Work Text:
Tony’d never had a normal sleep schedule.
That had always been fine for him– what did it matter if he was staying up until 4am if he only dragged himself out of bed gone midday? And maybe, yeah, there were times when he would go far too long without sleep, but honestly the rumours were exaggerated and mostly perpetuated by Pepper’s attempts to get the Avengers to chase after Tony with decaf and sandwiches.
Was it Tony’s fault that his mind just liked to work in the wee hours of the morning, the hours that most people deemed the most treacherous? Nah, his brain just worked differently than most, which was something he had long since come to terms with.
He just… he liked being able to work knowing there would be no interruptions, knowing that if he wanted he could walk up to the kitchen and know there would be no one there. He liked the peace, if not the silence– and silence could always be drowned out with good music, anyway.
And if it worked for him, then what business was it of anyone else’s?
Well… perhaps there was one person who held a legitimate stake in when Tony decided to go to bed—
And as Tony thought about him, the person who was likely currently curled under their covers, right where Tony had left him a few hours earlier, he couldn’t stop the smile that curved along his lips. Not that he would have wanted to, anyway.
Loki truly was the perfect person– well, perfect for Tony, anyway. He was hardly blind to Loki’s imperfections in other people’s eyes, but there was rarely a thing that Loki did which didn’t make Tony love him more. Even when they were arguing, Tony enjoyed the challenge. And you know what? Loki never complained, he never told Tony to sleep at a ‘normal’ time. He didn’t even care if, on the occasions that, when Tony did end up in their bed at a reasonable hour (every single one of those occasions, of course, having one very pleasurable commonality in play), he would climb out of their bed after whatever length of cuddles his overactive mind and twitching fingers could manage. No, if Loki woke– he would merely watch Tony go with a soft smile before curling back up again to sleep, or he would trail his fingers over Tony’s back as he left, or he would press his lips to Tony’s skin in a soft goodbye.
Tony loved cuddling with Loki, he truly, truly did. There was hardly anything he enjoyed more, he just… needed to be doing something.
It was like… if he wasn’t doing something, he would grow worried about it, and he wouldn’t be able to relax anyway so– what was the point?
Well…
Tony sighed, and looked down at the plans he had been working on.
Then, he paused.
There are always… a few signs that actually manage to hammer home to Tony that he might have stayed awake for a little too long. Sometimes, it might be that he accidentally soldered a piece of Iron Man onto DUM-E rather than the suit– a piece that DUM-E wore like a badge of honour for the week it took Tony to catch him and hold him still long enough to remove it. Sometimes, it might be that he accidentally poured coffee into one of his cars– although, that was, admittedly, preferable to the time he’d drunk the coolant. Sometimes, it was when he realised he was half way through making a pack of sentient Furbies as a deterrent for the press that liked to hang out at the foot of Avengers Tower.
(Actually, that one wasn’t so bad. Clint had managed to find a new purpose for the Furbies in the end, and Doctor Doom had a slightly crazed look in his eyes every time Tony had seen him since.)
And, as he looked down at the not entirely artistic but somewhat recognisable image of Loki’s face scrawled over the now unusable physical blueprints for his revolutionary prosthesis technology that he was meant to be presenting to the board in two days, Tony supposed that, too, was something of a sign.
With a sigh, Tony shifted the things on his workbench so that they were at least safe, if not tidy– and then he began to make his way to the elevator, wiping his hands on his jeans as he did so. He considered a shower, but– he had only been designing, rather than actually building.
When he reached the bedroom, he paused in the doorway, a soft smile creeping over his lips.
He had been almost right– Loki was still in their bed, but he wasn’t curled onto his side the way he had been when Tony left. He had spread over the mattress, reaching out into the space that Tony had vacated.
That was what had Tony warming the most. Loki never stopped Tony from doing what he needed, never begrudged him that which would make him feel better… even though he clearly did want Tony there. It wasn’t that Loki wanted the break from Tony, it was just that he wanted Tony to be happy.
And, for that matter– why was Tony still standing in the doorway?
Not wanting to waste any more time, Tony stepped across the space and pulled off his clothes, then slid underneath the sheets. Tony was gentle as he moved, but he knew Loki wouldn’t mind the interruption if it meant that they could sleep entangled– somehow, illogically, it was more comfortable that way. But then… nothing about this was entirely logical, was it? Everything about being with Loki had been difficult, from the Avengers’ reactions to working out where they stood on certain matters, including Loki’s eventual decision to join the Avengers as – and it had certainly made Tony smile at the time – a consultant. Yeah, everything had been difficult. Everything save for just being with Loki.
Because that?
That was the easiest thing in the world.
As Tony slipped beside Loki and gently wrapped an arm around his waist, Loki’s eyes opened, though he was quite clearly still more than half asleep– and then he was smiling as well as he drew Tony into his embrace and rested his head atop of Tony’s.
“Anthony,” Loki whispered, his usually crisp tone a little bleary. “Missed you.”
“Yeah,” Tony replied softly, pressing his lips to Loki’s bare shoulder. And when he spoke again, it was the entire truth. “Missed you, too.”
Loki sighed softly, and snuggled down a little more, his breathing already evening back out.
And lying there in Loki’s arms, with his tired mind slowing down and the warmth of his lover pressed against him? Tony didn’t have a single desire to be anywhere else.