AVENGERS

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Author's Note:

Pairing: Tony Stark/Loki

Warnings: Violence, references to sex, explicit language

Disclaimer: The world and characters of The Avengers belong to Marvel. I own nothing but the plot and make no money from this story.

Everybody knew, because Tony Stark didn't keep things like this a secret, and Loki couldn't care less about the entirety of Midgard knowing who he was sleeping with. So it wasn't surprising to see Tony and Loki walk into a gay club, arms wrapped around each other's waists, equal mischievous grins on their faces.

The party-goers spotted them as they pushed through the crowd, mouths dropping open and eyes running appreciatively over both men. More than one man- and woman- sighed when they saw Loki and Tony lean against the bar, Tony immediately burying his face in the Jötunn's neck while Loki ordered drinks.

The tall god was wearing black leather pants, a tight dress shirt that matched his eyes, a black waistcoat with emerald green pinstripes, and a black tie. Tony was dressed in a black suit, his tie a deep blood red, and had a pair of red-tinted glasses hiding his eyes. His hair was an artful mess, contrary to Loki's, which was slicked back as usual.

When they got their drinks the two moved into a corner of the large room beneath the upstairs balcony and leaned against the wall, arms still around each other, free hands holding their glasses.

Loki was wearing a bored expression as he looked around the room, taking in the men and women dancing. 'My fun is lowering, Anthony,' he informed the mortal, who huffed a laugh beside him.

'I knew you'd get off on everyone staring at as,' Tony snickered.

'You got off on it too,' Loki said, eyebrows raised as he looked down at the shorter man. 'Don't deny it.'

Grinning, Tony said, 'Never would,' and pressed a kiss to Loki's neck. Loki sighed and tilted his head to the side, humming when Tony trailed kisses up and down his cool, pale skin. 'Remember that time you were Lady Loki and we nearly fucked on the dance floor of that club?' Tony mumbled, lips ghosting over Loki's skin.

'Mm,' Loki hummed, 'we were almost thrown out, but you paid off the bouncers.'

'And then they asked us to leave anyway,' Tony growled, making Loki shiver. 'Worst three hundred bucks I ever spent.'

'Perhaps you should have tipped them more,' Loki suggested, slightly breathless.

'Perhaps they should've left us alone,' Tony muttered.

Loki smirked and pulled away, making Tony blink behind his red lenses. 'You do know that it takes a lot of alcohol to get me inebriated, yes?'

Tony grinned. 'Which is why I brought one of my credit cards. Can't have me running outta cash when I gotta get you wasted.'

Loki chuckled and sipped his colourful, fruity drink- one that had made Tony wrinkle his nose and say that he had terrible taste- before saying, 'You'll just have to buy me many, many colourful drinks, then.'

Tony's grin widened.

{oOo}

The genius did just that; Loki had three drinks to every one of Tony's, and two hours after they entered the couple were on the dance floor, grinding against each other, tipsy grins on their faces. Loki had his arms wrapped around Tony's neck and Tony's fingers were digging into Loki's hips, keeping the Frost Giant against him as their crotches rubbed together.

Loki had been hard for a good hour, and Tony had, too, but neither wanted to rush the night. They knew where it would end; back at Stark Tower, fucking each other into Tony's rather large bed. But Loki liked his fun, and Tony did, too. So they broke apart when the song changed and swayed back over to the bar, Loki leading Tony by one hand, Tony's eyes on his ass. Loki had a nice ass, Tony knew from personal experience, and the god shook it thoroughly as he led Tony to the bar.

Tony plastered himself to Loki's back as soon as the taller man leaned against the wood, and Loki chuckled, pressing his ass firmly back against Tony's groined. Tony hummed and wrapped his arms around Loki's waist while the magician ordered their drinks, his beard scratching against the cotton of Loki's expensive shirt.

'I love this colour on you,' he commented, loud enough to be heard over the music.

'I'm aware,' Loki said in amusement. 'We fucked in the change room after I tried it on and posed for you, remember?'

'Oh, yeah,' Tony hummed. 'Was that the time that girl walked in on us? Or was it when that old woman hooted and told us to "go get some, tigers"?'

Loki chuckled and turned, handing Tony his bourbon. 'The elderly mortal,' he said, sipping his new fruity drink- this one a bright yellow with a slice of lime on the rim of the glass. 'Afterwards she asked if we could destroy her neighbour for always playing his music too loudly.'

'Mm,' Tony nodded, 'I still can't tell if she was serious or not.'

'Neither can I,' Loki said, 'which is troubling, seeing as I'm the God of Lies.'

'Yeah,' Tony laughed, grinning up at him. 'So, are we gonna do some more dancing and then go fool around in the toilets, or should we go fool around and then get back to dancing?'

Loki hummed as though he were thinking about it, his face quite serious, before a smirk tugged at his lips. 'How about we wander off to a corner and make out until we're both hard, do some more dancing until we can't stand it anymore, and then I blow you in the men's bathroom?'

Tony didn't answer verbally; he just knocked back his drink, grabbed Loki's hand, and dragged him through the crowd. Loki smirked the entire time.

{oOo}

Loki's shirt was buttoned incorrectly- on purpose, because hello, magic!- and Tony's shirt was now un-tucked. Loki's tie was also now wrapped around Tony's head, making Loki giggle every time he set eyes on his partner. Tony just grinned and slapped Loki's ass before going back to the bar, grinning at the people who stared. They all knew what he and Loki had been doing (they hadn't exactly been quiet) and both revelled in the uncomfortable and jealous stares.

Tony had just managed to order after elbowing some douchebag out of the way when an arm snaked around his waist, one that wasn't cold or strong or in any way familiar. He tensed only briefly before letting his body relax and turned, pulling his glasses up to stare at the man now standing beside him.

'Can I help you?'

'Oh, yeah,' the guy- clearly drunk- said with a lopsided leer. His breath reeked of beer, and Tony wrinkled his nose as the man continued. 'I heard you and the alien in the bathroom. God, I knew you had a reputation for a reason, but damn did you make him scream.'

Tony scowled. He didn't like this. He didn't like the way the guy had purred alien when talking about Loki, and he didn't like the thought of someone actually getting off on what he and Loki were doing. Them fucking was between them. It was only funny when they made other people uncomfortable.

'Okay, listen up, 'cause I'm only saying this once,' Tony said after clearing his throat. 'Under no circumstances will I ever let anyone actually see me and Loki together. And no, we're not up for a threesome or foursome or any other some, alright? Yes, we've been asked. No, neither of us share.' He stepped back, forcing the guy's arm to drop from his waist. 'So why don't you wander off and hit on someone your own age? That dude at the end of the bar's wearing a wifebeater, too. Ask him.'

The guy blinked at him, his drunk mind clearly trying to comprehend what Tony was saying. Finally he shook his head and his grin came back. Clearly Tony's message hadn't been received. 'Oh, come on,' he laughed. 'All I wanna do is watch or have one of you. Seriously, imagine me fucking you while he watches? I bet he gets off on that.'

Ah, no, Tony thought, Loki would rip your arm off for even thinking it. Tony knew, because Clint had once asked if Loki and Tony had orgies in their bedroom. Loki had blown up the TV, DVD player, every single light, and thrown the couch through the window. It was better than him throwing Clint out of the window, which just showed Tony that the god really was reining himself in for Tony's sake. He found it awesomely hot.

The others didn't agree. Then again, that was probably why Tony was the one fucking the crazy god. Good thing that he was crazy, too.

'Listen,' Tony said, fully prepared to try and work this out with words instead of violence. Pepper was still on his case about the last fight he'd started because someone had thought it would be a good idea to touch Loki's ass. He didn't need her stealing all his alcohol again and banning him and Loki from public. 'I'm flattered, really, and a few months ago I probably would have taken you home,' Tony said honestly, 'but me and Loki? Completely committed to each other.' He held up a hand when the guy opened his mouth. 'I know; weird, right? Playboy was one of my labels- one of my favourite labels- but Loki's all I need, Loki's all I want. So fuck off before the god in question hears you and decides that killing mortals is a good idea again.'

'Please,' the guy snorted, apparently only listening to Tony's last sentence, 'he's practically a kitten now, right? I heard he even apologised to our government!'

Tony's eye twitched. Seriously, he used to sleep with people like this guy. Guh, it was making him feel sick.

'I'm sure he'd let me, if I asked nicely,' the guy grinned, moving closer. Tony leaned back, nose once again turned up. The younger man's fingers were suddenly on Tony's hip, and then pushing beneath his jacket to rub against his flat stomach. 'How about we-'

And that was all he got out, because Loki was suddenly just there in a puff of green smoke. Tony blinked as the guy was dragged back, Loki snarling as he slammed the mortal against the bar.

'Don't you dare touch what's mine, you filthy cockroach!' Loki snapped, his hand now wrapped around the guy's throat.

Okay, so Tony found Loki's displays of strength and general insaneness really hot, but other people hated it, so the genius said, 'Ease back, Lokes, or SHIELD will try to lock you up again.'

'And I will break my way out, again,' Loki snapped at Tony. His eyes swivelled back to the man he was choking. Other people were staring now, the club silent apart from a few whispers and the still thumping music. 'He touched you,' the magician growled.

'And I didn't want him to,' Tony said. 'He's drunk, and you know how stupid we mortals get when we're drunk.'

'That's no excuse,' Loki said. 'I should crush his fingers and toes, and then rip them off one by one and feed them to him.'

Tony blinked. 'Okay, that's sweet,' he said, making the bartender gape at him. 'But seriously, remember what happened the last time one of us flew into a jealous rage?'

Loki frowned at that. Tony had been charged with assault and he and Loki both banned from the bar for life, while the media had printed nothing but pictures of Tony being led away in handcuffs for weeks. The Avengers, Pepper, and SHIELD hadn't been too happy, either.

'I still want to cut him open,' Loki stated.

'I know you do,' Tony replied pleasantly, like they were talking about the weather, 'but it's a big no-no on Midgard. So let him go, yeah?'

'Hmm,' Loki hummed, thinking it over, before saying, 'I think I'll punch him first.' He dropped his hand from the man's throat, pulled his fist back, and slammed it into the guy's face. There was a loud crunch as the man's nose- and probably his jaw, too- were crushed, and the force of the blow sent the drunk flying over the bar and crashing into the glasses behind it. Loki sniffed while Tony just watched, ignoring the sudden screams from around them.

'Feel better?' Tony asked.

'Not particularly,' Loki scowled, rounding on him. 'He touched you,' the god repeated, reaching out to stroke Tony's face with his thumb.

'I told him to back off,' Tony said. 'Fucker wouldn't listen.'

A small, soft smile pulled at Loki's lips; the kind of smile that only Tony ever really got to see. 'And that's why I love you, and why I'll only tie you up once tonight.'

Tony shivered. Oh, yeah, he was totally getting rough-jealous-posessive sex. Pulling his wallet from his jacket pocket, Tony dropped whatever notes he had onto the bar- hopefully that would be enough to pay for any damages- and then wrapped an arm around Loki's neck.

Loki immediately kissed him, his lips rough, teeth digging into Tony's lips almost hard enough to draw blood. Tony groaned and pressed his new-found arousal against Loki's own, gasping for breath when they broke apart.

'Take me home, babe,' Tony grinned.

Loki chuckled and the people around them screamed again when the couple suddenly disappeared, a puff of smoke all that remained.

{oOo}

'TONY!' Pepper shouted when the billionaire stumbled into the communal kitchen sometime during the day.

Tony winced and rubbed his eyes. After round one last night, he and Loki had raided Tony's bar and played drinking games (which they had both cheated horrendously at) until Tony was ready for more sex. Then they'd drunk some more, blown each other in the shower, drunk even more, and... well, you get the idea.

The point was, Tony was hungover, and Loki was still asleep so he couldn't use whatever healing magic he knew to take Tony's headache away.

'Easy, Pep,' Tony whined. 'S'too early.'

'It's two o'clock in the afternoon,' Pepper growled.

Tony blinked from behind his fingers. 'Oh, right,' he grunted, and then made his way towards the coffee machine.

It was only after he'd poured himself a cup and turned, savouring his first sip, that he realised he was completely surrounded. Natasha, Steve, and Bruce were all sitting at the kitchen table, while Clint was perched on the counter. Pepper and Coulson, looking eerily similar with their arms folded and faces blank, were standing either side of each other before the door.

'Oh, crap,' Tony groaned. 'Is this another intervention?' They'd had one after first finding out that Tony and Loki were fucking. It clearly hadn't worked, seeing as how he and Loki would soon be celebrating seven months together. Tony already had Loki's gift made; a new badass sceptre that shot magic and had a razor-sharp tip. Oh, and a pair of Iron Man pyjamas and boxers and even a robe, 'cause they were totally awesome.

'Clearly the first one didn't work,' Pepper huffed, echoing Tony's thoughts. 'Tony, he put a man in hospital.'

'The guy was asking for it,' Tony said dismissively. Pepper's mouth dropped open, Coulson sighed, and Steve shook his head. Clint looked disgusted, as he usually did when reminded that Tony was having regular sex with a super villain, and Bruce just sipped his tea. Natasha, of course, was as blank-faced as ever. Tony liked watching her and Loki play poker, because while Loki was definitely a better liar, he liked cheating far too much and usually got bored and became too obvious. All the games ended with Natasha taking all of whatever they'd been beating with- usually food- and Tony dragging Loki away for happy naked times.

'Tony!' Pepper shouted again, clearly not the first time she'd done so, because she was beginning to turn red with anger.

'Sorry, thinking about sex,' Tony quipped. That earned him an ick from Clint, which made him snicker into his coffee.

'Tony, again, he put a man in hospital,' Pepper repeated, like Tony hadn't heard her the first time. 'I had to promise the man's lawyer that we'd be paying all hospital costs as well as a sum to not go to the police.'

'Okay then,' Tony said, 'so it's all good?'

'Mr Stark,' Coulson interjected, making Tony roll his eyes, 'you can't keep paying people off whenever Loki goes, er...'

'Crazy?' Steve supplied.

'Crazier,' Clint muttered. 'Dude's always been a bag of cats.'

'Wait, what are you on about?' Tony demanded. 'This is only the second incident since Loki and I hooked up, and the first was because von Doom thought it'd be fun to use me as a hammer. And we're all happier now that he's dead, right?'

The Avengers all shifted uncomfortably. Yes, Loki had killed Victor von Doom, thus riding the world of another villain. But he'd also brought down an entire skyscraper whilst doing so, leading to over forty injuries and one near-death.

'This is the fifth incident, Tony,' Pepper said. 'Remember the time you almost slapped that woman? Or how about the priceless painting you destroyed when you tried to throw your drink at some guy? Oh, and remember getting arrested?'

'Yeah, but those were all my fault,' Tony said, really not seeing where this was going. Loki hadn't done anything, that was all on Tony.

'It was because of Loki that you did those things,' Pepper said. 'It's like a switch just goes off and you... you...'

'Turn into an enormous green rage monster,' Bruce finally spoke up, smiling slightly when Tony looked at him. 'Only in this case a jealous rage monster, rather than just a giant monster.'

'Well, yeah,' Tony huffed, 'of course I get jealous. Loki's mine.'

'And that's the problem!' Pepper said. 'You two go completely insane-'

'More so than usual,' Natasha interrupted.

'- whenever anyone so much as looks at the other,' Pepper continued. 'It has to stop.'

'Why? 'Cause Loki put some douchebag in the hospital?' Tony asked. 'If Loki was just some guy instead of the Jötunn sorcerer who once tried to take over the planet, we wouldn't be having this conversation.'

'If Loki were any other guy you would have dropped him months ago,' Natasha said.

'Exactly,' Tony said. 'Loki's different. He's worth it. I'll hurt anyone who thinks that they can take what's mine.' He looked around at them all, at the disgust and anger and disappointment his friends were wearing. Well, everyone but Bruce, who looked like he'd rather be asleep. Then again, Bruce was smart, he knew that no matter what they said Tony wouldn't just leave Loki.

'Well, isn't this touching.'

Everybody turned to see Loki in the doorway, and Pepper immediately stepped back, while Coulson's eyes just narrowed as Loki passed.

'Your friends are staging yet another intervention,' Loki hummed as he went to Tony's side. He plucked Tony's mug from his fingers and took a sip, one eyebrow climbing. 'Should I be concerned?'

Tony couldn't help it; he grinned. Loki was wearing stripy pyjama pants and a black shirt with Dexter written across it in bright red dripping letters (it was Loki's favourite show, and Tony kind of loved it now, too). His hair was a mess, falling around his face in curls, and he had pillow imprints on one side of his face, as well as drool in the corner of his mouth.

He was still gorgeous, even all sleep tousled and crusty, and he was letting all of Tony's friends see him like this because Tony liked seeing him like this. Because Tony loved waking up to Loki's cranky mood in the morning and seeing Loki warm and comfortable and all snugly.

'No,' Tony said, and Pepper sighed, while the others all looked resigned to their fate. 'You'll never have anything to worry about, babe.'

Loki smirked, finished off Tony's coffee in one gulp, and then handed the empty mug back to the mortal. 'Good. Because I find myself in need of you this morning. So fill yourself with caffeine and come back to bed.'

With that he turned on the spot and left, smirking at a scowling Clint as he did. Tony immediately went back for the coffee, pouring himself another cup and following.

'Tony,' Pepper tried, but Steve interrupted.

'Let it go, Pepper,' he said as Tony retreated after his partner. 'We may not like this, but it's Tony's decision. And clearly nothing we say will change his mind.'

Pepper sighed and crossed her arms again, while Natasha said, 'We really should have seen this coming.'

'Mm,' Bruce said, a smile playing on his lips, 'especially after all the flirting they did after we caught Loki.'

{oOo}

Amora was a bitch, and when Tony got the chance he was gonna smoosh her into little magician paste, the same as what Thor had done to her boyfriend. That plan wouldn't happen, though, if Tony couldn't get himself free. The other Avengers were on the street, the Hulk trying to climb the building Tony was currently at the top of. Amora had done something, something magic, to Tony's suit, and JARVIS was trying to get it up and running while Amora sat on Tony's chest and slowly crushed the life out of him.

His chest hurt, and he was almost certain he could feel the arc reactor beginning to crack. His head felt fuzzy and his limbs were aching, and all Amora was doing was smiling like a maniac, eyes wide, while she glowed with green and gold magic. Tony was glowing, too, but his eyesight was going a bit black around the edges, so...

'I'm really, really enjoying this, Man of Iron,' Amora decided to comment, and Tony would have given her a witty retort if he could, you know, breathe. 'I love watching you slowly die. I think I'll pick the archer next. Maybe crush the little bones in his hands before I move onto the rest of him.'

'AMORA!' Thor suddenly boomed, and lighting cracked in the grey sky. Mjölnir came speeding out of nowhere, but Amora just slid backwards off of Tony, letting the hammer narrowly miss her. She then threw a hand out, and magic sent Thor tumbling back over the side of the building, Mjölnir racing after him.

'Thor won't save you, little mortal,' Amora smirked as she climbed back atop Tony. 'And neither will your precious lover.'

Tony managed to sneer at her, and Amora cackled. The sound was then quickly cut off when a long, pale hand suddenly wrapped around her throat and lifted her right off of Tony.

Amora screamed and Tony gasped, air rushing back into his lungs. When he looked up Loki was still holding Amora by the throat with one hand, her feet dangling about a foot from the ground. She snarled and scratched, and magic blasted out, almost sending Tony rolling right off the roof, but Loki contained it with a simple wave of his hand.

Loki was shaking. His skin was glowing and crackling with magic, his hair blowing in an invisible wind. His eyes were hard and far wilder than Tony had ever seen before, and they only softened the slightest when they rested on Tony.

Before Tony could speak he was beside Steve, the Captain barely catching him as Tony's suit began to whirl back into life.

'Tony!' Steve gasped in surprise. 'What's going on?'

'Loki,' Tony croaked out, his throat aching. He looked up at the building just in time to see green light explode from the roof, shattering the windows in the twenty or so storeys below.

Loki and Amora reappeared on the street directly before the building, Amora still in Loki's grasp. She was screeching now, spitting filth in languages Tony couldn't understand. All of that was cut off when Loki screamed, at the top of his lungs, 'HE IS MINE!'

And then... well, Amora exploded.

Like, literally exploded; blood and guts and armour, even hair, and Tony was sure that a tooth almost hit him, but he was more focused on Loki, on the fact that Loki was still shaking with rage and looked close to completely snapping and taking the world with him. And, though Tony knew that it was wrong, he was kind of turned on at that moment despite his injuries, making his suit feel a little too tight. But he'd long ago resigned himself to the fact that most of what Loki did got him all hot and bothered, even the crazy dangerous stuff.

So he shook Steve off and walked forward, the Iron Man suit clunking and creaking as he made it move. 'Hey, Loki?' he called when he got close enough.

Loki turned, his green eyes wild and dark, and then he blinked out of existence, only to reappear directly in front of Tony. His hands, still shaking slightly, reached up to touch Tony's face, his index finger running over the cut on Tony's cheek.

'Are you okay?' Loki asked, sounding breathless, and Tony nodded.

'Yeah. A few cuts and bruises, but I'll be up and running as soon as I get out of the suit.'

Loki nodded too, and breathed in and out deeply a few times before pulling Tony forward. Tony's suit was no match for Loki's strength, not this damaged, so Tony fell forward. Loki pressed their foreheads together, breathing in the same air as Tony, and mumbled, 'Good.'

'Yeah,' Tony repeated. 'So, uh... thanks for saving me.'

Loki gave him a short chuckle, but there was no humour in it. 'She shouldn't have touched you.'

'I know,' Tony said. 'I belong to you.'

And Loki belonged to him. Tony knew it. He'd known it two months in when he and Loki had finally had it out, admitting to everything they'd been denying since they'd first slept together. There were no more secrets between them, not since than.

'Thank you,' Tony said, and Loki nodded once more before gently brushing their lips together.

Tony didn't care about the people watching; not the innocent bystanders, or the police, not even the Avengers. He just kissed Loki back and held him tightly afterwards.

{oOo}

'So, who else thinks that Loki pulled his punches every time he fought us?' Clint asked the room at large.

Natasha, Steve, Bruce, Pepper, Thor, and Coulson all looked up at the archer, who flopped down onto the one free armchair.

'Because seriously, he made her explode,' Clint continued, 'without even lifting a finger, really. Just, boom, dead and in bits all over the street.'

'My brother has always been far more powerful when he had no reason to hold back,' Thor spoke. 'When someone he loves is in danger, there is no stopping him.'

'He could have done that to us,' Natasha said, nodding at Clint. 'Which makes me believe Tony that bit more when he says that Loki didn't really want Earth back when he invaded.'

Clint nodded, too, while Steve and Bruce just stared at her. Pepper was trying to ignore the queasy feeling in her stomach. Loki burstingAmora like she was a water balloon had been all over the news. It was censored, of course, but there was more than one website showing the uncut footage, and it made Pepper want to throw up every time she saw the blood everywhere.

'Tony's really okay?' she finally asked.

'Yes,' Bruce said, 'I checked him over when we returned to the Tower. He and Loki disappeared a few hours ago.'

'Loki was still pretty, uh...' Steve hummed before trailing off.

'Messed up,' Clint supplied. 'He was shaking, looked like he wanted to blow up a few other things. We haven't heard any explosions yet, so we're assuming that Tony calmed him down.'

The man himself chose that moment to enter the room, and groaned when he saw them all. 'I was hoping you were all in bed.'

'This is the communal floor, Tony,' Natasha said. 'What did you expect?'

'I wanted to steal food in peace, but whatever,' Tony waved a hand. He walked towards the kitchen, but then paused. 'This isn't another intervention, is it?'

They all looked at Pepper, who jolted in her seat before shaking her head. When it became clear that she wasn't going to say anything, Tony shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen.

{oOo}

'Tony.'

'JESUS!' Tony shouted, spinning and dropping the leftover pizza he was holding. Natasha giggled and Tony scowled. 'Bad heart, Tash, remember?' the genius said, tapping his arc reactor, which was glowing behind his AC/DC shirt.

'Sorry,' Natasha said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. Tony rolled his eyes and went back to digging through the fridge. 'How is he?' Natasha asked.

'Okay,' Tony said, not turning. 'I mean, he's still pretty pissed, and he punched four holes in my bedroom wall, but that's to be expected.'

'Because you nearly died,' Natasha said.

''Cause I nearly died,' Tony echoed in agreement. He finally pulled out another box of pizza, two containers of food, and a few cans of coke. He somehow managed to arrange it all in his arms and shut the fridge without dropping anything before turning to Natasha. 'Is there a point to this conversation?'

'He really loves you,' Natasha stated.

Tony's eyebrows climbed. 'Uh, yeah.'

'We've just... never heard either of you say it,' Natasha said, looking at him pointedly.

Tony huffed a laugh. 'Neither Loki or I are really ones to go all gushy over each other in public, in case you hadn't noticed. We save that stuff for the bedroom.' He winked at her, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

'I don't think that you'll have to worry about any more interventions,' Natasha said, and Tony groaned in relief. 'We still think that you're bad for each other,' she continued, making Tony snort, 'but you care about each other, and clearly Loki will literally do anything to keep you safe.'

'I'd do the same,' Tony shrugged. Natasha just nodded, knowing that Tony would never apologise for what Loki had done, or even feel bad about it. Because he'd do the exact same thing if Loki had been the one in danger. 'Anyway,' Tony said, smiling brightly, 'Loki's hungry, and I'm hungry, and we're gonna pig out while watching re-runs of How I Met Your Mother.'

Natasha laughed at the thought of Loki watching something as mundane as a TV show, but she'd seen it herself; he was a big fan of Dexter, Futurama, and NCIS.

'Have fun,' she said and watched Tony leave the room, whistling under his breath as he made his way back to his alien lover.

Natasha knew that the others, herself included, would always be waiting for the fallout; for Tony or Loki to screw up and the other to destroy half the country in retaliation. But, Natasha mused as she left the kitchen, there was always the slim chance that that would never happen. After all, the only thing bigger than the love they had for themselves was the love they felt for each other.

Tony and Loki might have brought out the worst in each other, but they also brought out the best, Natasha thought.

{THE END}

Author's Note: I really have absolutely no freaking idea where this story came from. I was watching Pushing Daisies and suddenly imagined Loki beating someone up for touching Tony, and... well, here we are. I hope it wasn't too awful. I just really like stories where Tony and Loki are insane together but really do love each other. So there you go :)

Cheers,

{IBegToDreamAndDiffer}