HUD: Yet another song inspired fic. This one is inspired by 'Paralyzer' by Finger Eleven.

Enjoy! ;3

Those eyes. Shit.

Tony Stark sat alone in a large round corner booth. He had tried to pull Barton and Bruce along, hell, he had even started working on Miss America but was shot down by all three. They were tired, and understandably so. Loki had ravaged the American Museum of Natural History and brought to life all of its fossils and dummies. If Tony didn't know any better, he would have joked that the villain had just watched 'Night at the Museum' and wanted to see if it would work.

The god had left soon after the Avengers had arrived, leaving the team to clean up the mess. It was harder, though, because these were one of a kind fossils. So going in guns blazing wasn't exactly an option. JARVIS ran a few scans, concluding that the animation spell was only temporary. The entire team had spent the last fifteen hours following the dinosaurs and cavemen around the city, protecting them and the civilians from any harm. Tony swore he had seen Loki watching from afar, that goddamn smirk on his face.

Either way, he needed a fucking drink after that. He had been far too busy to go out and get more scotch after the last Loki episode (which were growing in number and lessening in time), but during his tirade through the city he had seen this place.

It was called Masq. The theme was - you guessed it! - a masquerade. There wasn't much of a dress code; only a mask was required, but there were a few who went all out on poofy dresses and five piece suits and top hats. Tony was cool just sitting in his own booth, wearing nothing more than a Black Sabbath shirt without holes, his leather jacket zipped up to hid his arc reactor, and blue jeans. He wasn't here to impress anyone, that's for sure. He only wanted a few drinks, then he would call Happy and be on his way.

A few people would walk by him, casting only a curious glance. The club wasn't terribly packed, but seeing someone alone in one of the huge booths drew some attention. Tony shooed away anyone who tried to talk, ignored any advances that happened to figure out who he was or anyone who was just curious. He was only there to drink. That fact didn't stop him from people watching, though.

He couldn't decide if Masq was a gay club or not. He saw plenty of women masquerading as men with gorgeous women on their arms. There were a handful of obviously gay men filtering about, some with partners and others without. A few had approached Tony, which gave the billionaire a chuckle. Were he not so fucking tired and tuned out, he maybe would have a accepted a few of them. The media was already well aware of his pansexual tendencies, especially after the incident with the very male news anchor being followed by a paparazzi to their date. Ah well; Tony Stark wasn't one for niceties anyway.

There were plenty of straight couples milling about, too, leading Tony to believe this place was pretty cool. No invisible lines to cross, no toes to step on - Masq was open to anything, it appeared, which was exactly what Tony would expect of such a trendy spot in the twenty-first century. It was about damn time.

After his third drink, he decided it was about time to head on home. He pushed the empty glass aside and pulled out his phone. Right as he was about to dial for Happy, a fresh glass was placed on his table. He paused, finger over the 'send' button, as his eyebrows rose in question. Realizing the expression was lost behind his mask, Tony looked up at the waitress.

"I didn't order that," he said. She smiled warmly, her ruby red mask glittering.

"It is compliments of the gentleman from the bar," she said softly. Tony blinked, eyes skimming the patrons seated at the bar proper.

"Which - "

"He wished to not be identified," she answered. After taking his empty glass, she nodded her head to incline a bow. "Enjoy."

Tony nodded, suddenly alert, as she walked away. He gently took the glass, stirring the contents with the little straw. Tony watched the bar as he took a sip, trying to catch anyone watching. Amaretto sour - whoever this guy was, he had good taste. No one turned to watch him. After a sigh, he set the glass back on the table and leaned back.

Usually, whenever he bought someone a drink, he would wait a second to see how it went over before approaching. He expected the same from this mystery dude, so he waited patiently. When he had finished the drink and still no one came over, he felt a little peeved.

"Another, sir," the same waitress said. She was back, dropping a second Amaretto sour and scooping the empty glass. Tony placed a gentle hand on her wrist to stop her departure.

"Can I have a hint?" He asked. She remained silent, removing Tony's hand from her wrist. As she turned to leave, she hesitated just a second to say:

"Emerald snake."

Tony blinked, acting like he didn't hear her, as he thanked her for the drink. As he took a sip, he skimmed the bar again. There were only a few men that wore an emerald mask, and they seemed only interested in ordering a drink and walking back into the crowd. He sighed, giving up his search, as he just enjoyed the free drink.

The third came as he was dialing Happy again; except, it wasn't brought by the waitress. The man that slid into the booth across from Tony made him feel ridiculously underdressed. He wore a black silken dress shirt under a silver suit vest, collar open and lacking a tie but showing the edge of a sharp clavicle. His skin was pale and flawless, shining beautifully against his dark clothes and shining mask. The waitress had been correct - an emerald snake was a pretty accurate description of his mask. The majority was covered with emerald coloured scales, the eyes and edges of the mask lined in silver. The most interesting was the bottom; the mask dropped over his cheekbones to a thin fang on both sides.

Staring into those sharp emerald eyes lined in silver certainly made the billionaire believe he was staring into the face of a viper.

"Hey, Tony! You need a ride or what?!" Oh, shit. Tony fumbled, looking down at his phone. He must have accidentally dialed Happy during his...whatever that was.

"Yeah, I'm here Happy. No, I'm okay. Dialed you by accident. I'll call you soon, though. Later!" Tony hung the phone up quickly, shoving the device back into his jacket. The man was silent, lips curled in a secret smirk. The look was familiar to Tony, and it certainly didn't help the chill running down his spine.

"I suppose I should thank you," Tony began, nodding towards the third drink. The man nodded, lips still curled slightly. Damn those eyes. "So, uh, thanks."

"You are most welcome," the man answered. Tony paused - he knew that voice. In fact, he was pretty sure he had heard it earlier today.

"Hold up a second," Tony said, setting the glass down. The man's expression never changed; he simply inclined his head as if to show he were listening. Tony just stared, replaying his voice over and over in his head. He was on his fifth drink, which didn't mean anything (Tony always held his liquor quite well), but it did help him focus. He went over all the events from today, using the man's image as a comparison. There was only one person he had seen all day that could even come close to matching this guy's appearance. Tony wasn't sure if he was excited or nervous.

"You're Loki," Tony breathed. The man smirked, resting his elbows on the table. He plopped his chin against his fist as he spoke.

"Excellent deduction; you've caught me. Now, what are you going to do?" Loki dared. His tone was light, nothing at all like earlier. Looking at him in a new light, Tony realized he really should've already figured it out; as if the shoulder blade length jet black hair and sharp emerald eyes were anything to go on.

"Nothing, I guess," Tony answered, sipping his drink. He was already two in from Loki; if he was being poisoned, he would have figured it out by now. Tony imagined Loki's eyebrows raising in surprise as the god's eyes crinkled at the edges from his easy smile.

"Oh? Does this setting make you more receptive?" Loki teased. Tony blinked - wait, what was happening here?

"Uh, what?" He asked, snorting. Loki's smile grew. Tony was surprised to see there was no malice in the expression, only -

"Is this setting better for my advances?" Flirting. Loki was flirting; the expression, tone, body language, he bought Tony several drinks. He was flirting, and Tony wasn't sure how to react.

"Yes," he said. His eyes widened almost comically, and Loki continued to just smile.

"Wonderful. I was beginning to wonder if the spell was working or not," Loki mused, crossing his legs under the table.

"Spell? Oh shit, did you poison me? Am I going to grow a second fucking head or something?!" Tony demanded, pushing the glass away from him. Loki chuckled, pushing the glass back over.

"Only a truth seeking spell," Loki answered. Tony gaped at him.

"So, like, I'm only going to tell the truth?" Tony asked. He suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.

"Indeed," Loki answered. He leaned forward on the table. "But you want to anyway. You are tired of hiding, correct?"

"I am," Tony answered. He slapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head. His lips were running without thought, which wasn't much different than usual, but around Loki it was so not cool.

"Excellent," the god purred, leaning back. "Would you like me to sit closer to you?"

"Yes." Tony cursed under his breath as Loki slid around the booth. He left a few feet between them, throwing his arm around the top of the booth and pressing his fingers to the nape of Tony's neck.

"Is this acceptable?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Tony answered, facepalming. It seemed he couldn't not answer a direct question. Oh, he was so fucked.

"We will start lightly," Loki began. His nails grazed the back of Tony's neck, causing the billionaire to shiver. "What is your favourite colour?"

"Hot rod red."

"Favourite city?"

"Mine, New York."

"Favourite movie?"

"Bowfinger."

"Favourite food?"

"Pizza and Chinese."

"Oh my," Loki paused. "Certainly not together?"

"Hell no. I tried it and it was awful," Tony grinned. Loki chuckled lightly.

"Now, a little deeper," the god said. "Age?"

"Thirty eight," he answered, rolling his eyes. As far as he was concerned, even the press didn't need to know that.

"When was the last time you fell ill?"

"Over a year ago."

"From what?"

"Residual palladium poisoning from my arc reactor." Tony shook his head, lips tight. No one knew that, dammit. Not even Pepper.

"Interesting," Loki muttered. He tapped where he knew Tony's arc reactor was under his jacket. "The device to keep you alive is slowly killing you."

"In a manner of speaking, it was," Tony corrected, speaking freely. "I fixed it, but it flares up every now and then."

"Interesting," Loki said again. He pulled his hand back and propped his elbow on the table, chin on his fist. "Moving on - are you currently seeing someone?"

Tony squirmed in his seat, twisting his lips around. Seriously? "No," he blurted, the spell pulling the answer after he had been quiet for too long.

"Not even the red haired woman?"

"No: she's like my sister. We tried, but figured out it wasn't a good idea." Jesus Christ, this was getting almost too personal. Next he would be asking -

"Are you interested in another?"

Fuck. Tony flicked his eyes to Loki, pressing his lips tightly together. He would fight this, dammit -

"Yes!" Ugh, nooooo. This spell, this setting - Loki was cheating, dammit. This wasn't how Tony wanted to talk about this; he wasn't even sure he wanted to talk about it at all!

"Shall I guess?" Loki said coolly. Tony sighed. "The doctor?"

"No, he's my best friend," Tony mumbled, burying his face in his hands. It was only a matter of a few questions now...

"The archer?"

"Pfft, fuck that guy," Tony grinned.

"The spy?"

"No."

"The soldier?"

"Never," he sighed, now resting his chin on his arms on the table. Tony closed his eyes, knowing what was next.

"Would you like another drink?" Loki asked, resting his palm on Tony's neck. The chill temperature of Loki's hand wasn't at all surprising, but actually was a little soothing. Tony sighed.

"No," he grumbled. "You're horrible, you know."

"So I have been told," Loki grinned, massaging the back of Tony's neck. Tony sighed again, turning his face to look at Loki.

"It's you," he said. Loki's hand paused.

"Pardon?"

"It's you; I'm interested in you," Tony repeated. Loki moved his hand back to the top of the booth.

"Do tell," Loki said. It wasn't exactly phrased to be a question. Tony could avoid answering if he wanted, but he was already far too involved in this to leave it like that.

"I've been paying more attention to you," Tony began, sitting back up. He needed that drink for this. "I always had before, but lately it's been...different. You aren't really being malicious; I almost get the feeling you're just trying to get our attention."

"In a manner of speaking," Loki nodded. Tony eyed him.

"It's just my attention you want," he said. The god smirked.

"If this entire ensemble were anything else to go on," he said, gesturing slightly to his clothing. "Guilty."

"Again, you're horrible," Tony grumbled. They were still sitting with a small space between them, and Tony now felt tempted enough to cross it. His fingers twitched as Loki moved an inch closer.

"I have but a few questions left," Loki said, his voice dropping in octave. Tony found himself nearly lost in those damn eyes. He swallowed and nodded.

"Hopefully I can answer them for you," he whispered. Loki's lips quirked.

"I believe you to be the most able," the god answered. Was he getting closer? "Would you be in protest were I to kiss you?" Oh he totally was.

"No..." Tony muttered, eyes hooded and locked on the god's lips, now only a breath away. During the last question, Tony felt himself gravitating closer and closer to Loki. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that this was a bad idea. Loki was a villain, a SUPER villain at that, had tried to take over the city multiple times, had some serious daddy issues - the list could go and go, but he couldn't help himself. With as much as he should be repulsed by the god, he was pulled in just as equally. Hoping to prove that tiny voice wrong - no, this was a good idea, so shut up and kiss him - Tony took the initiative and closed the distance.

Damn it was like lightning. Tony wasn't sure if he was just imagining it or not, but when Loki flinched slightly he knew it wasn't just him. There was an absolute shock when their lips connected, which only solidified Tony's thoughts that yes, this was a total good idea. He sighed, a shiver running up his spine, as Loki grabbed the back of his neck to keep him trapped. Loki angled his neck just enough to deepen the kiss. Tony couldn't help his low moan; he actually lost his train of thought when he felt Loki nibble his bottom lip.

"Damn..." Tony breathed, chest heaving and pants suddenly too tight and damn this club was ridiculously hot -

Loki smirked, pulling away slightly. He tugged Tony's lip along for the ride, letting it go with a breathy sigh. Tony would trade anything in the world to keep that look on Loki's face forever; the god's eyes were practically glittering.

"Did you find that...agreeable?" Loki asked, swiping his thumb along Tony's now kiss swollen bottom lip. Tony darted a brief flick of his tongue after the appendage; he could practically feel Loki's eyes darkening.

"Oh yeah," Tony grinned. The god smirked in reply, hand now on the back of Tony's neck again.

"Final question," Loki purred. He nipped the shell of Tony's ear as he asked:

"Your place or mine?"

Tony turned his face, pressing his lips to the edge of Loki's jaw. "I have a better idea."

Happy was playing cabbie and not exactly pleased, especially when he saw his boss wasn't walking from the club alone.

"Hey, Tony," he began. The genius giggled, arm thrown around the waist of one of the most beautiful men Happy had ever seen. And Happy never looked at other guys.

"Happy, why don't you go have a couple of drinks on me?" Tony said, placing a hand on Happy's chest. His head of security blinked.

"Uh, sir - "

"Please, I insist," Tony said, nodding slightly towards his companion. The gorgeous man simply smirked. "We'll watch the limo."

Happy hesitated; he knew what Tony was getting at, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should go along with it. He lost his choice, though, when Tony took off his plain black mask and hooked it around his head like a ball cap. "You'll be needing that."

Happy sighed and nodded, handing the keys over to Tony. He winked and jerked a thumb in the direction of the club. Happy turned and head towards the entrance. Once he was sure Happy was out of earshot, he pressed a hot kiss to Loki's neck.

"I hope you don't expect this to be a one time deal," he breathed, unlocking the door with the clicker.

"Oh? And what has you so sure?" Loki teased, opening the door behind him.

Tony snatched Loki's elegant mask off and threw it into the open door. He could now see the full force of Loki's expression, and he'd be fucking lying if he said he wasn't falling hard.

"Something to do with those damn eyes of yours," Tony answered, hooking his leg behind Loki's knee. The god chuckled as he flopped back unceremoniously into the limo. Tony climbed in after him, settling over Loki's lap. "You may have me paralyzed, but I know truthfully that the feeling is mutual."

A/N: Don't forget to comment! Let me know what you all thought! ;)