NUMBERS
February 2013: I originally posted a slightly different version of this story in the Iron Man archive in 2011, long before the Avengers' movie, which explains why my description of the helicarrier is so wrong.
BTW, I'm very proud of the fact that I called Thor a 'surfer type guy' long before Tony called him Pointbreak, lol.
What I'm not proud of is the fact that I included a similar scene in my Tony/Steve story "party for 2". oops.
...
How Tony and Thor got together.
Part one: Two
Note: I didn't think much of Thor till I saw a picture of CH on the set of Avengers. Whooooa. Anyway, here's part 1 of my Tony/Thor story Numbers.
Oh, I'm not good at Thor speak, so … I apologize in advance.
TWO
Tony Stark frowned at the documents on top of his desk. He did a quick check on his computer, then looked back at the papers.
"JARVIS?
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"Run me a check on the Toyland Manufacturer Co., will ya? If it's true they've got little kids working for them, then I'm not signing this contract. And tell Pepper. She loves going after the bad guys."
"Very well, Mr. Stark."
Tony put the papers aside. He leant back on his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. It hurt despite the painkillers he'd been taking. Maybe a little ice…?
He was wondering about this and a dozen other subjects, when JARVIS spoke.
"Mr. Odinson is at the door, sir."
"Thor?" Tony frowned. "He never comes to the workshop." He turned and saw Thor through the one-way glass. The God of Thunder was pacing about, looking down at the floor. Or at his boots. "Looks like he dropped something," Tony said idly. He watched him a while longer, taking in little details and big. "He really cleans up for a party, doesn't he? That's his best cape he's wearing."
"How do you know it is his best cape, sir?"
"I've seen all his capes, JARVIS; he wears this one only for special occasions."
"You are very observant," JARVIS said. "At least, where Mr. Odinson is concerned."
Tony frowned. Was that sarcasm?
Nah, it couldn't be.
Meanwhile, Thor was still pacing about.
"So, did he lose his way back to the party, or what?"
"I do not believe that is the case, sir."
Tony saw Thor's lips move.
"Is he praying?"
"Judging by his demeanor and the tone of his voice lead me to believe he is, er, giving himself a pep talk, sir."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "A pep talk?" Pause. "Let's hear it!"
Silence.
"JARVIS? I wanna hear what he's saying."
"I am sorry, Mr. Stark. I cannot let you invade your guest's privacy."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"After all," JARVIS continued, "You promised your guests absolute privacy when they moved in."
"Yeah, but, come on, this isn't a conversation. The guy's mumbling to himself, and I wanna know what he's saying." He frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Maybe it's got to do with the girlfriend. She wants to move in, he doesn't know how to ask... Oh, man," he sighed. "I hope it's not that."
"Dr. Jane Foster would be a valuable addition to The Avengers, sir."
"No, she wouldn't. With her in the mansion, Thor wouldn't feel free to come and go; he wouldn't come to the parties anymore -"
"You do not attend your own parties anymore, either, sir. Tonight, for instance; you opted to come here instead of fulfilling your hosting duties."
Tony didn't reply. He kept his gaze on Thor.
"Well, if I can't hear what he's saying, can you at least tell me if it's about the girlfriend?" Pause. "JARVIS?"
"I… can't, sir. Mr. Odin is using a language that is not included in my database."
Tony glared. "You could have said so from the start." He glanced back at Thor. "So, is he gonna stay out there all night or what?"
"The situation calls for a direct approach, sir," JARVIS said. "Shall I open the door?"
"Nah, I don't wanna talk to him."
"I was under the impression that you liked Mr. Odin, sir."
"I like him all right; I just don't wanna talk to him right now."
"Then I am sorry, sir. You promised to be a gracious host, and I shall see to it that you keep your word."
"No, wait -"
But before he could finish, the door slid open, and a message flashed on a screen above.
"Please, behave yourself, Mr. Stark."
Oh, you'll pay for this, Tony thought. He looked at Thor, half-hoping the big man would apologize and leave, but he didn't. He didn't enter the room either.
"Is he waiting for an invitation?" Tony mumbled under his breath.
The word "Probably" flashed on the screen.
Tony sighed. Thor was too proper sometimes.
"Hey," Tony said aloud. That was about as proper as he was willing to be.
"Iron Man," Thor said formally.
"Come on in," Tony said. He saw Thor take a couple of steps in, then glance around the room with a mixture of curiosity and awe.
Tony patiently waited a couple of seconds, then, "Party isn't over yet, is it?"
"It is not, Iron Man."
"Oh. Great." Tony hesitated. "Is there enough booze and food…?"
"Indeed, Iron Man. It is a great feast."
Tony smiled to himself. He was glad Thor considered ribs, beer and pizza 'a great feast.' "So, is everyone having a good time?"
"Yes. Hawkeye considers it the best party ever."
"Oh. He must have found the Scotch, then."
"Indeed."
"Well, that's ok. Better him than me."
Thor was moving around with growing confidence. He had something concealed in his right hand, but Tony noticed this only fleetingly. There were better things to look at, after all: Thor's handsome profile, for instance; Thor's arms and legs…
Thor's ass, unfortunately, was concealed behind the flowing cape right now but, again, there was so much to see, Tony didn't much mind.
JARVIS was right, of course; Tony did like Thor; liked him a lot –too much, actually. In fact, it was one of the reasons he left the party early. He did stupid things at parties sometimes –like making passes at perfectly straight guys. And while most of those guys were already walking a fine line and only needed a little encouragement to decide which side they'd rather be, others didn't appreciate the attention. As for Thor... Well, the guy had a girlfriend he was crazy about. Not that having a girlfriend ever stopped a guy from wanting to experiment, but Tony didn't think Thor had any inclination in that direction.
Besides, he was a fellow Avenger; a coworker, so to speak, and Tony had a rule about not sleeping with coworkers. He was scrupulous about keeping his private life separate from work, which is why he kept his distance.
It wasn't that hard. All he had to do was avoid parties; or more accurately, the booze. His inhibitions disappeared when he drank, which invariably got him in trouble. And while staying sober at a party was always an option, well, where was the fun in that?
Better stay in his workshop. And if it got lonely, well, all he had to go out and get himself some blond, tall, surfer-type dude.
Meanwhile, he had Thor to look at, which he did for a while, till he realized he was being a tad too obvious. Actually, it was JARVIS who pointed it out to him. The words, You are being too obvious, sir, flashed above the door.
Tony typed a message on his computer: Shut up, JARVIS, and defiantly looked back at Thor.
"What about you, big guy? Are you having fun?"
"Aye, I am."
"Oh. Ok." He was hoping Thor would explain what he was doing there, but the demigod didn't say anything. Oh, for crying out loud, Tony thought. "So, did you lose your way back there, or…?"
Thor turned. "I did not lose my way, Iron Man. I came here to enquire why you left. It is your home. It is your celebration."
"Yeah, well. I've been celebrating too much lately. You know," he said, mimicking the act of drinking. "I'm trying to lay off the booze for a while." To his surprise, Thor winced at these words. "What is it?"
Thor reluctantly raised his right hand.
"I brought this with me." It was a small horn.
"What's that?"
"Brandy," Thor said.
The connoisseur in Tony immediately perked up. "Brandy?"
"Aye. The oldest in Asgard."
Tony's mouth instantly watered. "Well… I guess we deserve somethin' good after today's battle, huh?"
JARVIS immediately went into action: Do not take it. DO NOT TAKE IT!
'I wasn't going to!' Tony typed morosely. He reluctantly looked at Thor. "Maybe some other time, Thor. I've got some work to do tonight, so I'd better -" He pointedly shifted in his seat, then grimaced when he felt a twinge on his back.
Thor looked up in concern. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah; it's just a kink on my back." He rubbed his back without quite reaching the right spot. "Your brother packs a mean punch," he added conversationally.
Thor was instantly indignant.
"Loki hurt you?"
"Yeah. Brothers, huh? I mean, I don't have a brother but if I had one, I bet he'd be a handful too." He meant it as a joke, but then he saw the look on Thor's face. "Hey, it's ok," he added quickly, because he knew Thor's indignation always turned to deep shame at his brother's antics.
"I must make reparations," Thor announced solemnly.
"What's that?" Tony asked, then looked up in alarm as Thor determinedly walked up to him. Tony pushed his seat back, "Hey, it's ok, I'll just take some asp -" The word died in an agonized gasp as Thor's hand suddenly fell on the back of his neck, then lower, the strong fingers kneading deep into his muscles. Tony doubled over.
It hurt like hell.
Oh, sweet Jesus, it hurts like Afghanistan –
And then, just when Tony thought he was about to die, the pain started to subside and gradually turn into something that was close to… pleasurable.
Tony blindly reached out and grabbed at Thor's free arm.
"Oh, man," he moaned. "That's…that's…"
"Better?"
Tony nodded. He'd closed his eyes at Thor's first touch, now he opened them, only to find Thor's face very close to his.
Tony gulped. He'd never been this close to Thor –not without armor. The man was… well, the only word that came to mind was beautiful. The bastard's unblemished face even looked like it was lit from the inside.
Way to make a guy feel inadequate, Tony thought, very aware of his weathered 42-year-old face.
Thor smiled. "Do you enjoy my touch, Iron Man?"
Hell, yeah. But Tony didn't say. He was busy, holding back moans and groans.
"You have not yet responded," Thor said softly.
Tony calmed down enough to mumble, "Uh, what was the question?"
"Do you enjoy my touch?"
"Well, you're better than my chiropractor, that's for sure."
"Your Chiro…?"
"Joe," Tony said breathlessly; "A guy I see now and then."
Thor paused. "He touches you like this?"
Tony frowned. Was Thor jealous? 'Cause it sounded like he was jealous. And he'd stopped kneading Tony's back too.
He wanted an answer, and he wanted it now.
"He's a sort of doctor," Tony said tentatively.
Thor seemed mollified by the explanation, because his hand started moving again.
It was good, really good. Tony closed his eyes again.
He sighed. "Oh, God -"
"Yes, Iron Man?"
Tony chuckled. Here was a guy who was even more arrogant that him, but at least he was justified. He really was a god.
Thor leant closer, and whispered in his ear.
"I have been watching you," he said. "I have been watching you watching me..."
Tony froze.
"I watch over everybody," he said noncommittally. "It's part of my job here."
"Not everybody," Thor said quietly. "Not the same way."
Busted.
Visions of bashed gay men flashed through Tony's mind. Money and personal prestige had protected him all his life, but he knew luck had played a big part too. And luck runs out sooner or later.
He slowly straightened up. He believed in facing his troubles head on –especially those that involved violence.
"What you're saying is, I've been checking you out," he said calmly. "Ogling you," he added, because 'Checking out' might not be an expression Thor was familiar with. "So, do you wanna kick my ass or something? I mean," he added, because Thor seemed bewildered by Tony's words. "D'you got a problem with me looking at you? 'Cause if you do -"
"I do not."
Tony paused.
"You don't?"
Thor leant closer.
"I do not. In fact, I have been ogling you as well."
"You have -" Ok, this seemed too good to be true. "Uh, so… Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Thor seemed confused by the question.
"'Cause I'm game if you are," Tony said quickly. "I mean, if you want what I think you want."
"What I want?"
"Who you want," Tony amended. "If it's me, then just say the word. Or do something. Or -Oh, for God's sake, are you just gonna stare, or are you gonna kiss me?"
Thor smiled. "Yes, Iron Man. I am going to kiss you."
Thor leant forward, but Tony pulled back.
"Ok, just do me a favor, will ya? Call me Tony. I don't like this Iron Man thing –I might not live up to that name. Unless it's a kink; 'cause if it is, then I'm totally -whoa!" To his amazement, Thor had lifted him in the air, chair and all.
"Where is your bed?"
"Wow, straight to the point –I like that. That way," he added, pointing at one point over his shoulder. Then he grabbed at the chair as it bounced with Thor's strides. "Uh, I can walk, you know." But Thor ignored him and marched up to the door that led to Tony's private quarters.
"Open!" Tony said, but the door remained closed.
"JARVIS, the door, please."
"Sir, I implore you to reconsider -"
"It's ok, JARVIS; Thor's not gonna beat the shit out of me afterwards. Right?" he asked Thor, who looked bewildered once again.
"I shall not. Ever. My intentions are honorable; and -"
"You heard that, JARVIS?"
"But sir, this is highly inappropriate. You are Mr. Odin's host, and as such -"
"Oh, I agree," Tony said lightly; "As Thor's host, it's my duty to please his every whim. Open the door, please." Nothing. "Come on, JARVIS; we're two consenting adults here -one of whom hasn't had any in weeks." Hopefully, that would thaw JARVIS hardened database.
It didn't.
"JARVIS, open that door or I'll start making some harsh changes around here."
"Nothing you say will compel me to open the door, sir."
"I'll start by reprogramming your accent," Tony said calmly. "A Southern accent; how does that sound?"
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh, yes, I would. Yep, siree. Yee-ha!"
The door slid open.
As always, Thor was impressed by what he considered Tony's own brand of 'magic.'
"I built it myself," Tony said smugly; "The door, I mean, not the bed." And he tilted his head in the bed's direction.
Thor marched on and unceremoniously tilted the chair, dumping Tony on the bed.
"Hey!" Tony landed on his stomach but quickly rolled over, just in time to see Thor start removing his cape.
Tony almost offered to help, but decided watching Thor would be more fun. Plus, his hands were shaking right now. He didn't want Thor to know how fucking nervous he was.
"And here I thought your clothes just fell away," Tony said, as Thor removed layers of clothing and metal and ivory accessories –dozens of thingies Tony had never even noticed before. And all along there was this predatory gleam in Thor's eyes that made Tony horny and uneasy at the same time. Thor was big, but just how big was he, really?
And then he got his answer.
"Oh, God. You're…" He didn't finish. There were no words to describe what he was seeing. "So," he said, as Thor advanced towards the bed. "So, am I gonna end up with thunder and lightning shooting out of my ass, or what?"
Thor stopped and looked speechlessly at him.
"Sorry," Tony said sheepishly. "Was that too crude? I was just wondering. I mean, you're the God of Thunder and I'm a mortal and I've got no fucking idea what you're gonna -I mean, I can take it," he added quickly, "I just want to know if I'm gonna be walking funny tomorrow. "
Thor still looked bewildered. .
"You..." he said. "You would let me...?"
"Sure," Tony said, and then he realized Thor had assumed Tony would be the one on top. "You mean you'd let me...?
They stared at each other.
Tony reacted first.
"You go ahead," he said. "Then it'll be my turn. If I survive," he quipped.
ONE
He survived. They both did. And it was great. Actually, it was amazing. More amazing still, it didn't have a negative effect on their working relationship; it made it better –or so Tony liked to think. After that night, it seemed like the most natural thing to do, to spend time together either in Tony's quarters or Thor's, right after a battle. Or before a battle. Or any time in-between battles.
It probably worked because nothing else changed; Thor went on seeing the girlfriend he was crazy about, and Tony went on having casual encounters.
That the number of encounters dwindled over the next few months, or that he might be growing a tad dependant on Thor didn't worry Tony. Life was good –that's all that mattered.
He should have known it wouldn't last.
One day, Steve Rogers sent an urgent summons to all Avengers. It forced Tony to cut a business trip short, but that was ok; he'd missed his friends, and he'd missed the rush of adrenaline that he got from wearing armor. Besides, he could easily do business from a plane, or, as in the present case, from a Helicarrier.
It took him a couple of hours to put his business in order, but he managed. Finally, he put his phone down.
"JARVIS? You there?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"So, what's going on? Any news on the big crisis?"
"I have no record of any crisis, sir."
"Really? That's odd. Steve said I was needed back there. 'Imperative' he said; like it was a matter of life-or-death." He was silent for a moment, then, "You sure there's no sign of danger anywhere?"
"None that I can detect, sir. And communications have remained normal in the last five hours."
"Huh." Tony was silent for a moment, then a sudden thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute. It's not my birthday, is it?"
"It is not, sir."
"Well, is it anybody's birthday, then?"
"Not that I am aware of, sir."
Frowning over this, Tony leant back in his seat. Then he smiled, as lying back like this reminded him of his favorite sex position, the one he called "sitting on the throne," with him sitting on Thor's lap. 'Impaled by the god', was a more accurate title, but what the heck, he liked the first one better. It was classier. As for Thor, well, he didn't care about titles; he liked the sex. 'Smart guy,' Tony thought, shifting in his seat. Damn, he'd really missed Thor. Hopefully, he'd be at the Tower -hell, he'd better be; by a happy coincidence, Tony was wearing a light-grey suit, Thor's favorite. There was something about the tweed that really turned the big guy on...
He was musing on all the things he might get to do, when the pilot announced they were approaching Stark Tower.
An Agent from SHIELD approached him as soon as he got out of the carrier.
"They're waiting for you in the conference room, sir."
"So, what's going on?"
"I can't say, sir. They just asked me to direct you there." And he pointedly conducted Tony to the elevator.
"Is Fury there?"
"Director Fury's in Libya, sir." And with no further explanation, the agent punched a button.
"Hey," Tony said, but the doors were already closing. "I own this place, you know," he said to no one. "I deserve to know what's going on."
The doors opened, and Tony stepped into the hallway. From there it was a short walk to the conference room.
Agents from SHIELD were coming and going, leisurely, like this was just another day at the job, but it seemed most of them were at least taking a glance into the conference room before moving on.
Curious, Tony took a look too.
"What the hell?"
It looked like there was a party in there. A frat party, to be more exact, with his fellow Avengers in a state of furor, and Thor in the middle of it. The big man looked bashful and not a little confused. That was intriguing enough; usually, it was Thor who made all the noise.
Tony noticed Agent Romanova standing a little aside from the group, and he went to her.
"Hey, Natasha. What's going on?"
"Thor's getting married," she said morosely; "That's what's going on."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Really? I didn't peg Dr. Foster as the marrying kind."
"Not Jane," Romanova replied. "A deity. Astrid-something-or-other."
Tony was sincerely surprised. He didn't even know Thor was engaged.
Thor looked up then. He seemed to falter when he saw Tony.
Hawkeye noticed Tony, too.
"Hey, our landlord's back," he said. "Come on in," he added, motioning Tony to come close. "You're just in time for the celebration. Our friend's getting hitched -to a goddess. Really stacked, I believe," he added, using his hands to make an hourglass shape in the air.
Tony chuckled. That's what hit him afterwards: how sure of himself he was, and how unthreatened he felt. He even went to Thor and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Well, big guy, congratulations. If there's anything I can do to make your bride feel more comfortable, just say the word. Tell you what," he added, before Thor could reply; "You can have the East wing. I'll move my movie library elsewhere."
Thor looked down, as if overwhelmed by Tony's kindness, and the others' reactions were just as subdued. Actually, they looked embarrassed.
"Relax, everybody;" Tony said, "I'm not raising the rent to cover the costs." He was smiling, but he could tell something was seriously wrong. He glanced around, and after a brief hesitation Natasha stepped forward. Before she could speak, though, Steve intervened. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"We need to talk."
"His bride refuses to leave Asgard," Natasha said spitefully.
And Tony still didn't get it.
"Really? Well, that's ok. He can visit her over the weekend." He looked at Thor. "No need to move back home, right?" But Thor wouldn't look at him, and this time even the others looked down too. Tony winced. "You're kidding," he said incredulously.
Hawkeye burst into laughs.
"We couldn't believe it either," he said; "Looks like the Mighty Thor's a whipped man, ladies and gentlemen. Aw, I'm just kidding," he added, clapping Thor on the back. "Cheer up; at least you're getting a beautiful wife. You should see what my uncle Bernard got!"
Tony was too stunned to speak; it was only when he noticed Natasha still looking at him that he forced a smile.
"Well, this calls for a celebration! Let's break out the champagne, will ya?"
"We're way ahead of you, Stark," Hawkeye said, as two agents hauled an ice bucket into the room. Another followed with trays and glasses. They settled everything on the conference table. "Get your glasses, ladies and gentlemen!"
Most of those in the room immediately flocked in their direction. Others, like Natasha, followed reluctantly. Steve hesitated, then he, too, moved, leaving Tony and Thor alone.
Thor drew a breath as if to speak, but before he could, an agent brought a tray with glasses in one hand and an open bottle in the other.
"Would you like some champagne, Mr. Stark?"
"Sure. I paid for it, I might as well -No, sweetheart; I don't want a glass. Here, let me unburden you," he said, and he took the bottle instead. "Take care of the groom, will you?"
Bottle in hand, Tony made a beeline to the exit, only to find his way blocked by Natasha. She had a half-empty glass in her hand, and Tony promptly refilled it.
"Drink and be merry, Natasha."
"Stark, you've got to do something."
"I do lots of things all the time, Natasha; please, be specific." But before she could speak, he looked over his shoulder. "Hey," he said to no one in particular, "Get some food from the pantry will ya? Some cheese curls and crackers -"
"Stark -"
"Hey, you know what? Natasha's right; we need real food to go with this. Call the caterer. Can't have people drinking champagne on an empty stomach -"
Natasha grabbed his arm and forced him to face her. He turned, but didn't look at her; he looked at her glass.
"Hey, are you drinking that?" he asked, "'Cause if you're not, then I'll take it. Can't let it go flat, you know," and without waiting for a reply, he took her glass and emptied it in one gulp. "Not bad," he said critically; "Still... I don't think I'll buy that vineyard."
"Stark, you can't let him go! We need him."
"Nah, we're gonna be fine," Tony said casually. "We'll find someone else. There's always someone else."
"Just talk to him, please!" she insisted; "If you do, then maybe -"
"And when we find him, I'll build him a hammer; I'll give it some cool powers, and then -"
She grabbed his arm again. "Stark! Listen!"
"I'm sorry, Natasha; can't talk business right now. Here," he said, handing her the empty glass. "You can have that."
He met her gaze then, and what he saw in her eyes made him turn and leave the party for good.
Compassion.
Things ended right where they started, in Tony's workshop. Tony went there straight from the party and then sat at his desk, staring at his computer. Pictures were rolling on the screen; pictures taken from newspapers and news shows from all over the world, all showing his fellow Avengers in full regalia, smiling, laughing even, a symbol of camaraderie for everyone to see. And Thor was right in the middle of it every time; the biggest guy in the room, with arms draped around his smaller friends, the mortals who seemed to bask in his attention.
"Shmucks," Tony muttered, and there was not one bigger than himself, who'd basked, all right. Somehow he always ended up at one end or the other of Thor's embrace, with the big man's hand resting on him. Sometimes Thor would do a little drumming on his shoulder, a sort of Morse code that meant he'd be dropping by later. Sometimes Thor was bolder; he moved closer and whispered, 'I want you, Metal Man,' and when Tony glanced around, he'd find that Thor was eyeing him like he was a juicy lamb chop or something, and it was enough to make Tony falter –sometimes right in the middle of a speech too. And Tony didn't mind. He never did.
Now, looking at the pictures, Tony had begun to regret every time he cut a conference short for Thor.
Oh, well. There was really nothing he could do about it now, except obliterate the evidence.
He punched a key.
"Oops! It's gone. I deleted another one, JARVIS!"
"Do you wish me to delete that picture from my data base?"
"Why do you keep asking that? I deleted it, didn't I?"
"Accidentally, Mr. Stark."
"Accidentally, on purpose." He punched the key again. "Ooops, there goes another!"
He took a swig from the bottle, then grimaced. He hated sweet stuff. It wasn't like the champagne wasn't giving him enough of a buzz –he'd kept his drinking in check for so long, even something as mild as this was bound to get him going –but he'd rather get drunk on bourbon; bourbon hangovers were easier to handle. Sweet stuff made him sick afterwards. Really sick.
He didn't have any bourbon at hand, though, and he didn't have the energy to go looking for it.
Idly, he looked back at his computer. Pictures were still rolling.
"Maybe I should just delete the whole bunch."
"I can always retrieve those pictures from their original sources," JARVIS said perkily.
"I don't want them retrieved," Tony retorted. "How many pictures did you save, anyway?"
"The number of pictures taken by you alone amount to -"
"Fuck," Tony muttered. Mea culpa. Yep, he'd taken lots of pictures; group pictures of the Avengers in and out of the tower, candid shots that chronicled their friendship from their uneasy beginnings to present times. Their first time at a bowling alley, for instance; their first trip on his private yacht, and the first time they tried to play baseball...
Then there was that tape, the one he kept under lock and key, so to speak. Normally, all security tapes were deleted on a weekly basis, even those from his bedroom –especially those from his bedroom; sex tapes had a nasty habit to turn up into the wrong hands- but he'd made an exception with this one.
Tony hesitated a couple of seconds, then typed a security code. A window opened, and there they were, he and Thor grappling in bed for the first time. They looked good together, despite their differences –one darker than the other, one bigger than the other. Or maybe it was their differences that worked in their favor. Thor was mostly silent, for instance, while Tony… Jesus, Tony wouldn't stop talking, not even when Thor started thrusting into him.
The sound was off, but Tony knew the dialogue by heart:
He, gasping: "I'd never done this." At Thor's questioning look, he added, "Without a condom, I mean."
And Thor had stopped moving right then.
"Do you wish me to wear one?"
"Oh, Jesus, no," he'd pleaded. "I'm clean, you're a god… Keep going." He'd grunted a couple of times, then managed a joke, "It's not like you're gonna knock me up, right?"
And maddeningly, Thor had stopped again.
"Knock you up? What does that -"
"Impregnate me," Tony cut in. "You're not gonna do that." And then, because Thor didn't immediately reply, Tony himself had stopped. "Are ya?"
And Thor had started laughing, boisterously –his own version of 'gotcha!'- and Tony had started laughing in relief.
Tony wasn't smiling now. There was a time when he thought that tape was better than any porn he'd ever seen; it had certainly helped those times he'd been left alone while Thor visited Jane Foster or his parents, or whatever it was that he did, (he never told and Tony never asked); but tonight, instead of arousing him, it pissed him off. He hated the way he looked at Thor, for instance. The emotions playing in his eyes were genuine, and that was the problem; he truly was in awe of Thor –well, that was kind of understandable; Thor was richer and more powerful than him. But did he have to look so fucking happy too?
Maybe he should delete that tape too; a sex tape was only good if it got you going.
He caught movement out of a corner of his eye then. A flash of red. Someone had entered the room –the only person who had full access to the workshop apart from him.
Thor.
Tony didn't immediately look up. He never did when Thor visited. It was a little game they played; he kept working, Thor got impatient and then walked up to him, pulled him away from his desk (or his workbench) and started kissing him –
But Thor didn't do any of these things, and Tony didn't really expect him to. He just wasn't about to make things easy for him.
Let the big man make the first move if he dared. Let him try to explain.
Unfortunately, talking had never been Thor's forte. He could sit or stand for hours without saying anything, seemingly content with letting Tony doing the talking. He probably understood only half of what Tony was saying, but he liked to listen. He smiled and nodded now and then, while Tony talked and talked, until he realized he'd said things he'd never meant to reveal.
One night, while having a late-night snack, Tony had stopped in the middle of a story. "I can't believe I told you that!" He'd looked at Thor, who'd been eating cornflakes all along. Thor had smiled in that open way of his, but Tony wasn't mollified. He'd blurted out, "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" And Thor had laughed out loud and playfully ruffled Tony's hair. "I'm serious," Tony insisted. Then, "Oh, ok, I'm not gonna kill you. But if you tell, I won't have sex with you anymore." And Thor had merely tilted his head and stared at Tony as if to gauge his sincerity, then smiled and laid his hand on Tony's neck and stroke it. Tony reluctantly leant into his touch. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, all right. I'll still have sex with you. Just don't tell anyone, will ya?"
"I shall not," Thor had said solemnly, and Tony had believed him.
He trusted Thor.
A part of him had resisted, at least at first. But he'd gradually given in. It was ok, he told himself; Thor was a good guy, he reasoned; he wouldn't betray him, and he'd always be there.
Tony closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, then opened them just in time to see the part in the movie where Thor wrapped his arm around Tony and then practically passed out, his face comfortably tucked into Tony's neck. Tony glanced sideways at Thor, then looked directly into the camera, smiling goofily. He was sooo proud of himself. He, a mere mortal, had managed to turn the Mighty Thor into an exhausted, cuddly teddy bear of a man. He knew his arm would get numb from the weight and then he'd probably have amputate it if Thor didn't roll off, but hey, if the big man was happy, so was he...
"Schmuck," Tony muttered. Morosely, he closed the window.
He swiveled his chair around and faced Thor. The big man was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes cast down.
Was that shame? Well, good.
"Well, well," Tony said. "The groom's here." He stared at him for a moment. "So. You're leaving."
Thor nodded quietly, still without looking at Tony.
Thor's meekness irked him.
"Are you gonna say something, or are you just gonna stand there like you're part of the furniture?"
Thor raised his gaze at last. His lips parted, but Tony was faster.
"Just tell me this: How long have you known?"
Thor hesitated. "My Father summoned me early this morn -"
"Don't give me that," Tony cut in. "Don't fucking give me that. Your dad's a stickler for tradition; there's no way he would decide this kind of thing overnight. He must have told you about this a long time ago." He kept his gaze on Thor, enjoying the fact that he was making the big man uncomfortable. Ah, ha. "So," he said softly. "How long have you known."
Thor didn't immediately reply. "We were betrothed from birth."
Tony nodded, as if he'd known all along.
"So, all this time -"
Thor shook his head.
"You knew," Tony insisted. "You fucking knew you'd have to leave." Thor tried to say something, but Tony cut in again. "You should have said so, from the beginning. I mean, you're the one who's always jabbering about honor and all that shit, so how come you never mentioned her?"
"She broke our engagement," Thor said quietly. "She said my association with humans diminished me."
"So, what happened; she changed her mind all of a sudden? That's so fucking nice of her." Tony took a swig from the bottle, found that it tasted worse now, but he kept drinking till it was all gone. He lowered the bottle. "You must be so grateful."
Thor looked up pleadingly. "Stark, I… I cannot refuse her."
"Oh, so she says jump and you jump, is that it?"
Thor smiled almost imperceptibly.
"I jumped every time you required it of me."
"That was different," Tony retorted, "That was business. Avengers business." He rose from his seat, walked unsteadily towards Thor till they were just a couple of feet apart. "You're an Avenger, remember? You said we were brothers. Brothers," he added, his anger growing. "You said you'd stay for as long as -"
"Stark-"
"You fucking said it!" Tony finished. He raised the bottle again, and was surprised to find it empty. He looked incredulously at it till Thor gently reached for it.
Tony saw their fingers touch, then part as Thor took the bottle from him and set it on the floor.
Thor's gesture filled him with sadness. Then the sadness turned to anger.
"So. Your fiancée doesn't like humans, huh? Does she know you've been fucked by one?" Thor winced, which was exactly what Tony wanted. Oh, yes; make the demigod squirm. "What about your dad? Does he know?" He looked closely at Thor, and noticed his growing discomfort. "Oh, so that's what this is all about. Daddy found out and freaked out." Thor shook his head almost imperceptibly but Tony ignored him. "His precious son, sullied by human seed."
"Stark." There was something in Thor's eyes as he spoke his name. A silent plea. That, and something else, something he'd seen recently in Natasha's eyes. Compassion.
Tony looked away. He didn't want people's pity.
"It is my Father's command," Thor said softly. "Please, understand. I must obey." He hesitated, and then – "You would do the same if your father -"
"Get out."
Tony turned. Thor was looking at him in surprise. Something in Tony's tone must have alerted him, and now that he looked at Tony in the face, he knew for certain that something was wrong.
"Iron Man -" Pleading, again.
"Get the fuck out of here." The words were spoken softly, but there was an obvious threat in them. "Now."
"I cannot leave until -"
"Didn't you hear me? You broke your word. You're nothing to me now." He frowned even as he said the words, (where the hell did they come from?) yet they were oddly appropriate. He saw Thor flinch, then make a visible effort to hold back. Then, after a brief hesitation, he walked up to Tony.
This is it, Tony thought. Thor was going to hit him -great, then at least he'd get some real pain to focus on.
Or maybe Thor would grab him instead; throw him over the desk and tear his clothes off and -
But all Thor did was put his hand on Tony's shoulder. He just let it lie there, warm and comforting. No more drumming, Tony thought. No more easy laughter -you're nothing to me now- no more late-night snacks at the cafeteria upstairs, no more trying to teach Thor the right way to swing a bat…
He tried to say he was sorry but for once, words failed him.
"Goodbye, Iron Man," Thor said softly, and then he turned and left.
Tony didn't move. He took a deep breath. Then another. He stood rooted in place doing nothing else for a long time. It wasn't till JARVIS spoke that he finally looked up.
"What did you say?" he asked hoarsely.
"Captain Rogers wishes to speak to you, sir. He wants to know your plans concerning Mr. Odinson's departure."
"My plans?"
"He says you ought to be present as they bid their goodbyes to Mr. Odinson."
Tony snorted. "Yeah, right." He took a deep breath, then, "Ok. Put him through." He glanced at the screen above the door. Steve Rogers appeared there, and he didn't look happy. "What's up, Steve?"
"Thor's about ready to leave, Tony. You'd better come upstairs now."
"I'm kinda busy right now. Why don't you take over?"
Steve shook his head, "It's your house, Tony," he said patiently; "It should be you -"
"My house," Tony repeated ironically. "You're right. It is my house. I keep forgetting that." He looked up. "Ok, look. What am I supposed to do? He wants to leave; nothing I say will change that."
"Then what about showing him some gratitude? He saved our behinds more times than I can count; you know that better than anyone -"
"I saved his too, Steve. And I did count the times. As far as I can tell, I don't owe him anything."
"Don't you?"
Tony looked up sharply. He stared at Steve, wondering what the hell he meant by that, and whether he, like Natasha, might know more than he let on about his relationship with Thor. But unlike Natasha, Steve wasn't looking at him with pity. He looked… pissed, yeah; but also kind of… exasperated.
Tony knew that look; nannies and butlers and rehab workers had looked at him exactly like that.
"It's not like he wants to leave, Tony," Rogers said quietly. "We should support him, not give him a hard time."
Tony looked up reluctantly.
"You're right," he said. "I'm being an ass. What can I say? Champagne has a bad effect on me."
"Then have some coffee and come upstairs."
"No."
Steve threw a quick glance over his shoulder as if to make sure there was no one around, then looked back at Tony.
"You're not making this easy on Thor, Tony! He's been our friend all along; he deserves better -"
"Please, Steve. You do it. You're better than me at this kind of thing, anyway. "
"Tony -"
"Just tell him how much we appreciated his help," Tony added casually. "Make sure his things are packed and ready -I don't want any complaints from Mr. Odinson. Oh, and give him some memento from the group, will you?"
"A memento? Like what?"
"I don't know. A group picture? Or a coffee maker -maybe he'll finally learn how to use it," he added snidely. "What about a toaster? He's getting married, after all."
"What about one of your guitars?" Steve said spitefully. "He always wanted to try his hand at them."
Tony was taken aback.
"No way." Thor's hands were talented when it came to sex, but musical instruments were out of his league. Even baseball bats gave him trouble. "Not my guitars."
"Then come upstairs and chose your own frigging gift."
Frigging. Steve only said that word when he was seriously pissed off.
Tony sighed. "Fine, give him one of my guitars. It's not gonna last long, but... That's the point, I guess. Anything else?"
"No, Mr. Stark," Steve said, still angry; "We'll handle everything for you." He cut communications himself.
Tony nodded.
"Good," he said, even though Steve could no longer hear him. "Ok. That's it then." He straightened up. "I feel much better now," he added. "I need to go out. Yeah, that's it. There's gotta be a party somewhere."
He walked up to the door but couldn't get through. "JARVIS, the door."
"I am sorry, Mr. Stark. I cannot allow you to leave."
"What? Why!"
"Sir, we both know what is going to happen if you leave in your present condition."
"My present condition?"
"You are broken-hearted, sir; you have imbibed a large amount of alcohol. If you go out, you shall inevitably get entangled in a dangerous liaison, and then tomorrow -or the day you finally return- you shall bemoan the fact that you left in the first place."
Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. "First of all, I'm not broken-hearted; I'm pissed. That's different." JARVIS didn't deign to reply to that. "Second, I'm not planning on getting entangled in a liaison; I want to get laid -huge difference there. And in third place, what the fuck's wrong with you? I didn't program you to act like a sanctimonious prig!"
"You programmed me to protect your interests, sir."
"Exactly; it's in my best interests to go out right now." The door didn't open. "JARVIS! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"
"Not until you sober up."
"I am sober!"
"Not according to the levels shown on my data base."
Tony leant his forehead on the door. "JARVIS, for the last time -"
"The answer is still no, sir. May I suggest that in the future you word your intentions more ambiguously, so that I do not feel compelled to act as drastically? Meanwhile, to avoid a conversation that might prove embarrassing to you later, I shall cease communications for the next four hours." Pause. "Yee-ha."
TBC