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Chapter Text

Peter didn’t mean to go so far, truly he hadn’t, but May needed special flowers for her teas and medicines, and it was already fall so they were becoming scarce. His small community of nymphs depended on May’s healing so Peter pushed further than he normally would, ventured towards the ancient parts of the forest where magic older than the nymphs held domain. 

Peter expected it to be foreboding but the forest seemed to welcome his gentle blessings in exchange for the herbs, so he wandered until his packs were full, then gave the forest one last blessing of thanks before heading home. It was later than he expected but the forest guided his way until he reached nymph land, so he wasn’t afraid. 

That lack of caution would be his downfall.

He had barely passed into the nymph’s domain when the trees around him whispered too late warnings of danger. Peter could hear the Sealgairs, hunting dogs bred only to track, capture, and even kill lesser magical beings like Peter. They were closing in and stood directly between him and home. 

His mind scrambled, because he didn’t dare lead them home, but there weren’t any enchanted hiding spots this far out either. With a grimace, Peter realized he only had once choice. He threw his bags high into a tree, hoping the scent would keep them distracted for a bit while also protecting the precious medicine. If nothing else, his family would follow his trail and find it if he didn’t return.

Then he dove back into the ancient woods, offering whispered prayers to the land god. The land has offered him kindness earlier, so he could only hope its protector might do the same and help shelter him from the enemy chasing him. 

Tony barely noticed the presence that had entered his borders, his trees happy with the blessing his visitor left behind. Even from the heart of his lands, Tony could sense the kindness behind it, so he gentled his protections towards the guest and permitted the forest to offer up its bounties before guiding the little fae back out again. His woods often had a mind of their own and could be quite dangerous if crossed, but they also doted on little fae occasion. 

Tony chuckled at the almost sorrowful goodbye the trees gave, then turned to get back to work. He hadn’t even prepared his tools though when he felt his borders breached again, accompanied by a fearful prayer for protection from the same little fae that had been there earlier. 

Tony closed his eyes and sunk his awareness into the forest. Already he could feel the abominations used by hunters cross onto his land. Potent anger bubbled through his forest, and Tony smirked. He nodded his horned head, granting his permission for the forest to do what it would to their intruders while Tony tended to their frightened guest. 

Peter stumbled through the underbrush, tired legs already starting to give out. He could feel the forest trying to guide him, urging him deeper and deeper towards its heart. A part of him was terrified, because he had heard stories of the ancient land gods. They were arrogant, powerful, and possessive beings who guarded their places and things like dragons with a hoard. And in the heart of their domains, they were practically invincible. 

He didn’t know how long he had been running when Peter realized he didn’t hear the sealgairs behind him anymore. His legs gave out and he curled up in the roots of the nearest tree, sobbing in relief.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Peter whispered, pouring his blessings into the ground around him as tears flowed freely in offering to the god and their forest. 

“You’re welcome.”

Peter’s head shot up, not expecting to see anyone there, let alone the forest god himself. His eyes widened as he took in the god’s form. 

He was shorter than most elder gods, but his power radiated out, stronger than anything Peter had ever felt. The god wore leggings made of pelts, and a fur lined cloak was slung across one shoulder, but nothing else, leaving strong arms and a solid chest on display. Sitting in the center of the god’s chest was a glowing blue amulet. 

Peter’s eyes drifted up to see the warm amber eyes watching him, twinkling with mirth and gentling the fierce patterning and sharp but short antlers on the god’s face.

“See something you like, little nymph?” the god teased and Peter flushed. “Now now, don’t be shy. Stand and let me see you properly too.”

Peter slowly acquiesced, though he knew he hardly measured up to the god. Peter was slim and small like all nymphs, with the earth brown hair and eyes of the trees he served. His clothes were airy silks and linens dyed to match the patterns of his home meadows and spelled to keep him warm in any weather.

“Be welcome, little nymph, welcome and well met.”

“Well met and good fortune for your kindness, ancient one,” Peter replied solemnly. 

“Tony, please. I have enough reminders of my years,” the god said and Peter smiled.

“Tony then, well met. My name is Peter,” the nymph said. “Thank you again for your help. Is there any way I can repay you?”

Tony considers the nymph carefully. Debts between their kind are a serious thing, and yet, the youngling so carelessly offered himself. 

“My forest likes you, and it grows lonely at times,” Tony finally said. “Perhaps you could visit once a moon and keep an old man company while greeting the trees.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Peter said shyly. “On my word, once a moon I shall come and greet you and the forest, and spend at least a full day. If ever I cannot, for reasons beyond my control, I shall send word and pray you forgive my absence.”

“I look forward to your visits. Now let’s get you home, little nymph,” Tony said, walking over to the boy. “Your family will miss you.”

“Ah, I don’t know if I can make it home,” Peter admitted. 

“I’ll make sure you get there,” Tony said, giving the nymph a gentle smile. He called out to the forest, seeking and searching until a call answered back. Minutes later a giant deer emerged from the forest, stopping to greet Tony before nudging Peter.

“This is Jarvis, the local deer guardian. He will see you to your bags then ensure you get home,” Tony said, helping Peter to climb astride the huge buck. “Take care, little nymph.”

Peter waved goodbye as Jarvis took off, and Tony grinned. Things would be far less boring in the future.

Chapter Text

Peter was back less than two weeks later. It had been nerve wracking, facing the ancient forest again, until he actually stepped in. Once under the protective boughs of the old trees, it just felt like coming to Ned or MJs house, familiar and welcoming, though not quite home.

“Thank you for the welcome,” he said, placing his forehead gently against one of the trunks. The trees rustled around him, and he laughed at their excitement. “I hope your master will be as happy to see me.”

The trees almost tittered around him, and Peter rolled his eyes. Trees had some very interesting opinions sometimes. Still he moved deeper into the woods, letting his hands trail slowly along the foliage and granting his blessings, strengthening the plant life and building a bond with it. He allowed the pull of the forest to guide his feet, and soon he found himself at a feast laid out beside a small brook.

“This is a beautiful spot,” Peter said as he spotted Tony. “I hope you didn’t go to so much trouble on my behalf.”

“Nonsense,” Tony replied, waving off Peter’s concerns. “I happen to love entertaining, and my trees kept you busy enough that I had time. Now come, sit and replenish yourself. You’re letting them be greedy and take too much.”

Peter grinned sheepishly. He knew he had been, but as a wood nymph, he loved trees and plants. It made him feel joyous to help them grow and thrive.

“Thank you then,” Peter said, sitting next to Tony on the blanket. “What would you suggest I start with?”

Instead of answering, Tony took a bark platter and carefully arranged a selection of food before handing it to Peter. 

Peter took it, blushing as his hand brushed Tony’s, and started with a colorful flower filled with some sort of filling. The flavor of honey, fig, and some sort of nut filled his mouth, and Peter couldn’t help the small groan that slipped out. It was one of the best things he’d ever tasted. Bite after bite was an experience, each one different but still beautiful and delicious. 

Tony watched him carefully as he ate, refilling his bark plate whenever it was empty and keeping the small carved cup full of fresh water from the stream.

"I take it you enjoyed my bounty," Tony said as they finished up. 

"That was literally the best thing I have ever eaten," Peter said earnestly, feeling satiated and a little sleepy. A yawn slipped out, though Peter tried to cover it quickly. Their spot was just so nice and warm though, a little bit of sun filtering through, warming the blanket.

"Rest, little nymph," Tony said, moving the remaining dishes out of the way. "I'll be here when you wake, and then we can explore a bit together. I have some trees that could use your care as well."

Peter nodded and curled up on the blanket, drifting off almost instantly. 

Tony watched fondly as the nymph fell asleep. He propped himself against a tree and relaxed, enjoying the warm day as well. It would be one of the last before winter, he was sure. Slowly, the fauna of his forest came to visit. A family of rabbits curled up with his nymph while Jarvis and his herd stopped to offer their greetings. Birds darted through the air, cheeping at him before running away again. It was peaceful, in a way things hadn't been for a long time. He had built this fortress after a great war between gods, and while it was safe and allowed him to protect his friends, it did not offer much company when said friends were busy with duties elsewhere. 

Peter awoke before Tony could let himself get too maudlin, and the forest god took great pleasure in introducing Peter to some of the rare tree types he had created. After that, there was a waterfall hidden in the trees with a small lake at the bottom and even a series of caves that the resident bears preferred. 

Finally, Tony brought him to one of the oldest groves of trees in the forest, and arguably one of the sources of his power.

"These are the trees that could use your help," was all Tony said, then he stepped back to watch Peter. Perhaps it was too soon to be doing this, but Tony felt drawn to Peter and his heart trees would know if Peter was someone who had the potential to be more than just an acquaintance. Whether just as friends or even as his consort, the heart trees were older than him and knew more than anything living. 

Peter was a bit confused when Tony didn't tell him why the trees needed him but that was fine. Maybe the god didn't know and could only sense that they did. Indeed, Peter felt drawn to them, their power radiating out and touching the life spark that linked him to all flora. 

"Hi," Peter whispered as he felt their power brush his more intentionally. "I'm Peter. Tony said you could use my help." 

He let his power flow gently into them, leaving behind blessings of strength, good health, and deep roots. Their power pulled him to the center of the grove, where a small sapling stood alone, barely a foot tall. He knelt in front of it, gently cupping its fragile leaves. It was so small and winter was coming soon, which meant the sapling might not survive till spring. 

Peter reached deeply into his power, drawing directly from his life spark just a bit, and fed it to the sapling. Then he blessed it with wishes for health, long life, and resistance to the seasons that would try to wear it down. 

"May you grow to the sky, little one, so that you may offer shelter to those who seek comfort and safety beneath your boughs," Peter said, placing his hand over where the tree's roots met the dirt. "Dig deep, and never let go."

The grove suddenly felt alive in a way Peter never associated with the trees. Leaves rustled like gale winds were pushing through them and branches creaked and groaned. Before Peter could stand to calm them, the sapling in front of him had twined tightly across his wrist and arm. Power seared him, and Peter yelped but didn't dare pull away for fear of hurting the infant tree. 

As quickly as it started, it stopped, and the trees fell silent once more. The sapling released its hold, though its mark was branded onto Peter's skin. He fell back to the ground, cradling his arm and just looked around in shock. 

Tony was there seconds later, looking frantic and startled. Peter wasn't sure if he was glad it was both of them or if he wished Tony knew what was going on.

The forest god carried him to a nearby spring and gently cleaned the brand. The cool water soothed and healed the damage but the mark remained.

"I'm sorry,” Peter said, eyes glancing back to the grove. “I’ve never had anything like that happen.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Tony replied. “I just, I wanted to know-.” Tony cut himself off and started again. “I’ve felt drawn to you since you first stepped into my domain. So I brought you to my heart's grove so I could see if they would accept you, so that perhaps one day we could be more than just acquaintances.”

Peter looked at his arm with new understanding.

“They just handfasted us,” Peter said numbly.

“Indeed,” Tony said, showing his own marked forearm. The redness shocked Peter out of his numbness and into worry.

“You idiot god, put your arm in the spring too, stop just fixing mine,” Peter said, dragging Tony’s arm closer so he could use the healing waters on it. 

"My apologies, little nymph," Tony said with a chuckle. "I was a bit more concerned with you."

"Well, I'm fine now, if a little shocked, so we can take care of this too," Peter huffed. He focused on cleaning the wound thoroughly, trying to distract himself from the millions of questions running through his head, like did Tony regret bringing him here, and what came next.

"Hey, it'll be alright," Tony said, putting a finger under Peter's chin and lifting it so their eyes met. "It was faster than I meant, and I still plan to woo you properly, but so long as you don't object, then I am only ecstatic that you're actually mine to keep. And I promise we'll take things slow, only whatever you're comfortable with."

Peter nodded, then slid his branded arm alongside Tony's. He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against the older god's lips. 

"I don't mind," Peter whispered. "But you're telling my aunt May why she missed the ceremony."

Tony had a sneaky feeling he would not like the results of that conversation, but he meant his earlier words.

"Anything for you, beloved."

Chapter Text

Rhodey was looking forward to spending the winter with his best friend. He had been away for so long trying to help maintain the treaties that kept the balance between the major gods in the area, but winter was always when he returned home to recharge his powers. 

As he crossed into Tony’s domain, the stress seemed to melt away and he could finally relax. Time for kicking back, eating his fill without worry, and harassing his friend until the man agreed to whatever hairbrained plan Rhodey had. 

Rhodey was nearly to the heart grove when he heard a strange sound. There was giggling coming from the grove. He crept closer, making sure his movement was muffled and body hidden behind the sparse foliage. From his hiding spot, he saw a little nymph darting between trees as Tony chased after him. Rhodey pinched himself and shook his head, then looked again, but the scene hadn’t changed. 

Tony, his grumpy, solitary, ancient forest god of a best friend, was chasing a literal nymph around his heart grove. Rhodey couldn’t help it. He burst into laughter.

“Man, I come home and you’re reenacting a greek comedy, what is this shit?” Rhodey said as the two men stopped. 

“Honeybear! You’re back!” Tony exclaimed, rushing over to sweep Rhodey into a hug. “I have someone for you to meet.”

“Clearly,” Rhodey agreed.

“Platypus, this is Peter,” Tony said, gesturing for Peter to join them. “He’s a wood nymph and my betrothed.”

“Woah, wait, I go away for two seasons and you get betrothed?” Rhodey exclaimed. “What the hell, man? You’re supposed to introduce me before it’s already a done deal.”

“Yeah, well, I was planning to go slow but the grove had its own thoughts on the matter,” Tony said with a chuckle. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Rhodey faked a gag as Tony drew his shy nymph to him and kissed him thoroughly. 

“Tony, go get me something to eat, man, I wanna talk to your nymph without you hovering,” Rhodey said, giving his best friend a shove. He watched until Tony was out of sight, then turned to the nymph.

“Sorry about that, Peter,” Rhodey said. “Tones and I go way back so I forget how to act around him. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Peter replied, giving Rhodey a little smile. 

“So Peter, how’d you meet Tones anyway?” 

“I was gathering herbs for my aunt and a hunter came. I took shelter in his woods and he protected me,” Peter said, looking down shyly. “After, I asked how I could repay him, and he said just come keep him company once a moon.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Tony,” Rhodey said. It was just like his friend to rescue a stray puppy like the little nymph in front of him.

“I know. He’s been lonely, but I won’t let him be alone anymore,” Peter said, looking straight at Rhodey. “The grove may have picked me first, but I picked Tony too. I’m going to take care of him.”

That made Rhodey smile gently. It seemed Tony had found himself a new ally and consort all at once.

“I believe you, and I’m glad he has you. Pep and I have to be away a lot to keep the power balance between the Captain and the Fury,” Rhodey said. “Makes it hard to be here for Tones, even if he is the source of our powers too.”

"Are things really so precarious that you have to be away so much?" Peter asked softly. Rhodey sighed, debating how much his friend would want him telling the little nymph. 

"No point in lying Honeybear," Tony said as he reappeared. "I'd just tell him when he asked me about it anyway." 

"A few decades back, there were issues with an illusions god, caused a lot of problems for everyone and sowed a lot of distrust between the lands because of their ability to pretend to be anyone," Rhodey said as he accepted the food from Tony. "That sort of tension doesn't just disappear and I have to keep my presence fresh in their minds so they can easily spot a fake. So Pepper and I take turns visiting courts for a season or two, then come home to recharge before heading back out again."

"How come no one comes here?" Peter asked, accepting his own dish from Tony. 

"Every god's lands are a bit different, but even with that in mind, mine tend to be very territorial," Tony explained. Rhodey snorted.

"What that translates to is that the first time Fury and his crew popped by, the forest wouldn't let them in," Rhodey said. Tony just shrugged and Peter gave a snort of his own. 

"I could see that. This forest seems to have strong opinions on a lot of things," Peter said, his eyes flickering down to his arm. Rhodey glanced down and saw a vine design branded across Peter's forearm. Another quick glance showed a matching one on Tony, and Rhodey just shook his head. He'd told Tony that using the oldest trees he could find would cause issues, but it's not like the god ever listened. 

"I can hear the 'I told you so' from here, Honeybear," Tony said. "Yes, my forest runs things just as much as I do. It was worth it."

"Hey, no complaints here. Now, how about we show Peter how we really celebrate winter around here?" Rhodey asked, already summoning a snow storm or two.

As the winter passed, Rhodey watched the two grow closer and closer. Tony had been serious about courting Peter, from quiet picnics to snowball fights, to dancing under the starlight together. And Peter had been serious about not letting Tony be alone. The nymph still visited his family, but he spent equal time in Tony's woods and was already talking about expanding Tony's influence to include the nymph lands so Tony would be able to feel him through the forest. 

In private, Rhodey teased the hell out of him for letting the little tree nymph get him so whipped, but Tony just smiled in return. 

Rhodey understood though. Peter was perfect for Tony, a sweet but determined wood nymph who was already connected to Tony's forest and Heart Grove. Even Rhodey went out of his way to care for Peter, because you couldn't look at those puppy dog eyes and tell them no. 

Hopefully Pepper would have better luck or they were all screwed.

Chapter Text

While May hadn't been ecstatic over the circumstances, she wasn't entirely heartbroken either when Tony explained that his heart's grove had chosen Peter. The boy had always had more spark in him than a wood nymph rightfully should. At least Tony's huge forest would keep him from running off and exploring other places without anyone to keep watch. 

And watching them together as Tony fulfilled him promise to court Peter properly had warmed her heart, reminding her of her own courtship with Ben. So May settled for having a second ceremony for friends and family to celebrate. They waited for the cusp of spring so Tony's friends, a winter spirit named Rhodey, a spring goddess named Pepper, and a surly protection spirit named Happy, could attend. 

MJ and Ned helped coax out of season flowers to bloom so they could make a proper flower crown and hand fasting chain for the pair. Then Rhodey turned everything into a winter wonderland. Tony had laughed while May and Pepper commiserated over the lazy decorating. However in the end, the event was lovely and everyone had fun watching the unlikely pair cement their vows in the very heart of Tony's domain. 

Blessings were granted, food was devoured and soon it was time for the last part of their bonding ceremony. At exactly midnight, as winter turned to spring, so would Peter turn from simple wood nymph to god's consort. 

They waited quietly standing just outside the grove while Peter and Tony stood over the sapling that Peter had first shared his spark with. Slowly, the power in the grove grew, whipping up the snow and shaking the boughs of the ancient trees. Tony held tight as it pushed and pulled against them as well, and Peter planted himself firmly like the trees of his people. The storm built and built until it felt like the very air would burst, and then it all fell still. A gently blue light began glowing from between the two of them, and May couldn't hold back her gasp as she saw it embed itself over Peter's heart. Peter didn't make a sound though, just held Tony's hands as the light spread through his body before vanishing again. Only then, when the darkness had settled, did Peter groan softly and collapse into Tony's arms. 

May watched as Tony gently scooped him up and stepped back out towards the waiting group.

"I present to you my consort," Tony said solemnly. "Know that he is my other half, my beloved. His burdens and losses are mine, as are his victories and successes. May you hear him and respect his voice just as you would mine."

May felt the forest come alive in response to Tony's words, welcoming it's new consort. Welcoming Tony's prince.