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Tony knew it was nothing to be nervous about, it was just Thor and Jane's engagement party, it wasn't about him. He wasn't anxious about showing up with Loki as his date, for the first time publicly admitting he was with the god of mischief, his former enemy. Everyone knew about them anyway, Thor beat him a bit when he found out, a typical overprotective big brother.
What could be the source of his uneasiness was the fact that it was actually the first time they went out together, as a couple. Since the beginning of that thing (it wasn't even a fling, it was just a thing), they barely left the bedroom and even if they did, they got naughty anyway, in the bathroom, in the workshop, in the elevator. Long, blissful weeks filled with sex and teasing, an intoxicating mixture of whisky, desire and pleasure so strong that Tony suspected it was some kind of a magic trick. Waking up next to that pale, lean body, sleepy smiles, lazy kisses, that felt good and right. It was something more than just sex but Tony preferred not to define it.
Loki seemed calm, in the car he was quiet and now he walked up the stairs next to Tony, in silence. All that time he spent in New York after his return from the Asgardian prison, Loki avoided the other Avengers. Not openly, he would not admit that but he tended to vanish into thin air when someone was on their way. He was composed now, though it appeared to be forced, as if he was hiding something- probably he was still digesting the news of the engagement. Always so jealous of Thor. Tony tried to understand their complicated relation- they knew each other for centuries and it had to be hard for Loki to accept someone new at Thor's side.
Tony expected everything- getting drunk and embarrassing everyone gathered there, or dragging furious Loki away from injured Jane. Everything except for what Loki actually did, still on the staircase. His cold hand brushed against Tony's and after a moment of hesitation, Loki gripped his hand tightly. They were holding hands. For the first time. Somehow it never happened before, they pawed at each other, ripped each other's clothes off but never had they held hands. That would be weird, too normal, too romantic. They missed that traditional part, the slow yet exciting discovering the other person, subtle seduction, they omitted that and headed straight to bed. Despite that, Loki entwined his fingers with Tony's.
Tony couldn't expect too much from Loki, the crazy god had serious issues and eventually, they would tear each other apart. Most likely, Loki held his hand to infuriate Thor, or to show how easily he fooled someone who claimed to be a genius. That had to be the reason behind that weirdly tender gesture. Loki could not seek reassurance, or reach out to someone else than his brother, nor open himself to a person as messed up as himself. That would mean depending on each other, supporting and keeping from trouble. So unlike of either of them.
Nevertheless, Tony did not stop Loki. Regardless of the true motives of the Trickster, Tony squeezed his hand. Perhaps the definition wouldn't be that bad.