Cry Havoc

As Loki ushered his lover to the bed with demanding kisses and deft fingers, his mind could not help but wander; this situation was far too similar to the first time they had done this, lips harsh and passionate, tongues fighting for dominance, teeth clashing, hands wandering aimlessly to map out absent paths on the others skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake; nothing but arousal and heat and urgency. 

This time, though, this time was in celebration; this time was about much more than mere lust. This time, they were celebrating their victory over Odin, their relief, their love, and that only served to make it that much sweeter. 

***

The first time they fell into bed together, it was a mash of limbs and a fight for dominance.

The second time, they were in a small supply closet at some respectable charity event or another. 

The third time was in the limousine on the way back to Anthony’s home. 

The fourth-twelfth were whenever Loki and Anthony alike were both able to slip away from their rather intense schedules for a little bit of fun. 

The thirteenth was when they both realized neither had bed another in months. 

The fourteenth was gentle and passionate, far more so than either of them had ever truly deserved, though that didn’t stop them from enjoying it anyways.

The fifteenth was when they finally said it, curled up together, sweaty and sated in the aftermath of their pleasure.

It was Anthony who spoke first.

He was curled comfortably within the bracket of Loki’s arms (and some more primal, possessive part of him felt this to be exactly where Anthony belonged), his head pillowed on Loki’s chest, Loki’s fingers drawing lazy patterns across the tanned skin of his back and occasionally digging in to massage the firm muscle there.

“I think I love you.” 

Loki couldn’t help but stiffen, woefully unprepared for the truth in the confession and the warmth that swept through his chest afterwards, heating him to his very core. He waited for the panic, for the fear, for the anger upon his own realization that he loved this mortal back but...it never came. No, instead a soft sort of contentedness washed through him and settled into his very bones, the feeling of home far too intense to ignore. 

“Well,” Loki murmured finally, tightening his arm when Anthony began squirming to free himself because Loki had taken too long to answer. “That is a rather good thing, then, because I think I love you too.” 

Anthony’s head shot up, eyes wide with hope and hesitance, before he laughed in delight and threw himself onto Loki, whose breath was forced from his lungs at the sudden weight with a soft whooshing sound. 

“By the Norns, what was that for?” Loki asked once he’d caught his breath, despite the fact that they were both well aware that he knew exactly what that had been for. 

“Oh, you know,” Anthony answered with a beaming smile. “You loooooove me,” he sang. 

Loki snorted. “I’m starting to rethink it,” he grumbled, though his arms tightened around Anthony of their own accord, revealing the teasingly uttered lie for what it was. 

“No you’re not!” Anthony grinned merrily. 

Loki sighed, though he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from twitching upwards. 

“No,” he agreed. “I am not.” 

Anthony’s pleased smile only widened, and he pressed closer with a content hum, shifting around until he’d managed to lie on top of Loki completely; until they were pressed chest to chest, Anthony’s elbows bracketed on either side of Loki’s head, his fingers combing through Loki’s hair in a rather calming motion- enough so that Loki allowed his eyes to close and felt himself drifting, a feeling of safety forged from the knowledge that he was truly and utterly loved by the man before him, claimed in a way he wasn’t certain he had ever been by another before. 

Loki had almost fallen asleep when Anthony spoke again, voice hushed to match the calm, dark atmosphere. 

“Did you ever think you would get something like this?”

Loki opened his eyes and gazed up at his lover, watching the shadows of moonlight dance across his face, taking in the openness of his expression, the soft, lovestruck look warming his eyes, and found himself momentarily struck speechless at the strength of it. 

When he was able to find his words again, they were spoken with a softness that surprised even himself.

“I am over a thousand years old, you know,” he reminded Anthony gently, watching his reaction intently. 

Anthony sighed, face falling slightly. “I know.” He made to roll off of Loki, but Loki helf firm, not letting the other man escape the circle of his arms.  

“Which is why it is so special to me. No, Anthony, I did not ever think I would get something like this.”

“But…” Anthony looked lost for a moment, and so very young that it made something in Loki’s chest clench almost painfully. “You’ve been married before, haven't you?”

“I have,” Loki hummed and nodded his agreement. “And I will not lie to  you: I have loved my past wives- I still do, as the mothers of my children. But I have never loved another as I do you; as I live and breathe, you are my one and only. You are absolutely brilliant, and you do not hesitate to use it to your advantage. You challenge me. You fight and you tease and you spit your words like sharpened weapons. You vex me like none others have, and it only makes me love you more. You make me think, Anthony, and it is rare that I find a mind like yours that can.”

Anthony smiled like the sun and leaned down to press a kiss to Loki’s lips. 

“You sweet talker, you.”

“Well,” Loki teased. “I am known as the Silvertongue for a reason.”

“Mm, more than one, I think,” Anthony said with a smirk and a lewd wink.

“Oh, well there is that as well,” Loki agreed. 

Anthony laughed and slid down until he could lay his head on Loki’s chest again, their legs tangled together beneath the sheets, pressing them together so wholly that there was not even an inch of space between them. 

Again, there was silence before Anthony spoke again. 

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow.”

“Oh, don’t fret, my love. You will not be gone long.”

“Long enough,” Anthony grumbled and tweaked Loki’s nipple in protest. 

Loki snorted and soothed a hand down his lovers back, pressing a kiss to the mop of curls atop his head. 

“Be happy we were able to spend these past nights together, at least- it is quite rare that our schedules align to give us as much.”

“I know, I know. Trust me, I do, and I’m more than grateful for it. But…” Anthony’s voice trailed off, softened, before he finished. “But I’ll miss you.” 

Loki’s heart surged with happiness and he couldn’t help but smile even though he knew Anthony couldn’t see it. 

“Oh, my sweet, I will miss you too. But I promise I will be waiting here for you the moment you return. JARVIS has agreed to alert me when your flight lands so I may be here. I already have plans to celebrate your return; candle light dinner, dancing, a walk on the beach, stargazing.” Loki held his lover closer with a content sigh when he felt Anthony smile against his chest, before pausing. “Ah, remind me where you are going, again?”

Anthony sighed, pressed a kiss to Loki’s chest and then snuggled even closer before answering. 

“Afghanistan.” 

***

They lay together in the aftermath, curled around one another, limbs entangled, hearts beating together, just...breathing.

Anthony was quiet, long enough that Loki thought he may have fallen asleep, before the other spoke, voice soft. 

“Loki?”

“Mm, yes, darling?”

Anthony was silent for a moment before asking hesitantly, voice small in a way that did not fit, “Do you think we’ll win?”

Loki took a moment to parse this over, rolling the question around his head, knowing his next words would be much more important to Anthony than he would ever let on. 

“I think,” Loki began slowly. “That the Mad-Titan has us backed quite thoroughly into a corner, and that he is planning on using that to his advantage.” When he felt Anthony nod his agreement against his chest, Loki continued. “However, I also believe this will be his downfall. He believes, because of our predicament, it will be an easy win. He will bring the battle to Midgard if he can because he believes he will not have anyone to challenge him; he is of another world, after all, and has yet to see the tenacity of the human race. You people are quite stubborn, and much stronger than he will account for.”

“Oh?” Anthony hummed softly, looking up at Loki with curiosity in his eyes. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Loki agreed. “Because of your shorter lifespans, you mortals are forever growing, manipulating, changing. You are not content with mediocrity and you dislike being complacent; you strive to improve and it is because of this that you evolve. It is because of this that you will win. He has backed you into this corner, entirely clueless as to how truly dangerous you can be when you do not have a choice.” 

“Well,” Anthony murmured in a teasing tone. “You can’t really count me in with those mortals anymore, y’know.” 

“Oh, I know,” Loki hummed and nodded. “But you belong to them, and they to you. You will fight for them because you are a representation of who they are . You are all of the best parts of humanity, and you will win because it is your only choice. And one day, in the near or distant future, you will lead them into a new era. This, Anthony, is who you are and this is why you will win.”

He felt more than saw Anthony’s smile, and couldn’t help but hold his lover closer. 

“We have a lot to do y’know. Getting the Soul stone is the first step; it’s what’s gonna have to set our plans in motion,” Anthony pointed out. “Now, our only choice is Plan A.”

Loki hummed and nodded; there was no point in arguing, not when he knew it to be true. And as much as he dreaded what was coming, he knew the end result would be well worth it. 

“Yes, we do,” Loki agreed easily. “But we must enjoy this while we can have it. For now, let us have tonight. Tomorrow, we will worry. But tonight...tonight is for us.” 

Loki tilted Anthony’s head up with a gentle finger beneath his chin, pressing a soft kiss to his lover’s lips, relishing in the heat of Anthony’s body pressed so thoroughly against his own, warming him to his very core. 

Anthony hummed, soft and pleased, the sound vibrating through his chest and into Loki’s, and Loki merely held him closer. 

Yes, tonight was for them. 

Tomorrow, the worry and the fear and the panic would come crashing down upon their shoulders, along with the doubts and the unease but here, in a soft bed warmed by their bodies, the moonlight shining her smiling face upon them, and the fresh-apple scent of the air sweeping in their open window, here there was nothing but Anthony Stark and Loki Laufeyson laid bare to one another, love in their hearts and fire in their souls and an ironclad will to survive cradled between their interwoven fingers.