Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was cold for an early summer morning. Tony’s skin pebbled with goosebumps, but he made no move to get up and go inside. His eyes were fixed stubbornly on the horizon, watching as the sun began to make an appearance. That, he had found, was the only thing that he could be sure of. No matter what happened during the night, the sun would always rise.

That was the one thing that Thanos hadn’t taken away from them.

He startled a bit when a blanket was suddenly draped around his shoulders, but a quick glance up revealed that it was only Thor. There was enough chair on the balcony, and Thor wasted no time in sitting down and making himself comfortable. He was wearing only a thin muscle shirt, but Tony knew from experience that Asgardians didn’t feel the cold the way that humans did.

“Thanks,” Tony said finally, breaking the silence. At one time, he would’ve shoved the blanket away with an insistence that it was unnecessary. Now, he pulled it a bit more closely around his shoulders.

“Can’t have Iron Man dying from a chill,” Thor said with a thin smile.

“It’s not that cold out here,” Tony said. “And it’ll get warmer as the sun comes up.” He returned his gaze to the horizon, where the sun was still just a faint golden line.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, until the sun had crested the horizon and was ascending into the sky. It wasn’t as warm as Tony had hoped, so he kept the blanket tucked around him. He finally looked back at Thor, wondering if Thor had fallen asleep, but no – Thor was awake. He was staring out over the city, but, when he sensed Tony’s attention, he turned to look at Tony.

There was a seriousness about Thor’s expression that Tony hadn’t seen for a long time. Tony braced himself automatically. He was familiar with what bad news looked like, given how much of it he had received over the past couple of years, but there was something else here. A layer to Thor being here that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He waited.

Thor didn’t make him wait long.

“I have been thinking about the device,” Thor announced without preamble. “I believe that you should be the one to use it.”

“Okay… wow. Can’t say I was expecting that,” Tony said slowly, eyebrows furrowing. “And I’m also not sure that the others would agree with you.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think. All that matters is the facts, yes?” Thor said.

Tony frowned, not really liking it when his own words were thrown back in his face. “Yes…”

“The problem that we have right now is two-fold. A specific date and a specific location. We have the means to send someone back in time, but we can’t control where they’ll end up or even when,” said Thor. “That is still correct, is it not?”

“Yes…” Tony said again. It was one of the reasons why he had been up so late. He’d been trying in vain to reconfigure the device so that they would have more control. But every time he refined things even a little bit, the device lost some of its potency. It was a catch-22. Go back in time by a couple of weeks and end up exactly when and where they wanted to be or go back in time a couple of years but risk being way off.

And what was the point of going back in time if they ended up arriving after Thanos had destroyed half the universe?

“I believe there is a way to circumvent that problem,” Thor said. “But it can only be done by you.” He looked at Tony expectantly.

Tony stared back cluelessly.

He didn’t know what Thor wanted him to do, but there was no magical answer that Tony could pull out of his butt. He had researched every possible avenue, talked to every person that he could think of, and tried every scenario that came to mind no matter how out there.

Rather than speak, Thor leaned over and set a hand on Tony’s side, just above his left hip.

Tony froze.

“I know,” Thor said, very quietly.

The seconds ticked by in silence while Tony struggled to form an answer. He could pretend that he didn’t know what Thor was talking about, but he knew that Thor wasn’t going to let this go. It seemed less dignified to let Thor drag it out of him than for Tony to just be upfront about it – but he hated to acknowledge it out loud, after he had sworn to himself that no one would ever know…

At last, Tony sighed. “How did you know?”

“I saw it a few months ago. I think a better question is, how did you know?” Thor asked. His face was much closer to Tony now, and his blue eyes were very penetrating. Tony swallowed.

“I didn’t. Not for a long time,” he admitted in a low voice. “The Battle of New York was such a shitshow, Thor. You know that; you were there. I saw afterwards that my mark had changed color, but I legitimately had no idea when it had happened. It could’ve been on the helicarrier, or it could’ve been during the battle itself, or it could’ve been in the days after… I didn’t notice until about four days after everything was all said and done.”

Thor nodded. “But eventually, you figured it out?”

“I guessed. I didn’t know for sure. I still don’t,” Tony told him. It had been the process of elimination. Looking at video footage, figuring out who he’d met, who he’d touched – eventually it had led Tony to an answer that he hadn’t known what to do with. So he’d buried it and hoped that no one would ever know.

“You do now. Your mark is the same as Loki’s,” Thor said.

Tony sucked in a breath and closed his eyes.

He’d expected it, but hearing it –

“I’ve seen Loki’s soul mark many times. It’s in the same place and has the same design, and it changed color after the Battle of New York. I assumed that he had met his soulmate after he fell from the bridge. It never occurred to me that his soulmate was here on Earth until I saw your mark a few weeks ago,” Thor explained.

“Right. When I got hurt from that robot,” Tony muttered. Dazed with pain and shock from a deep cut to his shoulder, it hadn’t even occurred to him to protest someone stripping his shirt off until it was too late.

“Yes. I knew then, but I wasn’t sure how to approach you about it, or even if I should… until now.”

“I still don’t understand,” Tony said crossly. His heart was beating a bit faster.

Loki was his soulmate.

But what did that have to do with anything?

“Your bond would draw you to him if you went back in time,” Thor told him.

“Oh.” Tony exhaled. “I see what you mean. Okay. But that doesn’t explain why I have to be the one to go. Lots of people have soulmates. Hell, Cap had one. He could go.”

Thor caught Tony’s eye. “I think we both know that wouldn’t work.”

And honestly, Tony couldn’t really argue against that.

He had always known that Rogers had come out of the ice a little broken. A little cracked around the edges. But no one had really understood the extent of that until Rogers had gotten Barnes back only to lose him again. Rogers was like a different person. He never smiled. He rarely slept. He wandered around like a ghost haunting the place: a ghost searching for something out of its reach.

Sending Rogers back in time to Barnes would be an unmitigated disaster; Rogers had always been unreasonable when it came to Barnes, but now? That would be cranked up to eleven, and Tony found it hard to believe that Rogers would care about anything besides Barnes. Every decision that Rogers made would be based off of whether it was the best decision for Barnes, and to hell with anyone or anything else. That could have some pretty drastic consequences on the future.

“Okay. Not Cap. But there are others,” Tony said. “I didn’t even know Loki. Not really. Maybe our bond wouldn’t even be strong enough to guide me to him.”

“It would be,” Thor said simply. “Your soul mark… I saw the color.”

Tony pursed his lips. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” he lied, and Thor rolled his eyes.

“I know I’m not the smartest Avenger, but I’m not that stupid,” he said. “I know what a gold soulmate mark means. Everyone knows. It’s the stuff of legends. It means that you and Loki are perfectly compatible. It means -”

“Okay, okay. I know what it’s supposed to mean. I don’t need the full rundown,” Tony grumbled.

Everyone started off with a white soul mark.

When your soulmate died, it turned black – which was what Tony’s looked like right now.

When you met your soulmate, the soul mark usually turned blue. It was a sign that you had met your soulmate, and that your souls were balanced.

But for some people, the color was a little different. A few turned red, which meant that the soulmates would be enemies. Fewer turned silver, which spoke of a deeper bond than blue. But even rare than that was gold. Gold was practically unheard of. Gold spoke of a bond so deep that most people couldn’t even fathom what that might mean. Tony sure didn’t, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to or not.

“Then you know that your bond is deeper than most. You will be drawn to Loki’s side naturally,” Thor said doggedly. Tony wasn’t sure how to argue that, so he tried a different tactic.

“Let’s say that you’re right. That still doesn’t solve the problem of timing. Obviously it would happen sometime before your ship was attacked, but… I really don’t want to end up standing beside Loki when he’s attacking all of New York,” Tony said, grimacing at the mere thought.

Thor looked at him earnestly. “Loki has magic, remember?”

“How could I forget? But I still don’t see how that solves anything,” said Tony. Magic. It always came back to magic.

“Have you ever heard the stories about soul marks guiding soulmates to each other at the time of their greatest need?” Thor asked. His voice had dropped to a whisper, but Tony heard every word clearly. His skin prickled, this time for a reason that had nothing to do with the cool air.

“So you’re saying… Loki’s magic would do that. Guide me to him,” Tony said softly, unsure how he felt about that.

“Yes.”

“Even though Loki doesn’t know we’re soulmates.”

“He doesn’t need to know for it to work. You know that,” Thor said with a trace of impatience.

Tony bit his lip because he did know that. Those stories were just supposed to be urban legends, but everything seemed to be fair game when it came to magic.

“How do you know when Loki’s time of greatest need was?” he said finally.

“I can assure you, I know. It was when we faced Thanos. It’s the only time I have ever seen Loki that frightened. That means you would be taken to our ship.” Thor straightened up, his hand falling away from Tony’s side. “You don’t have to go if you’d rather not. I would understand. But… I do believe this is our best chance. Possibly our only chance.”

“To your ship,” Tony repeated slowly. “You think we could kill Thanos?”

“I think that you could with the element of surprise on your side,” Thor replied. “Thanos would not be expecting you on that ship. No one would. You would need to be fast, Tony. Faster than you’ve ever been in your life.”

Tony fell quiet for a moment, thinking. At least, he said, “This could kill me.”

“Yes,” Thor said again, his tone grave.

Thanos could kill him. Or Tony could be lost forever if he didn’t make it to Loki’s side on that ship – or he could end up five years too early. Or the machine could malfunction and just straight-up kill him on the spot. It was a risk. A huge risk.

He looked at Thor again, remembering how Thor used to look: young, happy, full of hope. The years had added a gravity and age to Thor’s face that shouldn’t have been there. It was the same thing Tony saw no matter who he looked at – even when he looked in a mirror. This could kill him… but what was the alternative? Staying here hoping that someday life might improve? Hoping that someday it wouldn’t hurt?

And since when had Tony Stark ever shied away from a risk?

“Okay,” he said, his heart starting to race. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter Text

“Take this with you.”

Tony half-turned and recoiled, startled by the sight of the dagger that had been thrust into his face. Or perhaps dagger wasn’t the proper word. It was longer than your usual dagger but seemed to be shorter than a true sword. The blade was about the length of Tony’s forearm and seemed to glow with an eerie, iridescent blue light. It definitely wasn’t made of anything mortal.

“What is that?” Tony said, not daring to reach out and touch it just yet. So much exposure to magic had taught him to be wary of anything that glowed.

“It’s for you. To kill Thanos.” Thor’s expression flickered briefly with a deep-set rage when he spoke the name. “It’s made of Uru. Just make sure that you go for his head.”

“His head. Right.” Tony exhaled and slowly reached for the dagger. He was half-expecting to be electrocuted or something like that, but nothing happened when Thor passed it over to him.

The dagger was lighter than Tony had expected. The hilt felt like cool metal beneath his fingertips, and it was only then that he realized that the hilt was covered with dozens of etchings that were perceptible through touch alone. He waved the dagger experimentally, liking the way it felt in his hand. The flash of the steel through the air seemed to draw his eye, demanding attention.

Cautiously, well aware that it could be dangerous, he touched the pad of his index finger to the flat of the blade – the edge looked sharp enough to split skin with little effort. A shiver ran through him when his finger made contact. The air in the room seemed to change, though Tony couldn’t have expressed how or why for the life of him. When he glanced up, Thor was watching him with an approving eye.

“It will serve you well, Tony Stark. Take care that no one but you or Loki touches it from now on,” said Thor gravely.

“Got it.” Tony wasn’t sure what to do with the dagger at first, until Thor passed him a sheath. It was black and made of a material Tony wasn’t familiar with, and it had a hoop at the end that could be strung either through Tony’s belt or through a hook on the armor. Which was a bonus, because at least that meant he wouldn’t be trying to walk around with a dagger shoved in his waistband.

“Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to?” Thor asked.

“No,” Tony said without even needing to think about it.

It seemed safer not to tell anyone what they were about to do. Pepper and Rhodey would just try to stop him – actually, ironically, Rogers and Romanov would try to stop Tony too. But not because they cared about his safety the way that Pepper and Rhodey did. No, Rogers and Romanov would just want to stop Tony because they wouldn’t believe he could do this. They had never believed in him.

Better that he just go without talking to anyone besides Thor. If he succeeded, the future wouldn’t be here anymore so it wouldn’t matter anyway. If he didn’t… then Tony still thought that this was for the best. He needed to at least try to do this.

He put on the latest iteration of the armor, hooked the sheath in place, and then took one last look at Thor. If this worked, the next time Tony looked at Thor it would be a version of Thor who had never lost Loki for good. A Thor who would hopefully be in much better shape mentally than this Thor was, not that Tony could blame Thor given everything he – hell, given everything they had all been through.

Thor said something soft in Asgardian then, a language he rarely spoke anymore. Tony didn’t understand, but he got the impression that it was a blessing. So he nodded back, unsurprised when Thor hauled him into a hug. It didn’t last long, only for a second, and then Thor was stepping back. With nothing else to do, and no one else to say good-bye to, Tony swallowed hard and activated the device.

Falling into the timestream wasn’t as terrifying as Tony thought that it would be. The floor suddenly seemed to grow unsteady beneath his feet before melting away entirely, but he didn’t fall. He flew, but without the power of the armor. It was like some external source gripped the armor and propelled it forwards. The dizzying flood of colors was too much, and Tony shut his eyes. Despite that, the movement forward of the armor didn’t stop for what felt like several long minutes.

So the sudden jerk to the side caught him off guard. Tony flailed in surprise as he was dragged – no, pulled to a stop with a suddenness that left him reeling. All of a sudden, he slammed up against something solid. A wall, he realized belatedly when he opened his eyes to see what was going on. The air around him seemed to be faintly sparkling with blue and green lights. They winked out of sight as soon as Tony looked directly at them.

He felt strange and shaky. For a few seconds, he wasn’t sure what was up and what was down. The room was dark and it was extremely disorienting; the device had gone black on the wrist of the armor, and even tapping at it didn’t yield any results. It had died completely, stranding Tony wherever he was. His breath caught and he had to force down an instinctual surge of panic.

Wherever he was, he was trapped.

So had it worked?

Tony took a cautious step forward. As he did so, it was like the rest of his senses returned and the armor suddenly kicked into gear. Information flashed rapidly across the screen, telling him that he wasn’t on earth. He was in space, on a ship, and the temperature was cold. Very cold. Someone was speaking, and the words echoed oddly in Tony’s head before something seemed to click and he understood what they were saying.

“This is not a war craft, I repeat, this is not a war craft!”

Oh shit.

The time to come to terms with what had happened and where he was had passed, it seemed.

Tony took another quick look around to get his bearings and spotted a door across the room. He darted towards it and found himself in a long corridor filled with dead bodies. His stomach twisted in on itself. The soul mark on his hip started to burn. Maybe he was too late. The painful thought chased him down the hallway. He moved as quickly as he dared, trying not to look at the empty, staring eyes.

“Alright, STOP!”

That was Loki’s voice.

He was alive.

The amount of relief Tony felt at that moment was scarier than traveling through time. It weakened his knees and forced him to stop for a moment, hand shooting out to brace himself against the wall. Never had Tony thought there would be a time when he would feel this way at hearing that voice, but here he was. He only wished that Thor could have been here with him.

Tempting though it was to speed the remainder of the way, Tony focused on moving as slowly and silently as possible towards the end of the corridor. It opened up into a large room, which was full of people. Thanos was there with all of his henchmen. Amidst a bunch of scared and angry Asgardians, there was Thor, who looked worse for the wear, and Bruce, and Valkyrie, and –

Tony breathed.

Loki.

It seemed that Thor knew his brother, and the moment when Loki would need his soulmate the most, better than anyone had thought.

He hung back and watched as Loki held up the Tesseract to distract Thanos long enough for the Hulk to join the fight. His stomach churned as the Hulk fought because he knew how this story ended. Thor had told him once, and only once, how Heimdall had died, how Loki had died, and how the ship had been destroyed. It was only now that Tony realized Thor had only told him that story because Thor had already known that he was talking to his lost brother’s soulmate.

Tony’s hand clenched into a fist. Not again. He would not let the story end that way.

Keeping his eyes locked on the battle, he reached down and unsheathed the dagger. In the dim light of the ship, it glowed even more fiercely. The feel of it in his hand, even through the armor, calmed Tony. He might not be fighting with his repulsors the way he usually did, but it was still a fight – and the dagger was proof that he was not alone. Thor, and everyone else who had helped Tony to get here, were there with him in spirit.

Finally, he was getting the chance to get revenge. To save them all.

He waited.

The Hulk forced Thanos back against the wall of the ship, before Thanos suddenly launched into a fierce retaliation. One of Thanos’s henchmen stopped Thor from interfering, cruelly binding Thor to the floor of the ship with a smirk. Loki hung back with the rest of the Asgardians, looking somewhere between resigned and terrified. No one dared else dared to try to intervene.

No one else except for Tony.

Time seemed to slow down as he activated the thrusters on his boots as the exact moment that Thanos slammed the Hulk into the floor; the Hulk let out a bellow of pain that rattled through Tony’s bones and strained upwards. Thanos just laughed and shoved the Hulk back down with such ease that it was immediately obvious he had just been taunting the Hulk before.

But all of that was fine, because it meant that Thanos’s head was down when Tony suddenly shot out of the shadows. He soared above the crowd, arm outstretched, dagger held aloft at the ready. He was deaf to the startled screams and shouts that echoed around him as he rocketed through the air.

Thanos reared up in surprise, head lifting. His chin tilted up. Someone might as well have taken a big red marker and drawn a target on his neck.

Because in the end, it really was that easy.

The dagger sliced smoothly through Thanos’s neck. Tony barely had to apply any pressure at all. He thudded to the ground on the other side, dagger outstretched, and heard the sound of Thanos’s head and body hitting the ground behind him. For a very long moment, there was just a completely shocked silence. No one dared to move or breathe. Even Thanos’s henchmen were stunned.

Tony stood and turned around, looking down at Thanos’s body. His faceplate snapped up, and he said hoarsely, “That was for Peter, and for Loki, and for the guardians, and for Strange, and for – for everyone else you murdered, you fucking psychotic son of a bitch.”

That seemed to be the signal.

“How dare you!” one of the henchmen shrieked, and suddenly Tony was dealing with a very pissed off henchman right up in his face. He didn’t care. He let the faceplate snap back into place and struck out with the dagger. Whatever could take down Thanos would be able to deal with anything else these assholes could deal out. The henchman didn’t even have time to cry out before he was cut down. Tony lowered the blade, not even breathing hard even though his heart was racing.

He looked up and said hoarsely, “Who’s next?”

Chapter Text

It was over.

Tony sat with his back against the wall of the ship, staring down at his hands. Thanos was dead, and what remained of his henchmen had fled. The Asgardians worked around him, tending to the injured and making arrangements for the dead. No one had touched Thanos’s body yet; Tony hadn’t shared an opinion with anyone, but he privately thought that they should take Thanos’s body back to Earth, burn it, and spread the ashes across the universe.

He probably should’ve been helping with the clean-up, but Tony just couldn’t make himself do anything. He felt numb through his core, like every drop of emotion had been drained from his body the moment that Thanos died. In his peripheral vision, he was aware of Thor and Loki moving around the room – he was always aware, he found, of where either of them was at any given moment.

But beyond that, now that the armor had been retracted, all he could do was just sit there breathing shallowly. He was so out of it that he didn’t even flinch when Bruce suddenly ducked down in front of him.

Bruce. Tony hadn’t seen the man for months before Bruce’s unexpected drop-in on the Sanctum. He had searched for Bruce a little bit, but there had quickly been far more pressing things to worry about than someone who didn’t want to be found. It had honestly never occurred to Tony that Bruce might want to get away so badly that he would go totally off-planet, but in retrospect it did make a lot of sense.

Things had still been awkward between Tony and Bruce in the future. The time when Tony thought they could be close friends was long gone; he’d struggled with trying to forgive Bruce, and with even knowing if Bruce had done something that warranted forgiveness. After all, he didn’t blame Bruce for leaving. Sometimes that was all Tony wanted to do too. His issue was more with the fact that Bruce hadn’t bothered to say goodbye – but was that something Tony had the right to be angry over? Was he owed a goodbye? He’d never found an answer.

“Tony?” Bruce said, drawing Tony’s attention back to him.

He blinked slowly in response, belatedly realizing that Bruce was probably looking for an answer. But the thought of opening his mouth and letting words spill out seemed like an enormous amount of effort. They’d want explanations, he knew. Tony wasn’t supposed to be here and there was no way of hiding that. He just didn’t think he was capable of giving them right now.

“I think he’s in shock,” Bruce said, sounding much more worried than Tony would have expected.

“Shock?” That was Thor, standing so closely behind Bruce that the backs of his knees were almost touching Bruce’s head.

“It’s a human thing. Sometimes it’s a response to trauma. But this is definitely Tony. It’s not an imposter,” Bruce said. He stood up with remarkable ease given the fact that the Hulk had been Thanos’s plaything not too long ago. But then again, that was the Hulk for you.

“What do we do?” Thor asked.

“I’ll take him if you don’t need me here.” Bruce glanced around, his mouth thinning into a line as he took in the scene. The doctor in him was probably raging, Tony realized. If these were all humans, Bruce would have been in his element. But he knew from Thor that Asgardians and humans weren’t the same at all.

“No, you go. Take care of Tony and yourself,” Thor said, clapping Bruce on the shoulder. He gave Tony another worried look before he turned to speak to someone else.

“Tony, come on. Come with me,” Bruce said softly, bending down. He slid his hands under Tony’s arms and lifted Tony right up. Tony’s knees felt strangely weak, but they held when he put his weight on them. Bruce took him by the arm, casting a hesitant glance at the dagger that Tony had yet to let go of. He seemed to know better than to ask for the dagger to be handed over.

Bruce turned them both towards the corridor that Tony had originally exploded out of. But when he took a step forward, Tony refused to follow. His legs may have felt shaky, but he was still strong enough to dig in his heels and stop Bruce in his tracks. The look of surprise on Bruce’s face when he glanced over his shoulder at Tony would’ve been comical under any other circumstances; Tony still felt only emptiness.

“Tony?” Bruce said, confused.

“I can’t leave him.” Tony’s tongue felt thick in his mouth. Each word seemed to be dragged through syrup, requiring incredible concentration to get it out.

“Thor?” Bruce’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Loki,” Tony whispered.

“Loki?” Bruce repeated, looking around automatically for the god in question. Tony didn’t need to look around; he knew exactly where Loki was. He was standing beside the hole that had been torn in the side of the ship, trying to fix it with the help of a couple other Asgardians.

Tony stared at him for a long moment. Loki looked as bruised and beaten and bedraggled as the rest of them, but there was a certain elegance to his every move that Tony had never had the opportunity to appreciate before. Much like Thor, Loki had a commanding presence. Unless he was deliberately trying not to attraction, the other Asgardians had the tendency to look to him for their next steps.

He wished suddenly, with an ache that seemed to radiate through his whole body, that he could have brought Thor back from the future with him. That Thor would have given everything that he was to have another moment with his brother. That wasn’t to say that the present Thor wasn’t grateful that Loki was alive, but… the day that Loki died, the future Thor had lost everything.

“Tony, you’re not making any sense. I think you’re in shock. We need to get you sitting down and warmed up because you’re shivering,” Bruce said firmly.

“Not without Loki,” Tony said stubbornly. He didn’t know why he was so resistant to the idea of Loki leaving his sight – maybe because, without Loki, he had no proof that Thanos was really dead. Or maybe because Thor had missed Loki so much, and Tony felt responsible for those feelings that had now faded away with a future that would never happen.

Or maybe…

The soul mark on his hip burned with a sharpness that made him inhale. Across the ship, Loki stiffened. Tony watched dazedly as Loki put a hand to his own hip and wondered for the first time if Loki knew that they were soulmates. He had always assumed that Loki didn’t, though he’d known there was a chance that Loki could’ve figured it out. Loki wasn’t stupid, after all.

But as Loki’s head swivelled in Tony’s direction with unerring precision, Tony knew that Loki did know.

Loki said something to the Asgardians he was working with and then broke away from them. He started walking in the direction of Tony and Bruce. Tony just stood there, waiting for him to arrive. As Loki neared, Bruce looked between the two of them with a completely baffled expression that, under any other circumstances, would’ve been very amusing.

“Banner, what are you doing?” Loki asked coolly once they were within hearing distance. Bruce stiffened, his eyes flashing with annoyance.

“I’m taking Tony to get warm and to get something to drink. He’s in shock,” Bruce said.

Tony promptly found himself to the subject of a very intense gaze. Without quite meaning to, he ended up meeting Loki’s gaze. Almost immediately, he couldn’t look away. Loki’s eyes were such a bright shade of green, definitely inhuman, but not unpleasant to look at. He didn’t know why he had never noticed before Thor had mentioned it that Loki’s eyes had been blue during the Battle of New York. Blue, just like Clint’s and Selvig’s and all the other brainwashed agents…

“I will accompany you,” Loki said at last. It sounded like his voice was coming from a long ways away, like he was at the end of a tunnel and Tony was just barely hearing him.

Bruce let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, whatever.” He mumbled something else under his breath that Tony couldn’t hear.

Loki blinked, and it was like Tony could look away. In the few seconds that he had been looking at Loki, exhaustion had pierced through the numbness, and when he took a step forward he almost fell flat on his face. Only Bruce’s quick grip kept Tony on his feet. Bruce looked even more concerned now, and he quickly ushered Tony out of the room and back into the corridor.

Tony tried not to look at the dead bodies as they walked, but it was not to. There were so many of them – it looked like a lot of Asgardians had been struck down when they tried to run. That was just like Thanos. It should have made him angry, but he was just so tired. So tired of everything and anything. He just wanted to lay down and sleep the rest of forever away.

They ended up in a small room off the corridor that had glowing purple orbs tucked away in the corners for light. Bruce walked Tony over to a cot and pushed Tony down, not that Tony was willing to put up much of a fight. Loki came into the room too but hovered near the door instead of coming closer. Tony watched Bruce but kept an eye on Loki out of the corner of his eye.

He didn’t know what he’d do if Loki left. Didn’t know why it mattered, only that it did.

“Here,” Bruce said finally, turning back to Tony. He was holding a cup of something steaming despite the fact that Tony hadn’t seen him touch anything like a microwave or a sink. He handed the cup to Tony, who took it with his free hand and looked dubiously at the pale liquid inside.

“It’s safe,” Loki said when Tony hesitated; when Tony looked up, Bruce was glaring at Loki and Loki was looking away from them, up at one of the purple orbs of light.

“Drink it,” Bruce said, still glaring at Loki. “It’s a very diluted version of Asgardian mead. No alcohol, but it’ll warm you up and keep you hydrated.”

Deciding that fighting would be too much effort, Tony took a sip. It was hard to define what he was expecting, but it didn’t taste like much of anything. But it was warm, just like Bruce had promised, and the warmth slithered down Tony’s throat and seemed to spread through to his extremities. He shivered then, and kept shivering as he took more sips from the cup.

Bruce turned away and this time, fetched a blanket from a cupboard. He draped it around Tony’s shoulders, then moved back. Tony kept his eyes on his cup, watching Loki in his peripheral vision, and ignored Bruce’s scrutiny. He knew there was a whole host of questions that Bruce wanted to ask. Questions that Tony didn’t really want to answer.

“That dagger,” Bruce said, evidently unable or unwilling to keep quiet any longer. “Where did you get it?”

The dagger. Tony’s fingers tightened around the handle at the question. The metal was still glowing, though it had now taken on a purple hue thanks to the orbs in the room. He wasn’t sure what he would do with it now that Thanos was dead. The dagger had served its purpose, and technically Tony didn’t need it anymore. But he couldn’t fathom getting rid of it…

“Tony? Bruce said, and Tony dragged his eyes up to look at Bruce. Whatever Bruce saw in Tony’s face made Bruce sigh again and shake his head.

Tony just watched him blankly.

“Alright. I have to go help. You stay here.” Bruce glanced sideways at Loki, but apparently decided against addressing Loki directly. Instead, he just silently passed by Loki and left.

“He’s very short-tempered, your Hulk,” Loki observed once Bruce was gone. “An odd temperament for a healer.”

At one time, Tony might have come to Bruce’s defense. As it stood, he merely shrugged one shoulder and reached out to clumsily set the now-empty cup on a nearby counter. But his depth perception must have been off because the cup teetered precariously and then fell. Tony flinched, but before the cup could hit the ground a disc of green light formed mid-air. The cup landed on the disc without breaking.

Tony stared at the disc wordlessly. It was the same green color as Loki’s eyes. He didn’t like magic much; it should’ve freaked him out further to see that. But it didn’t, and he didn’t know why or what that meant. It was too much on top of everything else. He shut his eyes and huddled into the blanket, willing the world to just stop for a while.

Chapter Text

Loki had spent far too much of his life in a state of uncertainty, and once again he found himself back in the same state. Just when he thought that things were finally settling somewhat – or as settled as things could be now that Asgard was gone – he had again stared into the face of death. Being so close to Thanos again had been unspeakably terrifying; Loki had known, in that moment, that he was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

And then Stark had appeared.

As though by a magical that the mortal did not possess, Stark had burst onto the scene with that dagger and struck Thanos down. It was a fact that Loki still had difficulty wrapping his head around. Thanos was dead. He was dead. The Mad Titan was dead and would never be able to hurt another soul. His plan to wipe out half the universe was done. They were safe.

Safe… thanks to Stark. Thanks to someone that Loki had almost killed once. Of course, Loki had been under Thanos’s control at the time. It occurred to him somewhat belatedly that had Stark’s armor been even a second slower at that time, Thanos would’ve saved himself from death now. It was only by a stroke of luck that they were all here now. A stroke of luck, or was it better to say a stroke of magic?

Very slowly, Loki lowered his gaze to the mortal in question. Some time after Banner departed the room in a huff, annoyed that he couldn’t pry the answers he sought out of Stark, Stark had fallen asleep. But it was a restless sort of sleep, filled with choked-off whimpers and uncomfortable twitching. Stark had only calmed when Loki sat down beside him, close enough for them to touch.

And now he was sleeping against Loki’s shoulder. The armor wasn’t comfortable to lean against – it was all hard angles and unforgiving metal – but Loki could still feel the heat of Stark’s cheek where it rested against his bicep. With every exhale, Stark’s breath ghosted across the back of Loki’s hand. In between the span of two breaths, Loki exhaled with him until they were breathing in sync.

He didn’t know why he had chosen to sit down beside Stark. Well, he allowed, that was a lie. He did know. It was the same reason why he had followed Stark and Banner here in the first place. Almost unconsciously, his right hand drifted down to his hip and the mark that was carefully hidden beneath. The mark that had burned so fiercely, so suddenly, earlier on the ship.

His önd.

That wasn’t what they called them on Midgard, according to Thor. Soulmates, Thor had said, back when he’d been flushed and excited over the possibility that he might have found his in that mortal Jane or whatever her name was. It was close enough, Loki supposed, though he wasn’t sure that the word soulmate conveyed the same depth of meaning that önd did.

Either way, it didn’t really matter what they were called. Whatever word you used, it described him and Stark. And Loki really did not know how to feel about that.

When he was younger, he had always dreamt of finding his önd. It was a big deal on Asgard, usually accompanied by an enormous celebration. But as the years had gone by, Loki had eventually grown to accept that his önd was most likely not on Asgard. After all, your önd was supposed to be your ideal match. Loki couldn’t fathom that someone on Asgard could be his perfect match… and it turned out he’d been right. Somehow, his önd had been on Midgard all along.

Maybe, Loki mused, his life really was some sort of cosmic joke after all. That seemed to be the only explanation for how he had ended up in this very situation. Mere seconds from death, saved by his mortal önd, and now sitting here with the knowledge that there was far more at play than anyone could have realized judging by the scent of magic surrounding his önd. Magic that was at once familiar and foreign.

Footsteps outside the room made Loki tense in anticipation of another interruption from Banner, but it was Thor who poked his head into the room. After everything that had happened, the deeply weary expression on Thor’s face almost made him look like a stranger. But then his gaze met Loki’s, and the relief and affection that lit Thor’s eyes chased those thoughts away even as Thor spoke.

“Brother, all is well?”

“As well as can be,” Loki murmured. He watched as Thor took in him and Stark. The thin furrow between Thor’s eyebrows was a familiar sight. It was fun to know, even after all these years, that Loki was still capable of baffling his brother.

“What is happening here?” Thor asked finally. He looked as tired as Loki felt. They hadn’t even fully recovered from the battle with Hela and now this had happened. Without Mjolnir, Thor had been at a serious disadvantage while fighting Thanos and it showed in the various cuts and bruises.

“I’m not completely sure,” Loki admitted. “Is Banner with you?”

Thor shook his head and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. “He is tending to the wounded. The fight knocked us off course, so it will take an extra day now for us to reach Midgard.”

Loki sighed. “Lovely. Well, I don’t believe that this is the Tony Stark that you knew.”

“An imposter?” Thor tensed, his hand automatically moving to grab a hammer that he no longer had.

“No, not an imposter,” Loki said hastily, less Thor get some idea of throwing Loki’s önd off the ship. “Really, Thor. Do you believe that anyone but Tony Stark would have this armor?”

They both looked down at the armor in question. To Loki’s inexperienced eye, the armor was still a feat of scientific engineering. He could feel a slight hint of magic, but he was too tired to be able to tell if that was coming from the armor itself or from the dagger that Stark was still holding. The dagger was unquestionably both alien and magical in nature, after all.

Thor made a quiet sound of shock.

Loki glanced up at him.

“That doesn’t look like the armor as I remember it,” Thor said slowly, moving closer.

“It has been two years since you were on Earth,” Loki reminded him.

“Right, but…” Thor was still frowning, and that only confirmed a suspicion that had been growing in the back of Loki’s mind.

There was no conceivable way that Stark could have just appeared on the ship. No one on Midgard could have known that Asgard was gone, or even that the remaining Asgardians were on a ship heading for Midgard. Never mind the fact that even if someone had known all that, there would have been no way to pinpoint the Asgardian ship. Thanos had found them through the Infinity Stone, but Stark wouldn’t have been able to. There would’ve been no reason for him to.

Unless Stark had known that something was wrong. Unless he had somehow known exactly where the Asgardian ship was. And the only way that he could know that was if –

“Stop staring at me. It’s creepy,” Stark mumbled.

Thor visibly startled, straightening up. “Apologies, my friend. I didn’t realize you were awake.”

“I don’t want to be, but my head hurts.” Stark opened his eyes, his expression settling into something that was decidedly grumpy. But at least he was speaking now and seemed more coherent than he’d been before. Loki decided that meant the ‘shock’, or whatever Banner had called it, had passed.

“Banner can give you something for your ailment when he returns,” Thor said.

“It’s fine. It’s not that bad,” Stark said quickly, which Loki thought was interesting. Did Stark not want to see Banner? Loki had always been under the impression that the two of them were friends – but then again, Loki better than anyone knew how quickly a relationship could fall apart. Perhaps Stark had been a part of whatever had driven Banner to leave Midgard.

Or maybe it was the other way around…

“Tony, what are you doing here? How did you get here?” Thor asked bluntly. “Not that your presence wasn’t welcome. It truly was. We can’t thank you enough for saving us from Thanos. But I find myself baffled as to how you got here, or how you even knew we were in trouble.”

Stark lifted his head from Loki’s shoulder, though he did not seek to put any more distance between them. He looked between Loki and Thor for a few seconds, and his eyes took on that unfocused, distant look that he had been wearing before. Like he was lost inside of his own head again. Thor glanced at Loki with a distinctly uncomfortable look, like he wasn’t sure what to do next. Loki sighed inwardly.

“Stark,” he said, his voice firm. It worked. Stark blinked and came back to himself, meeting Loki’s gaze.

“I’m from the future,” Stark said hoarsely. “Thanos… he won.”

A chill ran down Loki’s spine.

Thor’s face went grave. “He won?”

Stark nodded slowly. “He destroyed your ship and then came to attack Earth. We tried our best to stop him, but it just wasn’t good enough. He got all of the Infinity Stones and wiped out half the universe in the blink of an eye.”

Because of their proximity, Loki felt it the tremor that wracked Stark’s body. The temptation to put his arm around Stark’s shoulder rose up so suddenly that it caught him off guard, but Loki suppressed it. Now wasn’t the time, and it wasn’t like Stark would be able to feel it anyway given that he was still wearing the armor. He clenched his hands in his lap instead.

“Half the universe,” Thor repeated shakily. “That’s…”

“I know, right? No words for it.” Stark shook his head this time. “We tried to come up with a bunch of plans to make things right, but Thanos still had the Infinity Stones, and it wasn’t like any of us could use them anyway. So then… it seemed like the only logical solution was to go back in time to stop Thanos before he managed to gather all of the stones.”

“Go back in time? You mean –” Thor stopped, blinking, like he couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought.

“You’re from the future,” said Loki, knowing down to his bones that his suspicion had been correct. There was just no other explanation for it.

“But time travel is impossible,” Thor objected before Stark could respond. “That’s what Mother always said.”

“Not impossible. Just very delicate and dangerous without the use of the Time Stone,” Loki replied, watching Stark closely. Time travel was an imprecise art at best. Many who had attempted it had been lost to the vestiges of time, doomed to forever wander. Though Loki had been tempted a time or two to attempt it himself, common sense had always won out and he’d never actually gone through with it.

“It could’ve killed me,” Stark confirmed, not sounding nearly as bothered by that as Loki would have guessed. “But… for many reasons, I had the best chance at coming back to the right moment. Thor – the Thor from the future – gave me this.” He held up the dagger.

“To kill Thanos?” Loki asked, staring at the dagger curiously. Something about the iridescent play of light across the metal was beautiful.

“Yes. He said it was the only thing that could. So, I activated the device and then… boom. I was on your ship. I just had to wait until Thanos was distracted. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. I’m sorry he killed so many Asgardians.” Stark bit his lip, looking guiltily and shamefully up at Thor, like he thought that Thor might be angry.

“My friend…” With a shaky laugh, Thor bent down and hugged Stark. But since Loki was sitting right next to Stark, he ended up in the hug too. He swallowed down a complaint as Thor hugged them both tightly, crushing the armor uncomfortably against Loki’s body. He was close enough to hear Stark’s startled inhale, and Thor’s barely audible whisper.

“My friend, you saved us all.”

Chapter Text

You saved us all.

Those words rattled around inside Tony’s head even after Thor let go. Even though he knew it was true, at the same time it wasn’t. He hadn’t been in time to save all those Asgardians that Thanos had killed, nor had he been in time to save Asgard itself. But neither Thor nor Loki looked upset with him. It was hard to tell what Loki was thinking, but Thor’s expressive face showed nothing but pure relief.

“We’ve set a course for Midgard. But of course, you already knew that,” Thor said, stroking his chin.

“I… well, I guessed,” Tony said cautiously. The truth was, he didn’t know. He could make an educated guess, but he couldn’t know for sure because now history had been changed.

In the original time stream, there hadn’t been enough of the Asgardian ship left for it to go anywhere. Thanos had pretty much destroyed the whole ship and everyone on board aside from Bruce and Thor. But now… obviously that wasn’t the case because Tony had stopped Thanos. So from this point forward, anything could happen and Tony wouldn’t know about it beforehand.

That was a chilling thought.

“It will take a couple of days for us to get there,” Thor went on. “The ship was badly damaged by Thanos’s attack, and those who could have repaired it…” He trailed off, his meaning clear.

“Did you want me to take a look?” Tony offered automatically. It felt like the least he could do, given that he really couldn’t do anything else. In fact, right now he was sucking up Thor’s and Loki’s time when Tony was certain the two of them were needed elsewhere.

Thor smiled, clearly pleased by the offer. “It would be my honor to have you look, my friend.”

“Thor,” Loki said, leveling a look at his brother that Tony couldn’t parse. The two of them looked at each other for a long moment, seemingly having a silent conversation through eye contact. Tony wondered if that was something that all Asgardians could do, or it was unique to Loki and Thor. He suspected it was the latter.

“Right. My friend, you must be exhausted. You should rest first,” Thor said, turning back to Tony.

“No, no. I can do it.” Tony stood up or tried to. The sudden change in height made his head spin. A severe feeling of dizziness swept over him, and he would’ve fallen over had he not been wearing the armor. As it was, Thor reached out and gripped the arm of the armor with an alarmed sound.

“Stark? Are you well?” Loki stood up and took hold of the other arm. Together, he and Thor pushed Tony back down into a seated position.

“I’m – I’m fine,” Tony mumbled, gulping hard. The truth was he kind of felt like he was going to pass out, but he didn’t want to say that out loud. He closed his eyes and took several slow, deep breaths, inhaling through his nose and exhaling out his mouth.

Very slowly, the dizziness began to fade. But it didn’t go away entirely, and Tony was left feeling incredibly weak and shaken afterwards. He didn’t know if it was the after effect of time travel, the lingering effects of shock, or the fact that he couldn’t really remember the last time he’d slept or eaten anything. Or possibly some combination of all of the above…

“You don’t look well,” Thor said, and Tony opened his eyes to find that both Loki and Thor were staring down at them. He had never realized before just how tall the two of them were. Loki was slender where Thor was broad, but both of them seemed impossibly tall at the moment.

“Perhaps you should rest,” said Loki, exchanging a look with Thor. Tony couldn’t be sure, but he assumed it was a ‘we don’t want the mortal to keel over’ sort of look. That made him frown.

“No. You said you needed me to look at the engine. I want to,” Tony said stubbornly.

Thor sighed but acquiesced. “Very well. However, I insist that Loki escort you.”

“What?” Tony said, his stomach tightening with a flash of panic. Truthfully, the thought of Loki being out of his eyesight still made his hands shake. It was like someone had cast a compulsion on him to stick as close to Loki as possible, except that Tony was pretty sure no one had done that and it was just his brain being a stupid ass. Either way, he didn’t want Thor or Loki to know that.

Loki raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ll need someone to translate for you. All of the writing will be in Asgardian,” he said coolly, as though he was the one doing Tony a favor. “Besides that, there are some parts of the engine room that work off of magic. You will need my help.”

“Oh. Right. Okay,” Tony said, trying to force his heart to stop racing so fast. That made perfect sense. It wasn’t like Loki knew that Tony would have a panic attack if Loki walked out of view. Right.

Tony was fine. It was all fine.

“You can go,” Loki said to Thor. “I’m sure they need their king.” There was the smallest curl to his lip as he spoke, but it was soft instead of sardonic like Tony might have expected. This was the Loki that Thor had always spoken of so fondly, Tony realized. Not the angry, bitter, traumatized Loki who had made Thor’s life a living hell for a while. This was Thor’s brother.

“Right.” Thor sighed, shoulders slumping for a moment, before he straightened up again. He marched out of the room like a god on a mission, leaving Loki and Tony alone.

“Shall we go?” Loki turned back to Tony, looking down at him. Without Thor standing right beside him, Tony suddenly realized that Loki was pretty muscled too. It just didn’t look like it when directly compared against Thor. But then again, there weren’t too many people out there who could beat Thor. Whereas Thor’s muscles were blatantly obvious, Loki’s were wirier and leaner.

Why the hell was he sitting here thinking about how muscled Loki was? Tony shook his head hard, then winced as a renewed pain shot through his temples, followed by another surge of dizziness. Okay. No more doing that. He blinked back the pain and smiled as confidently as he could.

“Yeah. Sure.” Tony stood up much more slowly this time, bracing himself against the wall. He could’ve taken the armor off, but he chose not to. Without the armor, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk without help. And that was a line he didn’t know if he wanted to cross – wasn’t even sure that Loki would be willing to cross it even if Tony was.

Loki led the way out of the room that they had been in, back into the hallway. Tony followed him slowly, keeping his eyes on Loki’s back so that he didn’t have to look down and see any bodies, if there were any. He hoped against hope that there weren’t, even as he knew that there probably was. Thanos’s minions wouldn’t have thought twice about cutting down anyone who ran.

The engine room was, as expected of the size of the ship, quite large. Archaic machinery was sluggishly chugging along behind some kind of golden barrier. Loki walked right up to the barrier and passed through it harmlessly; Tony’s heart stuttered briefly with panic until he registered that he could easily see Loki through the barrier. Tony stopped before it, hesitating to follow.

“I doubt there will be much you can do,” Loki said, hand hovering over some gears. “Thanos took great pleasure in using explosives to destroy.”

Tony hated to admit it, but – “When you said engine, I was hoping for something I would be more familiar with,” he said, eyes wandering over all of it. Given time he was certain that he could figure it out, just like he had figured out how to drive that alien ship (and wasn’t that strange, to think that that wouldn’t happen in this new world). But right now, it might as well have been a foreign language he was trying to decipher.

Loki paused, and then said with uncustomary hesitation, “There is one thing I could attempt, but…”

“But?” Tony said, peering at him through the barrier.

“I know you are my önd,” Loki said.

Despite having no idea what the word ‘önd’ meant, Tony knew exactly what Loki meant. He tried to breathe through the emotions that made his chest twist tight, because he’d suspected that Loki knew about the two of them being soulmates, but it was still something different entirely to know that Loki knew.

“That means I could borrow your power,” Loki continued into the silence. “I’m… weak, right now.” He curled his lip with distaste at saying the word out loud. “What happened on Asgard, and then the fight with Thanos, took all of what I had.”

“Right.” Tony nodded slowly, remembering what Thor had told him about Hel and the fall of Asgard. It was a battle that Thor and Loki had barely survived, never mind what had happened when Thanos blindsided them.

“If I could borrow from you, I might be able to repair the ship. That would get us to Midgard faster,” Loki said.

“What do you mean by borrow from me?” Tony asked, a bit warily.

“Exactly what it sounds like.” Loki extended a hand out to him, as though that was explanation enough. Tony stared at that outstretched hand and was momentarily shocked by just how much he wanted to take it. It felt like the whole scope of his world had narrowed to that hand.

How wonderful it would be if he could take that hand, and just for a little while let someone else make all the decisions…

“I don’t have magic,” Tony said, letting his feet carry him closer.

“All creatures have magic if they have a soul. The magic of a human may be different from mine, but that makes it no less potent,” Loki replied. “And your soul…” He trailed off, green eyes intent on Tony’s face. There was clearly a lot he wasn’t saying; the air between them was weighted with the force of those unspoken words.

And still Tony stepped closer, through the barrier – it tingled faintly against his exposed skin – and forward until he was mere inches from Loki.

Their eyes met.

Tony felt like he was falling into those green eyes. He was barely aware of retracting the armor from his hand, but he was definitely aware of the moment he put his hand into Loki’s. A strange feeling ran up his arm and flooded out in waves across his whole body, making his hair stand on end. Loki sucked in a sharp breath and tightened his grip on Tony’s hand, looking surprised. He had felt it too.

Well, that made it official. Definitely soulmates.

“Don’t let go,” Loki told him, and then turned back to face the engine. Tony felt a light tugging sensation in the middle of his chest, but it didn’t hurt. It actually felt a little bit like being tickled. Kind of vaguely annoying, but that was it.

He watched with awe as Loki held out a free hand. The magic that pooled into Loki’s hand was not purely green, as it had been before, but an even mix of green and blue. Turquoise. It was captivating. Tony couldn’t look away as Loki lifted his hand. The magic rose up with the motion of his hand, spilling out towards the engine in an unstoppable surge.

There was a sudden strange pressure in the air. Tony’s knees weakened under the strength of it, and the tugging sensation in his chest intensified. Even as he collapsed, shivers running down his spine, he did as he was told and clung to Loki’s hand.

Chapter Text

”How are we going to fix this? What are we going to do?” Rogers was marching around the room, waving his arms wildly. He’d always been a big man, but right then he seemed to be larger than life. Tony could feel himself shrinking by comparison, unwilling to draw the force of Steve’s ire towards him.

But Romanov was looking his way, at first with a silent query and then with deeper expectation when the minutes trickled by and Tony failed to intervene with Rogers’s ranting. It was just the three of them in the room, what with Barton having taken off, and Tony was keenly aware of the fact that neither Rogers nor Romanov thought very highly of him.

“Steve, please sit down,” Romanov said at last. She stared hard at Tony, her expression filled with disappointment and judgment over the fact that Tony had failed to speak up.

“Sit down? Sit down!” Rogers let out an incredulous, half-manic laugh. He turned to the table and, after pulling his arm back, punched it as hard as he could. Tony flinched back and even Romanov jumped as the table cracked cleanly in two, crumbling in on itself.

“Steve,” Romanov said, but more uncertainly now.

“How can you just be sitting down at a time like this? Bucky is dead!” Rogers was getting louder with each word. “We need to do something to fix this? Why aren’t you fixing this?” This time he looked right at Tony as he spoke, and a little chill ran down Tony’s spine. That wasn’t the Steve Rogers that Tony knew. Those blue eyes were filled with something that many might have called madness – or at the very least, a little unhinged.

“Steve!” Romanov said for a third time, getting up. But Rogers ignored her, stalking towards Tony. Tony got up too, because it seemed better to meet this standing even if he could barely stand. He wasn’t fully healed from what had happened in space, but Rogers didn’t seem to care as he loomed over Tony.

“Fix this!” Rogers yelled in his face.

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered, because even though it wasn’t his fault – it felt like this fault. “I’m sorry…!”

Tony jerked awake with the taste of empty apologies on his lips and a phantom pain in his left shoulder. He grasped at his shoulder automatically, but of course there was nothing there now. No bruising in the shape of a supersolider hand, no cracked bone, no swelling or pain. That had all faded away a long time ago, and now there was only the memory of that sickening moment when Rogers had grabbed him before Romanov intervened.

“Stark?”

Tony’s head snapped around and he flinched back before he could stop himself, momentarily mistaking the unfamiliar voice for that of Rogers. But just as quickly, as Loki went very still, Tony realized how foolish that was. Rogers had called him ‘Tony’ since the day they met. Even after Tony had reverted back to using Rogers’ last name, Rogers had kept right on calling him ‘Tony’ in some weird, exhausting kind of power play.

“What? What is it?” Tony said, his pulse beginning to slow when he realized that he and Loki were alone inside a room with a closed door. Strange how the presence of a virtual stranger could make him feel calm, even a stranger who was his soulmate.

Loki said nothing for a moment, his bright eyes just as focused on Tony’s face as Romanov’s and Rogers’s had been. Yet Tony didn’t feel threatened. Loki’s expression wasn’t angry or heightened with negative emotion. He looked… curious, maybe? Not unlike the way that Pepper used to look when there was a situation in front of her that she couldn’t figure out how to solve.

“You were crying out,” Loki said after a significant pause had passed.

“I was –” Tony cut himself off. He’d been about to say that he was having a nightmare, but that wasn’t quite true. That was something that had really happened.

Loki seemed to understand. “Something you would rather not remember?”

“Something I really wish I could forget,” Tony agreed. Or rather, make that someone. If he never saw or spoke to Steve Rogers again as long as he lived, Tony would be completely okay with that. Though he supposed that now, Rogers would never have to lose Barnes. So Rogers was probably still a bit saner. Despite that, Tony didn’t think he’d ever forget what Rogers was capable of.

He looked around the room when Loki remained quiet. It wasn’t the same place where Bruce had taken him after Tony had dealt with Thanos. This was set up more like a bedroom, with a bed that Tony was currently laying on and a desk in one corner of the room. The fact that he didn’t remember coming here made him remember passing out while helping Loki with the engine, and his face got hot.

“We were able to fix the engines,” Loki said, perhaps sensing what route Tony’s thoughts had taken. “At least enough to make them work temporarily, anyway. We’re only a few hours from Midgard.”

“What?” Tony said, shocked. “Thor said it would take at least a couple days.”

Loki regarded him for a moment, then said, “You’ve been unconscious for the better part of two days now.”

“What?!” Tony said again, a bit appalled at himself. He knew he’d been in rough shape after defeating Thanos, but he didn’t think it had been that bad…

“Magic can be hard on the mortal constitution. After you time travelled, I would have been surprised if you were in perfect health,” said Loki. “Plus, I had to draw on a lot of your energy. More than I anticipated.” His mouth tightened, a quick flash of frustration crossing his face – at Tony? No, Tony decided, at himself. Loki obviously didn’t like not being able to do things on his own, and Tony could definitely appreciate that.

“Right. Okay.” Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. At least that explained the awful taste in his mouth and why he felt like he needed to pee so badly. “Is there a bathroom around?”

“Through there,” Loki said, nodding at the door, and Tony pushed the covers back and stood up. That proved to be a mistake. Immediately the room dipped and swam around him. Loki had to grab his arm and lower him back down onto the bed, where Tony bent double and tried to fight back the urge to throw up.

“Wow, that was a bad idea,” he mumbled once the urge had passed. The dizziness from before was back, settling over his skin like a fine sweat. He suddenly desperately wanted a shower, but he didn’t think he was likely to get one on the ship.

“Are you not well?” Loki inquired, and Tony was a little surprised he had asked.

“I’m – uh, I’m fine. I haven’t exactly been taking care of myself before all this, so it’s just catching up with me,” Tony muttered. “The whole magic thing was just the icing on the cake.” Well, that and the remnants of shock. At this rate he was going to have to spend the first week or so on earth just recuperating.

Slower this time, he got up and managed to keep his balance. He made his way out of the room, conscious that Loki followed him to the door, and into the bathroom across the hall. A cold sweat really did break out this time, accompanied by a feeling of dread that wrapped around his chest like a painful vice, when he realized he had to close the door and lose sight of Loki.

But he had to do. Tony paid his shaking hands no mind and shut the door, trying to steady his breathing as he hurried through using the weird toilet and washing his hands. He quickly scrubbed his teeth with his finger and washed his mouth out. The thought that Loki might have disappeared, or that maybe he’d dreamt everything, hung heavily over him until he wrenched the door open to find Loki standing exactly where he’d been when Tony closed the door.

Loki regarded him calmly and said, “I would like to ask some questions.”

“Sure,” Tony said, weak from relief. He got back to the bed and sat down hard, a little surprised to notice that a plate of round, gold berries and meat had materialized while he was gone. There was also a goblet of water.

“Go ahead and eat. Banner confirmed it is safe for your consumption,” said Loki. He took a seat in the chair by the desk.

“Thanks,” Tony said, touched that Loki had bothered to ask Bruce. He picked up the water but turned to Loki. “What did you want to know?”

“Was I dead in the future?” Loki asked bluntly.

Tony blinked, struggling to keep his expression neutral – he hadn’t anticipated that. “Uh. Yes. Sorry. Thanos killed you when he attacked your ship.”

Loki nodded. “I expected as much. You said Thor had helped you but made no mention of me. I would have been consulted on time travel.”

“It would’ve been nice if you’d been there. We kind of just cobbled it all together. No one really knew what we were doing,” Tony admitted. He helped himself to one of the golden berries, popping it into his mouth. It had an unusual, citrusy taste, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He hoped that Bruce was right about them not being poisonous to humans who weren’t the Hulk.

Just tasting that one berry reminded him of how hungry he was. He didn’t remember the last time he’d eaten anything and he was suddenly ravenous. He dedicated himself to spending a few minutes eating the berries and the meat, which turned out to taste a little like deer. Not his favorite food, but he was hungry enough not to complain.

“How did the time travel work? Why you?” Loki asked after several minutes.

“Ah, well. We had this…” Tony unstrapped the remains of the device and tossed it to Loki to examine. “The problem was that we had no way to zero in on our destination until Thor showed up. He knew that we’re… that we’re, you know, soulmates.”

It felt weird to say the word out loud despite the fact that Loki had already acknowledged it with the Asgardian word for a soulmate. Tony had spent so long hiding the truth once he figured it out that it was strange to think he didn’t need to hide it anymore. Or at least he didn’t need to hide it from Loki and Thor, and that was more than he’d ever had in the past.

“And that helped?” Loki said once he had finished examining the device, looking back at Tony.

“Thor said I could use it because of our bond,” Tony said awkwardly. He really didn’t want to get into the color of their soul mark right now. “And something about how your magic would guide me to you at your time of greatest need or something like that. He seemed really confident it would work, and I… I had nothing to lose.”

“As always, my brother was not fully correct,” Loki said thoughtfully. “Though for once, I can understand where his assumption came from. You were not necessarily drawn to the moment of my greatest need… but rather to a moment of great need that was closest to you timewise.”

Tony took a few seconds to work that through. “So you mean, I could’ve been pulled to another moment of great need… but because all those other moments happened before this particular one, that’s why I was brought here,” he said, and Loki nodded.

“I’m fairly certain that’s how it actually works,” he said, and Tony had to wonder just what Loki had been through that dying wouldn’t be his moment of greatest need. And it made him wonder just when Loki’s moment of greatest need had been.

And it made him a little sad to know that he couldn’t have been pulled to Loki then to help.

“Time will always work in chronological order where it can, and magic, like all other things, is lazy where it can be. It will always take the path of least resistance. However, in this case I can’t confess I’m disappointed you ended up here,” Loki added. “We… I would be dead with you.”

Tony’s stomach flipped at those words. “I’m glad you’re not,” he confessed, holding Loki’s gaze. “Loki, I… I’m really glad that you’re not.”

Chapter Text

Tony felt a little better after having eaten some food and drank some water, but on the whole he still felt like shit. His legs trembled if he tried to stand for more than a minute or two, and he was constantly dizzy on top of a bad headache. Despite that, he got to his feet and followed Loki out of the room after someone came to tell them that they were rapidly approaching earth.

“Do you have the right coordinates?” Tony asked, hating the fact that he was struggling to keep up with Loki’s pace. He thought about putting the armor on, but that seemed unnecessarily antagonistic when there was really no reason to beyond his current physical state.

“The right coordinates for what?” Loki asked. His pace slowed considerably when he realized that Tony was having trouble keeping up with him. A swell of shame made Tony look down at the floor. He hated looking weak, especially in front of someone like Loki, but he literally physically could not go any faster. His body wanted nothing more than to collapse on the spot.

“For the compound. That’s, uh… hang on.” Tony slowed to a much needed stop, resting his hand on the wall while he thought for a few seconds. He had no idea what day it was, so he had no way of knowing if his past self was at the compound or not. It seemed like a safe enough bet to assume that he would be though.

“The compound?” Loki repeated. “I thought Thor said something about your tower.”

“I, uh…” Tony put a hand to his head. When had he sold the tower? Was that before or after Thanos came crashing in and ruined everything? His head ached with the effort of trying to keep the timeline straight.

A warm hand settled on Tony’s lower back, pressing firmly against his shirt. The soulmark on Tony’s hip tingled, and then moments later a cool feeling washed over him, helping to alleviate the pain of his headache. He stood there for several seconds with his eyes shut, until the feeling had slowly faded away. Only then did he open his eyes to find that Loki was standing right beside him, somehow having crowded up into Tony’s space with Tony’s notice.

“You’re not well,” Loki observed, his green eyes seeming to stare right through Tony.

“I – I’ve been better,” Tony said reluctantly, hating to admit to even that much no matter how obvious it was. “I need rest. I know I crashed for two days, but I don’t think it was enough.”

Loki nodded slowly. “When we arrive on Midgard, you can rest for as long as you need to.”

“I wish,” Tony muttered, knowing that there was no way he would be that lucky. He could just imagine what was going to happen when they got to earth and they had to explain everything. People were going to freak out. Not to mention, Tony was going to have to see a lot of people that he would really rather not see. Just the thought of sitting across from Rogers was making Tony’s heartrate speed up by a lot.

They weren’t the same people that he had left behind in the future. But they had the capacity to be those people, and that was something that Tony could never forget.

Loki’s eyes narrowed slightly, but all he said was, “We should go to Thor so you can give him these coordinates. I believe that the ship will be landing shortly.”

It was Tony’s turn to nod. Whatever Loki had done had helped a little, pushing back the pain of the headache, but now he just felt even more dizzy and tired than before. Loki seemed to sense that, or maybe it was obvious in Tony’s face, because Loki stayed close as they kept walking. The hand on Tony’s lower back quickly turned into an arm around Tony’s waist, helping to keep him steady and on his feet.

They found Thor in the same room where Tony had defeated Thanos. Tony found himself staring at the poorly patched hole in the side of the ship where Thanos and his minions had entered. His stomach churned just looking at it and remembering how close Loki and numerous other Asgardians had come to dying. If he had been even a few minutes later…

“My friend, what are the coordinates? I confess that I do not remember exactly where it is located.”

“What?” Tony looked around, blinking, belatedly realizing that Thor was gazing at him with an expectant expression. It took his brain much longer than it should’ve to conjure up the coordinates for the compound, but finally he was able to tell Thor precisely where it was located.

Thor passed the message on to a young woman, who ran from the room. A moment later the ship shuddered beneath Tony’s feet. He found himself leaning harder into Loki’s unwavering grip, relying more heavily on Loki to keep himself standing. Loki seemed to have no trouble remaining on his feet even with the changing course of the ship, a fact which Tony was grateful for.

“Alright, I guess this is it,” Bruce said, walking up to them. He looked nervous as he rubbed his hands together, not that Tony was surprised. It had been a long time since Bruce had returned to earth. Tony’s memory might not have been serving him well at the moment, but he knew that things had changed a lot in Bruce’s absence.

“We should be landing in a few minutes,” Thor said with a nod, looking relieved. Not that Tony could blame him for it.

He stood quietly within the circle of Loki’s arm as the ship landed with a surprisingly hard rumble that, again, almost knocked Tony off of his feet. A murmur of relief swept through the crowd around them. A few of the Asgardians went to the patched well; a moment later, the wall fell away, revealing a plank down to the ground. Thor strode over to the plank and started to walk down it. Valkyrie and Bruce followed.

“Do you wish to hang back?” Loki murmured in Tony’s ear, soft enough that no one else would be able to hear it, and Tony swallowed hard and nodded.

They still moved to the edge of the plank to be able to see what was happening; the other Asgardians didn’t approach, perhaps having been told not to by Thor. Tony squinted against the bright sunlight that stung his eyes, straining to see what was happening. His heart flipflopped inside of his chest when he caught sight of the sole person standing on the lawn: Iron Man.

Right. The memory of the Avengers ‘civil war’, as the media had called it, crashed over Tony like a cold wave. How could he have forgotten that that had happened only a couple of years before Thanos came? In retrospect that had only been the beginning of Tony’s deteriorating relationship with Rogers and the others, but at the time it had felt like one of the worst things in the world.

If he remembered correctly, then Rogers, Barton, Romanov, Wilson, Maximoff, Lang, and Barnes were all in Wakanda right now. Maybe he should have directed Thor there instead. Except he didn’t really think that King T’Challa would welcome a fleet of Asgardians landing at his doorstep either. And frankly, the rogue Avengers probably wouldn’t welcome there either since Tony would be with them.

“Where’s the rest of them?” Loki asked quietly.

Tony sighed, his headache growing worse. “We had… problems,” he said wearily. Problems that had almost ended with Tony dying in Siberia thanks to a crushed armor and sternum courtesy of Captain America.

“Problems,” Loki repeated skeptically.

“Yeah. The Avengers fell apart.” Tony absently put a hand to his chest. “There was a whole big thing that kind of got smoothed over when Thanos hit as far as the rest of the world was concerned. When half the population disappeared, any concerns about the Avengers went out the window. The earth needed us. Them.” It had never sat right with him that the rogue Avengers had essentially gotten a free pass, but there had never been anything that Tony could do about it.

He wondered what they would do this time around. Thanos was gone. The world wouldn’t need Captain America right now. Rogers and the others wouldn’t get their free pass now. There was a little part of Tony that felt some satisfaction at the realization that this time around, they might actually have to pay some restitution for what they’d done. Maybe Tony wouldn’t have to come face-to-face with them after all…

But he wouldn’t be so lucky when it came to his past self, he realized, as Thor, Bruce, Valkyrie, and Iron Man all looked up at the ship. Right at him and Loki.

“I believe we’ve been spotted,” Loki said dryly.

Tony sighed. “I guess that’s our cue.”

He stepped forward and Loki smoothly moved beside him. Tony didn’t know what it meant that Loki kept his arm around Tony’s waist the whole way down the plank and then as they walked across the grass towards the small group, but he was pathetically grateful that Loki didn’t let go. Not only was Loki’s grip keeping him on his feet, it was somehow easier to face his past self with Loki there.

Iron Man’s faceplate snapped up as they approached, revealing the past Tony Stark’s disbelieving face. Tony met the gaze of his past self without flinching, wondering what Stark was thinking. Knowing that Stark would never understand just how narrowly he had avoided losing everything – that he would never know how close he’d come to having Peter Parker turn to dust in his hands.

“What the hell,” Stark said finally. “I thought you were joking. This is for real? Time travel?”

“Time travel,” Tony said with a grim nod. “Turns out that we really will do anything to save the world, from flying a missile through a portal to travelling through time.”

Stark’s expression turned slightly calculating. “What exactly did you save the world from?”

Tony met his gaze, unflinching. “A much worse version of what we saw through the portal in New York. Something that killed literally half the population of the whole universe.”

“The whole universe?” Stark looked somewhere between shocked and ill at the thought.

“Something that also tried to kill the remaining Asgardians,” Tony added, and Stark’s eyes swung back to Thor.

“The remaining – wait. What happened to Asgard?”

Thor sighed. “I’m afraid that is a long story. My people are tired and hungry.” He didn’t say anything, but he looked hopefully at Stark. Stark sighed, and Tony knew exactly what was going through his head. This was probably the last thing that Stark wanted to deal with right now, but he felt a compulsion to help.

“Alright. You can, uh, bring them into the cafeteria,” Stark said after a moment. “How many are there?”

“Approximately 5,000,” said Valkyrie.

Stark pursed his lips, trying hard to suppress his shock. Tony merely lowered his gaze, feeling the sudden tension in Loki’s body. Once again, Tony couldn’t help but feel guilty that he hadn’t been able to return to a time when he could’ve helped more. The Thor of the future had told him once that at Asgard’s peak, there had been roughly 75,000 citizens. To only have 5,000 left was horrific.

“I’m sorry,” Stark said to Thor. “Please. Bring them off the ship. The cafeteria is open to all of them, though they’ll have to take turns. I’ll have someone come out to help you.” He turned away slightly, muttering something into the armor that Tony couldn’t catch.

Thor smiled a little. “Thank you, Tony. I appreciate that more than you know. Valkyrie, can you help with getting everyone organized?”

Valkyrie gave a sharp nod and veered off back towards the ship with Thor on her heels. Bruce just stood there frozen, looking like he wasn’t sure if he should follow her or not. Stark looked at the three of them, his eyes narrowing briefly at Loki, before he sighed and gestured with his hand.

“I guess you three might as well come in too. I’m very curious to hear this story.”

Chapter Text

Rather than take them to the cafeteria where the other Asgardians would be, Stark showed them into a small room just down the hall that Tony barely remembered. It had been so long since he’d seen the compound, and even longer since he’d actually taken the time to walk through every room. Stark left them there, walking back down towards the cafeteria with Bruce at his side.

It felt good to sit down. Truthfully, without Loki’s help, Tony knew that he would’ve fallen over long before he actually got a chair within the compound. He was surprised, but not unhappy, when Loki sat down right beside him. His arm remained wrapped securely around Tony’s waist, allowing Tony to keep leaning the upper half of his body against Loki. It helped to keep the worst of the dizziness at bay.

Neither Bruce nor Stark returned immediately, which Tony wasn’t surprised by. He was perfectly content to take a few moments to rest. And if he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep for a little while, he was confident that Loki would not betray him to anyone.

Loki’s arm, squeezing gently in warning, woke Tony. He opened his eyes to find Stark in the doorway, holding a – Tony blinked for a moment.

“Is that a needle?” he rasped.

Stark nodded, seemingly unaffected by how much Loki had tensed, and said, “Sorry, but I just want to be sure. I know that Thor and Bruce are convinced that you are who you say you are, but a blood test would make me feel a little more confident.”

“That is not necessary,” Loki said sharply. Tony didn’t think it was his imagination that the temperature had dropped a little bit. A cooler feeling seemed to emanate off of Loki’s body, and Tony knew that Loki was probably mere seconds away from bringing up their soul marks.

Which… huh. How on earth was that going to work with Stark?

Tony shook his head at himself before he could wander too far down that path and spoke up. “It’s okay. Loki, really. I would be doing the exact same thing in his shoes. He has every right to want to make sure that I am who I say that I am.” After all, he couldn’t exactly fault Stark for being wary about blindly trusting Thor and Bruce so soon after what had happened with Rogers and the others.

“This won’t hurt you,” Loki said, and it wasn’t a question. More of a demand.

“Not at all. He won’t even feel it,” Stark said. He approached, and Tony rolled up his sleeve with hands that shook faintly. Stark was right; he didn’t even feel the needle sliding home. Within seconds, it was done and Stark was retreating with a vial of blood which Tony knew was going to be immediately given to FRIDAY for analysis. He knew that Stark would be back as soon as FRIDAY confirmed the truth.

“Why did he do that?” Loki asked, staring down at the small drop of blood that remained on Tony’s arm with a frown.

“He wanted to do a blood test. FRIDAY has all my – his information on file. She’ll compare the two samples and that will be proof that we’re the same person,” Tony explained, wiping the drop of blood away. He rolled his sleeve back down.

“But you are the same person,” Loki said, somewhat aggressively. “You are my önd. The mark is proof of that.”

Tony breathed in sharply and nodded. “Yes…” He didn’t really know how to put his thoughts into words.

When Tony had first figured out who his soulmate was, it had really thrown him for a loop. He’d struggled with it for a long time before eventually coming to the conclusion that it didn’t matter since he’d never expected to see Loki again. After that, he’d just done his best not to think about it. Except for a select few, most people believed Tony Stark’s soulmate had passed away without Tony ever meeting them.

So he imagined that Stark was feeling pretty damn conflicted right now. Stark probably didn’t know what to do about Loki and the fact that they were soulmates, especially now that Tony was here. Bringing up the mark wasn’t going to help matters when Stark had already had a ton of other stuff thrown into his face today. Letting Stark do a blood test was the easiest way to get proof.

Loki’s frown deepened as the silence dragged on, and he let out a faint huff and folded his arms. “I don’t like it.”

“It’s fine, Loki. Not a big deal,” Tony said tiredly. “We’re not like you. We can’t use magic to just know that someone is who they say they are. And… honestly, magic has screwed me over a lot. It’s always been wielded as a weapon against me.” He pursed his lips, thinking of Maximoff.

“Not anymore,” Loki said, and Tony looked up at him in surprise. But before he could say anything, Stark returned. He stood in the doorway, his resigned expression perfectly reflecting how Tony felt at the moment.

“Well, I guess there’s still a chance that you could be a Hydra clone, but frankly I don’t think Hydra is smart enough to clone me in the first place, never mind figuring out how to age my clone by a few years,” Stark said. He too folded his arms across his chest, staring at Tony with more curiosity now and less wariness.

“You are definitely giving Hydra way more credit than they deserve,” Tony confirmed with a nod. The only good thing about what Thanos had done was that Hydra had self-destructed in the aftermath. Of course, new organizations had risen up to take Hydra’s place, but Tony hadn’t dealt with a lot of them.

“I figured. Well…” Stark sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “This is a fine mess. Asgard is really gone?”

“Yes,” Loki said, and Stark’s eyes swung towards him. Tony didn’t think it was his imagination that Stark tensed slightly when his eyes met Loki’s, and then Stark looked away.

“In the future, the remaining Asgardians settled in Norway,” Tony murmured. But of course, that had been after much of Norway was left empty because of the Decimation. He wondered if there would be room for the Asgardians there now, or if there would be room for them anywhere.

There would have to be.

“Norway, huh,” Stark murmured. “Well, I’ve already got FRIDAY making calls, and I alerted the Accords Council. We’ll do what we can.” He spoke the words to Loki, but he was looking at Tony.

“Your help is appreciated,” Loki said, somewhat stiffly, and Stark nodded. Tony looked back and forth between the two of them, knowing that he wasn’t imagining the awkwardness between them but uncertain as to how to resolve it. Things hadn’t really been that awkward between Tony and Loki, but then again Tony’s circumstances were considerably different than Stark’s.

“And the story? The whole story?” Stark said, and this time he was definitely talking to Tony.

Tony sighed. “It’s a long one. Can we eat while we talk?”

“Sure,” Stark said, seemingly surprised by the request, and ducked out of the room. Tony watched him go, feeling the weight of eyes on him.

“Will you tell him everything?” Loki asked, and Tony looked back at him. It was a fair question, one that Tony hadn’t really thought about much, but the answer came to him instinctively.

“Within reason,” Tony replied. He didn’t think Stark needed to know that Tony had been stuck to Loki’s side like glue since he’d returned, and there was no reason for Stark to know the finer details around what had happened to Asgard unless Loki or Thor or one of the other Asgardians chose to tell him.

And there were definitely some details about the future that Tony wasn’t going to share. Things were bad enough between the Avengers right now as it was. Stark didn’t need to know how things had further deteriorated between Tony and Rogers. That was a world that was never going to come to past, so it didn’t matter to Stark in the here and now.

Stark returned shortly with a tray of food, which he set down on the coffee table. Simple fare: apples, bananas, some bread with jam, and three cups of coffee with all the trimmings. Tony reached out and picked up the coffee first, hoping that some caffeine might help with his persistent headache. Whatever Loki had done earlier to ease the pain was wearing off now, leaving the pain to come creeping back.

“So,” Stark said, taking a seat on a nearby chair. “What we saw through the portal.”

“His name was Thanos,” Tony said, aware of the way that Loki tensed slightly beside him when the name was spoken out loud.

“Thanos,” Stark murmured, a slight frown crossing his face; no doubt he could feel the gravity of the name, even if he would never know the true horrors that Thanos had wrought.

Tony quickly summarized, as best that he could remember, what had happened when Thanos attacked the earth. He saw the way that Stark flinched and went pale when Tony described the Decimation and having Peter Parker turn to dust in his very hands. He glossed over what had happened on earth afterwards as best that he could, knowing that Stark would be able to fill in the gaps appropriately.

But so, it seemed, could Loki, who had disregarded everything on the tray to stare at Tony with keen eyes while Tony talked. It was a little distracting to have Loki’s undivided attention honestly, even though Tony wouldn’t have wanted Loki to leave for anything – even if that did mean Loki seemed to be memorizing every word that Tony spoke, especially when Tony brought up Thor’s name.

“So Thor is the one who helped you get back here?” Stark said then, eyebrows drawing together in skepticism, and Tony smiled a little. Everyone always underestimated Thor, but Tony knew that Thor was a lot smarter than anyone else realized when it mattered.

“Yes and no. We already had all the science and most of the magic worked out. Thor just gave us the last little bit we needed,” Tony explained. “And then… I used the device and ended up on the ship.” He decided to omit the part about his soul mark having led him right to Loki, at least for now.

“Just in time to kill Thanos,” Stark said. He exhaled and sat back in his chair, staring down into his now empty coffee cup like it held the answers to the universe. Tony could’ve told him that there were no answers to be found there – just like there were no answers at the bottom of a liquor bottle – but remained quiet.

Instead, he looked at the tray in front of them and leaned forward to pick up a banana. He peeled it slowly and broke off a piece, handing it to Loki, before taking a small bite. It tasted heavenly, soft and sweet and fresh. Loki nibbled at the piece that he was holding and then made a face before handing it right back to Tony. Tony held back a laugh and popped the piece into his mouth instead.

“Just when I think my life couldn’t have possibly got any crazier,” Stark muttered, having watched this. “So…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “What now?”

“Well. I guess there’s a chance that Thanos’s minions might come calling,” Tony said slowly. “So there’s that to think about. But really, barring that, it’s just the Asgardians you need to worry about.”

Stark looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “And you’re going to… what? Just walk off into the sunrise?”

“Uh,” Tony said, unwilling to admit that he hadn’t thought that far ahead. Beyond killing Thanos, and then remaining by Loki’s side, the future had largely been something he avoided thinking about.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Stark sighed and got up. “Okay. We’ll figure it out. Pepper’s always said the world would implode from having two of me around. Guess we’re gonna find out.” He smiled crookedly. “You can find your way to a guest room, right? Do you need a doctor?”

“No,” Tony said.

“Yes,” Loki said.

Tony blinked, then frowned at Loki.

Loki ignored the frown and said again, “Yes. He does.”

“Okay,” Stark said slowly. “I’ll have FRIDAY get one to you. Now go like… lay down or something. You look like you’re gonna collapse. I have – ugh. So much to do.” He set his empty coffee cup down and wandered out of the room.

Chapter Text

The doctor was a harried young woman whose name Tony didn’t even remember because in his time, she had died in the Decimation. She rapidly diagnosed him with malnutrition, dehydration, severe exhaustion, a strong case of shock, and a low-grade fever, and ordered him into bed pretty much immediately. Tony wanted to protest, but between her and Loki he shortly found himself in bed.

“I’m going to start you on IV fluids, Mr. Stark,” the doctor said briskly, typing something into her tablet. “That will help for your dehydration and malnutrition. The fever and exhaustion will be taken care with sleep and rest, but you’re going to have to actually rest.”

“I rest,” Tony said indignantly.

She looked up from her tablet and pinned him with a flat look. “Based on what I’m see here, I beg to differ.”

Tony just frowned back at her.

“I will make sure that he rests,” said Loki, who was looming over the doctor’s shoulder and watching everything she did with an eagle eye. The doctor, to her credit, seemed remarkably unintimidated of the armored alien who was hovering over her.

“Good. Bed rest for at least three days and then extremely light duty for at least two weeks. You’re going to find yourself very weak when you get up. Don’t push it.” The doctor finished with her tablet and tucked it beneath her arm just as the door opened and a nurse entered with an IV stand and several bags.

Honestly, Tony barely felt the pinch of the needle being inserted into his vein. His eyes were already slipping shut. He slept and woke and slept again, and each time he opened his eyes, Loki was there. Sometimes the nurse was too, giving Tony broth or smoothies. Once Stark was there, though only for a moment. Thor was there too, a few times. But always, always Loki.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, Tony opened his eyes and actually felt like he could stay awake. He pushed himself up a bit so that he could see the room. Before he could get too panicked over the realization that the room was seemingly empty, he realized that there was another bed set up on the other side of the room – and much to his surprise, Loki was in that bed.

The IV was gone, so there was nothing stopping Tony from sitting up the rest of the way and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He had to pause there, as a rush of dizziness swam over him. He breathed through it, wondering if this was because of the time travel or because of what Loki had done to get the ship moving again – or maybe a combination of the two. Or maybe he’d been taking even worse care of himself than he’d thought…

Very slowly, he got to his feet and walked over to the bed where Loki lay. Someone must have given Loki other clothing, because he was wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and a green shirt now. It was strange to see him without the armor. Tony had grown accustomed to seeing Loki wear it, but he figured that armor, no matter how alien, wasn’t exactly comfortable to sleep in.

Come to think of it, had Loki slept at all on the ship? Had Thor? Tony frowned, suddenly worried. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to Loki at this point, or even to Thor. It was a little crazy, but he felt like he could handle being stuck in the past so long as Loki was there. If Loki left, or worst – Tony didn’t know what he would do, but it would probably involve a panic attack of epic proportions at the very least at this rate.

“You needn’t hover,” Loki grumbled suddenly, nearly giving Tony a heart attack.

“You’re one to talk. You were here every time I opened my eyes,” Tony protested, clasping his chest. His heart was racing.

Loki opened his eyes and looked up at Tony. He didn’t say a word, but it was all there in his knowing expression: they both knew exactly why Loki had been sticking so close. A hot rush of shame was what made Tony sway this time; he looked away from Loki’s eyes, unwilling or unable to meet them any longer.

It was embarrassing to be this reliant on someone that he barely knew, soulmates or not. He had never intended for this to happen. He still didn’t know how it had happened, or how he was supposed to be dealing with it. He didn’t even know why Loki was being so calm about it. Was he just granting Tony extra grace because they were soulmates?

But Stark was Loki’s soulmate too…

Technically, Stark was Loki’s real soulmate. Tony was the intruder on that, wasn’t he? His “real” soulmate was the Loki of the future who had died at Thanos’s hands. That thought made Tony’s hands clench into fists. It wasn’t fair, but then again when was anything about Tony’s life ever fair?

Movement caught his eye, making him look back at Loki, to see that Loki had lifted up the covers of his bed in unspoken invitation. Only then did Tony realize that he was shivering. The compound had always been kept cool to accommodate the increased metabolism of supersoldiers and the Hulk, and right now Tony was running a fever and only wearing thin pajamas.

He shouldn’t be doing this, Tony thought. This reliance on Loki wasn’t okay. It wasn’t healthy, not by anyone’s stretch of the mind. And yet Tony found himself padding forward anyway, slowly sitting down on the bed and then swinging his feet up and under the covers. Then it only seemed to make sense to lay down and rest his head on the spare pillow, keeping as much distance between him and Loki as possible.

Which, given they were now sharing a bed, wasn’t far.

He’d assumed it would be hot under the blankets, but it wasn’t. The temperature was comfortable, enough so that Tony’s shivers slowly stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing his wild heartrate to slow, but he didn’t feel tired enough to sleep. Not after all the sleeping he’d been doing lately. His brain was too wired, too many thoughts spiralling around.

“What happened with the others?” he asked finally, breaking the silence.

“Stark got them tents to camp out on the lawn,” said Loki. His voice was quiet and soothing. “Thor, Valkyrie, Banner, and a few others are staying in the compound itself, but there wasn’t enough room for everyone.”

Tony nodded, having expected that. The compound had never been designed with that many people in mind. The compound in the future had been destroyed by Thanos, so it had been a long time since Tony had thought about it. But if he remembered correctly, it could house about three hundred people. Maybe a little more if you were pushing it. But there was no way it was going to hold 5,000 people. It would take a massive building to hold that many. Nothing Tony owned even came close.

“What will happen in the future, though?” he asked, curious to know if Stark had shared any potential plans with Loki. Because not only would Stark need to find a place for those 5,000 people to stay, the majority of those 5,000 people had never been to Earth before. They were all going to have a lot to learn, and that was going to take up a lot of resources.

“I’m not sure yet. Every time I asked, Stark just says that he’s working on it.” Loki sounded vaguely irritated at that, and Tony couldn’t help smiling as he opened his eyes.

“That means he doesn’t know yet either, but he’s pulling every possible string behind the scenes as fast as he can to try and make things happen,” Tony informed him. “I expect he’s probably reaching out to all the countries that signed the Accords to see if anyone is willing to take the Asgardians in.”

Loki looked guarded. “And what will these countries expect in return?”

“That’s a good question. Honestly, I don’t really know,” Tony said. “But I wouldn’t let anything bad happen, and neither would Stark.”

“That’s more comforting from you than someone I don’t know,” said Loki.

“Stark and I are the same person,” Tony reminded him, only for Loki to shake his head.

“No, you’re not. You’re from the future. You’ve lived and lost in ways that Stark can only imagine,” Loki said gravely.

Tony bit his lip, because he couldn’t deny that Loki had a point. The battle with Thanos, the Decimation, what had happened afterwards… all of it had changed Tony in ways that he could never be able to go back from. But despite that, he still knew that Stark would do whatever he could to make sure the Asgardians were treated well. That was just the kind of person Tony Stark was at his core, and nothing could change that.

“But I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’re in Stark’s hands whether I like it or not.” Loki sighed and rolled onto his back so he could look up at the ceiling. “Thor seems to have no such concerns.”

Tony was quiet for a few seconds, studying Loki’s profile. Whatever else people might say about Loki, he really was a handsome man. Maybe not as ruggedly masculine as Thor, but handsome in a classic way. His features were what many would have called ‘delicate’, though Tony was certain that Loki wouldn’t appreciate that description. If nothing else, Loki could probably get a job as a model if they were desperate.

Not that he was going to share that with Loki, of course.

“I think Thor worries more than you realize,” Tony said at last. “He doesn’t always show it, but Thor is pretty smart. It’s just… overwhelming. For everyone. And you’re handling it in different ways, that’s all. You’re worrying about the future while Thor focuses on what can be done next, right now. That’s why you make a great team.”

Loki snorted. “I’d hardly call us a team,” he said dryly. “Thor is the King now.”

There was less bitterness in that statement than Tony might have expected, but then again it wasn’t like there was an Asgard to rule over anymore. Tony wondered if maybe someday the remaining Asgardians would leave Earth and go find another planet, an empty planet, to take as theirs. Surely there were planets out there that had no populations… especially after what Thanos had done before Tony stopped him.

“Anyway, there’s not much for Thor to do in the here and now anyway,” Loki added. “He’s mostly fussing over people. Myself included.”

Tony couldn’t help smiling. “You’re his little brother. Of course he wants to fuss over you.”

Loki huffed. “We’re not really brothers.”

“Yeah, you are. And Loki…” Tony’s smile faded. “You don’t know how much you matter to Thor. I wasn’t there when he lost you in the future, but I saw what happened afterwards. Losing you… it almost killed him. He wasn’t the Thor I knew. Not anymore.”

Loki remained quiet.

“We all lost people. Every one of us. It was hard. But Thor… it was just different. It was awful. He just… without you, his whole world was gone.” Tony exhaled with a small shudder, remembering the Thor of the future. It was like all the light had gone out of Thor’s eyes. And while some part of that was certainly due to losing Asgard, Tony knew it was more about Loki than anything.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Loki said finally. When Tony looked over at him, it was to see that Loki’s expression had turned a little more thoughtful.

“Good,” Tony said softly. He knew that the history between the two brothers was tumultuous at best, but he stood by what he said. Loki meant a lot more to Thor than Loki had ever realized, and it was past time that Loki knew that.

Chapter Text

“Shut up, Thor!”

Loki’s hissed whispered woke Tony from a sound sleep. He frowned for a moment in sleepy confusion, wondering where he was and why he was so deliciously comfortable. For the first time in what felt like a very long time, he felt completely safe and relaxed. Those feelings had led to an amazing sleep, probably the best sleep Tony had ever had, and he was very disappointed it had ended.

“Now Loki, I meant nothing against either of you.”

That was Thor’s voice, so full of amusement that there was no doubt in Tony’s mind that there was a broad smile on Thor’s face right now. Not that Tony could see Thor’s face. He was laying pressed up against something, his cheek resting against something firm but soft. There were arms wrapped around him, which was a big part of what was contributing to that feeling of safety.

Loki, Tony realized slowly. He was cuddling with Loki.

“Then I’ll thank you to keep your mouth shut,” Loki said with dignity, but much quieter this time. “I don’t need to be standing to kick your ass out.”

Thor chuckled softly. “Truly, I only meant that it’s good to see our friend being taken care of. Tony has a terrible habit of over-doing it.”

Tony frowned indignantly, momentarily distracted from his realization. That wasn’t true! It was just that there was always so much to do, and so few people who could be counted on to do things properly – and even fewer who he could trust not to betray him in the end. So Tony had grown used to just doing things himself, because then at least he could be sure things had been the way they needed to be done.

“In this case, I don’t believe he had any choice,” Loki said. His chest vibrated slightly when he spoke, which Tony could feel because his cheek was resting against Loki’s chest.

Wow, okay. No matter how many times he thought about it, it was still impossible to wrap his around the fact that Loki was allowing this to happen. Tony truly hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he was still so tired and the bed was so comfortable that he hadn’t been able to help himself. But he definitely hadn’t intended to somehow scoot closer to Loki and start sleeping half on top of him. Hell, he was pretty sure that Loki had probably killed people for a lot less than that.

And he really didn’t understand why Loki hadn’t pushed him away. It was one thing for cuddling to happen when both if them were asleep. Tony could get that; he’d even cuddled Rhodey and Pepper in his sleep before. But Loki wasn’t asleep right now. He was awake. He was even talking to Thor, which meant he was comfortable enough to let someone else see this happening.

Unless maybe Thor had come in and woken Loki, and Loki thought he’d be judged for pushing Tony away? Though he’d never cared much what Thor thought before…

“Indeed. Well, I have spoken to Stark and he is still working on a place for us to stay. The likeliest prospect right now seems to be Norway or Sweden, but Stark says there are a couple of other places that also might work well for us. In the meantime, we have no choice but to stay right where we are,” said Thor.

Loki sighed. “I don’t like being in limbo.”

“Neither do I, but we don’t have much choice at the moment. We must trust in Stark and hope that he will find the best place for us. We come bearing nothing, so we are reliant on the help of others.” Thor didn’t sound very happy about that prospect, not that Tony could blame him.

“You had nothing on Midgard of value?” Loki said.

“I told you that I didn’t. Whenever I visited, I relied upon Stark and the other Avengers. But mostly Stark. He funded all of us,” said Thor. “It never occurred to me that there might be a day where I’d need to live here permanently, never mind that I would be doing so with you and the others.”

But Thor was lucky to be here with all of them… because Tony was intimately familiar with the time when Thor had been trapped on earth without Loki. He tried not to think too hard about the last time he’d seen future Thor, but it was impossible. The images flooded into his head without his permission, tormenting him.

As much as Tony wanted to pretend that he was still asleep so he could continue to listen, he couldn’t stop his hands from fisting tightly into Loki’s shirt. It was a movement that Loki no doubt felt, pressed as close together as they were, and yet Loki didn’t push Tony away. Instead the arm that was draped across Tony’s shoulders shifted, and then gentle fingers brushed through Tony’s hair.

“It’s alright,” Loki murmured, the words clearly meant for Tony’s ears. “I’m sure that we will figure out something. It need not all be left up to Stark.”

“Of course not,” Thor said immediately. “Stark will have to be the one who finds us a place to live, but I’m confident we can take it from there. I may not know much of Midgard, but I am always willing to learn and so is everyone else. We can make a home for ourselves and move on from what Thanos did.” He sounded much more like the Thor that Tony wanted to remember now, full of determination.

“Right,” Tony said, the word half-muffled by Loki’s shirt. He sucked in a quivery breath, hating the way his eyes were burning with the threat of tears. It seemed like every time that he wanted to be strong, his body betrayed him in some way and he couldn’t stand it, but there was also nothing that he could do about it anymore. He was just too tired to maintain the kind of control that he used to.

“I’ll leave you now that you’re awake, my friend. Please, you and Loki should join me in the hall for breakfast when you’re ready.” There was a scraping sound, like Thor was pushing away a chair, and then his footsteps receded. The sound of the door closing told Tony that they were alone.

He thought Loki might push him away once Thor was gone, but Loki didn’t. The movement of the fingers brushing through Tony’s hair didn’t stop. Tony laid there for a few moments, just enjoying the feeling even though he knew that he shouldn’t. It had been a very long time since anyone had touched him so kindly. In what was now the future that would never come to pass, no one had touched Tony Stark for a very long time.

“Thor’s right, you know. Much as I hate to admit it,” Loki said at last. “We will figure it out. I’ve already been thinking about how I can sell magical orbs to the foolish masses.”

Tony couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Oh yeah. They would eat that shit up.”

“As expected. That is one good thing about Midgard. They seem to be much more appreciative of magic here.”

“Well… sometimes,” Tony allowed, a small frown creeping across his face as he thought about Wanda Maximoff. Of course, now that Thanos was gone, Maximoff wouldn’t be turned to dust in the Decimation. That meant she was still out there somewhere. Probably still in Wakanda, probably still seething in hatred of Tony…

Loki sighed and his hand stopped. “We should go. If left alone, Thor will eat all the food in the hall, and you need to eat.”

“What about you? Don’t you need to eat?” Tony said.

“I am much more used to fighting Thor for food than you are,” Loki said dryly. He shifted and then pulled away a bit, leaving enough space between them for Tony to grow warm. He didn’t know why but being tucked up next to Loki was a little like laying beside a fan. That, plus the warm blanket, had created the perfect temperature until Loki moved away.

It was incredibly tempting to whine and make grabby hands at Loki until he moved back, but Tony restrained himself that much at least. He sat up reluctantly and watched as Loki got up. Right away, he noticed that Loki was dressed in different clothes.

“Someone bring you those?” Tony asked, wondering if there were clothes for him. He was still wearing the same pajamas he’d hauled on before passing out three days ago.

“Thor placed an order with FRIDAY,” said Loki. “There’s clothing for you too.”

“Great.” Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood slowly, waiting until the expected pulse of dizziness passed before he moved towards the bag Loki had indicated. Inside was a couple new packages of boxers, three pairs of jeans, four shirts, and a sweatshirt. He got dressed quickly, leaving the pajamas neatly folded on the bed. The clothing fit perfectly, of course – that was FRIDAY for you.

Loki opened the door and stepped out first. Tony followed close behind him, shutting the door behind them. Now that he wasn’t half-dead with exhaustion, he could appreciate how strange it was to be back in the compound. Tony had never thought he’d back here again. Part of him expected to see Rogers or Maximoff come around the corner at any moment, and wasn’t that an ugly thought?

Perhaps that was why he didn’t really notice the low rumble of voices until it was too late.

“We’re just looking for information, Mr. Stark –”

“I believe the real thing you’re looking for is gossip. No comment at this time.”

Shit. Tony’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Why hadn’t he thought about the fact that the appearance of all those Asgardians was definitely going to be noticed? And it sounded like some of the more stubborn journalists had come to figure things out rather than waiting for Stark to go to them. Tony should have expected that. He really should have expected that.

He looked wildly around the corridor. He had like ten seconds before whoever was around the corner would be visible. The journalists couldn’t see him. They couldn’t. But of course, there were no doors nearby and nothing for Tony to hide behind.

Nothing but Loki.

Before Tony could think better of it, he leapt towards Loki and ducked behind him. He grabbed the back of Loki’s shirt and hid his face against Loki’s back. It was a cowardly thing to do and Tony knew it, because seeing Loki would cause just as much – maybe even more – of a stir as seeing a second Tony Stark, but Tony couldn’t help himself. His heart thudded wildly and his hands shook uncontrollably.

“But Mr. Stark, the public has a right to know what’s happening!”

Stark came around the corner first, looking incredibly annoyed. Right on his heels were three reporters and a fourth man carrying a camera. Tony tensed up, fully expecting the small group to flip out when they saw Loki standing there –

“I already told you, no comment,” Stark snapped. His eyes passed right over the spot where Loki and Tony was standing like nothing was there. One of the journalists looked right at Loki and Tony, but it like her eyes were seeing through him.

“But –”

“I believe I’ve been more than patient. You have no right to be here. This is still a private building on private land. I am asking you politely to leave. If you don’t, I will call the police.” Stark drew himself up, planting his hands on his hips as he stared them down.

“The public has a right to know,” one of the reporters said stubbornly.

“Alright, that’s it. FRIDAY, call security and the police,” Stark announced.

“Wait! Alright. We’ll go,” another reporter said, sulkily putting her recorder away. The four of them started walking back the way they’d come, Stark hot on their heels.

Tony didn’t breathe until he knew for sure that they were gone. He stared at the corner, half-expecting them to return, but of course no one did. He recognized that particular tone in Stark’s voice. It was a voice that Tony himself only used when he’d been well and truly pushed past his limit. Those journalists were shortly going to find themselves banned from any future S.I. announcements.

“What was that?” Loki said, curious but pleasant, and Tony winced as he realized Loki was definitely waiting for an explanation.

Crap.

Chapter Text

Loki looked down, regarding the face of his önd with curiosity. Just when he thought that he was starting to get a handle on Tony Stark, the mortal did something completely out of left field. It was interesting at least, which helped to keep Loki from dwelling too much on the destruction of Asgard, the death of Thanos, and the uncertainty that the remaining Asgardians were now facing.

Right now, Tony – because now there were two Starks, and it was too difficult to think of them both that way, so yes he had become ‘Tony’ – was staring down at the floor. His hands were shaking. Loki had to wonder if Tony was even aware of when that happened. It was a tell-tale sign of when he was getting overwhelmed or too tired, or both.

Food, Loki decided. Tony had been in dangerously poor shape when they arrived on Midgard, much worse than Tony was willing to admit to himself. While the Migardian doctor had helped where she could, she had been very firm that the only real cure for what ailed Tony was rest, food, and care. And even then, Loki had noticed, she had been very careful not to so much as imply that Tony would ever be fully healed.

He was fragile, this mortal. So much more fragile than Tony even realized. It brought protective instincts to the surface that Loki hadn’t even known that he possessed.

But then, this wasn’t just any mortal.

This was Loki’s mortal.

His önd.

His soulmate.

“Food,” Loki said when it became evident that Tony was working himself into an increasingly distressed state. “Let’s go join Thor and have something to eat first.”

“I –” Tony gulped, looking up at Loki. His eyes were huge in his pale face. “They might not have left – they’re sneaky, they could circle around – I don’t –”

“They won’t see us,” Loki told him. He reached for Stark’s hands with his left hand and set them on his right arm, pulling Stark closer. “So long as you’re touching me, I can easily extend my magic to make us invisible.”

“Oh.” Tony stared at the spot where his hands now rested on Loki’s arm for a moment before exhaling and shifting closer still, securely wrapping his hands around Loki’s elbow. It was an easy matter for Loki to use his magic again, surrounding the two of them in a spell that would shield them from the sight of anyone passing.

Of course, he didn’t actually need for them to be touching for the spell to work. He could’ve hid the entire building, all of its occupants, and the surrounding grounds just by blinking. But Tony looked perilously close to collapsing on the spot, and this way he was able to lean most of his weight against Loki as they slowly began to walk towards the cafeteria. True to Loki’s word, anyone who passed them didn’t so much as glance in their direction.

When they reached the cafeteria, Loki escorted Tony over to the table in the corner where Thor was sitting. He effortlessly switched the spell from himself and Tony to a bubble around the table, effectively shielding all three of them from prying eyes. If Thor felt the thin chill of Loki’s magic sliding across him, he made no comment. He merely smiled in greeting at the two of them.

“You should try the strawberry jam. It’s marvelous,” Thor said, holding up a piece of toast for emphasis. Tony actually managed a small smile at that as Loki eased him down into a chair across from Thor.

“Stay here. I will get us some food,” said Loki. He cast a meaningful look in Thor’s direction, which Thor acknowledged with a slight nod. If anything happened to Tony while Loki stepped away, Thor would be the one who was going to pay for it and they both knew it.

When Loki stepped away from the table, he emerged from the confines of the spell. A hush fell across the cafeteria as both humans and Asgardians alike acknowledged his presence. Loki knew that his presence at the compound was a point of concern for many of them. The Asgardians, at least, seemed to grasp that Loki was here because of Thor and there would be no challenging that.

But many of the humans weren’t happy about it, not that Loki could really blame them. They all believed that his actions had been of his own free will, and frankly Loki doubted that they would believe him even if they were told the truth about Thanos and his mind control. Because of that, most of them seemed to think Loki didn’t have any right to be here.

It seemed inevitable that things would boil over. He hoped that Tony was not nearby when it happened, though it seemed likely that Tony would be. Consciously or not, even now Tony’s eyes were anxiously tracking Loki’s progress through the cafeteria. He had been stuck to Loki like glue since Thanos’s defeat. Loki was certain that if he suddenly chose to dart out of the room, Tony would immediately follow. And if he suddenly teleported away to whereabouts unknown, Tony would probably have a panic attack or worse.

Loki hadn’t yet decided how he felt about this level of dependency. On the one hand he valued his privacy and solitude and always would, but on the other hand Tony’s presence was not annoying the way everyone else’s was. No one had ever needed him before like Tony seemed to need him now. It was somewhat of a surprise to learn that Loki actually enjoyed being needed.

Perhaps that was a function of the bond between them, he mused as he picked up two trays. They were prepared ahead of time with sandwiches and fruit; he also selected cups of soup and, after a moment’s thought, two cups of coffee. He didn’t know exactly what Tony liked to eat yet, but he knew that Tony had drunk coffee and eaten a banana before.

His mother had always told him that a gold bond was the highest of honors. It meant that Loki and his önd were literally perfect matches. What Loki lacked, his önd would have and vice versa. Loki didn’t know if that was really true. He didn’t know Tony well enough for that yet. But so far, at least on the surface, it seemed that Frigga had been right. Well, of course she was. Frigga had always been right…

He returned to the table and set the trays down before taking a seat beside Tony. Tony seemed to relax as Loki sat, the dissipating tension causing his shoulders to slump. He reached out and picked up one of the cups of coffee, taking a careful sip. A small shiver ran through him and he sighed.

“Oh yeah, that’s good.”

“Truly, you would suffer without your caffeine, my friend,” Thor said, watching Tony with amusement.

Tony smiled a little. “Lack of caffeine is probably at least 50% of the reason I have such a bad headache,” he admitted, cradling the mug between his hands. “Rhodey used to joke that my blood must be something like 80% coffee.”

He leaned a little to the side as he spoke, resting his weight against Loki again. Loki wondered if Tony even realized that he was doing it, always seeking some form of contact between them. It was like Tony thought that if they weren’t in physical contact, Loki wasn’t really there.

Thor’s eyes tracked the movement too. He was noticing things more, Loki realized. More so than Thor had ever noticed before. The days of Thor moving through life totally unaware of what was happening around him seemed to have been left behind them. It was a change for the better as far as Loki was concerned. Thor was King now, even if Asgard was gone, and he needed to be better than Odin.

“Don’t just drink coffee. Eat something too,” Loki said, angling his elbow just enough that he could gently nudge Tony in the ribs – Tony’s far-too-easily felt ribs.

“Now you sound like Rhodey,” Tony muttered, but he reached out and picked up half a sandwich. He hunched his shoulders slightly as he took small, quick bites, clutching his cup of coffee with one hand the piece of sandwich with the other. Loki frowned slightly, wondering if Tony even realized that he behaved that way when he ate – like he didn’t eat often, or was expecting his food to be stolen.

Before better judgement could prevail, Loki shifted his arm from between them and wrapped it loosely around Tony’s back. He half-expected Tony to pull away, but instead Tony shifted closer. He even relaxed a little more, resting his cup of coffee on the table although he kept his fingers firmly wrapped around it. Loki decided that would do and turned to his own meal, carefully avoiding Thor’s amused gaze.

“I am curious, my friend,” Thor said as he picked up another piece of toast. “What do you plan to do now? I assume you can’t return to the future.”

“No. It’s gone now,” said Tony, not sounding all that regretful about it. “I’m stuck here. I guess I must be different enough from Stark for us to exist in the same timeline without it being an issue.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know what I’ll do…”

“You’ll come with us, of course,” Loki said, again before he could stop himself, indignant at the very idea that his önd would do anything else.

“Loki,” Thor said, gentle but stern. It was the kind of voice that Frigga would’ve adopted, and it momentarily stunned Loki speechless at hearing it from Thor.

“No, I – really?” Tony looked between them, eyebrows furrowed. “I could – I hadn’t thought too much about it, but I didn’t think you’d want me to.”

Thor frowned at that, looking at Tony. “Why not? You saved us all, my friend. As far as I’m concerned, you are an Asgardian and you have every right to live with us if that is what you wish. We would be honored to have you among us. But I would also understand if you’d rather stay here with Stark and the others.”

Tony’s eyes widened, his cheeks flushing. “I, um, wow. I – I guess I’d have to think about it. I’m not really sure there’s room for me here. The timeline is a little muddled in my head, but I think I… well, Stark is pretty damn busy right now. And so is Pepper with SI, and Rhodey with the army. Plus if I stayed here, I’d be in the spotlight…” He darted a quick look at Loki, no doubt thinking of the reporters he’d hid from in such a panic.

“You have plenty of time to decide. I don’t believe we are going anywhere anytime soon,” Thor reassured him.

“Right,” Tony said, but more thoughtfully this time, and finished his coffee. Just as Loki was debating on getting up to get him more, he felt the edges of his spell shiver. He looked up sharply, wondering who had dared to approach their table, it was only Stark.

“I figured that this suspiciously empty table had to be you,” Stark said, surveying the three of them with a raised eyebrow. His eyes lingered on the arm that Loki had wrapped around Tony, but he was smart enough not to say anything about it.

“Did you need something?” Thor asked, moving to rise, but Stark stopped with a shake of his head.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to – err, to you.” He nodded at Tony. “Would you mind coming with me?”

The trapped look that flashed across Tony’s face made Loki ache. It was a combination of fear and pure dismay. Beneath the table, one of Tony’s hands latched on to Loki’s shirt again. He clearly didn’t want Loki to go, just as Stark clearly did not want Loki or Thor to remain. Loki sighed inwardly: there were going to be many moments like this in the near future, or at least there would be so long as people were unaware that they had a bond.

“I will amend my spell so that no one can hear you. Thor and I will stand over there, near the windows,” Loki said. “We will remain in sight the whole time.” He narrowed his eyes at Stark, as though he was concerned about what Stark would do, when really the words were meant for Tony.

Stark narrowed his eyes back but spoke to Tony. “Can’t we just go down to the workshop?”

“No. Not yet. I – here,” Tony said, soft and stuttery. “Here is fine.”

Chapter Text

Tony Stark’s life hadn’t been going too great over the past few years, but he thought that this was probably a whole new low. Ever since what was left of the Asgardians had crash-landed on his front lawn, everything had gotten a thousand times more complicated – and that was before a future version of him had walked out of the ship on Loki’s arm.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he lamented to the screen. “It’s too freaking much, Rhodey.”

“I get that. Man, do I ever get that,” Rhodey said, shaking his head. “It sounds like some kind of shitty story that a journalist would dream up. You’re sure they’re telling the truth?”

“It’s all been verified. That guy is really me,” Tony said wearily, rubbing at his eyes. “FRIDAY ran the tests like six separate times. Every result was correct with something like a 0.00001% margin of error. He’s me. Or the me that I would have been if he hadn’t come back in time.”

And wasn’t that a sobering thought? Tony was kind of a mess, but he was holding himself together a hell of a lot better than the Tony Stark from the future. That dude had been through some shit. Just thinking about losing Peter the way that Stark had was enough to make Tony feel like throwing up. He was certain that there were details Stark was leaving out too.

“Well fuck,” Rhodey said, his shoulders slumping.

“That about sums it up,” Tony said, forcing a smile. “As though I didn’t have enough shit to deal with, now there’s… this.” He waved his hand limply, as though that alone could encompass all of the Asgardians and Stark. It really couldn’t.

Rhodey sighed. “Are you sure you can’t just pawn them off on someone else?”

“Who?” Tony asked simply, tilting his head to look at the screen expectantly.

There was a long moment of silence during which he and Rhodey just stared blankly at each other. Tony could tell that Rhodey was wracking his brains trying to think of someone. Just like he knew that Rhodey wasn’t going to be able to think of anyone. There was no one else. No one else had the amount of legal power that Tony did while also being trustworthy enough to not take advantage of either the Asgardians or another Tony Stark.

“I got nothing,” Rhodey said at last.

“That’s about the size of it,” Tony said. “I managed to get rid of the press at least. They were snooping around trying to figure out what was going on. Thank god they didn’t see Stark. That’s the last thing I need.” He could feel a headache building just at the thought.

“They’re going to see him sooner or later,” Rhodey said worriedly, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Yeah, I know. I’m hoping that Pepper and I can cook up some kind of story before that happens,” Tony said.

“What kind of story?”

Tony shrugged. “Long lost twin? A clone from Asgard? Who the fuck knows? Frankly, I don’t care at this point. As long as the dude doesn’t actively make my life harder, I don’t really care what he does.”

That wasn’t quite the honest truth. Every time Tony saw Loki and Stark together, his stomach did a little flip. He wasn’t even sure why. It couldn’t be jealousy. Tony did not want Loki as his soulmate. That would open up so many more potential problems that it didn’t even bear thinking about. Plus, there was no denying the fact that Loki was pretty freaking crazy and Tony didn’t need more crazy in his life.

But then again, that problem might have resolved itself. He unconsciously pressed a hand against his hip. As soon as he was finished talking to Rhodey, he was going to go find Stark to ask a couple of very pointed questions. Questions that Tony really should have asked as soon as he’d noticed it, but there had been too many pressing matters that just couldn’t wait.

Now that Stark was awake and conscious enough to be moving around, as confirmed by FRIDAY, Tony wasn’t going to put it off anymore. He was pretty sure that he already knew what the answer was going to be, and either way it wasn’t going to impact anything in the long run, but he still wanted to confirm it for himself. Then he felt like he could finally pay attention to more important matters.

“Tones?” Rhodey said, and Tony looked up in surprise.

“What? Sorry,” he said, realizing he’d totally spaced out on Rhodey. “I was just thinking of everything I’ve got to do today.”

Rhodey frowned. “Don’t burn yourself out on this, you hear me? You already have a lot going on. I don’t want any calls from Pepper saying you collapsed because you weren’t taking care of yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Tony said with another wave of his hand, this time much more dismissive. That only served to make Rhodey even more suspicious, of course. Rhodey had known Tony for way too long to be easily brushed off like that. Tony braced himself for a flood the flood of questions that were about to come.

But then, miraculously, someone called out to Rhodey. Rhodey turned away from the screen for a moment and spoke back to them. Tony took the time to take a couple of deep breaths and compose himself before having to face that level of scrutiny again – and to think of a good excuse to end the conversation before Rhodey could figure out the real reason why Tony was so out of sorts.

It surprised him when Rhodey turned back and sighed instead. “I have to go, Tones. There’s an emergency and they need me.”

“An emergency?” Tony echoed, sitting up straight, automatically worried. Rhodey was only just recovered from what had happened to him. He talked a lot about Tony burning himself out, but honestly Rhodey was just as bad if not worse.

“It’s no big deal. Look, we’ll talk again soon, you hear me? And I want you to make sure that you’re taking the time to eat and sleep regularly. Don’t make me come down and strap your butt to the bed, cause you know that I’ll do it,” Rhodey said, pointing a threatening finger at the screen.

Tony grinned despite himself. “Oh, I know you will. Bye Sugarplum.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes and shook his head affectionately. “Bye.”

As the screen went dark, Tony pushed his chair back and stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair as he made his way upstairs. Of course, no sooner did he get up there than he ran into a couple of journalists sneaking around. So he had to get rid of them before he could even think of talking to Stark. Needless to say, he was tired and irritated by the time he finally got to Stark.

Stark didn’t want to go down to the workshop, so Tony ended up sitting across from him at the table. He could feel Loki’s eyes on his back, which was annoying. He’d wanted to sit facing the two Asgardians, but Stark had scrambled into that seat first. Even now, he was looking over Stark’s shoulder at Loki and Thor – and that was even more annoying. He didn’t like how clingy Stark was with Loki. It was weird, and not at all befitting of a Stark.

“Look,” Tony said, and Stark’s eyes came back to him. “I’m pretty sure I know the answer to this already, but I just wanted to clarify. You and Loki are soulmates, right?”

“Yeah,” Stark said, not seeming surprised by the question. He must have been expecting it, Tony thought, which made sense. Stark was annoying, but he was still a version of Tony Stark and that meant he was highly intelligent and not to be underestimated.

Tony nodded. “I thought as much. Your marks still match, then.”

Stark cocked his head. “Wait. You – are you saying your mark doesn’t match?”

“Not anymore. It did, but it changed a little while ago. Presumably when you returned,” Tony said. He’d thought about how much he should share with Stark, but had ultimately decided that being open about this particular thing made little difference in the long run. Stark would inevitably find out anyway.

“It… changed?” Stark’s eyes were wide. “That’s… unusual.”

“But not unheard of,” Tony pointed out. People’s soul marks could change after a major life event. Tony had examined his mark closely after Afghanistan, wondering if it would change then, but it hadn’t. No, it had taken the introduction of another Tony Stark for his mark to finally change. That meant that he was no longer the most perfect match out there for Loki. Stark was.

“Right. Wow. I was wondering what would happen with this. I didn’t want to get between you and Loki,” Stark said. Then he seemed to realize what he was inferring, flushing and quickly adding, “I mean, not that there’s anything happening with me and Loki. Or you and Loki.”

“Right,” Tony said, raising an amused eyebrow. He was pretty sure that there was more happening between Stark and Loki than Stark seemed to be aware of, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell Stark that. It wasn’t his place to get in between soulmates, especially not gold-marked soulmates.

“So… who is your soulmate now?” Stark asked. “What color is your mark?”

“It’s blue,” Tony said, as calmly as possible. Blue was a sign that you had already met your soulmate and that your souls were compatible. It was a lot less than a silver or gold mark, and he felt that loss more keenly than he wanted to admit. Gold marks were the stuff of legends and fairy tales, the kind of bond that everyone he’d ever met aspired to have.

That might be part of why seeing Loki and Stark together made his stomach flip. It was one part feeling weird that any version of Tony Stark might be anything to Loki, of all people, but it also one part jealousy over the fact that Stark and Loki shared a gold bond. But again, the bond was with Loki. It almost balanced in a way, Tony thought. He didn’t think a gold bond was worth Loki. Maybe that was why his mark had been the one to change.

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Stark said quietly, looking guilty.

Tony waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal. I think I know who my soulmate is now anyway. I just haven’t decided what I want to do about it. And in the end, having a blue bond might be better. It means a lot less effort on my part.”

“You’re not wrong about that. A gold bond… it’s a lot,” Stark said. His eyes flicked past Tony again, unconsciously seeking out Loki to make sure that Loki was still there, and Tony tried not to sigh too loudly.

Obviously Stark and Loki were going to be a packaged deal for the foreseeable future. There went any hopes that Tony might’ve had about Loki departing on his own and leaving only Thor and the other Asgardians for Tony to deal with. He tried not to sigh too loudly, realizing that he was now going to have to deal with Loki for the long-term. That made finding a place for the Asgardians to go even more of a priority.

“Yeah, you’re welcome to it,” Tony said. “So… you’re going with the Asgardians when they go, right?” He watched Stark carefully and read the answer in the way that Stark tensed before Stark had even responded.

“I – I guess so,” Stark said softly, ducking his head.

Fragile. That was the word that went into Tony’s head at that moment. Stark was fragile, like one wrong word or move would be enough to break him apart. It was an uncomfortable thought, because Tony didn’t like thinking of any version of himself as fragile, but he couldn’t deny that it was an apt description. He found himself wondering about everything Stark had been through to be this way, and a chill ran down his spine.

Tony would never know the whole truth of it, and he was suddenly deeply grateful for that.

Chapter Text

The talk with Stark wasn’t going as badly as Tony had thought that it might. He’d sat down expecting Stark to ask questions about the future or about Thanos, but so far that wasn’t the direction that their conversation had gone. And while that was a relief, the knowledge that Stark’s soul mark had changed in both shape and color was really throwing Tony for a loop.

It had been in the back of his mind practically since he’d dropped down onto Thor’s ship. Their soul bond was what had led Tony to Loki in the first place, but it was impossible to ignore that Tony was not the soulmate of the Loki in this time. His true soulmate – the Loki of the future – was already dead. By being here, he was interfering in the bond between Loki and his past self.

Most people would have been furious. But Stark seemed strangely unconcerned with the fact that he had gone from a coveted gold bond to a more normal blue bond. He’d made a remark about it not being a big deal, and said that blue bonds were less trouble than a gold bond. Which Tony could confirm: if the gold bond between him and Loki was the reason why he felt so anxious about being away from Loki right now, it was a pain.

But still. Stark’s reaction was unusual. Tony tried to remember how he’d felt about the soul mark and knowing that Loki was his soulmate before everything had happened with Thanos, but those were memories of a time that seemed so far away now. Like they had happened to a different person. He didn’t think he’d been thrilled, but he also didn’t think he would’ve been as calm as Stark was now.

Or maybe he would’ve been… how was Tony to know? He had never lived through exactly what Stark was living through right now. Technically he could no longer even say that Stark was his past self, Tony realized. Because this Stark was now living through, and would continue to live through, moments that Tony never would. Their paths had well and truly diverged at this point.

“I’m working on finding a place for all of you,” Stark said finally, drawing Tony’s attention back to him. “It’s slow going, but I think we have a few viable options on the table. The long-term goal is, of course, for the Asgardians to become self-sustaining here.”

“Of course,” Tony said, nodding. His stomach fluttered when he contemplated the Asgardians leaving, even though Thor, Loki, and Stark had all assumed that Tony would be going with them. It was hard to believe that Thor and especially Loki would want him to come along, honestly.

“And you’re going to need a new identity,” Stark added, frank and unapologetic. “You can’t go around without one, and you obviously can’t be Tony Stark. So the sooner we get you a new one, the better. No one really knows that you’re here out of a select few, but I have the feeling that could change at any point.” He was clearly thinking of the reporters who had been hanging around earlier.

“Right,” Tony said with another nod. He didn’t know how he felt about leaving behind the name ‘Tony Stark’. As much as he’d hated the name over the course of his life, he was also attached to it. Tony Stark was the one who had stared Thanos down on Titan; Tony Stark was the one who had traveled through time; Tony Stark was the one who had killed Thanos and saved over half the universe.

Who was he if not Tony Stark?

“Pepper’s working on that right now. She’s reached out to a few people that can be trusted, and she says she’s hoping it won’t be too long. Until that point, I think you should stay inside and avoid people as much as possible. The fewer people who see you, the better,” Stark said.

“That’s fine. I don’t have anywhere to go anyway,” Tony murmured. He didn’t even have any money, he remembered with a sickening lurch. Never in his life had he been totally broke without even a cent to his name, but that’s where he was right now. There might have been fifty cents in the pocket of his pants, but that was about it.

The thought of taking resources away from the Asgardians who had lost everything bothered him, but he wasn’t sure what else to do at this point. Even if he were to invent something, he had no identity with which to market it right now. And surely there would be intellectual property disputes, considering that he would be using a lot of S.I. knowledge to do it.

“Good. I think that’s everything for now.” Stark blew out a noisy breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I’m sure you hate surprises just as much as I do.”

Tony smiled faintly. “Yeah, I think we can agree on that. So… um, sorry, I guess, for dropping this whole surprise right into your lap.”

Stark straightened up a bit, a glint coming to his eye. “No. Don’t apologize. The universe would be fucked without you, right? I’d much rather deal with all of this than have to deal with what you said happens. As far as I’m concerned, you did us all a huge favor.”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Tony said, thinking briefly on the future he’d left. “If there’s anything else I can do to help, let me know.”

“Honestly?” Stark said, a bit of a smirk coming to his lips, and Tony blinked.

“Yeah?”

“I want you to keep doing exactly what you’re doing, which is keeping Loki out of trouble. The last thing I need is a bored god running all over the place, especially when 99% of the earth still thinks of Loki as evil. I really, really do not need people seeing him and freaking out on top of everything else,” Stark said.

“I… um… I can try?” Tony said hesitantly. He really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to do that when not even Thor had ever been able to control Loki, but he could see Stark’s point.

“Good. Do that and it’s the best thing you’ll ever do for me,” Stark said. He clapped his hands together, making Tony flinch. “Okay, I have a ton of shit to do. My to-do list, which is usually as long as my arm, has now surpassed my arm to be as long as my leg. If you need anything else from me, just let FRIDAY know. She can get a message to me anytime – but of course, I guess you already know that.”

Tony swallowed and nodded, suddenly feeling a bit shaky. Stark nodded back, smiled distractedly, and left. By the time he reached the door of the cafeteria, he had his phone out and was already typing away. Tony watched him go, missing the times when he had felt that confident about who he was and what he was supposed to do next. Now he just felt lost. Lost and adrift.

But not for long.

“Are you finished?” Loki said, materializing beside Tony as though by magic. Tony couldn’t help jumping and flinching at the suddenness of it all, though he recovered quickly and stood up.

“Yes, we are.”

“What did he want?” Loki asked bluntly.

“Loki!” Thor said, making his way over to them. “You can’t just ask that about a private conversation.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Loki said, which was such a younger sibling way to retort that Tony had to bite his lip to hold back a laugh. He picked up their discarded trays and took them over to the counter; the cafeteria had slowly emptied while he and Stark spoke, so there was barely anyone around now.

“He just wanted to tell me that I’ll need a new identity,” Tony said, interrupting the brewing squabble. Both Loki and Thor looked at him, and Tony smiled wanly. “There’s already a Tony Stark here. It will cause a lot of trouble if people know that I exist. So it’s better for me to have a new identity. And because of that, he asked if I could stay inside and avoid being seen by any more people.”

Thor frowned deeply at this explanation, but it was Loki who spoke. “That is no problem. I can disguise you with my magic.”

“Really?” Tony said. “Not that I have anywhere to go, but that would be great if I did need to go somewhere.”

Loki nodded. “Of course. It is a simple matter.”

“Thanks,” Tony said, thinking that he might mention that to Stark at some point. Even with a new identity, people would still wonder at a man who had appeared out of no where and who looked so similar to a man as famous as Tony Stark. Maybe Loki could modify his appearance a little bit permanently – just enough so that he didn’t look almost identical to Stark.

He also thought about telling Loki that Stark’s soul mark had changed, but he decided against it right then. This wasn’t the place. That seemed like the sort of thing that was best told in confidence, so that Loki could decide how he felt about it without anyone, even Thor, being there too. After all, it wasn’t every day that your soulmate’s mark changed – or that you got stuck with the lesser of two soulmates.

In that respect, Tony almost felt sorry for Loki. He would’ve been better off with Stark. Stark wasn’t perfect, of course, but at least Stark had money, fame, and the fact that he was Iron Man going for him. Tony had none of that. He had a damaged suit, no money, and couldn’t even use his actual name right now. He literally had nothing to offer to anyone, much less to an actual god. It was a sobering realization.

“Did he happen to mention whether they had found a place for us yet?” Thor asked, drawing Tony’s attention back to the moment.

“Umm… no. Sorry. He said they’re working on it, but nothing concrete yet,” Tony replied.

Thor sighed. “As I expected. I hope that soon we will receive a different response. People are getting somewhat restless.”

“Just ask them to hold on a little longer. Stark said they had some good options on the table. It’s just a matter of finding the right one,” Tony said.

“Of course. I’ll take my leave now.” Thor inclined his head and swept out of the room, leaving Tony alone with Loki. For some reason he couldn’t explain, Tony felt his heart speeding up a little bit. He hadn’t been nervous around Loki before, but he was now.

“Come here,” Loki said, crooking a finger towards him, and without even thinking Tony obeyed. He walked right up to Loki and then just stood there while Loki circled him.

After about thirty seconds, Loki nodded and gently set the tips of his index and middle finger on Tony’s forehead. A strange sensation flooded through Tony’s body – it was similar to the sensation of Loki borrowing energy from him to fix the ship, yet not entirely the same. There was no tugging sensation this time. Tony still felt his knees getting weak though.

Just before he would’ve fallen to his knees, Loki’s free arm wrapped strongly around his waist and supported him. Tony swallowed bracing himself against Loki’s chest – god, he was so strong, he could literally hold Tony up with one arm like Tony weighed 5lbs – and closed his eyes until the strange sensation had slowly faded away. Only then did he open his eyes.

“What do you think?” Loki said. He’d got a mirror from somewhere, conjured it maybe, and held it so that Tony could easily look into it.

The face of a young man with blond hair and green eyes and tanned skin looked back at Tony. Slowly though, the unfamiliar features faded to reveal the face that Tony remembered: an older man with brown hair, brown eyes, and pale, sallow skin. The difference was incredible – no one would have ever guessed that he was Tony Stark.

“Is that what everyone will see?” Tony said, gesturing to the mirror.

“Everyone but those who know who you truly are,” Loki said. “Thor, for example, and the other Asgardians will see you as you truly are. So will Stark, and anyone who he has told. And me, of course.”

“Of course,” Tony echoed, looking back into the mirror. He realized he was still letting Loki support him and flushed, straightening up on shaky legs. But Loki didn’t let go, kept his arm around Tony’s waist, and Tony didn’t have it in him to pull away.

Chapter Text

It was another five days before Stark approached Tony again. Tony had actually spent most of that time in the room he was sharing with Loki, chatting with FRIDAY. She was being very helpful in reorienting Tony with this time period, which was something that Tony deeply appreciated. His brain still felt very muddled, but slowly he was beginning to find his way.

That was where he was when there was a knock on the door. Tony’s heart turned over at the sound; Thor was the type to approach the room booming Tony’s name at an audio level that Tony couldn’t not hear, and Loki was in the shower. Unsure of who else could be at the door, Tony slowly stood up to answer.

“Hey,” Stark said the instant the door opened. “Sorry, I could’ve asked FRIDAY to pass this along, but I wanted to tell you the good news myself. We found a spot for the Asgardians!” He looked tired but excited, exuding the kind of manic energy Tony knew so well – energy that only came about when he’d been awake for like three or four days and was sustained by the power of coffee alone.

“Wow, that’s great,” Tony said, surprised but pleased. “Where is it?” He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling chilled by the cooler air seeping in from the hallway. The room had been pleasantly warm with the humidity from Loki’s shower, and the hallway was cold by comparison.

“In Norway… if Thor is okay with that, of course,” Stark said, tipping his chin slightly in acknowledgement that Thor would have the final say. “But I think he will be. I’ve seen pictures of the site. It’s really nice. Spacious. Also far enough away from everything that they shouldn’t be bothered, but not so far away that they won’t be able to have a good relationship with the nearby towns and villages.”

“Norway…” Tony pondered that for a few seconds before nodding slowly. He could see that kind of environment working quite well.

“I’m on my way to tell them now. I thought you might want to come with me,” Stark said.

Tony blinked. “Um… sure, I guess,” he said, a little baffled as to why Stark had sought him out specifically. It wasn’t like he was going to have a say in where the Asgardians went.

“Great. Is Loki with you?” Stark looked past him into the room.

“He’s just getting out of the shower,” Tony said. Just as he spoke, Loki emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. Something tight in Tony’s chest eased at Loki’s reappearance; despite the fact that he knew Loki had been in the shower, he had felt uncomfortably tense without being able to actually see him.

“What’s going on?” Loki inquired, eyes flicking rapidly between Tony and Stark.

“I have news. Come on!” Stark said, already disappearing down the hallway. Tony shrugged at Loki and followed, relieved when Loki sighed and followed as well.

They fell into step beside Stark as Stark marched back down the hallway. Stark was clearly a man on a mission, and he was moving fast enough that it left Tony feeling somewhat breathless as he attempted to keep up. He said nothing about it, however, especially since Loki was able to keep up with ease.

Thor was unsurprisingly outside by the remains of the Asgardian ship, which was now being dismantled. They would want to take it with them to Norway, Tony knew, but there was just no way to get something that massive halfway across the world in one piece – and no way the ship would fly again anytime soon. That was why Stark, after a thorough discussion with Thor, had started the process to dismantle the ship. The parts would be shipped, and then it could be rebuilt wherever the Asgardians ended up.

“Hey!” Stark called out, crossing the lawn in great strides. Tony fell behind, shivering a little. It was even cooler outside than inside, and he regretted coming out in only a thin shirt without a jacket.

But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than something warm and heavy settled around his shoulders. He looked up, startled, and saw that Loki was now standing beside him. The cloak that Loki had been wearing was now draped around Tony’s shoulders. Tony frowned and thought about protesting, but the cloak really was soft and warm against the breeze.

“You are well?” Loki inquired, eyes scanning Tony from top to bottom.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Tony said, pulling the cloak a bit more firmly around his neck. He’d never admit it out loud, but it felt so good to be wrapped up in Loki’s cloak. It was almost as good as being in Loki’s arms… Whoa. No. Tony gave his head a little shake. Not going down that road. Not right now. Probably not ever. Aside from the fact that they were soulmates, he had nothing to offer Loki…

“Good news?” Loki repeated, his curiosity deepening now.

“He says they’ve found a place,” Tony said, smiling and feeling warm for an entirely different reason when he saw the way that Loki’s eyes lit up. He knew that Loki didn’t like staying in the compound. None of the Asgardians did. Loki stuck closely to Tony’s side, but the other Asgardians, Thor included, rarely came into the compound unless they had to.

And honestly, Tony understood where they were all coming from. The compound had never really felt like home to him, not the way that the tower had, but that was especially the case now. He was just too aware that he did not belong here – that he didn’t belong anywhere, not really, not anymore.

“Where is it?” Loki said.

“Norway,” Tony said, knowing that wouldn’t mean much to Loki. He started to reach for his pocket automatically, planning to pull out his phone so he could show Loki on a map, before pausing. That’s right. He didn’t even have a phone anymore. He hadn’t brought along his phone from the future, and even if he had, it was very unlikely that it would’ve worked.

“Norway,” Loki murmured, more to himself than to Tony.

“I should like to visit this Norway,” Thor declared, striding over to them. He was even more excited about the development than Loki was, practically vibrating where he stood.

“I could arrange to have the three of you brought to the site so you can see it,” Stark offered, following Thor over, and Tony blinked at him again because surely it was more important for Thor and Loki to go?

“Yes please, that would be most appreciated!” Thor said, clapping a hand down on Stark’s shoulder so hard that Stark staggered a bit.

“Great. I’ll make it happen for tomorrow morning,” Stark said, recovering his balance. “I’ll send a text when I know the details.” He looked right at Tony as he spoke, who awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Umm… could you just have FRIDAY tell me? I don’t have a phone,” he said.

“You don’t –” It was Stark’s turn to blink. “Wait, you haven’t asked FRIDAY to get you a phone?”

The incredulity in his voice made Tony flush as both Loki and Thor stared at him too. Uncertain as to how he was supposed to respond, he lowered his gaze to the ground, feeling uncomfortable. He had no money to buy a phone. And sure, he could’ve asked FRIDAY to just order one – but that would’ve been on Stark’s dime, and Tony didn’t know if Stark would be okay with that.

Tony would’ve been, had their positions been switched. But Tony was not Stark, and Stark was not him. The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of Stark’s good will after so many people had already done that, especially since the Asgardians needed every ounce of good will that Stark was willing to afford them.

“I don’t have any money,” Tony said stiffly, once the silence had dragged on for long enough that it got really awkward.

“You… for fuck’s sake.” Stark sighed loudly, and Tony glanced up to see that Stark was rubbing a hand over his face. He didn’t know what that meant, but it was enough to make Thor frown.

“We don’t have money either,” he said doubtfully, and Loki shifted next to Tony. When Tony glanced over at him, he saw that Loki looked as uncomfortable as Thor did. The two of them weren’t accustomed to not having any resources, Tony realized. Without thinking, he leaned into Loki in an attempt to comfort him. Loki’s arm came up around his waist, seemingly automatically, holding Tony there.

Stark muttered something under his breath and dropped his hand to his side. “Okay, first of all Thor, you do have money. My marketing department has been keeping on top of the Avengers merchandise. That shit goes for a lot of money, you know. I’ve kept your portion in a bank account for you.”

Oh right, Tony remembered with some surprise. He had done that at one point, hadn’t he? Except that after Thor had returned without Loki, Thor hadn’t had any interest in the money. Tony had no idea what had happened to the money after he’d given it to Thor, but he thought it had probably gone to the rest of the Asgardians. Even events like that seemed so long ago.

“It’s not enough to support everyone, but that’s okay,” Stark went on. “There are programs in place for immigrants both in the US and in Norway, and you all definitely qualify. Plus I’m not going to just abandon you all; I’ll help too.” He looked somewhat uncomfortable saying that out loud. “And we’ll figure out some way for you all to make a living here. You’ll be able to support yourselves.”

“That is a relief. Thank you,” Thor said appreciatively, and Stark nodded stiffly.

“As for you,” he said, turning to Tony, who tensed. “I’m sorry.”

“You… um… what?” Tony clutched the cloak deeper around himself, completely confused. Loki’s arm tightened around him, though Loki said nothing.

“I should’ve clarified that I don’t care if you spend anything. You’re Tony Stark too, right? And I… we… have lots of money,” Stark said. He sighed. “I’ll have FRIDAY get you a phone and a credit card.”

Something in Tony’s stomach tightened at that. Those words were eerily reminiscent of what he had first said to the Avengers, way back when he had thought that they were actually going to become a functional team. He’d given all of them credit cards for a while there. Bruce hadn’t used his. But the rest of them had used them with abandon, racking up huge credit card bills that Tony had had to pay off without so much as a word of appreciation.

He looked up, meeting Stark’s gaze. A moment of silent understanding seemed to stretch between them.

“It’s fine,” Stark said, kinder now. “I mean it.”

“Okay,” Tony said quietly. He still wasn’t sure he wanted to use Stark’s money. He knew he’d be second-guessing every single purchase that he made with it. But for the short term, it would have to do.

“I’ll have her get them to you within the hour. And I’ll get cell phones for you guys too,” Stark added, turning to Loki and Thor. “And, hmm, anyone else?”

“Banner and Valkyrie,” Thor said. “They should both have an easy way to communicate with us. Is that it?” He turned to Loki.

“Perhaps Heimdall,” Loki said.

“Ah, yes. Heimdall too,” Thor said, nodding in agreement. “Is that too many?”

“No, it’s fine. Six phones then,” Stark muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. He took out his phone and started to type into it.

“Thank you,” Tony said, meaning it.

Stark glanced at him and smiled a little. “You’re welcome. Once you get your phone, Ill have FRIDAY let you know when we’re leaving tomorrow. Now I’ve gotta go. I have a meeting to get to and Pep will kick my ass if I’m late.” He tucked his phone and headed back up to the compound.

Thor clapped his hands. “This is most exciting indeed. I can’t wait to see what this Norway looks like. I hope it’s a suitable place for us.”

“I hope so too,” Tony said, his stomach twisting nervously. If it wasn’t, he didn’t know what they were going to do.

Chapter Text

True to Stark’s word, exactly fifty-five minutes later, there was a young woman striding across the grass towards Tony with a box in her hand. Tony didn’t recognize her, but it seemed like there were a lot more people living at the compound now than he remembered there being in his past. The young woman walked right up to him and held the box out.

“For you, from Tony,” she announced. “He also asked me to stick around and teach anyone how to use the phone if they needed it?”

“Thanks,” Tony said. He made no move to take the box, and was trying to figure out how to politely ask her to put the box down on the grass when Loki reached out and took it from her. He opened the box for Tony’s perusal, showing that the box held the promised six cell phones as well as a credit card with Tony’s name on it.

Or at least, the Tony Stark name on it. Not really Tony’s name. Not anymore. His stomach felt heavy as he picked up the card, noting that it was a black American Express card. He was positive that meant that the credit limit was… well, probably practically unlimited. And it meant that Stark was putting a lot of trust in him not to abuse the hell out of this card.

“Darcy!” Thor boomed suddenly, so loud and unexpectedly behind them that Tony flinched badly. Loki’s arm was instantly around him, pulling Tony in reassuringly, even as Thor strode up to them.

“Hey Thor,” the young woman said, and it was only then that Tony realized he did know her. Darcy Lewis. Of course. She looked different than the last time Tony had seen a picture of her, and he couldn’t ever remember meeting her in person, but it would’ve been impossible to completely forget the girl who had once tazed Thor.

“What are you doing here? Is Jane with you?” Thor looked both nervous and hopeful, as though he wanted Darcy’s answer to be yes but was afraid for it to be yes at the same time.

Possibly luckily for Thor, Darcy shook her head. “Nope. Jane is in London doing science-y things right now. Normally I’d be with her, but her schedule is so tight right now there’s no point. So I’m here instead.” And then, perhaps having seen the way Thor’s face fell, she added, “But Jane should be joining me here in about a week and a half. She would’ve come sooner, but she couldn’t.”

“Ah, I see,” Thor said, somewhat regretfully. “I would have liked to have seen her.”

“Hmm… maybe not,” Darcy said with a small smile. “She did ask me to try and get a sample from your ship though, if you were willing to give it. And she had loads of questions for you… way more than I could ask… so she asked if you’d be willing to meet with her at some point.”

“Of course. I would be happy to answer any questions that Jane might have,” Thor said. “And of course, I can get her a small sample of the ship. Come with me. I’ll have it for you right now.” He was practically bouncing on his heels in his eagerness. It was actually kind of nice to see him so enthusiastic, because Thor really hadn’t had much to be happy about in the past few weeks.

Jane had died during the Decimation, Tony remembered. But he didn’t even know if Thor missed her, mostly because Thor had been so torn up about Loki. For Thor, nothing else mattered if Loki was dead. And it turned out that the case was the same for Tony. He looked down at where his hand rested on the arm that Loki had protectively placed around him, wondering when that had happened.

“Great. And, uh, do I need to teach anyone about the phones…?” Darcy glanced questioningly at Tony, who looked up at her cautiously. Her expression didn’t change at all when she saw that Tony was plastered against Loki, so tightly that not even a piece of paper could have fit between them.

“Maybe Thor, and Heimdall, and Valkyrie,” Tony said hesitantly, thinking about it. “Bruce will know how to use a phone, and I can teach Loki. I don’t know, Bruce might be able to teach Valkyrie and Heimdall too…” Thor had had a little exposure to cell phones during his time on earth, but he didn’t know how to use one as well as he would need to now that he was going to live here.

Darcy smiled. “No problem. I’ll talk to Bruce about it. Here.” She deftly took the box from Loki’s outstretched hand and took two of the phones out, putting those into Loki’s hand instead. Then she tucked the box with the other four phones under her arm and followed Thor towards the ship. Thor glanced back once before they entered, as though making sure that Loki and Tony were still there.

“Are you well?” Loki asked, the question meant for Tony’s ears alone.

“I’m fine,” Tony said, which wasn’t particularly true, but he just didn’t want to get into why someone yelling right behind him was practically enough to give him a heart attack. He took one of the phones from Loki, easily recognizing it as a top-of-the-line Starkphone.

Top-of-the-line for now, anyway. After just a few seconds of perusing the phone, Tony couldn’t help noticing that a wide range of features that he had grown used to were now missing, which made sense. Perhaps he’d have a way to make money after all, if Stark and S.I. were willing to hire him on as a consultant. Tony could help S.I. leap years ahead of the competition with just a few conversations.

A consultant. He smiled wryly down at the phone. Somehow, he had truly come full circle if he was back to being a consultant again.

“What is this, anyway?” Loki wanted to know, peering over Tony’s shoulder at the phone. “Thor said something about an easier way to communicate?”

“It’s called a cell phone. Each one has a unique number assigned to it, and we can call those numbers to talk even if we’re a long distance away from each other,” Tony explained. “For example, if I had Thor’s number, I could call him while I was in the compound and he was on the ship.”

“Fascinating,” Loki said. “I can do that with magic, but it’s more difficult when the person I’m seeking doesn’t have magic as well.”

“Well, not too many people on earth have magic,” Tony said, suppressing the shudder that always followed even a passing thought of Maximoff. “But this is pure science. See?”

He powered on the phone and they both watched as it came alive. Tony bypassed the security measures for the moment and instead went to the contacts list. He was pleased to see that there was a whole list of numbers already programmed in, notably Thor, Loki, Bruce, Stark, and – oh. Tony chewed his lower lip when he saw that Rhodey and Pepper were there too.

He missed them both with a fierce ache that nothing could fill. The Rhodey and Pepper of this time wouldn’t be the same. They hadn’t experienced the Decimation. And while that was of course a good thing, right then it also felt like a very lonely thing. Tony stared at their numbers for a long moment in silence. Would he ever be able to dial them again?

“So I could call anyone?” Loki said, bringing Tony back to reality. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the arm that Loki still had around his waist. He might not have Rhodey and Pepper, but at least he wasn’t completely alone. Tony would hold onto that for as long as he possibly could.

“Yeah,” Tony said, pleased when his voice came out somewhat normal. “So long as they have a phone too. Whether or not they pick up depends on if they’re busy, but through a phone you can do other things too. You can send an e-mail or a text message, or leave them a voicemail, or contact them through certain apps. I imagine that Facebook is still around…”

There was a slight pause beside him, and then Loki said, “I want to know what every single one of those things mean.” He sounded so prissy, and so demanding, that it caught Tony off-guard, and he laughed.

“I can show you all what they mean,” he promised.

What followed was an afternoon in the sunshine, slowly walking Loki through the uses of a phone. Somehow, they ended up with Loki sitting on the grass with his back against a tree trunk, with Tony seated right in front of him. Loki’s arms were lazily wrapped around Tony’s waist, and his chin rested on Tony’s shoulder so that he could see. That left Tony with both hands free to navigate the phone as necessary.

It was the most calm and comfortable that Tony had been in a long time, especially since Loki was completely relaxed behind him. The ship was right in front of them and they could both periodically see Thor entering and exiting the ship as he relayed orders to those around him. Every so often, Thor would glance their way to make sure that Tony and Loki remained nearby.

“So you’re telling me this internet can look up anything,” Loki said, at once intrigued and skeptical.

“Pretty much. I mean, there are some limits. But if you know where to look, you can pretty much find it all,” Tony said. He would have said that he didn’t know how much about Asgardians would be on the internet, but for all he knew some Asgardians had visited earth in the past and put some information out there. Thor couldn’t have been the first Asgardian to come here, after all.

“Something like this would have been incredibly useful on Asgard. We had vast libraries, but it could be difficult to find what you wanted,” Loki murmured.

“Well, that’s kind of like the internet. FRIDAY is always at your disposal to help too,” Tony added, before remembering with a pang that FRIDAY wasn’t his to assign anymore. She was Stark’s resource. That hurt.

“Yes, of course, I am always here to help,” FRIDAY announced.

Tony jumped, letting out a startled squeak, and dropped the phone. Without even thinking about it, he shrank back against Loki and brought his hands up, intending to release the armor. It was only the tightening of Loki’s arms around his waist and the gentle whisper in his ear that stopped him.

“That is FRIDAY, is it not? You told me she was safe.”

“I – yes,” Tony said slowly, realizing that his outstretched hands were visibly trembling. “FRIDAY, wh-what? What are you doing in my phone?” He clasped his hands to his chest, fisting them tightly, as though that would somehow make the trembling stop.

“Boss installed me,” FRIDAY chirped. “He said that you would have need of me. Ask away. I can help you with anything.”

“Did he do that to all the phones?” Tony asked, already knowing the answer but needing FRIDAY’s confirmation. And sure enough…

“Nope, just yours.”

Tony closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed. What on earth was Stark thinking? Why was he being so accepting and understanding, even going so far as to give Tony access to FRIDAY? That was a lot of trust. Stark knew all too well what a precious resource FRIDAY was. After how the Avengers had taken advantage of her, Tony had fully expected that Stark would never allow anyone else to have access.

“Isn’t this good?” Loki said softly, curious.

“It is – but I – I just didn’t expect it,” Tony admitted. It was a relief, actually. He could think of at least two dozen ways that FRIDAY would make life a lot easier.

He picked the phone up again, holding it loosely. A fall like that wouldn’t hurt a Starkphone, of course, but Tony quickly checked it over anyway. Naturally, the phone was fine. He leaned back against Loki again and flipped to the place where FRIDAY’s mini server was installed; he hadn’t even thought to check and see, but there she was. A hard knot in his chest loosened a bit.

Having FRIDAY there… the world felt a bit more normal.

Chapter Text

The text from Stark came before Tony and Loki retired to bed that night. Tony heard the familiar beep of his phone and reached for it before he’d even fully registered that he was going to do so. He didn’t think Thor knew how to text yet, and it seemed unlikely that Bruce would be texting him, so Tony knew who it had to be from before he looked at the screen.

“Tomorrow morning,” Tony announced, drawing Loki’s attention. “Stark says we’ll leave in one of his private jets at 7:30am. He’ll have a car take us to the airport; we leave here at 7am.”

“And how long does it take to get there?” Loki asked.

Tony did a rapid mental calculation before answering. “It shouldn’t take any longer than five to six hours, depending on the weather conditions. If it’s a nice day, it’ll be on the lower end of the spectrum. But if’s storming or raining as we approach Norway, it could be longer.”

“Thor will make sure it is nice,” Loki said with a lazy wave of his hand, and Tony regarded him with both amusement and awe. It was always weird to be reminded of the fact that he was dealing with literal gods here – gods who could and would do impossible things like shooing away a thunderstorm that might cause a delay to an airplane.

“Then we’ll probably be there by mid afternoon,” Tony said. He looked again at the text, reading further. Stark had written that the airport where they’d be landing was about forty-five minutes away from the potential site where the Asgardians might be able to move to. So a car would meet them at the airport and drive them to the site. Then they’d go to a hotel for the night before returning late in the day tomorrow.

That sounded reasonable enough to Tony. They’d have all afternoon and part of the night to explore the site. It would also be good for them to be able to have a look at the nearest town, since that was where all of the Asgardians would be doing their shopping for the foreseeable future. So they could spend tomorrow morning looking around there before they came back.

“Out of curiosity, does this place speak a different language?” Loki asked suddenly.

“Yeah, they do, but I didn’t think that would be a problem for you. Thor never seemed to have any trouble,” Tony said. Thor had talked about something called ‘all-speak’ once, though Tony had never found the right moment to press for additional details. But it seemed like Thor could talk to pretty much anyone in any language and experience no difficulty.

“It won’t be for me, but I was not sure about you,” said Loki. “You will need to speak the language if we move there, correct?”

Tony flushed and swallowed, but nodded. “They speak Norwegian. I know a few different languages, but not that one,” he murmured. Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin were the languages that Tony was most fluent in aside from English. He didn’t think any of them would be very helpful in Norway, which meant that he’d need to start learning Norwegian sooner rather than later.

Loki had been playing around with his cellphone, but now he set it down and stood. He approached Tony in a few long strides, standing over him. But despite the fact that Loki was looming over him, Tony did not feel threatened. If anything, it was comforting to have Loki so close – though he was puzzled as to why Loki had chosen to get this close so suddenly…

“I can give you All-Speak. You’ll be able to hear or read any language as though it’s your own, and anything you say or write will be heard or read by others in their own,” Loki said.

Tony’s eyes widened. “What? Really? You – you can do that? Wait, hang on, rewind – All-Speak applies to reading and writing as well? I didn’t know that.”

“The name doesn’t exactly do it justice,” Loki said, wrinkling his nose. “One of our ancestors named it. Someone with limited intelligence, no doubt.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, and Tony had to suppress a smile. Loki was such a snob sometimes and it was honestly way more adorable than it should have been.

“I knew Thor never had any trouble, but I didn’t realize it extended that far,” Tony said, though he felt a little stupid for not having realized it. When he thought about it, SHIELD had required Thor to sign off on a bunch of forms before taking Loki back to Asgard. Thor had read the forms and asked a handful of questions about them before signing, which had just seemed normal at the time. The fact that Thor shouldn’t have been able to read the forms hadn’t even crossed Tony’s mind.

“It is useful to have when we are traveling to other planets. You can never be completely sure that a translator is accurately translating everything is being said. That has caused… issues in the past,” Loki explained, to which Tony raised an eyebrow.

“By issues… do you mean wars?” he asked.

Loki sighed. “Yes. Sometimes the smallest word can dramatically change everything, as I’m sure you know.”

“Yeah…” Tony nodded. He couldn’t argue with that, considering so much of the work that Stark Industries did involved contracts where one word could be heavily debated for literally days. That was one of many reasons why he had become as fluent as possible in the languages that he was. Loki was right. Relying on translators was never ideal.

“But that would not be an issue for you if I did this,” Loki said, bringing them back around to his initial offer. “You would be able to communicate freely with anyone, even people who are not of your planet.”

“That would be amazing, but – are you sure you can do that?” Tony asked. He couldn’t help feeling a little bad. He was already relying on Loki for so much. But at the same time, the offer was too tempting to turn down. Being able to communicate with literally anyone would be amazing.

“I couldn’t do it for everyone, but I could for you,” Loki said, with a significant look.

He meant because they were soulmates, Tony realized. The thought made a shiver run down his spine, although not unpleasantly so. Ever since finding out that Loki was his soulmate, Tony had been tormented by thoughts of how awful that would be. But so far, being Loki’s soulmate had turned out to have a lot of perks and this was just one more to add to the ever-growing list.

“Please,” Tony said. “If it’s not too much work for you.”

For some reason that made Loki smile. “Stay seated. This will probably give you a headache,” he told Tony. “And it may make you disoriented for a little while.”

“Okay.” Tony braced himself, prepared this time for the touch of Loki’s fingers against his forehead.

He didn’t know what to expect, but it felt like something was being pushed into him. It was a similar feeling to when he’d eaten too much and his stomach ached and felt bloated, except it was all in his head. Very quickly, his head started to ache. His brain felt like it was too big for his skull. Green magic flickered at the corners of his closed eyes, amplifying the feeling to an uncomfortable degree.

When the green light finally faded away, Tony felt like shit. There was really no other way to describe it. If something had changed in his ability to understand all languages, he couldn’t feel it over how bad he was currently feeling. His head was throbbing, and he kind of wanted to throw up. He didn’t realize he was swaying until an arm wrapped around his shoulders to steady him.

“Come here,” Loki said softly, but it still sounded painfully loud. Tony tried not to wince, keeping his eyes shut. He didn’t want to move; it would be too awful.

Loki must have realized that, because an arm slid underneath Tony’s knees and then he was being lifted. That was unpleasant, because it badly exacerbated the pain in Tony’s head. But a handful of steps later, Tony was being gently lowered onto a bed. That helped a little. The pillow was soft against his head, and the sheets were cool against his overheated body.

“Go to sleep,” Loki whispered, slipping into the bed beside him. “You’ll feel better when you wake.”

Tony did not remember falling asleep that night; it felt more like he blinked and then opened his eyes and there was suddenly sunlight pouring in through the curtains. His head felt a lot better than it had last night, although he still wasn’t back to normal. But it was more like a dull headache now rather than the overwhelming intensity of last night, and that felt like a huge upgrade.

He looked over at Loki, who was still asleep. One arm was tossed casually across Tony’s waist. Loki’s cell phone was on the bed between them. Tony picked it up and glanced at the time. It was just after 6am, meaning that they both needed to get up anyway. They were due downstairs for the car in less than an hour, and Tony assumed Loki would want to have breakfast before they went.

“Loki. Hey, wake up,” Tony said, keeping his voice soft as he put a hand on the arm across his waist.

“No,” Loki said, scrunching his face up, and Tony choked back a laugh. One unexpected thing he had discovered about Loki was just how much Loki hated mornings. It was just such a human reaction that it always took him off-guard.

“But you have to. We’re supposed to leave soon. Don’t you want to see what your new home will be like?” Tony asked.

Loki sighed. “I suppose I do have to be there, if only to stop Thor from choosing somewhere that is completely unsuitable," he said grumpily.

It was a good thing Loki wasn’t looking at him, because Tony wasn’t able to hide his smile at that remark. He had noticed that there was no true anger or maliciousness in Loki’s voice now when he talked about Thor. He thought that the two of them must have had a conversation when Tony wasn’t around, probably back when Tony had been unconscious from the effects of time travel.

“Come on. You can sleep on the plane if you want,” Tony said, shifting Loki’s arm off his waist so that he could get up.

He quickly got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a sweatshirt on top. Loki reluctantly climbed out of bed and got dressed as well. Then the two of them made their way down to the cafeteria. Because of the early hour, there weren’t many people around. Tony got himself a coffee and, after Loki gave him a pointed look, a piece of toast to go along with it.

They ate and, after Tony got another cup of coffee to go, headed outdoors. It was a chilly morning, and Tony was grateful for the warmth of the arm that Loki absently wound around his shoulders. Thor, Bruce, and Valkyrie were all waiting. Tony avoided Bruce’s curious look in favor of staring fixatedly at the black car that was leaving the compound and driving around towards them.

“Is Stark coming with us?” Thor asked, looking right at Tony.

“Not that I’m aware of. There’s really no need for him to come, and he’s probably busy anyway,” Tony replied. What he didn’t say was that if Stark did want to join them, the Iron Man suit would get him there faster than the plane possibly could.

“Very well. It’s just the five of us, then,” Thor said, clapping his hands. “Let us go. I am most anxious to see this new place.”

“Norway is beautiful. I think you’ll like it,” Bruce said as the car reached them. The front door opened and the driver sprang out, hurrying around the car to open the back doors for them. Though Tony looked at the driver carefully, much like most of the people in the compound, it was someone he did not recognize.

“Mr. Stark asked me to take you all to the airport,” the driver said, perhaps noticing Tony’s hesitation. “I believe the plane is leaving at 7:30am?”

“That’s correct. Thank you,” Thor said, climbing into the car without concern. Bruce and Valkyrie followed, leaving Tony and Loki to bring up the rear.

Chapter Text

Tony ended up falling asleep on the plane. It was one of Stark’s private planes, so the seats were a hundred times more comfortable than a normal plane, and he was able to curl up against Loki’s side and rest his head on Loki’s shoulder and close his eyes. He came awake to the sound of the plane’s landing gear emerging, and felt the thump of the plane touching down a few minutes later.

“We’ve arrived at our destination,” the pilot said over the intercom as the plane glided to a stop. “Mr. Stark has asked me to remain here to take you back. Thank you for flying with Stark Industries.”

Tony muffled a yawn, straightening up and stretching carefully. Thor had already bounded to his feet and was rushing to the slowly opening door. Bruce and Valkyrie were slower to follow, the two of them exchanging indulgently amused looks over Thor’s excitement. Loki stood up and held a hand out to Tony, who took it and allowed Loki to pull him to his feet.

It was even cooler in Norway than it had been in New York, with a brisk wind that made Tony shiver and wish he’d grabbed a coat instead of a sweatshirt. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Loki took Tony’s hand and drew a symbol on the back of his hand in light green magic. The symbol flickered and vanished, suffusing Tony with a heady warmth like he’d just stepped into a sauna.

“Rune magic,” Loki said, correctly interpreting Tony’s curious look. “It’s one of the first things magical children are taught. It’s potent, but doesn’t last long unless the runes are etched purposely to last.”

“Interesting,” Tony murmured, his mind immediately going to the Iron Man armor. What could he do with a suit that was etched in magical runes meant to last? Invisibility came to mind. He’d never quite been able to make that one work.

“Hello there!”

The unfamiliar voice made Tony tense, and Loki shifted a half-step in front of him. Tony caught his breath and then peered around Loki’s shoulder to see two women and a man bearing down on them. Two of the three didn’t look that familiar, but the third one vaguely did. Tony searched his memory, but couldn’t place her face or remember what her name was. Thankfully, she was targeting Thor.

“Welcome to Norway, your highness,” she said, and Tony was perfectly positioned to see the uncomfortable look cross Thor’s face at the title.

“You can call me Thor,” Thor told her. “And you are…?”

“Ingrid Hansen,” she said, seizing Thor’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “It’s such a pleasure to be the one to greet you. I’m here on behalf of the government, of course, but I also must admit that I’m a huge fan.”

Tony listened to her voice closely as she spoke. He was certain that she wasn’t speaking English, but to his ear it sounded like English. The only hint that she was speaking Norwegian was the faint lyrical undertone to each word. Otherwise, he would’ve never known. Loki’s magic was seriously impressive.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Thor said with a gracious smile, one that had Ingrid almost swooning. “I must express my appreciation to your government for offering my people a home. I dearly hope that we will be able to come to an understanding.”

“We thought we’d take you to the site first,” the other woman spoke up. She had a soft voice, almost shy. “Then we can start discussing the semantics.”

“And you are?” Thor said, looking at her.

“Emma Jensen,” she said politely. “And this is our associate, Jonas Alfson.”

“It’s nice to meet you. This is Dr. Bruce Banner, and Valkyrie,” Thor said. “And my brother, Loki, and his partner –”

“Antonio,” Tony filled in smoothly. Technically he didn’t have a legal name yet. That was still a work in progress. But he thought that for right now at least, Antonio was as good of a name as any. At least if the others called him ‘Tony’, which they were sure to do, no one would think it was strange.

“A pleasure,” Ingrid said with a big smile. “Now, right this way, we have cars waiting. It’s only about a forty-five minute drive from here.”

She led them up the pavement towards two cars. Thor, Bruce, Ingrid, Valkyrie, and Jonas got into the first one. Tony followed Loki to the second, and Emma joined them with a shy smile. She hung back, allowing Tony and Loki to get in first, before she climbed in last. No sooner had she settled herself and put her seatbelt on than the car rumbled to life, and they were following the other vehicle.

“Will Mr. Stark be joining us today?” Emma asked after a few minutes. She seemed unbothered by Loki’s presence, and didn’t seem to mind the fact that Loki had an arm draped around Tony’s shoulders, pressing Tony closely to him. Tony liked the fact that she didn’t stare at them.

“I’m not sure. He had some meetings this morning. Will we need him?” Tony said.

Emma shook her head. “No. Nothing is going to be decided for sure today anyway. Our meeting will be more to talk about the logistics of everything. How the Asgardians might support themselves. What kind of help they’ll need in the short-term versus the long-term. What they’ll need to have on hand immediately. That sort of thing. We want to get as much detail as possible ahead of time.” She smiled at them again.

Tony smiled back. “We appreciate your efforts,” he said earnestly. He wished that he had access to all the money he’d had in the future. That would be more than enough to support the Asgardians for the foreseeable future. But unfortunately, he’d left all that behind.

“Would you tell us about Norway?” Loki said then, and Emma’s smile widened.

“Of course!” she said enthusiastically, and spent the next forty minutes giving them both a rundown about Norway. Some of it Tony already knew, but he listened intently regardless. His brain was so muddled up by everything that had happened that he couldn’t be sure what he knew anymore.

As the car came to a stop, Tony twisted to look out the window so that he could see where they’d arrived at. He could see the ocean from where they were parked. The waves crashed angrily up the beach, and a little shiver went down his spine. The water looked cold, and the overcast sky didn’t help matters. It looked like it was going to start raining at any moment.

Emma got out at first, followed by Loki and then Tony. Loki extended his hands to Tony, who took them automatically, and Loki helped him out of the car. Right away, Tony spotted what looked like a little village in the distance. It was down by the water, but not so close that it was at risk of the waves. Emma noticed where he was looking and nodded her head.

“That’s it. Those pods were built by Stark Industries. That’s not all of them; we’re still having the rest installed. But it’ll give you an idea.”

“Pods?” Loki echoed, sounding baffled, but the word triggered something distant in Tony’s memory. He vaguely remembered discussing a concept like this with Pepper after what happened in Sokovia, but he couldn’t remember if they’d ever put it into production. They must have, since he was now looking at some results.

“They’re easily moveable temporary homes,” Emma said, not without pride. “They’re weather-proof, easily heatable, and roomy.”

“Until we can build something more permanent,” Tony muttered in Loki’s ear. He supposed that the pods solved an obvious problem. Finding the materials and contractors to build so many homes in such a short period of time was next to impossible. Even getting so many of the pods on short notice must’ve been hard; no wonder Stark always seemed so stressed out Tony saw him.

They met up with the other group and started the trek to the village. The path was hard going, sloped and covered with pebbles that threatened to dump Tony on his butt. He found himself holding tightly to Loki’s arm as visions of slipping and falling all the way down into the water flooded through Tony’s brain. Even the knowledge that Loki and Thor wouldn’t let that happen didn’t help much.

He felt a little better when the path curved away from the water to the right. Ingrid chattered away about the weather and the pods and the ocean and all the work that was being done as they walked. Tony looked around curiously. There were a lot of the smaller pods (which were still pretty big) that would serve as individual homes, but there were also a couple of bigger spaces.

Those, Ingrid explained before anyone could ask, were intended to be used as community places. She kept talking, but Loki drifted away from the group and Tony, of course, went along with him. He snuck a glance at Loki’s face as they walked, but it was difficult to tell what Loki was thinking. His expression was eerily blank. So finally, Tony decided to speak up.

“What do you think?” he asked softly. “It’s not Asgard, I’m sure.” He’d never seen Asgard, obviously, but Thor had told him about it before. Thor had spoken so compellingly of amazing castles and grand sweeping bridges and buildings built of gold.

“Sometimes the fact that it is not Asgard is not a bad thing,” Loki replied. “I loved Asgard… but a part of me also hated it. And I believe that Thor would have struggled to rule there. He would have been fighting with the ghost of Odin the whole time.”

“That makes sense, I guess,” Tony said. He wondered whether Thor would want to rule here. That would be hard when the Asgardians didn’t even have their own land. You couldn’t really be a ruler of borrowed space, could you?

Someday, he decided then and there, if he ever had the money, he’d buy the Asgardians their own island. A place where they could really rebuild a home for themselves, and where Thor could have the kind of control that a king deserved to have. It wouldn’t be an easy thing to make happen, but if Tony had learned one thing during his life, it was that money could make just about anything happen.

“It will be an adjustment,” Loki said at last, softer now, and Tony’s heart broke for him. For all of them. Thanos was gone, but it hadn’t saved Asgard. There was something terribly bitter about that.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. “I – if I could have come back in time to save Asgard – I wish I could have.”

“I know,” Loki said simply.

And for some reason, that simple acknowledgement made Tony feel a little choked up. Most people, like Rogers and his crew, would’ve been angry that Tony hadn’t done more. People were always angry when Tony couldn’t do more. But Loki wasn’t. He never had been. He just accepted whatever Tony could do, and didn’t seem to mind what Tony couldn’t.

“It will be fine,” Loki added after another moment or two of walking. “It will take a while, but I think they can be happy here.”

“What about you?” Tony said, because he’d immediately noticed that Loki had not included himself there.

“That depends,” Loki said.

“On what?”

Loki stopped walking. He just looked at Tony.

“Oh.” Tony flushed a little, ducking his head. “I – I feel like I’m taking advantage by coming here with you,” he mumbled at the ground. “You all need this. I don’t.”

“Don’t you?” Loki said, kind but sharp. “You have nothing but what you brought with you, right? And you can’t be apart from me.”

Tony blushed harder, mortified. So Loki had noticed, then.

“Plus the compound makes you uncomfortable,” Loki went on. “You fit in there as well as I do, which is to say not at all. But with us, with me… you fit.”

You fit.

Those words resonated all the way down to Tony’s soul. He felt the mark on his hip tingle a little bit.

Because Loki was right.

And they both knew it.

Chapter Text

“Brother! There you are!” Thor was making his way swiftly towards them, announcing his approach as always, and for once Tony was thankful for it because it meant that he did not need to come up with an answer to Loki just yet. He looked away from Loki’s intense green gaze to Thor.

Thor looked alarmed, Tony noticed immediately. At first he thought that something had happened, but then Thor reached them. The very first thing that Thor did was put a hand on Loki’s shoulder, as though to make sure that Loki was still there and still okay. But then the second thing that Thor did was put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, and that shocked Tony into speechless silence.

“Brother, my friend, I was worried. You both wandered away,” Thor said, his alarm fading now.

“We were just looking at the village,” Loki said, but there was something softer about how he said it. The hard, caustic tone Tony remembered hearing him adopt with Thor was gone now. Like he understood where Thor’s concern was coming from.

It only struck Tony then that Loki and Thor had not been far from each other either since Thanos died. Unlike Tony, who basically had a panic attack if he couldn’t see Loki, Loki and Thor could and did easily separate. But they were always close by, never more than moment or two away, and always seemed to know where each other was. And by extension, Tony realized slowly, Thor always knew where Tony was too.

“I see. What do you think so far? There seem to be both pros and cons,” Thor said, looking around at the buildings. His hands remained on their shoulders. It was a big hand, a heavy hand, but also strangely comforting.

“I think it will do, at least for the short-term. It’s better than remaining at the Compound,” said Loki. “Does their plan sound reasonable?”

“I believe so,” Thor said slowly. “I must admit that I am… somewhat concerned over what we will do to support ourselves. We can’t live off of Tony Stark’s money forever; I’m sure he would not complain, but that is not something I can condone. And it’s been made clear that the Norwegian government will only be able to supplement us for a short period of time… and of course, we would not live off of them forever either…”

Tony’s heart twisted, watching the way that Thor and Loki shared a frown in that moment. It seemed like Thor had been hoping that Loki would burst out with ideas, but Loki remained quiet too, and that was troubling Thor even more. He knew that Thor must have been remembering the many blunders he’d made while on earth. Though it didn’t feel like his place, Tony could not remain silent.

So he spoke up, and said, “Don’t worry about that. There’s tons that you guys can do.”

“What do you mean?” Thor asked, looking to Tony curiously.

“People here are going to want to know everything about you guys. I mean, most people didn’t even know magic was a real thing until a few years ago. Plus there’s all the incredible metal-work that you guys can do. You’ve worked with substances we’ve never even heard of on earth, so I can guarantee there’s some scientists who are gonna die to talk to you. Not to mention all of your culture and your history and plants and food. Oh, and then there’s all the information you have about all the other planets out there, no one here is going to have anything like that,” Tony rambled, new ideas flying through his brain.

“And people would pay to know these things?” Thor said, looking a bit baffled by the idea.

“Absolutely! In fact, some of the information shouldn’t be shared. We’ll have to talk about that and warn your people,” Tony said, frowning to himself. “But some of it, definitely. Hell, you guys could stage fights and invite people to come watch… or Loki could perform magic… people would come by the crowds, I promise.”

Even though he was clearly trying to pretend that he was not, Loki was clearly intrigued by this idea. Not that Tony could blame him. He knew from all the stories that future Thor had told him that magic hadn’t been highly thought of on Asgard for a long time. So for Loki to have the chance to share magic with people who would be in awe of it, well, who wouldn’t seize that chance?

Thor started to look a little more cheerful. “What you say makes sense to me, my friend! I remember now how interested SHIELD was to speak to me when I arrived. They asked me many questions about Asgard. Some of them I lacked the knowledge to answer. But others would know, or there may still be some books on the ship that would have the answers.”

Tony nodded enthusiastically. “You could even teach people your language,” he told Thor. “If you wanted to. I’m sure there are people who would be happy to learn.” He spread his hands. “The point is, I think you guys have a lot of knowledge that can be monetized. It will take a little time to implement, but you’re going to be fine.”

“We will be fine,” Thor said sternly, squeezing Tony’s shoulder. “For surely, there is nothing we could do without you! You will be our ambassador.”

“I – what?” Tony said, startled. “But I – I’m not as Asgardian.”

Thor chuckled. “But you are, being that you are Loki’s con – oof!”

“We should return to the others,” Loki said calmly, as though he had not just jabbed his elbow into Thor’s midsection with enough force to make Thor double over and yelp in pain.

Tony stared between them in bewilderment. He had the feeling he was missing something, but was uncertain as to what it was. Had Thor just been referring to Tony being Loki’s soulmate? But then why had Loki elbowed him? Unless – Tony took a quick, suspicious glance around, wondering if someone had approached without his notice. He didn’t see anyone, but then he also knew that Loki and Thor had superior hearing compared to him.

Thor straightened up, casting Loki a sour look, and said to Tony, “You are the only human we can fully trust. I would not want to put our fate into the hands of anyone else.”

Tony’s stomach flipped, and he licked his lips. “That’s…” He trailed off. He wanted to tell Thor that was silly, but maybe it wasn’t. Stark was a good guy, of course, but he couldn’t be relied upon to put the Asgardians first. He had too many other things to worry about, like being Iron Man and Stark Industries and the Accords. But Tony didn’t have those restrictions anymore.

“This has been most enlightening,” Thor said, finally smiling outright. “I feel much better about the prospect of moving here now, knowing that we will be able to make money. We’ll have to talk more in depth about this once we return to the Compound.”

Still baffled, still stunned, Tony silently nodded. But then he remembered himself enough to say, “In the short-term, you should caution your people not to say too much about anything to anyone. I don’t want any information falling into the wrong hands, or any information getting out that would impact your potential earnings.”

“Of course,” Thor said with a nod. “Now, Loki is right, we should return. Come along, Brother, my friend.”

Tony shot a curious look at Loki as they both fell into step beside Thor. It stung a little when Loki did not look at him in return. But as they returned the group, Loki seemed to soften. By the time they were listening to Emma rattle off facts about the weather, Loki’s arm had slipped back around Tony’s waist. The easy, comfortable grip was one that Tony realized he had missed.

They stayed at the site for a while longer before leaving; Jonas led them on a tour of the village first, and Ingrid unlocked on the of the pods so they could see inside. It was warmer and homier than Tony had expected, furnished with simple but good quality furniture. He stared around the pod and tried to imagine living here. It was much easier to imagine than it should have been.

And maybe… it wouldn’t really be intruding, or stealing resources, if Tony had some way of contributing, would it? He turned the idea over in his mind as he followed the others, guided by Loki’s strong arm around his waist. Thor was the Asgardian who had the best knowledge of earth, but not even Thor knew enough about how things worked to be able to navigate something like this.

The truth of the matter was, if Tony didn’t help, he was afraid that the Asgardians would end up being taken advantage of. It might have been a while since Tony had done anything for Stark Industries, but he remembered all too well what people were like. They could act like your best friend while stabbing you in the back. Just look at what Obadiah Stane had done, and he’d worked with Howard for years.

“You’re thinking hard,” Loki murmured in Tony’s ear as they began the arduous walk back to the cars. He removed his arm from around Tony’s waist and offered it for Tony to hold onto instead. Tony grabbed on gratefully; the path sloped uphill as they walked, and it felt just as treacherous as before.

“I am. About whether I could really be useful to you guys,” Tony said. Because he was looking down at the path, watching for rocks, he missed the thoughtful frown that crossed Loki’s face.

“And have you come to a decision?” Loki asked after a moment, voice neutral.

Tony nodded. “I don’t know about being your ambassador, but I will come with you, at least for now. Thor is right. You’ll need someone you can trust to set things up for you in a way that’s fair.” He decided not to mention that he was concerned the Asgardians would be taken advantage of. He thought that might be a blow to their pride, and that seemed unnecessary.

“Good,” Loki said, satisfied. “I’ll let Thor know, but we’ve already accounted for your presence.”

“Of course you did,” Tony sighed. He couldn’t find it in himself to be mad. It was actually really nice to be wanted, especially now he understood why they wanted him.

Loki merely smirked in reply, which was so stupidly and unfairly attractive that Tony didn’t have a good response, so they finished the walk up to the cars in silence. There, Ingrid suggested they go to the nearest town for a late lunch and so that the Asgardians could see what the town was like.

“What did you think?”

The unexpected whisper in Tony’s ear made him flinch and huddle closer to Loki. Loki’s head whipped around, eyes narrowed, but it was only Bruce, who raised an eyebrow at the strength of their reaction.

“What?” Tony said. Loki apparently deemed Bruce to not be a threat and turned back to what Ingrid was saying.

“I asked what you thought. Since I assume you’re staying,” Bruce said.

“I think it will be fine,” Tony said, neither confirming nor denying the latter. He hadn’t really talked to Bruce since they’d arrived on earth, and doing so now made him a little uncomfortable. Once upon a time he would’ve called Bruce his “science bro”, but that was a very long time ago indeed. Stark and Bruce barely knew each other; Tony and Bruce did not know each other at all.

“I think so too,” Bruce agreed quietly. “Tony… when we get back to New York, could we talk? Just the two of us?” He darted a quick look at Loki.

Tony was ashamed of the way his heartrate immediately picked up at the mere thought of that. Mercifully, he was spared the effort of answering by Ingrid, who loudly clapped her hands and called out for everyone to get back in the cars. Tony ended up sharing a car with Loki, Thor, and Jonas this time. Thor immediately engaged Jonas in a conversation about the site, but Tony couldn’t concentrate on that.

What could Bruce possibly want to talk about?

Chapter Text

“You should tell him.”

Thor’s softly spoken words made Loki frown before he thought better of it; he should have remained still and quiet, and then maybe Thor would have gone away. But then again, despite all the ways that Loki had fooled and tricked his brother over the years, not once had he been able to convince Thor that he was asleep when he wasn’t. Somehow, Thor always knew.

He opened his eyes to better emphasize his frown, automatically using his magic to create a barrier against anyone who might try to listen to their conversation. The plane was not that big, and this was not something that Loki wanted confirmed to anyone who did not already know. The last thing he wanted was for Tony to hear about it from someone else.

“Tell him what?” Loki said, feigning confusion, and Thor rolled his eyes.

“Come now, brother. I may not be wise, but I am also not stupid,” he said, casting a meaningful glance at Tony. Loki followed his gaze.

It had been late by the time they returned to the plane. Tony was overly tired, unused to so much excitement and still a very long way from being fully recovered, and had fallen asleep on Loki’s shoulder practically the moment the plane took off. Loki had used his magic to erase the confines of the seats between them, turning the two chairs into one and allowing Tony to fully rest his weight against Loki.

Right now, Tony was leaning against him so heavily that one more minor jolt from the plane would end up with Tony slipping into his lap entirely. Loki found that he did not mind, and that the thought was even an appealing one. But he was not yet at the point where he was comfortable doing so himself, so he was content to wait for nature to do it for him – until Thor showed up, of course.

“He doesn’t need to know. Not yet,” Loki said at last, having weighed the pros and cons of continuing to pretend he had no idea what Thor was talking about. The thing about Thor was that he was stubborn, and he would not go away if he wanted to talk about this, and the plane was only so big.

“Is it so bad, then?” Thor wanted to know. “That he is your önd? Your consort?”

Hearing the word spoken so bluntly aloud made Loki tense. Tony stirred against his shoulder, traumatized enough to respond to even the slightest cue from Loki’s body. Loki immediately relaxed and gently rubbed his hand up and down Tony’s back. Slowly, Tony relaxed again too and drifted back into sleep. Thor watched this occur with the most ridiculously soppy smile that really made Loki wish Tony wasn’t between them so that Loki could stab his brother already.

“That depends on who you are asking,” Loki said loftily, as though it did not matter – but Thor looked at him, and those blue eyes were far too understanding. Loki found himself missing the days when Thor had not understood anything about him.

“He needs you, Loki. Don’t try to fool yourself by pretending that there is someone else who could do better by him right now… or ever. After what he has been through, he needs someone who understands,” Thor said.

Loki scoffed a bit. “You are overestimating me if you think I’ve ever time traveled,” he said.

“I know you haven’t, but that doesn’t mean you don’t understand regardless,” Thor said calmly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how he clings to you, how he panics when you’re out of his sight… and don’t think I haven’t noticed that you like having someone who needs you. He needs you as you need him. You are well matched.”

“I don’t need anyone,” Loki muttered, but it was a weak argument and they both knew it. The truth of the matter was that it hadn’t been that long at all since Tony had returned to the past to save them, but Loki was already willing to burn the world down to protect him. That was… really scary, in a way. He had not cared for anyone this fiercely since their mother, and he never would have expected it to happen this fast.

Thor shook his head slightly. “My brother, no. You may not need much, but you still have need for people who love you the way you need to be loved. I am only sorry that I did not realize that before.”

The plane jolted slightly, a bit of turbulence, which had the expected consequence of Tony’s upper body falling into Loki’s arms. Loki caught him instinctively, clutching the fragile body to his chest. He felt better for having something to hide behind, even if the very idea was ludicrous if only because Tony wasn’t nearly big enough for Loki to actually hide behind.

Thor reached over and unsnapped Tony’s seatbelt. Loki hesitated for only a moment before giving in and gently pulling Tony’s lower half into his lap, enabling him to arrange Tony into a more comfortable position for both of them. Amazingly, Tony slept right through it. The only sign that he was aware of the change was how he turned his face into Loki’s neck, seeking darkness over the brightness of the plane.

“You should tell him,” Thor said again. “At the very least, he deserves to know that he is not bothering you and that you don’t mind his company, that you even enjoy it. I would hate for him to think that he needs to leave us.”

Damn it. Loki hated to admit it, but Thor had a point about that. He had already alluded to all of that, but he suspected that Tony would not fully believe it unless it was stated in a very blunt fashion that could not possibly be misconstrued. After all, Tony hadn’t agreed to go with them to Norway until he had figured out a way to be “useful” to them, even though Loki had already told him that he fit with them.

“I will consider it,” Loki said at last.

“Good. Because our people aren’t blind. They know, or at least suspect, what Tony is to you. I’ve heard the rumors myself,” Thor said. “I doubt you want him to find out from someone else.”

Loki glared at him. “Like from you?”

Thor’s eyes widened. “Surely you can’t blame me for a slip of the tongue,” he said innocently.

“I should throw you off this plane,” Loki grumbled, and Thor chuckled.

“You wouldn’t,” he said with so much confidence that Loki was truly tempted to set Tony aside and prove that he would, in fact, do it.

Luckily for Thor, he retreated before Loki could give into temptation. Loki watched him walk back up towards the pilots before slowly letting down the barrier that had prevented anyone from eavesdropping. As he did so, he noticed that Banner was openly watching them – no doubt trying to figure out what Loki and Thor had been discussing. Loki met his gaze with a blank expression, unimpressed when Banner scowled.

He was trying to be protective of Tony, Loki surmised, although Loki genuinely was not sure why. Banner and Stark were clearly not close; Loki had never seen them together at the compound, and Stark had seemed to make it a point to avoid whatever circles that Banner was a part of. Tony had also made no moves to speak with Banner beyond their sparse interactions on the ship, so Loki suspected that they had not been close in the future either.

Well, if it was a misguided, unwanted attempt to protect Tony, Banner would be swiftly dealt with. Hulk or no Hulk, no one could keep soulmates apart. It was unheard of amongst the civilized worlds. He had queried FRIDAY about this one night while Tony was sound asleep, and FRIDAY had confirmed that it was a practiced deeply frowned on even upon Midgard.

The plane landed shortly thereafter, and Tony woke up with a lurch. He clutched at Loki instinctively until he realized here he was and who he was with, and then he swiftly relaxed. Loki concealed the flash of pleasure that went through him; he hated to admit even to himself that he loved the fact that his mere presence was enough to calm Tony down, but it was true.

“We’re back?” Tony said through a sleepy yawn, running a hand through his hair.

“So it seems,” Loki replied.

Tony sat up a little, and it was only then he seemed to realized he was in Loki’s lap. His face reddened and he immediately scrambled off of Loki’s lap. Loki hid his amusement and unsnapped his own seatbelt before standing, joining the end of the line to leave the plane. Tony shyly came over to stand beside him, staring at the floor with still-pink cheeks.

“U-um, sorry about that,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean to, um, to sleep on – on you.”

“I didn’t mind,” Loki said. “And you were tired.”

Tony pursed his lips, then sighed. “I’m tired of being tired. Isn’t there some magical Asgardian remedy for this?”

Loki gave the question some genuine thought before answering. “Not that I am aware of, no. Perhaps if my mother were still here, she might have had an idea. But as I understand it, the only cure for neglect is rest and taking it slow and remembering to eat and drink.”

“You’ve been talking to that doctor, haven’t you?” Tony said, eyeing him with frustration. “I’ve ‘neglected’ my body for as long as I can remember. It’s never impacted me this way before.”

“You’ve never been through anything like this before,” Loki said quietly.

He did not add that those years of prior neglect surely had a cumulative effect, which meant that Tony’s body had nothing to fall back on after not just time travelling, but also undergoing so much stress both before he had time travelled and once he’d gotten here. Tony had spoken sparingly of the time between when Thanos had used the Infinity Stones and when he’d travelled back in time, but Loki sensed that it had been a much more difficult and personally negligent time than Tony wanted to admit.

“I want to say that shouldn’t matter, damn it,” Tony said, huffing a bit, and Loki smiled.

“You can say it, but I don’t think that will change the truth of the matter,” he said lightly. Truthfully, he thought that Tony might someday need to come to terms with the fact that he might never be back to how he was before. But now was not the time for such arguments.

They exited and the plane and followed the others over to the car that was waiting for them. It was a different driver than the one who had brought them to the plane this morning, but Loki did not think too much on it. He knew that there were many people under Stark’s employ at the compound. It wasn’t until Tony tensed up that Loki glanced over at him questioningly.

Tony met his gaze and gave a subtle shake of the head. “I think something is wrong,” he whispered, so quietly that human ears wouldn’t have been able to pick up on it.

Yet the driver’s head tilted in their direction.

Loki stopped, and Tony stopped with him.

“Who are you?” Loki demanded. “Show us your credentials.”

“What’s wrong?” Thor asked. Banner and Valkyrie were already in the vehicle, but Thor paused in the midst of climbing in and straightened up instead.

The driver held his hands up. “Now, now. There’s no need for that.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to decide that,” Loki sneered. “I’ll ask you one more time. Who are you?”

Chapter Text

“There’s no need for that kind of response. I’m not an enemy,” said the driver, which wasn’t really an answer to Loki’s question. Loki shifted, moving to stand protectively in front of Tony, which was surprising enough. But then Thor stepped in front of both of them, expression darkening. Overhead, the view of the rising crescent moon in the sky began to be blotted out by gathering storm clouds.

“We will not ask a third time,” Thor said, and the undercurrent of power in his voice made the hair on the back of Tony’s neck stand up. He was no damsel in distress, but he pressed himself closely to Loki’s back and grabbed onto Loki’s jacket just in case. If Thor started throwing lightning around, Tony’s very-human body wasn’t going to be able to stand up to it too well.

The driver sighed. “I told Fury –” He opened up the driver’s door and climbed out. Bruce and Valkyrie got out too, eyeing the driver with the same suspicion as the rest of them.

The driver looked around at them, mouth opening and closing wordlessly, before he sighed a second time. There was a moment of tense silence, and then the driver passed a hand over his face and grabbed at his forehead, peeling away his skin – no, Tony realized, pulling away an electronic mask that had changed his features. It was a Photostatic Veil, and the face that was left behind underneath it was very familiar indeed.

“Coulson?” Bruce blurted out, stunned. “But you – you died!”

“Rumors of my death were somewhat exaggerated,” Phil Coulson said with a slightly bitter smile. He looked around at their small group, eyes lingering on Bruce, Thor, and Loki in particular. Tony tensed when Coulson’s eyes finally landed on him, but Coulson looked at him with a curious but blank face.

Of course. Coulson didn’t know who he was, Tony remembered in a rush of relief. He had completely forgotten about the spell that Loki had woven around him to change his appearance. Right now Coulson was seeing the face of an unfamiliar young man with blond hair and green eyes. He had no way of knowing that it was actually Tony Stark standing in front of him.

Maybe that was why Coulson was staring at him so hard and with such curiosity. The close scrutiny made Tony deeply uncomfortable. He pressed himself even harder against Loki, hiding his face against Loki’s back and gripping at Loki tighter with shaking hands. The harder Coulson stared, the more Tony just wanted to disappear behind Loki and Thor entirely.

“Exaggerated? What does that mean?” Thor said suspiciously. “You have led us to believe you were dead for years now. Why are you choosing to approach us now… and in disguise, no less? Were you planning to spirit us away?”

“Kidnap,” Tony muttered against Loki’s back. Might as well call it what it was.

“I wasn’t planning to kidnap you,” Coulson said, somewhat annoyed, and Tony winced. He had not expected Coulson to be able to hear that.

“Then why disguise yourself?” Valkyrie said. Of them all, she was the only one who had never met Coulson before, so she was the only one who wasn’t thrown off by his unexpected appearance.

Coulson hesitated briefly, then said, “I was not sure that any of you would speak to me if I approached you outright. I had hoped that I could take you to a neutral place. There, I would have revealed myself. I would rather have not had to do so out in public.” He sounded annoyed that he had been found out so easily.

“But why?” Bruce said, exasperated. “Coulson, no offence, but like Thor said, we thought you were dead. None of us have heard from you for years. Why show up now? And through such sketchy means. This whole situation just comes across as really creepy.”

“SHIELD wanted to speak with you and wasn’t sure you’d agree to do so if openly approached,” Coulson said.

Tony frowned, puzzled by that. SHIELD had effectively fallen apart after Romanov and Rogers dropped all of the SHIELD files onto the internet, and it became publicly evident that Hydra had sunk its claws deep into SHIELD. Tony had done everything he could to save as many of the agents as possible, but hundreds had still died. So far as he knew, SHIELD had never recovered from that.

But at the same time, more important things than SHIELD had demanded his attention shortly after that. And now, Tony could not remember the last time he had bothered to think seriously about SHIELD. He wondered if they had still been around in the future too. Fury had been taken by the Decimation, but obviously Tony had never thought to look and see if Coulson was still around.

“Speak to us about what? Why not go through Stark?” Thor said. Tony didn’t need to look to know that Thor was frowning.

“Stark isn’t aware that SHIELD still exists,” Coulson said delicately. “We would like to keep it that way for the time being.”

Ha, fat chance of that. The very first thing Tony was going to do when he got back to the Compound was find Stark. Not only was Tony going to tell him that SHIELD was still very much active, but he was also going to tell Stark exactly who had told them that. His memories were still too muddled for him to know exactly what Stark was working on right now, but surely SHIELD would endanger some of them.

“Right, yeah, we’ll think about that,” Bruce said sarcastically. “You keep dancing around the question, Agent Coulson. You said SHIELD wanted to speak us. Enough so that you impersonated a Stark Industries driver and presumably stole one of their cars.”

“Borrowed,” Coulson corrected.

“Uh huh. Well, what is it that you want, then?” Bruce said bluntly. “I sure hope it’s nothing to do with the Big Guy, because the answer is fuck you.”

“We don’t need anything from you at this time, Dr. Banner,” Coulson was quick to reassure. “I was sent here for Thor and Loki. SHIELD has some delicate questions that they’d like answered if you have the time.”

Delicate questions? Tony wondered what that meant. He lifted his head ever so slightly, planning to dart a quick peek at Coulson, and was startled to realize he couldn’t. Thor had shifted so that he was standing completely in front of Loki and Tony, thereby fully blocking Tony from Coulson’s view. Loki could still see Coulson over Thor’s shoulder, but Tony couldn’t.

“My apologies, Agent Coulson, but I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. Our ambassador has recently informed us that we need to be cautious about what we say and who we say it to until such time that we are in a position to be appropriately compensated,” Thor said.

Tony choked on a laugh, hiding his face against Loki’s back again. Oh boy. If Fury and Coulson ever got wind of the fact that it was a version of Tony Stark who had told Thor that, Tony would be lucky to walk away without a new bullet hole. But in all fairness, when Tony had told Thor that, he had done so never imagining that it would end up impacting SHIELD of all places.

Although really, he would have included SHIELD if he had known. He was so very proud of Thor right now for saying that to Coulson. Gone were the days where Thor was an exuberant puppy, anxious and happy to make friends with any new people he met. This Thor was understandably more reserved, and his first concern was always what would keep Loki and the other Asgardians safe.

There was a long silence on Coulson’s part, and then he said in a strained voice, “SHIELD may be able to compensate you, depending on what you’re asking for. But really, is that necessary, Thor? We worked together, after all.”

“And then you died,” Loki said serenely, speaking up for the first time. “Don’t working relationships end when someone dies?”

Loki! Tony smothered his half-shocked, half-amused gasp against Loki’s jacket. Of course, Loki had been brainwashed and wasn’t in control of himself at the time. But the fact remained that he had still been the one who had stabbed Coulson. Tony was certain that Coulson had not forgotten that, and he had to wonder if Coulson had really come for both Thor and Loki, or if Coulson just thought that Thor might be more willing to come along if Loki did too.

“I did not die,” Coulson said tightly. “And our working relationship has not ended. Please, Thor. I wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t important.”

“If it’s that important, then you can speak to Stark’s people about it. I’m afraid that right now we are tending to very important matters of our own,” said Thor. “And I do not appreciate being blindsided.” He sounded quite unhappy, as a matter of fact, and Tony’s amusement faded as the hair on the back of his neck rose.

“I see. It needn’t be this way, you know. We’re all on the same side and I’m here to help,” Coulson said, sounding disappointed. In the past, that voice might actually have worked on Tony. He was suddenly grateful that Coulson did not know who he was. Hopefully Coulson would just think of him as another Asgardian, albeit one who was unusually attached to Loki.

“You’ve received your response. Get lost,” Valkyrie said, blunt and rude, and Bruce snorted.

Coulson sighed but said nothing. Tony listened to the sound of Coulson getting back into the car. None of them said a word as the car started up, and then it drove away. From the sound of it, Coulson was driving in the opposite direction of the Compound. Tony couldn’t help wondering where Coulson might’ve taken them if they had got in the car. Nowhere good, he was sure.

“Well, that was weird,” Bruce said finally.

“Who was that?” Valkyrie asked at almost the same time. “And why wasn’t I allowed to stab him for approaching us on false pretences?”

“Because we don’t know what he wanted. Not yet,” said Loki. “If you kill him, we may never know.”

“I see nothing wrong with that,” Valkyrie remarked.

Thor sighed. “Loki, do you think you could take us back to the Compound? I see no other cars around.”

“Coulson probably canceled the other driver. Or at least, I hope they just got canceled. Maybe we should be looking around for a dead body,” Bruce muttered.

“That is not our concern,” Thor said.

Loki shifted and a warm feeling ran through Tony, making the soul mark on his hip tingle. He knew without looking that Loki had used his magic. When he lifted his head, he was entirely unsurprised to find that he, Loki, Thor, Bruce, and Valkyrie were now standing on grass instead of pavement. About a hundred feet away was the Compound and the outdoor Asgardian encampment. Bruce and Valkyrie set off for it immediately, but Thor turned to Tony and Loki with a furrowed brow.

“He frightened you,” he said to Tony.

Tony cleared his throat. “Not – not frightened,” he denied, trying to make his hands let go of Loki’s jacket. But he’d clung so tightly his knuckles ached.

Thor merely frowned at him, unconvinced. “No one will be permitted to harm you. You need not be concerned while Loki and I are near.”

Tony didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t frightened of Coulson or anyone else here. He wasn’t. It was just – overwhelming in ways that Tony could not put into words to be faced with people he had once known. People who had been dead in his time. People who would expect things from him. Things that Tony couldn’t do, because Tony was so very, very tired of being expected to do everything.

“Go find Stark, Thor,” Loki said softly. “It will be alright.”

Thor lingered for a second more before nodding and heading towards the Compound, shoulders set tensely. Loki’s firm hands found Tony’s hands and pulled them free, but he didn’t push Tony away; instead, he turned to face Tony and pulled him into a hug so tight it was almost painful. But Tony didn’t mind. It was exactly what he needed right now.

Chapter Text

“SHIELD? I mean, fucking SHIELD. After all this fucking time. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Stark said, looking very much like he wanted to put on the Iron Man armor and go punch something. Tony could appreciate how he felt. Hell, he wasn’t very happy to find out about SHIELD and they weren’t even going to be Tony’s problem. He didn’t envy Stark right now.

“Not just SHIELD, but Coulson too,” Bruce said, crossing his arms over his chest. Valkyrie had declined to join them, but Tony, Bruce, Loki, and Thor were all dining with Stark the next morning. Stark looked like he’d been up all night. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was standing on end, as though he’d been repeatedly running his hands through it.

“I know, Thor told me, I just – it’s wild.” Stark shook his head and reached for his cup of coffee. He slung half of it back in one long, noisy swallow, looking like he wished it was something a lot stronger than coffee.

“So you didn’t know?” Thor asked, and Stark looked at him like he was crazy.

“Of course I didn’t know! Hell, after SHIELD folded – or after I thought it folded – I hired a lot of SHIELD agents and brought them to work in the compound. I thought that maybe someday some of them could be back-up for the Avengers or something like that. I never dreamed -” Stark scowled furiously and threw back the rest of his coffee.

“I didn’t know either,” Tony remarked quietly. He thought about the future and how hard everything had been. Life might’ve been easier if he had known that SHIELD still existed. Or maybe it would’ve been harder. He had no way of knowing for sure, but that made him feel a little bitter. It was just like SHIELD to go completely underground and let everyone else face the consequences.

Thor looked at him and then sighed loudly. “This is concerning. I find myself wondering whether SHIELD has anything to do with us moving.”

“It’s not just that, Thor. You have no idea how many things this could screw up... Now I have no idea what the fuck Coulson and Fury have their fingers in,” Stark said crossly, getting up to pour himself another cup of coffee. He slammed his mug down on the counter and Tony jumped.

Loki casually draped his arm across the back of Tony’s chair and said, “If you wish to question those working for you, I would be able to tell if they’re lying about involvement with SHIELD.”

Stark paused for a second, then turned around to stare at Loki. “Wait, really? You can do that?”

“Yes. I can sense untruths in the moment, but if you were to give me time to actually cast a spell…” Loki shrugged, his thumb idly stroking the back of Tony’s neck. The gentle, innocuous touch was sending chills through Tony’s body in the best way.

“Well... sure,” Stark said, seemingly baffled by the offer. “That would be incredibly helpful. I’d rather not have anyone here who is working for both of us. SHIELD doesn’t need to know what we get up to, especially through unscrupulous means.”

“Why do you think they hid?” Bruce asked no one in particular. “Like… why not just be honest?”

Stark filled his mug and returned to the table, bringing the coffee pot with him. “I don’t know, honestly. I can only assume they’re doing some stuff that they don’t want other people knowing about. Which is… all kinds of alarming.” He sighed and sat down.

Tony stared at his mostly untouched meal, feeling increasingly troubled. Because he knew – they all knew – that Stark was right. If SHIELD wasn’t involved in anything questionable yet, then it was only a matter of time until they were. It was funny how many people had pushed hard for the Avengers to have more transparency, but then those same people would turn around and support or be a part of an underground group like SHIELD.

They were all quiet for a few moments until Thor spoke again. “Do you think this will impede our move?”

“I mean… it shouldn’t. I don’t see why it would,” Stark said slowly. “The only thing is that you won’t be on private property anymore. SHIELD could approach you if they wanted to, and clearly they want to. We might have to look into some kind of protective features.”

“It’s pretty sad when two gods aren’t protection enough,” Bruce remarked. He was the only one who had tea, and he took several frustrated sips now.

“Only when we’re around,” Loki pointed out. “Thor and I can’t be there for every moment of the day.”

Thor nodded in agreement to that and added, “SHIELD is sneaky. I do not like the idea of them approaching any of our people who may decide to strike out on their own. Nor do I want our place to feel like a prison that they can’t leave for fear of being targeted in any way.”

“You’ll have to warn people about them,” Bruce said. “I could see SHIELD trying to take advantage of someone who didn’t know better.”

Loki’s thumb pressed a bit harder against the back of Tony’s neck. Tony didn’t know if Stark or Bruce or Thor noticed, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop a little bit. He didn’t need to look at Loki to know that the mere suggestion of such a thing was really pissing Loki off. And judging by the expression on Thor’s face, Tony wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that a sudden storm had sprung up outside.

“It’ll be okay,” Tony said softly, deciding that he’d best say something before lightning started to strike. “Of course, I wouldn’t put it past Coulson or Fury to do something underhanded to get their hands on information they’re not supposed to have. But Thor, you were already planning to talk to everyone about what they should and shouldn’t share. This can just be one more thing you mention. Your people aren’t stupid; if you warn them, they’ll know better and will know what to say if they’re approached.”

Thor’s stormy expression lightened a little. “That’s true.”

“And, um, I guess as your ambassador, SHIELD can go through me. I’ve handled Fury and Coulson lots of times, so it’ll be fine,” Tony added, which just might’ve been the biggest lie he’d told so far.

It was not fine. It was anything but fine. Seeing Coulson again had been anxiety-inducing enough, and that was when Tony hadn’t had to say a word to the man. He couldn’t image what it would be like to see Fury again, never mind the fact that he would actually need to speak and negotiate with Fury. Whatever SHIELD wanted from the Asgardians would have to go through Tony.

For just a moment, this was all uncomfortably reminiscent of times when Tony had been the only one standing between the Avengers and the rest of the world, with all the pressures and expectations that position required. It made Tony feel so sick to his stomach that he regretted eating what little he had.

Then Loki’s arm slipped from the back of Tony’s chair to across Tony’s shoulders, and Loki said, in a voice that sounded icy cold, “Absolutely not.”

At the same time, Stark said, “Ambassador?”

And then Bruce said, “That’s not really your decision” while looking at Loki.

“Yes, it is,” Thor said before Loki could speak. “It is true that we have asked Tony to remain with us and act as our ambassador, but my friend, that doesn’t mean everything will be dropped in your lap. It is not your responsibility to deal with something like SHIELD. Loki and I can handle it.”

Tony swallowed hard, feeling a little nauseous. “Are you sure?”

“Very,” Loki said, his hand gently squeezing Tony’s shoulder.

Bruce was looking distinctly unhappy, but it was Stark who spoke up and said, “What do you mean by ambassador?”

“Tony suggested the people on Midgard will pay very well for our information and technology and history other things like that,” Thor explained. “He is going to help us with that.”

“Oh, right.” Stark’s confusion cleared and he smiled. “That’s a great idea, because they really will. I was wondering about that, because it’ll be a good way for you guys to support yourselves, but I’ll cross it off my list if future me is going to handle it.” He took out his phone and tapped something into it.

“Tony, can we talk?” Bruce said, and both Tony and Stark looked at him. Bruce was staring at Tony, and Tony suddenly remembered that Bruce had asked him before if they could talk. He had forgotten all about that what with Coulson unexpectedly showing up. He hadn’t agreed to talk with Bruce, but he realized now that there was probably no way of avoiding it.

Slowly, he nodded. “Sure.”

“I have to go anyway. I have a meeting and Pepper will straight-up murder me if I miss it,” Stark said, still tapping at his phone. “Alright. Loki, I’ll have FRIDAY set up some times for questioning. I really need to know who I can trust around here before we start dealing with SHIELD.”

Loki inclined his head. “That’s fine with me.”

“Great. I’ll see you all later.” Stark got up and darted out of the room, no doubt because he was already running late for the aforementioned meeting.

“I must go as well. I need to start spreading the word amongst our people. And I need to update Valkyrie,” Thor said. He grabbed a pastry from the middle of the table and stood. “Brother, my friend, I’ll see you both later.”

“Bye Thor,” Tony mumbled, wondering why Thor never called him by his name anymore. It was always ‘my friend’, which – if Tony remembered correctly – was a phrase that Thor used to use for all the Avengers at one time or another. Now he seemed to use it exclusively for Tony. He wasn’t sure what that meant, and he didn’t know if he should ask or not.

Bruce looked expectantly at Loki, clearly waiting for him to depart too. When Loki did not move, Bruce said pointedly, “I need to talk to Tony alone.”

“I will cast a spell so that I cannot hear you, but I am not leaving,” Loki said firmly.

“What the fuck? Why are you being so weirdly possessive of Tony?” Bruce demanded. “Come on, Tony. We’ll go somewhere else.” He got up. Was it Tony’s imagination, or was there a slight swell of green around Bruce’s cheeks? The last thing they needed was the Hulk making an appearance.

But still, Tony did not get up. At one time, he might have. Actually, scratch that. At one time, he would have. He would’ve forced himself to go along with Bruce even if he desperately didn’t want to, all in the name of keeping the peace. Because when you worked with a bunch of highly volatile personalities, keeping the peace was a necessity. No one had ever realized just how much Tony did to keep the peace.

Right now, though… he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. The thought of leaving Loki’s side made a cold sweat break out on the back of Tony’s neck. It wasn’t something he could explain, especially not to someone like Bruce. The last time that Tony had tried to explain something to Bruce, Bruce had fallen asleep and then, when Tony called him on his rude behavior, got mad and told Tony that he wasn’t “that kind of doctor”.

He was grateful that Thor and Loki just seemed to understand, and that neither of them had pressed the issue or asked questions, so Tony had not really needed to explain anything to them. But even if Tony was willing to try to explain things to Bruce, he didn’t think Bruce would be that understanding. He could see it in the way that Bruce was glaring at Loki.

“No,” Tony said before he could stop himself. “I can’t – please, Bruce, can’t we just talk here?”

Bruce looked at Tony in surprise, his eyebrows furrowing. “Tony, I’d rather we speak in private. Come on. It’s not a big deal.”

“No,” Tony said again, quieter but firmer. “It’s here or nothing.” He clenched his hands in his lap and waited tensely for Bruce’s answer.

Chapter Text

“… Fine,” Bruce said after a considerable pause, but the expression on his face made it clear that he was not happy with the concession. He sat back down at the table.

Loki glanced at Tony, and Tony didn’t know how he knew this, but he did know that it was Loki’s way of checking to make sure that Tony was okay with this. And truth be told, Tony wasn’t. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Bruce. But he also knew that Bruce was not going to leave or give up on this, so this conversation felt like it was inevitable. He might as well just get it over with.

So he nodded slightly at Loki to give his agreement. Loki inclined his head in response and stood, magic falling from his fingertips. It was interesting to see the way Bruce tensed up when Loki used his magic, like Bruce was expecting that magic to be used on him. But all Loki did was recreate the same spell from before, causing a shimmering band of light to surround the table.

It was comforting, being surrounded by Loki’s magic. Almost as good as being right beside the god himself.

“He really can’t hear us?” Bruce said suspiciously as soon as Loki had moved outside the magic’s reach. “Hey! You’re a pathetic coward! Hela was better than you. Asgard got what it deserved!”

“Bruce!” Tony hissed, absolutely mortified. He thought it very fortunate that Loki couldn’t hear them, because he was 99% sure that there actually was a way to kill the Hulk and Loki was nothing if not resourceful.

Bruce shrugged. “I was just making sure that Loki was being legit. Honestly, Tony, I don’t know how you can stay around someone like him. Every word out of his mouth is a lie.”

“Loki has never lied to me,” Tony said quietly. Or at least he knew that Loki hadn’t lied since Tony had traveled back in time, anyway.

“You can’t possibly know that for sure,” Bruce said dismissively. He leaned forward. “What’s going on with you, Tony? Why are you being so clingy with Loki, of all people? Is he blackmailing you somehow? Controlling you? Is he brainwashing you?”

“Of course not,” Tony said, somewhere between shocked and insulted.

“Would you even know if he was?” Bruce pressed. He leaned even closer, staring intently into Tony’s eyes; though Tony was aware that Bruce was more than likely just trying to make sure his eyes were completely brown and not blue in any way, the close contact made him really uncomfortable. He scooted his chair backwards a few inches to put more space between them.

“Yes, I would know. What’s going on between me and Loki is really none of your business,” Tony said testily.

Bruce frowned at that, looking hurt. “What do you mean? We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Are we? Tony desperately wanted to ask. His memories of his own past were still muddled. He couldn’t say with complete accuracy what had happened when. But he definitely remembered pouring his heart out to someone he thought was a friend, only to have Bruce fall asleep and then completely dismiss Tony afterwards. That frustrated scoff of ‘I’m not that kind of doctor’ was burned into Tony’s brain, and it resurfaced whenever he wanted to talk to anyone about what he’d been through.

Not to mention, Bruce had abandoned him in the wake of what happened with the Scarlet Witch and Ultron. Tony had been left to face the firing line himself. There’d been a lot of inquiries about Ultron. In the end, Tony had not been officially blamed… but unofficially? Yeah, he was pretty sure they all blamed him. It would have been a lot easier to handle if Bruce, the only other person who had been there, had stayed to help.

All of that tangled up Tony’s tongue, momentarily silencing him. As badly as he wanted to tell Bruce exactly how hurt he was, he didn’t know how. He didn’t think that Bruce would take it well if he did, and that made him even more reluctant. But at the same time, he didn’t think he could let Bruce go on thinking that things were fine, either. Especially if Bruce thought that meant he had the right to say things about Loki.

“Tony?” Bruce said, his frown deepening.

“You left me,” Tony whispered, then cleared his throat and said it again. “You left me, Bruce. After everything that happened with Ultron, you just… you took off. And that wasn’t the first time.”

“Wait, what?” Bruce’s eyes widened and he sat back a little, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious! Tony, I had to go. You know what she did to me. You know what she made the Hulk do. Of course I left. I had to get as far away from the Scarlet Witch as possible.”

“You don’t think I wanted to run away too?” Tony snapped. “She was in my head too. She made me see –” He swallowed, unable to say it all out loud, and settled on, “She made me see things too. It’s why I was so focused on making Ultron.”

Bruce made an impatient sound. “Come on, Tony. Seeing things isn’t really the same as what she made do. The Hulk killed people. He destroyed part of a town.”

“I know that, Bruce. I do. I just – ” Tony sighed. “I had to handle everything on my own afterwards.”

“You mean your PR department had to handle it?” Bruce said, and Tony finally lost his temper.

“No, Bruce! I mean that I had to handle it! Me! I had to deal with the Avengers letting the Scarlet Witch join and seeing her face literally no consequences despite the fact that she and her brother were the only reason that Ultron even existed. I had to face the committees all by myself and accept that the wrongdoing was my fault when it wasn’t, because there was no one else on my side!”

Bruce was staring at him, slack jawed.

“I had to deal with everything on my own just like always!” Tony said, trying not to yell. It wasn’t easy. “All of you always left me alone to deal with everything. You just assumed that I would take care of everything. Do you have any idea how much that fucking sucked? Yes, Stark Industries has a PR department, but they work for Stark Industries. The Avengers PR department consists of ME! Every time you guys screwed up, I had to pay for it! Literally sometimes! You have no idea how much I’ve given the Avengers. Given you. No idea at all.”

Bruce was beginning to get mad now. A slow red flush was emerging around his neck. He said, “That’s unfair, Tony. We all offered to help, but you always said you’d handle it. You can’t be mad at us for taking you up on your offer.”

“Oh yes, I can,” Tony shot back. “Do you know what a fucking disaster you all are in front of a television? Image matters, Bruce! It’s how all of us were able to be Avengers without the Accords for so long. And then the moment I try to help implement something that will take some of the weight off my shoulders, you took off and Captain fucking America almost killed me over it.”

“Wait, what?” Bruce said, but Tony was too angry to stop and explain. Frankly, Bruce should have already known. Yes he had been off planet when it happened, but they had been here long enough on earth for Bruce to have done some research into the current status of the Avengers.

“You’re not really my friend. None of you were. I was convenient for all of you to use. No one ever asked if I was okay, or listened to me when I talked. That’s always how it is. And normally I’m fine with that, but you’ve all pushed it too far. Just leave me alone,” Tony spat. He turned his back on Bruce and stormed out of the swimming lights, heading for Loki. He knew that Bruce would not follow him.

And sure enough, Bruce did not. When Tony glanced over his shoulder, it was just in time to see Bruce storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him with enough of a crash to make Tony flinch. He belatedly hoped that there was somewhere nearby for Bruce to go to cool off, or otherwise they were all going to be treated to a rampage from the Hulk.

But then as soon as that thought went through his head, Tony found himself getting angry all over again. Why was it always his responsibility to think about things like that? Just once he wished he could hand everything over to someone else. Anyone else. The weight of the world was so terribly heavy, and coming back in time had not eased that weight as much as he had hoped.

Cool hands settled on Tony’s shoulders, pulling him back against an increasingly familiar chest. Tony closed his eyes, leaning back into Loki. The burn of tears was unwelcome, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in a paltry effort to hold them back. He was just so tired. So tired of worrying about everything, so tired of being confused, so tired of not knowing where he belonged.

“Shh,” Loki murmured behind him. His hands gently turned Tony around and then Tony was being pulled into a tight hug. He pressed his face to the crook of Loki’s shoulder, swallowing hard. A few tears leaked out from beneath his closed eyelids despite his best efforts.

“I just – I’m so t-tired of them all,” Tony mumbled, hating the way the words came out thick and choked. Those were the words he’d never been able to say to the Bruce of the future. Was it unfair to unload them on the Bruce of now in Stark’s place, or did he deserve them too?

Loki hummed softly. “They are fools,” he said quietly. “I have said that for a long time, but now I am even more certain of it. They are exceedingly lucky that you have given as much of yourself as you have.”

“I felt like I had to,” Tony admitted. “It wasn’t because I wanted to. I know everything thinks that I can just do whatever I want, but –” He lifted his arms, wrapping them around Loki in return and pressing himself even closer to Loki’s sturdy form.

“Only idiots would think that,” Loki said with a light scoff. “Admittedly, I’m not fully aware of all that transpired between you and the Avengers. But from what I understand, you’ve been their scapegoat for too long. But you don’t have to be anymore. That’s Stark’s responsibility.”

“But…” Tony opened wet eyes, exhaling slowly. “Isn’t it unfair to leave it on him? I’m Tony Stark too. I should be helping him more.”

Acknowledging it out loud felt good. It was true that Stark had gracefully declined Tony’s offer of help earlier, but Tony couldn’t help thinking that was more due to Stark being so thrown by Tony’s existence. He knew exactly how much stress Stark was under right now. Standing by while that happened seemed cruel, since there was a lot that Tony could do behind the scenes to help smooth things over.

Yet Loki shook his head and said, “No. From my perspective, you have more than done your duty. Stark has people in place to help him if he needs them. Potts, Rhodes, the other agents around here who can be trusted. It is his choice whether he wants to rely on them more. If he chooses not to, that doesn’t make it your fault. Nor should it put any more guilt on your shoulders.”

Tony was quiet for a moment, weighing that, before he said, “I’m not sure it’s that easy.”

“Of course it is,” Loki murmured, ducking his head to whisper his next few words into Tony’s ear. “You may be Tony Stark… but you do not belong to this world anymore. You are mine, you are Asgard’s, and you will never burn yourself out for them again.”

Chapter Text

Stark set up the interviews for two days later. Tony ended up in the room too of course, sitting silently but curiously beside Loki, with Stark at the head of the table. Stark had his tablet in his hands and he was muttering at it in increasingly dark tones. Tony watched him for a moment, thinking about what Loki had said. Wondering if Loki was right, or if Tony did have some sort of an obligation. He couldn’t decide.

As those thoughts went around and around in Tony’s head in what was becoming an increasingly circular and headache-inducing argument, he noticed that Loki had formed a globe of pale green magic in his hands and was idly playing with it; occasionally frost would form on the globe before seemingly melting and fading, though no water ever dripped to the floor.

“Can I?” Tony asked finally, fascinated, and Loki nodded. Tony reached out to take the globe when Loki held it out, surprised yet somehow not surprised by the fact that it was neither cold nor hot. The globe was warm to the touch, but pleasantly so. Even when frost formed and then melted, the globe remained the same temperature and felt the same way.

“Alright, we’re ready,” Stark said, turning around in his chair and setting his Starkpad down. He tensed up at the sight of the globe, and Tony knew why. Any reminder of magic had been so unpleasant to Tony before Loki, before he was able to learn to associate magic with something better and safer. But Stark didn’t have Loki, so all he had was the reminder of Wanda Maximoff.

“It’s to tell if people are lying, right?” Tony said, his hands still cupping the globe.

“Correct. If someone is telling the truth, the globe remains as is. If they’re lying, it turns blue,” said Loki.

“Not red?” Stark asked like he couldn’t help himself, and Loki’s eyes flicked his way before returning to Tony.

“Never red,” Loki said after a moment, and Tony knew, though Loki would not admit it, that it was a kindness towards Stark as much as it was towards Tony.

“Alright then,” Stark said, relaxing slightly. He sighed and rubbed his palms on his pants. “Let’s get this over with, then. If you need a break during the process, just let me know. FRIDAY, send the first person in.”

It was a long afternoon, and Tony didn’t even have to do anything but sit there. He just watched as Stark asked the questions and Loki monitored the orb. It was a relief to see that the orb stayed green way more often than it turned blue... but there were definitely a handful of times where the orb turned an unmistakable bright blue when Stark asked whether or not the person knew of SHIELD. Stark was good at hiding it, but Tony could still tell that he was distinctly unhappy when that happened.

When the last person had filed out, Stark sighed heavily and said, “Man, I need a drink after that.” And honestly, that was a sentiment that Tony couldn’t really argue with.

“You had seven people,” Loki said, setting the orb on the table.

“I know. I can’t believe SHIELD managed to sneak seven people in here.” Stark sounded sort of outraged. “And you know what the worst part is? Not all of them are ex-SHIELD agents! I mean, I’d get it if they were. It would still piss me off, but they were SHIELD first and that would make sense. But some of them are just S.I. employees. What the fuck, SHIELD.”

“What will you do with the spies?” Tony asked quietly. Stark looked over at him and sighed again, propping his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands.

“My instinct is to just kick their asses out, but then that would mean Coulson and Fury know that I know,” he said. “And that means they’ll just keep trying to get spies right back in here. I’m going to have to triple guess everyone that’s hired in the future anyway, but doing that just seems like asking for trouble. So maybe I should keep a couple of them around so I’m aware of what they’re told, but doing so increases the likelihood that they might find out something by accident that I don’t want SHIELD to know. Ugh!” He let his head fall to the table.

“If I may,” Loki murmured. “The latter is your best plan. You must already have most things locked down, correct? Otherwise SHIELD would know more than they do. You weren’t trying to keep our arrival secret, but beyond that they seem to know very little at this point given that Coulson was trying to get information out of Thor.”

Stark didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he lifted his head to look at Loki with a strange expression. “That... actually makes a lot of sense.”

“You might even consider pulling Pepper into this,” Tony offered. He knew it was coming, and so wasn’t surprised by the dark frown that Stark turned on him, but it was intimidating nevertheless. He shrank back slightly, but said, “Pepper and Coulson were always close. She might be able to get some information out of him for once.”

“I don’t want to pull Pepper into this. She doesn’t like superhero stuff,” Stark said, which was exactly how Tony had expected him to respond. Hell, it was exactly the way that Tony would have responded, once upon a time. But time and experience had taught him otherwise.

“Pepper doesn’t like it when you go out into the field because it means you might not come back,” Tony corrected Stark softly.

After all, that was what had ultimately driven him and Pepper apart in the future. Tony had never realized this until it was too late, but Pepper had never quite been able to come to terms with Tony almost dying during the Battle of New York. Every time he almost died after that just drove her closer to the edge. To her credit, she’d done what she could to hide it, and for a little while there Tony had thought that things might be okay between them. Despite their lack of matching soul marks, despite all the history between them, he’d really thought they’d make it.

But then came Thanos, and Tony almost dying on Titan had been one step too far. Pepper had never been able to forgive him for that even if she claimed she had. He’d known their relationship was over the moment he woke up in a hospital bed back on earth and Pepper wasn’t by his side. She’d shown up quickly enough, but there had been a new distance to her that Tony had never been able to overcome.

It hurt. It hurt then, and it still hurt now even with Loki sitting right beside him. He might not have been meant for Pepper, and maybe she couldn’t give Tony what he needed the way that Loki could, but he’d still loved her. That was why he’d never held it against her when she pulled back. He knew that he wasn’t easy to love. He gave Pepper major props for trying as long as she did.

That was why he met Stark’s gaze and added, “But Pepper – my Pepper – never hesitated to help me when I needed her to so long as it didn’t mean putting me in danger. If she thought she could do something that would help keep me out of danger, she would’ve jumped through a ring of fire to do it. And this is exactly the sort of thing she would have loved to do. Frankly, she would have been pissed that Coulson let her think he was dead.”

“You have a point there. She’ll be furious when I tell her,” Stark said slowly. “And I have to admit that it would be sort of hilarious to unleash her fury on someone else for once...”

“She’d probably welcome the chance to do it,” Tony said, hoping that the tangle of grief and longing swelling up in his chest wasn’t audible in his voice. They might not have been dating by the end, but he missed Pepper so much. She’d been a huge part of his life for as long as Tony could remember. He tried to sound unaffected, but Loki’s keen glance told him he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be.

Stark sighed and was quiet for a few seconds, contemplating this, before he said, “I guess I can mention it to her. But I don’t like the thought of putting her in danger.”

“Coulson wouldn’t hurt Pepper. He’d shoot anyone who tried,” Tony replied. He might not think much of Coulson now, and he desperately did not want to talk to the agent himself, but he did still believe in that. For reasons he had never been able to figure out, Pepper and Coulson had an understanding. If Coulson hadn’t ‘died’, they probably would’ve become pretty close.

“That doesn’t mean other SHIELD agents would feel that way,” Stark pointed out. And at this point, Tony could tell that he was grasping at straws to figure out a way to keep Pepper out of it. But Tony wasn’t going to let him do that. Stark had support. He just couldn’t see it.

“You’re not wrong, but Pepper can take care of herself, much as I hate to admit it,” Tony replied.

Stark finally smiled a little. “Yeah, I guess she can. Alright. I’m sure FRIDAY can find Coulson’s contact information. I’ll give it to her and she can... I dunno, call up and yell at him. Or maybe she’ll just show up on his doorstep without warning.”

“Tell her to take pictures if she does,” Tony said, imagining the look on Coulson’s face with a bit of evil glee. He had to get something out of this, after all.

“Noted,” Stark said. He stared at his tablet for a moment. “Alright. I won’t fire anyone. But I might do some minor reorganizing. A couple of those agents are higher up than I’m comfortable with...” He trailed off, muttering to himself as he made some furious notes.

“Do you need anything further?” Loki inquired, and Stark looked up at them like he’d forgotten they were there.

“Oh! Uh, not right now. Thanks for your help though. Really. This was... more helpful than you can imagine. I’ll touch base with you both later.” Stark jumped up, tucked his tablet under his arm, and blew out of the room. Tony and Loki looked at each other for a moment, and Tony realized that he was incredibly grateful that he was not the one who had to deal with this.

“That was kind of you,” Loki said softly.

“Huh?” Tony said, startled. His stomach squirmed a little when Loki looked over at him. He didn’t think he was imagining the soft, proud look in Loki’s eyes.

“Encouraging Stark to allow Potts to help,” Loki clarified, as though Tony didn’t know exactly what he was talking about.

“Oh, well...” Tony dropped his gaze. “I thought about what you said. I had people to rely on too. I just couldn’t see it in the moment. I can look back now and see it, but I couldn’t at the time. And Stark can’t either. There’s so many reasons to keep people out of it, and so few reasons to let them help.” He sighed. “Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. Someone might as well get the benefit of my experience.”

For some reason that made Loki smile. Suddenly, completely without warning, he tossed the magical orb at Tony. Tony caught it and was shocked when the orb suddenly melted away. There was the briefest feeling of liquid cold across his fingers before it was gone, with nothing to show that it had ever been there. He flexed his fingers before looking up at Loki curiously.

“What are the chances that Potts might just go ahead and shoot Coulson?” Loki asked as he stood, and held a hand out to Tony.

Tony gave a startled laugh. “Uh... probably less than ten percent. Although she really will be mad... so maybe it’s closer to like twenty percent.” He took Loki’s hand, letting Loki pull him to his feet.

“Pity. Ah, well. I’ll just have to do it myself someday,” Loki said, pulling Tony closer. He led the way out of the room. Tony followed thoughtfully, realizing that Coulson and Fury really had no idea just what a dangerous game they were playing.

Chapter Text

Tony was sitting under a tree, watching from a comfortable distance as Thor, with Loki and Valkyrie right behind him, made his way through the mountain of tents that contained the Asgardians. Thor was checking in with all of them, making sure that there was nothing they required in the short-term. Tony felt awkward trailing behind them all and therefore being privy to what were obviously private conversations.

So here he was, sitting here, unable to do anything but follow Loki’s every move. His chest had squeezed tight with icy anxiety the first time Loki moved out of his field of vision. It had only been for a few seconds, but it seemed to last a lifetime. He thought he’d covered it well enough, especially at a distance, but the fact that Loki had taken care to not be out of Tony’s line of sight since then suggested otherwise.

He really was a mess, Tony thought bitterly. But what was he supposed to do about it? If JARVIS had been here, he would have been inundating Tony with memos about the unhealthiness of codependency and shit like that. But of course, JARVIS wasn’t here which a huge part of the problem. Loki was all that he had. The only tether that Tony had to this present...

At the sound of approaching footsteps, he tensed and turned his head slightly. But it was only Stark, looking like he needed at least three days of sleep, with a streak of oil across his cheek and something undefinable splattered across his muscle shirt. As he dropped down onto the ground beside Tony, Tony took a closer look and thought that the splatter might be coffee.

“Here you are. I’ve been looking everywhere,” Stark said grumpily.

“FRIDAY knew where I was,” Tony pointed out, which earned him a half-hearted scowl.

“She knew you were outside, but not where you were. But then I saw Thor with the Asgardians, and I figured Loki couldn’t be far away, which meant you’d be here too,” Stark said, and it was Tony’s turn to scowl at him while Stark smirked.

“What did you want?” Tony said, eyes drawn irresistibly back to where those very Asgardians were. Loki was looking in their direction, so he had no doubt noticed Stark’s approach. Knowing that he was paying such close attention made Tony feel warm, even though he knew he had no real right to feel that way.

Stark stretched his feet out in front of him and sighed. “Alright, what do you want first? The SHIELD news or the news about you guys moving or the news about your identity?”

Tony blinked for a few seconds, startled. “Uh...”

“Let’s start with your identity, because I estimate we’ve got about two minutes before Loki comes over here to hover and I don’t want to have to repeat myself on the other stuff,” Stark said, checking his watch. “Pepper managed to get things more or less worked out. She should have the paperwork soon. But in the meantime, your new name is going to be Antonio Carbonell.”

“Antonio Carbonell,” Tony repeated slowly, tasting the name, and Stark nodded.

“Rhodey suggested that something close to our current name was best. I didn’t want to use Anthony for obvious reasons.” Both of them grimaced at the same time before Stark continued, “It was Pepper’s idea to use the Italian version and to make you a distant relative on my mother’s side. Her side of the family was a lot bigger, with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins running around, so it’ll be harder for people to prove that you’re not who you say you are.”

“I –” Tony paused, trying to figure out what to say. “I didn’t think you’d want me to be related to you.” It came out a lot clunkier than he’d intended, but Stark seemed to understand.

“I did consider that it might be easier for us to be strangers, but...” Stark shrugged. “You are family, kind of, and I don’t have a lot of that left. Especially family I could rely on to not me fuck over. Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t have any.” He looked up at the sky for a moment, as though searching the clouds for a name that might fit that criteria.

Tony knew he couldn’t find one, because Tony had faced a similar problem. There were still relatives around on the Carbonell side, but Tony had never known them and he knew that Stark didn’t know them either. Maria had been so distant from her family. She’d been practically disowned after she married Howard. It was very unlikely any of them would step forward now to disavow Antonio Carbonell.

Stark sighed and rolled his shoulders. “To be honest, I get the feeling that your biggest priorities right now start and stop with Loki, and maybe Thor on a good day. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So it’s nice to think I could have a cousin who doesn’t give a shit about my money or company.”

“I’m not sure whether I should feel insulted by that or not,” Tony said after a slight pause, and Stark smiled as he dropped his head to look at Tony.

“Take it as a compliment,” he advised. “Besides, this way it’ll look less weird when you have access to my accounts and stuff.”

“What?” Tony said, startled.

“Well, you have the credit card, and you can keep it of course, but Pepper’s setting up an account too. Maybe more than one, who knows with Pepper, I left all of that to her. But she’ll make sure that at least the one is regularly topped up,” Stark said. “Thor and Loki and them can make their own money, but after what you’ve been through...” He looked away again, but awkwardly this time.

“I don’t want to take your money,” Tony said quietly, overwhelmed.

“I know. That’s why I’m offering it,” Stark replied. “Besides, it’s your money too. Or it would be. Would have been. Whatever. Point is, you saved me from having to go through a lot of shit, so consider us even.” He rubbed his hands together, a familiar gleam in his eyes. “And if that’s not enough, you can help me with the suit. I’m sure you’re a couple years ahead on developments, right? That’s worth a lot.”

Tony was quiet for a few moments, thinking about that. He supposed he could see where Stark was coming from, although it still made him uneasy in a way. Still, he wouldn’t need to rely on Stark’s money for long. Hopefully he could figure out some way to support himself. Maybe he could even become a Stark Industries consultant. At least then he would feel like he was earning the money. And the best way to do that was...

He looked at Stark. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know as long you agree to never do anything for Steve Rogers and his band of idiots.”

“Oh, that’s a foregone conclusion,” Stark said grimly. There was something dark and bitter in his eyes that matched how Tony felt exactly. On this, at least, they were in perfect alignment. He held a hand out and Stark grasped it, shaking it firmly.

“The only other thing you’ll need to think about is your appearance,” Stark said. “If you want to stay as you are now, or look more similar to me.” He let go of Tony’s hand.

“I’ll speak to Loki about it,” Tony murmured. He didn’t know if it would be wise to change his false appearance now, but it would be nice if he could look more like himself. Not exactly like himself, of course, since he and Stark couldn’t be identical twins, but close.

“Alright. Now, I see Loki and Thor coming, so we can talk about you guys moving.”

Tony started to turn his head, but a cool, familiar hand dropped down onto his shoulder before he could. Loki knelt behind him, knees on either side of Tony’s hips, and Tony leaned back into him automatically. His face flushed when he saw the way Stark tried to hide a smile, turning his face away slightly. He straightened up a bit, feeling a little embarrassed, but what else was he supposed to do?

“Good morning!” Thor boomed at full volume, and Stark jumped. “You have news for us?” He dropped down onto the grass beside Stark, looking at him excitedly. “We are moving soon?”

Stark recovered quickly, nodding. “Yes, it looks like you might be able to move as early as next week,” he confirmed. “So we’re going to have to start looking at how that will work. You have a lot of people to move.”

“Airplanes?” Tony said curiously, and Stark nodded.

“Most likely... unless there’s a chance you can get the ship up again. Then everyone could at once.” He glanced from Loki to Thor, who exchanged looks.

“The ship isn’t in good shape,” Thor said at last. “We only just made it to Midgard. Regrettably, that probably isn’t a feasible way for us to travel.”

Stark nodded again as though he’d expected this, and said, “I’ll work on the plane thing. Ideally it would be bigger planes that can fit as many Asgardians as possible, so you’re all arriving around roughly the same time. I’ll run that by Pepper, we might be able to work something out between the US and Norwegian governments...” He took out his phone and made a note to himself.

“What about SHIELD?” Tony asked, and felt Loki’s grip tighten on his shoulders.

“Oh yeah.” Stark sat upright, his expression flat. “Regrettably, this also involves Rogers and his little band of merrymen. They were hiding out in Wakanda for a while there. I think they thought they’d be the heroes when Thanos came. I had no idea what was going to happen to them now that Thanos isn’t an issue, and frankly I didn’t give a shit, but then I found out they’ve hooked up with SHIELD again.”

“Seriously?” Tony gasped, falling back against Loki in his surprise. Loki shifted behind him and then a cool arm slipped around Tony’s waist, keeping him there.

“Seriously. Here I thought there was no low SHIELD would stoop to, but...” Stark shrugged, not bothering to hide his disgust.

Thor did not look happy at this, but all he said was, “If SHIELD already has them, what need have they of me?”

“I think the answer to that is obvious,” Loki said softly. He was so close his breath tickled Tony’s ear when he spoke. “It sounds like they want to start the Avengers back up again. You were one of their strongest members.”

Thor scoffed. “I can’t be an Avenger. I have other duties now that matter more. Not just to you, brother, or to you, my friend, but also to the remaining people of Asgard. Though of course I would be on board to help if something else truly threatened Midgard on the same level as Thanos, I have higher priorities now than just playing superhero every day.”

Tony blinked for a few seconds, completely caught off guard by the thought that Thor might have any duties to him – or that Thor might prioritize those duties so highly. But before he could even begin to think of a response, Stark spoke.

“That was my thought too actually, that they might be trying to make the Avengers a thing again. And honestly, it really pisses me off because they haven’t approached Iron Man, but I suppose they realized that Rogers and I can’t be on the same team and they made their choice.” He huffed with annoyance.

“You would’ve said no even if they did approach you,” Loki pointed out.

“Sure, but it’s the principle of the thing,” Stark said.

“So, wait,” Tony said, and they all looked at him. “I thought that Rogers, Romanov, Barton, Maximoff, and Wilson all had charges against them because of the shit they pulled. How can they be back here? What happened to the charges? And - and what about Barnes?”

A little tremor ran through him just saying Barnes’s name, and Loki moved behind him again. Then, suddenly, Tony was being tugged backwards onto Loki’s lap and both of Loki’s arms were wrapping around his waist to keep him there. Tony didn’t even try to fight it. Now that he knew the nature of this conversation, he felt like he needed the support. He didn’t want to see any of them again, especially Rogers and Barnes, but it sounded like that might be in his near future and he was not ready for it.

Chapter Text

“I wish I knew the answers to your questions,” Stark said finally. If he was perturbed by the fact that Tony was now sitting in Loki’s lap, he did not show it. “From what I can tell, SHIELD had them brought into the company. I won’t go so far as to say for sure that they arrived illegally, but it was definitely under the radar and to be honest it wouldn’t really surprise me if it was illegally. FRIDAY is looking into it, but we’re having to hack SHIELD’s firewalls. Being sneaky about it slows us down.”

He frowned as he spoke that last part, and he and Tony exchanged a shared look that spoke volumes about how much they both still missed JARVIS. Even in the future, FRIDAY had still been learning and was no where near close to JARVIS, so she was even further behind here in the past (present?). They both knew that JARVIS would’ve been inside SHIELD’s firewalls with no one the wiser in a hot minute.

“Do you think all of the charges were dropped?” Tony asked, breaking the beat of silence. It wouldn’t surprise him if that was the case, but it would definitely piss him off. All of them, especially Rogers, deserved to be charged for what they’d so recklessly done. But at the same time, this wouldn’t be the first time that Rogers and the others escaped facing consequences for their behavior.

It made Tony regret all the times that he had been the one who had covered things up for them. At the time, he’d thought that he was helping because the Avengers were a necessity, but he was wrong. He understood now that he’d done more harm than good by doing so. It had just emboldened Rogers and the others, making them think that they could do whatever they want and screw whoever happened to get in their way.

“I don’t know. I mean, I wouldn’t think so, but...” Stark sighed and pulled one of his knees closer to his chest so that he could prop his elbow on it, and rest his chin on his hand. He looked tired, Tony noticed. This was probably the last thing that Stark needed right now.

“Is there anything we can do?” Thor asked, watching him with sympathy, and Stark looked surprised.

“Uh... well, not really. If the charges against them have been dropped, there’s not much we can do about it. I disagree with it, of course, but I’m not a lawyer,” Stark said.

“But you have lawyers. Couldn’t you lay charges against them?” Loki asked.

Both Tony and Stark went still at the query. Stark paled and his hand unconsciously shifted to his chest, pressed protectively over the place where Tony knew the shield had come down. What happened in Siberia had never been made public. Technically Stark could press charges if he wanted to, but to do so would mean dragging up everything that had happened and putting it right in the public eye. Tony couldn’t even fathom having to live through something like that right now.

“No,” Tony answered for them both, voice quiet but firm. He knew that Stark couldn’t handle that. It would just be too much. “Here on earth there’s this thing called a statue of limitations. You only have so long to press charges on things that happen.”

That was a dumb answer, Tony knew it as soon as he’d spoken. He should’ve deflected and said that Stark, and by extension Tony, had no way to lay charges. Because for the majority of what Rogers and the rest had done, charges would need to be laid by the countries in question or by civilians who had been directly impacted by their actions. Like those poor police officers that had been thrown around like dolls, for example.

Besides that, hiding behind the statue of limitations was flimsy at best. Tony wasn’t fully up to date on the laws, but he was pretty sure that there was no statue of limitations on things like attempted murder. Stark more than likely still could lay charges if he wanted to, and it wouldn’t take Loki or Thor long to figure that out if they asked FRIDAY a handful of questions.

Now Loki and Thor both knew that something personal had happened to Stark and Tony if they had the ability to lay charges. He swallowed hard, glad that he didn’t have to look up at Loki right then. He knew that at some point in the near future, Loki and maybe even Thor would be asking some pointed questions about what Rogers had personally done to Stark, and therefore to Tony, which could result in charges.

“It’s also too messy,” Stark said, running a hand through his hair. “And I doubt that anything would stick even if I could or was so inclined. The Captain America reputation does go a long way as much as I hate to admit it. If the charges ended up being dropped, that could be why.”

“But that’s stupid,” Thor said bluntly. “Thanos isn’t an issue anymore. They don’t need Captain America.”

Stark smiled a little. “I completely agree with you, buddy, believe me. But sometimes that’s just not how it works. The public attitude towards superheroes is a rollercoaster. Also, I don’t know for sure that the charges were completely dropped, remember. They may have just been reduced.”

Tony sighed. “So do you think they’re going to approach Thor?” he asked.

“That I don’t know. Thor hasn’t really been a part of the Avengers for a while. They might see him as a more neutral figure that they’re trying to get on their side,” Stark said slowly, thinking it through. He glanced up at Tony and Loki. “Loki, you’ll need to be careful. Barton has a bone to pick with you. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to come after you at some point for revenge.”

Tony tensed up at that, realizing that Stark was right. Although Tony and Stark both accepted that Loki had been brainwashed during the Battle of New York, he doubted that Clint Barton would. Barton’s rage towards Loki had been the source of a lot of hostility between him and Thor at times. He could absolutely see Barton, and maybe even Coulson or Romanov, coming after Loki. Loki had stabbed Coulson, after all.

Loki’s laugh was quiet and mirthless. “Let them come. They won’t like what happens.”

Stark let out a sigh, but he smiled at the same time. “Please try not to kill them. That would create some trouble for me,” he said.

“I won’t kill them unless they threaten Tony,” Loki said, and Tony choked a bit, his face warming in surprise.

Stark looked at the two of them for a moment, and then he shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, alright, that’s fair. I’d like to say they wouldn’t be that stupid, but I’ve learned not to put anything past Steve Rogers.”

“If they come for my brother or my friend, I won’t hesitate to protect them both,” Thor warned. Tony glanced at him and felt a chill run down his spine. The usually warm and jovial Thor seemed to threatening in that moment, like a storm waiting to be sprung on an unsuspecting victim.

“That’s also fair,” Stark said, seemingly unperturbed by the aura Thor was giving off. “I debated on whether now was the right time for you all to move in light of this, but I couldn’t see a reason for you not to go. It’s not like SHIELD doesn’t know that you’re here. And I thought that maybe if SHIELD could see that Thor has no interest in dealing with them because he’s focused on setting up the new town, they’d get the hint.”

“I doubt that,” Tony muttered. The ferocity from both Loki and Thor alike had left him feeling stunned. He could obviously grasp why Thor would be protective of Loki, but Tony too? It didn’t make sense.

“Yeah, it probably won’t happen,” Stark agreed. “It’s literally never happened before, after all.”

“So what would happen if you alerted the authorities to their presence here?” Loki wanted to know.

Stark contemplated that for a few seconds. “Well, I suppose it would depend on whether they’re allowed to be here... and on who decided that they should come back. Fury was pretty well connected there for a while. A few years ago, he wouldn’t have gotten more than a slap on the wrist. Now...”

Tony tried to remember what the public opinion towards the Avengers had been like at this point in time, but that was easier said than done. His memories were still quite muddled. He thought that people in general hadn’t been happy with Rogers and the rest. There’d been some die hard Captain America fans who thought he was being unfairly blamed, but many hadn’t bought into that farce.

“Maybe it’s worth going public,” Tony said slowly. “SHIELD always got off on operating in the dark. Maybe it’s time that everything they’re comes to light. Even just the fact that they still exist would be a big deal.”

He glanced up at Stark, sharing a mutual grimace as they both recalled when Natasha had stupidly dumped all of SHEILD’s files on the internet. Even with the state of his memories, Tony could remember working feverishly to save the lives of hundreds of undercover operatives. He’d managed to save some, but others had fallen after their covers were blown. The public backlash had been pretty significant, although he’d managed to weather the worst of it with the help of Stark Industries Public Relations department.

“You might be right,” Stark said thoughtfully, his eyes starting to gleam. “I know some people. I could drop a few words into the right ears. It wouldn’t take much to get them looking.”

“How far away are you from getting into their servers?” Tony asked.

“Hmm... maybe a day or two at most,” Stark said. He seemed to know what was going through Tony’s head because he nodded. “You’re right, might be wise to wait until I get in there and can take a look. Maybe they’ve pulled off some other potentially illegal things the public might like to know about.” He smirked.

“If you need me to make a statement against them, or in support of my brother, I can do that,” Thor said.

“That might be helpful at some point, Thor, thanks,” Stark said. “So far these hasn’t been too much blow-up about Loki, but that might change as things start to come out. In the meantime, I have a job for you if you’re interested.” He was looking at Tony.

Loki’s arms tightened slightly around Tony’s midsection, but Tony did not let on. He said, “What kind of job?”

“We’re still working on getting new identities for all of the Asgardians. But we have managed to get some of them. It would be helpful if you could go over them and make sure that... well, that they make sense,” Stark said. “And we need to make sure the Asgardians are outfitted with clothing and stuff like that. FRIDAY has ordered stuff for a lot of them but I know others haven’t requested anything.”

“We’ll work on that,” Tony said, putting his hands over Loki’s and squeezing gently. He had noticed that some of the Asgardians had taken to wearing earth clothing with enthusiasm, while others clung to what they’d had from Asgard. He wondered if maybe a few local tailors could be brought in to make new clothing that was more similar to what they were used to.

He realized that also meant they were going to have to start looking into how the Asgardians could earn money. If they were leaving the compound, they couldn’t keep relying on Stark or on the government forever. They’d also have to explore ways to protect their intellectual property. Especially if SHIELD was around again, as they already knew quite a lot from Thor. It looked like the next week or so was going to be very busy.

Chapter Text

Tony stared into the mirror, examining his reflection. If he unfocused his eyes just right, and didn’t stare at anything in particular, he could just barely see the image that almost everyone else saw. It was weird to see the face of a young man with blond hair, green eyes, and tanned skin instead of his own. But he had to admit that Loki had good taste. It was a nice face.

The question was, did Tony want it to be his face permanently? And that was a question that he was struggling to answer. He fingered his hair, then turned to the left side. It was kind of nice to think that people would see him as several years younger than he truly was, but that felt strange too. This face was almost too young. He wasn’t in his twenties anymore, after all.

“What are you doing?” Loki inquired, looking up from his phone. He studied Tony for a moment, frowning faintly, no doubt wondering if this was some unusual Midgardian ritual that he was unfamiliar with. Tony flushed and turned away from the mirror.

“Stark said my identity is almost ready to be put into use. He told me to think about how I was going to look from now on,” Tony replied.

“Why can’t you just look the way you always do?” Loki said, frown deepening.

“Because I look too much like Stark. It’s weird on Midgard – uh, I mean on earth for family members to look like an exact copy of each other. I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m a clone or something like that. It’ll just encourage people to look more closely at my background, which means there’s a greater chance of me being found out as a fake,” Tony told him, moving to sit down on the couch beside him.

“I see.” Loki reflected on that for a moment. “But your current disguise doesn’t look anything like Stark either.”

“No, I know. That’s why he thought you could change it. Or change me, I guess. Permanently.” Tony fell quiet. It was going to be really weird to see a different face in the mirror. He hoped that he would eventually get used to it, or he was going to have to avoid mirrors forever.

“I could do that,” Loki said slowly. “I could also weave a permanent spell around you that would alter how people see you.”

“Isn’t that kind of the same thing?” Tony said.

Loki considered the question. “Yes and no. Your actual body would remain unchanged. The only drawback would be that a particularly powerful magic user would be able to see the spell around you, and therefore you may fall under their suspicion.”

Tony thought about people like Maximoff and Strange and shook his head. “No, that won’t work. More magic users are popping up on Mid – on earth all the time.” He frowned at himself. He was spending too much time with Loki and Thor if he couldn’t even remember to use the word ‘earth’ and not ‘Midgard’.

“I dislike the idea of altering your appearance,” Loki said, and Tony looked at him in surprise. A few years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to ask why. Now he felt unusually shy about asking, and so didn’t.

“I don’t love the idea,” he said instead. “But I see where Stark is coming from. He’s doing his best. And it makes the most sense. That way no magic users can see spells on me.” He didn’t add that he was a little worried over what might happen to Loki’s magic if Loki was incapacitated or worse yet, killed in the future. Would whatever magic he wove still exist?

Although really, it didn’t matter that much. If something happened to Loki, Tony wasn’t wholly sure how he would cope. Just the thought was enough to make his heart race, his blood pressure spike, and his breath catch. Hot panic clawed at his chest. Tony gritted his teeth and forced the feeling back, trying to focus on the here and now. Loki was sitting right there. Getting upset over a hypothetical was stupid.

He unconsciously leaned in towards Loki, and by the time he realized what he was doing, there was an arm sliding around his shoulders. Loki pulled him in the rest of the way, so that Tony’s chest was against his side and it only made sense for Tony to rest his head on Loki’s shoulder. It felt like a strangely intimate position, yet it wasn’t too much different from how they slept together.

Except that they were both awake, and now Tony could see that Loki had been researching...

“Are you looking up movies?” he asked, blinking.

“Yes. I find them interesting,” Loki said. He was holding his phone with just his right hand now, slowly scrolling upwards with his thumb. He had very quickly become adept at using the phone, now using it more fluidly than some people who had grown up using it.

“Some of them are good,” Tony agreed. He thought about all the movies he’d seen and loved. Loki probably hadn’t seen any of them. “We’ll need to have a movie night sometime soon. Maybe more than one.”

Loki hummed his agreement, still scrolling. His other hand was resting on Tony’s back now, and he started rubbing light, idle circles. It felt so good. Tony had never realized how much he longed for simple touch until he found his way to Loki, and understood what it was like to be around someone who constantly touched you. He never would have pegged Loki for being so touchy, yet here they were. And if he was being honest with himself, Tony loved it. He curled closer.

“Maybe you can just make subtle changes,” he said after a little while. “Change my hair color a little. Not grey, thank you very much.” He made a face at the thought. “Or... I dunno... change my chin, or my nose... I’m supposed to be a distant relative on our mother’s side of the family.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your parents,” Loki said after a moment.

“Oh... I guess you haven’t,” Tony said, genuinely taken aback. That had never happened before. “Look up a picture of them. There’s plenty out there. Howard and Maria Stark.”

Loki obligingly opened up a new page and did the search. Tony was unprepared for how it would feel to see the images of his parents fill the screen. The usual bitter anger welled up when he saw Howard, but it was tempered by genuine anguish at the sight of Maria’s smile. She hadn’t been the best mother; she’d been more interested in being a busy socialite. But she’d tried, and Tony missed her so much.

“She was lovely,” Loki said, staring curiously at the images.

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to speak for fear he would cry. He closed his eyes instead, turning his face into Loki’s shoulder so that he wouldn’t have to look at them anymore. Even Howard, abusive drunken jackass that he’d been, had not deserved to die at the hands of the Winter Solider like that. Looking at their smiles, knowing what was coming, was more than Tony could bear right then. He would always regret that he hadn’t been able to go back in time far enough to save them too.

He heard the soft click of Loki’s phone being locked. Then Loki was pulling him closer still, until Tony was sitting sideways on his lap with both of Loki’s arms wrapped around him. His head now rested just beneath Loki’s chin, giving Tony an excellent place to hide. And he did, pressing his face into Loki’s chest and focusing on how each inhale was full of Loki’s scent, and not on the fact that neither of his parents had known what was coming.

“You look like your father,” Loki noted after a few minutes.

“Yeah,” Tony whispered, swallowing roughly again. People had always said that to him, and he knew it was only getting truer the older that he got.

When he was younger, hearing that had made him angry. Looking in the mirror often felt like an unpleasant reminder of Howard. And Tony didn’t want to be his father’s son; he’d wanted to be his own man. Those feelings still lingered, but not as sharply as they once had.

“Do you trust me?” Loki asked, and Tony stilled in surprise.

Somehow, that didn’t feel like the loaded query that it could have. Normally Tony would’ve been inclined to lash out at anyone who dared to ask that, because that question usually ended disastrously. But coming from Loki, it didn’t feel threatening. It felt more like a gentle invitation. And almost before he could stop himself, Tony found himself nodding as he realized that it was true. He did trust Loki, more than he had trusted anyone else for a very long time.

“Then sleep,” Loki whispered, his hand slowly sliding up Tony’s back to cup the back of Tony’s head. A pale green light pulsed behind Tony’s closed eyes, lulling him into a secure sleep.

Tony felt fuzzy when he awoke. His body ached, especially his face. It kind of felt like someone had punched him in the face while he was out, actually. But he knew that couldn’t be the case, because he could hear Thor’s voice coming from somewhere right behind him, and Loki’s arms were still wrapped securely around him. He knew they wouldn’t have let anything happen, and then wondered at himself for how he knew that.

“Ah, my friend, you’re awake,” Thor said. A big hand suddenly landed on Tony’s back, rubbing gently. “How do you feel?”

“Like someone punched me,” Tony mumbled. “What happened?”

“See for yourself,” Loki said softly. “Thor, the mirror?”

Thor shifted behind him, and Tony turned his head. His eyes widened when he saw his reflection. The face looking back at him was not exactly Tony’s face, but it also wasn’t the face from the disguise. This face was the face of someone in their late thirties or early forties, with dark hair that had a reddish tint to it and olive skin with golden undertones. His eyes and forehead looked the same, but yet somehow different when combined with a slightly more prominent jawline, a smaller nose, and more defined cheekbones.

He looked, Tony realized, like his mother. Like his mother’s son.

“I can change it if it’s not to your liking,” Loki whispered in his ear. “I drew inspiration from the photos of your mother that I saw, since you’re supposed to be a relative from her side. But I tried not to change too much, because I didn’t want you to have to look at a complete stranger.”

“I look younger,” Tony noted numbly, and Thor snorted in amusement. Loki shot a quick glare at his brother before answering Tony.

“I – yes, that’s my fault. My magic got away from me somewhat. I wasn’t prepared for the impact of our bond,” he said, sounding somewhat guilty. “I’ll explain in more detail later, but I truly do apologize. I would have warned you had I known.”

“It’s...” Tony wanted to say that it was fine, but he didn’t think he could just yet. He couldn’t stop looking at the mirror. His reflection looked like a stranger, but somehow not a stranger at the same time. It was kind of like looking at a funhouse mirror, except that he knew this could be permanent.

“What do you think?” Thor asked, setting the mirror down and taking a seat beside Loki so that he could look at Tony. His hand remained on Tony’s back, a solid, comforting warmth.

“I – ” Tony had no idea what to say.

“I think it suits you, my friend,” Thor said. “You look like Stark, but not close enough to him that anyone would mistake you for each other. Yet anyone would also be able to see the familial resemblance between the two of you. Truly, my brother has done a remarkable job.”

“You don’t have to sound surprised,” Loki said, glaring at him, and Thor grinned unrepentantly.

Tony shook his head at the two of them, the surprise of the moment slowly fading. He reached out and picked up the mirror, looking at himself again. It was weird, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad weird, he was slowly realizing. Loki had erased pretty much all of Howard from Tony’s features, leaving behind the more delicate Carbonell features that had missed Tony the first time around. In fact, anyone looking at him now genuinely wouldn’t know Tony was related to Howard Stark at all – and that was something that Tony thought he could get on board with pretty easily.

Chapter Text

“Do you trust me?”

There was a big part of Loki that had feared asking that question. He’d wrestled with himself for a minute before asking, unsure whether he wanted to know the answer. Because experience had taught him that asking questions he did not want to know the answer to was not a good idea. And yet he had not been able to stop himself from asking either. He’d wanted, needed, to know what the answer would be even if it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.

It shocked him when Tony only hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. Strangely, those few seconds of hesitation didn’t bother Loki the way it probably should have. He chose to believe that the hesitation meant that Tony was seriously considering the question and everything that went along with it, rather than just nodding automatically. So when Tony nodded, it left Loki both stunned and in disbelief.

Someone trusted him. Him.

“Then sleep,” he whispered, and he slid his hand up Tony’s back to cup the back of Tony’s neck. A thrill coursed through him as his magic surrounded Tony. Tony didn’t shy away from the magic like anyone else would have; he gave himself over to it willingly, and it was only a moment before Tony’s weight grew heavier in Loki’s arms as Tony slipped into a deep sleep.

Tony did trust him. That alone was proof. Loki’s magic never would have been able to affect him so easily if Tony didn’t. It still would have ultimately put Tony to sleep, but Loki would have had to fight a little harder, impose his will a little more, to make it happen. Instead, Tony slipped under as easily as a child would have. It was an exhilarating and also strangely sobering moment.

Loki had never realized before this moment just how heavy the weight of someone’s trust could be. Everything he was already feeling towards Tony suddenly felt a hundred times more potent. Tony trusted him, trusted Loki to keep him safe and to care for him, and in return Loki would have happily torn the world apart if necessary. Whatever Tony needed or wanted, Loki would make sure it happened.

“What are you doing to me, my önd?” he murmured, shaking his head slightly. The stray thought of what Frigga would have thought of Tony flitted through his mind, brought forth by seeing images of Tony’s mother. And then the thought of what Frigga would have thought of Loki right now followed.

His mother would have liked Tony, he decided. After all, there was nothing to dislike. As for what she would think of Loki... that was more difficult to say.

Tony slept on, oblivious. Loki shifted their positions slightly, letting Tony’s limp body slump backwards a little bit so that he could see Tony’s face. He studied Tony for a moment. It was a familiar face by now, and Loki didn’t like the thought of changing it. But he also understood where Tony was coming from. Physically changing Tony’s appearance, and in such a way that no one would ever be able to tell that his appearance had been changed or be able to change it back, was the safest thing for him.

Supporting Tony’s slight weight with one hand, he reached for his phone with the other. He quickly called up pictures of Tony’s parents again. Tony had been very affected by the images of his parents. Yet when Loki had mentioned him looking like his father, it was clear that Tony wasn’t happy to hear it. So the solution felt obvious. Tony needed to look like his mother’s side of the family, so why not make him look like his mother in the process?

Besides, it was much easier to work with what already existed than try to create something that wasn’t there. Tony’s genes contained the solution to their problem. It was just that for whatever reason, fate had chosen to be cruel by letting the Stark genes be the dominate ones, thereby causing Tony to look like his father. But hidden beneath those dominate genes was everything that Loki needed.

Loki closed his eyes and fell into his magic, approaching Tony’s body with more care than he had ever given anything else. He was as gentle as he could be as he examined each facet of Tony’s facial features. Fortunately, it appeared that Tony had inherited his mother’s eyes already, which meant that Loki did not have to change them. Good. He loved Tony’s eyes exactly the way they were. The rich, soulful brown color was exactly the same shade as the bark of a freshly grown tree, lush and warm with possibility.

He began with Tony’s hair, which was naturally dark brown, and called forth more of the reddish tints that were lingering just beneath the surface. Along with that came a natural curl, which Loki did not try to push back; Maria Stark didn’t have curly hair, but her side of the family definitely did. However, Tony’s mother did have a smaller, pointed nose with defined cheekbones, features which were easily replicated in her son.

Then Loki turned his attention, and his magic, to the rest of Tony’s body. It seemed that Tony had gained his somewhat diminutive height from his mother, so Loki let that be. But he changed Tony’s body slightly, letting through more of Tony’s Italian heritage. Olive skin with golden undertones and a slightly more delicate body structure were the result, both of which he thought suited Tony very well.

It was there that Loki ran into a bit of an unforeseen problem.

“Shit,” he hissed under his breath, opening his eyes. He stared down at Tony’s sleeping face, realizing that he had made a mistake.

The length of a human’s life and an Asgardian’s life was very, very different. Normally the only way for a human to gain immortality was by way of one of Idun's Golden Apples, but those had perished alongside of Asgard. Loki had no way of knowing if the magic of those apples would ever be able to be replicated on Midgard. Possibly, if someone on Asgard had thought to grab clippings that could survive and grow here, but really none of that mattered when it came to Tony.

Because when Tony and Loki fully bonded, Tony’s lifeforce would magically lengthen to match Loki’s. If Loki lived for another thousand years, and it was very likely that he would now that Thanos was out of the picture, then so would Tony. Loki wasn’t sure if Tony fully grasped that yet. It was certainly not something they had discussed yet, though Loki knew that they would need to talk about it eventually. But there was just so much happening right now that it didn’t seem worthwhile.

However, he now realized that they should have at least talked about it a little. Because as his magic burned through Tony, their bond had deepened just a little more than it already had. And in the process, Loki’s magic had inadvertently healedsome of the damage that Tony had gone through. Years had melted away from Tony’s face in the process, leaving him in his late thirties.

“Brother?”

At the sound of Thor’s voice, Loki looked up with a grimace. He was just in time to see Thor open the door – not bothering to knock, of course, which was just so typical of Thor – and enter their room. Thor’s eyes fell upon the two of them, and his eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. Loki wiped away his expression of guilty alarm, instead turning a scowl on his brother.

“Don’t you knock?” he demanded archly.

“No,” Thor said simply, grinning when Loki’s scowl deepened. “What are you doing? I could feel your magic all the way outside.”

“You could?” Loki’s scowl melted away to be replaced by surprise that he couldn’t quite hide.

He couldn’t ever remember Thor sensing his magic before. It would have served Thor well if he had, because maybe then Loki wouldn’t have been able to prank Thor as much as he had when they were younger. The fact that Thor could do so now spoke volumes. They were growing up, Loki realized with a pang. Both of them. He looked up at Thor, wondering if Thor even realized how much more attuned he had become to the remaining Asgardians, Loki included. Probably not.

“Yes. It seemed like a lot, so I thought I’d come check and see if everything was okay...” Thor trailed off, scanning the room like he expected Thanos to jump out of the closet, and Loki felt another pang. Thor’s genuine, brotherly concern did weird things to his heart sometimes, much as Loki hated to admit it.

“It’s fine. I was – Tony asked me to modify his appearance,” Loki said.

Thor came closer, gazing down at Tony’s unconscious face. “Did he also ask you to make him younger?”

“No. I didn’t mean to.” Loki chewed his lower lip anxiously, wondering if Tony would be angry.

“Your bond?” Thor asked, his voice kinder. “I’m sure he’ll understand. It would have happened anyway when the two of you bonded. May still happen yet,” he corrected himself. “Tony will be frozen in the prime of his life, whatever magic decides that is.”

“I still should have anticipated this. I should have warned him,” Loki muttered. He shook his head, dismissing the thought for the moment, and asked instead, “What do you think? Does he look different enough from Stark?”

Thor examined Tony’s face for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I believe so. He still bears a ressemblance to Stark, but no one would think they were the same person. You’ve done a good job.”

Damn it. Such simple praise from his brother shouldn’t make Loki glow inwardly, yet it did. He dropped his gaze, avoiding Thor’s eyes, and carefully adjusted Tony so that Tony could lean back against his chest. It warmed him from head to toe when Tony immediately curled into him, cuddling as close as possible. Loki wrapped both arms around him again, resting his chin on the top of Tony’s head. When he looked up again, Thor was watching this all happen with a soft, sweet look.

“You’ve come so far, Loki. I am incredibly proud of you,” Thor said after a moment.

Loki scoffed lightly, looking away. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“No, I mean it. Mother would be proud of you too, to see you taking such good care of your önd,” Thor told him. “May I?”

It took Loki a moment to realize what Thor was asking for, and then he nodded. Thor stepped close enough so that he could lay a gentle hand on Tony’s brow. At the same time, he rested his opposite hand on Loki’s shoulder. Loki didn’t dare look up at him, choosing instead to keep his eyes on Tony. Thor stroked Tony’s hair a couple of times, squeezing Loki’s shoulder warmly.

“When will he wake up?” Thor asked finally.

“I could wake him now,” Loki said. Tony would be in pain once he woke up, but that would be the case no matter how long he slept for. Altering one’s physical body was never an easy matter.

“Then do so. I’m curious to see what he thinks,” Thor said.

Loki was nervous to wake Tony, he realized, but he didn’t want Thor to know that. He carefully woke Tony, heart fluttering with anxiety as Tony’s eyes opened and he took in his appearance for the first time. Though Tony was clearly surprised and in pain, his eyes took on a particular glow as he gazed in the mirror and saw that all of his father’s heritage had been erased. Thor chose that moment to depart, winking at Loki as he went.

“Thank you,” Tony said, distracting Loki from glaring after Thor, and Loki turned back to him.

“What?”

“It’s perfect,” Tony said. “I mean, I’m perfect.” He frowned slightly. “I mean –”

“You like it,” Loki filled in, amused.

“Yes. I didn’t know what I wanted, but somehow you did. Thank you,” Tony said again, a little soft and shy in a way that made Loki’s heart melt. He raised his eyes to meet Loki’s, adding, “I meant it, you know. I do trust you. More than I trust anyone else.”

That meant more to Loki than he could have put into words. He found himself unable to respond past the sudden tightness in his throat, and settled for a stiff nod instead. Tony seemed to understand regardless; he smiled and tucked himself back into Loki’s arms, twisting slightly so that he could still see himself in the mirror. Loki hugged him tightly, swallowing hard.

Chapter Text

The shocked look on Stark’s face when he saw Tony for the first time was perfect. It was an expression that Tony would easily remember for the rest of his life. Stark’s mouth opened and closed several times as Tony walked over to him, but he couldn’t seem to get anything out. Tony gave him an uncertain smile, wondering if that was a good reaction or a bad one. It had crossed his mind that this might not have been what Stark had in mind when he said Tony should change his appearance.

“What do you think?” Tony asked finally. It had been a little nerve-wracking to leave the room and know that anyone who could see beyond the spell Loki had cast to make him look like a blond guy would now see his new features. Stark was the first person that Tony had come across who fit that criteria. He wondered if he should’ve started with someone like Bruce instead.

“... Stark? That’s you?” Stark said finally. “It – it is you, right?”

“Yeah. It’s me.” Tony glanced automatically over his shoulder to make sure that Loki was still there. And of course Loki still was, now sitting at a table near the door with Thor. Both of them were blatantly watching what was happening. Loki lifted a hand and made a small gesture with his fingers; shimmering walls rose up around Stark and Tony, effectively making sure that no one around them could eavesdrop. Tony turned back to look at Stark, who whistled softly.

“Damn. You look...” he trailed off, and Tony knew what he couldn’t bring himself to say. Maria’s name hung between them, unspoken.

“Loki basically erased most of the Stark features,” Tony said softly, taking a seat across from Stark. “So now no one should question me being a Carbonell. Maybe you can say you needed someone you trusted to help out the Asgardians, and I was available.”

“Yeah, that’ll work.” Stark nodded, then shook his head. “Sorry. This is really throwing me for a loop. Do you... I mean...” He frowned slightly, leaning in closer. “You look... younger?”

Tony flushed slightly. “Um... yeah.” Loki had briefly explained about his magic going rogue, and how their bond had caused his magic to heal Tony of some of the lingering damage that had been dealt to him over the years. The way Loki acted made it clear he thought Tony would be mad about it, but Tony couldn’t find it in himself to feel that way. If anything, he thought it was kind of sweet that Loki’s magic wanted to help. It wasn’t very often that magic wanted to help Tony after all.

He had sensed that there might be more to the whole matter than Loki was saying, but it was probably the first time that Tony had ever seen Loki be openly nervous about something. So he’d been willing to let the moment pass for now without a full explanation. There was just too much happening right now, and he knew they could talk about it in more detail later on.

“Huh,” Stark said, still staring at him. “Well, that definitely helps to prevent anyone from assuming time travel. Although I gotta say, I’m not sure how I feel about being older than a version of me from the future.”

“Oh... uh, I guess I didn’t think of it that way,” Tony said uncomfortably. He was startled when Stark suddenly smiled, looking far too amused.

“Well, I’ll definitely have to get FRIDAY to send a new picture of you to Pepper. She wasn’t expecting you to be this young, so that means some details will need to be smoothed out.” He tapped his fingers on the table, eyes distant now. “And now that I’m thinking about it, we’ll need to come up with some kind of explanation as to why you, the blonde disguised version of you I mean, will be gone. People have seen you around with the Asgardians already.”

“I hadn’t thought about that either,” Tony said, frowning at himself. He used to be so on the ball with stuff like this, making sure that he thought of every angle. But lately, it was like his muddled brain was three steps behind everyone else.

Stark waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not too concerned. We can come up with something,” he said. “Is this the look you’re going to stay with?”

“Yes,” Tony confirmed. Even though Loki had done it yesterday, his face still ached. Everything felt too tender. He was in no rush to find out how it would feel to have Loki do it a second time. And besides, Tony couldn’t think of anything that would be better than what Loki had already done.

“Alright then, works for me,” Stark said. “Loki does nice work.” He sounded a little surprised still, and Tony’s frown was directed his way this time.

“Loki is good at everything he does,” Tony said, only slightly defensively, and for some reason that made Stark smile.

“Yeah, can’t argue with that. Alright, little cousin, I’ll start setting things in motion.” He got up as Tony sputtered.

“Little?! I’m the same size as you!” he exclaimed furiously.

Stark paused and turned to look Tony up and down, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t think so. Pretty sure you’re at least a couple inches shorter than me now. And you’re pretty skinny. I know Pepper and Rhodey say I don’t take care of myself, but...” He trailed off and waved his hand again, this time in Tony’s general direction.

“I am not,” Tony hissed, but he had the strong sinking feeling that maybe Stark was right. He scrambled to his feet and went to stand right next to Stark, but Stark laughed and ducked away.

“Next time,” he said, and left the cafeteria, still laughing. Tony whirled on his heel and stormed right over to Thor and Loki. The shimmering barrier followed, now eclipsing the three of them instead. Thor winced and sat back in his seat, looking somewhat relieved when he realized that Tony’s ire was aimed at Loki. Loki, for his part, looked nervous as Tony came to a stop right in front of him and planted his hands on his hips.

“Did you make me shorter?” Tony bit out, staring down at Loki with the most menacing look that he could muster.

“... No?” Loki said. The hesitant reply made Thor snort.

“Stark said I’m a couple inches shorter than him now. We should be the same height!” Tony said furiously.

Loki’s eyes widened with pure innocence. “I assure you that I did not purposely change your stature.”

“That’s not an answer!” Tony cried, and Thor snorted again. Loki shot him a murderous look before turning back to Tony and raising his hands placatingly.

“I believed that your height came from your mother’s side of the family, so I did not deliberately change anything,” he said gently. “However... I admit that belief could have been wrong. I don’t know as much about science as I should. From what I can tell, I essentially minimized your Stark genes to allow the Carbonell genes to become more dominant in in nearly every way. So if the Stark genes had given you an inch or two of height, then I may have erroneously changed that. I apologize. That was not my intention.”

Tony stared at him for a moment longer, searching for any signs of untruth in Loki’s face, but Loki looked genuinely pained by the admittance. Which meant that in all likelihood, he was being honest and that this was a misfortunate accident. Tony groaned to himself and sat down on Loki’s knee, burying his face in his hands. He’d already been short for a man at five feet eight inches, and now this?!

Thank god Pepper and Rhodey weren’t here. They would never let him hear the end of it. Rhodey had already teased him mercilessly about the fact that Tony used to wear lifts in his shoes to appear taller.

“I really do apologize,” Loki said again, cautiously wrapping an arm around Tony’s waist. “I could try to fix it, but that may be easier said than done. I hesitate to let my magic loose on you again after what happened with the bond. I don’t know what else might happen.”

Tony sighed. “It’s fine,” he grumbled, dropping his hands. He wasn’t sure he wanted Loki performing magic on him again like that anyway. He trusted Loki fully, of course, but Loki was right. You really couldn’t be sure how things would turn out when magic was involved.

“I think you’re perfect no matter what size you are,” Loki said, and he was so damn earnest about it, his expression radiating a sincerity so strong that Tony could feel echoes of it in the back of his head. He flushed and suddenly regretted having sat down on Loki’s knee. He was flustered enough to want to hide now, but getting up so abruptly felt awkward.

“I think you’re both perfectly adorable exactly the way you are,” Thor said, looking at the two of them fondly.

Loki’s expression immediately morphed back into a glare. “Shut up, Thor. No one asked you!”

Thor threw his head back and laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed, Brother! That was a compliment.”

Tony took one look at Loki’s increasingly dark face and reached out to wrap his hands around Loki’s, hopefully preventing Loki from murdering Thor right there in the middle of the compound. He wasn’t as concerned about Thor so much as he was concerned about innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. Asgardians were a lot hardier than humans were, and it was easy for Loki and Thor to get wrapped up in each other.

“Okay, okay,” Tony said. “Both of you, stop. The important thing here is that Stark thinks this appearance will work just fine. He even said you do nice work.”

Loki seemed somewhat mollified by the compliment. “Then you’re going to stay as you are?”

“I am,” Tony confirmed. Height aside, he couldn’t think of any other appearance he’d like more. His stomach fluttered with nerves as he thought about getting his new identity from Pepper. He’d be an actual person then. It meant that SHIELD would be able to find information on him. A little part of him wished he could keep hiding in the shadows forever, but he knew how unrealistic that was at the same time. If he was going to help the Asgardians, then he needed to have his own identity.

“Alright then. Does that mean you’re ready for my spells to come off?” Loki asked.

Tony hesitated slightly, glancing at Thor. He felt a little awkward talking about this in front of Thor, even if he knew that Thor didn’t care. Luckily, Thor seemed to get the hint. He smiled gently at Tony and stood up, passing out of the barrier without comment. Tony watched him go, noticing that Thor stopped at the exit of the cafeteria to wait for them, before he turned to Loki.

“Stark is going to come up with some reason why the blond guy people have been seeing me around as won’t be around anymore, so technically there’s no reason for them,” Tony said.

Loki knew him too well. He said, “Technically?”

Tony dropped his gaze, ashamed, and said nothing. The words tangled into a knot in his throat he couldn’t speak past. After a moment, Loki’s fingers touched his chin and gently tilted his head up so that their eyes met. There was a curious look in Loki’s eyes, like maybe he understood what Tony was asking for and more, and he was quiet for a few seconds as he studied Tony.

“I could keep a spell on you to encourage people to look past you and notice you less,” Loki murmured finally. “It’s a much simpler version of the original spell. You would still look like you do now. That way, most people would overlook you. Is that what you’d prefer?”

Wordlessly, Tony gave a small nod. He knew he shouldn’t want something like that, but the thought of having to tangle with people like Coulson or Fury – or, god forbid, Rogers or any of his crew – still made Tony want to throw up. Anything that would help keep the attention off of him would be helpful.

“Then we can make it happen,” Loki said simply, as though it was really that easy, and Tony had never cared for him more.

Chapter Text

The day that the news about SHIELD blew up, Tony was talking to some of the Asgardians about the move. He’d gone over the new Asgardian I.D.’s that FRIDAY had provided already, and had now moved on to discussing clothing. In particular, he was talking to a big, hulking Asgardian who was about a foot taller than Thor. Tony had to crane his head back and stand back several inches in order to be able to look Eidurr in the eye.

“I enjoy my current adornment, little one,” Eidurr said. “I have no desire to change.”

Tony prickled with embarrassment at the nickname, knowing without looking that Loki was silently laughing somewhere behind him. But he supposed that in all fairness, he really was small standing next to Eidurr. Anyone would’ve been, including Stark. Even Thor was somewhat dwarfed by this frankly enormous Asgardian. He decided to let it go in favor of arguing his point.

“I understand that. And we can work with FRIDAY to get you clothing as close to what you’re currently wearing as possible,” Tony said. “You can of course keep what you’re wearing too. But Norwegian winters are very cold and damp. What you’re wearing won’t be enough to keep you warm.”

“The cold has never bothered me,” Eidurr said mildly. He seemed to be amused by the fact that Tony thought the weather might be cold enough to bother him.

“But it might now. You’ve never been on Midgard for winter before,” Tony argued. “Look, you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to. But I would rather have clothing outfitted for everyone in advance so that we have it if we need it, then be scrambling to outfit everyone at the last minute."

Eidurr looked at him for a moment longer, then shrugged and nodded. “Very well, as our prince’s önd commands,” he quipped. “What do you need me to do?”

“Stand over there against the wall. FRIDAY will take your measurements and then provide you a selection of clothing to choose from,” Tony said. He backed up a few steps and watched as Eidurr did as requested. It only took a moment for FRIDAY to do the necessary scans.

Within a few minutes, Eidurr was delightedly pouring over a hologram of clothing choices. Tony stood quietly by, unwilling to offer an opinion unless asked, but wanting to be close just in case Eidurr had a question that FRIDAY couldn’t answer. But then Loki came up beside Tony and gently laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder. Tony glanced up at him, and Loki gave him a meaningful look.

“Eidurr, I must steal Tony away,” Loki announced. “There is something I need to discuss with him.

“Of course,” Eidurr said without even looking up.

“What is it?” Tony asked as Loki led him outside. He shivered a bit, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I thought you’d want to see this as soon as possible,” Loki said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He showed it to Tony, who gasped.

It was a news site, and the top article on the site was about SHIELD. He grabbed the phone and quickly scrolled through the article. It had been published less than an hour ago, but already had over three million views. The article detailed SHIELD’s return in the shadows and named both Coulson and Fury, and even included the fact that SHIELD had had Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, and Falcon brought back onto American soil through ‘unofficial channels’.

“Oh my god,” Tony said under his breath.

“It popped up on my feed a few minutes ago,” Loki said, and Tony glanced up at him. For someone who was so heavily versed in magic, Loki had taken to technology like a duck to water. Except for the occasional stumble, anyone talking to him would’ve sworn Loki had lived here for years.

“I can’t believe Stark went ahead with it,” Tony breathed, shocked.

“Well, I guess he took your suggestion to force SHIELD to go public seriously,” Loki said, and Tony tried not to wince. He hoped that neither Coulson nor Fury ever figured out that he had ben the one to make that suggestion. He was pretty sure they’d both come after him if they did.

He quickly navigated to other new sites, unsurprised to find that the news was spreading like wildfire. Stark had mentioned dropping some information into the “right ears” and evidently he hadn’t been joking. From the looks of it, numerous hackers were already attacking the SHIELD servers. Tony highly doubted that SHIELD would be capable of keeping everyone out. That meant it was only a matter of time before more secrets were out.

He only hoped that this time, SHIELD would be smart enough to act fast to protect its agents. Last time Natasha had dumped everything on the internet, thousands of undercover agents had died after their covers were blown. Tony had done his best to save as many as he could, but he couldn’t save them all. That was not something he wanted to see repeated.

“Honestly, I’m sure they’re going to find some way to hush this up too. But it will be interesting to see how things turn out in the short-term,” Tony said, passing Loki’s phone back. “And I’ll be very curious to see if Rogers and the others got pardons under the table or not.”

Loki regarded him curiously, asking, “So they never received pardons in the future?”

“Well...” Tony paused for a few seconds to think. “After Thanos, it was more like pardons didn’t matter anymore. The earth was pretty fractured. And some of the rogue Avengers died in the Decimation, like Maximoff and Wilson and Barnes. Barton survived, but his family didn’t, and he took off after that. Even Romanov didn’t know where he’d gone to. So it was really just Rogers and Romanov, and no one seemed to care much about them afterwards.”

“I see,” Loki murmured.

Tony turned away slightly, wrapping his arms around his waist. “They were different people afterwards. We all were. Rogers was like a ghost. Losing Barnes again really broke him. And Romanov didn’t know what to do with herself. She wasn’t an agent anymore because SHIELD didn’t exist. It was bad for a while there.”

He fell quiet. He tried not to think too hard about the future anymore, because it was a future that would no longer come to pass. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t haunted by it. Everything had been so broken after the Decimation. Broken in ways that not even Tony Stark could fix, even though he had tried his best. Still weak from what happened during his encounter with Thanos, he’d collapsed one day in his workshop after months of working 18-20 hours a day.

Rhodey and Pepper had forced him to slow down after that, but the damage had already been done. Something inside of Tony Stark had broken too. Even now, when Tony was standing in the present and everyone he had mourned was still alive, he could still feel the shattered parts of him that could never be put back together. Maybe that was why sometimes he was just so tired mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Some things just couldn’t be fixed.

“I don’t know if they got pardons,” he said after a long time. “Maybe. But also, maybe not. Rogers and his lot never had any problem breaking the law before. I don’t see why they’d hesitate to now.” He couldn’t imagine that any of them were happy living in Wakanda.

“And if they didn’t? Wouldn’t they be arrested?” Loki asked. He was standing beside Tony, pressed close enough that Tony could feel his shirt brushing against Tony’s arm. Tony wished that Loki would wrap his arms around him, but he wasn’t sure how to ask for it.

“Maybe. They should be. I guess it depends on a lot of things,” Tony said, sighing. If Captain America had successfully stopped Thanos in the future, Tony knew without a doubt that the prior criminal behavior of Rogers and his Rogues would’ve been smoothed over. None of them would’ve faced any consequences for it.

But now that Thanos wasn’t a threat anymore? He was less sure. Most people on Midgard didn’t even know that Thanos had ever been something to be afraid of. So that wasn’t going to weigh in their favor. And then there were all the people who had died during Rogers’s rampage to save Barnes. There was also the Winter Soldier to factor in. Regardless of brainwashing, the Winter Soldier had killed a lot of people. People would expect someone to be taken to task for that, although whether or not it would fall onto Barnes remained unseen.

“It’s complicated,” Tony said finally, and Loki snorted.

“May I?” he asked, and Tony glanced over at him to see that Loki had a hand cautiously lifted out towards him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You’re asking? I don’t – ”

Loki shrugged somewhat stiffly. “FRIDAY pointed out to me that you may not always want to be touched. She gave me quite the lecture on consent and what it means.”

Tony shook his head slightly. “It’s fine. You don’t need to ask. You can – you can always touch me.” His voice got quiet during the last part of that sentence out of embarrassment, but he knew that Loki heard him.

He understood where FRIDAY was coming from. Stark was someone who guarded himself closely, really only accepting touch from people he was intimately familiar with, like Pepper or Rhodey or Happy. And as a popular figurehead, that was understandable. Too many people wanted things from Stark, and he needed to protect himself as best that he could. FRIDAY was only following the conventions that Stark had set into practice.

But Tony wasn’t Stark, not anymore, and he never would be again. The very last thing he wanted was for Loki to start pulling back from him now. In fact, he really wasn’t sure if he would be able to bear that. Being so close to Loki, but being unable to enjoy the warmth and comfort of Loki’s arms, sounded painful. Sometimes it felt like Loki, and by extension Thor, was the only thing holding the broken edges of him together.

A small smile curved Loki’s lips, warming his eyes. “And you may always touch me, of course.” He stepped closer, sliding his hand around the curve of Tony’s waist. He bowed his head slightly, whispering into Tony’s ear. “But you should know that FRIDAY’s lesson on consent was pretty lost on Thor.”

Tony was startled into a laugh. “I would expect no less,” he admitted. “That’s alright. I don’t care if Thor touches me. So long as he doesn’t like, grab me around the neck again.”

Loki’s grip became almost painfully tight, hissing out, “What?! When was this?!” He looked fully ready to rush off and stab Thor right then and there, and Tony hastened to reassure him.

“It was a long time ago. Uh, I can’t really remember how long,” Tony said. He struggled to remember. “I think it was right after Ultron was formed, maybe? Yeah, that sounds right. Bruce and I were missing around with your staff – Thanos’s staff, I guess,” he amended quietly. “And it created Ultron. Thor wasn’t happy. He blamed me.”

“And his recourse was to grab you around the neck? That could’ve killed you!” Loki said.

“Well... yeah. I think that was the point,” Tony said. He lightly touched his throat, running his fingers across his skin. Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, Thor grabbing him by the neck was barely a blip on the radar. Tony hadn’t thought about that in years.

“I’ve changed my mind, Thor is no longer allowed to touch you,” Loki decided. “No one is, except for me.”

Tony smiled a little, thinking that Loki’s possessiveness might come in handy once Antonio Carbonell was officially introduced to the world. He was pretty sure that there was going to be a fair amount of interest in a new member of Tony Stark’s family. It would be nice to have someone standing between Tony and the rest of the very curious world at that point. But even more than that...

“I might hold you to that,” he said quietly.

Because at the very least, if Rogers and his lot ever came around again, Tony was going to want as many people standing between him and the Rogues as possible.

Chapter Text

“You’re such a fucking little shit,” Rhodey said. He was laughing. Tony couldn’t help grinning. He’d known when the call came in from Rhodey that it meant Rhodey had seen the news.

“I’ll neither confirm nor deny my involvement in this,” he said with as much innocence as he could muster when Rhodey knew full well that Tony was full of shit. Sure enough, Rhodey just snorted and shook his head, giving the screen a fond look.

“Yeah right. This has your fingerprints all over it, and the whole world knows it. Literally everyone in my unit approached me this morning and asked if I knew any more details. I had to tell them all no. Do you know what that felt like?” Rhodey said. He was trying to sound angry, but he couldn’t stop grinning. “I need all the gossip right now, Anthony Edward Stark!”

“Ew, gross, don’t full name me,” Tony whined, sinking down onto the couch.

“It’s no less than what you deserve. Tell me!”

Tony quickly brought him up to date, including the bit about Coulson actually approaching Thor, Loki, and Antonio to get to Thor. Rhodey’s expression darkened a little when he heard that part, and he looked very much like he wanted to go ‘talk’ to Coulson, so Tony hurriedly moved on. He told Rhodey about the spectacular bit of hacking done by FRIDAY to get them into the SHIELD databases, and about the goldmine of information that had been sitting there waiting for them.

“I actually didn’t do that much,” Tony finished. “I might have dropped a few tidbits into the right ears once I confirmed the information, but I can’t take credit for what they then did with that info.” He summoned up another innocent expression. The truth was, he’d basically made a full copy of SHIELD’s mainframe so that he could comb through it at leisure. But no one, not even Rhodey, needed to know that.

“Right,” Rhodey said dryly. “And I’m completely, totally, 100% sure that you didn’t leave a few backdoors open for other hackers, right?”

Damn, Rhodey knew him far too well. Tony smiled sheepishly. “Well... maybe.”

“As expected,” Rhodey said fondly, shaking his head.

“It only seemed like the polite thing to do. I hate to admit it, but SHIELD’s defences are pretty good. And they’ll be putting those defences on high alert. If we, and by we I mean I, want that information out there, I needed to do a little bit to help people along,” Tony said. He wanted to make sure that not only the best and brightest hackers got in. The more people who spread the word, the better.

Rhodey nodded. “That sounds reasonable to me,” he said, just as Tony had known he would. There was a reason that Pepper had once scolded Rhodey for being a total enabler. To his credit, Rhodey had never denied it, although he regularly argued that his enabling kept Tony from doing anything truly crazy – which was usually accurate.

“And more than anything, I don’t want SHIELD operating in the dark anymore,” Tony added. “The Accords were all about transparency. If the Avengers have to live by that, then I think that SHIELD should too.”

“Damn straight,” Rhodey said, nodding again. “So what’s happening with the other you? Future you?”

“He has a name now. Antonio. He looks different too, hang on.” Tony quickly called up a picture of Antonio that had been taken by FRIDAY and sent it to Rhodey. He watched as Rhodey’s eyes widened when the picture arrived. Rhodey stared at it for several seconds before whistling softly.

“Damn... he looks like you, but also not like you? I feel like I’m staring at an optical illusion of some kind,” Rhodey said. “How did that happen?”

“Loki. He used magic,” Tony said. He didn’t know any more details than that, and frankly he didn’t want to know. But he thought it said a lot about the nature of Loki’s and Antonio’s relationship that Antonio had trusted Loki enough to do that. Tony sure as hell wouldn’t.

“Huh. He definitely looks like a random member of your family. If you had told me that’s who he was, I probably would have believed you even though I know better,” Rhodey admitted.

“Good. Hopefully everyone else will believe it too,” Tony replied. Though they were prepared for some people to dig into Antonio’s past. It was only natural. That was why they had used their best contacts, even the somewhat underhanded ones, to create Antonio’s past. Tony and Pepper had even made sure that no one person did too much, so that no one would be able to put all the pieces together. It had been a very costly endeavour, but it was worth it as far as Tony was concerned.

Rhodey looked up at him. “And you’re giving him access to your accounts?”

“Yeah. Why?” Tony asked, slightly defensively. Pepper had questioned him endlessly on that, asking if he was sure that was a smart decision to make. Tony had only ended the query after he’d pointed out that it was his money and he could do what he wanted with it. Pepper had left a little mad because she was just trying to help, though Tony had been quick to smooth things over with her (she never could resist a nice pair of Louboutin heels).

“Nothing. I was just asking. If you think that’s the right thing to do, it’s fine,” Rhodey said, almost gently.

Tony shrugged, looking away from the screen. “Pepper thought I shouldn’t, but... his money is my money, Rhodey. Or it would have been. So it is, in a way. It doesn’t feel right to do anything else.”

“And that’s what makes you such a good man,” Rhodey said, and Tony scoffed a bit.

“Well, who knows. He could snap and murder us all. You never know,” he said with a shrug.

“No Tony Stark that I know could ever do that,” Rhodey said. “Which brings me to the point of this call.”

“The point?” Tony sat up a little, intrigued. He’d thought that Rhodey had only called because of the news about SHIELD. He hadn’t expected there would be more to it than that. He studied Rhodey’s grinning face for a moment, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out what could make Rhodey this happy.

“You can’t guess?” Rhodey’s smile turned sly.

“Did you propose to someone?” Tony said after a few seconds. He knew that Rhodey hadn’t, but it was worth it to see the look on Rhodey’s face as he choked.

“Propose?! God no! I don’t even have a girlfriend!”

“Then I have no idea.”

“I’m coming for a visit,” Rhodey announced.

“You are?!” Tony might have squeaked a bit in his joy. It had been months since he’d been on the same continent as Rhodey, never mind in the same state. They’d been making do with regular video calls, phone calls, and texts, but it would just never be the same as having his best friend right there in person.

Rhodey laughed and nodded. “I want to meet this Antonio for myself,” he informed Tony. “And I want to see Thor again, and check out Loki too. Make sure they’re not taking advantage of you.”

“Oh Platypus, you’re such a worrier,” Tony said, but he was too excited to really be annoyed. “When are you coming? Soon?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow,” Rhodey said, grin stretching from ear-to-ear, and Tony might have screamed.

“Tomorrow!”

“Yup. I’ve known for a while, but I didn’t want to tell you until it was all set in stone. It’s taken forever to get permission, I asked right after the Asgardians got here...” Rhodey shook his head with exasperation. “I wanted to be there to help you with all of it, even if I’ll be late.”

“You’re not late at all!” Tony said, practically vibrating. This was the best news he’d heard in ages. Suddenly everything that was happening didn’t seem so bad after all.

“Well, I’m a little late,” Rhodey said fondly. “But that’s alright. Here, see?” He turned his tablet away from Tony, and Tony realized that Rhodey was not sitting in an office or in a dormitory. Instead, he was sitting in what appeared to be a hotel room. It hadn’t occurred to Tony to wonder before why Rhodey was keeping the camera squarely focused on himself, but now he understood it was because Rhodey hadn’t wanted to spoil the surprise.

“I hope you’re staying in a five star hotel. Nothing but the best for my Rhodey bear,” Tony said, examining the room with a frown. At a guess, that was a three star hotel at best.

Rhodey snorted. “I have no idea how many stars this place has. But it’s got cable TV and room service and a pool and very hot showers, so I’m not complaining. At the last place we were stationed at, we had literally none of those things.”

“It’s like you live in a whole other dimension,” Tony said, doing his best to pretend he was appalled just to make Rhodey laugh.

“It’s not the compound, but it’ll do for a day or two,” Rhodey replied.

“How are you getting here? I could’ve sent the jet for you!” Tony said. The thought of Rhodey flying on a regular passenger airplane actually was appalling. Rhodey was more than capable of standing, walking, and running thanks to the special braces that Tony had built for him, but he knew that Rhodey’s back would always give him pain. It was one of main reasons why Rhodey was no longer on active duty, but had accepted a position that allowed him to stay fully behind the lines.

Flying in an actual airplane would no doubt be very painful for Rhodey, particularly if the flight was a long one. And since Tony was pretty sure that Rhodey was somewhere in Europe right now, that was a big ‘yes’ to pain. A cramped flight with tons of people and very little time to move around was nothing something that he wanted Rhodey to have to suffer through, especially when it was unnecessary.

Rhodey’s smile softened. “Don’t worry about it. We didn’t want to add something else to your schedule. Pepper already took care of it. The jet is landing tomorrow morning, so I’m flying first class. Actually no, I’m flying Tony Stark class which is even better than first class.”

Tony exhaled and slumped, relieved, then jerked upright in realization. “Wait! You mean Pepper knew you were coming and didn’t tell me?!”

“Umm...”

“Rhodey,” Tony whined at the screen. “How could you do this to me? Conspiring with Pepper behind my back? You agreed to never do that again.”

“Actually, you tried to make me promise to never do that again and ignored me telling you I wasn’t going to make that promise,” Rhodey corrected.

Tony pouted. “Same difference,” he grumbled, even though he wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he was pretending to be. How could he be mad? Thanks to Pepper, he was getting a long visit from Rhodey. Tony couldn’t stay mad when Rhodey was coming!

“It’s totally not,” Rhodey said. He glanced up suddenly, looking off camera, and Tony heard some muted thumps in the background. “Listen Tones, I gotta go. That sounds like my room service.”

“Alright. What time will you be landing tomorrow?” Tony asked.

Rhodey considered for a moment, doing some rapid calculations, then said, “Probably around noon. I expect you to roll out the red carpet!”

“Consider it done,” Tony said. “Bye.” He waved at the screen, and Rhodey waved back, before the screen went dark as Rhodey ended the call. Tony sat there for a moment, a big, stupid smile painted across his face. He started to think about all the things he and Rhodey would be able to do, and then realized he’d forgotten to ask how long Rhodey was going to stay for. Well, no matter. Even a day with Rhodey was better than nothing. Any Tony Stark would feel that way.

And that meant he should probably track Antonio down and inform him that Rhodey was coming.

Chapter Text

“Hey Thor... Let’s talk.”

Thor looked at once alarmed and confused, darting a look Tony’s way, before he cautiously asked, “About what?”

“You’ll see,” Loki said ominously. “Stay there.” He directed that last part at Tony, who blinked, before whirling on his heel and stalking about ten feet away.

“Would it be cowardly to run?” Thor asked, staring after him.

“Yes,” Tony said. “But it would also be the smart thing to do, so...”

“You are most correct,” Thor said, nodding. He sighed and squared his shoulders, looking very much like a man marching to his death as he followed after Loki. When Thor got close enough, a golden barrier sprang up around the two of them. Tony could still see them no problem, but he couldn’t hear anything that they were saying.

Figuring this was probably going to take a while, he sat down on the ground in front of the nearest tree. He sank back against the trunk and tried not to shiver in the cool breeze as Loki got right into Thor’s face. It wasn’t hard to imagine what their furious exchange of words was about. Loki was doing a lot of gesturing in Tony’s direction, whereas Thor had his hands up defensively and was clearing trying to unsuccessfully defuse the situation.

He wondered if he should feel guilty for having told Loki about the whole strangling thing. He really hadn’t meant for Loki to go after Thor about it. But at the same time, he didn’t see why he should have to keep it a secret either. Thor deserved to know that he couldn’t go around grabbing fragile humans by the neck, especially if they were going to be living on Midgard. But then again, Thor had matured a lot since those days, and Tony didn’t really think that Thor would do something like that again... but he supposed it didn’t hurt that Loki was going to make sure of it.

“There you are!”

Tony jumped a little in surprise, turning his head to see that Stark was striding across the grass towards him. Stark was clearly agitated, and at first Tony thought something was wrong – but then, as Stark neared, Tony was able to see the huge smile on his face. That was such an unusual occurrence now that Tony’s interest was immediately piqued. He straightened up as Stark knelt down on the ground beside him.

“What’s up?” Tony asked curiously.

“I wanted to tell you – wait, what are they doing?” Stark blinked several times, smile fading as he took in the sight of Loki and Thor. Thor was backing up now, looking as though he regretted not having made a run for it when he had the chance. Loki was stalking after him the way a tiger might stalk its prey, every movement precise and deadly. Tony might be a bit biased, but he couldn’t help thinking Loki was beautiful like this.

“Oh, I might have told Loki about that time Thor grabbed us by the neck and pulled us off the floor,” Tony said, dragging his eyes away. “Loki was, um, not happy.”

“Clearly. You know, I had forgotten all about that.” Stark watched for the brothers for a moment longer before shaking his head and turning back to Tony. “Anyway, guess what? I have good news to share. Rhodey is coming for a visit!”

“Rhodey?!” Tony’s eyes widened in surprise. Stark hadn’t really talked too much about Rhodey before now. Tony couldn’t remember exactly where Rhodey was or what he was doing right now, but he knew that Rhodey was probably doing something with the army. If he remembered correctly, Rhodey hadn’t fully stopped working with the army until well after Thanos, when the whole world went to complete shit.

Stark nodded. “He was able to get some time off, so he should be here tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s great,” Tony said softly. He could see the excitement in Stark’s face, an excitement that could barely be contained, and it filled Tony with a sadness so profound that it took his breath away.

He hadn’t even said goodbye to Rhodey and Pepper.

At the time, it was a decision that made sense. Both Rhodey and Pepper would have tried to stop him from coming back in time, Tony knew. They would have felt that it was too dangerous, especially since Tony didn’t know where or when he would end up. The odds of failure had been high, too high for them to accept. And if they had tried to talk him out of it, he wasn’t entirely sure that he would’ve been strong enough to go anyway. So in that respect, he didn’t regret going without telling them.

But on the other hand, it hurt. The two people that Tony felt like he could rely on were both gone. The Rhodey and Pepper of this time were both amazing people, of course. But they weren’t the same. They weren’t Tony’s “Rhodey and Pepper”, they were Stark’s “Rhodey and Pepper”. And in that moment, it really drove home to him that Tony would never see his “Rhodey and Pepper” again.

Stark looked somewhat uncertain at the lackluster response. “Is that... okay?”

“What? Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” Tony turned his head slightly to watch Loki and Thor again. He was just in time to see Loki materializing a knife and lunging forward almost too quick for the eye to follow, trying to stab the knife into Thor’s shoulder. Thor dodged at the very last second, but the tip of the knife still dragged down his arm, slicing open his tunic.

“I dunno. Um – should you stop that?” Stark asked, also watching Loki and Thor. Thor had his hands up again and was talking quickly, clearing trying to pacify Loki. Loki looked on with the air of someone who could not be pacified, and who was just waiting for their prey to let his guard down.

“Probably,” Tony said vaguely. He wasn’t actually sure that he could stop it. The relationship between Loki and Thor was still one that he was trying to puzzle out. Sometimes it seemed like Loki would take any excuse to have a go at his brother, and finding out that Thor had strangled Tony at one point was the perfect catalyst.

“Uh... okay. Just please don’t let Loki kill Thor on my property. It’s a ton of paperwork,” Stark said, and Tony knew that he was only half-joking.

“He’ll stop before that point. Loki doesn’t want to deal with being king,” Tony said.

Stark gave him a strange look. “Isn’t that like, Loki’s whole goal in life?”

“It was,” Tony said. “But I don’t think it is anymore. Being the king of Asgard is a whole different thing from being the person responsible for the remaining Asgardians on what is essentially a strange planet.”

“That – huh, yeah, I hadn’t considered it that way,” Stark said. “So... right, Rhodey. He’ll be here around 2pm tomorrow. He’s already said that he wants to meet you. I’m expecting Pepper will probably make the trip too, so you’ll probably be able to meet both of them soon.” He smiled a little, almost proudly, like he was a little kid wanting to show off his friends.

And Tony genuinely did not blame him, but the knife in his heart pierced a little deeper with each word.

“Alright. Just text me or ask FRIDAY to tell us when he’s here,” Tony said. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“No problem.” Stark stood up, watched Loki and Thor for a moment longer, and then, shaking his head, turned and began walking towards the compound. Tony sat where he was until Stark had entered the building, and he could be relatively sure that Stark wasn’t watching them.

Then he stood and walked through the barrier. He didn’t know how he knew this, but he knew that the barrier would have stopped anyone else from entering. Loki’s magic, however, eagerly embraced Tony and welcomed him through. Loki stopped advancing on Thor immediately, turning to face Tony. Thor looked his way too, though he kept a wary eye on Loki.

“What’s wrong?” Loki asked after a slightly pause, cocking his head and narrowing his eyes, as though he could see into Tony’s head through sheer will.

Tony swallowed hard around the lump in his throat and didn’t say a word. He had the sneaking suspicion that if he said anything, he might start to cry. And that was too embarrassing to contemplate. He raised his eyes to meet Loki’s, and he didn’t know what Loki could see in his face, but it must’ve been alarming because Loki came towards him immediately, carelessly tossing the knife into the air; it vanished before it could hit the ground.

“Tony? Shh, it’s alright.” Loki pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms around Tony.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut against the burn of tears, burying his face in Loki’s chest. He had mostly managed to avoid a full-on breakdown since coming back to the past, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could avoid it. When he closed his eyes, he could picture everyone that he had left behind. And it hurt so much to know that they were gone. Wiped out of existence. A miserable existence, sure, but still.

“What happened?” Thor asked, just behind him, and Tony could feel Loki shrugging.

“I don’t know. Stark must have said something to upset him,” Loki said, and there was a dark edge to his voice that Tony was beginning to recognize.

“It’s nothing,” Tony whispered. His voice broke, and he could feel a sob welling up in his chest.

“Clearly, it’s not.” There was a footstep, as though Thor had moved a bit closer, and then Loki tensed, and it took a few seconds for Tony to realize what was happening. He risked a peek upwards and saw that Loki was glaring at Thor, practically daring him to take a step closer.

“It’s okay. No, I’m fine.” Tony pulled back a little, and Loki allowed him to, although Loki dropped his hands to Tony’s hips and kept them there. Tony looked between him and Thor and mustered up a shaky smile.

“You don’t look fine,” Thor offered.

“I am. It’s just – Stark said Rhodey was coming,” Tony said.

“Ah, I see,” Thor said, his face filling with a sympathy that made Tony ache.

Loki frowned. “Who is Rhodey?”

“I believe he is a very close companion of my friend, correct?” Thor said. He kept an eye on Loki as he reached out and set a large hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I seem to remember that you – or Stark – or, uh, whoever, spoke very well of him frequently. And he joined the Avengers, did he not? Though I believe that was after I had to make my departure.”

Tony nodded. “He survived Thanos in the future. Him and Pepper,” he said, very softly. “But when I left – I didn’t want them to talk me out of going, so I didn’t say goodbye... and now...” He tried really, really hard to control himself, but the hot burning in his eyes told him he was unsuccessful.

“Ah, my friend,” Thor said sadly. “You have sacrificed so much on our behalf. I am truly sorry for your loss.”

Loki didn’t say anything, but he pulled Tony back into a hug. Tony buried his face again and this time, let himself cry. It was the kind of deep, aching pain that he knew would never fully go away. He would always miss Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and all of the other people he’d been forced to leave behind. Even if it was for the best, and he would make the same decision again in a heartbeat, it still hurt, and it probably always would.

Chapter Text

When Tony woke up the next morning, he really didn’t want to get out of bed. He’d tossed and turned for a good portion of the night, until Loki rolled over and wrapped both arms and legs around Tony, effectively pinning him in place. Only then had Tony been able to settle down enough to fall asleep, but even then his sleep had been restless. He woke frequently, crying from dreams he couldn’t even remember.

He felt tired and stressed when dawn broke, the colors of sunrise slowly spilling into the room. Tony watched the progress of the light across the floor through half-lidded eyes. Everything had been going well. Too well, maybe. It felt like in the span of 24 hours, all of the progress he’d made had broken apart and slipped between his fingers. He was right back where he’d started, with the grief and pain from what he’d lost churning through him as fresh as though he’d arrived yesterday.

Or maybe even more so – because he’d never really let himself think about what he’d lost, had he? When he first arrived, there was Thanos to deal with. Then there was arriving back on earth, and figuring things out with Stark, and worrying about the move, and trying to deal with the Asgardians, and then SHIELD, and so on and so forth. There had never been time for him to really dwell on it all. So maybe that was why it was hitting him so hard now, when there was no choice but for him to face it.

There was movement behind him, Loki shifting, and then Loki sighed and murmured, “You didn’t sleep at all, did you?”

“No,” Tony admitted, closing his eyes. “Sorry if I kept you awake.”

“One night will not ruin me.” Loki’s hand swept up Tony’s side and settled onto his forehead, cool and firm. “However, I’m not sure the same can be said about you. You feel warm to the touch.”

“I’m fine,” Tony mumbled. He refused to accept that his health was so delicate that one night could impact him to the point of a fever or worse.

“That’s not really for you to say,” Loki said, sounding slightly amused.

“Sure it is.”

“I’m afraid not. Mostly because you wouldn’t be honest,” Loki said, and there was quiet affection in his voice now, and also in the way his hand slid from Tony’s forehead into his hair. He stroked Tony’s hair a couple of times, fingers sliding easily through the once-grey strands.

“You’re one to talk about being honest, Mr. God of Lies,” Tony said.

Loki shook with laughter. “You’re very contrary today,” he observed.

“I feel like I’ve earned that right,” Tony muttered, rolling over onto his back. Loki was still curled against him, so the movement put their faces into very close proximity. At any other time, Tony would have felt very flustered about it all. But he was too tired and too sad. Right now, he was just grateful that Loki was here.

As much as everything hurt, as much as his heart ached, at least he had Loki and Thor. That was what he reminded himself of when the grief grew so strong that it felt like he would suffocate. Tony honestly did not know what he would do without the two of them. He would have been lost without them. There was nothing else for him here in this time, after all.

“You have,” Loki said gently. “Tony, I’ve been thinking. Everything else can be dealt with after we move, right? And if that is the case, then perhaps we should move sooner rather than later. I’m beginning to think that being here at the compound, being around Stark every day, isn’t good for you anymore.”

“What?” Tony blinked, not having expected that at all. “But – ”

“But nothing. Everything is pretty much worked out according to Thor; he’s been talking to Stark and the Norwegian government about it. We can still order things after we move, and figure out how we’ll be able to support ourselves. But being here every day, seeing Stark have the life that you left behind...” Loki’s eyes softened with concern. “It’s hurting you.”

Tony’s throat grew tight, and his eyes got hot. He mentally forbid himself from crying, because that would be just too embarrassing. He struggled with himself for a few seconds until he thought he could speak without his voice breaking. Mercifully, Loki gave him the time. He remained quiet and just laid there, head propped up on one arm, other arm draped casually across Tony’s wait, and waited.

“It’s not about me,” Tony said finally, and man there was a lot of people in his past who would’ve laughed themselves silly over that statement. “I don’t want to do anything that jeopardizes your growth here. You only get one chance, you know? And everything has to be just right to set the proper building blocks for the future.”

Loki shook his head. “It’s not just one chance, and we’re not going to get it right, anyway. We’ll make mistakes along the way, but we can always correct our course after the fact. However, more and more I believe that we should be doing it from New Asgard.”

“New Asgard?” Tony blinked again, momentarily forgetting about everything else. It hadn’t really occurred to him that they would need a name for the village, but of course they would.

“It was Thor’s idea. I tried to encourage him to be more innovative, but...” Loki pulled a face and rolled his eyes, but Tony could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.

“Well, at least everyone in the world will know where you are if they need you,” Tony said after a moment. It wasn’t exactly the best name if they were trying to lay low from SHIELD, but he could also see where Thor was coming from. Even though they had to live on Midgard now, they were still Asgardians.

“Indeed,” Loki said dryly. “Anyway, I’ve already proposed the idea to Thor and he’s in full agreement. He’s going to speak to Stark about it this morning.”

“Loki...” Tony blew out a breath. He wanted to protest more, but he could see that Loki’s mind seemed to be made up about it. And when Loki had made up his mind about something, it was pretty hard to change it. Especially if he had already looped Thor into things. Loki and Thor together were a force to be reckoned with, and Tony just didn’t have it in him right now to stand his ground against the two of them, even if he did worry that they were rushing things too much.

“Don’t worry about it,” Loki said, a smile that could only be described as tender crossing his face. “Just let me take care of everything, okay?”

Wordlessly, Tony nodded. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had said ‘relax, don’t worry about it’ to him and actually meant it. Usually it was the other way around, with people expecting Tony to be the one taking care of everything. It was a weird but comforting feeling to realize that he could actually leave this in Loki’s hands and know that Loki would take care of it all.

“Now, why don’t we get up and go have breakfast before it gets too busy?” Loki went on. “Then you can come back here and nap until – until this afternoon.”

Until Rhodey and Pepper arrived, Tony translated silently, his stomach lurching. He knew that there was no way he’d be able to nap, and he probably wasn’t going to eat much for breakfast either, but getting up was easier than trying to fight about it. He crawled out of bed and sat on the chair, rubbing his eyes, while Loki bustled around the room getting dressed.

“Get dressed,” Loki said, and that was the only warning Tony got before a shirt was dropped on his head.

“Hey, rude,” he whined, and heard Loki snort in response. Tony pulled the shirt off his head and pouted in Loki’s direction, but given that Loki was already in the bathroom with the door partially shut, the impact was somewhat lackluster.

It wasn’t until he’d pulled the shirt on that Tony realized it wasn’t one of his, but one of Loki’s. The shirt was much too long on him, hanging down around his thighs, and he had to roll the sleeves up to avoid them falling over his hands. But it was a pretty shade of green that reminded him of Loki’s magic, and the material was very soft and warm, so he kept on it. He pulled on jeans and sneakers and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m ready,” he said as the bathroom door opened. His mouth went dry as he took in Loki, nicely dressed in tight blue jeans and a form-fitting dark green shirt, with his hair loose around his shoulders. It was really kind of unfair how handsome Loki was. Even when Tony was overwhelmed with grief and self-pity, he couldn’t not notice that.

“Alright, let’s go. Thor is waiting for us,” Loki said.

That didn’t surprise Tony. He fell into step beside Loki as they left the room. Thor was indeed waiting for them when they got to the cafeteria. His usual boisterous greeting was gentler today; he clapped Tony on the shoulder and then left his hand there supportively. Tony put his own hand over Thor’s, giving Thor’s hand an appreciative squeeze. These two were, he thought, far too good to him.

The hours until Pepper and Rhodey arrived ticked by slowly. Tony managed to get down a piece of toast and a cup of coffee, though he couldn’t bring himself to eat anything else. Then they really did go back to their room for Tony to rest, though as expected Tony couldn’t actually sleep. He ended up just laying in bed with Loki, both of them reading books. Tony had to admit he lost track of time, and jumped when FRIDAY suddenly spoke.

“Boss has asked me to let you know that Colonel Rhodes and Ms. Potts are expected shortly,” she said, and Tony swallowed hard.

This was it.

“You don’t have to go out there to see them,” Loki said suddenly. “You can stay here if you want.”

“I have to face them sometime,” Tony pointed out.

“Yes, but you also don’t have to be there to see them greeting Stark. I’m sure that will make you think of what you lost.” Loki’s hand settled lightly onto Tony’s back, a warm pressure. “It’s okay if you only want to see them later, once they’ve settled and the initial celebration is over.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a moment, contemplating this. For some reason, it genuinely hadn’t occurred to him that he didn’t have to go right out there the second Pepper and Rhodey arrived. Stark had told him the time, and he’d assumed he had to be there. Frankly it seemed kind of rude not to be out there to greet them. But they weren’t really here to see him, were they? It would’ve been rude not to be there for his own Rhodey and Pepper, but this was Stark’s Rhodey and Pepper, so maybe the rules weren’t quite the same...

“You know what, you’re right,” he said slowly. “Maybe I can just wait and see them a little bit later. Once Stark and they get the chance to catch up. That would be okay, right?” He looked up at Loki, who smiled.

“Of course it would be,” Loki said. “Come here.” He sat up, leaning back against the pillows, and patted his lap. Tony shamelessly scooted closer and draped his upper half across Loki’s waist, resting his head against Loki’s chest. He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of Loki’s heartbeat. It was much faster than a human’s, an almost constant buzz that was comforting. Loki’s hand settled in his hair, stroking gently.

Chapter Text

Tony tried to concentrate on his work, but that was easier said than done. There was a simmering excitement bubbling up inside of him that was difficult to ignore. He finally gave up on work altogether, shutting down his programs for the time being and making his way upstairs. It was just shy of 2pm, which meant that Rhodey and maybe Pepper should be arriving any minute.

He was expecting to see Antonio waiting outside too, but there was no sign of him. Tony frowned a little, puzzled, but he quickly forgot about Antonion when he heard the sound of a car coming. He hurried towards the parking lot and was just in time to see a sleek black car pull up. The driver leapt out and hurried around to open up the back door, revealing –

“Pepper!” Tony cried, hurrying over to the car. It had been ages since he’d seen Pepper in person. Even though the compound wasn’t located that far away from New York, it was hard for Tony to find the time to make trips into the city for no reason. And likewise, there wasn’t much reason for Pepper to make trips out here. She was usually busy handling the day-to-day stuff of Stark Industries.

“Hi Tony,” Pepper said, smiling and then laughing as Tony hauled her into a hug. She hugged him back, and the familiar, sweet smell of her favorite jasmine perfume instantly made Tony feel calmer.

“How was the trip?” he asked, pulling back to study her closely. Pepper was looking a little bit older, as they all were, but she was still as lovely as ever. She was growing her hair out, and today she had it tied up in a high ponytail. Because she wasn’t here on business, she was dressed more casually today in a pair of tight fitting black jeans, a pretty purple blouse, and tall black boots.

“It was fine. Has Rhodey landed yet?” Pepper asked, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

“Not yet. By the way, how dare you not tell me he was coming!” Tony said, remembering that he was supposed to be a little annoyed at her. He planted his hands on his hips and tried his best to scowl at her when his face really just wanted to explode into a huge smile.

Pepper grinned, completely unrepentant. “That’s because if I’d told you, and his plans fell through, you would’ve been crushed. So I thought it was better for it to be a surprise. Besides, it wasn’t my secret to tell. Rhodey wanted to tell you. I left it in his hands.”

“Conspiring against me,” Tony grumbled, but he was too excited to really be able to hold it against her. “How are things with the company? Any fires you need help putting out?”

“No offence Tony, but you’re usually the one starting the fire,” she reminded him.

Tony finally smiled. “I was just trying to keep you on your toes.”

“Right,” Pepper said dryly.

The driver of the car had been getting Pepper’s suitcase out of the trunk while they were talking. Now, he closed the trunk and came around to Pepper’s side, setting her suitcase down beside her.

“Is there anything else, Ms. Potts?” he asked politely.

“That’s all, thank you, Jon,” Pepper said. She slipped the driver a tip and he returned to the car.

“Where’s Happy?” Tony asked. It had been a long time since he’d seen Happy too.

“His sister is having a baby,” Pepper replied. “He wasn’t comfortable leaving the city when she’s literally due any minute.”

“Oh, I see.” Tony was quiet for a moment, feeling guilty. He hadn’t realized that. Man, it really had been a long time since he’d seen Happy or Pepper. It was so easy for time to slide by when he was preoccupied with stuff happening at the compound. But apparently he needed to get a lot better at staying in touch with those who didn’t live here.

“So, where’s little Stark?” Pepper clapped her hands and looked around with anticipation.

“Uh – I’m not sure. I’ll text him and let him know you’re here. I told him 2pm, but you know me.” Tony quickly whipped out his phone and sent a text.

“Maybe he got busy with something and forgot,” Pepper said with a teasing smile. Tony made a face at her, knowing that she was referencing all the times that Tony had gotten busy with something and forgotten about a meeting or other plans.

“Let’s go wait for Rhodey,” he said. “The jet should be here soon.”

“Ooh, yes,” Pepper said. She linked her arm with Tony, and they started walking along the path that would take them around to the back of the compound, where the runway was. They’d be able to see the jet coming in.

“How’s New York?” Tony asked as they walked.

“It’s fine, business as usual. Tell me about little Stark. I’ve been dying to meet him,” Pepper said.

Tony smiled slightly. “Really? You’ve been dying to meet another version of me? Why Pep, you should’ve told me that years ago... all those times when you told me you’d throw the armor over the balcony if I dared to try and clone myself must’ve been a joke.”

She slapped his arm lightly and laughed. “You know that it wasn’t, Tony Stark!”

“He’s pretty much everything I told you,” Tony said slowly, thinking about it. “We’re definitely not the same person. He’s lived through shit that I can’t even imagine. He’s pretty traumatized. I mean, he’d get all up in your face about it if you dared to suggest that where he can hear it, but it’s true. It’s...” He hesitated slightly before finishing. “It’s pretty weird seeing what I could’ve become, honestly.”

Pepper sobered, her smile fading. “I’m so glad that you don’t have to,” she said seriously.

“Me too,” Tony said. He shook his head. “Not that I’m glad Antonio did, though. No one should have to go through that.”

“I can’t imagine either,” Pepper said. “What you told me about Thanos, I can’t even –” She shook her head too and shuddered, moving a step closer to Tony. “It’s too awful to even contemplate.”

“It really is,” Tony murmured. “He’s – he’s okay, I think, but – he’s fragile, Pep. I never thought any version of myself could be so close to the edge.” It felt good to finally acknowledge this out loud, Tony realized. He’d eluded to this with Rhodey and Pepper before, but he’d never come right out and said it.

Pepper squeezed his arm. “Good thing he’s not your responsibility then,” she said gently. “It sounds like Loki and Thor are doing a good job of taking care of him, right?”

“Yeah, they really are,” Tony said, knowing that Pepper would be shocked when she saw just how much Thor and especially Loki took care of Antonio.

“Then it doesn’t need to be your problem, Tony. You’ve already done so much for Antonio and the Asgardians. More than they could ever guess. So you don’t need to worry about this too,” Pepper said, because she knew Tony entirely too well.

“Maybe,” Tony said, not sure he fully agreed with that. “He has nothing, though. He literally came here with what he was wearing and that was it. He lost everything.”

“How awful,” Pepper said, biting her lip. She stopped walking and stared at Tony for a second, eyebrows furrowed. Tony met her gaze with a confused look.

“What?” he asked.

“I was just thinking – it must be so hard for him,” Pepper said.

“Yeah, I know. Losing everything would be – ” Tony paused, swallowing, unable to find the right words to express how horrific that would be. He stared at Pepper’s gentle, familiar face and tried to imagine never being able to see her again. Or never being able to look forward to one of Rhodey’s visits. It was impossible. He relied on his friends so much.

“It’s not even just that,” Pepper said. She paused for a moment, as though trying to find the correct words, before saying slowly, “He lost everyone that he loves, but he still has to see all of us, you know? Like, I’m here. I’m Pepper Potts. But I’m not his Pepper Potts. I haven’t lived through what she did; we are not and will never be the same person, even though we probably look the same or maybe even identical. It must be really hard for him to have to see people like me and Rhodey.”

Tony stared at her again, a dawning wave of guilt swelling up in his chest. Shit. How had he never stopped to consider that before? No wonder Antonio hadn’t been enthusiastic about Pepper and Rhodey coming. Tony had thought that was a little strange, but he’d chalked it up to the fact that Antonio was generally fatigued all the time and was just having a bad day.

And it turned out that Antonio was having a bad day, just not for the reasons that Tony had thought. He wanted to kick himself. He again tried to imagine losing Pepper, but this time with the additional, painful burden of having to see and interact with a Pepper from like two or three years ago. A Pepper who had no context for some very vital, very important things that Tony had lived through, like Extremis and Thanos. A Pepper who wasn’t his Pepper.

“Well fuck,” Tony said softly. “I think we can guess why Antonio isn’t here right now. Fuck, Pep. I messed up. I didn’t even think about that.”

“I didn’t either until just right now,” Pepper admitted. “I was just thinking – you’ve changed so much in the past few years. It would be impossible to have this kind of conversation with a you from five years ago.”

“Yeah.” Tony dropped his gaze to the ground, uncomfortably realizing that he probably owed Antonio a huge apology and a lot of compassion. He wondered where Antonio was right now. Wherever he was in the compound, Tony hoped that he was with Loki rather than trying to handle that kind of burden and grief alone.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. This is uncharted territory and you’re doing the best that you can,” Pepper said, wrapping a comforting arm around Tony’s shoulders.

“Somehow, I feel like that’s cold comfort for Antonio,” Tony said, but he appreciated Pepper saying it. He leaned into her for a moment, thinking about how horrible it would be to lose her and Rhodey and everyone else who he cared about. And worse yet, first losing some of them to Thanos, and then the rest to coming back in time. Ultimately saving everyone, but losing everything as your reward.

Goddamn. No wonder Antonio always seemed like one wrong word would break him completely.

“There’s the jet!” Pepper said suddenly, nearly elbowing Tony in the face as she pointed. Tony looked up in surprise, realizing that she was right. The jet was a quickly growing spot in the distance, and in no time it was coming in for a landing.

“Rhodey time!” Tony said with forced cheer. As the jet descended to the runway and began slowing down, he suddenly got an idea. He decided against saying anything to Pepper just yet. Instead, he followed her towards the runway.

The jet came to a gentle stop, turned towards them. After a couple of minutes, the door slowly opened. Rhodey’s head appeared a second later. He spotted Tony and Pepper and grinned, waving his hand wildly. Pepper laughed as Tony waved back. A couple of compound staff pushed the stairs against the jet, allowing Rhodey to disembark and run towards Tony and Pepper.

“I’m here!” he shouted, crashing into Tony at full speed. Tony squeaked and would’ve fallen over completely had Rhodey not turned their momentum into a spin. Pepper laughed even harder.

“How was your flight?” she asked as Rhodey finally stopped them. Tony fell back, dizzy, as Rhodey turned to Pepper and swept her up in a huge hug.

“It was great. Best part was the landing,” Rhodey said, letting Pepper go. He turned to Tony. “Staying out of trouble?”

“Always,” Tony said, and moved in for another hug.

Chapter Text

At approximately half past five, Tony’s phone buzzed lightly against his hip, pulling him out of a doze. He opened his eyes and blinked sleepily, belatedly realizing he had drifted off while leaning against Loki. The room had darkened a little while he’d been asleep. He tilted his head up slightly and realized that Loki had fallen asleep too. The book Loki had been reading had fallen down beside Tony, and Loki’s head was tilted back against the wall, eyes shut.

Loki was so beautiful, Tony thought, taking the chance to stare for a few, unnoticed moments. Loki’s dark hair, pale complexion, and unnaturally green eyes were a potent, heart-stopping combination. In his sleep, his expression was softer, less guarded, and it made him even more lovely. If Tony could’ve gotten away with it, and if it weren’t so creepy, he would’ve snapped a picture for later perusal.

Instead, he moved one of his hands to his face, rubbing at his eyes, before reaching for his phone and squinting at the too-bright screen. The message was from Stark, inviting Tony and Loki to join him, Pepper, and Rhodey for supper in Stark’s private rooms in about forty-five minutes. Tony swallowed hard, staring at the screen. This wasn’t really an invitation that he could turn down, he knew.

As he began to type a response, Loki stirred. His eyes opened and he looked down at Tony, who tilted the screen so that Loki could read it. Loki pursed his lips when he saw it, not looking especially pleased, but he seemed to know that Tony had to face the inevitable. He nodded slightly, and Tony sighed and finished the short message of agreement. Then he dropped his phone and rolled over, burying his face in Loki’s ribs.

“Ugh, I hate this,” he mumbled.

“I know.” Loki’s hand slid into his hair again, rubbing soothingly. “If you need to leave, you only have to let me know. I’ll get you out of there.”

“Thanks,” Tony said, meaning it. It made him feel better knowing that Loki would be watching out for him. There was no way he could have done this alone. Six months ago he would’ve thought himself crazy for thinking this, but he was so grateful for Loki and everything Loki had done for him and continued to do for him.

He pushed himself up reluctantly, knowing that he needed to shower and change before dinner. His clothing was incredibly wrinkled now that he’d spent a huge chunk of the afternoon napping on an Asgardian. He disappeared into the shower, leaving the door open, and quickly jumped in. He took a very quick shower, dried off, shaved, and then changed into a nice pair of pants and a long-sleeved blue t-shirt.

“Ready?” Loki asked. He had changed too, into black pants and a dark green shirt. He offered his arm to Tony, who swallowed and took it.

He didn’t think he’d ever be ready...

“My brother! My friend!” Thor’s booming voice rang out behind them as they left their room. Thor caught up to them in a couple of long steps, smiling brightly. He was also dressed up a little, Tony noticed, in a nice red shirt with his hair tied back, and came to the obvious conclusion.

“Did you get an invite too?” he asked.

“For dinner? Yes, Stark invited me as well,” Thor said, and Tony made a mental note to thank Stark for that later. Having both Loki and Thor there made him feel a little better.

“We’re going to be late,” Loki said impatiently, tugging lightly at Tony’s arm. Thor fell into step beside Tony, leaving Tony comfortably ensconced between the two brothers. As they neared Stark’s private set of rooms, Loki rested his free hand over both of Tony’s where Tony was clutching at his arm, and Thor set a gentle, comforting hand on Tony’s lower back.

“Hey, you made it!” Stark called out, poking his head out the open door. “Come on in.”

Tony’s heart started to race uncomfortably fast as he caught his first glimpse of Pepper. Even though he had been bracing himself for her to look different, it was still a shock to see how much younger she looked. Her hair was still naturally red, not dyed to cover all the grey that his Pepper had developed from Thanos’s actions. And her face was young and smooth, lacking many of the wrinkles she would someday develop. It was amazing, Tony reflected bitterly, how a fear years and crazy megalomaniac bent on killing half of life could change a woman.

“Hi Antonio,” Pepper said softly, standing up. She was wearing a cute blue sundress, very casual, which definitely meant that she was here for pleasure and not for business. She started to put her hand out for Tony to shake, paused, glanced over at Stark, and then awkwardly lowered her hand back to her side.

“Hi Pep – Pepper.” Tony stumbled briefly over the familiar nickname, realizing that he didn’t have the right to just call her “Pep” anymore. Loki’s grip tightened over his hands.

“Ms. Potts! How nice to see you again,” Thor exclaimed suddenly, startling Tony. He flinched into Loki in surprise as Thor swept forward, grabbing Pepper’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

“Hello again, Thor,” Pepper said, laughing. “And I’ve told you, please call me Pepper.”

Thor grinned. “Pepper then. How was your drive here?”

Under the cover of Thor breaking the awkward silence, which Tony would be forever grateful for, Loki pried his arm out of Tony’s no doubt too tight grip. He wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist instead, holding Tony against him in an undeniably protective way. That was fine with Tony. He had to stop himself from grabbing onto Loki’s shirt, because that would be just too needy, and settled for wrapping his arm around Loki’s waist too.

“My drive here was just fine,” Pepper was saying. “It feels nice to get away from the city once in a while. I’m sure you remember how crowded it can be.” She touched Thor’s arm, her expression sympathetic. “I was so sorry to hear about what happened to Asgard, Thor.”

Thor’s expression sobered, and he gave a grave nod. “Thank you. And thank you also for all your help in making a place for us here.”

“Of course,” Pepper said. “I’m happy to help with anything that you need.” She hesitated a bit, then glanced at Loki and Tony and said, “Hi... Loki, is it? Mr. Laufeyson?”

“Loki is fine,” Loki said. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Pepper’s eyes continued to Tony, and their eyes met. If she found anything unusual about the fact that Tony was practically plastered to Loki’s side, she gave no indication. And it was there that Tony discovered that some things about Pepper had not changed at all, because even a Pepper from years ago could still look at Tony like she perfectly understood how he was feeling. Somehow, it made him want to cry.

A shuffle of footsteps broke their eye contact as Rhodey entered the room. Tony swallowed hard, fisting a shaking hand at his side. Seeing Pepper was hard, but seeing Rhodey again was like taking a knife to the heart. Because while Rhodey also looked a little younger and a little less impacted by the world, he still wore the braces that Stark had made. For Rhodey, before those braces and after those braces was a marked moment that had changed him long before Thanos came knocking.

“Dinner’s ready,” Rhodey announced, before his eyes landed on Tony and Loki. He looked surprised at first, possibly because Tony looked so different now, but his expression quickly smoothed out.

“Great, I’m starving,” Stark said, exchanging a glance with Pepper. He gently ushered both Thor and Pepper into the other room.

Loki glanced down at Tony, who met his gaze, and the unspoken question in Loki’s glance was as clear as though he’d spoken out loud. Tony hesitated for a moment before forcing himself to let go of Loki. For some reason he couldn’t put into words, he felt like he needed to face Rhodey alone. Loki hesitated too, eyes flicking between the two of them, before he nodded and went into the other room too. Tony couldn’t stop himself from shuffling forward a few steps to keep Loki in view, which inadvertently put him closer to Rhodey.

“Hey,” Rhodey said after a slight pause, and he was using that gentle voice he always used when Tony was sick or hurt or otherwise incapacitated.

It was embarrassing how fast Tony’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, hey. Come here.” Rhodey closed the remaining distance between them, pulling Tony into a huge hug. Tony absolutely did not mean to break down into tears against Rhodey’s shoulder, but that’s what ended up happening. And Rhodey, bless him, did nothing but stand there and hug Tony so tightly that it hurt. It was exactly what Tony needed.

“S-sorry,” he stuttered out finally, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Rhodey said firmly, squeezing him one last time before letting go. “I’m so sorry you went through all that by yourself. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I bet my future self was kicking himself for not being there with you.”

“Yeah,” Tony mumbled. He decided not to tell anyone outside of Loki that he hadn’t said goodbye to Rhodey and Pepper in the future. He knew that it made him look like a coward.

Rhodey studied him for a few seconds, then said, “I know I’m not your Rhodey, but I’d still like us to be friends if that’s something you would like too.”

“Really?” Tony said, a little startled, and Rhodey gave a sad smile.

“You’re still Tony Stark, and I don’t think there’s a Tony Stark out there that I could stay away from,” he said kindly. “So yeah, really.”

Tony nodded, swallowing hard, and wiped his eyes again. “I’d like that.”

“Good. I understand you have Thor and Loki, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here too,” Rhodey added. There was no judgement in his voice when he said Loki’s name, the way Tony had wondered if there would be.

“You don’t mind – Loki?” Tony asked timidly.

Rhodey shrugged. “From what I hear, he’s not such a bad guy. He’s taking good care of you, and he helped Tones out with SHIELD, and he hasn’t tried to kill anyone, so I can hardly complain about his presence.” He studied Tony for a moment, frowning faintly, then asked, “Are you guys dating?”

“Uh – w-what?” Tony squeaked, face flaming. “I – that’s – n-no – I –” He very carefully did not look into the other room, where he knew he would see Loki if he turned his head even a little.

Tony’s stammering made Rhodey grin knowingly and nod. “I see,” he said, and Tony feared that maybe Rhodey really did see.

It was on the tip of his tongue to outline all the reasons why he and Loki would never date, regardless of their soulmate status, starting with the fact that Loki was way too good for him and ending with the fact that Loki deserved way better than a broken man who literally had nothing to offer. But Tony was conscious that Loki, Stark, Thor, and Pepper were just in the next room, and they could probably all hearing everything easily. It was bad enough that Rhodey had asked within their hearing.

“It’s not – shut up,” Tony said, embarrassed, and Rhodey barked out a laugh and pulled him into another brief hug. Then he let go and gently mussed Tony’s hair. Tony whined wordlessly and squirmed away, slapping at Rhodey’s hands until he was out of reach. Then, huffing, he tried to smooth his hair back down.

“Okay, okay. Well, you look good. Different, but good,” Rhodey said. “You look a lot like your mom.”

Tony smiled a little. “I know.” And he appreciated Rhodey for saying that, since Rhodey had actually met Maria Stark in person a couple of times.

“Loki does nice work,” Rhodey said, looking Tony up and down and nodding.

Tony preened a bit, appreciating the compliment towards Loki. “Yeah, he does. He just had to look at some pictures of my mom and here we are. It only took him a few hours.” He decided not to mention how much the process had hurt afterwards. That wasn’t Loki’s fault, and it was worth it anyway.

“Wow,” Rhodey said, looking impressed. “I want to hear more, but I can smell dinner and I’m starving. You must be too. Let’s go eat.”

“Sure,” Tony agreed softly. Now that he’d actually met Pepper and Rhodey, his appetite had returned. Seeing them hurt a lot, but what he hadn’t realized was that seeing them would also be kind of comforting. Maybe losing his Rhodey and Pepper wasn’t so bad, as long as he could be in a world where a Rhodey and Pepper still existed.

Chapter Text

When they entered the kitchen, Tony slid right under the arm that Loki raised seemingly automatically and pressed himself in close to Loki. He saw Rhodey watching this with a raised eyebrow, but Tony tried to ignore it. Loki’s arm settled around his waist again, making him feel a little more steady. He looked at the table and realized that dinner would be lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.

“Alright, I haven’t eaten since like 5am, so now that we’re all here, I’m starving. Let’s eat,” Pepper said, clapping her hands together and eyeing the garlic bread hungrily.

Tony ended up sitting between Loki, of course, and Thor. On Thor’s other side was Stark, followed by Rhodey. Pepper was sitting in between Rhodey and Loki. Tony had wondered if that might be awkward, but Pepper seemed surprisingly at ease as she turned to Loki and struck up a conversation about their new home in Norway. On Tony’s other side, Thor and Stark were both chuckling at one of Rhodey’s military story.

It was cozy, Tony realized. He cut off a small piece of lasagna and lifted it to his mouth, chewing slowly as he watched his friends converse. Having everyone who was important to him at one table was a surprisingly good experience. He wondered if there a way they could make it happen again, even after Tony and the Asgardians moved to Norway. Maybe Pepper, Rhodey, and Stark would come visit?

Towards the end of the meal, Pepper turned to Tony with a serious expression. “I need to ask you a question.”

“Okay?” Tony said, a bit confused.

“Do I look like my mother as I age?” she asked, and Tony had to hide a startled laugh with a quick sip of wine. He’d met Pepper’s mother a couple of times. She was a very nice woman, but she was of the opinion that a woman hadn’t really succeeded at life until she was married. Needless to say, that was an opinion that Pepper did not share.

“I can promise you that you do not,” Tony told her. He was glad that Pepper hadn’t asked any painful questions, like who had survived Thanos and who hadn’t. He didn’t think he was ready to start listing casualties, even if all those people were still alive in this time.

“Oh, thank god,” Pepper said, looking genuinely relieved.

Stark shot her a teasing smile. “Notice he said nothing about whether or not you sound like your mother,” he said, which earned him a kick under the table from Pepper.

“Shut up, Tony,” she said, but she was smiling too.

“When are you guys moving?” Rhodey asked, taking another piece of garlic bread.

“Soon,” Thor said. “I believe our preparations are nearly complete.”

“And we want to stay one step ahead of SHIELD,” Loki added, casually draping his arm across the back of Tony’s chair.

At the mention of SHIELD, the relaxed mood in the room visibly changed. Pepper scowled furiously and grabbed her wine glass, taking a healthy gulp. Thor scowled too, his normally cheerful smile quickly dying away. Rhodey frowned and glanced at Stark. Stark stared down at the table, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Tony knew how he felt. He glanced at Loki, who gave him a slight, reassuring nod.

“Fucking Coulson,” Pepper burst out finally, as though she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I reached out to him and he acted like it was all fine. He didn’t even apologize for letting us all think he was dead! And then he had the nerve to ask me to help him talk to the rest of you...” She drained the rest of her wine and slammed the now empty glass on the table, huffing.

“Talk to us about what?” Stark asked, looking up with an interested expression.

“About working with them,” Pepper said, sighing as she picked up the nearest wine bottle. She upended it into her cup, adding, “I suspect that SHIELD didn’t get the memo that Thanos has been dealt with. From what Coulson said, it seems like they are trying to prepare themselves for something big.”

“That could explain why they were after Thor,” Tony murmured. If Thor had been better prepared in the future, and had gone for Thanos’s head rather than his heart, there was a good chance they might have ultimately won the battle. Thor and Loki were easily the most powerful members they had, and SHIELD would consider Thor far more trustworthy.

“And why they brought Cap and his team back,” Stark added, rolling his eyes.

Rhodey shook his head. “Man, they can’t even prep properly for an enemy. All they’re doing is antagonizing former allies. SHIELD needs a lesson in basic military tactics.”

“Antagonistic is an excellent descriptor of their behavior that day,” Thor said. “I confess that even if I didn’t have bigger things to worry about, I’m not sure I would’ve been anxious to help them. This whole matter with SHEILD operating under the radar and Coulson letting us think he died leaves a poor impression.”

“SHEILD’s never cared much what kind of impression they leave. They think they matter too much for that,” Stark said dryly. “The first time I met Fury, he broke into the tower.”

“You should’ve punted him out the window,” Pepper mumbled into her wine.

Stark shrugged. “He seemed to think that what he had to say was more important than any reaction I could have. And maybe he was right... but it still pissed me off. You’re right, I should have.” He looked bitter for a moment, and Tony wondered if Stark was thinking about how Fury hadn’t even let him fully join the Avengers at first. Fury had dangled that ‘consultant’ status over their head for months.

Iron Man yes, Tony Stark not recommended.

Tony had never forgotten that, which meant Stark hadn’t either.

“Well, their reputation is being dragged through the mud now,” Rhodey said, not without glee. “You did an excellent job at that.”

“It wasn’t just me. It was a joint effort,” Stark said, glancing at Tony. “And even though it feels good to see them being criticized, and to see hackers breaking into their servers, in the long run, I don’t know that it’s going to do a lot of good. There will be plenty of people willing to fall for Fury’s bullshit. I’m sure he’ll be able to convince lots of people that they had to operate in the dark for the safety of everyone.”

Tony saw Pepper wrinkling her nose. As the CEO of a company like Stark Industries, Pepper was more aware than most of the necessity of transparency. Both she and Stark were, given how long they’d been working to free the company from all the shit that Stane had been pulling behind the scenes. When you had people like Stane in charge who operated under the radar, you ended up with bombs falling into the wrong hands and innocent people paying the price.

But somehow, Tony didn’t think Fury would ever grasp that. Fury and Coulson, and the rest of SHIELD, really seemed to think that what they did was different from what someone like Stane did. But at the end of the day, Tony was no longer sure he could see the difference between them. Both Stane and Fury thought they knew what was best, which was exactly what Thanos had thought.

The thoughts of Thanos soured his appetite. He pushed his plate away, even though he’d only eaten about a third of his meal. He could feel Loki watching him, and a moment later Loki’s arm moved from the back of Tony’s chair to Tony’s shoulders. Tony leaned into the touch, letting it steady him and ground him in the moment. Thanos was dead, he reminded himself, and couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.

“Regrettably, I think you are right,” Thor said to Stark. At the same time, he rested his big hand on Tony’s knee under the table, giving Tony a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m always right,” Stark said with a dramatic sigh, and Rhodey snorted.

“Oh really?” he said with a devious glint in his eye.

Stark swatted at him. “You shush, Honeybear.”

“No, I don’t think I will. Hey, would you guys like to hear about the time that Tony forgot which girl he asked out and ended up in Alaska?” Rhodey asked.

Pepper perked up. “Absolutely.”

“This does sound like an intriguing story,” Thor said at the same time.

“Rhodeyyyyyyyyyy,” Stark whined. “You swore you’d never tell that story!”

Rhodey waved him off, grinning. “So it all started one morning when we were both hungover and decided to go out for a greasy breakfast. Well, it just so happened that there were triplet blonde women in the same restaurant, and Tony just had to talk to them...”

Tony listened to the story as Rhodey told it. He remembered it all happening, of course, but the story felt very distant to him. It almost felt like something that had happened to someone else, and Tony had merely been there as an observer rather than a participant. Stark, on the other hand, turned a dull shade of pink and glowered at Rhodey during the whole telling, though the tiny smile twitching at his lips suggested he wasn’t as mad as he was pretending to be.

Loki, Thor, and Pepper all laughed when Rhodey got to the punchline of the story, where it turned out that the triplets had all been dating Stark separately. Stark had ended up in Alaska with three furious women, each of whom believed that she was the only one he had been dating. Rhodey’s description of Stark running down a snowy path in just his underwear was funny enough that even Tony had to smile.

“Okay, okay,” Stark said finally, waving a hand. “I think you’re forgetting that the real point behind that story is that I was able to get three gorgeous, sexy women to date me.”

“You would’ve been a little further ahead if you could’ve told them apart,” Rhodey replied, grinning widely.

Stark made a face. “Don’t make me regret inviting you here, Platypus,” he grumbled. “Just for that, you’re not getting any dessert.”

“Dessert?” Thor repeated, looking very interested.

“If I help you serve it, can I have some?” Rhodey asked, pasting on a cute of puppy eyes, and Stark rolled his eyes, sighed exaggeratedly, and nodded.

“When you come back, I’ll tell you the story of when Thor thought he was right, and ended up being wedded off to the princess of a different planet and Odin had to rescue him,” Loki said suddenly. “It caused a political incident that Asgard never quite recovered from.”

“What?!” Thor said, head whipping around. “Loki, no!”

“Loki, yes,” Tony muttered, amused, wondering if Thor would ever figure out that the best way to get Loki to do something was to tell him that he wasn’t allowed to do it. Judging by the evil grin spreading across Loki’s face, and the panicked look on Thor’s face, Thor wasn’t going to get the memo anytime soon.

“Now that sounds like a story,” Stark said. “Don’t start without us!”

“Loki, I forbid you to tell that story,” Thor said quickly.

“Bold of you to assume you can forbid me to do anything,” Loki drawled, and Tony quickly decided that Loki had been spending a little too much time online.

By the time that Stark and Rhodey came back with coffee and dessert, Thor was pouting into the remains of his glass of wine, and Loki had thought up three more stories to tell. Pepper caught Tony’s eye with a grin, and Tony couldn’t help smiling back at her. It felt nice to share a moment with Pepper, like it was just another day and the two of them were about to take on another company together.

“Alright, let’s hear this story,” Stark said, setting coffee in front of Tony and Loki. Dessert turned out to be pieces of chocolate cake.

“Loki, please,” Thor pleaded. But despite that, Tony could tell that Thor wasn’t as upset as he was pretending to be. His eyes were filled with laughter, and Tony suspected that Thor was pleased that Loki both remembered the story and wanted to tell it after years of Loki ignoring their shared childhood.

Loki ignored him, smirking. His hand rubbed small circles into Tony’s upper arm as he said, “It all began about, oh, a hundred years or so ago. A new planet had reached out to Asgard to set up trading, and Thor was utterly captivated by their stock. He, Sif, and the Warriors Three decided they needed to sneak off to this planet to see what else it had to offer...”

Chapter Text

“Well, that went pretty well,” Rhodey said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. He, Tony, and Pepper were sitting around the living room. Antonio had left as he’d come, on Loki’s arm, with Thor hovering protectively over the two of them.

“Much better than I’d dared to hope,” Tony admitted, idly running his finger around the tip of his wine glass. The high pitched sound made Pepper wince.

“Knock it off,” she said, nudging Tony gently in the side. “I have a headache.”

“Drink too much, Pep?” Tony asked with an innocent smile, and she made a face at him. She was nursing a cup of coffee like Rhodey rather than the wine glass that Tony held. He knew Pepper and Rhodey were surprised to see him drinking the last of the wine instead of coffee. But what they didn’t know was that Tony needed all the liquid courage he could muster tonight.

He had a confession to make, and he was nervous.

His eyes swept between Pepper and Rhodey. The two most important people in the world to him, right here in this room. It had warmed his heart to see Antonio getting along with them so well. He thought that finally, Antonio might be starting to realize that there was a place for him in the present after all – and that by being here, it didn’t mean that Antonio had lost everything.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” Pepper said after a couple more minutes. “I was up early this morning. No one wake me up early tomorrow, okay?”

“So you want a 4am wake-up call? Noted,” Tony said seriously.

“If you come in my room at 4am, Tony Stark, I’m going to put the heel of my shoe where the sun doesn’t shine,” she threatened, and Rhodey snickered.

Tony batted his eyes at her. “ Rude. I bet you wouldn’t say that to Antonio.”

Pepper snorted as she stood and stretched. “I find it hard to believe that Antonio will ever be in anyone’s bed besides Loki,” she said dryly, smiling. “You can definitely tell they’re soulmates. They’re attached at the hip. It’s honestly just so cute.”

“I think it’s weird, but only because once upon a time, that would’ve been me,” Tony said.

Rhodey and Pepper both looked at him for a moment with almost identical expressions. Tony could tell that neither one of them had really thought about that tonight. Obviously they’d both known that, but he knew it just seemed different after seeing Loki and Antonio in action together. He was like 99% sure they weren’t dating, but 100% sure they were dating without knowing it.

“I don’t see it,” Rhodey said after a moment, eyebrows furrowed.

“I could... but I’d rather not,” Pepper said. She picked up her empty cup. “Goodnight, boys. Behave yourselves. Don’t let Tony blow up the compound.”

“Hey,” Tony complained.

“I won’t,” Rhodey promised at the same time.

“No trust in me at all,” Tony said, standing up and moving to sit down on the couch instead. Rhodey shot him a deeply amused look.

“Tones, seriously, after all the shit you’ve done, blowing up the chamber would be the least of it,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “You have to admit, she’s got a point.”

“I don’t have to admit anything,” Tony said.

Except he kind of did, and it was making him more nervous than he’d been in a long time.

He shouldn’t be nervous. He knew that. This was Rhodey they were talking about. Tony could have told him on day one, and Rhodey would’ve accepted the news in stride. That was just the kind of person that Rhodey was. Yet Tony was nervous, because there was always that nasty little voice in the back of his head wondering when Pepper and Rhodey would seem him for the disaster he was and leave him.

He set his now empty glass on the coffee table and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. It was tempting to go get another glass of wine, but he refrained. He didn’t want to be drunk for this. They were both relaxed and alone, so Tony would never get a better time. He stared at his dearest friend for a moment, and hoped desperately that he wasn’t about to ruin the best relationship he’d ever had.

“So, um, speaking of soulmates,” Tony said, which wasn’t the best opener, but whatever, Rhodey had heard worse. “Loki really isn’t my soulmate anymore.”

“I know,” Rhodey said. “You’re joking about it, but – are you okay with that?” He peered at Tony, frowning faintly, like he could see into Tony’s head if he tried hard enough.

“Very okay with it. I wasn’t kidding when I said I think it’s a little weird. Loki and I wouldn’t fit together at all,” Tony said. Yet Antonio and Loki fit together beautifully. Tony couldn’t remember seeing two people more suited to each other.

“No, I don’t think you would,” Rhodey said with a small smile. “You would last about thirty seconds before you snapped and punched Loki in the face for hovering so much. It’s honestly adorable how much Antonio soaks it up. He’s so cute.”

“Don’t let him hear you that, or you’ll be the one getting punched,” Tony warned, more amused than he wanted to admit. He remembered Antonio’s outrage over being told that he was short, and over being called “little cousin”. Yeah, he definitely see Antonio taking it too well if someone told him to his face that he was ‘so cute’. Although it would be funny to watch.

“Unlike you, I have a sense of self-preservation,” Rhodey replied.

“Sometimes,” Tony muttered, thinking about the dangerous stuff Rhodey had done for the military. But he decided to get them back on track, and said, “So that means, if Loki isn’t my soulmate now, someone else is.”

Rhodey nodded. “I know. You said you weren’t sure who it was though now that your mark has changed.”

“That might have been a tiny fib on my part,” Tony admitted. “I could be wrong... but I think I do know.”

“You do?!” Rhodey sat up, suddenly looking a lot more alert. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense! Tell me!”

Rather than telling Rhodey, Tony decided that maybe it was better (or easier) to show him. He stood up and pulled his shirt up, exposing the muscle shirt he was wearing underneath, which was tucked into his jeans. He pulled the muscle shirt up too, exposing the blue mark that now lay upon his hip. The angular flow of it was familiar because Tony had seen it a bunch of times in university.

On Rhodey’s hip.

“Tones?” Rhodey whispered, eyes wide in shock.

“I think we match now,” Tony said quietly. “I’m sorry.” He remembered the day his soulmark had appeared in the same spot as Rhodey’s. He’d been excited at first, thinking that Rhodey was his soulmate. But then he’d seen that the colors, and the patterns, didn’t match at all. And then he’d realized that was a good thing, because Rhodey was like an other young man or woman who dreamed of finding a soulmate to love. He’d never wanted to take that away from Rhodey, yet after all this time... he had.

“You’re – wait, why are you apologizing?” Rhodey said, his eyes looked on the blue mark.

“Because you’ve always talked about wanting to find your soulmate, and how you’d marry her and have kids with her and – you know,” Tony said awkwardly. “Finding out that you have a platonic soulmate isn’t exactly a dream come true.”

Platonic soulmates had been unusual when Tony was a kid, but they were becoming more common now. Soulmates had a terrifically strong bond, but that bond didn’t necessarily have to be romantic. In this case, the soulmarks meant that he and Rhodey were a perfect platonic match for each other. Best friends, brothers, whatever name you wanted to put on, they were an ideal fit.

But Tony still felt that paled in comparison to finding a romantic soulmate, someone who you could sweep off their feet (or who would sweep you off your feet). He couldn’t shake the feeling that fate had stolen something from Rhodey when it changed Tony’s blue soulmark to be a match to Rhodey’s instead. Especially because Tony Stark wouldn’t exactly be anyone’s first choice as a soulmate. He was too much of a screw up for that.

“Is that why you waited so long to tell me?” Rhodey asked.

“Well... no. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing I should say over the phone,” Tony admitted. That, and he had been too much of a coward to say it before now.

Rhodey inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before shaking his head. He set his coffee mug down and stood up. Tony tensed slightly despite the fact that he knew that Rhodey would never hurt him. He started to let his shirt drop to cover the mark again, but Rhodey stopped him. Wordlessly, Rhodey reached out to put a hand on the mark. The resulting tingle from the mark made Tony shiver.

If there had been any doubt, that resolved it.

A soulmark would only react that way to someone else who had the same mark.

“You’re an idiot,” Rhodey said, and then suddenly his arms were around Tony and he was squeezing Tony so tightly that Tony was left feeling breathless.

“I object to that,” Tony wheezed out. He couldn’t even put his arms around Rhodey. Rhodey’s arms were pinning Tony’s arms to his sides.

“I don’t care. It’s the truth. You’re my best friend, dumbass. Of course I’m happy that we’re soulmates,” Rhodey said. He finally let Tony go, though he put his hands on Tony’s shoulders as he added, “I always said that you were like my brother, but this is even better. Now you know for sure that nothing can tear us apart.”

Oh shit. Tony had to blink hard against the sudden burn of tears. He hadn’t expected Rhodey to say anything like that. The meaningful words cut deep, far deeper than Tony wanted to admit.

“I don’t really care about not having a romantic soulmate, Tony. Sure, it was nice to fantasize about when I was a kid. But I grew out of that. You know I’m comfortable with my dating life right now. I’m not ready to settle down with anyone. Maybe I never will be. But if I am, I don’t need a soulmark to make that decision for me, okay?” Rhodey said, so firmly that Tony knew he meant every word he said.

“Okay,” Tony said thickly. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m completely sure. Man, this is crazy! I can’t believe I finally found my soulmate,” Rhodey said. He was beaming, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’ve been looking for you for years, and you were right here the whole time!”

“Maybe? You might have another soulmate out there since I didn’t have this mark until a little while ago,” Tony said. Or had this always been fated to happen? Maybe Rhodey had never had a soulmate until Antonio came back in time, and that freed Tony up to become Rhodey’s soulmate. Did that mean if Antonio had decided against coming back, Rhodey would’ve never had a soulmate? He studied Rhodey’s pleased expression and decided against mentioning it right now. They could talk about it later.

“Nah. I can feel it, one soulmate is more than enough for me. You’re just right,” Rhodey said. He let go of Tony, adding, “We need to celebrate. Wanna drive to that really awesome donut shop?”

Tony brightened. “Absolutely! Wait – you’re not drunk, right?”

“Unlike some of us, I only had half a glass of wine at dinner,” Rhodey replied. “I’m fine to drive. Should we wake Pepper up?”

“No, she’s tired. Let her sleep,” Tony said. For some reason, he didn’t want to include anyone else on the little road trip. It felt like it should be a moment between him and Rhodey, and no one else. They could tell Pepper tomorrow morning at breakfast. She’d be extremely happy for them, so it would be like celebrating all over again.

“Yeah, you’re right. Just me and you then,” Rhodey said with a big smile, and Tony couldn’t help smiling back.

He should’ve known Rhodey wouldn’t be anything but happy about this.

Chapter Text

Tony was content to retire to bed the moment he, Loki, and Thor made it back to Tony’s and Loki’s room. He left the bedroom door open so that he could see Loki, shimmied out of his clothing, and climbed into bed. He could hear Thor and Loki talking in low voices in the other room, though they were speaking too quietly for him to make out exactly what they were saying. Still, the soft cadence of their voices was comforting, and he fell asleep quickly.

He woke briefly when Loki slipped into bed with him sometime later. Loki shushed him, rolling onto his side and gathering Tony into his arms. Tony snuggled into him, burying his face in Loki’s shoulder, and immediately drifted off again. The whole night, while ultimately a pleasant experience, had also been extremely emotional and therefore utterly exhausting.

Maybe that was why it took Tony a little while to realize it when something was wrong. He woke suddenly, eyes snapping open in the dark. He sat up as best he could when Loki’s arms were wound around his waist, looking around the room to see what had woken him up. But everything seemed calm. Pre-dawn light seeped in around the curtains, giving him enough light to see that nothing was amiss.

Then Loki made a quiet sound beside him. Tony looked over at him in surprise. His eyes widened when he saw the expression of distress on Loki’s face, and then he realized that the arms around his waist were trembling. Loki’s whole body was shaking, actually. He made another quiet sound, almost a whine, then muttered something in a language that Tony didn’t recognize.

“Loki?” Tony whispered. It seemed pretty clear that Loki was having a nightmare, or at least an unpleasant dream. He stared at Loki for a few seconds as Loki continued to mutter.

Should he wake Loki up? Doing so sounded like it could be dangerous in a way. Loki was an extremely powerful sorcerer who could kill someone with the twitch of his fingers. What if Loki thought that Tony was a threat and lashed out accordingly? Tony had made it this far; he wasn’t interesting in dying right now. But it also seemed unfair to leave Loki trapped in whatever he was dreaming about.

Maybe he should get out of bed and wake Loki from a distance? But Tony was really the only person that Loki allowed so close to him. It was probably actually safer for Tony to be in the same bed with him. Loki was more likely to think that it wasn’t Tony if Tony put some distance between them. Tony chewed over that for a while before sighing and realizing that there was no good answer here. He’d just have to be ready to react.

“Loki? Loki, wake up. I think you’re having a nightmare,” Tony said, putting a hand on Loki’s shoulder. He shook Loki gently at first, then a little firmly.

Loki jerked awake suddenly, his green eyes snapping open. Magical green light suddenly flooded the entire room, which told Tony that it wouldn’t have mattered how far away from the bed he stood. But strangely enough, the light didn’t hurt Tony in any way. It felt pleasantly cool against his skin, almost like had just stepped into a shaded area after being out in the sunlight.

“Loki?” he said again, more uncertainly this time.

Loki’s eyes settled on Tony and he frowned. “What? What’s wrong?”

“You were having a nightmare, and I have to pee,” Tony admitted. He tugged lightly at the arms around his waist again. Trying to get out of bed would’ve been pointless anyway, he was realizing. Loki’s arms were like a vice grip around his waist, and there was no way Tony was breaking that hold.

“Oh,” Loki said, blinking. And then, “Oh. Sorry.” He released Tony from his grip and sat up too.

“I’ll be right back,” Tony said, because he really did have to pee now. He slid off the bed and hurried into the bathroom to relieve his bladder.

The bathroom was flooded with that green light too, allowing Tony to see clearly as he did his business. After washing his hands, he returned to the bedroom. For the first time, he realized that there were darker green flecks of light within the overall light. The same kind of curiosity that always made Rhodey groan rose up in Tony, and he reached out to poke one of the dark green flecks.

“It’s cold,” he observed, fascinated. If the green light was like stepping into the shade after being out in sunshine, then the dark green flecks were like opening up a freezer door.

“It’s a defense mechanism. You surprised me,” Loki muttered.

“But it didn’t hurt me,” Tony noted.

“Of course not. It wouldn’t hurt my önd,” Loki said. He sounded irritated, but Tony didn’t think it was directed at him. Or at least, he hoped it wasn’t.

“Right,” Tony murmured. Soulmates. He’d almost forgotten that little tidbit. He wondered if that meant Loki’s magic would never hurt him, or if it just meant that Loki’s magic wouldn’t hurt him by accident. He didn’t think now was the time to ask.

He padded quietly over to the bed and climbed back in, pulling the covers over his cold feet. He looked over at Loki. He didn’t think it was his imagination that Loki looked tired, stressed, and unhappy. Loki seemed paler than usual and his usually vibrant green eyes were dull. Tony hesitated for a few seconds before reaching out to put a cautious hand on Loki’s arm.

“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked softly.

“No,” Loki started to say, then paused. He frowned and looked at Tony, then said reluctantly, “Yes.”

“Nightmares are the worst, but there’s nothing wrong with having them,” Tony said. He should know given that he’d had more than his fair share of nightmares over the years. More recently, since coming back in time, his nightmares had been about the encounter with Thanos going wrong and seeing Loki and Thor die right in front of him. Or they were about Loki deciding he didn’t care about Tony anymore, and Tony being left alone and behind. Or they were about Stark dying, people figuring out that Antonio Carbonell was a future version of Tony Stark, and expecting Tony to stand up as Tony Stark.

He had a lot of nightmares.

“I know that,” Loki said, but he sounded defensive and tired, and Tony wondered if maybe Loki hadn’t been having nightmares for a while now and he just hadn’t noticed.

In fact, he realized, that was probably exactly what was happening. A wave of guilt washed over him, though he worked hard to hide it from Loki. It bothered him that Loki had been suffering in silence. That wasn’t right. And he didn’t think he’d ever get a better opportunity to make Loki realize that Tony was right here for him to lean on. He squeezed Loki’s arm gently.

“Would you – do you want to tell me about it?” he asked.

“What if I said no?” Loki said, and Tony blinked at him.

“Nothing?” he offered hesitantly. “I mean, I get it. Sometimes I have nightmares and the last thing I want to do is talk about them. But sometimes... I don’t know, if it’s the right person, it can help.”

Loki sighed. “You’re right,” he said, and pulled his arm out from under Tony’s.

Tony tried not to be hurt over that, until he realized that Loki was adjusting their pillows so that he could lean back against them without laying down. Once Loki was reclining, he lifted an arm up. That, at least, was something Tony understood perfectly. He scooted closely, laying down with his head on Loki’s chest. Loki’s arm came down around him, tightly hugging Tony to his body.

Then Loki said, very quietly, “It was about Asgard.”

Oh shit.

He should have expected, that, Tony realized. In fact, he didn’t know why he hadn’t immediately jumped to that conclusion. With everything that had happened, all the craziness over Thanos and reaching earth and trying to figure out where the Asgardians would live and everything that went along with it, what had happened with Asgard had kind of fallen to the wayside.

Not to say that what had happened there wasn’t important or devastating. It obviously was. Tony was a little ashamed that he’d never brought it up with Loki before. He resolved to be more aware of Loki in the future. After all, Loki was living on Midgard, a place that was not that receptive to him for something that wasn’t even his fault, and all he had left was Thor...

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Tony asked quietly.

“It’s a long story,” Loki said.

Tony cuddled a little closer. “we have nothing but time,” he pointed out.

There was a slight pause, and then Loki said, “Alright.”

He then told Tony the whole story. How he had taken over Asgard and left Odin on earth. How Thor had found out. How they’d found the Hulk/Bruce. How Hela had appeared. How they’d realized that the only way to defeat her was by destroying Asgard itself. How Loki had resurrected Surtur. How Thor had battled Hela to the very end. How they had escaped with seconds to spare.

Tony had heard bits and pieces of the story from the future Thor before. But he’d never heard the full story in detail the way Loki told it. Though Loki’s voice remained measured and almost calm during the telling, Tony‘s eyes were wet by the end. He could tell how much this was hurting Loki because Loki was striving to remain so calm and sound so unaffected.

“ – and then you showed up on the ship,” Loki said over an hour later. “You know the story from there.”

“I do,” Tony said. He hadn’t said anything while Loki was talking, sensing that Loki just needed to spill everything all at once.

Now, he sat up a little and looked Loki in the eyes. Those wonderful, magically green eyes. Tony had never seen another shade of green like that before. He could fall into those eyes so easily; in fact, he already had. Though Loki was not crying, the pain and loss of the last few months was painfully clear. He put a hand out, cupping Loki’s cheek. Loki’s skin was cool.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said quietly.

Loki put a hand up too, covering Tony’s. “Thank you.”

“Was that your nightmare?” Tony asked, unsurprised when Loki nodded slightly. Sometimes reality was so horrible that nightmares just made you re-live it rather than twisting it into something worse.

“I was watching Hela and Thor fight when you woke me,” Loki admittedly softly. “I – I’m always scared that he’ll lose. He doesn’t, but –”

“But you have to live with the fear of it in that moment,” Tony filled in, knowing exactly what that was like.

Loki nodded, sighing. “It was the only way to stop Hela. She would have been another Thanos.”

Tony’s heart turned over at the thought. “Thank you for stopping her, even though it cost you so much.”

“It had to be done,” Loki said, and Tony nodded.

“I know. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a personal sacrifice for all of you.” He let his hand slide away from Loki’s cheek so that he could lean forward and wrap his arms around Loki’s neck.

It only took a second before Loki’s arms wrapped around him, squeezing so tightly that Tony felt a little breathless. He didn’t mind. He dared to run a hand through Loki’s hair, trying to comfort Loki the way that Loki had comforted him so often over the past few months. He didn’t think Loki was crying, but he could feel Loki’s shaky breath against his collarbone anyway.

“For what it’s worth, I approve of abandoning Odin. He deserved it,” Tony said after a couple of minutes, and heard Loki snort.

“Yes, I agree. Thor was angry, but I believe he may be coming around to seeing things my way,” Loki said, his words slightly muffled since his face was pressed to Tony’s chest.

Tony smiled a little, because he thought the same way. Loki and Thor would probably never have a smooth or even easy relationship, but there was no denying that they had grown a lot closer since Asgard’s destruction. It was sad that it had taken so much to bring them together, but at the same time, Tony thought that it was good for both of them. As always, something good was growing out of complete chaos and destruction.

Chapter Text

Tony wasn’t really sure what made him glance at his watch. He was still curled up beside Loki, but he didn’t think either of them had really gone back to sleep after their talk. Tony had dozed a little, but he’d woken frequently. The glowing numbers told him that it was past 5am. He thought for a few seconds. He knew if they hadn’t slept more by now, they weren’t going to sleep more at all, so...

“Hey Loki?” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Come with me,” Tony requested, sitting up. Loki watched him with curiosity in his eyes, but nodded, and Tony felt warm at the show of trust. He liked the way that Loki didn’t question him, that Loki just assumed that of course Tony was worthy of trust.

He crawled out of bed and pulled off his pajamas, slipping quickly into jeans and a sweatshirt. While Loki dressed, he rummaged around until he found a blanket. He tucked that under his arm and found some sneakers to pull on. Then he motioned for Loki to follow him. They quietly left their room and started walking down the hallway. Because it was so early, hardly anyone was around.

“Do I need to tell Thor where we are going? He will panic if we are gone,” Loki murmured before they had gone too far.

Tony paused, because he hadn’t thought of that, and then said, “Hey FRIDAY, could you let Thor know that Loki and I are outside when he wakes up?”

“Of course,” FRIDAY chirped.

Tony smiled at Loki. “All good. Let’s go. We’re on a time limit.”

“A time limit?” Loki was looking increasingly curious now, but Tony refused to say a word about where they were going as they headed for the nearest exit to the compound.

It was cold out this early a little foggy, the grass still damp with dew. And it was darker than Tony would have liked, the sun not yet risen, but that was the whole point. Tony shivered a little, wishing he’d pulled on something thicker than a sweatshirt. They walked a little ways from the compound itself, until Tony found a nice spot for them at the top of a small hill.

“We can sit here,” he said, spreading the blanket out. It was waterproof on one side, so their clothes wouldn’t get wet. He sat down and Loki sat beside him.

“What are we doing?” Loki asked, looking around in some confusion. This was a side of the compound they visited less frequently given that it was on the other side of the Asgard encampment, but Tony had to admit that it looked pretty much the same. He could understand Loki’s confusion.

“That,” Tony said, pointing to the horizon. They had perfect timing; the sun was just cresting the horizon, spilling bands of golden light over the land. Loki’s eyes widened slightly and he sat forward intently.

It was beautiful, Tony had to admit. The sun rose slowly, painting the sky in gorgeous shades of orange, pink, and yellow. Slowly, those colors deepened into a beautiful, cloudless blue sky. The fog began to dissipate as the sun rose. Tony couldn’t help glancing at Loki a few times. Loki looked positively enchanted by the experience, and oh so beautiful in the sunrise’s light.

“Magnificent,” Loki breathed finally, turning sparkling eyes on Tony. “It is moments like this that I believe Midgard has more magic than any of you realize. I wish to become more familiar with Midgard’s natural magic. I think it’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“You’ll have lots more time to get acquainted once we get to Norway,” Tony said, smiling. He knew, of course, that some people here had magic – you only had to look at Dr Strange to know that. But natural magic? If Loki said that it did, then it did. But that was one of the few subjects that Tony knew nothing about. But he knew it would be fascinating to watch Loki work through it.

“Someone is coming,” Loki said suddenly, his smile fading, and Tony tensed up. He leaned closer to Loki without even thinking about it, and Loki’s arm came protectively around his waist. His other hand lifted slightly, ready to launch an attach if necessary.

But then Tony relaxed, because it turned out he recognized the two figures stumbling up the hill, slipping on the dew-soaked grass. It was Stark and Rhodey, both of them wearing the clothing that they’d been wearing at dinner last night, so they had clearly been out all night. Rhodey was carrying a couple of boxes while Stark had two trays of drinks, and they were chatting and laughing.

Tony waited for the expected rush of jealousy, but it never came. He was quiet for a moment, parsing that, and realized that it no longer made him jealous to see them together. Probably because Rhodey had already proven that he had ample room in his heart for both Stark and Tony. But it did still make him a little sad. Just a little. He would always miss his Rhodey.

“Hey!” Stark called out when he caught sight of them, and Loki relaxed, letting his free hand drop to the blanket, though he kept his now more relaxed arm around Tony’s waist. It was interesting, Tony reflected, how Loki also trusted Stark and even Rhodey. He didn’t even know if Loki realized that.

“You two were out all night?” Tony asked as they neared.

“We went out for donuts,” Rhodey said, nodding to the boxes he was holding. “Here, these are for you guys.” He set a box down on the blanket.

“Yeah, and these too.” Stark handed one of the trays of drinks to Rhodey, examined the drinks he was holding, and then selected two drinks. He handed the first to Tony and the second to Loki.

“Thanks guys,” Tony said, surprised and touched. Going for donuts after midnight had always been a private thing between him and Rhodey, so it meant a lot that they’d brought something back. He sipped the drink cautiously and was delighted to taste coffee and caramel.

“Yes, thank you,” Loki said, accepting his drink. He took a careful sip and nodded approvingly to whatever was inside.

“No problem,” Rhodey said easily. “What are you guys doing?”

“We came out to watch the sunrise,” Tony said, only a tiny bit embarrassed when Rhodey and Stark exchanged grins. He doubted that Stark would ever be that romantic with anyone, much less someone that Tony wasn’t actually dating. But it didn’t matter. Loki had loved the sunrise.

“That sounds nice,” Rhodey said.

“It was incredible,” said Loki. “Midgard has the most gloriously unexpected treasures.”

Rhodey’s expression softened a tiny bit. “We really do have a lot more to offer than it seems at first glance. I’m glad that you’re getting the chance to see it now.”

Loki inclined his head. “I’m looking forward to discovering more of them with Antonio’s help.”

Stark looked at them thoughtfully, then glanced at Rhodey. “Can I - ?”

Rhodey shrugged and nodded. “I’m not ashamed of you, Tones. Tell whoever you want.”

“Well, I don’t want the whole world to know,” Stark said, rolling his eyes as he lightly shoved Rhodey’s shoulder. But he was smiling as he did it, and Tony couldn’t help staring at him curiously. There was clearly something here that he had missed.

“Loki and Antonio are hardly the whole world. Go ahead,” Rhodey said.

“Okay.” Stark seemed nervous now as he looked down at Loki and Tony, and he stammered in a way that was unusual for him as he said, “Rhodey and I – um – we confirmed last night that - that we’re soulmates.”

Tony froze in surprise.

“Oh. Congratulations,” Loki said. He pressed a bit harder where his hand lay on Tony’s hip, his thumb slowly starting to make small, circular, soothing movements.

That jolted Tony out of his surprise, and immediately his mind began to race. He’d wondered for months now who Stark’s soulmate might be, or if Stark even had a soulmate at all. And despite Stark telling Tony that he was welcome to Loki, a little part of Tony had felt very guilty about effectively stealing Stark’s soulmate. It just didn’t seem right that Stark be left with nothing.

But it seemed that didn’t need to be a concern now. Clearly the universe had stepped in to make things more balanced between them. But it did make Tony wonder if this was always fated to happen. Had Rhodey ever had a soulmate? Or had he been without a soulmate until Tony came back in time and Stark’s mark changed? Did that mean Rhodey would’ve never met a soulmate if Tony hadn’t come back in time?

“That’s where my brain went,” Stark said, gesturing at Tony as best he could while holding the drinks. “I can see the thoughts going through your mind. Fate is a really annoying concept, isn’t it?”

“It definitely is,” Tony said. “Congratulations to both of you. That’s great.” And he was being sincere when he said it. It made him feel better knowing that Stark would always have Rhodey by his side.

“Will you marry, then?” Loki asked casually, and Tony couldn’t help a snort as both Rhodey and Stark choked.

“Married?! No way! Rhodey is straight and has a girlfriend,” Stark said quickly. “And there’s nothing romantic between us. We’re like brothers.”

Loki looked a bit skeptical, like he thought maybe Stark was lying, but Tony knew that he wasn’t. There had never been anything romantic between Tony and his Rhodey either, even though Tony had often thought that life would be so much easier if there was. Rhodey just didn’t swing that way. And while Tony was bisexual, he’d never been attracted to Rhodey.

“I don’t actually have a girlfriend,” Rhodey said, rolling his eyes at Stark. “I have a few different girls that I’m seeing casually. But Tones is right. We’re just platonic soulmates.”

“There is nothing ‘just’ about it,” Loki said after a thoughtful pause. “The bond between soulmates is magnificent and unbreakable, regardless of what kind of love is involved. You should not downplay what is between you, even if it may not be what others initially assume.”

Rhodey blinked for a few seconds and then nodded slowly, looking at Loki with new respect. “You know what, you’re absolutely right. I’m proud as fuck to have this dumbass as my soulmate.” He slung an arm around Stark’s shoulders. Stark yelped and nearly dropped the drinks he was still holding.

“Rhodey, be careful!” he complained. “Pepper will be mad if you make me spill this coffee.”

“And then you’ll buy her a new pair of shoes and she’ll forgive you just like always,” Rhodey teased, grinning. “But fine. Let’s go give Pepper her coffee.”

“We’ll see you later,” Stark said, pulling away from Rhodey.

“Bye,” Tony said, nodding and sipping his coffee as they walked away. He leaned forward and snagged the donut box, pulling it over to him. When was the last time he’d had a donut? It had been – oh wow. Years, probably. After Thanos, little pleasures like donuts had somewhat lost their enjoyment.

“What are those?” Loki inquired as Tony opened the box. He peered down at the colorful confections inside with a faintly puzzled look.

“Donuts! They’re amazing. My favorite pastry,” Tony said. He examined the donuts for a moment. Loki had a bit of a sweet tooth, he knew, just like Thor, but unlike Thor, there was a limit to just how sweet Loki liked things. He finally selected a donut that had chocolate icing and a scatter of dried cherry pieces on top and held it out to Loki.

Loki took it and bit into it. His eyebrows shot up and he made a pleased sound. Tony beamed at him and selected a donut for himself, this time a chocolate donut with strawberry drizzle. These donuts were pretty fancy, he noted, but damn if they weren’t delicious. The chocolate and strawberry were perfectly balanced.

“I have to admit Midgard also has some delicious foods,” Loki said around another mouthful of donut.

“We definitely do,” Tony agreed, swallowing. “Should we save some donuts for Thor?”

Loki looked down at the box once again, frowned a bit, and then eventually said, “Perhaps a couple, but no more. I need to sample the rest for research purposes. Just to make sure I am fully understanding Midgardian cuisine, you understand.”

“Of course,” Tony said, trying not to laugh, and push the box closer to Loki. “When it comes to donuts, you can’t get better than Midgard, and your understanding of cuisine definitely needs to be complete. Go ahead!”

Chapter Text

“Okay, so don’t be mad at me,” Stark blurted out, barreling into the room.

Tony looked up from where he’d been examining some schematics. Stark had basically given him free run through both the S.I. and personal servers. Thus far, Tony had politely been keeping his distance from anything that looked too personal. But when FRIDAY suggested he look at some updates Stark was making to the Iron Man armor, Tony hadn’t been able to resist.

“Mad at you?” Tony repeated slowly, struggling to understand where this was coming from. He cast a questioning look at Loki and received a shrug in response.

“What did you do?” Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I have a surprise for you,” Stark said. “I really wanted to make it happen before you guys left, and it just got here. So come on, get up, hurry!” He was practically hoping from foot to foot with poorly repressed glee. Tony hadn’t realized it until now, but worrying about a soulmate was definitely a weight Stark had been carrying around. He was freer now, like the weight was gone, and Tony was happy to see it.

“A surprise?” Tony echoed, narrowing his eyes. He tried to think of what Stark could have done, but honestly this was Stark they were talking about. It could be anything!

“Yup.” Stark grinned, his dark eyes sparkling. Then he noticed was what on Tony’s phone screen. “Oh, hey, those are the Iron Man schematics, huh? What did you think?”

“I thought they were very polished,” Tony said honestly. He was pretty impressed with where Stark was going with the armor, but he did have some thoughts on potential improvements. In the future that would now never be, Tony had had a lot of time to experiment. He was eager to share those thoughts with Stark now. Together, they could make the Iron Man armor something truly unbeatable.

“What did you think about the – ”

“Before you both get lost in this conversation, the surprise?” Loki cut in, interrupting Stark. He was watching both of them with an amused look now, probably because he knew perfectly well how easy it was for any Tony Stark to get completely lost in science.

“Right! Yes. Come on, little cousin!” Stark grabbed Tony’s hand and dragged Tony to his feet.

“Keep calling me that and I’m going to sabotage the armor,” Tony said, blushing furiously at the nickname when he saw the way Loki was grinning.

“Nah, you’d never do that,” Stark said, dismissing the remark with a wave of his hand. He successfully dragged Tony out the door. Tony gave up and went with him when he saw that Loki was following them.

Stark led the way, chattering aimlessly the whole time, the way that Tony did when he was overly excited but also nervous about something. Tony, listening carefully, got no clues whatsoever as to what Stark was plotting. That only deepened his curiosity. He still couldn’t think of what the surprise could be. There weren’t too many things that would get Stark this excited...

And then they rounded a corner, and Tony suddenly understood. Because standing right there, wearing a pair of jeans and a too big sweatshirt and dirty sneakers, was none other than Peter Parker.

“Hi, Mr. Stark!” Peter exclaimed, looking somewhere between excited and nervous as he waved at them. He had a backpack over one shoulder and a smaller bag sitting at his feet.

“Peter,” Tony whispered, drawing to a shocked stop. The last time he’d seen Peter Parker, the kid had been laying in his arms crying with fear. Tony would never forget how it felt to have Peter’s body with him one moment, warm and alive, and the next be clutching at nothing but insubstantial dust that blew away in the breeze.

“Hi Peter,” Stark said, letting go of Tony’s arm. “Glad you made it!” He moved forward to throw an arm around Peter’s shoulder, and Peter looked like he’d died and gone to heaven.

“Thanks,” Peter said, grinning. He looked over at where Tony and Loki were standing, and his smile faded. It was hard to know if that was because of Tony, or if it was because Loki had come close enough to wrap an arm around Tony’s waist. Peter was smart enough to recognize Loki at a glance, but Tony?

Did Peter know who he was? Tony had no idea. Only a handful of select people knew the truth. It was hard to know if Stark had included Peter in that. And frankly, Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted Peter to know who he really was. How did you tell a child – because, at just sixteen years old, no matter what he had been through, Peter was still a child – that in the future, he had disintegrated away into nothing? Tony didn’t think that he could do it.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Stark said, giving Peter a quick squeeze before stooping down to pick up Peter’s bag. “Damn, kid! What’s in here?”

“Oh, um.” Peter smiled again. “When Aunt May heard I was coming up here, she spent like two days baking cookies and stuff for me to bring. And she made me promise to say thank you for inviting me.”

Stark smiled too. “That sounds like your aunt. We’ll call her later. C’mon, kid.” He glanced over his shoulder at Tony and Loki with a significant look as he guided Peter down the hallway towards Stark’s private rooms. Tony knew that meant they should follow, but he felt frozen.

“That is him. The child you call out for sometimes in your sleep,” Loki said quietly, turning towards Tony slightly, as though shielding Tony from anyone who happened to be passing by.

“Yes. He – he died.” The words felt numb on Tony’s lips. He closed his eyes and saw Peter again, wearing the Spider-Man costume, crying and begging to stay. He’d begged Tony to help him, and Tony hadn’t been able to do anything about it. He’d never felt like more of a failure in his life.

“Tony.” Loki’s free hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing hard. Tony opened his eyes, feeling breathless, and looked up into Loki’s eyes. Such a beautiful shade of green, he thought dazedly. He liked green. At least so far as magic went, green was a much nicer color than red.

He tried to say something, but the words got locked up in his throat as his chest tightened. Though he was looking at Loki, there was a part of him that was on Titan with Peter. For a moment, it was as though Tony had never come back in time. He could taste the dry, sandy air. He could hear Peter crying. He could see Peter slipping away right through his fingers –

Sparkling bits of green light began to fill his vision, slowly swallowing up the image of Peter. Tony found himself gasping for breath as Loki’s arms cradled him close. His legs felt weak and his head was spinning. He rested his head against Loki’s chest, shaking. He could still see the sparkly green bits of light every time he blinked, and he knew that Loki’s magic was the only thing keeping him steady.

“It’s alright. You had a – what do they call it? Flashback?” Loki’s hand stroked his hair comfortingly. “Stark should not have sprung this on you.”

“He thought it would be a nice surprise,” Tony muttered, his breathing still shaky. He hadn’t had a panic attack like that for a long time.

He closed his eyes again, letting Loki take his full weight, and just rested for a moment. A panic attack, especially a bad one, always left him feeling shaky and weak and sick afterwards. Thank goodness Loki had interrupted this one before it could get too bad. Before traveling back in time, he remembered having flashbacks and panic attacks that left him out of commission for days at a time.

“He should have known better,” Loki said, resolute in his irritation, and Tony had to smile a little bit. He didn’t blame Stark, mostly because this was exactly the sort of thing that Tony could envision himself doing. Stark had probably thought that Tony would be thrilled to see Peter alive again.

And he was, of course. But it was also a bitter reminder of what Tony had lost, of what he hadn’t been strong enough to protect the first time around. Even reminding himself that he’d defeated Thanos and therefore prevented that future from coming to pass was cold comfort. Tony would never be able to save the version of Peter Parker that he’d lost, and that would always hurt.

“Do you want to go lay down?” Loki asked a moment later. “Or do you want coffee? It seems to calm you when you’re upset.”

“How on earth do you know that?” Tony mumbled, torn between being startled and amused.

“Anyone with eyes could see your first true love in life is coffee,” Loki said, deadpan. “Come, you will have a coffee and something sweet to eat, and you will sit for a bit.”

Tony could have argued, he really could have, but what Loki was suggesting honestly sounded amazing to him. He didn’t want to run away from the situation, because that could result in unintentionally hurting Peter’s feelings, but he also wasn’t quite ready to see Peter again either. Coffee really did steady him, and he hadn’t eaten much this morning, so that wouldn't hurt either.

He let Loki guide him into the cafeteria, which was thankfully pretty empty given the time of day. Very shortly, Tony was sitting in a chair taking small sips of coffee while nibbling at a cupcake. The caffeine and sugar steadied him, making him feel less like he was going to collapse into a flashback and never come back out. Loki sat beside him, drinking a cup of tea.

“Thanks,” Tony said finally, feeling a bit awkward. He’d never had anyone like Loki before. It was some pretty embarrassing high school shit, but he couldn’t shake the thought that Loki’s arms felt like the safest, most comforting place in the world.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Loki said, looking a bit surprised. “It took very little magic on my part. I believe it’s because we’re soulmates.”

“Not just that. I meant – ” Tony took a deep breath. “Thanks for sticking around, and for dealing with me when I’m such a mess. I know it’s a lot.” He bit his lip, looking down at his cup. He was embarrassingly clingy and needy, he knew. He still couldn’t bring himself to let Loki out of his sight, even.

“I don’t think that,” Loki said. He set his cup of tea down. “You’re not a mess, Tony. You’ve been through a lot. More than one person could reasonably be expected to take.”

“You and Thor went through a lot too, and I don’t see you falling apart,” Tony muttered.

“I disagree. You were there when I needed you; it brings me comfort knowing I could lean on you at any time I needed to,” Loki said quietly. “And for that matter, even Thor has his moments. It’s just that with you, I’ve discovered that I –” he cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. “I enjoy being needed. No one has ever needed me the way that you do. And even if they did, no one would ever accept comfort or my magic or anything else I had to offer. You are unique, Tony. Not a mess.” His eyes were deep and dark with earnestness.

Tony didn’t know what to say to that. He had not considered it from that angle before, but what Loki was saying made a lot of sense. It sounded like Asgard, incredible though it had been, had also been a very lonely place for Loki to grow up. For the first time, Tony seriously considered the fact that Loki had never felt at home until Tony came back in time and they came together.

“We’re quite a pair, huh?” he said finally, taking one last long swallow of his coffee. Without Loki, he would’ve either stumbled through the meeting with Peter and completely fucked it up, or he would’ve staggered back to his room and fought through a panic attack for the rest of the day.

Loki smiled and shrugged. “We are soulmates. We’re supposed to be a pair,” he pointed out. “Do you want more coffee?”

Tony considered that and then shook his head. “No. I think I’d like to see Peter.” If you’ll come with me, he didn’t add, because no matter what Loki said about how he enjoyed being needed, there were some lines Tony couldn’t bring himself to cross yet.

“I should like to meet the spider child myself,” Loki said thoughtfully, and Tony couldn’t help a surprised laugh.

“Then let’s go,” he said, standing up.