Between Angels and Iron
Even with his eighties rock blaring, and a broken car engine in front of him, Tony Stark could always tell when another body magically appeared in his garage. The room always seemed to drop a few degrees, and goosebumps would form on his forearms. Even the airflow in the room shifted. It was almost as if everything was standing still. No one breathing. Loki has appeared in his garage, living room, kitchen, hell even once in the shower, which he claimed was an accident, but Tony knew it was a silver tongue lie. Every time the god like body phased into the room, those feelings would take over Tony. Today was no different. "I thought we agreed after the accidental shower incident, the front door is a requirement." Tony used air quotes and he turned around. "I gave you a key..." However, Tony's words slowly came to a halt as he realized his eyes were looking at the top of a head that was a golden brown. He didn't meet the mischievous emeralds like he normally would. Moving his eyes down to a natural eye level for once, he meet a pair of hazel eyes...or were they golden. A golden, hazel, brown? They seemed to be shimmering and changing appearance every few seconds. The skin surrounding the eyes were not like a fresh powder on a Christmas morning, but a natural soft olive. The brown hair was combed back, but could not suppress the natural waves that curls around his neck. "You're not the reindeer." Tony spoke slowly adjusting to the fact he was speaking to a guy with magical powers at eye level for once. "Let me guess. Balder. The brother we dare not speak of..."
The slightly shorter man rolled his eyes. "Balder. Please." An annoyed arrogance ooze from the voice.
"Well you're one of the seven dwarfs..." Tony started, but his body seemed to stiffen from the piercing glare that was thrown his way.
"I'm not one of those egotistical Asgardians that hide in their flatland paradise." He spat into Tony's face. Part of that statement seemed true. The man standing before him is a hell of a lot shorter than any god he ever met. Also, he didn't exactly dress like one either. Sure, Thor and Loki wore human clothing on occasion, Loki more so, but still, loose fitted jeans, an onyx button up shirt, and olive jacket, not exactly the norm. Still, this guy is emitting some sense of power. Non human. And he used some form of magic to appear here, but what is he?
"So what are you then?" Tony finally asked.
"The great Tony Stark. Praised as of the world's greatest engineers. A mechanical and weaponry genius. But still a closed minded mutton head like the rest of your kind when it comes to things you can't understand." He began pacing the room, his fingertips ran over the glass that contained years of Iron Man suits. "The name is Gabriel." He finally admitted turning around the face Tony once again.
"Like the archangel from the bible?" Tony confirmed. Although he was not one for religion, and not fully sure he believes in god; he did know enough about Christianity that the name Gabriel rang a few bells.
"The archangel." Gabriel confirmed emphasizing the 'the'. "Wings and all." Tony looked at the guy skeptically. Gods. Aliens. Now supposedly angels. This is just getting out of hand. There cannot be that many beings out there in the universe. Creatures that look so human. Things beyond a scientific comprehension. "Come on Stark. You're shacking up with an Asgardian. Have fought the Chitauri and numerous other creatures. But angels. Heaven. That can't possibly exist?"
"So why is God's personal mail man delivering me a message?" Tony asked shortly, avoiding the question posed. It is obvious Gabriel already knew the answer by the glint in his eyes, so there is no point saying it out loud. "And if it's anything along the lines of you will give birth to a demi-god son that will die for the safety of all mankind, I don't want to hear it." Tony's added a small smirk making way on his lips.
"If that were the reason I was here. I would want Loki to hear the joyous news himself." His lips parted into a smile but vanished quickly. "I'm am here to see you light bright." Gabriel pointed at Tony, his eyes lingered on the arc reactor for only a moment.
Tony's suspicion still was not fading. Hell, he still doesn't fully believe that Gabriel is an angel. No visible wings or a halo. Doesn't exactly appear angelic. Plus he expects Tony to believe that he is one of the most well known angels known to man. Sill, there is something about him. Some energy or vibe he is constantly emitting that made Tony not question it out loud. So, he stayed silent expecting the supposed angel to say the reason why he is here, but no such response came. With a sigh and an eye roll, Tony finally succumbed the the smirk that could easily rival his own. "And that reason being?"
"I needed to meet the one being who was able to change Loki's future." Dark and narrowed eyes met Tony instead of the jovial ones he saw moments ago.
Tony's shook his head, unsure if he heard that right. How the hell did he change Loki's future? And why would Gabriel care about that in the first place? Last time he checked, angels reside in heaven, not Asgard. Still, after two years of being together. Three since they officially met...well technically fought in Germany...he still doesn't know everything about the god's past. Perhaps angles and Asgardians have crossed paths before. Maybe. Gabriel and Loki could have been more than just immortal acquaintances. "Let me guess. The Avengers were not supposed to win. Loki was supposed to enslave all of mankind. But somehow there was one slight difference. In all the possible outcomes that could happen, I said or did the one thing, that somehow made Loki lose his conviction, thus guaranteeing the success of the Avengers and survival of all mankind."
"Well maybe you do have some brains after all." Gabriel said with another small smile forming, but soon became somber again. "But it is so much bigger than that."
"How do you know Loki anyways?" Tony finally asked, thinking that starting from the beginning would be best.
"I have not even told Sammy this part of my past." Gabriel murmured to himself, but quickly inhaled and exhaled. "A long time ago, on a different dimensional plain not so far away. A young archangel named Gabriel, got sick of all his brothers fighting non stop, so he ran away from home. He decided to hide among the humans on the planet Earth. However, he couldn't let the neanderthals know who he actually was, so he decided to take on a new persona. This was long before the Asgardians came to Earth, so it was easy to pretend to be a god. A creature no human knew of yet. That angel decided to take the name Loki, god of mischief. He enjoyed playing pranks, killing to make a point, but his favorite thing, was making humans his own personal Ken and Barbie dolls. Many years went by, and finally, the real Loki caught wind of the rogue angel playing identity theft. So, he decided to go to Earth and meet him in person. Long story short, they hit it off. Became friends. Played pranks on humans together. All leading up to them having sex. Lots of sex." Gabriel said a mischievous glint in his eyes. "They slowly started becoming more serious in their relationship. It was no longer the two class clowns pulling pranks. But two guys who actually just liked spending time together, wanting to be together. The Asgardians, especially Odin, didn't approve of their relationship. Being with an arrogant creature, such as an angel was unheard of. The Asgardians saw angels as beings that think they are better than everyone else. So, being with one was an insult to their pride. He couldn't stand it. And Thor. Well let's just say, when it came to brother's, Michael and Lucifer took the rumors worse. An angel being with a pagan. It was thought of as blasphemy. An mockery to the name of angels everywhere. Pagans are lowest of the low on the near immortal being creature hierarchy. So, the angel brethren were disgusted. But Loki and Gabriel didn't care. They were both the black sheep of their family, so anyone else's opinions didn't bother them." Gabriel shrugged as he started to pace around the garage once more. "After their relationship became completely serious, that was when Gabriel jumped ahead to the future. He needed to see how the apocalypse would play out. How it would affect them. Every possible outcome needed to be seen so he could prepare. What he saw. It even worried him more than anything. If the Christian apocalypse was averted, a few years later, Loki would come to Earth, and rule it. Killing all those who stop him. In both of those outcomes, humanity was screwed, and he could care less. But it was Loki Gabriel was worried about. He wondered what could drive him to that much hatred that he would want to rule the Earth. Sure, neither of them were the Brangelina of the immortal beings in a relationship, they were destructive together, doing more harm than good to all those around them. But still, he needed to know what happened to Loki. Why that was one of the four futures that would come to pass. But angels cannot see the Asgardians future like they can with humans. Loki was just shrouded in darkness whenever he tried to see his future. So, Gabriel started to become more distant with him, resulting in Loki returning to Earth less and less to spend time with him. They grew apart." Gabriel shrugged as his pacing came to an end. His story about a past. A past that still seems to haunt him appeared to be over. However, his mouth continued moving. His voice more forceful, as he was now talking about the present. The Gabriel he is today. "When the apocalypse was averted several years ago I knew that meant Loki's rule was coming. So when the attack on Manhattan came, I was prepared for the worst. However, when Loki and his little martians lost, I became curious. That wasn't supposed to happen. So I watched Loki from a distance. Trying to understand how the future changed. How his future of ruling Earth changed. After a few months I realized he learned something that I had learned myself several years ago." Gabriel paused taking a deep breath. "Creatures like us. Beings so close to immortality. We need humans. You ground us. Make us see our faults. Show us we are not as almighty and powerful as we like to think we are. You are all so flawed. Imperfect. But you try to be better. Stronger. Learn from your mistakes." The golden hazel eyes seemed sincere now. As if he was thinking of a human of his own. A mortal who taught him all these things. "Humans make us better. Without them, we would just be sitting on our high pedestal. Never changing. Never growing. We would be ignorant beings. Thinking we are the superior creations. You taught Loki, what Sammy taught me. So I was curious. Who was the man that was able to stop what was so sure to come. Take head on what I feared." Tony was still trying to process all that was being said. What Gabriel is telling him. His mind in a haze, still trying to accept such words as truth."Don't you ever forget that Stark. As much as Loki may push you away, that only means he needs you more. He needs you to make himself better. So don't give up on him Tony. Don't abandon him like I did. Even though your time together will be short. It's worth every moment."
"You said there was four possible outcomes." Tony started, still unsure what to say to all of this. "One was the Christian apocalypse. Another, Loki enslaving humans. What were the other two?"
With a mischievous smirk and waggle of eyebrows, Gabriel was gone. Tony sighed as he sat back down on his stool. What was all that? Maybe it was a dream. Loki and the archangel Gabriel. It can't be true. It has to be a dream. No. What is he kidding. With all that has happened how could he not believe in angels?
Sure he never doubted Loki had other relationships before. Dated other people in the past. But an angel? He guessed it kind of makes sense. Both can live for thousands upon thousands of years, so the worry of dying before their lover was null and void. Both were mischievous it sounds like. So it makes sense Loki would be drawn to him. Yet the last words Gabriel spoke. That they were destructive together. And that in reality immortal beings need humans to ground them. It made him wonder what both of them actually did together in the past. Before the sex that is. What types of tricks and pranks they played on mankind. Either way Gabriel's story felt more like a bad supernatural romance novel than truth.
But maybe there was some stock in what Gabriel said. Loki was becoming less of a tyrant since they started dating. Sure Loki can't change his stripes completely. He still tries to rule the world. Stop the Avengers. But behind the closed doors of Stark Tower or his Malibu home, he saw glimmers of the man Thor talked about. The Loki that would smile. Pull harmless pranks. More importantly the Loki that believed in love.
The soft tapping of footsteps heading down the stairs broke Tony out of his trance. The charcoal designer suit, with a black and white scarf laying on the shoulders, and the scent of rosemary engulfed all of Tony's senses. Loki has finally returned from whatever new quest he was on to get stronger. Defeat the Avengers. And possibly take his imaginary throne. Loki's eyebrows furrowed as he entered the garage; his eyes darting around the room studied every crevice. He sniffed their air as if a foreign substance Tony never noticed entered the airstream. Tony just sat there watching Loki not saying a word. A few things Gabriel said began to run through his head as his eye lingered far too long on the nape of the pale neck.
As his gaze shifted to the thin lips, Tony knew the one thing Gabriel pleaded is true. He would never let Loki go. No matter how much destruction he caused or battles they fought. He could never give up on Loki. Never stop loving him. Tony took this moment of Loki being lost in curiosity, to grab his neck, pulling the emerald eyes closer to his own and placing a kiss on the taller man's lips. He forced his tongue into the other mouth, exploring every crevice and swallowing the taste of rosemary tea. After a few seconds of bliss, Loki recoiled. "What has gotten into you Stark?" He questioned, seeing the haughty grin on the mortal's lips. However, Tony just pulled Loki into another kiss. Before of closing his eyes, for the briefest of moments they lingered towards the ceiling, piercing through the walls to look into the depth of the sky and possibly the universe as a whole...
A/N: Thank you for reading. That was part of a fic idea I had awhile back for a Gabriel/Loki, Loki/Tony, Gabriel/Sam fic. I was unsure where to take it, so it probably will never see the light of day. But I just really liked this scene so I decided to share it. I hope you enjoyed. So thank you. Also sorry for any spelling and grammar errors. I try my best, but know I'm not perfect.