Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Sir? I believe Mr. Laufeyson is trying to burn down the tower.”

“Not now, JARVIS.”

“Very well. I'll just tell him to hold off on committing arson until you have finished your project, then.”

“Yeah, do that.”

“I'm sure he will comply, fond of obeying orders as he is.”

Tony rolled his eyes at his AI's snappy tone. “Come on, you wouldn't be sassing me if he were running berserk for real. Ah-ouch, Dum-E, that's my thumb, not a screw. Over here, idiot.” He shot the robot a scolding look as he guided his head away from his fingers. Dum-E chirped a sound that was probably meant to be an apology.

“He set his bedding on fire, Sir”, JARVIS said pointedly.

“On purpose?”, Tony asked without averting his eyes from his work.

There was a pause, as if JARVIS wasn't entirely sure of the answer. “No”, he decided eventually, “I believe it was an accident.”

Tony huffed a small laugh. “Sounds like he's just doing some magical experiments again. Let him be.”

It wouldn't be the first time Loki set something on fire, accidentally or not. The mage's experiments were never safe, no matter how convincingly he claimed that they were. Loki loved all kinds of chaos, and it seemed that chaos loved him back. They always found each other, somehow. In fact, that was one of the reasons Tony had cleared some place for Loki in his workshop, because here he could improve and practice his magic tricks to his heart's content without endangering anyone. These labs were secure and used to explosions caused by Tony's own work and he could keep an eye on Loki as he worked. But well, Loki still kept some of his experiments in the privacy of his room, and Tony wouldn't fault him for that. Not that he'd admit it to anyone – least of all to the Trickster himself – but he trusted Loki enough to believe he wouldn't blow up the tower. That wouldn't be of advantage to Loki himself, after all.

“I think it could still interest you, Sir”, JARVIS said, pulling Tony out of his thoughts again. “He just mentioned your name.”

That piqued Tony's interest, however. “Huh? What did he say?”

“I can't tell, I'm afraid”, the AI answered after a few seconds. “I'm not familiar with the language he's using.”

Tony gave a pensive hum, his thoughts reeling. “Some Old Norse or something, maybe?”

“Could be, but there aren't any similarities to our Scandinavian languages.”

Tony frowned lightly and looked at Dum-E. The robot acknowledged his stare with a questioning whirring noise, and after a moment Tony gave in. Sighing, he set his screwdriver aside and wiped a grease covered hand over his forehead.

“What is he doing, J?”, he asked. He could positively feel the smugness in the silence that followed.

JARVIS pulled a video up on the nearest screen, showing Loki's room. It had been one of the conditions when Loki moved into the tower after New York, that they could watch the god all the time. During the first weeks, Tony had barely looked away from the live broadcast, but since Loki had spent those weeks hiding away in his room it had been rather boring. By now he had backed away from using the cameras in Loki's room to observe him. But JARVIS still kept an eye on the mage, just like he did on every other inhabitant of the tower.

Now, Tony was really thankful for that, because he didn't want to miss what he was seeing right now.

Loki had left mostly everything in his room the way it had been when he had first moved in, meaning just how Tony had furnished it. But Tony would always recognize it as Loki's room now, anyway, because here and there he could see signs of the mage's presence – the shelve was now full with books, most of them looking very old and very interesting, a pile of Loki's weird Asgardian clothes could be spotted on the floor and there were a few artifacts Tony would die to get his hands on because they were so obviously magical. Hell, he could even see a set of Loki's daggers on the desk, right next to a mess of notes and scripts.

Tony hadn't taken a look at this room since those first weeks, but now he could see that Loki had actually made himself at home. And maybe that would have made him smile a little, if he hadn't been so distracted by the God of Mischief himself.

Loki was laying on his stomach on the indeed singed bed, his head hanging over the edge. He supported himself on the floor with one hand while the other one seemed to be fishing for something under the bed. Tony couldn't see the mage's face, only a real mess of raven hair, but he could hear Loki's voice.

And damn, did he sound pissed.

Tony didn't need to understand the language to get what he was saying – a few threats, mingled with some curses. Now and then his rant was interrupted by hisses that sounded angry and... yes, painful.

“Uhm”, Tony said. “I'll ask again, what is he doing there? What's under the bed?”

“It looked like fire”, JARVIS told him, seemingly hesitant. “But it -”

The AI was cut off by a thud as Loki suddenly jolted forward, landing on the floor and seemingly holding something in his hands. JARVIS changed the camera so Tony could see his face, and what he saw made him raise his brows. Loki looked determined as hell, a look Tony had seen on him a few times before when he was working on his magic. There was a hint of exasperation hidden in the crease between his blazing green eyes, though, and not even Loki's smug smirk could distract Tony from that. The expression disappeared from his face mere seconds later, resolving into a snarl as his hands jerked. He held them protectively against his chest for a moment, almost looking as if he was in pain, and then Tony could finally see what seemed to be the reason for all of this. His eyes widened even more.

JARVIS had been right, it did look like fire. A small one, for that matter, but still. There was unmistakably a flame hovering in the air in front of Loki, shining red and orange and even blue in its core. Tony even believed he could hear it crackle. It moved in the air, flickering back and forth and up and down like some kind of bizarre firefly.

Tony could only stare as Loki put on a challenging face – the face that said “You should know better than to mess with me, puny creature” – and proceeded to talk to the firefly.

Tony didn't know what he was saying, but it didn't sound nice. But what really stunned him, however, was that the fiery thing seemed to understand. It lit up even more, crackling in what somehow sounded like glee in Tony's ears, and began whirring around Loki's head. The Trickster just watched it, unimpressed, but Tony could see the frustration in his eyes.

“Okay”, Tony said. “I'm going up there.”

Loki lived on Thor's floor, but he usually had it for himself because the Thunderer spent most of his time in Asgard. And Loki was out rather often himself, making trips to other realms practically every few weeks. (It had taken ages to make Fury agree with that, but Tony had done everything he could and eventually succeeded; because a bored Trickster really wasn't good for his or everyone else's health.)

Loki had just gotten back from a trip like that; only one or two hours ago, in fact. JARVIS had informed Tony of the god's return, and Tony had expected Loki in the workshop because Loki always came to the workshop after his trips, practically buzzing with enthusiasm for science. Or magic, as he insisted to call it. Apparently, the other realms were something similar to inspiration for him. Tony always enjoyed seeing him like that, and where he had been stunned at first when Loki almost willingly answered his questions, he now wasn't even surprised anymore when the mage told stories without being prompted.

But well, this time Loki hadn't appeared in the lab. And as far as Tony could tell, it was the first time he had brought something from another realm to the tower – because really, there was nothing like that firefly thing on earth.

Tony had taken his personal elevator to get to Loki's and Thor's floor, and after a few steps in the direction of Loki's room he could already hear the god's angry voice again. The ranting stopped, though, as soon as he knocked on the door. (He would have just opened it, probably, but he knew out of experience that Loki always kept his door locked when he was in his room.)

On the other side of the door, it got suspiciously silent.

“Loki? You there?”

It took a few long seconds, but then the door was opened by a very tousled Trickster with a very innocent look on his face. Tony didn't bother fighting down his grin, but he did try to glance around Loki to take a look at the firefly that was sadly nowhere to be seen. Hopefully Loki hadn't stomped it out.

“Hello, Anthony”, Loki greeted him, his smile a little bit too tight.

“Hey”, Tony answered, “are you alright? You didn't come to the workshop.”

The mage's smile became a little bit more sincere at that. “Yes, everything is fine. I just got back. I meant to seek you out as soon as I -”

He broke off when a rustle came from behind him. Loki stilled, but he didn't take a step forward to close the door to his room, even though Tony was sure he wanted to.

“Are you sure you're fine?”, Tony asked.

“Yes, of course, I just -” He hissed, and his hand reached behind his back and stayed there. Loki grit his teeth, but apart from that he kept his innocent expression.

Tony's grin widened, causing the god to frown in mild confusion. “Loki”, Tony said.

“Yes?”

“Remember the cameras in your room?”

Loki's face fell for a second before it darkened. “Ah, so you do still use them to keep me under surveillance?”, he said then, his mocking tone a sharp contrast to his narrowed eyes. “And here I thought you trusted me.”

“Oh, I do”, Tony replied, ignoring how Loki all but sneered at the words. “But you forgot JARVIS there, Rock of Ages. You wouldn't believe his trust issues, really. He thought you want to set us all on fire.”

“I am now wondering if I should”, Loki retorted, his green eyes cold. “I would hate to fail his expectations.”

Tony chuckled, but his tone was soft when he answered. “He informs me whenever something strange happens in my tower, okay? I know you don't plan on running amok.”

“I might change my mind any moment.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever, show me that thing?”

“Thing?”, Loki repeated.

Tony nodded slowly. “Yes. You know, the thing you're hiding behind your back?”

The mage stared at him for a moment, but then he dropped his mask with a sigh. He looked very frustrated now, and he didn't quite meet Tony's eyes.

“I do not mean any harm”, he said after a moment, defiant.

“I know”, Tony said, trying to reassure him with a smile. “Really, I do. I'm sorry I spied on you. Won't happen again, promise. Now show me? Please?”

Loki rolled his eyes, muttering something over “bothersome mortals”, but he did step aside so Tony could enter his room. Not showing his surprise, Tony accepted the invitation. Loki closed the door behind him, one hand still behind him. Tony needed a moment to take everything he had already seen on video in – he could see a few more places where the firefly had left its mark, now. Not only the bed, but there where a few singed pieces of paper on the floor as well, and on one wall Tony could see something that looked suspiciously like a scorch.

“So”, Tony said slowly, turning back to Loki again who was watching him rather cautiously. If he had thought the Trickster capable of such a thing, he would have thought that Loki was nervous. (And well, he knew that Loki was capable of nervousness, and fear and uncertainty and all kinds of other shitty feelings, so that was that.)

And Loki didn't stop looking nervous when he showed his hidden hand again. And there, hovering over his palm, was something that looked a bit like those plastic balls for hamsters, only that it was shimmering green and gold. Inside of it, there was the flame Tony had seen before, but it was far smaller and calmer now. It seemed to be struggling a little, as if there wasn't enough oxygen to feed on in its little green hamster ball. Tony had approached Loki, now leaning over to examine that fire from up close. It didn't really look like fire now, at least not like the fire he knew from earth. The colors were too bright, and the flames pulsed in a steady rhythm as if.... as if it was breathing? Tony narrowed his eyes. He could make out the core he had seen earlier – a blue circular spot, surrounded by fiery and torrid flames. That spot looked solid, though, like some kind of body, and it made Tony wonder if he was looking at a living being.

“What is that?”, he asked, fascinated without end. Loki said something in that strange language he had used before, words that were all consonants and clicking sounds in the back of his throat. Tony glanced up to the god, smirking. “No idea what you just said, Bambi.”

Surprisingly enough, Loki returned his smile. “There is no name for it in your language, not even in mine.” He shrugged lightly. “I think I am one of the very few who still know of these creatures.”

He sounded proud, but casually so, and it made Tony's smile widen.

“So this lives?”, he asked, and Loki nodded. “I've never seen such a... thing before. Does it count as an animal?”

“Not really. There is nothing similar in Midgard, I think.” Loki seemed to think for a moment before e he added, “maybe you would call it an imp of some kind.” He grinned. “They are quite known for tricking rash travelers.”

Tony snorted – because of course Loki had a heart for imps – and straightened himself again, without taking his eyes from the lazily pulsing flame. “Where's it from?”

“Muspelheim”, Loki answered, “home of the fire giants. It is a, ah... a rather primitive world, regarding civilization. But I have always found its nature quite astonishing.”

“You haven't told me about it before.”

The mage shook his head. “I do not visit Muspelheim very often. I did, in the past, because I took delight in a world made of fire and destruction.”

“You do have a thing for fire”, Tony murmured, thinking of how Loki would play with small magical flames when he was bored. It was always fascinating to watch.

“I am the God of Fire, Anthony”, Loki reminded him.

“But you don't enjoy visiting Muswhatever anymore.”

“Muspelheim”, Loki corrected. He hesitated, his eyes fixed on Tony, but after a second he added, “No, I do not. I had always thought that, as the God of Fire, I had to be made of it as well. I felt like I fitted into that world of flames, because I thought that it was my very own nature.” A bitter sneer tugged at Loki's lips, but he didn't quite allow it to break through. “I found that was only another lie I had believed in.”

Tony tried not to gape, to not show his surprise at that amount of honest openness, but it was so out of character that he probably didn't manage. Loki didn't share things like that easily, let alone without being asked.

“Why did you go back there, then?”, he asked, trying to sound casual. “You were gone for weeks.”

Loki smiled again. “To get one of these.”

Tony had been momentarily distracted from the creature Loki was still holding, but now he looked down on it again. “Wanted a pet?”

Loki chuckled. “No. Usually these creatures do not take kindly to being made into pets, and they are rather short-lived.”

“Is it – I mean, it's really made of fire?”

“You could say that, yes. They can be found everywhere in Muspelheim. They live in swarms, usually.”

Tony could only imagine the awesomeness of that. Just one of these fireflies was an amazing sight. “That's fucking amazing”, he declared, not averting his eyes from the small fire. “So, why'd you get this one exactly?”

The mage hesitated again, and for a moment that determined look appeared again, only to be wiped away by a flash of uncertainty. Then, Loki's face was blank, his smile convincing, but doubtlessly false.

“When I was younger, I was very fond of them”, he said. “I had a few. They liked me.”

Obviously, that wasn't what he had wanted to say in the first place, but Tony played along. “This one doesn't.”

Loki snorted and shook his head. “No, certainly not.”

Tony smiled. “Maybe it wants to return to its swarm?”

The mage lifted his shoulders, looking down at the Awesome Alien Creature with a frown. “I looked for one”, he said quietly. “There weren't any others of its kind.”

Tony hummed, and then he grinned up to the god. “Let it out?”, he pleaded.

“It was rather hard to capture”, Loki argued weakly, rolling his eyes when Tony went all puppy eyes. But the small cage he hat created began to dissolve, and it took only a second until it had flickered out completely. At once, the fire grew stronger, and it angrily whirred around Loki for a few seconds, making it look as if the very air was on fire. Loki just sighed and dodged away when the fiery ghost light made an attempt to get at his hair. It still managed to singe the tips of a strand, which earned it a piercing glare from Loki. The god touched his hair, which shined green for a split second before it was restored.

Tony chuckled, which earned him a piercing glare. It also called the firefly's attention to him, because he quickly found himself face to flame with it it. The sound of rustling got louder for a split second, the colors brighter, and the imp began fluttering around him. Examining him, perhaps? Hell, Tony didn't know, he just let it do as it liked and tried to avoid getting too close to the flames. Eventually the fire touched his hand, though, but it didn't burn his skin. Grinning brightly, he spread his fingers, and shortly after the firefly climbed up his arm in a spiral of pleasantly warm tingles. In the end it settled down on his shoulder, thankfully not scorching his clothes. It stayed there, flickering right next to his ear.

It looked like he'd just made a new friend. God, he felt giddy. This was amazing.

Suddenly, Loki let out a rush of breath, making Tony look at him again. The mage was staring at the fire that was positively curling into the crook of Tony's neck, looking absolutely stunned.

“It likes you”, he breathed before Tony could say anything, his eyes flickering up to Tony's with a relieved look in them. “I had feared that -”

He cut himself off, and his light smile faded again, being replaced by a slight frown. Tony blinked.

“That it wouldn't like me?”, he finished the mage's sentence with a quirked brow. Loki didn't answer, but Tony didn't take long to connect the dots. “Wait, did you get this for me?”

Loki's hands were fidgeting. He kept his eyes averted for a moment before they locked with Tony's again. “So to say”, he said then, shrugging lightly. “Yes.”

Tony just stared for a while, because yeah, that was unexpected. At least it explained why JARVIS had picked up Tony's name in Loki's rambling earlier. “Why?”, he managed eventually. “I mean, uh – thank you? Yeah, it's awesome. But why?”

“I thought you would find them interesting”, Loki replied, his voice getting this defensive note that always set off a few alarms inside Tony's head.

“I do!”, he hurried to say, “I do, really. But you've never brought gifts from other, uh, realms. So, why?”

Loki sighed and looked away again. “To thank you, of course.” When Tony just gaped at him, he cleared his throat and added, “I wouldn't be able to even visit the other realms without your... support. In fact, I would still be bored out of my mind in that cell in Asgard without you.”

It took Tony a moment to find his voice again. He had totally forgotten about the alien imp that was still sitting on his shoulder. “That's not thanks to me”, he said. “It was Thor who -”

Loki dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “You let me live in your tower, Anthony, and I am grateful for that. Just accept that, will you?”

Tony swallowed, his mind reeling because this couldn't be happening for real, no way. Loki was being nice here, really fucking nice, and while that wasn't as surprising as it would have been a few months ago, it still threw Tony off track. Loki didn't thank anyone, and he sure as hell didn't make such an effort for something like that. He had literally gone to another realm to get Tony one of these fiery creatures, just because he thought Tony would like them. It made Tony feel warm and slightly giddy, and also kind of dazed.

But whatever, he didn't have time to freak out, because Loki was looking at him as if he expected an answer, some kind of reaction, and Tony should probably try to reassure him.

“You're welcome”, was all he managed to say, and somehow this was getting really awkward really fast. “Uhm.”

They stood in silence a few seconds, staring at each other. Eventually, Loki spoke up again.

“It's what you said – a gift.” His hands were still fidgeting like they only did when he was really nervous and tried not to show it. But he looked at Tony with that determination from earlier, and he obviously had his mind set on something that should probably make Tony nervous. “A gift, from Muspelheim”, he continued, an almost excited edge to his voice. “Do you accept?”

Suddenly, Tony got the impression that Loki would take his alien firefly away again, and yeah, not happening. And if Loki wanted to thank him, sure, Tony wouldn't stand in his way there.

“Course I do”, he said, grinning again.

Surprise flared up in Loki's eyes, but he quickly returned Tony's grin, showing teeth and honest to god dimples. It made Tony laugh.

“I'll go to the workshop”, he told the mage. He had to run a few tests on his new fiery friend. “Wanna come?”

Loki's smile became softer, and he nodded at once. “I'd love to.”

On the way to the elevator, Tony was already bombarding Loki with questions about Muspelheim, and Loki answered every single one with amused patience and an unusually pleased look in his eyes.

Tony all but shuffled into the workshop, barely aware of his surroundings. His thoughts were reeling and he really wanted to silence them, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't even be able to work on anything right now. Gladly JARVIS had already sent Dum-E to make coffee, so Tony just hoped that he'd function again after a few cups. He sure as hell wouldn't go back to sleep, so yeah, working it was. His tired eyes scanned the lab, waiting for his mind to find something it wanted to busy itself with. It only took a second until he startled, stopping dead in his tracks.

Loki was sitting there, at his usual place, and returned his stare with a frown. Which was fantastic, really. Tony had never been more eager to socialize.

“You're back”, he stated, clearing his throat when he realized just how hoarse his voice was.

“I returned a few hours ago”, Loki confirmed, voice calm. “I was in Niflheim.”

He looked Tony over, a look in his eyes that could have passed as worry. Tony knew very well that he looked like shit, but it wasn't like Loki had never seen him like this before. The mage had never commented on it, not even once. Which was probably one of the reasons why Tony had come to like him quite a bit.

“New York?”, was all Loki said now. Tony nodded, and that was it.

No, Loki didn't make comments on that, but he also didn't pretend he hadn't noticed. The worry – and yes, there was also a hint of guilt – didn't fade out of his eyes as he watched Tony drag his feet over to his desk. Tony did his best to ignore it; he really wasn't in the mood for any kind of feelings right now. Telling Loki that he was happy to see him again could wait until next morning (and of course he wouldn't tell him then either).

After Loki's trip to Muspelheim the mage had stayed in the tower for a few months, which was a rather long time by his standards. He had also spent a lot more time with Tony than before, and not just in the workshop doing science or, in Loki's case, magic. They had even taken to have lunch or dinner together, and now and then Tony introduced Loki to the wonder that was earthly entertainment. It was just the two of them on most days, because Loki still didn't feel that comfortable in the company of the other Avengers. Which was why they were mostly found either in the workshop or on Tony's private floor.

They were friends, probably. Tony had known it before, of course, but apparently Loki had finally managed to get it into his head as well. Which was nice, because now that Loki was opening up just a tiny bit more they could be proper friends. And Tony had already admitted to himself a long time ago that he wanted that. Because Loki was really fucking smart and told the most amazing stories, and Tony liked him even though Loki's mood swings were legendary and he'd threatened to kill Tony more than once. But well, Loki was just as damaged as Tony was, and somehow that made things easier.

So, when Loki had announced around three weeks ago that he would take another trip off-planet, Tony hadn't been surprised, but a little bit disappointed, anyway. And yes, Tony had missed him, but not quite enough to be cheered up by his return at three am after one of his nightmares.

And so Tony didn't look at him again, hoping that Loki would just continue whatever it was that he'd been doing and leave Tony alone. He could still feel the gods eyes on himself, though, when he sat down heavily on his chair.

It was only now that he realized that there was something on his desk he hadn't put there, sitting innocently between tools and notes and coffee stains. Blinking, Tony leaned forward.

There was a flower on his desk.

He believed it was a flower, anyway. It could have been some strange mutation of a lily, maybe. The bloom would probably fit on Tony's palm, the petals long and elegantly curved. They were blindingly white, just like the stem and the small leaves attacked to it. Only the tips of the petals looked as if they'd been dipped into the night sky, colored in a blue so dark it was almost black and sprinkled with white dots that looked like stars.

“It is one of the most rare plants in the nine realms, I think”, Loki's voice said from behind him. “They grow in Niflheim. I always found them beautiful to look at, and thought you might appreciate the sight.”

Tony swallowed, and only with difficulty he managed to tear his eyes away from the alien flower. Looking at the black computer screens in front of him, he could see Loki standing a few steps behind him. He was too tall for the reflection to show his face, but Tony could see his hands and that was basically enough. They were fidgeting again.

“Another gift?”, he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

“If you accept.”

The firefly Loki had brought from Muspelheim had just flickered out after a few days of getting dimmer and dimmer. And yes, Tony was still sad about that, because the fiery imp had been goddamn amazing. He hadn't expected that Loki would ever bring him another gift. He hadn't really bought the whole “I'm grateful, so here, have awesome alien things” explanation Loki had given him, but he also couldn't really think of another. He was also too exhausted to rack his brain about that right now, and so he contented himself with being happy that Loki had actually thought of him while being away.

“Thank you”, he said, allowing his smile to break through. “I like it.”

“You do?” Loki had stepped closer, now standing behind Tony's chair. Tony turned his head, looking up at the mage. He seemed calm, but Tony could hear a hint of excitement in his voice and see the softness in his light smile.

“Sure”, Tony said, looking back to the flower. “It doesn't feed on blood, though, does it? 'Cause I'm kind of lacking any crazy dentists to kill.”

“I suppose that is another reference to one of your movies?”

“Yeah”, Tony said, reaching out to touch one of the petals. “There's this -”

He stopped abruptly when Loki leaned down and closed cold fingers around Tony's wrist, keeping him from touching the flower. Tony's heart skipped a beat as he stared at the god in surprise.

“I would advise you not to touch it”, Loki said, voice low.

Tony blinked, his eyes flickering over Loki's face that was a lot closer to his own than usually. “Please tell me it doesn't actually feed on blood”, he quipped, trying to distract himself from the god's eyes and, even worse, lips.

Those lips were smirking now, which did some things to Tony's still slightly fogged mind. Yes, he'd just blame the fact that he'd just had a nightmare followed by a nice panic attack, because he clearly was out of his senses here.

“It doesn't”, Loki said, and then he pulled back, letting go of Tony's hand. Tony found himself mildly disappointed. “But it comes from a world of cold and darkness, and could be quite dangerous to a mortal. I would rather not have you injured.”

“Great”, Tony deadpanned. “I've always had a soft spot for things that could kill me.”

“I should hope so”, Loki said, and there was that delight sneaking into his green eyes again. Tony had seen it a few times before after the mage had returned from Muspelheim, and he couldn't help but enjoy seeing it again. Loki always looked younger and lighter than he was, with that glint of mischief in his eyes and a grin bright enough to daze. It should probably be worrying, that grin, but Tony liked it anyway.

“You're insane”, Tony informed the god with a tired but fond smile, and he could watch as Loki's expression got softer again.

“Yes, so I've been told.”

Tony snorted and shook his head, lifting his hand to rub his eyes. “You literally brought me flowers.”

“Just one.”

“But a special alien one.”

“Indeed”, Loki said, his smile still coloring his voice. Then, Tony stilled, because suddenly there were hands on his shoulders, the touch so light it was barely there. “Has nobody ever brought you flowers before?”

“Not... really?” At least nobody that mattered, he was about to add, but he was not distracted enough to think that was a good idea. So, instead of saying anything stupid, Tony blinked at the empty screens in front of him, hoping to get a glimpse of Loki's face. But the god was still too tall. At least the hands on his shoulders were really there, and Tony wasn't just imagining things.

“I shall make it a regular occurrence, then”, Loki said quietly. His thumbs had started to rub Tony's shoulders in careful circles.

Tony just sat there for a while, too stunned for words. Loki didn't stop the slow movements of his hands, and Tony didn't once try to stop him. He saw no reason to do that, because being touched by Loki was actually very nice.

But, see, Tony and Loki didn't do... touching. Yes, Tony could be a rather tactile person, but Loki wasn't, so there was that. Loki had never once touched him since he had thrown him out of that window months ago, and Tony wasn't sure why he was doing it now.

But really, who cared? He'd figure it out in the morning.

“You should sleep, Anthony”, Loki said eventually, his voice not much more than a whisper.

“Can't”, was all Tony managed.

Loki hummed; Tony could feel the vibration of the chest he was leaning against – and just how had that happened? Tony didn't really know, and actually he didn't care. And so, when Loki insisted on getting him onto his feet after a while, Tony didn't protest either. He might have asked Loki to stay, though, and Loki might have promised him he would.

When Tony woke up five hours later, he found himself lying on the cot in one corner of his workshop, the one that was there only because Pepper had insisted on it a million years ago. He hadn't used it even once, until now. Tony also found that he was covered with a blanket he had never seen before. He was confused, but felt rested in a way he wasn't used to anymore. When he lifted his head, he spotted Loki hunched over the nearest work table, scribbling something into the notebook Tony had given him at some point. He was muttering words under his breath, and that was what Tony listened to after he had closed his eyes.

He fell asleep again.

Chapter Text

The third gift was a chunk of metal.

A really freaking awesome chunk of metal.

Loki had only been away for a few days this time, and when he had appeared out of thin air in Tony's workshop it had been quite obvious that he hadn't enjoyed his trip to Nidavellir. He had dropped the metal on the floor because it had been getting too heavy for him, and then started an angry tirade about “dimwitted dwarfs and their bigotry” which had went on for about twenty minutes. Tony had just gaped, with goggles propped up and a soldering iron still in hand. Then, when Loki had calmed down enough to tell Tony what exactly it was that he had brought, his foul mood had lasted about ten seconds longer – because apparently a surprise hug from an overly excited Tony was enough to cheer Loki up.

So yeah, the metal – the Uru – was awesome. It surpassed Vibranium, really. Building it into his suit was fun, especially since Loki was inclined to help. The mage had insisted that Uru should be enchanted to unfold its whole power or something like that, and so they worked together.

Which meant even more time with Loki. Which was even more awesome than the new metal.

To his surprise, Tony found that he enjoyed the time they spent out of the workshop just as much as their science slash magic binges. He liked talking to Loki, no matter what they talked about, he liked studying Loki's reactions when they watched another movie, he even liked the quiet moments they shared when they busied themselves with their own thoughts and work.

He just liked, period.

(And somewhere along the line he might have started to want, but he avoided thinking about that.)

When Thor showed up to make things complicated, Tony and Loki were sitting on the sofa on Tony's floor. Loki's nose was stuck in a book while Tony was busy with a tablet, and Tony's feet were in the god's lap. Loki's free hand was resting on his ankle, his thumb drawing absentminded circles.

Because yes, touching had started to be a thing. Surprisingly enough it had been Loki who had started it, that night when Tony had spotted the icy flower on his desk. Tony hadn't once brought it up, but he also hadn't managed to forget how it was like to lean against the mage, to feel his hands on his shoulders. Apparently Tony wasn't the only one who had enjoyed that, because when he started to initiate more of these touches Loki never once backed away. And while skin to skin touches were rare and mostly followed up by a strange awkwardness, caresses like this – because what Loki was doing right now was a caress – had become somewhat frequent.

It confused the hell out of Tony, but he liked it.

He was pulled out of his own mind when Loki's hand tensed on his ankle, making him look up. The mage had lowered his book, a concentrated look on his face.

“Something wrong?”, Tony asked. “Lokes?”

Loki slowly shook his head, opening his mouth to say something when a deafening sound practically shred the air. The Trickster went pale, and before Tony knew what was happening his feet were shoved off Loki's lap. Tony didn't have to ask why, because it only took a second until JARVIS spoke up.

“Sir, Mr. Odinson demands entrance to your floor.”

Sitting up again, Tony glanced at Loki who looked suspiciously innocent despite still being white as a sheet. “Something I should know?”, he asked.

“Nothing at all.”

Tony hummed doubtfully, but Loki just returned his gaze, face blank.

“Sir?”

“Yeah, let him in.”

Seconds later, Thor positively burst into the room, complete with hammer and everything. He looked worried, and Thor looking worried when he returned from Assgard was never a good thing.

Tony gave him a cheerful wave. “Hey, Point Break. Nice to have you back.”

“Thank you, Tony”, Thor replied politely, but his eyes were fixed on his not-brother. If he was surprised by seeing them sitting together like the friends they were, he didn't show it. “Loki, I must have word with you.”

Surprise, surprise.

“Oh?”, Loki said, looking at the other god with complete disinterest. “And to what do I owe that pleasure?”

Thor's eyes flickered over to Tony before settling back on the mage. “Maybe we should discuss this in private.”

“Okay”, Tony said, moving to stand up, “I'll just -”

“No”, Loki interrupted him, clasping Tony's arm with gentle fingers. “Stay, Anthony, it's fine.”

Tony glared at him but complied. After a moment of making sure Tony would stay where he was, Loki released his arm and turned to Thor again. “So?”

Thor hesitated for a moment, looking from Loki to Tony and back. “Two dwarfs have come to Asgard”, he said then, sounding cautious. “They claim you have stolen from them.”

Of fucking course they did. Tony looked away, picking up an imaginary lint from his pants. He had never heard of dwarfs before. Or of Nidavellir. Or of Uru.

“Do they now?”, Loki asked, his lips curling up into a smirk.

Tony didn't know if he wanted to groan or giggle. He suppressed both in the end, because Thor let out a sigh and Tony really didn't felt like joining the conversation that would follow.

“So it is true, then?”, Thor said. He looked completely done with literally everything.

“I didn't say that.”

“You are still on probation, brother”, Thor reminded the Trickster. He was starting to go all puppy dog eyes, something he always did when he tried to talk some sense into his adopted brother. “You promised me you would refrain from mischief for the time being.”

Loki just shrugged, educing another sigh from Thor. The blonde god placed his hammer on the sofa table, so the acute danger was probably over. At least Tony wouldn't have to help Loki defend him against a hammer swaying Thunderer.

“You of all people should know better than to offend dwarfs”, Thor chided, crossing his arms. “Have you forgotten what happened last time you did that?”

“Of course I haven't”, Loki shot back. He was getting angry. Lovely. “What about you, brother? Have you needle and thread already at hand?”

It was almost impressive how Thor managed to look even sadder. “I haven't come to punish you, Loki”, he said. “I just want to hear from you what happened.”

“Oh, I think there is no use in claiming to be innocent”, Loki retorted. “We both know that I am not.”

Thor stared at the mage for one second, seemingly at loss for words. When he spoke up again, he sounded resigned. “Why didn't you just buy what you wanted? I'm sure the -”

“I tried, Thor”, Loki cut him off. He stood up, spreading out his hands in a frustrated gesture. “I tried, I did. But they wouldn't sell me anything.”

Thor frowned, and even Tony was slightly surprised. First surprised, then smug – because from all that he'd heard about dwarfs, being mugged totally served them right. But he knew the story about Loki and two dwarfs with names he couldn't remember, and that one hadn't ended well for Loki. And so his smugness was replaced by worry rather quickly.

“What need do you have for Uru?”, Thor asked eventually, breaking the silence.

Seeing Loki speechless was something that didn't occur often, but it seemed that he now had no idea what to say. He just stared at his brother in silence, and so Tony jumped in without thinking.

“Uhm, it's all my fault, actually”, he said, making both gods gape at him. Tony stood up as well, because he didn't like feeling even smaller than he already was, his eyes flickering over to Loki before he smiled at Thor. “He got that stuff for me.”

“For you?”, Thor repeated, surprised.

“Yeah. He told me about it, you know, and then I really wanted to get my hands on neat alien metal.” He shrugged. “He just indulged me there.”

Thor blinked at Tony for a moment before looking at Loki again. “Is that true?”

“Yes”, Loki said, without missing a beat. He smirked, and it even seemed sincere. “Anthony is a gifted craftsman, you know that. I was curious what he could make out of a bit of Uru.”

“I see”, Thor said. He seemed a bit confused, but at least not as deeply disappointed as before. “I shall tell father that you did it for a friend.” He paused, glancing between Tony and Loki, before he added, “the dwarfs demand their Uru back.”

“Okay”, Tony said, because if he had to chose between a chunk of metal and Loki's wellbeing, the choice was quite clear. “Okay, I'm sure I can -”

“No”, Loki interrupted him again, his voice sharp. His smile had disappeared, and when he looked at Tony his eyes were blazing with something that was disturbingly similar to hurt. “No, it was a gift. A gift, and you accepted!”

Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Tony lifted his hands defensively. “Sure I did, but if it gets you into trouble then I'll just give it -”

“That won't be necessary”, Loki insisted. “You have used it already, and you won't give it back.”

Tony scowled, but he knew better than to start an actual fight with Loki in front of Thor. “Fine. Got a better plan, then?”

Loki looked at Thor, his jaw set and lips pressed into a thin line. “Do I have to return to Asgard?”

Relief rushed through Tony when Thor shook his head, and he was almost surprised by the intensity of it. Yes, he'd been pissed as hell when Thor had come to him all those months ago, asking him to take his little brother in before said brother would get even more insane in that cozy little cell in God Land. But now Loki having to return to that cell was about the worst thing that could happen. And so he wouldn't let that happen, even if he'd have to take it up with Alldaddy and friends.

Yeah, he would take it up with them, but he was still relieved it wasn't necessary. So far, at least.

In the following twenty minutes they figured out what Thor should tell the dwarfs (or rather, what he should convince Odin to tell the dwarfs) and negotiated over the consequences for Loki. They hoped the dwarfs would simply be satisfied with a subsequent payment and the knowledge that Loki was struggling through a horrible punishment on Midgard.

“You have to stay here, though”, Thor said at some point, sounding almost apologetically. “It would probably be for the best if the dwarfs think this is indeed a punishment; you should better not be seen wandering the realms for the time being.”

Loki scowled at that, shaking his head decisively. “I can shield myself from view, that will have to do.”

Thor hesitated, returning Loki's challenging gaze from his place next to him. They were all sitting on the sofa by now, which would've been comfortable if Loki hadn't still been tied up in knots.

“We should be glad that father hasn't already forbidden your trips altogether”, Thor said carefully, but Loki just snorted.

“Oh, yes. I am filled with gratitude.”

Thor sighed, exchanging glances with Tony who just shrugged. Really, they couldn't blame Loki for being angry at his “father”. Tony didn't like Odin one bit, and he had never even seen him. And the mage enjoyed his trips, and there were kind of necessity if they didn't want him to lose his mind for real. Loki positively depended on change and activity, and since he couldn't move freely here on Earth other planets were kind of the only possibility.

“I am just asking you to stay on Midgard for a while”, Thor tried again, “only a few months. I am sure you can see the sense of that, Loki.”

Loki's eyes flared up as he stared at Thor in sudden anger, his mouth twisting. “But I need to -” He stopped mid sentence, shaking his head again. When he continued, his voice was flat. “Yes, fine. I will stay here, for a while. Are we done now?”

And they were. Thor made a few attempts to talk with Loki about other things – he always seemed to be worried about him, and while Tony found it somewhat amusing (and cute) Loki just pretended to be annoyed. Today even more than usual, but it didn't surprise Tony given the fact that Loki's mood right now was more set on passive aggressive snark instead of small talk.

When Thor was finally gone, off to Asgard to talk with Odin and the dwarfs, Loki was still annoyed and only glared at Tony when he tried to cheer his friend up. And because Tony knew that it was best to leave Loki alone for a while in times like this, he just shrugged and went to his workshop, knowing that Loki would find him if he wanted to.

He was right, of course – Loki found him. It took him two hours, but he did. Tony felt that by now familiar hum of Loki's magic in the air, and then the god was already sitting – lounging, actually – in Tony's desk chair, watching him with an expression Tony couldn't really decipher. He waited for Loki to say something, but the mage stayed quiet.

“You okay?”, Tony asked after some time, glancing up from his work.

“I still have to go to four realms”, was all Loki said.

It sounded as if that should mean something to Tony, as if it should remind him of something. He blinked, trying to remember if Loki told him of some kind of project he needed to visit the other realms for, but there wasn't anything. God, hopefully Loki hadn't told him about it and Tony hadn't even listened, because that would be bad Science Bros manners, kind of.

“You could just go, anyway, you know”, Tony said, hiding his confusion. “I know you're only seen when you want to be.”

“It would be wise to not defy Odin at the moment, I think”, Loki said with a shrug. “And I need Thor on my side.”

Tony nodded, thinking that Loki would probably already be back in Asgard if Thor hadn't been on his side. Tony actually didn't doubt that Odin was itching to put Loki into chains again.

“Do you... mind that?”

Tony looked at Loki in surprise, frowning when he realized that Loki actually looked worried. It seemed the god didn't know what to do with his hands, playing with paper scraps laying around on Tony's desk.

“What, that you're sticking around for more than a few weeks?”, Tony said. “No, Lokes. I like having you around, you know?”

That made Loki smile a little, but he still didn't seem that convinced. “And that I stole the Uru?”, he asked, inclining his head.

“Wait a second, is that – is that you feeling guilty because you stole something? Should we get Thor? He'll probably burst into tears of joy. And declare today the national holiday of his little brother's rede – Hey!”

“That was a serious question, Anthony.”

“Says the man who's throwing around paper pellets”, Tony retorted, chuckling as he searched his hair for the little bead Loki had thrown at him with impressively good aim.

“Well?”, Loki prompted, and Tony rolled his eyes.

“You're the God of Mischief, Lokes”, he said. “I'd be disappointed if you didn't go around stealing stuff.”

Loki grinned, genuinely pleased, and Tony knew he had said the right thing.

In the end, Loki decided to at least stay in the tower until Thor came back from Asgard. Unfortunately – or fortunately for Tony, really, because he did like having Loki around – Thor took his time; it had been a month now and he still wasn't back. In the beginning, right after Loki had gotten the permission to make his trips, a few weeks like that would have been enough to make him get cabin fever, but thankfully it seemed that he was now more comfortable at the tower than before. Tony wanted to believe he was at least partially the reason for that, because they hadn't stopped spending so much time together, and Loki actually seemed to enjoy himself. He almost looked happy, most of the time, and the nervousness he had carried around with himself for a few weeks after he had given Tony the firefly from Muspelheim was by now completely gone. Well, now and then it still flickered through, but Tony always tried to nip it in the bud. Even though it was kind of adorable (which he'd never say to Loki out loud because he wanted to live a little while longer).

When Tony shuffled into the kitchen one morning, Loki didn't look nervous at all (but it was kind of adorable, anyway). The god was sitting at the counter, his usual cup of tea already in front of him. He was in his casual Asgardian clothes, simple pants and a dark green tunic, and his feet were bare. His hair was a mess that just might have been a braid once, and it was quite obvious that he hadn't been up for that long.

It was a familiar sight, but Tony still found himself in mild awe about it sometimes.

Loki had stayed late last night for movies, and since he'd been too lazy to go down to his and Thor's floor again (not that he could teleport or anything, but anyway) he had spent the night in one of Tony's guest rooms. In fact, he was kind of living in one of Tony's guest rooms by now, because Loki was always too lazy to leave Tony's floor. So he was practically always there in the mornings. But he was always up before Tony and had coffee ready by the time he joined him, so like hell was Tony complaining.

A cup of said coffee was set in front of him right now, along with an amused smile that Loki threw in his direction. They just sat in silence, like they always did, and after a while Loki pulled a book out of one of his dimensional pockets – he had explained that to Tony in length, and it had been fucking amazing – and began reading.

It was ridiculously domestic, probably, and sometimes it was still weird that it was Loki next to him, but all in all Tony liked it, so who cared?

“Are you hungry?”, Loki asked eventually, and Tony, who had already been waiting for that question, nodded. Loki smirked and hopped off his stool to make breakfast.

Yeah, that was a thing by now as well. Loki made breakfast. He'd kind of taken cooking as a new hobby, and he literally insisted on showing off his skills by cooking for Tony daily. And Tony wasn't complaining about that either.

No, he just watched – watched Loki putting his hair into a new braid so the loose strands wouldn't annoy him. Watched Loki struggling with the stove and scowling at the toaster because he still hadn't gotten the hang of using earthly kitchen supplies. Watched Loki's hands and bare feet, and if staring at Loki's neck for longer than a minute already counted as ogling... well.

(Tony was in trouble. Like, really.)

At some point he realized his mouth had gone kind of dry and his thoughts really needed to stop going off track, so he just averted his eyes and downed the rest of his coffee.

“Bruce will be back in a few days”, Tony said, mostly to distract himself, and only realized that might have been a bad idea when Loki slightly tensed.

“Oh?”, the mage said, his voice impressively calm considering that his body seemed to be deciding whether it should fight or flee.

Loki didn't like Bruce. Which was understandable, since the Hulk had sort of broken the god's spine and all. Loki made sure to never stay in one room with the scientist for longer than necessary, and he was always more in ease when Bruce wasn't in the tower at all. But that wasn't that often the case since Bruce was practically the only other Avenger who was actually living in the tower – Natasha, Clint and Steve had floors as well, of course, but they were off with Shield most of the time – and Bruce only left when he felt the need to isolate himself for a few days. This time, though, he'd been away for some kind of conference for almost two months. And when he'd be back Loki wouldn't be able to leave the tower himself because they were still waiting for Thor. Which meant that Loki would probably spend more time in his room again.

The thought bothered Tony more than it probably should.

“Yeah”, he said carefully, “he texted me yesterday.”

“I see”, Loki said, not looking at Tony. There was an awkward pause before he added, “will you want me to retreat to my own floor, then?”

“No”, Tony replied instantly; apparently a little too fast, because Loki blinked at him surprise. “I mean, I didn't – I wasn't implying anything, okay? You can show up here whenever you want, you know that.”

Judging by the look in Loki's eyes he was still uncertain, even though he nodded. “So, Dr. Banner's return – it will not change... anything?”

“No? That is, only if you want it to. Do you want it to?”

“Of course not”, Loki replied quickly, shaking his head.

“Okay, then.” Tony smiled, even though something about this conversation (or more about the way Loki was looking at him) was kind of confusing. Other topic? Yes, please. “Uhm, I'll be training later. Wanna join?”

Loki's smile was relieved and undoubtedly sincere as he nodded. Then his grin got even wider, his eyes dancing. “I have something for you, actually. The training area will be a good place for that.”

Tony's brows rose up when he understood what Loki was hinting at. “But you haven't been away.”

“I know”, Loki said, his smile fading a little. “I... I hope you won't mind.”

“Uhm, no? Why should I? I'm getting another gift, that's awesome.”

“Good”, Loki said and stood up. He stretched, which made his shirt ruck up, revealing a small stripe of pale skin. Tony had to swallow a little bit too hard. “I would like to do a bit of meditating first, though. Would that be alright?”

“Sure. Just don't fall asleep again.”

“There is a difference between meditating and sleeping, Anthony, even if you somehow fail to see it.”

“It's both boring”, Tony shrugged, causing Loki to roll his eyes before he left the kitchen.

Did staring at Loki's ass count as ogling? Definitely.

(So much trouble.)

Loki showed up in the training area two hours later, now in boots and with one of his leathern jackets over his tunic. His hair was falling down to his shoulders now, and yeah, he looked kind of stunning. Like always. Tony would never understand why the god insisted on wearing those alien clothes, though; they had to be so complicated to get into. Tony had even taken Loki on a shopping spree a few months ago, and now and then Loki did wear – by Tony's standards – normal clothes, but those he liked weren't really casual ones. (And even though Tony liked seeing Loki in a suit more than he should, he couldn't expect the god to wear Armani when they lazed around on the sofa, right?)

When Tony noticed the mage, he instantly sauntered over to him from where he'd been training. Did he imagine the way Loki's eyes flickered over his frame? Gods, he really hoped he didn't.

“Please tell my you've got alien weapons for me”, Tony said, causing Loki's lips to form a rather crooked grin.

“I do”, he answered, “but I have to admit that I'm not sure whether you will like them.”

“Everything you've given me so far was amazing, Lokes”, Tony reminded him. “I'm sure this will be, too.”

He just ignored the question why he was getting gifts at all for the time being, because he was enjoying himself too much to ruin it with too much thinking. And well, he hadn't actually known Loki before they'd become friends, so maybe the mage just liked giving presents? Anyway, it made Tony feel special, and he liked feeling special and he liked Loki, who was being pretty adorable again right now.

The god pulled the gift out of nowhere, carefully watching Tony's reaction as he held out his hands. And Tony wasn't quite sure what he'd expected, but he hadn't thought of daggers. Which was stupid, probably, since daggers probably were Loki's favorite things in the world. And the three Loki was showing him right now were downright beautiful – made of crystal or ice as far as Tony could tell, with dark leather wrapped around the handles. The blades were sparkling in the light, and they looked sharp enough to cut skin at the lightest touch.

“I made them myself”, Loki said after a moment of silence. He sounded uneasy. “So they are not actually from Jötunheimr. I didn't... feel comfortable, going there, and since I had to stay on Midgard anyway, I thought..." He cut himself off and cleared his throat. "However, weapons like this are used by the Jötnar, so this was... the best I could do." He held the daggers out for Tony to take, and...

Oh, shit.

"Uhm", Tony said, staring at the daggers, and he knew that he was being stupid and that he really should show an enthusiastic reaction of some kind before -

"You don't like them." Loki said it as a fact, his voice flat. He took a deep, slightly quivering breath and withdrew his hands, and when Tony looked up at him again he promptly averted his eyes. "I know you do not fight with daggers, I should have -"

"No!", Tony interrupted him, forcing a smile. "No, that's not - I like them, really. I just..."

He trailed off, and after a moment Loki shook his head. "You do not have to accept them, Anthony", he said, a little bit too even. "If you let me, I can -"

"Loki, no. I like them, I want to keep them, but -" He sighed. "Throw them for me?"

Loki blinked at him, apparently taken aback. "Throw?"

Tony swallowed and nodded, but because Loki obviously didn't understand - and how could he? - he forced himself to elaborate. "I don't like being handed things", he stated, lifting his shoulders. "It's a long story about a fucked up childhood and stuff and, ah... I don't know why this never came up before? But anyway, they look awesome, really, so could you..." He gestured over to one of the targets that were mostly used by Clint and his arrows.

For a moment, Loki just glanced between Tony and the target, still looking confused as hell. "You... do want to accept them?"

"Yeah, sure", Tony said instantly. "I mean, I've no idea how to use them properly in a fight, I think, and my aim's probably pretty bad, but I can try, right?" He grinned. "You could teach me."

And finally Loki smiled again as well, making Tony wonder how he managed a grin that was relieved and vaguely deadly at the same time. A split second later three daggers flew past Tony, too fast for him to see more than silhouettes. Tony turned around, finding that all three had hit home.

"Thanks", he said, already walking over to the target. He pulled one of the daggers out of the center to examine them more thorough.

"They're really kind of beautiful", he said, smiling at Loki who had followed him.

"They are lethal", Loki corrected.

"Can be the same thing", Tony murmured, shrugging. "Sometimes, at least. Is this real ice? They're cold."

"It is. Not quite the ice you are familiar with, though. This one is far more durable."

"Alien ice, huh?"

"Indeed." 

"Amazing."

Loki chuckled, and Tony found himself relaxing again. Loki hadn't even asked about the problem with being handed things, which was a real relief. Tony didn't doubt that Loki would be thinking about it, though, and maybe they'd be questions about it later on. But well, for now, everything was fine. Maybe he'd have to tell Loki about Howard at some point, but he refused to worry about it now.

"I know you do not need them for your suit", Loki said, watching how Tony played around with the knife. "But if you ever get into a situation where your suit is out of reach, I would rather have you able to defend yourself."

"Awwwwh", Tony drawled, leering. "Worried for me, Bambi?"

"Well, you do get yourself into trouble on a regular basis."

"And I've survived anything so far, you know."

"I know", Loki said, "and I still wanted you to have them."

He was getting defensive again, causing Tony to smile. "Thank you", he told him. "I'd give you something as well, but-"

"You do not need to give me anything in return, Anthony", Loki replied, returning Tony's smile. "Besides, I have a set just like this as well."

Now that made Tony laugh. Friendship bracelets? Boring. Loki had just made friendship daggers a thing.

(And he looked goddamn gorgeous throwing his own icy daggers around. Just saying.)

Chapter Text

Tony was sulking.

At least Bruce said that he was, and Tony couldn't really argue against it. Because he was sulking, kind of, and it was ridiculous. He was pissed at himself for, well, being pissed. Bruce had dared to laugh, and he'd looked at Tony with a disturbingly knowing smirk that had only served to intensify Tony's sulkiness.

“He'll come back”, Bruce had said, still chuckling. “He always does.”

And Tony had scowled at that, but he'd still given in when Bruce had tried to distract him with science. They had pulled a nice all-nighter, but now it was evening again and Bruce had gone to bed. Apparently he couldn't go three days without sleep like Tony could. And so it happened that Tony was alone in his workshop, working on something that didn't do anything to distract him. It was silent, and he hated working in silence, but he didn't feel like music because that would only be a reminder that Loki was still gone.

Loki claimed Tony's music damaged his ears, and because Tony was much too fond of the bastard he'd agreed to no music whenever the god joined him in the workshop. It had taken some time getting used to that, but Loki's constant mumbling of spells or turning of pages was almost better than AC/DC.

But well, Tony hadn't heard any spell-muttering for, oh, about five months now? He didn't find Loki in his kitchen in the mornings anymore, either. Hell, Tony was living on take out again (and occasionaly on Bruce's pancakes, but there weren't as good as Loki's so they didn't really count) and it bothered him. He'd made a horrible mistake – he had gotten used to having Loki around, like, all the time, and now that he was gone, Tony was... well. Sad, maybe? Or just pissed?

He'd settle with pissed. That was a little bit less concerning.

It wasn't as if Tony wasn't used to Loki disappearing for weeks. The longest he'd been away was two months, back in the beginning when they had still been in that awkward stage of “not really enemies and not really friends, but not really nothing anymore, either”. And since Loki had returned from Muspelheim, he hadn't stayed off-planet for longer than three weeks.

And now he was already gone for five. Fucking. Months.

Tony missed him. Yeah, he did, and there was nothing wrong with that, because he had missed him before. But this was... different, because he felt like Loki hadn't just left the tower or Earth, but him. Which was weird and probably childish – and maybe even mean, given the fact that Loki was his friend. Tony knew that the mage hated to be trapped in the tower. He couldn't really fault him for leaving as soon as Thor had returned and told him he could. Loki had stopped being a prisoner about a year ago, and Tony had no sort of claim on him. He had no right to keep him here against his will, and Loki sure as hell wouldn't be ordered about. If he wanted to leave, he would, no matter what Odin said. No matter what Tony said.

So, Loki had left, and maybe he would return when he wanted to. Bruce was sure he would, and Tony was, too, sort of. Because it hadn't seemed like a “Fare thee well, Anthony, I'm off for good” when Loki had left. No, he'd announced it like every time before one of his trips. Over dinner, actually, and Tony hadn't been sad or pissed then. No, he'd practically urged Loki to go already, because towards the end the god had gotten kind of impatient and restless and he didn't enjoy seeing Loki like that.

Yes, Loki had left. A month had passed, and Tony hadn't thought much of it. After two months he had started to get worried. After three months he had wondered if he should talk to Thor, but had decided against it because Loki would probably kill him. Four months, and he had stopped being worried and decided to be pissed instead. Now, after five months, he had kind of resigned. Or, he would have, if he hadn't still been so angry. He should be used to people leaving him, and he was, but well, that didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed, right?

(Judging by that smirk, Bruce knew what Tony's behaviour meant, but Tony still avoided thinking about that.)

At some point, Tony realized that his hands had stopped moving, and so he lifted them to rub his eyes. Not for the first time he asked himself what was wrong with him, thinking about Loki so much that he couldn't even concentrate on tinkering anymore. Something nudged his elbow – bumped into it, really, and he gave Dum-E an absentminded pat when the robot started to whir in concern.

“Sir?”, JARVIS broke the silence after a bit more brooding.

“Yeah?”

“Mr. Laufeyson has returned”, the AI said, and Tony had waited to hear these words for so long that they made him jolt.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, he just appeared on your floor.”

For a while, Tony sat there and stared into space, waiting for that familiar tingle in the air that announced Loki's arrival. It didn't come, and Tony didn't know whether he should be worried or annoyed.

Both. Both was good.

Over the last months, Tony's aim had gotten pretty decent. Before Loki had left, they had trained almost every day, and Tony liked to believe that he wasn't that bad of a pupil. And Loki had been surprisingly good at teaching – sure, he had laughed every time Tony failed at hitting anything with the daggers, but Tony had expected him to be much less patient. By now, Tony was rather good at throwing or fighting with the daggers, and he carried at least one with him basically all the time, just because Loki had asked that of him.

He had continued practicing without Loki. To show him that, the first thing Tony did when he stepped out of the elevator and saw the god standing next to the sofa, was throwing one of the knifes.

Of course, Loki dodged effortlessly, but then he faltered and stretched out a hand, steadying himself on the backrest of the sofa. “Good day to you, too, Anthony”, he said, voice tight and strangely reedy.

Tony had already opened his mouth to hurl some nasty words at the mage, but they refused to pass his lips as soon as he really looked at him. Loki returned his gaze, his face so clearly a mask that Tony would have teased him for it had the circumstances been different.

“You look like shit”, Tony observed after a few seconds.

“Why, thank you. You, too.”

Tony ably ignored that. He walked over to the mage, his eyes flickering over Loki's tall frame in search of injuries. “What the fuck happened? Where were you?”

“In Alfheimr”, Loki answered, furrowing his brow. “I told you that, before I left.”

“Oh, sure, you did. Five goddamn months ago.”

Loki blinked and... snuffled? He actually snuffled. “I said that I would be away for quite some time.”

“I thought it'd be a few weeks, not half a year!”

He crossed his arms, resisting the urge to reach out for Loki and make sure he wasn't hurt – because hell, Loki did look like shit. He was white as a sheet and smelled as if he hadn't had a wash since he had left the tower. And he even sounded bad, his voice not even remotely close to its usual velvety smoothness. His expression didn't quite fit the rest of him, though. It had suddenly lightened up, his scowl resolving into something annoyingly similar to glee.

“You are mad at me”, Loki said – or rasped, really. “For staying away so long?”

“Why, yes, I thought you fucking left for good! I didn't even know if you were fine, and now you show up here, looking as if you're about to keel over, and – would you stop grinning? What is wrong with you?”

But Loki just laughed hoarsely and shook his head, sitting down heavily on the sofa. Tony wondered if he should throw another dagger. But he didn't, instead he just stared at the god in stunned silence as just Loki kept grinning.

“You were worried for me”, he stated, glancing up at Tony with a surprisingly soft look in his eyes.

Tony huffed. “Of course I was, what did you think? And apparently I had every right to be, you really look awful. Serves you right, actually.”

“You do not mean that”, Loki said, still smiling. He held out his hand, beckoning Tony closer. “Come here.”

“Uhm, no, thanks. I'm gonna get Bruce.”

At that, Loki's smile vanished, and he let his hand sink again. “Why?”

“Because you look half dead?”, Tony suggested, throwing up his hands. “He's not a real doc, but he knows more about – hey, no, stay there, what are you doing?”

Loki had stood up, but he promptly started staggering, so Tony jumped forward to steady him. The god's gaze was slightly unfocused as Tony gently pushed him back onto the sofa. He let his hands stay on his friend's shoulders, leaning down to him.

“Loki, what's wrong? Are you sick?”

“A little”, Loki admitted. His grin returned, though, even if it was strained. “It's nothing, Anthony. I'm merely a little dizzy.”

“Yeah, no. Bruce. Definitely. Stay here, okay? I'll be right -”

“No”, Loki interrupted him, grabbing Tony's wrists and pulling. It was all Tony could do to land next to Loki on the sofa instead of the god's lap. “There is no need for that. I'm perfectly fine.”

“You aren't. Don't bullshit me, I'm mad enough already.”

Loki sighed and snuffled again, but stayed silent otherwise. Tony studied his face; the glassy eyes and faint layer of sweat making him think of something that couldn't really be. Following an impulse, he touched his hand to Loki's forehead, frowning when the skin felt much hotter than it should. Loki let it happen, watching him patiently.

“Loki”, Tony said, “do you have a cold?”

“I think so, yes. Well, the elvish equivalent.”

Tony just stared at him for a moment. “But you don't get colds”, he said then, lowering his hand again.

Loki shrugged. “As it turned out, Jötnar are able to catch elvish diseases. A few days rest, and I'll be fine.”

Tony didn't say anything at first, just looked at Loki for a while. God, it was good to see him again. Tony felt his anger subside, probably because Loki was back and, more importantly, fine. Okay, he'd caught some kind of alien cold, but Tony was just going to trust him when he said it wasn't anything bad.

Tony let out a breath. Everything was fine. “Okay”, he said. “No more Elfland for you, then.”

“Alfheimr.”

“Whatever.”

A few minutes passed, in silence apart from Loki's slightly labored breathing. Tony wondered if this was a full on earthly cold, with sneezes and everything. He hadn't ever heard Loki sneeze before.

“I have something for you”, Loki said eventually, and Tony stared at him again until the penny dropped.

“Is that what took you so long?”, he asked, positively dumbfounded. “Getting me another gift?”

“Yes, of course. Why else would I stay away for five months?” Loki looked at him in confusion. When Tony didn't reply, the god frowned, obviously worried, and shifted closer to Tony. “Did you not know that?”

Tony shook his head slowly, unable to avert his eyes from Loki's. The mage looked so genuinely concerned, so guilty, that he really couldn't help but stop being mad at him. He also looked like he needed to be in bed, like, yesterday, and preferably in a shower as well, but Tony didn't really care.

“No”, Tony managed eventually, “I – I thought you were having a fun time somewhere in space, to be honest. Or kidnapped by one of your ten dozen enemies. Couldn't really make up my mind.”

Loki huffed a small laugh, shaking his head. “I didn't know for sure where to find what I was searching”, he told him. “I had to ask an old friend for help. We had to wander through quite unpleasant areas, and she got sick on the way back.”

“Sounds fun”, Tony said weakly. “Uh. I hope she's fine?”

Loki nodded and reached into one of his magical pockets – which was always fun to watch -, pulling out some kind of... bouncy ball? It looked like a bouncy ball. Loki smiled at Tony's baffled expression and put the small ball on the sofa between them, motioning for Tony to take it.

The ball felt... squishy. The yellow surface was dry and smooth, and strangely warm in Tony's palm. He glanced up at Loki whose smile widened.

“Toss it up.”

Tony narrowed his eyes but did as instructed, preparing to catch the ball again. Which wasn't necessary, because it stayed right there in the air above their heads. A few seconds passed, and then it started to glow, spreading a warm, soft light that only barely lit up the room. It was beautiful and kind of calming. In a weird way.

“My mother called them Nightlights”, Loki said quietly. “They help against nightmares.”

Tony looked at the god with wide eyes, and Loki returned his gaze, seeming a little nervous again.

“Just keep it like this next to your bed”, he said, lifting his shoulders. He coughed a little, and his voice was even more raspy when he continued speaking. “I can not promise that your night terrors will cease, but I thought it worth a try.”

Tony had no clue what to say to that. He glanced between Loki and the glowing ball and tried to understand what the fuck was going on.

“Anthony?”

Tony blinked at the god, took in his green eyes and the tense look in them, and he couldn't do anything but shake his head in pure lack of understanding.

“You spent five months”, he said slowly, “scouring a whole realm for this? A – a what, a dream catcher? For me? Because I have nightmares.”

Loki cocked his head to one side, looking at him as if he couldn't really follow. “Nightmares I am partially responsible for.”

Tony opened his mouth, and closed it again, because he couldn't really deny that. “You got sick”, he said instead.

“I will be fine.”

Another moment passed, and Loki started to look actually worried. Tony searched for words to reassure him, to thank him and convince him to never do anything like this again, but he couldn't grasp a single useful thought.

“I really thought you left”, he ended up saying, reproachful.

“Anthony -”

But Loki stopped mid sentence, because Tony had reached out and pulled him close.

It was supposed to be a short hug, since Tony intended to make Loki rest as soon as possible. But when the mage let out a relieved and slightly crumbling breath and relaxed, no, melted into him, Tony couldn't bring himself to let go again. He rested his chin on Loki's shoulder, and he was pretty sure the god's face was buried in his hair. The leather of Loki's jacked was far too stiff and smelled a little like wet dog, but apart from that this was – this was nice. At some point, Loki's hands even began to move, rubbing lazy circles into Tony's back. He thought he heard some mumbled words that sounded dubiously like an apology, and Tony patted Loki's back in return.

Thirty seconds later, Loki sneezed, probably all over Tony's head.

A few weeks later, a slightly dazed Tony was on his way to the communal kitchen. He was looking for Bruce, because he needed someone to tell him he wasn't losing his mind. He found the scientist sitting at the counter, just like JARVIS had said. Bruce looked up when Tony shuffled into the room and immediately started to frown.

“Is he gone again?”

Tony stopped in his tracks. “What?”

“Loki”, Bruce clarified. “You look lovesick again.”

“I'm not even capable of being lovesick, Brucey.” Tony scowled at his friend, but still sat down next to him. “Stop smirking.”

Of course, Bruce continued smirking, so Tony continued scowling until the other man chuckled. “Tea?”, he asked, and Tony wrinkled his nose.

“I don't drink tea, you know that.”

“Yes, but I'm not letting you drink scotch at three pm”, Bruce countered, setting aside the tablet he'd been working on.

“That's mean”, Tony whined and let his head fall on the counter top with a soft thud. “I'm in desperate need for a drink.”

“You're always in need for a drink. What happened?”

Tony frowned against the marble. “Loki left for space again.”

“So you are lovesick.”

“Shut up.”

“I'm sure he knows better than to stay away for months again”, Bruce said. Tony could hear the amusement in his voice. “You know, given the tantrum you threw last time.”

“Tantrum? I don't remember any tantrums. Well, I remember the tantrum Loki threw when he was sick of staying in bed after two days, but me? Nope, no tantrums there.”

“Sure thing, Tony.”

“I don't have to see you to know you're smirking again, Banner. Stop it.”

Bruce laughed and Tony lifted his head again to give him a dirty look. But he was to distracted by other thoughts to really be annoyed with his friend, and so he ended up staring into space and racking his brains again.

“Want to tell me what's wrong?”, Bruce asked after a while.

Tony thought about it for a moment. “I think”, he said then, “I hallucinated Loki kissed me.”

“I wouldn't be surprised if you dreamed about that, to be honest.”

Tony blinked at the other man in confusion, trying to understand how Bruce could just continue sipping his tea after hearing the official confirmation that Tony Stark had finally and unexpectedly lost his mind. Bruce just shrugged when he noticed his staring.

“Come on, Tony, you've been ogling him for a year now.”

“No, Bruce”, Tony said when he found his voice again, shaking his head. “I mean, yeah, but – oh, you noticed that. That's not good. That means he noticed it as well.”

“I'm pretty sure he did, yeah.”

“Anyway, I was awake. I swear I was. He told me he'd be off-planet again, only for a few hours, he said, and then he -”

He broke off, because he honestly wasn't sure. But he remembered the faint brush of lips against his cheek, which was weird, because why would Loki kiss his cheek?

Gods, he was losing it.

“He kissed you?”, Bruce filled in when Tony finished his sentence.

“No”, Tony said instantly. “I mean, yeah, maybe. On the cheek? I think he did.”

“You think?” Bruce sounded as if he had to keep from laughing.

“I was working, okay? You know how I am when I'm working, I barely even listened to him.” He stared at Bruce with wide eyes. “I hallucinated he kissed me. That's not good.”

“I don't believe you hallucinated. He's ogling you as well, you know.”

Yes, Tony knew that. He wasn't stupid, he noticed when someone checked him out. And it wouldn't have thrown him off track like this if Loki had kissed him properly. Hell, Tony would've been all in for that, but a kiss on the cheek? A goodbye kiss? That was an entirely different level, right there.

“You've no idea, have you?”, Bruce's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

Bruce snorted. “You're a genius”, he said, patting Tony on the shoulder. “You'll figure it out. You sure you don't want tea?”

Tony's forehead met the counter top again.

In the evening, Tony sat on the sofa on his floor, staring at the screen of his phone, and thought about gifts.

He liked gifts, generally. He enjoyed giving gifts, mostly, and receiving them was nice as well, as long as they came from the right person and weren't used to bribe him. And exactly that was the problem, wasn't it?

So, Loki was the right person. Tony liked receiving gifts from him, because that sort of meant he cared. You wouldn't go on a quest in the style of Lord of the Rings because of a nightlight if you didn't care. Tony only wasn't entirely sure what Loki cared about – sure, they were friends and he knew that Loki liked him. Hell, the god had shown that he liked him. At least he'd stopped pretending to be annoyed by Tony a long time ago. And there were the smiles and the touches and the looks, all of them telling Tony all to clearly that Loki... didn't not like him. But all those presents? And the effort Loki had made to get them? That was weird. They couldn't all be “thank you”' and “I'm glad you let me live in your tower” gifts. That explanation had always been wobbly, and now Tony was cursing himself for not asking why a second time.

So, what was Loki aiming for? Somehow Tony doubted that the god really just enjoyed showering people with presents, that just wasn't like him. And he got along with Natasha quite well, and she hadn't gotten any gifts as far as Tony knew.

He briefly wondered if this was all a giant prank, but he dismissed the thought immediately. Yeah, Loki was a good actor and a flawless liar, but he'd been honest. His nervousness and hope Tony would like and accept his gifts weren't faked, Tony was sure of that. Also, Tony trusted him. He really did. But well, Loki wouldn't do anything like this just because. There had to be something behind it.

Tony still couldn't say for sure whether he had imagined that kiss or not. But, if he hadn't, it seemed to be a really clear sign of what Loki was aiming for. And Tony didn't quite know what to make of that.

“You'll hurt yourself if you keep thinking that hard.”

Tony didn't flinch, but it was a close thing. He turned his head to see Loki walking towards him, carrying a tray of all things. The god was still in what he called his “casual armor”, meaning that it was slightly less golden and swanky than what he used to wear in battles. His smirk slowly turned into a slightly worried frown as he came closer.

“Is something wrong?”, he asked, setting the tray on the sofa table.

Tony hurried to shake his head and threw his phone aside. “No, everything's peachy. How was your trip?”

Loki shrugged and sat down next to Tony, a little closer than social constraints would've commanded. But well, it wasn't as if Loki cared about social constraints, let alone earthly ones, so there was that. Still, Tony wasn't sure if he'd manage several hours at Loki's side like this without going mad, with all those thoughts swirling through his head.

“Uneventful”; Loki answered, and Tony forced himself to concentrate on what his friend was saying. “It seems the Vanir are less reluctant to sell me their commodities than the dwarfs.”

“So you didn't have to steal anything? Too bad.”

“Yes, it was rather boring.” Loki leaned forward and began pouring what looked like tea into the two cups on the tray.

“Let me guess”, Tony said, trying to sound casual, “that's another gift? You never bring a cup for me, usually.”

“Yes”, Loki said absently, making one of his Weird Magic Moves with one hand. The liquid in the cups glowed green for a second. “I know that you have no liking for tea, but I do hope you make an exception for this one.”

“Sure. Whatever needs to be magicked before drinking just has to be harmless.”

Loki snorted as he set one of the cups on the table in front of Tony. “Don't worry. I merely made sure that the herbs unfold their right effect, those Vanir herbs can be a little wayward.”

“Really comforting me there, Rudolph”, Tony said dryly, but he took the cup anyway. Let nobody say that Tony Stark was too chicken to try the extra-terrestrial tea. “And what effect will this have, exactly?”

“You could get a little sleepy, but that should be all.”

“Ookay.” Tony smelled at the drink, finding that it smelled like, well, tea. Maybe a bit sweeter than any tea Tony knew. He took a careful first sip. “Oh. That's nice.”

“When I was younger and only beginning to study magic, I used to drink this before meditating. It helps to open the mind”, Loki told him, smiling at Tony over the rim of his cup. “I suppose I won't see you at all the next days. These herbs can induce quite a creativity boost.”

“So you're giving me this to keep me out of your hair for a while. That's harsh, Loki.”

“Oh, no, I fully intend to stay at your side, if you let me. I do enjoy watching you work.”

“And now you're trying to charm me.”

Loki just rolled his eyes, but the look in his eyes was warm.

Oh god. Loki was trying to charm him, wasn't he?

This was wild.

“Movie?”, Tony asked. “You choose.”

Gladly Loki didn't seem to notice Tony's inner burst of panic, because he just nodded and began talking to JARVIS, trying to find a movie that wouldn't bore either of them. A flash of green light washed over him and then he was sitting there in one of his tunics and loose pants, just like every other movie night. The laces at his collar stood open, revealing far too much of his neck and collar bone. It was all smooth, elegant lines and Tony would have given anything to get his mouth on that pale skin.

He swallowed heavily and took another sip of his tea, blaming the warm feeling low in his belly on the drink.

Even twenty minutes in he had no idea what movie Loki had picked, and frankly he didn't even care. He was too distracted by trying to keep his eyes away from the mage next to him. But even though he felt like he'd do something very stupid if he continued staring at Loki, he couldn't yank his gaze away. Thankfully the movie really seemed to interest the Trickster, and so Tony was spared any comments about his behaviour that just had to come across as strange. Now and then Loki asked about some earthly references in the movie he didn't understand, and Tony even managed to explain without looking very stupid. He continued sipping the tea, which tasted way better than every other tea Tony had ever had, and after a while he gave up trying to stop his creepy staring. If Bruce was right, Loki was aware of Tony's ogling, anyway, so why hide it? Tony had caught Loki staring at him more than once as well, so Tony didn't really have to be ashamed. Not that Tony was capable of shame, but whatever. And if that light brush of lips this morning had really happened...

Then, hell, these feelings were probably both sided.

This was so easy.

The thought made the warmth in his belly spread over his whole body, and he felt strangely fuzzy. It was a nice feeling, though, so he didn't think much of it. He downed the rest of his second cup of tea and put in on the table, the movement causing a slight dizziness that he could easily blink away.

“Are you alright?”, came Loki's warm voice, and Tony smiled brightly at him.

“Perfect”, he said and leaned back again.

He even shifted a little closer to Loki, who blinked a little in surprise but didn't make a comment. Their thighs were touching now, which was nice. He could feel the warmth of the body next to him, which was a surprise since Loki was always a little cold to the touch. But he remembered that Loki hadn't felt cold during that hug they'd shared when he had returned from Alfheimr, and his lips this morning had been warm as well. His hands were always cold, though. Weird. Maybe he had some kind of circulatory disorders? Was that possible for a Jotun? Well, Tony was sure Loki had blood, so it probably was.

Tony poked Loki's arm to see if it was warm – it was – and ignored Loki's slightly confused look. He was distracted by the thin fabric of Loki's tunic, which felt a bit strange between his fingertips.

“Anthony?”

“Yeah?”, Tony replied, tugging at Loki's sleeve. The fabric felt so soft, but it didn't give in to his touch like normal fabric should. Also weird.

“What are you doing?”

“What stuff's your shirt made of?”, Tony asked, looking up to meet Loki's eyes. (They were really, really green.)

“Asgardian silk”, Loki answered slowly, his eyes flickering over Tony's face. There was a crease between them Tony didn't really like. “Are you sure you're fine?”

“Sure. This feels better than the silk we have on Earth. That's sort of unfair.” He had to blink a little, because Loki was becoming kind of blurred in front of him.

“Anthony?”, Loki asked again, a nervous edge to his tone. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing”, Tony said instantly, but then he leaned in and frowned at something he'd only just noticed. “You're glowing.”

“Glowing?”

“Yeah. Your hair's all shiny.” He tugged at one of the raven strands, finding that Loki's hair felt even better than his weird Asgardian silk. “Suits you. I mean, there's nothing that wouldn't suit you, probably, but still. I like it.”

Loki was still staring at him with wide eyes, and suddenly he caught Tony's hand in his. Well, Tony certainly wasn't going to complain about that, even if it kept him from running his fingers through the god's hair.

“You are far too hot”, Loki mumbled, causing Tony to quirk a brow.

“A strange compliment, but thanks? You're too hot, too.”

Loki let go of Tony's hand and put his own on the inventor's chest instead. Tony could feel his heart drumming against Loki's fingers, and suddenly there was a weird tingling spreading out from them. Tony glanced down at Loki's hand, laughing a little.

“What the hell was that?”

Loki just cursed under his breath, and he really sounded worried when he said, “Look at me.”

“I am looking at you”, Tony said, reassuringly patting Loki's hand. “Well, I'm trying. You're a little blurry. And colors are a bit intensive, suddenly, is that normal?”

“I'll get Dr. Banner”, Loki said and stood up.

Tony immediately followed suit, which was a mistake. The room was turning around him, the colors swirling, and thank god Loki reached out to steady him. As soon as Tony's sight had calmed down again he chuckled and grabbed Loki's arms, squeezing a little.

“Okay, that was a bit weird. Thanks.”

Loki made Tony sit on the sofa again, pushing gently. “Stay here. I will be back in a moment.”

“Lokes, I feel -” But the god was already gone. “- fine.”

Tony sighed and looked over to the TV where the movie was still running. He narrowed his eyes at the screen, trying to make out at least silhouettes in the whirl of colors, but since that gave him a headache he gave it up rather quickly. He felt as if he was looking at some weird kind of thermal image.

“Tony?”

He looked up and grinned, giving a wave when he saw Loki, Bruce and Thor coming towards him. “Hey, guys.”

“He looks fine”, Thor said, glancing at his brother.

“You're glowing as well”, Tony observed and looked at Loki. “Why's everyone glowing?”

They all exchanged glances, and Bruce sat down next to him. “Tony, would you look at me?”

“Sure, Brucey.” Tony tried not to squint too much, but looking at one fixed point was a little hard when everything just kept moving. It was fascinating to watch, actually.

“I think he is feverish”, Loki said, his voice tight, “and his heart is beating much too fast.”

“He drank tea, you said?”, Bruce said.

“Yeah”, Tony answered. “Loki brought tea from another planet. Alien tea, Bruce, I'm sure you'd love it. It makes everything a little fuzzy and blurry, though.”

“Okay”, Bruce said, drawing the world out. “JARVIS, vitals?”

“Mr. Laufeyson is right with his observations”, the AI answered instantly. Did he sound amused? Huh. He did. “As far as I can tell the tea had a psychedelic effect of some kind. All in all, Sir seems to be fine.”

“I am”, Tony nodded. “Thanks, J. I love you.”

“Likewise, Sir.”

“He will be fine?”, Loki asked Bruce.

“I think so, yeah”, the scientist replied. He chuckled. “Seems he's just a little high.”

“Loki”, Thor chimed in, sounding worried. “Did you -”

“Not now, Thor”, Loki said, and Tony chuckled at his annoyed tone. The brothers continued hissing at each other.

“Come now, Tony”; Bruce said, gently grabbing Tony's arm. “I think you'd better go to bed.”

“I don't want to go to bed”, Tony protested, but let it happen when Bruce pulled him to his feet. “Oh. Room's turning again. Bruce, I don't want to go to bed with you. You're adorable, you are, but not really my type.”

“That's fine, Tony. You're not my type, either.”

“Okay”, Tony said, patting Bruce's shoulder. “Glad we sorted that out.” He tapped against one of his friend's lenses. “I like your glasses, are they new?”

“No, but thanks. Can you stand on your own?”

“Uhm. No?”

There was a hand on the small of Tony's back, suddenly, touch gentle but firm. “I will take care of him.”

Tony turned his head to see Loki standing next to him, all tall and glowing and gorgeous. Honestly, what was it with the glowing? They all looked as if they'd swallowed some luminescent pills or something. Tony looked at his own hands, eyes widening when he saw that his skin was aglow as well.

“This is really weird”, he said.

Bruce chuckled. “Okay, just give him something to drink before he goes to sleep. And have JARVIS call me when anything changes.”

“Very well”, Loki replied. He sounded strangely dismissive, like he always did when he talked to Bruce. Tony didn't like it.

“Be nice”, he told the mage, but Loki just gave him an odd look.

Shortly after, Bruce and Thor were gone again. Well, that had been a strange visit. Tony hadn't missed the worried looks the Thunderer had thrown in his direction, and Loki was acting a bit strange as well. He squinted at the god while he let himself be lead to his bedroom, and he didn't like how tense Loki seemed. He would have asked him what was wrong, but he was slightly distracted by trying not to stagger too much. His feet felt a little numb which made walking somewhat complicated, and sense of direction was pretty much nonexistent. It was thanks to Loki that he arrived in his bedroom unharmed. He also listened patiently to Tony's excited rambling about colors he hadn't ever seen before, humming along while making sure that Tony didn't fall.

When Loki practically dropped him on his bed, Tony's hand was spinning, so he let himself fall on his back. Loki made him drink some water, and it didn't take long until he felt better again. He was actually really content. He had a feeling in his chest that was all warm and happy, and the slight tingling in his limbs was kind of funny. After a while he lifted his head again, looking for Loki. The god was standing next to the bed, staring down at Tony with a strange expression.

“You're joining me, right?”, Tony asked, his heart fluttering weirdly in his chest.

He watched as the Trickster's expression softened, and then Loki did join him on the bed. Loki didn't lie down, sadly, but he leaned against the headboard, his long legs all over the bed. God, he'd take up much space. And steal Tony's blankets, probably. The thought made Tony laugh with glee as he moved to lay down next to Loki.

“You're taller than me”, he stated as soon as he was in a comfortable position.

“You say that as if you only noticed it”, Loki said indulgently.

“Uhm, no. That's been one of the first things I noticed about you. That, and the helmet. The helmet's ridiculous. I've meant to ask you for ages now, what's the deal with that? I mean, you've enough charisma to pull that look off, but it's still strange.”

Loki sighed next to him. “You are not even remotely tired, are you?”

“Nope. Wide awake. My hands are tingling.”

“I did not mean for this to happen”, Loki said in response. He sounded contrite, so Tony nudged his thigh.

“But I like to have you in my bed”, he said, grinning up the god.

“We will see what you will think of that in the morning.”

“Stop being sad, I don't like that.”

“Apologies”, Loki said dryly, and a second later he began running his fingers through Tony's hair. “JARVIS, please alarm me instantly should his vitals change.”

“Of course, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“I feel fine, guys, stop worrying.”

“You are disturbingly cross-eyed.”

“I wouldn't be if you would just stop moving.”

“I am not moving, Anthony.”

Tony groaned and closed his eyes, only to open them again a second later. “I have, like, a million ideas just now.”

“Tell me about them”, Loki said.

So Tony did.

Chapter Text

When Tony woke up, he felt surprisingly... good. No more weird tingling in his limbs and also no glowing stuff when he opened his eyes. The overly warm and comfortable feeling in his chest was gone as well, but he was still in a good mood.

Sadly, that mood was dimmed a little when he noticed that Loki wasn't in his bed anymore.

“Hey, J”, Tony said, sitting up in bed. “Time?”

“3:53 pm, Sir. You have slept for eleven hours.”

“Huh. Loki?”

“He left your bedroom 26 minutes ago and is now in the kitchen with Mr. Odinson.”

That made Tony laugh. “He's getting a lecture, isn't he?”

“A quite extensive one, yes.”

Tony snickered some more while getting out of bed. He plucked the floating Nightlight out of the air – he didn't remember tossing it up before falling asleep, so Loki must have done it – and put it back on his nightstand. He made a quick stop at the bathroom before heading to the kitchen, hoping that the gods hadn't already taken apart his floor.

They hadn't, thankfully. But they were arguing. Well, kind of. In fact, it was only Thor talking to his adopted brother who was sitting at the counter with a book in front of him and doing a really good job ignoring the older god. Tony was actually impressed by Thor's endurance, because really, keeping to talk to Loki when he ignored you was freaking hard. (Once, Tony had managed to piss Loki off enough to be ignored like that, and after ten minutes of trying to get through to the mage Tony had honestly begun doubting his own existence. He'd practically ran to Bruce to make sure Loki hadn't turned him into a ghost out of pure annoyance.)

Tony didn't bother eavesdropping, he didn't even silence his steps when he entered the kitchen. Thor stopped talking instantly, turning to him with one of his patented “I am big but very friendly” smiles. It was sincere – actually, Tony thought that Thor wasn't even capable of smiling insincerely –, but it was all too obvious that he was concerned. But well, that wasn't really one of Tony's priorities at the moment.

His priority was still sitting at the counter and didn't even look at him when he greeted the two gods with a cheerful good morning. Loki had tensed, though, and turned his face away to hide it.

Great.

“How are you feeling?”, Thor asked gently, calling Tony's attention to him again.

“Perfect”, Tony tells him, grinning. “Still a little lightheaded, I think, but you're not glowing anymore, so everything's great. Seems the effect of your neat space drug wore off already.”

The last sentence was directed at Loki and was meant to sound teasing, but the mage still refused to look at him. Tony suppressed a sigh.

“Good”, Thor said, relieved. “I had hoped so. Those particular Vanir herbs are seldom life threatening, at least for the Aesir. For a mortal, however...”

According to the look Thor threw in his brother's direction, that last sentence was also directed at Loki. And annoyingly, Thor even got a reaction.

“Just go away, Thor.”

Not a nice one, but hey, at least Loki was speaking again.

“Very well”, Thor said, amusement coloring his voice. “I shall come back later. You can tell me then how he re-”

“Thor.”

Thor's grin only widened in response to his brother's hiss, but he left Loki be and turned to Tony again instead. “I shall tell Dr. Banner that you recovered.”

“Yeah, sure”, Tony said slowly, glancing between the two gods. “Do that.”

The older god patted Tony on the back and gave Loki a last look before he left the kitchen. Somehow, seeing Thor so amused wasn't quite what Tony had expected. It made him a bit suspicious, honestly – something here was off.

He raised his brows at Loki, but the Trickster just kept avoiding Tony's eyes. His fingers fidgeted around with a page of the book in front of him. He wasn't reading, Tony could tell by the way the green eyes were fixed on the words.

“So”, Tony said, leaning against the counter next to his friend. “How long did it take to convince him you didn't drug me on purpose?”

That startled Loki into finally looking at Tony, even if it was only a brief glance before he averted his gaze again. His expression that he had kept carefully blank now turned into a small frown. “Not as long as I expected”, he said then, voice dubiously quiet.

“Should I speak to him about it, too? You know, to erase any doubts.”

Loki sighed. His finger were still busy dog-earing his book, and that alone was already a reason to be worried. “I am sure he'll ask you later”, Loki said. “If you would be willing to support my statement, I'd be thankful.”

“You make that sound as if I'd be lying.”

“It wouldn't be a lie. I just don't expect you to hide my mistakes.” Loki closed his book and pushed it away from him, doubtlessly to keep himself from ruining any more page corners. “You have every right to be... upset.”

“I'm not.”

Loki looked at him only hesitantly; he didn't seem convinced. Tony shrugged.

“It was an accident, nothing more. I'm not mad. You didn't mean to hurt me or anything.”

The mage's frown deepened at that, and he turned on his stool to face Tony fully. “Are you hurt?”

“No”, Tony said instantly, huffing a small laugh. “I'm fine, don't worry. Not even groggy.”

Loki's mouth twitched, eyes suddenly angry. “It shouldn't have happened. I was – stupid, to forget that you're human like that. I should have known that the herbs would affect you much stronger than me.” He looked away again, apparently unable to hold Tony's gaze for longer then twenty seconds. “It was mere luck that you didn't get seriously sick.”

“Loki -”, Tony began, but Loki interrupted him instantly.

“If you want to cease our... relation”, the god said, his voice far too even, “I would understand, of course. You do not have to -”

“Loki”, Tony tried again and leaned forward to put his hands on Loki's, knowing that would shut him up. (It did, at least for a moment.) “I'm fine, okay? I told you, I'm not mad. No beating yourself up because of this, and no ceasing of any relations.”

“But -”

“And no 'but'.” Tony gave Loki's hands a reassuring squeeze, laughing a little at the god's slightly dumbfounded expression. “You don't have to be sorry, Lokes. The whole thing was fun.”

Loki only scoffed.

“No, really”, Tony insisted, grinning. “I've certainly had worse trips than that. And my head stayed pretty clear all the time.”

“You positively begged me to let you braid my hair.”

“Yeah, and you let me.” Tony patted Loki's hand. “You drugged me, and than you endured a high me for, what, nine hours? I think we're even.”

Finally, a small smirk began tugging at Loki's lips. “I admit that it was rather arduous.”

“I was adorable.”

“I didn't deny that.”

Tony already had some kind of witty reply ready, but somehow the words didn't want to pass his lips. Loki was really smiling now, looking down at their entwined hands. His thumb had started stroking over the back of Tony's hand. For a while Tony couldn't do anything else than watch – Loki's relief was easily spotted now that the tension had left his shoulders and that almost soft look had found its way into his eyes.

Surprisingly, Tony remembered those nine hours very clearly. He had spent them high, of course, but, and that was far more important, in bed with Loki. And he'd been cuddly. He remembered curling up against Loki's side and telling the god about all those ideas he'd had. And Loki had given hums of encouragement while his fingers had kept running through Tony's hair or stroking his back. Tony hadn't thought much of it last night, because it had felt nice and actually kind of right.

Now, things were a little different. With his head completely clear it was harder to ignore both inhibitions and awkwardness. Somehow Loki hadn't believed high Tony when he had tried to convince him that all that touching hadn't anything to do with the drug. It wasn't hard to guess that Loki still believed the most of Tony's affection had been brought about by the tea.

And Tony couldn't really have that, could he?

He cleared his throat and Loki immediately let go of his hands, which was more or less the opposite of what Tony meant to achieve. Okay, he didn't know exactly what he wanted to achieve, and he'd never been good at talking feelings. But the silence was getting a bit awkward, and Loki was looking at him as if he was worried and nervous again, so Tony opened his mouth and said the first thing that crossed his mind.

“You, uh, kissed my cheek. Yesterday, I mean. Before you left.”

“Yes”, Loki said, sounding concerned. “Was that too early? I did not mean to -”

“No, no, it was fine”, Tony broke him off, inwardly relieved that he hadn't just imagined that. “I was just wondering if...”

He trailed off, realizing that he had no idea how to finish that sentence. Hell, he was supposed to be good at stuff like this. At flirting. And he was, usually, even with Loki, so maybe that drug was still affecting him. Yes, he'd just blame it on the tea.

“Anthony?”, Loki asked, somewhere between worried and... excited?

Oh, whatever.

He grabbed the god's shirt and pulled, leaning forward at the same time to press his lips on Loki's. Tony saw green eyes widen in surprise before he closed his own. It – the kiss, Loki's lips cool and pliant against his – lasted only a few seconds, even though Tony would have liked to stay like this a while longer. But Loki had stilled, not kissing back. Not doing anything, in fact. With his hand still on the mage's chest, Tony could feel his heart drumming against his fingers. It was the only sign that this was doing something to Loki – that, and the way he followed the movement when Tony pulled pack. As if he wasn't yet ready for the kiss to end.

Tony blinked his eyes open again, looking at Loki with a nervousness he'd never admit. Loki's eyes were still wide and incredulous and searching Tony's, as if Loki hadn't yet picked up on what had just happened. Tony managed a crooked smile. Loki's gaze dropped down to his lips as he watched that smile form, and Tony could see him swallow thickly.

“The tea”, Loki said weakly, eyes flickering with uncertainty.

“Isn't making me do this”, Tony replied. His grin became a little more secure as he tightened his grip on Loki's tunic, keeping him close. “I wanted to kiss you long before you drugged me.”

“Oh.”

“Mhhm.” Tony let go of Loki's shirt to let his hand wander upwards. He watched for a moment as his fingertips traced the pale line of the god's collarbone, but then he looked up at Loki again, still smirking.

This time, it was Loki who closed the gap between them, and Tony would have chuckled into the kiss, maybe, if he hadn't already been breathless.

Over the next weeks, Tony forgot about gifts. Loki stayed at the tower, or rather, he stayed with Tony. They didn't spend much more time together than before the Alien Tea Accident, but it was still... nicer. Being allowed to touch Loki whenever Tony got the impulse was pretty awesome, and being touched in return was even better. Loki was still careful, though, and surprisingly reserved. He also didn't stop retreating to his room or one of the guest room's on Tony's floor for the nights. More than once Tony was close to drag the god into his bedroom, but he never did. He felt as if Loki was restraining himself – and Tony – for a reason other than uncertainty, and Tony found himself going along with it. After all, they'd taken a year before they had even discovered that yes, kissing was a thing they should definitely do, so they were just taking things slow. Probably. Tony didn't really know anything about taking things slow, actually. He had only had one relationship that had lasted longer than a week and consisted of more than just occasional and uncommitted sex, and this seemed different than anything he had ever had with Pepper.

So, yeah, he still was a bit confused and didn't exactly know what he was doing. But kissing Loki was amazing and sneaking his fingers under Loki's tunic was amazing, and Loki seemed even happier and lighter than before, which was amazing as well, so there was that.

They were together, probably. Like, a couple. But anyway, who was Tony to put labels on things?

Yes, he'd forgotten about those gifts. Not completely, of course, because the flower was still sitting on the desk of his workshop and made him smile every time it caught his eye. He still carried the daggers with him. The Uru worked wonderful with his suit and the tea had brought him a few brilliant ideas he had thoroughly enjoyed to realize. The Nightlight floated above his bed every night, and his nightmares had actually gotten better.

So, he did remember the gifts, because he was awfully fond of them. They reminded him of Loki, after all, and Tony was also awfully fond of him. But he'd kind of forgotten about Thor's odd looks, even though the Thunderer still sent them in Tony's direction now and then, and about the fact that he still hadn't figured out if the gift giving had any deeper sense.

Loki reminded him of that mystery about a month after the tea.

The Trickster had been in Asgard, which Tony didn't really count as one of his trips off-planet. It was a condition of the agreement they had with Odin, that Loki had to show up in Godland every once in a while. Loki mostly used those visits to talk to his mother, and he never stayed away for longer than a few hours.

This time, Tony had actually made Loki promise that he would be back in the Tower in the evening, because Tony had to attend some annoying kind of gala and didn't want to be the only one dying of boredom. And Loki had promised to be there, but he was late. Tony was already in his bedroom dressing for the gala when the god returned. In fact, he was just buttoning up his dress shirt when the door opened and Loki sauntered in.

Tony narrowed his eyes at him. “I don't know if that's different in the Land of Space Vikings, but here on Earth we knock before we enter other people's bedrooms.”

“Since when do you care about manners?”, Loki asked with a pleasant smile.

“Since your door handle burned my hand when I tried to enter your room without knocking.”

“That was months ago”, Loki said as he walked over to Tony.

“Yeah, but I've got trust issues because of that. It's as if every door handle wants to hurt me.”

“I am awfully sorry for that”, Loki lied. He took Tony's hand in his and brought it up to his lips; a habit he had adopted at some point in the last weeks. “You look lovely.”

“Don't I always?”

Loki let go of Tony's hand and gently tugged at the collar of the inventor's shirt. “You might want to change, though. I have something for you that should be a little more comfortable.”

Tony raised his brows. “Oh?”

Still smiling, Loki nodded over to the bed. Tony turned around, not even surprised when he saw that a bunch of clothes had appeared on his bed out of nowhere. He gave Loki another amused glance before he walked over to examine them. If he hadn't already figured out that they were another gift, Tony would have thought they were Loki's, probably. At least some of them, because they weren't all in Loki's all time favorite color scheme. There were a few dress shirts in different colors at least two were green, though – and next to it were some t-shirts and slacks. And there was also a pile that looked dubiously like Asgardian clothing, actually similar to the stuff Loki wore all the time.

Tony ran his hands over the fabric of one of the shirts. Holy shit, that felt amazing. “This is the same stuff your clothes are made of, isn't it?”

“Yes. You seemed quite fond of Asgardian silk, under the influence of the Vanir tea.”

Tony laughed and picked up one of the t-shirts. It seemed to be just his size. “So the Aesir know how to make real, normal, earthly clothes?”

“No”, Loki said. He was standing next to Tony again, watching as Tony looked through the clothes. “I gave the tailors a few exemplars of your clothing, for reference.”

Tony lowered the shirt again, staring at the mage with a frown. “Wait. Are you telling me you're responsible for all my missing shirts?”

Loki shrugged. “They are in your wardrobe again.”

“But JARVIS told me they'd gone missing in the laundry!”

Loki gave him a look that very clearly said “And you believed that?”, but before Tony could comment on that his AI chimed in. JARVIS sounded just as innocent as his partner in crime looked.

“I'm sorry, Sir, but Mr. Laufeyson asked me for assistance. You gave clear orders to follow his commands.”

“Oh, great”, Tony said, glaring at the AI's nearest camera. “You're ganging up on me now.” Loki just laughed, apparently fully aware that Tony wasn't really mad. Tony lifted the shirt again, threatening the god with it. “You're really lucky this stuff's so nice.”

“You like it?”, Loki asked, the look in his eyes getting softer again.

Tony looked back at the clothes and nodded. “Yeah, they're great”, he said. “You actually brought me a whole new wardrobe.”

“I only wanted a few shirts, initially”, Loki said. “I gave them in order the last time I was in Asgard.” The god sighed. “I told my mother about it, then, which might have been a mistake. The Aesir gear is more a gift from her than from me. You do not have to wear it, of course.”

Tony blinked at that, his eyes widening when the meaning of those words became clear. “You told your mom about me”, he stated, unable to hold back a little laugh.

Loki frowned. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

Oh, he sounded nervous again. Loki hadn't sounded like that for quite some time now. “No no”, Tony hurried to say, huffing another laugh. “It's fine, just – didn't expect that, I guess? But yeah, it's fine. Cute, actually.”

“Cute”, Loki repeated, frown deepening. He was probably about to wrinkle his nose at Tony's sheer audacity to call him cute, of all things. It made Tony's smile widen.

“So, actually your mother's the one who gave me a new wardrobe, then”, he said.

Loki nodded.

“Tell her thanks from me next time you see her, okay?”, Tony said, and Loki nodded again. His frown disappeared again when Tony stood up on tiptoes to kiss the god's cheek. “And thank you, too.”

“You're very welcome”, Loki told him warmly.

“Okay, now tell me, what exactly did you have in mind for me to wear?”

Unsurprisingly, Loki pulled one of the green dress shirts out of the pile and unfolded it on the bedspread. Tony snorted.

“Dressing me in your colors, huh?”

“Yes”, Loki said.

Okay then. Without further ado, Tony began unbuttoning his shirt again, fully aware that Loki was watching him attentively.

“And you're going to wear that suit I bought you, yes?”, he asked, and Loki's eyes immediately flew up to Tony's face again. Tony smirked.

“Of course”, Loki said, grinning widely.

The gala was boring as hell, but Loki being in an unusually good mood made up for that. When they returned to the tower in the early morning hours, Loki made no move to retreat to his own room, so Tony took the chance and finally dragged him into his bedroom. (They had taken things slow enough for his taste.) And sometime around dawn Tony was still awake while Loki wasn't, and he found himself thinking about those gifts again.

Right then and there, with Loki's body wrapped around him, something clicked.

Thor returned to the tower a few days later. He'd been gone for a while – not off-planet, only in New Mexico – and he would have stayed away for longer, probably, if Tony hadn't called him. Tony was in his workshop when JARVIS announced the god's arrival, absently repairing DUM-E who had somehow managed to loosen a few of his screws. It wasn't as if the robot couldn't take care of that himself, but he liked the attention. Tony told JARVIS to guide Thor to the workshop, and shortly after he entered, eyeing his surroundings a bit warily. U rolled to him to greet the god, and if Thor thought the robot was something else than a strange Midgardian pet he didn't show it.

“Hello, Tony”, he said while petting U's head. “I came as soon as I could, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything's fine”, Tony said. He threw away his screwdriver and shooed DUM-E away. “Thanks for coming, big guy.”

“Of course”, Thor said with a wide smile. “I'll gladly help, if I can. You didn't tell me what the matter was.”

“Oh, yeah”, Tony said and stood up, walking over to his desk to sit down. God, he had no idea how to this. “Uhm.”

“Does it have something to do with my brother?”

Okay, that one wasn't that hard to guess. “Yes, sort of.”

Immediately, Thor looked worried. “Did he do something?”

“No”, Tony hurried to say, shaking his head. “I mean, yes, but nothing bad, you know. I just wanted to, ah – ask you a question.”

“Oh, I see.”

Thor's expression brightened, and he suddenly looked amused again. However, that quickly resolved into something similar to awe when came over to Tony, his eyes fixed on the inventor's desk. Tony followed his gaze, relieved when he saw what Thor had spotted. That would be a far better way to start this conversation that Tony's stammering.

“By the Norns”, Thor muttered, leaning over the icy flower on Tony's desk. “I never thought I would actually see one. I believed they were extinguished.”

“Yeah, he – he said that they're very rare”, Tony said and waited for some kind of surprised reaction, but Thor only smiled.

“It must have been very hard to find it”, he said. “Not even our mother has one in her gardens.”

“Okay”, Tony drawled, staring at the god. “So, uh. Can you guess my question?”

Thor nodded and straightened himself again, looking at Tony somewhat thoughtfully. “Yes, I think I can. He didn't tell you, did he?”

“Tell me what, exactly?”

Okay, now Thor seemed to be uncomfortable. He shifted on his feet and looked at the flower again, a crease between his eyes. “I am not sure if he would want me to tell you.”

“That's sort of the reason why I'm worried”, Tony replied, trying to find the right words to make Thor talk. “I mean, he gave me all this really nice stuff and I've no idea what that exactly means or if I'm supposed to do anything in return, you know? And obviously he doesn't intend to tell me, so you're the only option I've left.”

“Have you asked him?”, Thor said. Exactly what Tony didn't want to hear.

“Thor”, Tony said, looking at the god seriously. “He would laugh at me. Because it took me a year to figure out that those gifts aren't just gifts. And that's not even the worst thing that could happen, 'cause maybe I'm just imagining things and those gifts are just gifts, and then he'd have a much more embarrassing reason to laugh at me.”

Thor laughed a bit, and Tony scowled at him. But the god also looked at him warmly, which made Tony feel a bit more optimistic about this thing.

“I understand”, Thor said eventually, “and I did warn him that I would tell you if he didn't.”

Tony felt the urge to clap his hands in triumph. “I knew you wouldn't let me down. Do you want to sit down? Take that chair over there. And I feel like I should be taking notes or something. Please tell me he isn't doing some magic spell thing with all those gifts or something, because that would be creepy.”

“It is no magic”, Thor said, sitting down. “I think you will find nothing to worry about.”

“Spit it out, then. It's some kind of Asgardian dating thing, isn't it?”

“We call it 'courting'”, Thor said, nodding. “But yes. It is a very old tradition.”

“So you did it as well?”, Tony asked. “I mean, for Jane. Or you'll have to, at some point?”

“I could. It isn't expected anymore.” Thor paused, apparently thinking. “In fact, I know only one who is following through with it.”

“And that's Loki.”

“Yes.” Thor seemed almost proud. “Not even father did this for our mother. This ritual is rather... outdated. Something we only read about.”

Given the fact that the Asgardians were almost obsessed with their traditions, as far as Tony knew, that struck him as rather weird. He raised his brows at Thor. “Somehow I've the feeling that there's another reason for that than just a change in fashion.”

“In this ritual, the suitor has to travel the realms”, Thor explained, “which can be a very dangerous venture. People tended to lose their lives in the less... civilized worlds, so this tradition was abolished a few thousand years ago.”

Tony blinked at him, trying to process those words. “So you're telling me that Loki is risking his life because of... this thing?”

“In Asgard, Loki is also known as Sky-Walker”, Thor said lightheartedly. “He uses pathways around the branches of Yggdrasil that no one else knows of. He's wandered the Nine Realms on his own since we were but children, and I think that there are only few who can claim to have seen as much of the realms as he. You need not worry about him.”

“I'm not worried”, Tony replied, and he really wasn't. He knew that Loki could look after himself, no matter where he was. “I just – I don't get why he's making all that effort.”

“To impress you, of course”, Thor said, smiling. “But also to share with you what he loves, and what he thinks you might love as well.” He lifted his shoulders. “Loki is a traveler. I always thought he preferred to be alone on his journeys, but now I believe he just... lacked the right companion.”

“And – and you think I...”

“Yes”, Thor nodded when Tony trailed off. “You and my brother, you fit very well together.”

Tony swallowed. Nice to know that they had Thor's blessing. “Thanks. So, uhm. One gift from every realm. That's it?”

“Nearly. You would receive seven gifts, in total. Helheim is excluded, and Midgard as well since you are from here. Every gift has to be accepted separately from the others, so the suitor can always be refused even if the previous gifts have been taken. The seventh gift would have to be from the suitor's home realm, and then the courted one can decide whether they accept them completely or not. If they do, they can end the ritual with a gift from their realm. Midgard, in your case.”

It didn't take long to count the gifts Tony had already gotten. And he was also aware that the last gift, the clothes, was from Asgard, which was – in some way – Loki's home realm.

He was pretty sure he became pale.

“Oh”, he said, staring blankly at Thor.

“Are you alright?”

Tony cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, fine. What's – you know, what is the status quo after that seventh gift?”

Thor had to think about that for a moment. “Betrothed, you could say”, he said then.

Oh.

Oh god.

Tony was engaged.

“What troubles you?”

A hand carefully wandered over Tony's side, the touch barely there. As if Loki wasn't sure whether he was allowed to touch or not. Tony had been sure the mage was already asleep, so maybe Tony's laborious thinking had woken him up again. Honestly, Tony wouldn't have been surprised if it actually had.

“Nothing”, Tony whispered back, voice just as hoarse as Loki's.

Loki hummed skeptically. Tony put his hand on Loki's where the god's fingers were still brushing Tony's waist.

“I'm fine”, he said a bit more firmly and pulled at Loki's hand.

The mage gave in and moved closer, pressing against Tony's back. He nosed at his neck, just in the way Tony liked, and Tony gladly snuggled into the embrace. They were both naked, and Loki's body was pleasantly cool. His hair was still wet from the shower they had taken earlier.

It was nice, and even though Tony had never been overly fond of cuddling, he knew he could easily fall asleep like this. Because, although Loki didn't believe him when Tony said he was fine, he was. And maybe that was what was freaking him out.

After the first flash of panic had subsided, Tony had realized that things weren't half so bad. Fine, when he wanted to take that old Asgardian courting thing seriously, he was sort of engaged with a slightly insane but surprisingly lovable Space Mage. That was a lot to take in. But he also knew that breaking rules and traditions was one of Loki's favorite hobbies, so maybe those clothes hadn't really been a proposal. Because then Loki would have made a bigger fuss about it, Tony was sure about that.

The problem was, Tony didn't really know what was going on in Loki's head. He assumed that Loki was sort of serious about this, just like Tony was. But Tony had more or less decided to just roll with it and see where it went, so if Loki was already making plans for marriage they weren't exactly on the same page.

The thing was, though, that the thought of Loki actually having plans for marriage didn't freak Tony out as much as it should. Even though he wasn't really planning on it. But he'd always been a man of impulses and gut decisions, and him and Loki, that just... worked. And he wanted to see Loki happy, to make him happy. Was that a good enough reason to accept a proposal that only potentially was a real proposal? Well, Tony was also pretty sure he loved Loki – fuck, he really did – and now and then he was just as sure that Loki loved him back. So, all in all, everything was good. He felt good, at least, and he was happy, and he would gladly travel all the Nine Realms with Loki if that was what he wanted.

But still. Tony had always sucked at real and long and steady relationships, so he wasn't sure if him being so at ease with, well, everything, was a good thing. It confused the hell out of him.

“Anthony”, Loki muttered behind him, breath brushing Tony's neck. “I can hear you thinking.”

Tony blinked into the darkness of his – of their – bedroom. “I can turn the sound off”, he offered.

“You don't have to”, Loki replied. He sounded sleepy. “You have been distracted for days now.”

It wasn't an accusation, Loki actually just sounded worried. Tony knew that the mage would let the topic drop if he told him he didn't want to talk about it, but Tony also knew that Loki wouldn't stop thinking and worrying about it, then. They had to talk about this sooner or later, anyway. Tony sighed.

“Why didn't you tell me?”, he asked quietly.

“Tell you what?”

“About the courting.”

As expected, Loki's body tensed behind him. Tony waited for an answer more or less patiently, staring into space instead of turning around to the god.

“Thor told you”, Loki said eventually, voice flat.

Tony hummed affirmatively.

“When?”

“Last week.”

“Ah.”

Tony waited for something more, but Loki stayed quiet. A few seconds passed before Tony spoke up again.

“It's okay. I mean, I'm not mad or anything. Just, I'm still not totally sure how this thing works, even though Thor explained a few things. But it's important to you, so I'd like to understand.”

There was a pause, and when Loki finally replied he sounded cautious. “The ritual itself is not important to me. I only wanted to – to court you, and I didn't know how.”

“So you chose to perform this Asgardian courting ritual I couldn't possibly know about without telling me about it.”

Loki pulled away, and when Tony turned his head he could see that the god was now lying on his back. Tony rolled on his other side to keep looking at Loki, even though he couldn't see much more than silhouettes. They really should have tossed the Nightlight up when they had went to sleep earlier.

“It worked, didn't it?”, Loki said defensively, and Tony snorted.

“Yeah, it did. Maybe it would've worked even better if I had known what was going on.”

“But you knew”, Loki said, and Tony was sure he could hear him rolling his eyes. “What does it matter that I followed the rules of that stupid ritual? They were courting gifts, and you treated them as such without knowing of our traditions.”

“Uhm”, Tony replied eloquently, not exactly willing to admit how oblivious he had been.

“What?”, Loki asked. Damn.

“Uhm”, Tony said again. “It might've taken me really long to figure that out. That they were courting gifts, I mean.”

Loki turned his head towards him, and Tony could only just make his eyes out. They glimmered a little in the darkness, as if Loki was a cat, and it was probably not the right time to giggle about that, so he didn't.

“How long?”, Loki asked, obviously confused.

“Until last week?”, Tony answered meekly.

Silence, for a few moments, then: “And what exactly did you think I was doing, showering you with gifts like that?”

“I thought you were a very considerate friend.”

Loki laughed at that, the sound a bit out of place in the dark room. Tony couldn't help but grin as well, though, even when he shoved Loki in the side.

“Shut up. You could've just told me, you know, then it wouldn't have taken us a year to get here.”

“I relied on your reputation as a genius”, Loki teased in response. “A misjudgment, apparently.”

“No reason to be mean”, Tony retorted, pouting. “In my defense, you didn't even make a hint that you were courting me in the beginning. You said it was to thank me.”

“It was.”

“But not only.”

“No.” Loki rolled onto his side, facing Tony now. “I was sure you would not accept that first gift if I told you what it was for. You didn't see more in me than a friend, back then.”

Tony wanted to protest, but then he realized that Loki was probably right. Any mention of courting, coming from Loki off all people, would have freaked him out back then. Not because he didn't like Loki, he just hadn't seen him that way yet.

“Fine”, Tony grumbled eventually. “You could've told me later, though.”

“I really thought you knew.”

“Stop laughing.”

Loki chuckled a bit more, but it didn't take long until he got somewhat serious again. “The ritual doesn't really matter to me, Anthony”, he said quietly. “It is nothing more than a musty tradition. I got you those gifts because I wanted to, not because I believed I had to.”

Tony couldn't hold the words back. “Are you telling me that the last gift wasn't a proposal?”

Loki seemed to think about that for a moment. Tony tried to read his expression in the darkness and failed, so he just concentrated on the faint gleam of Loki's eyes.

“It is what you want it to be”, Loki said simply. “I do not expect a gift from you now, if that is what you are asking.”

Tony had to swallow as he understood what Loki was saying. So, maybe the clothes had been a proposal. Sort of. God. “Okay”, Tony said, because it was.

Hell, it was.

“I can give you the world, Anthony”, Loki said almost urgently despite of his quiet tone. “I can take you wherever you wish, show you every realm you want to see. I would gladly have you with me wherever I go.”

“I can come with you on your trips?”, Tony asked, surprised.

“If you want to”, Loki answered, “yes.”

Tony stared at what little he could see of the god. He thought about how proud and happy Loki looked whenever Tony had liked and accepted his gifts, and he thought about what Thor had said. The right companion. And he nodded and shifted closer to Loki until their noses were almost touching.

“I want that”, Tony told him, tone just as urgent as Loki's. “All of that. But this -” He reached out and touched Loki's chest, letting his fingers wander up the god's neck until he could run them through the damp strands of his hair. “You are enough, okay? I don't need any gifts and those trips are gonna be awesome, but I'm not in this for them.” Loki's eyes crinkled into a smile, Tony could see it, and he swallowed and continued, words falling from his lips in what was almost a rush. “Take away all Nightlights and alien drugs and all the fucking Nine Realms, and I'd still want you as much as I do now.”

Loki kissed him, fiercely, and Tony kissed him back.

A few months later, Loki entered Tony's workshop as he did practically every day. JARVIS had told Tony that the god was on his way, and he was already grinning to himself when Loki passed Tony's desk, already rambling about some new spell he wanted to try out today. He grinned even wider when Loki suddenly fell silent. He turned around to see that Loki had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at his own desk as if he couldn't really believe what he saw.

A gift was sitting there; a box Tony had very carefully wrapped up in green paper, knowing that Loki would adore the color. He'd even added a golden bow for good measure. He was absolutely sure that Loki would love what the box contained – probably not because of the gift itself, but for what it meant.

It meant the world to both of them.