Bend Around the Wind by Scyllaya

Part 44: Just Another Day

Chapter Forty-Four

Just another day

Milky Way Orbit

Once they had a real taste they were both insatiable. Not that Loki minded, quite the contrary. The human was like the most delicious addiction. Their days were dull and uneventful, stagnation truly, so he was not against wasting a ridiculous amount of time in a very pleasant manner. He still put down his foot when it came to Stark's lessons though. That was non-negotiable and scheduled for every second day. No excuses. But everything else seemed unimportant. The possibility of a sudden threat raising its ugly head was constantly there, but not as a definite lurking danger on the horizon that put them all on edge. It was strange, but for the first time in so many years Loki felt relaxed. As the days went by without any sudden mess thrown in their way Stark lost a certain edge of his behaviour as well. He was more playful, joked even more and was not constantly obsessed with his work.

That was the reason why Loki stared at the man's warm brown eyes and the softened lines of his still sleepy face a little longer than usual one morning.

'What?' the human asked with a sluggish smile. Loki smiled back at him.

'It is nice to meet Tony at last,' he answered. Tony frowned and looked up at him in confusion.

'Huh?'

'I always thought that name fitted you ill,' Loki explained. 'Now I think that I simply not had the opportunity to see you like this.'

'Like what?'

'Calm,' Loki answered after thinking about it for a moment. It was not the only difference from his usual behaviour, but the one most easily noticeable. 'More thoughtless, less worried.'

'I thought you liked "Stark",' the man asked curiously. 'You said it sounded fierce.'

'It does, and I do,' Loki told him. 'Because you are; fierce, dangerous, and foolishly brave.'

'Oh keep going, you know I love getting my ego stroked,' Stark grinned.

'Well, you are none of those things right now,' Loki retorted simply.

'Whaa? I'm totally fierce,' he objected while he rolled onto his back. He was still naked with only the sheets wrapped around his legs. Bite-marks decorated his neck and shoulders, he needed to shave and his hair was also standing up in every which way. Loki did not dignify the statement with an answer, just looked at him wriggling around on the bed trying to get into a comfortable position. Fierce... like a kitten.

'Okay, so you're saying that... Tony is my bedroom name?' he asked. 'You're actually going to call me Tony? When we're alone?'

'Sometimes maybe,' Loki answered.

'But you're still going to call me "Stark" in front of others.'

'That is who you are whenever you're on the other side of our door,' Loki told him. 'You have a role to fill when you put on your clothes and step outside. You're the Commander of this ship after all.'

'Does that mean you're also going to call me "Commander"?' Tony asked cheekily, grinning again.

Drongo and Juyu already referred to him as such in front of others, which meant that he had to be the authority figure in any given situation that warranted the need for one. For the sake of the impression of a united front, he had to do the same. Besides, Loki worked significantly better when he was not in the centre of attention. Stark had an air of charming confidence around him, he was charismatic and easily perceived as a leader. No wonder he was so beloved in his homeland. Loki never learnt the fine art of charming crowds and acquiring their love and respect, sometimes their gratitude maybe, but mostly just fear and suspicion. If they would not love you, let them fear you. But what did that lead to? Betrayal, that's what, he learnt that first hand. Loki was good at pulling strings from the shadows, whispering in ears while the attention was on someone else, all the delicate and less honourable sides of politics. Some were meant to hold grand speeches before an adoring audience; others were left with cloaks and daggers.