Yes, My Love, That's Right, That's Right
After years of hating New York City and everything in it, Tony was finally seeing how people could write songs about, love it like he loved JARVIS, make it part of them in their fucking soul. Loki (obviously, so painfully obvious, why is Tony even thinking this, clichés are lame) had everything to do with that.
There is nothing more fantastic than seeing a being with all the power in the world (maybe possibly probably, oh god Tony can't wait to find out how much power) at his fingertips amused at "Broadway Boogie-Woogie" while sitting in the MoMA.
"It's your city," Loki said, not out of the blue at all. Like the opposite of out of the blue. Into the green? Metaphors were not something to think about when distracted, it lead to too much confusion.
"Well yeah, the artist, whatshisass, made it a kind of grid of Manhattan. That's what you're supposed to see here, a weird primary color Manhattan map thing. I think? I think. I'm not really sure. I kind of let…other people handle art for me, a lot of the time."
Now Loki was looking at him like he was nuts, which was fine, he's totally insane, he must be, but what had he said now, this was normal and relevant information this time damnit.
"No, Tony," his voice was gentle, oh so gentle, and Tony wanted to crawl into it, cover his head and not come out 'til the morning. "I mean this is your city. You fit well here. I rather like it."
Now Tony was confused, a little concerned. Loki might have just gone off the rails, taken the crazy train and ran it so far off the track it ended up as a special on CNN, Anderson Cooper reporting. Hopefully it wouldn't make the Ridiculist. Ugh, if it did though, Cooper better laugh, those goddamn videos had so many hits.
"Loki, dear, my sun and stars. I hated it here my entire life. This entire city, it's just made up of everything my father did, everything he built. I mean, even Captain fucking America was made, here in New York City, by my father. This place…it's all his." Loki had to understand that, he had to know how this worked.
But instead, Loki smiled a bit sadly, and patted Tony's hand, like he's a dog that tried really hard to do a trick, but just missed the rollover by that much.
"Moon of my life," good to know Loki carved time out of his busy schedule to watch Game of Thrones. Or read it. Or both. "There are halls and rooms in Asgard that no matter how long I'm away, or how much I grow to hate the Allfather, will always be mine. They may have been created by Odin, but they are rooms that do not belong to him."
When did this flipflop happen. This isn't right, this wasn't meant to be a let's-fix-Tony, or anyone at all, deal. It was just comfort, just acknowledgment of a common ground. Now they were diving into waters Tony did not even want to try to deal with, not ever, but totally not now. Some things are best to be saved for long after the first date, maybe the eighth. Or eight billionth date? Some date so far away it shouldn't even be considered at this point in time.
"But enough of that. Where would you be taking me now? What is next on this glorious tour of the city." And we're back. Oh good, breathing was easy again, way easier now that they were outside again.
"Food. Food is always the next part, especially this late, and I think I know your type of place. I bet you're not into the whole street fare type, eh? That's more Thor's deal, you should see Thor and the Cap, the two of them I swear have spent a small fortune on food from carts. It's weird."
"I'm not surprised by that at all, Thor always was fond of the 'cheap and easy' when it came to food. But Rogers, really? I can't see this ending well." Loki seemed to be suitably disturbed by the idea, so all and all a job well done.
No, Captain fucking America and Thor hanging out was a test in waiting for something big, expensive, and technological to get destroyed completely accidentally. Tony would bet a lot of money, like all of his money, more than all, he needs to make money off this venture, that when something does go wrong, they'll get out if it by a combination of patriotism, blind ignorance, and a people's willingness to be pulled in by very large dogs. Saint Bernards and Newfoundlands oh my.
"I honestly try not to think of all the ways that could and will go wrong, it's just not good for my heart, and I keep that think in top working form, thank you very much."
Open the door in, usher Loki in, just as normal as normal could be, two normal people having a normal dinner on a normal day. If everyone in the vicinity was blind and dumb, they might get away with the charade of normality. Oh fuck normalcy, that was an indefinable ideal anyways, Tony shouldn't even try to keep up with that kind of construct.
The Russian Tea Room was one of Tony's good memories of New York as a child. His mother and him sitting in the Hearth Room, having food far too expensive, in a décor far too extravagant for a four year old, but Tony thinking just for a moment he actually fit somewhere.
They were lead to a small table, then left to their own devices, as Tony wanted. A well trained wait staff was perhaps the best investment of any restaurant, other than the chefs, it was a mark of a truly great restaurant to have the waiters anticipate what the customer needed.
Through the Caviar Tasting and wine, there was near-silence, the kind Tony can take, the kind he likes. It was good food, good company, good wine (not too much, Tony was a slightly recovering, maybe, sorta alcoholic, damnit), and it was good, comfortable enough for Kulebiaka (Tony's) and Shashlik (Loki's) to pass uninterrupted, aside from footsies under the table (who knew god-men-things played that, but the thrill and rush of it was oh so good) and sly glances across the table.
Tony could not imagine a better day, nothing could compare to this, not defeating evil, not driving Monaco. Not a thing.
Tony had sent Happy home earlier in the night, and now it was just Loki and Tony and five minutes to Stark Tower. The glories of Manhattan, everything is within walking distance. The night was clear and bright, and if they were outside of the city, on the ocean somewhere, the stars would be out in full force. As it was, Manhattan was shining, shimmering, splendid. And oh god, Tony had to take Disney off Netflix, why does this happen to him.
"Thank you, by the way. For this, for all of…this." Before cancelling Disney, Tony had to shut the fuck up, or maybe not Loki was laughing, and that was totally okay, Tony could say a million stupid things, uncensored and unknown things for that.
"Mr Stark, you are quite welcome, it is my pleasure entirely to have been invited to do this with you, to see the places you consider important." Tony thinks, for just a moment, that he can have this, keep it all of it. The insane avenging, the insane business, the insane romance, and make it all work, if Loki would just let him have it.
Star Tower was never quiet, not even this late at night. People still worked, still had projects and deadlines, and wanted to meet them, impress their boss, impress The Boss. Despite that, seeing Pepper in the lobby was odd, definitely not expected.
"Hi Pep, have a good night, I did, let's talk about it tomorrow, lunch, okay bye" Too late, Pepper had something, Tony wasn't getting out of it this easily.
"Hello Tony, I was having a wonderful evening. Until the Moscow office called me, in a panic, demanding to speak to you. Thankfully, you're here now, so here's the files they're panicking over, be a good boy and settle their little problems. I'll make sure your guest is suitably entertained."
Oh god. This was not good. As Tony walked to a small conference room, he couldn't help but think this was all an elaborate plot, and it was somehow going to end with Pepper and Loki being total biffles. And that was a thought more terrifying than Captain fucking America and Thor getting vendor food.
The elevator pinged, and since Loki and Pepper were apparently going to the same place, it was only logical they got in together. Damn logic, Loki could snap himself to the Avenger's part of the Tower in seconds. However, Pepper Potts was, in many ways, the deciding factor on what Loki could expect from Tony. An opportunity presents itself, he would not deny it.
"Did you two have a good day?" An innocuous question was never as simple as it seemed, Loki learned that very young. He was also smart enough to avoid underestimating Ms Potts.
"It was an experience I hope to have again, very soon. Tony can be a very generous when he chooses to be." Vague is safe, perhaps it'll last the elevator ride.
"Did you do anything particularly exciting?" Now Loki was wondering who was retrieving information from whom, and if he could change this. But, as it stands, a brief recount of where they had gone would not cause any damage. He did not need to tell what they had talked about, what they had done however. That was his alone.
"You're good for him, I think. God knows I've seen Tony with enough things that were bad for him, I can tell the difference. But no, you're definitely on the good side. Did you know that the Russian Tea Room was his and his mother's thing?"
What?
"What?" Oh well done, prying information out with subtlety and finesse, very good.
"Yep, the time we were together, he never took me there. He never took anyone there, as far as I know. It's been just his thing for some time now, as long as I've known him. It will be good to see him sharing it with other people."
Now Loki had more to think about, and absolutely no answers. Ms Potts was good.
"Well Loki, this is my floor. Tony should be done any moment now and I'll just send him right up as soon as I see him. Have a good night."
And with that, Loki was alone in an elevator, trying to figure out what exactly he was getting himself into, and if there was a possible bad outcome at all, for him, for Tony, for anyone.
He couldn't think of one.
