Still Holding On

Chapter 43

Tony wakes up to the sound of a crinkling bag.

He's content to ignore it at first. He's content to ignore just about everything if it means an extra little bit of shut-eye.

But, the more he thinks about it, Loki was pretty shaken last night, and all Tony did in response was put on a movie and fall asleep half an hour into it. He should probably make sure the guy's okay. He's sure he is, but just in case...

Tony groans quietly as he sits up, and he pushes himself backward until his back is resting against the headboard. A glance at his side shows that Loki's already done the same – and more than just a few minutes ago, it seems; he's bright-eyed and cheery as he's munching on some skittles from the bag in his lap. It explains the crinkling, at least.

"Good morning," Loki greets him with a smile. That seems to answer Tony's unspoken question pretty well: he looks like he's doing absolutely fine.

Tony gestures to his bag of candy with his head. "Skittles for breakfast?"

Loki nods. "I hadn't expected to like them nearly as much as I do," he says. "Especially after I tried the gummy bears. I wasn't too fond of them. They taste like the color gray."

Tony chuckles to himself. Never before has he been so interested in eating a gummy bear. He, too, would like to taste the color gray, whatever that means.

Maybe he should have explained last night that candy isn't meant to be a breakfast food. Although, now that he thinks about it, there's not really a reason it can't be a breakfast food. He probably wouldn't want skittles for breakfast, but he can't think of a good reason Loki can't enjoy them.

As if reading his mind and challenging the notion, Loki holds the bag out to him. "Would you like some?"

Tony shakes his head. "I'm good, but thanks." If Loki doesn't devour them all by this afternoon, then he might have a handful, but it's a little too early and he's a little too tired for that.

Loki plops another skittle in his mouth. "I hadn't realized they'd all taste different," he tells his friend. "I took a handful at first and it was a weird amalgamation of flavors." He makes a face at that. "I don't think I'll be doing that again."

Tony huffs a quiet laugh at that. Just to keep the conversation going, he asks, "Do you have a favorite flavor?"

"Mm..." Loki looks in the bag for a few moments, then looks back at Tony. "I want to choose the green ones on principle, but I definitely prefer the red ones."

Tony cocks an eyebrow. "On principle?"

Loki shrugs sheepishly. "I like green."

Tony shakes his head to himself, amused. "You know what? Good for you." What better criteria is there to pick a favorite kind of skittle than by its color?

Loki eats another skittle, clearly content with his morning snack. He's adorable. He's like a kid in a candy store, whether there's candy around or not. He never would have guessed when he first agreed to this "temporary" arrangement that Loki could come to like this world so much, but everything is a new wonder for him, and it's a joy to watch.

"How long have you been up?" Tony asks.

Loki shrugs. "I'm not sure," he says. "An hour or two, perhaps."

Tony frowns. "You've been waiting for me for that long?"

Again, Loki just shrugs. "I don't mind."

"You know, you're always welcome to wake me up," Tony tells him. It was his own fault he went to sleep so late. He scheduled that stupid meeting for the middle of the night. He'll gladly take the consequences if it keeps Loki entertained.

Loki shakes his head. "You already do too much for me," he says. "The very least I can do is let you sleep."

Tony gives him a small smile. Sometimes it's hard to believe this whole thing started with Loki trying to take over the world. That really must be a powerful scepter, because this guy would never hurt a fly.

Although he did say yesterday that he killed his own father...

But he's sure Loki had a very good reason for that. He's a good guy — a genuinely good guy, which is more than Tony can say about himself. How Asgard could give him up, he'll never understand, but selfishly, he's damn glad they did.

"You know what you want to do today yet?" Tony asks. "We heading back to the mall?"

"Only if you want to," Loki says. "I'd be rather content with a lazy day at home."

Tony grins. "Alright, lazy day at home it is."

Loki slides down in bed a little bit so that when he leans into Tony, his head rests comfortably on his shoulder. Tony looks down at him with a fond smile. He's never been the most physically affectionate friend. He'll do just about anything for a joke, but this? Closeness just for the sake of being close? This has never been his kind of thing.

But with Loki, it just comes so naturally. The only thing weird about it is that it's not weird. It's just not like this with anyone else. Pepper, maybe, but only after their brief stint as a couple. He and Loki didn't have that. They didn't need that. He's not sure why. He's not sure what it is about Loki that makes this so much easier. Tony never would have imagined cuddling – dare he call it cuddling? – with anyone as much as he does Loki. A wife, maybe – or husband; that's legal in New York now – but a friend? He never could have seen this coming.

But that's alright. It's been a nice surprise, and one he's pretty damn grateful for.

"Tony?" Loki says after a few moments.

"Hmm?"

"Can we bake something today?"

Tony raises his brows. "You want to bake something?"

"If that's alright," Loki says. "I rather enjoyed baking those muffins a while back."

"Yeah, we can bake something," Tony says. "I don't know what we've got in the house. We might have to run to the grocery store — or I might have to run to the grocery store. You don't have to come. It's pretty boring."

"I don't want you to go out of your way to get what we'd need," Loki tells him. "I don't mind waiting to bake another day."

"And I really don't mind going," Tony assures him. "It'll only take, like, 45 minutes. "

"Are you sure?" Loki asks hesitantly. "I already ask so much of you. I'd feel bad..."

"You don't have to feel bad," Tony says. "I like doing things with you. And if that means I gotta go to the grocery store, I'm gonna go to the grocery store."

There's a pause as Loki lets that sink in. Finally, he says, "I can go with you if you want company."

"That's up to you," Tony tells him. Teasingly, he adds, "Isn't it gonna get in the way of your lazy day?"

"Perhaps," Loki admits, "but I would much rather have a busy day with you than a lazy day alone."

Tony looks down at him with a soft smile. He really cannot get over just how nice Loki is. He's not sure he's ever met anyone this sweet, this pointedly selfless – or this cuddly; yet another thing he's come to love about the guy. He really is adorable. Tony could just kiss him.

...

Wait.

What?