "According to all our assumptions, he already knew where this place was. That's why he was in Asia in the first place." "Maybe he couldn't get pass the door?" Tony turned to Bruce with a roll of the eyes. "With the glow stick of destiny?" Bruce shrugged. "No, doesn't seem likely, does it?" "He could have got past the door and been off with the sword thing before we even knew it was in North Korea." Tony paused. There didn't seem any more room in this line of thought. He switched. "How did he know it was there?"

"Maybe someone in Asgard told him." "Couldn't have been recently, he's an escaped prisoner." Tony started pacing again. "But that doesn't matter; I wasn't talking about how he knew Earth has a Bifröst. How did he know it's in Korea?" "Maybe, like last time, he has human scientists working for him." "No one can do what I do," Tony said. "That's not arrogance, that's fact. And a little bit of arrogance. I have a satellite network which rivals any government or industry in the world. I have the technology. I know what to look for. So how did he know…" Sitting in a dark room. Drinking vodka. Beautiful finger tips stroking the back of his neck and he asked… why is there a Bifröst in… Tony realised the truth in a blinding flash. Loki hadn't known where the Bifröst was until he had told him. "Son of a bitch," Tony said. He slammed his fist into a wall of the transport. It left a fist sized dent in the machine which was currently flying thousands of feet in the air. Probably not smart. "Son of a bitch played me!" "Played you?" said a voice. Tony turned and saw Steve standing in the doorway between the loading space and the cockpit, still suited as Tony was, though missing his shield and helmet. Blue eyes gazed intensely. Tony swallowed. "He played all of us, but I'm the one reading the data. I'm the one getting us rushing out to North Korea for the entire world to see. Here we all were wondering what Loki was playing at. So we found out and then we traced the Bifröst and then we led the son of a bitch straight to it! He wouldn't have found it if it weren't for me!" "Maybe. But we wouldn't have found it without you and, who knows, Loki probably would have been able to find it eventually." "We don't know that." "No, but we have the Bifröst secure-" "But Loki has the key to making it work." "Which he can't use without fighting his way through an army," Steve said slowly. "Tony, don't beat yourself up. We all decided on this. It's not like you flew out here alone and let him follow you." Might as well have. "Son of a bitch," Tony repeated. That bastard fucked me over. How had he convinced himself that this was a game? His great game with Loki. This wasn't a game, this was not playtime. He had been fucked over by Loki and now he'd fucked over his own team and for what? Sex. "I'm going to kill him," Tony said in a hollow voice. "Don't let Thor hear you say that," Bruce said with a tremulous laugh, trying to defuse the tension. "I am going to fucking slaughter him." Steve cocked his head vaguely, "Tony, you're taking this... more personally than usual." Tony didn't reply. Turning away he pulled down the visor of his helmet and punched the button

on the side of the doors. They opened and wind rushed in. "Tony-" Steve started. "I'm going back to Stark Tower." Tony wasn't going back to Stark Tower. Tony was boiling with a fury he hadn't felt since... the day he realized that those terrorists had been killing people with his weaponry. That was the last time something he had built something and poured his world into it and it had shattered into shit. Merchant of Death. He couldn't escape the fact that he seemed to make stupid, stupid decisions which should by all fairness lead to his immediate and painful death. More often than not, it just to everyone else around him suffering. Tony couldn't work out if that was a charm or a curse. "Pull up the Bifröst programme," Tony commanded. "Shall I alert the Avengers, sir? You will need backup." "Just do it, Jarvis," Tony said. The programme showed on a series of maps and charts the energy and radiation signature of the Bifröst. The key to its workings should emit the same energy readings on a smaller scale. Tony got a ping, converted all energy to his thrusters and headed straight for it. It was originating from a camp, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, of a few large tents encircling a decrepit looking stone bunker. Tony landed hard. The image was the same as a hundred landings before, crouched low, fist pressed down hard supporting the weight as a cloud of dust glittered in the area from the force of the impact. He looked up and his visor immediately picked out the hostiles around him. Fortunately, the Iron Man appearing in their camp wasn't something they had planned for. A combination of lasers and guided rockets was enough to finish off the people outside. One man was literally hauled off the ground and thrown back into a flood light, knocking the post down and plunging the camp into complete darkness. Except for the man with infra-red built into his red and gold helmet. There weren't many guarding the inside either, but Tony didn't spare a thought for them. He cleared rooms, shooting down any mercenary he saw until he finally reached the last room. He kicked the door down and found Loki. The god looked up and stared at Tony with a rising smile. "I don't recall summoning you, boy." Tony took aim. The targeting circles in his visor screen picked out its marks on the hostile; head and chest. The rockets on his arms armed themselves and waited. "Hand over the sword, key thing Reindeer Games." Loki spread his arms. "Does it look as though I have it?" "Take me to it. Now." "No I don't think so." Tony fired. Dozens of tiny rockets flew at Loki and passed straight through. He yelled in frustration and threw his arms down. He such an idiot - of course there wouldn't be many mercenaries stationed here if Loki himself wasn't here. He had been conned. Again. "You played me."

You betrayed me. Loki shook his head. "I did not ask you to reveal the location of the Bifröst. You did so attempting to play me. To play on my love of you." Tony grabbed an iron bar from the debris around him and threw it at Loki. It passed through his head and buried itself inches deep in the wall behind him. "Don't you dare - you've been playing me from the beginning!" "Take the mask off, boy. I do not care for speaking to a mechanical voice." "No, the Iron Man is all you're getting. That's it, it's over." "It's over when I say it is, boy. I say it's over when you're dead, in my arms, in however many years it takes for you to finally destroy your liver with vodka. You're making an admirable attempt so I shouldn't be concerned that it would take long, my sweet love. Ten, fifteen years?" "I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you," Tony growled. Loki sighed and tilted his head, looking greatly put upon. "I don't want this to alter what we have. You're angry and tired. And wearing your mask. We'll speak again once you've calmed down and shed your armour." "We are never-" Tony said, but Loki disappeared. "You little fucking shit." There had been nothing at the camp, nothing in the outlying buildings. The signature Tony had followed he eventually traced to a beacon that had been specifically designed to emit it. He blew it up, the explosion was seen for miles but it didn't make him feel any better. Fucking fucker.

Burden Tony sat in a chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin on his hands. The view from Stark Tower was one of his favourite sights in the world. But as the scene grew darker and the blazing lights of a city at night flared up, there was something wrong about it. Loki's visits were always at night. Too many of the Avengers were in and out during the day to risk it. So the darker it got, the more he thought... How likely was it that the bastard would show up? Very likely. On the other hand, it had been very likely every day since the ambush in North Korea. So what was Tony going to do? He didn't know. Kill him. Sure, good luck with that. Okay then, try to kill him. Then hand the fucker over to Thor. How long has he been sitting here now? Tony felt stiff. He stood and stretched. Maybe he wasn't as ready to deal with this as he thought. The gym? No. Go find Bruce and paint the town red? Probably not, Bruce would be hiding in a free clinic somewhere being worthy. Well, that settles it. I'm off to find a bar. And, of course, that would be when he elected to appear. Tony stared at Loki like the god was something he'd walked in. "What do you want?" "I see twelve days have not been enough to dull your temper." "Where's the key?" "Hidden." "You mother fucker. You played me and now you think you can just walk back in?" Loki sneered. "Oh I played you? You volunteered the information. It was the first thing to fall from those precious lips when I entered the room. The rest of the evening was spent with you trying ham-fistedly to get me to reveal my secrets. And I played you?" Tony felt his insides squirm. Loki wasn't saying anything Tony hadn't told himself a hundred times. His temper had swung wildly through the two weeks from hating Loki, to hating himself. Because Loki was right, of course. "Kneel down, boy. We'll put this argument to rest." "Not going to happen." Loki looked dangerous. Loki was dangerous and so far Tony had managed to convince himself this was all a game. Just a game which, admittedly, ended in the most mind bending sex he had ever had, but still a game. A game he could walk away from. "I can make you kneel," Loki warned. "Try," Tony answered. Try?! What the hell was he thinking? I am so fucked. Tony dove over the sofa as Loki lunged. He ran to the bedroom and wrenched open a drawer. Maybe he wasn't so willing to let Loki silently destroy him. It would explain why since that first

night he had hidden the gun in here. He pointed it at Loki as he entered the room. The man smiled toothily. "You honestly don't think that's going to help you?" Tony fired, missing Loki's head by an inch. A blot of red, fiery light made a fist size crater in the wall behind Loki. The Trickster turned to view it with a critical air before gazing at Tony sceptically. Tony shrugged. "Hey, I'm Tony Stark. What, you'd thought I'd have a revolver?" Loki was silent for a long time. His head was tilted slightly, his eyes narrowed. "Naughty boy. Naughty Tony," he breathed. You could almost see the cogs whirring in his head, behind those emerald green eyes. Tony kept his aim square on Loki's chest. "I'm not playing anymore Loki. I can't risk-" "No..." the god breathed, suddenly moving forward, cutting Tony off in the middle of a speech he had spent hours preparing. "I don't think you will." "Well start thinking it," Tony warned, moving backwards, trying to maintain distance between him and the advancing figure. Remember, your mind turns to mush when he gets too close. "Now I have a whole speech about-" Loki stopped, his chest pressed against the barrel of the gun. "Warning shots are for those without conviction." Fuck the speech! Just shoot him. Tony's finger stoked the trigger. So many of his problems would go away, right now, in one flash of red. It would probably create a whole new wave of problems, but Tony never considered future problems when making decisions. Why start now? Stalemate. Except it shouldn't be – what was so difficult about this decision? Wasn't this exactly what he should want? "I'm waiting, boy. Shoot me or kneel." Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding me, right? Talk about a death wish." "Shoot me or kneel." "No." "No what?" "I'm not calling you a-" "No, you won't kneel or no you won't shoot me?" "The middle one." "Boy," Loki demanded. Then he sighed. "Tony, please." The Iron Man's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Despite what you may think, Tony Stark, this has not been about… not entirely about taking revenge on my brother by destroying those close to him. That is how it began, but it does not explain why, of them all, I chose you. My theft of the key is not the preliminary step in conquering

this world. I did not lie to you, Tony. I... may not have much longer. I enjoy our time together. I don't want it to end yet." Loki gave Tony what was probably his most winning smile to date. "I assure you, you will not have to put up with my attentions for much longer." "Taking a holiday?" Tony sneered. "I gambled everything on the Chitauri attack and I lost everything. And there are those who do not take kindly to the failure." "So you're going to go into hiding?" "I already am. But he'll find me." "Who?" "Thanos is coming for me. I failed him and he does not forgive. He does not forget." "Who's Thanos?" "A Titan and one whom I have disappointed greatly." Loki eyes gazed at a middle distance, like it had last time, a look of... intense worry on his face. He sighed and shook his dark head. "No. I will not burden you with this knowledge." Tony shrugged. "Fine. It's probably a lie anyway." Loki nodded. "Yes, yes that's right. Believe me to be lying, to be false. Though you must believe that I, without deception, have spent the last few months coveting the moments we share." Loki's quiet certainty pulled at Tony. The man had a hunted look in his eyes. The god sighed deeply again. He seemed beaten. "I only ask you for a few hours of your time, Tony. I believe what is gained from those hours is mutual. I will not ask you for details on your life as the Iron Man. I never did. What you told me you told me willingly. I did not ask. I would not have asked." Tony was still angry, but Loki had a point. He had put his foot in it and it was his own fault. It was just easier to be mad with Loki about it than admit he screwed up. But Tony didn't want to back down. He's still the bad guy! Loki mouth was suddenly pressing against his and hands were creeping under his shirt. Oh fuck it. The gun dropped to the floor, forgotten. Tony pushed Loki backwards onto the bed and straddled him. For a second, Tony wondered if he was going to get in trouble for this, but Loki seemed happy to let Tony take the lead this time. He looked down over this god he had pinned down beneath him and wondered what to do with him. He started in the obvious place. Loki clothes were Asgardian leather, impossible to tear through and disgustingly fiddly to undo. "I can assist if you-" Loki began, but Tony waved him off. "No, no, I'll get it. What is this, even? It looks like a clasp but it's not." "I could just remove my garments by magic." Tony planted a wet kiss on the skin finally revealed and looked up into Loki's eyes mischievously. "Where would the fun in that be?" It seemed like an hour before Loki was finally naked. Tony's clothes came off a lot more speedily.

His hands grasped own his cock, already semi-hard, rubbing as he gazed down on Loki. He didn't even have to beg. Loki shuffled out slightly so he had enough space to sit up partly onto his elbow and encompassed the mortal's cock in his warm, wet mouth. "Oh f- my god," Tony ground out as Loki's mouth moved. God of Mischief, perhaps. But none of the myths ever mentioned the god of deep throating. "God, how do you do that?" Tony wheezed, already far too close to cumming. Tony had received so many of these, but this one was so much more intense. Loki's mouth was soothingly warm, wet and very, very skilled. I have to ask him about that later. His tongue was dancing along every vein in Tony's length. He was sucking hard enough to waver on that line of just too painful. Talk about suction. Tony liked it. Tony liked not knowing if he was in pain or pleasure. Tony found he was moaning gently. Loki head was bouncing up and down smoothly without any jerking or hesitation. In fact everything about his actions screamed a god with all the power, skill and strength to let this go on for as long as Tony needed. Or until the god got bored, of course. The hapless genius playboy squirmed, panting, gasping, mewling, thanking Loki over and over again. Loki's powerful hand came up to push a finger very delicately into Tony's ass. Tony gasped and whimpered his thank yous without pausing for breath. His hands balled into fists, his nails almost cutting into his skin with the pressure, forcing himself to stay the passive receiver rather than trying to take over control. Loki paused slightly to push Tony's legs wide apart. Tony complied without a moment's thought. A warm hand stroked the inside of his thighs gently as the god sucked and licked with every sign of enjoyment. Then he swallowed the cock whole and hummed. The vibrations shivered through Tony's body and sent his senses into merry hell. "No, no, Loki please, not yet, it's too soon-" Loki pulled back and moved his mouth down. In one swipe, he ran the flat of his tongue against Tony's balls. Tony shuddered shamelessly. Loki alternated between using the very tip of his tongue to trace the veins, to the flat of his tongue, licking across them forcefully like a giant cat. Tony had to fight to keep his hands to his sides. Every ounce of willpower he had piled in to fight the climax back despite Loki's attentions. He didn't want to come yet. He couldn't. Loki mouth sucked his ball sac into his mouth and Tony yelled in bliss. "Oh f- please," he whimpered. Loki stopped and pulled Tony's head down so he was looking into Loki's eyes. "Does my boy want to come now, or does he want me to play with him for a bit longer?" "Play, please," Tony whispered. He swallowed, trying to find the strength to ask for what he wanted. What he needed. "Please tie me up." That surprised Loki. It might have been the first time Tony had seen him surprised. Then a huge smile broke out over his face. "Whatever my boy wants." Loki sat up, still underneath Tony, and kissed and sucked down his chest. Hands grabbed Tony's wrists and pulled them together. Loki held both wrists together in a gentle but still controlling grip, and his other hand made a complicated movement. Leather cuffs appeared in his hand from nowhere. Tony laughed softly like a child seeing the card popping out of the pack at a magic show. When his hands were together, Loki pulled him down and laid him across the bed. His hands

were once again attached to the bed frame and more cuffs appeared and restrained his ankles. Tony's erection stood out proudly now, bobbing in the air autonomously. Loki lay next to Tony's side, one hand cradling his head kindly and the other hand flicking his nipples with a cruel delight. "My boy, the faith you've shown is… so very pleasing to your god. But I have to warn you, you will regret not asking to cum when you had the chance." Tony's eyes were half closed, heavy with lust as he licked his lips. "Well, if I did what was expected of me, you wouldn't want me." "I'll want you for the rest of eternity, Tony Stark. I only regret that our time will be so short." Loki kissed him hard. His mouth was rough and demanding, his tongue fighting for every inch of him to submit. Tony did willingly, his tongue stroking against Loki's trying to calm the god. Loki was cruel and wonderful. His attentions would remain on Tony's mouth, nipples, arms and stomach until the man had finally grown still, then he would slide down to play with Tony's cock and balls, sometimes slipping his finger inside to pump for a while. Near the very edge of Tony's climax, Loki would return to his top half and dominate his mouth while Tony cried with the unbearable anxiety. It could have been half an hour, or hours, or days. Tony would never know. Finally, Loki moved so he was lying between Tony's legs. The complete shift in position gave Tony hope that it was finally over. Tony swore bitterly as again he was made to wait. "Shh, boy. Patience." Loki's mouth played with Tony's balls, one finger pressing into him and finger fucking him to the knuckle. Tony's hips bucked into the finger. Loki immediately withdraw and Tony howled. "Boy, I am attempting to create art and your thrashing about is putting me off. Remain still." Loki spoke soothingly, but firmly. Tony nodded violently, unconscious tears falling down his face. Loki returned to what he was doing. Neither of them really expected Tony to be able to stop moving in this situation. In fact, Loki would have been vehemently offended had his little mortal not flailed about like a wanton whore at his attentions, but Tony forced himself to reduce it to nothing more than squirming. Loki smiled. The squirming he liked. The Asgardian seemed finally ready to allow Tony his climax. Loki's hand slid up and down Tony's shaft and Tony choked and sobbed, fighting not to thrust up. "Let go, boy. Just enjoy it." And Tony was squirming, writhing and bucking furiously, letting himself go knowing no matter what he did, Loki would have his way. As controlling as that sounded, it actually gave Tony more freedom than he ever could have hoped for. "I'm-I'm going-I'm going," Tony choked. "Please do," Loki whispered kindly. Tony came hard and the blackness crept into his vision as he let out a long whimpering whine. When he woke, his body sore, used and his mind full of cobwebs, he looked around blearily. Loki had cleaned him up delicately and was gone. Tony gritted his teeth and thumped the bed hard with a fist. "That fucking, stupid, sorry shitting son of a fucking bitch!" he growled. Jarvis's voice emanated in the bedroom. "Sir, might I advise caution? Your guest is still in the penthouse." "He's what?" A few minutes later, once Tony had remembered how to walk and found a robe, he dragged his

legs to the door and opened it. Loki was staring out the window, his arms crossed and one hand patting his lips with delicate fingers. At the sound of the door he glanced over briefly at Tony and looked away. "Apologies. I had meant to leave before you awoke, but I fear my mind wandered." I don't want you to leave! Tony rubbed his eyes slightly, trying to fight his way back into Tony Stark mode. "Jarvis, what time is it?" "Two twenty five in the very early morning, sir." "Too late to find a good party, too early to start drinking." Tony said with a shrug. "What's your rush?" "From the beginning I came here for a purpose; to destroy every inch of your beautiful body. If I stay any longer, we may talk. I will… not be able to resist finding a way to use what you may tell me against you and your team." "We don't have to talk," Tony said. Maybe he was punch drunk on the sex from last night. Maybe it was because he wasn't getting a lot of sleep lately. But he had never in his life felt as sexy as this. He had always been aware of his body. He was sexy and sophisticated and had never minded showing the world. Come on, he's Tony Stark and he knows it! But he had never felt as… there were no words for it. The playboy's eyes wandered up and down Loki's form. "I don't seem to remember you…" Tony smiled and shrugged. Loki leered back. "My boy, did you think I could have watched that little performance of yours and held out?" "So you did?" "Hum… all over that fine stomach." "I'm sorry I missed it," Tony said, intending it to be sarcastic but realising half way in that he meant it. "I wish I didn't keep passing out. I always miss the good bits. Maybe a re-enactment is called for?" Loki looked back out of the window for the longest time and then smiled gently. He shimmered and his clothes disappeared. He turned back to Tony and eyed him cynically. "Well now, this hardly seems fair." Tony took a second to understand, then grinned and dropped his robe on the floor. "And what does my boy want to do?" "I don't think I've been punished in a while. And I have been so very bad."

Conclusions Tony glared at the screen in front of him, safely hidden away in his lab a few floors below the penthouse. The Avengers were becoming, if possible, even more routine. Where were all the big bad guys who were supposed to be coming after then? That's what Tony wanted to know. To make matters worse, Loki hadn't appeared now for more than a week and it had pulled him up with a sharp jerk out of the fantasy life he had been gently gliding though. Loki's had his fun. He's gone. Told you. No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept pulling him back to their last night, almost a week and three days ago. Loki had been in a… disciplinarian mood. Gone were the whispered dears and darlings to be replaced by harsh command and swift punishment when Tony failed to comply quickly enough. It had been retribution Loki called it, for aiming a gun at him and not intending to use it. Tony found he was smiling. That had been a fun evening. Tony had assured him he had meant to use the gun. Loki had got so mad with him when he had told him were to stick his orders. After being beaten into a shuddering heap, he had been forced into the bed so hard, so roughly that they had broken one of the legs of the frame. When Tony came, his scream adding to the sound of a collapsing bed; it had been like fireworks in his mind. The bed was wobbling alarmingly now and Jarvis had already ordered a new frame. Something a little sturdier… What the hell was wrong with him? He was hard for Loki already, and the fucking drama queen wasn't even in the room. Tony sighed and slipped his hand down beneath his trousers. He rubbed gently, conjuring up in this imagination Loki's wet mouth on his neck. Tony was a hedonist and lived for what he could get. But he had always been in control. Now, he was beginning to find so much more intense pleasure in abandoning that control. Tony opened his eyes in vague disappointment. No matter what, it wouldn't feel as good without"Shit," he exclaimed, jumping back and almost falling over his chair. His back slammed up against a car. "I need you get you a fucking bell!" he shouted at the smiling figure of Loki. Loki was standing, his arms folded in front of him, smirking delightedly at Tony's reaction. "Language, dear," he said coolly, warningly. "A bell! Right around your neck so I can hear you coming. Fuck!" Tony rubbed his chest, alarmed at how his heart was throbbing… and deeply excited by the fear. I'm just going to say this again – there's something seriously wrong with you. "Where have you been? You can't just disappear for days on end like that!" Tony snapped, and then regretted it immediately. Great, now you sound like a teenage girl. "I can't?" Loki said, his smirk growing broader. "Did my boy miss me?" "Like a hole in the head," Tony growled, turning away. He returned to his workbench, his whole demeanour saying 'you're not more important than my work' and it usually worked. Except Loki would have to be blind to the colour in Tony's face, his

panting and the very visible – Loki grabbed the tenting in Tony's jeans and squeezed firmly. Enough to be exciting, enough to demand it be taken as a warning. "Careful now, my little one. I have not had a good day. So I come to spend some hours with my darling boy. Now that time can be pleasant or excruciating. All I promise is that it will be pleasurable and painful and for as long as I want." "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did we?" snapped Tony. "Where have you been?" "Busy." "With what?" "Matters arising," Loki snarled cryptically. He was getting angry fast, as he always did these days. Tony sighed sadly. He felt Anthony Stark slipping away. He felt the Iron Man slipping away. It was the only way that he could still be clothed, still upright, and yet naked on his knees before Loki. I don't want to fight. Tony pressed back against Loki. "I've missed you. I think I deserve a little something. You have made me wait." "You deserve nothing but what I choose to give." Tony closed his eyes and gave into what he knew he wanted. Why the fuck not? "But I've been a good boy, my god. I think I deserve a treat." Loki went silent for a while. Then he grabbed Tony's arm and led him back up to the bedroom, with that vaguely awkward pause in the middle as the elevator took them up. "Undress." Tony did, quicker than he cared to admit to himself. "Lie on the bed." Tony lay down, his head on a pillow. Loki was quickly unclothed and pressed over him. They kissed long and lazily, tongues fighting for dominance. While Loki's hands ran over Tony's body possessively, Tony's remained fixed at his side, though balled into fists with the effort. Of Loki's many lessons, that one had been particularly enforced. If he didn't want to be handcuffed, he would only touch when allowed. Last time he disobeyed, a knife had appeared at his throat. It was a lesson Tony had decided to learn sooner rather than later. Loki pulled back. He looked calmer now, his eyes wide with that inspiring lust he wore about him when every Tony was naked. Tony licked his lips and whispered hoarsely, "Where have you been?" "I had to... prepare." "For what?" "And what have the Avengers been doing of late?" Loki asked pointedly. Tony bit his tongue. Loki had a point. It's your classic don't ask, don't tell situation. Though in rather different and weirder circumstances. Instead, Tony leaned up and pressed his lips against Loki's neck. "I want to touch you."

"No." "Pretty please?" Tony said, in such a swaggering tone. Tony couldn't help it; the cockiness was so written into his DNA that even Loki with all his tricks probably couldn't budge it. Loki smacked him hard in the face but said nothing. Somehow, Tony was beginning to wonder how interested Loki would actually be in this game if it was truly a forgone conclusion he'd win. Loki tongue was exploring his body, rolling over every muscle, sweeping over every inch of skin. It was almost like he was doing a forensic investigation of every nerve in Tony, noting when the boy gasped and groaned. Tony could almost picture Loki's mind filing away the information for future, not wholly pleasant, use. In fact, Tony was so caught up in the moment, that when Loki's throat suddenly engulfed Tony's cock down to the root he could barely believe it was happening. "Fucking-" Loki was immediately off his cock and slapping him hard in the face again. "You finally get the reward you've been pining for like a little whore, and you throw it away now? I can hardly say that I have met many others who would do the same." What was this guy's problem with swearing? "I'm sorry," Tony croaked. "No, I think the moment's passed. Don't you?" Loki was always in such a mood lately that Tony was almost certain that he'd move on and leave Tony in this state. "No!" Tony was up, burying his face in Loki's shoulder. "You can't- please. Your mouth felt so good, so good, Loki come on! Don't stop." "What do we say?" Tony growled with a shudder and said, fighting back the sarcasm, "Please." Loki was petting his hair. Even after few months into this… this dream or nightmare, the petting was still a sure way to wind him up. Loki knew it too. Loki was pushing. "Tell me what you are." Tony grit his teeth. "I'm a good boy." "And tell me who I am." "You're my god." "Lie back down." Tony slumped back in relief, the tension leaving his body as the hot mouth swallowed him whole again. It was so good; Tony had needed it for such a long time. Loki held his hips still with all his weight and just sucked hard, his head bobbing back and forth. Tony felt like he was sucking out his entire body though his cock. "How do you do that?" Tony breathed. Loki pulled away and Tony caught a cry in his throat. "How long can a Midgardian hold their breath for?" he asked curiously. "What?" Tony said, a little annoyed at having to stop and play twenty questions in the middle of a blow job. "I don't know. A minute? Two?" Loki nodded slightly to himself, bending down to lick the head of Tony's length like a cat. Tony whimpered. "That explains much," the god mused softly. He looked up with a nasty smile. "And here I thought that you were merely being lazy. A thousand pardons, I ask you."

Tony snorted, annoyed. "Oh I suppose gods can hold their breath for longer?" "Of course." "How long?" Loki paused, a wicked little smile breaking out over his face. Tony shivered when he saw it, it did not bode well. "My pretty boy, you are so fond of your science, let me present this as a little experiment. I demonstrate. You tell me how long." Before Tony could reply, Loki pressed Tony's cock all the way into his mouth and throat. Tony yowled, gasping, his eyes wide and his legs trying to kick out as his body tried to handle the extreme sensation. Loki held it, humming, his tongue teasing Tony's scrotum. Tony's mouth opened silently in please, the round black O his lips created perfect in Loki's eyes. Tony shuddered, half miserably, half in relief as Loki pulled away. The god licked his lips and asked in a professional tone of voice, "Now. How long was that?" Tony blinked blurrily. "I… don't…" "Ah. Well. We shall simply have to do it again." Fine by me! Tony didn't even bother to solve Loki's riddle, much preferring to feel it again and again. But he soon came to regret it as Loki refused to allow his orgasm, insisting that he answer. Tony gibbered and begged and flailed for a long time before finally forcing himself to play Loki's insane game. Counting the seconds in his head, focusing on anything else but the tight, warm, wet heat engulfing his most sensitive part, he very, very nearly had the answer on several occasions, but would be thrown off at the last minute by the evil bastard pushing a finger into him. "It's not fair!" Tony found himself complaining like a child. Loki just laughed. Well, at least his fucking mood has improved. How do I end up dating the only guy with the Jotun equivalent of PMT? A long while later, Tony finally had the answer; that an Asgardian or Ice Giant, whatever, can comfortably do without oxygen for five minutes. Loki finished Tony quickly after that. The god moaned enjoyably as Tony climaxed spasming and writhing on the bed. Tony looked up murkily, clawing his way out of the orgasmic haze, as Loki licked his lips. "Very nice, boy." "Thank you," Tony whimpered, responding automatically to the compliment like a well trained puppy. Loki smiled approvingly. Did you say thank you? For Loki enjoying the taste of... ew, Tony. Wake up. There were a thousand jokes you could have made there. Loki didn't really give him that opportunity in any case. His knees were straddling Tony's head, and his cock pushed into his mouth without any preamble. Every day Tony was growing more excited about giving Loki blowjobs. There was something so… satisfying about hearing the god screaming his name. But this way didn't excite Tony so much. His head was held down by the weight of the god and

his mouth was thrust into hard and fast. There wasn't an opportunity for Tony to show off his skills. He just had to lie there, try to angle his head to take as much of the cock as possible and pray Loki didn't suffocate him before he was done. It was a pure act of dominance; Loki didn't so much as even look at him while he did it. Loki began to thrust hard and Tony was already choking. But he reasoned that if this was the price of a blowjob from the god of Tricksters… he could bear it. It seemed Loki had needed this badly and it wasn't long until he was cumming hard. Tony gagged slightly but swallowed. It was pretty uneventful on the whole. Loki hadn't even seemed that bothered when it was his turn, but had taken the better part of half an hour teasing his boy. Loki sat back onto Tony's stomach, his eyes fluttering open as he ran a hand back through his black hair almost regally. A comfortable silence fell between them. Loki gazed down on Tony lazily. Tony felt a drop he had missed running down his lip. He licked, catching it. The unthinking act triggered a soft groan from the god on top of him. A hand stretched out and rubbed Tony's cheek with long pale smooth fingers. "Such a good boy." "Why are you always calling me boy?" "Because you are. So young, so innocent. So much in need of guidance and protection." "I'm not a boy." "How old are you, Tony?" Tony glared. "Late thirties," he muttered disagreeably. This age wasn't a subject he really cared to discuss. "And I am a little over one thousand years." Tony felt his mouth open slightly before his natural cynicism took over. "Doesn't that just make you an old man?" Loki slapped him hard round the face, but there was a smile playing across his thin lips. Tony returned the smile with no smile amount of cheekiness. To Tony's disappointment, Loki's face suddenly went harsh again. Tony groaned inwardly. Great. Mood swing. "Why aren't you fighting?" Loki asked, angrily. "What?" "Why are you suddenly being so…" Loki rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair again. It was almost a way of gathering himself. "I should have killed you the first time." Tony's eyebrows shot up. Nice thing to hear when lying naked under a psycho god. "Well," he said wryly. "If memory serves, you gave it your best shot." Loki looked away, pensive and unhappy again. He shook his head, leaned in and kissed Tony gently. Then he pushed the billionaire on his side and dropped onto the bed beside him, their chests pressing together. Tony paused, but nothing else happened. Loki's eyes closed after a minute, one of his hands resting on Tony's hip. Tony cleared his throat. "So… you're staying?"

"Yes." Well how do you answer that? "Okay." Tony moved to roll onto his other side, but Loki's powerful arms were pulling him back round and holding him tight against his chest again. The playboy protested briefly, complaining that he found it hard to sleep like this. Which was true, Loki's naked cock pressing up against Tony's did all sorts of haywire things to his brain. Not to mention trying to sleep when he could feel Loki's eyes unblinking staring at his face. Creepy. But all his struggling earned him was a hard smack to his naked backside. "Quiet, boy. Go to sleep." Tony woke slowly in the morning, clean and clear light flooding into the room. They were still pressed together, but Tony had shifted in his sleep and was free from the powerful arms. He felt Loki's body against his back and it gave him a pleasurable little shudder. Despite Tony's outward lone wolf persona, he found it difficult to deny that he enjoyed waking up in a bed with someone. Okay, maybe not sticking around for them to wake up, but it was the waking up alone which got to him. He turned carefully. Loki seemed asleep. He seemed so very peaceful like this, his face relaxed and smooth of worry lines and smirks. Tony was drawn to the gentleness, but also repelled slightly. The Loki in his dreams was not so… innocent looking. And sad. Tony pulled himself out of the bed carefully, grabbing some clothes and leaving as quietly as he could. How many times have you done this? I stopped counting years ago. First time I've done it to a god though. That's got to be something. Of course, nowadays, nothing was like it used to be. Pepper would already be throwing them out by now. Tony made it down to his lab but not too long after he had started his project, Loki made his appearance. The god found him in his lab half under a car. AC/DC's 'Shoot to Thrill' was blaring into the white, shining room as Tony worked. Loki looked up with disdain. "Desist the sound, voice in the wall," he said warning. Jarvis turned off the music. Tony frowned and called out, "Jarvis, I thought we removed that Trojan virus." "We did, sir. I still thought it was best." Tony felt himself moving as the wheeled board he was lying on was pulled out from under the car. Tony looked down and found Loki's foot between his legs. When he was completely out from under, it was to see a rather annoyed Loki above him. "Morning," Tony said with a cocky smile. "It displeases me not to find you in the bed," Loki said disapprovingly. There was a warning flash in his eyes. "There's something wrong with the electronics," Tony said, standing up and indicating the car as though it were an explanation. At any minute he was expecting a punishment. His body was almost tensing for it. "I think there's a short somewhere that's stopping the-"

Loki pressed up against his back. Tony flinched, but pressed his hips into him as Loki's hands stroked down on his waist. "Loki, you flirt," Tony said playfully. "I must leave." I knew it. Tony turned angrily. "What, because I wanted to work on the car?" "Because I have to work on my car," Loki said tactfully. The rules of how far they talked about things had been tried and tested and after the Bifröst thing, it had all turned very... tactful. Tony didn't want to talk to Loki about the Avengers, Loki didn't speak on his plans to take over the world and neither wanted to bullshit lie to each other. But Tony couldn't help himself. "Thanos?" Loki looked away and didn't answer. "When will you be-" Don't you dare ask that! Because you don't care, remember? Try to have some pride, right now, while he's clearly too miserable to do anything about it. Tony took his gaze from Loki and forced it back to the light screen instead. "Fine. See ya." But Loki pulled his face around. "Kiss me, boy." Tony tried to pull away, but Loki's grip on his jaw was too strong. "Why?" "Do you need me to threaten? Because I will break your legs if you don't." Tony glared, leaned in and kissed Loki. He shuddered with pleasure, almost panting as Loki's tongue pushed in. But it was brief. Loki was already turning away and evaporating like he hadn't been there at all. Fuck him. He turned his attention to trying to locate the problem with car. Various blueprints were flashing in front of him but he wasn't looking at them. Fuck. Turning back to the car, he pulled himself underneath again. "Play. And Jarvis, don't do what he tells you. Ever." "Yes Sir." Fucking Loki. Tony was the billionaire playboy here. He was the most powerful guy in the room. Tony skips out the bed before Loki could wake up, giving the bastard a taste of his own medicine. So the guy just leaves. I hate him. I hope he does get fucked over by this Thanos dude. For the second time in the hour, Tony found himself being pulled out from under his car. "Son of a bitch!" he sighed as the exposed circuit he had been working on disappeared from overhead. He thought he had been that close to solving the problem, even with that last kiss messing up his brain. This time, it was Bruce and the other Odin boy appearing above him as he was rolled out. "Tony, we have to talk."

Tony grabbed the car and tried to pull himself back under. "Not in. Leave a message." But it was impossible to fight the strength Thor exerted on the automotive creeper, holding him where he was. In fact, Tony could hear the wheels squeaking in protest as Thor, as usual, vastly under estimated his strength. Tony looked up and saw... what? They were serious, but then again, they were both usually serious. "So… hi...?" Bruce gave him a warning glance before saying, "Thor has... got it into his head to be worried about you." "Why?" Thor looked wary. "Something my brother said when we spoke in Shanghai." Tony paused. The trick here was not jumping to conclusions. Conclusions would get him into trouble. "About me?" "My brother has always had an... obsessive personality. He has tried to kill you twice now and I fear he plans a third time." "What did he say?" "It is not important." Tony cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms petulantly. "Well I disagree." He stared up at the two, as haughtily as any man could on the floor. "Do you want to get up?" Bruce asked, amused. "I'm good." Tony dislodged Thor's foot with a mild kick to his shin and rolled himself back under the car. "Come on, Point Break. Kill me?" Tony called out while he reconnected some wiring. "What's in it for Loki? Bruce, just flick the switch next to the red one – not the red one! I'd ask the robot arms to do it, but I don't trust them. Dumb and Dumber. Dumb would flick the wrong switch and electrocute me and Dumber would cover me in fire extinguisher." Thor ploughed on as Bruce activated the switch and Tony tried to judge if the fault had been corrected. "He would not kill you. Not at first. I fear that he would use you to get to me." "Not everything's about you," Tony said, a little exasperated. "Where my brother is concerned, I fear it is so." Tony grumbled for himself. It's true. When Loki is fucking you, he's actually fucking Thor. Don't picture that! Fault finally fixed to Starks satisfation, he screwed the panel back into place. He hauled himself out, brushed himself down and threw the tool back into the box. He turned to see two sets of concerned eyes on him. "So, what did ol' crazy say?" Thor shrugged vaguely. "Something along the lines that…" he glanced sideways at Bruce, clearly the brains of the operation, who gave him an encouraging nod. "He said he'd be seeing you again soon." He rolled his eyes. "For the love of all things small and fluffy, Thor, I don't care. If you and Fury are right, then everything in the universe seems to be coming after us right now. Loki is the least of our problems."

"He's dangerous," Bruce said warning. His eyes opened a little wider, pointedly. "You know better than most what he can do." Tony's answering glare drew a slightly ashamed response from Bruce. Let's just hope Thor thinks about the window incident and doesn't make any startling leaps in intelligence. "Did you two come here just to let me know Loki's dangerous? Message received. And what's the solution?" "Bruce is concerned you are not taking your well being seriously." "Bruce, I love you man, but you're a well-meaning idiot. And you, Blondie. You're both wellmeaning idiots. And Steve. I'm surrounded by simple, well-meaning halfwits." Tony rolled his eyes and stalked to his computer. "Really, guys, thanks. But if Loki pops up, he pops up. Unless you've got a plan to stop him, this is pointless. Come on. Let's go out," Tony said, saying it as a distraction, though suddenly warming to the idea. "What do normal people do? The cinema? Let's go to the cinema and see... something." "James Bond?" Bruce said, suddenly alert and keen. Tony spread his arms. "Anything for you, man. Sure, James Bond it is. You'll love it Thor, there's lots of fighting."

Remember James Bond. Thor loved it. Bruce loved it. Tony thought a little dull. After all travelling in style, saving the world, beautiful women and swagger; what did James Bond have that Tony didn't? Not to mention both were arrogant, often self-serving bastards who managed to get those around them killed. And he could pull of a tux better than Daniel Craig ever could. The three outcasts of the Avengers went for a drink afterwards. Just boys out on the town... until a phone call summoned Thor away. Jane. He gave the pair one of those smiles which all men of strong women have. The half manly exclamation of 'I'm a bloke and I don't get told what to do by no woman' combined with 'still, I'd better go or she'll get mad'. "It is a fine thing to have the love of such a woman," Thor said, downing his mug and pulling on his jacket. At least when they were out and about like this, Thor wore civvies so Tony didn't have to drink in this rather shady bar with a man in his mother's drapes. "I believe you both should find another like her. It would do you well." "I had one like her," Tony pointed out. "Me too," muttered Bruce. "Didn't end well." He had been persuaded into a few drinks and now he looked a little under the weather. Alcohol didn't sit well with him. Thor smiled sympathetically and left. "Ah, look at his little face. He's so happy," Tony said, tongue in cheek. He turned back to his friend. "Isn't it enough to make you hurl?" "I think I will," Bruce whined dismally. He looked up through tired eyes. "You've found someone." "What?" "Don't mess with me, it's so obvious. You've been so... like Thor. Happy." Tony drank his beer for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He shrugged. "Sure. But I'd hardly describe... her as the centre of my being, light of my life and all that shit." "You've been different since you've been with her." "I don't think so. I'm Tony Stark. I don't change." "When you realized what your weapons were doing to people, you stopped. You lost millions." Tony smiled, leaning over. He pulled his t-shirt down slightly. Blue light momentarily lit his face. "And created the arc reactor. My company is worth twice as much now." "You do it for mankind." "I do it because it's making me a hell of a lot of money." Bruce rubbed his face. "No, no. You don't. Why are you saying this?" Tony took pity on the guy. "I'm just... starting to wonder. I don't want to be labelled with all this hero bullshit. I'm still a self-centred bastard and industrialist. I am the American dream, baby." "What happened to that little speech you gave? Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist?" "There's one thing on that list that's not like the others. Philanthropist was the afterthought. You

don't have billionaire philanthropists. Not really. And don't you go waving Bill Gates at me. He's a bore. And never comes to my parties. And he sounds like Kermit the Frog. No wonder he pays out so much to worthy causes, it's to make sure no one calls him Kermit the Frog." Bruce shook his head, finishing his beer. "I'm the one who turns into a monster and you doubt if you're a hero?" "I've been… pondering lately." "Well stop it." "I ponder, Bruce. It's what I do." Bruce muttered something and stood, probably heading for a bathroom to heave. And immediately stumbled backwards as the effect of alcohol took over. Tony was up on his feet, helping Bruce back up but the small man had already knocked against a large, heavy, tattooed biker. The thug turned and shoved Bruce backwards. "Watch where you're walking, fucker!" "Sorry," Bruce mumbled, backing away. The Biker made a move to follow but Tony stepped between them. "Ease up there, Hell's Angel." Tony groaned inwardly as the guy's friends suddenly took notice. These types weren't the smartest knives in the drawer. More like the bluntest spoons and that had been before they had liquored up for the night. They were circling now. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the barmen taking down the more valuable bottles. Not a good sign. Barmen could read a room better than a conference of psychiatrists. "Hey, I know who you are!" One of them said. Tony was shoved hard and knocked back into Bruce. "You're the Iron Man!" "Who me? Nah." "Show us the jet pack then," another laughed. The one that had shoved Tony, who looked like the kind who probably had a nickname like Mad Dog, pulled out a knife. Another, let's call him Junkyard Joe, pulled out a gun. And without his suit, Tony was just a guy in a three hundred dollar jacket. Of all the Avengers, he had nothing but his genius which made for poor armour against a blade. Well, do what you do best. Play for time. "Listen guys, you're looking for a fight and I was just looking for a drink. Let's not go crazy here." "Tony," Bruce whispered. Tony turned to see his friend in considerable distress. His skin was shuddering, morphing. Green. "Let's not go crazy, I said." Tony looked at the shuddering man with no small amount of fear. "Keep it together, Bruce!" Tony snapped. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please, don't let me kill anyone-" "What's the fuck wrong with him?" Junkyard Joe demanded. Tony turned. "Don't order the fish," he said wryly. He turned back to his hapless friend. "Keep it together, Bruce, come on!" Tony snapped again. Great. All he had wanted to do was go out to a cinema and grab a few drinks with the mates. Why couldn't anything go right?

The thug with the knife was close now. Tony had to tilt his head back to see him. "So, Mad Dog – can I call you Mad Dog? I have to know, why the tattoos? And where do you get them? I mean, did they have a 'buy three get the fourth one half price' thing going on?" The thug's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm just staying, because you've got a lot of them. Or hadn't you noticed? I can imagine you not noticing is all I'm saying. You don't seem that bright." The sneers in front of him turned to terror. Tony didn't need to turn; he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickling as a shadow grew around him, blocking out the dull light of the bar. People at nearby tables turned and screamed. There was a roar. "Well this is just great," he sighed. People ran desperately for the door amidst the clatters and bangs of tables and chair knocked to the floor. Junkyard Joe fired a shot or two, before throwing it to the ground and fleeing. Mad Dog, who had shoved Tony and drawn the knife, wasn't fast enough. A green hand grabbed him by a leg and threw him across the room. The black leathered thug pinwheeled like a thrown doll, crashed into the bottles lining the shelves and fell to the floor. Tony winced. The bar emptied in seconds after that. Tony finally turned, staring at the green bulbous creature carefully. He wasn't attacking - since the Avengers had provided the Hulk with an outlet, his control over the indiscriminate destruction had been far better. But it was still difficult to gauge what tiny thing might make him go haywire again. Once during training, a seemingly under control Hulk had flipped out and tried to tear a solider apart because the guy had sneezed. Tony pulled back a laugh. Okay, he still found that funny. But only because the guy had screamed like a girl and run for the hills. Even in this 'calm' state the Hulk growled furiously and smashed a fist down on the bar, cracking it in two. The creature roared at Tony and Tony felt the force of it sway his body backwards briefly. He waited. When the Hulk finally stopped, he said, "Finished?" The beast snorted. "Okay. Now, I'm not sure how this works – the balance between you two. Clearly some sort of Jekyll and Hyde business going on, am I right? But as you can see," he said, throwing his arms out wide, gesturing at the empty room, "there's no one left to smash." The Hulk turned beady black eyes on him. "Erm... Maybe there is." Tony walked away, keeping his hands clearly by his sides. "Come on, Bruce. I know you're in there man. You won't hurt me." The Hulk roared again, grabbing a pool table and throwing it past Tony. It smashed with a heart breaking sound and took out a window. A table was picked up and this time Tony had to duck. That took out another window. "You know, they're going to make me pay for that."

His heart tightened as he heard sirens in the background. He had to get Bruce out of here and quickly. He ducked another table and it very nearly got him this time. "Bruce!" Tony shouted. The mass of green doubled up, shuddered and recoiling. The body pulled in, turning pale and small. Bruce collapsed to his knees, naked and shivering. Tony did his best not to stare. He cleared his throat. "Well… you're completely naked." "You're not dead," Bruce said with unashamed relief. Tony glanced around and the room and the obvious hit him. He smiled, jumping over the bar and pulling the jacket off the unconscious Mad Dog. He held it up sceptically. "Well, it'll swamp you a bit. But think how bad-ass you'll look. You could totally pull of a name like Maverick in this." "I should go." Tony caught the tone. "Go where?" he caused casually. Bruce didn't answer. He was retreating in on himself. Closing up. Tony didn't like it. Friends. He could count his real, true friends on one hand. Probably no more than four. Bruce was one. Tony could understand Bruce in a way that the doctor hadn't found most people could understand. They shared an… inner sadness. A fear of what they may secretly be. Tony hadn't been feeling so sad recently. He was beginning to pull through that stage of his life and into something new and exciting. He could finally begin to take himself out of himself… if that made sense. And now Tony realised that, sitting on the dirty floor there, was an exposed, sad and scared friend Tony would move mountains for. As the sirens became louder, Tony dropped the jacket and trousers in front of the man and turned to keep an eye on the windows. "That'll do you until I can get you back to Stark Tower. I've got some stuff you can have." "Tony, I should-" "Chop chop, Maverick." The pair only just managed to avoid the police, thankfully. But everyone knew of the Hulk now. It made it difficult to really cover anything up. The papers were full of it for weeks after. Bruce stayed a few days in the Tower after the bar incident which was good. SHIELD had descended on them the next morning and Bruce had been put through the twenty questions. Tony had… ha ha, shielded Bruce as best he could, but his attempts were blown out of the water by the idiot himself. "They pulled a knife on Tony. What was I supposed to do?" Bruce snapped. When the agents had left after giving them a real talking to, Tony glared at Bruce. "Okay, I was dealing with that just fine until you helped." "I just told the truth." "Now what do I keep telling you about that?" Tony said in mock parental tones. "Never, ever tell the truth if you can get away with it." Bruce smiled, chuckling slightly. "You're a good friend, Tony," he said quietly.

Tony shrugged. Bruce smiled again and glanced around, something clearly on his mind. "Can I?" The billionaire smiled back, knowing exactly what Bruce wanted. "Sure, go and play in the toy pen," he said. A pet name for the lab. It was nice to have a man around who understood that as well as Tony. When the lift doors had closed on Bruce, Tony turned and walked into Loki. He barely had time to curse angrily before strong hands grabbed his arms and threw him into a chair. "I tire of waiting for the beast to depart!" Loki snapped angrily. "I will not allow it here." Tony opened his mouth, the sheer weight of what he wanted to bark at the bastard temporarily catching in his throat. He was so irate he didn't know what to spit first. Tony was back in his feet before the god could corner him on the chair. "He's not an it. He's not a beast. He can be here if he wants to be. Anyone I want can be here, it's my fucking tower! It's got nothing to do with you, so you just get the fuck out of here in case he comes back!" "No. I demand your subservience. Now!" "You fucking little arrogant little-" Tony stopped the words in mid-flow. Loki was tired and haggard. He looked ill and worn. Tony had never seen him like this before. He had been looking more fatigued, getting more demanding and angrier every time he had turned up for the last few weeks. Tony stared at the ill figure. "What are you planning?" Loki looked away distractedly. "Get on your knees. Crawl to the bed room." "Loki, what's happening?" "You will serve me." "Loki-" "Because you want me," the god ended quietly. Tony opened his mouth to protest, sighed and laughed slightly, throwing up his hands in surrender. "Yeah. I do." Loki's eyes snapped onto his, flashing green. "Crawl." "Is there any way we can do this without me having to make a complete idiot out of myself?" "Would that turn you on as much?" I hate it when the little shit is right. Tony sighed. "Jarvis, please stop Bruce coming up here. Make an excuse." "Yes sir." Tony couldn't believe he was about to do this. Everything screamed at him not to. Something was happening with Loki and he needed to know what. He wanted to get Loki to open up. He wanted to… Tony blinked incredulously at himself. But he did. Hewanted to make Loki feel better. Fuck. He dropped to his knees and crawled. Tony felt all the blood rushing to his cheeks and chest as the painful mortification made him

cringe. He had to force every movement, purposefully raising each hand and pulling himself forward. Bile and resentment was filling his mouth, his head pounded with fury and stress. It was excruciating, humiliating, debasing. Tony shuddered as he crawled across the floor. Nothing more than an animal at Loki's feet… the act was arousing him desperately. He swallowed, picturing Loki's view of him and a strained moan forced out of his chest, more of a harsh breath out than a sound. When he finally made it to the room, he stopped at the foot of the bed, sitting back on his legs and waited. He found himself squirming slightly as his body reminded him exactly how it felt about this humiliation. Loki walked in behind him and shut the door firmly. "Loki, what's wrong?" "Strip." "Loki-" "Now." Tony pulled off each garment slowly. "Is it something against the Avengers? Is that why you won't tell me?" Loki didn't answer. Not directly. "I want to taste you. I don't know when… if we will again." This is going to stop? Tony felt his insides turning to ice. He stood, dropping the last of his clothes and glared at Loki. I just crawled and now he's won and he's going to leave. Pease don't take this from me, I was finally happy! Fucked up and fucked over, but happy about it. He didn't say it, though the words screamed in his chest. They were burning so hard Tony wouldn't have been surprised if there were visible on his face. He said instead, "If you come after my friends, I will kill you." "Your friends will not be harmed if they do not attempt to stop me." "But that's what we do! We're the people who stop people like you!" Loki sneered nasty. "Elegantly put, boy." Loki was swaying slightly. He seemed out of it, like he hadn't been sleeping or eating. He looked defeated. The god shuddered and walked over to the bed, sitting down heavily. His eyes closed slightly. Tony stood, unsure of what to do. There was a long silence. "Loki-" "Do not speak anymore." "Well I'm gonna. You look like shit. You're planning something and if you're coming after SHIELD, after my friends, then I have to stop you." "Why is the thing here?" Tony raised a hand to hit Loki but forced at back down again. Loki looked darkly satisfied. "Bruce is in a bad place. I'm helping him."

"How?" "What do you mean?" Loki smiled, his eyes tired but his smile deadly. "Do you get on your knees for him?" he whispered. Tony glared. "Fuck you. Fuck you and your head games, you prick! No, I don't. He's a friend. I can't imagine you'd have any of those." Look who's talking. You're delighted because you've suddenly got maybe four. "Will he be your new god when I am gone? I can't imagine the beast would be as creative as I, but you do get so desperate for your punishments. Pain is pain after all. I'm sure you'd cum as hard if the cock is green rather than blue." Tony grabbed a robe and was half way to the bathroom when he heard from the bed a muttered, "Don't. Please." Tony turned with fire in his eyes. Loki was standing again, but wobbly. There's something so wrong with him. I don't fucking care. "How the fuck do you think you have any right to talk to me like that?" Loki stared, seeing and unseeing. "I don't... I want you on your knees. For me. I don't want you anywhere near that... anyone. I don't want you to look at or touch or... anyone. You're mine. I need you… I've needed for days and you're here with the beast and I needed..." he closed his eyes and he almost seemed to fall asleep on his feet for a moment. Why am I feeling guilty? Fuck him and his fucking mind games! "Loki, man, you've got to talk to me." Loki sat down on the bed heavily. "Suck me." "If you just talked to me, I could help." "Now." Tony sighed and knelt in between the long legs. His mouth moved to cover the shaft, but he was pulled back painfully by his hair. He looked up as fingers tightened and strands were pulled out by the root. Loki was looking at him harshly. Tony was forced to remember that, although he looked dead on his feet, Loki could still kill Tony. It finally dawned on him the source of Loki's displeasure and he quickly stripped off the robe he was still wearing. The god pushed him down unforgivingly and Tony choked desperately as the god's rod hit the back of his throat. Message received, Loki let go and Tony was free to work his skill. He realised vaguely that Loki's legs were pressing him close, interlocking behind his back, ensuring Tony stayed put. It was almost… possessive. Tony glanced up. Loki eyes were unfocused. Tony sighed and took the cock eagerly deeper into this mouth. The wet sounds of sucking filled the deathly silence. Tony lost himself to the job. Tomorrow was tomorrow and he'd deal with it then. You knew this was coming. You knew he wouldn't stay. You knew this was a game.

You knew this was a game. "Can I?" he asked. Loki shook his head. "No. It's mine." Tony pulled an irritated face, but returned to sucking Loki off, his hand pulling away from his own erection. Loki was holding back, Tony could tell. Half way in and his jaw was aching. His tongue was going numb and he couldn't hold back the drooling. The god was holding back his climax, making Tony work harder than he had ever done before. Tony loved and hated him for it. "Make it last. Make it last, my sweet boy." Tony used his hands far more than he had ever done, kneading the balls, fondling his god's thighs. He used his hand to pump the length for a bit, giving his mouth a rest and just using his tongue to circle around and around the head. He paused slightly, giving himself a moment and then started laving across the head with long, heavy strokes. Loki eyes were still closed but he was finally panting, groaning, grunting. Tony worked every trick he had, humming and deep throating. Sucking as hard as he could. A hand was suddenly in back his hair, winding fingers into the short curls. Loki took over now, pumping Tony's face back and forth with increasing speed. Tony held on to Loki's thighs for support and relaxed as much as he could. To Tony's surprise, Loki pulled him off before he came, the large, long cock erect and throbbing. Loki closed his eyes elegantly, shivering for control, lying back on the bed. Tony waited, panting, eager to finish. But the god seemed to fall into a half sleep, his body finally relaxing. A little colour was returning to Loki's face now. He raised his hand and summoned wordlessly. Tony scowled, but obeyed like a good little boy. He moved until he was lying next to Loki. "Do you want me to finish?" Tony asked, unable to keep the displeasure out of his voice. Loki rubbed his face, seemingly trying to gather himself as he sat up. Chains sprang out of now and tied Tony down. He didn't struggle. You're not struggling and you crawled here. Of course Loki's leaving, you let him win. "If this is the last one, you'd better make it good," scoffed Tony. Like every sneer he had ever thrown on the battlefield, it was as much armour to him as anything else. Loki was stroking Tony's chest. "I am doing everything I can to ensure it will not." That pulled Tony up short a bit, gave him a moment's hope. But he's lying, he's always lying. "Whatever." He could see in every move of Loki's body that the god was taking a wordless comfort from this coupling. So the fucker's miserable? Serves him right for once. I don't fucking care. Loki leaned in and sucked on Tony gently. Tony whimpered and squirmed. The god was delicate and lazy, lying down on his side between Tony's legs, supporting his head in his hand and mouthing Tony like he was sucking a milkshake through a straw. He could feel the god's erection pressing against his leg. Tony whined. It was amazing and moving but not nearly enough. He bucked his hips up, expecting at any moment a rebuke. But Loki simply opened his mouth a little wider and let Tony thrust in and out of the warm wet place. Tony gasped out in gratitude as he realised Loki was going to let him set his own pace for once. Loki opened as Tony thrust in

and would suck hard as he pulled out. The tugging sensation as the god unwillingly let the cock leave his mouth was exhilarating. Loki's finger was squirming inside of him, pushing its way past the tight ring. Tony's face grimaced, then relaxed into ecstasy as the finger moved in and out. When Loki dragged the digit out, Tony felt his insides being pulled out with the thin finger. Two fingers. Three. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, oh, fuck, Loki!" Tony cried out to the universe. When his cock ploughed into that hot, bewitching, oh so skilled mouth, the fingers in his ass were drawn out. When Tony's pelvis dropped, the cock was pulled out despite Loki's intense, vacuum like sucking to keep it in, but the fingers were slammed into him hard. The sheer force of the plunging fingers forced Tony's hips back up in pain into that sweet mouth and round and round it would go again. Soon, Tony didn't know if he was taking Loki's mouth because he wanted it, or because Loki had constructed such a self-torturing circle of pleasure Tony just couldn't stop. He wasn't going to stop now until he had cum and hard. When Tony was seconds from the edge, his panting wails reaching such a pitch as to be shattering, Loki stopped all contact. "Perhaps I should leave you for the beast," he hissed as Tony howled and begged. "I'm sure he would treat you just as cruelly." Tears came unbidden and he writhed and squirmed on the bed. "Fuck you, I hate you!" Tony snapped. "Why are you so jealous? I fucking crawled in here for you!" "I want to hear it, Tony. I need to hear it, Tony. I am your god and I need your worship." "I need you, Loki, I beg you!" Tony screamed, fighting the chains. "Please! I am your boy! I'll say anything, I'll do anything!" "Say it, swear it." "I swear, I will do anything for you!" Loki was above him suddenly, holding his head still and making stare into his eyes. "Swear that the next time the Avengers call, you will not answer." "Y-yes! Yes!" "Say it!" "I won't answer the next time the Avengers call! I swear, I swear! Mercy, oh please!" Mercy was an interesting word. Tony didn't think he had used it before. Loki closed his eyes wearily. "I think you're lying-" "No, no, please!" "You believe it now but I would not love you as I do if you were this easy to control." "Please, please love me! Please let me cum! Loki!" Loki slipped a finger in and out delicately. Tony keened with abandon as that devious finger found the pebble of his prostate and flicked over it again and again. "So warm. So tight. I will miss the feel of your body wrapped around me. I will miss so much." Loki swallowed Tony to the root. It didn't take anything else. Tony's entire body was arching harder than he had ever felt it, his legs kicking and fighting the chains. His eyes rolled back and he choked out a scream as he felt the rush from his body. It seemed to take with it every ounce of strength from him. He could feel his lover between his legs with almost heightened perception.

The strength and warmth of the magnificent man lying on his thigh. Loki's throat was moving, swallowing Tony. One hand was under his hips, holding him up as the god suckled with little hums as Tony softened. "Lo…ki…" Tony muttered in a breathy moan. Tony stared at nothing as his body was turned over. Loki paused for a minute to press a tube of some sort of lubricant into him, but didn't prepare the way. Tony's arms flailed violently in the chains, he hissed and yelled as Loki pushed and the stretch boarded on unbearable. The god was pushing mercilessly, forcing his way past the tight muscles until he was finally buried to the hilt within his boy. Loki breathed out gloriously. "That hurt!" Tony whined angrily. Tony shifted slightly, worried at the throbbing but as his poor body was being used so often now, it hadn't caused any injury. It had just been far too tight and far too painful. "You fucking shit, that hurt!" "I'm sorry, boy. But I need you to remember." "Remember what?" Tony spat, getting crosser as he realised that the pain and the stretching had caused tears to spring up in his eyes. He buried his face in the pillow. Loki is not going to see me cry! "Who owns you. Who owns your body. I want you to remember the glorious pleasure of the orgasm whenever you touch yourself. I want you to remember the stretch and the pain whenever you're alone. You will remember you were owned by a god. You will remember that you were filled by a god." "You're fucking messed up!" Tony growled. "Would you prefer I left?" Tony closed his mouth and just shook with hate and need. Not a need to cum. He wasn't going to be able to do that for a few hours. But he was vibrating with a need to be… Fuck. A need to be owned. Loki thrust hard, Tony's body moving in jerks, almost hitting his head against the headboard with every pound. He panted hard, flexing the muscles in his arms, forcing himself to relax. Loki was panting too, his face nuzzling Tony's hair, grunting and huffing in his ear. There was a desperation in Loki that made Tony's heart break. "Loki, talk to me, please. I can help you," Tony pleaded as Loki grew faster and shuddered against Tony deliciously. "Shh boy. There is nothing more to be done. There is nothing more to be said. I will either succeed or I will fail. But even if I can never again reach out and touch you again, you will forever remain my boy."

Mask Torn Tony and Bruce were pulling apart one of Tony's suits, trying to identify a problem that was causing it to consistently throw its wearer, i.e. Tony, into every wall it could find. "Seriously, Bruce, this thing is vindictive. I was going to just break it down for parts," Tony said. "I know this is all, top secret. But I can help." Tony smiled and handed Bruce the blue prints. The man took it gratefully, putting it down on a lighted table and muttering in a ruthful tone, "Unless you've got one that grows to four times its size, I've hardly got any reason to steal it." "No. But I'll look into it. The Iron Hulk - how does that sound?" Bruce shuddered. "That's the last thing any of us need. At least I can get distracted by too much pain." "Think of it, you'd be unstoppable!" "Exactly." Tony rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself. And I'm aware of the pun, it was intentional." "You know, you don't have to babysit me," Bruce said quietly. He looked up, meeting Tony's eye line and quickly looking away. "I thought you were babysitting me?" "Don't you want to spend time with your girlfriend?" "She can wait." "Sir, there's a call from SHIELD." Tony stiffened slightly. His mouth tightened as the boy inside of him fell to his knees and crooned out for his god. Tony shoved the silly creature inside of him aside. "Put it through." "Guys," Natasha's voice said, "time to get back to work. Loki's resurfaced." Speak of the devil. "Where?" "The SHIELD agents in North Korea didn't check in and all signals went quiet. We've turned the cameras back on and the camp is swarming with Loki's mercenaries. We've confirmed with satellite images." So this was the call Loki had told him to ignore! Tony threw down his tool and jumped up onto the platform. "Son of a bitch!" Heavy mechanical arms around him moved seamlessly, attaching and tightening plates onto his body as the Iron Man was formed. Bruce walked slowly around the platform, watching in slight awe. "Well, we knew it was going to happen eventually," Bruce sighed. "Loki was hardly going to disappear." The helmet was locked in and Tony pulled the visor down, closing his eyes a secret in pain. "Son of a fucking bitch." It took almost an hour to get the Avengers together and setting down in North Korea. On the way,

Thor explained again how the Bifröst could be used to destroy worlds. Explained Loki's almost destruction of Jötunheimr. It sounded bad, though they couldn't imagine who Loki was turning the weapon on. Tony clucked his tongue angrily as the transport seemed to take forever. Loki there at the Bifröst doing god knows what and they were taking a luxury trip. Okay, an hour is stunning amount of time for a citizen, but the difference between life and death when you're saving the world. Images of a new, faster transport took root in Tony's head that day. Something better than this government issued tin can. Something big enough for the Hulk, but small enough and manoeuvrable enough for fast travel… Tony took the lead, flying out of the transport when they were close. He kept his distance from the camp and gave the team the layout. The mercenaries were swarming, it was true. But from the Iron Man's vantage point, he could see the gaps in the defence. Barton was next out the transport, taking up position on a ridge not far away and waiting for the order. The rest flew in now and as they came level, Thor, Steve and The Other Guy dropped right into the centre of the camp, safe to say, completely scaring the living daylights out of anyone beneath them. Natasha landed not far away and was joining them in minutes. It wasn't a long fight and mostly consisted of the Hulk picking up a tank and using it to flatten anything that moved. Natasha did her ninja thing, Steve took the commander of the Black Guard down and Tony, Thor and Barton mostly picked off the remaining strays. Then they were running into the cave at a sprint. As they made it to the main chamber, soldiers raised heavy, modified machine guns, pointing them at the incoming colourful party. They had created a far better defence around the platform than they had in the camp. If the Avengers simply charged, someone was going home in a body bag. The stopped, caught in the mouth of the corridor, the Hulk behind them all, a little hunched in the narrow squeeze. Weapons drawn, ready, there didn't seem anything the Avengers could currently do right now. Tony and the others took comfort at least that the Bifröst didn't seem to be doing anything specular right now. It looked pretty much the same as when they had left, though now the room was littered with scientific monitoring devices. Tony looked up now, exactly where he really didn't want to have to look. Loki was walking around and around the silver platform of the Bifröst in his full armour, and not the black and green light armour he often wore. Now he was tall and imposing, gold horns and flowing cape, he looked powerful and angry and… scared. Catching sight of Thor's face, Loki… laughed, a little feverishly. "It's not working." he explained with almost a casual tone. His face turned violent, he turned and struck the hub where the sword stood out with his staff and spat something long and complicated in an ancient Nordic tongue. It sounded like he was cursing. Tony snorted. Hypocrite. "Brother, what is wrong?" Thor asked. His face was all concern, Mjölner dropping to his side. Barton glared at the back of Thor's head, the arrow he had pointed at Loki never wavering. "Really? You want a heart to heart with the nut-job?" Loki pulled the sword out and thrust it back in again. He stared, obviously waiting for something to happen, but it was still. "There is no reason why this wouldn't work," he muttered desperately. Loki suddenly rolled his eyes with an insane smile. He looked up at the ceiling, but his eyes were staring out into the universe. His arms spread wide, his face a mask torn between dark humour and pain. It was the most terrible and the most beautiful thing Tony had ever seen before in his life.

Loki called out in a cackling voice, "Unless some higher power casts an interfering hand upon it!" "Father-" Thor started. "No. Not Father. Something more powerful than Father." He turned to Thor and laughed again. "Do you not understand, all mighty Thor? It's finished. You've won. Congratulations. And I am cast out into a world of punishment and death!" "It just gets better and better," Barton said with a cold smile. Loki's face went harsh all of a sudden. "And why are you here? I thought I had made myself clear." Loki was glowering at him. The boy whimpered, crawled, and begged forgiveness. The Iron Man stepped over the fawning creature and said nothing. And the inner Tony just watched the man up on the platform, creating his tragic figure and forced himself not to believe. Lies. Always lies. "I can help you, brother. Tell me what is going on!" Thor demanded. "Oh, look at you. Look at you now. So proud, so strong… you do not need me anymore," Loki sneered derisively. Yes, yes I do! Please, please stop looking at me like that. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Tony was unutterably grateful that none of his friends seemed to have a functioning brain today. His helmet stayed shut, he couldn't risk anyone seeing his face. None of them seemed in any doubt that Loki was talking to Thor. I mean, after all, why would he be talking to the Iron Man of all people? Bruce probably would have figured it out, observant little prick, but he was currently indisposed. The Hulk on the other hand, had all the perception of a brick. "Just as well, boy, because I am not long for this world now." The god shuddered painfully. "Will you remember when I'm dead?" "Brother, don't say such a thing!" "He's coming." "What do you mean, Loki? Talk to me, let me help you," Thor pleaded. "Who is it who comes?" Loki's eyes shifted back to Thor. Thor stared into those green and tortured eyes imploringly. He stepped forward, his voice gentle. "Who?" Loki pulled out the sword and with a complicated movement, it vanished into thin air. "If he finds it, he could use it to destroy this world" Loki muttered. "It cannot be found." "Isn't that what you were trying to do?" Steve asked quickly. Loki shook his head, his body hunching in a wracking pain. "This world is foul! Filthy! It deserves nothing more but a blaze of destruction! But I cannot. I will not. It holds too much, too much to lose." Loki's eyes rose up and focused on Tony again. Please I want to help you, my god, my god please.

Thor stepped forward again, a hand reaching out to Loki, seemingly encouraged by this sudden apparent show of Loki's moderated view. "Careful, Thor," Natasha warned. Thor waved her away angrily, turning wide loving eyes on his troubled little brother. "My brother, I have faith that the poisonous madness you have been burdened with this last year is finally fading. I can help you; I can help you find redemption. I stand by your side now as I have always done; you need only talk to me, tell me what's happening!" Whatever Loki's purpose was at the Bifröst, they never found out. At that moment, a portal opened up behind him and Tony shuddered. He knew that portal; he saw it every night in his nightmares. It was the same one as the Chitauri has used. But this time, nothing was coming out. Something was going in. Loki looked up at Tony again and closed his eyes. As the god was sucked in, Tony only just managed to choke back his scream. He needn't have bothered as Thor's inhuman bellow would have drowned out anything he could have accomplished. Thor sprang after his little brother, but the portal had already closed. Oh god please no! I've lost him.

Conscience "Does anyone have any idea want the hell just happened?" Barton asked when they were finally back on the Helicarrier. The mercenaries in the Bifröst room had, understandably, been a little alarmed when their leader had vanished. Natasha, Tony and Barton had moved as if in sync, each shooting a mercenary through the chest with their weapon of choice. That had taken care of the ones at the machine guns. The rest were easy. Fury didn't look like a happy bunny. "Exactly what I'm asking. Where the hell is the key?" "Gone," Natasha said. "Loki?" "Also gone," Steve said. Fury looked... furious. "Does anyone want to tell me what the fuck went down?" "Thanos," Tony said. He had been thinking and thinking about it all the way here and was now certain. "The big bad who helped Loki on his spectacularly failed attempt to take over the world. Gave him his glow stick. Loki said Thanos was after him for retribution." Tony was amazed at how calm he could sound when he didn't feel it at all. I just stood there. I just stood there. Thor stared at Tony in horror. "And how do you know this?" He told me. I didn't believe it. "Loki mentioned it," Tony said, trying to focus on his team despite the clamour of self-accusation in his mind. The boy. That part of him now reliant on Loki. The Loki addict. It was screaming. "When he came to Stark Tower?" Natasha asked. He wouldn't let me help him! I didn't try hard enough. "Yeah." Thor rounded on him. He had been virtually silent in the transport back, now he bellowed, angry and accusing, "And you only mention this now?" I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. "This is Loki we're talking about," Tony said as evenly as he could. "I assumed it was just a lie. An angle. I didn't think it worth mentioning." That at least was true. When Loki had confided it, Tony had been certain it was a little story to get him back into bed. Oh, it may have been partly true, but how could you ever know? The thing about Loki… the dangerous thing about Loki is that he never lied, lied. He used the truth to lie and he did it spectacularly. After all, an outright lie can be disproved. But a lie based in the truth… I could have helped him.

No I couldn't have! Tony rubbed his eyes, forcing the voices back, ignoring the pain. He pulled himself back together. Being anything less that Tony Stark right now wasn't going to help. Thor deflated. "I… forgive me. You are right, of course." "Good riddance," Barton said with a smile. Fury glanced at Thor and said, perhaps slightly kinder than he usually was, "I don't want to sound undiplomatic, but given the bastard is now off our hands, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." Thor didn't reply, but he nodded gravely. Once the meeting broke up, Tony followed Thor at a distance. The god was walking sedately or as sedately as a man that weight and size could manage. He seemed to be deep in thought. Eventually, Thor and Tony ended up outside, crossing gangways and fighter jet runways until Thor stopped on the edge of the platform. He was looking out stoically. As he pulled Mjölner from its thong fastening on his belt, he suddenly seemed to notice Tony. "Leave me be." "Thor, if I had known-" "I do not blame you, my friend. Truly. But leave me be. I must return to Asgard." "You're going to get him back, aren't you?" Thor turned and looked at him harshly. "He is my brother. Despite what he has done, my loyalty to him is absolute." I hear ya, big guy. "Good thing I've still got the suit on," Tony said, pulling his helmet on. He waved his hands encouragingly. "Go on, you first. I'll follow." Thor stared at him. "Can't let you go on your own, Goldie Locks." "You would come with me to rescue a man who attempted to kill you and destroy your world?" "I'm a complicated guy. Now mosh." "Tony, while I appreciate the gesture, the All Father-" "You want me to say it? Fine, I'll say it. I, Tony Stark, having found myself burdened with conscience I don't remember ordering, now feel like shit for not warning you that some great evil was gunning for your brother." Tony took refuge in the fact that it wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the whole truth either. "I want to do this, Thor." Thor seemed to consider this for a long while, but Tony got the impression that he hadn't wanted to do this alone anyway. It wasn't taking much of an internal monologue within Thor (assuming he had one) to convince himself. He reached out with a grateful but tired smile and grabbed Tony's shoulder. "You are a good friend, Tony Stark." I'm doing your brother. "And never forget it," Tony said. Travel through the universes was… dizzying to say the least. Tony couldn't understand how Thor

did it. The world around you shifted and morphed like a kaleidoscope. You were flying forward, but it was different from when Tony was flying in his suit. He seemed to stay still and the world around him moved. Then you were racing through a world of colour and blackness and streaking stars. Then there was the pain. Tony felt like he was being crushed and stretched at the same time. Just at the brink of his ability to stand it, it all stopped. Not gradually, but with a sudden immediacy like hurtling into a wall. Thor landed on elegantly on his feet like some over muscular ballet dancer on some sort of coloured bridge. Tony clattered down like a heap of tin. He tried to swear, tried to yell. Instead, a very small noise escaped his throat. "Ow." The bridge led to a massive drop into… nothing apparently. Asgardian's are weird. It also had a few heavily laden gold guards around it who stared at the pair in surprise. Specifically, they were glaring at Tony with undisguised curiosity and suspicion. He could barely hear Jarvis as the AI made several complaints about Tony's vital signs. Various systems in the suit itself were going absolutely haywire and in self-defence, Jarvis deactivated a third of his operation functions. Tony could fly and shoot rockets. That was pretty much it. Even the visual on his visor was fazing in and out giving him seconds of blindness. "Sir, can I recommend not doing that again? You came very close to cardiac arrest and your blood pressure soared off the charts." "Urh," Tony replied. "I will create a reminder for you, Sir." Tony tried to push himself up, but his armour seemed to be heavier than it should be. Or he was weaker than he realised. He listened idly as Thor had a conversation with… Hem… Him… Heimdall? Wasn't that the guy who could take off three ice giant heads with one sword? In between moments of blackness, he saw the guy with staring yellow eyes and a bass voice, towering over Thor even. Fuck. Three heads with one blow? Tony believed it. "Sir, your visual display will not be fully operational for another hour at least. Might I suggest raising the visor?" Thor's arm reached down in the darkness and pulled him up until he was standing again. The god waited patiently for Tony to pull himself together, watching him carefully. A bit like a mother-hen – it was a trait he had noticed in Thor before. And in Loki. Fuck. All these Asgardians thinking that just because they're hundreds of years older than normal people, the rest of us are children. Tony's visor flipped up and he gave a petulant grumble. "That was…" Thor was smiling like a boy. "If I do it a thousand times, I shall never grow tired of it." Tony glared. "Really? Well, if I have to do it again, I'll kill myself." "You did not enjoy it?" "What's Asgardian for hell no?" Thor rattled something off in Asgardian too fast for Tony to make out a syllable. "What?" "Such crossings are rarely been undertaken by Midgards. It is good to see that you are still alive.

The All Father must know of your presence and allowed you entrance. He must wish to speak to you." "I beg your pardon?" Tony said, completely alarmed. "Come my friend. We must speak with my father." Thor was leading the way to some horses. "When you say, good to see me alive..." It didn't occur to Tony what was happening until Thor led two horses around by their black leather bridles for himself and Tony to mount. At Tony's questioning exclamation, Thor gave him a baffled look. "It is a horse, my friend." "Horsepower I get. But this thing," Tony glared at it, leaning backwards, slightly intimidated as it swung its head back. "I'm not riding anything with a mind of its own. In fact, I don't want anything between my legs which has got a mind of its own." Except Loki and his amazing mouth. Stop it! That's not helping. Thor swung himself up into the saddle. "You would rather run?" "No. Hence the very useful jets in my shoes. Have I shown them to you?" "Tony," Thor said gently. "This is the land of my people, an ancient world of warriors and magic. It is the land I was born in and a world that will be my eternal home. I would ask you to… try to be less like… Tony Stark." Tony simmered in irritation for a while, before remembering why he was here. Right. Get Loki back. Then sock Thor in the face. Gotcha. He glared suspiciously at the horse again. He wasn't even sure he could ride a horse in this suit, but there was only one way to find out. He jumped up and pulled off his helmet. "At least I'll still have the classiest armour here," he observed, glancing at the soldiers around him. "Come, it is not far to the Palace and the Throne Room." "Fine. Where's the ignition on this thing?" Thor and Tony marched into the Throne Room of Asgard. Well, Thor marched. Tony was certain he'd never marched anywhere in his life. So, Thor marched into the Throne Room and Tony followed nonchalantly behind him. The guards around them all seemed a little perturbed at his appearance and only a command from Thor that stopped them from probably wrestling him to the ground. Asgard seemed to be everything Tony had expected it to be. Gold and glittering and faintly tacky. Loki wasn't tacky. Loki was real and Tony was having a hard time imagining how some place so archaic, heavy and blunt had created a creature of skill and speed and wit. How had gold halls spawned a silver tongue? Silver-tongued Loki. Loki's tongue. Loki's mouth, running down his neck as Tony gasped and cried andStop it!

"My son," said a voice. Tony looked up at the voice and groaned inwardly. Was he going to spend the rest of his life surrounded by one-eyed men? Why couldn't these people just learn to dodge? Or wear a helmet? How hard was it really? The old man sitting in a large, ornate golden throne seemed less than Tony pictured. He looked like an old relic of a bygone age. Even more than Thor himself. He held a large staff in his hand, the other resting on the arm of the throne. He did at least have the kingly royal bearing, but other than that, Tony did not find himself overly impressed. "It has been hundreds of years since the last Midgardian has stepped foot on our lands. I trust there is a reason?" This guy seems like a barrel of laughs. "Father, I bring… terrible news. My brother, your son and a prince of Asgard has been captured by a creature known only as Thanos. My companion, Tony Stark, Iron Man of the Avengers, was told by Loki himself-" but Thor paused. Clearly, he had believed that it would be Tony's job to fill in the blanks, but the King looked shocked. "Thanos," Odin breathed. "You know of him, father?" "A Titan of old, he is called the Mad Titan. Thanos is a creature of great and terrible power. A god of death. If Loki has fallen into his shadows, I fear there is nothing left to be done." "No," Thor said firmly. "No, father, I will not accept that. Whatever else Loki is, he is a prince of Asgard. To capture him, possibly torture and kill him, is an act of war. I will not turn a blind eye and allow him to be some sacrifice. You know this, Father." "It is from Thanos, then, I assume Loki gained his new powers. That explains much. Why then should we intercede when villains turn against one another?" "Because neither you nor I believe that Loki is unutterably evil, father," Thor said passionately. "He can and will be saved from this dark fate." "Am I to risk the life of my remaining son and an army to rescue one who has wrought his own destruction?" Thor's manner turned dark now. He seemed to grow slightly, becoming sharper round the edges. Tony had to resist the urge to back away. "Do you mean to abandon him, Father?" Thor's voice was forced calm, but silently deadly. Odin looked defeated already. That couldn't be good. Tony noticed a certain amount of discomfort in the guards which was bad. Like bodyguards back home, these Kings Guard seemed to be there to protect the King and otherwise to stare ahead and not take any interest in current events. When they looked nervous, it was time to be nervous. Tony coughed. "Well. Awkward. I don't want to get in the middle of a family squabble here, but I imagine either way time is… you know… of the essence here?" Given the fact that he was standing in a world thousands of years older than humanities own and they were still playing Knights of the Round Table, Tony didn't have a shred of confidence that they were the type to make fast decisions. After a long pause which Tony only believed proved him right, the old King finally nodded and slammed his staff down on the floor. There was a noise like a crack in the air and Tony cursed himself at the flinch he gave.

"Thor, I command you to take your men… and bring home my son." Thor nodded and strode towards the doors. Tony was left feeling as though he was very much in the way. He looked up with Odin and gestured to Thor. "I'll just go with him then." "Midgardian, Tony Stark the Iron Man. Thor has told me much of you." "Really?" Tony said, a little worriedly. Odin nodded imperiously. "Your valour and bravely are not to be disputed. You risked your life to stop the Chitauri invasion of Midgard in the manner of true heroes. A warrior I can be glad aids my son Thor in his battles. Who has already risked his life to come to Asgard to follow him-" "Yeah, can I just point out that the risks were never actually explained to me?" Odin continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "Iron Man, your courage is not disputed. But on this occasion, you cannot follow where he goes." Tony paused. "Come again?" "The realm of Thanos is a cold and desolate space. Nothing lives there but death." Tony bit back his urge to correct the man. How exactly can death live there? "The realm can barely be traversed by our kind. This is a mission of death. I do not expect all of my people to return from there alive. You would perish upon arrival as you almost did arriving here." "Hence the ever helpful metal suit." Tony looked at Odin and said, far less jovially, "I'm going." Odin stood and a tension fell over the room. Tony felt himself taking a step back. Suddenly, the haggard, slightly comical scene took on a new and alarming air. As this old and drawn man stood from his throne, his height and heavy figure becoming, Tony realised the man practically screamed infinite power. If Tony had been religious, the only word for it would have been God. No. The word god is used in a different context in my world. And it's not him. The man looked gravely down on Tony. At last, Tony was beginning to piece together what sort of childhood Loki must have had. It must have been a real hoot. No wonder the man had turned to mischief. Mischief was what the intelligent resorted to when the world around them would not allow them dominance. Instead, you learnt to tweak the nose of power and then pull your most charming smile to get away with it. The dumb weren't mischievous. And dominance was what Loki was finally finding. He hadn't been able to outdo Thor. He'd never be the man his adopted father was or had wanted him to be and by killing Laufey, Loki had lost any chance there to show himself the better man. But in Tony, Loki had found himself a willing, if truculent, worshipper. Fuck, I need him. I need him so much. "Your loyalty to my son is commendable; to risk such to stand by him is admirable. But it will not be. I have commanded it." For one horrible moment, Tony would have sworn he had been rumbled. "My… loyalty… to… Thor?" he said slowly. Meeting only silence, he plunged on. "Loyalty be fucked, this is about getting in on the action, alright? I'm not staying here like the little woman!"

Thor, who had apparently stayed to monitor the exchange, now stepped in hurriedly. "Tony, you insult the All Father!" "Well he started it!" "I am not insulted," Odin said, though he certainly didn't look happy. "I understand this boy's frustrations, they would have been shared by myself in my youth. They were demonstrated by you not that long ago, Thor, on your ill-judged march into Jötunheimr. But in this I am not to be defied. For the sake of our relations with Midgard, I will not see one of their mightiest heroes die when I could have prevented it." The stick slammed down on the floor. To everyone else, that seemed to be that. "You really do think you're all that, don't you? Well, we don't have a monarchy in America, so fuck yo-" Thor bowed his head to his father and hurriedly dragged an adamantly objecting Tony from the room. "Lower your voice," Thor said angrily. "What a complete- that man's got a stick up his-" but Tony stopped and coughed after dangerous flash in Thor's eyes diverted his train of thought with a healthy amount of self-preservation. An army was raised very quickly; it seemed all these people did was mooch about waiting for a war. Among them were the Warriors Three, who Tony wasted no time in laughing at, especially Volstagg. "So what do you do, Tubby? Sit on your enemies?" "Must we stand here and take cheap jibes by a mere mortal?" Fandral demanded angrily, one hand reaching for the hilt of his sword. Tony's visor snapped down and he raised his arms, panels sliding back to reveal the rockets. "Whoa there, Errol Flynn." "Fandral, lower your hand! This man is as much a brother to me as you and I will not tolerate this!" Thor said angrily. His hand reached out and slapped Tony's arms down. Tony's eyes caught Thor's weary figure. Thor looked strung out and miserable. Tony felt his insides squirm. Shit. When had he developed a conscience? He didn't have one before the suit that much he knew. Or maybe he had just pummelled it away into a corner until his capture in the desert had drawn it back out. He could almost trace back the evolution of this particular Tony. It was born in a cave, listening to a man tell a sad story of death. And it had grown into maturity as he had watched the TV, his first real gantlet in hand, and saw what his vision had become. The Merchant of Death suddenly wasn't so happy anymore. Tony took a breath. He had walked into Thor's house, he had complained, mocked his friends, sworn at his father… basically wrote the book on how to be a bad guest. And all the while he had lied to get here, pretending it was because he wanted to support his friend though his time of need when he was really here because he was sleeping with his brother behind his back. Congratulations, Tony, you've hit an all new low. Tony's visor came back up and he reached out a hand to Fandral. "I wish I was going with Thor on his one. But if he has guys like you, can't imagine what could go wrong." Fandral took an appreciative look at him, and then accepted the hand. "You still look like Errol Flynn."

"Thank you, Tony," Thor said, pulling the shorter man away from the Warriors Three before anything else could happen. "I know what this feels like. But this is not cowardice on your part, or disrespect on ours. It is down to a simple fact that your body, metal armour or not, would not survive the strain that would be put upon it. You are not built for such realms." "Would you accept that garbage?" Tony demanded hotly. Thor suddenly looked much older as he gave a small smile. Tony was suddenly struck by how mature he was, despite his often times childlike manner and his unnatural adoration of Pop-Tarts. "Not that many years ago, no. I would not have. And I ended a long held peace and started a war which has so far claimed many lives. But I was thrown down to Midgard and there I learned. Lessons I have not and will not forget. They have made me a better man, Tony." Thor's hand reached out and he clasped his shoulder reassuringly. "My friend, it means more to me than I can say that you stand by me at this time. You can do so here." Sinking lower here, thanks Thor. Tony sighed miserably, giving in for lack of anything else he could do. "What exactly do I do while I wait?" "Explore the palace and the forests, you will not be stopped." "Sounds like fun," Tony said in a hollow monotone. "If anything happens to us, my father will send you back to Midgard." "Nothing's going to happen," Tony said. "Right?" Thor swung up onto his horse. The army behind him, taking their lead from their prince all mounted their own steeds. It was an impressive sight; not least because that heavy armour should make it impossible for them to do anything but fall sideways. "My people are hospitable and gracious. You will be looked after." "I am the Iron Man," Tony said, almost like he was trying to convince Thor of the fact. "Not a friend here for a sleepover!" "We will return, Tony."

Two Words Tony stalked around his room, nursing his ill temper. What was more infuriating? Well, here's the list and take your fucking pick. First, the fucking arrogance of Odin's boys, both of them, in treating him like skirt. He was not a little woman who needed protection. Tony's mind's eye flashed on Natasha and he corrected himself. Okay, he was not a little child who needed protection. My Boy… Second, it had been four days. What was Thor playing at? What, had he stopped for takeout? How long could this possibly take? Third, after a day of polite but persistent poking, Tony had been 'encouraged' to shed his armour for an Asgardian get up so now he looked like he was going to a fucking Renaissance fair. Fourth, while Thor had been right and everyone was hospitable and polite, they did it with that egotistical air of 'oh, look at us, humouring the little mortal. Aren't we so glorious in our benevolence and superiority?' Yadda, yadda, yadda. Tony, being Tony, hadn't been able to take it for long. After a 'joke' (apparently they were rather sensitive here) had almost landed him in a sort of duel to the death (he hadn't caught the specifics) he had willingly confined himself to his allotted quarters. His life was only spared because everyone knew that Tony was Thor's… responsibility. Tony wanted to think of any other word than the ones he had heard whispered behind his back. Thor's pet Midgardian. That rankled Tony's hackles up the wrong way, but it really shouldn't have. After all, he was technically a pet Midgardian, just not Thor's. My Boy… Fifth and finally, he was trapped in a world that had no 3G signal whatsoever, anywhere. Everything was piling in against Tony to reduce him to just a little man skulking around the halls either patronised or ignored. Everything that made him Tony; his clothes, his science, his influence and respect, his Iron Man status... everything had been stripped from him here until he was just a boy waiting for a hero to save his god. It was demeaning. What the fuck was taking Thor so long? Maybe Loki was… Tony felt that lurch and grind in his stomach every time he even considered the possibility. But so what? If Loki was dead, the boy inside of him would finally die, taking with him any hope of that twisted happiness. He would go back to being Tony Stark/Iron Man until he was eventually killed in a fiery death as the Iron Man, or drank enough to collapse his liver. Wasn't that the plan before Loki had forced him down on the bed that night? Pretty crummy plan. But then again you never believed you could have anything more until he came along. Correction: I didn't know there even was anything more. My boy. Tony shook his head unhappily. Those two little words had propelled his life into a level of

happiness and misery than he could ever remember experiencing before. Two words had turned his life into… this. This world of glorious agony. The boy. Tony preferred to think of it as a separate creature within him. He had been whining and mewling for days and it was doing Tony's head in. Little wonder he had cut at every son of a bitch he had passed in the corridors. It was something to do to get his mind off… Please, please don't be dead. Long hours left alone were taking its toll on Tony. Dark introspection was miring him in grief and anxiety. He was beginning to realise how much Loki had actually affected him and he hated the bastard for it. Adding insult to injury, the palace was mostly empty as all the warriors had gone to fight. And here was Tony, wondering around, looking like a kid with no friends. It was humiliating and infuriating. But he couldn't figure out what to do. His suit was still fried, it's functions so limited that on the few occasions he had tried to fly out over Asgard, stable flight had only just been manageable. Of course, when he had tried, he was given a right ticking off by a guard, some sort of over promoted Captain who had been left behind to command the home forces. Or some sort of shit like that. Again, Tony had almost bickered his way into another duel to the death when he pointed out that, if the Captain was all that, why wasn't he out with Thor? Why aren't I fighting with Thor? Loki's mine after all. And he's a damn sight more mine than Thor's right now. Tony was heated, demanding and petulant and he knew it. Throwing a tantrum to get himself noticed. And the knowledge only made him angrier. But he was in a world of law and tradition and honour. A world of magic that he did not understand. A world… a world where he was, to his complete horror, just a child. He rolled his eyes in a fury. Fuck it. Fuck all of them. Fuck Loki, fuck Thor, fuck them all. Tony spent a lot of time thinking of Loki. Tony so far hadn't seen much in Asgard that solved the riddle of Loki. In fact, Tony found himself wondering how Loki had coped here. Though he suspected Loki had coped far better than he was. Loki could play the game, the great deceiver. Smile and bow and talk like a poet while scheming and lying like a villain. That beautiful smile and gleaming green eyes hiding so much raw emotion… I need him more than I ever realised. And now he's dead. He's dead. It was almost easier to convince himself of it now. Just in case. Because even if the fucker was dead, what did it matter? In the long run, he was Tony Stark and no psycho takes that from him. Tony rolled his eyes. He's dead. Another two words. Okay. Two and a half words. And whereas my boy made him feel powerful and powerless in equal measures, these two little words just made him feel numb inside. Numb was good. Numb was what the alcohol was for because when you're numb you don't feel. I don't ever want to feel again. As the thoughts inside of him reached a new pitch, Tony threw his helmet at a wall. Just for something to do. Destructive chaos. Isn't that Loki's gig? The gold-titanium alloy helmet banged and clattered down to the floor, the visor landing up to glare at him from across the room. Because here, in these glittering halls, being the Iron Man was worth as much as being Tony

Stark. Neither of them mattered in this palace. Tony hated this, hated everything; hanging in limbo for four days, pining like a little dog when his owner was gone. I'm going to kill Thor when he gets back. I'm going to kill Loki when he gets back. If he gets back. Tony paced some more. He needed alcohol, though that was surprisingly difficult to get. You had to corner a serving person and they, surprisingly, didn't seem to know what a Jack Daniels was. And what they did serve here wasn't worth bothering with. The mead was beyond what Tony could handle. There was a difference between being paralytic and just in a coma. The first two nights had been enough to put him off. There had been a horrible moment when he was sure his head hadn't been attached to his body. And there was no lab. No science. He was trapped in a world of medieval heroes and heraldry with nothing to do and if Thor didn't bring his ass back right now, Tony was going to jump from something just for the sheer hell of it, suit or no suit. Four days. Tony felt his body crack in hysterical laughter. Another two words. Well isn't that fucking brilliant. Maybe this place was eroding his mind because he couldn't think probably anymore. Not think like the great Tony Stark could think. A genius Earth hadn't seen since Da Vinci could no longer think. He could only fester. Tony Stark did not do Renaissance Fairs, or dress up or role play. He wanted to go back home before he lost what was left of his mind and he was going to go to Odin right now and… If Tony left, he was never going to be able to talk his way back. Frankly, he probably wouldn't survive the crossing. He had been told recently that Thor probably only agreed to let Tony follow as he didn't believe that Odin would allow him through. Though he had probably been hoping so and simply underestimated the amount of damage a crossing did to a mortal. Either way, Thor was a dick. If Loki is brought back, he'll be brought immediately to his cell and I'll never…. Not that I care, of course. I only talked my way here to have the opportunity to mess with Thor and poke my nose in. And if I do see Loki again, I'm going to punch him in the face for manipulating me over the Bifröst. I don't care. I don't need him or Pepper or anyone else to know who I am – I know who I am. Tony looked over at the Iron Man mask. It still seemed to be staring at him. My Boy. Iron Man. Tony Stark. I know who I am. There was the sound of running footsteps. Tony jerked out of his dark thoughts as an out of breath Asgardian serving girl ran into the room. A girl who, despite being the bottom of the food chain here, could still have broken Tony's spine across her knee. "Where's the fire then?"

"Milady said you would want to be informed of the return of the princes." Princes? He's back! Tony followed her, through the halls, outside into the evening light, down hundreds of marble red steps and into a courtyard. The courtyard was large – everything here was on a fucking grand scale. The area was full of servants, healers and horses. And dozens of soldiers in various states of injury. From the top of the steps Tony could see beyond the rest of the army, all in various states of resting and walking away. There seemed to be a royal guard huddled in one corner so Tony took that as the safest bet. He pushed and dodged between people. A horrendous amount of them had come back in pieces. Tony had a horrible moment wondering how many hadn't come back at all. There were red blankets covering bodies and were discreetly being taken away. The sound of cries and pain filled the evening air and made Tony feel sick with worry. Running when he caught sight of Thor, he scanned the space around them. Thor was with some sort of doctor, stretched out over table. He was conscious and angrily waving the man away, but he looked out of it. Around them, Errol Flynn was nursing wounds that looked days old, but seemed now infected. Next to Thor on another able the Amazon woman looked half gone. The other two of the three were cut up but looked better. Of Loki, there was no sign. "Point break, you look awful," Tony said in a forced jovial tone. On closer inspection, he couldn't help but note that Thor looked almost dead. His skin was ashen and his cheeks fallen in. He looked… thin. "Where have you been for four days?" Thor paused then, staring at him in feverish incredulity. A hand reached out and grabbed Tony's arm. Tony had to support himself with his other, grabbing the table, as he was almost dragged to the floor. "Four days?" Thor whispered. "Yeah, man. What took you so long?" "Four days?" Thor repeated, shaking his head. "That is not right, my friend." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Er, yes it is. I counted. Because I had nothing else to do." "We were there for weeks, Tony. A month at least. Time there is… distorted. Corrupted. It was weeks." Tony's stomach did that crushing, grinding this again. "How long was Loki there for?" "Months. Maybe a year. Time moved, oddly. Not set." A year. How much does someone change in a year? Well that depends. You? You haven't changed since you were eighteen. Tony glanced around again. He still couldn't see the trickster anywhere. "But you brought him back?" Tony said with rising anxiety.

"Yes," Thor said distractedly. "Where is he?" Tony demanded, a little more insistently than he should of. The guy is lying half dead and you're more concerned about the loony toon. "I… I do not know. They took him to a secure place." Thor looked around at his men. "Many are dead. Many more injured, I do not even know if they made the crossing. We did not win this fight, we survived." "That is all we could have hoped, Thor," Volstagg said with rumble. "We would have all died lest it been for Thor," Fandral said to Tony, pointedly. "The Titan's forces were stronger than we ever could have reckoned. But Thor's actions saved so many. The King should know that." Thor shook his head. "The All Father must know of the casualties and of Loki's rescue, if he does not already." He looked up at Tony. "Please, you must inform the King." Tony would have objected, he had so far avoided speaking to the Kingly-techy Odin again out of pure self-preservation, but Thor was in no position to do anything right now. And you feel guilty. Go on, admit it. Tony chewed his tongue and said reluctantly, "I'll… okay. But if your father turns me into a ferret for all eternity, it's entirely on you." After gathering all the details, Tony made his way with great trepidation to the Throne Room. Now that the pressure of the last four days had finally lifted, time seemed to be speeding up. He wasn't trapped in the mire anymore and he was racing to catch up. He still couldn't believe it and wouldn't until he saw the guy. Tony, as was usual here, was mostly ignored until he crossed the boundary into the throne room. Then suspicious eyes were upon him, gold helmeted and horned heads turning to stare. He walked up to the over-sized throne where sat the old man carefully. Now, never let it be said that, when called for, Tony Stark couldn't be an adult. He had that ability. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a tremendous disconnect between what he thought he probably should do and what he actually did. On this occasion, he managed a passable amount of respect and due diligence. To a certain degree. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to bow or curtsy here or what?" Odin tilted his head, but said nothing. Tony cleared his voice and decided that he would throw his usual Tony-ness to the winds because despite all outward appearance, he did actually want to get home in one piece. Unfortunately for all concerned, Tony was a civilian. If Odin was expecting some sort of military report from Tony, he was going to be sadly mistaken. "Thor asked me to relay as much as I could to you. He is with the healers now but will come and see you when he can. Of the hundred and sixty soldiers who went in to get Loki, only a hundred and fifteen have returned. Which, in my opinion, isn't a bad statistic given what they were up against. But that's just me. Several were lost during the crossing, some have died since getting back but the majority of the casualities died in Thanos' realm. Everyone else is injured and starving to various degrees but alive. So that's something." Odin asked a few questions about the soldiers and what they had experienced in Thanos' realm and Tony answered as best he could, though that wasn't very well at all.

"What of my sons?" The man sounded stoic, but Tony thought he had heard the tone of concern there. Or maybe he was imagining it. "Thor's in one piece though rough around the edges. All his men say he was a hero out there and I don't doubt it, for what that's worth. I haven't seen Loki, but I've been told that he has been taken away to be healed." And I want to be there with him. Odin took a long moment in silence and Tony was left wondering if he should be leaving. Then the god rumbled back to life. "I ask you, Midgardian, can your SHIELD spare you for a time longer?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "How long?" "Once my son Loki has recovered, he will be sentenced once again in the Great Judgement Hall of my forefathers. His escape and crimes since leaving must be taken into account. You, Anthony Stark, should be there to innumerate the crimes he has committed against yourself and the Midgardian peoples." Crime's against me? Tony grimaced at the thought. "I'm not the best choice for this. I'm barely keeping my cockiness in check right now and that's only because I find you faintly terrifying. No offense. You don't want me up there making a mockery of the whole thing." "I must insist," Odin said coolly. "Alright, insisting and asking are two different things. If you didn't-" "Thank you for your time, Tony Stark, Man of Iron. You may go." "You're dismissing me?" Odin just stared imperiously. Tony opened and shut his mouth for a while, scowled, turned on his heel and left with a mutter of bad words. In retrospect, it was astonishing really that Tony hadn't been killed yet. Clearly they were patronising him and that just made it worse. At least, when you respected someone as an equal, you were prepared to throw a punch. In Tony's case, the godly Aesir here just tended to see him as an impertinent child. Thor had been talking to the hospital like area and was being seen to. The army had disbanded and were being treated or going home. Servants were running around seeing to everything and Tony… Tony wondered back to his room alone and lay down on the large bed. He's alive. Never had two words relieved so much pain in him. Tony had heard a lot of two word sentiments in his life and his was the sweetest. Better even than case dismissed. He bit his tongue violently and turned over, burying his face in the pillow. He fought that sudden rush of emotion back because it was not Tony Stark. The boy was crooning for his god. But even though Loki was back there was still a world between them. Thor, Odin… not to mention an entire Asgardian army. Still, he's alive.

Let's start with that and deal with the problems later.

Hurting Chapter Notes

Thank you Geirhildur for your notes on this chapter. Hopefully the 'Asgardian' will be a little less painful to read now! :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Two days later and Tony once again was forced to wonder if he had been forgotten about. Which was irksome to say the least. Tony Stark is never forgotten about. If he wasn't the centre of attention then there was no attention to be given. But everyone here had a purpose that they were attending to. Thor had spent most of his time either with the healers, next to Loki's bedside or in conference with the All Father. Tony felt like an outstayed house guest. He hadn't gone near Loki. He didn't see how he could do it without raising any alarm bells. From the gossip he had overheard, Loki was alive but badly injured. The boy inside Tony screamed out for him, but Tony was, for once, forcing himself to think rationally about all this. The dark mire of agony which he had embroiled himself had lifted as now there was something to do. He couldn't have found a way into Thanos's lair. And if he had, he would have died. But now! Now there was a problem to wrap his head around. How you break into a god's cell with all of Asgard watching 101. Tony could hardly demand to see the Asgardian traitor without someone asking, 'oh yes? And why would you want to do that, then?' Loki had been moved into his old quarters while he healed, where upon he would be brought down to his cell. Upgraded probably - maybe one that had a lock this time? Just a thought. Tony found the room by following busy servants and healers. The advantage to being a Midgardian in the glittering gold halls was, once the gods had all gotten over the initial curiosity; Tony had sort of sunk into the background. Especially now he was making an effort not to draw attention to himself. Again, it was like he was a child - particularly Tony's childhood growing up with the great Howard Stark. He was only noticed when he was causing problems and otherwise, if he was still and quiet, he could get away with more. Remain still and quiet, boy, while I play… Tony shuddered. The bastard had taken up lodgings in his head the last week and the only way Tony was getting him out was by seeing him. By knowing the fucker was still alive. The reaction of the palace was unusual to watch. Whereas the people within the palace were still as critical and mistrustful of Loki as ever, the opinions of the soldiers who had gone through hell to save him had mellowed slightly. Apparently, the condition they found him in suggested he had been punished enough. And now all they felt was rage against the Titan who had done this to a Prince of Asgard, Jotun or no. It made Tony wince. What condition exactly did they find him in to make them forgive all he had done? A year of torture at the hands of a Mad Titan. Tony hadn't banked on Loki's interest in him lasting six months let alone a year. Who exactly was he going to find in there if he ever managed to break in?

The opportunity came soon enough when he went looking for Thor to be told that he was with his brother. When Tony got to the room in question, it was closed off by heavy doors and equally heavy guards standing outside. Tony fell back into old habits. "Is this the way to the TV room?" he said with a wave of the hand. The two guards remained poker faced. "Just kidding. I'm looking for Thor. You know, big guy. Blonde hair. Looks a bit like Lassie. Prince." The guard on Tony's right seemed to be more up-to-date with recent political news and nodded. He turned and raised a gauntleted hand. Suddenly wooden carvings in the door that Tony originally mistook for decorations began to move intricately, sliding back from the frame and at some points passing through each other, until there was the sound of unlocking bolts. The doors opened slightly, enough to allow Tony through. "That's quite a party trick," Tony said as he darted through. The room was large and… Tony breathed out a glorious sigh. After a week parted, without even seeing the figure in the bed, he was once again surrounded by Loki. This place was Loki. The furniture, the books, the smell… a weight that he hadn't realised was there suddenly lifted and he felt like falling to the floor. He didn't though. I'm not that glad, really. So he's alive? Big deal. "How is he?" Tony asked. "Weak, but he will live." Tony walked over to stand next to Thor and gazed down. Loki was in a loose fitting shirt and trousers of dark green. Tony felt his lips twitching. So, these were Loki's pyjamas? Nice. Why did Tony never have a camera when he wanted it? The healer in the room was fussing over the unconscious god and eventually pulled the covers back over Loki. The old healer man turned to Thor. "He needs rest. As do you, my Prince." Thor glanced up and shook his head. "For Loki's sake, I asked that the guards not remain in the room. It would not calm him. But there must be someone to ensure that he causes no mischief." "You think that's likely?" Tony asked, trying to sound incredulous, but he didn't believe it. Even unconscious Loki could probably start a war. Well, maybe not a war. Certainly a punch up. "Besides, no one's getting past that door – have you seen it? It moves all weirdly." Tony tried to illustrate with his hands but let them drop in the face of the other's expression. He sighed, "Thor, you look like you're about to fall down and sleep were you hit. Go on. I'll stay and keep an eye on the loony tune. He's hardly going to be a problem right now, is he?" "He will still be stronger than you-" "But not quicker. Not right now." Thor conceded. It wouldn't have taken much. "Here," he passed Tony a long sort of bowie knife of bronze. Tony held it like a society heiress holding a dead rat. "Lovely," he muttered. "I hope you will not have to use it," Thor said gravely. Tony stared at the thing. "Yeah… me too. I'm more of a laser sort of guy." The two left, leaving Tony alone with the sleeping god. As the clicking and thumping ended,

securing the room once more, Tony threw the dagger onto a large chair away from him and unconsciously wiping his hand on his shirt. Really, what did he want with a knife? Lasers were cleaner and far cooler. He gazed down on the sleeping Loki. Well, you wanted to see him and there he is. Now what? Tony reached out and ran a hand down Loki's pale, handsome face. Then he pulled back and scolded himself with a tsking sound. What a soppy thing to do. Don't be such a girl, Tony. Tony was thumbing through the books a little while later when he heard a vague moan. He dropped the book on a chair, took a breath and walked over to the golden four poster bed. He looked down on the now frowning expression of his god. Loki's eyes fluttered open and stared blankly at Tony. Green eyes gazed expressionlessly. He closed them briefly and opened them again. "You know, I was expecting to find more toys," Tony said with a mischievous smile. Loki sighed out. "So you are here. I would not have believed it. I thought you a dream." "How do you know I'm not?" "You are not so bothersome in my dreams." "You fantasise about me often?" Tony smirked. "Hum…" Loki hummed agreeably, his eyes falling closed again. "Often kneeling at my feet, in front of my throne. Wearing far, far less." Loki opened his eyes and looked at Tony critically. "These clothes suit you." "No they don't." "How many times have I dreamed you here, in this room, wearing such clothes that I would immediately pull from your body. Make you scream so loudly that every soul in the glittering gold corridors of Asgard would hear you and know who you worshipped." Tony considered. Well, had Loki been an Eskimo, he probably would have fantasised about Tony naked in an igloo. Each culture to their own. Tony had to admit it; he had spent nights stroking himself, imagining Loki in a pair of black jeans and green shirt in the back of his Acura. Loki stared at him hard. "How long? Has it been?" "Six days since the Bifröst." Eight since you've touched me. Loki closed his eyes, again exhaling in… relief? "I had feared it was longer." There was silence between the two, but it was comfortable and easy. Loki was wheezing slightly, wincing as flashes of pain wracked his body. Tony felt helpless. With a quick glance to the doors, he sat next to Loki, trying not to disturb the bed and cause the god anymore discomfort. He took Loki's hand gently. Loki stared up at Tony again. "They've treated you well?" "Sure." "Have you caused trouble?"

"Of course." "That's my boy." Loki whispered and Tony thrilled in the delight he saw on Loki's face. "Did you know they have meat here that tastes like chicken katsu curry, but isn't, you know, curry? That's just the natural taste of the meat." "I believe you speak of the stórr hind." "What's that when it's at home?" Loki let out a low sigh, making it clear his patience was being stretched, yet he did it with such a little smile that Tony felt encouraged to continue being Tony. "It is a creature much like a deer." "Ah." "Only it is four times the size with antlers as large as its body." "So I've been eating giant katsu curry deer? And no wireless signal to be found anywhere. This is a weird place." Tony found his fingers tracing the veins in Loki's hand. He felt helpless and Tony did not do helpless. "I wish there was something I could be doing." Tony shrugged. "You know, this place is boring." And because you're hurting and I want it to stop. What did I just say, Tony? Stop being such a girl! Loki's eyes open and he gave Tony what could only be described as a look. "Oh no. No! Not while your parents are home." "So your offer to help was conditional?" Loki asked harshly. "Or perhaps only said to make yourself feel better?" "Hey, look-" "Tony, I need this." Tony paused. Oh crap. Loki sounded vulnerable. He looked vulnerable. He looked weak and helpless and beaten. It should make Tony feel strong and powerful. It only made him more desperate to please. The boy was pushing up inside of him. Please oh please, touch him. I need to know he's alive. He glanced at the door in trepidation and then pulled back the covers, quickly turning his attention to opening Loki's trousers and coaxing free the already semi hard length. "I am so ending up in a jail cell," Tony muttered distractedly. "There's got be a law against taking advantage of a half dead prince." Loki laughed then stopped himself with a wince. "Tony, you are in Asgard. No matter what compromising position we are discovered in, I will be deemed to be the perpetrator. In Asgardian law, your status is that of a child." Tony paused, fingers gently caressing Loki's balls as he simmered with annoyance at that statement. That explains so much."Right. And you people don't see how that could be just a little bit insulting?" "Shut up and put your mouth on me." "Whatever my god commands," mocked Tony and swallowed him down. His whole body leapt for joy as his tongue explored the cock. I might never have felt this again. Tony sucked hard,

groaning almost immediately as he lost himself in Loki. "Yes…" Loki breathed. "My boy… I have felt hollow without you." His boy. Loki's boy. Tony closed his eyes, losing himself in the taste, the touch, the smell of Loki. He wanted to concentrate, to make it amazing and not run the risk of hurting Loki in this state. Tony's head bounced and bobbed up and down. He hummed deeply in approval as Loki's fingers wound into his hair and gripped hard. Loki's boy. Tony should have it tattooed across his ass. Probably would, after an argument or two, if Loki ordered it. What was he trying to remember? That myth he had read… Ganymede, that was it. Okay, it wasn't a Norse myth but a Greek one. Still Tony had found it almost perfect. Ganymede, the most beautiful of mortals was abducted by Zeus, the king of the gods, to be his cupbearer in Olympus. Because there were a lot of cups to bear, presumably. Well, Tony wasn't exactly bearing Loki's cup right now. Though Tony was fairly certain that cup bearing was some kind of ancient Greek euphemism. And let's face it people, Tony was the most beautiful of all mortals, right? Tony was Loki's Ganymede and believe it or not, he was fine with the label. Tony would never stop joking, never stop arguing, never stop fighting Loki every step of the downward way but he knew now, with a blinding certainly, that he had finally accepted the purpose Loki had spelled out for him at the beginning. It was written on his being indelibly. Where the hell had that come? From four days of believing him dead. Tony pulled his mouth away, but stroked it instead as he spoke. "I belong to you, Loki. I just… I… needed you to know that before I stopped… being serious. I'll always be Tony Stark, but I'll be your boy as long as you want me." Loki looked down at him, a hard look in his eyes. "Without argument?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Now, did you not just hear me say that I'd always be Tony Stark?" Loki leered. "Good. How would I punish you if you were never bad?" He sounds the same. He feels the same. He tastes the same. Tony tried hard to let himself believe that nothing had changed, but there was still a dark worry within him. He spat onto Loki's shaft, sat up and pulled his trousers (well they were leggings technically, but Tony refused to say it. Stupid Asgardian clothes) down with a sigh. "Oh I'm sure you'd always find a reason. Some people's minds are just fucking devious." Loki didn't seem to realise what was going on until Tony was positioning himself over the long, hard and straining cock. Then a hand reached up and grabbed Tony's hip. "No. It's not enough, boy. It will hurt." Tony ignored him and pushed himself down without hesitation. He threw his head back, gritting his teeth, his brow deeply furrowed. Loki was right, of course, there wasn't enough lubrication and the pain was lancing, but it was so worth it to feel that tight stretch. "Son of a…" Tony breathed in wonderful agony. Loki groaned. Tony looked down, suddenly alarmed he was hurting the god, but Loki was smiling.

Once he was flush against the fabric of Loki's trousers, he opened heavy lust filled eyes and locked on to Loki's equally licentious gaze. They were both out of breath already. Tony's mouth opened in a smile that, had he been able to see it through Loki's eyes, rivalled the most debauched looks any lover has given in all of history. Only Tony Stark could manage to knock all his predecessors out of the running and so early on in his corruption. Of course Tony knew none of what was going on in Loki's head. In a way, he wouldn't have wanted to either. He grinned mischievously, "What do your laws say about this then?" he asked huskily, rolling his hips. Loki whole body shuddered in ecstasy. "I told you, boy. You are a child, hapless and naive. By law I am required to have taken better care to preserve your innocence. For the love of Yggdrasil! You are barely thirty seven." Tony ground up and down for a while, almost biting through his lip to stop his keening from being heard. "Innocent? Seriously?" "Trust me, there are so many things I could show you, my love." "Show me." Tony begged. "Show your boy." "You're an addiction, Tony Stark." Tony awoke from his revelry at the change in Loki's tone. He had gone deadly serious. Tony stared down at the harsh face.Seriously? A fucking mood swing? Right now? So he hasn't changed then. And did he just seriously call Tony the addiction? "You what?" Tony demanded. Loki was scowling at him now. "This was never supposed to happen. Thor was going to find you, naked, bleeding, torn to pieces in your own tower and he was going to know it was me. But no, I leave! So then he was going to find you naked, kneeling at my feet, servicing me like a little whore! He would see that I had broken you, the Man of Iron, to hurt him. On the Helicarrier no less, but no. So I was going to reveal our liaison to your team in North Korea. In front of everyone I would destroy you before taking the Bifröst Sword. I was going to tell them exactly how I had known of its location." Loki banged his fist down on the bed with an angry laugh and a hiss of pain. "None of it happened because there would be another night and you would look at me like that, with those eyes and I would find myself leaving you unconscious in the bed. Leaving you used and spent and helpless and I would leave, thinking of nothing but my return." All of it, lies! Don't let him fuck with your head again! "You manipulate me- don't you dare deny it, boy! You fight to keep me chasing and when I am finally done with you, when I finally find the strength to kill you, you insufferable little quim, you turn those… those damned eyes upon me! You dare tell me that you do not do so deliberately? That the infuriating child suddenly becomes the crooning boy without intention?" Yes, actually! Though I take your point, I don't get it either. "You feed every need I have to love you. I love you. And you know – you know what you do to me! You're an addiction, Tony Stark. You were meant to die. You're so… dangerous. You have crawled under my skin and I cannot be free of you. And you're just a mannligr, vexatious lágr barn! How have you done this to me?"

How have you done this to me? How many nights had Tony uttered that, blaming this man for his destruction? Tony's eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of an increasingly agitated god beneath him. Maybe it was because he was home and he was emotional, but Loki's tongue had slipped into Asgardian. And after his dull four days wondering the palace, Tony had developed a bit of an ear for it, though he still had no idea what any of it meant. I don't think he's lying this time… though it's entirely possible that he's gone as insane in a year as I've done in four days. Loki gritted his teeth, hissing, "I was tortured by Thanos' dark designs for a year and all I- All I could think about was how I would never have you again. I imagined you finding another, rutting with some common creature not worthy of you. That beasttaking claim over what's mine! Seeing it taking you and you crooning for it like you did for me. My boy! Mine! I had nightmares of you growing old, dying… losing… No. No!" Loki's hand grabbed a stunned Tony by the hair and even in his weakened state he yanked him down roughly, burying his boy's face in his neck. His other powerful arm wrapped around him and held him so tight that Tony had a horrible moment of not being able to breathe. "No. I own you, Tony Stark. þegi þú mitt væna sveinbarn, I won't let you go. Because I decided, lying there as evil tortures destroyed me. I decided if I ever got free of Thanos, I would no longer lie to myself. Because I have been, believing that the day of your death was only in postponement. No. You're mine. I will make you mine, make you immortal and you will live eternity at my feet. Naked and mewling and mine. Completely. Accept it. There is nowhere you can go; there is nowhere you can hide where I will not drag you back to my bed, my little boy. Accept now that you are the property of a god, to be cherished and used until the end of time." There was a long pause. "Okay," Tony croaked and swallowed. "Good to know." Loki's hips ploughed into him and Tony could do nothing but gasp and wince because the clutch on him barely allowed him to even squirm. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight, he could barely breathe. This was a different sort of power from their other couplings. Normally, Loki's hold on him would be through bondage or verbal command, but Tony was still able to thrash and flail. This was different. Loki was literally holding Tony to his body, one hand still stroking and tugging his hair as he fucked him into insanity. Drove into his body with a power the god hadn't used before. He was holding Tony so tightly it was as though his darling boy would disappear if he let go. Loki was muttering, murmuring love into Tony's ear. It wasn't that he was expecting the boy to reply or even listen. It just seemed to be things he needed to say. "I dreamt of you, of your body. Of your eyes. Of your mouth. And when I awoke I tried to discover how long it had been. How long I had been imprisoned. I had nightmares that it had been years and you were gone. Oh mitt sveinbarn." The pounding hips grew faster. Tony choked back a yelp as his eyes crossed slightly. Loki's gasping moans in Tony's ear made his cock twitch and throb hard. Generally Loki managed to stay pretty composed during sex. Now he seemed to be panting and groaning without control. It made Tony so excited. "Oh my little boy, you feel so good, so tight. Ah, já, yes! I love you, minn sváss, I need you. I need your eyes, I ek þarf líkama þinn. Oh Tony, oh yes! I have pined for every second of this for so long. Yes! I am going to fill you, mitt sveinbarn. Fill you up now and for the rest of líf þitt." Tony didn't mean to struggle in Loki's grip, but the sensations thrumming through his body were becoming shattering. His cock was rubbing against Loki's stomach with the gods every pounding thrust and it was making his eyes cross in the orgasmic anguish. His breath was restricted, his back aching from the violent pounding. He tried to squirm, tried to create some space between them to breath, to think, but Loki's grip tightened and Tony felt his ribs protesting as the pressure

increased. He gasped and choked. "Nei, nei, don't fight me, mitt sveinbarn. þegja and accept. It's over, Tony. Lie still and accept your god has returned. Accept that you will never escape me now." Tony nodded into Loki's neck, trying to convey it wasn't escape he was after. He didn't want Loki to think he was trying to leave, but tears sprang into his eyes as the sensation reached a new peak. The need to keep quiet, to keep the sound in buried in his chest was creating a glorious panic inside of him. He wailed through gritted teeth and panted, his body shuddering. "Yes, yes, such a good boy! That's right. You will know what it is to be loved by a god. You will worship now and forever. Ek elska þik, mitt sveinbarn." Loki's hand was still stroking his hair, still holding him immovable. Encased in strong, powerful arms, his face pressed against the hot skin of Loki's neck, his ass being taken more roughly than he had ever remembered. And all the while, Tony was biting his tongue hard to stop too much noise as images of being caught like this by Thor flooded his mind. Fuck. And the way Loki was going at it, even if Thor and all of Asgard did walk in, Loki probably still wouldn't stop until he was finished. The whole thing was devastating on Tony's body and sanity, but Tony knew this was what Loki needed. Hey, when Tony had got out of captivity in Afghanistan, he had gone for an all American cheese burger and then held a press conference tearing down his own company. Good times. To each his own, right? "Loki, please, I have to cum," Tony whimpered desperately. "Shh, nei. A little longer, boy." Tony laughed, a sob caught in his throat. Fuck, how could he be so happy? "Bastard." he hissed with a smile. At the very edge of Tony's limit, the command was given and he was just able to force his hand down between their two tightly pressed bodies to reach his throbbing cock. Tony licked and sucked Loki's neck like a man possessed as he began quickly stroking himself to climax. Loki came first and managed to do it completely silently, burying his face into Tony's hair and trembling. Tony, on the other hand, found a strong hand covering his mouth as he yelled out in bliss. I could have lost this.

Chapter End Notes

A/N: Two quick notes. First, as I regrettably never learnt to speak Asgardian at school (my mind must have wandered), I'm using Old Norse. I fully confess that I trawled the internet for an English-Old Norse dictionary and found some common phraseology. I do not vouch for their accuracy! Besides, there are bound to be some spelling differences between Nordic and Asgardian. Second, I know other fanfics often provide a translation when they cross languages. I'm not going to do that because if Tony doesn't know what Loki's saying then neither should you! But of course, feel free to Google away.

Marked The god and his mortal lay for a little while, panting and crooning in each other's arms. Neither wanted to move. Loki's hands ran over and over Tony's hot, wet skin. Tony wanted to feel Loki's naked body against him, but the pyjamas were in the way. But in a way, it was appropriate. Tony had been here for Loki rather than himself. And, in truth, Tony had gained what he needed from this manic coupling in any case. Stop over analysing. Just relax. Tony breathed out, jumping slightly as it came out in a low moan. One of his god's hands moved down to stroke and pat Tony's behind possessively, the other travelled up and stroked the goatee. "I had toyed with the idea of tying you up and shaving this off." "Before I wake up," Tony muttered thickly, "You can do what you want with me." Tony rolled his shoulders slightly, pulling himself together. "And now I'm awake, touch my goatee and I'll kill you." "I will make you cum while I do it. Tied to a chair and brought to climax while I ran the blade over your skin. Over and over again until you are drained, smooth faced, and unconscious." Wasn't exactly a service you got at the local barbers. It also occurred to Tony that Loki's little fantasy sounded rather well thought out. He groaned, "You've had a year-" "To dream of you. And plan. Design my games for if I ever found you again. Every second I swore to myself that I would do it all to you with no hesitation and such a little slut you are, I should not have held back before. Your body aches for my every whim." "Sounds good to me," Tony breathed. Then he shook his head and rolled his eyes. "A boy toy to a god." "The God of Mischief's little whore," Loki clarified with a wry chuckle. "If I were any other, I would almost feel sorry for you." "This is different, isn't it?" Tony said. "Something's changed. You weren't talking like this last week." "Last week. Last week was a year ago for me, Tony." Loki pushed Tony off and Tony flopped onto the bed by his side. "You must bathe me before anyone arrives." Tony muttered darkly as he worked out how to move his limbs again. Was it one foot in front of the other, or the other way round? It was in his interest as much as Loki's not to get caught like this. Tony stumbled his way to a bathroom off the main room and found all he needed. Not long later, he returned, now clean and clothed, with a basin of water and a couple of towels for Loki. "First time I've done this," he muttered. "It won't be the last," Loki replied smoothly. Tony glowered at the smug fucker. "Can't you just magic yourself tidy?" he demanded, thumping the basin down on the side table. "My magic has been bound. Odin is not stupid, no matter what else he may be." Tony grumbled, "He's got no sense of humour, that's for sure." "You spoke with the All Father?"

"Yeah, once or twice." "And yet you live?" "Hey!" Tony glared at Loki's little smile and turned away before he felt it returned on his own face. He got down to business, dipping a hand towel into the water and wringing it out slightly. He paused. "Boy," said a soothing voice. "Do not over think things so." Tony reached out and ran the cloth down the visible part of Loki's stomach, mopping up the result of his own orgasm. That was something he had noticed now he was with a man. Sex was a lot messier, particularly as while Loki would cum in Tony, Tony was left just to cum over the bed. Tony shook his head against a descending haze of lust. For once, he was trying to do the right thing and focus more on his partner than himself. Let's not ruin that now. "It may be easier if you undressed me first," Loki said and that contemptuous tone was back. "Your clothes were on the entire time," Tony objected. "Boy…" The tone was warning and Tony bit back his retort. I mean really, what could the man do to him right now? But, if Tony wanted to play the game then he had to play the game. He began to strip Loki and pulled back in alarm as he saw the marks ofA hand reached up and cupped his face. "They will heal," Loki said soothingly, stroking Tony's dark eyebrow with a thumb. "You will not see them in a few days." "Fuck what I see or don't see, Loki, what happen-" Fingers pressed over his mouth. "Boy… please." Tony closed his briefly eyes, nodded, then returned to his work. Every time he pulled back more fabric more of Loki's torture flashed through his mind. Everything that you could possibly conceive of being done to a body had its trace here as well as marks Tony couldn't fathom. It made him ill. He forced down the bile of anger that was rising up in his throat. Loki didn't want to hear a tirade from Tony that he would hunt the fucker down and make him pay because that was Tony's job. Tony was here, in Loki's opinion, to be cared for and controlled. Protected. Not to fight for Loki. So Tony didn't say it. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to. One day I'll find this fucker and he will burn. He dipped the cloth back into the warm water and started with Loki's face, smoothing away all the lines, running down his neck, gliding over the wounds in his arms as delicately as he could. Loki's eyes half shut, still staring at Tony but heavy with exhaustion and pain. But as Tony moved the cloth gently over the horribly marked skin, he could see the muscles in Loki's body relaxing. Tony noticed three large round marks on each of Loki's arms which could have been made by large metal bolts driving through skin, muscle and bone, and securing him to"Boy…" Loki whispered. Tony blinked and carried on. Loki was watching him carefully, green eyes focusing on every expression that ran over Tony's face and calling him back when he became too intense. Tony moved onto his chest, gathering up more water in the rag and bathing Loki's body with care. As he passed, his head dipped down quick to flick a tongue against a nipple before moving on.

Loki chuckled and shook his head. He ran the cloth in smaller and smaller circles around Loki's stomach and a 'U', a long scar caught his eye, traveling from just above the hip, down to almost the crotch, before travelling up again, perfectly positioned for the intestines"Tony." Tony turned, restocked the cloth, trying to ignore the red swirls as blood from the cloth dancing out into the water and pulled the covers on the bed back further. He spent a little time on Loki's feet, noting but not lingering on the horrific burns there, before dragging the cloth up the legs, legs which bore the same round marks as the arms. When he made it back to the crotch, he planted a brief kiss before quickly cleaning him up. "Can I… would it hurt too much to turn you?" Loki shifted his back slightly, cringing and shook his head. "Perhaps, but I would prefer to try." Tony helped Loki turned and every wince the man gave was like a dagger in Tony's heart. When he was on his front, Tony felt his stomach churn. If he had thought the front had been bad… "Tony." Tony soaked his cloth and started on Loki's back, being as gentle as he could. But the cloth was becoming stained and too unclean to use. "Hang on, man," Tony said, coughing against his tight throat. "I'm just going to run in and grab another cloth." Tony walked quickly to the marble stoned bathroom and grabbed a cloth. He took a moment before going back out, the image of that back sharp in his mind's eye. Tony breathed hard against the emotion, threw a fist out and punched the wall with a silent yell. The fucker's going to burn! "Got it." Tony said, coming back in and climbing back on the bed with Loki. "And damaged your fist while doing it." Loki said wryly. Tony glared at the back of Loki's head. "How did you- never mind. I don't care." "If you ever harm yourself again I will be most displeased. I can harm you well enough without you taking that into your own hands." Tony bit back a retort. What exactly can you do about it like this? But Tony didn't say it. He didn't say it because Loki wanted to be told he was powerless just as much as Tony wanted to accept his god was powerless. Tony returned to washing Loki's back, forcing himself to keep going despite Loki's painful flinches. It wasn't too long after that Loki was clothed in fresh pyjamas and tucked back into bed as though nothing had happened. The basin and towels were disposed of and Tony returned to Loki with a yawn. "That's another thing about this place. The time zones are f-, excuse me, are darned up. When I left it was 3pm on Tuesday 7th November. When I arrived it was 7am yester-year. What the hell's up with that?" Loki ignored him. Tony slid down, his chest on Loki's, his head just above the god's. "Go on, give us a kiss." he teased.

Loki shook his head. "If I could move, boy, I would beat you." "Good thing you can't." "It will only postpone your punishment." "Oh goodie." Tony's head fell down against Loki's shoulder. Loki's hand grasped his bruised fist and held it up for inspection. "Don't ever do that again." "Whatever." Loki tsked. Tony rolled his eyes and felt a hand reach up and stroke his back soothingly. He sunk a little further into Loki's arms. "What now?" "I will escape, find you and bend you over the counter until you beg me for mercy." Loki growled. Tony raised his head and glowered back. "Well as thrilling as that idea is." he snarled, "How are you going to get past the guards and the big Slidey Puzzle Door of Doom? I don't know what's worse; the idea of you out there plotting the world's end or you in here where I can never touch you ag- okay, yeah that's worse." Loki shrugged casually, wincing slightly. "I know Asgard and its people. They are slow to try anything new and loathe to let go of anything old." Loki smiled. "Perhaps that is why I find it so easy to cause chaos. And besides, the last time I escaped, my motivator was the destruction of Thor. Now I have another more pressing reason. I shall not be parted from you again, boy." "Another," Tony said hollowly. "Another reason, rather than an alternative? You can't just leave Thor be, can you?" Loki was silent. Tony's head fell back against Loki's shoulder. "This is so messed up." "It matters not. You will accept your position, which is all that is expected from you." "What-" did you mean 'make me immortal', Tony was going to ask, before he heard a sound like bolts drawing back. "Shit!" he exclaimed, jumping off the bed and hurrying away. "Your language will always be the source of reasons to punish you, boy." came a sighing voice behind him. Thor walked in through the doors, looking far better than last he'd been there. Thor was about to speak when he caught sight of Loki's open eyes. Thor's manner changed. Tony was surprised. It wasn't hatred, or anger, or stiffness. Thor was sorry for Loki. Loki was delicate. Now, it wasn't that Tony wasn't sorry for Loki. But he didn't treat him like some injured woodland creature. For Tony, Loki was a powerhouse to be sniped at, rebelled against and worshiped. He was perhaps getting a better idea of why Loki had chosen Tony for his boy. He couldn't think of anyone else of mutual acquaintance that would treat Loki in quite the same manner. "Brother, how are you feeling?" Loki remained silence. Tony felt the need to play Tony for all he was worth. "Tried that. Silent as a statue. A broody statue." "I would have thought a few hours in Tony's company would find your voice, brother. If only to demand him to be taken away and executed," Thor said kindly to his battered sibling. "Excuse me!" Tony said, "Still in the room here." Thor turned with a gentle smile. "Thank you my friend. They are serving the evening meal in the great hall. Please do go eat."

"No, I'd rather stay," Tony said, his heart crying out for it. As Thor turned around, looking perplexed (an emotion he did so well) Tony smiled and turned to leave. "I mean, he's such a hoot and all." Tony Stark, master of sarcasm, slave to his own insincerity. Tony would normally ask food to be brought to him in his quarters, but tonight he went to the great hall, not to eat, but to walk out onto one of the balconies. He had to give the place something; it did have the most incredible views. Glittering towers of white and gold stretching out to an immense wall. And beyond that, fields of green, lakes and woods. It was in Asgard as a whole, rather than the palace and glittering corridors that Tony could picture Loki. The views elegant and regal, the forests dark and unknowable... Tony knew that Loki belonged to this world as completely as Tony belonged to his lab and Tower. Someone's going to lose, Loki or me. And neither of us will back down. A thoroughly dismal Tony stood there for a long time before he heard a rustle behind him. He turned to see a tall, thin woman with her hair in an elegant mound on her head. She looked old, or at least, older than some of the women he had seen around here and she was gazing at him with steady eyes. "Erm, sorry. Is this your spot?" Tony asked, moving aside. "We have yet to meet. My name is Frigga." "Really? That's unfortunate." Far too late for the rate his mouth moved a memory shifted in Tony's head and he grimaced before he had even finished talking. "And you're Thor's mother. The queen no less. Great. His father, his friends, his brother and now his mother. I'm just giving Thor every reason in the world to hit me with that hammer. I'll go." "Tarry a while, I am not offended. I wished to speak to you." Tony pulled a face, his back to Frigga. He really didn't want to chat to the crazy brothers' mother. "Alright…" he said warily. "You seem to have a lot on your mind," she said, moving to face the horizon. "Well, yes. Flying through a magic portal which apparently could have killed me, landing in a world of mythology, suck in a palace for four days yes. I've got a bit on my mind. And this place… It's certainly different from New York. I was wondering why Thor would bother himself with Earth if he had…" Tony gestured to the scenery, "All this?" "Thor has a good heart. He cares for all very deeply." "Like the Jane girl." Tony supplied and paused in vague alarm. "You did know about that, right?" Frigga laughed and nodded. "It pleases me that Thor has found such a woman." "Really?" "He loves her." "The fact that she's human-" "Inconsequential." "But she'll die." Tony prompted. He felt bad taking to Thor's mother about his girlfriend, but he couldn't think of any other way to get the information he wanted. "That will probably upset Pointer, Thor a bit." Frigga gazed at him and smiled. It was a little too knowing for Tony's liking. "My boys know

what they want. They are strong willed men. To find and settle on anyone is far beyond what I ever hoped. I know what it is you are asking me and I shall tell you. For you have the right to know and I fear my son has not been forthcoming. When an Asgardian takes a Midgard as a brida companion, there is an effect known as the binding. A joining of souls-" "I don't believe in those." Tony said quickly. "An essence, a spirit, whatever you like to call it. I could spin it into a great romance, but it is not so. It allows a Midgardian to remain in this realm. You only stand here now by the will of the All Father and the effort has been a great strain upon him. Were his mind to wander, you could be thrown down to your world in seconds, or shatter into the void." Was it Tony's imagination or was the ground beneath his feet suddenly a lot less solid? And he had sworn at the asshole. "Do me a favour and thank him for me, would you?" "The mortal lives as long as the Asgardian lives. If the Asgardian dies, the human dies… it is not a pretty death. If the human dies… the Asgardian mourns. That is why I do not claim it to be the great romance. It is nothing more than ensuring the Midgardian remains at the Asgardian's side for as long as they are wanted." Frigga sighed a little sadly. "Happiness is all I want for my children. My only objection is their choices create such an… uneven form of devotion. The mortal, after the binding, takes on the mantel of a prœll. A Thrall. It is another word for-" "A slave." Tony said hollowly. "Yeah. I knew that one, actually." "The ritual itself is called þja ey. Which I'm afraid loses its poetry in translation. It means quite literally enslaved forever." Frigga smiled gently and sadly. "Thor is a good and honourable man and has explained this all in great detail to his Jane Foster. He has left it to her and awaits her judgment." And here was Loki, already apparently set on the idea and leaving Tony to find out the facts from his mother, of all people. Just great. "Thor and Jane are a great pair. I'm sure there will be little Thor-lings running around before you know it," Tony laughed distractedly. "With little hammers and telescopes." Frigga smiled. "Thor has rarely been my concern. He had his years of misadventure, but has always been destined to become the great and high King he was purposed for. It has always been for my troubled Loki I feared. Now, I feel less reason for distress. I love my son, but I am not blind to his faults. For him to think of anyone other than himself is an abundant improvement." Shit shit shit. This old woman and Bruce need to form some sort of detective agency, they'd be unstoppable. How about the Frigg'n'Hulk? Tony coughed. "Well. I'm going to-" he had no idea what but turned and began walking quickly to the lights and bustle of the main hall. "Anthony or Tony?" "I'm sorry?" "Your name is Anthony Stark, Man of Iron, but my son refers to you as Tony." He refers to be as boy, actually. Oh right. You mean the other one. "Tony. People call me Tony, I'm Tony. Hi." "Tony. You should know no laws are placed on our people on their choice of companion, so long as they defend their decisions to those who would make comment." "Fascinating. Well would you look at the time-" "Thor would never criticise on that front but it is the manner to which he will most violently

object." Tony's fast retreating back halted. He glowered at the woman with narrow eyes. "What exactly do you mean by that? And what are you planning on telling Thor?" "Please do not be alarmed, I meant nothing sinister. Only that Loki's actions would, in Thor's mind, be a great betrayal of him and everything he holds dear. Thor sees you as brother in arms and to such he'll afford a lifetime of respect and love. I will tell him nothing and neither," she said, seemingly trying to underline a point here, "will his father." Odin knows. Triple shit. Frigga looked at him sympathetically. "Had the All Father not known of Loki's actions on Midgard, he would not have allowed you to cross into Asgard. Forgive me, but Asgard is no place for an unbound mortal. Odin brought you here for one of two reasons; for you to have your say in the Judgement Halls when Loki's crimes reckoned. There you would be able to reveal the corruptions committed upon you. Odin would take it into consideration in Loki's resentencing-" "I'm not a child!" Tony retorted heatedly. "I beg for what he gives me!" You're talking to his mother! Shut the fuck up! "Or," Frigga continued, sensibly ignoring the outburst like only a mother could, "you would be here to see his return and to help him. Heal him in a way that only a lover can. No father, or brother or even mother can reach so deep and touch so soothingly as a lover can and pull from a sufferer the venom that pains them. Your presence alone might persuade Loki to see the error of his ways. For your sake, Loki may even allow himself to be helped by the All Father. To return to his place in the golden court as is the wish of his family. Either way, your decision must be made before such revelations brought to light." "Decision?" "The binding of an Asgardian and a lesser-" Frigga caught herself in time, giving him a shamed look, "please forgive me. Between an Asgardian and one from a mortal race; it cannot be done in secret or behind your back when your attention is diverted. You will be conscious of the ritual. Loki can't force it upon you… practically speaking." "Practically?" "He could force you to choose it as the lesser of evils." Tony laughed and looked up at the night sky. "Oh, your boy is such a nice guy I'm sure he wouldn't possibly do that," Tony said wryly. He shook his head and said, "I fear to offend Milady, but your people are pretty fucked up, you know? I can't believe it; I'm standing here with fucking Ma Barker. Just because you've got the invincibility and the big fancy castle and a giant hammers doesn't make the rest of us cattle! Listen lady, I am nobody's fucking slave!" Tony spat that with a much more venom than he had intended and immediately regretted it. Fuck Thor's going to kill me and kill me dead. RIP Tony Stark. But to Tony's surprise, Frigga simply nodded gently. "I agree. But there it is. Our talk would have been gravely different had I believed other than I do. Had you not persuaded Thor to let you come to Asgard. Had you not gone willing to Loki and spent hours with him as you have done." She sighed. "If I had believed other than I do, this conversation would have ended with my reassurances that you would never see Loki again. You would have my word that Loki would pay for his sins against you. As it is, my hopes are that once this unfortunate time has passed and my son seen the error of his ways, you may be walking these halls as a prince's consort."

Tony Stark, Prince Consort. That's better than slave. Food for thought. "And you claim not to believe in souls." she said easily, walking towards him and placing a hand over his arc reactor. "When I see such a soul glowing inside you." Tony swallowed. Adopted mother or not, Loki was most definitely raised by this woman. Okay, so Loki used his words to manipulate and control. She used them to calm and cajole. She gave you the impression that you could sob your heart out for hours, then she would merely have to whisper a few words of encouragement and you'd be ready to take on an invading army with your teeth. Such was the nature of a soldier's wife, he supposed. "It's a magnet, actually." "Really?" she said kindly, her eyes opening slightly conveying interest and silently inspiring him to go on. "Yeah, an electromagnet. Keeps the shrapnel away from my heart." Frigga laughed delicately. Tony didn't really see the joke in it so he asked. She smiled, "I believe you perform much the same purpose for my son." Tony felt himself smiling inside, but forced it away because that was just too soppy a thought. And he'd been soppy enough on this trip to last a lifetime. "Look, I'm… I apologise if anything I said came across as… a little terse?" "It is understandable," she said compassionately. "You are only a child." "Oh come on! Why does everyone- I'm almost forty!" Tony wailed. That's when the chaos started.

Loki'd Golden armoured warriors were running down corridors in squads. Serving men and women had to throw themselves back to avoid the charging groups. There were yells and complete pandemonium filling the night air. The warriors three, accompanied by an amazon like woman Thor had pointed out as Sif and who had survived her injuries from Thanos' realm, all stood up from the table and ran from the hall. "I'm going to put all my money on Loki's escaped." Tony said to the world in general. "And that's a lot of money." Over the sound of chaos came Thor's bellowing shout as he attempted to control his men. Tony rushed into the corridor and was almost flattened by a gang of running golden horned guards. Jinxing and weaving, Tony made his way through the corridors, finally finding his… efficient stature useful. Not small, he wasn't small. He just happened to be in a world of freaking giants. He made it to the bedroom and skidded in his tracks. "Oh." Loki turned and smiled. "Oh," he said back with a cheeky smile. He was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in his golden Asgardian armour; horns and staff and everything, and looked full and whole. It was so much more the Loki Tony had wanted to find, rather than the shattered wreck he had. "And what has minn vœnn sveinbarn-" Loki caught himself, apparently realising for the first time his language had been slipping between English and Asgardian. He smiled, closing his eyes and clearing his throat before continuing, looking a little shamed faced, "What has my beautiful boy been up to?" Beautiful boy. I may never have heard those words again, no matter what the language. And now I have, it still pisses me off. Tony pointed out of the door, a little befuddled. "You know there's a whole army of angry guys out looking for you?" Loki smile broadened and he shook his head. "They can search. I am already gone." Tony's face dropped as he finally figured it out. He walked up to Loki and his hands passed straight through his chest. He felt the disappointment crush him as he turned his head and walked away. "I'm not talking to a shadow." "I don't have to be." Hands grabbed him and threw him back into the room. Tony scrabbled to his feet and before Loki could… whatever the hell he was planning, Tony blurted out, "I'm not binding with you." Loki paused. Tony rethought that. "I'm not sure that's grammatically correct. I'm not doing that with you. þja ey," he said, his pronunciation cumbersome on the unfamiliar syllables. "No. Never." Loki's face was… Tony hadn't realised that such a stupidly blurted out sentiment could hurt a man so much. Well, alright. Of course he knew the damage it could cause. He had done it to so many people. The problem with intelligent people is that their weapon of choice was first and foremost their words. And words cut too deep. At least the dumb would just throw a fist and be done. But this was the first time in a long while that the look the target of his words gave him wounded

Tony so much. Loki was… hurt. Then the gods face curled into a sneer. "þja ey," Loki said smoothly, correcting Tony's fumbled attempt. "Eternal binding. And I don't see how you'll have a choice in the matter. So tell me child, who would I have to threaten, to torture, to kill for you to change your mind?" "No." Tony walked forward quickly. "No! Look, let's not fall into this Disney villain-assed shit of – look," he said, thumping his hands on his chest. "I am not a princess or some great prize to be won! I am just Tony Stark. I'm not worth it. Well, I am worth it, obviously. But you don't want to be stuck with me for all time any more than I would. This is all some…" "Who has been talking to you? Father would not speak of this to a Midgardian and I assume you would not dare to tell Thor while I could not defend myself. So then who…" Loki looked away as his mind worked, then shut his eyes in anger. "Mother…" he hissed indignantly. "So, wait… Thor's not your brother, Odin's not your father but Frigga-" "I nursed from her, was raised by her, I slept in her arms! She is my mother!" Loki snapped viciously. Okay, touchy subject. Someone's clearly got a few issues… "Let's just cool our engines here a moment. Maybe it just didn't come out how I meant it," Tony sighed. "It's just… Loki, for fucks sake, you're practically asking me to marry you!" "No." "No?" "No. I'm telling you." "Oh you're such a romantic," Tony sniped. Look who's talking. Every Valentine's gift you've ever brought everyone was underwear. "I… just found out that you want to marry me through your mother. You're all talking crazy Asgardian all the time; I'm only getting one word in ten here. And now you've disappeared off and I'm alone, again, and… I don't know, I think I'm having a rough day. My head hurts and I just want to lie down for a bit with a bottle of something toxic." Tony finished in a whinge. It's been a long, long night. Loki licked his lips; his temper mercifully dying as he took in Tony's defeated state. "You are mine, Tony Stark." "Yes," Tony whispered. "You will belong to me for all eternity." "Yes, I will." "And all I promise is, while you will live to regret having ever flashed those sweet eyes at me, you will never be happier, safer or more satisfied. Look at me, boy." Tony's eyes flicked up and were immediately captured in Loki's glare. "Do you believe me?" Tony chewed his tongue. "Yes." "Yes what?"

"Yes, my god." Out in the night, the shouting was dying down as Loki's hundreds of clones began winking out one by one. "Your mother… the Queen of Asgard," Tony had to say it because if he didn't keep reminding himself this was really happening, he could swear it could be just some bizarre dream. "Your mother has just given her, and Odin's, blessing that I might one day be your… thrall." A long, long night and getting rapidly longer. "I care little for what they think." "The Queen of Asgard is apparently hoping that I'm going to be her son-in-law," Tony repeated. He seemed to be trying to make Loki understand which was bizarre. Loki well understood, it was Tony himself who needed to wrap his head around it. "You are a god among men on Earth, Anthony Stark. Where else could you be but in these halls and in my bed?" "Prince Consort Tony Stark. I have to tell you, it sounds better as a title than boy or slut." "Why would I share your pet name with the world? It is mine to use while you are on your knees." Tony wanted to be on his knees right now. Oh have some pride Tony! "Or slave," Tony muttered darkly. "My, she was thorough, wasn't she? Did she warn you of unequal love?" Loki sneered mockingly. "She said that if you died, I died. But not the other way round. What a jip." Loki looked up and round, his head rising off his shoulders like a dog sniffing the air. He glanced away distractedly and sighed. "Before I must regrettably leave, with the promise that I will return to you, my love, and punish you in such a way you will beg for more and mercy, let me leave you with another thought to ponder." Loki's lips captured Tony and kissed him until he felt giddy. Tony sighed, his hot breath on Loki's lips. Well, now look who's suddenly turned all romantic? And from Loki, of all people. That was actually quite a sweet… Tony stood bolt upright, staring at Loki in fascinated horror as he felt hands run down his back. In front of him, Loki's hands played with the collar of his shirt. "Oh my god…" he said in a shudder. Loki's clone… correction, they were both clones. How had Tony forgotten that already? The real Loki was out there somewhere and these were just projections of Loki's mind; his devious, bent and twisted mind, both groping and kissing and… "Holy fuck!" Tony gasped, an uncontrollable giggle building in his chest. "Language, boy," both shadows whispered. And they were gone. Thor came charging into the room to find Tony bent over, cracking up with hysterical laughter.

He saw Thor's expression and that pushed him over the edge again, laughing until he thought his chest would explode. He raised a hand and pointed at the astonished hero, gasping through the laughs and tears, "We just so totally got Loki'd!" Oh come on, gimme a break! It's been a long night. Even as the early hours of the morning stuck, it was still chaotic, with guards searching everywhere. To show willing, Tony donned his suit and flew out in search of a man he knew was already long gone. Thor knew it too, Tony could tell. But Thor held out hope that his brother would not so easily abandon his home. Tony disagreed. But he felt better for flying. It gave him a while to gather himself again. Asgard was not the right place for him, he was bored and desperate and untethered here. Tony needed to get home to his lab. He couldn't deal with Asgard. He had been honestly worried he may have lost his mind back in Loki's quarters. No, it's okay. You've only gone and lost your heart. That's cool, I can deal with that. Marriage. Even Pepper hadn't managed to drag that kind of commitment out of him. And Loki was liable to pull him up the aisle by the hair. Tony spent a purely devious few seconds trying to image who would wear the dress. He decided it had to be Loki; he had the legs for it. After hours of searching and not a thing found of Loki, he was waved back to the palace in the early hours of the morning. Arrangements were made for the playboy billionaire to return to Earth. Back in the Throne Room, hunting party disbanded for now, Thor looked tired and abashed. "Please, convey the message to the Avengers and bring my deepest apologies. To think we brought Loki back so close to his prison and possible redemption, only for him to escape again." It was crashing down hard on Thor and Tony felt his heart bleed for him. "It is humiliating." Tony slapped him on the back. "Come on, man. Look on the bright side. Had he been brought down to his cell, okay, that would have been the end of it. But how then would you have had a legitimate excuse to knock a bit of sense into him with dear Mjölner?" A wearisome smile crept over Thor's thin lips. "How is it Tony, you make me smile at such a wicked thing?" "I've been told I appeal to the worse in human nature. Same thing must apply to the gods, surely." Thor looked up and over the crowd assembled in the Throne Room, all expecting answers when they had none to give. Tony was glad he was skipping town. "Tell me; what were you and my mother speaking of last night?" Thor asked. "What?" Thor looked slightly ashamed, but pressed on. "When Loki disappeared, there were… suggestions." "Of…?" "Understand, Tony, it is simply because you are not one of us. And Loki, in many people's eyes, is not one of us. The natural thought is-" "That those are who are not one of you are lying, scheming bastards?" "No offense is meant, my friend." "No, it sounds like they got it right." Tony said cheerfully. "In my capacity of the President of the Lying, Scheming Bastards Association, or the LSBA, I've got to tell you, your brother is a shoe

in." Oh poor Thor. Tony mustn't have waved the 'this is sarcasm' flag high enough. Then again, the poor guy looked run off his feet. And whereas exhaustion in Tony generally presented as hysteria, jokes coming thick and fast, in Thor, it seemed to manifest as confused brooding. "The LSBA… what is that?" he asked perplexedly. "Er, I think it's the Louisiana State Bar Association. Lawyers. So I wasn't far wrong." Thor's mind returned to the original conversation which Tony had been hoping he wouldn't do. But Thor had that stolid intelligence of the not exceptionally bright. Well, not compared to Tony. Those people didn't grasp an idea quickly, but when they did, they ran with it until they threatened to run you over. "Mother vouched that when the news came, you seemed just as shocked as everyone else. Her assurances stilled the tongues of those who would stir up trouble. I was merely curious as to what you and she were discussing before my brother escaped." "Talking about the time you rode you horse into a tree." Tony said. "I do not recall." "Brain damage probably." Tony shrugged. "We weren't talking about anything really. She was just being nice when she had absolutely no reason to be." Thor smiled. "Yes. She is a remarkable woman." Tony had to agree as he caught her eye across the room. "Yeah. I think I like her," Tony said. Then he caught Thor's look and said, "No. No, no, not like that. Never like that. No." "That is good, my friend. It would devastate me to have to kill you," Thor said with a casual smile, looking as though at this precise moment it probably wouldn't devastate him that much. "And it would devastate me to die, so we're all good. No. She's not my type. Too old. No, not too old, of course not, just, old. Not that I would if she were younger- Look, I just meant - she's an interesting woman- person. Hang on, where's my helmet?" Tony hastily removed himself from striking distance. Though, given the range of Mjǫlnir, a safe distance was probably in another realm. Thor's father, Thor's mother, Thor's brother, his friends, his people, some unnamed Captain of the Guard and now Thor himself. Time to get this show on the road. Tony had pissed off enough gods this week. "But I thought you said Odin had stopped his powers? What happened after he went missing?" Natasha asked as Tony finished his report. When no answer was forth coming, she prompted. "Tony?" Tony raised his head from the table. "What's the time?" he looked up and glared at the night sky through the windows of the Helicarrier. "I tell you, this is worse than jet lag. This is… this is… realm lag. And that's worse. Way worse." If he never travelled between universes again it would be too soon. He had landed heavily on the Helicarrer's platform and had almost been run over by an incoming jet. Fortunately, Steve had been on deck and had dragged him to safety. Just great. Now I have to thank the spangled ass. Bruce had run up and taken over, bringing him down to the medical centre and injecting him with enough drugs to knock out an elephant. Or, in this case, to stop his chest from exploding through a heart attack or high blood pressure. Or both. Odin had warned Tony it would happen but it didn't make Tony feel any better about it. But this is the way it was; Tony would not be getting daytrips to Asgard without running the risk of death. If

he ever went there again, it would be because he was bound to Loki… for all eternity. Not a comforting thought. After a few hours of rest, Fury had been pretty demanding that Tony report on what had happened in Asgard. Tony grumbled petulantly. His day wasn't looking as though it was going to improve anytime soon. And there was only one thing… one someone he could think about. "Tony, try to focus." "On?" Fury was leaning against the railings, his arms folded and not looking like the happiest one-eyed man in the world. He had taken the news that one of the biggest threats to mankind was on the loose again pretty hard. You could always tell because he became very, very wry. "Don't leave us all on a cliff-hanger, Stark," he said coldly. "Cliff-hangers are good for you," Tony said idly, looking miserably into his empty cup. Coffee. He didn't need to drink drink; he was already dizzy, nauseous and seeing weird colours. But coffee was as mead to the gods... fuck. He'd spent too much time around the Shakespearespeakers. "Tony," Natasha promoted wearily. "What do you want from me?" he complained, "He disappeared, we looked, he gone. Bye-bye. Simple as." "How?" "Yeah, what everyone seemed to forget is that Loki had a year to plan his stunt. He knows his father, his brother and his people; knew exactly how they'd react. And don't let anyone fob you off about his injuries, he sure seemed pretty active to me." "That doesn't explain it." Tony attempted to recount Thor's explanation of why Odin's magical bonds had been as effective as the last time (read: no fucking use whatsoever). But Tony didn't understand what he was saying any more than anyone else understood what he was saying. Needless to say, it had a lot to do with his Jotun heritage that meant Odin's powers over him were not as complete as they would be had he been Asgardian. "The problem with magic is: it's magic," he concluded. "'How did you do that, Mr Loki?', 'Well my boy, its magic'. On the other hand, science! In science it's, 'now how does that work'? And it's 'Well, a magnetic field is produced by the flow of an electric current. That electric current flowing in a wire creates a magnetic field, creating an electro-magnet.' Hey presto." "What does that mean?" Steve asked. "My arc reactor." Tony clarified. He waited for light to dawn, then gave up and shook his head. "It's magic, dear. Don't worry about it." "You seem okay about this," Steve commented. "Well, it was a real class act. I mean, evil bastard or not, he's got brains. And he's got style. And this time; this time no one can say it was my fault." He drained the coffee and tried to shake the last of the fatigue from his limbs. "I'm blowing this joint. I've got someone expecting me." "Jarvis?" Steve asked, too innocently not to be a jibe. "And the Capsicle makes a funny."

"Tony's got a girlfriend," Bruce muttered in a low, very quiet sing song voice. Tony smiled at the man as though he were a puppy who had learned a new trick. "Before we go our merry ways," Fury said blandly. "There's one more thing. We've been getting reports that someone's been creating uranium in large quantities. At the moment, we've got nothing to go on but an abandoned factory in Thessaloniki and this." Fury pulled up an image on the glass screen for the Avengers to look at. Bruce tipped his head sideways. "Looks like some sort of mould. I've never seen uranium in a module like that." It looked like it would produce a triangle. Bruce glanced at Tony. Tony shrugged. "Don't look at me. I used uranium when I was young but grew out of it." "Palladium now your idea of a good time?" Fury asked with a poker face. "Hey hey! The one-eyed guy made a funny," Tony said drily. "Good grief, Bruce, Steve and Fury in one day. Do I hear the sounds of an approaching apocalypse?" "Given Loki's on the loose," Bruce said with a small laugh, "I wouldn't discount it." Fury returned the subject to the uranium with a teacher-like weariness. "Hill is going to talk you through the ins and outs. There doesn't seem to be anything that we can do right now, but it needs to be flagged. The amounts of uranium we're talking about there could be enough for several bombs and we can't afford to ignore this." Tony stood; he wasn't staying for a fucking briefing. "Be on the lookout for dirty bombs. Got it. Send me the details in the mail if you must. If you'll excuse me kiddies, I'm gone." Tony raced to get back home in a SHIELD provided transport, not trusting his exhausted body to fly right now. His hope was to shower and get a few hours' sleep before Loki arrived. He could hardly wait. He was pleased (and disappointed) that the god wasn't there when he arrived and he did manage to pull six whole hours of sleep before Jarvis finally awoke him. "Sir, your guest has arrived." Tony pulled himself together reaching out for a robe and tugged it on, still a little groggily. Stepping out into the living room, he was greeted with the last image he had seen in Asgard, though minus the horns and staff. Loki looked too well, too together to be real. He narrowed his eyes sceptically. "Is this you, or a clone?" "Does it matter, boy?" "I want you," Tony said petulantly. "I am still too weak. Even more so after fleeing Asgard." "What realm are you in? I'll come to you." "No," Loki said quickly. He moved towards him, walking cockily, sultrily, making Tony want him so much more. "Have you had time to consider my little suggestion? Are you ready to feel my domination twice fold?" Loki's lips brushed Tony's ear delicately. "Be a good boy, and maybe it'll be three." Tony shuddered. Oh that was just too much, too weird, too… too much of an amazing opportunity to turn down. He was always looking to broaden his horizons, after all. "I want you," Tony repeated. "I want it to be you and me, and your shadow." Loki eyes looked up towards the heavens, pondering. "Hum… no. It will be you and my shadows, while I watch from a chair."

Oh that was just too hot for words. Tony shuddered as his body responded in all the right ways. Was it possible for Loki to make him cum with just his words? Tony hoped that one day he'd find out. "Then tell me where you are and I'll do whatever you want." Loki hesitated. Tony saw it and grew undeniably angry. "You don't trust me." he said levelly, bile rising in his throat. "Now I trust you, in this tower. And when you arrived here and are dragged to my bed, I'd trust you. But between there and here, you may remember you're an Avenger. In your suit. How would I know what would come to me? My boy, or the Iron Man with his army? And if you did not bring your friends to rain destruction upon my hideout at a time I cannot defend myself? If you did not, you would have to sit through every conference, every plan of war against me with the knowledge that you knew of my location. No. It would be too much for you." Tony walked away from the clone. "Then leave. Get out of here! Go on! Fuck off." "I will return when I am recover-" "No, here's a suggestion, don't come back. Fuck off and never come back!" Tony shouted. Loki stared at Tony, closed his eyes and evaporated into thin air. Tony's face fell from anger to shock and pain. He had expected an argument. He had expected Loki's antagonism. On some level, he was craving punishment from the man, just to tie Tony back down to earth. In the recent weeks he had felt horribly untethered without Loki's ever present domination. Tony had wanted domination and didn't want to beg for it, he had wanted to be forced. But Loki had just left. Oh fuck.

Acknowledging Chapter Notes

A/N: Warning for Dark!Loki

Sixteen nights now Loki hadn't appeared and Tony was tired of feeling like the lovesick teenager waiting by the phone. It felt like he had got Loki back in Asgard, only to lose him again. And there was a dark, pressing insistence that one, if not both times, was his fault. He's making you think like this! Who gives a fuck? He's gone, finally! And you can get back to your life! Tony leant against the bar, finishing off a bottle, glaring at nothing. Hating everything. He didn't need Fury or Natasha or fucking Bruce to tell him that he had been getting out of hand of late. Tony knew it. He could feel it. But they all had to stick their oar in, telling him that he had been getting worse. That old poison that hadn't been there for the last couple of months was suddenly back and boiling in his veins with a vengeance. It was making him sick. He had been getting increasingly angry, increasingly anxious, increasingly... Stark. He had been drinking more than he had done in months, driving faster, pissing more and more people off. After a particularly out of control Stark Industries shareholder meeting, the brazen and arrogant playboy had come very close to getting expelled from the building. Jimmy or Johnni, whatever his name was, was pulling his hair out over Tony's behaviour. And now the latest plans for the arc reactor were in chaos. His legacy was in jeopardy and why? Because he wasn't getting fucked by a Nordic god? There's something really wrong here. He slumped down to the floor, bringing his bottle with him. It was empty, but it was more a comfort than anything else. How much had he drunk in sixteen nights? How many parties had he been to? There had been one brief, fumbled make out session with Miss Maryland… or was it Miss Dakota? North or South, Tony didn't give a shit. He was fairly certain he had passed out before anything had happened; probably because, for the first time in two decades he had taken ecstasy that night and everything had gone whirly. Tony had done plenty of drugs when he was younger. What genius billionaire playboy didn't? Admittedly not much – like everything, the buzzy thrill had gotten boring after a while. But in that brief time he had learnt to hide it which was good. SHIELD would not react well if they found out. The final blow to his pride had come when he realised the gossip columns weren't covering his descent with their usual hysteria. Oh yeah, it was all in there, minus the drugs thankfully, but they seemed to be of the opinion it was Tony Stark being Tony Stark – his previous three months of good behaviour and the whole 'saving the world', apparently earning him reprieve. Tony shuddered, running his fingers over his face. Let's look at this honestly, Anthony. There's two ways of looking at this. Firstly, you've suddenly become the kid who, after leaving home for the first time, goes on a year of hedonistic enjoyment now finally out of the control of a parent. Loki's turned his back so you've gone and lost it.

Tony threw the bottle against the wall and it smashed with a satisfying sound. Or… you've spent the last sixteen days doing anything you can think of to infuriate him enough to come back and… Even in the depths of his darkest moods, Tony wasn't so blind as to recognise his behaviour was as out of control as it was last year when he thought he was dying. Why? All the fun's gone. The excitement's gone. There's nothing to do but be good and that's just too dull. It was time to do something. Anything. The risk of glorious climax or horrible death at the hands of a psycho god was an itch he couldn't get out from under his skin. He walked out into the night and onto the platform. He teetered on the brink. All his life, risks were what defined him. Tony let himself drop off the edge. The air around him ripped his clothes, whipped his hair back. The street below him was racing up to greet him. He waited as long as he could before calling, "Jarvis, deploy." The Mark VII suit was getting quicker now at unfolding itself around his body, cocooning him in metal and electronics. It meant that it had barely been a risk at all and he was already rocketing into the sky before the thrill had even formed. Still bored. So now what? xxx Fury stormed into the conference room to where Tony was nursing a glass of whiskey and pulling childish faces at an angry Steve. He glared with his one good eye at the playboy billionaire. "I thought we were over this, Stark," Fury said in a livid voice. "I thought this stupid ass lone wolf shit was behind us." "I don't remember signing anything to that effect." Natasha was by Fury's side now, glaring at him with a stern expression. The rest of the Avengers were out and about, living their lives. It was just these three, Natasha, Fury and Steve who seemed to have no real lives of their own. Natasha shook her head. "It was a very stupid thing to do, Tony and you know it." Fury continued, "Your fucking rash stunt-" "I got the key back didn't I?" Yes, he did. And there it was, the long silver sword sitting on the table glittering. But Tony hadn't been looking for the damn key. He had been looking for Loki and he hadn't been there. "Yes you did and at the cost of burning down a military facility in Russia!" "They were all the prima donna's mercenaries," Tony shrugged. "That's not the point," Steve and Natasha said together. "North Korea, China, Russia," Fury listed with an angry shake of the head. "Can't you see Loki's playing us? Three superpowers are now furious. This is what Loki wants-" "I don't give a fuck what he wants - we wanted the key back! Now we've got it. How is this not the end of the conversation?"

"Did you even have a plan?" Steve demanded. "Yeah: 'Get the key back. Get drunk'. I'm on step two," Tony smiled bitterly, waving the glass. "You and your fucking plans, you fucking boy scout." Fury seemed through with him, though no less incensed. On his way out he snapped at Bruce who, to Tony's surprise, had edged his way into the room while Fury was yelling. "You talk to him. For some reason he at least listens to you." The room emptied, Natasha throwing a brief, sceptical look at Tony before accosting Fury. Bruce looked up through his fringe. "Hi." "So, the gangs all here. Except Thor who's probably still chasing his tail looking for Loki and Barton who's probably... you know what, I have no idea? Probably nesting somewhere. I thought you at least would be out having fun." "I saw on the news that a factory had been destroyed by the Iron Man and Vladimir Putin was calling it an 'actionable declaration of open hostile activity by the Americans'. So I thought I'd better come in." Bruce walked up and sat on a chair opposite him. "Did something happen? You've been so happy recently. Is it Pepper?" "No. Not Pepper." "So you've had a fight with this new one?" Tony didn't answer. He didn't have to. "Is it over?" "Probably." Tony said, and grimaced at the crack in his voice. "Because it always is." "What happened?" "She walked out." "Why?" Tony shrugged. But Bruce apparently wasn't taking no for an answer today. The playboy sighed and said, "She wants to get married, apparently." "And you don't?" "Fuck it, Bruce, I don't know what I want." Bruce laughed vaguely. "Hey, you want to talk about barriers to relationships?" "Nah, guy like you? Who could resist." Tony said with a toothy smile. "And the Other Guy?" "It would be like Russian roulette. Only more fun. And green." Bruce looked away, speaking, as was his way, to Tony's shoulder rather than making eye contact. "Did you care? About her?" Tony didn't answer. "Tony, realistically, how many people are we ever going to find who would love us enough to stay despite-" "You don't understand."

"Then let me in. I can understand." "Not this." Tony shook his head violently. Not this. Bruce wouldn't understand. How could he when Tony couldn't understand? And Bruce was his friend. And Tony Stark didn't have many friends – real friends. He pushed them all away. Though Bruce had done a thoroughly good job pushing back, Tony didn't want to test it. To risk a friendship which, on a certain level, was more important to him than Loki's domination. "Anything you told me would stay just with me." "Not this." Natasha walked back in. She stood, folding her arms coldly and glared at Tony. "Fight with the girlfriend?" "You were listening?" "No. It's obvious. As is the fact you've been dating for a couple of months very quietly. Which is surprising for you; so it's a different pattern of behaviour which I imagine is from her influence. Your behaviour has changed, presumably to please her. She must be a very strong personality or you must be very unwilling to lose her. Either way, it's also obvious that you haven't been together for the last twenty or so days." Tony and Bruce stared. Tony cleared his throat, alarmed, "And how-" "You've received nine speeding tickets in the last sixteen days. You've drunk enough for several frat parties – I read the tabloids, Tony. It's not hard to keep a track of what you're doing, it's not like I need to follow you all the time. You'd stopped all this; you were beginning to grow up, finally. But since you got back from Asgard it's all started up again. So you've broken up with a girl. That's no reason to descend back into being a complete ass." Tony closed his mouth. "Stay the fuck out of my life." xxx Timeout. Tony supposed that's what this was really. Fury had clipped his wings to stop anything more from happening. He had been forbidden from going out joy riding in the suit for the next few months. An order he had naturally disobeyed the next day, but he had only popped out in his suit to grab a Starbucks… okay, from England. So now there were SHIELD agents watching the tower. Tony hadn't allowed them in and threatened to release Jarvis and his entire arsenal if they dared. But his sharp shock at his own behaviour, flying off half-drunk to Russia and making an idiot out of himself at the parties had at least shifted his method of rebelling. There were two tried and tested forms of Stark Sulking. First, the out of control 'this is not happening, I am entirely enjoying my life'. The second was this. Tony hadn't left the lab for the last six days. Hours and hours spent wallowing in his workshop allowed him to forget. Sleeping at his desk, barely drinking or eating. Burying himself in solving the problems he knew had answers. Science, where there were yes and no answers. Where everything was fixable. Bruce, god love him, had dropped in as frequently as he could to check up on him like an over concerned nanny. Tony had barely exchanged half a dozen words with him on these visits. But they had at least gone over Tony's ideas for the new transport. Bruce was a great sounding board for this and even if he didn't understand the particular area of science Tony was elaborating, he knew enough to say if it sounded possible. Every genius needed a level headed friend to say when they were reaching for the stars, or when they were simply lost in space. The lab. This was where Tony belonged and between them, Loki and the Avengers were trying to

pull him out of his world. His world. Like when you saw those exotic animals, so proud, so beautiful, so out of place in a park zoo. Keep working, and forget the fact that it's been twenty-three nights. That was the longest Tony had spent without Loki since that first night of violent domination. Tony sighed blissfully at the remembrance. He couldn't even bring himself to relieve his aching need. It felt like a betrayal. Tony rubbed his face. He had to sleep now, but where? In the bed was just too painful, too many memories. On the couch, equally so. Tony rolled his eyes, doing his best to pull himself together as the boy inside of him whined. Just do what you've done every night. Find a bottle and fall asleep where ever you pass out. "Jarvis, I'm turning in. Don't wake me in the morning. In fact, don't wake me ever." As Tony stood to amble over to the camper bed, shoved over in a corner of the room, the lights turned off. Tony looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Quick on the draw tonight, are we? Lights." There was no answer. "Jarvis, lights. Anytime." Tony swore under his breath. He knew his lab like the back of his hand and made his way slowly to the door from memory. The door was locked, the key pad unresponsive. Wonderful. Jarvis had gone into an emergency mode which made absolutely no sense, unless the AI was getting hacked. Again. "This is like a bad horror fic," Tony called out to the darkness in general. "The last thing I'm going to do now is call out 'hello?' in a quavering vo-" A blow came out of the darkness and connected with his face. It felt like a fist. There was a ridiculous amount of power behind it and his head slammed back against the glass door. He heard a crack and he hoped it was the glass and not his head. He fell to the floor blinking dazedly. He tasted blood in his mouth; he must have bitten his tongue. He looked up, but still couldn't see anything in the black. "Loki," Tony croaked. Relief flooded his heart, but fear was growing too. This didn't feel right at all. This was going to be painful and maybe fatal this time, Loki felt angry. Very. Tony reached out a hand in the black. "Loki, please," he lulled gently. He was pulled up by his collar. His legs scrambled to stand as he was pulled up against a warm chest. "No," Loki hissed in his ear. "No words." Tony was thrown forward and he ploughed into a table. It winded him. Ribs protested. He stood and turned quickly to where he hoped Loki was. "I'd like it put on record that, last time we spoke, I don't think you took my comments in the manner they were intend-" Tony began and gained another punch for his troubles. "No words," Loki repeated. "Strip." "Hey, man, whatever you want," Tony said soothingly, wrenching off his clothes quickly. The light of the reactor spun out into the darkness with its delicate hazy blue. Now Tony could just see Loki's form in front of him. The light glittered in the livid eyes. Tony swallowed. Yeah, I'm so fucked. "I just want-"

Something hit his face and fell to the floor. "Put it on." Tony knelt, nude and to his shame, trembling slightly. Evil Loki was easier to deal with… well; firstly it was easier to deal with evil Loki when he was drunk. Tony was alarmingly sober right now. And easier to deal with when Tony was happier to see the back of him. It was easier to take the pain when Tony wanted the god to leave. Now Tony was desperate for him to stay but afraid of what was going to happen. So long as whatever Loki did to Tony tonight stayed on the right side of Tony's wild desire, he didn't feel he'd have the strength to argue. It would get bad and probably bloody. While Tony believed Loki wouldn't actually kill him, Tony knew he wouldn't stop the god in anything he wanted to do. After what you've been doing the last month, you fucking have it coming. He groped around until he found a strap in the darkness. As his fingers felt it... "Oh. Then can I just say-" "No." "I am... I might have been wrong to kick you out. Not completely wrong… but not absolutely right." Tony thought that was the best he could do at this point. "I'm… I am glad you're here, Loki." He pulled on the gag and tightened it with ashamedly shaking hands. "Over the table." Well, he could have guessed that was going to happen. Tony lay over the cold metal table and readied his arms to be restrained. He all but put his wrists into Loki's demanding hands. When Tony's wrists and ankles were finally attached to the four legs of the heavy, bolted work bench the lights came on - not fully, but enough for Tony to finally see Loki. The god was tall and powerful, standing in his gold amour, minus horns, glaring at Tony with such venom. He's beautiful when he's angry. The god was already elegantly smoothing his long pale fingers through a flogger. It had a flexible leather handle with long leather thongs hanging down. Tony closed his eyes momentarily, taking a breath. "This is going to be a little rougher than your previous punishments. But I think we can both agree, you deserve it." Yes. No! Fuck no! Who's he to say what I can and can't do? Tony objected vehemently through his gag, but it was more for his own benefit. Loki wasn't listening. He stalked around his little mortal until he was directly behind Tony, but off to the left side slightly. He brought down the flogger hard; swinging down from over his left shoulder. Tony screamed. Already. How was he going to cope with his? The first blow stung and burned. Tony, eyes wide, sucked in a breath hard, his back trying to bend in, away from the pain. The second created agony beyond anything he had ever felt. The third equally so, but he now felt cuts begin to open on his back. It was stinging and burning and flooding pain and adrenaline into his mind. Everything around him became bright and sharp and threatening. He lost count around seven. The harsh restraint of the metal cuffs (when in recent times Loki had moved him on to leather which Tony had found far more comfortable), his already exhausted state, the smell and sensation of blood in his mouth all threw him back to their first time. Perhaps it was the retrospect rather

than the truth, but in Tony's mind now, their first fuck stood out as glorious and passionate, though he was sure it probably hadn't been so at the time. Despite the pain, there was that familiar stirring in his groin as he pictured his dark god taking him from behind in his desperate state. Tony groaned around the gag. "Quiet, boy." Boy. Tony fought to obey. The beating stopped suddenly. "Let us talk about why you are being punished. Because if you don't know why, you won't learn. First, your language. As always." Tony felt a smack hard against this ass but it wasn't the flog. It was a crop. That meant pain, again, but not the overwhelming sort that the flog had produced. It meant Tony was supposed to be paying attention. "Second, your manner in addressing me when last we spoke was unacceptable." Slap! "Third, your behaviour of recent weeks in public has been unacceptable. You've drunk to excess" Slap! "Endangering your life, which, make no mistake about this, is mine it do with as I please. You've made a fool out of yourself in front of the Midgardian people." Slap! "You've acted like a spoilt child who throws a tantrum when he does not get what he wants. This does not reflect well upon your god and that is why you are being punished." Slap! Tony's mind reeled between humiliation and ire. How the fucker dared to tell him, talk to him like a child and say what he did was unacceptable to his god? Who did the mother fucker think he was!? Pepper glared and stamped her foot when Tony went off the rails. Or she just walked away as she had during the Vanko incident.Is it wrong that I'm so happy, yes, happy that Loki cares to such a degree he'll make me change my ways? It was too metaphysical a conundrum to solve right now. Tony waited, hanging off the table, waiting for Loki to do something, anything. Loki was probing through his workshop - Tony could hear him tipping things over and throwing things off benches in his search. Just ask me and I'll tell you. No matter what it is, Loki, please just ask me and it's yours. Loki moved into his field of view. Tony looked up pleadingly, but was wholly ignored. Then Loki seemed to find what he was looking for. He reached down and pulled up one of Tony's bottles. Tony's eyes widened. If he was going to pour that on him with the number of open wounds he had right now, that was going to hurt... Very badly. Tony whimpered pathetically. Loki opened the bottle and pulled from his belt a long, thin knife. He drenched the blade and put the bottle on the table. He moved back behind Tony.

Only then it struck Tony like a brick. Sterilised. Tony bucked and thrashed against this cuffs. He expected rebuke. He expected further restraint. What came was worse. Loki did nothing. It scared Tony. Loki was absolutely serious. As he fought harder, the cuffs dug into his skin and created whole new wounds. Eventually he gave in, not really knowing or caring how long he had struggled for, his body going limp and he let himself sob without control. He hadn't cried like this in a long time. It wasn't the done thing for a Stark and his father would have scolded him for it. Now Tony just let it happen. It was... releasing. Loki placed one hand on his upper back and ran the blade down, just caressing the skin on his lower back, below the level of his hips. Then… One cut. Tony yelped, but it wasn't as painful as he was expecting. It must be some Asgardian metal; it created sharp and clean cuts. Another short cut. Then another. After every cut Loki would pause to watch the blood well up and run down Tony's body. The whole process became hypnotic for both, pulling them into the same world, their own private universe of pain and pleasure, where nothing existed but each other. Tony tried to keep count. Ten? Twelve? It was useless to guess. Eventually Loki pulled back and breathed out, "My boy..." It was a statement, not a question. He opened his heavy eyes and saw his blood dripping onto the floor. Not a lot of it, but enough to create small puddles. He felt a little faint. His head was pulled up by this hair, his gag removed and Loki's shaft was fed unceremoniously into his mouth. Tony choked and retched slightly, the angle was bad and was hitting his gag reflexes painfully. "You're not meant to enjoy this, boy," Loki said softly. "Just hold still." But Loki was wrong, because Tony was enjoying it. It was so... bad as to be good. If you understand. Tony gurgled delightedly as the taste of Loki set his senses alight. Loki came very quickly, clearly in as much desperate need as Tony after their long separation. Tony groaned with joy as a stream sprayed into his mouth. Tony sucked hard, trying to keep him in his mouth even as Loki pulled out. He swallowed it all quickly, licking his lips like a cat. He looked up, begging in his eyes. Loki knew, he had to know what Tony was asking but didn't care. He turned from the room and left. Tony hung there for a while, there wasn't much else he could so. Relief lifted him as he spotted Loki return. With a flip of his stomach, he saw a bowl and a towel. Loki moved behind him. "I will wash you and attend to you wounds. These," Loki ran a finger across Tony's back. Tony whined in pain. "Will heal very soon. But this," he stroked the sensitive skin around the cuts "will scar." Tony didn't care. It wasn't as though his body was littered with scars already. But scar into what? Loki could have written KICK ME back there for all he knew. It was hardly in an area you saw every day. It was purely meant for Loki and anyone else who saw Tony naked. It was a stamp of ownership. Loki had written himself into Tony's soul (not that he believed in souls) and now had marked it on his body. "Permanently?" Tony croaked out groggily. "If it fades, I will redo it." "Promise?"

"Yes, now hush." Loki was running a soft towel in gentle circles across his back. There must have been an antiseptic in there because it stung. "Hurts." Tony muttered. "I know. Try to relax." Strapped over a table, beaten, bleeding, and his cock pulsing hard for climax, swinging and bobbing in the air with a mystery message scrawled into his back. Relaxed is not a word he'd use right now. "Would be easier... Tattoo," Tony slurred out. "You would be amenable to such a marking?" Tony thought for a long time while the towel moped up the blood. "Yes..." He said. "Then it is something we will discuss further in the future." The towel was replaced by fingers rubbing a salve into his back. It cooled his tortured skin beautifully and started closing cuts at a terrific rate. "Thank you..." Tony breathed in ecstasy. "Calm yourself boy. We are not finished." Too fucking right. Tony was going to die horribly if Loki didn't take mercy on his painful erection soon. Loki was already hard again from caring for his boy in such a vulnerable state. He knelt momentarily under Tony's ass and Tony's body almost leapt off the table as lips caught his scrotum in a wet, sucking heat. Tony gasped and panted his yeses and pleases as Loki's mouth worked him. All too soon, they were released. Tony whimpered miserably. "I can make you sing again, boy. Would you like that?" Loki didn't wait for an answer before the mouth was back, focusing on his balls, leaving his erection to twitch and bob madly. Tony did sing, gasping and groaning and begging, his head arching back, his hips doing everything they could to grind back. Then a hand came down on his ass, slapping him hard as Loki stood. Tony shuddered with silent sobs. Loki must have used something on himself because when he thrust into Tony, he slid in warm wet and slippery. But the lubricant had been coated on Loki himself and the lack of any preparation on Tony meant the first thrust had been too tight and too painful… Exactly like that time before Loki had been lost to the portal and Thanos. That last time he had been submissive and chained and controlled and not prepared enough to be taken and it was like a switch was turned on in Tony's head. Like the memory had been hidden in the code of Tony's mind ready to be activated with the right input. "Yes, yes, I remember! I remember! I'm own-I'm owned by a god!" Tony whimpered violently, unthinkingly. I'm being conditioned. How had I not realised this before? He's actually fucking training me! "That's right boy." Loki breathed, patting his head approvingly. Loki pulled completely out, and thrust in to the hilt again. This time, Tony screamed in a different way. "Oh yes!" "Remain quiet and accept it."

Tony would have done anything to gain his climax so he pushed his exclamations back into his throat but allowed himself the low yowl which was impossible to stop anyway. The thrusting was intense and Loki, after he seemed happy he had stretched the boy out enough, tipped his hips to hit that magic spot over and over again. Tony's eyes rolled in his head, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grunted with every stroke against his prostate. He could not remember a time that he had given himself over to such open arousal. His body bucked and ground and squirmed as much as it could under the bondage. He knew he was probably drooling, it just felt too divine. Loki stopped momentarily and Tony lay still. He had surrendered all bodily control to Loki and just waited, shuddering, for the god to continue. When he did, he reached down and slowly stroked Tony, a slick hand gliding up and down firmly, bringing them both over the edge. Tony didn't pass out this time, but it was a very close run thing. He forced himself to stay awake because of the overwhelming fear that when he opened his eyes, Loki would be gone. He needn't have worried. Loki slid down to the ground and lay on the cold floor, breathing hard. Tony would have liked to believe that it was he that had reduced the god to this fatigued state, but he knew better. "You're... not recovered," he mumbled once his tongue would obey his command. "In time. My torture at the hands of Thanos was... thorough." "But you're here." "You needed correcting. You behaviour was becoming intolerable." Loki closed his eyes and licked his lips. Tony watched the lovely sight. "And I needed you. There has been much pain. I needed comforting." The cuffs fell from his wrists and Tony felt Loki pull him down on top of his chest. Tony squirmed and shifted until his face was pressed into Loki's neck. "Intolerable is a long word." Tony meant strong, intolerable was a strong word, but his head was so fuzzy. "You needed discipline. I read of your behaviour in the Midgardian news outlets. You have been a very bad boy." "Hum... Yes..." He breathed, pushing his face closer. He almost wanted to crawl into Loki. "And you have been punished." "Yess," Tony breathed. He paused, suddenly keen to make this point clear. "I enjoy it, you know." Loki was very still beneath him. By now, Tony would have expected arms to rise and hold him. He was curiously disappointed by their absence. "You would have to be very, very bad for me to want to punish without pleasuring." "I tried to find you." "I know. It was amusing. I do hope SHIELD were appreciative upon receiving the Sword." "No, actually," Tony grumbled petulantly. "Never mind, love. It will work in your favour in the long run, you'll see. Now I am recovered enough to beat you, you'll show them that you can be a good boy again." "You're such a patronising jackass."

"Yes, my love." Despite the gentle words of love he was spinning, Loki felt... wrong. Tense. Tony leaned up to gaze into brilliant green eyes. "You're still mad with me." "Are you willing to bind yourself to me?" Tony was silent. "Then I am still angry." The boy sighed sadly and lay his head back down on the smooth white chest. Finally, Loki's arms rose and held him in a tight embrace. "I spent a week in that place and I was very close to tearing my hair out. There's nothing to do. There's no... We're talking about a guys running around drinking mead and waving battle-axes." "I know." "I don't know how you coped." "I did not." "My world is the arc reactor, the suit... It's science. Not magic. You don't even have a fucking dial up in Asgard, I'd go absolutely mental." "I'd keep you occupied." "You couldn't keep me occupied all the time." "Not I, perhaps. But while I play the courtier in the halls of the All Father, while I walk the lands of Midgard, while I commit to my life as the god of chaos, you will be in my bed, safe and being continually taken by my clones without a moments mercy. After the binding, your stamina will increase, as will your recovery time. Accept this fate; I will not have it any other way." Tony's eyes widened slightly as he considered it. "You're going to kill me." "Perhaps I will, but you will thank me for it." "No, I couldn't. Be there, I mean. I'm still Tony Stark. I'd just get bored and destroy what we have just to have something to do." Loki's grip on Tony was getting tighter. "Ease up, the ribs are sore." "The future cannot be predicted but you are mine, boy. Let us begin with you acknowledging the fact." Loki's fingers ran delicately over the healing cuts in his back. "I want a more permanent mark over you than a scar." Tony grunted noncommittally. "And it must be soon. I can't risk it anymore." "Risk what?" "If I am captured by Thanos again, or the Asgardians, or even your SHEILD it could be disaster. By the time I escaped, I could have lost you." Tony could have told Loki that he wasn't going anywhere. Tony could have pointed out that he wasn't planning on dying anytime soon. But it was hollow sentiment. For Loki, fifty years (if Tony was really, really lucky and stayed off the alcohol) was nothing to an immortal. "Are you recovered?"

"Hum?" Tony asked, just beginning to fall asleep on Loki's chest. He suddenly found himself being rolled on the cold lab floor and pulled onto his hunches. "Loki, I-" "I did not say I was done with you, boy."

Strong Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes

Tony woke up a few hours later in bed, feeling horribly sore and yet better than he had in weeks. He had woken up smiling. When was the last time that had happened? You know what? I don't think it ever has… Light was pouring in through the windows. How could he have spent a night like that with a god – no, a demon from hell, and wake up feeling so wonderful? He reached out and found a cold bed. Like when Pepper left. His eyes flew open. "Loki, you still here?" he called out, keeping his tone as level as he could. The god wasn't in the room, but at Tony's call he walked in. "As you see." Tony gulped the nausea down and raised a cheeky smile. "Good, help me up. I can't move and it's your fault." He pulled himself into a sitting position and Loki was there to haul him up into his feet. Tony swayed against him, holding the arms of the man who was as steady as a rock. "Success! I'm on my feet." "I am happy for you, Tony." "Now I've got to remember how to walk." "These little things are sent to try us." "I think you're mocking me." "I can't deny a sense of pleasure that it is I that has caused such beautiful distress." "Fucking sadist," Tony growled in good humour as he weakly hobbled to the bathroom. Loki leaned against the frame of the door to the bathroom, watching his little boy avariciously as Tony did his best to wash up in the shower. The salve Loki had used on his back had healed the flog marks over night, but he could already feel the scars of the engraving pronounced on his skin. "Are you hungry, darling boy?" "You cook?" Tony asked incredulously. The answering look Loki gave him was enough to bring out that blissful smile Tony had felt beginning since he woke. Tony gestured back towards the kitchen. "There's pizza left in the fridge. Breakfast of kings." Loki muttered something in what had to be Asgardian as he left the bathroom. "I heard that!" Tony called over the sound of the water. He muttered to himself, "I don't know what I heard, but I heard it." Once Loki was out, he took the opportunity to close the door and drop the towel. He didn't want Loki to think he was at all interested. Tony worked hard to show Loki that the playboy in him could take him or leave him. Maybe the god saw through the lie, but it was one worth preserving. But this… Tony took a breath and turned so he could see his back in mirror. 'My boy' was carved into his lower back in curling, swooping lettering. So elegant, so Loki, so...

perfect. Sitting at the bar, with Loki opposite was a bizarrely homely scene. It worried Tony. The god rarely stuck around like this in the mornings. Generally, on the rare times he woke to find the god still in the bed, there was a morning fuck and Loki would be gone. Tony looked up over his cold pizza. "Are you ever going to tell me how you keep managing to fuck with my AI?" "There is more than one genius in this world." Okay. Now I'm jealous. Which he was fairly certain was Loki's intention. "Yeah, but none are as rich and handsome and as clever as I am. And they don't have the suit. So which one is helping you?" "One who thoroughly approves of you getting 'fucked over'." "Loki," Tony said with a wry smile. "You said a bad word." "I was paraphrasing your rival." Jealously panged hard. "Rival?" "Industrial rival." Loki clarified with a delicate smile. Tony glared. It was a challenge and Tony's mind worked furiously. He finally landed on a name which seemed to fit. It really did fit as well; it explained Loki's remarkable resources of late and his private army of black clad mercenaries. "Jarvis, could we please check up on our Justin Hammer please?" "He is still a guest of the Adirondack Correctional Facility, Sir." "Medium security." Loki added helpfully. "And a few guards who are open to bribery." "Yeah, Hammer isn't a genius," Tony said with venom. "Hammer is a business guy with a big head. And a fucking, sad little prick. If they work, which they do, then he's selling you the programs, not creating them. I create them. If he were creating them, they wouldn't work. He can't build a toaster!" Why am I so desperate to impress him? "Such details are unimportant to me." "Well it should be important." Tony snapped. "Shh, my boy. Do not feel so threatened." "I do not feel threatened." "I do not practice my games upon him. They are for you alone." "Oh well whoopity-doo." Loki opened his mouth to reply. "Sir, Pepper Potts is requesting to reach this floor," Jarvis said. Tony stood in alarm, the stool he was sitting on falling to the floor with a metal clang. Pepper was supposed to be in Hawaii! What the fuck was she doing here? "I er, I-" "Let her up."

"'Cuse me?" Tony asked incredulously, his voice going unnaturally high. "Let her up," Loki repeated. Loki stood and walked into the bedroom and shut the door. "Are you crazy? My bad, are you crazier than usual?!" He shouted at the door, but got no answer. Tony ran his fingers though his hair, trying to calm down and think. "This is a really stupid idea." But this is Pepper. If he didn't let her up she'd know… Tony sighed. She always knew "Tell her it's not a good-" Tony stopped. SHIELD agents would still be watching the tower. Pepper not being allowed in was going to raise a hell of a lot of alarm bells. "Fuck," Tony muttered bitterly. "Sure, Jarvis, why not. Let her up." He turned back to the door and shouted, "You'd better be warping away in there!" Tony was more alarmed by the lack of an answer than he should have been. He barely had enough time to gather his thoughts before the elevator doors opened. Pepper walked in. It almost like she'd never left. Tony was suddenly struck how much he'd missed her. Not just the sex, either. Just her. "Hey." "Hi, Tony." There was a pause. Tony cast his mind around for something to say. "I… have pizza. It's cold." "At ten thirty in the morning? You haven't changed." "I'm not known for it." There was a long pause. "How was Hawaii?" "It's amazing. I'm going straight back, actually. I was just in town to get the last of my stuff." "Making the move permanent then?" "Yes." Pepper was looking at him seriously. "You seem… good. You seem happy." "I assure you I'm weeping inside. This new guy, Jimmy-" "James Conway." "He prefers Jimmy – can't hold a light to you. Seriously. I wish you'd reconsider, Stark Industries needs you." "Well, first of all, it doesn't. Have you looked at this quarter's projections? Stark Industries is doing better than it has done in years and it's all because of the arc reactor. Because of you and your mind. What Stark Industries needs a happy Tony. Second, he doesn't prefer Jimmy any more than George Langham liked 'Georgie'. Third, I can't come back. I've made a new life for myself." Tony smiled softly. "My, aren't we growing? Getting all serious and everything." "You've found someone?" Pepper said. I could never hide anything from her. "Yeah." "What's she like?" "She's…" Tony really didn't think he could spin this particular one. "Look, I don't-" "Tony, where are the gla- Oh, I'm sorry." Tony turned and his mouth fell open. There was a tall, beautiful woman wearing one of his dress shirts standing in the doorway of his bedroom. That wasn't new, necessarily, but what the ever

loving hell was going on? Shoulder length black hair, sharp green eyes, so gorgeous. Tony felt himself responding and it wasn't to the curves. It was because, on some base, instinctual level, his body was far more in tune with the man who caused it pain and pleasure than his brain was. He felt that rising excitement and the already slight stiffing he always got when Loki walked into the room. You have got to be kidding me. "Hi, I'm Pepper Potts," Pepper said, reaching out a hand. "Lockley," the woman said. Tony felt like he was watching a car wreck and couldn't look away. You have got to be fucking kidding me! "You're English?" Pepper asked. "Oxfordshire." "How long have you and Tony-" "Oh, we met during the alien invasion. Tony saved my life. We met so briefly, but I felt like I had to come back and know him, even if only a little. To thank him. My life was so… dull before him." The woman paused with a smile. "It took off pretty quickly after that." Pepper turned to Tony. "That's so romantic," she said, so honestly. It made Tony squirm inside that his truthful Pepper being lied to. "Wha-" Tony was still playing catch up. "How long have you two been seeing each other?" "How-" "A few months now," Lockley – no Loki said. What the hell is he playing at!? "I'm surprised you haven't been in the papers yet, they're generally so hot on who Tony-" "Oh, I absolutely abhor that sort of thing," the raven haired woman said with a shudder. "Tony and I keep our meetings here in private, away from all that stuff." "Dating the Iron Man isn't exactly easy," Pepper said sympathetically. "But worth it," Lockley said. "So incredibly worth it." "Honey bunch," Tony said in a strained voice, "can I grab you for a moment?" He practically dragged her- him! outside onto the platform as far away from Pepper as they could go. "What the hell are you doing?" "I assumed you didn't want her walking in to find your ass being owned by Nordic god who had attempted to lay the world to ruin! I'm doing you a favour!" The voice was still a woman's, but Tony could hear Loki there, angry and commanding. "Unless you would have me appear as simply another man and have that particular discussion with her. Your fumbling assertions of your heterosexuality then a strained confession this one just does it for you. Your once assistant can now leave happy and never have to know that only last night you were kneeling on the floor with the cock of a god dominating you until you begged for mercy like a child in prayer!" Tony was going to snap back, matching the venom, before he pulled himself up sharply. Loki was right. This was better. This was a lie, yes, but a good lie. A lie that left everyone happy. Better for

everyone. "You're… not wrong," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes. "Fine. Yes. Well. Thank you. You fucking jerk." "I don't appreciate your tone, boy. We will be addressing it when she leaves." "Alright. Fine. Whatever." "Now be a good boy and let's finish this." "Fine." "Stop saying fine." "Fine." The next half an hour Tony watched in fascinated horror as the two 'women' talked, apparently favourably. It was one of thosefemale talks where the man is expected to be there, maybe offer drinks, but otherwise to sit back and not contribute unless called on. Yes dears and no dears offered on request. "Oh my god, I completely believe that!" Lockley said with a laugh. "Even now! He's always such a- he's a genius, obviously. But he acts like such a child sometimes." "Tell me about it," Pepper said with a roll of her eyes. "You do not want to know the sort of things I had to put up with. And the things I've walked in on." "No, you have to tell me!" Lockley pressed. "Believe me, you don't want to know." "We'll have to talk about it later, won't we Tony?" Tony blinked, still staring in complete bafflement. "Er… yes." Women. Except, no, not women at all, was it? Thor had never bothered to mention this. "I read in the papers recently that Tony's been a bit…" Pepper didn't seem to want to finish. Lockley looked away slightly. "Yeah. Bit of a rough patch. But we're through it now. Aren't we, Tony?" Tony's brown met the brilliant green eyes. They at least were identical. "Yes, we are." he said, honestly and quietly. Soon, Lockley made her excuses and left for the bedroom, shutting the door behind her… him. Whatever. Pepper sighed slightly and stood, pulling on her jacket. "She seems lovely." "Really?" "I think she'll be good for you." "Do you?" "She'll take you in hand." "Boy doesn't she just." Tony said with a tilt of the head, draining his glass (orange juice. He hadn't dared tried anything stronger after Lockl-Loki's eyes had flashed at him.). The whole morning was beyond him.

Pepper looked at him half reprovingly, half kindly. Then she said quickly, "Oh, god, I'm sorry – I never actually got her first name." "Oh." Tony's mind reached out for anything, though surprisingly it seemed to settle quite quickly, though in years to come he would wonder why the hell it was the first name to come to him. "Martha." Seriously? That's what you can up with? Sounds like a matron. "But everyone just calls her Lockley, really." "Martha Lockley. I'm so glad, Tony. She's strong woman. Anyone who can put up with you has to be. She's clever - brilliant, because you could never be with someone dumb. She'll be able to understand your projects enough to talk with you but not enough to threaten you. You're an arrogant bastard but you love your audiences. She's funny - you need the banter. She's beautiful. She's sophisticated. She's strong, and you need someone strong because you're so... someone to look after you because you're a handful. I… just couldn't do it anymore. I loved you but I wasn't right for you. Not anymore. Not enough. Tony Stark, self-centred billionaire I could handle. I could look after. But the Iron Man? Who would spend his life having people come after him, trying to kill him? Who flew into a void with a nuclear rocket? Who could have died? That's when I realised that you weren't just Tony Stark, not anymore. Tony Stark, billionaire playboy, wouldn't have done that. I couldn't look after a guy who… I couldn't be the person you needed." "But you think Lok-Lockley is?" Well done, Tony. You were that close. "I think she loves you. And I think you love her. There's an… energy around you two. And the way she kept looking over at you. She definitely loves you, Tony." "We fight a lot." "It's good for you not to believe you're always going to get your own way." "I never get my own way with her." Pepper chuckled with a nod. "Good. Your way isn't exactly the right way." "You were strong." Tony didn't finish the thought that was hanging in mid-air, but Pepper knew what he was saying. Pepper always knew what he was trying to say. "She knows who you are; better than I did when I first fell in love with you. She's ready for this. I wasn't." Pepper looked away and back again, almost as if she were trying to make up her mind. "I've… met someone." "Congratulations," Tony said, expecting to feel a crushing misery. He didn't. He could honestly feel glad for Pepper and he was proud of himself. Look at me, I'm growing up. Pepper pulled out her phone and Tony moved to her side to see the photo she pulled up. "He's an astronomer. Tony, you have to come to Hawaii and see the night sky. It's beautiful." "Giant centipedes," Tony reminded her. He looked at the man in the photo with Pepper. They did look incredibly happy. "He's a little lacking in the-" Tony gestured. Pepper rolled her eyes. "He shaves his head. He's a surfer too." "A surfing astronomer. Nice. Hang on, let me look at that," Tony took the phone and looked at it carefully. "Hey, those are some pretty big feet. You lucky girl!" Pepper snatched the phone off Tony and he was pleased to see a rising pink in her cheeks. "You are such a child sometimes, Tony," Pepper scolded, hiding a smile. Child. Boy.

"Lockley says that too. I rather think she likes it." "As I said, she's stronger than I am," Pepper said. "No one is stronger than you are, Pepper. I don't think I ever told you that seriously before." She looked at him and smiled gratefully. "Thank you." "You're welcome. Now get out of here so I can have sex." Pepper rolled her eyes again and walked to the elevator. "Give her my number if she asks. I'd love us to keep in touch so I can check up on you from time to time." "Never going to happen, but thanks for the thought." "She's a keeper, Tony." "Maybe." "No maybes. You need her. Don't ruin this." Tony held his ground for some time after Pepper left. "Jarvis?" "She's just left the building, sir." "Okay…" Tony moved cautiously to the door of the bedroom, not entirely sure what he was going to find. When he pushed it open, Loki was lying on top of the bed, half-heartedly flicking through a book. It wasn't a book Tony recognised as owning and he figured the man must have conjured it. "Martha?" Loki asked with a rising smile. Tony frankly couldn't believe it either. "Seriously – it was just the first name that popped into my head. There was a rather nice Martha at school, I seem remember. Great legs. Though a bit of an overbite-" "You know what it means?" "It means that I probably shouldn't be picking out any baby names." "It means mistress, Anthony." Tony paused. "Mistress. As in-" "As in get on your knees and submit to the." Loki finished with his wicked smile. Tony rolled his eyes. "Well I don't think it means that." The god shook his head with a fond air. "There's a little bit of magic everywhere." "What?" "I have faith in magic, Tony. It shapes our world and likes to have a laugh at our expense as much as anyone." Tony raised his eyebrows. "You think magic made me say Martha?" "I think that the first female name you could think of when picturing me was synonymous with power and control." Tony rolled his eyes. Magic was something he and Loki were never going to see eye to eye on. Tony just didn't believe. Okay, so Loki had conjured chains and transformed his clothes, but there

was a rational explanation for it. Perhaps Loki was possessed of the ability to rearrange atoms into different shapes. Something logical and empirical, not abracadabra. And magic certainly didn't make names occur to people or interfere in their lives. Especially Tony's life. Speaking of which. "You turn into a woman?" Tony asked. Who needs tact, really? "I can turn into many things, Tony." "Yeah… but a woman. And a pretty hot one at that." Loki's eyes flashed dangerously as the book snapped shut. "And tell me, boy, did you prefer that form?" He shimmered and was suddenly blue. Tony stared, wide eyed. He had never seen Loki properly like this. Loki had always taken him from behind in this form, or blindfolded him. He looked far more solid like this, like a marble blue statue, intricate patterns raised in his skin and blood red eyes. He was... he was so handsome. Stoic and sad, but as solid as ice. Tony wanted to touch him desperately. "And this?" Loki said bitterly. "Do you prefer this?" Tony crept onto the bed, moving like a cat towards Loki until he was sitting in his lap. Even through their clothes, Tony's body temperature plummeted. When he spoke, a haze of condensation flew from his mouth. "In order, that would be no and yes. No, I prefer Loki, Asgardian prince to the woman because the woman's not you." "Neither is this." "Yes, it is." Tony crooned, shifting his hips provocatively. He could feel the chill in his legs and sighed gloriously. "Fucking hell, Loki what's wrong with you? What did they do to you in Asgard? Thor is a great oaf who believes the last thing he hears and whose claim to fame is throwing a really heavy hammer. Look at you. Look at you. Look at what you can do, what you are, what you can become. So sophisticated, so intelligent, so devious. Just like me. What the fuck are you so jealous of?" There was a long pause. Loki was suddenly forcing him down, climbing on top of him, driving his tongue past Tony's teeth and quite simply - if Tony was a 1800s heroine - Loki would be quite simply ravaging him. Tony found he liked the word. Ravaging. That is exactly what this feels like. There was a slight tussle as Tony put up an entirely staged struggle. But Loki's strength was over powering and Tony gave up and whimpered deliciously into his mouth. He felt Loki's lips pulling back in a smile. Loki let go of Tony's tongue and now fixed wet, icy lips on his neck. Tony gasped at the freezing cold, watching his breath evaporate into the air as the god started rubbing his body against Tony in hard thrusts. Tony didn't want it to stop and held on for as long as possible but it wouldn't be long enough. In the shower, the burning hot had equalised his body temperature somewhat. On the other occasions when Loki had used this form, it had been for fucking and only the solid dick had entered Tony. And never for long. But now Tony was surrounded by cold, embraced by cold, dying in cold. His vision was going fuzzy and his limbs where beginning to hurt. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly as Loki's hand slipped into his trousers. Oh fuck yes!The cold hand stroking a begging cock would, for most people, have been torture. Tony, for reasons beyond him, seemed to have been designed for Loki and designed to be the partner of an ice giant. And if we had never met, this would have been one bizarre kink I never would have found out about.

Tony bit his tongue, desperate not to let Loki stop. The hand was bringing him so close and he bucked up into the grip. Tony was panting, but it wasn't right. His chest was painful and he felt his heart pounding far more intensely than he should have. Tony held on until he began to feel to feel sick with it. He raised his hand to stroke Loki's beautiful long black hair and saw his fingers were turning white. That wasn't a good sign, really. Stupid biology. "Loki, I think I'm calling timeout here," he breathed, teeth chattering, his whole body shaking violently. Loki pulled away and looked down on his little boy. Tony saw… pain. And regret. And agitated concern in those intense red eyes. "Tony, I… did not stop to think." Loki was back in his Asgardian form and carrying him to the bathroom. He stripped Tony down, Tony still shuddering uncontrollably and pulled him into the shower. The hot water bathed them both and Loki held him tight in his arms until Tony's body temperature was back to normal. It took a long, long time under the hot spray and Tony lay, half unconscious in the god's arms as he listened to whispered words of love. Words of blatant lust and… "I'm… I'm so sorry Tony." "Isn't your fault. Didn't want it to end." "I did not stop to think. You could have died. I should not be so blasé with my toys." Tony looked up at him in irritation, but decided a hot shower with a naked Loki was worth letting that one go. They spent a little time kissing each other lazily. It wasn't a fight, or a ravaging. They simply held each other and let their tongues explore every inch of each other's mouths. As the months wound on, each was learning more about what excited the other, though, in Tony's case, he felt as though Loki had known from day one. Loki's lips moved back to Tony's neck. It seemed to be a favourite spot for him. Tony wasn't going to argue. Between passionate kisses, Loki's hands cupping his ass, holding him close, Loki whispered, "After þjá ey, you will be tied to me in more ways than just your life." Tony stayed silent. A mischievous finger pushed inside of Tony, making him grind his hips up against his god. "Your body will adapt to please me." Tony remembered this little promise from the last time Loki had tried to persuade him into it. "Yeah. Staying power and recovery time. I know." "And better able to handle the cold." Loki breathed. Tony's heart leapt. We could fuck with him in his ice form and not have to be in a shower. Tony's eyes closed and mouth opened as a second finger pushed in. He swayed his hips back and forth, willingly impaling himself on the fingers. Hot water was running down his face and Loki's sucking on his neck was driving him crazy with need. What was it about the shower? It wasn't just the water. It was also the space. Tony had a large modern, marble shower, but it was still an enclosed area. Smaller than the bedroom. There was less chance of escaping Loki's passion when the four walls were within reaching distance. It was Loki and Tony's private space. The downside was of course, that now whenever Tony came in here, Loki around or not, he was immediately hard. Life was full of trials.

Eventually, Tony sighed, pulling back and let himself fall to his knees. "Lazy Saturdays," he breathed joyfully as he stoked Loki's shaft playfully. He brushed his tongue heavy against Loki's balls and his hand picked up the pace and then encompassed his mouth around them wetly. "Mouth on me, boy." Tony let go of the balls and looked up, affecting a sulk. "I was." "Don't play with me, boy." "I thought that's exactly what I was doing," Tony smiled, giving a slightly firmer tug on Loki. "Do you want to get punished?" "Maybe." "Then I will deliver. For now, suck me off, boy." There was that tone again. Tony decided that was enough back talk to get what he wanted, so he conceded now with no more argument. When he dared look up as his head bobbed back and forth, he was elated to see Loki smiling in exasperation, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. Tony pulled away briefly. "May I…?" "Only when I do," Loki said. That was fine by Tony. He resumed enthusiastically, his left hand on Loki's hip, his right reaching down to stroke his own cock. This was always the most exciting way to do it. Tony would have to match his work on Loki on himself, trying to get them both to the right moment at the right time. When Loki allowed him to cum during the blowjobs he gave, he didn't take kindly to Tony coming first, or taking too long afterwards. The man was such a fastidious bastard, everything had to be just so. Prima donna. The added pressure of it also made this more exciting. Tony was panting; rocking his own hips in time with his bobbing head and his moans and gasps around Loki's cock was pleasurable to both of them. "How long do you think you can hold this for, boy?" Oh come on, please. Tony thought in a whine. Why does everything have to be a challenge? Because I enjoy the challenge. Because if Loki was an easy lover to please he would be boring. Tony whimpered around Loki's cock and felt a pat on his head. "You'll do your best, boy. But I can never expect much from a Midgardian, I am aware." Son of a bitch. Tony resumed his task with gusto, taking a dark pleasure from the annoyance he felt, the annoyance Loki caused. Son of a bitch. "Don't cheat, boy. Keep playing with yourself." Damn. The problem was, of course, that Tony was too close to string this on for much longer. And if Loki insisted that he continued masturbating to the blowjob, Tony's resolve to show the bastard what this Midgardian could do was going to shatter very quickly.

Tony went for as long as he could, but it wasn't too long until he was deep throating his god, encouraging him to cum as soon as possible because Tony knew he didn't have much longer. Loki gasped, grabbing Tony's hair tight and holding him still as a hot stream poured down his throat. Tony's hand went wild against his bucking cock and he came seconds after swallowing Loki's offering. He sat back against his knees, weak but smiling happily as Loki washed himself off. "Ass out the shower, boy. It's time for your punishment." xxx Loki had left a few hours later, leaving Tony worn through, in an uncomfortable amount of pain and smiling that stupid smile that seemed to be permanent after Loki had played. Tony wandered down to the lab, threw himself into a chair and regretted it immediately. He hissed a bad word, trying to readjust his back as Jarvis said, "Perhaps, sir, we should look into some softer furnishing if your activities are going to continue to be as strenuous." The genius paused. "Jarvis… you're not disapproving of all this, are you?" Tony felt a bizarre moment where he was actually concerned about what his computer thought of his sex life. "I monitor your vital signs through every encounter, sir. Loki has never while in Stark Tower, since that first night I should point out, put your life in danger." "And that's okay then?" "Sir, you designed me to focus on catering to your needs. Ensuring you live and ensuring you can pursue what you desire, I have no other concerns." "Thanks Jarvis." "Of course, sir." Well, that was weird and awkward. Tony picked up a bright yellow stress ball and threw it in the air. "Let's open a new project. Strictly off the books. I don't want anyone finding out." "Yes sir. What would you like to name it?" "Thanos." "We're going after a Mad Titan now, sir?" "Search the internet, every library and every catalogue of old worldly things. I want every reference, no matter how small or vague and I want you to start putting it up around the lab. I want this room filled with information." "Yes sir." Tony turned to his screen as wire images and text started slowly springing up around the lab. "I want all the readings we've ever got of the Chiturai and the portals up here. I'm going to work on that first."

Chapter End Notes

A/N: I have my reservations about this chapter as I have never been a fan of the Fem!Loki category. I just had to deal with the Pepper problem somehow and this

seemed the neatest way short of killing her which just seemed mean. But I know Fem!Loki has a following, so this is my nod to that. And if anyone is curious, female Loki, in my head at least, seems to be Jaime Murray. Just a thought. In this story Lockley will mostly be used as Loki's 'public face' as it's about time the boys started getting out a bit more. So if Fem!Loki slash is your preferred fanfic, apologies as it's not happening here!

Doom Tony walked into the Helicarrier meeting room and noticed that the minute he did, the discussion stopped. All eyes turned on him. Before he had left Stark Tower, he had heard a haranguing speech from Loki about how to play the game. Or that's how Tony had chosen to interpret it. Loki manipulated people around him like a sexy Iago and was now trying to install a little bit of that into his wayward boy. Encourage them to be on your side again, and you can manipulate the outcome. While Tony was having none of it, he could at least see that maybe… just maybe, some humble pie was called for. He held his hands up. "Okay, can I just say, right off the bat, my behaviour the last month might just have been a little… uncalled for?" "Try reckless, idiotic and out of control," Steve said. "We'll go with 'ill advised'. So, yeah. Went through a bit of a rough time, all okay now, let's not make a big deal out of it. I got you the key and never got thanks, by the way." "Made up with the girlfriend then?" Barton asked. "She came begging back, naturally," Tony coughed. "Sure," Natasha said disbelievingly. Tony was about to deflect when Fury walked in with Lieutenant Hill. "No more bullshit from now on, Stark," Fury said. "We don't need any more reason for people to hate us more than they usually do." Tony threw himself into a chair. "I got the key back from Loki single handedly. I want a prize, not a ticking off." "Believe it or not, we've got bigger problems than your accolades." Fury turned and nodded at a faceless solider who started footage running on the big screens. The footage playing looked like scenes from a science fiction movie, but they were real. Tony was immediately alert, staring enraptured at the screen. "Robots?" Steve said. "Jesus. I think I'm in love," Tony muttered. "Is that a uranium core? What are they made of? It looks like titanium. Have we got any I can look at? Bruce, what do you think; positronic brain or network intelligence?" "If we could pull back on the nerd talk," Barton said. "That looks like Mexico." "At 0800 today, an army of these marched through Villahermosa in Mexico and virtually levelled it." Fury glared at Tony. "It was a city with people in it, Stark. This is not a science project." "What?" Tony said absently, still staring at the scene. He pretended at indifference, but as so often was the case, Tony felt and felt intensely, but didn't let on that he had cared. Villahermosa had almost 700,000 inhabitants and was located very close to Cancun. That's right, never let it be said that Tony didn't know everything. "We know who's behind it. He goes by the name Doctor Von Doom-" "Victor von Doom?"

Everyone turned to stare at Tony. "You know him?" Steve asked. "Sort of. He's..." he looked around with a shrug. "Pretty smart." "Smarter than you?" "Don't be ridiculous. We've crossed paths once or twice. He and I were always interested in similar fields." "Your arc reactor?" Thor asked. Tony shook his head but didn't answer. Natasha, ever helpful supplied, "I'm assuming this was back in the Merchant of Death days?" Fury pulled up another image. It showed a black metal suit with an intimating mask. This one wasn't a robot. It was a man, Von Doom presumably, in a black metal suit with a flowing hooded cape and, to Tony's rage, a mask. Tony pointed at the screen angrily. "Son of a bitch stole my look!" "No one cares, Tony." "I care! Asshole!" Fury indicated the robots. "Do you think you can stop these?" Tony took a few moments staring at the footage. "I'd need to get my hands on one. See how it ticks. Though, I think we've solved our uranium mystery." Tony paused the image. The black metal robots all had a triangle of glowing green on their backs. "Power source." "We are going to stop these things. A handful burned their way through a city in hours. We're not going to let it happen again." Hours later, back in Stark Tower, Tony was hunched over the footage watching it again and again. There were also various readings and every scrap of information that Tony could pull from his various satellites. It wasn't much information. Hands appeared at his shoulders, rubbing, soothing. The magical fingers managed to dig their way into every knot and loosen them with little effort. His whole body shuddered in a wave and relaxed muscle by muscle. Tony sighed and leant back in the chair as his body became loose and warm. He gazed up and saw Loki was watching the footage of the robots with intelligent, gazing eyes. It was a look Tony had begun to recognise in his god. The look which meant that Loki wasn't just seeing, but judging and filing away information, no matter how small, for future use. Okay, so Tony did that too. But he did it with empirical knowledge and science. Like… at his arc reactor lab, he would walk through, listening as his Chief of Operations talked on and on about the state of play (though more often about his kids) and Tony would glance at a reading, note the particular buzzing of the arc, hear a snatch of unhappy conversation and would be able to calculate from such little evidence exactly when they were heading for a shut down. Instinct was just knowing something so well and having such good experience that you can predict what's going to happen before it does. And so Loki… Loki did that with people. He was able to read situations, emotions, tones of voices, glances… Cold reading, they called it. Though Loki brought a thousand years of experience into play so cold reading became in him an epitome and an art form. And it all began with that look in his beautiful green eyes… Tony shook his head slightly. Snap out of it. He's just a homicidal psychopath like any other homicidal psychopath. There's no need to start writing fucking poetry about it.

"What do you know about this?" Loki said with a vague shrug, "Doctor Von Doom. Rather an eccentric individual." "You've met him?" "As have you." Tony turned in his chair, glaring hard at Loki. The god smiled. "He offered an alliance." "And you said?" "I did not accept. I did not refuse. It does not gain me anything to make an enemy of him, though I see little appeal in lowering myself into an alliance with a mortal." Tony raised an eyebrow. Loki gave him a tiresome look. "Entirely different, my boy." "Ah-ha." Tony turned back to his screen. "What about your other squeeze?" he asked irritably. "Justin Hammer? He is not involved with Doctor von Doom. I would not allow it." "Oh and he listens to you?" "Yes." Tony sometimes forgot who he was dealing with. He spent so much time trying to resolve the fact that he was the Iron Man and boy. He sometimes forgot that Loki was both his lover and god of chaos, a criminal on the run and, let's not forget, Thor's brother. Tony grimaced. Lover didn't sound right coming from him. Loki was the one given to the poetry. But more and more Tony felt the way he thought about things beginning to become influenced by Loki's elegant pose. You've got to get out of this now before there's nothing left of Tony Stark. "Now, shall we go to bed?" Tony rubbed his face, his eyes hot and bleary. "I should finish this." "Finish what? You have no information. All you are doing is staring at these images. It is not good for you and besides, you will be able to think better away from the screen's glare." "And I've already worked out plenty. Genius, remember? Plenty smarter than Victor and a thousand times smarter than fucking Hammer." "It is time to adjourn, boy." In retrospect, I really should have picked up the change in tone. "When I'm fucking finished," Tony snapped, not thinking. With Pepper, that had generally led to a long argument, or Pepper walking away in defeat. In the early years of Pepper, it had generally led to her declaring that she quit four or maybe five times a day. His current partner took things a little more seriously. Tony was hauled unceremoniously out of his seat with disturbing strength and thrown against a wall. He fell to the floor and didn't manage to find his feet before a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him along the ground to the lift. "Fucking shit, Loki! What the-"

"Do not speak. You are already in enough trouble without your continued unthinking use of foul language." Once inside the elevator, he was thrown face down on the floor. Before he could react, Loki stood over him and grabbed one of his arms. It was pulled up behind him, held up in a powerful grip as a heavy foot planted itself on his upper back, between his shoulder blades. If he's got even a similar strength to Thor's, he could rip my arm clean off like this. Tony wasn't in a position to struggle. He tried anyway, and yelped as his arm was almost pulled from its socket. "You're done for the night, boy. Now behave. Your punishment will be easier to bear if you obey like a good little slut." "Get your fucking foot off my back!" "No." "The jacket is Armani!" he hissed in fury, but stayed still as the lift climbed. Despite the aching pain in his arm, he could feel Loki slowly stroking the small bones in his wrists with a thumb. It was a bizarrely tender. Tony worked on calming his breathing. No matter what was going to happen when they reached the top floor, having a clear head was going to be the trick. When they reached the floor, Loki picked Tony up by the neck and threw him into the room. Tony stumbled but landed on his feet. He straightened his clothes angrily as Loki swept past him and sat on the couch. "Stand." Loki pointed almost imperiously in front of him, between the couch and the window. "Why not just say 'heel'?" Tony snapped angrily. "If that will encourage you to move your pretty ass faster, then by all means. Heel, boy." Tony bit back a curse and moved to stand in front of Loki. The god stared at him with narrow eyes. "Why must you cause such problems for yourself?" Because I like it when you get mad. I like knowing that no matter what I do, you won't give up and you won't walk out. "Fuck you." "You will be punished." "Well stop the presses," Tony said wryly. "Strip." Tony felt angry and tired. He had spent hours looking over that footage getting absolutely nowhere with it and now Loki pops up and wants to play. When would it ever matter to Loki what Tony wanted to do with his day? I wanted to get drunk and fall asleep over a table in the lab like I used to. Okay. So that in itself was rather sad. Tony never used to think it was sad but he did now. At least after Loki was done with his games, they slept in the same bed and more and more Tony was waking up in the man's arms. It was new and nice. Warm and safe. And the first fumbled fuck in the mornings, Loki holding Tony so tight he couldn't move as he

pounded him brutally, like the time in Asgard, or holding him down and jerking him to roughly climax, were rapidly becoming some of the best moments of his life. It was at a point now that, on the occasions that Loki would be there until morning, he wouldn't let Tony leave the bed in the morning unless the boy was wearing that soppy smile of the postorgasmic and fully satisfied man. Fuck him for making me so weak. "Strip now boy. And don't you dare make me tell you a third time." Tony wrenched off his jacket and threw it on the floor. "Slowly!" Loki snapped irritably. "Have you no decorum?" Tony bit back a violent retort. And decorum is a stupid word. He took a second, closing his hazel eyes and taking a deep breath, before raising his hands again. He slipped his t-shirt up his flat stomach, over his six-pack, slowly revealing the blue arc reactor, and off over his head. He let it slip down his muscular arms and onto the floor. His sun-kissed skin was already tingling in expectation. He caught Loki's eyes and saw the twisted delight and lust there. It was too much for Tony at this stage. He chose a point over the man's right shoulder and didn't meet his eyes again. He didn't want to get sucked into Loki's world. A world where Tony stood, centre stage as Loki pulled everything inside of him out for the audience to gape at. Fuck him for breaking me down and building me up every time he looks at me. He bent down slowly and pulled off his shoes and socks. Then his hands moved to the belt, unbuckling it and pulling it delicately out of each ring. "Wait. Bring that to me... good boy. Back you go. Carry on." Tony unbuttoned the top fastening on his jeans, and then slowly pulled down the fly. Slipping the trousers off his narrow hips, they too fell to the floor and he was naked. Tony forced himself not to glance around. He was very aware there was window behind him. Pepper and he hadn't been stupid when designing the tower. All these windows were one way, like a police interrogation cell. They could look out but people couldn't look in, even with a telescope or zoom lens. Still, Tony could imagine the eyes of thousands of people behind him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He glanced at Loki. The vague uneasiness was exactly what the god wanted. Loki raised his finger and made a circular motion. Tony's hands clenched as his eyes narrowed. Loki's eyes widened in warning. Tony turned slowly on the spot, stopping with a scowl when he faced Loki. "Again." Tony turned again. It was puerile and degrading. It was taking every second of control not to run away. Or fucking smash his stupid pale face. "Again." "Do you think anything would have changed?" Tony barked. Loki's eyes narrowed. "Again," he said quietly and dangerously. Tony turned on the spot, in the privacy of his own mind coming up with swearing he hadn't

previously entertained. I hate him so much. "Remain there for a moment." Tony was staring out the window, breathing hard against the embarrassment and arousal. It was like he was drowning in this fantasy Loki was designing. He knew what the god was looking at. He could feel the scar in his back almost growing hotter. Tony almost felt he could feel the letters in his back. "So beautiful," Loki crooned. "All mine, aren't you Tony?" Tony didn't answer. At the command, he turned back to face the god of mischief. Fuck him to hell. "Over my knees." "I beg your pardon?" Tony scoffed. "You will beg. But for now, over my knees, boy. You must be punished for your disobedience." "Never going to happen." Tony expected a fight. An argument. An attack and blood and pain. It was the only way Loki was ever going to make him. Because whatever Tony might want and, if Loki was right (which he wasn't) whatever Tony might need, he wasn't prepared to give in. But Loki just sat there. Tony was naked; standing defiantly and now would be the time to leave. To walk away into the bedroom and lock the door. He exhaled hard, like he had been holding his breath. He shook his head. "I won't." Loki said nothing. "Are you fucking listening to me? I said I fucking won't!" Loki cocked his head on one side and remained silent. Tony realised his whole body was shaking, he was panicking. "Get the fuck out of here. I'm not playing this game anymore!" Panicking about what? Why? How was this happening? "I'm not-" he stopped. "You can't-" He was swaying, rocking on his feet. He didn't want to stay but he couldn't leave. "Fuck you. I hate you. I don't know why I ever let myself get sucked into this shit." Loki was as still as a statue. Sitting on the sofa now like an old idol to a long forgotten god. But this old god was in his apartment, in his life and worryingly, in his mind. Loki gazed passively with harsh green eyes, just staring at Tony. "Stop this. Just fucking stop this!" Tony shuddered more violently now. "Loki. P-Please stop." Tony closed his eyes and felt his feet taking him forward. Tony's mind was rebelling violently but his groin was beginning to stir in a way he knew too well. His stomach was doing flip-flops. He felt sick and so, so desperate for Loki's touch. When he was in front of Loki, Loki held up the belt. Tony realised immediately what the god wanted with an insight born of Loki's… training and turned. Behind him, Loki tied his wrists

together with the expensive leather belt. Tony growled gently as Loki patted his arm approvingly. "Over my knee." Tony shook his head furiously. "You can't do this." "I am doing nothing boy, but giving you my command. You yourself choose to follow it." "You'd make me if I refused." "Not today." "I don't fucking believe you!" "Walk away, I won't stop you." Tony rocked on his feet, his eyes fixed on the floor. Leave! Just leave! This is it; this is the perfect chance to show he doesn't own you! This is the opportunity you've been waiting for! Get out of here! Show him what you think of his games! Tony turned back and, refusing to look at Loki, glowering straight ahead, laid his stomach and hips into Loki's lap, his head on the sofa, his legs dangling down. He felt like he couldn't breathe, he was dizzy and shaking. Why are you doing this? Because it feels so wrong it's right. Because I want it as much as I need it. Fuck. "Take a moment to relax, Tony. It's not as bad as all that." There was a hand in his hair, stroking, smoothing, petting. Tony closed his eyes and focused on calming down again. Before he really felt ready, though in truth he didn't know if he'd ever be ready, the first smack came down hard. Shit! Tony yelled and screamed and cursed for the first twenty strikes. Loki, grasping the belt that bound his hands together tight, held him down and hit him with his other hand. The strength was incredible. Tony might as well have been a child compared to Loki's power. By twenty, he was whining, yelping, groaning in pain, trying to pull away from the smacks. By thirty he was sobbing angrily, trying to squirm away from every blow. By fifty, he was finally still, his gaze out of focus, breathing heavily with the odd whimper. Why was this worse than the belt and other beatings he had got? Because of the position? Yes. Because it was humiliating, degrading? Definitely. All control taken from him, all Tony had to do was accept and that was… freeing. His mind was wandering in a black void as he did nothing but feel. Was it possible to call this meditative? He had never seen it in any self-help book for de-stressing. Sixty-eight. Sixty-nine. Seventy. Tony's body shuddered as the blows gained a new strength now. But the increased pain was coupled with pauses as Loki would stop between smacks to stroke his ass and thighs lovingly. He could feel Loki's cock pressing against his stomach and his own pressing against Loki's thigh. Every other hit seemed to cause Tony's cock to twitch and harden even more.

He began to realise through the haze of pain and lust that his hips were undulating now, rising to meet the smacks and wriggling into the caresses. Tony wasn't making any conscious decision to move, it was happening on its own. "Good?" Loki asked. Tony nodded dreamily. He only just recognised that Loki had untied his hands a long time ago. They were just resting by his sides now. Tony was willingly lying here. Get up! Tell Jarvis to activate the new security systems – there's a reason you've just upgraded the tower! Do fucking something! "More?" Tony nodded. The spanking stopped suddenly. Tony mewled miserably. "More?" What the fuck is wrong with you Tony Stark? Where's the crime in finally getting what I want? "Tony, what do you want?" Tony swallowed. "More. Yes, more. Please." The slaps resumed but with long pauses where Loki's hand soothed the burning skin. "Harder?" "Yes." This body lurched forward with the force of the blows now. He grunted and yelped, needing every second of it. Needing more. Harder. Don't stop please don't stop. But it did and all too soon. Loki pushed Tony off his knees and the mortal rolled onto the floor in a daze. "Your mouth. Now." Tony scrabbled to his knees and swallowed the length down to the root without any conscious thought. Loki groaned, leaning against the back of the couch, his legs wide open with one hand with long pale fingers tightly wound into Tony's hair. When Tony pushed the cock deep into his throat, stoking his tongue along the balls, the grip in his hair would tighten painfully and he heard a deep moan above him. Loki liked variety. Deep and fast. The very tip of the tongue teasing the head. Hard sucking on his balls. But when Loki was close, Tony abandoned all attempts at variety, pulled the cock into his mouth tight and thrust his head up and down, sucking hard. "Yesss! Yes, oh, yes Tony. You're glorious!" Tony's heart leapt at the praise, even if it was said in a fit of lust. He swallowed the hot stream, taking care not to spill any. Loki was already standing, dragging Tony to the bedroom and throwing him onto the bed. The god quickly found a bottle of KY Jelly and poured a dollop into his hand. Tony's legs were pulled open and Loki took up position between them. His hand encompassed Tony's long length and began stroking immediately, slick and slippery from the lubricant. "Ah!" Tony whined, his hips bucking up. This was so much better than doing it himself. Loki's

hands were large and strong and warm. He seemed to know even better than Tony himself how to hold him, how tight to squeeze, where to put pressure. Tony grunted as he felt his cock slipping in and out of the fist. His legs were hauled up and around Loki's waist, his sore ass mercifully off the bed, giving him more power to thrust up his hips. Tony's legs gripped the narrow, triangle hips tightly as he came closer and closer to that tipping point. The green eyes were above him, staring at him intensely. The look of joy and lust in Loki's eyes was terrifying. Tony felt his whole body throbbing as he returned the stare. His mouth was opening, wet lips parting and Loki couldn't resist it seemed. Loki's free hand rose and quickly pushed a finger between those inviting lips. Tony jumped in surprise, but shuddered again. So good. So perfect. He sucked the finger in his mouth as Loki began to fuck his mouth with it. A second finger was added. A thumb was rubbing over the sensitive head of his cock. His ass was stinging. Tony couldn't hold it back anymore. He exploded suddenly, losing control and almost bucking Loki off the bed. He vaguely heard the god's laughs of delight but didn't register them as he lost himself to the perfect bliss.

In Mind Tony knocked back another shot and looked around. Where the fuck was he this time? He looked up and spotted the poster. Oh, right. Plugging the arc reactor at a convention of the world's greatest physicists and engineers. The speech had gone well and there was interest. A surprising amount. Though he had been heckled by a few nuclear physicists who just didn't know when to admit defeat. All the lectures and demos done for the day, the bar was now positively hopping. Physicists, you see, are party people. "Excuse me, Mr Stark?" Tony turned. It was the not-Pepper. Molly. Since Tony had retreated to spend more time with the Avengers (and with Loki) the Pepper role had not been so important to fill. But Pepper had recruited Molly as her last act so here the woman was, punctual, efficient, with no sense of humour. Tony had to wonder if this woman was Pepper's last joke. Apparently, after the whole Natalie, Natasha incident, Tony's judgement in picking PAs was now in question. So Pepper had left him with Miss Molly No-Fun-At-All. "You know, you look absolutely stunning in that pant suit," Tony said. "I don't think that's an appropriate comment, Mr Stark." "I keep telling you to call me Tony, don't I?" "Yes Mr Stark. Eight times today. There's a young women who wants to talk to you. She says she knows you through a friend. I can only assume that's code for some sexual relation." "Do you talk like this to your boyfriend?" "I don't have a boyfriend. Would you like me to send her away?" Tony leaned around the woman and jumped up. "Oh, Jane." The woman pushed past Tony's security entourage, throwing them an annoyed look but greeted Tony with a smile. "Hi. We haven't exactly met." "No. But I've read all your papers," Tony said. "You're pretty bright for a woman." And there he goes. Of course Tony didn't believed a word of it – Natasha and Pepper between them managed to run rings around him – but Tony would say anything to anyone just to see their reaction. She smiled, her face a little tense. "And you're pretty talented yourself for an inebriated ass." Tony smiled. "Fantastic," he said, indicating the seat in front of him. "You're lucky, you know. Astrophysicists generally have to come in the back door at real science conventions. If anyone asks, can we just pretend you're a hooker?" "I wanted to talk to you." "That's nice. People rarely want to talk to me. Generally I have to make them." He glanced at her sceptically through his Initium "All in" Square Aviators glasses. Up here in a quieter corner of the hotel bar, his body guards keeping the area clear, Tony felt at ease with the alcohol and the setting. The home of Tony Stark, playboy. Jane Foster was Thor's. Thor was the brother of Loki. Loki was the home of Tony's other self. It seemed no matter what he did, even when the god wasn't here, the universe was unlikely to let him forget for very long.

"I wanted to talk you about Thor." "You want a drink? Women tend to like the cocktails, what do you want? They've got something here called an Arc Reactor Punch – I think they're sucking up, but it sounds good. See? It's got vodka. Excuse me? Two of those. You want anything else?" he asked Jane. She's intelligent, attractive and managed to snare the God of Thunder. She's rapidly becoming a leader in her field, she's lived through an invasion of a giant metal terminator and she's knocked down Thor twice with a car. How long do you really think you'll be able to mess with her for? "Thor speaks really highly of you. He admires all the Avengers, but I think, because you attacked him when you first met. Because you don't pull any punches, metaphorically and literally, I think Thor has a soft spot for you," Jane said. I'm just fucking irresistible to these Odin brothers, aren't I? "Where is our golden boy?" "He doesn't know I'm here." Tony raised his eyebrows. "Okay... shall we go back to my place or yours?" Jane rolled her eyes. "It's not like that." "Good because I'm the one who'll get a hammer to the face." "It's about..." Jane sighed. "Look, you know Thor in a way that I don't. Sort of, I don't know - in battle. I just need to know what I'm letting myself in for." "þjá ey?" Tony was sure he wasn't getting that pronunciation quite right. Close enough. Jane looked surprised. "He's-" "No." Tony grimaced. "His mother told me, actually. Can we keep that between ourselves?" "Alright," Jane said slowly, looking at him with very sharp eyes. This is a hard girl to put something over on. She's so... collected. Tony smiled suddenly in dark satisfaction. Well, well, well. Thor's gone and found himself his mother. That is what all the boys are looking for, isn't it? "What's the problem?" "I feel as though there's half of him I don't know." "And you want me to...?" "Tell me about Thor." Tony stared. "Well, he's tall. Muscular. Good looking in a 'would you look at this body' kind of a way. Sorry, I have no idea what you want me to say. If you want analytical, Natasha's the one to ask, she'll give you a whole psychological break down. It'll be bullshit, but it'll sound professional." Narcissistic, compulsive, destructive. No, Tony hadn't forgotten. Jane looked away for a moment as the cocktails where placed on the low table in front of them. "He... wants me to be immortal. There aren't many people I can talk to about this who would even take me serious. But you see this crazy stuff all the time." "So you want me to talk you out of it. Okay, well, he's pretty stupid. And you're so intelligent. And he's not that attractive-"

"No I don't want you to talk me out of it." "Kid," Tony broke off with a sigh, feeling as though this woman had come to him for some strange reason and he was woefully letting her down. "Fine. I think I get it. The Avengers. It's tough and it's dangerous and it's very likely the rest of us will die horribly at some point. No worries there because I can't imagine anything that will kill our Lassie off. At least on this planet. So you're not worried about him dying. You're worried that you're tying the rest of your life to someone in a more permanent way than 'I do'. You won't be able to leave and you won't even be able to stick your head in an oven to escape it. And a lot can happen in a thousand years and who says you'll love him that long. Right?" Jane looked away again. "I don't know what you wanted me to say, kid. That's all I got. Now, Thor's a good guy. Thor's a great guy and I don't doubt that he will be loyal and stand by you for as long as you both shall live. But I sure as hell can't tell you if he's going to love you for the rest of eternity." "But you don't think he'd... walk out?" "Nah. Not Thor. Whether he loved you or not, he'd never abandon a duty." "That's just it! I don't want to get into this thing and half way in Thor's just there because he feels he has to be." "So dump him." Jane looked shocked at the suggestion. Tony smiled and picked up his blue cocktail. "And there's your answer. This isn't bad actually, try it." "Why was Thor's mother talking to you about the binding?" Fucking intelligent people. And Tony should know. Don't know when to leave something alone. "I was talking to her. About Thor's immortal-ness and how it would probably put a downer on your relationship. You know. When you started to look all old and grandma." "Thanks." "You look great now, though." "Thanks." "Is that a grey hair?" Jane glared. "Has Thor ever mentioned a girl called Darcy?" "Yeah." "She leant me her tazer for this trip." "Okay." Tony finished his cocktail in silence. Jane sipped hers, but seemed like she had too much on her mind. Obviously. Tony could understand her predicament more than he was able to tell her. "I hope I've... helped?" "You have. I think... I think I just had to say it out loud to someone who... understood." Jane took a moment, then said almost speculatively. "Do you know what a bound huma- Midgardian is called?" "Oh, this was on Jeopardy last night, wasn't it?" Tony smiled. "Oddly enough, I know this one. They're called Thralls."

"It comes from 'enthralled'. Back in ancient times, a household slave would be buried with their master or mistress to serve them in the afterlife. Whether the slave was dead or not. There's evidence of one being buried alive with her mistress during the Saxon era. That's where it comes from. Thrall. It means slave." Tony nodded. "Kind of says it all, doesn't it?" Tony felt a lot in common with the girl. He knew the decision that was facing her because... because every day Loki came to him, he was getting more and more insistent on the binding. Even the last time they met. Loki had cornered him in the kitchen, pressing him against the counter, silencing Tony's inane babble about a movie he had seen with Bruce and Barton with his slender fingers pressed against Tony's lips. "þjá ey. It must be soon." "Why? What's kicking off?" Tony had asked quizzically and not a tiny bit suspiciously. "I cannot hope to hide from the eyes of Heimdall forever. Despite my skill I am no fool, I cannot keep myself from his gaze for long." "Oh yeah, I think I met him. Creepy guy." "Please, Tony," Loki had said, almost placating. "Why are you delaying the inevitable? Do you believe that you will ever find anyone who can make you feel as good as I do?" Tony hadn't argued with him. He couldn't. The eyes in front of him were so strong, were so certain. For Loki, Tony might as well have been trying to convince him the oceans were purple for all the chance of changing the man's mind. Instead, he just hadn't answered. Loki had run his tongue roughly over his ear and whispered, "You're mine. And I am yours. Why deny yourself this when you have been lost for so long?" Lost. For Jane and himself, it had taken a godlike being from another universe to be found. How likely was it that either of them would find another like that again? "What's Thor like when he's fighting?" "Fucking unbelievable. No style, of course. But boy can he swing that hammer." Tony wobbled his way up to his room hours later, Miss Molly No-Fun-At-All wittering in his ear. She ended with, "So can I get your signature for the approval, Mr Stark?" Tony turned a blank face on her. "You know what; write down everything you just said, because I wasn't listening. Put it in an email with the subject heading 'things you don't care about'. Then delete it and quit bothering me." "I'll talk to you in the morning, Mr Stark," she said, turning on her heel and leaving the penthouse. "It's Tony!" Tony shouted at her retreating back. Tony rubbed his face and took a long moment to gather himself. What hotel was he in? What state for that matter? He locked the door behind Molly and waited a second. Then he turned sharply, staring back into the room. No Loki. He checked all the rooms. Nothing. Well fuck. He threw himself down on a couch and reached for a bottle. He opened it and drank, not particularly caring what it was. His fingers pulled open the black tie around his neck and unbuttoned the shirt down to his stomach. It was getting harder and harder to put Loki off. Believe it or not, even Tony's prodigious ability to distract the obsessive god with blow jobs was starting to fail. This þjá ey shit was becoming a mania with him. He would ask Tony about it all the time. During their fucking he would whisper about how good it would be once they were bound. He'd talk about it nonstop while Tony knelt

between his knees and sucked. Early on, Tony had tried simply demanding Loki knock it off. It had never led to anything but punishment. The only response Tony could give that didn't lead to pain or a commitment on his part was silence. Loki wasn't satisfied with the silence but the alternative, an outright refusal from Tony, had once led to a night of a lot of pain and almost a trip to the hospital. Tony's body shuddered as he remembered. His head tipped back and he found his hand running up and down the muscles in his stomach. Again, Loki hadn't appeared now for two nights. As the clock ticked on, Tony resigned himself to the fact it was probably going to be a third. His fingers tightened harshly over a nipple and he hissed out. Tony opened his eyes. Still no Loki. It wasn't fair. Tony never got to make the booty calls, he was the booty call. His hand undid his buckle and slipped underneath the fabric. He bit his lip as he squeezed. The last time Loki had come, he had been... Tony breathed out as his hand worked, remembering the crop against the inside of his thighs. The sting had been so intense. There had been an argument, of course, over Bruce and Barton and the movie. Tony had played it up for as long as he could before finally giving in and smiling as the real games began. Loki had demanded a lot from him that night. And Tony had worked his hardest to obey. The stricter the instruction, the more Tony had wanted to please and when he had managed it, Loki had been so... praising. Good boy. Pretty boy. Sweet boy... Tony heard the smash of glass as the tumbler slipped from his fingers and shattered but it ignored it, his hips fucking the air as rubbed the head with a thumb, pumping his length. It was good, but he needed more. He forced his eyes back open and stood, stumbling slightly to the bathroom. The shower... maybe. But Tony's eyes turned to the bath instead. A sudden, hysterical urge took him and he filled the bath with cold water. He stripped quickly as it filled and sank in. The cold was a shock to the system as Tony forced himself back and deep, his head only out of the water. His erection hadn't suffered for the sudden freeze, though Tony knew that a year ago, hell even five months ago, it would have. But now cold meant sex. Cold means sex. Pain means sex. The shower means sex. Collars and whips and cuffs mean sex. Everything means sex and sex means Loki. He pumped slowly, drawing it out; imagining Loki's cold body around him, holding him, forcing him to do the unspoken, dirty things Tony had always wanted but didn't dare do. The things he would only do when he was safe and controlled. Tony's cock was throbbing noticeably in his hand. Fuck him for not turning up. Fuck him for reducing me to this. The heat of Tony's hand would warm his cock, but when he moved away from that warmed area, the cold of the water felt colder. Deeper. He was shuddering from the cold, shaking from the mounting tension in his body, his breath gasping and ragged. "Fuck yes! Yes, Loki!" he panted, his hips bucking furiously into his fist. How does he see Loki? How does the man... the god live in his mind? My god! Tony's first image was tall, towering over him. Controlling. Making Tony feel weak and helpless, but loved and prized. It made Tony feel like some small animal Loki had just rescued one day. That made Tony angry. It made him weak with desire. It made him feel so needed. And that made him angrier. Tony was whining, panting. His shaking hand quickly pushed a finger into his ass pumping in and out.

Loki. Tall. Controlling. Powerful. That was the immediate image. The next thing Tony felt was always the solid cock prodding at his mouth, slipping in, taking him with abandon as Tony gagged and drooled. The taste. The smell. It was all embedded into any memory Tony had of Loki. Loki's legs around him, Tony kneeling between them like a good boy. Legs which were long pale and toned. Powerful. Beautiful. "Oh, fuck," Tony whimpered. In his mind's eye, his face tilted, following those legs up. Loki's stomach and chest, flat and muscular, but not heavy like his brother. A slender and nimble frame. Tony had once run his tongue up that body from the cock, across the stomach, dipping to the belly button, over the chest and between the pecks, over the neck to slide into Loki's mouth. Loki's hands had reached out and squeezed Tony's ass playfully, suggesting the god had enjoyed the sensation as much as Tony had. I have to do that again when I get my hands on him. Loki's body was tall and slender. Tony's was slender, but shorter. When Loki wrapped around him, holding him in bed while they slept, or leaning into Tony's body while he pounded his ass, they almost interlocked. Tony's frame fitted almost perfectly into Loki's. When they were facing each other, their cocks would rub together deliciously. Loki's legs could wrap around him while Tony's face was pressed up into his gods neck. Tony kept his eyes closed tightly, losing himself in the memories flooding him. Two fingers pushed in hard. Tony's other hand released his cock, letting the cold water chill the warmed cock for a while as he played with his balls. He was keening, squirming in the water. His own voice was bouncing off the hard walls of the bathroom and filling his head with his own whimpers. He recognised the sound – it was the voice of the little boy Loki had created in him. It was a sound that he had never made in his life before the god. Loki's hands with long, delicate fingers which could stroke him to ecstasy or leave bruises that didn't heal for days. Hands which had once wrapped around Tony's neck and closed his airways until Tony climaxed into unconsciousness. Tony's cock jerked hard in his hands as he remembered his bruises. Each one on his body had a story and he remembered all of them. "Loki, Loki!" Loki's neck. Loki's shoulders. Slender, narrow, regal, elegant. His face, pale and narrow and framed with black hair. His features loving and gentle, or harsh and cruel. But always those green, piercing eyes which looked at Tony, into Tony, following him everywhere, focused on him like he was the centre of the universe. The lips, the pink tongue darting out to lave across them. To run over Tony's dick. "Oh fuck!" Tony wailed. He pushed in three fingers, the burning stretching making him feel whole. He drove his fingers in hard, trying to be as merciless as his god would. The voice. Yesss. Loki, Silver Tongued Loki with that voice and that way of speaking, driving Tony crazy with whispered poetry, with stories of sex and lust. And always in Loki's little tales Tony had the starring role. The sweet boy and the wicked panther. The sweet boy captured and forced to learn just how much pain one can feel and still cum. "Loki!" Tony cried. His body spasmed like a shock wave had rolled through him and out through his cock. He exploded and saw lights behind his eyes. He heard the sloshing of the water, the splash as it hit the floor. His body shook hard, aching and worn as he finally fell still in the freezing water. Tony blinked, trying to pull his world back together. Tony hauled himself out. His legs were wobbly. It was one of the best orgasms he had ever had.

"See," he muttered defiantly. "I don't need him at all."

Vegas "Blow on the dice." "Er, no." "Come on, Bruce!" "No." Tony rolled his eyes and threw. The small red dice bounced along the table. He clapped and made a gesture of triumph as they landed and the croupier called, "Seven Out. Bet Wins." "That's what I'm talking about!" Tony said. The women around him laughed. One long legged bleach blonde ran a hand down his arm. Bruce was rolling his eyes. Tony scooped up the dice again and tossed them at Bruce. "Go on man." Bruce looked like he had been handed a grenade. "No, r-really I don't think so." Tony slung a few chips onto the field. "Go on, throw them." "How much did you just put down?" Tony glanced over with disinterest. "Er, four, five thousand? Just throw the dice." "I'm not throwing the dice." "It's fun." Tony could see he was getting nowhere dragging his friend into this particular sin. He sighed and knocked Bruce's hand. The dice jumped and rolled onto the table. "Yo-Eleven. Bet wins." Tony clapped Bruce on the back. "See? You've just doubled that. Come on, let's have another round." "No, let's not," Bruce said firmly. A man who seems sweet and modest and who throws winning dice. The women were now swinging their hips in his direction. Tony smiled and finished his glass of scotch. He pointed at Bruce and called over the crowd, "He's the sensible one. He keeps me out of mischief." The women laughed again. They'd laugh at anything, they were the type. "Come on; let's go find something to drink." Bruce walked in Tony's shadow, his shoulders hunched as they made their way to the exclusive bar; high rollers and billionaires and models only please. Tony threw a perturbed look at his huddled friend (it shouldn't be possible to huddle all by yourself) and sighed. "I take you to Vegas and you still look miserable. How can you be miserable in Vegas?" "We tried this already. When we went to the movies. When we went to the bar. It's never going to work, Tony. I'm just better off away from people." "How is that possible? People are everything." Bruce laughed softly. "Oh man, that explains so much." Tony opened his mouth for a snappy retort but thought better of it. Because it was true. He lived in other people's eyes. There was never going to be a moment in his life where being alone was preferable. Okay, when he disappeared off into his world of science, abandoning all company, that was different.

Although was it? In public, he was the centre of attention. The mindless women like at the Craps Table, seemingly following him where ever he went. That was just part of the job. Then there were the bright women, the journalists and lawyers who wanted to get into his head and not just his bed. That was fun. Then there were the men who admired him, hated him. Very few of either gender actually became friends, but Tony needed them there anyway. In the lab, he pretended at a solitary life. But he had invented Jarvis, who was just as willing to give him a ticking off as any of the real friends in his life - though Tony objected to the word. Jarvis was more real than some of the mindless fluttering moths who usually inhabited his immediate circle. And not forgetting the robot arms which, for reasons he could never explain properly, he had made semi-autonomous. Dumb and Dumber. Tony needed to be liked and loved and the centre of everyone's world. Even if they hated him, that was attention. Green eyes that focus on him and only him as he hangs from the ceiling. Green eyes which watch his body giving wracking shudders of pain and lust. Green eyes that focus on him as he cums and watches every gasp and wail that falls from his mouth like it's was the most enrapturing thing in the world. Green eyes that watch him as he bobs up and down on the most amazing "Tony." He jerked awake. He looked around and up. "Ah, thanks – give me alcohol." "Any type?" The waitress asked politely. "Alcoholic." "Right away, Mr Stark." "Did you order something?" Tony asked Bruce as the waitress left. "Just water." "Oh please," Tony said wearily. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment. He really shouldn't think of Loki during the day. Especially not in company. Even at the thought his body would leap up, begging like a dog. "What were you thinking about?" "Maybe we need to get you laid. I have the number for this great agency – there's a girl there called Tina-" "Forget it," Bruce said firmly. "The agency does guys too." "Would you ever stop?" "Tina is studying for a PhD in molecular biology. Really bright, really hot. You'll love her." "I cannot believe I am having this conversation," Bruce said hopelessly, burying his head in his hands. "You're impossible, Anthony Stark." Tony smiled broadly. "You love it." "I tolerate it. Just." Bruce looked up, rubbing his hands together absently as he looked over at the bar. He was a watcher, focused on the comings and goings of people, trying to suss out how they ticked, rather than Tony who just leapt straight in. "Tina?" "Tina Diamond. Not her real name. She wouldn't tell me that. Great girl. I'll give you a number."

"No," Bruce said again firmly. "Spoil sport." Why was he trying so hard to get a hooker in for his friend? Because he's my friend and he deserves to enjoy the highlife on my credit card. Least I can do for a guy who puts up with my bull. Sure Tony, whatever you say. It's not because you're trying to hide the fact that you're not exactly interested in the ladies anymore. Tony was worried about that, but thankfully Bruce provided a perfect opportunity. He asked, "Isn't your girlfriend… sorry, it's Martha, isn't it? Oh yeah, Lockley. Isn't Lockley going to be a little vexed about all this?" "I told her you were coming too. That seemed to help." "Great, so I'm supposed to be the warden tonight?" "If that's your thing. I can call you sir if you like." Is that flirting? Fuck, I think it was. Blessedly, the waitress arrived with the drinks. There was a silence as Tony took a long sip of whiskey and Bruce took a few gulps of water. Water. In Las Vegas. The man sure knew how to party. "You need to try this with Steve." Captain Morality Clause out on the town with Tony Stark? Yeah. I'd rather juggle nuclear warheads... I should juggle nuclear warheads. That would be so cool. Loki would kill you. So what? Loki wouldn't like it. Tony felt a little annoyed as the prospect of getting Loki pissed off with him effectively killed his desire for circus tricks with nuclear bombs. He couldn't believe that with a whip and lubricant Loki had managed to control Tony's desire for doing the foolhardy, lethal things far more effectively than Bruce or Pepper had ever done with love, friendship and patience. "Steve would never go for this." "But I have?" Bruce said in a tone which made him sound surprised at himself. He probably was. Tony smiled gently. "Well, you're a friend. You tolerate me enough to humour me." Bruce seemed a little ashamed. "Seriously, Tony. I am having fun. Thank you. Not everyone is so willing to be in the same room as me. But you... you stood up to the Other Guy when he was ready to rip you apart. You talked him... me back. You're... important to me." Tony leaned over and took the glass of water from Bruce. "What did they put in this thing?" he said with a sniff. "Got to be vodka." Bruce chuckled softly. Tony and Bruce went off to their beds at around two in the morning. The Caesar Palace Penthouse was always Tony's favourite in Vegas. Okay, it was a pretty old hotel and in terms of

what it could offer; he could get better at the Bellagio. But there were two bedrooms, a spacious living room with bar and the view. The view was incredible. And... and it had been his father's preferred hotel. Back in the day. Tony said goodnight to Bruce and walked into his own room. He glanced at the bed before crossing to the bathroom, closing the door and washing his face in the sink. "I begin to tire of finding you with him." Tony leapt out of his skin and whipped round before Loki had even finished his sentence. "Well I begin to tire of having a heart attack whenever you pop up, you freaking jack-in-the-box!" Loki was not looking impressed. Tony inwardly smiled, triumphantly. He was so hoping this would happen. He wasn't sure that half the reason behind this little trip was to do this. For once, he was going to win this argument. This was the day. "I will not tolerate it, Tony. Searching Stark Tower only to be informed by your mechanical servant that you were in this…place." "Tony Stark, jet setter. I go where I please." "Not anymore. Your only responsibility is to wait for the next time I require your body." "I thought outwardly, I was supposed to be acting normally? Well, Tony goes to Vegas with his mates. That's what Tony does." "Tony is going to get beaten if he is not careful." Tony raised two hands warningly. "Bruce is in the other room." "He can join in if he likes." Fuck. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it. Damn. I thought about it. Maybe the surprising lack of disgust with the idea showed on Tony's face because the next thing he knew, Loki had backhanded him violently. Tony stumbled and fell to the floor. He was up again quickly, walking back away from the stalking god. "Oh Tony. I am going to hurt you so badly, you'll beg me to let you pass out," Loki whispered, gently, lovingly, but with a fire in his eyes. He saw a knife slipping down between Loki's fingers. Tony had never believed it before today - Loki had once accused him of being the instigator, the manipulative one. Tony had brushed it off as the usual crap that violent men hurled at their partners. But Tony had organised this trip in part to throw Loki off. Tony wanted him angry. And the next step of the plan was just as manipulative. Tony pulled off his jacket as he knelt down. "Loki," he crooned, slipping his dress shirt off too. "Please. I did want to tell you where I was going. Cross my heart and everything, I did. I've missed you, I've needed you, but you're never around." Tony crawled, a sure way of exciting Loki. He rested his hands on the god's thighs, his head in just the right spot. "After all, you've never given me anyway of contacting you," Tony said, playing it sadly. He smirked inwardly as Loki seemed to hesitate. His eyes flicked to Loki's hand briefly and saw that the knife had disappeared. Loki moved away for a moment, looking intense and thoughtful. He turned back. "This is what you want? You require from me some grand gesture?" "I don't want anything, Loki. I am yours when you come to me, but otherwise, I have to keep

going normally. If you want me to be somewhere, if I need you to know that I won't be at Stark Tower, how do we do that?" Loki looked away, thinking hard. He was clearly a little thrown. Tony held back his urge to laugh at him. Clearly, the man didn't like not being in charge. Tony suddenly had a panic stricken second when he remembered he was in fact here with Bruce. He stood and walked over to the door. He tried to open it, to check Bruce was still closed up in the bedroom, but the door wouldn't move. "Magically sealed. Nothing in or out, not even sound." "Very cool," Tony said. "Did you use that on the Helicarrier?" "On the Helicarrier, I was hoping we'd get caught." "Oh yeah." Tony turned back. Loki was still looking a little lost. Tony took a little pity on him. "Do you want me naked?" Loki looked up and nodded. Tony stripped the rest of his clothes slowly, because he knew that's what Loki liked. He wanted a way of communicating with Loki. He wanted something to show that Loki didn't just drop in when he fancied for booty calls. Tony wasn't put on this earth for booty calls. I want to call him when I want him. I want to call him for sex, just for fucking once. "I thought you promised to fuck me cold again." A small smile broke out over Loki's face, betraying his approval of Tony's lust. "I remember promising no such thing." Tony looked over at the large, marble shower, so like the one at home. "Fuck me in the shower. As a Jotun." "Beg." "Please," Tony purred. "You know you want to." Tony turned the water on hot and forced himself to stand under it. It wasn't as burning hot as last time, but standing under it for long enough would do the same work. Loki leaned against the door of the shower, watching Tony. "Touch yourself." Tony reached down lazily to pull at his length. Long strokes up and down as he gazed into Loki's eyes. He's so beautiful when you catch him in the right light. "Hard and hot, Tony. Then we play." "Way ahead of you." Tony hissed through gritted teeth. "The water is loud, Tony, so I will need to hear those croons and cries louder. Make yourself wail, boy." Tony hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure Bruce won't hear?" Loki didn't reply. The man kept his eyes on Tony as he shimmered and was suddenly gloriously naked. Tony held down a sigh. He gazed at Loki, eyes running down his body and staring at his crotch. The god was excited, but not enough.

Tony adjusting the shower head so he stayed under the hot spray but moved so he could reach Loki's cock. He grasped it tenderly and stroked, running his fingers over the head. "Keep touching yourself, boy," Loki said warningly. Tony muttered angrily and started stroking himself again, leaving his left hand on himself and his more skilled right on Loki. "It's just foreplay. I don't want this; I want your cock in me." "Exactly. Have you ever considered that my commanding you to pleasure yourself against your will - the irony in commanding you to feel pleasure despite you craving pain, is just another way to dominate you?" Tony cock twitched hard in his hand as his hips bucked and lips opened wide. "I hadn't thought," Tony whimpered. "I will now though." "Stop." "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Tony's eyes narrowed in a glare. "Where's the fun in it for me if you're enjoying yourself?" Tony could have spat, but let go anyway. The heat under the water was making him tired and dizzy. But he obeyed when Loki told him to increase the temperature. "Turn." Tony felt handcuffs go on behind his back, and a blindfold shut off his sight. Blindfold was good, so good. The blindfold meant ice. "Why the blindfold? I've already seen you like-" "Quiet." "Then you should probably gag me," Tony suggested. "Don't be such a slut, boy." Again, Tony's cock twitched involuntarily. Only with Loki had he ever experienced his body having such a mind of its own. Loki stepped into the shower behind him and Tony smiled in ecstasy at the simple sound of the shower door shutting. Closed in a private world of pain and pleasure. Trapped in a small world with nothing and no one but Loki. "Loki," Tony breathed unthinkingly. Since when did showers become a kink? Since him... "Stroke me." "You tied my hands together, genius," Tony snapped. He yelped as Loki's hand slapped his ass hard. "I think you'll find it's not impossible. And less talking. Tony Stark may jeer, but when I am in the company of my boy, I expect quiet, keen, lustful obedience." Tony grumbled and reached out behind his back. His first surprise was that with a certain amount of effort, it was possible to stroke Loki off like this. His second surprise was to find the ice cold cock. Tony whined as he jerked Loki off. "I want this is my mouth," he pleaded. His hands were turning to ice and he stopped once or twice to flex stiff fingers. "Fuck, you're so cold!" "Have you been a good boy today?"

Let's see... drinking, gambling, and girls. Everything Loki disapproved of in his boy. And possibly – though not confirmed – flirting with Bruce... "By whose standards?" "That pretty much answers the question, doesn't it boy?" "If I suck you off like a good boy, I promise next time you come back, I'll do something I don't want to do without a fight." Loki seemed to consider this. "I can make you do whatever I want now." "But I won't fight. Just for once, wouldn't you like an obedient whore?" The slap came down hard on this thigh. Tony bit his lip but kept up his service. "Do not use that word." "You use it!" "To excite you. Whore, slut, toy - these are all words to prompt your arousal. But do not believe that I consider you cheap or whorish. When referring to yourself, you are boy. My boy and only mine. Your… admittedly wanton behaviour is not cheap, but an expression of your devotion to my command." Tony stroked the ice cold length behind him harder as warmth inside his stomach began to grow, spreading and filling him like the rays from the sun. He smiled gleefully. "You have to let me suck you off now." "With the promise of obedience at a later date of my choosing?" "Yes. I swear." "The Promise of Obedience," Loki repeated, though this time Tony could hear the capitals. It was like Loki was making a point, making it official. Tony wondered suddenly what he might have just gotten himself in to. There could be a lot of pain, a lot of grief on the horizon. Tony's smile broadened. Nice to know he was still capable of getting himself into lethal amounts of trouble, nuclear warhead or no nuclear warhead. Playing with a loaded gun is safer than this. Sure, but I don't tend to orgasm when playing Russian Roulette. "Very well. On your knees." That was fun. First getting down safely without slipping and then finding the cock in the darkness of the blindfold. Loki chuckled and Tony knew that he was getting a dark joy in watching Tony trying to find him in the dark. "Why won't you let me see you?" "Hush boy." "You look amazing in blue," Tony crooned. "Suck." Tony let the tip slip wetly in and out of his mouth. Under the hot spray, the cold length felt wonderful. Occasionally, Tony had to pause, pulling off and tilted his face back into the hot water. It was magnificent but so cold that his tongue was going numb and his jaw was seizing. It forced a slower pace to the blowjob and Tony having to stop intermittantly was deeply exciting for them

both. Loki didn't force Tony down. Tony recognised the hesitation on Loki's part to be overly violent in this form. Tony knew he was going to have to change that. He wanted to get forced into bed and fucked hard by an ice giant. Then he could cross it off the bucket list. Tony sucked hard, wiping his tongue across the head in long, flat strokes. He heard a groan from Loki. Tony would have compared it to sucking ice, but the taste of Loki was so powerful. It was like an ice lolly. Loki lolly. Tony felt the bubble of laughter rise in his chest and he couldn't help but chuckle. He felt Loki run chilled fingers through his hot, clinging wet hair and pull his face back. "What amuses you?" Fuck it. Just be honest. "I just can't believe how happy I am with you." Tony almost felt ashamed at his confession, because playing the game was one thing. Admitting that is another. Loki chuckled himself and pushed Tony's head back to his busy work. Tony was taking more in, shuddering with the freezing temperatures. He wondered vaguely if he was going to get an ice headache. "Are you ready, boy? I wish to be in you." Tony hummed in agreement; holding the cock in his mouth until Loki finally laughed tenderly and pulled him off. Tony let go, a little regretfully. He gave it a last lick before it disappeared into the blackness of his blindfold. Tony mewled. "Take the blindfold off, man. I don't give a fuck what you look like." "Quiet. Put your back against the wall and pull up your knees. I want to watch you this time." Tony obeyed and felt icy hands grabbing his legs and spreading him wider. He was prepared quickly and when Loki finally pushed in Tony almost jumped out of his body, his legs pushing down, trying to climb up and away from the cold. Not because he didn't want it - he wanted it so badly. But the ice made every nerve scream and his body involuntarily tried to escape the harsh treatment. Unlike the first time, his body knew what was coming now. His muscles clenched down, despite Tony trying to relax. Loki's strength was beyond anything Tony's body could accomplish and his tensing didn't slow him at all. It was a painful thrust and Tony gave a strangled sob. Aware that it wasn't exactly the sound of lust that his partner might have been hoping for, he quickly gasped out, "Please don't stop!" Loki needed to know, regardless of the pain, it was so worth it. An icy tongue ran over his lips luxuriously. "Don't alarm yourself, boy. I have no intention of stopping. You asked for the monster and now you must suffer for it." "Yessss," Tony hissed in pleasure. There was a pause. Loki was apparently moving the shower head because seconds later an unrelenting stream was pounding hard against his chest and face, hotter than before. The boy gasped and choked slightly as he inhaled water. The slight drowning sensation threw him into a whole new world of panicked excitement. Loki's fingers were running over his chest and stomach. The hot water was burning and the cold fingers tracing patters in his chest were freezing him. That was half the point of the blindfold he supposed. With one sense shut down, touch and taste and smell were focused beyond belief.

"What's the difference between kink and insanity?" Tony gasped. He bounced up and down on the cock. "This feels so good!" Loki's cold tongue slipped into Tony's hot mouth. He groaned leaning in, desperate for more. His mouth went numb in seconds. Loki was moving hard against him, ploughing in and out of his body. A cold hand was quickly stroking him. "Stop," Tony whimpered, trying to buck the hand away. "Too soon!" He squirmed and cursed as his climax rushed towards him. His hands fought against the cuffs, trying to get free to push the hand away. He was panting with the exertion, forcing himself not to think of the pleasure but the pain in his wrists and the cold devastating his nerves. But that only made him harder. "Stop, Loki! It's too soon!" he demanded angrily. "Your body temperature is dropping," Loki explained his voice tense and husky. "Hypothermia." It made sense, they were face to face. Loki's cock was in him and Tony's legs wrapped around his hips to hold himself up, giving Loki the best angle. Tony's legs were aching in pain from the cold. And Loki was pressed up against Tony's stomach. Basically, more Loki meant more cold. More cold meant… well, more cold meant a more desperate and horny Tony. But it also meant more chance of – and not to put too fine a point on this – death. Tony felt fingers stroking his mouth. Loki sighed sadly, "Your lips are blue." "I don't care!" "Shh. Cum for me." "No!" Tony shouted, his fear of being overheard now a long forgotten worry compared to the idea that Loki was going to force this to end so soon. "Take me harder! Fuck me! God, please!" "Relax boy. Just cum. Cum for me my lovely boy." Tony held back for as long as he could, but the fucking freak’s words were making him feel so good. So wonderful. So needed and so adored. "Damn it," he sobbed indignantly. Loki stroked him quickly and Tony moaned furiously and squirmed as his balls started to contract. "Damn it Loki!" he shouted. Tony gave in, bucking into the icy form with desperate abandon. Loki was unrelenting in his pounding and when he came, the cold chilling Tony to his very core, it was enough to push the playboy over the edge. As he climaxed over Loki's fist, he heard the god murmuring sweet nothings in his ear. As Loki turned off the shower, Tony reached out with his mouth, kissing what skin he could. "It was too fast," Tony moaned as the skin beneath his lips suddenly warmed. "You fucking short changed me!" Tony was angry and upset. He felt like he had been given that toy he had wanted for Christmas, then had it taken off him after an hour. Loki seemed too tense. "You should not pine for the monster so. It is not a reward." "Any time with you is a reward," Tony said quietly. "And what monster?" "The ice monsters which haunt the nightmares of Asgardians. You should not desire its touch." Tony shook his head. "And here I thought I was the messed up one. Why can't I want the ice form as much as I want this?" He kissed the warm skin. "If I find a way of keeping my body temperature up, would you fuck me for longer?" "Is such an endeavour an appropriate use for your genius?" "Saving the world or more sex? Ask Solar Energy and Viagra who's winning on that front."

"Viagra?" Tony was about to answer when he shut his mouth quickly. "On second thoughts no. I think it might just give you ideas." Tony stumbled away from the bathroom, glancing at the clock as he fell into the bed. Great. A few hours sleep and then up again. Bruce kept a ridiculously early schedule which cut at the heart of Tony's playboy lifestyle. As he fell asleep, he realised that Loki had never given him an answer on a way of communicating with him. Okay, so he hadn't won that argument. Let's just call it a draw.

Speeches As the Iron Man, he got to fly around, blast things with lasers and save the world. Teenage boy stuff. Very cool. As Tony Stark, he got to give responsible speeches. Fun... not. Tony reached out automatically as a tray went past, grabbing a martini that was probably meant for someone else. No one stopped him. Von Doom it seemed had been a flash in the pan. Since his appearance in Mexico, there hadn't been sight or sound of him. Tony and Bruce had half expected something to happen in the middle of their Vegas trip, but nothing. For once, the universe seemed to be on their side. Tony was grateful that they had dodged the bullet on this one. Tony glanced around. This place screamed old money. Where was he now? Oh, right. He pulled the cards out of his pocket and glared at them. The writing was going all wibbly wobbly. Tony reckoned, genius that he was, that he was probably drunk. Comfortably drunk. He could probably snap out of it if he needed to, but at the moment he was happy to enjoy the buzz. Buzz is a funny word. "I'm going to take a wild stab here - you're too drunk to read the cards." "Rhodey, you wound me." Rhodes glared at Tony and hissed, "You can't get drunk in the home of a Senator." "Well that's all right then because I was drunk before I got here." "Especially not one who's looking into funding your massive arc reactor project in Arkansas. And one of the few who's completely for the Avengers." "Whatever happened to Senator Stern, I liked him. Very funny." Tony said, smiling darkly in remembrance. "Tony-" "Hey, has anyone ever noticed that Arkansas is a pretty funny word?" He asked the people around him. They all gave him blank looks. "No? Just me?" He turned back to Rhodes. "Since when did you care about the Avengers?" The glass was taken out of his hand as Rhodes stood in front of him seriously. "I can see what the Avengers are, and what they can do, will do for this country. I'm all for it, Stark. But you need political support, like it or not." He slapped Tony on the shoulder. "Don't fuck this up." Tony was about to retort when he saw a man in a black coat turning to face him. Loki gazed at him across the room with piercing eyes. It was enough to completely derail Tony's thoughts and sober him alarmingly. And there it was, the boy inside of him crooning to be near his god. I'm at work! Tony hissed at his inner, pitiful self. Yeah, or we could go and get punished right now. Your call. Last time they had met in the real world, Tony had been the Iron Man. Dealing with the psycho god of destruction was alright in the suit. What hope did Tony Stark, billionaire have? All Tony could do was play to a crowd and throw money about. And build a gun, though he didn't see anything around him that could help him on that front. Loki wasn't known for letting Tony ever get a word in during their games. Loki didn't want to hear Tony's showmanship; he wanted to hear his pleas and wails. So what did that leave him? Could he buy Loki off? How much would he have to pay Loki for a night off from being bent every conceivable way to satisfy an insane god?

"You're completely sloshed, aren't you?" Rhodes snapped angrily. He rolled his eyes at his old and tiresome friend. "You've done this before when you could barely stand. Come on. The speech is in the garden." Rhodes pulled Tony through a set of glass double doors, out of the hall and into a large Chinese garden. Tony's head whipped around to see if Loki was following, but couldn't spot him in the crowd walking out with them. Maybe I'm just imagining him. I'm about due to go insane. The man on the stage was announcing him and Tony let his disappointment drop to be replaced by his easy charm. He thanked Senator... he honestly couldn't remember his name, and took up his place at the podium. He looked at his cards briefly, then threw them over his shoulder. "Fuck 'em. I'll just make it up." he said. Everyone laughed. Tony saw Loki standing in a doorway of the house. Those green eyes were fixed on him. "Yes, well. I am Tony Stark and for those who don't know, I'm the Iron Man." Again, everyone laughed. Who didn't know? Tony launched into his speech and it was a good speech. About desperate times and rising heroes. About the arc reactor, "Once described to me, as a warm light for all mankind." Tony said and watched Loki's small smile. All in all, he acquitted himself well and without any major detours designed to get himself into trouble. It wasn't like him. Rhodes, smiling for the cameras, shaking Tony's hand mentioned it out of the corner of his mouth. "I was so expecting you to do a Tony Stark." "Would I?" "That's why it's call a fucking Tony Stark." Tony didn't. He didn't have even an inclination to screw up the speech out of a personal motive, or just because he was bored. Because he wasn't bored. There was an insane god over there. Playing with live ammo was written into his DNA. Messing up a speech in a Senator's home just to annoy him and everyone now seemed so trivial. Why muck up a speech when you could swear at a god, get beaten bloody for a few hours before the same hand that brought so much pain would reach around and stroke you into climax so tenderly. You used to pick up women from these events, take them home and do them, then get Pepper to chuck them out in the morning. Now you pine to get punished by Thor's brother. And your point is? After the photo shoot and the congratulations were finally over with the problem became, as always, navigating his way through the fawners and vultures. So many autographs, so many photos, so much indifference on Tony's part. His heart dropped painfully when he reached the spot where Loki had been only to find him missing. But he quickly caught sight of black disappearing through a doorway and followed. He walked into a sort of library-waiting room set up. Tony closed the door behind them. "Is this safe?" "I highly doubt it. Do you care?" "No," Tony breathed, walking forward.

Three long strides and he had the god in his arms, kissing him deeply. Tony's tongue running over every inch - every time they kissed it was a revelation. Every time they kissed Tony's tongue would explore Loki's mouth. Nothing changed, but it was always a wonder. What had changed was their synchronicity. They knew now how the other would move, what they would do. What they wanted, what they needed. There was no more clicking teeth or confused fumbling. Tony gasped slightly as they fell back onto a couch, but couldn't bring himself to let those delicious lips go. Loki was dragging him up the couch, arranging his body, unbuckling his trousers. Tony just lost himself in the kiss, waiting for the first command. "Touch yourself." Tony's hand reached immediately for his hardening cock without a moment of embarrassment or hesitation. Loki said touch himself, he touched. Loki said stop, he'd stop. Loki said jump... Well, Tony would probably say fuck off, but whatever. "You're going to cum now, boy. Let's get that edge off now before we play. You'll last longer." Tony growled at the smirk on Loki face, but his hand didn't stop. He wished it was Loki's warm hand on him, but there was little use in asking. It didn't take Tony long, he was already bucking and grunting. "You've been gone too long," Tony growled, feeling the need to explain. "It's only been a few days, my sweet boy." "Too long," Tony growled. "I shall endeavour to come-" "Every night. Want you every night," Tony demanded through gritted teeth as his cock throbbed and bounced in his madly jerking hand. Loki was still above him, watching him intensely like Tony was some fascinating creature. "I think, even if I did, you would get tired of me. Demand I leave; demand I give you your space." Tony growled angrily. "Even if I say it, even if I fight, even if I demand you leave, don't you dare stop coming!" Did I really just say that? Well it's true. "I will try, my pretty boy." Loki was delicately brushing the hair out of his eyes, pulling free the tie, kissing Tony's hot neck and undoing the top buttons of his shirt. "For now, I have such a special game in mind. You are going to hate me and cum harder than you've ever done in your life. Do not fight me. Give in to the fact that there's nothing you can do but be my little vessel to fill." Tony was keening now. He was teetering on the edge and it wasn't going to be long beforeHe was suddenly on the floor, his head knocking the stone. He blinked in a daze as his hands were tied behind his back with his own tie and a gold scarf from around Loki's own neck was wrapped twice around his head, gagging him. Of all the trivial things to think about… the scarf smelt of Loki. Tony felt a throb run through his body like a heartbeat. Loki pulled him up into a kneeling position. Tony's cock was pointing out straight up front of him and pressing painfully against his stomach. Loki pulled something out of his pocket. Tony stared at it for a moment, tried to spit out a sting of

curses from behind the gold scarf and attempted to stand. Loki's hand was in his hair, dragging him back down to his knees, and then, in a moment that Tony would remember in both his nightmares and dirtiest dreams for the rest of his life, snapped the collar around his neck. He's put a fucking collar on me! That is so hot. No it's not! He growled in fury as Loki snapped a leash to it and sat back down on the couch in front of him. Tony could see it in his mind's eye. His jacket had been discarded so here he was, still clothed but dishevelled - the white tailored shirt hanging open under the grey waist coat, grey trousers tangled around his knees, his cock protruding from under the hem of the shirt, red and hard and strained. Bound, gagged, collared and leashed, kneeling like a dog at Loki's feet. "Such a beautiful little boy, all dressed up in your suit, pretending to be the man," Loki crooned, giving the leash a slight tug. He looked up through narrow, hate filled eyes. There the fucking prima donna was, sitting on the red leather sofa like it was a throne. One hand held the leash; the other was reaching for a glass of red wine he must have conjured. Loki drank deeply and stared down on his little captive. He gestured around the room with the glass. "I like this room. Reminds me of my quarters in Asgard. So many fantasies I have had of you in a setting like this, I could hardly believe my luck when I found the room. All those dreams I had when I was being tortured. I promised myself I'd fulfill every one. It seems the universe smiles on my whims." Well I fucking wish it would smile on mine. "When you have finally stopped your feeble protests and agreed to bind yourself to me, we will have a home with no doors and no windows. You will never be able to leave. But do not shudder, my pet, for I will ensure you never wish to. We will have a library, such as this. And a shower." Tony felt his cock jump, eager and delighted at the images Loki was spinning. Tony shook with anger at his body's betrayal. He's just going to leave me in the end! Betray me and leave! he wanted to scream at his enthusiastic body. His cock was throbbing so hard in response maybe, but think of how he will make me feel while he's here. Tony was shaking with rage and loathing, but redirected his thoughts on getting rid of his erection. Think of anything but him! Cold showers. Fuck, no, not showers. Not cold. Think of the pain in his head. Pain, Loki pushing hard. Dominating. Tony groaned miserably. Oh for fuck's sake, was there anything left in him that Loki hadn't warped into sex? Think of anything but Loki! Steve Rogers. Tony found himself laughing. That was surprisingly effective. A tsking sound came from his god. "Now that won't do," Loki sighed reprovingly. The man reached down and grasped Tony erection. Tony groaned piteously, trying to pull his hips away. "Think naughty thoughts, boy," Loki teased, stroking him back into full hardness. As soon as he had, Loki sat back again, refilling his glass. It was so painful, and Tony thought that as the Iron Man he had pretty much experienced every type of pain out there. Shot out of the sky numerous times, hitting the earth with enough force to kill him had he not been suited. Bullets,

stab wounds and not forgetting the all-time winner, the bomb that had pummelled thousands of tiny shards of shrapnel into his chest. Turns out, he was so horribly wrong on that front. This was a whole new level of pain which only a man could ever understand. This wasn't the first time Loki had left him hard and begging, but never for this long and never this hard. The problem was half of the torment was coming from Tony's own mind. This entire situation, the humiliation and the lack of control, was making him desperate to fuck. Loki would reach over now and again, running his fingers through Tony's hair, down his neck, keeping Tony hard with tiny strokes, but not relieving him. Tony gazed at the floor, his body shuddering, tears falling from his eyes. And it was the words. The dreams that were pouring from Loki's skilled, silver tongue were creating a whole new world in Tony's mind. A world where his life would be so simple and so free... not 'free' in the sense of 'liberty' obviously. But free from any responsibility and that was freedom in a warped way. It seemed like an eternity before Tony finally heard the loosening of fastenings. He looked up to see Loki's free hand pulling out his long pale cock. Tony was disappointed to see that Loki was only semi-hard. At a look from Loki, Tony shuffled forward; moving awkwardly because of his tangled trousers and took up his place between the long, black clad legs. He waited, but Loki didn't make any sign that he was going to remove the scarf. Tony raised his head, leaning forward and rubbing his cheek against Loki's cock. It was a pure, base act of submission which excited them both. Loki hissed out a long, "Yesssss." Tony groaned as his own cock twitched painfully and, impossibly, felt the throbbing actually increase. He rubbed his face against Loki's shaft, encouraging it erect with the friction. A sharp yank up on his leash made him look up. Loki pulled again and Tony stumbled up onto his feet. He stood swaying slightly as Loki pulled his trousers all the way to his ankles, pulled off his shoes and helped him step out. He paused as an afterthought hit him and gently blew on Tony's throbbing cock. Tony shuddered and whimpered. Loki laughed evilly and directed him to turn. He felt Loki quickly preparing him, three fingers pushing in immediately, covered in some sort of lubrication. Tony stood, shaking, waiting. One hand grasped his bound wrists, Loki's other hand on the leash guiding him backwards, forcing the boy to impale himself on his god. Tony threw his head back and yelled into the fabric in his mouth. Loki stroked his back, sighing and shifting slightly. Once he was content, he lay back, grabbing his glass again and taking a drink. "In your own time, boy." Tony shuddered, eyes trying to open but some instinct was forcing them shut. His whole body seemed to be shattering. He pushed up, shins sitting either side of Loki's lap, his thigh muscles shaking, he let himself drop. The cock hit deeper than it had previously and he still hadn't taken it all. He groaned. This was such a different position to anything they had done yet. He pulled up again, as high as he could and pressed down with all his weight. Again deeper, again a loud groan. He wasn't sure he had the strength for this. Just focus on the command you were given. Nothing else matters. Up. Down. Up. Down. Tony realised that all Loki was doing at this point was letting his boy torture himself. Why the fuck was Tony putting up with this shit? He couldn't stop. Even if he could be free of Loki, get up, get out forever, he didn't want to. Heaven help us both, we can't survive apart but we'll probably kill each other.

Tony was moving quickly now, bouncing on the cock for all he was worth. Absently, he could hear the squeaking of the chair as the upholstery objected. He could hear Loki's breathy laugh. "That's it boy," Loki panted. A hand was stroking his back. "I will come first and if you are very, very good, I will let you cum too." Tony nodded in a daze, working his hips, rolling them, tightening as much as he could, doing everything to make Loki come. Loki was breathing hard behind him, crooning, keening, panting. He was moaning now, his hips rising to meet Tony. "Tony, Tony, Tony, yes. Yes like that. Move your hips like that again. Yes, yes, yes! Tony, yes, my boy. My boy." Tony was being driven insane by the words of lust. He wanted to be facing him, to see his face when he spoke. Loki seemed to read his mind. "Up. Get up, turn around. I want to see your face. Your lovely face, boy, as I cum." Tony was quick to comply. Loki arched hard when he came, almost knocking Tony to the ground. Hands came out and grabbed his hips, holding tight enough to leave bruises. For the last few seconds, Loki literally lifted Tony up and down on his cock with frightening strength until he was finally spent. All Tony had to do was give in and let Loki use him. Loki lay back, almost unconscious, smiling happily. Tony was shaking hard from lust and anger. He growled lividly behind his gag. "Shh, boy. Let me enjoy the moment." Tony growled again. "At this rate, I will make you stand in the corner like a bad boy, and we will not play again." Tony strained to wait, shaking, precum weeping from his straining length as Loki finally seemed to pull himself out of the half slumber. He patted Tony's face delicately and a hand on his ass squeezed possessively. Tony shuddered at the debasing act. Loki crooked a finger and Tony, feeling his pride and strength lying in ruins, bent forward and let Loki kiss his forehead, cheeks, chin, jaw and neck. Loki leered, pulled him off and put him down on his knees again. "How many more times can we do this before you lose control and cum without my permission?" If I only could I would now. But I need touch. I need you to touch me or I can't. Tony gazed at him with hatred. Loki smiled blandly. "Or we can cut the game short and let you cum now." Tony waited. It was clear he wasn't getting a choice in this. Loki patted his lap, "Up." Tony stood and sat in Loki's lap again. Loki gripped his thighs with strong hands and pushed Tony's chest back. Tony didn't get it, and Loki's pure strength had to force him into the position he wanted. This was Tony sitting in his god's lap, legs on the sofa but his back, chest and head hanging down, inches from the floor. It was a humiliating, weak position, which left him exposed, vulnerable and knowing that if Loki let go of his hips, his head was going to bounce off the hard stone floor. Loki let Tony consider these facts for a long time, before his head dropped and he began sucking Tony's dick with malevolent unrestraint. Tony howled and writhed. He couldn't buck or thrust because he couldn't gain any leverage, so he was forced to just hang there, completely at Loki's mercy. All of this on top of the blood rushing to his head, making him dizzy and uncomfortable

which only made Tony feel more helpless than he had ever done before. Loki didn't draw the teasing out for long to Tony's glorious relief. His body shook as a wave flooded through him, making his body jerk like a puppet. A puppet controlled by a master. He exploded and Loki was swallowing the seed with a smile of satisfaction. Tony slipped to the floor gently, gargling piteously. "Now didn't I tell you it would be worth it?" Fuck yes. Tony was being unbound and dressed. As his tie was tightened around his neck, he felt it being pulled up hard, a substitute to the leash. Tony forced himself onto his feet or the tie was just going to strangle him. He stumbled up to find Loki was Lockley, resplendent in a long green dress, a slit going all the way up her… his… fuck it, her thigh. "Come along, Tony Stark. Take me back to your place and we'll do it all again." Tony, legs a little wobbly, sunglasses fixed on his face, managed to put on a good show for the cameras outside the Senator's house. "Stark!" "Fuck no," he muttered. He gripped Lockley tightly around the waist, more holding himself up than anything and leaned into her. "Please don't do anything... Loki-ish." "Well I'll try Tony," Lockley said patronisingly. Tony always noticed a difference when Loki was like this. He spoke far more... normally? Far more like a normal, English woman than when he was in his male form. It was disturbing to see how easily he could slip in and out of his masks. On some level, it worried Tony. What mask was Loki wearing when he was fucking Tony? He'd like to believe he wasn't wearing any, but it was wise enough to know that couldn't be true. Rhodes walked up. He was about to speak when he frowned. "You okay Tony?" "What?" "I think it's time I got him home," Lockley said with a very telling roll of his eyes. "Hey, I'm fine," Tony said quickly, throwing a glare at her. "Er, Rhodey, this is-" "Lockley. I guessed." Rhodes held out a hand. "Tony talks of nothing else." "Really?" Lockley said delightedly. "No, not really," Tony said quickly. "Tony wasn't even this crazy about Pep-" Rhodes pulled himself up quickly. That's right. Bring up the old girlfriend in front of the new. Tony gave him a sour look. "Military teach you nothing about women?" he hissed into Rhodes ear. "Look who's talking," Rhodes hissed back. "Well, we're off," Tony said, dragging Lockley away. "Wow your waist is small. Not you, Rhodes. Your waist is normal. Not that I'd know. See you next week." "What's going on next week?" Lockley asked.

Tony pushed his sunglasses onto his face. "Fundraising thingy." "Isn't this a fundraising thingy?" "It's another fundraising thingy." They made their way to front. The valet was already pulling the Audi around. Tony's attentions were on the paparazzi, worried about the number of photos that were going to appear in the papers of him and Lok-Lockl- the creature on his arm... which suddenly seemed to have her-his-it's lips on his neck. "Stop it!" Tony hissed. Lockley chuckled into his neck, but didn't stop the feathered kisses. Tony could have easily stopped him, pulled away or even pushed him away. But he didn't. "Would Thor recognise you?" he asked, worriedly. "From a photograph?" A tongue snaked out and caught his ear before the whispered voice replied, "Tony, Thor has fallen for my tricks without fail since we were infants. If he didn't spot it before I hardly think he's going to have a sudden leap of genius." She snorted. "Besides, I imagine he's far too busy rutting his little Midgardian." "Hypocritical much?" "Well, my Midgardian is far superior." Obviously. Tony looked worriedly back at the stream of sparkling lights. "Maybe you should just, you know – disappear." "No." "Loki-" "No." And that seemed to be that. Once the car was ready Tony led her out of the front doors and the world became a field of flashing cameras and microphones thrust at him. He gave a quick wave to the reporters and growled in her ear, "You know, just because you're a woman right now doesn't mean you have to be a pain in the ass." "Poor choice of words, Tony. I'll always be the pain in your ass." "Guess I was asking for that one really." They walked down the remaining steps to the car. Tony opened the door for her like a true gentlemen and once she was seated, pulled himself into the driver's seat. "Must you wear those?" said the smooth, feminine voice next to him. He looked straight ahead as he pulled away from the paparazzi. The last thing he needed was to knock one down. Again. "I'm Tony Stark, I wear sunglasses." "All the time?" "Yes." "But it's night," Lockley pointed out. "Since when did it become your job to make my fashion choices?" Tony demanded.

The female Loki rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. "I can't believe I'm having an argument over my sunglasses with a woman who's actually a man, who's actually a god, who's actually a frost giant and… and I'm still in the fucking best mood I've ever been in since… whenever." "Good to know," she sighed. "So Martha Lockley makes her debut." Tony chewed his tongue. "I knew this was a bad idea. We'll have to do something about it." "Do not concern yourself. Justin and I have already created an identity. I am a brilliant engineer who recently lost her job at a British firm. I'm here in America interviewing for a job at Hammer Industries." "And sleeping with Tony Stark? The CEO of its competitive rival?" "I am an independent, strong willed woman, Anthony. I do as I please. Besides, if anyone asks, we tell them we don't talk shop at home." Tony felt like he must be in some sort of fevered dream. "This is fucking insane. And I think you're enjoying this way too much." Tony stared at Loki-Lockley. "You're still a guy, remember?" "Gender is not only subjective but entirely based on culture. I am the god who makes your body do the most incredible things. Beyond that, what does it matter what I look like?" Tony stared back at the road. The he-she-whatever-it had a point. "Reasonably incredible," was all Tony was willing to admit. "Now let's go back to the tower. I wish to play with you further." "Listen, I'm all for it, but I don't think I'll be doing much of anything tonight," Tony said with a grimace. He felt completely spent and even now it was an effort to make his body do anything. Fuck. He'd rather die than say this out loud, but he was beginning to wonder if he wasn't as young as he used to be. He stopped at a red light and jumped as a hand landed on his crotch. Lockley squeezed gently. "And I say I can make you hard again in eight minutes with nothing to help me but the clothes on your back." Tony gawked at her, then, at angry honking from the red Mercedes behind him, resumed the drive back to the tower. "No you couldn't. I'm spent." "If you manage to hold out for eight minutes, you win." "I win what?" "I'll hand over the location of my current accommodation. You can use it for your own personal pleasure," she purred. "Or hand the information over to your SHIELD. Whatever you choose." Tony mulled this for a moment. "And if I lose?" "If you are hard and willing in eight minutes of my ministrations, I get you." "You've already got me," Tony muttered in annoyance. "I want you willing to bind with me. Clearly, you're holding out to save whatever remnants of pride I have yet to strip from you. You will bind with me eventually and in the mean time, you

must work harder to keep my good will," she snapped. She paused, composing herself. "So. I want you, for a week, chained and naked and ready to serve. Tell SHIELD you're taking some time at a retreat, on a boat in the middle of nowhere, I don't care what you tell them. Tell them you're busy getting your ass taken by a god if you want. Cancel your engagements at Stark Industries. I will demand 168 hours, not a second less, of you naked and open to me. Tony, lamppost," she finished in a bored, but slightly scolding voice. Tony jerked as he realised, almost hitting the lamppost as his imagination went wild with thoughts. He swerved quickly back into the middle of the road. A week away with crazy good... binding for all eternity with a crazy god... "Next week?" "Whatever week I wish." "So you'll just pop up one day and demand that week? That doesn't seem fair." "Then might I suggest you not lose?" Tony paused at another red light. He rarely ever took such care over the legalities of driving, but the slower journey was giving him time to think. He even circled a few more blocks to give himself longer. "And, when you're doing your eight minutes of, whatever, you'll look like that?" he gestured at the female form. She laughed, her green eyes flashing. At least that was the same. "No, my boy. You cannot pretend that this form excites you half as much. I believe you'd probably be able to hold out those eight minutes were I like this." Tony glared back at the road. That had been his thought too. Loki was heart stoppingly attractive like this, of course. Competition for any of the women he had ever slept with. But there was something so wonderfully wrong and right about being dominated by another man. Tony felt in his bones that, while a female Loki was sexy, a male Loki was dirty. And Tony was learning that there was a deep, dark part inside of him which was finally getting fed by his god. "Eight minutes? What the hell can you do in eight minutes?" "We seem to have been driving for some time now, Tony. Don't tell me you're lost." "Using nothing but-" "The clothes you're wearing." "How does that work?" "You might add to that list a lubricant, though if you wish to keep to our strict rules, I will happily go without it. For your sake, however, I wouldn't advise it." Tony pulled into Stark tower, down into the loading bay and parked. Beside him, he caught out of the corner of his eye a shimmer. He ignored it, and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a long time. "And if I win, I can hand over the location to SHIELD?" "No repercussions, boy." The voice was deep and silky and gloriously male once again. "But what about you?" Tony said. Large hazel eyes turned on the god, full of defiance and fear. Loki smiled. "Perhaps a heads up? Unless you wish me to be captured?" "That's the last thing I want." Tony closed his eyes and stepped out of the car. "Okay. Eight minutes."

"Time starts when your ass is on the bed, boy." Tony and Loki stepped into the elevator. It rose in silence. Loki's eyes were fixed on the ceiling. Tony was staring at his own reflection in the glass. He was tired and worn through. He doubted very much that Loki was going to get anything out of him at this point. He was barely standing. "Sunglasses. Off. We're inside, Tony," Loki sighed like a tired parent. "I honestly fail to see the point." "This coming from the guy," Tony said slowly and pointedly, not looking at him, "who wears a helmet with gold horns." The doors opened and they stepped through. Tony made his way to the bed, flopping down and watched Loki walk past him, searching the bathroom for the KY Jelly. Once located, he stepped over to Tony, a long fingered hand reaching down and pulling the glasses from his face. Tony smiled. "Tony Stark hides his eyes from the world, because his eyes betray him for the boy he is. Big, beautiful, puppy eyes. Alright my love, wear your sunglasses for the world. But with me, those eyes are mine and I never wish them to be hidden." "Okay," Tony said and suddenly realised how small and young his voice had sounded. "Move back. Against the headboard." Tony complied. Loki took some time pulling Tony's shoes off and then pulling his trousers off. He untied Tony's tie and used it to bind his hands. "Shall we start?" Loki asked. He fingered the buttons of Tony's shirt seductively. Tony smiled. "Jarvis, let's get the stopwatch out. Call time at eight minutes." "Yes sir. Starting now." "You don't trust me?" Loki asked, hurt tones ringing in every syllable. His eyes were dancing with delight however. "Not for a moment." Loki tsked. He poured out a dollop of jelly onto his fingers and prepared Tony with long, stretching strokes. Two fingers were pushed in immediately and Tony sighed at the tight stretch. It felt good, it felt wonderful, but simple biology was against Loki. Tony just couldn't. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation though. Lips feathered along his neck. "I love that," Tony muttered. "Good." "I love this," he added huskily, looking at Loki seriously. "I love everything about this." I love that, I love this. You're skirting around actually saying what you're trying to say. Coward. "It will never end." "Promise?" Tony said, and was angry to hear the crack in his voice. He wanted to be strong, to be Tony Stark. He didn't want to ask to be happy. He wanted to demand it. "I won't leave you. And I won't let this end. Tony, perhaps I haven't made myself clear. In the centuries to come, you will sway, I have no doubt, from wanting me, to hating me, to trying to flee, to crawling to me on your knees. It makes no difference. Whether you want me or hate me,

this will only end when I die." Loki pushed harder and a thumb joined the four fingers. Tony was being stretched further than he had ever been previously. "Oh fuck!" he hissed. A hand slapped his face hard, then rubbed the stinging flesh gently. "Tony," purred Loki. He slapped him again and again, then stroked the abused cheek. "Just concentrate on my voice." Slap. "It's just you and I." Slap. "And there is no one coming to save you." Slap. "Give in because you have no other choice." The hand pulled out and was replaced almost seamlessly by a cock. Tony moaned and wrapped his legs around Loki, holding him close. Loki pulled out the belt from Tony's trousers, dropping the fabric back onto the floor. Tony thought he knew what was going to happen. But he was a fool to ever believe he knew what the God of Mischief was thinking. Instead of the beating, the belt was passed around his neck and the buckle was pulled against his throat. Tight. Tighter. Too tight. Tony's eyes grew wider as he began to panic. He struggled, but it was useless and all it did was shift the cock up against his prostate. He choked and bucked up against Loki as his nerve endings flared in pleasure. "Don't panic, Tony. You know- listen to me! You know that I would never, could never kill my boy. I love you, Tony. I need you to relax." Tony wanted to trust him. On some level did trust him, but instinct was taking over. He couldn't breathe. His lungs were burning. He bucked and squirmed and mewled, thrusting his body against Loki. "That's it, boy. A little more." On the very edge of passing out, the belt loosened briefly and Tony managed to suck in a desperate breath in before his airway was closed again. "You're doing so well, boy. Just a little more." Tony arched and strained and fought, his body failing on the bed, his legs kicking out against the air, constantly moving on the cock buried in his body. His vision was darkening around the corners, his gaze focusing in alarm at the god holding his life in his hands. Tony felt his body thrum with frightened energy. Adrenaline was rushing through him. He had sudden, horrible flash backs to his torture in Afghanistan. But it was Loki. Loki. Loki who was going to play and torture and twist him into something Tony both wanted and despised, but Loki wasn't going to kill him. Tony believed it. He bucked, his hips rocking against the cock and felt his body more intensely than he had ever done before. Then the belt was released for the last time. Tony gasped and panted, his vision clearing as he gulped down oxygen. Loki reached down and caressed the hard cock gently. "That's a good boy," Loki breathed, lust heavy in his voice. "Eight minutes, sir," Jarvis said. Tony blinked, finally pulling himself together as he looked down. Loki was gently fondling Tony's solid cock, playfully running his fingers over the head, already slippery with precum. Tony looked back up in giddy amazement and met Loki's green eyes. The god was smiling gently, fondly, his eyes fixed on Tony's. The hand let go of the belt to glide through Tony's hair, pushing the fringe back. "Such a good boy, Tony. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me." The approval, as insane as it was in this situation, was like a warm sun in his chest, growing and filling him. Approval. Tony Stark did not get approval, not from his father, his lovers or his

friends. Because Tony Stark didn't want approval. Because Tony Stark was a powerhouse and hero and a cocky son of a bitch. He looked away, blinking hard to stop rising emotions in his throat. "Stop it," he snapped gruffly. "It's alright, my love. There are some places inside you that I will not attempt to force my way into. Not yet. But one day, I will own and dominate every part of your heart and soul. Wall up those secret parts of your soul if you wish. But you are hard, and I have won. And in the not too distant future, I will claim my prize. For now, we will spend the night making love. I will untie your hands, but tell me, do you wish me to remove the belt?" Tony shifted, feeling Loki's hard length bump up against his prostate again. "No," he murmured. "Leave it on."

Insight Tony woke the next morning to the sound of a tapping boot. He opened his eyes blearily. He saw black leather… a heeled boot, tapping the floor impatiently. He jerked awake as his brain finally supplied his body with the information. "Fucking hell, Natasha! Don't you ever knock?" His eyes darted around the room as he pulled himself up. No sign of Loki anywhere. He looked back at the redhead and then looked down. The bed sheet only half covered him. Ordinarily this wouldn't have bothered him. But he was very conscious of the ghost of Loki still clinging to the bed. "This couldn't have waited?" "Your new girlfriend wasn't around when I got here. She must have disappeared in the early hours. It must be nice that you two share something in common." Damn. Not awake enough to deal with this. "New what?" "It's all over the papers, Tony. An engineer employed by Hammer Industries? Do you really think that's a good idea?" "What?" Tony's mind wasn't catching up as fast as he should. Loki had worked him over pretty thoroughly last night. "If you're doing this just to rub Hammer's face in it, that's not a good idea. She's hot, though. I can see how she'd be your type." Hot. Cold. So much sex. Tony's smiled like the cat that got the cream. He was awake now, pulling himself together. "What have I done now to earn a ticking off this early?" "It's noon." "I was busy last night," Tony yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Very." Natasha pulled a face. "I'm… delighted," she said, sarcasm dripping from her tones. "And we're late because of it. The Avenger's publicity event, remember? Get up, get into the shower and let's go." "Did I mention just how busy I was last night?" Tony said, smiling in genuine satisfaction. "Very busy. All night." "You're having a pretty good time with this woman, aren't you?" Natasha said blandly. "Certainly explains why you've been acting so out of character lately." "Takes a hell of a person to keep me that busy." Natasha exclaimed something in Russian with an air of disgust and threw his trousers at him. "Get up, get dressed. We've got to go. And try to stop being so happy." "You and Barton not exactly rocking it out then?" "Get out of the bed, Tony Stark, before I break your arms." Natasha practically dragged him to the latest Avenger publicity event. Yet another in a long line of events. The problem was, as the problem always was, is that change is bad. Tony had experienced this little human prejudice early on in his life. Innovators often do. People say they want change, but really, what they want is today to be pretty much the same as yesterday. And a band of superhuman heroes saving the day was a quite a new thing to wrap your head around. Sounded like something you'd read in a comic book, but it was real.

So dozens of events and conferences had been held in the public sphere. Today, the press conference was on top of a skyscraper in New York, owned by Tony, obviously. Having the resources of a billionaire was something SHIELD never hesitated in exploiting. It was the usual thing, Iron Man and Captain America in their full suits, assuring the world's media that they were a force for good, peace, love and all things fluffy. Steve was professional and military for the cameras, appealing to the older generations and the soldiers. Tony was Tony and the entire world crooned for him. As usual. His eyes searched the crowds but without any conviction. Loki wouldn't appear here of all places. Not with the sharp eyed Natasha in the wings. Tony waved at the crowds with a smile as the aforementioned Russian walked up to him. "Smile, Red, you're on TV." Natasha smiled and waved absently. Since the invasion, her face had been so publicised that she couldn't exactly go under cover now. Tony suspected she was quite bitter about that, given she was a spy by nature. Now she was condemned to face the media like the rest of them. She leaned slightly into Tony and said, "Tony, I do still have to talk to you. About Lockley." Tony felt his pulse quicken, but muttered back, "Okay." "Her background check raised a few flags." Tony had to keep his face smiling for the cameras but inside, he was writhing angrily. "What the hell are you doing checking up on the people I sleep with?" Steve finished his inspirational talk, to which Tony hadn't paid a blind bit of notice and all three Avengers left the platform while their official head of public relations took over questions. Tony and Natasha walked to the furthest end of the roof, away from the crowd of flashing cameras and microphones. "Tony we don't do background checks on the people you sleep with. There aren't enough hours in the day. But when they become serious-" "Whoa there ninja. Who says she's serious?" "You do. You've changed since being with her. You're doing what you can to keep her. Unlike when you were with Pepper and you just expected her to fall in line with your whims." "No I'm not." "When was your last joyride? In your car or suit? When was your last blow up at Stark Industries? When was your last drink? Even with Pepper you'd have your moments of puerile insanity. Not now. Only when Lockley dumps you do you go crazy. Otherwise, you're actually finally beginning to settle down." "Don't check up my private life," Tony snapped, walking away, heat rising in his face. Embarrassment and anger. She's right. Loki's tamed you. Natasha followed unrelenting, "Parts of her history are blank. Other areas have too much detail." Trust fucking Hammer to fuck up something as simple as a false fucking identity. Natasha was still talking. "Tony, I've seen background checks like this before - it's the calling card of a spy." "You think Lockley is a spy?"

"Is it possible?" "No," Tony said, firmly and finally. "I'd like to meet her." "No!" Tony snapped again. Fuck no! "She's worked her way into your life and..." Natasha paused, sighed pulled him round to face her. "When I was sent undercover to become your PA, I didn't use hypnosis or telepathy to get you to hire me. I presented what you wanted - a sexy woman in tight clothes who you could wave in front of Pepper to make her jealous and possessive of you." Tony stared ahead, trying to ignore her. Occasionally he'd turn and give a half wave to the crowd. Steve was off in a further corner, watching them carefully. Those large, observational blue eyes were fixed on Tony with an almost wary air. With a stab of annoyance, Tony realised Steve knew exactly what was going on here and was probably in on it. "When I became Pepper's PA, I wore pant suits and my hair back. I became official. Pepper's clone." "Doesn't that just make you a manipulative bitch?" "Now you suddenly have a woman in your life as intelligent as you-" "Hardly." "As arrogant as you, as high maintenance as you, and it's somehow working. And if this is real then I couldn't be happier for you Tony." She sighed with a shrug. "But they don't pay me to hope for the best." She's getting way too close. She's getting way too deep. Fuck this. Fuck her. "Does it bug you that Fury brought me into SHIELD despite your recommendation?" Tony sneered. "I was wrong." "What?" "I was wrong, Tony. You've proven you can be part of the Avengers. A valuable part." "I'm sorry, you were what?" "I'm not wrong about this," she said seriously. "Something's not right about Lockley. Whether she's with you on Hammers orders or Doom's or Loki's, she's here for a reason. I've looked at the evidence; you're both too happy for this to be real. It doesn't make sense." "Wait," Tony said, anger rising to an even greater degree at her arrogant, self-assured tone. "You're saying this isn't real…because I'm happy?" "I'm sorry Tony, but people like you..." She sighed slightly. "People like us are never happy." "That's your problem," Tony said, leaving his visor up but locking on his helmet now. "But you know what, you're probably right. And if this is all fake then she'll leave and I'll be miserable. And if this is real, I'll find some way to fuck it up, she'll leave and I'll be miserable." He flipped the visor down. The mechanical voice now said, "So either way, Red, you'll get what you want - a Tony as fucking hollow as you are." Tony leapt off the roof of the skyscraper, vaulting up into the clear sky to the crowd's cheers. xxx

"Tony," sang a voice. Hours later, all safe and tucked up back in his lab, away from fucking Natasha and her insight, Tony looked up from his light pad at the soothing voice. Loki was waltzing over like the happiest guy in the world. It was such a contradiction to Tony's current monotonous mood that it served to pull himself out of himself somewhat. Tony raised an eyebrow. He had only asked Jarvis for the time a minute ago and it had just gone midday. He should tell Loki about Natasha… he was curiously reluctant to. Instead he said, "Little early, isn't it?" "I have a little gift for you, boy." Loki pressed a palm sized golden tube into his hand. Tony stared at it. It was the size of his fist with gold intricate patterns in raised embossing covering it and it rounded closed at both ends. Maybe the best description was comparing it to a fancy but small gold baton. He glanced up at Loki. "Gee, you shouldn't have." Tony turned back to the screen, turning his back deliberately on the god. "You asked for a way of communicating with me." Tony dropped his light pad hurriedly and refocused his attention back on the tube. But there wasn't much more to see. "I was thinking a phone." "Tony, what would I do with a phone?" "Oh I don't know. You could call me." "This is better," Loki purred. "You can play Solitaire." The strong pale hand closed over Tony's own, wrapping his fingers around the tube. "Think of me, Tony." "You can surf the web on a phone." Think of Loki. Not exactly a difficult thing to do, is it? Most of the time, you have to force yourself to stop thinking of him. "This is so stupid. I'll get you an iPhone if you're too cheap-" he flinched slightly as the tube glowed with a purplish green light. "Okay. Well that's weird." From an inside pocket, Loki produced an identical tube, but this one shimmered in a smoky red. "And now I know that you are in need of me." "A bit primitive. No bells or whistles. In a word, boring." Tony examined it, trying to suss out how it worked. Presumably, it had some sort of radioactive core which emitted energy when triggered by the heat of his hand"It's magic, Tony. Don't strain yourself trying to discover its secrets. I do hate it when you think too hard." "Whatever," Tony muttered, brushing him off. "And when you need me, does it glow the same colour? Or red?" "Tony, if I want you, I take you. I have no need to summon. If I want you, you'll know by my cock in your ass." He rolled his eyes at Loki's tone. "Someone's in a mood." Tony taunted darkly. He was about to put the tube into his pocket when Loki grasped his wrist in a powerful and warning grip.

"Do not use this to play with me, boy, or I will turn nasty." "You'll turn nasty?" Tony asked incredulously. "You're not now?" "Of course not," Loki said in an almost casual tone. "Why do you think your friends are still alive?" Tony glared at Loki's back as the man walked away and shoved the tube into his pocket. "Fucking drama queen," he muttered, picking up his console and trying to lose himself in the designs for a new and improved suit. Loki was gazing at the glass cases holding his previous models. He tapped the glass. "Hands off, Mr Freeze." "Thor has a room of armour such as this. To display his heroism... and show off to his fawning admirers." Tony didn't answer, his eyes flickering between Loki and the revolving wire image of the Mark VIII. He opened the chest of the image up and ran his eyes over the components as there had been a reoccurring fault there in the simulations. It tended to allow too much power from the arc reactor though at any one time, creating intense surges through the plates of the main body. "He once fucked a girl against the case." Though Tony hadn't exactly been listening, enough of the words had filtered into his brain and caused it to go haywire. "What?" he said alarmed. Loki glared, knowing he had caught Tony out. "I don't like being ignored Tony. When I am in the room, I demand your full attention." Tony blinked. "So... Thor didn't fuck a girl up against-" "Did I not just say he did? One wonders if he was looking at the girl, or at the armour," Loki said snidely. Thor's heavy, muscular frame pressing a girl against a hard wall, holding her up by a leg, pounding and grunting andFuck! Let's not go there. Tony shook his head, trying to shake the image out. So far Tony had been surviving this particular concern by convincing himself that he wasn't, in point of fact, gay. Or bi. Loki didn't count because he wasn't human. It was a truth as stable as a house of cards and if he started picturing that, it was going to tumble very quickly. Thor's not human either so it's okay to imagine. No that's not as helpful a thought as you might like to think it is, Tony. Tony put the light pad down on the table. "You know, you act like you still hate him, but I don't believe you. Not anymore. I think you miss being his brother." "Boy, if you want to be beaten then all you need do is ask. You do not have to try to make me angry." He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. No, I'm not a coward. I just don't want to have this argument right now.

Tony walked slowly over to Loki, who was looking intently at the Mark IV. He pressed his lips into Loki's neck. "If I didn't say, thanks for the tube thing. Just what I needed to fix that short leg on the chair." Loki laughed with a roll of his eyes. "You just beg for punishment." "Maybe." Loki's fingers closed around Tony's neck and pushed him into the glass. Tony relaxed into it. They both knew, the second Loki had mentioned it, that it was going to happen. And happen hard. One had holding his neck powerfully against the glass case, Loki lowered his other hand to brush lightly over and over Tony's crotch. Tony blinked, breathing steadily against the slight pressure on his throat, watching Loki. The hand began to rub against him harder and he whimpered as he felt the beginnings of his erection. They stayed like that, frozen in time, Loki's hand varying pressures against his crotch until Tony was unmistakably ready. He winced as the tight tenting became very uncomfortable. Loki leaned in to nip and suck Tony's tongue. Tony pushed against the god's chest vaguely, almost considering the prospect of fighting, but every time would let his arms drop in submission. Once Tony was squirming against his god, his erection begging to be freed, Loki pulled back. His were eyes closed and he was blissfully licking his lips, enjoying Tony's taste. It made Tony's cock give a particularly strong throb as he watched the apparent joy in Loki's face. Hazy green eyes opened and stared into Tony's very being. "Take them off." Tony had never obeyed an order faster in his life. His trousers fell to the floor and he stumbled out of them. "All of it." Tony stood, shivering, naked and submissive in his own lab. And this would be when Loki had to start playing his mind games. The man just stood there, waiting for... what? Tony shuddered. He began to sink to his knees, but an arm stopped him. Okay. Not that. He tried to turn, but again was stopped. He looked up through his fringe with an innocent, cheeky smile. "I'm running out of ideas here, Loki." "You could try asking." "What do you want me to do?" Tony asked plaintively. "Ask me for what you want." I would rather die. Really? Okay. I would rather sit through a thousand, thousand honour and duty speeches from Steve. Tony stood still. Silent. But Loki stood before him like a powerhouse. Like he had all the time in the world. Tony quaked under the gaze and tried to walk away, but again, a powerful arm pushed him back against the glass. "For fucks sake, Loki," Tony snapped, but without any conviction.

He shook again. It wasn't cold in the lab, but his body wouldn't stop trembling. It felt like nervous energy. There was a bitter taste in his mouth. He wanted to fight, to swing a fist, to run, but nothing seemed to be working. "I'm leaving," he said. This time, he was grabbed and thrown back harder. His head banged against the glass. "Fuck you!" Loki stood, impassive. "Fuck you, you prick!" Nothing. "Loki, come on. Please." Tony rubbed eyes tiredly. "Loki, please." Tony's eyes widened and his heart beat faster as Loki's clothes shimmered and he stood naked before his little pet. Tony's mind fought hard not to, but his eyes were dragging down of their own accord. A whimper sounded in his throat when he saw how hard the god was. His eyes snapped up onto the green ones in front of him. "Please fuck me." "Your language is not appropriate, try again." Tony growled. "Please... take your boy." "Take him where?" "Loki, I'm sick of playing these games." Loki's hand reached out and grabbed Tony's cock in an exciting but altogether too firm a grip. Tony whimpered, fighting the urge to knock the unforgiving hand away. "This suggests otherwise. This," Tony yelped at another too hard squeeze, "is why I prefer to keep you nude. Your body is more honest than your mouth will ever be. So try again." Fuck you, get out of my head. Tony shivered. Loki had to be telepathic on top of everything else. He always seemed to know what he was thinking. Tony found he was panting. He was getting dizzy. Just tell him what he wants, you don't have to mean it! "Pl-" Tony shook his head. "Why the fuck do you have to mess with me?" "Because it's fun." Touché. "Because you want me to." Okay, this isn't difficult. Just say it. "Please take your boy in his ass," Tony mumbled. His cock twitched in Loki's grip. The god smiled at Tony wickedly as he registered the reaction. "Pretty boy," Loki corrected. Again Tony's body showed Loki without words exactly how Tony felt about that description. Tony's mouth lied. "Go to hell." "You'll never get what you want unless you learn to ask." Tony had never asked for anything in his life. He had demanded. "I swear, one day I'm going to

kill you - Thor's psycho brother or not." "Yes my dear, and in the mean time?" "Please take your pre-" the word got caught in his throat. "Please take your petty boy. In his ass. Against the wall. Hard. Please." Loki pulled Tony around and slammed him against the glass case. "With pleasure, little one," he purred. Tony ground his hips back as a slick, oiled finger prepared the way. Loki's other hand stroked the scarring on his back and Tony almost found that as pleasurable as the stretching. "Tell me how you want it." "Hard. Fast. Dirty," Tony slurred. "What do we say?" "Please." "Good boy," Loki breathed. Tony shivered as he felt Loki stepping in, felt the warm chest against his back and the soft hands stroking his hips and waist. "Please," Tony whined as the pause went on for too long. "Hush now, patience. You have prayed to your god like a good little worshiper and you will receive. But don't pretend that your involvement extends beyond that." Tony growled. "Do you even care that I'm here? Because there's plenty of blow-up dolls you could-" Tony yelped loudly as Loki slammed his head into the glass. Tony swore and screamed though gritted teeth as it was followed by a punch to his back that knocked his kidney into his stomach. The pain was blinding and knocked any thought out of his head apart from Loki and the hurt. He might have fallen to his knees if he didn't force himself to stay upright out of sheer livid rage. "You son of a-" A white hand covered his mouth briefly, cutting of the tirade for Loki to speak into his ear. "I do not ever want to hear you say that again," Loki said calmly, softly, but with an authority that countenanced no disobedience. "Tony, listen to me now. You will never say that ever again. Do you understand?" The hand was drawn away. Tony felt his insides squirming hotly, cringing ashamedly. "But you," he muttered, but was cut off. "Don't you dare make excuses for such a sin. I'm not angry, I'm disappointed. I will not punish you for it if you admit your mistake and apologise. You will never say such a terrible thing again. Now to you understand?" "Yes," he mumbled. Loki's hand patting him, stroking him like a pet and the agony evaporating quickly under the gentle ministrations. "Sorry," he muttered. He couldn't believe he said it, but he did. Yeah, sorry my kidney got in the way of your fist! Dickhead! A finger wormed back inside, stroking and pressing deep. "It's okay, my love. You're a good boy

really. You just have your moments of petulance. We have centuries to correct it. Now tell me what you are." Tony felt his cock pulsing, all kinds of happy as Loki fed this need in him to be... to be loved. Even if it was in such a twisted way. Tony had challenged Loki to admit that he was nothing more than a toy to the god and the god hadn't simply denied it in a half-hearted way. He had shown Tony how insulting he had found the suggestion. It made Tony happy in such a dark way. He was the focus of Loki's entire attentions and that's always what Tony demanded. Lust was clouding his mind now, pulling him away from his anger and disgust with himself. This was the stage Tony secretly coveted - when Loki had worked him up into such a state that he'd do anything to gain release. "I'm your good boy," he muttered thickly. He rocked his hips back and forth. Loki stood, his hand still, letting Tony impale himself, sliding on and off the finger. Tony crooned as he pushed back and found that a second finger had joined. "Tell me what you are." "I'm a good boy," Tony said, all hesitation gone. "Your good boy." "And what do you want?" "I want my god to take my ass." "How?" "Rough, hard, please." "Where?" Tony gasped as he found he was suddenly forcing in four fingers. "Right here." Loki kissed Tony's shoulders for a little while as Tony worked his hips, then the sudden absence of the fingers indicated the foreplay was over. Long, hard, merciless, Tony whimpered as Loki pushed and came to rest buried deep inside. Tony could feel the cock flexing inside of him as Loki took a moment to emphasize his control. Tony's face was pressed against the glass. Where he was standing, his arc reactor reflected off the surface and lit up the circle in the chest of the armour in front of him. It was almost as though the suit was alive without him. He blinked, gazing intensely at the lifeless mask of the Iron Man. Lifeless, but somehow looking bizarrely accusing. Hey come on! I can't be a hero all the time. Loki moved his hips from side to side and Tony's head flew back in a guttural groan as he was stretched. Loki just grabbed his hair and pushed his face back into the glass. Tony braced himself against the case. Clearly deciding that was enough of the gentle stuff, one hand tight in Tony's hair, the other one grabbing his left arm, Loki just let go of his restraint and pounded Tony hard. Tony yelped and groaned and swore for the first few thrusts, trying to get into the right mind-set. Then he relaxed, bracing himself against the glass and staring at the mask. His eyelids fluttered as his cock screamed out for release and his toes curled pleasurably. He was huffing, panting, keening. His breath was hot, misting the glass. "Yes, yes, yes," Tony whispered. It was too intense to yell. "Oh Loki, oh please, yes, oh god."

Loki moved in closer, burying his face into Tony's hair. "I love you, Tony. You know I do. So tight and hot and sweet. You're mine, aren't you? I'm using my boy, my boy. I could never want anything like I want you." Tony groaned, humping his hips back fast. "Pl-please keep t-talking!" "Shh, relax. You know I'll make you cum. But you'll cum when I am ready for you to and on my terms. Stop moving. I said stop! Good boy. See? Gone is the mad rush, the frantic panic to orgasm because you know. You know that I will take care of that for you. You will cum under my care and all you have to do is wait. Don't you see how wonderful your life will be? With me? You will not even have control over your own orgasms, you will trust me to know when and how you climax. Shh, don't shiver so. This is what you want, isn't it? To be taken care of. So that you might forever be the precious, pernicious little boy. Relax. Focus on your breathing. We are going to cum together but not before time. It will be so good, Tony. You'll thank me for taking away your control." "Yes, yes, yes!" "I'm always so glad when you agree," Loki said with a nasty, devious little smile. When Tony was sober (sober here defined as not drunk on Loki) it was the kind of expression that made him want to throw a fist. Now it just made him giddy and weak. Drunk on Loki. That's totally what he was. He was drunk on Loki. "You're going to break me," Tony complained piteously. "No I'm not." "I'm g-going to collapse." "Then I'll hold you up." "It's too much." "You'll cope." Loki paused. "Any other excuses you'd like to expound? Honestly Tony, I have never known any other make such a fuss as you. Just give in and let me play." Loki tipped his hips and found another spot to pound. Tony's mind went out of focus and light like when he downed a bottle of whisky with a few mugs of beer as a chaser. His hand banged against the glass as he reached higher, scrabbling for something to hold. The stretched position allowed Loki's hand come round, under Tony's arm and play with a nipple gently, then roughly. Tony's face, already fraught and contorted in pain and bliss took on a new edge of joy. "Play," Tony repeated dully, the word circling in his fuzzy head until it finally took root and grew. "Play with me." There was a tender kiss on his neck. "Always." He babbled vaguely. How the fuck had he not come yet? His cock was bobbing furiously in the air, pulsing and throbbing. Tony whined in a long cry. Loki had gone silent for a few minutes, but as he began to speak again, Tony's heart leapt in elation. "Sh, boy. Concentrate on breathing. Such a noisy little creature! I'm close now. We are going to cum together." "Yes! Yes please! Yes!" Loki pounded hard. "Would you rather be here with Thor?" Loki hissed in his ear. Tony's surprise was only countered by his desperate need. He shook his head violently. "No, no,

no!" "Tell me!" Loki hissed, even more vehemently. Fuck. And I thought I had issues. "I want you! I need you, Loki! I'll never want him!" "Because you are mine," Loki whined. God, he sounds like he's pleading. "I'll never want Thor because I'm yours, just yours! Only ever yours!" "Stroke yourself," Loki panted. Tony's hand grabbed himself and having spent too long unattended the touch felt electric. Fuck! He's right! He knows how to make me feel like this. He knows better than I do how to make me feel like this! "Cum, boy," he gasped. "Cum now!" Tony choked on a yell as he climaxed. The sound ended in a crying sob as his body seemed to turn itself inside out. He had never felt such a contraction in his body like that before. At the same moment his orgasm had rushed though him he had felt Loki cum inside of him. Tony's own splattering against the glass case of the Mark VI Iron Man. Which was exactly what Loki had been intending, of course. He looked up blearily at the face of the suit, looking at the Iron Man detached from his body. And for the first time, Tony felt like he was separated from that world. It was like he was seeing it like this for the first time – the suit wasn't part of him, it was just something he wore. I actually don't think I need you anymore. Tony hated himself for days and days after for thinking that. He slid to the floor as his knees finally gave way and found himself huddled at Loki's boots. The guy was already clothed, looking completely composed. It only served to make Tony seem weaker. Loki picked up him and threw him over a shoulder. Tony didn't have the strength or energy to object. "I don't want to be Thor's," Tony muttered thickly. "Good. I would kill you before allowing you to be his." Tony gazed into the green eyes. The insane god was completely serious. That's some scary shit. He realised his whole body was faintly shaking, his muscles objecting to the afternoons events. "Thor's not good enough to be evil." Loki's kisses and pets paused suddenly. He gave a quiet, happy little laugh. "My amazing little boy. I am so happy you're finally beginning to understand. xxx "Natasha wants to interview Lockley." "Hush and concentrate." "I can do both, this isn't rocket science. And I should know."

"I demand your full attention, boy." Tony gritted his teeth angrily and returned to dragging the sponge over Loki's shoulders and neck. Tony tended to find this happened post orgasm. His head would be so fuzzy that Loki could convince him into anything and when he finally came to, he'd find himself in the middle of a game he would never have agreed to sober. The sponge moved down to stroke the slender and muscular chest in small circles. Foamy soap smelt of lavender in the bathroom. Not one of Tony's which was something he was very fast to point out. Something Pepper had left behind. Just a little bit expanded with the water making a foamy lather with which Tony was now bathing Loki. Fuck. Come with me to the shower, he said. Practically dragged me in here and put the soap and sponge in my hands. Wash me, he said. And I just like that I was pouring out the soap like a good little boy. Fuck. "Natasha's like a dog with a bone. She's not going to give up on this." "Shh." Tony watched his hand move to the strong arms, stroking the sponge down. The figure of an Asgardian god, the muscles so well defined Tony could name them. Deltoid, biceps, triceps, brachialis... Tony swallowed unconsciously. It was intimidating, washing the arms that had held and restrained him so many times. This was a submissive act. It was like he was thanking this body in front of him for what it had done to him. He moved to the other arm. Loki was staying still and quiet, his eyes focused on Tony with an almost frightening intensity. Tony moved round Loki to start on his back. Trapezius muscle, latissimus dorsi, oblique muscle… Tony had to learn this all when he was building his suit. To design solid metal to fit something as flexible as the human form, biology had been a must. But when he was designing the Iron Man he didn't know that one day he'd be thinking of all these terms naked in a shower bathing his god. Tony grabbed the shower head and washed off the soap. "Okay," he muttered quietly. Loki looked at him penetratingly, shook his head slightly and grabbed Tony's shoulder. With inhuman force, he pushed down, forcing Tony to sink to his knees. Exactly what Tony wanted to avoid. He sighed, slightly frustrated, and raised the sponge to Loki's legs. He started down by the calves, wiping and running it up and down the tight skin. Flexor digitorum longus tendon. Plantaris tendon. Gastrocnemius muscle. He moved up slowly, trying to avoid the inevitable. When he reached... that area, he brushed the sponge over quickly and moved on, heat rising in his face. Fuck. Despite everything Loki had done to him, how was this of all things embarrassing? Tony stood, a little like he was in a dream and finished washing Loki down with the shower head. Okay, it had been a little rushed and not as complete as the top. But to Tony's surprise Loki was happy to leave it there. "Turn round, boy." Tony turned and found that the sponge was wrested from his hand. Ah. Tony suddenly realised where Loki's real interest in this event lay. Loki started on Tony's back, shoulders and the neck

and was gliding it over and over his skin. It was an even more forensic examination than Tony's care had been. The material was tracing the intricate muscles around his upper back when Loki spoke. "I have no intention of speaking with the woman. She is, as you say, persistent. I have no desire to be found out at this stage." "Then how-" "Do not speak." "I don't think you quite get how a conversation works." "If you speak, I shall stop," Loki said simply. Tony bit his tongue. There was a pause as Loki gathered up more soap. He was using far more than Tony had and the smell of lavender (manly lavender, of course) filled the shower. The sponge left his back to be replaced by hands kneading the muscles in his lower back. Tony moaned wholeheartedly. Loki was crouched behind him. The sponge smoothed delicately over his cheeks but didn't linger. Instead, Loki spent far more time on Tony's legs than Tony had done on Loki's. The sponge was like an extension of the god's fingers, he moved it so skilfully. And again, there was a brief moment when the sponge left to be replaced by a massaging stroke on his thighs. Tony cursed himself as he trembled feeling Loki's breath on his groin, but the god stood and began on Tony's front. He wiped the hollow space beneath his throat then spent a long time gliding over and over his chest and stomach, being very careful to avoid getting too close to the reactor. Instead, he lingered over the small buds, rubbing back and forward until Tony's senses were alive with the warmth of the water, the smell of flowers and the stimulation to his body. He looked up at Loki, staring at him through a haze of wanting. Loki returned the gaze with a small smile, before turning to his arms. He covered them in soap, reaching out to knead muscle once more. Tony groaned softly. "Raise your arms," he commanded. Tony hesitated for a moment, before complying a little grudgingly. He lifted his arms and Loki smoothed the soap into this armpits. Contrary to logic, it was far more intimate than everything else. Tony had washed Loki as a form of foreplay. It was more the act of undivided attention than the washing. Not for Loki. Loki was getting off on the act of looking after his boy and all his needs. And that included a clinical, if intimate washing. "Turn." "That's enough," Tony muttered anxiously. Loki's eyes flashed a warning. "Turn." Tony turned, hanging his head slightly. Loki dropped back down and patted inside of Tony's legs. Tony shuddered, swallowed, and moved his legs further apart. Loki reached up, running the material over and over his ass. It ran down, slowly pressing deeper and deeper between the cheeks. Tony's face burned with the embarrassment, and he clasped and unclasped his fists, containing his thoughts. But Loki didn't draw it out. Once he had given two or three thorough wipes, he stood. He discarded the sponge and instead used his hands with the shower head to wash away the lather left on Tony's body.

Tony closed his eyes as the water poured into his hair and Loki's hands, covered in shampoo, ran fingers into his hair. He pressed and stroked against Tony's skull and somehow managed to empty Tony's head of everything but sensation. His neck muscles were relaxing, his shoulders were slumping as his body gave into the care. Then the shampoo was rinsed out. A hand ran down his back, crept around his stomach and grasped his erection in a firm but tender grip. "You're hard, boy." Tony nodded mutely. "Come back to the bedroom and I shall take care of it." Tony followed the naked back of Loki back into the bedroom. He stood where Loki pointed and let his top half be pushed down onto the bed while his legs remained on the floor. Bent over and willing. He waited patiently as Loki searched for lubricant. Well trained little whore. That's what you've become. I can't believe he's twisted and bent me into this, this pitiful excuse for a"Relax, Tony," Loki breathed. Tony's body relaxed immediately on command, that inner voice of anger suddenly seeming so less important. "I need you," Tony whimpered. "Hush, I'm here." Tony felt the fingers preparing him delicately, not pushing or stretching too hard or too fast. It was enough to make his hips squirm back desperately. "Feels so good," he groaned. Loki took a great deal of care this time, lubricating Tony, stretching him slowly, pouring oil over his own cock so by the time he pressed in, it was so smooth and so well prepared, Loki seemed to just slide into place. Tony gave a deep, throaty groan of pleasure. "Again," Loki whispered in almost a plea. He pulled back and sank in again. Again a deep, throaty groan of pleasure thrummed through Tony's body. "Loki!" he gasped. "Loki!" "Do you think you will be able to control yourself?" Loki asked, withdrawing and pushing back in again, even more slowly. Tony shook his head with a miserable laugh. "Honestly, no. No I don't think I will." "I understand," Loki said soothingly, patting Tony's ass as the boy felt chains wrapping around his ankles, pulling his legs further apart and binding them. Chain round his wrists pulled his body forward until he was spread out, everything waist up tied over the bed, everything hips down over the bed and secured to the floor. Loki pressed in deep and leaned forward, using the oil to massage his back. Tony whimpered piteously and tried to grind his hips back. Loki was going to draw this out and force him into insanity. He huffed and groaned and whined, but Loki was far too intent on exploring his boy's hot and trembling body splayed out before him. "Loki," Tony pleaded. "Hush." Loki waited a long time before beginning and then it was only a gentle thrust. It was barely even sex and it certain wasn't the rutting Tony needed. Tony panted and squirmed desperately, working himself up into a frenzy, trying to get Loki to take him.

But the god just eased back and forth, waiting until Tony finally gave in, slumping in his position with gasps and little sobs. "Please!" Tony wailed. Loki was silent, watching the distress with gentle eyes. Tony begged and writhed for a while longer before finally giving up. His cock was throbbing, his body was pulsing, his head was spinning. And all the while the long, thick rod inside of him glided in and out so slowly as to barely be moving at all. Tears made his eyes hot as he lay, trembling, waiting. Loki crawled forward over Tony's back, his cock pressing in deeper, his arms coming up to hold him. "I love you, Tony," Loki breathed. "The Avengers will not be playing a part in our relationship." Then he was pounding, thrusting so hard as to force his way into Tony's body. Tony cursed, his vision was getting brighter, his body was fighting back, bucking and thrashing, but all the while he was being pushed closer and closer. "That's right, that's good," Loki breathed encouragingly. Tony gritted his teeth and rocked his hips back desperately, joining in to his own destruction. He chanted his yeses and oh gods as Loki panted hard in his ear. The harder Loki pounded, the more his cock rubbed against the edge of the bed. He was going to cum and cum soon. "Go on, Tony," Loki breathed. "Yes, yes!" Tony gasped gratefully. He wailed and came, his seed splashing out against the bed sheet, his legs shaking and giving out. Loki followed, not letting Tony go. The angle was now uncomfortable and tight, but Loki wasn't going to stop no not until he was done. Before the position could get too painful, his legs were released. Loki grunted angrily as he pushed Tony up onto the bed, remounting and entering him quickly. Tony lay still as Loki pounded. This was perhaps the big change in his life. Doing a man? Unusual but not new. And not something he had any particular objections to. Just not something he did regularly. Playing with fire? Not new at all. It was the passiveness. He had slept with hundreds of women and what he couldn't stand in a partner was the women who had lain in the bed like statute while Tony had fucked them. Lying still like a blow up doll. It irked him. Tony wanted that frantic tumble and rushed fuck that was just so exciting. Then creep away in the mornings before it could become deep or meaningful. Now Tony would lie still. Let Loki do what he wanted. But it wasn't disinterest on Tony's part. It was acceptance. And Loki wasn't using him. Loki's entire attention was focused on the creature beneath him. It was the intensity of Loki's passion which made Tony retreat away from attempted control. Loki's hand was rubbing over his back. "Good boy," Loki whispered, more of a grunt as he thrust hard. "Such a good boy." Loki yelled out as he came, shuddering hard and collapsing over Tony's back. Tony lay pinned, just listening to Loki's breath starting to calm. A hand reached out and stroked the muscles in Tony's arm tenderly. "I will have to think. I will not risk SHIELD's involvement in this just yet. Not until you have submitted to þjá ey. You will obey and cause no more arguments with your team. You understand? Behave and let me do the political machinations, they are not your strength." "What is my strength?" Tony sulked, fairly certain he was in for a sex joke. "You are a visionary."

Tony was surprised. "You see the world how it should be and with such beautiful hands you bend metal and electricity to fit it. You bring your vision into the world and you will be remembered as a father of innovation. You deal with the world as it could be." Loki kissed Tony's neck tenderly. "I deal with the world as it is." That is perhaps the most wonderful thing he's ever said to me. Tony fought back emotion. "And here I thought you were just going to say blow jobs." "My darling, while I would gladly chain you to a bed for all eternity, I do not belittle the fact that you are a great man. Why would I ignore that truth? The conquest of a great man, of a man of strength and skill is far more of a triumph than conquering the weak and stupid." Tony squirmed slightly, still pinned by Loki's weight, still bound with his hands over his head. "I need another shower after that." "What a good idea, boy. Let's go, shall we?" Tony smiled, despite himself and shook his head. "Let me up. I need to find some clothes." He dressed, Loki's eyes fixed on him as he moved about the room. "I'm going to grab some food." "Then come back." "Obviously." Tony said with a cheeky smile. Tony walked out into the main room and swore violently at the figure in the main room. The sharp invasion into his dream world making it seem like the world was falling out from beneath his feet. Natasha stood up with an open text book. "Characteristics of compulsive behaviour." she read in a clear tone. "Stop me if anything sounds familiar-" "Jarvis! Keep her out of the fucking tower!" "My apologies, sir." "Out of control behaviour," she said, reading down a list, "behaviour continues despite the consequences. Actions have a high risk. Actions are self-destructive. Constant battle and desire to control behaviour. Much time spent creating sexual, gambling or shopping fantasies-" "Get out of my-" "A clear divide between family, professional life and secret sex life." Tony flinched despite himself. "Person becomes very secretive and very inventive. Drastic mood changes before and after action." She looked up. "Ringing any bells?" Tony shook with silent anger and... shame. "Get out of my tower." "Is she in there?" "No." "Right. So you were just being that noisy with yourself?" What would she have heard? A male voice? Who's to say his or Loki's, when she was convinced that he was seeing a woman. Tony closed the door behind him firmly. "Look, I don't know what you're trying to do. But you're not ruining this for me. You understand?"

"I'm not trying to ruin anything, Tony," Natasha said, almost gently. "But I can't just ignore what's going on. This is my job." "She's not having an interview." "Tony, would you listen to yourself?" Natasha snapped. "You're coming across as a controlling guy and that's not you." Me? Controlling? You have no fucking idea. "You're an ass, but you're a gentlemen and you're not going to stand there and make her decisions for her. She's an adult. Just let me speak to her. For now. That'll be enough for me to go to the Directors and convince them that there's nothing to worry about." The door opened behind him. "Tony," said a soothing, female voice. Tony half closed his eyes in a sigh of frustration. Lockley glided around him and walked over to the windows to the platform. "Come on, Agent Romanoff. Shall we speak outside?" Tony moved to follow, but a flash of Lockley's eyes made him hesitate "I'll just wait here then." he snapped. "While you ladies chat?" Natasha threw him a disparaging look. Lockley just turned away and walked out. Tony could have listened in. Jarvis could have put through the conversation, but the look Loki had given him made him hesitate. He swore angrily and walked away, down to the lab where things were so much simpler. It was perhaps half an hour when Natasha appeared at this elbow. "An interesting woman you've found yourself." "Why are you still in my tower?" Tony asked, without looking at her. "But I'm still not convinced. She's hiding something... but I am sure that she cares. I think she cares about you. But she's hiding something, Tony. She was lying. She was doing it well and I know my liars. She's a good liar." Tony ignored her. "Just because she cares about you doesn't mean that she's not working for Loki." Tony looked up sharply. "Why do you say Loki?" She shrugged. "Or Doom or Hammer. Or someone new. Or she's just an opportunist." Natasha cocked her head. "But you've wondered if she has a connection to Loki before, haven't you?" Tony turned angrily away. It frustrated him that Natasha couldn't seem to work out Lockley was Loki but could read Tony like a book. Under these circumstances, would I have realized who Lockley was? Probably not. "I say Loki simply because of the way she lies. It reminded me of the way he did. Loki lies with the truth, that's what makes his lies so dangerous. Because no lie can be wholly refuted. And once you've planted the idea that parts of the lie are true, then the natural reaction is just to accept the rest. Tony... be careful." "You'll get off my back now?" "I'll talk to the Directors. I don't think there's an immediate danger, but..." she left the sentence hanging. She gave him a pitying look and left. Tony threw down his pad and made his way quickly back up to the main floor. Loki was sitting in a chair, his legs hanging over the arm in an elegantly lazy manner. His face was furrowed and

tense, but he didn't seem unduly worried or angry. "That woman had long ago earned my admiration. She is... talented. For a Midgardian." Stab of jealousy. Fuck. Why does that keep happening? It's not as though I want to be his so why should he be mine? "Really?" Tony said blandly. Loki looked up. "She has great perception." Tony held the gaze for as long as he could, but his eyes dropped after a few seconds and he walked to the bar. "What did you to talk about?" "Agent Romanoff was attempting to infer my character and intentions." Tony rubbed his goatee as he thought. "Okay, we have to manage this. We can't just jump from quick fix to quick fix, we have to-" "We don't have to do anything. I will manage this. You focus on nothing but what I tell you." Tony slammed a bottle down on the bar with a thump. "I'm not a child! You can't talk to me likefucking shit. Fuck you, fuck your controlling, domineering- fuck it! You want me to bind with you? Entirely conditional on me being willing and you are giving me absolutely no reason to say yes, you complete prick!" Loki gazed at him witheringly and didn't even have the decency to argue. It was clear that he viewed the outburst as a tantrum and no more. "Get out," Tony said. Loki stood with a sigh. "Ordinarily, I would beat you until you begged me to take you, but I have a prior engagement." "With who?" Tony asked quickly, angrily. Loki evaporated into the air. Tony swore again and threw the bottle where the figure had been. It flew across the room and smashed against the bedroom door. Next to him, Natasha had left the book Basic Guide to Mental Disorders open at page thirty-six, Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour.

Hammer Time Thanos. There was a fat lot of nothing. Okay, to be fair, there were a few things. A couple of scraps of very old literature, some cave paintings which seemed to indicate something Titan-ish. But no guarantees it was the right Titan. Like the Asgardians had their prominence in Norse culture, the Titan's seemed to be Greek. Mythologically speaking, they were above the gods, older, more powerful and had ruled the universe until the gods had taken control. Other than that, Tony had hit a dead end. The scientific approach wasn't gaining him much ground either. The readings they had got from the portal in North Korea had been better than the old New York ones because there had been equipment set up to analyse the Bifröst. They had caught the data on the portal and now Tony at least knew how they were made. But not why and under who's influence. It was more than a bitter desire for revenge on the creature that was driving Tony. Though that was pretty much in the forefront of his mind. But it was more than that. This was something Tony could do and show Loki he was more than a toy. This was something that Tony alone could do and do for Loki. Fuck him for thinking I wouldn't. Fuck him for thinking that I'm not still Tony Stark. All the screens shut off at once. Tony glanced up, annoyed at the interruption to his thoughts. "Jarvis, you turned off the project." "Yes Sir." "Why?" "I thought it wise, Sir. I'm afraid you have a visitor." "Your mechanical servant has more brains than you, boy." Tony's eyes widened. Oh shit. He stood, turned… and backed away as nonchalantly as he could from the… let's not beat around the bush here, the livid god. In his casual, Stuttgart clothes today, but his staff had most definitely been recharged. Ah. "How are we today, darling?" Tony asked with a small smile. Fuck. Tony managed to dodge a bolt of blue. It missed him and hit a cabinet, destroying the panel and causing the equipment inside to fall out and crash to the ground. He stared, backing away slightly. That's the first time he's actually attacked me since we started. "Now that's an overreaction," Tony said. Well, attacked as in with something more than hands or knives. Or suffocation. Or frost bite. Look, there's a fine line, okay? It makes sense if you don't think about it too hard. "I have a feeling this is going to be a whole new fight we can have," Tony said. "At least it will get your mind off the thrall-ing thing." Tony ducked another bolt of blue. Behind him, the glass dividing wall shattered into a thousand pieces. "Too close!" Loki's hand was at his neck, squeezing. Fuck he moves fast. Tony's hands flew up, trying to prise the fingers away before he was thrown backwards against a car. He landed on the bonnet but

before he could get up, the blade of the staff was at his throat. "You invite punishment! I do not understand why you have to be so-" "Tony Stark?" Tony filled in. Maybe now he'll understand. He has to understand. We can't be together if he's going to think that I'm going to change. Despite Tony's little smile, Loki was not reacting to any attempts on Tony's part to bring on the charm. "Why are you searching for the Mad Titan?" "I thought I'd invite him round for a beer. Why the fuck do you think?!" Tony snapped angrily. "It is not your concern!" "You're my concern!" Tony's mouth hung open after he said it, before the shock finally wore off and he closed it sharply. He is. Maybe, but that's not a useful sentiment right now. "Oh really?" Loki said nasty. "No." "I hadn't realised you were so possessive. Have my wicked ways finally broken your defenses, are you ready to submit? Are you ready to tie your soul to mine eternally?" Give me time, Loki. I'm getting there. Perhaps this was half the problem. Loki wanted to bask in his win, he didn't just want to quietly be glad that he was getting through to his boy. He wanted to rub his victory in Tony's face, force him to admit just how much Tony needed this. Tony will never change, he will always be Tony. And Loki, no matter how loving and gentle he could be, was Loki. And he wanted the whole world to realise his brilliance. To celebrate him... like they had always done with Thor. "Never, you fuck!" Tony hissed, trying to push away the staff. Loki pulled away the blade, but instead rammed the gold rod against Tony's neck, his hands on either side, holding Tony pinned down against the bonnet. Tony's hands flew up to push the staff back as it closed his throat. He yelled and kicked, feeling Loki's pelvis crushed against his as the god leaned down so he was close, too close, to Tony's lips. Tony moved a hand to reach up and hit him, but as the god's staff crushed his Adams Apple, he desperately grasped it with both hands again, pushing back. It's like an extreme version of bench-pressing. Only with a psycho Asgardian. It was a violent competition between them. His heart was pounding, his mouth tasted bitter, the blood in his head was pounding in his ears. It was more real than any fight they had had so far. Loki's face was stern and angry, glaring down at the mortal, pushing the gold bar closer against Tony's throat. Tony's kicking legs were either side of Loki's body, flailing out desperately as his air once again cut off. As black closed in around his vision Loki's lips leaned back in to Tony's. "Promise me to stop looking for the Mad Titan and I'll let you live." Tony stared; fear and panic flaring up, but just as quickly simmering down. Despite his lack of breath, he managed an honest laugh. Loki looked taken aback.

"I don't believe you." Tony whispered. He pushed hard and the staff came off his throat. "I don't believe you!" Loki held Tony down for a few seconds more, before pulling back, taking his staff away. Tony fell to his knees, choking, spluttering for breath. Loki stood, impassive, gazing at the kneeling boy. "Thanos is not a game. It is not something you can face, Tony. He is to be feared and avoided. Not sought out." "Says you," Tony spat. "Says anyone with a brain, Tony." Tony felt a hand grasp his arm and literally haul him up until he was on his feet. He staggered on the spot for a moment. "What the fuck are you doing? Hiding from him? In a cave out in the middle of nowhere?" Loki glared and turned away. "If you were in Asgard, they'd be able to protect you, but you're not. You're hiding out here in some Hammer funded hole in the ground so I have to do something!" Tony's head swung to the side sharply as Loki backhanded him. Tony stumbled back against a work table, righting himself quickly. But the god didn't speak so Tony pressed on. "What the fuck are you waiting for? Thor wants you back. Odin wants you back. Your mum wants you back. You could be back in Asgard, safe and protected from Thanos and be the Iago of the court again. And I know that's what you want! Lie all you want but I'm not the only one who loses control over his thoughts post orgasm! I've heard you and the crooning you've done over your time there. You're only happy when you're causing mischief and isn't it so much better to be in the gang and cause trouble than to try to do it from the outside?" Loki rounded on him. "So this is what you want?" "No, this is what you want. I can tell, Loki, you're tired of being the isolated rebel. Just go hom-" Ouch. And he fell to the floor hard. He crawled into a sitting position, his head spinning. Blinking hard, a hand rising to his mouth in pain, Tony winced. He looked at his fingers and saw blood. He glowered blurrily up at Loki. "You're paying for the dentist bills." "I am going to-" "Yeah, yeah punish me. Fine. I can't stop you. But you know I'm right." "No you're-" "Let me rephrase that. I'm always right." Loki dithered, looking strung out and angry. "You shouldn't do this to me, boy." "Whatever, dickhead." Loki closed his eyes, rubbing his face wearily. "You think I can just waltz back into the Halls of the All Father whenever the fancy takes me? And why would I, for a moment, want to bow and scrape to that decaying fool? Desist in your pointless attempts to send me away, I go nowhere. You are owned and you will obey. You are a stupid, selfish child." Tony was on his feet, pulsing with resentment. "And you're a fucking arrogant shit. Don't you dare say things like that then ask me to tie myself to you for eternity. I'm trying to help you! I am not some toy that you turn on and off whenever you fucking feel like it! I am Tony Stark! Tony fucking Stark and I am going to find Thanos and destroy him and there is no one in this universe,

other than you it seems, who doesn't believe I can do it! Fucking Loki the fucking trickster pretending to care when we both know I'm nothing more than a quick fuck! Go back to Asgard and do what you do best and cause fucking mischief and leave me to do what I do." The anger and bile poured into the yell almost took on a life of its own, hanging in the air and screaming its fury long after Tony had finally stopped speaking. He turned back to his computer, turning the screens back on and staring unseeingly at the data readings, willing the diagnostic scan to finish hours before it would. "Just fuck off." There was a long silence as both caught their breath. Then lips were suddenly pressed against the back of his neck at the all too sensitive skin at his hairline. "Do your best to test me, to push me away. You will come to learn that I will never leave. I have centuries to prove it to you." "I'm not going to stop searching for him, you psycho," Tony snapped. "I know." "I'm going to find him." "I know. That is what I fear." Tony felt an involuntary sigh leaving his body as muscles relaxed. "Just go." "No." "Please go." "Yet again, I refuse. Now what?" "You will eventually." Months into this and Tony was still so sure of that fact. "If I leave, it will be from this world only. And if I do, I will be dragging you in tow behind me, most likely you objecting every step of the way. You will never be without me." "I will not be your boy trailing you through the corridors of Asgard like a poodle." "Then do not. All the better and far more exciting when I have to search for you, hunt you down and drag you to the bed by your ankle." "You only began this all because you wanted to screw with Thor." "How we started is immaterial to why we continue." "And why is that?" Tony whispered. "Because I do not wish to live without you, and you I, I hope." Tony moved his hips, his ass rubbing up against Loki's crotch like a large contented cat. It was wordless as his hips undulated and both found their eyes closing, enjoying the long moment. "Loki?" "Yes boy?" "Have you ever had sex in a car?" They stumbled as they stripped each other, heading across the lab and Tony found himself being thrust up against his Aston Martin. Tony held Loki, his arms wrapped around his shoulders as the man humped against him, their hardening cocks rubbing against each other with glorious friction. Loki had his face buried in Tony's neck, sucking and kissing while Tony took a second to calculate.

While there would have been devastatingly kinkiness in fucking in the 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster, it was the car he and his father had spent years repairing. And while he supposed on some Freudian level, willingly becoming some Nordic God's fuck toy was an act of pure rebellion against his father and everything his father had wanted for him... he wasn't quite ready to screw over the man's memory. It was... unseemly. The Aston Martin against which Loki seemed to be determined to hump his body into the framework was just too small. Tony pushed and tried to steer Loki. "The Audi," he said persuasively, but Loki didn't seem to care either way. Once he realised which car Tony was referring to, he hauled his boy to it, barely ceasing his attentions. Loki's lips were now on his chest, licking his skin intensely. Tony opened the door but had to stop as he gasped and arched. Loki had latched his mouth onto a nipple and was now sucking and biting hard. Before Loki, Tony would never have said that it was high on his list for things that got him off, but now he needed it like he needed air. He managed to manoeuvre himself into the car and Loki followed quickly. There was an awkward few minutes of rearranging. It wasn't a large space and it meant that Loki and Tony were forced to be close whether they wanted to or not. Loki smiled and reached around to shut the door. Tony smiled blissfully as Loki resumed the hard desperate grinding. Tony found a sigh leaving his chest. Loki wasn't the only one to have his fantasies, after all. The smell of the car leather, the sight of Loki in his car, naked. The arc lit the scene in a gentle blue light. Tony squirmed and bucked in that familiar way. Oh god! Tony's hands wrapped around Loki's ass, kneading the firm muscles between his fingers, holding tight as powerful thrusts rubbed against him. The constant stimulation against his cock was building as the throbbing intensified. Tony found to his surprise his fingers moving to his own nipple, plucking and twisting at the bud. He heard Loki chuckle above him. "My little boy, that's right, that's good. Give in to your need. There is no shame between us. Give in to the wanton lust I create within you. I will either praise your whoreishness, or punish. But if you do not take the risk, you may never be fulfilled." His vision was beginning to go blurred and his body felt like a live wire. And Loki wasn't even in him. "I'm going- to- cum," he choked. "If you like. But you will not be leaving this vehicle until I have." Tony forced it back. He just didn't want to, not until he felt Loki in him. He bit into his lip hard. Loki stopped rubbing against Tony and instead reached down and guided his now solid cock into Tony's helpless body. The tight space of the car meant that the thrusts into Tony body were forced to be slow. But Tony's widely spread legs, hooking over the back seat and the driver's seat meant that when Loki pushed down hard, he went all the way in and dominated Tony entirely. Tony wailed as Loki pounded slowly but deeply. "Loki, I'm, I'm-" Tony whimpered in agitation. His cock was already waving in the air. "Shh, boy. No, no touching. I said no! Good boy. That's it, hold on to the headrests if it keeps your naughty hands from yourself. Such a good boy, Tony," Loki said soothingly. "That little erection of yours is mine and I wish it to remain while I enjoy myself. A boy desperate to cum is an obedient one. Can you raise your hips for me? A little more? There now, isn't that better? Isn't that deeper? Ah, there's the spot! Your whole body shook like a leaf! And again. And again. Ha, such wails and whimpers I have not heard from you before, my darling. How much of this can you take? I have yet to cause you to cum without any stimulation to your cock. But that little goal I have saved for the future when I have longer to play with you. For now, I wish to enjoy the sound of your sobs for as long as possible." Tony was thrashing, bucking, twisting as Loki pushed in remorselessly and hit his prostate every time. His eyes were rolled back in his head and he lost himself in Loki's words.

Loki's words. No one's ever talked to me like this. No one else ever will. After what Tony might have sworn was hours of exquisite torture, Tony finally got the command. "Stoke yourself, darling." Tony's hand worked furiously. Loki grabbed his hips so tightly that Tony knew he'd wake up with bruises. Loki reached down and closed a powerful hand over Tony's own, effectively stopping Tony's fanatic jerking. He squeezed and Tony yelped as the grip became too tight. He looked up with angry, disappointed and begging eyes. "There are three truths you must come to accept if you are ever to shed these nightmares which plague you." Fucking shit! He wants to give me a lecture now of all fucking moments?! "First, I love you, Tony Stark. Second, you need me, not only to survive, but to be happy. Third, I will be using your body without tiring of it for the rest of your life." Loki took a moment to smooth his own hair out of his damp face while his other hand kept a very firm grip on Tony's cock. "Now, you will not orgasm until you have convinced me you understand these three facts. Repeat them. Now!" "You l-love m-me," Tony whispered, slowly and agonisingly. "I n-need you. To survive. To bebe happy." He took a deep and shaky breath. "And you will fuck me, forever." Loki shook his head. "I do not think you believe that. So you will say it again." And that's how it went for a good four minutes, maybe even longer. Tony being forced to repeat the same three sentences over and over again, while Loki stared deep into Tony's eyes and refused to accept that Tony believed what he was saying. "If you loved me, you wouldn't do this to me!" Tony yelled vehemently. "Do you want me to stop?" Tony panted and growled. "Do you want me to stop?" "No. No!" Tony admitted. "Then why would I not do this, if this is what you want?" "I don't know" Tony muttered in confusion and distress. "Do you want more?" "Yes!" "More abuse or more love?" "Both." "What turns you on more?" "Abuse," Tony whimpered. "What do you want?" "Abuse." "From?"

"You." "What are the three truths?" Tony shook and whispered, "You love me. You actually love me. I need you entirely. And you'll fuck me for the rest of my life. I believe you." Loki stroked him, hard and fast and Tony came powerfully, his cum peppering the leather around them and even the ceiling of the Audi. Tony panted, gasped, blinking hard to try to uncross his eyes. He was sore all over and fuck he felt good! Loki bent down and captured his little boy's lips. "Well?" Tony nodded, almost in tears but holding them back with everything he had. "Best yet," he confirmed. He felt like he had been wrung through. Loki pulled his fragile body from the car, throwing him over a shoulder like a child and bringing him back upstairs to the bed. Tony winced as a hand rose and slapped his ass a few times in a playful manner. "Yet I find myself still in need of a little more. Your darling display excited me terribly. There are no objections I assume if I lay you out over the bed and pound you for a little while longer?" "Yes, I object!" Tony said alarmed. "I object very much!" "Enough to demand I leave?" Tony shut his mouth quickly. Loki threw him out over the mattress and clambered over his prone body. "I thought not," he breathed delightedly as he pushed his way into Tony without hesitation. xxx Tony felt Loki's breath on his neck as they huddled together in the bed, Loki tucked up in Tony's arms. The god was asleep, but Tony found himself curiously awake after so much sex which was strange. Since Loki had started making his visits, he generally slept like the dead. As the man muttered in his sleep, Tony had a sudden wave of… possessiveness. He hadn't felt it before. Mostly, he had been feeling overwhelmed and controlled. When it came to Loki, you could seemingly claim the same ownership over him as you could over the moon. But now… he hadn't wanted to feel possessiveness for the simple reason he wasn't exactly sure he wanted Loki to be his anymore than he wanted to be Loki's. Tony was suddenly beginning to wonder what Loki did, away from this room and not because he was afraid the god was causing global mischief. Because he didn't want to take the risk that this creature who owned him wasn't owning anyone else. He must have fallen asleep at some point, because he was gently awoken by a kiss to the neck, Loki whispering, "I will return later," and a quick grope against his ass. He groaned, annoyed at Loki's bold behaviour so early, but when he opened his eyes, the god was already gone. "Sir, it is time to get up." Tony grumbled. "What time?" "It has just gone midday." "When did he leave?" "A few hours ago, Sir."

Tony forced himself out the bed and into a shower. Thought about Loki, about how sore he was in all the right places and again felt that wave of ownership. Not just Loki's ownership of him but his ownership of Loki. Apparently, his mind had been mulling on the problem all night because he had woken with a fully formed idea what to do. "Cancel anything on my schedule today, Jarvis." "Sir, you have a tailor appointment at one thirty which you have been very keen to attend." "Oh yeah. Then cancel everything else. I go there first and swing by Adirondack on the way back." Tony smirked slightly. "Hammer Time." xxx Tony heard the buzz and looked up. A man in uniform nodded at him and Tony followed him into another grey depressing room lined with booths with phones and windows. He sat down in a random booth and examined his nails, just to have something to do. There was another irritating buzz and a door on the other side of the room opened. A man in orange was seated in the chair facing Tony on the other side of the glass. His handcuffs were removed. Tony looked up speculatively at Justin Hammer, his eyes absently noting the prisoner number and his disappointingly less than haggard appearance. In fact, he looked exactly the same, which irked Tony. Maybe he could pay a suggestible guard to stop feeding him or something. He picked up the phone in the booth and waited for Hammer to do the same. "Well gosh; I do believe it's Tony Stark." "That's a good colour on you, Justin." Justin smiled coldly, looking like he wanted to spit acid. "Now, of all my guests, you were the last I was expecting. But so kind of you, I mean, to drag yourself all the way here when you must be so busy with alien invasions and whatnot." "I haven't met any whatnots yet, but I'll let you know." "Aren't you a hoot?" "Tell me," Tony said slowly, "what else you have been giving Loki other than Trojans and mercenaries." Hammer looked momentarily derailed, but rallied quickly. "Who?" "Listen, you might have nothing else on your schedule today than to stare at a ceiling all day, but I'm actually in a bit of a rush today. Parties, sex, gambling, that sort of thing. So can we cut out the bullshit?" "You know," Justin said with a bitter chuckle, "he promised me you were going to die. That was the first time. Now I," he raised a hand with a little laugh, "I objected. Of course, Tony. I'm not the sort of guy to hire a hit! Strictly business, you know that. But then you didn't die and he said it was because he was going to make you feel pain first." "And did you have any objections to that?" "Well not as many as you might think." "Didn't think so."

"He said he was going to destroy you. And the Iron Man for all the world to see. And now here you are, sitting there in your Armani suit and your stupid sunglasses-" "It's Ralph Lauren." "Really? Nice cut." "Thank you, it's called an Anthony cut, would you believe. But I wouldn't sell your burnt orange jumpsuit look short, I bet you must turn all the guys heads in the there." "Everything comes up fucking roses for you, doesn't it Tony?" Tony didn't reply, but the smirk was enough. "What have you been selling Loki?" "Mercenaries, software, weapons of course. Hideouts across the world. Usual super villain stuff. The man knows what he wants, I like that." "Tell me where his hideouts are." "No. Do you know how much I'm making off this smuck? God of mischief or whatever? When I'm out, I'm going to buy Pennsylvania. Hammer Industries is back in business. And he's helped improve my living situation while I am temporarily-" "Banged up?" "On leave." Tony glared as Justin now launched into a clearly prepared little monologue about power. From the way he spoke and the phases he used, Tony knew for a fact that he had cribbed Loki. He could hear it. Loki had given more than a few power and control speeches and listening to Justin do it now, it was like hearing Shakespeare done by the Lolly-Pop guild. Tony just sat quietly and got angrier and angrier at the smug little bastard. God, if only the little fuckwit wasn't behind glass. I'd break his nose. One thing Tony was fairly sure of, he didn't think they were fucking. Justin was his usual conceited little self and Tony was sure that if this man was sharing the same domination that Tony was, he'd be different. Am I? Maybe Tony was just talking himself into believing, because thinking that this worthless little wretch was an object of Loki's desire would cheapen what Loki felt for Tony. After all, if Loki had an Aston Martin, wouldn't you think less of him if you saw him in a Nissan Micra? Tony pushed away images of Loki and Justin, feeling his stomach curl up blackly. The playboy stood, nodding at a guard who reappeared to let him out. "Loki is a guy who'll stab you in the back while smiling in your face. Try to remember that he's a thousand year old god and you are a runt of a weasel. And I am Tony Stark. Despite the best efforts of the pair of you, I'm still here. Now what does that say? Anyway, I'm off. There's a whole wide world out there that you're not going to be seeing for a while. But I'll send you a couple of boxes of cigarettes. You can use them to buy back your ass." xxx "Tony," breathed a voice. The gentle call was almost becoming routine in Tony's world. It illustrated what sort of evening he was likely to have. A soft call of 'Tony' generally entailed an evening of lots of sex. An arm grabbing his arm, dragging him to the bedroom with a sharp growl of 'boy'... well, that meant an evening of lots of sex too. But generally only after a few hours of blood and bruises.

What do you prefer then? Tony didn't want to answer that one really. He was becoming more and more concerned about his answer. Because blood and pain forced Tony to remember that this was all just to scratch that itch. Lately, he wasn't sure... Tony looked up as Loki waltzed over. He glanced at his watch. Five hour's since he'd left the prison. Well, we all knew this was going to happen, right? "Hey Loki." Loki looked playful but... Tony flattered himself that after so many months with the man, he could read Loki a little now. He was playful… with an edge. Tony was immediately on his guard. Loki leant up against the bar next to Tony in lighter Asgardian clothes than the usual leather green and black armour, or the gold horned affair. One day, I'll have to ask... he's never taken me wearing that helmet... Tony glanced warily at him. "What's up?" "What did you do today?" Fuck. "Why?" "Can I not simply be interested in what my boy did today?" "You've always got an angle. Your angles have angles." Loki gave him doe eyes and moved so he was pressed up against Tony. Tony could feel the warmth from his body, smell him, drowning in the closeness. His arms came up and around Tony's waist. Tony felt the warmth of his body heating him, making him slightly dizzy with a rush of need. The god licked his lips, making them bright and beautiful and leant forward so his cheek brushed against Tony's. He hummed slightly in the playboy's ear. Tony shivered. So, this is what it's like to be seduced. "Talk to me, Tony," Loki cooed. "Well... I went into the office. First time in months." "Really?" "Yeah. They'd got rid of my desk." Loki made an encouraging sound in his throat. Tony could feel Loki's breath on his neck, creating heat and making him shudder. One thin, delicate but deceptively strong hand curling round his hand. Tony could feel his brain going fuzzy. "Then I went to my tailor." "More suits? Tony, I wonder why you bother..." Loki said with a purely deviant leer. Tony rolled his eyes, more at the pleasurable lurch in his stomach than at Loki's purred words. Loki's open mouth was running over his neck, a tongue laving out occasionally. "And then?" Tony shrugged vaguely, pulling himself back together as he jumped over the danger point of his day. "I came back to the tower, used the gym and spent the rest of the day in the lab. Pretty much it." "Are you sure?" He can't know. Right?

Of course he does. "Yeah. Anyway, how was your-" Tony cried out in pain as his wrist was wrenched up his back, swinging him round. Tony's free arm came out, preventing his face from smashing against the low bar as Loki bent him over it. He objected violently, the right side of his face and chest flattened on the surface. Loki's other hand, fingers in his hair, was holding his head down firmly. "What happened after the tailor's, Tony?" Loki said in an easy, casual voice. "What the fuck are you-" Tony exclaimed, but yelped out as Loki pulled up harder. The pain burned through his shoulder and back. "What happened after the tailor's, Tony?" "I came back to the- ah! Fuck!" "What happened after the tailor's, Tony?" "Stop it!" "What happened after the tailor's, Tony?" "I-" Tony winced. "Fuck you, fine! I went to see Justin Hammer! What fucking crazy god rule did I break this time?" "Tony, Tony, Tony," Loki sighed wearily. "You do invite this upon yourself." Tony growled. "You just watch what your twisting back there - that watch costs more than Asgard!" He spat melodramatically. Loki sighed. Tony felt a movement and was surprised to see Loki placing the Rolex neatly in front of his face. "Better?" Loki asked, not waiting for an answer before twisting his arm up harder. Tony howled, his free arm flailing against the bar in agony. "Fuck it! Shit!" He yelled, more releasing the pain than expecting anything to come of his objections. "Do something useful with that free hand, boy, and unbuckle your trousers." "No!" Loki raised Tony's head and smacked it back down on the table. Tony yelped, his mind rattling in his skull. "Please?" Loki cooed. Tony's foot slammed down on Loki's foot. All that happened was that Tony now had a very painful foot. "Ow, fuck!" Loki chuckled darkly and Tony just knew he was rolling his eyes. "Well, you must be commended for your efforts, I suppose." Tony hissed and spat his anger, but was already unfastening his trousers. They fell to the floor, tangling around his ankles. Tony blushed slightly at Loki's delicate chuckle. Loki ran his fingers over his boxers. "It's been a while since I've seen you wearing underwear, boy." "I was at the tailors!" Tony snapped in a hiss. Loki pulled them down, leaving them at his ankles too. That was humiliating, far more than just

being naked. It turned him into a child again. Loki gave his ass an affectionate pat. Tony squirmed away angrily and was rebuked by even more pressure on his cruelly twisted arm. "Just because you're being punished, Tony, doesn't mean we can't have fun with it." "There is no reason for me to be-" Tony started but was cut off. "If you had not believed going to see Hammer was wrong, then you would not have lied." Talk yourself out of that one, genius. Loki didn't wait for any attempted explanation. Tony yelped at the first smack, but gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes against the rest, forcing himself to do it in silence. God this is going to make me so hard. The stinging evolving into throbs, until his entire ass was throbbing. Once his backside must have been bright red, Loki moved to spread the slaps out between his thighs. Tony grunted angrily, biting his tongue as he realised his face was wet with involuntary tears. He realised he was breathing deeply, shaking. Waiting for Loki to decide it was over. Waiting for him to stop. Loki did... Eventually. Tony was floating in a haze of pain and need. As usual. It was a state Loki was almost determined to keep him permanently in. A state where Tony's resistance was worn down to the point that, with careful handing, the boy would do anything Loki asked. Loki stopped and took a step back. Tony licked his lips, his eyes red and wet and knew unconsciously that Loki wasn't even holding him. Tony was still bent over, his chest and face against the bar, standing there waiting for something to happen. "Hum... Beautiful." Tony shuddered. "Don't move." Loki walked away, leaving him. Tony couldn't and wouldn't move. The boy was waiting patiently. A few moments later, Loki was standing in the doorway. "Take off the rest of your clothes, boy. And come here. Crawl." Tony obeyed, a little slower than he would have done had he been fully awake. He was moving like he was in a dream. "That's a good boy," Loki praised as Tony crawled into the bedroom. "Up on the bed, facing towards the end. Hands and knees." Tony positioned himself. "Loki," he muttered. "Hush. Do you trust me to bring you pleasure?" "Yes." "Then relax. Anything I do to you, you will accept. Because you know, boy, that you will cum." "Yes." "Yes what?"

"Yes, god." Loki's cock was suddenly in front of his face. "Worship me." Tony sucked enjoyably, his hips swinging back and forward as his head bobbed. He hummed and gagged, his tongue working over the veins. "Yesss, boy! You're divine! You're so beautiful, yes! Suck me, yes!" Tony sped up delightedly. Fuck. If I had a tail, it would be wagging. Loki's hand, tangled in his hair, was forcing him down deeper than he was really able to go. Tony tried to move his head away as Loki brought him back down. He made a quiet, miserable noise as one hand left the bed to push against Loki's thigh. "Hand back on the bed Tony. Don't attempt to control. Just a little longer." Tony nodded and was forced back down. Loki held him longer now, and Tony felt weak as the cock finally pulled out. He coughed and spluttered. "Good boy, you did so well," Loki soothed. Tony felt the unwanted silly smile on his face. Loki was on the bed behind Tony and Tony like a well-trained fucking Chihuahua tipped his pelvis up, his back dipping down as he presented better access. God, you might as well bark. The god patted him as he stroked fingers in. As the third finger entered, they twisted, finding that pebble of his prostate and stroking gently but firmly, with a pace which suggested that Loki could keep this up as long as the smug bastard wanted to. "Ohh, that's right boy. Croon for me." Tony squirmed and thrust, little moans, pants and low whines pouring from his mouth jubilantly. Tony's fingers grasped the bed sheets tightly as his shining, slick body danced for his god. "Mm, mm, mm," Tony moaned, his eyes out of focus. The moan changed to a gasp then a shuddering sigh as Loki's briefly ran a finger down the underside of Tony's cock. God help me. Loki was playing Tony like an instrument. "Oh Tony," Loki breathed. "You don't know, you'll never understand… you'll never believe. Your writhing, hot, panting body is my guiding star. Your growls, hisses and yelps of pain my melody. Your gasps, cries and wails of desire my mantra. Your body, your face, the sound you create at climax my paradise." Tony was pushed down and flipped over, his legs in the air framing the god's head. Loki was already working his way into Tony with clear urgency. "I'm going to take you, boy. Tell me you want it." "I do! Please!" Loki hammered hard. Tony almost felt himself drooling under the strain of Loki's and his own desire. He tried to watch that beautiful face above him, hanging over him like the silver moon. But Loki's intensity upon Tony's face, staring into every inch of his gasps and shudders was too much to see. Loki looked hungry, like no matter how much pleasure, pain and emotion he pulled from Tony, it would never be enough. He almost wanted to devour Tony. Tony turned his attention instead to his own feet which made little circles in the air as Loki jackhammered now.

"Ah!" Tony groaned hard, his back arching. "Oh! God!" He watched his toes curl, his calves tensing. "Oh! Oh!" Tony made little sounds of distress in panting whines. His body was ready to cum, begging to cum, everything in him was there but he needed to touch against his straining cock. He looked down to see it pressed against his stomach, red, weeping precum. It was the most painful Loki had ever allowed it to become. Tony's hand moved instinctively towards- "Touch it and I'll tie your hands," gasped Loki, not pausing in his ramming. Tony cursed, sobbing, balling his hands into fists and not touching. As Loki bent his legs over his head, fucking harder into his hapless boy, Tony jerked and cried out slightly as the bed gave an uncomfortable lurch forward and down. Just great. The asshole's broken another one. The bed was rocking unsuitably. It only added to the horrendous excitement. Tony whimpered his desperate pleases over and over again, tears pouring down his face. As please didn't seem to penetrate Loki's thick lust addled brain, Tony instead turned to mercy, repeating the word over and over again. "No," Loki ground out in a tense voice. "I'm so cl- so close. We'll come together or not at all!" Tony shook. Fuck don't say that! I'll die! "Please cum!" Tony begged. "Talk to me, convince me you're my boy." "I am! I am your boy! I need you, Loki, I can't-can't- fuck yes! I can't ever stop th-thinking about you! You've made me s-so whole, so full, so- oh my god yes! I hate it when you're not there! I don't want you to be anywhere b-but in me! Not in hiding, not in Asgard and not with Justin! Me, just me! Be in me!" Loki's hand was suddenly jerking Tony so hard he might have pulled him apart. But he couldn't care less as his screams of climax mingled with Loki's. They lay, panting hard, Tony trying to roll onto his side but his body refusing to move. Loki leaned up onto his arm and said, "Don't go near that prison again, boy." Tony licked his lips unconsciously and croaked, "Go to hell."

Unscathed Tony walked onto the Helicarrier, pointedly ignoring the sceptical glance Natasha gave him and saw Thor being congratulated by Steve. "What did I miss?" Thor turned smiling eyes on Tony. "My friend! Jane Foster has agreed to become my wife." "Hey! Congrats," Tony said. "The God of Thunder and a cute astrophysicist – you couldn't write it, could you?" "Cute?" "In a purely uninterested, platonic way," Tony said quickly. Thor smiled and powerful arms grabbed him. "Whoa! Son of a-!" Tony squeaked as Thor hugged him painfully. Seriously, Tony could have sworn his feet left the floor for a second. He saw Natasha hiding her face and Barton just laughing at him. "Jane told me of your conversation," Thor said quietly. For a second, Tony wondered how much trouble he was in this time. "She said that you helped her in her decision. She said that you helped her decide to bind with me. I cannot thank you enough, Tony." "No problem man," Tony squeaked. "Seriously, get off me." Thor let him go and Tony saw the joy in his eyes. He knew that Thor and Loki weren't related. Two completely different sets of parents. But there was a similar sparkle there. He saw it more in Thor than in Loki. Loki's moods were always tinged with the expectation of future pain. For Thor life was all jolly good fun. "I'm happy for you," Tony said, a little quieter as the Avengers behind him started talking amongst themselves. "I am." "Thank you, Tony." "Jane's a good kid. I liked her." "She told me that the Queen had told you about þjá ey." Tony cursed inwardly. "Jane's a little liar." "My betrothed is no liar." "Yes she is, she said she wouldn't tell you about that." Tony walked away, or tried to. Again, a large and powerful hand came out and stopped him. "Why did my mother speak to you on such matters?" "Because I was sticking my nose in your business like I stick my nose into anything that doesn't concern me. What can I say? It's a hobby." Thor was looking at him intensely. "I do not doubt you asked. But it is why she would tell you which baffles me." "You'd have to ask her." "You are my brother in arms. You have fought beside me. You are my friend and now you help

to ensure my brides' and my happiness. Yet you are keeping something from me, Tony Stark." Tony stared straight back with a steady gaze. "Nothing you need to know about." Thor held the look for a long time then smiled again. "Let us not bang heads over this. I am still too happy from the news. We will talk of it in the future. What I must tell you is that Jane and I both wish you to be there for our union." "Er, no. No, no, no. I don't do weddings. At all. Ever. I wouldn't even turn up to mine." "I insist my friend and so too does Jane. It will be before the end of the year in the place Jane and I first met at her request." "I don't think you get what 'no' means." "You'll be there with Erik Selvig and Darcey. You will like them, they are honourable people." "Am I talking to myself?" At this point, Fury and Hill broke in on proceedings. "Alright, listen up-" "Thor's engaged," Tony said, pointing at the offender. "Yes I know. Congratulations Thor." Thor nodded, the smile still radiant on his face. Tony honestly couldn't remember a time that he'd seen anyone so openly joyous. Well, no adult. Children were often just incredibly happy, because they couldn't see what was coming. Because they had no expectations. Thor was like that. He lived in the moment, whereas the first thought that had popped into everyone's mind, and Tony would dare them to deny it, was, how long is this relationship going to last? It was cruel and no one would say it, but they were all adult here. Except Thor, obviously. And they'd all been hurt bad at some point or another. Though Tony noticed that Natasha wasn't trying to stick her fucking oar into this one. Hypocrite. "You're all off to Atlantic City. We've got reason to believe that Victor Von Doom is planning an attack there within the hour." "What reason?" Barton asked. "We've been monitoring chatter which we're fairly certain now is Doom's confederates." "And you've heard them saying they'll be an attack in Atlantic City?" Fury looked, for once, a little uncomfortable. "We've heard them discussing chatter they've heard on an attack on Atlantic City." "So…" Tony said, keen to clarify. "We're going to Atlantic City, which boasts nothing but an airport, because we've heard people discussing something they heard discussed?" Fury looked privately to be in agreement, but he said, "This is the closest thing we've had to a lead. We're following it. Like it or not, you're going." "Fine," Tony said with a shrug, "but I'm swinging by the casino on the way home. Who's with me?" No one, apparently. Against everyone's expectations, they were only just setting down when an urgent report came to them from the SHIELD team already on the ground. An army of robots were marching down the main street, destroying everything in their path.

Don't you just hate it when far flung guesses are right? Sets a bad precedent. "So why does Doom build better robots than you?" Barton asked with a dark smile. "Go sharpen your arrows, or whatever the fuck you do." Maybe Tony had been thinking about it lately. The robots, from what the footage was showing him, were good. But now he'd get an opportunity to see them up close. Tony's pride was already on shaky ground at the moment with the evolution of 'the boy'. He'd be damned if a pretty boy from Latveria, who had walked into that conference in Seattle ten years ago strutting like a peacock, was going to outdo Tony Stark. Tony remembered Victor, before the accident, as an up and coming industrialist. The Times had even labelled him the 'Next Stark' which had pissed off both Tony and Victor for entirely different reasons. Now he was back and intent on making it onto the world stage as some sort of super villain. Typical. The band of heroes were quick to get to the site and were confronted with the sight they had seen on monitors in Mexico. Thick, black metal, heavy-set hominid robots, marching in unison almost making the ground tremble. On their backs were large green triangles, their arrows pointing up. Uranium. Or 'insert batteries here' indicators. Their heads were a very basic design, just a box like cone on a sort of bracket that allowed it to move in and out. There faces was blank except for one long strip of green which ran the entirety of the cone which provided them with their visual-audio data. People were running ahead of the advancing wall of metal, but not fast enough. The robot's arms were raised at the elbow, pointing straight forward. Their hands were machine guns and they were creating a hail of bullets which was just scything down any before them. It was terrifying to see the waves of people just falling to the ground dead. The air above them was thick with screams and explosions. The city was in chaos. Steve rushed forward, throwing his shield up over a mother and her daughter. "Go, go," he shouted. They ran, making it to a side street and sprinting away. Steve turned and fired off his orders quickly, the sound of marching metal getting closer and closer. "Barton, Tony, get up, start picking them off. Tell us where they're going. Thor keep them here. Natasha, take left, I'll take right. Hulk, do your thing." Bruce was already exploding in green flesh before Steve had finished talking. Tony grabbed Barton unceremoniously and launched up into the air. "There was a time you'd ask," Barton called, a little annoyed. Tony rolled his eyes and dropped the archer on the closest roof before turning in mid-air to get a bird's eye view. "Okay… they're marching in from the ocean. Forcing people inland. They've destroyed a hotel already and everyone is flooding down the Martin Luther King Boulevard." Tony really was a genius, you know. As he looked around, the visor added in all the detail he needed, street names, building names, where all the Starbucks and Krispy Crèmes were. I invented this. Because I'm brilliant. Because I'm more than a fuck toy. "Someone needs to get to the St Andrew by the Sea Lutheran Church. People are running in for cover and they're going to get trapped in there when the robots come. There's four groups, one coming in from the ocean, a smaller group coming in from the direction of the airport, another from the east and one coming down from inland. The place is just getting boxed in."

Steve voice came, strained and tense over the coms. He had to be fighting hard down there. "Tony, you have to deal with the lot coming from inland, none of us will make it there in time. Where's the biggest flank?" "Coming in from the ocean. They're heading down the main street, slap bang where you guys are." "I'll stay here with Hulk. Thor, you have to take the flank coming from the west on your own. Natasha, Barton, take the last." Not a great plan, but it's all they had right now. Tony flew down towards his allotted targets. The robots weren't fast, but they were solid. It was taking a hell of a lot of effort to take them down. Maybe the only joy of Vanko's metal army is that they had been pretty quick to take down, despite being quicker and packing more of a punch than these guys. That was typical of the Victor he remembered. He tended to have one goal in mind and bent everything towards it. He was clumpy, single minded and obsessed with structure. Yeah. And you're capricious, flighty and obsessed with image. Shut up. Tony had to give it to Doom. These things weren't attractive, but they were doing what they needed to do and with some admirable skill. While you were busy just trying to take out one, the rest were busy doing damage else were. Knocking them down one by one was impossible. There had to be an easier way. Tony headed towards the Pop Lloyd Stadium. A group of robots had herded and cornered a group of people in the middle of the grass. The people pushed and panicked, all forced into a tight group, surrounded by death. There were screams and yells as people fell and were trampled by the crowd around them. The robots arms, machine guns protruding from the hands rose and took aim. The Iron Man landed between them. "Everyone get down!" He bellowed. Everyone hit the floor. Tony's lasers spiralled out, decapitating the eight robots circling them and a few which had been heading in their direction. Tony shook his arms and the one-shot power supply detached. "Head towards cover, go on, move!" he shouted. People ran, stumbling and fleeing. Tony was up in the air again, picking off robots. "They're cornering people and just gunning them down," Tony said. "I just saved a few dozen but it's happening everywhere." "It's a slaughter," Steve spat angrily. Tony circled down to a road, grabbing the arm of a child who was getting run down by a line of robots and flew him towards the nearest barricade of cop cars. "Push this back," he commanded the captain. "The line's advancing and it's going to flank you. Back off ten metres at least." Tony saw a line of robots approaching. He flew at them, knocking off the head of one, shooting two in their visors, ripping the arms off the last. The two with malfunctioning visors staggered around, damaged but still dangerous. Tony knocked the legs out from under and opened the back of its neck panel. He examined the wires quickly as it flailed, grabbed a wire and pulled hard. The robot clattered to the ground. "Alright, listen up," Tony called to his friends. "Robots 101. Knock off the back panel around the neck. Find the wire with the red base under the base plate and pull. Dead robot. Well, offline."

"Got it!" Natasha called and was joined by the affirmations of the others. Well, that was one thing. But it wasn't the solution Tony had been hoping for. Tony forced the onslaught of robots back, but they kept coming. "I'm going to need a hand on the west side," Tony called. "I got a few hundred sheltering in a hotel and a police cordon looking very bare." "Hold on, Tony, I'm on the way," Barton shouted. "Well thank god, Barton, because you know what I was thinking? I was thinking what I really need right now is a guy fighting robots with a bow and arrow." "Fuck off, Buzz Lightyear." Tony smiled happily. He and Barton had always had a... it was difficult to pin a label on his and the archer's friendship. In Tony's opinion, at least. Had Pepper been here, she would have had one word for it. Brothers. Tony stayed on the ground, ripping robots apart, avoiding the machine gun fire. Bird in the air, tank on the ground. Tony loved his suit. At one point, he redirected the arm of one robot to knock out its fellows. Old trick, but man was it funny. "Well, Tony Stark." Tony turned at the vaguely familiar melodic voice to find the menacing Von Doom was standing above him on the shattered overpass. His dark green robe was swirling around him, his face dark metal and awkwardly familiar. Great. Another villain making a scene. Do these guys work out of the same handbook or something? "Hannibal Lector," Tony called. "Loved your last movie." "Still making jokes, Tony?" "It's skill, I won't deny it." There was an explosion in the background and the sound of screams and sirens grew more intense against the constant sound of gunfire. The atmosphere seemed to frame him, make him seem taller, more menacing. "Tony, Tony, Tony. The Tony Stark, still an arrogant, self-absorbed playboy. Though you have a great mind, undoubtedly... for your generation." Is he calling me old? "Loving the robots, by the way," Tony said, giving one at his feet a surreptitious kick. "Very Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still. Tungsten Titanium alloy? And a uranium core. Nice." "There are few who can understand, let alone appreciate what I have done here." "Bit of a weakness," Tony said, holding up the wire with its red base. "These are but the prototypes. I assure you, Iron Man. I have more in store." And these prototypes had so far destroyed one city already and are currently making mincemeat of a second. "Why? What's in this for you?" "Destruction." Tony had to hand it to him. Of the crazy super villains he had previously had this little chat with, this was the first time he couldn't really argue with the answer. "There's going to be plenty of that." Tony fired a rocket at the figure. Doom didn't move. The rocket collided with him in an explosion of red and yellow flame. He

staggered back briefly, and then righted himself. "My turn," he said. Tony was hit with a bolt of electricity, seemingly coming from nowhere, which should have fired him. But he'd done this dance before. "Jarvis?" He asked. "Yes sir, power at 200%." "Brilliant." Tony launched himself with full thrusters into Von Doom. The two were propelled back and smashed into a building, creating a massive impact crater. Tony punched the metal face and stared in fascinated horror as the outer casing of his gauntlet cracked. A black clad, claw like hand reached out and grabbed Tony's arm and squeezed. The metal casing already damaged crumpled like paper. "Well, that's impressive," Tony said. Doom's fist came out and hit him full in the visor. He was thrown back, but managed to right himself in midair before hitting anything. Jarvis was going crazy, reporting on his systems as Tony blinked and shook his head, trying to stop the ringing. Doom was striding over to a black case and pulled out a rocket launcher. "You of all people will appreciate this," Doom said taking aim. "This makes a Jericho missile look like a water pistol. Now hold still." Tony zipped up high into the air and a beeping warned him that the missile had been launched and locked. "Jarvis, what can you tell me?" An image of the rocket was brought up for Tony to study. "Might I suggest not getting hit by it, sir?" "Noted." Tony's first reaction would have been to try and lose it in the maze of buildings. But if Tony was judging this image right, this was a very powerful load and when this thing exploded, it was going to level a third of the city. "Guys, I'm leaving the party for a while," Tony called back as he raced the thing out and over the water. "Got a missile locked on me." "What can we do to help?" "You can't." Tony deployed counter measures to no avail. This rocket was advanced. Fuck. Since Tony had left the weapons race, he was afraid that he was going to get over taken. It seemed he was right to be concerned. Steve was still wittering on like an old hen. "Circle back and let the Hulk-" "If the Hulk destroys it, it's going to take out a good chunk of the city." "If you dove into the water-" "It's going to follow. It's designed to follow anything through anything." "Then we should-" "Steve! It's not going to work!" Tony said angrily. Didn't the man know anything? "First thing I have to do is take this thing out as far as possible. Then I'll figure it out. I always think better when I'm about to die."

"Tony, no lone ranger stuff, remember?" Natasha called. Boy. Loki's voice, the one he had spent the last few months hammering into Tony's subconscious reared his beautiful, ugly head and screamed at him. For risking a life which belonged to the god. Fucking shit. If Tony got injured by this thing, he was never going to hear the end of it. Tony gritted his teeth angrily. "Well you'd better have some plan, Captain, because this thing's not a grenade." Tony made a sharp stop and turn. The missile, with less maneuverability, took a moment to flip over and follow. The Iron Man created another sharp turn and managed to put even more distance between him and the warhead. Then he rocketed up into the sky faster than a plane. Steve came back to him over the coms. His tone was such that Tony realised the Captain can come up with a plan. "Hold on Tony. You're going to have to drop and fast." Tony was racing the missile up, banking on the height causing ice damage. It was an old trick, which didn't seem to be working. He was freezing faster than the missile and his systems were already icing. "Why?" "We're going to see how far the Hulk can throw... And how accurately." "Wonderful," Tony said dryly. "Jarvis. Full thrusters on my go. We're going to be hitting the water hard." "Sir, I wouldn't advise it." "Quit being such a nervous ninny." You're actually letting the team help. Why? Because you're running out of ideas? Because you're not smart enough to think of your own solution? No… because Loki would kill me if I get hurt. Fuck I'm going to kill him for turning me into this. "Now!" Steve yelled. Tony spun in mid-air and shot towards the ocean, thrusters and gravity all playing its part to mean when he hit, he hit hard. He dove down almost a mile into the sea. Above him, a bus flew into the pursuing missile. Even beneath the waves, he felt the implosion. He had to move out the way quickly to avoid the larger clumps of falling metal. "Tony?" Steve called. "Tony!" "Keep your spangled knickers on Steve, I'm fine." Tony broke the surface of the water, shooting up and back to the fight. "Where's Doom?" "I see him," Barton called. "He's still on the Brigantine Boulevard overpass." Tony made it, cutting down robots in his path. When he found Doom and raised his arms, panels sliding back. "Hey Victor!" The man spun and glared up. "Missed me!" Tony fire everything he had at him.

Doom stumbled back and fell. Tony swooped down and grabbed Doom by the neck, throwing him back over the bypass. Thor was below and attempted to end him. But there was a shattering crash and a crackling ball of light circling Doom. The god glared, seemed to decide that this problem was best dealt with how all problems were, and brought his hammer down hard. Then Mjölner was thrown back, over his shoulder and through the air. As the light grew brighter, both Thor and Tony staggered back, covering their faces. The crackling in the air was intense. It stopped all of a sudden. When they looked back, the villain was gone. Thor looked up at the Iron Man, still standing on the bypass, looking down at a large, round burn in the concrete where Doom had stood and had been engulfed in the bubble of electricity. "What happened?" Tony chewed his tongue. "I have no idea, though it was very cool." "Magic?" Thor asked. Tony rolled his eyes. "Victor is not Loki. This is science. I just don't know how, yet." "We're going to need to know," Steve called. "If he's going to be able to pull a disappearing act after a stunt like this, we have to know how he's doing it and where he's going." Tony barely acknowledged him. There were a thousand idea's whirling around his head about what Doom might have done, but there wasn't enough to prove that he could have done it. Clearly Tony was missing something, but he couldn't tell what. It irked him. Though, he had to hand it to the villain. He had presented a challenge to be solved. And boy did Tony like his mysteries. xxx "Quite a battle." Tony turned to see Loki leaning against the bar, watching the scene. "He got away." "Oh dear," Loki said, not a little patronisingly. Tony sighed, rubbing his face. "I'm really beat, Loki. I don't know how much I'm actually going to be able to do tonight." "But you're not objecting? No fights or arguments?" "I'm beat," Tony repeated. "I don't want to fight and I don't want you to go. So come on, just don't say I didn't warn you." Tony rubbed his neck as he walked idly into the bedroom. He pulled his clothes off and slipped into the bed, feeling more exhausted now he was finally lying down on the soft mattress. His eyes closed, he felt Loki naked body press against his, lips running across his brow and kissing the furrowed frown lines away. "Any battle you return from unscathed deserves reward." "Hum," Tony hummed lazily. "Turn over." Tony turned sluggishly and Loki was fondling his hair, patting his back and, inevitably, working his fingers into Tony. Preparing him slowly with oil.

Tony was practically asleep, he should have been asleep, he should have been unconscious after the day he had been through. But… fucking shit. Loki was working his magic and suddenly parts of him were more awake than they should have been. "Oh for the love of-" Tony whined. "I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to live like this." Loki made gentle hushing sounds in his throat. "Your body will never ask for what it does not need. If you did not need to cum, it would not have been so easy to make you hard." "It's your fault. It's always your fucking fault." "Your body knows what it wants and I live to satisfy it and not your contrary mind." Tony grumbled angrily and began humping his hips back onto the fingers. "Feels nice," he muttered. "Good." "I'm ready," Tony said. Loki didn't waste any time, pushing in and almost immediately hitting that spot. Tony jerked up, his chest leaping off the bed, arching back, muscles clenching, lights flashing in his eyes. "Oh fuck!" Well, I'm definitely fucking awake now. Tony gasped as Loki pounded now almost idly. "Yes! Yes!" He heard a chuckle behind him as fingers ran through his hair, stoking it up the wrong way before smoothing it down. "It is good to hear you so agreeable." "Loki, fuck please, Loki!" Loki made a tsking noise in his throat; pressing down on Tony's head with the hand not holding his hip, forcing Tony's face into the pillow. "Hush, boy. You know full well the best climaxes are drawn from the withholding of pleasure." Tony whimpered. Great. Another night of games. And all I had wanted to do was go to sleep. "Yes, Loki," he muttered. "Good child." Loki relaxed now into a slower pace, caressing every inch of Tony's sun kissed body. His hips rolled against the boy and Tony momentarily felt his eyes crossing as the cock inside of him seemed to touch everywhere at once. Tony shifted slightly. His upper body lay on the bed, his legs drawn beneath him. It was a darkly symbolic position for Tony. It was how Loki had first taken him and for some reason, it made Tony love the position all the more. "We never really talk…" Loki said softly. "You talk. You talk all the time, why do you think I'm always so hard?" Loki laughed, open and honestly, "You make me so happy when you say such lovely things." "Enough to shut up and fuck me?" "No." "Asshole."

Tony squirmed his hips back, trying to pull a bit more sensation from the god, his earlier exhausted state now forgotten. That was the problem with having a lover with far more skill and stamina than you. Tony was desperate to be forced over that brink into wonderful ecstasy, but Loki would be like this for three times longer than Tony. Fucking gods. The only way Tony would get what he wanted was to cooperate. "What do you want to talk about?" "That is the conundrum. Will you speak on the Avengers? No. I see the tensing in your shoulders and my question is answered. On Stark Industries then, on the arc reactor. On science." "Why?" Tony couldn't help the suspicious tone in his voice. "Does it not occur to you that I enjoy hearing your voice as much as you enjoy mine?" "You're always telling me to hush," Tony argued petulantly. "Only when I need you to focus on what I am doing to you. But I like to hear you talk, Tony." Tony licked his lips. "I'm trying to solve the cost issues. The arc reactor is too expensive to be a real, viable alternative to fossil fuels. Oil, gas, coal. Why do you care?" "You are important. I wish to know what it is you care about, other than your iron mask. I need to know everything." "Well, first of all, it's not iron. It's a gold-titanium alloy. And you never talk about yourself. You talk. You talk all the time. But you're always talking about me. I don't know anything about your life except what you accidently mutter after you've cum." "You are my life." Fuck. No one's ever said that to me before. Tony felt the stirring again in his groin as the heat started building in him again. He pressed his hips back desperately. "Fuck me hard, please Loki," he whimpered urgently. "I want to-" "We'll go to a restaurant! With candles and music and whatever you want! Or walk on a beach or something, I don't care! But please, please!" Tony's voice was rough and husky with emotion. "Tell me I'm your life again and then show me!" Loki's hand crept under Tony's flat and toned stomach, fingers curling round the long and aching length, fondling slowly. "You are my life, Tony Stark. Now stay still and silent while I pull your world apart." "Yes!"

168 Hours Tony paced the lab in a temper, hands gasping the curly, hand written letter he had found lying on the kitchen bar this morning. "Son of a bitch – he has no fucking right to command me to do anything!" "Yes, sir." "If he thinks that I'm just going to-" You swore. You promised. You're going to back out now? Why the fuck not? Because I want this so much I would have gone crawling to him if it hadn't been soon. Tony breathed out, trying to compose himself. "Fucker. Mother fucker." Tony threw the letter away. The stupid thing about paper, when you threw it, it rarely did what it was supposed to do. It fluttered in mid-air in a lazy arc and landed back at his feet. Not even the things the God of Mischief touched would do what it was fucking supposed to. "Call Fury." There was a pause. "What?" Tony rolled his eyes at the tone coming from the speakers. "What? Bad time? Don't tell me you have a private life, because I won't believe it." Fury sounded impatient. Probably for the best, Tony thought. This way, he wouldn't want to spend a great deal of time arguing. "What do you want, Stark?" "I'm taking a break. From the Avengers. I'm off." "For how long?" Fury snapped. Tony glared at the paper at his feet with rising bile. "168 hours, to be precise." Tony was late. Of course he was. Why the hell should he be on time for the bastard? He strolled up with a travelling carry bag ten minutes after four to the spot where Loki had described in his letter. He could see why, it was completely in a camera blind spot in the middle of Central Park. Trees surrounded the area, making things dark and eerie. "Why here and not at Stark Tower?" he asked. Loki glided out of a shadow like the fucking showman he was. I'm a fucking showman. I'm just pissed he does it better than I do. "If I were to appear in Stark Tower and drag you away, you would have that to hold on to. But no, you delivered yourself to me like the desperate, wanton little thing you are." "Ah-ha. Let's push on shall we? It's cold out here." Loki's eyes wandered down to the carry bag and sneered. "It's a wonder you've brought clothes. You will not be needing them." Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Loki walked up to him, lips temptingly close before walking around him lethargically yet still predatorily. "So, this is Tony Stark. Out of his tower and before he remembers what he was made

for. These few minutes before you remember your place and are still trying to assert yourself. Build your defiance up like a house of cards and I will tear it down. When you remember your place, you will melt in a pool at my feet." Tony glanced at his watch pointedly. Loki grabbed his neck violently, pulling him close. This was different from the inter-realm travel he had done with Thor. This was like getting turned inside out and back again. His vision went dark and blurred, then snapped back again like nothing happened. Tony fell backwards as the warping around him stopped and landed heavily on a stone floor. "Remove your clothes." "What the fuck-" "Remove them, now!" "Give me a chance," Tony snapped, still trying to work out which way was up. "What the fuck was that?" A knife pressed against his neck. Tony yelled and grabbed the hand, trying to push it away but the strength was too much. "Okay, okay, okay!" Tony soothed, starting on his top buttons. "Just relax, Loki. I'm just a little dizzy, that's all." "Do not pretend at meekness now, little slut. Do you think that I would simply forgive your purposeful lateness? Your petty arrogance?" It seemed like a good idea at the time. Why the fuck had I deliberately tried to piss him off? "You will be punished." Ah, Tony thought with a growing smile as he shed his clothes quickly. That's why. "Put your clothes in the bag. I will put it back in the tower. There is nothing in there you'll need." Tony gazed up and found the god was actually serious. When Loki had whispered those dirty words, telling Tony he would spend a wonderful, terrible week naked, collared and on his knees, Tony had believed it to be no more than fantasy. He swallowed and, with deliberate astuteness, smiled that little smile he knew Loki loved on him. That smile which Loki always sighed at. Cheeky, charming, innocent. Loki's little boy. "Might get a little chilly." "The room is heated. There are blankets on the bed - you will not be leaving the bed. I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this week, boy." Boy. That was good. Loki seemed to be calming down. Play the game. "You think of everything," Tony said with a soft laugh, packing away his clothes. "I think of nothing but you." Oh that's not fair. Fuck. Did he really have to say that? And with that voice? I can already feel myself getting hard. Tony waited, kneeling naked on the stone floor. Loki left the room momentarily to put away the bag. The boy looked up when he thought he was alone. It was a large stone room with a wooden floor and ceiling. There seemed to be a bathroom hidden

by a gold room divider. There was nothing here but a high back leather chair next to a fireplace, a couple of heavy wooden cabinets and a large, circular bed in the middle of the room. Tony's small smile dropped as he realised something that should have been obvious. Like one of those brain teaser pictures where something blatantly obvious was missing yet you still couldn't see it until it was pointed out. He stood shakily, his eyes wide. "Did I say you could get off your knees?" said a school-teacher voice behind him. "Loki?" "Yes my love?" "Where the fuck is the door?" "What door?" Tony turned, angry and not a little bit scared. "Rooms have doors," he said slowly and furiously. Loki smiled like the evil bastard he was. In the same slow, patronising voice he said, "This one doesn't." He laughed at Tony's growl of rage. "I have never lied to you, my sweet love. No doors, no windows. My constant dream is to put you away in a box, safe and sound, and take you out only to play." Tony realised he was trembling. "And at the end of the week?" he said quietly. Loki pursed his lips as his eyes traversed the ceiling. "We shall see." Tony stumbled backwards, only to find Loki darting toward and holding him in his arms soothingly. "Shhh shh shh, my sweet, my pet, my boy. Relax. I merely jest." Lips were pressing against the pulsing jugular vein in his neck as Tony forced his breathing to slow. He'd been on the verge of panic. "A deal is a deal, as you say. 168 hours, no more, no less. It is no more than a fantasy of mine to keep you here, but in reality I would never dare. I fear it would break you. Hurt your soul, though you do not believe in it, I do. Beautiful, wild creature that you are, captivity would not suit you." Tony closed his eyes. "I fucking hate you." "I cannot regret any action I take which makes you so happy." "Do I look fucking happy to you right now!?" "Yes," Loki breathed against Tony's ear, one hand slipping down and grasping his erect cock. Tony hissed. "Yes, my boy. I'm afraid you do. I think you share a secret desire to be locked away, even if you don't wish to be." Loki moved away as Tony took a moment to compose himself. He looked around and found his arms were covering himself unconsciously. He growled at his ludicrous embarrassment and forced them to his sides. It's not like Loki hadn't seen him naked a thousand times before. "You're seriously not going to give me anything to wear?" "Yes, here it is." Tony turned and saw Loki holding up the leather collar he was already familiar with. His stomach did glorious summersaults. "On your knees and crawl to me. Now." A hundred different spiteful, mocking, jovial and downright rude remarks all came rushing into his mouth, begging to be said. Tony bit his tongue and dropped to his knees, feeling his insanely treacherous cock growing harder and warmer. He crawled submissively and couldn't help but picture how his swaying ass must look. He

swallowed when he came to Loki's feet. "Do you want this?" Loki asked, teasingly stroking Tony's face with the leather. "Just make me. Why do I have to beg?" "Because I'm tired of living in your thoughts as the evil oppressor. It is time for you to come to understand what you are. Now, beg for you collar, or I will take you back to Stark Tower." Take the fucking trip back! Nothing is worth your fucking pride! "Please... put the collar on me. I want to be collared and fucked and punished." Enjoy the sex all you want. Just understand that every moment of this is dragging you further and further away from the Tony Stark and the Iron Man. And how much happiness has either of those brought me? Tony Stark peddled death and the Iron Man lost me Pepper. "Good boy," Loki praised and Tony shuddered as he heard the snap. Tony looked up with starry eyes. "Thank you." The first day and Tony was ready to sleep for a month. He had been punished, strung up and beaten. Ten strikes with a cane for every minute late. His back, ass and thighs were littered with a hundred perfect red lines. Then Loki had fucked him where he hung from the ceiling. He was pulled onto the bed and sucked back into hardness once more until he was mewling and clawing at the sheets, begging for his climax. Which, of course, wasn't granted. Loki had demanded attention to his own erection before Tony was finally allowed to cum, humping the bed like an animal in heat. A few hours later, once he had eaten and bathed in a large, gold tub, Loki had demanded it all over again. Tony felt like his body was going to shatter. "Good?" Loki would ask gently after each act of domination. "More," Tony would moan, and Loki would smile and kiss him. Day two proved just as strenuous. He was spread out over the circular bed on his stomach, pillows piled under his hips, presenting his perfect ass to his god. Tony whimpered as Loki slid into him. "It should not be possible to cum so many times in one day," he muttered in protest. "I am a god, Tony." "I wasn't talking about you." Loki wasn't rushing. Tony had begun to get the impression that this wasn't meant to be a week of wild sex. Loki was just… Loki just wanted to be with Tony, in a bizarre way. He wanted to be in Tony. Covered in Tony. Possess Tony. Tony realised, in a sick and twisted way, he had never felt more valued, more wanted, more coveted in his entire life. Loki wanted every inch of him. Loki wanted to drown himself in Tony. For a playboy who demanded that the attentions of all were on him, this was almost... almost paradise. The god glided in and out with long strokes, but his main focus was on the petting, the licks and bites on Tony's neck, shoulder and back. Fingers were gliding over and over the scars on his lower back. "My boy." "Always," Tony breathed. The sensation was incredible as Loki's pelvis worked against him.

"That feels so good." "My boy approves." "Yessss," Tony hissed. Loki twisted Tony's upper body and while his hips were pinned to the bed by Loki's thrusts, more pillows were pushed against his back so he could lean comfortably. Loki held him there, wrapping an arm around him to keep him still and supported as he kissed him deeply. Tony sighed and shivered, tilting his head back to give Loki a better angle. "Fuck this is better than saving the world," he sighed with a chuckle. Loki frowned in vague annoyance. He tipped his hips, thrusting down hard and bumping right up against Tony's prostate. Tony's eyes widened in shock as his body jumped involuntarily. He let out a babbled a cry of ecstasy. "I should hope so," muttered Loki in displeasure. His hips were fixed in that position, pounding that magic spot again and again and again. Tony couldn't look away from Loki's eyes, his eyes locked on that stern face, his own face a mask of helpless pleasure, gasping hard with every stroke. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Tony whispered with every pound, his nails raking down the firm muscles in Loki's arm as his eyes dilated, turning the colour in the world around him sharp and bright. "DDon't st-stop, don't stop! Yes!" "Being my personal whore is better than being the Iron Man," Loki hissed. The sentiment had apparently pissed him off. Typical Tony to just open his mouth and cause this much trouble for himself. "Say it!" "Being, your, w-whore, is," His mind on autopilot, purely concerned with his climax, Tony was gasping out every word as the pounding became harder. "Better than, oh, fuck, Loki!" He was so near now, he was hanging on the very edge. Loki's hips stopped dead. Tony howled and reached for his cock. Loki grabbed the wrist, holding it back. "Say it!" "Fuck y-" "You really don't want to say that, boy." Tony stared into those resplendent, merciless eyes and kissed the lips almost in an act of supplicant. "Being here, with you like this, is better than being in the Avengers." Hopefully Loki wouldn't look too unkindly on the rewording. Even in his lust addled mind, Tony couldn't bring himself to admit that maybe, just maybe, Loki was bringing him a deeper happiness than he could ever gain from being a hero. Loki had noticed it, of course. His eyes were hard but he finally seemed to relent. "Don't touch yourself. Your orgasms belong to me." Tony nodded and whimpered thanks as the pounding began again. Loki let him teeter on the bink for several long, glorious and painfully agonising minutes before reaching down and jerking him off deliciously. Tony bucked and wailed, cumming all over the bed. When he was finally done, Loki lay over Tony's slick, heated body, shuddering for self-control. The god remained completely still, breathing hard. Tony could feel that his orgasm had excited Loki and the man had been close to the edge himself. Finally, he sighed out, regaining his restraint and began thrusting in and out again. Slowly, unrushed. Loki had always teased and threatened Tony with his godlike stamina. But, out of an understanding that their time would always be brief, the stamina had rarely come into play.

Now though, Loki was enjoying his natural ability to hold himself back for longer than any mortal. Tony grumbled pitifully, feeling the slow, luxurious pace of the thrusts and knowing Loki was nowhere close to being done with him yet. Tony shuddered, his body sticky with sweat, lying here in the remains of his last (and probably last before that) orgasm. Tony had never before in his life felt more used for sex. It was living it, covered in it and breathing it, and Loki just wouldn't stop for anything. "Just cum, Loki," Tony said, trying to sound like he was weary of the god's attentions. Instead, it sounded piteous and pleading. "Be still and silent, boy. Nothing is required of you but to remain still." "You're going to make me hard again," Tony muttered angrily, knowing it to be a certainty. "You poor thing," Loki said scornfully. He lay over Tony's back, rubbing his face into his hair and breathing in his scent like a large cat. "And when you are, I will cum and you will not. You will be forced to do all manner of naughty things before I allow you to." Tony whined dully, but closed his eyes, relaxing into the inevitability. Day three and Tony began to seriously worry for his sanity. As a natural born social butterfly, or a crazed lonely scientist, he had only ever been in a large crowd, the centre of attention or alone in his lab. Only one other time in his life had he been trapped in a closed room with one other person and he most certainly hadn't been sleeping with Yinsen. Now, he had spent practically fifty hours in a bed with an equally naked god working his body into an early grave. It was an intense situation and one which he had never believed he would survive. To spend two days with someone is fine, but you always knew that you could get up and walk away if the other person started to get on your nerves. Tony couldn't do that here. In fact, halfway through day one when he had declared the whole thing to be stupid and tried to leave the bed. Loki had been very, very angry about that and by the time he was finished... correcting Tony, Tony couldn't remember why he could have possibly wanted to leave in the first place. So Tony didn't put up a struggle while Loki explored his body, and in turn, Loki would listen to Tony talk about anything he wanted. He spent hours talking about everything and nothing. And what was thrilling is that even though Loki would be licking Tony's stomach, or playing with his hair, or rubbing his back, he was still listening to every word and would even make sensible replies. He was even funny, making Tony laugh despite of himself. In fact, everything Loki was doing was making it clear that his little boy was the centre of his world. The days took its toll on Tony though. Loki was forced to hold Tony up in the bed while feeding him soups and water. Tony was worn through, drained in every way. But when he should have been shouting stop, begging to be let go on the mercy of whatever love Loki professed to have for him, he didn't. He wanted it. He wanted more. It was just a shame he couldn't move without assistance. "If you accepted the binding, tying your soul to mine, you would have more energy to please me." Tony didn't have the energy to tell him to fuck off. "We should have a safe word," he murmured instead. Loki cocked his head, his hand stroking Tony's chest gently, fingers playing with the metal of the arc reactor. "Safe word?" "When… you know. People who do this stuff. They have a word that means you have to stop."

Loki frowned and shook his head. "Seems counter intuitive. It is not the submissive who has the control. It is the dominant. The submissive should not have supremacy over their possessor." Tony didn't even have the energy to roll his eyes. It's a sad state of affairs when you don't even have the strength to give a god the middle finger. "It's not about… the sub should never have to use it. It's for emergencies." "If the dominant simply ignores the word? If the dominant knows best?" "Whatever," Tony muttered. He was too tired. "Would you like a safe word?" Tony snorted. "Would you listen?" Loki was silent. To Tony's honest surprise, the man actually seemed to be deeply considering the proposal. "Yes." Tony swallowed. "I… I don't know." Loki ran his hand through his own long, luxurious black hair, then smiled in that devious, sly way that made Tony weak inside. "How about 'Fury'?" Tony's mouth opened. "That is so wrong on so many levels. Yeah. Let's go with Fury." Loki laughed in open delight at Tony's approval. "I want to take you right now." "Not exactly in a position to argue." Loki looked ruefully down at him. "I cannot. I have a very special game planned for later. You must recover. You must sleep. It will be no fun if you cannot move." The promise of a special game did wonders to Tony's recovery rate. By the end of the day he was back, admittedly weakly, on his feet. He suddenly felt naked… alright, he was naked, but recently that hadn't mattered. Writhing on a bed with an insane god wrapped around your body was one thing. It didn't help that Loki himself was now fully clothed and not taking him. It only served to illustrate Tony's new found purpose and place in their relationship. Loki clothed, powerful, in command. Tony, locked in a room with no escape, completely reliant on Loki, naked and collared. He pushed down his mounting arousal. It was easy to do with the anger slowly building in his chest. He reached for a blanket on the bed. "Leave it," Loki commanded. "It's cold," Tony lied. "I want you naked, boy." "And I don't want to get pneumonia." "Oh I promise, I'll keep you warm." Tony dropped the corner of the plush blanket with bad grace and walked over to Loki. He indicated a chair. Tony sat down and was immediately ensnared by leather straps enclosing his arms and legs. He swore and fought the bindings, angry and frustrated. Loki was walking away from him, ignoring the exclamations. He returned with a large plate of food. Tony glared, panting hard, holding back further swearing until he'd thoroughly assessed the situation. Loki placed the dish on his knees and began cutting the meat and vegetables into small chunks. Occasionally, he'd eat delicately.

Eventually, he looked up, quite as though he'd forgotten Tony was in the room. "Settled down?" Tony gritted his teeth. Loki gathered up... chicken? And some vegetables onto the fork and held it in front of Tony's mouth. Tony stared. "No way." "Open wide, boy." "Go to hell." Loki smiled and leaned in. He planted a small, gentle kiss on the corner of Tony's lips. "Tony." breathed Loki. "Sitting before you is a man of infinite patience. Sitting before you is a man who dreamt of you and what he'd do to you for a year. I am a god who has lived for a thousand years and who will live for thousands more." Loki's mouth was against Tony's ear now. Tony stared straight ahead, anger, arousal and... fear all pressing against his chest. "Boy... the stars will fall into the sea before I will tire of this. Sit for as long as you will like. All that will happen is... the food will get cold." Tony found he was panting, shaking slightly at the situation. There hadn't really been a time where Tony couldn't summon a single smart-alec thing to say. He was stuck now. With Loki, these moments were becoming far too common. Tony... closed his eyes. Opened them. Sat still for what seemed like hours. And... "Good boy," Loki breathed, feeding the chicken into his mouth. Tony swallowed. "Well you're hardly Wolfgang Puck are you?" he quipped. "I am sorry," Loki said meekly, but with a glitter in the eyes which suggested he wasn't in the least. He picked up a glass of wine from the floor with a chuckled, "I'm sure this will be more to your liking," and placed it at Tony's lips. Tony took a long drink, taking comfort in the familiar burn of alcohol to save him from the completely alien situation. "I am enjoying this immensely," Loki said with a brilliant smile. "We should do this all the time." Tony glared. "We could get reservations at the Masa, you know. It's not difficult, I know the owner." "If they will allow you there to dine naked, I have no objections." "This is so fucking childish." "Open wide." It continued seemingly forever. Tony was still livid, the heat rising in his face and his eyes burnt, but he opened his mouth as Loki fed him slowly. The meal passed in silence, Loki's gaze fixed on him as he ate. Tony avoided his eyes, staring at the back wall. When the meal was finally done, Loki took a minute, letting his fingers trace the metal of the arc reactor then run down his stomach, stroking a flank lovingly. The hand moved up his thigh and to his erect cock. It's fucking cold in here. This isn't arousal, this is biology. Who gets turned on by being fed like a child? Loki's fingers delicately stroked the head. It's not about being fed. It's about being obsessed over.

Loki's obsession with Tony was feeding the playboy's every need to be wanted. Tony growled angrily. Loki smiled cruelly and untied him from the chair. Tony was immediately on his feet, walking away. But the fucking problem with this fucking room was there was nowhere he could fucking go! He stared at anything but the demented god behind him. He would rather take on the Hulk with nothing but a plastic fork than admit how much he had... "Your game sucked." "That was dinner, Tony, not a game." His spirits lightened slightly. But he still shot back a livid glare. "Everything with you is a game." "And you love it, boy." Tony looked away. Yes. "Get on the bed." "You get on the fucking bed," Tony muttered petulantly. Loki breathed out in an exasperated tone and threw himself into the large chair. It was facing the bed and Loki sprawled out, one leg cocked over the arm rest. He had the large glass of red wine with him. He was the very imagine of silent, sophisticated, arrogant power. Tony knelt in the middle of the soft round bed. "Well?" Loki smiled. "You might want to take a moment to compose yourself." "I bore easily." Lips were suddenly at his neck. As Tony yelped and moved away, Loki… Loki's clone grabbed him and pulled him back. Again, all those months ago, a whispered story, a lustful fantasy pouring from Loki's mouth looked as though it was about to come true. Fucking hell, no way! Tony looked at Loki, the one in the chair. "Seriously man, look, I'm sorry, I-" Tony jumped and moaned as the Loki clone's hand wrapped around his ever traitorous cock and began stroking gently. Tony mouth opened and he crooned. The other hand travelled up his chest to stroke and twist his nipples. Tony winced responsively and ground his hips back against the solid length behind him. "Loki, please, I'm not sure I can do this. Even I have standards. Okay, they're not high standards, but I- Fuck!" The solid cock was now pushing into him with a relentless force. In this position, kneeling up on the bed, Loki – the one behind him – had to push hard to get in. "Spread your legs," the clone whispered. "Quickly, boy." Tony did and Loki, the clone, pushed harder. It was opening Tony wide, painfully, amazingly. The pounding wouldn't be deep, but the penetration itself was so brutal it made Tony gasp with a stupid smile on his face. So tight! "Loki this is just too weird, I-" His head had been arching back over the shoulder of the Loki behind him as the man had licked his neck. But the clone grabbed his head and forced him to look back at the Loki in the chair. The god was still there, still smiling, drinking his glass of wine, his eyes fixed on Tony's expression. "Don't fight it, Tony. You can't tell me you haven't dreamed about this? All alone, humping your bed and revelling in the image of your twisted desire." How the fuck does he know these things?!

"Not the same! Not the same!" Tony protested in an agonised gasp as Loki, the other one, ground in and out of him while pumping Tony's cock with all the skill Tony knew the original had. "What you fantasize about alone doesn't count! Everyone knows that!" Tony panted with the strain of the situation. He pushed against the Loki behind him anxiously. "This is you, isn't it? The clone is the one watching, not you. Not you." And why exactly do you think that makes this better? Loki (in the chair) laughed. "Believe that if you want, boy." "It has to be. You want to feel me, you want to be in me," Tony said, wildly trying to apply logic to this completely insane situation. "You can't feel me over there." Loki shook his head. "Yes I can. I can see and hear and feel everything my clones do. I've set myself a bit of a challenge tonight, Tony. I'm going to hold out as long as I can." The Loki clone, if it was a clone, whispered in his ear, "You, however my darling boy, will cum as many times as I can pull from your young body." Tony shuddered as his head was pulled round and the Loki behind him dominated his mouth. One hand was on his hip, the other holding his face still, rubbing his thumb across the goatee. The sensation was almost electric. "Humm, that's right boy. Let me take your tongue between my teeth. Yes, yes! That's it." That was wrong. That was so wrong to know that the tongue that was down his throat wasn't the one whispering those wonderful words from across the room. His cock twitched hard. Tony yelped and fought back as he felt a hand, a third hand reach out and grasp his cock in a tight grip. One knotted in his hair, keeping his head caught in the kiss, one wrapped around his waist, keeping his hips still as the clone thrust. Now a third hand pumping his cock delicately. No, no, no, no, this is just too weird. It has to stop. Now. Now. He had a safe word didn't he? Use it! Come on! Say Fury! For fuck's sake Tony! Tony was pulled out of the kiss with one Loki, only to be brought into an equally intense kiss with the other now on the bed. He mewled, holding the shoulders of this new one as the other pounded into his body. The Loki dominating his mouth reached around his body, grabbing the cheeks of his ass and stretching him wider. Giving the other Loki deeper access. That's messed up. One Loki helping the other Loki to fuck him to oblivion. This is just too wrong and it's time to call stop. Now. Right now. Any minute now. Tony thrust his body against Loki, kissing him furiously, holding on to his shoulders and stroking the black hair over and over again. "I want you, I want you," Tony whined into the mouth as his hands rubbed all the creamy white skin he could find. His gazed flickered over the shoulder of the Loki he was holding on to desperately to see the seat still filled. Three Lokis. Three Lokis in one room. Three Lokis all obsessed with making him cum in the most insane way he had ever done in his life. "This is so messed up," he whined at the Loki in the chair. Loki smiled. "I know. Isn't it just delicious?" Tony's hand desperately plucked at his erection, but three identical voices said, "No, boy."

Tony choked back a manic laugh as his hand was pulled away. Fuck this cannot be happening! "If you're so desperate to use that hand, use it here," the Loki in his arms whispered. Tony found his hand being closed over Loki's cock and he stroked it furiously. Tony was being pushed hard by the one behind him and as the pounding against his prostate grew ever more intense, he found himself almost crawling off the bed to avoid it. The other Loki held him tight, gently whispering encouragements into his ear, telling him to focus on stroking Loki's cock rather than his own sensation. Tony rubbed harder, feeling the length slipping in and out of his hand wonderfully. "You're doing so well, my boy," said the Loki from the chair. A hand stroked his hair soothingly. "So well," said the one pounding into him. "Th-this is s-so wrong," Tony panted, grinding his ass back onto Loki's cock while his hand stroked as quickly and powerfully as he could on Loki's cock in front of him. If it's so wrong, why are you so desperate? Why are you secretly hoping it never ends? It's Loki's fault. He did this to me. Sure. You believe that if you want to. The Loki behind pulled him back up and kissed him. Tony whimpered as the other Loki on the bed pulled him back on his lips. He was being used by both; his attention was being demanded by both. As though one fucking prima donna wasn't enough to deal with. As he broke away from yet another kiss, gasping for breath, he turned, shaking violently with the force of the fucking and the strain of the situation on his body and mind, to see Loki still sitting in his chair. Tony whined out a cry, but still didn't call stop. "This is too much, I can't!" "Yes you can." "Loki please! It's not right!" "Hush now, don't fret. I know what you need." The Loki in front pulled him unceremoniously to his hands and knees. He guided Tony's mouth to a long cock. "I know why you are so anxious. This is what you've been missing, isn't it my love?" the Loki, guiding his cock to Tony's lips, whispering gently. "No, no, I ne-need this to stop." "I shouldn't have been so selfish as to hold this back from you, boy. You'll feel so much better once you've got me in your mouth." The Loki behind him slapped his ass with stinging force. Tony's mind descended into the black lust only Loki had ever inspired in him. "Oh to fucking hell with it," he berated and swallowed the cock with gleeful recklessness. He was lost in sex and sensation. It was Loki and that was all that mattered. He responded to the thrusting now, throwing his hips back wildly, willingly greeting the strength behind him. He sucked and licked the cock in his mouth. Oh and he was so right. Tony had needed Loki in his mouth. It gave him something other than himself to focus on. It made this just that little more bearable. A hand was jerking him off powerfully. Painfully. Tony's eyes were rolling back in his head as he hurtled towards his climax.

He came, thrashing around, choking on the shaft pressed into his throat. When he was finally still, he was turned over. Legs in the air, Loki pushed back in and didn't stop. The cruel bastard had tipped his head over the side of the bed now and he was staring at the original Loki as he was pounded even harder. The other Loki was leaning in, capturing his spent cock between his lips. It was too tender, too sore and Tony winced in pain. "Fuck no! No! I can't!" "Yes you can." "You have to stop!" "Do I?" "Fuck it, Loki, you're going to kill me!" Loki nodded. "I think we agreed, didn't we? And I will honour that agreement. Say the word. The word. And I will stop." Tony swallowed. The clones didn't show any sign of stopping. He felt a choking sob in his throat. "P-please I can't take it." "Isn't that the point of the safe word? Say the word, and I will call off the clones. It's so simple." Say Fury! No! I don't want to say it! "Loki, please, stop this!" Loki made a hushing sound in his throat with a tender smile. "Boy, I don't think you know what you want. Your exit is clear, the word is on the tip of your tongue, but you do not want this to stop. Oh my darling. You're exhausted and confused. Just relax and have another orgasm. Then decide what you want." "Fuck you, I can't!" Tony snapped weakly, whining like an overtired child. But against all belief his cock was hardening again, Loki's… Loki's clone's mouth working wonders on his body. The black haired head was bobbing back and forth now as Tony's feet began to point, hooking round the other's Loki's neck. His hips where arching up and his mouth was opening wide. His hands flailed, trying to find something to grab to support himself. "Yes you can. And you will. When you have screamed out again, then we will have another little talk like the civilized men we're not and decide if you can be pushed for a third." Loki drank his wine delicately as his boy began to squirm and plead for release.

Here Tony felt the clones leave him, two climaxes later. He was lying in the middle of the bed feeling sore and vulnerable and weak. It was a good sore. He felt virtually paralysed. He watched helplessly as the original Loki stood from the chair, finally, shedding his clothes piece by piece and sauntering over. Long fingers stroked his face. "Mouth or ass, boy?" Tony licked his lips. "Mouth." "Mouth what?" "Mouth, god." Tony opened as it slid in. He closed his lips around it and was grateful that all Loki needed was him to stay still as he thrust. None of the Lokis had cum. Tony supposed they couldn't really. The real Loki had sat calmly, feeling every second of it and held back until now. Talk about will power. One hand held his head still and the cock plunged in and out. Tony felt so… full and calm. Floating on a haze of need finally satisfied. All his life he had felt the ache of… something. Power? Money? Approval? Love? Was it really just as simple as he had needed a good hard, violent fuck by a Nordic god? Correction, one Nordic god and two clones. Maybe. All Tony knew was he felt whole and he wasn't in the mood to over analyse. Above him Loki groaned out something that sounded like an Asgardian curse, pulled out of the tired mouth and stroked himself to climax. The boy felt it against his hip, dripping down slowly. Tony smiled. He was grateful; at this point, he was so drowsy it probably would have drowned him. Loki looked weak and spent. He clambered over Tony and wrapped himself around his boy's body, pulling a blanket over them. "I love you." Loki's green eyes opened. "I believe that is the first time you have said that to me, Tony Stark." Tony didn't reply, looking away. Loki's lips pressed against his cheek. "I love you Tony. And I will never be free of you, as you will never be free of me. Now sleep. You still have 90 hours of servitude left when you awaken." You told him you loved him. Tony shuddered as he felt the sleep clawing at him and Loki's lips on his shoulders. Fuck. I'm falling in too deep. xxx Day Five. Tony woke up and groaned as he still felt Loki's lips on his back. Maybe Loki hadn't stopped kissing him all night. "Get off," Tony muttered without any conviction. "How disappointed would you be if I complied?" said the purring voice behind him. Pretty disappointed, actually. Tony didn't answer. He stretched out a little and moved up onto his elbows. He winced as the ache piled back in, but he found himself smiling. Tony had never been really afraid of pain any

more than pleasure. Both pain and pleasure showed you that you were alive. The only thing Tony had ever feared was not being able to feel. Now he was feeling all the time. I'm alive again. "What's on the agenda today? Fucking, fucking and more fucking." "Watch your language or you shall be gagged, as well as collared, boy. I'm going to teach you how to worship." For a second, Tony didn't exactly follow. His mind was sluggish in this room and, like a little boat on a lake, entirely dependent on the direction of the forces around it. In truth, he was mostly being driven by whichever way his lust was taking him. "Worship what?" "Your god." "I'm not religious." "And as I say, I'm going to teach you. It will be pleasing for me to see you in such a way." Tony rolled his eyes and flopped back down onto the bed. "I don't do role play." "Neither do I. Who else would I wish you to be? None better than you come to mind. But that does not mean I cannot improve what is already mine." "Hey, no one improves me." "Perhaps that is why you need me." Tony found he was being dragged off the bed. Despite his angry protestations, he was pulled onto the floor and left in a crumpled heap. His body throbbed with the ache of last night, but other parts of him tingled with a new expectation. Loki walked past and pointed at a spot in the middle of the room. "Here." "Here?" Tony repeated angrily, baulking at the word. "Here, boy." Loki smiled, knowing exactly what he was doing. Tony hissed and grumbled for a good long minute and then crawled to the spot indicated. "Freaking fucker," he spat. Did he tell you to crawl? No. Then why did you? Tony shuddered slightly as he tried to answer that one and failed. Loki walked away and pulled open one of the cabinets which so far had not had much use. He pulled out a crop and returned. "For correction only," he said with a smile. "Now, when you worship, you must understand why you are doing it." "Because a psychopath has locked me in a room without a way out. Seriously. It's like I'm in a fucking X-rated Saw movie." "That will be your last comment of the morning, Tony." "Unlikely." Tony winced; his comment met with a heavy slap from the crop against his thigh. He glanced down as the skin stung and a delicate red mark appeared. He smiled, sucking in a breath. He was alive.

"You will do this, Tony. You will learn to worship me and you will know then how to beg for mercy when the time comes when you really, truly try me. Look me in the eye, boy and tell me it's unlikely to happen." Well that would be a lie. Of course it's going to happen. Loki's tone now took on a school teacher like air. "First, we attend to position. Sit back on your legs, head facing forward, arms resting on your thighs. Do it now boy." Tony obeyed, grudgingly. If you want to play the game you have to follow the rules. Tony cheated with life, but he didn't often cheat in games. He'd cheat in his business dealings, cheat on his girlfriends, cheat death, but he'd never held a card up his sleeve in poker. Explain that one. Just part of the conundum that was Tony. "Good. Very good." Loki spent few moments circling before starting on his speech. Tony shuddered as fingers ran through his hair, stroking it up in the wrong directions before smoothing it back down. "Why do you worship? It is not an act to be committed mindlessly or it should not be attempted at all. When you worship, you open your mind and soul to your god, allowing him into your very being and such a thing should not be done idly." "Has anyone ever mentioned your ego is the size of-" Tony hissed as the crop now came down on his ass. "Do you want to end the game, Tony? Worship is an act of devotion. Of prostration. A demonstration you recognize a force greater than yourself. It can be synonymous with love, or simply subjugation." Fuck, he is so in psycho god mode right now. It's enough to make you spit. Tony gritted his teeth as the sermon continued. This is exactly why he had stopped going to church the minute he didn't have to. Firstly, it was boring as hell. Secondly, it was this message that they were trying to drive into him, that there might be some great supernatural force sitting on a cloud which was better than him. Well, clearly the cloud guy hadn't met Tony Stark. Tony Stark was better than any god and had the admirers to prove it. A slap against his cheek woke him up. "I do not appreciate being ignored, Tony." "Maybe if you had anything to say worth listening to-" Tony bit back the word hard as his head was wrenched back by the hair and agonising slaps rained down on this thighs. Loki stopped after maybe half a dozen. "You're beginning to make me very angry, boy. You can play, or be played with. I'm giving you one last chance to make the decision for yourself or I will make it for you." Tony ground his teeth for a while, before sighed frustrated and bitterly confessing, "I want to play. It's just… difficult," he finished with a mutter. "I know. A man such as yourself admitting that he is the weaker party. That he is the worshiper, and not the worshipped. I do not envy your position, which is why I am so good to you, my little boy. Do not laugh so. I could be very, very nasty. And yet you cum and squirm for joy constantly under my care. Are not you grateful to your god for his mercy?" "Yes," Tony said hoarsely. "Do you not wish to demonstrate that you appreciate me?" "Yes." "Do you want our time to end?"

"… No." "Are you prepared to beg? For that is what prayer is. A whispered plea to a god that favours will be received. I have already taught you to pray, Tony. You are a natural at prayer and it has pleased me greatly." Loki was back now into his easy circling, occasionally reaching out and stroking Tony's face or hair. "But we talk of worship, which is different to prayer. And while there are different ways, it is always preformed with the same heart. Humble, Tony. That is the word on which I believe you should focus. If it's possible… ha! Don't scowl so. Now I want you to close your eyes and think of me and nothing but." Tony's insides were squirming in embarrassment and anger. This was so stupid. He closed his eyes and just cursed and swore internally. When he finally opened them again as nothing more had come from the god, it was to see the man above him, sitting on a chair in front of him. The green eyes were locked on him. There was a long silence. Tony shrugged. "Now what?" Loki didn't answer. Just stared. Tony muttered a bad word and closed his eyes. He thought about his latest suit design. He thought about perhaps trying to create a form of invisibility like the Helicarrier. That would be useful. He opened his eyes again and glared at the god but didn't get any manner of response. Shifting uncomfortably, he tried to gauge how long he had been sitting here. It felt like an hour, though that was probably an exaggeration. He thought about the progress he was making on the transport. He was almost ready to start construction of the engine to test its power. He thought about the Avengers and what they were doing. He thought about Pepper and what she might be doing. He thought about everything and nothing, and anything but Loki. Tony scoffed angrily, rolling his shoulders, trying to get comfortable. The five days of exertion had thoroughly worn him through and now he was existing purely on the energy Loki gave him. If Loki wasn't here, Tony would just go to sleep and dream for a month. This is so fucking pointless and a waste of our time together. All to feed his fucking ego. Tony looked up again. Loki was still waiting. The prick looked like he could wait for eternity. He knows you're not doing it. How can he possibly know what I'm thinking about? He knows. Tony licked his lips and finally gave in. This clearly wasn't going to end until he had played along. He closed his eyes and thought about Loki. It followed pretty much the same pattern as the night he had thought about Loki in the cold bath while he jerked himself to climax. His mind eye ran over Loki's body and he thought about touching and stroking and being taken hard. Tony's mind slipped sideways a bit as he was suddenly pulled into taste. The taste of Loki, of his cock, his mouth, of his skin. Tony shuddered vaguely in a pleasurable way. The feeling. Of the man's slender body over him, of his hair between Tony's fingers, of the gods mouth on his neck. The glorious heat. Fuck yeah, that's good. Tony found his chest releasing a sigh. He thought about lying face forward with Loki driving in and out of him. Of lying on his back, his legs in the air with Loki fucking him raw. Of lying between powerful legs and sucking until he couldn't move his jaw. He thought about worshiping. From Tony's limited understanding, he knew it ranged from something as small as lighting a candle to self-flagellation. That made Tony squirm. The idea of

hurting himself, not because Loki ordered it, but because he wanted to do it for Loki. That was pushing a kink too far, but Tony couldn't help but push into the fantasy to explore. The idea of using a crop or a whip against himself while Loki watched. Proving that Tony wanted the pain, wanted to show off his body in pain to the crazy god he worshipped. Thoughts were getting hazy and sluggish now as his mind flew on Loki. Everything about Loki was suddenly perfect. There were no faults, no defects… just a god who made Tony's body do the most extraordinary things and then, instead of walking away from a defeated opponent, returned to make Tony do it all over again. Eyes flickered open as he sensed Loki near. He looked up dreamily. Reality was so much better. Loki was still dressed, but looking down on him imperiously, just like out of Tony's fantasies. Dreams do come true. A hand was raised in front of Tony face. "Kiss." Tony lips pressed against the hand offered. Not violently, not lustful. Just obediently. Submissively. Taking no more than Loki offered. "Kiss my boots." Tony's head dropped and pressed his mouth against the black leather, so automatically, so unthinkingly he would wonder for months afterwards if Loki hadn't been controlling him somehow. It wasn't true, of course. But it was a hope that Tony clung to just in case he wasn't as screwed up as he was beginning to believe. "Are you beginning to understand?" "Yes, my god," Tony murmured. "Do you feel free?" Tony paused, letting his mind relax. So much of his life was filled with anger and sadness and an overwhelming desire to control everything around him… for fear of getting hurt by it. Maybe that was the truth. But here and now there was nothing threatening him (unless you included the insane god with a crop). He could just be. It was releasing, calming and yes. It was free in a deeper way than liberty. "Yes." "Would you like to worship further?" "Yes Loki." Loki sat back down and unfastened his trousers, pulling out his cock. He paused for a long moment before he gestured authoritatively. Tony crawled, knelt and slid the length between his lips so naturally it was like he had been born to do it. Tony Stark could never have gone with an everyday religion. That would be too ordinary. He was a billionaire, so maybe had he been thicker, Scientology would have done. But Tony Stark was Tony Stark and he'd never get on his knees for anyone less than the God of Mischief. "You're such a good little pet, Tony. I need you." Tony worked his head up and down, accepting the god's praise. "You're tired and overwhelmed. I don't expect this new found obedience to last. But we shall enjoy it while we can and you should not feel disappointed when we leave and your natural petulance returns. We both know now what you can become should I bend my will to force you there. We will keep it as our little secret." Tony gagged down on the cock, pushing it into his throat. He relaxed his body, his breath stopped

for slightly longer than he could bear and pulled back off. Loki's moaning and crooning was all the encouragement he needed to carry on. He licked his lips before continuing. He was drooling slightly at the joy of it. He sucked the head, bobbed up and down on the shaft, hummed and did everything he knew. Loki pushed his chin up to look at him. "Let's move back to the bed, boy. We have your pressing need to see to, after all." Tony blinked and groaned suddenly as he released how hard he was. He hadn't realised, none of this had been about him. His entire being had been fixed on Loki. "What do you want to do?" Loki asked gently. "Whatever you want," Tony replied. It was a weight off of him not to have to make any decisions. He didn't want to have to decide. So Loki pushed Tony's mouth back on his cock for a good five minutes before finally dragging him back into the bed. Tony lay patiently while Loki prepared him with tender strokes. "What do you need, boy?" "You." Loki smiled and his tongue slipped between Tony's lips. "Such a good little worshiper I have. You like this, don't you?" "I need this." "So sweet, so good. So beautiful. Let me love you, Tony." Tony was pushed onto his stomach and his legs spread wide. He waited patiently and sighed as he was filled to the hilt. "Thank you." Loki patted him lovingly, before the fucking began in earnest. Tony's mouth hung open as he focused on nothing but tipping his hips, tightening his muscles, responding to Loki's body, doing everything to make this good for him. And Loki was appreciating that fact. He growled his good boys into Tony's ear, one hand supporting himself on the bed, the other coming round to grasp Tony's throat and squeeze. Tony thought about the bruises he'd have and smiled. "Tony, Tony," Loki muttered distractedly as he pounded. "Yes my darling boy, yes. I'm going to cum in you, my sweet little creature." Tony nodded rocking his body harder against Loki. The god came explosively, yelling in Tony's ear, ending in a gasping moan. The god's boy smiled and waited as the body on top of him stilled. The cock in his ass grew soft before Loki pulled himself back together and rolled onto his back. He pushed Tony to his side and looked down sceptically He made a tsking sound in his throat at the sight of Tony's still desperate need. "Now that won't do. You know how upset I get when my boy doesn't cum regularly. Lie here next to me." Tony thrummed with excitement. Fuck, do you hear yourself? Tony… no. The boy pushed Tony back into his corner. He was enjoying this too much to let himself ruin it for him. If that made any sort of sense. Loki kissed him gently. "What shall we do with you? Something good and sweet to pull the orgasm from your body. I think we'll start with you tied up. Won't that be lovely?" Tony's arms were tied behind his back and he shivered with joy. Loki's green eyes sparkled. "Should I suck you?" he looked like he was in intense consideration. Tony waited patiently. Loki smiled. "Yes, I think so. But you will have to wait. I need a minute to recover."

Tony waited, quiet and patiently. The Tony within was finally silent and the boy was desperate to embrace this moment where he was free of the doubt, the mistrust and the self-loathing. Loki eventually sighed. "Yes, I think we're almost there, but I will need the assistance of my little boy." Tony was pushed onto his side, away from Loki, his hands available but still bound and he whimpered in delight as a cock was pushed between them. "Stroke me, Tony," Loki whispered, completely unnecessarily as Tony had started the minute he had felt the length between his fingers. Once Loki was fully hard again fuck I wish I had that kind of recovery time Tony was back on his back. Loki moved over him Tony swallowed immediately as the cock descended into his mouth. Then he realised. He realised as Loki ran a divine tongue over his aching balls. Tony wailed on the shaft in his mouth. Oh my god! Oh my god! Fucking hell, this was new. Tony head worked furiously, a new fire of lust burning in him at this. He was in a 69 position with Thor's little brother in a room with no doors and escape. Fuck it; this was so wrong it was right. Loki's ministrations were lazy and languid, sucking the head but mostly his balls, not allowing him close to climax but making him feel so wonderful. The gentle pace only made Tony work harder on Loki, encouraged by the promise of fulfilment, rather than fulfilment itself. The weight on top of him, the cuffs behind his back, the teasing actions at his length only made Tony feel more intensely alive than he had ever done before. Loki chuckled, rolling his hips and pressed down exultantly. "My, my, my. Had I known you'd be this eager I wouldn't have put this off for so long. You are enjoying yourself, aren't you boy?" Tony moaned and whimpered; sucking like his very life depended on Loki's orgasm. "I love an eager pet," Loki sighed and swallowed Tony down. The writhing between the pair became intense as they both got nearer and nearer. Tony's heart was pounding so hard he thought it would explode. He was fighting back his own need, determined to taste Loki first. But he was going to lose. He could feel it, his whole body tensing, so close. Loki, in Tony's frank opinion, cheated like the devious bastard he was. Tony bucked up violently as two fingers pressed into him and he was howling as he came. The taste of Tony seemed to push Loki over the edge and now the boy felt the thrusting and writhing against his face as the cock in his mouth came. Loki pulled himself off and fell to the side, giving Tony space to breath. Tony could see the god panting, running his fingers though his black hair. He looked serious for a second as he gathered his mind, then smiled toothily at Tony. "I think that has to be my favourite position so far. We will be doing more of that, Tony." "Whatever you want," the boy breathed. "Yes, that's right. Whatever I want." "Loki? How long now?" "About 78 hours." Tony gritted his teeth, forced down his humiliation and admitted the truth. "It's going too fast," he croaked. "78 hours and I return you to the Tower. It does not mean that we will no longer be having sex. It doesn't matter where I fuck you, Tony. So long as it's you."

Latveria Tony threw a popcorn kernel at Bruce because he was bored. And because it was funny, he smiled as it landed in the doctor's hair and Bruce brushed it out without a glance. "How was your week away?" Bruce asked. "Fine." Amazing. Glorious. Incredible. A dark and tiny part of Tony hadn't wanted to leave that room. Or those arms. He wanted to crawl up into a ball under the sheets and never come up for air. He wanted to down in Loki's world. He wanted to live the fantasy Loki had spun and he never wanted to feel like Stark again. But... The problem was, as should have been obvious from the beginning, Loki was trying to break the pathological habits of a lifetime in Tony. And with all Tony's previous partners everything had been be wonderful and good right up until that brink. When he had to decide whether if to commit or run. To date, he had always run. Stopped returning the calls, avoided those parties or just cheated on them. Or he had pushed so hard, been so awful, he had been run from. That was easier of course. Be so out of control that people ran away and he didn't have to deal with the pressure of admitting he couldn't or wouldn't commit. It was their fault, obviously. For not being able to deal with him. Like Pepper. He could have eased back on Pepper. He could have been less... Tony Stark. He could have. But he hadn't. Because nothing was worth his pride. Because he was Tony Stark, the greatest man the twenty-first century had produced. And if his chosen partners couldn't accept that, then why should he bend? This is the other side of Tony's internal monologue. Either I'm a weak, crooning little boy begging to get fucked or I'm a self-centred arrogant bastard. What do I actually want? Loki had eased back somewhat on his fanatical obsession over þjá ey after Tony had behaved for the week. But it wouldn't last for long. The problem was... Tony Stark. The problem was the Iron Man. The problem was that Tony couldn't just be Tony. After so many years of being the character in the press, for the public eye, he had forgotten at some point how to be him. Now it was all a mess and Loki wasn't taking no for an answer. This wasn't Pepper. Loki wasn't waiting and hoping. Loki was forcing himself to be patient when, as far as he was concerned, the answer was obvious. Loki had brought Tony back after their week, dumping him in his bed in the tower. It had been like waking up from a glorious dream to remember just how crappy the real world was. Loki had run a tongue over his ear and down his neck, lapping at a shoulder blade. At this point, it was now almost as natural a feeling to Tony as blinking. "Wasn't that fun?" the god cooed.

Tony hummed vaguely. "I almost can't bear to leave you." Tony had shoved back the tide of responding feeling. "Too tired. Show yourself out." He smiled at the answering smack on his thigh. "You should deal with the Avengers sooner rather than later." "Huh?" "Do something with them. Let them question. Deal with their suspensions now and not allow it to fester. You know I'm right, boy." "Yes, yes, you're always right dear," Tony sulked in a hen-pecked voice. "Should I ever need an arc reactor, or a jet or a hangover, I bow to your incomparable experience," Loki had said darkly. "In politics, you defer to me." "Are you still here?" Loki sighed and left. Tony had spent a few minutes squirming internally, annoyed that Loki was right, annoyed that he didn't have the energy to fight his corner, annoyed that he hadn't said what he wanted to say. Are you still here? Everything Tony said to the man was supposed to make it clear that Loki was a nuisance in his life. But that brink was coming up. Tony could feel the beginnings of the rebellion in his chest. The internal bastard was getting louder again. Perhaps annoyed he had been ignored for so long. But I've been having fun. No, you've been selling your ass. That's what you've been doing. Tony was going to have to decide sooner or later. Loki wasn't backing down. Just please, please make it later. "Penny for your thoughts?" "Bruce, I patent my thoughts for millions. A penny's just not going to cut it." Tony looked up, pulled out of his dark thoughts as the rest of the gang join him and Bruce in Stark Tower. Tony stood, telling Jarvis to start more popcorn. "Movie night," Tony said in a formal voice, "Officially begins." Thor threw himself into a chair with some joy and pulled Jane into his lap. Barton threw a sideways look at Natasha and seated himself a little way away from the main group. Natasha sat next to the archer, but Steve stood next to the sofa, his hands resting on the back. "Where were you last week?" Steve asked. Of course, if Loki had been here, he's twist and turn until the room was so confused they'd accept the simplest explanation on offer. The trick was not to lie, but to fill in enough around the edges that the person created the lie for themselves. Tony was not Loki. "There are no questions on movie night." "I'll bet he was off with that girl," Barton said. "There is no betting on movie night." "You dropped off the map," Natasha said. "I was expecting you to end up dead or in a jail cell somewhere."

"There is no-" Tony began, but he was interrupted by Bruce. "Come on guys. Tony's allowed to his own time as much as the rest of us. What where you all doing last week?" "Jane and I visited your Yellow Stone Park which Jane had a mind I would enjoy. She was correct, it is very reminiscent of Asgard," Thor said, again missing the point of a rhetorical question. Jane smiled delicately, stroking a hand down Thor's arm. Tony rolled his eyes. "Okay. I'm sure we're all delighted Thor and Jane had sex in a national park. Now, voting time. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Alien or Die Hard?" Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Die Hard tied so they watched both. At the end, after a long discussion were Thor had to be explained the meaning of 'yippee ki-yay motherfucker', everyone made their excuses and left. Obviously. It was past midnight, the beer and snack supply having been depleted hours ago. They were devoid of popcorn, pop tarts and anything else the Thunder God had taken a fancy to. Jane gave Tony a smile as she left. She's a good kid, Tony thought fondly. Now, past one in the morning, only Tony, Steve and Bruce, apparently asleep in his chair, remained. "Sorry it wasn't in black and white," Tony said, mocking almost unconsciously. Steve shrugged. "It was okay." "Die Hard is okay?" Tony rolled his eyes, despairing of the old man. He's still here for a reason. The reason wasn't long in coming. Steve leaned forward, his arms on his knees, looking up at Tony carefully. "I'm not sticking my nose into your personal life, Tony. I'm really not. But you disappear off for a week with some woman who's got a shady past. That's a problem for everyone. You have to remember, you're part of something bigger now." Tony snorted. "You believe that if you want. I'm still a private citizen. Hey, Citizen Kane! That's what we should see next time." "I never liked that movie." "No well, you wouldn't GI Joe." Tony drained the last of his bottle. Steve sighed. "Lockley has to come in for an interview. She just has to. It would be the same if I or Bruce or anyone in SHIELD found someone. Even Jane Foster was interviewed when it became clear she and Thor were a couple." "No." "Tony-" "Lockley is not getting interviewed. She and I being together is not a national crisis." "What does she say?" Tony didn't reply. He couldn't think of answer that wouldn't lead to trouble. "This... Whatever I've got going with her... It's got nothing to do with any of you. Not you, not Fury, not fucking Natasha and whoever else you fuckers have been gossiping with behind my back. All of you need to fucking decide if you're fucking coming or going! One minute you're delighted I've beentamed, next your trying to create some Tinkler Tailor Solider Spy shit out of it. Fucking ridiculous." Steve looked away, half abashed, half angry. "You're part of a team which first responsibility is the safety of the world. You have to make compromises in your life. You don't understand what it's like to sacrifice for a higher cause."

"Fuck you. You don't get to say that to me. I've sacrificed. Maybe not like you, but that's because I'm not a fucking, smug,self-satisfied moron." Steve stood. "You're wrong. Fury's taken a back seat on this. He takes the view that anything that gets you to stop trying to cause World War Three because you're bored is a god send." Tony shrugged. True. God send. More true than you know. "The fact that Fury isn't working himself up over this isn't enough for you to back off?" Steve looked at him coolly, thanked him for the evening and left. Tony sighed, uttering a bad word and turned to the 'sleeping' Bruce. "When did you wake up?" The man stirred, unfolding himself from his hunched position. "Somewhere around Citizen Kane." "Yeah." Bruce pulled his glasses off briefly and rubbed his eyes. "I've always liked that movie." "Kiss ass." "So what does Lockley think?" "She doesn't want to get involved with the Avengers. She's already done an interview with Natasha, what more do they fucking want?" "I don't blame her. Lockley, I mean. Where were you for a week?" "I own an island in the Mediterranean," Tony lied. Well, that wasn't a lie. He did own an island and that's all he said. Didn't say that's where they were. He had supplied the edges of the truth and Bruce filled in the gap with his own lie. "What did you do?" Tony gave Bruce a look which said it all. Bruce looked away embarrassed. "I feel sorry for her." "Hey!" Tony said. Then grumbled, "Believe me, completely the other way round." "Really?" "Maybe that's what attracts me so much. I'm not used to being the... I don't know." The woman. Say it. You're not used to being the woman in the relationship. Shut the fuck up. No. It's been too long since you've used your brain. Time to start thinking again. Bruce smiled. "Tony, I am glad that you're so happy. And don't them muck it up for you... If you're sure." "Sure of what?" "No one wants to see you get hurt, Tony." "Because I get destructive?" "Because we care." Tony snorted, shaking his head. "No they don't." "Well I do," the doctor replied in a quiet voice.

Tony turned in his and gave him a look. "You really do, don't you? Fucking hell, Bruce. Don't. I let people down. I always do." Pepper, the Avengers, Rhodes, his father... all the women he had ever dated. Bruce didn't know how to reply to that. "What time is it?" "One thirty-five in the morning, sir," Jarvis answered Bruce. Tony nudged the DVD on the table. "We've got time for Aliens then." He noted Bruce's gentle shake of the head, the only man in the world for who, in the national interest, couldn't afford to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. "I have a fucking right to my private life," Tony said, still irksome. "You do." "Captain Icicles doesn't get to tell me otherwise." "Of course not." Tony threw a bottle. It landed neatly in the bin with a satisfying clang. "When I'm with hi-her... I feel like I'm not just surviving but living. You know?" "Of everyone I know, it's always seemed to me you've lived more than most." "I feel alive with Lockley. Really. I feel comfortable in my life. In my skin. Like I'm actually Tony - more Tony than I've been in years. I feel like I did before... before Stark Industries, before everything, before I..." "Tony. Who are you trying to convince?" Me. "Fuck it. I don't know." Tony rubbed his face. He was getting mauling and intoxicated, tired and in the company of a confident would spell disaster. "I'm done for the night." "Me too," Bruce said with a sigh, forcing himself up onto his feet. "You love her?" "Sure. Whatever." "That's not an answer," Bruce pointed out. Tony hit the down button on the lift. "Best you're going to get. Best Lockley's going to get too. Now, how about you and I work on that engine tomorrow? For the new transport." Bruce stepped in through the doors and smiled back. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow." "Yeah." Xxx Bag of cats. Wasn't that how Bruce had described Loki once? That's how Tony felt right now. His mind was a bag of cats. "What are you thinking, boy?" "Nothing." Loki rolled onto his side, the bed sheets up to his waist and racked his eyes down Tony's equally naked, equally half covered body. In the moon light pouring in through the windows, the pair

seemed almost otherworldly. Tony was staring up at the ceiling, the cogs in his mind whirring so fast it was almost audible. "It is surely not nothing. There is a furrow between your eyes. Most unattractive. I can relieve it, if you wish. Force my way in so deep you will not know where you end or I begin." Tempting. "Or perhaps bend you over my knee and spank you hard." Also tempting. "Maybe later. I need to think." Loki's eyes were alive with mirth. "If it will speed up your thoughts, would you like to hear what Justin thinks of your current situation?" "It might surprise you, but no, I don't give a shit what Hammer thinks." "Justin thinks that Von Doom is mining for iron." Tony snorted. "Well stop the presses; we have national crisison our hands!" "And he has been seen in Wakanda." "Loki, what are you on ab…" Tony paused. Loki's lips fell upon his with light touches. "Iron," he whispered planting a kiss on Tony's lips. "Wakanda." Another kiss. "Which is home," kiss, "to the largest source of…" "Vibranium," Tony muttered. "Iron." Kiss. "Vibranium." Kiss. "Equals." "Adamantium. That's a load of..." Tony paused. It was like being handed the lid of the jigsaw. Everything became clear. Okay, so there were a few holes still but... "Smart. That's smart. Why didn't I think of that?" Tony glared at Loki and dragged himself up and out of the bed. The week away had made him almost blind to his nakedness around Loki. He stood, glaring at the sultry figure in the bed. "You," he said accusingly, pointing a finger. "Ever since you fucking waltz into my life, I've lost my edge!" He's destroying you! "Your 'edge' was born of anger and depression. Geniuses are by their very nature are unhappy and alone." Einstein, Da Vinci, Turing. Tessalla. Tony knew them all – how many times had he been compared to each and every one? It was Hemingway himself who said, "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." "You're happy and so your edge, as you call it - that continual churning of dark thoughts that has thus far been the background noise of your life, has ceased. You've now gained a higher purpose. You serve a god." "You really are the most pig arrogant, self-centred son of a bitch I've ever met," Tony spat. "And I know what I'm talking about, alright? That title used to be mine." "Come here, Tony." "I want to think."

He expected an argument, but Loki sighed and shrugged. "Do your thinking. Return to the bed when you are finished." "You know, a week ago that would have led to a punishment." Loki chuckled vaguely. "Don't sound so disappointed boy. Do your thinking and we shall play later." Great. Fucking great. Now Loki didn't care whether Tony stayed or went, Tony wanted to stay. Maybe he really was as much of a child as everyone said he was. Tony crawled back onto the bed and slowly, so painfully slowly and pulled back the covers. He smiled to himself and carefully slid his tongue down from the tip of Loki's length to the balls. Tony repeated the action without stopping until he felt the cock beginning to harden. Then he threw caution to the wind, captured the head in his lips and sucked, running his tongue over and over the sensitive skin. A board, luxurious smile broke out over the pale face and a hand came down to pet Tony's hair. "Such a good boy you are, Tony. Yes. Yes please me and reward will follow." Tony hummed, vibrations thrumming though Loki's cock. Loki's fingers tightened as his lip's parted in a perfect O of pleasure. Tony let the dick go and pressed his mouth into Loki's balls, licking and sucking. The vocalisations above him boded well. He alternated for some time, dividing his attention between cock and balls. He moved his hands up, away from his own waist to remove temptation. He reached under the bed and managed to close his fingers over a bottle of the lubrication that seemed to litter the room. He held it up for Loki to see while his mouth continued. Loki took the bottle from Tony's hand and tapped him on the head. Tony pulled away and turned. Loki spread him open, pressing his fingers up and in and stretching him out quickly. Tony humped back in delight. Then the god was mounting over Tony's back, pressing in, grasping Tony's head and it wrenching it back, exposing his neck to sucking kisses "Sir, Thor is in the tower." Tony tried to scramble off the bed, but Loki held him down. "No!" he hissed, his hips working hard now, grinding into Tony relentlessly. "No, I don't think so!" "Fuck, ah, yes, no! Fuck, Loki, get off!" Tony said, panicked, fighting to detach himself from his demanding god and crawl away. Loki fought back, pulling his head back further, arching his back painfully and holding on to one of Tony's arms hard enough to cause bruises. "Get off!" Tony shouted, almost managing to dislodge Loki. But like an animal, like a panther, Loki growled, biting the back of Tony's neck as he thrust harder. Tony's cock pulsed as he wailed. "No!" Oh god yes! The mad panic of being caught, Loki's clear, animal-like determination to see though the coupling to the end, the idea of Thor walking in on them all had Tony thrashing harder, squirming frantically into the bed like never before. It was exciting and it was making him so hard he thought he would shatter. Safe-word! Fury! Forget it! This is just too damn good!

"Jarvis! Where's Th- fuck, Loki, yes! Where's Thor?" Loki slammed down hard and Tony choked, his prostate taking a brutal pounding, fireworks blazing behind his eyes, making him giddy. "Do not say that name while I take you!" he shouted. "Fuck! Shit!" Tony shouted as he tried to twist away from the abuse. He was going to explode, he was going to cum and shatter into a thousand pieces, oh sweet god it had never felt so good! "Get off, if he finds us like – ah! Harder! Please!" "I don't care!" Loki snapped. "You're not leaving until- yes, Tony, fight me! Fight me, you know you can't help it, you'll cum my sweet boy!" It was more intense than it had ever been, each fighting, Loki fighting to keep Tony under him as he bucked on top and Tony fighting Loki, fighting back the orgasm, terrified of getting caught. Tony grabbed the end of the bed and tried to pull himself away, twisting and bucking and yet still, unaccountably still forcing his hips back, impaling himself again and again on Loki. How long has it been since it's been so brutal? Too long. Tony fought harder, his legs failing out helplessly, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, his gasping coming from the struggle as much as the sex. "Thor is-" "Do not answer!" Loki snapped at Jarvis. "He could be outside!" Tony snapped and yipped –yes, actually fucking yipped as Loki found a new angle to pound. Tony made a weak oooh noise which made Loki growl in triumph. Tony blinked away the intense blurring in his vision. "Fuck yes, don't stop! Stop! Get off!" "Stay still and be used, boy!" Loki cried into Tony's hair. "You're not leaving his bed until I cum in you so deep you'll taste it!" Tony's hand found Loki's arm and his nails dug and scratched, leaving red lines and a little blood. Frustratingly, it seemed to have the opposite reaction to what Tony had been hoping as Loki groaned hard and pounded so hard the bed was making very violent squeaking sounds. "You said his name in our bed," Loki hissed. "I am going to make you cum so hard you'll never even think his name again! I'm going to cum, I'm going to pound you into this bed, I'm going to fill you my little pet!" "Okay, fine, go on!" Tony said desperately. Loki used magic, right? Surely he could seal this room? Make it noiseless. "Come on, Loki!" he pleaded. "Beg!" "Fuck no, I'm not – he could turn up at any-" "Beg!" "Loki, you can-" Tony feel into a new wave as his cock throbbed to bursting point. Fuck! Loki was going to cum and Tony wasn't far off. He fought it back again. There were stars behind his eyes, his body was shaking, his muscles were aching from the tension. He knew this feeling. If he came, he was going to pass out and how exactly was he going to explain being caught in that state? Especially if Loki disappeared and he was caught like that alone. What if Loki didn't disappear? What if he stayed? And Thor did catch them like that? And Tony would be helpless. And Thor would roll him over and kiss him hard and held him down as he

pushed"Oh fuck, oh fuck," Tony bleated as whole new, previously unconsidered images poured into his head. "Oh fuck! Loki!" "Beg!" "Please cum; please cum, for the love of god Loki, please!" "Tell me who you belong to!" "You, you, you, you, you!" Tony screamed. "Sir, Thor is requesting access to the Penthouse floor." "N-!" Loki covered his hand over Tony's mouth. "Yes!" Tony yelled into the hand. Loki bit his shoulder. The thrusting had slowed now so as not to create so much noise but it was still firm and deep and making Tony's noes curl painfully. "You're going to lie still until you're filled! What part of this confuses you?" he hissed in Tony's ear, giving an especially violent thrust. "Jarvis can lock the door, but I will not prevent sound from leaving so you'd better bite your tongue!" From the other room, Thor yelled for Tony. Tony shuddered, whimpering as the panic made him writhe in ecstasy. "Loki, please, I'm begging you," he whispered desperately. Loki's hands held his mouth shut, covering his nose for a brief moment, cutting off sound. Cutting off oxygen. Pushing Tony to that very edge of his orgasm. "You have no one to blame but yourself, boy," Loki whispered in Tony's ear. "You just shouldn't feel this good." Tony jumped as the door rattled. Loki pounded harder as Thor called again and Tony shuddered and flailed, losing himself to the glory of the moment. Loki jackhammered into his boy, in the home stretch now. Tony's eyes crossed, feeling Loki, flying under the domination… but in his mind there was a cock pushing past his lips, just as demanding, just as controlling and as Loki rode his little boy, Thor took his mouth harshly with a thick cock almost designed to make him gag and he couldn't stop it because Loki was holding his arms down in the bed… Tony and Loki came together, practically in unison, Tony thrashing in the bed, Loki grinding hard. Loki held Tony's mouth closed, blocking his wails and biting hard on Tony's shoulder to muffle his own. Fuck! That's going to leave a mark. Tony collapsed, virtually paralyzed from the orgasm and the god collapsed on top of him, panting and gasping. Tony, on the edge of consciousness, heard the lift opening and closing. Thor had apparently given up and left. "Thank fuck," Tony muttered thickly. The boy looked at Loki with weary annoyance. "You done?" "Enough for some time, I think," Loki breathed exhaustedly. Tony mulled whether or not to start the argument now, but decided against it. He sighed angrily and rested his head in his arms. "Lie to me, boy, and tell me that wasn't the best so far." "I'm not lying. It was amazing. But we're never doing that again."

"That is not your decision to make." Tony grumbled. "This is all about Thor. This has always been about Thor. You just want to fuck him over and you're using me to do it." "Sir, the Avengers at attempting to contact you." Tony rubbed his face as Loki stood and walked to the bathroom, deafly ignoring Tony's comments. "You don't say. I'm not speaking to anyone. Take a message." There was a pause. "I have taken the message, Sir. I believe you'll want to hear it immediately." Tony sighed. "Okay." Natasha's voice came over the coms, angry and firm. "Tony, get over to the Helicarrier now. We have a read on Doom and we're heading out in the hour." Tony leapt out of the bed like he had been electrified, the inevitable descent of guilt curling his stomach. "Shit," he muttered. Loki was against his body in seconds. "Don't go." "Wha- no! Don't be ridiculous!" One slender white hand caught his head in a grasp and the other stroked its way down his stomach to his crotch. "Stay, boy. I could call in your Promise." "What?" "Promise of Obedience. I could command you. By the oath you took. Get your ass back on the bed." Tony looked at Loki, deep into those Forest Green eyes. "Are you?" Loki's held the gaze before the eyes finally flicked away. Tony pushed him away harshly and pulled himself inelegantly into his black latex under suit. He avoided Loki's angry, disappointed gaze. The smooth voice followed him from the room, "I have never seen you as eager for me as you are for them." "Loki," Tony complained. Tony stepped out into the platform and mechanical arms attached the iron plates to his body. The god followed, now fully clothed, but lingering in the doorway. "I'll be gone for a few hours at most. Will," he looked at Loki as his helmet was locked into place. "Will you be here when I come back?" Loki glared. "Do you want me to be?" Tony bit his tongue against the words. Snapping his visor down, he threw one last look at Loki before jumping off the platform, shooting off towards the Helicarrier. You couldn't have asked him to be there when you got back? Was it that hard to say? No. I just don't want him to be there. Liar. He pushed a little harder, speeding across the sky fast enough to overtake a fighter jet. "On the way guys."

"Where have you been?" came Steve's reproving voice. "Believe it or not, I don't sit around in my suit waiting for you to call." "Forget it," Steve said angrily. "Meet us in Latveria." Latveria is a tiny nation which, out of sheer bloody minded defiance, managed to retain its boarders and not get swallowed up by its neighbours Croatia, Hungry and Serbia. It was often referred to by those who moved away as 'the old country' and boy was it just. It wasn't much to look at, but its rugged black mountains, old houses and castles managed to make it an eerily haunting place. It was not a tourist hotspot, except by the suicidal dedicated rock climbers who still, after centuries of evidence to warn them away, tried to scale its mountains. Some managed to come back alive. More often than not they were found eventually, floating face down the river. In terms of industry, there was very little. Latveria was a small country with a very fragile economy. And so, young, talented, brilliant Victor Doom, having made his fortune in America and pumped a lot of it back into Latveria. He was a national hero and as such, virtually untouchable in his homeland. Tony wondered if the Avengers were going to be met with flames and pitch forks on arrival. He was sure as hell if this all went to pot, there wouldn't be any help from the locals. When landed next to the Helicarrier on a usual Latveria afternoon (black sky, cold and on the verge of rain), it was to greet a less than chipper team. Though none passed comment on his lateness, Steve gave him a scolding look. "What took you so long?" "What, you need a diagram? Get a girlfriend, spangles," Tony snapped. "All our intelligence tells us that Doom is overseeing the construction of his Doom Bots in the Laran Industrial Park about 10 klicks south from here," Barton said. "Since when did we decide to call these things Doom Bots?" Tony asked. "What would you prefer?" Barton asked dryly. "No, Doom Bot is good. I was just wondering." Steve stepped in. "All the major energy sources are coming from one building. We're going to circle it, then close in. The best way is going to be to take him unawares." "Really? I always thought it was best to take people when they were awares." Steve gave out his orders and Tony rocketed up into the air to take position over the industrial park. If you could call it that. A Stark Industries industrial park it was not. It was a small group of derelict looking buildings of rusted iron hanging together out of that same sheer stubborn defiance its creators had in spades. "This place is a buzz kill," Tony muttered. "Not a Starbucks for miles." "You can't measure civilization in terms of coffee houses, Tony," Bruce said in his ear. "Watch me. Where are the malls? Where's the nightlife? Where are the bars selling cocktails with umbrellas? This place is a dump." Tony waited for the go. He felt more tired than he'd like to be, heading off into a mission. His body felt weak and raw. It always did after sex with the crazy god. It was like Loki peeled back his armor, his defenses, his mind... and just fucked his soul. He was aching all over, metaphorically and literally.

Fuck. It wouldn't have been that hard, would it, to have asked him to be there? Would have sounded weak. So? Would he still want you if you begged? Tony found himself raising his eyebrows in surprise. It was the first time he had thought about it from that angle. How much of his fight was simply because he was worried that Loki would… find him boring? Ha! Forget it. I'm Tony Stark and I am never boring. Captain America made the call. "Go!" The six heroes descended on the main building from which the energy was originating; Thor and Natasha running at the main doors, Steve heading for the back to cut of escape, Barton and Tony with high vantage points would pick off any who tried to flank and, as usual, the Hulk was simply released and allowed to get down to what he did best. It would have been perfect. Latex wearing, boy-scout, kitten saving dickhead that he was, Steve Rogers could plan an attack. Tony couldn't deny it. It would have been perfect. They didn't get close. The building exploded, but not in fireworks or flames. From Tony's vantage point, it was like kicking rock and all the creepy crawlies come pouring out. Black robots burst through the walls, through the roof, through the doors and windows until there was no building left, just hundreds of swarming black, green glowing automata. The Avengers were immediately plunged into a very chaotic fight. The sound of almost perpetual gunfire shattered the air. As they had been closing in from different angles, they were all going one on one with several Doom Bots at a time. "Tony!" Barton called. "Natasha!" Tony saw and swooped down like a bullet, pulling Natasha out by the arm from a particularly bad scrap and taking her up over the fighting. "Thanks," she called up through the whipping air. "Drop me there!" Natasha was back on the fight next to Steve. Thor was making his way to them, knocking robots left and right. Hulk was just grabbing and smashing, often one robot with another, and Barton was picking off a great deal from a nearby roof. The fighting was intense, Tony only just keeping ahead of it. No matter how many you took down there seemed to be more. And these had definitely been upgraded. While the cable was still pull-able, it was harder to get at. They were faster, tougher, more dexterous. He swore as one almost grabbed him from the air. They're reflexes were better too. Tony was bearing down on a Bot when he heard a yell. He took it down quickly with a laser in the head and turned to see a robot, one heavy foot on Captain America and a green laser taking aim at his head. Steve was scrabbling out against the dirty concrete, his fingers stretching desperately trying to reach his shield which was just that little bit too far away. The Iron Man swooped, knocking the bot's head off and firing a laser into the hole created for

The Iron Man swooped, knocking the bot's head off and firing a laser into the hole created for good measure. It toppled sideways and Tony landed, helping Steve up. Tony pulled up his visor. "Hell of a time to be lying down on the job," he joked. "It knocked me, across the plaza!" Steve gasped. He had recovered his shield but was holding his chest in pain. "Well, I got it," Tony said, a little perturbed. It was unlike Steve to have been trounced so thoroughly that Tony could help a laugh had is expense. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you got your ass kicked like a girl." Steve looked down at the recently decapitated robot and shook his head. "No, not that." They both looked around and up… and up again at a creaking metal noise. A shadow fell over the two as something blocked the evening light. An immense automaton was stamping out from in between two rusted buildings and heading slowly towards them. A wall of metal. A mountain of metal. It couldn't move fast, but it moved with the unstoppable momentum of a landslide. "That," Steve said, rather unnecessary. "Ah," Tony said. His visor flipped down and a mechanical voice said, "that's Adamantium." "Yeah. Felt like it," Steve said painfully. Tony glanced at Steve. "You up for this?" Steve shrugged uncomfortably. "Is there a choice?" Tony flew up as Steve rallied the Avengers. This was going to be a team event. The thing wasn't stopping for the Avenger's team meeting however. Tony took a few pot shots just to keep the thing distracted from Steve until the team could gather. The machine formed out of was heavy black metal and moved laboriously. It was similar in every way to its smaller companions except its weaponry was far more sophisticated. It stopped, looking up at the hovering Tony with a strip of green. Tony pulled away slightly as beams shot from the strip. It was a wire-frame scan – a very sophisticated one, outlining and presumably, identifying the Iron Man. Once it was done, it raised its hands. Tony noted that this thing was slow and heavy and cumbersome compared to its fellows. But as the ends of the hands opened to reveal a canon like hole, a crackle of energy building into a bright, shimmering, violent ball of green, Tony decided that show and tell was over. He rocketed up, narrowly avoiding the two balls of green energy fired at him. The noise was an intense crackle which almost deafened him. "Holy shit!" he swore. The advantage he had now was an attack like that couldn't be repeated immediately. It must require a hell of a lot of power. The Iron Man swooped back down, dropping in a dive and opened fire on the colossus as the rest of the Avengers continued their fight on the ground. While the majority of them were still going toe to toe with the regular sized Doom Bots, Tony and the Hulk were focusing on the big one. The Hulk roared, jumping on the machine and slamming it in the chest. It staggered back, righted itself and hit the Hulk in the jaw. Tony shivered in discomfort as he watched the Hulk fall back slightly. Fuck. "Thor, buddy, this one's yours I think!" shouted Tony.

The Hulk jumped at the machine again, grabbing an arm and slamming the metal giant to the ground. There was suddenly the noise of scraping metal as plates shifted and moved. Tony stared. The thing had the ability to move in almost every direction by transforming its plates so to face whichever way it wanted. It reminding Tony of something, but he couldn't remember what while ducking another blot of green. "Tony, this thing seems to be after you," Barton called. "Really? I hadn't fucking noticed." "Fall back to the transport!" Everyone felt their hearts jerk in shock. The evening seemed darker, the gunfire seemed louder... the bitter taste of adrenalin in there mouths all the more unnerving. They were still fighting, but with a sudden desperate air of futility. "We can do this, Steve!" Thor shouted. "No! Fall back to the transport!" Steve shouted back. "We're out numbered and these things aren't stopping! Back!" There was a shout from Barton as Natasha was hit. Hawkeye jumped off his platform, using a zipline to make it down, beheading a robot with a kick as it raised a gun to finish the Black Widow. The Hulk was going at the colossus with all he was worth, but no matter how many dents he put into the thing, the plates would shift and damaged armor would be replaced with new. There had to be a limit, a finite number of time it could do it, but the Avengers were falling fast here. Thor bellowed in frustration, wound up his hammer and launched it directly at the face of the great Doom Bot. It crashed through the head, shattering it. Metal panels fell to the ground, flattening a dozen smaller robots. They paused slightly, waiting, hoping… The plates shifted and a new head was raised in minutes. Tony was so enraptured, watching this pinnacle of engineering, he didn't see the hurling lump of metal flying at him. Despite all the warnings going off in his helmet, his first inclining of it was after he had been thrown back against side of a building, flattened like fly hit by a thrown shoe. "Tony!" Tony fell to the ground, but he wasn't injured as such. The suit had absorbed the blow, but knocked out many of his major systems. He looked up and bots were heading towards him. But Thor was already there, knocking them away, creating a path. "Back to the transport, now!" roared Steve. The Avengers ran back to the transport but Tony was slow in following. "Come on Tony!" shouted Steve. He was hauling Natasha and Barton onto the transport. A wave of robots were descending fast like a black wave. "Heads up!" Tony shouted. He picked up a destroyed robot, the most intact he could find, and threw it into the transport. As he leapt up onto the platform, he looked around. The Hulk was growling at the advancing wave. The Hulk was massive. Too big for the transport. They'd always known that, but usually the fight was over and Bruce had enough time to calm down. The Hulk wasn't going to back down now.

"He'll hold them off for us," Thor said. "Yeah, and then what?" snapped Tony. He looked at Steve who took the point. "Go on without us. Get Barton and Natasha back to the Helicarrier." Tony jumped back out and headed over to Hulk. "Come on now, green dude. Party over." But the Hulk was already fighting again, pulling robots apart, smashing them. Tony hissed in frustration. "Alright, fine," he muttered. He aimed a laser at the Hulk, hitting him between the shoulder blades with a blast that would have been lethal to any other creature on the planet. The creature roared in agony and turned to glare at the flying red figure. "That's right, blame the guy with the lasers," Tony said. He turned and sped away, very aware that the Hulk was giving chase. Believe it or not, it wasn't exactly the uneven match you'd expect. Of course, in a hand to hand fight, the Hulk would always win. And for the that matter, not only win, but hammer the Iron Man into the ground like a nail. But Tony had flight, agility and intelligence on his side. They crossed the rugged lands of Latveria quickly, heading west. Tony was just keeping ahead of the Hulk, firing back at him intermittently to retain his attention. The Hulk just howled, tore up the ground, throwing everything from boulders to cars and even small trees at Tony. "You know, you and I don't spend enough time together," he called back. The Hulk bellowed. "I've got to take you to a competitive eating competition. How much fun would that be?" Tony dove quickly, avoiding a thrown boulder. "Or bowling. Whatever." "Sir, I have identified an appropriate location." "Let's go. As fun as this romp through the now Croatian countryside, we're getting just that little bit too close to civilisation for my liking." "Yes Sir." Tony dropped down a few meters so he was in reaching distance of the Hulk and sped ahead. The Hulk roared again, moving faster, hands reaching out to snatch at the infuriating red metalled jerk like a child chasing a moth. Tony drove straight over the cliff and, with the unstoppability of a juggernaut, the Hulk followed. The Iron Man swooped up like a bird back into the air… the Hulk fell like a brick into the river below. There was a splash which caused water to rocket into the air meters high. When Tony landed on the bank, there were fish flopping around on the grass gasping for water. He kicked one or two back in as the Hulk diminished and Bruce appeared. The man struggled out the water, looking like a drowned cat, and slumped down on the bank. "You're really going to have to keep some sort of travelling bag for occasions like this," Tony said. "As easy going as Croatia is, they're not going to appreciate you walking around like a flasher who's forgotten his coat." "Stop making jokes," Bruce said, sounding a little anger than he generally allowed himself to be. "That was a stupid, stupid thing to do, Tony. I could have killed you." "You're welcome."

Bruce paused, looked up a little shamefaced. "I… thank you." Fortunately for Bruce, he was saved from having to walk into town as naked as the day he was born by the transport hovering overhead. Tony looked up as the doors opened. He grabbed Bruce's arm. "Up we go."

A Date Post-match analysis. And the verdict was- "That was perhaps the shittest job we've ever done," Tony grumbled. There was a pause and Fury sighed. "From what Steve tells me, you were vastly outnumbered and hideously out gunned." "Being vastly outnumbered and hideously out gunned isn't new," Tony pointed out. "It's kind of what we do." "Steve made the call. He judged that while, for example, Loki would have destroyed New York and then the world, Doom was just making a point. He would not destroy Latveria. From what our satellites tell us, the minute you left they retreated back. Though they seemed to have gone underground; we can't find them." Tony was angry. Thor was angry. All the Avengers were angry. They were all, in their way, highly obsessive and very belligerent. They were all the kind of men and women for whom leaving a job half-done was… irksome. Bruce turned a weary face on Fury. "How are Barton and Natasha?" "They're wounded, but they'll survive." "Can I take a look at them?" "We've got good doctors on the Helicarrier, Bruce. They're fine." Barton shrugged slightly. Tony knew Bruce's private opinion of the doctor's on board. He called them, in a word, military. "And Steve?" "Ripping through his nineteen punching bag, I'll bet," said Tony. He turned to Fury. "I want that Bot. I'm going to take it apart piece by piece. I'm going to find a way to break them. And then I'm going to shove it up Victors-" "You'll get your chance." Fury turned a hard eye on the billionaire. "I'm not for a minute going to consider holding it from you; you're a jerk but you're a genius." "That's what it says on my letter head." "But give us twenty-four hours to clear it. No- twenty-four hours. Don't pull that face at me. Then we'll deliver it to Stark Tower. We don't want any nasty surprises cropping up." "The great machine," Thor said, seemingly rumbling awake. "It was greatly reminiscent of the Asgardian Destroyer." "See!" Tony said, greatly vindicated, "Doom just steals other people's ideas. No vision." Fury frowned suddenly. It was such a change in demeanor Tony was moved to ask what was wrong. Though Fury shook off the questions and left without another word. "Okay… weird." He turned to Bruce who was leaving. "You want a ride back?" "I have a shift at the free clinic." "Such a sodding little Samaritan, aren't you?" Bruce gave him a small smile. "Thank you for today. Please don't ever do it again." "Why do people ask me to do things they know I'll never do?"

"We all hold out hope that you may one day listen." Bruce left. Tony rolled his eyes and turned. Thor was ambling around, looking a little lost. You were just outside a door on the other side of which I was getting fucked into insanity by your little brother. Tony shivered. Awkward. But he began to wonder if that wasn't Loki intention all along. Make Tony uncomfortable around Thor. Or one of his intentions. Loki always had multiple schemes on the go, after all. He decided not to give in to the vague desire not to be near Thor, in case that was what Loki wanted. "Big man, what's up?" Thor looked up. "Nothing I believe, Tony." Tony rolled his eyes internally. "What are you doing? Off to see Jane?" Thor shook his golden head. "Jane is in the middle of some sort of... important breakthrough. I do not wish to disturb her at this time." I wish your bother was as fucking considerate. "So what are you doing?" Thor glanced around. "I think I shall go to the gymnasium." "The gymna- oh, the gym. The Helicarrier's gym sucks. Come back to Stark Tower." "I do not wish to inconvenience you." "Come on." Tony and Thor spent the afternoon in the gym. This was always a humbling experience. Tony's work out leant towards cardio while Thor was picking up weights with one hand that Tony could only do with two and not without rupturing himself. Traitorously, Tony's eyes lingered on Thor a little longer than they should have. But he was surprised that, while he was most definitely noticing more... the strain of the muscles, the slight sheen of sweat, the way his tongue flicked over his bottom lip, it wasn't making him tingle like, say, Loki's sparkling eyes. Loki scent. Loki's hand cupping hisTony shook his head and turned his music up a little louder as he jogged. Not the place to get a hard on. That's what Loki was turning him into. Tony felt like he had a sexual charge running through him, making him so highly aware of the world around him. But while he noted it, Loki's leash kept him from... god knows. You're blaming Loki for your sex drive? Fair point. But before Loki, its was confined to women and just your regular sex. Not men and the desire to be tied up. Basically, Tony wasn't interested in any other man than Loki. But what he was interested in, in fact, what he was becoming obsessed with, was domination. He shook his head at himself and notched up the treadmill a little faster. Afterwards, they hung out on the platform, looking out over the city, drinking beer. Tony had to remind himself every step of the way not to try and keep pace with the god. Thor finished his umpteenth and to Tony's envy reached for another.

Tony leaned over, his elbows on his knees, a glass of whiskey in his hands as he rolled the tumbler between his flat palms. There was a companionable silence between them and while Tony loathed breaking it, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for months to present. "Thor man… what the hell happened in Thanos' realm? What did you find there?" Thor stiffed slightly, took a swig of his drink and threw a gloomy look at Tony. "Decay, death and darkness, Tony. I do not wish to dwell on it." "Tell me." "Why?" "Curiosity." Tony saw this wasn't getting anywhere with Thor. "Maybe you want to talk about it, I don't know. You weren't keen when you got back so I didn't ask. I'm told that what's called considerate. Tell me now. How did you find Loki?" "We raided the realm, found him in chains and barely managed to make it back. What more is there to tell?" Tony shrugged, but didn't say anything. Thor took another long drink, finished his bottle and reached out for another. He sighed and, with reluctance began his story. "When we arrived, what struck us was the quiet. The stillness. No life, no trees or animals, nothing. There was not even a breeze. It was the stillness of the grave. The world there is grey and dust, with ragged mountains and a sky of black. We were met by no army, no force. We were left to wander the lands." He looked out across New York's skyline, his blue eyes hard and set his square jaw tense. "I sent several parties off to find food, water and shelter. Hours later, they would return, half staved and dying. We did not understand; how could but a few hours have resulted in this? They would tell us that they had been wandering for days. I did not believe it; time was difficult to judge in a twilight world where there were no sunsets or sunrises. Until it happened to me. I realised that time there was not set. Hours would pass for some, days for others, seconds for the rest. After that, I kept my men together, I would not risk that we may be separated for days at a time and be picked off. We wandered for time uncounted." "We eventually found what seem to be a camp of sorts. It was filled with the chattering of the Chitari and... other creatures." "What other creatures?" "I... they were foul, deformed creatures. Worse than what we encountered in New York, and faster. Stronger. Larger. The camp was based between two mountains. It was the entrance to something, the guard house. We took the camp, but we lost many in that first fight. We took over the camp, set it up as our base. My men were suffering at this point - there were no lakes, no earth... our supplies were running low. Many spoke of turning back; to the point I feared that they would rebel against my command." "What did you do?" Thor smiled bitterly, with the world weary air of a solider. "I told them any who wished to leave my company may do so." "And?" "None left." Tony hadn't really ever thought about it before, but simply because he wasn't his brother and walked around believing everyone to be a jolly good sort and swinging a hammer, didn't mean Thor wasn't bright. He wasn't intelligent, but he had that silent air of...

When someone believed you were a good, honest, noble person, and believed that fact which such open honesty, even if you weren't, you'd want to be not to let him down. You wanted to rally behind Thor, not because you believed in what he believed, but because he was a good guy to know. He was just... so nice as to be manipulative, though not knowing that was what he was doing at all. "Sorry man, don't let me interrupt." "The deeper we went into the land, the more resistance we encountered. Small packs, without any suggestion of leadership or organisation. Our numbers were being reduced daily. Then... then we found him." Thor sighed and reached for another beer, pulling the metal tab off with his fingers. Thor, thunder god, has no need for bottle openers. That's pretty cool. "There is no great story here, Tony. No grand charge into battle and no valour. No matter what Fendral and the others will tell you. This was a desperate scrabble to save a man, then to save ourselves from a seemingly unending black wave of carnage. It is not a story I will one day regal my children with." "I think you're underselling it," Tony said with a little laugh. "I mean, you survived. I'm not a hero of old, like you. For me, surviving is the achievement, not the head count." Thor nodded vaguely accepting Tony's point of view though clearly not agreeing in the slightest. "My brother thinks in a similar way. It is the outcome he focuses on." "Well, we're aim driven." Now, if you weren't sleeping with him, wouldn't you have found Thor's comment offensive? The fact that you and Loki are alike? Fuck. Yes, I would have. Well, too late now. Thor, to Tony's relief, seemed too deep in thought to ponder on Tony's comment at any metaphysical level. "There is a tale of my people… a tale of two brothers who were going to die. And the elder demanded of the younger to hold his head high before the blow fell. The younger exclaimed that, given they were going to die no matter what, why did it matter? 'Because when all that is left is your death, it matters a great deal'." Tony hummed over this one for a while. "Er... no. At that point, I'd be looking for the escape exit." "Perhaps you are wiser than I, Tony. I do not claim my ways to be correct. Merely that I could not imagine behaving otherwise." "What happened?" "We found him." Thor looked at the road, tens of stories beneath him for a long time, and then took another long drink. "I know what he has done, my friend. The people he has killed and the places he has destroyed. But he is my brother. We played together as children. He has saved my life as I have saved his and there was a time when we relied on each other absolutely. No one in the Nine Realms deserves… that." "Tell me." "You would not thank me for the images." "Tell me anyway." Thor slammed his bottle down on the floor. "So that you can revel in my brother's agony?" he

snapped angrily. "So I can understand, Thor." Ooh, look at me. I'm trying honesty for once. Thor glared, but his face fell from Tony's calm expression. "He… There where… It was as though…" Thor took a breath. "Large slabs of rock hovered in the air… weightless. Hanging above the land and from the rocks there were… metal blots," Thor gestured, indicating three large blots on his own arm, "driven through his arm and into the boulders. His arms were unnaturally outstretched. Two boulders from which he hung by his arms and… his legs bolted together to a rock, acting as a weight, stretching. There was… blood and… parts of his body scattered across the ground, it was clear that whatever was done to him was… repaired. Regrown." "Ready for the next time," Tony said expressionlessly. "There was fire. Blades. Beatings. Poison. Electricity. Drowning. Loki… he was destroyed. I have never seen my brother… cry so… helplessly. I had never heard him beg..." Thor's voice stopped abruptly. Tony's insides writhed. The voice of the boy was screaming that this was a betrayal, of sorts. He shouldn't be pressing for details about how his god had been tortured. But the rational Tony knew that there was a need to know here. Tony needed to understand his insane god. Thor rubbed his eyes with his forearm; clearly the images were still haunting him now. "I was disappointed, though I little wonder that he ran from Asgard. After a year of… he would not willingly allow himself to be under anyone's power again. If only he could see that it is not control we want, but for him to find peace." "What happened?" "We cut him down." "How?" Thor looked at Tony with an anguished expression and Tony's stomach realised before his brain did. "The metal… if it was truly such, could not be destroyed," Thor explained sadly, answering Tony's question without saying it. "Fuck," Tony said, finishing his drink and pouring another glass. He'd never vomited off the tower before… but today didn't seem to be the right day for it. He fought down the lurching in his stomach. "He… regrew his limbs astonishingly quickly. It was clear that within his realm, Thanos was not prepared to let Loki die, but wanted him to be in eternal, excruciating pain." "Fuck," Tony repeated. "I carried him the entire way back. I only let him go to fight back the hordes." "And that's why you're the hero," Tony said, comfortingly. Thor shook his head. "I did not feel like one. I have failed him in many ways. I was too arrogant, too brash, too self-absorbed to see what was happening to a man I loved dearly. Had I seen the hate that was falling upon him sooner…" Tony sighed. "Look, I'm no Doctor Phil. I can't tell you what might have happened if you had seen Loki was going stir crazy. But, you know, he's been on the run now for a long time and has yet to cause any mischief, so… that's something, right?" Thor nodded. "Yes. Yes it is a comforting thought indeed."

"Well, there you go." Thor frowned vaguely. "I only wish I knew why." He turned to Tony with a smile. "Your generosity towards one who has hurt you and your people is noble, Tony Stark." "I've always had a thing about the underdog," Tony said with a shrug. Seriously? Are you trying to tell him? I don't know, am I? "I did not expect you to be sympathetic to his suffering." Tony shrugged. No. I'm not ready for it. "What about Thanos?" Thor shrugged. "Of the Titan there was no sign. We did not wait to make his acquaintance." "Good call." Thor finished his last beer and Tony asked curiously, "Where do you stay when you're not with Jane?" "On the Helicarrier." "That's no fun. Stay here. I've got a dozen guest rooms and the only person who ever uses them is Bruce. Take one on the floor below." "Are you sure?" "Of course Goldie Locks, it's yours. I think Bruce camps out in the one left of the elevator, so take your pick of any of the others." Thor smiled gratefully. "Thank you my friend. It is greatly appreciated." Tony watched Thor leave. "Jarvis? Where you listening in?" "Yes sir." "Can you save a recording to the Thanos project? I want to keep the details." "Yes sir. Might I remind you that you're due to be attending the fundraiser in an hour's time? Hogan is already on the way with the limbo." Tony's public life was spent darting between this Arc Reactor lab, Avenger publicity events and fundraisers. He was currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for sophisticated drinks and equally sophisticated and drab chat with people who, mostly, wanted money. "Hi, you're Tony Stark, aren't you?" "No." "But-" "Beat it." After all, this wasn't his fundraiser so he felt no need to entertain. It was the endeavour a fellow billionaire and a friend, a man who, like Tony, had realized that hanging on to his wealth for so long was just beginning to look rude. So he was currently championing cancer research and had got Tony invested into the project for a million dollars or so. Once the speeches were over and there was nothing left but the mingling, Tony walked away from the main body of the party and into a quieter gallery. He could feel Hogan following him so

sent him off back to the bar. "What's going to happen to me in an art gallery?" "You? Anything," the beefy Hogan said with a roll of his eyes, but left. There was a painting round here Tony had particularly wanted to find. He located it in a side room with the classical paintings, back when real capturing real life in oils was art and not three squares of red on a canvas. He stood in front of his find, staring at it sceptically. He had never bothered with art. That had been Pepper's thing. But she had dragged him from gallery to gallery and some of it had rubbed off. Enough to know that this Ruben guy had some skill. The little white plaque off to the side proclaimed it to be "The Rape of Ganymede", painted in 1611 on loan from the Musee D'Orsay. Tony tilled his head, as though a change of angle might help him understand it better. Zeus, king of the gods, was currently in the form of a giant eagle. As often happened in ancient Greece, obviously. He was abducting Ganymede to take him away to Olympus to be his immortal cup bearer. Okay... You see, up until recently, such bizarre snippets of mythology hadn't played any part in his thoughts. Now however, Tony was developing into something of an armature expert. Though only myths that related to his particular case. Tony felt a hand running up his back. He turned and almost jumped out of his skin. "Expecting someone else, Tony?" asked Lockley in a playful tone, but hard eyes were a warning. Tony considered going crazy, but... Loki was in his public form, wearing a very stunning dress and gazing at him with beautiful green eyes. "I'm not fucking in an art gallery," Tony said with feeling. "You've got sex on the brain, boy. I had no such plans." "Then why are you here?" Tony watched Loki carefully. No anger, no flashing eyes. He assumed this wouldn't be so had Loki come to have a… wordabout Tony spending an afternoon with Thor. Whether this meant he knew but wasn't commenting, or didn't know. Tony didn't want to find out. "I was going to ask you the same question." Tony gazed back at the painting. "You are drawn to this one?" "I heard that it was here. I've been... interested in this myth lately." "Why?" Tony sighed and explained it, noting the look of delighted amusement in the face. Okay, it was Loki. But when he watched the sparkle in the eyes and the superior curve of her mouth, he wished like hell he was seeing it on Loki's face. "Very apt." Lockley said. "He was the only one of Zeus's lovers ever to be made immortal." "There are many parallels indeed."

"Not really. Zeus was a king." Lockley threw him an angry look and moved off to look at the other paintings. "Don't think that because we're in public I won't beat you." "Promise?" Tony noted the slight relax in the frame and the small laugh. He followed Loki. Lockley. Whatever. Loki would stop at each painting, occasionally commenting on a certain aspect which pleased him. Tony just did his best to nod, though the odd snarky comment managed to make its way through. "Do try to broaden yourself." "Why do you care? So long as I cum when I'm told." Loki rolled his eyes, giving him an angry look. "You really are an absolute pain when you're in this mood." Tony felt a little abashed. Because of course it's true. When he dug his heels in, he tended to get petty and petulant. You know why? Because you're petty and petulant. He shrugged. "Let me make it up to you. I seem to remember I promised you a meal at some point while getting fucked. Let's go get some food somewhere." "Back at the tower?" "A restaurant." Lockley threw him an odd look. "Alright." Tony found Hogan and inveigled him back to the entrance of the museum. "Get the car; bring it down to the loading bay. We'll go through the basement and meet you there. I know the manager of the gallery, he owes me." "Why? Doom Bots? Ninjas? Aliens?" "I'm taking a date to a restaurant, it's not the apocalypse. I just want to be discreet about it." "You're being discreet?" Hogan asked, as though using the word for the first time. "Are you feeling alright?" Tony saw Hogan's eyes suddenly pop out of his head as he caught slight of the slender, curved figure of Lockley in her long black dress. "Wow." "Hey, eyes front," Tony snapped, feeling annoyed. "Sorry. Yeah. Sure. I'll get the car. Hey, could you get me her number?" Tony glared. "You want the phone number of my date? Get your own." "Yeah, but I mean, after." "The car, Hogan." Tony glared at the man's retreating back with something approaching disgust rising in his chest. Not at Hogan, of course not. Hogan was great and Tony was glad to have found him. Really decent guy and could back-chat as good as he got. But Hogan said what people thought. And there it was. After Tony had spent the night with Lockley, that would be it and she'd be up for grabs. Of course. Because Tony slept with women once then they were off his radar. Hogan was only saying what everyone knew to be true.

It made Tony slightly sick and not with anyone but himself. The fact was, he hadn't ever planned to become this person. He hadn't ever said to himself at college he was going to one day be a fucking, self-obsessed, pathological jerk. It had just happened. He hadn't planned to become this Tony Stark any more than he had planned to become the Merchant of Death or the Iron Man. He hadn't planned to become the boy either. And that was being forced on him as well. Not if I just accept it. White hand ran down his arms as lips pressed into his neck. "That didn't bother you, did it sweet boy?" I could just accept it. Maybe become more than the playboy. More than what I am now. What's there to lose? Tony pulled himself together. "Course not," he said, grabbing her hand. "Come on, let's get down to the car." Uva Trattoria was for those with more money than sense. What was served here showed more hallmarks for art than food. The pristine cooking was put in various colours arrangements, placed with delicate care in patterns to delight the eyes. The taste was apparently not an issue. This stuff should be in back in the art gallery, not a restaurant. Then there were the prices. A plate of coq au vin which, when all was said and done, was a posh way of saying chicken casserole, came in at enough money for a few heart transplants, or for a kid to go to school. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was pretty pricey for a lump of chicken in sauce. And whereas Tony would pay through the nose for his cars, suits and gadgets, if he was hungry, he'd get a McDonald's if it was close. He wasn't picky about his food. There were very few tables in the room. Not a lot of people could afford this place, so fifteen tables made up the floor of the restaurant. The room was rectangular, and the floor was raised on one side of the room by the expansive window. It stretched the entire wall, from ceiling to floor. Tony knew this place as it catered for those billionaires who wanted to dine away from the media spot light without being disturbed. Tony had been there once and hadn't returned after he realised that it really did live up to its name in discretion. Where was the fun in that? Useful though when you're dating the god of chaos... At one of the top tables next to the window, Tony pulled out the seat for Lockley like a gentlemen. Only to look up and realise she had taken the other seat. The hard, green eyed look she gave Tony said it all. Female body, but still the god here. Right. Tony watched Loki scanning through the menu, seemingly with disinterest. He rarely saw the god eat. He generally picked at whatever Tony happened to be eating. The first ten minutes of this little pantomime was... Awkward. And Tony felt he could entirely be forgiven for his discomfort and his poor showing on this date. After all it was his first date with a god. And his first date as a woman who was actually a man. The waiter glided over. "Welcome back Mr Stark. And good evening to your guest. Can we start with some drinks?" Tony opened his mouth-

"Just the water," Lockley said. "And we'll start with the scallops and then the lamb. Medium rare. Thank you." Both the waiter and Tony paused, this blatant breach of procedure rattling them both. But Lockley gave a bright smile which shook the waiter back to life. "Of course. Thank you." The man left. Probably to jump onto Twitter and declare to the world that Tony Stark had been thoroughly emasculated by his date. Tony felt the rising anger like bile in his throat. He grabbed the water and took a long drink, trying to wench the fire inside of him, before he spoke. His mouth formed words that his throat wouldn't say. Finally he settled on, "You're just a little fuck, aren't you?" "And what did I do to displease you this time?" "You know," Tony said darkly. Lockley leaned forward, her long, slender arms crossed on the table. "In the bedroom, in bathroom, in this restaurant - as long as you live, I own you. Buck up, Tony, and take it like a man." "In public, I'm Tony Stark." "Tony Stark or not, if I strip you now, you'll still have 'My Boy' carved into your back." Tony stood. "I'm going to the bathroom, if that's okay with you of course," he spat, turning away, not waiting for an answer. He walked away angrily, crossing the floor and entering the bathroom. He locked himself into a cubicle and took a moment, leaning against the door, glaring at the ceiling. No matter where or when or how, Loki just wouldn't stop fucking with him. So leave! Run! Tell Thor's what been going on and stand back and watch him pound Loki into paste with Mjölner. Tony found he wasn't enjoying the image as much as he thought. After sometime, he rubbed his face and shuddered against the emotions. Leaving the stall, he walked over to the sink and splashed water into his face. So decide. Back to the table or out. Tony walked back to the main floor, his eyes locking almost immediately onto Lockley. He dithered slightly... And walked back over. The billionaire sat down resentfully, watching Lockley's eyes travelling the skyline out the window. "Are you seriously expecting me to do this whole evening sober?" "If you're good, you can have a bourbon on the rocks before we leave." "You don't get to dole out my alcohol." Lockley gave him a harsh look. "Perhaps when you've learnt to drink responsibly." "Look, you fucking-" Tony hauled the venom back in with effort. Loki tipped his head onto one side. A slender hand reached out and gripped Tony's hand, a thumb stroking the knobbly bone in his wrist. "Poor sweet boy. Does my dominating ways bother you?" Tony glared back but didn't answer. He watched the waiter place a basket of bread on the table and left.

"That's bread. Can I eat bread?" "What do I care?" Tony grabbed a roll and started spreading butter over one side. More to have something to do other than seethe He chewed as Lockley watched him, almost obsessively. Why the fuck did I suggest this? Talking. Oh yeah, right. "What are you doing? When you're not with me, I mean. If you're planning on taking over the world, you're taking your time." Lockley shrugged. "My attentions have been somewhat diverted of late." "By?" Loki gave him a look. Tony glanced away. "But that's still your plan, right? Armageddon still definitely on the books?" Lockley leaned back, looking out the window again. "I'm here, except when I'm not. That is all there is to say." Tony waited, but nothing more seemed coming. He watched the god carefully. "I think you're bored of being the rebel. It's more fun fucking with the Asgardian Court, isn't it? All you are now is the crazy guy across the street who yells abuse and throws stones if you get too close." Green eyes flashed warningly, but the god was motionless. Tony thought he had made his point. And he didn't want to push the god so far that he felt like he had to slap down Tony in the middle of a restaurant. Fuck, the images... so he pulled back with a sigh. "Let's talk about something else." "Let's talk about þjá ey." "Let's talk about something else." "Any suggestions?" Tony leaned back as the waiter placed the plates in front of them. Loki smiled at the second waiter, some what younger than the last and definitely straight, judging by the way the smile threw him enough to trip over his own feet. Tony glared at his date, but stayed quiet. He prodded the little lumps of fish morosely. "I don't even like scallops. Did you think you ask me that before you ordered them? No." "Don't fuss. You'll like these." "No I won't." "Talk to me." Tony chewed his tongue slightly. "This is the problem, isn't it? What the fuck do you and I talk about?" Green eyes captured him intensely. "I will listen to anything you have to say. You seem to think we don't talk because I don't care. Tony, we don't talk, because you won't." We fuck. We don't talk. Talking means... it means more than sex.

"You want to sit here and listen to me talk about, I don't know, cars?" Lockley finished a scallop and picked up some bread. "Just talk, Tony. About anything you want. Just talk to me." But it took until the appetizers had been cleared away and that awkward wait until the main course appeared for Tony to finally let his guard down. To begin with, it was halting He talked about everything and nothing, finding in Lockley an enraptured audience. He knew Loki was a good listener. That week away in the door-less room had told him that. But that was before, after and sometimes during sex. This was… a date. Once Tony had come to a natural end, Loki began. He was spearing with his details of his childhood, but Tony had been just as evasive. What Loki was prepared to talk about was his later life. Learning to use magic, being in the company of Thor during the heydays. His failed attempt at taking over Asgard. Loki talked almost obsessively about his plans for Tony once they were bound together for eternity. Tony only really came back to relativity when Lockley promoted, "Tony? Desert?" Tony looked up at the waiter, blinking as his mind readjusted to reality. "Er… no." He turned back to Lockley with his most charming playboy smile. "I think we'll have desert back at the tower."

Mine Chapter Notes

A/N: Dark Warning.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Tony was not a natural cuddler in bed. Even with Pepper, there would be a brief cuddle, and then the two would separate to their sides of the beds. Loki wasn't so much a cuddler than a clinger. Tony wouldn't really have a choice in the matter, Loki's arms locked around him and if Tony struggled too much, he was threatened with a spanking. Sometime Tony took the god up on the offer. Sometimes he just muttered a bad word and tried to get to sleep. He was awake now, the god's arms tightly around his chest. Loki's face was pressed into the back of Tony's head. Occasionally Loki would move slightly, mutter vaguely, but was otherwise still. After the... the date, Tony had brought back the lovely, long legged Lockley to the tower. That was when the, if it was possible to say, the normalcy had ended. The normal world for Tony Stark. The minute they were in the tower, the world of the boy began and Loki had appeared and Tony had been dragged to the bed and... Well, no. He hadn't been fucked into the bed. That would have been normalcy for the boy. Tony wished he had been fucked into the bed, but this time had been... different. It had been deeper, closer, more heated and not vicious or controlling. Loki had spent longer holding him, stroking him, whispering his words of romance to his little boy. He had waited for Tony to make the first moves, to drive the sex forward. They had moved with each other as though they had been in each other's minds. It had been, in a word, passionate. It worried Tony. Using Loki as much as Loki was using him to satisfy that dark and dirty itch was fine. Wanting to melt into the man's arms, be cared for, loved... I just wanted to get fucked. It had to be very, very early in the morning. Or very late at night. Tony wasn't sure which. He wanted to get up, to get away from the thoughts pervading him. He wanted to go down to the lab and take something apart. Then put it back together, only better. He wanted to get away from these arms. He wondered idly about getting up. That would wake the man behind him, which would lead to a punishment, or sex. Or both. That would be good too. Punishment would distract him from that worrying thought that the sex was getting... intimate. After the long chat in the restaurant, Tony was beginning to realise that they were entering in on a new… stage. Things were getting… complicated. Committed. Thoughts of Loki, sex and… union hovered before him in a glittering haze, until his darker worries took over again. Fuck him. Fuck him and everything about him. I was fine before he turned up. No. You were miserable. He'd always been miserable. He'd coped before. Tony swung his legs out over the side of the bed, only to feel a hand grab his arm in a firm grip. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," Tony muttered, pulling away. He walked into the bathroom and used the toilet. He stood for a while at the basin, looking into the mirror. There was something happening here and he needed to think. He was just on the edge now, it was time. Commit or run? Fuck. I have to decide now. Things are getting way too intense to pretend it doesn't matter. I'm Tony fucking Stark! I am not becoming the eternal slave of any one! Loki had followed him in, apparently tired of waiting. "Come back to the bed, Tony." "Can't I take a fucking piss alone?" "No. Not anymore," Loki said, but not unkindly. A strong hand grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room. "I think we've both had enough time alone. And now we can be alone together." "Don't touch me." "You're thinking of the binding. Of þjá ey. Have you decided?" "Fucking hell, don't start that again," Tony said angrily. "I gave you my answer and you almost killed me." "Because your answer was no. I hope by now you realise it's not an answer I'm going to accept." "Then my only choice is not to answer." "Your only choice is to answer yes." "You know what, why don't you go take a running leap off the tower. Fucker." Tony wretched his arm out of Loki's grasp and pulled himself back into the bed angrily. Loki stood over him, glaring down but Tony shut his eyes and pretended furiously that Loki wasn't there. If that was even possible. Soon, the god left the bedroom. Tony breathed out and turned over onto his stomach. Shit. He drifted for a little while in the dark when he suddenly heard Loki return. Tony yelled as he was pulled out of the bed by his hair. "Come along then, little boy. It seems punishment is all you're interested in." Tony was dragged by an arm into the living room and pulled to his feet. Loki pointed at a large chair. "Sit." "It's half six in the morning," Tony snapped. "What did I say that made you think I was requesting the time? Sit." He wants the closeness. I'm the one who wants to get hurt. Which one of us is using the other? The thought made every cell in Tony Stark's body rebel violently against this world, this dark and shattered world that had dragged him in. Venom coated in sugar, burning him, destroying him and making him want more. Tony would remember and regret today for the rest of his life. Tony snapped.

His face pulled back in a smiling sneer. So Tony. "Oh, it's this again is it? Only a few hours ago you were holding me and petting me like I was the most valuable thing in the world. Does bi-polar mean anything to you?" "The very name you so blithely cheapen in your use of Tony means priceless. Anthony. Priceless. And I would take you back into that bed room now and worship every inch of you if that is what you wanted. But I think all you ever want from me is hurt. So choose. Sit in the chair and submit or go to the bed and let me love you." Tony didn't want to choose. Hell no, he didn't want to choose! He wanted to be forced. Because if he willingly chose than that would make him... that would make him everything Loki said he was. If he chose either, he was participating. "And after all those times you whispered you loved me," Tony sneered cruelly. Loki looked head sternly. "And I do love you. Now choose." "It's all just lies. You're a twisted little monster who can't get over the fact his brother is better than him. Now you're trying to play the big villain and you can't even do that right. You love me? No, something like you can't even feel that." You're trying to make him angry. You're trying to hurt him so he'll punish you. You're destroying everything around you because it's too hard to face the truth. Shit. "Choose." "This is just over compensation, you know that? After Thanos grabbed you and made you his little bitch you're trying to do the same thing to me!" Loki flinched. "Thor told me all about it, finding you crying like a little girl! You're not a hero, you're not a villain, you're a fucking joke! A twisted, sad little shit who can't achieve anything!" Tony stopped abruptly as his brain caught up with his mouth. He felt the pain in his chest like a bullet hole. Loki's eyes were fixed on his, but that little gleam that sparkled there when they played was gone. He was just looking cold now. Loki once gave me a safe word to use. But he's never had one himself. Tony felt a clawing, tightening in his throat. I can't believe I said that. "What? Are you just going to stand there like a fucking moron?" Tony snapped. Please just hurt me. Make this better. Loki's eyes burned in the growing light. "Choose." Fuck no, no... please... I can't... I've ruined this. "I..." There was a deathly silence. The room was getting brighter as the sun rose. Tony wished it wasn't. The lighter it got, the more the pain on Loki's face was becoming apparent. "I..." Tony closed his eyes, rubbing his face. He felt sick. There was that moment, months and months ago when Pepper walked out the door for the last time, the tears in her eyes and the apology on her lips. "I just can't do this anymore," she had whispered. There was that brief moment when Tony knew he should have run after her. Dragged her back.

Promised anything. Done anything to fix it. And he hadn't. And he was left with the pain of knowing he might have saved them both and didn't. Pride. That's all it is. And you let it fuck you over every time. "I..." Choose the bedroom and show Loki you love him too. But Loki would know Tony was playing it up because Loki had already made it clear it was his preferred event for the morning. Choose the chair, let him punish you. But Loki would think that's all Tony wanted from this... from their relationship. Fuck it. Yes, he said it. Their relationship. It was black and twisted and desperate but it was Tony's and he'd rather die and lose it. If only he wasn't so... so Tony Stark. If only he had realised that before he had opened his mouth. Because Tony Stark eventually destroyed everything. "Loki..." "Choose." "I just don't know." "What's so hard? Walk into the bedroom or sit on the chair." Tony took a step forward and stopped. "I don't-" "Choose!" Tony looked up. The wounded face in front of him had turned irate. It was a darker anger than Loki usually brought to the bedroom. Tony found himself laughing. Loki cocked his head, glaring. Tony forced it down. "I've fucked this up, haven't I?" Loki seemed to diminish. He looked away and walked to the window. Tony stared after him desperately. If he leaves, I don't know what I'm going to do. Loki sighed and his forehead rested on the glass. Tony cleared his throat. "I need you. And I need you to love me. I need to be punished. And I need you to punish me." Tony stopped. All in all, he thought that summed it up pretty well. Better stop there then. Loki turned. His face still looked angry, still looked pained. "Choose." Tony felt his insides burning and writhing. He walked to his lover and grabbed his hand, pulling him back into the bedroom. Loki watched as Tony lay down and pulled his god towards him, pulling the slender body on top of him. "I'll do whatever you want, Loki," Tony said, kissing the thin lips gently. "Just don't leave." Loki exhaled hard, like he had been holding it all inside. "Tony I'm not going to leave. I'm never going to leave. Stop. Just stop thinking that- there's nothing you can say or do. I'm not leaving. I'm never leaving. I love you. I just don't like you." That hurt. Maybe you'll stop being such a dick. He started it. No, he didn't. Not this time he didn't. Tony wrapped his arms round Loki, suckling on the man's tongue, pulling him close. Their legs intertwined and Tony rubbed himself against Loki like a cat asking to be stroked. Tony kissed

Loki's neck, jaw, shoulder, anything; soothing the warm skin beneath his lips with gentle caresses. He ran his fingers through the soft black hair, pulling the head down again to capture Loki's lips. He couldn't remember ever making such tender love to the man before. It had always been Loki's attentions on him. Not the other way around. Isn't that the point? You've never admitted it to yourself. You've never admitted it to him. Because when it came down to it, the god told Tony he loved him almost every day. And Tony whined and sulked like a child and fought off every advance from Loki, even when Tony secretly wanted it. He tells me he loves me every time he sees me. How many times have I said it back? Once. I think. Fuck. I've destroyed another relationship. Loki was tense. Stiff and unmoveable. His eyes were cold. Tony closed his eyes, avoiding the glare. "Do you want to hurt me instead?" Loki rolled onto his back, his warm body leaving Tony. "I don't think I could hurt you enough." "You could try." Loki snorted. "And I awoke in such a good mood, too." Tony ran his fingers down Loki's arm. "I remember what you taught me in that week away. I could worship you, if you want?" "If you feel you must ask, then you missed the point entirely. Do not insult us both by pretending." Tony could have argued that it wouldn't be pretend, but he'd be doing it to save his skin, not because he was actually worshipping (according to Loki's crazy ideas on the subject). That wasn't an option open then. You could try fucking apologising. Tony realised he hadn't apologised. But the word stuck in his throat. He bent down to take Loki's cock in his mouth but his face was pushed away. "No." Tony sat back, not knowing what to do. "I... I'm going to... go down to the lab. You just… come and find me there if you want me, man." Stop me! Don't let me leave! Loki didn't say anything. Tony coughed, trying to stop the tightening in his throat. "I need to fix that… that fault in the new visor. You should see it, it's like being on LSD," he said with a small laugh. Loki was staring at the ceiling. Tony couldn't even be sure he had being listening at all. "So, this is our first fight. Ha. We'll laugh about this later." He shuddered as he pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed his shoes on the way out of the room. "Maybe a lot later. I'll… just... down stairs." He rushed into the lift, out of the room that had suddenly become horribly oppressive and hit the button for the lab. His body slid to the floor as the lift doors closed. It's over.

He started violently as the doors were wretched open. Loki pushed them back with supernatural strength, the metal and mechanics making horrible whirring and grinding noises as his strength pushed back on the motor. The god's eyes were flashing darkly. "Get in the chair." "Wh-" "Get in the chair!" Tony hurried, pulling off his clothes and sitting down. His arms were already in a position to be tied before Loki had even made it to his side. Leather wrapped around his wrists, waist and ankles. Tony licked his lips and whispered, "Thank you." Tony stared into the pale, angry face, and felt his length giving those first signs of stiffening. Loki grasped him and jerked roughly. Tony kept his eyes locked on Loki's as he got harder under the abuse. Just say it! "I'll accept þjá ey." Loki smacked his face hard. "Do not say that now." "I will." Smack! Tony face jerked to the side hard. His skin stung with the blow. "I will not accept that now." Tony looked back, anxiety and horror in his eyes. "What, suddenly you don't want to?" Tony head leached sideways again. He blinked and tasted blood. That wasn't a slap, that had been a punch. He groaned and felt his cock twitching in Loki's hand as he felt the pain in his jaw. The pain made him hard. He did this to me. "You can't turn me into this and leave me," Tony hissed. "You and I will bind, make no mistake. But I will not hear you make promises right now. Promises you will forget at your climax. Do not speak further unless you are spoken to." Tony closed his mouth and arched his head back over the seat. The hand at his cock and the pain in his mouth was rushing him to orgasm. He grunted, squirming, unable to buck because of the tight bondage. He wanted to cry out that he needed this, wanted this, that he was so happy that it was Loki doing this to him. But he kept his mouth shut. "Do you think I'm going to let you cum?" Tony looked up through heavy lidded, lust filled eyes and licked his lips. Truth was probably the best bet here. "No." "Genius." Loki walked away. Tony let out a desperate cry but bit back any words. Loki was walking to the bar. "I don't hate you, Tony." Brilliant! Then we're moving in the right direction at least. "I just tire of you games. Maybe I haven't been harsh enough with you." Please be harsh. Loki moved round, holding a bottle. Vodka. He opened it and pushed the neck into Tony's mouth. Tony choked, but drank quickly. It was that or be drowned. Loki didn't give him a lot, but enough

to give him that pleasurable warm sensation. The long glass neck was pulled out his mouth. Tony shivered as Loki drenched a blade. "You're going to stay completely still." Tony nodded. Loki started with his forearm. Tony couldn't look as the sharp blade pulled across the soft underside of his arm, cutting him, opening him. His breathing slowed and his cock ached and throbbed. He looked back at Loki, reeling in the pain and pleasure. Loki's eyes were concentrated, focused entirely on his art. Tony looked down and blanched. On some level, he had been expecting words. Loki had already shown a desire to carve himself into his boy's body. Other than that, Tony didn't know what he was expecting. Slut. Whore. Traitor. Something to hurt him. Something to remind him of his place. Something to show his attempt to end their relationship had proven him to be the ungrateful, belligerent, worthless creature on some deep dark level Tony had always believed he was. He hadn't expected LOVER. Tony looked up at Loki in shock. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. What had stopped him before? Pride. Why was it easier to say it now? Because he had believed earlier that sorry would be the last thing Loki heard from him before leaving him. And Tony hadn't wanted to give the god the satisfaction of walking out with Tony's weeping pleas ringing in his ears. But Loki wasn't leaving. He was cutting – not hate or viciousness into Tony, but love. Lover. Instead of destroying the relationship and watching Loki walk out, Tony realised could instead be faced with having destroyed the relationship and seeing Loki every day with that cold look. "Loki, I'm sorry," Tony said more loudly, his eyes fixed on the face as cold and distant as the moon as it walked around him and came to rest on the other arm. "Loki, I-ah!" Tony winced as the cutting began again. He forced himself to watch this time as the blade ran across his flesh, creating its curly lines of red which ran down his arm and onto the chair. S. W. E. E. T. Sweet. Sweet Lover. "Loki, please, I'm sorry!" he gasped, hot tears falling down his face as Loki killed him with words of love. Loki knelt down and the blade was against Tony's thigh. It rested there. Loki's green eyes rose to his silently. Tony stared, blinking hard to try and clear his sight of tears. "Cut me," he begged. Loki turned back and his skin was opened. Blood ran down his thigh. It was almost releasing. Every cut was washing away the pain. "Yess," Tony gasped. His cock was throbbing. Loki was so close to his aching length but didn't spare it a glance. Tony looked back quickly. P and R were already carved. E. T. T. Y. Loki moved to the other thigh. "Don't stop, don't stop, don't ever stop," Tony whimpered. M. I. N. E. Lover. Sweet. Pretty. Mine.

Tony panted, straining against the leather, his head throwing back to stare unseeingly at the ceiling. He cried in ecstasy as cold engulfed in. He looked down to see the blue skinned Loki sucking him. "Please!" Tony screamed. It was so amazing and agonising. Like a human's mouth is hotter than their skin, so a Jötun mouth seemed to be colder than their palms. This was a new level of cold to Tony. It hurt beyond imagining and was propelling him into a level of rapture he had never felt before. "Loki, Loki, Loki!" The name ever left his lips. It became a chant, a prayer. It was worship. This was it. This was what Loki had being asking for and now Tony delivered. Threw back his head and prayed to his god for mercy. Tony flailed and writhed but was kept on the edge. Loki released him and he screamed in frustration. "You have a safe word. Use it." Tony shook his head violently. Never. He was screaming again when the mouth returned. Tony wasn't sure how much he could take. It was too much, it hurt so much. The pain and agony he was feeling... and had caused. If only Loki had just beaten him to a pulp. That would have been so much easier to cope with. Tony sobbed like a child as Loki left him again, his erection bobbing desperately. Warm hands were stroking his shoulders. He looked up into gentle green eyes. Loki sighed and kissed him. Tony's heart fluttered. "I understand, Tony. I know we will have so many more fights in the centuries to come." Loki knelt back down in front of him and rubbed balm carefully into each letter. He spoke slowly and softly. "Once we are bound, you will come to understand that I will never leave. That will at least prevent your need to destroy before being destroyed." "No," Tony whined. Loki looked up. "No what?" Tony shifted his right thigh away from Loki's fingers. The wounds on his arms and left thigh were already healing, turning now to closed cuts and by dinner, would probably be gone completely. MINE still leaked blood. Loki stared at Tony, not seeming to understand and moved back with the salve. "No," Tony whined again more urgently. "Leave it." Loki understood this time. "It will scar," he said slowly. Tony nodded. Loki patted him gently. "Be still while I dress it." Once Loki was finished, he pulled his boy up out of the chair and helped him to the shower. In the end, Loki seemed to decide that Tony's dead weight was too much of a chore and conjured chains to hold him up. He washed him carefully, and pressed a slick coated finger into him. Tony whimpered and his still massively hard cock twitched, remaining it's owner it was still there and still driving him crazy. "When I have finished washing you, I am going to take you." Two fingers gliding in and out. Three. Four. Tony tried to shift away. "Please... too close..."

"Sh. Hold your orgasm, boy. I promise to make it worthwhile." Tony fought to keep control. Loki finished the washing and carried him into the bedroom. "Up or down?" "I need to see you." So I know you're still here. "Up it is," Loki said, flipping Tony over on the bed. "I love you," Tony said softy as Loki spread his legs. "I know. I love you too. Just relax." Loki pushed in immediately. Tony had been so focused on his mire of pain and lust that he hadn't realised how hard, how eager Loki was. The pounding was intense, far harder than he had ever felt it. To his shame, Tony came with an explosive wail on the third stroke. Arms wrapped around him as Loki continued, but Tony didn't remember anymore. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he was left with the sound of Loki's harsh panting against his ear and the sound of flesh smacking together as he thrust. The sound made its way into his dreams. Tony woke up in the mid-afternoon. He had spent his sleep in nightmares about waking up and finding Loki gone. Instead, the reality was the god was reading a book in the bed beside him. Tony leaned up to say something, then collapsed in a gurgling mess of pain. Fuck. He wasn't going to able to move for hours. "I would remain still if I were you," Loki said idly, turning a page. "Thanks for the heads up," Tony growled. "Don't mention it. If you need to urinate, I will find a bottle. Otherwise, I have ordered food from a takeaway your mechanical servant suggested. I will feed you here." Tony looked up. Loki smiled at him and there was nothing but tender care in his face. How could he be sure it wasn't an act? "I..." he couldn't think what to say. "I'm fine. Don't stay if you don't want to." "Silly boy. Who will look after you if not me?"

Chapter End Notes

A/N: It's gone really rather dark. We all knew it was going to happen. These two just too stubborn, proud and strong for either to give in (as Loki is 'giving in' just as much as Tony is) without an explosion. 'The big argument', as it was naturally going to be, is something I wanted to get out of the way now so that I wouldn't have to deal with later. It'll lighten up now, I promise.

Comforting After the big argument, which had left Tony with a new scar to furtively covet, Tony and Loki had come to a new understanding. Tony had... in so many words, accepted Loki's need to bind with him. Although they hadn't set a time or date, Tony now agreed that it would happen. It had made them closer in a way that Tony had secretly been longing for. Oh, they still fought like cat and dog, but the pain of believing that this was no more than a fleeting dream was gone from Tony. And… and after what Tony had learned from Thor… Tony wanted to do something for Loki. To try and make it clear to him… Tony didn't use the L word and that wasn't just because the object of his desire was currently an insane male god. Tony just didn't say… that at all. But there was a marriage of sorts approaching and between now and then, there were a lot of opportunities to hurt Loki. Tony wanted to rebel, to sneer, and to fight for all he was worth. But he didn't want to hurt Loki. Not hurt him like he had done during their fight. Loki doted on Tony and Tony retained his sanity by pretending he was being forced. And as unlikely as that was ever to change, clearly too much indifference and hate on Tony's part wounded Loki. It had been a few days since they had last seen each other. That was Tony's fault. The Doom Bot had taken up all of his attention. After some red flags had been raised, it had been decided that the bot was best left on the carrier. Unless, of course, Tony wanted to be sporting that healthy uranium glow. Like it or not, Tony just didn't have the facilities to cater to such highly radioactive material. He and Bruce had been spending hours on end pouring over the circuitry. After several days of nerd stuff, Tony and Bruce had eventually admitted defeat. There was nothing more they could learn from the remains of the metal solider. All the relevant information had been sent to Jarvis to do this thing. Bruce had muttered something about an old friend who might be able to help and had gone off to Hong Kong. Tony had nicked a few components from the Helicarrier lab and brought them back to Stark Tower, reasoning that through sheer stubborn persistence, there must be something more he could learn. Not that they hadn't learnt a lot. They knew how to fight them now, where the weaknesses were in the frame and the joints. But that wasn't enough for Tony. Doom would already be upgrading and redesigning. Soon, everything they knew would be out of date. Tony wanted that one core weakness that was inherent in Doom's designs. It had to be somewhere. After all, it's not like he was Tony Stark. He had to have made a mistake somewhere and it was up to Tony to find it. The team had there asses handed to them in that last fight. Tony didn't ever want it to happen again. "Jarvis, how long until the diagnostics are finished?" "Three minutes sooner than when you last asked, sir." "When did I last ask?" "Three minutes ago, sir." Tony chewed his lip. "How about now?"

"Sir, a watched diagnostic does not run any faster. Might I suggest doing something to take your mind off it?" Tony considered for a while… then smiled gleefully. He pulled out the gold tube, stroked his thumb over the carvings and thought of his god. "Pretty boy," the sultry voice soothed. "Hey," Tony said. Loki was standing in the middle of the room, watching him curiously. "My little boy called me? Can it be he is desperate for his god?" "Always." Tony's confession seemed to momentarily stun Loki, but he recovered quickly. A tongue darted over thin lips as he began to move. He was pacing in front of him, as though desperate to get his hands on Tony and holding himself back. Tony didn't want him to hold back. Tony wanted to get fucked. "I am glad you called." "Really?" "Of course. Recently, I discovered a Midgardian treasure. I wish to play tonight." Tony raised his arms. "Well, I'm right here." "Yes, yes you are. But I wish us to go to our special place." "Special pl... You mean that room with no windows or doors." "And no chance of your escape," Loki said, licking his lips eagerly once more. Tony frowned slightly. "Special place sounds wrong. And not the good kind of wrong." "Name it, my love and that's what it shall be called." Tony thought. "We could just go classic and call it a dungeon." But the look in Loki's face told Tony he wasn't happy about the idea at all. He looked away and shrugged. "If that's what my boy wishes. However, I am appalled by the suggestion that I would ever allow you to remain even one second in a dungeon." Tony realised that of all people, Loki had the experience. He scolded himself for not thinking. See? Even when you're trying to be good, you stick your fucking foot in it. He stepped forward, closing the distance and running a hand down Loki's face. "Why don't we just call it home?" "Is this not your home?" Tony shrugged. "Nah. This is just the tower." Loki smiled, his eyes lighting up. "I am going to have so much fun with you tonight." Tony sighed and shook his head. "Promises, promises." "Diagnostic complete, sir." "What?" Loki asked, confused.

"Ignore him," Tony said. "Let's go." When they arrived in windowless, door less room, the order came immediately to strip. It was made clear to Tony he would never be clothed in this room. That was fine by him. "On the bed?" Tony asked, moving towards it. A playful slap swung out and smacked him on the behind. "Don't assume anything, boy." Tony turned to face Loki and glared. "You might have noticed a few things have been added to our... home," Loki breathed out the word like it was the most amazing thing he had ever said. Tony glanced around. "Well, there's a chair over there that's been bolted to the ground." "Guess where you're going?" "I just love guessing games," Tony muttered as he walked over to the chair. It was covered with restraints and he relaxed, closing his eyes as Loki tied and tightened very one into place. Tony's least favourite had to be the strap across his forehead, holding his head in place. The last came across his chest, just under his arc reactor. Loki pulled too hard and he winced. Loki paused. "It must be tight, my toy, but not painful. You understand? I will trust you to tell me and not lie as I believe you yearn for my games as much as I do. Too tight?" Tony nodded. The strap became looser. "And now?" Tony paused, the mischievous, defiant side of him briefly raising its head. But he wanted the game. He wanted it so much. Tony shook his head and mumbled, "Too loose." "It is a fine art. Construction of breath without disruption." Loki planted a delicate kiss on Tony's cheek. "Don't worry my love, we will get it perfect." Once Tony couldn't move a muscle, Loki's fingers tapped the arc in his chest. "How long can this be removed before death?" Loki asked, rubbing his fingers over and over the metal. Tony calculated quickly. "About five minutes at a stretch." "We'll say four minutes," Loki said, in almost a scholarly tone. "And how long before pain?" "Between a minute, a minute and a half if my heart rate is stable when it's removed. Can only be seconds if it's beating too fast." Loki's fingers pressed down on the arc and turned. Tony stilled his breathing as much as he could. He felt the inaudible click and watched Loki pull it away. He held it in his hand carefully. "I did not think so much about it the first time," he said, running his fingers over it delicately. Tony felt the instinctual panic building in him, but he wasn't actually scared. I trust him. I actually trust him. Fuck. When did that happen? Loki bent slightly, looking into the hole in his chest. He put his hand in. He had a doctor-like abstracted manner as he explored. Pepper had squealed and hated it. Demanded never to do it again. Loki was taking the time to learn. He glanced up at Tony's curious expression. "There's more to looking after a boy then keeping him sexually satisfied," he explained with a smirk. "I must know how to keep you in working order."

Tony couldn't speak. The whole moment was bizarrely intimate and gentle. A comfortable warmth in such a vulnerable position was embracing him. I trust him. Loki kissed his pectoral muscle and slid the arc reactor back in. He stared at the light. "Can this be powered by any power source?" "Anything that won't kill me." "Magic?" "No idea." Loki stroked Tony's stomach soothingly. "I think that's enough for now. I have no desire to put anymore strain on you." "So no sex?" Tony asked cockily but secretly disappointed. He shouldn't have worried. Loki laughed and shook his head. "Don't be silly, boy. You will not escape your duty that easily." Tony smiled inwardly. "My duty is to save the world and pay taxes. It's not to give blow jobs." "Hush, my sweet." "It's certainly not a duty you'd find in the constitution anywhere." The god kissed him passionately, cutting off his witticisms, and pushed a gag between his lips. This one was different from a ball gag. It was just a metal plate which was designed to push Tony's tongue down. It was an odd sensation. Loki walked over to the larger of the two cabinets. He stroked the wood loving. "All my toys are in here. Ha. Toys for my toy. Most would be considered outdated and old fashion by your standards, but they still have their uses. However, my discoveries in Midgard have proved revolutionary." Loki glanced over with an evil smirk. "How could I have guessed the talents of your pitiful race had actually been channelled entirely into sex?" Tony wanted to spit at him. The arc reactor, discovery of DNA, space travel. The human race had invented more than Viagra. Loki returned with a blindfold. "No peeking." Tony was left in darkness. He sighed dismally and waited. And waited. Nothing came. He waited longer. Nothing. Carefully, cautiously, he began to test the restraints. It would catch Loki's attention if he saw him fighting against the bonds. But there was no rebukes, no touches. Tony frowned slightly. He tried to move in such a way to push the blindfold off but the strap holding his head in place didn't allow the moment. No moment at all was possible. It felt suffocating. It had been uncomfortable before. Now it was alarming. He moaned slightly. There was no answer. Tony tried to call out, but the gag turned it into an incomprehensible gargling.

He started to panic. He thought of being left. Of being stuck here for, god knows how long. In a room with no windows and no doors in a world that could only, it seemed, be accessed by Loki. Tony didn't even know where this place was based in the world. If they were still in the world. He felt himself panting. He felt the blood rising in his neck. He felt the lurching in his stomach. He tried to calculate how long he had been sitting and gave up. Tony panted but the strap across his chest stopped him from taking a full breath. He fought hard now, arching and throwing his body from side to side. But the bondage was absolute and he couldn't move an inch. His world was spiralling down, cracking into pieces, falling away until he was nothing but a boy, screaming out, chest heaving with sods, crying out for attention. "Sh, sh, sh, my sweet boy, I am here," Loki's hands were stroking his face and shoulders. "I did not leave your side for a moment, I was always standing in front of you. I am here." Tony couldn't stop now he'd started, tears coming thick and fast. Loki petted and soothed until Tony was finally still. He felt dizzy, tired and sick. Loki's fingertips stroked his hand. The only thing Tony could do was move his fingers, grasping and ungrasping the arms of the chair. Loki took advantage of that. "I would like to play with you now, but I understand how psychologically stressful that can be. Months in such darkness I spent in a cell in Asgard before my escape. It can prove to be… expanding. With some control over your emotions and mind, you can reach a level of unconscious that is so... freeing. But clearly you are not ready for that. So, raise for me two fingers if you wish to stop and rest for a bit. One if you wish to continue." One finger. Probably not the finger Loki had been expecting. Loki chuckled slightly. "I have been on Midgard long enough to know when I am being insulted. No matter. I will make you pay for it in the fullness of time." Tony smirked inward. Bastard had it coming. "I have several new toys and I cannot decide which to use on you first." Loki sounded a ways off. It was explained as Tony heard a creek of a cabinet. "Hum..." Loki seemed to be pondering. Tony waited. Too soon however, the silence once again became too much. Tears pricked his eyes again. He made a noise behind the gag. "Sh, I'm still here. Just choosing." There was a pause, then Loki said, "This one first, I think. You are long overdue some pain." Tony's heart leapt with excitement. "We will start on a weak setting." There was a flinching, burning sensation in his arm and it was over as suddenly as he had felt it. He would have jumped out of the chair had he not been strapped in. He screamed into the gag. Loki tsked wearily. "Maybe slightly lower than that, then. Really Tony, I did test it on myself first and barely felt it. Such a delicate little creature you are." It happened again, this time on his thigh. It didn't feel any less painful. Two and two suddenly became four. God help me, the fucking god of chaos has discovered the cattle prod. I'm so fucked.

Now he knew why the gag was different. A depressing gag so he would not swallow his own tongue. That was not a promising sign if Tony was hoping that Loki was going to get bored of this quickly. Tony jerked again, the sharp tingling pain on his hip. Again, on his leg. There was a pause and Tony lurched forward (or tried to against too strict bondage) as there was a zap to his ass. "Ha! How wonderful," Loki crooned delighted. Tony felt the shock against his ass again and bellowed in protest. There was a long pause. Tony jumped as he felt metal on his carf, but there was no electricity. The two tiny prongs of metal glided up his leg, across his thigh, up his stomach and came to rest on his nipple. Tony braced himself, his stomach doing summersaults in expectation. There was a shock. And another. And a third. Tony's body lurched and shuddered. He whimpered and wailed and whined. A hot tongue was suddenly swiping back and forth across the now overly sensitive bud. Tony revelled in the feeling, pulling every twinge of pleasure from it because he knewThere was a shock against the other nipple. And another and another. Then lips appeared to tease it into hardness like its fellow. Tony gargled with the weight of emotion and shivered as he felt his gag being pulled out. "Four letter word starting with F," Loki said soothingly. "Fuck,'' Tony whined. He heard Loki's joyous laughter and felt his heart soaring so high. "No," Loki managed to choke out, finally composing himself. "No, you frustratingly darling boy. Our four letter word, starting with F that spells stop. Now's your chance for a little while." Fury. Tony didn't say anything. "Nothing to add?" "Fuck." "Okay." The gag was pushed back in and tightened. "I am beginning to see the advantages of this safe word. It certainly means that you have no one to blame for your pain but yourself." Shut up and hurt me, drama queen. The shocks began again. They were so fucking strategic. So perfectly placed to hurt and arouse. Loki seemed to get lost in the thrill of seeing his boy give a huge, whole bodied flinched that the shocking seemed to go on for hours. Tony hung limply in the restraints, flinching with the pain, but otherwise just unconsciously shivering. He heard Loki sigh. He pulled himself back to the here and now as he realised the last shock had been some little time ago. He could hear a sound. It look a little moment to identify but when he did, Tony groaned heatedly. "You want this, don't you boy?" Loki said, his voice stained from his ministrations on himself. Tony moaned again. He could practically taste Loki already, so vivid were his memories of that cock. "Maybe. Groan for me Tony. Good boy." Loki laughed gently. "Such a toy I have. You will have your prize, of course." Tony was untied and dragged over to the bed.

Loki chuckled to himself again. He sat up on Tony's face and for a second, fed his cock into Tony's eager mouth and then leant down to take Tony's length. Tony hummed delightedly opening wide to take him deeper, lifting his body so he could wrap his arm around Loki's hips and pull him further down. Like last time, Loki's attention on Tony's cock was lazy and slow, more designed to encourage Tony along in his lust than relieve him. Tony didn't need the encouraging. "It's been too long, Tony," Loki said quietly. There was no edge in his voice. It was a statement. Tony nodded, sucking hard, grabbing Loki's hips, pulling him closer. He thought about replying, but decided just to play the boy right now. "Let's not let that happen again," he said smoothly, then swallowed Tony down to the hilt to prevent any disagreement. Fuck no, no, never again! I'll never leave you for more than a minute again! Tony hips bucked up but were forced down against the bed, trapped under the weight of Loki's strength. Loki controlled the pace. Loki controlled what pleasure he felt and when. Fuck yes! And all the while, Loki's hips bounced and ground against Tony's face, equally controlling what pleasure he himself felt and when. Never let this end. How many times had he thought that with this man? How many times had he thought it before him? Not at all that he could recall. Not with this sort of violent passion. Tony was writhing, squirming, his body going crazy while his mouth clung to Loki's length. All too soon Loki growled and Tony felt the rush into his mouth. He choked and gagged as the stream forced its way into his throat. Just when he thought he was going to drown on it, he was slammed hard into the wall of his own orgasm. He arched hard and felt Loki greedily gulping him down. Tony went limp as he finally finished, slowly being crushed by the weight of an equally exhausted god. Loki finally rolled off and pulled himself up to Tony. Both slept for a while, each dreaming of the other. Tony woke some time later, curled up in the large bed. "Cattle prod," he muttered thickly. Loki was leaning over him in seconds, kissing his skin with an open mouth. "Yes, my love?" "Will you do it again?" "Yes. I assumed my boy liked it?" "Well duh." "I'm glad. I had thought myself just a little too harsh." "I like evil Loki, sometimes." "Am I not evil all the time?" Tony's eyes opened and he stared at the bed. Above him, Loki's lips on his neck and shoulder were becoming more urgent. Tony half turned so he could see the face, "You know you're not." "I know nothing of the sort. All I can say, my boy, is if you have seen within me anything else in me, it is entirely inspired by you."

Tony rolled onto his back and Loki shifted on top. The movement was so natural to both of them and Tony arched his neck back to allow Loki access to his favourite spot. Lips and tongue caressed the sensitive skin of Tony's jugular vein. "I wish you had come before. I wish we had met years ago." Tony didn't know why he said it, but it was too late to try and lie now. Loki seemed to think on this seriously. "No. You would not have become the Iron Man. I certainly wouldn't have allowed it. And while I do not like it, I don't deny its importance for who you are today." Loki leaned back momentarily, giving Tony his most sly smile. "But don't concern yourself love. We have many thousands of years to make up for my tardiness. All I regret is that I should have dragged you to the bedroom and not thrown you through a window." Tony let Loki work his magic over him as he lay still, staring at nothing. Soon, Loki was picking Tony up in his arms like a child. Tony squirmed slightly, uncomfortable. He couldn't remember this happening many times while he was conscious. Okay, a fireman's lift, that was different. This was a more intimate way of carrying him. He didn't like the vulnerability of it, the marked power Loki had in this act. "I can walk. Stop it! Fuck it, Loki, put me-" "Quiet boy." Loki walked them to the bathroom area. "I know we have so far favoured our showers, but now I wish to show you to benefits of a bath." Loki's magic had quickly filled the large golden tub with warm water and slipped Tony in like a protesting child. Once Tony was up to his neck in the warm water, all his anxieties disappeared. He sighed and moaned as Loki slipped in with him. Loki looked worried, scanning Tony's face for discomfort or concern. Tony glanced at him questionably. "Your arc reactor. I was concerned-" "I didn't design this thing half-assed. It's safe in water." "You will not be harmed?" "Maybe if I'm naughty," Tony said, deep and husky. Part of him wanted to curl up and die I cannot believe you just said that. The other half was getting all sorts of excited at the look of astonished delight on his god's face. I'm his. If I can't say the things I want with him then what's the point? "You're being such a good boy today." "I do need you, you know." Why can't I just say it? Tony didn't have to. Loki smiled, "I know. I love you too, my sweet." Loki relaxed and moved in. There was a few moments of shifting until Loki lay over him, Tony's legs hooked up and over the narrow and devastatingly powerful hips. Foreplay, he found himself muttering internally. Since when was I ever such a fan of foreplay? Maybe since you got with a god who makes you cum too soon, or too painfully or in such a weird way you barely have time to notice the pleasure. I've learnt to enjoy the tender moments. Tony groaned as his arms wrapped around the lean figure, pulling him close. Loki's lips parted and a pink tongue gently ran over them, making them seem full and shiny. Tony took the incentive, forcing his tongue into the warm, rich mouth. Loki broke the kiss to breathe, "Enjoying this, aren't you boy?"

Tony recaptured the thin lips, one hand pulling the head down closer. Too soon, pelvises were grinding over one another, warm, wet and hard cocks sliding over and over one another. As the pace quickened, Tony was afraid he was going to cum here and now. He tried to pull his hips away. "No. I don't want to cum like this." "Then how do you wish to cum?" Tony shifted slightly in silence, getting used to the confining space and the predator holding him down. If he had thought that the shower had been the perfect example of Loki dominating him in a small space, it was nothing to this. The shower... "How hot can you make this water?" Loki shrugged. "Magic. As hot as the suns. Why..." Loki seemed to catch up. He sighed. "I begin to wonder if you are more in love with the monster than-" Tony grabbed Loki's hair tightly and forced him to look at Tony. "Stop it. Just fucking stop it. You're no less you when you wear your ice giant form than when I wear my suit." Loki looked defiant. "I do not want the Iron Man." "And I want all of you. If you can't accept all of me, that's fine. Your loss. But I want every inch of you and I want it all to be mine. Now stop mucking around and fuck me!" Tony winced as the water began to boil. But immediately, ice cold was encompassing him, holding him. Tony clung to him. This was Heaven, it had to be. Tony was converted, he finally believed. This was Heaven. Heaven was a burning hot bath and a Jötunnwrapped around you, thrusting his cold hips into your body and an icy cold cock rubbing painfully, deliciously against yours. "In me," Tony pleaded in a weak voice. "In me, in me, in me, in me please, please." Loki reached down, guiding his icy cock into Tony's ass. When he pushed, even though Tony begged for it, the boy still threw himself back, trying to escape it. One arm flew out of the side of the bath, almost trying to pull himself up off it. It was an instinctual reaction and one Loki secretly enjoyed. To see Tony's body in dire distress at the painful intrusion, but knowing that not only had his boy begged for it, but also would beg for more. Tony felt a long few minutes squirming, thrashing, legs kicking helplessly out. Ice was rubbing against nerve ends that were never designed to feel it and fuck did it feel good. Water around them sloshed and splashed out of the bath, falling to the floor. He bucked up and felt the cock moving in and out and whined in twisted pleasure. He was failing around like a dying fish until Loki finally took mercy on him and took control. "Still yourself, boy." At the command, every new found submissive bone in Tony's body piled in to force him still. His body shuddered with the effort of obeying. "Good boy." Tony smiled at the approval. There were so many chances with Loki to gain a pat on the head. With his father he had to get straight As, get into the top university, pass cum ladue, take over a weapons empire. And the approval, when and if it finally came, had been so little. With Loki now, Tony had to stay still. It was hard, but when he did he could feel Loki's satisfaction that he had obeyed and it buoyed him up, gave him wings.

"Obedience engenders reward," Loki breathed. When Loki began thrusting, Tony's eyes were already rolling back. "Oh fuck! Oh it's so fucking good!" He cried out. It was so much more intense and deep that the shower as they were lying down and Loki had more room to plough forward. Tony's body raised out of the water with every thrust. His straining arms clawed out and grabbed that the beautifully defined chest. He held on, teeth chattering, back scalding hot as Loki began to pound harder. "Talk to me," Tony whimpered. Tony had been worried his little talk before the sex had made Loki angry. He needn't have worried. "My little boy, so hapless and hard for my abuses. Do you whimper to cum? Should I allow it? I find your body works all the harder when your desperate. How would it be if I kept you naked and erect for several decades? Think of the slave I'd have then." Tony whimpered again. "Yes, yes, anything, anything," he muttered distractedly, focusing on the solid length pushing forward, rubbing very nerve ending, hitting his prostate and the burst of light and pleasure that would flare up inside of him, making his stomach do flips. Then the long pull back all the way to the head that would rest just holding the ring open wide. It was like Loki dragged his insides out with him and Tony would brace for the pause and rushing thrust. And here, clinging onto the blue skin, eyes darting up to stare at the red, lust filled eyes, Tony could pretend to himself that it never had to end. But it did and soon Loki was hammering roughly on the home stretch. Tony was pushed back against the side of the bath, Loki holding him down. Tony had to tip his head up to stay above water as the force had made him slip down. "Look into my eyes - my eyes boy! Don't you dare take your eyes of me for a second, not even when I make you cum. Look at me!" Tony forced himself to stare up. The pure demand Loki was making, his possessiveness and control was too much. "I'm- oh, fuck," Tony wailed. He came and his vision even bright and hazy. It was like fireworks behind his eyes, like his body had been tensing to the point of implosion and now exploded. Tony drifted in and out of consciousness and faintly registered a yell of bliss above him and thenLoki was banging his back. Tony coughed and spluttered. He was on the floor of the bathroom area. He looked up dizzily. Loki looked furious. Passing out twice in a day. Record. "Wh-zat?" He complained thickly. "You almost drowned, you stupid child!" Loki spat. Tony thought back and smiled luxuriously. "Take that banal grin off your face," Loki hissed. Tony looked up again, seductive eyes raking Loki. Tony moved over onto his side, his wet, tonned body appearing now more godlike that Loki's own. Tony licked his lips and smirked at Loki's shudder. "Best. Yet," Tony sighed, his mouth parting with wet lips. Loki was staring down at him. "How do you do this to me, Tony? For a thousand years I have lived and taken anyone and anything that took my fancy. How is it that one little boy should turn my world into such a glorious nightmare?"

Tony rolled his hips and heard Loki's responding croon in Loki's throat. "You wanna fuck me again?" Loki shook his head. Tony couldn't believe it, but the god was actually backing away. Tony smiled inwardly. "No. No, you're too weak. I can't... You almost-" Tony licked his lips again. "Come on..." He purred. Loki hesitated for a long time, before finally lifting Tony in his arms and laying back out over the bed, almost like a human sacrifice. Fuck where did that image come from? Tony rolled over and all but offered his ass. "I don't want to risk-" "Hit me." "Tony-" "Hit me." Tony smiled as the first slap came down. It was like falling into an old dream, every second so inevitably planned out. Easy, understandable. Comfortable. Loki had already shed his worries at his boy's calm certainty, smacking down hard enough to make Tony's body shake. He moaned in joy and squirmed against the sheets. "Remain still," Loki commanded. The tone was back. "Yes my god," Tony sighed. I could never have said yes to the þjá ey if I believed that I could never have my own way with him. Just sometimes. I'm still Tony Stark, after all.

Happy Birthday The birthday of Tony Stark was always an event on any socialites' calendar. This year was no exception. He booked out the entirely of a top floor hotel in the middle of the city and when management complained that the noise was getting too much, he just bought the hotel in its entirety. He was enjoying himself - why shouldn't he? He hadn't had an opportunity to party like this since Pepper as she disapproved. Of course, there had been that desperate time after Loki disappeared after their return from Asgard. But that had been a slight at the god, to get him back. Now, Tony felt he could actually just have fun. The bar was open and free to all, the hot tubs were full, and the dance floors were heaving with people dancing into the small hours. Tony walked among them all; this was where the Stark in him lived. He caught sight of Bruce leaving around ten. The man gave him a glance and an apologetic smile before ducking out. But Tony appreciated this wasn't his scene and appreciated he had made the effort at least. Steve had wimped out even earlier. Barton and Natasha were around somewhere, probably up on one of the balconies watching the activity like birds of prey. That left Thor and Jane, wrapped in each other's arms in a corner somewhere. Amazingly enough, though invited, Fury had elected not to come. And Bruce's departure was pretty much the last thing Tony remembered from that evening. The party, which had begun in the early evening didn't end until 6am. Even now it was a bit of a strain to recall. Tony remembered driving back home, but not parking. He remembered blood on the dashboard. The clawing smell of rubber and smoke. He thought he remembered being dragged. Tony grimaced as light woke him. "Urgh." He ached all over. Fuck. This felt like a hangover to beat all hangovers. His head was swimming and thumping. And pounding and aching. And just generally painful. "Urgh," he repeated dismally. "Certainly one word for this," said a dry, disproving voice. Tony frowned in the darkness behind his eyelids. "Loki?" he croaked. "Yes." "I'd open my eyes, but I think I'm dying." Tony felt the bed shift next to him and knew Loki had sat down. He groaned as the movement made him dizzy. The invasive light dimmed and Tony was sure that Jarvis had put up the blinds. "Jarvis, can we make sure no one enters the tower?" Loki asked. "Do what he says, Jarvis," Tony muttered. "Tony, I would like you to drink this water, take a shower and join me in the main room." "Loki, I would like you to speak a little quieter, bring me pain killers and fuck off," Tony muttered. Hangovers. Since when did he get hangovers this bad? What happened to the days when he could drink himself blind until seven in the morning, sleep for twenty minutes, then present the unavailing of a missile that made everything the military had previously owned look like a sling shot?

Those were the days, my friend. There was a pain in his back. A pain in his neck. A pain in his chest. He raised his hand to rub his head and winced as he felt a heavy plaster on his temple. "Wh-za fuck?" he complained at the pain. "Now, boy." Tony grumbled angrily and fumbled out with half closed eyes for the water. "What, no lemon?" he demanded as Loki departed from the room. It didn't prompt any reply. It was a good hour and a half before Tony finally felt ready to walk into the living room. He spent a little time examining the plaster. He pulled it off carefully and saw what must have been a large gash under there which stretched over his entire left temple. But it must have healed remarkably quickly. Tony suspected Loki's magic had been at work. If only he could remember how he had got the cut. Probably from the same place he got the massive bruise across his chest. Tony was sure he'd remember if he and Loki had played last night, but given the amount of alcohol he had drunk last night, that wasn't certain. Ah well. I'm sure it was fun. On the other had, Loki had so far stopped short of cutting his head open, so maybe these weren't... what to call it? Sex injuries. Loki was sitting on the couch in the main room, staring at nothing. The blinds were down over the large windows and a soft light filled the room. Tony was quietly grateful for the god's foresight. "Ask your Jarvis not to disturb us." "Jarvis, you heard Reindeer games." "Yes sir." Loki stood and turned. He looked… serious. "Birthdays. Only a Midgardian would celebrate a year closer to their graves." Tony ambled up to the bar. "No birthdays in Asgard, I take it?" "What are you doing?" "Getting a drink," Tony said. He opened the little cupboard. "Or I thought I was." He checked the entire kitchen. Finally, he turned back to Loki with a raised eyebrow. "What? I was bad and now you've taken all my toys?" "The papers say you're celebrating the thirty-eight year." "So?" "It's a lie, isn't it?" He shrugged. "Everyone lies about their age." "You've entered your fortieth." Tony winced. Forty years old. So fucking what? He could cope with it. Look at Capsicale, he was ancient and still kicking. "So what?" Loki looked enraged. Uh-oh. Mood swing. His whole body was shaking, but when he spoke, his voice still sounded calm and soothing. "I have done a great deal of research into your people. Forty is considered old." Old. Tony felt an equal anger rising in his chest. "Charming. You're no spring chicken yourself."

"Your soul is young, yet your body declines." Tony laughed incredulously, throwing out his hands. "Am I supposed to stand here in silence while you call me an old man? Get on your fucking bike, asshole." "And you put your body through this. The alcohol. The Iron Man. You drove your car into a lamppost last night!" "Did I?" Ah. Tony searched the fractured memories. Screeching tires. Sudden stop. Blood on the dash board. Ah. Make that a lot of blood on the dash board. Bruise across the chest as the seatbelt snapped him back. Whiplash in his neck and back. Getting dragged from the car across the cold concrete until he was lifted and carried. Ah. Now I remember. "Oh yeah. I wasn't going fast though. I think I was going backwards actually." "You are fortunate I had been following you since the party." "Well you know what they say; you're never alone with a stalker. Thanks, I owe you. Now where's my Jack Daniels?" Loki's eyes flashed warningly. "I am going to punish you for your willful disregard for your life. I am going to punish you for your neglect in keeping yourself safe-" "If you honestly think that I'm going to mellow out as I get older, I have to tell you, you're dating entirely the wrong guy." Loki continued like there had been no interruption. "And you promised me that you would submit to þjá ey. You didn't tell me how close you where to death! Is this yet another, passive way to escape my arms, you die from stupidity before you let yourself submit? I am going to make you submit. I am then going to fuck you into unconsciousness. When I have satisfied myself with your body, you will get on your knees and beg me to bind you. Are you listening to me, boy? We are not leaving this tower until you are bound to me eternally!" Tony stared at the god. He was angrier than Tony had ever seen him before. His eyes were shifting from green to red. Blue seemed to be appearing and disappearing across his skin. It looked like when Bruce was teetering on the edge of Hulking out. Usually, even when he was cumming, the god was so posed. So calm. He might intend to beat Tony into the ground with a whip, but he told him he would with a gentle voice and a smile. Now he looked like he was completely losing control. Tony bit back a snort of laughter. Loki's anger was funny on so many levels. Mainly funny because, on the morning of his… Just say it. Yesterday, on the morning of his fortieth birthdayFuck.

Yesterday, when Tony had looked in the mirror that morning; he had been hit in the face with an epiphany - which was just as painful as it sounded. Loki's anger was funny, because the god didn't understand that the birthday had been… well. Tony didn't want to say the last hurrah, because, whether Loki liked it or not, Tony was going to be hurrahing for as long as he lived. Let's just call it the bachelor party. "Okay then." Loki deflated. "What?" Tony smiled nastily. "Oh, surprised? That took the wind straight out your sails, didn't it? Fucking temper tantrum," Tony muttered. "And you have the nerve to call me the child? óðr áss. Yeah, you heard me. I've been studying." Tony turned to the bedroom, stripping off his clothes. "It's Asgardian, not rocket science. And I know my rocket science, you prima donna. So, wasn't a good fucking first on the list?" Loki had followed, clearly completely unbalanced. "I do not understand." Tony crawled on the bed, giving Loki the perfect show of his swinging hips. "Do I have to draw you a diagram? We fuck, you make with the magic." "You have always refused þja ey." "I was hit in the face with an epiphany." "Tony-" "Right in the face," Tony repeated, trying to lay emphasis his unwillingness to explain what had promoted the change of heart. Just say it you feckless wimp! You're having a midlife crisis. "Now get on the bed, minn guð," Tony crooned. Loki cocked his head, a smile tugging on his lips. "You're pronunciation leaves much to be desired." "Come over here and train my tongue then." "Did you just call me mad god?" Tony smiled cheekily - óðr áss. He'd been quite pleased when he had worked that one out. "I also called you my god," he pointed out diplomatically. Minn guð. "Now get on the bed." Loki obeyed silently. He lay on the bed, shimming his clothes away and waited for Tony. Tony jumped to work, dropping his head, capturing the soft cock in his mouth, working it with delight. Loki hissed and squirmed. Tony liked that. Once he was hard, Tony prepared himself with quick fingers and positioned himself over the mad god's long length. He gripped Loki's shoulders, getting comfortable and felt Loki gently kissing the inside of his wrist Tony found the sigh forming without any conscious thought. He spent a brief moment letting the tip push slightly at the ring but not pushing down. He wanted to draw out the pleasure out a little longer. "Collar? Leash?" Loki cocked his head at Tony's eagerness. "What's your game, my naughty little love?" "Collar. Leash. Now." Tony felt the leather appearing on his neck and picked up the leash, putting it in Loki's hand. He pushed down on the cock, sighing as it broke past that first tight ring of muscle. He hummed in

pleasure as he sunk all the way down. Opening his eyes dreamily, he stared into Loki's. "I'm yours, Loki. And because I'm obeying, like the little boy you want me to me, I think that I should get a reward." "Whatever you want, my love." "How kind," Tony crooned a little sarcastically, rolling his hips against the god. Loki sighed as his eyes fluttered shut. "I want to cum first." "Yes, my love." "Inside you." Loki gazed at Tony, his face completely blank. Poker face. Tony leaned away slightly, and the leash stretched until he was caught and held. "See? Still yours. Not in control. But I want to be in you, Loki." Loki was still silent. Tony rolled his hips and watched the flicker in the green eyes and the slight parting of Loki's lips. Tony leant in and ran his tongue across them. You want me to bind? You show me I'm not just your toy. He pulled himself off and moved back. Tony moved slowly, carefully, at every moment expecting Loki to call halt. Loki didn't. The god spread his legs so Tony could shift between them. As the boy got there, he felt the pull on the leash as he reached the limit. His upper body had to move forward to close the distance as his legs got into the right position. Then he was there, ready. He looked up at Loki. The god cocked a head on one side and slowly let a slight length of leash slip through his fingers, giving Tony more room to move. Tony sat up and poured out the KY Jelly onto his fingers. The god's boy licked his lips, keen to start but curiously nervous. He pushed one finger into Loki. It was warm and tight. His body thrilled at the feeling. He heard the sigh above him and smiled. Tony worked his finger in and out slowly, cautiously. "You will not hurt me, Tony. You may use more force, more fingers," Loki said softly. Tony looked up, cocky and serious. "Maybe I just want to spend some time teasing. Did you consider that?" Loki paused and nodded. "Then shut up and let me play." Loki sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you wish, my love." "Pull your legs back more." Loki's knees came up, parting. Kneeling between those long pale legs, his fingers stroking in and out was perhaps one of the most exciting things Tony had ever done. He moved in closer, licking his lips and adding another finger. This was glorious and he strung it out as long as he could. Fuck knows when he'll be able to guilt Loki into letting him do this again. And if this is it, if this is the day I let myself get… married… I will not let it happen unless I've had one moment of control in his relationship. Loki's cock was hard, pressing up flat against his stomach. Occasionally Tony would lean in and lick the scrotum; it was just too tempting a target to ignore. The god was writhing now, gasping out and moaning. "Tony," he whispered.

"Patience," Tony chided. He looked down. He had all four fingers in now. Hot, slippery velvet enclosed the fingers and Loki was able to take it fast and deep. Tony wondered if he had done this before. "How long do you think I could suck your cock for before you came?" Gods had stamina, right? Isn't that what the bastard was always telling him? "I thought you wanted to penetrate me," Loki said, sounding a tad annoyed. "Now, does that sound like an answer to what I asked?" "I can hold out." "Good," Tony said. "I want to taste you for a while." For a while turned out for be a long while. Tony was in paradise knowing that he wouldn't be stopped by Loki's demands or his release. Tony never denied that performing this act upon his partner did all sorts of wonderful things to his own body. It was exiting, it was glorious. It was... contrary to what you expect, it made Tony powerful. He had the control here, he could determine what pleasure Loki felt and how. And Loki's growing moans and mewls of beautiful distress were amazing. "Boy, stop," Loki choked suddenly. There was a tug on the leash. "I do not wish to come. Not until you are inside of me." Tony pulled back; slightly disappointed that he could not have lay there between the legs forever. Though, in retrospect, his jaw was aching now. He hadn't realised it while he had the shaft in his mouth. Tony smiled broadly. "How long was that?" "Forgive me, my love. I lost count after ten minutes." "You'll have to do better next time," Tony scolded with a smirk. "Shut up and get in me," Loki hissed. Tony moved to the entrance and found himself stopping. It was… intimidating. He felt like any second Loki was going to stop him and knock his head off. Tony looked up, slightly alarmed when he heard the chuckle. "Do you need permission, sweet boy?" Loki asked. The lost, derailed look was gone. The Loki of Tony's nightmares and every wet dream was back. The god raised a finger and crooked it playfully. "Come on, boy," he purred. "Never in your wildest dreams could you imagine the pleasure of penetrating a god. Don't waste this opportunity." Tony nodded unconsciously and pushed in without further preamble. "Oh my god," he gasped, his hands digging into Loki's hips as the tight grip seemed to milk him. It had been months since he had been the penetrator. And decades since it had been a man. This was so much tighter than a woman. His eyes almost crossed as he pushed in. Finally, his balls pressed up against Loki's ass. He stopped, panting, his head rolling back and down as the glorious tightness encompassed him. He felt the slight pull on the leash. It was almost as if Loki were holding him down to earth. Without it, he could easily float away into space. "Good?" Loki asked gently. Tony nodded hard, unable to speak.

"Would you like me to take over now, my boy?" Tony nodded again. He felt Loki pulling his legs up and around Tony's hips, in the same moment he was sitting up and pushing him down. Almost like a wrestling move. It was too practiced a movement - there was no way he hasn't done this before, Tony remembered thinking. Tony was still inside his god, his cock gripped like a vice by the heavenly muscles, but now Loki was sitting on top of him, petting Tony's face domineeringly. So you're the submissive again. Well, yeah... but I've made my point. Tony squirmed for a long while, trying to make sense of the overwhelming sensations. Loki waited until Tony was finally still, panting and crooning and wondering if he had ever felt anything more tight or more warm in his entire life. "Is there anything more you need, pet?" Tony put his hands together, over his head. He didn't have to say anything. Leather bindings pulled his wrists together and tightened. "Gag?" Tony shook his head hard. "Kiss me." Loki captured his mouth. Tongues fought for dominance as they slid over each other wildly. Tony yelled into Loki's mouth as the god's hips finally moved. He ground up and down on Tony's cock and Tony arched and bucked. "Fast or slow?" "Slow, at first," Tony choked. Loki complied. He moved slowly and Tony arched his head back, focusing on the sensation as he slid in and out of the warm, tight passage. Every nerve in his body was connected to his cock. He could feel the power in Loki's muscles, gripping him tight. It was almost painful and that was all the better for Tony. Pain made this overwhelming and Tony, despite his moment of control to provoke the situation, still wanted to be the one being schooled, the one hopelessly out of his depth. It was exciting. More. "Fast, hard," Tony commanded as it became too much to hold out. Loki rode him hard. The bed was shaking alarmingly. Tony could hear bed springs. The movement was shattering his world around him. He pulled hard on the restraints, needing to know that they were there. Loki, so completely aware of his lover's wants and needs, pulled up sharply with the leash. Tony, his eyes closed, felt Loki's domination over him through that action and he groaned in guttural pleasure. "I'm… I'm going… I'm going to-" Tony bleated, squirming and writhing. "My boy. Please cum, cum inside me." Tony screamed out Loki's name as he came. Loki slowed his movements, pulling every last drop from Tony as he could. He watched the mortal with tender eyes as he passed out. Tony awoke in Loki's arms not long later. It took a while to get his bearings, but one thing was

very apparent and pressing hard against his thigh. "You're still hard," Tony muttered. "You were asleep. I did not want to waste it." "I was unconscious," Tony clarified, a little bitterly. It really wasn't doing much for his ego to be so thoroughly worked over by his god that he just slipped out of conscious every orgasm. It made him... helpless in Loki's arms. As annoyed as he was, Tony smiled gently. He returned back to the here and now Loki's lips glided over his neck. Tony shifted slightly. "Do you want me to-" "What do you want to do with it, Tony?" Tony considered. "In me." "Are you sure?" "In me." "Shh, relax. I have needed this for some time now. It will not be long." Tony relaxed in Loki's arms as the god pushed into him. Loki was right. There was a very short time thrusting into him, making Tony's body shake with the force and soon Loki was gasping out, closing his teeth over Tony's shoulder and biting as he came. When he finished, he sighed out, kissed Tony on the cheek and pulled the covers up to surround them. "Sleep for a while." "Stay with me." "Until your dreams take you. But then I must leave. I have preparations to make." "þjá ey?" "Yes." "Okay." "Tony?" "Yes?" "Happy Birthday."

þjá ey Tony lay in bed for a long time after he'd woken up. He stared at the ceiling. So this was it, then. D-Day. He was going to do some god knows voodoo ceremony with Loki, jumping head first into an ancient magic - which he didn't even believe in - tying himself to another for all eternity all for the sake of not losing a man he needed. A man who happened to be an insane, ancient Nordic god of chaos he was supposed to be enemies with. This was such a bad idea Tony couldn't even believe he was considering it. Even he, the King of Awful Decisions, even he, couldn't be so stupid. But... They were... amazing together. It seemed like such a teenage thing to say, but it was true. Tony had never felt like this. Never lived like this. Tony felt better now than he had ever done in his life. Tony took a while in the bathroom; brushing his teeth, a long shower, washing his face. He pulled back the fringe from his eyes, noting the strands of grey he generally worked hard to cover up. He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out his best suit. Later he would wonder why. Maybe at this moment where he was being the most un-Stark he had ever been, he at least had to cling to the look. He snapped on cuff links and fixed his collar. Right. Well. No more stalling. The billionaire playboy pushed open the door. He didn't know what he was expecting, but whatever he was he was disappointed. Loki was sitting, sprawled out lazily on a sofa, reading a book. Otherwise, nothing seemed out of place. Loki glanced up, his eyes running over Tony sceptically. "Going somewhere?" "Just because you have no sense of style, no need to poke at mine." "I prefer you in less." "You prefer me naked." "Yes." Tony smiled and walked to the bar. "If you wouldn't mind returning the booze you pinched, I'd appreciate it. I'm in the mood to get drunk." "I need you sober for this." Tony's eyes closed momentarily. "For what? Oh, right - so we're still doing that?" Smooth, perhaps he won't realize you haven't been thinking of anything else. "I need you sober, so you can't say later I got you drunk and forced you into this." Tony snapped the little metal tab back on a can. "Diet Coke?" "I want you to ask me. I want you to beg." "Diet Coke, mind you. Not because I'm concerned about my figure or anything. It just tastes better." "Tony..." Loki sighed. "You want a Coke?"

Loki shook his head, tired in the way that parents of five year old are tired. "No, I don't want a Coke, diet or otherwise. I want you. Now." "I'm pretty worn through at the moment." "I've heard that before." "Hey!" Tony objected. "You're backing out? Again?" "I didn't say that." Loki eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what are you saying, Tony?" "Are we doing this or not? I'm getting sick of dancing round the fucking thing." "There's no need to be scared of this, Tony. It is a beautiful moment." Tony glared. "You've done this before?" "Not I, but I have seen it performed between an old god from Asgard and a lovely little nymph from one of the nine realms. "What happened?" "They lived together in Asgard for many hundreds of years." Tony knew there must be more. "And then?" Loki shrugged. "He died in battle. Against the Ice Giants. As is the way of things, she withered away and died." Tony really, really wanted a drink. "Well that sounds fun." He turned back to the bar and then away again as he remembered that it was empty. "And if I die, you just find another squeeze." He walked past Loki, not looking at him, heading for the TV cabinet. "You think me that contrary?" Tony pulled open the cupboard. "Where's my emergency vodka?" "With the rest of it. Answer my question." "I think you've lived for a thousand of years and you're going to be alive for thousands more." "With you." "And if I die?" Loki smiled and it was that old, dangerous, maniacal smile Tony had come to know, love and fear all at once. "I won't allow it." Tony rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. "Are we doing this or not?" "Not until you ask me. Not until you beg." "Get on with it." "No." Tony knew what he was doing. In a way, he understood. Loki needed Tony not to have a leg to stand on later when accusations like, 'but you made me' started getting thrown around. Tony squirmed inside. After his… after he had snapped, said those terrible things to Loki, even Tony

couldn't be sure it would never happen again. Tony had a safe word. Loki needed this. He closed his eyes briefly and remembered the Mine carved into his thigh. It had scarred over like the My Boy. The My Boymade Tony hard when he touched it. The Mine made him shudder in remembered domination. He used it as a remembrance, as a warning to himself that any hatred on his part towards Loki would be met with painful, controlling, devastating love. It was screwed up, messed up and perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen to him. "You want me to beg?" Tony asked bitterly. "I don't beg for anything." Ha! When haven't you with him? "I understand," Loki said soothingly. "And I'm sorry. But you must." Tony sat down heavily on the sofa. He pulled open the collar of his shirt, letting his tie hang down and unbuttoning the top few buttons. Blue light gently shimmered under his shirt. "I've had women throwing themselves at my feet, you know." "That must have been fun," Loki said blandly. "Begging to have my kids." Tony drank his Coke, trying to convince himself it was scotch. Bubbly scotch, admittedly. "I was named Most Eligible Bachelor in Time Magazine nine times." "What are you trying to say, Tony?" "You're lucky to have me," Tony said, his eyes fixed on Loki. Loki tilted his head, a vague smile playing on his lips. "Yes. Which is why you're going to be my Thrall. I'm not letting you go anywhere now I have you. All this I have made so abundantly clear. I want you, Tony Stark, now and forever. Now, it's your turn." Loki's eyes flashed and his smile broadened. "Go on, my love. It's not so painful." Tony looked at the floor. "I want to be yours, Loki." "Tell me." Tony looked up with a glare, gave in and said, "I want to be bound to you; I want to be your Thrall." "Yes?" "Please. Please, Loki. You've promised already never to leave so let's just do this and move on. So we can end this argument and start having some new ones." "More." "Nine times most Most Eligible Bachelor." "Tony." "I hate you," Tony muttered. "Please, Loki, I'm begging you. Make me yours. I've never been so happy and I've never been so calm. It's because of you." Loki stood, turning away. For a minute, Tony believed he was leaving, finally getting what he wanted. Loki had started all this wanting to destroy Tony. This would be the moment to leave. A thoroughly humiliated and beaten Tony, begging to be bound. Begging, in effect to be married. Instead Loki walked to their duffel bag. He pulled out a long black ribbon like strip of cloth. Tony stared at Loki as he looked at it in almost adoration. What an anti-climax.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" "Yes." Tony smirked, affecting shock. "But it's not gold. I thought all Asgardian shit was gold." Loki ignored him. "Usually there would be a public ceremony in front of the people of Asgard. Odin would use his magic and there would be a sacrifice. You'll forgive me if I'd rather we did this privately and without the blessing of the All Father." "And hopefully without you getting blood on the floor," Tony said warning. "What sort of sacrifice?" "The Asgardian would present a kill to his Thrall. Historically and symbolically, it was meant as proof that the Thrall would be supported by his or her Asgardian and would not starve." "Well, we can order a pizza if you want." "Please try to take this seriously, Tony." "If you want serious, then can I suggest that I'm not your first choice for this?" Desperate to belong to Loki, yet doing everything he could to warn him off. What was wrong with him? "Come here." "This is going to be magic, isn't it? I don't believe in this crap." "Come here." "Can't we just elope to Vegas? They do Elvis weddings." "Come here." Tony moved towards Loki carefully. Probably Loki was going to wave his hands around and do some magic mumbling and then they could just move on with this stupid argument. Just like most married couples; for one of them, the wedding was an important, moving event and for the other had done it mostly just to make their partner happy. It didn't mean anything in the long run. "Don't worry, Tony." "I'm not. It's a load of bullshit, that's all I'm saying." Tony moved so he was right in front of Loki, glancing up at the face which ruled his life, his dreams and his nightmares and looking away quickly. "Fucking waste of time." "Give me your hand." Tony hesitated and complied. "Don't be scared, Tony." "I'm not." "Relax." "I am," Tony snapped through gritted teeth. "It will only hurt momentarily." "What?" Tony asked in alarm. Loki's smile broke out over his narrow face, sly and cruel. Tony snorted. "Fucking asshole," he muttered with a rising smile.

Loki grasped Tony's hand and wrapped the ribbon around both of them. It was a fairly complicated knot to tie when you were only doing it with one hand, but Loki managed somehow. "We don't have to spend long like this, do we?" Tony asked. "Because, I gotta tell you, it looks weird." "Hush, child." "And I can't see myself going to training on the Helicarrier like this. Might get a bit awkward." "This is a moment I've pictured every day for over a year," said Loki gently, but seriously. "Please try not to be so contemptuous about it." Maybe it was the tone Loki used. It wasn't threatening, it wasn't promising punishment. It was just a serious, sad plea for Tony just to act like an adult for once in his life. Tony had heard it a thousand times before from hundreds of people. "Sorry," he muttered. He looked up as a warm hand stroked his face. "I am going to spend the rest of time making you submit to me through pain, lust and pure control. But for this moment, right now, I want you to want it." Because it won't work if you don't. The unsaid words hung in the air. Tony swallowed and nodded. Loki raised his free hand over their tied ones and began muttering something Asgardian. Despite Tony's every desire to let Loki have his moment, he couldn't help but be Tony. This was all so stupid and pointless. He gasped in alarm as the ribbon began to move and tighten like a black snake. Instinctively, he tried to pull his hand away. Loki yelped and grasped his hand harder. Tony noticed a burn appearing on Loki's hand. The god had stopped chanting and was now looking daggers at Tony. When he spoke however, it was still in the same, soothing tones. "Do not pull away, Tony. The magic senses that I am forcing you and will not allow the ritual to happen." "You're burnt!" "It will continue to burn while you struggle from me," Loki said gently, his eyes hard. Tony could tell he was in pain. He relaxed, letting his arm go limp. Loki breathed out hard and flexed his bound hand carefully, wincing in pain. He pulled the ribbon back slightly with a wince. There was a deep, red and black burn sunk into his skin. Blood was weeping, it looked agonising. Tony could feel the shudder of Loki's hand beneath his as he fought back the pain. "Magic has a price," he explained gently. "Magic is a little bit alive. I walk amongst it, I channel it through me and use it at will, but I do not own it. I cannot make myself master over it." Loki's gaze fixed on Tony. "All my life I have learnt how to tame and control a force of wondrous beauty, knowing full well that I would never truly own it. Knowing that one day, it could kill me. And you wonder how it is I rule you so completely, Tony, when I have been in training for keeping you since before you existed. Trust me. I am what you need. I know you, all of you, in a way that no one else does. And because of that, I respect you in a way no one else does. I will always give you what you need, in spite of what you want." Tony swallowed painfully. "I need you to give in," Loki growled. "I won't ever give in," Tony hissed back.

"Tony," Loki said warningly. He rolled his shoulders, composing himself. "Now, may I continue?" Tony glared, but nodded. Loki returned to the ceremony, his free hand hovering over their joined ones, muttering words alien to Tony. It sounded Asgardian, but not quite. Almost like Asgardian but with a different accent? Tony couldn't tell. Sounded fucking sexy though. The ribbon moved with a life of its own again and began growing more complicated and complex. It crept up his hand until it was forming a sort of bracelet around his wrist. All of a sudden, it began to turn to gold, shimmering and glowing. "Fucking knew it. It's always gold with you people," Tony muttered. Overwhelming exhaustion began to make him wobbly. His eyes blurred and his body swayed alarmingly. The last thing he remembered was that Loki's hand left his. Hazy eyes opened to see that they were still attached by ribbon, a long gold thread between them. It glowed white and melted into their skin. Tony fell backward. He was on a large gold, four poster bed. Like the one in Loki's quarters in Asgard. But this one had white chains holding him spread eagle. He was naked, which wasn't a huge surprise, but felt gentle warmth around him, like there was a fireplace in the room. But he couldn't see anything but black around the bed. What he probably should have been more worried about was the very large black panther curled up at his feet. Tony could hear it purring but knew better than to wake it. When it finally woke, it crept up, its graceful form swaying as it moved, betraying the power in its body, until it was standing on his chest. Tony realised then he didn't seem to have his arc reactor, but again, that was one of those little details that didn't bother him anymore. The black panther stared at him with green, starry eyes and leant down to lick his face over and over again. Tony tried to strain away but the white chains held him in place. He sighed in mild annoyance and just relaxed, letting the panther lick. "Tony." His eyes fluttered open. "There's a cat on me," he muttered thickly. There was a pause. Then a voice said, seemingly straining not to laugh, "None that I can see, my love." Tony jerked awake, pulling himself back together. "What?" He rubbed his face, turning around on the bed in Stark Tower. Loki was lying next to him, his chest shaking with silent laughter. "What happened?" Tony asked groggily. "What cat?" "Fuck the cat." "It that a common Midgardian practice?" Loki asked, his white teeth sparkling. Tony threw him an angry look. "Well you're in a jolly good mood," Tony spat. He rubbed his face again. "I feel like I've got a hangover. Again. What time is it?" "Six in the morning." "What?" "Six in the morning on Saturday." Loki clarified. Tony paused. "I've been asleep for a day and a half?"

"It was to be expected," Loki said soothingly, stroking Tony's hair possessively. "The binding is a strenuous process for the mortal partner. Some do not even survive it." Tony knocked the hand away angrily. "At what point were you going to mention that?" "Now, obviously. If you had died, it would not have been necessary to explain." "You sorry son of a bitch." Tony swung his legs out of the bed and walked unsteadily to the bathroom. "You know what? Between this and the crossing to Asgard you… the pair of you, you and Thor! You fucking Odin brothers… Urgh! Fuckers! I'm going to take a piss, have a shower and find food. Then I'm going to punch you in the head!" "Hurry back," Loki said placidly as Tony shut the door on him. Tony rested his back against the door, taking a moment to gather himself. He jumped out of his skin when he heard Loki's voice through the door. "And when you're finished, you must let me take your beautiful body." "Oh, must I?" "You did not think that the only purpose of þjá ey was immortality? Tony, wait until you feel what it's like now when I take you. What it's like when two bodies who share a bound soul writhe as one. We will be inside of each other like you have never experienced." Suddenly, the urge to kill the monster wasn't as important as getting fucked by him. "Okay," Tony breathed, feeling a little helpless. Tony was more keen than he was willing to believe. He felt... like he was coming out of a hangover. But nothing felt different. It all seemed pretty normal. It was not the fireworks and life changing phenomena he was expecting. When Tony left the bedroom some time later, it was to find a pile of food on the table. Loki, with seemingly no idea what Tony would want, had clearly just told Jarvis to order everything Tony generally ordered from takeaways. Chinese, Italian, Thai; it was all just heaped up on the table. Tony shrugged. Wasn't the first time he had eaten this stuff at seven in the morning. First time it was hot though. He was just surprised these places were open so early. But for a customer like Tony Stark, they would never have turned down the order. Tony shovelled crispy pork belly, jasmine rice and hoisin sauce into his mouth. Loki glanced over from the sofa where he seemed engrossed in yet another book. Is that all the man did? Plot to take over the world, read and drive Tony's body into any surface he could find? "Attractive," Loki muttered in mild disdain. Tony flipped him off angrily. "I've been asleep for a day and a half no thanks to you." "It was certainly the most peaceful time I have spent with you." Tony rolled his eyes, starting on a Pepperoni pizza. "Where's the booze?" "No booze." Tony paused, thinking ahead. "Can we – I mean, whatever, but we should go to that room." "The one with no escape," Loki said blandly. Tony glared. He was as good as saying Loki please lock me away somewhere I can never leave. "We can stay here if you want, dear," Tony said in a henpecked tone.

"No. I think we should go home." "Whatever you want, dear," Tony mocked, saving whatever was left of his pride. Tony finished his food quickly, finishing off a couple of bottles of water. "Let's go," he said, far too keenly. Loki smiled and closed the book. "Of course, but you don't want to go, do you? After all, you're just the unfortunate victim in all this." "Obviously," Tony said. "Now come on." "Clothes off. You're not bringing them." "Serious-" "I have never been more so." Tony rolled his eyes and stripped quickly. "I don't know why I bother to dress," Tony muttered darkly. "Indeed, I don't know why you bother to dress either," Loki agreed playfully. Loki walked over and pulled Tony into his arms. Tony gritted his teeth against the blackness, the feeling of being turned inside out. He'd never get used to it. Though at least it wasn't a crossing. When he opened them again, he moved past Loki and practically threw himself on the bed. He heard Loki's chuckle behind him but ignored it. He turned back to face him, waiting patiently on his knees. Loki shimmered and said, "A little something for you, love. For doing so well in the ritual." His usual heavy clothes transforming themselves into black jeans and a green dress shirt, almost identical to Tony's private fantasies. Fuck, how had he known? Tony bit back a croon. His god was so beautiful. Loki opened the fly of his jeans and Tony was crawling forward to suck Loki's offering. Loki sighed, his head falling back and one hand resting on Tony's head. Tony shuddered for a long moment after the first heartfelt suck. Fucking fuck. Loki had been so right. This felt better than it had ever done. His body was buzzing with excitement as every pleasure centre in his mind lit up like a Christmas tree. Tony spent a long time just experimenting, sucking and licking and bobbing back and forth and feeling this inner sense of completion. He pulled off and that sense disappeared, leaving a cold hollowness inside of him. He pushed back and suddenly he was full beyond his imaginings. Tony didn't last long. As much as he enjoyed performing, this fullness was so wonderful, he needed to know. He pulled away again. "Loki, please. Just for once, no games, just fuck me." Loki smoothed Tony's hair away from his eyes and lifted a bottle of lubricant from his pocket; he took a handful himself, stroking his cock and put the rest into Tony's hand. Tony lay back, quickly and shamelessly preparing himself with quick and fumbling fingers. As Loki stripped and joined him on the bed, Tony wrapped his legs around Loki's waist. "You're an eager little boy, aren't you," Loki breathed in delight as he guided his way to Tony's opening. "I need this!" Tony sighed. "I know," Loki crooned. "I know." He pushed in and for a second both he and Tony lost themselves completely in the feeling. Tony would never forget it. A hole in his chest that he never knew was there was finally filled. He felt like his eyes were open, he was staring into a new world of colour. He could feel every texture

against his skin. He could suddenly taste Loki again in his mouth. Everything was pure and heightened. Tony lay still under Loki, almost too afraid to move. Loki, who seemed to have been equally stunned, gathered himself back together first and pushed in a little deeper. Tony thought he was going to explode with the fullness. Loki's head dropped onto Tony's shoulder as the god panted for a long while. "I n-n," Loki stuttered. He shifted and Tony groaned loudly and Loki shuddered with a desperate gasp. "I never real-ised- Oh Yggdrasil! Oh Tony, oh yes!" Tony couldn't say anything, do anything. He felt that if he even blinked this would all shatter. Loki was muttering Asgardian and panting over him, wonder and ecstasy in his eyes. Open and honest, Loki was losing himself in the moment in a way he had never done with Tony before. Loki blinked hard and shook his head. Shuddering, he pulled out completely. Tony almost sobbed as the cold rushed in to fill the hollow in his... his... damn. Loki was right. It was a soul. "In, please!" he cried. Loki began a slow thrusting. It wasn't even about the sex. Cumming was the last thing on either of their minds. They were almost too intimidated by the idea. If this is what if felt just being so close? It was about being connected in a world of sensation. Tony hand reached up and pulled Loki down onto his chest as the god's hips moved lazily. "I never thought that I could ever feel like this," Tony whispered. Loki nodded silently. "I love you so much," Tony said, feeling as though he were holding a gun against his head. It was without a doubt the scariest thing he had ever done. He waited, feeling like he was teetering over the edge of a cliff. Loki raised his head and kissed him. "I love you too, Tony." Tony blinked hard. Fuck no, don't you dare Tony. Pull yourself together! "Good," he said, forcing a swaggering tone. "Now be a dear and fuck me into the bed." Loki smiled and obliged. Better than drugs, better than booze, better than fast cars or saving the world. Tony closed his eyes, clinging onto Loki's panting body and couldn't stop the smile.

Thoughtless Moment Tony looked up over his drink. "Stop what?" "Smiling. It's getting annoying." Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You've had that fixed grin on your face all day." "I noticed that too," Steve said. "Did you GI Joe? How smart," Tony said. "And I've been wearing my mask all day, so I dispute your facts. Now pass me the soy sauce." A meal after a fight, like after the Chitauri attack in New York. It happened every now and again, usually after a win and so long as there were no injuries. Nowadays, it tended to happen after the more boring fights. If boring was a word you could really use. It was the Wednesday after the weekend of his birthday and the first time he was in the company of his Avenger friends since the… marriage. No one had spotted it, despite the fact he felt like it must be printed all over his face. This meal was coming at the tail end of a pretty boring fight. It had been more of a political stunt than anything else. With Doom quiet, no doubt crafting all new ways of messing with them, the Avengers had been sent to a hideout in Prague where the beginnings of a new terrorist group had been forming. They had taken down them down, found the laughable lab where they had been creating, or trying to create, dirty bombs and had handed them off to officials to be sentenced. Sending in the Avengers for something so trivial had seemed like overkill, though it at least sent the message that terrorist groups now had to potentially face the Hulk. That must give any budding terrorist pause for thought. For Barton and Natasha, it had been your everyday mission. Steve was just happy to serve his country like a good little soldier. Tony wasn't sure what Thor and Bruce felt about it, but personally, it left Tony feeling used. And not in the good way. The Avengers weren't supposed to be another branch of government. Loki's right. Natasha's right. You really don't have any grasp of politics. So, it was Sushi today. They picked at the plates sailing past on the large conveyer belt winding round the restaurant, eating, laughing and talking about anything that didn't involve explosions, death or villainy in general. Thor had not been keen at first, these little parcels of fish not appealing to his typical outlook on food. However, he delighted in the conveyer belt, his large, blue keen eyes following the colourful plates passing him, grabbing whatever took his fancy and creating a mountain of bowls. Needless to say, he had completely ignored the chopsticks. Tony sat on the other side of the table, picking at the Tekka and finishing his hot Sake. He was just losing himself in a mental fantasy of sex in an airplane bathroom with a tall, slender white god when Natasha and Steve decided to jump him. Natasha fixed him with her usual lie detecting stare. "You spent the weekend with Lockley?" "Don't you people have your own personal lives to think about?" "Was she in the car too?" Natasha asked. "What car?"

"The one you bent round a lamppost," Steve chipped in. "Backwards. How d'you manage that?" Barton asked, moderately impressed seemingly in spite of himself. Tony sighed, but he had already thought about this one beforehand. "I wasn't in the car." "Then who was driving it, Tony?" Tony shrugged and spread his arms. "I saw the damage when they hauled it back. You really expect me to be sitting here after that?" "You were so drunk that night you probably don't even remember." "I'd remember getting my head split open, right?" Tony asked. "The car was totalled." "Where is it now?" "Coca Cola cans, probably. I had it broken up for parts. And I wasn't as drunk as all that. I walked back home and yes, Lockley and I spent the weekend… doing stuff. What crime have I committed this time?" "Don't you want to find out who stole your car?" Natasha asked. "Seems weird that you don't," Steve added. Tony raised a finger, waving it at the pair of them, "Now, see, she's got all the ideas. And all you're doing is piling on." "You were in a car crash?" Bruce asked. "Are we doing a round robin here? Haven't we already established I wasn't?" "Were you injured?" "I wasn't in the car, Bruce." If you sit here any longer, you're going to trip yourself up. "Okay," Tony said, standing. "I'm going home. But it was fun, let's save the world again sometime. Meal's on me. Unless anyone else wants to pick up Thor's tab; he's yet to figure out the exchange rates for his gelds." Tony was already walking away when he heard it. His heart sank. "Gelds?" "What?" Tony turned, grimacing internally. Barton was frowning. "What's a geld?" "Coins," Thor said. "It's Asgardian currency." Tony shrugged uncomfortably. "Wow, I must have spent too much time in Asgard." "And you learnt the language?" Natasha said disbelieving. Tony threw on his best superior air. "I speak four languages. How about you?" "Ten." "No one likes a show off," Tony said. "And I know that from experience. Are there even ten

languages in the world?" "I am finished also," Thor announced standing and pushing past Barton and Steve. "And I wish to speak with you, my friend." "Fine," Tony said, walking out of the restaurant with the man. Once they were outside, Tony decided the only way to play this was to be Stark. "You got something for me? Only I'm late for my playboy lifestyle." "There is something different about you, Tony. I simply cannot say what." "Ah-huh. Is that all?" "No," Thor said with a smile. "That is not what I wanted to speak to you about. I was merely saying… it doesn't matter. I am happy that you're happy, Tony." Would you be if you knew? "What I wanted to say was; I was in Asgard until today." "Jumping back and forth can't be good for you," Tony, acting disinterested, dialling his phone and raising it to his ear. "The Queen requested that I extend an invitation to you to return to Asgard in the future." "Thought I couldn't go back without dying?" "Indeed," Thor said with a sigh. "It is true. But I could not ignore her request. Though it seems odd-" "Hogan, it's me. Bring the car around would you? Thanks. Go on, Thor, I'm listening." "I was saying, it seems odd-" "You passed on the message. Thanks. Tell your mum it's a kind offer, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Or not in a million years. Or ever. Anyway, this is my ride." Well, that was unbearable. Tony left the hero standing on the sidewalk as he pulled away. Loki had assured him that Thor wouldn't know. Or at least, he wouldn't know for sure. But he may… The way Loki described it, it sounded like a sixth sense. Like when you got a bunch of women together. When one's pregnant, the others would, most of the time, just know. But when asked to explain, they would inevitably resort to the stock phrases like 'she's just glowing'. It was something you picked up on, especially if you had been through it before. But you would never really be able to explain why. Thor may have a feeling about it, but, probably because he hadn't been through it, he wouldn't be able to know, know. Not like other Asgardians might. And the Queen was suddenly keen to have him back. Did she know, know? She might know that Loki had always been heading in that direction, but she was in an entirely different realm right now. She couldn't know, know, right? This is all getting a bit childish, don't you think? Isn't it time to just come clean? Tony thought about telling Thor in all seriousness. No.

Or maybe if I could be certain the hammer was locked away somewhere. As Tony walked into the entrance hall of the tower, he wasn't at all surprised to find Loki there. "Tony, Tony, Tony," breathed the silky voice. Tony groaned. "What the fuck did I do this time?" he demanded. Loki pressed into Tony's body, his arms coming around the playboy's chest. "Shh," the god breathed into his ear. Tony rolled his eyes and relaxed back into the embrace. Fuck knows what's prompted this mood, but Tony was going to enjoy it while he could. A warm wet tongue ran over his ear. "Thor noticed," Tony said, trying to sound casual about it. "I'm assuming from the fact that I am uninjured, he did not manage to identify the change." "You really think he'll go crazy?" Loki chuckled. "Why else would I make you my thrall?" If I'm guilty of being so Tony Stark, then he's guilty of being so Trickster. Tony tried to push Loki off, just that little bit angry. "I fucking knew it." "Calm yourself, my love. I only tease," Loki said, the chiding tones sounding so mocking with that smile he wore. Tony struggled until he finally gave up, the iron grip impossible to budge. "I honestly hate you sometimes." Loki laughed softly. Tony shuddered in pleasure as the tongue ran over his neck. "And I'm really not fond of the licking, you know," Tony lied in a grumble. Loki's body pushed against him in close, rubbing movements. Tony pushed back equally, giving Loki better access to his neck. Tony was still high and, truth be told, a little terrified by the after effects of the binding. It wasn't a feeling easily described. It wasn't the classic heart-throb crap, being in pain when he's not around blah blah blah. Tony could function fine without him. And yes, he thought about him all the time. But he was doing that before the voodoo too. In all honesty, Tony felt no different from before. Despite all his fears and anxieties, he was still Tony. When the effects were truly noticeable was when Loki was around. It wasn't until Loki was back in the room did Tony suddenly feel a weight he hadn't known was there being lifted. Suddenly feeling warm when he didn't remember being cold. Suddenly finding the world was bright when he didn't remember it being dark. When Loki was gone, Tony was just getting by. When he was here, Tony lived. As Loki's hand ran down to cup him through his trousers, Tony tried to push the hand away and there was a brief struggle as Loki, through pure strength, forced Tony's hands away. Loki grasped him tightly. Tony hissed as the grip pressed and stroked his groin through the jean fabric. It was uncomfortable and glorious.

"Stop it," Tony spat. "No." Tony's eyes fluttered as the other hand rubbed his chest, catching his nipple and causing the little nub to stiffen. Loki wretched the t-shirt out of his jeans and forced his hand up so cool fingers could pluck and twist. Tony felt his breathing getting more and more laboured as his hips rocked unconsciously, slowly fucking the hand which squeezed him. "Stop it," he repeated in a weaker voice. "No," Loki whispered as he unzipped Tony's fly. Tony shuddered as Loki's hand, a little cold against such heated skin wrapped thumb and forefinger around the thick base of his cock. Tony felt the groan rise unbidden in his throat. Loki wasn't stroking or pulling, just holding. Standing here, holding Tony still far more effectively than he could with any leash. It made Tony feel weak. "Fuck," he breathed. "Stop." Loki nibbled at the base of Tony's neck, teeth closing over the collar bone. "Say stop one more time and I will," he warned darkly. Tony swallowed and said nothing. Like a true connoisseur, Loki waited until Tony's rocking and panting reached the right pitch before releasing him from his arms. "Come along now," he beckoned, walking to the lift. Tony pulled his clothes back straight, wincing slightly as the trousers were now just a little too tight. He followed angrily, slumping against the wall of the lift. "I'm busy today, you know." "You can tinker with your toys after I have played with mine." "Fuck off. And I meant I'm busy with real work. I have a conference call at five." "There is always time later." "Really? Will there ever be a moment where you don't want sex?" Loki was quiet, apparently thinking. Then he turned a beaming smile on Tony. "No, you're absolutely right. There will never be a moment that I don't want your body." His green eyes twinkled so happily that Tony had to turn away, hiding the answering smile on his own face. Tony shook his head as the man virtually skipped out the lift. Tony followed, his dejected attitude now entirely put on. "Don't you want to ask me about my day first? I thwarted a ring of terrorists today." "I am pleased for you. Now, clothes off." Tony sighed and stripped slowly. Loki watched with joy, before grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the bedroom. "Bar the doors and raise the drawbridge," Loki's words fluttered happily. "No interruptions. Just you and I and a night of panting." Tony licked his lips. "No one into the tower, Jarvis." "Yes sir." "No interruptions," Tony said. "Unless it's an emergency call." "Not even if it's an emergency call," Loki warned.

"I can't-" Tony began to argue, but the words ended in a whine as Loki's hand darted out, grabbed his length in a tight grip and started stroking with a frantic energy. "Come on," Loki murmured, "that's it." Tony felt the blood rushing down, his erection growing almost painfully quickly. "Such a good boy," Loki said. He chuckled. "Now tell me how glad you are to be my thrall." "Yeah, I'm so glad I can help you out in your quest to fuck with Thor." "Ah, did you believe my terrible, terrible words downstairs?" Loki's second hand reached out to push Tony's fringe out of his eyes, stroking it back and away from his face. "Come on, precious little boy. Don't waste your time worrying over my wickedness when you could be cumming." Tony swallowed as his cock throbbed, twitching in Loki's hand. "How glad are you to be my thrall?" "Definitely a seven out of ten," Tony said with a dark little smile. Loki smacked his face hard and his length twitched again in response to the rush of arousal. Tony's eyes opened his gaze heavy and hazy now. "Again." The smack was harder and made his face sting. Tony yelped in shock as Loki's thumb, gathering up the bead of pre-cum, rubbing over and over the head. Tony shuddered and leaned forward, a silent beg for a kiss. Loki assented, lowering lips. Tony's tongue slipped in, dancing with Loki's. His hand moved to grasp Loki's arm, but Loki batted it away. Tony felt unsteady on his feet as he tried to match the plundering energy of Loki's mouth. But without Loki letting him hold on, he was just a weak and dizzy man standing with his cock in a controlling fist. It can't be just the sex. How does he make me so happy to be alive? "How long do I have to stand here until you fuck me?" Tony moaned. "Turn." Tony threw him a sulky look before turning his back. Loki stroked fingers in deep. Tony was taking more on first penetration than he had ever done before. It was still a stretch, but there was no pain. Loki's fingers pushed firmly and when they reached the prostrate, rubbed hard without warning. Tony's mouth hung open, gasping, his eyes firmly closed against the mounting pressure of pleasure. His fists clenched and unclenched as he fought for control. Fireworks behind his eyes just didn't do it justice. "Do you ever remember it feeling like this?" Loki asked in Tony's ear. Tony shook his head wildly. "Are you glad to me my thrall?" "Maybe," Tony croaked desperately. That pretty much used up the last of his resistance. Loki clucked and slammed his fingers, fucking his ass roughly. Tony flew onto the balls of his feet, trying to escape the abuse. "Ah!" "Do you think you could have remained on your feet, feeling this, before the binding?"

"N-ah-ga!" Tony's back was arching where he stood, it was a weird feeling. What he would give to be strung up right now so he didn't have to worry about falling over. "Are you glad to be a slave?" "Ah-oh-huh," he gasped. Loki pulled away and patted Tony's backside. "Off to the bed now." Tony stumbled in, falling awkwardly onto the mattress, crawling forward blindly. Loki followed, never too far away. He pulled Tony down, into his lap, folding the boy up in his arms. Tony felt his arms being pinned against his sides. Loki's mouth was back over his ear. "Can you feel that... Fullness? In your chest. In your soul... Our soul. Whole and full and one. I haven't been able to think of anything else since the binding." Tony slurred something incoherent. Loki pulled his head round and kissed him passionately. Tony whimpered and squirmed slightly in the lap. Out the corner of his eye, he felt the sudden nakedness of his partner before he saw the shimmer. As Loki's teeth captured Tony's tongue and began suckling, Tony squirmed again. And the length beneath him began to solidify and press against the cheeks of his ass. Tony panted in anxiety, desperate to be taken, helpless to make it happen. He struggled weakly but Loki paid no attention. His pace. His rules. His control. Tony's cock leaked pre-cum, dripping messily. He whimpered and whined as Loki moved his mouth to bite and suck and lick his neck. "Now, are you glad to be my Thrall?" "Yes!" "Are you pleased to be a slave?" "Yes, yes!" Loki's one arm pinned Tony's arms down, the other reached down and stroked gently. Tony twisted and bucked the hand away. "No, no, in me," he begged. Loki grabbed and jerked harshly. Tony head swung back, throwing back over Loki's shoulder, as he yelled out in ecstasy and anger. He came into the fist, shuddering as he finished. When it all stopped, Tony felt limp. Awake but paralysed. He felt Loki shift beneath him. "Before you were a slave, you would have passed out from that," Loki whispered. Tony couldn't focus, just floated on the haze surrounding him. He should have passed out, his body wanted to, but he was still awake. He was lifted up... then dropped. He couldn't even whimper as he sank down on Loki's cock, taken remorselessly, gravity and the god against him, until he finally came to stop, flush against Loki's lap. Loki was panting, groaning, making noises of his own. All Tony could do was stare and shiver. He felt lips traveling his back, kissing him wetly. "This isn't about Thor. It hasn't been about revenge in so long."

Tony was lifted again. Again he sank down and Loki's gasping shudder behind him. He hung in the arms, unable to get his body to respond. Loki pulled him up again; let him slide down the hard cock again. It was almost the pinnacle of the passive side of their relationship. Loki so often wanted Tony to be right there with him, but for now, he was just getting used. Loki rubbed his face into Tony's hair, his hands reaching around to stroke Tony's thighs. "Before you were a thrall, how long do you think it would take for you to be ready once more?" Fucking days after an orgasm like that. Loki soothed and petted Tony's shoulders and back for a while, before beginning to gently massage his balls. Tony cringed in the expectation of discomfort, but none came. Usually, after activity like that, he'd be too sore for touch, too painful. That was just biology. Human biology. Tony was Tony 2.0 now. Upgraded with extra capacity for wild, wet, hungry sex. Tony would have smiled if he could move. Even the muscles in his face felt dead, putty in Loki's arms. It wasn't long before Loki was stroking with long pulls, occasionally rubbing and gently twisting the head. Tony found he was almost breathing in sync with the actions. His muscles were shaking now. His tongue felt thick and heavy but he tried anyway. "Pl-z." Please stop? Please more? Tony had no idea. "Hush, boy. You're in no position to argue." This is what he wants and all I have to do is take it. "Just relax and accept what I want do to you. What choice do you have?" Loki lifted Tony up and let him sink down again. Tony's body flinched at the stretch; his cock began to stiffen once more. Tony tried to shift, but immediately regretted it as the riged cock inside of him hit his prostate. His cock jumped painfully in Loki's hand as his nerve endings screamed in ecstasy. "There we are," Loki said approvingly. "All ready for more. Such a wonderful toy I have, I love you so much. Now. Tell me. How glad are you I turned you into a slave?" Tony nodded slowly. "Truth is so much more believable when you remove words. Words are so deceitful. Are you happy?" Tony's head turned, lips pressing gently again and again against Loki's forehead. Tony shuddered as Loki lifted him again and let him drop. This carried on for a little while until Loki carefully wrapped his arms around Tony's waist and moved until Tony was lying face down on the bed. Loki moved with amazing artfulness, his length never leaving Tony for a moment, even as he lifted Tony's hips to slide a pillow underneath. He reached under and readjusted Tony's cock so it was pressed between his body and the pillow. Tony was a little more together now, licking his lips, blinking and clenched down on the cock inside of, smiling wickedly as he heard Loki's gentle groan. "Are you my slave?" Oh shut the fuck up. Insecure prima donna. Tony's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm your partner."

Loki was silent for a long while as fingers stroked their way through Tony's hair. Eventually he said, "Yes. Yes, you are my mate. My partner. The other half of my soul. But you are also my thrall. My slave. My boy. Does that mean you're anything less to me? More than a slave and more than a partner. You're mine, Tony. Say it." "I'm yours." "And what are you?" Tony closed his eyes slightly as his internal war came to an explosive end. "I'm your slave." "And?" "Your mate." Tony shifted, trying to turn. "Want to see you," he muttered miserably as Loki placed a gentle but powerful hand between his shoulder blades, keeping him still. Suddenly Loki, Loki's clone, was in front of him, kneeling at the end of the bed. He reached out and clasped Tony's hand. Fingers interlocked as Tony stared up into the green eyes. "It is beautiful, the binding," Loki said soothingly. "It's an amazing thing we've done, Tony. You're never going to be alone again." Tony groaned heatedly as Loki began to move. He turned slightly but fingers caught his face and turned him back. "No. Behind you is just sex. I'm here. Look at me, your eyes on me." Tony stared into Loki as the cock dragged out and pushed into his body, stretching and probing. As it went deeper and deeper, Tony pulled Loki's hand closer to him. Hands so white and perfect and slender and… Before Tony's mind could awaken enough to work out exactly what was wrong, Loki began soothing with whispered words, his free hand stroking and petting his face. The thought already forgotten, Tony's hips began squirming, creating a heat and a friction against the pillow which was going to make him cum and soon too. Loki recognised the signs, the slight strain in his boy's face and the increase in gasps. "Whenever you want to, love. Whenever it feels right to you." Tony rocked his hips back, his mouth open, his field of vision getting nearer and nearer, his eyes locked on Loki. "Oh I love it when you dance for me, Tony." There was a cliff edge, a point where he pushed his body too far and when he fell, he wouldn't be able to stop the release for the world. "The tenseness in your jaw, the lines between your brows, the half open and panting mouth… its art, Tony. The way you experience your orgasms is an amazing sight." That used to be scary. Sex with Loki, it had always been scary. Loki had pushed Tony to feel sex in a way he had never done before. Sex with Loki was forced surrender and cumming an admission of how much he wanted it. "If I had any consideration for the rest of the world, I would tie you up and put you on display, making you cum again and again so they could watch this art. Ha. It is unfortunate for them that I do not share." Tony grunted, panting through gritted teeth as he got closer and closer. Loki's face moved up to his, wanting to share this moment Tony was feeling, his lips so close Tony's could feel his breath on his lips.

"That's it, that's it. You're so perfect." Tony felt his body spasm as he released suddenly. His eyes went wide; he gripped Loki's hand with a bone crushing force. He didn't yell or scream, it was silent apart from the strangled gasp. His upper body collapsed with his face pressing against Loki's hand as the thrusting behind him grew harder. Loki came with a howl which ended in a loud noise of relief. Loki fell to Tony side, gasping and moaning as his clone focused on encouraging Tony. "Come on, little one," he said, lifted Tony up and pulling him back so his head fell against the pillow at the head of the bed. "Get some sleep." "Wait," Tony breathed. He reached out blearily for Loki. As Loki moved closer, his face showing his puzzled frown, Tony grasped his hand and pulled it towards him. "Your hand." Hands are so betraying of their owners. Thor's hands, used to wielding a hammer, were large and rough. Loki had pianist fingers, long and slender. Smooth and clean as a scholar's. Manicured. But now there was a white cross starting halfway over his hand and finishing at the wrist, the second line crossing it near the knuckle of his thumb. It looked like an old scar, but Tony took a little pride in knowing Loki's body as well as the god knew his. "Your hand," Tony repeated. Loki chuckled and knelt down next to Tony's head. "I told you before, my love, magic loves its mischief making as much as I. Just… a little reminder. That force against my new found little pet is not tolerated." Loki was smiling. He seemed impressed with the magic. Almost proud of it. I did this. He makes me so happy and I do this to him. It had been a reaction, just an instinctual reaction to the moving ribbon that Tony pulled away. He wasn't unwilling. He hadn't meant one tiny little reaction to scar. "I-" Tony began. "Hush those words, the words I know you want to say. It's a little scar, that is all. I have already littered your body with plenty; it was time for one of my own. It will serve us well. It will remind me never to be too evil." Tony felt his eyes closing no matter how hard he fought to keep them open. "Will you be here?" Tony asked. "I'm sorry, I have pressing matters to attend to. I will not be back until tomorrow night. I will be here after your little fundraiser. I expect you to return sober, boy." "But... Your clone..." "Yes, what a lovely thought. To leave behind a clone to hold you while you sleep and take your mewling body again and again until you beg for mercy. But alas, I cannot maintain my image when my body is in another realm." Tony frowned. "Asgard?" "No, not Asgard. There are seven others to choose from."

"Jötunheimr?" "Go to sleep." As Tony began to slip into... Well, sleep was too optimistic a word. As he fell into unconsciousness, he felt the real Loki stand, shimmer back into his usual state and plant a brief kiss on Tony's head before pulling the covers over him. "That was divine," he heard the god whisper gently. "Thank you." xxx Sometime later, when Tony had finally pulled himself back together, he reluctantly got to back to work. Once a week, he had an hour long video conference with the main heads of Stark Industries. It was tiresome and annoying but a perfect opportunity to wind up his CEO. Tony was back down in the lab sitting at his desk and talking to the monitors around him. Faces were hanging in light, all watching him, all listening as Tony expounded on his plans for the arc reactor. That was one of the great things about being a billionaire; no one ever really told him to shut the fuck up. He finally finished, his vision of the future so solid in his mind he was convinced it was possible. He turned back to the screens, almost forgetting he was talking to people. "Well?" Two of the three faces agreed. Jimmy, or James Conway, was looking angry. I miss Pepper. But I miss her for her mind. "What's wrong, Jimmy?" Tony asked, his hand kneading a bright yellow stress ball with a smiley face on it. "I don't think it's a good idea." "You don't?" "Tony, we're expanding too fast, too soon," he said, now sitting up and leaning closer to the monitor. "If we try building into Asia now, we're going to take on a crippling financial burden, something I'd have no idea how to solve." "Isn't that your job?" Tony asked with a dark smirk. Jimmy sat back, angrily crossing his arms. "You brought me on as a businessman, not a devotee. Do what you want, Tony. But do it at the expense of the company and we've got problems." "Actually, I think you'll find that they'll be your problems, not mine." Tony's eyes now flickered to the two other faces. Both engineers and guys he trusted. Even if, one in fact, was a woman. The point was that these two people thought he was brilliant, because they understood what he was trying to do. But that's not the way politics works, is it? And one little thoughtless action causes so much pain. "Thanks guys," he said, shutting off the monitors. The middle image expanded now so Jimmy's feed took up the whole screen. "What's up?" "You shouldn't bring them to these meetings." "They're my top engineers. They're the ones who know what's going on in Stark Industries." "No, I do," Jimmy said angrily. "I do."

"You know money and not much else." "I'm not a visionary, or an engineer, I keep the books. I do the politics. That's all I do. And if you could do that, Stark the great genius, then you'd be in my job." Tony snorted. "Your job is boring." "My job is the only thing between you and financial ruin. You're an ego-centric, vain, selfish-" Jimmy paused, cursed violently and rubbed his hands over his face. He looked back at Tony and chuckled mirthlessly. "You know, Picasso never sold a painting in his life." "Why are we talking about Picasso?" "Tesla died penniless." "You're quite the ray of sunshine today, aren't you?" "You need me." Tony laughed. "Wow. Didn't see that coming. I'm flattered, but you're not my type." Jimmy looked like he was at the end of his rope. One little, thoughtless moment. And Loki ends up with a scar. One little, thoughtless moment and I manage to do so much damage to so many people. Tony sighed, squeezing the stress ball in his fist. "Did I ever tell you about the first thing I invented? It was a very specific programme which allows computers to learn. Real, cognitive computing and the first steps towards beating the Turing Test. Way more advanced than anything else out there. If I so say so myself. And I do. I wrote it out on the back of my maths text book in my sophomore year in university. Took me nearly a whole day to perfect it. Well, I was young. Three years later, I gave it to some guy I liked and trusted because he was working with AI and had better ability to put it to use. A month later, he published it as his own. It's now called Scrivener's Code." Jimmy watched Tony carefully. "I didn't know that." "It's not exactly a story I tell at parties." "You could sue." "I could sue." "But?" Tony shrugged. "Virtually every AI on the planet uses that code. I changed the world, whether it knows it or not. You know," Tony sat up now, looking at the man on the screen in all seriousness. "You know what I want? Actually, bad question. I want everything. That's all part of being an ego-centric, vain, selfish fucker. Do you know what I need? A lab. Take everything else from me and I might not be happy, but so long as I have a lab, I'll live. Take my lab from me and I'm as good as dead." I can't live in Asgard as Loki's toy. "I… create. I create things that you accountants could never even dream of. But you're right, I don't know politics. I don't know money. So I employ people like you. and all I ask is that you leave me alone to push the technological understanding of the human race as far forward as I can before, like Picasso, Tesla and Da Vinci, I die alone clinging to my last masterpiece." I'm not going to die alone. Not anymore.

"Mere invention can't sustain a company," Jimmy argued. "So everyone keeps telling me." I am Tony Stark. I am the owner of Stark Industries and I'm not dictated to by a guy who probably dreams in black and white. I am Tony, trying to resolve the fact I am both Stark and Boy. Loki's mate and toy. The Iron Man, one of Earth's greatest heroes, who's destined to live only while Loki lives. "I'm trying to help you, Tony." One day at a time, but today is going to be a bad day for anyone who tries to 'handle' me. Tony laughed. "I've noticed. Everyone always says that and to be honest, it's one of the major reasons I really don't think that much of people. Either they're lying or they're telling the truth and I don't know what's more pathetic. I'm a genius, obviously, but does it really take an IQ in the three digits to see that I'm not worth the effort everyone seems hell bent on giving? Give me my lab, brick the doors shut and fuck off. Am I so charming and sexy and handsome that you people just can't help yourself?" Why do people like Bruce and Loki and all the rest of them just not take the hint? Tony rolled his eyes at the world in general. "I want an arc reactor on every continent and if possible, every country before I die. That's what we're doing. If we get China on board, the rest of Asia follows." In the face of Tony's determination, the hapless Stark Industries CEO became frustrated again. "You want to build your legacy. Fine, I get it. I want to make sure that the thousands of people Stark Industries employs have jobs tomorrow!" "Do you get that the arc reactor could stop wars? Resource wars are just around the fucking corner. We've already been to war once over oil; this will make sure that will never happen!" "You can't use Stark Industries just to get your name into the history books-" "In case you haven't noticed, my name is already in the history books. And I'm not a side-note either, I'm a fucking chapter and I'm in the index." "The stock holders and I will not let you run the company into the ground for-" "My company. Stark Industries. Tony Stark. Nice to meet you." "This is getting us nowhere." "Then why are you still talking?" Jimmy sat back heavily in his chair, shaking his head and glaring at nothing. Tony wasn't as vexed as his colleague. It comes from forty years of believing you were always in the right and everyone around you was just that little bit too stupid to get it. But his time with the Avengers, his friendship with Thor and Bruce, and his newfound subservience was teaching him patience and docility. Not matter what he wanted to believe, it had changed him somewhat. More than a boy, more than Tony and more than the Iron Man. Walking into a new world knowing nothing more than I don't want to go back to what I was. He sighed, threw the ball up in the air a few times and catching it. "There's going to be an arc reactor on every continent before I die," Tony said, in a voice which

wouldn't accept anything other than this fact. "How that happens, we can talk about that." "Yeah and with the Avengers and that fucking suit," Jimmy said with a roll of his eyes, "means you could be dead tomorrow." Tony smiled. "And how much are you hoping that happens?" "You have no idea." Tony laughed and sighed. "Work up a plan. Show me what you've got. I won't dismiss it out of hand. But I don't have to agree to anything, got it?" Jimmy nodded and terminated the call. Tony sighed again, he felt worn through. That's enough work for the day. Time for the fun stuff. Tony returned to his car, determined to see if he could build a suit into the car, so that at a push of a button, he could get suited while driving. That would be so cool.

Caught "Welcome back, sir. How was the event?" Tony hauled himself out of the car. "The usual," he said, unable to hide the disappointment. "These things just aren't fun anymore." "I am sorry to hear that, sir." As Loki had demanded the night before, Tony was devastatingly sober. Only because there were no decent drinks at the event.No to mention that old dowager heiress who, unfortunately, tended to be at a lot of the parties Tony went to, had made a beeline for him and under such circumstances, it was better not to be wobbly when trying to make his escape. He made his way up to the flat and as soon as he got there, he quickly retrieved the gold tube from the bedroom, stroking it as he walked back into the kitchen. Loki shimmered into view. "How was it?" "Great," Tony lied, pouring himself a drink. "Threw some money around, chatted up the ladies, juggled knives, the usual." Loki titled his head. "Why would you juggle knives?" "I'm not too proud to admit I only do things sometimes to wind you up. What realm did you go to?" "Pardon?" Loki asked vaguely. Tony looked up curiously. "You heard. What realm did you go to after the sprint fuck last night?" "'Sprint fuck'? I hope you are not implying it was too fast for you, Tony. Because I will willingly draw your suffering out for longer if you really desire." Tony rolled his eyes. "So you don't want to talk about it." "No." Loki sighed. "Pour me one too." "Well, I had a long, long thoroughly unproductive talk with my CEO," Tony said. "He doesn't want to expand into Asia." "So soon? Surely it's a risk in this financial climate?" Tony looked up, agog. Loki shrugged dismissively. "Justin likes to talk. I let him." "Justin doesn't know shit. And 'financial climate' is code for 'my business isn't doing well'." "Whatever you say, my love." "Patronizing ass," Tony muttered. Tony handed the scotch over, but before Loki could drink it, Tony caught his mouth in a chaste kiss. Loki's eyes stared into Tony's. "Hum, lovely. Why?" "What, there has to be a reason?" Tony demanded. Then he smiled, leaned up and locked his lips over Loki's, stroking his tongue inside, exploring the mouth which featured in his every dream. He hummed delightedly, holding Loki's shoulder and pulling himself up, trying to get closer. Ridiculously tall bastard. Loki stoked his hand down Tony's back. The kiss lasted for… ages it seemed, before Tony finally

let go. Unwillingly, but hey, a guy's got to breathe. He was panting slightly, looking up at Loki, his eyes slightly dilated, his face heated and his lips red. "I bought a new car, too," he told Loki conversationally. "Wonderful." "One of the original Ford GT40s." "Is this one for driving, or for looking at?" Loki asked. His face was gentle and curious, his tone held that slight edge of mocking. Tony rolled his eyes. "You just don't get cars. So, you want to fuck or not?" Loki sighed again. "Well… alright then." Tony snorted and lay back against the arm of the sofa, pulling his slender god with him. Loki moved close and Tony wrapped his legs around him. The pale face hung over him then dipped in, kissing Tony deeply. Tony sank into it, revealing in the newly discovered gentleness. Loki moved and Tony gazed at the curve of his ear among the black hair as lips trailed along his jaw and into his neck. Loki ran his hands against the material against Tony's stomach, moving up to stroke his covered chest. He played with Tony's jacket briefly, a small smile tugging at his thin lips at some private joke. "What's so funny?" Loki laughed softly now. "You." "A car is a piece of art in its own right, you know." "All that metal and those curves. And you build yourself a rocket suit. Mechanophilia." "It's not a rocket suit. I'm not Jetpack Johnny. And what... that?" Loki's teeth almost glittered as he leered. "Fetish for technology." "Well, I won't argue with that." "And how am I, a mere god and ice giant, supposed to compete with your GT40?" Tony chuckled. "Oh I'm sure you'll think of something." Loki fingers stroked his face, running finger tips down the jugular vein to the collar of his shirt, which was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as the heat rose in him. The god untied the bow tie delicately, achingly slowly. Tony sighed slightly as the material opened and cool air hit his warm skin. Joined almost immediately by Loki's eager lips. Loki bent, as lithe and agile as a cat, kissing and licking down Tony's chest to his stomach. Tony moaned at the wet sucking noises and began to feel that unmistakable stirring in his groin. The lips moved back up to take Tony's nipples in his mouth, sucking and running his tongue back and forth over the hard little buds. "This is new," Tony crooned. "It's nice." Tony felt the shirt being pulled out his trousers and realized the sneaky bastard had opened them up while he had been sucking. A hand dipped in briefly to stroke the semi erect cock before his arms came up to warp around Tony, kissing him deeply. Tony's hands reached up, pulling open Loki's shirt, a little more excitedly and lot faster than Loki's painfully slow undressing had been. He pulled it off Loki shoulders and his hands were already forcing the black t-shirt up the strong chest before Loki's spidery hands gripped him. "Ah, ah, ah," Loki breathed in sweet reproving tones.

Loki's mouth returned to Tony's neck. The playboy whimpered and folded his legs tightly round Loki, pressed his hips up into the body almost humping like an animal in heat. A chuckle made Tony wince. "I thought you were enjoying the tenderness," Loki breathed. "After all, you started it." "I did! I am!" Tony whispered desperately. "I am, I just... Fuck, Loki, I can't ever win with you! When you're rough I want you nice and when you're nice I want you drive me into the bed! No matter what you do to me, it's too much to bear." Tony heard the words he was bleating and laughed at his own contrariness. It made him feel giddy. "Fuck, I'm going to go insane with you." Loki laughed too, "Such adulation, Tony. Come now, you'll make me blush. Now, be a good pet and stay still for me. Now quiet. There's much magic to be created here and I need your obedience." Tony stayed still and quiet. Loki smiled approvingly and nibbled his jaw and took his ear between his lips. Tony groaned delightedly and arched into every wet kiss, breathing heavily, his eyelids heavy, thinking nothing, not trying to control, just existing to feel. Lifting Tony briefly up, Loki slipped the shirt off and kissed his exposed shoulders, burying his face in the mortal's neck and humming slightly. Tony's legs tightened around the narrow hips. Tony ran his fingers through Loki's smooth black hair and heard the god sigh in his ear. "Not many guys can pull off hair this long with any style," Tony said, the hair soft beneath his fingers. "Don't ever change it." "If that's what my boy wants." Loki finally pulled off the last of Tony's clothes. Tony gasped as ice covered him. He shuddered, looking up into Loki's cerulean blue face. "Oh Loki," he whispered happily. He reached up and pulled Loki's face towards him. This was something he had wanted to do from the first time he saw the face. He paused briefly to look Loki deep in those red eyes, giving him his best cheeky smile. He leaned up and ran his tongue over the whorls and spirals in his skin. Yes it was cold. It was freezing and making Tony shiver violently. But the pain and the sick feeling was no longer there. So the binding finally pays off. "Get these off," Tony muttered desperately, pulling at Loki's trousers. Loki allowed Tony to pull the remainder of his clothes from him. In fact, he chuckled slightly at Tony's excitement. As Tony reached for the ice cold cock, pumping it delightedly the ice god stroked his face with a blue hand. Tony looked up into the wide, smiling red eyes. "This form is the nightmare of any Asgardian. For a Midgardian child, it would be their bogeyman. The monster under the bed. I spent my childhood having nightmares about the creatures who wear this face. When I first realised what I was, I believed myself cursed. As though a hidden evil within me was the reason I had never been loved. But when I see you, my darling little boy, and the large, adoring, lust filled eyes you turn upon me now, I finally begin to accept this body." Tony stroked Loki's erection quickly, his other hand gliding cross the blue flat chest. "I don't love this more than the Asgardian form," he said truthfully. "You're just exciting, no matter what colour." He leaned up and licked Loki's nipple. At Loki's groan, he just held his mouth over it and suckled urgently. Loki's cold hand crept round Tony's neck and held him there as the boy's hand stroked

even more desperately up and down the cold cock. They spent a long time like that, Tony sucking and licking and thanking the universe that he could finally play with this beautiful body for hours without ending up in accident and emergency with frostbite or hypothermia. Loki just held Tony, enjoying his boy's selfless act of worship. Tony broke away, gasping. "Oh god, put it in me! Put it in me." Loki smiled and pulled Tony into the bedroom by a hand. Leading him like a child. Tony watched the blue body move, naked, muscles rippling, raised whirls and swirls all over his body. "Stay here." Tony waited by the bed as patiently as he could manage. Tony was not known for his patience. "Oh come on!" he demanded. "On your left, top draw, at the back. Come on!" Loki came back from the bathroom, silent laughter making his chest shudder. "Precocious child. Bend over, hands on the bed." Tony bent over and muttered painfully, "Come on, Loki, I'm so hard." Tony shuddered and squirmed as icy fingers prepared him. He moaned and threw his head back. "How does it feel?" "Amazing," Tony breathed wonderfully. "No," Loki said with a chuckle. "I mean, what does it feel like?" Tony took a moment as he realised what Loki was asking. "Do you feel cold?" "No, not at all. Though neither do I feel warm." "It's cold," Tony breathed. "Reaching and stroking. I'm so hot and the cold makes my body shudder without thinking. It's weird." "But you like it?" "Yes!" Tony cried, begging Loki to believe it. Loki wasn't having it though. "Convince me, boy." "When you touch me like this, it forces me to think of nothing else. The cold makes me understand exactly where you are and what you want." Tony was surprised with himself but he shouldn't have been. Before Loki, he wasn't a vocal lover about what he needed or wanted or how good it was. Sex was sex. Now Loki was slowly teaching him what his body wanted and was training him to ask for it. "Do you want me to take you?" "Yes! Yes please!" "Tell me what and how you want it." "I want you to take me in the ass, on the bed, hard, until you cum and collapse on top of me." "And yourself? Do you wish to cum?" "Well duh." Loki chuckled at Tony's glibness. "Lean back and kiss me."

It was an awkward twist, but there was something so wrong in kissing a man who's fingers were squirming inside of you. It made Tony sigh with joy. Tony's tongue dove into the cold mouth, delighting in the chill rather than what used to be pain. The fingers still worked, stroking, soothing, stretching and silently driving Tony crazy. "You're such a bastard," Tony crooned. "Don't think that your pretty flattery will encourage me to bring you to climax any faster, Tony. I mean to enjoy myself." "Come on, damn it," Tony hissed through gritted teeth. If Loki didn't hurry it up, he was going to cum right now. "Spoil sport. Hang on," Loki leaned down and pulled a control, connected to the bed and the mains. Tony frowned until he finally realized what it was. "An electric blanket?" He asked incredulously. "What, is your hip playing up old man?" Tony's body lurched forward in pleasurable pain as Loki smacked him hard round his backside. He smiled to himself. "Get in the bed." Tony slid in. "When did you sneak this in then?" Already, the bed was beginning to warm. This was the kind of blanket which was underneath the bed sheet, rather than the duvet. Who fucking cares when he installed an electric blanket? I'm fucking hard here. "Come here," Tony demanded, grabbing Loki's arm and pulling him in. He captured the blue lips and slipped his tongue in immediately. The heat of sex, the heat of the bed, the icy cold of his partner. Tony shuddered, pulling the ice giant closer and wrapping his legs around the narrow waist. "Yes, Loki, yes," Tony whispered, stroking his hair passionately. "Say it, Tony. You so rarely do." "Say what?" Tony said distractedly. "Say what I say all the time, yet I have to pull from you." Tony opened his eyes as he realized. "I... I'm sorry. I just... It's never been easy, it-" Tony cursed himself for being so... Tony. "I love you, Loki." "Thank you," Loki whispered and buried his face into Tony's neck. Ice. Wrapping round him, pushing into him, stretching him wider and making him gasp with mounting ecstasy. His head swung back, clinging to blue shoulders. His vision was blurred, tunnelled, not looking at anything just feeling. The cold against the whelming heat sent Tony into a continuous shudder. "Oh yes Loki, you're so good! I do, I do... Love you, I do." Loki made little hushing sounds as he thrust hard. Tony lay, pinned under the icy force and crooned loudly. "I love you, I love you, believe me I do," Tony gasped as the pounding grew faster. The bed was shaking, his eyes were crossing. "Fuck! Fuck!" he worked his body back into Loki's as hard as he could; the two figures were alive with writhing.

They were going to cum quickly now, nothing could have stopped them. But the anxiety about that was gone for Tony. He used to get worked up and upset that his glorious god made him cum so quickly, made it end so soon. But that panic wasn't there anymore, because now he was beginning to realise that this wasn't ending. This wasn't stopping. That Tony was going to cum, so soon now, thrashing and bucking in the bed and then Loki was going to roll him over and start again. Tony didn't have to worry that it was going to be over so soon, because Loki was never going to stop fucking him. For eternity. That image flash into Tony's mind and his body jerked. "Fuck I'm going to-" he didn't finish the sentence before he was flailing, choking, drowning on the pleasure. Above him, he heard Loki's mutual shout and felt the body shudder hard against him. He lay still under the cold body, grateful for it in his hot, sweaty mess. Loki shimmered back into his warm body, still panting, muttering Asgardian absently. Tony frowned slightly now as he glared at the ceiling. Almost as wordless comfort in his new state of concern, Tony's arms came up to hold Loki delicately. The god, so in tune with his boy's wants, needs and worries, looked up. "What causes such perplexities, boy?" Loki muttered, rubbing the slight crease between Tony's two brows. "You know your god dislikes seeing you thinking and not cumming." "That was very... Vanilla." Loki cocked his head, his brow furrowing. "I do not recall the taste." "No, it means... Well... We made love," Tony said, cringing at the expression. It wasn't one a grown man should use, in his opinion. "We didn't fuck or play we just... Made love." It seemed to be the only expression to describe it. Loki's eyes widened. "Make love," he mused, seemly only hearing of the expression now. "I believe I rather like the term." "It was... I have to get up," he said distractedly. He tried to move out of bed, starting to feel that old need to distance himself from the god. Loki allowed him out of the bed, but grabbed his arm, preventing him from walking to the bathroom. "Is the fact you love me so frightening to you?" "Yes," Tony said honestly. "Not because it's you. It's just frightening in general." "I can be cruel to you if you want." Tony squirmed internally. "I want you to be cruel when we… play. Not because I can't deal with the closeness." "I can fuck you so many ways, my sweet boy." Loki smirked as he ran his eyes over Tony's body. "Are you ready yet?" Tony snorted. "Seriously? After that I'm not-" Loki leaned out the bed and captured Tony's cock between his lips. He sucked teasing for a good long few minutes before pulling back. "Are you ready yet?" Fucking bonding. "Pretty pointless trying to say no," Tony whimpered piteously. Loki pulling him back into the bed. The two struggled silently for a moment as Tony put up a

small fight until they were pressed up together, their bodies interlocking so naturally. "Round two?" Tony asked with a cocky smile. "Of course," Loki purred. Tony bent his head back luxuriously off the foot of the bed, letting Loki's lips feathering over his neck... swore violently and pushed him off. "Bruce!" He grabbed a robe, pulling it on frantically and ran from the room. "Jarvis, stop the elevator!" Inside the brightly lit elevator, Bruce pushed himself into a corner like a frightened animal, shuddering and blinking. "Tony, let me leave," he whispered. Green was shimmering across his skin. "Let me leave, Tony!" His body shuddered and morphed, but it was being fought back, Bruce pulled back hard on the Hulk's leash, forcing it back. "Please," Bruce muttered. Tony wasn't sure if that last word was meant for him or the Hulk. "Bruce, just breathe for me," Tony said in a tone of entirely pretend calm. His eyes glanced desperately towards the bedroom. He didn't know what he was more worried about; Loki helping and hurting Bruce or Bruce hurting Loki. Mind you, what he was more worried about was Bruce hurting him. There were only so many times he wanted to be thrown out his own window. "Bruce, just calm down." "Calm?" The small man asked incredulously, a little laugh breaking out. "Tony, what are you doing?" "Talking you down from the green edge," Tony said soothingly. "That's Loki," Bruce pointed out. Tony took a double take at the bedroom. "Really? I hadn't-" "No, stop it. It's not funny." "Come back in," Tony said, gesturing out of the lift. "No!" Bruce said alarmed, "No I don't think so." His eyes flashed on the bedroom. "You're afraid of him?" "I'm afraid of what I'll do to him," Bruce said. He swallowed, his eyes resting sadly on Tony's, meeting his gaze steadily for the first time Tony could remember. "I'm afraid of what I'll do to you." Tony paused. "Look... Give me a minute to grab some clothes and we'll talk in the la- on the fourth floor." Tony hated himself for it, but the fourth floor was a secure floor. He could be out of the room in seconds and lock the Hulk in. It had been Bruce's idea - a place that he could be taken, other than the Helicarrier, which could secure him. And he had already made it clear that Stark Tower was his preferred prison to SHIELD. Bruce nodded desperately. "Yes. Yes. We should go to the fourth floor." "I'll go and-" "Tony, this is Loki! He's insane, he's a murderer, he's after Thor!" "Well, no offence to the guy who turns into a ten foot tall green killing machine, but arguably, everyone I hang out with is insane."

"He'll kill you, he'll hurt you!" Tony walked forward and, despite Bruce's protests, grabbed his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "No. He won't." Bruce shuddered hard. "Go." "Hang on, I'll get my clothes." He walked quickly back into the bedroom and pulled on jeans and t-shirt. Loki was standing, fully clothed, glaring coldly. "Where are you going?" "Just downstairs with Bruce." "And if I stop you?" "You'll get your ass kicked by the Hulk and I'll have to re-do the flooring again." Loki's eye's flashed dangerously and he grabbed Tony's wrist painfully. "He's dangerous. He's a monster, Tony." Tony wrenched his arm away. "You know what the irony is? I've just had the exact same conversation with him." He pulled on his shoes quickly and glared back at the angry god. "Haven't you got an Asgardian court to manipulate?" "You expect me to leave with that thing-" "Leave," Tony said shortly. Loki looked like he was going to argue but changed his mind. "I will return in a few hours." Tony glared sceptically. "How do I know you're not going to freak out?" "We are bound, my claim over you is solidified and legitimized. You cannot run from me now and there is no longer any great urgency in correcting your behaviour. We have all the time in the world." "Unless you die. Then we're both dead." "In that unhappy event, one would presume I had greater worries on my mind than your disobedience." "So I'm not going to get into trouble for this?" "Oh I am going to beat you until you beg for mercy, Tony. But we can do it later." "Fine," Tony snapped annoyed, and walked out the bedroom, back to his friend. "Tony." "What?" Loki held his gaze with a firm, serious expression. "If I return to find you injured... you're not the only one who gained strength through the binding. My powers have grown and while I may not be able to kill the monster, I will make it regret having ever existed." Tony fought back a shudder. Loki's tone was far more like the voice Tony had remembered from before they were together. Evil Loki. Evil promises Tony knew he would honour. Tony quickly joined Bruce in the lift. The man's body was hunched slightly, his arms out wide

clawing the walls, his head hanging down, his fringe in his face. "Jarvis, fourth floor." "H-hurry," Bruce stammered quietly. "Yes sir. Would you like me to contact SHIELD?" "Absolutely not." "Call them," Bruce whispered. He looked up. His eyes were turning black. "I won't tell them about... Ha. I won't be in a position to tell them anything. But they need to know-" "No. This isn't about Loki. You're already on probation after the bar room brawl, Maverick." Tony reached out and grabbed Bruce's shoulder, trying to comfort the little man. "We deal with this one together and off the books." The shiny metal doors opened and Bruce practically threw himself out, stumbling into the room. The fourth floor was a large white room, the walls floor and ceiling massively enforced. There was a glass box, but not for the Hulk. The glass divided off a small room. On one side of the room there was a door to the huge white room; on the other side were the doors to the lift. The point was to be able to come and to check on the Hulk without getting clobbered the minute you walked out the lift. Bruce threw himself at the secure door. "Open it." "No," Tony said, pulling up one of the two chairs. "Let's talk fir-" "Open the door." Bruce's voice was a dark tone of forced calm. "Let's talk-" "Now!" Bruce bellowed. His voice was a roar, forcing its way out of that small body. Tony couldn't help but admit, it frightened him. He stared at Bruce carefully. "Come on man," he said gently. "You're not going to let Loki wind you up like this, are you? You're not going to let me, of all people, wind you up like this?" Tony took a cautious step forward "Plenty of reasons to Hulk out in this world. My sex life isn't one of them." Bruce shuddered again but seemed to regain some composure. He sunk to the floor, but one hand stayed resolutely on the door handle. He turned his face miserably, burying into the crook of his outstretched arm. Tony sighed, abandoned the chair and went over to sit on the ground next to Bruce. "Feeling better?" "No." "Okay." Tony paused. Well, you knew you were going to get caught eventually. "Look, I know that wasn't the best way to-" "Are you insane? Tony, he's demented, he's using you, he's-" "We're hitched. Sort of. We're tied to one another. It's permanent. The fact of the matter is, you kill him you kill me, Bruce." It was a long and painful conversation. But for once, Tony didn't joke. He just told Bruce everything from the beginning, leaving out the details on the sex of course. Though he... Tony

hinted it, gently. He didn't want to have this conversation again when the guy worked that particularly bit out. To Tony's surprise, the nature of their games didn't alarm or disgust the man. For a ten foot tall rage machine, he was remarkably accepting. "The thing is, I need him. It's... It's crazy and dangerous and stupid but it's mine. Don't tell me that because of that I've lost your friendship because you may just actually see me cry." Tony's tone was sarcastic. But his heart was breaking. Bruce shook his head. "You haven't lost anything but your mind, Tony." "Some might say I never had it in the first place." Tony glanced sideways. "Can I just ask... This isn't because he's a man right?" The look Bruce gave him said it all. "I don't care if he was a horse, Tony. You can... do whoever you like." "Well I'm not doing a horse. People would talk. I was just going to say, if that's what's bothering you, there's some question marks over the whole man thing where Loki's concerned anyway." "Lockley?" Smart boy. "Yeah." "Fuck," Bruce groaned, unusually for him. "Tony, I don't care, I honestly don't care but for the fact he's going to kill you." "He won't," Tony said. "No matter what else he might do, he won't do that." "And you're okay with that?" "Yeah." "Fuck," Bruce repeated. He paused for a long time. Tony was relieved to see he was no longer shuddering. "I'm not going to ask because it's none of my business. But the sadomasochism; how badly are you injured?" "Enough to make me cum," Tony said crudely. He wasn't trying to be cruel, or embarrass his friend; he just needed Bruce to understand. Bruce gave him a look and Tony sighed, "Bruises, cuts that sort of thing. Frostbite on occasion, if I'm lucky. No broken bones." Not counting the first time. "Cuts? How deep?" Very. "Not very," Tony lied. Bruce knew he was lying. "I want to give you a check-up in the lab." "As much as I want to play doctor and nurses with you, mate, it's not going to happen." "Because he won't like it?" "No, because I wouldn't." "You are going to come to the lab with me and I'm going to give you a check-up, or I'm going to go up there and tell him exactly what I think of him." Tony rolled his eyes. "And if we go to the lab and you Hulk out?"

"Would I?" Tony considered. "You might." "We're doing it," Bruce said firmly. He sighed then. "Maybe later. When I'm calmer." "What can I do?" "Leave me alone for a bit," Bruce said. Leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts was really not what Tony wanted to do. Bruce had an even worse tendency than himself to get dragged down in the mire. And whereas Tony drank to survive it, Bruce flipped out. Tony couldn't think badly of the Hulk though. The Hulk had spat out a bullet Bruce had fired into his mouth to end it all. For that, he owed the Hulk. "Alright," Tony said, patting him on the shoulder. "You come find me if you want me." Tony went back up to the penthouse. Loki had taken his leave, leaving the bedroom neat and tidy as was a curious habit of his. "Jarvis, can we have a quick chat on how incredibly awkward that was?" "I'm sorry, Sir. But you have allowed Bruce special privileges. And he used the code to gain immediate access." "But you didn't warn me because..." "Sir, you asked for no interruptions whatsoever at four fifty eight and thirteen seconds." Jarvis sounded like he was trying to make a point. "Yeah, I get it." Tony sighed. When it came down to it, Jarvis was still a computer and could only operate as far Tony allowed him to. He sighed and rubbed his face. "Did he say what was so urgent?" "No Sir. Perhaps it was a business matter, would you like me to put in a call to SHIELD? "No. Then I'd have to explain why Bruce didn't give me the message." "Speaking of Dr Banner, sir." The light screen turned on. Tony looked up and started. Bruce was staggering, throwing himself into the large room. "Jarvis, secure-" "Yes sir, it is already done." Bruce Hulked out. Tony heard the roar through the speakers as the Other Guy beat the floor, jumped off the walls and punched everything. He sighed again wearily. He walked slowly into the bedroom, retrieved some clothes and headed back to the lift. When Tony walked into the glass box on the fourth floor, the Hulk turned, enraged tiny eyes focusing on him. He flew at the box, smashing and kicking, trying to break though. This was the same material as the cage on the Helicarrier, but with Stark-improvements. There was barely a crack as the Hulk pounded. Tony placed the folded clothes neatly on the metal table. "For when you're calmer," he told the green force of rage.

The Hulk bellowed. Tony pulled out his light pad, put his headphones in a vain effort to block out the Hulk's roars and started designing the cabin space of the new, Stark designed, AOTS Transport. AOTS. Tony smirked slightly. He wondered how many people would get that. Maybe an hour later, he saw out of the corner of his eye Bruce picking up the clothes. He kept his eyes fixed on the pad until the man was fully clothed and looking miserable. He held up the pad. "What do you think?" Bruce gave him an odd look before taking it. "Nice," he said. "I like it." He zoomed in on a few features. "You've got a lot of safety stuff in here, for the Other Guy." "Just in case." "You help me without judgement, Tony. That's why you're my friend." Bruce was looking at him seriously. Tony beamed. "I know I have a tendency to think everything is about me, which it is. But this is about me, isn't it?" "I'll help you without judgement." "I don't need any help." "I'm not sure about that." "Bruce," Tony sighed. He rubbed his face. "I'm... Happy. For the first time in... well, really forever. It's not safe or smart or logical but it's... Me." Tony wasn't sure he was selling his case too well. Bruce sat heavy down on the spare chair. "I don't know, Tony. Just don't... Leave me to find out like this. Talk to me." "Okay. And we're done talking about this now," Tony said, not unkindly, but firmly. "You don't think you're putting too much faith in... This design?" Bruce finished with a side long glance at Tony. Tony shrugged. "It'll work." "Can you be sure?" "No. But sometimes, you just have to take that risk." "But you're risking other people's lives." "I don't see it like that. I'm not asking anyone to get on board the AOTS, and even if I was, I wouldn't if I didn't believe it was safe. When it comes down to it, Bruce, you just have to trust me." Tony looked carefully at the man. "So... What did you come for the Tower for in the first place?" "What?" Bruce asked wearily. "Oh. Barton and-" he jerked, fumbling on the screen to find a clock. "Oh, damn. Barton and Natasha should be here now." "Oh," Tony whined. "But it's the weekend." "Sir-" "Yeah yeah, let them in," Tony grumbled. "We'll meet them upstairs."

Bruce filled Tony in as much as he could on the way up in the lift. When they stepped out, Barton and Natasha were waiting, a heavy metal case sitting by Barton's feet. Natasha's eyes roamed across the pair and asked, "Bruce, where are your shoes?" "Er," Bruce said, stumbling as he tried to lie. If the agents came to the conclusion that he had Hulked out, they didn't say anything. Tony glanced sideways at Bruce and clapped his hands together. "So, Bruce tells me you brought me a new toy." Natasha walked up and handed over the large case. "We think this is one of Doom's. Well... Doom's remodelling. Originally..." Tony pulled out a missile. A Mark II Stark Industries Missile. Tony turned it over and over in his hands. Doom's clawed hands had been at work on it and it had been corrupted and bastardized. "He's doing this deliberately," Natasha said kindly. "He's baiting you. Rubbing your face in your past." Tony turned away without a glance. "I'm not ashamed of everything, you know. Fuck, look at me. Do I look like thepenitent hero to you? My weapons were wonders of technology. I'm proud of what I created." Tony pushed aside the twisting in his stomach. His weapons had pushed the boundaries of science; he had done things people had called impossible. He had bent metal to fit his reality, rather than the world everyone else lived in. Doom was whoring out his technology, converting it into this. Black metal warped around his missile like creepers digging into the spine of a rose bush. Poor thing. "Where did you find it?" "It was part of a barrage fired at the USS Impetueux which got too close to a Doom facility. This one didn't go off." "Probably no trigger." "Leaving one for you to find," Bruce said, quietly. "Thought this would be one for the nerds," Barton chipped in with, what he probably assumed, was cheerful camaraderie. "See what Doom's up to this time." Tony watched Bruce out the corner of his eye. The man was teetering, rocking on his feet, his mouth opening to form words then stopping. Tony knew he had to get the two agents out as soon as possible, because Bruce was still undecided. "Right then. Leave this with me. I'll give you a buzz if anything comes up." Despite Tony's concerns, Bruce waited until the pair were safely gone. "Let's get to the lab." Tony ran his fingers over the new, nasty metal on his missile. "Yeah, let's see what the bad man's done to the poor thing." "My sentiments exactly," Bruce said with a hard look. "We're doing a medical." "What? No! I want to play with my new toy!" "Shut up, Tony and come on." Tony grumbled all the way down to the lab, sat up onto the table which became their pseudogurney and muttered angrily as Bruce prepared a few things. "I'm fine."

"Good. Then this will be quick. Please take your shirt off." Tony looked vaguely alarmed. "I'm going to be keeping the clothes on if you don't mind." "Tony," Bruce said, half in exhaustion, half in annoyance. "I'm a medical professional." "Buy me a drink first." "Tony!" Tony pulled his t-shirt off over his head and waited. In the end, at Bruce's quiet patience, he pulled his jeans off too. "Isn't there some sort of rule that says you can't play doctors and nurses with your friends?" Tony asked. Bruce pulled out a stethoscope. "Actually, all it says is 'wherever possible, you should avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom you have a close personal relationship.' Wherever possible being our escape clause." "Ah-huh, yeah, interesting – on another subject, where the fuck did you find a stethoscope in here?" Bruce gave him a look as he rubbed the bell of the stethoscope on this arm. "I work here too, remember? I've been hoarding stuff here for months." "Huh. Didn't notice." "And now we know why," Bruce muttered. "This might be cold," he said, pressing the bell against Tony's chest. Tony smirked, "Oh believe me, I'm good with that." Bruce face fell into one of concentration. Tony, being Tony, got bored after half a minute. "So what's the conclusion? Do I have a heart?" "Shh." "Pepper always seemed to be looking for proof on that front. I was never sure what her conclusion was." Bruce was silent for a minute longer, then sighed. He pulled away with a nod. "Your heart rate's sounding okay." "Which, under the circumstances, is a bit of a marvel." Tony jerked as Bruce moved around the table. Tony's mouth opened to protest, but forced himself to look straight ahead and remain silent. Because he had to show… this was not a guilty secret. This was Tony's private life. He was not ashamed or… he forced himself to say staring at the table in front of him. He heard Bruce suck in a breath as he saw… Bruce coughed. "I'm… I'm going to… check your lungs." "Fine." Tony felt the bell on his lower back. He felt a heat rising in his face and he closed his eyes as he imagined what Bruce must think. Then he pushed it out of his head with supreme effort. "You know, what I'm doing hurts no one but myself. When you give into your particular weakness, you destroy cities," Tony spat. Bruce paused. "I know, Tony. Don't compare this to what I am. You're just lost. I'm a monster."

Tony felt his inner self curl up and die. "Look, I didn't mean-" "I'm not attacking you, Tony. I'm not judging you. You don't need to get your… self-defence in first. I'm not doing anything but making sure you're safe." "Why?" "Because I care." Tony gritted his teeth for the rest of the procedure to stop anymore unfortunate bouts of Tony-ness. Bruce pulled back, seemingly satisfied with what he'd heard. "Thank you." Please and thank you and so kind and correct. Bruce took a blood sample. More tests were performed in silence, Tony avoiding any eye contact. When Bruce was finally done, Tony put his shirt back on quickly. He hated medicals at the best of times. Bruce's eyes had caught his other scar and he had trembled green for a few long moments before finally getting a grip. Now Tony threw a nervous sideways glance at his friend. "So, what's the verdict?" Tony asked. Bruce looked up from the console where the blood test had just come back. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes slightly. "You're... Healthy. Remarkably so. Your eye sight, hearing and reflexes have improved. Your immune system is in overdrive but with no apparent down sides. If the blood tests are to be believed, your liver must be almost new, you're... Really very well." "Good." "There is one thing." "What?" "There's a new... Something in your blood. It's like an anti-body, but not quite." "Means nothing to me." "Has he been injecting you with anything?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you think we spend our time doing, Bruce?" he said dryly. "Neither of us has a medical fetish." "Are you sure?" Bruce asked, ignoring the filth. "I would have noticed. Why?" "Your body is producing a new anti-body in your blood stream - one that humans don't have. That's why." Tony shrugged. "Never felt better." "Can I try something?" "Sure." Bruce walked over and, before Tony could object, cut his hand slightly with a scalpel. "Ow!" "Don't be such a baby," Bruce said. He watched critically as white shone and the cut healed. "That'll be the point of them then." "That hurt!"

"After everything he's done to you, I'm sure it didn't." Tony looked at Bruce. Bruce was looking a little ashamed that he had said it, so Tony decided to leave things there. "So I'm healthy. Happy?" "Far from it," Bruce muttered. "But... You're happy. You're healthy and from now on, you come to me. First. And not because I've walked in on you. Okay?" "Yes mum." Bruce was still looking miserable. "What does he think about all this?" "All this…?" "Now I know about you two." Tony shrugged. "You'd have to ask him." Bruce snorted a dark laugh, illustrating exactly what he thought of that idea. "You want to help?" Tony asked. "Help me keep Natasha and Steve off my case. They're suspicious, but they're suspicious of Lockley. They haven't put two and two together." "Tony, nobody could jump to this conclusion. Not even Natasha. I mean... since when could he shape-shift?" Tony shrugged awkwardly. "You want his explanation? He doesn't shape shift like you turning into the Other Guy. He just manipulates our perception so we see what he wants us to see." He greeted Bruce's blank look with a shrug. "Don't ask me man. Magic." "You want me to help-" "Did you just say you would?" Tony asked. Bruce looked away. "I... I won't tell them. It that's what you want." "Good." Tony stood straightening his clothes. "Are we done?" Tony asked. Then, aware that he sounded like he wanted to get out of Bruce's company, he added, "You want to help me on the missile?" "No." Tony hated the idea of wrenching his time away from a new puzzle, but he didn't want to leave Bruce right now. "Maybe we could do something. Movie?" Bruce shook his head, his mind clearly elsewhere. "Why do you let him hurt you?" It was a question Tony had asked himself before, but out of a true desire to answer his friend properly, he mulled it again. "I've never really been afraid of pain." "That's an answer?" Tony shrugged, "Loki is an insane Nordic god. It excites me. Everything about it excites me. And it's not really the pain which excites me, it's the danger. I take on fighter jets and aliens in a metal suit a few inches thick. Have I ever struck you as a sane guy? I like risk." Bruce looked miserable. Tony tilted his head, vaguely sympathetic and added, "Did you really think that I was going to settle down in the country with a soccer mum, three kids and a dog?" Bruce shook his head, still frowning. "I'm..." Sorry. I'm not saying it. Bruce is great, but I don't belong to him or the Avengers. I don't

even belong to Loki, no matter what he might think. "I'm in desperate need of a drink. Come on, I know a great bar."

Mischief Tony stumbled back to the tower a few hours later. Bruce had elected not to go back with him. He said he needed time to think. Fine. Be that way. Tony pulled himself together. He didn't need to sit and sulk, did he? He had things to do. "Jarvis? Get Dumb to bring the missile back out and run a scan. Make sure there's no trip wire or any Doom booby traps." "Sir, I've detected an unsteadiness in your gait." "What?" "Are you drunk, sir?" "Tipsy. I'm fine to handle explosive material." "I'll have the fire service on standby, sir." "Basking in the faith, Jarvis." A little while later, Tony was getting his tools together. In truth, he wasn't as wobbly as you'd expect. More tired than anything else. The missile rested on a stand, holding it above the table as the red wire-scan criss-crossed it. It was mocking. Twisted and evil, Doom shitting on his creation. "I don't detect anything unusual in the outer shell, but there is something blocking me from scanning the core." "Well, that sounds like a trap." "Yes sir." "Let's open it up then." "Yes, I thought you'd say that sir. Might I suggest using the robotic arms?" Tony snorted. "You kidding? When I get their relative IQ above room temperature, I'll consider it." Tony stretched his arms and pulled out a tool. "Sir, Loki is requesting you join him in the bedroom." Tony paused. He looked back at the missile. "Jarvis... Tell him I'm sorry, but I'm working on this." "Yes sir." Well, given that I'm already in for a beating. Tony set about removing the casing very delicately. He revealed the inner working which equally hadn't been spared Doom's dark designs. He pulled the data chips, wiring and casing out carefully, trying to get to the payload, which, instead of an explosive seemed to be a little lead lined box. Loki walked in. "I don't appreciate being passed up for one of your toys." "Don't be such a drama queen," Tony said. "This is important." Loki cocked his head. "Doom?"

"Yeah." He sighed, "Why let the man disturb you so?" "He's gunning for me. He's trying to fuck with me. No one gets to do that," Tony snapped. Loki launched into a speech, about how Tony was his and Doom was just manipulating and Loki knew what he was talking about and blah blah blah. "Ah-huh," Tony said, absently. Tony kept half an ear on Loki, ready to prove he was listening if the god threw a tantrum, but he was learning to pay all due attention to his demanding god while actually getting on with what he was doing. While Loki continued his little monologue oh and he does love to monologue so Tony carefully pulled out the little box in the innards of the missile, placing it on the table. He examined it cautiously. There was definitely a seam running along the side of the black metal. Tony reached out but found his hand being seized in Loki's powerful grip. "Don't." "But I have to open it." "Why?" "Because I want to know what's inside." "Why?" "Because..." Tony Stark in action. This is what got him into so much trouble, why he tried to provoke the Hulk, why he flew high into the ice beyond the point of no return, why he pushed everyone around him to breaking point just to see what happened. "Because…. It's there." Tony glared at Loki and the box. Every instinct in his body told him to open it. "So what? I just keep it as a paperweight? Decorative centre piece?" Loki bent down to look at the box. Tony sighed, a little huffily, and turned back to the bomb casing. There were marks of a tool on it, but nothing Tony recognized. Loki hand moved out. "Oh, so you can open it but I can't?" "Hush child." Tony watched as the lid opened. Explosives, a lethal chemical gas, a mysterious gem from a distance realm. Anything could be in there, but no. Victor really had no imagination. Loki pulled out the little USB. "Why send it by FedEx," Tony said in a voice straight from the commercials, "when you can send it by rocket?" As Tony moved to take it, Loki's fist closed over it. "Hey! Mine!" "This is mischief," Loki said quietly. His lips moved so they were gently brushing Tony's ear. "And the worst thing you can do to a trickster is to ignore them." And you should know. "I want to see what's on there."

"Of course you do. And that's why he'll win every time." Tony glared and forced Loki's hand open. Loki watched Tony upload the data with an almost pitying expression. That made Tony angry. His watched the lines of code streaming past as the computer. "It's really heavily coded. It's going to take a while." He rubbed his head. "It's going to take a long while, because I can't risk putting this onto a networked terminal if it's a virus. And without the network, it's going to take days. Maybe weeks. Fuck." "Then leave it be, for now. I have so much pain to inflict upon your body. Wouldn't you rather be doing that?" "I can't believe it, but my answer is actually yes." "You can't believe it? After all this time, after the number of times you've orgasmed from abuse alone, you still can't believe it?" Tony smiled to himself. Then his face turned frowning again. "Bruce is… well, he's not happy. But he's going to keep our secret." Loki didn't answer. Tony turned to stare curiously, "You don't believe that, do you?" Loki shrugged. "It is immaterial to me now. We're bound. Even the All Father himself will not be able to pull us apart. I do not fear the Avengers," he said with a slight sneer. Tony rolled his shoulders wearily. "I want to play," he said. Loki stepped forward and rubbed his hand down Tony's face. The god leaned in and took Tony's bottom lip in his teeth, biting with a little more force than was comfortable. Tony hissed delightedly, moving his hand to rub against Loki's groin, encouraging Loki's arousal. Almost immediately, they were home, in the room with no escape. Tony didn't even wait for the instruction, pulling his clothes from his body. He handed them to Loki. "Could you bring my light pad back with you?" he asked. Loki nodded as he disappeared. Tony rubbed his neck. He felt tense and tired. He had spent long hours in the bar with Bruce talking and talking through everything. And once Bruce had got him talking it had been almost impossible to stop. It had taken a lot out of him and now he just wanted to feel for a bit. Not think. Just feel and look into those green eyes and know that no matter how high he felt he was flying, those eyes would anchor him to the world. That he could let go and fall, but still be pulled back. The round bed stretched out in front of him invitingly, but he resisted the urge. He was playing the boy tonight and obeying the rules. He had actually asked Loki, in so many words, hey, what's up with a circular bed? Loki's eyes had glittered nastily as he had explained with many Asgardian phrases. From what Tony had gathered, round beds were used in Asgard, but not in any respectable home. Basically, it's what you got in brothels. Not to put too fine a point on it, Tony was Loki's official whore. From what Tony could gather, having one in the domestic home was taboo, dark and dirty; something Loki was taking tremendous pleasure in. It was an Asgardian thing. Like having a sex-swing in your living room. It was probably also a rebel prince thing; to come from such a respectable, noble family. A lifetime

It was probably also a rebel prince thing; to come from such a respectable, noble family. A lifetime of being quiet and courteous and a dutiful son, Loki was now going through his difficult years. You know, playing loud music, keeping a private sex pet, trying to take over the world, that sort of thing. We've all been there. Tony honestly couldn't care less. A bed was a bed. And at this point, attempting to dispute the idea that he was Loki's sex pet was pretty pointless. It's not like Loki was the only one to have his dark and dirty fantasies. Loki reappeared and placed the light pad carefully on the top of a cabinet. He looked over at Tony and gestured with his head. "Against the wall." Tony walked over to the wall with the manacles and, with a moments hesitation, stood so he was facing it. He raised his arms as metal snaked down and grabbed his wrists. "Loki," he breathed. Loki responded to the silent plea for a moment's comfort and hands stroked down his back, dropping down to squeeze his backside playfully. "You'll be punished for sending me away," Loki whispered. "You'll be punished and you'll enjoy every moment of it." Tony smiled. "Come on then," he chided. A gag was pushed into his mouth and fastened behind his head. The first strike came and he quickly tried to identify the implement. From the sting and the position, he figured it was a quirt. Something Loki had used on him before. A quirt was something he had figured out from his own research, though it was probably in reality some Asgardian equivalent. It was a shorter, more flexible piece of leather than your usual crop. It was actually made of braided leather and had two wider pieces of leather at the end. From what Tony could gather (and, for that matter, feel) it made more noise than pain. The snapping noise was there to make Tony shudder and writhe in the expectation of pain. Basically Loki was providing Tony with the setting; it was Tony's mind which was creating more of the pain and panic than was actually happening. Fuck I love him so much. Now, that's not to say the whip didn't hurt like hell. He howled as he felt a slap of leather, a burning across his lower back and then a dull ache. He panted, preparing himself and howled again, his arms and back tensing, pulling him up and away, trying to escape the aching discomfort. Then as his mind readjusted, his whole body relaxed back ready for the next blow. "Are you going to continue your bad behaviour?" Tony grumbled something into his gag. "Don't speak with your mouth full, boy." Tony yelled into the gag as a strike caught his backside. He flew himself on to his tip toes and, gasping for air, managed to ease himself back down, hanging slightly in the chain. "Leaving with that... thing... You didn't expect to avoid this pain, did you love?" Tony felt dizzy as the pain took on a new pitch. Shouldn't he be frightened? Terrified that this insane god was going to kill him? He wasn't. "Try to deny that the man behind the beast has not engendered your glances more than once." What did he say?

He's saying that you've got a crush on Bruce. Tony pulled himself back to consciousness enough to object half-heartedly through the gag. "Shh. I am at fault, in part, for having awoken this slut within you. And I do not object as strenuously as you might imagine. However, if anyone other than myself ever touches you, I will make you watch as I kill them. Then I'll make you cum over their cold bodies. Do I make myself understood?" Fuck! Tony mumbled into the gag, but wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to say. Probably a cross between I love you too and you fucking psycho. "That's right, my pet. Because you're mine, aren't you?" Tony groaned as the boy sat up and begged for more punishment. There was a big difference between Loki hitting him mercilessly until he was a gibbering, bleeding wretch hanging in chains and this long, drawn out pain. Loki had a skill, drawing out the agony until Tony could almost taste his suffering in the air. The heavy panting, the tensing and relaxing muscles, the feeling of being stripped of control fuck this is so good. That was the trick Loki was teaching him, the right kind of pain was just another way of having sex and Tony was already stiff under the whipping. Daydreams about Bruce or Pepper or Thor were all well and good, but fuck... who else in the world could ever make him feel like this? Why would he even want to cheat on Loki? Tony shivered, wanting to the touched, teased, slapped and fucked. Images of sex flooded into this mind. Fingers ploughing in, stretching and taking. Loki fucking his mouth, cumming, turning him over and burying himself in Tony's ass. "Bad boys don't gain climax until they have repented. Do you repent your bad behaviour?" Tony stayed quiet. He felt another, almost lazy strike and hissed. But the initial shock and pain was diminishing. He stood now, limply, shakily focused on his arousal and his need to be dominated. He jerked with a whimper at another blow, but the pain and pleasure were getting confused and he was falling into a haze of desire. He felt the warm, unfortunately still clothed body of Loki pressed against his back. The god pulled the leather strap carefully and popped the ball out of his mouth. "Have you learned your lesson?" Tony licked his lips. "No." "I didn't think so," Loki breathed and pulled the gag back on. He returned to his spot and Tony felt a new rain of strikes beginning. He threw his head back, howling and wailing and begging for release - of what sort of release, he wasn't sure. Maybe ten minutes later, Loki had finally finished. Tony could hear his sigh of pleasure as he surveyed his boy's red back, ass and thighs. He drew up a chair, just behind Tony and was sitting now. Tony could feel his eyes on him and he loved it. Even like this, Tony Stark: centre of everyone's attention. Hung up on the wall like art. The beautiful boy captured by his god. Ganymede and Zeus hanging

in the gallery. Tony hanging on this wall. He was flying in a fog of lust and pain, his mind wandering blissfully. He was wrapped in strong arms; he was whimpering under cold lips... all his daydreams were spiralling in his head like shifting dyes in water. Being forced down, being fucked. Soft and hard. Biting. Scratching. Cumming. "It's such a lovely little croon you make, my love," Loki whispered. Tony pulled himself enough out of his revelry to realize he had been humming and whining gently. Even now, slight embarrassment rose hot in his cheeks, but he brushed it away. Because Loki had liked the noise, so that was okay. "It's time to be taken, boy. Would you like me to let you down?" Tony shook his head. Loki slid oily fingers in and out and Tony's eyes widened, gasping, his body suddenly jerking out of the hazy revelry to go wild with desire. Switch me on and switch me off. Loki was prodding now, insistently, his shaft sitting, just pressing at the brink. Tony shifted, shuddering, waiting as patiently as he could. But he whimpered his begging into his gag. The god's hands moved to pluck and pull Tony's nipples. Loki's hips moved, Tony jumped and grunted as Loki hit that spot. "Go on," Loki whispered. Tony shivered in annoyance and lust. He knew what Loki wanted and he spent a dark and nasty moment trying to convince himself to refuse. But knowing that Loki would always win only made Tony harder and more desperate. He forced his hips back, impaling himself as far as he could go, pulling away from the chains and wall. He stopped, huffing loudly against the gag. He could see the position in his mind's eye, his arms held tight against the wall, his back arched back and hips held up. His legs spread and his cock bobbing in the air, it was a humiliatingly degrading position. It must have looked so desperate, so wanton. Loki still wasn't moving, he was just standing there. Tony's back was stretched out in front of Loki, resplendent with the lash marks and the god was running his hands up and down. They ran up to Tony's shoulders and massaged gently. Tony's body shuddered, holding the uncomfortable position, feeling the strain in his lower back and hips. Loki pushed him slightly. Tony slid away and gasped as he impaled himself once more. "You've got the idea now, pet." Embarrassment pushed aside in his yearning, Tony's pelvis moved hurriedly, pulling him on and off the stationary cock so wantonly. His own grunts and yowls filled his ears and made him cringe, but at this point the Hulk himself couldn't have stopped Tony he was racing forward, his vision narrowing, his huffing loud, his grunting desperate. Loki reached around, holding Tony in a lazy grasp, not stroking, just creating a fist for Tony to pump into. Tony cursed Loki for making him do this, cursed himself for not being able to stop. Loki's whispers cut through Tony's animosity, "You're doing so well, boy. That's it... That's it you beautiful creature." Tony's eyes rolled back, his body tensing as he felt his balls clenching. His toes were curling. He came screaming into his gag, his eyes wide, his body spasming, he would have fallen down if

it hadn't been for Loki's hands holding his hips up. "That's a good boy," Loki breathed as Tony's cum dripped down the wall. Tony finally managed to put his weight back onto his feet. He blinked, swaying slightly. Loki was still hard. The boy whimpered as Loki's hands stroked his sides. Loki untied him and supported him over to the bed, pushing him into the soft pillows and blankets. The pulled the gag from between Tony's teeth and kissed him hard. "Have you learnt your lesson?" Tony smiled, "I've forgotten what it was." Loki slapped him hard, with a small smile. "Never have I had a creature that has made me work so hard." Tony sighed and started as the sound came out as almost a purr. Loki's eyes fluttered at the sound, his mouth opening slightly. He fell on Tony's neck, kissing and licking and biting. "Hands and knees, boy." No protests today. Just a good little boy who doesn't want to think. Tony hauled himself up into a doggie position and Loki was mounting him in seconds. After a few peremptory thrusts, Loki settled into an easy rhythm which Tony judged was going to be going on for some time. He jumped as a cock was suddenly prodding at his lips. A clone was demanding entrance and Tony eagerly sucked. He'd never get used to this, not if he lived for a hundred years would he get used to Loki taking him roughly from behind while plunging in and out of his mouth. It was too much, too weird, too wrong. "Happy, boy?" Tony hummed in agreement, working his hips back into Loki's insistent thrusting. The cock pulled out and Tony licked his lips, waiting for it to return. "And what lesson are we supposed to be learning from this?" Loki asked. There was a warning in his tone. No obedience, no cock. Tony grumbled internally. "I won't send you away in favour of Bruce," he muttered angrily. The cock pushed back in and made Tony momentarily gag. "That's right boy." Tony rocked back and forth between the two demanding Loki's, doing his best to please, letting his mind relax as he focused on Loki. Loki hissed slightly. Tony knew the sound so well and got ready. He jumped in surprise as a hand held him tight and the god came in his mouth. He swallowed and pulled away gasping. He turned round quickly to find he was alone on the bed. He looked back up into Loki's smiling face. Tony returned the smile and laughed. "When the fuck did you switch?" he asked in delight. Loki laughed too and leaned in; kissing Tony's slightly swollen lips. "When I took you down off the wall," he said. "You sneaky bastard." Loki nodded, "Thank you." He rubbed Tony's hair like a good pet. He walked away for a moment and returned with Tony's

light pad. Loki turned Tony onto his side, wrapping the covers around him as they spooned and passed him his light pad. "Here," he said. "It will keep you quiet while I sleep." Tony rolled his eyes at Loki's patronizing tone, but relaxed into the tight embrace and started tapping on the screen as Loki closed his eyes.

Liar Zombies. More or less. As word reached the other realms that Midgard had a Bifröst and presented an easier option to conquer than Asgard, evil intentions were beginning against Earth. Or that's how Thor described it. As though fucking Doom and the ever lingering threat of Thanos wasn't enough, there was also getting what could only be described as miscellaneous baddies. Currently, the Avengers were fighting an army from Niflhel in the streets of London. An army which seemed to be made up of half dead looking humanoids. Tony didn't care to spend too much time examining them before he shot one closing in on Steve with a laser. "Thirty-seven, Point Break." "Ha! Tony, you are not on form!" Thor laughed as he swung his Hammer around in a large arch knocking three down. "Forty-four!" Tony pulled a face, invisible behind the mask, and shot up into the sky to see what damage he could cause elsewhere. But it was true, his mind wasn't really in it today. Tony and Loki had spent a good three days thrashing around in the bed after the punishment for leaving with Bruce had been meted out. Then, of course, Tony had been summoned back to SHIELD. The binding had made things deeper, more passionate. Loki just hadn't been able to stop experimenting on his helpless but eager boy and Tony was a willing test subject. Shouldn't there be more to a relationship than sex? Does there need to be? Good point. Now Tony was trying to fight a battle after Loki had completely thrown him off his game with his petting him and whispering sweet nothings. He still managed to take down half a dozen in one go with a well-placed rocket. That's not to say I don't lo… need him. The sex is just too damn good. Why bother to walk in the moon light when you could be having sex on the beach? The Hulk, who had been nearby when the rocket exploded, looked up at the sky. Beady eyes fixed on the red and gold suited figure. He roared and threw a double decker London bus from his gigantic hand straight at Tony. Tony swore and ducked it. "Hey!" He yelled. That seemed to be it, though, as the lumbering mass of green turned his attention back to bringing his fist down on zombies like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Friendly fire during battle with the Hulk wasn't unusual - just ask Thor who tended to get the brunt of it. But given recent circumstances, Tony had to wonder; just how much had he angered his friend? As usual, Tony hadn't thought… not really thought what was going to happen when his friends started to find out. Keeping it from them all had been... Fun. A joke. Yet another way that Tony was superior to everyone else. Now he was getting worried.

Natasha will think I'm an idiot. Barton will be furious. Thor will be furious. Steve… Steve would probably need it explained once or twice before he gets his head around it. Then he'll be livid. "Tony, they've got some sort of launcher. It's tearing up the buildings. Can you take it down?" Natasha called. "The big ugly thing by the Thames? On it." Tony swooped down, preparing the largest missile he had. It flew out, spiralling in lazy circles until it hit. The explosion was rather enthusiastic, imploding and then shattering in a fireball of purple. They won't find out. Bruce will keep this a secret because he doesn't want to risk losing my friendship. The only way they'll find out is if we're stupid enough to get caught again. Tony took off, taking the opportunity to do a few circles around Big Ben - he'd always wanted to do that. Or someone tells them… Loki didn't care now. Apparently. In fact, Tony was beginning to wonder if Loki wasn't ready to get the secret out in the open. If SHIELD reacted badly, if they kicked Tony out… well, that would only mean more time for sex as far as Loki was concerned. Fuck. "Tony!" Tony woke up and turned back to his team. "Thor's pinned!" "Pinned by what?" Tony asked distractedly. Then he saw. Pinned by the ten tonne lump of cement. Ouch. "Where's Mean and Green?" "He's on his way - keep them off of him!" Steve yelled. He was taking the west side of the street; Tony hovered over the east, picking off any alien soldiers who got too close to the prone Thor. The big green landed heavily next to the debris and wrenched off the concrete slab. Thor looked dazed and bleeding, but still in one piece. Gods. What exactly would Tony have to do to put a dent in Loki if it came to it? Why am I even thinking that? Because love's all well and good, but I'm Tony Stark. And I'm always a step ahead. Just in case. Gotcha. "You okay man?" Tony called. Thor didn't answer but raised a hand in confirmation. Tony took off; his head finally back in the game. A combination of lasers, missiles and just good old fashioned fisticuffs,

okay, fisticuffs while wearing a metal gantlet which could be described as cheating. Tony was really making a dent in the army. Until, oh a blow to his pride, he was shot down by some sort of hand held rocket launcher. Only it launched shards of... something. Long slender pieces of smoking grey material that had the consistency of bone. By the purest bad luck it caught a major power point in his suit, driving in through the metal like it was tissue paper and he dropped from the sky. He handed heavily on a road, bouncing along until he finally came to a metal crunching stop. His systems were going haywire, his head was spinning and, worrying, he felt a sharp pain in his side. The shard of whatever had really gone straight through the suit and was now half buried in his right shoulder. Not deep enough to hit anything major, but enough that if he didn't get a move on he was going to bleed out where he lay. He resisted the urge to just yank the thing out. He looked up at the grey sky, willing himself to move but his body objected out of pain and shock. Great. It's probably going to rain on top of everything else. Creatures appeared around him, raising weapons seemingly made out of the same shards. He rolled quickly and stood as a blade came down and dodged backwards as one swiped at his chest. He backed away. "Guys! Little help?" he called. But he knew nothing was getting through. His communication was down. "Fuck," he muttered bitterly. He directed a couple of tiny bolts at the nearest solider and it dropped. That made the others pause, but it wouldn't be for long. Tony glanced over his shoulder. He was running out of road here. And he had lost his bearings in the fall - he couldn't remember which direction his friends were. "Fuck," he said again. He turned back to the incoming alien-soldiers. "Can I just ask what the hell this stuff is, in my shoulder and on your blade - yeah, that. That thing you're waving around there. What is it?" The creatures looked at him in confusion. "You speaky English?" Tony asked slowly. "They don't speak at all, Tony. They are merely the mindless foot soldiers." The silky voice poured through him. Tony started and looked around. Loki was standing against a lamppost, his legs and arms crossed. It was the most welcome, the most glorious, the sexiest sight Tony had ever seen. "Hell of a time not to bring your glow stick, Reindeer Games," he croaked, trying to force down his smile. "What are you doing here?" Loki shimmered, taking on his Jotun form. He walked at the alien zombies calmly who were suddenly nervous. They backed away, clearly intimidated. Loki said something in an alien tongue and Tony felt his mind melt at the sound. He could have been asking directions to the bathroom, Tony didn't care. It was so beautiful. The twelve or so creatures turned and fled. "Well, impressive, I suppose," Tony said. "You in league with this lot?" he asked accusingly. "They hate Midgardians, Asgardians... the majority of the other realms. But the Jötunn they respect... and fear. Their land was once ruled by an ice giant and their people have long memories."

Loki turned, his smug look dropping as he saw the shard in Tony's shoulder. There seemed to be a long moment as he stared at it. His eyes snapped up to stare at Tony's mask. "Do you feel cold?" Tony frowned. Now Loki had mentioned it... but his suit had been breached so he hadn't considered... "And dizzy. Duh. I fell out of the sky, diva." Maybe it was being outside. In the middle of a full scale battle. Tony wasn't slipping into boy as quickly as he otherwise would. In his suit, in front of Loki, for the first time since the Bifröst incident. I am the Iron Man. "I do not have time for such banter." Loki strode forward, reaching for him. Tony threw out an arm, knocking the insane god's hand away and raising his gloves. About now, they should be buzzing with the power of thrusters that would normally be enough to launch him off the ground or burn a man's face off. They were quiet. Tony tried again and again, but the last scrap of power had gone and all he was now a man in a metal tux. "Wings broken, friendless, defenceless and dying. Boy, I have no intention of leaving you here. You can come with me willingly, or I will drag you away." "Tony!" They turned to see Steve, Natasha and Thor running at them. Loki's staff appeared out of nowhere as he snatched an arrow out of mid-air. Barton really never got tired of trying, did he? Loki rolled his eyes, "And now I give you have no liberty to choose," he growled. Loki raised the gold staff, pointing at Thor. "No!" Tony dived forward knocking his hand. The bolt of blue missed. Barely. The next moment passed too quickly for Tony. Loki's arm reached out and grabbed him as he stumbled and fell. His staff aimed again and let off another bolt, this time at Steve as Thor let his hammer fly straight at Loki's head. xxx Tony was cold. He turned over in the bed, curling up into a foetal position, dimly aware his body was shaking. It was achingly cold, wracking his body. The muscles in his body ached. He was trapped in that biting cold which made your chest sore, your eyes water and your skin sting. When it gets so cold you can't remember what warm feels like. As he pulled his arms around his chest, he only then realised he wasn't in his suit anymore. That panicked him more than the chill. Stripped of his power, his strength, this cold had poured in almost corresponding to the removal of the Iron Man. Tony opened his eyes carefully and tried to sit up, wincing as every muscle screamed its objections. He felt like he had been put through a blender. Except, if I had, at least I'd be dead and not feeling like I'd been put through a blender. Various thoughts in a similar pointless veins coiled around his head for a long time before he registered the fact he was home. Not the Tower. Home.

"I'm going to kill him." he muttered thickly. He shuddered, the cold making him feel sick. He saw the scene again and again, that last bolt flying directly at Steve. Tony felt the rising panic in his chest, but true to Stark form, not a sign of it showed in his face. "I'm going to kill him," he repeated, with a little more force this time. He pushed himself up stiffly, his anger driving him and managed to get back on his feet. For the first time in this room, he was clothed. It was some sort of woollen material; a simple t-shirt and trousers dyed black. There was a blazing fire in the room and that fact surprised Tony as he watched the leaping, dancing flames. He moved a little closer. It was like… an illusion. He could hear the fire, smell the scent of burning wood, but as he reached his hands out, he felt nothing but biting cold. Tony looked up at a slight noise and Loki was standing by the bed. "I beg pardon, my love. I had hoped to be back before you awoke, but matters prevented me." "Too cheap for central heating?" Tony snapped, his body still shaking in the cold. He never remembered their home being this cold. He had never remembered being so cold. Even when Loki took him in his ice form… well, that was cold, obviously. But the glory of it meant that Tony barely noticed the pain of ice. Now it was all he could think about. Loki's eyes were examining him possessively. "You'll be cold for a little longer I fear. The shard went deep." He reached out and tried to push him back into the bed. "Get your hands off of me," Tony spat. Loki paused, his green eyes fixing on hazel ones. Loki's eyes softened slightly, "Thor is unharmed. The Captain is unharmed. My only concern was leaving with you." He saved me. "How fucking dare you attack my friends," Tony said, trying to sound harsh. Knowing his voice was distorted by the shuddering. Loki cocked his head, a small smile playing across his lips. "Excuse me, dear Captain. But my boy here is seriously injured. I am going to take him back to our secret home to heal him and make him cum." "Oh, bravo. You should consider Masterpiece Theatre. Fine, fine, I get it." Tony relented somewhat, but knew he still wouldn't be content until he saw them all minus glow-stick wounds. "Come here." Loki dragged his boy into the bed, wrapping his warm body around him. "You are well on the way to recovery, but you only lengthen that time by this petulant behaviour." "Go to hell," Tony muttered. "Probably warmer there," he added bitterly. "There are many ways I could warm you." "Vodka?" Loki chuckled and to Tony surprise, a hip-flask appeared in front of his face. "Whiskey." "That'll do," Tony said, quickly unscrewing it and gulping it down. Then he paused, staring at his hand. "My skin is grey." He wasn't as alarmed as he might be, with Loki pressed so firmly against him it was difficult to feel afraid. "It has improved; it was white yesterday. By tomorrow, you'll be recovered."

"Yesterday? Fuck. Do I want to know?" "Language, Tony. You've only been here two days." "If I start getting a hankering for brains, I'm blaming you." "I am exceptionally impressed with myself," Loki said musingly. "Even Asgardians take time to heal after being infected by the shards of the Niflhel. My healing magic is far more adept than I ever realised." Tony glared at the ceiling. "Maybe I'm just stronger than you were expecting. Maybe I'm the impressive one." "No, I'm fairly confident it was my arcane abilities," Loki said sneeringly. "You're such a fucking dick sometimes." Loki shifted against him again, laughing in his ear, running his hand up and down the rippling muscles of Tony's stomach. The message was unmistakable. Loki was 'pressing his intentions'. "Not in the mood," Tony lied. "Shh, of course you are," Loki said. Loki was working his magic – magic of a very different type - on Tony's weakened body. Wet lips and warm hands pushed their way under his shirt. Tony just stared at the ceiling, letting himself be loved. How were they going to spin this? How was he going to go back? It would have to be in a body bag for anything to be believed. "Stop thinking, Tony," Loki said, stripping Tony's clothes delicately. What was Bruce telling them right now? "Burden of being a genius, I can't switch it off." Then Loki apparently found the off switch. Tony arched slightly as the man swallowed him to the root. "Son of a-" Tony hissed through gritted teeth. Then he released a long sigh as the tension in his body finally let go. His concern for his friends, his anger with Loki for messing things up all gone in the face of Loki's care. Tony whimpered at the sensation. Wet lips created a seal around his shaft and sucked hard, the tongue fluttering over the sensitive tip. Such a cruel mouth which could build you up or destroy you with a just word, and so gentle and soft it made Tony almost giddy for joy. Tony's legs were pulling up involuntarily as he lost himself in the sensation. He felt Loki pushing his knees back down on the bed to get better access. His vision was narrowing, until he couldn't focus on anything, blind to everything. Tony's hips rose and fell, meeting Loki's attentions. The pulsing in his cock and balls was becoming unbearable. "Loki!" Tony thrashed and bucked and wailed without care. Loki held him still until Tony had finally come back down from the high, panting and grabbing Loki's shoulders as an anchor to reality. "Loki…" "I'm here, Tony. Just close your eyes." "I'm cold." It felt like decay. "The shard had done its damage even before I had reached you. But I saved you, my little pet.

The binding and the magic all playing their part." "Fucking zombies." "Indeed." "How am I supposed to explain-" "Shh my little kidnap victim. How likely is it that anyone would view my attacking the Avengers and whisking their companion away as a sure indication of a sexual relationship?" Good point. "Don't say kidnapped. Children are kidnapped." "And your point, boy?" Loki laughed gently, stroking Tony's hair back out of his face. "And after all, what's there to fear? Everyone knows a playboy, egocentric billionaire does not get on his knees to suck a god." "Exactly," Tony said. "And yet..." "And yet. You should know I have always seen it as a tremendous compliment that I inspire such love and adoration on your part." "Only a bit." "No, you worship me, so much so." "Only the regular amount," Tony said, secretly delighting in Loki's wearisome sigh. "Go to sleep, love. We'll deal with your return in the morning." xxx The next day as Loki had promised, the blinding chill was gone and his skin was finally its usual honey glow tone. Now Loki watched in palpable disapproval as Tony pulled on his under-suit. He couldn't put his suit back on as that needed the mechanical arms. But even just donning the black, divers type suit seemed to rile Loki. "What?" Tony demanded as the glare finally got on his nerves. Loki shrugged. Tony muttered a bad word. "So... Maybe you should punch me in the face or something." "Don't tempt me." "If we were still enemies, you would have hit me." "I have a plan, Tony. One which doesn't require you to return in pieces." "Which is?" Loki smirked cockily, "If we were still enemies, I wouldn't tell you." He stood, fixing his long coat fussily and walked over and held Tony's shoulder. The temperature change was sudden; there was all around him a scorching heat. The air was dry and sandy. Tony blinked in the sun, his eyes adjusting slowly and he wished like hell he had his sunglasses. He raised an arm to shield his eyes and looked around. "Why are we in a desert?"

"Events must, in their time and place, come full circle." "What?" "Never mind, Tony." They seemed to be just off a rundown town. There was a main street, shops, a diner, a petrol station... an incongruous pet shop for some reason, but not much else. The stillness was telling; this place was defiantly abandoned. Tony glanced at Loki. "Let's find a bar; I'm burning up out here." "Come on," Loki led him to a derelict diner. The whole town seemed dead. Nothing was working, no one was around... Metaphysical tumbling weeds crossed the scene. Though given the setting, Tony wouldn't have been surprised if really tumbling weeds appeared. There did seem to be a lot of damage about the place. Shattered cars, walls and windows. A lamp post was bent in the middle as though something had hit it. The large window of the diner was smashed in. "What happened to this place?" "I believe the residents must have moved away after the attack." "What attack?" Loki sat in a booth, dusting it fastidiously with a hand first and looked at Tony innocently. "I honestly have no idea." "Ha. Yeah right," Tony muttered darkly. Always beware when that man looks 'innocent'. "I need a drink." "No." "Water," Tony groaned. "W. A. T. E. R. With your permission, my god." Tony found a bottle in a broken fridge and downed it, grimacing slightly. "It's warm." "Is there no end to your complaints?" "Oh look who's talking!" Loki's ears seemed to prick up and he stood. "Masterpiece Theatre," he said, almost idly. Then in one movement, Loki lifted Tony by the neck and threw him across the room. Is it weird to be in a relationship where this doesn't at all surprise me? As Tony hit the far wall, he heard the thunderous bellow of, "Loki!" Tony scrabbled to his feet as Thor landed in the diner, his hammer raised to Loki. Loki chuckled, raising his hands. "Forgive me, but the mortal is infuriating." "I will make you pay for this!" Loki looked confused, "Pay for what?" "You attacked my comrades, you abducted the Iron Man!" "Don't say abducting," Tony groaned. "Princesses get abducted. I was…" "Kidnapped?" Loki suggested with a small smile.

"Shut the fuck up, you." Thor moved, circling Loki until he was by Tony's side. "Tony, are you alright?" "Unharmed and alive. As I promised you in my message." Loki smiled viciously. "And might I add, entirely thanks to my magic, otherwise the shard would have killed him." "Shard? The Nilfhim Hoard... Are you alright, my friend?" Thor's large, trusting eyes rested on Tony. "The shards of the Hoards kill-" "Without healing intervention," Loki reiterated finished with a smirk. "Just get me the fuck out of here," Tony said angrily. Thor seemed to be looking Tony over. He turned back to his younger brother. "Your manner of aid is beyond me, Loki. You could have just told me that he had been infected." Loki smiled again, obviously enjoying this immensely. "Would you have believed me? Before I would have convinced you he'd have been too far gone to save." "And that would have mattered to you?" Thor asked incredulously. Loki pressed a hand against his chest theatrically. "Why, of course! The Man of Iron? Such a man cannot be left to die in the cold ashes of Niflhel." Then Loki laughed his cold, wicked chuckle. "And I lose the chance to redeem my character in Odin's eyes?" Thor's eyes narrow and his voice lowered in anger. "So that is it. You wish for pardon from the All Father." "I am tired of running." "Then you will return to Asgard?" "For my pardon. Not to stay." Thor was getting worked up in the face of Loki's certainty. "He will not allow you to walk free; you will be confined to the palace. You will be lucky to avoid a cell!" "Perhaps," Loki said. He smiled, his tone contemplative, "I am truly in a wonderful position. I have finally seen my way clear to forgiving Odin for his lies and you for your thuggish arrogance. I am so much more; I have so much more now. And I have... what is the expression your delightful Midgardian pets use? I have played my cards perfectly. If I get confined to the halls of Asgard, or as you say, a cell, I will be handed by King Odin himself that which I desire most. The laws will insist it be so. If Odin allows me free, then I can remain with my prize on Midgard without the fear of being removed ever again. Either way, I win." "Speak sense!" Thor demanded. Tony cringed, but Loki laughed. "Oh brother, you always were so easy to exasperate." Thor opened his mouth but paused. "Brother?" he said. You could almost feel the hope and joy in two little syllables. To Tony's surprise, Loki looked away quickly. He actually seemed embarrassed. "A mere slip of the tongue." The truth or an act? How could you ever be sure? Either way, it had the effect of turning Thor far more conciliatory. "Loki," Thor said again, "You must tell me what happened to cause such a change of heart."

"I was tortured for a year," Loki spat. He looked up with pain filled eyes. "A year, Thor! I... reassessed what was important to me." "Then you will return to your status as Prince of Asgard, my brother and advisor?" Clever Thor Tony realised. Trying to force an admission from Loki that he would no longer vie for the throne. Of course, Tony would put money on the next thing that Loki said would be a lie, but all credit to Point Break for trying. Loki eyes glittered. "I have no intentions of gaining the throne." "You lie?" Thor asked. Loki shrugged. "Probably. But for now, I wish to regain my former position." Thor gestured around the town. Tony couldn't say why, but Thor seemed familiar with the place. "Why here of all places?" "It seemed appropriate." Thor smiled. "I will never understand you, Loki. But I valued our friendship. I loved you. I wish that we may love and trust each other once more." "In time. Perhaps," Loki responded quietly. Liar. There was a long silence. Tony raised a hand. "Excuse me? Still here. Family reconciliations being just charming and all, I want to get back to my tower." Tony walked up to Thor. "You're not going to believe this load of shit, are you?" Thor glared. "This has nothing to do with you Tony." "You know what, couldn't agree with you more. Only thing is, he fucking brought me here!" Tony pointed out. "And saved your life." Oh here we go. Fucking moron. "What kind of sucker are you? He did that out of his own selfish motives!" "The All Father may give his judgement today, but my brother will be my responsibility long after the All Father has passed and I have ascended to the throne. And I would rather he stand by my side than rot in a cell for all time." "Well whoopty-damn-do for you, but SHIELD won't like it." "I will assure SHIELD that Loki was suitably punished for his crimes against Midgard. You did not see the injuries he had from the realm of Thanos. I did. He was punished enough. And since then, he has not threatened the world and saved you." "Whoopty-damn-do?" Loki muttered like he was mulling over the expression. He stood, serene and calm as Tony and Thor argued. The bastard has style. "Sure he saved me, he didn't want his little-" Tony almost bit through his tongue with the effort of halting his runaway mouth. "He what?" He didn't want his little toy damaged.

"He threw me out the tower, Thor. He reasoned that if he could save me it would look noble, selfless. It-" Tony stopped and threw his hands up. "Fine. Believe him if you want. It's all lies. And don't come crying to me when he stabs you in the back. Can I get out of here now?" And just like flicking a switch, Loki gets Thor on side like nothing had happened. Was that a testament to Loki's artfulness or Thor's stupidity? Tony loved his god, but he was well aware of the man's failings. He wanted Loki to have what he wanted and what he wanted was Asgard, apparently. But Tony also cared for Thor. Tony's loyalties to Thor had existed long before he had ever cast doe eyes on the warrior's adopted brother. All in all, there was only one stable and unbending thought Tony could cling to. "I need a fucking drink." Loki stepped forward. "I will bring us all to Stark Tower. Then Thor, take me to the All Father." Thor, finally engaging his brain, had the sense to raise a hand. "My brother, please give me your staff." Loki looked vaguely impressed that Thor had been sensible enough not to trust him so far. The glittering gold staff appeared and was dutifully handed over. "Is that thing snappable?" Tony asked curiously and gained a sharp glare from Loki. Loki placed a hand on both Thor and Tony. There was that blackness and the sensation of being turned inside out. Tony opened his eyes and found himself back in Stark Tower. "Thank fuck for that," he muttered bitterly. Unsurprisingly, he found his feet leading him directly to the bar. "Are you going?" he asked the pair. "We must not delay," Thor said. "I want a word with him first," Tony said, nodding at Loki over his large glass of double, double scotch. Loki snorted softly and ignored him. "Brother," Thor said warning. "I have no desire to speak further with the creature. Three days was more than enough." Give the man his Oscar. It frustrated Tony that Loki could slip so easily in and out of character. How could you ever be sure of what he really was? Thor's voice became warning. "And if I inform the All Father of such sentiments?" Loki rolled his eyes and muttered wearily, "Of course, brother, of course." He waltzed over as though he were humouring the mere mortal. Self-satisfied smug sexy pyscho bastard. Tony lowered his voice when he was close enough, keeping his face as blank as he could. "Do the Zombies have a Bifröst?" "The Niflhel Hoard. No." "Are they magical?"

"In the sense you speak of? No." "Then how the fuck did they get here?" Tony asked harshly. He looked at Loki with piercing eyes. Loki opened his mouth, his smug, still sexy mouth but didn't have a chance to speak before Tony cut him off. "Whatever you're about to say is a lie. How? How the fuck did they get to Earth?" Loki looked back with brilliantly green eyes. Eyes so bright. In that moment, Loki looked younger than Tony. Loki realised Tony knew and said softly, "I did not expect you to be so stupid as to get hit. I had hoped it would be one of your colleagues." "You mother fucker." "I found you. I saved you." "You said the Zombies respected you because they were once-" "That was not a lie. But it was not the whole truth." "Get the fuck out of here and don't come back. We're over." "If I did as you ask, you would wither and die. If Odin does not grant my freedom to traverse the realms, there will be an Asgardian Guard here in six days to bring you to me, whether you want to go or not. It is a crime to allow the death of a Thrall, a crime Odin will not permit. After all, I am still a member of the Royal family. King Odin cannot allow such a taboo crime to be committed by his own son," Loki spat the word like something foul. The he composed himself, dropping his voice lower, "See you in six days, whether it be here or there. Six days, my darling boy."

Safeword "Tony, get down!" "What?" Tony was thrown against the wall of the Helicarrier training room by what looked like a container box. It felt like a juggernaut. "Armour strength at 85%," Jarvis said as Tony stood wobbly. Natasha was already in front of him. "What's gotten into you today?" she demanded. "Training's not supposed to be lethal." "I'm not the one who threw it!" Tony said angrily. He looked over at the culprit and raised a hand acknowledgingly. "Nice aim, Green Dude." Again! For fucks sake Bruce, who cares who I'm screwing! "I'm sure Bruce will find it just as funny when he's back," Natasha said sharply. That made Tony's heart fall a bit. "I wasn't paying attention." "You haven't been paying attention all day," Barton said dryly. Because my joints are sore, my muscles hurt, I've been wearing my heavy sunglasses for the last two days; not because they're cool, though they are, but because any light gives me a migraine. I can't hold any food down, I'm thirsty all the time but can't swallow and I feel like there are a thousand spiders under my skin. Oh, and I've just been flattened by a weapons container. Other than that, I'm just peachy, thanks for asking. Loki wasn't in this realm and after the binding, that simple fact apparently spelt bad news for Tony. The withering. It was the morning of day six and there was still no sign of his return. Shattered bones, scars, being thrown against walls, turned into a zombie, the crossing to Asgard… no amount of divine sex is worth this. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. Six days separated from Loki and the anger at him for bringing the zombie hoard here had turned into no more than a petty grumble as more pressing trepidations had overwhelmed him. Make no mistake; he was still livid, but he needed Loki back more than he needed to yell at him for what he had done. Only now was Tony beginning to realise what this þjá ey, enthralling business was all about. This leash meant that Tony could hate Loki as much as he wanted; he still needed the god to survive. Loki... "Alright," Steve said. "Let's take that from the beginning. We can't afford to mess around in training anymore." Tony raised a hand. "Sir, I forgot my gym kit." "Very funny Tony." "Thor," Barton said.

They turned to see the god walking in, wearing his usual uniform and a calm, pleasant expression. He seemed in a good mood, better than Tony had been expecting at any rate. Tony's heart leapt. What does that mean? "Forgive my lateness, friends." "What did Odin say about Loki?" Steve asked sharply. Thor looked dumbfounded. He turned sharply to Tony. "Oops," Tony said, "was it supposed to be a secret?" "You can't keep secrets like that from us, Thor," Natasha said. "Apparently not," he said gruffly, glowering at Tony. "The All Father has pardoned Loki of his crimes against Asgard and Midgard." Nobody in the room was pleased about that. Tony found himself as angry as he was relieved. "He can't pardon Loki for his crimes against us," Barton insisted. "He's not our King." "He is the All Father," Thor said, as though this was the answer to everything. "And Loki has more than suffered for his crimes. He has not attempted any chaos against the realms since his return from Thanos' realm." Ha! Like fuck he has."He even saved Tony's life." "That doesn't forgive the fact he kept him prisoner for three days," Steve pointed out. "And let him go." "Hey!" Tony said indignity. Steve gave a small smile and added, "Besides, he only did it to look good. It was a blatant political move. If he hadn't thought it would get him back in with King Odin, he wouldn't have bothered. That's not something to praise." Barton was getting heated. "So that's it, he's free to roam?" "No, he has been confined to Asgard." "Fuck," Tony muttered. Barton misunderstood Tony's exclamation. "He turned me into a slave and threw Tony out of the tower. Why didn't we get a say in his trial? He killed Coulson!" He killed Coulson. Tony shuddered. It was a fact that he had long ago decided not to think about. He's not perfect, but if he's not back soon I'm going to die. "It is done, my friends. Leave it be, I beg," Thor said. "I have my brother back, a man who was never inherently evil. There has been some great force in his life of late which has turned him back into the man I once knew. Can we not leave it at that?" Tony caught Thor by the elbow. He almost pulled up his visor but remembered in time that it would only betray his bloodshot eyes and pale skin. Of everyone here, Thor would know the signs. "Listen, man, I-I thought-" "It is alright, Tony." Thor said softly as the others turned away, back to their training. "I should not have thought it best to hide this from them. But I knew they would not understand." "I understand" Tony said hurriedly. "I understand. He's your brother; he's-he's got the potential to

pull himself back to-together if he has the chance." There was a panic building inside Tony. There seemed to be more spiders under his skin than ever and only the suit was hiding the shaking of his limbs. He forced himself to calm down. "If he's locked away in A-Asgard though, won't that just lead t-to more mischief?" "That is an end to it, Tony," Thor said, pulling his arm away. "I wish to speak on it no further." Tony watched Thor walk away with mounting dread. xxx Tony stepped off the transport, crossed the airport pavement and onto his private jet. Usually, he flew himself home in the suit from the Helicarrier. Right now, even he understood that would have been a bad idea. He had remained in his suit throughout his time with his friends, keeping the visor down and when he had to shed it, he was immediately in heavy sunglasses. He had to do anything but let Bruce see, who would suspect illness, or Thor see, who would probably know on sight. He stumbled into a seat and had to take a minute to stop himself from hurling. Everything around him was spinning. This was worse than a hangover. This was like... the worse hangover ever. His general mood had been put down to being imprisoned and most people had managed to brush it off. It… well fuck. It irked Tony. Even children would have figured it out by now. But the obvious was flying in the face of the basic facts of reality. Playboys don't become toys for gods. Tony knew that well, because that's what turned him into a genius and Steve into nothing more than your average Joe. Because Tony looked for what could be there. What could be true, if he had the imagination, skill and patience to create it. Everyone else looked for what was actually there and the fact was Tony would not sleep with Loki. Why the fuck would he? Tony was a ladies' man, an egocentric little shit and an Avenger. Who could ever believe he'd roll over and let a god pound him? So that's presumably why, despite everything, they still weren't able to make that final leap and think, "Hey, maybe they're screwing?" That irked Tony. They're basically saying they don't think I'm good enough to get a god. Fucking cheek. "Good afternoon, Mr Stark. Can I get you a drink?" He waved the voice away, his head in his hand. He grimaced as the jet took off. "Turn the fucking lights off!" he shouted. The juddering energy was gone. His words were slurring heavily now Tony was finally able to pull his head up when the jet interior was dark. Someone had shut all the binds and turned off the lights. That same someone handed him a glass. "Water," she said. "Here." Tony looked up blearily. Miss No-Fun-At-All. "Didn't realise you were here," he slurred. She didn't answer, but gave him a pill.

"What's this?" "An acquaintance of mine always finds this helps when he's coming off a high." He stared at her. She thought he was coming down from a bad fix. That might have been okay when he was just the playboy, but things were different now. He couldn't have this woman running to the media and saying the Iron Man was coming back from SHIELD high. "Look, Molly - I'm not high." "Yes, Mr Stark." Tony opened his mouth to protest, but how could he? He knew what he looked like; he knew what it seemed like. What was he supposed to say? Actually, I'm bound to the Nordic God of Mischief. The reason I look like this is because he's been condemned to the halls of Asgard, which by the way is in a different realm. I can't survive without him because of some magical ritual performed by twisted, obsessive Asgardians to ensure their favourite Midgardian sex pets are kept around for as long as they're wanted. But thanks for asking. "Thanks," he muttered, swallowing the pill and finishing the glass. "I'll let you sleep, Mr Stark. Just press the buzzer if you need anything." "Thanks, Molly." The flight was tortuous, even the smallest sound made him want to hurl. A limo ride to the tower and Tony had to be helped into the lift and up to the penthouse. He sent the driver away once they got there and hauled himself to the bathroom. He threw up. "Fuck Loki. Fuck him, I wish he was dead," Tony spat, not believing a word of it. "I wish he was dead." He grabbed the sink and pulled himself up. Tony took one look at the mirror and almost threw up again. "Oh fuck," he said wetly. He forced the bile back down and ran the taps, washing his face. If he knew anything about magic, it was that everything happened at midnight. Tony felt like he was dying and it would probably be at midnight. That's when the carriage turned back into a pumpkin, right? Six days. Did Loki say six days and he would die of the withering? Or six days before he was taken, like a stray dog, to Asgard. Fuck him, fuck him… it's not fair to die just because someone's not in the room. "Sir, would you like me to call Doctor Banner?" This would be the time to call Bruce. "No." Bruce had settled into Tony's world surprisingly easily, though not without his concerns that Tony was heading into a world of pain. Tony had smiled at the man indulgently. "But Bruce," he had objected mildly. "A world of pain is what I'm after." Perhaps the reason the others hadn't realised yet was thanks to Bruce. Bruce, who they turned to

as the sort of… user guide to Tony, had been helping to perpetuate Tony's chosen cover, i.e. Lockley. But it was more than that. They had long ago grown wise to Tony's snobbery. Not for wealth or class, but intelligence. Tony was happy to admit it. And it wasn't even IQ he was after. Some of the people with the highest IQs Tony had ever known had been morons. IQ wasn't what Tony was after, just pure intelligence. Like Bruce and Pepper and Thor's Jane. And, Tony admitted grudgingly, Natasha. But Bruce was Tony's absolute favourite, so the rest of the Avengers and SHIELD went to Bruce to make their case. Bruce would then go to Tony and slowly cajole him into falling in line with SHIELD's point of view. They had turned to Bruce now and the doctor's efforts had helped in smoothing over any suspicions the others might have had over the whole event. Thor's explanation that Loki had used Tony to ensure his return to Asgard had been readily believed. But Tony didn't want to call in Bruce. He didn't want to be seen like this. Loki was either coming back to him, or he was about to get dragged to Asgard for the rest of time. Or he's not. Loki's back home - exactly where he's wanted to go for months now, no matter what he says. And his summer holiday fling would be forgotten. Tony rubbed his forearm over his eyes, forcing the image of his own dead body out of his mind. Fuck him, I wish he was dead. The Niflheim Hoard had been dispatched pretty easily after Tony had been taken away by Loki. They had fulfilled their purpose by getting a member of the Avengers injured so Loki could swoop in and save the day. Fuck the Hoard. Fuck the lies. Fuck the devious shit. I just need him back. Tony looked up startled as warmth filled his chest. In the mirror, his face started to colour, lines filling in, cheeks plumping out, eyes brightening. He stood gingerly, feeling like a new man. All the aches and pains and spiders evaporated away. He walked quickly into the living room. Loki was waiting for him. He looked vaguely tired, but still the powerhouse Tony always pictured him as. Tony had to violently resist the urge to leap into his arms. "What the fuck took you so fucking long?" he demanded. "Do you have any idea of how much trouble the fucking withering shit has caused today? I barely hid it from the Avengers. I barely hid it from Thor. And I couldn't hide it from Miss No-Fun who's got quite a fucking story for the tabloids now while you're jaunting around playing the fucking prodigal son!" "Hush, boy. I know you must be tired." Tony threw a punch before he had really thought it through. Loki dodged like a snake and Tony found himself on his knees, his arms hauled and restrained behind his back with one hand and the nails of the other hand digging into his skull, wrenching his head back. He had expected Loki to be fuming, to yell. But he seemed calm and soothing. "I know you are angry. And I will allow you to be angry. It will come with punishment and discipline, but I think that's what you want. You want to know that I am here, that nothing has changed. You want to know that I have not become," he laughed faintly, "a good guy. Correct me, my boy. Tell me you do not want discipline, tell me with the safe word, and I will relent." I could say Fury and prove the fucker wrong. Show him that this isn't a temper tantrum, make him hurt for thinking he can control me. Make him guilty for doing this to me.

"Did you go crawling back to daddy?" Tony sneered. He was slapped hard in the face. "Did you apologise to Thor like a good boy?" He was slapped again, harder. The pain felt so good and every time he turned his face back, there was Loki, watching him with tender eyes and making him hurt so amazingly. He paused, but Loki still wasn't reacting. Tony had to push harder. "I bet you even went crying to mummy about what a bad boy you've been, you stupid-" "Enough," Loki said. He dragged Tony upright, his boy kicking and yelling every step of the way. The journey home was made, Tony struggling and fighting Loki with everything he had. Loki dumped him on the stone floor. Chains flew down from the ceiling, holding Tony up like a puppet on a string. Still he screamed and fought as he was stripped, though the tussle was entirely one sided. A gag was forced into his mouth and deep inside his chest he sighed with relief. Now he didn't have to force words of hate to get what he needed. What he so desperately wanted. Loki... "That's a good boy," Loki said and Tony felt a hand caressing his ass possessively. "I know you were scared. But it's alright. I am here and I'm not going anywhere. Not again." Fuck the lies, fuck the devious shit, fuck the hoard... for now. Tony nodded unconsciously, now calm and quiet. Stripped of his ability to lie by the gag, the honesty of his body was unquestionable. Fingers played over the scars on his lower back. My boy. It provoked a sudden hardening in Tony's cock. Loki noticed and nodded with a gentle smile. "Such a good boy to respond so well." Loki drew back a hand and slapped him hard on his backside. Tony shuddered soundlessly. The slaps came regular, spaced out with strokes. Tony was completely silent; his head tilted back, his eyes closed and the beginning of tears in his eyes as pent up emotion found an outlet. The slaps moved now, dividing themselves between his ass and thighs. "If you can sit in the morning without wincing, I will not have done this properly," Loki breathed. Tony found himself smiling. Love him or hate him, Loki has style. "I want you to tell me when you have had enough." Tony pushed himself. He waited. Waited until he couldn't bear it anymore and forced himself to stay silent. Waited until he thought he was going to fall apart and waited. Waited until his entire body was wracked with sobs and said nothing. "Enough," Loki said. He stopped and Tony choked, shaking his head desperately, pleading with his eyes for Loki to resume. Loki looked at him critically. "No. Your new fast car, I might be. Your new alcohol, I understand. But I am neither a car nor alcohol because I will not let you use me to destroy yourself in pursuit of the greater thrill. You do so by my whim, or not at all." Loki pulled up a chair and sat in front of Tony. "I hold your leash. And you will go as far as I allow you to and no further. We are going to wait for you to compose yourself. Then we will resume your discipline." Tony head collapsed onto his chest as he hung in chains. His wrists were aching and he clung onto the pain in his arms, the pain in his back. It was real. It was tangible. It kept him anchored to his world. He mumbled. Loki stood and pulled the gag from his mouth. "Yes, my darling boy?"

"You're... free?" "Did Thor not say?" "Said... confined." Loki laughed. Tony's heart fluttered at the sound. His cock twitched. This man's every action ruled his body. "Well, well. Thor's a liar," Loki breathed. Tony felt the warm air on his lips and groaned. He leaned forward, fighting against the chains and the pain, trying to get his lips on Loki's. The god seemed to consider whether or not to let him, then closed the distance. Tony opened his mouth, letting Loki's tongue in, letting the god own his mouth. He sighed happily. "I... apologise. For not including you in my plans with the Niflheim Hoard. I apologise for using your world as an instrument for my return." "Fucker," Tony breathed. "Yes. I know. I am sorry, Tony." Loki's hand was stroking over and over Tony's flat stomach pacifyingly. It was creating a warm pool inside him, making him melt. Loki's lips pressed up against Tony's again, turning Tony's mind into mush. "Alright, alright," Tony murmured, "It's okay." "You forgive me?" "Yes." "Would you like me to let you down?" Tony shook his head. "Would you like me to take you?" Nod. Tony was pulled up further and now his feet were hanging in the air. If he stretched, he could just put his weight on his toes, but became easier just to hang and adjust to the strain in his arms and upper back. Loki waited until Tony had gone still again before moving around behind him. "Let's talk about sunsets and kittens, and fast cars and sports, and all those pure and wholesome things a good boy should be thinking of and not how desperately you want to taste my cock." "Wh-urgh!" Tony tried to ask, but was cut off in mid thought as Loki slid a finger in and out. "Concentrate, Tony." "What?" Tony gasped. "Tell me about the cars you own." "Why-" Tony started, but cried out delightedly as a second finger pushed in. "Tony, you are disobeying me. And disobedient boys do not get their little prostates stroked. Now, tell me about all the cars you own or I stop."

Tony forced his mind back to reality as fingers glided their way inside of him, touching every part of him. "Er... I, um, fuck, yes Loki, right there!" "Right here?" Loki's fingers pressed up again, touching the spot that had sent a shock through Tony's body. "Yes, yes!" Loki pulled out immediately. Tony howled out and jerked hard as he gained another slap for his outburst. "I am standing here and I have yet to hear you utter the name of a car. Try my patience any longer and not only will you not be taken, but you will be kept here, dangling in chains, on the edge of your orgasm, until people begin to notice you haven't appeared for weeks." Tony found himself desperately wondering how long it would be until someone noticed him missing. He knew Loki well enough to be certain the threat was not an idle one. "A-Aston MMartin." "Good boy. And so we begin." Loki pushed two fingers back in and Tony crooned in joy. "Keep talking." "P-P, Loki, Loki right there, please! Er, Porsche 918 Sp-Spyder. Er... oh, yes, Ford... Ford, fuck! Yes! Um, 1932 Ford Flathead Ro-Roadster – yes, please, just there! Harder, harder please!" Loki pushed harder and Tony gasped and laughed at the joy. "Um, Acura NSX Roadster." "Good, you were focused then. Is the car significant?" "F-Favourite." Loki chuckled. His hand seemed to be going deeper and Tony's legs kicked out in the air slightly as he lost himself once again to the bliss. "And?" "A, oh my god, a 19..19..." he groaned, throwing his head back, his arms tensing, pulling himself up briefly. "Focus, Tony." Loki's fingers were relentless, following his squirming body no matter how far Tony tried to pull away. Tony shook his head, trying to clear the haze filling him. "AMC AMX/3. 1967 Shelby Cobra. A Saleen S7-" Tony groaned hard as Loki's fingers found his prostate, teasing and stroking. "More, Loki, please, please give me more." Loki pulled away from that spot, but pushed another finger in stretching him wider. "Go on. A Saleen S7." Tony bent his mind back, shuddering hard. Tony loved cars. He always had. But never in his life had he been this horny while thinking about them. Sex with Loki on the backseat of the Audi. That was fun. But having his body stretched open; being pleasured so thoroughly while listing his cars was something altogether new and weird and dirty. "Saleen... Sal-" Tony gasped and whimpered as Loki's fingers scissored out, widening him further. Tony shook his head, forcing himself to obey. "2008 Audi R8... I know what – oh yes! – I know what you're doing," he panted. "I sincerely doubt it, my pretty pet, but do tell me." "You're confusing me, distracting me, holding off my... my... oh my god you're so deep!" Tony wailed. His body was trying to escape the fingers, forcing him up. Loki was pounding hard, his fingers stroking over the prostate.

"Keep going, or I pull out," Loki threatened. Tony would have rather pulled out his arc reactor than let Loki pull out of his ass. "Te-Tesla Roadster. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren." Tony stopped, finally at the end of his list, panting hard. Without the distraction, his mind refocused on the sensations. His whole body was squirming, floundering like a dying fish on a hook. How was that image suddenly hot? His cock was dripping with precum and his legs were shaking and kicking. "Come on, boy. I am tiring of the silence." "That's it," Tony whimpered. "I think you're lying to avoid playing my game." "I'm not, I'm not!" Tony whined piteously. "You're forgetting a car, Tony." Tony's mind worked furiously until Loki apparently took pity. "Ford GT40?" Loki suggested. He doesn't just fuck me, he actually listens to me. He remembers and cares and, and… oh fuck. "Loki, I love you," Tony whispered as the rising emotion became too much. Loki laughed the pure, evil, god of chaos laugh. "Nice try, my sweet. But you're not getting out of the game that easily. Now, name the cars you have repaired." Tony couldn't drag himself out of the mire of ecstasy to play Loki's stupid game anymore. "Loki, I don't-" Loki dragged his fingers out immediately. Tony bit back a scream. It was painful to be suddenly so empty. His muscles objected violently, clenching on nothing. His mind revved back up into gear. "Er, um, I, the- the GT Spyder. The Shelby Cobra. The Ford Flathead Roadster. The Audi. The Saleen S7. The Aston. Please, Loki, I'm – I need you inside me!" Tony finished in far more of a pleading sob than he could face up to. Loki pushed four fingers back in. Tony winced, it was painful, but it seemed his god had taken the opportunity to add more lubricant. He slid in easier. "What did you repair on the GT Spyder?" Fingers stroked, explored, twisted and stretched out. "Everything." "Specifics, boy." "Entire frame. Transmission. Crank shaft. Engine. Interior. Everything." "Do I want to know why?" "Dr-drove it off a- overpass." "And you survived?" "Wasn't in it." "A story for another time, perhaps. And the Shelby Cobra?" "Wh-Wheels. Value assembly." "When?"

"What?" Loki slapped his sore ass hard. "What didn't you understand, boy?" Tony frowned, searching his memories desperately. It was getting easier to keep his mind moving. The flare of pain and orgasmic bliss was still there, but the forefront of his mind was being forced to keep its attention on something else. It was strange and wonderful to be so conflicted and confused. "2..." Tony humped his hips back onto the fingers, his hard, bouncing cock swaying in the air. "2000." "What month?" "Loki please, just let me-" "What month?" Tony whined like a kicked puppy. "Um... Feb-no, no it was March. March it- it was March 2000." "What did you replace on the Ford?" Tony's body stiffened. He and his father had rebuilt that car from scratch. He couldn't, wouldn't think about his father like this, chained to the ceiling, a god's fingers rubbing up against his prostate. He wouldn't think about the legendary Howard Stark while he whined and begged like a slut. He wasn't going to cum with his father in his head. "Ask me about another." Loki sensed the weakness and moved in for the kill. "No. Tell me, or we stop." Tony wasn't feeling the pleasure of this anymore. It was amazing how suddenly he wasn't so horny. The ramming of Loki's fingers was rapidly turning into pain and not the kind that made him weak and desperate. "Fuck you, I said no!" he snapped. "Tell me about the Ford or I walk out of this room." Tony felt a rising anger. Panic. He wanted to run away. He wanted to throw up. This was wrong. He was wrong. He was filthy and – "Now, boy!" "Fury!" Tony screamed. Loki pulled out of Tony. Tony found himself lowered to the floor and the chains disappeared. He cursed angrily, shivering and shaking. He growled at himself when he felt the tears picking his eyes and rubbed his arm over his face, forcing it away. Loki appeared in front of him. "I'm sorry. Can I touch you?" Tony nodded hesitatingly. Loki's hand reached out and stroked his face. "I did not mean to cause you any distress. Or at least, none that you would not thank me for." "You can't do anything fucking right, can you?" Tony spat. Loki didn't respond, just petted him gently. "Put me back up," Tony whispered. Loki didn't seem to understand. "For fuck's sake, tie me back up. I didn't want to be let down." "You called stop."

"I had to!" Tony shouted angrily. He felt like he was getting blamed for ruining the game but soft kisses from Loki helped Tony pull himself back together. Tony shook his head and said, "It's all right. I'm fine. I just... not the Ford. Please. Don't stop, just don't try to push me down that road, I'm- I'm not ready to go there yet, I can't do it." "We'll stop." "No!" Loki's hand closed over Tony's straining flesh. Tony yelped and his hands flew out to clench Loki's shoulders. Fuck he was so hard! "I will relieve you. Take you to the bed, lie you down and suck you so tenderly. I will hold you until you pass into sleep. I will not leave you like this, Tony. I would never leave you like this." "I want to carry on, it's just..." I can't talk about him. Not now. Not like this. "I do not ask you to continue." "And I'm begging you to." "I don't want you to beg. I simply need your assurances that if I do so, it will not cause you further distress." Tony smiled cockily through wet and red eyes. "None that I won't thank you for." Loki kissed him. "Can I tie you back up?" "You'd fucking better," growled Tony. Chains pulled him up off the ground and back into the air. Tony took a moment, trying to get comfortable again. Loki waited until Tony nodded and moved back round. Tony smiled when he felt lips press against the small of his back. Next, Loki pushed three fingers back in. Tony's body had readjusted so it was just a bit too tight. "You've undone all of my lovely work," Loki sighed. "I'm so-" Tony stopped himself in time. Fuck him, I'm not fucking apologising for biology! "I do not want an apology, Tony." "Funnily enough, I wasn't going to fucking apologise." Loki let the lie pass without comment. "I merely demand you promise never to allow me to be any more evil than you can stand." "I promise." Tony hung in silence as the god reworked Tony's helpless body back into the desired position. It didn't take long before Tony's hips were humping the air again. "Tell me about the Audi." "F-Fuel. Fuel pump. Cylinder Head, Spark Plugs. Cam shaft. Axle. Windows. Wheels. Driver's seat. December 2010" Tony said, managing to sound smug despite the sensation that his entire body was trying to implode. "Why are you – fuck yes! Oh yes!" "I am teaching you to compel your mind to accept the situation it's placed in and allow your body to suffer while it flies." Tony grunted.

"You will gain greater control over your body and its reactions. After all, you never would have been so still and so obedient if you had realised what I was doing." Tony's eyes flew open wide as an entirely foreign sensation was screaming for his attention. As he realised what Loki had done, his body lurched up and squirmed, gasping hard like he was drowning. Loki's fist moved slightly, sending shock waves through Tony. "So tight, so perfect, so pure," Loki crooned. Tony felt him feather gentle kisses along his spine. "It's like a warm, velvet glove." "Fucking shit bullocks fuck fuck fuck," Tony whined. Loki's fist, buried inside of him, curled its fingers, rubbing against that magic spot. Tony lurched forward in his chains. "Fucking fuck!" "Would you like to continue speaking about cars?" Loki asked innocently. "No!" "Shame. I was learning a great deal. What are you learning, boy?" That a fist buried inside of him was the most amazing, the most terrifying thing to ever happen to Tony. Thank fuck the man had such slender hands. This is good, so good! Oh yes! "No, no, no, no," he whimpered in panic as Loki pressed hard, stroking and stretching and making his every nerve ending light up. Fuck don't stop! "Stop!" Loki chuckled and just pushed harder. This was what Loki did. This was why the sex was so amazing. Because anyone else would hear Tony's distress and protests and stop. Because they were good. Good people living in a good world. Who believed that Tony's smugness was because he was smug. Who believed his playboy lifestyle was because he was a playboy. Only Loki knew Tony's smugness was sadness. Only Loki knew Tony's playboy lifestyle was desperate loneliness. Only Loki would keep pushing Tony into the sex he wanted, needed, craved despite Tony's demands that it stop. Except when Tony needed it to stop. Their real safe word, Fury, was used today for the first time and Loki had stopped. Loki's perfect. Loki loves me. He came back from Asgard for me. Tony cried out with every breath as Loki's hand shifted again. Tiny movements for the god but a world of sensation for Tony. "Oh god, stop!" he cried. "Shh," Loki breathed, stroking Tony's back. "You can't stop me, so just relax." "Please!" "This is going to be the most amazing orgasm of your life, my love. Don't be frightened. Commit to it. I am going to make you cum hard and I'm not even going to touch your cock. Are you ready?"

"No! No, no, no!" Tony wailed. Fuck yes! Please! Loki pulled back slightly and Tony felt insides being pulled out, then pushed back in. Loki was going so deep Tony knew he was going to start feeling it in his throat. His legs shook and flailed in the air. His arms fought to pull himself away from the hand, pulling himself up. Loki didn't relent and followed. His prostate was alive, every nerve in his body screaming with joy. There was surprisingly little pain, but there was an overwhelming sense of weakness. Loki could have demanded anything of him in this position. Tony would have handed over anything for fear of what he could do. Tony felt his toes curling, his eyes rolling back, his back arching. Every muscle in his body was tensing. If he was going to die from an orgasm, this would be the one. His mouth was open in a silent scream and he was held there, just teetering there on the edge, needing one little thing to push him into heaven. Loki pressed his face against Tony's and whispered in his ear. "Close your eyes and imagine my hand where it is... but ice." Tony came.

Devotion "Never do that to me again." "Don't be so silly, boy. You know I will." Tony muttered bitterly and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" "I do not care." They were curled up in the round bed in the middle of the room, Loki draped over Tony as Tony grew ever more restless. After Tony had cum and, true to Loki's word, it had been harder than he had ever known it, he had hung practically dead in the chains until Loki had orgasmed, stroking himself with his free hand. He had dragged his fist carefully from Tony and carried him to the bed. "It was… it was fucking amazing," Tony said, quietly. It may not have been so great had Loki done it earlier in their relationship. The magical binding between them was complete and Tony's pain tolerance had increased significantly. But it was more than that. Tony didn't think he could have gone through that if he didn't trust the mad god. Tony threw an elbow back hard and heard the hiss from Loki as it caught him in the ribs. "I'm still pissed with you." "I apologised," Loki said, sounding mildly resentful. "That doesn't mean I forgive you inviting an alien army to my home, my planet, just for one of your fucking schemes." Loki was silent. What hope do I have that he'll never do it again? None. Tony's eyes closed as he remembered the orgasm and he unconsciously found himself licking his lips. The binding had increased more than pain tolerance but also his need for Loki. Constant need for him. To have the man behind him now, naked… "Want you," Tony growled, turning around, still encompassed in Loki's arms and kissing him deeply. "Want you now." "Go to sleep, Tony." Tony rubbed his pelvis against Loki, their warm lengths bumping and grinding together. His lips fastened onto his god's neck, kissing and licking until Loki finally opened his eyes and pushed Tony onto his front. Tony smiled as his hands were tied behind his back. He struggled, kicking out with his legs before Loki dragged him up and out of the bed. Tony yelped painfully as he was dragged by his arms, bending back in a way to wrench them from their sockets if Loki wasn't careful. A collar was forced round his neck and a leash tugged his neck up sharply. "That's enough," Loki said. Tony chuckled. "You're so fucking easy." Loki gave his leash another sharp tug. "I should not encourage this behaviour."

Tony gave him a theatrically baffled look. "What? You shouldn't encourage me wanting your cock?" Loki glared as Tony gave him a cheeky smile. Loki rolled his eyes and said, "You will have to wait. I'm tired." "Well, you're getting old." Loki gave him the most exasperated look Tony had so far engendered. "You thoroughly vexing boy," he exclaimed, pulling Tony forward by his collar and kissing him deeply. "All mine," he breathed against Tony's lips. Tony smiled again. "Come on," he cajoled. "This is why you found a younger guy, isn't it? To get you moving again in your old age." "Must you make jokes about my age?" "Must you make jokes about mine?" Tony grumbled. Loki laughed, his white teeth glittering and despite recent events, Tony just felt so happy. When has it ever been this good with a partner? Even Pepper. Pepper had loved him. Loki loved him too, but Loki adored him. Adored, worshipped and coddled him. Devotion. "Silly boy," Loki breathed. He pulled Tony by the leash to the edge of the round bed. Tony sat up, his legs over the side, with strict orders not to move while Loki walked about the room, preparing the new game. Tony glanced almost wistfully over to the heavy wooden chair. He hadn't been strapped into it since the cattle prod session. He groaned slightly as he saw the offending item being taken out of the cupboard. "Shh, don't whine so boy. You know it'll be fun." "Fun for whom exactly?" "Well, me, of course. But no matter what game we play, I'll always make you cum in the end. You have my word on that, for what it's worth. It's just too magnificent to watch your expression as pleasure hits you to ever walk away leaving you unsatisfied. Isn't that a reassuring thought to remember while you're screaming in pain?" "Makes me positively weak at the knees," Tony said sardonically. But his stiffening was telling a different story. Loki glanced at him with a judging look and smiled. "I'm glad to see you so peaceful." "Am I?" Tony said sceptically. Loki walked away, a collection of objects in his hands and put them on a small table out of Tony's sight-line. As he walked back to the cupboards, the god ran a hand over Tony's cheek as he passed. "Your thoughts… your internal monologue which was so pronounced in the early months that I could almost see the words written across your forehead have… quietened. Somewhat. Is that not true?" Tony held his gaze silently. As Loki resumed his preparations, Tony thought about it, waiting for that second voice in him to scream up from the darkness. The Stark in his head. He couldn't deny how much more relaxed he felt. He was much more… in the moment.

Of course he would always have moments of anger and frustration. Especially when Loki just had to go and do his Machiavellian shit. Even Tony himself; he was never going to be the obedient little boy wholly and absolutely. But that bitter hatred of himself and of his god had lessened. He was allowing himself to enjoy. Loki walked back over to him briefly; he untied and collected one of his hands, planted a quick kiss on it and poured oil into it. "Stroke yourself, my boy. I want you ready to play." Tony smiled with a little shake of his head as behind him Loki arranged something at the other end of the room. He closed his eyes and stroked his semi-erect cock. It was okay, but a little routine. He wanted to turn his head, so see what the god was doing, but didn't dare. "Talk to me," Tony said. "What do you wish me to say?" Loki asked idly, his attention clearly on something else. "Seriously, anything. Read out the alphabet for all I care, it'll still get me hard. It's just your voice I need." "Should I tell you the tale of a boy who was captured by the wicked sorcerer and was doomed to spend all eternity writhing in orgasm?" "Heard it." Loki chuckled. "Very well." There was a pause, Loki was thinking. When his voice came back, it was in a very different tone. One Tony, even with all his experience of Loki now, didn't recognise. "Then I shall tell you of the lost Prince. A Prince who found the world was not as he had believed it to be and so grew cold with disillusionment. All his life he had lived in gold and resplendent halls, in long histories and traditions. As befitting royalty, the Prince was taught to see himself as above those around him, save his family whom he loved dearly. Above the rabble and plebs who were little more than entertainment. Subjects and slaves. He was a fool who believed the lie that his father had created. A lie which had become his existence and when that lie was revealed… His life, his identity, his world was shown to be nothing more than a story… he came to hate those who had deceived him and those who, despite no merits whatsoever, were destined by mere parentage to surpass him." Tony found he wasn't so eager anymore. His hand slowed until it stopped as Loki spoke. He could hear Loki's tone growing darker and sadder as he continued. There was a long sigh. "But I get ahead of myself. The Prince's life, whilst he existed in the world that had been fabricated for him was good. Though tiresome, perhaps. Not without its troubles. There was the matter of ascendancy for one. The Prince had never desired the throne, not in truth. Real power is for those who can bend the publically acknowledged figure heads, so your actions, your desires are enacted by one who takes all the credit, but also all the responsibility. The Prince was far too given to manipulations and intrigue to truly want to be King; it would not fit his manner. Though neither had he believed his brother, the heir, worthy of it. The elder prince was not a shade of their… his Father, the all mighty King and the younger Prince greatly feared the outcome should the brute ascend the throne." Loki chuckled. "The Prince was a man of mischief and his older brother was such a happy target of his schemes. He designed and played his dark games and no one around him ever really quite understood the power I held. Asg- The Kingdom is-was a world of warriors and thugs and thieves; how could they ever understand the quiet power of secrecy and scheming? The younger Prince even plotted with the Kingdom's greatest enemy just to ruin the elder's triumphant day. Though he could never have predicted the result of his jape would be the foundation of his brother's exile." There was a moment's pause. "It served the fool right. He deserved the punishment he got, he was such a… I… never wanted the throne. But when I realised, when the old fool confessed and told me what I was and what he had done … nothing more than the spoils

of war, a way of lording it over a fallen enemy to steal away a baby… he stood there and admitted it all in such a way as to expect me to pity him… Pity him? To expect me to accept the fact that all this time, I would never have gained the throne because I… because I was the monster out of nightmares..." Loki's story swung wildly from the third to the first person as he would lose himself in the memories and forget to be abstract. "Loki," Tony said, turning but was stopped by a bark before he could even turn his head. "Did I tell you to move?" shouted Loki. Tony returned to his position immediately. "Remain still. Remain silent. Stroke yourself to climax. I believe those where the only instructions I gave you. Don't make me hurt you, boy." Loki's voice of command rang out in the room and Tony couldn't help but obey. But every part of him wanted to stand up and touch Loki. He'll never be a king and he'll never rule a kingdom. The two things he had been trained to do all his life. But here, in this room which responded to Loki's magic as though the place was an extension of his mind, he would rule Tony. Tony would be the worshiping subjects in Loki's world. Tony's hand returned to his cock but didn't move with any enthusiasm. The next time Loki spoke, he had returned his 'story' voice; gentle, eloquent and sad. "And so, all at once, the world the Prince knew was torn from his eyes as though it had never truly been there. As though it had been little more than a shadow on the wall. He was not the young Prince of an ancient and glorious Kingdom. He was a monster. The Prince began to see the world as itwas; a world which would not treat him with any pity should the truth be known. Fortunately for our protagonist, his skills and intelligence had him well placed to deal with this suddenly strange and cold world. The young Prince knew he would never gain the throne whilst his father believed him to be no more a tool. An apparatus he had created for peace with his ice enemies. A use that was no longer even possible as the brash, hot-headed, reckless actions of his brother meant that Ice Nation would never now accept a Kingdom Prince as their king. So the Prince hatched a new plan, to show his father his worth. To make his father value him. To see me like he saw Thor. To love me just as much as he loved him." Tony felt himself rolling his eyes, despite his pity. He had wondered how long it would take until Thor's name cropped up. Even so, Tony listened and felt his insides cringing. Tony knew too horribly well the need to be loved by your Father, admired and praised by a man you considered your guiding light, only to be rebuffed. Howard Stark had died before Tony had ever heard any words of praise. And then they had been from beyond the grave in a flickering roll of tape projected onto a screen. It had been appreciated, but too little too late. Tony still felt that hole where his father's love should have been. "I hadn't expected to be brought back from the void. I have believed it to be death." Loki paused and seemed to pull himself back from the brink of whatever he had been falling into. Tony was fairly certain, from what Thor had told him, Loki had just skipped over quite a large chunk of narrative here. Like what had been the new plan he had devised and where did a void come into it? But then, this was his world, his story which he was telling to his boy. Loki wasn't under any obligation here to admit to anything. "The Prince was found in the darkness by a greater evil than he had ever imagined could exist. But by then the Prince had spent, it seemed, an eternity floating in the dark and silence. It had driven him to desperation, near insanity and he had accepted the Titan's offer unquestioningly.

The Titan had seen into his soul and had perceived the black need for revenge. The hatred. The pain. The staff he gave the Prince did not create the evil, but fed it. Made it strong. Gave it new life." How much was true and how much was lying? Loki lied, it's what he did. Tony wasn't some love sick sucker; Tony didn't believe his partner was perfect, far from it. His partner was a man who would laugh as Tony spasmed in pain then pound him into the floor mercilessly. But there was a clawing honesty in the tone of Loki's prose and Tony decided to believe him. Okay, maybe 90% of it was true. 85% at a push. "Do you know what the Prince did then, boy?" "Wrote an angry letter to David Letterman?" "He turned his hate on his brother. This brother, the elder prince who would have everything, including their father's love because he was-" "The golden boy?" "Don't interrupt, child!" Loki snapped. Tony couldn't help it. He loved the sound of his god annoyed. He loved the warning tone and the anger. Fuck, that's suddenly woke everything up. Tony's hand moved a little faster now, his cock which had almost grown soft, stiffening again. "May I continue?" Tony bit back a moan. "If you must." "His elder brother would be handed it all when the younger was to be left with nothing. He could not even see his way to returning home, now his heritage was known. The ignorant fools speaking an infinitesimal amount of nothing, judging him for what he is. What he could not help but be. The Prince turned his eyes upon a pathetic little realm his brother loved so much. It would be the victim of Thor's arrogance and folly." Loki sighed. "Needless to say, the Prince's schemes did not come to fruition." Gee, you think? "The Prince was locked away in a cell in the Kingdom where he was bound to stay for the next five hundred years. Not a long sentence, I must say, for a godly Prince. Though one he baulked at serving while his brother strutted like a peacock, playing the great hero. Sitting in the dark was a reminder of the lie he had been living in for so long. Shadows in his cell. Sitting in the cold was just a mockery of the monster he was. And all the while, beyond his cell he could hear the world move on without him. He spent his days planning his mischief and one image came to mind over and over in the darkness. Of a brown haired, hazel eyed boy who had… sauntered so casually… spoken so openly to the Prince, even during the midst of battle, so evenly, honestly… in a tone he had not yet heard from any around him. The boy had struck the Prince and bent his curiosity towards him. An imprudent but resilient boy who had acted like a man, impressing the Prince with his intelligence and infuriated him with his impetuous nature." "Loki-" "Do not speak or I will not finish the story," Loki growled. Tony's cock was almost fully hard now. The hot, solid length slipped in and out of his oily fist. Tony felt the beginnings of the tensing in his muscles, his hips rising off the bed, the coiling tension in his stomach. He forced himself not to speed up. He was not going to let himself even

think about cumming until the story was over. "This boy was part of a band of heroes, who belonged to the world the Prince had sought to destroy. Among their number was the Prince's brother, the elder brother who held to his old fashioned, foolish notions of 'brothers in arms' and 'warrior's codes'. How better to antagonise him, make him susceptible to manipulation and destruction than killing his friend? This boy. Not confronting him on the field of battle like the elder prince would demand from warriors, but entering the boy's domicile and killing him. Tearing him apart and leaving his remains scattered around his own home. All very disrespectful in a warrior's world. Also rather messy." Tony felt the laugh break out of his chest. Seriously? You're listening to how you might have died. What's funny? Tony ignored the voice, letting the smile stay as fingers lowered, keeping away from the cock to avoid too much too soon and instead massaging his balls. "Bad Prince." "I assure you, the boy entirely had it coming. The child had been so… strong. So strong, despite the fact he knew he was going to die. Those eyes… the Prince could see the boy's thoughts and the dear little thing knew he was going to die. I… the Prince… would never understand what stopped him that day. The sight of the hero so nearly broken in shattered glass and a soul glowing in his chest for the entire world to see. The Prince would, for the rest of his life blame the boy himself, of course. The child was just too perfect, so proud and beautiful, untamed and stubborn. It spoke to a Prince for whom magic was his discipline. Who had broken horses and tamed many creatures of the forest. Who lived his life believing that anything powerful, anything untameable was worth making his own, by hook or by crook. Though he had no intentions of that at the time, it must be said. The Prince's concerns were somewhat more immediate as the boy had stirred his need with his pretty body and his beautiful defiance. Do you know what the Prince did, boy?" "Fucked him," Tony whispered though his smile. "Speak up, boy. Be clear." "The Prince fucked the boy." "Yes he did. And it was good. The boy, so innocent and inexperienced-" Tony snorted. Loki ignored him. "He could barely move by the time the Prince had satisfied himself. For a creature that had been labelled by his realm as some sort of playboy, a hedonistic creature of notoriety, he seemed so… untapped. The Prince had mounted the little creature and taken his body with abandon. He had bent and manipulated the young boy into orgasm and the boy seemed… seemed almost bewildered by it. It amused and intrigued the Prince to find such perfection. A creature, it seemed, who had never been used to his full potential. It was almost as though the boy had never been introduced to his submissive nature, when he was so clearly built for it." Loki sighed. "As I say, it intrigued the Prince. But even then, he was still resolve on carrying out his plan. I don't think the boy even noticed the knife that was held over the base of his spine, placed to push through skin and nerve and muscle to kill or paralyse. He was so weak and weary at the time, passing in and out of consciousness I imagine he barely registered his imminent death." Tony's eyes opened. Fuck. That was news to him. "But you-" play the game, Tony. "The Prince didn't. Why?" There was a silence and Tony resisted the urge to turn. "Afterwards, the Prince reasoned that the likely hood was enough damage had been done. The boy would go to the elder Prince and tell of the evening, either the next day or later and it would have the same effect."

"What then?" Tony asked in a small voice. "Then? Then the Prince returned to his lair to plan his dark schemes, of course. During the day, the Prince would command his mercenaries and spread his evil, planning his glorious return to the Kingdom that had dared to shun him. But at night, all he could think of was the boy. The Prince hated him for it. The Prince hated the boy for causing such turmoil. Hated how the boy's name would hiss across his lips as he came into his fist. So he returned. Night after night he returned. Came to hurt the boy, punish him, kill him. The Prince left every time. The Prince began to fear the boy had some magic of his own. He would anger the Prince by refusing and disobeying and fighting. The boy's behaviour making the Prince certain that this time, this time surelyhe'd find the will to kill the stupid little mortal." Watch it, fucker. "And then… all the viciousness and anger from the boy would suddenly cease, just as the Prince would decide that that was the night for his vengeance upon his brother. All at once, the boy's tantrum would cease. He would turn eyes on the Prince; wide, beautiful, worshipful eyes and cum so wonderfully that it would stop the Prince's hand every time." Loki chuckled. "You see, the boy clearly knew of the Prince's weakness and obsession and played into it for all he was worth, hoping to gain the better man's love." Tony almost bit his tongue off as he held back a tirade. You fucking fuck! "Is that not true, child?" Tony gritted his teeth. You little piece of shit, no it's fucking not true! You almost killed me and fucked me against my will and now you stand there like you're the victim? Play the game! "Yes, god," he growled. He heard Loki's laugh behind him and rolled his eyes. Tony could have jumped up and yelled the words he wanted to, but his cock throbbed hard with the rising emotion in his chest. His anger with Loki made him horny. Explain that one why don't you? "Those eyes would save the boy from death every time. Those eyes burned their way into the Prince's soul until he could see them all time. Him. All the time. Until he could hear the boy's gasps and wails in his dreams. Until he could see the magnificent, slender body, writhing in sweat and chains in everything. The boy was very talented and drew the Prince in so entirely that… that at some point he stopped wanting the boy dead. It was…" Loki seemed to be thinking. Tony was thinking too. Mostly, what Tony was thinking was how long could he hold off his pressing need to climax. His hand had gone crazy over his cock when Loki had been describing him. To hear himself talked about like that, to see this relationship told from such a point of view, to hear himself talked about as being so valuable. He shuddered and hissed as he fought the climax back. He gripped the bed on either side of him and refused to move his hands back to his aching, twitching cock. "Why did the Prince care?" Tony asked. Loki chuckled again. "The Prince had tamed wild creatures and magic. The Prince knew potential when he saw it. The idea of keeping a beautiful, wonderful little boy he could call his own was just too good an idea to ignore. The Prince could see it in his mind's eye all the time; the handsome, tanned body, bound in cuffs and a collar kneeling besides the Prince's throne. Such a prize would make any in As-in the Kingdom jealous. But, alas, there was an obstacle to the Prince's prize. During the day, alas, the boy did not spend his time in good company. At least, not in company the Prince would have picked for such an easily lead, delicate pet. The climax to this all being that one day, the Prince was barred from taking his boy by a beast guarding the gate."

Bruce. Bruce had been staying over after the James Bond, barroom brawl incident. "It had infuriated the Prince, for he knew what a sensual little creature his boy was and feared that without his chains, the boy may take the opportunity to be punished by other. That is always the danger of taming a creature, if it is not done correctly. Now the boy had been opened to his secret nature, how easy would it be for him to show those eyes to another? The Prince could not help but imagine it, the images haunting him at night. And so the Prince knew. Knew then that the boy was his boy and he would not suffer another to touch him." Fuck that and touch me! I'm dying here. "Do you know what happens next in the story, boy?" "He was… taken by the Titan." "And?" "Tortured." "And?" "His brother rescued him," Tony hissed. "Which is strange if the fucking Prince thinks-" "You missed a part of the tale, boy. Yes, the Prince was tortured, but spent his days and months dreaming of his boy. Those dreams kept him sane, despite the agonies. In the void, he had simply hated and had been driven to near insanity. Those dreams brought him back with the desire to destroy out of revenge. But in that grey and dusty world, dreams of you kept me alive." Tony shuddered with pleasure. "The Prince was rescued. His hatred of his family had waned in the realm of Thanos. No longer did he dream of revenge. He dreamt of his boy and of those eyes. I realised that I'd rather live under the yoke of my father and all the Asgardian court if it meant ensuring a future with you." "The Prince turned good?" "No. No never. The Prince remained black hearted and evil. But that made his love for the boy no less true." "Good," Tony breathed. Tony jumped as a hand grasped his cock in an excitingly powerful grip. Loki stroked him hard and Tony writhed and rubbed his back against Loki's chest. "Can you tell me how the story ends, my boy?" Tony was mewling and gasping, one hand reaching around and holding the back of Loki's neck for support as his hips bucked up, rising off the bed. He blinked violently, holding back the inevitable orgasm as long as he could. "They both lived happily ever after?" Tony said with a manic, breathless laugh. "That'll do," Loki agreed, pulling Tony's head back and forcing his tongue into the panting mouth. Tony exploded, cumming over Loki's fist, screaming into the god's mouth. He shuddered in Loki's arms, one of the god's hands still stroking. Tony winced softly as it became sore and the hand stopped. "Fuck that was good," Tony breathed. "Fuck yes. Oh god yes. We have to do story time again." "I'm so glad, my pretty boy. Now I'm going to hurt you. I've heard one too many curses from your lips today."

Tony smiled. "Why does it bother you so much?" "Good little boys do not swear. Good little boys are meek, obedient and respectful. They do not attempt to mimic their betters by using language which is not appropriate for them." Tony's eyes widened at this insane seminar. "That has to be the fucking biggest load of fucking shit I've ever fucking-" He was suddenly, though not surprisingly, dragged off the bed by his leash. I hate him so much I love him and I love him so much I hate him. But I honestly don't care. So long as he never leaves, I could live like this forever.

Stimulation Loki hummed in Tony's ear. "We've done pleasure. Now pain?" "You're not a monster, Loki. You have to stop saying that." "I am an Ice Giant. But I truly feel like a god when I'm with you, Tony. Now ask me for pain." "Hurt me, please." He was dragged to the far wall and strung up by his wrists, a gag forced between his lips. Only when he was chained to the wall did Loki unclip the leash, but the collar remained. Loki glared at Tony; now back in dominant god mode. A hand flew out and slapped his face hard. Tony blinked dazedly and scowled back. "I wanted to begin your punishment, boy. But you're little stunt over there, orgasming so wonderingly and teasing me with your writhing has excited me. Now I will not be able to concentrate on disciplining you. What shall we do about that?" Tony hung in the chains silently. He waited, knowing that Loki would get his way and whatever happened, it was going to be so much fun. Loki slapped him again. "My sweet little teasing boy. You must suck me to climax. It is the only way for you to be forgiven for your mischievousness. Then we shall start on your beating. That will forgive you your coarse language." The chains released him. Tony stood still, waiting. Loki pointed at the floor. "Down." Tony knelt. Loki gestured again, down. Tony hesitated for a second, then lay on his stomach at Loki's feet. He felt the chains around his ankles now and before he really realised what would happen, he was hoisted up. His hands dangled down to the floor, his legs in the air, his back against the wall. And guess what perfect position his head was in? Goodie. Chains grabbed his wrists and pulled down tight so there was little chance to move about. Blood was flowing to his head and making him dizzy. Loki spent a long time stroking Tony's goatee, his fingers teasingly close to the strap of his gag but not releasing it. Eventually, Tony realised he was going to have to beg. He whimpered, trying to sound desperate and pleading. Loki patted his cheek approvingly and pulled away the gag. Tony licked his lips. "Honey, don't you think this is all getting a little routine?" he goaded. Loki smacked his face. "Go on boy." Tony held back an annoyed grumble and tried to lean forward but he was too tightly bound. "Don't keep me waiting, Tony. It's entirely possible; you just don't want it enough." "I do," Tony said, surprised at the whine in his voice. And again, maybe not really that surprising. Loki's cock was right there in front of his face, so tempting, so stunning. Tony needed it in his mouth. Loki sighed. "Perhaps a little motivation?" Tony gasped as Loki's mouth began sucking Tony's cock. Tony gasped and writhed against the wall. He hadn't stopped to think that Loki's angle on Tony's cock was just as good as Tony's on his.

Loki pulled back for a moments lecture. Fuck the man likes to talk. "You see, it's all about training. Carrot and stick. Reward and punishment. You can be incentivised to do things with both positive stimulation and negative." Tony shuddered as Loki's mouth returned. Something about how he had said stimulation. The world had poured from him like rich wine. After a few seconds, Loki pulled away with a last joyful suck, and then pressed the cattle prod into Tony's hip. It was on a far higher setting than last time and Tony screamed through gritted teeth. "Pleasure. Pain. Get my cock in your mouth, my love," Loki said in a sing-song, but dark and threatening voice. Tony worked much harder now, straining and pushing against the chains. Because I want the pleasure, or because I want to avoid the pain? Doesn't matter really. By arching his body and forcing his neck out he managed to guide the tip into his mouth. He sucked hard and tasted Loki's precum in his mouth. It made him trembling with delight. But it was a difficult and painful position, made all that harder to maintain when Loki's mouth returned to his cock. Tony gasped and Loki's tip slid out. Immediately he was hit with the cattle prod and screamed. He fought to get the cock back into his mouth but didn't do it fast enough to avoid another shock. Once it was back in, Tony concentrated this time. This was what Loki was teaching him, to pull his mind above the pleasure to focus on the task in front of him. It allowed Loki to play with him longer and lead to some of the most intense climaxes of Tony's life. "Need your mouth, Tony. I need it more than the air," Loki sighed. His face brushed up against Tony's thigh, nuzzling him. "Oh yes, yes. Oh Tony." Tony was deeply excited by the praise and worked harder. But the strain in his neck told him that very soon he was going to have to pull off to relieve the ache. Knowing he was about to get electrocuted with the cattle prod and there was nothing he could do to change it made his body shiver in the most glorious way. His head left the cock and he screamed at the responding charge shooting into his body. He wailed in pain and then pulled the tip of the shaft back into this mouth. "Yes, yes, oh yes! Oh good boy. Such a good boy. Worship your god and he will deliver what you want. What you need." You already do. Loki took a step forward, playtime seemly over. Tony gagged as the cock slid entirely into his mouth. Loki was thrusting now, sucking Tony's length as he pounded his boy's face. With the blood pounding in his head, this was all just that little bit too intense, especially as it cut Tony's air off with every push. Tony forced himself to stay calm. I trust him. Loki's cock twitched in his mouth and Tony felt the man's balls contracting. Loki panted, pulling out of Tony's mouth. He turned to the side and stroked himself to his finish. Tony groaned, bizarrely disappointed but knew why. "I can't afford to suffocate you, boy. If I lived for another thousand years, I'd never find a replacement." "Oh thanks a bunch," Tony muttered, trying to sound hurt at the backhanded compliment, but couldn't hide his grin. The gag was forced back into his mouth.

Tony was rearranged back so he was in the starting position, facing out the right way up, arms outstretched above him and his legs dangling down. Tony's cock was still hard and bouncing in front of him. Loki ran a finger down it. "So pretty. I like you excited, boy. It shows you at your best. Your eyes wide and dilated; skin red and glistening with sweat. Your chest panting, showing off your arc reactor to its best. Your cock, the most honest part of you, proudly displaying to the Nine Realms exactly what I do to you." Loki picked up a whip. "Let's see… front or back to start with?" He considered for a long time. Tony waited with mounting excitement, his stomach doing summersaults. "Out of curiosity, do you have any idea how many times you have sworn since you emerged from the bathroom back in Stark Tower?" Loki stroked Tony's face lovingly, then slapped him. "Thirty two times." Really? Wow. Pepper was right. I really don't know I'm doing it. Loki raised a finger in front of Tony's face and waved it back and forth. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said, reprovingly. "That's naughty." Tony felt his insides squirm at Loki's disapproval. Which is f-damn insane. Who cares what he thinks? I do. "But, you are going to earn your way back into my good graces, aren't you?" Tony nodded dutifully. His cock throbbed hard. "So… front or back…" Loki mused. "Thirty two curses. We're going to double that which gives us the nice easy total of sixty four. Two for each curse. On the first strike, you should consider it punishment for the use of the word. The second is reinforcement that you should never say it again. And thus, you learn." Unlikely. Loki's hand was stroking Tony's chest, almost soothingly. It was at complete odds with the impending pain. "The only question remains is, do I want to inflict all sixty four on your front? Or on your back? Or shall I divide it up? Thirty two on your front and thirty two on your back? Or, have you been so naughty, so disobedient that I am compelled to go further? Sixty four on your front… and sixty four on your back?" Tony shuddered miserably. Hundred and twenty eight? He wasn't sure he'd survive. Yes you will, because you jumped in like an idiot and bound your soul to his. Now think of all the pain you're going to be able to survive because of it. Loki brought his face up to Tony's and kissed his cheek. "No. You were scared and frightened of the withering. You were scared you'd never see me again. I cannot blame you for your bad behaviour today. I am evil, not heartless." Loki pulled back and raised his arm. "Thirty two on the front, thirty two on the back. Then you will get on your knees, thank me and I will let you cum. See? Aren't I a benevolent god?" The lip of the whip struck down and pain radiated through every nerve he had. Oh this is going to be a long evening. Loki could aim like you wouldn't believe, managing to catch him on the nipple more than once but mostly focusing on his stomach. The pain at first would be terrible, but then it would radiate out, lancing through his body until everywhere hurt. The mother freaking fucker is just too fucking skilled.

Tony bucked and yelped and screamed. He almost bit through the gag. His chest was littered with angry red welts before Loki finally stopped, panting noticeably. The god's face was smiling, his eyes shining at his work. Tony glared at him in vehemence. The pain stung, but it didn't hinder his mind. He was still with it. Still awake. Still level headed. It had to be þjá ey. Tony was getting stronger. Tony was quickly developing into the perfect little thrall. "Oh Tony," Loki whispered, his eyes raking his boy's body. "Tony… you always inspire my best work." Loki raised a finger and made a circular motion. Tony found himself being turned in mid-air and sighed in relief as his chest pressed up against the cold stone. It soothed the tissue, but the calm didn't last long. Tony was flung back again into a screaming, flinching, yowling world of pain. But there was a difference this time. Every time he bucked to get away from the whip snapping against his backside, his cock was thrust into the wall. It wasn't a particularly pleasurable way to find relief, but Tony was so close anything would do it. Maybe half way into the last thirty two he heard Loki's frustrated sigh. "Boy, do I really have to stop you from humping the wall? Can you not stay still for another five minutes?" Loki chuckled as he hit Tony on the shoulder blade. "I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with you sometimes." Tony slid to the floor when it was finally over, sore everywhere. Contrary to all logic and biology, no skin had been broken; that was amazing. He turned so he was kneeling in front of Loki. "Thank you," he breathed with a smile. Loki smiled back and pulled him up. "Come on," he whispered, pulling him into the bed. "Sh, my precious boy, just relax." The god pulled them under the heavy blankets and lay on top of Tony. The playboy cringed painfully as their hard, hot cocks brushed together. "Loki," he whined desperately. "Sh, sh, relax. Relax. Trust me." Tony forced himself to still, but the effort was almost unbearable. "You're doing so well, Tony. You know you'll get your release and you know I'll always make it good, don't you? Good boy. So trust me to teach you how to gain such heights. Kiss me." Tony kissed Loki immediately, losing himself in the glorious closeness. "Put your arms round me." Tony obeyed. As Loki's powerful arms came around Tony they seemed to sink together even closer. "And your legs. Interlock them with min- yes! Like that. Good boy." Tony's eyes fluttered, rolling back in his as the heat became so much. "Listen, Tony. I think you have realised the idea. But there are a few rules. You do not let go of me and you do not stop kissing me. Okay?" Tony nodded, leant up and kissed Loki. He squirmed against the god and shuddered as their cocks ground together. He could feel Loki tensing in his arms as much as he was. A slow grinding, almost like a dance began as they moved against each other, trying to find their release in the heat

and friction. He didn't disobey, not once, but even as he kissed he was keening, mewling. Again, as was so often the case, he could feel tears falling down his face. The impassioned wails he gave, the lust in pain and the tears were all traits that Tony had discovered in himself which only Loki had ever brought out. Loki was panting into Tony's mouth too, his fingers knotting in his boy's hair to keep the face close to his own. Loki's demanding thrusts against Tony made him giddy with the thrill. They writhed together, almost trying to crawl inside each other. þjá ey Tony realised. This entire evening had been an assessment of þjá ey. To see how far Tony had come, how deep the connection had become. To test how strong their connection was. Tony knew he wouldn't even be remotely surprised to find out that Loki had intentionally stayed away as long as he did to see if the withering would set in. To bring Tony to that brink of death and pull him back like it was nothing. This whole thing had been Loki checking that Tony was indeed enthralled. And now, at the climax of their evening, Loki had set this up as the ultimate in experiencing the effect the ritual had caused. The pain from the beating, the pleasure, held under the blanket creating boiling heat, wrapped in each other's arms, tongues in each other's mouths, the grinding hips, interlocked legs… And two souls tied together but in two separate bodies, trying to unite. Tony thrust faster now, so, so close. He might have unintentionally stopped kissing at that point, so overwhelmed with need, but Loki was pressing down hard, unwilling to let Tony's mouth go. Tony grunted into Loki's mouth as his cock pulsed. He felt that final, wonderful tensing crush and came powerfully, bucking up into Loki with wild abandon, writhing and sobbing. His boy going crazy underneath him tipped Loki over the edge and he came against Tony. The lay dazed, panting hard, still holding each other as they finally pulled themselves back from the clouds. Tony's eyes fluttered open to see Loki, still a little out of it, licking his lips vaguely. He was staring unseeing at the blue light in Tony's chest. Tony blinked sweat out of his eyes, holding Loki until the god finally seemed to wake up. Green eyes moved up to Tony's and stared intensely. "Love you," Tony whispered. Loki shuddered and collapsed against Tony's chest. He lay for a long few seconds before turning his head to press his lips to Tony's ear. "I love you too."

Learning Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes

Loki pushed a finger into Tony's mouth. Tony gave him an incredulous look, raising his hands in agitation. "-ut –uh –uck?" he objected, the finger distorting the words. They were both sitting on the master bed in Stark tower on a Tuesday afternoon, like two school kids pouring over their homework. In this case, Loki was teaching Tony the finer points of Asgardian language and diction. The long finger stroked up and down Tony's tongue. "Such a lazy thing," Loki purred. "You will never master Asgardian if you do not exercise this precious muscle more." Loki's eyes flashed. "I can think of many exercises we could do." Oh the constant fucking praising. "I-s –oo ear-y –or –is," Tony grumbled. Way too early for this. In the olden days, he used to sleep until three in the afternoon. Now he was getting up at noon for fucks sake. That wasn't the only difference from the olden days. Tony found he was missing the triviality of a blasé lover. Loki's praises were near constant and boarding on ridiculous. Alright, he praised Tony's skill in the bedroom, but it was more than that. Tony's eyes were divine, his cock was beautiful, his chest muscles were exquisite, his tongue was precious… fuck, the other day Loki had actually said his wrists were perfect. How the fuck could you have 'perfect' wrists? Hey, I'm Tony Stark. If anyone could have perfect wrists, it's got to be me, right? "Are –ou –ished?" Tony asked wearily. Loki chuckled and pulled his finger out. Tony rolled his eyes and pulled the book back towards him. "Atgeirr." Tony cocked his head as Loki spoke and repeated the word back. Loki rolled his eyes. "Such a lazy tongue. Try again." "Atgeirr." Tony repeated. It didn't sound any better, even to his own inexperienced ears. "Atgeirr. What does it mean?" Loki smiled. "Thrusting spear." "Get your head out the bedroom. I'm trying to learn something that will be useful. I can't go up to some random person in Asgard and discuss my thrusting spear." "Really? And you're usually so upfront about these things." "Shut up." "You were awfully keen on discussing your spear last night. And where you wanted to thrust it." "Shut. Up." "læsa." "læsa?"

"Shut up." "Fine, be that way." "No, Tony, the translation-" "I know. I was being funny." Loki rolled his eyes again, the weary teacher. "Gellir." "Gellir." "No, Gell-ir." "And that means?" "Screamer." "Okay, you're not even trying to help, are you?" Loki laughed, his eyes glittering and his body shaking. The sheer joy poured off him in waves. Tony smiled and shook his head. "Alright love. Something thing useful. Mærr þræll." "Mærr þræll." Tony repeated, fairly sure he had got the pronunciation correct that time. He frowned. "Something thrall." "Royal Thrall," Loki clarified. "That's what you say to anyone who seems intent on causing you harm. You repeat that, over and over and they will not dare. Harming any thrall is a crime. But harming a royal thrall can lead to execution. Say it." "Mærr þræll." Loki sighed, like it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. His eyes looked dreamily at him. "Again." "Mærr þræll, minn guð." Tony said. Royal thrall, my god. Loki smiled, perhaps more genuinely than Tony had yet seen, then pulled his mind back to the here and now. "Say ásjá." "Ah… ásjá… means…help." "Kveðja ásjá." "Call for help," Tony said. "Kveðja ásjá." "Hilmir." Tony frowned. "Hilmir…" Loki waited, then said, "Hilmir Óðinn." "King." "Very good, boy." "Teach me to say, 'fuck you Odin'." "No." "Spoil