#I have an absolute throne of pillows the cat is burrowing his face into my elbow

[laughingfate]

On the morning of the knife fight I was scheduled to lose, I washed myself in the ritual soap and dressed in soft, loose fitting clothes as was the custom. I would not break my fast until after the deed was done.

My second ferried me to the entry point at the North, where I declared my secret name to the gatekeeper and several acolytes in quick succession. They prepared me for the inner sanctum, infusing my veins with salt water and drawing intricate sigils on my chest. I bid farewell to my second, who would keep vigil outside. I remember very little after this, but when I awoke, I felt a great weight had been lifted from my chest.

---

Anyway, the top surgery yesterday went great!

[middleearthpixie]

Wanted Man ~ Chapter Six

Summary: A price on his head, Loki of Asgard finds himself stranded on Earth and in need of one woman's help in order to free himself from the bounty and try to reclaim what he sees as his rightful throne in Asgard.

McKenna Carlin just wanted to put a horrible day behind her. She had no idea that things would get worse before they get better…

Pairings:  Loki Laufeyson x ofc McKenna Carlin

Characters: McKenna, Loki  

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 4.3k

Tag List: @fizzyxcustard @court-jobi @guardianofrivendell @piggledy-higgledy @evenstaredits

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here! 

When McKenna opened her eyes, she immediately regretted it. She was pretty sure the light actually sliced her eyeballs in half and split her skull in the process. She winced as she swallowed. Cottonmouth. Ugh. What on earth possessed her to drink all that wine? She knew better. She absolutely knew better.

She rolled over to squint at the clock. Ten after nine. And what was that smell? 

Bacon. It was frying bacon.

She groaned, dragging the pillow over her head to block out both the light and smell. Loki had probably eaten the entire pound of bacon she’d bought just yesterday. It was probably just as well. She had the horrible feeling she’d throw up if she tried to eat something like bacon. 

“Are you awake?” 

Loki's voice wasn’t quite a whisper, but it wasn’t its usual volume, either, and she burrowed out to squint at him. Her eyes refused to focus well and her thoughts were far too muddy for anything more than a mumbled, “What?”

“I wasn’t sure whether to wake you or if I should but let you sleep,” he replied, his voice still low. “How do you feel?”

“Don’t ask."

“I thought as much.” He pushed away from the doorjamb to come into the room, and as he did, she saw the coffee cup he held in his hand. “I also thought this might be in order.”

“That was nice of you, thank you.” She slowly sat up, the covers pooling at her hips, and shoved her sleep-mangled hair out of her eyes. “You have no idea how much in order. How many glasses of wine did I have?”

“I stopped counting at four.”

“Holy crap. I never drink that much.” She accepted the coffee, her eyes closing at the comforting aroma rolling away from the creamy surface. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.”

She sipped. It was perfect. Neither too bitter nor too sweet, and had just the right amount of half-and-half in it. “Did it snow in here last night?”

He grinned, leaning back against the dresser. “For a little while. You remember that?”

She nodded gingerly. “And butterflies. Sparkling butterflies. I wish you could teach me to do that. I’d be a riot at parties.”

“It isn’t something that a Midgardian can be taught, I’m afraid. Otherwise, perhaps I would.”

She swallowed another mouthful of coffee and the flash of a memory exploded in her mind. She was in his arms. Pulling him down. “Did I do anything embarrassing last night?”

“No.” He held her gaze and shook his head. “You looked half asleep, so I brought you in here and covered you. I went back to my sofa and your cat did his best to smother me while I slept.”

“Good. I thought…” she caught herself and shook her head. “Good. I’m not much of a drinker, but some days you just have to say to hell with it, you know?”

“I know.”

“You look nice today,” she remarked, taking in the jeans and black tee shirt he’d worn outside the dressing room yesterday. The sleeves were rolled back to his elbows. He must have showered already, for his hair was slicked back from his face, but curlier than it had been the previous day, and left damp patches on his shoulders. “If you want, you can use my blow dryer. Your hair was a lot sleeker when you first came here.”

He smiled, dragging his hand through it to sweep it away from his face. “What is a blow dryer?”

“It dries your hair using forced hot air.” She set her empty coffee cup on the nightstand. Her belly seemed a little more settled now. “Did you make breakfast?”

His jaw went slack. “Oh, damn. Excuse me.”

She chuckled as he darted out of the room, but not before the smoke detector in the hallway went off with a piercing wail. She threw back the covers and lurched up from bed, grabbing yesterday’s towel from the laundry basket, and sprinted down the hall, where smoke plumed from the kitchen to torture the smoke detector.

The towel snapped as she waved it frantically beneath the detector, but the shrieking didn’t abate. Then, a bright flash burst before her eyes and she leaped backward as the detector exploded into million shards of plastic and went silent at last.

“The noise was driving me mad,” Loki explained, waving away the rest of the smoke. “Can you replace it?”

“I can. I’m not so sure I want to, but I can.” She stared at the shattered remnants of the smoke alarm. “Was that bacon?”

“It was. Now it’s mostly ash.”

“Bacon’s no good for you anyway. And it can be tricky. It goes from fat to ash like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Put the pan in to soak and I’ll find something else.”

“I’ve already eaten. I was making it for you.”

She paused at the refrigerator and turned to him. “For me?”

“I thought you might be feeling a bit under the weather.”

“Wow, Loki doing something nice? I thought that went against your grain.”

“I’m not a monster, you know” he told her. Then he paused and grinned. “Well, maybe I am in some ways.”

“But not nearly as much as you want people to think. At least, I haven’t seen it, anyway.” She tossed this over her shoulder as she tugged open the door and bent to peer inside. Nothing appealed to her. She closed the door and turned to find him at the sink, filling it with water and dish soap. The pan sizzled as he sank it into the suds.

“I never wanted people to think of me as any sort of monster,” he said quietly, drying his hands on a dishtowel as he turned to face her. “I was an adult when I learned my entire life was a lie, you know. I was raised to believe I was the son of Odin, as much his son as Thor. And all I ever wanted was to be seen as Thor’s equal.

“In fact, not only am I not Odin’s son, I’m not even Asgardian.” He glanced down at the towel in his hands and went quiet. The obvious question hovered at her lips, but she managed to hold it back, to wait as he gathered his thoughts, drawing the towel through first one hand, then the other before looking back up at her. “I am actually the son of the king of Jötunheim, the Frost Giants.”

“You’re a giant?” The question popped out on its own, but she couldn't help it. He was taller than her, but not exactly what she would consider giant at all. “Sorry, I just—you don't look like a giant, you know?”

“I am, but I’m not. Laufey, my true father, cast me out when I was a baby, left me in the woods of Jötunheim to die.”

Sympathy rushed through her and without thinking, she whispered, “Oh, how barbaric…”

“Well, I survived. Odin found me in the wake of a battle against the Jötunns. He took me in and raised me alongside Thor.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too terrible. I mean, he’s also a king, right? And that means you were raised as a prince, weren’t you?”

“I was, yes,” he nodded, tossing the towel onto the counter, “and he continued to lie to me until only recently, when the truth of my parentage came out. Did you know, in Asgard, parents tell their children the tales of the Frost Giants in order to entertain them at bedtime or prevent them from getting into mischief. They are precautionary tales, much like your Grimm fairy tales. And the Jötunn are the monsters of every story. And that’s who I was, in actuality. The very monster of whom they spoke.”

“No,” she shook her head, “they’re wrong about you. And Odin was wrong to lie to you for all those years. But, you aren’t a monster at all. At least, not now, anyway. I mean, I know what you did in New York, and I know what you did in Stuttgart, and God knows you probably did more of the same in other places, but, I don't know… you seem like a decent guy to me right now. And I know that sounds really weird, considering what I know you’ve done, but still.”

She walked over to him and touched him on the arm. “I don’t think you’re a monster at all. Well, not any more, anyway.”

“But I am. Or I can be.”

“Aren’t we all at times?” She reached up to rub her aching forehead. “The last time I spoke to my mother, we got into a fight,” she murmured, staring at the soap bubbles in the sink. “Brain cancer is a horrible thing—it changes you, the treatment changes you—and she lost the ability to censor herself, to filter out the things most people don’t say to your face.

“And I got angry. I yelled at her. Told her I didn’t want to come up to see her anymore because I couldn’t keep hearing the same terrible things about myself. How I disappointed her. How I failed her. How I was the embarrassment of the family. I just snapped.

“Anyway,” tears stung her eyes and she blinked to hold them back, “I left and the next morning, my phone rang at two AM. It was the assisted living facility calling to tell me she was gone.” Her throat squeezed shut and she swallowed hard against the lump rising in it. “My last words to my mother, who was once one of my best friends, were angry ones. I screamed like a lunatic at a dying woman and never got to tell her how sorry I was. Or how much I regretted those stupid, angry, meaningless words…”

No matter how hard she blinked, the tears refused to remain at bay. Her breath hitched again and she went stiff as Loki's hand came to rest on her shoulder and he turned her toward him.

“You didn’t mean them, though,” he murmured, wrapping her in his arms, pressing her head against his chest with one hand.

“But I still said them,” she replied in a shaky whisper. “So you’re not the only monster. Not by half.”

His voice rumbled against her ear, pressed firmly to his chest. “And I was locked in a dungeon when my mother was being run through with a sword. We’re both monsters, I suppose.”

“Well, in my defense, I wasn’t trying to take over the world.”

It was a calculated risk, and she was relieved to hear the laugh rumble up from his chest as easily as his voice did. “True. I was more creative.”

She pulled away to look up at him. Not quite forty-eight hours ago, she didn’t even know he really existed and now? Now she thought they were on the verge of becoming friends.

But there was something else, a look in his eyes as he turned them to her. Her heart skipped a beat. Then sped up. His eyes softened. 

He was going to kiss her.

Joy.

Horror.

Damn.

But then, he cleared his throat and broke away from her. “I’ll scrub the pan if you wish to shower.”

“Right. Shower. I’m going to go do that now. Shower, I mean. And you can wash the pan.” As she talked in her too-cheery, too-fast voice, she backed away from him and gestured with her thumb over one shoulder. “So, that’s where I’ll be if you need me. The shower.”

Her cheeks burned as she turned and practically sprinted back to her room, where she locked the door and sank against it, thunking her head against it. “Smooth, jackass. Real. Smooth.”

She showered and dressed for the warm weather in shorts and a dark blue tank top, and this time, didn’t bother to blow dry her hair. What difference did it make, seeing as how it would only frizz in the humidity anyway?

When she returned to the living room, it was to find Loki sprawled out on the sofa, Cinder curled up in his lap, purring loud enough for her to hear. “My cat likes you. Not many people can say that.”

Loki grinned, scratching Cinder under the chin. “Animals like me in general. Always have.”

“You have a way.”

“I must.”

Cinder yawned and stretched, then suddenly puffed up and let out a long, low growl as he glared at the door. McKenna turned to see what he was growling at, and as she did, it felt as if all of the hair on her body stood on end, the way it did in the winter, when the static electricity built up in the air. She took a step toward the door.

Loki must’ve felt it as well, for he lifted the cat from his lap to set on the floor and rose from the sofa. “McKenna, move away from the door,” he growled, gesturing with one hand for her to back up.

“But, I don’t see—” 

Loki lunged at her then, knocking her off her feet and onto the floor, where she let out a low groan of pain as he pressed her hard into the wood. “What the—”

She didn’t know what was worse, the blast or the shock wave that rocketed through her. It felt as if the entire building shook, just as it had when Loki crashed into her apartment, only this time it was worse. The door blasted into bits, only pieces were left hanging sadly on the hinges, and smoke filled the entire apartment. Cinder yowled and took off like a shot and Loki's voice sounded very far away as he said, “Are you all right?”

The ringing in her ears made hearing him very difficult, but she nodded. “I think so.”

He climbed off her and caught her by the elbow to help her to her feet. “We need to go. Now. Is there a back entrance?”

She shook her head. “No, but there’s a fire escape just outside my window in my room.”

He propelled her down the hallway, toward her bedroom. “That’ll do.”

“Wait! My purse!” She dug her heels in and he nearly fell over her. “My car keys are in it. I’ll get that, you grab the duffel out of my closet and throw clothes, toothbrushes, stuff like that in it. Who the hell blew up my door?”

He reluctantly released her. “I think I’ve been found.”

She gaped at him. “What?”

He gave her a push. “Your keys?”

“Right!” She darted into the kitchen and grabbed her purse, then turned and sprinted after him down the hallway as several armor-clad somethings—Chitauris—rounded the smoking doorway into her apartment.

She tried to grab Cinder, but the cat was too fast, darting out of her reach and out of sight. Hopefully her neighbor would find him and keep him until she was able to get back. 

A white beam shot past her, over her right shoulder, and the heat burned her cheek. Her scream was involuntary and she ran faster than she thought possible, to find Loki at the window, hand out, duffel in his other one.

He grabbed her, practically tossed her out, and they clambered down the rusty fire escape. Her blood pounded through her temples, her knees like jelly as several more laser blasts rocketed past her to chip away at the buildings on either side of her in the alley.

The car alarm beeped and she threw herself into the driver’s seat, shoving the key into the ignition and yanking it over as Loki dropped into the seat beside her. The transmission whined, the tires squealed, and the acrid scent of burnt rubber filled the air as she tore out of the visitor’s space she’d parked in, and they flew out of the lot.

“What the fuck was that?” she screamed over the ringing in her ears. 

“Chitauri,” he muttered. Actually, it probably wasn’t a mutter, but since her ears refused to work properly, that was just how he sounded.

Her hands shook. Her entire body shook. It was a wonder she didn't drive into something, she shook so badly. Tears clogged her eyes, a sob choked her throat, and she hoped to God Cinder was okay. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she roared out onto Route 18 and went south, trying to put as much distance between them and Brunswick as possible.

Just beyond East Brunswick, the speed limit rose to sixty-five, the traffic lights disappeared, and the traffic itself thinned out enough that she could actually do the speed limit. As they passed the second exit for Freehold, Loki finally spoke. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she managed to reply. The ringing was gone and her hands were steadier, but she was still heartsick over the cat. “I lost Cinder.”

“Cats are resilient. He’ll be fine.”

“He’ll be fine? Loki, the door to my apartment was blown apart. How is anything going to be fine?” She twisted to glare at him. 

He sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead. “I don’t know.”

“Right. And neither do I. And you said they wouldn’t find you.”

“I didn’t think they would.”

“But they did.”

“I know.”

She sighed, slapping the steering wheel with one hand. “And how do I explain that to my landlord? How do I tell him that a race of space monsters blasted my door to bits on the hunt for a fugitive Asgardian god? He’ll think I’ve lost my mind, and I’m not so sure he’d be wrong.”

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know. I just—we’re going south because that’s what side of the highway I was on. So, I guess the shore, maybe. A lot of people are there and it’s easy to fit in, to blend in and get lost. Especially this weekend.” At his puzzled look, she added, “The Fourth of July.”

“What is the Fourth of July?”

“The day our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence and broke us away from England. It’s a big deal for us Americans. And they flock to the Jersey shore on holiday weekends. Especially this one.”

With that, she exited for Route 34 and easily merged into traffic. It was early enough in the day that there wasn’t much traffic there, either, and she didn’t know where she was going until they came into Bay Head.

There were several Bed and Breakfasts along Route 35 and she smiled as they passed the Winchester. At the next street, she turned left and into the small parking lot behind the enormous Victorian B&B.

“What is this place?”

“It’s a bed and breakfast. You know, an inn.” She switched off the ignition and sank back into her seat, rubbing her eyes. It was only a little after noon and she felt as if she’d been awake for a year. “And the first thing I’m doing is taking a long walk on the beach to keep myself from going completely to pieces.”

With that, she got out of the car, taking the duffel bag with her. Loki followed her up the wide steps of the wraparound porch that was half veranda and half outdoor dining. He said nothing, but remained behind her as she checked them into a room. One with an ocean view. She didn’t care how much it cost.

Well, actually, she did, but she’d worry about that later. Right now, she just wanted to go above and take inventory of what Loki might have packed for them. Then, definitely a walk on the beach. Before she went completely to pieces.

Their room was a corner one, painted a tranquil soft blue with beautiful maple trim, and overlooked the white sand beach and beyond that, the gray-green Atlantic Ocean. The windows were perpendicular to each other, wide open, their gauzy white drapes fluttering in the warm ocean breeze.

There was, however, only one bed—a four-poster monstrosity with a gauzy canopy that matched the drapes. But that was a minor detail they could work out later. Besides, how likely was it she’d be able to sleep anyway? She moved to the rear window to get a better look at the water. She needed all the calm she could get. Every little noise made her jump.

Just like the car horn that blared somewhere in the distance. She jumped and Loki joined her at the windows, saying, “McKenna, I—”

“Please, just don’t say anything.” She let out a shaky sigh, shaking her head as she forced herself to concentrate on the people on the beach. Little kids built sandcastles and splashed in the surf, while older kids and teens played in the waves, which looked good enough to boogey board all the way up to Route 35. 

“Of course. You’re right.” He stepped away from her. “I’ll just leave you to your thoughts, then.”

She nodded, her gaze never leaving the beach, not even when the door opened and then shut and she was left alone.

With a sigh, she turned away from the window. Loki had left the duffel on the bed, and she unzipped it. Her dry laugh sounded more like a choked sob as she dumped it out. He’d packed her toothbrush, but no toothpaste, two pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, two long-sleeved tee shirts, one tank top, and at least a week’s worth of underwear. Oh, and one bra. And nothing of his made it in.

“Of course not. It’s still in bags in the living room. That is, if I still have a living room.” She eyeballed her purse and on impulse, grabbed it to dig out her cell phone. The battery was at fifty percent and her charger was sitting on the desk in her teeny spare room. Wonderful.

Still, she unlocked it and punched in Shannon’s number.  It went straight to voice mail, so she swore under her breath, waited for the beep, and said, “Shay, it’s Kenna. I—I need you to go to my place and look for Cinder. He got out on me and I had to get out of there because… well… it’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you when I talk to you and don’t freak out about my door. It’ll all make sense when I explain it.” She paused, rolling her eyes. “At least, I hope it’ll all make sense, but who knows? Just—call me as soon as you can, okay? Thanks.”

She clicked off and tossed the phone on the bed with more force than really necessary. It bounced up from the dark blue quilt, hit a pillow, and then toppled to the floor. She left it there and left the room as well, tucking the key into her pocket as she made her way below and out onto the beach.

***

When Loki found her, it was nearly four, and she sat on the beach, eyes shaded by one hand, just staring out at the water. A good deal of the people had left, and she still hadn’t heard from Shannon. The day was not looking up.

His shadow fell over her and he gestured to the sand beside her. “May I?”

“Yes.” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I was just a little freaked out earlier.”

“I know. And understandably so.” The sand squeaked as he sat and rested his arms on his drawn up knees. “And there is no way for me to begin to express how sorry I am I brought this to you. Understand this, I didn’t intentionally land in your apartment. I had no control over where, only what realm.”

“I do understand. But…” She took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow, exhale. “It’s more real that I imagined. It’s like watching A Nightmare on Elm Street and finding out you’re in the movie. Only it’s not a movie, it’s really happening.”

“A what on what street?”

“It’s a movie. You know, moving, talking pictures. It’s a horror movie from way back before I was born. Only, this isn’t a movie. There are real creepy-crawlers out here looking for you and they don’t care who they shoot at to get you. Look at this,” she turned to him, lifting her hair away from her right cheek. She’d discovered the pink burn streaking just below her cheekbone when she was putting her toothbrush in the bathroom. “And we need to go shopping again. You didn’t bring anything.”

“I was far more concerned with getting you to safety.” Now it was his turn to stare out over the water. “That was all that mattered to me at that moment.”

“They’re going to find us again. Maybe not now, or not right away, but they will.” Without thinking, she leaned her head against his shoulder. “And then what?”

He sighed. “I will let them capture me.”

Her cheek stung as she peered up at him. “What will they do to you?”

“Most likely I’m for the axe.”

She shivered. “No. Maybe there’s another way.”

He didn’t respond and she didn’t press. Instead, they sat there in companionable silence as the beachgoers thinned and the wind picked up. She shivered, wrapping her arms about herself and wishing she’d brought out one of those long-sleeved tee shirts. 

Finally, he broke the silence. “I think we should head back. I’d like a look at the menu here.”

As if on cue, her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten all day. Not since dinner last night, actually. And for the first time since the Chitauri blasted off her front door, she was actually hungry.

Loki stood, offering her his hand. She accepted and allowed him to draw her up to her feet. He held her hand and surprised her by threading his fingers with hers. His hand was warm, large enough to engulf hers, and it felt very comfortable. 

He glanced down at her. “This reminds me of Asgard. The water is the same color.”

“I bet Asgardian oceans are cleaner than ours. We’re not good caretakers when it comes to this planet.”

“I’ve noticed,” he remarked.

[bloody-bee-tea]

This is a first try to get me into writing again, and @ir0nshield suggested fluffy IronPanther for that, so here is exactly that.

Tony hadn’t been gone that long, the mission was over quicker than expected with Peter by his side, but it had been too long nonetheless.

The villain had packed a punch and Tony felt it in every bone, even though the suit is pretty good with impact absorption. But once Tony had realized just how strong their opponent was it was clear to him that he couldn’t let Peter take even one hit and so his job had been mainly providing cover for Peter.

He didn’t exactly regret that, but he also wasn’t especially happy right now.

Tony had let Friday call ahead, so that T’Challa knew that he was alright and on his way back, but he didn’t really expect him to make time. Ever since T’Challa took over the throne and ruled the country he had been fairly busy. Sure, he made time for Tony, more time than Tony honestly had expected, but there was only so much time a king could make for his consort.

But to his immense surprise T’Challa was already waiting for him when Tony landed.

“Kitty cat,” Tony greeted him with a tired smile and T’Challa positively beamed at him.

“My love,” he gave back and then immediately pulled Tony in for a soft kiss.

Tony sighed and melted into his touch, too tired to really protest. Not that there was something to protest against anyway.

“How was the kingdom while I was away?” Tony asked.

“Absolutely crazy,” T’Challa teased him and Tony chuckled.

“Of course you could never rule without me.”

“I really could never,” T’Challa said and suddenly his voice was a lot more serious than before. “How was the mission?”

“Short but they packed a heavy punch.”

“So you are sore,” T’Challa said and immediately turned Tony gently around to see if they were some visible injuries.

“Yes,” Tony sighed and T’Challa hummed.

“Well I have just the cure for that. Come, love,” he said and gently tugged Tony along.

They entered the royal bathroom and to Tony’s immense relief a bath was already running, steam warming up the room.

T’Challa took great care in disrobing Tony, thoroughly checking over every patch of revealed skin and every time he found a new scratch he hummed in displeasure.

“We will tend to these later,” T’Challa decisively said and then steered Tony towards the bath.

“Am I going to have to bathe alone?” he asked with a glance backwards.

“Of course not,” T’Challa declared and then quickly stripped himself.

He stepped into the bath first, before holding out a hand for Tony.

Tony gladly took it before he lowered himself into the hot water himself. The warmth immediately soothed his aching joints and bones and Tony fell boneless back against T’Challa.

“How are you feeling?” T’Challa asked, while he gently rubbed Tony’s arms.

“Mhm,” was Tony’s only response and T’Challa chuckled.

“You can sleep here, I will keep you save,” T’Challa promised and Tony believed him.

The warm water and the gentle touch was enough to make him drowsy and he was halfway asleep before T’Challa even started to wash his hair.

T’Challa’s hands were soft and light on Tony and he leaned unconsciously into every touch.

When Tony was cleaned to T’Challa’s satisfaction he gently prompted him to stand up again, quick to stand behind Tony and support his weight. Given how sleepy and weak Tony felt right now it was a good idea.

T’Challa towelled Tony off and then clothed him in the fluffiest bathrobe they owned before he set him down on the toilet and started to tend to his various scratches.

He applied ointment and bandages if necessary, but Tony barely registered it, T’Challa was so careful with everything.

Eventually T’Challa helped him up again, carrying Tony more than he walked himself, but they made it to the bed without incident.

Tony woke up a bit when T’Challa lowered him down and he sleepily blinked up at him.

“You didn’t have to,” he mumbled and T’Challa smoothed a hand over his brow.

“I know, love, but I wanted to.”

“’Kay, then,” Tony mumbled and promptly snuggled into his pillow.

“Sleep now,” T’Challa softly told him, but Tony gave a displeased sound.

“Not without you,” he said and T’Challa brushed a kiss to his cheek.

“Of course not,” he whispered and then slid into bed behind him.

Tony immediately turned around, burrowing closer to T’Challa and pressing his face into T’Challa’s neck.

“I’ve got you now,” T’Challa said and stroke his hand over Tony’s back while he slid the other into Tony’s hair. “You can sleep now.”

“Love you,” Tony mumbled right before he drifted off, but he was pretty sure the sentiment was echoed back. He would ask in the morning, just to make sure, though.