A/N: I apologize for the time it took me to finish this. Truth be told, I am/was (don't know for sure) having writer's block, so everything I managed to write was "shit" in my eyes. So I just kept rewriting a few scenes over and over again and wasn't in the mood to write the rest and kept procrastinating, etc. Then I finally got the chapter done, but waited for Ally to give it a read and help me a bit. Thus, it took me longer than originally expected.

Now I realize that in order for me to get something done, I need pressure. Otherwise the something may never get done lol

But I need to tell you guys that it might take a while for me to update FCM again. Because
this year, I'm participating on NaNoWriMo. I'm determined, I'll do it. So I need to be absolutely focused on the month of November. That and I also got Thor 2, my own birthday, and two holiday gifts I need to write.

So I'll only write the marriage chapter (yes, Chapter 8 is the long-awaited marriage!) after all of that is done. Which probably will be in January lol Hopefully, you guys will be patient for that.

As a reward, this is the longest chapter I've written for this story.

Bruce wasn't sure if letting Tony drink his sorrows would solve anything, considering how drinking + Tony Stark generally proved to be a bad equation.

But his friend wanted to go to a bar to do so, and Bruce had to patiently remind him of the number of reasons why this was a bad idea.

"Tony, everyone already knows about your marriage. Going out would only entice them to get an interview out of you, which is the last thing you need right now." He advised.

Tony was too agitated, wanting to get past Bruce and likely do something stupid, but living with Tony for a few months tested a lot your patience and in return could make you more tolerant towards his man-child behavior.

Tony huffed, "I don't care, Bruce! I don't care if they get me on the way to the car, I don't care if they invade my tower right about now, I. Don't. Care! My life is over now. Pepper is gone, I'll have to marry a sadist and–"

"Do it for me, then?" Bruce said, mantaining his calm tone. "You know how I don't like crowds…" He added.

The Pity Card was a low blow, but sometimes it worked.

Tony immediately went soft, but was determined not to look at Bruce. "Fine… but I'm still drinking."

"Only if I choose the drink for you."

The billionaire narrowed his eyes, "I didn't call you to be my nanny."

"You called me to be your friend, and that's what I'm being." Bruce said as he went to Tony's kitchen, decidedly having the last word. Tony seemed to have given in, slumping to the couch and rubbing his temples.

Bruce knew Tony wouldn't have any tea around, so he came prepared. He boiled some water and quickly prepared the tea.

When he came back to the couch, Tony was groaning loudly.

"Are you fucking shitting me? Chamomile tea?" He said between his hands.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "You need to calm down, not drown yourself in alcohol."

Tony took the mug from Bruce's hand, still frowning. "Had I known you'd be such a stick in the mud, I'd have called Rhodey."

Bruce shook his head. "He'd say the same, Tony. You need to stop drinking."

Tony made a face, but took a sip of the liquid.

"So…" Bruce prompted, looking at his hands and fidgeting. "Why didn't you call Rhodey first? He's your best friend."

Tony rolled the tea around in the mug for a bit, contemplating it. "I'm… kind of scared, actually."

That earned a confused look from Bruce.

Tony elaborated. "Rhodey… uhm… I don't think he'll approve of the wedding. At all. Which is fine, I mean, I don't approve it either– but in the end it doesn't matter what we think and– He's an army guy, you know? You know how the army is, and…"

Bruce nodded, needing to hear no more. "You think he won't approve because Loki is a guy?"

"More because Loki is a bad guy." Tony replied, taking another swig from the glass. "Either that or he'll call me stupid for letting Pepper go." He sighed, then added. "Him and Happy both."

Bruce awkwardly put a hand on Tony's shoulder, squeezing it gently. He's not very comfortable with touching, but he recognized that sometimes it was needed.

"I'm sorry about Pepper, Tony." Bruce said honestly, "And hey, if Rhodey is really your best friend, he will understand your reasons."

Tony scoffed and took a drink of the tea. "She broke up with me anyway, so…"

Bruce frowned. "What?"

Tony averted his gaze again. "Yeah, uhm… I know I was supposed to break up with her, but… turns out she was faster than me." He said the last bit in a self-deprecating laugh, shrugging. "I guess even if I didn't have to marry Loki, she'd still break up with me."

Bruce bit his lip. "Was she that unhappy?"

His friend shrugged again. "Apparently, yes."

The scientist nodded in sympathy. He squeezed Tony's shoulder again. "I'm sorry for… well… everything, Tony."

The whole week Tony was in Asgard, the Avengers were taking care of the media. Every once in awhile, someone asked them how Tony was chosen for the 'duty'. Clint and Natasha were the ones who answered most of the questions, partially because SHIELD already had almost everything covered, but also because Steve and Bruce would probably have ended up revealing that Tony lost a game.

They said the decision was taken responsibly, everyone weighing the pros and cons of each Avenger, until they all came to the conclusion that Tony was the best suited for the job. Naturally, everyone asked about Pepper, and the group's best answer was that the couple had already broken up by the time Thor came back with those news.

Not many people bought it, but apparently, Tony and Pepper's relationship hadn't been looking so stable in the media's eyes.

Tony sighed, patting Bruce's hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, well, now it's done." He said as he got up on his feet. "Come on, let's go have fun while I still can."

Tony didn't remember much after the conversation with Bruce. They went to a bar, and despite Bruce protesting the whole way over, there were no casualties.

The bar was one Tony had already frequented and the owner was his friend, so neither of them got problems about being famous. Anonymity was difficult to get nowadays. Tony didn't usually care about privacy, but after the Pepper thing, he just wanted to be alone for a while.

But not before having a few drinks first.

Pepper wanted him to be at a meeting tomorrow, about the possible new CEO, but all Tony said was that she could choose whoever she wanted. He didn't care and he didn't want to deal with his responsibilities – or with her – for now.

Except… he kind of had to.

He had to at least do the preparations for the marriage, or at least debrief SHIELD about it. So the next day, they ended up sitting him down for some sort of interview on Fury's office.

"So, Stark… had a nice vacation back on Asgard?" The man asked, leaning on his desk table and looking at Tony with a stony expression.

Tony just shrugged. "As nice as being trapped in the medieval era can be. Why do you ask, Nick, did you miss me?" He raised an amused eyebrow.

Fury snorted. "More like I needed you back so we could talk about business."

Right. About that…

"What do you want to know, Fury?" Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead. He really wasn't up to this conversation.

"Why, details about your marriage, of course!" Fury replied in a mocking cheerful tone, "I want to know all about the 'control' you'll have over Loki, and how they'll make it possible. You don't expect me to believe that your future husband will obey you out of the goodness of his heart." He narrowed his eye at the end, crossing his arms and waiting for Tony's answer.

Tony crossed his own arms in an act of defiance, also raising an eyebrow. "You doubt my discipline skills, Fury? I'm capable of teaching him a few things–"

Whoops, that was accidentally kinky.

"I'm serious, Stark. You know something, I know you do."

Tony rolls his eyes. "I don't know much." He said at last. "And even if I did, you know I wouldn't tell you." He added with a smile.

Fury hit his balled fist on his desk. "Enough with the bullshit, Stark!"

"Alright, fine. This week, saturday I think, is the wedding–"

"Saturday is in two days."

"–what?!" Tony uncrossed his arms out of surprise, sitting properly on the chair.

"It's thursday, you dumbass. What have you been doing all this time?!" Fury spat, clearly losing his patience.

"Uhm, on Asgard? I just came back yesterday, how will I have time–"

Fury cut him off by clearing his throat.

Tony gave an exasperated sigh in response.

"Fine, so… the wedding is Saturday. The rings do all the magic. That's all I know."

Fury was unamused. "You spent a week with those people and that's all you know?!"

"Well, yeah. Didn't get too excited to learn about all the tidbits. I mean, I just had to forcefully end a relationship…"

Fury straightened his back before standing up from his own chair. "Fine. That's all I wanted to know. You have two days to prepare for your great day, Stark. If I were you, I'd run with the arrangements."

Tony stood up as well, ready to leave the office. "Come on, it's just a simple wedding. Nothing fancy. Why should I lose my head with the preparations?"

He didn't lose his head with the preparations, but his friends did.

He was laying down on his bed, arms covering his eyes and attempting to sleep. Right after getting rid of Fury, he came back home and drank some more – after all, he had nothing better to do and wasn't really in the mood to do it even if he did. His head was killing him with a headache as strong as the one he had right before going to Asgard.

All he needed was some sleep. Maybe for a few months until everything calmed down. Maybe if he put everything off enough he wouldn't have to marry Loki.

Just… sleep.

He was rudely awakened shortly after by an incessant knocking on his door.

He groaned and rolled to the other side of the bed, his back facing the door. Couldn't he even catch a bit of sleep before being disturbed again by life?

The next moment, whoever it was burst into his bedroom. Tony was startled out of his drowsiness, almost jumping out of the bed. When he sat and looked at the door, the Avengers – sans Thor – were all crossing their arms and looking at him.

He rubbed his face tiredly, "Can't you guys see I'm kind of busy here? Trying to sleep?"

Bruce kindly sat on the end of his bed, facing him. "Well, Tony… I've been talking to everyone about this situation you're in, and…"

"You look like shit." Clint interfered, choosing a direct approach.

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. He looked back at Bruce, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, those are not the words I used, but…" Bruce started again, but soon stopped, fidgeting with his hands.

Steve was the next one to talk. "Bruce told us you've been drinking a lot since you were chosen."

"Technically, I lost the game." Tony retorted, frowning at the blond. "And what, can't a guy have a few drinks now and then without being considered depressed?"

"Actually, you were so nervous when we played the game that you showed me the shortest paper." Natasha supplied, still leaning by the door. "And you didn't have a few drinks, Tony. JARVIS has been keeping an eye on you for us and you've been drinking too much."

Tony's mouth was hanging open, "I've been what?!"

The woman shrugged, at least having the decency to look apologetic.

Tony frowned. "JARV, you've been showing them videos without my permission?!"

"My apologies, sir, but it was necessary." The A.I's monotone voice replied. "I was becoming worried about you."

Tony clicked his tongue, getting even more annoyed. "Okay fine. I've been drinking a bit. Whatever." He huffed, his headache starting to grow bigger. "So, since I'm a poor depressed and alcoholic man, can I get some sleep?"

They all looked at each other and then, "No."

Tony just covered his face with his blanket and whined, "Why the fuck not?" His muffled voice said angrily.

"Because." Bruce gently took the blanket out of his face and out of reach, throwing it to the floor. "You'll get married in two days. You have literally two days to get prepared."

Tony stubbornly kept his eyes closed. "And?"

Next thing he knew, he was already standing up, with Natasha and Clint picking up his clothes from the floor and tossing them to Tony.

"And despite us thinking that you're totally screwed, you still have two days of freedom." Clint offered a smiled.

"And… I thought that maybe this marriage doesn't have to be as awful as you think it'll be." Bruce said with a shy smile. "Which is why you're coming with us to get prepared."

Tony thought that by 'get prepared', Bruce meant 'to suck it up'. As it turned out, it meant both.

Each Avenger was assigned a different task. Steve got decoration, Bruce got food, Clint would take care of the place and Natasha would handle entertainment and, as she said herself, grooming.

Ha. Very funny.

Natasha insisted on waxing him. Yes, waxing. Tony refused at first, even fought against it. After all, why would he even need to wax? He never needed to – he never wanted to, actually – and it's not like Loki and him would be going at it like rabbits. Sure, he was attractive, but Tony wasn't counting on sex anytime soon.

Especially not with him bottoming. At least not right away. At least not before he was sure that Loki wouldn't hurt–

The woman took advantage of Tony's spacing out and all but strapped him to a reclining bed, telling him he 'needed to look good for his future husband, whether he liked it or not'.

"I'm doing you a favor, Stark. Trust me." The redhead said in a calming voice, patting his arm as if to assure him.

Tony still didn't trust her. Well, not much anyway.

Waxing was painful. He didn't have all that much hair, but it still hurt a lot. She started on his legs, coating the hot wax all over one, placing the paper strip on a part of it and gently - or as gentle as Natasha could be - pulling it out. Tony yelled.

"Relax, Stark. It's weird at first but you'll get used to it."

He better. His leg was burning and the strip didn't even catch most of it, only a little part. "Jesus, this fucking hurts. How can you women do this all the time?"

Natasha just rolled her eyes, "Suck it up. You felt worse pains in your life."

Well... when she put it like that.

Without a warning, she quickly put another strip on the same leg and pulled. Tony only had time to yell again. The second time doesn't hurt any less, so it seemed.

"Tell me again why this is a good idea." He gritted between his teeth, his fists curled in tight balls.

"Because you want Loki to have faith on you, and that you won't abuse of your powers, so we agreed that looking presentable to him was a good start." She replied in a sickeningly sweet voice, ripping yet another strip of paper.

Tony just yelped this time.

"I didn't agree to it." He grumbled, looking away.

"By we, I meant me and the Avengers." Her grin was vicious.

Tony fought his restraints once more, trying to break free at all costs. "Why the fuck are you guys even ganging up on me?! I thought we all hated Loki."

Natasha shrugged. "More or less. But Bruce thought things would've been easier for you if we keep Loki in a good mood."

Another rip, another yelp.

"I can 'control' him, remember? I can take care of this alone."

"Aw, but isn't this being fun?" She asked as she just ended coating his other leg and ripping a strip from that one. Tony screamed, albeit less loudly than he did at first.

"You and I have very different opinions about fun." He spat, chewing on his inner cheek so he'd stop - or try to stop - the vocal responses of pain.

Natasha finished her job with the legs in silence, every now and then singing in russian just to annoy Tony. Once that was over, he thought he was free for the day, but as it turned out she still wanted to wax... a more intimate part of him.

He fought and tried to escape yet again, but Natasha caught him before he could succeed. This time, they spent the time in complete silence. Tony out of shame – really, if it were just any woman waxing his ass, it'd be humiliating enough. But it was his co-worker, his friend even, and of course it made it worse. – and the Widow out of professionalism. Tony wondered how many times she had done this to a friend but quickly shut that thought down.

The situation was awkward as it was. No need to get a boner now.

Bachelor parties are not for the groom. They're for the friends of the groom. It's a way of saying goodbye to your 'lonely days' and welcome the married life, they say. But Tony knew that was bullshit. Bachelor parties were like a funeral, except instead of the guy being dead, he was more like a zombie.

Was he alive? Was he dead? A little bit of both.

So it was up to his friends to have fun and say a last goodbye to the poor guy. After all, even if he was still alive after getting married, he wasn't going to be the same person.

Which was why Tony thought, why do I even bother? True, the idea of having a 'last night of freedom' wasn't even his, it was Clint's. But Tony was in no mood to party. Tomorrow, he'd be a married guy – to someone who he couldn't care less about – and then... what? Loki was a god, immortal. How much time did Tony have left to live? 20 years? 30 years at most, if he was lucky and his liver didn't give out first?

So that was it. His time was running out and he'd spend those last few years playing house with a psychopath. Neat.

Guess a last night of freedom wasn't such a bad idea.

All of the Avengers were taking him to a strip club, including Rhodey and Happy. Tony hadn't seen Rhodey even before the whole thing exploded on his face, so he was nervous about it. Maybe since this was his last party his old friend would give him some slack.

The strip club was in a particularly upscale part of Manhattan. Tony couldn't remember having been there before. The owner seemed to remember him and quickly gave him the King's Suite - as he called it. Most of the guys were excited, apart from Steve who only kept repeating "Tony is engaged, we shouldn't be here! Maybe it's better to have a party just for us.", and Bruce, who kept quiet and was fidgeting with his hands.

"Clint, you know I shouldn't be here." Bruce whispered to the archer, avoiding Tony's eye contact. "I could- you know... The Other Guy could show up if he... uhm... gets too excited." He hissed the last part, truly worried about that happening.

Barton scoffed, patting Bruce's shoulder. "Relax, Banner. We'll get you outta here if you look greener than usual."

The scientist sighed, hunching back on his chair. Tony moved a hand through his hair, "You know what, I'm not in the mood either. Maybe we could-"

"Aw, come on Stark, chill out a bit." Barton chuckled as he ordered beers for everyone and waited patiently for the girls to show up.

Thor was sitting across from Tony, taking in the scenario and looking interested. "What exactly is about to happen, my friends?"

Natasha, who sat near Clint, answered, "Some girls are going to come here and look sexy for all of you." Her voice monotone and her body as still as a rock.

"Yeah, about that, why are you even here?" Tony couldn't help but ask. He didn't know much about Natasha, at least he didn't know how much of what he knew was true. So maybe she liked ladies, maybe she didn't-

And maybe Tony should stop thinking about that.

She raised a perfect eyebrow at him. "What? I thought we were friends, Stark. I'm just joining your bachelor party." Suddenly, she reached for her bag and pulled out a magazine. "However, I don't think I'll need to actively enjoy it."

Everyone laughed as she started to skim through the articles. If Tony was correct, his memory was starting to get back to him, and this particular strip club served not only women but a few men too. He pondered about telling her that and seeing Barton's priceless face of jealousy. That'd serve him right, since he hadn't let Tony and Bruce – and Steve too, dear old Captain Goody Two Shoes – leave or even choose the place or what to do.

Rhodey and Happy were sitting on Tony's right side. The two of them had been silent most of the ride there. Maybe they were a little intimidated by the Avengers, or maybe they wanted to discuss the Pepper/Loki thing but didn't know how to start.

Tony sighed and made the first move. "Right, so by now I think you both were at least debriefed about current events. Questions?"

He sounded a little too rough, even to himself, but he was truly nervous. Everything was going to hell too damn fast and there was a possibility that he'd also lose his oldest friends. Hell, he lost Pepper, lost his freedom, so if he was about to lose anything – or anyone – else, he wanted to get it over with.

Both men looked at each other before Rhodey broke eye contact and said, "Why you?"

Alright. Easy question. Easy answer.

"Lost a game." Was the quickest reply. He got momentarily angry at it, after all, according to Romanoff, he gave the cards away. Damn it.

"A game? You all really did solve something like this with a game?" Happy asked, sounding incredulous.

Tony rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, "Well... yeah? No one was going to volunteer."

"You lost a game against five other people?" Rhodey spoke a little louder, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well... okay, so... no." Shit.

Rhodey and Happy waited for him to continue but then the strippers had arrived. One for each men, but they wouldn't get close to them before they chose which one was theirs.

"Alright Stark, since this is your big night, I'll let you choose first." Clint eagerly said, gesturing to the six fine ladies. "I'll even pay for you, as a wedding gift!"

Tony rolled his eyes, and gestured to the first woman he saw, which was directly in front of him. A pretty girl with black hair, a killer body, and green eyes. The eyes he only registered when she was already stepping closer to him, straddling his hips.

That was when he registered who she looked like.

Fucking fantastic.

Thor immediately got up from his chair, wanting to reach Tony and tear the woman away from him. "Stark, what are you doing?!"

Aw no, this was the last thing he needed. A protective older brother.

Clint grabbed Thor's arm, "Hey big guy, calm down. This is exactly what's supposed to happen."

The god frowned and aggressively pointed at Tony, "Am I supposed to see Stark defiling a young lady right before my eyes?! While he's promised to my brother?!"

Natasha calmly said, "It's all part of the show, Thor. Tony isn't even allowed to touch her, she's just going to dance for him."

Bruce and Steve looked more out of place than he did. Bruce trying to breathe calmly, while Steve looked as red as a tomato and avoided any and all eye contact. Happy wasted no time and requested the ginger girl and Rhodey looked about to walk away from all the madness.

Tony shifted on his seat so he could look at Thor better, even though his girl was still attempting to get all of his attention. "Thor, trust me, I'm not gonna do anything with her. This is just for fun, which hey- I'm not having! So uh... yeah, just calm down. If I so much as touch her, you're allowed to hurt me."

He was saying that just to calm the god down, but apparently Thor took his promise at heart. The blond slowly sat down, narrowing his blue eyes at Tony, a silent 'I've got my eye on you' hanging on the air.

Tony thought of telling him how much the girl currently on his lap looked like Loki, a way of saying 'Hey Thor, no need to worry, I've got your brother on my mind at all times! See?', but then everyone else would've noticed and they wouldn't let him forget that.

The girl started to actively grind on him, likely asking him for more attention. He gave her an apologetic smile, gently moving her away from his lap before picking up the conversation he was having with Happy and Rhodey.

Rhodey had chosen a girl for him too, but he was more interested on his beer. Happy, on the other hand, seemed to be the one having the most fun out of all of them.

"So... about the game that I lost..."

Rhodey immediately shifted his attention to him. Happy was a little reluctant, though.

"I took Thor out of the game, for obvious reasons. Same with Clint. Bruce and Steve weren't comfortable with the idea, so..."

"Wait, they weren't comfortable with the idea?!" Rhodey sounded just a tinge angry and all but hissed the word. He didn't want to call attention to their conversation.

"Well... yeah. Bruce would've hulked out at the first sight of the guy, and Steve was born in the 40's."

His peripheral vision told him Clint and Natasha were paying close attention to the convo, but right now he couldn't care less. He was just telling the truth to his friends.

"Tony... you gotta admit that the psycho deserves a hulk out, right?" Happy asked him, confused as to why Bruce would've been such a bad idea.

"And as much as I respect Captain Rogers, he should've had adapted to the twenty first century by now." Rhodey added. "Not to mention that he's from the military, whatever mission he's told to participate, he should do it. Without discussion."

"If the Hulk is a bit too much, at least Barton would've taken good care of him." Happy supplied sarcastically, laughing at the idea.

"And if you truly wanted the guy to have someone to care for him, why didn't you let Thor be that guy?" Rhodey asked, as if that was the best choice of all time.

"Because he's his brother!" Tony started, not believing on what their friends were proposing. "And because Barton would've intentionally tortured the guy!" And hell, after all the shit that Tony's been through, he'd never wish that kind of torture to anyone. Not even his worst enemy. "Because Bruce is a genuine nice guy, with a bad condition, and he too isn't that into torture!"

The more Tony pointed out his reasons, the louder he accidentally got. And the more the others heard him clearly.

"And because even though Capsicle and I started on the wrong foot, I wanted to prove myself to him, alright?" He cleared his throat, fully aware that said Capsicle was paying attention.

Because no, Tony wasn't a hero. He'd never be one. But he was trying his best to be a good person and to help others, so shouldn't that count as something?

"So yeah, while a part of me thought the 40's excuse was kind of bullshit, I let him go with that."

He cleared his throat again and then looked at his stripper, who had fully stopped by then. Sighing, he gently lifted her out of his lap so he could leave the place.

He decided to cool down in the bathroom, since the exit was on the other end of the room and he wanted to get out of there quickly. He'd apologize later for the little show.

But Happy and Rhodey went after him, and before he can protest, Rhodey is talking.

"Look, Tony, I'm gonna be honest with you. Your reasons for removing some of the Avengers out of that stupid game are good." He rested a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Really, man. All of that was honorable of you. But…"

And that was when Happy took it from there, "But you're our friend, even before you were an Avenger or even a super hero. And we're worried about you."

"If this is really your choice, and not just a game you've lost, then we'll be okay with it. But if not…"

"...Then you're just being a fucking idiot." Happy supplied in a not so gentle way.

Tony sighed. They weren't explicitly talking about Pepper, but Tony knew exactly what they meant.

"I know that I may not want to marry the guy..." Now it was him who put a hand on their shoulders. "But really, guys, who else is better to marry the psycho other than me?" He gave them an arrogant smile. "I mean; I'm volatile, self obsessed and don't play well with others. Does that ring any bells?"

"I'm serious, Tony. I worry about you." Rhodey replied, his voice full of concern.

Tony tutted. "I'll be fine, Rhodey. He'll only touch me if I want him to."

A thought that Tony was avoiding at all costs.

"Good." Rhodey said at last, giving him a manly hug. "Good." He repeated.

"So…" Happy started, but waited until both men broke the hug apart. "About Pepper…"

Tony groaned loudly. "Enough about that. Isn't this supposed to be the last night of my life as a free man? I should be having fun!" He exclaimed as he exited the bathroom, going back to the party.

But before things could go back to normal – or as normal as they were ever going to get – Thor grabbed him and walked with him to a corner of the room.

Goddamn it, more talking.

"Listen, Thor–"

"Man of Iron, I'm sorry." Thor boomed, looking every bit apologetic. "As much as I don't approve of this Midgardian party, I should have had more faith in you."

Tony smirked and patted Thor's hand, in a silent request to let his arm go. "It's okay, Goldilocks, if I were my old self I'd probably go for it." He admitted.

Thor smiled. "But you are a changed man. A fine gentleman."

Tony laughed loudly, "I wouldn't really use that word, but okay."

Thor squeezed his shoulder, "I'm very happy that it is you who will marry my brother tomorrow."

And there it was.

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, well… you heard all I said earlier about the choices, so… yeah."

Things were about to get more awkward, he felt it.

"My apologies that my brother couldn't come today."

Called it.

"Uh… why would he even come, Thor?"

The thunderer blinked. "Isn't this a party for everyone involved? My brother will no longer be… a 'bachelor', as you say."

"Thor, he should have his own bachelor party." Tony started to explain, "That's how it works here. The groom and the… groom, have their own parties with their own friends."

As soon as Tony said it, he remembered that Loki basically had no friends.

Well, shit.

"But, you know, I'm 'Midgardian'. He's not. I don't know what you do in Asgard to celebrate–"

"We spend the night with our fiancés."

… Wait, what?

At his surprise, Thor explained. "We spend the night with our loved ones, to see if the love is true and if it is really what both want. It is a night of truth, shared passion and whatever else the couple needs or wants so they can tell if the marriage is still going to happen or not."

"Cute." Tony replied dryly before he could catch himself. "I mean– me and Loki? No love at all. This is basically politics, so I don't think your Asgardian tradition is really valid here." At Thor's sad look, Tony added, "Sorry."

"I understand." He nodded. "My brother, too, said that. Which is why he chose to spend the night alone."

Tony really shouldn't feel sorry for the guy. He really shouldn't.

He cleared his throat. "I imagine he is enjoying his last night of freedom as well." And chuckled at his own semi-joke.

No time for pity over the god of mischief. It was his own fault that he had no friends– well, he had to have at least one friend back in Asgard, right?

These gods were at least thousands of years old. Tony couldn't imagine being alone – completely alone – for thousands of years. Even if he never had a real family, he had friends. He had Rhodey, he had Happy, he used to have Pepper – Tony tried to swallow the lump that formed on his throat – and now, he had the Avengers.

So Loki had to have someone too.

With that thought in mind, Tony enjoyed the rest of the night. Loki will be fine, he told himself, swallowing down his sudden worry for the man.

A/N²: So, a few comments about a few scenes: I WENT CRAZY AND KEPT SAYING "ARTISTIC LICENSE" WHILE WRITING THEM.

Because I know that Bruce isn't one to touch people a lot, but Tony needed a hug and they're science bros so I was like "lol artistic license"

There wasn't an actual need for Natasha to wax Tony but I wanted to write that funny scene so "lol artistic license"

Strip Clubs probably aren't like that but I've never been to one before and with the new writing method that I have, I don't have much "time" to do research (just very, very quick ones) so "lol artistic license"

And whichever other scene that you think is odd, LOL ARTISTIC LICENSE.

Because most of the time I worry too much and don't get anything done, so... I apologize if I get too crazy with my artistic license :\