Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/8632099. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Iron_Man_(Movies), Thor_(Movies), The_Avengers_(Marvel_Movies), Marvel Cinematic_Universe Relationship: Loki/Tony_Stark, Tony_Stark_&_Thor Character: Tony_Stark, Loki_(Marvel), Thor_(Marvel) Additional Tags: Underage_Sex, Consensual_Underage_Sex, (but_no_ACTUAL_sex), Underage Drinking, Alternate_Universe_-_Human, Family, Fluff_and_Smut, Masturbation, Coming_Out, Affection, Couch_Cuddles, teenage_loki, Age Difference, Pining Collections: this_is_the_version_where_you_come_out_on_top Stats: Published: 2016-11-23 Words: 6700 ****** Ways of the World ****** by usedupshiver Summary "I don't count as a babysitter?" Tony put a hand to his chest in a display of mock-hurt. "Are you going to make me brush my teeth and go to bed by ten?" Loki raised an eyebrow in a challenge far too sharp for a teenager to master, really. "Hell no. Nothing fun ever happens before midnight." "Then no, you don't count." Notes This is a birthday gift for my lovely Mia. Because she makes my life brighter. It's inspired by a_prompt_on_the_Frostiron_Kink_Meme_on_tumblr, but I don't feel like it turned out dirty enough to be an actual fill. Thanks to whoever posted it, though! Sure got my mind working... I've put the Underage warning on this, even though there is technically no actual sex happening. There is an underage character in a clearly sexual situation with an adult, however, and even though he's very willing, it's obviously highly inappropriate and morally questionable. So, don't read if that bothers you, please. The chilly October night had been dark since around 6 PM, but Tony had still turned the engine of his car off after he parked far away from the closest street light. Tony knew that no-one could see him like this. He was slouched low in the driver's seat even so, and regularly had to remind himself not to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. The light coming off the screen would give him away. So to occupy his restless hands, he toyed with the take- away cup of coffee that had been his only company the last ten minutes. The plastic lid made sharp little noises as he repeatedly tapped it with his thumb nail. He hummed tunelessly sort-of in time with the flat beat, already bored. Tony tried to imagine that he was playing some spy's game, just to entertain his always busy mind, but it wasn't easy to make the made up stakes high enough. Even if someone did spot him, it wouldn't exactly be the end of the world. At last,he registered a movement out of the corner of his eye. His head snapped up from the empty coffee cup, and Tony happily noted that yes, it was what he had been waiting for. Which was the gates in front of the mansion he was "staking out", slowly sliding open. And then a familiar Mercedes rolled out, accelerated smoothly, and turned to drive off along the street, away from the spot where Tony had parked. The gate hadn't fully swung shut before Tony's phone vibrated eagerly in his pocket. He lifted his butt off the seat, shoved his hand into the front pocket of his tight-fitting jeans, and pulled it up. mom and dad are gone. come on over just watched them drive off, Tony tapped out. parked right outside The only reply was a giddy-looking !!!!!!. Moments later, the gates re-opened. With a grin, Tony tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, got his car started, and rolled up the driveway to the mansion. The trees lining this private stretch of road had lost all their leaves, but the huge house was lit up like a premature Christmas tree at the end of it. Tony parked outside the garage in his usual spot, snatched up the overnight bag he'd tossed in the backseat, and unfolded himself from the car. He sauntered up to the main entrance and had only just started up the steps when the door swung open and Thor was standing there, beaming at him. Thor had tidied up the golden beard that had finally grown in properly, Tony noticed, and he was almost sad to see it. The wild bird's nest he'd sported last time they met had provided Tony with hours of gleeful teasing. He'd also tied back his shoulder-length, blond hair, and looked good in a pair of dark jeans and a red henley, which was tight enough to show off the muscles he'd started putting on lately. College football looked good on the kid. Although he wasn't exactly a kid anymore, to be fair. He was 21, and by all standards an adult, even though Tony tended to forget. He was actually the same age Tony had been when his own parents had been killed in a violent car crash. Granted, Tony had not felt very grown up that awful December day, but his feelings might also by coloured by the fact that he'd been 11 the year Thor was born. He had been an actual kid most of Tony's life. "Hey there, Thunder Pants." Thor huffed an exasperated half-laugh at the greeting, like he always did at the use of one of Tony's many different and increasingly ridiculous god-of- thunder nicknames. "Hi, uncle Tony", he shot back, putting a slight hint of extra emphasis on the 'uncle' part. Scrunching up his nose, Tony silently awarded Thor a point in their endless game. Thor chuckled, obviously pleased with himself. He'd probably awarded his own column at least two points. Tony wasn't actually Thor's uncle, though. Thank fuck. That would have been weird. Their parents had been close friends since as far back as Tony could remember, and Tony had become a sort of honorary member of the family after his parents passed. "Come on in." Thor stepped out of the way and gestured him through the door. "Steve'll be here to pick me up in twenty minutes or so." "No worries, Lightning Kid", Tony assured him with a smirk. "You roll out in your pumpkin. Just make sure to be back before midnight." Thor snorted. "As if. Mom and dad are gone until early tomorrow night. I'm staying with Jane." "Good thing I packed, then." Tony pointedly swung his bag by his side. "Where's the baby bro?" After a glance around the entrance hall, and through a doorway into the livingroom area, Thor tilted his head back and bellowed "LOKI!", with all the impressive power of his deep chest. "Jesus fuck, warn a guy", Tony muttered, theatrically grimacing and rubbing his ear with his free hand. There was a moment of silence, then Tony could make out the faint thud of footsteps on the floor above them, followed by a bored drawl of "What?". When he tilted his own head back, Tony spotted the lanky shape of Loki leaning against the bannister at the top of the stairs. The kid was dressed in dark sweatpants and a matching hoodie. His black hair was that awkward length just between short and growing out long. When he was bent over the bannister like that, looking down at them, it formed a halo around his narrow, pale, little face. Which split into a wide, toothy smile when he recognized their guest. "Hey", Tony said, happily smiling back up at him. Loki didn't offer a verbal greeting in return, but the way he immediately jogged down the stairs and shot up on his toes to wrap his arms around Tony's shoulders, more than made up for that. He was still shorter than Tony by a few inches, but with the long-limbed proportions Loki had going, and the way his feet were starting to look too big for his body, Tony suspected that in a year or two, at the most, Loki would have a growth spurt and shoot up like a weed. Then it would probably be Tony going up on his tip-toes for a hug. And how weird was that to consider? For now, Tony just hugged the lanky boy to his chest, something he felt like he hadn't done in a long time. "How's Tricks?" "Better now", Loki said as he stepped back. He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Thor over Tony's shoulder. "Wasn't looking forward to having a babysitter." No, Tony could imagine as much. What 16 year old thought they even needed to be supervised? Tony sure hadn't at that age. And Loki had always been a bit coddled, especially by Frigga, so it was easy to understand his need to prove himself grown up. It was hard to blame Frigga for her over-protective attitude, as well. Even though Loki was only five years younger than Thor, he had only been in the family for seven. He was first taken in as a foster child, before Frigga and Odin chose to adopt him and make him their son for real. Tony hadn't known as much when he was a kid himself, but he'd since pieced together that Frigga had wanted another child ever since Thor was little. Why they had never had their own, Tony didn't know, and he wasn't going to ask. But when Thor had been old enough that their son growing up and moving out was a looming threat, Frigga and Odin had taken in Loki, probably to fill that impending void in their home. Of course, Thor still hadn't moved out, opting to live at home while he got through college. But the new boy had never left. Tony was happy he hadn't. Since Tony had more or less grown up with Thor, they had become real close over the years. Even more so after Tony's parents died and he had been kind of taken in by Frigga and Odin himself. Not to become an actual family member, like Loki would later, but he hadn't needed that. What he had needed, and gotten, was Odin becoming his solid, steady mentor in business, and Frigga taking him under her maternal wing, occasionally spoiling him rotten in the process. He wasn't Thor's actual uncle, but that was sort of the role he'd come to play anyway. More than a decade older, Tony had already passed all the checkpoints of growing up. And long enough ago that he had gained some perspective by the time it was Thor's turn to do the same. So, naturally, Thor would come to Tony with any curious question or concern he had that was too embarrassing - or at times too illegal - to take to his parents. When Loki had joined the family, nine years old, skinny, wide-eyed, and shy, Tony had in many ways come to fill the role of uncle for him as well. Being less immediately emotionally invested in the kid than his new, anxious parents had meant that Tony could be effortlessly light-hearted, going for clever jokes and a gentle, kind sort of teasing, that turned out to be the key to unlocking Loki's true, little shit self, previously hidden behind shyness and a very real worry that he would end up tossed out on his ass - again. Tony hadn't had as many years to get to know his younger "nephew" - or maybe "cousin" would be a better fit? - but both Thor and Loki meant a lot to him. "I don't count as a babysitter?" Tony put a hand to his chest in a display of mock-hurt. "Are you going to make me brush my teeth and go to bed by ten?" Loki raised an eyebrow in a challenge far too sharp for a teenager to master, really. "Hell no. Nothing fun ever happens before midnight." "Then no, you don't count." A sharp note chimed in the entrance hall, and they both turned to find Thor thumbing at his phone. "Steve's early", he announced, and then reached out to press the button by the front door that opened the gates. He put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his jacket, aiming a skile at Tony. "I would try to tell you to feed him a proper dinner and get him to bed at a reasonable hour." He threw a smirk Loki's way. "But I realize that would be both useless, and pretty hypocritical. So I'm just going to tell you to not break anything they'll miss, and try not to burn the place down." "We'll do our best", Tony promised. "Sure you will." Thor glanced out the window, where the headlights of a car flashed by. "That's what worries me." A minute later, he was whisked away by his football team buddies, leaving Tony and Loki to their own devices. Predictably, those devices did not include a proper dinner and a reasonable bed time. What they did include was pizza and shitty TV. By eleven, Tony was starting to feel parched in a way Coke just didn't alleviate, so after a trip to the bathroom he stopped on his way back to the couch, to consider the bar. "Hey, Tricks?" Loki's head popped up over the back of the couch. "What?" "If some scotch was to mysteriously disappear during the night, you wouldn't feel like you had to tell the all-father about it, right?" Okay so Tony might at some point have decided to go all in with the Norse mythology nicknames for the entire family, but honestly, how could he not? Even 'Loki' was a nickname, actually . His given name had been Lukas when he joined the household, which had quickly turned to Luke, and then, almost as soon as Tony entered the scene, that had become Loki. Because when Tony had figured out what a mischievous little shit the kid was, he had decided it simply fit too well to ignore. It had stuck. Now the whole family, including the boy himself, used the name Loki exclusively. Tony, who had thereby been robbed of a perfectly good nickname, had felt the need to one-up himself, and now mostly called him Tricks. Loki smirked at him, before sinking back down in his seat and disappearing from view. "I would feel a lot less like talking about it, if some vodka went missing, too." For a moment, all Tony could do was stare at the spot where Loki's face had been visible a moment ago. Then he grinned, picked two bottles off the bar, and walked back to his spot next to the teenager sprawled across the seats. He settled the scotch by his own empty glass, and the vodka slightly closer to Loki's half-full glass of Coke. His actions earned him a wide-eyed look from Loki, who pushed himself up to sit properly by Tony's side, green eyes blinking at the bottle. "You actually want me to drink that?" His voice was awed. Tony snorted, and spun the cork off his own bottle with a practiced flick of his wrist. "I don't want anything. It wasn't my suggestion. But if you thought I would back down from the challenge, then you don't know me at all, and that means I'm wounded, and that means I'm going to need the vodka to feel better." While he poured a generous drink for himself Tony saw Loki watch him, a smirk spreading over his pale face. "You know dad's going to notice that you drank his scotch anyway, right? He always notices." "That he does", Tony agreed, before putting the bottle aside and taking a swallow from his glass. "So I'm going to be in trouble either way." Eyes flitting to Tony every few seconds, Loki leaned forward in his seat, snatched up the bottle of clear booze, and then slowly started unscrewing it, eyes now firmly on Tony's amused face. Like he was expecting Tony at any moment to laugh and take the bottle from him. That never happened. Tony's own first experience with alcohol had happened when he was thirteen. It hadn't ended great, but he'd lived. At least Loki had him there, to watch him. Also, there was the fact that Tony was curious about what would happen next. (He was also kind of a dick. He was prepared to admit to that.) So he just watched as Loki carefully poured some of the crystal clear liquid into his fizzy, dark Coke, and then closing the bottle back up and putting it aside. Then the kid gave him a long, challenging look before actually picking the glass up. He looked tense, like he expected the drink to blow up like a grenade in his hands. With a mock-concerned expression, Tony leaned closer. "You need me to hold you hand?" "Shut up", Loki scoffed, and took a swallow. Once he'd lowered the glass, they both looked at each other in tense silence. And then burst out laughing. "Oh my god, your face!" Tony was cackling. Loki threw himself back against the closest armrest, and kicked Tony with both feet, knocking his unresisting body over on the cushions. "You're an ass", Loki accused with a huff. "Just for that", Tony said once he'd caught his breath, "I get to choose what we watch next." And then he scooped up the remote from the table, happily ignoring the wounded animal noises Loki made in protest. =============================================================================== Tony wasn't really sure what he'd expected from Loki when it came to being offered access to alcohol, but after the first giddy excitement at the sudden, unexpected glimpse into adult life, Loki seemed to decide it wasn't actually that big of a deal. He did finish that first drink, and that was more than enough to make his pale cheeks rosy, his movements a little bit uncoordinated, and loosen his tongue. That last bit was probably the reason, more than anything else, for the turn their evening ended up taking. A couple of hours had passed since Loki had finished the last of his drink, so it couldn't even be entirely blamed on the alcohol. Not really. But Tony was intimately familiar with the way it was difficult to get your tongue back in check, once it'd had its taste of freedom. And the way partaking in any kind of drug tended to bond people together. Create camaraderie. He had made more friends over cigarettes, drinks, and lines of coke, than any other way. Not the best friends you could find, perhaps, but still. Of course, Tony and Loki already were friends. So for Loki, new to the whole deal, it wasn't surprising in the least that even a little bit of drinking made him say things he might never have, if he had stayed sober. Even if the effects of the alcohol were gone when it happened. In hindsight, Tony couldn't claim to be sorry. He was also sticking to his saying that nothing fun ever happens before midnight, because by the time Loki had sobered up it was just after 1 AM, and a new movie had started. Tony had no idea what it was called or what it was about, more interested in the sprawling conversation that had meandered its way across the night. Loki was tucked up in his favourite corner of the couch, and Tony was sitting on the cushion next to his, with Loki's legs draped across his lap, knobbly teenager knees visible through the fabric of his sweatpants. Tony had his right hand lightly resting on one of Loki's thighs, and his left, the one farthest from Loki, was shoved up inside one of the kid's loose pant legs, scraping his short nails up and down Loki's shin. The kid had always loved having his legs or back or head scratched when he was lounging around like this, but Tony was the one with the most patience to do it these days. Probably because Tony had always been a tactile person himself, and he found it soothing. It was just coincidence that they both happened to be focused on the screen instead of each other when the two male characters currently shown, decided to start making out. Enthusiastically, one shoving the other bodily up against a wall. Under Tony's hands, Loki noticeably tensed up. The palm Tony had against Loki's bare skin told him that the kid instantly got warmer, too, the contact turning slightly damp. When he turned his head, curious about the strong reaction, Tony found Loki's eyes fixed on his own hands, tangled up on his flat little stomach, and his pale cheeks blushed so deep red there was no way Tony could miss it, even with the way the light off the TV screen sucked the colour out of everything in the room. Before he had the time to ask if Loki was okay, the kid's mouth dropped open and he blurted out a few quiet words, so fast they almost hooked together into one. "I think I'm gay." Judging by the way Loki's eyes pinched shut and his nose scrunched up, looking like he wanted more than anything to take the words out of the air and choke them back down, that wasn't something Loki had intended to say. The initial burst of surprise passed quickly, and then Tony just felt... protective, he decided was the best word. "Hey, Tricks." He took his hand off Loki's thigh and gently nudged under the boy's chin, to make him reluctantly lift his head and look at Tony with wide, dark eyes. He looked entirely freaked out, and Tony tightened his hold on Loki's leg a bit, worried he might actually try to bolt before Tony got a word in edgewise. "Everything's fine, okay?" Tony got a smile on his face, one that felt warm and affectionate. Loki still looked very deer-in-headlights, but at least he seemed to be focused on Tony, not on running away and hiding. "You been thinking about that for a while?" After a brief hesitation, Loki nodded. And the blush on his face deepened a little. When he tried to speak, all that came out was a garbled little noise, before he clared his throat and tried again. "I did tell someone. At school. But, they said I can't know for sure, anyway. Because I'm.. I've never... Um." Tony thought he knew where this was going. "Because you've never had sex?" Another nod, and a blush so hot Tony thought he might be able to roast marshmellows on Loki's rosy cheeks. "Okay listen, I'm all for science, I really am. If you're going to come to me and claim something to be true, you better have your facts checked and tested. But sexuality doesn't work that way, no matter what some kid tried to tell you." Loki frowned, cheeks cooling down a little. "What do you mean?" Good, his natural curiosity was taking over from the acute embarrassment. "Your sexuality isn't decided by who you have sex with, Tricks", he explained, gently. The frown on Loki's face deepend. "That makes no sense." "Sure it does." Tony settled his hand back on Loki's thigh, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Sexual acts isn't the key - it's sexual attraction. If you get turned on by other guys, while girls don't do anything for you, then yeah, you might be gay. That's it." "I don't need to... um... experiment? To be sure?" "Nah. You don't need to do anything, Loki. You don't need to decide if you're gay or not, and even if you do, you don't need to stick to that label forever. Sexuality is way too fluid. And you don't need to try something to know if you like it or not, if your..." He gestured vaguely over Loki's lanky body. "If your everything is telling you the answer, that's enough." Then Tony grinned. "Doesn't mean experimenting can't be awesome, and fun, and great, and you might figure out stuff you never knew. But it's not something you need to do. It's optional." "So, you have?" Loki's eyes dropped to his own hands again. "Experimented, I mean?" "I have", Tony said, simply. No use trying to pretend any different. He had a feeling he would get through this better if he stuck to honest answers. "And I'm probably going to keep doing it. At the moment, I'm calling myself bisexual, but it's always a work in progress, as far as I'm concerned. Or, well, I'm not concerned, really, I mostly just go with it." He shrugged easily, even though the back of his t-shirt dragged against the coarse fabric of the cushion. At the point where he mentioned being bi, Loki's bright eyes flitted up to his face. Then just as quickly back down to his lap. Tony could see his head move slightly, as he swallowed heavily. For a little while, Tony allowed his attention to go back to the screen, where the scene was now completely different, the two guys making out before nowhere in sight. He wasn't that interested. He just felt like Loki might need some space to think. "If I wanted to, though?" Tony turned back to find Loki watching him, and gnawing hesitantly on his lower lip. "Yeah?" "Could you help me?" Again the words were almost rushed together into one. And this was the moment Tony knew that they had reached the point where his adult advice was likely to take a turn for something else entirely. The point where he should stop, and back off. That would be the appropriate thing to do, for sure. But Tony wasn't a believer in appropriate things, and so he mostly just gave the point of no return a jaunty wave as he sailed clean past it. "Of course I could." Tony winked obnoxiously at him. "You know, for science." Thankfully, that was awful enough to make Loki relax into a giggle, and he didn't seem to notice what Tony was doing when he reached forward over Loki's legs to pick up the remote. Not until the light and faint murmur from the TV abruptly turned to dark and silence, the room only lit by a few lamps spread out at professionally calculated distances to give the room a soft, warm background lighting. "Why'd you turn that off?" He sounded curious. "I thought it might, you know, help?" "It's a distraction. Better to start without any outside influences at play." "Except you?", Loki shot back with a tiny smirk, sounding much more like his usual self. "Except me", Tony agreed, as he dropped the remote on the table and sat back in his seat. "Though, ideally, I'm not going to influence you, either. Not really. Just help you figure things out." With a shy little smile and a tiny squirming movement against the couch cushions, Loki said, "I think it might be too late for you not to influence me." Oh. Oh! Wasn't that interesting? It also put Loki's reaction to Tony saying he was bi in a completely different light. There was a warm, pleased feeling blossoming in Tony's chest at the thought. He wasn't more than human, after all. He was flattered, so sue him. "Really now?" If his voice happaned to hit a slightly lower register, and if his hand happened to settle a bit higher on Loki's thigh, then who could blame him? "So when you said you'd been thinking about this for a while, it wasn't just in general, but more specific?" Nervously licking his lips, Loki squirmed a bit more in his seat. But, tellingly, he wasn't trying to twist away from Tony. No, his long, slim legs got pressed almost into Tony's abdomen, and he didn't seem uncomfortable at all. Shy, yeah, but more excited than worried. So when he finally nodded, Tony wasn't surprised at all. He reached his left arm around Loki's shins, so he could settle that hand on his other thigh, and at the same time hug his legs even tighter to his front. "Want to tell me more?" Tony hoped the smile on his face was more encouraging than eager, but he was't sure of what his face was doing anymore. By now, Loki's fingers had fidgeted so much that they had twisted themselves completely into the front of his hoodie, rucking the hem of it a bit higher up his belly. The movement drew Tony's eye, and he couldn't help but notice the way this exposed an unmistakeable bulge in the front of Loki's pants. Even as Tony watched, he could tell it was growing. He made himself look back up at Loki's rosy cheeks and dark eyes. "I think you can already guess", Loki said, a bit challenging despite how obviously nervous he was. So that's how he wanted to play it. Fine, Tony wasn't opposed to leading the way into talking dirty. He was clearly the one with all the experience, after all. "True", he agreed, allowing his smile to turn into an all-out, suggestive smirk, the way it had wanted for a while. "And I'm guessing that when you realized you might have a thing for guys, it was because you were having fantasies about me." Again, Loki should know he wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "So, the question is if you have a thing for older men, or if it's just me?" While he spoke, he let his right hand skim even higher up Loki's thigh, and felt the lean muscle tense and tremble faintly under his palm. In response Loki's hips, seemingly unconsciously, tipped up a bit, a barely there buck upwards, bringing the ridge of his hard-on that much closer to the tips of Tony's fingers. They didn't actually make contact, but it still made Loki suck down a sharp little breath, hitching back out in a shuddering hiss. God, he was really on edge. "It's just you", Loki managed to say, his voice starting to sound wrecked already. "Yay me", Tony murmured happily. "Why?" "You're always really sweet", Loki said, glancing up at Tony from the lowered, long, black fan of his eyelashes. "But you never treat me like a child. Like I'm fragile or need coddling. You look at me like I'm an equal." Tony made an encouraging noise for him to continue, the warm, pleased spot in the core of his chest spreading, filling his ribcage. "And you're..." Loki gave a choked-off chuckle. "You're stupidly hot." He blushed, but he also raised his chin, looking Tony square in the eyes. "I've always liked you, a lot, but then this summer in Malibu I just. I saw you, like that, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it." Ah, yes, Malibu... Tony owned a mansion on the cliffs above the Ocean, one he had inherited from his parents but completely rebuilt into something more modern and sleek. Every summer he invited his new family out there for a few weeks, and he remembered this summer, too. He loved swimming and playing around in the swimming pool, sunbathing on the balcony, and generally taking advantage of the summer get- away. While staying in the mansion, protected from prying eyes, Tony preferred to wear as little as possible. So yeah, Loki would have gotten a good look at him in nothing but his shorts. Repeatedly. For three weeks. Now he remembered that Loki, for his part, had been unusually withdrawn and unwilling to join Tony and Thor in the pool. Preferring to stay dry and clothed in a launge chair, hidden in the shade. Which made a lot more sense, if he'd been doing it to hide a persistent, Tony-related boner. Tony's ego might never fully recover from this night. It was getting inflated beyond repair. He gave a gravelly hum, squeezing Loki's thighs a little tighter in his hands. "And what have you been thinking about, Tricks? What did you dream would happen?" Tony grinned. "Something like this, right now?" "No." Loki shook his head, hands shifting around in the tangle of his hoodie again. "There's always a lot more action than talking." He hesitated, but then Tony's raised eyebrow made him continue, realizing he wouldn't get away with that lack of detail. "You run into me when I'm alone somewhere in the house, but somewhere anyone could walk in on us. And you don't say anything, you just get me up against a wall, and kiss me." Suddenly, Loki's strong reaction to the scene in the movie they had caught a glimpse of made a lot more sense. "And you get your hands", Loki continued, voice shot, "all over me." So, fantasy Loki had a bit of an exhibitionistic streak, and apparently liked it kind of rough. Those were things Tony, up until now, hadn't had any idea he really, really wanted to know. "Or", the kid added, words slightly slurred with how turned on he was, "you get me on my knees, and make me... make..." "Make you suck me off?", Tony supplied, the words coming so much easier to him than to Loki. But again, given how Loki had phrased the part he could say, he definitely seemed to want it rough. Not that Tony was going to go there, but fuck, the idea, now that it was planted in his head, was just killing him. Loki nodded, quick and feverish. Then the thought on its own was apparently enough to make Loki's hips buck up again, and he made a frustrated noise at the lack of pressure and friction. "Fuck", he breathed, and the word sent an excited shiver down Tony's spine. "I can't..." Tony hushed him, stroking his legs. He was aiming for it to be soothing, but maybe we was making things worse, if Loki's hitched moan was anything to go by. "You're used to jerking off while thinking about this." He didn't bother making it a question. The answer was all over the kid's tense body. Loki whined. "Yeah..." "Then go ahead." Before, Loki's eyes had been squeezed shut tight, as if in pain. Now they fluttered open, and he blinked owlishly at Tony. Smiling, Tony went on. "We're figuring things out, Tricks. So just do what comes natural. What you'd do if I wasn't watching." "But you are watching." Even as he objected, though, Loki's hands were already busy freeing themselves from the hoodie. He pressed the heel of his right against his dick, through his pants, trying to take the edge off. "So I am." Tony went for that low register again as he continued. "And I'm thinking that's something you get off on, right?" Damn, Loki blushed so prettily. "How'd you know that?", Loki groaned, acutely embarrassed again. "Educated guess." Tony left it at that, but couldn't resist a teasing smirk. He'd explain his reasoning later, when Loki was more clear-headed. From the look of things, Loki wasn't too hung up on getting an answer right now, anyway. He just hesitated another few moments, and then resolutely grabbed the top of his sweatpants with his left hand, shoved them down his hips just enough that his dick, and most of his balls, came into view. Tony wasn't even going to pretend he wasn't staring now, because there was no use. He might have even licked his lips, like a cat getting a look at the cream. Because Loki looked good. Just like the rest of him, his cock clearly waited for that final growth spurt to hit, but it was still a decent size in proportion to Loki's body as a whole. Uncut, a pale candy-pink, the head flushed a darker, more reddish colour, a black fuzz of brand new pubic hairs around the root and dusting his tight balls. There was a faint, shuddering noise of pure want in Tony's ears, and it took him a little while to realize he'd made it. He honestly had not expected that to be as hot as it was. Maybe Loki wasn't the only one figuring things out in this experiment? It seemed Loki had come to much the same conclusion, and that Tony's unguarded reaction had boosted his confidence, because he didn't hesitate at all after that, immediately reaching down with his right hand as well, getting a hard, eager grip on himself. His left was still busy holding his pants out of the way as he started stroking himself, quick and frantic, his eyes pinched shut again. This wouldn't last long. "What are you imagining this time?" Tony noticed that he was leaning forward a little, getting a closer look, and didn't make himself sit back. "Th-this", Loki stuttered, voice reedy. "Only it's your hand. Not mine." Tony made another of those wanting noises. He knew Loki would probably imagine that scene again, many times. And now Tony would, too. The way his hips shifted forward, pressing his own hard-on against the back of Loki's thigh, most likely gave that way. It was also apparently all Loki needed to finish. He gave a sharp, startled gasp, tensed and twitched in Tony's arms, coming all over his hoodie in long spurts, the last of his come dribbling out over his bare, lower abdomen. Christ. Tony was feeling lightheaded at the sight, and with just a bit more stimulation, just a hint more pressure on his own dick, he would have come too, in his pants, basically untouched, like he was the teenager. They were both panting like they had been running as Loki turned loose-limbed and heavy and relaxed, letting his legs slump sideways against Tony's chest. By the time his hands let go of his dick and his pants, allowing the latter to slide back up and cover the former, he was blinking his eyes open to look at Tony. Slightly unfocused and bleary, like he'd just woken up. He was gorgeous like that. Tony realized he wanted to see it again. Which was probably a bad thing. He couldn't manage to make himself care. Instead he gave Loki a soft, affectionate smile, rubbing at his leg. Acting for all the world like his cock wasn't killing him with the need to get off. It would have to deal. This wasn't about him, after all. "So, the experiment seemed pretty successful", he teasted gently. "Did you discover anything new? Unknown species? Brand new element?" Loki huffed and pulled his legs to the side, just so he could thump them back heavily against Tony's front. But he was smiling, looking blissed out and pleased. "Not really. But I'm pretty sure the results support my hypothesis." Tony chuckled. "I love it when you talk science to me, Tricks." Then he got a bit more serious. "Good to hear, though. Wouldn't have wanted you to end up feeling more confused than before." "Definitely not confused." His black lashes fluttered a little. "But pretty tired." This time, Tony outright laughed. "I'll bet. Let's get you cleaned up and tucked in." =============================================================================== Once Loki had wiped the worst of the mess off his clothes and shoved them deep into the hamper, put on clean pajama pants and dutifully brushed his teeth, he hesitated by his bed, glancing at Tony. Who was sprawled out on the small loveseat on the other side of the room, tapping at his phone, but looked up when Loki entered the room. The kid shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say by the looks of things. "Do you want to sleep with me?" Loki visibly considered those words and winced a little at the ambiguous phrasing. "I mean, in my bed?" Tony realized almost immediately that yeah, he did want that. And since Thor had said that Odin and Frigga wouldn't be back until the next night, Thor most likely would be gone until at least early afternoon himself. So no-one would be around to wonder what he was doing in Loki's bed. And even if they had been? Well, it wouldn't be the first time it happened. They wouldn't know anything had changed between now and the last time he'd shared Loki's bed, after all. "Sure, Tricks. Get in." Loki practically dived into bed, crawling closer to the wall while Tony tugged off his socks and jeans, leaving his t-shirt and boxer briefs on. Then he slipped under the covers, and was immediately attacked by what felt like a warm, affectionate octopus. Loki's long limbs wrapped around him, and his little face nuzzled into the side of Tony's throat, as the boy half-draped himself over Tony's chest. It wasn't until then, when things went back to normal, that Tony understood that Loki had been much less physically close and intimate with him lately. And now he obviously also knew why that was. He was happy the night's unexpected turn of events had given him this closeness back, because on some not fully conscious level, he had missed it, badly. Tony made a purring noise of approval, and curled his own arm around Loki's back, holding him close. They stayed like that, comfortable and warm and relaxed, for so long that Tony was about to doze off, when he felt Loki's nose rub against his skin, with purpose. "Tony?" "Mmm?" Loki shuffled a little closer still, hooking his leg around Tony's closest thigh, sighing against his throat. "Thank you." Even when his mind was blurred with sleep, Tony was sure that gratitude covered a lot more than just the dirty things. After all, coming out was always a bit scary, all on its own, and if he had made Loki feel better about himself,Tony was real happy about that fact. He felt like his smile should be warm enough to glow in the dark when he turned his head to press his lips into the kid's silky hair. "You're welcome, Loki. So very welcome." Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!