Free me and never let me go - nevertoolateforicecream (2024)

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter Text

Anton has always been able to connect to his creations. At the beginning, when he still resided in Asgard that meant being able to sense a swords bloodlust or an axes glee when it struck down it’s victim. After his disagreement with Odin and the following exile to Midgard his weapons changed, but their connection to him did not. He was able to sense all of them. At the beginning they had to be even more primitive than on Asgard. The humans were rather underdeveloped for being one of the nine realms.

But then, oh then, it got fun. From the Bullet hitting its target in World War 2 when he was known as „Howard“ to the Missiles that destroyed entire camps in his time as Tony Stark. But it wasn’t only his weapons, the first time DUM-E came online Tony nearly cried. To be able to actually communicate with them, not just feel their emotions, was incredible. He was so fascinated by this concept that he just had to continue. DUM-E was closely followed by Butterfingers, U and JARVIS. He loved each of his creations like his own children - not that he had any biological ones.
Anton had to admit that he enjoyed his time on earth immensely. The sheer creativity and desire for change and innovation fueled his creative genius. He came up with even more ideas and plans. He was so happy that he almost forgot about Asgard and why he was on Midgard in the first place. Almost. In the rare instances when he did remember some alcohol and partying helped him forget again.

Then came Afghanistan. Tony might’ve gone a bit overboard with designing his weapons if they were able to knock out even a god. He had no time to regret past decisions when Yinsen shoved that magnet in his chest and soon everything happened way too fast. He remembered refusing his weapons to his captors, more out of spite than anything. He remembered Yinsen dying, burning their camp down and barely escaping with the suit. Truly one of his better inventions if he said so himself, although it would need a bit of fine-tuning.
Wandering through the intense heat of the desert sun, Tony wished - not for the first time these past weeks - to have his magic back. When Odin banned him from Asgard he also sealed his magic inside himself. Tony could still feel it pulse deep inside but there was no way to access it, it was utterly frustrating. As god of Creation and Innovation, being able to connect with what he made himself was just natural to him, no magic required. Healing spells or just spelling a cool breeze was another story unfortunately. Tony cursed that he didn’t know where he was or he could’ve told JARVIS about his location. Although Tony hadn’t had the possibility to try yet, he was sure he would be able to communicate with his kids even if he was on another planet. Their bond was pretty strong. Since he had no clue as to his whereabouts though he had to hope someone was looking for him, or that he would just stumble upon the next gas station (as if that's ever gonna happen).

Rhodey, his favorite human together with Pepper Potts, came to rescue him finally. Back in the States Tony did some research into those terrorists and stumbled upon some interesting detail about his kidnapping. Obadiah set him up. Tony had to say he wasn’t shocked. Hurt, yes sure, he thought they were friends. But not shocked, Obadiah had always been a greedy bastard. He made the decision to shut down the weapons department of Stark Industries. While Tony didn’t particularly care about the underhand weapons deals, since Obadiah had been taken care of (and no one would ever suspect a thing, JARVIS made sure of that), he was still a bit shocked to experience the power of destruction that his weapons could wreak.
When some guy in a suit approached him, claiming to be from some weird government agency, Tony waved him off. He wasn’t particularly interested in sharing. He also waved of Pepper and Rhodeys attempts at making him talk about Afghanistan and they relented quickly. Tony finally settled back into his usual lifestyle. With the added bonus of tinkering with his suit every free minute he had.

Sir, there’s something you should see.

„Not now, JARVIS.“

Sir, I insist.

The music got quiet as JARVIS turned it down and pulled up a hologram. With an eye-roll Tony reluctantly turned away from his work on one of the armors thruster boots.

I’ve been looking into this agency, SHIELD, they’re the ones that approached you after the Afghanistan incident. They just reported some very strange findings to their archives.

JARVIS’ blue hologram showed some digital documents which Tony promptly opened with a swipe of his hand.
„This, this can’t be right.“, Tony gasped. A picture of Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, stared back at him. „In New Mexico. Why is it here? JARVIS, do we have any recordings of the surrounding area?“

No, Sir, this was in the middle of nowhere on a field. Even SHIELD doesn’t have any clues yet. They say no one can move it.

„Check the nearby hospitals for a muscular blonde guy. Must’ve come in around the time this hammer was found. I don’t think Thor would’ve just left it there if he was doing alright. I might’ve only known him as a youngling, but he was extremely fond of that thing.“

Tony’s thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched „Tonyy!“ coming from upstairs. Sighing he closed the files and made his way out of the workshop. „Update me once you find something!“, he called to JARVIS before he climbed up the stairs. His house in Malibu was truly beautiful, but he still thinks he should’ve added an elevator.

„Pepper, love of my life, my star and sun, my red-haired beauty. To what do i owe the pleasure?“, Tony grinned. With an exasperated sigh Pepper moved over to him. „You missed two board meetings, Tony. That’s very irresponsible. You should get a bit more serious about leading your company. You’re not 20 anymore, Tony.“ „Pep, you know i’m a busy man. I can’t keep up with everything, that’s why i have you. And you’re doing a great job by the way.“ Pepper handed him a stack of papers instead of answering. „What are those?“, Tony asked. „You’ll have to sign those if you want to keep the company running. They’re for business contracts with Tokyo and Singapore. I looked them over, they seem good to go but if you wanna add anything that can be arranged, just show up to the next board meeting, Tony.“

As Tony reached out to take the stack of papers he got distracted by his kid’s voice.
Sir, I found something. It seems a Thor that fits your description was checked into a hospital in New Mexico just an hour before the first internet post about the hammer was made. Should I arrange a jet for you, Sir?

Tony had to stop himself from answering directly. He could hear JARVIS talking in his head, but Pepper couldn’t. They had decided to keep it secret for now. While basic AI weren’t anything new on Midgard they didn’t have anything close to as advanced as JARVIS: Of course he could blame him being a genius for his creation but it’s easier if no one asks in the first place.

No, thanks. I think i’ll take the suit for a joyride. That’s been long overdue, don’t you think?

Most certainly, Sir. It seems Mr. Thor is staying with a Team of Scientists. Should I announce our arrival?

No, JARVIS, I think we’re gonna make it a surprise. Also I’m not sure yet if I even want to engage with him. Might be hard to explain why I’m here. After all I don’t think Odin would disclose what actually happened.

While Tony could communicate with his bots and JARVIS through some kind of technopathy, he usually just talked out loud into the room. It made him feel slightly less crazy. Obviously with Pepper around that wasn’t an option.

„Tony? You still there?“, Pepper started waving her hand in front of my face. Tony just realized how the golden light in his living room made her hair look like it’s standing in flames. Pepper looked fiery, the good kind of fiery. Although he wouldn’t want to stand in her way, ever.

„I’m sorry,“, he apologized, „i must’ve drifted off. Lots of new ideas in my head, you know me.“ Once again it was just easier to not disclose the whole truth.

She eyed him skeptically. Maybe he wasn’t as inconspicuous as he’d like to think he was. She seemed to shake it off though and added: „Just sign them, Tony.“ With a warm smile she turned around and left, presumably to go to another meeting or something similar. Tony wondered if Pepper ever took a break. He should make her go on vacation the next time he saw her.

Now that Pepper was gone, Tony started to consider his plan of action on what to do with Thor. They hadn’t met since Tony had to leave Asgard centuries ago. Before that he had been advisor to the king. He often spent his time teaching little Thor about life in court and later on how to woo the ladies.

Although Tony had to admit, he was always a bit more fond of Loki, Thor’s brother. The small black-haired child was full of a thirst for knowledge that could rival Tony’s own. He taught Loki magic, comforted him when he was bullied for being weaker than Thors friends and even took him on diplomatic missions across the realms when he was old enough to understand the subtlety needed in dealing with other cultures. He missed Loki a lot. Not for the first time he wondered how Loki fared. Was he alright? Would he recognize Tony after all this time? Would he be angry? Did he think Tony willingly abandoned him? He hoped not, Loki had always been a bit insecure and lost. Losing a teacher, no, a friend really, can’t have been easy on him. Thor and Loki were the equivalent of in the middle of their Teens when Tony was exiled. Tony had had no means of contacting them without being able to use his magic. Heimdall wouldn’t relay his messages, that would mean betraying his king and Tony knew he wouldn’t do that.

„Do you think they even want to see me?“, Tony asked in his empty living room. Suddenly everything seemed too wide, too empty, too alone. Tony hurried down to his workshop. His bots made him feel less alone. Like he was still worth something.

I think they must be insane if they wouldn’t want to see you, Sir.

„Hmm, thanks JARVIS, but I’m not too sure. What if Odin said I abandoned them? What if he told them why I was exiled? What if they hate me?“ Tony curled up on the small, dark blue couch he had in his workshop for those night where he was ready to pass out after another engineering binge (which happened rather often). „I.. I don’t want that.“

He stared at the ceiling, the light of his arc reactor illuminating the workshop. It’s moments like these when Tony felt the most broken, like he didn’t belong anywhere. Not on Asgard where they didn’t want him, not on Midgard, where he was so alone and not even his self-made family could seem to cheer him up. DUM-E was the first to approach his father. He touched his claw to Tony’s head and started making soft beeping sounds to comfort the engineer. Butterfingers and U rolled over as well, cheerily beeping along and juggling the present Pepper handed him some time ago. He hadn’t opened it yet. To be honest, he had completely forgotten it even existed. He reached out to take it. Under the watchful eyes, or rather arms, of his bots he tore the wrapping paper open to reveal a glass box.

Inside was his old arc reactor. The one he had told Pepper to get rid off. It was surrounded by a metal plate reading ‚Proof that Tony Stark has a heart‘. „Oh Pep..“, Tony whispered. Tony wasn’t alone. He had a family. He had Pepper and Rhodey. He even had Happy, the driver turned bodyguard was starting to be one of his closest friends. He had his bots, and he had JARVIS.

Ms. Potts is right, Sir. You have a heart. And I’m sure Thor knows that as well.

Thank you, J

Tony took a deep breath and sat up straight. „Thanks to you guys for being by my side“, he whispered to the bots. DUM-E seemed to want to cuddle closer while Butterfingers and U drove in happy circles around the workshop. Tony watched them with a big smile on his face. He really loved those mechanical kids.

„Up and at them, J.“ Tony clapped his hands to his knees, then went to the nearest suit. Mark VI was waiting for him. While the Palladium in his first arc reactor would’ve killed a human in the long run, it didn’t bother Tony at all. His Aesir organism could keep up with the poisoning easily. To keep up appearances though he looked for a replacement early enough. The synthesized Vibranium was doing a great job in keeping him going. The suit opened up and Tony stepped inside. It fit perfectly, what else could be expected from the god of creation and innovation. He felt the armor buzzing excitedly at the prospect of flying outside. The mask closed and the HUD popped up.

I advise using the southern exit, Sir. We have an estimated travel time of 8.3 minutes.

„Thanks, J. This is going to be fun!“, Tony grinned and started his thrusters, speeding out of the mansion. He flew a few looping in the air, he couldn’t help it. Flying was very freeing and Tony felt like it swept all his problems away.

Chapter 2: The Meeting

Chapter Text

The eight minute flight felt like seconds. Tony kept biting his bottom lip, worrying about what was going to happen once he faced his former student again. Thor and Loki had been more than just students though. Tony had felt like an uncle and later on more like a close friend to the two princes. „JARVIS, is this it?“, Tony asked once a lone house came into view.

It appears so, Sir.

Undecided Tony hovered in the air in front of the glass front of the house. The decision on whether to go through with it was taken away from him however, when the glass door slid open and a figure stepped outside. Was it Thor? No, that human’s way smaller than him. A quick google search with the help of the screen in his HUD revealed the human approaching him as Darcy Lewis, an assistant for astrophysicist Jane Foster. She was openly gaping at him. When she seemed to regain her thoughts she quickly tried to cover up her surprise, turned around and screamed: „Jane! Jane, you have to see this!“ Turning back to Tony she whispered: „It’s really you, isn’t it? Are we in trouble? I swear she didn’t want to run him over.“ She had a very apologetic and slightly guilty look on her face and Tony wondered what had happened.

He didn’t get to ask for details though since Jane used that exact moment to stomp outside the house with an annoyed „What is it this time, Darcy?“ on her lips. When she spotted the Iron Man armor in front of her assistant she also seemed to loose control of her jaw muscles. „How..? Iron Man?“, she stuttered. Then her whole demeanor changed and she raised her finger: „You’re not getting all my research.“

„Ms Foster, I assure you, I do not need nor want your research. I am here because it seems like you found something..or should i say someONE rather interesting?“

Jane was sure the man (or woman, she didn’t want to assume) behind the armor was raising their eyebrow. Iron Man had become some kind of a myth. There were small snippets of video recording that she had seen but somehow every bit of data that surfaced was deleted almost immediately after it was uploaded. No one knew who it was behind the mask, that didn’t stop people from speculating though. Some said it might’ve been Justin Hammer’s idea but everyone who had one of his products could testify that he wouldn’t have the ability to make something this..elegant and efficient. Some say it’s Tony Stark - slightly more believable if you asked her. A few other speculations she found quite interesting were some guy named Aldrich Killian and even an employee of Stark Industries called Quentin Beck. Whoever it was, they clearly were a genius. With the armor hovering right in front of her she was able to see all of the details worked into the mechanical suit and she was thoroughly impressed.

She knew who Iron Man was talking about. Of course she did, after all it wasn’t often that they happened to run over a muscular, blond, may-be-a-god. „He’s inside.“, she admitted. Obviously the person behind the armor already knew they were here so what was the point of lying about it. That doesn’t mean she would just let a stranger barge into their house without knowing why. „What do you want with him?“, then another thought struck her: „Do you know something about the Einstein-Rosen bridge?“

She must be talking about the Bifrost

Very likely, Sir. Do you intend to tell her the truth?

I’m not sure yet, JARVIS. Maybe it’s better they don’t know. Seems like Thor didn’t spill the tea yet either. Or they might think he’s just talking crazy. ‚Space-Vikings creating magic rainbow bridges to other realms‘ isn’t the most sane sounding thing to humans.

I trust you’ll make the right decision, Sir.

„I want to talk to your guest, if that’s alright with you, Ms Foster. I would also like some privacy, so you and your group leaving the premises would be greatly appreciated.“ Tony hoped she would just agree to leave, he really didn’t want to argue right now.

Jane seemed like she wanted to protest and had already taken a step forward when Darcy jumped in: „Sure, Mr Iron Man…Ms Iron Man..? Anyways, we’re just gonna leave now. Erik’s probably at the pub, he’ll want some updates on the new data anyways. Ba-bye!“ She waved her hand and with the other one she dragged a protesting Jane Foster away. „Darcy, we don’t even know what he’s gonna do!“ was the last thing Tony heard before entering the building. He made sure to release a small drone that would keep watch and alert him if anyone was to come back. If he was gonna meet Thor he might as well do it outside of his armor. Taking a deep breath and steeling his resolve, Tony stepped out of the suit and walked further into the house.
He had to admit it was a lovely place. The color scheme felt warm and homey. There was no sign of Thor yet.

J, do you get anything?

Yes, Sir. In fact..

A loud thump and the unpleasant sound of glass breaking startled the genius god and made him jump in the air. „What the…“, Tony started. He didn’t have time for any further comments on the audacity of someone scaring him like that before he was enveloped in a rib crushing hug. Once again Tony was thankful for his aesir biology or else this would’ve really hurt. He was still trying to wriggle out of this sudden hug he found himself in when he heard a small sob. That sob turned into full out crying soon enough and Tony felt the back of his Black Sabbath shirt getting wet.

„You.. you’re alive! Anton, you’re alive!“, the voice got interrupted by some hiccuping sobs, „We.. we thought you were d-dead. Loki and I.. we didn’t.. why? Why Anton? Why d-did you leave us?“

There was no one else in this universe with that voice. Hearing Thor, his beloved little Thor, the kid who fought a bilgesnipe cub when he was only 10 just to prove he was brave, cry like that broke Tony’s heart. They didn’t just think he had left them, they thought he had died. They must’ve been devastated. Tony tried to turn around to face Thor, who by now towered over him with his impressive height (no, Tony was not small, thank you very much). His blonde locks fell in wet strands around his face and the watering eyes that looked up to Tony made it seem like he was still just a child.

„It’s..it’s really you! I, no, we missed you, Anton“, Thor sniffed.

Tony couldn’t resist, he grabbed Thors shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. „I missed you too, Thor. Both of you. Believe me when I say I never wanted to leave you. I..there’s been some things that happened.. but.. it doesn’t matter anyways. I’m glad to see you again.“ The engineer felt a hot tear make its way down his cheek. „I really, really missed you guys.“

After what felt like an eternity but still wasn’t long enough, Thor started shifting in place, gathering himself and loosening his grip on Tony. Thor’s blue eyes caught Tonys brown ones and one thought flashed through Tony’s mind: „You’ve grown so much.“ Tony had to laugh at the absurdity of their situation. Two grown men crying and hugging all because of some separation issues. Apparently Thor had similar thoughts because he joined in. „It’s so good to see you, old friend“, added Thor after calming down enough to maneuver them both onto the velvet red couch.

Sir, it seems SHIELD figured out Thor has something to do with mjolnir. They are on their way. Estimated arrival time: 10 minutes.

„Damn it!“, Tony cursed. It’s not enough time, I need more time with Thor. Do you think you can stall them, J?

Of course, Sir. I shall stall them as long as I can.

Thanks, JARVIS.

„What is it?“

„What?“

„You just damned something and then had a dreamy look on your face.“

„It’s n-nothing“, Tony stumbled. Then he realized that he could actually tell Thor about his bots, about JARVIS. With the beginning of a grin forming on his face, he said: „You know what, actually it was something. You remember how i could always feel my creations, even long after i had crafted them?“, he didn’t wait for an answer, „well, turns out, i was able to use some midgardian technology to make them truly sentient. Now i can actually communicate with them, Thor. Can you imagine?! I was talking to one of mine, his name his JARVIS.“ Tony felt a wave of pride and adoration from his AI. „You should totally meet him. I bet you’d get along, he’s just as much of a protective big brother to his siblings as you are.“

It took a moment for Thor to work through all the information Tony had just given him. A sentient machine, a wonder worthy of a god indeed. He had always admired Antons skills in the forge and he was sure his newer creations would be just as fascinating. „I would love to meet the one you speak so fondly of. I’m sure we have many stories to tell.“

Thor paused for a moment, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Finally, sitting up straight, he inquired: „If you did not want to leave, why did you? Why go to Midgard of all places? Why didn’t you ever try to contact us?“ The god of thunder appeared more agitated with each word. „We waited, for a long time. Waited for some sign of life, for anything to disprove what father had told us, but you were gone. And we accepted it. It took centuries, but we did it. And now you’re.. you’re back and I don’t know if I should be angry at you or incredibly happy. Tell me, Anton, why?“

Tony didn’t particularly enjoy being put on the spot like that. He knew Thor deserved an explanation, both brothers did. He put a comforting hand on Thors shoulder and readied himself for the inescapable conversation. „I..I didn’t leave, i was banished.“

Tony took a deep breath, holding eye contact with the very attentively listening Thor. „Odin banished me, sealed my magic and sent me to Midgard.“ The words were rushed and far too fast but Thor didn’t seem to mind. His shocked expression did let Tony know that his revelation was quite unexpected though. When Thors eyes changed from shocked surprise to grim determination, Tony knew he was going to ask about the reason behind his banishment. Before Tony was able to come up with some very creative, and probably extremely unbelievable, excuse as to why he wasn’t able to tell Thor more about it, they heard a hard knock on the porch.

„This is Agent Coulson from SHIELD. Put your arms above your heads and get out of the house, now. You are surrounded. We know you’re in there Iron Man and we also know about your norse friend. Come out now and we won’t have to use less pleasant methods to get you ourselves.“

Chapter 3: Home?

Chapter Text

I’m sorry, Sir. I tried to stop them but they seem to have found a way to temporarily kick me out of their networks.

It’s alright, J. We’ll just have to think of something.

Suddenly the beautiful house felt more like a prison than a home. While Tony was still pondering about how to get out of this situation, Thor apparently decided the best approach would be to simply walk up to them and explain his authority as god of thunder.

„Now, now, midgardian warriors. There’s no need for taking any action against me and my friend. I am Thor Odinson, god of thunder, if you bow down now I’ll forget this frankly insulting incident.“

The armor, piloted by JARVIS, hurried over to where Thor was standing just seconds ago.

I thought you might need this suit to deal with our guests, Sir. You should get inside while Mr Odinson is still inadvertently distracting them.

Tony stepped into his Iron Man armor and went after Thor to stop him from blabbering about any more information than necessary. The agents had apparently remained on their respective positions and Coulson added in a very unimpressed voice: „Hands above your head, Mr. Odinson. We do not care whether you’re the god of thunder or the king of Wakanda. SHIELD is going to take you in. We have some important questions and would prefer it if you came with us peacefully.“

When their gazes shifted to the red and gold armor surfacing behind Thor, Tony had an idea. He held up his hands as if surrendering and took a few steps forward.

„Don’t breathe“, he ordered Thor before deploying one of the miniature smoke bombs stored in his shoulder plates.

The effect was instantaneous. Red smoke (it was his favorite color after all) rushed out of the small container and quickly enveloped the surrounding area. Tony heard a few agents gasp and shout in surprise but he didn’t pay them any attention. The smoke would not actually hurt them although it was laced with a small dose of a strong sedative that would slow down their reaction time.

Seizing the moment of confusion created by the smoke bomb Tony used the infrared function of his suit to properly locate Thor. He grabbed the blond god with one arm and used the other one as well as his thruster boots to set off into the evening sky.

JARVIS, ready a guest room in the mansion.

Already working on it. Shall I order some dinner as well, Sir?

A quick glance at the HUD notified Tony that it was already half past 6pm. Before he was able to answer his son, Thor chimed in: „Who are you, metal man? Set me down this instant! Those common warriors need to learn to show some respect to a foreign prince.“

When Tony didn’t seem to react to his inquiry, Thor started to wriggle out of Iron Mans grip.

„What are you doing? Do you want us to crash?“

„I’m trying to get back to those guys you covered in some kind of red magic.“

„That wasn’t magic, it’s.. you know what, nevermind. You can’t go back there. They’ll try to imprison you and if they do they’ll want answers. And believe me, they won’t be happy if you refuse.“

„That does not matter. My friend is still there. I can not leave him. Now, set me down, mortal!“

Tony rolled his eyes and opened his face mask. The wind rushed in his face and made it hard to see where they were flying.

„Thor, it’s me, you oaf. Now stop struggling and let me get us home.“, noticing the surprised and fascinated look on Thors face, Tony added: „I promise to explain more once we’re there.“

Thor huffed annoyed but finally seized resisting. The face mask snapped back down.

„We’ll get there in about 6 minutes.“. If Thor was honest the mechanical voice and the emotionless features of the mask made him feel uneasy. He rather preferred talking to his friends face to face. Anton must have even more stories to tell than Thor had expected.

Both of them got really quiet after that. It was a beautiful night, the stars shone bright and there was not a single cloud in sight. The remaining six minute flight felt like an eternity. Tony was already making plans on a new midgardian identity for Thor, he was convinced the less people knew about alien gods the better. Meanwhile Thor was thinking about his own banishment and how to get back to Asgard, preferably with mjolnir in his hands and Anton at his side.

The sun just started to disappear beyond the horizon when they arrived at Tonys mansion. They landed on the rooftop since actually flying inside the house was out of the question with a passenger to hold on to. As soon as the armor made contact with the rooftop, panels started to open and small robotic arms began removing it piece by piece.

„So this is your home, Anton? For a midgardian home it surely looks impressive, my friend. Where do you keep your beer? We should not exchange our stories without sufficient beverages.“

The fact that Tony really didn’t look forward to his part in the sharing stories thing meant he was completely on board with getting a bit drunk (or a lot). As the last piece of armor was removed he told JARVIS to get the strongest midgardian beer he could find. Now that Thor knew he was here, maybe he could bring him some elfish mead from one of Alfheims renowned breweries. While he could get drunk on midgardian alcohol, he would have to drink a lot of it. There’s also no better drink than elfish mead in all the nine realms.

„I completely agree, point break. Come with me, JARVIS is preparing everything. I ordered some italian food for us. Well, J did all the ordering but you know what i mean.“

Not waiting for a reply Tony strode through the sliding glass door on his rooftop. Thor shrugged the unfamiliar nickname off and followed Anton inside. The way he trailed behind the genius made Thor think back to his days as a child, when he and Anton used to take secret strolls through the city. His father hadn’t allowed the princes to leave the palace out of fear that something might happen to them out on the streets. Thor and Loki had begged and cried to no avail. Not even Anton, as the kings personal advisor, could change Odins mind. Anton was adamant about the importance of getting to know the people and their every day lives though.Which is why they started sneaking out of the palace. They discovered quite a few secret passages that Thor was sure not even his father knew about. The following secret walks through the lower city we’re a regular part of their lessons and both princes loved and appreciated them. Thinking about their shared past made a smile flick over his face.

JARVIS, the silent guardian protocols are offline unless someone besides Thor and myself is in the building.

Alright, Sir.

How about you introduce yourself, J?

„Welcome to Malibu, Mr. Odinson. I am JARVIS. Just a rather very intelligent system.“

Tony sneakily glanced to Thor just fast enough so see him jerk back in surprise. He tried to smother a laugh when he noticed the other gods mystified glances at the ceiling.

„Greetings, JARVIS. So you are the one Anton told me about. Where are you? Show yourself so i may get to know you properly.“ He stopped in the hallway and seemed to wait for some kind of physical being to appear out of nowhere.

„I’m afraid I do not possess a corporeal form, Mr. Odinson. I feel the need to point out that I do not require a body to protect what is important to me.“

JARVIS voice got more mechanical, even emotionless at the end. That last sentence made Tony pause. Was JARVIS threatening a god for him? Oh hel, he totally was.

J, you’re the best.

Tony couldn’t help but grin. He might not have a home on Asgard anymore but he sure as hell had a family right here.

„I did not intend to offend you. I apologize if that was the case. I can assure you i would never hurt Anton. He’s a shield brother and a very good friend.“

While Thor explained himself he let his gaze wander around the hallway which was frustratingly bare, a vast contrast to the golden halls of Asgards royal palace. With nothing else to focus on, his eyes went for Tony. He had to admit the other god looked exactly like he did when he suddenly disappeared all those centuries ago. His dark brown mop of hair reminded Thor of a specific tree they had on Asgard and his warm eyes still had that golden glimmer that had made him very popular with the ladies on Asgard even though he practiced magic, an art not appreciated by most aesir warriors. Thor didn’t have anything against magic, how could he, he fought with a magic hammer. Well, he had fought with it, now he just had to find a way to get mjolnir back again.

„In fact, I’d like to get the whole story from Anton himself first, then I will talk to my father about lifting the banishment on our dear Anton. He has been away from home for too long.“

Thor was able to see the shock in Antons eyes. He also recognized when his eyes darkened and Anton tried to pretend he wasn’t as affected as he actually was. He easily recognized the turmoil of emotions that went on inside the engineer, after all he had grown up admiring the older god. Whatever had happened, Thor swore he would stand by Antons side.

Tony had never considered going back to the golden realm. Technically he would be allowed to if Thor managed to convince Odin to lift the ban (to be honest Tony didn’t think Odin would ever budge on his decision). Did he even want to though? His family was on Earth. He’s lived on Midgard for centuries now and he liked it - liked the humans and their determination for change, liked the identity he had made for himself and it didn’t hurt that he preferred AC/DC to the bards at Asgards elaborate fiests.

„I..I don’t think that’s a good idea, big guy.“, Tony paused as if he wanted to add something. He must’ve decided against it because he shrugged and left Thor standing in the hallway, claiming the food would get cold if they wouldn’t get their asses to the kitchen immediately.

Thor stayed behind and quietly asked JARVIS: „Did I say something wrong?“

„Mr. Odinson, I think you should ask him yourself. I don’t think Sir had ever even seriously considered returning even if I’m sure he often wanted to. Keep in mind that I’m telling you all this because I think you’re good for him. Do not make me regret trusting you.“

Chapter 4: The Talk

Chapter Text

JARVIS, do you think i should go back to Asgard..? Not now, just..ever?

I think it would be wise to consider the shortness of a human lifespan compared to your own, Sir. Assuming you have Thor by your side, going back to Asgard should not be a problem. There is also the added benefit of meeting Loki again.

Maybe you’re right..at least considering long term affairs. Soon Thor will be king of Asgard and Odin will be nothing more than a bad memory anyways.

Tony approached the heap of italian take out that had been dropped off on his kitchen table. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the picture frame next to his kitchen appliances. It was a picture from one of the military fundraisers he had been invited to. There was Rhodey, laughing alongside him. Pepper had given him that picture frame for his 35th birthday.

I won’t leave them, J. I can’t leave my family again. I had no choice with Thor and Loki, but I do now.

„Anton, my friend, this smells delicious. What is it?“, Thor asked as he stormed into the kitchen. He must’ve decided to let Tony be for now because he didn’t mention what had happened before.

As Tony watched Thor he noticed the god was wearing what looked like someone else’s clothes. They didn’t fit properly and made Thor look even more out of place.

Would you mind ordering some clothes for our guest, J? Something a bit more fitting and maybe a suit or two? We don’t know how long he’s going to be here and everybody should own a suit.

Of course, Sir. A box with Mr. Odinsons new attire should arrive tomorrow morning.

Pointing towards the bags of food Tony answered: „It’s mostly pasta, some seafood, you’re going to love it, big guy. It’s a shame really, that Asgard never had much interest in the other realms cuisines. Help me get this to the couch over there while I get the booze from the basem*nt.“

Thor nodded and started carrying the take out boxes to the living room. He sat down on a beige loveseat and surveyed the room while he waited for Anton to return. There was a big black box fixed on the wall, what that was for he didn’t know. There was also a piano next to him. He knew the instrument from the time Loki had told him about Midgard because ‚It’s important to get to know the realms you are going to rule over, brother.‘. He remembered thinking about how much his brother had reminded him of Anton that day. Lost in his memories, Thor didn’t realize when the older god came back and only snapped out of it at the sound of glass bottles hitting the table.

„You still with us?“, Tony quipped, „Let’s eat first, I haven’t had solid food for.. JARVIS how long ago was that?“

„Approximately 22 hours, Sir. I recommend eating more regularly.“

„Yeah, yeah. I don’t have time for that, J. Anyways, I’m hungry, so dig in!“

When even the last piece of food had been devoured they had drunk more beer than any human would’ve been able to handle. The asgardians didn’t feel anything more than maybe a little bit tipsy.

Tony was the first one to break the ensuing silence: „Soo, why are you even on earth? Not that I’m complaining, it’s great to see you again. And why is mjolnir sitting in a ditch in New Mexico?“

Thor flinched at the mention of his hammer. He stopped staring down his empty plate and shifted his gaze towards Tony. His serious expression made Tony worry about what he was going to say.

„Ah, you see, I was supposed to be king of Asgard by now.“, Thor paused and Tonys interest was definitely piqued by now. After taking another gulp of his beer he continued: „Frost giants interrupted the ceremony. They entered the vault and were killed by the destroyer. I wanted revenge, wanted to react to this act of war from the frost giants, go to Jotunheim and fight them myself but father forbade it. The warriors three, lady Sif, Loki and I went anyways.“

„You did WHAT? You went to Jotunheim with just five other people? Thor, that was very irresponsible! You could’ve died! Jotuns aren’t generally known for their hospitality and if you went there with the intention of war I’m sure they weren’t pleased. Loki agreed to this madness?“, Tony was shocked to say the least. Not only wouldn’t he have expected Thor to risk the lives of his fellow shield brothers, he also would’ve thought Loki would’ve been able to talk some sense into Thor. What had happened to those two? Of course Tony had expected them to have changed in all those years, how could they not have, but this was very atypical for them both.

„No, he didn’t. He also didn’t try to stop me. I think he might have told Heimdall to alert father of our plans when we left through the bifrost. I’m very thankful for that, in fact I see now that he was right. Attacking Jotunheim straight away was a bold and incredibly stupid move and I should’ve considered my actions and their consequences more carefully. Instead I recklessly endangered my friends and for what? For Laufey to openly declare war on Asgard.“, Thor scoffed, „I was wrong and now I can’t do anything to make up for my mistakes.“ He clenched his fists and took another swig from his glass.

„Odin took my powers and mjolnir away from me, he banished me to earth and now he ignores my pleas. Heimdall won’t react to me either. Not being able to do something, to help, it’s frustrating, Anton. I don’t know what I should do.“, Thor admitted sheepishly. He wasn’t used to not being the guy with a plan. The god decided he could live happily without ever feeling this helpless again. And yet, if there was anyone he was comfortable admitting his worries to, it was Anton.

After a few seconds of silence had passed Tony had finally figured out what he wanted to say: „That’s a lot, Thor, but I get it. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s what you do about them that counts. It was wrong to attack a whole planet because of the actions of a few individuals, it was reckless and foolish and you should have listened to your father this once, Thor. I hope you truly understand that now.“

Thor felt a bit like a child getting scolded but he could hear the fondness seeping through Antons voice. It was a warm feeling he would never forget. While his father had always been cold and his mother wasn’t there for her children all that often, Anton had always been the comforting person the princes would turn to if they had any problems or worries. He was also the god that most often had to scold the two kids after another one of their misplaced pranks on visiting royals or arrogant ladies.

Unaware of Thor briefly getting lost in his memories, Tony continued: „I am sure Odin is doing everything in his power to stop a possible war between Asgard and Jotunheim. If Asgard would be in serious danger I’m sure Odin would bring you back, banishment or not. So there’s no need to worry too much about it.“

If Tony was honest, he wasn’t completely sure if Odin would bring Thor back. After all the old geezer could be extremely stubborn if he wanted to. If Odin felt he was in the right he wouldn’t change his mind that easily. In case an actual full out war were to happen they would definitely notice something though, even on Midgard. The nine realms belonged together, something big, like a war between them, would cause ripples along Yggdrasil and Tony would be able to feel it. There hadn’t been anything like that since the last war Odin fought with Jotunheim.

„Surely you’re right, Anton. I just can’t seem to get any rest not knowing what’s going on back home. But enough of me, old friend, what happened to you?“

There it was, the part he wanted to avoid. „Wait a second“, Tony lifted his finger, ran over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. A good one, single malt irish whiskey that probably cost a fortune. Tony didn’t know how much exactly, it wasn’t like he had to watch every penny he spent on stupid things like pretentiously expensive alcohol. He gulped the glass down and poured himself a second one. Way better.

„Okay, so first off, as long as we’re on earth it’s Tony, not Anton. I’ve been Tony Stark the last few decades and I like it. So please, stick to that at least when we’re not alone. The red and gold armor you saw earlier is also mine. I made it a few years ago after an incident with my weapons and some terrorists. The armor is known as Iron Man and the humans don’t know it’s me in there so I’d appreciate you keeping quiet about that bit of information, alright?“, he paused just long enough to make eye contact with Thor. After getting a nod from the younger god he continued with his hurried explanation. It was obvious Tony wanted to get through this as soon a possible.

„I’ve been basically stranded on earth ever since I had to leave Asgard. Midgard isn’t a place people from other realms visit frequently. I’ve met some, here and there but they never seemed to stay long enough to warrant my trust, or else I might have sent a message to you.“ Tony got a sad look on his face. He had felt very lonely those first decades on another realm, with no friends or allies to speak of, no home and no comfort from anywhere.

„The norns must’ve been on my side since I had one of my illusion amulets with me when Odin banished me. It helped me alter my appearance to mortal eyes without relying on my magic. That was how I had multiple identities over the years. At first I kept to myself as much as possible. Howard Stark was the first identity I actually tried to accomplish something as. I built my own company, sold some of my inventions to the military and suddenly everyone in America seemed to know who I was. And I’d be lying if i said I didn’t like it.“, Tony smirked. All that attention and adoration was as close as he could get to being worshipped as a god. It made him feel less alone.

„So I decided to keep it going. When Howard got too old I let him die, and Tony Stark emerged. The long lost son of a true american patriot. The people easily believed my story. I kept my company, I continued building what came to my mind and that’s how I spent the past twenty years or so. I got myself some friends, family really.“

Tony smiled and thought about his first meeting with the woman who pepper sprayed some dude sexually harassing her while she was on her way to Stark Industries. Tony had seen it happen from the distance and when he came close enough to ask her if she was okay she had already disappeared into the building. He was pleasantly surprised to see her again in the interview for the position of personal assistant to Tony Stark. Starting on that day she was known as Pepper.

He must’ve been daydreaming longer than he thought because Thor took the pause as his cue to continue the conversation.

„Aye, it seems to me you have created a second home for you here on Midgard. I’m very glad to hear that you haven’t been alone all this time, Anton. I just don’t understand, what would bring my father to go as far as banishing his most trusted advisor? I had not noticed any hard feelings between you both while you were still with us.“

Tony sighed and took a small sip of his whiskey glass. „You see, it wa-“

„Sir, I detect unusual energy spikes right next to you. I don’t know what’s causing them.“

The air to the right of Thor started to shimmer. There was some green mist rapidly solidifying right before a man appeared in it’s place. He had jet black hair falling in waves down to his shoulders and he was wearing an impeccably fitting green suit. Tony immediately recognized the figure that had appeared. Before he was able to react, the man began to speak.

„Thor, brother, I come bearing grave news. Father, he-“, The black haired god paused once he noticed that Thor wasn’t alone. He looked shocked, like a deer caught in the headlights. „Anton?“

Chapter 5: Loki

Chapter Text

There were lots of thoughts running through Tonys head in that moment. Thoughts like ‚He’s grown so much‘, ‚I’m so glad to see him again‘, ‚Is he going to hate me?‘, ‚What happened to Odin?‘ and some more intelligent thoughts like ‚Lokiiii!‘. Unfortunately only the latter seemed to make it past Tony’s lips.

„Loki.“, he whispered. If all the assembled gods hadn’t had superhuman hearing they probably wouldn’t have heard the following „I’ve missed you“ coming from the black haired god. When he seemed to realize what he just said, Lokis stance changed, he straightened up looking more formal than Tony had ever seen him before. His gaze hardened, his face became an emotionless mask in a manner so practiced that Tony worried about how often Loki had had to hide himself, then he cleared his throat.

Loki decidedly didn’t catch Tonys eyes again and instead turned to his brother. „Thor, it seems to me you have company. I will leave you to it and come back at a later time.“, Lokis mask seemed to crack and his voice wavered as he quietly asked: „If you knew he was alive, why didn’t you tell me? I had the right to know.“

Loki disappeared in a small cloud of dark green mist just as Tony got enough of a grip on himself to stand up and call after him: „Loki! No, wait!“

It had been too late. The black haired god was already gone and the other two stared baffled at the slowly dissolving mist. „He.. he left. Did he think you’ve known about me all this time? Thor, that’s horrible. We have to tell him the truth.“

Tony was horrified. Now Loki would surely hate him. If he truly thought Thor had known all along, he must feel so betrayed right now. Now more than ever Tony wished for his magic back. That way he would’ve been able to do something, maybe go after Loki or maybe he could’ve stopped him from leaving in the first place. Tony started pacing up and down his living room trying to figure out how to right this situation.

„Agreed, Anton. I can’t believe Loki would think me capable of doing such a thing. Had I known of your whereabouts he would’ve been the first to know.“, Thor shook his head not being able to grasp why his brother would jump to this conclusion so easily. Had something happened on Asgard while he was away? Loki had mentioned their father, he wondered if the All-father was alright.

After another minute without either of them saying something, JARVIS decided to intervene.

„If I may, Sir, Loki had mentioned coming back to talk to Thor. To me it looks like your best option is waiting for him to come back to you. With your magic bound and Thor still exiled from Asgard there doesn’t seem to be much you can do.“

JARVIS was right. That didn’t mean waiting got any easier. After another five minutes of restless pacing and worrying Tony decided he needed something to do to take his mind off of things. He turned to the god of thunder still staring at the place Loki had disappeared from.

„Hey, Thor, I’m going to go down to my workshop, alright? You can stay here, maybe watch something on TV - JARVIS can show you how. Or J can show you to your room if you’d prefer to get some rest, I’m sure this was an exiting and tiring day for you as well. If you need something just ask, JARVIS will make sure to help. Oh, and Thor, if- no, when Loki shows up, please tell him the truth. Maybe tell him that I’d like to see him as well, yeah?“

„I’ll make sure to tell him. Anton, Loki will see reason. I don’t know what happened to make him this on edge but whatever it is, in the end Loki will see the truth. He won’t miss out on spending time with you for much longer than he already has. I’m sure of it.“

Despite Thor seeming very convinced about his claim, Tony couldn’t help but doubt it. There was a deep hurt in Lokis voice that he had never heard from the god before. With a noncommittal shrug Tony turned and fled down to his basem*nt.

After Tony had downed at least 5 cups of coffee he was still working on details on his armor. The Iron Man project always made Tony feel giddy and exited. He never suffered a lack of ideas on what to improve and upgrade on his next suit. Tony was so immersed in his work that hours passed without him noticing. As he grabbed a hammer to form a piece of metal he suddenly remembered the god upstairs.

J, what time is it? And how is our resident god of thunder doing? After a short pause he added: Did Loki show up yet?

It is currently 02:33am, Sir. Mr. Odinson went to his room approximately four hours ago, before that he watched a nature documentary on wildlife in Canada. He seemed to be doing well. My sensors haven’t picked up on Lokis energy signature yet. I can notify you when it happ- Sir, there is a spike in energy levels at the workshop entrance.

By the time Tony had turned to the door Loki was already leaning against it, a casual mask on his face. Before any of them said a word they took their time to really take in the other god. Lokis long hair looked more disheveled than the day before, his green suit had been exchanged for a beige tunic and loose emerald green pants. Tony could see the hurt in Lokis eyes. The betrayal and frustration. He decided he preferred Lokis strikingly green eyes when they were not darkened by these negative emotions and contoured by dark eye bags.

Loki was the first to break the silence: „Anton, or should I say Tony Stark? I’ve read a bit about you. I’ve been trying to figure out why you would rather live your life on Midgard than be by my - and that oaf Thors - side. Although you seemed to have no problem staying in touch with the golden poster child of Asgard.“ Bitterness was seeping through Lokis voice and Tony wanted nothing more than to go over and hug the younger god until it was all gone.

„Oh Loki, you’re getting this all wrong. I didn’t voluntarily leave Asgard and I haven’t been keeping in contact with your brother either.“ Tony didn’t miss how Loki had flinched when his brother was mentioned. The god of mischief raised an eyebrow and waved his hand for Tony to continue. The older god was sure he recognized a small shimmer of hope in Lokis eyes.

Tony told Loki about how he had met Thor yesterday for the first time in centuries and saw the god visibly relax at that. He told him everything he had told Thor just hours earlier. He rushed through all the information, meanwhile he was keeping a close eye on Loki.

When he was done he took a deep breath and anxiously waited for the other god to give some kind of reaction. The workshop felt too quiet, every second way too long.

Then, just when Tony was about to ask the other god to say something, Loki disappeared.

He didn’t stay away for long though since he reappeared two seconds later - this time right in front of Tony.

Once again the older god was enveloped in a rib crushing hug. If this was going to become a regular thing Tony might have to wear his underarmor daily after all.

„Just so you know, I didn’t miss you leaving out the reason for Odin banishing you. I’m very glad you’re alive though, Anton. I missed you dearly.“, Loki whispered in Tonys neck.

Feeling all the tension seeping out of him, Tony returned the hug and relaxed into Lokis embrace. They stayed together until JARVIS chimed in.

„Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt, but the director of SHIELD just called to schedule a meeting with you for today at 5pm. Should we decline?“

Tony reluctantly peeled himself out of Lokis arms and awkwardly cleared his throat. „No, J, let’s see what they want first. We can always send them home after.“ While he was answering JARVIS he noticed something else: „J, the silent guardian protocols didn’t exclude Loki yet.“

„Your meeting with SHIELD director Nicholas Fury is scheduled for later today. I’d recommend getting some sleep before then. Sir, as a learning AI I felt it was appropriate to make certain decisions by myself. Since Loki, like Thor, knows about your true identity it made no sense to keep myself secret.

„Smartass.“, Tony mumbled.

„I hear the apple does not fall far from the tree, Sir.“

Tony let out a laugh at that. When his eyes landed on Loki, he recognized the confusion about the new voice that had suddenly started talking.

„Loki, that was JARVIS, artificial intelligence, one of my creations and sort of my kid. He doesn’t have a body but he can see, hear and do pretty much everything anyways.“ As always when Tony talked about his kids he was grinning with pride.

„Hello, Mr. Odinson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.“

At the mention of ‚Odinson‘ Loki had flinched again, even though he covered it up right away. Not fast enough for Tony to miss it though.

„It’s nice to meet you as well, JARVIS. Would you mind just calling me Loki instead, please.“

„Of course, Loki. I’ll ready a guest room for you.“

When Loki looked like he might protest, Tony stepped in: „Stay, please. There’s so much we should talk about and I don’t want you to leave yet. We’ve only just met again.“

Loki held eye contact with Tony for a few moments, contemplating the consequences of staying away from Asgard for another day. He decided it was worth it if he could spend more time with Anton instead.

„Okay. For now I’ll stay.“

Chapter 6: The Banishment

Chapter Text

When Tony woke up the first thing he noticed was that he felt like he was being watched. He stayed very still, pretending to be asleep, and tried to figure out who it might be. The memories of what happened before he fell asleep flooded his mind. How he got Thor from New Mexico and how Loki showed up, how Loki said he’d stay and how they had reminisced about the old times on Asgard for an hour before going to bed. Separately. Tony was pretty sure Loki had gone up to his guest room.

Suspiciously Tony blinked his eyes open. The workshop was still dark (yes, he had fallen asleep on the couch in his workshop again).

„JARVIS, give me some light please.“

The blinding white light burned in his eyes while Tony was getting up from the couch. There, on the other side of the workshop stood a person. Tony squinted and identified the other god as Loki.

„Loki, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?“, Tony asked, admittedly a little worried and maybe a bit creeped out - you don’t just sneak into a room where someone is sleeping.

The black haired god, still in the same attire from yesterday, looked a bit uncomfortable. „I..I wasn’t able to sleep. So I thought you might still be awake. I see I shouldn’t have presumed. That was very rude of me. I just.. I had to make sure you were still here.“ The quiet, honest tone in Lokis voice broke Tonys heart.

„It’s alright, Loki. Come on, let’s go up to the kitchen. I need some coffee. You probably prefer some tea, huh? No worries though, Pepper makes me buy some for her regularly.“ Tony stalked over to Loki, grabbed his hand and dragged the surprised god up the workshop stairs.

The older god had to admit that unfortunately, just like alcohol, coffee didn’t do all that much for him. He liked the taste though so he stuck with it.

In the kitchen a blonde god was already sitting at the counter, peacefully drinking a beer and eating a pop-tart. For one thing, Tony never would understand how someone could drink beer for breakfast and additionally in combination with a sweet pop-tart? What a strange combination. And for another, he was pretty sure he didn’t even own pop-tarts. Thor must’ve told JARVIS to get some.

„Good morning, point break! Had a good nights sleep? I see you’ve ordered some food?“

Thor looked up from taking a hearty bite out of his strawberry pop-tart and grinned: „Aye, Anton. Those popped tarts are a true delicacy, my friend. And the bed in the guest room was-„, Thor stopped mid sentence to stare at the god behind Tony. „Loki, I see you’re back. I assure you I didn’t know about Anton or I would’ve told you right away.“

Chapter 7: Jotun

Chapter Text

Thor looked about as confused as Tony felt. He had expected lots of reactions, Loki crying and then fleeing hadn’t been one of them.

„Maybe you should go see if he’s alright, Anton. I get the feeling he doesn’t want me there right now.“ The blonde god seemed a quite sad about that admission. There was no way Tony would protest though. He didn’t hesitate to storm off in the direction of the stairs once he realized that something was definitely off about Loki. If even Thor had realized something wasn’t right Tony had to admit he was getting a bit worried.

The door to Lokis guest room was closed, thanks to the soundproofed doors in his mansion there was no way of telling what was going on inside. Tony took a deep breath, feeling the arc reactor straining against his ribcage. He knocked on the door and waited.

It took a few minutes where nothing happened, then Tony saw the handle turning. The door swung open, revealing a pristinely clean room and one disheveled looking god. A disheveled looking BLUE god. Lokis - and it was definitely Lokis face looking back at him - red eyes anxiously watched Tony.

He must have been standing there staring at Loki (JOTUN LOKI!) for too long because the younger god started to look dejected and resigned and tried to hide behind the now closing door.

Tony quickly put his foot in the door. „Loki, wait! I didn’t mean to stare. You’re a Jotun. You’re… how come I never knew. Wait, since when did you know? You look so..“

„Hideous, I know. I found out on the trip to Jotunheim, when a frost giant grabbed me while we were fighting. Then my arm turned this damned color.“, Loki scoffed. Tony thought the way Lokis nose had scrunched up was adorable but there was no way he would accept someone talking about Loki this way, not even the god himself.

„What? No, Loki, no, not hideous.“, Tony interjected. „Beautiful, I was going to say you look stunning. You’re the most amazing shade of blue I’ve ever seen on a Jotun. And your eyes..you know red has always been my favorite color, Loki.“ Tony winked.

J, did I just wink to Loki? Have I gone the flirting route with my former mentee right after he revealed some possibly life changing secret?

Surely looks that way, Sir. May I suggest waiting with pursuing romantic relationships until after all parties have calmed down?

You’re talking nonsense, J. It was just some harmless flirting, that’s all there is to it.

Loki looked a bit flustered. „You truly think so? The Jotnar.. those that you met, they truly aren’t monsters? I am not a..“, Loki choked up and shed another tear. It dawned on Tony right then how much of a burden this must have been on Loki. Thinking himself a monster, left and betrayed by the ones he had trusted.

Tony couldn’t resist stepping forwards into Lokis room and drawing the silently crying god into his arms. „Trust me Loki, you are not a monster. Jotnar aren’t monsters. I know the stories that Asgard tells about them but they’re not true. They’re made up by petty winners of a war that left both sides worse for wear. I was there, Loki, I know firsthand Jotuns are just people. They build, they create, they love and live just like everyone else. And I know you. Where you come from doesn’t change who you are. And the Loki I know is smart and ambitious, passionate and witty, and most definitely not a monster.“

When Loki sagged into his arms Tony closed the door with his foot. It just felt like a private moment that should stay behind closed doors. Slowly Lokis elegant horns disappeared, the striking blue that reminded Tony of the royal sapphires Pepper used to wear retreated to be replaced by light skin and the ruby eyes staring at Tony were replaced with the more familiar green.

„Thank you, Anton. I..I don’t think I want Thor to know.. yet. I don’t want him to hate me. I know he said he’d make peace with Jotunheim but for his fake brother to be one of them.. What if he decides otherwise after all? Could you not tell him?“

Tony raised his right hand and brushed a strand of black hair out of Lokis face. „If you don’t want me to tell him, then I won’t. I still think you should, though. Thor will see it the same way I do, I’m sure of it. He’ll still think of you as his brother.“

Then another thought struck Tonys mind: „Loki, you said something about grave news when you arrived. Is everything alright in Asgard?“

Loki blushed and glanced away from the older god. „Well, you see.. I was going to lie and tell Thor Odin had passed away just to lash out, I guess. The All-father isn’t dead yet. He fell into Odinsleep when i confronted him about my heritage.“ Loki seemed lost in thought for a second until he snapped out of it with a victorious glint in his eyes that could only mean one thing: Loki had an idea.

„Mother made me step up as ruler of Asgard. Do you know what that means, Anton? I can use Gungnir to lift this stupid ban restricting your magic! I know it must feel like having a limb tied off to be denied access to such an integral part of yourself. Allow me to help you.“ Next to Loki the air began to shimmer and a long golden spear appeared out of green mist.

„Woah, woah, woah, hold your horses, Lokes. I’m not saying I don’t want my magic back, I really do. Oh how much I want it back.. but first things first. Did Odin say something when you confronted him?“

Loki looked a bit put down and Tony almost regretted stopping him but he had to know what had happened.

„He uhm.. he said he found me abandoned in a temple. Left alone to die in the cold. He also said that I was Laufeys son, that he saved me and then basically took me as a chess piece to start an alliance later on. That might actually be one of the reasons why Odin was so furious that you went to Jotunheim for peace talks on your own. You weren’t supposed to mess with his plans for the rejected Jotun under his oh so loving care“, Loki spat.

As the younger god considered the implications of his heritage for their shared past, Tony made some connections of his own: „You’re Loptr! You are the lost Jotun prince! By Hel, Loki, it all makes sense! Laufey told me about the son he had lost after the war with Asgard. He said they had left the young prince in a temple surrounded by their most capable mages, hidden deep in the mountains so that he would be safe from the battle. But Odin had found a way to get there anyways and he wasn’t alone. When the Jotun returned they only found their mages bodies scattered on the bloody temple floors. There was no sign of their eldest prince.Would you mind dropping your glamor again? Just for a second?“

The baffled Loki managed to nod and showed his Jotun face to Tony once more.

„I knew it! I knew your markings seemed familiar! Those lines? They’re family lines, they are passed on from father to child. And yours, they look like the ones Laufey has. That means at least one thing Odin said was true. I swear to you, Loki, you were loved. Your parents did not abandon you and Odin did not save you from a cruel fate, you are however indeed the son of Laufey and Farbauti.“

With a finger Tony started tracing the intricate lines on Lokis face. „You were never unloved, Loki.“ Getting lost in Lokis now red eyes the older god nearly missed him whisper: „This is.. so much to take in. I don’t understand. I wasn’t abandoned, Odin ripped me from my home by force? How.. how dare Odin do this to me?“

Loki pulled the glamor back up and took a step back. He seemed more.. alive, energized, like he knew exactly what he wanted to do and how to do it. With a determined look in his eyes he declared: „Odin Borson will regret the day he decided to mess with my life. But first,“, Loki pointed Gungnir to Tony, „let’s get rid of that nasty seal.“

The spear seemed to light up and suddenly Tony could feel it. His magic, his seidr, escaping the confines as one by one every strand of the intricate seal was stripped away. In a rush of power it surged through his body once the last constraint was taken away. He felt refreshed and finally, after hundreds of years, truly like himself once again. His eyes must be glowing golden with all that power coursing through his veins.

He missed JARVIS calling out to him when he ripped the arc reactor out of his chest. He wasn’t human, he was aesir, he was Anton, the god of creation and innovation, he was Tony goddamn Stark and he would not run around with a piece of metal stuck in his chest if he had the power to remove it. And he did. With a quick healing spell he closed the literal hole in his chest after he had used another spell to pull out the remaining splinters in his body. A small feat for a god as old as Anton.

Sir, Sir, are you alright?

„Anton! What are you doing? Have you gone mad? You can’t just rip a hole in your chest!“

Tony laughed. He felt so amazing he wouldn’t have been able to put it in words if he wanted to. „Oh, stop it you worrywarts. I’m fine. In fact, I feel great. Thank you, Lokes. Really, it means a lot.“

There was a tense moment of Tony and Loki just grinning at each other, both still elated with their new found power/determination. Just when it felt like they might pull closer, like there might be something more there, JARVIS chimed in:

„Sir, I’m afraid to interrupt once again but it is 5:15pm already and Nick Fury is standing outside the mansion getting quite impatient. He is currently on the phone with a person identified as Maria Hill. They are conspiring to hack their way inside if you do not react in the next few minutes.“

„How rude. Don’t they know I’m the tech genius here?“ Tony rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by how they were interrupted right when it got interesting. He contemplated letting them try their luck at hacking JARVIS, there was no way they’d accomplish that anyways but then he decided against it. If he made it seem like he was cooperating they wouldn’t be as tempted to take a closer look at what’s going on.

Tony sighed: „Ugh, fine. Let them in, JARVIS. Make sure Thor’s out of the ground floor first though. We don’t want those two to meet up and blow the whole Iron Man cover.“

The older god was already halfway out of Lokis room when he turned back. „Loki, thank you. Also you might want to get ready because after I’ve maneuvered our own little super spy out of my house again we’re going on a trip to Jotunheim. There’s a war to prevent.“

With a wink and one last look at Lokis amused smirk getting replaced by the dawning realization of the upcoming trip to the place where this whole drama began, Tony strolled downstairs to meet this Fury guy.

Chapter 8: Fury and Nyuk

Chapter Text

Casually strutting down the silver staircase Tony watched a dark skinned man enter his living area. That must be Nicholas Fury, director of SHIELD, shady government agency extraordinaire. The eye patch reminded him of Odin and that just wasn’t a good start to any following acquaintanceship.

„You must be director Fury, am I right?“, Tony called out while he put on the most press worthy smile he could muster. „To what do I owe the pleasure? I swear I didn’t hack into the pentagon lately, that was just a phase and I grew out of it.“

J, does he have wires on him?

I detect two wire tapping systems. Both went offline as soon as he walked through the front door.

Oblivious to the small conversation between Tony and JARVIS, Fury stated: „Mr. Stark, we think you would prove to be a valuable asset to our organization. We want to offer you a contract as consultant for SHIELD.“

„Aww, that’s sweet, you think you can afford me. Honey, if I wanted to do some charity work, Stark Industries holds plenty of galas I can attend. Consultation fee set aside, I think I need some more information, Fury. Why now? What did your minions find that made you come to me personally?“ Tony planned to find out as much as he could about how much of the truth SHIELD had already figured out.

The SHIELD director looked like he bit in a lemon. „Stark, this is classified information. I can’t just go handing it out to random people. I’m sure you can understand that.“

„Oh, of course I understand. It’s just that my time is very valuable and I can’t just go handing it out to random government agencies, I’m sure you can understand that.“, Tony replied with glee. If Fury wanted to play hard to get, so be it. Tony wasn’t new to that particular game.

Fury sighed. In a tone you might use for speaking to an unreasonably stubborn child he stated: „I know you think you’re always the smartest person in the room but this is not the time, Mr Stark. I’m willing to tell you more in private. Come with me to the SHIELD base and we’ll go from there, after all this really isn’t meant for other ears.“

The director glanced around the house as if he was feeling watched. There was no way he could feel JARVIS, was there?

„I assure you there’s no need for that, Fury. My home is very secure and there’s no one here to listen to your spy secrets besides good old me.“ Tony decided Fury definitely didn’t need to know about the norse gods that were staying upstairs.

When Furys eyebrows went up and he pointedly looked at the kitchen the god realized their cups from earlier were still sitting on the table. Thor must’ve taken his glass of beer with him because there only was a half full cup of what Tony knew to be peppermint tea and Tonys empty coffee mug saying „Science - it’s like magic but real“. As a mage and engineer he had to admit he loved the irony of that.

While Tony tried to come up with a valid explanation for the second mug he heard the unmistakable sound of high heels clicking down his stairs. Puzzled the god turned to the lady elegantly walking towards them.

The woman had long flowing black hair that went down to her hips. She was wearing a short, light green nightgown that emphasized her cleavage and her familiar green eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked right back at Tony. He had no doubt about who the woman actually was. Loki strolled up to Tony, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and whispered loud enough for Fury to hear: „Hey there, sweetie. Thanks for yesterday.“

She pretended to only now notice the director standing right across from them. „Oh, and who is your guest, my dear? I had hoped we might continue where we left off.“ Loki smirked and leaned against the other god. Tony knew it was all acting but goddamn that was so unfair.

„That is the director of this super secret government agency and he‘s trying to make me help them with something. I think my time would be way better spent with you, don‘t you think?“ Tony settled his arm on Lokis shoulders and drew the other god closer.

During their conversation Fury seemed to grow more and more annoyed. „Mister Stark! We’re here because you’re a genius. I’d appreciate it if your playboy ways don’t interfere with what’s important. We really don’t have the time for this. It’s about a potentially earth threatening situation, that’s all I can say for now. Do you want to be a part of this or not?“

„Hmm… let me think.“, Tony made a show of staring not the distance, his free hand brushing an imaginary long beard. „Actually, I think I’ll pass. You know, I’ve got important playboy business to do.“ Tony winked and waved to the one-eyed agent: „Bye-bye, captain!“

The director stormed out of the mansion fuming while Tony couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear. Once Fury had left the gods started laughing. „Did you see his face?“

In a green mist Loki changed back into his male form and lifted the illusion he had cast on his clothing. Even without high heels Loki was way taller than Tony. Tony remembered the day little Loki had outgrown him. He had been so proud to now be the taller one of their friend trio. It didn’t take long for Thor to outgrow Loki again though. That day Tony found Loki sulking in the palace gardens.

„Well, this was fun.“, Loki grinned. Tony nodded. There was something about Loki that hadn’t been there all those years ago. He seemed so guarded and cautious but he also gave off an aura of competence and confidence that he hadn’t had before. Tony was sure the latter was more of a practiced act than actual self-confidence. But the competence thing? That was real. It took some serious skill to use gungnir like that and his teleportation magic was flawless. The older god had to admit he was impressed.

„Your child told me it was safe to come back down again! It’s good to see you both laughing. It has been way too long.“, Thor’s voice boomed down the stairs.

„Haha, agreed, Thor!“, Tony felt happy in a way he hadn’t felt for some time. Surrounded by his friends who know his secret and accepted him anyway, reunited with his shield brothers and additionally he even got his magic back.

A glance at Loki reminded Tony of what he had to do next. „Thor, I talked with Loki and we decided our next stop should be Jotunheim. We’re going to go there together. An old friend and ally, an asg- uhm.. and two asgardian princes. Who would be better suited to plead for peace between the realms than our lot?“

„Actually, Anton decided that all by himself. Although I can’t say I disagree. The princes would definitely have some sway and with Anton by our side they’ll know we mean no harm.“, Loki seemed uncomfortable with the idea of going to Jotunheim but at the same time Tony knew he was determined enough to go through with it.

Eyeing the two gods Thor decided they were right. He had started this mess, he should be a part of resolving it. He could only hope that their friendship with Anton would be enough to overshadow their rightful grudge towards the first prince.

„Aye, my friends. We shall try to bring peace. How do we get there? I know my brothers magic is astounding but teleporting three people simultaneously isn’t an easy feat.“

„No worries, Thor.“, Tony grinned wide. His eyes started glowing an eerie but magical golden and Thor realized Anton had his magic back.

„Teleporting three people might be exhausting but simply opening a portal is also an option“

With a wave of his hand golden sparkles appeared in the room.

It’s like a Disney movie, J. Am I a good Tinkerbelle?

Tony couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at that thought.

The golden sparks formed a door shaped hole in the middle of the living room. Inside there was snow. Lots and lots of snow. And something like polished ice going in a straight line into the distance.

„I opened it on a less populated road an hour outside the main city. This way we won’t walk right into their war preparations and you guys can get used to their climate a bit better. If it’s as cold as i remember you’re not going to like our little walk.“

Tony smirked and walked through the portal without hesitation. He hoped the princes wouldn’t back out now. As he had expected they followed seconds after him though.

Taking a deep breath of the ice cold air Tony sighed happily. „Try not to start any other wars while we’re here alright?“

When they didn’t answer the older god decided to just start walking in the direction of Jotunheim’s capital city. Their royal family should be in the palace preparing for the upcoming war.

Tony had to admit he didn’t yet know how they would manage to sneak by the guards in the city. Tension might be high enough that the Jotnar wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate the next aesir that tries to show their face. Kill first, ask questions later. He gulped, ending up on the wrong end of a jotun sword wasn’t exactly on his to-do-list for this week.

They had been walking for about ten minutes when the bushes next to the road ahead of them moved. Those bushes were cold resistant vegetation that could only be found on Jotunheim. Tony had spent quite a few of his hours researching everything he could about this planet and their inhabitants while he had been here.

They weren’t supposed to move on their own though. Tony stopped his friends and tried to listen to any clues about what awaited them ahead. Nothing. There was absolute silence.

„Probably just some small creature. I’m sure it’s nothing.“, Thor explained and went on ahead.

When he reached the area next to the suspiciously moving bushes a blue figure jumped out at the asgardian prince and attacked him with a branch.

„You stupid, aesir idiots! You better never show your face here again!“, screamed the blue creature, which - now that he got a better look at it - turned out to be a Jotun.

Not any Jotun either. That was Nyuk, the Jotun that had found Tony the first time he traveled to Jotunheim.

„Nyuk! Nyuk, stop it! It’s me, Anton! Would you please stop hitting my friend with a stick?“

The familiar voice made the Jotun pause. „Anton? Where by hel have you been? It’s been ages!“ Nyuk jumped away from Thor and ran over to the other gods.

„That’s a long story, Nyuk. What’s important is that we stop this war. We need to get into the palace and talk to Laufey. Can you help us? I promise I’ll explain more on the way but we really have no time to waste.“

Nyuk thought it over and glanced back at Thor, who was just now starting to get up again. The Jotun had done a good job on him even though he only had some plants as a weapon.

„Fine, I trust you, Anton. But I need to know why he is here. He started the whole thing in the first place.“

Chapter 9: Small change of plans

Chapter Text

When Tony had first arrived on Jotunheim he didn’t have a clue on how to behave or where to go. The few records Asgard had on Jotunheim were sketchy and unreliable at best. The secret pathway he had taken to get there the first time had ended behind a mountain range far outside any civilization. He had randomly decided on a direction and started walking.

When he finally spotted some lights in the distance his feet were freezing. The tip of Tonys nose was starting to look more jotun than aesir and he seriously regretted not packing more heating stones. Of course he could’ve just used a quick warming spell but he wanted to preserve all the seidr he possibly could. After all he had no way of knowing what would await him once he actually encountered some Jotnar.

„Hey, you! Can you help me? My carriage broke down and I need to get to the village as fast as possible!“, a voice called.

The young god surveyed his surroundings but there was no one in sight. Shrugging his shoulders he started to move on when a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

There was a hand, a blue hand, frantically waving from down the hill at the side of the road. „Over here! Please, I could really use some help!“

Weighing up his options Tony decided that lending a helping hand now would at least make a good first impression. He strolled in the direction of the still waving hand and hoped the person in question wouldn’t mind his looks.

„Oh, thank the norns, you’re here. I don’t know how I’ll ever get back on the road by myself. And these chests have to get to the apothecary as soon as possible. My father is going to kill me if I don’t get home for dinner! Thanks for- you..“, the Jotun stopped his babbling,„you’re an aesir? How? How are you here?“

The owner of the deep and strangely soothing voice raised an eyebrow in suspicion. He grabbed a sharp piece of wood that must’ve broken off of his wagon. Suddenly getting his carriage repaired and back on the road wasn’t as pressing of an issue anymore.

Tony raised his hands in surrender to show he meant no harm. „My name is Anton Starkson. I am advisor to the Allfather. There’s no need for weapons, I don’t intend to do harm. This animosity has been going on for far too long.“

While the Jotun didn’t seem to relax, he at least lowered his guard a bit. „I am Nyuk, second son to our village healer. I ask you now, Anton Starkson, why are you here? Your Allfather hasn’t cared about my realm in the past millennia, why now?“

That was a good question. After all Odin wasn’t even aware of Anton’s little trip to Jotunheim. He was convinced though that this was the right way to go. Pondering the effects of lying to Nyuk about the Allfathers involvement, he decided to just be honest about it.

„Look, I want to be honest here. Odin Allfather did not send me here and he probably wouldn’t approve of me being here either. I took matters into my own hands and I stand by it. I want to learn about your people, your culture and your home. Then I plan to go to the Allfather, convince him to listen to me and try to form an alliance between our realms.“

„A noble goal. If that is truly why you are here I wish you luck on your endeavors. May the norns be on your side.“, the Jotun nodded and threw his makeshift weapon to the ground. „Jotunheim hasn’t been the same ever since the war and aesir help would be appreciated. At least by some of my people. I don’t know what Laufey-king thinks about this but I do know some Jotnar that loathe and despise your kind.“

The Jotun, Nyuk, turned to his wagon and Tony used the time to take in the scene in front of him. The Jotun was wearing various furs but they covered so little skin that Tony was sure the Jotnar had cold-resistant skin.The broken wagon was connected to another creature the young aesir had never seen before. It looked like a blue bilgesnipe mixed with one of those horse animals they had on Midgard. The animal, whatever it was called, happily munched on a few dry looking branches sticking out through the snow covered ground.

The wagon itself was heavily laden with big chests and warm looking furs. Tony immediately recognized the broken axis. There was no way the Jotun would be able to move that without breaking it even more.

„I can help you with your wagon.“, Tony offered, „I’m pretty skilled with things like this.“

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After Nyuk agreed to help the trio get an audience with Laufey, he also explained that they were walking in the wrong direction.

„After someone“, Nyuk glared in the direction of the princes, „decided to attack the royal palace out of nowhere, Laufey-king thought it too dangerous to remain there. He, and with him the entire court, relocated to his summer residence in the mountains. I think you’ve been there once, haven’t you, Anton?“

Tony remembered the summer residence pretty well. It was set near a hot fountain close to a cliff. You could see almost all of Jotunheim from up there. And for Tonys aesir skin, the occasional bath in hot water was a welcome change from the cold climate.

From a strategic standpoint the summer residence, summer castle, really, was also very beneficial. The location between mountains made attacks form the sides almost impossible, to the front there was a steep cliff so they didn’t have much to fear there either. The only way to properly reach the castle was from the back and the Jotnar had made very sure they had the advantage in that situation.

„Yes, that’s true. unfortunately for us that means another day of walking to get there. I don’t know what will await us up there so we should conserve our seidr as much as possible.“

Just when Tony thought they could start getting on their way, a dull thump made him look back.

„Thor!“ The blonde god had fallen back onto the icy road after trying to recover from Nyuks stick attack.

The young gods lips had turned a worrying shade of blue and a pale white had replaced the usual golden shimmer of aesir skin. That was when Tony remembered how Thor had been stripped of all his powers and was basically a mortal now.

Worry creasing his forehead Tony hurried over to his friend. „Thor, you oaf. You should’ve told me you were freezing. The Norns be damned, I should’ve known.“

Loki, who had been attentively listening from the sidelines until then must’ve finally realized what had happened. He joined Anton at Thors side and watched the older aesir perform a combined warming and healing spell. He did it with such practiced ease that Loki started wondering about how often Anton must’ve used them on himself.

„Hey, Lokes, would you mind keeping a warming spell over Thor, here? I think as long as you have Gungnir you should be able to access more seidr than myself. I’m also pretty sure just wrapping Thor in fur won’t do the trick. It’s way too cold on Jotunheim for mortals.“

Thors voice chimed in before Loki could agree: „’m fine. ’tis just a little cold.“

Three pairs of eyebrows shot up and mustered Thor skeptically - yes, three, even Nyuk could see through that nonsense. That brought down any protests Thor might have had. Loki started layering a complex but durable warming spell around Thor until he was sure his brother wouldn’t freeze his golden nose off.

While Thor might not have kept Anton a secret, the golden prince and he hadn’t had the best of relationships especially after they had lost Anton all those centuries ago. Thor would hang around the warriors three and lady Sif and Loki buried his nose in books about magic. The thought that Thor usually had done nothing to stop his so called friends from making fun of Loki still stung and he wasn’t prepared to just let it all go as if nothing ever happened just because they had their friend back.

A familiar, soothing voice broke through Lokis memories and he tried to pay attention to what Anton had planned next. Loki got stuck watching the fascinating golden swirls of magic in Antons warm eyes though. He wondered if they had always been so incredibly beautiful. Realizing the path his thoughts had taken Loki quickly shook his head. No, no way would he fantasize about his friend. Nothing would come of it so he should just stop even thinking about how those brown orbs might look at him, full of adoration and maybe even love. No, not even going there, Loki bit his tongue and focussed on Antons words instead.

„… say we turn back where we came from, then about half an hour later we should get to Nyuks village. There we can gather ourselves, plan on how we’re going to approach Laufey and get some rest. The walk up the mountain won’t be fun. We should cover ourselves so the villagers won’t be alarmed by aesir coming into their midst. Although, since it is going to be dark once we get there we shouldn’t be easily recognized anyways.“

The ease with which Anton was planning their next steps was fascinating. It seemed as if he was born to do this, to lead, to strategize, to show the way, no matter how unusual the situation. Loki admired the strength and confidence the older god radiated.

„So? What do you say, Lokes?“ Loki must’ve spaced out a bit since everyone looked at him expectantly.

He cleared his throat, not used to the cold , dry air and answered: „Yeah, sure. Sounds like a good idea, Anton. It won’t hurt to get some rest before we face our task here.“

Looking satisfied with his answer, Anton turned back the way they had come from and started walking.

„Good! If that’s settled, let’s go. We want to get to the village as soon as possible. The nights on Jotunheim are as cold as Peppers eyes when I’ve missed another business meeting I promised to attend.“, Tony visibly shuddered, „I know a great place where we can stay the night. Nyuk, does Ismir still own the tavern? That geezer still owes me a favor.“

Chapter 10: The tavern

Chapter Text

When they arrived in Nyuks village, Tony had told the Jotun about Thors involvement in the attack on their realm. While Nyuk couldn’t understand how someone raised to become a king could be so foolish, he accepted Thors apology and hoped Laufey-king would as well. He knew Anton wouldn’t betray their realm, his friends, not even to protect the blonde prince.

He had told him about being found out and banished and Tony had to admit it felt great to meet his old friend once again. They spent the walk reminiscing about old times. Like the time they went on a hunting trip and fell into the local hot springs, which Tony had enjoyed way more than Nyuk. Or the time Nyuk’s sister found herself getting stalked by this creepy old Jotun and they had made his life miserable with idiotic pranks and mischievous tricks until the guy stopped. They thought he even left the village since they hadn’t seen the guy afterwards ever again.

Loki quietly followed the Jotun and Anton. He listened to their stories and while he found some quite amusing, he didn’t like the fact that Anton had lived this weird parallel life and didn’t tell them about it. He understood it wasn’t exactly legal and Loki wasn’t sure he would’ve approved of Antons doings but he would’ve never told on him. It would’ve just been nice to know. And if there was a little pang of jealousy there, when they laughed about a mischievous ruse that worked out perfectly- well, that wasn’t surprising, okay. After all mischief was definitely his domain.

Tony led them to the second house right next to the main street. The buildings in the village weren’t as pompous or as over the top as most homes in Asgard but they also weren’t the small ice constructs Tony had had expected on his first visit there. Despite the harsh climate conditions there were forests on Jotunheim. There was also a sufficient supply of metals and minerals below the ice covering most of the planets surface. The Jotnar that lived in this area, the south of Jotunheim, preferred to build their homes out of stone and wood.

The tavern they were standing in front of was also built on stone foundations. Fragile plants made of ice grew along the walls and reflected the last sun beams, giving the tavern a magical feeling that was only strengthened by the rustic looking wooden beams supporting its roof.

There was a gentle orange glimmer escaping from the window above the tavern sign. „Hey! Ismir! Get down here, old man!“

Tony’s shout must’ve reached someones ears since they could see a shadow moving behind the curtain. There was a minute of silence, broken by the creaking noise of the opening wooden front door.

Warm light from inside flooded the area the group was standing in and a gruff looking old man poked his head out of the doorframe.

Ismir had visibly aged in Tonys absence. His defined jaw was covered with a greying beard and the near-white family lines curling over his face were disrupted by wrinkles. Ismirs red eyes still showed the intelligence and cunning Tony knew the Jotun possessed and wielded like a sword.

„Who are you? Huh? I don’t need kids calling me out in the middle of the night. Get off my lawn and leave me alone, you buggers.“, growled the old Jotun.

Tony stopped Ismir from turning back inside by drawing back his hood and objected: „Don’t even recognize a friend, old man? I didn’t think your age would take that much of a toll on you.“

Ismirs eyes widened with recognition. After all these years he didn’t expect to see the stray Aesir again that had wormed his way into his heart all those years ago. They had bonded through long nights filled with board games and booze, clever quips and an overall similar worldview.

„Anton? Is that you, old friend? Where have you been?“, the old frost giant let out a hearty laugh, „It’s been real quiet here without you, my friend. Nyuk never came close to your genius in Hnefatafl!“

Loki used the opportunity of their catching up to study the old Jotun. The near-white marks on his body truly differed from Lokis own. His skin also resembled a much lighter shade of blue, more like a summers day on Asgard. The god thought about his own appearance and had to suppress a visible shudder. Even if Anton had accepted him for who he is, he still had problems fighting against the prejudices instilled in him from a young age.

„Would you mind sparing us a few beds this evening, Ismir? We have been walking quite a bit and would like to rest before deciding on what to do next.“, after watching Ismir eye the asgardian princes suspiciously Tony added: „And if me asking politely isn’t enough, may I remind you of that time you bet me I couldn’t outdrink you? You owe me, old man.“

The Jotun turned his nose. „Yeah, yeah, fine. Go ahead, you know where the guest rooms are. But Anton, you’ll have to leave tomorrow. You know I like you, but the current situation is a bit tense and I can’t afford to get in trouble with Laufey. My daughter’s pregnant and I’d really like to meet my grandchildren.“ He moved to the side to let the group of wanderers inside.

No one saw the black shadow moving in the window of a neighboring house. No one heard the hushed voice whispering about foreigners while frantically writing a letter. No one felt the small spark of magic that sent said letter right into Laufeys lap. And no one would be prepared for what followed.

Exhausted from the conversation with SHIELD, from traveling between realms and their hour-long walk to Nyuks village the group quickly dissolved and parted into different rooms. They had said their goodbyes to Nyuk earlier. Since the Jotun had his own home to return to he wasn’t exactly keen on staying at the tavern.

Thor had fallen into bed, feeling more tired than he ever felt before. Being mortal was a hassle and he wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy. He was still cursing out his current predicament, mainly to stop thinking about him being beaten by a Jotun with a stick, when darkness overwhelmed him and he passed out.

Loki had way too many thoughts running through his head to think about sleep. Finding out about what really happened when he was stolen away by Odin, travelling to the realm where all of this had started and his weird new feelings where Anton was concerned. There was so much to think about so he had already come to terms with finding no sleep tonight.

He was pacing in his room mumbling about his past when something moved to his right. He turned just in time to see a small, velvet blue ball of swirling magic shoot right at him.

Loki, being the magic genius he was, swiftly put up a wall to deter the sudden attack. He was just heading towards the door to warn Anton of the threat when a second ball hit him from the side and two robed Jotnar entered his room. A cold tingle expanded from his hip, where the magic had hit him. His limbs started to feel heavy and he could hardly keep his eyes open. The world seemed to loose color and slowly faded to black. „Anton, no..“, he whispered into the dark before his consciousness left him.

Tony decided this was the best day he had had in a long time. He finally got his magic back after being reunited with his closest friends and now he was even able to visit his friends on Jotunheim. If he didn’t consider the possibility of an upcoming war, this seemed too good to be true.

The aesir slumped down on the rustic looking bed and stared at the ceiling. He remembered something he had wanted to try for quite some time now. He concentrated on the familiar feeling of a calming presence, a soothing British voice and the joy he had felt when his AI got activated for the first time.

JARVIS, are you there?

Tony anxiously waited on a reply. Retaining a connection with JARVIS across the realms would be incredibly helpful for literally any and all future travels. And now that he had his magic back Tony would be damned if he didn‘t travel through the realms once again as he had done before, so long ago.

Sir, may I be of assistance?

Tony started grinning. It worked. No matter where he might go, he would never be alone again. He’d never have to relive the feeling of loneliness and pain that he had all those centuries ago when he had arrived on earth.

JARVIS, I’m so glad to hear your voice, buddy. How are things at home? We just arrived in Nyuks village on Jotunheim and we’re staying at a friends place.

Miss Potts has inquired about your absence. I told her you were on a business trip regarding a new idea of yours. While she still seems to doubt my words she accepted it for now. Please be careful, Sir, I cannot help protect you.

Tony could hear the worry in his Als voice. He truly was so much more than just his programming.

No need to worry, J. I’ve got my magic back and I’m not alone. We’ll take care of each other. Please tell DUM-E and the bots that I’ll be home soon. Don’t let them do something stupid, like throw me a welcome home party, though. You know that would only end in them breaking stuff.

There was a creaking noise like someone opening an old door that desperately needs some oil and then a dull thump that grabbed Tonys attention. He shot up, high alert, and reached for the comforting pull of his magic.

As quietly as he could Tony snuck out of his bed and towards the door. He kept to the side so should the door open he would be hidden behind it. He held his breath and listened closely for any kind of noise.

Sir, I feel your distress. Is everything al-

Not now, JARVIS. There’s someone here.

The heavy, old door spun wide open and two robed figures entered. They were visibly startled when they didn’t find who they were apparently looking for.

Tony used their surprise to his advantage and hit the first one with a sleeping spell. The second person - Jotun, Tony noted - retaliated with a spell of his own. Barely escaping the hit, Tony side-stepped the sleeping attacker to get closer to the exit.

When the Jotun mage threw another spell at him, he was able to reflect it back to its owner, who promptly sacked down. Probably another sleeping spell then.

He wondered why those Jotnar wanted them alive and for what, while he ran towards Lokis chamber. Not wholly unexpected Tony found it vacant. His head full of worry he failed to notice the third Jotun that had been able to sneak up on him.

A quickly mumbled spell later, Tony felt his world shift and his body hit the floor.

Downstairs in the tavern there was the old owner, Ismir. Chained to his chair and gagged so he couldn’t warn his friend.

In the neighboring house there was a shadow peering out the window, curiously watching the commotion his letter had caused.

Chapter 11: Captured

Chapter Text

When Tony came to, his head still felt like cold mush. The floor he was lying on was uncomfortable and he’d really like a cup of coffee right about now.

Sir, is that you? Are you awake? I’m so glad you’re alright.

As always the sound of JARVIS voice made Tony smile. He didn’t quite understand why his son sounded so worried though. Had something happened?

J? Did you miss me? What happened?

Tony would love to take a look at his surroundings but if he was being honest his eyelids still felt like lead and the cold floor - by now he was pretty sure it was made of stone - didn’t bother him enough to move right now.

I’m sure DUM-E would be heartbroken if you don’t return. As to what happened, I can only guess but it seems like you were knocked out at the tavern, Sir.

Admit it, J, you’d miss me.

The sound of keys jingling made Tony miss JARVIS’ reply and helped in getting those heavy eyelids open enough to take in his surroundings. At his right stood a grim faced Jotun, lantern in hand, looking down at the prisoners. He wasn’t able to recognize any details thanks to the lantern being the only light source.

And yeah, Tony was sure they were prisoners. If the stone walls, bars and magical barriers didn’t clue him in, the magic restricting handcuffs and the chain that connected him to the stone floor (ha! he knew it!) sure did the trick.

Tony used his elbows to prop himself up a little. In the light coming from the lantern, Tony was able to make out Lokis head and a foot that, judging by its size, probably belonged to Thor. If he listened closely he could make out their breathing patterns so both seemed to be fine - at least if one disregarded their current location.

„Where are we?“, Tony asked the Jotun, who he presumed was a guard. The Jotuns eyebrows knit together grimly. He huffed a breath and looked away.

„Dang, not a talkative one, are we? No problem, I can talk enough for both of us.", Tony grinned. Making the best of a dire situation was kind of his whole deal. „So, I presume we’re still on Jotunheim, with you being a Jotun and all?“

The guard didn’t react to Tony, he only stared longingly at the door at the end of the hallway - presumably the exit.

„You know, I’d really like to talk to Laufey. Do you think he’ll be available any time soon?“, Tony waited for any reaction and got none, „No? No worries, I’m sure he already knows we’re here. While we’re waiting, do you want to hear a story? One time, back on Asgard, I took a-“

„Would you oh so kindly shut up!“, the guard exploded at Tony, „I’m not here to hear your story, aesir. My uncle will see to you soon enough.“

The Jotun must’ve realized he had given away too much information. He flinched and promptly started leaving his post, heading towards the exit.

That conversation surely gave Tony something to think about. If he got it right, this guard must be Laufeys nephew. Judging by his voice and the bits of the Jotuns face he had been able to see, he must be a relatively young Jotun, at that. Which meant, it must be Feris. He and the small Jotun had spent quite some time together. Young Feris had shown Tony every inch of the royal palace including a few secret passageways and escape routes. Now if they could just get rid of their chains he might be able to find a way out.

„Feris? By Hel, last time i saw you you were but a child. You used to love my stories! Now I’m kinda disappointed you didn’t let me finish before.“

The Jotun, paused at the door but ultimately shook his head and left them in the dark.

When nothing happened, Tony took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.

JARVIS, it looks like we got kidnapped by Laufey, or at least by his nephew. I’ll keep you updated.

Yes, Sir. May I suggest escaping from your prison?

Tony rolled his eyes. What a great idea, JARVIS. Do you want to tell me how, considering we’re wearing magic restricting chains and are literally chained to the floor?

When no answer came, Tony concentrated on what he could hear in the dark and tried to maneuver himself to his friends.

When his knee hit something hard and a quiet grunt escaped the obstacle he concluded he had found one of them.

“Loki? Thor? Which one of you is it? Also, I’m sorry i just bumped against you, I literally can’t see.“

A gruff, more asleep than awake sounding, voice replied: „Anton? Is it time for the hunt already? Mother said we should at least stay for breakfast. It’s not even light outside yet.“

Ah, so it was Thor, then. The blonde prince must still be caught up in some memories. They hadn’t been on hunts together in what feels like forever. Even before he was banished, they hadn’t been hunting for quite some time. After all as they grew up the princes were more and more occupied with their duties at court and Tony barely had free time thanks to his..unofficial mission.

„Thor, buddy, wake up. We’re not on Asgard and I’d really appreciate your opinion on our current situation.“, Tony grabbed what turned out to be Thors head and lightly slapped it.

The younger god turned mortal winced but finally opened his eyes. „Anton?“, he looked around, getting no information from the black darkness. „Where are we? Is Loki alright?“

He panicked and sat up, regretting it instantly when a his head started pounding and the cold air surrounding him crept in around him. „Why is it so incredibly cold?“

Thor reached up to the back of his head where most of the pain was coming from. „Did someone hit me on the head?“

Not knowing what exactly had happened to his friends, Tony just shrugged. When he realized Thor wouldn’t be able to see that he added: „I’m not sure what happened to your head. It looks like we’ve been kidnapped by Jotnar and are now their prisoners. Oh, and Loki is also here somewhere. He’s breathing calmly and i saw his face earlier, he seems to be fine considering the circ*mstances.“

„By Jotnar?! What were Jotnar doing in Asgard?“, Thor exclaimed surprised.

While Tony would be considered a genius on earth and he wasn’t average on Asgard either, if he could say so himself, he was truly stumped now. In Asgard? What was Thor thinking? „Thor, you know how we went to Jotunheim yesterday? You know, to try establish peace between the realms?“

„Peace with Jotunheim? I don’t think father would appreciate that. You sound old, my friend. Did my brother and his incessant questions finally make you go grey?“

Realization slowly dawned on Tony. He cautiously asked: „Thor, what is the last thing you remember?“

„Yesterdays feast, of course! You held this speech about how you finalized the treaty with Nidavellir and then you babbled on and on about how we should’ve been there to see their forges. They must’ve really impressed you. I think that last round of mead was a bit too much because i barely remember getting back to my chambers. What a feast!“

In the following silence you would’ve been able to hear a pin drop. Tonys head was working overtime. The feast Thor remembered must’ve been a few hundred years ago. There was no telling what caused his apparent memory loss, it could’ve been the hit on his head or maybe something entirely different. What mattered was, that right now Thor had no clue why they were here or what this was all about. That would probably make apologizing for his actions to Laufey-king considerably harder.

„I’m sorry to break it to you, big guy, but that feast was centuries ago. We came to Jotunheim to prevent a war you started and well.. to be honest the rest is kind of a long story.“

Before Thor was able to reply a pained moan cut through the darkness. „By the Norns, what happened? I feel like we just came back from fighting a horde of dwarves.“

After hearing Lokis voice, Tony felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from him. He quietly thanked the Norns that his Loki was alright.

Your Loki, sir? Tony could swear he heard JARVIS suppress a laugh. That damn AI was too nosy for his own good.

That’s not what I meant, J. It’s not like that. Tony just knew JARVIS was rolling his eyes but he was telling the truth. Him and Loki, that wouldn’t work anyways. He didn’t even know if Loki was into.. you know, men. And even if he were, there’s no reason for him to like little, old Tony Stark. Loki was just too good for him. He was incredibly smart and funny, and he had the most stunning eyes Tony had ever seen (and he had seen quite a few in his lifetime). Not to mention the way the family lines on Lokis jotun skin contoured his body just right…

To shake off the traitorous thoughts Tony turned to the god in question: „Lokes, I’m glad you’re alright. Please tell me you remember why we’re on Jotunheim. I might just go insane if i have to deal with two amnesiacs.“

„Two amnesiacs?“, Loki slowly started pulling himself up into a sitting position, „I remember we were at.. what was his name.. ah, yes, Ismir. We were at Ismirs tavern. And then someone started attacking me… Is Thor alright?“

„Aye brother, I’m doing well. Though it seems my memory has slipped away from me. Anton here tells me I’m missing a few hundred years.“

By now Tony could hear Thors teeth chattering in the cold. With the magic constraining handcuffs neither Tony nor Loki would be able to cast another warming spell on the blonde prince. Their time frame for escaping this cell just got a lot shorter.

Tonys mind was racing, trying to think of the most efficient way of getting them out of here. „Thor, Loki, we’ll have to work together. I don’t think there is a way to get us out right now. We’ll have to wait for our opportunity and then strike as one. First of all, Thor, you may not remember but you’ve been stripped of your powers which is why you’re currently freezing. We can’t warm you with magic because of these stupid cuffs so i think for now we should just huddle closer.“

Tony scooted over to Thors side and heard Loki reluctantly doing the same. Even though they might’ve had their differences, in the end Loki would always be there for his brother.

„Now that we’ve delayed the freezing problem, i think we should gather what we know. I know I knocked two Jotnar out before a third one hit me on my way down. They tried to get me with sleeping spells so I guess they wanted us alive.. probably to question us.“

„I’m sorry, Anton, I tried to warn you but I didn’t make it very far. It turns out I was too stuck in my head to notice them sneaking up on me until it was too late. How did they know we were there anyway? Did your friend betray us?“

Tony went to reply that it wasn’t Lokis fault when they heard keys opening the corridor. Bright light flooded their cell and they could hear two voices arguing.

„Uncle Laufey wants to see him, so that’s what we’re going to do. Don’t mess it up, By. If you hadn’t run off to spend a free afternoon with that maid you wouldn’t be stuck on guard duty now.“

„Oh, you’re one to talk, Feris. You got knocked out by that aesir, how pathetic is that? At least I caught him in the end.“

There was an angry huff and then the Jotnar entered the hallway. They didn’t continue with their chatter whilst they strode over to their cell door.

The smaller Jotun, the one Feris had called By, juggled with a few keys until he got the right one to unlock the door with.

„If you need help with those keys I’ll gladly take a few.“, Tony offered with a grin. „Now who are you exactly. I know Feris but you, i’ve never seen you before.“

The Jotun didn’t pay any attention to Tonys ramblings. He stepped inside the cell and pulled the older aesir away from their little group.

„Hey! Would you mind being a bit more careful. I’m not as young as I used to be. Where are we going?

Tony threw a determined look towards the two princes. He would find a way to get them out of here. And if that meant going along with whatever they had planned for now, then so be it.

„Oh shut up, aesir, and follow us. Laufey king wants to have a word with you.“

Chapter 12: The Summer Residence

Chapter Text

The entire way to the throne room Tony tried to figure out how the ensuing conversation would go. To be perfectly honest, he wasn’t too sure about it. He and Laufey had been good friends, so much is true, but they also hadn’t seen each other in a really long time. Oh, and there’s the fact that he had arrived together with the two princes that attacked Jotunheim in the first place.

J, if I don’t make it out of this, please tell Pep and Rhodey what happened. They shouldn’t be left to worry.

Sir?

Don’t worry, J. I’m sure it’s gonna go just peachy.

A cool breeze washed over Tonys face as they opened the large ice doors to the throne room. The magic restricting chains that still kept his hands painfully close clinked together as the guards walked him to the middle.

The hall was huge and the intricately crafted stone throne ruled the entire room. The hall had giant open windows behind the throne, which made seeing the person sitting in there rather difficult. Tony presumed it was for intimidation purposes. From his standpoint he could get an amazing view of the wide planes of Jotunheim. It was truly beautiful. Unfortunately Tony didn’t really get a chance to take it all in.

The Jotun on his right, the one Feris had referred to as By, had let go of Tonys shoulder and took a few steps forward.

„Father, this is the prisoner who arrived with the aesir princes. He claims he knows Feris. He was also presumptuous enough to ask for an audience with you. If you ask me, we should just execute the intruders and send Odin their heads.“

The figure sitting in the throne shifted. „I didn’t ask you, did I? Byleistr, as prince to this realm you should consider reflecting your decisions before bringing them up. Odin had the upper hand in the last war and now we don’t have the casket anymore. There will be consequences but I don’t think a full on war is wise. Our people would suffer once again.“ The figure rose and stepped out of the shadow cast by the throne. „Now I’m wondering, why would the aesir princes show up in my kingdom after what they’ve done?“

The Jotun, Laufey king, looked down at the chained up aesir. When their eyes met there was a glint of recognition in his bordeux eyes. „Anton, why would you smuggle our enemies into my realm?“ He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

„Laufey.. I mean, your majesty, we’re really sorry to intrude. Honestly, we are here on a peace mission. The princes, they know they’ve made a mistake. You have to believe me. They came to apologize. There was no ill intent. We were actually on our way here before we got snatched by your guys.“, since Tony thought the king didn’t look all too mad about it all, he added: „How’s Farbauti doing? Is Ismir alright? The guy didn’t have anything to do with it, I swear.“

Tony saw the exact moment the king put on an expressionless mask. He addressed the room with a booming voice. „I need some time alone with the prisoner. I ask all of you to leave.“

Byleistr looked like he bit into a lemon. Still, he reluctantly left with the rest of the guards.

Tony didn’t let the kings eyes out of his sight even for a second. He wasn’t sure what the Jotun had planned but the tension was so thick you would think it possible to cut it with a knife.

As soon as the heavy door fell closed after the last Jotun left, Laufeys mask fell.

The old king let out a hearty laugh. „Oh, Anton. Only you! Only you would disappear for centuries and the resurface on the brink of a war. Farbauti is alright. She’s retired into her chambers. You have to know, since she got pregnant again she has been a bit under the weather. And i hear from my son that Ismir will be just fine. The only thing he got was a scare. No need to worry for your friends, Anton.“

The heavy weight he hadn’t even noticed until now fell from his chest. They’d be alright. His friend would be alright. And if he read the situation correctly even Thor and Loki would be fine. „The norns must be on my side today. The Queen is pregnant? Congratulations, Laufey. I assume this means you will hear what we have come to say?“

„I have to admit, I’m very curious as to what you’ve been up to the past few centuries. We had feared the worst. But first things first. As you may have noticed earlier, I also don’t think a war between our realms is preferable. Your old chambers have not been abandoned. You can use them to refresh yourself, I assume the cells aren’t all that comfortable. We shall talk about this at the feast this evening. After all a lost friend has returned!“

The king looked so happy and calm, Tony couldn’t help but feel reassured. Everything would be alright. „Laufey? I’m apologize if I’m overstepping, but would it be possible to get my friends out of the cells? And maybe even get these cuffs off? They’re uncomfortable as hel and I should know, I’ve been there.“

„Do you promise to take responsibility for their further actions on Jotunheim? Do you promise they mean no harm to me or my people? If so, they can share your quarters.“ With a flick of his hand he made Tonys cuffs disappear. „I trust you, Anton. You have done a great service to this realm and that deserves to be acknowledged. However I cannot remove prince Lokis cuffs. I hear he is a great sorcerer and until i meet him in person I cannot trust him. I expect you to follow my rules while you’re staying here. The welfare of my people is my first priority.“

Tony nodded along to what the old Jotun was saying. It was understandable he wouldn’t trust an aesir prince with free reign during such a precarious time. For now this was much more than he had hoped for. He’d even dare say it went pretty well.

Okay, JARVIS, call off the funeral, you guys will have to deal with me for a bit longer.

Now what will I do with all the flowers, Sir?

He smirked at his sons remark and stretched out his cramped up muscles. „Thank you. You were right, those cells aren’t exactly the standard I’m used to. I promise to make sure the princes are on their best behavior, my king.“

The Jotun clapped his hands and the guards from earlier returned. Only Byleistr, the prince, seemed to have found something else to spend his time with. Or perhaps someone else if the conversation between him and Feris was to be believed?

„Take Anton here to his chambers. The west wing ambassador one, in case you don’t remember. And Feris, I want you to go and get the princes. They are guests for now. They can also stay in Antons chambers but do not remove their cuffs just yet.“, Laufey turned towards Tony: „I’ll send someone to get you for the feast. It was nice seeing you again, old friend.“

„Thanks, your hospitality is very much appreciated. Please send my greetings to the lovely Farbauti. I hope to see her at the feast today.“ Tony bowed formally, as he knew etiquette was something highly valued at court.

He let one of the jotun guards escort him to his rooms. They had been left exactly the way he remembered them. Someone had come in to clean but besides that there wasn’t an inch out of place. The design had been very red - that had been his favorite color for some time. He had a work desk that was still stacked to the ceiling with books on magic. And there was some traditional jotun attire hanging from the bed frame. Tony used to think it was a bit too revealing to be modest but he was never the modest type anyways.

Tony couldn’t stop pacing in his rooms, worrying about his friends. What if Feris decided to hand them over to Byleistr? The Jotun prince hadn’t seemed too friendly. What if Thor had frozen to death already? After all he wasn’t that durable anymore. He stopped following his spiraling thoughts once he heard a familiar voice continuously getting closer.

„I demand to know where you are taking us! Take your hands off me! We’re already walking wherever you’re leading us. I need to know where we’re going! Please! Where’s Anton? Where have you taken him? Is he alright? I swear if you’ve hurt even a single hair on his body…“

Without a doubt, that was Lokis voice coming through the hallway. It seemed like he had been arguing with their escort for a while. There was a knock on his door.

„Whose rooms are these? My brother here needs medical attention. Would you please just say anything!?“

Tony chose that moment to open the door. He came face to face with an aggravated Loki and a very blue looking Thor. He didn’t waste any time and with a flick of his wrist he started slowly warming up the air around the blonde prince. After all he knows mortals don’t deal well with drastic temperature changes.

„Anton!“ was the only thing he heard before being crushed in a hug from the dark haired prince. Their height difference had Tonys head sitting snugly against Lokis neck. He took a deep breath and relaxed into their embrace. If it was up to Tony they’d do this more often… way more often… daily would be great.

„Hey there, Loki. I’m fine, we’re fine.“, he tried patting the younger god on the back when he got roped into an even tighter embrace.

„Don’t do this to me ever again. I was so worried. He wouldn’t tell us anything. I- I thought… Just never, never , leave me again…please?“, he whispered in Tonys ear. It sent shivers down his spine. Not the right moment, Tony!

„I won’t, Lokes, I won’t leave you. Not even the norns themselves shall keep us apart.“, Tony made sure Loki was the only one close enough to hear his words.

Sir, if I may, your infatuation with Loki seems to be rather serious. Maybe you should consider talking to him about it.

J, baby, stop spying on me. You know I don’t like it if you just pick up my random thoughts. And it’s not like that… okay, maybe it is. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to tell him about it though!

Once Loki awkwardly ended the just-a-little-too-long-to-be-entirely-innocent hug, Tony coughed and turned to Feris, who was standing in the doorway, raising one skeptical eyebrow.

„Thank you, Feris, for bringing me my friends. I hope you have a nice evening. We’ll see you at the feast.“, Tony ended his sentence with a way too happy grin, just trying to get rid of the Jotun as soon as possible.

Feris nodded grimly and stomped away. Tony quickly shooed both princes into his chambers and closed the door. By now Thor had regained what could resemble a normal skin tone. He wasn’t all the way back but close.

„So, uhm, I’d say let’s take a look at blondies head. He probably has a concussion so maybe i can do something about that and get our non-amnesiac prince back.“, Tony clapped in his hands and motioned for Thor to sit down on the large bright blue couch he had had brought in from Muspelheim. It was the one warm thing he had had in the summer residence besides the hot springs near the palace.

Chapter 13: Thors head

Chapter Text

Delving into Thors mind felt like going for a swim in the iciest lake imaginable. Shivers were shaking Tonys body and he had to muster all his strength to push through the cold and go deeper into his head. He could feel the sensations from the actual world numbing down to background noise. The only feeling that remained prominent was the touch of his fingers against Thors forehead.

He hadn’t gone too far in the pitch dark of the aesirs mind when his recent memories flashed past Tony. Their way to Tonys chambers, although Thors vision had started getting pretty hazy at the end. Loki and him sitting in the cells, worrying about Anton and their shared fate. The brotherly fondness that he had felt whilst Loki tried to pretend he didn’t care about him but still stayed by his side to keep him warm.

He saw the moment Thor felt the throbbing pain in his head after Tony had slapped him awake in the cells. And then he came to a halt. There was a pile of rubble in front of him. That must be where the memories cut off.

What followed next had to be carefully planned. The mind was a tricky thing.. He didn’t wanna mess stuff up if he forcefully healed his way through Thors head. He reached out with gold slivers of his magic. They surrounded the pile of rubble and connected him to the neurons responsible. Only now, that he knew where exactly the problem was, did he cast a healing spell. He watched the neurons rearrange and stitch themselves together again. He would never tire of watching the miracles a little bit of magic could achieve. It was why he started studying the art in the first place. Well, that and some other reasons. Magic was one of the greatest tools for creating and innovating after all and that was his whole stick.

As the neurons healed themselves, the rubble started to clear and the first memories from Thors time before the cells started to resurface.

„Looks like a job well done.“, Tony grinned. Just being able to use his magic freely like that was exhilarating.

Once the last boulder dissolved Tony turned to leave. Suddenly something caught his attention. It was there just for a moment but he had definitely seen it. A tiny orange spark. Tony moved closer and more sparkles showed up a little further in the distance. Whatever this was, it wasn’t supposed to be here.

Well, they say curiosity killed the cat… Lucky for me, I’m not a cat

No reply came.

Huh, maybe his technopathy skills didn’t extend to when he’s inside another persons head. Good to know.

Tony started following the trail of sparkles. It led him deeper into the princes mind. Way deeper. To be honest Tony was questioning whether it was a good idea to follow weird orange sparkles, seemed like an invasion of privacy of some sorts. He was quick to discard that line of thought when the orange sparkles turned into symbols. The symbols started getting closer together and ended up as a long line.

„Looks like a spell of some kind…“, Tony murmured into the nothingness.

At the end of the orange sparkly line there was a small white box. It was fully wrapped in orange magic. By now Tony had his suspicions as to who the spell caster had been. That color, the brute strength that was emanated by the glowing symbols, the utter lack of finesse, it had to be Odin himself.

„Aww, how nice of him, he left me a present.“

Sir, you seem to be talking to yourself. May I recommend the therapist in Malibu I’ve been nagging you about for the past year?

Tony chuckled. Okay, maybe he had to work on his JARVIS impression. He missed having his AIs sarcastic comments in his head though. Especially since he could really use some company right about now. Seeing Odins magic brought up some unpleasant memories of his own.

Tony decided he had to at least try unravel whatever spell Odin had left in Thors mind. What if it was hurting him? He had to protect his friend as best as he could.

He concentrated on the bubbly feeling of the golden magic at his core. It immediately made him feel more at ease.

His eyes were glowing golden when he began manually unravelling the spell. He had to counter a few individual sigils, laid there as booby traps for anyone who tried to remove the spell. That only reinforced Tonys curiosity as to what Odin had kept locked away in the inconspicuous looking white box.

It must’ve been a very old spell because it ended up being easier to unravel than Tony had expected. The last sigil fell away and the box was left by itself. Tony moved to open it and he wasn’t too surprised to find that there were no extra security measures.

„Oh, Odin, always so sure of yourself. Let’s see what we have here.“, he whispered while he opened the box.

It was a memory. A very old memory that Odin had apparently thought important enough to lock away. Tony felt like an uninvited intruder to this scene yet he couldn’t help but watch it play out.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Small Thor grinned into the water. He had snuck outside into mothers garden and was watching his reflection in the fountain. He reached out with a small hand and barely managed to reach the ice cold water.

Thor heard his brothers voice frantically whispering: „Thor, you idiot. If mom finds out we won’t get dessert for at least a week! Let’s go back inside!“

He laughed at his worried brother. They wouldn’t come looking for them. He saw mother reading at the library and father was in a council meeting with Anton and some boring nobles. Really, being king sounded so lame. He’d rather play outside all day long.

„Oh come on! They won’t ever know!“ Thor ran over and grabbed his brothers hand to pull him towards the fountain.

Little Loki was thrown off balance and stumbled into the fountain. There was a huge splash and Thor already feared the scolding that awaited him if his brother ended up getting sick.

He rushed over to help the kid out of the water. „Loki! Here, grab my hand!“

He pulled small Loki out of the freezing water and only then did he take a second look at him.

„Lo- Loki, you’re…I have to go!“

When Thor looked back rushing out of the gardens, he could see his brother watching his hands looking very confused. They were normal again… Had he imagined the whole thing? It can’t be. He clearly remembered the blue skin and the red eyes that had been on the brink of tears. He had to tell his father! He would know what to do!

Thor caught up to Odin just as the others were leaving the council chambers. His heart was beating like crazy and he had to regain his breath first. Then only the kid and his father remained. „Father, I have something to ask you. Is Loki a frost giant? I… I know the Jotnar are supposed to be monsters but… it’s Loki! He wouldn’t hurt us!“ Small Thor vividly shook his head. No, he couldn’t see his little brother as a monster at all. „Father? Why aren’t you saying anything?“

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The memory abruptly cut off.

„That old bastard!“ Tony knew he had to get out of Thors mind now. This whole thing just proved how far Odin was willing to go to make everything go according to his plans - and his plans only.

Tony let himself drift back to the outskirts of Thors conscious. If he had left right from within his memories he could’ve cause damage and he wouldn’t wanna waste all his previous efforts.

He concentrated back on the feeling of his fingers on the blonde gods forehead. It felt like zooming in on all the signals he got from his actual senses. The feeling of his feet touching the hardwood floor, the smell of something akin to lime that they must have used to clean the chambers and the sound of their mixed breathing. All of these impressions getting louder, more prominent until it almost felt like he plopped back into reality.

„Whew, not the most entertaining thing I’ve ever done. How are you feeling, point break? Any headaches? Still having problems remembering the last few centuries? Maybe noticing a newly resurfaced memory from your childhood - previously repressed by Odins magic? Anything like that?“

The older god watched Thor like a hawk. If he had messed anything up, now would be the deciding moments. Thors brows furrowed together. He snapped his head towards where Loki was standing.

„You’re a Jotun.“ Tony didn’t know if Thor faked the calm tone with which he addressed his brother. He didn’t seem too surprised but maybe Thor was better at hiding his emotions than Tony had given him credit for.

Loki looked like the complete opposite of Thor. He had his shocked eyes wide open and frantically looked between Thor and Tony. „You… you told him?“, he asked Tony. The hurt tremor in his voice was back and it threatened to break Tonys heart.

„No! Loki, that’s not what happened. I would never do that to you.“, Tony insisted. He had promised Loki after all.

Thor chose that moment to chime in: „It wasn’t Anton. I- I think there was another memory I had been missing. We were just kids, sneaking around in mothers garden when you fell into the fountain. You- you turned blue. I didn’t know what to do so I ran to father. I should’ve stayed with you.“

„I remember that day, I was sick for a month. So, I apparently turned blue and you ran to tell father about the monster living besides you, ruining your perfect little family.“ Lokis tone got more deprecatory as he went on and his lips were pulled taut into thin lines.

Tony wanted to reach out and pull Loki into a hug but that would be inappropriate, wouldn’t it?

Ah, f*ck it. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - or whatever - and a hug for a hug

The older aesir put one of his arms over Lokis shoulder and pulled the other god close. It felt right, like it was always meant to be this way. He felt his magic core buzz with happiness. He wondered if it was possible that Loki felt the same. That he also wanted to never let go, keep him close. He had to take a moment to get rid of all those useless, stupid thoughts that always managed to sneak their way into his head.

„That’s not true, sweetheart. He didn’t think of you as a monster. Never did and never will. You are Loki. You always have been and you always will be so much more than just your heritage. Besides, if you two go around calling the Jotnar monsters we might actually still have a war on our hands.“

He had tried to lighten up the mood a bit with his last comment but it didn’t seem to work. Thor sternly nodded along and Loki seemed to have tensed up immensely for some reason. Tony went through his words again and then he realized what it was that made the dark haired god so tense.

J, baby, save me. I think I just called Loki ‚sweetheart‘. Oh no, he’s going to hate me. By the norns, why can’t I do anything right. Why isn’t he saying anything? He should be saying something. This is awful. I’m just gonna throw myself off the nearest cliff. Don’t wait up for me.

Chapter 14: The Washroom

Chapter Text

Thor broke the ensuing silence by awkwardly coughing. „Well, I just want to say that I shall not think differently about you, brother. As Anton correctly mentioned, you still are the same Loki. I’ve also been realizing I may have let old fairy tales guide my judgement for way too long. This horrible concept of prejudice and fear is irresponsible and unwarranted. I hope you will still stand by my side, brother, as I shall stand by yours.“

Some of the tension in Lokis shoulders seemed to seep out after hearing Thors words. He nodded at Thor with a grateful expression on his face. Tony still couldn’t bring himself to release the younger god from his embrace. He wouldn’t admit it if anyone asked but he was enjoying this way too much.

„So, uhm, you two may be wondering what I talked about with Laufey?“, Tony asked, „turns out the king isn’t that keen on a war either. We’re going to join the feast today and there we’ll talk about what happens next. Thanks to Odin still playing sleeping beauty up in fairytale land and blondie still being mortal, Loki here is ruler of Asgard and as such holds the authority to lead peace negotiations.“

Loki slipped out of Tonys grasp as he turned to reply: „We have a chance to stop all this then? That’s good news. Why are they holding a feast? Aren’t they busy with war preparations? Peace isn’t official yet after all.“

„They missed me, of course“, he answered grinning. Tony tried to shake off the bitter feeling that came once Loki left his side. He was a grown man, he could damn well act like one. Tony decided he had to clear his head.

„Laufey said to get refreshed and cleaned up before the feast and to be honest, I’m sure we could really use it. I’m gonna get a head start and jump into the bath real quick. No worries, Thor, the bath is heated so even you can have a go later without freezing again.“ With that being said he hurried to the installed washroom to his right.

Tony closed the door and heaved a sigh.

You escaped just in time, Sir.

Escaped? Me? I wasn’t trying to escape anything. It was a tactical retreat at most.

If anyone could’ve seen him now they might’ve said he was pouting. But there wasn’t anyone here and Tony didn’t pout, no matter what anyone thinks.

The bath was actually more of a hot spring. A genius mechanism redirected water from the hot springs nearby to the palace and Tony would like to thank whoever’s responsible. He poured in some of the soap like stuff standing next to the bath in pretty little glass vials and started stripping.

The bath felt godly after the cold uncomfortable stone floor from earlier. It relaxed his muscles and he was finally able to get a quick moment to just think for himself.

J, do you think Loki actually likes me back? I mean, I know he likes me, we’re friends. What about as more than just friends though… He’s so stunning. Really smart too. And those eyes…

You know, Sir, if you just asked Loki yourself…

Yeah yeah, I know, I should just go for it. Usually I don’t have a problem with the direct approach, J. But this time…I don’t know how he will react and I’m terrified.

Tony had known JARVIS for years. They have been mentally connected all this time. If he couldn’t admit his fears to his AI then who else was there. It still felt like he was being too vulnerable though.

Getting betrayed and stabbed in the back makes people cautious, I guess.

Once the last bubbles had died down, Tony got out of the bath and dried himself off. He looked at the mirror and stopped at his chest. The arc reactor was gone since he had ripped it out as soon as he had gotten his magic back. There wasn’t even a scar left. As if Afghanistan had never happened at all. Tony knew he’d carry the memories of his time getting tortured with him for the rest of his life but he was glad the physical evidence was gone. His hand was absentmindedly tracing the round shape where the reactor would’ve been when he suddenly was back in the cave.

He felt his magic reacting to the turmoil in his head, agitated by past memories and current insecurities. He had a quick thought about how it wasn’t real, he was in Jotunheim, in the present. He knew it wasn’t real but it sure as hel felt like it was.

His fingertips, tracing his chest, felt cold metal pressing against them. Breathing was so hard

They were coming, Tony could hear their footsteps. They wouldn’t stop. He had to get out.

He was dragged down raggedy corridors, dirt sticking to his clothes or what was left of them anyway.

There was the metal taste of iron on his tongue and then he saw where they were dragging him.

He tried to protest. He kept the car battery close to his chest. He can’t die here.

His head was under water. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He needed air. But he couldn’t let them get away with it. He couldn’t give them what they want.

The water was running down his head as he gasped for air. It wasn’t enough. The car battery sent sparks flying. It hurt so much.

„Anton!“ They kept shouting his name. Trying to get him to do what they want. But he couldn’t help them.

„Anton!“ He was barely clinging onto consciousness. He wondered if he would ever get rid of the taste of blood on his tongue.

„Anton! Listen! Breathe with me!“ Breathe? How could he, when they were taking away every last breath he had.

„Breathe with me! Please, Anton. Can you hear me?“ He felt something warm press against the palm of his hands. Yinsen? No, the voice had called him Anton. Yinsen only knew Tony Stark.

„In and out again. You’re doing great, Anton. Just keep breathing with me.“ It was a nice voice. He liked it. It felt like home.

„Are you with me, Anton? You’re on Jotunheim, remember? I’m here and Thor is as well. You’re okay. You’re safe.“ Safe, yeah that sounded nice. Safe with the warm voice. The warmth against his palm was moving up and down. He tried to mimic the slow intakes of air. He was safe. The voice had said he was safe.

The person with the comforting voice moved to get a better hold of him. Tony felt the arm pressed to his back and the chest now resting right next to him. He used his remaining energy to pull himself closer to the safe person.

„That’s it. You’re doing great, Anton.“, the voice - Loki, as Tony realized - said. There was a hand caressing his hair and Tony had to admit it felt very comforting.

Sitting on the washroom floor, cuddled up next to one another, Tony slowly got his wits back. Once the realization set in that he was in Lokis arms, basically naked, his eyes flew open.

The hand in his hair stopped moving. „Anton? Are you back? You had me so worried. Your magic suddenly seeped out of this room and it was frantic. I rushed in and found you curled up on the floor.“

Tony knew this situation would usually make him feel very uncomfortable. Being so openly vulnerable wasn’t exactly his forte. Something about Loki made it okay though. Maybe it was his voice that had told him he was safe or maybe it was just the fact that Loki had a special place in Tonys heart as it was. He wasn’t able to find the energy to move so he just mumbled: „Bad memories…“

„I see…“ Loki carefully put his hand back into Tonys hair and started brushing it again.

If I may draw the comparison. If you were a cat, you’d be purring now, Sir.

„Oh, shut up.“, Tony mumbled. JARVIS had gotten too sassy if you asked him.

The petting stopped and Tony immediately mourned the loss of contact. „Hmm?“

„Oops, I said that out loud, didn’t I? Guess I’m not completely back to normal just yet.“ Tony pushed himself up and pulled out of the unbelievably comfortable washroom floor hug. Maybe the circ*mstances were messing with his perception. That can’t have been as comfortable as it had felt. „I was just talking to JARVIS. He seems to have found a new hobby: being an annoying, snooping AI, that is.“

Using his magic, that had by now calmed down enough to not cause problems, he swiftly changed into some breeches and a light shirt to make the situation just a smidge less awkward. „So, uhm…“, Tony reached a hand down to where Loki was still sitting on the floor, „thank you, Lokes.“

The younger god let himself get pulled up and came to a halt right across from Tony. Their bodies were maybe a step apart.

Tony couldn’t help but take it all in. Loki had high, sharp cheekbones that could probably cut someone. Silky looking, flowing black hair he wanted to run his hands through and not just beautiful but enchanting green eyes, like whirlpools that tried to suck Tony in. They held eye contact for a moment that felt like eternity. He noticed Lokis eyes flickering down to his mouth and before he could think too long about it his gaze was also drawn a little lower. The jotun prince had smooth rosy lips and Tony wondered what they would feel like on his own.

Inevitably they moved closer. Tony was starting to feel Lokis breath on his nose. He faintly touched his arm and felt his eyes slowly flutter closed.

Just then, moments before their lips would’ve touched, there was someone knocking on the door in the main room. Startled the two men jumped away from each other.

I think I’m gonna murder someone, J.

I strongly advise against it, Sir.

Tony met Lokis eyes: „We’ll continue this later.“, after a moment of hesitation he added: „if you still want to, I mean.“

The black haired god nodded his head. „I can’t think of anything I’d want more.“

There was no way of stopping the wide grin that spread on Tonys face and frankly he didn’t want to stop it. Why not show it when he's truly happy for once. He made his way to the door when the waiting person decided to knock once again.

Annoyed the aesir opened the door. „What is it?“, he asked Feris, who didn’t seem any happier about the whole situation than Tony himself.

„It’s time. The feast will start any moment and you and your… guests… are awaited in the great hall.“ The way he spat out the words when he talked about the princes led Tony to believe Feris was probably more on Byleistrs side of things. He wondered what had happened to the open minded kid Tony had known so long ago.

„It’s that late already, huh? No worries, give us a second and we’ll be right back.“, Tony said as he slammed the door in Feris’ face. He might’ve known the small kid but he didn’t want anything to do with the grown up if this was how he was going to talk to him and his friends.

Only now did Tony notice Thor had apparently fallen asleep on the couch. It was kind of adorable if he was honest. „Thor. Thor, buddy, we have to get ready. The feast is gonna start any minute now.“

Loki had heard the conversation at the door and started fixing his rumpled appearance. „These shackles aren’t exactly helpful, you know.“, he noted to Tony.

„I know. That’s why I asked Laufey to remove mine.“, Tony winked at Loki, „He says he doesn’t trust you yet, so he didn’t want to risk taking yours off as well. Which, to be honest, is probably smart. He doesn’t yet have a reason to trust you and you’re very skilled at what you do, Lokes.“

When Lokis cheeks visibly reddened Tony felt his heart skip a beat or two. How was he supposed to survive this feast if all he was gonna think about would be Loki anyways.

Tony turned to the traditional garment that still hung from the bed frame. With a flick of his wrists he was wearing the scandalously revealing clothing. Oh how he had missed the small things his magic could do.

While he went over to help a drowsy looking Thor look somewhat presentable, he didn’t notice Lokis stare following him.

Loki was enraptured. He was ready to move to Jotunheim if it meant seeing Anton like that more often. The Jotnar, not minding the cold climate on their realm, didn’t seem to care all that much for clothing.

Tony was wearing some type of sandals (he was convinced no one would be able to tie those complicated looking knots without using magic), arm braces with intricate details etched into the leather and metal plates around his hips, that looked like the most badass skirt anyone had ever created (at least that’s what Tony would say about it). He even wore matching jewelry in the form of golden rings around his biceps and a golden headpiece that encircled his brown mess of hair. A shining red crystal was the center piece of the jewelry, enhancing the golden glimmer that always seemed to shimmer in his eyes.

There was no way Loki would be able to pay attention to anything besides Anton this evening. Weren’t they supposed to talk about peace? This was going to be a disaster.

Finally content with how Thors look turned out, Tony clapped his hands. „All done! I’m ready, let’s go make some peace!“

Chapter 15: The feast

Chapter Text

The feast wasn’t as elaborate as it would’ve been had they had more time to prepare. Still, there were plenty of Jotnar assembled in the great hall. King Laufey was sitting at the head of the long trestle table, talking to his wife, queen Farbauti. Various maids were still bringing new, delicious looking dishes to the banquet. There were servants standing by the sides, just waiting to refill the wine and mead for the attending guests.

There even was a bard attending, she seemed to be from a far away realm since her hair shimmered an ethereal white and her skin looked almost translucent. She was playing on an instrument Tony had never seen before. It resembled a harp but was sleeker and didn’t sound like a harp at all. Her melodic voice carried all the way through the hall and created an atmosphere of calm and joy.

The tall windows opposite the entrance revealed a startlingly beautiful night sky, the chemical compounds in the air making the sky appear almost purple, a plethora of stars shining their light on the inhabitants of this realm and the vast landscape of Jotunheim.

Tony jerked his head away from the night sky and made a beeline to the royal family, they were here for a reason after all and it wasn’t to admire the scenery. Both princes followed close behind. In theory they might have a higher rank than Tony himself and should be the ones leading the group but in this instance, he was the one who held more sway with their hosts and therefore would introduce them to the royal family.

While he was walking towards the royal family Tony occasionally glanced back at Loki to see how he was holding up.The black haired god seemed rather confident and poised. No outsider would ever think him anything less than perfectly comfortable in this situation. Tony knew better though. He knew how much Lokis heritage had weighed on him and he wasn’t blind enough to not notice the nerves lying blank behind those emerald eyes.

He tried to throw the two brothers a reassuring smile as they stopped in front of the king and queen.

„Your majesty, I apologize for our delayed arrival.“, he turned to the woman next to him, „My queen. I hope you’re feeling well. I have missed seeing your beautiful face.“, Tony bowed his head and smirked.

Queen Farbauti rolled her eyes. „Anton, my dear, don’t be ridiculous. You only missed sneaking off with the pastries our dear cook made. She was delighted to hear her biggest fan has returned by the way. She must be around here somewhere, you should go look for her. In the meantime me and my husband will get to know your friends. I believe we have a lot to talk about, don’t we?“

Tony recognized the dismissal as what it was. He nodded his head in approval and left the royals to talk by themselves. He would’ve felt a bit uncomfortable leaving them but Tony could get creative if he needed to. He spotted the cook in one of the corners quite far out and made his way over to her. In the meantime he mumbled a spell that would let him listen in on the conversation he just had to leave. Yeah, he was curious, sue him.

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„Prince regent Loki, Prince Thor. I welcome you to my home. I expect you to not make me regret my decision to let you stay with Anton.“ Laufeys voice sounded commanding and stern. There was no doubt he didn’t like having the princes as ‚wild cards‘ „However, I am pleased to hear you are not so fond of a war yourselves.“.

Loki had nodded along. It was obvious that Laufey cared for his people. A trait which only made the tall Jotun seem more likeable. There were hundreds of thoughts racing through his head varying from ‚he’s my real father‘ to ‚would he even recognize me‘ but he pushed all those thoughts to the side. First things first.

„Your majesty. Anton has told us great things about yourself and the lovely Queen Farbauti. We’d like to formally thank you for your hospitality, Sir. We, as representatives of Asgard and its people, sincerely hope to resolve the unfortunate incident that, unfortunately, even myself and my brother had a part in. It pains me to say that we acted like foolish children. If I may, I hereby plead for your forgiveness.“

After Loki had finished talking, he bowed his head before the jotun king. Thor, who had been silently watching until now, joined his brother. He had always known that his brother was more skilled in the intricacies of political debates than himself and he knew even a small turn of phrase could be essential in this type of situation. There’s also the thing of him being banished at the moment so even if he had wanted to chime in, he had no authority to do so.

Loki was sure that Odin was turning in his sleep right now. Two asgardian princes, bowing their heads before a Jotun. The whole situation felt almost surreal. It was the right thing to do, though. They had been the ones at fault and they would do what they had to to make up for it.

„Very well. You have my forgiveness, young prince. I was young and reckless once as well and now I fear my own child has gone down a dark path as well. He knows about the strained past that connects our realms and he doesn’t understand why I cannot risk another war simply because of some children acting out. Unfortunately quite a few of my people back my sons opinions on this. Lots of them have suffered because of the aesir before and this was the last straw. Of course there are those, like myself, that see the inevitable suffering ahead of us but others won’t and they will demand some form of recompense for the lives lost when you decided to enter our realm so foolishly.“

Loki had to grit his teeth to not comment on being called a child. After all, Laufey had a point. They had acted like children. It was only reasonable for Laufey to demand reparations, it was a small price to pay for sparing both of their people from the horrors of war. The only question left was, what the Jotnar would accept as repayment.

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While Tony was listening in on Lokis conversation with Laufey, he had reached the cook. She was as delightful at small talk as ever. She didn’t ask any prying questions and immediately offered Tony one of her famous sweet-sour pastries. Tony adored this woman. They even talked about her kids and how much they’ve grown in the last decades and Tony had to promise to meet them soon.

The jotun woman just took her leave - to get back to the dessert that she had been planning for this evening - when Tony heard Loki ask Laufey about what he had in mind as recompensation. He turned to the head of the table and settled with his back against the wall, deciding to watch how this conversation would play out.

By now jotnar were bustling around the hall and he barely got a direct view on his prince. He did, however, notice when Thors head snapped warily to the side. Tony followed the direction of his eyes and once he recognized the Jotun standing there it was too late.

Byleistr was standing at the window, crossbow in his hands, an emotionless expression on his face. He had the weapon aimed at the royal family, no, at Loki. There was a determined glint in his eyes as he pulled the trigger and the arrow was propelled forwards.

„No!“, was the only thing that slipped past Tonys lips but the arrow was already on it’s way to hit its target. It was too late. Tonys spells wouldn’t reach there in time.

No, no, no!

The sound of the arrow hitting flesh was audible to Tony even from that far away.

Tony flinched and started running to his friends. „Loki! Is Thor alright?“

The blonde aesir must’ve realized the Jotun had been aiming for Loki and jumped in between them. What Tony saw once he arrived next to Loki though wasn’t ‚alright‘ at all. Thor, still being mortal, was bleeding profusely. He was still breathing but it was clear the arrow had punctured some major blood vessels. It was sticking out of Thors left shoulder and the young prince clearly had problems staying conscious.

There was so much happening at the same time. Tony felt like he was frozen to the spot and everything around him was happening in slow motion. He could hear Laufey call the guards to detain the rogue crown prince. He could see jotnar rushing to the spot where Byleistr had fired the shot. He could smell the scent of metallic blood in the air and feel other guests either rushing out of the hall or gathering around them. And then, in the middle of all this chaos, he saw Loki sink down on his knees next to his brother.

„No! Thor, you oaf, no! Don’t you dare die on me! By the norns, you idiot, why would you do that?“ Loki had tears streaming down his face. They had known each other all of their lives, they grew up together, played together, laughed together, cried together. It wasn’t fair. „I swear, if you die here I’ll tell everyone about the time you dressed up as a woman. Come on! Keep it together! Help is coming… help is coming…“

Tony was still watching the scene play out. He had tried to heal the prince, of course he had tried. It was no use. He suspected Byleistr had used magic deterring arrows. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He saw the healers enter the great hall, saw them running towards them. He knew it wouldn’t be enough. If only Thor hadn’t been rendered mortal, he would’ve been able to recover easily.

Thors breathing was fast and shallow. He didn’t have much time left. Loki was holding his brothers hand. That’s when his glamour started to slip. Apparently seeing your brother dying does that to your concentration. It started with his head. Light blue, curved horns were sprouting out of silky black hair. Lokis light skin was slowly being taken over by a deep shade of blue, the almost white family lines creating a stark contrast. Loki didn’t seem to notice, not even once his hands had turned blue, too caught up with Thor.

That didn’t mean the rest of the present jotnar didn’t notice though. There was a continuously louder stream of murmurs going through their ranks. „The aesir prince isn’t aesir?“ „Did you see his lines?“ „Can it be?“

„Loptr?“ Even the king seemed to have caught on.

Loki didn’t react to any of it, Tony doubted he even registered the shift in the atmosphere. Thor had gone eerily still, he released another breath and didn’t breathe in again. Tony could feel his own tears painting his cheeks wet. He may have had his faults but Thor had been a good man, a loyal brother and a great friend. He shouldn’t die like this. It wasn’t right.

It was like everyone immediately seemed to know something bad had happened and the great hall, with all the guests inside went quiet. The wind blowing was the only thing filling the silence.

Suddenly there was a faint whirring sound gradually getting louder. As if something was getting closer.

What…?

Chapter 16: Prince Loptr

Notes:

So sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter uploaded..
I had a lot going on and writers block didn't help
hope you guys enjoy this chapter though <3

Chapter Text

Snapping his head to one of the windows Tony narrowed his eyes to make out whatever the source of the new sound was. His eyes widened when he realized what exactly was making it’s way right towards them.

Mjolnir crashed through the window and flew right past the perplexed Jotnar. A few guests had to jump out of the way with surprised shouts. He had just enough time to grab Lokis shoulder and drag him away from Thors body before the hammer rushed right past them. Right when Mjolnir went above Thors head, the prince grabbed ahold of his hammer.

There was loud rumbling thunder outside and bolts of lightning struck the area surrounding the palace. Once Thor opened his eyes, they were glowing electric blue and small lightning bolts danced across the aesirs skin. He jolted upwards, the arrow getting pushed out of his shoulder thanks to the amazing healing aesir skin could do. Thors first instinct was to hurry to his brother and Anton to check if they’re alright but he knew he had ‚caught‘ the arrow and he had a score to settle. Determined he pulled himself up and started surveying the room.

An awed smile made its way on Tonys cheeks and he could feel Loki slump into his arms in relief. He heard the younger god mumble something along the lines of: „Incredible, unbelievable idiot…“

„Where is he?“

Tony was sure everyone in the palace could hear Thors booming voice and feel the electric buzz in the air. They had a really pissed off god of thunder on their hands. The blonde god ignored all attempts of people talking to him after he spotted the attacker on the far side of the room.

„You!“, he roared, „How dare you aim for my brother? Who do you think you are?“

Most of the Jotnar that had been standing in Thors line of sight hurried away. The buzzing feeling amplified as the prince got closer to Byleistr. Even the jotun guards that had apprehended their crown prince stepped to the side once Thor was close enough. Apparently a furious Thor had that effect on people. To be honest Tony himself wouldn’t want to stand in his way when he got like this. The sheer power radiating from the god was amazing considering Tony was sure Thor hadn’t even uncovered all of his potential yet.

Thor had gripped Byleistr by his throat and lifted the Jotun off his feet. „You will pay for this. No one touches my family.“

If Tony didn’t know any better he would’ve sworn the Jotun had shrunk in size. If it had been him he sure would’ve been evaluating all his life choices right now. Byleistr looked like he tried his hardest to appear unaffected but failed horribly at it. He started clawing at Thors hand holding him up and his face started turning a worrying shade of purple.

Sir, I know I’m no expert in intergalactic peace talks but killing the other parties crown prince doesn’t sound effective, does it?

JARVIS, that Jotun shot Asgards crown prince - banished crown prince, whatever - and he did aim for the prince regent of another realm. He tried to hurt my…. to hurt Loki. There’s no way I’m stopping Thor. He deserves it.

I agree, Sir. However, as it is, you have the upper hand in the debate. Should prince Thor enact his revenge it would eliminate this specific bargaining chip.

Reluctantly Tony had to agree with JARVIS’ evaluation. After all that didn’t mean they couldn’t make sure the Jotun would regret this day for the rest of his life.

„Prince Thor!“, Laufeys commanding voice echoed through the hall and cut Tonys thoughts short. Thors grip didn’t loosen as he glanced back to the king. „Your majesty?“

King Laufey looked like he had aged a century in the past few minutes. „Prince Thor, in the name of Jotunheim… Nay, in my position as a father I ask you to let my son go. I know what he did today was unforgivable but he is still my child. I cannot loose another son.. please.“ Only the years of growing up at court and the centuries being king could hide the emotions threatening to break free from the jotun king.

Thor sighed. He was a good man, he understood the pain of losing a loved one. That didn’t mean he was happy about it though. With a dismayed look he let the jotun prince down. „There is your compensation for our wrongdoings. I have spared your realms prince who tried to kill the prince regent of Asgard. Our debt is paid. There shall be no more negotiating.“

After a last, booming thunderblast the storm outside calmed down. The lightning bolts rushing under Thors skin stopped and his eyes regained the radiant but not glowing blue they were used to.

Laufey didn’t protest Thors declarations. He nodded to his guards who then took Byleistr and brought him outside the hall - presumably to a nice and comfy cell.

„And so it shall be. I assure you there won’t be any similar incidents during your continued stay in my palace.“ Laufey said the last sentence with such a finality that it allowed no questions. Tony had no doubt Byleistr would have a pretty angry father to deal with later on.

Sir, it seems your quest on Jotunheim was successful, if a bit unexpected, one might say.

Sure looks like it. Well, I’ve got to get back home, don’t want Pep to wo- wait…

Tony looked down at Loki who had managed to pull himself together and looked all the way like the ruler of a realm as strong as Asgard should look. Only thing was, he was still blue. Just then Loki seemed to notice his predicament as well and swiftly pulled his glamor back up. He had to admit he already missed the way the soft lighting in the hall had made Lokis blue skin shimmer.

The young prince surveyed the room searching for…something. A reaction perhaps. Most guests had started pouring out of the hall as soon as Thor had regained his powers probably deciding this was a matter for the royal family to deal with. Lokis eyes crossed Laufeys gaze and he knew that they had seen, that they had realized what it meant.

King Laufey was the first one to break the silence they had been caught in. „I have missed you, my son.“

This one sentence was enough to crack the years worth of barricades Loki had built around himself for so long. There wasn’t enough time for the black haired god to reply when he was crushed in a hug. While Loki had been busy sorting through his haywire emotions, Farbauti had crossed the space separating them and embraced her son she had feared she would never see again.

„I thank the norns for returning you to us, my son. How did you..? Why did Odin…? We thought you dead.“ The queens voice faltered at the end. Her husband closed the distance separating them and added: „Had we known you to be alive the war would not have ended without Odins death. We should’ve known he wouldn’t leave with just the casket as a trophy.“ He shook his head. „Has he treated you right, my son? Seeing as you’re the current prince regent of Asgard I admit I am a bit surprised.“

„I assume the all-father had plans with me so i grew up as the second prince… He only told me about my heritage after.. after I searched out the casket of ancient winters. I questioned him about it and he.. that bastard took the easy way out and fell into Odinssleep right then and there.“

Tony couldn’t stop his grin at the indignant tone in Lokis voice. The mention of the all-father however reminded him of the fact that they never knew when he might wake up. Hopefully he would be far away once that happens… preferably with Loki at his side. He started wondering if he might want to stay on Jotunheim if the meeting with his parents went well…

„I doubt anybody else knew.. except maybe Frigga. She is a good woman and mother but for her husband she is loyal to a fault. And when Thor found out about my real skin when we were but children Odin locked away his memories so he would speak of it no longer. I wasn’t sure how to tell you about myself. My apologies for keeping this secret even in your home, your majesty.“

„Oh no, no, none of this ‚your majesty‘ thing here. You are our son, effectively the prince of this realm as well as Asgards. There’s no need for these formalities with family.“ The queen took her husbands hand and pulled Loki into another hug, this time together with Laufey.

J, I think I’m just witnessing the best family reunion ever. It’s a shame I can’t film this whole thing, I bet this would make even Pepper feel all mushy inside.

I’m glad it all worked out, Sir.

After the royal family exchanged some more fond glances and words, the general exhaustion was made quite obvious. Thor was still recovering from dying and Loki had more than his share of excitement for the day.

Tony waited for an appropriate moment to interrupt the heartwarming scene: „If I may, I think it’s time we retire to our chambers for the day. With all due respect, your majesty, but the day was long and exhausting and I think we’d all benefit from a good nights sleep.“

Thor, who had used the conversation to inch closer to Tonys side, nodded in approval. Even Loki, who had been very engrossed in chatting with his new-found parents, seemed to agree. „I think Anton here is right. It has been a lot to process and I’d really appreciate some rest.“, he added.

King Laufey looked like he might want to protest and keep his son around for longer but Queen Farbauti replied to Loki: „We understand. I’ll have the servants prepare royal chambers for the asgardian prince and you. We do want you to feel welcome here. It is your home if you want it to be.“

The invitation for Loki to stay was obvious. It made an uneasy feeling appear in Tony.

Do you think Lokes will want to stay here? I mean, he won’t say no to the new room at least, after all it would be impolite to do so.. I don’t want to leave him.. How about making SI more of an inter-realm thing?

I’m not sure earth is quite ready for an intergalactic market. However I suspect Loki won’t want to leave you either, Sir. He seemed quite fond of you.

It is his family, J. What am I, compared to that..?

The god in question hesitated with his answer, throwing a quick look to Tony who had a rather resigned look on his face. He knew it would be rather rude to decline the new room though. Especially since he couldn’t exactly give them a good reason for him to stay in Antons chambers. „That is very generous of you,…mother.“

The king and queen nodded and sent a servant off to prepare the rooms. Laufey coughed, with a wave of his hand, the chains constraining Lokis magic fell away. „Son, I do trust you won’t hurt your home even if you barely know it. I apologize for the unfortunate circ*mstances that brought you to the palace. I hope you can forgive me, I was simply trying to protect our home.“

Small, barely noticeable green sparkles danced around Lokis fingertips after the shackles had dissolved. „Thank you. There is nothing to forgive.“ He threw a glance at his friends and added „If that is all for today, I think we should head to our chambers.“

Their paths had separated after a few paces and when Tony finally arrived back at his chambers they felt too empty. He hadn’t even been separated from his friends for more than maybe ten minutes and he already missed their company. Well,.. he missed Lokis company. He loved Thor, but it was a different kind of love.

Disappointed and feeling empty, he made his way to the washroom. He remembered the situation from earlier today very well. From his panic attack to his almost kiss..

Damn that bastard Feris! Why didn’t he wait just a moment longer before knocking.

Tony thought back to the feel of Lokis breath on his skin - the familiar feel of his magic - the exact shade of his enchanting eyes…the inviting rosy lips inching ever closer… He sighed..

How was he supposed not to go crazy like this? Tony splashed some water on his face, trying to clear his head. Once he looked back up into the ornate mirror on his washroom wall he saw some movement right behind him.

He turned right in time to see green sparks form a complicated pattern. Only a moment later a figure emerged from the emerald mist.

Loki was standing there, in the middle of Tonys bathroom. He looked at the floor a bit sheepishly.

„Hey.“, mumbled the younger god.

Tony stared at his guest perplexed. „Uh..hi! I…uh.. Lokes, what are you doing..?“

He could hear Loki take a deep breath: „I thought I would take you up on your offer…If it still stands, that is.“ He lifted his eyes and their gazes met. They could feel their strands of seidr tangling and twisting happily around one another.

Without giving it much more thought and keeping the entrancing eye contact, Tony stepped closer to the other god. He lifted a hand to his cheek and stared at his pale face in awe. Their closeness sent shivers down his spine and every breath felt electrifying.

„It still stands.“, he whispered. He could hear Lokis breath hitch and felt his face inching closer. By the time their lips touched Tony thought he could die happy now. They found each other in a deep embrace, their lips softly touching each other, lost in a dance known only to their souls.

Any outsider might’ve found it exceptionally beautiful to see how the two men were entwined in bands of their magic. Gold and green swirls encompassing two souls in sync with one another. As it was however, they remained uninterrupted, undisturbed by any outside influences.

Tony broke the kiss to gasp for air. He took in the picture Loki painted right in front of him. His black hair was tangled from their touches, his kissed lips swollen and soft. His emerald eyes glowing with intensity and brightness. Their warm gaze made Tony feel safe, trusted and cherished. In this moment Tony was sure he would travel to the end of the worlds for him, by hel, he’d fight Titans and wars for this man. He could imagine a future, a forever, with Loki and he desperately wanted to make it come true. „I think I love you.“, he whispered before he realized what had just slipped past his lips.

Chapter 17: Loki and Tony - Tony and Loki

Notes:

hi :) the update is finally here and I'm afraid this story's coming close to an end now (for now I have one last chapter after this one planned)
please be aware of the updated rating although nothing too explicit is happening (at least in my opinion.. which is why it's M for now)
enjoy <3

Chapter Text

Lokis eyes widened. „You.. you love me?“ Tony could feel the surprised wonder and astonishment coming from the other god. With the surprise also came a hint of doubt and he felt the intense gaze that would put his next words under scrutiny.

Fine, J, you were right all along. I might have caught feelings… okay, I definitely caught feelings.. lots of them..

„I…yes, Loki. I really do. I love you.“, Tony repeated - this time sure of the truth of his words, „ And I know it’s a lot and if you don’t feel the same it’s totally okay. I know I’m not the best boyfriend material out there.. by hel, I’m not even great friend material.. And you’re so wonderful and smart and you can match me in almost everything. You’re an amazing mage and I know you’re the prince of Asgard and- oh by the norns, you’re even the prince of Jotunheim… double prince-hood.. anyways, I know I’m not, I’m just-“

Loki watched Tony ramble away, gesturing with his arms in continuously more erratic ways, but his mind had stuck on to the beginning of this tirade. He could feel no deception, no doubt in those three little words the other god had spoken to him. There were no conditions to this love, no ‚if’s and ‚but’s, it was sincere and complete all by itself. His own doubt dissipated, replaced by a pleasant warm feeling - love, Loki thought. Not only did this amazing, snarky genius genuinely love him, he was sure he returned those feelings. He legitimately doubted his day could get any better.

„-might sound crazy, but I can’t imagine my future without you, Lokes.“ Tony finally stopped his rambling once he realized the dark haired god had a tear running down his right cheek. „Oh, the norns be damned, why did I have to say that? Look, Lokes, I’m sorry if this upsets you. I shouldn’t have-“

He couldn’t get the rest of his thoughts out because he was interrupted by soft lips pressing down on his own. Their tongues got entangled in a dance of their own, their hands holding on tightly to each other and Tony felt swept away by all the emotion that came with it. There was a desperate edge to it, like he would never let go again, like he was holding on with everything he had.

Loki broke the kiss for just a moment to whisper in Tonys ear: „You’re perfect, my dear. A thousand stars couldn’t compare to your brilliance; the norns themselves have brought us together again and a million realms couldn’t convince me otherwise. I love you, Anton.“

Tony goddamn Stark felt his heart skip a beat or two.. or a few more if he was honest. There was an overwhelming feeling of belonging, of being exactly where he was meant to be. With a swipe of his fingers he brushed Lokis tear away. Their seidr, still very much visible and animated, enveloped them in an ethereal glow and Tony couldn’t resist the temptation to draw the other god in closer. To breathe his scent, feel his skin on his own and enjoy the warm comfort it provided. Lokis arms encompassed the smaller gods figure and held on tight. „Don’t leave me.“, he whispered.

The hushed words barely got heard but the reply was ever louder for it: „I won’t. Never again. I’ll never let you go.“

The ensuing kisses were unrepentant, all stops pulled. It was just him and Loki, Loki and Tony. Nothing else mattered. Soon they became more heated, their hands started wandering, exploring one another. They were moving against each other, the friction making them acutely aware of just how much they both enjoyed this.

Tony nosed Lokis neck and started planting soft kisses along his skin. He felt more than heard Loki take a sharp inhale. His mouth found its way cherishing the other mans chin and following his jawline to his ears. He nuzzled at the sensitive earlobes and breathed to his god: „How about we continue this elsewhere?“ He finished off with a quick lick, that sent a shiver down Lokis spine.

There was a split second of green and then they found themselves on what Tony recognized as his bed in the jotun palace. „Great spellwork, Lokes, very sexy if you ask me.“, he drawled with a smirk. He saw the other god blush an adorable shade of red and he wondered if his cheeks were the only part of his body that blushed this nicely. His lips quickly found their way back to connect with Lokis own in a searing hot kiss, exploring the other gods mouth. His hands travelled past his face, over his shoulders and settled on his hips.

Even though this was everything and more that Tony had dared to dream of, he had to know how far Loki was willing to go. He broke away and caught Lokis gaze, both of them panting for air. „Lokes, sweetheart, are you sure? Do you want this to go further?“

The confusion that had settled in Lokis eyes earlier vanished at the sincere question and was replaced by a determined gaze. „Anton, my dear Anton, I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you. I need you. I want this.“ With a mischievous tilt in his voice he added: „Do you?“ He cupped Tonys face with his hand and caressed his lips with his thumb.

Tony couldn’t stop the grin taking over his face. „Oh, I’ll show you just how much I want this, my lovely prince.“ He used his arms to push himself a bit further down the bed.

The blush definitely spread lower than his cheeks. Tony quickly discovered that little fact when he used his hands to work the royal tunic Loki had worn for the feast over the gods head. The green cloth readily slipped up under his fingers to reveal planes of pale, unblemished skin underneath. „You’re so stunning, Lokes“, Tony whispered. Loki let himself get undressed and swiftly retaliated by drawing his elegant fingers along Tonys chest. The traditional jotun clothing already hiding only very little from sight. Lokis fingers sent small tingles coursing through Tony wherever they touched his skin. It felt magically wonderful. He took a moment to revel in the here and now. This was really happening. He was a bit scared everything might just end up being the most heavenly dream he had ever had but the sound of Lokis accelerated breathing was enough to show him this was very much actually real.

Shifting his focus back to the beautiful man right in front of him, he kissed his way along the newly uncovered skin. He brushed over Lokis exposed nipples and when he heard the sharp intake of breath in response to his action he decided he would have to come back to those later. „Sensitive, are we?“, Tony teased. This was real and it was true and he would treasure every single moment of it. That also meant he would do his damnedest to make sure Loki was enjoying this every bit as much as he was.

Loki tried his best to give back some witty remark of his own but his senses went into overload as Tony dropped his head to mouth at his clothed co*ck. „You were saying?“, asked Tony, looking up at Lokis face with the most innocent smile he could muster.

„You’re so dead.“, Loki breathed. He released the tight hold he had on the sheets and reached down to the other gods brown mop of hair to pull him up into another series of passionate kisses.

Their hands roamed over each others bodies as they forgot about the need for air and just felt their skin rubbing together. They felt the heat, the need and the intimacy. There was no mistaking it for anything less than a shared bond, a shared love, and they both knew it was so much more than just the physical feeling of being close, being united.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When a stray beam of sunlight hit Tonys eyelids the god started mumbling: „JARVIS, baby, five more minutes…“

The following chuckle woke Tony up faster than any cup of coffee ever could. „Loki!? You.. you’re here. I..uh..“, he threw a glance at the tangled bedsheets, which encompassed both him and Loki - both in an equal state of undress, „it really wasn’t a dream.“

„No, Anton, it was not.“, his unruly black hair tickled on Tonys cheeks as the black haired god leaned in for a kiss. „I don’t know about you, but I’m going to refresh myself in your washroom. After all we are still supposed to meet with the king and queen today.“ He was almost out of bed, when he turned back to run a hand along his lovers cheek. „I love you, my dear.“

When Tonys brain finally caught up with the world - he hadn’t had his usual cup of coffee yet after all - he called after Lokis retreating figure: „I love you too!“

With a flick of his wrist Tony summoned himself a cup of the best Italian roast of coffee money could buy and breathed in a lungful of its full, intense aroma. Those greek gods with their ambrosia don’t know what they’re missing out on. Coffee’s the real deal!

I’ve been informed not everyone is as dependent on coffee as you are, sir. Also in regards to you and Loki, I feel it is my obligation to say: I told you so, sir.

Tony had always been able to get emotional feedback from his creations and if he didn’t love his kid as much as he did, he would definitely donate him to some unknown community college just for the amount of smugness he could feel from their connection at that moment. I hate you.

You are also very important to me, sir. Have you decided on when you’re returning home? The bots miss you and Ms. Potts is starting to actually want to see your „PA Jared“ that has been informing her about your supposed whereabouts. I rather prefer not having to deal with her finding out you’ve been on another realm all this time.

I guess there’s not much left to do. The peace is secure for the moment, Thor has his powers and Mjolnir back and Loki and his parents seem to get along just fine.. I just.. Do you think he’d come with me?

In my rather informed opinion-

„Anton, the washroom is yours.“ Loki was beautiful. His emerald green eyes shone bright in the early sunlight. The outfit he had chosen for today was very elegant. Silky green fabrics in various shades were flowing softly down to his feet. The one thing that captured his attention most, though, was the delicate band of gleaming golden silk with red embroidered elements, that Loki had woven into his hair. Those were not only colors Tony identified himself with, but the fact Loki had chosen to wear them so visibly meant he had no intention of hiding their newfound relationship…was it even a relationship? There was a part of Tonys brain that couldn’t help but feel impossibly pleased at this display of belonging. It was his Loki, his prince, he belonged to Tony just as much as Tony belonged to Loki.

„You look gorgeous, Lokes.“, Tony told his lover. „I noticed you’re wearing something particularly beautiful within those dark locks of yours. I like it.“ He smiled as Lokis face lit up with joy after gaining Tonys approval. He hadn’t been sure if it was maybe still too early to show his affections so openly but their connection simply felt right. The band just showed to the outside how he felt on the inside. He was Tonys as much as Tony was his.

„I’m glad you find it…agreeable. However much I enjoy the sight of you as uncovered as you are, the queen sent a raven earlier and we are expected to be in their company in about an hour, my dear. You might want to actually wear clothes when that happens.“ Loki smirked as he bent down to kiss his lovers cheek. He then proceeded to sit down at the desk, summoned a stack of books and a quill and started taking notes. „I still have some work to do in the meantime. Asgard won’t rule itself.“

On his way to the washroom Tony wondered if Loki planned on returning to Asgard. With Thor gaining his powers back and him actually being related to the all-father, he was likely to take over as king regent of Asgard until the old geezer woke up. Lokis decision on his - and by default, their future weighed heavy on Tonys mind as he stepped into the warm, soothing water that still smelled like the soft, flowery soap Loki had used.

Without any panic attacks disturbing his already busy mind, Tony got out of the bath, and started choosing his clothes. He tried to match his prince in elegance and chose garments that a pair of elves had once gifted him. They incorporated multiple shades of his favorite color - similar to Lokis own clothes - although the cut was very different. The long, flowing sleeves formed an open cardigan, that left his chest bare. The pants were soft and black, creating a stark contrast to the bright colors at the top. Tony remembered the hair band Loki had chosen to incorporate into his outfit. He doubted any band would properly hold in his relatively short hair. Instead he had a quite different idea.

The people of Vanaheim had this practice for something similar to midgardian tattoos. The vanir enchanted their brushes to make pictures on skin. Those magic artworks were able to move across the ‚canvas‘’ skin and they could be removed if necessary. It just so happens that Tony had been good friends with one of the vanir artists and had actually purchased one of those brushes. Now if only he could find it in one of his countless pocket dimensions.

„Ha!“ The brush had an intricately carved handle and beautiful details but all of that became irrelevant in the light of what Tony had planned. He let his magic get a feel for the brush and thought about how he wanted the final artwork to look like. The soft brush tickled his skin around his neck and chest. A few moments later Tony could feel the brush stop and his magic dissipate. He looked at the mirror on the wall and realized the painting had come out even better than he had expected. „I wonder what you’ll think of that, Lokes.“

When Tony stepped back into his bedroom, Loki was still hunched over antique looking books. „Lokes?“

The younger god turned at the sound of his partners voice and froze. There, in the center of his lovers chest, dangling from around his neck was an emerald green snake. No, it was a painting of a snake, and it moved- apparently surveying its surroundings. Additionally to the very obvious emerald color, the snake had a few golden scales creating a beautiful pattern across Tonys skin. „You…how? That is amazing!“

„Oh, that little thing?“, Tony asked with a smirk. He was glad Loki didn’t seem averse to his own rather prominent display of his affections. But, as Tony himself had said once, sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.

„Lokes, sweetheart.. I know it’s a lot at once and I’ll accept it if you don’t have an answer for me yet but.. I have to return to Midgard. My friends- I can’t just leave them.. not yet. And I also can’t- won’t leave you! Would you.. I mean, do you think you could.. uhm.. you know…“

„My, my, Anton! Are you asking me to move in with you?“, Loki asked with a jokingly indignant voice.

That was exactly what Tony had tried to say. „Uh, yes. Would you? You don’t have to… I could get you your own place on Midgard, Malibu’s wonderful this time of year..“ The thought of being so close to Loki but not having him around was already torturous. Tony hoped Loki didn’t choose that option although a house in Malibu would be easier than Asgard.

Loki had closed the distance between them both and caught Tonys eyes with his own. „Anton, I’d love to accompany you to your home. I don’t want to leave your side and I feel that you don’t want to leave mine.“ He planted a soft kiss on Tonys forehead. „The books I was reading earlier? They’re about the succession of Asgard and Jotunheim. I am obligated to both realms.“ Tonys heart, that had been so happy before threatened to break in fear of what might come next.

„Asgard has Thor, the oaf isn’t as childish as he was before so they should be fine. And Jotunheim is as alien to me as it is to any aesir. I want to get to know the realm and its people but I want to do it with you and there is no hurry. We can go to Midgard and see your friends, live their small lifespans as one of them and worry about the future at a given time. Does that sound agreeable to you, my dearest?“

Tonys grin was bright and wide. „Very agreeable, sweetheart. Thank you, Lokes.“ He captured the other gods lips in a quick kiss.

When Loki broke away it was only to remind them of their upcoming meeting with the king and queen. „We should go now, or else we might be late.“

„And being late is irresponsible and never casts you in a good light! At least that’s what Pepper always said to me whenever I was just a smidge too late for one of those business meetings she drags me to. You’re gonna love her!“

„She sounds like a reasonable woman.“, Loki said dryly. Tony grinned, he couldn’t wait to bring Loki into his home. This time properly and with the knowledge that he would be there to stay. First they had to say proper goodbyes to everyone, though. He grabbed ahold of Lokis hand and guided them out of his room.

Chapter 18: Forever Mine - Forever Yours

Chapter Text

—————TWO YEARS LATER——————-

It had been two years since their sudden and unexpected trip to Jotunheim. Tony was looking rather anxious as he waited for his boyfriend to come home. He had been at work all morning and the genius had an important surprise planned. His hand clenched around the small velvet box he had in his jeans pockets. The smooth fabric doing nothing to soothe his frantic nerves.

Just as he was about to go pacing around in his workshop, he heard a thundering noise from outside his mansion. A glance outside revealed the bifrost setting someone off at the beach near his house.

Can you see who‘s coming, J?

My sensors detect Thor Odinson coming closer. He seems to be in a foul mood, sir.

Really? I thought things were finally looking up in fairytale land. Last time Loki checked, Thor seemed to be doing really well as prince regent of Asgard.

The blonde god used Mjolnir to swiftly get near the genius’ mansion. He arrived with an accompanying thunderclap as he set a foot down at Tonys front porch. Thor had a stormy look on his face, more troubled and sad than angry. Tony was still wrecking his brain about what might’ve upset his friend this much, when JARVIS opened the doors for the thunder god.

„Thor, my friend, what brings you here? Not that I’m not glad to see you, you know I always enjoy your company, but you seem upset.“ Thors face darkened even more at Tonys words.

J, I’m actually starting to worry. Do you have a location on Loki? He should probably be here for whatever Thor’s here to talk about

Lokis e.t.a. is three minutes. Do you want me to notify him of our guest before he gets here, sir?

No, J, if he’s this close already he will have noticed the bifrost touch down on earth.

The blonde god had found himself a spot on Tonys couch to get settled. „I think it’s wise to have my brother here for the following conversation. Do you know when he’ll be here, friend Anton? I bear grave news and it wouldn’t do to tell them twice.“ As if he sensed something off about their guest, DUM-E chose this moment to whir up to him with a green smoothie in his claw. Tony could feel the burst of happiness from his bot once Thor had accepted the beverage and thanked his kid for it. If he hadn’t been worried about Thors ominous news, he would’ve enjoyed the domestic scene far more. This way, however, he couldn’t wait for Loki to get here. Unfortunately for another reason than he had thought earlier this evening.

„JARVIS says he’ll be here in a few minutes. Want me to get you something else in the meantime? Some food maybe? I think we still have some leftover chinese food in the fridge…I was planning to go to a restaurant later this evening so I don’t actually have fresh food at home, sorry, big guy.“ Whatever Thor had come to tell them, Tony was pretty sure he’d have to scratch his plans for this evening.

Isabella is going to be so mad that we didn’t show up. I bet she was just as anxious about today as I was… Who am I kidding- she wasn’t anxious, she was ecstatic.. but that’s just because she has way more confidence in my relationship skills than I do.

I have already notified Isabella and rescheduled for next week. She sends her regards and hopes you stay well. She also said not to worry too much and I have to agree with that sentiment, sir. My collected data suggests there’s a high chance your worries are unfounded and irrational.

Knowing that it’s not rational doesn’t actually help, okay? The brain doesn’t work that way and I know you know this, J.

Thors reply startled Tony out of his silent conversation with JARVIS. „No, thank you, Anton. I apologize for interrupting your evening plans but this could not wait.“

JARVIS chimed in using the speaker system in the living room: „Sir, Mr. Odinson, Loki just arrived at the mansion. He’s parking the car in the garage right now.“

A few moments later the backdoor to the garage opened and Loki appeared with a concerned pinch in his brows. „What happened? Why are you here, brother?“, he asked after planting a quick kiss to the corner of Tonys mouth.

Thor sat up straight and motioned for the two other men to take a seat. „It concerns father. He’s dead.“

There was a moment of silence before Thor picked up again: „Something must’ve woken him from his sleep, he didn’t tell me what exactly, only murmured something about an infinity stone and some dark elves. He didn’t listen to me, didn’t even stop to talk to mother while he made his way to the throne."

Tony could hear Loki suck in a breath at that but he still didn’t quite get how that story ended with the All-father dead. A glance at his lovers face didn’t give him the answers he wanted so he focused back on Thors story.

„I tried to stop him, you know. Tried to make him see reason- to make him remember the way, but he didn’t even hesitate.“, Thor took a short break to take a long sip from DUM-Es mystery smoothie. Since Thor didn’t make a disgusted face at it, Tony assumed DUM-E had actually figured out what ingredients most people did not want in their drinks - finally.

That was when Tony remembered something about the ruling royalty of Asgard that he had read in one of the ancient tomes compiled in the royal library. There had been a rather long chapter on the intricacies of the royal line of succession. If he remembered correctly, Hlidskjalf - the throne of Asgard - was not only the thing that had allowed Odin to see everything in the nine realms, but it also had the task of making sure only the rightful ruler of Asgard could use its powers.

Only the succession wasn’t as straightforward as one might think. Obviously there was the royal bloodline-including Odin’s father Bor, Odin himself and Thor. And the throne was passed down through generations. But what little aesir knew, was that Hlidskjalf was originally and continuously influenced by the aesir themselves. What was Asgard if not its people and therefore Hlidskjalf was obliged to respect their beliefs. It would only recognize someone as rightful king of Asgard if the people of the realm actually thought of that individual as the ruler. So should the people not think someone deserving of the throne, Hlidskjalf would not grant them access, no- if the book was right, the throne would even punish the ‚impostor‘ for ever trying to claim what wasn’t their right to begin with.

Tony thought about what Loki had told him about his last visit to the golden realm. Thor had made quite a name for himself. He had gifted the casket of ancient winters to the Jotnar as a sign of goodwill which had resulted in a flourishing trade agreement between the realms. He had granted asylum and help to the small villages on Svartalfheim and even included his sister, Hela, in Asgards royal council. Apparently it had taken quite a bit of negotiating and maybe a black eye on Thors side but they had worked out an agreement and Hela had become a regular part of Asgards court. Add to that the fact, that Thor had publicly announced and condemned what his father had done to Loki and Anton and he could understand why the aesir might not’ve been the biggest fans of the sleeping All-father. Especially since Queen Frigga had done nothing to defend her husband - on the contrary, she had backed her son during the countless council meetings and even admitted to having had a part in Odins horrible schemes even if just by not loudly and publicly objecting to them.

Tony had the sinking feeling he knew how Odin had met his demise.

„He took his seat on Hlidskjalf but… he was not worthy of Asgard and its people. Hlidskjalf didn’t recognize him as the rightful king. There was a rumbling, like an earthquake on Midgard, but it was like Asgard itself was shaking. The next moment father had started burning. There was… It begun with his feet and then it just went on and on and… I couldn’t do anything. I just… I felt that you needed to hear this firsthand. There is no more All-father.“

While Thor had been telling his story, Loki had grabbed onto Tonys hand and squeezed it tight. There was a mutual understanding, the knowledge that in this exact moment both men felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from their shoulders. They weren’t exactly happy- their feelings were too complicated for that, but they were relieved. Relieved that they didn’t have a damocles sword hanging over their heads anymore. It was freeing in some weird way that made perfect sense.

„Thank you for telling us personally, brother. I can’t say I’m going to miss him but I know he was your father and even I saw him as a father for a long time. If you wish, you may remain with myself an Anton as long as you want. Rest assured, you wouldn’t be a bother.“ Loki had offered Thor a place to stay. A place to work through his feelings without all of Asgard watching his every move.

Even though Thor seemed to think about their offer, he replied: „I’m very grateful for your words, brother. However Asgard needs a leader right now. Even though they didn’t think father an appropriate king anymore, he still was a constant in their lives for a long time. I also can’t leave mother any longer than I already have. I trust you and Anton will be alright in my absence. There will be a feast next week where I am to be crowned the next king of Asgard. I would greatly appreciate it, if you would attend. I’m sure mother would love to see you as well, Loki. She does regret not standing up to Odin, you know. And she loves you dearly, brother.“

They had assured Thor that they’d think about attending the crowning ceremony and the following feast before they said their goodbyes and sent Thor off. He would have a lot of responsibility to bear but even on Asgard Thor wasn’t alone. He had his mother and Hela to support him in his role as king, so Loki didn’t worry too much.

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An hour later Tony and Loki were sitting next to the pool on the roof of his mansion. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, painting the sky magical shades of orange, pink and purple. They had reheated the leftovers and taken them outside to enjoy the fresh night air as nature seemed to quiet down in preparation for the night.

„I’m sorry we only have leftovers. I was planning on taking you to our italian place. Isabella was already very exited to see you again.“ Thinking about the evening he had planned, the little box in Tonys pocket seemed to get heavier, reminding Tony of its existence.

„Isabella has great taste.“, Loki smirked, „I’m sure JARVIS already rescheduled, right? Besides, my dear, this-“, Loki gestured to their surroundings, „this is everything I need.“ He leaned in to steal a kiss from Tonys lips.

Once they parted again, Tony once again found himself captured by his partners enchanting eyes. There was nothing about Loki he didn’t adore. The genuine smile that graced Lokis lips sent butterflies through Tonys insides. The soft evening wind tousled his black hair and Tony reached up to brush a stray strand behind his ear.

He knew what he had to do. All the carefully planned preparations, all his plans and his determination to make it perfect…they were irrelevant. In this moment Tony knew there would never be anything more perfect than this. He loved Loki- and Loki loved him. They had created their own lives, made their own way and now they could go together, hand in hand. He’d give anything to stay by Lokis side forever. Be that as a mortal on earth, as an aesir or in Valhalla.

„Sweetheart?“, Tony whispered in the cool night air.

„Anton?“

Tony knew he would never get enough of Loki calling his name. He’d never get enough of Lokis mischief, his jokes, his witty comebacks and clever remarks, his loving embraces and reassurances. He knew he’d never get tired of giving Loki his everything, his kisses, his love and all the reassurances Loki needed in return. He longed for their shared forever, their shared home, shared lives and hearts.

This moment on the roof, it made him happy. Genuinely, truly happy.

Tony reached into his pocket to grab the velvet, emerald green box. He looked into Lokis eyes to try and make him see all the emotions that were behind Tonys words.

„Loki, I love you. I want to share the rest of my life with you. No realm, no king, no fate shall keep us apart. You are my heart, my soul and my love. You freed me- my magic from its confines and my heart by giving it someone to truly love. And now, elskan min, I never want to let you go.“, he pulled out the box and placed it opened in Lokis soft hands, „Will you marry me?“

„I…“, Loki seemed lost for words, „I- yes, Anton! A thousand times yes, my love! There is no one I’d rather spend eternity with. You have captured my heart as much as I have yours, elskan min.“

The following free, unrestrained laugh could be heard from afar. He kissed his beloved, trying to get as close as humanly possible. „It’s so good to hear that, Lokes.“ Tony took the ring from its box and, after a confirming nod from his partner, placed it on Lokis ring finger.

The ring was beautiful and had a very intricate design that resembled the structures of snowflakes. Tony, with the help of Thor, had gotten his hands on some Uru. The magic infused metal was very resistant - which in their line of work was rather vital - and one could imbue it with magic. Tony had chosen a protection spell, as well as a quick teleportation charm. Should Loki ever be unable to do magic himself, the ring would have enough power to bring him back to Tony in an instant after it was activated.

„Mine.“, Tony whispered in awe.

„Yours.“, Loki replied, „and you’re mine.“ He tilted Tonys face up for another kiss.