Chapter Text
Loki cursed as a single drop of water dripped from the jug. Night terrors were already dreadful in themselves, but the parched throat after waking up, which made it impossible to fall back asleep, was worse. He glanced at the clock and sighed in relief at seeing it blink 2 a.m. The kitchen would be empty and free of any ignorant mortals.
He took the stairs this time, considering that it was just one flight. He had had enough of the treacherous elevator that night, despite it being the reason he spent perhaps a minute or two longer than he should’ve with an attractive stranger. Attractive? Loki shoved the rogue thought back to the back of his mind, a bit taken aback at where it came from.
Loki swung open the door and stepped out of the stairwell, all the while scanning for any sleepless figure. Silently rejoicing at finding none, he walked to the dispenser, filling the jug with ice-cold water, the steady buzzing of the machine almost soothing.
“Didn’t you sleep?”
Loki jumped, nearly spilling the water all over Stark’s precious rug. While his ego was hurt at being caught off guard, breaking his streak of nearly a millennium, he was secretly grateful that the voice belonged to the pretty stranger he’d met, and not a dreadful Avenger. David stood behind a couch that had a sleeping Tony, who was curled up with the former’s abandoned coat, nearly invisible from the kitchen entrance. David’s head was tilted in a manner of surprise with a touch of concern. He looked a lot more inebriated than the last time they’d met: drowsy eyes, ruffled hair, unbuttoned shirt— but still looked sober enough to hold a conversation.
“I required hydration,” Loki straightened slightly, regaining composure. “You do plan to sleep, I assume?”
David let out a quiet huff, dragging a hand through his already-ruined hair. “Well, it’s too late for me to drive all the way to Philly. Not to mention I’m hammered.”
“I would not recommend it,” replied Loki with complete confidence, having no notion of where ‘Philly’ was; he was certain that David was a bit too intoxicated to drive.
A few seconds of silence passed as he looked expectantly at Loki, who seemed to wait with him. Then, as Loki finally turned to leave, after giving him a curt nod, the bespectacled man spoke— more like blurted it out.
“You—you’re gay, yeah?”
“I beg your pardon?”
David grimaced, waving a hand like he could take it back. “Gay, erm, I mean— homosexual— you’re into men?”
“Why do you ask?”
David gaped. A slight tint of color rushed to his cheeks. Then, as though flipping a switch, his face quickly went back to a neutral expression. He grabbed his coat from a stirring Tony and put it on in a swift motion, the sleeves tugging tight as he moved. Loki caught the line of his arm for a second longer than he meant to, then looked away. David flashed a smile.
“Never mi—”
Loki’s eyes widened as it dawned upon him. He mentally chided himself for being as daft as Thor. The way the man had approached him earlier, introducing himself without any hesitation, inviting him to his personal library... It was so painfully obvious. And rather stupidly brave, Loki mentally added.
“You’re asking me to bed you?”
To say David flushed at the wording would be an understatement. His face reddened to the extent that he thought he would combust. The unfaltering enthusiasm that had led him up to that moment gave way to a series of stutters and panicked hand gestures.
The adorable sight of the once-confident man crumble in front of him amused Loki to such an extent that he was almost tempted to let him stand in that state for a little longer. But he didn’t.
“I see no reason to refuse.”
David blinked. “Right.” A grin broke through. “Didn’t think that would work.”
Loki took one last glance at the unconscious tin-man, and another at the peacefully sleeping greyhound by the foot of the couch. He held his free hand out to the other man, the other cradling the now-filled jug by his side, almost feeling a few hundred years younger, back when he often flirted with easily flustered newly recruited guards and handmaidens.
“Come.”